[Flashback]
[Spirit speech]
['Spirit thought']
Sacred gear names
Attack names
'Thought'
Time skips and other
I don't own Highschool DxD nor do I own any references I may use. That goes to Ishibumi Ichiei nor do I own any references I may use. I only own Shiro.
Chapter 9
It was the evening of the Rating Game between team Gremory and team Phenex and it was also the final day of training for team Gremory. In the past two weeks, no one had seen or heard Koneko as the snow-haired lolita seemingly vanished and yet, they were all told not to worry by Lilith, the onyx-haired woman who oversaw their training and was also the one to set up the two week training.
Currently, all members of the ORC were in the club room doing their own things to calm their nerves. Rias was sat at her usual desk drinking some tea that Akeno kindly prepared for her, speaking of the raven-haired beauty, she was sitting on one of the couches and was also drinking some of the tea she prepared. Sat next to her was the blonde 'Knight' who had his main sword out of it's sheathe and was in the process of cleaning it's blade, making sure that it was the sharpest it could possibly be for the match. Sat on the couch opposite were the pseudo-siblings, Shiro and Asia. Shiro was simply rolling a single yen through his fingers and was also performing various tricks with it for Asia, who watched his coin tricks closely.
Finally, seated on the window sill, was Lilith, Shiro's Mother and the one who set up and oversaw the training camp. She was present because she wanted to give the group one last send off before the match began. There was a problem, however, as they were missing one member. Koneko, the snow-white haired lolita, was currently missing and no one had seen nor heard anything about her ever since her talk with Shiro, but they were all told not to worry by Lilith stating that she needed some time to herself to get things sorted out.
Shiro couldn't help but think back to the talk he had with her and then the talk he had with her older sister Kuroka, who was also his private trainer, and when he brought up the idea of exposing herself to Koneko, Kuroka shook her head and told him that she was currently an SS-Class criminal in the underworld and that she didn't feel worthy of showing her face to Koneko. Shiro thought that was a load of shit as Koneko, no matter how venomous she made her tone towards her sister be, couldn't fully bring herself to hate Kuroka...or well that's what Shiro thought anyways.
Suddenly, all heads turned towards the doors of the club room as they suddenly opened to reveal the girl in question, wearing a smile on her face. She then walked into the room, closing the door behind her, and made her way straight over to Shiro. She then stood in front of him and stared down at him before she turned around and then parked her ass on his lap.
"Uhhhhhhhh?" Came the collective confused response from the group, except Lilith who simply wore a smile on her face. Soon, a pair of cat ears and tail sprouted from Koneko and she leaned into Shiro's chest and began to softly purr, causing even more confusion in the process.
"Koneko...why are you sitting in Shiro's lap?" Kiba questioned.
Koneko simply looked over to Kiba and smiled at him. "Because Shiro's lap is my new favourite seat nya~" She purred and continued to nuzzle Shiro. All eyes were on the silver-haired teen who shrugged his shoulders as he too had no idea what caused this change. "Back at the training camp...Shiro helped me overcome my fear nya~" She said with a smile. "And now...now I'm not afraid of my powers. So I'll use them to win this fight for you Rias." The Nekomata said and looked over to the red-headed King.
Rias looked at her youngest, in terms of age, servant before she looked towards the boy who helped her overcome her fear before pride began to well up in her chest as Shiro did something she couldn't and that was mend Koneko's heart of her pain. "Koneko...thank you and I should also thank you Shiro." She softly spoke with her eyes closed. "You've managed to do the one thing I couldn't." She said before the door opened once more before Sona and Tsubaki walked in but they paused in the entryway and looked around the room.
"I'm...not interrupting anything am I?" Sona asked with a tilt of her head.
Rias shook her head and smiled at her old friend. "No. In fact I'm glad you came." She said before sitting down back in her seat.
Shiro, who had started to pet the top of Koneko's head causing her to start purring, raised an eyebrow at the two. "How come they're here?" Shiro asked aloud before he got an answer from Rias.
"There's going to be a live broadcast of the game so that family members can watch. Sona and Tsubaki are here to help with that." Rias told him and took another sip of her tea.
"Yes and it's also her first rating game." Sona said with a smirk on her face. "I wouldn't miss an event such as this for anything."
"Is that so?" Shiro questioned before a vicious smile crossed his face. "In that case we'll make sure to do everything we can to keep things interesting." He said, punching his fist into his palm. However, a cough from the window sill drew their attention to the woman seated atop it.
"Now now Shiro." Lilith tsked and waved her finger. "Confidence is a good thing but overconfidence is fatal...and that goes for the rest of you." Her eyes glazed over the Devils. "You've all had two weeks of training but remeber that goes double for the Phenex team and they were strong enough to crush you prior to the training. Keep your wits about you and I have no doubt you'll give Riser a run for his money." She spoke words of encouragement that resonated through the group.
Soon after Lilith's little speech, a magic circle baring the Gremory family crest appeared and from it appeared Grayfia.
"It's almost time." She told the group, her eyes washed over them before falling upon Rias. "I hope you're ready for this my lady." She asked Rias and recieved a nod in return. "In a few short moments we will use this magic circle to transport you and the rest of your team to the battlefield." She said before her gaze turned towards Lilith. "I assume you will be joining Lord and Lady Gremory in the observation booth, Lady Katsura?"
Lilith scoffed slightly before smiling. "Is that an invitation or a suggestion?" Lilith asked Grayfia, who allowed a small smirk to cross her face as she recalled the words Zeoticus used.
"The exact words Lord Gremory used were 'I'm sure Lilith would invade one of the observation booths or join us even if we didn't invite her'." Grayfia said before Lilith suddenly laughed out loud.
"HA! That is something I would've done." She said before she waved her hand to Grayfia. "Sure, I'll take you up on that offer." She told Grayfia before her lips pursed in thought and a sly smirk crossed her face. "However...I'll be using my own magic circle to arrive as I need to pick something up from our house. Just give me the location and I'll be off." Lilith told Grayfia and shortly after Lilith left the ORC clubroom via a magic circle of her own design.
"I gotta have her teach me that one day." Shiro idly mused as he watched his Mother vanish in a flurry of magical particles. "Anyways...where is the battlefield anyway? Is it somewhere in Hell or on Earth?" Shiro asked before it was Akeno who answered him.
"It's in a neutral alternate-space created just for the game." Akeno told him before she placed a hand on her cheek and she gained her usual sadistic smile. "Since it's not real we have free reign to do some damage...we could even burn it to the ground if we want ufufu~"
"Heh sounds like fun." Shiro smirked viciously just as Sona said that she and Tsubaki will be in the Student Council broadcast booth calling the game and that they will be cheering the team on.
"Just try to keep the play by play fair." Rias joked before Sona joined her in her joking.
"Oh I'll keep it clean...but if I was a betting girl, I would say you were going to beat that scumbag seven ways of Sunday." And with that, Sona and Tsubaki left the room.
Rias smirked as her old friend left before attention was drawn back to Grayfia who was wearing her usual serious expression. "Also I forgot to mention that the great Devil Lucifer will be watching." She told the group.
Shiro and Asia were taken aback by this information whereas Rias simply sighed and leaned against her fist. "Oh...Brohter dearest."
"Hold the phone!" Shiro suddenly snapped his body around to face Rias, knocking Koneko out of her precious seat in the process. "Are you seriously saying that the Devil of Devils is you big brother?" Shiro questioned before he felt Koneko crawl back into his lap, grab his hand and made him pat her head again while she was pouting.
