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The Phenex Rises - Chapter 3
🕑 Added 2024-08-27 02:03:44 +0000 UTCRiser froze for a brief moment, his eyes widening in shock, before his whole body began to shake violently. He carelessly dropped Excalibur Destruction on the ground and wrapped his arms around his stomach. His arms clutched at his stomach as he bent over with his entire body shaking. His face turned bright red as he began to sweat profusely.
Everything around him had stopped as everyone stared at him in horror, wondering if he was experiencing some horrible backlash for using Excalibur Destruction as a Pureblood Devil. Their worry lasted right up until Riser's left hand slapped his face while his right continued to hold his stomach. He threw his head back so far his spine arched in the complete opposite direction that he'd been bent over as he howled with laughter.
The reward for the Hidden Quest, it was just too much!
[System Alert! Hidden Quest Complete!
Going off the rails
Well, it's official, canon is completely and utterly fucked. You just bent it over and had your way with it without so much as even a courtesy spit. Bro! Dude! Way to go!
Reward: Sacred Gear Immunity]
Forget Rizevim and his Sacred Gear Canceler ability! Riser was now completely immune to any and all Sacred Gear's be it physical, magical, metaphysical, or any other kind of interaction with his being! Apparently, his reward for breaking canon was breaking the most powerful tools in the world. It was ridiculous, to say the least!
Going by the information he'd been given, he could now bathe in the flames of Incinerate Anthem and wouldn't even feel warm, despite those flames being FUCKING HOLY FIRE. Cao Cao could try and stab him with the True Longinus and it would be like poking Riser with a wiffle ball bat! Pointless! Issei could got full Juggernaut Drive, boost ten thousand times, then try to crush Riser with pure strength, yet the moment he Touched Riser he would only hit with the strength he normally possessed without a single boost or the transformations strength! Blade Blacksmith? The swords would hit as hard as a Nerf sword. It just went on and on. No Sacred Gear could ever hope to do anything to him ever again.
Now, it wasn't perfect since the blanket immunity also applied to beneficial Sacred Gears, such as Twilight Healing. Not that he would likely ever need to be healed by it. Another example would be the Boosted Gear Gift, he could never benefit from it. Not that he would ever wish to. Just the idea of Issei trying to pass energy to him felt skeevy.
Riser's continued laughter began to worry everyone. Their worries only increased when he suddenly stopped and straightened up as if nothing had happened, though there was still a weird grin on his face. They all watched as he calmly collected Excalibur Destruction and casually tossed it back to Xenovia. As the sword clattered to the ground in front of the still stunned woman, he commented, “I believe we're done here. Take your useless little trinket and get the fuck out of town.”
Everyone was still too stunned to argue with Riser, even Kiba's hatred of Excalibur was tamped down by the sight of a Pureblood devil not only holding the sword, but actually using it. It wasn't until the Exorcist girls were out of sight that everyone seemed to snap out of it. Kiba was furious as he charged up to Riser and got directly in his face, “Why did you let them go?! That was a perfect chance for me to destroy those swords! You even had one in hand!”
Riser looked at Kiba like he was an idiot, “What would even be the point in breaking the sword?”
Kiba, fully enraged because of how close the sword fragments had been and Riser letting them get away shouted, “Those swords killed my family! They need to be destroyed!”
Riser gave Kiba a bland look that very clearly called him an idiot without him having to utter a word. He calmly walked over to the small field of swords that Kiba had summoned to fight Irina and plucked one out of the ground at random. He casually tossed it onto the ground in front of Kiba, “Sword, kill Kiba.”
Silence.
“Well, go on. Get up on your own and kill Kiba. Apparently that's something swords can do now. Why are you laying on the ground like some sort of inanimate object that has no will of its own?”
More silence.
After letting the silence drag on while Kiba looked at Riser like he'd never seen him before, Riser calmly walked over, picked up the sword, and began to examine it, “How strange, it's like a sword needs someone holding it to kill a person.”
He looked away from the sword and locked eyes with Kiba, “I'm fully aware of your past, Kiba.” He ignored the gasp from Rias and the widening of Kiba's eyes in surprise, “So tell me something. What exactly do you think will happen if you do succeed in breaking all seven pieces of Excalibur?”
Kiba's silence showed he hadn't thought quite that far ahead. Riser nodded in understanding, “Exactly. Yet, that's not the worst of your flawed plan and pointless hatred of pieces of metal. Let's say you did succeed in destroying Destruction and Mimic, then what? I'll tell you what. Unless you believe you can take and hide those pieces from the Church, they will just take the broken swords back and have them reforged.”
Kiba's eyes widened in realization. Riser nodded, “That's right. Excalibur is one of their most potent weapons. There's no way they would ever give up on them. No matter how many times you shatter them, they will just collect the pieces and reforge them.”
He tossed Kiba's summoned sword over his shoulder as he continued, “So, let's say you decide to break them and keep the pieces. Where will you hide the pieces? And what will you do when the Church and Heaven come for not only you, but everyone you care about? Will you continue to stubbornly hide the pieces away while they torture Asia, Koneko, and Akeno? I guess Rias too. Would you continue to hide the pieces after they've died screaming in agony and the Great War has restarted because of it?”
Kiba's eyes widened in shock at Riser's questions. He'd never considered them before and he could see everything Riser said as coming true. His quest for vengeance restarting the Great War. His hands tightened into fists so tight his fingernails cut into his palms while he grit his teeth so hard they were close to shattering. He barely managed to articulate his question as he stared directly into Riser's eyes, “Then what should I do with all this rage?”
Riser snorted, “That's easy. A sword needs a wielder. Kill the fucker who wielded the sword against your family. The Church is notorious for not giving a fuck about their people and being completely incompetent. Not to mention corrupt. Hell, they sent those two little girls with Excalibur's to hunt down someone STEALING EXCALIBUR'S from the Church. That's beyond stupid and basically handing the swords over to whoever stole the others.”
Kiba turned slightly to the side as he thought for a moment, digging into painful memories that he'd always tried so hard not to dwell on. Finally, he spoke, “There was a man in charge of the project. I don't remember his name, but he's responsible for everything. He needs to die.”
