Chapter 23
Harsh blue eyes was staring down at the castle courtyard, unwavering in their target.
The battle between his pawn and the 'Unknown' was about to begin...
"...Lucifer-sama, is this safe? Even with the abilities you've taught me...I don't know if I can hide our demonic energy from someone like Sirzechs-sama..."
The true Lucifer ignored Diodora's doubts, he knew full well what the boy's 'upgrade' was capable of, it would keep them both under the radar of anyone's senses.
Especially since they made sure to transport here at a very...high location.
The two devils were currently on top of a mountain, overlooking the castle. The castle itself was facing awayfrom the mountain, so it was a perfect area to scout out the young man's abilities.
He knew full well that the boy, Uzumaki Naruto, was more powerful than his new pawn...but that wasn't the point.
Information was power, anything he could gain on his future enemy would be a boon. Especially since he stood in the way of getting to Naruse Mio...
The leader of the Old Maou Faction waited patiently, hopefully the young Phenex would at least push the boy hard enough to use more abilities.
"Damn...it's that asshole from before. Does he want to get embarrassed in front of everyone?" Issei asked with an incredulous look on his face.
Naruto beat him easily before, so...what? Does he want another beating?
Masochist much?
The rest of the Gremory group was watching the standoff between Riser and Naruto play out, slight tension in their facial expressions.
"I don't know if this clash will be as easy as last time to be honest, Issei-kun." Yuuto said, a frown marring his handsome features.
The brown-haired boy glanced at his blond comrade, confused. "Huh? Are you serious? You're acting like this isn't the same bastard that Naruto beat up the other day. I'm telling you, this guy may as well as pay for his burial. He's got no shot."
"...Actually, I think that Kiba-kun may be right." Akeno muttered out loud.
All eyes snapped to the queen, the second-in-charge of the entire group.
"You probably can't feel it Issei, but Riser's demonic energy has skyrocketed to new heights...so much that he may be able to actually give our favorite troublemaker some problems." Akeno analyzed with narrowed eyes, although she had no idea how the Phenex managed to get such an increase in strength.
"...Riser has got stronger. A lot. But...Naruto-sempai should still beat him." Koneko pointed out, not seeing any scenario that the Phenex could come out on top.
Issei looked relieved at that. "Oh, good. For a second there...it seemed like all of you were beginning to believe that Naruto may actually lose. Too bad I'm not that strong yet...I'd like to get a chance to knock that bastard's smug grin off of his face."
The other three members of the Peerage glanced at one another, sharing similar concerns.
"...That's just it, Issei-kun. Don't you think that he's a little...too confident? I mean he's arrogant, sure, but he isn't incompetent. So maybe...he has a backup plan, or something like that?" Yuuto eventually interjected, a suspicious stare trained at the far away Phenex.
Issei frowned at that, thinking about the possibility.
"Well...I don't think that I could put it him past him to be honest, he really is just a bad egg." the wielder of the Boosted Gear muttered.
"Hey! How dare you put my onii-sama down like that!"
The small group of teens turned in surprise to see a young girl accosting them.
She was a young girl with blue eyes and blond hair that was tied into two twintails, which in turn had curls that were shaped like small drills. Her expensive pink dress gave them all an impression of nobility.
But Issei pointed out the one most important thing about the girl so far.
"Eh? 'Onii-sama'? Wait...so you're that asshole's sister!?"
The young blond raised her nose in the air, annoyed at the pawn's reaction.
Nevertheless, she introduced herself. "That's right, my name is Ravel Phenex of the illustrious Phenex clan. I couldn't help but notice that you were speaking ill of my onii-sama...that is unacceptable! I demand an apology!"
Akeno gave everyone meaningful looks, conveying to them that they really shouldn't go out of their way to anger the blond. It wouldn't reflect well on their king.
Yuuto and Koneko nodded, accepting their queen's wishes.
But unfortunately, Issei didn't catch her meaning.
"Man...you have a good face but a terrible personality, huh? Why should anyone apologize to an asshole like that? He deserves the throttling he's about to get." the perverted boy claimed stubbornly.
Ravel looked like she has been physically slapped, as she started at the brown-haired boy incredulously.
Then her face contorted in outrage.
"That's an impossibility! Onii-sama was definitely just toying with his enemy before! There's just no way that he could lose! You'll see!" Ravel claimed loudly, incensed by any talk of her brother losing.
Before Issei could retort, Yuuto tried to intervene.
"Um...sorry to interrupt you two, but I believe that the match is starting." Yuuto said, pointing at the castle courtyard.
Both young teens stopped what they were doing to look at the duel that just started.
"Hmph! Onii-sama will show you the power of the Phenex clan, you will eat your words." Ravel stubbornly claimed, before gluing her eyes onto the clash.
Issei sighed.
What did he do to deserve this...?
The go ahead has been given by the queen of Sirzechs.
Yet neither of the combatants were attacking or charging one another.
Instead, Naruto and Riser were staring at one another, one with a cocky smirk, the other with a serious stare.
The shinobi then turned his head, subtly glancing at the castle, where all of their spectators were.
...How should he go about this?
He was being watched by a bunch of high-class devils, most of which probably hated his guts.
So...while he wanted to punch this guy's face in, he didn't necessarily feel like showing off his more powerful abilities.
He didn't know how much powerful his fellow blond has become, he only knew that his energy signal has risen by quite a lot.
Well then, he may as well try out some experimental stuff then. He's been meaning to try something that he was testing out while training...
"...I'd like to apologize to you, Riser-san." the shinobi called out to his fellow blond.
Riser's smirk grew, seemingly fed by the younger blond's capitulation. "Ah...so you've finally seen the light, have you? Seen who's the superior being?"
Naruto tilted his head a bit. "Actually, I wanted to apologize for not making my last beating...stick. Obviously, since I was so focused on getting my friend out of an engagement, I wasn't giving you the full effect of my foot-up-your-ass. So I'm going to fix that. If I did that in the first place...then you might either have been too traumatized to be so annoying or maybe even have changed for the better."
The Phenex's smirk finally dropped, changing into a scowl.
"...I'm going to enjoy this far more than I should."
Naruto gave him a mocking grin.
"Sorry, to say...I feel the same way. You chose the wrong time to get back at me, I happen to be in a pretty bad mood."
Riser ignored his opponent's words, glaring at the man who has humiliated him.
"I'm putting you back in your place, in order to restore the natural order of things. Your defeat here is guaranteed, human." Riser claimed, before spreading his legs out to fight.
"...Fine, let's see how much stronger you've become then." Naruto retorted quietly, crouching to get ready to pounce.
Good thing he did.
Riser raised his hand and created a large magic circle, bigger than his own body.
From it, spewed flames that flew straight towards the whiskered teen.
Naruto's eyes widened slightly when he noticed the heat of the flames. This was...!
The blond narrowed his eyes, he needed to test something.
So Naruto ran towards the incoming flames, making sure to keep note of how hot the flames were as he approached.
At the last moment, he slid under the incoming flames, using his momentum to move past it while in that position.
