A/N: And now the 'Riser Arc' begins in full~
On another note, I think when writing Ddraig I'll have him speak with Bold+Italics when speaking inside Issei's head, but just bold when speaking aloud through the Boosted Gear. Might tweak it in future, who knows.
That aside, do enjoy~
Beyond Mortality
Chapter 6: Rise
The forests around Kuoh had quickly become Issei's preferred training grounds.
Predominantly due to the cover it gave them from civilisation; few would just wander out into the woods of their own accord, and those that did could be detected by Jeanne or Atalanta long before they arrived, allowing them to wrap up their training and either wait until the person left, or move elsewhere so they didn't expose the supernatural to everyday humans.
It, also, meant that few were around to see him get his ass kicked.
''Hrf- gah!''
A punch to his stomach knocked the wind out of Issei and he fell flat on his back, groaning exhaustedly. His whole body ached. His fingers were sore from being curled into fists for hours. His forearms hurt from blocking so many punches – frankly the only reason he wasn't in greater pain was because Jeanne was able to hold back enough to avoid that. Though that didn't stop his skin from bruising.
It was already evening, Issei noted, staring up at the orange sky past the sparse canopy overhead; the sun-kissed hue gradually dimming to purple as nighttime neared. It was almost strange to think that he'd spent an entire day doing what amounted to physical exercise – before he'd be loathed to do something even as simple as jogging, but now he felt almost eager to do so. Privately he wondered why. To prove himself to the others? To prove to himself? Maybe. It sounded more noble than self-defence or desperation, at least.
''Issei-senpai.''
''Hm...?''
Tilting his head back slightly he noticed Koneko stood just off to the side, holding out a water bottle. Bidding the white-haired girl a quick thanks Issei sat up and chugged a third of the bottle down in one go, the liquid lukewarm but a much-needed refreshment. As he did so Koneko went about healing his minor wounds, the soft green glow of her magic easing the pain and making the bruises slowly start to fade. Compared to Asia her rate of healing was much, much slower, but at the same time he didn't think it was any less cool. Maybe it was because he'd been a normal human up until fairly recently, but the mere idea that you could heal someone with basically nothing but a thought, even if only slightly, was amazing. And handy too.
An idea struck him then. ''Hey, could you teach me how to do that too, Koneko-chan?''
Koneko blinked, surprised, but slowly shrugged. ''I suppose...?''
Cancelling her healing spell Koneko grabbed his right, pulling it until his palm hovered just above his left arm where a bruise was. ''From what I know about healing magic, you have to will for it to happen.''
''Will for it...?''
Koneko bobbed her head. ''It might be different for you since you're still human, but I'll assume it's the same. Focus on the injury. Will it to be healed. Don't think of anything negative, or be frustrated, just clear your mind and guide your mana into your palm whilst willing it to fix itself.''
Issei suspected there must be more to it than that, otherwise everyone would be able to use magic – but then again she was speaking from the perspective of a Devil, so maybe she was missing a few key pieces. Nevertheless he gave it a try, drawing upon the well of mana that his soul housed. His training with Akeno during magic practice came in handy then, allowing him to visualise his mana in his mind – mentally taking the form of a great big pool. Even though he never defined the actual size for it, his mind seemed to do it for him, the size of the pool much wider and deeper than when he'd first visualised it days ago.
Drawing upon just a tiny sliver he tried to guide it down his right arm, but it was fickle. It was like he was trying to guide a single droplet of water in a straight line even as it tried its best to go left and right. He pulled another sliver and repeated the process again, his expression becoming tight as he tried to control all the little beads of water and make them go down his arm, and not split apart or run off to the sides. Only once several droplets of visualised mana reached his palm did he focus on the second half, willing those little beads of water to heal.
Light, dim and green, shone through his eyelids. In a heartbeat Issei opened his eyes, amazement colouring his expression as he watched the glow emanate from his own palm – numbing the area under it and slowly, ever so slowly, turning the discoloured bruise into fresh, healthy skin. It was like he'd never been struck in the first place.
''Woah...'' Issei breathed, grinning. ''I did it!''
''That you did.'' Koneko's tone was flat, but a slight smile curled at the corner of her lips. ''I would've thought that it'd require calculations, but I guess not.''
''Hm.'' A hum from Atalanta drew both of their eyes. ''Perhaps due to its nature? In mine own time, magic such as that was borne from thy heart, not esoteric equations.''
''So you're saying that healing magic doesn't require the calculations and stuff that other human magic does?'' Issei queried curiously.
To that, Atalanta merely shrugged. ''I make no claims, merely speculation.''
''It would make sense, wouldn't it?'' Jeanne suggested with a smile, approaching him and looking no worse for wear after their spar. ''For complex cures or specialised spells, perhaps, but for something as simple as healing a bruise it must be easier.''
''True, but then why doesn't everyone do it...''
''Not everyone has a lot of mana.'' Koneko noted. Upon seeing his confusion, she continued. ''You have a lot of it, remember, and you used a lot on fixing that bruise. Plus you already understood the basic mechanics behind it thanks to Akeno-senpai, most people wouldn't.''
Issei hummed at that, coming around to the idea. ''I guess... maybe I have a knack for it?''
''Could be.'' Koneko hummed lightly. ''You do possess the...''
The brunette blinked and looked over at Koneko, confused as to why she'd just stopped, only to notice Jeanne stiffen in his peripheral vision. Concerned he followed her gaze and nearly did a double-take as he found a maid standing just in the shadow of a tree, hands folded disarmingly in front of herself and with silver hair neatly done, two braids draping over her front. The woman's beauty nearly made his heart skip a beat... but it was the tension in the air that quashed any perverse thoughts, a jolt of fear shooting up his spine.
''U-Um...'' Issei stammered out.
''Who art thou?'' Atalanta spoke up coldly, bow raising but not aiming right at the woman just yet.
Surprisingly it was not the woman who answered, but Koneko. ''Grayfia Lucifuge. Buchou's sister-in-law.''