Riser clapped his hands to applaud Kiba, “Finally thinking properly! See, now all we need is a little information and you can hunt down the one really responsible and get proper revenge rather than wasting your life and the lives of your friends pointlessly.”
Kiba gave Riser a nod of recognition before spinning on his heels and walking away. He needed some time along to get used to the sudden changes in his life and put everything in the proper order in his mind. He also needed to try and go over his memories as much as he could for any clues he might have to find his true enemy.
Riser smiled as he watched Kiba walk away for a bit before turning to look at Rias, “You're welcome.”
As Rias's face contorted into anger and she opened her mouth to likely yell at him or something, Riser erupted into flames and teleported away, returning to their, unfortunately, shared home.
-----Line Break-----
Riser looked at the invitation in his hand with a smug smirk. He, along with his fiance, had been invited to a Grand Ball being held by Sirzechs Lucifer. More importantly, it was being held in honor of Riser and Rias being officially engaged. Essentially, Sirzechs was publicly and loudly proclaiming his approval of their marriage. If Riser wasn't mistaken, it would also include a very public apology from the Satan for his behavior at the engagement party.
“It's all happening just as you said, father.”
His mind went back to just after the fateful breakfast meeting that had forced him to live in the human realm with Rias and the talk he'd had with his father.
-----Line Break-----
Riser, still angry over having to leave his peerage behind, though happy about his clever trick of trading them to Ravel so they could visit, gently knocked on the door to his father's study. Lord Phenex had summoned him and despite his anger toward his father for the unfair conditions being imposed on him, he still respected the man and would do as his father commanded.
“Enter.”
At his father's word, he opened the door and walked into the study. Like all of their home, the study was well appointed. His father sat behind a large desk carved from a single perfect piece of Maple that had been in their family for centuries. Behind that desk he sat in a chair made of the softest leather with the best stuffing. Even the chairs in front of his desk were opulent. Then, behind Lord Phenex, there were the bookshelves filled with ancient tomes of knowledge and more modern books that held all the laws of the Underworld within.
Riser walked to the chair opposite his father and sat down, “My Lord.”
Lord Phenex grimaced a little, knowing Riser only called him 'My Lord' in private when he was very upset. Lord Phenex let out a small sigh, “I am sorry, son. I know how unfair the situation is, but it is necessary if we wish to really put the screws to Sirzechs.”
Riser's anger at his father faded at the idea of putting more pressure on the annoying sis-con Satan, “Explain.”
Lord Phenex grinned, it was not a pleasant grin as it promised pain to the target, “As you are aware, you are the 'injured' party due to that idiot's actions at your engagement party. You have the sympathy of the nobles on your side, for the time being. We need to reinforce that sympathy. Everyone I've spoken to agrees, you are owed a very public apology for his actions and his attempted interference in house business.”
His grin grew as he continued, “The petulant demands and complaints of his little sister give us added ammunition. By giving in to them, we show ourselves to be the much more reasonable party in this dispute. I am sorry I didn't speak with you beforehand, but I needed your reaction to be as natural as possible so that young Rias wouldn't suspect anything and possibly warn her brother. With you 'giving up' your peerage just to soothe her fragile ego and moving to the human realm you are known to hate, you look like the better man willing to compromise even after how badly her brother has treated you. The other nobles will eat it up and focus their fear and anger over this whole situation on Sirzechs. After all, almost every last one of them has a harem of their own and considers it perfectly normal. They will see it as Sirzechs, with his monogamous relationship, poisoning a member of the younger generation with his strange ideals!”
Riser's grin matched his father's as he thought everything over. His thoughts were interrupted by Lord Phenex speaking again, “Your choice to trade your entire peerage to Ravel was inspired and will make our 'case' against Sirzechs even better. However, it also presents an opportunity.”
Riser frowned as he could guess where his father was going. He was proven right a moment later, “While I have nothing against your choices, the fact is that with the exception of Yubelluna, your peerage members are all rather weak. I know you have no aspirations when it comes to the Rating Game scene, but with your abilities, I believe you should reconsider. You have the potential to rise even higher than Ruval, but you can't do so on your own. You would require a much stronger peerage. I will not force the issue, but I do suggest you think on it.”
Riser could see where his father was coming from. Given the rewards he'd already received and taking into account that he would just continue to get more, it was definitely possible for him to rise high in the Rating Games. With two members of the House of Phenex within the top ten, it would bring a great amount of prestige to their house. The downside would be permanently leaving out the majority of his current peerage members. Part of him wanted to dismiss the suggestion outright, yet just thinking for a few moments pointed him toward several people he could recruit that had significant power. Hell, just a short teleportation away was one of the last living members of the Leviathans, Ingvlid. He knew she would wake up soon, and if he had something to do with it he would have an exceptionally easy time recruiting her into his peerage.
Rossweisse, Odins bodyguard and an expert in magic. Xenovia Quarta, a powerful ex-exorcist who wielded Durandal and Excalibur Destruction. Valarie Tepes, the holder of Sephiroth Graal. And Meredith Ordinton, the holder of Alphecca Tyrant. Any of them would make excellent new peerage members as they all had exceptional abilities. It didn't hurt that they were all cute and or gorgeous.
He expected it was just a law of the world that any female with any kind of power was automatically attractive.
He let out a sigh and nodded to his father, “I see your point. If I should happen to find good possible members I wont hesitate. I would much prefer Ravel trade back my members in a few years but we shall see.”
Lord Phenex nodded, “That is all I ask, son.”
“Is there anything else, father?”
Lord Phenex shook his head, “Not at this time. Though be prepared to receive an invitation to some sort of event from Sirzechs. He will need to do things very publicly if he wishes to regain even a sliver of his lost reputation.”
Riser nodded as he stood with a thoughtful look on his face, “I will, father.”
-----Line Break-----
The invitation was for that evening, which was fine. He had nothing planned except continuing to work out and grow stronger. He knew Kokabiel was still on the horizon and a danger to himself. As it was, he was certain he couldn't defeat Kokabiel in a fight. Though it was also just as likely that Kokabiel couldn't defeat him either. Kokabiel's light spears could still hurt him, but he would recover instantly thanks to his Phoenix Devil Fruit. Unless Kokabiel could completely erase him from existence, they would be at a draw.
