"Regulus Nemea, huh? You really have all the luck." I muttered with a grin as Lycaon crawled out of my shadow in his true form, a bipedal werewolf about three times my height. Every hair on his body, his claws and fangs were transformed into black blades and his tail had a twin-bladed prong on it.
"Regulus! It's good to see you have not croak!" Regulus Nemea just grinned before transforming into a bipedal lion the same size as Lycaon, its arms transforming into battle-axes.
[And it's good to see you finally regain your true form, old friend!] Sairaorg grinned as he took off his jacket, leaving him in baggy white pants, a black tank top and black combat boots. I just sighed as I took of my jacket, leaving me in blue jeans, black sneakers and a black tank top.
"Time to test who has the strongest Longinus."
"I swear, no one respects off-day." I muttered as my shadow darkened before a war scythe shot out and I grabbed it, twirling it around my body before settling into a stance.
"Oi, idiots! Not in my room! Outside!" Rias shouted and I nodded to Lycaon, who let us sink into our shadows before we popped back out in Training Ground 2.
"Same rules as always?" Sairaorg nodded and I grinned, activating my Touki before I blurred. Reappearing above him, I slammed the scythe down and he grinned as he activated his Touki and dodged the attack. Lycaon and Regulus were fighting at super sonic speeds as they ran across the entire training ground, craters forming as the shattered remains of black blades and golden axe-blades were left in their wake.
Not stopping, dozens of broadswords shot out of my shadow towards Sairaorg and he destroyed every single one, only for black spears to come out of the shadows of the fragments. He just chuckled as he witnessed my blade creation
I've gotten used to using Lykaon's Shadow Arrow Move, which was basically just me shooting all kinds of blades out of any shadow around me, though I'm still struggling with using the opponent's shadow if they're equal or more powerful than me.
"I see you've been getting used to your Longinus!" Sairaorg shouted as he clapped, destroying all of the spears and my scythe only for his eyes to widen as I punched forward, the Gremory crest on my fist before a crimson blade shot out. A foul-smelling green liquid bubbled on the blade and when it scratched his cheek, I saw him wince as the wound began to steam, right before the Touki burned the poison away.
Not finished, I rushed him, poisoned blades popping out and cutting him at random intervals as I punched, kicked, dodged and weaved.
Lycaon's fighting style revolved around creating blades out of every single joint on your body at random times, catching the opponent off-guard and leaving them open for the follow-up attack. If they try to block your punch/ kick, create a blade on that limb to make them regret it.
Sword Birth with its versatile arsenal of Demonic Blades, all with a different attribute/ element, just took this to the next level.
"Truly you are one great rival to have!" Sairaorg shouted and I grinned as I felt two presences appearing, jumping just in time. Sairaorg's eyes widened as two monstrous fireballs ripped through the ground under me, blasting him with scorching flames.
"What took you two so long?" I asked with a grin as Joker and Bardou landed next to me, both transformed into their Hellhound forms. Glowing orange lines ran all across their bodies as a lava-like substance dripped from it, their eyes completely bright orange. Their drool looked like molten fire as it dripped from their snarling maws, scorching the ground under them.
'It took us a while to find you, Master. Also, it's off-day, so we were resting.' Joker said, his voice sounding like a rumbling volcano. At least they know to respect off-day.
The roaring inferno around Sairaorg was abruptly snuffed out by a shock wave, Sairaorg's grinning face appearing. The flames did burn off his tank top and I could see a few small burn marks in his chest, but other than that, no damage of significance.
"So you've been training your hounds too huh,? I guess with them here and Regulus busy, I don't have to hold back any more." I was confused by what he said as he pulled off his tank top, grinning as he tossed it to the side. As soon as the tank top landed on the ground, dust exploded everywhere as it sunk into the ground.
"…You've been using weighted clothing?!" I exclaimed in shock as he just chuckled, removing his boots as well as his wrist bands. Each one of them either cracked or cratered the ground where they landed, Sairaorg stretching as the dust settled.
'I guess there's no better time to try it than now.' Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly as the wind around began to turn visible, clad in a blue hue as electricity sparked around my entire body. I finally got a chance to read the tome for Storm Knight Aura last night after the party and I think I have a basic understanding of it.
According to the manual, the first thing you need to do is to accelerate your heart's beating with Lightning Magic, forcing the heart to start pumping the blood faster and faster throughout your entire body. Next, accelerate your brain's synapses, slowing everything down in your field of vision while also acceleration your reaction time and reflexes. Then, accelerate every single synapse of your nervous system, giving your speed and agility a moderate boost. Finally, use Wind/ Air magic to expand your lung capacity and drastically accelerate your respiration rate while also cooling down your overheating body with cool air, which was caused by your blood rate accelerating drastically.
"I should have known my rival wouldn't stagnate in his ascend to power." Sairaorg said with a grin and I just shook my head as I slowly got used to my new senses and physicaly capabilities, Sairaorg thankfully waiting as I bounced a bit on my heels before disappearing.
I just saw him grin as he leaned away, my fist barrelling towards where his head was before I felt my left foot come up instinctively to push off his rising knee and lift me up, allowing me to snap out a kick to his face that blasted him away.
"Hahaha! Good!" I heard him exclaim as he flipped around before barrelling towards me. His eyes widened as he skidded abruptly to a stop and jumped back, barely dodging the black blades sprouting in front of him.
"Joker, Bardou, go provide support for Lycaon! I'm okay here!" I exclaimed, both of them looking hesitant before they barked in affirmation and ran towards Lycaon and Regulus.
"You sure you don't need them for support?" "Nah, they work better with Lycaon than they do with me, though that is my fault for not spending more time with them. I suppose that is something I need to rectify after this battle." He just chuckled as him and I limbered up, both of us grinning before we disappeared.
