This is a fanfic. BUY THE FUCKING MERCHANDISE!
"Riser?!"
"Onii-sama?!"
"Riser-sama!"
"You!"
A cry of surprises rang out in the hall as the male Phenex had suddenly appeared. Riser stared dead into Valor's eyes as the former's were wincing at the heat and their burning flesh. "…Five…" The blonde Devil said with a narrowed gaze. "Four…" He continued counting down, ignoring the struggles and looks he was getting. "Three… Two… One- "
"Alright, fine!" Valor's grip around Ryuji's collar was released. Ryuji, meanwhile, while Valor back just as Riser let them go, shoved the Devil back. Stumbling, he gritted his teeth as a glare was directed to Riser. If looks could kill, Riser would have regenerated a few times by now. "So, you really were here all this time."
"Not at all." Riser dragged his hand back through his hair. "On the contrary, I just got back. It is my responsibility to entertain the one who I invited after all." He gestured with his hand to Ryuji, who was still looking absolutely baffled at the situation.
"Hmph!"" Valor's lips twitch upwards into a mocking smirk. "So, your Peerage really was telling the truth. You had gone into hiding after you lost against a group of humans!"
"Ah, yes, speaking of my Peerage…"
Riser swung his fist. Knuckles cracked across Valor's cheek and the Devil was sent flying down the hall. Hearing squeaks as they skidded along the tile, the Phenex wiped his hand with a cloth. "Harm any one of them again outside of a Rating Game and you'll come out with more than simple burns and a bruise." Riser looked down and seemed disgusted at a tooth that had been knocked out. Kicking it towards the body, he turned around to see the shocked looks of his audience.
"…Damn…" Ryuji quietly said aloud, not sure how to feel about the situation. Riser defended him… But this was Riser he was thinking about. Probably did all that due to his Peerage being hurt.
"Onee-sama… It has been a while since we last saw each other." Ravel bowed to greet her older brother.
"…Yes, it certainly has. It's good to see you as well, Ravel." Riser slowly said in agreement. With his gaze lingering on his sister for a second longer, he looked up to Ryuji for a moment. "…Girls," The blonde's eyes went to his Peerage. "I'll be sure to make up for the time we have been apart. But for now, could you please escort Valor out of the building? It is best that I sort things out with my Sakamoto-san here first. His confusion is so visible, I can't help but make it top priority or else I'll be a victim to that look all day."
"Of course, Riser-sama." Some of the girls of her Peerage stammered at his order but still gladly did what they were told. As the mass walked past Riser, Ryuji, and Ravel, all of them gave Ryuji a weird look. But they still proceeded to help drag Valor out of sight without any delay.
"You could have just said to stop looking at you like that, you know." Ryuji deadpanned, that last sentence that Riser had spoken still on his mind. Now his confusion was taken over by a slightly irritated look while placing a hand on his neck. "Not like I was doing it on purpose or anything." He rolled his head.
"Onii-sama," Ravel stepped into the conversation. "I thought you were at home for the entire time." She was extremely confused and concerned about that fact. "Where were you for the duration of me being in the human world? Did mother and father know about you leaving or did you not tell them? What did-?"
Ravel would have asked more questions if Riser didn't raise his hand to indicate that he wanted to speak. "I'll be sure to answer your questions, Ravel. And would you kindly stop giving me that look?" Riser let them both know, seeing Ryuji's face of annoyance out of the corner of his eye.
Ryuji was startled out of his thoughts when he was addressed. Blinking a few times, he shook his head and rubbed his face as if that were the method to straight it out. "Uh, yeah, sure, no problem." The dyed blonde did as he was kindly requested to.
"Though I believe a much more private place would be suitable." With that said, Riser turned around. "If you would follow me, please." Footsteps soon sounded off in the hall as the Phenex started walking. Though he did turn around when he didn't hear the other follow him. "Are you coming or what?"
"…" Ravel looked over to Ryuji and frowned when the human was giving her a weird look. After seeing Ryuji register what her look meant and corrected his face, she looked back towards her brother. Ryuji then moved forward from the corner of her eye, and she followed him in stride.
As the two walked after the older Phenex, it was certainly a strange atmosphere. Well, for Ryuji it was. He was just trying to process this entire thing while attempting to figure out what Riser's deal was. This was a sudden turn around to say the least. The fact that Riser was the one to invite him over was bizarre enough as it was. But the guy suddenly defending the human? Still acting like a pompous jerk, but it seemed that he was trying to be decent to Ryuji.
As Riser opened a door, he gestured for them to step inside. Peering inside, Ryuji that that the room was a small and cozy, a fireplace, a few chairs, couple of tables, and a few shelves full of books. Was this what people called a study? Taking another look at the male Phenex, Ryuji saw Riser stare back and the human slowly stepped inside.
"So am I supposed to take a chair or something?" Ryuji asked, turning around as Ravel entered with Riser shortly after.
"If you want." Riser answered, walking over towards one of the chairs and taking a seat for himself.
