I do not own Highschool DxD. Highschool DxD is owned by Fujimi Shobo, Fujimi Fantasia Bunko, Funimation, and Ichie Ishibumi. Please support the official release.
Edit: Haaaahaaa... I'm sorry for mixing the two up. Yuu is the Barrier User. Thank you FateOnline and Anon for pointing it out! Next time, don't hesitate to point out any mistakes I might miss.
[Ddraig talking]
[Ddraig thinking]
{Albion talking}
{Albion thinking}
|Tiamat talking|
|Tiamat thinking|
(Mastema talking)
(Mastema thinking)
Mental Communication
"Regular Dialogue"
Attacks/Spells
Satanachia Stadium, Lilith, Hell Level One: Gehenna, February 20, 2020, 3:00 PM; Current Time: 3 Minutes and 49 Seconds Til Midnight
Rias smiled and began to laugh at the irony of it all. Her older brother had the sickest sense of humor. To think that he actually went to Ajuka and requested this very setting to be their arena for the games.
"How ironic," she heard Akeno mutter. The entire team was inside the Occult Research Clubroom. Everything was perfectly replicated from the chairs to Rias's desk. She looked outside and saw the entirety of the Academy before her. She had absolutely no doubt that Riser and his peerage were located in the exact same spot as they were last time. She also knew that like the first time, Riser would not go easy on her which was fine with Rias. In the time since their game, she had grown as well. Both as a strategist and a fighter.
"So, are we doing this how we did it last time?" Akeno asked. Everyone's eyes landed on Rias as she stared out the window. Her eyes began to shine as she smiled.
"It's the last thing Riser would expect. With our experience out in the war, we can win this no problem but Riser isn't a slouch and he isn't afraid of fighting dirty… and besides, he's probably been studying us as we competed in our matches so he'll be going off the strategies and maneuvers we used," Rias said. "That being said, there's a chance he'll expect the strategy we used during our first match so I don't know…"
"How should we do this, Rias-sama?" Kiba asked.
Rias placed her hands on the side of her temples and began to think. She opened them and sighed.
"Let's go with our original maneuver where we try to get our pawns into enemy territory and promote them to Queens," Rias said.
"Akeno, you're going for aerial support and keep an eye out for Yubelluna. Be careful. Just because you got stronger doesn't mean that they stayed weak. Riser wouldn't have gotten this far if they didn't," Rias said.
"So you want us to set traps in the gym like last time?" Koneko asked.
"Yes… that would be wise," Rias said. "Now go!"
"What will you do?" Tatsuya asked.
"Probably head for Riser… like last time," Rias said.
"Eren and I will go with you if that's the case then," Asia said.
Rias glanced over to her and smiled as she nodded in confirmation.
"How do you think we'll do?" Hiruko asked as he Tatsuya, Yuu, and Koneko stealthily made their way through the gymnasium. They were behind the bleachers, creeping through like a group of thieves attempting to rob the house of a rich man. Koneko's ears were out and her senses were on high alert. She did not want a repeat of last time where Yubelluna practically one-shotted her into oblivion and retired her.
"Wait…," Koneko said, holding her hand up. Her ears twitched as her golden eyes drifted over through the bleachers and saw four familiar figures entering the gym.
The first was a woman of Chinese descent. She had shoulder-length black hair alongside a pair of greenish-blue eyes that rapidly darted around the room. Her hair was styled in two Chinese-style buns with her bangs covering her forehead. She wore a blue qipao that was open at the chest, allowing for a healthy view of her breasts.
"Xuelan…," Koneko muttered.
The second was a woman with blue hair that was styled into four ponytails behind her head. Her bangs were split across her forehead with side bangs framing the side of her face. She wore a red happi coat over a white haori with a red obi tied around her waist. She wore black armguards and her footwear consisted of zori. She held a wooden staff in her right hand.
The two girls to the right of them looked nearly identical to each other. They both possessed turquoise hair with blue eyes. They wore gym uniforms that consisted of a white shirt with blue accents, a pair of black shorts, and blue sneakers with over knee-high socks. The only way to tell the two apart was to see where they wore their ponytails.
"And Mira, Ile, and Nel," Koneko said. "This really is going like last time…"
"What do we do?" Tatsuya asked as he summoned his Sacred Gear, [Frozen Flames]. The gear took the form of a pair of red and blue electrician's gloves with a red gem embedded in the blue glove and a blue gem embedded in the red glove.
"Nothing… we need to conserve our numbers for the inevitable part of rushing Riser at the same time," Koneko said.
The three nodded at her and they continued to sneak through the bleachers. Upon reaching the end, Koneko used her ears and Senjutsu to sense if the girls had moved at all.
Koneko reacted quickly, pushing Tatsuya out of the way as the ground ruptured between them. The wall crumbled as it exploded, shaking the entire gym. Koneko gritted her teeth as she saw the massive hole in the wall. She turned to see Xuelan grinning at her.
"Ready for a rematch?" Xuelan asked as she held her fists up, staring at Koneko with a grin.
Koneko dusted herself off and stood, raising her fists. Xuelan's smile grew wider as she rushed Koneko, sending a flurry of kicks and punches. The Nekomata expertly dodged and deflected each one of her kicks before catching Xuelan's leg. She gripped it and picked the older rook up, throwing her across the gym.
"Haaah!" Mira rushed past Koneko with the intent of eliminating either Tatsuya, Yuu, or Hiruko.
"Crap!" Koneko turned to assist them. Riser was obviously taking advantage of their inexperience. A few rating games weren't going to be enough for them to fight someone as experienced as Riser.
"Pay attention!" Xuelan kicked Koneko in the torso, sending her skidding across the floor of the gym.
Tatsuya froze as he saw Mira's staff getting closer. Suddenly, the floor boars exploded underneath Mira, forcing her to take to the air as a portion of the earth was jutting out of the ground. Hiruko held his hand out, a pair of dull grey gauntlets on both arms that were glowing yellow. This was his Sacred Gear. A gear that allowed him to manipulate and control stone and earth. Its name was [Behemoth Blasters]. Hiruko raised his hand, sending a hail of stone towards Mira.
