High School DxD: Lustful Ascension

Hearing about a reward, Qingqiu perked up slightly. Still nestled in Akeno's arms, he innocently looked at Rias, indicating he was listening attentively.

Rias sighed and continued, "Due to a great war with the divine race many years ago, pureblood devil lineages nearly vanished. To enhance devil power, the current Beelzebub developed devil pieces for reincarnation…"

Hearing Rias mention devil pieces, Qingqiu stopped fooling around and listened intently. Devil pieces and the ranking game were central to the High School DxD storyline. Watching the anime was entertaining, but Qingqiu wanted to understand the underlying mechanics.

He'd planned to gradually investigate the rules to see how they compared to what he knew and what details differed. Unexpectedly, Rias proactively shared the information, making the trip worthwhile.

Sitting up straight, Qingqiu focused on Rias' explanation, not missing a word.

"Evil Pieces are modeled after real-world chess, designed to enhance devil power, and created by the current Beelzebub. In the ranking game, there's one King, one Queen, two Rooks, two Knights, two Bishops, and eight Pawns, totaling fifteen pieces excluding the King.

Queens, Rooks, Knights, Bishops, and Pawns are the King's retainers, initially lower-class devils. Outstanding performance can elevate them to high-class devils, receiving ranking game pieces from the Devil King.

Higher abilities require more pieces," Rias paused, allowing Qingqiu to absorb the information. "Any questions?"

Qingqiu wished Rias would elaborate on power levels and the unique abilities of each piece.

"Rias-senpai, could you explain the ranking game, the various pieces, and how abilities are divided?" he asked.

Rias nodded, providing a more detailed explanation.

"The Ranking Game is the primary way to determine a devil's status. It's a means to elevate lower-class devils and an event established to protect the race's continuity in response to the times.

Due to the long-standing peace among the three factions, the Ranking Game serves as combat training for young high-class devils. High-class and ultimate-class devils act as Kings, leading their retainers in devil battles.

However, it's not just about fighting. Numerous rules and restrictions are set during matches, and how one uses these, along with terrain advantages, affects the King's evaluation.

Based on performance, a high-ranking evaluation can elevate a devil's status. Even a lower-class reincarnated devil can improve their status through performance, advancing from lower-class to middle-class, high-class, and ultimate-class.

Once a reincarnated devil becomes high-class, they can obtain devil pieces from the Devil King, collecting their own retainers as a King. However, even as a King, when their master plays the game, they must revert to their retainer role."

Qingqiu nodded, understanding the concept. It seemed complex but was straightforward. Though unfamiliar with chess, he knew Chinese chess, where the "General" and "Marshal" were akin to Kings—if defeated, the game was lost.

In the Ranking Game, aside from the core rule, other intricate rules offered little guidance. Ultimately, the game was about strength. If a King were powerful enough, they could win even if all their retainers were defeated.

This scenario was impossible in real chess, where all pieces had equal strength, and victory relied on strategy. In the Ranking Game, strategy was important, but the key determinant was always strength.

After learning about the Ranking Game, Qingqiu asked, "Rias-senpai, what are lower-class devils, and what does it mean when higher abilities require more pieces?"

Sona interjected, "I'll explain that."

As a high-class devil and daughter of the pureblood Sitri family, the future head of her household, Sona needed to assert herself. If she remained silent, Qingqiu might favor Rias, complicating future recruitment efforts.

After speaking for so long, Rias' mouth was dry, and she didn't compete with Sona for the explanation.

"Let me first explain the abilities of the various pieces," Sona began, gesturing toward Akeno Himejima and Tsubaki Shinra. "The Queen possesses the powers of the Rook, Knight, and Bishop, making it the strongest piece after the King.

The Queen is equivalent to nine Pawns, the Rook to five Pawns, and both the Knight and Bishop are equivalent to three Pawns each."

She continued, "The Rook has high attack and defense power and can castle to swap places with the King. The Knight is known for its speed, and the Bishop excels in magic usage. As for the Pawn, it has the ability to 'promote,' transforming into any piece except the King when reaching the enemy's territory as designated by the King."

Qingqiu nodded thoughtfully, his vague memories clarifying. He had forgotten that different pieces not only strengthened certain abilities but also had special effects. After all, the Ranking Game wasn't as captivating as the beautiful girls, especially those whose clothes tended to explode during battles...

"So, Shinra-senpai and Himejima-senpai are Queens, and the President and Rias-senpai are Kings?" Qingqiu asked, maintaining his act despite knowing the answer.

"Correct," both Sona and Rias replied, exchanging a glance before revealing their true forms.

With a sudden gust, a pair of jet-black wings appeared behind each of them, along with a slender, swaying black tail emerging from beneath their skirts.

[•———•——•———•]

𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟲𝟬+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.