The roar of the crowd was a deafening wave of noise, a symphony of anticipation and disbelief.
They had come to see a foregone conclusion—the proud heir of the House of Phenex asserting his dominance over a new, unproven pawn.
But as Issei Hyoudou stood alone in the center of the Rating Game arena, a lone figure against Riser's entire peerage, a different story began to unfold.
Riser Phenex laughed, a loud, booming sound that echoed across the vast stadium.
"You are just a lowly devil. Riser can kill you himself, but what is the fun in that?"
He sneered, his eyes filled with a condescending arrogance. He made a grand gesture with his hand.
"My servants, come forth! Show this weakling the true power of the Phenex clan!"
At his command, his peerage stepped forward. A group of beautiful, powerful women, each radiating immense magical power.
They were his Queen, Knights, Rooks, Bishops, and Pawns, a carefully selected group meant to demonstrate his overwhelming strength.
In the stands, the members of the Occult Research Club watched with bated breath.
Rias, Akeno, Koneko, and Kiba had been told by Arthur to simply observe and not interfere yet.
This was Issei's fight, a test of his resolve and a chance for him to truly own his power.
"Are you sure about this, Rias-sama?"
Kiba asked, his hand hovering over the hilt of his sword, ever ready to jump in if needed. The tension was thick in the air.
Rias didn't take her eyes off the arena.
"I don't know,"
She admitted, her voice low.
"But he took all of the pawn pieces I have. He has the potential, and Arthur believes in him. I have to believe in him, too."
She could feel the immense power emanating from both fighters.
Issei's aura was a raw, primal force, a new kind of power she had never felt before, while Riser's was a controlled, burning inferno.
Koneko, on the other hand, was completely calm. Her expression was serene as she watched Issei.
Arthur's words had resonated deeply with her.
He had seen something in Issei that no one else had, and she trusted his judgment completely.
The Issei standing in the arena wasn't the perverted boy they all knew; he was a serious fighter, a true Sekiryutei.
He didn't have any of the strange, perverted powers he would have developed in a different timeline.
This was pure, unadulterated strength.
As the crowd waited for the slaughter to begin, Issei's voice rang out, clear and full of power.
"Come! I will show you my true power!"
His Boosted Gear glowed a brilliant red, and the gem on his gauntlet pulsed with power.
The first to attack were Riser's Pawns, moving as one to surround Issei.
But they were no match for his newfound strength.
He moved with a speed and grace that surprised everyone.
He wasn't just swinging his fist wildly; he was fighting with purpose.
Each punch was precise and powerful, infused with the raw power of the Red Dragon Emperor.
A Pawn, a muscular woman with fiery red hair, tried to flank him, but Issei reacted instantly.
He ducked under her swinging axe and delivered a powerful uppercut to her chin.
The force sent her flying back, crashing into the arena wall with a loud thud.
The crowd gasped.
He was fighting with an almost terrifying efficiency.
Next came a barrage of magical attacks from Riser's Bishops. A hail of fireballs and lightning bolts streaked toward him.
But Issei simply raised his left arm.
The Boosted Gear's gem pulsed, and a powerful barrier of green energy appeared, a technique he had learned from Sona.
The attacks harmlessly dissipated against the shield.
He was fighting with his brain as well as his brawn. He was thinking, anticipating, and adapting.
"Amazing,"
Sona whispered, her eyes wide with surprise. She stood beside Arthur, watching the fight with intense focus.
"He's using mana control to create that shield. I didn't think he'd master it so quickly."
"He's a quick study,"
Arthur said, a small, knowing smile on his face.
On the battlefield, Issei dropped the shield and charged forward, his body glowing with a crimson aura. He was a force of nature.
He landed a punch on one of the Pawns, his power amplified by his Boosted Gear.
"Boost! Boost! Boost!"
The voice of Ddraig echoed in his mind, fueling his power with every word.
The Pawn was instantly defeated, her form disappearing in a flash of light as she was sent out of the game.
Another Pawn, a woman with a rapier, tried to attack him from behind, but Issei was too fast. He turned, grabbed her wrist, and twisted it, forcing her to drop her weapon.
A powerful kick to her stomach and she too was defeated. The crowd's cheers turned into murmurs of shock and excitement.
Issei continued his relentless assault.
He was like a whirlwind, a blur of red and green energy. He took on Riser's Pawns, his Rooks, and even his Knights, all at once.
He was a one-man army, and he was winning.
The other fighters in the arena were strong, but they had never faced a fighter like Issei.
A fighter who fought with a dragon's heart and a human's resolve.
He was fueled by his desire to protect Rias, to prove his worth, and to be a hero.
He wasn't just fighting to win; he was fighting to change his destiny.
He faced the final Rook, a large, burly woman with a giant sword.
She swung her sword at him with immense force, but Issei met her attack head-on, his gauntlet glowing a bright green.
"Boost!"
The sword was repelled, the force so great that the Rook's hands trembled.
Issei seized the moment, delivering a devastating punch to her chest.
The blow was so powerful that it sent a shockwave through the arena, and the Rook was defeated.
With the defeat of the Rook, only Riser's Queen and his Bishops remained. But they were no longer confident.
They had underestimated their opponent, and now they were facing the consequences.
The spectators were completely stunned.
They had come to see a show of force from Riser, but they were witnessing the birth of a legend.
A lowly human had taken on an entire peerage and was winning. This was unheard of.
In the hidden corners of the stadium, disguised fallen angels and angels watched with calculating eyes.
They had been sent to observe, to report on the new Red Dragon Emperor.
The Red Dragon Emperor was a powerful figure, and this one was different.
He was not the perverted, weak human they had expected. He was strong, resolved, and most of all, unpredictable.
"He's a threat,"
One of the fallen angels, a tall, imposing figure with dark wings, said to his companion.
"His power is growing at an exponential rate. We must report this to Azazel."
"He's not a threat yet,"
His companion, a smaller, more delicate fallen angel, replied.
"He is still a pawn. But if he continues to grow, he could become a problem for all factions."
Meanwhile, a group of angels, their faces hidden behind masks, also discussed the implications of Issei's strength.
"The Lord must know about this," one of them, a Seraph, said.
"The Red Dragon Emperor is a wild card. This one, in particular, has the potential to become a great force for good or evil."
Arthur, meanwhile, felt the gaze of these powerful beings on him.
In the original story, this Rating Game was a small, local event. But with his presence and Issei's accelerated growth, the game had attracted the attention of the biblical factions.
The balance of power was shifting, and they were all watching to see where it would land.
Arthur just kept his attention on the fight.
Sona, ever the strategist, was analyzing every move Issei made.
"He's not just relying on raw power,"
She said to Arthur.
"He's using his magic, his speed, and his intellect."
"He had a good teacher,"
Arthur replied, his smile widening as he watched Issei fight.
Issei was now a blur of motion, a dance of destruction and grace.
He had defeated almost all of Riser's peerage.
Only Yubelluna and his sister Revel left.