Mira growled and expertly spun her staff, blocking the shards.
"Hiruko!"
Yuu got in front of Hiruko, generating a barrier between them as Ile and Nel's chainsaws threatened to turn him into mincemeat. Yuu's Sacred Gear did not have a physical manifestation, rather it allowed him to create barriers of various sizes for defensive and offensive purposes. The Gear's name was [Jericho's Wall]. Yuu rapidly expanded the barrier in Ile and Nel's direction, the sudden force of the expansion pushing them back.
He released the barrier and formed a full-body forcefield around himself. While not as sturdy as his other barriers, this one wasted less energy due to its low durability but it allowed him to take hits.
"Thanks," Hiruko said, raising his hand in their direction. Hiruko's hand glowed bright yellow as a steady hail of rock shrapnel burst forth from his hands. Ile and Nel's eyes widened as they split apart to avoid the deluge.
Meanwhile, Koneko had gotten serious, coating her hands in a blue aura and launching them towards Xuelan. Xuelan's eyes widened as she flipped over some of the aura blasts, before punching the air in front of her, sending a shockwave that impacted Koneko's skin. Her eyes widened as she coughed up blood, falling to one knee.
"Like it? It's a new technique I learned where I punch the air to send a hyperdense blast of wind. To Rooks, there would be no external damage due to our durability but inside… the organs are just like everyone else's," Xuelan said, sending another blast of air with her foot. Koneko's eyes widened as she dodged the aerial blast. She looked behind her and saw a perfectly circular hole in the wall. The nekoshou counted herself lucky. She only did dodge by a hair's breadth after all. Any closer and she would have taken more damage than she would have wanted to.
"You've… gotten stronger," Koneko pointed out.
"We have… when we heard that you were our opponent in the final round of the semifinals before the main stage or final round as we're calling it, Riser-sama pushed us to new heights to refine our strengths and cover each other's weaknesses," Xuelan said.
"Not going to be enough," Koneko said as she released both her tails. She was enveloped in a white aura as the pressure around her grew.
"Touki…," Xuelan said, preparing herself. "Well then, let's go!" She and Koneko rushed towards each other, trading blows. Xuelan sent a punch that Koneko dodged, sending a wave of highly compressed hair into the bleachers. The bleachers shattered and splintered as Koneko countered with a devastating blow to Xuelan's ribs. Xuelan flew across the gym and threw the wall, sending her sprawling onto the ground outside the gym.
And the outcome will end up the same," Koneko said as she approached Xuelan.
Xuelan groaned as she shakily got on her knees to face her opponent.
"It's game over," Koneko said as she raised her fist. She threw it but to her surprise, Xuelan dodged, rolling out of the way just barely in time. In that instant, an explosion happened and Yuu landed next to Koneko.
"What happened?" Koneko asked.
"The loli twins… their chainsaws are on fucking fire," he said as he raised his hand. A barrier formed around them as two flaming wheels bounced off.
"Thanks," Koneko said. Her eyes began to glow yellow as she raised her hands over her head. A small flaming orb appeared above her and despite its size, Yuu felt the immense level of heat that the orb was emitting.
"Take down the barrier," Koneko ordered.
Yuu nodded as he took it down. He ran back in the direction of the gymnasium where the sounds of chainsaws, wooden thwacks, and Tatsuya's incessant screams were heard.
"This is the end for you, Xuelan," Koneko said as she rushed towards her. Xuelan dropped into a defensive stance and dodged when Koneko sent out a punch. She countered by sweeping her feet out from underneath. Koneko fell face-first to the ground and screamed in pain when Xuelan kicked her ribs, sending her crashing through several trees.
"Ora ora!" Xuelan threw a few punches and kicks, sending out blasts of pressurized air towards Koneko's downed form. The sounds of crashing and breaking were heard as a dust cloud formed.
Xuelan carefully approached the cloud, keeping her guard up. She swung her arm, generating a gust that cleared the dust. Her eyes narrowed.
Where did she go? Xuelan asked.
Koneko hovered above her, thanking her small form and her senjutsu abilities to give her the needed boost to make it into the air. She opened her palm and the small flaming aura sphere reappeared. She raised her arm into the air and threw it down, sending the orb speeding faster than a bullet towards Xuelan.
Xuelan felt an immense amount of heat growing above her and turned around. She saw a small baseball-sized flaming sphere headed towards her. She quickly jumped out of the way, avoiding it.
Koneko moved her hand, forcing the sphere to curve hard to the right, following Xuelan. The devil rook was thoroughly surprised, seeing as a flaming ball of death was currently hot on her heels but this was not the time to panic. She flipped back several times before gaining some distance from the sphere. She threw her fist towards it, sending a blast of compressed air towards the sphere. The air blast immediately dispersed as the sphere charged through it, breaking it like a rock shatters glass.
Xuelan kept leaping back as the sphere slowly gained ground on her. Eventually, the rook was out of places to run as her back literally hit the wall of the Kuoh Academy Gym. Having no choice but to block, Xuelan raised her arms in an x formation and faced the attack head-on.
However, this all went in Koneko's favor for the moment the energy sphere made contact with Xuelan's flesh. The sphere rapidly expanded, engulfing Xuelan and a good portion of the Kuoh Gym.
Koneko held her hand out and closed her fist, creating a massive pillar of flames that were seen throughout the entire arena. When the pillar of flames disappeared, Xuelan was nowhere to be found.
"OUTSTANDING! AS EXPECTED OF A PIECE OF RIAS GREMORY! Mammon-sama, how much do you expect from this team?" Naud asked.
"Honestly? Like other devils, I expect a lot but… it is interesting how they're adapting without the Red Dragon Emperor to help them," Mammon said.
Tatsuya raised his hand, sending a hail of ice shards towards Mira. She spun her staff, deflecting the shards. She rushed towards Tatsuya, thrusting the end of her staff into his gut. He had his breath knocked out of him as he stumbled back.