After finally clearing past the attack, the shinobi acrobatically got back to his feet and gave his opponent a harsh stare.
"...There's no way you could have increased your demonic energy and the potency of your flames so quickly...what the hell did you do?" Naruto asked seriously.
Those flames were almost as strong as the very flames he faced in the Valley of the End...
A massive difference compared to what the Phenex's flames were like before.
Riser shrugged, seemingly amused by his enemy's confusion.
Naruto frowned, he's had enough of this new and cocky attitude, he won't show off any jutsus unless some major shit happens, but his strength and speed?
He didn't particularly care about those at the moment.
But first...he still needed to figure something out. This was a perfect opportunity for it.
But before he made to attack, Riser slammed his foot onto the ground, creating a magic circle under himself.
The circular object then spewed large walls of flames that enveloped the young man that created it, surrounding him like some overbearing shield.
Naruto realized that that's exactly what it was.
"Now human...did you really think that I didn't learn from our last encounter? That I didn't try to find a way to circumvent your abilities? Well unfortunately for you I'm not that foolish! My flames have become more powerful, now you have to go pass them in order to inflict damage on me at all! What will you do now!?" Riser exclaimed, a large smirk once more adorning his features.
The shinobi glanced at the wall of flames, it was indeed a hell of a lot more powerful than before...
With his speech over, Riser manipulated the flames in front of him to spread, causing the flames to spread outwards. From there, he aimed the flames towards his enemy, hoping to ensnare him with the scorching heat.
Seeing the incoming heat, Naruto dodged out of the way by tucking himself into a roll, moving away from the attack, before getting back up and checking on the wall of flames.
Just as he stopped, he was forced to move as Riser sent several fire balls at him by using the wall of flames for ammunition.
Naruto continued to dodge around the attacks, not seemingly bothering to do anything to attack back.
Instead, with his brows furrowed and face scrunched up, he seemed to be focusing on something else entirely.
Riser assumed that his concentration was due to his desperation to avoid his attacks, so accordingly tried to overwhelm his opponent with more attacks.
The fireballs were getting shot out at a frantic pace, all in rapid succession as they converged into Naruto's position.
Naruto himself began speeding across the castle courtyard as the fireballs rained around him, causing large explosions that rocked the area.
Man, the courtyard was pretty damn big...
The blond clicked his tongue when he noticed that Riser sought to catch him in a pincer, throwing his flames like a particularly large douse from a flamethrower and leaving them like a wall in front of him.
The whiskered teen smashed his fingers into the ground in order to slow down his momentum and shifted courses, not crashing into the flames and continuing to dodge incoming fireballs behind him.
However, he made extra sure to stay close to the flames...
Ok...his tests were almost done.
One last test.
For some strange reason, the blond suddenly stopped moving. Allowing for the fireballs to catch up to his position, only deigning to take off his jacket that he wore for the party.
A maniacal grin at hand, Riser obliged the suicidal act by allowing for his rain of fire to hit his enemy where he stood.
Naruto did nothing, simply stood in position as he stared at the flames reaching his position...
The current Maou Lucifer watched as the fireballs reached the young human that he invited, detonating like a bomb that enveloped the blond and smashed apart the ground. Melting it the rocks that were at the explosion site.
Sirzechs and his wife were watching the clash on top of the keep, using their elevated position to watch the battle without anything blocking the way.
"...Just what are you doing, Naruto-kun?" Sirzechs asked quietly, confused at the mysterious blond's actions.
It wasn't like Naruto-kun couldn't have dodged the attacks, yet he just stood there and took it. Just what was he doing exactly?
The red-headed male narrowed his eyes, as a matter of fact...he seemed to be allowing for the attacks to get closer and closer...
"Sirzechs-sama, have you noticed how much more...powerful Riser-sama has become?" Grayfia muttered to her king, staring pointedly at the child of the Phenex clan.
He was not able to do that before...
Sirzechs eyes widened as her words clicked something in his head.
The realization eventually caused a small grin to grow on his face, looks like Naruto-kun was smarter than he let on at times...
"...Sirzechs-sama?" Grayfia asked quietly, unsure of what happened to make the Maou grin.
Sirzechs waved his beautiful wife's concerns away, pleased that he at least had some grasp on what the 'Unknown Variable' was thinking.
He deserved the name was all he could say.
Riser was watching the small inferno he caused in front of him, it was beautiful.
He never thought that he could be this strong!
Truly, a few Phoenix tears was more than a fair trade for such power!
With the promise of more power if things goes awry as well...
The young Phenex didn't even notice how thoroughly enveloped he has become on the idea of power...
But before Riser could continue to congratulate himself, a blond blur broke through the flames of the inferno, speeding away from Riser's position.
The son of the Phenex clan snarled as he recognized his enemy. Why won't he just stay down!?
Naruto for his part, singed but still fine, studied his person for damage.
He got hurt alright...
"Good, time to end this then." Naruto muttered, before turning to face the smug older blond.
With that idea in mind, Naruto charged forward, making straight for the wall of flames covering the young Phenex.
Riser raised an eyebrow, a frontal assault? Was he stupid?
Just in case, Riser manipulated the flames around him and shot them as streams of fire towards his enemy.
Naruto, in a burst of speed, clearly dodged the attacks by spinning his body around one of the fiery attacks and then jumping over the other, launching him into the air.
The high-class devil smirked, perfect target opportunity.
Before Riser could take advantage of the opportunity however, something happened.
For some inexplicable reason...the airborne human moved.
He didn't just move however, he was practically launchedlike a missile while in the air and towards Riser!
Riser's eyes bulged at this, what the hell just happened!?
The devil quickly recovered from his shock, but realized that the maneuver would allow for the human to land right in front of the wall of flames.
Fine, but he wouldn't actually pierce his wall without that blue orb from before...
As predicted, Naruto landed gracefully in front of Riser and looked at him, with his jaw set and eyes fierce.
Riser smirked. "So, you finally managed to get close to me, congratulations. What will you do now, I wonder? These flames are constantly being fed by my demonic energy...so they are top-notch! If you could barely handle my flames before...you would get incinerated by these!"
Naruto didn't say anything, he just raised himself up and stared at his opponent, the man hiding behind his fire.
Fitting.
"...I think you're misunderstanding something here, Riser-san." the younger blond said without any change in his facial features.
Riser's smirk cracked.
"...I admit that you've gotten a lot more powerful in a short time, these flames are near the level of one of my closest friends..." Naruto admitted easily, casually walking towards the flames.
Before his expression darkened.
"...But unfortunately for you, that was the level of flames that was able to hurt me three years ago."
Riser's jaw unhinged for a moment.
"Wait...what?" Riser stuttered, unbelieving of what he just heard.
But that was all he managed to get out.
As right when he stuttered out a sentence, Naruto took that opportunity to charge straight into the wall of flames, without even a hint of hesitation.
Then, gobsmacked, Riser stared at cerulean eyes that pierced through the walls.
"Surprise you son of a bitch!" Naruto roared out as he sent his fist straight towards the devil's jaw.
