Chapter 40: Issei vs Riser
Sirzechs looked towards Issei's mother.
"Greetings Mrs. Ophelia, I believe your name was" Sirzechs greeted her. She nodded.
"That is correct." Replied Ophis as she confirmed her alias.
"If you would like, you and the rest of Rias peerage can join me and the other Maous in the observatory room where we will be spectating the game from. Unless, you prefer to remain here." He suggested to her. There was no way Ophis was going to remain in a room with stock up devil nobles so she accepted the offer. Akeno and the others thanked him as well and then they all followed the Maous to the VIP room. Both Rias and Riser's parents were also there but they brushed it off as the match was about to start.
In the field, both teams have been teleported to their respective positions. Coincidently, they had been placed in the exact positions from the previous battle. Issei was in the ORC clubroom while Riser and his team were located in the Student Council room in the new building.
["Good day everyone, my name is Grayfia Lucifuge and I will act as the arbiter for this match. Issei Hyoudou's base is located in the ORC clubroom while Riser Phenex and his peerage are located in the student council room. Pawns will be able to promote once they reach the enemy's headquarters. Good luck to both teams and let the games begin"] Grayfia's voice could be heard echoing throughout the battlefield. Issei didn't want to waste any time and already left his base. He leisurely made his way to the very center of the academic grounds, the sports court. He could feel the 16 signatures from his opponents and it seems they had yet to leave the room. He flared his energy in order to let his enemy know where he was. Sure enough, it had the wanted effect as he could sense multiple signatures heading his way, with only one remaining behind. That being the arrogant prick himself.
"Hmf, what an arrogant bastard. Sending his peerage members to do all the fighting for him. I'll teach him a lesson soon enough."
Issei waited for a moment and soon all of Riser's peerage members finally showed up as they surrounded him with Ravel and Yubelluna remaining further behind.
"Where's your oh so fearless leader? Did he cower at the last second and sent you to do his dirty work?" taunted Issei with a smirk on his face.
"Hardly. Riser-onisan simply didn't want to waste his time with someone like you and dirty his suit. That's why he sent us to finish you. Even if you are a dragon, how dare you mock the strength of our family. We will teach you a lesson." Yelled out Ravel.
"The only one who is going to be taught a lesson is that annoying birdbrain you call a brother. Now, I don't have anything against any of you ladies therefore I'm going to make this quick." He conjured a flame in his hand. The other peerage members did take being treated very lightly by their opponents, especially Ravel.
"The only thing that is going to be quick is your defeat. Everyone, attack as one and eliminate him this instant" she ordered as everyone charged towards Issei.
"Bad move" was all he said before smashing his flame on the ground. A large blast wave of flames expanded outwards towards his enemies. They had no time to even dodge as they were instantly hit resulting in a huge explosion that shook the entire battlefield. The resulting tremor caused the surrounding buildings to fall apart.
[8 pawns, two rooks, two bishops and 2 knights of Riser-sama have retired] An unbelievable announcement was just heard.
Everyone observing the match could not believe their eyes. The nobles were extremely shocked to see the peerage members taken out so quickly. Even the Maous were quite surprised when they had witnessed Issei destroying Riser's entire peerage with a single attack. Not only that, but he pretty much destroyed the entire battlefield with that single move. They knew he was strong but they didn't think he was this powerful. And it looked like he was even holding back. Who was he? Truly!
The only ones who weren't shocked were Ophis and Akeno who had pretty much expected this outcome and Rias with her peerage who had experienced Issei's strength first hand. They were still surprised by the level of destruction a single attack caused. Also, they would be lying if they said they didn't feel a bit down. Issei had practically eliminated Riser's peerage in an instant while they could barely take them all down. It was just another reminder of the overwhelming difference in strength between them and Issei.
"H-How is this possible? How was he able to retire my son's peerage and my little bird with a flame attack" said the mother of Riser and Ravel. You could see that even the patriarch was stunned by that. The reason being that depending on whose king they serve; a peerage will receive an additional boost for themselves. Take Rias peerage for instance. Her power of destruction focuses on overwhelming her opponents with pure power which is why her peerage's destructive powers are automatically increased as their boost. If we take a look at the current rating Games champion, Diehauser Belial, his Worthless ability nullifies his opponents' abilities and items as long as he understands it's properties. His peerage, as a result gets increased resistances against opponents' abilities which is one of the reason his team is regarded as the strongest in the Rating Games. In terms of Riser's peerage, being the peerage of the immortal fire bird grants them huge resistances to fire based attack while the immortal bird themselves should be immune to fire attacks. That is why it was inconceivable to them that Ravel had been retired by flames.
"The arrogance of you Phenex to believe you can withstand the flames of a dragon." Said a calm Ophis.
"What did you say?" said Lord Phenex, clearly infuriated at her comment but Ophis simply ignored it opting to focus back to the match.
Back in the field, there had been only one survivor from Issei's attack.
"Im-Impossible" said a very frightened Yubelluna as she hovered over the crater created by Issei. She couldn't believe that all this devastation was caused by a single attack. She had been the only one to have somehow been able to dodge his attack but only by a very slim margin.
"Oh, you had managed to dodge that. I have to say I'm impressed. I might have underestimated you a little bit Mrs. Queen" said Issei as he looked up to Yubelluna who had managed to survive his attack.
