Once the light died down, Issei saw... the clubroom.
Issei's mind tried to find the reason for that.
'We're in the clubroom?' Issei looked at the window and saw the whole school, exactly like before except for one difference. The sky was bright like daylight instead of the midnight it should be. 'No, it seems that the whole school is here too. So they sent us to a dimension that's exactly like home? Why? Because he wanted to give us an advantage?'
Rias made a noise of disgust. Issei turned towards her inquiringly.
"Buchou?"
"This really is like him. He probably did something like this to show me that even with me having an advantage, he'll still win. I won't give him the satisfaction. I'll make sure that we win this game."
A chorus of approval greeted her declaration.
The voice of Grayfia the maid sounded through the room.
[Hello everyone. I am Grayfia, a maid from the House of Gremory and I will be the arbiter of the match between Rias Gremory and Riser Phenex. In the name of my master, Sirzechs Lucifer, I will observe this match. With Riser-sama and Rias-sama's opinion, we created this battlefield, Kuoh Academy, the school which Rias-sama attends in the human world.]
'I see. So it seems that we have the field advantage because of Riser's arrogance. I guess it works out to our favor' Issei, now firmly in battle mode, found the advantages he could use in this field.
[Rias-sama's base is in the Occult Research Club room in the old school building while Riser-sama's is in the Student Council room in the new school building. If the [Pawn's] are to promote, then please go to the opposing sides location.]
"We first have to deal with the [Pawn's] first, or it'll really be trouble if they all promote to [Queens]"
Issei agreed. To siege a castle, take away all fortifications, supplies and, in this case, their reinforcements, especially ones as dangerous as a [Queen] nevermind eight. He had as solution for that.
"Buchou. I have a way to deal with them."
"What is it?" Rias was intrigued.
"Well, it's simple really-"
That was the start of the Rating Game.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Kuoh Academy was built different than most Japanese schools.
The main building was made with a unique design with large glass windows and Greek style pillars at the entrance.
The old school building was built in a similar way except for the lack of pillars at the entrance.
The gymnasium in the middle was a huge creation, as expected of a building designed for housing the whole population of students for events of the school.
The boundaries of the school itself were surrounded by a veritable forest, overgrown trees filling it with only a few cobbled pathways leading from one place to another. In the branches of one of those trees, a few hundred feet away from the old school building, crouched Issei. He was waiting for the [Pawns] that he expected would be approaching from here.
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.
"Boom!" Once again, the sound of an explosion thundered through the battlefield, and Issei made up his mind.
Destinations set in mind, he charged not towards the gym, but to the school grounds, closer to the heart of the main school building, the base of Riser Phenex.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Kiba ducked under the blow aimed to cleave off his head, pushing off the ground to gain some distance and time to be able to think.
The assault against the gym went without a hitch, Koneko and him being able to beat down two [Pawns] a [Knight] and a [Rook]. At first, Kiba was concerned about his junior, worried that she wouldn't be able to take on three opponents at once.
Then he saw the golden light that covered her, and within minutes, was able to incapacitate all three of them down before Kiba had even finished off his opponent, Siris she called herself. Kiba could only shake his head slowly, amazed at the progress that the Rook was able to improve. The two of them walked away from the gym, greatly confusing the four inside the building.
That was until Lightning struck down from the heavens to hit the gym and the peerage members inside of it.
Kiba and Koneko, still coming down from the high of battle, became complacent in their progress and paid for it. Kiba himself barely managed to get out of the bomb radius with the speed granted to him by the [Knight] piece inside of him. Koneko, a [Rook] and caught off guard and out of her Touki form, wasn't so lucky and ended up with a set of nasty wounds.
They were preparing to fight the Yubelluna, the [Queen] of Riser, when Akeno showed up.
The two of them began their combat mid-flight, the air being filled with the sparks of their signature magic.
Kiba and Koneko took that chance to get closer to Riser's base.
And here he was now, crossing blades with Karlamine, the other knight of the Phenex.
Kiba watched his opponent, wary eyes taking in her form, observing every movement she made.
Smack!
The sound of Koneko getting hit by one of her three opponents, made Kiba grit his teeth, wanting to take care of whoever it was that hurt his junior. When he made an unconscious move to go to her side, the knight blocked his path, locking blades with him, smirking all the while.
The two of them rushed towards each other, Kiba wielding his longsword and Karlamine, her zweihander.
