Delinquent Dragon Emperor

by Melkor's Mercy

What if Issei had manifested his sacred gear earlier in life? What if he and Ddraig became friends with Great Red before meeting Raynare? Trained in secret from a young age in preparation for his rival, Issei is shocked when it turns out to be a beautiful silver-haired girl who just transferred to Kuoh Academy with her blue-haired friend. Badass Issei x Harem x Fem Vali x Tiamat

10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Friends and Family

The Underworld; Devil Capital Lilith

In the heart of the devil territory within the Underworld, a large gathering of highborn nobles was gathered in a meeting chamber. Three of the four Maou were currently present as well as several representatives from each of the surviving 33 Pillars.

They were currently watching a more detailed version of Issei's attack on the Astaroth territory that hadn't been made available to the widespread population through the news. This detailed footage was primarily a recording of Issei's transformation with four wings.

Ajuka Beelzebub paused the footage as he addressed the nobility, "This dragon, Issei Hyoudou, is far more powerful than we've been led to believe. Right here is brief footage I was able to catch of his transformation through a spell of mine. Unfortunately, the rest of the battle footage was disrupted, but it did catch this much. My battle with him was very disturbing to say the least. He has shown a vast array of unnatural abilities and even after this transformation of his, he didn't appear anywhere near his full power."

"Exactly what is this dragon capable of, Beelzebub-sama? Why does he have four wings, and why didn't you kill him?!" Someone demanded anxiously.

Ajuka shook his head, "Among his powers displayed, we can confirm he has the ability to use portals, cast illusions, and even materialize matter out of his own energy. All of his magic had a strong chaotic taint to it that was far beyond anything I've even seen of other dragons. Killing him would not have been that simple even had we used our full power. That was also a problem because there were many innocent bystanders there that could have been harmed had the fight gone on any longer than it did. In short, it would take a catastrophic battle to put this dragon down or seal him."

"Ajuka is right, but there's something important that we shouldn't overlook here. From what we've seen so far, the dragon Issei only uses the appropriate power necessary to defeat his foes. His battle against Riser Phenex and even Diodora Astaroth were both minor displays of his capabilities compared to the power he unleashed when Ajuka challenged him. It's very possible that he is capable of even more. Risking such a confrontation could lead to widespread destruction and discord," Sirzechs added.

An outburst of arguments and murmuring erupted after his comment as the various nobles debated on these facts. One was quick to voice his concern to the Maou, "Are we seriously under the impression that this dragon is more powerful than even the dragon kings?! Surely if that's true, then it would be foolish to ignore this threat! He's a ticking timebomb!"

"Lord Bael speaks truly! This dragon is a danger to every devil in the Underworld! He murdered my son! If we allow such a brazen act of violence to go unanswered, then he will see us as weak! What's to stop him from killing again?! We're all in danger until this creature is contained or killed!" Lord Astaroth shouted.

"What would you have us do, father? Hunt him down and risk more casualties? Not only is that dragon incredibly powerful, but he has the backing of Heaven as well. Any attempt to retaliate would only lead to full scale war. Diodora's death is certainly tragic, but he brought it upon himself when he started provoking foreign powers and kidnapping holy maidens. While I detest the dragon's actions in murdering him, I can't say that it was unprovoked or undeserved," Ajuka explained with rational coldness.

"He was your brother Ajuka!" Lord Astaroth growled.

"Family or not, you should refer to the Maou by his proper title," the third Maou, Falbium Asmodeus spoke up somewhat lazily.

"I…of course," Lord Astaroth acknowledged after a brief silence.

During this pause, Sirzechs was quick to speak up again, "There's also the matter my younger sister Rias Gremory brought up. Diodora had an illegal number of evil pieces, and he kidnapped a girl under her protection as well. Diodora was hardly an innocent victim in this attack. Issei Hyoudou is very dangerous, but only when he's threatened or challenged. The dragon has never once attacked or threatened my sister and her peerage. He even goes to her school. Sona Sitri can also confirm that the dragon is cooperative when a certain level of respect is given to him."

"With all due respect, Lucifer-sama, you expect us to kiss this dragon's feet and cater to his demands?!" another noble spoke up angrily.

"As opposed to the alternative…yes. Issei Hyoudou made it very clear that he will commit to war with the Underworld should anything like this happen again," Sirzechs replied.

