Chapter Ten - Seconds
* Barren wasteland, Issei's mindscape *
Friday night found Issei and the girls once again in the mindscape. Akeno and Rias had convinced Ddraig that they would have another shot at helping Issei control his bestial self once again. The plan this time was similar yet different to the last attempt. Ddraig would summon the full moon just as he had last time but in this attempt he would hidden, staying out of sight so that the great ape wouldn't be encouraged to attack him. Rias and Akeno would position themselves so that as Issei transformed they would be close to his ears enough to soothe him but not within eye sight lest he lash out before they could calm him. If things went south then the girls would blind Issei as Ddraig erased the moon. Everyone present hoped that the fall back plan wouldn't be needed though.
Issei removed his armour this time and piled it up neatly while he waited for his compatriots to finish their preparations. He faced away from everyone as the moon popped into existence. Issei took a deep breathe and looked up at the silvery glowing orb. He continued to take deep breaths as his eyes focused in on the vibrant shape of the moon. He knew that his girlfriends had a plan to help him control his transformation but he wanted to do it by his on will just as much. That's not to say he didn't appreciate the help but his pride meant that he had to try his own methods as well. With that in mind he continued to keep his breathing slow and deep as he gazed upward.
Beat by beat of his heart, he could feel the pull of animalistic power dragging against him. Threatening to swallow him completely. The power slowly became more dominant. A pounding rushing feeling that was threatening to overwhelm everything that he was, is and could ever be. Issei fought to control his breathing, focusing on the rhythmic rise and fall of his own chest. He watched as his body began changing. Fur sprouting and limbs elongating while thickening at the same time. The sensation was unpleasant but not painful. His face began to warp into that of an ape and the feeling was so powerful yet just as he felt he might be able to gain control, his eyes darkened and an image of a great ape in golden fur arose before him. It beat it's chest and roared. In doing so Issei felt his gasp on the control of this power rip away and once more the beast inside him took full control.
Rias and Akeno watched as Issei began to transform. Unlike the previous times his eyes remained their usual dark brown and he remained far more still then usual. Almost calm. The pair watched with abated breath until they saw his eyes fill with red in the final stage of the evolution. The beast of Issei beat his chest and bellowed to the sky in a primitive show of power and dominance. Rias and Akeno wasted no time in moving toward their boyfriend's side. Both floating silently upward until they came in line with the back of Issei's head.
"Shh shh shh calm now big fella." Akeno began in a soothing voice.
"It's alright. We're here to help you. Always to help you." Rias soothed in a similar tone.
The great beast listened to their voices but from behind the girls couldn't tell what effect it was having. Were they calming him or simply confusing him. Still the girls continued. They spoke of nothing important just continuing the melody of words to Issei. Slowly the beast turned to them and stared at them both. Each girl felt nervous at having the undivided attention of something so temperamental and powerful. Yet still they were devoted to their efforts. His eyes were still red but he made no effort to harm them or raise a limb in anger or aggression. He simply stared and listened.
Minutes passed and soon it was almost an hour into Issei's transformation and still not a single sign of anger. Rias and Akeno slowed their speaking until they stopped. Issei just looked at them in the same manner he had before. He made a shuffling noise like a snort before turning away from the girls and beginning to lumber away. Rias shared an uncertain glance with Akeno before the two girls floated after the beast. He wandered seemingly aimlessly and it became apparent that while they had calmed his bestial nature, their boyfriend was not in fact in charge of himself. The beast still reigned supreme just now subdued and without intent or purpose.
The pair followed the lumbering ape around as it made it's way toward a particularly large rock formation. A formation they were sure that Ddraig was hidden behind. Both girls called out to Issei, attempting to take the attention of him before he saw the dragon that enraged him but the beast seemed uninterested. Now that he had been calmed the beast of Issei didn't care much for what the floating devils had to say or do. As he closed the distance to the ragged pile of boulders and dirt he stopped. His snout raised in the air as he sniffed. Once, twice and then multiple times. It was plain to see for anyone who had knowledge of animal instincts that he had caught a scent in the air, a scent that was quickly aggravating him. Rias and Akeno increased their attempts to distract Issei but it was for nothing as the ape stomped around the mass of earth and came face to face with Ddraig. As the beast opened its mouth to roar Rias darted forward in between the two monstrous beings.
"Stop. Stop Issei. Ddraig is your friend. Friend." She said each word firmly while trying to allow as much empathy and comfort to be heard in her voice as possible.
The beast roared again but made no effort to swat Rias aside despite banging his fists against his chest. He moved to go around her and yet was intercepted by Akeno who saw this while moving to block his path.
"Woah there, clam down. Calm Issei. Calm. No one is your enemy here." She spoke as she would to a child that is distraught or upset.
With each move to pass them that the great ape made, one or both of the girls would block his path while speaking to him in the same soothing tones. Ddraig sat with his paws close together and his head high. His long tail along the floor much like a cat would sit. For his part he said nothing and allowed the two devils to subdue this beast that would not bend down to physical or magical force.
The anger and aggression of Issei dwindled until he simply stood and glared at the dragon sitting patiently before him. The ape turned and stomped away, causing a great shaking of the earth beneath his monstrous feet as he did so.
"Well we seem to have made some decent progress with this method. You both did read the situation well." Ddraig praises of the two girls in a respectful tone. Rias nodded her head yet she wasn't fully content with the outcome. More could be done.
"Issei still doesn't have control. He isn't destroying everything but he is just like a large gorilla without purpose." She let out her concerns and thoughts in a factual tone.
"I understand but I believe control is something he will have to do himself. We have set him up with the best conditions to do so. It is up to him now." The great dragon replied in his sagely tone.
Silence followed and for the next few hours the conscious trio watched the ape meander around. He lifted up rocks and tossed aside, crushed two in his hand but otherwise just moved about his surrounds. Rias and Akeno remained with Ddraig in case their leaving caused the ape to become infuriated and attack the dragon again. Eventually though the three agreed that Issei was not gaining anything from this and so the moon was dismissed. As soon as it vanished, the ape began to shrink away back into the tall tailed boy that both girls loved.
Once again, Issei found himself as naked as the day he was born but with a pile of clothes bundled near his feet. He looked toward his girlfriends and felt and urge to cover his shame but at the same time felt he didn't need to. So with confidence he didn't know he possessed he dressed at the normal pace of someone who was self aware and unfettered by the gaze on him. He could feel the eyes of the girls burning into his flesh despite the fact that the first thing he placed on was his underwear. After dressing he approached the two beautiful girls casually as if he hadn't just displayed himself fully to the pair of girls who were quite clearly eating him lustfully with their eyes.
