I WANT PERSONA 5! AND WATCH RED VS BLUE SEASON 15! Oh, hey! UknownHero here and welcome to another chapter of A Simple Mission Rebirth. Well, after this there will be at least three more chapters before this arc ends so yeah. After that, they'll head back to Remnant. I already have that entire arc planned out though I am kinda stuck on one of the chapter titles. What do you think is better? A Simple Exile or A Simple Escape? It will affect whose will become Devils but I am leaning on A Simple Escape. Also, I've been really getting into Ninja Sex Party so there will probably a joke about it somewhere in there. God, I love Dinosaur Laser Fight. I dunno, I'm just putting ideas and random things out there. Anyway, enough of that! Time for reviews! To Akuma-Heika: Yeah, I admit there are definite flaws in this fic but fixing it now will probably screw up a lot of things in the story. Oh and the new scythe thing was an oversight. It was something left over from the old version so please ignore that. To AsunaYuki88: If you mean Qrow and/or Winter entering the peerage, then that's a flat 'no'. I don't really have a place for them and I don't see the point to it. They will appear in future chapters however so don't worry about that. To AJ: Oh, I like Checkmate, it's just a new Team Attack and I gonna use a different name for it to differentiate it from Checkmate. I think that makes sense. Also, I'll probably be using Crimson Sunset so thank you for the suggestion. To maticore-gurl071134: Uh… you could say that Ruby's Silver Eyes have changed a little… it'll be important later in the story. To Dragon Rider 66: Yeah, that was a really crappy analogy. I should've done something different. Okay, that's it for the reviews, here comes… FILLER!
Hey guys, whats up? Its me, the editor, Pegasus. Inquiry; am I doing a good job? Do you notice any mistakes I missed? I'm not as experienced as I used to be. Consequences of staring at childrens writing day in and day out, you tend to forget how to grammar. Any feedback you have please PM me on Fanfiction, and I will endeavor to improve.
Also, anyone notice a disturbing lack of Yuri (GirlxGirl) High School DxD Fanfiction? No?
Maybe its just me.
Load Game… Start!
Chapter 15: A Simple Preparation
Ruby had watched Issei train for almost 3 hours before he collapsed to the ground, unable to continue. She sparred with him a little but overall, she just stood there and watched. After getting him a water bottle he helped him up and helped him back into his room. "Thanks Ruby." Issei said as she laid him down on the bed.
"No problem." Ruby replied. "…So, are you still considering it?"
"I don't know…" Issei said as he stared up at the ceiling. "What will the other's think?"
"Probably its stupid, or downright suicidal." Ruby answered. "That's why we're not telling anyone. We'll only make them worry."
"But this RxD thing…" Issei muttered. "Are you sure we should do it? You didn't sound so confident when you explained it to me." Ruby sighed and stared at the suddenly interesting floor.
"I know it might not work but… you at least have to try, right?" Ruby said, smiling a little at her perverted friend.
"Well, if it stops Buchou from getting married…" Issei said before sighing. "You know, I really should've thought up a better analogy from before."
"Yeah, it kind of sucked." Ruby said before they both laughed. Suddenly, both their stomachs grumbled.
"Uh… I guess we burned through our dinner…" Issei said with a small chuckle.
"C'mon, I think we have leftovers. I'm sure a midnight snack won't hurt." Ruby said as she and Issei headed towards the kitchen. They ate some of the left over soup and fish when they heard a voice come from behind them.
"Ara? You're awake?" Rias said. The Royal Pawn and the actual Pawn turned around to see Rias sitting in the living room wearing a red negligee, glasses and her crimson hair tied up into a ponytail.
"Hi… Prez." Ruby said, feeling a little awkward.
"Ah, Buchou. Hello." Issei greeted stiffly. Rias frowned.
"Why are you so stiff, Issei?" Rias asked. She paused, then shook her head. "You know what, it doesn't matter right now. Actually, good timing, let's talk for a bit you two." Ruby and Issei nodded and took a seat, sitting across Rias with a table in between them. There were papers scattered around the table which seemed to be maps with battle formations and stories of famous (Devil) battles. They sat in silence as Rias examined a book. Issei cleared his throat.
"Uh… Buchou, do you have bad eyesight?" Issei asked awkwardly.
"Oh, this?" Rias said as she took off her glasses. "It's just for looks. I can think more clearly while having my glasses on. Fufufu, this is the proof that I have been in the human world for so long." She chuckled out.
"Well, whatever helps." Ruby said, letting out a small chuckle. "I think Weiss does that when there's a big test coming up." Ruby then looked over all the papers on the table. "Prez, were you gonna read all of this all night? The actual Rating Game isn't for another 9 days and losing sleep won't help."
