An plot bunny that I made in like an Day. Don't expected any interesting or quality work. This is just pure Wank.
-Smoking Mirror-
[The Obsidian Wind]
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Goes the antique Clock hung on the wall of the room that served as the primary place of meeting for the Occult Research Club, taunting its President with its ever-present chime that constantly reminded her that she would not have much time left on hand to make a move, no matter how much she delays it, for if there is one thing that no matter how powerful you are, you cannot fully stop its advances, it would be the omnipotent Force known as Time. An existence that you cannot hold the marching of, not permanently at least, and she very much is aware of that, contemplating on what she should do next, as the Pendulum continues to goad her, making her tempted to destroy it in a fit of Rage, especially when it is her sole Company in the suffocating silence that filled the space. Still, she cannot bring herself to do that, not when it was a present her beloved Brother had offered her as a consolation gift since the announcement of that appalling arrangement was made.
Since then, seconds passed, Minutes lapsed, Hours gone, Days ended, Weeks concluded, and Months finished. As these units of times reached their expiration date, so did the freedom of one Rias Gremory, who to the Mortals of the Human world, was simply a beauty of foreign origin that was the object of admiration and even worship to the attendees of the Prestigious Kuoh Academy, but to the inhabitants of land far detached from it, she was known as the Crimson Princess of Ruin of the illustrious Gremory Household in the underworld, which was the cause of her current dilemma that is plaguing her every second that grated on her nerves thinking about it. Ever since the War where three Primary Force of Angels, Fallen and Devils Kind crossed blade with one another, then able to settle for a teeth-clenching truce, the population of the lattermost has been suffering from a great decline when it come to those that has Pure Blood coursing in their veins, leading to massive disarray in the power structure of their civilization and forcing the remaining Noble Houses to take a drastic measure. Namely, arranged Marriage.
In order to preserve the 'Purity' of their kind as most of the higher-ups would oh so generously put it in an attempt to not appear Blatantly Biased, they would try to make sure that the Remaining Members of the once All-Powerful 72 Demons Pillar Name would enter an union with each other and give birth to as much Devil with Pure Blood as possible. It has been going on for as long as Rias could remember, to the point it has become a Norm, a Norm that her Parents have decided to partake in, specifically, with House Phenex, coming into an agreement to essentially offer their only Daughter to the next successor of the Phoenix Family, Riser Phenex, who the Crimson-haired Girl could only describe as a Scum of Truly Epic Proportions, and that was her being particularly Kind, she can absolutely do worse.
Now do not get her wrong, Rias does understand the importance of such arrangements, it is practically one of her unspoken obligations as a Member of House Gremory, and had it been anyone else, she would have chosen to resign to such fate, even if she utterly despised the concept of her freedom of choice being robbed away by her Responsibility as an Pure-blooded Devil…But this is Riser she is talking bout, who is notorious among the other Noble House for his collection of Women that he treated as the outlet for his unbridled lust, who no doubt has his eyes on Rias for the very same reason. In fact, he has all but outright spelled it out that his only reason why he would agree to marry her in the first place was so he has a new toy to play with, not out of Love or anything of the sort. Too bad her Parents are utterly blind to this fact, oblivious to her complaints, with the only one that can see the Truth being her Brother, Sirzech Lucifer.
But despite being one of the four current Satans that ruled all over the Underworld, and had the Power to enforce his influence, even he was utterly helpless in this situation, unable to provide any assistance, not without it instigating a Scandal if he got involved in any way, leaving Rias completely without Hope in her Plight. The only chance she had at breaking this arrangement was through a Rating Game, a Competition between Devils Kind that would determine the Participant's Reputation depending on the Result, making it a popular sport in the Realm, and that is precisely what make it the perfect way to secure her freedom, as should she win, Riser will have no choice to honored his terms, or else he will lose faces in the eyes of all, especially his own Family, and honestly, she has been looking for an excuse to plant her fist directly into that aggravating face of his for a while now.
