"Show yourself, you coward!" Rias roared with the ferocity fitting an heir to the Gremory family, her hair rising as her magical power began to flow
"I'll show myself when you hand over the Holy Grail."
"As if! "Issei roared back, scanning the area around him while staying close to Rias and Asia and summoning his scale mail armour.
"Oh, and what will you do? You don't know where your friends are, and you don't know where I am?" Cao Cao proclaimed arrogantly.
"I will rain down a fury of a thousand suns if you dare harm my servants!" Rias roared with the fury befitting a devil as she activated her magical spells, reading herself for battle.
"You dare challenge me! I have already bested your peerage before and will do so again..." Cao Cao monologed, keeping Rias, Issei and Asia's attention on him; all the while, his companions had used the moment to sneak up on the trio.
"And now, with my role out of the way, I think it's time to end this folly. NOW!" Cao Cao stated confidently, entering the fray by jumping from a large tree and landing twenty feet from the trio. Cao Cao revealed himself in the same attire worn during his first encounter with Issei.
"What!" Issei, Rias and Asia cried, only to be struck by a powerful spell, which knocked them to the ground.
"Rias! Asia!" Isse screamed as he felt his body convulse as three figures loomed over him.
"Not much of a threat now, are you Red Dragon Emperor?" Cao Cao gloated, kicking Issei in the ribs, caving in part of his chest plate with the kick, causing Issei to cough up blood.
Issei!" Issei and Asia screamed, only for their voices to become weaker and silent.
I'll..." Issei grumbled as he tried to push himself off the ground, only to feel his body grow weaker and his head fall to his left-hand side. Issei's vision turned dark, his last sight being Rias, who lay there unconscious, with Asia just out of sight beyond her distance golden hair.
After an unknown amount of time, Issei awoke from his slumber. The sting of Cao Cao's kick to his ribs was still there as he moved.
"Where am I..." Issei groaned, noticing that he was in a clearing of a large spruce forest but not the one they were originally in, as there was no ruined church
Issei tried to stand, but his feet had been bound as well as his hands with a cord made of tiny blue magical symbols.
"What the hell?" Issei groaned. His head still felt foggy, but as he turned to look around, he saw that the entire peerage was to his left-hand side, except for Rias, who was to his right.
" Issei. Are you all right?" Asia whimpered as she looked at her love, seeing him grimace and struggle to move
"I'm fine. What happened?"
"We were guarding the area when, all of a sudden, we were struck with a spell which paralysed us; next thing we knew, we woke up here," Kiba explained as the rest of the group nodded.
"I cannot believe Cao Cao got us..." Rias grumbled, her gaze focused on the ground.
"W-what t do you think he'll do to us?" Gasper whimpered, his eyes tearing up as he imagined every outcome, most of which involved everyone being tortured and killed in the most painful manner.
"I don't know, Gaspie, but we will get out of this." Konkeo turned to comfort Gasper, Only for Cao Cao and his allies to arrive, stopping her from continuing with her comforting attempts.
Cao Cao wore the same blue outfit he had worn during his first encounter, with the only exception being that he was now wearing an eyepatch over his right eye.
So you are Finally awake. Good." Cao Cao grinned, his voice filled with malice, with three of his henchmen behind him. To his left was Heracles, with his broad, muscular frame enhanced by his muscle-conforming leather armour. To Cao Caoscaos's right was Siegfried, the ferd multi-armed swordsman, and finally, there was to Cao Cao, far right, their young but powerful wizard, Le Fay Pendragon, in her iconic blue wizard hat.
So you've decided to become a pirate, Cao Cao, 'cause you really suit that eye patch." Issei joked, resulting in a kick to the face from Heracles, bursting his nose.
Hold your tongue." Heracles scowled, his voice as cold as ice, but this wasn't enough to stop Issei from growling at Heracles.
"Keep it up, shit for brains! Hit me again and see where that gets you!" Issei roared with a definite blood-filled smile. All the while, he was speaking mentally to Ddraig.
"Come on, Ddraig, get boosting."
"Oh, you want to play that game, ahh..." Heracles growled, readying himself to throw a punch, but Cao Cao and Siegfried stopped him mid-way,
"Don't fall for this trick. He is trying to get mad so he can break the restraints. Once we get what we need, we won't need to worry about him anymore." Cao Cao explained, his voice surprisingly calm, as he held Hercules back with a firm grasp on his right shoulder.
"Besides, my restraints are based on those used to bind Fenrir, the wolf that will kill Odin. Even you will struggle to break free from them." Le Fay chuckled, with a sense of child-like glee in her voice, which, given the situation, aggravated Issei, who mumbled under his breath as he tried to escape his bonds.
"Just you wait..."
"What do you want with us, Cao Cao!" Akeno yelled.
"You see, fallen angel, I desire to overthrow the current hierarchy controlled by angels and devils, by Gods and monsters. However, even with my powers and the powers of my allies, we are not enough. but that does not mean our goal is impossible to achieve, especially when there are relics of such power as this..." Cao Cao was given the Golden Grail by Le Fay, who had hidden it in a brown satchel. The sight of the Grail brought a sense of existential dread to those who had not seen it,
The Holy Grail..." Xenovia gasped, her eyes wide in shock. She had heard the legends of this relic but did not expect to see it in her lifetime.