"I know that. But, I'm not exactly planning anything." Rias said with a sigh. "…To be honest, the only thing I will get by reading this is to have a peace of mind."
"Why is that?" Issei asked, looking a little confused.
"If the opponent is another High-class Devil, then we could fight by reading this." Rias replied, holding up a book full of strategies. "This book is written with lots of research. But that isn't the problem."
"Then what is?" Ruby questioned, leaning towards Rias.
"Raiser himself. No, the biggest problem is that our opponent is the Phoenix." Rias answered.
"Of course he has a title…" Ruby mumbled to herself as Rias showed them a picture of a fiery bird spreading its wings heroically.
"A long time ago the mystical beast, the Phoenix, was looked upon by humans as a bird that governs life. It was so looked upon that it left its legend in many countries in the human world where it's told that the tears of the Phoenix can heal any wounds, and the blood that flows within its body can give eternal youth to those that drink it." Rias explained.
"Heal any wounds…" Ruby muttered. "I think I heard of that in Remnant… but what does it have to do with Raiser?"
"I'm getting to that." Rias said before continuing. "But there was also another clan that is different from the mystical beast Phoenix. They are the Devils that had the rank of Marquis, and were counted as one of the '72 pillars'. The 'Phoenix'; from the Devils' side."
"Wait, you mean Raiser's ancestors?" Ruby spoke up. "Okay, so that explains… something…"
'What the Hell is a Marquis again?' Ruby thought.
"And what does this have to do with fried chicken?" Issei said, wanting Rias to continue. Rias giggled before continuing.
"The humans named the Devils' Phoenix as "Phenex" to distinguish it from the mystical beast Phoenix. However the mystical beast Phoenix has the same ability as Raiser's clan. —In other words immortality. That's the opponent we must fight against."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! WHAT!?" Ruby exclaimed.
"Immortal!? H-Hold on!" Issei called out as he stood up. "That's cheating! I mean being immortal is basically being invincible!"
"Rias, you know I care for you." Ruby said softly, her eyes flashing red. "But couldn't you have said that little thing before I bet my life!"
"I didn't know you would go and do that! I wasn't even expecting a Rating Game!" Rias pointed out before sighing in frustration. "But yes. They are basically invincible. Even if you attack them, their wounds will heal right away. Their flames won't even leave a bone left. Eight wins and two losses. This is the record that Raiser has at the official 'Rating Game'. He fought ten times and won eight matches. He lost two of the matches on purpose as kindness to one of the households he is close to. In reality he won all of them. He already became a candidate to obtain a title in the official Game."
"Mother-" Ruby cursed before banging her fist on the table as Issei was just at a loss for words. "No… we can do this… immortality doesn't mean living forever… no, wait, not being able to… DAMN IT! How the Hell do we beat him!?"
"That's what I've been racking my brain for the entire day." Rias said, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "I felt something uneasy when I heard that Raiser was chosen as my fiancé. Yes, I think Otou-sama and the others chose him in case something like this was to happen. They chose Raiser so I will have no choice but to marry him. Even if it becomes a match between households, they knew that there was no way for me to win. In chess you would say they tricked me. A swindle."
"That's bullshit!" Issei shouted out. "There's no way anyone has a right to do that! Not even your own family!"
"Permission to speak freely." Ruby spoke up.
"Permission granted." Rias replied automatically.
"I fucking hate your family." Ruby growled out.
"Right now, I'm not too fond of them either…" Rias muttered to herself. "When the Rating Games became popular, the ones who climbed up the fastest is the House of the Phoenix. There weren't that many battles among Devils until the Games were introduced. In a game where the King also participates, the strength of Phoenix became clearer. The House of Phoenix is the leading group among the strongest class. Immortal. Devils realized how terrifying this power was for the first time."
"Well, I'm terrified now." Ruby said, clutching onto her chest. Her heart was beating rapidly as sweat started roll down her face. "B-But that won't stop us from taking him down!" She said. Rias noted there was a lot less confidence in Ruby's voice now.
"Y-Yeah!" Issei said, trying to ignore the very likely fact he might die again. "W-We…"
Suddenly, both just sat down with gloomy expressions on their faces.
"I'm dead, aren't I? I'm already dead." Ruby whispered out. Rias winced but quickly started to chuckle. The two only looked up to see Rias' smiling face.
"You know, it's not like we can't defeat Raiser." Rias informed the two.
"Are you serious!?" Ruby and Issei exclaimed. Rias only smirked at their shocked faces.
"Yes. There are two ways you can defeat him." Rias explained. "One is to beat him down with incredible power, and the other one is to keep on taking him down until his mind crushes. The first method requires the strength of a God-Class." She then looked at Issei. "And Issei, with your Sacred Gear you could definitely do that if you're ready."
"Yes!" Issei cheered, pumping his fist into the air.
