New Devil of The Gremory House
Life 8: Clash
Some people asked why I put brackets around the [Evil Pieces] when I write them, that is purely for novelty and because it looked pretty cool in the Light Novels when I read them.
I'm sorry if I didn't explain that. But that's just a little feature I put in this story for fun because I wasn't sure if many others utilize that effect.
So, I just found out that among the new series that will be coming out next spring, one of them is a new season of Gintama...
...
Hope someone takes the time to pick up that phone...cause I fucking CALLED IT!
Merry Christmas! And Happy Holidays!
||||||||Devil||||||||
There was an unsettling, eerie silence over the artificial space of the city created for the Rating Game. Moments ago they were standing in a bustling city corner filled with people going to their early jobs and cars honking while they drove through the street. And in a flash of light that all disappeared, leaving only a few empty cars in the streets and buildings filled with vacant space.
It was like being in a ghost town.
A group of several young ladies were making their way through the silent city street on the other side of the field in search of their opponents, the Gremory group. But so far they had come up empty in their search.
A young girl carrying a wooden staff with bright blue hair wearing a white haori and red obi looked around hesitantly. She continued searching before asking the others in her group, "Do you think it is odd that we have not spotted head nor tail of any of Rias-sama's peerage yet? Surely we should have seen one of them by now."
"Don't get paranoid Mira, that's the downfall of any warrior on the battlefield." Siris, Riser's [Knight] that secured a large Zweihänder on her back, reassured the [Pawn] as she led her group through the silent city. She continued her diligent surveying of the area and spoke over her shoulder, "Keep on your guard, all of you. We do not know what this group will do in their attempt to secure victory against Riser-sama."
Among Siris' group was Mira the [Pawn], Ni and Li the twin [Pawns] dressed like cats, the [Rook] Xuelan in a Chinese garb, and a kimono wearing [Bishop] by the name of Mihae. This party was just one group from the entirety of Riser Phenex's peerage, that had split up to cover more ground as they tried to find their enemies and realize their goal.
Destroy them.
*Tap*Tap*Tap*Tap*
A metallic tapping could be heard through the area as the girls of the Phenex group all jumped into their battle stances. They looked around cautiously for the origin of the strange noise before they spotted the perpetrator in question.
Sitting on top of one of the empty cars in the street was the blond man with whiskers they had seen insult Riser in the club a few days earlier. He was staring up at the purple sky as he leaned back on one hand and tapped his sheathed knife against the roof of the car with the other. He continued tapping his knife while inquiring to his opponents with honest surprise, "So is this all really just a copy of the city made for this fight? It feels so real. I gotta hand it to the Devils, when they want something they go all out for it."
Siris lowered her weapon but kept her firm glare on the lackadaisical blond, "What are you doing just sitting around during a Rating Game? Are you not the least bit threatened by the concept of fighting our group?"
"It's not that." Naruto looked around a little while the sound of his knife against the roof continued right besides him. He shrugged his shoulders, "I just wanted to get a moment of peace and silence from all the rambling and planning so I came out here. I just sorta lost track of time and now you guys are here. Big mistake on my part I guess."
Despite his words, his tone and lack of interest in their group showed that he was not in the least bit pressed by the fact that his enemies had arrived in front of him and were ready to attack. Xuelan grew infuriated at his attitude and shouted, "Are you taking us, the members of Riser-sama's peerage, lightly?! As a [Pawn], we know what your abilities entitle! We are in the other half of the city, which means that our [Pawns] are capable of using Promotion, while you have severely crippled your battle prowess by foolishly heading us off like this into your territory!"
Naruto looked up as he gave some thought to her words before clicking his teeth, "Meh. I'm not so sure I wanna get into another situation where I try using that upgrade thing and getting screwed by it."
"Whether you believe it or not, you are at a great disadvantage here." Siris lifted her massive blade as the others in her group got into their fighting forms and faced the resting blond. Siris pointed her blade at him, "Do you believe that you can beat three [Pawns], a [Rook], [Bishop], and a [Knight] all by yourself?"
Naruto looked towards them, "No..."
He stopped tapping his knife against the hood and smiled, "I just had to wait for the perfect moment."
"GAH!"
"ACK!"
"AHHHH!"
Siris looked back to see the girl with white hair from the Gremory group standing between the [Pawn] twins and [Bishop] as she had snuck up behind them and landed devastating strikes to their unguarded form. As the [Bishop] fell over unconscious, Koneko jumped over her and sent a hook kick into Xuelan's head that knocked her further down the street. As Koneko landed into her battle stance the [Bishop's] body shined before she disappeared and a disembodied voice rang over the battle area.
[Combatant Riser Phenex's [Bishop] retired.]
Siris' eyes widened and she pulled her blade up to attack the short girl before she heard another yelp of pain besides her. Naruto had dashed in from the side and slammed into Mira's side to knock her over before pulling out his knife and aiming for the [Knight's] face. Siris blocked the knife with the hilt of her sword and swung it out at the blond just as he fell backwards and used his hands to bounce off the ground and away from danger.
Naruto flipped back up to his feet as Koneko ducked out of her dangerous situation and came running towards his side. Once they were together they stood besides each other and got into different stances in preparation of fighting the larger group. Siris held her blade up as Mira lifted herself back to her feet, Xuelan pushed off the ground and into a kenpo stance, and Ni and Li jumped back up while meowing angrily.
The numerous members of the Phenex group glared at the duo of the tall blond male and petite albino girl. The larger group narrowed their eyes before one of them spoke, "That was a clever plan to get us to lower our guard by engaging us in meaningless conversation. And you made it seem like the tapping of your knife was just an unconscious gesture, but you were using it as a mechanism to decide when best to strike us. You have my regards in being able to retire one of us so quickly in the game. But if you believe that the two of you will be able to defeat the rest of us by yourselves then you are greatly-"
Naruto and Koneko did not stick around for the rest of their speech as they sprinted to the side and ran into an empty office building. The members of Riser's peerage just stared in blank shock at the sudden retreat of their enemies before looking between each other. They ran into the office building to catch them.
When they ran inside, they were met with an entire floor filled with office cubicles, desks, chairs, computers, and all other forms of supplies in a regular white collar work space with several pillars around the floor. The girls slowly advanced through the silent space as they tried to notice the presence of one of the two enemies.
A computer came flying in from the side and broke against one of the twin's heads. They looked and spotted a flurry of white hair before it ducked behind a desk and out of their sight. They were going to attack in that direction but a chair came flying in from the opposite side and knocked Xuelan off her feet before Naruto disappeared again.
From every direction, one of the two members started popping up from behind a desk and throwing everything they could find as hard as they could throw at the varied group of fighters. The Phenex group could only guard their faces as coffee mugs, keyboards, chairs, computers, and other objects came flying at them.
"Enough!" Siris lifted her Zweihänder up before giving it a mighty swing and causing a massive gust of wind to spread over the entire office. The shockwave from her swipe obliterated the cubicles and desks reducing them to timber and broken plastic. Naruto and Koneko climbed over the cubicles and jumped over the wave of wind before they were caught in its destruction.
As the two members of the Gremory group landed back on the ground, Koneko had to raise her guard as Xuelan came dashing in with a powerful fist as retribution for the white-haired girl's surprise attack earlier. Koneko was blasted through a pillar before she kept a firm stance and started blocking and parrying the other [Rook's] barrage of strikes and fists.
