Chapter 12: The Awakening of the Forbidden Twin
The replica of the ORC building was crumbling. Rias stood in the center of the crater, her school uniform torn, her breathing ragged. She was beautiful even in defeat, her Power of Destruction flickering like a dying candle.
"Is that all, Rias?" Riser drawled, his flames licking at his wounds, closing them instantly. "You've entertained me, but the game is over."
I watched from the sidelines, my body screaming in pain. Rias unleashed one final, massive orb of destruction—a black-and-crimson sun that should have erased Riser from existence. It hit him dead center.
But the smoke cleared, and Riser was laughing. His regeneration was absolute.
'She's outmatched,' I thought, my heart sinking. 'No matter how much heart she puts into it, the system is rigged.'
The Breaking Point
Riser walked past Rias as if she were a discarded toy. He stopped in front of Asia, who was kneeling on the ground, praying through her tears. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look into his arrogant eyes.
"You belong to me now, little saint," Riser sneered. "Serve my house well, and perhaps I'll let you be a concubine once I'm bored of Rias."
Issei let out a sound that wasn't human. It was a roar of pure, agonizing failure. "I'm... I'm so weak..." he whispered, his tears hitting the dirt. "I don't want to lose her. I don't want to lose Asia!"
In that moment, the Red Dragon responded. The air became heavy, a pressure so thick it felt like the sky was falling.
"WELSH DRAGON: BALANCE BREAKER!"
Red armor encased Issei in a flash of light. He stood up, a crimson knight of rage. But even with that power, Riser just smirked. "One dragon? I can handle one."
The Dragon's Pride
Inside my head, the world was on fire. I didn't care about strategy anymore. I didn't care about the 'canon'.
'Give me your power, Crom,' I demanded, my mental voice shaking with a rage I'd never felt before.
"You're losing your composure, boy," the Dragon mocked. "Is this the 'refined' host I chose?"
'FUCK REFINEMENT! I want the power to break him!' I screamed. 'Are you just a shell? Is the great Evil Dragon a coward who watches his vessel get stepped on? Does your ancient pride mean nothing?!'
The silence lasted only a second. Then, a cold, dark laughter filled my soul.
"You asked for it, little spark. Don't blame me when the gods start hunting you."
The Black Gauntlet
Outside, the ground beneath me cracked. My aura turned a bruised, obsidian black, clashing violently against Issei's red.
"What is this?!" Riser shouted, shielding his eyes.
Two jagged, black horns tore through my hair. My eyes shifted, the pupils turning into golden vertical slits. On my right arm, a gauntlet materialized—not red like Issei's, but matte black, covered in wicked spikes and pulsing with a cold, necrotic light.
The Phoenix took two steps back, his face pale for the first time. "You... you are him."
He looked at Issei. "The Red Dragon Emperor." Then he looked at me, his voice trembling. "And the one seeded by the gods... the forbidden Evil Dragon."
I stood up, my voice sounding like two people speaking at once—my own and the hollow, deep rattle of Crom Cruach.
"So... the Phoenix is afraid now, my lord?" I asked, my golden eyes locked onto his.
The Bitter End
The power was overwhelming, but I was still half-dead from the previous fights. I lunged at Riser, my black fist colliding with his face. For the first time, his regeneration didn't work instantly. The wound stayed open, smoking with dark energy.
But it wasn't enough. Not yet.
Rias watched us, her eyes wide with shock and a strange, heartbreaking hope. But she saw the way my body was trembling, the way Issei's armor was cracking from the strain.
"Stop!" Rias screamed. "Riser, I forfeit! Just stop!"
The game ended. The teleportation circles appeared. Riser laughed, wiping the blood from his lip, his arrogance returning. "I win, Rias. You and your little pets are coming with me."
As the light took us, I looked at Rias. She was being pulled toward Riser, her eyes fixed on me, filled with a silent apology. I reached out, my black gauntlet fading as my energy bottomed out.
"This isn't over," I whispered as the world turned white.