Chapter 12: The Other Side (by Alter Bridge)
"KONEKO!" I rushed to Koneko and picked her up in my arms. The blast had knocked her out, and she was not moving.
"Issei." Koneko spoke weakly, with her eyes opening slightly.
"I'm right here!" While cradling her in my arms, I comforted her.
"One down, five to go." We heard the voice of another member of Riser's team. She was floating in the air, laughing at us.
"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS, LADY!" I screamed at her.
"One for Yubelluna, and zero for you," she brags.
The woman floating above me is Yubelluna. She is Riser's queen and the strongest member. They call her the Bomb Queen for good reasons. Her outfit consists of a navy blue tunic top with gold accents, a pale blue skirt with open sides, red high-heeled shoes, and overmatched thigh-high stockings with garter belts. A gold choker with blue and red jewels holds the top, revealing much of her cleavage. Over this, she wears a white overcoat with black and gold accents and matching pauldrons. For accessories, she wears a black headband with a red-orange jewel over her forehead to keep her long hair in place, and she wields a staff-like scepter in battle.
"Did the poor little wolf lose his favorite pussycat?" She laughs.
"I'm sorry." Koneko slurred.
"It's going to be okay; we are going to head back to Asia and get you fixed up." I said this as I was carrying her.
"I just want to serve Rias well." She struggles.
"Save your energy; you are still in this fight." A few tears left my eyes.
"Issei..."
"I'm not going anywhere; I'm right here." As I planned to head back to Asia at the home base, I held on to her hand.
A flow of light blue energy covers Koneko's body as she begins to cry in pain.
"Issei..." She cries.
"STAY WITH ME, KONEKO!' I cried some more.
In an instant, Koneko's body became brighter and brighter in my arms, like a flashbang. When the light faded away, Koneko was no longer there.
Rias' rook retired.
"No..." I choked up my voice at the sight of Koneko's passing.
Issei, it's Rias! Talk to me.
"No." I choked up again as a wave of tears left my eyes.
Answer me correctly! What's going on?!
"Oh, God! Please!" I cried even more.
(The Other Side by Alter Bridge begins to play)
Then, a wave of images of my father's murder, my mom's kidnapping, Asia's abuse and death, and Kiba's injury flowed through my mind, channeling thoughts of Koneko's death, Rias' freedom at stake, and the thought of never seeing them again.
A flow of substantial energy was coursing through my veins as anger, resentment, and grievance took over. My mind begins to go blank. It felt as if hundreds of rocks had struck my head.
ISSEI! ARE YOU THERE?!
I stood up and looked at the culprit responsible for Koneko's death with hatred and anger.
"Don't try anything, boy." She threatened, but I was long gone.
A shade of dark black and blue aura shades my body and irradiates out a flow of purple aura. As my consciousness retreats to the back of my mind, my body becomes uncontrollable beyond reason.
Just step into the dark, it's waiting, Take your vow, it's time
"Rias, something is wrong with Issei." Akeno informs Rias of the situation.
I can't get a hold of him! What's going on?!
My eyes glowed a bright blue as I was channeling a bunch of energy. My body begins to transform into an animalistic figure inspired by my artifact. My fingernails became claws.
Darling! Please talk to me!
"This is getting boring; time to die." Yubelluna launched another explosive attack, but I lunged at her with a great leap, evading her attack. I went upstairs and grabbed her by the throat.
She looked at me with wide, frightened eyes, knowing that what she had done had brought her to her fate. I looked into her eyes, thinking of what she had done to Koneko. It just angered me even more. I threw her to the ground, like how God threw Lucifer out of heaven and struck the ground with lightning. I then took my foot and charged at the downed Yubelluna, striking her with my foot at her head until she disappeared underneath it.
Riser's queen retired.
Akeno could only watch, in horror, what I had done to Yubelluna.
A group of Riser's teammates came around and witnessed the current situation.