But that came with its own sets of problems, in the form of the fact that Riser held the highest track records of Wins in regards to the Rating games with his Peerage, having only around two losses to his name, and even then it was not technically a defeat since it was either a draw or his opponent paid him off with a bribe or two in order to protect their reputation. In other words, the chances of him coming out on top in the upcoming Tournament are very likely, especially when taking into account the fact her own Peerage is mostly incomplete. She doesn't even have a Pawn to call her own, having only a Rook, Koneko Toujou, her Junior, a Queen, Akeno Himejima, her Best Friend, a Knight, Yuuto Kiba, a Young Man she saved a lifetime ago, and a Bishop, Gasper Vladi, a timid Effeminate Half-Vampire with arguably one of the most practical sets of Ability yet in her lineup, to go against a complete Peerage of Riser Phenex. The odds are stacked against her in this Game of Chess, and there is not much she can do to improve it.
That was, until Koneko, who was particularly gifted in her sense of Smell, brought an interesting report to her Attention, about her latest discovery when she was tasked with scouting for potential recruit to join her Peerage for the inevitable battle, specifically, about someone that may be able to help her with her situation, an Young Man goes by the name of Issei Hyoudou, a student of class 3-B, the file of whom she has managed to secure through the help of her fellow Pure-blooded, Sona of House Sitri, and going over as she contemplated about what her Rook has told her. She knows of the Young Man, his appearance, which is quite distinctive with long flowing blond hair with Glaring sunglasses, and Reputation among the students' body is not exactly something easy to ignore after all, what with its nature and the impact it has on the entire school in general.
He was not nearly as Famous as the Kuoh's Princesses, of which Rias was considered a part of, nor was he notorious like the Perverted Duo of the Academy, who earned the scorns of anyone who knew the basic concept of decency. Issei was somewhere in-between the spectrum, with his reputation as the Go-to Person when you are in need of something you cannot get your hands on. 'The Guy Who Provided'. That is what everyone knows him as, both students and Teachers Alike. What does he provide exactly? Seemingly everything it would seem going by his track records of his 'Business Dealings', from anything that is materialistic, be it brand new Bamboo Swords for the Kendo Club when their stocks ended up damaged or broken through either training or hitting the Infamous Perverted Duo when the girls caught them peeping into the changing room every time, earning him the favor of the Group, Rare adult literature for said Duo, which has lead to some believing Issei is a closet pervert himself, and high-qualities supplies for the cafeteria, seemingly out of his own pockets, which is something everyone appreciated him for, being spared from consuming subpar ingredients, all the way to something much more personal, such as advice, something that Motohama and Matsuda, took advantages of to ask on how to get a girlfriend.
Which, to the utter astonishment of everyone, actually worked! What started off as something everyone dismissed as a Joke from Issei to entertain the two perverts out of Pity, ended with them actually scoring a Date at the end of the day, with Katase and Murayama of all people, who is known to be the most vocal about their disdain for the two, yet by the time they are done, those two are heads over heels for those infamous duo, something that even they themselves was not expecting. Still, not that it dissuaded Murayama from hitting her brand new boyfriend across the head with her sword when he started acting up. That incident cemented Issei's Reputation as the guy who could do seemingly the impossible, with many students and even teachers turning to him for many favors, acting as the Wingman for many of them, leading to a surge of couples in Kuoh Academy. This also convinced Sona that the supernatural is involved somehow in some ways, as there is no possible way that those two problem students could ever gain a girlfriend, and that Issei must have somehow manipulated them, either through blackmail or brainwashing using some kind of mental suggestion, even though it was disproven multiple times after her scanning for any sign of mental corruption yield no result of such possibility. The Sitri Girl refused to acknowledge this new reality, and continued to hold the belief that Issei has some form of connection to the supernatural. There is no other possible explanation for his unprecedented accomplishment.
