Chapter 11

"This is demonic and… hot, like fire?" Caster said with a confused look. After a moment, it changed to alarmed. "No, I do sense another Heroic Spirit as well. They're both coming here." Caster quickly chanted a spell, causing Asia to be briefly enveloped by a glowing aura.

Saber produced Durandal into his hand, and kept his other hand at the ready. He looked all around them, his eyes darting in every direction to find their enemy. He couldn't see anything from either around or above them. That was, until he heard an unnatural crackling sound. He and caster both looked in the same direction, and saw something on the ground.

The two saw a magic circle on the ground. It was orange in color, with a five pointed star in the middle. Within the star was a smaller circle, containing a unique symbol. In an inexplicable way the symbol resembled a bird, and given the fire-like effect that the entire circle gave off, it was most likely meant to represent a phoenix.

Just a moment later a plume of fire arose from the circle, spitting out multiple embers which then grew on their own. In total sixteen pillars of fire stood; some were the same height while others were significantly different. Assuming each of the pillars related to the Heroic Spirit, it was possible that these were Assassin. However, such an entrance would be wildly unfitting for someone with a moniker like "Assassin". Not to mention he had never once seen Assassin associate with the element.

All things considered, they were likely the source of the magical energy Caster mentioned. In other words, up to potentially 14 demons were about to appear in front of them. Unfortunately, they knew not the relationship these may have had to the—currently residing—Devils of the city. A misstep may accidentally cause a snowball effect.

A moment later and the fires disappeared, leaving behind sixteen individuals. fifteen of them were women and one was a man. The girls varied greatly in size, some looked like adults while others could feasibly pass as children. There was only one man, who appeared to be the leader of the group. He wore a red suit with a white shirt visible underneath. His hair was a dark blond.

He looked calmly at the three, almost like he was bored. He first skimmed over Caster then at Saber and Asia.

"Tch," he frowned. The man raised his hand, pointing at Caster. "Which one of you is this girl's master?"

Asia hesitated to answer. However, it seemed that she wouldn't have to. She watched with surprise and confusion as Saber stepped forward, looking the man dead in the eyes.

"So, the choir boy huh." He scoffed. "You don't look like a Master."

"Well, you're not very master-like yourself." He answered back, smirking.

"Watch it kid." he glared at Saber, as if trying to set him on fire with looks alone. "Whatever… if you're really that servant's Master, hand over your contract and your command seals. In exchange, I'll let you live."

At a speed faster than a heartbeat, or even the blink of an eye, an arm's length between him and the leader of the devils was gone. The glimmering black blade of Durandal was hovering off of his neck. Likewise, most of the lesser devils had also moved. Daggers, swords, and magic circles surrounded him from head to toe. It was as if fifteen guns were pointed at one another, and even the slightest noise would set them all off.

"So, it's gonna be like that huh?" the male devil said.

"You should leave, while you still can." Saber said, smiling confidently. The grip on his sword tightened and magical energy flowed into it, increasing its sharpness. He flicked his wrist, and multiple red and blue javelins appeared. Each of their blades and barrels were focused on the female devils.

The male devil laughed, before raising his hand. The girls retracted their weapons, but remained at the ready. Saber slowly stepped back as well.

"Unfortunately for you I'm also a master, one that's far beyond something like you. Kill him, Berserker!" he shouted. Saber's eyes widened, but there was no time.

Like a bolt of lightning something dropped upon Saber from above, and like thunder, it created a loud booming sound. With the swing of a sword, the cloud was quickly waved away, but it wasn't Saber who had done so. With the dust was cleared, everyone could see the aggressor. Berserker, or so they were called, was also a woman. She was a full grown woman, in certain places unnaturally large, with long dark purple hair. She wore pink and purple bodysuit underneath samurai-esque armor.

"That's berserker?!" Saber said briefly. She swung at him, and he ducked out of the way. However, to his surprise, she quickly turned the blade and struck again. Saber blocked, but was still sent skidding back. If Durandal was not famed for being unbreakable, it would've shattered immediately.

"Girls, keep that Caster busy." The male devil commanded.

