AN: Hello readers. This is a 3 way collaboration project with RedXEagl3, CrimsonAzazel, and Houvdon. Enjoy, and watch as we surpass Silly Songbird with our version of a Riser Phenex story.
(Love,
Revan's Stories)
RedXEagl3's AN: I hope we don't have to write AN for each of us every chapter, or we may artificially inflate the word count, but nonetheless I'm still happy to do this. I don't like Riser Phenex, so why not completely change him to be a better person? Hope you enjoy this story, you insatiable bastards.
CrimsonAzazel's AN: Welcome readers, to the most ambitious collaboration in DxD fanfic history. I originally had this idea a while ago but never got around to it. Then I talked to Red. He's a guy who reminds me of my IRL best friend and I thought our writing was compatible, so I thought, why not? Then I invited Houvdon, now here we are. Hope you all enjoy!
Houvdon Valefor's AN: Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. And stuff. And yeah. Hopefully you all enjoy this collab between us 3. Make sure to follow my stories and my profile as well. Hope you all enjoy the future chapters.
Chapter 1
The phoenix. A majestic avian whose childish and melodic voice sung such sweet notes. Those who were deceived by its harmless beauty would feel the wrath of its dazzling flames. The most terrifying ability of the the creature however, was its regeneration. A great gift of immortality in which the flames that bathe its body heals any wound no matter how fatal.
Such is the power bestowed to the house of Phenex. We, the marquis of hell who were gifted these genetics by our Lucifer, have long been feared for our abilities. With our bloodline we are invincible. Nobody could dare to dream that they had slain a pure blooded devil of the Phenex pillar.
At least that was what I had always believed, until it was crushed along with my brother Ruval by the emperor of the rating games. The very same brother whose shadow I grew up in.
My name is Riser Phenex. Third born son and heir to the house of Phenex. This is the story of I, the second emperor.
A young boy of ten years old cheered as he sat in the large stadium. Watching as his eldest brother entered and appeared at the center of the stage via magic circle.
"Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages!" an announcer shouted from next to his brother's circle.
"Please welcome our challenger, the man who sped past the ranks and made it to the top. With a streak of twelve wins and counting, let us see if tonight is the night he falls to the might of the emperor. Please welcome the heir to the house of Phenex and ultimate class devil, Ruval Phenex!" the crowd roared in approval as a man with wild fiery blonde hair and blue eyes in a golden noble attire emerged.
The magic circle leaked golden flames as it expanded before fifteen others appeared behind him.
Once again the announcer started to speak as he introduced the second contestant.
"And now, we bring you the emperor, our champion, the number one rating game player. Ladies and gentlemen scream for the great king Belial, Diehauser Belial!" he shouted.
A grey magic circle appeared parallel to Ruval as a man with silver hair in a fancier noble's attire came forth. The circle expanding once again as another fifteen silhouettes appeared behind him.
The two opponents stared each other down before Diehauser offered his hand. Ruval took it in stride, giving it a firm shake as both nodded in acknowledgement. The audience cheered as both sides made their way to opposite ends of the arena.
"Now then," the announcer spoke again, "The name of the game is Crystal Hunt. The rules are simple: Each team will have three large crystals that are scattered throughout the terrain. The first to destroy all of their opponent's crystals will be the victor."
The young Riser teetered at the edge of his seat in anticipation as the countdown began. Meanwhile his parents discussed Ruval's chances.
"Do you think he can pull it off?" Lady Phenex asked her husband in a worried tone.
"Nothing lasts forever dear, and I believe it is high time there was a new emperor." The Lord of the Phenex household responded to his wife's concerns.
'There's no way that big brother can lose. He's a Phenex! No one can beat us.' Riser thought as he overheard his parents' conversation.
There was a loud ring as the clock hit zero and the games officially began.
{Game Start}
Spartacus had to admit it was a good plan. His master had wisely decided to diverge most of the action to the other side of the pocket dimension, drawing attention away from Spartacus and allowing him to sneak to one of the enemy team's crystals and destroy it.
It was not well hidden. It stood brazenly in the middle of an open colosseum. With no one seemingly around, he ran toward it, ready to smash it into pieces and allow his master, Ruval Phenex, to get a step closer to victory. Unfortunately, before he could attack, he was nearly bisected by a massive katana that had seemingly come out of nowhere.
