A Fantasy story set in a world with DxD as its main focus. Can and will feature several cameos from other sources, i.e. Arturia Pendragon, or other people from real history but weebified, aka Fate lore. Several minor characters and so on. But DxD will and still will be the main lore. You can say it's the main tree and the other universes are its branches

Enjoy

The Last Guardian

Prologue

Issei Hyoudou was - simply put - a legend.

A figure to look up to and an inspiration to all. A simple boy raised in a simple family, who climbed his way through ranks of adventurers with hard work. From a mere rookie barely able to fend himself with a short sword, taking small quests from his fellow smallfolk, to a worldly-renowned legend who was bestowed a Sacred Gear; the Gift from the Gods.

Respected by fellow adventurers. Idolized by kids who aspires to grow up just like him. Dreamt by girls from a common house-servant to a princess of a wealthy country.

He was brave. Very brave. But he was not stupid. His mind wasn't as sharp as the Grand Magus, Mephisto Pheles, but Issei Hyoudou was anything but stupid or reckless. If the battle is unwinnable, completely devoid of hope, he will sound the retreat and live to fight another day, and then crushing those who failed to fell him.

Not often an 'honorable knight' or anyone self-righteous enough to see themselves as one, called him a coward. He didn't particularly mind. He's still alive while those 'honorable knights' had become no more than reanimated, rotting corpses deep in The Dungeon, forever cursed to guard the so-called endless treasures until another adventurer come and lay them to a final rest.

The Dungeon... Unlike most other dungeons, this one had no name. No fancy two-words-mixed-into-one for a name. Not the Blackwood Dungeon, not the Everfallen Dungeon, only The Dungeon.

A place filled with living horrors. From everyday zombies or goblins that are practically the bread and butter for a party of Silver-ranked adventurers', to a fearsome Elemental Dragon whose breath could melt rocks, to the feared Beast itself.

The Trihexa. The Beast of the Apocalypse. Harbinger of Death. Devourer of Life. And so on and on.

Hundreds had been dispatched into the Dungeon. A crusade to quell the Prime Evil once and for all.

Hundreds entered. None returned. The Dungeon remained untouched for many years to come.

Until one day, the wielder of the Red Dragon Emperor himself, the World's Champion, the Chosen One of Mankind, Lover of Tits, took upon the noble task.

Humans, Angels, Devils, Fallen Angels, Vampires, the Norse, people of various races all supported him, believing that he was truly the chosen one. The Human who would put an end to their ceaseless worry of the Apocalypse. The one who would put The Beast to a timely rest.

Many supporters followed his march into the Mouth of the Dungeon. Dismissing its stench, everyone cheered his name, lauded him, prayed and wished for his success. All girls and women hoped for his well-being, yearning that they would see their beloved Champion once again. Fellow Legendary adventurers went on to fight alongside him, to serve him until their last breath.

The people who had never learned how to swing a sword or cast a simple fireball spell remained at the entrance, assembling a massive camp guarded by soldiers of various factions, and waited for their heroes' triumphant return.

The waited and waited. Then hours became a day, and days became a week, and weeks became a month. Months became year.

They never returned.

Along with their Champion, their hope died.

"But you're not dead."

Issei sighed drearily. He really was into his story too. "...I know that, Tris. But that's how it goes. That's the legend."

"Well the legend sucks!" The young girl with the ardent red hair stuck out her tongue in a display of audacity, aimed at none other than her one and only guardian. "Make something happier!"

'This brat.' If he was any younger and foolish, Issei would express himself verbally.

A year had passed and she was still equally annoying from the first time he met her. Or rather, when he killed her previous guardian.

Not a recollection he was fond of. That day, or maybe night, his belief that he had slain The Beast, the Prime Evil of all things that existed, shattered completely.

"Why?" Issei remembered the rasped breath. The Beast's enormous figure coated in hot red scales and drenched in his own blood lying down next to him, miraculously alive. "...What wrong have I done...?"

"Nothing yet." He had told him. Gods, he was such a righteous prick. "But you're going to bring the Apocalypse. Don't know when, don't know why, but I stopped it anyway." He smug grinned as the people behind him cheered. It was a long, torturous fight. They had suffered massively. Nearly 100 brave adventurers were with him from the Mouth, and now, only 4 were alive.

"...The Apocalypse...? But my duty was to prevent one..."

Issei didn't know if a Trihexa could shed a tear. Hell, he doubted nobody ever knew. No one in the Seven Hells or the Seven Heavens knew. But The Beast shed a tear. Maybe it was crocodile tears; an attempt to strike his chords, begging for his pity, but regardless of what it was, he did. The fearsome Beast of the Apocalypse wept by his feet.

