The Protagonist System

My life seemed to settle down into a normal routine and I was perfectly happy with it. Yes, yes, I know. Thinking that usually asks for trouble to come knocking and I was prepared for that. I also had a house guest that was adorable and dorky, despite being a Valkyrie, and I spoiled her as much as she let me. My mother loved the fact that I had a live-in girlfriend and she could spoil and faun over her, too.

I taught Rossweisse some essential spells and kept her updated on the state of war between the Norse and the Devils, which she appreciated. I also let her contact anyone she wanted, even though I had claimed she was a political prisoner. The best part about that? Queen Frigga approved of my actions and officially gave me her blessing for saving Rossweisse from her lecherous husband.

It was so nice having a Blessing of Battle that gave me a 75% bonus to win during any fight, especially if I had first strike. That was fantastic with the way my fights usually started and I thanked her by making her a set of thematically appropriate armor and enchanted it up the wazoo. Her pledge to make me her consort if anything happened to her husband, made me feel proud that she held me in such high regard.

School was going great, too. I had fully transitioned from a student to the teacher's assistant and everyone in class was happy about it, especially Miss Yamanaka. I had cut her normal burden in half with how much I helped her and even let me grade the tests and homework for her. That was a level of trust that I appreciated and I didn't abuse it.

After about two weeks of my new normal, I was pretty much hunted down by Akeno Himejima and assaulted during lunch. Well, it was more that I was sexually ravaged by a very horny young woman that wanted to thank me for bringing her mother back to life and for killing her father. She had presented the frozen head to her mother, whom laughed and thanked her for it.

Oh, and Akeno was a totally sadistic whore that loved being fully in control in bed. She didn't hold back at all and gave me all of her firsts... well, she forced them all on me, actually... and I resisted, struggled, and shouted complaints, just like she wanted me to. It was quite a lot of fun to satisfy her kink for her and to see how relaxed she was afterwards. Her first time having sex couldn't have gone any better, in her opinion.

We didn't start dating or anything, either. It was just the one time and she didn't mention it again or treated me differently afterwards, besides the satisfied smile she would flash me whenever we passed each other in the halls and I would briefly show her a fearful face to make her smile wider.

After Koneko found out about it, she approached me a week later and apologized for her behavior before she requested I do to her what I did to Rias. Since Koneko's mother was long dead, I assumed she only meant removing her pregnancy. A poke to her mind let me know she decided she wasn't ready to be a mother and it wasn't Rias that was making the decision for her or forcing her into it.

I tried to convince her to not make the same mistake Rias had, and she wouldn't listen. With sadness, I claimed my child back from her and fixed her biology to stop the changes that impending motherhood had started. She gave me an odd look when I told her that, then she walked away without looking back.

Now I had a half-nekoshou and half-devil fetus in my inventory and had no clue what I was going to do with it. I pushed the problem aside and would figure out something later. I had too much to do as I helped Grayfia finish up constructing and designing the various spectator areas for all the different races that wanted to watch the full-out battle between the Norse Pantheon and the Devil Race that was going to happen in a week.

*

After consulting with Ajuka about how the Rating Games were constructed and handled, it didn't take me long to work out an appropriate ward scheme to cover the entire battlefield. His eyes were almost glowing as I showed him how to make the wards I had altered from the teleportation wards I set up at all of the youkai's businesses.

Funnily enough, his live in girlfriend hadn't left his side, even though we were in Ajuka's supposedly secure and personal lab. I didn't question why and I could tell that both he and his woman appreciated it. As a thank you for giving up some of his closely held secrets, I also showed Ajuka how to make safety portkeys that would activate with either a keyphrase or when the holder was in danger, and how to set the location.

It would only take us a few hours to cover the entire battlefield area and the spectator stands with the new wards that would teleport anyone about to suffer mortal damage, just like the Rating Games. We would have to make a separate area for the different combatants, just to ensure they wouldn't keep fighting.

Of course, we wouldn't tell anyone about it, except for the leaders of the two armies that were going to clash. If the ones fighting knew there would be no consequences to their battle, they would be too reckless and brazen to try and take out as many of their enemies as possible.

“I'll have a separate group of medical personnel set up in the safety area as well, to keep up the ruse.” Ajuka promised.

