Location: Kuoh Academy, The Crater (formerly the Athletic Field)
Status: Stabilizing
Current Mood: Hangry
The gravity around Raiden wasn't magical; it was physical. His mass had increased so drastically during the evolution that he was essentially a walking black hole in a human-shaped wrapper.
Koneko Toujou, the rook of the Gremory group, was on her knees. The ground beneath her was cracking as she struggled to lift her head.
"Heavy..." she gritted out, her cat-like eyes wide with instinctual fear.
"Koneko!" Rias shouted. She looked at the naked man standing in the smoke. "You... release my servant at once!"
Raiden tilted his head. He looked down at his own hand, flexing his fingers. The scales faded, receding into his skin until he looked mostly human again—tall, dark hair, with sharp, predatory features and eyes that swirled like a nebula.
"I'm not doing anything," Raiden said, his voice causing the glass in the nearby school windows to rattle. "She just can't handle the weight of my presence. Tell her to get stronger."
"Don't mock us!"
Kiba Yuuto moved. Using his immense speed as a Knight, he blurred into existence behind Raiden, swinging a demonic sword aimed at the intruder's neck. It was a non-lethal strike meant to incapacitate, but it was fast.
CLANG.
The sound wasn't steel hitting flesh. It was steel hitting an immovable object.
Raiden hadn't even turned around. He had caught the blade between his thumb and index finger, reaching over his shoulder.
"Slow," Raiden muttered.
"What?" Kiba's eyes widened. He tried to pull the sword back, but it wouldn't budge.
"And the metal..." Raiden sniffed the blade. "Weak. No elemental infusion. No soul. Just sharp scrap."
CRUNCH.
Raiden bit the tip of the sword off.
Kiba stumbled back in horror as Raiden chewed the demonic steel with a loud crunching sound, swallowed, and sighed.
"Tastes like iron deficiency. Is this the best the Underworld has to offer?"
"Get away from him, Yuuto!" Akeno Himejima shouted.
She flew into the air, her hands crackling with yellow Holy Lightning. "Thunder!"
A massive bolt of lightning struck Raiden dead center. The explosion illuminated the night sky.
Rias shielded her eyes. "Akeno, don't kill him! We need to question him!"
"I... I held back!" Akeno said, landing.
The smoke cleared.
Raiden was standing there, completely unharmed. Small arcs of yellow electricity danced across his skin, but instead of burning him, they were being sucked into his pores.
"Hmn," Raiden smacked his lips. "Lightning? Really?"
He looked at Akeno, unimpressed.
"My wife is the Electro Archon," Raiden said dryly. "She cut an island in half with lightning. Your little spark wouldn't even power a toaster in Inazuma."
He took a deep breath and inhaled. The remaining static in the air was sucked into his mouth.
"System: Holy Lightning analyzed. inferior to Electro Gnosis. Converted to calories."
The Gremory group prepared for a second wave, their faces pale. This intruder had just eaten a sword and inhaled lightning, all while naked.
"Wait!"
Sona Sitri stepped forward, pushing up her glasses. She was sweating, her survival instincts screaming at her that this being was in a league beyond Ultimate-Class Devils.
"Rias, stop," Sona hissed. "If we fight him, Kuoh is gone."
Sona looked at Raiden, averting her eyes slightly from his nudity.
"You... entity. You claimed you were hungry."
"Starving," Raiden confirmed. "Dimensional travel burns a lot of calories."
"If we provide you with food and clothing," Sona proposed, trying to keep her voice steady, "will you cease your hostility?"
Raiden raised an eyebrow. He looked at the terrified devils, then at the destroyed field.
"I'm not hostile. If I was hostile, you'd all be dead," Raiden shrugged. "But sure. I accept the tribute. Get me pants. And meat. A lot of meat."
Time: 30 Minutes Later
Raiden sat on the expensive leather sofa in the ORC clubroom. He was now wearing a conjured black suit provided by Sona (though he had ripped the sleeves off because they felt tight).
The table in front of him was piled high with food ordered from every late-night restaurant in town. Pizzas, steaks, burgers.
He was eating with terrifying speed.