Craters exploded into existence as we blurred across the training ground, both of us attacking and weaving around each other's attacks. Every blade I sprouted from my body, he destroyed with a single punch. I tried using poisoned blades only to grimace as the wounds they left on him healed fast and the poison burned away.
"When did you learn to use your Touki to heal?!" I asked/ shouted as I ducked under his punch, giving him an uppercut only to grunt as he gut-kicked me and I jumped back.
"You won't be able to use it. Your usage of Demonic Magic will disrupt the process of regeneration." I grimaced at that as I created two falchions. Damn, a very helpful technique that I can't learn. I guess I'll have to recreate it with Demonic Energy or Runes.
"Ah man, I guess that's a move out of my reach." He just chuckled and I grinned before blitzing forward, appearing crouched in front of him before leaping upwards ready to chop his head off. He grinned as he caught my arms only to gasp in pain as I lifted my knees up and two poisoned blades sprouted from the Gremory crests on them, piercing right through his chest.
He gasped before gritting his teeth as he threw my arms to the side before punching forward with both hands, though he stopped just before the punches connected.
"You wouldn't…" He grinned at me as I tried and failed to get away as he pulled back slightly before punching forward HARD.
"Devil's Gambit!" He heaved as his punches connected and I felt the shock waves rippling through me as I spat up blood before blasting away.
'Master!' I barely heard Bardou and Joker shout as I felt them coming towards me, Lycaon rising from my shadow as he caught me and put me down on the ground. Slowly looking up, I saw Sairaorg's gaping chest wounds slowly closing up as Regulus kept giving him his aura.
"I-I'm…fine." I gasped out, feeling the broken and fractured ribs as I clenched my hands, grimacing as I felt the slight pain in my arms. Guess that's probably fractured bones in my arms as well. Man, he really had a strong grip on them.
"You don't sound fine." He said with a grin, both Sairaorg and I stumbling to our feet as we grinned at each other. We really are polar opposites, huh. I'm too fast for him to hit, but I can't hurt him much. He's too slow to catch me, but one hit from him does monstrously more damage to me than I could do to him.
"T-This is a draw." I said to Sairaorg, who looked hesitant to agree before sighing with a nod.
"Y-*Cough* yeah, my…breathing…is a bit…uneven." I sighed unevenly as I struggled to pull out two Phoenix Tears from my pocket dimension.
"H…H…Here." I wheezed, grimacing from the pain of my ribs, as I tossed him one, Regulus catching it for Sairaorg before handing it to him as I quickly downed my phial. Thank you Evelina for the two dozen Phoenix Tears birthday gift.
"Man, that's 249 draws." Sairaorg whined as he as soon as he healed and walked towards us with Regulus by his side. I just rolled my eyes, rubbing Joker's and Bardou's heads as they both deactivated their transformations and huffed in happiness.
"I told you it was off-day." He just chuckled sheepishly as Regulus and Lycaon went back to their four-legged forms, both of them shaking their heads with wry smiles.
[Reminds you of our battles, doesn't it?] Regulus said to Lykaon, who chuckled with a nod.
"If I remember correctly, you lost most of our battles." Lycaon replied with a grin, Regulus grumbling as Sairaorg, Joker, Bardou and I just grinned.
"Sairaorg! Isaiah! I thought I said no fighting on off-days!" Both Sairaorg and I went stiff in fear as soon as we heard Okita shouting. Regulus and Lycaon took off into the forest as fast as they could, Joker and Bardou following hastily in their footsteps.
"Since you boys have so much energy, I suppose we can forget about off-days from today onwards." Okita shouted as soon as he came into view, glaring at both of us as he had his katanas drawn. I grimaced as I created a war scythe and activated my Storm Knight Armour, Sairaorg activating his Touki as we got into our fighting stance. Both of us grinned at each other as we got ready for the ass-beating of our lifetime.
A Few Hours Later:
"What have we learned today?"
"Alwhays lishen to Ochita when he makesh ruleshs." Both Sairaorg and I mumbled, both of our faces swollen up and our bodies wrapped in thick bandages as the girls giggled in the background. We were in the medical room in the main castle, since Venelana and Zeoticus don't trust me in an isolated hospital after the last time I woke up in one.
"Good, but I'm not done! You are banned from training for the next week! I don't want you near the training grounds! I don't want you to even be near Sairaorg for the next week and you're banned from the Library, gaki! Am I understood?!"
"But-!"
"No buts!" He exclaimed and I grumbled before I nodded, Okita nodding before he turned to Rias, Akeno and Koneko
"You girls make sure he don't break the rules. If he does, just come find me. I'll make sure to remind him." He muttered as he gave me one last mock glare before walking out, Sairaorg and I just staring up at the ceiling.
"So, how much suffering are you two in?" Rias asked with a smirk and I grinned as I slowly reached into my pocket dimension, pulling out another two Phoenix Tears before tossing one to Sairaorg. He laughed as he caught the phial with a grunt, both of us grinning as we drank up the phials' contents. The girls just looked exasperated as Sairaorg and I tore the bandages and the casts off.
"Ah~ Much better! Looks like more training for me!" Sairaorg exclaimed as he jumped off the bed, revealing that he's just in his boxers and nothing else. I must admit, as a guy, he does have very big muscles, but they seem to fit his stature.
"Lucky you." I grumbled as I threw the comforters off me, rolling my shoulders as I stretched. Just like Sairaorg, I was also just in my boxers, revealing the lean and muscular I've achieved from my intense training under Okita. It was much better than the belly I had in my past life. I even have abs for the first time in like…forever!
"Put on some clothes, idiots!" Rias shouted as she glared at both us, Sona and Seekvaira taking glances at a grinning Sairaorg as Akeno and Tsubaki stared openly at me.
"Ecchi." Koneko muttered, Rias nodding as I chuckled.
"I'm fine with Isaiah dressed like that, right Tsubaki?" Akeno said and I noticed her wiping a bit of drool away as she rubbed her thighs together. Okay~…let's ignore that, shall we?