"…" Sitting down, Ryuji experimentally wiggled around in the chair, trying to really get a feel for the material. Looking up, he saw that Ravel was giving him a flat expression from his right while Riser was across and staring at him blankly. "I think I'll stand." He slowly said, getting up to his feet. "You want to sit, Ravel-san?" The blonde human patted the chair.
"…While your kindness is appreciated, I believe I'll stand as well." Ravel responded with a sniff. "But we should probably bring our attention back to Onii-sama." She waved his hand at Riser, to which Ryuji then looked over at the older Devil.
"…" Riser remained seated, fingers folded together and elbows resting on his knee. Taking in a deep breath, he sighed. "…Did you know that since her departure to the human world, Ravel continued to stay in touch with me?" He eventually asked.
"Really?" Ryuji looked over to the female of the trio who also happened to be looking at the human.
"Yes, is it really that much of a surprise?" Ravel raised an eyebrow back to him in return.
"Kind of." Ryuji shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, considering everything that happened with you and him at Gremory-san's celebration and all…" He raised a hand, wobbling it back and forth as if it were to remind them of such events. "You know, the two of you wouldn't be on good terms after being an asshole."
"Ryuji-san!" Ravel scolded.
"Yes, keep saying stuff like that." Riser quipped sarcastically in an even tone. "It's not like I'm sitting right here or anything."
"Don't mind if I do." Ryuji replied in a similar tone.
"…" Riser sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Look, let me at least say my piece before you start spouting off again." He began, getting Ryuji to open his mouth but Ravel luckily put her hand against the human's chest to keep them quiet. "Right when Ravel left to gain more allies when she would become an eventual King piece, I left my home to train myself after my humiliating defeat. But while I practiced, she would keep texting me about the days that would pass with you and the other humans. In all honesty, the way you all were treating her was mundane if you ask me. But soon she started to send me some interesting events that specifically involved you… Protecting her from the Fallen Angel, Kokabiel… Making sure she was safe during the meeting between the Three Factions… It all reminded me of that moment that when I struck her during Rias' celebration. You stood up against me and made sure she would not be harmed that time as well. With all of that in mind and thinking for a long time, I decided that the least I could do was show my appreciation. So, thank you Ryuji Sakamoto, for being there for my sister when I could not."
"…"
Ryuji blinked in absolute stupidity at the words Riser had imparted to him. "…" Opening his mouth, all he could do was close it seconds later since nothing came out. Looking down and to the side in thought, Ryuji ended up sliding over and sitting down in the chair he had previously sat in to take a breath. "Uhh… yeah. No problem… I guess." He scratched the back of his head.
"…Seriously?" Riser deadpanned. "That is all you have got to say. Not only that, but you guess as well?"
"Look, you suddenly dropped this massive explanation on me, and you were a big jerk the last time I saw you. Now here you are suddenly thanking me while still being an annoying prick at the same time." Taking in a deep breath, he took a few seconds to collect his thoughts before answering. "I get it, you really mean what you say. Just… try dropping that attitude of yours, okay?
"Ryuji-san, Onii-sama, can't you two just stop with the insults and get along already?" Ravel sighed, bringing a hand to her head and massage her temple as she felt a small headache coming on.
"What? I am trying my best here." Riser protested.
"And what a great job you're doing." Ryuji quipped sarcastically.
"What did I just say, you two?" Groaning, she began to walk towards the door. "There are a couple of things in my room that I would like to retrieve before dinner, so I will meet you two in the dining hall. I trust that at the very least the both of you will try to not kill each other while I am gone?" She looked back and narrowed her eyes at the two males in the room.
"Ravel, I can't speak for the both of us," Riser gestured between himself and Ryuji. "But do you really take me as someone who would do something so childish?"
"…" The girl decided not to dignify that question with an answer, instead choosing to leave the room with a stern look.
"...Eat shit and die." Ryuji suddenly insulted in a low tone.
"Yes, screw you." Riser deadpanned.
Glaring, both blondes remained in their chairs across from one another. Though after a few seconds, Riser's face twitched. Shortly after, the corner of Ryuji's mouth curved up slightly. Bringing a fist up, Riser covered his mouth as his body began to tremble with the sounds of snickering. Ryuji meanwhile rested his thumb and fore finger against his head and showed off a grin which was accompanied by chuckles. Soon enough, they couldn't contain it any longer as they both entered a small fit of laughter.
Riser sighed in content as he stood up. "Come, I'll take you to the dining hall." He invited, holding his hand out for Ryuji to take. "I can give you a quick rundown of which utensils are to be use for what meals before the food is served. I assume you are unaware of something like that."
Ryuji took Riser's hand and was pulled up off his seat. "…Wait, that's actually a thing?" He blinked in surprise. "I thought that was just some fancy joke."
"I can assure you; everything is made with a purpose." Riser answered as he began to take Ryuji to their destination. "With the exception of the appendix."
TakeABreak
"Please relax and enjoy yourselves as if this were your own home. The maids will attend to your every need."
Zeoticus Gremory did his best to help his guests relax as all the Devils and Phantom Thieves sat down at the long table. Evenly spaced out, the Devils were on one end (family and Peerage were meant to be together all the humans guessed) and the others were on the opposite end. Yusuke looked all around him, eyes wide as he was trying to absorb every bit of décor and presentation of the room, snapping out of his wonder as Xenovia gently pinched his side as she was thankfully next to him. Taking the silk napkins, Futaba and Issei both followed Makoto and Haru's lead when putting them down on their legs.