"Tch!" Spartacus clicked his tongue as he jumped back, gaining distance from the man who had apparated so close to him without his knowledge. "Shoulda known it wouldn't be this easy…"
"Indeed," The man, who had long black hair tied into a pony tale and wore a traditional purple kimono spoke in an even and tempered tone. "Your master and the rest of his peerage are strong, but you underestimate us. To think that we would fall for a blatant tactic such as this… I almost feel insulted."
The Spartacus descendent smirked arrogantly. "Like you underestimated Miyamoto Musashi, right Sasaki?"
The now christened Sasaki Kojirou's only reaction was a slight twitching of his eyebrow, before he got into a stance. "My master has faced many an upstart such as your own. Your master's fall will be no different from any others he has faced."
"No one Belial has faced can regenerate at will," Spartacus countered, punching the palm of his hand and cracking his knuckles. "But I don't need regeneration to beat you. If someone four hundred years ago can do that, so can I!"
"You may try," Sasaki replied coolly.
Spartacus roared and charged. Considering he was a Rook, he could squish the Japanese swordsman in front of him like a beetle. The ground actually quaked with the amount of force he was using to charge forward, causing small cracks to form in the ground.
Sasaki Kojirou only stood there, waiting for the massive form of Spartacus to get in range of his nodachi. Spartacus may have been a Rook, but he was a Knight, and Knights are always faster than Rooks. Spartacus made a grave mistake.
With pinpoint precision, once Spartacus crossed Sasaki's threshold, Sasaki slashed down with his nodachi, and just as quickly slashed back up.
Spartacus wasn't even able to let out a pained scream before a blue light enveloped him.
[Ruval Phenex, Rook, retired.]
Serana Barbatos didn't know how to handle this situation to her liking. Not only was she intercepted before she could reach the other team's crystal, which seemed to be far off in a colosseum of some sorts, but she was intercepted by the Queen of Diehauser Belial, who she knew only went by the name 'Alice'. Having blonde hair and red eyes, she was quite a beautiful woman. Luckily for Serana, however, she brought back-up.
"Both of you," She called the Knight and 2 Pawns she had with her. "Distract the ones with their Queen. She's mine," She ordered. The pieces nodded, before charging and engaging the enemy.
Alice walked forward nonchalantly like she didn't have a care in the world, even when Serana was in plain sight and those that had followed her were engaged with Ruval's Pawns and Knight. She had a small, placid smile on her face as she regarded Serana like she would an old friend.
"Serana Barbatos, soon to be Serana Phenex," Alice bowed her head in respect. "It is a pleasure to meet you."
Serana did not waste this opportunity. The moment Alice finished that sentence she sent a wave of demonic energy towards the unassuming blonde woman. Dust kicked up from this attack kept the results of this attack from view for a few seconds. Knowing that a Queen could not be taken out by such an attack, even if it caught them by surprise, she readied another one.
A sword that was shot out of the dust cloud and into her shoulder interrupted that plan.
"My, you are eager," Alice's voice rung in the wounded Queen's ears. "I suppose I should answer that eagerness in kind!"
When the dust cleared, Alice was almost unrecognizable. Armor covered her all over except for her head, and she had a deep red, menacing aura surrounding her. Several scabbards hung on her hips, and the Belial family crest adorned her breastplate. Her face still had a smile, but to Serana, it seemed darker than before.
She spread her devil wings and flew into the air, ignoring the pain that the sword in her shoulder gave her. Keeping it in to stop herself from possibly bleeding out, she sent a round of demonic towards her opponent. Alice didn't even flinch. Quickly pulling out one of the swords that was sheathed to her side, and summoning a barrier in front of her, she used her own wings to fly towards Serana.
Serana was not much of a talker during battle. She saw it as an unnecessary way to prolong a fight, but in this moment she almost panicked and begged the soaring woman to get away from her. Steeling her resolve, she successfully dodged the strike aimed at her torso. Summoning more demonic power, she put it all into one large orb, and sent it forth.
It splashed harmlessly against the barrier that Alice had summoned.
Serana only had this much to process before she was gone.
[Ruval Phenex, Queen, retired.]