Between rapid exchanges the [Knight] piece gave them, Kiba saw from out of the corner of his eye that Koneko was now able to fight back, Touki once again covering her body.
"You're pretty good, [Knight] of Gremory."
The voice of his opponent, along with the sword aimed at his neck that Kiba barely blocked, reminded him that distractions could end him any moment.
"Thank you, [Knight] of Phenex. As much as I enjoy this duel, do you think that you could move? I have to help someone in need."
Karlamine smiled at him, pushing away from his blade, landing a distance away from him.
"No, i don't think I won't. Good try though." With that, she once again met Kiba's blade in a clash of steel that sent sparks flying through the air.
[Riser-sama's [Rook] retires. Rias-sama's [Rook] retires.]
Kiba's eyes widened in surprise, head snapping over to the Koneko's direction, where he saw that her body was slowly fading into light. Beside her, the two [Pawns] had their hands outstretched, panting from exhaustion, but grinning in victory.
"Mou, Karlamine, finish your opponent already. Ni and Li already defeated theirs." The high-class voice came from the only one in their group that didn't fight.
She looked like a young girl with long long blonde hair tied in twin ponytails with large, drill-like curls tied up with red ribbons and dark blue eyes. she was wearing a light purple dress with dark purple accents and a blue bow at the front. At the back, three feather-like extensions mimicking a bird's tail protrude from the dress, which, when combined with her wings of fire, give her a bird-like appearance, which was rather apt given just what she really was, Ravel Phenex, though Kiba didn't really know that. Someone that was wearing a kimono was also sitting right beside her, never once leaving her side during the whole battle.
"Honestly, you [Knight] types are so troublesome, with your honor and all."
Karlamine sighed, before resolutely facing Kiba, her two ally [Pawns] encircling Rias' only [Knight]. With a deft gesture, all three of them were suddenly engulfed in flames.
"This has been a good fight, but I'm afraid I must finish this quickly. Don't worry, I'll make sure that we get a real duel once we win this match."
Kiba slowly backed away, unwilling to get himself surrounded, created another blade, the Flame Delete. He raised it to mitigate the damage when-
[Riser-sama's [Queen] retires.]
"!"
Everyone in the vicinity made an indication of surprise, staring at where the voice of the announcer originated. Kiba then grew an ecstatic grin on his face, while all the members of Riser's peerage was still wide-eyed with shock, all of them temporarily losing control of their powers.
Ravel, the first to get over her surprise, snapped.
"Hey! Everyone, take down that [Knight] now! I want this match to end. I'm gonna ask a Yubelluna a lot of questions later on."
The two [Pawns] and the [Knight] followed her orders, once again covered by fire.
He raised his newly-created sword and instantly, the flames covering them were immediately sucked into it.
"What the hell!?"
"What did you do?"
It seems that Riser's peerage was encountering a lot of surprises in this particular Game.
Kiba, seeing a chance to buy himself time to get out of the mess he was in and for his allies to arrive, explained. "This sword of mine is something which devours any and all flames. You people really are unlucky to be fighting against someone like me."
Okay, he was pulling those words out of his ass and he knew it, but he hoped that they didn't. The sword he held certainly could absorb flames but ones that were really powerful, like those of a Phoenix, he had no chance of defending against. Still, his bravado seemed to make them carefully evaluate him. That was until Ravel spoke up.
"Fight! Honestly, being cautious just because of something like that, you should be ashamed of yourselves. It's obvious that he's just bluffing."
The two [Pawns], emboldened by her words, began to stalk towards Kiba while the [Knight] sat back patiently. Kiba prepared for the fight, determined to bring as many of them down as he could before-
[Riser-sama's [Knight] retires.]
- the voice of Grayfia announced the apparent defeat of Karlamine.
"You!" Ravel announced, voice holding an accusatory tone in it, pointing towards the one responsible for the sudden attack.
Standing there, the unconscious body of the [Knight] at his feet, was Issei.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
'Okay, two [Bishops], two [Pawns] and a [Knight]' He glanced at the body fading into light underneath him. 'Okay, cross out the [Knight]' He amended.
"You!" Issei looked up, straight into the eyes of the other [Bishop] in the field, staring straight into him with a curious kind of intensity.
Issei, rather rudely, ignored her in favor of turning to Kiba, his eyes falling to his body.
"What happened to you? You're bleeding."
