Chapter 24: CH 24: BET AND BLOOD

“So! What do you think? Not so weak as you thought, right?”   

Basara nodded gracefully despite the cheeky smile that graced Rias’ face right now as though goading him to take back his earlier remark about their prowess. And indeed, Basara had to agree that he had judged them too harshly previously, only focusing on their aura and overall energy signature and not taking into account their skills and fighting techniques. He was in the wrong, he acknowledged that part; hence, he didn’t say anything even after being blatantly incited by the red-haired devil.

If we were to talk in terms of pure demonic energy, Koneko and Kiba were low-level devils hovering toward the middle rank, there was no doubt about that; meanwhile, Rias and Akeno were very close to the high-level threshold, and with enough training, they could surely reach that mark very soon.

But what made them really dreadful was their talents.

No matter how incredible the boost those pieces provided to them was, Basara doubted they could bring such natural talent out of them if it wasn’t inherent in them from the start. 

Otherwise, the devils would have easily won the war if they decided so, there would’ve been no need for the peace treaty, and they would’ve been able to become the undisputed rulers of all the realms.

‘I guess this is what a peerage of a High ranked devil from a powerful family is like.’

There was no doubt in Basara’s mind that if they trained efficiently and properly, and didn’t slack off in their growth, these four devils would reach an absurd level of power that would make them true powerhouses in all the realms.

But, now?

“Still not enough.”

The cheerful atmosphere that was permeating between the peerage members subsided slightly at his cold and harsh response to their expectations.

“Basara Toujou. You have been insulting us for some time now. I did not want to interfere since Buchou was doing the negotiations, but I think you have gone too far already with your rude remarks.”

“Kiba! Stop!”

Kiba showed a dissatisfied expression but ultimately stopped acting up. Basara on the other hand stayed perfectly calm throughout Kiba's threatening rant, completely unbothered by his words.

“*Sigh* This is why I didn’t want to deal with you guys. But I understand. No doubt, I would also be angry if some stranger called me weak again and again to my face without some basis for their discernment.”

Saying so, Basara twirled his shoulder, releasing some of his aura that instantly made the others vigilant and wary of him, “Then, what do you say? Shall we have a go right now?”

The tension between them grew at his abrupt challenge, the release of his aura, and the threat hinted behind it. But those were not some thoughtless words that Basara spoke on the spur of the moment. He knew that— only by showing them the vast difference in power and abilities between them could he make them stop bothering him.

If it also gave them a reality check, then all the better for him; that way he didn’t need to constantly worry about Akeno’s safety whenever they were to take a risky task like devil hunting.

Rias frowned a little, an expression of vexed annoyance plastered on her face, before finally nodding and accepting his challenge, “Then what do you say? Let's have a match. If you win, then we will stop bothering you, but if we win...you will enter my peerage. What do you say?”

“Haha. Servitude in exchange for simply not being bothered? Why should I accept such a deal?”

“Then, what do you want?”

This time though Basara hesitated a little but he had to give a response, 

“Well, let’s say, freedom for freedom. If you win, I am yours. But if I win, you are mine. Are you willing?”

He was, in fact, in no way interested in having Rias as his slave. He just wanted to frighten her a little, to get her to stop following him or lower the bargaining bait through this outrageous demand. 

And indeed, seeing the disgruntled and almost shocked expressions on Rias and her peerage’s faces was enough to assure him of the ensuing success of his brilliant idea.

‘Well, this should at least make her give up.’

However, just as he was waiting to hear Rias’ conditions change, something unexpected happened. 

The red-haired devil’s shocked expression slowly morphed into one of anger and annoyance which then finally turned into a calm blank one; her gaze strangely glinting with determination made Basara strangely anxious. 

A bad premonition rose in his heart at the look Rias was giving him. He was just about to say something to stop whatever Rias was about to say, but unfortunately for him, Rias beat him to it and uttered something that completely soured Basara’s previously happy mode.

“I accept.”

———

“Rias! Why did you make such a bet!?”

Back at their mansion, after using a teleportation portal to get there, Akeno couldn’t help but remonstrate Rias for making such a reckless bet with Basara.

“I was angry! Okay!? Not just because he said I was weak, but because he also looked down on you guys. My mind went haywire and I just blurted out those words before my mind could get back on track.”