"That's correct." Kiba replied. "Rias' brother is Lucifer. His real name is Sirzechs but he's also been known by many other names through out history. During the Great War our leader died and Sirzechs took over the thrown and lead us through a dark time. He saved the Devil kingdom from ruin." Kiba finished as he rested his hands on his sword.
"Well...that explains why Rias is the next head of Gremory." Asia nodded in understanding but before anyone could say anything, the magic circle Grayfia appeared from lit up a bright Crimson and expanded outwards untill it was large enough to fit the entire group on it.
"It's time." Grayfia said as she walked into the centre of the magic circle and waited for the members of the ORC to step onto it. Once all members were situated onto the circle, they began to be teleported to the desired battleground.
However, when Shiro opened his eyes, he had to close them because of the blinding light, he saw that they were still stood in the clubroom minus Grayfia but something felt...off to Shiro. Sure it looked like the Clubroom but there was a different aura to it and it felt foreign. "Did it work? Why are we still in the clubroom?" Shiro asked before both he and Asia jumped slightly upon hearing Grayfia's voice echo all around them.
"Your attention please. Welcome everyone, my name is Grayfia, I'm a servant from the house of Gremory and I will be your referee for the duration of this match. In order to creat the battlefield you will be competing in I took suggestions from Lady Rias and Lord Riser." Grayfia explained. "You may recognise this place as it is an exact replica of Kuoh Academy."
"Oh come on Fia, people don't wanna hear that boring crap. They just wanna see the game!" Suddenly, Lilith's voice joined Grayfia causing everyone to widen their eyes in surprise.
"What the! Mum?" Shiro suddenly called out, he had no idea if she could hear him or not.
Everyone heard a heavy sigh come from Grayfia before they continued their conversation. "Lady Katsura...I ask that you leave the announcers booth and join Lord and Lady Gremory in the observation booth." She said before everybody could practically see the glare she was giving Lilith and they could feel the muderous aura that leaked from her. "Lady Katsura...why have you brought-" Suddenly, the audio was cut off leaving everyone feeling more then a little puzzled.
The members of the ORC turned to Shiro with raised eyebrows and questioning glances and the Silver-haired teen simply raised his hands in submission. "Hey don't look at me! I had no idea what my Mum was doing." He told them before there was a crackle of static followed by Grayfia's voice.
"Apologies for the sudden interruption. Ahem, as I was saying, each team has been given an area that will serve as their home base. Lady Rias is in the Occult Research Club headquarters. Lord Riser will be located in the Principles office in the New School building. 'Pawns' will be premoted if they can make their way to the home base of the oppsing team. Good luck to all."
"KICK THAT FIREBIRDS ASS SHIRO!" There was another heavy sigh from Grayfia before the comms cut off with a static whine.
Everyone was silent for a minute or so before Rias cvoughed in her hand to gain everyone's attention. "Well now that is all over let's go over the plan." Rias said before she pulled out a map of the arena and laid it on her desk as everyone crowded around it.
Five minutes prior...
Lilith walked through the Gremory mansion, with a smirk on her face as the many guards bowed to her before their jaws dropped in shock as they saw her passenger. "Hmm now let's see...if I were to put a commentators booth where would I put it?" She idly questioned as she continued to stroll casually through the halls.
"Lilith...maybe you should speed things up because I'm not gonna lie and say that I'm not starting to get anxious." Kuroka said as she laid across the woman's shoulders and nervously looked about at the many guards who were struggling not to turn their spears on her.
"Oh it'll be fine Kuroka." Lilith waved her off as she rounded a corner and continued down the hall. "You're my plus one after all and not only that, you were the one who trained Shiro for this fight so you should be allowed to see how your student progressed." She told the black cat before she came to a stop outside a door that had two guards stationed, guards she recognised as they were 'pawns' of Sirzechs.
The guard on the right was Beowulf, who wore a simple suit suit, and on the left was Enku, the creature who's body resembled a horse with red scales and he also had the face of an Asian Dragon. Both 'pawns' looked down at Lilith, as they were considerably taller then the woman, and smiled at her before they both bowed to her.
"Lady Katsura. To what do we owe the pleasure?" Beowulf asked her, standing up straight after his bow. Lilith smiled at the two, sending shivers down their spines as that smile meant she was up to some mischief, before they both sighed in understanding as they realised where they were standing. "I see...are you going to watch the game with them or just to pester?" Beowulf smirked at the woman.
Lilith rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Oh I'm not that childish Beo...no I just wanted to give some final words of encouragement before I join Zeoticus and Velena." She told them and walked up to the door and was about to push it open before she was stopped as she heard Enku cough next to her.
"Lady Katsura...my I ask why you have an SS-Class criminal riding on your shoulder?" He asked, not turning to look at her as he could easily sense Kuroka's presence. "I understand that she is under your clans protection but our Master's words were clear." That's when Enku looked towards Kuroka and began to release his aura. "If she were to ever return to the Underworld she would be eliminated upon sight...we've already let you escape once so you could see your sister but this time you won't get that luxury."
Kuroka shrank back upper the immense aura that Enku was leaking out. Sure she was an SS-class criminal and stronger then most Devils but she sure as shit wasn't stronger then two members of the Underworlds strongest peerage. "Enough Enku." Lilith sternly said, her own aura began to leak out and while it was weaker then it used to be it was still enough to counter Enku's. "Kuroka is my guest...not only that but she was the one to train my son." She told the Horse-Dragon and kept up her aura against his. After a few tense seconds, Enku retracted his aura and nodded his head.
"I suggest you hurry as the match is about to start." He told them and unlocked the door.
Lilith nodded her head to the Horse-Dragon and walked on through where she spotted Grayfia, stood in front of a bunch of screens that showed vital areas of the arena along with Rias and Riser's bases, and a microphone. Lilith smirked and made her way up to Grayfia as the silver-haired maid was in the middle of explaining things. "Oh come on Fia, people don't wanna hear that boring crap. They just wanna see the game!" She said and patted the maid on her back causing her jolt forwards slightly.
Grayfia turned towards Lilith and sighed before rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Lady Katsura...I ask that you leave the announcers booth and join Lord and Lady Gremory in the observation booth." Grayfia told Lilith before her eyes narrowed and the temperature of the room dropped exponentially. "Lady Katsura...why have you brought Kuroka with you?" She scowled before realising that Lilith had suddenly snapped her arm forwards and had muted the mircophone.
"Jeez Grayfia...that was careless of you." Lilith sighed at the maid before standing up straight. "And I already had this conversation with Beowulf and Enku. She is my plus one to this event and she was also the one who me and Artemis entrusted Shiro to." Lilith told Grayfia before an intense staredown broke out between the two friends.
"Be that as it may...she is forrbidden to return to the Underworld." Grayfia said as she extand her left hand to her side and the air around her hand began to freeze and become mist.
Lilith mimicked her actions but the air around Lilith's hand began to heat up and shimmer. "I advise that you cease this course of action Grayfia...you know how our fights turn out like." Lilith scowled at the Silver-haired maid.
"I'm starting to get flashbacks to the last time you two had an 'argument'." All heads turned towards one of the corner's as they heard a man chuckling. Sirzechs was currently seated in one of the chairs with his legs crossed but if one were to look closer at him, they would see that sweat had formed on his brow and his chuckling was that of a nervous nature. "So I would like to kindly ask if you two calmed down please." He asked the two woman and stood up before he made his way over to them. He then looked at Lilith then towards her passenger. "I'm feeling generous today and, since it's a special day, I will allow you to stay and observe Kuroka but only on one condition." Sirzechs told the Nekoshou, holding up one finger. "You must stay in this form."