Rias shared this sentiment as well, though for a different reason altogether. While it was truly surprising that Motohama and Matsuda actually managed to get a romantic partner, it was not something for her to dwell on, what made her certain that Issei had some form of connection to the supernatural world was the fact that he was able to provide items that someone of his age shouldn't be able to, even though when she checked his family's record, there is nothing to suggest that he was some wealthy or influential individual in Kuoh, seeing that his Father is an ordinary white-collar worker who works days and nigh from dawn to dusks to provide for his family, and his Mother being a completely normal housewife that worked hard everything to cooked up three meals a day for her family. However, she does find it quite odd that their son is blond rather than the more natural brown of his parents. Most probably the result of him dyeing his Hair. Then there was the Report that Koneko had given her, informing Rias that Issei bore a heavy, reeking scent of Magical Energy, almost suffocatingly so, to the point that it overwhelmed the sense of Smell of the Rook, and that only ever occurred with high-ranking Magical Being that she has encountered before, which speaks volume of the immense latent potential that this Young Man possessed, something that he is undoubtedly aware of.
But the one thing that confirmed to her that he is aware of the Supernatural was the fact that after learning that, Rias sent her Familiar to observe him, only for it to be captured when he was walking home, snapping around with the speed no mere Human is capable of performing, and grasped the Bat in an instant, not expressing a hint of surprise when he nabbed the clearly unnatural Creature with his bare hands. Not only that, he clearly recognized what it was as well, and began speaking to the Crimson Princess through it, "It's quite rude to intrude on someone's privacy you know. If you wanted to talk, you just need to ask." These were his parting words before letting go of the stunned Familiar and its equally speechless owner, before walking off into the distance, knowing that whoever the owner of the Bat was, they would certainly contact him eventually some times down the line.
And how right she was, because Rias immediately summoned all Members of her Peerage for an emergency meeting about this latest discovery. When they learned that Issei is definitely someone who is a part of, or at least aware of the supernatural world that was hidden from the eyes of the mundane, their reactions to it varied from member to member. Akeno was quite interested in how Issei learned of it, practically dying from curiosity. Kiba was just as surprised, though far more subdued since he had been holding a sneaking suspicion that was the case when he crossed paths with the blonde-haired youth on several occasions, even more so when taking Issei's odds behavior into consideration. As for Koneko, her response to this piece of news was merely a nod of acknowledgment, not surprised in the slightest, already certain that her Senior is magic in nature. Her nose never failed her in that regard.
Once the meeting concluded, The Crimson Princess immediately ordered her Knight to go and retrieve Issei to the Occult Research Club for a meeting with him, which he gladly complied, departing the room with that task in mind. While this may be a violation to the agreement she had with Sona about being discreet in the recruitment process for their Peerage, Rias was quite frankly desperate at this point that she would cling onto any form of Hope she possibly could to escape her dreaded marriage with Riser, and Issei might be exactly the person she needed, what with his overwhelming Magical Potential and his apparent knowledge of the Supernatural, it would be a massive boon for him to join her, and if that failed, she could always ask Issei to provide some advice on how to approach her predicament, considering that his word of wisdom has successfully allowed the two perverts to do what should have been outside of the Realm of Reality. Was she at her wits' end that she was latching on the slightest bit of possibility to change her fate? That should go without saying.
"Well, Well. To think that the Princess of the Academy would want to meet me." An amused voice brought Rias out of her internal rumination when her train of thoughts was interrupted by the creaking sound of the door to the Occult Research Clubroom being opened by Kiba, with their guest of honor in tow, clearly surprised to see it was Rias that wanted to meet him, not that he complained, seeing that she has saved him from dying to boredom from the dull lecture of his class, even if it resulted in his classmates making all sort of speculations about his relationship with the Prince of Kuoh, especially the female member who was squealing about something called a 'BL', wondered what that means. Well, that is neither here nor there at the moment, he has business to attend to, "So, how can the Guy who Provides help with the idol of our school, Gremory-Senpai? Needing something I assumed?" Came a question, making himself comfortable on the sofa directly facing the President of the Club.
