Bound by Infinity

Chapter: 13

"So… can someone explain to me why they're doing this again?" I asked, standing beside Koneko and Kiba as we watched an absurd spectacle unfold in front of us.

Rias and Akeno were locked in a heated tennis match against Sona and Tsubaki. The court was surrounded by a sea of students, all cheering and gasping in amazement.

"They're competing to decide who gets to go to the Familiar Forest first," Kiba explained calmly, his usual composed demeanor intact.

"Right, I get that part. What I don't get is why they're doing this in broad daylight, fully aware that they're probably going to start using magic," I said, crossing my arms as I watched the match with growing skepticism.

"They won't. They agreed not to," Kiba replied, glancing at me with a reassuring smile.

I turned to give him a deadpan stare. "Oh, they *won't*, huh?"

As if on cue, Sona's racket glowed faintly, and the tennis ball suddenly veered at an impossible angle, clearly influenced by magic. I raised an eyebrow and slowly turned back to Kiba.

"Care to reconsider?" I asked, my tone dripping with sarcasm.

Kiba sighed, his smile faltering. "Alright, I stand corrected."

"Hmph," Koneko added, her usual stoic expression unchanging.

I shook my head. "This isn't going to end well," I muttered, crossing my arms and leaning against the fence.

And, as expected, it didn't. Despite all the blatant use of magic, the match still ended in a draw, leaving the matter unresolved. Later that evening, I found myself sitting across from Rias in the living room of our house.

"So, what have we learned?" I asked, my voice dripping with mock patience.

"Absolutely nothing, because we're doing dodgeball tomorrow night," Rias replied, her tone as confident as ever.

I stared at her, utterly dumbfounded. "You're kidding."

"Nope. And you're joining my team," she said matter-of-factly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"I don't have a choice, do I?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Not even a little," she said with a smug smile.

"Of course I don't," I muttered, sighing in resignation. "Fine, I'll be there."

"Aww, I knew you loved me," Rias teased, her voice taking on a playful lilt.

"You wouldn't be too wrong with that statement," I replied casually, smirking.

Her playful expression faltered, replaced by wide eyes and a faint blush. "Huh?"

"Did I stutter?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Her cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red. "Wha—?"

Before she could finish her sentence, I leaned forward and gave her a quick peck on the lips. The moment was brief, but it was enough to leave her utterly flustered.

Taking advantage of her stunned silence, I teleported away to Ophis's room. Leaning against the doorframe, I allowed myself a chuckle as I heard an uncharacteristic squeal from Rias in the other room.

"What's so funny?" Ophis asked, her monotone voice breaking the silence.

Turning to face the Dragon God, I gave her a small smile. "Nothing much. Good evening, Ophis. How are you?"

"Fine," she replied simply, nibbling on a Pocky stick as usual.

Looking around, I noticed that her room had undergone a dramatic transformation. The once plain walls now shimmered with a kaleidoscope of iridescent colors, creating an otherworldly atmosphere.

"Wow, it's beautiful in here," I said, genuinely impressed.

"Hmm," Ophis hummed noncommittally, her attention still on her snack.

I picked her up and rested her on my shoulder. "So, where have you been? I can sense other energy signatures on you," I said, tilting my head to look at her.

Ophis stopped mid-bite, her eyes shifting away from mine.

"Nowhere," she said, her voice betraying her poor attempt at a lie.

"Ophis-chan, first of all, you're terrible at lying. Second, does this have to do with that little group you've been assembling?"

"Yes," she admitted after a moment's hesitation.

"Will they be an issue?" I asked, narrowing my eyes slightly.

"I don't believe so," she replied, her tone as calm as ever.

"Then it's fine," I said, patting her head gently.

The Next Night – Kuoh Academy Gymnasium

I stood next to Rias, who was glaring daggers at me. Her irritation didn't faze me in the slightest.

"You're still mad, aren't you?" I whispered, leaning closer to her.

She didn't reply, but her glare intensified.

"Try not to get too distracted, okay?" I teased, blowing softly into her ear before walking away to join the others.

Rias shivered slightly, her glare now accompanied by a faint blush, before she turned her attention to Sona, who had just entered the gym with her peerage.

I hummed to myself as I approached the rest of the ORC. Turning to Asia, I gave her a small nod.

"Asia, would you be so kind as to let Index take over?" I asked.

"Oh, okay," Asia replied softly, closing her eyes.

"Wait, who's Index?" Issei asked, confusion written all over his face.

The others—Kiba, Koneko, and Akeno—looked equally puzzled.

"Oh, right. You guys don't know about this yet. Don't worry, you'll see soon enough," I said with a smirk.

"Huh?"

Before anyone could ask further, Asia's body slumped forward. Her golden hair began to shift, turning a brilliant silver, and when she straightened up, her eyes were no longer green but a piercing crimson.

"Creator," Index said, her voice firm and confident.

"Index," I greeted her with a nod.

"What… what just happened?" Issei stammered, looking between Index and me in disbelief.

"Don't worry about it. Let's focus on the game," I said dismissively, walking toward Rias and Sona.

The dodgeball match began in earnest, but it didn't take long for both sides to start using magic. Despite the chaos, I held back, observing as Issei and Koneko were eventually taken out.

With a sigh, I decided it was time to get serious. Catching a ball thrown by Sona with one hand, I called out to Rias.

"Alright, Rias, let's end this."

"Hmm," she hummed in agreement.

I threw the ball to her, and she caught it with ease before throwing it back to me at full force.

Snapping my fingers, I opened a black portal. The ball disappeared into it, only to reappear behind Sanji's head. The poor guy barely had time to turn around before the ball smacked him square in the face, sending him flying.

Tsubaki tried to catch the ball as it ricocheted, but I teleported in front of her, grabbing it mid-air and beaming it into her chest. She stumbled backward, officially out of the game.

"Rias!" I shouted as the portal appeared before her.

Rias caught the ball as it fell through before she threw it full force. The ball flew past Sona and towards the rest of her peerage.

"Index!" Rias and I shouted.

Index snapped, forming a barrier around the remaining memories of Sona's peerage sans Sona herself causing the ball to reckoshe across the barrier outing all of them. Opening another portal, I teleported behind her, catching the ball before she could react.

"Apologies, Sona, but this is the end," I said as Index summoned chains to bind her legs.

With one final throw, the ball grazed her shoulder before hitting the ground with an explosion of energy. The match was over.

Chapter 13: End