"Heaven is no longer a threat! If they wish to war with us, then we could easily destroy them!" someone boasted pridefully.

Ajuka sighed, "That's not the main problem with your scenario. If we go to war with Heaven, that leaves us vulnerable to other factions that would see us destroyed. The Old Satan Faction still exists, as do other questionable groups. Not to mention, our relations with Heaven have somewhat improved over the centuries. A long-term peace is possible if we reciprocate a diplomatic respect."

"So you want us to all to just ignore this dragon then?! That is unacceptable! The Astaroth palace was razed! Other factions will think we're weak if we don't act!" someone else protested.

A man with golden hair shook his head disapprovingly, "I believe Lucifer-sama and Beelzebub-sama are correct in this matter. The dragon only acts like this when provoked. He could have easily murdered my son, Riser when he fought for Rias Gremory in her Rating Game. He also could have easily killed both the Gremory and Sitri heirs at Kuoh Academy. Leviathan-sama spoke of the dragon's good relations with Sona Sitri and her peerage. Leaving the dragon alone is the wisest course of action."

"Lord Phenex, have you lost your mind?! We all saw what that creature did to your son and his peerage! He brutalized your youngest son in a barbaric manner!" A fiery devil growled as she stood up from her seat.

"Yes, he brutally injured Riser, but he could have easily killed him had he wanted to. This makes it apparent that Issei Hyoudou isn't actively trying to kill devils. The dragon has proven his strength twice now. It would be needlessly foolhardy to tempt his wrath again when he's already more or less peaceful," Lord Phenex countered.

"Spoken like a true coward, Lord Phenex!" the female devil scoffed back.

Lady Phenex who was sitting next to him quickly fired back, "How dare you insult our house and my husband, Lady Agares!"

Many more nobles leapt to their feet as a loud chorus of shouts and arguments began to break out amongst the nobility.

"Enough!" Sirzechs announced loudly causing everyone to go silent and turn towards him.

The red haired Maou shook his head, "Do not provoke, attack, or threaten Issei Hyoudou in any way whatsoever. That is my express order and the wishes of the Maou. If any of you choose to disregard this order, then you will no longer be welcome among this court and we will not protect you. Is that understood?"

"Yes Lucifer-sama," many of the nobles said in nearly perfect unison.

"We will adjourn for now until the nobility can calm itself…" Ajuka added as he gave a dismissing wave to the riled-up court.

After everyone dispersed into their various cliques to discuss their approval or disapproval of the situation, several people walked up towards the paused screen of Issei in his four-winged dragon form.

Among them included Lord and Lady Phenex, Lord Sitri, and Sirzechs himself. Lord Phenex glanced over at the red-haired Maou and sighed, "I don't like the idea of letting this dragon do whatever he wants, but the alternative is certainly much worse. We're very lucky he chose not to kill my son, Riser. Any further attempt to provoke this dragon could lead to the Phenex family being his next target. My daughter, Ravel, has already expressed grave concern over the matter."

"I appreciate your support in our decision, Lord Phenex. You have my apologies about how the Rating Game turned out with Rias and Riser but know that I still like your family a great deal," Sirzechs nodded diplomatically at the golden-haired phoenix devil.

"You're too kind Lucifer-sama," Lady Phenex bowed her head politely.

"It's hard to think that both of my daughters have had personal dealings this…monster." Lord Sitri changed the subject as he pointed at Issei's picture.

Sirzechs sighed, "My sister seems to like him, and so do your daughters apparently. The Lady Serafall Leviathan even claims to be friends with Issei Hyoudou. I'm counting on their good disposition to help ease unnecessary tension between us."

"What?!" Lord Sitri gawked at Sirzechs disbelievingly, "I was aware that Serafall was on good terms with this dragon, but I can hardly believe that they're friends. How could she have ever become friends with a bloodthirsty dragon like this?"

"I spoke with Sona and Rias about Issei before this attack the other day. Both of them have confirmed that he's not inherently violent or bloodthirsty. Oddly enough, he seems more interested in his human academics than anything else. A dragon of his power with no desire to exert it is most certainly a peculiar sight. You'll be interested to know that I asked him if he would be willing to look after Rias and Sona as well as their peerages…he agreed." Sirzechs responded as he turned his head towards Lord Sitri.

The man's eyes widened disbelievingly, "Really? Even after murdering the Astaroth heir, he agreed to look after Rias, Sona, and their peerages? Why?"

"He is not unreasonable, and given the proper respect, he could make a decent ally. It is my belief that Issei Hyoudou simply wants us to respect his autonomy," the red-haired man replied.

"The dragon actually agreed to protect them?!" Lady Phenex gasped.

Sirzechs nodded, "Yes. A small measure of humility and respect goes a long way with dragons. I spoke with Tannin about it after your son's Rating Game. He told me the same thing…you won't win a dragon over unless he respects you."

"Do you suspect anyone will actually disobey your command, Lucifer-sama?" Lord Phenex asked Sirzechs a moment later.

The Maou sighed, "I'm not as concerned about any of the pillars disobeying the order…I'm more worried about a devil from the Old Satan Faction attacking him and Issei Hyoudou not knowing the difference us and them. It should be imperative that he be made aware of the distinction in case they use this opportunity to trick him into attacking us."

Before anyone else could say another word, a voice interrupted them, "Otou-sama, Okaa-sama…"

Both Lord and Lady Phenex turned around when they spotted Ravel standing behind them. Lady Phenex was quick to address her, "Ravel? What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to ask your permission for something…" Ravel began as she took a deep gulp.

"What is it, dear?" Lady Phenex asked her daughter.

"Can Riser and I…umm…can we go on a trip?" Ravel asked carefully.

Lord Phenex rose a brow, "A trip? Are you saying you finally convinced your brother to leave his bedroom and go back outside?"

"Y-yeah…he just wants to get away from the Underworld for a while. I offered to go with him just so he'd be alright. Is it alright if we're gone for a few days?" Ravel asked anxiously.

"Hmph…I'm just glad the boy is finally getting back to normal. Where were you two going to go exactly?" Lord Phenex wondered.

The blonde girl looked away nervously, "Umm…Nii-sama kind of wanted to keep it a secret. He doesn't want anyone bothering him for a little while. I think he's hoping to go regain his mojo or something like that."

"In his state, is it really wise to let him wander off somewhere secretly right now?" Lady Phenex shook her head disapprovingly.

"He'll be okay. I'm going with him to make sure of it. I'm certain the rest of his peerage will want to go as well. Riser onii-sama will be fine," Ravel said reassuringly.

"Very well, Ravel…that's fine with me. You're a sweet sister for doing this for your brother," Lord Phenex nodded.

Ravel nodded her head as she turned to leave, "Thanks…we'll be back in a few days!"

Phenex Mansion

"I'm not doing that, Ravel…" Riser said shaking his head again.

"C'mon! I already convinced mom and dad to let us go on a vacation for a few days! You need to confront this problem, nii-sama!" Ravel complained.

"You're crazy, Ravel…he'll kill me if he ever sees me again. I don't want to end up like Diodora Astaroth! Not even his brother could kill that dragon! If we even look at him funny, our family's next!" Riser said shaking his head.

Ravel sighed over-dramatically, "Well, if you don't go, then I'm going by myself!"

"W-what?! You can't do that!" Riser gasped.

"Yes, I can…and I will too!" Ravel shot back childishly as she put her hands on her hips.

Riser shook his head, "What are you trying to prove, Ravel? He'll kill you! Then he'll kill me and the rest of our family!"

"Really? Because last I checked, he didn't kill any of your peerage or even you during the Rating Game. Even dad mentioned that at the Pillar Meeting with all the Maou. Don't you think that's a little odd considering how easily that dragon murdered Diodora Astaroth? All I'm saying is an apology might go a long way here. You said you wanted to make amends, right?! Here's your chance!" Ravel countered.

"I can't face him again…what do you expect me to say?!" Riser shook his head.

Ravel shrugged, "Anything…I just want you to get over this slump you've been in. Even if he tells us off, at least you'll have faced him again. You'll never advance further as a devil unless you get over this weird depression and dragon phobia of yours."

"Pfft…I guess I don't really have anything to lose here. Worst case scenario is he kills me and the embarrassment of the Phenex family can finally disappear," Riser said distantly.

"Oh will you stop feeling sorry for yourself, please?! Just do it, Riser! If he's willing to go to school with the Sitri and Gremory peerages, then he's not going to kill us for trying to apologize to him!" Ravel ranted logically.

"Fine…but it's just going to be us. I don't want to make a big production out of this," Riser sighed.

Ravel crossed her arms, "You sure? If we don't bring the rest of the peerage, then I don't have any guarantees you'll go through with it. If they know we're going, then you'll have to face them if you chicken out. Not to mention, I already told mom and dad that they were coming with us on a 'trip'. It'd look a little suspicious if we went on a vacation without your servants wouldn't it?"

Riser sighed, "You're both really smart and really stupid at the same time, Ravel…but maybe you're right. Nothing is going to change if I don't try to deal with this."

"If you can't say anything, then just let me do the talking. You just being there would be enough to make him take it far more seriously. Still, try to think of something to say," Ravel tried to drive her point home.

"So you didn't tell mother and father about where we were actually going then?" Riser confirmed.

Ravel nodded, "Of course I didn't tell them! You think mom would let you near that guy after what happened?!"

"Well…let's get this over with then," Riser said with noticeable doubt in his voice.

"C'mon Riser, we'll get it over with, and then we'll go do something fun, yeah?!" Ravel tried to cheer him up.

Issei's House

Issei awoke the next day not to his typical alarm clock much to his concern. He looked over at the clock confused as he realized it was nearly 11 A.M.

'What the hell?! Did I oversleep? Ah whatever…I need a break from school today anyways. We got that stupid parent teacher crap tonight. At least Red will be there though. That ought to be awesome!' Issei thought.

As he rested his head back down on the pillow, he then realized that he wasn't alone on his bed. Both Irina and Xenovia were clutched on either side of him tangled in his bedsheets. Irina was wearing some type of nightgown and Xenovia was in her underwear and a t-shirt.

'Did they spend the night in here with me? I guess I can't blame them. After that kidnapping, they probably feel safer sleeping next to me. Still…not bad waking up next to two pretty girls. I'm glad they're both okay…' Issei thought as he looked between the sleeping girls.

Deciding not to disturb them, he carefully freed himself from their holds as he got out of bed. Issei yawned as he picked up his phone and checked it a moment later.

'28 unread messages…seriously?!' he sighed as he put some casual clothes on and walked into his living room. Issei sat down on the couch a moment later as he began to read over them. 6 of them were from his parents saying they would be home in two days and that their flight back got delayed due to bad weather. He made sure to send an acknowledgement response to them before checking the other messages.

'I seriously need to come up with a better solution for keeping mom and dad safe. It's not like I can train them,' Issei thought for a moment.

'Maybe you should move out of your parents' house and get your own place? Something a bit more isolated so that they won't be noticed or bothered by all the devils and angels that frequent your house,' Ddraig suggested.

Issei thought for a moment, 'Hmm…that's a good idea. Though mom and dad have been a bit concerned about me never being around the past few months. I shouldn't get a place too far away from them. I know mom will want to visit. Just something far away enough to negate any weirdos showing up around them. I can't even imagine how mom or dad would react to seeing all the girls that have come to the door recently…especially Kalawarner in that soapland getup she wears. Aww shit…I hope the neighbors don't say anything weird to them.'

'Do you have any other ideas that might work in protecting your parents?' Ddraig wondered.

'I think I'll create some defensive ward spells around the house and set it up with a warning beacon so I can easily use a portal to arrive here if they need help. Also, with my new house being a reasonable distance away, my parents can avoid all the weird supernatural traffic that follows me. That just leaves me with what kind of place to get. It should definitely be big enough to train the girls at, but they'll probably just want to live there if I get something with a bunch of bedrooms and what not. I suppose that's fine, but I guess it means I bought Irina's old house for nothing,' Issei brainstormed.

Ddraig chimed in with gruff wisdom, 'I'm certain you can find a use for it.'

'Actually…I can outfit it as a tracking station that can alert my phone when and if my parents ever come to visit me. It would also work well in setting up a portal location to gateway back there quickly,' Issei was already beginning to come up with plans.

He pushed those current musings aside as he began to delve into the remaining 22 text messages.

4:37 A.M. [My heart is beating so fast that I can't even sleep right now. I can't believe you accepted my friendship, but I'm so happy that you did! This is Ingvild btw, but I'm sure you figured that out already.]

4:39 A.M. [I guess you're probably asleep right now, but I'm so excited to finally text you! Do you know how surreal it's been having your email for this long and never messaging you until tonight? Part of me always wondered how you would react to it.]

4:40 A.M. [I just realized something really stupid…I could have texted you instead of writing you a letter. LOL, how embarrassing. I guess I never thought of that, but a random text just seems more impersonal. It might have come across as a prank. Still I suppose it could have saved you from some embarrassment at school. Sorry again for all the rumors it started about you!]

4:51 A.M. [You're probably really tired…I hope to see you at school tomorrow! Btw, I'm kind of intimidated by some of your friends, so don't mind me if I'm a bit shy tomorrow.]

'She's like the complete opposite of Serafall but has some of the same quirks. They're both equally as weird though. Two Leviathans now…at this point I wouldn't even be surprised if a third one just appeared out of nowhere and tried to kill me,' Issei laughed.

5:01 A.M. [You certainly know how to impress a girl; I'll give you that. Teaming up with Gabriel though…that seems really strange even for you. I have some bad news for you Issei…I found out that Diodora Astaroth, the devil shitbag that you killed, was actually part of the Khaos Brigade. We'll talk more about it later in person, but you've turned heads all across the board now…and I don't just mean devils, angels, and other dragons.] Vali texted him next.

5:03 A.M. [By the way, Issei, I managed to catch a picture of Kuroka's expression when I showed her the Underworld news. Have a look at this…] Attached to the bottom of the text was a picture of Kuroka looking at a TV with a petrified expression.

Issei actually burst out laughing at it, 'I can't believe Vali got a picture of that. Maybe now that cat girl will think twice about turning her nose up at me. She's still on my shit list for that stunt she pulled with the little yokai fox girl. Wait…is Vali spending the night with her or something?'

5:06 A.M. [Also, I thought you might like this.] To Issei's complete disbelief, Vali sent him a selfie of her in casual clothes. She was dressed rather 'cool' in his opinion with leather chaps over her pants, a green V-neck shirt, and a leather jacket. A chain hung from her belt as well. She was giving a peace sign pose, and in the background, he saw Tiamat passed out on the bed wearing blue lingerie. The funniest part about the picture was the cute little cartoon dragons on Tiamat's bedsheets.

5:07 A.M. [She's still asleep, but I can't wait to see how she reacts to the news. I gave her your number the other day too…enjoy.]

'Oh shit…' Issei thought already imagining some of the next few messages would be from her.

5:48 A.M. [I know you're still asleep, Issei, but I just wanted to tell you that I'll be watching after you and your friends much closer from now on. It's a safety precaution of course, and I don't want to let you down again. Don't be surprised if you see me around a bit more often!] a text from Gabriel came with a wink emoji.

'She probably figured out I had illusion magic after that move I pulled on Ajuka Beelzebub. Training the girls will be a bit difficult with her snooping around, but that also guarantees them some protection as well. I'll see what I can do to make that work in my favor…' Issei thought over the possibilities.

6:02 A.M. [ISSEI-CHAN! I heard you attacked the Underworld! Is everything okay?!] a message from none other than Serafall was filled with emojis.

'Oh damn…I haven't even thought about how Serafall was going to take this. I haven't seen her in a while. I feel kind of bad for her. She defended me to the other Maou and then I go and kill Diodora and torch a district. Well…that's why she can't actually be my girlfriend. At least we didn't get too close before this happened,' Issei thought rationally as he tried to dismiss his concerns over Serafall.

6:03 A.M. [Are you still asleep right now?! Please message me as soon as you can! I'm worried about you!] another message followed.

'She's worried about me? I attacked her people though…' Issei thought shaking his head.

6:13 A.M. [I just finished watching Sirzy-chan's public statement about the attack. I'm so sorry your friends were kidnapped, Issei-chan. I would have killed Diodora too if he would have done that to my sister or one of my peerage members! He's despicable and even his brother had to have realized that. I'm so relieved that Aju-chan didn't hurt you either! I would have never forgiven him if he did! I'm amazed you fought him though! My Issei-chan is even stronger than I thought. Next time call me though! I would have gladly backed you up and I wouldn't have let Aju-chan fight you either! He'd have to go through me if he wanted to lay a hand on you!]

