Beware, lemon scene ahead.

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Short description: the harem grows and discord ensues. Gygas and Issei's rivalry deepens.

Red Dragon Emperor vs. Empyrean Lancer

Wings black as night, feathers and hair ruffling with the wind. Moonlight reflected off Ryukaza's hopeless eyes and chattering teeth. The Fallen Angel produced a spike of light, ready to drive it into her chest.

But Ryukaza had nothing to fear, for I was there to save her. My wings extended far to either side of me, as I took flight and glided toward the Fallen Angel, a lance of lightning taking shape in my hands as the heavens granted me my Angel powers. I glided toward them, the gust of chilly wind raising me higher and higher as my wings caught it underneath, like the sails of a ship. Speeding in the air, my lance, long and with a bristling point, sharper than a thunderbolt, yet weightless like a feather, plunged into the Fallen Angel's back, her whole body slowly slipping down along my weapon's length, from tip to crossguard. My fury bestowing me further strength, I uplifted the lance and let the Fallen Angel be impaled under the moonlight, her hair singeing off, her skin searing, her organs melting, and her screams a lullaby to grant me repose for the rest of my days…

In hindsight, there were so many different scenarios playing out in the back of my mind, each one of them differing from the last, by small details or crucial altering events: things I could have done to stop Eruka from taking Ryukaza's life, things I could've done to save her, things we could've done to not be there. Why didn't we go home earlier? Why didn't I fight hard enough? Why did I have to meet her?

I slowly came around to consciousness. Someone was trying to shake me awake, her voice small, high-pitched and with hints of innocence. "Gygas-san," said Asia gently. "Are you feeling better now?"

I nodded. "How long was I out?" I asked, rubbing my eyes. At least the dizziness was gone and my limbs no longer trembled. I sat up on the black couch. Not much had changed before my nap; the chimney was still smeared with soot, but sunlight no longer streamed through the high, rectangular window. Instead, I could see the stars winking down at me.

"About two hours. Dinner's ready, it should help you regain your strength," Asia looked down at her feet. "I wish I could help you feel better. Rias-senpai is always making Ise-kun feel better. And Akeno-san did it for you earlier."

What was I supposed to say? If only she had an inkling of how Akeno made me 'feel better'. No, actually, seeing how close Issei was to Rias, I wouldn't have been surprised if she already knew what she was asking me really implicated.

"Oh, smells good," I hurried to say. "I'm starving, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm hungry," she said, grabbing my hand. "I helped Akeno-san cook today. We made mashed potatoes and roasted beef. Hope you like it!"

"I can't wait to try it out," I said as she led me out of the living room, down the hallway, and into the dining hall. When we entered, Issei barely glanced in my direction and gave me a curt nod. He definitely knew something was going on between Akeno and me. The rest, except for her and Rias, seemed completely clueless; or maybe that was just the norm in this group. Koneko was already halfway through her plate, chewing delicately, and gave me a small bow of her head. Kiba smiled like he always did.

"I hope you had sweet dreams?" said Rias, glancing back at me from her seat as I walked to mine, Asia holding my hand. I remembered my lance of lightning impaling Eruka from tip to crossguard.

"Oh, that I did," I said, though it didn't make me feel that much better, to be honest. It was a mere false illusion, after all. The real thing would come later.

"So the plan for tomorrow will be similar," Rias began, in between mouthfuls of food. "Asia, you and I will help Gygas-kun on his Devil powers training…" I soon lost complete track of the conversation.

For the sole reason that Xenovia was staring at me from the moment she saw me enter until I took my seat next to Asia, and she was still firm at it. Now that I think about it, she was always staring at me, not lewdly, or suspiciously, but casually, as if there was something in me that I just couldn't pin down. Why was she always staring at me? I remembered, from my first and second days at Kuoh Academy, she kept glancing at me from all the way across the classroom every time I counted to five. Asia and Issei were in on it as well, but only at the beginning, and not nearly as indiscreet and obvious as Xenovia.

