As I flew towards the school rooftop, I saw Issei avoiding blows from Riser, while Asia tended to Rias, who had a nasty burn on her shoulder. Heh, time to put our little plan into action. I charged up a strong mass of shadow energy into both of my hands and focussed my gaze on Riser. The visor I wore scanned him and a target appeared over his image through the visor. This was a feature of my Balance Breaker, an attack that would definitely hit my target.

"Hey Phenex!" I yelled out loud to the blond prick. He turned his attention to me with a scowl, but his eyes widened in shock as I shot the biggest blast of shadow energy at him. He screamed in pain as most of his body was disintegrated by my attack.

"Satanic Wolf, reporting for duty!" I announced as I landed next to Issei.

"Takeo!" Rias cried out in relief.

"Takeo-san!"

"Sensei!"

Asia and Issei followed her example respectively.

"So Issei, what say we finish Yakitori-san hm?" I asked, cracking my knuckles. Issei smirked at me and punched his fist into his gauntlet.

"I'm ready whenever you are." He said with a smirk. We both faced the regenerating Riser, getting into battle stances.

"The Red Dragon Emperor and The Satanic Wolf. Two great powers in the hands of pathetic low-born scum." Riser shook his head as his body finished regenerating. Hey, how does he regenerate his clothes?

"It appears Riser is going to have to teach you both a lesson in respecting your betters!" He yelled and shot a massive fireball at us.

Just before he released it, a familiar red line appeared on the 'screen' of my visor. The line went straight towards Issei and I, stopping right between us. The end of the line extended into a massive red dome, showing me the blast radius of the attack. I quickly grabbed Issei by his arm and shot straight up with a pump of my wings. The blast missed us and dissipated, allowing me to land and let go of Issei.

"In order to respect our betters, we'd have to actually HAVE betters. You are not better than us in any way Riser!" I hissed, my eyes glowing purple behind my visor.

Riser snarled and shot more blasts of fire at us. Geez, this guy is so easy to taunt. The red lines extended from the fireballs on the screen of my visor, allowing me to know exactly where they would hit. Issei rolled to the side while I leaned back, putting all of my body's weight on my knees. This allowed me to dodge the blasts in a similar manner to that of a Matrix Agent.

"You're gonna have to do better than that, Penix Breath!" Issei taunted Riser as he took a battle stance next to me.

"Ready Issei?" I asked him, holding up my left arm to show the gem on the back of my hand glowing bright purple.

"Ready Sensei!" He responded, taking an identical stance with the gem on his gauntlet shining bright emerald.

"What do you two think you can possibly do to defeat me?" Riser asked, sounding bored.

"I am so glad you asked." Issei and I shared a smirk as Riser narrowed his eyes at my answer.

~~Flashback~~

"So, what did you want to talk about?" I asked Issei as we stopped just outside the mountain house.

"Well, last night, I had a weird dream, and the Red Dragon was in it." He told me. I gave him a curious look and told him to go on.

"He said that he was pleasantly surprised that I could hear his voice, since he'd been trying to contact me for a while now. Apparently, the runes you gave me and the presence of the Satanic Wolf allowed his voice to reach me." He continued.

"I see.." I murmured in thought.

"Anyways, he wanted to meet you." He told me. If i had been drinking anything, I would've done a spit-take. The Welsh Dragon wants to meet me?!

"Well, Ok…" I mumbled, just loud enough for Issei to hear.

[Well, you finally got a new host Eris. Congratulations.] A deep voice boomed from Issei's left hand. We both looked and saw the green gem of the Boosted Gear on the back of his hand.

{Thank you Ddraig, it's been a while. And I must say, this host is easily the best one I've ever had, or ever will.} Eris responded, a hint of pride in her voice. I blushed a little at her words, but I won't deny it was heartwarming that Eris thought so highly of me.

[Really? Has he unlocked 'that' power yet?] Hm? What's he talking about?

{He has not, but I have confidence he will.}

[Haha! I like the sound of that. You must be pretty special kid!]

"Uh, thank you Ddraig-sama, but I'm not that great…" I murmured, scratching my cheek in embarrassment.

{Don't sell yourself short Pup. The fact that you've come so far with Lupus Umbra in such a short time is impressive in itself, much more so than actually being to wield it.} Eris pointed out.

"Well, thanks then. May I ask why you wanted to meet me Ddraig-sama?" I asked the Welsh Dragon.

[First, just Ddraig is fine. Second, I wanted meet the one responsible for my host being able to hear me.] Ddraig explained.

