Two Days After Issei's Trip to the Underworld: Three Weeks Ago-Shortly After Arrival…
"Issei, step here." Sirzechs pointed to the ground next to him. The human was cautious for a moment before he simply walked over without issue. He didn't show his curiosity on his face or his eyes but it was present in his mind at least. "Rias, you and your Peerage are going to attack Issei now."
"Really?" She didn't respond with disbelief. She sounded almost worried. "Are you sure?"
"Issei described King's Dragon as the ultimate defense. You'll be charged with forcing him to move from the ground he's standing on." Sirzechs looked to Issei, it was a look that promised pain. "Don't go easy on them, Riser's family gave Rias Phoenix Tears as an early wedding gift so any damage you do can be healed."
"King's Dragon still won't do much." Issei yawned. "I'm not insulting them but they can't hurt me."
"ECHI!" King's Dragon fist exploded forward and shattered the blade of the sword that had appeared in Yuuto's hand thanks to his Sword Birth. He looked shocked before he narrowly avoided a second blow to the gut that would have certainly put him out of commission.
"See?" Issei pointed to Yuuto even as a new sword appeared in each hand. He charged forward and the same happened. The only difference was that King's Dragon used an armored forearm brought against the flat side of the blade to split them in half. Yuuto threw the hilts away and a large two handed sword appeared in his hands. It blocked the blow that would have most likely knocked him unconscious if it connected. It still shattered but he didn't seem to let it stop him. He attacked with a new sword in each hand.
"Not one at a time." Sirzechs had teleported away when Yuuto had begun his attack. "Riser outnumbers you and will use such a thing to his advantage. Attack him all together and without mercy."
"No mercy." Koneko was suddenly in front of him. Issei didn't let his eyes widen as she threw a punch straight for his face. King's Dragon ignored Yuuto's swings in favor of intercepting the blow with one of its own. The results didn't surprise Issei.
Koneko bit her lip at the pain in her fist before she quickly threw her other forward. The same result happened when King's Dragon other fist intercepted hers with another blow. Yuuto made use of the chance presented, his incredible speed used to close the distance, circle behind Issei, and swing at his back.
"ECHI!" A fist shattered the blade once more and Koneko was thrown back, skipping across the ground like a stone skipped across water. She hit the ground hard by the end of her journey but, rather impressively, stood back up to her feet even if she was still dazed. She narrowed her eyes towards Issei as she tightened her fists.
"ECHI!" An uppercut from King's Dragon threw Yuuto into the air just as Koneko launched herself forward off the ground, the force of it actually cratering the ground. Issei still didn't seem surprised. She met King's Dragon in the midst of her flight.
"You punch pretty fast." Koneko unleashed a barrage of blows while airborne but King's Dragon met her blow for blow. Her feet landed on an armored chest and she kicked off of him. She landed on the ground, low almost like a cat, before she began another attack. "King's Dragon is faster."
Koneko was overwhelmed in seconds. A straight punch threw her back and she wasn't getting up. Yuuto also finally struck the ground a fair distance away from Issei. His eyes turned to the other Devils he was supposed to be fighting.
'This doesn't make sense.' He did nothing beyond put his hands in his pockets. 'Sirzechs knows they can't beat me. They shouldn't be trying so soon. King's Dragon isn't going to put much effort into beating any of them no matter what that Devil thinks.'
Rias looked to Akeno and nodded. Her Queen took to the air and began to chuckle as lightning built up around her like an aura. She turned to her Bishop while her Queen prepared to attack Issei, the human patiently waiting with his hand in his pocket.
"Gasper…please come out of the box." She loved all the members of the Peerage but sometimes things could get ridiculous. Case in point: Her sole Bishop, Gasper Vladi a half human and half Vampire, refused to come out of his cardboard box.
"B-But…" The box shook, Rias sighed but didn't get angry. She had known this would be a challenge and was ready for it.
"You will learn to control your powers Gasper. We're all here to get stronger, together." She laid a hand on the side of the box. "We can't do that if you don't let go of your fear. Your Sacred Gear is powerful, beyond powerful, and you CAN control it."
"You think I can?" The box didn't shake and Rias was glad for it.
"I know you will." She wished he could see her smile.
"O-Okay then." A pale hand slowly emerged underneath the box. "I-I'll come out."
"Have a taste Issei-kun." Akeno smiled as she let loose a truly monstrous bolt of lightning that struck King's Dragon. Thunder boomed, echoed through the valleys, shook the trees, and made the ground tremble.