I went down on my mashed potatoes, the sweet gravy-covered gruel running across my tongue, from cheek to cheek, and taking in its majestic meat flavor. As I went for another bite, I looked from my plate to Xenovia again. She was staring at me again! Was there something tangled in my hair? Did I grow a disgusting, greasy pimple?

I smiled meekly and went back to my plate. The roasted beef tasted no different than when I was human, or rather nephilim. Its grilled juices exploded across my mouth as I chewed. I went down for another bite and looked ahead of me again. Xenovia was still staring at me! I couldn't help but smile again, rather uneasily, the chewed food in my mouth showing. I clamped it shut. She giggled softly. Some of the others didn't seem to notice the exchange.

I felt a tickling on my right leg all of a sudden, as though something hovered above my sweatpants, just enough to barely feel anything. I realized with a jolt that it was a hand, as it put more weight on my leg and now it was shamelessly groping me under the white-clothed table. I went still as a rock, not daring to move for a moment. I glanced to my side. I had been so hungry and so intent on filling my stomach that I hadn't truly noticed that Akeno had been sitting on my right side the whole time. Beads of sweat were now forming on my brow and scalp.

"What do you think, Gygas-kun?" Rias said. I kept silent, trying to ignore Akeno's approaches and barely touching my food now. "Gygas-kun, is there something wrong?"

"No, President, nothing, nothing at all!" I said hurriedly.

"How's your meal, Gygas-kun? Did you like the taste?" Akeno asked, next to me, her hand still rubbing along my thigh.

"Of-of course, delicious wouldn't even be close to describing it!" I said quickly.

"Are you sure you're okay, Gygas-san?" Asia asked, looking at me curiously, opposite to Akeno.

I tried my best to calm down. My breathing slowed down and I kept my voice steady. "It's nothing, don't worry about it. This is terrific, by the way," I said, finishing off the last few bites of my plate. Xenovia's still staring at me!

"Gygas-senpai is making lascivious faces, like Issei-senpai does," Koneko said, not bothering a second glance at me. Akeno giggled, massaging my upper thigh now.

"I'm not," I said as images flashed before me of what I wanted to do with Akeno next time we were left alone. My hand, as if by its own volition, traveled down to Akeno's legs. Her thigh and loins were plump and fleshy, and the sweatpants covering them were but thin fabrics easily pierced. I felt her shudder slightly as she released the tiniest moan. I stopped, not wanting to make a scene.

"There isn't anyone better at making lewd faces than me," Issei said, sticking out a thumb toward himself.

"It's hard to argue with that," said Kiba, at his side. He always wore that friendly smile.

"It was a fruitful day, today," said Rias, ruffling back her crimson hair. "I'd love to take a bath in the hot springs after dinner."

"Oh my, certainly we all need it," Akeno agreed.

"Bath time, my favorite time of the day!" Issei cried out, raising a fist into the air.

"Were we supposed to hear that?" I asked him, but he ignored me.

"We could all take the bath together, if no one objects," said Rias, beaming at Issei. Akeno threw a lecherous glance at me.

"Sounds fun," Xenovia said. She snuck another furtive glance at me.

"I don't want Issei-senpai watching," said Koneko, frowning at Issei. "I'll hate you if you peek."

"Sorry, boys," said Rias. "Maybe another time."

Issei heaved a sigh. "Every. Single. Time!"

"I'm taking the dishes back to the kitchen," Asia offered, as she rose to her feet.

"No, don't bother, I'll do that for you," I said, taking my plate, Akeno's and hers, and piling them on top of one another, along with the chopsticks and silverware. She finally stopped fondling my leg.

"Thank you, Gygas-san," Asia said.

"Here's mine," Koneko said, dumping her stuff above the other plates. Then Kiba and Issei did about the same thing.

"Are you sure you can take them all by yourself?" Rias asked, looking at me with a bit of concern.