"You-You monster. TAKE THIS." Yubelluna immediately unleashed a barrage of explosions at Issei hoping to take him out as quickly as possible. Issei, on his part, did not make any attempts to dodge and simply took all her attacks.
BOOM BOOM BOOM
Thinking she had taken him out, she stopped her barrage as she started to breath very heavily.
"huh.. huh… That is what … huh… you get for… taking us on" she muttered, pleased that she had taken out such a powerful opponent. However she immediately noticed something wrong. There was no announcement stating that they had won.
'no no no no, it's impossible. I unleashed my full power. There is no way he is alright after taking on all those attacks' Yubelluna thought in fear as she looked down waiting for the smoke caused by her attacks to clear.
"Is that all?" Her worst fears had come to pass as she heard a voice coming from the plume of smoke. As the smoke cleared, she could see Issei with a disappointed look on his face. But, what shocked her even more was that he had no sustained a single injury. Not even a single scratch could be seen from her assault.
"I'm honestly a bit disappointed by the level of strength from your explosions. I thought with a nickname of Bomb Queen that your attacks would have at least been able to scratch my scales but it seems I've overestimated your abilities. What a shame." Issei shook his from side to sigh, brushing aside her strength.
"W-What are you?" she muttered in fear.
"The true predator of the skies. Now, let me show what real explosions should be like." He directed his towards her and launched several attacks towards her. Unfortunately, Riser's queen had used all her energy and stamina in her previous assault and now she had no more energy to be able to dodge.
BOOM BOOM BOOOOOOOOOOOOM
She was enveloped in several explosions that dwarfed her own as the light of retirement enveloped her body. Issei, of course, severely held back in order to not outright kill her.
"That was for Akeno" he said
[Riser's Queen has retired]
Now all that was left was the king of the peerage.
"Here he comes now." Issei could feel Riser's signature heading his way. He was no doubt incredibly shocked to have heard that his entire peerage was eliminated very quickly.
A few moments later, Riser appeared flying through the air and he looked down at Issei in contempt.
"It's about time you showed up. I was wondering if you were going to escape like the chicken you are. Although that would have been the smart choice." Issei taunted him.
"Don't get cocky simply because you miraculously managed to deal with my peerage. In fact, you should have let yourself be defeated by them so to spare you the humiliation and pain I will be inflicting on. You have no place in the business of devils to begin with so you have no one to blame but yourself when I incinerate you." Riser spat back bitterly.
"The only one who is going to be incinerated is you, you blasted chicken. If you had even a single braincell inside that head of yours, you would have surrendered the moment your peerage was retired. However, it would seem your pride has gotten the better of you" Issei said.
"You dare lecture me about pride, you insufferable lizard." shouted Riser.
"The only difference between our prides is that yours is terribly misplaced."
"I'll show you misplaced after I eliminate you in front of everyone."
"Hmf, then bring it on. By the end of this fight, you will learn how blissfully weak you truly are." He motioned Riser to come which was the final straw as Riser conjured multiple fireballs and unleashed a barrage of them towards Issei, wanting to end the match quickly and be done with this. Issei made no motion to dodge the incoming attacks. He didn't need to. He could simply tank it like he did against Riser's queen but he may as well try something different.
His wings appeared from his back and he used them to literally brush off each and every attack coming his way without much difficulty.
"W-What the hell" Riser could not believe what he just witnessed. He increased the number of attacks sent towards his opponent but Issei easily deflected them aside like it was nothing.
Issei yawned
"Is that all you got. I'm getting incredibly bored here. I knew you were weak but I didn't think you were this weak. How pathetic. Your pride is seriously misplaced if this all you can muster. I didn't even have to move from my initial spot" Issei mocked him showing that despite everything Riser threw at him, it was not enough to make him budge. Riser however refused to accept the reality before him. He would not allow Issei to make a mockery out of him in front of the entire Underworld. His reputation as well as that of his Household was at stake.
"HOW DARE YOU! Alright, fine! I will use my full power and exterminate you right here and now" Riser accumulated a lot of his power into his fist and launched himself to Issei who simply raised his arm to guard it. Then, before Riser could even react, he punched his face breaking his nose in the process while sending him flying backwards
"BWARGHHH" Riser coughed blood as he was sent flying backwards. His regeneration started taking effect, healing all his injuries. Riser looked back at Issei with extreme malice and contempt. Issei simply smirked.
"Seems you are done with your warm-up. In that case, maybe I should take it up a notch as well. Maybe, by the end of this fight, you'll have learnt some humility though I highly doubt it."
Riser was fuming. "I'LL KILL YOU" he shouted as immediately resumed his assault on Issei.
"I highly doubt that as well." He said calmly before resuming deflecting everything Riser sent at him.
Riser gathered as much energy as he could muster and shot a barrage of fireballs at Issei. The power output of each individual attack is enough to vaporise high level devils and angels by mere contact of it. Riser immediately smirked thinking victory was in sight. Unfortunately, his power is vastly outmatched by Issei who could just take the barrage without suffering any damage but to teach this scum a lesson he would show him how much beneath him he really is. As the attacks came within centimeters of hitting him, he quickly dodged every shot with minimal precise movement. To the untrained eye, it would look like he barely managed to evade the attacks by the skin of his teeth. Many who were spectating the match thought so, even the ORC, minus Akeno who knew how strong Issei really is, believed it as well and were worried about him. On the other hand, to a skilled warrior, they could have effectively deduced that Issei performed a high-level evading technique, a move extremely difficult to master even by God's standards.
