An explosion rocked the skies of the school. Two figures darted out of the smoke, zigzagging across the sky and trading shots at each other. Lightning met the fierce flames of the Queen of Phenex. It was as if a storm had gone to war with an entire military arsenal as clouds manifested above the entirety of the field.
Akeno hovered in the eye of the storm. Her eyes were glowing with magical power as she raised her bow and aimed it at Yubelluna. She pulled the string back, creating an arrow made of lightning. Yubelluna was within her sights. She was a hunter and Yubelluna was the deer she was going to gut for dinner.
"Shot Bomb!" Yubelluna raised her staff into the air and summoned multiple magic circles. She pointed her staff and fired a barrage of flaming bullets at Akeno.
Akeno's eyes grew wide. A danmaku spell? She clenched her jaw and let loose the arrow. The arrow shot forth like a great bolt of lightning, piercing through several of the flaming bullets.
Yubelluna barely had any time to put up a barrier before the arrow hit her.
Akeno flew, zipping around each of the bullets. She thanked herself for having the coordination of a professional Touhou player. Countless hours of dodging bullets in the computer and analyzing patterns. She twisted her body around one of the bullets and triggered the explosion to boost her speed.
Before her, the smoke around Yubelluna had cleared. She created two magic circles in her hands and fired an ice spell at Yubelluna.
Yubelluna twirled her staff and erected a flaming shield that vaporized the ice. She pushed her hand forward and sent a tsunami made of fire at Akeno.
Akeno pulled up, flying high into the sky, and created three arrows made of lightning. She fired them simultaneously at Yubelluna.
Yubelluna screamed in pain as one of the arrows impaled her arm, overloading her with gigawatts of electricity. As the electricity coursed through her body, her survival instincts went on overdrive as she triggered a magical burst, sending a massive shockwave through the arena.
Akeno raised her arms to shield her face as a blast of searing hot wind ripped through her. Her eyes stung and tears formed at the edges of her eyes. Through the wind and tears, Akeno made out the scorched form of Yubelluna, who had a violet aura around her.
"Haha… you're not half bad, Priestess of Thunder," Yubelluna said, wiping some blood off her face.
"You're not bad either." Akeno didn't drop her guard. A mere burst of power from Riser's Queen was capable of inflicting burns on her skin. If that Queen got serious, even she would have a hard time fighting.
"I guess that's it for our warm-up." Yubelluna's violet eyes glowed brightly as she raised a hand into the air.
Akeno readied herself as a massive ball of fire formed above Yubelluna.
"Prepare yourself, Queen of Gremory. For the honor of my King and the House of Phenex, allow me to show you some things I learned from the Vermillion Star Eclipse," Yubelluna said.
Stellar Detonation!
The orb in her hand suddenly expanded rapidly before contracting into a small ball the size of a basketball. Akeno narrowed her eyes. The ball suddenly exploded, releasing heat and light equivalent to that of a massive hydrogen explosion.
Akeno raised a multilayered barrier in front of her, blocking the searing heat and wind. Her eyes grew wide as multiple flaming orbs scattered across the field, some of which were heading in her direction.
Explosions rang out across the entire field.
"Tch!" Akeno dispersed her barrier and created three arrows in her hand. She began firing arrow after arrow while dodging the stray flaming orbs. Akeno twisted her body over an orb and gathered a massive amount of demonic power into her hand.
A large golden arrow that crackled with the force of a thunderstorm appeared on her bow. She fired the arrow as it zipped across the air.
Yubelluna dodged the arrow. The arrow impacted the ground, destroying a massive portion of the track. Seeing Akeno loading another arrow, Yubelluna snapped her fingers and triggered the air around Akeno.
Akeno's eyes grew wide as a series of explosions appeared around her. The sky was ripped apart by the force of the blast. The smoke around her cleared, revealing Akeno's injured form. The sleeves of her robes were incinerated to ash and parts of her priestess outfit had been burned off. There were first-degree burns all over her forearms and pressure wounds from the blast. Her torso had a large second-degree burn on her left.