"Who is this psycho?!" One of them shouted.
Akeno, I'm sending Kiba your way. I'll be on my way, too. What is going on?!
"It's... Issei." Akeno stuttered in terror.
I can't get a hold of him! What's going on?!
"He's not himself; you have to see this!" Akeno shakens.
"Don't just stand around! Get him!" One Phenex orders the others to attack me.
Time for you to meet your maker, Playing God tonight
The opponents ran to attack me, and I began to subdue them one at a time.
"Akeno, I'm here!" Kiba came around, laid eyes on me, and asked Akeno, "Who is that?"
"It's Issei." She answered.
"What happened to him? Why is he like that?" Kiba inquired.
"He saw Koneko go down and thought she had died." She explained.
"But she's not dead; we sent her to another location for treatment."
"But he doesn't know that."
When I was fighting the Phenex opponents, I showed no mercy and had every intention of killing them all.
You're insane, Have you gone too far?
A rook with a mask tries to attack me, but I grab her arm, pick her up, and violently throw her up in the air as she starts to scream.
I glanced with a deathful glare at a girl wearing a kimono with a purple, orange, and pink color pattern, her black hair tied on the opposite side. She looked at me with fear in her eyes and took a few steps back.
"I yield! I yield!" In defeat, she fearfully submitted to me, then disappeared from the game.
One of Riser's bishops has given up and retired.
I went to my next target, who struck me out of nowhere with her sword and left a long slice.
"Eat my blade, freak!" One of Riser's knights, with a headband across her forehead, swung her sword and made a deep cut on my shoulder.
I looked at the wound that she had inflicted on me, and it healed instantly. She appeared shocked, took a few steps back, and exclaimed, "It's impossible."
I looked back at her and walked towards hers as she began to scream at me to stay back.
Who's to blame, For what you are?
"Did you see that?" Kiba scrutinizes how my shoulder has healed.
"His cut just disappeared." Akeno examines.
I grabbed the knight's head and viscously twisted it, causing her neck to snap and fall to the floor. Kiba and Akeno squinched at the cracking sound.
One of Riser's knights retired.
"This guy has lost it!" A pawn in a maid's outfit tries to flee.
"Where are you going?" One of Riser's remaining knights yells at the cowering pawn for fleeing.
If you believe yours is the only way, Then you're the fool who lives to die
"I'm getting my ass out of here!" the cowardly pawn shouts, but I make a leap and land right in front of her. She stopped in her tracks to look at me, frozen in fear, as if my dark appearance had paralyzed her.
I grabbed her by the neck and looked her in the eyes as she attempted to break free from my grip.
"DIE!" I roared in a sinister voice and slammed the coward pawn to the dirt, following a stomp on her chest. She disappeared after that.
One of Lord Riser's pawns retired.
"I'm here! where's Issei?!" My girlfriend arrived on the battlefield and talked to Akeno and Kiba about my whereabouts.
Kiba pointed at me for Rias, and Rias widened her eyes with emotional shock at the sight of her boyfriend turned into a dark-shaded, power-flowing, killing machine of overwhelming force.
"What happened to him?!" Rias stunned.
"Koneko vanished, and he just went berserk." Kiba answered, not letting his eyes off of me.
Well you deserve the Hell, you're gonna pay, On the other side!
"We need to snap him out of it before things get worse." Rias said she did not want to see me like this anymore.
"We can't go near him; he might kill us." Akeno protest.
"We got to do something!" Rias cries.
"If we can find a way to let him know that Koneko is still alive, then he might snap out of it." Kiba suggested.
"We can't bring Koneko here." Rias said
"Why not?" Kiba irritated.
"Because they will not allow us to bring her back once she has been eliminated from the game."
"They wouldn't allow this, right?"
"Any and all abilities are permitted in the rating games, and what Issei is now will be seen as such." Rias explained.
"So, no rules are being broken."
Once you reach the other side, Once you reach the other side
Two of Riser's pawns have retired.