"Yeah, of course," I said, balancing a swaying tower of ceramic plates that, at one point, threatened to come crashing down. Why did I even offer to do this? I waddled toward the kitchen as the others resumed the conversation, something about a leaders' summit.

I set them on top of the counter, next to the sink and began washing them down with water, one by one. I hadn't thought about asking, did they use magic for this kind of stuff? Use your emotions and imagination, they had told me, in order to do magic. I took one of the plates in my hands and looked at it. I imagined having the dish getting cleaned by itself. I felt so stupid after a few seconds.

"Are you trying to read its mind?" Xenovia asked, coming up behind me and depositing her dish in the sink, smudged with mashed potato leftovers and beef juices.

At first I thought she was making fun of me, but she looked serious. Aika had told me, and I quote, She is clueless as hell. "I'm trying to clean it, with magic," I said, serious. "You wouldn't know anything about it, would you?"

"I know it's not the way you're trying to do it, that much I do know," she said, grinning. "Magic's really not my thing."

"Sucks, I'll ask Asia later," I said, resignedly scrubbing the first one with soap and washing it down with water. I took the next one, thinking of Akeno and her boner-inducing body. By the time I was almost done doing the dishes, I realized I wasn't alone. I looked behind me. Xenovia was just standing there, on one side of the kitchen, just looking at me. I managed a small smile. "Um, yes?"

"Did you finish?" she asked, nodding at the sink.

"Almost. Why?"

As if in answer to my question, Xenovia crossed the kitchen and closed the door. What's going on? Was she going to kill me, here and now? For what reason?

She came back around to me and clutched at my shirt's collar, but she didn't look threatening at all. "Eh, what are you doing?" I couldn't help asking.

"Aika told us about you," Xenovia said, looking dead serious. "She said you were strong and gifted." I'm pretty sure that's not what she meant, I thought, though I couldn't say it aloud. "Besides, what with your Angel genes and light powers, your offspring would grow strong and healthy."

"I guess- I guess I hadn't thought of that-"

"Ever since I became a Devil, I've had one goal that I've been striving towards," Xenovia said, her face centimeters away from mine, her golden eyes scarce of embarrassment, unlike mine. Her hair was a peculiar blue bob haircut, tinged with green on her right side. "Issei already rejected my approaches, twice, but then again, I guess I just wasn't worthy of the Red Dragon Emperor's tastes. So, Gygas-san, please grant me this request."

"I suppose…" I said, leaning back ever so slowly, her body pinning me against the sink, the edge of the counter pressing against my backside. "What's it about?"

The kitchen door opened. Koneko stood under it, her eyes wide with surprise, as if she had just walked in on someone doing something she wasn't supposed to see.

"Eh…" I began, but she shut the door and left us alone once again.

"Offer me your offspring," Xenovia said, turning her face back to me. Before I could give a proper stunned reaction, she gripped me tighter and shoved me toward the kitchen's closet, locking the door behind us. I lay sitting on the hard floor, enveloped in darkness. Yet my Devil powers allowed me to see well.

"But… but… I'm only seventeen!" I said, freaking out as she slipped her sweatshirt above her head, her breasts bouncing along with her movements. She then undid her bra, letting it flop to the floor. Hers were not quite the size of Rias and Akeno's, but she was still pretty well endowed. "I don't want children…I don't think I'm ready for that…!"

"When will you be ready? Aren't you ripe to have offspring?" Xenovia said.

"Never, most likely!" I said. The thought of having kids, especially at such an early age, sent shudders down my spine.

"Don't worry, I'm inexperienced, too. That's why I always carry these around nowadays," Xenovia said, pulling out four different packets of condoms. I could only wonder for how long she's had them. If I read them right in the dark, apparently each advertised different flavors: chocolate, strawberry, banana…

"Look, Xenovia, I'd love to get to know you better-"

"Will that make me a baby?"

"…No, but it might make me more willing, and I emphasize, might. Your advances are rather unorthodox, to say the least."

"No better way to get to know someone than discovering their naked bodies," Xenovia said, clearly still not getting it. "So, where does this go?" she said, unpacking one of the strawberry-flavored condoms.

