The moment that sword left the devil's mouth, Issei sidestepped. Mere instants later, the spot he left was completely obliterated by Shirou's fire.
The Red Dragon Emperor then rushed at the magus as fast as he could. With so much energy circulating through his body, he crossed the distance in a couple of seconds.
Shirou noticed the absurd boost in his speed, too. Not as fast as Kiba, but close enough. So he also rushed at Issei to engage him in close combat.
"Haaah!" Issei took the initiative, throwing his left fist at Shirou's chest.
As expected, Shirou avoided the attack, but unlike the other sessions, instead of batting it aside with easiness, he skillfully deflected it, leaving Issei in an awkward stance. His reinforced leg immediately smashed Issei's open side.
"Kuh!
But Shirou's eyes widened. The kick barely moved the devil an inch. Issei clenched his teeth and endured the sharp pain as he attacked back with a reverse swing with his gauntlet.
Again, the Muramasa deflected the attack, making his fit miss Shirou's head by inches. But he wasn't over. Seeing that his sensei's sword was at the height of his neck, Issei attacked the lower part of his chest with his right fist.
However, his attack was blocked by the hilt of the Katana at the last second, and the blade was pointing right at his face.
"Camael: Meggido!"
With its true name summoned, a hellish fire engulfed the blade. Issei only had a fraction of a second to recognize that attack and tilted his head backward just in time so the beam of fire didn't turn him into ashes.
The devil's body reacted on instinct then, and he threw himself in a hasty roll to the side to avoid being cut in half.
Just as he thought. Even if he hadn't been massacred in this exchange, he was still no match for him.
So the only thing he could do that would give him a slight chance of winning was doing something that would take Shirou by surprise.
After he stood up again, he stretched his left arm, his mental trigger already visualized to summon his demonic power.
A small ball of energy formed in front of him. Its size was the one of a golf ball, but it would be enough. He reeled his arm with the Boosted Gear, concentrating all his energy in his fist, and punched the energy ball. In essence, he was imitating Shirou's technique to punch those daggers.
What he didn't expect was that the moment he punched the ball, it turned into a huge beam of energy even larger than the one fired by that flaming katana.
Even Shirou himself showed some surprise seeing such an attack, but he reacted quickly. His right hand left the katana's hilt and stretched in front of him.
"I am the bone of my sword."
He whispered some words, but Issei wasn't able to hear half of them. However, he could say they carried power.
"Rho Aias!"
Just before the beam of demonic energy hit him, something pink appeared in front of him before his figure was engulfed by an explosion. And not a small one. The explosion shook the entire place, blowing up chunks of ground and raising a thick smokescreen.
A part of Issei was starting to worry as he couldn't see how Shirou was, but the other part told him that he would be fine.
And those thoughts were confirmed by a voice coming from inside the smoke.
"Quite impressive, but I would advise you to keep something like that as a finisher when you know the opponent won't be able to avoid it."
A quick swing of his flaming katana blew away all the smoke, revealing that, aside from some tears in his right sleeve, he was as good as new.
"Huh!? That didn't do shit to you!?"
"No, you forced me to pull out my strongest defense. I'm quite sure that attack would have torn a hole in the mountain if a hadn't blocked it."
"Oh, oh..." Issei's mouth took the shape of an "O" as he looked again at his gauntlet under a new light.
[Reset]
The fact that he was able to pierce through one of Aias' layers was really impressive. Shirou started to see why that sacred gear was so feared in this world's supernatural side.
"Do you see it now, Hyoudou? You were able to hold your ground against me and pull off such an attack. If you are able to perform like that during the match, you should have any troubles to beat the crap out of Raiser."
Those words were accompanied with a confident smile, to which Issei replied with a thankful one.
"Thank you very much, Sensei!"
"I thought you were only able to copy swords you've seen, Shirou-kun." Rias' voice reminded the two about their audience.
For some reason, Kiba and Koneko were holding an Asia that was on the verge of fainting, and the two senpais looked at Shirou with surprise and curiosity.
"Even if a shield is not close to the concept of "sword", it's still enough simple for me to reproduce it."
"Simple you say... Issei-kun's attack was on the level of a high-class devil, which is impressive by itself, but that shield took it head-on like nothing."
Shirou sighed. He pulled it out to get an accurate estimation of the power behind Issei's attack, and due to his mind being fully focused on the battle, he forgot they were there. And it didn't seem they would drop the subject so easily.
"You shouldn't expect less from the shield that was able to block the spear of Troya's hero, Hector." He just dropped the bomb and quickly changed the subject. "But the important issue here is that Issei is now ready for the match. You guys should take the rest of the day to get some rest."
At least they took it for what it was and didn't ask further, but he could already feel an incoming headache.
The day of the final match at long last arrived. It was about half-past midnight, and Issei and his comrades were waiting in their clubroom.
Grayfia was also with them and reminded them about the rules of the Rating Game. She also said that Rias and Raiser's respective families, as well as the Great Maou Lucifer himself, were going to watch the match.
And that last part didn't help to ease Issei's nerves. That last lesson with Shirou served to fire up his determination, but now that he was minutes away from the battle, his heart was running a mile. Aside from him, Asia was the only one who was visibly nervous.
They were all wearing their school uniform since Rias said that was what represented them the most as the Occult Research Club. The only exception was Asia, who was wearing her old nun habits. Something quite unpractical for a fight, but she wasn't going to fight so it was fine.
And in the middle of that tense atmosphere, someone knocked at the door.
"Oh, if it isn't Shirou-kun"
The one who walked into the room was none other than Emiya Shirou.
"Yo. I was about to go on my usual patrol, so I thought I'd drop by to wish you luck."
His golden eyes met Issei's brown eyes. Suddenly, all his agitation disappeared after the reliable figure of his "sensei" showed up.
Everyone exchanged greetings with the magus, but they didn't have time to spare.
"It's time, Lady Rias. Everyone, please step into the magic circle."
