Chapter 32: The Pirate's Swagger and the Dragon's Roar part-4
"You call that power?" Issei mocked, channeling pure arrogance. "That was a flashlight."
Ray's eyes widened. "Impossible! That was a kill-shot!"
Issei vanished.
He reappeared directly in front of Ray. He didn't punch him. He grabbed Ray by the throat and lifted him off the ground.
"Rias Gremory does not need a treaty," Issei growled, his face inches from the terrified Fallen Angel. "And she does not need a coward who hides behind politics. She has me."
Issei threw Ray. He didn't just toss him; he hurled him through the open window. Ray crashed into the sky, struggling to regain flight.
Issei turned to the window. He extended his hand.
"Dragon Shot."
A massive beam of red energy erupted from his hand. It didn't hit Ray—it grazed him on purpose, burning off his feathers and sending him spiraling away into the distance like a deflated balloon.
Issei turned back to the room. The red aura faded.
Rias was staring at him. Akeno was staring at him. Koneko was eating a donut, but she had stopped chewing.
"Issei..." Rias breathed, her face flushed. "That was..."
Issei scratched the back of his head, the "Dragon's Pride" fading, leaving him slightly embarrassed but confident. "Sorry, Buchou. I broke the window again."
Rias walked over to him. She didn't scold him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. It wasn't a master-servant kiss. It was passionate.
"You can break all the windows you want," Rias whispered against his lips. "Just never say you are weak again."
(Status Check: Rias is swooning. Ray is effectively neutralized. And you, Issei, just became the Alpha of the harem. Try not to ruin it by asking to touch something inappropriate in the next five minutes.)
"I make no promises!" Issei thought happily.
[Incident Report: World 14][Target: Issei Hyoudou & Rias Gremory.][Status: Engagement Solidified. Host Confidence Restored.][Villain Status: De-feathered and traumatized.][Reward: 1300 System Points.]
[System Alert: Anomaly Detected.][World Designation: World 15 - The World of Science (Steins;Gate Universe).][Setting: Akihabara Future Gadget Lab.][Host: Rintaro Okabe.][Villain Identity: "The Time Traveler" (Transmigrator).][Target: Kurisu Makise.]
(Okabe? The Mad Scientist? This is going to be a headache. Time travel plots are the worst. If I have to hear 'El Psy Kongroo' one more time...)
[Villain Strategy: The Villain claims to be from a "Better Beta Worldline" where Kurisu survives only if she leaves Okabe and joins his research institute. He is using "Future Tech" to prove his identity.]
(He is trying to gaslight the master of delusions? Oh, this is going to be fun. Let us go out-crazy the crazy.)
[Initiating Transfer...]
........................….
World 15: The World of Science (Steins;Gate Universe)
Ethan arrived in a lab that smelled of Dr. Pepper and soldering irons.
Okabe Rintaro was wearing his lab coat, clutching his phone to his ear. "It is me... The Organization has sent a new agent. He claims to know the future. What? No, I am not panicking!"
Across the room, Kurisu Makise sat with a man in a futuristic silver suit.
[Villain Identity: Agent Chronos (Transmigrator).][Ability: "The Wikipedia of Tomorrow". Has a database of future events and patents.][Current Situation: Chronos is showing Kurisu blueprints for a Time Machine that actually works (stolen from a sci-fi wiki). He says, "Okabe's theories are child's play. Come with me, Kurisu. We can save the world properly."]
Kurisu looked at the blueprints. Her genius mind was captivated. "This... this uses a Kerr Black Hole theory I haven't even published yet."
"Exactly," Chronos smiled smoothly. "Okabe is just a delusional student. I am the real deal. Leave him. He will only lead you to tragedy."
Okabe dropped his hand. He looked crushed. He knew he was just pretending half the time. He felt inferior.
(Hououin Kyouma! Do not falter!) Ethan shouted in the Mad Scientist's mind. (This guy is a fraud! He didn't invent that tech; he downloaded it! Look closely at the blueprints. The corner says 'Copyright 2300 - Federation of Planets'. He plagiarized from Star Trek!)
Okabe's eyes widened. "Star Trek?"
(Yes! He is a fake geek! Expose him! Use your Mad Scientist persona to deconstruct his logic!)
Okabe took a deep breath. He threw his lab coat back, striking a pose that defied anatomical comfort.
"Fu... Fuhahaha! FUHAHAHAHA!"
Okabe's maniacal laughter filled the small apartment. Kurisu jumped. Chronos frowned.
"What is so funny?" Chronos asked. "Are you finally snapping?"
"You fool!" Okabe pointed a finger at Chronos. "You claim to be from the future? You claim to offer salvation? I, the Great Hououin Kyouma, see through your deception!"
Okabe marched over to the table. He slammed his hand on the blueprints.
"These designs!" Okabe shouted. "They rely on a dilithium matrix! Dilithium is a fictional element from a 20th-century television show! Are you telling me the future runs on plot devices?"
Kurisu blinked. She leaned in closer to the blueprints. "Wait... he is right. This chemical formula... it spells out 'Gene Roddenberry' if you decode the atomic weights."
Chronos paled. "That... that is just an Easter egg! It is real tech!"
"And this!" Okabe pointed to the power source. "It requires a 'Flux Capacitor'. Really? Are we going 88 miles per hour?"
Chronos stood up, sweating. "It is valid terminology! You just don't understand advanced physics!"
"I understand that you are a plagiarist!" Okabe declared. "Christina! Do you not see? This man is not a scientist! He is a con artist relying on pop culture references to fool the uninitiated! But he cannot fool the eyes of Steins Gate!"
Kurisu looked at Chronos. The reverence in her eyes vanished, replaced by the cold, analytical gaze of a scientist scorned.
"You tried to trick me with movie props?" Kurisu asked, her voice dangerous.
"I... I..." Chronos grabbed his tablet. "I have to go! The timeline is shifting!"
He tried to run for the door.
"Daru!" Okabe shouted. "Block the exit!"
.....
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