Up in the stands, two of the Maou's were having a discussion over the young boy. The first was an attractive young man who appeared to be in his early twenties, with light blue eyes and green hair that is slicked back. His name is Ajuka Beelzebub, one of the three known super devils of the Underworld.
"hm, how intriguing. Despite being so young, he possesses tremendous strength and skill!" he said, to no one specifically but the other devil next to him looked over to him
"Oh, it has been quite a while since I've seen you impressed by someone that isn't related to your research" said Sirzechs, the current lucifer and the brother of Rias Gremory.
"Indeed, it is not everyday you see a boy his age holding such power! In fact, from his display, it seems he isn't even using a fraction of his power. I wonder about his origins?" pondered Ajuka.
"According to my sister, he is a dragon who was a childhood friend of her queen. However, not much else is known about him aside from the fact that he is in a relationship with Akeno if their interactions are anything to go by. As for his origins, we don't know much. We just met his mother and although she hides her strength, I can tell that she is very powerful and based on the power Issei is displaying his parents must be at the very least dragon king class which begs the questions as to whose child would he belong to. Tannin has 3 children, none of which include this man; Tiamat has no child that I'm aware of and she is his mate if we are to believe what he stated. Yu-long and Midgardsomr are retired, Fafnir, Vritra, Ddraig and Albion are sealed in sacred gears. Ophis disappeared and great red has no interest in anything which makes it very hard to believe he belongs to any of them." Explained Sirzechs as he stated his opinion not knowing that he was literally standing right next to Ophis. Ajuka replied
"hmm, I do agree with you. In addition, a possible theory that came to mind is the idea that he could be like us; an anomaly that transcends the power of his birth parents. It is safe to assume that we can classify him as an unofficial dragon king at the very least. I wonder if he would allow me to inspect him a bit".
"oh boy, your curiosity is getting the better of you my friend. Although I would love to know his secrets, I would rather not create unnecessary conflict with him" rebuked Sirzechs knowing his friends hobby.
While the two were discussing amongst themselves, a certain self-proclaimed magical girl shouted "Go go go Issei-kun. Give that stupid phoenix a good beating. Magical girl Levi-tan is behind you all the way" said Serafall Leviathan with a lot of enthusiasm. The other two Maous simply sighed at her actions knowing that is who she is. Meanwhile a certain silver haired maid silently cheered him on despite her neutral expression. Although Sirzechs knew her long enough to tell that she was quite happy at the moment.
Back to the duel, after witnessing the act, Riser's mouth opened wide as he could not believe what happened.
"H… H… how is this possible? Nonononono, how in Satan's name did you dodge that? Even the Maou's wouldn't be able to dodge an attack from that close proximity, ITS IMPOSSIBLE." Shouted Riser as his prideful act shattered.
"This is the problem with you high class devils. You believe yourself to be superior to everyone around you simply due to the talents you were born with. You don't even try to train yourselves to further improve your talents; instead believing that your powers and intelligence are sufficient to be able to take on anything. Only when you are faced with powerful beings leagues above your level does reality come crashing down and even then you refuse to believe the truth that's been laid in front of you. Pathetic!
Issei, with his arms crossed, calmly continued "The answer is very simple you fried chicken. Here is a hint for ya! It is the primary reason why dragons were considered to be the strongest race in the entire world and the greatest quality a dragon can possess". Issei paused letting Riser think up an answer but all he got was a confused stare. Issei simply sighed, not believing this idiot's stupidity and continued "It is our instincts. Compared to any race, a dragon's instinct is more advanced and sharper than even the Gods. When people think of dragons, the common misconception is the belief that we are powerful due to our overwhelming power, hardened scales, claws, enhanced senses and other factors. This, while true, does not account for our primary strength. It is only when we combine those factors with our instincts that we become the embodiment of power that everyone fears." Issei spoke with pride about his races capabilities.
"Tell me, do you know what's the average reflex speed of any living creature, and what's the shortest it can be made into through training?" he inquired.
Riser looked on in confusion not understanding what he's getting at. Issei simply smirked at his reaction
"Typical idiot and he calls himself a high class devil knowing nothing" Issei thought to himself.
"The answer is about 1 second on average however, with enough training, their reflex speed can be reduced up to 0.1 seconds which is amazing; however, us dragons can reduce it even further to 0.05 seconds. This is one of the principle's behind the Dragon Style that has been taught to me by Tannin-sensei. That is how I was able to efficiently dodge all your attacks by a hair's breath. Although with your low level of power, I'm pretty sure you could not perceive what I did. Not that I needed to dodge your attack in the first place as it wouldn't have done anything against me. Anyways, we seem to have gotten off topic, so allow me to finish this fight." Issei said as he was amassing his aura to finish Riser off.
(AN: I just came up with these stats on the fly so don't judge me. Just wanted to state that dragons have the fastest reaction speed compared to every other race :D :D)
Riser, feeling the rise in Issei's power shouted "WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT, do you have any idea what you are doing? This marriage is incredibly important for the continued existence of our race. A dragon like you has no business with..." He was quickly interrupted by Issei
"I DON'T CARE!" he shouted flaring his aura to the point where the dimension they are currently in has started forming visible cracks surprising many spectators including the Maous who quickly started to fix the dimension with their power. Seeing the damage he is causing, Issei calmed down his power a bit but still furiously glared at Riser as he continued talking
"You relied on your talents alone without any proper training to become even stronger. That was your first mistake." He said. In an instant, he was already infront of Riser as he landed a right hook to the face making him cough some blood as the hit sent him crashing through multiple trees.