Kiba looked surprised, before turning his gaze to where Issei's was. "Huh. To be honest I didn't even notice it." He gingerly touched his side, where a gash nearly a foot long was bleeding out, staining his clothes with the crimson liquid.
Issei nodded sagely. "The high of battle combined with the adrenalin does do that sometimes. Makes you forget wounds to be able to fight. Fascinating isn't it?"
"Issei-kun, it's not that I don't appreciate your lesson, but do you really think this is the time and place for it?" Kiba asked.
"Oh right." Issei turned to the four opponents on the opposite side of the battlefield, gathering chakra once again and feeling the familiar warmth of the flames inside of him.
"Hey Kiba, do you mind me butting in your fight? I want to take revenge on the ones who took out Koneko-chan."
"N-not at all. Those [Pawns] were the ones who did it, along with the [Rook], though Koneko-chan took her out by herself. It's amazing really, how much she improved in a week." Kiba said, awe in his voice.
"Yes, she really did, didn't she?" Issei responded, unable to keep the pride out of his voice.
"What did you do anyway? It's like-"
"STOP IGNORING ME!"
Whatever Kiba was going to say was lost as Ravel seemed to finally lose her patience and resorted to anger, judging by her tone of voice. Along with the waves and waves of fire and the powerful gusts of wind whirling around her. Yeah, Issei was pretty sure that she was pissed.
"Uhh, Hi?"
Issei said that in hope that it will calm her down, then again, since when did his plans ever work out in his favor?
"Hi? I haven't seen you in two years and the only thing you say is hi?" Her voice took on a higher note.
Kiba, wanting answers, decided to just ask Issei. "What is she talking about?"
Issei whispered. "It's complicated." Speaking up, he said. "What are you talking about?"
Judging from the violent twitch in her eye, that was the wrong thing to say. "Did you already forget me? Even after all you did?" The words, in contrast to her appearance, were said in a soft voice.
Then her voice suddenly gained strength, straightening up. "Then I'll remind you of who I am. I am Ravel of the Phenex Clan, daughter of fire and wind. You better remember who I am, or I'll force you to do so!" Ravel pointed toward him and the fire suddenly roared, charging toward him, determined to burn Issei.
Okay she was really pissed off. Ah, the things he put up for anonymity.
"Yare, yare." He raised his arms, hands open, directed at the oncoming wave. Before the astonished eyes of everyone there, the flames didn't even touch him, instead absorbed by Issei, seemingly disappearing into thin air. Once the fire cleared, it showed the wide-eyed look that Ravel had on her face.
"Oi Kiba, can I ask you to hold on for a few minutes? I need to take care of this quickly."
"Sure, but may I ask where Akeno-senpai is?"
"She's with Buchou and Asia, helping them against Riser."
He turned towards the still stunned Phenex in front of him who was now a lot less confident and slowly walked towards her before breaking into a run.
"Ojou-sama, get behind me!" The woman beside Ravel, a fellow [Bishop] with black hair and wearing a purple kimono, pushed the flame princess behind her, shielding Ravel from the charging [Pawn].
It was as effective as blocking an arrow with paper.
Issei crossed the distance between them in seconds, dodging under the magic circle from the [Bishop's] magic as he did so. When she tried to defend herself, Issei jabbed at her throat, then at her temple. The still unnamed girl collapsed, instantly fainting at the two strikes.
Issei privately thought that Ravel's face, seeing her brother's [Bishop] so easily beaten, was priceless.
Too late, she brought her hand up to attack Issei, but he just grabbed her by the arm, stopping her cold.
"I'll explain everything later, Little Bird." With a small smile and a quick, deft movement, the wide-eyed Phenex in front of him was, like the others, knocked out.
[Riser-sama's two [Bishops] retires.]
"Well that was anti-climactic." Issei said as the body in his arms faded away into white light, being sent to the medical ward in the underworld. Issei saw that Kiba was also finishing up with his own opponents.
With a final strike of his Flame Delete, Kiba spilt the blood of the blue-haired catgirl.
[Riser-sama's two [Pawns] retires.]
Kiba gave Issei a measuring glance. "So, Issei-kun, would you mind explaining just how you seemed to know that girl?"
Issei rubbed the back of his neck, the awkward movement contrasting with his glowing orange eyes and the flame in his hands. "It's a long story actually."