*Crunch*
Damn it, he loved that sound.
Riser was sent flying out of his own barrier, sending him over the castle walls and outside the courtyard.
The flames that composed the walls immediately began to dissipate once the continuous flow of demonic energy has ceased.
Naruto quickly checked his body...
As he thought. Light burns everywhere, but nothing bad.
The shinobi then gave chase, jumping over the castle walls and joining the annoying devil at the...
At the...
...What was it called, the castle grounds or something like that?
Anyways, the blond was going to continue the fight outside the walls.
As he left, he heard the shuffling of movement from inside the castle, no doubt their spectators would follow them.
After a split second of catching up, he moved fast enough to see that Riser was only just crashing into the ground when he arrived.
He fell straight into a rock formation. Making a decent sized crater on impact.
The shinobi finally closed the distance between them and landed in front of the furious devil.
"You...you! How!? You were dodging my attacks the entire time! So wouldn't that mean that my flames were too hot to take!? I don't get it!" Riser shouted in anger, it didn't make any sense to him!
The shinobi tilted his head, staring at his fellow blond with a frown.
"Your flames were pretty hot...but as long as I don't stay in the flames for that long, then I can take it. I said it already, right? Your flames would have been dangerous three years ago. The only reason I went through all that trouble before was to test your new abilities." Naruto explained patiently.
Riser's eyes widened. A test?
"...What? Why do you look so surprised? You do realize that your massive jump in power is pretty damn suspicious right? The only problem I had, was that I had no idea whatwas powered up exactly. So I intentionally allowed myself to be close to some of your attacks, testing it's heat. Then I made sure to keep the charade up to test your reflexes and tactical thinking. The only thing I saved for last, was to see just how long I could take your flames. All so I could make sure that your little 'wall of flames' wouldn't stop me." Naruto claimed with a shrug.
The older blond was incredulous, staring wide eyed at the human in front of him.
"...You're insane! Who would let themselves get hurt just to test their opponent's abilities for!?"
Naruto's eyes narrowed, a hint of a snarl making it's way to his lips as he regarded his downed enemy.
"...You probably wouldn't understand, but I have some goals that I'd like to achieve before I...'leave'. My goals are extremely difficult to get in meaningful ways, especially with what I have planned. But more importantly, there have been some...incidents lately that have made me very conscious of...coincidences." the blond noted with a glare aimed at the young Phenex.
Riser didn't know why, but his body was actively trying to sink into the rock formation that he was stuck to, seemingly wishing to hide from the human's harsh glare.
"...Both; my goals and my comrades were threatened by this 'incident'...and now there's another 'incident' where some random asshole gets a large power up for no specific reason...excuse me for being blunt, but I really don't like that. I also can't help but notice just how...close these situations are to one another." the shinobi muttered darkly.
The first incident involved a bastard that could hide his energy signal, beyond anything that Naruto really dealt with before.
This second incident had a guy that received a massive boost in energy and power, beyond anything that training for a few days could do.
Look underneath the underneath right? Well color him suspicious as fuck.
"Are...are you accusing me of something?" Riser growled, a hint of fear beginning to reach it's way to the devil's heart.
Naruto smiled.
There was no mirth in it.
"Not yet. But really...despite all of my justifications and words, there was another thing that I wanted to do. Part of it is for a genuinely good reason...and the other part is a little selfish." Naruto stated calmly, before continuing. "The good reason is to stop you from getting back at me by hurting those I care about...and given your track record, I think it could happen. While the selfish reason...is because you caught me at a really bad time."
Riser shrunk away from his enemy, getting a bad feeling...
"Riser Phenex. I want to make sure that you know the difference between our abilities. You've gained great power and large reserves of demonic energy...but that's it. To put it simply, that's about to cost you." the shinobi warned, grabbing a slip of paper inside his pants pocket and placing it onto the palm of his hand.
He only brought one of these...it was experimental. He just hoped that the thing wouldn't literally blow up in his face.
Before Naruto could complete his dastardly scheme however, Riser immediately made to escape by flaring his fiery wings and making some space.
But unfortunately for the devil, Naruto wouldn't let him.
Faster than he could have seen, a vicious fist sent Riser to the ground, intercepting him before he got too far into the sky.
Crashing into a heap, Riser managed to remain cognizant enough to create a magic circle and pour as much demonic energy as he could without blowing it up.
Seeing the attack, once more, he rocketed away from his position in the air towards Riser. Almost as if he was launched from a cannon.
Smashing his foot into Riser's gut, he sent his opponent at just the right angle to sent him skipping across the ground. Repeatedly smashing into the ground, bringing up a lot of dust from his impacts.
The moment he stopped and his regeneration managed to heal his shattered limbs, Riser finally completed his attack and sent it's fiery rage soaring to his enemy.
The blond's features were stern and unyielding as he raised his hand up and allowed the piece of paper to complete his work for him.
He just hoped it wouldn't blow up...!
"Fūka Hōin...!" (Fire Sealing Method) the whiskered teen shouted.
The large amount of flames that were heading towards him were suddenly caught into a suction, drawing it away from Naruto and to the small piece of paper on his hand.
Once the deed was done, the seal only had an extra piece of kanji that was called 'fire' to notify the user that the fire was stored.
The shinobi grinned. At least one piece of good news today.
That being said...!
The blond ripped the seal off of his hand.
Meanwhile, Riser's expression became increasingly worried, his current power wasn't enough...!
He needed more, otherwise he would lose again!
As Riser was becoming increasingly worried, he didn't notice that his enemy has made another move.
"Hey! Riser!"
Naruto immediately threw the seal at Riser.
"Wha-?"
Riser was only able to get one shocked word out.
Before he could finish, the small piece of paper lit up like a small fire cracker in the dark night.
Then suddenly, light enveloped the area around the seal as Naruto made a break for it, knowing what was about to happen.
He never did complete the seal.
*BOOOM*
*BOOOM*
The explosion was a ways away from the castle, but all of the inhabitants definitely saw it clearly.
"Incredible...! That charity case is thoroughly crushing Riser of the Phenex clan!"
"...Looks like he wasn't all talk after all."
"I wonder if it's possible to snatch him up for my Peerage..."
These were a few of the many murmurings of the high-class devils that were watching the battle from the safe confines of the castle.
Sona ignored their annoying words, as was custom for her.
That was usually the same for Rias as well, but instead of her usual actions...
The heiress of the Sitri clan glanced at her friend's clenched fists, watching as her eyes changed from their normal blue-green to the swirling Power of Destruction.
Yes, she wasn't happy at all.
She supposed it made sense, Rias may very well be indebted to the mysterious teen.
It was then, that a familiar face walked past them in order to get a closer look on the battle outside of the castle.
"...Mio-chan?" Rias asked, surprised that the younger red-head didn't greet them when she passed them.
Mio blinked, breaking out of the daze that she was entrapped in.
"Ah...Rias-sempai. I didn't see you there. What's up?" Mio stated quietly, looking slightly disoriented while doing so.
Both high-class devils noticed.
