Fox to Phenex Chapter 35 (Patreon)

Enjoy a double length chapter to end the arc off. There's so much going on in this one that it really should be split in half... I just couldn't bring myself to do it. The cliffhanger wherever I chose would've deserved criminal charges, so I just kept writing...

Griselda couldn’t keep up.

It wasn’t an experience that she was used to. She had fought powerful devils and fallen angels before. Sairaorg Bael had been a good opponent, albeit one who met her when he was too young to put up a true fight.

That’s what she thought. He refused to go down though. Then, without warning, he experienced some kind of breakthrough. 

Griselda twisted Arondight. Sairaorg’s gauntlet glanced off the side and slid off because of the angle, doing so in a cascade of sparks. He was already swinging his other fist. Griselda wielded Arondight adroitly, performing a similar motion, sending his next attack glancing off the same way as the first.

Sairaorg’s redirected punches leveled entire buildings behind her. Griselda couldn’t afford to block the blows directly.

Arondight wouldn’t break. It was far too strong. But her body could be hurled and sent careening at dangerous speeds. 

Redirecting his blows wasn’t difficult because they were complex. He was swinging his fists directly and honestly, telegraphing all of them. They just came so fast that it didn’t matter if it was obvious what was coming. Griselda could barely hang on.

She searched for an opening to strike back. Griselda lashed out with her leg, bending past one of his blows and striking him with her foot. 

The blow thumped into his armor and achieved nothing. Sairaorg wasn’t winded; he didn’t appear to have felt it. The armor was incredibly solid and sturdy.

Griselda steered their duel away from the Gremory peerage as best she could. The entire area was being torn apart by their clash. This was beyond what those kids could handle. 

She and Sairaorg fell into a rhythm. For more than ten minutes, the two of them traded blows. Instead of feeling proud of how she was lasting, Griselda became increasingly certain that this was more than she could handle.

Her punches and kicks weren’t even felt by him. When Arondight clashed against his armor, the armor proved itself too strong to be cut. Meanwhile, Sairaorg could deal damage to her with one good blow. She had to fight flawlessly, while he seemed impervious to all damage.

It was a sacred gear. Griselda had been taught about all of them in the church, known as the humans’ ultimate weapon. This was Regulus Nemea, she just didn’t understand how it came into a devil’s possession.

Prolonging this wouldn’t do her any good. The longer it went on, the more her stamina was drained. If she wanted to break through, it would be best to do so now, striking fast and true while she still had her full strength.

With that in mind, when Sairaorg next swung his fist, Griselda let him hit her.

She took the punch in the gut. Her ribs broke; two of them unless she was mistaken. However, she had been prepared, and stabbed Arondight into the ground to keep from being thrown away. 

She drew Arondight out of the ground before Sairaorg could react. Swinging it with all her might, Griselda brought the sword’s edge against Sairaorg's helmet.

The maniac thrust his head forward to meet the blow.

He headbutted a sword, crashing his golden helm against Arondight’s dark blade.

The helmet cracked. Griselda heard it first, then saw the damage she was causing. She gave a battle cry and kept fighting down.

It was her strength that let her down. Impressive though her power was, Griselda’s speed had always been her greatest quality. An opponent buried inside a shell that she couldn’t break through was poor match for her style, which favored many fast cuts.

Sairaorg broke through and sent Arondight flying out of her hands. 

“Good fight!” Sairaorg said.

He threw another punch. His helmet was half shattered, revealing more of his face. Despite having taken more mortal wounds today than could be counted, he looked to be having the time of his life.

Griselda blocked his punch with her arms. She was still blasted away. Her wrist broke in the process. She thought some of her fingers had been sprained as well. Griselda rolled through her landing and when she looked up Sairaorg was already above her, glowing with golden energy.

“Transfer!”

Griselda blocked the punch that would have retired her.

She didn’t just block it, though.

She CAUGHT it.

New strength pumped into her limbs, giving her the boost she needed. She stopped Sairaorg’s blow, shocking them both.

The injuries she had just taken didn’t hurt anymore either. A green glow had enveloped her chest and her hand. Asia, Rias’s pious excommunicated nun, had a hand extended in Griselda’s direction. She was wearing a look of concentration, healing Griselda without physical contact.

Next to her, healed so that he no longer looked like he was on death’s door, was Issei. He was holding up his sacred gear, pointing the palm at Griselda.