They started matching fist for fist as each clash of attacks caused an echo to reverberate as their iron strikes crossed. Koneko would guard and parry the other girl's swift moves before grabbing her fist and swiping her gloved hands at the taller girl's face. But the kenpo fighter leaned back before throwing her leg up as high as she could and scrapping against Koneko's chin enough to push her back.
The two [Rooks] glared at each other before stepping forward to continue their skirmish.
On the other side of the floor, Naruto was blocking and evading the swipes of the two cat [Pawns] as they attacked him on both sides. The twins would attempt to strike him simultaneously but Naruto blocked their attacks with his forearms. He pushed them back and parried a punch from the left as he raised his leg to block a kick from the right. When Ni was reeling back for a hook, Naruto threw both his arms into a block against her arm and knocked her back. He then spun around and caught Li's leg before spinning around and slamming her into her sister's chest.
He then leaned back as Mira came dashing in and tried clocking him in the chin with her staff. He slid back and into a back stance as he reached for his knife and pulled it out and turned it in his hand. Mira lunged forward with her staff and Naruto parried with his knife. She made several powerful thrusts immediately after but Naruto blocked and avoided them without much hassle.
She twirled her staff and held it behind her back to catch him off guard with a surprise attack but Naruto fell forward and out of its path. While he fell he spun around with his knife outstretched and made a cut against the smaller girl's cheek before he jumped away. The two fighters stood apart from each other before Mira's eyes widened and she held the smoking cut in pain, "A-Ah! Ahhhhhhh!"
While Mira screamed in pain holding the small cut, Naruto looked over to see Siris standing off to the side watching him with a focused eye. He turned around and pushed through a door leading to the stairs. The [Knight] looked over to see Ni and Li lift themselves up and look towards Koneko. They decided to join Xuelan in her fight against the small [Rook] as Siris ran over to Mira's side. She looked over the younger girl before she looked towards the door and gave chase to the whiskered blond.
Naruto ran up several stories of stairs before running out onto the roof. He looked around to try and find a route to escape through in case he had to move. He was seriously considering whether he should pull out the trump card but decided against it when he didn't even know how long it would last. Or whether it would even work if he tried.
The door slammed open and Siris came out with a furious glare at the tall blond. She slowly walked out and pulled her massive sword off her back before gripping it with both hands and walking forward. Naruto turned around and faced her as he walked along the gravel, the two people circling around each other patiently. Siris kept a firm stare on him and stated, "You come across as incompetent and reckless, but in a dire situation you turn pragmatic and unpredictable. You...are a very strange individual."
Naruto shrugged, "I get that a lot."
...
Siris dashed froward and swung her blade out to cut the man but Naruto jumped and flipped over her blade. He gripped his knife and slid in to cut her but the [Knight] pulled her sword back in time and nearly cut through the blond. She continued to swipe her sword at Naruto as much as possible but he skillfully dodged getting caught by her attack.
Naruto swiped his knife at her face and caused her to stumble back. He followed up by sending jabs and crosses at her head that made her lean away for safety. She had to guard against a side kick that caused her to stumble and nearly fall back before she found her footing again. She had no time to breathe as he charged in and sent a jumping knee at her that impacted against her Zweihänder and caused her to skid over the roof.
She looked down in shock to see that his knee strike had cracked the center of her giant sword. She looked back up and saw that he had covered the distance between them in an instant and was bringing his knee down towards her. Siris reacted and grabbed the knife's blade before it could cut into her. Blood dripped down the jagged metal and steam started coming off her hand in agonizing pain.
"AH!"
Siris jumped back and looked down to see the cut along her palm was burning and steaming even after she had let go. Her eyes widened and she struggled through the pain to gasp, "T-this is holy water!"
Naruto smirked and twirled his knife around before holding it out confidently, "I found that this stuff is basically like poison to us, right? So I thought it would be a good idea to sterilize my knife in it and see what happens. Looks like it worked."
Siris moaned in pain before she ripped the string off her neck and opened the vial at the end of it. She dripped its contents over her hand and the wound started to glow before immediately sealing itself. Naruto looked at the phenomenon in surprise as Siris stood back up, "Phoenix Tears. Gifts provided by Riser-sama to everyone in his peerage. They're capable of healing any injury we might sustain in battle, so even your knife won't be able to damage us for very long."
This new Devil had taken a bottle of holy water and sterilized a normal knife in it for an advantage against another group of Devils. Despite Rias Gremory's peerage not having sufficient experience in a Rating Game, this man did not seem to have the same sense of anxiousness as other beginners. Even though he was still located on the Gremory side of the battlefield and not being able to activate Promotion, his abilities were substantially higher than a normal [Pawn's] base power. His strength and speed were only slightly lower than a [Rook] and [Knight] at their furthest output.
This man...this...anomaly...
Siris spoke with a tone of regret in her voice, "I'm...starting to believe...that Riser-sama made a mistake allowing you to participate in this match."
Naruto was silent for a moment before a small smile came over his face. He nodded, "Yes...he did."
Naruto immediately ran towards the edge of the roof and jumped off the side before falling down to the street below. Siris looked over the edge in surprise as she saw his wings form out of his back and slow his descent before he landed and rolled against the concrete. The [Knight] followed his move and jumped over the side to chase after him as he ran back into the office building.
Siris ran in and saw that the entire office was in even worse condition than when she left it. There were small craters, cracks, and holes in the walls of the first floor after all the severe fighting happened between the groups. But there was no sign of any of her comrades or enemies on the floor. She looked around and stepped forward hesitantly while trying to keep an open eye to her surroundings.
*CRASH*
The ceiling behind her cracked and fell apart as two figures came falling down through the hole. Naruto and Koneko landed in three-point stances before Naruto jumped up and spun in the air. Koneko held out her hand and he grabbed it before making a full rotation and tossing the short white-haired girl at their enemy with full force, "RAH!"
Koneko flew forward and kicked the cracked surface of Siris' Zweihänder, causing the blade to break in half and planting her foot deeply into the [Knight's] exposed stomach. The Phenex member was sent flying across the floor and through a wall before she rolled along the ground and struggled to pull herself back up.
A blur of yellow and white appeared besides her with a water hose before they pulled her back and tied her up with the rest of her defeated comrades. The duo made a few quick adjustments to the tie and were finished with their capture.
Naruto wiped his face and sighed before looking down at the his junior. He asked, "Did you have a hard time holding them off?"
There were scuff and dirt marks all over Koneko's uniform with some of her clothes shredded away by some very swift strikes. She had a small bruise on one cheek and a slightly cut lip. But she just shrugged and mono-toned, "Not too bad, nothing I couldn't handle."
"You'll never win against Riser-sama!" One of the girls said as the others nodded and resounded in agreement. They continued, "He isn't going to forfeit the match just because you hold us hostage! He won't give up until he has earned Rias-sama's love and affection!"
"Yeah, we already figured that out." Naruto said nonchalantly as Koneko walked through the hole and out of sight. He continued, "We already guessed that we weren't gonna win against that guy unless we beat him so we weren't even gonna try to negotiate with him."
The girls of the Phenex peerage looked between each other in confusion before looking up at their captor, "T-then why did you tie us up?"
"Because it's easier to deal with all of you at the same time rather than chase you everywhere." Naruto threw a look back at the hole they created, "Did you guys know that this entire building is supported by a group of pillars going from the roof down to this level? And all but one of them was destroyed in the fighting you guys had while Koneko held you off."
