Most of the crowd also consisted of fans drawn in by Raiden Games' promotion. Everyone was eagerly awaiting the new games.
Raize had released the Prototype trailer a few days earlier, along with promotions for Street Fighter and King of Fighters.
On Raiden Company's official forum, aside from Sekiro and Devil May Cry discussions, a pinned featured post stood out:
"Raiden Corp New Game Launch in Two Weeks! Brand-New Fighting Game Launches the Next Day!"
"Prototype! Raiden Company's Carefully Crafted Large-Scale Action Game—Guaranteed to Satisfy Action Fans!"
The first post included HD images and promotional videos of King of Fighters and Street Fighter.
The videos showcased smooth combat and flashy special moves, perfectly hitting the hearts of fighting game fans.
Both games were already available on gaming platforms, and arcade promotions were in full swing.
The Prototype video was a mixed edit based on Raize's memories of the original game, combined with core gameplay demonstrations.
The hooded black-jacket protagonist on the cover alone was enough to excite male players. The screenshots made gamers even more hyped.
That was pure blood and violence—a perfect match for Western tastes as well.
The trailer opened with the hooded man leaping effortlessly from a skyscraper, shattering the ground without injury, sprinting vertically up buildings in blatant defiance of Newton.
For the first time, the character exuded overwhelming strength. Clips of him lifting tanks and uppercutting helicopters made viewers itch to play.
Raiden Games hadn't lied. This new game would deliver true gaming exhilaration.
Just watching the protagonist rampage was satisfying—controlling him would be even better.
"Honestly, just watching this trailer is exciting. Looks even more violent than Sekiro and Devil May Cry. Can't wait for release!"
"Raiden Games really knows how to tease us. I'll go play King of Fighters first—anyone up for online PK?"
"Looking forward to Prototype! Street Fighter is great in the meantime. My little brother stays out late just to play it at arcades."
"Hehehe… anyone want to PK with Mai Shiranui? Free fanservice~"
"Gotta say, Raiden Company's fighting games are high quality—and they understand male needs too, hehe…"
"Hey you pervert upstairs, real players fight with skill!"
Online discussions about Prototype flooded forums nonstop. King of Fighters and Street Fighter made Raiden Games a fortune, and arcade owners were grinning nonstop.
With story modes and deep combat systems, both games became phenomena—even elementary school kids loved them.
Other arcades without these games lost customers rapidly, prompting many to approach Raiden Games. Raize took time off school to handle nonstop collaborations.
He gladly accepted the money and influence pouring in. The premium Raiden Games brand was finally established—exactly what he wanted.
Under the sunlight, Raizen finally enjoyed some free time, standing on a bustling street. Beside him was a mature, beautiful woman with pink-purple long hair, intimately holding his arm. Her hair was braided into two knee-length plaits, adorned with D-pad-shaped hair accessories.
Her clear, light-blue eyes radiated noble dignity. Her curvy figure gave off a dominant, mature aura. The system spirit's form was no longer the small chibi-like figure of before—she now appeared far more mature, exuding goddess-like elegance.
This appearance was exactly the form Raizen remembered after Neptune's goddess transformation—Purple Heart.
She was stunningly beautiful, yet no one besides Raizen paid attention to the noble, gorgeous woman at his side.
The system spirit had recovered quite a bit recently, and after manifesting in this form, she insisted Raizen accompany her to have fun.
Her familiar appearance prompted Raizen to ask whether she had any relation to the Neptune he remembered.
The system spirit denied his guess. After a fleeting look of nostalgia, she smiled faintly and said she wasn't that Purple Heart goddess—though there was indeed some connection.
She said nothing more, but allowed Raizen to call her Nep, which made him curious about the system's past. Seeing her unwilling to elaborate, he didn't press further.
They had plenty of time ahead—eventually, the system would tell him.
Because of the heat, Raizen bought several ice creams for Nep. After finishing them, Nep greedily bit into the explosive juice pear Raizen handed her.
"Pfft!"
The moment Nep bit down, juice shot dozens of meters into the air, falling like rain and forming a colorful rainbow midair.
"Whew~"
Sitting beside Raizen, Nep looked at the rainbow with delight, happily munching the juicy pear, making cute sounds as she savored the sweetness.
To avoid getting splashed, Raizen raised a barrier. Seeing Nep's face covered in juice, he took out tissues and wiped her face.
Nep squinted her eyes, not dodging at all, enjoying Raizen's care while continuing to eat—completely unashamed.
Being unable to freely play games and enjoy food at home every day had truly pent her up. Greedy and playful—that was Nep's nature.
"Huh? Why is there a rainbow here?"
A neatly dressed high school boy with short brown hair looked up at the rainbow in confusion.
Beside him, a beautiful girl in a pink short-sleeved shirt and black skirt, long hair draped over her shoulders, affectionately held Issei's arm. She also looked up curiously and sniffed the air.
"Issei-kun, there's a really sweet smell around here—like fruit juice!"
Hyoudou Issei smiled shyly and attentively at the girl holding his arm.