Alice sighed as she slowly floated back to the ground. She had hoped that the Queen would be more of a fighter, but unfortunately, she was a Wizard-type. Being the daughter of Ares, and having significant battle prowess, Wizard-types usually had poor match-ups to her.
If only…
[Ruval Phenex, Knight and Pawn, retired. Diehauser Belial, Knight and Bishop, retired.]
"Oh?" She looked around and noticed one more exhausted Pawn remaining. "There's one more. I shall fix that."
A single sword throw was all it took.
[Ruval Phenex, Pawn, retired.]
And just like that, a crystal was broken.
Meanwhile, Ruval Phenex was slowly filling with anticipation. He had started out feeling confident enough. But that was before his peerage started dropping like flies. Out of the ten servants he had, half of them were retired now, including his queen, and that was his greatest regret.
Eyes refocusing, Ruval sighed when he felt a presence closing in. Turning around, he was greeted with the smile of one Diehauser Belial, his opponent.
His peerage was about to charge until they were stopped by his hand.
"You're not strong enough to handle the likes of him. I'll do it myself, get back." the Phenex ordered, his face showing nothing but determination.
"Don't you think maybe you're a little too young to be facing me one on one?" The rating game champion asked in amusement.
"Don't you think you're a little too old to still be playing?" the blonde shot back as Diehauser roared in laughter.
"I see you have your father's attitude."
Ruval's body ignited, flames wrapping around his body, encasing him completely in the signature flames of a Phenex.
"Well I am his son." Ruval spoke simply as his flames grew brighter.
The Emperor narrowed his eyes at Ruval, unaffected by the Phenex flames that seemingly burned hotter than Uriel's holy flames.
"Impressive. Those flames of yours... they burn bright with determination."
Again, the Devil spoke calmly, despite facing flames that could potentially melt his skin.
Ruval said nothing, waiting for Diehauser to prepare for his upcoming onslaught.
But he didn't move a muscle, simply standing there, patiently waiting for him to make a move.
Ruval cocked an eyebrow in confusion. Diehauser was essentially defenseless. His hands were bare, and his magical energy was calm. He did not have his magic ready at any moment.
"What are you waiting for? Everyone is waiting." Diehauser said as he gestured around, finally speaking after minutes of silence, and waiting from both sides. "You will disappoint the Phenex family if you do not move."
Ruval swung his hand horizontally, and the flames around his body moved, licking the air as if they had a life of their own, and seemingly lunged for the opposing Devil. But the Emperor simply held out his hand, and a magic circle formed in front of him.
The flames clashed against his barrier, but not a single crack appeared.
Ruval stopped, and the flames receded. Diehauser lowered his hand.
The Phenex roared, as his body transformed partially into flames. Ruval pushed his hand outwards, and flames burst to life. They formed a sphere around Diehauser, completely closed in, before igniting.
Within moments, the flames transformed into an explosion.
Ruval stood impatiently, waiting for the dust to clear.
His eyes widened when he saw Diehauser standing there patiently, in the exact same spot. Magic circles wrapped around his body, as he, once again, simply blocked his attacks effortlessly.
"This is the difference between you and me, Ruval. You cannot defeat me through any kind of attack."
Ruval gave no response, merely looking directly at Diehauser.
The Phenex's peerage members shifted uncomfortably, wanting to help, but unable to defy the orders of their Master.
It was clear that none of Ruval's attacks were getting through.
Wings made of flames sprouted behind him, and in an instant, Ruval charged.
Diehauser rose an eyebrow.
Ruval swung his fire-encased fist, but a barrier simply formed between the two, stopping his fist. Ruval let his fist hit the barrier, before spinning around, getting behind Diehauser, and bringing his leg around, aiming for the Devil's head.
His leg was blocked by another barrier.
"Are you done yet?"
Minutes had passed since the start of Ruval's onslaught, and yet, Diehauser had not yet moved from his spot, nor had he been scathed.
"If you are done…" The Belial closed his eyes, before reopening them. "I will start."
Diehauser disappeared from Ruval's sight, making the Phenex widen his eyes. The Belial flickered into existence, his leg already in motion, aiming for his chest. Ruval crossed his arms, and the leg struck his forearms instead.
