New Satan Stadium, Lilith, Underworld:
Isaiah's POV:
"Welcome back, everyone!" Reval exclaimed with an excited grin, the crowd roaring with glee.
"The round of 16 was amazing! Truly, everyone has shown that they're worthy of being in the Quarter Finals of the Reincarnated Devils Ranking Tournament! Now, let's not waste anyone's time as we start with the first round of the Quarter Finals! In the left corner, he has finished every round he's been in in the blink of an eye, but will he do the same with his next foe! Put your hands together for Diamante Fleurety!" Diamante walked out onto the arena with his hands in his pockets, the crowd cheering loudly as I grinned in excitement.
"Isa, battle mania." Akeno chided and I rolled my eyes at her as Alivian chuckled.
"And his foe is someone who has endured the blows of his foes, but will he be able to tank the blows of Diamante! It's none other than Ladora Buné!" Ladora walked out onto the arena, his face in its serious stoic look as usual as he came to a stop a few feet in front of Diamante, who smirked at him.
"Are both combatants ready?!" Both of them nodded as Diamante pulled his hands out of his pockets, Ladora crouching slightly down before Reval spoke.
"Then let the match…begin!" With a lunge, Ladora was in front of Diamante, his fist sailing past Diamante's head, who dodged it before Ladora blocked his rising knee. Diamante jumped back before he waved his hands, a thick mist of smoke covering the arena before it was instantly dispersed as Ladora smashed his fist into the ground and sent a shock wave flying out.
The smoke stopped just near the walls before it blanketed the arena once again and I caught a grimace on Ladora's face right before they disappeared in the smoke cloud.
"He has a chance if he can get out of the cloud of smoke or if he uses a bigger move to disperse the smoke entirely." As if on cue, a loud and deep roar echoed throughout the arena before the clouds dispersed entirely.
A large western dragon with black scales roared loudly as Diamante stood in front of it, a large grin on his face as smoke slowly rolled off of him and covered the ground around them.
"And Ladora reveals his true power: Dragonification! Will it be enough to defeat Diamante or will Diamante showcase why he is the Queen of the Emperor of the Rating Games?!" Reval exclaimed in an excited tone, the crowd cheering loudly with him as Diamante chuckled.
"Don't blink." Was all he said and Ladora looked down at him before he gasped, a barrage of fists smashing into his underbelly and sending him skywards.
Whips, chains and ropes made out of smoke shot after him into the sky, wrapping him in a tight cocoon of smoke before Diamante waved his hand downwards and the cocoon barrelled towards the ground, dispersing just above the ground before Ladora crashed into it.
A large dust cloud exploded into existence as Diamante let his hands fall to his sides once again, the smoke still floating around him before the dust cloud dispersed as Ladora blasted into the air, blood slowly flowing from all over his body where I noticed the scales were either loose or completely gone.
Ladora roared loudly as he opened his maw widely, a dark orange glow slowly growing brighter in his maw and runic patterns appeared on the walls and in front of the crowd before a wave of fire blanketed the arena. Diamante just chuckled as the smoke on the ground grew thicker and thicker before it all rose up to the flames, completely blocking the flames from hitting him.
Smoke and fire covered the sky above the arena, the flames of Ladora increasing yet the smoke kept it from coming down on Diamante before Ladora stopped his flames and decided to fly down instead, piercing through the thick cloud of smoke and crashing into the position where Diamante previously was.
The smoke wrapped around his limbs as he stomped and punched the ground, trying to take out Diamante before the smoke could become thick enough to keep him down, but unfortunately, it was for naught as the smoke wrapped his wings tightly to his body and keeping him from flying up.
"As a fire breathing dragon, I don't think the smoke would affect you as much, but that's only if I use regular smoke." Diamante's voice echoed throughout the smoke cloud before the clouds changed from a light gray to a dark crimson. Ladora thrashed and jumped around before I heard the sizzling of flesh.
Looking down at where Ladora was now being pinned against the ground by the crimson clouds, I saw that his scales were slowly cracking and splintering off and the flesh under was slowly being covered in severe burns.