''Indeed.'' The now-named Grayfia bowed lightly in greeting. ''Forgive my intrusion, but I didn't wish to interrupt Hyoudou-sama and opted to watch for a moment. That aside, I come bringing a message from Sirzechs Lucifer-sama.''
''A message?'' Issei blinked in surprise and stumbled to his feet, sparing a look at Koneko. The slight surprise on her face told him she wasn't in the know.
Grayfia nodded. ''Are you familiar with the inner-workings of the Seventy-Two Pillars?''
''Um... Gremory-senpai told me a bit about them, but we never really got into it.''
The maid hummed as if she'd expected that. ''Then allow me to divulge this; the Devils, following the Great War and the following Civil War, were so devastated numerically that political marriages and such were and are still commonplace in order to preserve the bloodlines of the Pillar families, thus allowing their heirs to retain their hereditary powers, and perhaps evolve it further via marrying with other heirs. This has been the standard for quite some time.''
''Why this pertains to you is simple.'' Grayfia continued. ''Rias-sama is set to be married to the scion of the Phenex family, Riser Phenex. As it is an arranged marriage Rias herself has had little to no choice in it, of course, and perhaps as such she is quite rebellious towards such an engagement.''
Issei frowned. ''Do you want me to convince her to go ahead with it...?''
''I mean no disrespect, Hyoudou-sama, but if you were to try to she would only become hostile to you.'' Grayfia shook her head, braids swaying with the motion. ''No, convincing her to go ahead with it is pointless, and that is not the reason I am here today. The reason is that I actually want you to aid her.''
''H-Huh?!''
If she was bothered by his outburst Grayfia didn't show it; simply continuing onwards. ''Riser Phenex will be visiting tomorrow evening at the Occult Research Club. The meeting is for him to try and convince Rias to go ahead with the engagement – an engagement which has been pushed up at the behest of the Phenex family themselves. You are requested by Sirzechs Lucifer-sama himself to attend, but without your Spirits.''
''You would have him confront a Devil of royalty alone?'' Atalanta pointed out suspiciously.
''I will be present myself. No harm shall befall Hyoudou-sama, of that I swear upon my life.'' Grayfia announced simply, but firmly. ''No, the reason for him being present is that I will suggest a Rating Game between Riser Phenex and Rias-sama to settle the matter. Considering his ego, Riser will no doubt agree to such an arrangement, considering he himself has a full Peerage whilst Rias-sama only has four, one of whom is sealed due to being unable to control his powers. As such Rias-sama is allowed to invoke an ancient law stating that her contracted magician – or the contracted magician of one of her Peerage members – is permitted to join her in a Rating Game.''
''To put it simply, Hyoudou-sama, Lucifer-sama wishes for you to fight alongside his sister to fight for her freedom.''
There was a weighty pause by the time Grayfia finished. Koneko looked grim at the reminder of Rias whilst Atalanta didn't take her eyes off of Grayfia, though shot a sidelong glance back at Issei – the teen himself staring at the maid with surprise, then uncertainly, looking down at his hand. At the two marks on his hand.
''...how strong is this Riser Phenex guy?''
''He is a High-class Pure-Blooded Devil with a natural affinity for fire.'' Grayfia stated succinctly. ''He possesses great magical reserves and the hereditary regeneration of the Phenex clan, said to be second only to the regeneration of an actual Phoenix in the entire supernatural world. Thus, while he is not yet a foe insurmountable to an Ultimate-class Devil, he is rapidly climbing the Rating Game ladders and has proven his ego to not be entirely unwarranted.''
Issei hesitated. ''I mean, I don't think I could fight someone like that on my own.''
''Of course not.'' Grayfia then looked pointedly at Atalanta, then Jeanne. ''But, you will not be alone. You merely need hide your true strength until after Riser has left.''
The brunette understood then, clarity hitting like a freight train. Though he himself wasn't entirely sure how strong Jeanne and Atalanta, having little to compare them to, he was relatively confident both could handle him. But that would also leave his Peerage, who Issei doubted he could take on more than one or two, if that. If the guy was a High-class Devil like Rias, it stood to reason then that his Peerage members were fairly strong too.
''I see... I'll do it.''
Grayfia hid the smile that threatened to spread across her lips, bowing. ''I am pleased to hear that. I shall inform Lucifer-sama immediately. Please be present before four o'clock.''
A silvery magic circle spawned beneath the maid, and then in a flash she was gone, leaving the group alone.
''Art thou sure of this, Master?'' Atalanta queried, turning to face him now that the 'threat' was gone.
''Well I mean, I can't really just let this happen, right?'' Issei said, scratching his head. ''I mean you've seen Gremory-senpai, she seems like a nice person, and why should she have to be married to someone she doesn't want to? What good is this power I have if I can't do anything with it?''
''Well said, Issei.'' Jeanne approved with a smile.
Atalanta seemed like she wanted to say more, but apparently decided against it and just nodded. ''If that is thy decision, then I shan't try and sway thee.''
Issei smiled, wordlessly de-summoning both of his Heroic Spirits and letting them return to his hand. Though he still had a bit of mana left, he'd rather let it regenerate a bit on the walk home so that they could stay manifested until it was time for him to head to bed. ''Well... I guess I better step up my training, huh Koneko-chan?''
''Mm.'' Koneko nodded, eyeing him closely. ''...did you really mean what you said about Rias, senpai?''
''Of course.'' Issei agreed softly, looking up at the amber sky. ''I won't pretend to know much about the Underworld but seriously, arranged marriages? That sound so shitty. If I was her brother I'd break it off immediately, no matter what. Everyone deserves to make their own choices, to live their lives how they want it, no matter what.''
Too busy staring at the sky Issei missed the way Koneko gazed at him with a small smile. By the time he looked back at her, it was gone, her stoic mask in place.
''Mm.'' The white-haired junior agreed softly. ''I should head home now. I'll see you tomorrow?''
''Yeah. See you then, Koneko-chan!''
With a light wave they parted ways, the sunset warm on their backs.
X-x-X
Per their agreement, Issei showed up to the Occult Research Club at a little before five.
