Sacred Gear Omnitrix Ch. 6

Chapter 6: The Price of Power.

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Issei charged forward in a sudden burst of speed. His movements were sharp, fast — faster than I had anticipated. I barely had time to react before his fist came flying toward me. I brought my arms together just in time, blocking the impact. The force pushed me backward, my feet digging into the ground and leaving deep trenches in the dirt.

This guy had definitely gotten stronger.

Guess I really stepped on a landmine when I decided to go through Rias. If I had known she was the trigger for all this motivation, I might’ve done it sooner — just to heat things up.

We clashed again, fists meeting with dull, echoing thuds. Each strike sent vibrations through the air. His speed was on another level, almost hard to follow, though his hits weren’t as lethal as they looked. They still stung — more than I cared to admit. Thanks to Four Arms’ durability, I could take them head-on, but I couldn’t underestimate him.

Issei was forcing me to get serious.

He ducked under my double uppercut and countered with a clean punch to my torso. The impact made me cough, pain flaring in my ribs. I retaliated immediately — two arms swinging for his head while the other pair moved to block. He dodged back just in time, his eyes burning with focus. Then he stepped in again, preparing another heavy hook.

This time, I caught his arm mid-swing. Before he could react, I twisted and slammed both fists into his chest. The double impact landed squarely, sending him flying backward like a rag doll. He crashed into a nearby hill, the rocks shattering beneath the force.

“Give me more,” I muttered, adrenaline coursing through me.

We clashed again — moving from one island platform to the next. Each blow cracked the ground and sent chunks of stone flying into the air. Rias and her peerage watched from a distance, their eyes wide with shock.

The power behind our hits was terrifying. If Rias herself were to step in, she’d be torn apart.

I didn’t hold back. I lunged forward and drove my fist into Issei’s gut, grabbing his tail before he could escape and hurling him across to another platform. The moment he landed, the surface crumbled beneath him.

I couldn’t give him time to recover. I leaped after him, four arms raised high, ready to bring them crashing down. But Issei rolled away, barely escaping the blow.

The Scale Mail of the Red Dragon Emperor was tough — far tougher than I expected — but Issei was still inexperienced. He was fighting on instinct, not mastery. Rias seemed to notice this too. I was starting to overpower him.

“Promote. Pawn to Queen!” Rias commanded.

The promotion washed over Issei, his aura flaring crimson.

“Thank you, Prez. Now, Ddraig — let’s take this guy down!”

“BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!”

The ground trembled with each shout. His strength and speed spiked. I could feel it in the air — that dense, explosive energy gathering inside him.

He reached for a giant boulder and hurled it toward me. I scoffed, shattering it mid-air with a single punch. But that was the distraction. Through the cloud of debris, Issei closed in and drove a heavy kick into my torso.

The hit sent me crashing down onto the original platform, the wind knocked out of me. For the first time, I felt genuine pain from one of his attacks.

He was adapting — fast.

I couldn’t let him keep climbing like this.

Issei landed nearby, the crimson aura blazing around him. He charged again, his speed even greater than before. When our fists met, the collision released a thunderous shockwave that rippled across the battlefield, forcing the others to brace themselves.

The “training match” was long gone. This was a real fight now — one that could end badly for either of us.

Rias hesitated, her hands trembling. She wanted to stop us, but even she couldn’t look away. Two monsters were going head-to-head.

Issei threw another punch. I dodged, slipping inside his guard, and struck upward with a fierce uppercut. Before he could recover, I caught both his arms and locked them in place. With my other two hands, I unleashed a flurry of rapid punches that cracked his armor bit by bit.

Issei gritted his teeth, realizing he was trapped. With a powerful surge, he broke free, leaping back and gathering energy into his hand.

“This is my last drive,” he shouted, fire in his eyes. “I’ll put everything on this bet!”

I smirked, lowering my stance. “Bring it on.”

He bolted forward, faster than before, the ground beneath him fracturing from the force of his takeoff.

But before he could reach me —

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The Omnitrix flashed red. My stomach sank.

“Oh-oh… that can’t be good,” I muttered, just as a red light engulfed me. My alien form vanished, leaving me human once more.

Rias’s eyes widened in horror. She sensed what was about to happen.

Issei’s fist was still coming. She stepped in front of me, taking the full blow. The impact sent her flying backward.

Blood splattered the ground.

“P–Prez!” Issei gasped, his voice breaking as her blood splashed onto the Omnitrix. The watch glowed violently, the crimson stains sinking into it — absorbed completely — before flickering back to green.

Issei’s armor shattered. The Scale Mail vanished, leaving him standing there trembling before he collapsed, unconscious from exhaustion.

I stared at Rias’s unmoving form, disbelief clouding my mind.

She had… saved me.

The training space dissolved, breaking apart and fading back to reality due to the injuries sustained.

Asia rushed to Rias’s side immediately, healing light glowing from her hands. She poured everything into the spell, but Rias didn’t wake. Her breathing steadied, yet her eyes remained closed. They took her to the infirmary — along with Issei, who was simply drained.

I clenched my fists in silence. The watch had failed me at the worst moment, and because of that, Rias had gotten hurt. A deep frustration settled in my chest — guilt, anger, helplessness all tangled together.

Kiba placed a hand on my shoulder. “It’s not your fault,” he said softly.

I scoffed. “Now even the pretty boy’s comforting me? How cliché can this get…”

Still, I said nothing more.

We waited in the infirmary for a while. Asia was being treated, too. Issei was asleep but would recover soon enough. Rias, though… she looked fragile, pale. It’d take time before she woke up.

Eventually, I decided to leave. Maybe a long walk home would help clear my head — or let me wallow in failure a little longer.

Just as I turned to go, Akeno appeared beside me.

“Can we talk?” she asked quietly.

I braced myself for a scolding, but instead, she looked down, her voice softer than I expected.

“It’s not your fault,” she said. “I should’ve been more careful when setting the training duel’s parameters.”

She sighed, brushing a strand of hair aside. “But what’s done is done. Go home for now. Rest.”

“And what about you?” I asked, noticing the distant look in her eyes.

She hesitated. “Rias and the rest of us were supposed to handle a rogue devil tonight. But since everyone’s injured… it’s up to me.”

I frowned. “No, you can’t. You used up a lot of magic maintaining that space. You’re in no shape to fight.”

Her lips pressed together, but I didn’t let up.

“Send me instead,” I said firmly. “Let me take care of it.”

She started to protest, but I stepped closer. “This is the least I can do to pay Rias back. I promise I’ll get it done.”

Akeno studied me for a long moment, then sighed in defeat.

“Fine,” she said softly. “But I’m coming with you.”

I nodded. “Deal."