Riser set the invitation aside and lay back down on the bench press machine. He spent every last moment of his spare time working on getting stronger. Considering Rias and the others spent the majority of their day in class at that stupid high school, he had a lot of free time. In the short amount of time he'd been in the human world and had access to the much better workout gear, he'd multiplied his physical strength many times over.
It was easy to do when he only ever had to stop to increase the weight he was lifting. He set whichever machine he was using to a weight that he had to somewhat struggle against. Then he would continue to perform sets on that weight until it stopped straining him so much. His muscles instantly healed after every rep meaning each one made him just a little bit stronger. He would push the weight up constantly until he got bored of a particular exorcise. Then he just changed to a different machine and went right back to it. He practiced his Total Concentration Breathing the entire time as well, using it to help push his body even further. There was little point in not working out while using the breathing technique as his goal was to get it to the point where he could use Total Concentration Breathing twenty-four seven. He doubted he'd be that good with the technique by the time Kokabiel showed his ugly mug, but he hoped he would have enough mastery of it to use it during the entire battle.
Riser spent the rest of the afternoon working out to get stronger. It helped motivate him when he could actually constantly see his growth by the continuous increases in the weight he was lifting. Why none of his family ever so thoroughly abused their regeneration, he would never know. There was nothing wrong with having an indomitable body. All he had to do was think about how easy it would be for Sairaorg Bael to completely body Kokabiel without breaking a sweat and he found himself even more motivated to keep pushing his limits.
Still, he had to put and end to his workout and get ready for the Grand Ball being thrown in his and rias honor. After cleaning up he looked through his clothing until he found something he thought was appropriate. He donned pure white pants and a matching jacket with a red vest, black shirt, and matching red tie. He chose white for its relationship with purity, a maybe not-so-subtle hint at his innocence in everything that had transpired.
It would also be a hell of a dig at Sirzechs considering Rias had been wearing a white gown that night.
-----Line Break-----
Flames roared out of the designated teleportation zone of the venue Sirzechs had chosen as Riser and Rias arrived hand-in-hand. It was something he would have preferred to forgo, but it was expected of them as a 'couple' engaged to be married. Proprieties must be observed, even if neither of them liked it. Thankfully their arrival was witnessed by enough people for him to release her hand so they could mingle separately.
Riser saw a few people he wouldn't mind talking to and a few he would very much like to avoid. Though the moment he spotted his number one target, he began walking toward him. Unfortunately, he was intercepted on the way by one of the people he definitely did not want to run into. Stepping into his path and blocking him from moving further was a gentle-looking young man with dark green hair and his eyes squinting as he looked up at Riser from his shorter height, “Ah, Riser-kun, the man of the hour, as it were. Your engagement party was quite the spectacle, I'm rather glad that I didn't miss it.”
Riser put on a congenial, if very fake smile, “Diodora, good to see you again.” He reluctantly shook the little freaks hand when it was offered, “Yes, things definitely didn't go according to plan, but then again what ever does? Still, it's led to this wonderful party so I can't complain too much.”
After they ended the handshake, Diodora continued trying to needle Riser in the guise of small talk, “Yes it has. Though I've heard you had to make several concessions to Miss Gremory just to keep things cordial. Something about having to trade away your entire peerage? I don't think I could ever abandon my precious peerage members so easily.”
Riser sighed and nodded his head in pretend agreement that wasn't entirely pretend, “Yes, it's quite a sacrifice I've made in the name of keeping Rias from feeling insecure about our relationship. Sometimes it seems as if all I ever do is sacrifice for her. Being forced into that farce of a duel, giving up my peerage, if I were as willing to disregard my parents wishes as Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri are, I'd still be living my normal comfortable life rather than languishing in the human realm, alone.”
There was a brief flash of annoyance on Diodora's face at blink and you'd miss it speeds. He didn't appreciate Riser turning his needling into a chance to reinforce his position as the aggrieved party. Not wanting to give Riser more chances to look good, Diodora nodded along and ended the conversation right then, “Ture, true. Ah, I see some others I wished to greet. It was good to see you again Riser-kun.”
Diodora didn't wait for a goodbye from Riser and quickly left the area. Riser fought not to smirk at his verbal victory or scowl at the reminder that Diodora existed. He'd just about forgotten about that disgusting little bastard. Riser didn't necessarily consider himself to be a good person but even he wouldn't do something as low as Diodora. Really, tricking nuns into getting excommunicated and then reincarnating them so he could torture them into near mindless dolls? It was sick and something he needed to put a stop to.
Now wasn't the time for that though, unfortunately. Otherwise he would have incinerated Diodora on sight. He would have gotten away with it too by claiming he did it to protect the Underworld and prevent the resumption of the Great War. A single look at Diodora's peerage would quickly prove Riser was in the right and had done a great service. The problem would be the length of time the investigation would take and the damage it would do to his reputation, even after he was proved right. All anyone would remember is that he was the guy who slaughtered a fellow devil for no reason at his own congratulatory ball.
Not a good look.
It was fine. He'd hunt down Diodora after Kokabiel was dealt with. Until then... He resumed his walk toward his target with a grind on his face. As he approached a handsome man a little younger than himself with black hair and violet eyes that was very tall with a rather muscular build. Riser held his hand out toward the man, “Sairaorg Bael, it's good to see you.”
Riser could see the clear confusion on Sairaorg's face as he automatically reached out to return the handshake. He didn't blame Sairaorg for his confusion. The last few times they'd med, before he changed, Riser had been rather condescending and arrogant toward him. A typical noble asshole, as it were.
As their hands met, Riser chose to squeeze Sairaorg's hand as hard as he could, knowing full well that it had no chance of hurting the much stronger man. He grinned when he saw Sairaorg's eyes open in shock at the strength Riser displayed. Mostly because it was not something that he would have ever expected from Riser, “That's quite a grip you got there. Want to spar?!”
Riser grinned broadly as they ended the handshake, “Thanks, I've been making some changes to how I do things. As for a spar, I would love to. Though, I do believe now isn't the best time.” He could see the look of disappointment Sairaorg sported and continued, “But, if you're willing to make a trip to the human realm, I've got noting but time on my hands, and excellent gym, and plenty of space for a good spar, or ten.”
