Bound by Infinity

Chapter: 5

I dodged out of the way of beams of light, teleporting just as they curved to attack from behind. I reappeared a few feet away, and the beams stopped just before Rias, reforming into orbs. Rias was currently trying her hand at the star manipulation sub-power of Astroremkinesis. But I couldn't help but notice that her attention seemed split.

"Hey, Rias, what's up?" I asked.

My question snapped her out of her thoughts. "Huh? Nothing's wrong?"

"Okay, let me rephrase that—what did Issei do?"

"What makes you think it has something to do with Issei?"

"Well, as much as Akeno loves to mess around, she wouldn't distract you like this, Koneko is too quiet, and Kiba is…well, Kiba. By process of elimination, it's probably about Issei."

Rias opened her mouth as if to argue but then closed it, admitting with a sigh, "Fair."

"So, what did he do?" I asked, curious.

"Well, he helped a nun. I had told him not to meet her again, and he didn't exactly agree with my decision."

I gave her a deadpan stare.

"What's with that look?" Rias asked, frowning.

"Look, I know the church and fallen angels are your enemies, but do you even know anything about her?"

"...No," she admitted.

"Exactly. Don't assume she's an enemy until you know more. I'm not saying your decision was wrong, but you could have just warned him to be cautious."

"Yeah, I understand."

"But it is strange, though."

"What is?"

"There aren't that many churches in Kuoh, and the closest one is abandoned." I explained 

"That sounds like the fallen have taken it over," she said, her tone growing more serious.

"That does sound accurate. What are you going to do about it?"

"It will be dealt with," Rias replied firmly.

"Good. Now, shall we actually start sparring?" I asked as a mix of Power of Destruction (P.O.D.) and lightning began leaking from my body.

"Yes, let's," Rias said, summoning her own energy as she reached into her pocket dimension, retrieving Ryujin Jaka. A powerful blend of P.O.D. and celestial energy swirled around her.

Rias unsheathed her blade, coating it in P.O.D. I knew she hadn't unlocked Shikai yet, as she was still trying to communicate with her zanpakuto spirit. I raised my right hand, and a large black scythe materialized—a massive weapon with an intricate design along the blade, glinting ominously as I spun it into a ready stance.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Ready," she confirmed.

I vanished in a streak of lightning, reappearing to her left and swinging my scythe. Just as it was about to connect, it stopped dead in its tracks.

'Damn it, the vector barrier.'

Taking advantage of my pause, Rias thrust her palm forward, a dense orb of P.O.D. gathering before it exploded, sending me hurtling back. I used my scythe to anchor myself and looked up, seeing Rias settle into a strangely familiar stance, her sword glowing with P.O.D. as she took a focused breath.

"Metsu Tsuki no Kokyū Ichi no Kata: Metsu Tsuki no Yomiya." (Destruction Moon Breathing First Form: Destructive Dark Moon Evening Palace)

She swung her sword horizontally, releasing a barrage of crescent-shaped P.O.D. blades.

"Crap."

Coating my scythe in P.O.D., I unleashed a counter-attack, slashing to meet her assault head-on. As I deflected her barrage, I barely noticed a small star slip through my counter-slashes, flying past my head. I turned, only for the star to burst in a flash of light, and suddenly, Rias was right there in front of me, already moving into another stance as she took a deliberate breath.

"Metsu Tsuki no Kokyū Ni no Kata: Saiyaku no Shinju Hana Tsukimi." (Destruction Moon Breathing Second Form: Calamity Pearl Flower Moongazing)

She unleashed three slashes, each releasing a torrent of P.O.D. moon blades.

"Well, damn," I muttered, raising my scythe to block. The impact triggered a powerful explosion, launching me back and slamming me into the ground a few feet away. Staring at my hand, I flexed my fingers, feeling a strange mix of pride in her progress.

"Such a weird feeling…pride in someone else." I clenched my fist. "Unfortunately, it's completely overshadowed by this unyielding rage!" I shouted as a pillar of P.O.D. erupted from me, flooding the field with P.O.D energy.

Chapter 5: End