"Um...Mio-chan? Are you ok? You seem kind of...out of it." Rias pointed out, regarding her younger friend with a worried look.
Mio grimaced. "I'll live, I heard some unpleasant news recently...and it's left a bad taste in my mouth. More importantly though, how's Naruto doing?"
Sona glanced at Rias, noting that the 'sister' of Uzumaki was being evasive.
If Rias noticed, then she didn't acknowledge it.
"We think he was holding back at the beginning, but he's throttling Riser now. Kind of satisfying actually...I was so focused on my engagement before, that I wasn't really paying attention to the beating that Riser was getting. So seeing this fight is a plus for me." the Gremory heiress replied happily, enjoying herself immensely.
Mio wasn't paying attention however, she was focused on the other voices that grabbed her attention.
"Hey, that kid is pretty strong, is it possible to trick him into being my slave?" a high-class devil muttered to himself.
Mio's eye twitched.
"Hah! You're not the only one wondering about that. I recently heard some schemes being bandied about to get that kid to work for them. It's an...attractive idea."
Her fists clenched and unclenched, trying to get rid of the emotions that were rising to the forefront.
"Hmm...surely Maou-sama brought him here as a prize, no? After all...we lost the chance to get another pure-blood child through the engagement that was canceled. So perhaps a chance to get at this powerhouse is his attempt to smooth over the feathers he is ruffling?"
"Oh! Excellent point! Then perhaps it is open season on the boy! Perhaps promises of wealth and women could entice him..."
Teeth grinded against one another, as the bastard of the Original Lucifer heard these words.
...Was this it?
Was this what the other half of her blood contained?
This complete and utter selfishness?
Maybe it was due to the bitter realization of her origins...but she couldn't help but look at the devil blood flowing through her veins as a curse by this point.
Her family was killed because of it.
She was hunted down because of it.
Her trash excuse of a father gave it to her.
Now?
She was hearing high-class devils talk about someone precious to her like they were some kind of horse at an auction.
It was disgusting.
"...Mio-chan?"
Mio's dulled eyes cleared.
Pink eyes turned to see the worried blue-green eyes of her friend.
...That's right.
Not all devils were like that.
Rias-sempai, Sona-san, Sairaorg-san, the current Maou...
Not to mention their Peerage...
She took a deep breath, willing her dark mood to go away.
"...Sorry, I was thinking about something. I think I'm better now." Mio admitted, giving her friend a grateful smile.
Rias stared at her, searching her eyes for any deception.
She found none, and that relieved her.
"Rias, Mio-san. Be quiet for a moment." Sona stated briskly, staring at the rocky area that comprised the area outside the castle with intensity.
Both red-heads regarded the Sitri heiress with surprise, shocked that she would-
They both felt it at the same time.
All three devils turned to focus on the battle occurring outside the castle. Watching as the Phenex devil's fire expanded well beyond what he was capable of before.
Nearly catching their human friend in it's confines, the young man jumped away from the flames.
But that wasn't what the three devils were worrying about.
"...Is that Riser...?" Rias asked quietly, sweat beginning to form on her face in nervousness.
This demonic energy she was feeling...it wasn't upper high-class level anymore.
No...this was...!
"...Ultimate-class." Sona said seriously.
Mio's eyes were wide as she felt the demonic energy continue to rise.
Rise...
Rise...
Rise...!
What was going on out there!?
*BOOOM*
Lucifer stared down at the battlefield, as the blond menace that he wanted to study has outmaneuvered his pawn.
Not only has Riser Phenex not been strong enough to face the mysterious man, he also didn't force him to use any techniques.
Not even the one that destroyed Diodora's face.
Worse yet, the human has studied Riser's growth in power, no doubt he had an overall grasp of how his power up has worked...
It was specific, a large rise in power that not even his benefactor could give.
Mostly due to it's source.
Now if he was too liberal in giving out these power ups...no doubt the boy would know who to connect it to.
"...Annoying." the devil muttered darkly.
Nevertheless, he may as well go all in by this point.
If Uzumaki Naruto was going to find out more about his abilities than he'd like, then he may as well make damn sure that he learned more about the human's abilities as well.
The young Phenex would no doubt claim that his regeneration would eventually give him a victory, but the entire point of this engineered battle was to study, not to actually give Riser a victory.
"...Riser Phenex, I saw you as a pawn, something to be used and thrown away like trash. An unnecessary tool that could be easily replaced." Lucifer muttered quietly, bringing his hands together around his chest.
Diodora, who was fuming at Riser's weakness, immediately turned to face his master. Shocked that he would give the Phenex more power.
"But Lucifer-sama! Riser doesn't deserve the increased power! He isn't doing any better than before!" Diodora protested.
Lucifer sent him a dark look.
"Exactly. No matter how much power I give him...he will always lose to that human. Power isn't the answer to forcing Uzumaki Naruto to fight harder...it's to circumvent his strength. The strength that relies on close quarters combat. I may be giving Riser more power...but I doubt he will appreciate it." Lucifer said, glaring at the battlefield.
It angered him that he was forced to do this to make any sort of positive impact on this debacle.
But...it should still be entertaining.
The devil leader then continued to mutter to himself, bringing forth a power deep within himself.
"Riser Phenex, you were once a pawn to be disposed, however...now you shall be seen as something else entirely. You are now my instrument, my advance guard. The one who will reveal my new enemy's abilities and provide me victory in the future through your sacrifice." Lucifer muttered quietly.
Right before him, a pendant appeared on his chest, bearing a symbol.
The symbol was composed of right-angled, intertwined lines that overlapped without a beginning or an end.
An endless knot.
"Come forth...! Telos Karma...!"
Naruto was staring at the damage he has done with his seal.
Maybe it was a bit much...
...Meh, Riser's regeneration could handle it.
But he suspected that the damage would force his regeneration to stall, as when he used his rasengan on him last time...it took a while to heal.
So the bastard probably doesn't heal for a period of time, depending on how intense the damage is.
"You...bastard...!"
Naruto raised a eyebrow, as he noticed that the smoke has cleared enough to see his opponent in the middle of a crater.
He was pretty messed up.
Both of his legs were blown off, completely.
...
"So...when's your healing supposed to-?" the shinobi tried to ask.
But before he could, fire enveloped his lower body, repairing the damage done by the explosion.
Ah. There it was.
The high-class devil got onto his feet, a snarl in place as he gave his enemy a heated glare.
"...Look, what's the point of all of this? Why try to beat me? All you're doing is making a fool out of yourself. In front of an audience no less." Naruto sighed, getting tired of this ridiculous fight.
There was no point to it, he got what he wanted out of this...a bit of a stress reliever and some extra knowledge, just in case he has to deal with someone with a similar random power up.
Riser gnashed his teeth together.
That man...that man promised him extra power if this wasn't enough.
If he could just stall, then surely...!
"The point? What's the point? You don't get it, do you? The fact that you're just a human, yet you've defeated me...it's something that cannot be tolerated! There is a social order that must be adhered to! One that has been present in devil society for over two thousand years! Your mere presencecould very well threaten all of that! So...I must put you down, to prevent you from becoming a focal point of resistance." Riser stated seriously, a grimace forming on his lips.