"I'm surprised you even know what they're for."

"Teach me all there is to know about sex," she said.

"Maybe another day…"

"But I can see you're ready," Xenovia said, arching her eyebrows, pointing down at my pants. I was pitching a tent down there. I hurried to cover my rising boner.

"Look, this is just not the moment. I mean, we're in the kitchen for crap's sake, and everyone outside is going to hear us!" I said, still not believing how anyone could be so incredibly clueless. Although, I didn't feel like I had enough willpower to refuse her otherwise, were we not in a kitchen closet.

Xenovia still went and pulled down her sweatpants, revealing a plain striped-blue thong, her butt-cheeks bulging in between the thin fabric. I held my breath, as she pushed me onto the ground and sat on top of me, grinding against my privates. She gripped my wrist and made me hold her breast, smaller than Akeno's yet no less alluring, her nipple hard and erect.

"Xenovia… get off," I said, barely audibly. I heard the door turning on its hinges outside. I could hear footsteps coming our way; I could see a shadow moving from the light seeping into the closet between the floor and the door's gap. "Oh, not again…"

Someone outside tried to open the door, but it was locked. I sighed with relief. Xenovia had stopped her grinding and was looking at the door attentively. "See? They can't disrupt our intercourse in here," she said, looking back down on me.

Suddenly, the bolt gave way and the door was flung open wide, the light from the kitchen falling in and streaming into my eyes. From her silhouette, I could tell it was Rias, and that she wasn't happy. Behind her I saw Akeno, giggling.

"My, my," she said. "Xenovia's cheating again."

"Gygas-kun, do I have to watch you every moment of the day?" said Rias, her arms crossed over her ample bosom. Her tone of voice sounded cold, almost jealous. "Xenovia, get dressed. I knew something was going on."

"You, again?!" Issei yelled the moment he saw us when he entered the kitchen.

"Issei, out," Rias commanded. "We're going to the springs now. Koneko didn't want you, boys, to join us, so you, Kiba and Issei will be bathing in the other springs."

Now fully dressed, Xenovia stood next to Rias. "Let's go," she said in that upbeat tone of hers, as if we hadn't just gotten caught in carnal acts. They left.

Only Akeno remained. As we headed out of the kitchen, I asked. "You're not mad at me?"

"Oh my, why would I be?" Akeno replied. "I steal Issei from the President from time to time, too. It's too bad you couldn't join us for the bath. The things I wanted to try out."

I could only agree.

The hot springs looked very inviting, steam rising and wafting away by the cool air of the night. Yet when I dipped my toes, I had to retract quickly to keep from scalding my skin.

"It does take a bit of time," said Kiba, his legs already submerged in the water. All three of us were wearing bathing shorts. The pool extended far and wide. It was probably larger than my own house's first floor. The girls were bathing in the other springs, a tall wooden fence separating us from view and touch, though we could still hear them giggling and chatting.

"Man, Koneko-chan is such a buzzkill sometimes," Issei was saying, the hot water already reaching to his upper chest.

"I can see her point," I couldn't help saying. She was the youngest, after all. "I don't think it'd be fair if she was left out, either."

"Aren't you a white knight?" Issei snapped, looking away from me.

"Guys, let's take it easy and enjoy the hot water, alright?" Kiba said, looking embarrassed.

I went in and slowly submerged my legs, followed by my chest, aware of the water putting pressure on it and the sauna mist blockading my nostrils slightly. The more I lingered in there, the more the water seemed to lose its temperature, as I grew accustomed to it.

"If only I had see-through powers," Issei heaved a sigh, talking to himself. "Maybe if I use my imagination I might be able to create it, just like Dress Break."

"You sure do let out more than you should," I said, mocking his tendency to speak everything in his mind. "Again, Koneko-chan told you not to peek. That'd be peeking, too."

Issei turned to me, his eyes glaring daggers. "You're one to talk, aren't you?"