As Grayfia ordered, Rias and her peerage positioned themselves in the center of the circle the maid prepared beforehand, and this one shone to life.
"Hyoudou, go with everything. But more importantly, don't lose sight of your goal."
"Yes! I won't let you down, Emiya-sensei!"
Master and student exchanged some final words before the devils disappeared from the room.
Sadly, they weren't able to read Shirou's neutral expression well enough. But who actually did it was Grayfia.
"So how do you think are their odds, Emiya-sama?"
Shirou raised an eyebrow for a moment, not expecting the stoic maid to strike a conversation with him, but he still answered.
"It's hard to say. I did the best I could to help them, but you know well a period of ten days is no way close enough. So it will depend solely on them."
It was a subtle way of telling her to not have high expectations. With his training, Issei had actually a chance to beat Raider, but that getting to him through his peerage, which outnumbered them, was a different matter.
Raiser had been actually right. Issei would be the decisive factor. But more specifically, how he gets at the final confrontation would decide the outcome of the battle.
The maid then said something that surprised him. "Whether they win or lose, Sirzetch-sama wants to express his gratitude for helping his sister's peerage. Moreover, would you like to see the Rating Game with the VIPs?"
The magus shook his head. "With all those freaks coming to challenge the "Slayer", I can't let this city unattended."
That was an issue he wanted to get over with, but there didn't seem to be a big shot pulling the strings. They were just random guys with curiosity about the urban legend, but they all caused trouble to get to him.
And he was sure that someone even more problematic than the stray devil would show up in the near future.
"If that's what you wish, I won't ask further."
With those words, the servant of the Demon King disappeared using her own magic circle, and Shirou took his leave.
"Ah... ah... ah..."
Issei struggled to catch his breath as he climbed the stairs leading to the roof of the school building.
He was in the middle of the enemy base, but there weren't any other enemies left in the game anyway, so he didn't have to worry about that.
The match was going well at the start, with them being able to eliminate several members of Raiser's peerage. The first scare came when the enemy queen tried to ambush Koneko from the air, but Issei got her out of the way in the last second and Akeno intercepted her to have a duel between queens.
Shirou's arrows were a lot faster than the queen's spell, so he was able to even see it coming. That absurd method of training actually paying off really scared Issei.
After that, the two of them meet up with Kiba and faced the rest of Raiser's peerage. The Gremory knight quickly defeated the two enemy knights before they could notice that he knew all of their movements, and Koneko and Issei dealt with the two bishops, the remaining rook, and the last two pawns.
Even with Ravel's command, they ended up being defeated. Koneko literally stomped the pawns, their fighting method consisting of imitating cats set her off for some reason. The rook seemed obsessed with fighting Issei, but the way he just dodged her attacks started to piss her off, and hence, she left an opening.
An opening which Issei capitalized with a punch powered with a mana burst, making it an actual one-hit K.O due to all the boosts he accumulated in the meantime.
The other bishop was easily defeated between the three of them, and Ravel started stalling, giving them a speech about why they couldn't win due to his brother's immortality. In the end, Kiba stabbed her shadow with a new sword he created using one of Shirou's swords as inspiration, effectively pinning her down.
She also had a high regeneration, so attacking her would be a waste of time and energy.
But from then on, things go south.
Akeno was defeated by the enemy queen. It turns out she had an item called Phoenix tear that healed her instantly. A little detail Rias forgot because they didn't use it in all the prior matches.
Kiba and Koneko engaged her after telling Issei to save his remaining energies for Raiser. As much as he wanted to fight alongside them to defeat the arrogant queen, the fatigue was starting to catch up to him, so he rushed at the enemy base.
Koneko was knocked out shortly after, and Kiba managed to take the queen out with him blowing a sword right in her face. A trick he got from Shirou if Issei had to bet.
So the only enemies left were Raiser himself, who had been fighting against Rias and Asia for more than half the match, and his sister, who refused to engage in combat even if she freed herself.
This was going to be the decisive battle. He had already promoted to queen, gaining a considerable boost in power, his master removed the seal from his evil pieces, and he had accumulated another twenty boosts.
"Buchou! I'm here!" The Gremory pawn shout as he broke a window to access the roof of the building.
"Issei!"
"Issei-san!"
The two girls' expressions lighted up seeing him approaching. Rias' uniform was full of burns, but thanks to Asia, she didn't have a single scratch on her.
The same could be said of Raiser at the other side of the roof. But unlike Rias, who was already panting, he just seemed slightly annoyed.
"So the dragon brat is finally here, huh? I'll admit it, you being able to defeat my entire peerage is praiseworthy. You've used well these ten days. But this ends here. You're just delaying the inevitable, Rias. Your pawn isn't going to make a difference. It's checkmate."
Issei gritted his teeth with anger. The bastard was still acting all confident despite having been cornered, like all the other matches he had.
"We won't know until we fight, Yakitori bastard! I'm gonna throw that immortality of yours right up your ass!"
While Raiser widened his eyes in surprise and anger, that renovated Rias and Asia's determination.
"Well said Issei! Nobody is giving up here! Victory is in sight! It's time to show them the result of your training with Shirou-kun!"
"'Shirou-kun'? You say that human trained you?"
Issei ignored his question, the devil in his eyes already turning into just an enemy to defeat.
"You already heard Buchou, Boosted Gear! It's time to kick that bastard's ass!"
Sacred Gears answered the user's emotions. The last time was anger, but this time, it was his determination having reached its pick.
He finally understood Shirou's words. Using his weakness... the reason he just perfectioned his use of the Boosted Gear instead of trying to learn how to use a sword or even offensive spells.
Instead of trying to improve on things he was bad at, he took the little he had and learned to use it efficiently. Just like Shirou did with the only two spells he could use until he could be considered someone strong.
In other words, he didn't need to be talented in the sword or the magic to be strong!
[DRAGON BOOSTER!]
