Contract 3- Hostage Crisis
*Knock Knock*
The door to the clubroom opens.
"Ah, Hyoudou-san, glad you could make it." Greets Kiba.
"Thanks, sorry I took so long,but I got something to show everyone." He said, holding up a small silver box. Kiba leads Issei to the main room, where Koneko and Akeno are waiting. Issei looks around, "Where is Rias?"
"She'll be here in a moment, she's just finishing up her shower." Kiba said casually.
"Her what?" Issei asked in disbelief. A door opens up and steam billows out. Rias Gremory steps out, wearing only a towel.
"Ah, Issei, you made it." She said, not acknowledging her state of dress.
Issei blushes furiously before closing his eyes tight, turning 180 degrees, and bowing at a perfect right angle. "I'm sorry for interrupting! I'll wait outside!" Issei tries to run out of the room, only to bash into the doorway as he still has his eyes closed and falls backwards with a bloodied nose.
"Ah! Are you alright?" Rias asked as she kneels down next to the fallen Issei. He looks at her, her towel sagging slightly, before blushing again and fainting.
Vice appears beside Issei. "Issei! Issei! Wake up! The blessed valley is right in front of you, open your eyes! Issei!" Vice cries out dramatically.
Issei sits across from a now dressed Rias, tissues stuffed into his nose to stop the bleeding. "Ahem. Sorry about that, Rias, I was a little surprised." Issei said, still with a prominent blush.
"No, I have to apologize. Devil society's standards are a bit different than human society. My peerage is used to them but it slipped my mind how you might react." Replied Rias.
"We sure that she comes from the underworld, because that place sounds like heaven if this is common!" Snarks Vice. Issei glares at his demon partner with a deadly gaze.
Issei shakes his head before turning back to Rias and holding up the box. "Anyways, I got another package from Noah this morning, figured I'd open it up here." Issei sets the box on the table, he and Vice reach forward and touch its seamless surface. The box pops open and inside is a red Vistamp with a white elephant on it.
Kiba blinks at the display, "That was certainly fancy, are all of his packages like that?"
Issei nods, "Yeah, took me a while to open the first one, and ended up breaking a lot of tools on it. Turns out it's as simple as me and Vice touching it together." Issei takes the stamp out of the box, "What is this, an Elephant Vistamp?" He asked out loud.
"Wait! Wait! I have an Idea." Vice said from the speakers of the Gundephone. His picture shows up on the screen. "I was poking around in here and I found something." Vice scrolls through the phone before clicking on an icon shaped like a Vistamp. "It's called the Vistamp reader. Looks like Noah made an app to tell us about Vistamps. Now that's handy!"
Issei reads the instructions for the app "'Hold back of Vistamp to back of phone.' Ok, like this?" Issei pushes the Vistamp into a slot on the back of the phone. The screen changes to a picture of new suits for Revi and Vice along with a description. "'Mammoth Genome,'" Issei reads, "'Ideal for bladed combat.' said that it gives me weapons called the 'Mammoth Gashers' and Vice the 'Glacier Shields'."
Rias raises an eyebrow, "He gave you a phone? I noticed it yesterday but didn't recognise the model."
"Yeah, Vice usually can't interact with things like this. He can make parts of himself physically like his hands but it doesn't last long and you still can't see or hear him. This phone is pretty much his only way of making contact with anyone besides me." Issei replied.
"Yeah, this thing is pretty great! Not to mention the gun mode."
Rias' eyebrows raise higher, "Gun mode?"
"Oh yeah, you didn't see that. Hold on a sec." Issei transforms the phone into gun mode. "It can be a sidearm." Issei flips the pistol around, "It was pretty useful against the guy yesterda-"
Bang!
The gun suddenly fires, surprising the room's occupants. Kiba and Koneko get into fighting stances on instinct while Akeno forms a glowing circle. Issei looks up and sees a hole in the roof of the club room. He looks at the club and smiles sheepishly. "He he, guess that's why Daito's always talking about gun safety." Issei cringed, "I'm sorry, I'll pay for the damages."
Rias regains her composure, "No need. Akeno." She turns to the ravenette who nods. Akeno makes another glowing circle and points it at the ceiling. The hole made by the stray blast mends together until it is like it was never there.
Issei's eyes widened, "Woah, magic?"
Rias nods, "Yes, devils are quite naturally skilled in magic. Akeno in particular focuses on it, assisted by her evil piece."
Issei raises an eyebrow. "Evil piece?"
"Oh right, we didn't explain that to you. Devils reincarnate members into their peerages using these." She pulls out a pure red chess piece, "Evil pieces work to limit the amount of people each devil can have in their peerages. Some individuals with more power will take more evil pieces to reincarnate. As well, different pieces have different abilities. Koneko is a rook piece, so she boasts superior strength." Said girl walked over to the couch where Issei is sitting on before lifting it and Issei above her head with little effort.
"Woooaaah!" She places the couch with a now slightly dazed Issei back on the floor, "A little warning next time." Issei complained to her.
"So these piece abilities is why Mr. Bone of My Sword over there was able to move like a bullet?" Vice said.
Rias nods again, "Yes, Kiba is a knight, giving him enhanced speed."
Issei nods in response, taking in the information, "Then what about Himejima-Sempai?" He asked.
"Akeno is my queen piece, she acts as my second in command. The queen piece boasts the abilities of the rook and knight pieces, as well as the bishop piece's enhanced magical ability."
Issei nods before thinking back, "So what type of magic did Yuuto-san use to summon those swords yesterday?"
"That wasn't quite magic, you see, Kiba has a special artifact called a sacred gear."
Issei tilts his head, "Sacred gear? That sounds important."
Rias nods her head, "Yes. You see, long ago, during the great biblical faction war, the God of the bible created sacred gears in order to give humans a fighting chance against the, admittedly ruthless, devils and fallen of that time. He created some through his own power, as well as by using the souls of powerful monsters from other pantheons. There are hundreds, possibly thousands of sacred gears with different abilities derived from every patheon on earth. Humans are born with gears at random and only some people will awaken them. Kiba's gear is called Sword Birth, and it allows him to create any sort of demonic sword he can think of." Kiba demonstrates, holding his hand out and manifesting a straight sword, which in a flash changes to a rapier, then another flash into a cumbersome greatsword.
Vice puts a hand up on screen, "Wait a minute, a power from Big G themselves to create demonic swords? Why would they make something using their enemy's power? Seems kinda weird."
"I can't claim to know what the thinking behind Sword Birth was. I've heard rumors of a holy sword counterpart called Blade Blacksmith, but last I heard a church exorcist has it. It may not be a longinus, but Sword Birth is perfect for me." Kiba said.
"Longinus?" Issei asked.
"Yes, the most powerful type of sacred gear. There are said to be thirteen in total. They are so powerful, it said that with the right wielder they could kill a god." Rias explained.
Issei's eyes shot open, "Kill a god!?"