She winced as she lowered her arms. Her bow had been miraculously intact. Akeno thanked whatever higher power existed. She looked down and saw a faint blue glow around it.
Shin…
Lightning crackled around her fingertips.
"You're holding back," Akeno said, looking down at Yubelluna.
Yubelluna said nothing as she hovered in the air across from her.
"That… was nowhere near your actual capacity was it? I've seen the footage. So why?" Akeno asked.
"I don't have to answer that question. But I do have to applaud you for deducing that I'm not giving my all." Yubelluna let out a derisive laugh that struck a nerve in Akeno.
Was this woman underestimating her? She shook her head. That couldn't be possible. Not after she had just retired Koneko. But still, what was her motive with holding back?
"But since you're really asking me to go all out. I guess I should stop humoring you," Yubelluna said. She snapped her fingers and a series of magic circles appeared behind her.
Akeno's eyes grew wide as she instinctively moved back. A bead of sweat ran down her forehead. A smile appeared on her face. "I guess this is what the Bomb Queen can actually do. You're a walking Geneva violation."
"Geneva violation?" Yubelluna tilted her head.
Shin's rubbing off on me, Akeno thought dryly. "Fufufu, well then, if Yubelluna-san is going to hit me with her strongest, then I'll respond in kind," she said.
The magic circles lit up as waves upon waves of flaming missiles all homed in on Akeno. Akeno tossed her mother's bow into the air. She brought her hands together and fired a series of golden streaks of lightning across the sky. Each bolt intercepted a missile and detonated it.
The sky of the Rating Game Arena was lit up like the Fourth of July as explosions and lightning bathed the entire field in an amber glow.
Akeno caught her mother's bow and darted across the field, barreling towards Yubelluna like a jet. The Bomb Queen aimed the tip of her staff at Akeno and fired.
Akeno dodged the flaming shot and fired a bolt of lightning at Yubelluna.
A barrier appeared in front of her, blocking the shot. She then created a ball of fire and hurled it at Akeno. Before Akeno could block or intercept it, the orb exploded and split into multiple magic missiles that homed in on Akeno.
Akeno gritted her teeth and created a magic circle to block all of the attacks. However, Yubelluna would not allow her an inch of breathing room. A torrent of crimson flames impacted Akeno's barrier, sending the Queen back a few feet. She erected a second layer around her as the onslaught of fire grew larger. Akeno closed her eyes and began to amass demonic power inside her body.
The barrage of flames died down, revealing that Akeno was still inside the barrier.
"..." Yubelluna said nothing. She swung her staff, sending another ballistic magical orb. The orb curved and hit the side of Akeno's barrier and exploded violently. She swung her staff again, sending another orb.
A barrage of magical orbs hit Akeno's barrier over and over again. Small cracks began to appear on the barrier.
"Done…" Akeno muttered. She opened her eyes. There was a soft violet glow within them. She raised her hand into the air, causing the barrier to burst. Clouds formed above them and a massive bolt of lightning crashed down onto Yubelluna.
I can't keep fighting like this. I need to finish this off now!
A barrage of fireballs flew in her direction.
Akeno fired three icicle spears at them. A burst of steam and mist exploded between them, concealing Akeno's view of Yubelluna. She heightened her magical senses and began to feel for Yubelluna's demonic power.
Akeno quickly turned around. An arrow was already loaded into her bow and fired. Her lightning arrow hit Yubelluna in the shoulder, throwing the Bomb Queen's staff off its intended trajectory. The fireball flew high into the sky and exploded.
Akeno let loose a deadly stream of lightning at Yubelluna, forcing the older devil to throw up a shield to defend herself.
"I'm running a bit low on juice. I've never been in an extended fight like this…" Akeno muttered as she poured more demonic power into her attack. I just need to distract her long enough for me to do this. She stored her mother's bow inside a magic circle. As the lightning began to wane, Yubelluna pushed through.
Akeno closed her eyes and raised her index and pointer finger in front of her.