"Damnit!" Hiruko pushed Nel back. He slammed his hand into the floor, sending a wave of earthen spikes to Mira. Mira dodged, leaping into the air. A barrier enveloped the pawn, causing her to turn and see Yuu with his hand outstretched. Next to him, Ile was trapped in a similar barrier. He closed his hands into fists, shrinking the barriers.
"NEL! MIRA!" Ile said.
"Surrender!" Yuu called out.
Ile turned to Yuu and glared.
"Surrender and I'll let them go. Don't and I'll crush them like a can!" Yuu said as a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead.
I can't hold this forever. Bluffing's the only thing I can do right now! Yuu thought. Ile hesitantly lowered her chainsaw, looking at the two spheres. Without warning, she threw the Chainsaw at Ile's barrier, catching Yuu off-guard.
An earthen ridge erupted in front of Ile in an attempt to catch her off-guard. She scoffed and jumped, spreading her wings and vaulting over the barrier. She extended her hands and began to utter two words.
"Promotion: Roo-!" Ile's eyes widened as she flew through the wall as a white blur slammed into her.
"Koneko-san!" Yuu said.
"Focus on keeping them trapped! Tatsuya, Yuu, on me!" Koneko said as she jumped through the hole.
Yubelluna flew towards the school building, following her King's plan to the letter, or rather the plan her King and his new piece had created. She wasn't a new piece per se but she had accepted the offer to participate in the games and refused her King's offer of becoming his Bishop. She hid her identity from the rest of the Supernatural World for reasons that Yubelluna could not fathom however, there was one thing. That woman was dangerous. Even more dangerous than her king on his worst and best day.
As she flew, she saw Ile crash through the wall.
"So she's using the same strategy in response to ours," Yubelluna said as she spotted Koneko and Rias's two new pawns. She grinned as she raised her staff.
Easy pickings like last time, she thought as an orange magic circle appeared in front of her.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Yubelluna turned around and saw one of the last people she wanted to see.
"Himejima," Yubelluna said.
"Hello, Yubelluna," Akeno said as she hovered in front of Riser's Queen.
"To think that we would be fighting again in a rating game like this," Yubelluna said as several magic circles appeared behind her.
"It must have been fated then. Maybe I can find a copy of our fight in The Bible?" Akeno joined in, raising her hand. The air crackled and sparkled as several spears made of pure yellow lightning appeared behind her.
"Cute," Yubelluna said as she unleashed a hail of extremely explosive magic bolts at her. Akeno threw her hand forward as a barrage of spears flew towards Yubelluna.
Spell collided with spell as the skies of the Rating Game Dimension were lit up like the Fourth of July and New Year's combined. The spells shockwaves shook the surrounding area as the glass in the building shattered. Lightning met explosions as Akeno struggled to push her back.
It seems that Riser wasn't a slouch when it came to training, Akeno thought. He really pushed these girls past the breaking point in their training. However, I've been training too. That training was with the Fallen Seraph Penemue and Baraqiel, the latter being my father.
"You're going to have to do better than that!" Yubelluna said as she increased the number of explosive bolts that exited her magic circle.
Akeno growled and grunted as she pushed back against the spell.
Xenovia, Yuuto, Rossweisse, and Gasper all stumbled when the ground shook underneath them. The four looked to the direction of the gymnasium and saw the brilliant display of arcane mastery above them.
"Looks like neither of them are holding back," Kiba noted.
"Akeno-senpai," Gasper said, worried for Akeno's safety.
"Come on," Xenovia said, keeping one hand on Durandal.
"Wait," Kiba said as he walked forward. A magic circle appeared underneath his right hand as a demonic black sword manifested in his waiting hand. It had red markings engraved on its crimson hilt while gold decorative decals were seen all over the flat of the blade.
"I know you're there… Siris, Karlamine," Kiba said.
"Hmph," a woman with short brown hair walked out. Her attire was a mix of European Knight armor with her breastplate, gauntlets, and greaves, all three of which were made of silvery metal. Her arm guards and hip guards were reminiscent of that of Samurai armor.
"I guess this match was fate?" the woman next to her said. This woman had long black hair and brown eyes. Her hair was tied in a ponytail with five strands, all held together by what appeared to be a golden scrunchie. She wore a white top with black accents, containing a cleavage window to allow others to get a good view of her cleavage. She also wore a red skirt, and metal greaves and gauntlets. There was a massive zweihander behind her possessing a length that was almost twice her height.
"Karalmine," Kiba said, before turning to the ponytail woman. "Siris."
"Ready for round two? I've always wanted to fight you again," Siris said as she lifted her zweihander off her back.
"I can't say I feel the same way," Kiba said, pointing Gram at them.
"That's quite rude. I thought us knights had a code where we were honor-bound to accept duels," Siris said.
"That would be true but…," Kiba let a cocky grin appear on his face. "I don't fight people weaker than I am."
"Rossweisse-sensei," Gasper said.
"What is it?" Rossweisse asked.
"Do you think that Issei-senpai, Mitsuki-senpai, and Vali-san are a bad influence?" Gasper asked.
"Why?"
"Because Kiba-senpai sounds just like them right now," Gasper said.
"Well then, since you're so confident, how about a two v one?" Karlamine asked.
"That's fine with me," Kiba said. He glanced back at Gasper and Rossweisse. "GO! Get to Riser!"
"Not so fast!" Karlamine said as she blocked Kiba's blade. "SHURIYA! ISABELA! NI! LI! STOP THEM!"
The aforementioned people all jumped out of their hiding spots and surrounded Rossweisse and Gasper. Shuriya was a scantily clad woman with messy blue hair and amber eyes. She wore a bikini bra that was made of a metallic underwire brassiere. She wore a silk loincloth that exposes the sides of her thighs and a silver tiara with neck rings with a blue and red gem respectively.