Naruto said nothing, giving the devil a level stare.
"That's bullshit, and you know it." the shinobi retorted.
The devil's grimace turned back to a snarl.
"Oh don't give me that look you arrogant fuck. I have no idea if devil society is really as you say it is, or if my presence could really unravel it. What I do know however, is that little speech of yours if just a convenient justification to get back at me. Seriously, I've dealt with your kind before, so trying to frame your excuse as something high-minded is something I've heard before." Naruto pointed out dryly, before stretching his back, totally at ease with the situation.
Before Riser could say anything in reply however, Naruto continued.
"...There is one thing that I'd like to know though. Say...aren't you being a little too ballsy with your actions? I don't know about you, but challenging me to a duel in the middle of a Maou-sponsored party is a bit...much, don't you think? Why would you do that?" the blond human asked, genuinely curious about the devil's reasons.
Riser opened his mouth to retort, prepared to keep up with his stalling tactic...
Then paused.
Wait...why did he do that?
Sure, there was a chance to get out of any possible trouble with authorities by playing his cards right...but didn't he also lower public opinion of his family? His actions reflect the Phenex clan after all...
More than that, didn't he basically defy the Maou? Sure, the Maou couldn't interfere with clan affairs, exemplified in why the Maou couldn't just outright cancel his engagement with the Gremory heiress. But...if he really wanted to, the Maou could still make life miserable for him.
And his clan.
So why did he...?
Riser grasped his head, feeling a prickling pain in his skull, bringing him down onto his knees.
"Wha...? Why? I don't get it...?" the high-class devil muttered, questions beginning to filter into his head.
"Woah. Hey, you doing alright over there?" Naruto questioned, confused at his opponent's behavior.
Riser was just staring at the ground for a moment, trying to decipher his own actions.
The name of that Sacred Gear was...
His eyes widened.
"Hey! Listen to me, Uzumaki! You have to-!" Riser warned desperately.
He stopped suddenly at mid-sentence, mouth wide open as he tried to speak.
But instead of words, he instead sucked in and released a large amount of air quickly, desperately trying to breathe.
Naruto, alarmed at this behavior, tried to move in to help.
But before he could reach the hapless devil...
He exploded.
An extreme amount of heat flew outward from the devil's body, engulfing him in his own flames. Continually spreading outward like some sort of living being that was hellbent on killing the shinobi.
Accordingly, Naruto jumped away from the fire that suddenly had a life of his own.
Once he reached a minimum safe distance, he stared at the conflagration of flames in horror.
Did...did the Phenex just...?
Before he could ponder the question, the flames that he was eager to get away from began to coalesce.
Coalesce into something.
Fiery red grew into gargantuan sizes, growing and growing.
The shinobi noticed that the large conflagration spread large appendages from the general shape of the...thing that it has become.
It looked like...
Wings.
"...A bird?" Naruto quietly wondered, unsure of what to do in this situation.
The 'bird' flared it's long wings, stylized with what looked like molten feathers, raising it's now completed head.
Then it screeched.
*SCREEEEEEEEEEE*
"What...what is that!?" Diodora screamed out, terrified of the power that the fiery creature was emitting.
Lucifer on the other hand, seemed thoroughly satisfied with it.
"Well...I suppose it's what happens when a high-class devil that can barely control high-class demonic energy...suddenly gets ultimate-class demonic energy." the devil leader noted dryly, amused in spite of himself.
What he did was actually quite simple, devils that can't control their large power reserves properly...tend to go berserk. As exemplified by new servant devils that lose their master and can't control their powers.
All he did was apply that theory to a far more powerful devil.
Interesting how a Phenex becomes a carbon copy of the legendary bird that they are named after when they go berserk...
"Now...I doubt that you could hold back anymore Uzumaki Naruto...show me your power..."
"Sirzechs-sama, I believe this is getting out of hand." Grayfia noted, staring up at the large fiery bird that has emerged from the Phenex's flames.
"...I think so too, but for now...don't do anything." Sirzechs ordered, intently watching the battlefield from his elevated position on top of the keep.
The maid gave her king an incredulous look, shouldn't this warrant some intervention by this point?
Seeing his wife's look, he decided to explain.
"This is an ample opportunity Grayfia...an individual's true nature will be revealed in the face of adversity. A true way to see who Uzumaki Naruto really is, better than any cross-examination I could have come up anyways." the Maou stated seriously, continuing his study of the blond teen.
The maid didn't say anything, she simply stood by her husband and followed his gaze back to the young human, standing in front of the phoenix.
"...This could backfire terribly and is overwhelmingly foolish, Sirzechs-sama. You realize that, don't you?" Grayfia said eventually, glancing at the red-headed male.
Sirzechs merely grinned.
"I'm aware, but that's why I have you...my beautiful wife. In case my stupidity catches up with me."
Naruto grit his teeth, this massive bird was emitting even more power than Riser after his power up!
This was bullshit! Was someone out to get him or something!? Just what kind of shitty luck was this!?
The blond's eyes snapped to the gargantuan creature, which has flapped it's wings and become airborne.
Naruto set his legs, the duel was probably still on...even if this made absolutely no sense. Maybe he could try to-
"ONII-SAMA!" a voice cried out from behind the blond.
Naruto turned around in a panic, who the hell was that and what were they doing out here!?
He witnessed a young blond girl in a pink dress that had similar features to Riser...
Naruto's eyes widened, could it be...?
*SCREEEEEE*
The shinobi didn't even bother looking back, knowing full damn well that the large bird was soaring towards them.
He charged to the girl, intent on getting her out of the virtual battlefield that this rocky area has suddenly become.
It was only when he got close, that he noticed that someone else had a similar idea.
Issei was charging right after the girl, arms outstretched as he reached her before the blond did and enveloped her in a hug. Stopping her advance to the deadly beast. Even making sure to cover her body with his own, knowing full well that the bird would reach them faster than they could escape.
It was then and there, that Naruto made his decision.
He grit his teeth.
"Damn it...so much for holding back...!" Naruto roared as he quickly made a familiar hand seal.
"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"
A cloud of smoke surrounded the blond, and soon after...several blurs came flying out of the cloud in order to form up in front of the beleaguered duo.
"Now! We'll do this together! Form a wall!" Naruto ordered, quickly making grabbing motions around his left hand.
The clones followed suit, creating their signature jutsu as the beast released flames from it's mouth towards the wall of clones.
They all raised up rasengans and formed a defensive perimeter around the two hapless devils, holding the line as the flames reached their position.
The flames made contact.
The series of Narutos grit their teeth as the powerful flames pushed them back, nearly tripping one of them and allowing for the inferno to break through...
But they held firm!
Naruto turned to meet Issei's shocked eyes and shouted to him over the roaring sounds of the flames.
"What the hell are you waiting for!? GO!" the blond ordered, trying to do his part in keeping the flames at bay.