"Thank you for your generous hospitality." Haru thanked the Devil with a small smile and bow in her seat. "I will admit, I was slightly concerned about where we would have to stay when we all decided to attend and watch this Devil event."
"It's our pleasure." A brown-haired woman, who almost looked like an identical copy of Rias, reassured in a sincere manner. Everyone new had learned that this was Rias' mother, therefore Zeoticus' wife, Venelana Gremory. "Especially since we get to meet and talk to you all personally instead of being far away and watching you all display your power."
Ann's face grew into surprise. "Oh?" She asked aloud as a couple of maids put down a plate of food in front of not only her, but everyone else at the table. "R-right... that." She laughed a bit sheepishly, recalling the events of the Rias' celebration after her Rating Game against Riser.
"Yes, that." Zeoticus confirmed, smiling as he raised his knife and fork to start cutting the steak he was having. "I must ask though, where is your leader? Akira Kurusu, I believe? He wasn't among you all when you all came here." He questioned, sawing away at the meat.
"Unfortunately, Akira-kun is over at the Sitri household with Sona-san." Makoto answered question after taking a sip from her glass (water, as she was underage and couldn't have alcohol).
"Ah, yes, Sirzechs and Rias did mention how... close the two of them have been after the meeting of the Four Factions." The head of the Gremory family bit down on his cut-up meat, chewing it a few times and swallowed. "Though I'm not sure if that relationship will last very long."
"I'm sure our leader will find a way." Morgana commented as Koneko was feeding him. "When he has his mind set to something, it's almost scary how fast he can learn or come up with a plan. I wouldn't be surprised if he managed to think up of something not only yesterday, but on the way here as well."
"Perhaps." Venelana scooped up some soup, blowing on the liquid to cool it down a bit before consuming the dish. "But the rules and traditions of Devil society are very strict. I hope that your leader is at least prepared to fail should he be unsuccessful with whatever he has in mind." Her statement was met with a couple of strange looks from the humans. "Sona Sitri has already rejected many proposals and arrangements that had been made for her due to... personal requirements." The noble lady explained. "She has only managed to avoid issues such as this for so long due to the heads of the Sitri family agreeing and setting high standards to make sure their family will prosper. Akira Kurusu being human unfortunately does not line up with their standards."
"..." All of the Phantom Thieves exchanged looks. The Devils gauged their reactions. While the former seemed to be mixed, some of the latter (particularly the adults and Millicas) were surprised to see them all smile at one another, nodding as if everything was going to be okay.
"He'll find a way." Futaba stated as if it were fact, not opinion. "If he doesn't succeed at first, he'll try and try and try again. Even when it seems impossible, Akira will figure it out and turn the tides in his favor." She grew a small grin, as if she knew something the others didn't. The ginger then immediately changed moods as she dug into her meal, having a quiet side conversation with both Koneko and Gaspar in the process.
After that little moment, the silence grew once again. Only the sounds of cutlery tapping against the porcelain plating brought a bit of noise to the atmosphere around them.
Thankfully, that all ceased when Millicas looked from his plate. "If you don't mind me asking, what kind of feats have you done during your time as Phantom Thieves?" The red-headed boy asked curiously. "I have heard a lot about what you all have done, like that teacher and that artist to name a couple. But I'm more curious about the how and the process that occurred to achieve your results."
Ann blinked a few times, not used to hearing a child speak so politely or professionally, let alone at the same time.
TakeABreak
Akira suppressed a shiver as he could feel the cold atmosphere despite the warm food he consumed.
Easily, he could observe each gaze that was sent his way despite everyone seeming to be preoccupied with their own meals. Being seated at the other side of the table, the far end away from the Sitri family, was a helpful area to be at. Though at the same time, Akira couldn't help but get the impression that they wanted their youngest daughter to be far away from him. Understandable, considering the warnings he had received due to their different races.
First, the one who did not look happy just by being in the same room as him; Lady Snezana Sitri. He had a hard time trying to gauge a reaction from Sona's mother. Luckily, he had managed to catch a couple of cracks in her façade that indicated his suspicions. Clearly, she was upset with his declaration and was perhaps trying to find the best way to shut him down. He bet she originally would call him out and have him be kicked out due to such a declaration of his status between him and Sona, but that would be rude and unfair considering how he was Sona's (and by extension if that wasn't well enough, Serafall's) guest.
Next up was Lord Soppa Sitri, the father. Second person to take note of and Akira was having more than a difficult time trying to figure out what the man's opinion was on the teenager. But that itself was probably an interesting thing, there was possibly no solid impression Akira had made immediately. To Akira, that made Lord Sitri a character who he needed to be cautious of. The observational mask that would glance at Akira every so often while scanning everyone at the table with his face never showing off what the man may be thinking... It was slightly unnerving.