I took down two more pawns with ease and moved on to the next opponent. 10 down, 4 remaining.
"Let's get out of here!" The remaining pawns fled the area, and the last remaining knight still kept her ground.
"Where are all of you going?" The knight yells at her fleeing comrades.
"Have you seen what he has done to Yubelluna and the others?!" One of them indicated.
"He's just one lowly human pawn!"
"You are on your own, Siris!"
The trigger warm, anticipating, The ritual's begun
"COWARDS!" She yells at her fleeing comrades for abandoning their posts, but she still insists on fighting me.
I looked at the fleeing pawns, chased them with a leap, and landed right in front of them. They stopped and looked at me in fear, their eyes never leaving my sight. They have a tendency to show no mercy towards us, and I will reciprocate by showing them the same respect they deserve.
"Please, have mercy!" One of them cried.
I unleashed a great amount of aura on them and vaporized them from the field. Leaving no trace that they were ever here.
Three of Lord Riser's pawns retired.
"I am a knight of Lord Riser, and I refuse to cower away from the likes of you!"
With force, I dashed at the last remaining knight and threw her to the ground. I then picked her up by the hair and repeatedly struck her in the abdomen before throwing her around again.
"I... must... not... falter." She struggles to get up. Once again, I picked her up by the arm as she dangled weakly, unable to swing her sword. "For Riser..."
You think that Heaven's gates are waiting, But only hell will come
I took my other hand and gripped her shoulder, and with the other one gripping on her arm, I yanked the arm from the shoulder as blood began to splat all over us. As I ripped her arm from her shoulder, she screamed in agony.
After she finished screaming, she grew weary and weak, grew more accepting of defeat, and surrendered unconditionally.
One of Lord Riser's knights has retired.
"Who dares to try to humiliate Riser?!" Riser emerges from his home base, only to discover that all his peers have perished.
As the images of tragic memories continued to flood my mind, I looked at Riser with murderous thoughts, as if he were the one who started it all.
"You will pay for this utter act of mockery, Hyoudou!" Riser spat and threw flaming orbs at me, but I didn't even give in to a single flinch; I couldn't feel any pain from his attacks.
You're insane, Have you gone too far?
For the first time, Riser and I clashed. I wanted him to suffer! I wanted him to burn! I wanted him to feel what I felt! I wanted him to feel all the pain that I had endured over time! The pain and sorrow that flowed throughout my body kept growing and growing. There is no limit to me; only what is yet to come.
"Don't play with me, human!" Riser yelled at me while hurling flames, but they dissipated as soon as they touched my body, so I continued to walk towards him.
"Riser." I hissed as my advancement continued.
"You have no right to get involved in these affairs!" Riser was shocked, as his attacks didn't even make me flinch.
While ignoring his yelling of idiocracy, I got up to him and picked him up by the throat after he tried to hit me with his flaming hand.
"Do you have any idea how important this arrangement is to our kind?" Riser gasped.
Who's to blame, For what you are?
"Riser, yield!" Rias came up to try and prevent me from killing Riser.
"You would want that, wouldn't you?!" Riser is ignoring the real situation.
"Dammit, I'm trying to save your ignorant ass!" Rias curses.
Negative thoughts and memories clouded my mind, fueling my powers and preventing me from paying attention.
"This marriage is crucial for the existence of all devils, Rias!" The bird continues to chirp in his mouth.
"Big brother!" I saw a little girl with her long blonde hair tied into twintails with large, drill-like curls and blue ribbons holding them in place. She wears a light purple dress with dark purple accents and a blue bow at the front.
"Stay out of this, Ravel!" Riser continues to argue, while my hand remains at his throat.
If you believe yours is the only way, Then you're the fool who lives to die
"We are only trying to save you!" Ravel tries to reason.
After Rias and Ravel had tried to get Riser to yield for his own safety, I threw him into the new school building with great force and caught him.