The brown-haired boy stared at his friend, in shock at his quick save, but managed to gather his wits and scooped up the blond devil. Quickly making his escape back to the confines of the castle.
Naruto didn't waste any time once Issei got away. He immediately broke off of the defensive line in order to get away from the crumbling wall of rasengans.
While the blue orbs were doing their jobs splendidly, the clones behind the orbs were still taking damage from the intense heat.
The flames were simply too close to them, searing into their collective skins and doing enough damage to pop them.
So the shinobi jumped away from the area that the flames encompassed, getting some quick flashes of a clone's memories...
Then a lot of memories.
Ah...so he guessed that-
*BOOOOOM*
Naruto turned around to watch as the torrent of fire incinerated the ground where the clones once stood. Turning the entire rock surface into a molten crater.
Yeah...that sure as hell looked familiar...
The blond quickly chanced a glance towards the castle, instantly feeling relieved when he noticed that Issei made it back into the safe confines of the castle and to the rest of Rias' Peerage.
He also noted that many of the nobles were panicking quite a bit...
Hmph, spineless bastards.
Naruto's eyes snapped back to his new enemy, which screeched in challenge and flew straight at him with incredible speed.
The shinobi readied himself, lowering his center of gravity and waiting for the right moment...!
Now!
Right before the winged creature made contact, Naruto jumped high into the air and dodged it's attack entirely.
The impact it made on the ground was massive, the flames that it was made out of was melting the rock surface.
As he was in the air, Naruto made a familiar hand sign...
"Tajū Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"
Immediately, hundreds of clones appeared around the original, all with one purpose.
As one, they began forming their own rasengans, seeking to destroy this beast with one large assault!
Larger variants were to be avoided if possible, he still didn't trust the nobles around here.
So as one unit, the group of blonds fell on top of the flaming bird and threw their left arms forward, carrying their deadly package.
"""""Rasengan!"""""
The creature looked up to see the many clones descending on it like flies.
It screeching in retaliation and spewed a new inferno from it's mouth, heading straight up towards the falling shinobi.
The real Naruto widened his eyes, they weren't in any kind of cohesive order...! If that large area of effect attack hit them...!
It'd be every man for himself.
Knowing this, one of his clones immediately grabbed him by the arm and threw him away from the incoming attack.
Naruto watched as the entire clone army was obliterated in one shot, not standing a chance with a small blue orb as a defense.
He gracefully landed on the ground and regarded the bird that has gone airborne again.
...Looks like he should prepare for the worst.
This thing may well force him to bring out the big guns.
With that in mind, he quickly created another clone, one with a very specific task.
The clone in question glanced at his creator, unsure of this was really a necessary measure...but not questioning it either.
Just in case...even though it's been a long time...they'd use their secret weapon.
"...It's been a while since we've resorted to that, eh Boss?" the clone muttered with a grin.
"...Yeah, just send it to me the second you've gathered enough. I'll end it with one blow." the real Naruto retorted, a sly grin on his face.
With that in mind, the clone dashed off, seeking to find a safe area to find some solitude and safety.
*SCREEEEE*
Naruto turned back to the beast and jumped away from it's latest attack, moving on top of a rock formation and away from the small canyon area he was in.
Fire was spewed like a flamethrower, flowing down the canyon like a river of lava that had no end in sight.
Turning the rocks around the area into molten rock, almost heating it to the point of turning it into magma.
But that wasn't what Naruto was paying attention to.
The large bird continued to spew the deadly flames, it's mindless destruction continuing, but if it didn't stop soon...then those flames would eventually lead back to...
Naruto raced towards the bird, seeking to grab it's attention before the flames it was spreading reached the castle at the end of the small canyon they were in.
He glanced towards the castle, seeing frantic movement inside it's confines.
Come on...! He wasn't going to make it!
Before he could stress about the situation further however, large silver magic barriers formed all across the area of the castle that the flames were moving to.
Naruto grinned, he recognized that magic circle!
He'd thank her later, but first things first.
The shinobi continued his trek to the massive creature, before inhaling a lot of air...
"HEY! BIRD-BRAIN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, WASTING YOUR TIME WITH THEM!? YOUR FIGHT IS WITH ME YOU STUPID FUCK! COME AT ME!" Naruto screamed at the fiery beast, goading it to following him as he jumped high in the air.
The fiery creature noticed it's challenge and began flapping it's wings, preparing to give chase, taking their battle to the skies.
"G-Grayfia!" Rias shouted, immensely thankful that the maid was intervening.
The entire castle was in complete disarray, nobles screaming in fear of the monster that has appeared outside the castle.
Rias, Sona, and Mio managed to keep their wits about them, but Rias and Mio nearly fell into panic themselves when they noticed that the Gremory's Peerage was chasing after Issei and his quest to keep Riser's younger sister from getting herself killed.
Luckily, Naruto intervened and prevented them from getting killed, but that only managed to raise more alarm bells to her.
Naruto's clones...one of which were capable enough to destroy her and her Peerage...were completely overwhelmed.
She couldn't have been more thankful that the queen of her brother had stopped the massive doses of flames that were soaring towards the castle with her magic barriers.
"Rias-sama, Sona-sama, Mio-sama, all of you must back away from the front of the castle grounds, my barriers will stop the flames themselves...but the heat from them will still do immense damage in close quarters." Grayfia said sternly, pointing out that they weren't exactly safe yet.
Mio was watching the state of the front of the castle, checking the damage.
It was getting bad...despite the fact that the maid's barriers were stopping the flames, it was still melting the entire front of the castle...
She looked up, seeing the massive flaming bird soar to the sky, most likely chasing after Naruto.
Was he luring it away from them...?
"Grayfia-san, why aren't you stopping that creature? Surely the duel has been canceled by this point, it's posing a threat to not only Uzumaki-san...but to the occupants of the castle as well." Sona questioned quickly, seeking for some sort of solution.
Grayfia turned away from them, looking at the flames that were still burning outside the barrier despite the fact that the phoenix has stopped it's attack, the flames were simply that strong, continuously perpetuating itself.
So strong that she legitimately had to work at keeping them at bay.
Her husband had decreed that she had to stop the flames themselves from hurting the occupants...but that she wasn't to intervene with Naruto-sama's fight unless his life was in danger.
From what she has seen so far, it hasn't come to that yet.
"Once these flames are dispersed Sona-sama...I will intervene in the fight with Naruto-sama and that creature. The safety of the guests are my top priority." Grayfia responded to the Sitri heiress.
Sona glanced at the two red-heads, noting their grave expressions.
They couldn't do anything, they would only get in the way of Grayfia and her work.
The flames would incinerate them the moment they left.
Naruto...was on his own.
Naruto was soaring higher and higher into the sky, trying to lead the beast away from the castle.
Man...this was probably the perfect place to truly give his experimental ability a test.
The one he kept using against Riser, to his advantage.
The problem was...he would have to use it several times without pause, to make sure that he didn't get himself killed while so high in the air.
Even he knew that using an experimental jutsu several times without even completing it...was pretty damn stupid.
