"Sister?!"
Sona's eyes widened in disbelief, her violet gaze becoming distant as she processed the revelation. Her disobedient older sister had really given her quite the surprise.
She'd explicitly told Serafall not to disturb Takeyo, and yet...
"Wait, Takeyo?" Rias's eyes narrowed dangerously, crimson power flickering at her fingertips. "If you already have Sona's Evil Pieces inside you, why did you agree to become my servant? Are you playing games with me?"
Her tone carried a sharp edge that promised consequences if the answer displeased her.
"No, I'm not playing games with you," Takeyo replied calmly, meeting her intense stare without flinching. "Didn't I just explain? Due to the special circumstances, the reincarnation didn't complete successfully."
"Takeyo... what exactly do you mean by that?" Sona asked, having recovered somewhat from her earlier emotional state. Her analytical mind was already working through the implications.
"I mean that perhaps the number of Evil Pieces wasn't sufficient, so the reincarnation failed to complete," Takeyo explained. "However, my body does contain a small amount of demonic power now, just not enough to trigger a full transformation."
So far, Takeyo hadn't lied about a single thing. He'd simply omitted the fact that he could devour the Evil Pieces' power at any time using Krishna's abilities, or that his body fundamentally rejected the transformation due to the Ten Incarnations residing within him.
Listening to the exchange between Takeyo and Sona, Rias felt her composure cracking.
"You're saying the number of pieces wasn't enough?!" She could barely keep her voice level. "Sona used eight pieces on you, with a combined value of fourteen! That still couldn't complete your reincarnation?!"
Her blue-green eyes reflected genuine shock. Even someone with her relatively average grades knew that eight pieces should be more than sufficient for any normal reincarnation. The textbooks made that abundantly clear.
"Well, those are the facts," Takeyo said with a casual shrug. "So when I said I was willing to become your servant, President Rias, I wasn't lying. If you add your Evil Pieces to what's already in my body, perhaps the reincarnation will finally succeed?"
He spread his hands in a gesture of openness, though his dark eyes held a knowing glint.
The choice was entirely in her hands now. If Rias believed her remaining pieces could complete what Serafall had started, she was welcome to try.
It just so happened that he'd nearly broken through to Middle Class Devil strength already. If she wanted to donate more Evil Pieces to push him over that threshold, he certainly wouldn't object. The extra power would be absorbed and converted into his own spiritual energy reserves soon enough.
"Ara ara~ This situation is becoming quite interesting," Akeno observed with a delighted smile, her violet eyes sparkling with amusement.
As Rias's Queen, she already knew what decision her King would ultimately make. The temptation was simply too great to resist.
"Unable to complete reincarnation even with fourteen pieces worth of power, yet strong enough to repel an SS-Class Stray Devil before any transformation..." Akeno's gaze lingered on Takeyo with barely concealed fascination. "You really are quite the specimen, Takeyo-kun. It makes one want to... study you more closely."
Koneko, who'd been silently observing from her corner, suddenly reached out and tugged on Akeno's sleeve.
The message was cleareven for someone as emotionally reserved as Koneko, there were limits to how much suggestive behavior she'd tolerate around certain people.
Meanwhile, Rias made her decision after only a moment's hesitation.
"I've decided!" she declared, her voice ringing with determination. "Takeyo, I'm going to accept you as my servant! Only someone with your strength and potential is worthy of the Gremory name!"
Her crimson hair seemed to glow with inner fire as she stepped forward, confidence radiating from every movement.
The stronger and more talented her peerage members were, the better her chances of defeating Riser in a Rating Game. Ideally, she needed someone at Dragon King or God-level strength who could utterly crush that arrogant peacock.
"I have no objections," Takeyo replied easily. "Though I can't guarantee your pieces will succeed where Serafall's failed."
His tone suggested mild interest at best. Internally, he was quite certain that completing his reincarnation with such a paltry number of Evil Pieces remained an impossible fantasy.
The Ten Incarnations of Origin Vishnu weren't something that could be overwritten by ordinary Devil magic, no matter how many pieces were used.
"Wait a moment." Sona's voice cut through the room like a blade of ice. She adjusted her glasses with renewed confidence, her earlier vulnerability completely suppressed. "I don't recall agreeing to this arrangement. According to both Takeyo's words and the actual situation, he should already be considered my servant, shouldn't he?"
Her violet eyes challenged Rias directly, daring her childhood friend to contradict the logic.
"Well, in a technical sense, that's accurate," Takeyo acknowledged thoughtfully. "If the rules allow it, I should theoretically be able to participate in Rating Games as Sona's piece, even without a completed reincarnation."
After all, rules were ultimately determined by those with sufficient authority. Among the Four Great Satans, his side could claim at least two, Sirzechs and Serafall. And since Sirzechs and Ajuka always worked together, that effectively meant three of the four Satans would support any arrangement that benefited Rias and Sona.
What did changing a few minor regulations matter when you had that level of backing?
"Sona..." Rias's voice softened, taking on a note of genuine pleading that she rarely revealed. "Aren't we childhood friends? We've been together since we were little girls. You've already resolved your major issue with the arranged marriage challenge. But my problem with Riser still hasn't been solved..."
She let the words hang in the air, knowing exactly which emotional buttons to press.
Sona's expression wavered. She'd wanted to declare that Takeyo was hers, that her feelings gave her priority, but the raw emotion behind those thoughts made her hesitate. They were childhood friends, after all. They'd supported each other through countless challenges over the years.
Seeing that Sona seemed to be wavering, Rias pressed her advantage.