"Acidic vapor and volcanic smoke. Quite a painful combination, right Ladora?" Diamante asked as he slowly floated upwards from the smoke, a barrier of dark grey smoke slowly dissipating around him as he condensed the smoke around Ladora even more. Ladora tried to say something, but the crimson smoke flew into his lungs and he could only give a silent gasp as I could see the inside of his mouth slowly burning away.
"Ladora Buné has been pinned for more than 10 seconds! Therefore, as a result of submission, Diamante Fleurety wins!" One of the announcers shouted from the sides and I caught a disappointed frown on Diamante's face before it went back to his usual cocky smirk as he waved his hands and the smoke turned back to its light gray colour before disappearing as he floated back down onto the arena.
"Oh well, I didn't expect much." He said with a shrug as he walked off of the arena.
"There will be a 5 minute break for the arena to be fixed before we begin with the second round." Even Reval sounded as if he disapproved of his actions as he did his announcement and the crowd slowly went to get refreshments as Coriana and Beluga, who were the only two members of Sairaorg's peerage left in the tournament, quickly rushed towards the medical room. Akeno gave me a quick peck on the cheek as she wanted to go up to Rias and the others in the VIP booth and Alivian and I kept staring at the tunnel where Diamante walked through before he spoke.
"You have a way to combat his smoke?"
"Several, but it would be annoying." I answered as I turned back to stare at where they were fixing the arena. Countering his variety of smoke and mist with my runes and blades would be easy, but the problem is that I need to know what kind of smoke it is and I don't know how many types of smoke he has. Not to mention the fact that he's not physically weak, so I have to watch out for attacks with no smoke as well.
Like I said, doable, but very annoying.
"I have one, but I'm not certain it would work."
"Is it the secret move you won't tell me about?" I asked with a smirk and he just chuckled before the attendants gave a thumbs-up to the announcers' booth, with Reval nodding on the monitor before he spoke.
"Ah, what wonderful repairmen the attendants are! Now, forgetting the first round, let us continue with the second one! First to come out, we have a lady who has been dominating her competition and although she nearly lost the previous round with her opponent's sneak attack, she won and is now about to face another powerful foe! Give it up for the Queen of Rias Gremory, Akeno Himejima!" Akeno walked out to the arena, waving daintily at the cheering crowd before turning and giving me a wink. I just chuckled before I winked back, making whistles echo throughout the stadium as she giggled.
"And her foe is also a Queen, one who has completely defeated his foe with nothing but his swordsmanship and his vast battle experience! Will that be enough to win this next one for him or will Akeno's power be enough to steal the win from him?! Give it up for the Queen of Magdaren Bael…Sectaas Barbaros!" Sectaas walked out onto the arena with the crowd cheering loudly, his left hand resting on the pommel of a new broadsword as he came to a standstill a few foot away from him. He nodded at Akeno and she giggled as she smiled and nodded back.
"Are both combatants ready?!" Reval asked and they both nodded, Sectaas unsheathing his sword and gripping it tightly as sparks slowly ran across Akeno's body.
"Then let the match…begin!" The arena was tinged bright yellow as numerous magic crest appeared floating besides her before bolts of lightning tore through the air and towards Sectaas. A dark brown aura covered his blade yet he stood still, a look of intense focus on his face as he stared the bolts down before he moved.
For me, I caught his movements in its entirety, a dance of nothing but silver and brown as he sliced and carved through every single bolt, contorting around the stray sparks and standing still in one position before he came to a stop.
"What a dance! I couldn't even see everything as Sectaas cuts through Akeno's bolts with nothing but a well-forged sword!" Even Akeno looked slightly shocked at seeing someone cut through her lightning bolts before a sadistic grin grew on her face as even more lightning bolts ripped out of the magic crests, each one this time having a tinge of light blue on it.
Sectaas' eyes widened before he moved, dashing around the arena at breakneck speeds, dodging all of the lightning bolts while sheathing his sword. He didn't let go of the pommel as he kept running on the outskirts of the arena before stopping abruptly and blitzing towards Akeno, jumping and moving around her bolts as a dark crimson aura covered his body and the scabbard of his sword.
