End of School
As Issei walked out of his last classroom, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning around, he discovered the one who tapped him was Yuuma.
"Y-Yuuma-san?"
Smiling cheerfully, Yuuma put her hands behind her back.
"Hey, Iss-"
"Hey, Ise-san!"
Issei and Yuuma turned to see Yuuto Kiba walking towards them. It took Yuuma all of her willpower to prevent herself from snarling in irritation.
'Why does he keep interrupting me whenever I need to talk to Issei?!'
Cheerfully ignoring the annoyed look on Yuuma's face, Yuuto smiled as he spoke to Issei.
"So did you think about what I said earlier? About visiting the Occult Research Club? The President really wants to see you."
Issei blinked and rubbed his head in confusion. Yuuma widened her eyes and before she knew it, she was grabbing Issei's arm. Ignoring the surprised look on Issei's face, Yuuma flashed Yuuto a mocking smile.
"Sorry 'Prince Charming', but Issei-kun and I have plans for today."
Both Issei and Yuuto widened their eyes, the former in shock, and the latter in disbelief.
"W-we do?" Issei stuttered.
Yuuma smiled as she looked over to Issei.
"Well, of course silly! We talked about it in class!"
"But we-"
"Come on! We should get going!"
Pulling a confused Issei along with her, Yuuma snickered as she noticed the look on Yuuto's face.
'Serves him right!'
Watching Yuuma drag Issei out of the school, Yuuto rose an eyebrow and crossed his arms in thought.
"What would a Fallen Angel want with Ise-san?"
In the Occult Research Club
"...So the Fallen Angel said she had plans with Issei?"
"Yeah, Buchou." Yuuto answered.
The crimson-haired girl narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.
'What does a Fallen Angel want with him? Not only that, but what does Azazel want with him?'
She sighed and put her hands on her desk.
"And here I was hoping he would feel a bit more comfortable in coming to the Occult Research Club today."
Yuuto smiled and tried to reassure the girl.
"Rias-sama, I'm sure he'll come around. We just have to make sure Yuuma Amano doesn't do anything too drastic."
Rias Gremory, the President of the Occult Research Club, the school's number-one beauty, and as well as one of Kuoh Academy's Two Great Ladies, adopted a serious look. Getting up from her desk, she walked over to the couch tables, and picked up a chess piece.
"The Pawn."
As she looked at it closely, her blue-green eyes seemed to be glowing with great concentration.
'I only have access to 8 Pawn pieces. But I'm starting to dread that even those might not be enough. I don't think Mutation Pieces will work, even if I borrowed a few Pawn pieces from Sona.'
Placing the chess piece down onto the board, Rias walked over to the club window, and peered out of it to see Issei walking along with Yuuma.
'I can't rush it though. Besides there's a chance that he doesn't even want to become a Devil. But perhaps I can convince him.'
Smiling deviously, Rias narrowed her eyes as she kept Issei in her sights.
'I won't let an interesting kouhai pass by so easily.'
Outside of Kuoh Academy
"Yuuma-san? Why did you...?"
Yuuma smiled at the confused look on Issei's face, and giggled.
"Sorry about that, Issei-kun. I guess I just wanted you all to myself for a few minutes."
"But why?"
Yuuma giggled again and put her hand in front of her mouth to suppress her laughter.
'He's so innocent about all this!'
Calming herself, Yuuma smiled and turned to look at Issei.
"Issei-kun. Are you free tonight? I was thinking we could hang out."
Issei blinked and rubbed his head in confusion.
"Well I-"
RING RING
Issei and Yuuma widened their eyes at the sudden beeping noise, and the former reached into his pocket, taking out his cell phone. Flipping it open, he widened his eyes as he read the message.
Looking up at Yuuma, Issei gave her a shy look.
"Sorry, Yuuma-san. I have to go home again."
"W-wha...again?!"
