Reenacting a legend

by davido747

In a world in which humanity never parted ways with the Gods and became the dominant species, an unexpected variable enters to disrupt its delicate order. After regaining his memories as the nameless hero King of Fakers, Emiya Shirou will have to teach this world why humans cannot be underestimated, and show them all what means to be a real hero.

3. Chapter 2: The weak became strong

We meet again, folks! Yeah, it's been a while since the last update of this story, but not that long since my last update in general. As compensation, you might have noticed this chapter is quite long. It covers the entire Raiser issue, so then we can go to the interesting stuff in the next chapter.

By the way, WOW! When I realized it, this story had already over 1k followers and 800 favs. I didn't expect that much support since my other crossover barely got to those numbers recently after 2 years.

As for some questions about the last chapter, I reduced Shirou's estimation of Kiba's speed as I admit I overestimated it a bit. About the last part of the chapter, which caused some controversy, Shirou didn't make any more demands in exchange for winning the duel because his intention wasn't antagonizing them, and he can break the contract at any time. The reason for his rejection will be better explored in this chapter as well.

As for the proposition of the duel, if she was desperate enough to resort to losing her virginity with Issei before falling in love with him, proposing that doesn't sound that farfetched. Shirou introducing himself as a secluded magician that didn't even know what is a sacred gear didn't help.

About this Shirou's killing intention, for the ones that hadn't read any of my other stories, it doesn't reflect directly his power, nor does it mean he isn't human. It's more of an intimidation technique, imitating the aura of a certain Evil of Humanity he fought.

And no, this isn't going to be a power wank fic. Bear in mind that Shirou is surrounded by greenhorns. If he didn't look superior, it would be incoherent. But the difficulty curve of DxD is a 90-degree angle, so don't expect it to last much. I even have a power-up prepared for him when Gods and those things start to happen, in a fate stile. I won't go further to not spoil it as it isn't going to be the same as in my other stories.

Now then, without further ado, let the chapter begin!

Disclaimer: I don't own any right over Type-Moon, the Fate franchise, or High School DxD.

---

"Munch... munch... munch..."

The sounds of a certain albino devil devouring a homemade bento echoed throughout the rooftop. Something Shirou would need to get used by the looks of it.

Her master, or king if he went by the roles they used, took it as another defeat the moment little Koneko refused to have something else other than his food for lunch.

It has been just a couple of days after the negotiations, and his plans of distancing himself from these magical creatures went down the drain pretty quickly. Not that he minded Koneko's presence. Being a girl of few words made it easy for him to ignore the ominous aura around her.

However, none of the devils tried to strike a conversation longer than two minutes. The closest one was Asia, and maybe Sona, but he kept things as professional as possible.

They kept their word and didn't make any other offer, and sticking to his facade as a clueless magician, he managed to acquire some books about the basics of this world's magic and the three factions.

Well, things got even weirder.

Gods from long-dead religions managed to survive with all their authorities intact, with most of the pantheons in a cold war state, waiting to throw themselves at each other's neck at the first sign of weakness.

Magecraft, neither True Magic has ever existed, with human magic being just an imitation of the demonic powers. The same goes for the Reverse side of the World, explaining the abundance of phantasmal species.

But the most worrying issue, there doesn't seem to be any connection between this world and the Throne of Heroes. Or at least no one in this world is aware of it, but that's highly unlikely. Meaning, this world's humanity is on the verge of getting stuck, or in other words, lose its will to keep moving forward.

And the reason behind this is obvious. Mystery and technology might've been able to somehow coexist in this world, but the existence of Gods and phantasmal species are still hindering humanity.

In short, this is an impossible world in which humanity failed to become the apex predator but miraculously avoided the pruning theoretical phenomenon.

That brought two obvious troubles. First, he was an abnormality in this world. A hole in the system. And that was the fastest way to become a living target for all the supernatural factions of this world. Sticking to this world's magic system when he introduced himself was truly the best choice he could have taken.

As for the second problem, obviously, the reason why he was here. If his assumptions were on the mark, forget about being summoned to save this world.

The most usual purpose of a heroic spirit summoned in an irregular world like this is to destroy it because it most likely poses a threat to proper Human History. But this was something he could discard, as the Counter-Force would have sent a heroic spirit with a more suitable noble phantasm for the task.

Then, if the world itself isn't the problem, there must be something in this world that is actually a threat to even other worlds. A calamity, a Beast, or even some petty God. Something that he has to exterminate.

Not an easy task being stuck in a human body, a teenage body at that. But given the disconnection between the Throne of Heroes and this world, being summoned as a proper servant, let alone a Grand servant, was too much to ask.

Perhaps this was only possible because the resident human named Emiya Shirou had compatibility with the nameless hero King of Fakers stronger than even twins.

He could feel there were some traits of his Spirit Origin active, as his magic resistance, but accessing his parameters as a servant was still out of question. And the obvious solution to this, exterminating the Gods to put an end to the Age of Gods, was too absurd to even consider it. Only a Grand Servant would be able to fight an entire world.

For now, keeping his low profile would be the best until he manages to identify the threat he needs to exterminate. In the meantime, he should sort an alternative to unlocking his power as a servant, even if he didn't know where to even begin with.

"Shirou-senpai... there's something I've been meaning to ask..." Koneko's unexpected voice brought Shirou back to reality.

He eyed her. She always settled with just eating the bento in silence, so she being the one starting a conversation was odd. But the fact that she had already finished eating and they still had 20 minutes before lessons started again was most likely the cause.

"Shoot."

"You said you didn't want to reject your humanity because believed in mankind. But I don't think that was the entire truth. Even as a devil, you could still watch over them. So, what is your real reason to reject Rias-senpai's offer?"

A very good question. Leaving aside that he has yet to trust their words, and the loss of his political freedom, if he delved further, there was a deeper reason behind his outright rejection.

His golden eyes turned to look at the horizon. They didn't show him the blue sky, but a living hell. The place from which he was saved when everyone else died meaninglessly. The fire in which a part of him died.

"You see... if I were to take a psychological exam, I would barely qualify as a functional person... Losing what little humanity I have left is something I can't allow to happen..."

"It would be like betraying all the people I let die so I could live."

He kept that last fact to himself. It would do him no good to reveal too much about himself, and she wouldn't understand it without proper context anyway.

"I see..." However, that answer seemed to be enough for her.

Now then, since she asked, it was his turn to ask in return.

"There's something I want to ask, too." Getting a nod from her, he went ahead. "When you became a devil, did Rias-san force you, or was it on your own volution?"

By the face she made, he knew he had stepped on a huge land mine. The color drained from her face as her entire body stiffened.

Shirou frowned, assuming it was the first option, but Koneko noticed this and shook her head.

"It's true I didn't have much choice, but it was not because Rias-senpai forced me..."

She sounded sincere, but he couldn't discard that those evil pieces brainwashed her.

He refrained from asking further, as it seemed to be a topic she wasn't comfortable about, and resumed his lunch.

The bell soon rang, and he went to attend his lessons. Even if he now was aware of his possible mission, he couldn't just desert from school and start searching for the threat.

---

Once the lessons ended, he went straight to the tennis courtyard. The days in which he would go home to get some rest before tonight's hunt seemingly came to an end, but this visit had a purpose aside from lending a hand.

He heard the Tennis club needed maintenance with some of their rackets that were getting old, a perfect occasion to meet their club captain, one of the few humans aware of the supernatural.

After asking some of the club members for directions, he arrived at the shed used by the majority of the clubs to store their stuff and became his task swiftly. Now that he could use structural grasp and reinforcement without worrying about leaving traces for the devils, this was going to be quick.

But he must say, it was a miracle the rackets had lasted so long. Some of them were bought when the Kuoh academy was first opened.

"I guess this is the problem of having so many clubs. The budget for each club is so limited that buying new equipment is a luxury they can hardly afford."

Not that he was against it, but with the lack of proper maintenance, all the requests the Student Council receives asking for equipment renovation started to make sense.

"Hoh, I see the title of "Fake Janitor" isn't for show. You really are fast." A feminine voice warned Shirou that he was no longer alone.

Luckly, he was just finishing tying up the strings of the last racket, a task with no magecraft involved. Not that it mattered, as this was the person he wanted to met.

Shirou turned around to meet a voluptuous girl of brown hair tied in several drills. Abe Kiyome, the captain of the Tennis club, and the heir of an ancient family specialized in taming phantasmal species.

Well, it could be just a coincidence, but she shared her last name with Japan's greatest onmyouji, Abe no Seimei, said to have contracts with a large number of youkai.

"I thought I would have to cancel the club's practices until the Janitor fixed the rackets, but then you offered your help. You really saved us here, Emiya-kun."

"It's not that big of a deal, Abe-senpai. I don't mind dropping by every month to keep these in check."

A smile spread across her face. "I'll take that offer gladly. These rackets... They look as good as new. Those hands of yours really did magic here."

While she was inspecting his work, he walked to the door and locked it. The clicking sound of the lock made the girl fall in silence and send a questioning look at Shirou.

"It would be inconvenient if someone were to hear us."

Those words made her face go completely stiff, a slight blush showing in her cheeks. From Kiyome's perspective, the situation had taken a really weird turn all of a sudden. Something Shirou was completely unaware of.

"E-Emiya-kun, i-it's not like you're not my type... I-in fact, you're really a treat for the eyes if that six-pack I can see through your sweaty shirt is an indication. Bu-but my heart isn't ready..."

At that moment, Shirou blinked a couple of times like an owl. She mentioned magic, so he thought she actually noticed his use of reinforcement in the rackets and wanted to talk about that. But it would seem, she was speaking figuratively.

"Abe-senpai... I don't know what you're thinking, but this is not what you're thinking. I just want to talk about a sensitive issue."

All the tension left her body upon hearing that. There was a tingle of disappointment in her face, too.

"Then, what do you want to talk about?"

"It's obvious. The supernatural world."

The mood in the room changed again, this time to a completely serious one. A frown appeared on Kiyome's beautiful face as she opened her mouth to speak.

"I take it you are the stray magician who signed a contract with the devils a couple of days ago."

"Yes, that would be me." He was a little surprised that she didn't mention the "Slayer" title. "This will be quick. I just want to confirm something. You too signed a contract with them, right?"

"Well yes. I happened to enroll in this school at the same time Rias and Sona did, but it seems this has been devil territory for many years prior to their arrival."

"I see..." That was something that still rubbed him wrong. They already had the underworld, but they still had the nerve of claiming human regions as their own.

"Now, did they interviewed you like if they were the Gestapo and tried to recruit you for their peerages?"

That made her raise an eyebrow. "Err, no... I mean, I am the heir of an important family here in Japan, so they better don't try something like that if they don't want to deteriorate their relationship with the Shinto faction. But aside from that, I'm not really an active person in the supernatural world. It's kind of scary."

"Hmm..." That meant they tried to recruit him first because of his power, and second because as the nobody he is they wouldn't get on anyone's bad side.

"If that's your decision, stick to it. The night in this town is really dangerous."

"You don't have to worry, Emiya-kun. My friends can protect me. That "Slayer" that roams the city exterminating magical beasts is kind of scary though."

Shirou could just sweatdrop at that. But, before he could say something else...

BA BUMP!

All the alarms rang in his head as he turned around at neck-snaping speed.

The reason, a really ominous presence had just appeared in the vicinity. By the similarities of this presence and Rias', he knew it was a devil, but one that made the local devils seem like little puppies.

He wouldn't put it anywhere near Beast level, but it would be on the level of a lesser dragon or a superior dead apostle. And that was worrying on itself. To take down something like that, the best course of action would be blasting it with a holy sword as Durandal or Galatine.

But before jumping to conclusions, he had to make sure that devil was hostile or was an acquaintance of the locals.

"Is something wrong, Emiya-kun?" Kiyome noticed the way Shirou tensed up and his expression became really serious.

"Don't freak out, but a really powerful devil has appeared in the school. I'll go see what's happening. Stay alert in case things go south."

Her face lost all its color, but she nodded. He didn't waste any second and set course for the Student Council room. If his orientation wasn't off, the presence he noticed was in the old school building, so Sona was the safest way to seek confirmation.

"Come in."

After knocking, the Sitri heiress' voice gave him permission to enter. Some surprise showed in her expression as she raised her head from the paperwork. The few members of the Student Council in the room looked at him for a moment before returning to their work.

"Oh, to what I own this visit, Shirou-kun? If it's about the pictures you sent me last night, I assure you there wasn't any VIP among them."

Well, that's something he wanted to confirm, too. He still hunted creatures at night, but now he reported them to Sona to know if he killed a big shot. Not that he cared, since no faction could identify him, but it was good to keep track of which factions are outright hostile to humanity.

"Aside from that, I just want to confirm something. Were you guys expecting a visit?"

"A visit?"

"Yeah, like the devil with a really ominous presence that appeared in the old school building."

It took her a couple of seconds to connect the dots, and her face became sorrowful.

"I see... So Rias finally ran out of time, huh?"

Aside from Tsubaki, those words didn't make any sense for all the other people in the room.

"I don't think we're on the same page here. Care to explain why is there a being on the level of a dragon in the school?"

Shirou insisted further. The safety of all the people in the school, and even the entire city, was compromised.

"Well, since this is a public matter, I don't see any problem telling you. But I must say, it is impressive you can sense her from here."

"You could say I'm pretty sensitive to abnormalities in the air, and they aren't trying to hide their presence in the least."

"It makes sense I guess. Now then, the devil you sensed most likely is one of the Demon King's direct servants. The queen of the current Lucifer to be precise. The title of "Ultimate Queen" isn't for show. As for the reason for her visit, I believe she came to watch over the negotiations about Rias' political marriage with the heir of the Phenex clan."

"So they are in the middle of a meeting, huh..."

Although Sona didn't know much about Emiya Shirou, she could guess his intentions with just a glance.

"Shirou-kun... please tell me you're not going to do what I think you're going to do."

"Of course not, Shitori-san. I'm not going to enter the meeting like I own the place." That made her sigh relieved, but he wasn't over yet. "However, I think I've heard Rias-san saying the hallways of old school building need some cleaning."

Just as he spoke, a pair of mop and bucket were projected in his hands, causing Sona to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"Just... don't get into any mess. Grayfia might tolerate your presence, but the heir of the Phenex clan can be... how should I put it..."

Her eyes then turned to Saji, who had been sending side glances at the two of them since Shirou stepped into the room.

"Saji, which word would you use to describe an unpleasant man who treats you like an object?"

The boy in question nearly fell from his chair at the sudden question, and it took him a couple of seconds to think of a proper answer.

"So you're saying this Phenex guy is a dick?"

"A vulgar expression, but I'll allow it since the subject in question deserves it."

