14: Vs. Riser Phenex
The group landed in a small woodland area, artificial once again. Ritsuka could tell, if only because of Caster Cu's druid training taking root. That was probably a good thing most likely. Though it didn't really help at the moment.
The moment that the group had set down Ritsuka had used the Storch Ritter familiars letting them circle around him. He wasn't going to use them immediately but they would come in handy later on during the fight. Rias instead took charge immediately.
"We'll have to be pragmatic here. Kiba, I know you want to be Knight like in this matter, but we're outnumbered and at a major disadvantage." Rias sighed as she awaited the start of the match.
"I understand. It's not ideal but I get it." Kiba slightly pouted. "I shall take out the Knights then. I am confident that I would be able to take them out before they manage against me."
"Remain on defense then?" Koneko tersely asked her king.
"Yes for now. As much as it pains me to say it, Asia, you aren't ready for combat yet. A bit more training then I could see it but for now remain by me to focus on healing." Rias calmly stated looking around the field. It was large and she couldn't see the other team quite yet.
"Yes. Understood." Asia earnestly answered clearly still terrified by what was going on.
"Akeno, you'll be providing air support for now. Only you can deal with Yubelluna and with our added resistance I'm certain we can overwhelm them before they even notice." Rias smirked which Akeno bowed slightly and in a flash of magic reappeared in a shrine maiden outfit.
"Ritsuka, you… what are you doing?" Rias finally noticed that Ritsuka was standing front and center.
"Getting ready. I pretty much have the general location of where they are. I'm just waiting for the start of the match and then I'll keep my word on the matter." Ritsuka answered so nonchalantly that everyone balked.
"I don't know if that's possible. After all they'll probably get out of the way before you even manage to take out anyone." Rias sulked slightly. Her fears of losing were draining her faith.
"Oh ye of little faith. Trust me. I said you would win and that's what I aim to do." Ritsuka laughed it off clearly ready to do something. "After all they have no idea what I'm capable of and you've only seen about one percent of everything I can do. Even then only half of that one percent in fact since I keep holding a lot of it back for serious occasions."
Everyone seemed a little confused at that point. There were questions on everyone's minds but with the peanut gallery watching no one wanted to voice them. Ritsuka seemed to be telling the truth. Rias sighed, though a light hearted smile did appear on her face.
"Fine. What do you suggest then?" Rias giggled clearly curious now.
"First thing… Kiba, Koneko… how do you two feel about being thrown? And about animals?" Ritsuka cryptically replied.
"Um… I'm fine with it if it has a purpose… and animals are good." Kiba smiled though he was all tense.
"Okay… dogs are scary…" Koneko muttered, not wanting to voice her opinion.
"Okay gonna need you to be brave for step two then Koneko." Ritsuka grimaced. "Trust me on that okay."
"Yes Senpai." Koneko nodded. She started to pump and psych herself up for whatever was going to happen. It didn't help that she was still worried when he didn't dismiss the idea of a dog appearing.
"And second, Akeno… would you be willing to hold back with Rias and Asia for a bit longer. You'll know when to strike after all. Just wait for them to howl." Ritsuka mentioned, once again keeping the crypticness up.
"Certainly… I do enjoy the howls of pain from my enemies." Akeno giggled perversely. She was fantasizing once again but this time she didn't ignore the world around her. She already had her wings ready.
"What were you going to do?" Rias finally wanted to know the truth.
"I'm going to go hunting. I just needed to make sure the pieces were in place." Ritsuka smiled.
'Welcome to the specially held Ratings Game between Rias of the Gremory household and Riser of the Phenex household. Clearly this has been building up for more than a year as these two competitors will meet on the field of battle this very day. And this is your host of the evening the ever lovely magical girl from hell who'll melt your heart and your head. Magical Girl Magical✰Levi-tan! Chu~'
"Please let me die…" Sona cried out as she tried to hide her face from the sheer embarrassment. It was far too much. Though none of her Peerage could do anything for her.
"Che… they put an announcer for this. What an annoyance." Riser muttered, looking over his peerage. Everyone was ready to go but he kept them back. There wasn't any chance of exploiting too much cover and neither side was allowed to move until the signal was given.
"Nii-san, are you prepared?" Ravel asked though she looked worried.
Riser was more annoyed that that human was allowed in the fight. He wasn't even a devil. Unfortunately, due to the deal from yesterday he wasn't able to bar them from the fight. If he tried to then he would be forced to forfeit his right to the match. It would outright be seen as him spitting in the face of the Gremory household.
"Hmph. Of course I am. Remember… leave that mage to me. I pay him back for that humiliation he decided to lay on me." Riser growled out.
'Well then, when both sides are ready I shall give them the go ahead. Remember folks, this is a game. Don't take it too seriously.'
'If only you knew, you delusional halfwit…' Riser mocked Serafall mentally. She had no idea how important that this fight would be. No one would know how much was riding on this match.
Ritsuka installed Atlanta's card. He had even equipped a Kaleidoscope Craft Essence. He didn't actually know if it would work but her Noble Phantasm was calling to him for this particular situation. It also helped that he was technically going for a hunt at this moment. Rias noticed the mana billowing off of Ritsuka but said nothing. She wanted to see this play out since he had told her many times that he would take half their number out or more.
'Ooh… both sides are pumped… ready, set… GO!'