The gauntlet roared to life in answer to his emotions, unleashing a burst of power and even changing its shape to one more draconic with a second gem appearing near his elbow.
"Here I come!"
The Red Dragon Emperor kicked the ground and threw himself at the enemy "king".
"Tch, I deal with you quickly!" Raiser answered firing a huge fireball in Issei's direction.
If he dodged that attack, it would go straight for Rias and Asia. So instead of side-stepping, he put all his energy on his gauntlet and swung it in front of him to cut the ball in half.
"Guh!" The idea sounded brighter in his head, but in the execution, he ended up with a bunch of burns all over his body.
However, it took Raiser by surprise, who looked at him like if he were mentally ill. Seizing that moment of surprise, Issei clamped down the pain by force and crossed the remaining distance.
"Huh!? Wait-"
Before the Phenex could react, Issei's gauntlet landed in between his collarbone and neck. The broken bone was instantly healed, but Raiser grimaced from the pain.
"Oraaa!" But Issei didn't let him rest.
His right fist landed right on his solar plexus, causing Raiser to lose his breath and arc his body, and Issei's elbow found its way to the back of his head.
"You little!" The Phenex finally had enough and summoned his flames to force the pawn away from him. "Don't get all mixed-up, lowlife!"
Raiser threw his punch enveloped in fire at Issei's face, but it was deflected by his gauntlet.
That caused a lot of openings in Raiser's stance, but at that moment, hesitation struck Issei. That had been too easy compared to his fight with Shirou. So the doubt of those openings being real ones or feints stopped him from going with the obvious follow-up, a left on his face, and waited for the next attack.
Raiser's attacks were simple and telegraphed, really easy to avoid. The problem was his flames, forcing him to retreat more often than not. That, coupled with his hesitation caused that Issei didn't land as many attacks as he should.
But even so, he was doing it. He was fighting against him head-on, and even if his attacks didn't cause any damage, he could see the pain in Raiser's face every time he landed a blow in a weak point.
If he could keep that up for some minutes, he might be able to force him to forfeit due to the pain...
Unfortunately, time wasn't on his side in this battle.
[Burst]
The sound he never wanted to hear came out of the gem, and all strength left his body. His body felt really heavy, and his consciousness started to fade really quickly.
"No... I almost got-"
Those precious seconds he lost checking his condition sealed the fight, as Raiser's fist hit him on his face with the strength of a speeding truck.
""ISSEI!""
He could hear Rias and Asia's worried voice as his body rolled through the roof like a ragdoll.
"Oh, it took you more than I expected, but this was an expected outcome." A voice filled with indifference came from above them. It was Ravel, who was flying with her flaming wings to observe better the fight. "Doubling your power is something so irregular that it puts your body under huge stress. That coupled with all the wounds and fatigue you accumulated in all the fights you fought until now, it was a miracle you lasted that much."
Meanwhile, Issei was trying to put whatever strength he had left in his limbs to stand up. But it's no use. His body didn't move an inch.
That was it.
All the hellish training he has been through... all the valuable lessons beaten into him... all the blows he received to be able to react to his enemy's attacks...
All was for nothing... In the end, he wasn't able to defeat the Yakitori bastard...
"Don't lose sight of your goal."
At that moment, his sensei's words crossed his mind. An image of the auburn-haired teenager back to him appeared in his mind. That impossible wall he wasn't able to even get close to.
After fighting Raiser, he could say for sure, Shirou would beat the crap out of him.
But that was beside the point. His goal. Why was he fighting? Defeating the Yakitori bastard was just a means to an end.
This fight was to save his master. This fight was to protect her smile, the happiness of the girl he most admired. Even if he no longer had the power of the dragon, as long as he could still move, he would continue to fight for her!
"Guh... Argh!"
"In other words..." Despite his breath being ragged, a grin spread across Raiser's face. "This is my victory. Even if your bishop heals him with her Twilight Healing, he won't stand up... again..."
His words got stuck in his throat as the devil in question got up again. His legs were trembling non-stop, and he looked more like a corpse, but the fire in his eyes was far from extinguished.
"My body can still move... ah... so I can still fight..."
Issei started to walk slowly towards his enemy, who greeted him with a really annoyed expression.
"You really are persistent, dragon boy. It seems I'll have to put you down for good!"
Raiser's flaming fist came at him again, but he couldn't even react to them. The only thing he could do was cross his arms in front of him to block the punches.
It hurt like hell. His sensation of pain hasn't been numbed, but he endured it. He just needed to wait for the opportunity.
"Issei, please, stop! It's enough!"
"I can't watch this any longer!"
But there was another problem. Hearing Rias and Asia's voices almost made him collapse for good. Hearing them crying for someone like him made his heart hurt, and that was a pain he couldn't just ignore.
However, at that moment, a small smile spread across Issei's face.
"See it, Buchou... I'm going to win..."
BANG!
Raiser's fist pierced through Issei's defense and slammed itself in his face for the second time. Time seemed to slow down as his body fell to the ground. But...
GRAB!
"Huh!?" The Phenex let out an astonished voice as Issei's right hand grabbed him by the hair. "Damn you-"
"Gotcha..."
No matter how much Raiser tried to shake him off, he couldn't. For some reason, the dying devil was holding him with an absurd strength.
Issei used him to righten himself and pulled back his left fist. Raiser recognized what he was going to do, and imitated him.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
"YOU LITTLE MAGGOT!"
Both devils started to shove their fists into the other's face with all their might. There was no technique to be seen, just two men clumsily throwing random punches.
Issei's face quickly became a mess of blood and bruises. The sounds of flesh being torn and bones being broken resounded throughout the place.
But regardless of anything, he kept throwing punches at Raiser. Issei's punches didn't do any damage to him. His regeneration kept him as good as new, but...
Why did it felt like if those punches had even more strength behind them than the ones before?
It was then that Rias understood it. Issei wasn't going to give up. Even if his body went way past his limits, he refused to accept defeat, and so, the system that would send him to the medical bay wouldn't be triggered.