It didn't change the fact that he needed it now, he could only hope that he didn't blow his legs off.
As the blond started slowing down from his ascent, the creature below him let loose a massive fireball, easily dwarfing the ones that Riser was so fond of throwing out.
Knowing that he didn't want to be on the receiving end of that, the blond focused on his legs...
Allowing his wind chakra to flow onto the soles of his feet...
Sharpening and condensing the molecules of air that was being pooled onto them...
Then...
After condensing the wind chakra enough, using his chakra to stick to the condensed wind chakra, as if it was water.
From there, he launched himself from the little air pad he made so that he could soar towards the screeching bird.
He also angled himself so that he could barely dodge the fireball that was aimed at him before, singing his right arm a bit in the process.
Naruto grit his teeth, he had to end this...with his trump card or not!
The second he passed by the fireball, he made his familiar hand sign, ignoring the wind that was making it hard to see.
"Tajū Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"
All around him, hundreds of clones appeared from smoke clouds, knowing what the plan was.
All of them made to grab one of their brethren, preparing to launch them at the fiery menace so that it couldn't try to intercept them mid-attack like last time.
"Now!" the real Naruto ordered.
"""""Right!"""""
With that, several projectile shinobi were being launched towards their enemy, making grabbing motions on their left hands to create blue orbs.
But there was another reason that Naruto took this fight in the air...
They were so high up...that he doubted that anyone could see their jutsus from up here!
With that in mind, the poured more chakra into their hands!
Now!
"""Ōdama Rasengan!"""
Seeing the bombardment that was flying straight towards it, the flaming bird made to get away, frantically swinging it's wings to fly over the falling blonds.
It worked.
The many shinobi couldn't shift their trajectory in time, leaving the flaming bird free to move pass them and sail towards the hapless clones that launched them in the first place.
Too bad that Naruto made a contingency plan!
"Now! Pincer it!" Naruto roared, forming wind chakra onto his legs again and restarting the process of creating air pads, with his clones following suit.
Once that was completed, they stopped falling towards the ground and screamed back towards the flying bird.
Before the fiery creature could do anything however, the clones that were left behind also went through their process of creating air pads, launching them towards the much closer bird with large blue orbs on their hands that they just created.
Both groups made sure to launch themselves roughly around the same time as their brethren, forming a wall of spiraling orbs to prevent them from getting destroyed by their enemy's fire.
The small armies quickly began converging towards the fiery creature, and there was nothing it could do to stop it.
"Now! As one! Ōdama Rasengan!" Naruto shouted, as similar war cries reverberated across all of his clones.
The creature screeched, as large holes began appearing all across it's flaming form due to the efforts of the small army. Practically ripping apart one of it's wings and blowing off the other from it's body.
More importantly, making several holes across it's torso.
Fire was spewing out like blood, causing it all to fall from the beast and spiral to the earth like small meteorites falling from orbit.
The real Naruto, who was a part of the group that has taken a chunk out of the beast's wings, got the memories of the clones soon afterwards, reinforcing his belief of how hot the flames of the creature actually was.
Even he had some trouble grinding through, the heat was pretty unbearable. No doubt his many clones would pop if they were inside that flaming bird for too long.
Then the shinobi got another piece of information from one of the recently deceased clones, causing him to widen his eyes in surprise.
There was someone alive in there...?
"...Riser-san!" Naruto's shouted out in wonder, surprised that the devil was actually in that thing.
Not only that, but thanks to the clone's sensing abilities at close quarters...he was able to sense that the young Phenex was actually getting his demonic energy sucked away by the creature...
So that meant that the creature's power actually could be growing by siphoning the Phenex's power!
Naruto's eyes narrowed when he realized something else, what if...
He turned to watch the fire bird closely, wondering if-
Shit, he was right, why did he have to be right?
The large holes that were dotting the creature from before...they were closing up.
As if the bird was regenerating, the flames from across it's body was spreading to the gaping holes across it's body, restoring the creature to what it was before his assault.
So...this thing was beginning to sound like the very bird that the Phenex clan was said to be based off of.
A phoenix, he was fighting a fucking phoenix.
Beautiful, just...beautiful.
Naruto mentally switched gears, complaining about the situation wouldn't solve it.
Thinking about it, Riser's entrance into the battle made things more complicated. But it could also work to his advantage here, maybe if he could cut off the demonic energy powering that thing...
He didn't have time to ponder, the flaming bird came soaring towards him, flying a little low as if attempting to catch him.
Why would it...?
Oh.
He was free falling.
Right...can't fly.
Once more, he concentrated wind chakra onto the soles of his feet again, making another air pad...
Then he jumped.
Naruto bit back a scream, as it felt like thousands of mini knives ripped apart his feet.
Damn...that wasn't good. He knew he shouldn't have used this new jutsu so liberally...!
But hopefully it would be the last time, as instead of jumping away from the phoenix moving towards him, he jumped towards the giant bird.
Since the flaming bird was below him and he had his clones' memories...he should have a clear shot to...!
The shinobi raised both of his arms and made grabbing motions over his left hand, creating a rasengan.
He didn't have enough time to make anything better...so this'll have to do!
He crashed against the top of phoenix, grinding his way through the inferno that comprised the beast.
He grit his teeth as he continued to push through the flames, ignoring the pain as he reached his destination.
There it was...!
"Wakey wakey asshole!" the shinobi shouted, allowing for the blue orb in his hand to explode between himself and the unconscious Phenex.
The explosion pierced the bottom of the flaming bird's stomach, making an escape route for the Phenex and Naruto.
The second he got out, Naruto made a hand sign to summon his clones.
It was time to finish this!
He didn't sense the phoenix get any weaker...and judging by the fact that the hole was closing up just fine, he'd say that it's regeneration was still in play.
Damn...well, fine.
All he had to do...was obliterate it, right?
Make sure that there won't be anything left to regenerate, right?
Then...it was time.
"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"
Four clones were formed.
One of them allowed themselves to fall, in order to catch the devil that was falling to the earth.
The rest knew what to do.
Two clones grabbed the original and huddled together, while the last clone grabbed the huddled group and flung them towards the phoenix, which was heading towards them after it healed.
One of the clones took the lead, forming an enlarged rasengan in it's left hand.
The descending phoenix opened it's mouth and spewed a firestorm towards the three blonds that were heading towards it.
With an Ōdama Rasengan at hand, the lead clone used it as a defense and kept ascending towards the flaming bird, gritting it's teeth as it realized that it wouldn't be able to stop itself from popping.
As predicted, the heat of the flames proved too much for the clone, and it expired, leaving those behind it defenseless from the fiery onslaught.
At least...it was supposed to.
Instead, inexplicably, something began to split the flames apart.
Something...sharp.
Something...deadly.
Whatever it was, it kept cutting straight through the flames until it reached the deadly creature itself. Cutting through it's wing without any trouble or opposition.
The phoenix screeched as it lost control of it's flight and spiraled down towards the earth.
The one responsible for it's forced descent finally reached the end of his own ascent, turning around to finish off the beast once and for all.