Putting Asia behind her, Caster raised her staff and subsequently a barrier. Just in time as they were bombarded by magical projectiles. The constant attacks shook the area around the two, but Caster and the barrier held firm.

"A-are you alright?" Asia asked.

Caster nodded, looking behind at Asia confidently, "Of course, this level of magecraft is nothing."

As the attacks continued to collide against its outer surface, the barrier grew larger. It was absorbing the magical energy they were throwing at it. By the time of girls realized what was happening and stopped, the shield was several times larger than before. In the next moment it rapidly shrunk, flowing like a stream into Caster's clothes. The girls tried to attack again, couldn't even move their bodies. As if they were frozen in ice, or they were turned to stone. They struggled to break free from whatever held them, but to no avail. As they did, magic circles appeared above their heads.

Just a few blasts from her A rank spell, the Rain of Light, and they would all be history. Even servants couldn't withstand them. However, just before she could obliterate them, she was engulfed in a massive jet of fire.

"Caster!" Asia shouted with a horrified face.

The source of the fire, the fifteenth female devil, stood a short distance away smirking. Her purple hair flowing back as she continued to produce scorching flames.

"You didn't forget how many of us there were, did you?" She asked, doubling her output for good measure. The immobilized girls soon regained control of their bodies, and the woman lowered her hand. All that was left for the large ball of flame to do was disappear.

Indeed it did, but in a way that left the female devils speechless. Rather than gradually dissipating, the flame burst like a balloon. Where there should have been nothing, there remained a blue dressed elven girl. She was unblemished, despite the inferno that made her its core. There wasn't even a single burn mark on her clothes, not one. On her face was a look of indifference, neither anger at the surprise attack nor elated to respond. Unsure of what to do next, the female devil could only stumble back.

"Of course not." She answered, looking sympathetically at the woman. "I went through all of the effort just to gauge your capabilities. "You are much weaker than I expected you to be. I don't even need " she said, causing the woman's eyes to widen. "Now then-" as she spoke, Saber's body flew across her and skid to a halt considerably far away.

His armor was worse for wear; scratched, dented, and gored. A few arrows stuck out of him. Blood was leaking out from several places and his breathing was heavy. He grit his teeth, looking forward at Berserker.

"Damn she hits hard." The knight thought with a grimace. She was strong, even for Berserkers. No, his almost complete inability to actually fight her was something else. Even with support from his Master, none of his weapons or attacks seemed to be enough to hurt her. Even his javelins were dispatched in seconds. Conversely, her attacks were doing way more damage than they should have been. In other words, there was something else at play, something keeping him at a disadvantage.

He looked across the battlefield. The male devil hadn't moved an inch, and one of the female devils stood next to him. Interestingly enough, they had an uncanny resemblance to one another. They might have been related to each other. More importantly, Caster had easily taken care of the rest of their enemies. However, instead of assisting him against Berserker, she seemed unwilling. Though he was saddened, it made enough sense considering how high his Magic Resistance was. None of her offensive spells would be able to touch him, let alone put him down. If he fell here, she could probably take down Berserker, as they often didn't have high Magic Resistance.

He shifted his focus back to Berserker, who charged towards him. He prepared to evade and counter attack from behind, but instead he watched as Berserker's body was thrown into the ground. He looked around to see the cause, his eyes stopping on Caster's raised staff.

"Please, hurry and stand up." She said, looking slightly aggravated. Despite the force pressing down,

"Uh, y-yeah, thanks." He replied, laughing dryly. Knowing that he could rely on another Servant was always a good thing. However, being saved by a little girl wasn't something he was particularly proud of.

"What are you doing Berserker! Get up!" The male devil shouted. His command seals began to glow, signalling that he was about to use one of them, before he heard footsteps growing closer. Everyone seemed to hear it, and turned to see someone whose arm was clad in red running towards them.

"Boost!" Issei's gauntlet flashed green, increasing his speed to its current maximum.

"Oh? Reinforcements huh?" The male devil cocked his eyebrow. He raised one of his hands, firing a fire-made spear at the boy.