“What do you think of my new trick?” Issei asked. “I just learned it in the nick of time, huh?”

Griselda twisted. She kicked Sairaorg in the face and by targeting the ruined portion of his helmet, sent him sliding backwards.

“Sister!” Xenovia yelled. All of Rias’s peerage members were there. Sairaorg’s last blow had launched Griselda back to where their fight began, which was fortunate, because without their help she would have fallen.

Xenovia didn’t call out to her out of concern. With a mighty heave, she threw Arondight back to Griselda. Griselda caught it and sensed something new.

When she looked over, she noticed small cuts on the members of the peerage. All of them had harmless wounds just deep enough to draw blood.

Arondight was thrumming.

“It drinks power, right?” Ravel asked. “We might not be able to fight, but you can! Win, Griselda!”

Griselda took one look at her sword, then raised her eyes toward her master’s sister.

“I don’t think that I could now,” Griselda said.

She took a deep breath and called on what had been given.

The power of the Boosted Gear wasn’t there. Issei had cut himself, she saw that, his power just wasn’t present. Even Arondight had limits, it seemed.

From everyone else, though…

Sairaorg was coming at her again. He’d not been stunned for long. Seeing that she’d grown more powerful only left him more excited.

In his path, swords appeared from the ground and flew at him. Sword Birth, another sacred gear temporarily granted to Griselda. It was too weak to stop Sairaorg or harm him in any way, just slowing him down slightly.

Griselda was there to meet him. The power Issei transferred gave her just enough speed and strength not to be pushed back. Besides, she didn’t have to fight so carefully now.

She allowed Sairaorg land blows. When her bones broke, they healed just as fast, displaying the regeneration of a Phenex mixed with a green tinge, from Asia’s Twilight Healing. Absorbing blows allowed her to land strikes of her own. 

Piece by piece, Sairaorg’s golden armor was being cracked and chipped away.

“Raaaaaaaaaah!” Sairaorg bellowed, grinning. 

Griselda gritted her teeth, growling back.

The next time she swung, she poured out everything she had been given.

Flames exploded around her body. Green healing magic was present as well, energizing her. Strangely, something else came too. Holy light, the power of angels, flickered around Arondight’s blade, synergizing with the blade’s holy half.

Something else synergized with the demonic half. Something dark and dangerous. 

For one attack, the Power of Destruction burst out, joining these other powers. In the midst of the vortex, Arondight was glowing white and black. Sairaorg saw the blow coming and knew what it meant.

“Good match!”

The blade clashed with his armor and shattered the balance breaker. He was thrown away from Griselda as a blur. In midair, his body glowed and retired. One of the two enemy kings had fallen.

When the power vanished from around Griselda, she collapsed.

Her throat spasmed. She gasped and coughed, then vomited. Her vision was fuzzy. She couldn’t remember ever being so tired. Arondight was still hungry, it demanded that she feed it more, it hadn’t had enough to eat— “Sister!” 

Xenovia jumped on Griselda. She pulled Griselda away from Arondight by accident, which allowed Griselda’s head to clear. She still felt utterly devoid of stamina. Wielding so many borrowed powers had left her feeling like she ran a thousand miles. In particular, the Power of Destruction had taken so much out of her, even though she only used it once. What a terrifying ability.

“You did it!” Xenovia said. “I knew it! You’re the strongest, sister!”

She was hugging Griselda tightly. Griselda gently hugged her back.

“I’m not the strongest,” Griselda said. “But it makes me happy to know that you think I am. I would have lost if not for you.” She looked at Issei. “I believe I told you to retire.”

Issei rubbed the back of his head. “You told me you had it handled, but I couldn’t quit just like that. It’s good I didn’t listen to you, huh?”

“Very good,” Griselda said. “You gave me your power.”

“As much as I could handle,” Issei said, looking bashful. “I’m just glad it was enough.”

It hadn’t been that much, all things considered. His limits were still very low. Still, to think that such a young devil had given her as much power as he had… It was a testament to his willpower, as well as what he could become.

“Can you fight more?” Rias asked.

Griselda shook her head.

“If I raise Arondight again, I’ll collapse. I don’t have strength in my legs,” Griselda confessed.

“Then we’ll go alone,” Rias said. “Ruval’s peerage is still out there. Sairaorg’s Queen is with them, too. I don’t like that. They must have a plan for her.”