"May the great and powerful Amatsukami heed my calls. Ye who commands fire. I beseech you to bless this spell and bring forth divine ruination."
It was the last spell her mother had taught her. A variation of her clan's arts derived from the omnyou techniques of an old friend of her mother's. She opened her eyes and summoned a red pentagram in front of her.
"Housenka! Come forth at once!" Akeno chanted. A massive flaming bird burst forth from the pentagram and barreled towards Yubelluna. Akeno threw her hand forward, creating a magic circle for the bird to pass through. Lightning magic was infused into the bird.
Yubelluna saw the flaming bird flying in her direction. She drew upon her reserves of demonic power and summoned a massive crimson magic circle. The multi-ringed circle spun lazily as it crackled with an immense amount of energy.
The circle glowed brightly and fired a beam of flaming energy at the bird. The two attacks collided, vying for supremacy. Each side was equal, neither losing nor gaining any ground.
Akeno gritted her teeth as she kept her fingers raised.
Yubelluna pushed her staff in an attempt to beat back Akeno's flaming bird. But it was to no avail, the bird slowly began to gain ground, cutting through her beam of energy. The beam dissipated, allowing for the bird to fully fly through.
She closed her eyes in preparation to be retired. However, she remembered something. As the bird closed in on her, she summoned a small magic circle and reached inside it.
Akeno panted heavily, watching as the bird made contact with Yubelluna. The bird exploded violently, creating a small flaming sphere that resembled the sun. A wave of heat spread through the whole arena, setting small foliage on fire and melting some small rocks.
"Ara ara, it looks like you couldn't take the heat," Akeno said. Her breathing slowed down to a normal level and she turned around, preparing to go assist Kiba and Issei. However, one thing about this situation was strange to her.
Why didn't Grayfia announce her retire-
She quickly turned around and blocked an explosion. Her barrier shattered and she was sent crashing into the ground. Akeno groaned in pain and shakily got to her feet.
"You almost had me there," Yubelluna said, hovering above Akeno. Her wounds were all gone. There were no electrical burns or any other indication that she had fought Akeno at all.
While she on the other hand, Akeno clenched her fists, Pain wracked her body. There were burns and pressure wounds on her skin. Her clothing was torn and her modesty was almost exposed to the world around her.
"H-How..?" Akeno asked.
Yubelluna reached in between her chest and pulled out a small empty vial.
P-Phenex Tears? She thought. There was a horrified and defeated expression on her face.
"Is that even legal?" Shin asked, watching the game.
"Yes. Unfortunately, the tables have turned for my descendant's Queen," Runes replied.
Akeno… Shin gripped the throw pillow tightly. He felt a soothing touch on his shoulder.
He turned to see Sophia, giving him a comforting look. However, in his eyes, he could see her anxiety, and right there, Shin knew that Akeno's chances of winning were highly unlikely.
"Each team is allowed two vials of Phenex Tears. I have one vial and our Bishop as the second. Though, I feel like giving it to her is kind of… redundant? She is after all a Phenex," Yubelluna said.
Akeno said nothing and chose to glare defiantly at Yubelluna.
"However our situation may be at the moment, I shall express my utmost respect for you, Priestess of Thunder." She raised her hand into the air and created a massive ball of flames the size of a two-story house. "I shall eliminate you with all my strength."
Akeno gave her a strained smile and held her injured arm.
Yubelluna brought her hand down and threw the fireball at Akeno.
"But I'm not going down without a fight," she muttered. Akeno raised her hands and blocked the fireball with a barrier. She began sliding back from the immense weight of the projectile. Her barrier began to crack
No, I can't let it end like this… Akeno strained against the fireball, stepping forward. Despite her efforts, all she could do was slide back. It was like swimming against a rapid. There was no fighting it.
The cracks on the barrier grew even larger and more pronounced. The barrier shattered and the fireball engulfed Akeno. She didn't let out a cry of pain as the flames ate away at her flesh. The searing pain was eating away at her consciousness and all she wanted was the relief of unconsciousness.
And that was when everything became a blur.
