After all, the reason Rias managed to avoid marrying Riser in the original story was half due to the Red Dragon Emperor and half due to her overprotective brother, Sirzechs. Without the Maou's tacit approval, the Red Dragon Emperor would never have been able to crash the wedding and snatch the bride in front of all those high-ranking guests.
Even in that fight, the original protagonist had technically lost to Riser, only managing a narrow victory by using enhanced Holy Water. In a normal wedding, he would have been blasted out of the building long before that.
"The truth is, Rias is burdened by an engagement. Recently, her nominal fiancé has been harrassing her, trying to force her back to the Underworld to complete the marriage," Akeno explained, sighing deeply. Clearly, this was a matter of a scale she couldn't interfere with.
Upon hearing the word "engagement," the women in the room immediately swarmed around them, fueled by gossip. Even the Fallen Angel trio, who were washing dishes in the kitchen, poked their heads out. It seemed the love for gossip transcended race.
"Give us the details," Rhode prompted. Even though he knew the story, he wanted to let Lavinia and the others satisfy their curiosity.
Akeno didn't treat Rhode as an outsider and explained the situation surrounding Rias's family. The women were shocked. They hadn't expected the Underworld to still practice arranged marriages. Whatever happened to the image of devils being freedom-seeking rebels?
A young woman refusing a marriage forced by her elders and throwing a tantrum over it... it sounded exactly like a soap opera from the 6:00 PM time slot. What was next? A hero falling from the sky to save the heroine from her misery?
The details matched Rhode's memory perfectly.
"If it's someone she doesn't want to marry, then she just shouldn't! If you live with someone you don't love, life will be full of hardship and unhappiness," Asia said, crossing her arms indignantly. "Marriage has to be with someone you like!"
At that, she stole a glance at the contemplative Rhode, and a faint blush crept onto her fair cheeks.
"Can't she just refuse?" Lavinia asked, puzzled.
"It's not that simple. They say it's to preserve the purity of the Great King's bloodline. This isn't just a wedding; it's about political interests and the future of the Underworld. In the face of such 'greater duty,' personal feelings can't sway the outcome," Akeno sighed heavily. She then turned to Rhode. "Mr. Rhode, do you have any ideas?"
Rhode had told them before that they could come to him if they had problems. Rias hadn't taken it to heart at the time, but Akeno believed in Rhode, especially since he was a close friend of her cousin.
[Akeno Himejima has issued a new quest!]
[Quest: Arranged Marriage of the Underworld] [Objective: Prevent the union of the Gremory and Phenex families.] [Reward: Favorability +50 with Rias, Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko. One random reward.]
The quest didn't surprise Rhode. This was one of the main plotlines of High School DxD, after all. However, in Rhode's eyes, this task was a bit thankless. Rias's marriage was an internal family affair; as an outsider, he couldn't just barge in.
In the original, Rias held a Rating Game against the "Fried Chicken" to break the engagement. But Rhode was a human; he couldn't participate in a game held specifically for devils. This wasn't the late-game stage where any group in the world could enter. With the three major factions yet to sign a peace treaty, communications were still closed off.
After a moment of thought, Rhode said, "That's easy. I'll just go and kill Riser."
"Riser is very powerful. He's a pure-blood High-class Devil of the Phenex family. Their greatest trait is immortality," Akeno shook her head.
"I've heard of the Phenex family before," Lavinia added, frowning. "While their strength isn't at the top of the Seventy-Two Pillars, they are said to possess immortality that allows them to regenerate even if they are turned to ash."
"Exactly. That's why Rias is so hesitant to use a Rating Game to settle the dispute. She knows she can't beat Riser. That immortality is just too broken," Akeno said. "Furthermore, Riser has a full set of pawns. Rias only has me, Koneko, and Yuuto. No matter how hard we work, we can't win."
Akeno's expression was bitter. Having said all this, she realized that even telling Rhode might not change anything.
Rhode was internally scoffing. No, actually, even if Riser didn't have immortality, Rias still wouldn't beat that bird.
The reason was simple: Rias's mastery over her Power of Destruction was pathetically low. Her mother was the famous "Extinction Lady," and her brother Sirzechs was the current Lucifer. That alone proved the potential of her power. Yet, in the story, Rias's strength was only enough to deal with minor mook-level enemies. Whenever she met someone slightly stronger, she'd get flattened immediately.
"It's fine. I can handle Riser. As long as you lure him to Kuoh Town, I have a way to kill him without anyone finding out," Rhode said with a smile.
As for being "found out"—he'd just put on Superman's glasses; even Lavinia wouldn't recognize him then. Combined with his super speed, that turkey wouldn't even know how he died.
"Uh... is there any other way?" Akeno hated Riser and wanted him dead, but she knew he was the third son of the Phenex house. If he died, Rias would definitely be held responsible. "Even though Rias loathes him, she wouldn't agree to that method."
"Fine." Rhode sighed.
Akeno was just like Suzaku Himijima. There was a perfectly efficient solution right there, but they refused to accept it for various reasons. But, being the "kind-hearted" soul he was, Rhode decided to respect the client's wishes.
"In that case, there is one other way. Have a Rating Game with that turkey and defeat him head-on."
"Huh? But I just said, Rias isn't strong enough..."
Before she could finish, Rhode interrupted her again.
"It's not just that Rias isn't strong enough. None of you are. And the most important reason is that none of you have even thought about actually training yourselves."
"You haven't spent even a single day in real training. How do you have the nerve to say you've worked hard?"
They might be the "protagonist's team," but in the face of an opponent like Riser and his peerage, they were destined for a crushing defeat. The main reason wasn't just that they were weak—it was that they were defeatist. They went through the motions without any real effort.
Well, except for Kiba Yuuto. He was perhaps one of the only members of the original peerage who fought seriously and wanted to win. Unfortunately, his talent had a ceiling, and no matter how hard he worked, he couldn't bridge the gap alone.
But aside from him and the Red Dragon Emperor, Akeno, Koneko, and Rias herself hadn't even truly planned on winning.
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High School DxD : Reincarnated into the Multiverse, but it's High School DxD (144 Chapters – Ongoing)
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