This is the final part to chapter 4. I know it took awhile, but I cut the chapter up so that the story could get boosted more. If it is a bother, you can always read the full thing in its entirely over on Fanfiction.
Anyway, please leave Power Stones and like the story tags. I know I incessantly state this every chapter, but I only do so because people often forget. It helps the story gain traction a ton, so if you like reading, please do so.
Hope you enjoy reading.
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Help: Pause the game.
It repeated again, reacting to his subconscious question.
Issei stared blankly at the message, the sounds of Asia's whimpers and Diodora's wing flaps pushed to the back of his mind.
...
Pause.
Pause: The Game is now paused.
Everything stopped.
Asia. Diodora. The wind brushing against the tree leaves and the grass underneath him. The world had come to a complete still.
Then the scene changed. What was once an abandoned church behind him surrounded by a large forest was now a black void that expanded in every direction. No matter where he turned to look, there was nothing. No people, no life. Like he was in a pitch black loading screen within a video game.
A spotlight appeared. Rather, it was a bright circumference underneath his feet that allowed him to see. Afterwards, several menu screens popped up in his vision.
"What... is all this?" It was a question asked out of sheer bewilderment. The shock of getting pulled back from such a deadly scenario into the game world shook Issei to his very core. With such a simple command, he'd exited the real world and entered into a domain of his own.
Like when he'd first received the Game's powers, Issei glided his hands through the translucent window screens experimentally. It was the same as it normally was out there. Stepping towards an aimless direction, he began walking through the empty void before sprinting down it. His footsteps echoed like he was stepping on marble or something similar, but there was nothing else. The circle of light followed him wherever he went - so did the menu screens.
Running around felt pointless, like he wasn't making any progress towards anywhere. Everything was blank and there wasn't a location to travel towards. His body truly had been stolen away from reality.
Coming to a standstill, he examined his Sacred Gear. It was in its resting state, but the draconian gauntlet was still activated. "Ddraig, are you there? Can you hear me?"
...
No response.
The Welsh Dragon wasn't a talkative beast, but he would definitely speak up at a time like this. Either he simply couldn't for some reason, or he like everyone else was frozen outside of his paused world. The Boosted Gear still traveled with him and contained the soul of the dragon, so Issei tried feeling him out.
Nothing. It was like Ddraig's soul just wasn't there - that his Sacred Gear had become lifeless. Very creepy...
Trying not to scare himself anymore thinking about it, his eyes scanned over the menus again. There were many details that made his head spin. Things like progress, playtime, as well as the items and powers he'd unlocked. What caught his eye the most were two digital buttons near the top on the leftmost screen.
Save and Load.
"I can... reload?" His pointer finger pressed the Load option. It was there he saw every single Autosave from when he had officially obtained the Gamer power. Every time he had woken up out of bed in the morning, an Autosave had been created. There wasn't a single time he had saved out of his own volition. "I... never remembered..."
Back on that very first day on his bed, Issei had been scrolling through certain options in his settings and had turned the Autosave feature on. Flicking through the other screens led him back to the very switch that enabled it.
"No way... if I want to, I could go back," His voice filled with hope. He could redo the entire day and come up with a better plan. Figure out a way to save Asia before assmuncher came in to screw everything up. Maybe get Rias or Sona to help too? It was a stretch... they were devils who would be helping a nun, but he had to at least try.
He now had a second chance, or potentially as many chances as he wanted to make things right. To get the good ending.
Yeah... with enough effort, it had to work. It was infallible.
But... something in his heart didn't want to leave. It absolutely refused to. If he reloaded that save, it was like he was admitting defeat. That he was running away just like before after getting bested by some freak asshole. Knowing he had a failed save state where he lost and threw in the towel... violently pissed him off.
Over at the right most screen was a list of Issei's inventory. It held his money, the weapons he'd looted from Freed, and all of Asia's belongings. There was something else at the top of the list within a separate category, automatically designated to its own area.
The wallet for Gacha Tokens.
He had a few unused ones. The lame Random Gacha Token that had given him a pointless teddy bear toy, the Common Gacha Tokens he'd get every time he went to school, and the Rare Gacha Token he'd received after the training quest with Koneko.
Withdrawing the blue coin, Issei was pleasantly surprised he could interact with it. Unlike his Boosted Gear, this object was one directly affiliated with the Game. He could still use them even inside his pause screen.
"Give me the power... to whoop that guy's ass!" Crushing the coin within his hand, it shattered into an uncountable amount of blue sparkles. The glowing materials soon gathered together, tracing out a strange shape as it morphed into a separate gauntlet than the Longinus on his arm.
[Rare] Power Gloves
Increases scaling based on the user's strength statistic. Higher strength will gain higher boosts.
Calling the Boosted Gear off, Issei began putting on the magical gloves. They were a metallic silver not unsimilar to those of a medieval knight. Unlike his own gauntlet that covered up to his elbow, these ended just over the wrists. As the boy pulled the second one over his wrist, he began feeling more power course throughout his arms. It wasn't the same as Ddraig's power that enhanced all of his abilities. It only felt as if it increased the physical strength in his hands and arms.
