The roar of the crowd faded to a hushed murmur as Issei stood alone, facing the last two members of Riser's peerage: Yubelluna and Ravel.
Issei's body was a canvas of glowing red, his aura a fiery beacon of pure power.
The arena, once a stage for Riser's arrogance, now belonged to Issei.
Ravel, her young face set with a fierce scowl, stepped forward.
"I will fight you!"
She declared, her voice filled with a childish bravado, but her loyalty to her brother burned bright.
A wave of powerful fire magic erupted from her hands, a searing torrent of flames that rushed toward Issei.
But Issei didn't even flinch. He simply raised his gauntlet, the crimson glow on his arm flaring.
The flames from Ravel's attack crashed against an invisible wall, harmlessly dissipating into thin air.
Issei shook his head.
"You're too young to be here. Riser really is too much. He needs to be taught a lesson."
"Don't you dare insult my brother!"
Ravel screamed, a fresh wave of fire gathering at her fingertips.
Issei sighed, a small, sad sound.
He walked forward, completely ignoring the magical attacks.
When he reached her, he simply flicked her forehead with his finger.
It wasn't a hard hit, but the force behind it was immense, and it sent Ravel stumbling back, clutching her head in pain.
"You've lost,"
Issei said, his voice flat.
"If I had used my real power, your head would have been gone."
Ravel looked at him, her eyes wide with shock.
She had never been treated with such disrespect.
No one, not even her brother, had ever dared to hurt her.
She watched as Issei turned his back on her, a strange warmth spreading across her cheeks.
A mix of shame and a new, confusing feeling she couldn't name began to bubble inside her.
From the stands, Grayfia, the silver-haired maid, announced Ravel's defeat.
She saw that the young girl had no more fight left in her, and there was no reason to prolong her pain.
With Ravel out of the game, only Yubelluna, Riser's Queen, remained.
Yubelluna was a formidable opponent, a master of fire and explosives.
She launched a volley of powerful magical bombs, each one a miniature sun, toward Issei.
But Issei was faster.
He moved with a speed that defied logic, a blur of motion that left afterimages in his wake.
In a single, fluid motion, he closed the distance between them.
Yubelluna didn't even have time to react before Issei delivered a punch that sent her flying back, out of the arena, and out of the game.
"You're too slow,"
Issei said, a faint smile on his face.
"I have to thank Sephira-sensei a lot."
The training under Sephira, a being of immense power, had honed his reflexes to a razor's edge.
He could react to any threat, no matter how fast it was.
Yubelluna, now defeated, looked to Riser for comfort, but his face was a mask of disappointment.
He didn't care that she had lost; he only cared that she had failed him.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she felt a deep sense of shame.
Issei, seeing her distress, felt a surge of anger.
"You're a dick, Riser! How can you make your woman cry? I have one more reason to beat you. You're nothing like my boss who cherishes his loved ones!"
In his heart, Issei couldn't help but compare the two men.
Riser was arrogant and uncaring, while Arthur was kind and protective.
He knew that Arthur would never treat his friends, let alone someone he was supposed to love, with such disrespect.
Riser was angry from the start, but now, a dark rage simmered beneath his calm facade.
He flew down to the center of the arena, his body wreathed in a corona of fire.
"You are nothing but a mere low-class devil,"
He sneered.
"Riser will show you your place!"
Issei simply raised an eyebrow.
"Before that, can you stop calling yourself in the third person? Are you a kid?"
The crowd, which had been silent in shock, erupted in laughter. It was a simple question, but it cut right through Riser's arrogance.
Riser's face contorted in a snarl.
"Riser will kill you!"
Issei's hand glowed a brighter red.
"No! Issei will kill you, duh…"
With that final taunt, they charged at each other.
The clash of their fists was like a thunderclap, sending shockwaves through the arena.
Riser was powerful, a master of fire magic, but Issei was a different kind of fighter.
He was a force of nature, a whirlwind of fists and fury.
The fight was intense. Riser was a high-class devil, and his power was immense.
He was fast, strong, and his flames were a force of nature. But Issei was a dragon, and his power was still growing.
Every punch he landed was amplified by his Boosted Gear, every dodge a testament to his training.
"Boost! Boost! Boost!"
Ddraig's voice echoed in his mind, fueling his power with every word.
The crowd watched in awe.
This wasn't the one-sided battle they had expected.
This was a true fight, a clash between a devil and a dragon.
Riser, for the first time in his life, was struggling. He couldn't understand how a mere Pawn, a reincarnated devil, could be so strong.
"How… How are you so strong?"
Riser grunted, blocking a punch from Issei.
"I'm the Red Dragon Emperor, you idiot!"
Issei shouted.
"And I have the heart of a dragon!"
The fight continued, each punch a testament to their strength, each magical attack a testament to their power.
Riser was slowly losing his composure.
He was used to winning, to being the best. He had never faced a challenge like this before.
"I won't lose to a weakling like you!"
Riser screamed, his flames flaring with renewed intensity.
Issei just smiled. He had one more card to play. He took a deep breath, and a blinding light erupted from his gauntlet.
"This is the power of the Sekiryutei,"
He said, his voice echoing through the arena.
"Balance Breaker!"
A crimson-red armor, adorned with spikes and a dragon head on the shoulders, appeared over his body.
The armor was sleek and powerful, a physical manifestation of his sacred gear.
The crowd gasped, their eyes wide with shock. A pawn, a mere human, had achieved Balance Breaker. This was unheard of.
From the stands, the members of the Occult Research Club stared in awe.
Rias, Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko had never seen Issei in this form. He was a true hero, a true Sekiryutei.
His power was immense, a raw, untamed force that threatened to engulf the entire arena.
Even Arthur, who had been expecting this, felt a surge of pride. Issei had exceeded his expectations.
"Now, Riser,"
Issei said, his voice now deeper, more powerful.
"Let's finish this!"
He charged at Riser, a red blur of destruction. Riser, for the first time, felt a pang of fear.
He had underestimated his opponent.
He had thought he was a weakling, a joke.
But Issei was not a joke. He was a force of nature, a true dragon in human form.
The fight was over in a matter of seconds. Issei, in his Balance Breaker form, was simply too strong.
He moved too fast, hit too hard. He was a whirlwind of punches and kicks, each one a testament to his newfound power.
Riser, in his pride, had a fatal flaw: he was too reliant on his immortality. He believed that he could not be truly defeated, that he would always be able to regenerate.
Issei proved him wrong. He landed a punch that sent Riser crashing to the ground, the force of the blow so great that it created a crater in the arena floor.
Riser's body glowed with a faint, fiery light, and he began to regenerate.
But Issei wasn't done yet. He raised his gauntlet, and a powerful beam of crimson energy shot from the gem on his arm, engulfing Riser in a sea of red.
Riser screamed, his body unable to regenerate against such a pure, unadulterated attack.
He was a phoenix, but Issei was a dragon, and fire was no match for a true dragon.
When the light faded, Riser was a charred wreck, his body unable to regenerate.
The crowd was silent, their eyes wide with disbelief.
A Pawn had defeated a high-class devil. A reincarnated devil had defeated a Phenex.
Issei, his armor dissipating, stood in the center of the arena, his chest heaving.
He had won. He had saved Rias. He had proven his worth.
The world would never be the same. The balance of power had shifted, and a new kind of hero had been born.