"Ok, I'm really doubting Big G's judgment now. Why would a god give out power able to kill a god?" Vice asked.
"Well, just because they can kill a god, doesn't mean they can kill the God. He was only ever matched by the power of the original four satan's, Lucifer, Beezlebub, Leviathan, and Asmodeus. But the original satan's died at the end of the great war. Lucky for us is that besides a few minor conflicts, the heaven faction hasn't struck out against us since then." Rias said. "But that's beside the point. I'd actually like to ask you some things."
"O-oh, yeah, fire away."
"I was only able to see so much of you fighting yesterday, as well as the day before." She said before she brings up a magical circle, projecting a replay of Issei and Vice's first fight against the Ptera Deadman.
Vice cringes as he watches his video counterpart slam into the ground, "Yeesh, that still hurts to watch." He said as he rubbed his back.
"I'd like to know what exactly you can do." She continued.
"Well, to tell you the truth, I've only had the suit since tuesday." Rais' group's eyes widened.
"Tuesday? Not even a week?" Rias asked in disbelief.
"But when I fought with you yesterday, you were holding your own quite well." Kiba said.
Issei rubs the back of his head and nervously laughs, "Well, before Satsuki entered Kuoh Academy, she didn't have any way to practice her karate outside of her club. She would always ask me to help her practice. When she joined the Academy she was able to meet up with her club members so she doesn't need me anymore, but I picked up a thing or two. "
Rias nods in understanding and also winces slightly at the idea of being used as practice by the star of the martial arts club. "Ok, what about the demons, we heard Noah's explanation but you've fought them, what should we worry about?"
"Well, I ran into the first one on tuesday in the park-"
"Wait." Kiba interrupts, "That's what caused the damage in the park?"
Issei nervously laughs, "Yeah, it was my first fight and I forgot about collateral. Anyways, first I encountered a bunch of identical demons. They sorta looked like skeletons. There were five of them but they went down pretty easily. After that a stronger one like the one yesterday came out. It was slower than the Ptera Deadman, but it hit harder and was sturdier."
"Good old kick finisher took it out all the same though!" Pipes up Vice.
"Hmm, interesting, we'll have to keep a better look out for any leads on them." Rias said.
Issei's phone vibrates, Vice stumbles slightly on screen. Issei checks the message he just got.
"Oops, looks like I gotta go. I promised my brother I'd hang out in town with him today."
Rias nods, "Very well, I understand. Before you leave, could we exchange numbers, in case one of us needs assistance."
"Oh, yeah, sure." Issei hands over his phone, Rias enters her information before handing it back.
"Do not hesitate to call us if a demon pops up. Oh, and take this!" She pulls out a piece of paper with a complicated symbol on it. Issei takes it, confused but not questioning it, and gives Rias a big smile.
"Ok, see you, Gremory-Senpai!" Issei exits the room.
Rias sighs slightly and turns to her knight, "Kiba, you fought with him, what's your assessment?" She asked.
Kiba places a hand on his chin in thought, "He's good, if he didn't tell us today I'd assume he had more experience. He fought with a surprising amount of skill for his first time using that form. But he's still rough around the edges, his style is very mismatched, not to mention his partner's more wild fighting style."
Akeno speaks up, "Should we report this to your brother?"
Rias looks down in thought, "Yes, as much as I'd like to handle this alone, the risk this could pose to Kuoh is enough to warrant preparation. I'll contact him tonight."
Daito leans against a wall, scrolling through his phone. Satsuki was hanging out with some of her club friends at the strip mall in town and he and Issei planned to hang out together. He hears someone calling for him and looks up to see Issei running towards him. "You made it, what took you so long?"
Issei puts his hands on his knees and begins panting due to the running, "Sorry, Gremory-senpai wanted to ask if I could help setting up something for her club."
"When are you actually going to join any club? In the past year you've helped out dozens of them but you never actually joined one." Daito asked.
Issei shrugs, "I don't know, I prefer having my free time to hang out, and if I joined a club it could limit me from helping out other clubs."
"Whatever you say dude." Daito replied with a shrug. The two of them sit on a nearby bench. "How are your classes going?" Issei asked.
"They're going good, I guess, English is a pain though."
"Tell me about it, there are so many rules to remember." Issei replied.
Daito snickers, "You say that, but you're still at the top of your class in English."
"Hey, there are a lot of rules to remember, but once you do it starts to click." Issei had always been pretty good at English, in no small part due to Vice's extensive research on the language he conducted purely to understand the slang. Since Issei can hear Vice, he ended up learning a lot along the way, whether he liked it or not.
"Hey, don't complain! You've gotten all those high scores on tests because of me!"
"I know, but did you have to do it while I was trying to sleep?!" Issei mentally shouts.
"I thought you were asleep!"
"Maybe I could have been if you weren't so damn loud all the time!"
"Hey, Earth to Issei, you there dude?" Daito breaks Issei out of his internal conversation, "You were kinda staring into space for a bit, you ok?"
"Sorry about that, just lost in thought for a moment." Issei said with a slightly nervous smile.
Daito stares at Issei for a moment before shaking his head, "If you say so, wanna try looking for somewhere else?"
"Sure."
Near the center of town, Satsuki Hyoudou sits with another girl in a cafe.
"Hahaha! Seriously? They really tried that?" Exclaims Satsuki in surprise and amusement.
"Yep, believe it or not the academy used to be smaller until two years ago. Clubs got real territorial over their rooms as there wasn't enough to go around." Explained an older girl with short reddish brown hair. This is 3rd year student and Martial Arts Club captain, Utsumi Taoko.
"So the Kendo Club really tried to take the Clubroom?"
Utsumi nods, "At the time we had to meet up less because we shared the room with the Kendo Club and rotated out on different days. But the rising star of the club gave us a wager, if she could beat our rising star, who happened to be me, in a duel, the Kendo Club would have the room three days a week for the whole year."
Satsuki ponders for a moment, "Rising star? If that was three years ago wouldn't that have been."
"Nibumi Kizuka, currently she's the Kendo Club's president, but back then me and her were the two rising first years in our clubs." Utsumi explains, "I took her up on it of course, no way I was letting anyone push us around."
"So what happened?" Satsuki asked curious about the showdown. Between club leaders
"Well, despite having better range, that kendo gear really does slow you down. She took the first swing, she missed, I punched her in the chest, round over."
"She couldn't have been okay with that."
Utsumi nods, "Yep, she got back up and demanded a best two out of three. I humored her. She swung left, I dodged, grabbed her by her arms and flipped her onto the ground."
Satsuki winces in sympathy, "Yeowch, that's gotta sting!"
"Yep, but she just got back up and demanded a best three of five, and then when she went down again she demanded a best of seven, and after that a best of nine." Satsuki is barely holding a laugh in, "The rest of the kendo club had to drag her away. They apologized for her behavior but I don't think she ever got over it, even after we became club presidents." Utsumi said, looking off before shifting back to Satsuki, "Which is one of the reasons our clubs are so competitive with each other."