Taking this as her cue, Rias immediately seized this opportunity to begin her part of the explanation, "Hello, Hyoudou-kun, It's a pleasure to meet you, And to your question, yes, I do need something; Your help in securing my Freedom." She stated, meeting the shaded eyes of the Young Man before her, deciding to cut to the chases and get to the point without missing a single beat. As much as she wanted to take the time to know the Blond Young Man better, seeing that this was technically the first time they ever spoke to each other, The Crimson Princess of Ruin decided to get right down to business and save the pleasantries for a later date, should that later date ever come anyways, there is no telling if she would comes out of this Rating Game victorious or not after because Riser would definitely not going to let her leave the Phenex Manor ever again should he win.
"Oh? Let me guess, this is about your arranged marriage with…What's his name…Reese Phenex, right? Been hearing all about that. It's practically the words on the street in the underworld." It was not all that difficult to make an educated guess on what she was referring to, especially when that is everywhere on the news these days. Not the one in the Human world of course, after all, how are they supposed to know about the political situation of another realm that has been deliberately hidden from the masses? A shame though, the Mortal Realm would be more interesting if the supernatural are revealed. As it is right now, it is so dull that every day is a torture of the highest degree, with his only source of entertainment being either his night patrol, searching for something to scratch his persistent itch, or interacting with Humans. They are always so entertaining, especially in the reaction to his action, such as right now with the sight of Kiba and Rias staring at him with eyes as wide as they physically could get, looking as though their jaw has been unhinged and slowly lowered to the ground below in bewilderment when he dropped his bombshell on them, "Before you ask, Yes, I do know about the Supernatural. The questions are practically written all over your face."
"…How long as you know about this?" To say that Rias and Kiba were surprised would be an understatement, they were positively speechless for a moment, and not without a good reason. Issei just nonchalantly revealed that not only is he aware of the existence of the underworld, but its current situation with the Gremory and the Phenex House as well. As for how long has he been withholding this information from the Occult Research Club and the Student Council though, that is something Kiba has to ask. To his question, Issei hummed to himself, trying to recall the earliest interaction he had with the supernatural as tapped his chin with his finger, which allowed Rias to see that the nails were painted Black, to her growing surprise of the day. The Gremory girl has never taken him for someone who is into cosmetics, not that she is going to judge him for it, everyone has their preference.
"Hmmm, Roughly a month now, I supposed. But back to the matter at hand, I assumed you needed my help to somehow break up with that Reese guy right? From what I've heard about him, he is not exactly your type." While he knows little about Rias Gremory as an individual, she comes across as the type of person who highly values her freedom. That's usually how it goes for a Noble Girl like her, who wanted nothing more than to decide her own path in life rather than having other enforce their will onto her. It's a common theme in the Manga he procured for some of his clients, where the Girl who was subjected to an unwanted Marriage is saved by her True love despite not sharing the same social standing as her, which he would not be ashamed to admit that he somewhat enjoyed the premise, even if it is something of a wish-fulfillment.
"Exactly! I need your help with it, Please, join my Peerage and help me win the Rating Game. I'll do anything you ask! Just please…Help me…" And that was not an exaggeration, she is acutely aware what she is requesting can be unreasonable from the outside perspective, considering that she is basically asking him to throw away his humanity and pledging himself to her service until the end of time, that is why she is willing to pay any price that Issei viewed as acceptable to gain his cooperation, be its wealth, Fame or even offering him her body if she must. While it was a daring move, presenting herself as a reward like that, Rias would rather have it be claimed by someone else before she let Riser lay his filthy hands on her.