"Uh-huh." Tsubaki agreed absentmindedly, Rias shaking her head before she dragged them all out of the room, Sairaorg and I looking at them before I grinned at him.
"So not only Kuisha and Coriana, but also Seekvaira and Sona like you, eh?" I said with a teasing grin, nudging his shoulder as he just rolled his eyes.
"They do, but unfortunately, I'm a failure in the eyes of all Pure Blood Devils, so I can't reciprocate their feelings." He muttered as he got dressed in a black vest and white, baggy pants that were lying at the end of the bed.
"So that's why you're training this hard? Become so powerful that no one can deny you of any request you want, right?" I asked with a grin and his grin almost split his face in half as he nodded.
"Yeah, if I'm powerful enough to take on Sirzechs Lucifer and live, no one can deny me of anything I want. That means I can marry whatever girl and whatever amount of girls I want."
"Well, I wish you good luck in your endeavour and you know where to find Lycaon and I if you and Regulus need help getting rid of some…less-than-happy politicians." He chuckled as he nodded and I gave him a fist bump before he jumped out the window. I just chuckled as I got dressed in a form fitting black vest and black knee shorts, putting on the black sneakers right next to my bed before I walked to the exit.
"Where's Sairaorg?" Seekvaira asked as soon as I exited the room and I just pointed at the window, both her and Sona sighing as they rolled their eyes before they nodded.
"Fine. I need to return to my studies, so I bid you all farewell. Isaiah, it was wonderful to meet you and if possible, I will try to persuade Alivian to come with and meet you."
"I would much appreciated it, Seekvaira." I smiled with a bow and she smiled as she gave a headbow before the Agares magic crest appeared under her and she disappeared in a flash of green.
"My sister must be worrying about you, so I'll be leaving also. Isaiah, if you could, please try and keep your leader from getting into any more trouble than necessary."
"Sona!" Rias exclaimed in shock and Sona just had an amused smile as I grinned.
"We both know that's an impossible task, but I will try." Rias just grumbled as she punched me in the shoulder and I chuckled as I wrapped an arm around her shoulder, with her pouting at me.
"I-It was nice meeting you, Isaiah-san." Tsubaki's soft voice drew my attention from Rias and I looked at her flushed face as I chuckled before wrapping my arms around her in a hug.
"And it was nice meeting you as well, Tsubaki. Hope to see you soon." I could feel Akeno's palpable killing intent flooding the hallway and hear the sparking of electricity as Sona, Koneno and Rias took nervous glances at her. I just rolled my eyes and Tsubaki blushed even brighter as she nodded before walking to stand next to Sona.
"Please stop seducing my servants." Sona said in a deadpan and I chuckled before the Sitri crest appeared under them and they disappeared in a flash of blue. Not long after that, Akeno walked past me before he hand grasped my hand and pulled me away from the other two.
"Uh, where are we going?"
"Me. You. Bardou. Joker. Cuddle time." She answered as she gave Rias and Koneko a quick glance, both girls nodding before they walked the other way.
"Sure." I agreed with a shrug, both of us walking into the room as Joker and Bardou looked up from where they were napping on the ground as Akeno literally picked me up and tossed me onto the bed. She then climbed onto it and wrapped my arms around her, putting us into a spoon position before Joker and Bardou jumped onto the beds with their tails wagging excitedly as Joker snuggled up against my back and Bardou snuggled into Akeno.
"So…now what?" I asked lowly, but she just whined softly as she wrapped my arms around her tighter and closed her eyes with a smile
"Quiet." She muttered and I chuckled as she snuggled deeper and I closed my eyes. I could hear Lycaon's soft chuckles in the background as I felt sleep coming closer.
'A quick nap never hurt anyone.' I thought to myself before sleep took me away.
A Week Later:
"WELCOME TO THE ANNUAL KYOTO E-SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP!" The crowd of people erupted with glee and excitement as the announcer began speaking. I knew that we were going to have a lot of people here, but this stadium is about five times as big as most of the stadiums I have been in and it was packed with people.
"Welcome, all! It is wonderful to see how much support and cheerleaders the teams have as they clash today! For the first time since our first tournament, we have over 100 teams here today! All of them are competing for not only the title of Kyoto's E-Sports Champions, but they are also competing for ¥70 000 000! That's right, people! Today's grand prize is not ¥10 000 000! It's not ¥20 000 000! No, it's ¥70 000 000 000!" The crowd exploded into cheering as most of the teams grinned greedily.
"Now then, without further ado, let's see what the category is for today. First the preliminary/ elimination round is…" A wheel appeared on the giant screen behind the announcer, with probably every game category that I could think of on it. It then begun to spun rapidly, spinning for a full five seconds before stopping abruptly.
"3v3 Fighting Games! And the game…is none other than Street Brawlers 7!" Some of the teams looked ecstatic, most especially my team as the guys were smiling brightly.
"So, I assume three of you will be playing." They all nodded before they decided on Yazu, Sado and Haru, Hisoka and I being left for the next round. We were then ushered to our Locker's Room where we had to wait until we were called in.
"Who decided on the uniforms?" I asked and they all pointed to Haru, who just grinned as I shook my head. I should have known, going by the blue shirt, pants and sneakers with light green accents and the small green Kirin motif on the left breastpocket. The same Kirin motif that was on the one earring that Haru had on his left ear.
"So, any teams that we need to be wary of?" I asked and Yazu nodded as we stared at the Tournament Groupings. Looks like we're in the reverse seed and we're paired up with a bunch of first-time teams just like ours.
"The Raging Susano'o, The Silent Cobras, the Kyoto Kitsunes and the Demonic Tengus. We need to be especially wary of the Kyoto Kitsunes and the Demonic Tengus."
"Why the last two?"