"...Wait... I don't get it..." He said to him. Completely dumbstruck. "...You're Trihexa, you can't-"

"Trihexa?" The ancient being looked painfully confused. "Boy... that vile beast was long gone years ago... Slain by Yahweh and other Gods. Its soul is kept in that stone..."

Idly, he turned around to see the center of the large cave. There lied a small pillar, and floating atop of it was a black gemstone. It was such a small orb, not bigger than a loaf of bread. The Soulstone, he had said to him.

"My whole life... devoted to guard that dumb stone... Protected that girl so The Beast shall never rise... It was my sole purpose of being... and I will be slain due to your lack of understanding...?"

Issei remembered his resolve faltering at that. Oh it was faltering quick. As quick as ice in summer. Through his life, he had learned who to believe and who to pretend to believe in. He was in the first category. Issei hoped the big Dragon would fall into the latter, but he trusted him.

He remembered his last remaining followers weren't listening. They were shouting at him, yelling that the Trihexa was only tricking him. But Trihexa- he silenced them with a glare. "Fools! What benefit do I gain by lying?! I'm dying regardless!"

His entire body was covered in slashes. Some were burnt, horribly. Huge chunk of flesh was missing on his torso blown out by the Champion's [Explosion]. The long horn at the edge of his snout was partly broken and his yellow eyes were losing their light.

"...Who sent you here, boy...? What cruel vindictive soul told you those lies?"

Issei recalled seeing the pain in his eyes as he told him everything. That all factions on Earth had cooperated to get him killed when all he did was to prevent their demise. It must had been one hell of an unpleasant feeling, being labeled the Prime Evil, despised by everyone because of some baseless lies, and now dying without receiving a gratitude for his deeds.

He remembered feeling ridden by guilt. Felt like an idiot. The glorified idiot puppet champion.

Perhaps if he had waited. If he told his party to stay first before instantly attacking him, unleashing torrents of spells and their various weapon techniques, perhaps all of this misunderstanding could be avoided. Their death would be avoided. His death would be avoided.

"You mulling again, partner?"

"Wah!" Behind him, his last remaining companion snorted a puff of air that lifted him off his rock-seat. Issei landed on the red dirt with an audible 'oof'. "Dammit Ddraig, how many times do I have to tell you; it's not funny. Land is flat and flat hurts my ass."

Y Ddraig Goch. The Red Dragon Emperor himself. He was only about a half of his real size, but all of his features were the same. The same brilliant crimson scale, same Draconic emerald green eyes, and the very same annoying guttural laughter. Just smaller and less noisy.

Still, no less annoying.

"Drakey!" Tris leapt into the sky with a gust of her misty black wings. Wings he had never seen before in his life—until he met her. He still had no idea what the girl containing a part of The Beast's soul had for wings, or if it was ever named or discovered before.

He wondered if they're called Trihexanian. Trihexan, perhaps? He had zero clue. He just knew it looked ghostly. More like wispy tendrils rather than wings.

He watched her red hair fluttered as she gently landed on Ddraig's scaly forehead, then ranted about how boring his story was just to miff him.

Normally, Issei would bicker back at her. But he didn't this time. Too busy being brooding at the moment.

"...My watch has ended... Boy, you're unlike any of these fools... you listened..." Maybe Issei was too disordered at the time, but he believed the Dragon smiled at him. "Swear to this old Dragon that you will protect her. Her, and the Soulstone, but her most importantly... Else the whole world is doomed."

"Protect her...? Protect who?!"

His serpent-like yellow eyes trailed to a small cavern. "...Trihexa's soul is too powerful to be completely destroyed... And too powerful to be contained in one Soulstone."

"There's more?"

"Six of them... In here is one..." The red Dragon coughed, spewing an excessive amount of blood from his huge maw. "...One...as well as the only seal... If she dies, and those Soulstones have been gathered... Trihexa will rise..."

Issei stole a subtle glance at Tris. She wasn't much different than she was back then. He recalled seeing her peeking from her hiding place, hiding behind a wall of red rock. Her red hair was noticeable even in the dark cavern she had hid in. At first, no one noticed her. They were still cheering without him.

But Motohama...

He saw her.

He saw her and roused the rest of the party to attack her. A girl who had done nothing...

He remembered, clearly, that the red Dragon tried to stop them. He tried firing a classic Dragonic fire-breath, only to let out his blood and hacked.

It was a difficult moment with so little time. He tried stopping them, reasoning with them, yelled an order, he had done everything to give him some more time.

"Are you crazy?! We've gone this far and you're going to turn on us?! Which side are you on?! That Beast?! Or us?! Your friends?!"

Instead they branded him a traitor. Fueled by his best friend by all people.

Gods it was difficult hearing them scream. Especially when it was him who ripped their scream off their throat. He didn't kill them right then – he couldn't. They had descended floors and floors, they had lost brothers and sisters in their journey. They had won and laughed. They had lost and wept. And they had to fight against each other at the very end.