By the time Riser finished speaking, Sairaorg was practically vibrating in place with excitement. The beautiful woman next to Sairaorg with blonde hair and blue eyes, rolled said eyes as she exclaimed, “Now you've done it.”
Riser gave the blonde an unrepentant grin, “Good to see you again as well Kuisha.”
Kuisha studied Riser curiously. The last time they'd met, Riser had made quite a few comments suggesting she should leave Sairaorg's peerage for his own. Though none of them crossed the line, she hadn't enjoyed speaking with him. Seeing him now, she would almost think he was a different person if he didn't still have that same air of arrogance that seemed to scream 'I'm better than you.' though, she would admit, it was much less than it was in previous engagements.
Riser looked between the pair and smiled a bit sardonically, “Aside from greeting you, I also came over here to offer the pair of you my apologies.” That got looks of surprise from both of them, “It is no excuse, but in the past I was feeling quite a lot of pressure due to the marriage contract with Rias. Her negative attitude got beneath my skin and I ended it reflecting it on others.”
He could see the contemplative looks on their faces. Sairaorg was not just Rias's cousin, but her favorite cousin. He knew her well and wasn't blind to her flaws, despite his deep familial love for her. Both he and Kuisha had heard plenty of negative things about Riser from her mouth, some of which had been true, most of which had been exaggerations. They could see how Riser might have become frustrated and stressed with the situation.
Riser continued, “So, I apologize for my previous behavior and I hope that we can move forward and leave the past in the past.” He grinned playfully, “If it helps, I'll even let you both, literally, knock my block off a few times.”
That got a boisterous laugh from Sairaorg and a light giggle from Kuisha, she was the one to say, “I believe we'll take you up on that.”
Riser chuckled, “Excellent, I'll look forward to it. Now, if you will excuse me, I see there are others I need to take some time to greet.”
After a round of goodbyes, Riser moved into the crowd and began to schmooze with the nobility. He made sure everyone was aware of the terrible sacrifices he was making just to make Rias happy. It also helped that her only concession had been leaving Issei in the Underworld to be educated on proper etiquette. Something every noble that witnessed his behavior agreed was necessary as Rias clearly couldn't train him properly. That one concession of hers actually came off as a black mark rather than a sacrifice of some sort. It definitely brought Riser a bit of pleasure to make sure everyone remembered that.
After around an hour of mingling, silence slowly filled the venue as Sirzechs finally arrived with Grayfia at his side. The pair made their way to a small stage setup so everyone would be able to see him when he stood upon it. Riser found Rias standing next to Sona and made his way over to join her. He knew they would need to be seen together for whatever happened next. He suspected what Sirzechs planned to do but didn't know exactly how he would go about it.
Finally, with the venue completely silent, Sirzechs addressed the crowd, “Good evening Lords and Ladies. We are all gathered here tonight to have a proper celebration of the engagement between my younger sister, Lady Rias Gremory, and her future husband, Lord Riser Phenex.”
There was a polite smattering of applause from the crowd before he continued, “As you are all, no doubt, aware, my behavior during their initial engagement party was very unbecoming of someone of my station.” A spotlight came to life and focused on where Rias and Riser were standing, “For that, I apologize to both of you. I can only say that my excitement at seeing the Legendary Red Dragon Emperor reincarnated into a devil, especially by my little sister, set my imagination on fire. I can only apologize for my selfish behavior, especially toward you Riser. I apologize for leaving your with no choice in the matter and accidentally snubbing you at the same time.”
He lifted his arm toward Grayfia, who was holding a long, thin, object wrapped in cloth, “As a part of my apology to you, Riser, I offer this gift.”
Grayfia carefully unwrapped just enough of the item for everyone to see that it was a sword, “I present to you, Arondight! The holy sword of Lancelot cursed by his madness.”
There were gasps of shock followed by loud applause from the majority of people watching events unfold. Arondight was a legendary sword said to be on par with Excalibur, the real Excalibur at its prime. It was an exceptionally powerful sword that hadn't had a wielder in almost fifteen hundred years. Due to its nature as a cursed holy sword neither devils nor man could wield the blade. To do so would require someone 'evil', like a devil, also being capable of wielding a Holy Sword. It was something considered impossible by everyone. Still, while it was considered useless as a weapon, it was still considered to be an item of great prestige. A powerful holy weapon wielded by their enemies that had been tainted beyond repair.
Rias and Riser were not among those shocked or applauding. Rias had paled drastically and was openly gaping at the gift her brother was giving Riser. She hadn't had a chance, or any desire really, to inform anyone that Riser could wield holy weapons. Why would she when she knew it would only give Riser a large amount of prestige for spitting in Heavens eye? She deeply regretted remaining silent now. With that sword in hand Riser would become that much stronger!
Riser, on the other hand, was doing everything in his power to not burst into mad cackling. If Sirzechs took Riser's face turning red as a sign of embarrassment or anger at being given a 'useless' gift, he didn't show it. Well, aside from a smug little smile that most would take as pride in a good gift being given.
After letting the applause die down, Riser, gently leading Rias, made his way toward the stage where he would be expected to take the gift into his possession. As they approached, Sirzechs accepted the still mostly wrapped weapon from Grayfia. Even he couldn't touch the sword directly without it burning his flesh. Oh, just holding it wouldn't kill him or do too much damage, but it wouldn't do for him to sizzle like a steak in front of the crowd.
As Riser stepped close, Sirzechs held the sword out to him, “Take this, with my apologies. I hope we can put the past behind us and move toward a better future, as family.”
Riser could tell that Sirzechs hated saying those words, at least he assumed that was the reason for the minor twitch from his lips. Riser reached toward the sword with one hand, “Apology accepted Lord Lucifer.”
As he said Sirzechs assumed name, he grasped Arondight by the handle. Gasps of shock went through the crowd, even Sirzechs looked shocked by Riser's action. His shock only grew when not only did Riser not scream in agony, no scent of burning flesh filled the room. He watched, a little horrified, as Riser calmly drew the sword from the cloth and held it without a care in the world, “This is a fine gift indeed.”