Yuuma widened her eyes as she watched Issei run across the bridge for the second time. Huffing softly, Yuuma crossed her arms and pouted.
"Every time I suggest something we could do together, he always has something he has to do. Geez, it's not like I'm plotting to kill him or anything. That'd just be stupid!"
Feeling a little annoyed and disappointed, Yuuma stormed off the opposite direction, trying to calm herself.
Issei's House
Issei opened his house door and looked inside to see Leiko already standing in front of him with a satisfied smirk on her face. Blinking in confusion, Issei shut the door behind him and rubbed the back of his head.
"Leiko-san?"
Smiling at her cousin, Leiko brushed her dark-silver hair back and placed a hand on her hip.
"Fufu. So you got my message. Good. Let's go."
"Huh? Go where?"
"Fufufu. It's a surprise, my Ise-itoko. It wouldn't be fun if I just told you, now would it?"
"Well I..." Issei started before he inwardly sighed, "Is the place where we're going to that important?"
Leiko flashed Issei a small smile, prompting the latter to widen his eyes at the sight.
"Does my baby cousin not want to spend time with me? Harsh."
Issei noticeably tensed at Leiko's words.
"N-no, that's not it at all, Leiko-san!"
Leiko's small smile widened as she grabbed Issei by the arm and dragged him with her.
"Great!" She responded cheerfully.
In the Underworld (Base of the Fallen Angels)
"Hmm? Something troubling you, Raynare?"
Yuuma Amano, now dressed in an immodest variation of an S&M attire, pouted as she crossed her arms. Azazel rose an eyebrow in wonder, and then he shrugged and looked back to researching more about Sacred Gears.
"Nothing Azazel-sama."
"Humph. She's just pissed off because she didn't get to 'hang out' with her precious Issei-kun."
Raynare turned to glare at a buxom Fallen Angel, who had blue hair and golden-brown eyes.
"Mind your own business, Kalawarner."
"My, aren't we snippy today?"
"Shut up."
"Now, now, girls. Let's not fight now. You can do it tomorrow."
Raynare and Kalawarner rose simultaneous eyebrows as they looked at Azazel, who was still researching with a concentrated look on his face.
The Student Council Room
"Absolutely not, Rias."
"What do you mean, Sona? Aren't we friends?"
Sona fixed her glasses as she listened to her childhood friend begging her. Narrowing her violet eyes, she answered her friend in a calculating and cold voice.
"Yes, we are friends. However, our friendship shouldn't be affected by your desire to claim our kouhai."
"Do you wish to claim him as a piece for yourself?"
Sona rolled her eyes at Rias's accusation, but she complied by answering her anyway.
"Even if I wanted to make Issei Hyoudou my Pawn, it would be pointless."
Rias widened her eyes in confusion.
"What do you mean? I know he costs more than 8 Pawn Pieces. I'm sure I could retrieve some more."
Sona eyed her friend for a moment, and closed her violet eyes.
"It's pointless, Rias. Issei Hyoudou is much too powerful. As far as I'm concerned, none of our pieces can be used on him.
"I don't understand."
"It's as kaichou has just stated."
Rias looked over at the black-haired girl with blue, semi-rimmed glasses with square lenses. Tsubaki Shinra, the Vice-President of the Student Council, narrowed her eyes as she stood next to Sona.
"We all know that Issei's energy structure indicates that he is by no means a human at all. But, regarding the pieces possessed by you and kaichou, they are useless against Issei."
Rias blinked several times in disbelief.
"You mean they won't work on him? But why not?"
"Hmm. Perhaps he is more than just a non-human." Sona mused.
"Ara, ara."
The three beauties of Kuoh Academy looked over to see a black-haired girl with the orange ribbon in her hair. Akeno Himejima held a surprised look on her face as her violet eyes widened in disbelief.
"Is our little kouhai so powerful that not even the Evil Pieces will work on him?"
"Correct." answered Tsubaki.