"So how did it go?" He asked simply.
Now that he was close to them it was much harder to avoid feeling embarrassed for so unashamedly baring all.
All three explained to Issei what had happened. He listened happily and was pleasantly surprised to discover that he had been calmed if not brought back to reality per say. As they finished he took the opportunity to talk about his experience changing this time. How he had felt more clearly and slowly the presence of the beast within him. Lastly he spoke of the final image that had flashed before his eyes. A massive ape with golden fur and blazing red eyes. He looked to Ddraig after explaining what he had seen but the dragon shook his great head.
"I don't know anything about a golden ape. So much knowledge of the Saiyan race was lost along with trillions of other ancient races when the King of all erased everything. Possibly there is something in the memories I possess but I do not know for sure."
Issei accepted his friend's response and decided to think on it further. For now he would use his last remaining hours to train himself and move ever closer to achieving his goals. It took Issei less then a minute to find his armour and he wasted no time in donning it all. As soon as it was on, Ddraig generated a gravity field for him and he was again thrashing himself through a grueling regime of intense physical activity.
* Club room, Kuoh Academy *
Sunday lunchtime found the group finishing their training for the day. It was their eighth day of training and they were officially two thirds of the way through their preparation time until the match. The rating game was scheduled to commence at ten in the morning and had been allocated a six hour duration. With Rias' initial team consisting of five including herself and two for her Ki peerage, being herself and Issei, it was expected that the full six hours would definitely not be required.
Grayfia had informed everyone that the match would be broadcast live through out Hell and that tickets to watch from the grandstand had sold out almost immediately. Further questioning revealed that a total of ten thousand seats filled the grandstand and private booths. That many people watching and those back in their homes caused many of the junior devils to become nervous as well as Rias. Issei neither cared either way. He was more then confident that he could defend Rias' honour and if he showed the majority of the Devil population what a Saiyan could do at the same time. Well that was a bonus.
If the match was to be broadcast on Earth however he would have felt differently. He had received a call from his parents over the weekend inquiring about how he was doing and their time apart in general. Issei of course still hadn't told them about the major changes in his life as he wasn't sure either of them could handle the idea of him no longer being a human, let alone an ancient alien warrior who now fought along side his devil girlfriends against supernatural forces. It even sounded ridiculous when he said it to himself. What had caused Issei the most worry was that his father had indicated that his contract abroad may be coming to an end sooner rather then later and that he would be returning home to Japan. Issei had faked enthusiasm at the time but truly dreaded the return of either of his parents and the storm of explanation that would have to be delivered when they finally did arrive back in Japan.
With lunch coming to a close the group collected their possessions to head back to their homes. Rias had insisted that everyone take the afternoon off as she was worried about the potential for injury due to over training. Issei had not shared her view but when told of her decision the previous day, had changed his plans to bring their date forward. As such while Asia, Kiba and Koneko went home with Akeno accompanying them, Issei and Rias changed into clean clothes before heading off for their date together.
Issei wore smart dark pants, a light pink dress shirt and a dark vest with dress shoes. Rias wore a long yellow dress that hugged her body perfectly and a white bow that held her hair up in a beautiful style and manner that you may expect of a young lady heading to a ball. As they left the academy gates a sleek black car pulled up and Issei opened the back door for Rias who gave him a flattered smile as she stepped in and took her seat. Issei closed her door and quickly entered the other side before the car pulled away back into the street. The pair sat side by side with Issei's left arm around Rias' shoulder. She looked up at him and spoke in a soft tone.
"Issei, you didn't have to go to so much trouble. I don't need expensive dates." She spoke in a gentle and concerned tone.
She didn't want her boyfriend or girlfriend for that matter to think that they had to shower her in money for her to be happy with them. Issei looked down to her face with a soft smile as he replied.
"I know that Rias, I really do. I just wanted to show you that I can fit in with this side of your world. I know that I can be … abrasive and rash but for you I will be the gentleman you need of me." As he finished speaking he gave her a smile and scratched the back of his head instinctively. Rias felt flutters in her heart as a soft smile broke on her face before she leaned up to plant a light kiss on his lips which he returned. The pair settled back into the seats of the hired car and enjoyed the drive that ended all too soon for Rias' liking.
As they exited the vehicle, Issei took Rias by the hand and lead her toward a building she recognized immediately as the theatre. She smiled broadly at being brought here, as while she was a girl who was willing to get her hands dirty and work hard, she still enjoyed the finer things in life with the theatre being something she loved to attend. Issei saw the smile on her lips and happily lead the way for the pair into the lobby.
The lobby was a spacious Victorian style room. The woodwork of the room contain rich carvings of Norse mythology. Red and Gold were the primary colours of the rugs, drapes and curtains. A long kiosk took up the area immediately before them with a young man and woman behind it. Both wore well fitting tuxedos and the charming smile one would expect of an employee here. The pair approached the kiosk and Issei greeted the staff with a smile.
"Reserved tickets for Hyoudou please." He said happily.
The man nodded and produced the pair's tickets and after checking Issei's debit card details to confirm that they were the right patrons the dating duo moved past the kiosk and into the theatre itself.
Rias was further surprised to discover that not only were they seeing a show, but an opera, Otello. It was a performance that she had wanted to see for a very long time and now she would with the boy she was falling in love with. Issei led her to their booth midway along the isle. It was a modest booth for the venue. A curved couch that could easily fit three with a leg rest and small fold out tables for entree and drinks. Rias took her sat with Issei beside her, his arm wrapped around her and her head happily on his chest.
"How did you know I have wanted to see Otello for so long?" She asked with genuine interest and happiness.
"I got your brother to tell me. He owed me one." Issei replied simply to her while tucking her in tighter to his body.
"Oh, wait he owed you a favour" She asked him with a eyebrow raise.
Issei smirked and simply nodded toward the stage, "It's starting."
Issei couldn't say that he was an overly cultured young man. He wasn't ignorant and he had learnt to speak English so being multilingual helped but despite that he didn't have a tremendous knowledge of the fine arts or refined culture. Yet even with his lack or reference and the fact that he didn't understand a word of Italian, he found himself enjoying the opera. There was a simple pleasure in watching the show for the detail and dedication of the performers. Dedication in the pursuit of excellence was something he definitely understood. They toiled endlessly to perfect their art and he did the same with his training and the forever shift goal of self improvement.
