Madness: DxD

Dying Light

Rias: Formation Delta. Again. No holding back this time.

Again. They always want more. Like moths. Like rivals.

Y/N: You've said that every winter since you were eighteen. It's adorable how optimism survives repeated trauma.

Akeno: Ara~ you say that, yet you're smiling.

Y/N: Open those eyes and you'll see something else entirely.

She's asian. I don't think she can.

Kiba: We're ready, Y/N.

Xenovia: This time, I'll cleave you in two.

She wants to touch you so badly. Disgusting.

Y/N: Get in line. Take a number. Try not to slip on the snow.

They move. Rias's power flares crimson, Akeno's lightning crackles violet, Kiba vanishes in a blur, Xenovia charges head-on, Koneko is already gone, Rossweisse chants under her breath, Gasper peeks out from behind Asia, and Issa unleashes her balance breaker.

Too many. They don't deserve this much of you.

Issa: Don't go easy on us, old man.

Y/N: I raised you. I know every bad habit you have, including the one where you telegraph your right hook.

Issa: Tch—!

She lunges. I pivot, tap her shoulder with two fingers, and she stumbles past me.

Y/N: See? That one.

Rias: Don't break formation!

Too late. I duck under a sword swing, step inside Xenovia's guard, and flick her forehead.

Xenovia: ...Ow.

Mercy is wasted on people who want to impress you.

Y/N: That was mercy. Write it down.

Lightning screams. I grab Akeno's wrist mid-cast and redirect the bolt into the ground. Snow explodes upward.

Akeno: My, my.

She flirts when she's frustrated. She wants your attention.

Y/N: Flirting later. Focus now.

Kiba's blade meets the ground. I twist, disarm him, and hand the sword back hilt-first.

Still kneeling to ideals. You grew past those. He didn't.

Y/N: You're improving. Still thinking like a knight, though. This isn't a duel.

Kiba: Understood.

Koneko appears behind me. I lean back just enough for her punch to miss, and gently poke her forehead.

Koneko: ...Again?

Y/N: Again.

Rossweisse's magic circle completes. I toss a snowball through it. The spell fizzles.

Rossweisse: That was a sophisticated—

Y/N: Failure. You leave yourself vulnerable when chanting.

Gasper squeaks. I tap his forehead.

Y/N: Breathe. You're fine.

Thirty seconds later, everyone's either on the ground, kneeling, or glaring.

Rias: Thirteen years.

They count years like they matter. You're eternal to me.

Y/N: Twelve and a half. You took summers off.