Sona and Serafall both seemed to share similar thoughts as they kept on eyeing Akira in the middle of their meal. Sona's looks, while maintaining calm and in thought, were still a bit nervous, something that was not missed by the people at the table. Serafall's usual perky expression meanwhile was wiped away, replaced with a calculating scan. While he did appreciate their worry, Akira gave them reassuring looks that everything was fine.
The Peerage... it was a mixture of the Sitri siblings apart from one reincarnated Devil: Saji Genshirou. That guy shared the same disdain as Lady Sitri and did not bother hiding it at all. It didn't really help either that Akira had been seated next to him. The spectacle-wearing teenager could practically see Saji imagining themself chewing Akira's head every time they took a bit of their meal.
"Kurusu, was it?" Lady Sitri spoke when she had finished her food, grabbing the attention of everyone as she had put her utensils down while wiping her mouth with her napkin. "About what you said earlier... I'm sure you're aware about our situation here when it comes to Devils, yes?" Narrowed eyes were aimed right at the human. "Especially with the Devils Clans of the 72 Pillars?"
"..." Akira blinked as he now saw that all eyes were on him at the same time instead of different intervals. Holding back a sigh, he put his own knife and fork down, the tools tapping against the dinnerware. "Yes, I am familiar with all of that, especially the fact that you all prefer marriage between pure-bloods to maintain your status.
"If that's the case, then that means you're also aware of the Council." Lord Sitri suddenly took the spotlight. It wasn't as patronizing at his wife's tone. Sona's father took on a more... clinically curious volume. "You are the leader of the Phantom Thieves, as you claim. I doubt that you are some fool to make a bold declaration without having a plan in mind."
Akira wondered if this was a way to get him to say exactly what he was going to do. But instead of that, he had something else in mind. "Well, while I do, I would prefer that I at least get the permission and blessing of Sona-chan's parents first. She is, after all, your daughter."
"And how exactly would you plan on that?" Lady Sitri asked, not seeing her youngest daughter fidgeting slightly in her seat while Serafall put a hand to her leg to calm the sibling. "You are aware of many factors that allow us to deny you, yet you are simply deciding to ignore them all!" She snapped harshly while Lord Sitri glanced to the side in the direction of all the female Sitris. "Once again, the Council would never allow it!"
"And if they could?"
One sentence.
All it took was one sentence to send the table into another state of silence as a couple of servants managed to quickly take the finished plates and retreat to the kitchens. Now that the table was empty, Akira put his hands up, fingers folded together, and rested them on the surface.
Before Lady Sitri could open her mouth again, Lord Sitri managed to hold his hand up. That caused his wife to immediately go still. But still, she leaned over and had a very hushed conversation with her husband. While that happened, Akira managed to exchange a look with Sona, and she managed to at least stop fidgeting at the sight of his determination.
Eventually, Lord Sitri stood up from the table. "Sona, if you and your Peerage may follow me, please. Serafall, you may follow if you would like" His sudden request was met with confusion, but all the requested Devils nodded their head and stood up as well. The sounds of chair sliding filled the air. "Kurusu, you will come as well."
That confusion turned to surprise as all of the Devils but Lord and Lady Sitri snapped their heads towards Akira. The Phantom Thief had to admit, he did not anticipate his own invitation for this. He thought that it was going to be a private discussion between all the Devils about this situation. Was that not going to be the case? Perhaps he was overthinking this.
Either way, Akira got up to his feet as well and started to trail behind the Devils.
Walking through the halls, down some stairs, through some more halls, everyone eventually ended up at what Akira could be described as either a garden or the side of a lake... Most likely the latter due to the large body of water that was nearby. Could be a combination as well. The ground was filled with healthy grass and greenery that was clearly taken care of with a lot of love instead of dirt and gravel.
"You might be wondering why all of you, especially you, Kurusu, have been led out here by me." Lord Sitri suddenly began while Lady Sitri remained silent but by his side. "Sona is not one to completely associate herself with absolute brutes, she made this clear when she demanded that she consider those that beat her at chess to be potential candidates. I bring up the word potential since there are indeed many individuals that could pull off such a feat, intentional or unintentional, but there are still many requirements." During his speech, he looked towards Sona. "Sona, is this what you really want? Are you truly okay with being in a relationship with this human?"
Taking in her father's words, Sona looked over to Akira once more. She did more than think, she reminisced. Explaining the concept of Devils to him when Akira first found out. The deal made between them upon figuring out his Phantom Thief status. Their battles of wit during breaks. The day when Akira managed to be her at chess and pointing out some facts when it came to marriage. The awakening of her Persona and the two fending off Katerea together. That moment in Tokyo, when it was the two of them in the Sky Tower.
...Become like water, and flow.
That's right... those words...
Taking in a deep breath, she looked back to her father and nodded her head. "I am confident this is what I want." Sona stated. "We have done a lot together. There are moments where I don't understand him, but that's who he is. If he thinks can find a way to convince the Council to approve of this, then I will help him achieve such a result. No matter what hardships we face, we will adapt and eventually find a way through it."