When she made those earnest pleas, Issei was left silent for a moment, taking his time weighting the offer extended to him. It is certainly leaned against his favor Since that means a Gremory would owe him one, and having a powerful ally like one of the 72 Demon Pillar Noble House would certainly be beneficial. But that also means he has to willingly give up his own freedom to secure Rias', and he refuses to compromise his being like that, he won't allow anyone to tell him what to do. Yet at the same time, he doesn't want to refuse a good deal when he sees one. It would ruin his reputation as a Businessman. There has to be a middle ground that they could agree on…Hmmm…Let's see, what does he know about the Rating Game…Oh! That's right! There is a way for him to participate in the competition as an independent player!
"Hmm…Well, tempting as that may Sound, I don't see a reason to become part of your Peerage." The result of his response were to be expected, the light in Rias' eye dimmed significantly and Kiba looked out in disappointment, trying to comfort his King, as if he has extinguished the last ember of hope the two had been attending. The two has been expecting such an answer, after all, it's hard to just forfeit your status as a Human just like that, even Kiba had a moment of hesitation at the prospect of becoming a devil, but that doesn't make it any less painful to hear, "However," What? Raising her head frantically, the Crimson Princess of Ruin locked her sapphire blue eyes with a graying pair beneath the orange shade that protected it from being read, making it difficult to tell what the Blond-haired Man are thinking has it not been for the smirk that sprouted on his facd, "You can hire a Merc, Right?"
That caused the two Gremory Peerage Members to widen their eyes as realization dawned on them. Mercenary. A brand system recently introduced to the Underworld roughly a Month ago by an individual known simply as 'The Smoking Mirror', who believed that the current Rating Game is imbalance and unfair, especially for fledging Peerage that just recently formed or one that prioritized Quality over Quantity who might have to face a veteran team full of experienced fighter that clearly outmatched them in every conceivable aspect, thus, he sought to rectify this by creating a way for everyone to have a fighting chance, which by promoting the concept of employing outside combatants as a Temporary Pawn in order to balance out the odd, thereby allowing both parties a chance at victory. While most old-school Members of the underworld condemned the system, viewing it as a cowardly way out, as to them, either you have a full Peerage, or you lose, the current generations of devils were more than receptive toward such an idea, especially Sirzech, Serafall Leviathan and Ajuka Beelzebub, the creator of Evil Pieces that are required to reincarnate someone into a Devil, thus, it was accepted as a Legitimate system. Though up until now, no one has made use of the newly-installed system, as the majority of people prefer the old way.
But sometimes, traditions that get in the way of progression have to be broken to pave the way for new changes, and for Rias, this might be exactly what she needed right now, this might be the change that the Underworld needed in how they do a Rating Game from now on, "I see that you have made up your mind. So we have a deal?" Leaning forward from where he sat, The Blonde-haired man extended his hands, offering a shake that would cement their contract as a Mercenary and his Employer. Obviously, without a moment of hesitation, Rias eagerly accepted his hands, allowing the deal to be struck between the two of them. On that day, the underworld will experience a change in how Rating Games are fought.
"My, Oh my, Already hitting off famously I see~"
"…President, don't touch him. He stinks. Like a wild animal."
"Koneko, don't be rude."
Without so much as a warning, two new voices intruded themselves upon the conversation between Issei and his new contractor, for the former anyways, the latter, of course, recognized the sultry tone of her Queen and the Monotonous one of her Rook anywhere, although Koneko seemed to sound rather…wary of the new face in the Clubroom based on her near flat voice that holds a slight edge to them the moment the overwhelming scent of Issei's magical Energy flooded her nostril, causing her to take a step back or two out of self-preservation and warned her King, even if she was chided by Kiba for doing so. Even if the blonde-haired man are acting innocent, sniffing himself to examined his odor in a playful manner, he know exactly what she is referring to, if that smirk of his was of any indication.
They may not see it the same way as she does, but on that couch was not a Man, but rather, a wild animal in every sense of the word.
This is all wrong.
