Chapter 250: Preparations
"Man, this brings back memories..." sighed Issei, staring up at the shifting purple sky of the Rating Game field, a subdimensional battlefield erected within the Muken with two Japanese-style fortresses and an emptied city encircled by forests. The flow of time within To Love Ru had been brought into sequence with the rest of Invirtua, but it had still been more than five years since he last participated in a Rating Game.
"Oh, yeah. I only saw the recording, but you previously participated in a Rating Game against Riser of House Phenex, didn't you?" asked Sairaorg, encircled by the members of his Peerage, a handsome, Knightly man with long blonde hair and blue eyes, a diminutive youth with spiky, dark orange hair, and a very beautiful woman with slightly curly blonde hair fixed into a loose ponytail, blue-green eyes, and an exceptional figure that included a sizeable bust and broad, shapely hips and thighs.
"Yeah. Though, after what I've experienced, it feels like a lifetime ago..." responded Issei, gazing down at his left hand and squeezing it into a fist. He and Ddraig had parted ways after Invirtua separated from his original world, and though a few years had passed since then due to a three-year stint in a Room of Spirit and Time, he still found himself staring at where the Red Dragon Emperor had once resided when he experienced doubts or succumbed to introspection.
fwooooom
With the Tactics Phase of the Rating Game set to kick off shortly, Vahn appeared from a complex golden Magic Circle with Serafall, Ravel, Asia, Xenovia, and Erza in tow. Kiba, Robin, Yamato, Frieren, and Lalatina were already present, so their arrival brought their entire team together within their fortress's Tenshu(keep).
"Sorry for arriving so close to the starting time..." expressed Vahn, a guilty smile adorning his face as he excused, "But I couldn't get away from what was keeping me."
"You do not need to apologize," stated Sairaorg, grinning knowingly as he remarked, "Everyone knows how busy you are managing the affairs of the Dragon's Pavilion."
"That's an understatement..." appended Vahn, exhaling from his nose as everyone naturally congregated around him. Instead of him taking charge of their strategy, however, it was Ravel who stated, "While this is a Rating Game in name alone, it isn't without stakes. The prestige of the Dragon's Pavilion is on the line, and our opponent isn't weak. We have Lady Serafall as insurance, but everyone is expected to give their all."
"If things go South, I'll make the entire battlefield go boom~!" pealed Serafall, striking a cutesy, audacious pose in her favorite frilly and pink Magical Girl Pink Apocalyptica getup. Everyone had changed into their respective battle attire in preparation for the Rating Game, but she was unquestionably the most stand-out member of the group.