Issei actually cried out from the attack. King's Dragon blocked it but Issei dropped to the ground, his hands leaving his pockets and holding himself up. His body seized up in time to the crackles of electricity moving across King's Dragon armored form. He clenched his teeth to stop himself from crying out.
"I-I forgot what that felt like." Issei didn't rise up back to his feet. His shoulders shook before the remaining electricity around King's Dragon simply disappeared from sight. "King's Dragon."
A hand was rose and a green beam turned the world emerald. Akeno's power was turned against her in that moment, she hardly managed to avoid the worst of the damage by dropping to the ground. The wild electricity that crackled around the beam struck her and she hit the ground hard but it was without taking a blast she wasn't even sure Lucifer could survive.
"Come on Gasper." Rias looked to her Queen with some worry, she rose herself up on shaking arms. She looked back to the box and saw the pale face within. Terror crossed her Bishop's face but she didn't let him hide away again. She dropped down to her knees and grabbed hold of his shoulders before he could vanish back into the box. "Gasper, look at me."
"R-Rias, b-be c-" She could hear the terror in his voice as he tried to draw away, hide away again.
"No. Keep looking at me." Rias decided to take desperate measures. "Keep looking at me because I trust you."
"Rias…" Stunned awe replaced his fear. Rias smiled at him. She gently pulled and he didn't resist.
"King's Dragon, end this!" Issei was not lying to Lucifer two days ago. King's Dragon was fully capable of barriers that it made liberal use of on its armored forearms, blocking Akeno's lightning strikes with them instead of with its armored form.
"ECHI!" The Stand moved the barriers in front of it and away from its arms, slammed them together, and released a barrage of blows on them as they joined together. Bullets of energy ripped forward that Akeno found she had no hope of dodging, no hope of stopping, and no hope of matching.
They stopped midway to Akeno, locked in place by Gasper's Forbidden Balor View. It was only momentarily, a moment that Issei displayed his shock and Akeno smiled as she drew away. Lightning gathered across her body before she threw both hands forward.
"E-" King's Dragon froze in place. Issei's eyes widened in shock at the sight of the frozen Stand, he tried to urge it to move but felt as if he was completely disconnected from the armored warrior. The lightning Akeno made use of ripped through the depleted barriers in front of it and Issei collapsed to the ground, his body falling to convulsions. He screamed just as King's Dragon seemed to regain control of itself and slammed its palms together.
Emerald lightning fired back at Akeno and it was her turn to scream. She dropped to the ground and groaned. The attack had lasted seconds but lightning still crackled across her figure. Her body trembled and she groaned again.
"Damn…" Issei slowly sat up as King's Dragon vanished from sight. "I've never dealt with lightning before." He looked to the last two Devils and slowly pushed himself up on shaking legs. "I don't feel like playing with kid's gloves anymore. Sorry in advance."
King's Dragon reappeared but Sirzechs appeared between the two remaining Devils and the human across from them. He was smiling despite the state of more than half of his sister's incomplete Peerage, her Queen, Rook, and Knight all defeated by the human across from her.
"That's enough. I have enough benchmarks to go on. I'll have the others collected while the three of you go clean up." Sirzechs had been true to his word, the other three Devils Issei had defeated rather soundly were brought to the mountain mansion.
"Thank you for this Issei, you've shown me the problems each of them have and what we'll be working on for the next near month." Sirzechs looked to each of the Devils, Rias included, before beginning on the first to attack Issei.
"Yuuto Kiba, you are a Knight. Your speed is impressive, enough to beat most others that claim to have the same title. Your Sacred Gear, Sword Birth, allows you to create Demon Swords limited only by your imagination and Demonic Power." Sirzechs looked at the blonde, nursing a bruise from the blow of King's Dragon, and didn't regret what he said next. "You fight too honorably, you should have attacked Issei with swords from the ground and from all other avenues available to you. I've heard of your performances during Stray Devil hunts and know of your skills. You should look to overwhelm your opponent with an attack that cannot be defended against. Issei's defenses were powerful but they showed a flaw. You failed to remain conscious long enough to see it. You will need to increase your speed despite how impressive it already is, increase your Demonic Power, increase the Demon Swords you can create using Sword Birth, and, most importantly, learn to forsake the honor you attacked with."
Kiba did not look happy but he did not say anything to the Satan. He turned his attention to the second Devil to fall to Issei.