Isabela was a masked woman with short, light brown hair with three red highlights. She wore a plain white mask that covered the right side of her face and her outfit consists of a black jacket with matching pants. Her jacket was slightly open at the chest, revealing her rather large breasts and cleavage. Her jacket was also cut off, revealing her midriff. Isabela wore black gloves and boots.
The twins, Ni and Li, were identical in appearance like their fellow pawns Ile and Nel. However, unlike the two, these two can be easily differentiated from one another due to their differing hair colors. Ni had blue hair and red eyes while her twin Li possessed red hair and blue eyes. The two had a pair of cat ears, showing their nekomata heritage, and wore skimpy, white sailor uniforms that revealed their shoulders, the lower portion of their breasts, and their abdomen.
"Looks like we need to plow through these too?" Rossweisse said as she raised her hand. A series of magic circles appeared behind her and began to glow as several forms of elemental magic manifested in front of them.
"Umm, Rossweisse-sensei? Isn't this a bit of an overkill?" Gasper asked as he slowly began to back away.
"Dear Gasper, there's no such thing as overkill," Rossweisse said as she threw her hands forward.
Riser's pawns and rook didn't even have time to respond as an elemental deluge forced them to scatter to avoid being hit. Isabela shot towards Rossweisse in an attempt to retire her, raising her fist for a decisive blow. Gasper appeared in front of her, intercepting her. He activated his Sacred Gear, [Aeon Balor]. [Aeon Balor] was a Sacred Gear capable of stopping the time of anything within the user's line of sight and contained a portion of the Evil God Balor's consciousness and power. Formerly known as [Forbidden Balor View], it became [Aeon Balor] when it received its Longinus Certification.
Isabela was frozen before Rossweisse, who nodded in appreciation. Gasper slowly walked over to the frozen Rook and transformed one of his fists into a monstrous paw. He swung it, easily eliminating the Rook.
"A Rook of Riser Phenex has been eliminated."
Naud's announcement rang throughout the entire field.
Upon hearing the announcement that two of his pieces had been eliminated by Rias's peerage, Riser bit his lip. Things were not looking up if things continued at their current rate. His Queen Yubelluna was currently engaging the Queen of Rias Gremory if the flashes of fire and lightning were anything to go by. Riser placed his hands in his pocket and sighed. If he was going to lose, losing to Rias didn't seem like a bad idea. However, his pride wouldn't allow him to let this match be a one-sided stomp. No, if Riser lost, he might as well take down a few of Rias's pieces with him.
Riser's tension disappeared when a comforting hand placed itself on his shoulder. Riser turned to see the person behind him. He was honestly lucky that she accepted to act as his replacement bishop for the Azazel Cup. The moment he had laid eyes on her, he felt something that he didn't for the other women in his harem.
"Riser-san," she said in a melodious voice that made Riser weak in his knees. Her violet eyes gazed over at the battle in front of them. "Don't worry… I believe that we can win."
"I hope so," Riser said. He closed his eyes and sensed three energy signatures heading in their direction.
Rias, Eren, and Asia flew in the direction of Riser's main headquarters. She had a guy feeling that since Riser was using the same strategy against her as he did before that he was confident in winning. However, the two eliminations from his peerage must be forcing him to see that she wasn't the same naive girl whom he had faced before. But something about this was off. From what she saw, Riser had a full set and a second bishop whose name was one she had never heard of before from Ravel or anywhere. It was known that Riser's substitute bishop for the games was female but she always wore a hood to cover her face.
"Rias-onee-sama?" Asia asked. Rias blinked and looked at her Bishop.
"Nothing, I was just thinking how fishy it is that the rest of Riser's pieces haven't come out to greet us," Rias said, scanning her surroundings.
"That is odd," Eren said as he began to bring up his guard. He could not afford to lose. There was someone he wanted to be like. Someone he wanted to reach.
"Just stay alert," Rias said.
"Pawn of Riser Phenex has been eliminated!"
Rias smiled at that announcement. But she couldn't afford to falter. Despite the early lead she had gained in her first Rating Game with Riser, he had still beaten her. Her opponent was a dangerous and cunning one with more Rating Game Victories under his belt than she did. No matter how powerful the opposing team was, an impeccable strategy always had provided a semblance of hope for victory. It was a saying that she based her thinking on when it came to matches, be it in chess or Rating Games.
"We're close," Rias said as she ran over to the door. If they flew now, Riser would most likely try to shoot them down so stealth seemed to be the best option. Of course she also knew that Riser would expect them. It wasn't as if they concealed their energy on their way here.
"Be careful. We don't know what kind of traps they set here," Rias said as she crept through the building. She turned to Eren and nodded.
"Promotion: Queen!" Eren said as he promoted. Asia smiled and gave her a thumbs up. Rias nodded and the three continued until they reached the stairwell. By any luck, only Riser would remain up there.
Rias paused as she reached for the door. Riser wasn't alone. There was someone else. She could've sworn that she recognized that energy signature but from where?
"Rias-senpai?" Eren looked at her. He had the same look on his face as a bead of sweat trailed down his forehead. But there was a difference between her and Eren. Eren's eyes contained a light of recognition within them. He knew who it was. Eren nodded to her shakily, prompting Rias to push open the door.
"Rias," Riser greeted her upon her arrival. She looked at him with little emotion in her eyes as she, Asia, and Eren stepped out onto the rooftop. Riser smiled as he placed his hands in his pocket.
"What brings you to see Riser today?" he asked.
"Is he speaking in the third person?" Eren asked.
Riser blinked and coughed into his fist before speaking once more.
"Sorry, a force of habit," Riser said as he grinned.
"This is just like last time, isn't it Riser?" Rias asked.
Riser grinned cockily as he brushed his bangs out of the way.
"It is though you've gotten stronger. Much stronger than our first match. Your peerage has gotten stronger as well. Akeno is keeping up with my Queen," Riser said.
"I see you haven't lost that cocky attitude of yours," Rias said. She raised her fists and dropped into a stance. "It'll be all the more satisfying when I wipe that smug grin off your face."
"Well you see, like last time, I won't be fighting alone," Riser said.
