Chapter 21 Evil Pieces and the Rating Game
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
At the mention of a reward, Aki perked up a bit.
He stayed nestled in Akeno Himejima’s lap, refusing to budge. Looking at Rias with a perfectly innocent expression, he signaled that he was indeed paying close attention.
Rias sighed.
”Because of a great war with the Heavenly Factions many years ago, the Pure-blood Devil lineages were nearly pushed to extinction. To bolster our military strength, the current Devil King, Beelzebub, developed the ‘Evil Pieces’ 1 to facilitate Devil Reincarnation…”
As soon as she mentioned the pieces, Aki stopped fooling around and became all ears.
The Evil Pieces and the Rating Game—those two things were the backbone of the entire High School DxD plot. When he’d watched the anime, he just thought they were cool; he knew what they were, but he didn’t truly understand the how or the why.
Aki had originally planned to slowly dig for info to see if the rules here matched what he knew or if the details differed. He never expected Rias to just offer up the intel herself. For this unexpected windfall alone, today’s trip was already a massive win.
He sat up straight, focusing his mind on her explanation and refusing to miss a single syllable.
”The Evil Pieces are modeled after the Western game of Chess. They were created by Lord Beelzebub to enhance a Devil’s combat potential. A standard set for a Rating Game consists of one King, one Queen, two Rooks, two Knights, two Bishops, and eight Pawns—totaling fifteen pieces, excluding the King. The Queen, Rooks, Knights, Bishops, and Pawns all make up the King’s ‘Peerage.’ They start as Lower-Class Devils, but if they perform exceptionally well, they can be promoted to High-Class Devils and eventually receive their own set of pieces from the Devil King.”
Rias paused, giving him a moment to digest the info.
”Is there anything you don’t understand?”
Actually, Aki wanted more specifics—like power levels and the unique abilities of each piece.
”Rias-senpai, could you go into more detail about the Rating Game, the different pieces, and how the power rankings work?”
She nodded.
”The Rating Game is currently the primary way a Devil’s status is determined. It’s essentially a pathway for Lower-Class Devils to move up the ranks—a system established to break traditional barriers and ensure our race’s survival in the modern era. Since the Great War ended so long ago, and the Three Factions are currently in a stalemate without any major conflicts, young High-Class Devils use the Rating Game as a form of simulated combat training.
In these games, High-Class and Ultimate-Class Devils act as ‘Kings,’ leading their Peerage into battle. However, it’s not just a raw brawl. There are numerous rules, restrictions, and environmental factors at play. A King is evaluated on how well they utilize those rules and the terrain. Based on their performance, a Devil’s social standing can rise. Even a reincarnated Lower-Class Devil can climb the ranks through their own merit.
You can go from a Lower-Class Devil to Middle-Class, High-Class, and eventually Ultimate-Class. Once a reincarnated Devil reaches High-Class status, they can receive their own Evil Pieces and begin scouting their own Peerage as a King. However, even if you become a King yourself, you must still fulfill your duties as a Peerage member and fight for your original master when they have a game.”
Aki nodded. It sounded complicated, but it wasn’t that hard to grasp. He didn’t play Western Chess, but he knew Chinese Chess 2. The ‘General’ and ‘Marshal’ were the respective Kings—if they were taken down, the game was over.
The Rating Game wasn’t going to be exactly like a board game. Beyond that core rule, the rest of the tedious details probably didn’t matter much. At the end of the day, the game was about raw power. If the King was strong enough, they could win even if their entire Peerage was wiped out and they were surrounded by enemies.
In real Chess, that’s impossible. Every piece has set limits, and victory depends on strategy. In the Rating Game, strategy is important, but there’s only ever one deciding factor: strength.
”Rias-senpai, what defines a ‘Lower-Class Devil,’ and what did you mean by ‘the higher the ability, the more pieces it takes’?”
”Let me explain that part,” Sona Shitori chimed in.
