Pasts best forgotten(fanfiction.net)

Life 2-3 Chapter 6: The Battle

His reasoning behind it was the fact that Riser's peerage didn't know the field as much as Rias' did, so he guessed that they would rather go in the most straightforward path available rather than move through the forest where it was much easier to disable them with traps. Of course, that alone didn't really guarantee the fact that they would use the path given rather than actually go through the forest, and was based on a lot of assumptions.

Issei knew for a fact that most people like Riser, arrogant and condescending, would give them lots of opportunities to fight back simply to break those hope into pieces. That was confirmed when they were transported to a field like this, an exact replica of their home ground, showing that Riser really did go on that kind of philosophy. One in which he completely and utterly crushed everyone who stood against him.

But even then, it was a tense minute, one which was only broken by the *clap clap* of shoes against the pavement. Issei looked down and saw three of Riser's [Pawns] slowly walking on the road towards the school building , oblivious to his presence. Issei couldn't help but smile. That makes things easier.

Once the three were directly below him, he jumped off the tree soundlessly, quietly landing in the middle of the three's formation. The shock of a single person, even if that one did take up eight [Pawn] pieces, was so great that they were momentarily struck speechless.

One of them, the pawn who was dressed in a fetishistic dancer attire, was the first to react, a casting circle forming on her hand. She barely managed to launch it before Issei ducked underneath her arm, twisting around to her back, striking at the nape of her neck with a lightning quick chop. She dropped to the ground bonelessly.

The other two, these ones dressed like maids, did not take that lying down so easily. With twin enraged cries, the two of the charged at Issei who simply sidestepped them, bringing the one closest to him to the ground. With an easy gesture he knocked her out, enraging the remaining one even further.

"I'll kill you!" With a very unoriginal warcry, she made a magical circle in front of her, large enough to cover her frame. A torrent of flame rushed at Issei, who calmly met the attack dead on. The flames, which would have incinerated a normal human, or even a devil, simply froze. Once the tips of the fire reached Issei, he simply reached out and applied his own skills to take over, turning flames into frost. He made the ice shatter and was greeted with the sight of the stunned girl, eyes wide and jaws gaping at him.

With a simple move, the last of the three was taken out of the fight. The voice of the announcer sounded through the arena.

[Riser-sama's three [Pawns] retire.]

Issei frowned, staring thoughtfully at the ground where only moments ago, three of his opponents were standing, trying to take him out of the game. In truth, he could have knocked out the three of them the moment he dropped down on them. The only reason that he abstained to do so was so he could see just what the [Pawns] of Riser could do. He wasn't impressed. That was far, far too easy. Still, it meant that at least three members of Riser's peerage were out for the duration of the game.

"BOOOM!"

[Riser-sama's two [Pawns], one [Knight] and one [Rook] retires.]

The flash of lightning and the booming sound of thunder, along with that announcement broke through Issei's thoughts. He looked up and saw a fading magical circle in the air above the smoking ruins of what was no doubt the gymnasium. At least that was what was planned. To take out the middle ground in their fight, thereby making travelling between the two sides without being caught a more difficult feat to accomplish.