Ritsuka summoned a bow in his dominant hand. Glittering in his other were two arrows that magically appeared in his off hand. Glowing green and wreathed in mana they were nocked in place. Koneko had to rub her eyes because at that moment it looked as though Ritsuka had cat ears and a tail. Though they resembled a lion more so than a house cat. He pointed his large recurve styled bow straight up aiming into the sky.
'To the twin gods I offer this… Phoebus Catastrophe!' Ritsuka mentally roared as he released the two arrows far up into the sky. Everyone wanted to yell that it would give away their position… but stopped when they heard the next announcement.
'Go!'
Riser immediately started to issue orders before Yubelluna stopped him.
"Look Riser! That's where they are!" Yubelluna pointed to the two arrows being shot into the sky. Before he could take stock of it though Ravel caught his attention.
"Look out!" Ravel screamed as light shined at the very top of the barrier that made up this dimensional battlefield. From that light millions of energy arrows began to rain from the sky covering the land in a haze of projectiles, bringing a downpour of ruin to those who had the misfortune of being beneath it.
Riser shot up a column of flames but the arrows, being made of energy, passed through unphased by the flames. Undaunted by the sheer volume of projectiles, all those of his Peerage stepped forth to stop. It wasn't enough. The sheer volume of arrows peppering their starting position shattered through the magical barriers they had attempted to place within the seconds of Ravel's warning.
While all the pawns could create magical shielding of some sort… that didn't mean they could handle it all. The first to fall were the twin pairs. Ile and Nel had channeled their magic through their chainsaws letting them slice through the energy arrows… only failing due to the sheer volume. Before the arrows could fully pierce them they were warped out of the arena.
Ni and Li were next on the chopping block. While they couldn't handle channeling their magic fully without promoting to Bishop, they still managed to manifest shields of mana. They lasted a very short time as the pair shielded their allies. The energy arrows pierced their bodies as well and they were ushered out of the arena, retired as well.
Marion and Burent also erected mana barriers along side Shuriya to try and triple strength their own individual barriers. Mira channeled fire magic through her staff hardening it with said magical flames attempting to parry the falling arrows. Spinning as fast as her arms could manage a few arrows were knocked away. It still wasn't enough as the four were overwhelmed with the barriers shattering from overstress.
Isabela took point using her Rook prowess to toughen her body while Mihae channeled her own mana into her. The arrows barely could pierce through her guard but it wasn't enough. Time wasn't on their side and the rain fell endlessly, to them. They too disappeared from the arena.
Siris took it upon herself to handle defense raising her sword in front of her fellow group since the rain of arrows slowly narrowed onto Riser's position. She stopped the arrows from piercing him… but not from piercing her own body.
Eight pawns… all wiped out from the first set of arrows. A knight, a rook and a bishop were next, taken by the next volley. As the smoke cleared Riser, Yubelluna, Ravel, Karlamine, and Xuelan were all that were left.
'...eh? Eh! Phenex team! Eight pawns, retired. One Knight, retired. One Bishop retired. One Rook… retired. Eh!?'
The announcement… that was barely one minute in had already taken a toll on the Phenex Peerage. In one swift move they had been dealt a crippling blow. Even the people in the booth were left speechless. Several cameras focused on the cause of the swift slaughter from the Gremory side.
The human was the one who had done that… clutching a large bow in one hand and slowly lowering it with a confident smirk on his face. Those who were watching, were watching much closer now thanks to that display.
'It looks as though the Gremory team was being made light of. Rias-chan fight-o!'
Riser growled out as he burned the surrounding area… only stopping when he found a single arrow that seemed to be sticking out of the ground. Ravel was the one who grabbed it handing it to him. There was a note tied to it.
"Told you I was going to take out more than half. See you soon." The note read. Riser burned it in his clutches. He was being made a fool.
'...eh? Eh! Phenex team lost eight pawns, retired. One Knight, retired. One Bishop retired. One Rook… retired. Eh!?'
"What…?" Rias looked shocked as Ritsuka put away the bow and turned to the team once more.
"See. I told you I was going to take out more than half. I try my best to keep my word." Ritsuka chuckled as whatever spirit he used was gone once more. "Now time for a hunt, I just need your order so it looks like I'm under your command, for the audience of course."
"Huh? Oh yes! Ritsuka if you please, take Kiba and Koneko to take out the stragglers." Rias ordered though she didn't seem to believe what just happened.
"Roger!" Ritsuka mock saluted as his magic once more changed. He lifted his fingers to his lips and whistled a strange tune. The reason he did so didn't really make sense. It was as though he was playing up his magic for the crowd… hiding what he was really doing by being a bit facetious about his magic.
From within his shadow a large three meter long wolf climbed out shaking off its coat as it strode upon the ground once more. It's fur though tinted by shadow was a vibrant whitish silver coat with slate blue highlights. It's yellow eyes seemed to radiate pure hatred and around each of its legs were several bear traps that pierced deep into its flesh though no blood was spilled. It didn't even seem to notice them. When Ritsuka approached it barked somewhat happily.
"Come Lobo, it's time to hunt today." Ritsuka was allowed to pet its head with a loud howl the traps on its leg disappeared and blue flames danced from its eyes and mouth. Ritsuka climbed upon his back and was lifted up. When in position two large crooked swords with fangs on the back of each blade appeared in his hands. A large coat adorned with seemingly living tendrils made of fabric and chains appeared on him with each tendril seemingly having a mind of their own. With a small toss of one of his blades, Lobo, as it was called, grabbed the blade in its jaw. "So are you two ready?"