"Well, I didn't do much. I just gave him the runes and showed him how to use them." I said in confusion.

"Ddraig said that that's exactly why I can hear him now. The runes and the training with Dusk and Dawn increased my strength to the point that I could hear him." Issei explained. Well, that makes sense.

{There is of course another matter I believe Ddraig wants to speak of.} Eris piped up.

"Being?" Issei and I asked in unison.

[Regardless of the strength you two have built up these past few days, the odds of defeating the Phenex brat are not in your favour.] Ddraig explained.

{It is possible, but unlikely.} Mine and Issei's eyes widened in horror at Eris and Ddraig's words.

[There is a way to change that however.] Ddraig spoke up before either one of us could talk.

{A phenomenon called 'Sacred Switch'} Eris told us before we could ask.

"Sacred Switch?" Issei and I asked in confusion. I'd never heard of that from canon. It was never mentioned in the anime, manga, or light novels.

[The Sacred Switch is a technique that can only be used by two people who have extremely powerful Sacred Gears. These Sacred Gears must have strong beings within them and at least be Mid-tier Longinus or higher] Ddraig explained. Oh yeah, that reminds me.

"Where does Lupus Umbra fall on that scale?" I asked.

{In a way, it could be considered a 'Lost Longinus.' We can talk about that at a later date, but for now you could say it's on par with a Sacred Gear such as Zenith Tempest or True Longinus. It all depends on the host.} Eris explained. I nodded in understanding.

"So, what does this Sacred Switch do?" Issei asked in curiosity.

[It temporarily combines the powers of two Sacred Gears, so long as they're compatible. You will each be able to use the powers of the other's Sacred Gear for a few minutes, along with your own.] Again, both mine and Issei's eyes widened in shock.

"Are you telling us Sensei and I might be able to pull this Switch thingy off?" Issei asked in shock.

{You could, but it comes at a price.} Eris warned us.

"What kind of price?" I asked skeptically.

[Anything really. Lifespan, a body part, a sense, you name it. It must be significant though.] Ddraig explained. Hm, that's interesting. It works on the same principal as the Overbooster…

"So…" Issei trailed off hesitantly.

"I'm game if you are." I told him. His eyes widened.

"A-are you sure?" He asked skeptically. I nodded.

"I care about Rias. If it means getting her out of that bastard's claws, I'd say it's worth it." I responded. His eyes widened at my words before he narrowed them again in determination and nodded.

"So, what do we give up?" I asked thoughtfully.

"How much lifespan would it take?" Issei asked, looking at the gem on his hand.

[Not a massive portion. Most Devils live almost forever, but if you do this, most Devils will outlive you.] Ddraig told us.

"Do we both have to give something up, or would one of us paying double work?" I asked.

{You both have to surrender something.} Eris informed grimmly. Damn, I thought if I gave up twice the amount of my lifespan, Issei wouldn't have to give up anything.

"Will my immunity to light work?" I asked.

{It would.}

"Sensei, you can't be serious! What if we end up fight more Fallen Angels or actual Angels?" Issei asked in shock. Hm, he makes a good point. Still, I can't afford to be too selfish here.

"Alright, I'll try to think to something else." I sighed. Still, if I can't think of anything else, bye bye light immunity.

"What about Issei's perversion?" I quipped with a smirk, making Issei glare at me.

[Whilst that would be beneficial to everyone, it's not a suitable price.] Ddraig laughed.

"You guys suck!" Issei whined. I let out a light laugh at our ranting, but quickly turned serious again.

{I suggest going with the lifespan. Considering what you are, you'll live longer than most Devils.} Eris said, not allowing Ddraig or Issei to hear her. I internally nodded.

"Ddraig, what do think Issei could give up?" I asked the Welsh Dragon, who hummed in thought.

[I suppose he could surrender a part of his body. An arm, a leg, either one should do the trick.] He said thoughtfully.

"What would happen to the body part that I give up?" Issei asked hesitantly.

[It would become that of a dragon. You won't lose the limb, but it'll grow scales, claws, and all that.] Ddraig explained. Issei hummed in thought.

"Not a bad deal." He murmured thoughtfully. Eventually, after some talking of what we could give up, we came to a conclusion of what we would pay for the Sacred Switch.

"You sure you wanna do this?" I asked. His face hardened and he with determination.

{Then I guess it's unanimous.} Eris piped up.

[It is. Now, here's the chant to pull it off…] Ddraig went on to teach the two of us the Sacred Switch chant. Issei and I committed it to heart.