Next to him Rias beamed at the show. He was unsure if she understood it any more then he did but she was loving it none the less. To Issei that made the experience even more enjoyable. The simple delight on her face and her girlish smile when the mid performance snack, chocolate sundaes with whipped cream and fudge, arrived during the interlude gave Issei a warm content felling in himself. As with his date with Akeno, Issei held back his Saiyan appetite and ended up giving Rias the lion's share of the sweet treat. She, like Akeno before her, was touched by his polite display and before the play had finished, Rias had immigrated from beside Issei to straddling him. She sat firmly in his lap with her head on his shoulder and her legs across the cashmere cushions. The performance ended and the pair remained seated as other patrons left the theatre.
Rias looked contently at Issei and spoke softly. "That was amazing. This was an amazing date."
Issei chuckled and looked at her speculatively, "You speak as if it's over. We have more stops but we need to change into casual clothes first."
Rias was once again happily surprised and followed her boyfriend out of the theatre. The same car that had brought them to the theatre was parked directly outside of the theatre and the driver opened the door for the pair. Rias entered and this time found a backpack was sitting in the back seat. As Issei sat next to her and the car pulled away, she looked inside. A set of clothes for both of them was folded along with a note from Akeno to have fun. Rias giggled at the note and asked where they were going.
"Back to the academy. It was the closest place we could change." Issei said simply. Rias agreed and soon enough the car pulled in and the pair exited with Issei carrying the backpack. Once inside the club house the pair separated to change. Images of Issei nude flashed through Rias' mind as she thought about him changing in the room next to her. She had seen him completely naked a few times now and quite liked what she had seen each of those times. Rias was so lost in thought that she jumped nearly six feet when he knocked on the door to the room she was changing in.
"I will be waiting out front." He called cheerfully through the wooden door.
Now that she knew he was fully clothed Rias was able to concentrate on dressing herself and joined him shortly after. She wore a frilly red summer dress that made her appearance both innocent and beautiful at the same time. Issei wore a comfortable jeans and shirt combination that he would normally wear when running errands or around the house. Rias was about to ask him where they were going when he scooped he up and shot into the sky like a bullet. She laughed happily at the sudden rush of propelling upward. While she was perfectly capable of flight herself with her wings, it was a wholly different experienced to be carried through the air by Issei at speeds she would struggle to achieve. As soon as they were up he began descending again and they landed on the roof of what Rias recognized to be the mall.
Issei gave her a warm smile as he took her hand and led her inside through the roof access. The pair slipped through into the main mall easily and began to walk around aimlessly with Rias browsing in stores that took her fancy. Issei kept them heading toward the eastern end and Rias realised that their final destination was to be a karaoke bar.
She looked up at him playfully and he smiled back without shame, "I want to hear what that beautiful voice can do."
Rias giggled as she followed her boyfriend into the upbeat entertainment venue. Her boyfriend ordered a private room and before he could pay, a hand on his having stopped him removing his wallet resulted in a silent argument of stares to which she won, and then paid for the karaoke and drinks. She wanted to show Issei that she didn't need to be taken care of and was capable of independence.
They entered their room to find it was simple yet comfortable. Two long couches either side with a table in the centre and a large flat screen television on the wall opposite the doors. Rias grabbed a song list from the table and began making selections on the screen. Before long she had selected out half a dozen songs to play.
The first song began and Issei listened happily to her singing. Her voice was as beautiful and angelic as he had known it would be. The choice of angelic as a descriptive was something that he smirked at for the obvious reasons. Rias sang through two pop songs before dragging Issei up to join her. His singing talent was rather lacking but he could follow the melody and knew the words well enough. What he lacked in singing ability he more then made up for in over the top rock dance moves and silly poses causing his girlfriend to burst out in laughter repeatedly.
Once their play list was complete Rias took a quick toilet break and Issei used the time to peruse for a song that he was looking for. He knew it was cheesy but he also knew that she would appreciate a ballad for the two. She came back in and he tossed her the microphone. The soft tones of the music began and Issei took the male lead. As he sang the opening lines to her, their eyes locked on each other, he could see the red rising in her cheeks. She stepped toward him as she joined in with the female lines and their duet continued with each getting closer and closer.
The song reached its end and the pair stood chest to chest with Rias looking up into Issei's eyes as he looked down at hers. Without a word the pairs lips met in a passionate display. As their kiss deepened Rias leapt up into Issei's arms. He caught her easily but allowed the momentum she generated to drive him back into the couch behind him. As he sat she straddled him for the second time that day but far more seductively with a knee to either side of his body and her pelvis pressed down firmly into his. They continued to kiss and make out while their hands explored the others body above their clothes. Issei jumped slightly as he felt Rias' slip down and squeeze his crotch through the covers of his clothes but then relaxed as he felt her tongue pushing further into the kiss, exploring the depths of his mouth.
His right hand ran up the side of her body, causing chills and tingles before moving to tenderly massage her breast through her clothes and she broke their kiss to moan. Issei took the opportunity and began kissing her neck, biting slightly at the soft flesh causing her to moan further. The pair continued in this manner until Rias stepped back off of him. Her breath was heavy and she panted while staring at him with hooded eyes.
"I we, um must stop." She said with difficulty.
She knew that if they continued then she would go further then she intended. She knew that she loved both Issei and Akeno completely and would lose her virginity to them but now wasn't the time. Despite how entirely aroused she was in this moment.
Issei took a deep breath and composed himself as well. "Yeah." Was all that he could muster.
The two left and walked home hand in hand. Neither had any desire to rush as the sun dipped above the trees and orange and golden rays shot beautiful colours out over the horizon. They chatted about things of no consequence and simply enjoyed the others company. As they reached the Hyoudou residence Rias stopped and Issei turned to her.
"What was the favour Sirzechs owed you?" She asked slowly. She was truly curious about what her brother could owe to her boyfriend so suddenly.
Issei smirked as he replied. "Ask Sirzechs after the rating game." He then went straight inside without elaborating further for her.
Rias puffed her cheeks out in minor annoyance but there was nothing she could do. She knew that Issei wouldn't change his mind on telling her. One thing everyone in the peerage had learnt was just how stubborn a Saiyan could be. She sighed and went inside to join the pair that she loved.
* Winding road, Memory of the past *
Issei stood on the side of a road that lead off into the distance in both directions. He had come into this memory at Ddraig's suggestion as the great dragon felt that it held some knowledge that would be of great help to him. Issei was always enthusiastic to see what capabilities the Saiyans of the past could develop and so had agreed without issue.
Once arriving, this memory showed the Saiyan warrior that Issei had watched the most so far driving a truck of some description. The vehicle was about the size of a small movers lorry yet hovered with its wheels tucked up under the chassis. The Saiyan didn't wear his fighting Gi today but rather the clothes of someone who was conducting physical labour. Perhaps construction or mining, possibly even farming. Issei had followed along beside the vehicle for a few minutes and was beginning to ponder whether this was just a normal memory from the man's past and that he may not actually learn something he spotted a vehicle ahead of the saiyan's.