With his enhanced speed, Issei tilted his head to avoid the projectile, However, just as it passed by, an idea came to mind. By all means, it was completely ridiculous. Even worse, it was rather stupid. If there was actually any thought behind it, it was something along the lines of "wouldn't it be cool to catch and hold fire?", and with nothing more on his mind, he acted on that inspiration. He swiftly moved his hand up, trying to wrap his fingers around the pole of the weapon. It burned slightly, his hand protected by the dragon scales of his gauntlet. After nearly falling onto the ground from losing balance, he smiled at the flaming spear construct in his hand.

He was overwhelmingly proud of himself, more so relieved it didn't hurt as much as he expected it to. However, it was a short-lived success, as a ring of fire appeared around him, rising up to become a cage. Even worse, the cage was slowly shrinking, the eye of the storm growing ever smaller. The only way out was through, assuming he could survive the heat long enough.

To his relief, he did not need to. The crackling and roar of the fire muffled what he could hear, but there was something else going on. Before he could be completely engulfed, the flames vanished in an instant. He could see everyone once more, and more. Saber, Caster, and Asia were safe, albeit Saber was much worse for wear. The male devil and his fifteen female compatriots were on the other side of a large red circle, one that hadn't been there before.

Two glowing figures appeared before revealing themselves to be Rias and Akeno. The former of which glared daggers at the blond devil. An oppressive, almost suffocating aura emanated from her body, turning the air around her crimson. She looked angry at the male devil as she walked towards him.

"Well, you've finally come to greet me." He said while smirking. His head was tilted ever so slightly, just so that he could look down at her. "Your hospitality sure has gotten worse since the last time we met."

"And I see that you're causing trouble in my territory. Isn't that a little indignant of you?" Rias retorted, crossing her arms demandingly.

Riser lowered his head, showing a more serious face. "Yes, well, that's none of your concern. Considering how rarely you leave your little city, I wouldn't expect you to know a thing about the-"

"Holy Grail War." Rias interjected, putting a swift end to Riser's speech. "And those Command Seals prove that you're a Master… to both my surprise and my frustration." She said with a soft groan.

"Hm, It seems I haven't given you enough credit. If you know the circumstances, then surely there's no problem in what I'm doing here, yes? After all, eliminating the enemy is only natural, and required." The red haired girl said nothing, as she didn't need to. His expression changed, and a thin smile formed on his face. "Although, since you're here, I can do what I actually came here for."

"And what may that be?"

"Shouldn't it be obvious? I'm here to discuss our marriage."

"MARRIAGE?!" Issei and Saber looked at one another, their identical reactions confirming they had the same thought. Considering the conversation they were having, they didn't seem the least bit compatible. With what little they knew of Rias, they couldn't possibly imagine why she would choose to marry someone like Riser. A few seconds into that notion, and they had a realization. All things considered, it may not have been voluntary.

"I believe I made myself clear the last time you proposed. I have no intention of marrying you." Rias remained firm, her face unchanging and stern.

"Unfortunately, that's not quite your choice anymore." He said, his smile returning. "Earlier today, I had a lengthy conversation with your brother. He agreed that our marriage would be a step in the right direction. Our ceremony is scheduled to be in a few months, but I came to let you know early."

Rias flinched at his reference to her brother, her animosity towards him growing ever stronger. Even so, he kept his composure. Looking down at the self-restraining girl, he sighed and clapped his hands together.

"Well, we both expected you to resist, and you're brother is quite attached to you. Even if it's for the survival of our species, he was reluctant all the way. So we reached a compromise, a Rating Game between us to decide whether our marriage will be finalized."

"A what?" Issei thought puzzled.

"Tell me, how many members do you have?" Riser asked, gesturing to the girls behind him. "As you can see, I've maxed myself out. But from what I hear, you only have a handful under you. That's rather unfortunate for you, now isn't it?.

"Unlike you, I don't see my family as objects." She said, glancing at the blonde devil behind him. As it appeared, they were indeed siblings… one owned by the other.