"I would be a fool to say no to your offer Sirzechs." Kuroka said and dipped her head down, in a sort of bow, before she turned her head to the screen which showed the Gremory base. "Besides...I do want to see how my dear student progressed~" She purred softly and licked her lips.
Grayfia sighed heavily before she turned and unmuted the microphone. "Apologies for the sudden interruption. Ahem, as I was saying, each team has been given an area that will serve as their home base. Lady Rias is in the Occult Research Club headquarters. Lord Riser will be located in the Principles office in the New School building. 'Pawns' will be premoted if they can make their way to the home base of the oppsing team. Good luck to all."
"KICK THAT FIREBIRDS ASS SHIRO!" Lilith suddenly yelled down the mic cause the Maid to sigh and mute the mic once more. "Alright, I'll head over to the Gremory booth and join Velena and Zeoticus." Lilith waved as she turned and exited the room, hanging right and continued down the hall to the Gremory booth. She soon found the observation booth where Velena and Zeoticus were seated and was stood outside the door before she finally pushed it open.
She walked over to the spare seat that was next to Velena before she sat down, Kuroka hoping off her shoulder and into her lap, and rested her chin on her fist. "So...what are your predictions?" Lilith asked aloud.
"If we're being truthful...Riser will win this match but it will be a close game."
"Is that a prediction...or the desired outcome?" No one said anything else after that as they began to focus on the game that had just begun.
Gremory Vs Phenex...Game...START!
Shortly after Grayfia announced the game to start, Shiro and Koneko were currently outside the back door to the gymnassium. The plan was for those two to secure the gym as it was a mid-point to their base and Riser's.
A few minutes before the game started, Rias had Kiba, Koneko and Akeno to go around the suround forest and set up traps, this task was given to Kiba and Koneko, while Akeno would use her illusionary magic to hide the traps and make getting to the base a little bit harder. Shiro also decided to summon Tiberus, the lightning beast shook it's fur and nuzzled it's Master, before he sent him out to patrol the forest with Kiba and provide support and also protect Asia and Rias.
This finally lead up to know, with Shiro and Koneko standing outside the door to the gym. Just as Shiro was about to open the door to the gym, Koneko reached out to grab his sleeve and she started to sniff the air. "They're already inside nya~" She told him. Shiro nodded before stepping back and held out his right hand and extended it towards the door.
"If that's the case...then there's no point for stealth." He told her as a silver magic circle appeared in his hand before it swiftly turned a redish-orange before a fire ball launched from his palms and exploded upon hitting the door. The blast sent the door flying off it's hinges before it landed on the ground in a crumpled, smoking heap. Shiro turned to Koneko and nodded before they both rushed inside and towards the main hall.
They both stopped at the curtain that was normally used for stage productions as the main hall was shrouded in darkness. Soon all the lights came on at once before they both heard a feminine voice call out.
"Smells like Gremory filth." The voice cooed in a condescending manner. "There's no point hiding you know. We heard you come in."
"Well I sure as shit hope you did." Shiro taunted as both he and Koneko, who went into her Nekomata mode, walked out onto the stage. "After all, I wasn't exactly quiet when I blew the door off it's hinges." He said before his eyes glanced over the four girls that stood before them. The first one he saw was a girl with black hair, tied in two chinese buns, and her outfit consisted of a navy blue qipao with gold accents, a white sash around her stomach, and black, low-heeled shoes. Not only that but she also wore black armguards...Shiro thought she was a copy of Street Fighter's Chun-Li.
The second was the same staff wielding girl who hit him in his stomach and her outfit was the same the first time he saw her and finally he noticed a pair of terquiose-haired, young looking twins who were wearing what basically accounted for a gym uniform.
"Look what we have here...she sent us a 'pawn' and a 'rook'." Chun-Li arrogantly stated. "Little Shiro needed some help?"
A low growl escaped Shiro's throat before he smirked and nodded towards the staff user. "I should be saying the same thing after all...I remember knocking that staff girl to the ground...well it was more like back into Riser's arms but who cares." Shiro said, enjoying the scowl the blue haired girl held.
"I'm Mira, a 'pawn'." She scowled at Shiro.
"I'm Xuelan, a 'rook'."
"I'm Ile."
"And I'm Nel...and we're both 'pawns'." The twins were the final ones to state their ranks.
"Moving three 'pawns' and a 'rook' at once? Pretty sure that's an illegal move in chess." Shiro stated as he cupped his chin in thought before he shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well. I'm Shiro, a 'pawn'."
"Koneko...'rook'." Koneko then narrowed her eyes towards Xuelan before tugging Shiro's sleeve. "That 'rook' chick...she could be a problem for us nya~"
Shiro looked down at her before his eyes glanced back over to Xuelan, who was still wearing her confident and cocky smirk, before he looked back down to Koneko and smiled. "Think you can handle her?" He asked her. Koneko smirked up at Shiro and nodded her head. Shiro smiled back and stood up straight. "All right...let's get this show on the road eh partner?" Shiro then held up his right arm which soon became clad in the Boosted gear before it loudly called out it's power up.
[BOOST!]
"Those 'pawns' are all you." Koneko told Shiro as she stepped forwards, crouched on all fours, before pouncing towards Xuelan rapidly that she actually managed to catch the woman off guard, who barely managed to raise her fists to block Koneko's Senjutsu enhanced punch, and they soon began to engage each other in a slug match.
"So ladies~" The other three turned their heads to face Shiro as he slowly began to walk towards them, cracking his knuckles, before he stopped a few feet before them and made a 'come hither' gesture. "Who wants to dance first?" He asked and soon recieved his answer via Mira suddenly kicking herself off the ground, cause cracks to spider-web out from where she was standing, with her staff pulled back.
Once she was in range, she grunted loudly as she jabbed her staff forwards and aimed it at Shiro's stomach. Shiro, who saw the attack coming, simply raised his Boosted gear clad hand and deflected the strike but he had to quickly to raise his other hand as Mira swung the other end of her staff around and aimed it towards Shiro's head. Shiro had to stay on the defensive as Mira showed off just how impressive her Bojutsu skills were as she suddenly swapped her grip on her staff, pulled it away from Shiro, and swun it upwards causing him to backflip away from her.
Shiro slid to a stop before standing up straight and deflected another jab aimed at his head, the pressure that surrounded her strike managed to knock some loose hair strands free. Shiro's eyes went wide as he saw Mira smirk before she swiftly changed grips yet again. The reason for this was that her staff suddenly segmented and blades jutted out from the segmented parts. With another grunt of effort, Mira yanked her arm back and pulled her now bladed whip along with her managing to cut Shiro's cheek.
Shiro hissed in slight pain and jumped a foot away from her as he watched the whip snap back into a staff. "Neat little trick you got there." Shiro praised her for catching him off guard, wiping his bloody cheek with his sleeve.
"Hmph Lord Riser suggested that I shouldn't always rely on my staff skills." She replied as she held the whipstaff behind her back with one hand. She had to quickly swing her whip forwards soon after that as Shiro raced towards her. She raised her arm and then swung it down towards Shiro, who leapt to one side the dodge the teeth of the whip, before she followed through with another swing to her side cracking the whip towards Shiro.
The silver-haired teen slid to his knees and under the whip before he had to raise his Boosted gear clad hand yet again to block her now formed staff. The constent shifting from staff to whip to staff kept Shiro on his toes...and on the defensive. However, what worried him the most was the fact that the other two 'pawns' had yet to make a move against him and a quick glance to Koneko showed that they weren't engaging her.