Griselda, however, shook her head.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It doesn’t matter?” Rias asked. “What do you mean? Of course it matters!”

“I’m sure that they have a plan,” Griselda said. “I’m telling you that it won’t work. Whatever they’ve come up with, it won’t be enough.”

“Why not?” Rias asked.

“Because that’s where my king is,” Griselda said.

O-O-O

Twenty minutes earlier.

Kuroka looked around, taking stock of those who were on her side. Her dear sister Shirone was on her left. On her right was Bafeel, a sweet girl who was holding her sword with a fierce look in her eyes. Kuroka liked both of them and she knew just how hard they would fight.

She just didn’t particularly like their odds.

Four armored knights stood in front of two spell casters, both of whom were wrapped in cloaks. They were Ruval’s Rooks, Knights, and Bishops. Flanking this group were animals. There was a lion, a cat that looked like a lynx and stood as  tall as a truck, a shaggy hound that stood taller than Kuroka, and a regal buck with a pure white coat. Overhead, a green dragon flew in circles. “Sometimes, I forget what a zoo Ruval’s Pawns are,” Kuroka said.

A lady laughed. She couldn’t be seen until suddenly she appeared, right in the middle of this group, with Sairaorg’s Queen behind her. 

It wasn’t teleportation magic. It was invisibility. Kuroka gulped.

Ruval’s Queen was named Alteria Shax, the head of the Shax Family from the 72 Pillars. She was a lovely woman who always brought Kuroka the best snacks that she visited, but it wasn’t just affection that caused Kuroka to not want to fight her.

“You could always surrender,” Alteria said.

She was carrying a recurve bow made out of gold that would confuse anyone who hadn’t seen her use it, namely because there was no bowstring. Just a metal frame.

“I’m afraid we can’t,” Kuroka said. “Naruto is relying on us.”

“He’s going to lose anyway,” Alteria said. “He’s facing Ruval alone.”

Shirone hissed at the woman. Kuroka put a hand onto her sister’s head to calm her down.

“Who’s stronger between you and Ruval?” Kuroka asked.

“Ruval, obviously,” Alteria said.

“But it’s close.”

“Maybe it’s a little bit close,” Alteria admitted. “We both have our strengths.”

Kuroka smiled. Alteria seemed confused about what those questions were supposed to accomplish. For Kuroka, it had told her all she needed to know.

Naruto wouldn’t lose.

“My job’s to fight you,” Kuroka said. “Looking at how many friends you have here, your job seems to be to fight me! So let’s do it already. Even if I lose, I’m taking a few of you with me… Nyah!”

Kuroka unleashed her youjutsu. The urban environment was rapidly ripped apart and replaced by a sudden forest. Trees and vines burst out of the ground. They attacked Ruval’s peerage. Alteria was one of the targets… But by the time the trees appeared she was already gone, taking Sairaorg’s Queen with her. Kuisha was her name, Kuroka thought, but she only learned it during Ravel’s tactics plan.

As soon as Kuroka used her magic, Ruval’s peerage burst into action. The armored fighters came steaming forward, acting as a unit.

The Rooks moved in front. There was Alglovale, wearing burgundy armor and wielding an enormous shield as his only weapon, and Brandelis, who funneled his fierce strength into swings of his warhammer.

Shirone dashed forward. She was too fast for Brandelis’s hammer, sliding underneath it. When she popped up close to him, he trusted the strength of his armor.

Shirone tapped Brandelis on his breastplate. It looked like a friendly gesture.

Brandelish stumbled back, gasping in pain.

He swung his warhammer downward and made Shirone jump backwards out of his range.

Senjutsu attacked the body no matter how tough the outward shell might be. By laying her fingers on him, Shirone had attacked what was inside of him directly. The results would be the same whether he was naked or dressed in plate armor.

Behind the Rooks came the Knights, although all four were dressed in the same kind of armor. These two were cousins. Calogrenant and Ywain, one using a spear and the other carrying two swords. They had speed that exceeded Shirone’s. Bafeel jumped into action to engage Ywain, immediately being placed on the defensive. Calogrenant came at Shirone with his spear.

Roots that had appeared with the forest grabbed him around the neck and slammed him into the ground. Shirone pounced on him very much like a cat, striking his breastplate. Her blow once again penetrated through his defenses with a touch, leaving him coughing blood. She sped forward and targeted Alglovale, the other Rook.