"The Demonic Tengus are the seven-time reigning defending champions and the Kyoto Kitsunes are the only ones they have faced in the finals for the past 5 years, though the Kitsunes did make an announcement on Demi-Book that they are going to take the Championship this year." I nodded as I stared at the teams. If we make it to the Semi-finals, we then have to face the Demonic Tengus. Damn, that's going to be a tough match.
"Reaping Raijus, you're up!" An assistant said as she walked in and the three nodded as they walked out, high-fiving me and Hisoka.
"So, what do you think the next round is?" I asked Hisoka and he hummed as he stared at the screen, eyes flitting back and forth as he analysed every team playing before he spoke.
"A Doubles Round of Futbol or WWL. Probably the 14th since that's the most played one in the past few years." I nodded as I went back to staring at the screen before I spoke.
"Can you explain the rules and controls of the games to me?" He nodded before he began speaking and I memorized every word, making sure to repeat the controls in my head over and over as we watched the guys decimate their opponents. It turns out that they were going to keep playing Street Brawler until there were only 16 teams left, so Hisoka and I were stuck in that room for over two hours.
He left a few times to go get food as I kept watching the screen, making sure to take note of the way every person played. Who knew I would've been comfortable to sit in a room with someone named Hisoka without me freaking out?
"And with that win, the newbies the Reaping Raijus go on to the final 16 with a clean win streak of 25 and 0!" The boys waved at the cheering crowd as they walked off the stage, arriving in the locker room just a few minutes later.
"Oh, the cramps!" Sado whined as he rolled his wrists, Haru nodding in agreement as he and Yazu kept clenching their hands.
"And with that match finished, folks, we have our FINAL 16! Now let us spin that wheel again!" The wheel reappeared on the giant screen as it begun spinning rapidly for the next five seconds before stopping. Hisoka and I grinned at each other as we stared at the screen.
"Looks like we're in for a few double matches, people! And the game…is World Wrestling Legion 14!"
"You two are up." Yazu said and we nodded as we walked out of the Locker Room, following the agent to the stage where the other 15 double-teams were waiting. Looks like we're doing all 8 matches in one go.
"This will be the first to 5 out of 9. The matches you are allowed to play are normal tag-team, tag-team extreme rules, tag-team Hell-in-the-Cell, two vs two Fall Counts Anywhere and a tag-team Money-in-the-Bank. Does everyone understand?" We all nodded and the official before gesturing for us to be seated.
"Pick a side."
"Heads." Hisoka said and the official nodded as he flipped a coin, before showing both teams the coin. It was heads.
"You have first pick. After that, it's their turn and then it's yours and so on and so on, okay? Now, pick a category and begin"
"Hell Brother Duo." Hisoka whispered to me as he picked two vs two Fall Counts Anywhere. I nodded as I picked Lucigone, this world's version of Kane as he picked the Reaper, this world's version of the Undertaker. They picked the Samoan Cousins, which looked to be this world's Uso Brothers. Man, this takes me back to the days of WWE 2K14. Time to see if I still have it.
25 Minutes Later:
"And the Reaping Raijus claim the first spot in the quarter finals as they decimated their opponents with another 5-0 win streak!" We heard the announcer say as Hisoka and I walked into the locker room, the guys grinning widely.
"Well, that didn't take long." Haru said with a smile as Hisoka and I just shrugged. We were the first team to finish as we decimated the opponents in no time at all. They kept picking Hell-In-The-Cell and we kept beating them. Hisoka at least picked Normal and Extreme Rules and we beat them at those too. A 5-0 win streak.
"So, what's next after this?" I asked and they turned to Hisoka, who rolled his eyes before speaking.
"The Quarter Finals is going to be a 4v4 round of Futbol 12, but that's fine since us four can take that. Since the Demonic Tengus are most definitely going to be in the Semi-Finals, that means it's going be a 5v5 MoD of 10 TDM rounds and 10 Search and Destroy rounds since that is their specialty. The highest score wins. If by some divine luck we make it to the finals, we're facing off against the Kyoto Kitsunes and since the judges like them more than us, we're going to play them in a game of Drag-So-Ball: Journey of the Storm Dragons, which only Yazu is really good at."
"You know, you're really smart when you're not as high as a kite." I said to him and he chuckled as he took out another piece of chewing gum.
"I tend to over-analyse a lot of things so being high helps me stop those thoughts." I nodded as we watch the final team finish playing before the announcer appeared.
"Well, it looks like the Reaping Raijus are not a team to be messed with as they have kept their win streak running for every round! However, from here on out, it is the best of the best, so will they be knocked out or will they show us what they're really made of?! We'll see, but first a 10 minute break!" The crowd then went to get refreshments as I went to lie down on a bench as the four guys worked out a strategy with each other.
Ten minutes later, I found myself alone in the locker room and drinking a juice as I watched the guys play Futbol 12 against The Raging Susano'o, just as Hisoka predicted. Maybe he's a genius and he just tries to hide it. So far, the score was 2-2 with only four minutes of extra time left, which kind of makes sense since according to Hisoka, the Tengus specialize in fighting and DOTA games and suck at any sports-related game.
"Oh my gods! The Reaping Raijus' Sado just scored another goal, making it 3-2 with only 5…4…3…2…1 and ZEROOOOOOOO! That's match set, people! For the first time in Kyoto's Gaming History, a newbie team is making it through to the Semi-Finals! The Reaping Raijus goes through to the semi-finals to face the Demonic Tengus! What the category will be, we will find out after the 30 minute break!" The guys smiled as they came back to the locker room, high-fiving each other as I grinned at them.
"You know for a bunch of guys who've never played professionally, you sure are performing impressively in the spotlight." They all just chuckled before Sado spoke.
"All four of us have each won a few Junior League Gaming Tournaments, but we couldn't find a fifth player that really fitted our little team, so we decided to not partake in any real professional E-Sports until we did find someone." I nodded and we went out to one of the stalls outside before returning to the Locker Room, playing UNO-X for the entire break until the announcer returned.