It was not supposed to be like this. He was supposed to come out on top of this pointless struggle, to be the absolute and undisputed victor he was always meant to be in this sort of thing. The Phoenix was supposed to stand above all else and claim his rightful prize in the form of Rias Gremory, the greatest piece in his collection yet, whose values vastly surpassed everything he has owned thus far, in both Body and Power, the Phoenix was supposed to triumph over her attempts at resisting him, showing her that it's useless in the end, and all she can do is to accept her fate. The Phoenix are supposed to savor his newest meals by now, feeling every corner of that voluptuous form of the Gremory Scion by now.
Instead, he found himself lying on the ground, battered and broken, in both body, soul, and pride, swimming in the pool of his own blood as he forced through the pain of moving to turn his head upward and come face to face with a… a Monster, whose eyes he cannot even see beneath those inhuman and unfeeling pair of shade, making him look even less like a living being, the only thing he did see is the taunting Smirk not dissimilar to the one he employed on the pale visage of this thing, akin to Death itself, the one thing that an immortal Phoenix was never supposed to fear the existence of. That is when he realized just what he was facing before him.
At first, Riser did not give much thought as to who his little Rias had brought with her when the Rating Game Began, since even if she had a new member, that would hardly change the outcome. His confidence only grew even greater when he learned that this new face in her Peerage was not even an official member at all, but rather a Mercenary she had hired using the new system recently implemented into the Rating Game. How pathetic, he had thought at the time, that Rias would stoop as low as hiring what appeared to be some no-name human magician to make up for her inadequate numbers for a rating game, but not that he cared though, since it just means his victory is all but guaranteed. Perhaps he should toyed with this lowly Human to show him how big of a mistake it was to come here, and that the Mercenary system was nothing more than a Sham as he knew it would be. Nothing excited him more than watching Rias crumble into despair when she realized the hopeless nature of her fate.
Riser never got the chance to act out any of that fantasy, however, the moment the announcement marked the beginning of the Rating Game, two of his Pawn, Ile and Nel, was immediately eliminated not even ten seconds once the battle began, having been defeated when The Human Mage took out what appears to be a cigarette, taking a long drag of the poison to filled his lungs as the Twin closing in on him, enraged for not taking him seriously, before exhaled out the smoke, which joined by a gust of wind that came out of nowhere, taking the two pawn by surprise as they shielded their eyes to protect it from the wind, blind-sighted them, allowing the Blond Mage who has vanished from their sight to literally swoop in from the above and struck the two with, knocking them out like a light in an instant, much to the astonishment of Rias and Riser. It would appear that this Human have some fight to him, but he was not particularly concerned about that. Ile and Nel were mere pawns, among the weakest in his Peerage, it is only expected that they would be taken out first, especially when their opponent had the element of surprise on his side, neither was he surprised when the next target, Mira was taken out as well. It stands to reason that the weakest would be the first one to perish first, that's just how natural selection works after all.
But the Luck of this Human Mage, Issei Hyoudou as Riser has learned the name of after he has taken out at least five of his Pawn, will not last for long when his next opponent being his Rook, Xuelan, who has managed to incapacitate Rias' own Rook, the scrawny cat that he never bothered the commit the name of to memories. With her expertise in Martial Art, the Mage would not know what hit him, but neither did Xuelan, when The Human mage took out what appeared to be a gun, a Human-made weapon, aiming toward the false Sky, and pressed the trigger. Neither Riser or his Rook could have foreseen what came next, for firing a bullet into the air is not supposed to bring forth an artificial dark cloud, which rains down unnatural red lightning upon them, resulting in Xuelan being struck by the Crimson Thunder, resulting in her elimination. What the hell? What is the element of this Human? Or is he even Human? His queen, Yubelluna, certainly did not believe that to be the case as she went out, having defeated the Knight of Rias and moved to what she deemed to be the greatest threat, Issei Hyoudou.
