'Perhaps goading him is an option. I certainly don't want to waste my time fighting a hesitant opponent.'
"I see now. You won't fight me because you're a spineless coward!"
Issei's eyes widened at the insult.
"What? No I-"
Riser smirked wider as he continued his goading.
"Or is it because you're too weak? You're just a timid little fool who doesn't even deserve to live in this world!"
Issei looked taken aback from Riser's jibe.
"I-"
"Or, is it because you're just a worthless excuse for a human being? Oh wait, you aren't even human, are you? What with those eyes of yours, it makes me want to just put you out of your misery."
Feeling his heart pounding, Issei started to feel an emotion he had not felt in a long time.
Unbridled hatred. Pure, raw anger. It was an emotion he had felt for many years. That day when the bullies had approached him at his elementary school, only to surround him into a physical confrontation. Their mocking words...he was starting to remember.
Riser's smirk widened as he noticed Issei with his head down, gritting his teeth.
'Almost there. Now for the last one.'
"If you're so hesitant to fight me, then this might change your mind."
Issei lifted his head up and gave Riser a rare harsh glower. The crowd above the arena began to stare with widened eyes at Issei. Riser, on the other hand, appeared absolutely ecstatic.
Above the arena, a large screen tv that appeared as an item akin to a Jumbotron, appeared. Riser smirked as he pointed to the screen.
"Watch closely, brat. This is something I want to show you."
Narrowing his eyes, Issei looked up as the screen showed less static, and his eyes widened when the static cleared up.
"L-Leiko-san!"
The dark-silver haired girl was unconscious, appearing as though she was trapped onto the wall with glowing binds on her wrists and legs. Next to her was Yubelluna, who was holding a staff-like scepter directed at Leiko.
As his eyes widened in disbelief and his teeth gritted with rage, Issei slowly turned to look at Riser. Riser kept his smirk as he noticed that Issei's entire body was shaking in an attempt to calm himself.
'Finally. About time this brat got angry.'
His eyes twitching , Issei tightened his hands into fists.
"Riser. Let. Her. Go."
"Humph. I don't think so, Issei Hyoudou."
Riser looked up at Yubelluna and smiled wider.
"You know what to do."
"Yes, Riser-sama."
Issei widened his eyes.
"What's she going to do?!"
"Humph."
"Answer me, Riser!"
Yubelluna, with a dark smirk on her face, closed her eyes as her wand brighten. Issei tensed at the sight, and he took a step forward as he noticed the woman placing the wand directly on Leiko's neck.
"What are you doing?! Riser, tell her to stop!"
Not even moving an inch, Riser smirked as he nodded for Yubelluna to continue. Her smirk growing, Yubelluna pressed the wand deeper onto Leiko's neck, and the wand glowed brighter, until the wand suddenly emitted a wave of fire that immediately morphed into a cloud of smoke, the result resembling the explosion of a bomb.
Issei froze in his spot, his mouth agape with absolute shock.
"Hahahaha. Well, that's done. What do you think about that, Issei Hyoudou?" Riser taunted.
"..."
Raising an eyebrow at receiving no response, Riser set his blue eyes towards Issei. The young man's body shook in tremors, his brown hair covering his eyes. Gritting his teeth, Issei trembled as he closed his hands into fists.
"Y-you! You...how could you?! Riser, why?!"
The Phenex male smirked as he had finally gotten what he wanted.
'It's about time he got serious. Perhaps our battle will be more satisfying.'
Setting himself into a battle position, Riser widened his eyes when he felt the ground shaking. He looked up to see the crowd trying to balance themselves, as they all looked in confusion.
"Hey! What's happening?!"
"The whole arena's shaking!"
"What?!"
Riser widened his eyes further.
"Everything's shaking?"
He looked back down to stare cautiously at Issei, whose hair still covered his eyes. Suddenly, Issei's hair began to rise up. However it lowered back down, before it rose up once again, the change repeating constantly.
Riser looked down to see the ground of the arena beginning to lift up as cracks were ejected from the ground.
"Gggghhhh...!"
Riser looked up in surprise to see Issei's hair rising up once more, but this time it seemed to take a spiky shape to it. His former brown hair had morphed into a orange-yellow jutted upward hairstyle. Orange-yellow spiky locks of hair spiked upwards, pointing in all directions, giving Issei a whole different look.
Riser widened his eyes in shock.
"What happened to his appearance?!"
"Riser!"
At the call of his name, Riser widened his eyes when he saw Issei's body tremble even harder. Issei lifted his head, revealing his original soft multi-colored eyes, now morphing into constricted pupils. Before Riser could react, Issei lifted his head up, and let out a great bellow, as his irises and pupils disappeared completely.
"GGGGGRRRHAAAAAAA!"
A large orange-yellow aura of the leftover solar energy within his body flared outwardly, and covered him entirely.
"What?!" Riser screamed.
In front of him, was now a quiet orange-yellow spiky haired Issei, whose body seemed to be more developed, and his skin tone glowed lighter than usual, along with his energy output increasing from the aura that surrounded him.
Empowered by the solar energy within him, Issei turned his pupilless eyes towards Riser, who looked at the angered young man in absolute shock.
"W-WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"
Gritting his teeth, Issei clutched his fist, and with a bellow, he released a flur of solar flare-like energy that formed into a aura.
"I told you that I didn't want to fight you. I begged you to stop, and to let go of my cousin. I asked you to quit it."
Issei started to shake as his aura flared out once more. The crowd above the arena stared in shock at the non-human. Narrowing his pupilless eyes, Issei screamed out his final outburst.
"But you didn't listen, and YOU BLEW IT! YOU BLEW IT! RISERRRRRRRRRRRRR!"