'If they're not there...then where the hell?' Shiro thought as he leapt to his feet and backflippd away from Mira and a swing of her staff that was aimed at his legs. His eyes then went wide as he thought he heard the telltale rev of a chainsaw...two chainsaws in fact. He then jumped back and it was just in time too as both Ile and Nel descended from above and slammed down atop of where he was. "Okay, I get the whipstaff but why in the fuck would Riser give to kids chainsaws?" Shiro questioned as the smoke cleared to reveal the twins toting a pair of identical chainsaws.
"Hey! We're not kids!" Ile, or was it Nel?, yelled at him.
"Yeah! Lord Riser just thinks we look cuter like this!" Nel, or was it Ile?, yelled back and the pair reved their chainsaws once more before sprinting towards Shiro. Shiro was, once again, forced to duck and dodge as the twins were relentless as they swung their weapons about wildly.
Shiro growled lowly before speaking. "Okay, I've had enough of this shit." He said before he dashed between the two twins, both of which turned towards him and swung their chainsaws overhead and down at him. Shiro took a deep breath and raised both his hands. 'Remember...Devil magic all comes from ones emotions and imagination...in that case.' Shiro thought before his eyes snapped open, mist began to form above his left hand. "FREEZE!" Shiro yelled just as Ile and Nel's chainsaws hit Shiro's palms and there was a huge blast of cold air that come from Shiro's left hand. Ile's chainsaw began to grind against Shiro's Boosted gear causing sparks to fly everywhere, where as Nel's chainsaw was suddenly encased in frost.
"No way!" Both twins yelled out in surprised before they grit their teeth and continued to pushed against Shiro's hands. Smoke wafted up from both tools as they pushed harder against him before they both yelled out once more. "NOW MIRA!"
Shiro, distracted by the twins, didn't notice that Mira was now directly in his face and before he could react, she slammed the end of her staff into his stomach. Just like before, her attack didn't hurt Shiro that much but she had added a wind enhancement that blew Shiro back and made him slam into the wall, creating a large hole, before he fell to the ground.
All three of Riser's 'pawns' panted softly as they tried to catch their breath before both Ile and Nel inspected their tools. Ile's chainsaw had lost some of the teeth and smoke continued to rise up from the base meanwhile the guidebar of Nel's had completely frozen over, the ice ended just before it reached the main portion. "Do...Do you think we got him?" Nel asked her fellow 'pawns' before they all turned their heads to where Shiro was.
"Not even close." He said, a smirk had formed on his face. "But I think it's time we end this fight considering things." He said and nodded over to where Koneko and Xuelan were fighting. Emphasis on 'were' as Koneko was sat atop of Xuelan's back and had her leg bent back.
All three 'pawns' clicked their tongues at him before Ile and Nel yanked the cords on their chainsaws, sending them into overdrive and flames coated the guidebars, and the same went for Mira's staff as flames flicked off it. "TIME FOR YOU TO DIE!" They all yelled and rushed at him.
Shiro took a deep breath and closed his eyes, holding his right hand in front of him. His eyes then snapped open and he dashed forwards to meet the trio. First he scrapped Nel's chainsaw against the back of his boosted gear before he kept up his momentum and slammed his left palm into her shoulder knocking her away from him. Shiro quickly pivoted his left foot slightly and a pillar of ice, the height of his body, formed behind him and caught Ile's chainsaw and as she struggled to pull it free, Shiro turned and grabbed Mira's staff, hissing in pain as she had the blades deployed which meant he cut his palms and also burned them, before he brought his knee up and snapped it in half.
"H-He broke my staff!" Mira said in shock before yelling out in pain as Shiro slammed his elbow into her back followed by his palm. Ile finally managed to yank her chainsaw free but it was too late as Shiro had dashed to her side and slammed a plam into her stomach. All three landed into a groaning heap next to each other before they pulled themselves to their feet. "We...We're not DONE YET!" Mira yelled as flames quickly coated her broken staff.
Shiro smirked before he raised his hand, his open palm facing towards the ceiling, before he rapidly closed his fist and yelled. "BINDING DRAGON CHAIN PRISON!" Sliver magic circles appeared underneath the three before silver chains, each adorning a Dragon head, shot out from the magic circles, wrapped themselves around their necks and wrists, before it yanked them to the floor and locked them in place. Shiro then turned to Koneko and nodded his head to her. "Koneko, why don't you throw your trash with the others." He said before he raised his right hand towards the group and formed a finger pistol.
[BOOST!]
Koneko nodded to Shiro before she got of Xuelan, still holding her leg, and swung the woman over to the downed 'pawns' where she landed atop of Mira. Once Xuelan landed atop of Mira, Shiro smirked before speaking aloud. "Game. Over." He said as a ping-pong sized red ball of energy appeared in front of his fingers. "Here goes. Secret technique: RED DRAGON RAILGUN!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
There was a almighty explosion as the ball expanded until it was ten times it's original size and fired a red beam that envoloped the 'pawns' and 'rook'. All four girls screamed out as the beam travelled towards them and shortly after, Grayfia's voice called out.
"Three of Lord Riser's 'Pawns' and one of Lord Riser's 'Rooks'...retired"
"Shiro, Koneko...was that you?" Rias' voice suddenly came through on their hidden earpieces.
Shiro placed his hand over his ear and nodded. "Yep. That was my secret technique." Shiro proudly said, his chest puffed out slightly, before he wheezed slightly as Koneko elbowed him in his stomach.
"You're gloating nya~" She said, but it was hard not to miss the smirk on her face.
"While I'm glad she didn't waste her strength...you should also take care as to not waste your strength." Rias' told him sternly, he was a vital piece in winning this fight.
"Don't worry Rias." He replied, looking back at the extremely large hole that he created. "That...that was just a fraction of what I can do. Anyways, we'll stick to the plan and head to the Athletic field and sync up with Kiba. Over and out." He finished before turning to Koneko and took in her appearance. Her clothes were torn slightly which revealed part of her bra and panties but other then that, she looked like she had taken no damage. "You ready to continue Koneko?"
Koneko nodded and smiled at him before her expression showed that of concern. "I'm fine but you should rest up." She said as she gestured to his appearance. His left palm was sliced up, thanks to Ile and Nel's chainsaws, and he had a cut on his cheek. His clothes were also torn up a little.
"Don't worry about me Koneko." Shiro waved her off with a smile and began to walk out of the gym through the hole he created. He ran his finger over the cut on his cheek and slowly healed it with the Senjutsu he learned while training under Kuroka. "Like I said to Rias, we should hurry to the Athletic field and meet up with Kiba...speaking of the pretty boy...wonder how he's faring?"
With Kiba...
In the forest that surrounded the Old School building, a heavy fog had formed and it made traversing the dense woodlands difficult. Despite this, three feminine figures could be seen dancing through thick underbush and even bounced off the trees before they came to a stop just before the Old School building. These were three more of Riser's 'pawns'. Marion, the brunette maid, Bulent, another brunette maid, and finally Shuriya, the light-blue haired exotic-dancer, all looked around their foggy surroundings.
"Damn...this fog is so thick I can barely see two feet in front of me." Bulent said as she kept her head on a swivel for any traps as they were nearing Rias' base. Throughout their advancement, they had yet to encounter any traps so that made all three of them very on guard. There was a sudden flash of bright crimson which caused them to all scatter from where they were just standing and it's a good thing they moved as three red spikes impaled where they once stood.
"A trap? Did they really think something like that would work on us?" Shuriya mocked as she grabbed a tree branch and swung off it before kicking off another tree.