Koneko waited outside for him and let him in, the two of them silent as they fast-walked through the haunting halls of the Occult Research Club, the amber sunlight warm as it peered through the windows but doing little to clear the tension in the air. Issei for his part took the time to scan the area with his mediocre detection ability, relaxing when he felt Grayfia's presence inside the room itself. While he might not know her all that well, if she really was Rias's sister-in-law then it stood to reason she was trustworthy, at least enough to not let him die via Riser.
Eventually they made it to the clubroom, a simple knock and twist of the handle popping it open, allowing Issei to follow Koneko inside. The interior was as it had always been but the tension was palpable. Rias gave him a stiff smile from her spot on the couch. Akeno stood behind the couch tensely, but offered him a more sincere smile, one hand rubbing Rias's shoulder in a subtle sign of comfort. Kiba was by the far wall behind Rias, arms crossed but his shoulders tense, ready to leap into action. The only one who seemed unphased was Grayfia herself, who stood with perfect poise between the two couches, awaiting the arrival of the Phenex scion.
''Is there anywhere I should stand?'' Issei broke the silence awkwardly.
It worked a little at least – a little titter from Akeno following his words. ''Stay with Koneko-chan over by Kiba-kun.''
''Don't say anything unless spoken to.'' Kiba chipped in, giving him a slight smile. ''It'll be hard, trust me, but at least he won't turn his anger on you.''
Issei drew a breath and nodded, leading Koneko over to Kiba and standing next to the blonde prince, waiting. The heavy silence returned and the air itself felt like it thickened, the wait alone quickly getting on Issei's nerves, but he knew this wasn't a laughing matter and clamped down on his instinctive urge to fidget.
Mercifully the silence was broken by the sharp hiss; a single spark illuminating the centre of the room before it blossomed into a fine blaze that swept out in a circle, the magic circle within glowing only momentarily before delivering its occupant. They were male, tall and sharply-dressed, in a red jacket with styled yellow hair. His mere presence was one of self-confidence, daresay arrogance, and the moment Issei laid eyes upon him he knew who he was.
Riser.
Mostly because he looked like an asshole.
''Rias! How lovely to see you again.'' Riser greeted with arms open, before sniffing the air. ''A shame though it had to be done in the human world. I'd have much preferred we meet at my estate.''
''Riser.'' Rias said simply, emotionlessly even.
Riser just smirked, glanced around and dipping his head in acknowledgement at Grayfia – before his eyes stopped on Issei. ''Hoh? Have you finally acquired more Peerage members, Rias dear?''
''He is not a member of my Peerage, but a contracted magician of my Rook.'' Rias corrected stiffly. ''Issei Hyoudou, meet Riser Phenex... my fiance.''
''Nice to meet you.'' Issei said as honestly as he could, playing the part of an idiot.
The blonde man cocked his head, eyeing him for a moment... before snorting. ''Hmph. He doesn't seem all that strong – surely someone of your status could've acquired someone more... reputed, my dear Rias?''
''My Peerage is allowed to make their own choices, Riser.''
The meeting continued on, the two chatting and with Riser seemingly oblivious to Rias's ever-growing irritation with the man. Thankfully, however, he apparently dismissed Issei himself as a threat – barely even sparing him a glance throughout the rest of the meeting.
'Keep it cool Issei... all part of the plan...'
X-x-X
The meeting passed by fast and, aside from some cocky quips from Riser himself, everything went as they had hoped it would – Riser had agreed to the terms of the Rating Game that Grayfia proposed.
Which led to Issei's current position – being teleported outside of a fancy manor somewhere in Japan.
''Whoa...'' The brunette murmured, eyes wide.
It was a beautiful vista, the likes that he'd only seen on brochures or on the rare occasions his parents had taken him on vacation out of Kuoh – reminding him strongly of Kyoto, what with the vast swathes of mountains and forests. The lack of civilisation nearby too made it seem so very peaceful, the air itself seemingly cleaner and filling him with a vigour he'd been sorely needing the last few days.
The manor at the top of one such hill was no less grand than the nature around it. Several stories high and constructed primarily of wood it was the type of vacation home he expected more of celebrities than a heiress... though, then again, perhaps he should've expected such a thing. If Rias was the current Lucifer's younger sister, then anything less was probably an insult.
''I see you're enjoying your surroundings.'' A polite comment from Grayfia made him look back at the maid, blushing lightly. ''Fret not, I am not ashamed to admit I too am in awe of its surroundings from time to time. Nevertheless we are not here to admire – but to train.''
The reminder made Issei's expression harden, determination gleaming in his eyes. ''Right.''
Grayfia bobbed her head. ''Rias-sama and the others are currently down at the base of the mountain. They will be undergoing their own specialised training as designed by Rias-sama herself, with their first objective being to scale the mountain up to the manor here – however, while such endurance training would be good for you, being the wielder of the Booster Gear and all, I have another idea. Magical training.''
At that, Issei's determination wavered somewhat, confusion settling in. ''Um... but, why...?''
''One of your biggest strengths currently is your ability to summon both Jeanne d'Arc and Atalanta, two legendary heroes whose power rivals that of an Ultimate-class Devil, if not potentially exceeds it. They alone, potentially, could hold Riser back. However his regeneration means that in a battle of attrition – and it will become a battle of attrition – will not end in your favour. You require mana to keep them manifested, correct?''
''Yeah.'' Issei nodded, glancing habitually down at the markings on his arm. ''If I summon one I can keep them summoned for a little under a day. If I have both, then about twelve hours together.''
Grayfia nodded. ''Good. But, should it come to that, Riser will simply have to outlast you for that time limit – or worse, target yourself or Rias-sama first. Should either of you fall, the battle is as good as lost; literally, in Rias-sama's case.''
''As such, you yourself will have to get involved in the battle.'' Grayfia continued. ''Physical might will not be enough, though it wouldn't be unwanted either. No, what you need is a way to keep Riser down until either he submits and surrenders, or until he is forced to. Welsh Dragon, would you perhaps have any... suggestions?''
