Hey guys! So, I wanted to let y'all know that the harem list is subject to change. We're gonna explore some of Mercer's...less known abilities in this chapter, so that should be cool. I've read the reviews suggesting different people for the harem, and I hear you, but as I said, nothing is guaranteed and nothing for the current list is for sure other than Rossweisse and Akeno. Anyways that ought to cover things for now, enjoy the chapter.
The chess game of life
Chapter 10: Time to strike
Within mere moments, fear wormed its way into the members of the ORC as bolts of energy surged towards them. With no time to spare they scattered to escape Mercer's sudden attack, feeling and hearing the explosions that rocked the field around them. They hadn't expected him to attack so suddenly and with such animosity, and it frightened them.
''Watch your step!'' Mercer called tauntingly as white magic circles appeared in random places across the field. ''Wouldn't want you to step on any of those element mines I put down.'' the mines faded and were no longer visible, further setting the ORC on edge.
'What the hell does Mercer think he's doing?' Rias thought angrily. She tapped into her Power of Destruction, the crimson energy of it pulsed and surged around her hands. She loosed several bolts of Destruction at Mercer, to which he responded with rapid dodges, then launched a quick volley of explosive orbs back at her. Akeno threw up a shield around Rias, who nodded her thanks as the orbs exploded harmlessly against the shield.
Kiba got in behind Mercer, aiming to take him down quickly. However, Mercer turned in the nick of time as he heard Kiba let out a battle cry. He didn't understand why he'd make his presence known if his goal was to stealthily take him down. Kiba slashed at Mercer, who thanks to his Scale Mail, was able to block with his hands and forearms. Mercer sidestepped Kiba's downward swing and grabbed him by the head. He tossed Kiba forward, making him stumble. While he was off balance, Connor snapped his fingers, making an element mine appear in front of Kiba and erupt in an arc of magical lightning from the ground to the sky.
Kiba was able to escape by sheer luck thanks to his Knight speed, but he wasn't unscathed as the heat from the mine left him slightly singed.
'He's not playing around. It's like he actually wants to kill us.' Kiba thought as he steadied himself.
''So you want to play with lightning? Well, why not play with me Mercer?'' Akeno challenged as she floated above Mercer in her Shrine Maiden attire, lightning coursing around her arms and hands. Multiple bolts of lightning struck around Mercer before a massive bolt stuck him directly.
Connor hissed with the pain, but he wasn't going to go down that easily. It was a good hit, but not nearly good enough. Suddenly Koneko was on him. She threw a powerful right hook which caught him in the chest, winding him and making him topple backwards. He recovered with a roll and stood back up. She pressed her advantage with a flying kick, which unfortunately for her, was caught in Mercer's right hand. He swung her by the leg and threw her skywards at Akeno, who instinctively made to catch her. However before he threw her, he'd left a small magic circle on her leg set to explode when he wanted it to.
And explode it did as both Akeno and Koneko were blown out of the sky leaving a trail of smoke as they fell. The others watched in horror, which quickly turned to anger. ''Mercer!'' came the voice of an enraged Issei, his own Scale Mail appearing and almost glowing with his anger. The boosters on his shoulders fired, sending him towards Mercer at high speed.
'Finally.' Mercer thought with a grin. Mercer braced himself for impact. Issei collided with him head on and the two Emperors brawled in mid air, colliding with the ground every so often and tearing it up, leaving shallow trenches. Issei smashed Mercer into the ground and used him to stop them moving which left a 20 metre long scar in the ground. He then went on to launch a barrage of strikes on Mercer, who guarded his head with his forearms.
'Damn, he's got me pinned. Unless I can get him off me, the others will catch up and finish me off.' he though while gritting his teeth. He then remembered his ability to manipulate time, which he felt rather stupid for not remembering sooner.
In an instant, Mercer vanished, leaving Issei confused. ''What the- where'd he go?'' he asked aloud. Connor appeared behind Issei and savagely struck him with a spin kick to the side of the head which sent the Red Emperor tumbling across the field. However, despite knocking Issei away, Kiba was soon back on the offensive.