~Flashback End~

"Alright, it's time Issei!" I yelled as my Sacred Gear's gem burned brightly.

"Let's do this!" Issei yelled back s we both pushed our left hands forward in a fist.

"What are you doing?" Riser asked with narrowed eyes.

"The fangs and claws of two shall become one…" Issei and I started out in unison.

"Let the shadows and flames merge to a new form…" Issei chanted, his voice echoing.

"We shall overcome the enemy's force as one…" I continued the chant, my voice echoing as well.

"The Infinite shall cease…"

"The Dream shall fall…"

"Boosted Gear!"

"Lupus Umbra!"

"Let the two become one! Sacred Switch!" We yelled out the last line in unison as a green aura surrounded me and a purple on surrounded Issei.

Our respective auras burned so brightly that everyone present had to look away to avoid their eyes being melted right out of their sockets. When the light faded, Issei and I stood next to each other, bright black and red auras surrounding us. They looked a lot like Rias' power of destruction. The biggest changes however, were our Sacred Gears.

We each now wielded a clawed dragon-esque gauntlet. The main bodies were black with red spikes, and the gems on the back of our hands were bright purple. The gauntlets weren't nearly as bulky as Boosted Gear itself. In fact, they seemed to be paper thin, and the spikes were as thick as pencils. My Balance Breaker had also disappeared, since you can't use it at the same time as the Sacred Switch.

"Sacred Switch, Lupus Umbra and Boosted Gear, Shadow Booster!" Issei and I announced.

"Sacred Switch!? You idiots!" Rias screeched at us. Heh, guess she knew what the Sacred Switch was then.

"How can you two be such imbeciles?! You have to give up something of great significance to pull that off!" Riser barked at us in outrage. Though, he did seem a bit scared.

"Totally worth it!" Issei barked back with a glare.

"Agreed!" I exclaimed as we both thrust our fists forward again.

[{Boost!}] Eris and Ddraig called out the Boosted Gear's signature cry in unison. I could feel the power coursing through me as my strength doubled.

"Let's do this!" I yelled.

Issei and I each summoned one of the swords I had assimilated from Kiba. He summoned Replenish Calm whilst I summoned Flame Delete.

"This will not save you!" Riser screeched as shot a massive ball of fire at us. I rushed in front of Issei and collided my blade with the blast. In a matter of seconds, the flames had dissipated.

"Just die already!" Riser barked a blast of wind at us. This time, Issei rushed in front of me and quelled the wind with Replenish Calm.

[{Boost!}]

"What are you people!?" Riser demanded of us, looking more afraid than before as he took a step back. Issei and I dismissed our swords and held our armoured hands towards him, palm facing him.

"I am the Red Dragon Emperor!"

"I'm the Satanic Wolf!"

"And we're gonna kick your ass!" We yelled at him as we each summoned a ball of shadow energy and our hands and shot them at Riser.

Riser tried to jump out of the way, but he only managed to dodge two of the blasts in time. The other hit him and sent him flying to the other side of the roof. He just barely managed to keep himself from falling over the edge.

[{Boost!}]

"This ends now." Issei and I said, a deathly calm in our voices as we held out our left hands, each of us summoning a ball of demonic energy. His was black with a red shine, whilst mine was black with a purple shine.

"Stop! You don't understand! This marriage is for the future of all Devils! You're dooming us all!" Riser screeched desperately as he shakily got up to his knees.

"We don't care!" Issei and I barked in unison. Our minds are synched along with our Sacred Gears, so that will happen a lot while we're like this.

"You don't deserve Rias' hand!" I growled.

"She doesn't belong to you!" Issei hissed.

{[Boost!}]

"Even if I'm a servant of Sona Sitri, Rias is someone I care about! I'll be damned if I let her be touched by filthy waste of space like you!"

"The fact that you'd force her to be with you, when she obviously hates you!"

"That's reason enough for us to take you down!"

As Issei and I screamed the last line, I started channeling my lightning energy into my energy ball, as well as Issei's. As I did so, purple lightning started crackling around the orbs as they grew bigger.

{[Boost!}]

"Draconic Wolf Beam!" Issei and I screamed as we pulled back our arms and punched right into our respective orbs.

Said orbs grew to the size of a yoga ball before shooting towards Riser in the forms of two black beams with red and purple shines, along with purple electricity cackling around them.

"No! Mere servants have no place interfering with the affairs of their betters!" Riser screeched in denial as the beams shot towards him.