"Koneko Toujou, you are a Rook. Your power is not as great as it should be, you are capable but against more skilled Rooks, experienced Knights, or Queens you will fall. Your blows were strong and fast but not enough to compare to the power I know King's Dragon possesses at its weakest, especially when the strength of your blows were turned against you." Koneko looked down at the table, away from the eyes of both Sirzechs and Rias. One pair was cold and the other was filled with pity. "I know you have power beyond what you've shown and I will personally work with you if it comes to it. Your speed must be increased before all other things, your strength, and you will be taught Magic to further aid you in combat. You are not a Bishop but you will learn how to combat them, how to defeat them. Your Demonic Power is plentiful and it will be put to use with spells fitting your skills."
Koneko nodded and said nothing to the words of the Satan. He turned to his attention to the third Devil to fall to Issei.
"Akeno Himejima, you are a Queen. Your power is great but it has come at the cost of your defense and your speed. You possess the traits of the Bishop, Rook, and Knight but you only show yourself to be a proficient Bishop with your lightning spells. Other Queens can outpace the fastest Knights, endure more than the strongest Rooks, and hold more Demonic Power than the strongest of Bishops. You are exemplary only when it comes to the large amount of Demonic Power you possess but that is not all. I will be working with you to draw out the second power I sense in you and…" Sirzechs trailed off as he looked into her eyes and found them glazed. He followed her eyes to Issei and the Satan was confused. "Why are you looking at Hyoudou like that, Akeno?"
He received nothing but silence. Akeno's eyes fluttered as she moaned and the Devil that held power that gave him the title of Lucifer looked away. His face was red as he spotted Akeno shake in her seat.
"What is she doing Rias?" The aura of a Satan was gone as Rias looked to Akeno and her cheeks flushed red.
"Akeno is…she takes pleasure from pain at times." Drool came from her mouth as she moaned again.
"We'll continue this later." Sirzechs rose and strode out the room with all the dignity he could. The redness to his cheeks made it very difficult to carry the aura of Lucifer as he left.
Fourteen Days After Arrival…
"Issei, you'll be fighting her entire Peerage again. What I told you two weeks ago stands, don't go easy on her or any of them." The teen nodded as he strode forward, King's Dragon appeared in a burst of green and red. The Maou turned to where his sister and her Peerage stood at the ready, waiting for the signal to begin. "Rias, use what you've learned these past two weeks and defeat Issei this time. If you do, I'll buy you all the models you want from that show you like."
His sister sufficiently bribed, Sirzechs teleported away from the battlefield.
Issei's hands fell into his pockets and he looked at the Devils across from him. He blinked, King's Dragon closed armored fingers around one of the blades Yuuto fired forward using his Sword Birth before it let out a roar and made use of the blade. Each of the blades coming towards Issei were deflected with the weapon before it was thrown aside. Yuuto appeared to Issei's side and stabbed a sword in his hand into the ground. The Demon Sword seemed to howl before gales tore at Issei but King's Dragon swung its arm out, creating an emerald square barrier in front of him. It drove itself into the ground as Yuuto appeared behind him and another Demon Sword struck the ground.
'Heat.' Issei could feel it as King's Dragon ripped him into the air, created an emerald platform for him to stand on, and drove one of its hands into the ground while the other was directed towards Kiba, palm facing the blonde Devil.
A blazing pillar of fire didn't erupt from the ground. A green wave of power fired towards Yuuto only for a wall of Demon Swords to spring up from the ground, consume the energy, and King's Dragon withdrew its hand from the ground. It vanished and appeared in front of Issei as he dropped to the ground and matched Koneko's blow with its own. Issei grabbed hold of the same arm King's Dragon had thrown forward and winced. He looked at the white haired girl with shock before King's Dragon threw her away with a second blow.
At least it tried to.
Lightning ripped down from the sky and the armored defender moved out of the way, taking Issei with it as Koneko fell onto all fours on the ground. Yuuto charged forward from behind, the blades of Demon Swords ripping free of the ground and turning it into a bed of steel. King's Dragon turned to face this newest threat with a roar.
"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" They were demolished, shards sent forward as improvised projectiles to lacerate Yuuto only for him to swing down with a new Demon Sword, its blade pitch black and leaving the a trail of darkness in the air it cut through.
Darkness opened as a void. It greedily consumed the shards before vanishing from sight.
"That's a bit unfair." Issei slid his hands out of his pockets, King's Dragon overlaid with his own form. He lifted one arm into the air and closed his eyes. "If you're going to use your Sacred Gear so much Yuuto, I'll do the same."