This new vehicle was a mid sized family car and appeared to have come off the road and become bogged in a culvert. The driver, a middle aged slim man, was waving toward the Saiyan's truck in a clear attempt to stop the passing vehicle. The Saiyan pulled over and Issei watched the two men chat. Although as usual he couldn't hear any of the dialogue it didn't take a genius to work out the the man was asking for help in recovering his vehicle. The Saiyan smiled to the man and Issei watched as he easily pulled the car out of the culvert and onto the road. What transpired next had Issei groan in amusement and shock, the stupidity of these people was ridiculous.
While the Saiyan had been helping the man out, two friends of his had joined his side and now the trio all aimed firearms of various descriptions at the Saiyan. The firearms were not ones Issei recognized. Most obviously due to the fact that they didn't exist in his world. He almost laughed at the stupidity of the humans to think they could best someone who just lift a vehicle that would easily weight upward of a tonne with complete ease. The Saiyan turned around and spoke with his three assailants briefly before they opened fire.
This was when Issei saw what he could learn from the memory. Although to the humans it appeared that they were shooting the Saiyan. Issei could see that he had moved at a speed that was tremendous for even Issei to follow but had left an image of himself behind. Issei focused on the image as the Saiyan quickly knocked out his would be attackers with simple strikes to the head and neck. Issei watch the image, its nature becoming slowly translucent and realised that it was created by the speed and what he believed to be a tiny amount of Ki left behind by the Saiyan warrior. The human attackers had never known the difference and as such had been completely unable to defend themselves from the quick strikes that incapacitated them. Not that they ever stood a chance to begin with. Issei floated up and felt himself leave the memory as the Saiyan placed the men back inside their vehicle, crushed their weapons into lumps of twisted metal with his hands and then returned to his own vehicle to continue on his journey.
Once he was back in the realm of his mind he spoke with Ddraig about the memory. The dragon had viewed this one himself already and shared Issei's analysis of the technique as well. Issei could see countless opportunities for a technique like that to be helpful and so began attempting to replicate it with utmost haste. He was still interested in learning the amplification technique that the Saiyan had used in the previous memory but knew that mastering this skill would be a great benefit as well.
He didn't bother with creating a specific landscape for this training this time, happy to practice and develop this ability alone with Ddraig in the whiteness. This night Rias and Akeno hadn't joined him and while he was always happy to have his beautiful girlfriends with him, being apart occasionally was good as well. It didn't take Issei long at all to develop his own variation of the skill. As he moved as fast as he could, he would leave a small amount of Ki behind in the form of himself.
As he looked back an image of himself appeared for a few seconds at the exact position he had left it. He experimented with the amount of Ki to use and found that more Ki created images that lasted longer. As he became more and more comfortable with the ability Ddraig joined the training by taking large swipes at him. Issei would dart aside and attempt to use the image ability to confuse the dragon as to where he would be next. The powerful dragon was able to see through the majority of the images yet on four occasions in the few hours they did this, he was tricked into attacking a fake Issei. Issei was happy with this outcome and more then pleased with what he had achieved through the night.
When he awoke Monday morning, his nose tingled to the smell of happily sizzling bacon. He followed the scent out to the kitchen, where he found Akeno and Rias both happily cooking away at the stove. He smiled to himself and decided to try out his new image technique on the unsuspecting girls. He silently walked up to the two busy women and pulled both into a hug before letting go and jumping back. As he landed he dashed into the dining room but left a sizable portion of Ki behind in the form of an image of himself standing before the girls with a cheeky smile.
Issei sat at the table and listened while suppressing his laughter as the two girls greeted his illusionary double. When the double didn't reply the two girls started questioning him about to his silence. Akeno then reached out and much to her horror, her hand passed through the body of her boyfriend. Both girls screamed out and Issei burst into roaring laughter from the dining room as they did so. The image vanished as the Ki faded and both women looked over the dividing wall at their laughing boyfriend before storming over to him.
"What was that?" Akeno demanded at Issei as he reigned in his laughter.
"It's a new technique I learnt last night. I can create a double of myself by moving fast and leaving a tiny bit of Ki behind. Pretty cool huh." He said while trying to stop the last bouts of laughter from leaving his lips.
"Cool. Cool! Not cool Issei. You nearly gave us a heart attack." Rias reprimanded of him while waving an egg covered spatula at him. Issei grinned at both girls and they became more annoyed at their boyfriends antics. Both nodded to each other and lunged at him. Issei stepped aside and began back peddling as both girls tried to hit him with whatever implements they had at hand. Issei couldn't stop his laughter at their reaction and began chuckling a new. Before they knew it all three were laughing and they only stopped when the front door opened as their friends entered.
The second half of the Gremory peerage entered the home to find Rias and Akeno playfully hitting Issei with a spatula and wooden spoon while all laughing. The story was relayed to them and everyone saw the humorous side in Issei's little prank. Breakfast was eaten happily and noisily as the six chatted and decided about the changes that would happen today. They had four days of training left with Friday being a rest before Saturday. Akeno and Rias would be spending the next four days teaching Asia defensive spells while Kiba and Koneko sparred together in the heightened gravity.
Issei would continue to push his limits but his focus now was upon learning the red flare amplification technique. He had watched the memory of the Saiyan learning it over and over again just as he did while studying the Galick gun. He was confident that he had narrowed down the phonetics of the ability to within a small margin of error and now it would simply be a matter of practicing and applying the technique.
He had watched each time intently at how much the Saiyan had struggled to learn the move while being instructed by a master of the skill himself. Issei was well aware that without such tutelage his own grasp of the ability would be difficult to achieve but he would never give up. It just wasn't in his nature.
Upon arriving at the school to once again begin for the day, the group split up to take residence in the different rooms of the gravity chamber. Kiba and Koneko took the blue room and set the gravity to twenty six times that of earth. It was enough gravity that the pair struggled to move but were still able to spar. Their weighted clothing pulled heavily at their limbs with each strike, swing, block and parry requiring far greater effort. Still if they had learnt anything from watching Issei brutalize himself each day it was that intense training resulted in incredible performance.
Asia, Akeno and Rias moved to the yellow room. They didn't activate the gravity and instead began instructing Asia in four spells that would help her tremendously. Both taught her how to create the flash of light that they used to stun and blind opponents as well as how to create sounds at a distance that could distract others. Akeno taught Asia how to create a burst of wind that would drive back and knock someone over. It had the potential to cause injury if utilised at the right moment but mostly was a defensive spell. Lastly Rias taught her how to create a barrier around herself and others.