"Thanks for the warning, I guess..."

With a clear idea of what he was going to find, he went to the old school building.

---

They were really careless.

Yeah, having this Grayfia around made placing any defense mechanisms even pointless, but there was not a single bounded field, or whatever equivalent they had, to prevent anyone from hearing their conversation.

When he arrived at the second floor, just as he said, he started to mop around, with his ears reinforced to hear them better.

If anyone of them noticed his presence, they didn't mention it.

He arrived at the middle of a discussion between Rias and who he assumed was her fiance. The guy was using the argument of the devils' low birth rate, but the red-head was refusing outright even if the marriage was arranged by their families.

And he had to be in Rias' side for once. Something in the guy's behavior was rubbing him the wrong way. For some reason, his instincts shout at him that he must destroy his existence.

A quite familiar reaction now that he thought about it, but he couldn't put his finger on the person that caused such reaction from him.

"You know it Rias. I'm a pure-blood devil that carries the name of the Phenex clan. I cannot let any humiliation befall that name. I didn't even want to come to this little building in the human world. I hate the human world. The fire and wind of this world are repulsive. For a devil like me who represents those elements, this world is sickening! So I'm bringing you back to the underworld, even if I have to burn your entire peerage!"

Judging by how the temperature in the entire building skyrocketed, the guy must have summoned those flames he's so proud of. The energy he was giving off was several times bigger than the average human, but he was still a bug compared to the monster in the room.

But right now, Shirou was busy repressing his urge to kick down the door and turn that prick into a pincushion.

If he considered the human world so disgusting, then he would gladly send him to his home, inside a coffin, that is. If those words came from a fairy who came from Avalon they would make sense. But if their society was still stuck in the middle ages with that pureblood bullshit, he had no right to speak ill of the human world.

So he gritted his teeth and continued mopping the floor to keep his mind distracted. At least those flames were useful as a heater to dry the floor faster.

"Rias-sama, Raiser-sama, please, calm down. If you two insist on the hostilities, I'll have to step in."

Just the words of the Demon King's servant were enough to make the two pure-blood devils hide their auras and cease fighting.

"If it's the ultimate queen who dictates it, I don't have other option but oblige..."

Even outside the room Shirou could tell the conflict was far from over, and so, Grayfia made a proposal.

"Both Lord Gremory and Lord Phenex knew things were going to end like this. Actually, this meeting was the last resort. So, they decided to give you a choice."

"A choice? What do you mean by that, Grayfie?"

"Rias-sama, if you wish to break this arranged marriage, then why don't you settle it with a Rating Game?"

Well, that was new. And judging by the way it left Rias speechless, that was everything but good news. From the context, he could deduce it was going to be the good old way of settling things with their fists.

"As you know, a Rating Game can only take place between devils above the legal age. But, an exception can be made if it's an unofficial match to settle an issue between families."

"Tch. In other words, father and the others resorted to this to force me to accept the marriage..."

"Are you going to take it, Rias-sama?"

"Why of course! This is the best opportunity I could have. Let's settle this with a Rating Game, Raiser!"

"Hoh? You're challenging me? Even knowing that I have yet to know defeat in official games, you'll still challenge me?"

"I'll do it! I'll defeat you and make you go away from my life!"

"Very well then. But if you lose, you'll marry me right away."

"Understood. Then, I, Grayfia, will confirm the opinion of both parties. Do you agree with this?"

The two nodded in agreement, and Shirou was about to leave the place having confirmed that there was no danger that those two wouldn't start a fight, but unfortunately, things didn't end there.

"Heh, if those are your servants, this Rating Game is going to be a joke. The only decent one would be your queen, the "Lightning Priestess". On the other hand, these are mi cute servants."

Shirou heard a finger snap, and at the next moment, he could sense 15 presences that popped out of nowhere in the room.

"So they can perform teleport magic, huh? Well, having in mind the Age of Gods has yet to end, this isn't that surprising."

The fifteen presences weren't so impressive, but if the prick has the complete package, then he has a huge advantage against Rias, who only has five servants.

There was some chit-chat between them, most of it Issei making them freak out as it seemed all of them were cute girls, but then something happened that made the atmosphere in the room get tense.

"You bastard! You already have Buchou! Why are you groping your queen!? You don't deserve her, damn it! We don't need a Rating Game! I'll beat the crap out of you with my Boosted Gear right here, right now!"

[Boost]

Issei was the first to snap, summoning that sacred gear of his. The description Sona gave him about that gauntlet was terrifying, but his expectations went down the drain. He was expecting to feel a presence on par with the King of Knights, the incarnation of the red dragon, but it seemed Issei needed more training to draw out that thing's full potential.

The problem was, with no bounded field around, everyone was going to see this building blow up from the inside out if the prick falls for Issei's taunt. Trying to cover it up as a "gas leak" would be troublesome, and they might even resort to silence any witness.

"Hah..." Shirou sighed.

He really hoped he wouldn't have to step in, but seeing that Grayfia wasn't going to intervene this time...

"Hmph, do you think you can defeat me just because you have a Longinus? Perhaps I should teach you de difference between a highborn and a lowlife-"

Raiser's words were interrupted by a shrill sound coming from outside the door, which put everyone full alert. It sounded like something metallic hit the ground.

"Shit! Now I have to mop this part again!"

The shouting voice was actually familiar to the members of the Occult Research Club, which left them even more dumbfounded.

Rias and Akeno exchanged looks, and the latter went to open the door. On the other side, she met a certain golden-eyed teenager, mopping the floor like if he was possessed.

"Shirou-kun, what are you doing here?"

He stopped in his tracks, and then looked at all the people in the room behind her. As expected, the prick and all his servants were looking at him as a nuisance.

"Never mind me, Himejima-san. I was just making sure a group of devils didn't blow up the building when the school is still open and full of teachers and students."

He spoke with a casual attitude despite being the center of attention in a room full of devils.

"I appreciate your concern, Shirou-kun, but you didn't have to bother. Grayfia is here to make sure that doesn't happen."

This time was Rias who spoke, inwardly appreciating his intervention just before Issei got his ass handed.

"Are you sure about that?" He entered the room and eyed the two men in question. "Because that's what was about to happen. Or am I wrong, Phenex-san?"

Raiser's expression turned into a grimace. "Rias, who is this insolent human that dares to interrupt a meeting between pureblood devils? Should I burn him to ashes?"

The heir of the Gremory clan, and pretty much all of her servants, started to sweat bullets. Even Issei, who had managed to calm down.

They knew Shirou was no joke, that was clear after his spar with Kiba, but the man in front of him had a superior regeneration compared to the stray he exterminated a few days ago and was more powerful. Getting into a fight with him wasn't the best idea.

But before Rias could try to de-escalate the situation, Shirou spoke again.

"Is that how you greet a guest? I still have my reservations about your kin, but you're leaving a really awful image of them."

The expression of the Phenex heir was now full of rage, and his flames were expanding to the point that the room became a sauna.

However, where everyone, even the Phenex's servants, was starting to sweat due to the heat, Shirou just faced him with a slight frown. Akeno, who was the closest to him, could notice that the flames didn't get to touch him. It was like something was nullifying them the moment they get close.

Unbeknownst to her, those flames were just a calm breeze to his C-rank magic resistance.

"Who gave you permission to talk to me, mongrel!?"

The moment that the last word left Raiser's mouth, the temperature in the room decreased significantly despite his flame.

Everyone could see something snapped inside Emiya Shirou as all the emotions drained from his face.

His cold eyes settled on the Phenex heir like a machine that has found its target and now was going to proceed with his extermination. The killing intention Shirou was giving off was so terrifying that it made the ladies behind Raiser go completely pale, and even Raiser himself lost his breath.

It was like being in front of a monster, a superior predator that made them feel so powerless.

Blond: check

Acts all haughty and calls mongrel everyone he sees inferior to him: check

Has an absurd amount of power to back his attitude: failed to read

Now Shirou realized why this prick irked him so much. He was a pale imitation of his natural enemy, the King of Heroes. But the fact that this Yakitori didn't have a fraction of the power of the Golden King just pissed him off even more.

"Hoh? The pampered devil acts all haughty despite being so far from home? Perhaps I should be the one to put you in your place."

His right arm was raised slowly as his circuits flared to life, several anti-immortal noble phantasms being loaded in them.

"Trace-"

"That is enough, Emiya-sama. Raiser-sama got your point." But just as the weapons were about to come to life, the monster in the room raised her voice.

The magical energy that was about to form the noble phantasm dispersed as well as the killing intention. Shirou was able to reign over the instincts driving him to destroy the existence of the devil in front of him, and everyone else in the room released the air they were holding.

The golden eyes then settled on the silver-haired stoic maid in the corner of the room. An entirely different problem had arisen here.

"You know my name?"

The maid nodded. "I was the one who processed your contract, Emiya-sama. Rias-sama warned us about the "Slayer" roaming the city, so it was a pleasant surprise to find out you weren't hostile. But you can rest assured. At the request of Rias-sama, you're just a stray magician to the eyes of the devil society."

Those words clearly tried to appease him, but the only thing they got from Shirou was a frown. Even if his name didn't spread, a servant of the Demon King, and by extension, the Demon King himself, were aware of his existence.

But antagonizing them would do him no good, even if he could easily break the contract. He would need full access to his strength as a servant at least if he wanted to fight an entire race.

"I see. Well, since you now have things under control, I'll step aside. But if I'm allowed to share my opinion, this match between Rias-san and Phenex-san is quite unfair. Wouldn't you agree to give them some time to get ready?"

"A fair point, Emiya-sama." The maid's cold eyes turned to Raiser. Just her stare demanded the Phenex heir to agree. "What do you think, Raiser-sama."

"Heh, I have to agree it will be boring if they were to fight me as they are. So I'll give them ten days to train and got the lowlife with the Boosted Gear in shape." He sent a mocking glance at Ria's. "After all, your victory will depend on you managing to draw the full potential of that sacred gear. I'll see you then."

With that said, the devil stepped into his magical circle and disappeared alongside all his servants.

"If you all excuse me, I'll depart immediately to report the decision agreed in this meeting."

Grayfia did the same with her own magical circle, and Shirou was left alone in the room with Rias and her servants.

The "King" was the one who broke the awkward silence. "I would say what you did was reckless, Shirou-kun, but I have to thank you for preventing Issei from getting hurt and giving us some time to train."

"Don't sweat it. Think of it as a way to thank you for helping me remain anonymous. And well, now I know why you were so persistent about recruiting me in your peerage, and that your society is still stuck in the Middle Ages."

"Dude... has anyone ever told you you're damn scary?" Issei managed to get those words out of his mouth. His face was still completely pale, and Asia by his side wasn't any better.

Kiba and Koneko managed to pull themselves together like Rias, but it took a few more seconds for Akeno since she had been too close to Shirou.

"I don't know about that, but Shirou-kun here does have the guts to stand in front of Raiser when he is releasing his flames."

Everyone turned to look at the new guest in the room.

"You too came here, Sona?"

The president of the Student Council nodded at Shirou. "I wanted to make sure you kept your word. This is not the best outcome, but it isn't the worst either."

Her lilac eyes then turned to her childhood friend. "I assume you're going to train non-stop until the day of the match."

"It's not like I have another option. As much as I hate to admit it, Raiser is right. As we are right now, we don't stand a chance."

Sona pushed up her glasses. "I guess I'll have to cover the absence of you and your peerage..."

"Well, good luck with that."

Shirou was about to take his leave, but Rias' voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Wait a moment, Emiya-kun! I have a proposal for you."

The golden-eyed boy turned to look at her with narrowed eyes. "I know what you're going to ask, and I'll have to decline."

"Why? I know my behavior the other day wasn't appropriate, and I beg you pardon. But please, would you help us get stronger?"

"It's not because you wanted to turn me into a devil. How exactly are you expecting me to help you guys?"

His eyes darted to Kiba. "My sword style and Kiba's are like night and day. Trying to teach him something would hinder him if anything."

The next one was the albino girl. "My knowledge of hand-to-hand combat is limited, so there's little I can help her to improve. The same applies to you, Akeno, and Asia. As a third-rate magu- I mean magician, teaching you guys magic is but a dream."

Issei stiffened when he realized the golden eyes were on him. "As for Issei here, maybe I can teach him the basics, but realistically speaking, there's no time to teach him how to fight properly. So, in other words, as much as I would want to see how you beat the shit out of that prick, there's little I can help you there."

Seeing their faces, he knew the only one who appreciated his analysis was Sona.

"You might be right, but I sensed it when we crossed swords the other day. Your fighting style speaks of a huge amount of combat experience. I'm sure there must be something you can teach us."

The two swordsmen stared at each other. The resolution Shirou could see in the eyes of the devil was pretty strong.

"Yeah, please! I need to get stronger so I can kick the ass of that Yakitori bastard!" Issei followed Kiba, but he did so bowing at a perfect 90-degree angle.

They weren't going to desist, did they?

"Please, Shirou-senpai... Help us beat that bastard and save Rias-senpai."

"Please, Shirou-san... I don't want to see Rias-onee-sama married with that unpleasant man!"

"Kuh..." Shirou stepped back. That double puppy eyes attack was really effective.

Asia was replaced by the image of a certain empress of roses, and Koneko was replaced by a little girl with red hair tied in twin tails whose name he couldn't remember. He was just about to concede, but he managed to bite his tongue in time.

This was none of his business, and he couldn't care less about an arranged marriage between devils.

"Rias is a woman of word, Shirou-kun. If you help us, she'll own you a favor. And being the heir of the Gremory clan and the sister of the current Demon King, she has a lot of connections."

Akeno added her two cents, and now, that was appealing. But that was also a contradiction in itself. Helping their daughter to bust the marriage they've been planing for years was a sure way to get on their bad side.

Well, it's not like he was planning on making friends. Just the favor of a Demon King was more than enough. It would help him a lot in his search to find the threat hidden in this impossible world.

And seeing that Raiser guy bite the dust would be pleasing...

Who was he kidding? It's impossible for him to reject someone pleading like that. Even if they aren't even human. He would have helped anyway if they insisted further. The favor of the Demon King was just an excuse for himself.

So, he decided to step right into the landmine. "Haaah... Fine, I'll see what I can do. But no promises."

While the faces of the ORC members cheered up, a faint smile appeared on Sona's face.

"You really are a softy on the inside."

---

Next day...

Shirou had to admit it, coming to a hidden mansion in the middle of a forest was the last thing he had in mind. The place was huge, with several rooms, a living, a library, a fully equipped kitchen, and even an outdoor bathroom.