"Uh…" Kiba and Koneko both answered clearly freaked out by the appearance of a wolf. The very visage of said beast screamed to them, do not piss it off. Even so it made no attempt to hurt them and its jaw was currently occupied by the blade clenched between each fang. That still wasn't a comforting sight since it meant that the wolf was very capable and intelligent enough to use weapons to harm others.
"I'll take it as a yes then." Ritsuka chuckled as two of the tendrils picked them up keeping them level with Ritsuka. He did his best to assure them that they were fine but the billowing flames from Lobo made them stare at his companion. Ritsuka decided it was better to act than explain at this moment. "Well let's go hunt the poor fools down then."
Lobo barked in tandem from his declaration and with a sudden burst of speed zoomed away across the plains of their starting area. Kiba and Koneko screamed as they were carried off with their friends watching in sheer disbelief. Rias was bemused by the sight and while she wanted to ride atop Lobo as well… she didn't think the wolf would allow her to. Asia felt a bit bad by the sight of a wolf since those traps were around its legs… then it howled menacingly and those traps disappeared leaving nothing but a dangerous predator. Akeno was still shocked and it took a small bit of prodding from Asia to get her to return back to conscious thought once more
"What…?' Akeno managed to state, still completely taken by surprise from what had just happened. This had been the last thing she would have expected since Ritsuka had said he was going to basically carpet bomb the enemy before they could even move.
Riser quickly forced the others out before they could be taken out by another attack. There was no telling what other plans were in the works that that mage was apparently planning now. Though at this point their original plan of distracting the small Gremory Peerage while Riser dealt with Rias personally. That plan was loudly crushed and he had to pull something haphazardly together because of the sudden loss to his side.
Unfortunately, due to that abruptness, Karlamine was sent out on her own. She wasn't feeling that confident in the matter. While they had figured out a decent plan, in the end… it had come to nothing the moment more than half their number were knocked out of the game. It didn't help that all of them knew what to expect should Riser lose. Most of them weren't worried about losing since that was an impossibility… now it was looking to become a reality.
"Hmph… it doesn't matter. I won't let them win." Karlamine attempted to assure herself.
As she got closer to where the arrow had been shot from, she could hear something that was pounding against the ground. It was approaching far too fast to be something anyone on the Gremory side had. Pulling out her sword and dagger combo, she prepared herself as best she could.
A giant wolf bathed in blue flames stormed into her presence and just as she registered that it was there, something was thrown at her. She brought up her blades just in time as Kiba, the Gremory Knight, slammed into her guard full force sending her skidding back leaving large furrows from where she braced her legs. That small distraction saw the wolf bound off clearly hunting down the other members of her group.
"I am a Knight of Rias Gremory, I have come to challenge you! Have at you!" Kiba shouted as he released a flurry of slashes against his opponent.
"Fine! I, Karlamine, shall strike you down!" Karlamine screamed back allowing her weapons to do the talking.
For all their talk of combat both were extreme of their swings. Kiba placed more power behind each attack remembering his time fighting Ritsuka and channeling that experience into his current duel. Karlamine was still in a slight stupor due to seeing a giant wolf being ridden by a human but she didn't let up with her own skills, parrying each strike sent her way.
That didn't mean that they were easy to parry. Each swing nearly clipped her hair and each time he lunged forward saw her being pushed back. From the research they had done, he would have taken a more formal combat style rather than this highly aggressive charge he was doing.
'Why is he fighting so differently!?' Karlamine mentally shined as she realized that she was being forced to fight harder than she first expected. The sound of steel against steel echoed through the plains as the two knights showed no quarter to each other.
Ravel was more annoyed now than ever. That small note had been the undoing of Riser's strategies. Their actual strategy had been to confront King against King allowing the Peerage to keep the enemy at bay. The human mage had used his power to put a stop to that.
It wasn't even a secret that Riser hated the human mage that defied his ego. It was worse when that threat, the threat that they hadn't taken seriously… became reality. Never in the history of her brother's constant challenges had this particular scenario actually happened. Even those losses he did take were political moves to keep allies with the Phenex Family.
"Ravel-sama, we should keep moving. At this rate we need to at the very least strike a decisive blow before things get worse." Xuelan stated, getting Ravel's attention as she kept point. As far as they were concerned, they needed to reach where those arrows had originated and distract enough of their members to allow Yubelluna to take them out with sneakier tactics. It wasn't their usual MO though which made Ravel nervous.
"I know but we don't even have a plan now. We nearly lost one of the Phoenix tears we were allowed to take with us as well." Ravel snapped back though she looked apologetically at Xuelan who was doing her best at the moment. The stress of the opening move had made them both question just what they were getting into should they lose. Ravel, though worried, couldn't say she was disappointed by what her future held.
The moment she had laid eyes on him once more, she could tell just how powerful he was. That smoldering gaze could peer into her very soul and make her submit no matter what. The only reason she hadn't said anything was due to the glare that the Gremory heiress had thrown her way when she was caught staring at him. She knew she felt it too. Regardless, she wouldn't lose on purpose. That would show a future prospect that she was too weak to trust in… not that she was a powerhouse at this moment. She ignored her inner thoughts focusing on her fellow Rook's words.
"I know… perhaps we should have strategized better but for now let's make due with what we have instead of focusing on what we lost. I'm certain Riser-sama foresaw this… right?" Xuelan asked but when Ravel didn't answer she hid a shuddering breath. Xuelan had a feeling since the meeting that fighting the human was a really bad idea. She had seen it the moment that he gazed at all of them. She couldn't even voice it because even she knew that Lady Ravel was at a loss. Also the fact that their master also didn't really listen when his ego was made up. She was grateful for the opportunity to be within this Peerage but even she knew that all of them played up some weird fetishtic kink that Riser had thought up of. That was one of the main reasons that he had his sister in his Peerage… just to play up a theme and not due to incestual undertones which she knew they could be mistaken for.