The crimson gauntlet known as the Boosted Gear burst into view. Issei held it out, the claws that covered his fingers flashing with a dangerous light.
"Boost." The gauntlet flashed with power as it sounded off.
Power erupted around him before he dashed forward. He wasn't as fast as Kiba but didn't need to be. King's Dragon would cover for any of his weaknesses.
"Boost." The gauntlet sounded off again and his speed grew.
Yuuto held a new sword in hand when he reached him. His armored arm clashed against the blade of the sword before his fingers wrapped around it. His enhanced strength shattered it just as King's Dragon burst forward with its fists cocked back.
"ECHIE-" It delivered hardly a dozen blows to Yuuto before it was frozen in place and Issei turned to the source of his frozen Stand. He found the glowing eyes of Gasper not too far away and threw himself forward with the Boosted Gear extended.
"Boost." The gauntlet sounded off again and his foot cratered the ground as he launched off of it.
"Dragon Shot!" He fired an emerald sphere of power forward, Gasper's glowing eyes widening as he was forced to duck or risk trying to take on the attack. It ripped through the air where he stood just as King's Dragon regained its ability to move and used its armored arms to stop Yuuto's swing on Issei's back.
More lightning came then and Issei threw himself to the ground, avoiding a charred fate. King's Dragon appeared then and roared as it brought its fists together before drawing them apart, bands of energy connecting each knuckle to the opposite. It ripped its arms out to the side and unleashed four razor sharp bands of energy through the air towards the source of the electricity. Yuuto attacked from behind with Demon Swords ripping through the ground around Issei, all of them aiming to skewer him.
"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" King's Dragon shattered the blades of them all, sent them hurtling back through the air as broken shards of once powerful blades. The Stand moved just as Issei lifted his hand and the gauntlet on his arm flashed once more.
"Boost." The gauntlet sounded off again and Issei's hand was consumed in an emerald cloak of power.
"King's Dragon." Issei turned and fired a wave of energy into the waiting form of his Stand. It roared as power enshrouded it for a moment before it rose an armored fist into the air. Power engulfed it, emerald light burning with the intensity of the sun.
"ECHI!" One of its fist slammed into the ground and emerald lances burst free from it, creating a shining pseudo-forest of spears around Issei.
"Boost." The gauntlet sounded off again and Issei let his hand rest at his side, his other hand falling into his pocket.
"Man…this gauntlet ruins my style." Issei looked down at the Sacred Gear said to possess the power to kill Gods and sighed. He turned it over as if in close examination as King's Dragon stood behind him, fists at its side as it awaited whatever would come next. "It's way too big to fit in my pocket…"
"ECHI!" A ball of destruction, no doubt sent by Rias, ripped through the emerald stalks. King's Dragon threw both its fists forward together and an emerald wave fired forward, knocking the attack it knew better than to try and simply stop or deflect off course. It struck the ground next to Issei and burrowed into it as the dirt in its way was annihilated.
Koneko then dropped down from above, King's Dragon bringing a palm up to catch her fist as it drew its other fist back.
"FUCK!" Issei screamed as he clutched at his arm with the Boosted Gear covering his hand. Pain ripped through him, made him want to simply fall then and there, and he settled for focusing it on a glare to the girl that had caused it. King's Dragon didn't get a chance to throw her away as she pushed herself off of the Stand's palm and landed on one of the shattered emerald lances.
'That's the second time.' Issei grit his teeth as he forced himself back to his feet from where he had fallen onto a knee. He glared at Koneko but received nothing but the girl's usual emotionless gaze. He forced himself to stand as King's Dragon drew back, overlaid with his form. 'The first one was easy to deal with but that?' He shot a glance to his arm, several bones assuredly broken. 'How is she doing that?'
"You're hurt." Koneko stated a fact where she stood. "You don't get hurt often."
"King's Dragon is the absolute defense." Issei was repeating something he thought was an infallible fact of the universe. He winced as his broken arm was shifted as he spoke. "I don't know how you're managing to do it but trust me when I say I'll stop it and pulverize you eventually."
"No you won't." Koneko threw herself forward, King's Dragon burst forward with a roar.
Each clash of their fists brought a fresh new pain to Issei but he ignored it, he only grit his teeth as he looked to Koneko. He stared past King's Dragon and focused on the Devil it was battling with narrowed eyes, the Devil who was matching the powerful Stand blow for blow.
