"Rise and shine, Riser-sama! The sun's already toasting your butt!"
Riser blinked awake, groggy and sore, to find two identical loli girls grinning down at him—eyes gleaming with mischief.
"I—Ile? Nel? What do you want?" He tensed instinctively at their predatory smiles, but then remembered: he was a Phoenix scion, and they were just servants. That thought brought a flicker of comfort.
"Riser-sama, your body and mind are shot. Time for retraining," Ile declared.
"Today, we're your opponents. Please take care of us!" Nel chimed in, baring her teeth.
Chainsaws—magical, whirring—appeared in their hands. The twins advanced.
Riser barely registered the blur of blades before his body was carved into pieces. He stared dumbly at his severed limbs, then—
"AAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Immortality didn't mean immunity to pain. Every nerve screamed. But what stung worse was the fact that Ile and Nel had gone for the kill without hesitation.
"Die!" Riser roared, hurling twin fireballs at them. Barriers flashed—his attacks fizzled harmlessly.
"Hehe, Tenra-sama gave us protection. Your flames are useless," Ile taunted.
"Accept your fate, Riser-sama! Time for a full disassembly!" Nel sang.
"Disassemble! Disassemble!" The twins chanted, closing in with wicked grins.
Cold sweat ran down Riser's neck. His hellish training had begun.
—
Days blurred together.
A wild figure clad in beast skins crouched by a stream, gulping water like an animal—it was Riser Phenex.
When thirst was quenched, he tore a chunk of bloody meat from a demon beast's corpse, roasted it with a flicker of flame, and devoured it ravenously.
If his old self could see him now, he'd be stunned speechless. How far he'd fallen.
Since arriving, his life had been pure hell—chased by monsters, brutalized by demons.
Day one: chopped across mountaintops by Ile and Nel.
Day two: strung up and pounded by Xuelan and Isabella.
Day three: tossed into beast nests by Kalamaina and Siris.
Day four…
Just remembering it all brought tears of rage and despair.
He'd tried to fight back, but his neglected power was no match for the girls' relentless assault.
He'd tried to run, but Tenra always dragged him back for another beating.
Dignity? Pride? Riser had given up on both. Survival was all that mattered now.
To avoid being hunted, he ran faster and faster. To avoid starving on cold buns, he learned to hunt. To escape Mira and Biryunt's detection, he burrowed into muddy ground like a beast. For…
In just a few days, his body and mind had begun to recover—though he hadn't noticed yet.
—
Hiss—BOOM!
A spear of light crashed down from above, engulfing Riser in a violent explosion.
"Who's attacking me?!" He reformed from the flames, glaring skyward.
"Why does our great master have such a pathetic brother? Break time's over, Riser Phenex!" Raynare, Mittelt, and Kalawarner hovered above, each conjuring another spear of light.
"Damn it!" Riser cursed. He recognized Tenra's trio of fallen angels—and wanted nothing to do with them. He bolted into the jungle, moving with the speed of a panther.
—
More days passed.
In a shadowy grove, Riser prowled like a wild animal, eyes sharp and wary.
Rustle.
Two black shadows darted past—claws flashing, leaving bloody marks across his skin.
"Ni… and Li." Riser muttered, unfazed by the pain.
Such stealth and agility could only mean the nekomata twins. As a Phoenix heir, he knew the servants' abilities well, but their growth since joining Tenra was staggering.
A few days ago, he'd have been helpless. But now…
Riser's eyes narrowed. He thrust his hands in two directions.
"Right there!"
Twin phoenix cries echoed as massive firebirds erupted from his palms, tearing through the undergrowth.
"We've been spotted, nya!" Ni and Li yelped as they leapt into the air—one blue, one red.
They dodged the firebirds, but now Riser had them in his sights. Grinning, he conjured hundreds of fireballs and unleashed them.
"We're doomed, nya!"
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Explosions rocked the sky. The twins scrambled to shield themselves, but the barrage sent them flying.
A flash of light—Tenra appeared, catching the battered nekomata girls.
"Sorry, Tenra-sama… we lost, nya." They clung to him, pale and shaken.
Just days ago, they'd been able to crush Riser easily. Now, they'd been outmatched. It stung.
"You both did well. Ni, Li—there'll be rewards later," Tenra said, nuzzling their foreheads.
Even losing earned them rewards—Ni and Li's eyes sparkled with hope.
"Yo, Riser. You're looking pretty lively," Tenra called down.
Gone was the broken shell. Riser was filthy, wild, but his aura was fierce—a predator reborn.
"All thanks to you!" Riser spat, glaring up. He'd suffered hell, wanted to die a thousand times, but he'd survived.
He'd been reborn.
"What's wrong, still hate me? Then show me—let's see how much rage you've got left."
Tenra motioned for Ni and Li to step aside, then beckoned Riser with a villain's smirk.
Riser's anger boiled over. Fire wings burst from his back as he lunged at Tenra. Tenra's lips curled—he drew a demon sword and shot down to meet him.
"Tenra Kamiyo!"
"Riser!"
They collided midair—swords, fire, fury.
BOOM!
"How dare you treat me like this—die! Die!"
"This is how trash gets treated. Dissatisfied? Beat me, then!"
"You're the real trash—a Phoenix who can't even awaken his bloodline! The family's disgrace!"
"Losing to trash like me makes you trash among trash!"
"Ahhhhh—!"
They fought and shouted, explosions and roars blending into chaos.
Tenra didn't use any Sacred Gear powers—his swordsmanship alone was overwhelming. But Riser, fueled by rage, kept coming. Cut down, he rose again and again, fearless.
From a distance, Ravel watched with Yubelluna and the others, tears of relief glimmering in her eyes.
"Thank goodness… Nii-sama's finally back."
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