Like Rias, she was a High-Class Devil—the daughter of the pure-blood Sitri family and its next head. If she didn’t speak up now, Aki might think she wasn’t on Rias’s level, which wouldn’t help her chances of recruiting him later. Rias’s throat was getting a bit dry anyway, so she didn’t fight Sona for the floor.
”First, I’ll explain the unique abilities of the pieces.”
Sona pointed toward Akeno Himejima and Tsubaki Shinra.
”First is the Queen. She possesses the traits of the Rook, Knight, and Bishop simultaneously. She is the most powerful piece under the King. A Queen is worth nine Pawns, a Rook is worth five, and the Knight and Bishop are each worth three.
The specific traits are as follows:
Rook: High attack and defense. They can also use ‘Castling’ to instantly swap positions with the King.
Knight: Extreme speed.
Bishop: Specializes in Mana usage.
Pawn: They have the ‘Promotion’ ability. When they reach an area the King designates as the ‘enemy camp,’ they can promote into any piece other than the King.”
Aki nodded thoughtfully. His hazy memories were snapping into focus. So the Evil Pieces didn’t just buff certain stats; they had special active effects too.
Who cared about the game mechanics when there were beautiful girls to watch? Especially girls whose clothes tended to fly off during a fight…
”So Shinra-senpai and Himejima-senpai are Queens, while you and Rias-senpai are Kings?”
”Exactly,” they said in unison.
Sona and Rias shared a look and simultaneously revealed their true forms.
Whoosh!
A sudden gust of wind swept through the room. A pair of ink-black wings erupted from their backs, and slender, pointed tails emerged from beneath their skirts, swaying rhythmically.
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Summary:
Aki capitalizes on a reward session to gather critical intelligence on the world’s power systems. Rias and Sona provide a comprehensive breakdown of the ‘Evil Pieces’ and the ‘Rating Game,’ explaining how devils reincarnate and climb the social hierarchy. The exposition highlights the strategic importance of chess pieces and their unique combat abilities. Sona interjects to assert her standing alongside Rias, revealing a subtle rivalry between the two High-Class Devils. The chapter concludes with a visual display of their true devil forms to cement the reality of their supernatural status.
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Trivia:
* Aki’s internal monologue reveals he is weighing the ‘canon’ knowledge against this world’s reality, suggesting potential deviations in the future.
* Sona’s haste to speak suggests that the competition for ‘Peerage’ members is fiercer than Rias let on.
* The mention of ‘more pieces required for higher ability’ hints that Aki himself might be an ‘expensive’ reincarnation target due to his unique nature
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Character Insight:
Aki is playing a dangerous game of ‘innocent junior’ to lower the guard of two powerful Kings. The dynamic between Rias and Sona shifted from cooperative to slightly competitive when Sona realized she was being overshadowed, shown by her interjecting to explain the pieces’ abilities.
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Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The ‘Evil Pieces’ system is revealed as a survival mechanism created by Beelzebub to replenish the dwindling Pure-blood population. The hierarchy (Lower to Ultimate) and the specific combat buffs of Chess roles (Rook’s defense, Knight’s speed) establish the tactical framework for future battles.
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TL Notes:
The author explicitly notes that the story is an ‘ecchi’ focused work (‘meat-novel’) but distinguishes the main plot from pure ‘hentai.’ The term ‘Inner World’ is used here to denote the supernatural society hidden from the mundane world.
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Glossary:
Notes:
• Aki – 16-year-old Kuoh Private Academy student with messy black hair, slender build, delicate features, and black-rimmed glasses. Reincarnated into a crossover doujin world with a ‘Loser’s Script’ (NTR/Victim template) that draws misfortune. Adopted by the Takamine family, he has Succubus/Incubus blood, replicates talents via dual cultivation and bodily fluids, boosts partners’ magic, and recently gained muscle/strength. Trained by a trio of girls at the Hidden Academy.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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