"Crimson Monarch!" He roared as he unsheathed his sword, the blade nothing but a crimson arch as it sliced towards Akeno's body. Numerous runic crests with Lilithian and Latin patterns appeared in front of her, Sectaas' blade crashing through the crest with ease, but it bought her enough time as she unveiled her two Devil wings and, to my shock, four dark Fallen Angel wings before she bolted upwards as fast as she could.
"And Akeno Himejima reveals a shocking secret as she shows us not just two devil wings, but also four crow-like wings, the same as that of a Fallen Angel! Does she have Fallen Angel heritage in her family or is she herself a Fallen Angel that came under the servitude of Rias Gremory herself?! We'll never know!" The crowd just kept on cheering, but I could see a few of the pure blood Lords growing silent.
They were probably thinking of getting their hands on Akeno, but unfortunately, they'll fail with how attached Rias is to her and even if they wanted to talk with Rias, Sirzechs and I are the first lines of defence.
Akeno quickly came to a stop in the air before she raised her hands to the sky, the sky being clouded by the dozens of runic circles appearing above her as she grinned down at Sectaas.
"Lilith's Wrath!" Her arms came down and with them, hundreds of bright yellow and blue lightning bolts rained down onto Sectaas, dozens of runic crests appearing above and in front of the crowd to absorb any stray attacks. I focused the entirety of my Knight's vision on Sectaas and was glad to do so as I caught everything in slow motion.
The same dark crimson aura appeared all around his body, though now most of it was covering his unsheathed sword as he looked up at the lightning before he began his counter. In the blink of an eye, he was gone from the arena floor, flying and moving between all of the lightning bolts at such a blistering pace that thunderous sonic booms made the very air vibrate. Akeno was firing blindly and ripping the arena floor apart as she tried to catch him, but it was too late as he reappeared in front of her.
His sword was overflowing with the crimson aura as he raised it above his head, the visage of an enormous blade nearly ten times his size appearing above him before he brought it down. Dozens upon dozens of runic crests appeared in front of her, Lilithian, Latin, Enochian, Nordic and Slavic runic patterns found throughout the crests as she tried to block his attack.
The runic crests managed to absorb most of the attack's power, but it was not enough as his blade crashed through the last crest and into her, sending her barrelling downwards towards the arena.
In the blink of an eye, I was in the air, my wings unfurled and Akeno safely in my arms as I looked at her wounds. A large gash was on her chest, her left forearm looked broken and there were a few bruises all over her body.
"D-Dont…worry. A…Phenex Tear…and I'll…be alright." She muttered with a shaky smile and I sighed as we slowly floated down.
"You keep quiet and get some rest. I'd rather my girlfriend not die in my arms."
"Aw~" She muttered and I smiled as she closed her eyes, sending a bit of energy to the gash to keep it from slow down its bleeding as I placed her on the stretcher the attendants had, nodding at them as they quickly rushed her towards the medical room.
"I tried to make the blow as shallow as I could." Sectaas said as he landed behind me and I just smiled.
"It's okay. I knew that she would get hurt if she took part in this tournament." He just chuckled as he sheathed his blade before he smirked.
"You're a really bad liar when it comes to her, you know." The rage in my eyes burned as I stared at him with a polite smile.
"Like I said, it's okay." And with that, I floated back up to the waiting booth, where Alivian gave me a concerned glance, but I just waved it off with a smile.
"I'm fine. Just need something to punch." I said and he smirked.
"Now I really feel bad for your next opponent."
"Worry about your match first." I said and he chuckled before he began walking down, Coriana following after him.
"What a thrilling second match that was, but it seems that experience has won over power as Sectaas Barbaros advances to the Semi-Finals! Now, let us not waste any time as we continue with the third match of the day! First, we have a man who has been toying with his opponents, not even taking them seriously as he defeats them with just one blow! Will his opponent be the same or will they finally get him to become serious?! Make some noise for the Queen of Seekvaira Agares…Alivian!" The crowd roared as Alivian walked out, stretching his arms above him before he grinned as he rolled his neck.
