This is a side project I wanted to use to practice more combat related stuff. Chapters will be usually be around 3k.
The achievements of Issei not only achieving his balance breaker as well as defeating a high class devil that could regenerate indefinitely, were greatly overshadowed by grief. It had been 2 weeks since that day….The day that Raiser Phenex killed Asia Argento.
He could still see it, her screaming as she was burned alive, and was dead before the Rating Game system could retire her. He'd been too far away to make it to her in time. He could still feel it, holding her body feeling her skin crunch in his hands as it started glowing, the system finally taking her away.
Rias' Bishop - Killed in Combat.
That announcement echoed through his mind over and over again, not believing he'd just lost someone so innocent, so caring...just taken from the world for no real purpose.
Issei's vision went almost completely black afterwards, only one thing stood out.
Raiser Phenex - Asia's murderer.
Issei could only recall a few more details from that point on. One was Ddraig, yelling to Raiser to prepare to face a depth of hell he'd never escape from. Then there was a mass of voices talking, saying to chant for her, claim his revenge for her. To Drown Him in a fire that would never stop burning. It would only stop when every inch of him had been consumed.
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Rating Game
"FORFEIT OR I BURN HER ALIVE!" Issei could hear Raiser yell out from the rooftop that was just out of view.
'Faster! C'mon legs, I need to run FASTER! I can't let him hurt Asia!' Issei yelled in his mind, feeling the rise in Raiser's power as he prepared his flames in one hand. A building on the fake school campus was the only thing keeping his sight on what his enhanced devil ears were picking up on.
Issei ran with all the strength he could muster, to save the girl he'd already failed once before. The corner covering where Raiser was facing against Rias and Asia passing his view, and there he saw it.
Raiser was standing on a rooftop with Asia in his grasp, a fire building in his hand that was pointed at the blonde Bishop. Rias was across from him, not looking overly worried, like she didn't believe that he'd actually kill a member of her peerage, especially with how much he preached about the numbers of devils needing to be boosted.
Issei released his devil wings that he had minimal control of, and took flight to the roof, but he'd still be another 15-20 seconds away. Rias muttered something to Raiser that even devil hearing couldn't pick up, and Raiser seemed angered by it, judging by his flames growing in size rapidly.
Issei knew that Rias wouldn't attack Raiser, in fear of the power of destruction hurting Asia also, that power was too unpredictable. So he was the only thing that could help her right now.
Asia winced as the heat next to her head increased, starting to singe her golden blonde hair. She caught sight of Issei flying towards her as quickly as he could. Her eyes started to water, she could feel that Raiser was prepared to kill her, it was the same feeling that Raynare and Freed had given her while she was still with the group of strays. She didn't want Issei to see her die, it would bring him so much pain, she didn't want that for the first friend she'd ever had.
Asia closed her eyes, starting to pray in her mind, ignoring the migraine it gave her as she made one last request of the holy entity she'd followed all her life. 'Please Lord, when I am gone, let me watch over Issei. Let me heal him from above, watch over and guide him to be happy.'
"Her death is on your head then." Issei could hear Raiser say with a smirk, before fully igniting the fire he held, engulfing Asia from her stomach to the top of her head.
The single tear rolling down Asia's cheek was the last thing Issei saw of his friend, before it evaporated when the fire surrounded her. No one saw the golden light shine from her hands as the blood curdling scream rang from within the fire.
"AHHHHHH! " The scream only lasted a brief moment, before her hands dropped to her side lifelessly.
Rias stood there, shocked to her core at seeing Raiser make true to his threat, and burned her new bishop. Raiser called her bluff, not believing that she could beat him even without the healing of the twilight healing user. Rias' eyes were wide, her face showing fear for what would condition Asia would be in, if she even lived. Then her attention was torn to the side, as another scream came out.
"ASIAAAA!" She could hear her pawn yell, before he came to the roof as a blur.
Raiser called off his flames, tossing the body towards his opponents, the lack of movement was his confirmation that his promise held true, the girl was dead.
Issei caught Asia just before her charred remains hit the roof they were standing on. He knelt with her held in his arms. His eyes not believing what he saw. What was once a face of innocent beauty, was now just a lump of lifeless and charred flesh.
"Asia! Wake up! Please Asia WAKE UP!" He screamed out.
[Partner, she's gone.] Ddraig called out to his host in a sullen tone, knowing all too well what flames did to a persons body with direct contact. The emotions of his host started to flood into the Boosted Gear. Sorrow that was laced with Rage, the need to avenge his friend, all calling to the Dragon of Domination.
And he shared the sentiment. Ddraig himself had experienced a similar event when he was alive, and with someone who was much like Asia. The blonde girl was the only one his host hung around that he liked, and not because of the calming feeling she gave him because of her Dragon tamer ability, but because she held nothing but honest and pure intentions.