"ISSEI, STOP!" Rias shouts and runs after me.
"RISER!" Ravel follows too.
Riser lands in the middle of the school's corridor. Still fueled by his ego, he still insists on taking me on,as he does not know that I don't plan on him escaping from me alive.
"Bastard!" He cursed at me, barraging a bunch of fireballs at me. "Why won't you die?!"
"Please, don't hurt him!" Ravel appears in front of me and begs to spare her brother.
Well you deserve the Hell, you're gonna pay, On the other side!
"Move!" I roared.
"Please!"
"Issei, stop!" Rias caught my attention and appeared in front of me.
"Issei." Kiba and Akeno came beside Rias. "You are not yourself!"
"Move!" I yelled at them.
"Please, Issei!" Akeno cried.
"Please come back to us!" Rias is also crying.
"I SAID MOVE!" I gently moved them out of the way and went for Riser.
On the other side, Once you reach the other side
I picked him off the ground and looked at him with rageful eyes as he froze there in silence.
"Yield, you idiot!" Rias cries.
Riser closed his eyes, finally accepting the facts that there is no way out of this. I begin to build up a flow of energy as my body radiates more of the flow of power, preparing to wipe Riser out of existence.
"ALL RIGHT, I YIELD!" Finally, Riser submits to me and disappears from the game.
Lord Riser has given in. End of Rating Game! Lady Rias is the winner.
Fools will only be denied, There will be no paradise
(The Other Side by Alter Bridge slowly fades away)
As Riser disappears from my hand, all the powers of flowing energy begin to leave my body. As my body returns to normal, the fatigue starts to hit. As I was about to fall to the ground, Rias rushed in to catch me.
"Issei, I'm right here!" Rias comforted me.
"Rias." I said it weakly, and exhaustion poured in.
"I'm right here."
I woke up in Mgelika's place, but I don't see anybody around. The last time I was here, the atmosphere was different, but now it's back to the way it was.
"Mgelika?" I looked for my canine friend.
"Issei." I heard his voice echo.
I looked back to see my wolf friend and was very happy to see him up and about again. "Mgelika."
"I was trying to get in contact with you, but we couldn't reach you." He sighed
"Where's Raziel?" I looked around to see if my ancestor was still here.
"I don't know; he wasn't here when I woke up."
"What's happening to me?" I looked at my hands and realized that I was back in my human form.
"It's the phoenix tears; Raziel said that they were regenerating your energy at an enormous rate."
"How is that possible?"
"I don't know; we thought that we lost you."
"The rating game!" I remembered. "Did we win?"
"I saw the whole thing as I was trying to get through with you."
"What happened?"
"You took out Riser's team almost in a flash, and once he submitted, you came here."
"What about Rias and the others?" Are they okay?"
"They are fine, although I don't know if I can say the same with Riser's."
"Am I dead?" I had the real question in mind.
"No, but your body is weak after that energy surge."
What did the phoenix tears do to me? Am I a monster? Will this ever happen to me again? Can I fix myself? There are so many questions. What will happen to me?
"Listen, you don't have much time, so I'm going to skip to the skinny." Mgelika gets the point.
"What is it?" I looked at my friend.
"The power that I told you to be on the lookout for."
"Yes, you said that something has awakened."
"It feels like it's getting close, and I don't know what it is, but I'm assuming that whatever it is will be here soon."
"Is it dangerous?"
"I can only sense certain hostilities, but not this one, so be mindful when you get back."
Something is coming, and Mgelika can't figure it out. That is really a scary thought to think of right now.
"Remember, be on the lookout." As he pulled me out and back into the real world, Mgelika said this.
Something's coming! Something is coming!
My friend suggested that I write this chapter on behalf of the song. Sorry if the chapter seems short, I wanted to get a chapter in before my family road trip. I hope you guys like it. Riser and Issei will have a rematch soon. Chapter 13 coming soon.