Issei nods as Rodney cracks his knuckles, ready to face the enemy in front of him. "My my, you're cute" Yubelluna says. What's with all these hot boys showing up? Here to wrangle me!" Rodney's one eye flares up, glowing red as the black filling intensifies the red glow. "Shut up" He says as he charges up his ability. He uses some spare energy to create some red electricity as he flares up ready to fight.
"You're taking little old me on? What's he gonna do, take on Lord Riser?" Yubelluna asks. Another explosion can be heard as Rodney and Yubelluna turn their heads. Rias stood there with defeat as she watched Yuuto become buried in projectiles and ashes. "YUUTO!!!!!" Rias yells as tears begin to flood her eyes. "Was that even regulation? That looked real…" she thought.
"You might as well resign!" Riser roared, causing Rias to power up. "NO WAY RESIGN THIS!!!!!!"
She screams as she sends a giant rod of lighting at Riser's face. He falls to the ground as he uses his fire wings to shield himself. "As long as my queen is still standing I still win. She is my air support , all I need to do is handle these two, she'll take care of the-"
BOOOM!
Yubelluna sends explosives towards Rodney. He leaps faster than she can set down her bombs. Rodney jumps up at Yubelluna with crystal-like wings that resembled Sarah's. He then finds them forming into solid eagle wings with red and black streaks on them. "He's from the house of Shide. Those parasites, they can-" Before she can finish her thoughts Rodney's wings turn back to tentacles as he pierces the queen. The two slam the ground and wrestle around as Rodney's tentacles rip and shred at the queen. "RIGHT! NOW'S MY CHANCE!" Issei breaks into the school and rushes up the stairs as Rodney holds off Yubelluna. "You don't get it do you? Resign or your pawn and bishop will only get hurt!" Riser yells as Issei runs around the school when he notices suits of armor in the halls. Exhausted and out of breath finds himself moving as if his body had a mind of its own. He dodges the swing of their swords as the suits of armor jump off and strike at Issei. He blocks each attack and starts breaking the suits of armor as rage turns to wrath. "No matter what this doesn't end with me losing! I don't lose! I AM NOT A LOSER!" Issei roars as he continues to hurl heavy knights off of him.
"Sounds like my traps were set off…" Riser noted. "Issei?! ISSEI?!" Rias yelled as she tries to run past Riser, only for a wall of flames to knock her back. "You don't run to him! YOU RUN TO ME!" Riser yelled. He shoots another explosive round of fire. The whole school shakes as Issei finds himself falling from the stairwell while firing at the last knight suit. He lands on the ground as the suit of armor slams it's sword into the floor. He then finds himself enraged as he leaps away from the suit. It lunges at him breaking through another wall in the library. Issei shoots another round of laser energy at it as the suit tears apart every last book. He stomps on a particular one with TheNothingMan1738 as its author. Issei picked it up and discarded the broken leatherback as he stared down the avatar.
"You're running out of time, pick one of us as your new dragon emperor!" Iessi says. Issei wipes his nose of blood as he continues to look around the room of damaged metal knights. "You're right," he says, clenching his iron fist. The knight looks over at him as he aims his gauntlet. It screams boost as the laser turns from green to gold, neither red nor purple. 'I don't need to choose who possesses me. I'm not stupid." He says as he aims his gauntlet at the charging soldier. "I'll make my own way!" He says as he blasts the knight's head off. The iron suit shatters in its place as Issei stood over it panting and sweating. He sees Rodney and Yubelluna still fighting. Yubelluna was barely able to stand as Rodney looked at her cracking his finger. "It was just a ratings game" she says, beaten and panicked. "Yeah well, I'm not a player" Rodney says as he then makes the finishing move, ending Yubelluna and sending her to the retired zone. Issei watches from the hole in his school's library wall. Rodney looks over and sees him. The two stare each other bitterly before Issei turns around and begins to walk up the stairs.
"He's not here for the mission" Issei uttered as he traveled up to the roof. His gauntlet glints as Rodney sighs to himself while watching Issei storm up the building's stairs. Rodney then turns to feel the heat of two fiery wings hitting his pale lifeless skin. "How are you alive?" he asks, turning his head to Ravel, who's flying from the sky with her flaming wings. "You cheated! You're lucky there's no evidence of colluding with the House of Gremory, otherwise we would have ended the match and-" Rodney slashes a tendral at Ravel, who dodges its swipe. "HEY!" she yells. "There's no cheating in war. I could give two shits about this game. This is about Riser's execution." Rodney then cracks his knuckles as he looks at Ravel.