Mercer summoned a translucent, spectral sword made of condensed mana just as Kiba attacked. Mercer parried the strike and backhanded Kiba leaving him stunned. Kiba shook his head to clear the dizziness. Mercer spotted the opening and moved to exploit it, but some crimson projectiles flew past him. In his peripherals, he saw several more coming straight for him and whacked the first one away, but it destroyed his blade.
Rias was back at it, determined to shut him down. She watched as he destroyed her Destruction orbs and his own blade, only to have it reform immediately afterwards. 'We've never taken his entire range of abilities into account. Who knows what else he can do.' she thought as she fired more Destruction at him.
Off to his left Mercer saw Issei stand back up and begin his own attack. Issei dashed at Mercer and threw a punch. Connor fully expected to block the blow with his blade until he heard {BOOST!} come from Issei's left gauntlet. His fist shattered the spectral blade and smashed into Mercer's chest, warping the plate of Scale Mail. Mercer slid backwards only to have Kiba slash at him faster and with more ferocity than before.
Mercer seized Kiba's blade, only to have Kiba pull himself towards him and jump with a kick to his forehead, not hurting him, but enough to stagger him. Mercer stumbled slightly as he lost his balance from the kick to the head.
Issei capitalised on Mercer's slip and thrust towards him, getting his faceplate in a vice grip and lifted him from the ground. He felt strength surge through him as he threw Mercer towards the tree line. Mercer felt multiple trees shred, warp and break as he collided with them. He eventually tumbled to a stop in a clearing, where he got up with a groan.
''What'd I do to piss him off?'' Connor wondered aloud. His entire back and shoulders hurt from the collisions with the trees.
[Do you want a list?] Albion asked sarcastically. Mercer didn't have much time until Issei was on him again, but he was ready for the Red Emperor this time.
{BOOST!}
'Go on Issei, keep generating power. Just be ready to have it used against you.' a powerful punch missed Mercer as he sidestepped his counterpart. The strike left Issei vulnerable in an arched position as his fist was buried in a small crater. Mercer planted a devastating kick into the side of Issei's head, collapsing the red Scale Mail slightly into the shape of a boot heel. He then grabbed Issei's arm and used it as a tether as he kicked Issei's legs out from under him. Issei, dazed and still in Mercer's grasp, tried to gain some distance by attempting to scramble to his feet.
[DIVIDE!] came the voice of Albion, accompanied by Mercer's oddly cold and harsh laughter. Issei's body felt heavy and a cold sweat broke out all over him. Dread worked its way into his belly, leaving him feeling nauseous.
''You feel that Issei, your strength leaving you? Not good is it? How're you gonna protect Rias and the others if you're weakened so easily? I could wipe them all out now and you couldn't stop me. Not like this.'' Mercer said with brutal honesty, but what got Issei was how sincere he sounded.
''Shut up...'' Issei growled, feeling protective rage for the others begin to overwhelm him. The large green gem on Issei's left gauntlet started to pulsate with bright green light. ''What the hell is your deal, huh!?'' Issei bellowed.
Connor raised an eyebrow. ''What? Was it something I said?'' he asked mockingly. He stood over Issei, waiting for him to try anything that looked like an attack.
''You say you wanna help us, yet you don't even care when you hurt any of us. I don't care what you do to me, but all you do is disrespect Rias and the others. Akeno and Koneko didn't need to be taken down how you did it. Do you even care if you kill one of us?'' Issei questioned angrily. Mercer was silent for a moment, contemplating his answer.
He didn't mind the ORC, didn't particularly like them as a collective, but he liked Akeno, Kiba and Issei. Koneko was a neutral factor. Rias was his main problem, as she was their leader. To him, she was their downfall, being a naive and inexperienced king, coddling her peerage rather than strengthening them. Rossweisse...was another case entirely.
''Lemme tell you something Issei, I don't much care for your little club. Your leader's blind to the bigger picture, and her followers are a ragtag bunch of misfits that follow without question. My reasons for helping you are my own, but I will tell you this. My main objective is to make you powerful, thus keeping you alive. Whether people die along the way is no concern of mine.'' he explained coolly.
Issei was stunned, a look of betrayal in his eyes. His hair fell over his eyes as he lowered his head.
''So you're saying none of us mean anything to you?'' he said quietly.