"Yes. The Sangrial is a relic supposedly blessed with the blood of Christ and an item which bestowed upon its drinker immortality and the powers of God, but this Grail is more than a Christian relic. "
"No mortal should hold such power!" Rias proclaimed, but Cao Cao laughed at the comment, leaning on his spear, acting as if he was about to drop to the floor from the hilarity of the statement.
"Hahahah, there is great folly with that answer, Ruin Princess. For you see, this power was always meant to be wielded by mortals. It was sought after by their greatest heroes from the Arthurian age and beyond. I will bring this universe into a new golden age, with my power and wisdom guiding the universe until the end of time." Cao Cao proclaimed, in a manner closer to a sermon, with such vanity that to the ears of Rias and her friends, he sounded closer to a religious fanatic than a calculated commander.
"You're a madman! The peerage cried at the idea.
"Those who wish to oppress the true course of nature will always call the preachers madmen," Cao Cao replied, his tone shifting instantly to that of a cold and calculating killer with his low and rough voice.
"There is, however, one caveat... for you see, the Grail, while blessed by the blood of Christ, cannot function without an adequate sacrifice.
It is said it requires someone who was not only of noble birth but also pure of heart. "Cao Cao handed the Grail back to Le Fay, who held it close to her chest.
To allow the powers of the Holy Grail to activate..." Le Fay explained; all the while, Cao Cao slowly walked towards Issei.
As soon as the group peerage saw this, they screamed and struggled in their restaurants, trying their hardest to free themselves, but to no avail.
"You touch Issei, and you will suffer for eternity!"
"Take me instead!"
"Keep your hands off Issei!"
"And that is why you're here..." Cao Cao smiled as he stood before Issei, his gaze as cold as ice, but his smile made the peerage feel physically sick.
Cao Cao's gaze quickly shot towards Rias as he shot his hand out to grab her by the throat and lifted her as if she were weightless, ensuring a tight grip around her neck.
"Rias!" everyone screamed as Cao Cao dragged her away.
#
"Let her go, you bastard!" Issei screamed, his boosting now becoming audible as his anger boiled over.
"Make me." Cao Cao smirked as he walked away from the group and returned to his allies; all the while, Rias tried her best to claw at his grip, but her restraints made it next to impossible.
Once Cao Cao was with his allies, he flung Rias into the ground and grabbed her by her crimson hair. Making sure she was facing Issei.
"Look at you all. I've never seen such fear...especially from you, Issei. It is practically radiating off you, hahaha!" Cao Cao chuckled as he waved his free hand up, resulting in him and his allies floating into the air, around fifteen to twenty feet off the air.
"Let her go, you bastard! Issei screamed at the top of his lungs as the strings around his arms and legs started to warp and bend as they strained to keep Issei contained.
"This is where the dominion of Gods and Demons ends and where the universe shall fall under my dominion!" Cao Cao roared with pride as he summoned the True Longinus to his free hand. The spear glowed with a holy aura, with its deep blue half and large leaf-shaped blade resembling polished silver. On both sides, it had two gold scale-like coils, which resembled the snake that coiled around the staff of Asclepius. The mere presence of the spear brought great physical and mental pain to the peerage due to his robust and holy presence.
Cao Cao! Let her go! Issei screamed, tears started to run down his face.
Cao Cao was silent as he manipulated the spear to shrink it to resemble a long-hafted short sword and raised the blade to Rias's neck, with le fay, moving to hold the Holy Grail under her neck!
"Ddraig! Listen to me, you bastard! Break me out of these fucking restraints!" Issei screamed internally, his rage and panic boiling over. A familiar sense of hate began forming in his chest.
"I'm trying!" Ddraig fired back as he continued to boost, noticing that this feeling was all too familiar.
"The Juggernaut Drive," Ddraig mumbled as he felt its distinctive aura pushing its way into Issei's mind, forcing his anger and fear to new heights as he fought against his magical restraints. Ddraig tried to warn Issei, but Issei was transfixed on Rias and was unresponsive to Ddraig's warning.
"Issei." Rias yelped as she focused her gaze on Issei's panicked face.
Issei was silent as he looked up to see Rias in a flood of tears. He had never seen her in such a distressed state, further shaking his spirit.
"I'm sorry..." Rias whimpered as she closed her eyes, as Cao Cao placed the blade of his spear on Rias's slender neck, and with a slow slice; he slit her throat.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Rias struggled and gasped as she felt the blood pour from her neck, but Cao Cao forced her head upwards. Her eyes shot open from the pain as she looked at the sky; the night sky was clear and quiet, with the stars twinkling, calming down her soul as her struggle became weaker and weaker.
All the while, the Holy Grail filled with blood until it reached the rim.
"That's enough..." Le Fay remarked, but Cao Cao kept Rias in place, allowing the Grail to overflow with blood.
