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The following is a fan-based
FICTION
High School DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD Series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK.
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Chapter 79: It's all about Protagonists
The Underworld was currently rumbling with excitement as the first day of the tournament proclaimed by the Bael clan was soon to begin.
The massive coliseum that was going to be used to host the grand event was a great building that showed incredible care from the various technicians and servants working constantly to keep the services within the place running with a smooth pace.
Many strong magicians were summoned to create several protective spells, seals and other magical defenses to perfectly render the tournament devoid of any external or even internal issues from anyone wanting to sabotage the event for the sake of some advantage with the brewing war.
Zekram had been careful if not polite to make sure to invite most of the deities that were part of the Coalition to spectate the competition while also sending some of their best heroes.
I was of course one of the invited 'competitors' so I didn't have to actually sign up to the list, but I was given the opportunity to look as the signing operation begin and I wasn't alone in that part of the large room assigned to such task.
Kunou was chatting quietly with Koneko, Maria, Ophis and Lith from one of the corners, well-hidden by the other adults chatting around. Of course the two Infinity Dragons were not going to join this endeavor, their safety being considered well-above risking them from going berserk or… get kidnapped.
Everyone was here, even Sona with her peerage, Issei and Asia.
Kuroka and Akeno had decided to pass out from taking part to the tournament as they didn't want to bring attention to their current selves, either for their unpleasant pasts or for their unique natures bringing some unwanted attention.
Akua and Mio were eager to try out this opportunity, ready to give their best performance as to keep up with the expectations the two had set with their recent development.
Vali was here too, but the young Lucifer was spending most of his time either speaking with Lilith or the rest of his team about whom wanted to join this event.
Mob and the Espers had deemed it right to joining, not ready to take in this dangerous activity as their vitality would have barely kept up with the rest of the Devils and Demi-gods joining these battles.
Baki had surprisingly accepted the offer, but only because his father had been more than pleased to accept the chance of proving his worth against many mighty beings in that single place.
Yujiro Hanma looked immensely elated, eyes almost ready to pop out of his sockets at the awe and wonder displayed within his brain and outwardly on his mad-looking grin. There was sure enough challenge to see him drown in his own battle-lust.
Xenovia was here too, but the blue-haired girl barely left the safety allowed by Sona's peerage, a strange nervous look plastered on her face.
The swordswoman was slightly afraid of the crowd composing most of the room as she was one of the few humans taking part to this competition, but I had been the one to tell her earlier that day that she had little to truly worry about.
Even though she hadn't mastered Excalibur's base form to the same degree only Artoria could have, I was positive that her current progress would have allowed her to face most of the possible opponents lingering around.
But while the pep-talk did left her convinced of her chances of success, her current uneasiness wasn't one questioning her abilities.
Rather she was feeling a little miffed by the lack of Gaspar, Valerie and Mathias.
The trio had decided to skip the tournament, the sole human wanting to just train more his current skills than having to compete with his life at stake and, where Mathias went so would Valerie and Gaspar.
And that wasn't certainly something I could certainly help her up much except gracing her with some positive comments to assuage her own worries.
The quiet of that morning was brought to an end the moment the counter that was assigned to take in the signing of the various interested candidates started with quite the familiar group to the DxD Canon.
The Norse Pantheon was here with Odin leading happily the entourage to the main counter, a slightly embarrassed but well-armored Rossweisse was standing by his side as they confirmed her participation to the tournament.
The white-haired woman spared a glance towards our general directions and snapped her sight away the moment she noticed that I had noticed her little attempt, causing her to hasten her pace to retreat away from the spotlight with a visibly-amused Odin on tow.
Soon, many other important gods joined the line to sign their own heroes to the competition, either their own children or 'surrogate' ones that had been trained by said deities.
The line was a long one and some hours of relative peace went by as the official initiation continued restlessly to give papers around for people to sign on.
Devils with peerage, Devils without peerage, high-level, low-tier and… finally it was her turn.
To think that she would come here of all places.