"Heh, a cute trick from a rating game virgin." Marion smirked before she looked behind her. "Right Bulent...Bulent?" She came to a sudden holt as she saw that her fellow maid wasn't with them. "Bulent where did you run off to now?" She called out.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"One of Lord Riser's 'Pawns'...retired."
"GRRRRRAWWWWWWWW!"
The blood drained from their faces as they heard Bulent's blood-curdling scream, followed by Grayfia's announcement and then a monstrous roar that echoed through the forest and shook the girls to their bones. "W-What the hell was that?" Marion whimpered as she stepped back and bumped into Shuriya.
"That ladies." Both girls swiftly turned around as they saw a cute blonde male, with a sword sheathe attached to his hip, stalk towards them. He held a pretty smile that promised nothing but pain. "Was my comrades familiar." He finished just as a large magic circle appeared above the three and locked them all in a magic barrier. "Now then...how about we end this quickly?" Kiba said before he snapped his eyes open and vanished from sight.
Back with Shiro and Koneko...
"Two of Lord Riser's 'Pawns'...retired." Came the announcement shortly after the previous.
Shiro whistled before he smirked. "Looks like Kiba and Tiberus pulled through." He smirked before turning to Koneko and nodded. "You ready to continue?"
"Ready as ever nya~"
"I don't think that will stop being cute no matter how many times I hear it." Shiro smirked as he and Koneko began to sprint towards the Athletic field. Suddenly, Shiro grabbed Koneko's arm and tossed her to one side. Her petite body landed to the floor with a dull thud and before she could question Shiro on his actions, her body was blown back further as Shiro's body suddenly exploded, ripping up the Earth where he was standing.
"Not who I was aiming for but taking out the Red-Dragon this early is a good trade off~" A sultry voice spoke from above causing Koneko to look up and hiss in anger as she saw Riser's Queen floating in the air. Yubelluna held a smirk on her face as she waited for the announcment of Shiro's retirement. Her smirk began to fade as she waited and waited and waited and waited. Her eyes went wide and she quickly flapped her wings to send her higher into the air as an ice spike shot out from the smoke.
"Who exactly...were you trying to take out?" Shiro's panted as the smoke began to clear. His right pant leg was completely shredded along with his shirt while his blazer had been discarded. He was currently gripping his Boosted gear clad arm, his palm open and facing Yubelluna, with his left arm. His silver-hair was caked in dirt and mud while exposed parts of his body were black.
[Reset.]
Shiro suddenly collpased to his knees after the Boosted gear made that call out and disappeared, Koneko quickly rushing over to his side shortly after. "Are you okay Shiro?" Koneko asked, steadly helping him to his feet. Her eyes went wide as, now that she was in direct contact with Shiro, she could sense that he was strengthening his body with Touki and, this is what shocked her the most, Senjutsu and that's how he was able to withstand Yubelluna's attack. "S-Shiro...how are you able-" Koneko started to say but was cut off as Shiro swiftly wrapped his arms around her and pumped his legs to jump out of the way of another explosion.
Shiro slid across the ground, still holding Koneko in his arms, while glaring up at Yubelluna. "So Riser sent out his 'Queen' huh? Not very smart considering things." Shiro said with a smirk as he set Koneko on the ground, who was still staring at him with wide eyes. "All we have to do is take you down and Riser has lost his strongest piece."
"Ufufufufu~ And how do you plan on that little Devil?" Yubelluna mocked with a laugh as she stared down at the two. "You can hardly stand and your little friend looks as fragile as you do." She taunted before her eyebrow furrowed in confusion as Shiro smirked at her.
"Oh...we aren't the ones who you'll be fighting." He said before he took a deep breath and yelled. "NOW AKENO!"
KER-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The sky above Yubelluna were suddenly ripped apart as a yellow circle formed above her and lightning struck her body causing her to scream out in pain. Both Shiro and Koneko looked up and saw Akeno float above the now smoking Yubelluna, who had fell to the ground and was resting on her staff.
"That, was for hurting my cute junior~" Akeno purred, lightning crackled around her finger tips. "Only I'm allowed to do that fufu~"
"Uhhhhh scuse me?"
"Best not to question her." Koneko sighed and shook her head before she took Shiro's hand and began to drag him away from the two 'Queens' battle ground. "We should probably leave her be and get somewhere safe."
"Right." Shiro nodded in agreement before he began sprinting away with Koneko, he winced everytime he put pressure on his burnt leg. 'Damn this shit hurts. Guess my Senjutsu ain't good enough yet.' Shiro thought as they continued to run away.
Just as they passed the equipment building, a hand lashed out and grabbed them both by their wrists and yanked them inside. Shiro, acting on instinct, grabbed the hand and was about to clench down hard before a familiar voice stopped him. "Hey you two." Kiba said, wearing his usual smile.
Shiro sighed in relief as the 'Knight' released the pair before he lightly punched him in his shoulder. "Fucking Hell Kiba how about a heads up next time. I was about to crush your wrist." He said before leaning back against the wall and enjoyed this slight breather. He slowly slid down the wall until he was sat down.
"You doing okay man?" Shiro opened his eyes and looked up at Kiba who was eying his burnt leg. "You just took a big hit." Shiro didn't reply to the blonde and simply gave him a thumbs up with a smirk.
"Shiro, I need to ask-" Koneko tried to ask Shiro, once again, how he was able to use Senjutsu and Touki but was interupted by Rias' voice through the earpiece.
"Kiba, Shiro, Koneko do you read me?"
"Loud and clear Rias. What's up?"
"I'm going to move into phase 3 of our plan." She said before continuing. "I need you three to draw the rest of Riser's team away from the base to by use some time."
The three looked between each other in worry as they were moving into the third stage sooner then they had initally planned however, given the circumstances, they had no other option as Akeno was meant to thin the ranks before she engaged with Riser's 'Queen'. "All right but...be careful. For all we know we could be playing right into Riser's hand." Kiba warned before static filled their coms.
"Well you heard her." Shiro grunted as he pushed himself to stand. "We'd best hurry and get out there to ruffle some feathers." Shiro told the two as he put on a brave face but Kiba and Koneko knew he was hurting since they could see his right leg twitching. Shiro paid them no attention as he grabbed the door to the equipment room and pushed it open before all three ran out and headed towards the track field.
The moment they stepped foot onto the field, they were all intercepted by a brunette with a white headband and suit of silver armour with black accents. "My name is Karlamine, a 'Knight' in the service of Lord Riser!" She proudly stated before she began to unsheathe her blade and pointed it towards the trio, which soon ignited into flames. "I hearby challenge you to a duel."
All three looked between each other before nodding as Shiro and Koneko took a step back while Kiba took a step forwards. "I am Kiba Yuuto, a 'Knight' in the service of Lady Rias and I hearby accept you challange." Kiba called back before he unsheathed his own blade.
"Well said 'Knight' of Lady Rias...I assume none of the others members will try and intervene less you bring shame upon your Master?"
"Don't worry about them as you should be worrying about me!" Kiba swiftly replied before he suddenly appeared in Karlamine's face, his blade interlocked with hers. Soon, the two began to dance a dance that only two 'Knights' could understand as sparks flew each time their blades crossed paths. If one were to watch their fight, they would say that both 'Knights' were evenly matched but should a 'Knight' watch it...they would see that Kiba was on the offensive.