To Issei's surprise the Boosted Gear manifested on his right arm of its own accord, and from the green gem Ddraig's voice emerged. [To keep the Phenex whelp down? A few. They are not as immortal as they like to believe, and they are not without weakness.]
''Such as?''
[Pain is one.] Ddraig noted with a grunt. [What does it matter if he can regenerate, if he has no wits left? Drive him into despair, crush his spirit, those work too.]
''Plausible... though, not ideal. I doubt Lord and Lady Phenex would like to see their son reduced to such a state.'' Grayfia noted politely.
Ddraig scoffed at that. [Then outside of holy objects, of which I doubt you Devils permit, there is little I can offer.]
''Seriously?'' Issei muttered. ''You don't have a cool soul-destroying attack or anything?''
[Magic was always more Albion's style. I preferred brute strength.] Ddraig fired back, before continuing. [I do, however, possess an ability akin to what you said. My breath, capable of burning a soul to ash... but, you are not ready for it. Putting aside your lack of experience with the Boosted Gear, even if you somehow unlocked it, using it would more likely burn yourself to ash than hit anything with it. Assuming the Devils would even permit it.]
''Doubtful.'' Grayfia agreed, though seemed a little tenser at the mention of Ddraig's breath.
Issei, however, got an idea. ''Hey Ddraig, what about the Grail? Does that give me any abilities?''
[Not that I-] The Dragon, unexpectedly, went quiet for a long moment. [Hm... actually...]
''Ddraig?''
[Hm? Ah, yes. That could work.] The sealed Dragon responded. [The life energy that you manipulate, Partner, could be the thing that does the trick.]
''Ah.'' Grayfia made a sound of acknowledgement. ''I see now. Due to the Sephiroth Graal possessing a holy affinity?''
[That helps, and could enable him to infuse holiness into any magic you manage to teach him – but that's not what I had in mind.] Ddraig chuckled – a deep, self-satisfied sort of chuckle. [Tell me Devil, how does an archer pluck an Angel from the skies?]
Understanding dawned in Grayfia's eyes. ''...by clipping its wings.''
[Indeed. And much like clipping an Angel's wings to remove one of its greatest strengths...] Ddraig's grin was audible. [...we'll pluck his regeneration ability away, bit by bit, until he's little more than a flightless whelp!]
Issei gazed at his Sacred Gear with awe. ''We can do that?''
[Hmph, of course! We are the Red Dragon Emperor, Partner, there is nothing that we cannot do.] The Dragon boasted. [It will not be easy, of course. Ripping an ability from a foe never is. But I have confidence you can manage it.]
''Right!'' Issei agreed with a grin... before pausing. ''Um... but how do we do that?''
[You'll need to learn to manipulate the Grail's energy, make it infiltrate the Phenex's body and rip it out of him, bit by bit.] Ddraig intoned. [Again, it will not be easy. But at your current level, it is the only way.]
''I see...''
A polite cough from Grayfia caught his attention. ''Then that is what we will practice on – I shall see about procuring a test dummy for you. Until then, we shall focus on your magical prowess. Once I am satisfied with that, your spirits will train your body for the remainder of the day.''
Issei couldn't help but shiver as Grayfia gave him a stern look, a wintery look in her eyes.
'This is gonna suck, isn't it...?'
A draconic snort echoed in his mind.
X-x-X
The days blurred past in a whirlwind of orderly chaos.
Wake up, eat breakfast, train his magic and ignore how many times his spells blew up in his face, then eat lunch, train like hell with Jeanne and Atalanta, have dinner and then work on his sensing abilities with Rias and Akeno. On the third day when Grayfia arrived with her test dummy, apparently crafted by some guy called Ajuka, he spent his evenings trying to utilise the life energy at his disposal to reach in and 'rip' the magic from the dummy.
That, however, proved much, much more difficult than it sounded. It wasn't a case of pushing some energy in, grabbing something, then pulling it out. Unlike his healing magic it felt like he was controlling threads – weaving a single thin wire in and trying to pull a whole bunch of tightly-wound, interwoven wires back out. Naturally the moment his concentration slipped even slightly and the threads reformed themselves, which didn't do much to help with his patience.
Nevertheless he kept at it.
His physical training wasn't much easier... but, at least, it was straight forward. Silver linings.
''You're too slow.''
''Shit-!''
Issei ducked just in time to avoid a trio of arrows that whizzed over his head, embedding themselves into the tree just behind him. He had no time to even look at them before a quiver full of them shot his way at a pace more akin to a gun than a bow, but Atalanta proved herself to be more than a simple archer – leaping from branch to branch with feline grace and letting loose arrows without relent, barely even pausing for breath. Sweat clung to his shirt and his lungs burned with the need for air but he knew staying still would just be a death sentence.
He needed to make space. With that thought in mind Issei ducked behind a tree before hurriedly channelling some mana into his right arm – and then in a heartbeat he leapt out, drawing upon the feeling of fire and his magic responded, a small magic circle appearing just beyond his palm right before he unleashed a torrent of blazing amber fire. It didn't catch the trees on fire but burned hotter than a normal fire would have, feeding upon his mana and forcing Atalanta out of her cover.
Or it would have, had he been a better tracker and realised she'd gone the other way.
Something he realised as an arrow hit the back of his leg, sending Issei falling to the ground with a gasp. The fact more didn't follow told him she wasn't aiming to make him move, prompting him to relax somewhat – confident he wouldn't get an arrow in the back if he didn't kick his ass into gear.
''Better. But still not good enough.'' Atalanta critiqued as she approached, emerging from the bushes behind him. ''Thou knoweth my prowess, yet chose but one option, rather than consider both. Why?''
''Fifty-fifty chance.'' Issei gasped back, yanking the arrow out and holding back a tear of pain – hissing through gritted teeth as he quickly applied some healing magic. It worked faster than it did when he first tried, but compared to Asia's Twilight Healing it felt painfully slow.
''And had this been a true battle, thou would've lost thy life.'' Atalanta stated simply, but coldly. ''Thou can do better. Pick not one, but both options.''
''How?'' Issei questioned breathlessly, partially focusing on his healing magic.