So this was why Sona and her peerage committed themselves to patrol the city in his instead during these ten days... Well, the Emiya residence was going to be buried by a thick layer of dust when he arrived home, but anyway.

It was still soon in the morning when they finished unpacking their luggage in their respective rooms and met in the living room.

Rias gave him an explanation about the rules of those so-called Rating Games, that was also for the newest members of her peerage, Issei and Asia.

The gist of it was that it was pretty much chess in real life due to the different properties carried by the evil pieces. The match would take place inside a special bounded field which allows participants who are too injured or have lost the will to fight to be teleported out. That made it nearly impossible for someone to die, so now it made sense calling it a game and not a duel or something like that.

In fact, it was the equivalent of soccer in human society. There was a ranking, and every official match was live televised through magic.

"So you guys see it as a game, huh? Well, the first step to win this is going to be changing that mentality."

Those words got some raised eyebrows.

"Why do you mean by that, Shirou-kun?"

"What I mean is that you'll need to go with the intention to kill if you want to even stand a chance. Your enemy will make light of you most likely due to their numerical superiority, so that's also something you can take advantage of."

"Isn't that a little bit extreme?" Issei asked a little nervous.

"No, he's right." Surprisingly, it was Rias who agreed with him. "We can't afford to think of this match as a game. We can't hold anything back."

The way Akeno and Koneko twitched at those last words didn't go unnoticed by Shirou. And he could bet that had something to do with the reason why their presences were different from the other devils he has met.

But that wasn't his business. He was no psychologist.

"How much experience in group tactics do you have, Shirou-kun."

"Most of the battles I have fought were on my own, so there's little I can help you in that regard. As I said yesterday, aside from Issei there, the only thing I can offer is a spar and some tips."

"I see. Then you'll handle his training during the mornings. The lessons about magic with Akeno will be after lunch, and I'll handle his physical training at night. You can spar with Yuto-kun and Koneko-chan in the afternoon."

Well, she already had a timetable in her mind. She really was serious about this.

"Well, we should start as soon as possible. Oh, by the way, I have acquired some footage of Rating Games in which Raiser has participated. We should watch them this night after dinner."

That could very well be the most important factor of this match. While they could see how Raiser's peerage fared in previous games, the info they had about Ria's peerage was just about their names and some general skills.

But, you could say Rias hit the jackpot, as there was an even more reliable source of info by her side.

"About that... well since we're doing this, I guess I have to do my part here as well... Trace, on."

Instead of explaining, Shirou decided to show them right away. In his hand appeared a western sword of a quite simple design.

Everyone else in the room tilted their heads in confusion, but fortunately, Kiba got the message.

"That sword... could it be... Is that the sword of one of Raiser's knights?"

"Exactly. The thing is, my magic doesn't create swords like your sacred gear but allows me to reproduce every bladed weapon I've seen. That includes the shape, the materials, the forging process, but more importantly the experience. And I happened to see the weapons of more than half of that prick's peerage."

The entire room fell silent upon hearing that revelation.

"Wow, so you're like a 3D printer!"

Shirou's eyebrow twitched at Issei's remark. Calling his infinite creation of swords a 3D printer was a huge understatement, but he'll let the devils think that. Revealing his reality marble was completely out of question.

"You could say that..."

"Then you can show us how they fight?" Kiba went straight to the point.

"For the most part, yes. The problems are the queen, who uses a magic staff, the twins that carried around the chainsaws, and the two girls who I presume are the bishops. Specifically, the girl with the side pigtails. Her aura pretty much overshadowed the rest of the peerage."

"That's because she's actually Raiser's little sister, Ravel Phenex."

That tiny detail made Shirou, as well as Issei, widen their eyes.

"What!? He made his sister part of his harem!?" Issei made it sound even more disturbing if anything.

"A-anyway, let's get down to business, shall we?"

"Yes, sir!"

While Shirou and Issei walked out of the mansion, Kiba and Koneko went their separate way, Akeno started teaching the basics of devil magic to Asia, and Rias went straight for the library.

"So, what's the plan, Sensei?" Issei asked while he stretched a bit in preparation.

In his mind, he was expecting a mystical training like those in the animes that would lead to an incredible power-up. Unfortunately for him, reality was disappointing.

"I'll be blunt. As I said, teaching how to fight properly in a week is impossible. That's why I'll teach you how to survive instead. I'll leave getting you into shape to Rias since she knows more about devil's physiology. What we're going to do is fight."

"Err... are you sure that's the best way?" The Red Dragon Emperor asked skeptically.

"Trust me, learning a few martial arts is going to do you no good if you can't even react properly to your enemy's attacks. What you need the most is combat experience. Your instincts and muscle memory is the only thing that's going to save you if your opponent is superior to you in every sense. Now, summon your sacred year and raise your power to your limit."

"Huh? I'm allowed to use the Boosted Gear?"

"Why not?"

"But Buchou always says that relying on it during the training sessions is not good."

"That might be true when it comes to physical training, but it is the source of your power and your main weapon, right? Learning how to use it in combat is going to be crucial. Of course, the enemy isn't going to sit and watch how you get more powerful in front of his face, but this is going to be an initial test of shorts."

"I see... Then, Boosted Gear!"

[Boost!]

He started duplicating his power, and meanwhile, Shirou dived into his reality marble in search of an adequate weapon.

Aestus Estus was the first option he came across. The flame-shaped sword was wielded by the Fifth Emperor of Rome, Nero Claudius. But he discarded it. The flames of that sword were the representation of that empress' passion, so using them to emulate Raiser's flames would be kind of disrespectful.

Then, he found the perfect weapon. They were actually two weapons that shared the same identity somehow despite having completely different shapes. One was a massive two-bladed halberd that was able to turn into a cannon, while the other was a flaming katana with an exceptionally sharp blade.

He chose the second one, as it suited him better, but the first one though carried a nostalgic feeling for some reason. The circumstances were complicated to describe, but that katana was forged by himself.

With the blueprint already in his mind ready to be trace, he turned his attention to Issei again.

[Explosion!]

"I'm ready, Sensei!"

"How many boosts was that?"

"Ten seems to be my current limit. That sound actually represents that I cut the boosting process. I got the feeling that I would faint if I went further."

"So it has a limit, huh? I assume your body is what determines how many boosts you can perform."

The power overflowing Issei's body was on the level of Akeno's. Quite impressive since his basic power isn't that far from a regular human, but he was still far from reaching the power of a pure-blood devil as Rias or Riser.

Shirou took some distance from the devil and stretched his hand to the side.

"Trace, on."

The katana appeared in his hand. The blade was of an average length, with its blade crimson and the braided on the handle completely black. The guard had the shape of a traditional oni mask with horns, and Issei could see de distortions in the air around the blade due to the heat it gave off.

But, as the man of culture (read as former chunnybio) Issei was, he recognized the belly fish patter in the handle, and the random waved pattern of the Hammon of the blade.

"Is that a freaking Muramasa in real life!?"

"You could say it is. Now, get ready!"

Shirou raised the flaming katana above his head and swung it with all his might in Issei's direction.

Then... hell descended upon earth.

"WHAAAAA-!?"

Issei stared in shock at the burning line mere inches from him. He barely managed to step aside from the attack, and it was just because Shirou telegraphed the swing on purpose.

The flames of that katana burned away everything in a straight line in front of Shirou. Something told him that even space itself was burned.

If he hadn't had all those boosts, he would have been turned to ashes in an instant.

"A-are you nuts!? Do you want to kill me!?"

"No, I'm just showing you an approximate of what you're going to face in ten days. Take it as a reference. Now, get your ass moving!" Those last words were followed by another swing, this time diagonal.

"UWAAAH!" Issei managed to roll to the side, and started running for his life.

He was expecting tough training from the guy who beat Kiba so easily, but now it seemed like their roles were swapped. He was the one facing a vicious demon swinging that terrifying katana.

Yeah, this was an accurate representation of facing that Phenex bastard, but still...

Issei could feel all his body covered by a thick layer of sweat, and some parts of his tracksuit were already on fire! The grass field in which they were training was now scorched earth.

By this point, the only thing in Issei's head was moving his legs as fast as possible, making erratic movements to avoid being disintegrated.

But losing sight of Shirou was the worst mistake.

"...!"

When he realized it, the golden-eyed teenager was in front of him, taking the classic Hira-Seigan stance in preparation for a thrust. A huge amount of flames was condensing around the blade of his katana.

I short, he was screwed.

"...Megiddo!"

Shouting weird words, Shirou thrust his sword, firing a condensed beam of flames.

"WHOAA!"

Issei tilted his head, and the beam swept past him, dangerously close at that. He could feel parts of his hair, and his nerves got numb due to the extreme heat. It was as if his flesh was about to melt.

But he didn't have time to think about it, neither about the explosion he heard behind him. Shirou had already crossed the distance, his katana aiming at his neck.

The devil put his red gauntlet in the way of the sword, and it resisted the attack. However, the same couldn't be said of Issei himself, who was blown away like a rag doll.

His body rolled through the hellish landscape in which was turned the backyard of the mansion, getting even more bruises and burns.

[Reset]

Once he stopped, the gem on the back of the gauntlet shone, and it looked like all energy left Issei's body. He managed to stand up though, his breath ragged and his heart seemingly wanting to burst out of his chest.

But fortunately, Shirou didn't continue to attack.

"Hmm... Not bad. You survived three minutes. It's a good start." The golden-eyed teenager approached him casually as he dismissed the flaming katana.

"Those are... good news... I guess..."

"Issei-san!"

The two boys turned to see Asia running towards them with a really worried expression.

"I'll heal you right away!" She put her hand on his face and summoned what looked like a silver ring with an emerald on its top. The ring emitted a faint light, and Issei's burns started to heal at an incredible speed.

That must be her sacred gear, twilight healing. It was on par with that katana's healing flames, but still inferior to the ever distant utopia. In less than a minute, Issei was as good as new. The only reminiscence of the prior battle on him was the burns in his tracksuit.

"Thank you, Asia. You saved me as always."

"No, that's the least I can do to support you. I'll heal you as many times as you get hurt, Issei-san!"

"Ahem!" Shirou coughed to catch the attention of the lovebirds. "Well, I didn't take this into account when I was planning your training schedule. This will allow an even more intense training."

Issei's face got really pale upon hearing those words. "We're gonna do this more times!?"

"Of course not. My energy is not limitless. Keeping that level has already drained half of my reserves. But that means I don't have to hold back as much as I thought."

"Fufu, I didn't know you were that much of a sadist, Shirou-kun."

Shirou raised an eyebrow at the approaching Akeno. Of course, if Asia ran here after hearing the explosions, Akeno who was with her would follow suit. But calling him a sadist?

"I'm just doing what's necessary to make sure he's prepared for any future battle."

"You don't have to be shy, Shirou-kun. I can share some tricks with you. But that will have to wait for later." Her lilac eyes turned to the blonde devil. "Asia, I think we should resume your lessons. We shouldn't bother the boys any more than this."

"Oh, ri-right! Call me if you've been injured again, Issei-san."

With that the two beauties headed back to the mansion, leaving alone the pair of teenagers.

"Sooo, how good I would do if I were to fight that Yakitori bastard right now?"

"You'll lose, really hard. I admit I went overboard there, and I doubt that prick would fight so intense, let alone take you seriously, but even so, you didn't get to throw a single attack at me."

Those words felt like a stab in the guts, but Issei accepted them. It was because he was weak that Shirou was resorting to such methods.

"I'll have to give my best then..."

"That's the spirit. Now then..." Kanshou appeared in Shirou's right hand as his expression turned really cold. "I think you've got enough rest. The real training begins now."

"You won't let me accumulate boost again, do you?"

The only answer he got from the magus was a kick right in the guts that sent him rolling a few meters away.

"Raise your guard the moment you feel hostile intentions!"

And so, the hellish training began.

---

A few hours later...

"Hnnnnnnnnn!"

Issei was currently in his first lesson about demonic powers with Akeno. Specifically, he was trying to draw his powers as limited as they were.

This was a blessing in itself regardless of his current frustration, as he felt like he was dying when Shirou dismissed him. Now he understood what his sensei meant by muscle memory. He was beating into him how to react to attacks he couldn't see, in a literal sense.

Now, about his current predicament, according to Akeno he needed to have a clear image to be able to draw his demonic powers. But for the life of him, no matter how much he focused on it, he wasn't able to draw a single bit of energy.

Having Akeno around didn't help as much as he thought, as he always ended up losing focus due to her "assets" being too close.

At least Asia was progressing at a fast pace in this field. She was already able to control the water around her to a certain degree. The little envy he could have was completely overshadowed by his pride in her.

And Shirou was also around. He said their magic was incompatible with his, but he was curious about it.

"Issei-kun, the only thing you're going to achieve doing that is tearing apart your eardrums."

The Red Dragon Emperor visibly deflated upon hearing those words from Akeno.

"What am I doing wrong..."

"Well, a devil that can't use his demonic powers isn't something unheard of, but I thought that wouldn't be the case since you can use your sacred gear without problem..."

"Perhaps he needs a mental trigger." Shirou spoke for the first time he entered the room.

"A mental trigger?" Issei parroted in confusion, but Akeno caressed her chin with her hand.

"That could work actually. It's not common among devils to use something like that since demonic powers are like a part of our body, but having been reincarnated recently, that might be what Issei-kun needs."

"Then, what is a mental trigger."

"Think of it as a strong image. Something that would cause a reaction from you or something you feel an affinity to."

"Do you use a mental trigger for your magic, Shirou-kun?"

"Yes. My magic doesn't work with just imagination. It requires a certain degree of self-hypnosis, and hence, a mental trigger. In my case, it is a hammer striking an anvil."

That last explanation went over Issei's head, so he decided to put it in practice meanwhile.

If there was something that caused a reaction from him, it was definitely a girl's boobs. But just that image wasn't enough, so it had to be something related.

He then thought about the moment that he has been anticipating all his life. The moment in which a girl's chest, that ever distant treasure, is finally revealed. The moment in which those clothes blocking them from sight are removed.

"Wow, that was quick."

Akeno's surprised voice snapped Issei out of his trance. When he realized it, there was a small ball of pure energy between his hands.

"I did it... I finally did it!"

"Congratulations, Issei-san!"

The two reincarnated devils started celebrating Issei's small victory. Akeno watched them with her usual smile, but there was something nagging her.

"What was the image you used, Issei-kun?"

"Oh, I visualized the shirt of a girl with big boobs being torn apart."

After those words, the room filled with joy now was more like a funeral. Even Akeno blinked a couple of times at that.

"Well... we'll go to the next step then. Controlling the elements." Akeno said while handing a water bottle to Issei.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll go check on Kiba and Koneko."