"And his foe is a woman who has used her feminine charms to ensnare the concentration of her opponents and defeat them while they're distracted, but will she be able to do so with her next foe?! Come on out, Coriana Andrealphus!" The crowd cheered for her, but not as loudly as they did for Alivian, and she waved at them with a slightly strained smile before she focused all of her attention on Alivian, who nodded at her.
"Are both opponents ready?!" They both nodded as they just stood still and kept staring at each other.
"Then let the third round…begin!" Alivian just stood still as she jumped back, waving her right hand to the side and a magic crest appearing in front of her. Shards of ice shot out of the magic crest and towards Alivian at a high speed, only for him to wave his hand.
A large wall of fire appeared in front of him and completely melt it all down before with another wave of his hand, the wall turned into a drill that began to spin rapidly before it bolted towards Coriana. Her eyes widened as she flipped out of the way, numerous runic crests appearing in front of her before chains made out of ice shot towards Alivian.
He just smirked as more flames appeared around him before coating his body in an armour of blazing orange fire, the chains melting as soon as they came into contact with him. He gave Coriana a smirk before disappearing, reappearing behind her with his right leg raised high before he brought it down heel-first. She barely got out of the way as it smashed into the ground, cratering it and cracks spreading all across the arena as he grinned before rocketing towards her.
She tried to create an ice wall in front of her and jumped back, but he blew right through before he punched forward. She gave a silent gasp as it smashed into her abdomen before he grabbed her throat and smashed her head first into the ground.
'He has a thing for putting people in the ground, doesn't he?' I thought with a smirk as he knelt besides her. She was completely unconscious, her eyes rolled into the back of her head before he sighed as he picked her up in her arms before walking towards the attendants, who quickly took her away.
"As expected." I muttered with a smirk as he walked off of the stage, noticing an attendant walking towards me and I nodded as I followed after him.
"And it seems pure power wins once again! As we expected, Alivian will be continuing on to the Semi-Finals! Now, let us begin with the fourth and final match of the Quarter Finals! The first to enter the arena is a true Knight of honour, having defeated his foes with quick, decisive blows, but will that speed help him keep up with his next foe or will he crumble?! Give it up for Beluga Furcas!" Just across the tunnel entrance where I was waiting, Beluga came riding out on a stallion, both it and him clad in steel-plate armour and instead of his sword, he had a steel lance gripped tightly in his right hand.
"And his opponent is someone everyone is familiar with! A prodigy unlike any other and said to be the Second Coming of Sirzechs Lucifer by Satan Beelzebub himself! We all know him! We all love him! It's none other than the Demon Prodigy of House Gremory…Isaiah Azathoth!" The cheers was deafening as the crowd jumped to their feet and cheered at the top of their lungs. I chuckled as I walked onto the arena, waving at the crowd and the cheers grew even louder as I smiled before turning towards Beluga, who was fully concentrating on my every move.
"Are both fighters ready?" I nodded as I held my hands out to the sides, twin daito with pitch black blades, dark green hilts and a tussel hanging off of the pommels appearing in my hands as I rolled my shoulders.
'Balance Break: Tensa Zangetsu x Nozarashi' I chanted in my mind.
"We've already established that they are not your Crest-side nor your Abyss-side Balance Breakers, but your X-Side Balance Breakers, so why call them that?" Mel muttered with a sigh and I groaned.
'Because it sounds cooler than just saying Tensa Zangetsu x Nozarashi, okay? Besides, an X-side Balance Breaker is still a Balance Breaker, so I'm allowed to say it.' He just sighed more and I rolled my eyes as I snapped back to reality, noticing his horse shaking its mane and Beluga putting his helm on as we waited for the match to begin.
"Then let the battle…begin!" Instead of rushing towards the other, we both jumped back to the far ends of the arena. I did it because I want to see what he can do and he did it probably because he thought that I would follow after him.
"And it seems both of our fighters are taking a cautious approach to this battle as they both jump away from the other." Beluga and I just slowly walked near the walls of the arena in a large circle, his horse neighing and stomping on the ground as we stared at each other. Slowly, we began to pick up speed, now walking faster. Then, I slowly began jogging as his horse now went at a slow trod. Then, we went even faster, with me now running as his horse trod even faster. Then, we were even faster as we were now fully running.