"You're not our better!" Issei and I barked Riser was engulfed by the beams, screaming in pain as he was all but incinerated by them.

After a painfully long moment of waiting for the cloud of dust to disappear, we finally caught sight of Riser, laying on the school building's rooftop, a lifeless look in his eyes. He was still alive, I could hear his heart beating, but his energy was completely spent, and he was unconscious. He wasn't even regenerating.

"Onii-sama!" A familiar voice screamed in fear and concern as Ravel Phenex landed next to her brother. She kneeled over next to him to see if he was breathing, letting out a sigh of relief when she found that he was.

[R-Riser-sama i-is retired… The m-match goes to Rias G-Gremory-sama…]

Grayfia's announcement was riddled with stutters and was low in tone and volume, displaying her shock while Issei and I slouched a little in our exhaustion. As we panted heavily and tiredly, out Sacred Gears glowed with bright white lights before turning back to their normal states. We looked at each other with victorious smirks.

"Nicely done Issei…" I panted.

"You too Sensei…" he panted as well as Rias and Asia approached us, concerned looks.

"You did it… You saved me…" Rias sobbed as she approached us, her eyes brimming with happy tears.

"Issei-san, are you Ok?" Asia asked as she walked up to Issei.

"Yeah, I'm fine Asia… Just really tired." Issei replied with a weak smile.

"Hey Issei? I have an idea…"

"Yeah? I'm all ears…"

"What say we pass out now?"

"That's the best idea I've heard all day."

"I'm glad you approve."

Issei and I both chuckled before falling forward, passing out. Luckily, Rias caught my before I hit the ground and Asia just barely managed to catch Issei and let him fall to the ground slowly, since she can't lift him. And with that, the darkness took over my vision.

"Great, here again…" I murmured as I woke up, finding myself in the familiar environment that looked like space… I REALLY hate this place…

"Hello Warrior." A certain amalgamation of voices greeted me as a humanoid figure appeared, their body being nothing more than a silhouette that looks like the night sky.

"Creator." I greeted as I stood up.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" I asked as I looked them in the eyes.

"I merely wanted to congratulate you on your victory. You've done well since you arrived in this universe." They told me.

"Well, thanks. In all honesty, I wasn't sure how much use I would've been." I said honestly as I rubbed the back of my neck.

"You underestimate yourself. Your power is growing at a substantial rate. It almost unsettling." They told me, an impressed tone in their voice(s?).

"Well then, thanks I guess." I said, not knowing what to say. Am I really growing that strong?

"I also come with a warning." They spoke up.

"Your opposite will appear soon. You and he are so very alike, yet so very different as well. Be careful." They warned. Wait, what?

"What do you mean 'opposite?' The Angelic Tiger?" I asked in confusion.

"Yes, and no."

"That does not help me in the slightest."

"I'm afraid it is all I can say. Goodbye for now my Warrior."

I sighed as the Creator's form dissipated and void around me started to crumble. Geez, do they have to be so cryptic? Is it too much to ask for a straight answer every once in awhile? All that 'you will when the time comes' or 'the answer will prevent itself in due time' shit is absolutely infuriating.

"Ugh, anybody get the number of the truck that hit me?" I groaned as my eyes flickered open. My head felt like I had a bunch of Akeno's ice spike impaling it, and the rest of my body was not much better.

With a grunt, I managed to weasel my way into a sitting position. It was then that I noticed my environment; a hospital room.

On the bed across from me on the other side of the room was a peacefully sleeping Akeno, on my right was a passed out Issei, next to Akeno was sleeping Kiba, and on my left was a sleeping Koneko. Heh, I guess Issei and I took the most damage. Asia was sleeping with her head resting on her arms on Issei's lap.

Where was Rias you might ask? Well, she was actually sleeping on the one seater couch that sat next to my bed. Huh. I wonder why she's here? Shouldn't she be in a similar position to Asia right now. Meh, I'm in too much pain to think about it right now.

{I see you're awake, Pup.} Eris piped up.

"Ugh! Not so loud!" I whined, gripping my head.

{Hm-hm-hm, sorry Pup.} She chuckled in my head. Well, glad you find this so amusing.

"How long was I out?" I asked mentally.

{Around a week. The others have been back forth between consciousness and unconsciousness, but you haven't woken up once.} She informed.

"Wow, never slept so long before…" I mused.

{The Gremory princess hasn't left your side since. I think she feels a sense of responsibility for your state. Your Master has also visited everyday.}

"Hm, that's actually heartwarming."