"The second is that you dared to try and claim my mother and finally you made Akeno-chan cry and I will never forgive you for that, you oversized chicken" he beckoned at him, taking a single step.
"W-What! Are you doing all of this because of Rias Queen? If this is all about her, then go ahead and take her. I couldn't care less about that fallen angel whore anyway". Riser's statement caused Issei to stop in his tracks. An eery silence soon followed as Issei face was shadowed by his hair.
Taking this silence as a means of acceptance, Riser took his own step forward.
"So, we are in agreement t-". All of a sudden, a colossal amount of crimson aura reaching all the way to the skies of the Rating Games dimension erupted from Issei, blasting Riser back crashing into several trees along his path. He had no idea what happened as he tried to regain his bearings.
He could spot something inside the crimson aura. Fear suddenly enveloped him as he caught two very murderous eyes peering out of the swirling energy in front of him, directed right at him. The heavy pressure caused by this stare alone was enough to paralyse him where he stood as his body seemed unable to gather any strength to even get up. It felt as if the entire weight of a mountain was pressed on his back.
"You insignificant worm, you have the audacity to insult my mate in front of MEEE HOW DARE YOU" Issei shouted in anger as Riser continued to shake in fear.
He had no time to dwell on such matter as he noticed a figure slowly revealed as the energy dissipated, only to be caught in surprise at the sight of an enormous crimson dragon staring down at him in contempt and hatred. The surrounding environment seemed to quake at Issei's raw power as you could see it slowly being destroyed despite the fact that the Maou's and other devils are trying to fix it as best as they could. Riser had practically pissed in his pants as Issei's glare alone kept him rooted in fear.
"You miserable insect. I was merely planning to teach you a lesson in humility but then you decided to insult my mate RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. Since it looks like you have a death wish… I would be more then happy to oblige you." Issei raised his massive claws and clenched it into a fist. Crimson flames suddenly sprouted in huge mass. The very air seems to tremble at its presence. Makes sense considering that this was no ordinary flame but his most powerful flame. His apocalyptic flames. Right now, in his fury, Issei only wanted one thing. That was to erase Riser's existence.
Riser on the other hand had literally pissed in his pants. He was powerless to do anything under the pressure. He couldn't run away. He couldn't even speak. Seeing those flames… all he foresaw was his inevitable death. The mere sight of it was enough to make him tremble down to his very core. He was scared out of his mind and it was a wonder that he had not lost consciousness a long time ago. He didn't want to die. Not like this! Not to this… thing abomination. However he knew, his death was imminent once he saw Issei prepare to strike him.
"Let me teach you what truly happens when a phoenix encounters a dragon."
Issei brought his fist downwards, intending on annihilating Riser once and for all. When all of a sudden, a pitch-black wall of aura blocked his assault. Issei was furious and looked around to see who the perpetrator was until he heard a familiar voice.
"STOP ISSEI!"
(A few minutes ago In the Spectator's room)
"W-What! Are you doing all of this because of Rias Queen? If this is all about her, then go ahead and take her. I couldn't care less about that fallen angel whore anyway". Everyone was disgusted by what Riser told Issei about Akeno but none was more pissed off than Ophis who had unconsciously released a bit of her aura. Even though her expression remained neutral, she was seething deep down at these insignificant vermin who dared insult someone very precious to her. She would have intervened if his opponent was someone other than Issei. The moment those words came out of his mouth, she already knew the course this duel would take and it was made obvious by the silence that ensued the moment Issei heard those words. If anything, it took all her strength and willpower to not burst into the fight and obliterate that filthy devil from the face of existence for insulting Akeno. She had unconsciously brought Akeno into a semi-embrace, the aforementioned person looking at Ophis with a bit of confusion but noticed immediately the hate in her eyes at Riser. She placed her hand on top of Ophis to calm her down letting her know everything is alright and it seemed to have done the trick as Ophis took a deep breath to calm herself but still decided to talk.
"That man just forfeited his life" she said with an unemotional tone. The way she said it was like stating a fact. Lord and Lady phoenix could not believe their ears.
"How absurd, you believe him to be able to kill a phoenix. Granted your son seems to be very powerful but there is no way in hell he would be able to possess the God-like power required to kill us." Lord phoenix shouted in contempt but was promptly ignored by Ophis who didn't even bother to look at him.
That was when everyone felt it.
Everyone looked to see a gigantic swirl of black and red energy, Riser was knocked back by the massive amount of energy that was being released. Suddenly everyone heard screams of rage from inside the swirl of energy.
As the energy disappeared, they were all shocked by what they saw.
A 50 meter tall dragon appeared from within the energy. Anger clearly displayed on his face, promising nothing but death and destruction to his enemy. Rias and her team had once seen Issei's dragon form but this wasn't the kind Issei who had helped trained them. No this was the engine of destruction that every faction feared. An overwhelming force of nature that none could stand against.
The rating games field could barely hold the explosion of power unleashed by Issei. Even now, tears could be seen throughout the field and despite the Maou's helping out by using their own energy, they were barely able to repair the field as it was being destroyed.
