Vessel of the King
Revision Chapter X – Prologue
"King of Combat"
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Hyoudou Issei POV
We were on our way, walking to school. The sky was clear, few clouds marked it. The sunny weather felt absolutely nice against my body; I had no doubt my two friends agreed with me.
"-And then she turned around, grinning as she slipped her panties down from her delicate thighs, revealing the best sight ever, they could ever be seen-!" Matsuda described, a perverse grin splitting itself across his face as he continued to describe certain scenes from a porno DVD that he had watched last night.
Beside him, Motohama brought his hands up to his head and began to rub it furiously, messing up his hair in the process, with a disappointed frown on his face. "Dammit! If only I was able to come!" He raged; voice loud but not yet a shout. Matsuda chuckled, delicately placing a hand onto our friend's shoulder as he raised his other hand, a thumb raised.
"Don't worry about it bro; I brought it with me. I'll let you borrow it just this time."
"A God…" Breathed Motohama, as the light that constantly covered his glasses, shifted away for just a second, though it quickly came back with force, as the light brightened as his frown curved upwards, red spreading across his face as his junior soldier most likely saluted at the wonderful news he had been given. "For truly? You did such a thing for me?" He continued, questioning the teen with a shaved head, who nodded in response, causing Motohama to break down in tears. "I'm so glad I'm friends with you man!"
"Anything for a brother," came his reply, which caused the two to clasp one another's hands and nod vigorously. "Till the day we die, man."
Smiling at the two, I decided to voice my own opinion. "Hey, we might as well make a watch out of it this night," I told the two as they turned to me, one blinking as the other's glasses shined in a strange way that one would think came from an anime. "After all, I gotta watch it too!"
"No way," Matsuda shot back immediately, shaking his head. He hooked an arm around my shoulders as he came to walk on my right. I flinched slightly at his tone, my eyes blinking in surprise, not exactly understanding what I had done to be denied. "While I respect ya, and love ya like a brother, even I don't like to be around ya all the time, you know?"
"What?" I sputtered, almost shouting. Lowering my volume, I continued as I pushed away from the swordsman. "Why?"
He raised an eyebrow as if to ask me if I seriously asked such a no-brainer question. "Your left hand, obviously."
Tilting my head, I was confused. I almost voiced this confusion, but then I remembered. Breathing out a sigh as I hung my head dejectedly, shoulders slumping, my feet continued to carry me towards the school's entrance.
"Not like he could control it, you know," Motohama said from my left, causing me to perk up slightly at hearing this. "Doesn't make it any less forgivable though, but at least the ladies don't swarm around him as much anymore. You know. After finding out about his uselessness and perversion."
Shoulders somehow slumping down, even more than before, I mumbled out some curses as the entrance finally came into view. Raising my head, I stared blankly ahead as the name of the institution that we attended danced within my mind.
'Kuoh Magic Academy,' I thought to myself, staring at the impressive building as it came into view, rising over the wall we had found ourselves walking next to. 'A school that was founded around a century or so ago by a group of Devils from the Gremory Clan – but while I say that, it's also co-owned by the Sitri Clan. Currently, it was in the capable and sexy hands of Rias, President of the Occult Research Club and Sona, President of the Student Council, the heiresses of the Gremory and Sitri respectively.'
Frowning suddenly, I stared at the group of students that was surrounding what appeared to be an argument. I looked over my right shoulder to see what my friend's immediate thoughts were and saw that they were equally as confused as me, though Motohama also looked a bit curious as he sped up slightly.
"You think some babe just transferred in?" Motohama whispered though it was loud enough to be heard by the two of us. Matsuda simply shrugged, his eyes never leaving the commotion up ahead, while I just shook my head.
"Oh, right," Matsuda suddenly raised his voice, causing us to look back at him. "Didn't you say something was going to go down today? Like, a transfer or something?" Motohama shrugged, though he didn't deny this, as he checked his watch, confirming that we weren't running late.
"It's what I was told thanks to my Sacred Gear, [Cognition Spark], but it isn't like I get a clear view of the details anyway," He replied with a sigh, slugging forward without motivation, though I couldn't really tell if he was just pretending to not be excited at the prospect of a new babe to ogle. "Whatever it is, we'll see what's up when we get over there." Attempting to hide a perverted grin, the answer to my previous question was given to me, as if one was asking what color the sky was.
Grinning slightly, I thought about his Sacred Gear as we began moving down the sidewalk, almost at a jog, as we quickly approached the opened gate leading onto the school premises, pushing past anyone that was in the way, just so we can check out what was going on.
[Cognition Spark] is a Mid-tier Time-based Sacred Gear that can see a small clip of the future, though the wielder will recollect only a small amount of information from their viewing. In this scenario, Motohama was checking what was going to be happening tomorrow and came up with the answer that there would be a new student and messaged us about this new info late last night. While it can come in handy at times, in most situations, it was next to useless due to the strange requirements.
While I didn't know what they were, because Motohama kept quiet about it almost religiously, and I was too lazy to look it up in the Sacred Gear Database, I thought of it as a pretty clever Sacred Gear. When it works, it works, as they say.
As we pushed past the last few students that were blocking the scene, we saw that the argument had been between Sona Sitri, the Student Council President, a third-year, and one of the Three Great Ladies of Kuoh, and a student that I didn't recognize.
He had rich, tanned skin that appeared to have been burnt onto his flesh, like a darker shade of honey, though it didn't really look that bad, and orange-red eyes that resembled a flickering flame, appearing almost like a shade of gold. He was rather well-built, with a toned and lean body filled with muscles left, right, and center, and little fat. He had short, unkempt and slightly wavy blond hair which fell down to his thinly-cut eyebrows and ears on the side, though some amount of effort was clearly put into combing them to the sides, which revealed most of his forehead, if not for some stray strands of hair.