Before Ruval even had a chance to exhale, the Emperor was already in front of him.
His fist punched outwards, aiming at Ruval's face. Ruval brought his hand up in an attempt to grab it, but his eyes widened when a magic circle formed in a split second, and lightning magic burst to life.
The Phenex screamed in pain when the lightning struck true, and the Belial gave him no time to adjust to the pain. Diehauser brought his other fist around, striking his face directly, instead of using magic.
Blood burst from his head, his skull completely shattered.
But Ruval regenerated before his "corpse" even touched the ground. His left palm hit the ground, and he used his momentum to flip his body around, pushing off his left arm to create some space.
He landed on all fours, facing Diehauser.
The Devil still stood in his previous position, his fist still hovering in the air where his skull was crushed by sheer force.
He slowly pulled his arm back, going back into his previous relaxed form.
A contrast from his previous deadly position.
"Fuck." Ruval let out a curse. How? Just how was he this damn strong? Was this the difference between their power?
"Do you need a moment to rest?" Diehauser cocked his head to the side. "I will permit it."
Ruval growled in anger at the comment. The bastard was just toying with him at this point. It was infuriating!
"I don't need rest." Ruval spat out at him.
"Good. Then let us continue. This time, I will use a bit more force."
Again, Diehauser disappeared from his vision and senses, simply moving too fast to be seen.
It was no teleportation or magic. It was pure speed built upon years of honing his body to its maximum potential.
And he still hadn't reached it.
Ruval gasped in pain, as his ribs were shattered in an instant. But his ribs healed even faster than than they were shattered. Diehauser appeared behind him, his elbow mid swing, aiming for Ruval's shoulder.
A shattering sound was heard, as the bone was instantly split a part with a single hit from an elbow.
This time, before his shoulder was even healed, the bottom of Diehauser's fist struck the exact spot of where his elbow had striked.
Ruval screamed in agony, and Diehauser appeared on the other side. He pulled Ruval's arm behind his back, and twisted it, dislocating it and pulling it out of its socket.
All this, in a matter of seconds.
And in less than a split second, his injuries were healed through the natural regeneration of a Phenex, the ability to rise from its ashes, much like the original Phoenix told in legends.
And only when Ruval regenerated, did Diehauser start his assault again from several feet away.
This time, with magic.
Magic circles formed a wall behind the Emperor, each one with its own attribute. Ranging from fire to water, lightning to wind.
"Fire."
One simple word, and it would have been able to destroy an entire army had there been one facing against the Devil.
Demonic energy flooded the arena, as blasts of magic struck the area that Ruval lied in.
It continued on for a minute, and Diehauser did not look winded in the slightest. No sweat was seen on his body, and his magical energy was still full.
"Are you done yet?" Diehauser's voice was loud and clear.
The original Phoenix was able to rise from its ashes, reincarnated into a new body.
It was the same with Ruval.
He rose once again, his eyes glaring at the Belial.
"I'm not done yet. I will surpass you and become the new Emperor."
"How can you say that with such confidence if you are doing nothing but getting beaten to the ground by me?"
"Why don't you start by looking at where you are standing?"
The Devil decided to humor his opponent, and look down with a raised eyebrow, before his eyes widened in surprise at what he saw.
He was standing where Ruval once stood a few moments ago, when Ruval was getting beaten to the ground by raw power.
Scattered very densely and right under him, were bombs, each packed with enough power to kill a High-class Devil in one shot.
Ruval snapped his fingers, and the bombs set themselves off.
Flames even hotter and deadlier than Amaterasu's came out of the bombs set by Diehauser.
Ruval chuckled. "And that...is game. The Phenex win."
"No...you are wrong."
Ruval's eyes widened in shock, as his flames disappeared.
"What?! How?"
Diehauser smiled. "The Belial clan's famed Worthlessness. It seems you have forgotten that I had it. It is only natural for you to forget, as I hardly use it."
Worthlessness, the ability to nullify the opponent's powers and to make them worthless, hence the name given.
"I admit, that last move of yours would've gotten me had I not had used Worthlessness. You deserve praise, as I had not expected to be pushed into that corner by such a simple, yet effective way."
