Naruto frowned as he stared at the monitor with a hard expression. Issei and Regulus were really going at it. Shockwaves were crashing all over the battlefield, tearing it apart like it was flimsier than soggy ramen noodles. The constant reverberations didn't reach them here in the Stadium, but the camera that allowed them to view the battle taking place was constantly breaking in and out, static causing the screen to fuzz every so often.
"Mode Change! Welsh Dragon Invincible Queen!"
Having promoted himself to Queen, Issei quickly transformed his armor into something completely unlike anything Naruto or the others had seen. His body became more streamlined, thinner, and one hand changed into a sword-like appendage, while the other had transformed into what Naruto could only describe as a gun barrel. His tail grew longer and looked more like crystal.
"Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!"
With the power of his Balance Breaker, Issei boosted himself without limit. As his power increased, he aimed his hand at Regulus and blasted him with an innumerable amount of projectiles. They appeared as basketball-sized bullets.
Regulus tried to punch one of them away, but that turned out to be a huge mistake when it exploded in his face, sending him flying backward. He slammed into the ground. The area around him collapsed forming a massive crater. Issei didn't relent. He kept up a heavy barrage of projectile fire, which constantly pounded into Regulus, who found himself unable to even move.
Naruto thought this might be the end for Regulus. There was so much firepower being slammed into that crater, detonating with enough force that the screen shook as shockwaves and powerful ripples spread across the battlefield. Massive gouts of flame went up. The cracks along the ground spread further. It looked like Issei was pouring all of his energy into utterly destroying Regulus.
Finally, the constant barrage of firepower ceased, and Issei frowned as he stared into the now dissipating fire. The energy died down. When the area was cleared of dust and smoke, it revealed a massive crater at least sixty meters wide.
Regulus was not there.
Issei already knew he hadn't killed Regulus since the announcement of Regulus retiring hadn't been made. He looked around but couldn't see anything. It was as if the other Pawn had disappeared.
"Where do you think Regulus is?" asked Xenovia as she stared at the screen.
"I don't know." Akeno frowned, bit her lip, and then shook her head. "An attack like that would have defeated anyone else, but the announcement hasn't been made, so Regulus is obviously still alive. My guess is he somehow slipped away from the attack without anyone noticing and is trying to be quiet so Ise-kun doesn't find him. Maybe he's planning a surprise attack."
"Either way, let us hope Ise can counter whatever attack that lion has planned," Rias said in a gave voice. The others nodded.
"Regulus is still under ground," Koneko said suddenly.
Everyone turned to her.
"Can you sense where Regulus is, Koneko?" asked Rias.
Koneko nodded, though she said nothing else. Naruto theorized that she was using Sage Mode to feel out where Regulus was. Sage Mode did allow people to sense the eb and flow of foreign energy. He could have done the same, but since his chakra was constantly being stolen when he entered Sage Mode, he refused to even try.
Meanwhile, Issei had landed on the ground and was searching the area. He constantly turned his head left and right.
Just then, a crack appeared in the ground beneath him. Issei looked down. The crack grew, and then, quite suddenly, a figure burst from the ground and slammed a powerful fist into the underside of Issei's chin. The attack was so strong his helmet cracked as he was lifted into the air. Next, the figure, who Naruto realized was Regulus, rotated on the balls of his left foot and launched a heel kick at Issei that cause him in the chest while he was falling back down.
Regulus' kick must have been powerful, for when his heel met Issei's chest, a shockwave so strong that ground broke apart exploded between them. While Regulus only skidded across the ground, Issei was blasted through the sky. He shot backward so fast he was nothing but a blur. When he slammed into the ground, his body quickly tumbled across the grassy field, tearing out chunks of earth.
"Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!"
Despite the attack being powerful enough that a crack was running through Issei's Balance Breaker armor, the young pervert had no intention of giving up. He landed on his feet, skidded across the ground, and dug his hand into the grass until he finally came to a stop.
"Promotion to Knight!"
"Mode Change! Welsh Sonic Boost Knight!"
The dragon wings jutting from his back spread wide as he launched himself at Regulus. Boosters suddenly appeared on his back, spewing out magical power so dense they appeared as flames. His speed was so quick that he had already surpassed Kiba Yuuto at his fastest.
Issei was on Regulus within seconds, a sword suddenly shooting from the gauntlet on his left hand. That sword was Ascalon. It was a holy sword given to him by none other than Michael, the Archangel and leader of Heaven. He swung this heavenly blade at Regulus. The downward slash was fast enough that only a few people like Naruto could follow it.
Regulus must have been one of those people. He threw himself to the side as the sword flew down, missing and striking the ground. Despite having promoted himself to Knight, the amount of power Issei was packing was nothing to scoff at. The attack was so incredible that the ground in front of him split open, creating a massive chasm that was several dozen meters long and at least two meters wide.
"I didn't realize Ise had gotten so strong," Rias muttered in shock.
"This is a new ability he gained during his time in Kyoto," Naruto said with a small frown. "Normally, he can't activate this power unless he pokes Akeno's breasts, but I think his anger over Kiba's loss gave him an extra boost in strength and fueled his determination to get revenge on Kiba's behalf."
"He normally needs Akeno's breasts to activate this power?" Rias glanced at Akeno, who looked the other way and pretended she didn't notice her King's raised eyebrow.
"Issei is a pervert." Koneko shrugged like everything Naruto said made sense. "It's only natural that a pervert would activate his powers in a perverted way. He's a dragon perv bag deluxe. I'm honestly more shocked that he was able to activate his powers without poking Akeno's nips like they're a pair of doorbells."
"Thanks for that, Koneko," Akeno, for once, said something with an incredibly dry and sarcastic voice.
"You're welcome," Koneko replied like she didn't realize how Akeno felt about all this.
Back on the screen, the battle had picked up even more. Regulus had promoted himself to Knight and was using his speed to avoid Issei's attacks. Sadly, even though Issei was now stronger and faster than Regulus, it was clear that he hadn't trained with this speed very often. He was moving so fast his own reflexes couldn't keep up with him, which allowed his opponent to just barely slip around his attacks.
Issei also seemed to realize this. He didn't panic, though. With a flash of inspiration, or perhaps this was something he had planned all along, Issei spun around and attacked with his tail.
Regulus was caught off guard, which allowed Issei to wrap his tail around the Longinus spirit's leg, lifted him up, and begin repeatedly slamming him into the ground. Over and over the lion was sent crashing into the already destroyed earth. Cracks formed. Dents appeared. Regulus' body became beaten and bloody. Despite this, the lion spirit sealed within the Longinus didn't give up. He opened his mouth.
And roared.
The roar must have done something to Issei. The boy staggered backward and held a hand to his ears despite them being covered. His tail relaxed around Regulus' leg and allowed the lion to slip free. As he landed on the ground, Regulus pressed both hands into the cratered earth, lifted his legs, and kicked Issei with both feet.
A loud BOOM! echoed across the battlefield as Issei was blown off his feet and tumbled across the ground like a ragdoll. Regulus didn't let up. He put on an incredible burst of speed, caught up to Issei, and jumped into the air. Before Issei could fully recover, Regulus had landed on top of his chestplate, which shattered beneath the intense assault as the boy was slammed into the ground.
"Ise!"
At the loud shout, everyone turned to Akeno, who only now seemed to realize what she was doing and calmed down. Even so, her fists were trembling with emotion as she stared at the screen.
While the attack had clearly done some serious damage, Issei refused to give in and grabbed onto Regulus' legs. The lion spirit struggled to escape. However, just before he could really put up a fight, a powerful surge of energy shot through his body. Flames lit up his legs as if he had suddenly stepped into a pit of lava. Regulus' roar of pain was so agonized that even the audience was flinching sympathetically.
Then Regulus legs vanished.
It was hard to describe what happened. Naruto could only think of it as Regulus' legs being burned to ash by Issei's power. It was like they had disintegrated.
Regulus fell to the ground with a loud thump, and then Issei raised both of his legs and slammed them onto the human-shaped lion's chest in powerful double-heel drop. Regulus slammed into the ground. His body became battered and broken. His shoulder where Issei's heel slammed into him had clearly shattered. His arms and legs were bent at an awkward angle. He was lying in a crater shaped like his body. He looked defeated.
Naruto expected this to end the fight, but then something appeared in Regulus' hand. Phoenix tears. He uncapped the lid and poured a single drop onto his body, which began healing near instantly. His legs regrew, his cuts and bruises healed. It was as if all the damage done to him had been done to someone else.
"We should have given Ise Phoenix Tears," Naruto remarked suddenly.
Rias grimaced. "I didn't think we'd need to use them so early in the game. I should have known better."
Issei and Regulus scrambled to their feet. However, there was a clear difference between the two now. Regulus looked ready and raring to go, while Issei was breathing heavily, shoulders and chest heaving. Despite this, there was no outward signs of damage to Issei.
"Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!"
The battle renewed. Issei continued boosting himself as he attacked Regulus. With his power doubling second after second, it was clear that he had a distinct advantage despite being tired and Regulus using Phoenix Tears to heal himself.
"This battle is shaping up to be an incredibly exciting match!" Naud exclaimed as shockwaves and distortions appeared all over the battlefield.
"Issei has a clear and distinct power advantage, which you can see in how he's doing most of the attacking," Azazel determined. "Regulus is trying to conserve his power because he knows he isn't going to get more than one shot at ending this. Of course, if he waits too long, the battle will end whether he wants it to or not. All Issei needs is one lucky hit."
"However, it's also clear that Issei isn't as good a fighter as Regulus," Diehauser countered. "All he's got right now is raw power. I'm not sure that will be enough to defeat someone of Regulus' caliber."
"Neither of these two act anything like a ninja, de-gozaru."
At Metatron's random comment, Azazel and Diehauser both shook their heads in consternation.
Tension hung over the crowd as the battle suddenly picked up the pace, with magic power, long-range attacks, and explosions filling the battlefield. Everyone could tell the battle was coming to an end. Naruto, despite looking calm outwardly, was biting his figurative nails as he watched.
The ending soon came.
Issei raced forward and punched at Regulus, though the attack was dodged. It was just a feint anyway. Not even a second later, Issei thrust Ascalon through Regulus' chest. However, at the same time, Regulus launched a surprise attack of his own. His hand speared through Issei's shoulder, striking the area that wasn't protected by armor, sheering it right off.
Blood sprayed from Issei's missing shoulder as Regulus disappeared into light particles. Issei howled in pain as he held a hand to the stump where his arm had been.
"Regulus has been retired! The battle is won! Victory goes to Team Gremory!"
"ISE/ISE-SAN!"
Almost before the announcement had been made, Asia and Akeno raced onto the battlefield without warning. They appeared next to Issei as he knelt on the ground. Akeno grabbed the removed limb and held it up to Issei's shoulder as Asia used Twilight Healing to fix it.
"Is that allowed?" Naruto asked Rias, who sighed.
"No… no, it isn't."
"Oh." Despite hearing this, Naruto was still smiling. "That kind of sucks, but at least we learned something good."
"Which is?" Rias asked.
"Despite not being in a relationship with him anymore, Akeno clearly still cares for Ise," Naruto said, his smile widening.
~Devil Ninja~
It went without saying, but because Asia and Akeno technically interfered with Issei's battle (he was still on the battlefield), he was automatically disqualified.
At present, the young man was sitting on a chair inside of the Gremory Team base. Akeno was no longer by his side and instead standing next to Rias (Naruto thought she was embarrassed by what happened), but Asia was sticking close to Issei and looked incredibly worried. It was like she expected his arm to suddenly fall off all over again.
"That was an exciting match!" Naud exclaimed. "While I think we can technically say it ended in a draw since both teams lost both of their servants, Issei's incredible display of power was undeniably the highlight."
"I'll admit that Issei Hyoudo showed incredible strength," Diehauser said. "While it is clear that he's not as well-versed in combat as Regulus, it is equally clear that he outclasses Regulus in terms of sheer power and potential."
As the commentators began speaking, Naruto ran a hand through his hair as he thought about what Issei's disqualification meant. He was going to be Rias' trump card for this Rating Game. However, now that Issei was no longer able to fight, it meant their fighting strength had been cut, and unless she planned on sending him out, they might find themselves outmatched by Sairoarg's servants.
Of course, there was also Sairoarg himself to deal with.
"I am sorry, Rias," Akeno said with a slight bow at the waist. "I do not know what came over me."
"I do, but don't worry about it." Rias waved her hand as if warding away a persistent fly that kept landing on her face. She smiled at her best friend. "While losing Ise is a blow to our fighting strength, it's not like our victory is reliant upon him. All of my servants are amazing, and I'm sure none of them will lose out to the members of Sairoarg's Peerage."
Even though Rias expressed the utmost confidence, Naruto knew that Issei's disqualification hurt her chances of winning without relying on his strength. Now she might have to use him if she wanted to pull out a win.
At that moment, Naud's voice caught their attention. "It's time to see who the next combatants will be! Kings, roll your dice!"
Rias picked up the dice and rolled it. Naruto paid more attention to the screen as it showed both dice being rolled at the same time.
"It looks like Rias Gremory has rolled a six, while Sairoarg as rolled a three! That means the total value for this match is nine!" Naud exclaimed. "I wonder who these two will choose."
"Akeno, I'm sending you out next," Rias said as she handed Akeno a vial of Phoenix Tears. "I'm not sure who Sairoarg plans to send out. With a total value of nine, he can send out pretty much any combination we can think of among his Knights, Rooks, and Bishops, or he can send out his Queen. If he sends out two servants, defeat the strongest one first with your most powerful attacks and the weaker one second."
"Ufufu, you can't count on me, Rias," Akeno said. "I will make Sairoarg and his team pay for what happened to Ise-kun."
No one said anything to Akeno's words, especially because what happened to Issei was technically hers and Asia's fault. No one wanted to step on that landmine.
When Akeno was transported onto the battlefield, so were two people from Sairoarg's side. The smaller of the two was a young boy with light green hair, violet eyes, and two identical hair ornaments on each side of his head. The other servant was an attractive woman with long, wavy blonde hair and red eyes. She wore a business suit. Naruto thought she looked like a flight attendant.
"It looks like Rias Gremory has sent out her Queen! Meanwhile, Sairoarg sent out Coriana Andrealphus and Misteeta Sabnock," Naud said before turning to the three commentators. "What can you three tell us about these combatants?"
"Nothing, de-gozaru," Metatron announced without shame.
"I can tell you about Akeno," Azazel said with a sigh at Metatron. "Akeno is a half-devil, half-fallen angel hybrid and the daughter of Baraqiel. As such, she controls a lot of power and is even on par with Rias Gremory herself in terms of sheer power if not destructive talent. As a Queen, all aspects of her are enhanced from her physical abilities to magic, but where she really shines is definitely magic. In particular, she specializes in a brand of lightning called Holy Lightning, which is an ability she gained from her Fallen Angel blood."
"Misteeta and Coriana are both members from one of the extinct families of the 72 Pillars," Diehauser announced. "Their powers are quite impressive. Misteeta is a Devil with Human heritage, and because of his human side, he was able to possess the Sacred Gear, Trick Vanish. This Sacred Gear has the ability to seal an opponent's ability for a certain amount of time, though it comes at the expense of using a large amount of the Sacred Gear holder's stamina. As a bishop, Coriana0 has a high amount of power and is incredibly talented in all categories of demonic magic."
As he spoke about their powers, Diehauser paused for a moment to catch his breath.
"This is actually a pretty good combination. Both are bishops who rely on long-range attacks, so they are good at keeping their distance. If Misteeta can seal Akeno's abilities, then Coriana can hit her with a powerful magical barrage."
"It sounds like this is going to be an exciting match! In that case, let the battle begin!" Naud exclaimed.
With the battle now starting, Akeno didn't waste any time in generating massive amounts of Holy Lightning. However, just as she was going to unleash a powerful explosion of it at Coriana, who she deemed a bigger threat, Misteeta activated his Sacred Gear. The lightning being generated in Akeno's hands dispersed.
"Ara, ara. That isn't good." Akeno placed her hands to her cheeks.
At that moment, Coriana unleashed a powerful ball of fire that shot toward Akeno like a bullet. The fireball was at last taller than Akeno was. However, despite an attack of this magnitude being launched right off the bat, Akeno didn't panic. Her wings spread out from behind her and she took to the sky.
It seemed Misteeta's Sacred Gear only had the ability to temporarily seal one ability at a time, so her other magics were left open to her. Normal lightning shot from her hand and struck a barrier that Coriana erected to protect Misteeta. In return, the blonde bishop from Sairaorg's peerage created numerous ice lances that were launched at Akeno with the intention of skewering her.
As Akeno dodged through the air and used lightning to blast several lances out of the sky, Koneko said, "It looks like Akeno is in a pinch. That Misteeta kid might not be as strong as Coriana, but his Sacred Gear makes him a lot more troublesome."
"It doesn't help that Coriana can erect powerful barriers," Rias also added as she observed her friend and Corianna trading numerous attacks. "If she could use her Holy Lightning, she'd be able to break those barriers in a single hit, but if she wants to break Coriana's barriers now, then she needs to overload them with a barrage of spells. That takes too much time, though. Coriana will counter with her own magic before Akeno can launch enough spells. Fortunately, Coriana isn't anywhere close to being as strong as Akeno."
Akeno and Coriana were continuing to trade magic attacks, while down below, Misteeta began unleashing a few magical attacks as well. He didn't have Coriana's talent, but several fire arrows flew from the magic circles he projected.
Despite being attacked from two sides, Akeno was fending them off easily enough. A barrier appeared around her body and the attacked appeared to bounce off harmlessly. That was what it seemed like at first. However, as the double assault continued, Coriana fire off a set of icicles that finally broke through Akeno's barrier and punctured her left leg, right arm, and stomach.
"Akeno-sama!" Issei shouted as he stood up.
"Ah! Ise-san! You can't leave! If you do, Akeno-sama will be disqualified," Asia said.
Despite her words, Issei looked like he wanted nothing more than to travel onto the battlefield and help Akeno, but he soon settled down by taking several deep breaths. Releasing an intense sigh, he sat down.
"I know," he said to Asia. "Sorry. I lost my head for a moment."
"Don't worry about Akeno," Rias said. "I gave her those Phoenix Tears for a reason."
As if Rias had prophetic powers, Akeno brought out the Phoenix Tears that Rias had given her and used them. The wounds on her body quickly healed over.
"Ufufufu. It seems the power of Misteeta-kun's Sacred Gear has finally worn off. Allow me to repay you both for keeping me so entertained."
Lightning crackled within her hands, but this lightning was different from what she had been firing off until this point. It was almost pure white. Even someone who had never seen it before would probably recognize what it was.
The Holy Lightning leapt from Akeno's hands and slammed into the shield that Coriana hastily erected. Unfortunately for Coriana, Holy Lightning was many times stronger than normal lightning, and it also possessed the light attribute of the angels, making it many times more deadly to Devils.
Coriana's barrier shattered and the Holy Lightning struck the woman who erected it. A loud scream tore from her throat as her body was fried by both lightning and light. Her screams were enough to make everyone in the audience shudder.
"What's that?! You want more?!" Akeno was smiling like a sadist as she looked down at Coriana. "Ufu fu fu! Okay! If you insist!"
Akeno increased the power of her lightning bolts, which honestly didn't do anything except hurt Coriana even more. In fact, Naruto was pretty sure Coriana was already beaten.
"Coriana has retired!"
And just like that, the announcement that Coriana had retired was made. Nobody could actually see what had happened when she was engulfed by Akeno's lightning. However, as Akeno relented on her barrage, the gaping crater filled with scorch marks where Coriana had been standing was revealed.
"What an insane amount of power!" Naud shouted. "So this is the famed Holy Lightning of Baraqiel!"
"Ufufufu." Giggling like a lovestruck school girl, Akeno turned toward Misteeta, who was pale and shaking. She placed a hand on her cheek and licked her lips. There was a large blush on her face. She looked hornier than Rias did after watching a midnight marathon of hentai. "I believe you are next."
Akeno raised her hand, lightning crackling within it, arcing out as though trying to spring free. However, just before she could release it, Sairoarg's voice echoed from his base.
"Misteeta forfeits this match. I'd rather not lose my last Bishop the way I lost Coriana."
As Sairoarg finished speaking, the crowd became incredibly silent. However, all this meant was that it became easier for Naud to announce the victor.
"Sairaorg has forfeit this match, which means that the victory goes to Akeno! Team Gremory has won this match!"
~Devil Ninja~
Akeno returned to the base after her victory was announced. She wore a beaming smile and a big blush. Her shoulders and chest were heaving like she was excited about something and, knowing about her sadistic personality as they did, everyone was aware of how aroused the girl probably felt right now.
"Ufufufu, what an exhilarating battle," she said with a content sigh like she just came in her pants.
"Sometimes, you scare me, senpai," Koneko muttered with a strange look. "But good job."
"You really kicked some ass," Issei added.
"You were so cool, Akeno-sama!" Asia threw more fuel into the fire.
As praises were heaped on her, the blush on Akeno's face suddenly became embarrassed instead of sadistic and sexual.
While Akeno tentatively accepted Asia's and Issei's praise, Rias mentally prepared herself for the next battle by taking several deep breaths. Naruto noticed what she was doing and walked over to her. He didn't say anything. He waited for her to notice him.
"We were very lucky that my guessing Sairoarg would send out two of his lower ranked servants instead of his Queen was correct. I somehow don't think we'll be as lucky next time."
Nodding along with her, Naruto quickly ran through the matches thus far. "Including Misteeta and Coriana, we've also defeated Gandoma, Beruka, and Regulus… who does that leave on Sairoarg's side?"
"Aside from Sairoarg himself, there is also Kuisha Abaddon, his Queen, the Knight, Liban Crocell, and Ladora Bune, a Rook like Gandoma," Rias answered.
As they were speaking, Koneko wandered up to the pair and stood in front of Naruto. Her cat ears were twitching and her tail curled around his leg. Recognizing the obvious desire for affection, Naruto placed a hand on her head and began rubbing her hair. Koneko didn't say anything. However, a purr unbiddeningly rose from her throat as she leaned into his hand. Rias shook her head and smiled.
"So Sairoarg has four pieces—three if we don't include Sairog himself. Meanwhile, we have you, me, Xenovia, Gasper, Koneko, Rossweisse, and Akeno. That's six to his four. I'd say we're doing good so far," Naruto said.
"Yes. Though it's a shame Ise was disqualified, we're still doing an excellent job," Rias agreed.
While Naruto and Rias had been speaking, Naud had been commenting on the battle alongside Azazel, Diehauser, and Metatron. Naruto hadn't been paying too much attention, but Azazel was talking about Akeno's extremely powerful attack. However, it seemed the conversation was now winding to a close.
"All right, Kings! It's time to roll the dice and see who can be sent out to battle next!" Naud said. "Also, we have decided to add a special rule for this round to spice things up. Because three people battled in the last match, we have decided to add a value of three to the total value rolled. That means if Rias Gremory and Sairoarg Bael roll a total of six, then the total value will become nine."
The two rolled again. Rias rolled a six. Sairoarg also rolled a six.
"T-this is unbelievable! Two sixes have been rolled for a total number of 12, and adding the value of three we decided on, that means they now have a total value of 15!" Naud shouted with excitement. "That means the conditions for both Rias Gremory and Sairoarg Bael to take center stage have been met! However, whether or not they should do this remains to be seen!"
"Everyone, huddle up!" Rias called.
Asia, Akeno, Issei, Koneko, Gasper, Xenovia, and Naruto stood in a circle with Rias, who suddenly appeared even more serious than before. A sense of tension of hung over their group. Of course, it wasn't like Naruto didn't understand why everyone was so tense.
"We now have a problem," Rias said. "We need to make a decision on who to send, and we need to think about whether or not Sairoarg will send himself out or someone else."
"If he decides to send out himself, then we'll need to send out Naruto," Koneko said immediately. "He's the only one strong enough to fight against that monster. Anyone else would just lose."
Rias nodded. "I agree. Even I'm no match for Sairoarg. However, I also don't like the idea of using Naruto to fight since this won't allow me to display the talent all of you have worked so hard to attain." She paused, gathering her thoughts. Naruto could practically see her thought process as she considered all their available options. "With a total value of 15, we can send out two or even three people. This includes Akeno and someone whose value equals five or two people who equal three, meaning we can send out Xenovia, Gasper, or even Rossweisse."
"I think you should let me go out again," Akeno voiced her thoughts. "Let's say he decides not to come out himself. In that case, Sairoarg is likely to send out his Queen and his Knight. I think sending out a Bishop to keep the Knight at bay and me to deal with his Queen would be a good idea."
Rias closed her eyes. Her pupils flickered behind her eyelids. Everyone else waited on bated breath to see what she would say.
"Yeah. Okay. Let's go with that," Rias said. "Akeno, Rossweisse, I'm sending you two out to fight."
"Please leave everything to us," Rossweisse said. She hadn't spoken much since the Rating Game began, but now she looked eager to prove her worth as a member of their team.
The two ladies stepped into the transfer circle and were teleported to the battlefield. At the same time, someone else appeared on the battlefield several meters away. Rias gasped in shock when she saw who it was, and Naruto could only groan as they realized their mistake too late.
Sairoarg Bael had taken the field.
"I don't believe it! I cannot believe it!" Naud shouted at the top of his lungs. "Sairoarg Bael himself has decided to take part in this match! Is this a sign that he's become upset at his losses? Has he decided to do the job of decimating Team Gremory himself?! What do the commentators have to say about this?!"
"De-gozaru, it seems like this is going to be a tough match for Team Gremory," was all Metatron said.
"I'm pretty sure Sairoarg decided to go out himself because of the significant losses he's taken," Azazel replied. "He's lost several of his pieces, including his trump card Regulus, and even though Issei was disqualified during that match because of outside interference, his team has still taken more overall losses than Team Gremory. Right now the only way for him to guarantee victory is to use an overwhelming amount of force."
"That is about right," Diehauser added. "I never could have imagined Team Gremory would put up such a fierce fight, but it's clear that they are a good match for Sairoarg and his peerage despite not being as experienced with Rating Games."
"You heard it, folks!" Naud began. "If Sairoarg wants to put the hurt on Team Gremory, he's gonna have to do some serious damage! And with that said, let's get this match under way!"
Akeno and Rossweisse began fighting the moment the match started.
Rossweisse shot into the air as several dozen magic circles appeared around her, rotating at incredibly high speeds. The magic circles weren't standard devil magic. They were norse magic circles.
Several giant infernos blasted from the magic circles. They were literal torrents of flame that spewed out and agglomerated together, forming a massive tornado of fire that bore down on Sairoarg. Adding more fuel to this fire, several of the magic circles Rossweisse created shot out wind, which slammed into the conflagration and fueled the fire, increasing the size and potency so much that the flames went from red to blue.
The attack engulfed Sairoarg, slammed into the ground, and exploded with a force so incredible that the screens fuzzed out for a moment. When they cleared, all that remained of the area Rossweisse's attack had struck was a massive crater several dozen meters across and who knew how many deep. The cameras couldn't get a good angle, so Naruto and the others couldn't see if Sairoarg had survived that.
However…
"That isn't enough to kill Sairoarg," Naruto suddenly said.
As if his words were prophetic, a figure leapt from the crater. It was Sairoarg. Not only was he alive, but there were only a few burn marks on his body to show he'd been hit by Rossweisse's flames. The fact that he'd survived was bad enough. However, the fact that he hadn't been terribly injured by Rossweisse was pretty depressing. Even Naruto would have suffered serious injuries from an attack of that caliber.
"What the hell is this guy made of?!" Naruto squawked. "That would have killed me if I didn't use something like Sage Mode or my Chakra Shroud to protect me!"
"That's the Touki we told you about," Rias explained to him. "The first thing you have to understand is that Sairoarg's durability is unlike anything else. Because he didn't inherit the Bael's Power of Destruction, he trained his body to the extreme. On top of that, the years of intense training allowed him to further strengthen himself using Touki."
As Rias spoke, Sairoarg had ascended high into the air and was coming down on top of Rossweisse, who quickly tried to pull back. The man punched at her despite being several meters away. A shockwave blasted from his fist, one so powerful that even just nicking Rosseweisse's wings sent them woman into an uncontrolled tailspin.
Before she could slam into the ground, Rossweisse created several magic circles underneath her, which cushioned her fall and kept her from being retired from the game. At the same time, Akeno blasted Sairoarg with a powerful surge of Holy Lightning. The incredible attack was so bright that it blinded the viewers, who were forced to shut their eyes.
Naruto didn't shut his eyes, instead narrowing them as he stared at the monitor. Sairoarg had taken to the skies like Akeno and Rossweisse. He was trying to close the distance between them, but the two were doing everything in their power to keep that from happening. Magic circles flared to life. Icicles, lightning, fire, and wind exploded from these circles and struck Sairoarg. Meanwhile, Akeno continued firing off bursts of Holy Lightning.
Rossweisse's attacks didn't do much damage. Most of her spells shattered against Sairoarg's incredibly durable body. However, the Holy Lightning from Akeno was something that seemed to hurt. He had a small burn on his arm from where her attack had struck him, and it was even bleeding. Despite this, it was also clear that her attack wasn't doing much. As she sent another blast at Sairoarg, he punched her Holy Lightning away.
"This is not good," Koneko muttered. "Even with their powers combined, those two are having a hard time just keeping Sairoarg at bay."
As Koneko said this, Sairoarg punched the air in front of him, creating a powerful shockwave that slammed into Akeno before she could dodge. Akeno screamed in pain as her clothing was torn apart despite being specially made to resist damage. A large bruise appeared on her stomach as she was blasted backward.
Sairoarg tried to close the distance between them. However, Rossweisse intercepted him with several more magic circles, which surrounded him and unleashed a powerful detonation from all sides.
Smoke poured from the blast area in the sky as a figure fell out, trailed by black wisps. This figure was Sairoarg.
At first, it looked like Sairoarg had been injured, but then the man flipped around and landed on the ground, cracking the area underneath his feet. He stood up. Smoke was still pouring from his body, but it was clear that he had not suffered a single injury.
Narrowing his eyes, Sairoarg bent his knees and suddenly blasted off the ground. This time, his speed was such that even Naruto had trouble keeping up with him. The blur slammed into Rossweisse with enough force to shatter her armor and send her flighting. As she flew through the air, her body suddenly disappeared.
"Rossweisse has been retired!"
Akeno gritted her teeth in frustration as she sent more Holy Lightning at Sairoarg and even mixed in icicles and other types of magic, but the man she was fighting proved his strength by pulverizing her attacks with his bare fists. Before she even had time to launch another attack, a shockwave produced by Sairoarg kicking the air in front of him smacked her in the face. As she fell down, her opponent appeared underneath her and slammed his fist into her back.
An agonized cry echoed from the speakers before Akeno's body went limp. Just as this happened, Akeno Himejima disappeared.
"Akeno has been retired! Victory goes to Sairoarg Bael!"
~Devil Ninja~
Rias was grimacing as Naruto studied her. She had obviously realized her mistake in sending out Akeno and Rossweisse. The two of them were extraordinarily powerful, but against a man who had been hailed as the strongest youth, their powers were indeed lacking.
"There was no way to know Sairoarg would go out there himself," Naruto tried to reassure her.
"Maybe not, but I feel like I should have realized he would after what happened," Rias muttered bitterly. "Sairoarg lost so many pieces already, including Regulus. If he had sent out anyone else, there was no guarantee he would win, and it's important to whittle down the competition so he doesn't overexert his forces. It was obvious he would go out himself when I think about it like that."
"Hindsight is always 20/20," Naruto said.
"Yeah, well… right now I wish it wasn't."
Naruto did not let Rias' grumbling upset him because he knew what kind of person she was. Rias always took her failings personally. Every time something happened that caught her by surprise, every time she found herself not living up to her own expectations, she believed it was a personal failing on her part, that she wasn't good enough. This was also why she was also so hard on herself at times.
While Naruto was trying to comfort Rias, Naud was speaking with Azazel, Diehauser, and Metatron.
"What an exciting match! I think I can see now why Sairoarg is called the strongest youth!" Naud was saying.
"Saiaroarg's power is on a completely different level from normal high-rank devils," Diehauser explained. "This is because other devils are born with their power. They don't train to acquire power since their power increases naturally over time. Sairoarg is different. He's trained himself to the breaking point, and by doing so, he has gained a power that no devil his age could possibly compete with."
"While I wouldn't be so sure about Sairoarg not having any equal among the younger generation, I do recognize his strength," Azazel added his two cents. "The young man has clearly worked himself to the bone to acquire the strength he has now."
"Ninja-sama will beat him, de-gozaru," Metatron said.
"Are you sure an angel should be saying that?" asked Naud before he coughed into his hand. "Since this match has ended, it is time to get ready for the next round. Kings, roll the dice!"
Once again, the two Kings rolled the dice.
"Rias Gremory has rolled a four and Sairoarg Bael rolled a three. This means they have a total value of seven," Naud announced as the dice flashed on the screen. "I wonder who they will choose this time."
With a total value of seven, their options were limited to either one servant with a value of five of five—in other words, a Rook—or two servants whose total value when combined equaled six like the Knight and Bishop. Of the Knights, only Xenovia was left. For the bishops, there was Gasper. Koneko was the last remaining Rook.
"Koneko, I want you to go up," Rias said. "There are only two servants Sairoarg can choose now. Liban and Ladora. If he chooses Liban, try to lure him in and trap him so he can't use his speed. If he uses Ladora, then just do what you always do."
"You can count on me," Koneko said before she turned to Naruto, who didn't even have time to wonder what she was doing before she grabbed his jacket, yanked him down, and placed a kiss on his open mouth. Her tongue quickly penetrated his mouth and swirled around inside. The kiss was intense enough that Naruto almost forgot himself. However, Koneko released her grip on him before he could kiss back. "That was for luck. Also, we're having sex when this Rating Game is over."
"Uh…"
Naruto honestly couldn't think of anything to say. However, he recognized that Koneko was getting more demanding lately. He wondered if something happened to warrant her sudden needy attitude, but then he wondered if maybe this was a part of puberty. Did nekousho get super horny and demanding when they went through puberty?
I'm gonna have to ask Kuroka about this…
In either event, Naruto decided not to focus on Koneko's weirdly demanding attitude. He looked at the screen as two people appeared. The first was obvious Koneko, but the second was a tall and lanky man who appeared a bit older than the average devil did. He had green hair and red eyes. His clothing consisted of what seemed to be leather armor.
"The one Sairoarg Bael sent is Ladora Bune, a Rook from the extinct House of Bune. This once legendary house was known for their ability to tame dragons. I wonder if we'll see that ability put on display here!" Naud said excitedly. "The other servant sent out his Koneko Toujou. She's a Nekoushou/Devil hybrid who is rumored to have mastered Sage Mode, a dangerous ability that grants someone incredible powers in exchange for taking on the world's hatred."
Awhile ago, Naruto was sure those words would have made Koneko flinch, but she had long since mastered her ability to use Sage Mode. Even though Naruto could no longer use it, he had been teaching her everything he could, helping her a long. She had gained a lot of strength. What's more, she had several surprises up her sleeve.
Koneko cracked her knuckles while Ladora sneered and crossed his arms as if he couldn't be bothered by this fight. This would have pissed off a lot of people. Not Koneko. She merely adopted an orthodox fighting stance and got ready. A countdown was announced, and then the fight commenced.
Blasting off her feet at a speed most Rook's normally couldn't reach, Koneko launched herself at Ladora, who seemed shocked by the speed and was forced to jump back. Koneko's foot sliced through the air in front of him. Her reverse heel kick was so powerful that a shockwave erupted from her small body. It wasn't on the same level as Sairoarg's shockwaves, but it was strong enough that Ladora stumbled back a few steps.
Koneko proved her fighting prowess by not letting her single miss deter her. She leapt into the air. While ascending into the sky, she activated her own unique Sage Mode, typically known as Senjutsu, and white hot power appeared on her hands. She blasted several flares at Ladora, who had been trying to leap back. Now he was forced to move again unless he was willing to test her power, and when he saw the explosions her Senjutsu attacks caused, it was clear he wasn't willing to do that.
Spinning around as she descended, Koneko attacked Ladora with a fierce heel drop. Her opponent raised his arms and crossed them to block her attack. An explosion of power erupted from Koneko's small body. The ground beneath Ladora cracked as the Senjutsu energy released by Koneko's heel drop slammed into him with an incredible amount of force. His knees buckled, his teeth were grit, but he roared out and used all of his strength to push the girl off.
As Koneko landed on her feet, Ladora huffed and puffed as he tried to regain his breath.
"You are a lot stronger than I gave you credit for," Ladora said.
Koneko didn't say anything, but she did stick out her hand and give him the victory sign.
"It seems I'm gonna need to take this a lot more seriously than I first expected," Ladora sighed. "Fine. You asked for it."
Ladora released what sounded like an angry scream. As he did, power poured off the man in waves. These ripples of power rushed over the surroundings and struck Koneko, sending her hair flying everywhere.
Despite being hit by such power, Koneko didn't even flinch as she slid her feet across the ground, adopting a wider combat stance. She took a deep breath, and then released a well-spring of power. Ripples appeared around her as energy wafted off her body. The energy she was releasing became so dense it looked like an ethereal flame was covering her.
"Since when has she been able to learn how to use Touki?" asked a shocked Rias.
"Heh heh. Koneko and me were keeping it a secret from you," Naruto said as he puffed out his chest. "Are you surprised?"
"Very," Rias admitted.
Down below, Ladora's body was cracking and growing larger. It looked like his skin was ripping and revealing a monster that was hidden underneath. He grew bigger and bigger, and his form looked less human with every second that passed. Soon, what stood before Koneko was not a man or a Devil, but a dragon.
Said dragon opened its mouth and released a powerful breath of flame, which spewed forth and tried to burn Koneko to a crisp. Koneko had no intention of letting herself be defeated just like that, however, and she did the only thing she could.
She punched it.
The flames were met with an explosion of power that caused them to disperse. Koneko then leapt into the air and nailed the dragon with a kick to its jaw. Several scales cracked and its teeth broke. Chips flew out of its mouth as the dragon reared its head back, but Koneko wasn't done. After landing on the ground, she leapt at the dragon again and struck its exposed belly with a powerful one-two hit combination.
Ladora opened his mouth, but all he did was spew out blood instead of fire. Koneko slammed her fist into him again. His entire body shook. He vomited even more blood.
Despite being so injured, he tried his best to attack Koneko, but she didn't let that happen. She leapt over his tail swipe, then came back down and heel stomped his tail. Her Senjutsu energy ran through his body. It caused even more damage that was invisible to the naked eye.
Roaring in anger, Ladora tried to squash Koneko flat when the girl landed back on the ground. He raised his front paw and smashed it on top of her. While the ground underneath him cratered, no announcement was made, and the reason why soon became apparent. Koneko was holding the dragon's foot up, keeping it from squashing her like a pancake. She looked a little strained. However, with her strength enhanced by her Touki, Koneko was more than able to throw his foot off.
Ladora tried to swipe at her, but again, Koneko leapt over the ponderous attack, landed on his outstretched hand this time, and ran up it. She leapt off his limb, spun around, and kicked him in the neck. The attack sent a burst of energy through Ladora, who shuddered like he was having muscle spasms. As Koneko landed on the ground, Ladora swayed back and forth before falling forward. His heavy body hit the floor with a loud crash.
Soon, Ladora vanished into particles.
"Ladora has been retired! Victory goes to Koneko!"
Walking back to the transfer circle to the cheering of the crowd, Koneko reappeared inside of the Gremory Team base and gave them the peace sign.
"Suck it," she said.
Everyone crowded around Koneko and congratulated her on her victory. Xenovia asked to spar some time, Gasper had stars in his eyes as he said she was like a hero, Issei and Asia told her she was amazing, and Rias gave her a big hug. Koneko accepted all of the congratulatory praise with a very small smile. However, after they parted to make room for her, she looked at Naruto with expectations clear in her eyes.
"You did amazing, Koneko."
"I kicked ass, right?"
"You kicked major ass."
"That means I deserve a reward, doesn't it?"
"Hm. I suppose it does."
Naruto knelt before Koneko, placed his hands on either side of her face, and swept her into a kiss. Koneko responded immediately. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her body against his. The kiss was not chaste, but it didn't have tongue either. Despite this, Koneko's tail was wagging back and forth like a puppy's, and her cat ears were twitching.
"That was an exciting match!" Naud said. "I never expected someone other than the Oppai Dragon and Naruto Uzumaki to be so strong."
"Koneko is a special case, de-gozaru," Metatron said as he crossed his arms. "She has been personally trained in the art of Senjutsu by none other than Ninja-sama. The two of them often work in secret and no one knows what sort of training they undertake, just like a good ninja, de-gozaru."
"Is that so? Well, if she's been personally trained by that Naruto Uzumaki, then I guess her strength makes sense if all the rumors concerning him are true," said Naud.
"They are," Metatron confirmed.
"All of them?"
"All of them."
"Even the one about him having a harem of a hundred women?"
"… That one is an exception."
The conversation soon ended and Naud announced that it was time for the Kings to roll again. As Rias and Sairoarg rolled their dice, Naruto thought about how many more people they could send out. Sairoarg only had two more besides himself: Kuisha and Liban. A Knight and a Queen. If they rolled a twelve, he could choose to send out them both if he decided not to send out himself. He didn't think Sairoarg would send himself out a second time as it would damage his reputation, but who knew what would happen.
"It's a 12! They rolled a 12!" Naud announced to the crowd.
Rias turned to look at everyone. "I don't think Sairoarg will send himself out twice, but I also don't want to take the risk that he won't. Gasper, Xenovia, and Naruto, I'm sending out all three of you. If Sairoarg comes out himself, then I'll be relying on you to take care of him, Naruto, but if he doesn't, then I want you to deal with Kuisha. She's a very powerful Queen. Let Gasper and Xenovia take out Liban."
"Got it!" Naruto said.
"I'll do my best not to let you down," Xenovia said as well.
"I-I'll tryyy my haaardest too!" Gasper also said.
"I'm counting on you three," Rias told them with a smile.
With those parting words, the three servants stepped onto the transfer circle and were teleported to the battlefield.
The second to last match had begun.
~Devil Ninja~
Naruto could admit, if only to himself, that he was excited about finally being allowed to fight. Everyone else had a chance to show off, but he had been held back. He understood why. If Rias relied on him, then everyone would say she couldn't win her battles without him. However, even though he understood that, he wouldn't lie and say not being used in a Rating Game wasn't boring.
He looked around the battlefield. It looked like the plain they were fighting on got repaired every time a battle ended. Despite having been annihilated in the previous bouts between Koneko and Ladora, and then before with Akeno and Rossweisse versus Sairoarg, nothing looked out of place now.
He really wondered what kind of magic did that.
With him were Gasper and Xenovia. He didn't know much about Xenovia except that she was a strong warrior formerly from the Church, but he knew Gasper's abilities well, having helped him train. On the other side were two individuals he knew but was never formally introduced to.
The first person was a beautiful young woman with blonde hair tied into a ponytail and blue eyes. Her striped blue pants and sleeveless shirt was fairly tight and displayed a gap near her chest. Sleeves were attached to her arms but didn't connect to the shirt. She was wearing heels, which Naruto thought was odd since they didn't look comfortable, but he knew plenty of girls who kicked ass in heels, so he didn't say anything.
Beside her was a man who was every bit as bishounen as Kiba. Blond hair. Blue eyes. Unlike Kiba, who had short hair, this guy's hair was long and stopped around the middle of his back. His sharp features were accentuated by shoulder pads, a chestplate, gauntlets, and leaf plates to protect his hips. He looked very… knightley was all Naruto could say about him.
"It's the second to last match, and it looks like this battle is three-on-two!" Naud shouted. "Gasper Vladi, Xenovia, and Naruto Uzumaki are facing off against Kuisha Abbadon from the House of Abbadon and Liban Crocell from the extinct House of Crocell. I wonder how this battle will go? Is there anything you three would like to say before the match starts?"
"Ninja-sama will win," Metatron said immediately. "Even without some of his extra powers like Sage Mode, Ninja-sama has some incredibly powerful abilities, including unique ninjutsu and taijutsu. He's also very sneaky, de-gozaru. As a ninja should be."
By this point, Naud seemed very well-versed in Metatron's eccentricities and decided to ignore the man in favor of Azazel and Diehauser.
"This battle is definitely going to be tough for Kuisha and Liban," Azazel said. "I don't want to say much, but Naruto is easily one of the strongest people I know, and I don't mean among the younger generation. I mean in general. He defeated Kokabiel, Loki, and even fought against the most important gods of the Greek Pantheon. You don't go into battles like that and survive without being insanely strong."
"I've never seen Naruto Uzumaki in combat, but I've heard plenty," Diehauser added. "That said, just because he is strong doesn't mean he's invincible. You'd do well not to underestimate Kuisha or Liban. Both of them are incredibly skilled and versatile servants. Kuisha is especially talented."
"It sounds like this is going to be an interesting match!" Naud exclaimed. "And with that, let the battle begin!"
The moment the battle started, Naruto leapt away from Xenovia and Gasper before racing toward Kuisha. Sairoarg's Queen raised her hands and created a magic circle in front of her. Lightning blasted from the circle and shot toward him. Naruto created a cross-shaped seal with his hands.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Twelve Naruto's suddenly appeared where before there was only one. While the real Naruto vanished via Shunshin, the remaining Narutos leapt forward, where the bolts of lightning struck them. They exploded into smoke. As the smoke descended upon the battlefield, Kuisha found her view blocked. She narrowed her eyes, created another magic circle, and summoned a powerful gust of wind that blew the smoke away.
Naruto wasn't there.
"What the heck? Where did he disappear to?" asked Kuisha.
Barely a second after she said that, the ground underneath her broke apart and Naruto emerged fist first. Kuisha was either blessed with great luck or powerful reflexes. She leapt backward just in time to avoid being struck in the chin. However, even as his surprise attack failed, Naruto created two more clones that moved in two attack her.
As the clones moved in, Kuisha created a large hole in front of one of the clones that swallowed him up. Then she created another hole in front of the other clone. The first Naruto flew out of the hole and crashed into the other Naruto, causing both to disappear in a puff of smoke.
"That ability of yours is pretty interesting," Naruto said suddenly. "It's a unique ability that only members of the House of Abbadon have, right? Rias told me about it."
"That's right…" Kuisha appeared wary of Naruto, and rightly so. Not just any one could have a casual conversation with an opponent in the middle of a match.
"According to her, this Power of Hole allows you to create and control portals that expand and retract according to your will. With it, you can absorb attacks and reflect them back at other people. That about the gist of it?"
Shrugging, Kuisha said, "Yeah, that's basically how it works. You've certainly done your research."
"Oh, no. I haven't done any research. Rias is the one who does all the work," Naruto said with a wave of his hand. "I'm not the kind of guy who puts that much thought into my opponents. I prefer learning about their abilities as I go and creating on the fly strategies to deal with them, you know? I like being unpredictable."
"Is that so…"
"Just so." Naruto smiled at Kuisha, whose entire body suddenly tensed. "By the way, did you know that you just lost?"
"Wha—"
Before Kuisha could finish her sentence, something pierced her chest. She looked down at the wind blade that was now sticking out of her chest, and then she craned her neck and looked back at the Naruto that was standing behind her. She blinked several times. Blood ran down her lips as a resigned smile crossed her face.
"I… I understand… all that time you were conversing with me… it was… so you could… use one of those clones to… to sneak up behind me…"
She looked back at Naruto, who just shrugged.
"Basically. I am a ninja, you know."
Kuisha couldn't say anything as she turned into particles of light and vanished.
"Kuisha Abbadon has been retired!"
"Well, that was easy." Naruto clapped his hands of imaginary dust as he turned to look at the battle happening between Xenovia, Gasper, and Liban. "Now to wait until these two defeat their opponent."
The battle between the three seemed to be a bit more complicated than his battle against Kuisha. Liban was somehow managing to hold his own. Xenovia was swinging her sword, but it seemed incredibly slow, especially compared to Liban, who was insanely fast. The man would retreat whenever Xenovia swung Durandel, and then come back in with an attack that whittled away at her defenses.
At first, Naruto couldn't help but wonder why Gasper wasn't doing anything. However, when he looked at the boy, he realized that because of Xenovia constantly being in front of him, he couldn't freeze Liban. Whenever Xenovia tried move away to give Gasper a clear line of sight, Liban would position her between them again. Also… there was something odd about the way Gasper was moving. It was like his body was stuck in a tub of gelatin or something…
"Is that… gravity magic?" Naruto mumbled to himself. "No, wait. Didn't Rias tell me that Liban has a Sacred Gear of some kind? What was it called? Gravity Grail? The Holy Grail? No, wait. That was Fate. Um… hm…"
After trying to remember what Liban's Sacred Gear was, Naruto eventually gave up. If he couldn't remember, then it obviously wasn't important enough to remember.
As the battle continued, Liban began mixing in several ice spells with his sword attacks. He sent most of them at Gasper, which forced Xenovia to jump back and swing her sword, unleashing a powerful crescent of light that destroyed the attacks before Gasper could be injured. However, the moment Xenovia and Gasper were together, a powerful surge of energy erupted from Liban.
"NNNGG!"
"Ack!"
Gasper and Xenovia were suddenly forced to the ground. The ground around them began cracking. Naruto noticed how Liban's eyes were glowing. That must be how the Sacred Gear was activated.
"It took a lot more effort than I expected to get you both in a trap," Liban said as he walked forward. "However, now, neither of you will be able to move."
"Are you… so sure about that?" asked Xenovia.
Liban stopped walking as Xenovia struggled to her feet. Her teeth were gnashed together and her eyes were narrowed. Blood was pouring from her mouth, her knees were shaking, and her arms looked like they were being weighed down by several hundred pound weights, but she didn't stop struggling to stand up.
"Your physical prowess is impressive, but I'm afraid it won't do any good against me," Liban said.
"So you say, but I'll show you not to underestimate a former member… of the Church!"
Xenovia swung Durandel horizontally, unleashing a powerful crescent wave of Holy power, forcing Liban to dodge. However, the moment he dodged, whatever spell was holding her and Gasper in place seemed to break.
"Now, Gasper!" Xenovia shouted.
"I-I'm on it!" Gasper said.
Gasper's eyes transformed as he activated Forbidden Balor View. Now it was Liban who suddenly found himself unable to move.
Xenovia raced forward, leapt into the air, and swung her blade as she descended. The attack that she unleashed was another energy blast, which was so massive that it engulfed Liban entirely. The man, unable to move, vanished as the power washed over him.
"Liban has been retired. Victory goes to Team Gremory!"
Since they had won, Naruto, Gasper, and Xenovia returned to the Gremory Team's base. Once they emerged from the transfer circe, everyone present congratulated them. However, Naruto immediately noticed they were missing two people.
"Where are Issei and Asia?" he asked.
"They went to see Akeno in the hospital," Rias said. "I figured since it's the last battle, I would let them leave. Issei's been disqualified, and we didn't suffer any serious injuries this time, so we don't need Asia-chan's healing."
"That's true…"
Naruto was actually surprised by how well they had done. They had only lost Akeno, Issei, Kiba, and Rossweisse—and the only reason they lost Kiba was because he got disqualified for Akeno and Asia interfering in his match against Regulus. Rias' peerage still had him, Gasper, Koneko, and Xenovia. That wasn't mentioning Rias herself. Compared to Sairaorg, who had lost every member but himself, they were in very good shape.
"Now that Sairoarg only has one card left to play, there is no need to roll the dice," Naud began. "The total value for this game is twelve. Rias Gremory, choose who you want to participate in the last match of this Rating Game."
Rias didn't say anything to Naud's words. She looked over at Naruto, who rubbed the back of his head as he realized what she was asking. Well, it wasn't like anyone else could actually fight Sairoarg. Even Rias knew that even if she and several others teamed up on him, they would still lose. Of course, they could weaken him, but there was really no need, or at least, Naruto didn't think so.
"Just leave this to me," Naruto said, thumping his chest.
"I'm counting on you, Naruto," Rias said.
Walking back into the transfer circle, Naruto was transported back onto the battlefield, where he came face to face with Sairoarg Bael. The man was looking a little out of sorts. He seemed a tad shocked. However, when Naruto appeared before him, a resigned smile crossed his face.
"I really underestimated that cousin of mine." He rubbed the back of his head. "I never imagined her servants would be so strong."
"Rias has been training a lot," Naruto said. "What's more, I've been helping her."
"So I should blame you for my entire peerage being decimated?" asked Sairoarg with a smile.
"If it'll help you fight better, sure."
As soon as the words were spoken, an aura appeared around Sairoarg. It looked like a white mist almost. However, the power being emitted from that mist was pretty intense. Now that Naruto was up close, he realized this man was a lot stronger than Kokabiel had been. That said, he didn't have the same power as the Greek gods, especially Poseidon and Zeus.
Of course, Naruto couldn't use Sage Mode, so that did even things out a bit.
"It looks like Rias Gremory has only chosen one servant to battle against Sairoarg," Naud said.
"It was a wise choice," Azazel told him. "Given Sairoarg's strength, no one else would be able to battle against him except for Naruto, and if others joined in, they would only be in the way. Of course, even if Naruto loses, he's sure to weaken Sairoarg to the point where it will be easy for Rias to beat him."
"Either way, I'm incredibly excited to see how this match plays out! And with that out of the way! Let the match begin!"
~Devil Ninja~
"You know, I was really hoping to fight with Issei Hyoudo," Sairoarg admitted shamelessly as the battle started. "I know how strong you are, and I honestly am not sure if I'm ready to face such an overwhelming opponent, especially since Regulus was defeated. My trump card is gone."
"You don't need to worry about that," Naruto assured the man. "I can't use Sage Mode at present because it carries some risks, and I don't plan on using Kurama either. We're in the same boat."
"Is that so?" A smile suddenly appeared on Sairoarg's face. "Well, in that case, I take everything I said back. This battle is sure to be an interesting one."
"Exactly my thoughts."
Naruto slid his feet across the ground and bent his knees as he adopted a South Paw stance. Sairoarg also moved into a fighting stance, though his was a little more loose.
Tension hung in the air as Naruto and Sairoarg released their fighting spirit, which quickly erupted between them as opposing auras. Naruto's chakra was bright blue and looked like an ethereal flame. Meanwhile, Sairaorg's Touki was pure white. It normally looked like a layer of white energy hovering around him, but right now, it was more like Goku after he went Super Saiyan.
For the first time in a while, Naruto actually felt a little excited. He wasn't really into killing. He never had been. However, he loved testing out his abilities against really strong opponents, and while Sairoarg wasn't the strongest person he had ever fought against, the man was definitely amongst the top ten… maybe right below Sasuke.
One second passed. Then two. After three seconds had gone by, Naruto and Sairoarg pushed off the ground and slammed into each other.
Their fists crashed together, releasing a powerful shockwave that caused the air between them to burst and the ground underneath their feet to rupture The cracked ground made them both lose their balance. They leapt backward to keep the other person from taking advantage, and then ran in a circle to avoid the destroyed section and attack again. This time, their kicks slammed together. Another shockwave erupted between them.
"What a fight! They've only just begun exchanging blows and the battlefield is already being decimated!" Naud exclaimed.
Naruto leapt backward as Sairoarg suddenly threw several punches. His range was somehow extended thanks to his Touki. Each punch contained an extreme amount of power that ripped the ground it passed to shreds. While Naruto was certain he could just overpower this man's attacks, he decided to fight like a ninja.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Several dozen Naruto's suddenly appeared, split apart, and spread out around Sairoarg, who eyed the dozens of clones with a curious gleam in his eyes.
"This is an interesting trick you've got," Sairoarg said.
Naruto grinned. "I've got plenty more where that came from."
As one, each Naruto clone created a Rasengan. A bright blue orb suddenly appeared above their palms. Then wind began swirling around the orbs, which created several powerful suction forces. A bell-like screech soon emitted from each orb as the Naruto clones raised their hands above their heads. Four blades appeared on the Rasengans, making the jutsu look like giant fuuma shurikens.
"Rasenshuriken! Go!"
The Naruto clones all rushed forward and thrust out their hands, the Rasenshurikens screeching loudly enough that even he audience had to cover their ears. Sairoarg didn't cover his ears. He bent his knees, tucked his fists into his torso, and began screaming. As he did, his aura exploded from his body. This aura struck the clones, which caused them to disperse since clones couldn't survive even a single hit. Of course, because the clones had been destroyed, the Rasenshurikens were also destroyed.
A massive cloud of smoke expanded from the destroyed clones. Sairoarg looked around, unable to see anything within this powerful smoke screen, such as the ground cracking underneath his feet. When Naruto burst from the ground, Sairoarg was unable to put up a fight. A fist slammed into his chin, sending him skyward. However, just before he was sent flying, he struck out with his foot, kicking Naruto in the stomach so hard he was blasted from the smokescreen like a rocket.
Both Naruto and Sairoarg were thrown out of the smokescreen, which quickly dispersed after being disrupted. Naruto flipped his body around, landed on the ground, and skidded backward for nearly twenty meters. Meanwhile, Sairoarg flew into the air, flipping end over end. He eventually spread his wings and stopped in mid-air. Now hovering, he looked down at Naruto, who looked right back at him.
And then both of them disappeared.
What began was a taijutsu battle between the two as they traded punches and kicks at a speed that many of the devils in the stands were unable to see. Their bodies blurred. Their arms and legs disappeared seconds before a shockwave erupted from their connecting limbs. With every attack that was blocked, the ground behind them collapsed from the resulting shockwave. Despite this, neither Naruto or Sairoarg moved from that spot as they continued trading attacks.
A punch slammed into Sairoarg's face. Another punch struck Naruto in the stomach. The two stumbled back, but it was only for a moment before they were fighting again.
"W-what an incredible match!" Naud shouted. "Look at these two go!"
"These two are definitely fighting hard," Azazel commented. "However, I don't think either of them are using their full strength. While I don't want to paraphrase Metatron, Naruto is a very tricky opponent who generally relies on deception and overpowering his opponents when they least expect it. Of course, he has been known to fight hard when he goes all out, but he normally uses several techniques that raise his strength several times over."
"Sairoarg is similar," Diehauser admitted. "He often uses Regulus, equipping the longinus as armor to increase his strength and durability, but right now, all he is using is Touki. Of course, with Regulus out of the game, he can't equip him."
Naruto and Sairoarg heard the two talking about them, but they hardly paid any attention as their focus was on beating the crap out of each other. They traded punches and kicks and even headbutts. It seemed to Naruto that they were almost evenly matched. Sairoarg was a bit more durable than him, but he hit harder.
However, something had to give.
And that something came when Naruto revealed he had a trick up his sleeve.
"Hey, how many clones do you think I created?" he asked.
"What? Clones?" Sairoarg frowned even as they continued fighting. His roundhouse kick was blocked by Naruto's knee, and then he thrust out his fist, which collided with Naruto's punch. "Let's see… didn't you create about two dozen, so… twenty-four?"
"And how many clones did you destroy?" asked Naruto.
"Um…"
Before Sairoarg had time to answer that question, a pair of hands erupted from the ground and latched onto his legs. At the same time, someone came up behind him, slipped their arms around him, and placed him in a lock that kept him from using his hands. Sairoarg could have broken free, of course. Naruto expected him to do just that, but for one second, his opponent was unable to move.
One second was sometimes all a person needed.
Naruto formed a Rasengen, added wind chakra to form a Futon: Rasengan, and then slammed it into Sairoarg's chest. A cry of pain erupted from Sairoarg as the jutsu tore into his chest, shredding flesh and grinding bone.
Despite the attack tearing into him, Sairoarg gritted his teeth and tried to withstand it. He dug in his heels, flexed his core, and exploded with power. His Touki against Naruto's Rasengan. The light barrier actually managed to push away Naruto's attack, but he just narrowed his eyes and poured more chakra into his technique, causing it to release a shrill shriek as it tore into the Touki, finally breaking through the protective layer of energy and grilling Sairoarg again.
The explosion that went up when Naruto's attack slammed into Sairoarg's chest was massive. Sairoarg was sent sailing backward from the force, the clones dispelling. He struck the ground, bounced once, rolled across the grass, and came to a stop.
Seconds after stopping, Sairoarg's body dispersed into particles of light.
"I can't believe this!" Naud shouted. "With an outstanding display of martial talent, Naruto Uzumaki has defeated Sairoarg Bael! The winner of this match is Team Gremory!"