"Besides, Sona, don't you want Takeyo's reincarnation to succeed? If we use my pieces in addition to what's already in his body, perhaps we'll finally have enough to complete the transformation?"
"That... does make logical sense," Sona admitted reluctantly.
Of course she'd already considered the consequences of an incomplete reincarnation. According to everything she'd learned in her studies, servants who required seven or eight pieces typically possessed combat power approaching Satan-class levels at their peak potential. If Takeyo had already absorbed so many pieces without transforming, his ultimate potential might exceed even that threshold.
Takeyo's internal response: To be precise, my potential doesn't merely exceed Satan-class, it fundamentally crushes both the Infinite Dragon God and the True Dragon Emperor in raw power scaling. You're all just working with incomplete information.
"Then let's begin!" Rias straightened, her considerable assets drawing attention as she thrust her chest forward with renewed confidence. "I believe Takeyo will leave an indelible mark on Devil history!"
Takeyo's mental amendment: To be precise, not just Devil history, but the history of this entire world and potentially countless others across the multiverse...
"Very well," Sona agreed with a slight nod. Though she felt like something precious was being taken from her, she lacked the means to complete Takeyo's reincarnation herself.
More importantly, she knew exactly what kind of person Rias was currently engaged to marry. Watching her childhood friend and rival forced into marriage with someone like Riser Phenex was not something she could tolerate.
"However, I have one condition," Sona said firmly, her voice regaining its usual authoritative edge.
Even with her possessiveness suppressed by logic and friendship, she couldn't simply hand Takeyo over without asserting some claim.
"Go ahead," Rias replied, her expression growing serious once more.
The atmosphere in the room shifted as the two heiresses faced each other, their hands clasped together on the table between them like opposing generals negotiating terms of engagement.
"Regarding any orders or missions involving Takeyo, I want joint decision-making authority," Sona stated clearly. "For instance, if you're competing in Rating Games or other contests, I expect to be consulted about his deployment. As I understand it, you need to do that, and winning that particular match is the entire point of this arrangement."
The unspoken message was crystal clear: Remember that Takeyo is my person first. Always. This condition merely formalizes what we both already know.
"Agreed! I accept your condition!" Rias responded without hesitation.
She was nothing if not decisive when the situation demanded it. No matter what else happened, she'd successfully secured at least partial claim to Takeyo's incredible potential. That alone made the concession worthwhile.
"Then there's no time to waste. Let's begin immediately!" Rias declared, producing all her remaining Evil Pieces with a flourish.
Eight Pawn pieces, one Rook piece, one Bishop piece, and one Knight piece materialized in her hands, a combined value of nineteen! For context, even a Queen piece was only worth nine.
"Very well," Takeyo said with a slight smile, extending his hand cooperatively.
Good, he thought. I won't need to wait another ten or fifteen days to naturally advance to Middle Class Devil strength. I'll break through today instead.
Though as compensation for essentially scamming you both, I suppose I should help deal with that turkey Riser when the time comes...
"Pawn piece... number one," Rias announced formally, channeling her power to guide the crimson chess piece into Takeyo's body.
The piece dissolved into red light and vanished beneath his skin.
"No response," Koneko observed quietly, her golden eyes tracking even the slightest changes in Takeyo's aura.
"Pawn piece... number two," Rias continued, undeterred.
"Pawn piece... number three..."
Rias had already steeled herself for this process. She kept feeding Evil Pieces into Takeyo's body one after another, watching for any sign of transformation.
The room fell into tense silence as everyone present focused on the spectacle unfolding before them.
"Pawn piece... number seven..."
"Pawn piece... number eight..."
Eight Pawns had been absorbed! Yet Takeyo still showed no obvious changes. There wasn't even the slightest tendency toward manifesting Devil wings or other demonic features.
"Ah!~"
At that precise moment, Takeyo felt a wave of refreshing energy surge through his body. There it is, advancement to Middle Class Devil strength!
The warm current of spiritual power flowed through his meridians, circulating according to the automated patterns he'd configured. The system he'd set up was running more smoothly than ever before, optimizing every aspect of his energy utilization.
I'm more than twice as strong as I was just minutes ago, Takeyo assessed with satisfaction. This is the difference between peak low-tier and true Middle Class Devil strength.
Not only had his total spiritual power reserves and quality increased dramatically, but he could now maintain three incarnations simultaneously without strain. His combat capabilities had effectively tripled.
"Still no visible effect?" Rias's voice wavered slightly, her earlier confidence beginning to crack.
"Do you want to continue?" Takeyo asked with a slight yawn, deliberately appearing bored.
Now that he'd reached Middle Class Devil strength, he had no real interest in taking more of Rias's pieces. He'd already gained what he needed from this exchange.
With his current power, he could face even a ten-winged Fallen Angel in direct combat. Victory might not be guaranteed, but he certainly wouldn't lose. That was sufficient for his immediate needs.
"Continue!" Rias decided after a few seconds of internal struggle.
She'd committed this far already, there was no point in backing down now. Sona had paid the price of fourteen pieces. How could she show any less determination?
"Rook piece!" she declared, sending the powerful chess piece into Takeyo's body.
"Bishop piece!" Another flash of crimson light.
"Knight piece!" The final piece dissolved into his form.
As Rias's eye twitched involuntarily at the sheer number of wasted resources, all three remaining pieces merged into Takeyo's body one after another, joining the others in the void where they simply... dissolved into his spiritual energy reserves.
"Sona-chan!~~~"
At precisely that moment, a familiar, sing-song voice called out from outside the Occult Research Club, completely disrupting the tense atmosphere.
Everyone in the room froze, recognizing that distinctive tone immediately.
Serafall Leviathan had arrived.