Issei POV
We stood back to back—Kiba, Rias, Akeno, Koneko, and me.
The Fallen Angels hovered before us, wings spread wide, eyes burning with killing intent.
The air itself felt heavy, like it was about to tear apart.
"This is bad…" Kiba muttered, tightening his grip.
Above us dozens of light spears formed in the sky, glowing like falling stars of death.
"Akeno!" Rias shouted instinctively.
"I know!" Akeno snapped back and raised her hand towards the fallen angles.
Crimson destruction erupted from Rias, tearing through the sky like a raging storm. In akeno raised arm, black lightning roaring upward to meet the spears.
KRASH—! BOOOOM—! The battlefield shook violently.
But there were too many.
Some spears shattered mid-air, others exploded against the ground.
And some—
"KONEKO!" I screamed.
SHRRKK—! A spear pierced straight through her arm, blood splashing onto the floor.
"AAAH—!" Koneko screamed as her body was thrown back.
"Koneko-chan!" Asia cried, running to her without hesitation.
"I-It's okay… I can heal you," Asia sobbed, green light covering Koneko's wound. Flesh slowly knit back together, but the pain was still there.
I clenched my fists so hard my nails dug into my skin. I couldn't just stand hear anymore.
Another spear shot toward me.
"BOOST!!" I swung my arm—CRASH!—the spear shattered.
Pain exploded through my arm as blood ran down my sleeve.
"Ghh—!" I gasped.
"ISSEI!" Kiba jumped in front of me, his demonic sword blazing with darkness.
CLANG—! CLANG—! One spear. Two spears.
Then—
SHRRKK—!
Three spears struck him at once. One pierced his leg, another crushed his chest, the third slammed him aside.
"KIBA!" I screamed as he was thrown back.
THUD—! He hit the ground, unmoving.
"…No…"
"No… no no NO!" I shouted.
The Fallen Angels laughed, their voices echoing cruelly.
"Hahaha! Look at them suffer!" Akeno finally struck back.
BOOOOM—! Lightning tore one Fallen Angel from the sky.
For a moment, hope sparked—
"AKENO!" Rias screamed.
A spear pierced straight through Akeno's chest from behind.
"Ah…" she gasped, blood spilling from her lips. A high-ranking Fallen Angel stood there, smiling coldly.
Rias caught her before she fell. "Akeno… stay with me…" she whispered, her voice trembling.
Asia collapsed, sobbing uncontrollably. " This is my fault… if I wasn't here—!"
I couldn't hear anything anymore. My vision turned red, my heart pounding painfully.
Something inside me snapped completely.
"I'll kill you… I'll kill all of you…" My Sacred Gear burned hot. Power surged through me, wild and violent.
For a moment, I felt it—enough power to destroy everything. My eyes burned like a dragon's but suddenly it vanished.
My gauntlet's red glow died down. A Fallen Angel stared at his shaking hand in disbelief.
He had exhausted almost all his magic in that attack.
The spear pierced my chest—but missed my vitals.
"…Ah…" My vision blurred as the world went dark.
My body fell forward, refusing to move.
Everything faded to black.
"…Issei?" Rias whispered, her voice shaking in disbelief.
For one second, she couldn't accept what she was seeing.
Then she snapped.
"ISSEI!!!" Crimson energy exploded from her body. Her eyes turned blood-red as destruction roared outward.
BOOOOOOM—! Three Fallen Angels vanished instantly.
The one who struck issei tried to run—but fate caught him. Rias erased him without mercy.
But even she was overwhelmed. Two high-ranking Fallen Angels attacked together.
BOOM—! CRASH—!
Rias was struck from both sides.
Real pain—something she had never known—crushed her chest.She fell to one knee, tears spilling freely.
Light spears formed again above her. Seeing this she closed her eyes.
"So this is it" she thought.