Curious, she looked over her Peerage to see their reactions. All of them... seemed pretty happy for her. All of them gave her small smiles and a couple even sports a thumbs-up. Saji however... still seemed angry. Not as bad as it was back in the dining room though, more of an unhappy frown. The male teenager's eyes swept between Sona and Akira multiple times, something turning in his head and forming a conclusion he may have to reluctantly accept.
"Hmm..." Lord Sitri hummed as scanned his daughter one last time. A few seconds passed before looking at Akira then. "If that is the case, then I want to see if you really are at least have potential."
Akira blinked. This... was going a bit more smoothly than he thought... Although this was taking a direction he did not expect in the slightest. "What exactly did you have in mind?" He asked. As soon as that question escaped his lips, he then registered the environment around them as well as the people and had a feeling that he knew that it was going to be.
"I want you to go all out and fight Sona's Peerage."
...Once again, not the direction he expected.
"I'll refer to what I previously said, there is a reason Sona stated that she would rather be with someone who can be her at chess. But there is a reason why Rating Games are a way to settle many issues, and that is power. Power is something we Devils revere and follow." Lord Sitri explained himself. "If you truly are the leader of the Phantom Thieves, then I want to see that proof by witnessing your skills."
Akira frowned slightly. Surely there were better ways to display his power, right? Heck, was displaying his strength in the first place really the best way to show off his title? Just being named the leader should have been enough to at least reassure what he could potentially do. Was this possibly a ploy to show off what he could do and be told that his relationship wouldn't be approved but could change if he became a part of Lord Sitri's Peerage?
While it was a small possibility, he doubted that an Evil Piece alone could work on him or any of the others. The only reason it worked on Futaba in the first place when it came to the issue between Rias and Riser was because the hacker was able to mess around with the properties of the item.
"Besides," Lord Sitri continued, eyeing Sona's Peerage. "It would be good to see what you all have learned and improved."
Every teenager Devil inhaled since now they were a part of the main event. Akira could not blame them. Having to suddenly be judged by the head of one of the 72 Pillars was one thing, but also to show the hard work of said Pillar's daughter... This was indeed a devious move. Gazing at Sona and her Peerage, he sighed as it seems like he really had to fight them all. Rolling his finger, he watched as they all slowly looked at him as well, getting ready in anticipation of what would come next.
"Begin."
When the sudden signal was revealed by Lord Sitri, Akira noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. Looking over, reflexes kicked in as he suddenly rolled out of the way of several magical blasts. Akira immediately had Arsene drag him out of the way and fly up towards a tree, taking that moment to immediately transform into his Phantom Thief attire.
Not a second even passed when Tsubaki came flying towards him with a naginata, slashing the trunk where he was a second ago. It would have been a devastating blow if Akira hadn't kicked off the bark. Extending his arms, he swung around a tree branch to avoid a stab and punch where Tomoe and Tsubasa struck. Using the momentum from the swing, he planted his feet against Arsene's boots and used them as a springboard, avoiding a magical blast from Reya while kicking another magic blast like a soccer ball that was fired by Momo
Rolling on the ground to avoid a tether being shot at him, Akira didn't look up as Saji was coming in at a very quick speed due to the line that Akira avoided reeling him in. Saji suddenly saw movement of Akira's hand quickly snap and made out the image of a gun. With quick reactions as soon as he landed on the ground, the blonde immediately leapt backwards to the safety of his Peerage instead of engaging Akira and take on whatever mysterious attack the black-haired teen had in store for him.
...Only so see that Akira had nothing in his hand. In fact, the hand wasn't balled up into a fist for punched. Instead, Akira had his hand pointing a finger gun right in the direction where Saji was just a couple of seconds ago.
The air went silent as Akira slowly stood up properly. Looking over towards Sona and her Peerage, he wiggled his finger gun back and forth with a grin that irritated some of the Devils due to not landing a single blow despite their advantage with numbers, their timing of attacks, and that Akira had pulled a fast one on them with his finger gun.
"What," Akira soon asked with a casual shrug of his shoulder to break the quiet area. "No chit-chat or pleasantries?" Rolling his neck, the boy the cracked his knuckles. "Just getting right to the fight, huh?"
Immediately extending his left hand, one of the knobs on the watch he had received earlier from Azazel shot out a thick cable that wrapped around Saji's arm. Surprised at this sudden display, the others were too slow to react as Saji was suddenly dragged away and before he knew it, into Akria's grasp. Looking up from the fist that was holding him, he that Akira was still grinning and Saji immediately retaliated with a knee to Akira's stomach.
Or at least, the blonde attempted to. Before he could even land his blow, Saji's chin was struck with a powerful blow from Arsene's uppercut, knocking him up towards the air. Crouching down, Akira and Arsene immediately began advancing towards the other Devils.
"Tsubasa!" Tsubaki shouted.
"On it!" Tsubasa replied, getting in front of Akira's path. Catching the human, she wrapped her arms around his stomach while her front was pressed against his back to hold him in place. "Now!" She exclaimed as Tsubaki was already in the air, poised to strike.
Arsene however struck the naginata, sending Tsubaki back while firing a powerful blast of black-and-red energy towards her. The girl smirked at this however and raised her hands, calling upon her Sacred Gear, Mirror Alice. Glass soon began to fill the area in front of her until a mirror formed, shattering when the magic met the object. The effects were immediate as the energy appeared to have doubled in size and shot straight back at the Persona, who took the blast head on.