"What's the second one?" Ruby asked.
"The second one is to save our stamina until Raiser gets his mind crushed. Even if his body is immortal where he can resurrect his body many times, his mind isn't immortal. His mind will definitely tire down every time we defeat him. It's our win if we completely crush down the Phoenix's mind. Then he will stop resurrecting and he will fall." Rias continued. "And with Ruby's Power of Suffering, Raiser won't stand a chance."
"O-Okay…" Ruby mumbled out. She was still uncomfortable about her power, and she was most certainly not looking forward to the prospect of destroying minds, but if it came down to it… "So, we either overpower him physically or mentally?"
"Well, the easiest way is to defeat him with a power that is on par with God that crushes him down with one strike which takes down both his body and mind, but yeah. That's the gist of it." Rias said, looking down at the scattered papers.
'So either God-like strength… or another Pancakes…' Ruby thought. Even if Raiser was a terrible person, she was not going to go that far. She was not going to use her Power of Suffering on Raiser, but then again, her life was literally on the line and they were fighting an uphill battle. They needed all the advantages they could get but…
"Buchou." Issei spoke up, breaking the silence and snapping Ruby out of her thoughts.
"What is it?" Rias asked.
"Why do you hate Rai-" Issei paused before starting again. "No, more like, why are you against this marriage?"
"I thought it was already obvious Issei." Ruby said. "Raiser's a dick. It's forced marriage with no love. The end."
"There's more to that Ruby." Rias said with a sigh. "…I'm a Gremory."
"Duh, you're Rias Gremory." Ruby deadpanned.
"Huh? W-Well, you certainly are…" Issei said awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"No. I didn't re-introduce myself. I'm a Devil from the House of Gremory, and that name will follow me to wherever I go." Suddenly, it hit what Rias was meaning.
"Do you hate being a Gremory?" Ruby asked.
"Not at all. In actuality, I feel proud of it." Rias replied. "However, this is also something that is a burden to me. It's just the people in it and who I know I hate. Everyone looks at me as Rias from the Gremory clan. I can't have them look at me simply as Rias. That's why I'm enjoying my life in the human world. They don't know about the Gremory the Devil. Everyone looks at me as who I am. I really like that feeling. I never felt something like this in the Devils' society, and I never will now on as well. The only time I can enjoy my life as myself is when I'm in the human world."
"Well, we do have cookies." Issei said, earning a few small laughs.
"Hell, even with my arguments with you, Ruby. They aren't about what just affects the Gremory Clan, they aren't with family members. They're about what affects others, even if I've never met them in my life… you don't even bother to call me 'sensei' during our arguments." Rias' laugh lacked any humor, or happyness. "It's nice."
She was sad.
Ruby never saw Rias this vulnerable before. She could feel the dread of marrying Raiser just from her tone alone. And she couldn't describe the loneliness she must've experienced, the burden of a weight on her shoulders.
"You and Weiss should really hang out more." Ruby said, trying to lighten the mood.
"I'll make sure to set some time aside for that after the Rating Games." Rias said with a small smile, before continuing. "Still, I want to be with someone who will love me as Rias without the fact that I'm a Gremory. That's my small dream I have… Unfortunately, Raiser only looks at me as Rias from the Gremory clan. And he loves me as Rias from the Gremory clan. Not… Rias. That's why I hate it. But still, the pride of being a Gremory is very important. My feelings may be complicated, but I want to cherish this small dream I have."
"I'm sure you'll accomplish this dream." Issei said. "After all, I like Buchou as Buchou already." Rias' smiled sadly. "I don't know anything about Gremory or about the Devils' world, but to me Rias-buchou is Rias-buchou… Nggh, I don't understand all the complicated stuff but to me the usual Buchou is the best!" Issei declared with his biggest smile.
"Yeah, I mean, Rias is the reason we're friends in the first place, not Rias Gremory." Ruby said with a smile plastered onto her face. Rias' face turned as red as her hair at the compliments given to her, mostly because of Issei, which confused both said idiot pervert and Ruby.
"B-Buchou? D-Did we say something weird?" Issei asked nervously.
"I-It's nothing!" Rias quickly said before shaking her head. All of them decided to change the topic.
"But having an opponent like that for the genius Buchou's first match, it certainly will be a hard obstacle, right?" Issei said.
"Yeah, it'll be a challenge, but who doesn't love a good challenge." Ruby said.
"I don't actually like the word 'genius'." Rias admitted; her face still red as Ruby's cloak.
"You don't like being called a 'genius'?" Ruby asked, her eyebrow rising in surprise.