The fireball suddenly stopped moving. In an instant, a flash of white light cut through the orb and reduced it to harmless embers.
"W-What?" Yubelluna felt her skin crawl. The air around her became charged and pricked at her skin. She turned her gaze to the Queen of Gremory.
Akeno's form was shrouded in a white aura. Electricity jumped off her body every so often. She squinted her eyes and faintly made out a symbol glowing on Akeno's left hip. It was a white diamond with a violet glow, surrounded by two curved blades and two points on each side and one pointing towards her thigh. Her eyes were glowing an eerie shade of violet and a white ring surrounded her pupils.
Akeno took a step forward.
"Tch! Haaaaah!" Yubelluna fired multiple shots of energy at Akeno.
Akeno raised her hand, causing them all to freeze in midair. The energy blasts dissipated before her. She raised her hand as if she were holding a bow and pulled back her other arm. A bow made of white lightning manifested in her hand with a massive electric arrow nested on the notch.
Yubelluna was frozen in fear when she heard Akeno's voice.
"Queen takes Queen," she said.
With a cold and impassive face, Akeno fired the arrow at Yubelluna. The arrow flew through the air.
In a desperate attempt to survive, Yubelluna attempted to dodge the arrow, successfully evading it. She pointed her staff at Akeno and was about to fire when she felt a tingling sensation on the back of her skin. She turned to see the arrow had curved around and was heading straight for her.
An explosion of white electricity shook the entire pocket dimension, causing cracks to appear across the sky. A wind comparable to the winds of a typhoon exploded outward, sending trees and debris all over the field. Lightning crashed down across the fields, causing all the participants to seek shelter lest they be retired.
"[Queen] of Riser Phenex has retired," Grayfia announced.
The white aura around Akeno faded as did the light in her eyes. She fell to her hands and knees panting as her consciousness returned to her. "W- What…?" She looked up and saw the devastation around her. "Did I… do this?" she wondered. "Where is…?"
Yubelluna was nowhere to be seen. Akeno grimaced. She had a vague recollection of the moment that just occurred but nothing concrete. She shook her head. "I have to go help the others," Akeno said. She snapped her fingers and repaired her clothing. "My wounds… what just happ-" a throbbing pain shot through her head as she tried to remember what just happened. "Okay… not now. Maybe later. I have to go find Rias-sama," Akeno said.
Issei ran desperately through the building. The battle he and Kiba had with the other members of Riser's hare- peerage had ended in their favor. His Sacred Gear had evolved in that crucial moment, allowing Issei to transfer his power to Kiba and steal the victory from under their noses.
"Ise-kun. Just a few more steps and we get to the roof. Buchou said that she would be there, engaging Riser-" Kiba's sentence was cut off as a massive white light and powerful wind slammed into the building. The two fell off their feet and onto their butts as the school crumbled around them.
"Ow… what the hell?" Issei asked.
"[Queen] of Riser Phenex has retired."
"It looks like… Akeno won." Kiba got to his feet and dusted himself off. He reached out and pulled Issei to his feet.
"That was some blast," Issei said.
"Come on, we gotta-" Kiba's instincts went haywire as he pushed Issei out of the way.
A fireball flew past the two of them and demolished the end of the hallway.
A slow, mocking clap could be heard at the end of the hall.
"Well, well. Congratulations on making it up here."
Ravel stood at the end of the hallway with a mocking sneer on her face.
"Who is that?" Issei asked.
"Riser's Bishop and his younger sister. Third in line to become Marchioness Phenex. Ravel Phenex," Kiba said, summoning some swords with his Sacred Gear.
"Ohoho. I see that I'm more than just my brother's bishop," Ravel said.
"Come on, Cassanova. It's two on one. We can take her," Issei said.
"No, we can't afford to waste time. Go Ise-kun. I'll hold her off for as long as possible," Kiba said.
"But!"
"Go! I'm almost at my limit and we can't afford for you to retire now. I can't let you break your promise to Buchou," Kiba said.