"That Karlamine is such a sword freak." Came an exasperated voice. Both Shiro and Koneko turned their heads towards the voice and saw a young blonde-girl with twin drill-curls and was wearing a pink dress. "She was way too bothered by those other pieces we sacrificed." She continued as she began to approach the pair. More footsteps surrounded the two as the rest of Riser's peerage made their appearance. "And when I thought I found a cute boy...turns out he's a sword freak too." She then sneered up at Shiro and Koneko as she was flanked by a woman with black hair tied up in five ponytails and a zweihander strapped to her back and a pair of Nekomata's wearing matching skimpy sailor uniforms.
"Well shit...seems like we kicked a hornet's nest." Shiro tsked as his eyes glazed over the rest of the members of Riser's peerage before he spotted a head pf crimson and blonde. His eyes narrowed as he watched Rias and Asia steathly make their way to the new school building. "So which one of you bitches want's their ass kicked first?" Shiro asked with a smirk as he summoned the Boosted gear and pointed it towards the blonde girl who scoffed and turned her head away.
"Oh please. Don't point that thing at me, I have no intention of fighting you." The blonde girl said before she raised her eyebrow at Shiro who was just smirking before she shook her head and looked towards the brunette who broke Shiro's nose. "Isabela...teach him a lesson. Why on Hell are you still smirking?" She finally questioned.
"Oh nothing...just that I also had no intention of fighting you." Shiro said with a shrug before he took a small step to the side. "She did though."
"NYA!" Koneko suddenly leapt out from behind Shiro and towards the blonde, he quickly grew a pair of flaming wings to escape Koneko but the Nekoshou continued to give chase.
"Now that's over with...hello again." Shiro scowled as he turned towards Isabela. "You remember me?" Shiro questioned before he raised his left hand in front of his face and curled his fingers, almost resembling claws. 'Kuroka...here's hoping I remember your lessons on Neko-kata.' Shiro thought as he watched Isabela intensly.
"Hmph of course I remember you." Isabela nodded before she eyed his stance with a raised brow before she shook her head and entered a boxers stance, bouncing on her heels. "I'm Isabela, a 'Rook' in the service of the honourable Lord Riser Phenex." She said before she bent her legs and pushed off the ground, creating an inch deep crater.
"There are many words I would use to describe Riser...honourable isn't even close to one of them." Shiro retorted before he tilted his head to the side and deflected a straight jab from Isabela. "So I gotta ask...how come she didn't want to fight?" Shiro questioned, lashing his left leg out to knee Isabela in the side of her abdomen, which she raised her own leg to block, before he kicked her in her head, which she also blocked with her forearms, before he nodded over to where Koneko was chasing down the blonde.
"She is serving as a 'Bishop' in this fight but she mostly likes to watch." Isabela grunted as she blocked Shiro's kicks before she went into a series of jabs and hooks, getting fustrated as Shiro either deflected or dodged. "She is Ravel Phenex and is Lord Riser's younger SISTER!" She finished with a yell as she hooked both her arms through Shiro's guard, pulled her head back and headbutted Shiro in his nose sending him stumbling back and clutching his bloody nose.
"Again with the nose!" Shiro growled before he shook his head. "So on top of being a scumbag, he's also a creep." Shiro retorted before he quickly pivoted around on his good leg and narrowly dodged a straight jab from Isabela and when he was behind her, he slammed his right elbow into her back sending her stumbling forwards.
Isabela grunted slightly before she suddenly whipped around with a right high-kick aimed at Shiro's temple but the silver haired teen caught her leg. "Heh...you're better then I expected." She praised Shiro before she yanked her leg out of Shiro's grasp and punched Shiro in his gut. Her eyes widened slightly as she half expected him to crumple over like before but she was moderatly pleased to find that he caught her fist.
"I ain't falling for the same trick twice." Shiro growled as he held Isabela's fist before he went for a left hook but she mimicked his action and caught his fist. "So what now?" Shiro smirked before his face twisted in agony and a pained scream boiled from his throat. Isabela had kicked Shiro in his right shin and what made it worse was the fact she was wearing steel toe-capped boots.
"What's next is your loss." She stated, grabbing Shiro's forearm, and judo flipped him over her shoulder and slammed him into the ground. The moment Shiro's back hit the floor, he bounced up an inch and wheezed as the air was knocked out his lungs.
Shiro groaned before he rolled onto his stomach and then onto his hands and knees. His right leg burned in agony and it felt like the very air itself stung it. Shiro's ears twitched as he heard the sound of boots crunching against gravel as they slowly approached from behind before he heard someone crack their knuckles followed by Isabela's voice. "Hmm I guess I over-estermaited you...no matter, any last words?" She asked Shiro as the air above her foot began to shimmer.
Shiro's eyes widened and his eyes darted around for a solution before his hands closed around the dirt. "Just this...DON'T BLINK!" He yelled before he quickly rose to his feet, despite the agonizing pain in his leg, and tossed the dirt into Isabela's eyes. She swiftly recoiled and began to desperatly rub her eyes to remove the dirt that blinded her.
[BOOST!]
Shiro's eyes narrowed as the Boosted gear called out it's power-up and a magic circle formed in his hand. With a grunt of effort, Shiro swung his right arm vertically, from the ground towards Isabela, and the last thing the 'Rook' would see was a brought flash followed by a searing heat to her face as an explosion formed in Shiro's palm blasting them both away from each other.
Isabela screamed in pain before her body was surrounded by light and she soon vanished. Meanwhile Shiro, also blown back by the explosion, boucned across the ground before sliding to a stop. He began coughing madly and waved a hand in front of his face to waft away the dust and dirt before smirking as he heard Grayfia's announcment.
"One of Lord Riser's 'Rooks'...retired."
Shiro slowly stood to his foot before he whipped around as he heard Kiba's pained scream. His eyes went wide as he saw the blonde knight, wielding a different sword then before, started to fall forwards. His face was twisted in pain and a portion of his back was smoking before his body was encased by the same light as Isabela...and then came the dreaded annoucments.
"One of Lady Rias' 'Knights', one of Lady Rias' 'Rooks' and Lady Rias' 'Queen'...retired."
"N-No way...they were all...defeated." Shiro breathed out, stuned, as she watched Kiba's body vanish before her turned his head and saw the same thing happen to Koneko.
"Grrr WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS MIHAE!" He heard Karlamine yell out in pure anger. "HOW DARE YOU INTERUPT MY FIGHT!"
"Lady Ravel's orders Karlamine." He heard the one called Mihae respond. He looked over to where the voice came from and saw that it was the Kimono wearing girl, who's hand was smoking, that attacked Kiba in the back. "We are to eliminate this 'Pawn' and return to Lord Riser." She told Karlamine before her eyes went wide in shock and horror as she felt her feet go numb, which slowly traveled up her legs until the numbness passed her abdomen. A quick glance down and she saw that her lower body was quickly being encased in ice and another quick glance, she saw that Shiro's hand was outstretched towards her and a magic circle had formed.
"This...this is for Kiba and interrupting his fight and for shooting him in the back." Shiro told her, his tone of voice matching the element he was using. "Now...FREEZE!" He yelled and clenched his hand into a fist as the ice finaly encased Mihae completely.
"One of Lord Riser's 'Bishops'...retired."
Shiro allowed his body to relax slightly, putting his weight on his good leg, but it seemed his relaxtion came to a close as he found himself surrounded by the rest of Riser's team. He looked around him before his eyes fell upon Ravel, who was floating in the air, and Yubelluna, who was floating next to her and her clothes were in near tatters and yet she looked like she had recieved no damage.
"Took you long enough Yubelluna." Ravel glanced over her shoulder at the 'Queen' before she continued. Yubelluna bowed apologetically before she held up a small vial.