Dead silence filled the venue as Riser calmly held one of the, if not the, most powerful swords in existence without issue when they all knew it should have been killing him. No one said anything for a long moment. The silence was eventually shattered, violently, by Sairaorg's boisterous laughter. That seemed to set everyone off as everyone seemed to be trying to talk to everyone else about what they were witnessing. Noise filled the area as anything else Sirzechs might have wanted to say was forgotten in the excitement of witnessing the 'impossible'.
Riser gave Sirzechs a small smirk before making his way off of the stage. He knew the stories of Arondight and while he, personally, didn't consider it to be on par with a whole Excalibur, it was definitely a powerful sword. For starters, just holding it filled his body with strength making him stronger, faster, and more durable, even more than Total Concentration Breathing did. Second, he could feed demonic power into the sword, which would amplify it, and then launch that power with a swing to unleash a potentially devastating blast. Lastly, and possibly most impressive, the sword could absorb one attack it blocked, whether physical or magical, and then unleash the absorbed attack with double its power at any time of his choosing. Though the sword could only hold a single attack at a time.
[System Alert! Hidden Quest Complete!
Famous? Infamous? It's all the same.
You used to have a certain reputation in the Underworld, and let's be honest here, you earned that one. But now? Holy hell kid! Your old reputation is dead and gone for good! Not only did you overhaul your name into something impressive, you did so with an 'impossible' feat cementing your name as Legendary! Fuck yeah!
Reward: Quirk: Overhaul (My Hero Academia)]
Riser nearly stumbled as he was waling away from the stage. Fucking Overhaul?! That power was pure one hundred percent bullshit overpowered! Unfortunately, it only came with the very basics on how to use the ability, mostly to keep him from accidentally turning anyone he touched into a red mist. It was an especially good thing since he was holding hands with Rias as they walked, just to put on a good front. Things would have gotten extremely ugly if he'd turned her into particulate matter on accident.
He would definitely need to find time to practice with his new ability. If he got good enough, there was literally nothing he couldn't do with it. He literally had the power to rearrange matter to his will at his fingertips. He was definitely going to have a lot of fun with that!
Unfortunately, it would have to wait until they were back in the human realm, after this now interminable party was over. Could he go home yet?
-----Line Break-----
Riser, Kiba, and Koneko all paused in their individual work outs as Kiba's phone rang. Riser glanced at Kiba and actually felt slightly proud of Kiba, and himself, when he spotted the boy. When Riser brought home Arondight the night before, Kiba had just looked at the sword and then dismissed it. He hadn't gone ape-shit and tried to break it or anything! It showed Kiba's attitude really had changed after their little 'heart-to-heart' the other day.
Kiba answered the phone while the other two watched. As he listened, he suddenly straightened up while his eyes narrowed. Finally, he spoke, “I understand. We'll be there shortly.”
He hung up and turned to face Koneko, “Rias has called for us. Those church girls didn't listen and stayed in town. One of them was just spotted, hurt and unconscious. Rias wants us, “He glanced at Riser and grimaced, “Not you, to come to her to find out what's going on.”
Riser watched Kiba and Koneko leave, not bothering to follow them since he knew where they would all end up. Kokabiels plan doesn't seem to have changed despite the death of Freed and the missing Excalibur Rapidly that was now in Riser's possession. He'd confirmed which sword he'd stolen from Freed last night by giving it a little test. The speed boost was pretty impressive, but was less than what he got from Arondight. Not surprising since one sword is a fragment of a broken blade and the other is a whole blade.
He took his time getting cleaned off and dressed in something nice before teleporting over to the Occult Research Club at Kuoh Academy. If things went as he expected... He smirked when Kokabiel appeared with a fat bald ex-priest and three pieces of Excalibur. The ex-priest, Valper Galilei, immediately began working on a complex Alchemical diagram that Riser knew was meant to fuse the swords together.
Watching Kokabiel summon his large floating throne platform made Riser scoff. If anyone ever asked, no he wasn't jealous of how cool it looked. He could go out and probably kill Valper, at least, before the others arrived but he didn't want to deprive Kiba of the opportunity. So, he chose to pass the time in an appropriate manner. He held a small ball made of steel in his right hand while using Overhaul to constantly reshape it. Sometimes he made spikes appear, sometimes he reshaped it into a rough figurine, other times he turned it into dust that quickly reformed into a ball again.
That was an interesting aspect of the ability. Once he shattered something into particles, he had a few seconds to reassemble them into something else. After those few seconds, the item would remain as split particles and was impossible for him to put back together again. The exorcise he was doing was giving him much better control over the ability. With a LOT more practice he would be able to do some truly impressive things. Like reforging his body and making it even more powerful!
Erm, but only after he completely understood exactly how devil physiology worked so he didn't destroy all the effort he'd put into making himself stronger thus far. He was greedy and wanted to be stronger so he had nothing to fear from people like Kokabiel, but he also wasn't an idiot willing to rush ahead and do something stupid.
So he calmly and carefully practiced his ability on the steel ball while he waited for the show to get on the road.
It wasn't a very long wait, maybe twenty minutes, before a barrier snapped into place over the academy. He smiled to himself, knowing it was Sona and her peerage powering the barrier meant to keep the damage from fighting Kokabiel from spreading. A few moments after that his cell phone began to ring, surprising him. He pulled it out and was further surprised to see it was Rias calling him. Curious, he flipped the phone open, “This is unexpected.”
“Shut up and listen to me. Kokabiel was the one behind the theft of the Excalibur's from the church. He's currently at the school and has threatened to destroy the entire city. Akeno has already informed my brother, but it will take him an hour to arrive. Without Issei I don't believe we have enough strength to handle a Cadre like Kokabiel. I need you to join us at the school in holding him off until my brother arrives.”
Riser had to admit, he was very surprised by what he heard. Rias admitting she needed help? From him? It seemed like even with God dead there were still miracles to be found. He was very tempted to say something petty or make her beg, but he was above that now. Instead, he simply told her the truth, “I'm already here, in the ORC room. I can see Kokabiel from where I'm sitting.”
“Why are you, no, never mind, that's not important. Does this mean I can count on your help?”
Riser grinned and looked at Arondight sitting to the side leaning against the couch, “You can.”
“We'll be there shortly.”