As soon as he said those words, Rias felt the area heat up. Riser was suddenly being slowly bathed in a soft orange light that came from above. She looked up and saw a large sun-like sphere barreling towards them. She raised her hand to intercept it when Eren appeared in front of her and raised his hands. An orange glow appeared in Eren's hands as the sphere slowed down. Eren roared and brought his hands together, compressing the projectile in front of him to a tiny orb before dispersing it.
Eren was panting slightly as he looked towards the air where a cloaked figure with a pair of feathered batlike wings hovered above them.
"Oh?" the figure said.
"You can cut the act. The others may not be able to recognize you but I do. I've been around you for too long… Nee-san," Eren said.
The figure chuckled before grabbing her cloak and removing it. Rias's eyes widened as Natalia hovered above her with a sly smile on her face. Her violet eyes twinkled in slight amusement and delight as she slowly descended to the ground. Rias was slightly unnerved by her presence. The massive aura she was radiating was leagues above what she felt from Riser. How Riser managed to recruit her was a mystery. A mystery she wanted to be solved.
"Yatogami-sensei," Rias said. "I didn't know you were participating in the Azazel Cup."
"I originally intended not to," Natalia said, shrugging. "But… I owed Riser and House Phenex."
"Owed them?" Rias asked.
"You see after Tou-sama and I left Gremory Manor, we went to Phenex Manor. We ended up going to the Phenex Manor to see if we could also procure their… political support to get the Naamah House up and running again," Natalia said.
"And in exchange for their support, you were reincarnated as Riser's piece?" Rias asked.
"He tried," Natalia said.
"She's too powerful for me to reincarnate. If I had to guess, she's almost as strong as Sairaorg Bael," Riser said. "So we decided on something different, Natalia has to participate as my bishop for the Azazel Cup."
"So, Rias, how should we do this?" Natalia asked as she dropped into a stance Rias had never seen before.
Rias gulped as she closed her eyes. She breathed and began to build her demonic power. She opened her eyes, a shockwave being released from it due to the pure power Rias possessed that sent a gust of wind towards Natalia and Riser.
Her floral patterned blue irises stared eerily back at them.
Eren and Asia glanced at each other and nodded. Eren raised his right wrist and a small black wrist band appeared around it. There was a small iridescent rainbow gemstone embedded into the side facing the dorsal portion of Eren's right arm.
"Oh? Your Sacred Gear. How much progress have you made with it?" Natalia asked.
"You'll see… I've always wanted to fight you, Nee-san. Ever since I found out we were devils, I've always wanted to see how much I need to improve to stand up to you and Issei-san," Eren said.
"I see…," Natalia said. "What about our family power from our Astaroth Blood?"
"I've made some progress with it. Oyaji says I have a knack for it," Eren said, holding his left hand up. A small black sphere appeared above the palm of his hand that bent the light around it. Everyone felt a slight pull towards the orb.
Natalia grinned, pride evident all over her face.
"Let's stop wasting time," Rias said.
"Yes," Riser said as he spread his wings. He coated his fists in flames. "Let's."
Rias acted first, sending a hail of PoD bullets at the two. Riser and Natalia scattered with Riser running alongside the perimeter of the roof and Natalia taking to the air. Natalia dove for Rias, her hand ready to drill into the Gremory Heiress's face.
Natalia's eyes widened as several wooden spears erupted from the ground, forcing her to roll out of the way. She raised her hand and formed another compressed star-like sphere and fired it at Eren. Eren raised his hand and erected a massive wooden barrier. The sphere impacted the barrier, exploding, and violently shaking the entire rooftop.
The smoke cleared to reveal a charred wooden barrier that was otherwise relatively intact. The same could not be said for the flooring. Rias and Asia hovered in mid-air as the rooftop began to burn with the metals that went into its structural frame beginning to revert to their molten state.
Eren dispersed the wooden barrier and grinned.
"How was that?" Eren asked.
"Not bad," Natalia said.
"Weren't we supposed to fight them together?" Rias said, descending and hovering next to Eren. Eren smiled embarrassedly and rubbed the back of his head.
"Sorry! I got a bit too excited," Eren said.
Rias smiled before turning to face Natalia and Riser, who was now standing next to her.
"Shall we continue?" Natalia asked.
The two teams shot towards each other continuing their battle.
Koneko slammed her fist into Ile's torso, knocking her out as she dispersed in a shower of red particles.
"Pawn of Riser Phenex has been eliminated!" Naud announced.
"That's the last of the three," Koneko said. The arena shook as she turned to see flashes of red and orange. Koneko saw a light heading towards them. She saw Tatsuya standing unaware of it and pushed him out of the way before dodging herself.
The orange light rushed past them, exploding at the far end of the campus. Koneko felt the searing heat rush past them as the foliage caught fire.
"Rias-sama," Koneko said.
"What about Rias?" Tatsuya asked, walking towards her.
"We need to go now!" Koneko said, spreading her wings and taking off. The three nodded and followed after her, towards the school roof.
Akeno dodged another one of Yubelluna's blast spells, returning fire with a Holy Lightning javelin of her own. Yubelluna swung her staff, creating a large magic circle to block Akeno's attack.
"Take this!" Yubelluna said as she fired a large flaming sphere at her.
Akeno twisted her body out of the way and raised her hand. "It's times like these where I love that fact that I'm part Fallen Angel!" Akeno said as she began to condense her Holy Lightning around her. Akeno glowed gold as her Devil Wings transformed. Three more pairs of wings sprouted from her back.
Yubelluna hovered away from Akeno slightly as the holy aura began to burn her skin. The glow died down to reveal Akeno, who was now hovering in front of her with four pairs of black feathered wings. She grinned as her eyes flashed violet.
"I think I should end this match now," Akeno said.
Yubelluna floated there with a shocked look on her face. Akeno's power eclipsed that of hers and her King's. What stood before her was a being that was nearly on par with Cadre Class Fallen Angels.