''Rather than simply take cover, thou should have moved back, unleashing thy flame in a wide spread. Though the effect would have been diminished, it would have forced myself back.'' Atalanta responded bluntly.
Issei grimaced but decided against arguing – she was the ancient and apparently legendary huntress from Greece, after all. ''I'll keep it in mind.''
Atalanta huffed. ''Five minutes. Then we will continue.''
The brunette didn't protest despite the fatigue burning at his muscles, opting instead to put his back to the tree behind him and just breathe. Shutting his eyes he focused on his sensing ability; the imaginary radar in his mind expanding out.
He could sense Atalanta just a dozen feet in front of him, her aura reminding him strongly of the woods; a subtle but earthy vibe. Further away he could sense Koneko as she trained against some dummies, her aura spiking every so often as she put more effort into her strikes. Though the difference was slight, he could feel that her aura was slightly stronger than before, the chill a little more nippy. Akeno and Rias were together, their energies holding a stronger potency, especially compared to Kiba who was nearby, his aura reminiscent of a strong breeze. Rias's especially felt powerful; a raw, destructive tint that reminded him strongly of an explosion.
Opening his eyes Issei inhaled a cleansing breath, his shin still aching with phantom pain even after the wound had been healed over, leaving naught but a small patch of discoloured skin. It was still amazing to him to think that magic existed, even after all that he'd been through – the applications of it were flat-out awe-inspiring. Naturally his mind veered more towards the perverse uses of it, such as invisibility to spy on the kendo girls stripping down to their underwear, but he could see the value of others too like healing magic. The amount of regular humans that he could heal, possibly even saving them from debilitating illnesses... why hadn't anyone else done that sooner?
[Because it is forbidden to.] Ddraig's voice filled his head. [The supernatural world has the unspoken rule to not interfere with the lives of humans, and to minimise exposure to them in all aspects.]
'But why?' Issei wondered, looking at his hand. 'Imagine all the good that could be done! Illness and disease healed, magic could probably make food and cure hunger-'
[-and the world would be irrevocably changed because of it.] Ddraig finished for him, voice stern. [Frankly put, humanity as a whole is not yet ready. Your kind fights over the smallest of things, from parcels of land to ideology, even thousands of years ago. Compared to then your kind has come a long way, but it is not time yet. Think, what would happen should humanity at large be confronted with the fact the supernatural exists?]
Issei thought for a moment. The answer came with startling clarity. 'They'd panic.'
[Correct. Humanity is one of the weakest species out there, supernaturally speaking. Though they have great potential they lack any real innate power outside of Sacred Gears, or inherited powers from other supernatural beings. If they were to learn that there was countless other races out there who could destroy entire cities with ease, that many supernatural beings could simply wipe the minds of humans, that they could manipulate your leaders as they please and nobody could even verify if that happened...]
Issei began to see the wider problem, a feeling of dread settling in his stomach. He understood, then. Just finding out that supernatural beings existed had turned his whole world upside-down – he was no longer just a teenager who dreamed of having a harem. He was a person who wielded a power that put him above ninety-nine percent of regular humans, and he wasn't even that strong. How would his friends react if they knew such beings existed? How would they feel if their politicians and military could be controlled by supernatural beings, that maybe even they themselves were manipulated and just didn't know.
He almost felt sick as he thought about it more. What if his own parents were replaced by Fallen Angels, and simply covered with an illusion to hide that? What if every weirdo on the street wasn't just a weirdo, but a supernatural creature hiding in plain sight? What if every weird sensation was actually his body trying to warn him of a curse, or a ghost, or some other paranormal thing? Even sat there, breathing in the scope of it, he understood.
If the world at large was to find out, then it wouldn't just be panic. It would be paranoia.
Every friend a potential suspect. Every leader a puppet. Every action suspect and guided by other hands.
There's be no trust, no faith, in anything.
[And sooner or later, some fool would decide to end it all.] Ddraig rumbled in his mind. [Now you see. Good. Though I hardly care if a human saw me in my true form, you are not me, nor hold my full power. If you don't wish to antagonise other factions, then you would be wise to not start fights where others could see you.]
'Not like I've had a chance as of late...' Issei reminded. 'Then again, the Fallen also put up barriers too, huh...'
Ddraig grunted his assent. [Ask the Devil woman to teach you barriers. They're hardly difficult even for someone of your calibre-]
'Hey!'
[-and they will go a long way in easing tensions between you and other factions.] Ddraig finished, ignoring his interruption. [I'd rather not see you die yet due to unintended arrogance.]
Issei's lips quirked up into a slight smile. 'Glad you care about me.'
He got a draconic snort in return, bringing a grin to his face. Feeling a bit more energised now he pushed himself off of the tree and looked to Atalanta, who had barely moved from her position. Her keen eyes went to him though the moment he moved.
If he squinted, he swore he could see the slightest of smirks twitch at her lips.
''Art thou ready to continue?''
''Heh.'' Issei grinned, summoning the Boosted Gear. ''Hell yeah! We've barely started!''
[BOOST!]
X-x-X
The fifth day was no easier than those before it.
Yet at some point the pain and suffering had become almost cathartic.
It was strange, he had to muse. His body ached. His muscles burned. His lungs felt like they would come up his throat if he breathed any harder. Yet even as beads of sweat rolled down his back and his hands trembled from exhaustion, there was a bone-deep satisfaction as he actually managed to dodge Atalanta's arrows. Scars marred his arms where he'd healed himself and bruises still twinged across his stomach from when he dared get in close quarters with the huntress, her prowess clearly not limited to just a bow.
Who knew she had such a vicious kick?
Banishing the thought Issei used another [Boost], feeling his power – and his speed – double, allowing him to launch off of the grass with a stride that covered a dozen feet. Atalanta's eyes narrowed and she leapt up onto the tree behind her, out of reach, but he chased with use of his [Augment: Lancer], the burning life energy flowing through his limbs and granting him even more speed and agility.