With that, Shirou left the room like a fleeting spirit without anyone noticing.

It didn't take him much to find the only knight of Rias' peerage, and this one accepted having a spar with him without a second thought.

"So you're going to imitate one of Raiser's knights?" Kiba asked seeing the sword in Shirou's hand.

"It is a good way to practice before the rating game, don't you think?"

That was pretty much cheating in Kiba's book, but he put aside his honor just this time. Saving his master came before. That was the oath he took after she gave him a second opportunity to seek revenge.

The two swordsmen took their respective stances wordlessly, and much like their spar a few days ago, Kiba took the initiative and rushed at Shirou.

It didn't take long for the devil to realize that "copying" was an understatement. It was like he was fighting an entirely different person.

Shirou's style using that sword was now pretty much like Kiba's. Straightforward and honest. He actually found himself enjoying the spar. It was the very image he envisioned of a duel between fellow knights.

The prospect that he could face an opponent like that in the upcoming match fired him up.

It was odd at first how the human was able to keep up with him without using his usual style of prediction, but he figured it after a few exchanges. More than Shirou wielding that sword, it was more like he let the sword do the movements engraved in it through its experience, and he just followed suit.

But even so, the feeling that he wouldn't be able to penetrate the magus' defense was still there. In fact, Shirou made some adjustments to the style of that sword to suit him better.

It was not an exact copy like Kiba expected, but it never has been as Shirou doesn't possess the signature control over the flames and wind of the Phenex clan.

However, the devil finally saw a chance of landing a blow after deflecting one of his attacks.

Taking a page of Shirou's book, he called upon his sacred gear and created another Holy Eraser in his other hand to attack from both sides.

Perhaps because the magus wanted to stick to the style he was reproducing as much as possible, he didn't project another sword to counter him. He swiftly deflected one of Kiba's attacks, the one that aimed to a vital point, but instead of trying to retreat to avoid the other attack, he took a step towards Kiba.

The devil's sword managed to sunk into Shirou's left shoulder, but for some reason, Kiba felt like he just struck a block of concrete. The wound he caused wasn't as debilitating as he thought.

That moment of surprise didn't go unpunished. The next the devil knew was that Shirou's foot crashed right in the middle of his chest, causing him to lose his breath and take several steps back. The kick wasn't powered by that explosion trick like in the other spar, but it still felt like he was struck by a speeding car.

"Huh!?"

But he had to react quickly cross his sword in front of him to block the incoming blade. It wasn't that Shirou closed the distance in a heartbeat, but more like he threw the sword aiming at his chest.

And just a moment after, before Kiba could bat the sword aside, Shirou was already in front of him. A fist loaded with a huge amount of magical energy hit the sword right in the hilt, causing it to explode.

The resulting explosion destroyed both of Kiba's swords and blew him away a few meters with some bruises due to the shrapnel.

"Well... ah... that definitely wasn't a movement of that sword's original owner..." Kiba remarked as he got up and shuck the dust from his tracksuit.

"Considering that you can create swords at will, I think it's worth having a movement like that in your stock. If you use it is up to you."

A simple technique consisting in pumping magical energy into the sword past its limits so it explodes. It would guarantee the kill if you manage to do it when the blade is tabbed into your enemy.

But to be able to pull it off in the span of a second required a ton of practice. That's something that's been intriguing Kiba.

Emiya Shirou was a 16-year-old teenager. There is no possible way he could have so much battle experience that it would render meaningless his weakness as a human. Even if he actually inherited the power of an ancient hero, that power does not come with the experience to use it.

"I'll bear that in mind. We should pay a visit to Asia to heal that cut though."

Shirou looked at his shoulder. There was already a quite big bloodstain in his tracksuit, but a quick use of structural grasp revealed that the blade didn't get to pierce through his bones. The devil must have been holding back a lot.

"No, it's not worth the effort. It's just a superficial wound."

"Even if that's so, the coach must be at his pick too, don't you think? Besides, it's not a bother for Asia in the least."

Shirou raised an eyebrow at that. "Is there no drawback for such a convenient power?"

The knight shook his head. "Asia's sacred gear doesn't demand much energy. Only something on the level of a hole in the chest or a missing organ would wear her out."

"I see. Then I'll take your offer."

The two swordsmen entered the mansion and looked for the bishop who should still be in the middle of the magic lessons alongside Issei. But the only thing they found the moment they entered the kitchen was a mess of onion and potato skin.

"What in the world happened here..."

"This is my fault..." Issei popped out of a mountain of leftovers. "Things got a little out of hand while practicing magic you see..."

That night they had potatoes coming out of their ears while having dinner. The dinner had to be a joint effort between Shirou and Akeno, and Koneko's bottomless stomach had to be put into use so any food would be wasted.

---

Just after dinner, the entire peerage plus Shirou gathered to watch the footage Rias had prepared.

All the matches were pretty much the same. The beginning might vary depending on how Raiser's peerage fared against the enemy peerage while their master lazed around. In that phase of the game, it was his sister who assumed the role of a commander so they wouldn't get wiped out so easily.

Not that it mattered. All the matches were decided the moment Raiser's opponents weren't able to defeat his "immortality". The Phenex heir didn't even lift a finger and just waited for his opponents to faint from exhaustion after beating the living shit out of him to no avail.

No wonder why those matches were labeled as boring. Nobody is going to find interesting a bunch of people beating a punching bag.

"Kuh, that yakitori bastard is tough. He really is immortal..."

"They wouldn't have set up this match if defeating him was so easy." The annoyance could be felt in Rias' words.

All looks drifted to the only human in the room, who had been silent all the time, waiting for his analysis.

"Well, I thought destroying the brain would be enough, but that regeneration really lives up to their name... But even so, all of his opponents made a fatal mistake."

"And that mistake is..."

"Falling for his obvious taunts and attacking with everything."

"Err, isn't that what you have to do if you want to defeat him?" Issei voiced the question in everyone's mind.

"That would work if they had something that slowed or outright nullified his regeneration, like some holy element for instance. But in absence of that, it would be better to inflict pain instead of actual damage. For that matter, how is your anatomy knowledge?"

The only one that didn't look away was Akeno, but the disturbing smile on her face did not inspire confidence.

"I guess that's another topic to add to tomorrow's lesson about devil's weakness. At any rate, before everyone goes to get some rest and Issei's night training, why don't we all take a bath in the outdoor bathroom?"

Issei's eyes widened at that, a trail of blood sliding from his nose. "Wait! Everyone as in mixed bath!?"

"Well, I wouldn't mind taking a bath with you, Issei-kun?" Rias' words just worsened Issei's nosebleed.

"Fufu. Me neither. I've always wanted to wash a man's back." Akeno gave her approval, too. "What about you, Asia?"

The ex-nun blushed really hard at that but actually nodded. All eyes then landed on Koneko, but the little girl mercilessly crushed Issei's dreams.

"No. I don't want pervert-senpai anywhere near me during bathtime."

"Well, too bad, Issei. I can always wash your back if you want, Issei-kun."

"Shut up, damn pretty boy!"

The Red Dragon Emperor started crying comically, but before the knight dragged him to the men's bathroom, Akeno threw a curveball at Koneko.

"And what would you say if Shirou-kun were to accompany Issei-kun?"

Issei was expecting another outright refusal, but more than ten seconds passed and the girl stayed quiet, a faint blush showing in her stoic face.

But before anyone could say anything, Shirou spoke up. "I think I'll pass. I don't have any problem with waiting until you guys are done."

"Eh? You don't want to take a bath with me and Issei-kun?"

"The point of taking a bath is relaxing, and that would be nearly impossible with you guys around. No offense, but I'm used to attack any creature with such an ominous aura on sight."

Even if he used a neutral tone, all the mood was completely annihilated in seconds. The only thing that could be heard in the entire villa was Shirou's steps as he walked up to his room.

Rias and the others went to take that bath, but even after more than half an hour, the overall mood was still sour.

"Do you think we did something to get on his bad side without noticing it?" Asia asked with a sorrowful expression. Of all the present, she was the one more visibly concerned.

Even if this was her first time experiencing an outdoor bath, she couldn't wrap her mind around that issue. The other three female devils weren't better. The four of them were just sitting in the tub in silence after they washed their bodies.

"I would suggest we should give him so time, but I don't get the feeling Shirou-kun is going to open up to us any time soon." Rias admitted with a downer expression. "I guess changing his image of us devils is going to take more than few words."

"I think there's more to it than just prejudice." Akeno spoke with a really serious expression. "I mean, yeah he didn't speak more than four words per phrase when we were cooking the dinner, but he agreed to help Issei-kun with his training. If he still considered us enemies, he wouldn't be honestly helping us."

The queen's eyes turned to the tower. "Koneko-chan, you're probably the one that has spent the most time with him. Any ideas?"

The little girl was silent for several moments. Her thoughts drifted to that conversation they had on the rooftop.

That moment he talked briefly about his past, she was able to see a void in his eyes. There was something really wrong with him... but, having refused to answer his question about how she became a devil, did she have the right to pry into it?

In the end, Koneko shook her head. "We hardly exchange a few words during lunchtime."

"I figured as much... And I thought this training camp would help us be on good terms with him... I guess we'll have to leave it to Issei-kun..."

"Why the sudden interest, Rias? Do you want to make it up for getting off to a bad start with him?"

The "king's" cheeks got a little bit flustered. "You don't have to remind me of that whenever you can, Akeno! My eagerness got the best of me when I saw she had a possible method to counter Raiser's "immortality", and he introducing himself as a clueless magician who didn't have proper teaching made me forget that he destroyed an entire army of chimeras in a few minutes. Just remembering it ashames me to no end..."

Akeno let out a soft chuckle, but the seriousness in her expression returned quickly. "That leads to another interesting question. Have you ever heard of magic that allows you to replicate swords with such precision in a fraction of a second and without any kind of magic circle?"

"That's something I was planning to ask Onii-san's bishop when I have the chance. But honestly, if there were anyone else able to perform such magic, they would be really famous. Those blades he used against Yuuto-kun were something else, too. Even an amateur can tell that those blades were masterpieces. The more I think about Emiya Shirou, the more unanswered questions I have, and Grafya didn't found anything suspicious about him either."

"A true walking enigma that fell on our hands, huh? Well, I think we should end this conversation here. You have to go with Issei, don't you, Rias?"

"Yeah, we don't have time to spare..."

---

The days in the training camp passed quickly... for everyone but Issei.

Having roughly six hours of rest per day, with four of them reserved for sleep, he could say this was the closest he's been to actual hell.

Yeah, the magic lessons, while frustrating due to his incompetence, could be considered a rest compared to the other lessons.

As kind as her master was, she becomes a devil in every sense of the world when it comes to physical training. Despite being a creature of the night, he collapsed on his bed every time he ended his sessions with Rias.

He could feel that his body was getting stronger at an incredible pace, but even so, it was a horrific nightmare waiting for him every night.

However, if Rias was a devil, Shirou was the freaking anti-Christ. Their training sessions were always divided into two different sections whose order was changed depending on Shirou's plan for the day.

About the first part, they were always simulations of possible situations he may encounter. Not as extreme as the first day but the concept was similar.

For instance, on the second day of the training camp, Shirou was nowhere to be seen when he stepped into the backyard. That mystery didn't last long as a literal rain of "arrows" attacked him from above. Shirou was the one firing them from the top of a nearby mountain. A way to prepare him in case he had to face Raiser's queen, or so Shirou said.

Even if the magus was using blunt arrows, Issei ended with parts he didn't even know he had broken.

Asia surely had her work cut out during this camp.

As for the other part, it always consisted of a spar. But that didn't mean it was in any way less hellish than the other part. Aside from honing his battle instincts, Issei had to figure out how to use the Boosted Gear efficiently during battle.

Accumulating boosts while being static was completely out of question, but he couldn't do it while dodging Shirou's attacks. The moment he lost his concentration the power of the gauntlet would instantly reset, and Shirou made sure to punish him every time that happened.

In fact, the only rest he was allowed during the session was when he couldn't even lift a finger after making several mistakes. An opportunity to rest on the battlefield was like winning the jackpot according to Shirou.

"Kuh!"

Right now, Issei was in the middle of that part of the training. The sparks flew as he hastily blocked another attack from his black blade.

He managed to make six boosts, but he was still barely able to keep up with the magus. At least, it wasn't until the eighth boost that he projected the other twin sword to raise the difficulty accordingly.

However, Issei's eyes widened slightly after looking again at his Sensei. There was an opening. He overextended the swing, and his left side was wide open in consequence.

"Haaaaaah!" Without thinking twice, he drove his right fist into Shirou's exposed side with all his might.

But it didn't go quite as expected.

"Gah!"

Issei's fist was swiftly deflected by Shirou's freehand, with the hilt of Kanshou smashing Issei's head as a follow-up.

The devil just closed one eye and endured the hit. This was already the ninth day of the camp, so he was already used to it. And it paid off, as he saw another opening, this time on his right due to his right arm being crossed.

He punched with his Boosted Gear, but Shirou just side-stepped and kicked him in the side. This cycle was starting to repeat itself over and over, Issei's frustration starting to pile up despite him trying to repress it.

The devil let himself be carried by the kick to take some distance and pull himself together. And then...

[Boost!]

The gem on the gauntlet shone as his power was doubled for the seventh time. Of course, Shirou immediately rushed at him, but that was something he was expecting.

[Explosion!]

He stopped the boosting process and pulled back his left fist, aiming at the spot Shirou was going to be in a second.

But to his surprise, Shirou faced him head-on. Mimicking him, the magus pulled back his right arm, and Issei could feel how a great deal of energy accumulated in his fist.

His instincts were already telling Issei this wasn't going to end well, but it was already too late to stop.

Both teenagers clashed their fists with all their might, but the result was decided quickly. Even if the energy stored in Issei's body was superior to Shirou's reinforcement, the energy in the magus' hand burst violently, increasing the strength of his punch to a whole other level.

Issei's gauntlet cracked, pretty much taking all the impact and preventing his arm from bending to the wrong side, and even so, Issei was blown away a couple of meters.

[Reset]

"Ah... ah... ah... What the hell was that?" Issei asked as he stood up again. If Shirou wasn't attacking, that meant it was the end of the spar.

He already saw doing that thing a few times, but this was the first time he was on the receiving end of an attack powered by it

"Mana burst. A simple yet really effective tool to have in your stock. It's not even considered a spell since it only involves a good control over the aura in your case. The only drawback is that it consumes a ton of energy, but your draconic sacred gear should make up for it."

"So you're going to teach it to me?"

Shirou shook his head. "There isn't much to teach you about it. The kinds of energy we use are completely different. But I'll warn you to use caution. Performing a single mana burst isn't that hard, but using it back-to-back to reinforce your entire body will require a lot of practice and an absurd amount of energy. If you use it hastily, you can end up blowing apart one of your limbs."

Issei's face paled. "I'll remember it."

Well, drawing out his demonic powers wasn't a problem. The problem was using it to control or create elements. But something as simple as accumulating energy and then letting it burst shouldn't be a problem, right?

He would need several boosts to even be able to accumulate the required energy though, so for the moment, that would be a trump card to use at the right moment just like Shirou used it.

A tiny smile appeared on his face. After days of failing really badly at performing even the simplest spell, he finally had something that would help him in battle.

But, there was still something nagging him. "Sensei, all those openings... you left them on purpose, don't you? Is that part of the training?"

"So you finally noticed them, huh? It took you more than I expected, but that's an improvement nonetheless. I wanted you to be able to attack any opening you see during the match. No hesitation. They are going to be treated once you defeat them, so don't worry about breaking bones."

"But what if those openings are feints?"

"Believe me, even if they had participated in rating games, they are far from being veterans. They might notice that you attack any opening on sight, but that shouldn't be a problem if you take them out quickly."

"Yes, sir!"

"Well, I'll give you time to rest while I explain what are we going to do next. I think your battle instincts are developing quite fine. However, the day of the match is already there, so I think it will be worth sharpening your natural instincts, too."

"What's the difference there?"

"While your battle instincts are what help you to react properly in the middle of a fight, your natural instincts are what helps you detect danger. An attack that is effective against you, such as the holy element, or a natural enemy, as the white dragon in your case."

Issei understood the first part of his explanation, but the mention of the white dragon, although not knowing what was that about, made his entire body go tense.

"White dragon?"

That got a raised eyebrow from Shidou. "Knowing that you have the power of the Welsh dragon, hasn't Rias told you about the Arthurian legends?"

Issei shook his head. "Actually, I know nothing about the dragon that's supposed to be sealed inside the Boosted Gear. But how's that related with King Arthur?"

"Long story short, it is said that King Arthur was the incarnation of the red dragon, and her- I mean, his fate was to fight the white dragon who sought to destroy Britain. The incarnation of the said dragon was Vortigern the Usurper, the one that let the Saxons invade Britain and killed Arthur's father. I don't know the whereabouts of that dragon, but I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up sealed in another sacred gear. So keep in mind that maybe someday a random guy claiming to have the white dragon's power shows up to fight you."

He refrained from mentioning that Albion should be the last pure-blood dragon who died without being able to reach the reverse side of the world. It would do him any good if people started to notice the discrepancy between his knowledge and this world's history.

Seeing how Issei was still digesting that piece of information, he wouldn't have to worry about questions.

"Wait..." It was then that Issei realized something really important. "You aren't going to attack me with holy swords, do you?"

"No. Healing a wound caused by that would take too much time. So instead, I'll use these..."

Kanshou in Shirou's hand was replaced by a pair of gray daggers. Their appearance wasn't intimidating in the least, but for some reason, Issei took a step back the moment he saw them.

It was the same sensation he had from holy weapons, but he could tell those didn't have any blessing. Quite a contradiction.

Meanwhile, Shirou smiled inwardly. He didn't know if having the power of the dragon in his body actually made him vulnerable to dragon-slayer weapons, but that reaction said it all. It seemed to qualify as a human with dragon factor. He wouldn't have to use black keys for this session.

"May I ask what are those daggers, Sensei?"

"The term dragon-slayer rings a bell?"

Before Issei's brain could process that information, or the wicked smile on Shirou's face, something really fast graced his check. And despite being just a bruise, it hurt like hell.

"If you don't move, you're going to die." The magus said as he threw the other dagger in the air and reeled his arm to punch the handle.

"Shit!" Issei ducked, the dagger cutting some of his hair before impacting a nearby tree and piercing through it like a hot knife cutting butter.

Pretty much like in the other sessions, Issei could only run and dodge as Shirou continued to project more daggers and punch them at him. But this time, blocking them with his Boosted Gear wasn't an option, since it would be like trying to protect himself with a shield made out of paper.

It was only the result of all the other lessons that allowed him to survive this, hence why Shirou waited to use this. But telling him those daggers were forged from some shards of Gram that weren't used in the process of reforging it would be too much for him.

---

As usual, Issei barely made it alive to lunchtime. At least Shirou compensated for all the suffering with his delicious food.

"Haaah..." The Red Dragon Emperor sighed while looking at the roof of his shared room with Kiba.

It was almost 5:00 am, but he was still unable to fall asleep. Anf going to Shirou's final lesson without a proper rest sounded even more terrifying than going to the actual match.

Yet, those thoughts were not what plagued his mind at the moment.

He could easily tell it, he was the weakest of the Gremory peerage. If Shirou hadn't stepped in a few days ago, he would have been crushed by Raiser. He had no talent for the sword as Kiba, who was able to end a match with his sensei in one piece, nor he was talented with magic like Akeno, who was able to manipulate all the elements with ease.

And even if he hasn't had a spar with Koneko, he was sure he would lose against her really badly.

It frustrated him to no end. He was supposed to be the Red Dragon Emperor, someone that was able to slay Gods, but in actuality, he was the weakest. That yakitori bastard said that he was going to be what determined Rias' victory, but he started to think that he was going to be a liability instead.

Even Asia started to show amazing improvements, in contrast to him who had yet to land a single blow on Shirou. Not that he expected that to happen any time soon. He was under no delusion that he would be able to defeat the human named Emiya Shirou even if he trained for decades.

And that was what frustrated him the most. They were the same age, and he was human, a more fragile being. But the gap between them was like the distance between Earth and Moon.

"Damn it..."

He got up and walked out of the room. Perhaps a glass of water to hydrate his dry throat would help him fall asleep.

"Ara? You're up this late?" A familiar charming voice reached his ears as he put the glass on the sink.

His legs led him in the direction the voice came, and he found his master in the library. She was wearing a red nightgown and glasses, which made her look even cuter in his opinion.

"Hi there, Buchou..."

A frown appeared on her beautiful face after hearing his taciturn greeting. It went without saying that this was strange coming from him.

"Good timing. Would you have a little chat with me?"

"Oh, yeah... of course."

He took sit beside her even if he had no clue of what she wanted to talk about. Looking at the books and papers on the table, he could say she was still working on the strategy they would use in the match.

Noticing it, Rias opened her mouth to speak. "If I'm being honest, reading this isn't going to help us defeat Raiser..."

"Huh? Why not?"

"You saw how all Raiser's matches went. Even if we beat his peerage, it will be meaningless if we don't manage to defeat Raiser. Shirou-kun's tips about how to cause him a ton of pain in no time are appreciated, but I still feel that's not going to be enough."

She bit her lips with frustration. "Father and mother surely chose him as my fiance in case I refused to accept an arranged marriage. Why does everyone want to control my life..."

"Erm... I know that yakitori bastard is a total dick, but why does the idea of an arranged matrimony disgust you so much?"

Rias sighed at his honest question. "I am a Gremory."

"Err... yes?"

"I'm not reintroducing myself. What I mean is that, as the heir of the Gremory clan, I'll have to carry to all the weight of that name."

"You don't like it?"

"On the contrary, I'm very proud of being a Gremory. However, that causes everyone to see me as Rias Gremory instead of just Rias. They see me as just a title and not who I am..." Her expression by this point was full of sorrow.

"Oh... so that's why you asked Emiya-sensei to call you by your name..."

"Exactly. You see, when I'm here in the human world, everyone treats me like just Rias. It's so refreshing. I want to marry someone that loves me for who I am, but Raiser just wants this marriage for my title... Even if this is selfish of me, I want to cling to this wish of mine..."

Well, for Issei, all that dilemma about her responsibilities and her wishes being in conflict went all over his head. Being just a teenager that had a regular life until a couple of months, he couldn't understand it.

But he knew he had to say something. Having their master in such a mood would do them no good in the match, and besides, he didn't want to see her crying.

"Well... for me Buchou is Buchou. There's nothing more to it. You'll be always the best for me regardless of what decision you make."

He did his best trying to lighten up her mood. But he wasn't expecting her cheeks to blush suddenly.

"Buchou? Did I say something weird?"

She shook her head. "No. It's nothing. More importantly, I've been meaning to ask, how has been your training with Shirou-kun so far."

She changed the topic of the conversation really quickly, that much he could tell. But that also brought back the somber thoughts he was having a few minutes ago.

"I'm definitely getting better, but even so, I feel useless... I don't think I'm going to be able to help you guys in any way in this battle. I acted all tough because I have the Boosted Gear, but in the end, I'm a weakling as Raiser said. Despite both of us having no talent, I'll never be able to come close to Sensei..."

Rias could only look speechless at her beloved pawn. He was even crying for his impotence.

But before she could speak to comfort him, someone beat her to it.

"I see you haven't understood yet." A soft yet severe voice caught the attention of the two devils.

They turned to see Shirou, wearing just the lower part of his tracksuit and carrying a towel to wipe his sweat.

"Sensei?" Issei stood up to face the approaching magus.

"This has never been a matter of you getting strong. The point of my training was letting you use your weakness in the most efficient way."

"Huh?" Issei looked at his Sensei like if he grew a second head, unable to catch the meaning behind his words.

"Besides, you're selling yourself short. Comparing yourself with me has given you the wrong idea, but I guess I'll have to show it to you in a more visual way..."

The golden-eyed turned around and disappeared after climbing the stairs leading to the second floor, not without leaving one last instruction.

"Come to meet me in a couple of hours like usual, but start boosting 'till your limit right away."

While Issei looked at his back clueless, Rias caught his message. "It seems it's time for you to show us the fruits of your training, Issei."

A couple of hours later, after having breakfast, everyone was in the mansion's courtyard.

[Boost!]

Unlike the other sessions, they weren't alone. The other devils, even Rias, were there to witness their final spar.

[Boost!]

His Sensei was already prepared, that flaming katana he used in the first day found its way to his hands once again. Despite being patiently waiting for Issei, it gave him a really terrifying aura. It was like if he was about to fight a monster.

[Boost!]

[Explosion!]

He finally reached his limit, and he already noticed the first difference. He was able to double his power more than 20 times.

So much power accumulated in his body... he even felt that he could take on Raider without a problem. But facing Shirou, some drops of sweat began to slide down his forehead.

It wasn't a matter of power, since Raiser's aura as a pure-blooded devil was several times superior to Shirou's as a human. But in terms of combat prowess, it was all the other way around. He was in front of a true warrior, while the Phenex heir was just a rich boy that hasn't trained in his life.

Shirou took his stance as Issei took a step forward in preparation to rush at him. The fact that he wasn't able to see a single opening in Shirou's stance meant that he would be taking him seriously. No more openings on purpose to help him be able to see them.

"Are you two ready?" Rias spoke, acting as the referee of the match. After getting a slight nod from the two teenagers, she raised her arm. "Go!"

The moment that sword left the devil's mouth, Issei sidestepped. Mere instants later, the spot he left was completely obliterated by Shirou's fire.

The Red Dragon Emperor then rushed at the magus as fast as he could. With so much energy circulating through his body, he crossed the distance in a couple of seconds.

Shirou noticed the absurd boost in his speed, too. Not as fast as Kiba, but close enough. So he also rushed at Issei to engage him in close combat.

"Haaah!" Issei took the initiative, throwing his left fist at Shirou's chest.

As expected, Shirou avoided the attack, but unlike the other sessions, instead of batting it aside with easiness, he skillfully deflected it, leaving Issei in an awkward stance. His reinforced leg immediately smashed Issei's open side.

"Kuh!

But Shirou's eyes widened. The kick barely moved the devil an inch. Issei clenched his teeth and endured the sharp pain as he attacked back with a reverse swing with his gauntlet.

Again, the Muramasa deflected the attack, making his fit miss Shirou's head by inches. But he wasn't over. Seeing that his sensei's sword was at the height of his neck, Issei attacked the lower part of his chest with his right fist.

However, his attack was blocked by the hilt of the Katana at the last second, and the blade was pointing right at his face.

"Camael: Meggido!"

With its true name summoned, a hellish fire engulfed the blade. Issei only had a fraction of a second to recognize that attack and tilted his head backward just in time so the beam of fire didn't turn him into ashes.

The devil's body reacted on instinct then, and he threw himself in a hasty roll to the side to avoid being cut in half.

Just as he thought. Even if he hadn't been massacred in this exchange, he was still no match for him.

So the only thing he could do that would give him a slight chance of winning was doing something that would take Shirou by surprise.

After he stood up again, he stretched his left arm, his mental trigger already visualized to summon his demonic power.

A small ball of energy formed in front of him. Its size was the one of a golf ball, but it would be enough. He reeled his arm with the Boosted Gear, concentrating all his energy in his fist, and punched the energy ball. In essence, he was imitating Shirou's technique to punch those daggers.

What he didn't expect was that the moment he punched the ball, it turned into a huge beam of energy even larger than the one fired by that flaming katana.

Even Shirou himself showed some surprise seeing such an attack, but he reacted quickly. His right hand left the katana's hilt and stretched in front of him.

"I am the bone of my sword."

He whispered some words, but Issei wasn't able to hear half of them. However, he could say they carried power.

"Rho Aias!"

Just before the beam of demonic energy hit him, something pink appeared in front of him before his figure was engulfed by an explosion. And not a small one. The explosion shook the entire place, blowing up chunks of ground and raising a thick smokescreen.

A part of Issei was starting to worry as he couldn't see how Shirou was, but the other part told him that he would be fine.

And those thoughts were confirmed by a voice coming from inside the smoke.

"Quite impressive, but I would advise you to keep something like that as a finisher when you know the opponent won't be able to avoid it."

A quick swing of his flaming katana blew away all the smoke, revealing that, aside from some tears in his right sleeve, he was as good as new.

"Huh!? That didn't do shit to you!?"

"No, you forced me to pull out my strongest defense. I'm quite sure that attack would have torn a hole in the mountain if a hadn't blocked it."

"Oh, oh..." Issei's mouth took the shape of an "O" as he looked again at his gauntlet under a new light.

[Reset]

The fact that he was able to pierce through one of Aias' layers was really impressive. Shirou started to see why that sacred gear was so feared in this world's supernatural side.

"Do you see it now, Hyoudou? You were able to hold your ground against me and pull off such an attack. If you are able to perform like that during the match, you should have any troubles to beat the crap out of Raiser."

Those words were accompanied with a confident smile, to which Issei replied with a thankful one.

"Thank you very much, Sensei!"

"I thought you were only able to copy swords you've seen, Shirou-kun." Rias' voice reminded the two about their audience.

For some reason, Kiba and Koneko were holding an Asia that was on the verge of fainting, and the two senpais looked at Shirou with surprise and curiosity.

"Even if a shield is not close to the concept of "sword", it's still enough simple for me to reproduce it."

"Simple you say... Issei-kun's attack was on the level of a high-class devil, which is impressive by itself, but that shield took it head-on like nothing."

Shirou sighed. He pulled it out to get an accurate estimation of the power behind Issei's attack, and due to his mind being fully focused on the battle, he forgot they were there. And it didn't seem they would drop the subject so easily.

"You shouldn't expect less from the shield that was able to block the spear of Troya's hero, Hector." He just dropped the bomb and quickly changed the subject. "But the important issue here is that Issei is now ready for the match. You guys should take the rest of the day to get some rest."

At least they took it for what it was and didn't ask further, but he could already feel an incoming headache.

---

The day of the final match at long last arrived. It was about half-past midnight, and Issei and his comrades were waiting in their clubroom.

Grayfia was also with them and reminded them about the rules of the Rating Game. She also said that Rias and Raiser's respective families, as well as the Great Maou Lucifer himself, were going to watch the match.

And that last part didn't help to ease Issei's nerves. That last lesson with Shirou served to fire up his determination, but now that he was minutes away from the battle, his heart was running a mile. Aside from him, Asia was the only one who was visibly nervous.

They were all wearing their school uniform since Rias said that was what represented them the most as the Occult Research Club. The only exception was Asia, who was wearing her old nun habits. Something quite unpractical for a fight, but she wasn't going to fight so it was fine.

And in the middle of that tense atmosphere, someone knocked at the door.

"Oh, if it isn't Shirou-kun"

The one who walked into the room was none other than Emiya Shirou.

"Yo. I was about to go on my usual patrol, so I thought I'd drop by to wish you luck."

His golden eyes met Issei's brown eyes. Suddenly, all his agitation disappeared after the reliable figure of his "sensei" showed up.

Everyone exchanged greetings with the magus, but they didn't have time to spare.

"It's time, Lady Rias. Everyone, please step into the magic circle."

As Grayfia ordered, Rias and her peerage positioned themselves in the center of the circle the maid prepared beforehand, and this one shone to life.

"Hyoudou, go with everything. But more importantly, don't lose sight of your goal."

"Yes! I won't let you down, Emiya-sensei!"

Master and student exchanged some final words before the devils disappeared from the room.

Sadly, they weren't able to read Shirou's neutral expression well enough. But who actually did it was Grayfia.

"So how do you think are their odds, Emiya-sama?"

Shirou raised an eyebrow for a moment, not expecting the stoic maid to strike a conversation with him, but he still answered.

"It's hard to say. I did the best I could to help them, but you know well a period of ten days is no way close enough. So it will depend solely on them."

It was a subtle way of telling her to not have high expectations. With his training, Issei had actually a chance to beat Raider, but that getting to him through his peerage, which outnumbered them, was a different matter.

Raiser had been actually right. Issei would be the decisive factor. But more specifically, how he gets at the final confrontation would decide the outcome of the battle.

The maid then said something that surprised him. "Whether they win or lose, Sirzetch-sama wants to express his gratitude for helping his sister's peerage. Moreover, would you like to see the Rating Game with the VIPs?"

The magus shook his head. "With all those freaks coming to challenge the "Slayer", I can't let this city unattended."

That was an issue he wanted to get over with, but there didn't seem to be a big shot pulling the strings. They were just random guys with curiosity about the urban legend, but they all caused trouble to get to him.

And he was sure that someone even more problematic than the stray devil would show up in the near future.

"If that's what you wish, I won't ask further."

With those words, the servant of the Demon King disappeared using her own magic circle, and Shirou took his leave.

---

"Ah... ah... ah..."

Issei struggled to catch his breath as he climbed the stairs leading to the roof of the school building.

He was in the middle of the enemy base, but there weren't any other enemies left in the game anyway, so he didn't have to worry about that.

The match was going well at the start, with them being able to eliminate several members of Raiser's peerage. The first scare came when the enemy queen tried to ambush Koneko from the air, but Issei got her out of the way in the last second and Akeno intercepted her to have a duel between queens.

Shirou's arrows were a lot faster than the queen's spell, so he was able to even see it coming. That absurd method of training actually paying off really scared Issei.

After that, the two of them meet up with Kiba and faced the rest of Raiser's peerage. The Gremory knight quickly defeated the two enemy knights before they could notice that he knew all of their movements, and Koneko and Issei dealt with the two bishops, the remaining rook, and the last two pawns.

Even with Ravel's command, they ended up being defeated. Koneko literally stomped the pawns, their fighting method consisting of imitating cats set her off for some reason. The rook seemed obsessed with fighting Issei, but the way he just dodged her attacks started to piss her off, and hence, she left an opening.

An opening which Issei capitalized with a punch powered with a mana burst, making it an actual one-hit K.O due to all the boosts he accumulated in the meantime.

The other bishop was easily defeated between the three of them, and Ravel started stalling, giving them a speech about why they couldn't win due to his brother's immortality. In the end, Kiba stabbed her shadow with a new sword he created using one of Shirou's swords as inspiration, effectively pinning her down.

She also had a high regeneration, so attacking her would be a waste of time and energy.

But from then on, things go south.

Akeno was defeated by the enemy queen. It turns out she had an item called Phoenix tear that healed her instantly. A little detail Rias forgot because they didn't use it in all the prior matches.

Kiba and Koneko engaged her after telling Issei to save his remaining energies for Raiser. As much as he wanted to fight alongside them to defeat the arrogant queen, the fatigue was starting to catch up to him, so he rushed at the enemy base.

Koneko was knocked out shortly after, and Kiba managed to take the queen out with him blowing a sword right in her face. A trick he got from Shirou if Issei had to bet.

So the only enemies left were Raiser himself, who had been fighting against Rias and Asia for more than half the match, and his sister, who refused to engage in combat even if she freed herself.

This was going to be the decisive battle. He had already promoted to queen, gaining a considerable boost in power, his master removed the seal from his evil pieces, and he had accumulated another twenty boosts.

"Buchou! I'm here!" The Gremory pawn shout as he broke a window to access the roof of the building.

"Issei!"

"Issei-san!"

The two girls' expressions lighted up seeing him approaching. Rias' uniform was full of burns, but thanks to Asia, she didn't have a single scratch on her.

The same could be said of Raiser at the other side of the roof. But unlike Rias, who was already panting, he just seemed slightly annoyed.

"So the dragon brat is finally here, huh? I'll admit it, you being able to defeat my entire peerage is praiseworthy. You've used well these ten days. But this ends here. You're just delaying the inevitable, Rias. Your pawn isn't going to make a difference. It's checkmate."

Issei gritted his teeth with anger. The bastard was still acting all confident despite having been cornered, like all the other matches he had.

"We won't know until we fight, Yakitori bastard! I'm gonna throw that immortality of yours right up your ass!"

While Raiser widened his eyes in surprise and anger, that renovated Rias and Asia's determination.

"Well said Issei! Nobody is giving up here! Victory is in sight! It's time to show them the result of your training with Shirou-kun!"

"'Shirou-kun'? You say that human trained you?"

Issei ignored his question, the devil in his eyes already turning into just an enemy to defeat.

"You already heard Buchou, Boosted Gear! It's time to kick that bastard's ass!"

Sacred Gears answered the user's emotions. The last time was anger, but this time, it was his determination having reached its pick.

He finally understood Shirou's words. Using his weakness... the reason he just perfectioned his use of the Boosted Gear instead of trying to learn how to use a sword or even offensive spells.

Instead of trying to improve on things he was bad at, he took the little he had and learned to use it efficiently. Just like Shirou did with the only two spells he could use until he could be considered someone strong.

In other words, he didn't need to be talented in the sword or the magic to be strong!

[DRAGON BOOSTER!]

The gauntlet roared to life in answer to his emotions, unleashing a burst of power and even changing its shape to one more draconic with a second gem appearing near his elbow.

"Here I come!"

The Red Dragon Emperor kicked the ground and threw himself at the enemy "king".

"Tch, I deal with you quickly!" Raiser answered firing a huge fireball in Issei's direction.

If he dodged that attack, it would go straight for Rias and Asia. So instead of side-stepping, he put all his energy on his gauntlet and swung it in front of him to cut the ball in half.

"Guh!" The idea sounded brighter in his head, but in the execution, he ended up with a bunch of burns all over his body.

However, it took Raiser by surprise, who looked at him like if he were mentally ill. Seizing that moment of surprise, Issei clamped down the pain by force and crossed the remaining distance.

"Huh!? Wait-"

Before the Phenex could react, Issei's gauntlet landed in between his collarbone and neck. The broken bone was instantly healed, but Raiser grimaced from the pain.

"Oraaa!" But Issei didn't let him rest.

His right fist landed right on his solar plexus, causing Raiser to lose his breath and arc his body, and Issei's elbow found its way to the back of his head.

"You little!" The Phenex finally had enough and summoned his flames to force the pawn away from him. "Don't get all mixed-up, lowlife!"

Raiser threw his punch enveloped in fire at Issei's face, but it was deflected by his gauntlet.

That caused a lot of openings in Raiser's stance, but at that moment, hesitation struck Issei. That had been too easy compared to his fight with Shirou. So the doubt of those openings being real ones or feints stopped him from going with the obvious follow-up, a left on his face, and waited for the next attack.

Raiser's attacks were simple and telegraphed, really easy to avoid. The problem was his flames, forcing him to retreat more often than not. That, coupled with his hesitation caused that Issei didn't land as many attacks as he should.

But even so, he was doing it. He was fighting against him head-on, and even if his attacks didn't cause any damage, he could see the pain in Raiser's face every time he landed a blow in a weak point.

If he could keep that up for some minutes, he might be able to force him to forfeit due to the pain...

Unfortunately, time wasn't on his side in this battle.

[Burst]

The sound he never wanted to hear came out of the gem, and all strength left his body. His body felt really heavy, and his consciousness started to fade really quickly.

"No... I almost got-"

Those precious seconds he lost checking his condition sealed the fight, as Raiser's fist hit him on his face with the strength of a speeding truck.

""ISSEI!""

He could hear Rias and Asia's worried voice as his body rolled through the roof like a ragdoll.

"Oh, it took you more than I expected, but this was an expected outcome." A voice filled with indifference came from above them. It was Ravel, who was flying with her flaming wings to observe better the fight. "Doubling your power is something so irregular that it puts your body under huge stress. That coupled with all the wounds and fatigue you accumulated in all the fights you fought until now, it was a miracle you lasted that much."

Meanwhile, Issei was trying to put whatever strength he had left in his limbs to stand up. But it's no use. His body didn't move an inch.

That was it.

All the hellish training he has been through... all the valuable lessons beaten into him... all the blows he received to be able to react to his enemy's attacks...

All was for nothing... In the end, he wasn't able to defeat the Yakitori bastard...

"Don't lose sight of your goal."

At that moment, his sensei's words crossed his mind. An image of the auburn-haired teenager back to him appeared in his mind. That impossible wall he wasn't able to even get close to.

After fighting Raiser, he could say for sure, Shirou would beat the crap out of him.

But that was beside the point. His goal. Why was he fighting? Defeating the Yakitori bastard was just a means to an end.

This fight was to save his master. This fight was to protect her smile, the happiness of the girl he most admired. Even if he no longer had the power of the dragon, as long as he could still move, he would continue to fight for her!

"Guh... Argh!"

"In other words..." Despite his breath being ragged, a grin spread across Raiser's face. "This is my victory. Even if your bishop heals him with her Twilight Healing, he won't stand up... again..."

His words got stuck in his throat as the devil in question got up again. His legs were trembling non-stop, and he looked more like a corpse, but the fire in his eyes was far from extinguished.

"My body can still move... ah... so I can still fight..."

Issei started to walk slowly towards his enemy, who greeted him with a really annoyed expression.

"You really are persistent, dragon boy. It seems I'll have to put you down for good!"

Raiser's flaming fist came at him again, but he couldn't even react to them. The only thing he could do was cross his arms in front of him to block the punches.

It hurt like hell. His sensation of pain hasn't been numbed, but he endured it. He just needed to wait for the opportunity.

"Issei, please, stop! It's enough!"

"I can't watch this any longer!"

But there was another problem. Hearing Rias and Asia's voices almost made him collapse for good. Hearing them crying for someone like him made his heart hurt, and that was a pain he couldn't just ignore.

However, at that moment, a small smile spread across Issei's face.

"See it, Buchou... I'm going to win..."

BANG!

Raiser's fist pierced through Issei's defense and slammed itself in his face for the second time. Time seemed to slow down as his body fell to the ground. But...

GRAB!

"Huh!?" The Phenex let out an astonished voice as Issei's right hand grabbed him by the hair. "Damn you-"

"Gotcha..."

No matter how much Raiser tried to shake him off, he couldn't. For some reason, the dying devil was holding him with an absurd strength.

Issei used him to righten himself and pulled back his left fist. Raiser recognized what he was going to do, and imitated him.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

"YOU LITTLE MAGGOT!"

Both devils started to shove their fists into the other's face with all their might. There was no technique to be seen, just two men clumsily throwing random punches.

Issei's face quickly became a mess of blood and bruises. The sounds of flesh being torn and bones being broken resounded throughout the place.

But regardless of anything, he kept throwing punches at Raiser. Issei's punches didn't do any damage to him. His regeneration kept him as good as new, but...

Why did it felt like if those punches had even more strength behind them than the ones before?

It was then that Rias understood it. Issei wasn't going to give up. Even if his body went way past his limits, he refused to accept defeat, and so, the system that would send him to the medical bay wouldn't be triggered.

He would continue to throw punches until Raiser was already defeated... or his body was broken.

The tears started to slide down her cheeks. He was going to such length just to accomplish her selfish request.

And he was about to lose him for such a reason.

"I... I give up! I Rias Gremory resign!"

The moment those words reached Issei's ears, his body came to a complete halt. His hand released Raiser's hair, causing this one to fall on his ass, but Issei remained there in the same pose.

"You did well, my dear Issei... You did well..."

His master tenderly hugged him from behind. He had passed out long ago, but his determination kept his body on the movement.

The last thing he managed to hear was...

[Way to go, partner.]

---

"Huh..."

Issei's eyes drifted around the unusual red landscape in front of him. No, it wasn't a landscape. It was... a massive red dragon, staring right at him with its green slit eyes.

The mere presence of this ancient being would make most of the life on this planet tremble in fear, the absurd amount of power it exuded just by breathing enough to make kneel inferior beings.