Issei looked at Kiba with some apprehension on his face before nodding. "Don't think I'm doing this for you, Casanova. This is for Buchou."
"Now go, Ise-kun. On my mark," Kiba said.
Issei nodded.
"What are you two scheming over there?" Ravel asked.
Without warning, Ravel ducked as a sword nearly impaled her skull. "H- Hey! That almost hit me in the face!"
"Beep beep, coming through!" Issei said, dashing past her. Ravel was knocked over and fell on her butt.
"You insolent lowborn cretin!" She fired a ball of flames at Issei's back.
However, the flames were dispersed by a sword made of pure ice. Kiba appeared in front of her with two swords in his hand.
"You dispersed my flames," she said.
"Hmph. [Flame Delete] and [Repression Calm]. I made these swords to counter the powers of House Phenex," Kiba said.
"Made? So you're the boy with [Sword Birth]," Ravel said. "I thought you would be much taller. Oh well. At least with you, I can put these things I learned from the Vermillion Star Eclipse into play." She placed one hand behind her back and held her other arm out. Her hand was coated in flames that extended to form a blade.
Without another word, Kiba dashed towards Ravel.
Issei gulped as he ascended the stairs to the roof.
[Anxiety will do you no good in this fight, Partner.] Ddraig advised. [Remain calm. Analyze your opponent. Remember what your friends taught you.]
Issei nodded and closed his eyes. He inhaled and exhaled. "Promotion, [Queen]."
He felt a change inside him as power flowed into his body.
"Let's go get ourselves a bucket of KFC," Issei said. He kicked the door off the roof and ran outside. His eyes widened when he saw a beaten and battered Rias in front of him. She had first-degree burns on her arms and legs, as well as her torso. There was a growing bruise tainting her beautiful face.
"BUCHOU!"
Both Riser and Rias stopped exchanging attacks and turned to see Issei running towards them.
Issei noticed that Riser had wounds on him and he looked… fatigued? He shook his head. If that meant his fight would be easier, then so be it.
"Issei…," Rias said with joy in her voice. They had a chance. She had a chance. She turned to see Riser hovering in place.
"Pawn of Rias. I see you got past Ravel or…" Riser crossed his arms and deduced what happened. "So your Knight decided to take the fall for you. A bold choice if I do say so myself. Ravel is worth at least 1 Rias."
Issei narrowed his eyes. That chick is as strong as Buchou?
"Oi! KFC! I'm not here to talk! I'm here to take Buchou back! You won't get her or her tits!" Issei said, pointing his finger at Riser.
A blush spread across Rias's face while a look of exasperation appeared on Riser's.
"You intend to take her back and break a tradition upheld in our society? How much do you plan to belittle our customs?" Riser said, hovering in front of him.
"Screw your customs! Can't you see Buchou doesn't want to get married to a douche like you!?" Issei said.
A smile appeared on Riser's face but it quickly vanished before either of them could notice. "And what will you do after you take her back? Do you think that I'm the only danger in this world? There are far greater powers out there, Pawn. Far greater than me and your King."
The image of a woman with black hair appeared in Riser's head.
"So what!? Screw your customs! Screw the entire world! If it means I have to fight God, I'll do it if it means saving the people I care about!" Issei said.
Oh Issei, Rias thought.
What a cliche heroic speech, Riser thought. But… "I'm impressed by your resolve. But let's see if you have the physical strength to back them up. Show me, Pawn. Show me the full extent of your resolve!" I sounded a bit chuuni right there too…
"Issei."
Riser raised an eyebrow.
"My name's not Pawn. It's…" Riser's eyes grew wide when [Boosted Gear] impacted his face and shattered his jaw. "Issei! Remember it, KFC!"
Riser crashed into the ground and quickly got up.
"T- That's a good left hook," he said. His jaw began to heal itself.
"Immortality. The power of a Phenex."
"Unfortunately, if that was all you got, then I'm not obligated to do shit!" Riser said. He flew forward and punched Issei.
Issei blocked his attack but was sent sliding into the fence. His blows are so strong.