A trio of arrows his way though forced him to abort his attack, grinning tightly as he landed almost sideways against a tree and kicked off of it, launching himself after the huntress. However Atalanta had apparently predicted that, as she suddenly went low and let him fly over her, his momentum unable to be stopped whilst mid-flight and forcing him to tumble across the grass to bleed off his momentum. By the time which Atalanta had already recovered and fired back, an arrow piercing him clean through the shoulder.
''Gh-!'' Issei winced, the burning pain enough to quench his urge to fight more, if only briefly. ''Damn... gimme a sec!''
Atalanta obliged, skipping back another dozen feet so he couldn't ambush her. Putting his hand to his shoulder Issei drew upon his mana and started to feed it into the wound, willing it to sow itself shut.
'Damn... why's this still takin' so long...' Issei thought to himself with a sigh. 'I wish I had a Twilight Healing like Asia-chan.'
[Hmph. You could simply have brought her along.] Ddraig pointed out.
'Yeah, but she's not a Devil, so I wasn't sure if they'd let a nun come along. Plus, I need to get the hang of this whole 'healing magic' thing, y'know.' Issei countered.
Ddraig was quiet for a second and Issei presumed that was all he had to say – until the ancient Dragon suddenly spoke again. [Why don't you try using the Grail's life energy instead of your mana?]
'Huh?' The brunette teen faltered in surprise; the green glow of his spell weakening. 'What do you mean?'
[Hmph, do I need to tell you everything...]Ddraig grumbled, but continued. [It is merely a hypothetical of course, I don't know if this will actually work. However, it is worth a try – gather life energy and shunt it to your wound. With any luck it will heal you as if you had used a spell to.]
Curious Issei complied, shutting his eyes. Drawing upon life energy... it sounded simple, and he supposed maybe it was, but it was different when he used his Augments – they had originally manifested when he really needed them, he didn't consciously call upon life energy. Yet he trusted Ddraig and complied with the Dragon's wishes, remembering the vibrant, flame-like feel of the energy and imagining a goblet in his mind. Within the goblet was that same vibrant fire, roaring in a deceptively small blaze, but even within his imagination he could almost feel the heat, as if the mere imaginary thought was becoming real.
He reached into that goblet with an invisible hand, pulling it away, but the flames resisted his hold and slithered through his fingers. He tried again but the elusive energy escaped his hold easily, frustrating him – until he mentally grabbed a big handful of it and shoved it in the direction of his shoulder, infusing it with some mana in the process.
Suddenly his shoulder burned and his eyes snapped open, darting to his puncture wound... and to his amazement a golden flame hissed, sealing the wound partially shut. But not completely.
Brow dipping into a frown he did it again, shunting a big handful of energy into the wound, but it still didn't fully close. Only on the third go did he finally manage to close the wound up fully, with the added bonus that the skin didn't even scar and instead returned back to normal. However the drain of using so much of the energy hit a second later; a decent chunk drawn out of his mana reserves and leaving him a bit dizzy.
''Woah... I did it.'' Issei grinned broadly.
[Indeed.] Ddraig sounded particularly pleased with himself. [That should solve your problem of taking too long to heal.]
''Interesting.'' Atalanta's comment drew his eye. ''Regeneration. How quaint. Think not, however, that I shall relent in any way because of it.''
Issei chuckled nervously. ''Please don't turn me into a pincushion?''
The smirk Atalanta sent his way did little to ease his fears.
X-x-X
With his newfound regeneration, things sped along nicely.
While it did admittedly mean he ran out of mana quicker, since it took a crap-ton as opposed to his slower but more efficient healing magic, it also meant he could get back into the thick of things faster. Jeanne took over for Atalanta more often than not, her greater close-combat experience allowing her to really push him to his limit, teaching him some hand-to-hand that while not exactly orthodox, undoubtedly refined his lack of style into something resembling one, however simplistic it may be.
Now, as he sat panting and drinking from a bottle of water he had the foresight to bring along, Issei could say that he was improving. How much he didn't really know, maybe Koneko could be a better judge, but he felt stronger. His punches could crack wood, he could dodge literal arrows mid-flight, and after maxing out his [Boosts] he could give Jeanne a good fight. He couldn't beat her, not by a long shot, but at least he could make her put some effort into it.
'Still, am I strong enough to go up against Riser...?'
That was the thought that lingered at the back of his mind; a niggling doubt that troubled him constantly. While Rias was strong, he'd never seen her go all-out and had certainly never been on the receiving end of her full power, so he didn't really have much to compare against. Jeanne and Atalanta were his closest comparisons, but they weren't going all-out either, mostly just staying at a level just above his own so they were constantly pressuring him, but never outright overwhelming him.
The one plus side was that he was at least making some headway with ripping the magic out of the dummy Grayfia had provided. It was still pretty hard but Ddraig had said he was making a lot more progress than he'd expected which, coming from a Heavenly Dragon, was a nice ego boost. One that Ddraig was quick to ruin by stating he still wasn't good enough and practically barking at him to get back to training his ass off. Still, progress was progress.
Inhaling a deep breath Issei cleansed his lungs, the air fresher than it was at Kuoh and soothing his soul almost.
'Soul...' The thought stirred something within him.
After a moment of thought he thought of Jeanne's pretty face and made her manifest, her nigh-electric form jolting into the earth before it reformed into a body. ''You called, Master?''
''Yeah... is there anything that's stopping me from summoning like a bunch of Servants? I mean like, dozens.'' Issei inquired curiously.
Jeanne's brow dipped and she nodded, expression becoming serious. ''Yes. The more Heroic Spirits you summon the more weight our souls will put upon yours. Too much, and your own soul will crumble under the weight. As you become stronger you can bear more weight, but taking on too much in your current state would be inadvisable.''
When it was clear Issei didn't really get it, Jeanne sighed and rephrased it. ''Think of it... like a tree. Each of us Heroic Spirits are a giant fruit dangling from the branches. Normally this is fine, and the tree – your soul – can take the weight. But have too many fruit, or too big ones, and the branches will snap.''
''Oh.'' Issei wasn't sure how to feel about that. ''Is it... painful?''