"Explains the looks I sometimes get from Katase and Murayama in the halls." Satsuki said as she absentmindedly sips her drink. Suddenly, a scream draws everyone in the cafe's attention. Satsuki and Utsumi run to the entrance to see what's going on. Crowds of people run to the mall's exits in terror. "What the hell is going on?" Satsuki asked, worried at the sudden comotion.
"I don't know, but we should probably- *BOOM*" Utsumi begins to speak, but suddenly an explosion goes off, both girls tumbling back in shock. Utsumi recovers first, grabbing her junior by the hand and running as fast as she can. People scramble through the exit door. Satsuki and Utsumi rush to the door, but another fleeing person bumps into Satsuki, knocking her back and making her lose grip on Utsumi's hand. Utsumi is through the exit when she realizes what happened, looking back to see her junior recovering from the fall. "Satsuki!" She shouts before she is pushed out the door by the flood of fleeing people. A crescent shaped glowing projectile hits into the top of the doorway, exploding and blocking the exit with rubble. Satsuki, along with a sizable group of people are trapped inside. Satsuki turns around to see what they are running from. Walking menacingly towards them is a monster, its upper body is a dull pink that resembles origami. Its face sports two doll-like eyes and a mandibled mouth and it has two spiky protrusions on its torso and sickle like blades where its hands would have been. Its lower body is lizard-like, with bronze scales and sharp red toes. The monster stalks towards the group, who collectively huddle back to stay away from it.
"Don't even try to run." Projects a masculine voice. A young man, maybe in his early twenties at most walks besides the monster, pistol trained on the group. "I suggest everyone cooperates with me so nobody gets hurt."
"Holy shit, Hideki?" One of the people in the group speaks up. He's wearing the uniform of the cafe Satsuki was at. "Where have you been man? We went to your house to check on you and you weren't there."
"Shut up! Stop pretending you care! Especially when you did nothing!" The man, Hideki apparently, manically shouted while thrusting his gun towards the employee. Hideki Gestures towards a nearby shop. "All of you, into the store, no funny business, or else." The monster beside him raised its claw menacingly as if to punctuate that. The group carefully and fearfully shuffled into the store, their captors looming over them.
Satsuki prays silently, "please, anyone, help us!"
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
On screen, an insectoid creature falls backwards, green blood leaking from it. Issei adjusts the bright plastic gun in his arms before changing targets and opening fire, each pull of the trigger rewarding him with a satisfying kickback. Issei haphazardly swings his rifle around, spraying automatic fire at the creatures on screen to varying success. Daito, meanwhile, holds a plastic pistol with professional skill, keeping the gun supported with his off hand and expertly and efficiently shifting from target to target, hitting every shot. Issei's side of the screen flashes red as one of the creatures claws at his character, he fires frantically at the monster but his character shouts out and his side of the screen darkens as text saying Game Over appeared in bright red.
"Dammit!" Issei swears as he places his plastic rifle down. He leans back on the arcade machine, looking back towards the rows of machines and people playing. Daito, meanwhile, is in full focus, taking out virtual creature after creature with pinpoint accuracy. Finally he pops a shot into the last creature's head and the level ends. Issei stares at his brother, "Dude, you are unreasonably good at this." Daito relaxes his stance and returns the plastic pistol to the machine.
"Well, I just have lots of practice."
"Yeah, well there's a difference between an airsoft enthusiast and the skill of a professional soldier! I don't think you missed a single shot!" Issei exclaims, gesturing wildly towards the machine.
"Actually I missed five shots."
"YOU COUNTED?!" As the brothers talk, a commotion starts behind them. People are moving towards the main desk of the arcade. "What's going on?" Issei asked out loud.
"Something's on the news, looks like a hostage situation." Responds a random passerby. Issei has a bad feeling, he follows the crowd that is now huddled in front of roof mounted flatscreen tuned into the local news station, a well dressed woman reporting.
"Continuing our report, authorities have surrounded Ishibumi shopping center. The perpetrator is currently holding over a dozen shoppers and employees hostage and is refusing to negotiate further." The camera switches to the sight of the situation, showing police surrounding the back entrance of the mall, a man with wild eyes pointing a gun towards them from inside. "The perpetrator has made his demands clear, the life of local resident and mall employee Kantoki Soresu for the lives of his hostages. Police are currently trying to rescue the victims but their attempts so far have been thwarted by an unseen accomplice." Issei stares in horror at the screen, remembering something important.
"Daito, isn't that where Satsuki was meeting her friend?" Issei asked, his voice even and his eyes not leaving the screen.
"Yeah, it is, I'm calling mom and dad." Daito said in a worried tone as he took out his phone. "Let's hope Satsuki's ok." Daito looks back towards Issei, only to see him already gone. Daito looks around before spotting Issei sprinting towards the arcade's exit. "Shit, Issei! Hold on!" Issei barrels out the door and runs to unlock his bike. Daito exits after him. "Dude, calm down!" Daito shouts.
"No, we have to go there! Satsuki could be in danger!" Issei said, frantically spinning in the combination to his bike lock.
"If she is there's nothing we can do but hope that the police can save her. For now we should call mom and dad and get to the mall and pick Satsuki up if she gets out." Daito replied, clearly still worried.
"You can do that, but I'm going now!" Issei hops on his bike and takes off towards the mall. Daito looks down at his phone and looks back towards Issei.
"Damn it all. Issei! Wait for me!" Daito shouts as he unlocks his bike, rushing after Issei.
Inside the mall the group of hostages can do nothing but sit and hope for help, the mantis-like creature their captor has watching over them. Satsuki is huddled against the main desk of the shop, holding her legs to try and steady herself. She looks up and sees the cafe employee, in a similar state to her. She scoots herself closer to him. "Hey." The man looks up at her, "you recognized the guy out there, what's the deal?"
The employee looks nervous before sighing, "His name is Nashimoto Hideki, he used to work at the cafe with me. A few weeks ago there was an incident with a customer being unreasonable. The customer was in the wrong but our manager, a guy named Kantoki, chickened out and fired Hideki for standing up to her. Me and a few of my coworkers went to his apartment the day afterwards and he was gone, I haven't seen him in weeks."
"So he's mad about getting unjustly fired? That's it?" Satsuki asked in disbelief.
"I guess, but Hideki was always pretty chill when I knew him. Sure he was pretty upset when he was fired, but it was more sadness than anger. I don't know what drove him to this." The employee looks down sadly. Hideki reenters the store. All of the hostages tense up, he notices this and smiles creepily, walking towards them.
"Oh? Are you scared of me? Well good! Because we're gonna be here for a while. The police ain't budging and neither am I." Satsuki looks down into her lap.
"If only I could do something." She laments internally.
Issei arrives at the mall, jumping quickly off his bike and running towards the crowd of people around the police perimeter, Daito arriving shortly behind him. They find an officer who tells them that Satsuki would be at the relief station where people were waiting for their families. Issei rushes to it and frantically looks around, but he can't find Satsuki. "Hyoudou Issei?" A voice draws his attention, he looks over and sees Utsumi.