"What?" Issei fell to a knee suddenly, feeling as if his power was drained just as King's Dragon's blows came with less force, less power. He lurched forward and narrowly stopped himself with his usable arm, biting down a scream when his broken arm hung down towards the ground. "How are you doing this?"
"Good job Koneko." Rias's voice came from somewhere in the fading forest of emerald. Issei's eyes just took it in and his eyes widened when they turned to Koneko once more. He took note of the cute ears on her head, the two tails that swished back and forth on the ground, and the fact she was faintly glowing.
"You're…you're absorbing my power." Issei was overcome with another spell of weakness as Koneko nodded, the glow around her increasing in intensity. "H-How?" King's Dragon dropped back, vanished from sight without a chance of remaining. "How?"
"That would be telling." Koneko smirked at him as Rias dropped down to the ground, her wings vanishing from sight. The rest of her Peerage joined her and the human was surrounded by Devils. Rias smiled wide as she saw the teen defeated on the ground, hardly remaining on a knee. She felt some pity at his broken arm but she was happy that training with her brother had been worthwhile. "You've lost Issei. Surrender and you won't be hurt any further."
"No." Issei didn't let the next surge of weakness stop him. He rose to his feet, however shakily, and locked eyes with Rias. "I shouldn't have gone so easy on you."
King's Dragon appeared with a roar as it surged forward. Koneko's eyes widened as Issei threw his armor clad hand forward. Power burned within the Boosted Gear, power Issei had been saving for this exact moment, however unlikely it would be.
"GIFT!" King's Dragon was an emerald shrouded blur.
"ECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHIECHI!" It was everywhere. The Stand beat the Devils around him senseless with a fury of blows, holding nothing back with the energy Issei had given it. "ECHI!" A simultaneous uppercut to them all threw them back into the air.
The Stand glanced around for a moment before nodding to itself and fading away. Issei looked down at his broken arm before turning to Sirzechs as he appeared, stopping to check on his unconscious sister.
"I'm surprised you went so easy on them for so long." Sirzechs sighed as Issei allowed the Boosted Gear to vanish. "What were you planning?"
"I don't like fighting at a range." Issei let his broken arm simply hang, ignoring the pain such an action caused. "If she thought she had me backed into a corner, she would gather her Peerage and confront me. I was storing power in the Boosted Gear this entire time and just waited for it." He gestured to his arm. "This was a necessary sacrifice to lure her in."
"It's strange that wounds inflicted on your Stand reflect on your own body." Sirzechs shook his head. "It's even stranger you call it the absolute defense with a drawback as extreme as that."
"King's Dragon's covered in armor very few things can get through." Issei glanced to his arm. The pain there was nothing compared to the pain he had lived with every day for years now. "Speaking of King's Dragon, I've got a question for you Lucifer." Issei pointed to the unconscious white haired girl with his healthy arm, her cat ears and tails gone. "What did you teach Koneko-chan?"
"Nothing you need to worry about. Use what you've learned from this fight to develop a counter for it and defeat her sooner next time and force Rias to improvise more with a key component of her main strategy gone before she could put her plan into action." Sirzechs glanced to his unconscious sister who would no doubt be in pain later. "What did you think of Yuuto during the fight?"
"He was annoying with all the swords he sent at me but not much more than that. He just spammed his Demon Swords at me without an actual plan." Issei looked to where the blonde Devil laid unconscious. "Anytime we fight, he always gets really angry and tries to kill me but he doesn't know how to get past King's Dragon."
"I feared he would get like this." Sirzechs brought a hand to his chin, falling into thought. "Tomorrow, you'll battle only him. Taunt him until he speaks of the cause of why he wants to kill you. Once you have such, use it when you attack him. Humiliate him if you have to. Show him the gap between your power and his."
"You want me to motivate him with his hatred of me?" Issei's question brought on a nod from the Maou. He shrugged. Pain lanced through his mind. He ignored it. "Sure. I've been waiting to cut loose on that damn handsome bastard for a while now."
"What of Akeno's support role?" The dark haired Devil was unconscious like all the rest but a pleased smile crossed her face even in such a state.
"Her lightning isn't useful now. King's Dragon wasn't used to it the first time she used it but she can't rely on it anymore to hurt me. I know for sure King's Dragon is keeping an eye on her even if she thinks she's out of my range. If she was dangerous, she wouldn't have lasted as long as she did." Issei didn't look to the Devil he had learned delighted in both causing and receiving pain. The less he saw of her in such a state was the better for him.