"Regardless, victory is all but assured for me. So, I'm simply asking you to concede the Rating Game. Four or Five against sixteen? Well, if we add my Servant into the equation, it would be seventeen. The end results should be obvious."

"What if it was nine?" At that moment, Riser and Rias both looked to see that Issei had stepped forward. His eyes were clear, yet filled with a sort of resolve. His fists were clenched, as if he was about to punch Riser. The blond devil stared at Issei, at the draconic gauntlet on his arm, and at the Command Seals on the other.

"If I'm not mistaken, this is the new Red Dragon Emperor… well, whatever you are. I'd suggest you get lost. This is a matter between pure-blooded devils, something only we can participate in."

"But you just mentioned using your Servant." Issei retorted. "Besides, if you're so confident, a few extra players in this 'game' shouldn't matter, should it? Or are you just bragging?"

"Issei, stop." Rias said, but her words fell on deaf ears. Neither of the boys seemed to hear or listen, their attention locked onto one another.

"No, If this guy's gonna treat you like an object, he needs a few good hits. I'll be happy to give them." Issei said, cracking his knuckles.

"So then you're challenging me? No, you're insulting me" Riser muttered, his smile becoming crooked. His fists shook for a moment, but quickly calmed. He closed his eyes and hummed to himself briefly. "Well, Contesting and defeating not only the Princess of Ruin and the Red Dragon Emperor… on top of that, eliminating two servants for the price of one. Yes, this could work quite well!" He turned back to Rias. "Our Rating Game will be within two weeks. You have that long to decide whether or not your new ally will participate. I'll send you the details later"

Riser turned away and walked back to his collection of women. A large orange magic circle appeared beneath them, enveloping them in a harmless fire. With his back turned, he waved to the two. "I do hope you will make the right decision." with his last words spoken, the seventeen vanished into thin air. All that was left were Rias, Akeno, Issei, Asia, and their servants.

"Issei…" Rias said, her voice trembling. She looked at him, and he realized the aura around her hadn't left yet. Before he could respond she swung her arm, clipping her open palm across his face.

"R-Rias?" He stuttered surprised.

"What were you thinking?!" She shouted.

"Well, I was thinking about punching that guy." He answered, rubbing the red side of his face. "If you don't want to marry someone, then you shouldn't have to."

"You're putting yourself and Asia in danger by doing this. Riser will not not go easy on you, especially since he has a reason to kill you."

"Yeah, but that's not really anything different." Issei said, looking back at Asia and their servants. "We're already in danger no matter what. Until we win this war, that won't change. This is our chance to beat that Riser guy and his servant, it's a win-win."

"We want to help you, after what you did and what you still do for us. It's only right that we do what we can for you too." Asia added.

"Think of it as us repaying our debt." Saber interjected.

Rias looked blankly of the four, in awe of their declarations. Without a doubt, their assistance would be a huge benefit. Nearly instantaneous healing from both Asia and Caster, not to mention the latter's offensive capabilities, Saber's ability to fight at a distance and up close, and the Boosted Gear from Issei. Adding their strengths to hers could certainly turn the tables. Albeit, even at first glance, the four didn't seem like they'd even take no for an answer.

With that said, Rias looked at Akeno. The latter nodded, before a magical circle appeared beneath their feet.

"I'll speak with you tomorrow." She said, lowering her gaze. "Thank you."

And with that, they disappeared. The air resumed its movement, and everyone was filled with a refreshing air.

Saber turned towards Issei, looking at him curiously. "Hey Master, where'd you end up going?"

"Huh? Oh right. So I followed the music I heard to the park, and saw this girl playing a weird looking guitar. We sorta ended up getting lunch. I never got her name though." he said, smiling innocently. However, he noticed the stares from the three and stopped. "What?"

In silence, Caster evaporated into her spiritual form. Saber facepalmed, before doing the same. Asia could only hang her head down.

"What? Is something wrong?" He asked the blonde.

Asia lifted her head and smiled. "...no, it's nothing. They're just exhausted from fighting." she explained.

"Huh, that makes sense. Sorry I couldn't help much." he apologized.

"It's fine."

END