Hearing the promise of a reward, Caleb slightly lifted his spirits.
He refused to get up from Akeno Himejima's lap, looking innocently at Rias, indicating that he was listening intently.
Rias sighed and continued, "Due to a great war with the Gods many years ago, the bloodlines of many pure-blood Devils were almost extinguished. To boost Devil forces, the current Devil King Beelzebub developed the Evil Pieces system for Devil reincarnation…"
When Rias mentioned the Evil Pieces, Caleb stopped fooling around and pricked up his ears, listening seriously.
Evil Pieces and the Rating Games were elements that permeated the entire plot of High School DxD. When watching the anime, he found it interesting, knowing what they were, but not how they worked in detail. Caleb had initially planned to slowly investigate to see if the rules matched what he knew and how the specifics differed. He hadn't expected Rias to voluntarily give him the information. Just for this unexpected gain, the trip was worthwhile.
Caleb sat upright, concentrating on Rias's narration, not wanting to miss a word.
"The Evil Pieces (Devil's Chess Pieces) are modeled after the game of chess in the real world. They were created by the current Devil King Beelzebub to increase the fighting power of the Devil race. In a Rating Game, there is 1 King, 1 Queen, 2 Rooks, 2 Knights, 2 Bishops, and 8 Pawns. This makes a total of fifteen pieces, excluding the King."
"The Queen, Rooks, Knights, Bishops, and Pawns are all Familiars (servants) of the King. They initially start as Low-Class Devils. If they perform exceptionally well, they can be promoted to High-Class Devils and receive their own set of Rating Game Evil Pieces from the Devil King."
"The more powerful a person's innate abilities, the more Evil Pieces are required to reincarnate them."
Rias paused, allowing Caleb a moment to digest the information, then asked, "Is there anything you don't understand?"
More than this general overview, Caleb wanted Rias to explain the more intricate details, such as the power levels and the specific abilities of the various pieces.
"Rias-senpai, could you elaborate on the Rating Games, the different pieces, and the hierarchy of power?"
Rias nodded and provided a more detailed explanation.
"The Rating Game is currently the primary means of determining a Devil's social status. The Rating Game provides a pathway for Low-Class Devils to be promoted. It is a competition established to break with tradition and ensure the continuation of the race in response to the modern era."
"Since the war happened long ago, there are no large-scale conflicts, but the three factions maintain a state of mutual tension. Young High-Class Devils use the Rating Game to conduct training that closely simulates real combat."
"The Rating Game is a competitive match between Devils, led by High-Class or Ultimate-Class Devils who act as the King and utilize their servants. However, this is not a simple fight. Many rules and restrictions are set during the match. The King's evaluation is determined by how well they exploit these rules and restrictions, as well as their effective use of the battlefield terrain."
"Based on performance in the match, if a Devil receives a high evaluation, their status within the Devil hierarchy can be raised. Even Low-Class Reincarnated Devils, serving as servants, can raise their status through exceptional performance."
"Promotion occurs from Low-Class Devil to Middle-Class, High-Class, and Ultimate-Class. Once a Reincarnated Devil is promoted to High-Class, they can receive Evil Pieces from the Devil King and begin gathering their own servants as a King. However, even if they become a King themselves, they must still return to their role as a servant to their original master when that master participates in a game."
Caleb nodded. So that was how it worked. It sounded complex but wasn't too difficult to grasp. He hadn't played Western Chess, but he knew Chinese Chess. The 'General' and 'Marshal' were equivalent to the two Kings; if one was defeated, the game was lost.
The Rating Game couldn't possibly follow the exact rules of chess. Aside from the core King rule, the other complicated rules of chess were irrelevant. Ultimately, the Rating Game was about power. If the King was strong enough, they could win even if all their servants were defeated and the King was cornered in the enemy's territory. The King only needed to defeat all opponents single-handedly. This scenario was impossible in real chess, where all pieces have equal strength, and victory or defeat depends on strategy. In the Rating Game, while strategy was important, the deciding factor was always just one thing: power.
After hearing about the Rating Game, Caleb continued, "Rias-senpai, what is a Low-Class Devil, and what do you mean by the more ability a person has, the more pieces they need?"
Sona Shitori intervened, "I'll explain this part."
She was a High-Class Devil, just like Rias, and the daughter of the pure-blood High-Class Devil House of Sitri, as well as the family's next head. If she didn't speak up, Caleb might think she was inferior to Rias, which would be detrimental to her later recruitment efforts.
Rias's throat was dry from talking so much, so she didn't compete with Sona Shitori.
"I will first explain the abilities of the various pieces."
Sona Shitori pointed at Akeno Himejima and Tsubaki Shinra. "First is the Queen piece, which possesses the abilities of the Rook, Knight, and Bishop simultaneously. It is the strongest piece next to the King. The Queen's value is equivalent to nine Pawns. The Rook's value is five Pawns, and the Knight's and Bishop's values are three Pawns each."
"The abilities of the other pieces are: Rook: possesses high offense and high defense. Can use 'Castling' to instantly swap positions with the King. Knight: possesses high speed. Bishop: specializes in using magic. Pawn: possesses the ability to 'Promote.' When standing in an area designated by the King as 'enemy territory,' they can promote into any piece other than the King."
Caleb nodded thoughtfully. His hazy memories cleared up. Different Evil Pieces, in addition to strengthening certain abilities, also had special effects. He had genuinely forgotten about those. Rating Games were never as interesting as the beautiful girls, especially the ones whose clothes got torn in battle...
"Akeno-senpai and Tsubaki-senpai are Queens, and President and Rias-senpai are Kings?"
Caleb felt he should follow through with the act, so he asked the obvious question.
"That's correct." ×2
Sona Shitori and Rias exchanged a glance and simultaneously revealed their true forms.
With a bang, a strong gust of wind suddenly swirled in the room. A pair of inky black wings sprouted from their backs. A slender, black tail extended from beneath their short skirts, swaying gently.