Alright. Last thing to be published by me in 2020. Just... what a fucking nightmare of a year. Still, here I bring you more than 5000 words of True Bartender Dragon, for your enjoyment, and to finish this year off with a big one. Now to answer guest reviews.
Jehu
He will get involved.
I OWN NOTHING! I'M BUT A HOBO THAT SNEAKS INTO THE LIBRARY AND WAISTS TIME WRITING THIS INSTEAD OF WATCHING PORN!
"Hello there." - regular talking
"I am with you, partner." - sacred gears talking
"I can win I feel great!" - inner thoughts
This chapter was beta read by Marethyu. Thank you for your awesome work!
It was a good summer for the Happy Dragon. After being introduced to Rias, it was not uncommon for her to be seen there, enjoying some coffee, or a dessert. She was also not the only devil to be frequenting his establishment. At least once a week Tsubaki's friend Sona would come to check in on her.
There was also the little devil girl that gave Issei a funny feeling. NOT THAT KIND! Something familiar. He never could put his finger on it, and since he did not want to be caught staring at a middle schooler, he left her be, aside from an occasional sweet on the house. The girl could put away Miyamizu's confectionaries like it was no one's business.
And there was the pretty boy Kiba, who would sometimes stop by for a cup of coffee and send both his manager and his waitress in a blushing storm. Issei would chuckle to himself. Ahh, to be young and in love. Wait, what was he rambling on about, he wasn't old yet! He was barely 24 damn it, why do they make him feel like a geezer. Damn those youngsters.
Then again, he was once young(er) and in love, wasn't he? The best times of his life, training, and playing, all with the expectation of a grander purpose. And in the end… He was left with nothing. Was it wrong to be rebuilding again? Will it all come crumbling down again?
"Mr. Hyoudou?"
Issei snapped out of his funk, to see his manager looking at him.
"How can I help you Tsubaki? Want some tips on how to invite Kiba to date?" That blush was adorable. Maybe was getting old, if he enjoyed messing with the youngsters that much.
"T-that won't be necessary. It's almost time to switch up shop. Mrs. Miyamizu already went home, and me and Murayama will be going as well."
"Alright then. I'll write you up for a full day today. You both did well."
"That's not-"
"No no. No objections, Tsubaki. I know full well that dating isn't cheap and you and Kiba will need to go on many dates before you can get married."
"M-m-marriage?!"
She quickly muttered up a goodbye before rushing out. Ahh, despite her being a devil, he enjoyed having her around. He even stopped spraying the scent destroyers around after she left. He only did that after Azazel or Venelana visited. Sirzechs and Grayfia surprisingly weren't around much, neither was Gabriel or Michael. He was thankful for that, the price of those scent removers wasn't exactly cheap. And thankfully Sera tended to be busy filming her Magical girl shows on Fridays. All was good.
"Back so soon? Seems like Ddraig doesn't like the silent treatment." Issei could hear something in the voice of the monkey king.
"Tell me about it. One almost cracked in front of my manager, devil girl."
"Really dodged the bullet there." More of something. Issei did not like it.
"You could say that."
"Like you dodged one in Inari's will?" Wait. What?
"He had a will?"
"He did. You know what he left you? 25% of his money, and to take care of his family. His wife and his daughter. Even after that, you refused to come back, you damn coward!" Issei felt his knees give out.
"They had a child?" He whispered more to himself than the buddha. Silent engulfed the room for a few moments before Issei felt a hand on his shoulder.
"You didn't know?"
"I never inquired, never dared to. Even when he was killed, I haven't heard a thing until well after."
"Her name is Kunou. She has her mother's looks, mostly."
"Mostly?"
"She has his eyes. Almost silver. When she's nervous, her tails twitch like his used to." Issei smiled. He remembered that well. Inari was always embarrassed about it. Sun Wukong was smiling also.
"Well, I picked what he left me. I'm thinking it's about time you do the same." That snapped Issei out of nostalgia.