He would continue to throw punches until Raiser was already defeated... or his body was broken.
The tears started to slide down her cheeks. He was going to such length just to accomplish her selfish request.
And he was about to lose him for such a reason.
"I... I give up! I Rias Gremory resign!"
The moment those words reached Issei's ears, his body came to a complete halt. His hand released Raiser's hair, causing this one to fall on his ass, but Issei remained there in the same pose.
"You did well, my dear Issei... You did well..."
His master tenderly hugged him from behind. He had passed out long ago, but his determination kept his body on the movement.
The last thing he managed to hear was...
[Way to go, partner.]
"Huh..."
Issei's eyes drifted around the unusual red landscape in front of him. No, it wasn't a landscape. It was... a massive red dragon, staring right at him with its green slit eyes.
The mere presence of this ancient being would make most of the life on this planet tremble in fear, the absurd amount of power it exuded just by breathing enough to make kneel inferior beings.
Issei would be freaking out if it wasn't for this not being the first time he saw this dragon. He already saw it during a few dreams after he unlocked the power of the Boosted Gear. But this time, he was finally able to realize the meaning of this dream.
"You... you are the Welsh dragon, aren't you?"
The red dragon sealed in his sacred gear. In other words, the one that has been providing him power all this time.
The pinnacle of phantasmal beasts opened its maw to speak for the first time, bursts of fire slipping out of it in the process.
"At long last, you're finally able to hear me, Hyoudou Issei." Its deep voice resounded with Issei's soul. "You went down like a true warrior, but at the end of the day, you still lost against the Phenex brat. You'll have to train more if you don't want the white dragon to laugh at you."
"White dragon... So that's actually a thing?"
"Yes. That human was spot on. One day, you'll have to fight your fated enemy, the white dragon. But, until then, I'll show you how to use my power. You must win the next time. I win for a loss. I'll give you the power whenever you need it, but remember that you'll need to pay a price in return. Don't worry, I'll make the sacrifice worth it, so show them all the fearsome power of a dragon."
Issei's consciousness started to blurry after hearing those words. Or was it the other way around?
The next time he opened his eyes, he saw a familiar ceiling over him. It was his room.
"Ugh..."
His head was still spinning, but the memories didn't take long to come to him. He couldn't remember anything after grabbing the Yakitori bastard by the hair, but he could deduce the outcome of that battle.
"Damn it..."
He cursed. It was really shameful. He betrayed everyone's confidence, but more importantly, he disappointed his sensei and his master.
"Damn it... Why am I unable to win..."
Tears started to come out as he got up from his bead. Even after taking Shirou's approach of focusing on efficiency, he was still a loser.
Because of his fault, Rias would no longer be able to be happy...
"If you are able to whine over your loss, then it means you're fully recovered."
A familiar voice made Issei stop in his tracks, his neck turning slowly to see Shirou sitting on his desk's chair. His expression was solemn, confirming Issei's assumptions.
"Huh? What are you doing here, Emiya-sensei?"
"Drop the sensei. I have nothing more to teach you. As for your question, well, I was taking turns with Asia to watch over you. They really made a number on you. Even with Asia's healing powers, it took you two entire days to recover your energies."
Issei's eyes widened. "Two days!? No, wait, more importantly, you said Asia's here, but what about Buchou and the others!?"
"Since you guys lost, the preparations for the wedding began shortly after." Shirou took a quick glance at Issei's digital alarm clock. "In fact, a party to formally announce the wedding should have started by now. Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko accompanied Rias to the underworld, leaving Asia here to treat you, and I lent her a hand. I had my doubts about your fathers letting a stranger enter their house at the beginning, but the moment Asia said I was your friend, they even insisted."
The news felt like a knife mercilessly piercing his heart. Issei fell on his knees, and the tears started to slide down his cheeks once again.
"So this is it, huh... I couldn't save Asia... and now I couldn't protect Buchou's smile..."
"Are you already giving up? Are you going to accept that without fighting?"
"Of course I don't want to let that Yakitori bastard have Buchou! But what can I do!? The ceremony is ongoing... and even if I were to fight him again... the result would remain the same... It's impossible for me to do something about it! If only I had a few months to train-"
The sound caused by Shirou walking out of the chair interrupted him. When the devil raised his head. Shirou was making a really serious face.
"Listen here, Hyoudou Issei. Things are just impossible until you try! If you really want to protect your master's smile, then go there and shout "I refuse!" If that is your dream, then keep moving forward until you achieve it, without caring about what others say! Only then, whether you succeed or fail again, you won't have regrets!"
Issei could only look at him astonished. Those eyes... even someone like him could tell... Those eyes brimming with determination... the person in front of him was someone who never gave up no matter how many times he failed in his search of that ever distant dream.
If only he had a small fraction of that courage...
But hearing those words, he could feel his resolution starting to fire up again, just like before the match.
Shirou noticed it, and a smile found its way to his lips. That was actually the first time Issei saw him truly smiling.
"I see there is still a part of you that remained human... Then wake up, samurai! We have a party to burn!"
"Yeah!" Issei stood up with a jump, his usual behavior finally back. "This time I make sure to beat the Yakitori bastard for real! Nice reference, by the way. But... how am I going to get there?"
At that, Shirou took out a paper from his pocket and handed it to Issei. Upon closer inspection, it was really similar to the pamphlets their clients used to summon them, so it must have a teleportation spell placed on it.
"A certain maid dropped by a few hours ago and told me to gave you this. She said it would take us to the building in which the wedding ceremony is taking place. 'If you want to save Rias, storm the ceremony' she said. The other face of the paper has something that will let us scape if shit hits the fan."
"I see... Wait, 'us'?"
"Of course I'm going with you. It is my duty as your coach to take you to ring, right? Since we're going to basically raid a private party, we should expect some security. But leave that to me and focus only on Raiser. I'll go to let Asia know you're awake, so start dressing up and thinking a way to defeat him."