I had to put an effort to hide the sudden bout of tension springing my shoulders stiff as I glanced at the familiar girl with a hawk-like stare.
Why is she here? Shouldn't she be confined until-
I think it might be a plot from Zekram, he would have the power to slightly alter the decision behind her punishment.
...What? How?
Think about it. If he bring Rias here, many are going to come here at the tournament for the sake of seeing her 'return to society'. It would be an economical success and…
And?
I think he is doing it to irritate you. He wants you angry and he wants you to give 'your 100%'.
I'm sure going to be careful then…
Rias Gremory willingly ignoring my glance as she carefully walked towards the counter, the red-haired young woman was escorted by her brother, Sirzechs looking fairly uneasy at first as people started to speak about her presence here.
Some were irritated, but some voices were quick to throw some half-whispered insults towards here. It was mostly those living in the Underworld, most of the other Pantheons minding little about her as she went to sign her own name on the common contract.
But while she did so, I couldn't help but notice something different about her.
Not only was Rias looking incredibly confident, but her posture had dropped out from the petite and princess-like pace she had prior to being exiled in her home.
Her pace was physically active, her whole body was moving with a certain elegance but said element was disrupted by the careful tension going through her entire figure.
Yet that was but just the tip of the iceberg about the changes the redhead had gone through.
Her hair.
I blinked and noticed almost a little later that the change 'seemed' limited but it was immense knowing the pride the girl had over her strands of destiny.
Her haircut was mostly the same, except the length which they would end to, no longer by the end of her lower back but right by the middle of her back.
Her clothes.
She wasn't wearing the suit I had seen her in last time, rather she was wearing a half-sleeved red top that seemed to well-fit with her figure, a pair of fingerless gloves on her hands. A pair of black pants ended right with a pair of dark-red sport shoes.
That was a battle-wear for sure, not anything flashy to show off.
I could feel in her magic that something had changed. The unique strands of the Power of Destruction was tamer than usual, more subdued and… more under control compared to before.
Gone was the dense storm in the making, instead I was witnessing the legendary 'thunder in a bottle' and the owner of this very bottle was going to be an unpredictable and seriously dangerous foe to face during the competition.
'What about her chest?'
...Really?
'I'm referring to her size, she manipulated it.'
I did spare just a glance at the detail and I was quick to realize what Apophis was referring to, something a little different from the simple perverted joke I thought he was making.
Her chest had been… reduced. It wasn't noticeable at first because of her clothes taking more attention from me, but I was surprised by this sudden change from her part.
Devils were vain beings, it was a condition that existed subconsciously and it has to act even just a little in the shaping and formation of young Devils.
Rias could indeed alter her appearance, but her decision had gotten me quite confused and stunned early on.
It was when the shock subsided that logic gave me the best and possible guess about the current situation.
The girl had taken notice that her own abundant modesty did cause some major issues during fights and had decided to reduce it just enough to allow her more speed while also limiting the attention on her to something a little more manageable.
Surely a temporary solutions for battling rather than a life-changing opportunity, yet it was still enough to warrant some respect out of it.
Maybe everything she had done could be said to be warranting my respect, her improvements clearly dignifying the fact she wasn't here just to make an appearance, but to genuinely compete against others in this tournament.
She wasn't arrogant, I could see it in her eyes as she finally glanced my way, a brief daring look before she resumed her walk back to the other end of the room, her orbs sporting a resolute and determined glint of hope.
This Rias Gremory wasn't… going to be an easy opponent. Of that I was now fully aware of.
Just as the redhead got out of my sight, I turned my attention to Issei and… I found the brunet looking at me with an uneasy look.
Asia was blissfully unaware of what had just happened as she was having a pleasant conversation with a now nervous looking Akeno as the older girl had actually seen what was going on with the loud whispering all around.
The Himejima noticed that I was looking at her way and she gave a confused look over what had just happened, her mind conflicting over what she should think of what had just transpired.
The girl was rightful in being unable to bring out a proper reaction, but I guess that it had to be somewhat hurtful to be this indecisive about how she would have to deal with her former King.