When she hit Alglovale, his body disappeared. The armored knight proved to be just an illusion. The real one caught her in the side a second later, slamming his shield into her.

Shirone was only grazed. Her speed allowed her to dart around the side of his shield while only taking a bump on one shoulder. She closed in on his side, reaching for his flank.

A streak flashed through the battlefield.

It was bright white and froze all the grass and vines that it passed. It would have retired Shirone in a single blow if not for the barrier of magic that protected the white nekushuo. Kuroka gritted her teeth from the effort of stopping the beam.

“I hate that ability of yours, nyah!” Kuruoka said.

She knew that Alteria heard her, wherever Ruval’s Queen was hiding. That damn sniper always knew what was happening everywhere around her.

One of the Bishops, a man named Gwydion, bent forward and changed shape. He became a sow, which squealed loudly. Calogrenant and Brandelis, the two warriors that Shirone had wounded, stopped coughing in pain and rejoined the fight. The beasts joined the battle, pouncing at Kuroka from different angles. The dragon in the sky breathed fire, setting the trees Kuroka had conjured alight.

That was a mistake. Kuroka moved her hands and caused the trees to take on sudden life. They grabbed the hound and the lion that were attacking her, wrapping those two pawns in a fiery grave. Kuroka used devil magic to send a sudden bolt of lightning into the face of Ywain, who had knocked open Bafeel’s guard.

It hit him dead on but didn’t stop him. The Knight powered through the pain and delivered a critical wound to Bafeel. With a scream, she retired from the game.

That was the last thing Ywain got to do. Kuroka disappeared and reappeared from his shadow. Her palms glowed with raw plasma and she put them on either side of helmet, before connecting them with lightning. The voltage sent smoke curling out from under Ywain’s helmet as the Knight retired.

This moment, while Kuroka was preoccupied, was when Alteria attacked again. That was no coincidence. This time, the bolt of energy was red instead of white, burning the foliage around it.

Kuroka still blocked it. Shirone was the target, again, and Kuroka raised a hasty shield.

Except, before it struck the shield, a hole formed in the air. The arrow entered the hole and disappeared. A second hole appeared behind Kuroka and disgorged the fiery energy. Shirone roared with pain for an instant, a sick burning smell lodging in Kuroka’s nostrils, before she disappeared.

Kuroka went still.

“I’m sorry. I wish you had surrendered,” Alteria said.

There was still no sign of her except for her voice. Such a useless platitude made Kuroka snarl. She was alone now, while only three of the enemies had been beaten.

“You chose to be here, nyah,” Kuroka said. “I’ll make you wish that you hadn’t!”

Some of Ruval’s peerage members shifted on their feet. They had shared dinners around the same table in the past, giving pointers to Shirone or Bafeel while laughing with Kuroka and Naruto. Alglovale, the Rook with the shield, spoke to her: “We’ll finish this quickly, Miss Kuroka.”

“No,” Kuroka said. “You won’t.”

Mist was starting to swell around her. It poured out of the earth itself. Like that, Kuroka disappeared.

She sped through the fog, fighting in tandem with the forest. Every patch of earth, every root, and every tree turned into the enemy of Ruval’s peerage. In the rare moments Kuroka showed herself, beams from Alteria’s bow tried to eliminate her. Eventually these stopped as she moved like a ghost, causing havoc.

The dragon was pulled from the sky by roots, lashed to the ground, and pierced by a tree that grew through its stomach.

The buck had nature magic of its own, as did Gwydion, the shapeshifting Bishop. The buck’s abilities weren’t enough to keep it from being hunted. As it tried to disperse the fog, Kuruka fell on it from above, blasting it with fire magic that it couldn’t handle.

Calogrenant was eaten by a tree. It formed a mouth and swallowed him whole. He didn’t come back out.

Kuroka was in midstep as she pursued Gwydion when her illusory fog disappeared.

Ruval’s female Bishop, Rhiannon, had lowered her hood. She was responsible for the illusion that fooled Shirone earlier. It was her specialty. With glowing silver eyes, she announced the cancellation of Kuroka’s spell: “Strike her now!”

Alglovale hit her from behind, pinning Kuroka to the ground with his shield. When roots surrounded him to pull him off, he proved too strong from them.