"Right... I have already something in mind."
The moment Shirou walked out of the room, Issei put on his spare school uniform before raising his voice.
"Can you hear me, Welsh dragon!? You said you would give me power, and this is the perfect moment!"
[You don't have to shout, partner. I'm right here.] The voice of the dragon sounded directly in his mind. [I'll ask you just in case. Your left arm in which I reside will no longer be that of a devil, but a dragon. In exchange, you'll be able to use my power to its fullest for a short period of time. Are you sure you want to give me your arm in exchange for power?]
"Of course I'm ready to give whatever you want as long as it is enough to beat that bastard. I wouldn't be asking otherwise."
[A good answer. Now then, the deal is settled.]
At that moment, the red gauntlet appeared on his left arm without him calling upon it. But looking at it more closely, the scales now didn't look made out of steel, but more... organic.
[Just shout 'overboost' and I'll do the rest.]
"I see. Thanks... err..."
[The name is Ddraig.]
"Right. Thanks, Ddraig."
Just at that moment, the door of his room opened again, and a certain ex-nun entered accompanied by Shirou.
Contrary to his expectations, she looked at him with teary eyes and a huge amount of concern. By the looks of it, Shirou filled her in.
"You're going to fight again, Issei-san?"
Issei nodded at her. "Yes. I'll bring back Buchou."
"Then I'll go with you, too! I don't want to just look how you are defeated again! There's definitely something I can do to help you!"
"No. You stay here, Asia. This is something I most see through to the end by myself."
Asia wanted to retort again, but looking at Issei's eyes, her words died in her throat.
"Then... promise me this. You'll definitely bring back Rias-onee-sama."
"Of course."
"That's good and all, but I've been meaning to ask..." Shirou spoke right after they finished, his eyes fixed on Issei's left arm. "You've sold your arm to the dragon, do you?"
Issei nodded and clenched said fist. "This is just a small price if it allows me to save Buchou."
Asia brought her hands to her mouth in surprise, tears falling from her eyes, while Shirou sighed.
"Well, if that's your decision, I'll refrain from telling you how reckless was that. Besides, there's something I want to give you."
In his hand appeared a silver sword, its ominous aura immediately sending goose-bumps down the spines of the two devils. Yet, that was a somewhat familiar sight.
"That is..."
"This is Retriever, the sister sword of the one I used to finish that stray devil. It has a really powerful anti-monster property due to its curse, and the ability to consume magical energy, or whatever equivalent devils use, making it able to pierce through most spells. In other words, this is a weapon created to kill phantasmal beasts like Raiser."
Shirou handed it to Issei, who took it with extreme caution.
[He speaks the truth, partner. I get the feeling that sword can even pierce through a dragon's scale like nothing, and it's not even a dragon-slayer. This human is really a box full of surprises.]
"But how am I going to use this?" Issei asked mentally. "Emiya-sensei used it as an arrow, and I don't have any knowledge of wielding a sword."
[I have the perfect solution for that.]
"Ohohohohoho!" The laughter of the Phenex's younger daughter resounded through the entire hall. "My Onii-chan finally submitted the rebellious Gremory~"
She was basically going around rubbing that fact on the face of every guest in the party as if the news hadn't traveled all over the underworld already. There wasn't a single devil unaware of the imminent marriage between the Phenex heir and the Gremory heiress.
"There she goes, bragging about their victory..."
Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko could just bite their tongues and keep their fake smiles in front of all the other guests.
I didn't help that Raiser was doing the same, carrying around a Rias already wearing a nuptial dress as if she were a mere trophy to boast about. But deep down, they still had a faint hope.
"My sympathies. They are bragging as if their victory had been completely one-sided, yet it was one of the closest Rating Games I've seen."
The three turned their attention to the familiar voice and saw the Sitri heiress approaching them.
"Oh, you too assisted to this party, Kaichou?"
"I can't miss the wedding ceremony of my childhood friend, even if it's with that man... But more importantly, I wanted to congratulate you. Even if you lost the match, your performance was surprisingly good. You managed to take with you the entire enemy peerage, and it was only Raiser's immortality that allowed him to snatch the victory. I can't imagine what kind of training you went through..."
Kiba's smile became strained. "I kind of cheated. Emiya-san helped me memorize all the movements of the two enemy knights."
Koneko nodded to Kiba's words, but she wasn't ashamed in the least of knowing most of the movements of every close-range enemy combatant. Shirou's structural grasp didn't work that well with fist-load weapons or staffs, but it really came in handy.
"Yeah, Shirou-kun wasn't able to help me much for this Rating Game, but he surely turned Issei-kun into a fine warrior."
Sona's mouth was left hanging open. She made a note of asking further about that the next time she met the magician.
"But you shouldn't offer your condolences yet, Kaichou. This is far from over."
"Eh?"
"Yes, I get the feeling things aren't going to end like this."
"This is not over."
For a moment, Sona was having trouble making sense of what they were saying, but then, the image of a certain golden-eyed magician popped into her mind.
"Don't tell me... you aren't thinking what I'm thinking, are you?"
And just before they could say something...
BOOM!
The door of the room literally burst open, the bodies of several guards coming out like ragged dolls.
And after that, a golden-eyed magus entered the room casually, with his favored twin swords in hand and dressing a pair of jeans, trainers, and a black and white jacket.
The entire place fell into a dead silence more appropriate for a funeral than a party. Every devil stared at the human who showed up from nowhere like if they were seeing a UFO. And among them, a black-haired devil pinched the bridge of her nose to relieve her migraine.
"The human magician!? What are you doing here!? I forgave your insolence last time, but this time I won't hold back!"
Raiser was glaring daggers on Shirou, and this one answered with a confident smile.
"Personally, I don't give a crap about this marriage, but..." He pointed to his back with his thumb. "I brought someone that does have something to say about it."
Taking that at his clue, Issei stepped forward. His face was a little bit pale, the doom soundtrack still fading from his mind, but he steeled himself and fixed his eyes on the pair of fiancees.