Before either could speak once more, they saw it. A large wolf carrying the human that was the cause of their sudden loss of members racing towards them. He didn't seem aware of his surroundings though that didn't mean much since the wolf seemed to know where it was going without any need for directions. With a wild toss of one of his coat tendrils upon his back, a small figure zoomed straight for Ravel. Xuelan noticed and immediately placed herself between the two. As Koneko made an impact, Xuelan had lifted her guard up at the last moment.
Skidding through the ground leaving a furrow through the dirt, Koneko was pushed back from striking her prime target flipping back on her feet with a three point landing. The wolf, however, raced off after dropping the package heading off most likely for where her brother was.
"Don't be distracted." Koneko voiced softly forcing Xuelan to block another strike aimed for Ravel. Xuelan stopped it from mere inches from her face though the air pressure from the strike did send her curls flapping from the wind it created.
"Ravel-sama, don't let your guard down!" Xuelan ordered as she duked it out with Koneko.
Xuelan swiftly spun into a roundhouse kick knocking Koneko back. She ranked the blow using the momentum to flip backwards before charging back into the fray.
Ravel refocused her efforts and blasted Koneko with flames. It didn't help though as the flames were brushed off like it was nothing. She realized at that point that the mage had done something to make them fireproof.
Xuelan realized this as well when her flame enhanced strikes were also brushed off like it was nothing. The impacts were still harsh but without the fire magic assisting her strikes she was just fighting like normal. This left them to a straight out slugfest with no extra moves to rely on.
As she fought back with their tiny opponent before them the message became clear. They wouldn't be allowed to leave without fighting off Koneko.
Ritsuka raced ahead, atop the shadow Lobo, for his main target. It was a little melancholic though. While Lobo was very picky about being near anyone, the shadow version only seemed to be following his will. It was even stranger because sometimes he could feel Lobo's true will peeking out through the haze and even Ritsuka wasn't sure that Lobo would have indulged him like this shadow version did. It made him realize all the more that Chaldea wasn't going to be able to bail him out of trouble should anything go wrong.
Even so there was still a glaring problem with having an Avenger class card installed that made itself very obvious to him mere moments after getting atop Lobo. There was a burning within his chest that felt very wrong. Hatred festered within every corner of Lobo's corrupted mind. It was cordoned off thanks to the fail safes that Illya and Miyu had placed on the cards but it was still there, constantly being churned by his Oblivion Correction skill. He was just glad that Lobo thought of him as his own pup. It forced the hatred to be placed upon Ritsuka's will… which was pointedly aimed at Riser, who boasted of his own immortality.
It didn't take long for his target and the extra to reveal themselves. Flapping in the air, Riser and his Queen Yubelluna seemed to be ready to take off, most likely for Rias' position. So he made himself bait. With Ritsuka's freehand he pulled one of his black keys out of his magical storage and haphazardly threw it at the two. He didn't need to hit anyone, he just needed to get their attention.
Riser, too angry to realize what he was doing, dove down after the human. His screams of incinerating his soul did bring up bad memories but there was no time to dwell on that. The shadow Lobo immediately took off leading the pair on a path he wanted them to follow. Using the trees that did remain around him to be shields for his sprint, Ritsuka kept eye on his first move since Lobo was the one running for them.
The pair raced across the land dodging the newly formed fireballs being tossed his way by the King and Queen. They couldn't actually hit him though. Even if they did, the flames would have easily fizzled out after touching him. Using those Phoenix Plumes for a fire resistance potion was probably one of the best ideas he had when he learned he was dealing with the Phenex clan. His time in Shimousa showed him how powerful names could be especially with how Muramasa cut the Oniedo Castle in half.
Regardless, Lobo's instincts and prowess at dodging traps made it an easy path to follow for them to escape any hit. Ritsuka's will was in control, but he knew Lobo was better at this then him giving the shadow just enough control to decide how to move. It resembled just how Lobo and the Hessian worked together.
"Just die!" Riser screamed as he released several fireballs in a fan shape towards them. Lobo weaved through the flames, showing no fear as he growled in sheer defiance. Weaving around a few trees Lobo turned to face the pair. In an unexpected turn, Lobo tensed its paws.
With a powerful jump, Lobo soared through the air spinning around like a buzzsaw. Ritsuka tightened his legs to keep connected to Lobo as he did so. The coat on his back helped as well tethering him to Lobo's coat. Yubelluna, unable to dodge the swift blow, blocked the attack with her magic. The struggle between the high speed strike and her own magic shield still managed to knock her out of the sky burying her slightly in the ground. Before she could set off a counter attack, Lobo raced off through the plains, keeping the trees that he passed as shields from the random fireballs.
"Gragh!" Riser screamed when his Queen was knocked aside so easily. Without even looking to see if she was okay he took off releasing the full force of his flared out flame wings. Lobo released a deep howl to the sky at the same time before racing off with Riser on their back.
Yubelluna tossed off the dirt that clung to her outfit after she broke out from the crater she created. The properties of a Rook kept her from feeling anything though that took back seat to her anger of being swatted aside like an insect. She was the one who was supposed to do that, not her foe. As she flapped back into the air, a bolt of lighting cracked against her butt as if it was spanking her.
