Chapter 36: The Failsafe

Damon stopped the music when the smoke almost completely cleared, showing that an entire portion of the academy had been reduced to rubble. Adrian and Riser both were nowhere to be seen, yet they heaed Adrian through the ear pieces.

"Guys, that didn't do shit to him,"he said bluntly.

"So what? You going to go through with your failsafe than?" Asked Damon, earning a look from Rias and Asia,

"Failsafe?"

"Yes, the failsafe," said Adrian. "But before I go through with it, I need to make some things clear first; Katrina, Damon, no matter what happens, no matter what you see or hear, do NOT interfere, understand?" Damon and Katrina gave an unsure affirmative, and Adrian continued, "Asia, I will need you to get your healing ready at a moments notice, I'm most likely going to need it. And Rias..." Adrian paused, "...you know what to do." Rias smiled,

"I am ready when you are," she said.

The smoke finally cleared, showing Adrian still standing, yet his armor was cracked, and soon faded from existance. He dropped to a knee, spitting out blood, until he saw something speed out of the rubble, and land a strong fist to his abdomen, lifting him off the ground from the force. He then had his head grabbed and was kneed in the face, followed up with his arms being grabbed, flipped over his assailants head, and slammed onto the ground. He then had a foot planted on his chest, crushing his ribcage,

"You really thought Riser would be defeated that easily?" The Phoenix king looked down at the Devil Virus, putting more pressure on Adrians' broken ribs, making him growl in pain, and then kicked his side, making him slide across the rubble. Adrian tried to stand, but was instead kicked again, forcing him down on his back. Riser grabbed the front of Adrians shirt, "Riser wants this to be a reminder...as to who beat you on this day..." He then brought a fist to the side of Adrians' face, following with a backfist, over and over until Adrians' face was bruised and bloodied beyond belief. Asia turned and forced her face into Rias' chest,

"I can't watch this!" She cried, "I can't watch this!"

"Even I got to admit this is getting hard to look at," admitted Damon.

"He's stalling," said Katrina, "If he hits him with that failsafe now, Riser will catch him, and it will be game over for the rest of us." Riser threw Adrian into a rock pile, disintegrating it, and began to approach him once again, now hearing what sounded like a choked back sob.

"Awe, and the mighty Devil Virus weeps before the feet of Lord Riser Phoenix! Exactly where he belon-!" He stopped gloating when Adrian raised his head, revealing that he wasn't sobbing at all. He was laughing, like he had just heard the funniest joke of all time. Riser froze in his tracks, becoming unnerved by Adrians' seemingly lost sanity.

"What...what's so funny? Have you lost your mind, virus?" Adrian looked at Riser, shaking his head,

"You really are...THAT...full of yourself?" Adrian painfully rose to his feet, bones cracking as he struggled to stand, "I...already told you...you lost this game...before it even began!" Riser gritted his teeth,

"Riser would like to know how...HOW exactly did I lose this game??" Adrian looked behind Riser, directly at Rias who was still standing on the roof of the school house.

"Oh Rias! Would you mind telling Lord Riser how he lost this game?" Rias smiled, and walked forward,

"Riser, you wished to play this game in hopes of taking me sooner than expected. I regret to inform you, that on the final night of the training camp, I gave myself to Adrian." Gasps were heard all around, with Damon turning an open grin to Adrian, mouthing while pointing,

This ninja right here! Adrian rolled his eyes, and to his shock, Riser begins to laugh.

"Riser isn't stupid enough to believe that. You and your pieces are simply trying to make a fool of the great Lord Phoenix!"

"Am I?" Rias then reached up her skirt, and right before her remaining house and her fiancé, slid her panties down to her ankles, kicking them to the side, revealing a small patch of blood on the crotch. Asia cupped her hands around her mouth, Damon turned around cursing to himself, Katrina raised an eyebrow, and Risers' rage began to rise higher than ever before. She gripped the hem of her skirt, raising it slowly but surely, until Riser noticed something; all four pairs of eyes were aimed behind himself. He whirled around, encasing his fist in flames, and punched Adrian straight through his chest, making the Gremory team shout in unison,

"ADRIAN!!"