Kiba rose an eyebrow at that, before bemusedly shaking his head. "You really are an interesting person Issei-kun. I'm really lucky to meet someone like you"
"You are aware that I'm attracted to girls right." That actually caught Kiba off guard, but he immediately returned the favor.
"Don't worry, if I like someone, then it doesn't matter if they're a boy or a girl, I'll love them all the same." That was said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice that Issei was a little nervous about his friend.
"Huh?"
Unfortunately, the playful(?) banter was interrupted by the announcement.
[Rias-sama's [Queen] retires.]
""!""
The two of them instantly snapped to attention, gazes locking onto the top of the main school building, where pillars of fire and blasts of dark energy were flying around.
With a glance at each other, they sprinted off to it's direction at the fastest speed they could, determined to help their president.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Rias panted, glaring angrily at Riser Phenex.
They'd been at it for half an hour on the rooftop and when Akeno had come to back her up 15 minutes ago, and his [Queen], the one he called Yubelluna, had arrived the same time.
They had been throwing magic to each other, slinging flames, lightning, explosives and even spheres of pure destruction.
Ironically enough, Riser has lost his [Queen] when she reached for her bottle of Phoenix Tears, leaving her open long enough for Rias to be able to create a magical circle underneath her, blasting her off and putting her out of commission.
The two of them, Rias and Akeno, had done their best, putting their all into it, getting creative in their use of magic, but Riser proved that the Phenex really earned their namesake and showed them his immortality.
Akeno had lost when, in a fit of rage because of a fireball nearly hitting Asia, she had gotten a little too enthusiastic and charged at Riser. The Phenex had dodged her and used his wings of flames to encase her in a ball of fire.
Now here she was, tired from her efforts, but not without bearing fruits of her own.
Riser looked ragged, his breathing a bit harsh, hair a little unkempt and his face covered in sweat. He also looked pissed.
"Rias, this is madness. Both you and I know that your efforts are pointless. Everyone has already foreseen the outcome. So why not just give up and marry me? I promise, I'll make you feel things you've never felt before."
The last part was said in a lecherous grin, no doubt implying things that involved beds, lack of clothes, and penises inside vaginas. Specifically, hers. And the female members of her peerage. And her mother if Riser had any say in it.
Still, inside Riser's mind, he was starting to doubt himself, even if just a little.
He had thought that this would end with him winning easily, giving them the chance to defeat his own peerage and then beating them all handily. After that, he would marry Rias, be able to play with her own peerage in addition to his own and gain the respect of the Devil Community.
What he didn't expect was for his opponent to overcome nearly everything he sent at her, barely losing any of her own members until well into the game. And she was actually more skilled than he thought, beating him and his queen with help from her's and even be able to give him a run for his money. Him, and experienced fighter, a veteran of multiple Rating Games, being fought to a standstill by an immature devil, one who wasn't even allowed to join official matches!
His words seemed to make Rias angrier, baring her teeth at him. Beside her, Asia was shaking terribly, scared of the Phenex in front of her.
"Shut your mouth, Raiser. I won't give up! Knew the outcome? No more choices? I'm still in the Game you know! You barely have any pieces left, and I can see that you're getting tired. This Game isn't over yet!"
Riser, nerves beginning to fray, didn't want to keep this up and simply created a huge fireball above his head, the heat of it reaching Rias, who was a dozen feet away.
"Then I'll end it right now and make you my woman!" With that declaration, he threw the now gigantic ball at her, the tiles of the rooftop beginning to melt as the ball of heat passed by.
Rias cursed. The size of it ensured that she couldn't just dodge it as Asia, who was right behind her, would be too slow to do so. She was also too slow to go to Asia, pick her up, and outrun the fireball while carrying another person. And if she countered the fireball with her own powers, she may run out of energy to do anything else after that.
Gritting her teeth, she ran towards her only [Bishop] in the Game, and hoped for the best.
Her hope was answered when she suddenly felt warm arms encircle her, tucking her into it's chest, carrying her away from the destruction of the fireball.
When she looked up she saw bright orange eyes, gazing down at her, smiling playfully.
"Hey Buchou, I hope I'm not interrupting something."
"I-Issei?"
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Issei set Rias down after making sure that she was alright. He turned to Kiba where he saw that the knight was setting down Asia.
"Hey Buchou, hope I'm not interrupting something." He said with a smile, eyes twinkling in amusement.