"This is a warning." Cao Cao whispered, turning his gaze to the young wizard with a glare that sent a terrified shiver down Le Fay's spine. Le Fay, in response, nervously bowed her head and kept the Grail in place.
All the while, Issei and the rest of the peerage were in a shocked silence. All were in tears and could not find the words to describe what they felt at that moment, but for Issei, it was clear. He felt his world move in slow motion; his ears rang, blocking out all noise, as he watched the woman he loved, the woman he vowed to protect, bleed to death, just out of his reach.
"That should do it...here is your Ruin Princess." Cao Cao remarked as he felt Rias go limp in his hand. With little regard for respect, he threw her from his position, dropping her twenty feet to the ground with a sickening thud, leaving her lying face down in the dirt.
With this sight, Isseis's rage ground to a halt, and the overwhelming hatred produced by the Juggernaught drive instantly vanished and was replaced by fear. Issei's vision began to narrow inwards, blocking out all the surroundings and leaving only Rias in his panicked gaze.
"We have what we need...Thank you, Issei." Cao Cao looked to his allies and singled for them to open a portal. Just before he entered, he looked at Issei and saluted him with a smile.
The magical bindings vanished as soon as Cao Cao and his allies left. The entire peerage scrambled to Rias, with Issei being the first to get to her.
"Rias...listen to me... You are going to be alright." Issei whimpered, trying to steel his resolve, which was broken as soon as he turned Rias over to see her skin was a deathly shade of white. Her once vibrant eyes were now growing more lifeless.
"Issei..." Rias weakly whispered as she slowly made eye contact with Issei.
"ASIA! You need to heal Rias right now!" Akeno barked in a frightened tone, which none of the group had heard. Asia slid next to Rias and focused her power on healing the cut, but it wouldn't heal.
"It's not healing! why!"
"It is the True Longinus. Its power is so great it makes wounds difficult to heal, and we do not have the blessing of time..." Ddraig said, his voice surprisingly soft with a sense of defeat marking his words.
"Can't you do something, Ddraig? You're the red dragon emperor! Surely you reverse this!" Kiba pleaded, but his response was not what he wanted to hear
"I wish I could, but even a sacred gear as powerful as mine cannot reverse death; I'm sorry...I truly am sorry." Ddraig disheartenly said.
As this happened, Issei was utterly oblivious, focusing solely on Rias, who was slowly drifting away. He didn't care that he was covered in blood; all that mattered was that Rias was comfortable.
"Issei..."
"I'm here, Rias." Issei takes Rias's hand in his. Her delicate fingers and soft skin were as cold as ice and beginning to turn limp.
"I... I..."
"Save your strength; I'll get you out of here. I promise." Issei squeezed Rias's hand reassuringly.
"I...I"
Issei was silent as he saw Rias's eyes being to close.
"You need to stay awake, Rias! Please, please stay with me." Issei's lips trembled as he spoke, and his hands shook as he tried to reassure her, but once he realised how much blood was pouring from her throat that now covered his hands, Issei's fear became a reality.
Rias's eyes slowly opened, but her breathing grew shallower, and the spark of life in her eyes faded.
"Issei..." Rias whimpered as, with her free hand, she weakly raised it to Issei's cheek and held it softly, feeling the tears that damped his cheeks.
Issei and the rest of the peerage fell silent as they saw their friend slowly drift away.
"I...I...love you." Rias whimpered as the tears that rolled from her eyes stopped, and her body became limp. The hand on Issei's face slowly slipped from its place and dropped to the ground. Her breathing stopped, and her eyes, once filled with joy and life, became lifeless.
"Rias...Rias..." Issei whimpered as he nudged Rias, and once he realised she was unresponsive, he pulled Rias close to him, holding her close to him, as he started to weep. His white shirt was stained scarlet.
"Rias...RIAS!" Akeno screamed as she dropped to her knees, her grief becoming so potent that she unleashed a great roar of thunder and lightning from the sky, which could be seen for many miles.
"I have to keep trying," Asia whimpered as she continued using her sacred gears healing abilities to try and close Rias's wound. Akeno approached her and placed her hands on the former nun's shoulders.
"She's gone Asia. There is nothing we can do." Akeno said weakly, her voice trembling while tears rained from her eyes. Asia's healing magic stopped, and she broke down into a bit of weeping, which she tried to cover with her blood-soaked hands.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Kiba screamed, grabbing his hair and wiping his eyes as anger and sadness overwhelmed him.
"I promised to protect you, and I failed you... I'm sorry, Rias." Konekos's usually stony resolve broke at the sight of Rias lying there dead as she turned away and cried, being held by a weeping Xenovia and Gasper.
It was at this moment that Azaezel called Akeno.
"What's going on? I saw your lighting strike from my apartment."
"It's Rias... she's, she's... " Akeno stuttered, lost for words.
" Akeno? What's happened!" Azael stated his usually cool and calm demeanour
"She dead." Akeno cried as Azazel fell silent, trying to process what he had heard.