He wore the standard Kuoh Magic Academy's male uniform, though there were a few modifications. He wore the black blazer that has white accents unbuttoned, over a white, short-sleeved dress shirt that wasn't tucked into his pants, nor was it buttoned up at the top, which has black highlights and an untied black ribbon hung around his collar, matching black pants, and black sneakers with red lining the sides that were in the pattern of flames.
While he was vaguely familiar to me for some reason, he wasn't a girl – and this fact caused me to hang my head down in slight depression. I could also see why an argument had started between him and Sona – this was due to the several dress code violations that he was committing in broad daylight. 'Sona-Kaichou is such a stickler for the rules; if she saw someone dressed like that that wasn't a transfer student, she'd tear their ears off with her yelling and then she'd sentence them to a year of detention. As for transfer students? Well, she'd end it with a long-ass lecture and then give them a month of detention. A week if they behave.'
Beside me, Motohama sighed dejectedly. "So, it's not a cute girl," he muttered, disappointed at the prospect of losing a new girl to ogle. "And here I thought I could add a new post to my three-sizes notebook."
"Terrible, simply, terrible," Matsuda added, shaking his head, a frown working its way up onto his face. "And he's handsome to boot! It's really not looking up for us."
"It was never looking up for us, idiots…" I breathed out without any energy as we watched the argument between the two of them. Looking over the group of students, I saw a few Sacred Gear users, though there were mostly Magicians around us, and a few swordsmen that were also just arriving to watch the argument, curiosity etched onto their faces. 'It's getting a bit heated; literally. For some reason, now that we're this closeup, it's actually getting a bit hot and uncomfortable. Either way, should we step in? Maybe we can calm things down before they escalate even more…'
As I wiped some sweat off my forehead, the tanned teen suddenly threw his hands up into the air and practically yelled loud enough that the entire town should've heard him.
"Fine then! Who the Hell do I have to fight to get accepted even when I have the acceptance letter right here!?" Pushing the letter into her hands, Sona briefly looked over it but shook her head. While we weren't standing too far away, we also weren't too close, and because of that, it was a little difficult to make out her voice, but as we strained our ears to listen in, we managed to catch a bit.
"-in any case, I cannot simply go on such a thing alo… thur prove your identity, and since you claim that you lost your identification badge, and… impossible to even-"
As she was rambling off a list of things that went against what he had been saying, Sona was quickly interrupted as a new female entered the fray from behind. With crimson red hair, the girl who had approached from behind Sona was unmistakable. Eyes widening, I took in her beauty – and her rather large, bouncing breasts.
"Sona," she began, placing a gentle hand onto Sona's shoulder, causing the girl to scoff quietly under her breath. Rias spoke loud enough that those that had gathered around the argument could easily hear her, though the ones in the back had a bit less luck. Thankfully, we were practically front row. "I think we should at least give him a chance. And don't give me that look; you know he wouldn't be here, wearing the uniform, if he wasn't who he said he was. Plus, I did look over the information we currently possess of him, and, incomplete as it might be, he does match the appearance, at the very least."
Hearing Rias say this, Sona sighed into her hand, giving up. Straightening her glasses, she relaxed her posture, turning back to the tanned teen. "Very well; since Rias has vouched for you, I shall give you a chance. I shall thoroughly look over this letter latter, and, as unorthodox as it is, I shall figure out a method in order to validate your being here. Now then – if you were to follow me?" Turning back to Rias, she bowed her head slightly in thanks. "Thank you for your help, but can you please stay here and do my morning duty for me until the start of school? The rest of the council is currently preoccupied with some papers, so I can't call them out over here to help out."
"Of course," nodding her head with a friendly smile, Rias agreed to take over Sona's work. Seeing her off with a wave of her hand, the two departed as Rias stayed behind at the gates to greet the students as they arrived. As we approached the gates to enter, Rias sent us a smile and greeted us with a slight bow of her head.
"Good morning, Issei, Motohama, Matsuda." Ignoring the looks that we were sending her – which basically amounted to looking her up and down, memorizing every inch of her body, as we blushed at hearing her say our names – she continued to welcome each student that approached the gates, calling out to them with their first name as if she had memorized every student that attended the school, which wouldn't be far off from the truth.
Considering that she was to take over the Gremory name and estate once her parents officially retire, this was only a minor duty that she completed with complete and utter competence. 'Much better than Motohama, who remembers every girl by their three-sizes and the guys by who he most wants to kill for being handsome, anyway.' I joked to myself with a grin as the three of us walked by the crimson-haired heiress, entering the large campus that was known as the prestigious Kuoh Magic Academy.
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Yawning, I stretched my body back against my chair, tipping it slightly back, as I stretched my arms out behind me, groaning in contentment at the action. In front of me, Motohama turned around in his seat, his eyes practically glued to the student pager that we all received when we first started attending Kuoh. Pulling his chair up to my desk with its legs scraping the ground, Matsuda sat down and pressed his elbows against the surface of my desk in order to prop his head up with his hands, acting like a terrible father from a certain anime.
"Did ya find any info, glasses?" the swordsman asked, but received a shake of a head in response. "Damn, that sucks harder than a chick in a porno."
"I doubt that," I voiced in a monotone as I stared blankly at the teen, who scratched the back of his head at the joke getting shot down faster than our chances at getting dates. "Anything at all? A name, or what?"
Sighing, Motohama leaned back, though he still stared down at the pager. "Nothing worth mentioning about him so far, it's all still mostly blank. Probably just needs to update a few times to get it up, or the school hasn't put it out yet."
"You think they're blocking it?" Matsuda asked with a frown, though he seemed to doubt his words. Motohama didn't even respond to such an obvious question.