Quickly, both of us came to an abrupt stop and I grinned as we both crouched loudly before blitzing towards the other, the ground cracking under us before I spun, the daito in my left hand diverting his thrust attack from his lance before I sliced at the legs of his steed. It jumped into the air before landing on its forelegs and kicking out its hindlegs as hard as it could. I smiled as I sailed past them under its kick before skidding to a stop and diving right back in.
I have to say, the two of them worked exceptional as a team. Every time I targeted either of them, the other was there to take advantage of me ignoring them. If I tried to slice at the steed's legs, Beluga blocked and parried my blows as the steed tried to kick me with its hind legs and whenever I targeted Beluga, the steed was there to try and kick me while Beluga stabbed at me with his lance.
Truly, an exceptional team…but can they keep up?
Before they could blink, I disappeared before reappearing behind them, the daitos glowing a bright green as I picked up speed, soon being nothing but dozens of after images blitzing through each other as Beluga's eyes glanced at each one of them before he chuckled.
"You're not the only one who can use clones!" He said as he thrust his hand into the mane of his horse, a bright blue glow coming from it as he pulled out another lance. Thrusting the two of them to the sides, he grinned as seven clones of him on his steed appeared all around the arena and I could feel them with Air Current Sense and Electroreception, meaning that they were solid clones.
'This is much more fun than I thought it would be.' I thought with an excited grin as I dashed around his clones, all of them blitzing through my after images in order to find me while also blocking my attacks as I tested how strong they are by repeatedly striking from different angles with Nozarashi
"Gaki! Stop playing and fight him seriously! Rule 4!" I heard Okita shout from the VIP booth and I sighed as I came to a stop in the middle of Beluga and his clones, all of them turning to me as I smiled at him.
"Apologies, but it seems I have been taking you lightly. Allow me to rectify that." In the blink of an eye, his opponents were sliced and diced into nothing but oblivion as I reappeared in front of him, his eyes widening and his body slowly trying to block my attack.
"Thank you for the match." I muttered with a smile before I blurred, twisting around him while spinning through the air as I slowly came to a stop behind him. As both of the blades in my hands slowly broke down into black dust, pieces of their armour and his lance slowly fell to the ground with it before Beluga gasped and fell off of his horse. Quickly catching him to make sure he doesn't get further injured, his steed snorted at me with a glare and I chuckled as I placed him softly on the ground before walking back.
"Don't worry. I used the back of my blades to knock him unconscious." I said to it and it snorted and nodded at me as the attendants walked towards Beluga before quickly putting him on a stretcher and rushing off the arena towards the medical room, his steed following along before I heard footsteps behind me.
Turning around, I saw Alivian, Sectaas and Diamante walking towards me before they came to a stop besides me, all three of them facing the VIP booth and I followed before Reval spoke.
"Take a good look, folks! These are the four men who have succeeded where 316 others have failed! They have conquered their competition and from these men, the next champion of the Reincarnated Devils Ranking Tournament will be chosen! Who will it be as we continue with the Semi-Finals tomorrow?!" The crowd roared as we all looked up at the booth before Diamante spoke.
"Please do try and entertain me."
"That title is mine." Alivian spoke with an excited grin on his face.
"You young ones will have to defeat me first for that title." Sectaas said with an amused smile as he rested his left hand on the hilt of his blade, though I could see his hands trembling with excitement.
"May the best Devil win." I said with a feral grin and all three reciprocated it as we all looked up at the booth, where the Four Satans and Zekram Bael looked down at us from their thrones.
Those wishes are mine!
A/N: And there we go! On to the Semi-Finals of the Tournament!
I will be doing the semi-finals and finals next chapter so be on the lookout for that!
Join the Pat. Re. On if you want to. The name is KingCrimsonNova
Anyway, I don't have anything importance to announce, so as always read, enjoy, review and I'll see you all in the next one.
Until then…
Ba-Bye~!