"Excuse me? Last time I checked, I wasn't a big lecherous pervert," I said. "Well, every guy has a perverted side, but nowhere near as big as yours."

"Does it really matter?" Kiba asked. "Let's drop it."

Issei went on. "You're the one doing things to Akeno-san and Xenovia, always leering and waiting to be alone with them to fondle their breasts!" he said, pointing a finger at me.

I put my index finger to my mouth, begging him to turn the volume down.

"Why did you have to come around and butt into our lives?" he said. Okay, that hurt.

"Because I asked to be killed, right?" I shot back. "'Oh, you, the girl with the black wings, how about you kill me so I can ruin Issei's life?'"

"Guys, calm down…" Kiba said.

"You're the one getting in front of my dream right now!"

"Harem King," I said, snarling. "Not doing very well so far, are you?"

Issei stood on his feet. "Prez should've left you to die, instead of that girlfriend of yours."

"You're crossing that line right now," I said, rising too, the water reaching to our waists.

"Seriously, guys, don't do anything rash," Kiba said. For his speed and strength as Knight, it was easy to just ignore him.

I hadn't realized my black-and-white wings were out until I noticed Kiba's surprised stare and Issei's scowl.

"Boosted Gear!" he shouted. A metal, crimson armor gauntlet materialized over his forearm, a shiny green orb on its back. A mechanical voice sounded off somewhere inside the gauntlet. Boost!

"Gygas-san is not your enemy!" Kiba yelled at Issei. When he looked back to me, his eyes widened with astonishment, his breathing stopped.

A great lightning jousting lance took shape in my hands, its crossguard like a bowl covering my fingers, its length extending two meters before me, ending on a prickling point. And despite its huge size and imposing figure, it weighted nothing. Almost nothing.

My wings carried me into the air, water lapping where I had stood and dripping down from my arms and toes back into the pool below me. I held my lance toward Issei, pointed at him like a scorpion's stinger.

"Gygas-san, put that away, right now!" Kiba yelled. "You're not thinking of killing each other, are you?"

Apparently, it was Issei the one trying to kill me. He had his gauntlet pointed at me, a small red ball of light taking shape in front of it. I looked at it with a frown. What was he doing?

Explosion!

In a second, the small red ball of light widened and seemed to consume everything before my sight. My wings carrying me, I dashed to the side and out of the way just as the gigantic laser beam blazed past me, singeing the hair off my arms and chest. I looked above us when I heard cracking noises. There was a jagged hole in the ceiling, three meters in circumference, dust raining in our eyes and chunks of granite coming off and falling into the water with loud splashes.

"You…" I said, hardly believing I had almost died again. I took flight and hurtled downward toward Issei, raising my lightning lance toward him like a jousting knight racing down along the tilt. He raised his gauntlet, about to block my stinger.

A massive red pentagram shimmered to life between Issei and me as I sped toward him, unable to pull the brakes. I smashed headlong into the magic barrier, my lance torn asunder into a million shards of light that rained down momentarily and vanished into nothing. My wings abated to a halt, unable to carry me any longer, and dazed in midair, I plummeted headfirst into the hot water.

My head throbbing and my eyesight swimming, I felt a pair of strong arms wrap around my shoulders and drag me out of the water. It was Kiba. Coughing out the water from my lungs, I propped myself up with one elbow on the hard rock ground and looked above us.

Dripping water into the pool, her bat-like wings outstretched far from left to right, Rias looked from me to Issei, her eyes wide with anger and disbelief. Her big, round breasts gleamed with beads of water and her tumbling crimson hair fell perfectly into place to cover her sex, between her plump legs.

"What… do you think… you're doing?" she asked, her voice constrained with the fury she was trying so hard to keep down.

Issei seemed shocked, not even daring to look at Rias' breasts as he lay sitting on the hard-packed ground.

I felt the last strings of energy leave my body and I lay there, sprawling, out of the game…

Mistrust and jealousy. The harem shifts alliances. Gygas continues his training. Soon.