Riser grinned at his deed, but it vanished when he realized that Adrian, blood dripping from his mouth, was smiling right back. The Phoenix king then felt a rush in his chest, and a burning sensation, almost like acid, start coursing through his body. He looked down, and saw a syringe sticking right into his heart, the contents of which have already been emptied into him. Adrian pulled the needle out as Riser yanked his fist out of Adrians' chest. With no biomass to regenerate with, Adrian had no choice but to fall onto his rear, while Riser fell onto his back, clawing at his chest while screaming into the air in pure agony.

"Bet you never felt pain like that before," laughed Adrian.

"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO ME?!!" Screamed Riser. "WHAT WAS IN THAT DAMN NEEDLE?!!" Adrian paused, mocking innocence,

"That was just a saline solution amigo."

"WHAT?!!"

"Although, when I stole that tank, I also used a combo of my shapeshifting skills and devil hypnosis to convice the medic at the base to make that saline solution with water I got from a church." Riser looked at Adrian, still clawing at his chest as blisters started to pop on his skin; the ones that burst began leaking smoke out of his body.

"YOU INJECTED ME WITH HOLY WATER, YOU BASTARD?!!" Adrian forced himself to stand once more, dropping the empty syringe, and withdrawing a second from his coat,

"Just like your Phoenix Tears, I'm only allowed to use two." Riser, not wanting to take that chance, dashed for Adrian, forming claws of flames on his hands, but was stopped in his tracks when he saw Rias guarding Adrian, hand raised and shrouded in dark energy. With the last bit of energy she had left, she blasted him full in the face, making him scream louder than before as he reeled back, finding out that not only can he finally feel pain, but he can't seem to regenerate either. He felt his face up, feeling half his face was now reduced to a skull, but didn't have time to panic as he saw Katrina dashing towards him, Soul Reaver in hand, and sliced across his abdomen, forcing him to wrap his arms around himself as if he were trying to keep his intenstines inside himself. He slowly turned, seeing Asia standing next to him. She reared her hand back, not noticing her hand being encased in green energy, and slapped Riser across the face, spinning him around to Damon, who had the Green Knight in his hand, fully revved, and sliced upwards, making him stumble backwards into a waiting Adrian, who locked him in a rear headlock, and slammed the remaining syringe into the back of Risers neck, making him scream even more, and forced him onto his hands and knees. Damon whistled to Adrian, and tossed him Rebellion,

"It will make for a better story," he said, and Adrian gripped the hilt tightly as he circled Riser, while Rias pulled a small plastic pack out of her skirt pocket,

"Looks like your plan worked to perfection," she said, tossing the empty plastic towards Risers' face, revealing it was an empty pack of fake blood. Riser sputtered,

"You mean...you...?!"

"I gave my heart to Adrian at the camp, not my virginity," explained Rias, and Adrian lined the sword to Risers neck,

"Say the words Riser!" The grounded phoenix said nothing, simply whimpering to himself as he looked down at the ground. Adrian popped his neck, raised Rebellion up over his head, releasing an inhuman war cry, bringing the sword down-!

"I CONCEDE!!"

Krang!

Adrian took several deep breaths, straightening himself out to look at what he had done.

Rebellion was planted into the ground, the blade clean as a whistle, and Riser staring up at him, deeply shocked and confused.

"Riser...doesn't understand!"

"I have enough blood on my hands from New York," said Adrian, "and more was added when I got here. I'm not adding more to it, not even yours. Just let this be a reminder as to who beat you on this day..." Adrians' eyes rolled back, and he fell to the ground, his breathing screaching to a halt. Rias shouted as she, Asia, Katrina and Damon rushed to him, leaving Riser to stare at the one that made his rating game score go from 8-2 to 8-3...