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~ I'm planning to increase the number of advanced chapters to +18 this weekend!
~ I've edited some of the previous chapters to remove anything you might consider "cringe" or "unnecessary." I'll continue reviewing them from time to time!
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The devil landed badly, and from how he hesitantly put more weight on one leg than the other as he rose, it was safe to say that at least something was sprained.
He began walking towards him, striding through the sundered remains of the wall, the hand unburdened with armor reaching out and brushing against the frozen surface. Power pooled, and as he grazed his palm along the ice, the hilt of a sword materialized, formed from the foundations of the wall itself. His fingers latched onto it, pulled, and the weapon came free as though drawn from a freshly oiled sheathe. He glanced at it as he walked, taking notice of the broad blade and the way mists of frost wafted and hovered over its surface.
It was not Clarent. It was not any sword he would have carried into battle. But it was adequate enough for the task at hand.
He dragged the frost blade behind him, the tip hissing as it carved icy furrows into the dirt.
The Crimson Emperor...
In his other hand, the False Gear was clutched into a fist. Trails of frozen vapor emitted from between the bronze claws like steam.
My old enemy…
She had assumed he would make an excellent Bishop when he first showed them the ability to conjure elemental fire and ice and later on the aptitude to heal. It would fit him perfectly, she imagined, raining damaging ranged attacks while healing his allies. And then he had forged a demon sword despite not having the Sacred Gear to do so, fought Kiba, a powerful piece in his own right, to a standstill, and that assumption had promptly gone out the window. A Knight then, just like Kiba. Maybe a Rook if his speed was not up to par. And then he had created that, the blackened, bronze-clawed mimicry of Issei's own Boosted Gear and that was when Rias Gremory realized she could come up with all the assumptions she wanted about Minato Arisato and they would probably all end up wrong.
Her eyes were riveted on the armored gauntlet as it blurred and sped in the fury of combat. The blood-red jewel gleamed malevolently whenever it smote into the green of its counterpart, as if it was delighting in the brutal exchange. The bronze talons raked and tore at their crimson equivalent, overpowering Boosted Gear with sheer ferocity, driving Issei back with each ripping slash.
Her Pawn had the advantage in speed, but it was being sorely negated. At first Rias had thought it was due to Issei's inexperience that was the cause, but after careful observation, realized that it was not the case at all. Her Pawn's opponent was just that good. Whenever Issei sought to flank, the boy spun on his heel to defend, presenting no window of opportunity for the devil to exploit. Whenever her Pawn lunged to attack, thinking he had at last found a weak point, the black gauntlet barred his path, challenging Boosted Gear in a contest of strength that it always won. And even in the rare occasion Issei managed to dodge under the mimicry Gear, the sword the boy had pulled from the wall was waiting, the bluish blade trailing streams of frost as it carved through the air, forcing her Pawn back with every hissing stroke.
She had seen him do the same in his duel with Kiba, matching her Knight's speed with unyielding defense. Quickness it seemed, was not how the boy fought. He was quick on his feet, certainly, but the bursts of speed that devils used were not in his repertoire. Calm and patient, if Rias had to describe his combat style, mixed in with blistering counterattacks that even Kiba sometimes had trouble blocking. And if Kiba, the ace in her sleeve, the hardest-hitting piece in her peerage, had ultimately been defeated, what chance did her Pawn have?
Issei was solely outclassed. She had worried about that from the start. It had been why she had tried to stop him. And this was before she had seen him conjure frost orbs that exploded like miniature bombs and blast ice from his hands like a dragon breathing fire. And now she was torn between worrying about her Pawn being hurt by the opponent that outclassed him so and the fact that she may never get another chance to recruit said opponent into her peerage again.
"So he can summon powerful manifestations called Personas," Kiba said casually, breaking her concentration on the fight at hand, "make demon swords from regular swords, and can now apparently copy Sacred Gears as well." the Knight turned to look at her, "So why exactly isn't he in our peerage again?"
"It is not as though I haven't tried," Rias bit out, "He just refused me minutes ago."
"Perhaps we need more incentive?" Kiba suggested.
"Such as?" she winced as her Pawn reeled from a particularly heavy blow, "There doesn't seem to be anything we can offer him. And trying to lure him in has not been very effective. He is not exactly perverted like Issei."
"Indeed," Akeno noted from her side, "He seems especially resilient," her friend smiled mischievously, "Maybe he is not interested in girls at all? If that is the case we should let Yuuto do the persuading."
"Me?" the handsome boy seemed taken aback, "Why me?"
"You are popular with all the girls. Even Tsubaki has a crush on you. If you turn on your charm, it might work."
Kiba looked perturbed.
"But I like girls."
"I'm sure you will take one for the team," Akeno said with a remarkably straight face.
Turning, the girl continued to watch the fight unfold, although it was clear by now who would emerge as the victor.
"I like the way he fights," she mentioned, her eyes lighting up with delight as the boy doled out a vicious punch that Issei almost failed to block, "There is a brutal method to it all. When I first met him, I thought him the quiet and studious type. Who knew he could be capable of such violence?"
Rias decided not to mention that her friend's cheeks had become flushed.
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