"I guess I'll have to go all out too!" Yubelluna said as she raised her staff into the air. A large orange magic circle appeared and summoned a massive ball of flame about the size of a rig.
Akeno immediately readied a spell to defend herself. Yubelluna roared as she swung her staff in Akeno's direction. The flaming orb obeyed her command and flew towards Akeno.
Akeno responded by blasting the sphere with her Holy Lightning, hoping to cancel out the spell with her attack. However, Yubelluna's full power spell fought against Akeno's lightning blasts, pushing back against her. Akeno gritted her teeth as she poured more power into the attack, pushing the ball back.
"It seems that you're struggling…," a familiar voice entered Akeno's mind. She knew that voice. Her entire body screamed in fear at the sound of it however, no matter how hard she tried, Akeno could not remember where she had heard it from.
"If this attack manages to overpower you, not that it would, you will be incapacitated and I cannot have that. You can never be too careful," the voice said.
Akeno's eyes glowed yellow. A grin appeared on her face as she pumped more power into the lightning. A black aura enveloped her lightning blasts, amplifying its power.
Yubelluna watched in slight fear as her orb completely dispersed, shooting towards her. Yubelluna tried to dodge but felt herself being gripped by something. It felt like an invisible hand had wrapped itself around her.
Yubelluna screamed as she was engulfed in the lightning blasts. Her entire body was subjected to intense agony as the electricity overstimulated her nerves and began to char her skin. The pain eventually became too much for her and she passed out, dissolving in a shower of red lights.
"Queen of Phenex has been eliminated!" Naud announced. Mammon narrowed her eyes as she looked at Akeno through her screen. Her yellow eyes twinkled ominously as her mouth slightly opened in shock.
That's… not possible. Is it? Mammon thought. Akeno turned towards the camera and Mammon's eyes widened. It was a split second that anyone would have passed off as a trick of the light but not to her. She was sure of it. That split-second flash of yellow in the girl's eyes.
I need to tell Belphegor… we need to find Asmodeus, Mammon thought.
Akeno turned towards the school roof where she saw two blurs battling in the sky as they rushed each other. She debated whether or not to maintain her Fallen Angel form before sighing and flying in their direction.
Rias dodged as Riser sent a flaming fist in her direction. She returned with her foot in his gut, sending him back a few inches.
Rias turned to see Natalia's fist being restrained by a wooden arm. Eren rushed over to Natalia and delivered a punch to her left cheek, sending his older sister back. He raised his hand and unleashed a repulsive blast, sending Natalia flying.
"RIAS-ONEESAMA!" Asia said. She formed a green and white magic circle and fired a blast of white energy at Riser, who was attempting to take advantage of Rias's distracted state.
Riser felt pain as the white energy pierced right through his shoulder, tearing through bone and muscle. He gnashed his teeth together as he gripped his right shoulder in pain.
"Nice try Riser!" Rias said as she formed a swirling sphere of black and red energy in her right hand.
"Not like this!" Riser said as he swung his leg. He coated his leg in flames the minute it came into contact with Rias's skin, burning her arm. He put more force into the kick, sending her crashing into the ground below.
"Now for the bishop," Riser said.
"ASIA!" Eren attempted to fly towards his girlfriend only to find himself unable to move. His eyes moved to see his older sister hovering behind him with her hand outstretched.
"GRAAGGH!" Eren attempted to break free of his older sister's telekinetic grip to no avail.
NO! THIS CAN'T BE THE END! I HAVE TO HELP HER! Eren thought. The gem on his wrist band began to glow. A green aura erupted from Eren as he turned to his sister and glared.
Asia's eyes widened as she maintained her barrier to defend her from Riser's fire blasts.
"His Balance Breaker?" Asia said in slight shock.
A massive avatar manifested behind Eren and swung its arm, catching Natalia off-guard. She gasped in pain as she felt several of her ribs break from the impact. She crashed into the building, flying through several walls before landing in one of the classrooms.
Natalia's grip on Eren broke as Eren found himself being able to move again.
"A Balance Breaker?" Riser said as he stopped firing.
Eren looked down at his hands which were now encased in black gloves with white highlights and clenches his fist.
"Asia," Eren said.
Asia smiled. "What is it?" she asked.
"Let's finish this," Eren said.
Riser's eyes widened as he floated back. Eren advanced on Riser, his Battle Avatar reaching towards the Phenex.
As Eren was about to grab Riser, a pillar of violet energy erupted from the building. Eren turned around to see his older sister hovering in the light. Her form had changed and appeared like how she did when she fought the blonde devil who called herself Phenex.
"That wasn't very nice… Otouto-chan," Natalia said as her violet eyes glowed ominously. She raised one finger into the air and a small solar sphere formed above her finger.
"Well shit," Eren said, readying his avatar.
"EREN! ASIA!"
The two turned to see Rias flying up towards them. She grinned as her eyes glowed. "I'll take care of Natalia. I need you two to go after Riser."
"What!? Onee-san is in her Qliphoth Form! There's no way you can fight her!" Eren said.
"Don't worry…. I got a transformation of my own as well!" Rias gave him a thumbs up before turning to face Natalia. "Please… go. I'll try to stall for as long as I can."
"Eren… we can't change her mind once she puts herself to it," Asia said.
"...," Eren nodded and the two flew off to confront Riser.
Rias turned to Natalia, who had now dispersed her solar sphere and stared at Rias.
"So, you're going to fight me?" Natalia asked.
Rias grinned. "Yeah."
She summoned a series of magic circles that surrounded her. The magic circles began to glow as her miasma began to surge. The Power of Destruction began to surround her every form. Natalia narrowed her eyes as she felt Rias's power rising at an exponential rate.
"Rias, this form you achieved during our training… you remember it right?" Sirzechs asked as she munched on a french fry.
"Y- Yeah? I think…," Rias said, looking up at her older brother.
"Well, this form you achieved was similar to mine where you took on the Power of Destruction and converted it into an aura that amplified all of your powers," Sirzechs said.
"I see… so you think I can access it again?" Rias asked.