"Lord knows he'll never leave us alone unless we take care of him. We need, I need him gone. He's a false Riser, and a traitor to my clan." Ravel laughs. "You as well, so what's your point?" Ravel asks. "I intend on finishing our personal business right here and now. It's not my problem your faction is so weak it needs outside influence to survive, besides you know deep down that a fallen angel of shide and devil would never work." Ravel continues to shower Rodney with flames, he barrels through and launches her into the sky. "That bastard and bitch would make little nightmares for everyone! You all know this deep down!" Rodney yells as he swings a heavy tendral into Ravel's gut, launching her to the ground and slamming her into a crater. "There is no alliance between our factions, or any faction, only total annihilation!"
"HOW DO YOU KNOW?!" She says as she strikes at Rodney with a flame attack. He dodges with ease laughing as she spits at him angrily. "He took your powers, all there's left is the instinct to kill and consume. Shide is what happens when fallen angels and demons bring out the best in each other. It's not good news for anyone. If he and Rias procreate it means the end of all our households!" Rodney then looks back up as he cracks his fingers and creates more tentacles from his back. Ravel finds her jaw dropping as Rodney creates more weapons from his back. His mask dissolves as he cracks the last finger on his hand. His hair turns white as the area around him blows from the wind he's producing.
"Tell me, why here, why now?" Ravel asks. "I, I don't know?" Rodney asks. "Then tell me at least why? Shide will always remain on the map. You are the genetic miracle of fallen angels and demons, evolution in the comic realm creating near perfect beings. What's the point in meddling in our politics?" Rodney begins to approach Ravel. "Because I'm here to end it all. You don't know me, do you?"
"I'm Riser's real brother"
Issei slams open the doors and kicks open a window as he watches Rias and Riser duke it out. Everyone turns to his direction, shocked to find him okay. Battered and beaten, but ready to fight. "My my, looks like I get to fight all three of you!" Riser says as he looks around. "Don't you get ahead of yourself, you're not touching him! This is between us! So if you think-"
"SACRED GEAR SNIPER SHOT LETS GO!" Issei says as he voice commands his gauntlet to attack. He then sends a laser straight for Riser's head. He dodges in pure horror as he watches a couple strands of his hair burn. His eyes shake as he takes in what just happened. He almost got head shot by a pawn. In that moment Riser explodes as Issei suddenly shoots him with another laser, piercing a hole through his wrist. Riser grabs his wrist in pain as he stares Issei down while Rias and Asia stare at the two in horror.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU BOY?!" he yells as he stumbles holding his wrist while it instantly heals. "Who the hell do you think you're shooting at?! I'm trying to PROTECT her! YOU CAN'T FIGHT HIM OFF! NO ONE CAN!" Riser shakes as he looks at the roof, seeing steam emerge from his wound as flesh folds over it. "God would have killed him if it were possible but he didn't. He says he's slow to mercy, but this being, is far more sinister than you can imagine. "He's immortal, no one can take hum. More immortal than you can imagine, he-"
"Shut up" Issei says as he slowly approaches Riser. "I can take him on." Riser laughs at Issei while Rias and Asia watch from afar confused. "You're just cocky," Riser says. "You probably are afraid of a devil, I'm not. I married one, 'so called' but I managed to find one cute enough to keep. I beat other ones up on the daily, they're not scary, and right now you may be my strongest opponent, but far from my scariest. You say things like 'it's for her' and all that crap, but I think it's rather an excuse for you to continue to harass her. This is all in the name of patriotism. You're a creep." Riser looks up at Issei with bitterness in his eyes. "I see it now, this is a mirror of inferiority, and for you, superiority, but a mirror nonetheless-" Suddenly Riser snaps and grabs Issei by the collar, only to receive a knee to the gut. He stumbles back as Issei slams his gauntlet into the side of Riser's face. "Huh, you're one ambitious one you know that? I must say for a pawn you're powerful" Riser notes. He then blocks two more strikes of red lighting from Rias by creating a fire wall, blocking her and Asia's view of him as he and Issei stare each other down. However his wall only managed to lessen the strength of the blows. They still managed to tear off his arms. He creates a flaming wing and heals his arm back. "You boy managed to hurt me physically. How?" Issei doesn't respond, prompting Riser to turn around and look at the diminishing fire wall to confront Rias. "Riser knows you better than you realize Rias. I know everything about you. You were made for me!"