''You're marginally amusing at most.'' Mercer replied deadpan. 'Get pissed off already! C'mon Issei, lemme see you grit those teeth!' He got the result he wanted when he felt a solid uppercut hit him, sending him hurtling into the air at breakneck speeds. He spread he ethereal blue wings to steady himself. In the blink of an eye, he was forced to block several blindingly fast strikes from the furious Sekiryuutei until one kick to his abdomen got through, knocking the air from his lungs and blood from his mouth.
He couldn't keep himself elevated with the speed he was approaching the ground, so he reinforced his body with mana as he bounced across the ground like a stone on a pond and into the field in view of the others. He was still for a short while, dizzy, aching, but planning. Kiba approached cautiously with his sword raised while Rias was more confident in her approach as destructive power still pulsed around her hands.
Connor lay still, his eyes closed in concentration. His mana rushed through his body and pooled into his arms and legs as he prepared a counter-attack for whatever they were going to throw at him. His limbs tingled and pulsed faintly with the mana infused with them. He sensed that Kiba and Rias were standing over him, watching him for any movements, that was until they saw Issei burst from the trees and fly towards Mercer with rage burning in him.
Once Issei was at the right distance, Mercer sprung into action. He rapidly got into an animalistic crouch and beat his wings, surging towards Issei as gale-like winds made Kiba and Rias stumble and shield them selves from the wind and debris. The two Emperors looked like clashing gods as they smashed into each other. Using his mana-enhanced strength, Mercer delivered a crushing blow to Issei's chest, crumpling the Scale Mail as his fist drove upwards. He then delivered a swift kick to the side, making Issei stumble, but he grabbed Connor's leg and swung hum overhead.
Mercer rolled and slid to a stop as he made a standing recovery from hitting the ground. He pushed off with his back foot and was instantly back at Issei, grabbing his forearms and flipped over him. Using Issei like a flail, he savagely slammed him into the ground, then grabbed Issei by the head and viciously kneed Issei in the face, shattering the front of his helmet. Issei hurtled for roughly 50 metres before sliding to a stop.
'Just what the hell is this guy?' Issei thought hopelessly. 'No matter what I do, he's always got me beat. Just what the hell am I doing wrong!?'
{Boy, winning isn't your objective in this fight.} Ddraig said calmly. Issei, despite his disorientation, was able to respond.
'Huh? Ddraig? Whaddaya mean I'm not meant to win? Am I supposed to let him beat me into the ground and hurt the others?' he replied angrily.
{Why do you think he fought all of you at once? It isn't some vain exercise in superiority, but to test your teamwork skills. He's being so harsh on you all to force you into cooperating. At his level of power, do you honestly think you'd stand a chance if he wanted to kill you?} Ddraig asked coolly.
'Wait, so you're saying he's teaching us a harsh lesson?' Issei asked in surprise.
{Yes. Your lack of communication and cooperation is leading to the downfall of you all at the hands of one. If you cannot take him on, even when he's at quarter strength, how do you think you will fare against Riser and his peerage? Or perhaps adversaries that make him pale in comparison?} Ddraig informed Issei.
Issei was silent as he took in this information. Then he asked 'Ddraig, how strong is he, really? You said he was at quarter strength right? So what's he holding back?' he was both curious and dreading the answer. He was handing the ORC its collective ass and was quarter strength. It scared him to think that should he want to, he could obliterate the ORC if he felt like it.
{He is at the level of a Cadre rank Fallen Angel, but that's just a rough estimate of his raw base power. Taking his magical abilities, both known and unknown into account, as well as his natural talent with Divine Dividing, I'd say he's exceptionally powerful for someone his age and with such limited experience with his Sacred Gear and his more powerful magical abilities. But then there's him as a person. He seems very capable of manipulating others and situations surrounding them. He also has a natural...killer instinct about him. Not sure if you've noticed though, after all, you've seen him fight and are currently fighting him.} Ddraig surmised thoroughly. {Quite simply, you're around someone who could possibly take on Riser's peerage by himself and win.} she finished gravely.
Issei gulped. 'Thanks Ddraig, I'll keep all of that in mind.' he sounded much calmer than he actually was, as the info drop left him slightly shaken. He got up and eyed Mercer, who was toying with Kiba and Rias.
'Bastard's been holding back so much this whole time. Dammit...'