"Without a doubt. With your Power of Sight combined with the Power of Destruction, I believe that you can create a new form of my Humanoid Aura of Destruction," Sirzechs said.
"Hmmm… I see," Rias said, a grin slowly forming on her lips.
"So? I see that look on your face. What is it?" Sirzechs asked.
"I named Onii-sama. I'll call it…!"
"Null Dance: Goddess of Ruin," Rias said as the aura relaxed. Her hair became like black and red flames, flickering and dancing in the air. Her body was covered in red markings that had the Power of Destruction coursing through them alongside another form of energy that Natalia couldn't identify. Rias opened her eyes to reveal her glowing red eyes.
"Goddess?" Natalia asked. "A bit conceited but…"
"Knights of Riser Phenex has been eliminated! Pawns of Riser Phenex has been eliminated!"
Natalia narrowed her eyes at Naud's announcement. "It seems that we've reached the endgame."
"Just shut up and fight," Rias said.
"Alright," Natalia said. She disappeared in a burst of speed, appearing behind Rias. Natalia attempted to kick Rias in the side of the head, only for Rias to block. Natalia's eyes widened when she felt her skin being corroded and leaped back.
She looked down and saw that there were black spots where her skin had been eaten away, exposing the dying muscle underneath.
"Corrosion?" Natalia asked.
"My new power that comes with my eyes has the power to corrode or break down matter by severing the atomic bonds between them. It's different from the Power of Destruction if you're wondering about their similarities. The Power of Destruction is about total annihilation. Null is more a slow decay into nothing," Rias said.
"I see," Natalia answered. "Then I guess that I'll have to keep my distance then…"
Natalia held up her hand and a violet sphere of energy manifested in front of her. Natalia fired it, forcing Rias to erect a barrier. Rias's eyes widened when her barrier nearly gave way underneath Natalia's attack.
Rias lowered the barrier to see Natalia's fist fill her vision as Rias was sent crashing into the remnants of Kuoh's third floor. Rias groaned as she rubbed her head, her vision swaying as she stood.
Even in this form… she still has me outclassed? Rias thought. She looked up and saw a faint violet glow on Natalia's fist, healing her hand.
"So, even your skin and that aura around you can harm me…," Natalia said. "I was right when I said that I needed to keep my distance."
Natalia raised her pointer finger and drew a violet line of energy in front of her. Natalia thrust her palm into the line, causing it to shatter into fragments of iridescent lights that began to fire an endless torrent of energy at Rias.
Rias flew as fast as she could, avoiding the beams. She bit her lip as one of the beams grazed her shoulder, taking a chunk of her flesh as it flew by. Rias slowed and gripped her injured left shoulder, applying healing magic when a hail of violet energy beams shot towards her. Rias closed her eyes and raised her arm when she felt nothing. She slowly opened her eyes and saw a red magic circle in front of her.
"Ara ara Buchou. It seems that you're in a bit of a pickle here," Akeno said from behind her. Rias turned to see Akeno hovering alongside Koneko, Kiba, and Xenovia.
"Where are the others?" Rias asked.
"They went to go help Asia and Eren take care of Riser," Kiba said. Kiba looked at Natalia's demonic form hovering a distance away from them.
"It looks like you're in a bit of a pickle, Buchou," Koneko said as she began to glow. Koneko's age changed as her tail split apart into two tails. Her breasts became bigger and her hair longer.
Kiba closed his eyes and raised Gram in front of him and began going through a series of stances, a magic circle forming underneath him. Several humanoid draconic knights manifested around him, all wielding demonic blades.
Xenovia tightened her grip on Ex-Durandal and channeled her power, summoning a beautiful blade with a stainless blade. Its hilt was gold with gems embedded into the hilt. The hilt was also decorated with intricate designs that no one knew the meaning of but glowed following Xenovia's will.
"Dual wielding… Durandal and… Excalibur?" Natalia tilted her head upon seeing Xenovia's swords.
"I've always wanted to fight you," Akeno said as lightning arced off her body.
"Akeno, we need to attack her together," Rias said. Akeno nodded.
Natalia narrowed her eyes before disappearing from their very sight. Everyone immediately went on guard as they stood back to back, scanning their surroundings for any sign of the Naamah House Head.
Every hair on the back of their necks stood on end as they scattered. Natalia appeared between all of them. Xenovia swung her sword, forcing Natalia to dodge. She raised her arm and coated it in violet energy as Kiba's sword Gram swung towards her. She blocked the blade which was quickly cutting through her energy blade. She kicked him away before using her telekinesis to throw Xenovia into the building.
Akeno charged her holy lightning and fired it all at once towards Natalia. Natalia grinned and raised her hand, using her Tetralogy to cause the lightning to split into several streams that all hit different areas of the building.
"You're going to have to do better than that!" Natalia appeared instantly in front of Akeno, catching her off guard. She brought her fist down only for it to be blocked by Rias. Rias formed a sphere of destruction in her free hand and slammed it into Natalia.
The sphere exploded, sending Rias and Akeno back.
Eren and Asia fought against Riser as he threw fireball after fireball at them. Asia responded by forming a massive multi-layered barrier that dispersed the orbs. Eren used his Battle Avatar to attack Riser, forcing the Phenex to dodge.
"Take this!" Riser created a massive fireball as large as the Old School Building and threw it at them.
Suddenly, a beam of blue energy cut through the air, impacting the fireball with equal force and caused it to disperse.
"Rossweisse!" Asia looked behind them and saw Rossweisse with her wand pointed at Riser. Next to her were Gasper, Tatsuya, Yuu, and Hiruko.
Tatsuya sent Riser a cocky grin. "Are you guys really having a hard time with him?"
"Tatsuya, he's a High-Class Devil," Eren said, trying to warn him. Tatsuya aimed his gauntlets and unleashed a fireblast at Riser, ignoring Eren's warnings.
Riser countered with his fireblast, easily dispersing Tatsuya's flaming orb. Yuu raised his hand and created a barrier. Rossweisse raised her wand and stacked on Yuu's barrier, deflecting Riser's fireball.