"Eep!" Yubelluna shrieked and turned around. Facing her was the Priestess of Lightning smugly smiling while Yubelluna let some flames dance upon her palms.
"You've been a naughty little girl haven't you?" Akeno giggled in perverse pleasure as lightning danced around her palms. "Is the Bomb Queen fizzling out so soon?"
"Shut up!" Yubelluna screeched as she released a large explosion of fire magic. While the fire passed over her like it was nothing, the shockwave knocked her back. Akeno spun around trying her best to flow with the shockwave as she regained her position back in the air.
"Looks like the bitch has actual claws." Akeno mumbled to herself as she shook off the shock and blasted her enemy with more lightning. As much as she wanted to play around, the stakes were far too high to indulge until there were less targets to deal with. With Riser being taken care of though… maybe she could have some fun taking a Queen down a peg.
Ritsuka looked back as the pissed off Phenex flew after him burning the landscape around them. It was an unpleasant experience but that was the point. Pissing off Riser had been the crux of the entire plan ever since they met within the Occult building. Ritsuka knew that look… it was similar to how Lev had been when… it was too familiar.
Now in his addled state, Riser was tunnel visioned on him and him alone. That allowed the others to pick off the other members without too much trouble. Ritsuka idly wondered if he picked the right people for the job… matching their counterparts against one another was kind of on the nose. Even with the flames billowing around him and the rushing wind blowing around him Ritsuka still let his mind wander on what else he needed to do. Lobo was doing fine even as the flames licked his body.
It was helpful that the fire resistance potion he drank had passed itself onto the shadow Lobo as well. It seemed the class card made them one in the same most likely to keep mana circulation possible. Even so Ritsuka made sure to keep away from any flame pillars that Riser made and tried to drop on him. The subterfuge would allow him to mess with Riser a bit more when he went on the offensive. As he learned from Scáthach, pushing an opponent to their utmost limit and then crushing them in battle was the only way to truly enjoy combat. Every Cu that wasn't an alter didn't seem to agree but they never voiced their opinion on the matter.
"I'll kill you!" Riser screamed as an armor made of flames appeared around his entire body. That definitely was something he wasn't told about. Though with some interpretive thinking Ritsuka surmised that it was probably a buff. It was a logical deduction he inferred based on what he could see.
'I wonder if that will work? I mean it does do that and rewrite fate itself because of Moriarty's shenanigans.' Ritsuka mused as he kept dodging the flames. He needed to buy time until the other enemies were dealt with. It was still really warm around him and aside from hitting that Queen, he hadn't done any damage to Riser. Though… given the fact that from whatever information he was told, Riser's Peerage had actual combat experience. They had trained and fought more often than Rias' Peerage had. Ritsuka decided that maybe it was time to be more proactive in this fight.
Lobo spun around and without missing a beat jumped up towards Riser rolling like a buzzsaw once more. Riser, aware of the move, dodged out of the way sending his flames at their retreating form. It did nothing once more and Riser let out a roar of sheer hatred and forced himself to dive towards Ritsuka. He seemed to realize that his flames did absolutely nothing and that was the last straw. Ritsuka patted Lobo's head close to his right ear and immediately got his plan going.
As soon as Lobo hit the ground his paws tore through the ground spinning him around to face Riser once more. Tossing the blade in its jaw up to Ritsuka it prepared itself. As Riser got closer Lobo jumped once more and with a sickening crunch grabbed Riser around the torso letting his large maw sink his fangs deep into Riser's flesh.
Riser attempted to use his flames to escape. It did nothing to Lobo. Even knowing that Riser was too panicked at first from the sudden clenching of Lobo's jaw around his torso and let all his fire dance around the pair. They neither flinched or acknowledged the heat billowing from Riser.
"Let go!" Riser attempted to punch Lobo on the snout… which Ritsuka immediately shut down by slashing his wrist with one of the crooked swords letting his blood spill to the outside world. His kick was received with the same amount of force slashing away with the other blade across his knee.
Without a word, Ritsuka nodded towards a direction and Lobo took off with a screaming Riser in his jaw. The crunching of bone as Lobo chewed was hidden by the sudden crack as Lobo slammed Riser's head against one of the tree trunks they had passed at nearly full speed. Ash and flames splintered out of the wood and the pair raced off… causing as much pain as possible to Riser. Lobo made it a point to get closer to the trees as he was racing across the plains using them to his advantage to break the new target of his hatred… though Ritsuka's will kept it tame. By sheer force of will, Ritsuka urged Lobo from doing it constantly and only when Riser was trying to escape.
'Let's see where they are…' Ritsuka sent the Storch Ritters out letting them guide him to where his teammates were.
'This isn't good…' Kiba was forced back a bit further. They were not prepared for this fight as well as they were supposed to be. The original meeting between Riser and Rias was slated for June and not April… over three months of training that never came to be. Even so knowing that the rogue exorcists that were hiding in Kuoh probably would have made it happen much sooner than three weeks after the start of school once more.
It didn't help that his opponent was parrying all his strikes decently enough that he was considering going all out with Sword Birth. The only reason he hadn't was more of a pride thing. He wanted to see how far he could go without relying on his abilities. His brief yet intense training had forced him to confront just how dangerous it could get if he actually got into a serious fight. All speed with no power was an apt description of how he fought. It fit the role of a knight but he was inspired at this point to get better.