"If we had his name, then at the very least, we could search it on the web and find out where he came from, but… argh, dammit! Why couldn't it have been a cute girl with big ta-tas!?"
"Hear, hear!" the two of us cheered, raising our fists up into the air. Our loud commotion managed to draw the attention of a few other students, but their gazes were mostly filled with disgust, with a few glances of curiosity mixed within. As the girls began to whisper, most likely about our perversion, I tuned them out and focused back on the situation at hand, though even as I tried to concentrate, images from my past popped into view, most likely, triggered by their whispers – it was a rather common thing.
'In Junior High, everyone is tested in their first year to find out who possessed a Sacred Gear, and who didn't. Even if you didn't possess one, they still measure your magic power to find out if you'd make a good Magician or not,' I thought to myself, my eyes glazing over as the sounds around me began to dim away.
I could still hear it – being told what Sacred Gear that I ended up inheriting. The last possessor was often regarded as a prodigy; however, he had ended up succumbing to the effects of the Juggernaut Drive, the most powerful form of the Longinus that was sealed with a Dragon.
His name was Baron Lothrin and he surely would have grown to be one of the strongest [Boosted Gear] wielders around. However, his fate was sealed when his best friend had been killed by the former White Dragon Emperor, causing Baron to release the Juggernaut Drive. Baron had viciously killed the former wielder of [Divine Dividing], and even after having an entire army sent to capture him, he managed to tear through them.
It was through the work of several individuals who were led by the former wielder of the Longinus [Regulus Nemea], who had later disappeared in an accident which caused him to be presumed dead, that he was finally defeated and ultimately killed…
With the fear and power riding off of him, his successor would ultimately be closely watched over. The power of this Longinus – it was something that held the awe of the world. And yet, nobody would've ever expected that it would've ended up in the hands of a failure such as him.
'While I was happy at first, being treated incredibly special by everyone around me… that happiness dimmed once I faced reality. No matter how much I had trained, I was still so pitifully weak; the weakest host of the [Boosted Gear], they say.'
After hearing about how I was basically worthless as a Longinus wielder, the girls that had surrounded me had left and began to talk shit about me. The guys that called me a friend turned their backs on me. 'Really, there were probably, like, three people besides family members that actually cared about me.'
Shaking my head to hopefully dispel such depressing thoughts from my head, I couldn't help but let out a dejected sigh. Slumping back against my chair, I stared up at the ceiling with a blank look written upon my face, when all but five seconds passed before a buzzing sound emerged – a sound like that of a phone vibrating filled the air of the entire classroom, as every single student pager turned on.
Blinking, I slipped out my own pager and stared at the screen, which had the words 'update' written on it in Kanji, English, and even German – or, at the very least, those were the ones I could read. Sharing a glance with Motohama and Matsuda, the three of us pressed a finger against the screen and found that an urgent message had been sent to us; most likely, to everyone.
Navigating our ways to our messages and to the message, we (that being Matsuda and I) skimmed through the message (which Motohama read every word, but still finished at the same time as us) with wide eyes.
Lowering the pager, we shared a collective look of surprise, horror, and amazement.
"Are you fucking with us!?" one of the students shouted out as they read the message, which, was pretty apt in its description. The message read:
"The transfer student known as 'Amunya-Ra', formerly known as Theo Fakhry, one of the Ten Star Kings, listed as the King of Combat, will compete against a student in a trial-by-fire; that of a battle will take place between the two of them. The results of the bout, if he is the victor, will include his official acceptance into Kuoh Magic Academy, while his defeat, would cast him out. The reason for this occasion taking place is due to an error involved in processing his transfer papers and other such listings, and as such, according to his wishes, an official battle will be held, though it will be an unofficial 'Festival'.
The rules of this official, yet unofficial, bout, will be as disclosed upon its start. As for his opponent, he will be facing Toujou Koneko, who has been given the title of Mascot of Kuoh by the populace of Kuoh. This bout will take place at twelve o'clock, and it will not be viewed by outsiders, nor will it be recorded; those caught attempting to sneak in an outsider or record the battle will have security called on them and escorted off the premises, as well as being suspended for no less than (1) week. As such, please enjoy the Festival between a King and a Mascot.
Signed, Zeoticus Gremory. Bitru Sitri. Sirzechs Lucifer."
After reading such a message that had been, most likely, sent to the entire student body, I couldn't help but gulp. My face as pale as a Vampire's, I looked across the room, not really knowing how to react to such a proclamation.
The other students in the room had somber looks hanging about them, though a few were excited. One of those excited was, of course, Kiryuu Aika, the most perverted girl you'd probably ever find. 'Of course, she'd be excited; she gets to stare at that hunk of man meat as he beats the crap out of our adorable little Mascot.' Rolling my eyes, I released a breath I didn't even know I had been holding.
The Ten Star Kings, also known as the 'Ten Starry Eyed Youths'. They're ten individuals picked out for a variety of reasons, but they all share one commonality among them – that they're strong. For a mere Devil like Koneko, was there any hope in defeating such an adversary?
"…Shit," Motohama breathed out, visibly deflating as he slumped back against his chair. "That's just… fucked. I don't even know."
"Yeah, that changes a lot," Matsuda added, shaking his head with a hand delicately holding his temple. "I feel like a migraine is coming on. Seriously, how did they flop his transfer papers, and why is our Mascot being forced to get beaten just to prove his authenticity?"
I shook my head, but as I opened my mouth to say something, we were quickly interrupted by a certain girl who sauntered over to us, hands on her hips and small frown upon her pinkened lips. "And what does that change, Mr. Sexual Harassment Paparazzi?" The three of us scowled at her out of habit, though Matsuda didn't move to respond.