Rias starts to cry at the helplessness she feels. As she prepares another strike toward the prince of flames Issei charges with his power. He misses, but catches Riser off guard as he throws a kick, then another punch, all while Riser calmly walks away backwards as he dodges Issei's every move, slowly regaining his guard. Rias shoots a bolt of lighting as Issei dodges it, letting Riser take the blow as Issei slams his face with a kick in the air. As Riser falls on the roof Issei then slams a bolt of green and gold lighting down from the sky onto the flaming demon. Riser however regenerates and dodges Issei's attack. Issei feels his back being healed as Asia crept behind him and healed his wound. "Asia, I need you to run for it! Don't get caught up in the blast!" Asia looks over to see what Issei sees, which is Riser generating a giant ball of fire. Suddenly it is released, decimating the entire rooftop of the school.
Issei looks to see Rias leaping towards him. She tries to grab both him and Asia but Riser's explosion ends up catching Asia in the blast. Rias and Issei go flying as they spread their wings. They watch Asia flash blue before she suddenly disappears in the explosion. They both scowl as they suddenly fly towards Riser once the shockwave of the explosion passes. Issei and Rias flew over the school as Riser spread his fire wings. The whole school roof's set of tiles obliterated as Riser laughed into the air. "Even after cheating with that little surprise attack from my dear brother, you're still losing! Then again your whole team couldn't take me on! I'm Riser the immortal!" Issei slides onto the roof as Rias provides support. "ISSEI WAIT!"
Suddenly Issei feels as if a truck hit him in the gut. He trips and falls on the roof as he tumbles to the other part of the school building puking blood. "Oh no. It looks like the sacred gear taxed all your strength and power. Typical for a boost power up. Someone recklessly spent all their energy!" Issei laughs to himself as he wipes the blood from his mouth. "But, I've been able to use it so freely. Why now?" he thought. He then looks up to see a holy and divine figure looking down. "You're kidding" Issei thought. "I can't have anyone in my way!" Issei roared as he stood up, ignoring the pain within. "Just give it up you've lost. I won't think any less of you!" Riser yells as Rias continues to shower him with lighting. Riser heals both his arms with them stretched out.
"All those people, you made their lives miserable. Those worms, how could you turn people into such a monstrosity. How could you work for those sick men?! HOW RISER?! WHAT DEVIL MADE YOU DO THIS?!" Rias asks heartbroken. Riser looks at her with tears in his eyes. Rias looks back, and only for a moment she sympathizes, only to turn her feelings off and resume fighting. Issei struggles to walk over as Rias keeps shooting lightning at him.
"You know what Riser, if you'd tell me then maybe Issei wouldn't have given out the order to kill you. Maybe if you made all of this make sense, maybe we wouldn't be out for your blood!" Riser looks at Rias saddened. "What?" he asks, confused. He then looks at Issei and feels his anger grow.
"YOU IDIOT! NO! I'M THE IDIOT!" He then jumps down to where Issei laid. "I'd assume you'd all just understand and know it on your own. Shame on me!" Riser yells. He then picks up Issei as he hears Ravel and Rodney battle from afar. "You'll be glad when I win boy!" He says as he walks over to Issei. "RISER STOP!" Rias cried with despair as Riser knees Issei in the gut. As Issei coughs up more blood, he's punched to the ground several times. She watches in horror as Riser continues to beat Issei into a bloody pulp with every punch and slam with his knee. "Why make me weak now?" Issei thought. "Why deplete my strength? What is this about?" Issei thought as he continued to have himself handed by Riser. "ISSEI THAT'S ENOUGH! I MAY NOT BE YOUR MASTER BUT I'M STILL IN CHARGE! GET AWAY FROM HIM! THAT'S AN ORDER!" Rias yells.
"Never, I'll never.... give up on you.... I meant it....."
Riser watched Issei drop to the rooftop as he felt his wings fade into the air. He looks down with pity as he looks around to see he's won the battle.
"God, turn my sacred gear back on. Please........" Issei thought to himself as he rolled over. "What a shame. You and I know you'll just keep trying to go back for her."
Rodney stood over Ravel as he looked down at her with his fingers all broken. They heal as he grabs her by the collar. "You know dear brother won't give a shit if you're gone. He only cares about himself!" Ravel struggles in Rodney's arm as she resists his triumphant victory. "Don't say that!" She says crying as Rodney raises her up in the air. "Oh but you know it is. Don't pretend otherwise. You and I both lived with the fucker!" "RISER! SAVE ME! HE'S GONNA KILL ME!"
Riser laughs as he grabs Issei and raises his arm up in the air. "You know, killing is usually accidental in these kinds of things! No one will know any better. Rias will be safe from idiots like you who don't know the truth!