All four teams were asked to come to the stage as all four teams will play at the same time in order to not waste any time.
"AND WELCOME BACK, EVERYONE TO THE ANNUAL KYOTO'S E-SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP! It's been a roller coaster of emotions as the Reaping Raijus have come through like a storm and taken over the tournament, being the first newbie team in history to make it to the Semi-Finals of our beloved tournament! However, will they do another upset and win not only the Semi-Finals, but also the Finals?! Or will the reigning, defending champions, The Demonic Tengus, quickly put down these thunderous beasts?! Let's find out as we spin this wheel!" The wheel turned on behind the announcer as it begun to spin for five seconds before stopping abruptly, the five around us grimacing slightly as I saw the grins on the faces of the Demonic Tengus widened.
The most notable of them was the one with the Captain's band on his right arm, his green hair pulled back into a low ponytail as he had heterochromic-coloured eyes: a blue right eye and a crimson left eye. There was also magic slowly radiating from his left eye, though it felt dormant as if waiting to be used.
"Man, this is going to be hard as hell to beat." Yazu whined as Sado chuckled wryly.
"Don't stress, guys. We're going with the usual formation. Newbie, follow our lead." Hisoka said and we all nodded as we walked to our stations, the loading screen of MoD appearing on the screen before the multiplayer screen appeared.
"We're starting with a best 5 out of 9 in Team Death Match and after that, it will be a best 5 out of 9 Search and Destroy Match! To win, you need to win both matches! If both teams win a single match, it will be settled with a 1v1 Gulag match with the first to 10 winning the match for their team! Now, please, head to your seats!"
"So not the 10 rounds, huh?" Hisoka muttered as all four teams sat down as we put on our headsets and took our controllers.
"Yazu, take far left with the AK47-Uzi combo and keep them busy on that area. Newbie, you're on the far right with the Lotus-SLR. Anyone that comes your way, you put down immediately. Head-shots only. Haru, take the close left with the Pump-Action/ Deagle and Sado, take the close right with the M4-SLR combo. Both of you will be running with me in the middle and divert them to either the Newbie or Yazu. Everyone got the plan?" Hisoka laid out the plan and the four of us grinned.
"Got it, Captain/ Sure thing, boss/ For the win, right Captain?/ Let's show them what the Raijus are made of." All four of us answered in unison and Hisoka chuckled as we choose our loadout, the clock ticking down from 3 before our avatars appeared.
30 Minutes Later:
"And we're here, in the 9th round of the Search and Destroy match! The Kyoto Kitsunes have already moved forward to the finals as they won both matches and kept their win streak against the Silent Cobras! However, the newbie team, The Reaping Raijus, are giving the Demonic Tengus the fight of their career as they are tied with 4-4. The Demonic Tengus just need one more win and then they move on to the finals, but the Raijus are ferocious as they fight to stay in for the last match!" I heard the announcer in the background on the TV as I focused on the match. Sado and Haru were dead, but we've managed to eliminate all but the captain. Yazu had the bomb and was waiting for Hisoka and I near Section A as the Tengu Captain waited for us in A.
"Yazu, you're with me. Newbie, run around and try to find a way to take him out without him noticing."
"Got it, Captain." I ran away from Section A, checking every corner as I slowly crawled closer only for my eyes to widen as I quickly crouched behind a wall just in time for a bullet to rip through the air where my head was.
"Well, found him, Captain. Top right near the red sports car."
"Cool. Yazu, move closer to A. Newbie, pull back towards the-!" Hisoka went silent and I took a quick glance to see him dead, the Tengu Captain running around towards Yazu as Hisoka stared at me.
"I thought you said he was with you!" Hisoka shouted with a glare.
"He was! I don't know how the hell he got there!"
"Well, we all just saw him kill me just now!" The other three nodded their heads to stare at the screen and I went back to stare at the screen, glancing and analysing everything happening on my screen as I tried to figure out what the hell just happened.
'I know he shot at me, but how did he kill Hisoka?! He can't be hacking or else their team would be kicked out faster than you can say 'Go'. He couldn't have drugged my water or something as Okita made sure to make me resistant to most kinds of poisons and drugs. Could it be that eye of his?' Stretching out my magic sensing, I felt a pulse of magic ripple through the room as it washed over me before I heard another shot from the direction I saw him in.
'It can't be…Illusion Magic?! But how?! The others would've noticed I was in a spell unless it's not focused on me. It's focused to alter my point of view in the game. There's only one kind of magical ability that allows you to manipulate a piece of technology to that extent: Technomancy.' Looking slightly at the TV where they were showing the faces of the Tengu team, the entire team looked relaxed as the captain had a smirk on his face right before I saw his red eye shine slightly and another pulse of magic rippled throughout the room. So, it is Technomancy and his team knows about it. Fine then. If he's cheating…so am I.
"Newbie! Yazu's under fire! Flank the Tengu and kill him from the side!"
"Done." I said as I sprinted away, my point of view slowing tremendously as I activated my Knight Speed and moved it to my hands and fingers. Let's get cracking.
"And it seems Nova is charging towards his teammate at full speed as he dodges every bullet Hideo sends his way." I smirked as I saw the captain begin to panic, the pulses from his eye coming out more frequently only for them to be disrupted as I sent out my own to counter them.
"It seems Hideo is panicking as he tries to take out Yazu before Nova can reach him for a team-up and…OOH! What a head shot from Nova, people!"
"Let's go! That's my sniper!" Hisoka shouted as he and the guys crowded around me and I chuckled in both happiness and relief, seeing the kill-cam of me getting a head shot on the captain. So, that eye is how they've been winning for 7 years straight, huh?