"No...Asia. You can't die on me like this...Not again." Issei whispered to the body in his arms, tightening his grip on her shoulder, only to hear and feel it crunch as he did so. He felt the sorrow pulse through his body as he teared up. Remembering this was now the second time that Asia's life was taken for someone else to gain something. And that sadness was quickly turning into a burning rage.
'I failed her again...and she can't come back this time..' Issei thought. Asia's body starting to glow, the sign that the rating game system was finally taking her away from this place. Then Grayfia's voice resounded all over the field.
" Rias' Bishop - Killed in Combat."
Issei just stared at the empty place in his arms that Asia was just teleported from. He didn't pay attention to the yells of Rias and Raiser behind him, or the fire that flew passed him and scorched his back. The only thing Issei could focus on, was that Asia was dead, and Raiser was responsible. The rage was in control now, only thinking of spreading the Phenex's remains all throughout the field, taking from him what he took from Asia.
Issei stood from his spot, his head hung low, hair covering his eyes. [BOOST!] The gauntlet glowing as it gave the command saying that Issei's power had been doubled. He could hear faint voices whispering in his ear, telling him what he should do. And they were all wanted what he did, to kill Raiser Phenex. The voices were in unison with his own thoughts, melding into one.
"HE took her from us. HE thinks he can steal from us. HE needs to pay. HE needs to burn. HE needs to DIE!" Issei whispered together with the dozens of voices that were from both men and women.
A Red glow started to cover Issei's body as the voices only brought him further into his rage. Issei shot his head up and glared towards the figure of Raiser Phenex as he prepared another ball of fire to shoot towards Rias.
"RRRRAAAAAIIIIIISSSSSEEERRRR!" Issei screamed out, his voice cracking from the volume.
The red glow intensified, covering all of Issei's body from view of both Rias and Raiser. Then Ddraigs voice came from the boosted gear.
[Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker!]
The light died down, and there Issei stood, in a crimson red armour with plates that mirrored dragon scales. Rias stared at the back of her pawn, amazed at the tremendous increase in power she felt coming from him. And also fearful at the irratic fluctuations of it. Raiser had a look of surprise at the boost in strength of the boy who he judged as just an insect to be squashed, his arrogant smirk quickly returned.
"The forbidden technique of the Red Dragon? Do you really think that will be enough to defeat Raiser?" He said referring to himself in the third person.
Where both Raiser and Rias were expecting to hear only Issei's voice, it was Ddraig that spoke just before his host.
[Raiser Phenex. Your actions here have sealed your fate, and you will learn who the true Masters of fire really are. The depths of the crimson purgatory shall welcome another soul.]
"You killed her, when you didn't need to...So I will take from you...what you took from Asia." Issei said in a deeper voice than usual.
With the change in his voice, Rias was concerned at what Issei was getting himself into. The thought of her losing Asia brought tears to trickle down her face. She tried to bring Issei back to his normal self, only to be stopped by his Ddraig warning her.
[Rias Gremory. My Partner cannot be stopped, if you value your life, you should retreat to a safe distance.]
"ISE! We need to fall back and work together to take him out!" Rias called out to Issei, ignoring the dragons warning. She took a few steps towards him, but stopped in her tracks as she saw the air surrounding Issei start to waver, like it would combust into flames at any moment. The heat increased far above what she felt Raiser use earlier, she backed away when to the edge of the roof when the heat got to a level that it started crack the roof under Issei's feet.
Issei had his gaze through the helmet locked onto Raiser, not hearing anything that his King had been saying to him. The whispers kept coming, telling him the words to give him his revenge. Issei lifted both hands with palms pointed towards the sky, and a small flame appeared in each, the flames flickered towards Raiser like they wanted to drag him into itself.
"Raiser thinks this boy needs to learn his place, the Phenex is immortal, there's nothing my fire can't burn to ashes." Raiser said to armored figure in front of him, igniting a flame of his own. Raiser threw a ball of flames the size of a soccer ball directly to issei's chest. As it drew closer, the flickering from the small flames in Issei's hands switched to the incoming fire. The ball of fire stopped in mid air as it was directly in between the two flames, before Raisers flame fizzled out of existence.
"How the Hell did you do that boy?! Nothing burns hotter than the Phenex Hell-Fire!" Raiser screamed, but Issei paid no attention to the words, only focusing on his desire to rid the world of the Phenex Son. Issei started to chant, which was alternated with his voice and Ddraigs.
"We, the wielders of domination, will bring the all consuming flames to ravage."
[We, the wielders of domination, will scorch the world in an infinite blaze.]