"Another factor we should consider is his energy output, Rias. It's absolutely colossal, even by the standards of a Devil of the Ultimate Class. And...it's constantly growing." Sona stated.
Rias narrowed her eyes as she listened carefully to Sona's words.
"So even if we found out the number of Evil Pieces we would need to recruit Issei...it still wouldn't be enough?"
"It couldn't be dealt with anyway. As I said, the massive energy output he possesses seems to rise substantially every so often. It doesn't matter how many Evil Pieces we collect, they won't work on Issei Hyoudou anyway."
Rias crossed her arms, and she frowned.
"Well, there goes my hopes of adding him to my peerage."
"It is a shame. I know I would have loved to get a new kouhai." Akeno added in her two cents.
"It is a shame." Sona said.
"Hmm."
"What is it Tsubaki?" Sona asked her.
Realizing quickly she had hummed in disappointment out loud, Tsubaki composed herself and crossed her arms.
"Nothing, kaichou. I had something bothering my throat."
"Uffuffu. You don't have to lie, Tsubaki. We're all a little disappointed as well. It's a shame our little kouhai won't be able to join any of our peerages." Akeno said.
Tsubaki fought in vain to suppress the blush that slowly formed on her face, but alas, it appeared, and she lightly glared at the amused Akeno.
She couldn't deny that she was a little disappointed when Sona had informed her that Issei was unable to join her peerage. At first, she had thought that Rias had defeated Sona in a bet to see who would claim Issei, but imagine her surprise when Sona had revealed that Rias wouldn't be able to claim Issei as well.
Rias sighed as she placed her hand on her cheek.
'Guess that's what I get for wanting a powerful young boy in my peerage.'
Suddenly, a flame-like magic circle appeared in the middle of the Student Council room, and a silhouette appeared out from above it. Rias, Akeno, Sona, and Tsubaki covered their eyes from the brightness, and as the light faded, they removed their arms from their face. Squinting her eyes, Rias widened her eyes in shock, as well as the other women in the Student Council.
"Riser?!"
Riser Phenex, releasing a pool of flames that surrounded his body, glared at the crimson-haired beauty.
"Where is he, Rias?!"
"Where is who?!"
Riser narrowed his blue eyes darkly.
"The boy called Issei Hyoudou. I need to find him."
At the mention of their kouhai, the four most popular girls at Kuoh Academy narrowed their eyes simultaneously. Sona crossed her arms as she glared at the Phenex male.
"What do you want with him, Riser?"
With a scoff, Riser wiped some dust off of his blazer jacket, and looked towards the women.
"Not that it's any of your business, but I'll tell you anyway. I wish to fight him."
In the Shopping Centers
"Why are we at the mall?"
"Ise-itoko asks so many questions."
Issei cautiously looked around his surroundings and saw many people mingling around the mall. He didn't know why Leiko had taken him to this place. Smiling at the look on her cousin's face, Leiko changed her expression and narrowed her eyes. She took a seat next to him on the bench.
Her facial expression then morphed into a concerned yet harsh glare.
"Ise-itoko. We need to talk."
Issei widened his eyes and turned to look at his cousin.
"About what?"
"...About you."
"What about me?"
Sighing and placing her hand on her forehead, Leiko turned to look at her adoptive cousin.
"Issei. What is your opinion on life?"
Raising a confused eyebrow at the unexpected question, Issei rubbed his head.
"Well, I don't really have an opinion, Leiko-san. I know that life is short, but..."
Staring at her cousin with an unreadable look, Leiko closed her eyes and shook her head.
"So small."
"Huh?"
"You're so small, my Ise-itoko. Too fragile."
Issei widened his eyes at the reply. Leiko turned to glare at her cousin with harsh and sharp crimson-ruby orbs of vision.
"With the way you are always acting, life is not going to be your greatest ally. Life is going to take advantage of you, because it relies on your personality to help screw you over."
The young man looked at his cousin in surprise.
