Chapter 13: The Wedding Crasher's Gamble
The chapter opens with Issei sitting up in a cold sweat, clutching his chest. His breathing is ragged, and the Red Dragon's voice rumbles deep in his mind, sounding unusually tired.
"I gave you just a sliver of my energy, boy, and the backlash nearly tore your soul apart. You should be careful. A dragon's power isn't a toy."
"I couldn't even protect Asia... or the President," Issei whispers, his voice cracking. "What good is being a dragon if I'm just a failure?"
Before he can sink into despair, Sirzechs Lucifer—the Crimson Satan himself—appears in a flurry of crimson petals. He doesn't offer pity; he offers a magic circle.
"A true Red Dragon wouldn't let his Holy Maiden be taken without a fight," Sirzechs says with a sharp, regal smile. "The engagement party starts in an hour. Consider this a special entertainment piece for the Underworld."
Breaking the Gates
At the Phoenix estate, the air is thick with the smell of expensive wine and arrogance. Suddenly, the massive doors of the ballroom are obliterated by a combined blast of red and black energy.
Issei and I step through the smoke. We're battered, our uniforms are held together by luck, and I'm leaning slightly on my Familiar, but we're standing.
"I'm here to take back Asia!" Issei roars.
"And I'm here to take back our President," I add, my golden eyes locked on Riser. "You don't deserve her. You don't even deserve her shadow."
Sirzechs steps forward, suppressing a laugh as Riser turns purple with rage. "Lord Phoenix, since there are two challengers, let's make it interesting. If Issei wins, Asia is freed. If Motohama wins, the engagement is annulled. Will you cope with both, or are you as fragile as your ego?"
"Do you think two Pawns can defeat me?!" Riser screams, his wings of fire erupting. "I'll burn them both to ash!"
The Desperate Duel
The fight is a nightmare. Issei is fighting with everything he has, tapping into a Partial Balance Breaker, his armor cracking every time he moves. He's even using Holy Water—a secret gift from Asia—to burn through Riser's defenses.
But Riser is a Noble. His regeneration is relentless. "You won't win, you little brats! Both girls are mine!"
I'm standing in the corner, coughing up blood. My vision is tunneling. 'Crom... give me the power. Now.'
"Do you think I give power so easily?" the Dragon mocks.
'Listen to me, you lizard! If I die, you die. If Rias is taken, I have no reason to stay in this world. This is our first and only chance for survival. If you don't help, we are both cooked!'
"Fine," Crom Cruach growls. "But the backlash will be severe. You might not wake up for a month. Don't blame me if you start coughing up your own lungs."
The Black Dragon's Curse
I scream as my mana turns into liquid obsidian. Two full-sized dragon horns erupt from my head, and my aura becomes so cold it begins to extinguish Riser's flames just by being near them.
"You... that aura!" Riser stammers, his regeneration slowing down.
I don't give him time to think. I move faster than his eyes can track. Every time I strike him with my black gauntlet, the wound doesn't close. It stays open, smoking with necrotic dragon energy. I'm not out-muscling him—I'm suppressing his immortality.
"This is for the overtime!" I roar, landing a full-power punch directly into Riser's solar plexus.
"ANCIENT MOVE: DRAGON'S VOID PUNCH!"
The shockwave shatters the windows of the ballroom. Riser Phoenix, the immortal noble, hits the floor unconscious.
The Reward and the Crash
Sirzechs raises his hand, his voice booming through the hall. "The winner is Motohama! The engagement is officially void!"
The room erupts. Asia runs to Issei, sobbing with relief. Rias stands there, her eyes wide, before she practically lunges at me. "You... you really are my hero," she whispers, her voice thick with emotion.
"I just... wanted to bring you home," I manage to say.
As we fly under the violet sky of the Underworld, Rias holds me tight. She leans in, her lips meeting mine in a deep, desperate kiss that tastes of salt and victory. It's my first real kiss—intense, romantic, and everything the "canon" owed me.
But as she pulls away, smiling, I feel the "coma" hit me. I cough a spray of blood onto her white dress.
"Motohama?!"
"Sorry about... the laundry..." I mutter, and the world goes black.