That smirk on her face quickly disappeared though when the black magic condensed a bit to show that the Persona didn't even have a single scratch on it despite taking the reflected attack at full force. Swinging its arms around and crossing them, Arsene threw its limbs outwards with great power, two powerful blasts now coming out. To its left, Momo was blasted sky high. To the right, Reya flew up but still didn't come out unscathed.
With Arsene was occupied with the two Bishops, Tomoe swiftly charged towards Akira who was still grappled by Tsubasa. With hand on her blade, she got close to striking when she noticed that Akira had his gun already in his hand and pointing at the ground rather than at Tsubasa. Where he was aiming though had a very interesting white patch.
A gunshot erupted Akira's position as Tomoe was about to land her slash when suddenly several tornados suddenly appeared. The world for all the Devils began to spin as they were not prepared for such magic despite desperately trying to use their wings to keep balance. The last thing Tomoe saw was that the patch of white was a card with green tornados on it (Magarudyne) and a bullet hole through it.
Struggling to keep her grip on Akira despite the violent winds cutting and throwing her around, Tsubasa felt something place against her back. Gritting her teeth, still refusing to let go, she looked over and saw Akira's hand dropping away from what looked like a bomb that was attached to her back. With wide eyes of shock, she braced herself for the explosion as the blast forced her to release her grip on Akira.
Now free and flipping around, Akira pointed his gun at Tsubasa and shot her shoulder, causing her to scream in pain. Spinning from the recoil, Akira used Arsene as a footstool to stabilize himself mid-air. Aiming, he fired towards Tomoe. With another cry confirming him landing his shot, Akira looked over and felt a tether wrap around his free arm with Reya attempting to aim another attack at him. Akira suddenly felt his energy being drained as Saji grinned victoriously.
Resting his equipped arm against his back, Akira shot a piece of debris out of the way before having Arsene reach up and yank the tether that was connected to Saji. The male Devil shouted in surprise as he was dragged over and felt the barrel of Akira's firearm press against his shoulder. A second later, Saji flew away as he was shot, but still managed to maintain the connection. Reya, seeing that Saji was in the clear now, was about to release her magical blast, but the piece of debris that Akira had blasted earlier had flown in her direction, cracking right against her skull.
Kicking off Arsene and spinning, he dragged Saji back. Planting his feet against Saji's face and stomach, Akira used the Devil as the surface to keep balance while shooting Tsubaki's arm as the Queen piece had tried to attack Akira while in the middle of all this chaos. Still feeling his energy being drained, Akira finally aimed at the connection between him and Saji. Taking aim, not only did he break the tether, but he also shot Saji's gauntlet-covered arm with the same bullet. Kicking off the male, Akira's final target was an easy pick, shooting his gun one last time and piercing Momo's side.
With the tornados settling down, Akira landed down on the ground with the only indication of harm on his body were the marks left by Saji's tether. Brushing the dust off his jacket, he flinched slightly when the bodies started from the sky and land with thuds and painful groans. Looking around for a few seconds and seeing none of the Devils really get up, Akira looked over to see all the Sitris watching him with mixed expressions.
Serafall had her mouth covered with both of her hands, but her shocked expression was slightly overshadowed by her excitement. She almost seemed to be giggling like a child, mumbling about how Akira was flipping all over the place and pulling off such flamboyant tricks.
Sona had her arms folded, chin resting in her hand. She was taking a more observational outlook to this event. That was pretty good in Akira's opinion, as she was taking this as a learning experience to see what the strengths and weaknesses were of her Peerage and what they could possibly do to fix some problems.
Lady Sitri... it seemed as though she had left in the middle of the battle. Perhaps combat wasn't her thing.
Lord Sitri on the other hand... Well, he had a slight frown on his face.
"I think we're done here." The human stated, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a Mediarama card, letting Arsene claw the item and allowing the entire Peerage to be healed. "Your guys' teamwork is amazing." Akira then complimented Sona's Peerage. "As soon as one of you make an opening, the rest of you capitalize on it quickly with efficiency and timing. If that were any of the other Phantom Thieves, I'm sure you would have given them a tough time."
Sona's Peerage all groaned in unison somehow as they all pushed themselves up to their feet. All expect Saji though, who remained sitting on the ground. "...Guess you really are the leader of the Phantom Thieves, huh?" He asked with a sigh, leaning backwards, using his hands to support himself. "Should have seen that ass-kicking a mile away."
"I'm sure that you'll be the one kicking ass when the day comes." Akira provided reassurance before looking over to the higher-class Devils. "Was that satisfying enough to watch?" He asked, namely in Lord Sitri's direction.
"..." Taking in a deep breath, Lord Sitri sighed. "Are you trying to disappoint me?"
Everyone blinked in surprise at the questions. Even Akira was caught off-guard.
"Father... What are you talking about?" Sona asked in confusion.