Having known what it felt like to get his power increased, Issei could tell that it wasn't enough of an enhancement. The increase was good, but his strength just wasn't all that impressive to get the most out of it. Boosted Gear was just a much better enhancer.
"No good. It wasn't strong enough. I'll have to go back... damn!" Issei's fist clenched in frustration. He didn't want to let that fucker get away with what he did.
Was it pride? He didn't think he had any. It's not like he wanted to tear the devil limb from limb. He simply wanted to beat the man's face in until he couldn't move anymore.
"I'm... sorry, Asia. I'll save you next time," He lamented, reaching towards to save menus. At least this way, he'd get another spin on his rare token...
...
He'd get another spin... wait just a moment. Is it really possible...?
Quickly poking away at his menu, Issei's fingers trembled anxiously as it hovered over the save option. His heart pounded like a drum as his digit slowly touched the option.
Game Saved!
Just as he thought. He saved inside the pause screen. Going back and pressing the load option, he loaded the exact save he just made. There was a pull on his consciousness as the Game reloaded his previous save.
His vision blipped out. The glowing circle of light underneath him disappearing as well as the menu screens. When it reappeared, he was back inside the pause screen as if nothing had happened.
A tremor of excitement wracked through him. One more step and his idea was greenlit. Facing his inventory screen, his hand flew towards the coin wallet and took out the Random Gacha Token, crushed it in his hand.
[Common] White Tea Cup
White porcelain designed to hold liquid. Made for drinking.
Absolutely horrendous pull. Just as he thought, the random tokens were buns.
But that was the point! He expected to get something bad!
Closing his eyes, Issei prayed to the gaming Gods as he reloaded his initial save. The same pulling sensation took over his consciousness as he faded out from existence. Like before, he reappeared a moment later into the previous saved timeline. Quickly checking his inventory, the tea cup was nowhere to be found. Instead, an immense amount of validation flooded the gamer as he saw what he was looking for.
Right above inside the coin wallet was the Random Gacha Token.
It had worked.
He could save scum his tokens.
It was too late to save the rare token he'd used before to get the Power Gloves. The save he made was after he already used it. That sucked, but the information he learned through experimentation was still worth it.
When he put his mind to it, he could actually achieve something!
"Doesn't change much. I'm still stuck with this," Issei sulked, looking over the rainbow coin he'd taken out again. Its multiple colors led him to believe he could pull something awesome, but they were just lies. This token belonged in the trash.
[Rare] Flame Orb
Enchanted gem with the power of fire. Can be used for crafting.
...Or not.
Holding at the red crystallized sphere carefully in his palms, Issei stared in awe. The orb gave off a heat that warmed his touch. Not too hot to burn, but just enough to comfort.
He wasn't fascinated by the item itself. He had no idea how to craft or gain a skill to, and he definitely didn't no anybody who could. What interested him was the prospect of gaining a rare item from the random token.
How hard was it to get a rare item? He'd only gotten common items beforehand. Then again, he'd only ever pulled a few times. Maybe rare wasn't extremely rare for the random token and he was just being impatient? It was multicolored after all. There could be an equal chance to get anything?
That's what the teen hoped. The other answer wasn't an appealing one - that being him getting lucky. If he'd just been lucky pulling something rare, that likely meant the higher the rank of the item, the harder it would be to pull. It could take hundreds or even thousands of times to get something good that was suited for his simple mind.
Clenching the hot gem, Issei made a resolution. He wasn't reloading the autosave at the start of the day. He was staying and saving Asia. With what he just discovered, it didn't matter how many tries it took. He could reload over and over until he got something good - something that could defeat Diodora.
When he embarked on the quest to rescue Asia, he meant it. Truth was, it wasn't just about saving her, but saving himself. It was a chance for redemption after fleeing from Raynare that day. The level of disgust and humiliation he felt towards himself was seared into his brain. He hadn't forgiven himself yet. He couldn't, not until he'd made up for it.
This was the answer. Even if he had to do it a million times or more, he was going to pull something to win.
Load
[Common] Flank Steak
A tough cut of beef. Must be cooked for edibility.
Load
[Common] Diatonic Harmonica - Steel
A small instrument. Blow on it to play.
Load
[Uncommon] Coral Snake Venom - 100 Gram Container
Deadly venom that contains antiviral and antibacterial properties.
Load
[Common] Oak Plank
A rectangular shaped piece of wood. Can be used for crafting.
Load
[Epic] Swiftness
User gains the permanent ability to move at faster speeds. Also applies to physical attacks.
5x Speed Boost.
Load
Over and over, Issei spun the gacha lottery. The monotonous process was brutal and excruciatingly slow. For his mental sanity, he stopped counting after a thousand attempts. It was like he were sitting in front of a slot machine cranking a lever hoping to win, but even that would be more entertaining than this. There wasn't any fun jingles or music when he pulled something good and no flashing lights to lose himself within. This form of gambling wasn't addicting at all.
