Issei leaned against the wall outside Rias's room, waiting for her to finish getting ready. He knocked on the door. "You almost done?"
"Just a second," Rias called back. After the sounds of hasty movement, Rias stepped out. "Okay, let's go."
They began to walk. "What was all that noise?" Issei asked.
"Nothing. Are you going to use the Triaina? Nobody knows about it, so this would be the perfect time to show it to the world."
"I think so too. Zach and I talked it over last night."
"Did he tell you anything else?"
"Just to be careful. We don't know much of anything about Sairaorg's Pawn, so Zach recommended us to keep an especially close eye on him."
"Solid advice. Let's hope it's useful."
"Yeah."
BGM: Persona 5 - Keeper of Lust
"Ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer called out to the stadium. He was a cultist, like every other resident of the Temple, but had totally dropped the mysterious mannerisms of his peers in favor of a more enthusiastic persona. "Welcome to the semifinals of the annual Tournament of the Black Temple! We've got some exciting competitors for you today!"
The audience cheered. It was made of citizens from the devils, angels, and fallen angels, as well as cultists and people hailing from other mythologies. A number of Valkyries had made the journey, along with various deities in VIP booths.
"Without further ado, allow me to present today's first set of competitors! Coming from the north gate, he's the strongest of the young devils! The man with the muscles to make Heracles jealous and his loyal but mysterious Pawn, it's Sairaorg Bael and Regulus!"
Sairaorg and Regulus walked out onto the battlefield, waving to the crowd as they cheered.
"And coming from the south gate, they're the latest and greatest power couple in the Underworld! The Red Dragon Emperor and his Princess of Ruin! Issei Hyoudou and Rias Gremory!"
As Issei and Rias walked out, the crowd's cheers became more enthusiastic. Various people in the stands brought out their merchandise from Issei's show, as well as a few banners showing their support for Issei.
"They really love you, huh?" Rias noted.
"I guess so, yeah." Issei sheepishly waved to the crowd. "I was expecting there to be less people..."
"This is one of the biggest events of the year. And with how famous you are, how could all these people not come?"
"We welcome both of you. Now then." The announcer cleared his throat. "Are there any final things you'd like to say to each other?"
Sairaorg smiled. "Only that whatever the result, I know this is going to be one of the most fun battles I ever have."
Issei nodded. "Yeah, same here. But I know the result. I'm gonna kick your ass."
"We're going to kick your ass," Rias corrected. "Together."
"Good luck to both teams, and..." The announcer clapped twice. "BEGIN!"
From the fighters' perspective, all four of them were transported to a massive open plain, the ground covered in white mist. More stars than any of them had ever seen at one time were in the sky and the sun was in the middle of a solar eclipse. From the audience's perspective, nothing had changed, and the fighters were still standing on the battlefield.
BGM: Destiny: Rise of Iron - Eyes Up
Issei activated his Balance Breaker. "Let's do this! I'm gonna destroy you!" He charged Sairaorg, who responded with the exact same attack. Their fists hit each other's faces, similarly to how their sparring match had gone. Issei's power boosted a few times, giving him the upper hand and pushing Sairaorg away.
Sairaorg wiped the blood off his face. "That was a good punch. I could definitely feel the passion in your attack."
"A whole lot more where that came from!"
Regulus slipped off his golden mask. His hair grew wild and turned gold. His arms and legs turned into golden paws.
Rias took a step back. "What is this...?"
Regulus continued to transform until he took the shape of a giant golden lion.
Zach, watching from the stands, recognized the creature immediately. "That's the Nemean Lion!"
"Oh, I've heard about that. Heracles fought it, didn't he?" Rossweisse recalled.
Koneko leaned over the edge. "Then shouldn't it be dead?"
"It was sealed into a Sacred Gear," Zach corrected. "It's called Regulus Nemea, one of the Longinus. But Azazel said its most recent user had gone missing."
YOU ARE READING
DxD: Ascension - Redux
FanfictionZach Praktum is a hero with his name etched into history. In his world, at least. But when a mysterious gauntlet transports him to an alternate universe with new rules and new people, he must find new friends and fight to protect his new home while...