They demonstrated each spell and explained how it was formed, what it could be used for and the negatives of it. Asia then attempted to replicate the spell herself while each senior girl either countered the effects or assisted her with guidance. As she created a barrier of light blue energy around herself, Akeno began launching weak bursts of lightning that bombarded the shell. Despite how weak the attacks were they eventually broke the shell and Asia was forced to generate another. Each time the shell would break, her new shell would be a slight bit stronger.
Lastly as usual Issei took up the green and silver room. He had unofficially claimed this room for himself since the first time he had entered the chamber. He liked this room the most as it was furthest from the entrance which meant that while he had the gravity at it's highest others were unlikely to accidentally enter and become squashed without him knowing it. He had recently achieved his gravity goal to begin the next stage of his training and in fact surpassed it. He set the gravity to ninety times that of earth and felt as the world dragged down upon him. He breathed contently and adjusted to the weight before conducting a dozen exercises in sets of twenty for a warm up.
Finishing the last activity and feeling limber and loose he adopted a focused stance as he had seen the Saiyan do with his feet over shoulder width apart and braced. His centre of gravity low and able to withstand any impact or force. He closed his eyes and channeled his Ki. He reached within his body and dragged it from the reserves and pools that lay within him. His whole body began to heat slowly as he released the stores of built up energy within himself. The white aura burst brilliantly around him and grew in size. At last he felt his power reach its current maximum. His white aura was bright and splendorous around his body with power arching from him plainly for anyone to see. Even with his eyes closed and mind completely dedicated to his task he knew he was being watched.
Rias, Akeno and Asia stood by the edge to Issei's room watching him intently. They could see Kiba and Koneko at the other entrance doing the same. All five had been stopped in the middle of their training by the energy the Saiyan boy had released. At no point had he ever built up and released this much Ki around himself. It was as powerful and mystifying as his galick gun and yet simply enveloped and contained him harmlessly. None of them knew what he was doing or attempting to do but they could all feel the sheer presence of his concentration. Rias let a smile form subtly on her face. Despite all her confidence and reassurance that they would win, she had been feeling the unpleasant niggle of doubt in her mind over the past few days. But seeing Issei with this controlled power that she knew could easily put a dent in even Sirzechs, Ajuka or Grayfia left her feeling truly reassured. There was nothing that Riser would be able to do to withstand or even challenge this.
Issei remained in his meditative yet grounded stance and the group moved back to continue their training. Hours passed and Issei didn't move, internally he was battling against his mountainous Ki to contain and amplify it. Every time he felt that he was about ready to give the technique a try, the Ki would overwhelm part of his control. He understood that for this technique to work he would need complete and absolute control of every last drop of the immense power that rested within his being. He could feel Ddraig's watchful eye on him as he focused but the dragon dare not utter a word unless he cause his partner to lose control. With this much power unleashed Issei could easily destroy not only himself but most of Kuoh town by simply failing to contain and restrain his own power.
Lunch arrived and for once the Saiyan didn't join the group as they ate. He remained in his dedicated stance while honing and controlling himself. Returning from eating, his two girlfriends checked to ensure he was ok but finding him in the exact spot they had last seen him they realised there was nothing they could do. Even if he had been in distress with the gravity of the room so high, there was no way they could reach him any way. Issei remained stationary for the entire day. As the group finished up they waited for him in the yellow room. They could see him breathing and his breaths had slowly become less controlled through out the day. At last he released his white aura and dropped his Ki back to normal levels. He straightened up opening his eyes and walked through the room as if the gravity was close to nothing. He switched the machine off and joined his friends.
"What were you doing?" Akeno asked immediately.
She was curious as to why her boyfriend who usually worked so intensely, had instead today been almost static, hardly moving at all. She knew that internally he would have been busy and that was what aroused her curiosity further.
As they all walked home Issei explained the technique he was trying to learn and master. How it would amplify him so greatly and that first he needed complete control of himself including every last drop of his available Ki. His goal seemed so incredibly difficult that it was almost impossible for the group to imagine him learning a technique to drive his already monstrous power higher. They always knew he wanted to become far stronger but to focus on such a technique was rather incredible.
That was how it remained for the next few days. During the day Issei would focus his Ki inward with his white aura growing slightly each day and at night he would either do the same under Ddraig's watchful eye or when Akeno and Rias joined him they would summon the moon and he would try to control his inner beast. Placating the monster within him had become much easier for the two girls. The great ape was still initially determined to fight Ddraig but each time it took less coercing to calm and soothe him. Issei would attempt his very best to remain in control but he was never quite able to do it. His eyes would always turn red and his primitive side would take over. He hadn't seen the image of the golden ape again though and he wondered what it had initially meant. Or whom it had been.
Thursday arrived and the group were training as usual. Koneko and Kiba sparred heartily at twenty nine times the gravity of earth. Despite the increase in the harshness of their training environment, the pair moved easier than they had on during their first session on Monday. Their bodies were sore from the intense training but they knew it would be well worth it once the rating game arrived.
Asia's magic had also grown immensely. She was able to deflect and withstand attacks from Rias and Akeno for a short time with her barrier. Her flash of light spell was just as proficient as the two older girls however like Rias she was unable to create the light and needed a source to amplify. The wind gusts that she created could drive both girls back and made flying extremely difficult. And lastly her distraction spell worked well when she sneakily used it on Kiba as he went to the toilet. Her boyfriend saw the funny side of her trick as he recognized it as similar to how Issei had tested his image technique against his two girlfriends.
It was approaching eleven in the morning when the group were faltered once again by Issei only this time his energy was more energetic. His white aura raged and flared around his static form as it grew and grew. Issei's fists clenched and the group watched his muscles and body bulge then relax over, repeating time and time again. After a minute of this Issei opened his eyes and yelled harshly.
"KAIO KEN!" His voice was deep and booming.
His aura broke from white to red and a power unlike anything even Rias had felt before emanated out of Issei. His muscles bulged out tremendously and then settled down. He took a moment to relax and then shot forward, where he had meant to only move a few steps he simply rocketed out of his room and into Kiba and Koneko's almost knocking the pair over. It was at that point, that he struggled to stop his momentum and felt himself become overwhelmed. This energy was incredible. It was beyond anything he had ever felt but it was draining him. Draining him fast. Far too fast for him to catch it.