"I-I..."
Narrowing her crimson eyes until they were slits, Leiko stood up from her seat and maintained her harsh glare.
"You're weak, Issei. And because you're so weak, you'll never be strong enough to live your own life if you keep acting like this. You need to stop being so nervous and better yourself!"
Leiko sharply gulped down the lump in her throat. She knew what she was saying was harsh, but she had to get through to her cousin. With his shy personality, the world was going to be something that he would always fear, and god knows, Leiko didn't want that tragedy to befall on Issei.
As he looked up at his glaring cousin, Issei adopted a shocked look on his face. As he remembered bits and portions of his life so far, he widened his eyes on how Leiko was correct. The harassment from the kids about his eyes wasn't the only thing that was harming him.
It was himself.
Shutting off from society and not interacting with people had certainly hindered him as a person. He had always stayed to himself, fearing that everyone would judge him based on his appearance.
He was hurting himself. He was the one who was stopping himself from moving on.
'L-Leiko-san's right. I'm only hurting myself. And if I keep doing that then Life might just...no. Life will hurt me.'
"Ise-itoko..."
At the call of his cousin's nickname for him, Issei looked up just in time to see Leiko placing her hand on his cheek. With soft yet stern eyes, Leiko stared at her cousin with concern and pressed her forehead against his.
"I am telling you all this, as a concerned cousin who loves you. So, so much. Do you understand?"
Staring wide-eyed at his cousin, Issei gained a slight serious look and he slowly nodded. Satisfied at her cousin's answer, Leiko removed her hand from Issei's cheek, and went to walk away from him.
"I'm going to walk around the mall for a bit. I'll meet you back here. All right? Stay here and wait for me."
Maintaining his sad yet somber look, Issei nodded to his cousin. Staring at her cousin, Leiko went off to another direction.
'Ise-itoko...'
As he sat on the bench, Issei placed his hand on his cheek, thinking about what Leiko had said. She was right, no doubt about that. He really had to toughen up if he was going to survive life. Here he was, avoiding everyone, and he wasn't even an adult yet.
'I still have a lot of years ahead of me. And here I am, wasting them away.'
"Excuse me? Are you Issei Hyoudou?"
Looking up, Issei rose an eyebrow as he saw two girls in strange clothing.
'Who are they?'
One was a well-endowed young woman of Chinese descent with shoulder-length black hair and blue-green eyes. Her hair had two Chinese-style buns on both sides of her head, while the front features bangs formed a slight V-shape across her forehead. She wore a navy blue qipao with gold accents, a white sash around her stomach, and black, low-heeled shoes. She also wore a black armbands over her forearms.
The second girl had blue hair and light brown eyes. Her hair was styled with four short ponytails, with two of the four pointed up and the remaining two pointed down. The front of her hair featured split bangs going across her forehead, with side bangs framing her face. Her outfit consisted of a white haori with a red obi, which was worn under a red happi coat. She wore bandages on her forearms and shins, and wore black guards over her hands. Covering her feet, were a pair of zōri.
Issei noticed the proud smirks on the girls' faces, and he felt that he was about to be in a dangerous situation.
"Who are you?"
The girl of Chinese descent placed her hand on her hip, narrowing her blue-green eyes.
"Who we are is none of your concern. The only thing you need to know is that our master, Riser-sama, requires your presence."
"...Riser?"
At Another Section of the Mall
Leiko sighed as she ordered a beverage. She was getting mixed feelings about her talk with Issei.
"It had to be said. I'm aware of his past, but I can't have a cousin who shuts himself away all the time. If he keeps doing that, his life is going to be the worst. It just had to be said."
Taking a sip of her drink, Leiko closed her eyes and walked off to another section of the mall. Looking around her surroundings, Leiko rose an eyebrow as she felt something behind her.
Stopping for only a second, Leiko turned around, only to see nothing. Raising an eyebrow, Leiko turned back around and her crimson-ruby eyes widened as she dropped her drink in surprise.