"So, that is little Rias?" Lilith asked as she approached me, her eyes still looking right where the fellow redhead had gone away to. "I can see some resemblance with Sirzechs, but she looks… a little more like Sapphire back when she was that age."
I turned at the woman and blinked. "She changed a lot since last time I've seen her, I didn't expect her to-"
"Improve this much?" The former Queen guessed with a hum. "I guess that you aren't even aware of why she is even here."
I frowned. "And you do?" I countered back, getting a little smile out of her much to my surprise.
"Why, I think that is a simple supposition to make," The red-haired woman replied. "She is here to find forgiveness."
"I told her that I wouldn't give her that kind of peace," I commented without hesitation. "She warranted my own contempt and the ones she should really work to ask for forgiveness should be Asia and Issei-"
"But I think you are missing something about this very predicament that you yourself should know well about," Lilith hummed quietly, red eyes sporting some curiosity. "Weren't you the one giving her assistance over that arranged marriage issue in exchange of 'peace', the very help she shunned by trying to get that ludicrous deal from Diodora?"
I tensed a little at the mentioning of the now-deceased bastard, my eyes narrowing at the curious query she had just forwarded.
"Yes, I did help her at first and-"
"Forgive me if I interrupt you here, but I wish to ask you if that also broke the trust you had with her?" Lilith pressed on. "Did that sudden development bring or not the end of some 'treaty' of sort?"
I blinked, my mind grasping just a little of her comment. "You mean to tell me that, she is trying to-"
"Mend the broken bridge, the first of many." The former Queen admitted with a sigh. "While that wouldn't do much over the lovely blonde and the easy-to-tease brunet, I reckon that it would be the first true step towards her redemption."
"So why isn't she even trying to talk to me if this was the case?" I poked at her guess. "Why wouldn't she just-"
"Forgive me again," The woman interrupted again. "But you did also say that she did already ask for forgiveness from you, didn't she?"
I slowly nodded, starting to feel fairly uneasy at how much the woman was quickly dismantling the thought behind Rias' current attempt at seeking forgiveness.
"Then why would she want to waste time with senseless and empty air when she can easily prove it to you with a fight?"
I frowned at that, blinking at the blunt reasoning. "But fighting wouldn't-"
"It would prove a change from her part," She interjected once again. "That little Rias is finally walking towards a brighter route compared to the little potential growth she would attained by keeping her ways."
"So… this is going to be a thing? Really?" I questioned, drawing a brief chuckle out of her.
"T-Truly easy to convince, aren't you?"
I snorted at that mirthful query.
"Are you kidding?" I half-asked back to her. "You literally steam-rolled any attempt to debunk this theory coming from me, so I don't think easy fits well with-"
"Attention, the competitors are requested to take position by the section of the seats left to them. The first round will start soon. I repeat-"
I turned at the sudden warning, ready to end the discussion here but the woman decided to throw just one last thing before letting me go.
"Good luck with Vali, sonny~." She smiled widely and I blinked at that.
"You meant 'the competition', rig-"
"No, I meant Vali, sweetie," Lilith giggled as she pushed me towards the direction where the other participants were going. "He sure is going to make sure to end up fighting you, one way or another."
I decided to leave this curious statement for later as I did follow the instructions as to where to exactly go and, as I entered the slightly smaller room with multiple chairs that gave to the large battle arena, I ended up taking a seat close to the aforementioned Lucifer as the rest were taken by the rest of the participants.
The silver-haired young man glanced my way briefly before silently nodding and turning his attention right at the large screen above the arena displaying all the individual pictures of the various competitors.
Soon the monitor went dark, only to display for some moments 'Round 1' in pure white letters.
The words disappeared as two enlarged photos appeared on the electronic billboard, a 'Vs' dividing the two and showing whom was going to fight for the first match.
The first one I recognized was… Issei.
The young brunet standing out of his seat and already walking towards the small staircase that led to the arena and he was followed moments later by his opponent.