[Indeed. You might be able to hold out for a while but in the end, you will need to use the Balance Breaker in order to get any sort of advantage in this fight] Ddraig said.
[Explosion]
Issei dashed forward, using his enhanced [Rook] strength, and began raining blows on Riser.
Riser parried and blocked his attacks before countering with a punch to Issei's gut.
Using the speed of the [Knight], Issei twisted his body out of the way. He dodged another punch from Riser.
As he prepared to attack Issei once more, a red and black bullet hit him in the head, blowing it off. He stumbled a little before his head began to grow back.
Rias landed next to Issei. She was winded but she was determined to keep on fighting.
"[Knight] of Rias Gremory has retired."
The announcement made their blood run cold. A yellow blur landed next to Riser. She had blood on her hands that she casually wiped off.
"You took care of the Knight?" Riser asked.
"It was a bit of a challenge but I managed. Do you need help here?" Ravel asked.
"No, I can manage." Riser turned his focus back to Issei and Rias.
"Kiba…" Rias balled her fists. A red and black aura began to manifest around her body. "Issei. I'll cover you. Do it. We're finishing this here and now."
"You mean?" Issei gave her a questioning look.
"I don't have much left in the tank. After I spend it all, I'll be dead weight. The least I can do is stall until Akeno gets here. Or maybe… just maybe, we can finish him before she does. And we can all go home." The Power of Destruction began to pool in Rias's hands.
Issei nodded.
[Partner, since we brute-forced you into your Balance Breaker, remember that you only have 10 seconds to do this so pick your moment to unleash it. Any longer and your body will suffer horrible consequences] Ddraig advised.
"Yeah, I get you. Explosion will have to hold me over for now until we can get Riser into a corner," Issei said.
The two nodded and Issei took off, running towards Riser at full speed.
Riser coated his fist in flames and began fighting Issei. The High-Class Devil was impressed. Only 10 days and this pawn managed to achieve an outstanding level of growth. If he had to guess, this pawn was worth 1 Rias Gremory in this state.
Riser punched Issei in the face with his flaming fist, causing the pawn to slide back. He dashed forward to uppercut him but was forced to dodge as Rias's magic bullets began peppering his body.
After enduring several dozen shots, Riser spread his wings, letting loose a massive burst of flame.
"Issei!" Rias summoned a magic circle to block the flames.
"Thanks… Buchou! Watch out!" Issei yelled.
Rias turned around to see Riser's fist filling her vision. She narrowly dodged his punch and slammed her palm into his chest, firing a destructive beam that blew a hole in his torso. She spread her wings and flew over to Issei's side.
But the attack did nothing to deter Riser. The hole reformed rapidly. "If it's a war of attrition you're trying here, it won't work," Riser said, turning to face them.
Rias grimaced. He was right. Compared to him, the two were half-baked fighters. Riser was far more skilled in combat than they were.
"War of attrition? I don't know what the hell that is but I can tell you that it's not that because I'm beating your ass right here on this roof," Issei said, stepping forward. He dashed towards Riser, using his Knight Speed to disappear from sight.
To keep Riser from paying attention to his surroundings, Rias fired a hail of destruction bullets at Riser.
Riser swung his arm, creating a wall of orange flames that blocked the attacks. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he blocked a high jump kick from Issei. He threw his leg off and grabbed his foot, swinging Issei and slamming him into the ground.
Issei groaned. He rolled out of the way as Riser brought his foot down on the roof.
"Issei! Get out of the way!"
Issei looked up and saw Akeno flying in their direction with the speed of a freight train. She aimed her bow at an unsuspecting Riser and fired a lightning arrow.
By the time Riser noticed Issei was distracted, an arrow impaled him through his lung, forcing him to his knee.
"Akeno-senpai!" Issei cheered.
"GO! DO IT NOW!" Rias yelled.
[Welsh Dragon Overbooster: Scale Mail]
"Scale Mail! Rias's pawn can access the Balance Breaker!" Ravel gasped. She gritted her teeth and created a fire blade around her hand.