In fact, the surge of power could be felt throughout the Underworld. The adults who were watching began to shake in fear at the monstrosity in front of them. Ironically and funny enough, the only people who were not shaking in their boots were the children who seemed awe struck at how cool Issei looked. Kids these days are fascinated by big monsters. It also helped that they could not feel the oppressive aura unlike their parents which is why they weren't quaking in their boots.
The Maou's and all the elder devils could not believe the amount of power radiating from this dragon. The only time they had ever felt such power was during the last Great War, when they faced the two heavenly dragons in battle.
"I-Is he heavenly dragon class?"
"Who is this monster"
Many elder devil were incredibly scared of Issei's overwhelming might. The maou's were very much intrigued.
"What insane power. To think that the boy has strength equivalent to a heavenly dragon" stated Sirzechs in surprise. He knew Issei was strong but he didn't think he would be this strong. Idf his strength is indeed Heavenly class, then his power clearly surpasses his own. He knew that they needed to have friendly ties with him. How fortunate that he is friends with Rias.
"Hmm" Sirzechs saw Ajuka stroke his cheek as though he seemed to be thinking about something.
"Something on your mind" Sirzechs asked his friend.
"Indeed. His power feels oddly familiar." Sirzechs raised a brow at his statement
"What do you mean?"
"I have a theory. I need to get back to my lab and I'll let you know as soon as possible. Besides, the outcome of this little charade has already been decided. Just make sure that the boy doesn't accidently destroy the entire Underworld along with the phenex brat." Ajuka said before disappearing to his quarters. Sirzechs could not deny that he was right. This match is over and it was clear to everyone who was watching right now that Issei is the victor. Unfortunately, it would seem that Riser had invoked the dragon's wrath and would no doubt perish in this match. It's a shame but Riser did insist he wanted a death match and he could only face the consequences of his hubris.
Sirzechs and the others were continuously pouring their power in order to repair the rating game field but they soon realized that they could not keep this up indefinitely.
["Let me teach you what truly happens when a phoenix encounters a dragon."]
They all heard Issei's statement as they saw him prepare to finish off Riser. They all knew that the boy would instantly die should this continue. Riser's mother started to panic and turned towards the Maous
"My lords, please you have to stop this. That monster is going to kill my son. I beg you." Pleaded the matriarch of the Phenex family. Unfortunately, it was met with a shake of Sirzechs head.
"Unfortunately, there isn't much I can do. Your son has requested a death match against his opponent and as a Maou, I cannot intervene unless he surrenders. Besides, it might already be too late to stop him. I'm truly sorry" Sirzechs offered his sincere condolences to her. It was never his intention for the son of the phenex to get killed however it would seem Riser's hubris has finally caught up to him and he angered a being that he shouldn't have.
The phenex Matriarch was distraught at Sirzech's response and then turned to the only person she believed might be able to do something. She turned towards Ophis.
"Please, I beg of you stop your son before he murders my son" she pleads with Ophis.
With an expressionless face, Ophis answers "Your son brought this upon himself. He dared to insult a dragon's mate and incur my son's wrath. He has no one to blame but himself. Also, I would have killed your son personally if Issei wasn't going to do it. He dared to insult Akeno whom I view as a daughter. He is simply getting what he deserves."
Her answer did nothing but increase the matriarchs worry and panic as she tried to convince her "Please… I know my son's behaviour towards your family was inexcusable but please find it within your heart to spare him. I'm not asking this as a Phenex or even a noble. I'm asking as mothing. From one to another, I beg you to save my son." She begged as she bowed. Tears dripping off her face. However this did not phase Ophis one bit as her expression did not change. She was about to tell her to shove until she heard a familiar voice.
"Aunty, please help me stop Issei" Ophis expressionless face immediately turned into one of shock as she looked towards Akeno.
"W-What? Why do you want to stop Issei? That bastard dared to insult you, to call you a whore. You, whom I consider my daughter. He deserves what is coming to him." Asked a confused Ophis.
"While I do agree Riser is a bastard, I'm not doing this for Riser but for Issei. In his anger, although justified, has forgotten that the point of this match was simply to win Rias freedom. He has already won. Killing Riser will simply degrade him to his level and I know Issei is better than that. So please help me Aunty." She looked at Ophis resolutely who could not deny her even if she tried after looking at those eyes.
"Very well. Hold on to me." Akeno held onto Ophis hand as they were both enveloped by her aura and immediately teleported in front of Riser. Ophis immediately erected a wall made of her aura which managed to stop Issei's attack at the last moment. However, she wasn't able to completely block it.
"Ow." She looked at her hands and noticed that they were singed from Issei's attack. However, instead of shock, she held nothing but pride in the fact that he was able to injure her. He had certainly come a long way.
"ISSEI STOP!" shouted Akeno as she flew upwards and stopped right in front of Issei who was surprised at her appearance.
"Akeno! What are you doing here? Nevermind, before that please move aside so I can eliminate this cretin." He said looking towards Riser with contempt. However, Akeno did not budge as she shook her head.
"Issei, you have already won. There is no need to go further." Akeno stated earning a shocked expression from Issei.
"WHAT? You want me to spare his miserable life after he insulted you. You, my mate, the light of my life. I can take all the insults towards me and I would shrug it off but never against you or anyone whom I've sworn to protect. No, that is inexcusable and I will never forgive him for that." He shouted in rage. Simply remembering Riser insulting his mate of being a whore was enough to send him over the edge. His massive aura could be seen shaking the very air itself. Yet, Akeno seemed unneffective by it. Even in his enraged state, Issei made sure his aura could never affect her.
