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If these Knights Templar were not his enemy, he would have marveled at their ingenuity. To fight opponents faster and stronger than they, these warriors had turned the words of their faith into a weapon and shielded their forms in the strength of their beliefs.
Human potential. Just used in a different, more violent manner.
His flames might have made them pause, but it did nothing to stop them from surrounding him. Already they had driven a wedge between him and the others, forcing Koneko and Asia back towards the stairway that lead to the balcony, while keeping him at the lower level. Divide and conquer at its most raw form.
At least he was not alone.
Their backs collided, smashed together, and he tried hard not to smile.
"This is such a bad way to die," Issei spat.
He chuckled inwardly. As if there was a good way.
The ring of halberds closed in around them, their wielders tightening the noose.
"Do you know what the worst part about all of this is?"
He eyed the gleaming steel points that were being marched relentlessly closer. He had a general idea.
"That I won't even be able to touch Asia's breasts when this is all over."
…
Of all the last wishes he could have chosen…
"She said if I did well, she would let me touch them," Issei suddenly started in realization, "Do you think it's because she likes me?"
He very much doubted that now was the time or the place for such information to be shared. He very much doubted that said information should have been shared in the first place.
"Even if she did it's pointless," it was almost depressing, the way those words were spoken, "I'm going to die and I've barely begun my harem!"
Despite himself, he could not keep the grin from spreading. He attributed it to the situation. The heat of combat did wonderful things to the human psyche.
"I have a way, but you will have to listen to me."
The boy glanced at him over his shoulder. Fear and anticipation alike warred on his features.
"A way? A way to win?"
"Yes. But you will have to listen to every word I say and obey every order I give."
"How is that any different from listening to Buchou in a Rating Game?"
His gaze remained riveted on the halberd tips and the great, glaive-like blades that lay behind.
"You don't die in Rating Games."
"Right," Issei muttered, "Forgot about that part."
"Are you ready?"
The boy nodded, a grim expression setting over his face.
"Let's do it."
He closed his eyes. Belial faded from his mind, and the flames that roared from his open palms abruptly sputtered out. The new presence slipped into his conscience like silk, suffusing his senses with waves of reassuring calm. Lucia, Fuuka's initial Persona, came to the forefront of his mind, and when he opened his eyes, it was to see an entirely different world.
Everything was made clearer. The imagery made more distinct. Details that had eluded him before were magnified a hundred times over. The cracks in a distant column, splits in the smooth marble. He could tell the length of each down to very last millimeter. The nearby wall of fire, left there by Templar torches. He could distinguish the temperature at which it burned, the chemical makeup, the exact amount of oxygen it needed before the flames would peter out. A thousand separate nuances appeared in his sight, and he could see it all, and more importantly, make sense of them.
This was how they had defeated the Shadows. By studying their foes in combat and exploiting the weaknesses they found. Fuuka's help had been invaluable, and without her in the background aiding them, he doubted very much they would have reached Nyx as smoothly as they did.
His gaze switched to the advancing Templars. He could see the places in their armor where the matrix of energy did not quite cover, gaps in their defense he had not noticed before but now appeared like glowing beacons before his eyes. He could feel the wrongness in their movements, the way that a few stepped a millisecond earlier than their comrades, the slight spaces in their formation that now seemed so easily exploitable.
It made sense. These knights were human, the armor they wore were crafted by humans, and humans were very much imperfect beings.
Which meant there were all the more weaknesses for them to utilize.
The first Templar stepped forward, halberd swinging in his gauntleted fists. His gaze flickered to the menacing figure. Time seemed to slow as Lucia's power took hold, augmenting his vision, enhancing his senses, revealing every minute fault to the very last detail. Silence reigned in his head and their chants became nothing more than a single drop of noise in a sea of stillness.
There.
"First one. Sidestep. Lunge. Aim for the chest."
Issei hastened to follow his command. The devil charged, halted as the knight registered his presence, sidestepped the responding sweep and surged into the Templar's exposed guard. The crimson claws became a fist and drove unerringly into the steel breastplate. The boy's face was taut with tension as the blow connected, fully expecting the punch to bounce off like all the rest. His expression turned to pleasant surprise as the metal caved in, becoming a crater with Boosted Gear in the middle.
The man dropped like a sack of dead weights.
Issei turned to him, eyes wide. But there was no time to celebrate. Already more knights were moving forward, keen on avenging the loss of their comrade.
"Next one. Dodge left. The elbow is vulnerable."
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