Dxd: A demon Among Devils

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The devil jerked into motion once again. Speed was his ally, and as he swept to the left, the halberd came down predictably towards his head. Issei swung Boosted Gear upwards in a vicious uppercut, the crimson fist crunching into the metal joint that attached the knight's limb to his elbow. The Templar roared in agony and staggered back, his weapon forgotten as he clutched at the arm that was now bent entirely the wrong way.

Two more stepped into the fray, taking the place of their injured brethren.

"They will swing together. Aim for their backs."

Issei rolled under the sweeping halberds, and brought Boosted Gear like a hammer down against the spines of both. They dropped, collapsing like the first. The ground dented where they fell.

"Behind me. The helm is the point of weakness."

The boy spun on his feet, surging into combat, the blood-red gauntlet clutching again into a fist. The knight that had come for his unprotected flank was flung savagely back, his faceplate a splintered, shattered ruin. Broken pieces of metal sprinkled down like rain.

"Next one. Get under his guard. Abdomen. Slightly to the right."

The Templar doubled over as Boosted Gear found its mark, driving into the gap where the holy seals did not cover, pulverizing the unprotected steel and the flesh beneath.

"The leg. Thigh. Be cautious. He will swing for your neck."

The talons flashed, raking over metal, cutting into it like a knife through butter. The knight fell back, hobbling on his one good leg, dragging the ravaged remains of the other behind him.

"Shoulder is unprotected. Aim for the space between the parchment."

Another warrior crashed to the ground, nursing the cracked, ruptured mess that had once been a pauldron. His compatriots retreated, and they were given a temporary moment to breathe. Half a dozen bodies were piled around their feet, some unmoving, others writhing in pain. Those that still stood were in barely better condition. The armor that had been so immaculate, so pristine when the battle started now sported numerous gashes and cracks across their surface.

He noticed that they were no longer chanting now. No longer saying the words.

Issei was grinning as he returned to his side.

"That. Was. Awesome!"

He frowned. Not at him, but at something else entirely. Inside his mind, Lucia's power continued to work, overloading his senses with information, suffusing his brain with flickering imagery.

He pointed and the boy's gaze followed. The excited look abruptly fell from his face.

"Damn it!"

He agreed, even if no words came from his lips. They had relied on his Persona's power to overcome their foes. The others had no such luxury.

Koneko and Asia had been pushed fully onto the balcony, harassed all the way by Templar blades. Out of all of them, they had suffered the most throughout the fight. Koneko was no slouch when it came to combat, and her endurance made sure she could last in any contest. But the one she had been protecting had no such ability. Asia, for all her healing aptitude, had no fighting abilities to call her own, which meant Koneko had to defend the former priestess as well as herself. This, to the petite girl's credit, she had done remarkably well. But it was inevitable that a crack would slip in her defenses, an opening their enemies were bound to take advantage of.

The Templar detached himself from his cohorts hemming the girl in. Koneko saw this and tried to intersect him. Halberds clasped in plated fists forced her back, and the lone warrior continued, unimpeded. The polearm in his hands lowered until the thick spike that was its end was level with his target.

Asia took a step back for every one the knight took forward. Her own frightened expression was reflected back at her by the blade's mirror-like sheen.

He could sense her desperation from here, as could the one beside him.

"Asia!" Issei cried out, "Shit, shit, shit!"

The boy's back sprouted bat-like wings. No. Not enough time.

He reached out and his fingers fastened over the devil's collar, jerking him back. Lucia's presence disappeared from his conscience, and in her place, Belial returned. Its demented laughter howled into his head.

Issei's eyes widened in surprise, then in realization. A fierce grin latched onto his face.

"Do it!"

Already he was calculating trajectories, estimating distances. Lucia had given him more than enough information before she vanished. Still, a niggling doubt crept into his mind.

"I might miss."

The boy's gaze settled on the various protrusions around the balcony that could prove very painful if collided against. When he looked back, none of the fierceness had faded.

"Don't miss then."

He smiled. Demonic strength lanced through his arm.

"Don't worry Asia!" Issei inhaled a deep breath as he was whipped back, then let it all out as he was hurled into the air, "I'm cooooooommmmmiiiiinnnnngggg!"

He frowned at the devil's choice of battlecry, realized after a second just how wrong it sounded, and fought hard not to cover his face with his palm.

At least he had the fortune of seeing Issei land. The devil-turned-missile flew in a perfect arc towards the balcony, yelling all the way. His intended target turned, hesitated almost comically at the sight that greeted him, before the crimson gauntlet crashed into his helm and put it along with the Templar into the adjacent wall.

Displaced rubble piled around the knight's twitching feet. He nodded to himself. It had been an exceptionally good throw. Then the halberds returned in the periphery of his vision, swinging in vengeful hands, and devils hurled at sufficient velocity became the last thing on his mind.

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