He was joined by the other Rook, Brandelis, who had lost his hammer at some point, but added his strength to Alglovale’s to keep Kuroka pinned down. Rhiannon dispelled every illusion before it could be conjured. Meanwhile, Gwydion had transformed from a sow into a tremendous wolf. He howled and created blades of wind, cutting down every natural creation Kuroka tried to create.

“By Lilith, I’m glad we don’t have to face you every match,” Rhiannon said. “You’re almost as crafty as that weasel Rudiger.”

“Surrendur, Miss Kuroka,” Alglovale said. “The match is over. We’ve no wish to retire you by force. Please. Do not make us do it.”

Kuroka’s answer was a round of gut wrenching laughter.

LINE BREAK

“It’s over, then,” Zeoticus said.

On the screen, the devils in the private box were watching as Kuroka was held against the ground, neutralized by the combined might of Ruval’s peerage, drawing the fight to a close.

“That girl is strong,” Venelana said. “She’ll serve Naruto well for years to come. Both of your daughters fought very well!”

Fujimai was right behind Lady Phenex. Right now, she could no longer look at the screen. She was staring at the floor while holding onto the back of Lady Phenex’s chair, as she had been since Shirone was eliminated.

By now, Shirone would be receiving excellent care from the best medical staff available anywhere in the underworld. Which didn’t remove the scream she had let out from her mother’s head, where it rang over and over.

“Yes,” Fujimai whispered, unable to meet Lady Gremory’s eyes. “They did very well.”

“They all should’ve surrendered,” Zeoticus said. “Anyone could have seen that they were overmatched. Anyone except their King and my foolish daughter.”

“That would have been the most logical course of action,” Lord Phenex said. His voice was more reserved than that of his friend. While Lord Phenex held back what he might have been thinking, Sirzechs said it openly:

“Sometimes, when you believe in something, it’s better to fight for it.”

Zeoticus groaned. “Maybe so, but you can’t blame anyone else when there are consequences.”

“Why is she laughing?” Venelana asked.

The screen came equipped with sound, perfectly relaying all the noises that came with the battle. From Shirone and Bafeel’s screams as they were eliminated, to the words that the fighters had exchanged.

Right now, Kuroka was laughing.

“She’s probably angry,” Zeoticus said. “They feel wronged.”

He said this casually, implying that it was ridiculous.

“No,” Lady Phenex said. “Kuroka isn’t the kind of person to laugh because of something like that.”

Kuroka wheezed words out between her laughs, with her body pinned down underneath a shield.

“You think that it’s over because you defeated ME?” she said.

“Does she think Griselda is still in the match?” Zeoticus asked.

“Technically, she is,” Venelana said. “Although she doesn’t seem likely to fight.”

They had watched the exorcist best Sairaorg, even after he achieved his Balance Breaker.

Fujimai spoke up softly. “They haven’t seen Naruto’s Queen.”

“That youkai?” Zeoticus said. “You claimed she was strong before the match, Lady Phenex, but I don’t see what she can do now. Ruval’s strongest pieces are still in almost perfect condition.”

“Do you think so?” Sirzechs asked.

On the screen, Kuroka’s laughter disappeared. All the mirth vanished from her face. She twisted her head to look back at Alglovale.

“The arrows stopped.”

No one said anything, either on the screen or in the viewer’s box. Something hit the floor only a few steps away from where Kuroka was being held down.

It was Alteria Shax, looking bruised and swollen. In front of their eyes Ruval’s Queen, who was as dangerous as he was himself, retired.

A girl with nine orange tails wearing a crimson kimono grinned at them. She had blood on her hands. An announcement informed those watching that Kuisha Abbadon had also retired, although no one had seen it happen. They still knew who had done it.

Kurama’s fangs glistened. “I hope you don’t hide like that one. She was such a pain to find and it ended so fast. I want to have some fun.”

She looked at the sky as it came alive with fire. One half of the screen changed to show a figure flying through the sky.

Ruval’s Mithril armor was dented and broken in places. He created a vast sea of fire in the sky, then condensed it into a bunch of thin lines like a spider’s web, each made up of fire so hot it was practically a laser. The beams cut deep gouges in the entire arena. Kiba, Xenovia, and Issei suddenly retired, caught up in the attack.

The one who Ruval had been fighting avoided it entirely. There was a swirl of leaves beside Kurama, from which Naruto appeared.