The Belial spread his arms. "I commend you, Ruval Phenex. You are truly a powerful Devil, worthy of even the Great King Lucifer's attention. You are able to spread your wings without resistance, and soar where you wish if it is within your wings."
"But now… I will break your wings, and make sure that you never leave the ground again."
Diehauser's voice grew cold, as his aura became more intense.
Ruval's eyes widen in surprise. This pressure, this daunting presence made it almost impossible to even stand. 'What?! He seems so different now! Was that not his full power?'
"Prepare yourself, Ruval Phenex, for when you spread your wings wide, it makes others want to break them. And I will be the one that will break them."
Diehauser disappeared, his speed enhanced by his magic.
Before Ruval even comprehended that his opponent disappeared, he was already being sent back. Not only did his ribs shatter with a single punch enhanced by demonic power, his arms ripped out of their sockets as his body great velocity.
Diehauser appeared behind him in the air, his leg swinging downwards, striking at Ruval's collarbone.
A gut-wrenching sound of a bone being shattered was heard throughout the arena. Ruval was then kicked upwards, before being slammed back into the ground by a single hit from Diehauser's elbow.
A total of a single second had passed since Diehauser had vanished from Ruval's vision.
Ruval had regenerated once again, his face contorted with pain.
He rose his arm up, and from his palm, flames licked his skin. It slowly became compressed into a ball, before growing bigger.
Flames burst from the surface. The ball made entirely of flames burned brighter, as the Phenex pumped even more flames into the ball that was already at the size of several meters. The ball continuously changed colors, shifting between red, yellow, blue, and even white. The crowd gasped in awe at the spectacle.
It was not made entirely out of fire.
It was also made up of hopes and dreams. Determination. Ambition. Pride. Anger.
A few more moments passed, before Ruval roared, and tossed the Sun made entirely out of his powers at the current Emperor of Rating Games.
Diehauser smiled softly as it came closer. An explosion enveloping his form as Ruval staggered, slowly drifting in and out consciousness.
'It worked.' he thought with a small smirk of victory spreading, until the visage of a silhouette walked out of the fire. The orange flames slowly began to fade from existence.
"Your wings. You may spread them wide, but others spread them wider. They soar higher than you, and they fly farther. You'll never reach their level, unless you push yourself to fly more. As of now, you are only flying at the height that your Phenex bloodline allows you to. However...if you learn something else, you'll be able to reach higher."
He stepped over the blackened ground, burned by their flames and magic.
"You'll eventually be the highest one, grasping the clouds with your bare hands. Grasping your dreams through hard work and determination. You'll be higher than anyone else."
The Phenex heir struggled to raise his right arm in an attempt for one last attack. But it was futile, as he conjured his fire, the remains of his demonic power emptied and he collapsed onto his hands and knees before fainting.
"But you must work for it."
Diehauser stood in front of his opponent's prone form. The Phenex's broken body lay before him, eyes closed in
"It is over, Ruval Phenex. I win." The Emperor stated finally.
[Ruval Phenex, King, retired. Diehauser Belial winner.]
The words echoed through his head all throughout the night. His mind couldn't comprehend it. The heir to the Phenex clan, his eldest brother, had lost. Defeated. No, completely obliterated by the champion's strength.
Riser Phenex could not comprehend that. He had always been told that his blood was superior, his clan's might was unchallenged due to their abilities.
Yet those abilities had done nothing more than torch dirt in front of the emperor.
Diehauser Belial. A man he had deemed second rate compared to his brother once upon a time. Yet, that had all crumbled down in a matter of mere moments. His visions had been crushed along with Ruval.
However, as old visions crumbled, new ones arose in their place.
Riser Phenex was a child prodigy. And yet, his efforts had always been overshadowed by the accomplishments of his elder brothers. The third son was always seen as less than the heir, but no more.
He would gather the greatest peerage, win every rating game he played. He would train to be the strongest. And one day, he would dethrone the Emperor. He, Riser Phenex, would take the throne of the Emperor himself along with a loyal, powerful, queen.
And there would be nothing that stood in his path.
AN: And that was the first chapter. Keep in mind this was just a prologue and there will definitely be more to come. And, of course, in better quality too. We hope you loved it and if you did, be sure to favorite, follow, and leave a review on what your favorite scene was or what you hope to see. ~Ja ne