Akeno scrunched her eyebrows with frustration before releasing a tired sigh. 

“I understand that you got angry because of us. But, this bet was truly nonsensical. How could you bet yourself to him? That’s completely crazy.”

“I admit that I had been swept by the moment. But think about it. Is it really that bad?”

“...What do you mean?”

“Just think about it clearly, Akeno. I've put my mind on thinking more about the bet I had made with him and I honestly don't think it's bad for us. I mean, we did bet our freedom, right? Furthermore, the fight will be in the form of a rating game, won't it?” 

“That’s indeed so, but I still don't get your point Rias, please, speak clearly. Don't go in circles about this.”

“You know the rule in the underworld, right? A bet made through rating games is an absolute binding by the law. This is also why I bet my engagement against Riser so that no one can interfere or tamper the results.”

The more she talked the more excited she became, and Akeno also started getting the bigger picture Rias was hinting towards.

“Now, if we win, we will get a powerful and talented ally that could be really useful in the rating game against Riser and also in the future. But, if I lose, I will belong to him. What do you think that particular detail means for my engagement?”

Akeno was immediately enlightened by those words as though a light bulb had gone off in her head. 

“Since you belong to him, the only way for Riser to take you away would be to win against Basara. I catch your drift, that's indeed a very good idea.”

“Indeed. Basically, whether I win or lose, my goal to have Basara help me fight Riser will be achieved. It's a win-win situation for me no matter how I spin it.”

However, Akeno’s happiness was short-lived, and she frowned as she thought deeply about the matter.

“But there are a few loopholes. Firstly, we made the engagement with Riser prior to your bet with Basara.”

“That's true, but officially, I am still not engaged to Riser, so he has no ground to stand on.”

“Also, nothing really indicates Basara will be as useful as you think. We practically know nothing about him, and Raiser is a very tough opponent, it will be hard to defeat him and his peerage members even if Basara were to be a high-level.”

“True again. But I am desperate enough to bet on him.”

“Finally, what if Basara tries abusing his power over you in the scenario that he wins? We’ll be giving him a lot of trouble, and it would make sense for him to use us however he sees fit after he gains us as his slaves. Moreover, you should already know that no one can threaten him either since his father is Jin Toujou.”

You are reading story LUSTFUL PARADISE: Shinmai cross DxD at novel35.com

“I know, I know already…I know that it’s a big gamble, but you have observed him, haven't you? Do you really think Basara is the kind of person to do something like that? To abuse us and use us as he sees fit after he takes hold of our lives?”

At Rias' words, Akeno thought back to the young boy who appeared in their lives not long ago. Though she only had one proper meeting with him prior to this night, she could feel that Basara was an earnest and gentle boy. 

Though she had also been quite angry by the way he disparaged them, his disposition was another matter altogether. 

Even in the way he belittled them with his words — after thinking about it carefully without letting her rage cloud her judgement — she could discern that he was doing it with an intention to help them. 

Now, she didn't know exactly how that could help the peerage members, herself included, but she could make some guesses. All in all, he had good intentions in his heart when he had said those words, Akeno was at least sure of that fact.

In the end, after sorting through everything in her mind, Akeno couldn't help but throw a complicated glance at Rias who was busy reveling in her happiness. 

“In short, you have been really lucky.”

Lucky that Basara came to this town out of all the possible towns all over Japan.

Lucky that Basara was a boy with a status and backing high enough to be protected from any threat.

Lucky that Basara, despite his past as an exorcist, held no hatred toward devils or other supernatural races and viewed all of them equally.

Lucky that he made a proposal about fighting them.

Lucky that the bet made between them just had to be their freedom.

So many convenient coincidences had fused perfectly together to bring forth the current situation that favored them from all sides. Truly, a shocking outcome.

But this had always been the case for her; Rias always had an abnormal level of luck to the point that it was downright disgusting and astonishing enough to make anyone gobsmacked.

Otherwise, how could a girl that was just visiting Europe for a vacation conveniently find a dying vampire with one of the most powerful sacred gears and simultaneously find a talented boy from the church while taking a stroll in the forest at night? 

Even before that, she had found a half-fallen angel like her just by going on a vacation in Japan.