My jaws dropped as I saw a familiar dark-haired man smiling, a shadow-like dog keeping by his side as he followed the young Host of the Red Dragon to the setting of their fight, my brain having to reboot as I connected dots.
It would seem that the first fight will be a 'Protagonist vs Protagonist' scenario, eh?
That would seem the case, yes.
I let my eyes widen in surprise as Tobio Ikuse looked genuinely interested at the younger man that he was supposed to have a battle with.
Part of me contemplated if the leader of Slash Dog was aware or not that Issei wasn't certainly going to be a breeze, especially with his Boosted Gear capable of giving him a strong Balance Breaker and semi-Juggernaut Drive.
The two took position, the arbiter being a young woman I couldn't recognize appearing as a hologram by the fighters' side and… she started to count.
"5, 4, 3."
Issei smiled nervously, his Boosted Gear appearing on his arm.
"2."
Tobio returned the smile with a smirk, his magic already bubbling act in preparation.
"1."
I blinked, feeling excited for this glorious moment and-
"Start!"
It began, the two rushing at each other, ready to prove their worth against another!
~Issei's POV~
Keeping up with the speed displayed by the clearly-more experienced Sacred Gear Host, Issei was definitively understanding why Baraqiel-sensei had praised so much the young man he was facing first in this tournament.
Tobio Ikuse, former student to the Nephilim Institute, Leader of one of the best-known squad in Grigori (Team SLASH/DOG) and holder of Canis Lykaon.
This Sacred Gear was mostly unknown to him, only that Baraqiel had deemed it capable of fending off the Boosted Gear and that Hoitsu-senpai had held off against it when it had gone berserk.
Nothing much, but still enough to offer him a scope of the potential of said inner ability.
Sadly, this was hardly going to matter if the brunet didn't manage to retaliate with the current disadvantage imposed by the flexibility displayed by the 'Bartender'.
Friendly as he might look to be, Tobio-san was indeed holding little against him and the punches that managed to get through his defense were starting to sting on his skin even though was a Devil.
Magical-wise, Issei's core was very close to the quantity coming from the full human, something that meant a lot considering how much training he had gone through to reach this level.
His reserves had been rather low in his early days as a Devil, something that had been as annoying as the fact he had been a 'Pawn' to her peerage.
Then he was sent to train with Baraqiel, Asia joining him with a minor focus compared to his much-needed growth in terms of power.
Being a Devil and having something as powerful as the Red Dragon Emperor as his Sacred Gear, the brunet was put to hell and back for the sake of bringing out the vast potential held within himself and his inner ability.
Stress, fatigue and blood were major variables in the month that saw him delving in preparation for something this huge to happen.
While his interest over ladies 'in that specific way' was mostly gone, his childish intrigue over epic and flashy fights hadn't never left him alone.
He could still remember when he had fought with Vali against Kokabiel, or rather 'steamrolled' the Fallen Angel until he ceased to be a menace to the world; the experience had been annoyingly disappointing, mostly because the preparation had been 'overkill' against the threat that was the now-deceased rogue member of Grigori.
Then he had gone in Tokyo, fighting against numerous low-tier monsters attacking civilians without hesitation nor mercy.
That defense did bring him some satisfaction as he was saving innocent lives while also dealing with the horde of fiends attacking the capital of the nation.
Fast-forward to now, after weeks of difficult training… Issei was genuinely happy that he was actually doing this well against someone as old as Tobio.
The human didn't have the same means to grow so quickly, but what he couldn't make in terms of power and magic, he did with ingenuity and cleverness.
Two elements that were now helping the Hyoudou build up some resistance against the exchange dominated by the man, enough to provide him time to think and plan out something to counter this one-sided fight.
He huffed as he silently and suddenly gained a Boost, something that seemed to catch by surprise the dark-haired fellow as one of the punches finally bypassed his own guards.
The impact was enough to create some distance, enough for Issei to drop momentarily the boost and reset the counter without suffering from the drain imposed by the improvement.