Connor took off to distance himself and began firing off a rapid barrage of spells. They were nothing too devastating, more of a distraction than an attack. 'I doubt Issei has much time left with his Scale Mail. Given the amount of time he's had it and the amount he's used it, his body wouldn't handle the strain of a prolonged battle with it.' Connor thought.
[You seem to be struggling Mercer. Could it be you underestimated them?] Albion asked.
'Only a fool underestimates their opponents. Especially when there's a group of them attacking like an angry peasant mob. And I did say this was a test for myself Albion.' Connor replied. 'Doesn't help that I've given myself a handicap for this. I'm just too considerate sometimes.'
[Well, you might wanna pay attention then.] Albion said. Connor looked downward to see Rossweisse glaring at him in full battle regalia holding her spear in one hand, and charging what he guessed was a spell that would hurt like a bitch if it hit him. The spell was cast and it was in the form of a lance of pure mana. It split into shards that, much to Mercer's dismay, began to track him like heat-seekers. For the first time Mercer was having to pull of some insane manoeuvres in the air as he tried to escape being hit. He bobbed and weaved, dived and stalled all in a desperate attempt to escape.
However, during this, the others had time to recover and organise. Rossweisse took off to meet him mid air and pressed the advantage. But this was when Mercer had an idea of his own. He flew straight at Rossweisse and a split second before colliding with her, nose dived straight at Rias, Issei and Kiba. He roughly ploughed into the ground, saving himself by digging his armoured fingers into the earth and stopping in a crouch. Rossweisse had to dodge her own spell as the homing shards flew past... straight at the three below.
Rias, Issei and Kiba only had a split second before the shards hit, resulting in a mighty explosion as they failed to hit their intended target. Silence reigned over the battlefield and the dust cloud lingered. Slowly it cleared to reveal Issei standing before a stunned looking Rias and Kiba. The two were crouched down looking up at Issei who stood over them with his arms outstretched protectively. The entire back of his Scale Mail was cracked, burnt and slightly melted.
''Issei...'' Rias said quietly with wide eyes. Issei was silent. Then, blood trickled from the face plate of his helmet and he collapsed forward, not making a sound. Connor observed the scene, feeling his job for that day was done. Overall, he wasn't impressed by their teamwork, which is to say there was hardly any. The team synergy was in place, but they didn't fight like a cohesive unit. They weren't organised and they certainly didn't support each other effectively.
Rossweisse descended and was mortified by what happened. Her spell had possibly killed one of her comrades. She ran over to Rias, Issei and Kiba. Mercer made his way over as well.
''Well my job's done. This idiot just couldn't resist could he? Oh well, I've learned what I wanted to know from this little skirmish.'' Connor said dismissively. Rias suddenly turned on him.
''Just what the hell is your problem?'' She asked. She was eerily calm and quiet. ''He's your friend too. How can you be so dismissive? This is your fault, so do something!'' she yelled furiously. Connor raised an eyebrow at her.
''Is that what you expect your enemies to do Rias? Knock you down and pick you back up, telling you everything's gonna be okay? Sorry, but reality dictates otherwise.'' Connor said with an even tone.
It was then things took a turn for the worse. Rias quickly raised her hand and unleashed her fury through a blast of Destruction that enveloped Mercer, scorching the ground and burning the very air. Rossweisse and Kiba looked at their King with equal parts shock and horror that she'd just annihilated Mercer so suddenly.
''You really shouldn't have done that.'' came the steely voice of Mercer, who by rights should have been erased from existence by Rias' blast. He stood before them still in one piece. His once gloriously white Scale Male was now charred black. The large gems on it were cracked and fractured. He strode towards them with heavy steps which made them instinctively want to back away.
Mercer let out a loud, long sigh and stretched. ''I'll let that slide this time Gremory. After all, I did have that coming.'' he said, his tone much nicer than it was a moment before. ''By the way, Rossweisse, that's some power you've got. Dayum.''
''I could have killed him just now Mercer!'' Rossweisse shouted. Mercer shrugged and waved off her comment.
''It wasn't your fault Rossweisse. Sure, it was your spell, but I was the one who made it go towards them. So relax, it was all calculated.'' he said, trying but failing to reassure the Valkyrie.
The trio looked at him with no expression on their faces, baffled at how quickly his mood switched and how little damage Rias' attack seemed to have done to him. ''Was all this just a game to you?'' Rias growled.
Mercer rubbed the back of his armoured neck. ''Kinda. I wanted to see how your team performs and to say I'm not impressed would be an understatement. Face it, your leadership fuckin' sucks.'' Connor said with brutal honesty. ''But I'm willing to help you out with that. But first, we should grab Issei, Akeno and Koneko and get our asses in the house.'' He said. He knelt down beside Issei and placed his hand on Issei's head. [Divide!] came the voice of Albion as Mercer took power from Issei, making his Scale Mail dissipate. He picked the unconscious Red Emperor up and slung him over his shoulder.
At the house
The ORC were gathered in the living room of the house, having Issei rest on the sofa while Asia checked him over and healed his wounds. Connor was in his room, however he was not in as good shape as he would have the others believe. His chest was burnt, his shoulder had a patch of semi-burnt skin from Akeno's lightning, his back was bruised an ugly shade of blue, brown and yellow from hitting the ground hard so many times and the list went on.
He sat listlessly on the edge of his bed in the dark, the only light source coming from the hallway which bled through the gap in the door. He was tired, battered and overall disappointed. He hung his head and sighed, his ghostly white hair falling forward like a frosted curtain. He was slowly healing his wounds with a form of time manipulation, which was isolated to his body, accelerating the healing process.
Outside of his door Rossweisse looked through the gap, seeing Mercer hunched forward with his head down. She almost cringed when she saw the bad bruising on his back.
''Erm, Mercer? Are you okay?'' she asked tentatively. ''I'm coming in.'' she opened the door slightly wider and slipped in, closing it behind her. She turned on a small lamp next to Mercer's bed to light the room. From the angle she was at, she could see the more extensive damage to his body. She moved around the bed and knelt down to face him.
''Hey, Mercer? Come on speak to me.'' she said, growing concerned at his silence.
''Could you give me a minute? I need to focus.'' Mercer said tiredly. He kept his eyes closed in concentration as he slowly made his wounds fade.
'Self healing?' Rossweisse thought curiously. 'I'm not sensing too much magic being used, certainly not enough for any healing spell I know.' she continued to watch him. After several minutes, the burns on his chest and shoulder were gone, his back was normal and other wounds were now healed. However, that still left Mercer looking a little different.
''Uh, Mercer did your hair get longer from doing that?'' Rossweisse asked baffled. His hair had indeed gotten longer, but he looked incredibly tired. He smiled at her wearily.
''Yeah. That's a side effect of Time Subjection. I control the flow of time around a person or object. However, since I'm using it on myself, the healing process is accelerated, but so is the ageing process.'' he explained. The back of his hair reached the base of his neck while his fringe finished just past his eyes. Al in all, Rossweisse liked the new look.
''I've never seen a magic like it. How'd you get it?'' Rossweisse asked intrigued. Now that she thought about it, it would be the first time Mercer really went into detail about himself. It suddenly hit her that the person she'd come to have quite the affection for was almost a total mystery to her.
''Well, I guess most of my magic comes from my mother.'' he began, patting the spot next to him for Rossweisse to sit. She did just that and was quite close to him, but whether he noticed was unknown. ''She was a powerful magician in a German magician sect. Actually she was one of the 1% of magicians that use magic manipulating time and physics of any kind.'' he explained.
Rossweisse hung on his every word, eager to learn about him. ''My mother, well she was more of a teacher than a parent. She took care of me of course, but she was too professional and distant. She taught me everything I know about magic. My father was the one that got me in good enough shape to use it though. Magic like this really takes its toll on the body, so to slow it down, you gotta be fit.'' Connor said.
''Do you have any siblings?'' Rossweisse asked with intense curiosity. Mercer had to fight back a cringe.
''Well...yeah, I do. But I'd rather not talk about them.'' he replied awkwardly. Rossweisse was disappointed at the lack of a real answer, but at least she knew he had siblings. But what bothered her was why he didn't want to talk about them.
''What I can tell you is that I'm the youngest of four. I have a brother and two sisters. They were...well I guess you could say they were better at following our parents' example. They were studious, powerful and overall absorbed in the study of magic. My brother saw me as a threat to his power, my first sister treated me decently if a little careless at times, and my second sister just did her own thing, but she disappeared before our parents fought with Tiamat.'' he explained with a far away look on his face.
''You don't have to tell me more if you don't want to.'' Rossweisse said softly as she put a hand on his shoulder. Mercer smiled at her.
''Thanks. Honestly, since then I've really had no idea what to do with myself. I just go with whatever the day throws at me. That's how I can cope with all the insane shit that's been going on lately. '' he said with a sad smile.
Rossweisse gave him a sympathetic look. ''You don't have any dreams for the future?''
Mercer shook his head. ''Nope. At one point I wanted to be a scientist, then a sailor, and the last thing I wanted to be, and you're gonna love this, a vet.'' he admitted. He looked away from Rossweisse in embarrassment, red colouring his cheeks.
'BY THE GODS HE'S EMBARRASSED!' Rossweisse mentally squealed. She recovered and asked ''So must like animals then?''
Mercer looked at her with a bright smile. ''I love animals. Ever since I was a little kid. I'd had a bunch of pets back in Germany. Honestly I was excited when I first went to get my familiar when I was 10, thinking I'd get the ultimate pet. Ironically, this guy was as far from being a pet as you can get. He's an Ifrit called Ashrahm. But anyway, my pets were the only ones that I could really be myself around, cos as you know my folks weren't all smiles and hugs.''
Rossweisse gave him a warm smile. Seeing him open up about his passions and dreams was something she'd wanted for a long time. Now that she was able to, she wasn't going to waste it.
''Maybe one day you could do just that. Maybe you could be the next familiar mater, who knows.'' she suggested with a smirk.
''And lose my mind like that guy? No thanks. I'm sure a job as a vet is much better.'' He said jokingly. A comfortable silence settled over the two of them.
[Now's your chance, you should tell her.] Albion said. She'd been waiting for Mercer to say something for a long time, and now was the ideal time. Mercer took a deep breath, nausea crept into his stomach but he fought the feeling off.
''Rossweisse/Mercer...'' the two said in unison. ''Umm, you go first.'' Rossweisse said sounding uncertain.
''Uhh...I just wanted to tell you something that's been on my mind for a while.'' he began shakily. ''You see...uh...ugh, fuck it, look, I really like you Rossweisse, and I have done for a while. So I wanted to ask you, will you give me a shot and go out with me?'' Mercer asked in one breath. Despite his direct question, he practically died of embarrassment on the inside.
'WHY DID I ASK IT LIKE THAT!?' he raged. 'IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SMOOTH AND SLICK, NOT CLUMSY AND A TOTAL MESS!'
Rossweisse stared wide-eyed at him for a minute or so. She blinked once, again, then a third time. Then it seemed to have finally registered in her brain.
'He asked...he actually asked...bythegodsheactuallyaskedI'mgonnadie!' she blushed madly and decided that she had to answer. She'd finally reached it. Getting her first boyfriend after so many years of ridicule. To think she'd come to question him about the fight and why he'd been so vicious against them.
''Yes. I'll go out with you...if that's what you want that is...'' she accepted shyly. At this point Mercer could see steam rising from the top of Rossweisse' head.
'Must...resist...witty...reply. Must...preserve...atmosphere.' Mercer chanted in his mind to resist giving her a backhanded reply.
''Awesome.'' was all he said. He then stood up and stiffly walked out of the room, leaving Rossweisse alone. She watched him leave, but still spotted the big, idiotic grin on his face. She lay back on his bed and let out a happy sigh.
''Finally...'' she sighed. ''I got a good one Grandmother.'' she then smiled widely and closed her eyes. Oh how she would rub it in Odin's face one day.
Meanwhile in the living room
Issei stirred into consciousness on the sofa. He couldn't remember much prior to being knocked out besides an explosion and searing pain all over. His hearing was muffled and his mouth was dry. Slowly he opened his eyes to see Rias and the others looking at him with concerned expressions. Well, except Koneko, since he was a perv and all. He sat up and swung his legs over the seat and rested his feet on the floor.
''Issei!'' Rias called in relief, rushing over to him. ''Are you feeling okay? Asia healed you but are you in any pain?''
Issei shook his head, something he immediately regretted. ''Besides a pounding headache, I'm fine.'' He looked around the room and only saw Rias, Akeno, Kiba, Koneko and Asia. But no sign of Connor or Rossweisse.
''Where are the other two?'' he asked placing a hand on his head.
''I haven't seen Mercer since he brought you in here. I don't know where Rossweisse went, but she's probably scolding him right now. She seems to be the only one she'll listen to.'' Saying his name left a bitter taste on Rias' tongue. She was trying to trust him, but he did something insane and endangered her peerage every time they were in close proximity.
'Why does Sirzechs trust him so much? He's dangerous, unpredictable. I don't know why he fought us. Was it some kind of display of power? Or was it to show us something else?' she thought tiredly. 'Come to think of it, he didn't attack me once. He had plenty of opportunity, so why didn't he?'
She then came to a conclusion that enraged her. 'He doesn't see me as a threat. He treated me as a mere inconvenience not worth his effort out there. That bastard!'
''Oh, Issei, you're alive after all.'' everyone turned to the small kitchenette to see Mercer with a half-eaten sandwich in his hands.
Rias turned to him with a furious gleam in her eyes. ''You've got some explaining to do. If you think you can endanger my peerage with no explanation at all, then you're sorely mistaken.'' she growled. The pressure in the room rose as her temper did. Mercer was not affected in the slightest and took another bite of his tuna-crunch sandwich.
''So I got a little rough with them, what do you expect from actual enemies?'' he said nonchalantly. Rias stormed towards him until she was right in his face. Mercer raised an eyebrow at her. ''Does personal space mean anything to you?''
''I'm tired of having to constantly have my guard up around you Mercer. You do nothing but show disrespect, treat my peerage like punching bags, and somehow expect me to keep quiet. I don't give a damn if you don't respect me, but my peerage has done nothing to you that deserves what you did to them today!'' she bellowed at him. He still remained passive.
''You don't understand the situation you're in, do you?'' he asked succinctly. ''Your peerage is weak. You are week. Sure, you can kill a few strays, but they're at the bottom of the food chain. Phenex will decimate you and make the rest of your life miserable if you don't win this.'' he said calmly.
He stood up straight. ''So I suggest you shut your mouth and listen to me. Don't question me, just do as I say and you'll come out of this just peachy.'' he said with a scowl. ''That is unless you actually want to lose, that's on you. I don't care either way.''
The room was silent until Issei spoke up. ''Rias, we should trust him.'' She looked at him as if he'd gone mad. ''Now hear me out. When we were fighting, Ddraig spoke to me. She said that Mercer did what he did to get us to unite and work together. He wanted us to work as a unit to take him down.'' he explained.
He had everyone's attention now. He looked at Mercer who just smirked at him. ''She also told me that we weren't meant to win either. She'd read his power output and told me that he's at the strength of a Cadre level Fallen Angel without using magic or Divine Dividing.''
''He's not lying you know.'' Mercer supplied to the shocked group of Devils. ''Just for this exercise I had to water down my power to a quarter of its total strength. And now I know not to take any of you so lightly in the future.'' he said before finishing off his sandwich.
''So what abilities are you hiding from us?'' Rias inquired. Mercer smirked again.
''Now that'd be telling. I think it's better if I just show you when the occasion arises.'' he said before stretching with a yawn. ''Now I don't know about you guys, but this human needs his sleep.'' with that, he grabbed a coffee and went to his room.
Rias looked around at her peerage to see all of them looked worn out. Whether it's actively fighting or getting blown up, it was still tiring. ''Now that's an example of his I can follow. C'mon, we should go to bed ourselves.''
As she walked, she couldn't help but notice how easy it was to forget that Mercer was indeed just a human. 'Wait...did his hair suddenly get longer?'
Mercer's room
Mercer sipped his coffee as he opened his door. Upon looking inside, he found that Rossweisse hadn't left at all. She'd actually fallen asleep. He'd never seen her sleeping and it made his heart soar at the cuteness of it. The tiny breaths and occasional soft snores made him smile, as did her peaceful face.
He set his cup down next to the lamp at the side of the bed. 'As much as I wish I didn't have to, my sense of chivalry demands I take her to her own room. Dammit.' he thought.
[Well, at least you took the plunge and got the prize out of it. That particular stage in your relationship will come later, just pace yourself for now.] Albion said. Mercer couldn't help but agree with her logic.
Mercer put his right arm under Rossweisse' back and his left under her legs and held her up bridal style. He backed up against the door to open it, careful not the hit the Valkyrie's head off of the door frame. He silently went down the hallway ad came to a sudden stop.
'Ah balls, I don't know which room's hers.' Mercer thought irritably. He went to a random door and knocked it twice using his head. The door opened showing Asia on the other side.
''Oh, hello Mercer. You need something?'' she asked in her usual kind voice. Mercer gave her a small smile.
''Uh, yeah actually. I don't know where her room is.'' he said referring to Rossweisse. Asia stepped out of the room.
''Follow me, it's just down this hallway.'' she began to lead him to the room in question.
''Thanks Asia, I owe you one.'' he said gratefully as he followed her. They stopped at Rossweisse's room, which was around the corner from Mercer's on the left. He opened the door quietly, stepped in and placed her on her bed. He walked back out cautiously and gently closed the door.
He turned and saw Asia was still there. He'd not spoken to Asia much, and decided he wanted her opinion about today.
''Hey, Asia. I wanna know something.'' he began. She nodded to let him continue. ''Do you think I'm a bastard for what I do? Like earlier for instance. I nearly got Issei killed, injured Koneko and Akeno and pissed off Rias even more. Am I doing the right thing?'' he asked, guilt making itself known in his voice.
''I think you're doing your best to help us.'' he looked at her in surprise. ''I know your methods are brutal, but I've seen results in Issei already. I saw it all, and I know that the team effort was...well, lacking. Besides, I know you'd never intentionally hurt any of us without a good reason. I think if you keep it up, we'll be ready to face Riser in no time.'' she said honestly with a bright smile on her face.
Mercer sighed, happy with her answer and felt reassured. ''Thanks. I needed that. Now I have to repay you, so I'm gonna let you know something secret.'' he smirked and beckoned her to come closer as he leant down.
He put his lips next to her ear. ''Issei likes you.'' he whispered, getting a gasp from the nun. ''And as a personal favour to you, I'm gonna help you out with the dense idiot. But you gotta promise me that you don't let him know I told you anything. Deal?'' he stood straight and held out a hand to shake. She tentatively took his hand and shook.
''Alright, now that's done, I'm gonna get some sleep. Fighting so many at once is tiring.'' he said as he began the walk back to his room.
Soon he was sat on his bed, his right arm outstretched with his palm facing him. A white magic circle appeared in his palm, and voices came through. It was the listening circle he'd left on Siris.
'Hey Mira, has Lord Phenex got the Phoenix tears yet?' came the voice of Siris.
'Well yeah, why wouldn't he? He wouldn't have us go into a rating game without them. Seriously, their healing effects are awesome. Gives us a serious advantage over other peerages.' she said confidently.
'It's just that, well...I don't feel to good about our chances this time. I can't explain it, but I feel like this one's gonna be really close. Especially since they've got both Red and White with them. That Mercer guy's pretty smart going by what I've heard, and apparently is a master at strategy.'
Mira scoffed. 'So what? Lord Riser has never actually lost a game by being defeated and this time will be no different. Besides, what's up with part of your winning conditions? If we win you get Mercer as a prize?' Mercer spat his coffee out when he heard that.
'It's not like I like him or anything, it's just so I can say I helped in the rating game.' she feebly defended.
'Yeah, right.' Mira replied deadpan. 'Anyways, nothing but holy water or other holy items, you know that.'
Mercer closed his hand and shut off the listening circle. He grinned evilly, and went into a full fit of maniacal laughter. ''Oh Mira you walking plot device, you just did all the work for me.''
He took out his phone and opened up his contacts. He scrolled down to Siris' number and called. After a few moments, he heard her.
''Hello, who is it?'' she asked.
''Hey Siris, been a little while.'' he greeted jovially.
''O-oh...Mercer, hey. Something you wanted to talk about?''
''As a matter of fact, there is...''
And that's done with. Sorry for taking so long guys, life's been a bit of a bitch so I had to get my priorities sorted for once. Anyways, You guys know what to do, fav, follow, critique, review and tell me your ideas. This had been BrutalAftershock, signing off.