“You don't think people disappearing is going to be noticed?” I asked.

“In the heat of battle? Only the commanders and the observers should notice right away. The rest might pick up something is odd as the battle continues; but, by that time, it won't make any difference.” Ajuka answered.

“Ha, good point. They should be too invested in the battle to care.” I agreed.

Ajuka nodded. “As I told my fellow Satans, this will be the first war we've engaged in that's going to be fun.”

I gave him a surprised look for a moment. “It... it's going to be fun.” I said and laughed. “I never thought about it like that.” I said and kept chuckling. “Imagine the looks on the faces of the Norse when they die and find out they're not in Helheim and that they're in the biggest Rating Game in history.”

Ajuka's woman laughed. “I'd pay to see that!”

Both I and Ajuka froze and exchanged shocked looks. “We could have sold tickets and made a fortune!”

The woman laughed and laughed at our devastated faces, because it was much too late to charge people after inviting them.

*

The several miles wide battlefield was set, the players were on their sides, their troops and special weapons were prepared, and the commanders took their overwatch positions in their castle towers. Falbium Asmodius, the Satan of Military Affairs was on one side, and Odin of the Norse was on the other. They both appreciated the high vantage point to allow them to command their armies.

The spectators off to the sides of the castles, under multiple protections and magical barriers, loved being right there next to the action. The various viewing spells were spread over several looking glasses and mirrors, to give them full coverage of the battlefield, just like in Rating Games.

The people running the enchantments and overlooking the entire system, including all of the participants to make sure the teleportation wards were working properly, were safely ensconced in an underground bunker where the two safe areas and extra medical personnel were located.

The various troops and groups of fighters on both sides were getting restless as everyone reassured themselves that they knew their part in the battle plan and had full communications with their troop leaders, whom in turn were in touch with the platoon leaders, whom were in touch with the overall commander.

Once everything was confirmed, there was a shooting whoosh sound and a firework flew up from the very center of the battlefield and high up into the air. Everyone's eyes followed it as it rose, their anticipation grew, then it burst into a ball of blue sparks.

“CHAAAAARRRRGE!” The commanders on both sides yelled, their orders relayed to the front line, and both armies surged forward and ran towards the enemy.

*

Yasaka tightly held her daughter on her lap to stop her from trying to leap out through the window.

“But, Momma! They said to charge!” Kunou complained.

The rest of her entourage in the prestige box softly chuckled and didn't comment.

“I know I said this was part of your birthday present...” Yasaka tried to defend herself.

“I wanna charge, too.” Kunou cutely pouted and crossed her arms. Becoming 13 hadn't magically made her more mature because she was a teenager now.

Yasaka kissed the side of her head and snuggled her. “I'm sure we can have Issei arrange something like this for after your party.”

“Thank you, momma.” Kunou said and was happy to get what she really wanted, Issei at her party.

A small portal opened up above them and they both looked up to see a plushie in the shape of a monster-like cat drop through it. Kunou squealed happily as she caught it and hugged it, then she held it up to stare at it and let Yasaka see it, too. There was a tag on the tail that said it was a Nundu that could breathe an acid cloud to kill its prey.

Kunou giggled at that and hugged it tightly, because 13 wasn't too old to still like plushies.

Yasaka looked back up at the portal and nodded to Issei before the portal closed. Her eyes were drawn to the main battle where the largest group of troops on both sides clashed with magic and weapons, giving everyone a spectacular show of what a real, all-out battle entailed.

She saw devils and Norsemen cut down in equal measure and started to regret allowing her daughter to witness it, then her highly experienced eyes saw the bodies disappear without the telltale flash of teleportation.

What's going on? Yasaka asked herself and focused her attention on the results of the brutal fights on several different viewers. Now that she knew what to look for, she watched when each person was going to die, from either side, they disappeared from sight.

That was when she remembered the wards Issei had set up and told her about, where they teleported someone out if they intended to do harm to someone. This was the reverse of that and teleported out the recipient instead... and then she realized it was just like a Rating Game, only without the grand spectacle those hyped up matches had become.