He still looked completely healthy, with only a few small burns and cuts on his clothes. He looked down, seeing Kuroka pinned down, surrounded by the carnage of the fight that had occurred here.

“We’re ending this,” he said.

“I love a show of force,” Kurama grinned.

The two exchanged a fist bump and became one.

The golden coat Naruto appeared in was slightly reminiscent of Sairaorg’s balance breaker, especially since it involved him merging with one of his pieces. The edges of Naruto’s figure flickered like he was on fire. His skin was glowing all the way up to the tips of his hair.

One turned into an army with a puff of smoke. Hundreds of Naruto’s appeared, all looking the same as the original. They raised one arm at the same time.

“Then, if I imagine it like this…” Naruto said.

In front of his palm, a black circle formed. This was copied by the other Naruto’s above and around him.

“What is he doing?” Zeoticus asked. “What is that?”

“I think we’ll find out in a moment,” Sirzechs said mildly.

“Multi-Tailed Beast Bomb,” Naruto said.

He and his clones fired a hundred of those balls at the same time. They targeted Ruval, who had flown extremely high in the air. It seemed like a difficult shot to those who were watching.

Seconds later, they discovered why they were wrong. They should have paid attention to the ‘bomb’ part of the name.

The screen turned white.

Zeoticus jerked forward in his seat. “What is this? Where did the feed go?”

“You’re watching it,” Sirzechs said.

He went and tapped the screen. It disappeared, functioning as a window again. All they could see was the same white light.

When it faded, and the screens resumed their normal function, they found that Naruto had forcibly retired Kuroka. Rias had done the same with her peerage members, then surrendered herself along with Griselda, clearing the arena.

Ruval’s peerage hadn’t been given the chance. They were nowhere to be seen either, though. A spam of retirement notifications explained where they had gone.

Not even Ruval with his immortality had lasted through the final blast. The entire arena was gone, just a deep and smoking crater. Amidst it, Naruto floated, suspended on golden wings and glittering like a lightbulb.

“Rave, old friend,” Zeoticus said, addressing Lord Phenex by his first name. “What in Lilith’s name is your son?”

“I’m not sure that I know,” Lord Phenex said. “I thought that I did.”

“Excuse me.” Fujimai bowed to the room and quickly left, running through the door. The others were quiet, grappling with what they just saw.

Sirzechs broke the silence: 

“I guess he didn’t lose.”

No one else seemed to find this as amusing as he did.

Sirzechs followed Fujimai out of the room, heading to the same place that she was going. Grayfia went with him, walking dutifully in his wake.

The room they left behind remained silent for a good long while.

LINE BREAK

Rias was trying to figure out what had just happened.

Beams of fire from the sky had retired a third of her peerage. They hadn’t even been the intended target, Ruval’s attack was just too large. Rias had still been reeling when Griselda abruptly ordered her to retire her team.

After the fight earlier, Rias wasn’t going to question Griselda’s judgement. She followed the instructions, leaving everything up to Naruto.

As soon as they appeared in the medical room, Rias had turned to the nearby television screen.

She’d seen a whole lot of white, then an announcement that the match was over. For a moment, a glowing golden figure could be seen, then the feed cut out, shutting off abruptly.

“We won?” Rias said.

She couldn’t believe it. She wasn’t hurt, so she ran outside. The medical room was part of the same complex where the rating game had been. Maybe she could find her brother, or someone else who would be able to explain everything. Had they really won?

A bright light made Rias look up.

She craned her neck. She thought it was the sun, but the artificial one that lit the Underworld shouldn’t be visible where she was standing. Rias squinted. The yellow light came closer and Rias realized that it wasn’t all that bright. She could look straight at it.

He came into focus without warning, the sight searing itself into Rias’s memories.

His teeth glistened bright white. His hair looked like a nest of golden fire. His eyes had gone from blue to yellow, crinkled because of the huge grin he was giving her. His whisker marks on either cheek were deep and stark against his skin. The flakes of energy coming off of his coat were nowhere near as enrapturing as his face. Rias noticed his jaw in a way that she never had before, along with the little crinkle his nose did when he smiled, and the way his eyebrows looked fuzzy enough to pet.

“We did it!” Naruto said. “Rias, we won!”

Her heart was beating way too fast to be healthy. And it was only getting faster the closer that he came.

“Oh,” Rias said. “Oh shit.”