Nodding he turned towards the Phenex. With one glance, he saw that he was angry, the winds picking up around them and his wings of fire dancing erratically. He was a lot less composed than he was at the clubroom , with his rumpled clothes, ragged hair, and his overall shabby demeanor. That coupled with his slightly heavy breathing and wild eyes showed that the others really did a number on him.
Without fanfare, the Phenex rudely interrupted the moment, storming towards the group in a tornado of fire and wind.
Rias made to move against Riser, but Issei gently pushed her back. "Don't worry Buchou, you've done more than enough. Let your [Pawn] take care of things."
He turned to the rapidly approaching storm in front of him and said.
"Unburnt, Unbent, Unbroken."
Fire erupted from his gauntlets, matching Riser's own flames, meeting in a pillar that reached for the heavens. Riser jumped through it, the fires right behind him as they followed his will. Issei raised his hand, catching Riser's fist, before throwing him back to his original position.
Issei, taking the slight opening, didn't make him take a breather and pushed his advantage, launching himself at Riser. Not expecting it, Riser was met with a barrage of strikes that he barely even saw, much less block. Desperate to gain some ground, he commanded his wings to strike at Issei, who instinctively pulled back. Riser taking the chance, flew up into the air, gaining some much needed down time.
Issei narrowed his eyes at the flying figure, who seemed to grow some balls at Issei's lack of follow-up.
"Not so confident now are you you Pawn? I am a Phenex, here in the air, we are the hunters." He spread his arms in a cocky gesture, smirking at him through his shortening breath.
In response, Issei simply aimed both of his palms at the ground. His hands were glowing with power, and then-
Boom!
A stream of fire propelled Issei through the air, now facing the wide-eyed Phenex. His opponent, too surprised by the unexpected development, only had enough time to duck under the kick aimed for his throat.
Issei smirked and stepped on the Phenex's back. He grabbed onto his wings, unmindful of the slight burns and the heat from it and simply turned it into ice, freezing the base of the fiery appendage. Satisfied, he raised his right foot, and brought it down forcefully on the top of Riser's head.
His wings were ripped straight out of his back, sending him down to earth, his impact making a crater in the ground. The fire in Issei's hands burned out, and he slowly glided onto the ground, watching Riser intently.
He picked himself of the crater, visibly struggling to stand up.
"Why?" The honest curiosity in his voice was enough to make Isei stop his walk towards Riser.
"What?"
"Why would you fight for Rias? I looked into you. You haven't even met her before a few weeks ago. You were nothing more than a normal human, with a normal life. You don't even know her all that well. You have no obligations to honor, no debts to pay, nothing. Why would you willingly become someone else's pawn, to fight an immortal Phoenix for someone like that?"
Issei stared down at him.
"Because I want to help her, I want her to be given the freedom she deserves. I want her to be able to do what she wants, say what's on her mind and love who she loves. She's a good person that much I know, and she's my master now." He gave a helpless shrug, smiling awkwardly. "If she orders, I obey and god that sound cheesy."
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Unknown to Issei, Rias was at the grounds, the moment Riser crashed down, and was currently listening in to their conversation.
"Because I want to help her, I want her to be given the freedom she deserves. I want her to be able to do what she wants, say what's on her mind and love who she loves. She's a good person that much I know, and she's my master now." He gave a helpless shrug, smiling awkwardly. "If she orders, I obey and god that sound cheesy."
Rias put her hands on her chest.
"Dammit Issei, are you trying to make me fall for you?" She said softly, her cheeks a vivid red.
[Rias-sama's [Knight] and [Bishop] retires.]
"What!?" Rias snapped her head to the rooftop where she left the two members of her peerage. Instead of the two blondes, she saw a young girl with blue hair tied up into four ponytails, wearing a white haori, a red obi and a red coat over that. In her hand, she held a wooden staff which was currently pointing at Rias, quickly approaching her.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
[Rias-sama's [Knight] and [Bishop] retires.]
Issei instantly went on alert, cursing himself for his moment of carelessness.
He should have known better dammit. He was a warrior not a novice that doesn't know the first thing about battle. Never take off your guard in a battlefield, where anything and everything can change in the blink of an eye or a single act.
He immediately looked for his [King], the most important piece in a Rating Game.
He saw the blue-haired girl in the air, who was rushing towards Rias.
He cursed and ran towards her, putting on every bit of speed he had into it.