"A talent that is given by heaven… it feels like it's a gift given by God so no, I don't feel good." Rias explained. "My talent is born from the roots of the House of Gremory that has been passed down to the generations. I inherited that trait as a Devil. I never thought that I received it as a gift from God, and that's impossible. My power belongs to me and the House of Gremory. That's why I won't lose. I will win if I have to fight. I have to win." Ruby had to admit Rias was right. People kept calling her a prodigy, both at Signal and in Beacon, and even if she did pick up using Scy-ifles much faster than others, she worked really hard to develop her fighting style. Skill didn't come naturally. Everyone could be just as good, just not as fast.
"Buchou, I'm worthless. I have been useless… since I got here." Issei said in a weak voice, causing Rias and Ruby to give him a dubious look.
"Issei?" Rias said quietly.
"We talked about this already!" Ruby called out.
"I know! It's just-"
"Shut up!" Ruby interrupted him. "You are not worthless! You just haven't been given a chance! Stop doubting yourself!"
"But just today I realized how much of a difference there is between me and everyone else! No matter how much stronger I get, I can't catch up!" Issei said; his hand clenched into fists in frustration. A tear rolled down his face. "I'll never be as good of swordsman as Kiba, Weiss or Blake! Akeno taught me I suck at using my demonic-energy! Asia knows more about magic in a day than I have in weeks! Even with Yang and how she doesn't even know how to use it, she's more powerful than me!" He then summoned his Sacred Gear. "This thing can supposedly kill Gods! But I'm the most useless so it means nothing if I'm the one with the ultimate Sacred Gear. Pearl before fucking swine, certainly a fitting phr-"
He quickly interrupted by Ruby and Rias hugging him.
Issei quickly tried to fight off the nosebleed that resulted from being sandwiched between two magnificent pairs of breasts.
"You idiot…" Ruby managed to get out between her sobs. She could stand her friend beating himself up. "You're not useless… stop calling yourself that…"
"You want confidence, right?" Rias said, rubbing her cheek on Issei's shoulder as she wiped off Issei's tears. "Okay, Ruby and I will give you your confidence. You don't have to be as good as everyone else. Just be the best Issei Hyoudou you can be. But now, you have to rest your body and mind. I will be with you until you feel like sleeping."
"Th-Thanks…" Issei mumbled out, the warmth of the Human King and the Crimson Ruin Princess warming the very depths of his soul. They stayed like this until they all eventually fell asleep, hugging each other for the rest of the night.
(The Next Day)
It had been five days since they've started training for the Rating Games and everyone was not slowing down in the slightest. Team RWBY, Pancakes and Penny were standing at the edge of a large, clear area deep within the woods surrounding the Gremory Mansion. All covered in dirt with their clothes having a myriad of rips and tears, facing and a humanoid training dummy at the other end held up only by a couple of sticks and prayers. They've been training all day and they felt they were ready. If they could do this, they would dominate anyone who would stand in their way. They all took deep breaths before taking out their weapons.
"One more time…" Weiss muttered to herself, razor focussed on nailing her part.
"Whenever you're ready sis." Yang said, getting into a stance.
"I am combat ready." Penny said, her swords floating behind her.
"If we can do this…" Blake mumbled to herself.
"I am at your command, Mistress." Pancakes said in her usual dull tone.
Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Ruby tightened her grip on Crescent Rose. 'We can do this.' Ruby thought before eyes snapped open, her silver eyes glowing slightly.
"Bumblebee, set it up!" Ruby shouted out. "Nuts & Dolts! NOW!" As soon as Ruby started commanding her team, they quickly went to into their positions. As Ruby, Penny, Blake and Yang charged at the dummy, Pancakes let out her wings and took to the sky while Weiss used her now-named Teleport Glyph to get into position. Blake, as she ran towards the dummy, threw her ribbon and wrapped the dummy in a constricting hold, before pulling it towards her as Ruby and Penny ran past. Just as it approached Blake, Yang jumped over, summoned her Sacred Gear and punched the dummy in the face, creating a sonic boom and forcing it away from her and towards Penny and Ruby.
"Executing: Dance of Bloody Blades!" Penny called out just as she surrounded Ruby with her swords in a ring before she and Ruby started slashing at the dummy, slicing it as fast as they could with both of them being careful not to cut each other this time.
"Penny! Do it!" Ruby commanded. Penny didn't hesitate to stop her attacks, giving Ruby a chance to jump out of the way as Penny assembled her swords to fire her laser. "Monochrome! Now!" Ruby called out as Penny fired her laser, blowing the dummy towards Weiss. Weiss quickly created an Entrance Teleportation glyph in front of her and an Exit glyph on the ground just to her left just as the dummy got teleported to the glyph she just set up. Then, as the dummy was in the air, Weiss surrounded the dummy with Entrance and Exit Teleportation glyphs, trapping it in an orb before Weiss created one more Entrance glyph before she and Blake jumped in. Suddenly, the dummy was being attacked from every angle possible as Weiss and Blake mercilessly stabbed and slashed the dummy. After a few seconds they broke off, landing on the ground, then jumping to kick the dummy further into the air.