"I can't."
"Can't, or won't?"
"Look, I just came in to get the seal."
"And I'm telling you no."
"You can't!"
"Why not. This shame you carry, it won't go away on its own."
"So I should embrace my powers, and become a prideful warrior again?" Issei's voice was full of contempt.
"No. Pride is not what cures shame. It is humility. And you will not achieve it until you do what a decent being would, apologize for your mistakes, and honor the last wish of your best friend."
Issei stood and decided to leave. But before he could, he felt a slap on the back of his left palm.
"This is the last one. It should last another 6 months or so. You have until then to set your affairs in order and travel to Kyoto. There you will bow before Yasaka, ask her for forgiveness for whatever promise you broke to her, and after that do your best to make sure the daughter of your best friend has a happy childhood. Until then, the entrance to my shrine is FORBIDDEN!"
With those last words, Issei felt the protections of the shrine cast him out. He landed on his ass, and gazing on his hand he saw the latest seal. He was gonna have to use some illusions to hide this.
Issei didn't want to leave. But maybe some change would do him good. Maybe he could move with his parents again, and open a bar in Hawaii. His mum always had trouble letting him go, probably because he moved away at the age of 10.
So, four fallen angels walk into a bar. No, seriously. Four fallen angels walked into Issei's bar, taking a booth for themselves, and began conversing, waiting for someone to take their order. Calm and collected he took it, a beer for the man in a hat, and three different cocktails.
Mixing it was a quick affair, and they all thanked him and complimented the quality. They stayed for two hours, talking about nothing important, like group schedule, and preparations. If by chance someone would have listened to their conversation, they would have thought of them as a group planning a party.
Soon three of the fallen left, leaving behind a pretty ravenette, to pay the bill. She also asked him to walk her outside, but he just waved his hand at the pretty busy bar, and she understood. Paying for the drinks, she left, hips swaying and a wink sent his way, to the wolf whistles of the male patrons.
Issei expanded his senses through the rest of the shift, but she was gone, so he breathed a sigh of relief. All he had to do was spray down lots of scent destroyers, which he still kept on hand, and no one would notice a thing.
After he finished closing down for the night and locking up the place, he began his usual walk through the backstreets of Kuoh. He did it more out of habit than need, after all, classes at Kuoh academy most certainly did not extend till 2 am.
So as he passed another dark and narrow street, he felt it. The hairs on the back of his neck standing up, followed by pain erupting in his left shoulder.
"Well, hello there pretty bartender. Fancy meeting you here."
Issei held his bleeding shoulder and tried using his arm, only to hiss in pain. Still, he managed to place a weak block on the wound to stem the bleeding. His attacker was the dark-haired fallen from before, in a pretty skimpy outfit. And she wasn't done with him.
"It seems you might not be so weak after all. Most humans would be too shocked to do anything but scream. Makes me wonder, what kind of sacred gear you carry."
NO! Nononononononono!
"I mean if I were to guess, an illusion based one, maybe magic boosting?"
Wait, what?
"I suppose it doesn't matter. You can't be left to live. We can't let a devil snag you, that could come back to bite us. So go ahead, put up your best fight, before I kill you."
She didn't know his secret. She thought him weak. Far were the days when the mere mention of the Red Dragon Emperor sent tremors through the spine of every biblical grunt that thought Japan was theirs for the taking, but he still knew he would win this fight. All his draconic abilities were sealed. But, he was not helpless.
"What is your name, Watcher?"
"Ho? You still speak with such confidence. Very well, I shall grace you with knowing you'll be killed by Raynare."
"Good. I thought you'd give me some stage name, like Chastity, or Destiny, or Boner Garage."
"Why would I introduce myself as a stripper?"
Isei gave her an appointed look and then tilted his head up and down, pointing at her attire. This was not well received by the fallen, and she sent another light spear his way. He was prepared this time.