With a blue orb in hand.
With a blue orb that had massive wind blades in hand.
The last clone grabbed the arm of it's maker and flung it towards the falling phoenix, allowing itself to pop once it's job was done.
Naruto descended rapidly, reaching the phoenix before it could regenerate in time, raised his deadly jutsu in the sky...
Then slammed it onto the phoenix's torso!
"Fūton: Rasenshuriken!" Naruto screamed at the top of his lungs, allowing for the deadly jutsu to obliterate all that was before it.
Before releasing the jutsu from his hand.
The rasenshuriken sent the phoenix sailing towards the earth at extreme speeds, the wind blades buffeting the bird and doing immense damage.
Similar to a comet from the sky, the phoenix was sent hurtling to the ground.
Also similar to one, it detonated once it reached it.
*BOOOOOOOM*
The rasenshuriken let loose a massive dome that enveloped the nearby rock formations, obliterating it with it's potent microscopic wind blades.
The massive dome of wind continued to deconstruct anything inside it down to a cellular level, leaving nothing behind as the wind blades did their deadly work.
As Naruto was free falling towards the ground, the force of the winds from the dome helped slow down his descent despite how high in the air he was, it was simply thatpowerful.
Naruto closed his eyes.
The battle was over.
Mio was watching the sky with trepidation, looking for any signs of her 'brother'.
Last she saw of him, he jumped high into the sky, drawing the attention of the phoenix away from them and to the sky.
All she knew from there, was that there was a lot of power being thrown around up there...
The damn clouds were making it difficult to discern what was really going on, much to her frustration.
So it came to no one's surprise that she was immediately locked on to the first thing that broke through the sky's clouds.
Besides the strange fire shower of course.
It was...
"That's the phoenix! It's crashing to the ground!" Rias called out, pointing to the falling bird.
Indeed it was.
Sona, who was still by their side, narrowed her eyes as she noticed something about the fiery creature that was crashing to the earth.
"...What is that...? That bright light on it's torso?" Sona asked quietly, noting that something was pushing the large beast to the ground.
It was bright alright, easily standing out despite nearly being covered up by the largess of the phoenix.
Many in the castle watched as the bird finally reached the earth, relief coloring most of their faces as they believed that the threat was finally over.
*BOOOOOOOM*
Everyone jumped as a loud explosion reverberated from the distance.
Then they all stared in awe as a large and bright dome of wind materialized out of nowhere, enveloping the surrounding area that the phoenix crashed to.
"...It's...beautiful." Mio couldn't help but note in awe.
But she would forget that opinion quickly.
Soon after the initial explosion, devastating winds hit the occupants of the castle, nearly knocking everyone off their feet.
Screams echoed the area as nobles scrambled to get a foothold or to grab something solid and hold on for dear life.
Mio, with her hair flying around her face, watched in amazement as the winds were practically pushing the castle back.
She felt the old structure shake and quake under the strain of the winds.
Then she saw the flames that had taken up residence in front of Grayfia's magic barriers begin to get snuffed out.
That was insane! The dome of wind was ridiculously far away!
It was only when the dome finally dispersed, did the powerful winds finally cease their oppressive push against everyone inside the castle.
Once she managed to get back to her feet, Mio only had one word to describe what just happened.
"...Wow."
Naruto trudged away from the destruction that he recently caused while ignoring the pain on his feet, moving towards a prone form.
A stray thought hit him.
What the hell happened to that clone he sent out to the clone that he tasked with unlocking their 'secret weapon'?
...Well, he'd find out after he talked to this asshole.
He was now standing over the fallen form of Riser Phenex.
"...Guess it's over...huh?" Riser asked quietly, his expression exhausted and gaunt from fatigue.
Naruto nodded, it was.
"Whatever power you accepted, it obviously left some bad shit behind. You nearly killed a friend of mine and a blond girl...she called you her 'onii-sama'." the shinobi muttered to his fallen enemy.
Riser's eyes turned to lock with Naruto's, urgency in his blue depths.
"...I...I didn't...right...?" the devil asked quietly, almost fearing the answer.
Naruto shook his head.
"You didn't. I managed to give them both some time to escape. Your sister is alive and well." the younger blond responded.
The Phenex breathed a sigh of relief, turning to face his mysterious enemy.
This strangely powerful human.
"...You saved me...right? Why...?" Riser asked after a moment's pause.
Naruto stared at Riser, unsure of whether he should answer or not.
He decided to do so.
"...If I killed off or thoroughly punished each and every arrogant asshole I've met throughout my entire life...then I would've lost some very valuable friends and comrades in the future. I guess...somewhere deep inside...I hoped that you weren't as bad as you made yourself out to be." the shinobi explained, his eyes looking at things that only he could.
Naruto then turned back to the fallen devil, giving him a small grin of approval.
"Glad to know that you at least give a shit about someone...caring about your sister is something that I can relate to."
Riser said nothing, continuing to regard his former enemy.
He then closed his eyes.
"...I surrender."
The second that Lucifer's creation was obliterated by the wind done, the devil decided that he has seen enough.
Via magic circle, the two devils against the current government of the Underworld returned to their hidden hideout.
The home base of the Old-Maou faction.
Lucifer thought about what he has seen.
Unlike those in the castle, he had prime seats to watch what the human could do, since the mountain he was standing on also pierced the clouds.
The boy was...far more powerful than he thought.
No wonder Diodora was crushed.
The boy may well be an equal to some of the more powerful ultimate-class devils, such as Tannin, or maybe even stronger...
Nevertheless, the fact that a human had such strength was...interesting. Perhaps certain people would love to hear about such information...?
Maybe they could deal with the boy, so that he could get his true prize...
But before he could think on it further, his eyes sharpened when he realized something.
They just returned to the home base of the Old-Maou faction, a large citadel that served as their permanent residence.
It was...quiet.
Too quiet.
"Diodora. Stay here." Lucifer ordered, storming towards his own home with a dark look in his eye.
The high-class devil didn't question his master.
The powerful devil entered the citadel and made for his throne room, looking for any servants or guards along the way.
Nothing. There wasn't anyone there.
He made his way to the massive double doors that greeted anyone seeking to enter the throne room.
He slammed them open, a furious expression on his face.
"...Ah...I was wondering when you would get here. Took your time, eh? No doubt you're like your father...acting so high and mighty that you think that the world revolves around you. But I have my own life to live you know?" a man on Lucifer's throne drawled lightly.
Lucifer glowered at the man, even though he knew for a fact that he should be dead.
This was a man of legend, a man that fought the Original Lucifer to a standstill.
"...How are you alive...Toujou Jin?" the powerful devil questioned darkly.
Jin wagged his finger at the devil leader, shaking his head as if he has done something wrong.
"Now now...I can't reveal my secrets that liberally, don't you think? Instead...why not see if we could rip secrets away from one another, shall we?"
Jin brought forth a large steel broadsword.
While Lucifer materialized a wicked blade, a devil sword.
Both combatants were quiet, studying one another.
Then they charged.