"Gasper!" Gasper nodded and activated his Sacred Gear, freezing Riser in place. "NOW!"
Eren nodded and began to chant. A small iridescent sphere surrounded by a black and violet aura began forming in his palm. He turned to Asia and she nodded, placing her hands in front of her and chanting alongside Eren.
"I invoke you, Lord of Power," Eren said as the sphere grew larger.
"I invoke you, Lady of Kindness," Asia chanted.
"Please grant me the power to bring forth justice to this sinful world!" Eren chanted.
"Please grant me the power to showcase mercy to those who have sinned!" Asia said.
"Please grant us the power to unite the Upper and Lower Forces of Life and purify the ones the Almighty has forsaken!"
Asia and Eren were surrounded by green and white auras respectively.
"Zer Anpin!"
The sphere shot forth from them, barrelling towards Riser at an incredible speed. Riser responded in kind, unleashing an immensely powerful torrent of hellfire that halted the sphere's advance. Riser pushed back, pouring all of his power into the attack. Asia and Eren's eyes widened as Riser was slowly pushing them back.
Rias dodged as Natalia swiped her hand, sending a wave of violet energy that sliced apart the remainder of Kuoh Highschool and carved a massive trench in the ground that Rias could not see a bottom of.
A massive surge of power and light all forced them to pause and look towards the direction that Riser was fighting the other members of her peerage.
Natalia paused and stared at it.
"Akeno," Rias whispered. "I'll go and help the others."
Akeno nodded and sent hand signals to Xenovia and Kiba. The two glanced at each other and nodded. Kiba showed her the flat of Gram's blade. Xenovia hopped on it and Kiba swung the sword, launching Xenovia towards Natalia.
"CROSS CRISIS!" Xenovia swung both Durandal and True Excalibur at once, amplifying their holy powers to their absolute max. Natalia's eyes widened as a massive yellow cross flew towards her. Natalia reacted quickly, disassembling herself to avoid the attack.
Taking advantage of this, Rias darted off towards Eren and the others. She arrived to see Riser pushing back Eren and Asia. Rossweisse was supporting them, adding her magical energy to the blast but Riser's Phenex Stamina might end up becoming the winning factor in this deadlock.
Having no choice but to reveal one of her new techniques, Rias raised her hand into the air and created a massive magic circle.
"I was hoping to save this for my match against Issei in the Finals but…," Rias said. "HEY! KFC!"
Riser looked up and saw Rias right above him with her hand raised above her head.
"CAN YOUR FAMILY POWER OF SEVEN HERBS AND SEVEN SPICES DEFLECT THIS!?" Rias yelled. Issei really rubbed off on me, she added as an afterthought.
"What!?" Riser yelled.
"EVERYONE! MOVE!" Rias yelled. Eren and Asia's eyes widened at her words and immediately canceled their spell, flying out of the way as Riser's flame blast flew past them. Everyone was able to move except for Tatsuya, who had moved too late and was caught in the blast.
"Ooh! How unfortunate! That marks the first loss for Gremory Peerage! Pawn of Rias Gremory has been eliminated!" Naud announced.
Hiruko slapped his forehead in annoyance. Tatsuya's arrogance was really becoming annoying. It was to the point where he compared himself to one of the strongest beings that Rias had told them about, the God Shiva.
"LIGHT OF RUIN!" Rias threw her hand down and engulfed Riser in a pillar of red light. Riser screamed as the combination of Null and the Power of Destruction began to eat away at him. The pain began to become too much as he realized that if he kept reforming, Rias's spell would constantly eat him. A pain he could not last under.
"I RETIRE!" Riser called as his body dissolved in a shower of red lights.
Rias's form gave out as she returned to her base state and slowly descended to the ground, panting. She looked up at the others and gave them a thumbs-up as she heard Naud's announcement.
"Riser Phenex has retired! Victory goes to Team Rias Gremory!"
Rias smiled as she and her peerage were teleported out of the arena.
I'll wait for you in the Main Stage, Issei, Rias thought as she dissolved in a shower of red lights.
"Hoo? This Gremory Girl is strong huh?" a woman with black hair said. She wore a red shirt that showed her toned stomach. On her ears were gold earrings with an emerald gem. Her dark eyes glanced over at her companion as she sent her a cocky grin.
"Hmmm…," was the response she got.
"Come on Kali! At least show some excitement!" she said.
Kali sipped her tea and placed the cup down. Kali was a beautiful woman who had the appearance of a young girl. She had long waist-length blue-violet hair with royal purple eyes. Her skin was lighter than what you would expect from a god from her region. She wore a black and white gothic lolita dress with a large lavender ribbon at the neck.
"No one here is worthy Durga. Well, there's a few like that bastard Indra, the Cadre Baraqiel, Typhon, and the Dragon Emperors but her... maybe," Kali said.
A beeping noise was heard in the room as Kali raised her hand. Her scroll flew into it as she tapped the screen. It was an alert. An alert telling her who her next opponent was. She smiled savagely when she saw the name.
Team Midnight Dragon Emperor of Crimson Truth
Led by Issei Hyoudou
Reviews:
Rhongomyniad: Thanks for pointing out my mistake again! Also, Rias can fight by herself now due to her training with Sirzechs and her father. Not that she couldn't before but she doesn't need Issei to enter a powerful form anymore. If she wants to sync with someone after this, she can still sync with Gasper to access her Forbidden Invade: Balor the Princess but she will mostly rely on her Goddess of Ruin. There will be an improvement to her Goddess of Ruin in the future.
AnimeFan0216: I see that you are a man of culture as well.
Scrumblenut: Her Power of Sight was originally meant for another fic that I was going to write but scrapped the idea for that and put it in the rewrite.
Sorry again for the really late update. Until the semester ends, I can't do anything about this other than try and get you guys the best quality update that I can. Well then, I hope you're all entertained by this. Kali vs Issei is next so stick around for that! Remember to review and to have a great day/night or not the choice is yours!