563So yeah, it's been awhile for this story too. Even longer than Zero's Revolution. All I can say is I'm very sorry that it's taken so long for me to update. Finding the motivation to put my ideas down has been really hard for all of my stories, even though I genuinely love writing for them.
I can't make any promises other than to do my best to make sure the next update doesn't take years.
Disclaimer: I don't own any franchise that is used in this story nor do I make any profit from it whatsoever.
I hope you enjoy this next chapter.
Chapter 13: Fires Of Wrath and Passion
Riser was angrier than he had ever been in his life. It would be an understatement to say he was livid, he was so far beyond livid he'd have to invent a new word to describe the rage he was feeling with any accuracy.
His rage burned across the sky as he slowly managed to reform his body after the explosion had obliterated the building where he had made his base. In that time, Riser was mulling over just how he and everyone in his Peerage had been so completely and utterly fooled. Obviously, the source of the explosion was the panting, newly Promoted Queen standing amongst the ruins, the sweat soaked face of Issei Hyoudou, the true one, staring up as flames scorched across the sky.
Even in this state, Riser was aware of his surroundings. And in this semi-invulnerable state he had time to think.
Clearly, he had been tricked, Riser surmised that the moment that signaled the deception was the initial appearance of "Issei" that caused everyone to turn around in a panic before chasing after him. In that time, when Riser was alone and distracted by observing the screens that depicted the battle, the Pawn had managed to sneak into the enemy territory and then Promote.
After that it was just a matter of waiting for enough Boosts to come from his Sacred Gear then the Red Dragon Emperor's host was able to use the power of a Queen boosted by however many boosts he could handle in one single strike. The amount of damage that such a thing could do was evident all around the Dragon and Phenex, as even though the blast was directed vertically the blast wave had obliterated much of the surrounding area including the building.
Riser chose to begin reforming some distance away from his opponent and the rest of the battlefield, wary of being attacked in his semi-weakened state. While he was still nowhere near defeated completely, recovering from being blindsided from the explosion and reforming his body had left him temporarily exhausted and unable to respond to major attacks in his current state. Riser would need to properly reform his body and get his mental faculties back in order and to do that safely he needed to find a place where he could get a minute to recover without being struck down as soon as he was physical again.
This Rating Game would be more difficult than he thought, and it looked like the Phenex would have to handle the Dragon personally.
'How… tedious.'
Lelouch felt his eyes burn as he stared at the collapsing bodies of Koneko and Gasper, their bodies smoking from the explosive landmine they had mistakenly stepped on as they made their way towards him. The world froze around him as his mind moved at a mile a minute, trying to figure out just where his plan had failed and how that managed to lead to two of the individuals in Rias' Peerage who were closest to him getting harmed so greatly.
Gasper's body faded into light first, Koneko's sturdiness worked against her and she was forced to remain just a few moments longer. Lelouch caught her body and held her close. He took off his jacket, her gift to him, to cover her body up. The explosion had damaged her clothes and exposed her breasts. He hoped he was quick enough to ensure their audience didn't see too much of his friend.
He ignored the announcement of the Bishop being retired and focused solely on the friend in his arms. The girl was shaking in pain and her eyes stared up at him apologetically. "Sorry." Her voice was a soft whisper to Lelouch and he felt his rage become chilled. It was no less powerful, but his rage was ice compared to the flame it was mere moments ago.
"Rest." Lelouch whispered back, his voice warm, but his crimson eyes cold. A soft smile graced Koneko's face at his attempt at a comforting gesture before her body was transferred to the infirmary, his jacket with her.
Standing alone in the smoke, his arms were bared with only the tanktop remaining on his torso. The Arm of the Blackest Night was pulsating, sensing his bloodlust. He glared up at the sky, seeing the woman who'd laid the trap that ensnared his friends. With nary a whisper, he gestured with his arm and fired his first few Void Shots as a warning.
As he anticipated, she sensed his attack and immediately avoided it. With his eyes following her flight path, Lelouch let his wings come forth and he used his speed as a Knight to attempt to sneak behind her. The Queen reacted faster though and spun to meet him with an explosive spell between her hands.
She fired it immediately at him, though Lelouch spun out of the way at the last moment just in time. Except for a minor graze on his side, he'd been able to avoid the spell in the nick of time. "You're going to die." Lelouch proclaimed, drawing a laugh from the Queen.
"Come and try it!" She challenged him and from that point on, no further words were exchanged.
Lelouch knew his energy reserves weren't truly a match for a Queen, but he'd be damned before he gave up. He put his tactical mind to good use and focused as much as he could on forcing her to waste her energy. For every three explosions she fired off he focused on firing at most one of his own spells.
His agility was his greatest strength for this battle and speeding around the Queen was making it difficult for her to hit him. As long as he maintained a decent distance. His own spells were constantly countered where he did fire them, explosive blasts interfering before the Void magic could reach her to do any meaningful damage.
Before long, Lelouch could sense his reserves dwindling to a point where if he was going to pull off his gambit, it needed to be soon. Pretending to be exhausted, he allowed himself to land a short distance away from the Queen. Lelouch panted heavily as he stared up at her. The Queen approached him from on high and fired a massive explosion spell down at him. Lelouch cast a shield at the last moment. Though it barely held, it did enough. A massive dust cloud was kicked up by the explosion. But without an announcement stating the Knight's retirement, the Queen was forced to wait to see the body.
She was exactly where Lelouch wanted her to be. Well within range of his trump card and none of his own allies were close enough to be caught in the blast radius.
From under the cover of the dust cloud, Lelouch prepared to unleash his final spell. The Black Knight closed his eyes and pressed his fingertips together, making a bridge with is hands as he focused intensely. He concentrated all of his remaining magical power into a single point between the palms of his hands. His body was shaking as the power increased exponentially with each passing second.
Then suddenly, the air froze, and a whisper escaped from his lips. Echoing ominously in the silence created by the void he held in his hands.
"Ash to Ash."
With that simple spell, a spell based on the underlying concept of the Void itself, a dark orb expanded. Immediately almost consuming Lelouch and forcing his retirement from the game as the safety spells were triggered upon the spell's release. But the orb did not move slowly nor was expansion its only gimmick.
Fast as the expanding orb was, the Queen was still able to see it coming due to a stroke of good fortune. However, despite being able to outfly the expansion, she was unable to outfly the gravitational force exerted by the spell. Riser's Queen found herself forcibly dragged into the Void spell.
"Lord Riser's Queen, Retired." The shocked voice of the announcer declared.
Only Riser himself remained. However Rias had lost her Knight, Bishop, and Rook to Riser's Queen. All that she was left with was her Pawn, her Queen, her other Bishop, and her remaining Knight.
Her remaining Knight and her Queen were exhausted, her other Bishop had no combat abilities and her Pawn was currently embroiled in the fight against Riser himself.
And losing badly.
Issei screamed as his body was sent flying away from Riser's territory towards Rias' territory where she was standing by with Asia. The young Devil landed nearly in front of Rias, covered in burns. "Issei!" Rias and Asia rushed towards the boy but were forced back when a wave of fire separated them.
Riser's face was calm, but his eyes were almost literally fiery with rage. "I'm not done with him yet." His voice was quiet and menacing. With another gesture, he scorched Issei's body even further, the screams of the burning Red Dragon Emperor music to his ears.
"Riser please!" Rias begged as she stared at the scene in front of her, desperately trying to think of a way to stop this. She tried launching her Power of Destruction at Riser, but he easily dodged her attempts to strike him as he maintained his distance. She couldn't think of anything she could do.
"The protection spells only activate if near fatal damage is detected." Riser stared at Rias coldly. "As long as I keep my attacks from that level, the pain he will feel will be immeasurable." Riser had not had to get involved in Rating Games very much in the past, but that didn't mean he wasn't well aware of all of their mechanics.
Experience trumped enthusiasm in this case. Rias was simply too inexperienced to know how to conduct herself in a situation like this.
"I'll give up." Rias swore, tears in her eyes as she felt her heart break. "Just please stop hurting him!" With that, the flames became silent as Riser heard her plea. At his nod, Rias collapsed, Asia next to her as she uttered her surrender.
"Lady Rias has surrendered." The announcer declared disappointment obvious in her tone. "The match goes to Lord Riser."
Sirzechs had a hard time concealing his anger at the result of the match, but as he retreated into the medical wing he was already thinking of ways to ensure the wedding between Rias and Riser never happened.
The reason he had gone to the medical wing was not to check on Rias, she had been taken by their parents back to the Gremory estate once everything resolved. The only ones in the medical wing now were those who had been forcibly transported from the Rating Game by the safety precautions and one particular individual had drawn quite a lot of attention. Sirzechs was incredibly strong and so he knew he'd have no issue resisting the suicide attack his sister's Knight had pulled off against Riser's Queen, but should he grow even stronger, well, Sirzechs got a chill down his back.
And there was something else he needed confirmation of, something that had been on his mind ever since he'd seen the Knight's face. Normally the medical wing was divided by team, but in this case Sirzechs had asked the Knight be moved to an individual room upon arrival. Standing before the door, the Satan paused momentarily before deciding to just enter. He ended up walking in just as the Knight on the bed started to groan.
"Awake already, impressive." Sirzechs spoke as he made his way to a seat near the bed. "I would like to speak with you, if that is alright." It was a demand, not a question, and Sirzechs could see the resignation in the Knight's eyes.
With a sigh, Lelouch shifted so he was leaning his back against the pillow. "Sure, why not." Lelouch could see the serious look in the redhead's eyes. "I assume you're Rias' brother?" The family resemblance was quite obvious.
Sirzechs nodded, a small smile gracing his lips as he thought of his beloved little sister. "Indeed." Wiping his expression clean, he got straight to the point. "But that's not why I'm here." Leaning forward, Sirzechs clasped his hands in front of his chin and stared pointedly at the boy's face. "Do the names 'Zero, the Man of Miracles' or 'Demon Emperor' mean anything to you?"
Lelouch could not hide the shock in his eyes as he stared at Rias' brother. "How do you know those names?" His body felt tense as he prepared for the worst, but Sirzechs didn't move.
Sirzechs narrowed his eyes as the spark of recognition and shock entered Lelouch's eyes. "So you are him." Forestalling any response, the Satan held up his hand and leaned back. "I'm not going to hurt you, I just have some questions." With a light smile, he allowed his power to flicker just enough to put pressure on the boy in the hospital bed. "I trust you will be honest with me?"
Lelouch choked as for a split second he couldn't breathe, the very air filled with power. Breathing deeply once the air returned to normal, Lelouch could feel his entire body coated with sweat. "Yes, of course." Lelouch may not be able to die due to the Code, but he really didn't want to see what someone like the monster before him could do even if death wasn't an option.
"Good." With that, Sirzechs lounged in the chair with one hand on his cheek as he stared at the boy. "To answer your question, my friend was messing around with one of his experiments and gained insight into another world through the Dimensional Gap." Sirzechs leaned back slightly and reconsidered. "Or was it part of the Dimensional Gap?" The Satan hummed in thought before shrugging. "Either way, this world looked quite different from anything he'd ever seen, it looked almost like a temple in the sky." Repositioning his gaze back onto Lelouch, he noticed the boy paying very close attention. "In that world, he witnessed a self-professed man of miracles command a Deity and erase his own father and mother from existence." A chuckle escaped Sirzechs lips. "Naturally, he shared this information with us and, with his experiment, continued observing this anomaly for as long as he could." Leaning forward with a grin, Sirzechs stared. "He witnessed the man of miracles conquer his world as the Demon Emperor using his powers."
"I see." Lelouch paled as he stared at the Satan watching him from his bedside. "I assume you're wondering how I ended up in this world then?"
Sirzechs nodded solemnly, pleased the young man before him wasn't playing the fool. "We saw you die, after that we ultimately decided to stop observing your world." Sirzechs chuckled as he shrugged absently. "My comrade lost interest after the most interesting man in the world chose to commit an elaborate suicide." Staring down the young man who'd conducted his own death, Sirzechs gave a lopsided smirk. "Though it was quite the spectacle." Serafall had been greatly inspired by the drama and developed many new ideas for her show.
The dramatic gesturing villain that recently appeared in Magical Girl Levia-tan was almost certainly Lelouch's influence, though Sirzechs wasn't certain whether Serafall had realized the man himself was in there world. Which did bring things back around to the reason Sirzechs was here.
"Do you have any designs on the human world?" Sirzechs asked seriously, staring down the man who'd once conquered another world.
Lelouch chuckled and shook his head. "No, I have no interest in ruling anything." The former Emperor then stared dead on at the Satan interrogating him. "As for how I ended up here, it's… quite a story." He shivered slightly, remembering the enormous red dragon from the reawakened memories. "One I only learned recently myself when I spoke with the one who dragged me here."
Sirzechs leaned forward. "Who was it?" It's possible it could have been the will of Him, despite His death Sirzechs still firmly believed He had some form of influence on the world given the fact Sacred Gears still functioned with His blessings.
"Does the name Ophis mean anything to you?" Lelouch asked, having to resist a smirk when he saw Sirzechs pale as white as he'd been earlier. "Apparently she saw me use my powers and wanted me to use them on Great Red to make the Dragon 'go away' in her words." Lelouch shivered as he remembered the sheer size of that monstrous creature.
Sirzechs gaped as he stared at the young man before him. "Do you still have that power?" He closed his eyes and leaned back, thinking things through quickly.
Lelouch sighed, having expected such a question. "Would you believe me if I said no?" That was the problem when people became aware of his Geass. When people learned he could subvert their free will so easily, he became instantly distrusted. Even if he explained the limitations, the fact remained people would still have to trust he was being honest about them.
Sirzechs raised an eyebrow and opened his eyes, staring at the young man dead on. "Interesting answer." He leaned forward, balancing his chin on his palms. "I take it that means you genuinely don't have it or at the very least you can't use it the way you used to."
A snicker escaped Lelouch's lips. "Second one." He admitted honestly, knowing there's no point in lying to the Devil before him. "I need more magical power than the target in order to have any effect and, well." Lelouch shrugged and gestured at himself. "As you can tell, I don't have nearly as much magical power as I'd need to actually do as she asked."
"That's the second time you called the Dragon God she." Sirzechs noted curiously. "I suppose that must be the form Ophis is using then." At Lelouch's curious stare, the Satan elaborated further. "Over the millennia, Ophis has appeared to us Devils, the Fallen, and the Angels and even other Gods in many forms, their current form changes with their whims." He shrugged while Lelouch nodded in understanding. "A being born at the literal creation of all universes in the void between worlds is beyond understanding except in very small respects. She is older than any living creature except maybe Great Red can comprehend."
"I understand." Lelouch nodded at Sirzechs' comments. "So… where do we go from here?" As interesting as the discussion was, Lelouch knew Sirzechs wanted more answers than just how he got here.
Sirzechs stared blankly at the young Devil before chuckling. "As long as you are happy being my sister's Knight and you keep her safe, I have no issues with you being in this world." For a nanosecond, he flexed his powers once more, causing the former Emperor to break into a cold sweat. "As long as you have no designs on conquering the human world, or any other, there will not be any issues between us." A lopsided smirk graced the Satan's face. "I can't promise that my colleagues won't have questions, but I'll make sure to ask they be discreet so your secrets aren't revealed until you're ready."
Lelouch sighed in relief at the terms Sirzechs outlined. "Thank you." He wasn't sure when, but at some point he'd like to reveal his past to an extent to his new friends.
With that, Sirzechs left and the meeting between the Demon Emperor and the strongest of the four Satans ended.
"Oh, by the way, that mansion you're renovating?" Sirzechs spoke as he was about to leave the room. "Don't worry about the costs, I'll handle everything for you." He turned back and smiled at Lelouch's gobsmacked face. "Consider it a gift for giving it your all and helping my baby sister."
With that, the Devil left and Lelouch was stunned speechless.
Two weeks passed in the Underworld after Lelouch met with Sirzechs. It was mid-November, not the greatest time for a wedding, but that was as long as Riser had given Rias to prepare. Lelouch knew Sirzechs had a plan to sabotage the wedding, the Satan had been spending some time with Lelouch discussing strategies once Lelouch let it slip he was also a big brother.
The thought of Nunnally being put in Rias' position made Lelouch boil with rage. Given how Rias felt about Issei, Lelouch convinced Sirzechs that his idea for involving the Pawn was a good idea, but that he'd need to be more discreet if he actually wanted to minimize the political fallout for his parents.
Apparently, despite having the Gremory name and being Rias' little sister, officially Sirzechs was no longer a Gremory. That's why Rias was even in line to become head in the first place and why this marriage had been arranged between her and Riser's families.
Lelouch understood using marriage for political gain, though he found it distasteful. It was Sirzechs' idea to setup a duel between Riser and Issei, but Lelouch convinced the Satan to be a little more underhanded in his method of convincing Issei to attend.
At the wedding party, Lelouch stood next to Koneko, who was wearing a black dress that meshed wonderfully with her white hair and pale complexion, that managed to look tasteful without impeding her movement. Lelouch himself was wearing a suit Sirzechs helped him find, the pair having grown closer in their plotting to a point where they could almost be considered friends.
Akeno was aware of some aspects of the plan, as was Kiba, so they would be on guard to handle any attempts to interrupt. Koneko kept clenching and unclenching her fists as her gaze shifted around the party, constantly aware of the guards.
"Calm down." Akeno's voice whispered from behind Lelouch and Koneko. "The two of you look jumpy." Wedging herself in between them, the Queen pressed her breasts against Lelouch's arm. "Let's dance, I want to talk to you." Akeno winked at Koneko as she dragged Lelouch to the dance floor. "I'll give him back shortly."
Lelouch allowed himself to be pulled to the dance floor, falling into step easily as his old training kicked in, though his gaze did meet Koneko's shortly before he turned his full attention to Akeno. If her true features were showing he had no doubt her ears and tail would be twitching in annoyance.
Placing his hand on Akeno's waist he fell into step as they began to dance. "What do you want?" Lelouch asked, his gaze meeting Akeno, though his eyes kept flickering to the entrance.
"I wanted an answer." Akeno pressed herself against Lelouch, much closer than needed for the particular dance. "You know I like you, I know Koneko likes you." She pouted as she twirled in his grip, the dance music flowing through them. "It's rude to keep avoiding the answer, you know."
Lelouch sighed as he finally decided to bite the bullet. "I understand." Looking at Akeno seriously, he gave her a soft smile. "I'm sorry." There was a pain in Akeno's eyes at his answer, but she returned his smile.
"It's ok." Her reply was uncharacteristically kind and soft. "Just so you know." She leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "If you ever hurt her, your torture will make all of the Underworld blush." She nipped his ear playfully and continued. "And if you ever want more than one, well you know I'm interested." Lelouch blushed slightly at Akeno's words and her nibbling on his ear, but his soft smile remained.
"Thank you for understanding." Lelouch knew heartbreak wasn't easy, but Akeno was being surprisingly mature, minus her teasing about joining in at some point in the future.
The song ended soon and Lelouch returned to Koneko, holding his hand out. Her face went from annoyed to shocked rather quickly. "May I have this dance, Shirone?" He whispered so quietly only she could hear. A light dusting of pink graced Shirone's face.
"Very well." Gently, the Nekoshou placed her hand into Lelouch's and, as he put one hand around her small waist, the music changed to something slow.
Gently pressing against each other, the pair moved slowly in time with the music. "What did Akeno want to talk to you about?" Shirone's voice was quiet as she rested her forehead against Lelouch's chest, nervous about meeting his eyes.
"She wanted an answer about how I felt for her." Lelouch answered honestly as he moved in sync with Shirone.
"And what did you say?" The Nekoshou whispered nervously. Her insecurities rising.
"I said I'm sorry." Lelouch gave a soft smile to Shirone as her head shot up, staring at him in surprise. "She said if I did anything to hurt you, the tortures she would inflict on me would make the entire Underworld blush." As the catgirl's face grew more and more pink, Lelouch gave an exasperated sigh. "She also offered to join in." The two of them had matching deadpan expressions at that, completely unsurprised that Akeno had said such a thing.
Soon enough though, Lelouch's words sank in for Shirone. "Does that… Does that mean?" She stuttered as she tried her best to meet the taller boy's gaze.
Lelouch nodded, holding Shirone a little tighter. "It does." He leaned forward and gently pressed a kiss between her real ears. "As long as you feel the same."
Shirone purred as she felt Lelouch's lips on the top of her head, only just barely resisting the urge to unleash her features. "I do." She whispered, her lips spreading into a wide grin as she and Lelouch stared into each other's eyes.
And then the door to the wedding celebration exploded and the real party began.
Once again, I'm sorry it took so long for me to post this, but I'll do my best to make sure the next chapter isn't years down the road.
With that, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.
King Draconias Over and Out.