"For all the devils present here, and even the Demon King himself! I am Hyoudou Issei, Rias Gremory's pawn, and I came here to get her back!"
Rias widened her eyes, a single tear falling from her eye. A smile showed on his comrades' faces, and the rest of the devils finally reacted and started making a racket.
"What is happening here, Raiser-sama!?"
"What is the meaning of this, Rias!?"
Both guests and familiars of the fiancees began making a fuss like headless chickens when things didn't go as planned, but then, a voice filled with power and authority silenced all the others.
"This is a little event I had prepared."
A man that could only be described as a male Rias stepped in, with Grayfia following him a step behind.
"Onii-san!?" Rias' surprised voice just gave it out.
That was Sirzetch Lucifer, the most powerful Demon King of the current four ruling the underworld.
While the other devils started whispering among themselves, Issei could notice how Shirou tensed up for the first time since he knew him.
Shirou instinctively raised his guard at the immense dark presence in front of him, easily on the level of an superior dead apostle and even surpassing some of them.
"I wanted to witness the power of the legendary dragon with my own eyes, so I had Grayfia arrange this encounter. As for the human..." His blue eyes met Shirou's. "I am guessing you are the one who prepared the dragon boy for this fight."
"That is correct." Shirou put down his swords but didn't dismiss them. "You can think of me as his coach."
"But you can't do something so irresponsible-" One of the devils tried to retort, but shut down the moment Sirzetch opened his mouth.
"The Rating Game was really entertaining, but the advantage of one of the sides was obvious. My sister only has half of her peerage, and had to face a genius like Raiser-kun here."
"Are you saying the match should be invalidated?"
The Demon King answered with a smile to Raiser's question. "No. If I myself express any qualm I would be disrespecting the old nobles. I just wanted to liven up the wedding party of my sister. Dragon vs Phoenix. A showdown between two legendary creatures would be the perfect entertainment, don't you all agree?"
His intentions couldn't be cleared, but no one dared to speak up.
"Dragon-kun, you have my permission. Raiser-kun, would you let us witness your power one more time?"
The Phenex heir shrugged. "I can't reject a request from Lucifer-sama. Very well. This by my last performance before I become a married man."
Seeing the Yakitori bastard ready to fight, Issei fell in his battle stance. With that settled, the only thing remaining was to kick his as.
But before they went at it, Sirzetch spoke again. "Dragon-kun, what prize do you want if you win the fight?"
"Sirzetch-sama, he's a low-class devil!"
"Regardless of his class, since he's willing to put a show for our entertainment, it would be unseemly to not compensate him. Now then, what do you want, dragon-kun? A noble title? A beautiful woman?"
Issei didn't even need to think about his answer. "I don't need any of that! What I want is Buchou- no Rias Gremory to come back with us! I want to break this stupid marriage and let her choose who she wants to marry!"
The smile on the Demon King's face spread. "Ok then. If you win, you can take Rias with you."
"And what about the human? Will he assist the dragon boy? The match will be more even that way, even if just a bit." Raiser spoke again. It seemed that his victory two days ago got to his head.
"If you crave death so badly, I'll humor you... if you managed to defeat my pupil that is. I'll warn you, things won't be so easy this time."
Shirou's instant jab blew away the smile on Raiser's face, but being surrounded by nobles, he pulled himself together quickly to keep his image.
In a matter of seconds, the center of the hall became an improvised ring, with only Raiser, Issei, and Shirou remaining in the center of the room.
Shirou's hand rested on Issei's shoulder. "This will be your fight. I'll be on the sidelines, but I'll throw a pointer if things go south. And remember, your main weapon for this fight will be your left fist. If you manage to land a few solid blows, you'll win."
Issei nodded, and Shirou walked to the side of the room, which served as makeshift stands. He positioned himself in the center, just in the middle of the relatives and friends of both parties, having Sona at his left and Raiser's little sister at his right. Both of them were glaring at him for different reasons.
"Begin!"
Given the signal, Raiser craned his neck. He was still not taking Issei seriously.
"I don't know what you two are up to, but do you really think you can defeat me even if you're at your best this time? What can possibly have changed in the span of two days? This will be quick. After I'm done with you, I'll teach a lesson to that insolent lowlife."
A mocking grin appeared on Issei's face as he clenched his draconic hand in front of him, which was still unnoticed.
"Oh, but there has been a lot of changes. However, I can agree with you. It won't take me much to beat your sorry ass."
Ignoring Riaser clenching his teeth, Issei sent a stare at his master beside the Maou. "Don't take your eyes off me this time, Buchou! I'll defeat this bastard to bring back the smile to your face! Here I come! Overboost!"
[Welsh Dragon Over Booster!]
The gem on his draconic arm emitted a blinding shine as a huge burst power of power overwhelmed the entire room. At the next moment, Issei's figure was enveloped by a red armor resembling a humanoid dragon with propellers attached to its back above the tail and several green gems over different parts of it.
"That's-!"
"The forbidden technique!?"
"A Balance Breaker!?"
Ignoring all the comments of the surprised audience, Issei set his gaze on Raiser. The Phenex heir's confidence was quickly plummeting.
"This... You took the original form of the Red Dragon Emperor!?"
He was spot on. This was the balance breaker of his sacred gear, the Boosted Gear's Scale Mail. A state that allowed him to temporarily tap into the original power of the heavenly dragon that could fight even Gods.
[Remember, partner. You have only ten seconds. Your body won't last more than that.]
"I know. 10 seconds... is more than enough to defeat him!"
[Ten!]
"Hehe..." Raiser let out a nervous giggle as he steeled himself. "So this is the source of your confidence. You truly became a monster. Very well then!"
The devil unleashed his flames. They were huge, taking the form of a ferocious bird. Even Issei could feel the intense heat through his armor. The Phenex heir really was holding back during the Rating Game.