"Checkmate!" Blake shouted out.
"Daraku Yellow!" Weiss exclaimed, cuing Pancakes to fly over to Yang and grabbed her by her shoulders before taking off back into the sky as high as they could, way above the dummy. Then, Pancakes then grabbed Yang before her ankles, spun around as fast as she could before throwing Yang towards the dummy and the ground. As Yang reached the dummy, she cocked back her fist, un-summoned her Sacred Gear in exchange for Ember Celica, before letting another punch fly, firing off a shell half an inch from her target as she savagely punched the dummy all the way to Earth, creating a small crater when they landed. If the dummy was alive, it would've seen a rather beautiful sight if it weren't in extreme pain, or dead, as Yang flipped off the dummy.
It was Ruby and Pancakes high in the air, silhouetted with the setting sun behind them as Ruby cocked her Sniper Rifle while Pancakes created as many light spears as she could.
"Your end is due at the Crimson Sunset." Pancakes said before she and Ruby let bullets and spears fly. When they landed back onto the ground, everyone regrouped and saw the damage they managed to deal upon the dummy. Despite its magic enhancement, it looks as if it went twenty rounds with a woodchipper.
"Really?" Weiss panted out. Creating so many glyphs in so little time tired her out. "You… made her… say that?"
"It was an order by Mistress. I cannot disobey her, Weiss-sama." Pancakes replied, just causing Weiss to groan.
"We did it!" Ruby cheered out.
"Don't you think that was a little excessive?" Yang asked, throwing Weiss a water bottle. "Not that I'm complaining of course. That was awesome!"
"Well, if that's what it takes to beat Raiser, we need to do all we can." Blake pointed out. "But setting this up is going to take some work."
"And I don't think I have another in me…" Weiss groaned, hands on her knees even after she took a large swig of her bottle. Ruby quickly started noting down all the flaws in executing this type of attack in her head and started figuring out ways to overcome them, but they were all tired and some of them looked like they were about to collapse.
Plus, Ruby still had a lot of work to do.
"Let's call it a day. We'll work out the kinks later and work on rivaling God!" Ruby said, before wincing a little in pain. Weiss, Blake and Yang sighed in relief while Penny and Pancakes nodded, heading off towards the Gremory Mansion.
During the entire spiel of savagely destroying multiple innocent prices of wood, none having ever noticed a woman with a mask of Grimm observing them the whole time.
"They're getting better." Raven muttered, lying down on a large tree branch with a small smile on her face. "But nowhere near what they can actually do." She added, continuing her writing in her journal about her observations thus far. She closed it with a sigh, relaxing in the setting sun.
Before a mountain exploded in the distance.
(The Next-Next Day)
It was now day six of their training sessions and Yang had started teaching Issei the essential basics of hand-to-hand combat. "You can do it, Issei-san!" Asia cheered out, who wanted to see how Issei was performing, as well as be on stand-by in case he got seriously injured. Issei just gave her a quick smirk, despite his fear of that very real danger, before being punched for getting distracted.
"Keep your eyes on your opponent." Yang said as she cracked her bare knuckles. "Don't think the next one will be just as soft."
"What is your definition of soft!?" Issei exclaimed as he picked himself off the ground before re-summoning his Boosted Gear.
"You aren't knocked out. Yet." Yang replied as she and Issei got into the battle stance they practiced beforehand. Issei attacked first with a right hook, but Yang ducked left, going for a straight punch. Issei quickly put his arms up to guard it, but it only left his abdomen exposed, earning a quick jab into his gut.
"ACK!" Issei shouted in pain, grabbing onto his stomach as he stumbled back.
"You aren't clenching!" Yang reprimanded. "If I wasn't holding back, I would've knocked you out cold. Hell, I could've even killed you! Remember; turn to the side so attacks hit off center. Makes you a much smaller target, gives you a bit more range, lets you balance better and, more importantly, keeps your vital organs un-punched! And control your breathing! Exhale when I start swinging!"
"When is this going to be over…?" Issei groaned before getting into a battle stance, making sure to turn to his side this time.
"This is just Getting Your Ass Kicked 101." Yang said with a smirk. "How to protect your body as best as you can in combat situations. Well, at least in hand-to-hand, or against blunt objects. It's all about protecting your organs and your head since you kinda need them to live. Now come on! Try and hit me this time!"