"Ravel! Stand down! This is my fight!" Riser said. He fired a fireball at Akeno, hitting her in the wing and causing her to crash onto the roof.
Riser set his sights upon the crimson armor-clad figure of Issei. The power that the boy radiated now was far greater than his.
[Remember, your countdown starts now] Ddraig said.
[X]
Issei shot forward towards Riser. Riser raised his hand to block Riser's attack. However, Issei disappeared from his sight. He turned around and saw Issei's fist slam into his face. Riser cried out in pain and was sent crashing through the building and into the main path.
[IX]
Issei shot towards Riser as Riser was getting up.
Riser groaned and saw Issei rocketing towards him. Issei rammed into him, sending the two sliding across the pavement. Issei rode Riser like a body board before kicking off and sending Riser crashing into the bench that he, Shin, Sophia, and Asia ate their lunch at.
[V]
Four seconds had passed.
Riser shakily got to his feet. His wounds were healing rapidly. However, with every wound he healed, Riser knew that his demonic power was running out. He grinned.
"So this is the power of the Red Dragon Emperor. I guess I underestimated you, Issei Hyoudou. But guess what… you're forgetting one thing," Riser said.
"What?"
"Never underestimate your opponents," Riser said. Riser's fingers began to glow and he raised them.
"No way…" Shin stood up from his chair, knocking over his soda can.
"What? What is it?" Sophia asked in concern.
"That… how did Riser learn the Gogyo?" Shin said.
"Gogyo?" Asia asked.
"Gogyo or Five Phases is a form of magic used by exorcist clans which involves manipulating the Five Elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Metal, and Wood. But some exorcist clans don't possess the blessings of the Shinto Gods so they utilize the Five Phases in other… manners. Riser's… combining his demonic power with the Gogyo," Shin said.
[IV]
[Partner, get ready] Ddraig said.
A hexagram with a yin-yang appeared in front of Riser's hand. "It took me a while to be able to do this without a hakkero. But, lemme tell you. The look on all my opponents' faces whenever I use this. Aioi!" Riser fired a stream of flames through the hexagram.
Issei's eyes bugged out when the flames suddenly expanded in size and grew in intensity.
[Dodge!] Ddraig yelled.
Issei rolled out of the way and darted towards Riser.
[III]
Shit! Issei raised his fist.
[Boost] [Boost] [Boost]
[II]
Issei's power grew doubled five times over and he swung his fist, connecting with Riser's cheek. The force of the punch caused Riser's head to explode.
[I]
Riser's head began to reform. Issei channeled the last of his power into his hand and slammed it into Riser's torso. "Dragon Shot!"
A beam pierced through Riser's gut as the Balance Breaker dissipated and Issei fell to his butt, panting heavily. Riser stumbled back, reeling from the pain of being decapitated and run through. His wounds began to heal and Issei backpedaled, knowing that their trump card just failed.
"Shit shit shit!" Issei said.
"If you had an extra second, I would've been retired," Riser said, his head fully reforming. Fire coated his fist as he approached Issei.
"Issei!" Rias screamed. "I have to… I have to-" she began to hyperventilate as she watched Riser begin to pound on Issei.
Akeno slapped her in the face, causing Rias's head to snap to the side.
"No, Buchou! Not now! Not when we're so close!" Akeno said. Lightning crackled around her fingers as she manifested a lightning arrow and nocked it.
"Right, we need to-" Rias reacted quickly and erected a shield in front of her. She winced as she was forced to her knee by the weight of Ravel's attack.
"Brother is almost at his limit. Do you really think I'm going to let you finish this?" Ravel asked. Her blue eyes were dull and her tone was cold.
Rias pushed back, forcing Ravel back a few centimeters. Ravel's flaming blade began to pierce through her shield.
"AKENO! FIRE ALREADY!" Rias screamed.
Akeno nodded and fired the arrow at the small of Riser's back. Riser stumbled forward and tripped, allowing Issei a chance to push him off and run towards the school building. She then turned around and coated her hand in lightning. She thrust her hand forward and fired a beam of lightning at Ravel.