After that, she hung up. Riser calmly closed his flip phone and stuck it in his pocket, “How interesting. I never would have expected Rias to actually ask me for help.” He rose to his feet, dropping the steel ball on the ground and collecting Arondight, “I have no idea what's about to happen but...” He narrowed his eyes at the unsuspecting Kokabiel sitting in his summoned throne, “I can't help feeling excited!”
Riser had always enjoyed a good fight. Not necessarily against opponents completely out of his league, but he'd always enjoyed his Rating Games. He'd honestly despised the ones where he'd been forced to lose for political reasons, being a third son meant he was as much of a piece on his Father's board as hi girls were on his board. Yet now, now he was growing stronger every day. Devils admired and longed for strength. Even with the new way the four current Satans wanted things to be, it was a part of their very being. They worshiped and adored the strong.
Riser wanted to be one of the strong. He would no longer settle for what he had before. Was it his new memories? The new abilities he seemed to be getting daily? The near euphoric feeling of knowing, without a doubt, that every day he pushed himself he got that much stronger?
He didn't know. All he knew for sure was that he was loving every moment of his life since he woke up that fateful morning, even if some of it was unfair. He now knew there were monsters and dangers in the world that could eat him alive, that even his regenerative abilities couldn't protect him from, and he didn't fear them. Not anymore. Instead, standing there and staring at Kokabiel, a Fallen Angel that had the strength to wipe him out, he felt his heart hammering and adrenaline flooding his veins.
His lips curled into a bloodthirsty grin. He was excited!
Riser took a deep breath and slowly exhaled a cloud of steam as his body temperature rose rapidly with his building excitement. A burst of power erupted from his back and propelled him out of the ORC room, shattering the window and the wall surrounding it. He'd apologize for the damage later.
Kokabiel looked over just as Riser ignited his flame wings, his mastery over it letting him form the orange Hellfire flames into detailed feathers. He casually flew toward Kokabiel with Arondight in his right hand, the flat of the blade casually resting on his shoulder. He came to a stop a short distance away from the fallen leader, his grin not fading in the least as he got the barest sense of Kokabiel's prodigious might, “So, you're the one making a fuss.”
Kokabiel's yellow eyes with red sclera were rather disconcerting to look at as they gave him a very clearly 'evil' look that would make it impossible for anyone to confuse him with a good person. Kokabiel asked in a bored voice, “And you are?”
Riser gave a mock bow while smirking, “Pardon my rudeness, I am Riser Phenex, third son of the glorious House of Phenex and fiance to Rias Gremory.”
He threw that last bit in just to intrigue Kokabiel. Judging by the way Kokabiel was now giving him a somewhat more interested look, it seemed to have worked.
“Hoh? Is that so? Are you here to stop me from killing your future bride?”
“Something like that. You see, I honestly wouldn't mind in the least if you were to kill Rias. There's no love lost between us. However, her death would actually be problematic for me on a personal level. That sis-con she calls her older brother will throw a huge hissy fit and your-dead-dad forbid that man be given any reason to be angry with me for 'failing to protect his precious Ria-tan' or something equally ridiculous. Frankly, you killing Rias would probably lead to that idiot sis-con trying to kill me, not you.”
Kokabiel seemed a little surprised for a moment before he threw his head back and laughed, “That's good! So what? Are you going to fight me and die at my hands just to keep from being killed at the hands of that Lucifer brat?”
Riser waved his left hand in a dismissive manner, “No, nothing of the sort. I was just hoping to ask you to go commit suicide elsewhere.”
Kokabiels jovial attitude vanished in an instant. When he spoke his tone was deadly serious and threatened a great amount of pain if Riser's answer wasn't satisfactory, “Choose your next words very carefully.”
Riser calmly shrugged his shoulders, “Correct me if I'm wrong. Your Brother Lucifer was stronger than you right?” Kokabiel stayed quiet but didn't argue so Riser assumed he was right, “The new Lucifer, that loser sis-con Sirzechs, is even stronger than your brother Lucifer was. You're going out of your way to pick a fight with Sirzechs who could kill Lucifer, who could probably kill you. How is that not a form of suicide?”
Kokabiel'ss answer was to snap his fingers and summon a massive spear of light. Just being so close to it had Riser's hair standing on end as the sheer power of Light sent a shiver down his spine. Kokabiel narrowed his eyes at Riser as he flicked his finger in Riser's direction, “Die.”
The spear of light instantly crossed the short distance between it's very sharp point and risers chest giving him no chance at all of trying to block or dodge it. The spear ripped through Riser's body as if it were made of tissue paper before the widest part caught him and dragged him out of the air. Riser's sudden flight ended abruptly after being drive through the roof of the school gym. The instant the point of the spear touched the ground it detonated into a massive explosion of light.
Several gasps and exclamations of surprise drew Kokabiel's attention away from the crater that had once been a gym to see Rias and her peerage standing arrayed before him, “Ah, you've finally arrived. Though, I'm afraid, you will be in need of a new fiance.”
Rias looked at the crater that now represented Riser's grave in her mind. Despite how she acted, she didn't want Riser to die. She didn't want anyone to die, except perhaps Kokabiel now. She pried her eyes away from the scene, not wanting to see whatever would be left of Riser's corpse when the smoke and dust cleared. She glared up at Kokabiel, “You'll pay for that.”
Kokabiel laughed in her face. Once finished he looked curious, “So, who will be coming? Will it be Sirzechs? Or perhaps Serafall? I can hardly wait! But, in the meantime, how about a little something to pass the time?”
Just as he finished speaking, Valper finished what he was doing. A massive pillar of swirling golden light shot into the air. Kokabiel looked at the pillar and smirked, “It seems like the three Excalibur's have been fused together. Now, where was I? Ah, yes. Why don't you all have some fun and play with my pets?”
As the last word fell, a wide beam of magical power shot out from the bottom of his floating throne and hit the ground. A magic circle appeared on the ground and ripped it open to show a pool of lava. A huge pillar of flames burst from within it followed by the shadow of a massive monster with three heads that loudly roared as it appeared. Rias stared at the massive monster whose individual heads were each significantly larger than her entire body, “Cerberus!”
Rias glared at the giant three headed dog, “Koneko! Akeno! Kiba!”