Much like Motohama, Aika was a Magician, though she didn't possess a Sacred Gear. Even so, she somehow garnered more respect from our fellow peers, even if you added all three of us together. That, my friends, is what is known as bull fucking shit.
Adjusting his glasses, Motohama was the one to bite back at her with a glint flickering across his glasses. "How do you honestly expect Koneko-chan to win against him? That's bonkers, and you know it wench."
"Get bent," Aika shot back, rolling her eyes with a huff. "No matter how strong he is, she is our Mascot; how could we cheer on someone else, rather than her? I want her to beat the shit out of him as much as anyone else; but even still, I doubt she'd get that far against him."
"…Yeah, that's about what I expected." I sighed, closing my eyes as I scratched the back of my head awkwardly. "Even still; the biggest issue we have with this is-"
"The flopped transfer papers?" Aika guessed, causing me to nod. "Yeah, I seriously doubt that's the actual case. Most likely, they want to use this as some sort of example." Crinkling her nose, she thought on what sort of example this would be, but she simply shrugged after a few moments, giving up. Motohama, however, put more thought into it.
"I think…" He started, dragging his word out as his hand held his chin. Glasses practically radiating the warmth of the sun upon us, we waited patiently, though in the case of Aika, impatiently, for him to pick out what words he wanted to use. When he finished, he smiled. "They're doing this to show us something."
"To show us?" a second girl questioned, her head tilted to the side in confusion. "Show us what?"
"Just think about it." Motohama continued, his smile holding firm. "If we recruited a King, of all people, that must mean something special… perhaps, something in the future… maybe even, we're actually going to compete in that!"
Matsuda's eyes widened at that. "Holy shiet, I would love to see that!"
"You're definitely not competing though," Aika quipped, a smirk resting on her lips. "In fact, I would be honored to take that role for myself."
"Hah, if I can't do it, then you can't either." His reply was a simple roll of the eyes. As the two, which was quickly followed by Motohama and then other classmates erupted into an argument on the subject, I stared out of the window, resting a palm against my chin.
'The Ten Star Festival… who were the winners of last year again? Oh well; it doesn't matter. One way or another, it seems like we're actually going to be getting involved in it this year. Even if it's only through this new guy, perhaps…' Shaking my head, I stared down at my desk, dropping my arms and resting my hands against my lap.
Previously, Kuoh Magic Academy had refused to get involved in this Festival, the one that had started it all. The reason wasn't born through malicious intent; in fact, it was quite the opposite. The school had supported it greatly, however, there was one problem – we never had anyone strong enough to really compete in it and actually strive to win.
Those who won in this Festival were those of the Ultimate-class, those we reached the 'A-tier' of power. There were some of High-class, or B-tier, and even fewer of those beneath them, but all the same… at the end of the day, the ones who walk away with the win, possess the most skill and power.
The Ten Star Kings: King of Kings, the King of Heroes, the King of Combat, the King of Adversity, the King of Beasts, the King of Magic, the King of Strategy, the King of Range, the King of Deception, and the King of Fools.
'Though the position of the Fools has been vacant for a decade, there are ten incredibly powerful people that fill up the top positions of this Festival in all three of its categories.
Those being single battles, team battles, and battle royales. It's practically impossible to win if one of the ten Kings participate, and they will since this Festival is solely meant for them. Though, they're locked out of participating in other Festivals, and for good reason; those Festivals judge who is worthy in standing within the rings of the Ten Star Festival. Though there are other ways to get invited, it's generally believed that winning is the best strategy to get in.'
Gulping, I looked back at my pager, rereading the message. Placing a hand against my chest, I felt my quick heart rate. Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump. It went on and on like that, and then, the bell ring… the promised time has at last arrived.
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No POV
The crowd cheered, a roar so loud within the stadium that the students were in, even though it was soundproof, it wouldn't be out of place if someone outside could hear the shouting of those within. Usually, matches between students wouldn't draw enough attention to bring about this level of excitement, however, this particular match wasn't a normal one.
The Mascot of Kuoh; Toujou Koneko, is indeed popular, however, out of all of the matches that she has taken place in, this one had gone far beyond what is normal for her. Within the stadium, the number of seats more than doubles the student population of the school – however, every single student was attending this event, something that no ordinary match could draw in. Even special events wouldn't see a crowd like this form.
Formerly known as Theo Fakhry, now called Amunya-Ra – the current King of Combat. He was certainly an imposing figure to behold, much more so than the tiny Mascot, however, the current consensus of the students watching this match favored that of Koneko, even though her defeat was assured. The shining star, that of the power of the Kings, was her opponent. That wasn't something that the power of friendship or even intensive training could hope to match that flame.
Only a few individuals within that stadium didn't deny reality, Koneko herself being one of those. The others were those in Rias and Sona's peerages, a few seniors, and a few other students, one being the current host of the Red Dragon Emperor. There were also the teachers to take into account as well, especially that of the principal and vice-principal, Zeoticus Gremory and Bitru Sitri.
Zeoticus and Bitru were both watching in the far back of the stadium, the former leaning against the wall with his arms crossed with the later sitting in a chair that he had brought himself, placing it next to his friend. Beside them, though several meters away, stood Sirzechs Lucifer, who wore a confident grin on his face. He was also the person who had requested Amunya-Ra to transfer to Kuoh, however, he also purposefully botched the transfer papers so that this very event could be held.
Sirzechs Lucifer shared only a tiny part of his plan with the King of Combat, however, most of it wasn't given. The first stage was this very event; to fill the hearts of those who attend Kuoh with that of confidence and hope, power and eagerness. His plan was to further the growth of the students, with the Red Dragon Emperor, Hyoudou Issei, at the forefront as the King of Combat led the charge forward. It was for this reason, that he had to show off the power of one who had reached the top.