He was given a choice. His old life, or prevent the Apocalypse.

That time, the World's Champion knew there would be no turning back whichever choice he made.

They were equally exhausted, and if it wasn't for Ddraig's minor regeneration ability, he might had been the one who was killed. But he lived. Issei lived and executed those who had been his followers since the first step he took towards the Dungeon with his very hands.

"C'mon man... let's just get this over with... We've won, Ise. Why are we still fighting...? Just end it. I'll forget everything that has happened here... Just look at that Beast. He's dying. You can't save him. You just have to kill her... and we'll head outside... We'll be heroes and get our rewards... The ladies are waiting, Ise."

He could never forget Matsuda's disappointed smile when he stabbed his heart with Ascalon. It had to be done. No one there believed the red Dragon but him. Letting anyone live meant a munity waiting to happen.

He didn't have time to grief. Rather, he didn't give himself the time.

Tris was staring at him, both in shock and disbelief. Him and his four others must had been the few ones who had managed to get to the deepest floor of the Dungeon. She looked like a child witnessing a murder, like an innocent soul discovering that evil do exists for the first time, that the world she thought she knew wasn't a beautiful place without taint, all while her only father figure was dying in front of her.

Issei recalled, he was going to speak to her, to offer solace. But the girl retreated inside her cave. He swore he heard her sobbing as he headed back to the red Dragon.

And Issei was filled with nothing but fury.

"Alright, big guy. I just killed my friends. My two best friends who are brothers to me and me to them." He spat. His rage was hardly constrained. If Ascalon was an ordinary steel sword, its hilt would had been crushed. "What you said better be true. Or I'll fucking skin you and her alive, starting with the girl."

It was probably the first time he realized the Champion of Mankind was not the ideal hero who never cursed or made cruel threats, but the Dragon still nodded.

"I swear. A Dragon never break his words. Thank, you... Red Dragon Emperor."

Issei was seething his teeth. "Issei. My name's Issei. Hyoudou Issei."

"...Hyoudou Issei... Ah, Japan-born... Very well, Hyoudou Issei, I, Great Red, am eternally grateful for your devotion... and horribly sorry for your losses..."

He could imagine Ddraig stumbling on his feet. "...Great Red...?"

"Aye..." Great Red chuckled ironically as he rested his eyes. "...Not so great now... am I...?" He then chuckled. The chuckle was so weak that he barely heard it. "In here... At the end of my time... I pass my watch... to you... Hyoudou... Issei..."

Then Great Red died.

Burying his body was a great hassle, but Ddraig never once complained having to dig the earth with his claws. He had to transform into his true form to push Great Red to the grave, and spent another minutes burying him. Even so, he never once complained. The Dragon was an admirer of Great Red, so he said.

The funeral was... well, depressing.

Nearly the entire resident of the Dungeon came by, minus the zombies since they couldn't think of anything but brains, and most minor monsters at the top floors such as goblins and the slimes.

Even the Father of Wolves, Fenrir, was present.

It was then he realized they knew. The monsters knew about Great Red and knew he was simply doing his duty.

This cavern had never been so filled. And hot. There must had been at least fifty fire spirits crying tears of flame, several low-tier Dragons breathed fire. One thing he realized, was that they didn't attack him. Nope. They all bowed to him as if he was some sort of their god.

'Some god I am... Killing their friends and family.'

It wasn't until Fenrir himself approached him, and said without moving his mouth, "You, Issei Hyoudou, is the Last Guardian, Keeper of the Dungeon, this world's last bastion of hope. We will serve you until the end of our time."

"Until the end of our time." The legion of monsters followed as if it was a chant. Dragons, wolves, minotaurs, centaurs, all the –aurs.

There was no animosity towards him. They bore no grudge for their fallen companions he had slain. They gave no care that they had to kneel to a Human who knew nothing until recently.

To think Monsters could do more than what Humans could... He was pretty sure all of his hackles rose, just like they did just now.

Ending his recollection, the former Champion sighed deeply as he lied on his back. He was only wearing his tunic, and, honestly, he couldn't care if it was dirtied. He'll get new one sooner or later.

And it seemed it would be sooner rather than later as a pillar of white light appeared at the edge of his vision. A big bad wolf with greyish blue mane was materialized.

"Fenrir?" Issei got up to his feet, dusting off the dusts off his clothes and his brown hair. He had cut off the two short locks of hair sticking out behind his head. A goblin once yanked one of them, and it nearly cost him his life.

He had never let his hair reach his shoulders since then.

"What's up? More rookies?"

"Apparently so." The grey-blue wolf growled. "My pack scouted a band with a Devil. From their clothes, they seem like nobles. Platinum ranked. Six members. Mostly females. One Devil and one of mixed breed. The rest are Humans."