''...I would assume so.'' The blonde answered with closed eyes. ''Pain of the body stops when one's nerves are destroyed. Pain of the mind stops when one perishes. But when does the pain of a soul stop?''
The thought send a chill up his spine. There was something distinctly... haunting about such a prospect, despite his lack of knowledge about the soul. However from his brief visit to his soul with Ddraig, he could only imagine being trapped there in that ceaseless void for... who knows how long. Maybe an eternity. An eternity of unending agony that he had no escape from.
''Alright. Point made.'' Issei mumbled. ''Can I still summon one more? Or no?''
Jeanne looked contemplative, her eyes remaining shut for a long few seconds before she answered. ''Yes. I believe you are capable of it.''
With a small grin Issei pushed himself up to his feet, his prior unease lingering in the back of his mind but pushed down by his newfound excitement – the thought of bringing another legendary hero back to life filling him with vigour. At Jeanne's gesture he followed her over to a more open section of grass and knelt with her, channelling some life energy into his fingertips and drafting the summoning circle under her guiding hand.
Within the minute the design was complete; a strong, holy glow emerging from it. Rising to his feet Issei held his right hand over the glowing circle and closed his eyes as to not be blinded. Jeanne had been summoned by the threat of his imminent demise. Atalanta had heard his ideal and chosen to follow him. Would others, too, follow his ideal? Would they charge into battle on his behalf, or only alongside him? Would they merely be content to be servants, or friends?
Would they help him simply because he asked them to?
Suddenly the summoning circle glowed a bright, blinding white, piercing through his eyelids easily yet not blinding him for long. Warmth rushed past him as the energy surged and evaporated, small twinkles left dazzling in the air around him and steadily growing weaker until they vanished from the world entirely, not entirely unlike a shooting star. However Issei's attention wasn't on the glittering fragments of light, but on the cute girl standing in front of him.
Her pink hair was what stood out the most. Short and shoulder-length it fell into a braid that went down over her left shoulder, tied with a black bow that matched the hue of her tight-fitting top. White-red armour protruded from her shoulders and a short skirt-like armour piece hugged her hips, leading down into a pair of silky black thigh-highs with garters that vanished up her black dress. Coupled with the metal boots and gauntlets, along with a sheathed sword at her hip, she looked almost like a knight.
Issei's gaze came to a stop on her face just as the Heroic Spirit's eyes opened, revealing them to be a pretty shade of purple.
Not a second later a broad grin curled at her lips. ''Heh. Are you the one that summoned me, Mast-er~?''
Issei blushed. ''Y-Yeah. I-I'm...''
He paused, drew a breath, and finished his sentence. ''I'm Issei. Issei Hyoudou.''
''Oho, that doesn't sound too familiar~ That's Japanese right? I've always wanted to visit Japan – though I think I did in life, didn't I...?'' The girl tapped her chin, before shrugging with a light-hearted laugh. ''Ahh, who cares? I, Astolfo, shall serve you faithfully, Master~!''
Issei couldn't help but blush when faced with such a pure, cheery smile. A burning sensation on his left arm though drew his attention just in time to witness Astolfo's mark appear on it; positioned just above Atalanta's green bow symbol. It was a pink shield with a sword crossed over it, the design simplistic but kind of cute; fitting, for someone like Astolfo.
Astolfo then turned her attention onto Jeanne. ''So, you're also servin' Master huh? Nice to meet'cha too!''
''It's a pleasure.'' Jeanne bobbed her head. ''Atalanta is not with us at the moment, but she will be joining us later.''
''Got it~! So, what's the first order of business Master?'' Astolfo chirped.
''Well, we're in the middle of training for an upcoming fight, so uh... wanna help out?'' Issei asked uncertainly, rubbing the back of his head. ''I can introduce you to the others, but for now we can't really waste time.''
''That works for me!'' Astolfo declared cheerfully, drawing her sword. ''So I try and stab you, you try and fight back, right?''
''Uh... yeah?''
He would soon regret asking that, but if nothing else he got faster.
Mostly to avoid getting skewered by a cute girl's sword.
X-x-X
''Come on... come on...''
Issei's murmurs were unheard by anyone as he stood alone in an open field, his spirits de-summoned and his friends all busy doing their own things. Grayfia had left not long ago, giving him only a brief magic tutoring since he'd already grasped the basics and aside from a couple spells, there wasn't much she could teach him in a short time that would be effective against Riser. Against his Peerage, however, they would. It didn't hurt that human magic, whilst reliant on mind-numbing calculations and mental will, was quite varied and customisable.
Now, however, he was practising what could be the make-or-break aspect of the Rating Game – his ability to rip Riser's regeneration ability out of him. Stood before him was a humanoid dummy made out of dark grey basalt rock, cracks naturally scrawled upon its form and lacking any sort of face. However when he put his palm upon the dummy he could feel it – a deep, steady pulse in its core. The magic that he was charged with ripping out.
What it actually did he didn't know. Maybe it was some master-level magic trick, or maybe it was just some mana put into a quasi-battery. All he knew was that Grayfia had gone out of her way to acquire him this dummy, and he wasn't going to let the woman down.
Drawing in a breath he cast his mental grasp into the dummy, reaching past stone easily and finding the magical core of the dummy. When he tried to grasp at it and pull it away the energy simply slipped through his fingers, barely moved by his attempt. Frowning he tried again with his threads; slithering a single, winding wire of the Grail's life energy in and trying to encircle the energy. Despite the fact the wire was thin the whole mass of energy was squeezed by it, contained by his own mana. When he tried to pull the magic out though it seeped past; energy turning almost into miasma as it passed around his wire and reformed back where it started.
'Damn it.' Issei scowled. 'Ddraig, any ideas?'
The old Dragon grunted in his mind. [You're doing it right, but your intent is lacking, to put it bluntly.]
'How the hell can I put more 'intent' into it?! I've been desperately trying to get this damn magic out for nearly a week now!'
A scoff echoed in his mind. [Then tell me Partner, what are you trying to do?]
The question, so deceptively simple, made him mentally stumble – baffled by it. 'Uh... rip the magic out?'
[And what are you doing?] Ddraig repeated slowly. [Specifically.]