He received common items the most. Either there were more common items within the bank of options, or he sadly had to be lucky to get something better. The Game did have a Luck stat and his was decent for his level.
Decent luck wasn't enough to get something spectacular in just a few tries. Countless times he repeated the same dull process. At some point, it had began to feel like second nature. There was a moment he hadn't even registered an epic until he'd already reloaded his save.
His head pounded and he felt starved. He couldn't possibly be dying of hunger because he was confined within the same moments of time - if time moved at all. The mental toll it was taking was unbearable and there were a few pulls that Issei wanted to accept and move on, regardless if they could get the job done.
But he couldn't. His consciousness always pulled him back the moment he felt himself giving up. This was for both him and Asia. He forced himself to endure it as punishment for his mistakes.
This continued to what appeared to be days. Breaking the Random Gacha Token, receiving an unremarkable skill or item, reloading his save, and repeat. Slow and painful as it may be, it was only a matter of time until Issei pulled what he wanted.
Only a matter of time...
[Divine] The Flaming Sword
The Sword of Eden capable of divine judgement. The one in possession of this blade determines what is right and wrong. Grants the user power akin to Godhood as they become a Holy Deity. Intuitive knowledge of usage acquired upon wielding. Permanently bonds with the user.
True Power: Locked
Skill Acquired: [Epic] Holy Sword Wielder
The natural ability to wield Holy Swords.
Skill Acquired: [Legendary] Mana Bank
User becomes a natural source of mana. Increases mana capacity immensely.
100x Mana Boost.
Skill Acquired: [Exalted] Divine Judgement
Judge those of sin. Dictate what is sin and what is not. Controls the Holy System.
Skill Acquired: [Exalted] Holy Spirit
Gains the implicit trust of spirits. Raises affinity with spirits to the maximum.
Spirit Affinity: Max
Attribute Acquired: Holy
Holy Attribute: Max
Attribute Acquired: Fire
Fire Attribute: Max
Attribute Acquired: Healing
Healing Attribute: Max
Finally, a weapon powerful enough had appeared. It held the second highest rarity within the system and was two classes above the Boosted Gear. He didn't care about its abilities; all that mattered was whether or not it could save Asia.
It was a broadsword colored a pure white so bright it was blinding to look at. There were intricate lines embedded on the hilt and the guard was similar to a pair of wings. The sword glowed with power and light that made it difficult to discern such beautiful features. Within the holy lights were burning flames of equal shading licking the blade's surface. Holding the sword filled the boy with warmth much greater than the Flame Orb he'd pulled and reset. Within the void he stood, the weapon seemed to dispel all the darkness surrounding him with heavenly light as far as he could see.
Its stats were so high that it numbed Issei's mind. Though, that may have come from the knowledge he'd instantly gained after touching the sword's handle. Upon making contact with it, he suddenly knew how to use the sword's power perfectly. With that information granted to him, Issei knew without question.
He could save Asia.
Unpause.
Pause: The Game is now unpaused.
Not waiting a second longer, Issei left his pause screen. The lit up void vanished as the natural world expanded around him. The grass, air, trees, and the run down church all reappeared as if they hadn't left. Diodora and Asia also looked as if they had spawned back in, still flying above him. Everything remained frozen for a few seconds as it had like the world was a game still loading, before movement brought it all back to life. Asia's sniffles were barely discernable to his ears and Diodora had begun charging magic to teleport away.
"DIODORA!" Issei's voice boomed with such power that it forced the devil to notice him. The man froze in disbelief as he looked at the human.
"Uargh-!" The moment his eyes landed on him, Diodora began wincing and writhing in pain from the overwhelming holy energy invading all of his senses. Feeling his flesh searing and bubbling forced him to drop Asia as he attempted to shield himself with a defensive shield. "W-what is this power?! H-how can this be?!"
The Flaming Sword held many attributes and abilities. One of them was the power to judge good and evil in whichever way the user deems it. This was a natural power of the sword and also manifested as an area-of-effect attack. Those who were good would be soothed and healed in its presence, while evil would be scalded and burned. This effect was only worsened by Diodora's devilhood and caused his blood cells to pop and blister as if he were a candle melting. His magic did little to defend him. The Holy Sword's power was too great and ignored his barrier like it wasn't even there.
Holding the sword skyward, Issei allowed the weapon to garner power for a single strike. An unnatural choir sung around the blade as holy energy and fire coalesced within and around to form a pillar of light shining hundreds if not thousands of meters away. The darkened sky above was lit up as if a hundred searchlights were turned on and the forest clearing around appeared like it was midday.
Charging a modicum amount of power the sword could store, Issei released it on the devil turned flesh monster with a vertical slash.
Divine judgement was unleashed. Diodora as well as the entire forest behind him were erased from existence by a veil of white fire.