Had it been anyone else, Riser would not even consider the idea of letting Yubelluna to waste her energy and sullied her hands with a lowly Human and order her to back down, but he could not bring himself to do that, not when the Blond Mage has taken out the remaining more Pawn, both of his Knights and about to finished off the Bishop, forcing his Queen to intercept and knock out the weapon off Issei's hand using a localized explosion to ensure that the Bishop was not caught in it. However, she realized how big of a mistake that was when stripped of his weapon, the Mage merely made a shrugging motion, saying something along the lines of, "Eh, I was missed most of my shots anyways." Then proceeded to defeat both the Queen and the Bishop in a single flash, using his claws that sprouted from his hands, basically mauling the two Members of his Peerage while letting out an truly inhuman screech in doing so.
At that point, Riser is certain that Issei Hyoudou cannot be a normal Human being, after all, a Human cannot defeat Yubelluna, and a Human cannot just wipe out two of his most powerful pieces in the span of a space needed for a heart to beat, and a human certainly does not make that sort of sounds either. Finally acknowledging him as a legitimate Threat, the King decided to personally go out and defeat this creature himself, where he immediately unleashed his strongest attack he could possibly muster at the Mage the moment he spotted him without any sort of warning. Honor be damn, he refused to lose here, so without any reservation, he launch a torrent of Hellfire upon Issei Hyoudou, hoping to incinerate the bastard before he has a chance to act.
His Response to such a devastating attack?
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" It was a scream, but rather than anguish or pain, it was in Delight as he just took the attack head first, not making an attempt to dodge nor block the attack, just letting it awash over his body, taking pleasure in the pain inflicted upon him, as if he has finally experienced a worthwhile attack. It made Riser stare in disbelief, how else was he supposed to feel when his technique did nothing other than rile up his opponent further, causing his confidence to be shaken the moment he ceased his barrage of flame, with Issei emerging through the cloud of smoke and cinder with an expression of disappointment on his face, "Aww, come on, I was just about to have some fun." He sighed, simply removed his sunglasses, and cleaned up the dirt that caught onto its Lens.
"W-Who…No…What the hell are you?!" Indeed, just what in the name of the Four Satan is the creature standing before him? A question that Rias and her Peerage seemed to share themselves as Issei put back on his glasses, a smirk grew on his face that thoroughly unnerved the Phenex Scion. This cannot possibly be a Devil, or a Fallen, or even an Angel for that matter, because there has not been any being, holy or otherwise to be able to withstand his attack and walk out completely unscathed, only a Divine Being could possibly do that, and even then, they cannot possibly come out unharmed either. Just…What is this…This Thing he is fighting?
"I believe I already told you. I'm Issei Hyoudou, the mercenary hired by Rias Gremory as a Pawn. But since you have asked, allow me to reintroduce myself." It has come, the Gust of Sandstorm that arrived and completely overtook Issei's form, as though he is becoming a part of it, "I am Black." His form dissolved alongside the millions of dunes, "I am Red." Becoming one with the soil, the earth shuddered, "I am Blue." fragmented, the earth became, as the surface of the world ruptured, "I am White." To bring forth a being beyond the comprehension of all those that harbored the concept of Life, "And Even now I am the Living Death." Yet an inseparable part of the Cycle of all living behind, for Death comes for them all, and now it has come to claim the debt of the Immortal Phoenix, who trembled in pure terror at the titanic Monstrosity that arose from the soil, expelling Red Miasma from its spine that enveloped the entirety of the field. Seeing that the Crimson Mist began to spread and creep up to Riser, the Phenex Scion felt a great sense of dread overcome him as he tried to escape, but he could not, for none can when the grip of death latched onto its victim.
"YAYAUHQUI TEZCATLIPOCA!"
Thus the Phoenix experienced The End.