Issei smiles in hope. "Taoko-senpai, you're alright!" Issei looks around, noticing his sister isn't with her, his worry grows, "Where's Satsuki?" Issei desperately asked.
Her eyes begin to water, "I'm sorry, I had her hand, but she tripped and the crowd pulled me away. She's still in there!" Utsumi manages to say before descending into full on sobs. Daito walks over and puts a comforting hand on Utsumi's shoulder.
"It's alright, you did what you could. All we can do now is wait for the police to get her out." Issei looks down in worry, silently and begrudgingly agreeing with his brother. That is until he feels it, that pressure he had grown familiar with in the past week.
"A Deadman?! Here?" Issei thinks as he does his best to hide his sudden worry.
"Yeah, and if I'm sensing right, it's in there as well." Vice said in an equally worried tone.
Issei walks to Utsumi. "Taoko-senpai, did you see anything unusual in the mall?"
Utsumi wipes her tears and thinks for a moment, "I tried to go back for Satsuki, but there was a loud noise and rubble fell and blocked the exit. I don't know what could have done that unless the maniac brought something big with them." That confirmed Issei's fears.
"I need to step out for a moment, Daito, call mom and dad." Issei said, composed and focused.
"On it." Daito pulls out his phone. Issei steps out and pulls out his Gundephone and calls Rias.
"Issei, that was quick. What's going on? Is it a Deadman?" Rias asked over the line.
"Have you seen the news?" Issei asked in a worried voice.
"Yeah, the hostage situation. Wait, you don't mean?" Rias said, picking up on what Issei is alluding to.
"Yeah, whoever's responsible has a Deadman with him, and my sister is among his hostages."
Movement can be heard on the other end of the line. "Ok, Issei, listen to me. I need you to get somewhere private." Issei looks around before spotting a nearby alleyway.
"Ok, what now?"
"You know that piece of paper I gave you? Set it on the ground with the symbol facing up." Issei takes it out, laying its symbol side up.
"Ok, what does that accomplish?" Issei asked. Suddenly, the symbol on the paper begins glowing red. It projects a larger version of itself which spins slowly before in a burst of red energy, the entire ORC appears from thin air.
"Woah, that's a neat trick!"
"Issei! What's…the….situation?" Rias begins, only to pale dramatically as she looks over Issei's shoulder. Issei turns around to see Daito standing at the alley's entrance, mouth wide and phone still against his ear.
"Yeah, mom, I'm gonna have to call you back." Daito said before hanging up.
"Issei, I thought I told you to get somewhere private!" Shouts Rias.
"I did! He must have followed me!" Issei walks over to Daito, "Daito, how much did you see?"
"You mean the part where Gremory-Senpai and her club just teleported in? Yeah, I saw that. Having a bit of trouble believing it."
Kiba looks towards Rias "President, what do we do?"
Koneko pulls a hammer from seemingly nowhere "I could make him forget." She said menacingly despite her monotone delivery.
Issei puts his arms out, silencing everyone "Nope! Nobody is making anyone forget. Rias, I know I probably shouldn't do this, but Daito has as much stake in this as me now."
Rias looks conflicted before nodding, "Very well, but If he can't handle it."
"Don't worry, I know my brother, he's always cool under pressure." Assures Issei.
"Hey, I'm right here and I'd kinda want an explanation about this." Daito demanded. Issei explains the situation, from the Deadmans, to at least a limited introduction to the supernatural and devils.
"So you're saying one of these Deadmans is in there with Satsuki?" Daito said in a serious tone.
"Yes, I can sense it from out here." Issei replied.
Daito nods, "So, what can we do?"
Rias opens her hand, a magic circle appears above it and a piece of paper emerges. "According to the building's blueprints, there is a maintenance access door on the western side of the building. If we enter through it we'll be in the back rooms of the mall and be able to move around undetected." Issei raises his hand, "Yes Issei?"
"Ok, two questions. One, how did you get the blueprints for the mall? And two, how are we going to keep the hostages safe while we take care of the criminal?"
Rias smiles amusedly for a moment before shifting back to a serious expression. "To answer your first question, I have my ways. As for how we save the hostages, my plan is we use the maintenance halls to get behind him and take him out."
Daito nods, "Ok, let's go!"
Issei turns to Daito, "Eh, Daito, maybe it's better if you stay out here."
"What! Issei, our sister is in danger, we have to help her!" Daito shouts.
"I know, but you aren't equipped for this sort of thing. Let me and the Club handle this."
"Issei, I can handle myself!"
"Daito! One of my siblings is already in danger, what sort of older brother would I be if I put the other in danger!?" Issei retorts loudly, Daito is taken aback by his sudden outburst. "I'm sorry, but please, for your own sake, let us handle this." Daito looks down silently. Issei turns to Rias and the club, "Let's go." Rias nods in response and the group, minus Daito, set off.
Daito slumps against the wall, "Dammit Nii-san. Why do you always have to run into things like this? Why can't you just trust us?" For the briefest of seconds, his brown eyes flash a bright teal.
The Kiba opens the maintenance door and looks around. He signals that the cost is clear and the group enters the building.
Rias steps up, "Ok, Koneko, use the ventilation to get on top of him." The white haired girl nods before jumping straight up and into the ventilation shaft. The other four make their way through the corridors, staying as silent as possible in case the gunman could hear them.
Finally reaching near the back entrance of the shop the hostages are in, Kiba quickly peaks through the door window. "The gunman is near the entrance, facing away. Hostages are in the middle of the store. No sign of the Deadman." Kiba
"Issei, can you detect where the deadman is?" Rias asked.
Issei focuses for a moment before responding, "I can only tell it's nearby, not anything exact."
"I see it. It's patrolling slightly outside of the shop." Koneko said over a communication spell.
Rias is silent over the communication spell for a moment before she speaks again. "Ok, Koneko, cause a distraction, either the gunman or the deadman away, preferably both. Kiba, separate the gunman from his weapon as fast as possible. Issei, handle the deadman, after we evacuate the hostages we'll come to back you up."
Issei and Kiba stand ready at the door, waiting for the signal.
Inside the shop, the hostages sit in fearful silence, their captors seeming to loom over them even when they weren't. Suddenly, the sound of something heavy falling over catches everyone's attention. From the volume, it had to have been a few stores down. The gunman looks to his monster, "Go check it out, might be a straggler, or the police finally decided to take action." The monster doesn't respond, simply doing as commanded. The monster's footsteps can be heard going further down the mall.
Suddenly, in a burst of movement, the back door to the shop burst open and in a flash Kiba darts forwards towards the gunman.
"What the!?" He brings his firearm up to shoot, but Kiba slashes the barrel with a dagger. Kiba swipes at non-vital points, forcing the criminal into the defensive. "Dammit! Idiot! Get back here!" He shouts to his monster. The Kamakiri Deadman turns and begins running back to the store, but Koneko jumps out from behind it and punches it to the ground.