"I've been trying to the entire time." Issei grumbled before he stepped towards Yang, braced his back foot before throwing much faster punch at Yang than before. Yang quickly used her forearms to block it before countering with a left and right hook. Issei quickly blocked the two punches before getting socked in the nose, whipping his head back and knocking his ass to the ground. Issei groaned and wiped the blood coming out of his nose and the tears coming out of his eyes. Asia laid him back onto the ground as she healed up his face. After his face looked less like it lost to an oncoming train, Yang grabbed his hand and helped him up back onto his feet.
"I think that's enough for today." Yang sighed. "But you made good progress. Just remember to try and turn your head to the side to protect your nose. You'll thank me later."
"I'll thank you when you aren't beating me half to death." Issei whined before sighing to himself. "But thanks for the lessons."
"No problem." Yang giggled out before summoning her Sacred Gear and looking at it. "At least you're getting better with your Sacred Gear. I still have no idea how this stupid thing works."
"Hey, at the rate we're going, you won't need it." Issei said, patting Yang on the back before heading towards the mansion to get something to eat and drink. Yang just sighed and looked at her Sacred Gear again.
"You know, one day I will make you work." She muttered to herself before un-summoning it before heading inside for a snack.
(The Actual Next Day)
"Is it Plague or Pestilence?" Ruby asked Rias as they walked down the hall of the mansion.
"Well, in actuality, it's called Conquest. In text it is referred to as Pestilence, for example the last book of the New Testament. Less frequently called the Christ or Antichrist. Though, Plague and Pestilence are the same thing." Rias answered. "But why are you asking me about this?"
"I just have some rough ideas for my team." Ruby admitted. "By the way, what do you want for your weapon? Because I was thinking about giving you a dagger or a revolver. Oh! Maybe even both! Or both in one!"
"I haven't fired a gun in my life." Rias pointed out. "Or really fought with weapons in general. I'd usually fight with my Power of Destruction."
"Yeah, but weapons on your person are a bit more reliable. You can't run out of energy with swords!" Ruby said before muttering to herself. "Unless you're Weiss. And that sword in that video game Issei lets me play…"
"Ruby, I appreciate what you're doing but I can do this with just my peerage." Rias said. "Don't put your life down for me."
"Hey, you're a friend." Ruby said kindly. "I've said this a hundred times; I'll do anything to ensure someone's happiness."
"Hehe… friend…" Rias mumbled weakly before Ruby gasped.
"Oh! Right, Asia's weapon should be cooled down by now!" Ruby exclaimed. "Wait right here, I'll be right back." Rias blinked and all that was left of Ruby was a few rose petals.
"I'm not even going to question how she managed to get an entire workshop and forge here…" Rias said with a sigh.
"Just don't think about it." Akeno said as she approached from behind. "It's better that way."
"You're probably right." Rias muttered before sighing once again. "…You're here to remind me that I have to tell them and get them out of the Rating Game."
"Not at all." Akeno said with sweet smile Rias knew she was faking. "In all actuality, I want them to help, but no matter what, you have to tell them soon."
"I know." Rias mumbled. "So, how's everyone going?"
"Well, Yang is sparring with Koneko while Weiss and Blake are practicing their swordsmanship with Kiba. Issei just finished studying, Asia is really starting to make progress with her magic and Pancakes is currently making dinner." Akeno answered. "Should be ready by around 7."
"Good." Rias said. "At least everyone's giving it their all. You think we can do this?"
"Who knows?" Akeno replied. "I honestly think we can with Ruby and her peerage. But you may never know until the time comes."
"And what happens if we lose?" Rias pointed out. "Ruby dies and I get married off to that jackass."
"…I don't know." Akeno admitted as she shook her head. Rias looked down to the ground. After a moment her eyes squinted in concentration.
"…I think I have an idea." Rias said after a few seconds of silence. "...Hey, can you ask Blake if she can start training me tomorrow."
"Of course, Buchou." Akeno said with a bow before looking at her with an eyebrow raised. "But why now? And what for?"
"If you knew what I was thinking, you probably wouldn't like it." Rias replied. "Guess I'm gonna actually take up Ruby's offer after all."
"'Offer'?" Akeno repeated, looking confused.
"Hey, can't a princess pack heat once in a while?" Rias said with a smirk.
(A few days later…[The Final Next Day])
It was the night of day ten. The last few hours before the Rating Game between Rias and Ruby's peerages against Raiser's harem. Ruby couldn't help but feel a swell of anger rise up from her, her eyes flashing red before taking a few deep breaths. She had… some… control over her Power of Suffering now. She focused that power into the palms of her hands and managed to create a ball of cyan blue energy there. When she was finally about to do that, the vague memories of her battle with Raynare made her realize what she now controlled was what shattered Raynare into Pancakes in the first place. It would transfer all the suffering of people she was connected with to the target, amplified ten-fold.
So, she called the attack "Victimize".