*Smash*
"And that was her breaking the last one."
The ceiling and building over them started to shake and quiver as its support beams had fallen. Naruto jumped through the hole and ran towards the door as Koneko held it open from the other side. The girls of the Phenex peerage looked up at the building shaking over their heads and paled, "Oh no."
Naruto and Koneko ran down the street and watched from a safe distance as the building collapsed into rubble with a wave of dust and smoke spreading out everywhere. They stood there silently and watched before another chime rang over the area.
[Combatant Riser Phenex's 3 [Pawns] retired.]
[Combatant Riser Phenex's [Rook] retired.]
[Combatant Riser Phenex's [Knight] retired.]
After the report had finished, Naruto and Koneko looked towards each other silently. Naruto had a small smile and raised his fist out towards her, "We did it."
Koneko looked at his fist for a moment before answering him with a fist bump, "Kick ass."
He chuckled a little before stepping back down the street and looking at the destroyed building. He exhaled, "I guess we need to give Rias some credit. That was a pretty good idea to lure them into the building like that."
"Buchou is Buchou." Koneko stated like it was a wide known fact, "It's best never to underestimate what she can think up."
"And you're sure we didn't just kill them by dropping a building on their head, right?"
"It's how the game works." Koneko reassured him, "When someone is too injured to continue, they are teleported out of the fight and taken into a healing station outside of the battlefield. You still lose though."
"Hmmm." Naruto reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out three necklaces with an extravagant vial at the end of them. He twirled them around aimlessly, "I took these off a few of the girls after you tied them up. That swordsman said that these have a tear or something in them that is supposed to heal injuries. Sounded useful to have."
"Phoenix Tears. Very useful. Good idea." Koneko looked at the blond for a moment before she started circling around him with a focused gaze.
Naruto saw her inspection and let her silently look over him. He inquired, "Um, what are you doing?
"You're stronger. And faster." She looked up at him with her stoic expression still staying strong and asked, "How did you do that without training with us?"
Naruto looked over himself for a moment before shrugging his shoulders, "Don't know. A few days ago I started running one night to start some training but I suddenly started moving faster than I usually do. After that I noticed everything was changing. I was getting stronger. My stamina was better. It was...kinda like it used to be." He looked down at his hands with a far-off expression before he came back to himself and reassured the younger girl, "You shouldn't have to worry about me anymore. I can hold my own against any of these guys now."
Koneko looked up at him and nodded, "Good." She then seemed to meekly pull her face away from his sight and muttered, "I don't want to worry about you getting hurt."
"Huh?" Naruto leaned down to hear the shorter girl better, "What did you say?"
Koneko regained her stoic façade, "Nothing."
[Combatant Riser Phenex's 3 [Pawns] retired.]
Naruto looked back up and around at the city, "Looks like the others are holding their own pretty well."
"We should still go help them." Koneko said firmly before she started walking down the street towards the center of the city, "I'm still worried about Yuuto-senpai and Issei-senpai."
"Yeah. You always gotta worry about that pervert screwing up, don't you?"
Koneko deadpanned, "Coming from the guy who died trying to save his life."
"Okay, point taken." Naruto started following after Koneko before the distance became too big, "So when we get there who are we-"
*BOOOOOOOM*
Koneko was covered by a massive explosion that blew Naruto off his feet and into a car hard enough to dent its doors. He fell to his knee and groaned in pain as he looked up to see the street had been cracked and warped by the power of the explosion. His eyes widened and he stumbled up on his feet before running, "K-KONEKO!"
Naruto ran through the smoke and down the crater as he waved his hand in front of him to pass the smoke. He reached the center and saw the younger freshman was lying in the center of the blast crater. Her clothes were almost all completely blown away and she had burns and injuries all over her body. Naruto panicked and fell to his knees as he gingerly ran his arms under her back and shoulder to lift her up. He carefully placed her against his chest and tapped her cheek, "Koneko! Koneko, stay with me! Keep your eyes open, c'mon! Stay with me!"
Koneko's eyes barely moved a fraction before they slowly opened up to look at the blond holding on to her. Her eyes hadn't register the terrible pain she was in yet but her voice weakly trembled, "S-senpai..."
Naruto nervously smiled and nodded his head, "Yeah Koneko, I'm right here! It's okay, you'll be fine, I promise! Just keep those eyes open, okay?"
Koneko could barely keep her eyes half-lidded as her voice barely carried, "I-I'm sorry. I-I let my guard down a-and-"
"Shut up. Don't talk. Just save your energy for now." Naruto pulled his jacket off and draped it over her almost naked form as he picked her up in a bridal carry, "I won't let anything else happen to you."
"Hmmm, that's quite a noble promise to make, but not one you should be putting faith in." Naruto stopped and looked up to see a woman with purple hair and wearing a dress that revealed most of her large chest flying over them with her wings spread out. She mused, "I'll commend you for being able to defeat Siris and the others so quickly, but I promise you I will not be so easy to beat."
Naruto looked back down at the injured girl he was carrying before asking, "You...are you the one that did this to her?"
"Yes, that's right." She had a small smile on her face at the superior position she had at the moment, "I am Yubelluna, Riser-sama's [Queen], but I also go by the moniker 'Bomb Queen'. A pleasure to meet you."
Instead of a pleasant reply, Naruto looked up at her with venom in his eyes. He spoke with sheer anger in his voice, "You bitch."
"There no reason to be so spiteful, I was not trying to make that girl's injuries as agonizing as they appear. In fact I was attempting to expel her from the game in one hit, but she is far more durable than I first believed. But do not worry..." She held her hand out and a small ball of explosive power started to form in her palm, "This next hit will be powerful enough to remove you both from the ga-"
A massive bolt of electricity came falling from the sky and struck Yubelluna in the middle of her sentence. The Phenex [Queen] let out a cry of pain as she felt the sensation of thousands of needles pierce her skin in an instant. She was blasted into the street below and barreled through the concrete before finally stopping.
Naruto didn't react as he saw a figure slowly descend in front of him after attacking the Bomb Queen. Akeno was wearing a strange priestess outfit with her Devil wings behind her before they retracted back in. She turned back to look at Naruto and they stared silently before she asked with honest concern, "Are you okay?"
He nodded, "I'm fine, but Koneko's hurt bad."
Akeno turned around and looked over her precious junior with a pained expression. She shook her head, "I can't heal her here. I don't think she'll be able to fight for the rest of the match."
"Yes she can. I stole some of those Phoenix Tear things from their group. I just need to give it to her and she should be fine."
They heard a rumbling and looked back to see Yubelluna pull herself out of the trench she had been thrown into. Akeno turned to face her and spoke over her shoulder, "You need to get out of here and go help Yuuto-kun and Issei-kun. I'll handle her."
Before Akneo could step away, she felt something tug on her sleeve. She looked back to see Koneko barely staying conscious before she moaned out, "A-Akeno-senpai..."
The ponytailed woman gave a comforting smile and held the white-haired girl's hand reassuringly. Naruto asked, "You'll be all right, right?"
"I'll be fine."
"Kick her ass, got it."
Akeno turned around and started gather lighting around her hand, "You didn't even have to say it."