After hearing only two replies, she turned to look and found Kiba missing. She grit her teeth and glanced in the direction of the pillar of light. She knew, without a doubt, that Kiba had gone there. He might have gotten over his desire to destroy all holy swords, but given what Irina had told them before she passed out, the man responsible for the deaths of Kiba's family was over there. With nothing else for it, Rias shouted once again, “Akeno! Koneko! Let's go!”
Rias and Akeno took to the air while Koneko ran on the ground. Akeno, after gaining a little height, did her impression of a magical girl costume change as she swapped from her Kuoh Academy Uniform into her Shrine Maiden outfit. As Rias flew higher, she shouted out, “Asia! Try and look for Riser and protect yourself!”
As the two girls flew in the air, another Cerberus appeared. Both of the giant three headed monster dogs aimed their mouths at Rias and Akeno. When their jaws opened streams of fire blasted out trying to burn their targets down. Rias adroitly dodged them while Akeno summoned up freezing winds that snuffed out the flames.
While Rias launched blasts of her Power of Destruction, and Akeno unleashed powerful bolts of lightning, Koneko... breathed deeply. As she inhaled and started using Total concentration Breathing, her whole body seemed to sweel for just a moment as her already exceptional physical might was amplified to another level. She charged in on foot and jumped into the air. With a soft, 'Hei' she performed a devastating heel drop that shattered the skull of the head she kicked outright. She had a delicate little smile on her face at the results of the technique Riser had chosen to teach her.
Kokabiel arched an eyebrow at the sight of the tiniest devil dealing the most damage to one of his little pets. He wasn't overly concerned about it, the Cerberus were only about as strong as a devil the upper end of High Class. Still, there was definitely something odd about the way she was breathing. He'd never seen, or even heard of, anything like it. New was interesting, far more interesting than the Gremory girl who just lobbed her clan power around ineffectually or his ex-comrades useless daughter firing off regular lightning attacks when she should have Barakiel's Holy Lightning. At least the Holy Lightning would have an effect on the 'evil' aligned Cerberus.
He lamented the waste of talent arrayed before him. Back in the day, when times were good and blood flowed, the three little girls before him would have been forced to be infinitely better than they currently were. Akeno would have been heavily punished for neglecting something as powerful as heaven's lightning while Rias would have been trained in how to properly harness her power. Seriously, who thought it was a good idea to leave her in such a state? It was just plain embarrassing!
He quietly watched as his third Cerberus, the one unnoticed by the three girls attacking his first two, calmly stalked up behind the little ex-nun with Twilight Healing. He'd been mildly irked when he heard she'd not only survived Raynare's attentions, but been revived as a devil. Twilight Healing was a powerful healing artifact, one he would much prefer not being in the hands of the devils. Well, it looked like he was about to get his wish.
He quietly watched as the Cerberus opened it's three mouths. The nun none the wiser as she tried to search what little rubble she could for the very dead Phenex brat. She'd be lucky if she found a piece big enough to even recognize as a part of his body. He watched in silent anticipation of the first casualty of his little war. First blood, as it were.
The Cerberus lunged, it's jaws closing. He watched closely as the Cerberus's jaws snapped shut and the nun vanished for good. He threw his head back and laughed, “First blood! How do you like that Gremory?!”
Rias looked over to where Asia had been just a moment ago and saw a Cerberus with no sign of her Bishop and friend. Her eyes widened in horror as she realized what had happened. She roared in rage while conjuring up the biggest blast of her Power of Destruction that she could handle and threw it at Kokabiel with a scream.
The Power of Destruction ripped through the air with deadly purpose, until it met Kokabiel's casually raised hand and came to a complete stop. Kokabiel looked at the swirling ball of black and red energy that he held in place with contemptuous ease, “Is that all?”
Seeing Rias staring at him, uncomprehending of how he'd stopped her power so easily, he scoffed and lobbed her own power back at her. She quickly came out of her stupor and managed to dodge the blast. When it hit the ground it erupted and erased a large portion of the school.
“I'm bored. You're boring. The only one of you even remotely interesting is the little girl, and even that's only by the tiniest amount of curiosity.”
“Maybe I can make things a little more interesting?”
Everything paused as all eyes in the area locked onto the voice of a supposedly dead man. Kokabiel stared in disbelief at Riser, standing tall, with Asia standing by his side. His disbelief quickly changed into interest as he observed the clearly completely unharmed boy, “Interesting! I wonder how you survived. That spear should have had more than enough power to completely erase you. Yet, here you stand.”
Riser smirked at Kokabiel from where he stood. He'd learned three things from the light spear he'd been hit with. First, it hurt like a mother fucker and was not a pleasant experience. Second, Kokabiel couldn't kill him. While he was certain that first spear hadn't been nearly the limit of Kokabiels power, the damage it had managed to do to him had healed as fast as it had happened. His Phoenix Devil Fruit healing was more powerful than he had ever expected and it filled him with glee. Third, the defensive bonus provided by Arondight was not insignificant against light spells.
As Kokabiel and Riser stared off, the battle between the devils and the Cerberus resumed. Kokabiel made no move to interfere as he watched Riser with rapt attention. Riser gripped Arondight tightly in his right hand as the Cerberus that had tried to eat Asia turned to face him. Riser inhaled deeply, his whole body seeming to swell as his power grew from his use of Total Concentration Breathing. He wasted no time and immediately dashed toward the massive beast with Arondight held high.
Riser was no swordsman. He'd never practiced it at all until he'd moved to the human world. Thankfully, Kiba was willing to spar with him and since he didn't bruise, Kiba had been more than happy to violently point out any mistakes Riser made. Riser had gotten a very violent, very fast paced, education in swordsmanship. He would barely qualify as an apprentice, but it was definitely more than enough to deal with a nearly wild animal.
As he closed in with the Cerberus, he jumped into the air and summoned his ornate wings of fire. At the same time, his feet erupted into compressed jets of flame that pushed him through the air at great speed. Arondight sliced through the air and cleanly bisected the Cerberus while riser flew past.
At the same time, Xenovia with Excalibur Destruction in hand jumped from out of nowhere and decapitated one head from another of the Cerberus. Kokabiel arched an eyebrow at her appearance but then dismissed her. Xenovia posed zero threat to him. Riser was still the far more interesting one to watch.