"I, the one who represents the fire, wind, and immortality, shall take you head-on!"
Both combatants rushed at each other, Raiser with his wings and Issei with his armor's propellers. The former pulled back his right fist enveloped by a huge ball of fire, while the other just punched without any fancy power.
[Nine!]
A huge clash of power blew away the chairs and tables around and even shattered all the windows. But it didn't last long.
"Wh-"
Issei's fist pierced through Raiser's flames like if they were a calm breeze, and found its way to Raiser's face. The Phenex heir was sent stumbling through the room, crashing into the wall at the other side.
Issei remained in the center. Even if his left hand was as good as new with just some blood on it, the rest of his armor was steaming due to having been so close to the flame.
[Eight!]
"You bastard..." The Phenex heir raised from the rubble with another burst of flames. "It's useless... no matter how hard you punch me- ugh!"
The devil suddenly found himself spitting blood, the pain in his right cheek still there for some reason. In fact, it was getting worse by the time. He touched it with his hand but took it off with repulsion instantly.
"What's this!?"
Something, a curse most likely, was rotting and consuming his flesh at the same pace his flames tried to heal it. Not just the pain, but the sensation of being eaten away was horrifying.
"What's the meaning of this- huh?"
His eyes then noticed something protruding from Issei's left hand, just below the green gem. It seemed like the tip of a silver blade, and it was giving off a really ominous aura.
[Seven!]
"Do you like it? This is a gift from my Sensei just to defeat you!"
Inwardly, Issei was whistling. The sword was way more effective than he thought. Shirou wasn't bragging when he was saying this weapon was made to kill beings like Raiser.
"Tch... It doesn't make any difference... I just have to crush you without letting that thing touch me!"
His words were followed by a huge fireball flying right at Issei. But this one, instead of dodging the attack, just punched it with his left hand.
Retriever did the trick once again and absorbed most of the mana fueling the flames. The power of the attack was drastically reduced, and therefore easily deflected to one side.
The problem was that the fireball now was flying towards the side where all the public was.
"Kya!" Ravel let out a voice full of panic seeing her older brother's attack coming right at her. The fact that she was also immortal having been forgotten after seeing Raiser's condition.
But the fireball was swiftly cut in half by a married sword, the flames dispersing harmlessly in front of her.
Her eyes darted to the human by her side, who was sending a severe glance at the Red Dragon Emperor.
"It seems his spatial awareness still needs a lot of work..." After mumbling that, he looked back at the girl. "Are you all right?"
"Oh... Yes... Uhm thanks..."
"Don't sweat it. Ravel was it?"
"Ye-yes."
"Look this fight closely and let this be a lesson." A knowing smile came to his face, leaving the Phenex girl speechless. "Not even that immortality your clan boasts can stop the will to keep moving forward of a human."
[Six!]
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!"
"Die already, lowliiiiife!"
Issei and Raiser were now exchanging punches. Raiser threw punches like if he were possessed, his flames slowly melting through Issei's armor.
[Partner, those Phoenix flames can pierce through dragon scales. You should avoid as many attacks as possible.]
"Kuh!"
Issei wasn't used to wear such bulky armor, so dodging became nearly impossible. He defended himself with his left hand as much as possible, but being his main weapon at the same time, he prioritized attack over defense.
However, he was having the same problem as during the Rating Game. Raiser was full of openings, but he couldn't tell if those were real or feints.
He just needed a few more blows, but he was hesitating!
[Five!]
"Those are all openings! Punch him already!"
Then, Shirou's voice came, and Issei followed his advice without thinking twice. His left fist slipped right below Raise's overextended right arm, landing right on the wound he caused a few seconds ago.
The pain became unbearable, making Raiser's body freeze for an instant. And Issei seized the opportunity to punch right on his liver with his right hand, force him to take a step back.
"Grrr! Don't get ahead of yourseeeelf!"
"Step to your right!"
Issei did so, effectively dodging Raiser's attack before the Phenex even started it. He swung his left hand in a karate-like motion, unleashing an attack similar to Shirou's Camael. But due to the pain, Raiser stumbled forward, leaving his back wide open.
Issei left fist quickly smashed Raiser's kidney, causing the devil to scream in pain.
[Four!]
"Block with your forearm and follow the motion to punch him!"
The Phenex heir turned, using the movement to do the same attack he tried before but swinging his left hand horizontally.
But, just as Shirou said, Issei stopped Raiser's arm with his left forearm, following with the back of his hand smashing his face in a reverse swing.
[Three!]
Issei continued to punch Raiser after that, reaching a situation similar to the one in the Rating game but with the roles swapped. Raiser was the one desperately trying to defend himself from Issei's barrage of punches with his arms crossed in front of him.
"S-stop! This marriage is really important for us devils! You can't ruin it! Our survival is at stake here!"
All of his confidence was nowhere to be seen. With his flames having trouble countering the curse and the immense pain caused by that, his will to fight was almost defeated.
[Two!]
"I don't give a shit about your stupid politics! Just the fact that you don't want to let Buchou be happy is enough for me to defeat you!"
[One!]
"Uppercut!"
Just as Issei heard that his right fist managed to open a hole in Raiser's defense, most likely due to the pain of his bloodied arms.
"OOOOORAAAAAAAAA!" Issei put all his remaining energy in his draconic hand for his last attack.
"Wait! Wait-"
Issei's left fist slipped below Raiser's guard and connected with his chin, unleashing a huge mana burst.
The impact resounded through all the place, followed by a dead silence as everyone saw Raiser fall to the ground with his eyes rolled back. Everyone present was left dumbfounded after seeing how Raiser didn't make any movement to stand up, their minds still having trouble processing what just happened.
[Zero!]
With the count finished, Issei's armor vanished and he fell to the ground without energies.
"Kuh... That really took a toll on me..." He mumbled as he slowly stood up.
[Actually, it was a miracle the armor lasted the full ten seconds. You were lucky I was able to use the energy absorbed by the cursed sword to make up for your lack of power.]