Raising his right forearm, he built up his Ki, creating a protective layer of crimson, which shattered the projectile. Sadly, it seemed he was indeed pretty rusty since where the spear hit his barrier, his sleeve was singed, completely, along with a nasty burn. But unlike before, this time he welcomed the pain. It meant he was still alive.
"You blocked, but not completely. I guess that's mildly impressive. Alright then." She lowered herself to the ground and created dual swords of light. Then with a speed, he would barely be able to follow, she closed the gap and went on the offensive.
Time and time she slashed and stabbed at him, time and time he blocked. Deadliest strikes he swatted to the side, others, he let pass. Raynare noticed he was slow. but she mistakenly assumed it was fatigue. So she kept up her high energy attacks, and he kept blocking or tanking them.
Suddenly, a slash came in a second slower than before, and Issei took his chance. Reinforcing his hand, he grasped the weapon and shattered it with a mighty squeeze. Raynare only now noticed the crimson energy surrounding his arm.
"Wait, that's not magic!"
"Never said it was."
Raynare now down a weapon, tried to summon another one while keeping Issei at bay with the first one, but before she could, a touch to her shoulder joint made her entire arm feel numb.
"What did you do!"
"I evened the odds."
Raynare attacked again, and again Issei defended himself, moving the blade away from himself, making it cut through the walls of the ally, and some wiring which started to give off sparks. He also took a few summoned spears of light. But it wasn't until after Raynare had to take a breath she noticed that he did not give ground.
He stood in front of her, and only now she noticed his towering height, and his bulky build, which made the ally seem even narrower. Burns covered his torso and upper legs. His clothes were torn and singed. And yet he stood tall, one arm raised, the other one still lightly bleeding.
"What pant WHAT ARE YOU? It's like you're a fucking wall!" Issei had to chuckle.
"You're not the first person to call me that. But, they preferred 'Blood dripping Bulwark' or 'Crimson Dam'."
Raynare started to feel fear in her heart. She needed to get away, now!
"But you know what they settled on right before their life snuffed out? It's a bit of a mouthful, but listen close."
Before Raynare could properly make out what he said, an explosion occurred, probably a gas line got cut, and the sparkling wires made it go kaboom. Still, she did not hesitate to launch at him as many light spears as she could, before teleporting back to the abandoned church. Whatever the human-caused to her arm, she hoped Twilight Healing could cure it once they got it from the girl.
Before she could make her way to the basement, the wall of the church disintegrated in crimson energy, heading right for her. And in her final moments, she remembered what the bartender said to her last.
"They used to call me Sekiryuutei of the Blood-Soaked Shield"
Sona was trying her hardest to block out the incoming headache. Last night Fallen caused a fire in one of the districts of Kuoh, likely as a distraction. What they didn't seem to account for was that she and Rias were perfectly capable of functioning on their own, so while she and her peerage went and mitigate the damage until the town's fire department got everything under control, Rias and her servants attacked the abandoned church, now having a more than just reason to do so.
It seems they interrupted some kind of ritual meant to transfer a sacred gear to one of the fallen. What a bearer of Twilight Healing was doing in their town and how did they not spot it was a miracle in itself.
Young nun, named Asia, was still wary but seemed to have struck up a friendship with Rias. The poor girl seemed desperately starved for human contact, and Rias was gladly fulfilling whatever role she needed, be it a shoulder to cry on, or a friend to talk to.
Sona had to admit, Rias had her beat in that department. She was just better with people in general, and while Sona handled herself just fine, there was this air of trust that the redhead exuded, that made people trust her. In hands of a more malicious devil, this could have been a bad thing, but Rias was the living embodiment of Gremory ideals about treating the servants like family.
Probably just a matter of time before the girl would join Rias as a servant, and wasn't that something to envy. A Sacred Gear, capable of healing as well as the famed Phoenix tears. Still, she was happy for her friend and maybe slightly jealous of her.
Tsubaki was given the afternoon off so she could visit her boss in the hospital. Sona was surprisingly worried about the health of Mr. Hyoudou, especially since he did them a favor by accepting Tsubaki as his manager.
She always encouraged her servants to take up part-time jobs, instead of relying on the pocket money she gave them. Saji was working as a news delivery boy, and while the rest didn't have much luck, they were actively searching.
Doors of the student council office opened and in walked her queen, looking perfect as always.
"How fairs Mr. Hyoudou?"
"He is alright, seemed a bit needled that I came checking on him. He was scared for his place once he saw fires from his house and went to help. Firefighters saw him escort an old lady from a building before the entrance collapsed on him. He should be out within a week."
"Good. Then I suppose, we'll just have you do some extra contracts. But you can go home for the day. Also, if you speak to Mr. Hyoudou again, wish him well in the name of the school."
"Will do. Good night Sona."
Tsubaki left the office, before walking outside with a faster than necessary pace. She should probably go and wish Mr. Hyoudou well first thing tomorrow and see if he was truly alright, just for her own peace of mind. Still, out in the hallway, she heard a girlish scream back from the office.
"SO-TAN! Your big sis is so sorry she couldn't be here to chase the crows away! Just say so, and I'll send this country back to ice age!"
Tsubaki waled faster. Sona did not need to know she left her to Leviathan's tender mercies. Besides, could she really do anything to make the situation better? No, except to walk even faster. but no running. That would be against the school code.
Issei was finally out of the hospital. He could have held himself faster than these doctors could, but before he could retreat after the battle, both firemen and devils arrived on the scene. He barely had the time to create an illusion, and bury himself in some debris.
Azazel visited on the first day he was awake. Apparently, he lost some people and was investigating, but it did not look good. Michael was also trying to stop by but something prevented him. Troubles out of the country.
And daily visits from his manager prevented him from simply walking out. He liked to get fussed over by pretty ladies as much as the next guy, but by the end of the week, memories, best forgotten, started to surface.
"Bloodstained Shield? More like an unbelievably thick skull. Ise-baka, trying to look cool, even as you get pummeled into the ground."
She finished bandaging his torso, before giving him a hug, letting her golden tails cover him with heir warmth, and laying his head on-
Don't go there Issei. Don't go there.
He decided to check on his beloved bar, before leaving home. Chances were he would have to pack up and leave. He tried to gather the courage to do as Wukong commanded, but in the end, he truly was a coward of cowards. but at the bar, he found an unexpected surprise.
"Oh, hey Issei. And I was starting to fear you wouldn't come." it was Sirzech, finishing up a bottle of scotch that probably could stock his bar for a month. Or more.
"Hi, Zechs. Shouldn't you be home?"
"I can't get drunk at home. Grayfia wouldn't allow it." Now Issei could not let a bro hanging like that, so he took out his keys, and let them both inside. Sirzechs took "his" spot at the bar, and Issei stepped behind it, ready to do his civic duty.
"Something strong. Real strong." Good thing he kept some of that vodka on hand. He poured them both a shot and they downed it, Sirzesch hissing, and Issei feeling nothing.
"Fuck you Ddraig."
Five shots later, he felt well equipped to start dealing with the problem.
"So, what's got you down in the dumps?"
"You know Rias? A pretty redhead that goes to school here? I know mum introduced you."
"Wait. Venelana is your mother?! I thought she was your ex or something, and you were Rias' father."
Sirzechs had to laugh, almost spewing another shot.
"For real? HAHAHA! I guess me and Rias are very similar, but no, she's my sister."
"I see. So what's Rias got to do with your desire to get wasted?" Sirzechs fell silent, and sorrow took over his expression.
"She's being forced to marry."
Issei did not expect that. He poured another glass to Zechs, while lost in a memory so far away.
"Why are we here, partner? You should still be recovering!"
"I need to see her, just one last time!"
From afar he observed and was surprised to find everyone celebrating. It seemed like a wedding. And the newlyweds just descended from the shrine.
She took his breath away, looking so beautiful, radiant like the sun, which seemed unlikely, since Amaterasu couldn't stand her.
But eyes… Eyes that hurt so much, and made his hurt even worse. Eyes that shone like the flames, were now dull and cold, like an unpolished golden coin. Head held high, gaze peered towards the ground.
For a moment it seemed she looked right at him. But instead of staying her gaze traveled up towards the heavens for a single second, before falling back down. And in that second a pearl fell from the corner of her eyes. A single bitter tear. Before it touched the ground, Issei was gone.
Issei pulled himself out of the painful past, the ache in his heart all too real. Two more shots down the hatchet for both men. All while an internal battle waged itself inside the young bartender.
"I should go. I'm already drunk, and Grayfia will worry. Sorry that I dumped all my problems on you."
"It's fine. It's what friends are for. And since I'm also a bartender, that makes me twice as qualified."
One more shot for the road. The war inside Issei almost over.
"Heh. Indeed. Goodbye Issei". The way he said it. Another echo of the past. And the war is lost.
"What if someone could help your sister?"
"Thanks for the offer. But only a miracle could save her now, and those are in short supply these days."
"Not unless you know the right people… Mr. Lucifer."
The small drunken haze Sirzechs allowed to accumulate almost vanished as Power of Destruction flowed through his body, but not manifesting on the outside, a testament to his control over the terrifying heritage of the Bael clan. How could that be? Both he and his mother ran background checks, twice!
"Ho? How would a bartender know such a name?" His voice held an edge.
"By not being just a bartender." Issei knew he had to match it.
"Mmm. And what could a bartender who is more than a bartender do to help my sister out of trouble?"
"Depends. I know devils settle disputes with Rating games. Who's she fighting, and what are the odds?"
"She's battling a Phenex. She and her 4 servants against him and his 15." That was not good.
"What are the rules about the outsiders joining?"
"Forbidden. But her game is 'unofficial' since she's not yet a mature devil."
"So the rules are different?"
"She can hire the services of someone, but only with her own resources, the money she got through human contracts. Gremory fortune can't help her here." Good, he didn't want anything anyway.
"I know a guy. He owes me a favor. Tomorrow when you come in, as usual, there will be a card waiting at your spot. After taking it, a timer will activate, and after it runs out, a communication spell will open. You will have 5 minutes to negotiate. He will accept the work for free if you drop my name to him."
Sirzechs listened with rapt attention and memorized the details.
"This guy of yours, he seems kinda paranoid."
"Yea, I suppose." Sirzechs hesitated at the entrance, before finally asking the last question.
"This guy… Can he truly save my sister?"
"I don't know. But, I do know that he will give everything he's got."
This seemed to placate the Mao, and he said his goodbyes. But instead of stepping outside like intended, he smiled and teleported right from the bar.
"Great. just a matter of time before this becomes Teleport Central." As he went to get the special cleansers that killed any traces of magic in the air, Issei felt different. It seemed his peaceful days were at an end. He did not know if he was ready to face all the future brought. But he knew one thing. He was done running.
The card was passed, the bar was cleaned and closed. Still, no Azazel, which was weird, and no Sera either. But Issei had bigger problems.
Once again he focused his crimson Ki on the back of his left hand, trying to crack the seal. And once again the feedback coursed through his body, making his muscles spasm, but not breaking his concentration… yet.
It was when the natural defenses of his body were overloaded that he collapsed, knocked out for full 10 minutes. When he awakened he glanced at the clock which told him he had 10 minutes. He glanced back at the seal in annoyance.
But something changed. Instead of the regular picture of a monkey riding a cloud, the kanji used by the Shinto faction appeared. He quickly discerned their meaning.
Say her name.
Of course, the old monkey would do something like that. He hadn't spoken her name out loud in years, but it still slipped off his tongue smoothly, for it was the name he whispered in his dreams.
"Yasaka."
The seal cracked, and with a mighty roar, Ddraig, the Heavenly Dragon announced his presence, Issei following suit as his body was after a long time flooded with draconic aura.
"Man, I forgot what a rush this is." Issei expected a response, but the Welsh Dragon was silent.
"I guess I should expect that. But we don't have too much time." He tried calling upon the Boosted Gear. Nothing happened.
Issei sat down, his back against the wall.
"I get it Ddraig. I let you down. I sealed you, you haven't seen the light of day for 10 years. But, I'm done running. So I ask you to lend me your strength once more, that we may be partners again."
More silence, though he felt the angry pulses in his left arm. He did not have time for this. He and Ddraig will have plenty of time to talk this out after he saves Rias.
"You know, I will be battling a Phenex soon. You sure you don't wanna help me bring one of those flaming chickens to heel?"
More pulsing. Seems he was on the right path.
"C'mmon Ddraig. We both know there's nothing you relish more than to show those immortal KFC specials who's the real master of air and fire."
Time for the finisher. To coax a dragon into something, the best way is to appeal to his pride, after all.
"Without you, I'll probably lose, and be burned to ashes. What an embarrassment that will be. Red Dragon Emperor, cremated by a Yakitori mild spice special."
"LIKE HELL I'LL LET ONE OF MY BEARERS BE CREMATED BY THOSE IMMORTAL COWARDS!" Issei had to smile at hearing the familiar voice inside his head.
"Good to hear from you again, Ddraig. Believe it or not, I missed you."
"Whatever. Just do what needs to be done." Issei smiled again. They weren't done with their issues, but they could work together for now. He spoke the words that used to cause terror to every supernatural who stepped in the way of Team Red Kyuubi.
"WELSH DRAGON BALANCE BREAKER!"
Sirzechs waited nervously with Rias in her private room inside the Old School building, the timer only a few seconds away from running out. He was spending a lot of time here, lately, with the raid on the Fallen, and putting out fires she caused by adding a Holy Maiden to her peerage. Not that the Church had any right to complain, having cast out the nun publicly.
"You're sure about this?" he asked his sister. She only managed a nod. She was through a lot this past week or so, barely managing to train, and now that the battle was barely 3 hours away, her nerves were finally reaching their breaking point.
With white light, the card signaled the end, and a circle of plain simple marks erected from it, the kind that would match with almost any Asian magic script, making tracing it a living nightmare. Sirzechs again had to admire the sheer paranoia this individual exhibited.
"You have 5 minutes to explain what you want, caller."
The voice emerging from the circle unnerved him, not because it dripped with power, but because it seemed familiar. Probably a spell to make recognizing it more difficult.
"We are seeking for an extra player in an unofficial rating game."
"A devil then. I can fight for you. But it's gonna cost you." Good thing Issei told them what to do. Sirzechs detected no hesitation in the voice, even some eagerness.
"And if I were to mention that our mutual acquaintance, Hyoudoud Issei gave me this card?"
Silence. Sirzechs got worried something was wrong.
"Where and when."
"Kuoh Academy, old school building, 2 hours from now. Is that acceptable?"
"I'll be there."
The spell ended, and the card erupted in green flames, destroying any traces of magic on it, rather than the card itself.
Sirzechs gave a reassuring nod to Rias, before teleporting away. It wouldn't do for anyone to think he was biased in this match, even though he clearly was. Rias understood well that she should not mention where the mysterious fighter came from, and just let everyone think the silence was a part of the contract.
He appeared in the main solar of the Gremory mansion, where he found both father and mother, conversing with Lord and Lady Phenex. He smiled as they rose in greeting. Time to play the waiting game.
The Gremory peerage was nervously waiting inside the club room. They trained hard these past two weeks, bringing new members, Asia up to speed, as well as honing their best skills, hoping that it might give them the needed extra edge.
But they all knew their chances were abysmal. Still, they tried looking strong for their King, the person who gave them a second chance, who everyone would give life and limb for.
Kiba was polishing one of his swords. Akeno was serving tea and sweets to Koneko. Asia was trying to resist the need to pray, and failing every once in a while, breaking the silence with a cute moan.