As the crowds' cheering continued, finally, at long last, the lights dimmed, before concentrating on the magically enhanced arena that had been build in the middle of the stadium in the form of a square. Seeing this happen, the students' clapped and cheered, shouting out words of encouragement for Koneko to somehow pull off a victory, and for Amunya-Ra to lose. As magic circles appeared on one side of the arena, the cheering erupted into a louder pitch of force as Koneko walked out of the smoke, her usual blank expression written upon her face.
On the other side of the arena, mirroring the girl, though with a confident grin and half-glare on his face, walked out Amunya-Ra, who received jeers instead of words of encouragement. However, he didn't seem to mind the negative reaction, as he simply waved his hand towards the audience, confidence evident with each and every step he took as he closed the gap between himself and his opponent.
As the two neared one another and stopped within their ring, a magic circle whizzed into existence far above the ring, which blasted out a loud and grating sound, similar to that of scratching your nails against a blackboard, causing the watchers to cry out in pain as they settled down. Once the noise dissipated, a new voice broke out over the newfound silence.
"Laaaaadies and gentlemen, I would like to welcome you to our very first Festival in this new year of school!" a feminine voice spoke through a magic circle, which acted as her mic, with a very eager and excited voice. "I'm your host Shimizu Yachi, also known as the Voice of Kuoh, its greatest announcer and President of the Radio Broadcasting Club! I'm, like, suuuuuper excited to be announcing our first single combat of the year! Ahem, lowering the volume a sec, it'll be between our lovely Mascot of Kuoh and the outrageous and powerful, esteemed King of Combat! Like, holy shit!?"
Letting the audience raise their voice once more in cheer, Yachi looked over towards the ring, excitement bubbling up in her chest. Tightening her left hand into a fist, her smile widened, and she continued her announcement, the many voices of the audience quieting down as they heard her continue, lest they risk the sound from before.
"Iiiiiinnnnnn the red corner, we have our Mascot of Kuoh, Toujou! Koneko!" Hearing this, the student body collectively shouted out in support of the petite girl, as the girl in question, raised her right hand, almost as if she was announcing her victory, which earned her even louder cheers. "And in the blue corner, a newcomer is approaching, earning the wrath of the 'oho, are you approaching me' meme! The prestigious title of 'King', one of the Ten Stars that stand at the top of all of the Festivals in the world, is Amunya-Ra, formerly known as Theo Fakhry, the current King of Combat!"
The audience cheered, though it was much weaker than their cheering for Koneko, and obviously forced. However, ignoring this, Amunya-Ra raised his left hand, flames bursting out over his arm, before spreading up into the air, taking the shape of an Eastern Dragon, which roared brilliantly before disappearing. This act caused the audience to cease in their half-hearted cheering, and then, perhaps out of sheer excitement of what they just saw, the cheering intensified.
However, hardly seconds later, Yachi cut in, quieting the audience. "Shush now! Ahem, now that we have our combatants, there is only one thing left to say, right? What was it again? Could someone remind me?" At her smirk, the audience shouted out loudly, a certain word as they swung their fist up in a rhythm as the first part of the word was said, stomping their right foot as the second was uttered.
"Smack! Down! Smack! Down! Smack! Down!"
"Ah, yes, that!" Yachi shouted, tapping her head with her knuckles with a 'teehee' sort of expression. "At the end of the count of ten, we will begin our match with that very word! Now then, everyone, let's count! Ten!"
As the girl began her countdown with a flourish of the hand, she slowly counted down to one. On the right side of the arena, stood Toujou Koneko. White hair helped frame her face as her hazel eyes narrowed in preparation and anticipation. She wore a short cut white kimono, which covered her from the waist up, over her shoulders, and down to her wrists and a light blue skirt. White knee-high socks rose up from her feet, where white sandals were strapped over her feet. On the left and right side of her temple, held in her bangs, was a black cat-shaped hair clip. This outfit that Koneko was wearing – it was only adorned when she was serious about fighting, something that the audience only really sees when she participates in Festivals with the rest of her peerage, hardly ever shown when fighting alone.
On the left side of the arena, stood Amunya-Ra, who also foregone his school uniform, now wearing his trademarked outfit designed specifically for him for the sole purpose of fighting and conquering his opponent, whoever they were.
He wore a red cloak around his waist that fell down to his calf, though it was tattered at the bottom, and it was over brown, slightly baggy, pants, which went down to about the same area. He had on dark brown leather straps around his feet which covered up to above the ankle with red fabric covering the middle, though the leather revealed his toes and his heel. There was also a matching red top, similar to the cloak, that had its sleeves torn off with the hem of it being equally as tattered as the cloak.
Though as the girl slowly counted down from ten, he grabbed the top with his right hand over his left shoulder and ripped it right off of him, throwing it back behind him with a savage grin, blood pumping wildly as steam rose up from his body as his body temperature rose with his excitement.
"Three! Two! One! SMACKDOOOOOOOOOWN!" Yachi quickly finished her counting and shouted this out with the rest of the crowd, who immediately erupted into cheering as the line was finished, excitement bubbling off of them like the waves of an ocean.
At that same time, Koneko burst forward, leaving a small crater where her feet once stood as she made a straight line towards her opponent. Due to the arena having been enhanced through magical means, this showed she was truly taking this fight seriously and was practically going full force from the very start.
Seeing her come straight at him, Amunya-Ra laughed, spreading his feet apart and readying his fists as she quickly approached, placing them up to chest level. As the smaller girl closed the distance between the two, he tensed up his right arm, pulling his fist back, however, narrowing his eyes, he ceased his attack as Koneko moved.
Throwing herself to her right, Koneko began to move around him, keeping him ten meters from her at all times. Not too close, but not too far.