Riser says smiling as he creates his flame abilities once more. Asia gets up and watches it all unfold from the retirement zone. "Oh I see. One weak King with little energy left! This'll be easy!" Issei hears Ravel's faint cries of help. "You damned coward. You're just gonna let your sister die?" Riser pauses and looks at Issei confused. "What are you talking about?" He asks as he continues to hear Ravel screaming. He looks over to see her being picked up by Rodney. "HEY! KNOCK IT OFF! RAVEL NOOOO!" Riser yells, just slightly out of reach of Ravel. "Riser, you do care about.... me......"
Ravel says before passing out. Rodney then looks at Riser as he holds Issei in his arms.
"LET HER GO!" Rodney looks over at Riser. "All according to plan" he thought. Rodey then slams his foot in the ground, creating crystal barriers. "Don't think about charging me. Because once I snap her delicate neck, and I'll then brutally deal with you next!" Riser kicks up a ton of dust as he stops mid flight and slides on the ground. He tears up as he watches Ravel lay on the ground. "Why? Why here?" Riser asks, however Rodney wastes no time and lashes at Riser, only to receive a flame shot to the face, burning him. Rodney falls back on the ground as his face burns. He heals it as he keeps laughing while his brother continues to cry. Issei gets up and attempts to get Riser from behind. "YOU!" Riser yells while beating Issei back down as he tries to save Ravel once more from Rodney.
"Rodney, if you do not leave the game we'll give the house of Phenex more respawns for every kill you get!" Rodney begins to retreat in his mind as he sees Riser continuing to kick down Issei. He then sees Rias watching from afar, unable to do anything as his siblings did. He sees himself in Issei's position as his father inflicts the same torment onto him. He begins to snap as he smiles so wide his cheeks cut. "WHO CARES THIS IS FUN!" He roars in a ghoulish tone. Rias at this point shoots some more lighting rounds at Riser when suddenly Yubelluna appears from the sky and blows Rodney's limbs apart. He flies into Riser, knocking him away from Issei as the two are now separated from The Prince of Flames. "Alright Issei, I've had my fun. Looks like though I'll have to leave!" Rodney says laughing to himself. "I'm not done yet Riser!" Riser clenches his fist. "YOU WANT ME TO APOLOGIZE?! NO! I had no choice! What happened happened! I can't change that! I can't change our future but don't act like your better than me! We're both scummy!"
Riser then laughs to the top of his lungs. "What's so funny you bastard?" Issei asks as Rodney is transported out of the area. "Oh nothing, you see you're too tired to stand a chance against me. So is Rias with my queen. And don't get me started with my sister, she'll destroy your bishop. Don't think I don't see her scheming to join back in!" Asia suddenly rushes over to Issei, only for Riser to once again retire her. "ASIA NO!" Issei yells. He then grits his teeth as he finds the strength to rise again. "Fuck you prick!" Riser felt his heart skip a beat as he just stared at Issei. He then marches over with anger as he feels his ability grow in strength.
"I HATE YOU! LITTLE PUNK! YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST STEAL MY BRIDE AFTER GOING ON A HATRED RAMPAGE AND TREATING HER LIKE SHIT! EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT YOUR ABUSE ON AKENO AND THE OTHERS! YOU'RE A TYRANT! YOU, RODNEY, AND I ARE ALL THE SAME! You're no better than me!"
"RISER NOOOOOO!" Rias yells as she tackles him with a hug, blocking him from being able to hurt Issei as she looks into his eyes. Tears streamed out of her pearly blue oceans of eyes as rage was found in Issei's Earthy ones. He then finds himself getting up as he watches Riser caress Rias's hair as the two hug.
"I win again, check mate" Issei watches as Riser holds Rias in horror. He then feels his limbs break as he rises from the ground. However the pain doesn't ever register in his nervous system. "DAMMIT! NO! GET AWAY!" Rodney then leaps into action and wraps Issei with his tentacles. "Issei! Don't do it! This isn't part of the plan!" Rodney yells. "WHAT PLAN?!" Issei yells back. "The one God delivered to me!" Issei tries to shove Rodney off. "SCREW THAT! I'VE PUT MY TRUST IN EVERYONE AND THEY ALL LET ME DOWN! MY FRIENDS! RAYNARE! IT ALL WENT STRAIGHT TO HELL! WHY ONE MORE PERSON?!" Rodney continues to pull Issei off.