He saw Rias raise her arms, her signature black and crimson magic appearing in it. He saw it rush towards the [Pawn]. And he saw the [Pawn] smoothly ducking under it with speed and grace that didn't belong to one.
Still, it bought him enough time to get to Rias' side.
"Buchou, are you okay?" He said, eyes darting between the last two opponents.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Well done Mira. I'll be sure to reward you late on for this act of yours. You even managed to promote into a [Queen] when no one was looking. Truly marvelous."
The newly name Mira, preened under Riser's praise, blushing like a lovestruck schoolgirl.
"Thank you Riser-sama. I do my best to make you happy."
Issei tensed, backing away to form a triangle with the two of them, keeping Rias behind his back as he did so.
"Well Rias, it's been nice, but I think it's high time to end this don't you think?"
Riser gestured at Mia and ,simultaneously, they each formed magical circle in front of them, and Issei sensed that the amount of magic inside of them was ridiculous, far more than he could safely absorb into his limited pool of energy. If he attempted to turn it into ice, well, the amount of fire that would no doubt be released could overpower even that, and there's no way in hell that he would risk Rias' future on something like that. So he made the choice, one that all but ensured they would win this Game.
The two Phoenixes released their magic, and two twenty-foot waves of fire were now burning their way towards Issei and his [King]
He only had one response for that.
'Ddraig, unseal.'
[Seal one, release.]
[Boost!]
[Explosion!]
He held out his two palms in front of him and met the attack head on.
The two flames clashed in a torrent of fire, meeting up in a pillar of fire, a funeral pyre for the fallen pawn and the bonfire for Riser and Rias' wedding.
At least that's what Riser intended.
What actually happened was a collision of flames, and unexpectedly, smoke began to form.
Once the smokescreen faded, the sight behind them was revealed to the world.
It was a field of ice, everything around them in a twenty foot radius covered in frost. The very atmosphere itself was frozen, Riser and Mira feeling the cold, harsh bite of the air blowing around them.
And standing in the middle of it all, arms still outstretched, was Issei.
With a clear view of it, they saw that the jewels set on the back of his gloves, instead of the 'III' which Riser managed to see during their fight, lost a numeral and was now a 'II'. His forehead and hands was burning with... a flame that wasn't a flame. It was acting like fire should, yet Riser inexplicably knew that it wouldn't burn anything it's master didn't command it to.
Riser didn't know why, but he felt chills run down his back at the sight. Opposite of him, he saw his [Pawn] sharing the sentiment, warily observing the boy in front of them.
If he wasn't staring so attentively at Issei, Riser was sure that he would have missed it.
A short motion of the legs, a small twitch of the arms.
[Riser-sama's [Pawn] retires.]
It was all over.
'Whatever it was that boy did, it was pretty damn effective.' Riser thought, rather sardonically.
"Riser Phenex, anything to say?"
Issei's gaze was now aimed at him and Riser felt a hitch in his throat.
Those eyes, glowing with power, were directed at him and Riser suddenly felt very insignificant as he struggled not to squirm.
"Yes."
A raised eyebrow answered his questions.
"Those flames... they're beautiful."
Now he knew why. His fire was one of the purest he had ever seen. He was awed at the sight. To think, there was a fire out there that could challenge the Phoenix's!
Undeterred, Riser summoned his own, wings of fire reaching the sky.
With a small, almost imperceptible smile, he ran towards Issei, happy even though he knew the only possible outcome of this clash.
"Ignis Draconi." (1)
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
[Riser-sama's [King] retires. Rias Gremory-sama is the winner.]
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
A.N.
(1) Latin for Dragon's Fire.
Another chapter done. Yay me.
Okay, does anybody actually read my Author's notes? Just curious.
Anyway, this was supposed to be longer, reaching up to until the aftermath but I thought, 'Nice way to end a chapter right?' So I just went along with it.
There's also the fact that I wrote this to simply procrastinate because I'm really starting to hate school.
I mean seriously, four major projects, three tests, a presentation and a partridge in a freakin' peartree, all given in the span of a week and the projects are due the first week of August? That's just mean.
Two of the projects are ten-minute length videos just in case any of you actually give a shit about it.
Economics and History.
Oh. Joy.
You could feel my enthusiasm(disdain and contempt) for the project through your screens don't you?
P.S.
I also tweaked some of the previous chapters in my story to cover up any plotholes I may have left.
P.P.S
Do you people really read this?