The underground training grounds beneath Riser Kuoh estate had long been reinforced with ancient spells, heat absorbing barriers, and reality anchors. Yet today, the very earth groaned under the pressure of his power. Molten veins cracked the surface beneath his feet, glowing like magma rivers, and the air shimmered in mirage like waves.
Riser stood tall in the center of the battlefield, shirtless and drenched in sweat, his 6'5" frame carved with disciplined strength. Each breath exhaled a burst of residual flame. His golden hair, usually slicked back with devilish pride, now hung loose, wild, of flamed by his own intensity. Around him, a storm of power gathered white tinted flames licking the sky above, spiraling like the solar star.
Gripped in his calloused hands was the divine ax spear forged by Kaijin the dwarven smith. Modeled after Escanor's Rhitta but refined for Riser's soul resonance, the weapon hummed like a living sun, its radiant blade radiating waves of white heat. Every swing carved craters into the reinforced ground.
CRACK, KRA BOOM!
A single swing bisected a row of magical steel training dummies, their forms melted mid air by the aftermath. The shockwave rolled through the entire underground complex, knocking loose ancient stones from the arched ceiling. Automatically Repairing itself from the immense damage.
Above him, seated cross legged on a floating rune stone inscribed with Norse glyphs, was Merlin. Her amber eyes gleamed with both awe and concern. Dressed in a flowing sorceress gown laced with starlight thread, she jotted shimmering notes into a hovering grimoire.
"How far will you go, Riser?" she mused aloud, her lips curling into a smile. "This isn't just training anymore this is transformation."
Below, Riser's body trembled in delight. His flames surged one final time, coalescing behind him into a towering Phenex shaped aura. The entity rose high enough to brush the ceiling, its wings stretching with ethereal majesty, blotting out even the artificial sun above the training arena.
Riser roared, voice echoing like thunder.
"RAAAHHHH!!"
Then silence. The flames withdrew like a tide, the silhouette vanishing. Riser dropped to one knee, panting, sweat dripping from his brow. The divine weapon still hummed, embedded in the stone floor beside him.
Merlin descended gracefully, landing beside him in a shimmer of silver dust.
"You were seconds away," she said softly. "You almost touched it, Riser."
Riser grunted, brushing a lock of hair from his face. "The Vision I saw it again. The Sun Phoenix. A beast of endless light It soaked in solar flare."
Merlin knelt beside him, placing a cool hand against his temple. "You're forging your soul into something new. This path will burn but so does the sun."
Riser managed a dry chuckle. "Good. I don't want to be ordinary. I want to become something no devil has dared become."
Scene Transition The Shinto Celestial Palace
Far beyond the realms of devils and dragons, within a chamber of reflective gold and polished crystal, the goddess Amaterasu gazed into her divine mirror. The vision within pulsed a view of Riser Phenex, wreathed in sunfire, his aura challenging the horizon.
Her radiant form stood motionless, lips pursed in contemplation.
"He no longer walks the path of devils," she whispered. "His soul is kindling something divine."
Tsukuyomi, silent and regal in dark silver robes, folded his arms. "You fear he may become a second sun."
"No," Amaterasu replied. "I welcome the light. But what does it illuminate? That is what remains unknown."
Susanoo, leaning lazily against a marble pillar, scoffed. "Or he burns too brightly, and everything turns to ash. We've seen it before."
Amaterasu's smile was faint, her gaze unshaken. "Perhaps. But I sense no madness in him. Only purpose."
Scene Transition Kuoh Estate Grand Hall
The sun had long dipped beyond the horizon by the time Riser returned to his mansion. The training garments clung to his skin, and his every step left embers in his wake. The grand hall's polished obsidian floor hissed beneath his bare feet. His divine ax spear now hung across his back, still gleaming with dormant radiance.
Waiting for him were three of his closest his trinity of strength and devotion.
Merlin lounged atop a throne like seat conjured from arcane marble. Thalia leaned against a pillar, crackling bolts dancing across her gauntlets. Artoria stood upright, polished armor reflecting the dim candlelight.
Merlin was the first to speak, her voice teasing and warm.
"Well then, my Sun King, how many training dummies will you vaporize this time? Or should I start billing you for repairs?"
Riser smirked. "Only the ones that got in my way. The rest disintegrated on instinct."
Thalia stepped forward, eyes narrowed with concern beneath her wild black hair. "You're pushing too hard, Riser. If you keep burning like this without rest"
Riser cut her off gently, voice low and full of resolve. "If I don't, I'll never reach it. That vision isn't just a dream it's a destiny."
Artoria's eyes softened. "We can see it too that form. That fire. You're changing, Riser. But we're not just here to watch we want to grow with you. Beside you."
Riser looked at each of them in turn Merlin, with her ancient knowledge and wicked wit. Thalia, a storm in human form, always by his side. And Artoria, his sword, his knight, her loyalty unshakable.
"I'll never leave you behind," he said. "We rise together. Always and Forever."
The weapon slid off his back disappearing, searing a symbol of the phoenix into the stone.
Scene Transition The Balcony Midnight
Later that night, Riser sat atop the highest balcony of his estate, a place where he often came to think. Kuoh City stretched out before him quiet, sleeping, unaware of the storms brewing in other worlds.
Flames flickered gently across his shoulders. His golden eyes stared upward, past clouds, toward the stars. His hand rested against the carved stone railing, the coolness contrasting with the ever present warmth of his soul.
From the shadows behind him, a presence approached.
"Couldn't sleep?" came Merlin's voice, softer now, more human.
"Didn't try," Riser replied. "Too much on my mind."
She stood beside him, cloak rustling in the wind. "You're close, Riser. The threshold of a Super Devil is more than power. It's legacy. Vision. Will."
Riser's voice was calm but fierce. "Then I'll become the greatest Devil. Not just by strength. Not just by heritage. But because I earned it."
Merlin smiled, then rested a hand on his shoulder.
"And if a second sun rises," she whispered, "the world will have to learn to live in its light or burn in its judgment."
Riser didn't answer immediately. He looked down at his hands pristine even after all that mayhem.
Then he closed them into fists.
"Let any who come to take whats mine," he said. "The gods. The Khaos Brigade. The Old Satans. Even those foolish Heros I'll show them what happens when a Phenex stops rising and starts soaring."
The wind caught his words and carried them far into the night, to ears both friendly and foe.
And the world watched, held its breath, and waited for the dawn of the Sun Phenex.