"AHHHHHHH!"
The Occult Research Club
"Why on Earth do you want to fight Issei?" Rias asked.
She was genuinely confused on why Riser Phenex wanted to fight someone he didn't even know. Her blue-eyes green widened.
'Did Riser sense his power as well?'
The Phenex male scoffed and crossed his arms.
"That's none of your concern, Rias."
Rias narrowed her eyes.
"It is my concern, Riser."
"Why? Because he's a part of your peerage?"
"...Issei Hyoudou is unaffected by the Evil Pieces." Sona put in her two cents.
Riser widened his eyes a little, and then he shrugged. Suddenly, a magic circle appeared next to him, revealing a busty woman with long, wavy purple hair that fell all the way down her back and matching eyes.
Bowing down to Riser, the woman smiled as she lifted herself up.
"Riser-sama. Xuelan and Mira have seized the boy. He is now in the Underworld."
Smiling, Riser placed a hand on the woman's shoulder and rubbed it.
"Excellent work, Yubelluna. Our match will start soon, I expect."
The girls of the Occult Research Club and the Student Council widened their eyes, with Rias speaking their mutual thoughts.
"I'll ask you again, Riser. Why do you want to fight Issei?"
Turning around to face her, Riser sneered.
"You and I both know that his power has been sensed far across the trenches of the Underworld, Rias. The reason I want to fight him is because I want to see if he is truly powerful."
"But he doesn't even know that he has powers to begin with! Don't you think it's dangerous to fight someone who doesn't know his or her own strength?!" Akeno yelled.
Rias narrowed her eyes darkly as she nodded in agreement to Akeno's statement..
"Riser, I can guarantee that once my Onii-sama hears about this, he'll-"
"Spare your threats, Rias. Sirzechs-sama was actually one of the participants who agreed for this fight to commence."
"WHAT?! Onii-sama wouldn't-"
"He did. It seems he and I have the same wish. We both want to see the full extent of Issei Hyoudou's power."
Smirking widely at the shocked faces from the girls, Riser put his hands in his blazer pockets.
'I got permission from Sirzechs-sama to have this fight with the brat. But I didn't tell Sirzechs-sama on how I would go about firing up the brat.'
"Your attempted fight with Issei is pointless if he doesn't have any experience to support himself, Riser. That is not a fair fight." Tsubaki stated as she narrowed her eyes.
"Like that matters. Soon enough, I'll prove that this brat is nothing more than a barely lit light bulb."
Placing his hand on the ground, a magic circle resembling the shape of a Phoenix appeared. Looking up at the four beauties of Kuoh Academy, Riser sent them a dark smirk.
"The fight between Issei and I is going to be broadcasted. You can come to the Underworld if you wish. However, if you don't want to see the brat beaten to death up close, I suggest you simply watch from your little televisions."
And with that message, The Phenex Devil, along with Yubelluna, disappeared as the magic circle engulfed them and transmitted them away. Rias, Akeno, Sona, and Tsubaki all stood inside the Occult Research Club, all unable to believe what was happening.
Arena In the Underworld
Issei didn't know what had just happened. One minute he was at the mall, and the next minute he appeared to be in an arena of some sort. As he looked around his surroundings, he noticed a large crowd of formal-dressed people sitting above the arena.
"W-where am I?"
"Issei Hyoudou."
At the call of his name, Issei looked up to see a young man with short blonde hair and dark blue eyes. He was dressed in a burgundy blazer with gold embroidery on the right with matching pants and black dress shoes. Underneath his open blazer was a white dress shirt that was not fully buttoned.
"Who are you?"
Riser smirked as he looked down at his opponent.
'So this is the brat I was so paranoid about. To think I believed that he was actually a terror to look at. Though his eyes are strange-looking. Humph, no matter. I'll make short work of him.'