Karlamine used her dagger to keep Kiba's blade at bay, while her free hand attempted to slash at him with her broadsword. Taking inspiration from his training match Kiba lunged forward plowing his shoulder into her sending her skidding back. As much as his body screamed that it wasn't a fair thing to do, this wasn't the time to worry about this. If Riser won then he would be able to command them as well. That wasn't going to happen on his watch.
"And I thought that you would be an actual knight and fight fairly." Karlamine sneered clearly disappointed though her tone betrayed her. She wasn't that broken up about it as he thought she would be.
"Unfortunately, without more time I wouldn't give you that good a challenge at the moment. Also, unfortunately for you, I've been told that winning is my only goal for this match since the stakes are so high." Kiba replied back keeping his anger in check. It wasn't going to help at this moment. He needed to get ready to release Sword Birth.
"Yeah.. I know…" Karlamine sighed and without another word about knightly behavior lit her blade ablaze. The flames danced around the edges which Kiba shook his head at. She didn't know that flames were useless against him… it didn't help that he had something to stop flames as well aside from the potion he had drunk.
Kiba pulled out one of his demonic blades just as Karlamine swung her own blade. The flames immediately froze when they clashed. The flames literally froze in place, turning to ice and falling to the ground.
"What!?" Karlamine cried out before a swift kick to the stomach knocked her away. She was sent back a decent distance but it wouldn't have made a Rook move at all.
"Flame Delete. All flames that were useless, are even more so now." Kiba softly explained as he charged in to deal with Karlamine. The new sword held aloft ready for a single chop.
Knocking the stupor off, Karlamine forced herself up letting their clashing blades clash once more. The match was turning out to be stalemate as both sides were of equal skill level. Karlamine was still managing to parry those strong blows even though it was tiring her out. Kiba sped up his attacks but his rush left him unfocused as he struck back.
The piercing scream of a man broke their intense focus as the large wolf rushed through the area. Karlamine was distracted enough by the screams which was made worse when the wolf smashed Riser's face against another one of the trees they had raced by. The sickening crack and the near instant regeneration of his head got Karlamine's attention.
"Riser-sama!" Karlamine screamed out… before she realized her mistake. It was a simple one… one that she knew just cost her the match.
"Take this!" Kiba cried out as he released Sword Birth to its highest potential. Blades burst from the ground impaling Karlamine before she could rush off. Several blades would have skewered her fully had the system not immediately reacted.
'Knight Karlamine has been retired!'
"Glad for the distraction… time to go help Koneko then." Kiba huffed slightly. This fight had been going poorly and he needed some time to train a bit more. He knew he could be so much better and that was a decision he made immediately.
"Stay down!" Xuelan yelled as her and Koneko once again cross countered each other by accident. Neither opponent backed down and Ravel was unable to do much due to Koneko's fire protection breaking her most prolific ability.
'Knight Karlamine has been retired!'
"What… no!?" Ravel yelled out. Worry was starting to show itself much more now that they were coming to the end of the fight. There were only four of them left while the other team had everyone else. The sound of explosions and lightning were still dancing in the sky and Riser was nowhere to be found. Truly this was actually one of the worse Ratings Games that they had been a part of.
Xuelan and Koneko struck each other again as they were forced to focus on their fighting prowess. It didn't help that Koneko would strike out at Ravel from time to time forcing Xuelan to take a hit. If nothing else she would win through attrition.
"Hmph… going down." Koneko boasted in a soft tone.
Xuelan scowled as she lunged forward with a crane kick knocking through Koneko's guard. A grimace appeared on Koneko's face as Xuelan went for another kick. She had spoken a bit too soon even though she was dominating through the match for so long.
A piercing scream broke their concentration. The human riding atop the wolf burst out of the brush. That wolf was carrying Riser in its jaw as it ran with another sickening crack as one of his legs were smashed against a tree trunk. The wolf didn't lose its momentum and kept racing through their fight. Riser was forced to smash against another object while Ritsuka kept slashing at his limbs every time he tried to strike Lobo's snout.
Koneko took the chance given by the sudden sight of brutality. With a quick feint, she spun around Xuelan and immediately placed her into a german suplex. Rising through the air, Xuelan could only flail about while holding her qipao down. With a loud crash of dirt Xuelan was forced through the ground though Koneko wasn't done with her yet. With her prodigious strength she pulled her out of the ground for a second suplex… then a third and a fourth. She sent continuous quakes with each impact until finally Xuelan went limp.
'Rook Xuelan has been retired!'
Koneko dusted herself off and took her stance against Ravel. As she did so Kiba zoomed out from the brush wielding his blades against her as well. Ravel was forced against a tree and with the others capable of no-selling her flames she was left powerless.
"Sorry it took so long. Needed a distraction." Kiba was breathing heavily as was Koneko. Ravel didn't have the prowess to take care of them even with their obvious fatigue.
"Yes. More training is needed. Fight or surrender?" Koneko turned to Ravel who shrunk back from the two. She was outnumbered and outmatched at the moment. Without any of the other members around she didn't have a way to fight back. Ravel almost considered going all out with her flames but since Koneko had shrugged it off effortlessly she surmised that the Knight also had that protection.
"Yes I'll yield… can't do much to you at this rate." Ravel growled as she was forced to surrender from the game leaving only the King and Queen of the match alone..
'Bishop Ravel has been retired!'
Ravel was whisked away as well leaving Kiba and Koneko behind. They were both bruised though Koneko had the worst of it.
"We weren't ready… not even close." Kiba sighed as he looked overhead to the constant explosions and lightning strikes from Akeno and Yubelluna's conflict. Neither side seemed to be getting any leeway throughout the competition.
