"𐩵𐩧𐩠."
The spirit that had possessed Asia chanted, causing Riser to grimace as blood welled up from within him.
"𐩯𐩧𐩺𐩠 𐩽 𐩫𐩨𐩧𐩬."
It chanted, conjuring a complex magic circle beneath her.
Raising its left hand, the spirit pointed towards the sky.
"𐩢𐩠𐩱𐩧."
Once more, it chanted. Sabaic Murals descended from the heavens, red and green, covering the area like ethereal rain.
As all this unfolded, Rias stood beside the charred body of Issei, her eyes filled with awe and confusion. This was not the girl she knew; it was someone else entirely.
The spirit, now residing within Asia, gazed down at Issei's scorched form. The damage appeared nearly irreparable, with most of his skin seemingly gone.
"𐩯𐩱𐩨𐩱 𐩽 𐩵."
The spirit commanded, and one of the Murals descended upon Issei, instantly restoring his body to peak condition. With another graceful wave of its hand, it sent more Murals to Issei, replenishing his depleted energy and further enhancing his strength.
Issei slowly rose to his feet, his eyes locking with Rias, who embraced him tightly, tears of joy streaming down her face.
"Hi there. What happened?"
Before Issei could continue, Rias pulled away and held him at arm's length, her voice trembling with relief.
"Don't ever do that again, you hear me!" Rias exclaimed, her teary eyes locked onto his.
Issei smiled and nodded in understanding. He then glanced downwards towards the base of the New School building, spotting Asia. However, even from his vantage point, he could sense that something was amiss.
"What happened to her?" Issei inquired, his concern evident.
"That isn't her, but it's not an enemy either. The real enemy is still there," Rias responded in a grave tone, gesturing towards Riser, who was groaning as he pulled himself up from the ground. The sudden pains and aches he had been enduring had now subsided, and he was returning to his former, healthy state, thanks to his Phenex heritage.
Riser looked up at the rooftop and spotted Issei standing there. Consumed by rage, he began to march toward him, determined to finish what he had started.
Amidst all these events, the spirit within Asia continued to test its new vessel, experiencing various unfamiliar sensations.
"𐩪𐩲𐩩 𐩽 𐩥 𐩽 𐩱𐩨𐩬 𐩽 𐩥 𐩽 𐩺𐩠𐩥𐩱 𐩽 𐩡 𐩽 𐩩𐩲𐩵."
The spirit observed, noticing a flaw. However, it adapted swiftly. Utilizing the water element at its disposal, the spirit chanted cryptic words, and water materialized seemingly from thin air. This water then solidified, forming a small throne upon which the spirit would sit, ready to observe the unfolding events.
.
Ravel, Riser Phenex's sister, had refused from the outset to participate in the battle, a fact her brother didn't mind as he simply wanted her presence. Inside the school building, she watched events unfold from the safety of the inner walls. When screams reached her ears, she assumed her brother had emerged victorious. Curious to share in his triumph, she ventured outside, into the bizarre surroundings of this alternate dimension.
However, the moment she stepped out of the main entrance, she was met with stern, widened emerald eyes of an angry blonde girl. Ravel and the spirit locked gazes, a strange silence hanging between them as Ravel tried to make sense of this eerie presence. But the unsettling nature of the entity soon overcame her, and she turned to flee back to her classroom, only to find the entrance blocked by a massive wall of ice.
Frozen in fear, Ravel returned her gaze to the spirit, silently hoping it wouldn't harm her. As she peered at the mysterious figure, it motioned for her to come closer. With no other apparent means of escape, she hesitantly obeyed, approaching the icy throne. When she reached it, the spirit gestured to its lap, indicating that she should sit there. Ravel complied, still full of doubt.
Once she had settled onto its lap, the spirit began to stroke her head, much like one would pet a dog, which thoroughly weirded out Ravel. Then, it touched the left armrest of the throne, causing blue Sabaic Murals to appear, illuminating its form. The throne began to lift off the ground, ascending to the rooftop of the school building. There, they saw Issei wandering around and conversing with another figure, which clearly frustrated the spirit.
"ንስኻ!" The spirit shouted loudly at him. Issei could hear and understand it.