Sometimes, Akeno wondered if the true power of the Gremory family was in actuality probability manipulation[1] rather than gravity manipulation.

———

Meanwhile, somewhere far away from their mention in a rather silent neighborhood,

"Argh! What the hell did I do?"

Walking home under the moonlight, Basara couldn't help but groan in frustration when he thought about what happened a few moments ago.

He couldn't believe he had been childish enough to bet with a devil; he should've already known that they were completely crazy and wouldn't back down from any strange conditions. 

He really shouldn't have done that, after confirming the death of the stray devil, he should have simply walked away from there after complimenting them a bit. If he had just done that he wouldn't have to face this cumbersome situation.

'Then again…I guess this is good as well.'

Could Basara win against Rias Gremory's peerage alone? Well, it would depend on the fight and what kind of power he would use during it.

He clenched his fist a little before relaxing it as he ruminated over his thoughts.

'I can't use Brynhildr even if I wanted to.'

Brynhildr was too dangerous to bring out in what should simply be a sparring match. That sword had a mix of demonic and holy power; something that should be completely impossible but was by some unknown machinations made possible, the proof being the sword’s existence.

He was sure that just touching them with his sword would bring them extreme pain because of the potent holy power inherent inside it.

'I guess I will just use a random sword and my gravity magic.'

Now that he knew what they are capable of, there would be no element of surprise for him. 

It was when he was passing by a neighbor close to his own that he abruptly stopped, smelling something sickening in the air.

'Blood?'

His expression grew awful. The scent of blood in the air was quite thick, showing that this wasn't just a small event.

'Is it the ultimate class stray devil?'

Basara focused his senses to the max but he felt no demonic energy. In fact, what he felt was,

'Holy energy!?'

He immediately moved at a high speed and rushed into the house where the scent of blood was coming from.

What greeted him was an extremely sickening scene that would have made him puke if not for the tough training he had gone through in his childhood.

"Hum~Hum~Hum~ Arere? An intruder?"

Standing above the completely mutilated corpse of what seemed to be a human person, now unrecognizable because of the sickening state of the corpse, was a silver-haired man clad in a white priest’s clothes, draped over by a greyish-black overcoat.

When the man stopped humming and turned to face the startled Basara, his red eyes grew wide before a malevolent grin split his face into a maniacal hue.

"Oh my fucking god! If this isn't the exiled Basara-Senpai! Fancy meeting you here. Don't mind the blood, okay…I was just executing some heretics. Hehehe."

[1]: In Canon, even at Shin DxD, meaning even after 30 volumes, we still don't know what the Gremory clan's power is. Or perhaps we do? I haven't read shin vol 4 and shin vol 5 yet. Anyway, their magic is still a mystery but I really wonder if it doesn't have something to do with luck. 

For starters, their father is a fucking rich guy with many good businesses and he was able to marry a girl from the most influential family in the underworld even though there were many families that were higher ranked than the Gremories.

Then his first son was born with the power of destruction and is currently a super devil. Said son managed to get a bunch of stupidly talented friends and even had the enemy’s most powerful fighter fall in love with him somehow.

Then we have Rias. Let’s not talk much about her, just finding Issei, the literal protagonist of the series, and making him her servant is enough to speak volumes about her good fortune.

Finally Millicas. His father is the strongest devil in the world. His mother is the second strongest devil woman in the world. His aunt (Rias) is someone with world renown. His uncle( Issei) is one of the strongest being in the world. His great grandfather( Zekram Bael) is the uncrowned king of the underworld and his great grandmother (Runeas Gremory) is the first Gremory. The dude is born with a diamond spoon.

Like bruh. Each member of the Gremory family could be the MC of their own story. It's utterly ridiculous.

You can find story with these keywords: LUSTFUL PARADISE: Shinmai cross DxD, Read LUSTFUL PARADISE: Shinmai cross DxD, LUSTFUL PARADISE: Shinmai cross DxD novel, LUSTFUL PARADISE: Shinmai cross DxD book, LUSTFUL PARADISE: Shinmai cross DxD story, LUSTFUL PARADISE: Shinmai cross DxD full, LUSTFUL PARADISE: Shinmai cross DxD Latest Chapter