"No… we need more training then. We must be better so Senpai won't have to worry about us." Koneko answered as she too looked up at the spectacle.
"You think he was worried about us? He seemed really confident when we first started." Kiba scratched his head thinking much deeper about what had started the match.
'Ritsuka had sent the first volley thinning the numbers. Then he targeted Riser to keep him away from Rias while letting the counterparts duke it out. Finally he raced over being as distracting as possible.' Kiba mentally summarized as he thought over everything.
"It shows. Remember how he appeared when he did… see." Koneko pointed out the small wireframe bird that was floating around the two. "He made sure to handle the biggest threat for us to mop up the smaller ones because of all his preparations."
"He planned from the start to make Riser hate him specifically…" Kiba realized just how far ahead Ritsuka had been thinking about dealing with Riser as a threat.
"Mhmm. Senpai hides his intentions well but at the end you can tell what he means by his actions." Koneko nodded. "Meet with Asia then help Akeno unless Senpai handles it."
"Good idea… I think some healing would do us wonders." Kiba sighed as the two flew back where Rias was waiting. While they were still targets… only two pieces remained on the board.
Akeno has suppressed her giggling as best as she could. The fight wasn't going as well as she had wanted it to. The lack of cover and the quickened pace of their match forced the two into much harsher methods of combat. Akeno has formed small weapons out of her lightning and taken to tossing them at Yubelluna. Yubelluna had to use large explosions just to make any leeway against Akeno who was immune to her flames as well.
It didn't help that the fighting got more intense the moment that three more members of the Phenex Peerage were knocked out of the fight. Akeno flew down low as she was forced to use the trees for cover. It didn't help that as more members were taken out, the more Yubelluna would forgo smaller attacks just to find a way to take Akeno out permanently.
"You won't get anywhere like that Priestess of Thunder and Lightning! I'll blow you away!" Yubelluna screamed as she sent one of the largest blasts out along the ground. The displaced dirt was sent flying as debris was knocked away from the epicenter of her blast. She wasn't even aiming at Akeno anymore, deciding to use the sonic booms created from the shockwave to do the most damage.
"Ahh!" Akeno was sent flying away from the shockwave once more. Her wings immediately flapped up allowing her to dodge a burnt husk of a tree.
"See that Priestess! You are nothing!" Yubelluna cried out in glee as she barreled down at Akeno who was still regaining her bearings. "As soon as I'm done with you, I'll make your pay for putting us in this position!"
Akeno was furious at that declaration but before she could go all out she heard a menacing howl. Yubelluna had also stopped realizing that the human mage that had pushed them so far to the end was coming by.
A large wolf bound in to view breaking Yubelluna's concentration as she saw the screaming Riser dangling from its jaw. The constant chewing and slicing from the blades had taken their toll on his regeneration. It was slow and barely managing to keep up… like the mage had said during the meeting. Her world turned gray as she realized just how badly they were losing. Forgetting about Akeno, Yubelluna turned to the wolf and charged straight for it.
"You mangy mutt! Release Riser-sama!" Yubelluna dove towards the wolf… unfortunately for her that left her wide open. By forgetting Akeno, she allowed her rival Queen to pull off her own plan.
Akeno used said distraction to charge up as much magic as she could muster. Storm clouds bustled overhead which Yubelluna flew under as she attempted to stop. Lightning danced overhead and bolt after bolt struck where Yubelluna had flown into. Even with her properties as a Queen using a Rook defensive abilities, she couldn't take the consecutive hits over and over again.
'Queen Yubelluna has been retired as well!'
Before Akeno could get Ritsuka's attention, he and Lobo raced off again. With each sickening crack of Riser's face against a tree trunk all Akeno could do was tighten her legs together. The sheer sadistic act was driving her wild and she loved it.
'Let's forget about graduation then…' Akeno calmly smiled as she looked on lovingly at her adorable mage.
"Well… I better join Rias once again… I'm certain Ritsuka won't let this end so quickly." Akeno giggled perversely as she flew off for their original base camp. All that was left was the King.
Ritsuka was feeling that strange heat taking over his body. It had been more manageable but he knew what was going on. Lobo was still an Avenger as far as the Chaldean records were concerned. During the trip through Shinjuku, he had learned explicitly what it meant to be an Avenger even though most of the Avengers he had summoned were actually really tame and quite friendly to him. Though that probably meant that it was due to his magical capabilities which lowered certain parameters of servants he summoned. No one actually complained about it but it still bothered him. Regardless, he placed those thoughts on hold as he recalled that there was only one piece left.
Riser had gone quiet after every hit. Of course, it didn't last long. There had been words spoken about the importance of pure bloodlines and how things needed to be passed on to the next generation. He didn't really hear what he was saying though. It all sounded like garbled static. The fact that there was static might have been because of the Oblivion Correction skill… but that required him to install a different Avenger card to see if that was actually the case.
The two carried Riser towards Rias' position unceremoniously tossing his mangled body covered in wolf spit to the ground near the group. Kiba and Koneko were surprised when Riser stumbled back to his feet. The bite marks and slices across his limbs were very visible and slowly regenerating. Even so the sinew of his muscle took much longer as did the cracked bones, some of which had pierced the skin. Lobo, however, looked no worse for wear. Lobo traveled a short distance away but the burning glare he had was fully focused on Riser.
"It's over Riser! Surrender now or we shall end it!" Rias screamed out as Riser turned towards the Ruin Princess. Desperation danced on his face as he defiantly stood up again proudly, alone against everyone else around him.
