DXD: The Awakening Of Phenex

"She did well, don't you think?" said Riser, still leaning against the window, watching Alvida move through the streets like a predator. His confident smile seemed to provoke Nami on purpose. "Even blindfolded, it's almost poetic."

"Poetic?" Nami retorted, crossing her arms and frowning. "That was irresponsible and dangerous. You're playing with her life!"

"I challenged her," Riser replied, turning to face Nami calmly. "And she overcame it. Isn't that what matters in the end?"

"It matters if she survives," Nami said, pointing to the street where the hunters' screams still echoed. "This isn't a game, Riser. Alvida isn't invincible."

Riser shrugged, shifting his gaze back to the street. "Maybe she isn't. But today, she was. Doesn't that count for you?"

"Count?!" Nami exclaimed, her tone filled with frustration. "You put her in danger for a whim. What if something had gone wrong?"

"It didn't," Riser responded, his tone indifferent. "Because I knew she would succeed. You should trust your teammates more, Nami."

"Trust?" Nami shook her head, disbelief evident in her expression. "I trust them, but not you. You manipulate, push, test. And for what? To prove how right you are?"

Riser chuckled quietly, leaning slightly against the window. "If proving I'm right means they grow and survive, then yes, Nami. Maybe that's exactly it."

"You always act as if you know everything," Nami countered, her voice heavy with irritation as she crossed her arms. "But one day, your blind confidence is going to get us in trouble."

Riser kept his eyes on the street. "And when that day comes, you'll see that I had already foreseen it too."

"You talk as if you were omniscient," Nami retorted, her tone still filled with frustration. She watched him with crossed arms, doubt in her eyes. "But all of this seems more like luck than planning."

"Call it luck if you prefer," Riser said with an enigmatic smile. He leaned toward the window, his gaze catching something in the distance. "Nami, come with me. Looks like we have company."

She hesitated but eventually followed as he walked out of the house with deliberate steps. "What did you see now? Another dangerous game you want to play?"

Riser stopped for a moment, pulling one hand from his suit pocket. With a casual motion, he retrieved a Jitte from his inventory, the weapon he had taken from Smoker. He gripped the handle firmly, as if it were an extension of himself. "This isn't a game. It's the next step."

"You're impossible," Nami muttered, sighing as she adjusted the Log Pose on her wrist. She looked around, her eyes scanning the shadows in the streets. "And what exactly are we facing now?"

"Hunters," Riser answered simply. He snapped his fingers, and a flame ignited in his free hand, illuminating the street ahead. "And a spectacle they won't forget."

---

The streets were deserted, except for the bodies of the hunters Alvida had taken down. The metallic scent of blood still lingered in the air, but the silence was broken by the sound of hurried footsteps.

"Riser, what are you doing?" Nami asked, her voice mixed with concern and irritation. "You can't just—"

Before she could finish, Riser raised his hand in a commanding gesture, and the flames intensified. He snapped his fingers again, and the blaze spread through the streets, engulfing the surviving hunters in a fiery circle.

"This is madness!" Nami shouted, instinctively stepping back as the heat spread. "You're killing all of them!"

"We need a clear message," Riser said, with the calm of someone who controls the inevitable. He watched the hunters burn, their desperate screams echoing through the night. "Only two will live."

"There's no reason for this! We already won!" Nami exclaimed, retreating further as the flames consumed the bodies around them.

Riser remained unfazed, his eyes glowing in the firelight. "Winning isn't enough. Sometimes, fear is a more powerful weapon than strength."

"That was amazing!" Alvida ran up to Riser, pulling off her blindfold with a quick motion. Her eyes shone with excitement as she gripped her club. "Did you see that? I took them all down, even blindfolded!"

Riser gave a slight smile, his gaze still fixed on the survivors. "You did exactly what I expected, Alvida. You exceeded expectations."

Miss Wednesday, leaning against a wall, watched the scene with wide eyes. Her body trembled, unable to process what she was seeing. The agonized screams of her allies filled her mind.

"Mr. 9..." she murmured, her voice weak as her eyes fixated on the lifeless body of her fallen partner, still wrapped in flames. "This can't be happening..."

Igarappoi fell to his knees, shaking like a leaf in the wind. His once-confident smile had completely vanished, replaced by sheer terror. "Please... I didn't know you were... monsters!"

Riser turned away, uninterested, as if Igarappoi's plea was just background noise in the chaos around him. He turned to Nami and Zoro, who watched the scene with mixed expressions of frustration and caution.

"Zoro, Nami," Riser said, his tone firm and direct. "Wake up Luffy and the others. Let's end this quickly."