Platinum... and mostly female. Issei grimaced. He hated when having to deal with female adventurers. He just felt it wasn't right to harm a woman, but what was needed to be done needed to be done. As for the rank, it was the fifth out of eight, with the eight and the top being the Adamantine rank.

His old rank.

Without needing to be asked, Fenrir continued. "They've cleared about ten floors under than two hours, taking out at least a hundred goblins and skeletons. And... They've slain Rhaegar."

Issei couldn't hold back his sigh. Another Warden gone. The Dungeon was becoming weaker and weaker by every adventurer that walked in.

"We've secured his body." The wolf assured. The most that could be done to their fallen Minotaur was to bury his body. Nonetheless, there will be time for grief. Not now. "They're camping at the eleventh, possibly for half an hour. Could be less. What do you want us do, Boss?"

A bit weird hearing the word 'Boss' from a creature of Norse legend, but Issei got used to it.

"Get Taurus. He'll be raring to have a go..." Because who wouldn't thrive for revenge when their brother was slain? "Tell them to wait for me by the eleventh stairs, and tell those guarding the eleventh floor to leave them be. They're Platinum. Brute force can only get so far against a proper party."

"Aye. Right away."

As Fenrir disappeared in a ray of light, Issei grabbed a small pack latched on his handy belt. After it was taken off, the small pack then expanded to a size of a standard backpack. His hand reached inside, and soon enough, a set of black-tinted armor clanked and tumbled as he carelessly threw them on the ground, still looking for the helmet. The 'Noobproof' armor as he named. Best used against those ranked Platinum and below.

Meanwhile, Tris had ditched the Crimson Dragon, approaching him with a sullen look on her face. "...You're leaving huh?"

Glancing up, Issei chuckled. She was a brat, but he knew she cared for him in her own bratty way.

"Yeah." He replied casually, sliding down his feet inside the steel leg, quietly cursing why armor had to be a pain in the ass to wear. "You still have Ddraig around."

"Nothing will hurt her, partner."

Despite so, Tris was not amused. Her pout didn't fail to form as she clutched his arms, looking at him with her mean red eyes.

"You're forbidden to die."

"I don't even want to." Issei laughed. Five years ago, he a would had been flustered mess. As a young woman who bore a part of Trihexa's soul, Tris was beautiful and not less. A set of crimson eyes with a beastly look, healthily voluptuous, and breathtaking long flowing hair that reminded him of the season of summer. Even her horns looked more like a pair of hair ornaments adoring her.

Had he been any younger and dumber and had the time, he would kill to get a woman like her.

Well, perhaps no... killing for a girl was a bit extreme.

Nonetheless, he was her Last Guardian now. His first priority was her safety. Next? Boobs, perhaps. Luckily, the Succubi were never short on that peculiar area. If not for their... services, his sanity might had slipped long ago.

"Well then..." Issei took a deep breath as he wore his full-face helmet, hiding his brown eyes in its shadow. Snow-white light began to gather beneath his feet as he bade his temporary goodbye. "I'll be off. Be good."

.

.

.

"...There he goes again..." Tris sighed melancholically. For a year, nobody had gone past the tenth floor. Her guardian had always 'taken care' of them without fail. Still, no matter how many times he had succeeded, no matter if he's the Champion of Mankind or whatever titles, she worried for him.

'...To think I could care this much... for a person who slain my father no less... Or who I thought was my father, anyway.'

Without warning, Ddraig puffed an air, tumbling her down like he did to his partner earlier.

Tris was not amused.

"DDRAIG!"

"Is this the all-somber day? Yer all keep being somber and such. Isn't this cavern dim enough?" The Dragon guffawed, his laughter echoing around the cavern's walls while Tris kept her glare at him. "Either way, he's gone for at least an hour or so. Shall we?"

Still on her butt, Tris then showed a fearless look as she pushed herself off the ground.

Black flames blazed by her palms, flaring chaotic energies. She might be the one to be protected, but she had to be able to protect herself. She had witnessed how powerless she was a year ago when she could only stare and watch, and she refused to be a damsel in distress like those princesses in Ddraig's stories.

She had only one goal in the pretty head of hers; to be able to fight alongside her guardian.

"Let's."

To be continued...

Hello, welcome to the bottom section. I'd give you a cookie if I have one.

Other than that, hope you enjoyed the prologue. First chapter may come soon depending on the reception. I don't expect it to do well, but hell fuck it. It's only for fun-writing anyway.

Not much of the "world" has been revealed here. Clearly it will be AU. I have a clear direction in my head of where this will go and what will happen and who and what will appear. The pairing is a secret. You'll never know until they actually become a pairing.

Thank you for reading, and have a good day.

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