And Rias was fidgeting in her chair, extending senses, both magical and mundane, waiting for the arrival of this mysterious warrior her brother and Mr. Hyoudou found for her. Sona expressed her doubts, as did Akeno, though she did it much kinder. But even if he was not as strong as her brother believed him to be, even the slightest amount of help could come in handy when against the Phenex regeneration.
Suddenly, a creek was heard through the silent room. Everyone looked up towards the entrance. Suddenly a sound of heavy footwear started to echo as this stranger walked through the old school building.
CLACK
CLACK
CLACK
CLACK
On it went, closer and closer until it stopped right at the door leading to the club room. everyone was tense, Koneko unconsciously slipping into a fighting stance. Kiba posed himself to strike. Akeno was releasing sparks from her fingers, and Asia tried once more to pray, only to receive a stinging headache for her trouble.
The door opened, and in stepped a figure wearing a brown cloak, concealing everything, but its height and powerful build. And if one looked carefully, a soft green glow could be seen beneath the hood.
Rias was the first to gather her courage.
"Are you the fighter Mr. Hyoudou sent?"
A nod.
"Are you prepared, is there anything you need?"
Shake.
"Can… Can you assure me that we will win?"
A pause. Then another nod.
Rias could feel a tiny bit of weight on her shoulder fall off. She thought about asking more questions, but before she could, the icy voice of the Main Gremory maid sounded through the room.
"All Rating Game participants please step into the magic circle. The Unofficial Game between Riser Phenex and Rias Gremory will begin in exactly 5 minutes."
A silver circle appeared on the floor. Rias looked at her servants and then stepped in first, followed by the rest. The last one to enter was the cloaked figure, but despite his huge build, there was more than enough room. Rias stood at the front, facing the window, and observing the sunset. If luck was on her side, it would not be last.
"Since the game is not an official one, I can't provide you a contract. But if a verbal agreement will do, I, Rias Gremory, Heiress of the House Gremory, hereby offer you one unconditional favor, if we win today."
She could hear her servants gasp, and look at her in shock. But, her eyes were only focused on the reflection of the cloaked figure. He gave no acknowledgment, but she was sure he heard. It was a risky move, but one she was sure off. A friend of Mr. Hyoudou could not be a bad person, right?
As the magic circle started shining brightly, all devils closed their eyes. And when they opened them, they were standing… in their club room?
"Tsk. Typical of Riser. He wants to give us a home turf advantage, so our loss would be more humiliating. And it's an unofficial game, so there's no prep time. We only have as long as he's willing to give us…
CLACK
CLACK
CLACK
CLACK
All eyes turned towards the cloaked figure as he left the room, before navigating the building till he reached the rooftop. There he sat down on the edge and took up a meditative position. He then began breathing. Deeply. Everyone heard him. For a full minute, he only sat and breathed.
Then, as he inhaled, he jumped up on his feet, and the cloak finally dropped. All devils watched with amazement, for they easily recognized what calamity stood before them.
Gauntlets, sharp claws ready to render flesh. Talons, hard, ready to pierce bone. Tail, slightly swaying back and forth, ready to sweep bodies. Helmet, a grizzling maw, ready to torch continents.
"Watch carefully now, Rias, Heiress of Gremory. As all your problems burn to less than ash." Voice emerging from beneath the helm was terrifying, making every devil take a step back. Except for Rias. For in her eyes, after weeks of despair, shone a light of hope that could not be extinguished by the darkest of fears.
With a final inhale, the lower part of the snarling mouth divided to reveal the human mouth beneath, and an ominous glow shone through the cheeks. The lips split open.
And then, there was FIRE.
And that is finish. Man, as much as there was in here, I could not just give everything to you guys, otherwise, there would be nothing to look forward to. Hope you guys enjoyed the super long chapter. READ. REVIEW. Let me know what YOU think, and we'll read each other next time. NPGamer out.
PEACE!
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