"እንታይ ትፅበ ኣለኻ? ኪድ እሞ ምእንቲ ንግስትኻ ተዋግእ! ሕጂ!" It continued, pointing at Riser, who was slowly approaching the building.
"Yes! Of course, ma'am, right away," Issei responded as he summoned his devil wings and glided to the ground.
"Ddraig, you're still there?" Issei asked internally.
"I'm always here, where else could I go?" Ddraig, Issei's Sacred Gear, replied sarcastically.
"Whatever, just boost already?" Issei retorted as he ran towards Phenex.
Boooooost!
Issei's gauntlet strengthened his physical attributes, allowing him to dash toward Riser. Riser, noticing the approaching threat, also advanced. Their fists collided, flames against gauntlet, and after a fierce struggle, Issei managed to force Riser back.
Riser unfurled his fiery wings and soared toward Issei, his hands ablaze. Issei prepared a blast of demonic energy, but he still wasn't as fast as Riser. Riser's fiery grasp inched closer to scorching Issei's face. Just in the nick of time, the spirit summoned another red Mural to descend upon Riser. As it landed, Riser's face contorted in pain, plagued by flu-like symptoms. Nausea, fatigue, and trembling legs overcame him. He began coughing and sneezing so profusely that even Issei became concerned.
.
"Father, are you seeing this?" Sona uttered in awe as he fixed his gaze on the battlefield.
"Healing and sickness at once. Those are dualities, are they not? It would seem that Asia Argento possesses a unique power," Lord Sitri remarked, his keen eyes noting the apparent contradiction. He had observed how the red mural seemed to deteriorate one's health while the green one restored and strengthened it.
"A dual Sacred Gear, a very rare kind. I never imagined I'd have to witness one," he mused.
"But then, what is that thing that's taken hold of her?" Sona asked, his unease palpable.
"I have no idea, but I have a suspicious feeling about it," Lord Sitri replied. He then turned to his daughter.
"Sona, after this match is over, let's go and discuss this further. I have a feeling there's more to this than meets the eye."
.
Back on the battlefield, Riser unleashed repeated flame orbs towards Issei, who deflected them using the strength of his Sacred Gear. After a few minutes, Riser managed to overcome the sickness due to his devil attributes and returned to full health. Frustrated that his attacks weren't working, Riser launched a massive blast at Issei. In response, Issei countered with a blast of demonic energy, dissipating the attack. However, in his moment of weakness, Riser launched his entire body at Issei.
Issei managed to evade the attack by flying upwards, leaving Riser crashing into the ground, creating debris and dust. Amidst the chaos, Riser accelerated toward Issei, who was unprepared, and grabbed him by the neck. He pinned Issei to the ground and slid him through it, causing him immense pain. Riser then ignited his flames and began inflicting severe burns on Issei, whose screams echoed across the battlefield.
Rias, horrified, watched the brutal assault unfold. Multiple green Murals fell upon Issei, healing him continuously while Riser's flames persisted. Despite the pain, Issei refused to give up and, with sheer willpower, unlocked another stage of his Sacred Gear.
A massive explosion occurred where Issei was pinned, pushing Riser away and causing him to tumble through trees before crashing into one that remained unscathed. As Riser looked up at the sky, he saw Issei towering over him. Before he could react, Issei punched him in the face, sending him flying. Issei then unleashed a barrage of blasts at Riser, creating another enormous explosion. Issei watched the chaos he had unleashed, waiting to see if Riser was still standing.
As he narrowed his gaze, a yellow spark hurtled toward him at great speed. Riser collided with Issei, who crossed his arms to block the attack. They struggled with each other before crashing to the ground. Upon standing, the two exchanged blows, with Issei landing a punch on Riser's cheek. Riser retaliated with an uppercut. He attempted to jump on top of Issei, but Issei summoned his new wings and lifted himself off the ground. Upon landing where Issei had been, Riser lunged at him. Issei tried to drop-kick him from above, but Riser saw it coming and punched him in the stomach. Both fighters fell to the ground.
Meanwhile, the spirit, having grown bored, sent multiple red Murals toward Riser. Upon impact, Riser experienced symptoms reminiscent of dysentery, including nausea, fatigue, and stomach pains. The spirit, along with its throne, descended to the ground and gently placed Ravel on the throne for her to sleep. It then walked slowly toward Riser, who was now heavily weakened. Struggling to maintain his balance, Riser approached the spirit, almost stumbling several times.
