Scarlet 9

Scarlet 9 (Redone)

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Comissioned by Sivantic

Wordcount 2500

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Limitations don’t matter if you’re willing to pay the price. Back on Earth Bet, using poison, forcing insects down throats, and other tactics let me make the most of my Shard. They were considered underhanded and unsavory, but all I paid to survive and emerge victorious was bad press. If I didn’t care about the price, then the limitation didn’t exist, therefore I had no reason to leverage my abilities to the fullest. 

Using Holy Water, as well as blessed weapon, in the battle between peerages was enough to warrant infamy from all who witnessed it. And, of course, those witnessing it would be the Gremory Pillar Family and the Phenex Pillar Family. Perhaps, even the Sitri family would be involved. That meant at least one “Satan” was going to present, or even two. 

In front of that audience, some might hesitate to use weapons anathema to the Devils as a species, but if my goal was to intimidate them, make them fear me, and leave me alone?

I had to be willing to pay any price.

However, that’s not to say that I didn’t have certain lines I didn’t want to cross, especially when I’m nearly crossing the threshold between human and dragon.

Hmph, what’s the issue with becoming a dragon, anyway? You said it yourself that human bodies are weak. Why not evolve? Why keep pressing B? You know that you’re better off with better base stats, right?

“If I turn into a dragon, how do you expect we’ll be able to watch TV? Or use the computer? Or read manga?” 

Nevermind, keep being a human, Taylor. Dragons are the best, but this shitty reality has humans only making stuff for humans! That’s discrimination! We need to change the world, so that dragons can enjoy computers, tv, and games, too!

“Thought so.” My body was far from tired, but even expending this much for the sake of loosening up and verifying things before battle was a gamble. Ddraig took a toll on my body, whenever I even tried to access a fraction of his power. The fact that I’ve given him some of it already helped, but it wasn’t nearly enough. I took only enough to enhance my senses and slightly increase my durability. To fully access his power, without becoming a Devil, I needed a lifetime of training, slowly becoming a dragon within, so activating my Longinus will only need to make me a dragon without. “It looks like this is all I’m going to have for the fight.”

It’s plenty for regular Devils and Fallen, but you’ll be facing a Pillar family, as well as their whole Peerage. Do as Sitri said, simply take care of the pawns, then reveal your weapons from the Church against the Phoenix and his Queen.

Even with my promised assistance, that still meant fighting 8 Devils. Not an ideal situation.

The ideal situation would have us fighting the battle at our full strength, matured, trained, and with all my power at your disposal. That is impossible. Unreachable. We have only what we have now… and the ability to exchange more of your body for mine for power.

Who are you and what have you done with Ddraig!?

Me being serious of out of character!? Take that back! I demand an apology! I’m the best partner you could hope to have, Taylor!

Yes. That was correct. Unlike my past life, where I had doubts about who was with me and who was against me, Ddraig was patently on my side. Through circumstance alone, with neither of us having any say in the manner, we were bound together in this life. I didn’t intend to die, nor did he intend for me to die, so we would work together to live and surpass the challenges we now had to face.

Though only “I” would die of if I was killed, Ddraig would be rendered inert and trapped for simply existing as a dragon if I died.

So, I’ll survive and thrive whatever challenges is thrown my way.

Even if that meant throwing aside my humanity to become a dragon.

I hoped it wouldn’t be the case, but if I had no choice, I wouldn’t hesitate.

…

The battle taking place on a simulation of Kuoh was useful. Knowing the terrain was a very good advantage, especially if I could use it to play to my strengths. Given my new set of powers, I was better served in areas I’d have avoided with my Shard. Close-quarters combat, blindspots, and chokepoints were where I flourished, whereas before I took to overlooking open spaces, overseeing battles, and using ranged attacks of my own, albeit with insects instead of magic.

Close quarters combat is a brutal affair, especially when outnumbered and having the fragility of a human being, but at least my backup was more than capable.

My two opponents were slight Devils, who I presumed used to be Humans, and were well-trained in using their new bodies. Using chainsaws, they chased me uncanny speed and agility, despite their small frames and toting weapons that were easily half their mutual weight.