Issei released his hold on the technique and collapsed down onto one knee with the red aura vanishing into nothingness. He panted heavily as Kiba checked on him and Koneko deactivated their gravity so that Asia, Akeno and Rias could join him. Without a word Asia began pouring green healing energy into him to make sure he would be alright while his beautiful girlfriends fretted and bombarded him with questions over whether he was injured.
"I'm alright. I probably just rushed learning that move. More training is needed I think." He replied to the two worried girls in a soothing, relaxed voice while flashing them a calm smile.
After a quick rest the group broke and took a long lunch. They all sat around the club room and enjoyed the food that had been provided while chatting casually. Despite his earlier exhaustion, with the healing from Asia, Issei felt more then ready for more training and so after lunch moved back into his gravity room to continue. This time he focused on physical training rather then attempting the Kaio ken once again.
By the end of the day everyone was sure that they had done as much as they possibly could in preparation for the match. Issei walked with a confident smile but was inwardly disappointed that his body was not yet ready for the Kaio ken. He had been so focused on it that to finally achieve it and have it strip him of all his stamina so easily was rather disappointing. Still the experience had taught him quite a lot about his current limits and shortfalls.
After dinner the trio spent the night watching television until Rias suggested a movie. While her and Issei discussed what to watch, Akeno slipped away and started a movie without either of the others knowing. They turned to the screen to find that she had put on Fifty shades of Grey. Issei wasn't too fond of the movie, he hadn't seen it before but knew the general plot of it. Rias had seen it with Akeno before the two had come to explore their feelings for each other and knew that the movie aroused her girlfriend. She could feel a sneaky naughtiness to Akeno's actions and knew her girlfriend was deliberately setting up for the three of them to become hot and bothered.
Despite knowing her girlfriend's plan, she didn't inform Issei and they all watched the movie. As it played both girls found themselves slowly moving further and further onto Issei. He had his arms around each of their shoulders and they slowly tucked further into his embrace. During a particularly raunchy scene Rias heard a sharp intake of breath and looked over to see Akeno kissing into Issei's neck while rubbing her hand in small circles on his abs that slowly went lower. The sight of her girlfriend doing this to her boyfriend aroused Rias further and she leant in while Issei turned to her and the pair embraced in a passionate kiss. Breaking the kiss she looked to Akeno and grabbed her girlfriends chin bringing her face away from Issei's clavicle.
Akeno looked up with heavily lidded eyes and Rias kissed her deeply as well. The trio's hands began exploring over each other and Issei found both girls pulling at his shirt for it to come off. He raised his arms and whipped the garment off tossing it aside. Rias pulled her top off while Issei and Akeno stared lustfully at her. Before she could say anything she felt a hand from each reach around and undo her bra straps. The lacy material dropped away revealing the sight of her ample breasts. Issei ran a hand up her stomach while Akeno enveloped her in another passionate kiss.
Rias let out another deep moan as a strong hand carefully massaged her breast and her nipple hardened against his palm. Akeno broke her kiss and began sliding her mouth down Rias' neck and chest. Rias watched unable to stop staring as Akeno's lips reached her right breast and began kissing, her tongue shooting out to lick gently between kisses. Issei dropped his hand from her left and leaned forward to do the same. Rias' moan became louder, mote guttural an so constant that she feared the others would hear it at the other end of the street as Issei and Akeno took her nipples into their mouths.
Intense spikes of pleasure shot through her body and she felt her hips buck and grind of their own accord. A delicate hand slipped into the waist of her pants and rubbed along her now wet panties. She would have gasped if her moaning had allowed her to. Akeno rubbed delicately and yet expertly before pulling the material away and touching the flesh directly. Pleasure unlike any Rias had ever felt shot through her body like spikes of delightful electricity. It was enhanced as Issei's hand slid into the rear of her pants and gently massaged and caressed her buttocks. At no point did either of them release her nipples from their mouths as the sucked and nibbled upon them. Rias felt her climax approaching as her moans increased. Both Akeno and Issei could feel it as well, at the last moment Akeno slid her middle and index finger into Rias and her girlfriend screamed out in pleasure as her climax overtook her. She bucked and thrashed through it, her pelvis pushing down and grinding up Akeno's hand while the pair continued to pleasure her before she slumped forward onto Issei.
A completely content smile washed over her as the afterglow filled her body. Issei rolled her onto the couch so that both he and Akeno could continue to kiss her in turns. Rias' eyes were heavy as she held both of them and spoke truthfully.
"I love you both so much." Her words were heartfelt and true.
"We love you too." Each replied to her in the same manner and Issei lift her up, cradling her as he carried her to bed while Akeno turned off the television and followed.
Rias was asleep before Issei even lay her in bed and Akeno lovingly shifted hair from her face.
"She needed that. She has been so worried and exhausted." She said compassionately.
"Yeah. She tries to be everyone's rock but her own." Issei added.
Both simply looked at the sleeping body of their girlfriend, a soft nightie appearing on her body care of Akeno's magic. Each climbed into bed either side of her. They kissed passionately and while still somewhat aroused, the sexual tension had broken and so both went to sleep comfortable in the fact that their touch had helped Rias release all the stress that had built within her.
* Seaside, South of Kuoh Town *
The next morning over breakfast Rias announced that the group would be spending the day at the beach to relax. Today no training was to be conducted and so they would all simply chill out and unwind by the seas. Everyone star burst after breakfast to collect the things they would need. Issei simply put on a pair of blue board shorts. He wore his shirt to conceal the base of his tail in case the beach was occupied. Once dressed he returned to the kitchen and started filling a backpack with towels, food and drinks. Before leaving he went to a cupboard and found a shade cloth umbrella and nerf ball.
The group reconvened in his lounge room with everything set. Kiba wore board shorts and a shirt as well and also carried a backpack for his group. Akeno wore a green bikini that was almost too small for her and showed off her voluptuous body well. Rias wore a similar swimsuit that ran like a V from her crotch over he breasts to he shoulders and down her back. The material was a light lavender and clung to her in as form fitting a way as everything else she owned. Asia had borrowed a red bikini of Akeno's and while it didn't fit quite perfectly it still sat well on the slightly smaller blonde. Lastly Koneko wore a light blue one piece swimsuit, her fair skin was rather susceptible to the sun and she feared that she would burn and be less effective the next day. With the preparations complete Rias summoned the Gremory symbol and the group vanished in the familiar flash of crimson light.
They re-appeared at a beach far to the south of Kuoh that was both secluded and deserted. The sun shone down pleasantly and the waves crashed peacefully against the shoreline. Issei smiled at their seclusion and threw his shirt off to the side after putting down the bag. His tail sprung free and waved comfortably in the sea air. He put up the shade umbrella and lay out the towels for the girls before sprinting into the ocean. He took a giant leap and traveled a few hundred metres through the air below splashing down into the deep water. He had found that his Saiyan physiology allowed him to see underwater quite well and combined with his excellent lung capacity he enjoyed swimming around the deep water.