"I told Kurusu here to go all out. Yet instead, he decided to put on a show for all of us to watch." Lord Sitri elaborated. "I've heard about your deeds and claims. You don't manage to achieve what you have done with such flashy moves, but with brutal efficiency." That declaration made everyone blink, especially Akira. The human's eyes soon took on an understanding look, but that expression turned into a slightly unhappy one at that.
"...Are you serious?"
Everyone looked towards Saji who was gritting his teeth. "You weren't taking us seriously this entire time?!" Shooting up to his feet, he grabbed Akira by the collar. "Are you kidding me?!"
"Saji!" Tsubaki exclaimed, strutting up between the two males. "Let him go right now!"
"Well..." Akira began, grabbing Saji and Tsubaki's attention. "I wasn't trying to kill you guys. But I can assure you that I was taking this seriously. This brutal efficiency Lord Sitri is talking about..." He trailed off, shocking all the young Devils. "That kind of stuff is more for the monsters we fought in the Metaverse.
"..." Saji growled in irritation before shoving Akira away. "Then show me what you're talking about!" He pointed. "We're going to have a duel! One on one! No hold barred! All! Out!"
Sona and Serafall stepped forward, about to stop this, but Lord Sitri held his arms out. The male Devil shook his head slowly as his daughters looked like they were about to protest. But his gaze told them to watch and wait.
Akira looked down for a moment, considering his words. "But if you really want me to fight like that, you can hardly call that a duel."
"Exactly." Saji replied immediately. "It would be a real fight."
"A real fight?" Akira parroted. Without waiting for Saji's response, he put a hand to his chin. "How should I put this?" It took him a couple of seconds to think before coming up with an idea. "Hrm... Would you mind showing me your gauntlet?"
Saji blinked. "Huh?" He grunted out in confusion before looking towards his Sacred Gear. "What about-"
Suddenly, the Devil felt something pressing against his throat and caused his to gasp.
"...It?"
Looking up, he saw that Akira was no longer in his original spot. Slightly turning his head, Saji saw that a knife was hugging his throat. Not only that, but the human was the one holding it while being right behind the blonde. He didn't even see Akira move, let alone anticipate an incredible speed.
"With that, you're dead." Akira stated.
Gone was his slightly whimsical voice, replaced with a neutral, perhaps cold and calculating, tone. The human saw Saji open his mouth to protest, but he continued, not giving Saji the chance to speak.
"You want to try again: I didn't give you enough warning: you'd be fine if you were ready. Excuses like that mean nothing. Unfairness and deceit are superior. The difference between life and death. Would you call this a real fight?" The leader of the Phantom Thieves slowly took his knife off Saji's neck. "Would you be able to accept losing like this?"
"..."
Akira stepped forward so that he would be right in front of Saji and saw that the Devil was looking down to hide their face. Putting a hand to his chin in thought, he considered something. "How long have you been a Devil for, Saji-san?" He asked, taking on his usual tone of voice.
"Only a bit longer than Hyoudou-san." Saji answered. "Why? What's up?"
"I don't know exactly what kind of training Sona-chan has been doing with you guys, but I've been at this for at least a year." Akira reminded. "Not only that, but we were constantly in life-or-death situations with nobody to teach us. We Phantom Thieves had to learn what we do on our own. But with all your fellow peers, resources, and Sona-chan at hand, I'm sure you'll be the one delivering an ass-kicking. Not sure if this sounds repetitive or redundant, but these things take time, effort, practice, and applying them."
"..." Saji didn't say anything for the first few seconds. "...You got any tips for me?" He eventually asked, looking away.
Akira's lips quirked as he hummed in thought. "You're able to absorb people's energy with your tether, yes?"
"Yeah, it's a part of my Sacred Gear."
"Is that all?" Akira asked. "Because I remember it being said that Vali-san could add the divided power of his opponents to his own while Issei-san can transfer his boosted power to others. Perhaps you can transfer the stolen energy to your own allies? Also, being able to defend yourself would be a crucial thing to learn. Despite managing to get a hold of me, it didn't do much since I managed to overpower you. If you fight back while maintaining connection, it could be devastating to your enemy as they're losing energy in a combination of your absorption and taking blows from you." He smiled. "I practiced some Wing Chun back in Tokyo, so I can teach you some moves if that helps. Plus, I can see if I can get Ann to help you out. Considering your little absorbing line, it can be used as a whip, and Ann specializes in that kind of stuff. Not only that, but we can see if we can find more stuff out about your Sacred Gear together."
Blinking, Saji looked back towards Akira. "...You really mean it? You'd do all that for me?" The Devil watched as Akira tilted his head in confusion but still nodded all the same. "...I really can't compete with you, huh?" He said extremely quietly to himself before nodding back. "Alright, but you better help me enough so that I can beat Hyoudou-san! Him getting a Persona is already making me lag behind, so I've got some catching up to do!"
Chuckling, Akira stood up and held out a hand. "I'll see what I can do." He said as Saji took the offered limb, and they shook a couple of times. With his conversation down with Saji, he looked over to the higher-class Devils. "Does that show you how capable I am, Lord Sirti? Or is there something else that you have in mind?"
"..." Lord Sitri slowly tilted his head, a ghost of amusement on his face. "If you won't go all out against Sona's Peerage," He stepped forward. "Then how about me?"
That alarmed Akira, causing him to immediately twist his body and lower himself into a stance as if the high Devil would have attacked him on the stop. Such a sudden action startled everyone if they hadn't already been so by Lord Sitri's question. "What?!" Akira couldn't help but ask aloud.
"Father, don't you think that this is enough?! Even I must admit, this is ridiculous" Sona exclaimed in exasperation. "You've already witnessed his skills and heard of his feats! Why do you insist on keeping up these so-called tests!?"
"I simply want to see how he would handle these situations." Lord Sitri answered as cool as ice, taking another step forward, the very ground he walked on cracking due to a sudden drop in temperature.
Akira frowned, hands in pockets as he fiddled around inside, trying to mentally keep note of the Ice Wall cards. "You already know about my situation when going all-out. I can't-"
"And that's your mistake. I'm a Devil. A monster." Lord Sitri raised his voice as the human shivered and could see his breath despite the high-class Devil not even making a single bit of movement indicating that he was the cause of this abnormal chill. "Look closely, leader of the Phantom Thieves. Do you really see a human in front of you?" He then pointed towards Sona. "Or are you hesitating because the one you claim you love is a monster as well?!"
Several gasps inhaled audibly at Lord Sitri's demand for an answer for such a sudden question. Such words rendered many people speechless about how the man could speak about her daughter in such a fashion. Serafall was surprised, but was the first to recover, sending her father a disapproving look and a sigh with a shake of her head. Sona was next, seeming to realize something and frowned. Tsubaki was third, sharing a similar reaction to her King piece.
"..."
Staring, Akira took in a deep breath, nodding a couple of times as if he knew what Lord Sitri was doing. Eyes then narrowed as a familiar feeling washed over him... A feeling that only took over whenever he fought Shadows going through Palaces and Mementos... A feeling when he faced Yaldabaoth after what that god had done to all his friends.
"Okay... I'll play."
His hand flew out of his pocket, and several cards flowed out at the same time while rushing forward. Arsene was right behind him, clawing all the items at the same time. Red, purple, and green all rushed towards Akira and Lord Sitri while a bombardment of wind, lightning, fire, ice, nuclear, psychic, light, and darkness rained down on the latter. Lord Sitri stepped back, being on the defensive as water flowed in front of him before solidifying into a barrier of ice, blocking each element.
As Akira was on the move though, he saw something coming his way from the side and skidded to a halt. A massive wall of ice erupted out of the ground in front of the boy, right where he would have been a second later if he kept running. Snapping his head over, Akira pointed his gun on in the direction where the ice had started to rise.
"Honestly, Akira-kun, I never expected for you to fall for my father's bait."
Sona's voice caused Akira to pause just was his finger was about to pull the trigger. Walking forward, Sona was in her Phantom attire, strutting up to the boy with Leviathan slithering in the air right above her. When she was a few feet in front of him, she stopped and folded her arms.
"To be fair, I already know that he's provoking me and wants to see what I can do." Akira pointed out with a shrug of his shoulder.
"...Sona..."
"If you already know, then why are you attacking him in the first place?" Sona questioned, not seeming to hear her father speak. "I thought my father told you I don't completely associate myself with absolute brutes."
"...Sona."
"Is it really considered being a brute if I'm at least trying to make him take back that comment about you being a monster?" Akira replied curiously, not hearing Lord Sitri either. "No matter how obvious it was to try and rile me up?"
"Sona."
"Oh please, a comment like that? From my father of all people? To make me feel bad or offended?" Sona rolled her eyes, still not hearing her father. "I didn't expect you to have so little faith in me, Akira-kun." She tapped his head. "How about you sit this one out? It's been a while since I've had a proper conversation with my father."
"...Heh." Akira chuckled. "Sorry, but I'm going to have to stick around. We're in this together after all. Plus, you still need some work on your Persona."
Sona didn't verbally reply, only settling for a smirk as the two of them looked back at her father.
Lord Sitri wasn't showing it, but the two teenagers could only guess that the man was surprised. "...So this is the great Leviathan you were talking about, Serafall... Sona's new power..." He mused before looking over to the older sister. "You made it sound bigger."
"Well, it is pretty big, you know!" Serafall exclaimed. "Just look at it!"
"You made it sound like it was the size of a mountain when in reality it's... just two or three times larger than the average Devil."
"Well just you wait! When you get hit by Sona-chan, it will feel like you got hit by a mountain!" Serafall shouted. "Together, Sona-chan and Akira-kun are unstoppable!"
This was causing Lord Sitri to raise an eyebrow. Looking back, Akira and Sona were already in battle stances, ready to rumble. The high-class Devil looked between the two and thought back to Akira's display once again. With a grunt, Lord Sitri began to raise his hands into the air. The ice wall that Sona erected suddenly began to shake and stir before turning into a massive wave of water.
Both teenagers immediately braced themselves for what was going to come next.
...Only to see Lord Sitri wave his hands as the water soared towards the middle of the lake with a large splash. "Alright, I've seen enough."
"..." Everyone else had the same reaction. "What?"