The early evening sun bathed Kuoh Academy in golden hues, but the atmosphere inside the Occult Research Club was heavy with tension. Maps, strategies, and magic circles covered the table, and the peerage of Rias Gremory sat in solemn concentration. The Rating Game against Riser Phenex loomed just days away.
Rias stood by the window, watching the sky. "It's almost time," she murmured.
Behind her, Kiba adjusted his training gloves. "We've run simulations a dozen times. We have a strategy."
"But strategy means nothing if we break under pressure," Akeno added quietly, her eyes scanning a list of Riser's servants. "Riser's team is fast, coordinated. And his regeneration will make him a nightmare to deal with."
"Yeah, well, I've got something he doesn't," Issei muttered, punching his palm. "Guts!"
Koneko glanced at him from the sofa. "And a tendency to yell during fights."
Issei sighed. "Still salty, huh?"
A moment of lightness flickered across the room, but it passed quickly. Rias turned to face them. "I need everyone focused. Riser isn't just a powerful opponent. Something's… off about him."
Kiba raised an eyebrow. "You noticed too?"
Rias nodded. "It was subtle, but when he visited the club last time, his energy felt… altered. Not weakened. Just different. Like it was pulsing beneath the surface."
"I thought it was my imagination," Akeno admitted. "But now that you say it…"
Rias didn't respond immediately. Instead, she folded her arms and looked thoughtful. "I don't want to jump to conclusions, but we've already seen what happens when we ignore the strange and unnatural."
Issei stood and walked to her side. "You're talking about that Amon guy, right?"
At the name, a shadow seemed to fall across the room.
"He's still lurking in the background," Rias confirmed. "Azazel already told us what he suspects—that Amon's real goal isn't just your Sacred Gear, Issei… it's your fate."
"You know after thinking so much of this amon guy Still doesn't make sense," Issei muttered. "Why my fate? I'm not special. I mean, not really."
"You're far more important than you realize," Rias said, her voice soft but firm. "And someone like Amon wouldn't be watching you if it weren't significant."
A heavy silence followed.
In Heaven's inner sanctum, a mirror-like pool rippled with divine energy. Archangel Michael stood beside Azazel, both gazing into the light.
"So you believe this Amon seeks the boy's destiny," Michael said, arms crossed over his pristine robes.
Azazel nodded. "Not just the Sacred Gear. That would be too simple. Amon's the kind of being who plays long games. Whatever he is—angel, fallen, monster—he wants to shift something fundamental. Fate, causality… something that breaks the normal flow."
Michael narrowed his eyes. "Then the boy must be protected at all costs."
"That's why I haven't told Rias everything," Azazel said. "Too much pressure, too early. But we're watching closely. If Riser's connected to Amon somehow, we'll see it in the Game."
Michael's gaze darkened. "I pray we are not already too late."
Somewhere in the folds of reality, Amon stood before a grand mirror filled with moving fragments of fate. In his monocled eye, Issei's reflection pulsed with golden threads.
"Your fate weaves through many," Amon whispered. "A cornerstone. A fulcrum. And yet… still so human."
He turned to another reflection—Riser Phenex. In it, flames twisted with black tendrils.
"Dear puppet, how well you play your part. You don't even hear me whisper."
Amon's smile stretched unnaturally wide as he watched Riser pace within his chambers. "You'll burn for me soon… and with it, the door shall open wider."
Back at Kuoh Academy, Rias met privately with Sona Sitri on the school rooftop.
"I'm worried about this Rating Game," Rias admitted. "Something's off. Even Riser's arrogance felt hollow."
Sona sipped from a thermos. "I've been hearing murmurs too. Whispers. A few familiars of mine reported... flickers around Riser. Faint, unnatural presences."
"You didn't report it?"
"I needed confirmation. And I still don't have it. But if he's being manipulated, it's buried deep. Maybe even Riser doesn't realize it."
Rias clenched her fists. "Then I'll rip it out of him during the fight."
The day of the Rating Game approached. The Gremory peerage gathered at the portal gate, their uniforms replaced with combat attire. They looked focused, hardened.
Grayfia appeared before them, regal and commanding as ever.
"Lady Rias. The Game is ready. The battlefield has been created. I will act as referee."
Before they stepped through, Grayfia looked to Rias and said, "I expect you to uphold the dignity of your House. Win or lose… fight well."
Rias nodded. "I will."
As they stepped through the portal, the battlefield opened before them—an enormous floating city of towers, bridges, and wide courtyards.
On the opposite end, Riser Phenex stood with his peerage. He smiled smugly, arms folded.
"Rias… how kind of you to finally accept your fate."
Issei growled. "We'll see whose fate gets rewritten."
Riser's gaze lingered on Issei for a moment longer than necessary. A flash of crimson flickered behind his eyes… and was gone.
Amon's whisper curled through the air, unheard by any but the void.
"Let the game begin."