Ravel's eyes grew wide as she twisted her body out of the way. She flew around Rias's stray shots and flew towards her brother.
"Ravel… get the pawn," Riser said, getting to his feet.
Ravel nodded and disappeared. She reappeared in front of Issei, causing him to halt in his tracks.
"Well, Pawn. I guess this is it. You struggled so valiantly all for naught," Ravel said. She had a mocking smirk on her face as she raised her flame blade.
Shit shit! What do I-
"I've always wanted to strip a noblewoman," Issei muttered.
"W- What?" Ravel asked, halting her attack.
Issei raised his armored hand towards her. He had a perverted look on his face.
"W- What are you?" Ravel stammered.
Issei grinned and reached towards her. Ravel screamed and swung her blade. Issei ducked underneath the swing and gathered whatever power he had left into his bracelet. A blue shield manifested on his right hand which he slammed into her, sending Ravel through the door.
"I forgot I had this," Issei said, looking down at the shield.
[Good thing you remembered. Block.] Ddraig said.
Issei raised the shield and blocked a ball of flames. Riser appeared in front of Issei and swung his fist. However, he was slammed into the ground by a bolt of lightning.
"Akeno-senpai!" Issei said.
"You…" Riser swung his arm towards the air, sending a wave of fire towards Akeno.
Akeno raised her arms in an x formation and blocked the flames with a barrier. However, the impact sent her crashing into the third floor of the school.
Riser grabbed Issei's collar and threw him out onto the path.
"It's time to end this," Riser said, clenching his flaming fists.
As he walked towards Issei, Rias landed in front of him and began firing an onslaught of magical bullets.
Riser ducked and weaved his way around it, seeing the pattern of her bullet hell attack rather easily.
"Buchou!" Issei said, running towards her. I can't let him get to her!
Akeno burst through the window and began to gather magical power. "Issei!" Akeno yelled. "Raise your gloved fist now!"
"What?" Issei hollered.
"Just do it!"
Issei nodded and raised his armored fist into the air. He began running towards Rias as he did so. Akeno channeled the magic into her hand and fired it at the Boosted Gear.
Issei felt power rushing into him and looked to see the [Boosted Gear] covered in lightning. "Uuooogggh!" Issei poured out the last vestiges of his energy and dashed towards the two at blinding speeds. Time slowed down as he neared them.
"BUCHOU! COMING THROUGH!" Issei yelled.
Rias turned around. Her eyes grew wide as she jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding Riser's grasp.
Riser's eyes grew wide. A searing pain shot through his body as he saw Issei's lightning-covered fist embedded in his gut. Issei roared as he pushed through, piercing Riser all the way through.
"BROTHER!" Ravel screamed.
"Guess this is my loss…" Riser said, looking down at his gut.
"Checkmate!" Issei said.
Riser merely smiled before dispersing into a shower of red light particles.
"[Riser Phenex] has retired. This game is now over. I hereby pronounce Rias Gremory the winner of the Rating Game," Grayfia announced.
"Hah…" Issei stumbled backward and was about to fall over when he felt someone catch him. He tiredly turned his head and saw Rias smiling with tears in her eyes.
"Ise, we did it," Rias said softly.
"Hehe, did I look cool out there Buchou?" Issei asked.
Rias nodded, wiping the tears of joy off her face.
"I guess I can finally… pass… out," Issei said, falling unconscious in her arms.
Rias let out an exasperated sigh but the smile never left her face. She leaned over and lightly pecked Issei's lips.
"Rest well, my cute little pawn."
Well, and that is that! I always found the fight between Issei and Riser in the LN to be... longer than 10 seconds so I made sure to actually make it last ten seconds in this one. Since Issei won, Rias is officially free from her "engagement". With this chapter and the next chapter, this mini-arc will be coming to a close and we will be entering the Holy Swords/Peace Summit Arc. I decided to fuse them into one arc. I'll see ya'll in the next chapter! Ciao!