The armor on Issei's body started to change, no longer seeming like armor, and more like dragonhide as it lost the pointed edges. A Crimson flame burst in a ring around Issei's feet, then a flame appeared at the end of the tail connected to his back. As the flame traveled up the tail, it revealed crimson scales that matched the color of the fire on the ground. The flame soon had run across all of Issei's body, with his armor now entirely crimson, and the jewels were now the same golden as the spikes that protruded from the armor. Issei said the last part of the chant, and it was matched by Ddraig and the other voices as a pillar of crimson fire rose around him.
[" Nothing shall remain, as the ashes are reduced to dreams, RISE CRIMSON FLAMES OF DOMINATION! "]
The pillar of fire caused the roof to cave in, making both Rias and Raiser take flight to avoid falling into the debris. The arena had been greatly affected by Issei's fire, the temperature rising to almost intolerable levels, the leaves combusting as they fell off the trees. The grass withered as the moisture was taken from the air. The air itself wavered, appearing as a heat wave with no gaps.
Rias had a hard time breathing in the heated atmosphere, staring wide eyed at Issei at the new armor-like skin he wore, the tail on his back swaying in the heated breeze.
Raiser held onto his arrogance, and instead of insulting the pawn of his fiance any longer, decided to rush him with a fist covered in his own flame. Raisers flame wings flapped to increase the speed of his attack, and pulled his fist back for a punch.
"I'll prove that nothing burns like Raisers flames! Raiser will Burn you like that blonde bitch!" Raiser yelled to Issei as he got closer to the pillar of crimson fire, planning to rush passed it to hit Issei in the jaw.
Issei could see Raiser flying towards him through the fire, and wasn't phased by the meager fire the bird produced. But..When he insulted Asia as he drew closer, Issei's blood boiled as hot as the flames surrounding him. Issei extended his left hand out towards Raiser, commanding the crimson flames to obey his command. The twister of fire died down, and condensed itself into a shield-like form in front of Issei's palm.
Raisers fist made contact with the blazing shield, but his hand didn't go through it as he thought it would, it stopped him immediately. Issei's fire flickered as it recognized its aggressor to be the source of its masters rage. The flame lost its shield form, and twisted itself around Raisers arm, swirling as it burned through his flesh.
"GAAAAAHHHHHH!" Raiser screamed in pain as his arm was burning. He tried frantically to brush the fire off of him, but the fire just burned through his fingers, causing them to regenerate once they were out of the fire. Raisers arm had been reduced to a stump that ended at the elbow, Issei's fire swirled around where his arm ended to keep it from regenerating.
Issei called for more of his fire in his palm, and slammed it onto Raisers other arm, burning it to the same condition as his other. Raiser screamed in pain for another minute, before gritting his teeth to restrain himself. He gave the crimson armored figure a death glare.
"Do you understand the importance of this marriage?! You're meddling in affairs far above yourself! This union is to continue the line of pure-bred devils!" Raiser said with the utmost malice he could, but he knew he'd lost here. His only hope now was to somehow appeal to the logical side of Issei, if it was still there.
The golden eyes of Issei's helmet peered to Raiser's defeated form, holding no sympathy, nor planning to stop. He'd written his fate the moment he brought his flames to Asia's body.
"There won't be a marriage, since you're not leaving this place alive." Issei's voice echoed through the minds of the other two people still in the arena with him, Rias and Raiser. Rias gasped as she held a hand over her mouth, not believing that Issei planned to kill Raiser, his voice had never held that murderous tone before.
Raiser's angered expression was replaced with one of absolute fear. He valued himself above all else, the talk of boosting devils numbers was just to cover his selfish desires to claim Rias Gremory. So he'd offer anything to the red dragon to save himself, even if doing it would damage his reputation, embarrassment was better than death.
"What is it you want? Women? Money? Name it, and it's yours!" Raisers voice became desperate.
Issei lifted his crimson hands once again, summoning the fire that promised death for Raiser. The flames were pulling towards Raiser more than they had before, wanting to finish what it had started, and they were twice the size and intensity of the last two. Issei placed his hands on each side of Raisers, the fire just waiting in anticipation for the command.
"I told what I want. You took Asia's life, so I'm taking yours. Burn."
The final command had been given, and the flame obeyed. It twisted around Raisers face as it replicated what he had done to Asia. Raiser screamed in agony as he felt his regeneration try to fight off the flames, and slowly failing. Rias turned her head to the side, not wanting to see the pawn she had been developing feelings for change into a heartless killer.
The flames on Raisers arms crawled up to his shoulders as his regenerative abilities slowed, unable to keep up with the pace the flesh was melting off. The screaming stopped as the fire raised from his shoulders to his neck, burning off his vocal cords.
Issei just watched as Raiser burned, and fell over on the ground, missing everything from above his chest. No emotions could be felt from Issei, they'd been used to feed the fire that consumed Raiser. His head tilted towards the sky as he heard the call for the end of the rating game.
Raiser Phenex- Killed in Combat. Rias Gremory is the Victor.