"I understand that you are doing this for me and I love you all the more for it. However, you have already won the fight. Look at Riser. He is completely defeated and is no longer able to even lift a finger against you. Anymore than this would simply cause unnecessary bloodshed and would simply degrade you to his level which I don't want you to do. If you are doing this for my sake, then please stop. You've already done enough"
Akeno patted his snout.
"You've fulfilled your promise to me and the others. That is why please calm down and lets go home." Akeno stated at she looked directly into Issei's eyes. A part of Issei wanted desperately to destroy Riser for his actions, to utterly erase him from existance for everything he has done. However, there was no way he could deny his mate. She was right. He had already won the fight. He let his anger get the better of him. Something Tannin had told him time and time again not to do. With a deep breath, he started to calm down as his aura also calmed down allowing the Maous and the other devils to successfully repair all the damages to the field. They were very lucky that he stopped now considering that their magical reserves were almost spent. They could not believe that it took so many of them to be able to keep up with the repair of the field. What monstrous strength.
Issei moved backwards a bit and nodded his head.
"Very well. I will stop but only because you ask. I'm still very pissed at the vermin for insulting you which is why I need you to step back for a bit." Issei asked his mate who nodded despite not understanding what he wanted to do. Seeing his mate at a reasonable distance, Issei spread his wings wide, gathered all his rage he had left within him and
RROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
Unleashed a mighty breath of fire into the sky. Akeno looked in awe at her boyfriend. Ophis looked on with pride at her son. Riser was still pissing in his pants. In a way, this action was kind of a strike against Riser as Issei showed him that dragons are the real master of flames. The Underworld citizens who witnessed this, except for the children who found it cool, were frightened and hoped this beast didn't decide to take its anger out on them. In the dragon territory however, there was a different reaction all together. Everyone was cheering Issei on. When he roared to the heavens, they all roared in unison to celebrate his victory. Their roars could be heard reverberating across the Underworld.
Eventually Issei's breath subsided as a plum of smoke came out of his nostrils and he smiled towards Akeno
"All right. Glad to have gotten that out of my system." Issei stated before his whole body glowed as it begun to shrink back into his human form. When he did, he hugged his girlfriend who reciprocated the action
"Thank you!" he whispered to her as he glided back down towards the ground.
"You're welcome" she responded.
"Now, only one thing remains" Issei separated from Akeno and approached Riser who hadn't moved from his cowered position. More like he couldn't. His body didn't listen to him.
Issei bent down to be at eye level with Riser.
"Do you surrender? If not, then I can easily pick off where I left off and finish you" he threatened as his eyes returned to slits.
Seeing this, Riser immediately waved his hands and screamed "PLEASE NOOOOOO, THAT'S ENOUGH I GIVE UP, I GIVE UP. PLEASE DON'T KILL ME, I SURRENDER" In a sudden burst of new found strength he ran away from Issei, scared out of his wits.
"Well, that takes care of that" said Issei
["Riser Phenex has surrendered. Therefore, the victor of this match is Hyoudou Issei"] Grayfia announced the end of the match.
Chapter end
And that's the end of the chapter. I hope it was to everyone's expectations and hopefully even exceeded it. Riser obviously was going to get his butt kicked and I'm sure some of you wanted to see Issei literally erase him from the face of existance but I took a slightly different approach LOL. Don't hate me.
Now, the next part is an Omake that I personally came with in the last minute and I thought it would be cool to add to commerate the 3rd year anniversary of this story. I had originally planned to save it for another chapter but you guys deserve it for having stuck with throughout this journey.
OMAKE
This is just an alternative ending that I thought of between the Rias and Riser Match. Something I came up with on the fly.
Matsuda had finally made it towards the enemy base. He immediately promoted to Queen in order to get a major power boost. Once that was done, he had rushed towards the roof where Asia and Rias were taking on Riser. He had to hurry before Riser defeats the two of them. He knew that without Akeno or Koneko, their intended strategy had become useless. There is no way for them to be able wear Riser down anymore. However, that does not mean that he will give up. He will fight for his beloved Buchou till his last breath should he require. If worst comes to worst, he will use his last resort.
Matsuda looked towards his sacred gear before clenching his fists. He was nearing the entrance and he could already hear signs of fighting. He busted open the door and quickly ran through it.
"Buchou!" he screamed
"Matsuda-kun" Rias answered as she dodged yet another attack from Riser. Asia was firmly behind her, supporting with her twilight healing. However, Matsuda could already clear signs of fatigue from her. She must have had to use her sacred gear many times in order to constantly heal Rias back after Riser's relentless assault. Even Rias was starting to breath heavily. Meanwhile, Riser looked as smug as he usually does and is not even breaking a sweat.
Rias launched several orbs of destruction towards him but he fearlessly took them as the attack blew his arm, leg and a part of his head. However, he simply regenerated them with his clan's signature ability. Seeing it up close, Matsuda couldn't help but call it a truly broken ability. However, this wasn't the time or place for that. He needed to help his king fight the guy.
"Let's go Ddraig!" he shouted before the boosted gear activated
[Boost]
Matsuda immediately boosted himself before he charged towards Riser. Despite seeing him incoming, Riser did not bother to make a move and still kept his smug look.