{Indeed. Although, the things they spoke of… Haha! I am looking forward to your reaction!} Eris laughed in my mind. I winced as the pain of the loud sound hit me.

"Eris!" I hissed in my mind. She managed to contain herself to a snicker.

{Apologies Pup, but the events that shall occur in the next few days are going to be very amusing.} She continued snickering.

"And I have a feeling that you will not tell me?"

{You know me so well.} I groaned at her answer.

"I'm too tired for this." I groaned out loud and slumped back into my bed, wanting to fall asleep again.

"Takeo…?" I heard Rias mumbled as she slowly woke up. Well, I guess that sleep is in the mud now...

"Hello Rias." I greeted her with a smile. In the middle of rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, said eyes widened as she heard my voice. She turned to face me, her eyes still wide.

"You're awake!" She all but squealed as she lunged at me, pulling me into a tight hug.

"OW! Rias! Bruises!" I yelled as she hugged me tightly.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed in shock as quickly let go of me.

"A simple 'hi' would have sufficed you know." I chuckled between panting. Dear God, (ow.) that hurt.

"Are you OK?"She asked me in concern.

"Other than my spine being crushed, doing great." I chuckled. She rolled her eyes at me.

"Well then, now that that's out of the way…" She trailed off as she pulled back one of her hands.

*SLAP!*

She slapped me across the face, leaving a bright red handprint on my left cheek as my entire head was pushed to the right. I put my hand on my now stinging cheek and looked at her with an incredulous face.

"What were you thinking!? Do you know how dangerous the Sacred Switch is!? What did you give up!?" She demanded of me.

"In that order; I wanted to make sure Riser kept his hands off of you, yes, and most of the swords I absorbed into Lupus Umbra." I monotoned. Her eyes widened.

"That's all…?" She asked hesitantly. I nodded.

"Of course, I'll never be able to absorb those specific blades ever again, even if Kiba make them for me again, but I'm too concerned about that." I shrugged. Rias let out a deep sigh and sat on the edge of my bed.

"You had me worried there. Issei gave up a few millennia of his lifespan…" Rias murmured. I shrugged again.

"Devils live almost eternal lives. A few millennia is a small price to pay." I reasoned. She sighed and nodded.

"I suppose you're right. No point dwelling on it now." She sighed. I smiled at her.

"Hey, Takeo-san, why did you do this for me?" She asked out of the blue. Hm, good question.

"Well, you're my friend. I wouldn't want you to be forced into a marriage with that pompous perv." I told her. She giggled at my wording before I continued.

"Then there's the fact that I care about you. I'm the type of guy that will go all out for the people I care for. You, Sona, Raynare, everyone. I'll everything in my power to help any of you when you need it." I told her. Her eyes widened at my words.

"I may not be your servant, but I care for you and your Peerage as much Sona and her's." I finished with a smile.

Rias looked at me for a few moments before she did something I never would have thought she would do. She kissed me. She didn't move her lips at all, but they were surprisingly soft… and warm… It was nice in all honesty. After a few seconds, she pulled away, looking at me with a slight blush and giggling at my shocked expression.

"Hey Takeo?" She called out to me.

"Y-yeah?"

"I've decided to move in with you and Raynare after the celebration party. I hope you don't." With a smile, Rias got up and walked away, swaying her hips as she went.

Wait… Did she say…?

{She did.*Snicker*}

"Whaaaaaaa!?"

And with that, the Riser Arc finishes! Tell me, what did you think of the Sacred Switch? It was an idea that had been in my head for a long time, since before I even started writing. It was loosely based on Issei stealing Vali's power in the season 2 finale.

Update on the Peerage:

Queen(Mutation): Raynare(On the fence)
Bishop(Mutation): Kuroka
Bishop: OC Submission
Knight: Xenovia
Knight: Katase(On the fence)
Rook: OC submission
Rook(Mutation): OC submission
Pawn(x2): Original OC
Pawn: Kunou

I only have 5 Pawns left, one of which is a Mutation Piece. Keep that in mind please if and when you make any OC submissions. Also, I'm reconsidering Raynare. I mean, sure she'd be an awesome Queen, but would she want to become a Devil? I'm open to some Queen OCs.

There will be an explanation as to why I gave Takeo so many Mutation Pieces soon enough, I promise!

Also, I'm going to be taking a break from this story and focus a bit more on Red dragon Bounty Hunter. Don't expect any updates from this story for some time.