Naruto sprinted down the street and out of sight as the two [Queens] slowly approached each other. Yubelluna smiled and started causing her Explosion to gather around her hand, "I've always wanted to meet the famous 'Priestess of Thunder' in the flesh."
Akeno gave a small smirk and laughed, "Ara Ara, and I've always wanted to fight the 'Bomb Queen' in person. Please..." Her eyes gave a serious focus, "Go easy on me."
|||||||||Devil||||||||
Riser was leaning against a car on the edge of the city limits and the end of the battlefield area. He had a stern expression over his usually carefree, confident face as he looked out at the pillar of smoke rising from the other side of the city.
He was honestly very disappointed at the moment with the state of this fight. So far he had lost 9 members of his peerage and the rest were currently fighting against other members of Rias' group. Usually, this would be the part where the [King] would feel discouraged and anxious about the rest of the fight.
But Riser was not concerned about the outcome of the Rating Game.
He had more experience. He had won every game he had fought in and he only lost because his older brother asked him to forfeit the matches.
He was a proud member of the Phenex family. The immortal family. He could not lose...not even to a member of the Gremory.
A wave of black and red energy shot out from the side and reduced the car he was sitting on and his entire right arm into nothingness. Riser stumbled back and looked at his missing limb as the stump already started to get covered in fire and reform from flames.
As his arm regenerated, a cocky smirk came over his face, "You know, it's rather reckless to be taking the [King] vs [King] route. Especially considering you aren't so much of a fighter type."
Standing further down the street from him with her trademark Destruction emanating from her hands and a stern scowl on her face. She had taken the chance her servants were making while fighting the rest of his peerage to come and attack him.
Asia was hiding behind a car as she looked at her master in worry, "B-Buchou-San..."
"Don't come out here Asia." Risa stopped the innocent blonde nun from stepping out of her hiding spot. Rias' sea-foam eyes revealed a strong and unyielding strength behind them that was not willing to fall to the man before her. She concentrated her Destruction over her hands and threatened, "I'm not going to lose to you Riser."
"Of course you aren't." A torrent of violent fire and wind started pouring off the handsome man, "You're going to realize that I'm the best choice you could've ever made."
||||||||Devil||||||||
"OH SHIT!" Issei screamed in a panicked voice as he ran as fast as he could to save his life.
"Where ya goin'?"
"Don't just leave us!"
"We wanted to talk!"
"And play!"
"And slice!"
"And dice!"
"And carve!"
"And grind!"
Two adorable little twins with neon green hair chased after the pervert while waving chainsaws around haphazardly, "We just wanna disembowel you and cut off your junk(x2)!"
"DON'T SAY CREEPY SHIT LIKE THAT WITH SUCH KIND, INNOCENT VOICES YOU MONSTERS!"
Standing off to the side and watching the fighting occur just a few meters from her was a blonde girl with her hair in a drill-style. She was wearing a formal pink dress that showed her status as a member of a high-class family. She was standing off to the side and watched the fighting between her brother's peerage and Rias'.
"Is something bothering you, Ravel-sama?"
Ravel looked up at the taller woman dressed in a leather outfit and with a mask covering one side of her face. She answered the [Rook], "N-no, Isabela-San, I'm fine."
"Really? Because you seem worried."
Ravel looked down with a guilty expression before turning to the taller woman, "Rias-sama's peerage is stronger than we believed."
"Yes, you are right. They certainly are." Isabela looked towards a smoking crater that was created just moments ago when the brown-haired boy gathered up his power and shot a massive beam of demonic power at three of their [Pawns]. There was also the fact that over half of their fighting force was beaten on the other side of the city.
Ravel watched as the Gremory [Knight] blocked and countered Karlamine's attacks superbly while the [Pawn] evaded Ile and Nel's chainsaws. She spoke with concern, "I am worried because we may not win this fight if we don't take it seriously."
"There's nothing to fear Ravel-sama. The rest of us will do everything in our power to make up for the losses we have garnered thus far. And even if we may fall, there is still Yubelluna and Riser-sama to hold the game together. They will not lose no matter what, so please don't fret."
"I-I suppose you are right." Ravel faced back towards the fighting and tried to calm herself down, "I trust that all of you can-"
Isabela jerked down and grabbed Ravel around the chest before she jumped up and over a car thrown in their direction. They landed back on the street and the others looked in the direction of the destroyed vehicle. Ravel had a panicked expression, "W-what was that?!"
Isabela placed the Phenex girl back on her feet and looked down the street, "We have company."
From the direction of the thrown car was one tall blond wearing an orange shirt and a short white-haired girl wearing a larger black jacket to cover herself. The blond smiled, "Sorry we're late."
Issei smiled, "Naruto-senpai! Koneko-chan! Thank goodness you're-AH! STOP IT YOU LITTLE BITCHES!"
Yuuto crossed swords with the Phenex [Knight] and gave a strained smile, "Glad to see you both made it out okay."
"That shouldn't be possible!" Karlamine narrowed her eyes and kept her blade against her blond opponent's sword. She shouted in disbelief, "Yubelluna should have beaten anyone that had defeated a single member of us! How are you both still active in the game?!"
Koneko gave a small look of displeasure, "Because I'm tougher than I look. Still hurt though." She pulled on the collar of the black school jacket she received from her senior, "Naruto-senpai was nice enough to let me borrow his jacket. The rest of my clothes were destroyed by the blast."
Issei stopped running and the twins stopped chasing him in surprise. His shoulders and voice were shaking, "K-Koneko-chan isn't wearing anything underneath that jacket? A-and she's wearing Naruto-senpai's jacket over herself!" He had tears streaming down his eyes and he pointed at the whiskered man in anger, "You lucky bastard! Why?! Why do you get in all these lucky situations?! First Akeno-San's bra, now Koneko-chan naked! Ahhhhhhhhhhh! I wanna be in those situations rather than you!"
Naruto glared and deadpanned at him, "You understand it wasn't a very favorable place for either of them, right?"
"Doesn't matter! Still wanna!"
Isabela asked, "And how did you recover?"
"That would be thanks to the rest of your team." Naruto asserted as he pulled out an empty vial of Phoenix Tears he used on Koneko, "And the little gifts they gave us before leaving."
"Hey!" Ravel pointed at the vile in livid anger at the theft of their precious gifts, "Those were gifts given to the members of our peerage by the higher ups of the Phenex Clan! I must ask that you hand those back to us immediately!"
...
"..."
Naruto looked at the vial in his hand before putting it back in his pocket, "No."
"H-how rude!" Ravel shrieked in surprise.
Isabela didn't wait another moment to attack before she dashed forward and slammed her elbow into the blond's guarding arm. He dropped the knife in his guarding hand before he grabbed it with his other and attempted to slash the masked woman's face before she grabbed his wrist. She shook her head, "You are not going to get me that easily."
"How about this?" Naruto lurched backwards and pulled her off her feet before rolling back and kicking her over himself. She cartwheeled and flipped once before landing back on her feet and into a stance. He placed his hands by his head and flipped back to his feet before jumping back at the masked woman and swiping at her body. She blocked his arms with her guard as he aimed up and down to stab her. He then folded in and stuck his elbow between her guard and pulled it away before landing a hook across her face but to no serious avail. He followed through with a jumping spin kick and knocked her back on her ass before she immediately spun on the ground back to her feet.