"Well, well well! If it isn't Rias worthless Red Dragon Emperor. I'm surprised someone as weak as you was able to make it this far. I'll have to talk to my peerage after this is all over. Regardless, this match is over. You've done well to last this long commoner, I'll commend you for that but now it's time to end this charade so we can finally move on with the wedding." Riser smirked as he intended to end the battle here and now. He had toyed with Rias long enough and it was time to end things.
"Like I would let you." Shouted Matsuda.
[Boost]
With another boost he immediately started swinging his fists at Riser who simply dodged out of the way.
"Pathetic! The boosted gear is a Longinus sacred gear capable of killing gods. However, in the hands of a weakling like you, it may as well be another worthless garbage" Riser taunted. This certainly hit Matsuda's nerves as well as Ddraig who wanted to rip that bastard apart.
"SHUT UP."
[Boost]
With another boost, Matsuda gathered his demonic power into his palm and prepared to shoot his attack at Riser.
"Take this! Dragon Shot" Matsuda yelled his attack before shooting it at Riser who simply stood there with a smirk on his face. Riser intentionally let the attack hit him.
BOOM
The attack exploded as Matsuda started panting heavily.
"How… do … you like that" said Matsuda as he tried to catch his breath.
"HAHAHAHAHA" Riser laughter could be heard behind the column of smoke caused by his attack. When the smoke cleared, they could see Riser who had lost his arm and leg from the attack but was not worried one bit.
"Is that all?" he said before all his injuries were instantly healed including his limbs.
"As you can see, any attack you launch against me is completely pointless. You might have been able to damage another high class devil with that attack. But against the regenerative power of the Pheonix, it is utterly useless. You are too weak to even be able to make a dent against me. Your pointless struggle is futile. You should have just given up when you had the chance." Mocked Riser.
"Put a sock in it, you overgrown chicken. I will never give up until my last breath. I swear I will bring you down and help Buchou win." Matsuda shouted.
Of course, Riser did not like being insulted by some low class devil as a tick could be seen appear in his forehead as his anger rose.
"How dare a low class devil insult the Great Riser Phenex. Rias seems to have forgotten to teach you how to treat your betters. I was going to let you off easy if you had simply given up but since you seem to have a death wish, I would be more than happy to oblige you."
At this point Yubelluna had returned.
"Riser-sama, allow me to finish them off." She proposed however she was rebuked by her king.
"Stay out of this Yubelluna. I will personally teach this worthless bug the difference between us." Riser ordered and Yubelluna acknowledged her king with a bow before giving her master some space but staying near Rias in case she tried anything.
From here, a one-sided beatdown occurred as Riser simply toyed around with Matsuda. He didn't just want to defeat him but absolutely humiliate him and bring him to the edge of death so he made sure not to one shot him so he couldn't retire. Matsuda did absolutely everything he could but there was too much of difference between them and even if he got a lucky shot, Riser would simply regenerate the damage using his clans ability. Unlike Akeno and Koneko, he had yet to to acquire an ability to bypass Riser's ability and even with the boosted gear, he was too weak to even think of acquiring God like power to crush Riser in one shot. Even though he didn't want to admit it, he had lost.
"Damn it, I guess I have no choice." Matsuda mumbled as he looked towards his sacred gear. Issei had told him to use this only as a last resort since he wanted them to win with their own strength and to use this only as a backup should they be at the cusp of defeat. That is precisely the situation they are in now.
"Gift Please" shouted Matsuda.
Up in the Observatory room, everyone was watching the match in silence. Sirzechs looked sad because he understood that the match was practically over and his precious imouto had lost. Serafall tried her best to sooth her husband even she knew it was a lost cause. Grayfia also looked on with worry. She looked at her side to see how Issei felt; However, to her surprise he did not seem a bit worried. She was sure he could also tell that the match was pretty much over for Rias and her team the moment Akeno and Koneko were eliminated.
"Issei-san, are you alright?" she couldn't help but ask. Issei turned towards her and smiled.
"Of course, I am Grayfia."
"Aren't you worried about Rias-sama and her team. It would appear that the match is about to be concluded." She inquired. Issei shook his head.
"I'm not worried. I gave Matsuda a backup plan should it appear that they are about to lose and I know it can turn the situation around. Although I have to admit, it really took a lot out of me. I'm spent" he answered and Grayfia only now noticed how clearly winded he was. What could have done that could make a being of his power feel tired.
["Gift Please"] All of a sudden, they heard Matsuda say those words causing Issei to smirk.
"It seems he is going to use it. Brace yourself because I'm sure you are about to be shocked. I just wish I could see the expression of everyone who is seeing this. Would have made a good laugh" Issei chuckled as Grayfia looked at him confusingly, wondering what he meant by. All of the sudden, the screen in front in front them lit up brightly.
"What's going on?" Serafall couldn't help but ask as she covered her eyes at the brightly lit screen. What did Matsuda do.
Back in the arena, after Matsuda said those words, his boosted gear started to shake before an enormous pillar of flame rose up from the orb in the center of his gauntlet.
"WHHAAAAAAAA" It took everything Matsuda had to brace himself otherwise he would have probably be sent flying from the recoil. Everyone else was on the same boat. Riser was covering his face before he started shouting at Matsuda.
"What the hell did you do?"