"I feared that was the case." Sirzechs breathed out a sigh. "Her durability and speed could be useful but she instinctively relies on her lightning magic. I told her to use different spells but she seems to have ignored me in favor of falling into bad habits." The Lucifer looked to Issei. "She delights at causing you pain."
"I figured." He didn't bother pretending to be surprised. He didn't need to put on a show for the unconscious Peerage anymore and yawned. He desperately needed a nap. "That Gasper guy would be a problem for anybody you know if he had better control over his Sacred Gear." Issei glanced to the reincarnated hybrid. "The ability to stop time, even limited like it is, is enough to get by King's Dragon even if I'm serious. No matter what I try, I can't think of anything to counter that particular ability."
"Forbidden Balor View is a powerful Sacred Gear, it's no Longinus but a master of its power has the ability to beat anyone." Sirzechs closed his eyes and sighed once more. "If Rias had told me of Gasper's state when she first reincarnated him I feel he would be far more powerful than he currently is. I could have offered her some advice, talked her out of sealing him away and letting this problem fester as it has."
"I'm kind of glad he's not really good at using his power." Issei didn't look away from the Bishop that had so much potential. "If he was a real enemy and I had to fight him…I would be dead a dozen times over. King's Dragon can't really defend me if it can't move."
"I wish we had more time." Sirzechs looked at all the Devils laid out across the ground, beaten senseless by Issei's Stand. "I wish I had known about you years ago so I could ask you to help train Rias. Knowing someone so powerful was in the same city as her for so long…I can still hardly believe no one ever discovered you until recently."
"A Stand isn't like a Sacred Gear." Issei wasn't going to speak more on the topic. He turned and began walking back to the mansion. "I'm going to go heal my arm."
"Remember, we'll train more tonight."
Issei gave a silent nod. He continued on his way.
Eighteen Days After Arrival…
"You've gotten closer." Rias and her Peerage were once again on the ground, this time gathered in front of Issei, but they were conscious this time. He tipped an imaginary hat to the Devils and the effort they put in to try and defeat him. "I'm taking this a lot more seriously than when we first got here and you actually made me worry for a second."
Issei was referring to the results of the Power of Destruction Rias had unleashed on him in a blind rage. It had drained her of her Demonic Power and left her to collapse but she had felt grim satisfaction at Issei's assured defeat at last.
Her smile had faded when King's Dragon had let loose a roar akin to a dragon and she felt the power Issei had kept hidden from them all. King's Dragon had flown up with power encasing its entire form. Twin symbols she couldn't recognize appeared in front of each of its fists and it punched the air with blinding speed. Emerald rods fired forward and pierced her attack, detonated within, and King's Dragon continued without any end in sight.
It hadn't tried to match her Power of Destruction but instead dispersed it until it was harmless. The blasts from within rendered it unstable, made it easy to chip away at with the insane speed King's Dragon could move at with so much energy.
'This…this is hopeless…' Every time they had met in battle, her Peerage had been defeated by the human in front of them. She had seen his power match her brother but she never expected the gap between her and a human to be so great. Sirzechs had been angry, focused on wanting to hurt Issei more than using his power, he had been far from his true power. King's Dragon hadn't managed to harm her brother, a Maou, beyond ruining his armor.
She thought she stood a chance.
"Your Power of Destruction is pretty powerful." Issei yawned, covering his mouth with the hand not clad in the Boosted Gear. "I don't know how anybody can take that on. Imagine if they were frozen or something? Bad things would happen, probably end up with them dead."
"Why can't we beat you?" Yuuto's voice was filled with hate as he spoke the question that burned on each of their minds. They wanted to know why Issei Hyoudou was so power, why he had managed to beat Devils time and time again despite being a normal human, and why he never seemed to care at the end of the day. Why? Why could a human beat them so easily?
"Why? I don't have a clue why you can't manage that." Issei shrugged his shoulders as the Boosted Gear vanished from his arm. "But you really should be asking how." The human yawned once more, he had to know how much the act infuriated them. "Anyway, I'm going inside."
Sirzechs watched the human leave the training field. He looked to his sister as she struggled to rise, her Demonic Power completely exhausted, and sighed.
"That'll be enough training for today. Head back inside and rest." He followed Issei inside without another word.
The training he put the human through that night wasn't as harsh as it normally was.
"You're taunting them now." Sirzechs and Issei walked through the mountains, looking for a suitable spot to practice Issei's more dangerous abilities. "Why?"
"I don't know." Issei came to a stop. Sirzechs did the same, a step away from him, and turned to face the human. "I saw how Rias was looking today, saw how sad she looked when she saw King's Dragon get rid of her last attack when she thought she had me, and I felt like doing it." He rose his hand up to his face, covered one of his eyes, and let his head drop back. "Maybe I'm trying to motivate her or discourage her from doing an attack like that again?" His voice was lazy drawl. "Maybe I wanted to see if any of them had any fight left in them? Who would come to her defense, try to attack me for her 'honor'?" He dragged his hand down his face, let it fall back to his side. His eyes looked up into the star filled night sky and his mind drifted to a blonde nun. "I may have just felt like messing with her honestly."
"You are strange Issei Hyoudou." Sirzechs said the only thing he could before he turned and resumed walking.
Two Days Later, Yesterday…
"Well…that was unexpected." Issei lifted a hand up to his face and looked down at it. His blood stained his skin red. "Very…unexpected." He dropped onto his back.
"I can't believe this." Yuuto didn't know to smile with satisfaction or hate the fact that they had at last defeated Issei with such means. "How does this make any sense?"
"Rias…please go back inside and put some clothes on." Sirzechs was well accustomed with his sister's sleeping habits but he didn't know she was so dead to the world when she was awoken so early.
He had begun training earlier than usual a few minutes after the sun had risen. Rias had been absent from the training field so Issei had been facing Yuuto, Koneko, and Gasper while he sent Akeno inside to grab Rias. By the smile he could see on her face, the dark haired Queen had wanted this to happen. Rias had flown out of the house, sans clothes, and landed on the ground directly in front of Issei. He had taken one look at her before his nose had begun to bleed. The more she moved, anxious to begin, the more blood that flowed.
"I don't see why I should." His sister's naked form did nothing to him. "This looks like the best strategy to beat Issei."
"Riser will not fall to the same strategy." 'Hopefully' was added in his mind as Sirzechs brought his palm to his face. He took a deep breath and counted down from ten before he opened his eyes again. "Issei Hyoudou is a teenage boy who just saw a beautiful girl come out naked. Riser won't expect it but he won't be affected like that."
Rias pouted but she took to the air using her wings. She flew back a few minutes later, this time clothed. Issei had awakened by the time she returned. His attempt to project an air of impassiveness was ruined by the scarlet blush staining his face every time he glanced to Rias.
"I-I think I'm going to go now." Issei's eyes were focused on the ground as he walked back towards the house.
"I think we should be rewarded for beating Issei." Rias looked to her brother as she spoke. "He's kept his power secret from us ever since you brought him here. He should tell us what King's Dragon is."
"King's Dragon is a Stand." Issei was more aware than Sirzechs thought as he came to a stop and looked to Rias, whatever embarrassment he felt gone.
"This should be moved inside." Sirzechs's suggestion was an order in truth. In a few minutes, the Devils sat around a table with the human. Tea was served by the servants but beyond that all was silent. "This is better."
"As I said, King's Dragon is a Stand." Issei looked into the liquid in his cup. "My spirit was considered strong enough to create a form to interact with the world and King's Dragon is it."
"How?" Rias seemed to remember his words from days ago.
"But you really should be asking how." Issei wanted to curse his past self for saying such but figured there was no harm. Even if they knew about it, there was nothing they could do to hurt him still.
"When I was younger, a…an incident happened." Issei looked to the arm that he summoned the Boosted Gear to. He closed his eyes. He opened them once more. "I was left incapacitated for close to a month but the incident caused King's Dragon to develop. I hardy understand why it happened but since then King's Dragon has been with me ever since."
"That's all you're going to tell us?" Issei didn't look up from the tea but nodded. Rias didn't look happy with the information. "You aren't going to say anything else?"
"The…it was the most painful experience I've ever encountered in my life." His eyes focused on the tea. "Doctors told my parents they were amazed I had survived. I was told I should have been put in a coma or died from what happened but I survived. My recovery took time but that continued to surprise the doctors. They told my parents a seven year old shouldn't be able to survive what happened to me. I should have died but I didn't for whatever reason." His eyes rose from the tea. "A friend visited me while I was in the hospital, told me I should thank God for helping me live."
Rias shivered where she sat. The eyes that looked at her were completely empty save for one thing.
Hate. A burning hate that eclipsed anything she had ever seen before.
"I only thank God for letting me see the face of the bastard who shot me."
Present…
Issei reached the source of the voice and Sirzechs Lucifer gestured for him to enter the training field. He didn't question it and his hands fell into his pockets from the routine he had developed with the dozens of times he had walked onto the same field day in and day out.
"Don't bother summoning King's Dragon. I just want to talk with you today." Sirzechs began walking farther out into the training field and Issei followed. The Devil was silent until their distance from the house the other Devils resided in was significant, over half an hour later. "This should do."
He turned to Issei.
"Rias is not ready for this." Issei nodded to what the Satan said. "I've trained her into the ground, trained all of her Peerage into the ground, but none of them are ready to fight someone like Riser in three days. They won't be defeated easily but I doubt Riser was idle while I trained you all. He no doubt prepared himself for a war and Rias isn't ready for that. She's strong, she has heart, all of them do, but Riser has a flawless record in the Rating Games, dozens of victories over opponents that had nearly the same if not more experience than him. He knows tactics, knows the ends and outs of each of his Peerage members, and he's powerful enough to defeat her and her entire Peerage himself if it comes to it. Rias thinks she can win with what I've given her but I know she can't, Riser's immortality is too big of a hurdle to overcome with such limited time. If I had more time I could…I could at least do something."
"I don't see why you're worried." Issei withheld the desire to yawn or stretch. "You've given me access to the Boosted Gear and my Stand has grown in power with the training you've given me. I know what to expect from Riser and will handle him for Rias. She just needs to understand that."
"Devils are prideful creatures Issei." Sirzechs stated a simple fact. "No matter how well she's hidden it from you, she probably hates the fact that you'll be the one she has to rely on to win the Rating Game. She knows her Peerage is strong but Riser's is stronger simply because he's the King of it. If his immortality was removed, even if it was less potent, I have no doubt Rias would win but that's not the case. She'll face Riser head on, King to King, and she'll realize she can't overcome his power with her own, even with her Peerage's. She'll discover that and want to do nothing but give up, resign herself to her fate."
"I won't let her." Issei drew his hand out of his pocket and power surged forth from it, a red light blanketed the two for a moment. It faded and revealed the gauntlet on his arm. "I'll use the power that can kill Gods to win this for her because I don't want to end up a member of her Peerage at the end of the day."
"I'm almost glad you don't like my sister." Sirzechs found something worth smiling over. "This makes me trust you much more with all this."
"I intend to keep to my end of our contract." Issei turned back to the house in the distance. "Just make sure you keep to your end when this is all over Lucifer."
"I will."
From Issei's perspective, the remaining three days passed astoundingly quickly. The day of the Rating Game had come and anxiousness filled the air. Anticipation, nervousness, fear, and more came from the Devils that would be battling for the future of Rias Gremory, one side for her freedom and the other for her promised hand in marriage.
Issei shared none of their feelings. He stood at ease with his hands in his pockets in the chamber the Peerage waited for the official beginning of the Rating Game to be announced. Where Kiba tried to focus beyond the battle they would be participating in soon, Gasper wished for a box, Koneko bit at her lips in worry, Akeno tried to ease the worry of her King despite her own, and Rias paced back and forth he was entirely calm. He had no reason to worry for the outcome of the contest with what he had risked to take part in it.
He didn't have the option to fail.
Asia was waiting for him to come home, his parents were waiting for him to come home. He couldn't hurt them by coming back a monster, a Devil. He had to win it because of them. He had to fight like he actually cared for once because he did.
'I won't fail.' He silently repeated those words to himself. He eased his worries with them, cast out his nervousness, and focused on the future.
"Rias-sama, the Rating Game will begin shortly." The maid, Lucifer's wife, appeared from a crimson circle on the floor. "Are you ready?" Actually concern entered the Devil's voice and Rias silently nodded. The Devil looked to her for a moment longer before nodding herself. "Prepare to enter the arena."
It happened five minutes later. The anxiousness was returning when a number of symbols on the floor had flashed to light. They had done so for twenty seconds, the Devils having long since came over to them, and in the blink of an eye they had all vanished. Issei had blinked and his eyes had opened to the sight of the Occult Research Club's clubroom. His hands remained in his pockets and he strode out of the room without a word as Rias began directing her Peerage.
He dimly heard something about Kiba heading out with Koneko while Akeno and Gasper prepared traps with her. He didn't care.
He only had to bother with walking to Riser Phenex.