Rias, Akeno, Sona, and Tsubaki (Sona's Queen) watched him from the other side of the room. They looked like they were watching a bomb tick.
"So," Rias started, trying to regain her composure as the heiress of the Gremory Clan. "Let me get this straight. You are a Dragon?"
"Heavenly Dragon," Raiden corrected, swallowing a whole pizza in two bites. "Name's Raiden Ragnvaldr. Formerly a Dragon Lord of Teyvat. I ate the gods there, got bored, and came here."
"You... ate the gods," Sona repeated, writing this down in a magical notebook. "And Teyvat is...?"
"Another dimension. Far away," Raiden waved a chicken bone. "Don't worry about it. I'm retired."
Akeno poured him tea, her hands shaking slightly. "And you are... alone?"
"Currently? Yes," Raiden leaned back. "Though I have a harem back home. A Dendro Archon, a Hydro Dragon, a Shade of Death... you know, the usual."
The devils exchanged glances. He sounded insane. But his power was undeniably real.
"Why are you here?" Rias asked the most important question.
Raiden wiped his mouth. His violet slit-pupils locked onto Rias.
"I'm here to evolve," he said simply. "My system told me this world has strong dragons. The Red One and the White One. I want to meet them."
Rias stiffened. " The Red Dragon Emperor and the White Vanishing Dragon..."
"Yeah, those guys."
Suddenly, the door to the clubroom slammed open.
"Buchou! We heard an explosion! Is everyone okay—"
Issei Hyoudou burst in, panting. He was wearing his pajamas.
Raiden froze. He sniffed the air.
"System Alert: Longinus Detected. Boosted Gear. Host: Issei Hyoudou. Dragon Entity: Ddraig."
Raiden stood up. The pressure in the room spiked instantly.
Issei froze, looking at the tall, terrifying man standing over the pile of empty pizza boxes.
"Who... who is that?" Issei squeaked.
"Ddraig," Raiden spoke, but he wasn't talking to Issei. He was talking to the gauntlet.
A green light flashed on Issei's left hand. The Boosted Gear manifested on its own—a rare occurrence. The gem glowed brightly.
[You...]
The voice of Ddraig, the Welsh Dragon, echoed in the room. But Ddraig sounded... anxious.
[Partner. Do not move. Do not provoke him.]
"Ddraig?" Issei asked, confused. "What's wrong? Is he a Fallen Angel?"
[No,] Ddraig's voice was grave. [I sense the scent of a Dragon... but it is twisted. It smells like the Void. It smells like Ophis... but hungrier. Who are you, stranger?]
Raiden grinned. He walked up to Issei, towering over the boy. He tapped the green gem of the gauntlet.
"I'm the new Apex Predator in the pond," Raiden whispered. "Nice to meet you, Welsh Dragon. You smell delicious."
Issei turned pale. "Did... did he just say I smell delicious?"
"Relax," Raiden patted Issei's shoulder, nearly dislocating it. "I don't eat the unripe ones. You're too weak right now, Red Dragon Emperor. Fatten up a bit first."
Raiden turned back to Rias.
"Alright, Crimson Princess. I'm full. Thanks for the meal."
"Where are you going?" Rias asked, sensing an opportunity. A being this strong... if she could get him on her side for the Rating Game against Riser...
"I need a place to sleep," Raiden yawned. "And I have no money. So, I'm crashing here."
"Here? In the school?" Sona asked.
"No," Raiden pointed at Rias. "Your house. You have a mansion, right? Devils always have mansions."
"My... house?" Rias blinked, blushing slightly.
"Don't get the wrong idea," Raiden said, his eyes glowing. "I'm not joining your peerage. I'm a guest. In exchange for a bed and food... I'll keep the other pests away."
He looked at the window, where a small, magical familiar (belonging to Riser Phenex) was spying on them.
Raiden snapped his fingers.
Gravity Crush.
Outside, a bird exploded into bloody mist.
"Starting with that one," Raiden smirked. "Deal?"
Rias looked at the blood on the window, then at the god-slaying dragon demanding a sleepover. She had no choice. And perhaps... he was exactly what she needed to break her engagement.
"Deal," Rias agreed.