It was something that just a few holders of the Sacred Gear had been able to do in the past, the full mastery of the Boost determined by a 'clear mind over unwavering emotions', or being capable of steeling their own minds before the intensity of some situations.
The pressure was palpable this close on, Tobio truly feeling like a giant to face this soon but… he had to try.
At least for his friends and… Asia.
The mere mentioning of the blonde's name was enough to renew Issei's determination as his opponent appeared to be coated in shadows, only to become something similar to a bipedal wolf-like monster of darkness.
A shroud of negativity reached towards him and it clicked on his mind what he was looking as as numerous black swords and several small-sized wolves started to rush towards him.
It was his Balance Breaker, he mused quickly before bringing up his Scale Mail.
With his dragonic wings in full display, the boy didn't hesitate to use them to boost his greater speed, swiftly engaging both blades and animals before those could pile up against him.
His first intervention granted him some relief as it seemed to push Tobio to rush to the rescue of his support, giving him the chance of capitalizing at the sudden closeness of his opponent.
He boosted thrice, his body now feeling some strain as he started to exploit the immediate shock at his aggressive stance, pushing the older Sacred Gear holder to a more defensive approach.
Breaching his guard, Issei punched and kicked without restraint as he was aware of the full extent of his opponent's power, what kind of incredible magnitude it had once the user started to get serious.
He just had to keep the wolf-like foe stunned and unbalanced while he landed as much damage as possible, hopefully getting to bring him to a frail enough state to conclude this match.
But just like a certain Murphy would say, plans do tend to fail at first contact and his little hope was crushed the moment he felt a snarl and his last punch didn't cause any visible reaction out of his opponent.
Eyes widened, Issei jumped back and away as Tobio brought up a scimitar-like blade to strike him but only ending up nicking part of his armored arms.
Time to bring up the big guns.
A small orb of red energy formed in front of his closed palm, his fist slamming against it and directing it at the irritated man as a beam of pure magical energy erupted from the sphere.
The wave slammed quickly against Tobio, surprising the foe just momentarily as he was soon pushed even further away from the recovering youth.
Yet, despite the intensity of the attack, the more-experienced fighter managed to jump away from the trajectory of the beam, rushing swiftly against Issei as the boy prepared another Dragon Shot.
The attack blitzed once again, its intensity mesmerizing but failing to land on the more cautious foe, Tobio jumping by the side and disappearing in a blur.
The brunet had just enough time to blink as he found a snarling bipedal monster slamming its fist onto his mask, creating some cracks on it and sending him slamming on the ground.
There was just a brief moment of calm before the Balance Breaker of Canis Lykaon prepared to claw at his armor and Issei decided to intervene quickly by deploying an experimental technique he had developed thanks to Baraqiel's teaching.
Since Ddraig was a dragon, the boy could theoretically make use of the intense flames available to natural-born dragons thanks to his Boosted Gear. The Balance Breaker gave him even more of a chance of succeeding as he was given some dragonic resilience to fire.
The technique was fairly complex in details as it required utmost attention and concentration, something that the safety of the training grounds allowed but the current instance hardly favored.
He had to close his eyes, ignore the giant scary fiend ready to claw at him, to truly find the focus required by the complicated move.
By inhaling some air to fill his lungs, Issei would then create a fire within his stomach with his own magic; using Tranfer and Boost, he would then increase the power and intensity of the flame before breathing out the now condensed flame out of his mouth.
It was experimental as he wasn't truly a Dragon, the only resistance to fire being the one allowed by the Boosted Gear (in minor role) and from his own Balance Breaker
The Flame Blaze erupted brightly out of his lips, he could taste the fiery blast breaching out from his throat and reaching out to his opponent.
It slammed onto the Wolf's unsuspecting chest, a yelp leaving its 'lips' as the flame got him flying up above ground for some time, piercing through his Balance Breaker and causing some non-negligible damage before the brunet was forced to let go of the technique.
He felt his breath labored as Tobio dropped back on the ground a few meters away from him, the shadows dropping as he knelt for a moment in clear pain.
