high school dxd · supernatural · tournament · devil · magic · combat · rivalry · underworld · strategy
The Rating Game arena was a wasteland of shattered stone and lingering smoke, the air thick with the scent of ozone and spilled blood. Rias Gremory knelt on the broken ground, cradling Issei’s battered body against her chest; tears cut clean trails through the dust on her cheeks. Across the devastation, Riser Phoenix stood pristine, his blond hair perfectly arranged, his white suit untouched. His smirk was a weapon of pure triumph. "I always knew it would end this way," he announced, his voice dripping with condescension. "No matter how fiercely you struggle, Rias. Victory was always my birthright. Prepare yourself—soon, you will be my bride. It is inevitable." The rest of her peerage lay defeated around them: Akeno, Kiba, Koneko fallen. Only Rias, Asia, and a fading Issei remained. I…