Chapter 12: Cursed Awakening

Riser POV

Rias was still laughing, stopping for a while and then giggling again.

"It's not that funny, Rias. And I am serious, you know." I pouted at her.

She stood up from the floor still giggling then came over to me and slapped my shoulder playfully.

"Be serious, Riser." She told me while still giggling, it really is not that funny but it seems that finding a comrade in this place where she didn't have any really lightened up her attitude with me. And the silence must have really tickled her brain.

"Please take it easy with Issei." She told me softly.

"Why are you deciding that I will do it, is this what married life with you will be? Just demanding all day? Maybe I really should just let him win hmmm." Not like I would because Rias is mine now, I will never let her go now.

"Then maybe you should hmm, do you want to lose against my pawn then? Either way, I would be happy. If I marry you, I can make your life a living hell. If I don't, then I am free." She teased me back naturally and everyone else was staring at the show the two of us were doing like a deer seeing headlights heading their way and were stupid to understand what was happening.

Sona was looking at me with a suspicious look because of what I implied earlier. Her whole peerage was just boggling at what is happening, after all their master would rather swore off on anime for a week than to stay with me in a room for a minute. Then there is Issei himself looking like he bit into a thousand lemons and was angry at who made him do it, then pressed, confused and just decided to hit himself.

And finally the man of the hour, the man with a plan, the man who wore armor on his sister's engagement party was just confused. His sister who he knows so much about had a sudden change in attitude, and he doesn't know what it means. No doubt I am going to get interrogated later.

The only satan in the room coughed interrupting the byplay between Rias and I. "So what is it gonna be, Riser-kun?" he finally asked me.

"Haa you know what? Sure, beating the shit out of him sounds FUCKING therapeutic right about now. Where should we do it? Right here? Cause I can do it right here, right now. By the way I have one wish too, don't worry it's not anything unreasonable." I am just so done with these people that I actually sounded like an overworked game developer.

"An arena will be prepared so both fighters will have some time to prepare." He finally stopped yapping.

I didn't really need to prepare so I just went to my peerage and relaxed for a bit. While Issei went and talked to the Gremory Peerage. Maybe to get some power of friendship or something.