Rias and Akeno begin evacuating the hostages "This way, quickly!" Rias said while ushering them out the back entrance.
As Satsuki is making her way out she spots her brother running towards the Deadman. "Issei!? What's going on?!" She shouts in confusion.
Issei turns back towards his sister, "I'll explain later, just get to safety!"
"What about you?!"
Before Issei can respond, the now recovered Kamakiri Deadman swipes at him. He dodges swiftly and kicks the monster in the side, pushing it away. "Don't worry, I can handle this." He pulls out the Revice driver and attaches it to his waist.
Rex!
Issei dodges under another swipe as he inserts the Vistamp. Vice emerges and bashes the Deadman back with a giant holographic Vistamp. "Henshin!" Issei flicks the stamp and runs towards the Deadman.
Buddy up! Ohing! Shoning! Rolling! Going! Kamen Rider! Revi! Vice! ReVice!
Issei's suit forms around him mid run and he punches the deadman just as it completes. Vice runs over to Satsuki, who is stunned at her brother's transformation. "I know it's impressive, Satsuki-chan, but you need to get out of here!"
"W-who are you?!" Satsuki shouts in confusion.
"I'm Vice, your brother's partner." He replied.
"Vice? Like Issei's imaginary friend from when he was like seven?"
"Hey! You remember me!" Vice said happily.
"Vice! Get her out of here and help me!" Issei said right before the Kamakiri deadman slices at him again, grazing his chest with a flash of sparks, causing him to stagger slightly.
"Right! Satsuki, get going, we'll take care of it." Vice nudges Satsuki towards the exit before running to assist Issei. Vice barrels straight into the deadman, knocking it off balance and falling into a roll behind it. Issei jumps and kicks the deadman, making it stumble and trip over Vice. Vice springs into action, grabbing the downed deadman in a headlock, causing it to flail frantically and fire off slashes of energy from its blades.
"Whoa whoa whoa! Maybe this wasn't such a good idea!"
"I gotcha!" Issei said as he brandished the Ohinbuster and slammed its blade into the deadman's chest. A small shockwave of energy emanates from the point of contact before both Vice and the deadman are sent flying backwards. Vice crashes through a store window and the deadman smashes into a stone pillar, taking a solid chunk out with them.
"Oops, sorry Vice!" Shouts Issei. Vice responds by pointing a shaky thumb up. Issei refocuses on his opponent, charging towards the recovering deadman and bringing his ax down. The mantis dodges quickly before narrowly sidestepping another slash from Issei. It brings up one of its blades and clashes with Issei. It tries to slash at Issei with its other claw but Kiba intervenes, stabbing it in the chest before slicing outwards, causing it to stagger back.
"The gunman is dealt with." Informs Kiba.
"What about the people?" Issei asked.
"Akeno and Koneko are with them, they should be fi-" *Crash!* Suddenly, the wall of a nearby store explodes into rubble as a skeleton-like demon is thrown through it. Koneko steps through the hole, carrying another identical demon up with one arm before throwing it at the other. Another one rushes her with a white straight sword which she narrowly dodges. The demon tries to strike again but a blast of lightning courtesy of Akeno hits it in the back, taking it down.
"Dammit! He brought reinforcements!" Curses Issei, "Kiba, go help them, me and Vice will deal with the big one." Kiba nods before rushing off. The Kamakiri Deadman jumps at Issei, slicing with its blades in a spinning motion Issei dodges and ducks around the scythes. Issei dodges another slash and grabs the deadman's arm before spinning himself and throwing the deadman straight to Vice, who eagerly cracked his knuckles before pulling his fist back and delivering a mighty punch to the deadman's chest, sending it flying into the roof. Issei pulls out the Eagle Vistamp and the Ohinbuster.
Stamp by! Hissatsu Shonin!
Issei stamps the screen and attaches the vistamp to the back of the ax. The deadman staggers to its feet before growling and charging at Issei and Vice.
Eagle! Stamping Slash!
Issei runs forward and slashes low, avoiding the deadman's blades and planting his ax in its chest before slashing forwards and through it, sending what seem to be pieces of paper flying out from its body.
"Oh yeah! Let's go!" Vice shouts as he holds up three fingers, "Three!" He runs over next to the deadman "Tw-BOOM!"
Halfway through the word the deadman explodes into a sizable fireball, not big enough to hurt the civilians or devils, but powerful enough to send the demon flying into another wall. Vice hangs from where he is embedded into the concrete. Issei sighs and walks over to try and pull him out.
Kiba slashes down the last minor demon, watching as it fades into black particles. His sword disappears in a flash, "All clear, Rias. All targets neutralized and perpetrator apprehended."
The red haired devil nods, "Good, let's get everyone out of here." The group walks over to meet up with Issei, Koneko carrying the tied up gunman with one hand.
The gunman reaches into his pocket, "Don't go thinking this is over." He said under his breath before he pulled out a blue and orange vistamp with a mantis.
KaMakIri!
Koneko notices too late as he stamps his leg. A large paper contract emerges from his body, before folding into another deadman, identical to the one Issei just defeated. It slashes Koneko's arm, injuring her and causing her to drop the gunman. The deadman then slashes his bindings, setting its master free. "Ha! You won't be stopping me that easily!"
"We'll see about that." Issei said before he runs towards the newly summoned deadman with The Ohin Buster on his hands before slashing him on the chest making it stumble back.
The deadman in retaliation sent multiple energy slashes towards Issei who managed to deflect them with his weapon. However, he was interrupted when he heard a strange sound nearby.
JuNioR!
Suddenly, at that moment a big group of the Skeleton-like demon suddenly appeared through the floor.
"Great! Chivalry is here." The Gunman said before the skeleton-like demons lead by the Deadman charged towards the rider duo, using their weapons to relentlessly slash them.
"Issei-san!" Kiba said before he rushes to aid his friend in battle before drawing two scimitars to fight the skeleton demons.
"Where did they come from?!" Issei asked himself while blocking a pair of swords from striking him.
"I don't know! But this is tiresome as hell!" Vice said while punching more demons.
"Maybe somebody else summoned them." Kiba inquired, before slashing two demons with his swords.
Unknown to them, a man in a white and pink uniform slips away silently through the access routes. The group continued their battle with the demons, but it was quickly becoming evident that they were getting overwhelmed. Kiba slashes another lesser demon to the ground, but after a second of stillness they get back up, unaffected by their wounds. Kiba grits his teeth, "They can't fight well, but they won't stay down." Suddenly, Kiba has to duck out of the way as the Kamakiri Deadman swipes at him. Kiba blocks with his blade, but the deadman bares down on him, causing his sword to begin to stress.
"Kiba-san!" Three blasts of energy hit into the deadman, knocking it away. Issei runs up to Kiba, "you alright?"
"Yeah, it just got the jump on me."