Issei would be freaking out if it wasn't for this not being the first time he saw this dragon. He already saw it during a few dreams after he unlocked the power of the Boosted Gear. But this time, he was finally able to realize the meaning of this dream.

"You... you are the Welsh dragon, aren't you?"

The red dragon sealed in his sacred gear. In other words, the one that has been providing him power all this time.

The pinnacle of phantasmal beasts opened its maw to speak for the first time, bursts of fire slipping out of it in the process.

"At long last, you're finally able to hear me, Hyoudou Issei." Its deep voice resounded with Issei's soul. "You went down like a true warrior, but at the end of the day, you still lost against the Phenex brat. You'll have to train more if you don't want the white dragon to laugh at you."

"White dragon... So that's actually a thing?"

"Yes. That human was spot on. One day, you'll have to fight your fated enemy, the white dragon. But, until then, I'll show you how to use my power. You must win the next time. I win for a loss. I'll give you the power whenever you need it, but remember that you'll need to pay a price in return. Don't worry, I'll make the sacrifice worth it, so show them all the fearsome power of a dragon."

Issei's consciousness started to blurry after hearing those words. Or was it the other way around?

The next time he opened his eyes, he saw a familiar ceiling over him. It was his room.

"Ugh..."

His head was still spinning, but the memories didn't take long to come to him. He couldn't remember anything after grabbing the Yakitori bastard by the hair, but he could deduce the outcome of that battle.

"Damn it..."

He cursed. It was really shameful. He betrayed everyone's confidence, but more importantly, he disappointed his sensei and his master.

"Damn it... Why am I unable to win..."

Tears started to come out as he got up from his bead. Even after taking Shirou's approach of focusing on efficiency, he was still a loser.

Because of his fault, Rias would no longer be able to be happy...

"If you are able to whine over your loss, then it means you're fully recovered."

A familiar voice made Issei stop in his tracks, his neck turning slowly to see Shirou sitting on his desk's chair. His expression was solemn, confirming Issei's assumptions.

"Huh? What are you doing here, Emiya-sensei?"

"Drop the sensei. I have nothing more to teach you. As for your question, well, I was taking turns with Asia to watch over you. They really made a number on you. Even with Asia's healing powers, it took you two entire days to recover your energies."

Issei's eyes widened. "Two days!? No, wait, more importantly, you said Asia's here, but what about Buchou and the others!?"

"Since you guys lost, the preparations for the wedding began shortly after." Shirou took a quick glance at Issei's digital alarm clock. "In fact, a party to formally announce the wedding should have started by now. Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko accompanied Rias to the underworld, leaving Asia here to treat you, and I lent her a hand. I had my doubts about your fathers letting a stranger enter their house at the beginning, but the moment Asia said I was your friend, they even insisted."

The news felt like a knife mercilessly piercing his heart. Issei fell on his knees, and the tears started to slide down his cheeks once again.

"So this is it, huh... I couldn't save Asia... and now I couldn't protect Buchou's smile..."

"Are you already giving up? Are you going to accept that without fighting?"

"Of course I don't want to let that Yakitori bastard have Buchou! But what can I do!? The ceremony is ongoing... and even if I were to fight him again... the result would remain the same... It's impossible for me to do something about it! If only I had a few months to train-"

The sound caused by Shirou walking out of the chair interrupted him. When the devil raised his head. Shirou was making a really serious face.

"Listen here, Hyoudou Issei. Things are just impossible until you try! If you really want to protect your master's smile, then go there and shout "I refuse!" If that is your dream, then keep moving forward until you achieve it, without caring about what others say! Only then, whether you succeed or fail again, you won't have regrets!"

Issei could only look at him astonished. Those eyes... even someone like him could tell... Those eyes brimming with determination... the person in front of him was someone who never gave up no matter how many times he failed in his search of that ever distant dream.

If only he had a small fraction of that courage...

But hearing those words, he could feel his resolution starting to fire up again, just like before the match.

Shirou noticed it, and a smile found its way to his lips. That was actually the first time Issei saw him truly smiling.

"I see there is still a part of you that remained human... Then wake up, samurai! We have a party to burn!"

"Yeah!" Issei stood up with a jump, his usual behavior finally back. "This time I make sure to beat the Yakitori bastard for real! Nice reference, by the way. But... how am I going to get there?"

At that, Shirou took out a paper from his pocket and handed it to Issei. Upon closer inspection, it was really similar to the pamphlets their clients used to summon them, so it must have a teleportation spell placed on it.

"A certain maid dropped by a few hours ago and told me to gave you this. She said it would take us to the building in which the wedding ceremony is taking place. 'If you want to save Rias, storm the ceremony' she said. The other face of the paper has something that will let us scape if shit hits the fan."

"I see... Wait, 'us'?"

"Of course I'm going with you. It is my duty as your coach to take you to ring, right? Since we're going to basically raid a private party, we should expect some security. But leave that to me and focus only on Raiser. I'll go to let Asia know you're awake, so start dressing up and thinking a way to defeat him."

"Right... I have already something in mind."

The moment Shirou walked out of the room, Issei put on his spare school uniform before raising his voice.

"Can you hear me, Welsh dragon!? You said you would give me power, and this is the perfect moment!"

[You don't have to shout, partner. I'm right here.] The voice of the dragon sounded directly in his mind. [I'll ask you just in case. Your left arm in which I reside will no longer be that of a devil, but a dragon. In exchange, you'll be able to use my power to its fullest for a short period of time. Are you sure you want to give me your arm in exchange for power?]

"Of course I'm ready to give whatever you want as long as it is enough to beat that bastard. I wouldn't be asking otherwise."

[A good answer. Now then, the deal is settled.]

At that moment, the red gauntlet appeared on his left arm without him calling upon it. But looking at it more closely, the scales now didn't look made out of steel, but more... organic.

[Just shout 'overboost' and I'll do the rest.]

"I see. Thanks... err..."

[The name is Ddraig.]

"Right. Thanks, Ddraig."

Just at that moment, the door of his room opened again, and a certain ex-nun entered accompanied by Shirou.

Contrary to his expectations, she looked at him with teary eyes and a huge amount of concern. By the looks of it, Shirou filled her in.

"You're going to fight again, Issei-san?"

Issei nodded at her. "Yes. I'll bring back Buchou."

"Then I'll go with you, too! I don't want to just look how you are defeated again! There's definitely something I can do to help you!"

"No. You stay here, Asia. This is something I most see through to the end by myself."

Asia wanted to retort again, but looking at Issei's eyes, her words died in her throat.

"Then... promise me this. You'll definitely bring back Rias-onee-sama."

"Of course."

"That's good and all, but I've been meaning to ask..." Shirou spoke right after they finished, his eyes fixed on Issei's left arm. "You've sold your arm to the dragon, do you?"

Issei nodded and clenched said fist. "This is just a small price if it allows me to save Buchou."

Asia brought her hands to her mouth in surprise, tears falling from her eyes, while Shirou sighed.

"Well, if that's your decision, I'll refrain from telling you how reckless was that. Besides, there's something I want to give you."

In his hand appeared a silver sword, its ominous aura immediately sending goose-bumps down the spines of the two devils. Yet, that was a somewhat familiar sight.

"That is..."

"This is Retriever, the sister sword of the one I used to finish that stray devil. It has a really powerful anti-monster property due to its curse, and the ability to consume magical energy, or whatever equivalent devils use, making it able to pierce through most spells. In other words, this is a weapon created to kill phantasmal beasts like Raiser."

Shirou handed it to Issei, who took it with extreme caution.

[He speaks the truth, partner. I get the feeling that sword can even pierce through a dragon's scale like nothing, and it's not even a dragon-slayer. This human is really a box full of surprises.]

"But how am I going to use this?" Issei asked mentally. "Emiya-sensei used it as an arrow, and I don't have any knowledge of wielding a sword."

[I have the perfect solution for that.]

---

"Ohohohohoho!" The laughter of the Phenex's younger daughter resounded through the entire hall. "My Onii-chan finally submitted the rebellious Gremory~"

She was basically going around rubbing that fact on the face of every guest in the party as if the news hadn't traveled all over the underworld already. There wasn't a single devil unaware of the imminent marriage between the Phenex heir and the Gremory heiress.

"There she goes, bragging about their victory..."

Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko could just bite their tongues and keep their fake smiles in front of all the other guests.

I didn't help that Raiser was doing the same, carrying around a Rias already wearing a nuptial dress as if she were a mere trophy to boast about. But deep down, they still had a faint hope.

"My sympathies. They are bragging as if their victory had been completely one-sided, yet it was one of the closest Rating Games I've seen."

The three turned their attention to the familiar voice and saw the Sitri heiress approaching them.

"Oh, you too assisted to this party, Kaichou?"

"I can't miss the wedding ceremony of my childhood friend, even if it's with that man... But more importantly, I wanted to congratulate you. Even if you lost the match, your performance was surprisingly good. You managed to take with you the entire enemy peerage, and it was only Raiser's immortality that allowed him to snatch the victory. I can't imagine what kind of training you went through..."

Kiba's smile became strained. "I kind of cheated. Emiya-san helped me memorize all the movements of the two enemy knights."

Koneko nodded to Kiba's words, but she wasn't ashamed in the least of knowing most of the movements of every close-range enemy combatant. Shirou's structural grasp didn't work that well with fist-load weapons or staffs, but it really came in handy.

"Yeah, Shirou-kun wasn't able to help me much for this Rating Game, but he surely turned Issei-kun into a fine warrior."

Sona's mouth was left hanging open. She made a note of asking further about that the next time she met the magician.

"But you shouldn't offer your condolences yet, Kaichou. This is far from over."

"Eh?"

"Yes, I get the feeling things aren't going to end like this."

"This is not over."

For a moment, Sona was having trouble making sense of what they were saying, but then, the image of a certain golden-eyed magician popped into her mind.

"Don't tell me... you aren't thinking what I'm thinking, are you?"

And just before they could say something...

BOOM!

The door of the room literally burst open, the bodies of several guards coming out like ragged dolls.

And after that, a golden-eyed magus entered the room casually, with his favored twin swords in hand and dressing a pair of jeans, trainers, and a black and white jacket.

The entire place fell into a dead silence more appropriate for a funeral than a party. Every devil stared at the human who showed up from nowhere like if they were seeing a UFO. And among them, a black-haired devil pinched the bridge of her nose to relieve her migraine.

"The human magician!? What are you doing here!? I forgave your insolence last time, but this time I won't hold back!"

Raiser was glaring daggers on Shirou, and this one answered with a confident smile.

"Personally, I don't give a crap about this marriage, but..." He pointed to his back with his thumb. "I brought someone that does have something to say about it."

Taking that at his clue, Issei stepped forward. His face was a little bit pale, the doom soundtrack still fading from his mind, but he steeled himself and fixed his eyes on the pair of fiancees.

"For all the devils present here, and even the Demon King himself! I am Hyoudou Issei, Rias Gremory's pawn, and I came here to get her back!"

Rias widened her eyes, a single tear falling from her eye. A smile showed on his comrades' faces, and the rest of the devils finally reacted and started making a racket.

"What is happening here, Raiser-sama!?"

"What is the meaning of this, Rias!?"

Both guests and familiars of the fiancees began making a fuss like headless chickens when things didn't go as planned, but then, a voice filled with power and authority silenced all the others.

"This is a little event I had prepared."

A man that could only be described as a male Rias stepped in, with Grayfia following him a step behind.

"Onii-san!?" Rias' surprised voice just gave it out.

That was Sirzetch Lucifer, the most powerful Demon King of the current four ruling the underworld.

While the other devils started whispering among themselves, Issei could notice how Shirou tensed up for the first time since he knew him.

Shirou instinctively raised his guard at the immense dark presence in front of him, easily on the level of an superior dead apostle and even surpassing some of them.

"I wanted to witness the power of the legendary dragon with my own eyes, so I had Grayfia arrange this encounter. As for the human..." His blue eyes met Shirou's. "I am guessing you are the one who prepared the dragon boy for this fight."

"That is correct." Shirou put down his swords but didn't dismiss them. "You can think of me as his coach."

"But you can't do something so irresponsible-" One of the devils tried to retort, but shut down the moment Sirzetch opened his mouth.

"The Rating Game was really entertaining, but the advantage of one of the sides was obvious. My sister only has half of her peerage, and had to face a genius like Raiser-kun here."

"Are you saying the match should be invalidated?"

The Demon King answered with a smile to Raiser's question. "No. If I myself express any qualm I would be disrespecting the old nobles. I just wanted to liven up the wedding party of my sister. Dragon vs Phoenix. A showdown between two legendary creatures would be the perfect entertainment, don't you all agree?"

His intentions couldn't be cleared, but no one dared to speak up.

"Dragon-kun, you have my permission. Raiser-kun, would you let us witness your power one more time?"

The Phenex heir shrugged. "I can't reject a request from Lucifer-sama. Very well. This by my last performance before I become a married man."

Seeing the Yakitori bastard ready to fight, Issei fell in his battle stance. With that settled, the only thing remaining was to kick his as.

But before they went at it, Sirzetch spoke again. "Dragon-kun, what prize do you want if you win the fight?"

"Sirzetch-sama, he's a low-class devil!"

"Regardless of his class, since he's willing to put a show for our entertainment, it would be unseemly to not compensate him. Now then, what do you want, dragon-kun? A noble title? A beautiful woman?"

Issei didn't even need to think about his answer. "I don't need any of that! What I want is Buchou- no Rias Gremory to come back with us! I want to break this stupid marriage and let her choose who she wants to marry!"

The smile on the Demon King's face spread. "Ok then. If you win, you can take Rias with you."

"And what about the human? Will he assist the dragon boy? The match will be more even that way, even if just a bit." Raiser spoke again. It seemed that his victory two days ago got to his head.

"If you crave death so badly, I'll humor you... if you managed to defeat my pupil that is. I'll warn you, things won't be so easy this time."

Shirou's instant jab blew away the smile on Raiser's face, but being surrounded by nobles, he pulled himself together quickly to keep his image.

In a matter of seconds, the center of the hall became an improvised ring, with only Raiser, Issei, and Shirou remaining in the center of the room.

Shirou's hand rested on Issei's shoulder. "This will be your fight. I'll be on the sidelines, but I'll throw a pointer if things go south. And remember, your main weapon for this fight will be your left fist. If you manage to land a few solid blows, you'll win."

Issei nodded, and Shirou walked to the side of the room, which served as makeshift stands. He positioned himself in the center, just in the middle of the relatives and friends of both parties, having Sona at his left and Raiser's little sister at his right. Both of them were glaring at him for different reasons.

"Begin!"

Given the signal, Raiser craned his neck. He was still not taking Issei seriously.