"You don't say..."
[Now, you should take that sword already of your arm before it starts to consume you... wait, that won't be necessary.]
Issei felt how the sword faded along with its wicked aura. Most likely Shirou dismissed it to prevent that from happening. And speaking of the devil...
"I got you."
Shirou helped Issei to regain his balance. He was about to thank him but was interrupted.
"You should go claim your reward before they change their minds."
"Oh, right!"
Without wasting any second, Issei rushed at Rias' side. Neither Sirzetch nor the man by their side, who he assumed was their father, voiced any objection.
"Buchou, let's go home!"
"Issei..." Rias was still shocked by the sudden development of things, but she still nodded at her pawn's request.
The Red Dragon emperor pulled out the paper with the spell which brought him here and used the spell on the other face.
Then, a majestic creature was summoned in front of them. With half body of an eagle and the other half of a lion, its identity was obvious.
So running away riding a griffon was the backup plan in case he hadn't been unable to beat Raiser.
"I'll see you guys in the club!"
Both "King" and pawn waved at Sona, Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko before the mythological beast flew out of the building through one of the broken windows.
Unlike on the surface, the sky in the underworld was purple, and there were even stars and a moon. Even if those things didn't feel like the real thing it was still an impressive view.
But at that moment, Issei felt like he was forgetting something...
Rias' touch on his draconic arm pulled him from his stupor. Her expression full of sorrow started to worry him.
"You dummy... You gave your arm to the dragon to attain that power... for someone like me... You know it will never be normal again."
Issei scratched the back of his head. "I'll have to manage something about it. But it was a small price for saving you. And I have to give credit to Sensei's sword and pointers too. He really helped me."
"But even if you've broken this compromise, there will be others in the future..."
Issei replied with a smile. "Then I'll become stronger. And if that's not enough, I'll sacrifice my other arm, or my leg, or an eye. I'll definitely save you again. It is my duty as-"
He couldn't speak further as Rias sealed his lips with hers. It wasn't a french kiss, but Issei's brain still needed a reboot.
The nagging feeling that he forgot something crucial was still there, but it wouldn't be that important if he forgot it...
Right?
"Shit, there goes my only escape route..." Shirou mumbled as he saw the pair of lovebirds fly in the distance riding the griffon.
Well, he guessed he should then withhold the information about Asia finding out all his porn while he was unconscious.
But getting back at Issei was something he couldn't afford thinking now.
With those two out of the equation, he was the proverbial elephant in the room. And having the prick knocked out behind wasn't helping. Issei might've not realized it, but with the curse preventing his flames from healing his wounds, Raiser might actually die if left unattended. He really beat him to a pulp.
"Now then..."
Shirou's grasp over his married blades became firm as he faced all the devils. This could end two ways.
One, he managed to talk his way out of this, or two, he managed to get out of here leaving a mountain of corpses and blood behind.
And having a Demon King and his servant present, he hoped it was the first option. But knowing his luck, it would be the second one. That's why he started to load blueprints of every holy sword in his arsenal.
He already came here with this possibility in mind, although it would have been in case Issei lost and he would have to cover his escape.
"Now now, there's no need to be so tense, magician." Sirzetch noticed his increasing hostility and addressed him directly. "Your name was Emiya Shirou, was it? As you lent your services to make the match we've just witnessed even more interesting, I'll overlook the fact that you set foot on the underworld without legal permission."
Shirou eyed him, not wavering at his overwhelming presence. "So you're saying you're going to let me go just like that?"
He wasn't buying that in the least. Someone that had the title of the Demon King wouldn't run a charity.
The smile on Sirzetch's face grew. "Yes. If I remember correctly, you signed a contract to be our ally, don't you? I consider that a magician that singlehandedly defeated all the elite guards on his way to here and can stand in the same room with me and Grayfia without flinching is worth the investment. Your work making sure the heiresses of the Gremory and Sitri's families are safe in their stance in the human world is also appreciated."
This was more an attempt to convince the other devils in the room than Shirou himself. But he had to say, the guy wasn't just powerful, he was scheming as well.
While he was paying his debt to Shirou for aiding her to break the compromise, at the same time he was already placing on Shirou's shoulders the duty of watching over their safety. And that's something he was going to clarify.
"I don't protect them, I protect the city. Don't misunderstand it. As long as our interests don't get in the way of each other, I'll continue to be neutral."
The devils in the room started to whisper among them. A human talking like that to the strongest Demon King was preposterous. But unlike them, the smile on Sirzetch face remained the same.
To think that a human could make that sound so ominous. Being a Maou, having the sensation that an opponent wouldn't be so easy to defeat wasn't something he could see every day. Not to mention that sword capable of easily destroying a member of the Phenex clan.
Keeping him by their side was definitely the best choice.
"Very well then. Grayfia, prepare a magic circle to send him to the human world."
"Please, this way, Emiya-sama."
The magus was escorted to a secluded room by the maid before she began to draw the circle.
Shirou sighed inwardly. If anything, this was the result of the Demon King not wanting meaningless deaths. At least, they were on the same page there.
"It seems Sirzetch-sama considered you interesting, Emiya-sama."
"You don't say." This maid turned out to be more talkative than he expected.
"But I wouldn't recommend endangering Rias-sama or Sona-sama. Sirzetch-sama, as well as Serafall-sama, can be a little bit overprotective."
"Hmph. I don't like meaningless deaths, Grayfia-san. As I said, I won't turn my blade against her if she doesn't do something that endangers the humans around."
The maid nodded. With the circle completed, he didn't spend another second there. At least, that journey served to assess the strength and character of one of the Demon Kings first hand.
It just confirmed he would need the Unlimited Blade Works to defeat him, most likely requiring a blast from the image of Excalibur within his reality marble. It's good to know in case he has to face him the moment they cross the line and become a threat to humanity.
The circle sent him to the ORC room, but he didn't stay for celebrations.