Yasaka glanced at the others in her private box and couldn't see the same realization on their faces, so she knew she was the only one that had connected the dots. The blatant massacre of devils and Norsemen was nothing of the sort. All of the dead were saved at the last moment and would be returned to their people at the end of the battle, no matter who won.

It made the nine-tailed fox woman appreciate how diligent her young lover was about properly treating those that would wrong the people he cared about. He also allowed a lot of leeway over capitol punishment and wouldn't take that final step unless there was no other option. That really had her motor running and her deep purr was felt by her daughter as the battle raged.

Kunou hugged the Nundu plushie and added her own purr to her mother's. The both of them knew that the battle they were watching would be a decisive one and would impact the peace process in the exact way that everyone would expect. No matter what happened with the outcome, both the devils and the Norsemen would have the respect of everyone that witnessed the fight.

*

“They're not holding back at all, even though they believe it's their lives on the line.” I said as Ajuka and I kept the wards charged and working properly. Hundreds of 'dead' were shuffled off into the hands of the medical staff to handle their injuries and then sent into their respective holding areas to let them watch the battle as it continued without them.

Surprisingly, there were only a few that were sad that their sacrifices hadn't resulted in the boons for their side that they thought it was going to. It was a feeling that the wounded on both sides shared and it made them feel closer to their enemies, despite being on opposite sides for the conflict.

“It's giving me a lot of new data.” Ajuka said as he monitored the casualties and the remaining trops, their effectiveness after losing essential members, and who routed and who stood their ground to take their revenge on their enemies for the supposed deaths they suffered.

“I think you're going to have years of data to sort through after this.” I commented and the old devil let a huge smile form on his face. I turned to him to ask about what was going to happen next and the world slowed down and then turned grey as the pause function activated without my input.

I was surprised by this, since I didn't figure that this was a pivotal moment, then I had the distinct feeling of deja-vu and somehow had a memory of Queen Frigga arriving through a giant portal with thousands of Valkyries on winged horses called Pegasus. On the devil side, a portal opened and Serafina Lucifer and Grayfia Lucifuge arrived to counter the renewed offensive.

Holy shit. I thought at the implication of the devastation both parties were going to cause. Who wins?

A small text box popped up in my view that signified Fate's personal attention. They both do.

Oh. I thought and then laughed. I assume they release the details of the epic battle afterwards?

Yes, and the reaction is just as phenomenal as you think it's going to be. Fate responded. Not surprisingly, the devils barely squeak out a win, thanks to Queen Frigga keeping Thor's hammer as a secret weapon and taking Grayfia out just before she loses to Serafina's Power of Destruction.

I laughed at that outcome. And the truth about no one actually dying?

It's wholly embraced by everyone, especially the Heaven Faction and the Fallen Angels. Being able to battle without consequences lets them indulge in their passions without consequences. Fate answered. You just have to decide if you want to keep living your normal life or do you want to move on.

I thought about what I had left to do, which was nothing, and shook my head. I've done everything I could to fix what happened the last time I was here. All that's left is living out my life and enjoying the relaxing time I would have with everything. I thought and then frowned. Except for Lilith, the mother of the devils. What am I supposed to do with her?

She's been taken care of. Fate said. Since you were so conflicted over what to do with her, as soon as the world paused, she was shunted out of where you kept her and fixed.

Fixed? I asked. How?

She was healed and sent into a parallel world where none of what happened to her actually happened. Just as you have been scouring other dimensions for appropriate analogs, we sent Lilith into a world where she becomes the queen of the devils like she was always supposed to be.

I relaxed at hearing that and sighed. Thank you, Fate. I was really worried about what I was going to do with her after everything she had been through.

We know. Fate responded. I know.

I smiled and felt a presence at my side. Hey, reading buddy. Do you want to spend another few weeks reading another best seller?

The presence kissed my cheek and I put an arm around them and took out one of the many books I had collected during my travels. I had as much time as I wanted to enjoy myself before I resumed my self-imposed journey to fix everything I had broken on my first run-through.

My next stop was going into a parallel dimension in Danmachi, then I would shift to the one I had been forcibly shoved out of by that bitch of a goddess. Maybe she would learn her lesson when she was shoved through the same portal and permanently killed instead of returning to their version of Heaven.