"I'll handle it, you go help the others." Issei said, holding the Ohinbuster and Gundephone up before pointing them towards the deadman and unleashing a volley of energy blasts as he runs towards it. The two meet, the deadman slashing its blades at Issei who ducks and weaves through them, sneaking a point blank shot from the Gundephone in. Issei throws the Ohinbuster upwards as Vice jumps over him and slashes down on the deadman. The Kamakiri Deadman holds both its arms together as it stumbles, the blades glow with energy and it spins and slashes around it, a trail of light following its blades and hitting both Issei and Vice. As the two riders are stunned, the deadman momentarily looks around before spotting the civilians, still frozen in fear in the access hallway. It puts its blades together again and begins gathering energy. The civilians notice and begin panicking.
"No!" Issei shouts as he tries to get up, but the deadman shoots a blade of energy towards the civilians. Issei pounces forwards into a run, he gets in front of the civilians before stretching his arms out and blocking the slash with his back. The attack causes Issei to fall on one knee.
"Ise-nii!" Satsuki shouts out from the group of civilians.
"Issei!" Vice rushes over to help Issei up, but the duo are suddenly pushed through the wall of the mall by a charging Kamakiri Deadman and out into the cargo bay. Issei stumbles to his feet and tries to pull out the Ohinbuster, only to find it missing, along with the Gundephone.
"Crap!" The Kamakiri Deadman doesn't give him much of a chance to rethink his plan, charging at him. Issei struggles against it, but its blades inch closer to him.
"Buzz off, bug-eyes!" Vice shouts as he hits the deadman in the back with a metal pipe, breaking said pipe but also knocking the monster away. "I think we need a change of plans."
"I couldn't agree more." Issei pulls out the Rex Vistamp from his belt.
"What the?-" Vice gets out before he is sucked back into Issei. Issei pulls another stamp from off his belt.
Mammoth!
The deadman tries to attack him, but Vice pops out of Issei and knocks it back with the large holographic stamp in his hands.
Come on! M-m-mammoth! Come on! M-m-mammoth!
"Nobody messes with my family and gets away with it!" Issei flicks the stamp and Vice slams the vistamp down.
Buddy up! Kyoudai na kiba motsu! Riku no boss! Mammoth! Hanakkara climax da ze!
Issei's suit is the same as Rex on his arms and legs, however his chest plate is larger with triangular shoulder pads attached to it. His helmet has two large red eyes with white, tusk-like sections under them and a ridged line going up the middle of the helmet, mimicking a trunk. And on his back are two large boomerang-like blades mounted atop each other.
Vice on the other hand has two large hexagonal shields mounted on either arm, besides them he also had slim shoulder pads and bulky shin guards as well as a silver hat with the face a red mammoth with a golden trunk on top. "We have arrived again!" The demon rider said, pointing a thumb to himself before gesturing his hands outwards. The deadman roars and charges at the two. Issei pulls the blades off his back and holds one in each hand and the duo rush to meet their opponent.
(Back in the mall)
Kiba clashes blades with another of the skeleton-like demons. He quickly throws its blade away and slashes it across the chest. The demon staggers but resumes its assault. Kiba dodges to the side, letting the demon clumsily fall forwards. As Kiba contemplates his next move, his foot hits into something. He looks down and finds the discarded Ohinbuster. Thinking fast, Kiba picks the weapon up, and as the demon lunges at him again, he slashes it across the chest, causing it to fly back and fade into black particles. Kiba inspects the ax over, "Not quite my style, but beggars can't be choosers." He lowers into a running stance before taking off.
Koneko does her best to beat back the demons, but with her right arm injured, she can only do so much. Kiba speeds by, quickly slashing each of the demons around her, Koneko then uses her rook-enhanced strength to clothesline each of them before throwing them into a wall, causing them to fade.
Akeno builds electricity around her hands, stray voltage arcing around her fingers. She slams both her hands onto the ground, sending a wave of lightning towards a crowd of the lesser demons. The group convulse and writhe, a few of them falling backwards and fading into particles. Others, however, shrug off the damage and continue.
"They don't feel pain, they just keep going until the damage is too great to continue. How boring, I can't even make them suffer." She said, a bit of her sadistic nature showing through. One of the surviving demons runs up to attack her, but she brings up an electrified hand and strikes it in the chest. She continues pressing down, electrocuting the demon until it goes limp and fades away. "Though it seems they are less resistant to magic than they are to physical damage."
Rias slings orbs of sinister-looking reddish-black energy towards the demons around her. The orbs simply annihilate everything in their path, shooting holes into the demons they pass through. Some demons are missing arms, or have torsos hanging on by a thread, yet they still struggle and push towards the red haired Devil. "They're certainly persistent." She comments as she shoots out a diagonal line of energy, bisecting a demon at the torso as it falls in two and fades.
The civilians try their best to stay back. Without any of their rescuers available to escort them and the idea of more monsters possibly blocking their exit, they thought it safest to stay put. That was until the gunman jumped from behind them and grabbed one of them. Satsuki struggles in the gunman's grip as the crowd backs away in fear. Kiba takes notice and tries to assist, but he sees the gunman has once again retrieved his weapon, which he has pointed towards the roof. "Alright! Nobody moves!" Kiba can only keep his distance, any sudden movements could endanger Satsuki or the other civilians. The gunman takes notice of him however, "You! The blonde freak! I don't know why you're here or how you and your group of little monsters did all this, but you better let me go, or else we're gonna have a few less people leaving this building!" Kiba goes over his options, he might be able to reach the gunman in time, but the possibility that he would notice and hurt someone.
Kiba makes his decision, and drops the Ohinbuster to the floor. The gunman smiles smugly. "Good, now, you're going to-" BANG! Out of nowhere,the gunman's weapon is shot out of his hand. Satsuki takes the chance to elbow him in the stomach, making him let go of her, before turning and kicking him square in the stomach. Kiba grabs the Ohinbuster again and rushes over, holding the ax blade against the gunman's neck in case he tries to get back up. Kiba looks around briefly to find who disarmed the gunman, finding the source as Daito walks up holding the Gundephone.
"Satsuki! Are you ok?" Daito said as he rushed over to his sister.
"I-I'm ok. But, Daito, what are you doing here!?" She asked.
"Nii-san told me to wait outside, but I couldn't just stand by while you were in danger." Daito replied.
Kiba finishes tying up the gunman again, the man shouting and cursing at him. "Dammit! Why'd you have to ruin everything?! If the police had just given me what I wanted, nobody would have been hurt! But you had to-" Koneko walks up and judo chops him on the back of the neck, knocking him out.
"Annoying." She said in her usual monotone. Kiba, meanwhile, reaches into his pocket and removes his Vistamp. Unlike Issei's stamps, the gunman's stamp had a beige casing rather than marbled white, and the main body was solid metallic instead of translucent.