"Like hell I will! This is nothing and I shall take out your entire group now!" Riser cried out as his wounds healed fully. He no longer seemed to care about his goal as he summoned up an inferno, a maelstrom of fire above his head.
With that he launched a large wave of flames covering the entire Gremory Peerage. As he laughed in sick glee, he was forced to stop the moment the flames died down. No magic shields had been raised and no one had been affected by the flames either, aside from leaving a layer of soot covering everyone.
"What the hell is this!?" Riser screamed bloody murder as Rias stood proudly amongst the dying embers. Both Riser's flames and the ambitions he once set when he set eyes on Rias were dying slowly.
"It's what it looks like. You lose now." Rias stated raising her hand and releasing a large sphere of destruction. The red pulsing ball of magic zoomed out of her palm growing large enough to cover someone's torso
Riser was too lost in his rage to escape as his entire upper body was disintegrated into dust. His legs were still attached to the charred remains of his hips though that didn't do exactly what Rias wanted. Within seconds his entire upper body returned from the excruciatingly painful strain and with some trepidation he grinned the same shit eating grin he had earlier glaring down Rias.
"I'm immortal Rias. Nothing will get through me, and while my flames might not get through to you I can still beat this lesson into your Peerage!" Riser glared as he attempted to fly back up, wreathing his entire body in flames once more.
Rias released a bevy of smaller spheres aimed for his back which fizzled out his wings forcing him to fall back to the ground. He landed back on his feet and was about to discard all reason and charge in fist first when he heard it. That ghastly noise that seemed to creep up his spine.
"Awoo!" The Wolf howled once more. He forced himself to look back at the human mage once again. His blood ran cold for reasons that he couldn't exactly explain… the human had a dangerous gaze but he was nothing to the high ranked devil that was Riser.
Atop his mount, Ritsuka's fancy cape that seemed to move of its own volition whipped around crazily. The tips were wrapped in chains and slashed at the ground as if readying itself for more combat. The wolf had also gained some distance as well, a good five meters away, separated the trio. Rias and crew stared at the strange sight… though for some reason they felt so nervous and scared. It felt as though their lives were on the line… but only when they caught Lobo's eyes.
The sheer amount of hatred that oozed from the wolf was palpable. A suffocating mist hung around the beast as the flames danced around its maw and for some reason… it looked like the wolf was smiling.
Lobo lunged forward breaking the ground beneath its paws, flames billowing out of its mouth. The tendrils that billowed from his back shot out as he reached the three meter mark. What was worse for Riser was that his flames weren't working at the moment. The strange aura wrapped around Ritsuka seemed to overpower his abilities… he felt so much weaker than usual.
'So glad I activated Lobo's third skill. Now he can't buff himself in any way.' Ritsuka thought as he initiated Lobo's Noble Phantasm.
Throughout his time with Lobo whenever the wolf actually decided to go on their missions, he would always make certain to only activate Lobo's skills whenever his Noble Phantasm was ready to fire. The shadow Lobo's muscles seemed to bulge with great strength given his classification as a creature when his Monstrous Strength activated.
The cloak that covered Ritsuka and Lobo allowed him something special. One Cloaked in Death removed any sort of magical protection rewriting fate itself… albeit only slightly. The aura menacingly hung around the pair with every bound of Lobo's paws.
Riser took several steps back. At least, he attempted to. The tendrils that covered Ritsuka's back shot out and pierced into his flesh drilling as deep as they could get. Incapacitated, Riser watched as the wolf bound in closer, the twin crooked swords poised in that human's hands.
'I'm going to die! I'm going to die!' Riser mentally screamed since his whole body had gone into shock.
As the blades came to his neck, the failsafe of the Evil Piece System came into play. Riser was teleported out of the arena. The blades swung through empty air but that was fine. Lobo released a loud howl as the flames that billowing from his mouth sent ghostly flames around the two.
'King Riser has been retired! Winner is Rias Gremory!'
Rias and the group cheered raucously as the game came to an end… though that cheer ended when they noticed that Lobo was still on the field. It slowly stepped over to the group and sat down. Uninterested in everything now it allowed Ritsuka off of its back.
The battle over, the flames died out and the traps that had been on its legs returned. It looked over the group uncaring of them. With a small lick on Ritsuka's face it disappeared once more into his shadow. Uninstalled by Ritsuka, and unbeknownst to the rest of the viewers around as to what happened.
"Ritsuka… are you okay?" Rias was the first to step close to him. He unceremoniously sat on the ground breathing heavily.
"Yeah...gasp… peachy…" Ritsuka clutched his chest. "It's just really really hot… Lobo is not very good around people…"
"I'll see what I can do." Asia immediately rushed forward using her Sacred Gear to see if she could heal anything on Ritsuka. It looked like he was suffering through heartburn.
A small glow from Asia and Ritsuka's breathing eased down. That alleviated a lot of stress from the others as well since they had just won and didn't need to worry about their MVP falling over in exhaustion.
"See…" Ritsuka managed out.
"See what?" Rias questioned Ritsuka who turned to everyone.
"Kept my promise that you'd win." Ritsuka mentioned as his body slowly started to relax.
Rias let her smile grow until she was positively glowing. He did indeed keep his promise.
Author's Notes:
This and Chapter 15 are really part of the same chapter. So I'm posting that one as well.
Chapter 15 is really an indulgent chapter when it comes to writing. Which is why its a double posting.