DxD: Ascension - Redux

Chapter 7: Riser

In a flash of blue flames, Zach rushed towards the blond-haired man before him, slamming him against the wall of the clubroom. "You're lucky I'm not allowed to get into devil affairs," he growled before letting go of the man's throat. "You and your entire family of false phoenixes are despicable." Zach stormed to the other side of the room, helping Rias support Issei.
The blonde man smirked, stepping closer to the large group of beautiful girls standing nearby. "Riser thinks his naive fiance should find better friends before she loses her first rating game," he said. An orange magic circle appeared beneath their feet, and they disappeared in a burst of fire as he laughed.

The previous day... (BGM: Persona 5 - Break it Down (ELP Version))

Zach sat in the Occult Research Club's clubroom, admiring the new decorations he'd brought in. Rias sat at her desk, drinking tea with Akeno.
"I have to say, when you said you wanted to make this place a little more entertaining, I wasn't expecting musical instruments. I'm impressed," she admitted.
Zach looked over the new instruments: a violin, an electric guitar with an amp, and a piano. "I'm just glad I was able to get them," he said with a small grin. "I wasn't expecting to find instruments this good at a second-hand shop in Yongen-Jaya. And it only came out to around fifty thousand yen, too."
Rias chuckled. "Must have swindled that poor shopkeeper to hell and back."
"Swindled? Nah. Haggled a little, though."
Rias laughed quietly. A silver magic circle formed on the floor behind Zach. He turned towards the light, seeing a beautiful young woman rise out of it. She had gray hair and wore a blue and white maid's uniform.
"Lady Rias," the woman said. "We must speak. In private."
"Hello, Grayfia. Do you mind if Akeno stays with us?" Rias asked.
"The Priestess of Thunder? Not at all," Grayfia answered. "It's only right for a King to have her Queen at her side. But your other... friend... will have to leave."
"You don't have to hide the fact that you hate me without even bothering to get to know me, ma'am," Zach assured Grayfia. "Which is a stupid decision on your part. I've been told I'm wonderful."
Grayfia blinked. When she opened her eyes again, Zach was gone. "The rumors that Lord Sirzechs told me were true..."
Rias crossed her arms. "It's a power he calls Focus. Now, what do you want, Grayfia?"
"It's about your engagement," Grayfia said with a scowl.

BGM: Persona 5 - Restlessness

"I wonder what that was about..." Zach thought aloud as he walked into his house. "That Grayfia woman doesn't seem right... maybe she's a servant to Rias's family in the Underworld? Considering how she referred to Rias as Lady Rias, as well as her outfit. No, there's something more to it," Zach speculated as he paced the living room. "Her power was off the charts compared to everyone else I've met in this timeline, except maybe Vali."
As he pondered Grayfia, Akeno appeared in the kitchen through a magic circle, causing Zach to jump and almost knock over a cup of coffee. "Rias is going to need support tomorrow, from all of us. It's a good idea to get to the clubroom as soon as possible after school ends tomorrow," she suggested.
"Thanks for the advice," Zach said back. "But next time, just appear outside and knock. You scared me like hell."
Akeno bowed as she disappeared through another magic circle.

The Following Day (Same BGM as previous scene, restarted from beginning)

Rias's peerage gathered in the clubroom as instructed, finding Rias, Akeno, and Grayfia already present.
"Good, everyone's here. And with a... guest," Grayfia noticed.
"Good to see you too, Miss Asshole," Zach countered with a grim expression on his face.
Grayfia chose to ignore Zach's comment and instead turned to Rias. "May I speak openly, Lady Rias?"
"Of course," Rias responded. She raised her voice so the rest of the people in the room could hear. "Let's hear her out, everyone."
Grayfia opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, a large orange magic circle formed on the floor. With the cry of a phoenix, flames burst out of the circle. When they died down, a young blond man had appeared. "Ah," he began. "So Riser arrives in the human realm. I've come all this way to see you..." He turned. "My beloved Rias."
"Okay, who's this douche?" Issei asked with an angry tone.
"This gentleman is Lord Riser Phenex," Grayfia explained. "He is a pure-blooded devil of noble birth. Third heir in line to the House of Phenex."
Issei turned to face Grayfia. "And that means... what?"
"He is also fiancé to the next head of the House of Gremory."
"Fiancé? Devils still have arranged marriages?" Zach asked.
"Lady Rias has been engaged to Lord Riser for quite some time now." Grayfia directed her gaze towards the Lord Riser in question as Rias glared daggers at him.