"Woooooooooooo! That was fun! Come! Drinks are on me! Not food though! That's coming straight out of your pocket!" Issei cheered, raising an imaginary cup into the air, waiting for a toast from someone, or really anyone at all to celebrate their victory. However, he received no response from any member of the Club, only catatonic silence greeted him, "What? Where's the merriment? I thought we won. Yeah, I was a little hard on the guy, but that's just the nature of these kinda thing, right?" Making his disappointment known, the Blond Young Man merely sighed as he plopped himself back onto the couch, which he honestly had taken a liking to. Wondered if Rias was willing to sell it to him. Speaking of the Crimson Princess of Ruin she seems to have something on her mind, in fact, all of her peers do from the look of their faces.
Following the battle, if one could even call it that, which has transpired a few hours ago, where Riser has to be escorted back to the underworld by the remaining Members of his Peerage due to his wounds being so severe that he cannot even walk on his own, and likely won't ever be able to ever again, seeing that his injuries are not generating for reason unknown, the entirety of Rias' Peerage where utterly silent throughout the whole walk to their base of operation, unable to find their voice after witnessing what has happened to Riser. Even though they have no love for the Man, they are still able to feel a sense of pity when the Phoenix breaks down when the Miasma of unknown properties subsided, screaming in terror when he spotted Issei, practically pleading that someone, anyone to come save him from this Monster. Needless to say, seeing the once prideful Riser being reduced to a begging mess has left an impact on everyone, as much as what Issei has done to him.
When all is said and done, only one question remains in their mind. Just what is Issei? "Hyoudou-kun…Who are you?" After a moment of tense silence that was only occasionally broken by the sounds of Issei adjusting himself on the couch to make himself comfortable, Rias finally spoke up about what everyone had been wanting to ask for the longest hour in their entire life.
"Huh? I thought I already made myself clear the first time. But fine, I supposed there is no harm in reintroducing myself again." Taking a deep breath to fill up the lungs' capacity, Issei discarded the glasses from his face, letting his gleaming graying eyes be seen by all, "I am Issei Hyoudou. At least that is what most know me as. To a selected few, they may know me as…Tezcatlipoca, the Smoking Mirror." There it was, their answer, one that shook them to the core as the information sunk into their mind, causing their eyes to widen in alarm, now able to sense a surge of raw, unadulterated divinity practically exuded from the Young Man…No, the Deity seated in front of them the moment he announced his True Name to them as a grin grew on his face, knowing that they recognized that name anywhere.
Tezcatlipoca. The title of the Deity of The Lord of the Night Sky, Hurricanes, Obsidian, and Conflict. The eternal enemy of Quetzalcoatl. The First Sun of the World, and now, a student of Kuoh Academy, all under the nose of everyone the entire time, and they have unknowingly entered a contract with one of the most dangerous Deity in the world. Akeno trembled in terror, not knowing what to expected, so does Kiba, having to held back his stomach at the overflowing divinity that practically spilling from Issei, while Koneko has essentially fainted on the spot, unable to endured the crushing pressure any longer, not that the Deity paid her any mind, as he directed his focus to his Contractor, who he still have to collect his payment from, "Now, let's discuss the payment for my service, Gremory."
What has she gotten herself into?
Tez Best Aniki, Wingman, and Businessman.
God, kill me, this was Cringe and Edgy to write.
That aside, it was a struggle to write Pseudo-Servant Tezcatlipoca, seeing that his host in this fanfic is Issei, who despite all his flaws, is an good person at heart, an stark contrast to the Chaotic and dangerously whimsical Smoking Mirror, so you call tell I have a hard time trying to write Tezcatlissei in a way that would not compromise the core character of the Pervert, who is the dominant personality in this situation. Though honestly, I felt like I was writing an OC rather than Issei. Hope you guys would have no problem with that.
And I Hope you guys don't mind the creative liberty I have taken with the Rating Game either. I never quite understood the rules of it, or the World Building DxD for that matter. Never actually read the Light Novel you see, only ever read the untranslated Manga and Fanfics, which now that I think about it, is not the most reliable source of information.