The King watched her movements closely, anticipating how she'll attack at any given moment, his body remaining unmoving as his eyes tracked her every movement. Bouncing around him, leaving small imprints in the stone, Koneko was practically a white blur as she moved, her hazel eyes watching him carefully, attempting to figure out how he'd react to her speed.
While Koneko was reincarnated with the Rook Evil Piece, she was by no means a slouch when it came to speed. While her fellow peerage member, Kiba Yuuto, was far faster than her thanks to him being reincarnated with the Knight Evil Piece, she was still conscious of this important part of combat, and as such, as she trained up her defense and endurance, she improved her speed right alongside her strength.
However, this level of speed wasn't anything worth mentioning to the one she was facing.
Breathing out steam from his mouth, Amunya-Ra whirled around as Koneko closed in for the attack, elbowing the girl in the gut, causing her to spit out blood as he shouted at the same time.
"Don't underestimate the power of a King!" Blasting her away from him with only pure, physical force, Amunya-Ra shouted in victory as Koneko hit the ground hard, sliding against it painfully. However, she wasn't out of the count yet, as she flung herself up and to her feet by slapping the ground.
But as her feet made contact with the stone surface beneath her, she immediately ducked as the King of Combat's left leg was swung at her head. Before she could even go on the offensive, Amunya-Ra flung his body down, facing away from the girl, placing both of his hands against the stone. Then, lifting his legs, he began to twirl them around himself, stepping around with his hands in a circle so that his body spun around and attacked at the same time.
Koneko raised her guard, taking each kick against her forearms, but after the fourth impact, her arms were flung above her, and the fifth kick was delivered straight to her chin, knocking her airborne. Smirking, the King tensed his body, lowering his arms so that his head almost rested against the stone, before pushing his hands against the stone, and flinging himself up from it, following after the Devil like a missile.
Delivering a solid kick to her gut, he blasted her even farther into the air, landing several moments before her. Hitting the ground, Koneko's body felt numb to her, however, she was still able to get up. Breathing out erratically, she stared at the ground for a moment, vision hazy. Closing her eyes, she controlled her breathing, quieting her heartbeat, and opened her eyes with a glare.
Amunya-Ra smirked, walking towards her with his left hand held against his hip. "Is that all?" He questioned her as he approached the petite girl, who quickly shook her head. Gritting her teeth, she felt the energy within her, and dragged it out, covering her body in her own power. Blinking, Amunya-Ra whistled, feeling the wind pushing against his body. "Touki, huh? This should be-"
However, the rest of his words were interrupted as Koneko flung herself forward, much faster than she was previously, as she returned the favor from before, elbowing the King in the gut. Peeking up out of her hair, were her cat ears, and coming out from behind her, slipping out from her skirt, was her tail, which was split into two. Koneko was now serious – enough so that she was able to land a strong blow against even the King of Combat.
But alas, the blow hardly fazed him, even as he took a single step back with a grunt. Widening her eyes in surprise, Koneko flung her head to her left as Amunya-Ra's fist came down upon her, narrowly missing it, however, as if anticipating her dodge, he kicked up with his left leg, nailing her straight in the chest and causing her Touki to break slightly, launching her body away from him.
Twirling around in the air and fixing her Touki, she gathered energy into her palms, creating orbs which radiated a bright light. The orbs then grew in size, taking on the shape of a wheel that was covered by white flames. As her body began to fall down, Koneko tossed the Kasha she held in her left hand first at the King, before following it up with the one in her right hand.
Moving into stance, Amunya-Ra punched the first Kasha with his fist covered in rich red flames with orange tips and kicked the second apart.
As the Kasha were destroyed, they were blasted apart, the white flames of purification created through that of Youjutsu covering his vision momentarily. In that time, Koneko landed on the ground and used her Senjutsu to dim the feeling of her life energy and presence, allowing her to slip under the King's radar and made her way around him into his blind spot with her enhanced speed.
As the Kasha dissipated fully, Amunya-Ra narrowed his eyes as he couldn't spot Koneko. In his combat stance, he began to slowly turn towards his left, keeping a close eye on his surroundings as he did so. Rushing towards him Koneko silently jumped up, intending to knee him in the back of his head, but somehow sensing her attack, Amunya-Ra twirled around on the ball of his left foot, moving his body underneath her attack.
Surprised, Koneko could offer no defense as the man flipped himself around her, throwing his right ankle down upon her body, forcing her directly down into the spot he had just been standing in, creating a crater the size of a boulder.
Amunya-Ra tucked in his legs, intending to crush her with his knees, but the girl was able to roll away from the attack even as her body shook in pain.
However, the King stopped his attack just short of colliding with the ground, much to the surprise of Koneko and the audience. Smirking, he fell forward, grabbing the ground with his hands, and lifted his legs into a handstand, which he immediately let his body fall forward towards Koneko. Eyes widening, she raised her arms and blocked the two kicks that came down upon her, but her strength was quickly outmatched, the blow strong enough that it pushed her back and caused her to stumble, hitting the ground hard.
Amunya-Ra righted himself instantly from where he lay and continued to attack, Koneko having no choice but to force her aching body to move. Jumping out of the crater, the King followed without missing a single beat.
Reaching her, Koneko backing away, Amunya-Ra flung his right fist forward, but stopped just short of her raised arm held in defense. Realizing his initial attack was just a feint, Koneko quickly ducked underneath a twirl that would've landed a kick to her face and hopped back as he brought his leg down to the ground.
Rushing forward, the two continued this song and dance, as Koneko dodged his attacks with all she had as Amunya-Ra attacked her with enough strength to overwhelm her, but slow enough that she was just barely able to dodge her.