"You want to know who I am? I'm the end of your life, that's who I am."
Issei widened his eyes and took a step back.
'What the heck is going on?'
"Those two girls. They said their master required my presence. Are you their master?"
"Humph. Give the boy a prize."
Blinking several times, Issei narrowed his eyes a little in annoyance. In his opinion, he knew the guy who was standing in front of him was belittling him.
"What do you want with me?"
Riser didn't respond, but he maintained his condescending smirk. Above the crowd, a man in his early 20's with shoulder length crimson red hair and blue-green eyes, appeared and faded away, before reappearing between Riser and Issei. He sent his eyes towards Riser, before sending them to Issei.
"So this is the famous Issei Hyoudou."
"That's right, Sirzechs-sama." Riser added.
Issei blinked in confusion.
"H-how do you know my name? I don't know any of you people."
Sirzechs Lucifer, the older brother of Rias Gremory, smiled as he looked back to Riser.
"Riser, I sense a great power within this boy."
He smiled wider as he looked over to the confused Issei.
"I wish you good luck, Issei Hyoudou."
"But I don't understand. What's happening?" Issei asked.
Transmitting away from the two and reappearing on his throne, Sirzechs placed his hands on his lap as he waited for the imminent battle.
Crossing his arms, Riser sneered at Issei.
"What's happening is that we are going to fight. And whoever is left standing achieves victory."
Issei widened his eyes further.
"Fight? What do you mean? I don't want to fight you! I don't even know you. I don't even care about victory!"
"Humph. Why, because you're frightened you'll lose? I don't blame you, because you're right to be afraid."
"No! I barely even know you! I didn't do anything to you!" Issei shouted in great bafflement.
Why did this guy want to fight him? He'd never met Riser at all! And yet, this man wanted to fight him for no reason.
Gaining a impatient look in his eyes, Issei took a step back.
"No. There's no reason for us to fight. I won't fight you. Just bring me back to my world, and we'll never have to see each other again."
Riser narrowed his eyes darkly.
'It won't be fun to fight him if he's so hesitant.'
A dark smile then grew on his face.
'Perhaps goading him is an option. I certainly don't want to waste my time fighting a hesitant opponent.'
"I see now. You won't fight me because you're a spineless coward!"
Issei's eyes widened at the insult.
"What? No I-"
Riser smirked wider as he continued his goading.
"Or is it because you're too weak? You're just a timid little fool who doesn't even deserve to live in this world!"
Issei looked taken aback from Riser's jibe.
"I-"
"Or, is it because you're just a worthless excuse for a human being? Oh wait, you aren't even human, are you? What with those eyes of yours, it makes me want to just put you out of your misery."
Feeling his heart pounding, Issei started to feel an emotion he had not felt in a long time.
Unbridled hatred. Pure, raw anger. It was an emotion he had felt for many years. That day when the bullies had approached him at his elementary school, only to surround him into a physical confrontation. Their mocking words...he was starting to remember.
Riser's smirk widened as he noticed Issei with his head down, gritting his teeth.
'Almost there. Now for the last one.'
"If you're so hesitant to fight me, then this might change your mind."
Issei lifted his head up and gave Riser a rare harsh glower. The crowd above the arena began to stare with widened eyes at Issei. Riser, on the other hand, appeared absolutely ecstatic.
Above the arena, a large screen tv that appeared as an item akin to a Jumbotron, appeared. Riser smirked as he pointed to the screen.
"Watch closely, brat. This is something I want to show you."
Narrowing his eyes, Issei looked up as the screen showed less static, and his eyes widened when the static cleared up.
"L-Leiko-san!"
The dark-silver haired girl was unconscious, appearing as though she was trapped onto the wall with glowing binds on her wrists and legs. Next to her was Yubelluna, who was holding a staff-like scepter directed at Leiko.
As his eyes widened in disbelief and his teeth gritted with rage, Issei slowly turned to look at Riser. Riser kept his smirk as he noticed that Issei's entire body was shaking in an attempt to calm himself.