"I-I wish I knew" Matsuda said as he kept bracing himself. He wondered what the heck did Issei do to his boosted gear. If this keeps up, every might be eliminated simply by the sheer power released from his sacred gear. Unless that is what Issei had planned? A draw. But that is stupid. True, Riser wouldn't win but neither would they and they would probably participate in another match later on. That is if Riser and those annoying elders don't find some other way to force the wedding.
That is when everyone noticed that there was something inside the pillar of flame. Out of it emerged a set of claws followed by a pair of wings, legs, tail until the entire body became visible. Everyone, including those watching the game openly or secretly (for example Grigory and Heaven) went wide eyed when the noticed who appeared from the flames. None, however, were more surprised than Matsuda considering he spoke with the guy none stop in his head so obviously he would know who this was.
"D-D-Ddraig. Is that you?" he shouted in surprise. That's right! The being that appeared was none other than the original Red Dragon Emperor himself Ddraig. Everyone was both shocked and frightened especially the old veterans who had fought and were fortunate enough to survive the Great war.
The Maous themselves were extremely shocked and scared over the potential resurrection of Ddraig. They did not believe in there current state that they would be able to stop his wrath upon them should he desire their destruction. They would fight to the death to protect the Underworld but they did not believe their chances to be great against an enemy that it took the combined might of all 3 factions including the 4 original Maou as well as the God of the Bible to seal away in Sacred Gears.
"H-How did he get out of the Boosted Gear. Wasn't that impossible?" yelled a scared Serafall who was beside her husband.
"I-I honestly have no clue" Ajuka responded. Even with all his intellect, he couldn't figure it out.
"Oh, don't worry about that" Issei remarked causing all of them to look at him.
"What do you mean 'don't worry about it'? Can't you see that Ddraig has been revived?" asked a panicked Zeoticus, Rias and Sirzechs father.
"He hasn't been revived per se" Issei responded making everyone confused.
"What do you mean?" Ajuka asked.
"It is something that I granted to Matsuda before the start of the game as a last resort. Using my ability, I was able to allow Matsuda to materialize Ddraig in the real world. However, only for a period of 30 minutes. Ddraig is too powerful for me to revive fully. It took all my energy simply to grant him this much time and I'm absolutely exhausted." Issei explained and they noticed how tired he really looked. Grayfia immediately handed him a glass of water and he thanked her with a smile earning him a blush from the silver haired maid.
"I see. May I ask how you were able to perform such a feat" asked an intrigued Ajuka.
"That" Issei put a finger on his lip "is a secret." He teased.
Back in the rating game field, the other being that we forgot to mention that is shocked at this turn of events is Ddraig himself. He looked around in disbelief at the fact that he was outside of the boosted gear. He could feel the air around him. The wind brushing on his scales. How long has it been? This was almost enough to bring him into tears.
"Ddraig, I didn't know you could come out of the gear." He heard his partner state as he looked down at him.
"This isn't my doing partner. It would seem that this is the result of Issei Hyoudou's ability. He truly is a talented youngling. Although, I can feel that this is simply temporary" stated Ddraig.
"What do you mean?" As soon as Matsuda said this, the boosted gear orb shined.
["30 minutes remaining"]
Seems Ddraig was right thought Matsuda before a huge smirk appeared on his face. 30 minutes is more than enough time for Ddraig to defeat Riser phenex. This was also a sentiment shared by the very man himself as he shook in fear.
"W-What the hell is this? This is cheating. You cannot bring in outside help in our match." Riser yelled saying that they were cheating and basically should be disqualified.
Ddraig couldn't help but scoff at him.
"Hmf! It would seem all that bravado you displayed earlier disappeared the moment you come face to face with an enemy you cannot defeat. How pathetic! And you had the gall to insult my partner when he had the courage to face a stronger opponent without fear. In addition, do not forget that my partner is the wielder of the Boosted Gear which contains my power and since I am part of the sacred gear, there is no cheating involved. Now, I believe it is time I taught you a lesson you insufferable whelp." Rebuked Ddraig as he looked down on his opponent. This, of course, had the result of sending Riser into a rage as his over flatted ego did not enjoy being insulted.
"How dare you insult the Great Riser Phenex. I don't care if you are the heavenly dragon but I will not allow anyone to insult me." Riser shouted as he unleashed a series of attacks against the Red Dragon Emperor who simply took them with no resistance. As everyone guessed, it didn't do anything against Ddraig who simply looked bored.
"Is that all? How pathetic"
"H-How are my attacks not doing anything against you" shrieked Riser.
"You should brush up on your history child or in case you have forgotten it took all 3 factions together alongside your 4 original maous as well as the God of the Bible to defeat Albion and I. So what hope would a miserable insect like you, who has barely lived 2 decades, hope to do against me?" mocked Ddraig.
"In any case, this has gone far enough. Allow me to end this little game of yours." He added.
"SHUT UP." Shouted an enraged Rise rwho gathered every once of power he could into an enormous fireball and shot it at Ddraig. When it collided, a huge explosion occurred and everyone had to brace themselves in order to not get blown away by the shockwave.
Riser was breathing heavily as he looked on with a smirk thinking he had done the impossible and defeated the dragon… what an idiot.
His eyes widened once he saw through the smoke that his attack, like earlier, had not landed even a single scratch on his scales.
"A worthy effort but futile" commented Ddraig before he brought his arm forward and literally flicked Riser away launching him into the distance. That was all that was necessary as the light of retirement washed over him.
[R-Riser Phenex has been defeated. Therefore, the winner of the rating game is Rias Gremory]
Omake End
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone