Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna gonna go make sure Gehrman gets a decent night's sleep again.
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"Scale Mail?" Issei stammered, recognising the similarities to his own Balance Breaker instantly, the Perverted Pawn trembling with apprehension as he felt the eyes of the figure wash over him, only to clench his teeth in sudden anger when he glanced away dismissively, as if the Pawn wasn't worth his attention "Damn It! I don't know why but something about this guy pisses me off!"
"It's only natural." Ddraig opined, his tone guarded, as if he too was agitated by the newcomer's presence "That man is your polar opposite. The one who wields the power of my rival, the White Dragon Emperor, Albion the Vanishing Dragon."
"Vanishing Dragon…Albion…" Issei muttered, glancing up at his fated foe with understandable apprehension. And how could he not when, from the looks of it, not only had the guy unlocked his Scale Mail Balance Breaker, but he clearly had more than enough power to keep it active even while in flight, unlike Issei, whose demonic power was so weak even sacrificing his entire left arm only allowed him to use the Mail for 10 seconds.
To make matters worse, the one time he'd done so had been during an unofficial Rating Game, where there were rules in place to keep either opponent from seriously injuring or killing the other, and his opponent had been a stuck up pretty boy high on his own ego. There were no such rules now, and if what Ddraig said was true about the two Celestial Dragon's wielders, then he was here for a fight.
Best case scenario, only one of them would be walking away. Worst Case scenario, they'd take each other out. In either case, the collateral damage to their surroundings would likely be more akin to the aftereffects of the King of Monsters going for a stroll in downtown Tokyo than the admittedly limited damage Kuoh Academy had suffered.
"Stand down, Rias Gremory." The White Dragon Emperor commanded, his tone brooking no argument as he descended on them from on high "I'm not here to pick a fight…Indeed, my original objective was to bring Kokabiel in for interrogation, but it seems I arrived a little late for that."
"So the rumours are true…" Rias muttered, her expression grim as she continued to kneel with Shirou's head in her lap "I'd heard that the Vanishing Dragon had sided with the Fallen Angels…so Azazel truly didn't authorize this attack?"
"As if." The white dragon scoffed "From what I can tell, he only learned of Kokabiel's activities while investigating the actions of Raynare's rogue cell." Issei flinched at the mention of his first 'girlfriend's true name "While he has professed an interest in the Boosted Gear, he's actually ordered all of our forces to steer clear of him for now, per my request."
"I see…" Rias noted, her eyes narrowing in comprehension "I was wondering why no retaliation followed in the wake of their execution…Azazel isn't the type to abandon his comrades for any reason."
"I think we can both agree that going against his orders and deliberately murdering Sacred Gear Users in Devil Territory are hardly the actions of a 'comrade'." The White Dragon Emperor concurred "But enough of that for now, it doesn't look like your friend there has much time left." He knelt down before them, extending his left hand towards Shirou's prone chest, the gems embedded in the white armour glowing.
"DIVIDE!"
Almost immediately, Issei felt the energy coming off the comatose Magus plummet to half its intensity, the perverted Pawn looking on in wonderment as Shirou's breathing actually steadied, the blades that had been spreading non-stop receding slightly, as if something was drawing them back under the skin.
"Albion's Sacred Gear is 'Divine Dividing." Ddraig explained to his dumbstruck partner "It allows him to steal half his opponent's power every 10 seconds to add to his own."
"So that's what you meant when you said he was your polar opposite." Issei realised, looking on torn between relief and frustration as his 'Destined Rival' continued to draw the excess power from Emiya's body, allowing Asia's Twilight Healing time to tend to his wounds.
"Don't just sit there, Red Dragon." The White Dragon Emperor chided, his tone mocking as Issei jumped at his words "At the rate she's going she'll collapse before the job is done unless you use your 'Gift' to amplify her power."
"I was going to do it without you having to tell me, asshole!" Issei shot back, glaring up at the smug-sounding prick, who neither acknowledged the insult not moved at all from his position, the pawn seething silently as he used his Boosted Gear's ability for the third time this night "Boosted Gear: GIFT!"
"TRANSFER!" Ddraig declared, Asia's cheeks lighting up as the Welsh Dragon's power was added to her own, Twilight Healing's light increasing to the point it lit up the night that had rushed in with the destruction of the barrier like a rising sun.
Slowly, almost reluctantly, the blades began to withdraw beneath the skin, which slowly stitched itself back together until only pure, unblemished flesh remained where several bloody sword-tips once punctured.
"His heart rate is stabilizing." Akeno sighed, opening her eyes to smile reassuringly at the others "It would appear that he's in the clear, for now, though just to be on the safe side, I think it would be best if we rebound the Holy Shroud."
"I'll do it." Xenovia offered, earning a look of surprise from the group "I'm used to caring for and handling the bodies of saints returned to the Vatican. Besides, I don't think you devils would be able to touch a Holy Shroud in the first place."
"Well that's certainly true." Rias admitted ruefully, the Gremory Heiress slumping backwards in relief along with Issei and Kiba, Akeno continuing to clasp the Faker's left hand in her own to help Xenovia re-wrap the Shroud while Asia stubbornly continued to use Twilight Healing, tears of relief staining her cheeks "Thank you for your assistance, White Dragon Emperor."
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