'Finally. About time this brat got angry.'
His eyes twitching , Issei tightened his hands into fists.
"Riser. Let. Her. Go."
"Humph. I don't think so, Issei Hyoudou."
Riser looked up at Yubelluna and smiled wider.
"You know what to do."
"Yes, Riser-sama."
Issei widened his eyes.
"What's she going to do?!"
"Humph."
"Answer me, Riser!"
Yubelluna, with a dark smirk on her face, closed her eyes as her wand brighten. Issei tensed at the sight, and he took a step forward as he noticed the woman placing the wand directly on Leiko's neck.
"What are you doing?! Riser, tell her to stop!"
Not even moving an inch, Riser smirked as he nodded for Yubelluna to continue. Her smirk growing, Yubelluna pressed the wand deeper onto Leiko's neck, and the wand glowed brighter, until the wand suddenly emitted a wave of fire that immediately morphed into a cloud of smoke, the result resembling the explosion of a bomb.
Issei froze in his spot, his mouth agape with absolute shock.
"Hahahaha. Well, that's done. What do you think about that, Issei Hyoudou?" Riser taunted.
"..."
Raising an eyebrow at receiving no response, Riser set his blue eyes towards Issei. The young man's body shook in tremors, his brown hair covering his eyes. Gritting his teeth, Issei trembled as he closed his hands into fists.
"Y-you! You...how could you?! Riser, why?!"
The Phenex male smirked as he had finally gotten what he wanted.
'It's about time he got serious. Perhaps our battle will be more satisfying.'
Setting himself into a battle position, Riser widened his eyes when he felt the ground shaking. He looked up to see the crowd trying to balance themselves, as they all looked in confusion.
"Hey! What's happening?!"
"The whole arena's shaking!"
"What?!"
Riser widened his eyes further.
"Everything's shaking?"
He looked back down to stare cautiously at Issei, whose hair still covered his eyes. Suddenly, Issei's hair began to rise up. However it lowered back down, before it rose up once again, the change repeating constantly.
Riser looked down to see the ground of the arena beginning to lift up as cracks were ejected from the ground.
"Gggghhhh...!"
Riser looked up in surprise to see Issei's hair rising up once more, but this time it seemed to take a spiky shape to it. His former brown hair had morphed into a orange-yellow jutted upward hairstyle. Orange-yellow spiky locks of hair spiked upwards, pointing in all directions, giving Issei a whole different look.
Riser widened his eyes in shock.
"What happened to his appearance?!"
"Riser!"
At the call of his name, Riser widened his eyes when he saw Issei's body tremble even harder. Issei lifted his head, revealing his original soft multi-colored eyes, now morphing into constricted pupils. Before Riser could react, Issei lifted his head up, and let out a great bellow, as his irises and pupils disappeared completely.
"GGGGGRRRHAAAAAAA!"
A large orange-yellow aura of the leftover solar energy within his body flared outwardly, and covered him entirely.
"What?!" Riser screamed.
In front of him, was now a quiet orange-yellow spiky haired Issei, whose body seemed to be more developed, and his skin tone glowed lighter than usual, along with his energy output increasing from the aura that surrounded him.
Empowered by the solar energy within him, Issei turned his pupilless eyes towards Riser, who looked at the angered young man in absolute shock.
"W-WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"
Gritting his teeth, Issei clutched his fist, and with a bellow, he released a flur of solar flare-like energy that formed into a aura.
"I told you that I didn't want to fight you. I begged you to stop, and to let go of my cousin. I asked you to quit it."
Issei started to shake as his aura flared out once more. The crowd above the arena stared in shock at the non-human. Narrowing his pupilless eyes, Issei screamed out his final outburst.
"But you didn't listen, and YOU BLEW IT! YOU BLEW IT! RISERRRRRRRRRRRRR!"