Zoro furrowed his brow but didn't argue. He sheathed his swords and stepped back. "I hope you know what you're doing, Riser."

"I always do," Riser replied without even looking at him.

Nami hesitated for a moment, but Riser's intense gaze made her sigh in defeat. "This isn't right, but I'll do what you asked. Just don't expect me to agree with this madness."

As they left, the atmosphere grew heavier. The silence that had once been filled with the hunters' screams was now replaced only by the crackling flames still burning around them.

Miss Wednesday was pressed against the wall, her legs trembling uncontrollably. Her eyes darted between Riser and Alvida, unable to process what she was witnessing. They're monsters. Real monsters, she thought, her heart pounding.

Igarappoi, still on his knees, raised his trembling hands in a pleading gesture.

"Please, listen to me! I can pay! I'll give you a billion berries! Just let her go!"

Alvida tilted her head, a mocking smile curving her lips.

"A billion? Do you think you can buy anything here, you worm? You don't even understand what's happening."

"Please!" Igarappoi screamed, pointing at Miss Wednesday. "She... she's young, innocent. She doesn't deserve to die here. I... I'll pay anything to save her life!"

"Young and innocent?" Alvida scoffed, laughing loudly as she twirled her club. "This girl was ready to kill. Now you want us to believe she's a victim? Pathetic."

Miss Wednesday tried to back further into the wall, but there was nowhere to go. She looked at Alvida, then at Riser, her breathing rapid and uneven. "I... I didn't do anything wrong. I just... I just followed orders!"

"Orders?" Riser finally spoke, his voice low but sharp. He walked slowly toward Miss Wednesday, his footsteps echoing in the silence. "Do you think that justifies your actions? That orders erase the blood on your hands?"

"I didn't... I..." Miss Wednesday stammered, unable to meet his gaze.

Riser stopped in front of her, leaning slightly forward. "Stop pretending, princess."

Riser's words cut through the air like a blade. Miss Wednesday's face turned pale, and her eyes widened in shock. "W-what?"

"Princess Nefertari Vivi," Riser said, his tone calm but relentless. "From the Kingdom of Alabasta. A kingdom in decline, corroded by Baroque Works. You're not just an ordinary agent. You're here because your kingdom is falling apart, and you're desperate."

For a moment, absolute silence reigned. Even the flames seemed to dim.

Miss Wednesday—now revealed as Vivi—stared at Riser in pure terror. "How do you know that? Who are you? What do you want with me?"

"Who I am doesn't matter," Riser replied with a cryptic smile. "And what I want... isn't what you should be worrying about right now."

He pointed to the side, staring into the empty space, as a heavy silence filled the air. "What's wrong? Are you afraid of me?"

TAP! TAP!

Firm footsteps echoed through the street, followed by muffled laughter. Two figures emerged from the shadows behind a nearby house, their postures relaxed but exuding arrogance.

"Afraid? Us?" said a man in a black suit, with dark hair and round glasses. He blew the smoke from a bubble gum pop as he walked. "I'm Mr. 5. Fear is what you should be feeling."

"Kyahahaha," laughed a blonde woman beside him, holding a delicate umbrella as if it were a fashion accessory. "Miss Valentine, at your service... or rather, at your disposal to crush you like insects."

Vivi's eyes widened, her breathing growing heavier. "Miss Valentine! Mr. 5!" She took a step back, her voice trembling as she tried to process what she was seeing. "You... why are you here?"

"Why do you think, princess?" Mr. 5 said with a cruel smile as he advanced. "We have clear orders. And you know how it works: those who disobey Baroque Works... die."

"That's not going to happen!" Vivi shouted, her voice filled with determination, even as her hands trembled.

Riser took a step forward, positioning himself between Vivi and the Baroque Works agents. His gaze was calm, almost disinterested, but there was a latent intensity that made even Miss Valentine hesitate for a moment.

"Two assassins sent to deal with a desperate princess," Riser said, crossing his arms. "Is that how Baroque Works handles problems?"

"You talk too much," Mr. 5 replied with a cold smile. He raised his hand, a small sphere glowing between his fingers. "Let's see if you can keep talking after this."

WHOOSH!

He threw the sphere at Riser, who remained motionless. The resulting explosion lit up the street, but when the smoke cleared, Riser was unscathed, a fiery barrier glowing around him.

"Is that all?" Riser asked, tilting his head slightly. "I expected more from a level 5 agent."

Miss Valentine frowned, taking a step forward. "You're arrogant, but you don't know who you're dealing with."

"Is that so?" Riser replied, a smirk forming on his lips. "Then why don't you show me?"

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