His clothes were damaged, his shirt ruined as burns were now present on his now visible chest, a good sign that the gamble actually paid off.
Issei dropped off the Scale Mail, his visor too cracked to allow some proper sight over the battle and his body strained a little by the experimental ability.
His throat felt hoarse and his stomach was hurting slightly as he slowly got up from the ground and prepared to make good use of his current 5 Boosts.
Rushing towards the weakened Tobio, the boy expected to conquer victory in that very moment as the man seemed to barely realize the incoming punch, eyes widening in little panic at the sudden offensive.
But before the brunet could ever get too close to the weakened foe, a snarl alerted him of some danger and he was forced to divert away as a large wolf-dog tried to cleave him with a scimitar.
The creature made by shadows was snarling at him, the blade held tightly in its maws, ready to deal some damage to the surprised young man.
The beast returned to the assault, this time its speed proving to be far too intense for Issei as some cuts started to form on his shirt and pants, a small flesh injury appearing on his cheek as he tried and failed to steer away the endless cutting he was enduring.
His body groaned at the strain he had to deal with until now, but the student decided to go a step higher and deliver the sixth Boost.
New energy, a newer drain adding to this increasing weariness as he finally got through the swift offensive-defensive nature of the wolf's stance.
Soon, the battle seemed to take a sharp turn towards a true end to the match as a kick managed to land by the head, forcing the familiar to drop the sword, while a followup got to push the beast away to recover.
The shadow-dog whined in pain and before it could jump back in action, its wobbly leg showing that the last attack did leave it with a concussion, the mutt was stopped by the silent gesture of its wounded user.
Tobio held its hands up in surrender. "I-I think this is enough," He shook his head, a small smile appearing as Issei nodded at him. "T-To think that you were going to be this tough… Hyoudou-san."
The Boosts were all dropped in that precise moment, relief and fatigue reaching out for the brunet as the young man smiled at the words. "T-Too kind, Ikuse-san."
The bartender smiled back. "T-Tobio," He said as he was slowly helped up by the brunet and Jin. "Y-You may call me Tobio-"
"Then p-please, call me Issei, Tobio-san." The youth interjected tiredly, drawing a bigger smile from the nodding man as they both retired to the stands, medics ready with bandages and Phoenix Tears.
Their ears at that point were deafened by the roaring of the people excited by the concluded battle, the monitor returning to life as it displayed the 'highlights' of the fight before announcing Issei as the winner of that match.
"Winner of the First Round, Issei Hyoudou."
The spectators roared once again, everyone praising both brawlers as they retreated away and the second match prepared to be delivered.
As Issei left a thankful Tobio to the medics, he glanced at the large screen as he walked up the stairs, his attention taken by surprise as the next match-up was proclaimed.
He would have expected the match to be about someone that truly wasn't attached to their group so that he could enjoy some fights without having to worry about any of his friends.
But fate is a cruel thing and what ensued was indeed… stunning.
"Second Round! Kunou Sakakibara vs Rossweisse!"
This- This could really make things awkward and… explosive…
Oh fuck.
AN
Ise is a smart boy, he is here to delight people by going for a full fight with the protagonist of the second franchise written by Ishibumi (DxD being actually the third).
Rias is here too and boy, oh boy, she will make some mincemeat of her opponents!
A hint for next chapter? Well, I can think of just one: Do you believe in Gravity?
Lastly, I want to give a shootout to Siegfried XIII and his story RWBY: Glyphed Swordsman. Truly an amazing story and I'm more than honored that it was inspired by Magical Trickster DxD. Just like I said in that review, Keep up the good work! :)
Future milestone 1: 1080 Followers and Favorite.
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REVIEW Q&A!
BatCornMan: More like, Big Brother Instinct. Something far stronger than Mastered UI. XD
Edgar115: It depends on the story. Sometimes her cuteness is just used incessantly while her role is like that, a cute girl and nothing else. Worry not, Asia is indeed taking part in the tournament and her fight will be… epic!