"Though they were struggling a bit at the end, they still pulled off the win and are now tied 1-1 with The Demonic Tengus as Nova lands a sickening head shot! And now, for the first time since their 1st win, the Demonic Tengus are heading into a 1v1 Gulag match as the newbie Raijus are hungry for that chance at the championship title!"
"Newbie can take it."
"Wait, what?" I asked in shock only to be ignored as Hisoka hummed.
"He does have the best accuracy out of all of us and even though he almost threw the last round, he did managed to get the final kill for our team."
"What about Sado? Or Haru? They're the best with the assault rifles and the shotguns respectively and isn't a gulag a match of close quarters?" All four looked surprised as I just chuckled.
"I've been playing for the past week, so I've studied the game a bit."
"…Your new knowledge of the game aside, Sado and Haru can only play together in a tag-team way. Both of them are weak in 1v1. And before you ask, I'm not better as I can play Gulag, but I'll lose 8 out of 10 times. Yazu is the best out of all of us, but his AK47-Uzi combo isn't the best towards fighting in the Gulag and unfortunately, when he just loses more than two times, he starts panicking and making easy mistakes that he could've avoided."
"That's true/ Yep./ Got it all in one, boss." All three of them said in agreement and I sighed.
"Besides, we've seen you be able to handle all kinds of weapons with amazing skill and you'll be using my loadouts, so you'll be fine." I thought about it as I stared at the screen before nodding.
"Fine. Let's get this over with."
"Reaping Raijus, do you have your team representative?" An attendant asked as he opened the door and I walked forward as the attendant nodded.
"Good. Please, follow me to your station."
"Win it for us, newbie." I grinned and nodded as we walked out to the stage where the announcer and Hideo were waiting for me.
"Well, well. It seems the Reaping Raijus are sending who they have dubbed 'The Newbie' of their team. It's none other than the guy who won them the last match! Give it up for Nova!" The crowd exploded in cheers as I smiled and waved.
"And for the Demonic Tengus, it seems the captain wants to make sure his team goes to the Finals! It is none other than the Captain of the Demonic Tengus and 7-time reigning Champion of the Kyoto E-Sports Championship, Hideo or known by his gamer tag…KAGUTSUCHI!" The cheers I got was like a whisper compared to the explosions of fangirls squealing and guys roaring in glee as Hideo had a smug grin whilst waving at them and blowing kisses to the fangirls.
"It seems that Hideo is the crowd favourite, but will that help him in this next match?! Let's see as we start with our first to 10 Gulag Match! Contestants, please take your seats and get yourselves ready for the match." Both Hideo and I nodded as we sat down at a station with the two of us staring at each other.
"I look forward to our match." Hideo said with a smile and I just nodded as I put the head set on and picked up the controller. It was not long before I felt the magic pulses from his eye repeatedly washing over me. I grinned as I rolled my neck before I activated Electroreception and Air Current Sense, focusing Air Current Sense on his hands and Electroreception on his entire nervous system as I focused on his synapses, ready to read his thought process.
"And it seems both are using a SLR-Bison combo to start off this deciding match! Let's start the first round in 3…2…1…and GO!"
One minute later:
"…What?" The announcer asked in shock as I grinned and stood up, everyone looking shocked as the score read 10-0 with just one minute having passed.
"…How?" I heard Hideo mutter in shock and I grinned as I stared him in the eye.
"Maybe stop using that eye and start actually playing." I mouthed to him and his eyes widened even further as I walked back stage to the crowd, where I saw the other four guys looking shocked at me walking towards them.
"You did say to finish it fast, captain." I said with a cheeky grin and their shock disappeared as they exploded into cheers, lifting me up above their heads.
"That's our newbie! Dominating the match and winning us the chance to be in the finals! Whoo!"
"Okay, okay, guys! Now, put me down!" They just chuckled as they put me down.
"Now, we just have to win the Finals and then we're the Kyoto E-Sports Championship."
"Well, who's going to play in the Finals, because if it's fighting games, it's not going to be me." I asked and they all pointed at Yazu, who looked surprised.
"Wait, why me?"
"You're the best in fighting games of all of us." Sado said with a grin, Hisoka and Haru nodding in agreement. He looked a bit shocked before he turned to me and I shrugged.
"I'm going to have to agree with them since they know you better than I do."
"Fine. What game are we playing anyway?"
"There's a 10 minute break before the announcer says the game, but since we're playing against the Kyoto Kitsunes for the Finals, it's most definitely going to be Drag-So-Ball: Journey of the Storm Dragons since the Kitsunes have never lost a single round of it at all."
"…Yep, Yazu is the best option for that/ Definitely Yazu for that." Haru and Sado answered in unison and I laughed as Hisoka chuckled.
"Let's just go get some food and drinks before the finals." Yazu said with a sigh as the four of us chuckled and followed him out to the food stalls.
12 Minutes Later:
"And like that, the score is tied 4-4 with just one more win as the deciding factor as Yazu takes out Yagi of the Kyoto Kitsunes! Who will win this final round as the two face off for one last time?!" The announcer shouted and I could feel the other three's anxiety as we stared at the screen in our locker room
After all, this is the one Finals where the championship title is changing hands for the first time in 7 years and if we win, there are going to be loads of sponsorship offers for them.
"-just one combo attack is enough to finish off their opponent. Although it seems Yazu is going to try and shave off Yagi's health by slowly accumulating damage an-! Oh my god! Oh my god! Yagi just pulled off the greatest counter of his career and finished off Yazu, making the score 5-4! For the first time in 7 years, we finally have a new championship! They promised Japan that they would take the title for themselves and sure enough, they delivered! The Kyoto Kitsunes are the champions for the 2014 Kyoto E-Sports Championships! Give it up for your new champions!" The Kyoto Kitsunes had ran out of their room and were crowding around Yagi, cheering at the top of their lungs as the crowd exploded with excitement.
"Hey, at least we made it to the Semi-Finals." Hisoka said to Yazu with a smile as we met him outside our locker room.