(Back to the fight)
Vice rams the deadman with his shields, frozen air coating the deadman in frost with every hit. Issei runs forward and slashes with the Mammoth Gashers like swords. Issei and the deadman clash blades repeatedly, their strikes going at blinding speed, until suddenly, one of the deadman's blades snaps in half. The monster steps back in surprise, Issei takes the chance and stabs both boomerangs forwards, knocking the monster back.
The deadman falls into a roll, it gets up and roars out. A few of the skeletal demons run out of the building to assist it. Vice runs forward and kicks one of the demons, sending it flying back.
"Issei! You take the big guy, I'll handle these boney punks!" Vice shouted as he backhanded another demon.
"Thanks, buddy!" Issei said as he runs forwards and throws both his boomerangs. The twin blades soar in an arc before reaching the deadman. The insectoid monster brings its blades up to block them on either side, but Issei runs forwards and kicks it in the chest. It staggers back and drops its guard, causing both boomerangs to slash through it in an X pattern before Issei catches them and slashes again.
Vice stomps down on one of the demons, his heavy boots cracking its chest. Another demon tries to rush him, but Vice bends over and launches it over his shoulder with its own momentum. Vice swings wide, catching two demons and knocking them far back. "Time for a stylish finish!" Vice lifts both arms up before plunging his shields downwards. Large red and silver plates burst from the ground and send all of the demons flying, he then spins around, his tail enlarging and swiping the demons midair, destroying them all.
Issei continues his assault on the Kamakiri Deadman, the monster trying and failing to match up to his twin bladed style. Issei finally slashes the deadman's other blade, snapping it in half as well. The deadman seems to panic and tries to run away, but a red and silver plate comes up from the ground and blocks it off, it tries to go around, but more plates come up and surround it. Vice walks up to Issei's left. "Hey, hey, Issei, before we finish this guy off, can we do the thing?" Vice asked eagerly.
Issei chuckles slightly, "Alright." Issei brings his left arm up and Vice bumps it, Vice brings his left hand around and the two high five, then Vice brings his right arm up and Issei holds his left fist against Vice's forearm. This is Issei and Vice's secret handshake!
"Wahooo! We finally got to do that physically!" Vice cheers. Issei flicks the mammoth stamp twice. Vice runs around the deadman before standing across the cargo bay from Issei. Vice charges forwards, shields out in front of him, Vice smashes through the giant plates holding the deadman and rams the monster before stopping and pushing it forwards. The deadman is sent flying towards Issei, who runs at the deadman with both his blades glowing pink with energy.
Mammoth! Stamping finish!
Issei slashes the Kamakiri deadman in half, both halves still flying past him. Vice runs towards Issei. "Alright! Time for the proper countdown! Three! Two! One!" As he puts his last finger down, the two of them turn around and the deadman explodes into a massive fireball. "Kaboom!"
Vice gets sucked back into Issei as he undoes his transformation. He walks back through the hole in the wall he was pushed through to see his siblings. "Satsuki! Daito!" He calls out as he runs over to them.
"Ise-nii!" Satsuki responds, running over towards Issei.
Issei looks at his sister over, "Are you alright? Any injuries?"
"I'm fine, in fact I should be asking you that. You got thrown through a wall! And on that note, what the hell is going on!?" Satsuki shouts.
"I'll explain everything, let's just get out of here first." Issei looks over Satsuki's shoulder and sees Daito. "Daito, what are you doing here?"
"I-I followed you." Daito admits while looking downwards, "I'm sorry, I know why you wanted me to stay away, but I couldn't just stand by."
"It's probably a good thing he did come in." Kiba adds in as he walks over, "The gunman grabbed Satsuki, I was unable to safely get her out in time, but Daito took him by surprise and gave me an opening."
Issei thinks for a moment before speaking, "Daito, it was a dumb decision to come in." Daito tenses up, "But who am I to talk about dumb and boneheaded decisions?" Issei said with a smile, he reached out and put a supportive hand on Daito's shoulder. Daito looks at his brother in surprise before smiling back. Issei turns to Kiba, "So, what do we do now?" He asked as Rias walked towards them.
"You and Daito can go home, Satsuki will have to stay here as she is listed as one of the hostages, we'll wrap everything up here. Erase the evidence of supernatural involvement and all that." She said. "We should probably reconvene tomorrow at the clubhouse, bring your siblings along, unless you'd like us to wipe their memories of this?" Rias offers.
Daito and Satsuki back away slightly, but Issei puts up a hand, "That won't be necessary, they have the most chance at being involved in this, they deserve to know." He said.
Rias nods, "Very well, I will see you all tomorrow then." Issei nods back to her. Issei and Daito make their way towards the back exit to avoid being noticed. Rias turns to Kiba with a slightly tired expression, "Call Sona, we are going to need her help cleaning this up. And alert the police chief, I'm going to have to explain the situation to them as well."
"And your brother?" Kiba asked..
Rias' expression becomes more exasperated, "I'll deal with him myself."
(The next day)
The official report on the incident is that a disgruntled employee held a store full of people hostage before being apprehended by police, any details about the deadman or ORC were completely absent. The Hyoudou parents had been relieved to see their daughter safe, unaware of everything that had just occurred.
It was now Sunday, the Hyoudou siblings arrived at the old school building for their meeting. "Thank you for coming again." Rias said as they all sat down.
"No problem, I caught Satsuki and Daito up and contacted Noah, he said he has some things to explain." Issei places the Gundephone down on the table, and Noah's picture appears on screen.
"Hello again, Rias Gremory. And it is nice to properly meet you, Satsuki and Daito." Noah greets kindly.
"Um, ok… He knows our names?" Satsuki said matter-of-factly.
"Now, I was told a bit about yesterday by Issei, if it's not too much of an inconvenience, would you mind recounting it in detail?" Noah asked.
The group explains what happened at the mall, from the gunman taking the hostages, to the Kamakiri Deadman's first defeat and subsequent resummoning.
"He had a Vistamp?!" Exclaims Noah, slightly surprising the group.
Kiba nods, "Yes, he stamped himself and the deadman was revived."
"Do you still have the stamp?" Noah asked in a subtly more worried tone.
"Yes, we have it-" "Destroy it immediately." Noah interrupts, the group looks at him, slightly frightened at his deadly serious tone "That thing poses a great danger, destroy it."
"Very well." Rias said. Koneko brings out a sealed box with the Vistamp inside and places it down on the floor. Rias focuses before shooting a small blast of destruction at it, erasing it completely without marking the floor.
Noah sighs in relief and exasperation, "Things just got more complicated." He said.
Rias raises an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
"I assumed that there were simply deadmans being sent to Kuoh, but the appearance of a contractor leads me to believe that there is a Deadmans Executive in Kuoh." Answers Noah.
"Deadmans Executive? What's that?" Issei asked.
"You see, the Deadmans don't naturally occur, they are created by an organization that shares their name." The group's eyes widened. "The Deadmans organization preys on people's desires, they promise that they can make peoples' wishes come true and offer Deadmans Contracts. I had my suspicions that they had operatives in the area, but an executive is something else."
"What's a Deadmans Contract?" Daito asked.