He swam for a few minutes then broke from the surface and hovered above it before flying swiftly back to shore. He landed by the towels and looked around. Rias and Akeno were sunbathing on the towels. Even without asking them he had known this is what his girlfriends would do. Kiba, Asia and Koneko were tossing around the nerf ball he had brought along in the shallows. Issei watched as Kiba threw a long pass that Asia caught despite her lack of athletic exposure while growing up. For someone who had lived such a controlled life she learnt new things well and was skilled at developing her hand eye coordination.
Issei watched her throw the rubber ball to Koneko and he couldn't resist the opportunity to mess with his white haired rival. Issei floated slightly into the air and shot toward Koneko. Just as she was about to catch the ball he snatched it from the air and splashed down in the water causing a wave to soak the nekomata. He emerged to her furious scowl and he knew that she would respond that way to being soaked through. She regularly displayed a lot of cat like qualities and he had noticed that while she wasn't adverse to water she definitely didn't like being thoroughly wet.
"You stole my catch." She barked at him and Issei simply smirked at her.
"You're just too slow." His voice deliberately challenging.
He knew she would rise to the bait and she did. Quick as lightning she charged at him. He dodged her and threw the ball to Asia. The blonde girl caught the ball while looking puzzled at both Koneko and Issei. She was unsure of just what exactly she was meant to do when the white haired girl sprinted at her with Issei close behind. Asia squealed and tossed the ball to Kiba. The knight jumped and caught the ball while yelling at the competing pair.
"Oi no scaring my Asia." He shouted harshly and yet with a playful edge.
Asia blushed at Kiba's words and twisted her foot innocently in the warm sand with a smile on her face.
"Your Asia." She said happily under hear breath.
Issei and Koneko changed direction mid step and rushed toward Kiba. He watched the two with an expert eye and ran toward them. As they approached Koneko leapt in a feline pounce while Issei lunged as well. Kiba read them easily and slid under the pair before running toward Asia. His girlfriend squealed as in a quick swoop he tossed her up onto his shoulder fireman style before making his escape.
Koneko and Issei turned and watched him retreat before nodding to each other. Their silent truce was affirmed and they chased down their retreating prey.
Akeno and Rias watched the four playfully chase each other for the ball. Neither had any intention of joining in, happy to watch while cuddling each other. Rias noticed Akeno stealing glances at her and she couldn't say she was innocent in the matter either. The pair of beauties caught each others eyes and smiled seductively. Despite the amorous activities of the night before, both felt a touch shy to be looking at the others body in such a public location.
Slowly though they came closer together and found their hands roaming over the others exposed skin. They avoided any erogenous regions but that didn't stop Rias moving behind Akeno and massaging her girlfriend's shoulders. Akeno sighed and relaxed into the pleasant yet firm touch. Rias' fingers dug and needed into her flesh in a way that removed all the tension that had built up in her body without her knowing. Rias smiled at Akeno's relaxation and bent down to kiss along her neck. A soft moan escaped Akeno's lips and Rias traced her lips up to her ear.
"I can't fully repay you for last night yet. But I hope this will go some way." She whispered seductively.
She continued to kiss and massage while Akeno moaned softly with her eyes closed. Her massaging moved down the sides of Akeno's body and to her hips before going back up to her shoulders. The pair remained in their loving position with eyes closed until a voice broke them from it.
"Now that does look good."
The pair opened their eyes and looked up to see their boyfriend floating upside above them. His tail hung down and was in line with his upside down head. They could see the mischievous smile on his face and knew he had been there for a while.
"How long having you been watching us, you perve?" Rias chided with a tone of playful accusation.
"A while." Issei admitted happily and without shame, "Pretty sure it's not perving when it's my own girlfriends though." He added with a chuckle.
He released his Ki and flopped down onto the towel beside them grabbing the backpack and searching for something to drink. The girls joined him and they all drank and ate while lounging on the towel. After eating the group all made their way to the water and enjoyed the mixture of the warm sun and the cool waves. The salt water almost drew out any stress that was in their body and allowed it to evaporate away in the bubbly surf. It was mid afternoon when everyone agreed that they were done for the day and once again with a flash of red light they all vanished and reappeared in the living room of the Hyoudou residence.
As they all filed through the shower to clean off the salt and sand form their bodies, Issei got to work on dinner. Before long everyone joined him insisting on helping him prepare the final meal of their training days.
A large spread of roasted lamb and chicken, lemon coated pork rashers, salads, roasted vegetables and sliced breads covered the table before the hungry group. Asia said grace and they were all silent out of respect for their most junior member. She rubbed her forehead at the stab of pain that she suffered and Kiba squeezed her hand in support before they all dug into the food.
Half an hour later the food had vanished, mostly into the stomach of their resident Saiyan but none the less everyone was full. If offered Issei could easily have eaten more but in no way was he hungry. The whole group had decided to stay the night together in a form of solidarity and so Koneko was sleeping in Issei's single bed while the couch was folded out for Kiba and Asia. Issei had thought that perhaps because of her upbringing the nun might have felt nervous about sleeping in the same bed as her boyfriend but she had happily informed them that they both shared a bed in their apartment.
At this information, Issei gave Kiba a sly smile and the knight avoided his eye contact for a few minutes with a heavy blush. Issei considered asking Asia just how far the pair had gone but decided against it for the sake of his friend's embarrassment. After relaxing and chatting, the different parties made their way to their respective sleeping quarters and prepared for a good nights rest. It was clear that Rias' nervousness had returned and so both Akeno and Issei lay comfortingly either side of her as she drifted off to sleep. Once both the girls had succumbed to sleep Issei separated from them and entered his mindscape on his own.
Despite telling Rias that he wouldn't train, he had one last task he needed to complete before the match the next day. A final challenge he wanted to achieve to prove to himself that he was in fact ready to step up and defend the women he loved. Reality changed in a heartbeat and his surroundings became the white nothingness of his mind. Ddraig sat before him aware of Issei's intent. The dragon understood both Issei and Rias' point of view regarding exerting themselves today and yet possibly due to his partners Saiyan instincts rubbing off him, he found himself agreeing with Issei. Issei approached his friend and partner. The dragon nodded to him and Issei channeled his Ki into himself ready to fight. As he reached a comfortable level, close to but not quite at the complete level he used to draw out the Kaio ken as he spoke to Ddraig.
"Ready." his voice was firm and determined.