“Come on, Onii-chan! Let’s play!” They were fully aware about the paradox between their looks and their behavior. They were trying to instill terror on me, while I did my best to evade their synchronized swings. Had they practiced more with their new bodies, they would’ve been able to fly at me, flank me, and dispatch me easily, but their focus was entirely on pursuing me, hemming me in, and dispatching me with brute force. “It’ll only hurt a little, we promise!”

It was a good plan to deal with a human, which saved Phenex more important resources for other battles, but I wasn’t alone.

Bursting through the doors of the gym, with them in tow, allowed my partner for this battle play her hand.

Which was a gym bench thrown in excess of most speed limits, crashing into both girls, and embedding them into a wall.

My pursuers disappeared thereafter, via motes of light, as the Rating Game took them out of play without injuries. 

“Plan was success.” Koneko was Ria’s Rook, while Kiba Yuuto was her Knight, and Akeno Himejima was her Queen. I was taking the place of pawns, thus I led opponents into traps, and ensure that overwhelming numbers were a non-issue. The best way to go about it was to lead pawns and other targets into my underclassman’s range, which was either within arm’s reach or several meters away, depending on whether she was acting as pseudo-artillery or as a close-combat specialist. “But we have more to defeat.”

“Right.” I spared time to nod, but my focus was on the battle ahead, as well as conserving stamina. Devils can keep fighting for long periods of time. Thus, with my sanctified weapons, I needed to stay relatively unexhausted until I expended everything I had in a single, decisive moment. “Where next, Gremory?”

“The auditorium is being searched by the rest of Phenexi’s pawns. They’re coming quite close to where I’m hidden.” Gremory was naturally in hiding. She’d entertained the idea of facing Phenex head on, while we tied down the rest of her forces, while Himejima fought against Phenex’s Queen, with whom she was evenly matched. With my inclusion into their plan, Himejima was still to exchange herself for the other Queen, but Rias was going to hold back until my weapons could be put into play, thus allowing her to leverage her power more in a King vs King showdown. “You will be quite outnumbered, since Yuuto-kun is still holding back Phenex’s elites.”

“It’s fine. We’ll find a way to get it done.” Another underclassman of mine might have been frightened by the thought of being traded for a few more pieces, but Koneko just nodded. I was needed in the next phase of the fight, while she was not. That was all there was too it for the stoic, white-haired cat girl. “You need to stay hidden and keep moving. Don’t stay in one place too long, Gremory.”

“That’s easy for you to say, but you’re not crawling around in vents, Hyoudou-kun.” I had to take a moment to not imagine Rias Gremory squeezing herself through vents. Her voluptuous figure was undoubtebly being pressed upon on all sides by unforgiving metal, even if she did her best to shapeshift into a smaller frame, conservation of mass was in play and there was plenty of mass—and, that’s not thoughts I should be having in combat, but I am. Dammit. If God is real, and isn’t some new Entity, I’m going to ask him why he didn’t give men an off button for their lust. Or, at least, me. “However, I will. Remember to take care of yourselves, okay?”

At those words I looked at Koneko.

I received a solemn, slow nod from my assigned companion.

“Yeah, that won’t be a problem, Gremory. We’ll stay safe.”

The Rating Game was completely safe, even if we died, so injuries that didn’t “kill us” were still safe.

Sacrifice was completely safe, under these circumstances.

“Good, thank you, Hyoudou-kun.”

…

Even with my senses enhanced by Ddraig, I felt somewhat blind while in combat. I was acutely aware that I lacked the ability to detect through hundreds of thousands of tiny bodies. Going from being able to detect nearly everything in battle, to being relegated to senses that are above the norm for a human, was limiting to an incredible degree. However, it would be foolish to not make the most of it.

I had the advantage of being able to see in the dark, so both Koneko and I could look upon the remainder of Phenex’s pawns as they tore apart the facsimile of Kuoh’s auditorium. Making use of the rafters from which stage props would be lowered, and lights were to be directed from above, we watched them as they searched. 