"This is about more than you and Rias! If you can't accept that then you'll never grow!" Issei shoves Rodney. "NO!" Issei then looks at Rias with rage. "HOW COULD YOU RIAS?! WE COULDA WON! DAMMIT I COULD'VE SAVED YOU! I WILL SAVE YOU!" Rias shakes her head and looks away from Issei. "See, you don't wanna go back to him Rias, he ha-"
"I LOVE YOU!"
Issei's words catch both Riser and Rias off guard. She tears up as Riser holds her away from Issei. "No point in reasoning with him. He's gone mad!" Rodney thought. Akeno, Asia, Koneko, and Yuuto all join in and try to take Issei's hand as he's dragged away from Riser and Rias. Rias looks back as Riser holds her and smiles sinisterly at the group. "NOOO! PUT ME DOWN DAMMIT!" He roars as he feels his power grow, his body however doesn't react due to its tired state. He reaches out his hand as he tries to grab Rias and pull her back. "DAMMIT NOOOO! STOP IT! PUT ME DOWN YOU BASTARDS! I can win!" Rias then smiles as she looks back at Issei. "Go get that Harem you silly boy." Issei loses all his rage as despair soon fills. Rias's words poison his spirit as he finds himself flying back with his friends.
Rias says these things to hide her pain from the idea of living out her life with Riser, all while Issei became the new household leader with a harem of replacements in line. Issei heard her and only grew more angrier as tears flooded from his eyes. "No,
I lost...
As the others drag Issei through a portal Rodney looks back at Riser as his one eye glows red and black. "Can't wait for our rematch, Riser" Rodney thought. Riser feels himself wrap his arms around Rias tighter as fear creeps into him.
Riser's heart the whole time shook with pain and fear as he trembled in place. Rodney walked back as Issei was thrown through the portal with Genshirou running towards Issei. "YOU OKAY?!" He asks as Issei slams his fist into the ground. "Dammit!" He roared as he laid on the ground. Asia healed him as the others all stood around. Sona and the rest of her team walk in as Genshirou stands over Issei.
"Hey, you did good man. We'll get him next time!" Genshirou says. "What next time?" Issei asks, crying. "Don't you get it. The amount of training we'll have to do he'll be her groom. Dammit I'm dead. That's it. I'll become some raging lustful beast. Who was I kidding? I was destined to become another devil. I am not strong, not even close." Issei says as he looks up at the roof. It should have been me…" Issei says softly. "What?" Genshirou asks. "I SAID IT SHOULDA BEEN ME! I SHOULDA BEEN IN HER SITUATION! Or I should have been Riser! Issei says weezing as Akeno pats his back and sits him down. The two ex's hug as everyone else gathers in the room.
"Issei, I thought you Rodney and Genshirou were all crazy, but we've been given an order to attend that wedding." Issei looks up to Genshirou. "An order? You're the Heir of your house?" Sona laughs. "I know sweetie. It wasn't a devil of higher rank, but an entity of higher authority." She says as tears collect in her eyes. "No way" Genshirou says softly. "It's him" Rodney added. "Issei, she's not involved in this. No one in her family would care about this drama between the Phenex's and the Gremory's. But who else could order her" Issei gets up and paces around the room as he feels his heart start to slow down to a deadly level. "You're telling me that I have to watch her get married. I'll cause a disturbance then!" He then flips over a table as only a tiny fraction of his ability grows. "Screw him. Riser can-" Rodney yells. "You're the densest person I've ever met, Issei!" He then spins Issei around as he looks straight into his eyes. "We're crashing the wedding for God to reveal himself you dense idiot! He doesn't want you away from Rias but if you let her become your god you'll fuck yourself right in the ass with your relationship. So quit crying to be spoon fed like some child and start acting like a man!:
Issei just looks around at the crowd of people gathered as he begins to compose himself. "You're right Rodney" Issei then looks down at his arm. "For a second I thought you all were content with defeat. I was about to lose it on you people. Glad to see we're not just gonna let that prick win." He then looks around at the room as everyone looks at him, awaiting for his next orders. "For what it's worth. I'm sorry if I made it seem like I was against you Issei" Rodney says. The two grab each other's arms, giving each other a firm handshake.
"I just wanted to let you know that if it were Genshirou, or even you in my shoes right now, that I'd do the same thing." Genshirou laughs as he pats Issei's back. "Ha ha, glad to hear that Issei! Everyone looks at Genshirou, figuring out that Issei was talking about Genshirou with Sona. Sona looks away embarrassed as Genshirou chuckles to himself. "Genshirou you jerk shut up!" The two bicker a little as Issei smiles, looking at everyone. Issei sighs as he looks out the window at the city lights.
To be Continued...