A few moments and a few combination attacks later and every last Cerberus was defeated. Kokabiel looked down at them from his throne as if in judgment, “Well, I guess that wasn't too bad.”
Kokabiel stood from his seat and stared at Riser with a sickening grin on his face, “But, you're the most interesting one here!”
Blinding golden light came from where Valper was fusing the Excalibur's together. Kokabiel looked over and smirked, “It looks like the process has finished.” He faced toward the gathering of devils once again, “Valper used the power of this very land to perform his ritual, in less than twenty minutes the entire city will be destroyed from the backlash.” He spread his arms and laughed, “The only way to stop it, is to defeat me!”
He lowered his arms and stared down at them, “What will you do...” All five pairs of his raven black wings burst from his back, “Riser Phenex?!”
riser stared up at the clearly insane Kokabiel who was staring down at him with a look that made him feel like his virtue was about to be tainted. He didn't let it get to him through as he pointed Arondight right at Kokabiel, “I'm going to make you wish I had killed you, of course.”
Kokabiel threw his head back and laughed, “Yes! Yes! This is what I want!” His throne vanished leaving him floating in the air while he stared down at Riser, “Fight me to the death Riser Phenex! Fight with everything you have!”
[System Alert! New Quest!
It's time to D-d-d-dd-ddd- Duel!
Kokabiel is one dumbass bird eh? I mean, he picked a fight with you! Sure, you're weaker than him, slower than him, and... I forget where I was going with this. In either case... FIGHT!
Option 1: Fight with Kokabiel until help arrives.
Option 2: Fight with Kokabiel until Vali gets bored, gets off his lazy ass, and actually does was daddy Azazel old him to do.
Option 3: Pull some shit out of your ass and actually defeat Kokabiel.
Reward: Varies based on the option taken.]
Riser's response was a feral grin as flames erupted from around his entire body. His flames roared as the basic orange Hellfire was joined by the blue and yellow flames of his Phoenix Devil Fruit. The very ground he stood on began to smoke, and then glow a dull orange as he tapped into the full might of his vastly improved Demonic Power. Working out his body might increase his physical might faster, but it still helped improve his Demonic power as well. His Total Concentration Breathing added even more power to his flames as he resumed using it.
Kokabiel watched, enthralled, as Riser's power rose from the peak of High Class to firmly into the Ultimate Class. Granted the boy was obviously using outside help, such as the sword he was gripping. Kokabiel was sure he knew the blade, but he couldn't recall it off the top of his head. He'd seen tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of swords in his lifetime. Remembering them all was impossible, even if he just stuck to the most powerful ones.
Riser crouched, power building in his legs, until he released it all in a powerful jump that shattered the ground as he launched himself into the air with great force. Moments after leaving the ground flames roared to life from his feet and propelled him through the air even faster. Kokabiel laughed and conjured a sword made of solid light to meet Riser's clash head on.
Arondight and the sword of light clashed together with enough force to send out a heavy blast wave that sent both Rias and Akeno flying back from where they had been hovering in the air. Kokabiel's eyes opened in surprise as his sword of light vanished, eaten by Arondight's special ability. He barely felt the feather light touch of Riser's left hand before his entire world was agony.
Everyone watched in shock, and not a little horror, as all ten of Kokabiel's wings, his arms, and his legs, all exploded into a fine red mist leaving him limbless. The look on Kokabiels face showed he didn't understand what had just happened. He couldn't comprehend it even a little bit as he lost his ability to fly and fell to the ground where he lay like a worm in the sun.
[System Alert! Quest Complete!
It's time to D-d-d-dd-ddd- Duel!
What was that? No, seriously! What the fuck was that anti-climatic bullshit?! Where was the shounen shouting, the knock down drag out battle with everything on the line?! I want my fucking money back! Fuck you! You get the loser prize for this one!
Reward: Minor Light Resistance]
Riser ignored his clearly pouting system as he slowly lowered himself to the ground to stand over what little remained of Kokabiel. Riser smirked down at him, “I told you I was going to make you wish I had killed you. Now you can live for all of eternity, a prisoner in your own body, never able to fight properly again.”
Riser knelt down so he could look the shell-shocked Kokabiel right in his red eyes, “When people ask you what happened to you, be sure to tell them to never, ever, fuck with a Phenex or they'll wish I was as merciful to them as I was to you.”
-----Line Break-----
AN
So.. yeah. First, 10.1k words.
Second, third chapter in 3 days? I blame all of you awesome people for the great reception this story has gotten. It's really energized me and made me want to keep writing it. Every discussion with you all gives me more inspiration and the words just flow freely.
Third, Riser's reward from the last chapter. I loved your ideas, and I wrote them all down as possible future rewards, but as I was going to sleep the idea of making Riser immune to all effects of Sacred Gears popped in my head and made me excited so I chose it. It's powerful, for sure, but it doesn't make him invincible in the least. It just makes Sacred Gears useless against him. That'll probably come in handy when Vali's lazy ass shows up next chapter.
Fourth, Kokabiel getting bitch slapped. Honestly? I couldn't think of a single reason that Riser wouldn't be able to touch Kokabiel with just a single finger. Especially if he caught Kokabiel completely off guard. So, yeah, Riser turned Kokabiel into a quadriplegic with a touch. Considering Kokabiel's hardon for war? I can't think of a worse punishment for him.
Anyway, let me know what you all think of this latest installment of The Phenex Rises! I really look forward to your input!
Comments
Cody S.
Thanks!
Cody S.
Thank you for reading it. I am sorry you were frustrated. I really did only intend to do the one chapter but the overwhelming positive response kept it stuck in my mind and inspired me. I'm glad you liked it though!
WarElf
The system at the end was pretty funny and this chapter was pretty good and enjoyable
Lictor Magnus
Ya know, when I saw the first snippet, I was like ah I’ll read that later. Then when chapter 2 dropped I was frustrated because I knew it was time away from game master. When this chapter dropped I decided to give it a read to see why we got more of it. Have read everything now, all my frustration is gone. This story is great! Of your three dxd stories this one has definitely had the strongest start.