Devils were creatures of the night, naturally able to see in the dark, but in an unfamiliar environment, one naturally has the urge to keep looking at their immediate surroundings. At least initially, looking upward wouldn’t be a thought in their minds, even if they were assembled properly and being led.

Phenex wasn’t a slouch. Thus far he was undefeated in Rating Games. Though Rias attributed it to his ability to regenerate and spew fire, even someone lucky enough to have excessive Brute and Blaster ratings didn’t win every fight by just bullishly charging forward. He sent the appropriate amount of force to where they were needed, peered at everything from afar, and waited for information to act upon on his own, as his forces reached their targets. Not only that, but he appropriately gathered his forces for the foes they were to meet.

Gremory certainly had superiority in terms of quality, but if that quality can be worn down by quantity to the point of elimination… or even simply being unable to aid Gremory, Phenex would be capable of taking on Gremory one-on-one. That alone told me he was confident in his ability to win against her in a straight fight, meaning that should be avoided, but it also told me that he was cautious enough to hedge the bets in his favor, eliminate possible threats, and only then pursue battle. 

For Devils who are supposed to be brash and easily angered, he was cautious in his approach, and appropriately strategized for the situation. Thus far, even with his Pieces falling, he was saving and conserving his strength for the decisive battle. There was no sign of any hubris on his part, with him striding out of his stronghold to respond to scouts being destroyed, and he has stayed still to wait and see, while his army did his work for him.

Couple that with his powers, then it was easy to discern why he had a sterling record, even if Gremory only described him a brash, arrogant, and perverse young man.

Still, though, his miscalculation in regards to sending only his weakest after me was going to hurt him.

The moment one of his Pawns gestured to the stage, to search both behind it and below it, Koneko and I both struck.

Cutting every cord the held up the metal rafter, as well as the myriad of counterweights for props, the stage was destroyed. It wasn’t much of a distraction. All it did was produce a loud sound and send out a small plume of dust. There was no flash of light, or any other stunning effect upon our opponents. Nonetheless, it drew the eyes of all our opponents towards the scene of destruction, while we both leapt over them, dragging the curtains over them, and landing at their back. 

Thus were Phenex’s pawns:

Darkness fell upon two, from which they were they were going to free themselves in a moment. 

The nearest to the stage before its destruction recoiled. She was also the farther from us.

Two were already “eaten.”

Three were just turning to face us, barely distracted by the terrible distraction.

Koneko’s fist sent one flying with a punch to her face. The Pawn disappeared into motes of light before even colliding with the wall she was speeding towards. With a leap, she closed the distance between herself and her next opponent, but the Pawn managed to block her first blows and call out the others, before a punch slipped past her guard and sent her into the destroyed stage. She disappeared a moment thereafter.

Just as I raised my hardware-store hammer above the Devil who I’d landed upon… again.

There was fear in her eyes.

Some would have hesitated to bring down a hammer. 

Though she was a Devil now, she used to be a human being, and that allowed her react in a manner that would bring doubt into the hearts of human beings. 

I did not feel that particular instinct, so I brought it upon her face. 

Unenhanced by my Sacred Gear, as I was keeping that in reserve too, it took me a few blows to finish her off, before she disappeared into motes of light. Koneko was already engaging one of the Pawns who’d ripped through the curtain that fell upon her. The one stunned by the stage was running towards her, too.

Leaving me with the one who screamed, after she tore the curtain off herself, as I dispatched her friend as she pleaded.

Taylor!

Any thought of holding back was erased with Ddraig’s warning.

Immediately, I called upon my Sacred Gear, and power coursed through me as I was holistically enhanced to be twice as powerful as my regular self.

I barely just survived the rage-filled charge of the Pawn, as she eschewed any strategy whatsoever, called upon her wings, and flew the two of us into a wall. 

Any confusion I had towards why I elicited such a reaction faded as I felt the pain of going through concrete.

I’d mercilessly beaten the girl’s friend with a hammer, with her feeling every second of it, while my attacker had watched.

Inadvertently, I’d taunted her into attacking me.

It was a stroke of luck, which I capitalized on, by driving a holy knife down her spine.

All the dust and detritus from the attack should conceal my weapon. 

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