Ravel wanted to come to her assistance but stumbled and fell on her butt as Koneko came sliding in and nearly breaking her with a dropkick. The white-haired girl jumped back to her feet and dashed forward as Ravel clumsily and barely dodged Koneko's moderate strikes. The freshman skipped forward and prepared an axe kick to hit the other girl's collarbone but Ravel grew a pair of flaming wings on her back and flew up.
Koneko looked up at the girl that was panting in worry and spoke quietly, "Fire Bird."
Ravel took a moment to compose herself before trying to speak back with honor, "T-that's right! I am Ravel Phenex! Proud daughter of the Phenex Clan and holder of the title of immortal bird!"
Koneko deadpanned, "Fried Chicken."
A vein pulsed on Ravel's head as she shrieked, "H-how insolent! You rude girl!"
Yuuto crossed blades with Karlamine with their swords blurring into shimmering lights and crossing with enough force to spread sparks in every direction. The armor-clad woman lunged forward and thrust her blade forward at the young man as the [Knight] pulled out another sword from his Sword Birth. Yuuto continued to parry and block the strikes aimed at his chest by the female [Knight]. The two Swordsmen crossed blades and struggled to push against the scrapping of metal before Karlamine gave a confident smile and chuckled, "I was correct...you most certainly are a wonderful [Knight] with excellent swordsmanship."
Yuuto gave a small smile in return, "Thank you. But I still have a lot to offer."
"Good! Because I do as well!"
The two [Pawns] continued to chase Issei around the street and try to carve into him like a Christmas turkey but could not reach him in time. Issei kept sprinting to save his life until-
[BOOST]
"HAHA! That's it!" Issei jumped and skid against the street before he looked up at his pursuers and smirked. He let his crooked bat-like wings spread out from his back and he spoke confidently, "This fight is over!"
The twins looked at each other in confusion before looking back at him and tilting their heads, "What are you talking about?"
"We haven't even cut into you yet."
"Doesn't matter. My power has finally started building up and now I have a chance to use it." He held up his red gauntlet and let the jewel shine with a big smile, "My ultimate technique."
"What are you talking about?"
"There's no way you can end a fight with one technique!"
"Yes I can." Issei held out both his hands and spoke confidently, "The moment I touch you...your part in this fight is over."
"Enough talk!" They ran forward.
"Time to cut you up!" They raised their chainsaws and brought it down on the [Pawn].
But Issei bent down and ran past them as his hands ran over their stomachs. For just a moment, a magic circle appeared over where he touched them until it faded away again. The twins landed and looked over themselves before they questioned, "What happened?!"
"W-what did you do?!"
"Like I said..." Issei turned around and raised his hands with a lecherous smirk, "This fight is over."
"DRESS~...Break."
*Snap*Snap*
*SCHRIP*
Across the entire street, all of the fighting halted as the sound of shredding clothes reached their ears. They looked in the same direction to see the twins were now stark naked. Their shirts, their shorts, even their shoes, socks, and panties had been ripped to small bits of fabric.
...
"KYAAAAAAAA(x2)!"
The twins fell to their knees and covered their privates in an attempt to keep their dignity intact. Issei pumped his fist and cheered, "I DID IT! I FINALLY DID IT!" Righteous man tears started streaming down his face at finally being able to use his new technique in battle. He wiped his eyes and roared happily, "My ultimate special! The one Asia had to suffer for in the dead of night every day for the last week! The one so effective that it makes up for my lack of demonic power with result! It rips, tears, and shreds all clothing worn by woman until they are in nothing but their birthday suit! My Dress Break!"
...
Everyone in the immediate vicinity, Gremory and Phenex, and everyone watching through the screens just stared at the strange pervert after he had stripped to girls with just a touch of his hands. The people around him in particular had their jaws agape.
"Pervert!"
"You lecherous fiend!"
"How vulgar!"
"Truly the attack of a deviant!"
"W-why in the world would Rias-sama take in a degenerate like this?!"
"I-Issei-kun...w-we're in the middle of a fight, you realize that, right?"
"Geez Fuck-Face, can't you take this seriously at all?"
"You need to go dig yourself under a rock in the deepest trench on Earth in the blackest pit away from all forms of light and civilization."
Issei lowered his head in shame after being reprimanded by both allies and enemies.
[BOOST]
The jewel on his gauntlet shined once more and he perked up again. He smiled, "All right! Kiba! We're ready!"
"Got it!" Yuuto jumped back and stood tall before yelling, "Do it Issei-kun!"
The others watched in slight anxiousness and fear as Issei came running and prepared to touch the handsome boy. And after they just watched him tear the clothes off of two other girls by touching them, they were apprehensive to see where this led.
[TRANSFER]
Issei transferred his power into Yuuto and the blond boy's power exploded. Yuuto held his hand up and sent a quick glance to Naruto and Koneko to tell them to run. He slammed his hand into the ground and yelled, "Sword Birth!"
Blades started popping up like weeds all across the street as Issei, Koneko, and Naruto jumped up a truck to safety. The Phenex girls didn't have the same time to react as the blades pierced through their legs and chests in surprise. They let out a last groan of pain before they glowed brightly and disappeared.
[Combatant Riser Phenex's 2 [Pawns] retired]
[Combatant Riser Phenex's [Knight] retired]
[Combatant Riser Phenex's [Rook] retired]
"Woohoo! We did it!" Issei cheered as he climbed down the truck and jumped in joy. He grinned at the rest of his group, "We were awesome, right guys?"
They were all still giving him a dry glare after they had seen his ridiculous technique. Yuuto shook his head, "Issei-kun, maybe you should think about locking that technique away for awhile."
"No way!" Issei argued and pumped his fist, "I worked hard to complete this special technique! Asia had to suffer days of humiliation to help me perfect this!"
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "What the hell did you do to Asia you creep?"
Koneko tapped their sides and pointed up at the flying Phenex girl that had a worried look on her face after the rest of her peerage had been defeated. The Gremory group looked towards the flying girl and Yuuto asked, "What shall we do about her?"
Koneko mono-toned, "I still wanna beat her."
Issei started doing creepy gestures with his hands, "I still need to wring out some problems with my technique."
Ravel flinched in fear at the idea.
"It doesn't matter." Naruto started walking down the street away from their previous battlefield, "We have one more target left to fight before the fight is over."
He was right.
There last target was Riser. And after they finished him off, the match was theirs. Rias should already be fighting him so if they all-
*BOOM*
A blast occurred over their heads and an object came falling down and cratered the street behind them. They all looked back in shock as the dust and smoke settled and the form of Akeno with her clothes blown off and her body covered in injuries was in the center of the crater. She coughed up some blood and started gasping for air.
"Akeno-San!"
"No!"
Koneko ran up to her side and gently lifted her shoulders, "Akeno-senpai! Wake up!"
The boys looked up in shock to see Yubelluna was flying over them with a smile on her face. An empty vial of Phoenix Tears hanging around her neck as her clothes were in tatters after fighting Akeno for so long.
Koneko looked back and held out a hand, "Naruto-senpai, give me a vial!"
Naruto nooded and reached into his pocket before pulling out a vial. He threw it to her-
*BOOM*
Another massive explosion enveloped Akeno, Koneko, and everything in the area with fire and smoke. The men looked at the explosion in shock as they heard another chime carry over the area.
[Combatant Rias Gremory's [Queen] retired]
[Combatant Rias Gremory's [Rook] retired]
Yubelluna lowered her hand after landing the finishing blow and
smiled, "Those are special gifts for our peerage...we don't appreciate you stealing them from us." She looked towards Ravel and spoke with a sweet tone, "Ravel-sama, please find a place to hide."
"O-of course!" Ravel was hesitant before she flew away to safety from the fighting about to occur.
The men of the Gremory group were standing there in silence as they stared at the spot their comrades were just a moment ago before they were blown up. They looked up to see Yubelluna smirk down at them before speaking out in a breathy voice, "So...are you little boys still going to try and win?"
Issei stared at the powerful [Queen] flying over them with pure anger filling up inside him. He gripped his fists and gritted his teeth in rage as-
"AHHHHHHH" Yuuto roared as several swords popped up around him and he pulled two of them out of the concrete. He yelled and jumped as his wings popped up and he flew at the woman in rage, "YOU WITCH!"
*BOOM*
Another massive explosion was blown out of Yubelluna's hand and exploded against Yuuto. The young man was covered in smoke and fire as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. He started falling towards the ground as his body glowed bright and he disappeared.
[Combatant Rias Gremory's [Knight] retired]
Issei and Naruto were left standing in the street as Yubelluna looked down at them with a maniacal gaze. She smiled and raised her hand again.
"Run!"
Issei came back to his senses, "W-wha-"
Naruto yelled, "RUN ISSEI!"
The two [Pawns] spared no more time and sprinted down the street as Yubelluna covered the ground with explosions. They rounded the corner at unnatural speeds as Yubelluna gave chase and littered the space behind them with blasts.
Issei had activated his Promotion to achieve his speed while Naruto was relying on his own speed to keep him from damage. The Phenex [Queen] swung her arms back and forth as the ground exploded and smoke filled the streets and buildings. Shops and cars exploded in massive balls of fire as the two [Pawns] ran as fast as they could from the explosive mistress.
Yubelluna decided to stop playing around and waved her arms as wide as possible. Dozens and dozens of small fireballs formed across the street as stagnant explosions. Only a single instant away from activating and covering the entire block in a ball of fire.
Issei watched it all happen in slow motion.
There were several balls of fire formed around him that he could not escape from.
There was one explosion about to hit Naruto in the back.
Out of the two of them...only one could escape with minimal damage.
Issei pushed as much power as he could into his legs. He dove forward with his arms outstretched and pushed Naruto forward from the blast field.
Naruto gave one quick look back in surprise as Issei steeled his eyes and gave a small nod.
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*
The entire city block was covered in fire and smoke as an explosion rocked the area. The blast carried on and smoke filled the streets and lingered for a long time. Yubelluna floated over the destroyed street and the shattered windows of the remaining shops and buildings. She hovered in silence for a moment before a chime rang through the area.
[Combatant Rias Gremory's [Pawn] retired]
Only one? Then again, she remembered the controversy surrounding the whiskered blond and how he was an Illegal Piece. She supposed that since he wasn't originally allowed to participate in the Rating Game, there was a chance he would not be rescued before his injuries were too servere. If he was dead then Rias Gremory was not going to appreciate that.
Oh well. That would just be a small issue they had to deal with before moving on with their lives.
Yubelluna flapped her wings and started heading towards Riser's location to support her [King].
After Yubelluna flew away, the smoke and dust started to settle over the city block. On the edge of the blast radius was one store shop with its front windows shattered and all of its mannequins toppled over.
Some of the mannequins started to shuffle and Naruto slowly lifted himself out of the pile on his hands and knees. He was panting and trying to regain his bearings after the explosion had blown out one of his eardrums. He slowly started to lift himself up-
"AH!"
Naruto fell again when he felt a sharp pain run over his abdomen. He looked down to see a rather large shard of glass stained red sticking out of his abdomen. He narrowed his eyes and grabbed the shard before pulling it out and seeing his vision go white for a moment. Naruto took a deep breath and ignored the pain settled in his stomach before he tossed the shard away and lifted himself up to his feet.
He wiped the blood off his face and out of his eyes as he looked in the direction he could feel energy surge. Riser was in that direction...
And so was Rias.
||||||||Devil||||||||
They were gone.
They were all gone now.
Her peerage...the people she cherished as family...her friends and adorable servants...
They were all gone from her side now.
They weren't dead, she knew that. She knew that they were being healed at this very moment and they would be fine when she saw them again...
So why did she feel so empty?
Why did she feel like they were gone from her side forever?
Rias tried to keep her composure and steady her breath as she faced her enemy. She felt her stamina wane and her injuries build up along with the damage to her clothes, revealing the bottom of her breasts and most of her stomach and arms. She wasn't able to receive Asia's healing because Riser had become aware of her ability and started attacking the nun whenever she revealed herself. So Asia had to hide behind a van while Rias blocked his fire attacks with her Destruction ability.
An arrow of fire flew towards her and she struck it away with her power to protect herself. On the other side of the street, Riser still had his hand outstretched with a confident smirk on his face. He chided, "What's wrong Rias? Seems like you're on edge? Scared now that the rest of your peerage has been wiped out?"
Rias narrowed her eyes, "Shut up."
"It's nothing to feel nervous about. It was quite unnerving the first time one of my peerage was retired from the game as well. I'm sure you are handling it no better."
Rias waved her hand and sent a wave of Destruction towards him, "Shut up!"
Before her attack could reach him, Yubelluna came flying in and blocked the worst of Rias' attack with her defense. She immediately countered and forced Rias to dive behind cover as a stream of explosions littered the street. Rias moaned in pain and had to lift herself back up before peeking around the corner of the wall she dove behind to see her enemies converse.
Riser looked back at his [Queen], "So how was it dealing with the rest of them?"
Yubelluna bowed her head to her master, "No troubles Riser-sama. The Priestess of Thunder was more difficult to handle than I originally believed but once I used the Tear you gave me, there was no trouble in defeating an exhausted woman, after that, the rest of her peerage followed." She raised her head again, "That one [Pawn] with whiskers was among the last I defeated. Since he was an Illegal Piece, I'm not sure if he was transported away or if the damage he sustained was too severe."
"Hmm?" Riser scratched his head, "Well, she won't like that." He covered his mouth and yelled down the street, "Rias! I think I owe you a [Pawn]!"
Rias gripped her fist tightly and gnashed her teeth. That...that couldn't be true.
"I-Issei-San...e-everybody...i-it's not possible."
Rias looked across the street to see Asia hiding behind a car and leaning against it with wide, horrified eyes. Her eyes started to quiver and water as she gripped against the car, "H-how could they hurt Issei-San like that? Why would they hurt them like that? I-it's so cruel..."
"Asia. Asia it's okay." Rias tried to calm the panicking nun from her cover across the burning street, "Issei's okay. All of them are still okay. Just breathe and calm down."
Riser casually stepped forward before covering "Rias! You have no more warriors! No more people to fight for you! It's time to give up!"
Rias scowled and glared from around the corner as she considered her options and what she could do now. But she saw something move in the corner of her eye and Asia ran out of her cover into the street, "Asia! Asia no!"
"Please stop!" Asia yelled to Riser and his [Queen] as she shook but swallowed her fear and faced their enemy. She yelled with desperation, "J-just please stop this! There's been enough fighting! Your friends have been hurt! A-and so have ours!" Tears started forming in the corners of her eyes and she stifled a sob before continuing, "Why do we have to keep hurting each other for this fight? Why do we have to keep fighting?"
Rias looked at Asia's back as Riser just stared at the girl silently. Yubelluna prepared to attack the nun but Riser raised his hand and stopped her from attacking before he spoke, "Because this is what we have to do. A Reincarnated Devil like you will never understand how important it is that people like Rias and I are married together. We have suffered through centuries of fighting and we will suffer through centuries more. And I will not have something I was promised taken away from me. I will beat and destroy anyone and anything in my way until I have what I want." Riser scowled and glared at the terrified nun, "Your tears and cries won't be able to stop me. So don't even try."
Asia looked at Riser in stunned shock as she realized that she would not be able to convince him to stop fighting. She lowered her head as Riser started gather flames around his hand. He held his hand out to her and her voice carried out over the crackling flames...
"You...someone like you doesn't deserve Buchou-San."
A column of fire came towards her and covered everything around her in flames.
[Combatant Rias Gremory's [Bishop] retired]
Riser lowered his hand as the flames disappeared and the blonde nun's figure was nowhere to be seen. He smiled and shook his head, "You retired her before she was even hit by the flames? Geez Rias, you are such a bleeding heart. It's compassion like that that has so many people worried about your future."
He stepped forward and announced, "So what are you going to do now Rias? You have no one left to fight for you and you won't be able to beat the both of us by yourself. I'm sure Sirzechs-sama and the rest of your family would not be happy if I actually hurt you to finish this match. So are you going to surrender...or are we finishing this the hard way?"
...
Yubelluna looked at Riser's back, "I believe she has chosen the hard way, Riser-sama."
"Yes, I suppose you are right." He gathered his flames around his arms and smirked, "Well, maybe I'll be able to teach her just how capable I am to protect-"
A car door came flying from behind them and sliced through half of Riser's head as the Phenex boy stumbled. Yubelluna looked back in shock as a foot landed against her guard and pushed her into the ground before he kept running. Rias looked around the corner before a rough, callous hand grabbed her hand and pulled her along.
Naruto yelled, "RUN!"
Naruto led Rias around the corner as Riser's head started to regenerate. As he regained his sight and voice, he yelled, "I thought you took care of him?! After them!"
Naruto and Rias kept running down the street and away from their enemies. Rias looked up at the blond's back as he led them to a safe spot and stuttered, "N-Naruto?! What are you-"
"C'mon! In here!" Naruto pushed the door open to a furniture shop and led her to the back before they hid behind a large bed.
Rias was panting after the sudden run before she looked at the man sitting besides her. She looked over him to see his clothes were tattered and burnt, his skin was bloody and cut, and there was a spot in his abdominal that was severely bleeding. She crawled over to him and started to try and help, "You're hurt. Let me help."
Naruto closed his eyes and tried to catch his breath as he opened one eye and watched the beauty besides him treat his wound. He took a deep breath, ignored the stinging pain under his ribs, and asked, "What happened to Asia?"
Rias continued to look over the puncture wound, "She...she tried to convince Riser to stop all this fighting and he attacked her. I...pulled her out of the game before she got hit."
He nodded his head, "Good choice. If she's fine then maybe she can go and heal the others faster."
...
"I need to surrender."
Naruto's eyes widened and he looked at the crimson-haired girl besides him, "What?"
"I'm going to surrender." She repeated herself as she tore a portion of her clothes off and wrapped them around his injured area, "We can't keep fighting. And I can't beat Riser by myself." She shook her head, "This fight is over."
Naruto grabbed her hand and argued, "So?! I can keep fighting Rias! I don't know how well this might work but-"
"Everyone else gave themselves up for me! We're alone in this fight!" She looked up at him with watery eyes, "A-and I don't know whether you'll be evacuated if you are hurt too badly!" Her voice started to shake and she leaned her head into his chest, "I don't want anyone else to be hurt!"
Naruto sat there quietly as Rias leaned further into him and tried to keep herself composed in the tension of the battle. She closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head before inquiring, "Is this what you meant about how horrible it would be to fight in a war? Losing people you cherish? Because I don't think I can handle it. I-"
Naruto pulled her close and covered her in a hug as a large explosion blew out a portion of the store. Rias yelped in shock and clung to Naruto desperately as Riser's and Yubelluna's fire and explosions started blowing up the entire store in an attempt to scare them out.
As the explosions covered everything around them, Rias could only hear one thing speak in a calm and reassuring tone to her ear.
"You're an idiot...you know that, right?"
Rias eyes widened as Naruto's voice whispered in her ear as they started getting pelted by fire.
"You can't understand why Koenko, Akeno, Kiba, Issei, and Asia would fight for you...you don't know why they would fight tooth and nail until they were hurt so badly for you. But isn't it obvious? It's because they cherish you...they treasure you...they love you...Rias, they don't want to give you up because they want you to be happy...because you're the only person who ever gave a damn about the misfits, weirdos, outcasts, and lonely brats that crossed your way. And I understand now too..."
One more massive explosion occurred around them as Naruto didn't even flinch and gently ran a hand over her head before whispering...
"Rias...you're someone worth fighting for..."
*BOOM*
The explosion died out and the entire shop exploded from the force of two blasts. Riser and Yubelluna stood there silently and lowered their hands after the smoke passed out of their sight. They awaited for the chime and the report that said they had won the match...
But their eyes widened when they saw an injured, burnt back covering two people from their sight.
Rias' eye was opened in shock as she was kept close to Naruto's chest as she heard his steady heartbeat ring in her ear. She suddenly felt an immense sense of relief spread over her body as her wounds disappeared instantly. An empty vial of Phoenix Tears fell from Naruto's hand as he patted her head and whispered to her...
"Wait for the perfect moment...then you can finish it..."
Naruto gave her a pat on the head before he pushed himself up to his feet like his injuries were not even a factor. Riser, Yubelluna, and Rias all looked at the blond [Pawn] in shock as he turned around and faced the Phenex pair. They could see the stern, furious glare focused at them...
And the strange orange coloring covering his eyes, with his irises becoming yellow and his pupils becoming horizontal black bars.
Riser stared at the strange transformation of the odd blond man before he scoffed, "D-did you actually take time to put makeup on in the middle of a Rating Game? That's surprising."
Naruto didn't react to the laughter being directed at his expense and walked ahead slowly. He looked over his hands quietly as if in disbelief and shook his head, "I guess it wasn't just a hallucination. It's really back." He turned to Riser and spoke with a firm tone, "This is it. Your last chance. Stop the fighting...or I'll beat you myself."
Riser started cackling, "AHAHAHAHA! O-oh that's rich! I-I'm sorry-can you say that agai-"
*GLARGH*
Riser's eyes widened as he felt the fist shatter his teeth, break through the back of his throat, and continue all the way until Naruto's entire arm nearly ran through his head. Naruto's strange eyes conveyed mounds of anger and unyielding will.
"I said...that was your last chance."
Naruto pulled his fist out of Riser's wound before lifting his leg until it was perpendicular with the ground. Naruto's eyes steeled and he brought his foot down in an axe kick on Riser's head.
The sheer power behind Naruto's kick was so staggering that it crushed Riser's body, completely shattered the street beneath them and shook the buildings around them as a crater formed under his heel. The smoke and dust that blew out beneath them forced Yubelluna to fly away to safety and caused Rias to stumble and fall in the middle of the rubble.
Yubelluna flew up high into the air and looked down at the smoke cloud in shock. Just a few moments ago, he and Rias were at their mercy and prepared to be defeated.
B-but now...
He was like a monster.
Naruto's form appeared from the smoke cloud and his back was facing the Bomb Queen as he didn't even take a moment to acknowledge her. He slowly turned to look over his shoulder and glare at the flying woman, causing her to flinch and cower under his gaze. He stared at her for a moment before turning around again and yelling, "You're going to pay for blowing all of them up! I hope you know that!"
Yubelluna shook in fear before she steeled herself and yelled back, "I-if you want to take revenge for your peerage, then I'll be waiting for you to make your move!"
"I already did."
Yubelluna's eyes widened when she felt a presence appear behind her. She looked back to see a copy of the strange-eyed blond holding a blue ball with a large spinning ring around it. Yubelluna panicked and raised her hands to cause an explosion that impacted against the blue ball.
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*
A red explosion was instantly devoured by a white explosion that blew away all the smoke and crumbled the top of the buildings around it. The white explosion continued occurring for several moments as a chime barely registered in their ears.
[Combatant Riser Phenex's [Queen] retired]
After several more moments, the loud shrieking explosion died down and left the remaining fighters standing in the street in surprise. Naruto nodded his head, "That's one."
"Y-you bastard!" Naruto looked over to see Riser lift himself out of the crater while his body finished rebuilding itself. He struggled to stand up and yelled with anger in his voice, "W-WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!"
"I'm a mistake you never should have made." Naruto pulled his knife out with one hand and created another ball of blue energy in his other hand without the spinning ring. His hair parted to reveal his eyes once again as he droned, "What's wrong Riser...is the great immortal chicken feeling fear?"
Riser gritted his teeth as veins started popping up all over his face. He yelled, "W-WRAHHHHHHHHHH!"
Naruto countered the Phenex's fist with his ball of energy, completely twisting and shattering Riser's arm before it even reached him. He then ducked down and stabbed his poisoned knife into the man's stomach before following through and nearly disemboweling him. Riser screamed in pain before the whiskered blond spun on his foot and kicked the man in the side, shattering his bones and sending him flying with the force of his kick.
Riser was sent flying through several buildings as his broken body started to repair itself. He spread his wings and stopped the force he was sent flying with and tried to prepare an attack. But Naruto appeared in front of him in a burst of speed and slammed his knife down into the other blond's head, causing Riser to scream in terrible agony.
Naruto landed on his feet as Riser was screaming with the knife lodged in his skull. He popped back up and struck the Phenex across the face, nearly obliterating his entire face as the sight of shattered bone and torn flesh could be spotted for a moment before being engulfed in flames.
Naruto continued with a barrage of fists that broke and shattered Riser's body, shredding his skin and causing his flames to reform them. Riser's senses were dulled from the immense and continuous pain he was suffering while not even being able to block.
Naruto grabbed his knife and pulled it out before slashing Riser's throat, causing it to burst out in blood and smoke from the essence of holy water still lingering in his blade. Naruto landed a punch in Riser's belly that nearly popped out the other side before he was blasted through another building and sent flying into the sky.
Riser was panting furiously as he tried to catch his breath out of the blond monster's reach.
"Rasenshuriken!"
Another ball surrounded by spinning blades came flying out of the remains of the destroyed building and sliced Riser in half through the waist before it kept flying and exploded behind him. Riser continued floating in the air with only half of his body as the lower portion started to regenerate through the flames.
"You're going to start feeling fear soon Riser..." Naruto said from the ground as he looked up at the immortal Fire Bird. He continued, "I hope you are ready for it."
Riser felt sweat drop down his face before he gritted his teeth and yelled, "Y-YOU ARE NOT ENOUGH TO SCARY ME, YOU SCUM! I AM RISER PHENEX, THE IMMORTAL FIRE BIRD!" He gathered up his demonic power as he body shined like a sun in the smokey sky. He raised his hands and gathered his fire into a large ball of flames.
Naruto just slowly raised his hand and made another Rasenshuriken in his palm. He bent his knees and prepared to jump as his eyes narrowed at Riser.
"NOW BURN UNDER MY FLAMES!"
Riser threw down his hands and the ball of fire changed into several dozen spears of flame that came falling towards Naruto as he jumped up. Naruto was smothered by the blazing hot flames and Riser let out a breath of relief as his form disappeared in the fire.
Until Naruto popped out of the flames and kept soaring upwards, his body partially burnt and injured but still with enough power in him to hold his final attack. He spun in the air and threw his attack at Riser, the Phenex staring at the ball of immense energy flying straight towards him in horror. He twisted and spun in the air until he just barely dodged the attack, letting it pass by him by just a few millimeters.
The color around Naruto's eyes faded away and his eyes turned back to blue. He spat out, "Three."
The Rasenshuriken exploded dozens of meters away from them and whipped the wind and their hair around wildly. Riser felt a great sense of relief wash over him after dodging the final attack and securing his victory.
"AH!"
Naruto tackled into him after spreading his wings and stabbed his knife into the back of Riser's neck, halting his regeneration and movement long enough for them to fall towards the ground.
Riser spat up globs of blood but continued to keep his confident smirk, "T-this is it you scum! Your attacks are through! You lose!" His eyes widened madly and he screamed manically, "I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU!"
They kept falling towards the street but Naruto smirked, "You're wrong Riser...I'm not the one you're supposed to be afraid of."
Naruto pulled the blade out and jumped off Riser's falling body before stopping his descent with his Devil wings. Riser landed and bounced off the ground with a gasp of pain before he felt his body start to regenerate...
But his eyes widened when he spotted the figure standing across the street.
Rias' eyes were calm yet furious.
She stood tall with her hand outstretched and Destruction surrounding her palm.
She narrowed her eyes before sending a massive surge of Destruction down the street, annihilating the remains of the street and engulfing Riser as he screamed-
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-"
His voice was finally silenced as the Destruction power waned and disappeared. After a moment, Rias' ears perked when she heard the final report.
[Combatant Riser Phenex has retired]
[The Victor is Rias Gremory]
Rias let out a sigh of relief as she fell to her knees after losing the last of the strength in her legs. In the middle of the once beautiful city that was now reduced to rubble and debris, Rias Gremory rested in the street after landing the finishing blow against her enemy.
"GAH!"
There was a loud thud and Rias looked over to see Naruto had landed on his back after using up the last of his strength. His face and body were covered in sweat and he was panting after exhausting the last of his power in the fight against the Phenex family. He opened up one eye and looked over at Rias before a small, lopsided smile came over his head.
"So...how does it feel to win your first match?"
||||||||Devil||||||||
Done
Okay, that was some serious work. I've been thinking about how to handle this fight since I released the last chapter. Believe me, dozen of different moves and fights and endings running through my head.
I'm glad to finally get it out.
Now, it hit me that today is the one year anniversary of this story. And I decided that next year, I would be putting a lot more attention into this story, I promise. More backstory, more techniques, more romance, more character building, more fighting, more characters, more Devils, Angels, Fallen Angels, and Gods!
Introducing you favorite Satans, those rascally Holy Sword users, and that one amazing asshole Governor-General.
Safe to say...next year will be the year I make up for the Devil.
I hope you all enjoyed this year...
And I hope you stay with me through the next.
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Thank You and Bye