"Yuuma-chan, are you thirsty? I'll go buy you some juice."
"Sure, Issei-kun. It's hot, and I really want some juice. Let's go together."
The girl called Yuuma smiled gently.
The two walked off chatting happily. At that moment, they passed by Raizen and Nep, who looked just like a couple themselves. Nep, having finished the explosive pear, was now holding Raizen's arm while eating ice cream.
Her casual women's outfit perfectly outlined her graceful curves. Her skin was snow-white, and her long, eye-catching braids suited her temperament perfectly.
She possessed a face as exquisite and well-shaped as a finely crafted doll. Her noble, proper demeanor mixed with a hint of liveliness formed a contradictory aura that gave her an overwhelming sense of presence.
Issei widened his eyes, his mouth slightly agape, staring blankly at the couple passing by him. Nep's goddess-like nobility combined with a lively, pure charm nearly made his drool spill out, his face turning into a classic lecher's expression.
Beside him, Yuuma noticed her temporary "boyfriend" wearing such a piggish look. Alongside her disdain, anger flared up—what, was her looks really inferior to that ordinary woman just now!?
Even though the other woman really was… a little prettier than her.
But this guy actually stared that hard. Fine then—later on, she'd make sure he died painfully.
"Issei-kun, is she really that pretty?"
Yuuma forced a smile that didn't reach her eyes, pinched the soft flesh at Issei's waist hard, and twisted it viciously.
"Ow!! Yuuma-chan, I'm sorry! I was wrong!!"
Hearing the couple behind him about to start quarreling, Raize cast a calm, indifferent glance backward, a thoughtful look flashing through his eyes.
If Nep were an ordinary person, she would instinctively be ignored by most people. From those two earlier, he didn't sense anything unusual from the man, but the girl carried an aura that stirred an impulse in him to purify her—
As if, within his perception and vision, she was something filthy and unforgivable.
"A boy with the Soul of the Red Dragon Emperor sealed inside a Longinus Sacred Gear, and the other is a fallen angel with malicious intent."
After finishing her ice cream, Nep sensually licked her slender, pale fingers and casually spoke words that made realization flash through Raize's eyes.
So that was it—Hyoudou Issei and Amano Yuuma. Looks like the story of the High School DxD was about to begin.
Raize didn't have much of an opinion. He wasn't particularly interested in the Boosted Gear within Issei. His path was one of gathering all power into himself—chasing external tools was far less important than strengthening his own body.
So he had no intention of coveting the Boosted Gear.
Raize didn't, but the system Nep thought otherwise. She bluntly said to him,
"I want the dragon soul inside that Sacred Gear."
As she spoke, she licked her glossy lips. Her desire for the Red Dragon Emperor's soul was self-explanatory.
Raize said nothing, only nodded.
Nep had already locked onto the pair in the distance—the unawakened Sacred Gear user and the ill-intentioned fallen angel—but she had no intention of acting yet.
Nep pulled Raize along like an affectionate couple, wandering around and even heading into a nearby arcade to play games together.
Raize accompanied Nep, occasionally glancing toward Issei and Yuuma, who were also enjoying themselves nearby. After giving it a thoughtful nod, he focused entirely on playing games with the playful system Nep.
Time passed. The sun set, the afterglow faded, and darkness slowly fell. When the sun completely disappeared beyond the horizon, the park where Raize and Nep had been earlier became somewhat eerie due to the dense trees.
"Today was really fun, playing with you, Issei-kun~"
"Yeah, it was really fun being with you, Yuuma-chan."
Issei held Yuuma's small hand, feeling the soft warmth in his palm. He scratched the back of his head with a foolish grin.
The atmosphere around the couple was filled with an ambiguous pink haze. Maintaining her smile, Yuuma took the initiative to hold Issei's hand and gradually led him toward an unoccupied area. The grinning Issei sensed nothing amiss.
They arrived at the fountain in the center of the park, where there was no one else around. Yuuma suddenly let go of Issei's hand, stepped in front of him beneath the fountain, turned her back to him, then spun around with a smile.
"Hey, Issei-kun~"
"To commemorate our first date today, could you listen to one little request of mine?"
She spoke gently while stepping closer. She bent forward slightly, and from an angle Issei couldn't see, the smile had already vanished from her eyes.
But Issei noticed nothing. Seeing the beautiful girl so close made his heart race. Hot blood rushed to his head, his eyes filled with excitement and anticipation.
At this point… could it be that Yuuma-chan wanted to go for option B—a kiss!?
His blood boiling, Issei held back a heavy breath, swallowed nervously, and said excitedly,
"W-what… what kind of request? Yuuma-chan, just say it! As long as it's something I can do!"
According to the dating manual, next Yuuma-chan should slowly raise her head, close her eyes, and bring those soft, pink lips—
Issei's fantasies ran wild, eagerly awaiting what came next.
But reality was nothing like his imagination.
A faint evil aura spread from Yuuma's body. She raised her head, gazing at Issei with a smile full of malice, her eyes icy cold as she spoke in a chilling tone:
"Could you please go die?"