"Hey." We heard behind us and we turned to see Yagi walking towards us, the rest of the Kyoto Kitsunes behind him.
"Nice match. You're the first one to have ever made me work that hard for a win in Drag-so-Ball." He said as he stretched his hand out and Yazu grinned as he shook his hand.
"And I'm sure he had a great captain to help him." He said as he turned to Hisoka, who just shrugged.
"Not at all. It was all him." Yagi just chuckled before he looked to be in thought and spoke to the guys.
"How do you all feel about becoming part of the Kyoto Kitsunes?"
"…What?" Hisoka muttered in shock, the other three looking just as shocked as Yagi chuckled.
"Well, five of our older members decided to retire this year and as the captain, I need to find five others to fill their spots. So…how do you all feel about joining?"
"W-We'll need to discuss that between us and get back to you later."
"Of course, it's quite all right for you to be hesitant. Take my card and give me a call when you make your decision." Yagi said as he handed a card to Hisoka, who took it with shaky hands before Yagi and the Kitsunes gave one last bow before they walked back to their locker room.
"…Please tell me everyone else heard what I just heard." Sado said in disbelief before Yazu spoke.
"If you mean the Kyoto Kitsunes asking us to join them…yeah, we all heard that."
"Good, so I wasn't hallucinating too…Woooo! That's awesome!" Haru exploded with excitement as Sado and Yazu followed suit.
"…You want to extend that magical contract to a permanent occupation, newbie?" Hisoka asked after he snapped out of his disbelief and I chuckled.
"Sure, but I'll only be available every Saturday for about 3 hours. Also, the payment is now increased to ¥25 000 for every time you call me."
"…That's it? I thought it would have been more expensive. Sure, let's extend the contract."
'Wait, what do you mean more expensive?' He must have seen my confusion as he chuckled.
"My father is the CEO and owner of Kuoh's Shimura Shipping and Trading Enterprise. Money is of no problem to me." …Huh, so the gaming basement was his after all. That's…amazing for me, considering the higher a person is up the social ladder, the more powerful I become from being their contractor.
…Lady Luck~ Lady Luck~ Oh, how I love you~
"Give me your hand and also, tell me your full name." I said as soon as all five of us walked back into the locker room for privacy, with the other three looking curious at what was going to happen.
"Shimura Hisoka, Hisoka being my given name." I nodded as I took his hand and put both of our hands palms up, focusing on my magic as the Gremory runic crest appeared under both of us.
"Crimson aoiveae, frozen wonderland, karmic reality, absolute qaa. Ol, isaiah azathoth, hereby qaal ah gohed devil contract g a human hisoka shimura. Gnay hisoka shimura accept oi contract ca asked lrasd isaiah azathoth (Crimson Star, Frozen Wonderland, Karmic Reality, Absolute Creation. I, Isaiah Azathoth, hereby create a permanent Devil contract with the human Hisoka Shimura. Does Hisoka Shimura accept this contract as asked by Isaiah Azathoth)?" The contract finalization was completely done in Enochian and it seems Hisoka's mind synced with my own as he replied back in Enochian
"Ol, hisoka shimura, gnay accept a contract ca asked lrasd isaiah azathoth(I, Hisoka Shimura, do accept the contract as asked by Isaiah Azathoth.)" Hisoka answered and I nodded before both of our eyes glowed red, the Gremory runic crest shirnking down and duplicating as it appeared on both of our palms.
"A contract i fifis. A standard rules c a devil contract apply od fafen droln bogpa noan broken, a contract shall noan quansb. G a dooain c a drilpa mother od a drilpa father, ar t shall noan(The contract is complete. The standard rules of the Devil Contract apply and should any rule be broken, the contract shall be destroyed. In the name of the Great Mother and the Great Father, so it shall be.)" Our eyes went back to its original colour as the Gremory crests on our palms faded, leaving nothing behind.
"And just like that, our contract is now permanent. Every Saturday, you can call me for three hours. However, if I'm busy at any time, we can move it to the next Saturday for six hours. That okay with you?"
"Yep." He answered, still staring at his palm in awe and wonder with the other three.
"Come on. The Ceremony begins in five minutes." They all snapped out of their wonder as they nodded before Hisoka's eyes widened a bit.
"Oh right, I forgot about your payment. Here you go." He said as he went to his duffel bag, rummaging in it before he pulled out a fat wad of money and tossed it at me.
"¥25 000 as agreed upon." I looked down at the money before looking back at him.
"You have ¥25 000 just in your pocket?"
"Haha! I have ¥4 500 000 just lying in my pocket and these three idiots don't ask me for anything, so it's just there."
"Meh, we can pay for our own stuff." Sado said with a shrug and Haru nodded.
"Yeah, no need for you to pay for something we can pay for. Besides, we've known you for five years, so you already know we would just put it back in your bag without you knowing." Yazu said with a grin and Hisoka just rolled his eyes with a smile as I chuckled. Looks like they're good friends.
"Come on, Reaping Raijus. Let's go and finish this tournament."
"Sure thing, Captain." All four of us spoke in unison and Hisoka just shook his head with a sigh as we walked out of our locker room and back to the stage.
Later that night:
"You sure you don't want to come back for a few rounds of gaming?" Hisoka asked as we stood at their pick-up spot and I shook my head.
"Nah, it's fine. I'm sure I can find a place to teleport back home safely. Besides, I still need to give my report to my boss, so I have to head back home as soon as possible."
"Fine then. See you next week newbie." Yazu said with a wave as they all walked to a limo and I chuckled and waved.
"See you guys." The four of them climbed into the limo and I smiled as it drove away.
"You sure you didn't want to go with them?" Lycaon asked as I sprinted away from the parking lot, quickly ducking and weaving through the streets of Kuoh before running out to the grass plains a few kilometres outside the city.
