Chapter 73:Board

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Akeno snarled at her, but Rias put a stop to any argument from beginning by repeating firmly, "It is still her choice, and I shall respect that. I wish to hear no more of this topic."

"Fine," Raynare reluctantly acceded.

Naruto watched all this thoughtfully. It was clear Akeno had bad experiences related to her fallen angel blood, and in Naruto's experience such issues tended to come to light sooner or later.

Naruto wouldn't press her, but he should still talk to her a bit. He knows what it's like to have a power you didn't ask for.

Raynare's thoughts were a bit more of a mystery. Despite it appearing so, Raynare wasn't just antagonizing Akeno.

She's not so stupid as to provoke someone who is already hostile towards her. No, it's far more likely that Raynare was simply curious about who she sensed to have fallen angel blood.

Her reaction to finding out Akeno outright rejected that side of her was either due to disgust over her refusing to use her natural abilities or due to disappointment.

No matter how much Raynare is trying to act tough and independent, it's only natural for a person to seek out those similar to them when in a new environment.

For a possible fellow fallen angel to so harshly reject her heritage had likely been a huge disappointment for Raynare.

Rias took control of the situation by clapping her hands together to draw attention to her. She then announced calmly, "Alright. Enough of that topic. Let's get back to talking about your abilities, Raynare-san. So your flight and light capabilities have returned to normal. Is there anything else you need to tell us?"

Nodding towards Naruto, Raynare grunted out, "Blondie there is forcing me to run every morning, and has me do other physical drills in the afternoon."

Rias looked at him questioning, so Naruto explained, "She seems to have a good grasp over her light spears, and has a decent enough amount of power in her. Physically I noticed she is weak though. If nothing improving her base specs will allow her to fight longer, and take more damage."

"I see. Sensible and well thought out," Rias remarked with an approving nod. Turning back to Raynare, she asked, "Anything else you are working on."

"No. Should I be?" Raynare grumbled in annoyance.

"Not at all. Just making sure I had a good grasp on where you currently stand," Rias quickly answered. She then added, "There is one thing I figure you should become more aware of though that you can work on since I am currently here. Promotion."

"Promotion," Raynare repeated with a tilted head. "You mentioned that briefly when you made me a devil, but didn't explain what it actually is."

"Sorry. I should have explained it, but there were issues that distracted me," Rias admitted sheepishly. Growing serious, she elaborated to Raynare, "The Evil Piece system is based on chess. Thus just like in chess, a pawn has the ability to promote to any other piece besides the king if the proper circumstances have been met. Specifically, entering deep into enemy's territory or receiving the permission of the king. In this way, a pawn can vastly increase their power. Thus mastering this power is a vital part of being a successful pawn."

Raynare nodded in understanding. It was clear she was interested in this ability, as well she should. The ability to promote to another piece is a powerful ability, something she's naturally interested in.

She quickly questioned, "So how do I do this?"

"I'm giving you permission to promote. It's mainly just forming a conscious desire," Rias explained simply.

Raynare nodded. She felt a little foolish, but still announced after a shrug, "Promotion: Queen."

Naruto immediate felt the difference. Not only did Raynare's power increase substantially, but Naruto sensed Raynare's muscles and bones being saturated with energy as well.

The process was clearly felt by Raynare. Naruto saw a look of pain spread across her face, and her body stiffened noticeably.

Rias clearly saw it too, and immediately barked out, "Deny."

The power immediately disappeared, and Raynare relaxed slightly. Her muscles relaxed, and the look of pain disappeared from her face. She wasn't entirely back to normal though. Sweat was gathering on her forehead, and one could tell she was somewhat shaken. She even muttered to Rias sincerely, "Thanks."

"It's no problem. It's partly my fault. I should have warned you to not start out with queen," Rias replied, looking at Raynare with obvious concern.

Raynare shook her head in an attempt to gather her composure as she claimed, "It felt like my muscles all started to contract painfully."

"Not a surprise," Rias commented before clarifying, "Promotion is not perfect. When someone is reincarnated as a certain piece, they are permanently changed to better accommodate the power of that piece. It is permanent. On the other hand, promotion is merely temporary. Even if you aren't supplying the power, your body is being forced to perform at a level it isn't used to. That inherently places stress upon your body."

"So when I promoted myself…?" Raynare asked slowly.

"The queen is the most powerful piece on the board, possessing all the characteristics of rooks, knights, and bishops. So the stress is far greater on your body.

While it appears you handled the power of a bishop well, your muscles were incapable of handling the power of the knight and rook. Causing the reaction you just experienced," Rias informed her carefully.

Raynare nodded in understanding. She then asked, "So if I want to promote to a queen-"

"You'll have to improve upon your physical state. If your base stats increase, your body should better be able to handle the stress of promotion," Rias said clearly.

Raynare's eye twitched as her king's words rang out. She then felt a presence form over her shoulder. Slowly and regretfully turning her head, she turned to see Naruto standing right behind her with a victorious grin.

"Hear that, Raynare-chan. Turns out you need to work on your physical abilities. Now, who noticed the exact same thing a week ago?" Naruto commented with a teasing smirk.

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