"My apologies...their 'Queen' was as every bit strong as we heard." She told Ravel. "I had to use this believe it or not." She said before pocketing the vial and flew away, most likely to join Riser.
"And just what the hell was that?" Shiro called out, his eyes never leaving the girls that surrounded him.
"Just our families hidden treasure. Tears of the Phoenix, which can heal any injury instantly." She taunted before looking down at Shiro and rolled her eyes at his harsh glare. "Oh relax, we're only allowed two per game...anyways, take care of him." Ravel ordered before she flew further into the sky but stayed close by to observe the fight.
'Two per game huh...so since Yubelluna used one...I just need to find ther person who has the other.' Shiro thought before he had to quickly duck underneath a slice from the zweihander-wielder and then roll away from her range. Shiro hissed in pain as more dirt and dust rubbed against Shiro's leg as he slid across the floor.
"You should really keep an eye on your surroundings nya nya~" He heard from behind him causing him to quickly flip forwards and onto his hands as he narrowly dodged a leg swipe from the blue-haired Nekomata, who was smirking at Shiro as her twin suddenly dashed around her and leapt towards Shiro before she slammed her leg into his stomach.
Shiro coughed up some saliva as he was quickly flung back. Shiro planted his hands on the ground to slow himself down before he flopped to his stomach, his face twisted in pain. He slowly pushed himself to stand as the Boosted gear called another power-up
[BOOST!]
'That's two boosts since the reset.' Shiro thought as he eyed his gauntlet before he quickly raised it to deflect a stab from Karlamine, who was wielding a small flaming dagger.
"Tell your 'Knight' I'm sorry our fight ended in such a dishonourable way but Lord Riser's win is more important!" She said to Shiro as she swapped her hold on her knife, holding it in a reverse grip, as she continued to swip at Shiro. She went for another stab at Shiro, aiming for his stomach, but her eyes went wide as Shiro twisted his body to the side, grabbed the blade of the knife with his right hand and shattered the blade. He then pressed his left plam agaisnt her side before a powerful blast of air seperated the two.
Shiro panted for breath as his guantlet called out another boost.
[BOOST!]
'That's three...still not enough.' Shiro thought before his eyes went wide as his breather was soon cut short by the Neko twins who decended upon him.
The blue-haired girl went high for Shiro's face while the red-head went low, no doubt aiming for his legs. Shiro danced through their attacks as best he could but he landed on his right-leg in a way that caused him to stumble slightly. This gave the Nekomata twins their opening and they both dropped to their hands and they both kicked Shiro in his chin, sending him flying into the air. They soon followed suit and sumersaulted into the air above Shiro before they brought their heels, using the opposite heel to the other, and slammed them into his stomach sending him hurtling towards the ground.
"All your Siris nya~" The red-headed Nekomata purred as a glint above them caught Shiro's eyes as it rapidly decended towards him.
The glint impacted with Shiro, forcing him to fall faster towards the ground before they both impacted on the ground and kicked up a large dust cloud. The dust cloud lasted for a few seconds before it dispersed to reveal the horrifying sight of Shiro, laying on his stomach, with Siris standing above him and her zweihander through his back, effectivly pinning him to the floor.
All the members involved in the fight panted for breath as they stared at the silver-haired teen, his blood pooling beneath him, before Siris pulled her sword out of his back. "He's done." She stated coldly, swiping her sword to the swide and flicked Shiro's blood off, before sheathing it. Shiro's body began to slowly be envoloped by a bright light as he started to get retired.
'N-No...i-it can't end like this...' Shiro thought, his hands clawed at the ground as his vision started to become blurry. Time seemed to slow down as he watched the group walk away from him and towards the new school building. He slowly glanced at the roof as he saw an explosion created from both Riser's flames and Rias' destruction magic. 'I need...to win...for her...' Shiro thought as darkness clouded his vision...and yet he could still hear everything.
[Get up...] Came a booming voice. Slowly, a light began to flicker in his darkened vision. At first...it was dull, so dull in fact it might as well not of been there, but slowly it grew brighter and brighter until Shiro could see that it was a raging inferno. Inside the inferno, he could see the Dragon that resided in the Boosted gear and the Dragon was looking down on him. [I said get up Shiro...your fight is far from over.] The Dragon told Shiro.
Slowly Shiro's body began to rise up until he was back on his feet.
[All Sacred gears respond to the will of their user.] The Dragon told him as the red flames began to turn a soft green.
The remaining members slowly turned towards Shiro with wide eyes.
[So what is your will? What do you desire?]
'My...desire?' Shiro thought as the gem on the Boosted gear began to glow brighter and brighter. 'My desire...is to win...' Shiro's eyes suddenly snapped open as a new fire blazed in them.
[BOOST x5!]
[DRAGON BOOSTER!]
"Not enough..." Shiro said as he stumbled on his feet, his hair shadowed his eyes before he raised his head to show that the fire in his eyes had turned into a raging inferno. "I need more power...GIVE ME EVERYTHING YOU GOT DRAGON!" Shiro yelled and raised the Boosted gear towards the Heavens.
[DRAGON BOOSTER: SECOND AWAKENING!] Both the Dragon's and Shiro's voice roared together as the Boosted gear changed it's shape so that it covered more of Shiro's arm and it also gained a second gem.
"Game. Over." Shiro slowly said before he clenched his fist and slammed it into the ground. "RED-DRAGON RAGING STORM!" Shiro yelled as a large magic circle, larger then one he has ever created, formed beneath the entire Athletic field and frost quickly covered the entire area freezing all the member's of Riser's peerage, apart from Ravel who was still flying in the air, in place before the same magic circle appeared above the frozen group. There was an almighty thunderclap before the sky was ripped open and a bolt of lightning, big enough to cover an entire truck, shot out of the magic circle and struck the group. What followed the natural disaster like attack was a large creater about 3 meters deep and was about 8 meters wide. "Holy...shit..." Shiro breathed out as he stared at the crater in front of him before he collapsed to his knees and breathed heavily.
[You need to be careful from here on Shiro.] He heard the Dragon say to him as the Boosted gear made the reset call. [You have reached your limit with that last attack...any more and you may kill yourself.]
"Doesn't matter..." Shiro replied as he pushed himself to stand once more before he began to limp towards the New School building. "All that matters...is making sure Rias wins." He replied. It was clear that Shiro was at his limit just from the way his breathing was ragged and laboured and he struggled to keep his eyes open.
The Dragon watched Shiro limp towards the new school building before he sighed and shook his head as Shiro's desiree to save and help others overpowered his own desiree to live reminded him of his Father and began to slowly pump Senjutsu through Shiro's body so that he would at least make it to Asia so he could be healed.
Shiro slowly pushed the door to the new school building open before he scowled as he saw that Ravel was waiting for him, her arms crossed underneath her chest and a scowl on her face.
"So...you managed to defeat the others." She started to say but stopped as Shiro ignored her and walked past her before he began to climb up the stairs. "What do you hope to acomplish in this state?" Ravel questioned him with a scowl. "You can barely stand."
"Doesn't matter..." Shiro stopped walking and glanced back at her, the fire yet to be reduced to smoldering embers. "If Riser knocks me to the ground, I'll just get back up every. Single. Time." Shiro told her before he turned to face her fully and held his fist out towards her. "If you want to stop me then go ahead and try." Shiro said to Ravel and after a minute of her not moving, Shiro turned and continued his way up. Shiro reached the second floor before continuing to walk over to one of the windows but before he pushed it open, he took a deep breath and called out his premotion. "Here goes...Promotion...'QUEEN'!" He yelled before he felt his body get overburdened by the extra power...power his weakened body couldn't handle but he would push onwards. He would push on for Rias' sake.
