Consciousness returned slowly, like swimming up through thick, dark water. The first thing I felt was the softness of a couch beneath me, not the hard ground. The second was the dull, total-body ache of someone who had been run over by a truck. The third was the murmur of familiar voices, tense and low.
I forced my eyes open. The opulent ceiling of the Occult Research Club room swam into focus. I was on the main sofa, a blanket over me. Turning my head was a chore, but I did it.
Rias was at her desk, but she wasn't working. She stood with her back to the room, staring out the window, her posture rigid. Akeno was beside her, a hand on her shoulder, speaking in a hushed, urgent tone. Kiba's usual smile was gone, replaced by a hard, cold expression as he polished his sword with grim focus. Koneko was silently watching Rias, a rare look of worry on her face. Asia sat on a stool near my feet, her eyes red from crying, but they lit up when she saw me awake.
"Issei-san!" she whispered, rushing over. "You're awake! Thank God…"
The others turned. Rias's face, usually a mask of controlled grace, was pale. She looked exhausted, with shadows under her eyes and a strain around her mouth that had nothing to do with my foolishness.
"You idiot," she said, her voice quiet but sharp. "You pushed yourself to the brink of soul depletion. Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?" There was anger there, but underneath it, a raw fear that startled me.
"I'm sorry, President," I croaked, my throat dry. "I… had to finish."
"Nothing is worth destroying yourself over," she said firmly, walking over to stand above me. Her gaze was intense. "We are a peerage. Your burdens are ours. Your collapse… we felt it." She glanced at Asia, who nodded tearfully. "Akeno located you. We brought you back."
The guilt hit me then, sharper than any pain. I'd been so focused on my own goals, I'd scared the few people in this world who cared about me. "I won't do it again," I said, meaning it.
Rias sighed, the anger draining away to reveal pure weariness. "See that you don't. Because we cannot afford to be weak now. Not with what's coming."
"What's coming?" I asked, pushing myself up on my elbows. The room seemed to tilt for a second, but I steadied myself.
A silence fell over the room. Akeno and Kiba exchanged a grim look.
"My engagement," Rias said the word like it was a curse. "To Riser Phenex."
The name sent a jolt through me. I knew it. The immortal Phoenix. The guy who treated women like collectibles. The one who forced Rias into a Rating Game in the original story.
"My family arranged it years ago. I have… held it off. But the pressure is now undeniable." Her hands clenched at her sides. "I will not be a trophy wife for that vain, shallow man. So, I have forced a compromise. A Rating Game. My peerage against his. If I win, the engagement is nullified. If I lose…" She didn't finish. She didn't need to.
"We will win, President," Kiba said, his voice like steel.
"We have to," Akeno added, though her smile was strained. "But Riser's peerage is large. Experienced. And his Phenex heritage makes him nearly impossible to put down."
Despair threatened to creep in. I was stronger now, but was I strong enough to tilt the scales against an entire, established peerage? The Boosted Gear was powerful, but I was still a novice. My 11,000 points felt suddenly small.
As if sensing my desperate, calculating thoughts, the system interface, which had been quietly dormant, suddenly **blared** to life in my vision. Not with a gentle glow, but with pulsating, urgent crimson and gold borders.
**[ EMERGENCY SYSTEM NOTICE: DETECTED CRITICAL FATE NODE – 'THE PHOENIX GAMBIT' ]**
**[ HOST'S PRIMARY BENEFACTOR (RIAS GREMORY) FACES EXISTENTIAL THREAT. ]**
**[ SPECIAL, LIMITED-TIME OFFER INITIATED TO PRESERVE NARRATIVE STABILITY! ]**
**[ 'LEGENDARY POWER SALE': SELECT DEVIL FRUITS – 99% DISCOUNT! ]**
**[ OFFER VALID FOR NEXT 60 SECONDS. ONE PURCHASE PER FRUIT. ]**
A list slammed into my view, the prices slashed unbelievably.
* **Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu (Azure Dragon):** ~~50,000 Points~~ → **500 Points**
* **Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit):** ~~45,000 Points~~ → **450 Points**
* **Hie Hie no Mi (Ice-Ice Fruit):** ~~40,000 Points~~ → **400 Points**
* **Pika Pika no Mi (Glint-Glint Fruit):** ~~48,000 Points~~ → **480 Points**
* **Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu - Replica (Pink Dragon):** ~~35,000 Points~~ → **350 Points**
My mind went blank, then raced at light speed. Sixty seconds. This was the system throwing me a lifeline, a crazy, universe-bending sale to fix the problem. Devil Fruits. The ultimate wild card. But which ones? For who?
Rias needed overwhelming power. Something to match Riser's regeneration and burn his flock.
**"SYSTEM! PURCHASE THE FOLLOWING!"** I screamed in my mind.
**"Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu for RIAS!** She becomes an Azure Dragon! Flight, elemental storms, mythical zoan durability! It's perfect for her!"
**[ -500 Points ]**
**"Goro Goro no Mi for AKENO!** Lightning! She already uses Holy Lightning! This makes her the literal Goddess of Lightning! Logia intangibility!"
**[ -450 Points ]**
**"Hie Hie no Mi for KONEKO!** Ice to counter Phoenix fire! It complements her physical power, gives her area control and defense!"
**[ -400 Points ]**
I had one more thought. Kiba was a master swordsman, but speed was key.
**"Pika Pika no Mi for KIBA!** Lightspeed movement! Lightspeed strikes! A sword moving at light speed!"
**[ -480 Points ]**
And one more. A wild card. A replica, but still a Mythical Zoan.
**"The Pink Dragon replica fruit!** I'll hold this one. For someone who needs the power."
**[ -350 Points ]**
**[ Total Spent: 2,180 Points. Remaining Balance: 8,870 Points. ]**
**[ Items have been placed in System Inventory for immediate retrieval. ]**
The sixty-second timer vanished. I was left panting, not from physical exertion, but from the sheer audacity of what I'd just done.
I looked at Rias, who was staring at me, concerned by my sudden, tense silence. "Issei? What is it? Are you in pain?"
"No, President," I said, a real smile spreading across my face for the first time in days. I swung my legs off the couch, standing up shakily but with a new purpose. I reached out my hand into empty air, and focused on the system inventory.
With a faint ripple of light, five bizarre, swirling-patterned fruits appeared in my arms, each radiating a strange, potent aura that made the demonic energy in the room hum.
Everyone stared, stunned.
"President," I said, my voice steady and clear. "You said we cannot afford to be weak. So let's get strong. Strong enough to burn that Phoenix to the ground."
I held out the majestic, blue-scaled Azure Dragon fruit to Rias.
"This is the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu. The Mythical Zoan Fruit of the Azure Dragon. Eat it. And let's go win your freedom."