"I don't know what you two are up to, but do you really think you can defeat me even if you're at your best this time? What can possibly have changed in the span of two days? This will be quick. After I'm done with you, I'll teach a lesson to that insolent lowlife."

A mocking grin appeared on Issei's face as he clenched his draconic hand in front of him, which was still unnoticed.

"Oh, but there has been a lot of changes. However, I can agree with you. It won't take me much to beat your sorry ass."

Ignoring Riaser clenching his teeth, Issei sent a stare at his master beside the Maou. "Don't take your eyes off me this time, Buchou! I'll defeat this bastard to bring back the smile to your face! Here I come! Overboost!"

[Welsh Dragon Over Booster!]

The gem on his draconic arm emitted a blinding shine as a huge burst power of power overwhelmed the entire room. At the next moment, Issei's figure was enveloped by a red armor resembling a humanoid dragon with propellers attached to its back above the tail and several green gems over different parts of it.

"That's-!"

"The forbidden technique!?"

"A Balance Breaker!?"

Ignoring all the comments of the surprised audience, Issei set his gaze on Raiser. The Phenex heir's confidence was quickly plummeting.

"This... You took the original form of the Red Dragon Emperor!?"

He was spot on. This was the balance breaker of his sacred gear, the Boosted Gear's Scale Mail. A state that allowed him to temporarily tap into the original power of the heavenly dragon that could fight even Gods.

[Remember, partner. You have only ten seconds. Your body won't last more than that.]

"I know. 10 seconds... is more than enough to defeat him!"

[Ten!]

"Hehe..." Raiser let out a nervous giggle as he steeled himself. "So this is the source of your confidence. You truly became a monster. Very well then!"

The devil unleashed his flames. They were huge, taking the form of a ferocious bird. Even Issei could feel the intense heat through his armor. The Phenex heir really was holding back during the Rating Game.

"I, the one who represents the fire, wind, and immortality, shall take you head-on!"

Both combatants rushed at each other, Raiser with his wings and Issei with his armor's propellers. The former pulled back his right fist enveloped by a huge ball of fire, while the other just punched without any fancy power.

[Nine!]

A huge clash of power blew away the chairs and tables around and even shattered all the windows. But it didn't last long.

"Wh-"

Issei's fist pierced through Raiser's flames like if they were a calm breeze, and found its way to Raiser's face. The Phenex heir was sent stumbling through the room, crashing into the wall at the other side.

Issei remained in the center. Even if his left hand was as good as new with just some blood on it, the rest of his armor was steaming due to having been so close to the flame.

[Eight!]

"You bastard..." The Phenex heir raised from the rubble with another burst of flames. "It's useless... no matter how hard you punch me- ugh!"

The devil suddenly found himself spitting blood, the pain in his right cheek still there for some reason. In fact, it was getting worse by the time. He touched it with his hand but took it off with repulsion instantly.

"What's this!?"

Something, a curse most likely, was rotting and consuming his flesh at the same pace his flames tried to heal it. Not just the pain, but the sensation of being eaten away was horrifying.

"What's the meaning of this- huh?"

His eyes then noticed something protruding from Issei's left hand, just below the green gem. It seemed like the tip of a silver blade, and it was giving off a really ominous aura.

[Seven!]

"Do you like it? This is a gift from my Sensei just to defeat you!"

Inwardly, Issei was whistling. The sword was way more effective than he thought. Shirou wasn't bragging when he was saying this weapon was made to kill beings like Raiser.

"Tch... It doesn't make any difference... I just have to crush you without letting that thing touch me!"

His words were followed by a huge fireball flying right at Issei. But this one, instead of dodging the attack, just punched it with his left hand.

Retriever did the trick once again and absorbed most of the mana fueling the flames. The power of the attack was drastically reduced, and therefore easily deflected to one side.

The problem was that the fireball now was flying towards the side where all the public was.

"Kya!" Ravel let out a voice full of panic seeing her older brother's attack coming right at her. The fact that she was also immortal having been forgotten after seeing Raiser's condition.

But the fireball was swiftly cut in half by a married sword, the flames dispersing harmlessly in front of her.

Her eyes darted to the human by her side, who was sending a severe glance at the Red Dragon Emperor.

"It seems his spatial awareness still needs a lot of work..." After mumbling that, he looked back at the girl. "Are you all right?"

"Oh... Yes... Uhm thanks..."

"Don't sweat it. Ravel was it?"

"Ye-yes."

"Look this fight closely and let this be a lesson." A knowing smile came to his face, leaving the Phenex girl speechless. "Not even that immortality your clan boasts can stop the will to keep moving forward of a human."

[Six!]

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!"

"Die already, lowliiiiife!"

Issei and Raiser were now exchanging punches. Raiser threw punches like if he were possessed, his flames slowly melting through Issei's armor.

[Partner, those Phoenix flames can pierce through dragon scales. You should avoid as many attacks as possible.]

"Kuh!"

Issei wasn't used to wear such bulky armor, so dodging became nearly impossible. He defended himself with his left hand as much as possible, but being his main weapon at the same time, he prioritized attack over defense.

However, he was having the same problem as during the Rating Game. Raiser was full of openings, but he couldn't tell if those were real or feints.

He just needed a few more blows, but he was hesitating!

[Five!]

"Those are all openings! Punch him already!"

Then, Shirou's voice came, and Issei followed his advice without thinking twice. His left fist slipped right below Raise's overextended right arm, landing right on the wound he caused a few seconds ago.

The pain became unbearable, making Raiser's body freeze for an instant. And Issei seized the opportunity to punch right on his liver with his right hand, force him to take a step back.

"Grrr! Don't get ahead of yourseeeelf!"

"Step to your right!"

Issei did so, effectively dodging Raiser's attack before the Phenex even started it. He swung his left hand in a karate-like motion, unleashing an attack similar to Shirou's Camael. But due to the pain, Raiser stumbled forward, leaving his back wide open.

Issei left fist quickly smashed Raiser's kidney, causing the devil to scream in pain.

[Four!]

"Block with your forearm and follow the motion to punch him!"

The Phenex heir turned, using the movement to do the same attack he tried before but swinging his left hand horizontally.

But, just as Shirou said, Issei stopped Raiser's arm with his left forearm, following with the back of his hand smashing his face in a reverse swing.

[Three!]

Issei continued to punch Raiser after that, reaching a situation similar to the one in the Rating game but with the roles swapped. Raiser was the one desperately trying to defend himself from Issei's barrage of punches with his arms crossed in front of him.

"S-stop! This marriage is really important for us devils! You can't ruin it! Our survival is at stake here!"

All of his confidence was nowhere to be seen. With his flames having trouble countering the curse and the immense pain caused by that, his will to fight was almost defeated.

[Two!]

"I don't give a shit about your stupid politics! Just the fact that you don't want to let Buchou be happy is enough for me to defeat you!"

[One!]

"Uppercut!"

Just as Issei heard that his right fist managed to open a hole in Raiser's defense, most likely due to the pain of his bloodied arms.

"OOOOORAAAAAAAAA!" Issei put all his remaining energy in his draconic hand for his last attack.

"Wait! Wait-"

Issei's left fist slipped below Raiser's guard and connected with his chin, unleashing a huge mana burst.

The impact resounded through all the place, followed by a dead silence as everyone saw Raiser fall to the ground with his eyes rolled back. Everyone present was left dumbfounded after seeing how Raiser didn't make any movement to stand up, their minds still having trouble processing what just happened.

[Zero!]

With the count finished, Issei's armor vanished and he fell to the ground without energies.

"Kuh... That really took a toll on me..." He mumbled as he slowly stood up.

[Actually, it was a miracle the armor lasted the full ten seconds. You were lucky I was able to use the energy absorbed by the cursed sword to make up for your lack of power.]

"You don't say..."

[Now, you should take that sword already of your arm before it starts to consume you... wait, that won't be necessary.]

Issei felt how the sword faded along with its wicked aura. Most likely Shirou dismissed it to prevent that from happening. And speaking of the devil...

"I got you."

Shirou helped Issei to regain his balance. He was about to thank him but was interrupted.

"You should go claim your reward before they change their minds."

"Oh, right!"

Without wasting any second, Issei rushed at Rias' side. Neither Sirzetch nor the man by their side, who he assumed was their father, voiced any objection.

"Buchou, let's go home!"

"Issei..." Rias was still shocked by the sudden development of things, but she still nodded at her pawn's request.

The Red Dragon emperor pulled out the paper with the spell which brought him here and used the spell on the other face.

Then, a majestic creature was summoned in front of them. With half body of an eagle and the other half of a lion, its identity was obvious.

So running away riding a griffon was the backup plan in case he hadn't been unable to beat Raiser.

"I'll see you guys in the club!"

Both "King" and pawn waved at Sona, Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko before the mythological beast flew out of the building through one of the broken windows.

Unlike on the surface, the sky in the underworld was purple, and there were even stars and a moon. Even if those things didn't feel like the real thing it was still an impressive view.

But at that moment, Issei felt like he was forgetting something...

Rias' touch on his draconic arm pulled him from his stupor. Her expression full of sorrow started to worry him.

"You dummy... You gave your arm to the dragon to attain that power... for someone like me... You know it will never be normal again."

Issei scratched the back of his head. "I'll have to manage something about it. But it was a small price for saving you. And I have to give credit to Sensei's sword and pointers too. He really helped me."

"But even if you've broken this compromise, there will be others in the future..."

Issei replied with a smile. "Then I'll become stronger. And if that's not enough, I'll sacrifice my other arm, or my leg, or an eye. I'll definitely save you again. It is my duty as-"

He couldn't speak further as Rias sealed his lips with hers. It wasn't a french kiss, but Issei's brain still needed a reboot.

The nagging feeling that he forgot something crucial was still there, but it wouldn't be that important if he forgot it...

Right?

---

"Shit, there goes my only escape route..." Shirou mumbled as he saw the pair of lovebirds fly in the distance riding the griffon.

Well, he guessed he should then withhold the information about Asia finding out all his porn while he was unconscious.

But getting back at Issei was something he couldn't afford thinking now.

With those two out of the equation, he was the proverbial elephant in the room. And having the prick knocked out behind wasn't helping. Issei might've not realized it, but with the curse preventing his flames from healing his wounds, Raiser might actually die if left unattended. He really beat him to a pulp.

"Now then..."

Shirou's grasp over his married blades became firm as he faced all the devils. This could end two ways.

One, he managed to talk his way out of this, or two, he managed to get out of here leaving a mountain of corpses and blood behind.

And having a Demon King and his servant present, he hoped it was the first option. But knowing his luck, it would be the second one. That's why he started to load blueprints of every holy sword in his arsenal.

He already came here with this possibility in mind, although it would have been in case Issei lost and he would have to cover his escape.

"Now now, there's no need to be so tense, magician." Sirzetch noticed his increasing hostility and addressed him directly. "Your name was Emiya Shirou, was it? As you lent your services to make the match we've just witnessed even more interesting, I'll overlook the fact that you set foot on the underworld without legal permission."

Shirou eyed him, not wavering at his overwhelming presence. "So you're saying you're going to let me go just like that?"

He wasn't buying that in the least. Someone that had the title of the Demon King wouldn't run a charity.

The smile on Sirzetch's face grew. "Yes. If I remember correctly, you signed a contract to be our ally, don't you? I consider that a magician that singlehandedly defeated all the elite guards on his way to here and can stand in the same room with me and Grayfia without flinching is worth the investment. Your work making sure the heiresses of the Gremory and Sitri's families are safe in their stance in the human world is also appreciated."

This was more an attempt to convince the other devils in the room than Shirou himself. But he had to say, the guy wasn't just powerful, he was scheming as well.

While he was paying his debt to Shirou for aiding her to break the compromise, at the same time he was already placing on Shirou's shoulders the duty of watching over their safety. And that's something he was going to clarify.

"I don't protect them, I protect the city. Don't misunderstand it. As long as our interests don't get in the way of each other, I'll continue to be neutral."

The devils in the room started to whisper among them. A human talking like that to the strongest Demon King was preposterous. But unlike them, the smile on Sirzetch face remained the same.

To think that a human could make that sound so ominous. Being a Maou, having the sensation that an opponent wouldn't be so easy to defeat wasn't something he could see every day. Not to mention that sword capable of easily destroying a member of the Phenex clan.

Keeping him by their side was definitely the best choice.

"Very well then. Grayfia, prepare a magic circle to send him to the human world."

"Please, this way, Emiya-sama."

The magus was escorted to a secluded room by the maid before she began to draw the circle.

Shirou sighed inwardly. If anything, this was the result of the Demon King not wanting meaningless deaths. At least, they were on the same page there.

"It seems Sirzetch-sama considered you interesting, Emiya-sama."

"You don't say." This maid turned out to be more talkative than he expected.

"But I wouldn't recommend endangering Rias-sama or Sona-sama. Sirzetch-sama, as well as Serafall-sama, can be a little bit overprotective."

"Hmph. I don't like meaningless deaths, Grayfia-san. As I said, I won't turn my blade against her if she doesn't do something that endangers the humans around."

The maid nodded. With the circle completed, he didn't spend another second there. At least, that journey served to assess the strength and character of one of the Demon Kings first hand.

It just confirmed he would need the Unlimited Blade Works to defeat him, most likely requiring a blast from the image of Excalibur within his reality marble. It's good to know in case he has to face him the moment they cross the line and become a threat to humanity.

The circle sent him to the ORC room, but he didn't stay for celebrations.

---

And that's it for now. I know the Raiser arc is not the most entertaining, so I tried to make it different from the other fanfics and focused more on character development, mostly the relationship between Shirou and Issei. Since he is the one that has still humanity, Shirou can relate to him easier than the other devils.

And I gave the whole issue a more serious tone, even leaving out Issei's dress break. Instead, it was replaced by the mana burst Shirou showed him. Since it just consists in manipulating energy, I think a DxD character can perform it replacing magical energy for the aura. But Issei will still get the dress break later.

Also, about Shirou's explanations at the beginning of the chapter, take it with a grain of salt. That is an attempt to make heads or tails about the situation he's in and the strange world around him from his perspective as a Nasuverse character.

Now then, the next arc, the Excalibur arc, is when the interesting stuff begins. The first boss appears, and remaining in the shadows will no longer be possible. Or more exactly, Shirou practically took the role of a side character in this chapter, the mentor figure for Issei, so it's time to truly take the spotlight.

Oh, and there's also the not-so-subtle clue I left in this chapter for Date a Density's next arc to keep the hype up.

As always, I'd like to hear your thoughts about this chapter, and I hope I entertained you. My next update will be "Absolute demonic front of blades".

With this, I say goodbye for now. Hasta la vista!