As the crimson-haired Lucifer watched the fight with narrowed eyes, he realized what the King of Combat was doing. 'He's making her waste energy with each and every dodge. Every time she blocks his hard blows, her arm numbs even more. Sooner or later, her movements will become sluggish and she will easily be defeated. How much is he even using? A tenth of his power? This is quite simply amazing for someone who lived as a human. This level of combat experience and knowledge is something that only a war veteran would have access to.'
Roughly thirty seconds after Sirzechs realized what the King's game plan was, Koneko did as well. Frowning, she attempted to get away from him, if only to catch her breath for a short moment, however, he followed her closely.
Koneko was never able to leave his grasp, and as the fight continued onwards, Koneko's body grew too tired to keep dodging his attacks, and her arms were too numb to properly lift and block his swings.
Seeing this Amunya-Ra moved into his last stage of the battle. Pulling his right hand back, his red-hot flames emerged from his skin, bubbling over his flesh with enough heat that even the audience could feel it.
However, his red-hot flames grew in intensity, sparks blasting off of the flames, as his fire changed. The flames wrapped around his arm tightly, much like that of armor, turning from a brilliant shade of red, into a cobalt blue that sent chills down Koneko's spine. The inside of this fire was white, the same kind that her Kasha had taken earlier.
"This is my King's Iunu! Take it and collapse!" The flame surged forward, transitioning into that of a familiar sight that those watching recognized instantly; it was the same Dragon that he had created before the battle had started, except it was blue in its design. The Dragon roared, coiling around Amunya-Ra's arm, before launching forward as he punched towards Koneko. Raising her arms with wide eyes, she attempted to block the attack – however, it was by no means a physical attack. It could not be blocked with such a simple guard.
The Dragon rushed over her, its flames burning into her body and throwing her back with it, consuming her in its entirety. With her eyes opened, she compared the feeling to being swept away by a river – except this river was that of flames and heat.
As the Dragon roared one final time, its fire dyed down into mere embers, before dissipating completely. Amunya-Ra raised his right arm, eyes closed, and confidence grin etched upon his facial features.
Koneko was sprawled out on the ground, unmoving and unconscious. Her kimono and skirt were both damaged, burnt in some places and burned away completely in others. Her left shoulder was led bare, and part of her bra could be seen. Her white knee-high socks were barely hanging on, and her once beautiful and pale skin, was now marred by burns in some places. Her body trembled ever so slightly from the pain that it had experienced, but thankfully, she was unable to feel it due to being unconscious.
The audience watched on; eyes wide as they forgot how to breathe. Even the announcer, who had been speaking as the match progressed, reporting on what was happening and making her own guesses, was speechless by the end of the battle.
Seeing that the current situation wouldn't be resolved quickly if left alone, a single voice spoke out over the silence, shattering it like thin glass. Through the use of magic to amplify the magnitude of his voice, the current Lucifer and leader of the Underworld took a single step forward, speaking out with words directed to the student body that was frozen at the exchange that they had just watched and towards that of the winner.
"And as such, after this battle, we finally have concluded our first Festival. Our winner – the one who defeated the Rook of Rias Gremory, Toujou Koneko, in single combat, was Amunya-Ra! As per the rules of this engagement, his entry into this school will no longer be blocked and he will henceforth be transferred into Kuoh effective immediately! However, he will also be requested to start up a certain club that had remained in disuse for some time now – the Disciplinary Committee, as per our agreement.
If there is anyone who wishes to argue over the results of this battle and decision, then please, make yourself known or forever hold your peace." Looking around the audience with a leveled gaze, Sirzechs took in the baffled stares of the students and their looks of awe, before smiling, lowering his head slightly with his eyes closed. "With that said and over and done with, there is one last announcement I wish to make before ending this Festival, and school alongside it." Hearing his words, the students became confused, though Amunya-Ra merely turned away from the sight of Sirzechs, smirking in anticipation.
"Later this year, I wish for this school to participate in the Ten Star Festival with Amunya-Ra leading the charge! I wish for you all to train and study as much as you can. Participate in every Festival you possibly can and raise your rank! I wish for this school to become known to everyone in the world. I'm sure you all feel that way; and to make this plan succeed, Amunya-Ra has volunteered to train any of you that are willing and ready!" Smirking as he announced this, Sirzechs watched Amunya-Ra turn back to him, a baffled look on his face. Though the King quickly smiled in eager anticipation, Sirzechs still found amusement in how he had surprised him with this plan. As the Devil King smiled, a red circle spun to life beneath him, releasing a faint crimson glow as his personal symbol was displayed on it underneath his feet.
"As I had said earlier, school is now adjourned. Though it was admittedly a short day due to this event, please do not think that any homework that has already been assigned to you today does not need to be done by tomorrow; please consult with any of the teachers that you have been with today to make sure you have acquired your homework for today if you were somehow unable to do so earlier. And with that, please have a wonderful rest of the day."
With those words, Sirzechs sent a quick wave towards the students before disappearing in a crimson light. As he disappeared, the students began to whisper amongst themselves, but before traction could be formed, Zeoticus stepped forward and Bitru stood up, clearing his throat as he did so, which quickly gathered the attention of the students once more.
"Much like my son as already said, school is over for today," Zeoticus began eagerly, a smile easily spotted resting on his face. "As such, I would also like to commend you all for being able to attend our prestigious school and for following the rules that were listed for this engagement. I hope to see you all again another day, and with that said, please have a good day and study well." Bowing his head slightly with his eyes closed, which was followed by Bitru, the two disappeared in a similar manner as Sirzechs, though Bitru disappeared in blue light in contrast to their crimson one.
Staring in shock at where the three had once stood, the student body slowly began to whisper among themselves as they prepared to leave. Some looked over the arena, at the wreck that it had become, watching the victor leave as Rias Gremory and her Queen and Knight rushed over to help her fallen Rook.
