To the audience, a balanced fight is the most entertaining. To the devils, it was like a high-stakes MOBA game. But suddenly, the tide turned. Ethan didn't seem to transform, but Riser—who had been winning—was suddenly sent flying across the arena with a single punch.
"Five minutes is impossible," Ravel whispered to Rias. "Riser's mental exhaustion is high, but you can't break a Phenex's immortality in five minutes."
"Ethan never lies, Ravel," Rias said confidently.
On screen, Ethan was a blur. Only S-rank devils could even track his movements. Every time his image flickered, blood and sparks sprayed from Riser's body. Riser tried to retreat, realizing Ethan had used some sort of temporary burst technique. He tried to stall, but Ethan wasn't having it.
"Going to run? Fine, then I'll use the Sacred Gear."
The Boosted Gear's Boost function required time. If Riser wanted to stall, Ethan would just stack his power to the moon.
Riser's face went pale. He couldn't beat Ethan now; he definitely couldn't beat him if he started doubling his power every ten seconds. His reason snapped. He stopped running. The Phoenix flames around him began to collapse inward, turning into a miniature sun.
"An ultimate move? Fine. I said I wouldn't use the Sacred Gear, and I meant it."
Ethan lunged. He didn't have a one-hit-kill move without the gauntlet, so he had to keep grinding. Riser focused entirely on burning his life-essence to fuel a massive magic cannon. He took thousands of Ethan's punches to the face, his immortality barely keeping his head attached to his neck.
At the four-minute mark, Riser reached his mental limit. But his orange-red fire cannon was ready.
"DIE!"
The fire blast was a screen-wipe. There was nowhere to hide. The ancient-style arena was vaporized. The broadcast equipment melted. The screen went white.
"Is Riser insane?" Rias yelled, standing up. "That was a suicide move!"
"He's been broken for a long time," Ravel whispered, hiding her face behind her fan.
Sirzechs looked grim. He could feel two life signs in the explosion, both fading rapidly. Just as he was about to step in, a battered figure flew out of the white light, carrying another person who looked like a charred corpse.
Ethan landed, holding the half-dead Riser by the neck. "Lord Devil King... I believe I win?"
"The winner is Ethan Uesugi!" Sirzechs announced.
Ethan immediately collapsed, Rias catching him in her arms. Asia rushed over, her Twilight Healing glowing brightly.
"Ethan! Are you okay?" Rias cried.
"Do I look okay?" Ethan croaked with a weak grin. "The bastard turned himself into a nuke... dirty cheater."
A week later. Kuoh Academy.
"Class, please welcome two new transfer students," the blue-haired teacher, Kalawarner, announced.
Basara Tojo stood up and wrote his name on the board. "I'm Basara Tojo. Nice to meet you."
Then, the blonde girl next to him stepped forward. "I am Ravel Phenex. You may call me Lady Ravel."
Her arrogant tone didn't annoy the students; it made them more interested. In this world, being cute and rich meant you could get away with anything.
Ethan sat in the back row, looking out the window. He had a few Band-Aids on his face, which only added to his "bad boy" charm.