Issei frowned, suspecting Ddraig was trying to make him connect the dots himself. 'I'm wrapping some of the life energy around it and trying to pull it out?'
[Exactly.] Ddraig agreed.[You are trying to wrangle it out. The magic, however, will naturally try to stay where it belongs – if it was so easy to rip away a power from a foe, everyone would be doing it. If you were bestowing a power or removing a curse, such delicacy would be warranted, lest you damage the host soul. However with the Phenex whelp, you have no cause for concern! Do not simply politely pull it! Rip it out, as is your right!]
Ddraig's booming voice filled his head and determination filled his heart. Staring at the dummy's faceless form he could almost envision Riser's smug face on it, further fanning the flames in his heart, in his soul – and with a sharp growl he grabbed the dummy by the face, finding the magic source within and shunting the Grail's energy into it in a claw pattern. A claw pattern that clamped down on the source, and ripped it out.
Without warning the dummy crumbled; basalt disintegrating into countless tiny fragments. Within Issei's hand – a hand that had unconsciously been enhanced with [Augment: Berserker] – laid a churning white flame. When he clenched a fist it dissipated and he felt a small amount of mana fill his pool, but other than that nothing changed.
'Did it work?'
[Indeed, Partner.] Though his tone was even the pride in his voice was unmistakable. [The magic itself you absorbed was mere mana arranged in a peculiar pattern to mimic a native ability. As such, when you absorbed it it dissipated into mere mana, restoring some of your lost reserves but doing nothing else.]
''Sweet.'' Issei grinned and flexed his fingers – before summoning the Boosted Gear. ''Jeanne. Atalanta. Astolfo.''
At the sound of their names being called three sparks jolted out from his left forearm, lightning-like bolts stabbing into the grass around him and forming his three spirits. Jeanne was the one to speak. ''You called?''
''Mm.'' Issei nodded, turning a serious look onto them. ''We've only got about a day left before the fight, so for the rest of today I want all three of you to come at me at once. I don't care if it'll hurt like hell; just give me it as good as you got.''
''Affirmative, Master.'' Jeanne smiled and summoned her battle-standard.
''If that is what thou wishes.'' Atalanta nocked an arrow.
''Heh, try not to squeal this time, Master~'' Astolfo chirped.
Despite facing down three powerful warriors of legend, Issei could only say one thing.
''Yosh! Let's do this!''
[BOOST!]
X-x-X
It was finally over.
The thought carried a weight to that Issei wasn't entirely sure how to describe. The ten days allocated to them were now nearing their end. The final day saw some light training and honing of skills, but for the most part it was a rest day so they could recoup their strength and prepare for the battle with Riser – it wouldn't do any good if they arrived at the Rating Game beat up and weakened, after all.
All of them had improved. Even with how new he was to the supernatural world Issei could tell that at a glance. Koneko's form was much tighter and her punches much quicker. Kiba moved about with a speed that was hard to follow at times. Akeno summoned a great thunderstorm exceeding anything she claimed she could do before. Rias's innate ability, her 'Power of Destruction', seemed even more devastating than before.
He too, had improved. That he could say with some measure of confidence, without any doubt in his heart. Whether it was enough to beat Riser he didn't know.
He would soon though. That, he was sure of.
''Haah...''
Sinking into the blissfully-warm onsen water Issei let out a groan of relief, his aching muscles finally getting the rest they'd been waiting a week for. The onsen located within the manor was grand in size and about as lavish as one would expect from a rich family, though unfortunately it was divided between men and women, so he didn't get the chance to ogle the others. Which meant he was sharing it with Kiba.
Sparing the blonde bishonen only a brief glance Issei reclined further into the water, letting it lap up over his bare chest. The silence was a calm one, the chatter of the girls audible over the bamboo wall dividing the two sections and some cicadas calling out alongside them. Coupled with the deep black sky hanging far overhead, and it was almost serene enough that Issei could see himself falling asleep then and there.
That was, if the sliding shoji door hadn't suddenly opened.
''Ahh~ It's so warm in here~''
Issei flinched in shock and whipped his head around so fast he almost gave himself a neck injury – but such thoughts were the last thing on his mind. Instead, his utmost attention was on the slender form of Astolfo as she practically skipped inside, clad in nothing but a towel.
''A-Astolfo-san?!'' Issei spluttered out. ''This is the men's side!''
''Hm?'' Astolfo cocked her head to one side. ''I know that, silly.''
''Then why are you here?!'' Issei squawked, though a part of him was a little giddy, seeing such a beautiful girl in nothing more than just a towel-
''Why else? I'm a guy too, y'know.''
…
''I think you broke him, Astolfo-san.'' Kiba chuckled sheepishly.
''Heh? How?'' Astolfo blinked, before making an 'ohh' sound and smacking a fist into his open palm. ''He thought I was a girl, didn't he...''
Issei could say nothing as he simply sunk down into the onsen water, nigh-comatose.
''A-Ahh! Don't drown Master! Master~!''
From the sidelines Kiba could only watch with a wry sort of smile as a traumatised Issei was rescued by Astolfo and then vigorously shook about, gradually coming to terms with his new reality.
[END]
A/N: Quite the packed chapter, this one turned out to be.
Issei's learned some healing magic, gained greater proficiency over his life energy and the Sephiroth Graal as a whole, and summoned his third spirit, Astolfo~ Surprised nobody anticipated this one, given the Apocrypha trend thus far, though that trend is more coincidental than intentional. Nonetheless, I was tempted to make Astolfo a girl (because DXD), but decided against it. One because I did want Issei to have a male Heroic Spirit to bond with, and two because it felt a little contrived to make him a girl solely on a whim.
Also went with a different method of defeating Riser. Some theorised Issei would use a holy-oriented spirit, or Jeanne being a clear advantage because of her nature as a saint, but not so - though Jeanne is a saint, at least here she possesses no innate holy magic/aura. Her Noble Phantasms yes, but neither will be used on someone of Riser's calibre.
That said, hope you enjoyed, and see you next time in Chapter 7: Fall~