With the defeat of Toujou Koneko, the Rook of Rias Gremory, this event marked the beginning of Amunya-Ra's acceptance into Kuoh Magic Academy, an institution that had been formed slightly more than a century ago by Zeoticus Gremory with the aid of Bitru Sitri.
Even more centuries ago, a terrible war had started and ended, which was known as the Great War. A battle fought between the Three Factions of the Underworld, Heaven, and Grigori. This war had been what led to humanity finding out about the existence of the Supernatural, and while some at the time attempted to deny this fact, even more so embraced it or became fearful of it.
While the exact specifics were left unknown due to that of time, the event of this war lay shrouded in mystery. With the events of this war, the world was soon split apart into several groups led by that of the various Religions and mythology – however, there were some places, such as Kuoh, where a separate Faction managed to build a foothold into another's territory.
The creation of these educational institutes to help train humans to combat the Supernatural was made after years of war had been fought following the Great War, which was known as the Resulting War, which served to exhaust the various mythologies and religions across the globe as they fought to gather the most 'resources', which were humans that were born with special gifts, called Sacred Gears, or talents that let them combat even Gods. Because of this, humans had attached themselves to various groups of Supernatural entities, helping them grow and reshaping their society in ways that were thought to be impossible, or created their own society as they fought back against them, attempting to establish an area for humans to govern.
One of these examples was Amunya-Ra himself. A human that had previously been taught by humans, and who had become something much more than human due to the interference of others.
No matter how the globe may spin, life will always continue and prosper – it was this principle which eventually brought the wars to an eventual close as darkness was pushed back, though now it rests in a delicate balance. A single spark can spell an all-out war, even if the one responsible for such an action hadn't meant it in the first place. Each side possesses humans – bearers of legendary weapons, Sacred Gears, and incredible potential.
'If the war continued in this era… which side will fall first? Which Faction will survive as the rest crumbles beneath their feet?' Those thoughts ran through the minds of the various leaders of each Faction and Pantheon. However, the answer was truly unknown. Some believed that they would survive and even come to rule the world – but others believed it was impossible to deduce the answer due to the nature that made up a human being.
The fickleness of a Devil.
The cleverness of a Fallen Angel.
The kindness of an Angel.
The arrogance of a God.
The dominance of a Dragon.
The potential of a human being is endless, and thus, that is what makes them up. In this era, it is the collective will of humanity that will push the state of the world into either war or peace, the Supernatural watching on with eager anticipation and bated breath.
"At least, that is, what should happen," a single voice spoke out from where it sat, staring up at the clouds as they rolled on by. The being in the form of a small girl smiled, though it was one that did not meet its eyes. "Humans are weak, but they are, strong. How will they, fare in such, circumstances? I wonder…" Disappearing through the air, leaving only the faintest trace of black mist in her wake, the Ouroboros finally moves.
§
Student Info Pages
Name: Theo Fakhry
Nickname: Amunya-Ra, Ammon
Title: King of Combat
Gender: Male
Age: 17
DOB: December 12th
Race: Human
Rank: [Access Denied!]
Year: High School 2nd
Sacred Gear: N/A
Weapon: N/A
Faction: [Access Denied!]
Value: [Access Denied!]
Piece(s): N/A
Club: Disciplinary Committee
Notes: There may be a possible connection to the Egyptian Pantheon due to the new name he goes by and his preferred nickname. His fighting style consists of hand-to-hand combat, so close quarter against him is unwise. He also possesses Pyromancy, so beware of his flames.
Student Comments: "Kill this son of a bitch!" "This Theo Fuckery guy needs to get taught a lesson!" "How dare he hurt our sweet little Koneko-chan!?" "Hey guys, maybe he's a chill dude?" "Whoever wrote the comment above me, kill him!" "I agree!"
§
Name: Toujou Koneko
Nickname: N/A
Title: Mascot of Kuoh
Gender: Female
Age: 16
DOB: November 23rd
Race: [Access Denied!] Reincarnated Devil
Rank: Low-class Devil
Year: High School 1st
Sacred Gear: N/A
Weapon: N/A
Faction: Underworld
Value: 5
Piece(s): Rook (single)
Club: Occult Research
Notes: The first Rook of Rias Gremory, and the most adorable little girl in all the land! Ahem, be careful of her punches; she packs a Hell of a right hook! Her Touki makes her especially dangerous, but, luckily, she doesn't usually bring it out in single-combat, though be careful in War Games; she usually goes all out in those.
Student Comments: "Ah, it's our precious Koneko-chan! I finally found her page!" "For truly? You're a shame to all those who love cute." "I'm sure he's just a newbie!" "Either way, Koneko-chan is so cute!" "I agree; she is truly such a beautiful little creature." "I want her to step on me."
Whew, and as such, the first revision of this fanfic has been completed!
Now, I want to apologize... I meant to get this out quicker, buuuttt, my life kind of... got distracted. First, I started to replay Fire Emblem: Echoes again (I accidentally saved over my previous saved file with my new one, but it's fine cause I already beat it), then my Oculus Quest finally came in from when I had first ordered it for Christmas, and LASTLY, I had to help a friend move into my house, so It's been a bit hectic.
Anyway, now that has been said and done with, how was this chapter? Better? Worse? Idk, but I liked it. Either way, hopefully, the next two chapters that need to be revised come out quicker, but no promises! After all, I also have work to get to! Hahaha!
Okay, so if you enjoyed it, and haven't already, please follow so that you can be updated in the future, and if you REALLY liked it, then please favorite too! If you want to tell me your thoughts, please do so via review, and if you want to tell me to go kill myself, then send in in a pm!
With that... ciao!