"A contract is what allows the Deadmans Organization to draw out people's demons in an incomplete form. A phase one contract allows the contractor to summon their deadman to do their bidding, but it also twists their morals, makes intrusive and darker thoughts take the wheel and guide their actions." Answers Noah.
"So that's why the gunman did it, from what I heard he was fired from a store in the mall." Satsuki said.
Noah nods, "Yes, most likely the executive found him at his low point and offered the contract. And because of the contract he acted on his hatred to an extreme."
"So that's phase one, but the name implies that there are other phases, right?" Rias asked.
"Yes, phase one's main purpose is to induct the contractor into the Deadmans, phase two can be seen as "initiation". In Phase two they fuse with their demon, increasing their power further, but running the risk that they may be unable to separate from them."
"What? That's insane! Why would someone ever do that?" Issei asked.
"The longer a contract lasts, the more it influences the mind of the contractor. It makes them more and more desperate for that extra power that they would pledge themselves to the organization even at their own risk." Answers Noah.
Rias leans forwards with a serious look on her face."What can we do to stop them?" She asked.
"Not every person can become a full contractor. Oftentimes their demon is far too weak to even become a Deadman and instead becomes a lesser form, the skeleton like demons you saw. I call them Juniors, the organization will make lesser contracts in order to collect them to use as soldiers. The organization will be looking for people with that potential, you can identify their members by their South American clothing."
Issei's eyes widened, "Wait, those guys are part of the Deadmans!? I thought they were just some weirdos handing out fliers!"
"You saw some of them?" Rias asked.
Issei nods, "Yeah, when we were walking home on thursday. Daito and Satsuki saw them too." The siblings nod in confirmation.
"I'll see if we can prevent them in some way. We can't attack them, but we can prevent them from getting contracts." Rias said.
"Good, I'll send extra anti-demon weapons in my next package. If you see any Deadmans members, do not engage without proper preparation, they could be at a complete phase two contract."
That was a worrying thought. Inexperience phase 1 contracts had been a challenge for Issei. What sort of power does a complete phase 2 hold? Issei shook his head, no time to worry, if it came to it, he would fight, he has a duty to Kuoh and to his family. "You can count on us." He said determinedly.
"Yeah! I'll help out where I can." Satsuki with a smile and a thumbs up.
"Me too." Agrees Daito.
Noah nods once more, "I see, good luck, all of you, and stay safe. I will keep in contact in case of an emergency." And with that, the transmission cuts.
(Far outside of Kuoh)
Noah ends the transmission on his end and sits back in his chair. He sighs and takes off his mask, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"You alright?" Asked a voice behind him. He turns around to look at a woman who appears to be in her early to mid thirties with orange hair, tanned skin, and bright green eyes.
"I'm fine, I just don't like that they have to fight this battle, especially now that all three are involved and an executive is present." Noah replied.
"You can't be everywhere at once. And it would have reached them eventually, sooner or later they would have been caught up. At least now they might be able to protect themselves when the time comes." The woman said reassuringly.
Noah looks down silently for a moment with a scowl on his face. "Have the Twosidriver and Libera Driver prepared."
The woman looks up in shock. "They've already awakened that far?!"
Noah nods, "Daito's is stirring, it appears our theory was correct. Satsuki's on the other hand is more dormant, but only slightly."
"This is ahead of expectations."
"I know, but the plan is still the same, I'll advise them the best I can to make sure it goes smoothly and safely."
The woman nods, "Ok, I'll tell her and they will be sent alongside the next package."
The door to the room they are in bursts open. A young man with blue hair and yellow eyes enters frantically. "Sir! A Deadman has been detected near Kyoto! Armadillo by the looks of it! We have agents in pursuit, but it's heading towards the city!"
Noah and the woman's eyes widen. "If it enters Kyoto we won't be able to hide it from the Youkai." The woman said.
Noah stands from his chair. "Get transport ready, we are leaving now." He said Authoritatively. The young man nods and runs off. Noah exits the room and walks into what appears to be a laboratory, the woman close behind him.
"What are you bringing?" She asked.
"Well, it's an armadillo, so it likely has tough armor and can roll fast. Condor and Mogura should suffice, but I'll bring batta in case it tries to get more tricky." Noah takes three Vistamps off of a five sided storage device. He walks over to another table and someone brings a metal case over. He opens the case and inside is a driver with red, muscle-like material on it and a screen on its front, along with a blue and red vistamp. He takes the driver and attaches it to his waist, the belt shooting out and securing it in place. The blue haired young man returns.
"Sir! They're all ready for you!" He said.
Noah nods, "Let's go." He said before walking towards the transport with purpose.
Hey guys! It's been a bit! Sorry about that, but I hope this chapter was good. Some new developments, more fights, and some character moments that may or may not be written well. This whole fic is a learning experience for me so bare with some of the less than stellar stuff. A few things I want to clear up, not that anyone asked about them, I just can't make it clear in the story.
1: Noah isn't actually named Noah, it's a Pseudonym that he's using for now, we'll eventually learn his name.
2: Some of the ways demons worked in Revice have been changed slightly, more of this will be evident later, but just remember that this is an AU
3: The Showa, Heisei, and Reiwa riders don't exist in this timeline. The Revice riders are the only ones in this universe. The Vistamps still have references to past riders in the jingles, but their faces are no longer on the stamps.
One last thing I have to say is that I'm sorry I can't really give you all a consistent release schedule. I'll try my best, but I'm often set back by lack of motivation, writer's block, new ideas popping into my head, college, and other things. I'll try to deliver interesting stories to you all on a reasonable basis.
Now onto reviews.
Yogaratw607: I'm helping out Squeegeman and itspowertime with a Dxd saber fic, but that's still in development. Issei's siblings are expys of Ikki's siblings so they will have similar arcs (Hopefully better in daito's case)
StarDracoFire: The Vistamps that were unused in Revice will get forms, as well as Live/Evil getting some and Jeanne and Demons getting some new weapons.
worseman: Because demons are a secret, no government organization exists to stop them like Fenix. Secret supernatural factions however…
There will be a few Dxd characters becoming riders, but not every character so bear with me and I'll try to make it interesting.
I want to do a crossover with the Saber Dxd story I'm helping with planning, but that'll be a while away.
As for Genta, just wait and see…
BloodRaven46:Thank you for the information, I've edited chapter 2 to be more accurate.
Dariuscrawford482: Rias and Issei will be the ship, I can confirm that now.
Taiman215: Hey! I've seen your stuff around! As I said I do plan on a Saber X Revice X DXD movie event happening, but it'd be different from Beyond generations. I'd also want both stories to progress a bit, maybe after first powerup (Dragonic Knight/ Barid Rex)
DCDGojira: Dude, I swear I see you in the reviews for every Rider Crossover fic.
Thank you all for the support, as usual a thank you to itspowertime and Squeegeman for all the help. Remember to review and tell me what you liked and hated about this. And until next time, cheers!