Shiro suddenly pushed the window open and climbed out onto the roof where Rias and Riser were. "RIAS. YOUR 'PAWN' HAS ARRIVED TO FIGHT!" Shiro yelled out causing the four, since Yubelluna had joined her Master's side, to look towards him and each held various emotions as he slowly approached them all. Shiro came to a stop in front of Rias and stood in front of her protectivly.
"Shiro! How are you still standing?" Rias asked her 'Pawn', concern was heavy in her voice as she looked over each of his wounds before he eyes fell upon the large stab wound in his back. Rias suddenly turned to Asia and stepped aside. "Asia, please heal him."
"R-Right!" The blonde 'Bishop' nodded as she quickly rushed over to Shiro's side, struggling to keep her tears of seeing her big brother in so much pain, and began to heal his wounds.
Suddenly, they all looked over to Riser as he called out to them with his usual sneer and condescending voice. "Give up Rias. You're about to be mated...I can't help but feel sorry for you for having such weak ser-" Riser was suddenly cut off when a blast of Destruction hit him directly in his face.
"Don't you dare call my servants weak Riser." Rias practically snarled as she stopped in front of Shiro and Asia. "I will not stand idly by while you mock my servants and try to intimidate me! I am a 'King' and I am ready for war!" She yelled at the Riser causing him to sigh heavily.
"Rias please. This is checkmate for you so it's best you give up now before you cause even more shame to your family."
"Seems like you're even worse at chess then me." Shiro suddenly laughed, his wounds now healed thanks to Asia. "Checkmate implies that the opposing side has no more moves available...but take a look Riser. Rias still has moves she can make."
"That's what you think." Riser smirked before he snapped his fingers.
"PREMOTION 'ROOK'!"
There was a sudden explosion on the roof, thanks to Yubelluna duing her Master's bidding, right where Asia was standing. "ASIA NO!" Rias called out as she whipped around before she breathed a sigh of relief to see Shiro was covering her body, who had quickly promoted to 'Rook' for a defense boost. "Shiro are you okay?" Rias asked her 'Pawn' as she ran to his side.
Yubelluna suddenly flew down from the sky and landed next to Riser. "I'm sorry...I didn't expect him to survive that attack, especially after everything he's been through." Riser didn't respond to his 'Queen' and merely clicked his tongue as he watched Rias run over to Shiro's side.
Shiro didn't repsond and handed Asia's body to Rias. He slowly stood up and turned around to glare down Riser. "Riser you bastard." Shiro growled as he began to leak a murderous aura. "I'm going to make you pay. I'm going to make you pay for all the pain you've put Rias through and thensome." He said before he began to sprint towards Riser.
[BOOST!]
"AGAIN!"
[BOOST!]
"Once more!" Shiro yelled and just as he was a foot away from Riser he felt his strength leave his body causing him to slip and tumble down the roof.
[I'm sorry Shiro...but you've exceeded your limit. Any more and you will kill yourself.] The Dragon said as the gem on the Boosted gear became dull.
Shiro slowly pushed himself to his hands and knees before he coughed up a large amount of blood and fell back to his stomach. His skull pounded, his ears were ringing and his chest felt tight and restricted his breathing but he still pushed himself to stand. "Sh-Shut up Dragon..." Shiro weakly said as he stood on shaky legs. "I'll decide...when my fight is finished..."
Riser scowled heavily as he watched Shiro push himself to his feet. "You don't know when to die, do you!" Riser snarled before he spread his flaming wings and flew towards Shiro. He grabbed Shiro by his silver-hair and slammed his knee into Shiro's stomach, forcing him to cough up more blood.
"SHIRO NO!" Rias suddenly screamed out in horror as she watched her 'Pawn' get smacked around by Riser, who was relentless in his attacks and yet...and yet Shiro refused to fall to his knees. "SHIRO GET AWAY FROM HIM! THAT'S AN ORDER!" Rias screamed once more, tears began to freely flow down her eyes.
"Grrrr I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS!" Riser yelled as he grabbed Shiro by his hair once more and created a large fire ball in his other hand. "YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A PATHETIC 'PAWN'! YOU DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO EVEN CHALLENGE RISER!" Riser yelled and brought his hand down, intending to slam the fire ball into Shiro's face. "TIME FOR YOU TO GO TO HELL WHERE YOU BELONG!"
Fear crossed Rias' face as she quickly spread her wings and went to fly towards Shiro, she was also about to exclaim that she resigned tyo save her 'pawns' life, but she stopped mid-air as she saw a smirk cross Shiro's face.
"Heh..." Shiro laughed before he swiftly deflected Riser's fire ball, the heat from it managed to singe some of Shiro's hair, and then slammed his other palm into the underside of Riser's chin, making him release his grip on Shiro and stumble back. Shiro slowly pushed himself to his feet once more before looking over to Riser, still wearing his smirk. "Go...Go to Hell you say?" Shiro weakly spoke and took a shaky steep towards Riser. "Don't you know..." Shiro took another step towards Riser and this one step made Riser take a step back. "We can't go to Hell...if we're...already...there..." Shiro slowly trailed off as he took another step forwards and began to leak a menacing aura which began to take a form...a form which struck fear deep within Riser evident by the large fire ball he was creating in his hands
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Rias screamed and flew down in front of Shiro, her arms spread out wide. "I RESIGN OKAY! YOU WIN!" She yelled as tears flowed from her eyes.
"Lady Rias' resignation has been recognised...Lord Riser is declaired the winner."
After Rias' resignation was acknowledged, she swiftly turned around and wrapped her arms around Shiro and buried her face into his chin. "It's okay Shiro...you don't have to fight any more." She cried before pulling away as her 'pawn' didn't respond to her. Her eyes suddenly went wide in shock as she saw that even though Shiro's eyes were open, it was clear that he was unconcious. "He...He passed out while standing...Shiro..." Rias softly said before a smile crossed her tear stained face and she buried her face in the crook of his neck once more. "You make me so...so proud." She told him just as the battle ground was encased in light.
And that's the Gremoy Vs Phenex rating game done and dusted. While the fights my of turned out differently, the outcome was still the same and you also may of noticed a few things. First, the reason why the Gremorys still struggled slightly was because of that two week training period. That two week training didn't just apply to the Gremory team...it also applied to the Phenex team and as arrogant and overconfident Riser may be, he is no fool so he didn't have his servants sit idly by while the others got stronger.
Second, the reason why Akeno still lost against Yubelluna is because she still struggled to accept her true power as a Fallen Angel/Devil hybrid and that inner termoil it what caused her downfall even if she hit Yubelluna at full power and even in the anime, Yubelluna seemed like a vital part of Riser's win.
Finally, Shiro was out numbered in the last fight. He was out numbered and out-experienced. Plus there were the injuries he sustained to his right leg that Riser's peerage took advantage of. In a fight, you take any opening that is given.
Now some of you might think that this outcome, and fight, was stupid but frankly...oh well? This is how it played out in my head so this is how it was going to happen.
Anyways, I was looking back on the original LoaDS and I didn't get to explain many things like Shiro's past, well Shiro in that timeline, and what ever happened to Mimi, the girl who was killed before his eyes. Well I'll tell you, Shiro was supposed to be an ancestor of Merlin and his blood was used to create stronger Magicians. Mimi...well suffice to say she will make a return in this and she will be how I wanted her to be in LoaDS.
Well that's all for now so until the next chapter. Stay well, stay true...BYE BYE~