The spirit pointed at him.
"𐩱𐩥𐩪," the spirit chanted, causing Riser to clutch his heart in pain. He bent down, vomiting on the floor. Despite the pain, he lifted his face. As he gazed at the spirit (Asia), he realized that something was amiss. He attempted to call out to prevent anyone from winning, but before he could do so, he noticed himself gradually vanishing from the game.
"Lucifer! Grayfia! I know you can hear me! I don't accept this match! Call it off now!" he cried, grunting in pain.
"The rules have been broken! Can't you see? Rias is cheating! I will not accept the terms of this match!" he continued, but there was no response, and he continued to vanish.
"Are all of you stupid? This game is void. Can you not see?" Riser pointed at Asia.
"She isn't a devil! This girl is not a Devil! I can't even sense any demonic energy from her!" Riser's abdomen was about to fully dissipate.
"No! Call off this match now! Please! This girl is not a devil, she's a go—"
And with that, the game was over.
[Riser has Retired, Team Rias Won]
Once the match concluded, the spirit left Asia's body and collapsed to the ground. With everything over, everyone returned home, their victory achieved in the most unconventional and mysterious manner.
.
As time passed, dawn was about to break over Kuoh. Sona found herself in the Underworld, where she would have the promised discussion with her father.
"Sona, I want you to take care of that girl from now on," Lord Sitri stated, catching Sona off guard.
"Huh, why?" she inquired.
"Remember when I mentioned that I knew about the Sabaeans?" Lord Sitri asked, earning a nod of recognition from his daughter.
"Yes," Sona affirmed.
"Well, among their pantheon of hundreds of gods, including Mahrem and Zet-Bader, there was one who stood above all—a god known as Sin," her father explained, further perplexing Sona.
"Sin? You mean the moon God of the Assyrians?" Sona questioned, drawing from her historical knowledge.
"Among the South Semitic people, he bore another title: Almaqah," Lord Sitri disclosed. Sona struggled to grasp the implications of his revelation.
"Are you suggesting..."
"No, at least not for now. However, it's possible that this girl holds one of his creations. Almaqah had a penchant for crafting relics. Since none of us can decipher the Sabaean language, there's something I need you to do for me. Do you think you can handle this task?" Lord Sitri posed the question, his gaze piercing and serious.
Sona paused, allowing her father's words to sink in. She then bowed her head slightly.
"Yes, Father," Sona replied
.
Back in Kuoh, Issei, Rias, and Asia gathered in Issei's room, discussing the events that Asia had missed during the match.
"So... you're saying I won the game?" Asia asked in amazement.
"Yes! You should have seen it; you were awesome and commanding," Issei replied energetically.
"He's right, you even told Issei to 'stop lazing around' and 'fight for your queens,'" Rias added with a grin.
"W... what? Did I really say that!?" Asia got off the bed, bowing down and apologizing for something she couldn't even recall. Rias and Issei laughed at her reaction, not because of her mistake, but simply out of joy that she was back.
Asia found their laughter infectious, and soon joined in. Eventually, they all retired to their rooms. Asia was ready to embrace the weekend with newfound appreciation for her life.
As she looked at herself in the mirror, her gaze shifted to the ring that was her sacred gear. She felt nothing but gratitude for what she had now. She felt foolish for once considering herself a curse or a bad luck charm. Instead, she felt grateful to the Church for expelling her, as it had led her to meet people who genuinely cared for her.
Later, as she sat on the roof, Asia noticed the full moon still visible in the morning sky as the sun began to rise. It reminded her of her savior, the light that had guided her on that fateful night.
"Thank you... Almaqah," she whispered. Just then, Rias joined her on the roof and immediately sensed the tranquility radiating from Asia. It brought a smile to Rias's face.
"Asia, hurry up; breakfast is ready," Rias informed her. Startled, Asia quickly rose and followed Rias inside. Before leaving the roof, Asia cast one more glance at the moon and smiled. She hurried into the house as the morning sun ascended in the skies of Kuoh, symbolizing a new day and new beginnings
To Be Continued
