On the day of Rias and Riser's final showdown,
Rod arrived at the viewing area looking slightly dazed.
As a VIP, he had been placed in an exceptionally luxurious private box. Azazel, Odin, and Gabriel were there as well.
Rod raised a hand and greeted the few familiar faces.
Odin chuckled from the side. "Look at those dark circles under your eyes. Tsk, tsk. Kids these days are just too wild. You need to learn some restraint."
Gabriel looked worried as well. Since she had been staying not far from Rod, she naturally knew what had happened last night. "Mr. Rod, Odin is right. There are some things you really should be a little more moderate about, especially when you have business the next day."
With that, Gabriel raised a hand and sent a beam of holy light over Rod.
In an instant, Rod felt as though he were soaking in a hot spring. The fatigue in his body and the weariness in his mind disappeared completely.
Lavinia felt the same. The drowsiness weighing on her was gone at once.
Rod had originally wanted her to keep resting, but she had insisted that Rias was half a student, so she stubbornly came along anyway. She had just been nodding off before the match started.
Even after being called out so directly, Rod did not blush. Instead, he looked toward the magical screen in front of them. "Looks like Rias's side is already ready."
"I heard this Rating Game is tied to Lucifer's little sister's marriage contract. What era is this? The Underworld is still this feudal? Shouldn't youth be free to fall in love?"
Odin stroked his beard mockingly.
There were no other devils in the box besides them.
As an elder, Sirzechs was currently in another private room meeting with the Phenex Family.
"I've heard about the third son of the Phenex Family. Compared to Rias Gremory, his character is indeed terrible. But their strength isn't on the same level."
Gabriel looked at the screen. "Mr. Rod, who do you think has the better chance of winning?"
"With Gasper around, it's a guaranteed win."
At the current stage of Rating Games, Gasper's ability was basically the equivalent of a tactical nuke. Once it went off, as long as even one person on their side could still move, the result was already decided.
"Gasper? You mean the vampire who was manipulated by the witches into activating his time-stop ability during our Three Factions peace talks? If he can participate, then that certainly favors Rias Gremory. But I heard that the rules for this match prohibit Gasper from using his Sacred Gear."
"Hm?"
Rod almost thought he had misheard.
But right then, the Rating Game officially began.
An upper-class devil used the broadcast system to read the rules to both teams and the spectators.
"Rule One: Gasper Vladi is forbidden from using his Sacred Gear."
"What the hell? This is rigged! I protest!"
After hearing that, Rod immediately felt like the hand of capital was already at work.
But on second thought, Rias was Sirzechs's little sister, and he clearly did not support this marriage. It was impossible for him to deliberately sabotage his own sister.
"Rule Two: Recovery items such as Phoenix Tears are limited to one use per team. Each side will be issued one bottle."
This time, the one protesting should have been the private room of the Phenex Family.
Still, no matter how one looked at it, the biggest trump cards on both sides had been restricted, and the reasoning behind it was fairly sound.
"One, Gasper still can't fully control his time-stop ability. If he loses control, it could ruin the entire match. Two, the Phenex Family is the sole supplier of Phoenix Tears, so Riser definitely prepared a good number of them before the match. In that case, they simply cut it all off in one stroke."
Not only that, they had also given Rias's team one bottle of Phoenix Tears.
"Heh... A Rating Game has never been something as simple as the stronger side wins. Once the battlefield or the rules change, the entire battle shifts with them. Devils with less power can climb upward through strategy and intelligence. That foundation is exactly why Rating Games are so popular in the Underworld."
Azazel spoke with a serious expression.
"If they can't overcome a situation like this, then they'll never be able to win future Rating Games either. A pawn can take a king. That's both a rule of chess and one of the core ideals of Rating Games."
"So having restrictions on both sides is perfectly reasonable."
When he finished speaking, Azazel noticed Rod staring at him.
"What?"
He looked puzzled.
Had he said something wrong?
"You added those rules at the last minute, didn't you?"
"Uh..."
"Very good. I'll remember this."
The moment he saw Azazel's expression, Rod knew it had to have been his suggestion.
Still, Azazel did not seem to be doing this out of spite. Otherwise, Sirzechs would never have allowed it.
"I believe Shirone will win, nya. Her talent for training is actually even higher than mine."
Kuroka, who would normally be worried sick about her little sister, seemed exceptionally calm this time.
Meanwhile, inside the Rating Game arena.
The battleground was a dimensional space created by the Underworld based on the layout of Kuoh Academy.
From that alone, it was already good news for Rias's side, since they were familiar with the terrain.
"I didn't expect Gasper's Sacred Gear to be directly banned. Looks like the plan Mr. Rod suggested won't be usable after all."
Akeno let out a soft sigh.
"Ah, I... I really was no help after all."
Hearing that, Gasper looked utterly dejected.
During training earlier, Rod had personally devised a highly detailed battle plan for him.
The plan was simple: first determine the enemy's main camp, then charge straight in as quickly as possible without worrying about injuries, and activate time stop.
Rod had named the plan "****."
Yet before it could even be put into practice, it died in the cradle.
Gasper could already imagine his master complaining about it to the others.
"But thankfully, Master figured I was too weak, so he gave me a few weapons."
With that, Gasper took off his backpack.
Then, under the stunned gaze of Akeno, Rias, Koneko, and Yuuto, he pulled out a Barrett sniper rifle, two Desert Eagles, several blocks of C4, an RPG launcher, and three rockets.
"Master said the sniper rounds and handgun bullets were all bathed in holy water, so they work really well against devils."
His teammates fell silent.
Even the chief referee overseeing both teams could not keep a straight face.
They hurriedly paused the game and held an emergency discussion, then added one more rule on the spot.
Rocket launchers, sniper rifles, and C4 explosives were all prohibited. Only the two handguns were allowed to remain.
The reasoning was simple enough.
This was an arena, not a battlefield.
If they opened the door to modern firearms, then by the next day someone would be driving tanks and helicopters into the arena.
While that would not pose much threat to upper-class devils, it would completely alter the standing of mid- and low-class devils within Rating Games.
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