After letting the energy dissipate, Ruby saw Issei approaching her. She was outside, leaning against a tree and as far away from the mansion as they could. "You're late." Ruby said with a smile.
"Um, no I'm not." Issei said, hands on his knees as he recovered his stamina. "You're just early."
"Really lazy excuse." Ruby chuckled out before pulling out Crescent Rose. "You ready to perfect RxD?"
"You know it." Issei said with a smirk. "But shouldn't you be training with your other weapon?"
"Oh, I think I'm good enough for now." Ruby said. "But this is more important." She said before she readied herself. "Now c'mon! Let's do this Issei!"
"Alright!" Issei called out as he activated his Sacred Gear and got ready. "Here…"
"We…" Ruby continued.
"GO!" Issei shouted out as they both leaped into the air.
BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!
"BURNING UP!" Ruby yelled out, her Devil energy flaring wildly around her.
"Rose of Dragons!" They cried out, training as much as they could before they ran out of everything they had. "Bloody Rose Blossoms!"
(A few hours later…)
"So… are we ready?" Ruby asked as she put as much ammo on her person as she could. It was 10 o'clock pm, exactly two hours before the Rating Game would begin, and they were all in the apartment doing everything they could to be prepared for war.
"Yep, I think so." Yang said as she dusted off her clothes and tightened up her gloves.
"Are you sure these weapons are going to help?" Blake asked, studying everyone's new weapons.
"Oh, I'm sure." Ruby said with a smirk, holding up her latest creation.
"I'm also sure that at least half of these are banned in Remnant." Weiss pointed out as she studied the new weapons.
Ruby had a scythe/sniper rifle designed to look like it was made out of bones, being primarily black with red highlights. In it's sniper form… well, it would be more accurate to call it the weapon's Anti-Material Rifle form… it was just as long as Ruby was tall. The spine acting as the barrel with a bayonet attached underneath with ribs and other bones making up the rest of the Anti-Material Rifle form. In its Scythe form, a dark red curved blade protruded out of a cow skull's mouth as its spine acted at the handle, with grips placed near the bottom and halfway on the handle so Ruby wouldn't hurt her hands. For flare, there was tattered red cloth around the weapon.
This was Death Rose, otherwise known as Crescent Rose 2.0. Sporting three times the recoil and power of Crescent Rose and despite being fifteen percent heavier, it does not impede her speed. Ruby had designed this to kill everything, not just Grimm as Crescent was.The barrel infused the bullets it fired with corrosive magic, disintegrating anything in its path. Its extremely sharp blade that can easily cut through reinforced steel with ease, was more of an add-on to the tank stopping power to the outside eye. Ruby quick strokes and lethal speed made it look like the really killer in practice. However, Anti-Material Rifles are only available to the Atlas military, and cannot be used by a Huntsman or Huntress; especially when combined with another weapon. When one had the idea to make one and used it on a mission, the entire town was destroyed and slaughtered. Put in the right hands (in this case Ruby's), it is the most lethal weapon in Remnant and Earth.
At least, that was the description according to the pamphlet Ruby gave Weiss.
Next on the pamphlet was Weiss' new weapon.
It was based on Myrtenaster with one or two modifications, though with a dull white hue to it. The lower half was cast with the designs of rotting fruit decorating the guard of the rapier, the stems of rotten grapes forming into the handle. The runes on the blade were replaced with various demonic symbols and an etching of a chibi-Ruby hidden somewhere on the blade. While it did have Dust chambers, Ruby had given her bullets and a revolver cylinder, allowing Weiss to switch between using Dust and firing actual bullets from the hidden barrel in the guard.
This was Hungersnot. An unfortunately named rapier designed to give Weiss a better chance should she run out of Dust and magic and allow much faster creation glyphs and magic. The new revolver part of the rapier was semi-automatic and fired as fast as Weiss pulled the trigger, with the cylinder holding up to 7 bullets before needing to reload. The purpose of this weapon is to be aggressive in battle and allow Weiss to conserve her magic for later use.
And yes, it is German for 'Famine'. Search it up.
Next was Blake's weapon.
After a few hours of research on Earth weapons, Ruby had created something special for Blake. It was a… just a few attachments for Gambol Shroud. Since Blake's original weapon was already versatile enough, Ruby gave up trying to make a new one and instead just made attachments and a few design mods for it. Now, in its katana form the blade would extend about 50% of its original length if Blake wanted to, and was decorated in flies and leaving a sickly haze when swung, leaving behind such a horrendous smell that it would make opponents eyes water. But other than that it was largely unchanged apart from the blade glowing purple when separated into two weapons, Blake's ribbon being replaced by black chains and the pistol being changed from a semi-automatic to a multi-barrel, automatic pistol decorated with small mummified arms and hands.
When all attachments and modifications were put onto Gambol Shroud, it became the Shrouded Plague, an enhanced version of Gambol Shroud.