A memory that Issei had seen once before but never viewed floated out of Ddraig and the red dragon placed a might paw into it. Upon doing so he froze and his eyes misted over once again. Issei waited knowing it would take a few minutes. As last time the Saiyan warrior materialized once more. His armoured body, gloves and boots just as Issei remembered. His long black hair running down to below his waist and his tail wrapped around his waist identical to Issei's. Issei stood in his clothes without armour as Ddraig could not summon both the warrior and the armour. The two approached each other with equally confident strides. A thought floated through Issei's mind. If he lost, the girls weren't here to save him, that meant he had better win then.
With less then a hundred metres between them the pair flew at each other. A powerful roundhouse kick from the warrior was blocked by Issei's forearm. He counted with a right jab that met nothing but air. The Saiyan dropped to the ground and sprang back with an upper cut that Issei caught and pushed himself back from. He spun around and swung an overhead kick at the opposing warrior. The warrior caught his foot and twisted his hands while applying force, throwing him back toward the ground. Issei landed on his hands and flipped gracefully to his feet.
The Saiyan dropped into a landing and sprinted at him. He threw a cross at Issei but the attack went harmlessly through the illusionary image of the boy. Before he could comprehend a hard kick struck his head and sent him flying as Issei landed and watched his opponent crash in the distance. The Saiyan regained his feet and held his left hand out toward Issei. Yellow Ki gathered and he fired multiple shots toward the younger fighter. Issei sprinted forward and dodged left and right as he charged his opponent. The Ki exploded behind him as he dodged each shot. The Saiyan was clever though if still a soulless clone and before Issei could close the distance a Ki blast exploded in the air in front of him. Issei crossed his arms to protect himself from the blast.
While losing his opponent briefly Issei felt his instincts flare and rolled to the right coping a glancing blow for his efforts. The strike knocked him aside and while his balance was off the Saiyan swung a sweeping kick that brought Issei to the ground. Thinking fast and relying on his instincts, Issei rolled to avoid the slamming boot that had aimed for his head and twisted to fire a Ki blast at his adversary. Unlike their last bout the Ki blast shook the Saiyan and caused him to stagger back. Issei took this advantage to roll onto his feet and retook the offensive. The pair traded blows in a rapid series of melee forays. Issei discovered that the Saiyan was also capable of creating an after image and that letting his guard down would prove dangerous.
Each warrior suffered heavy strikes to their body, limbs and face. Blood ran from Issei's jaw and left shoulder while tears riddled his clothes. The Saiyan warrior wasn't much better with blood seeping from a gash above his swollen left eye and his armour close to destroyed. Issei knew he could win this fight and pressed his attack. He drove a knee into his opponent that broke through his defence and crashed into the larger man's stomach with the loud crunch of breaking bones. Issei followed up with a jab cross combination that struck his opponents head and threw him into the ground. Without relenting for a moment, Issei followed with a diving kick however missed as the Saiyan launched himself backward and rolled onto his feet.
The Saiyan began channeling Ki into his outstretched palm and Issei did the same. With a shout both warriors launched the Ki beams at the other. Yellow from the unknown Saiyan and blue white from Issei. The beams collided and sparked against each other. The epicentre bobbed back and forth but neither took the advantage. Issei smiled deeply as he reached into himself and pulled at his Ki reserves. With a guttural yell he unleashed a further wave of Ki along the beam that crushed and overwhelmed the Saiyan's. Issei's beam steam rolled into the warrior and disintegrated his body. As a soulless clone the warrior neither yelled out nor shrieked at his own demise and Issei found himself thinking it was appropriate for a Saiyan warrior to die with dignity and pride. Not screaming and crying for their life.
Issei dropped into an exhausted but content heap on the ground as he released all his Ki that he was wielding. The aura around him vanished and he watched as the memory faded and Ddraig's expression returned to normal. The dragon moved over to him and looked at him with pride. Issei nodded at the unspoken question and if it was even possible Ddraig looked more proud then before. This confirmed that his partner and friend was indeed ready to move on further with his pursuit of strength.
* Arena, Hell *
The whole peerage stood in a stone room much like a medieval castle tower. The room had two heavy oaken doors, the first led out the way they had entered and the other led into the arena where the rating game would commence. Each member of the peerage wore their Kuoh academy uniform which had become the unofficial uniform of Rias' peerage. Issei wore it as well, despite not being an evil piece member, he was still as much a part of her peerage as any others and it would help identify him on the battlefield. Not that he would need any assistance being identified.
They could all hear the crowd above and around them. None had seen the stage where they would be fighting but they did know it was big. While they waited they could hear the voice of Grayfia speaking to the crowd. She had been appointed as the adjudicator for the match and began by explaining the terms of today's rating game.
"If Lord Phenex wins, then he and Lady Gremory will be wed tomorrow." Her voice was neutral and emotionless over the air as she spoke into her microphone.
"If Lady Gremory wins then she is not obligated to marry Lord Phenex or any other the Phenex house will remain bound by the terms of all previous signed and agreed upon treaties."
With the stakes confirmed and broadcast for all hell to be aware of, there was a large and loud murmuring around the crowd as the devils who had come to watch the match discussed their views on the situation.
"Now for the rules." Grayfia continued. "As Lord Phenex has a full peerage of fifteen and Lady Gremory only a peerage of four. If Lady Gremory's peerage is defeated she may utilise her second Ki peerage of one warrior. All other rules are as per normal rating game standards. No killing. All magic and abilities are allowed."
As Grayfia finished her announcements the chatter was much louder and more diverse then before. With his enhanced hearing Issei could hear different devils talking about what had been announced.
"Ki Peerage. Like part of the shoki. What exactly is that?" He heard a male voice say.
"Only four fighters with one in reserve. What's the point of trying?" Another said.
"Lady Gremory should forfeit now." A female voice said.
"Good on her for trying though." Another interjected.
Issei listened to the varied opinions. Over all they seemed to doubt Rias' chances and were both skeptical and interested in seeing what a Ki peerage was and what the Ki warrior would bring to the match.
Eventually the chatter died down and Issei sat cross legged against a wall. Minutes passed and then the crackle of the microphone broke the air.
"Will both peerages please enter the arena? The match begins in two minutes."
With that announcement, Rias led the way to the door which opened and everyone except Issei passed through it into the arena to decide the fate of their friend and master. Before the door closed Rias looked back to Issei and he smiled to her.
"You will do great. I love you." He said reassuringly.
She smiled nervously back to him. "I love you too."
She spoke the words truthfully before the door closed and Issei was alone waiting to be called forward if needed and hoping his friends would be alright.
Edited on 30 December 2020