Meanwhile I told Ravel to play the song that I have been working on for a month during our training at the start of the match. This is going to be so cool if I pull it off, and I will die of cringe if I don't.

~~~

Standing in the arena filled with various chess pieces, I still feel annoyed. Why am I forced to be here? Because someone stronger than me ordered me to be.

"Alright why don't you get started?" That annoying sis-con prick announced in the arena.

What can I do to oppose him? And everyone in the audience. How do I subvert expectations, to not let any of them enjoy this. And what can I do to get the most out of this. (Jujutsu Kaisen OST - Remember)

"Buchou, I will settle this in a second!" The kid boasted.

"Hah! Props to you for even thinking you can beat Onii-sama." Ravel's voice echoes out. Thanks for the vote of confidence, Ravel.

"Get on with it then, do your transformation, I know you can do it." I taunted him.

He started running towards me while requesting permission, "Buchou! Please let me be promoted to a queen. Promotion! Queen!" his demonic power went up by quite a bit.

"Shine forth! Over boost!" he finally announced, the boosted gear shined as the dragon within announced the transformation that is inevitably happening "Welsh Dragon Over Booster!"

Bit by bit, the true power of the dragon enveloped him as a solid representation of his power appeared. First the boosted gear itself transformed into a scaly version, no longer the armor of a human but the arm of a dragon. Then from his chest appeared the red armor bearing the scales of the Red Dragon Emperor manifested, and for the first time, he actually was able to do it. Is this fate? Am I just retracing what happened in the anime? Is Riser supposed to lose here because it's a canon event?

"Balance Breaker Boosted Gear, Scale mail!" He announced the title of his transformation.

Balance Breaker, the form that opposes the world, just like how the birth of Gojo Satoru destroyed the balance of the world, the Balance Breaker, breaks the delicate equilibrium that was supposed to be imposed on the world itself. A glitch in the system that was not supposed to exist. And should I just bow down to that?

I refuse! Bow down to whom? To the Crimson Satan? To the Dragon Emperor? To the World? No!

While he was doing his silly little transformation I was stating my terms between me and the world.

"I hereby make a binding vow, throughout this whole match, I am sealing and will be unable to use any of the phenex family trait, this includes my fire, my wind, and my regeneration." You want to see a fight between a phoenix and a dragon? Well too bad, I am the pettiest devil you will ever see.

"Furthermore, all my techniques, my Shrine and my Limitless will also be sealed." I have been relying for too long with my infinite regeneration, absolute defense and my absolute attack. In this fight I will bet everything on one attack. I will let the fever overwhelm me, I will let it buttfuck me and violate my very soul that in the end, I am the fever. I will let it rush through me.

My cursed energy output dramatically increased to new heights, I could feel it not flowing through my body but flooding through it. My vision itself had a tint of blue because of the cursed energy in me. This fight will just be pure hands coming from me.

As he finished his transformation he ran at me with boosts echoing out and with boosters in his back propelling him forward. And both of us pulled our hands back. Then no doubt, I disappeared in his vision. I loosened my knees, hips, and shoulders and performed a perfect manji kick infused with cursed energy hitting him in his helmet.

The immense cursed energy cracked his helmet, sending shocks through his head. But he didn't let that deter him. As his boosters prevented him from falling down and his foot lashed out and hit my chest.

For the first time in this life, I could feel the damage last as the pain in my chest did not heal. I could feel it linger and blood started to come up my throat but I swallowed it down.

I used my wings to stabilize myself and he responded by creating a dragon shot and punching it towards me. I flew to the side.

Then I calmed down, with the pain in my chest rising evermore, I felt calmness that I have never felt before. He once again ran towards me. My eyes narrowed, my pupils turned to pinpricks as my focus heightened. There was nothing in the world except me and that red armor that was approaching me. I couldn't even hear the music that was supposed to hype me up.

Then as if in a trance, not really in control of my body. My fist lashed out and in that one moment, no, in less than a moment. Space distorted in a single spot. The sparks of black have chosen, and it chose me. Those sparks turned to flashes and my world became clearer than ever before.

"BLACK FLASH!!!"

Issei was blown away as the front of his armor fell apart, there was no crack, but it was absolutely obliterated, the scales of a dragon was nothing to the power bestowed by the sparks of black.

Hahaha, it has never been more clear before. How could I have been so stupid, cursed energy is so simple but I have never seen it as such. I always brute force it to work, I see how inefficient I have been using it, how disgraceful of a six eyes user. Hehehe, flow with the world for we are a part of it, Todo I see it now. 

The ingredients' flavor has never been more clear. And it tastes so good. Is this what an awakening feels like? This is bliss. In front of me I could see Todo Aoi giving me a thumbs up. How is he even here? He must have used his boogie woogie to switch from his world to this one.

Aoi clapped and he switched to Ravel. Ravel you are supposed to be in the audience watching, what are you even doing here? Ravel started stripping with a lustful look in her eyes and started walking towards me with her hips swaying. No, you can't strip here, everyone will see your naked body. Only I am allowed to see that, I was going to cover her up when a gauntlet-covered fist passed through her head and landed on my face.

I was sent flying as my head became clearer and all my delusions fell apart. Okay, that was just weird, is that what Todo sees sometimes. That felt too real. I can see why he thought Itadori really was his brother. I was so high that I was actually tweaking. I believed that Todo used his technique to come here. I really must be high to believe that.

I need more.

I have no doubt I can now use blue and infinity at the same time, I think… I'll test it out when I can use my techniques again. But I know that I need more.

I have to level up more. I need to do it. I can do it. I have to do it. A Black Flash.

The boy is saying something, talking not to me or maybe he is talking to someone else. My mind is still reeling from the absolute wake up call it just had, don't do drugs kids. If this is how it feels, yeah don't do drugs. Except for steroids in that case use lots of drugs.

I once more center myself to prepare another black flash. As I looked at him his armor regenerated as he once more charged towards me. It should have been 10 seconds already.

Did his incomplete transformation strain his body so much that he is now able to use the balance breaker freely? Or did he still sacrifice something but his timer is now extended?

I really did influence the story, even if it is a little bit didn't I? 

Issei is stronger in this universe, does that mean that I can change fate? That I will not fall here? I am blessed by the sparks of black, if I can't change fate then I will level up until I can.

We exchanged punches dozens of times. I put out precise punches that targeted all his vital spots. I was careful to utilize my cursed energy. While he whales at me wildly. Haymakers and punches were thrown regardless of techniques. Skill vs Brute Strength was on display as the watchers saw the battle between the two devils.

Why am I not getting another black flash? Will you not bless me again, oh goddess? Then I realized what I was doing wrong. I was being careful when I should be betting it all. So once again I focus all my being into creating a spark once again.

Regardless of injury, I kept going. From a kick to a punch, to a bloody headbutt. I was getting more and more injured, his punches bruised my muscles, his kicks introduced pain to my insides. Until finally his latest punch to my stomach, I fell into a trance once more. The pain fueling my focus as once more the sparks of black greeted me like an old friend.

"Black Flash!" His helmet shattered as I made contact with his face. I knew that I have to keep it going so while he was reeling from the pain I tried once more to, no, I did it once more. A black flash, more, black flash.

I crouched and using my full body weight I jumped into the air while making a full uppercut connect to his chin. "Black Flash!!" I roared as I dragged him into the air. I need to do more black flash, black flash, black flash.

Doing a full front flip into the air, I built more momentum and did a 360 axe kick landing on his shoulders as he rocketed back to the ground. "Black Flash!!!" A third time, one more, I need more black flash, I will break the record of Nanami like Yuji did. More black flash.

I need more, black flash, black flash, black flash, black flash, black flash, black flash, black flash, black flash, black flash, black flash, black flash, black flash, black flash, black flash! This single minded pursuit will lead me into my next evolution. Come on, come black flash!!

"BLACK FLA-!!!"

SQUELCH

A/N:

Being too obsessed and focused on one thing is not always the best move to do. And are you all being annoyed by this cliffhanger bullshit, *bleep* this author man… oh wait that's me… If you watched SAO Abridged, if you know, you know…

Anyways, Thanks for the support and motivation. We now have 174 views and 77 power stones. I don't really like saying thank you over and over again because I think that it is insincere but thank you from the bottom of my heart. I won't bore you with the details so just go check out my patri-onne let's goo!

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