And last but not least, there was Yang's new weapon… which was a copy of her Sacred Gear, just for her left hand with orange accents that fires shotgun shells and buckshot. And with a little bit of Dust, was able to create a shield at the snap of a finger… as well as a flamethrower.
It was called War, and with Yang using it, not much could stay in her way.
Though Ruby wanted to create a weapon for Penny, she declined as her swords were good enough. Pancakes didn't need one as her light spears would do the trick.
"It'll be fine." Ruby said offhandedly as she put Death Rose on her back. "With these Hellainium weapons, we can stand a better chance against Raiser."
"Well, let's hope it works." Yang said as everyone put on the last pieces of their battle outfits, sharpened their blades, grabbed as much ammo as they could carry comfortably and equipped all their weapons.
"Alright, team, it's do or die time!" Ruby said as she put on a determined expression on her face. "No more playing games. This is it." She looked behind her and saw her peerage nod, looking just as determined as her. She didn't know what would happen, but she knew that her life and Rias' happiness was on the line.
So, they had to fight like Hell.
"Let the Rating Games begin!"
…
…
…
…
"It's still not on for another two hours." Weiss deadpanned.
"Oh." Ruby said awkwardly as she blushed. "… So… uh… does anyone have cards?"
Save Game… Quit!
Whew! Done! Hope this thing is good enough. Well, that's it for now, see ya whenever!
UknownHero signing off, my friends!
(Meanwhile…)
'Team Rebirth is a very interesting peerage. Consisting of the most unlikely of people to exist, they have come together due to unfortunate circumstances and being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Consisting of 6 members so far, they are young women who should not be trifled with if you managed to cross them.
Especially Yang, which I mentioned earlier. I pray for your soul if you managed to piss her off.'
Raven stopped writing turning back a few pages and noticed that she still hasn't finished her rambling of information she wrote to both remind herself and inform someone in case something happened to her.
She decided to finish it.
'Now, let's move onto a very… personal topic. You need to respect my wishes if you found this on my corpse.
You see… in my teenage years I'
Raven was about to continue it, but something was preventing her from writing down the… thing she needed to get off her chest. Just thinking about made her uncomfortable. She just sighed to herself before erasing the last line and rewrote it.
'Now, let's move onto a very… personal topic. You need to respect my wishes if you found this on my corpse.
Now I am… not comfortable with the information I'm about to tell you and even now my hands are shaking, but someone… needs to know this.
So, if you've been observing them, you will have noticed a woman with long blonde hair with purple eyes. She is Yang Xiao Long. If you somehow managed to crack the language from before, and I doubt you have, you will already know that she is very dangerous. Now, why I didn't put her down when talking about profiles, and why I'm talking about her now, is because of a personal reason that I will not delve into but… well…
She has a Sacred Gear called Bloodlust, which was there ever since Remnant was created, or at least a few years after it was. It's actually heavily connected to the creation of modern day Remnant, the one which have lied to themselves for years.
I don't know if I should say this but… in all these years there have only been two wielders of Bloodlust. One is Yang.
The other… is me. Raven Brawen.
It's how I got into all this Devil and Angel crap ever since I was a teenager. It was in this temple me and my team found while out on a mission in the middle of a forest. After spending time researching it, I now realize it was a large shrine in dedication for the dragon that created Remnant and gave the Remnants of Peace a world without war, at least for a while.
And guess who the dumbass was to take the stupid gauntlet and wear it.
Unlike other wielders, I wasn't born with it so it created… problems, especially when it awoke. I don't wanna go into detail, but let's just it wasn't exactly a fun couple of years before I got control of it. Only my team and a few select people know about it, and now I'm telling some random stranger about one of my bigger secrets. Great.
Point is, there is something you should know before you even think about meeting Yang.
Lust is a very powerful thing. It can cloud the mind, destroy the heart and corrupt the soul. The goal is not to hurt the body but to hurt the mind. It is the only way to win.
At least, that's what I read. But in all seriousness, please don't make her angry.
Because she is my Little Badass Dragon after all.'
And with that Raven closed the book and watched Team Rebirth play card for the next hour and a half, right outside their window. She turned away from the thrilling action of Ruby getting 21, again, and searched her pockets. She found what she was looking for and pulled it out.
It was Simple Pentagram she got a few weeks ago, a piece of paper containing a special ritual she could perform in case the worst happened, and another ritual that would allow her to highjack any Summoning Circle.
She put it back into her pockets and continued watching, hoping this peace would last a little bit longer…
(Fast Forward!)
…As she stared down the monster in front of her, among the wreckage of the building, fire and destruction all around her as Ruby fought to stand up again, while everyone else was blissfully unconscious.
Then, it roared.