'You know as well as I do how the girls get when I miss a deadline.' I said as I skidded to a stop, feeling the dozens of barriers take form around me.
"So they finally decided to come out of hiding and they've warded the area to stop you from teleporting away."
'Took them long enough.' I said with a sigh, standing in a clearing as I stared at the trees.
"Come out! I already know you're there!" I shouted to empty air, but they can't trick Electroreception and Air Current Sense. It was not long before dozens upon dozens of beings walked out of the shadow, dressed in crimson bodysuits with their faces covered by featureless, black hooded masks.
"The Dark Creed, huh? This is going to be an easy but tiring battle, pup, but it seems to just be members of the 2nd Circle. Last time I faced them, each one was just at the same level as a Middle-Class Devil, so you should be fine." Lycaon spoke as he manifested besides me right before another person walked out of the shadows, dressed in the same outfit as the others, though they had a silver wolf insignia on their chest.
"Damnit, just our luck."
Why? Who is he?" I asked him lowly as I lowered to a knee, grasping my shadow before standing back up as I pulled out a war scythe.
"He's part of the Crimson Hunters, werewolf hunters and members of the 4th Circle. Someone must've told them you have Canis Lykaon, because they used to hunt me back in my prime. Be careful, pup. He's probably a Mid Ultimate-Class being according to your Devil Rankings, so he's not the average fodder like the rest of them."
"…Please, don't tell me I have the weaknesses of a werewolf with you inside me." I said in panic and he just grinned as they all stretched out with the Crimson Hunter just standing still.
"Do not worry, pup. Most of your weaknesses are nullified with me inside you. Only your weakness to all silver weapons has been boosted."
"You know, it would've been nice to know that sooner." He just sniggered before we both turned and faced the army of assassins with grins.
"The one with the most kills is the greatest alpha wolf of all time?"
"You're going down, pup." He agreed with a blood thirsty grin and I felt the same grin spread across my face before we exploded into action.
A/N: Before you all ask, this is just so that I could get the tournament out of the way, hence the early upload. I'm also going to upload the next chapter on the usual date along with the first chapter of the new Frost of Time or should I say An Arctic Trident( You'll find out why the name change in the story)
For those that wanted Isaiah to take out Sairaorg with ease, you all have to remember that Sairaorg is a Satan Class being with just his strength and speed as he has no Demonic Energy and Isaiah just became a Satan Class being in the past six months. Therefore, I want to make him the direct counterpart to Isaiah or should I say the Rock Lee to his Sasuke(I couldn't make a better comparison).
Also, I don't watch that many gaming competitions because I'm too busy with university and stuff, so I don't know what exactly happens and the reason I wrote it like I wrote it.
Other than that, I don't have anything else to say so below is the new power ranking system along with how to achieve them and how powerful they are in this new story, with me using characters to give you a rough estimate.
The New Devil Power Rankings:
1)Low Class
-Example: Issei when he first becomes a Devil
2)Middle Class
-Example: Issei after he unlocks Boosted Gear
3)High Class
-Example: Issei when he first learns Dragon Shot
4)Ultimate Class
-Example: Riser when he first faces Rias in the Rating Game
5)Satan Class
-Example: Most Heads of the 72 Pillar Families
6)Minor God Class
-Example: Sirzechs' Peerage save for Grayfia, Okita and MacGregor; the Cadre of the Grigori save for a certain few
7)Major God Class
-Example: Lord Gremory, Lord Phenex, Zekram Belial, Okita, MacGregor, Kokabiel, Shemhazai, Baraqiel
8)Elder God Class
-Example: Azazel, Michael, Serafall, Falbium, Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael, Nidhoggr, Azi Dahaka, Apophis, Canis Lykaon, The Nemean Lion, Sun Wukong
9)Super Devil Class/ Transcendental Devil Class
-Example: Sirzechs, Ajuka, Diehauser Belial, Rizevim, Thor, Odin, Fenrir, Typhon, Vishnu
10)Heavenly Dragon Class
-Ddraig, Albion, Crom Cruach
11)Primordial God Class
-Zeus, Ra, Poseidon, Hades, Vishnu, The Titans of the Greco-Roman Mythology( Kronos, Hyperion, Atlas, Typhon)
12)Destroyer God Class
-Shiva, the God of Christianity, Indra
13)Creation God Class
-The Primordials of Greek Mythology(Chaos, Chronos, Gaia), Ophis, Trihexa, Great Red, Lilith)
*These Rankings are still divided by Low, Mid, High and Peak up until Minor God-Class where it changes to where the more you understand the concept you base yourself on to reach Minor God-Class, the more powerful you become, i.e. Sirzechs Lucifer understand the concept of 'Destruction' to the point where he can destroy even metaphysical concepts such as time and space at his full power.
-To be able to reach Minor God-Class, you need to take a concept for yourself and forge it into power.
-For Example:
*Sirzechs took the concept of 'Destruction' to create his Human-Shaped Aura of Destruction.
*Ajuka Beelzebub took the concept of 'Manipulation' to create his Kankara Formula.
*Rizevim Lucifer took the concept of 'Erasure' to create his ability to erase Sacred Gear abilities(I'm making his Sacred Gear Cancellor an innate ability of his that he used to become Super Devil Class)
*Diehauser Belial took the concept of 'Nullification' which allows him to nullify all bloodline abilities/ magic that is in his field of vision(To explain, he is not a Super Devil by birth, but trained himself to the point where Sirzechs himself acknowledges Diehauser as a Super Devil Class being.)
-These are the final rankings for these beings listed here, so I'm not changing them no matter what. This is also why Sairaorg is not able to breach into Minor God-Class as he has the motivation to become powerful, but he cannot find the concept he wants to use to break through the wall to Minor God-Class.
I hope this author's note explains everything I wanted. If there's any other questions, let me know in the reviews.
Ba-Bye~!