'Wow…Serafall is such a sweet person. I can still hardly believe she's a Maou. She said she would have backed me up. Hmm, I never expected something like that.' Issei thought distantly. While the idea of Serafall helping him did seem nice, it wouldn't have conveyed the message he was trying to send to the Maou…and that was that they couldn't finesse him with their bullshit. Serafall's help would have been sincere, but they would have seen him as weak if he relied on her to rescue his friends. At least in the case of Gabriel, it showed that he was above having to rely on any devil politically.

6:16 A.M. [There's something that really bothered me about the whole thing though. The news said that the Archangel Seraph Gabriel was there helping you…and that you were allied with the Heavens! Is that true?!] this text was filled with worried and angry face emojis.

6:18 A.M. [Gabriel might have bigger boobs than me, but don't be taken in by her false charms, Issei-chan! How did she convince you to side with the angels?! She better not try to claim you either! I'll fight her if she does! She has no right to take you for herself!]

'What? Serafall doesn't like Gabriel?' Issei thought curiously.

6:20 A.M. [I just realized something! She could have been spying on you this entire time! Damn her! I'll challenge her to a fight and put an end to that!] Serafall continued.

6:21 A.M. [She's my eternal rival and I'll never let her take you away from me!]

6:21 A.M. [I…I mean that came off a little possessive. I'm not saying you're mine to keep. I just mean we're really good friends and I'm trying to protect you!)

6:22 A.M. [Oh no…I should have worded that better. This is so awkward! Please don't take it the wrong way, Issei-chan! I just care about you.]

6:22 A.M. [I mean your well-being! Anyways, I'll see you at the parent teacher night hopefully! Don't worry about any devils coming after you either! I'll kick anyone's ass if they even dream about doing something bad to you!] Serafall messaged with a winky face emoji.

Issei took a deep breath, 'Serafall is going to be there too? Oh man…this might actually be really awkward tonight. Still, I guess it wouldn't hurt to catch up with her for a few minutes. The fact that she was worried about me is surprising. I'm glad she still considers me a friend though.'

6:54 A.M. [Of all the people you had to stand up to, you chose Ajuka?! Jeez, Issei…you're both a fearless badass and a complete moron! Granted, I totally understand your anger since that piece of shit Diodora kidnapped your human friends. I heard some rumors that you have four wings?! Is that true?! I'm dying to see that for myself! Btw, you should know that everyone in the Underworld knows who you are now…and I mean EVERYONE!] A message that was presumably from Tiamat stated.

6:59 A.M. [Sirzechs Lucifer said on the news that you're theorized to be above Dragon King level in terms of power. I guess that explains why you gave me a domination stare a couple weeks ago. You might have been concealing your power, but you couldn't hide your dominance or your pride huh? That might explain why Crom Cruach didn't try to kill you too. I always knew you were at least as powerful as I am, and now it's confirmed. You definitely belong with me…] Tiamat followed up.

'What? Belong with her? Don't tell me she's going to start pursuing me now.' Issei cocked his head confused by her wording.

'Don't worry, Issei. The moment she learns about you being the Sekiryuutei, she will just try to kill you instead,' Ddraig commented.

'As if that makes it any better. I imagine it won't be long. It's kind of a shame that I have to be enemies with Tiamat and Vali though. They can be annoying, but I really don't want to kill them. Vali's got some fucked up priorities and Tiamat is just a yandere dragon. They're weird, but they're not inherently bad people. Unfortunately, one way or another, I'll have to fight them eventually. I know I can win, but if they both have one of those snakes from Ophis, then it'll be really difficult to beat them without killing them,' Issei sighed.

'It's inevitable. If you get rid of them both, then you won't have to worry about any dragon rivals other than Crom Cruach,' Ddraig pointed out.

Issei shook his head, 'That's a last case scenario. Killing other dragons seems pointless to me. I just don't understand what they both hope to achieve by being in the Khaos Brigade. Vali wants power and revenge, but what does Tiamat want? Did Ophis coerce them into joining? I feel like I'm missing part of the story here. Tiamat is in no danger of being sealed into a sacred gear...especially since the Maou trust her.'

'Tiamat seems concerned about the waning dragon population and has a priority for survival and freedom. Maybe she hopes that by following Ophis, it can lead to the betterment of her own power and Dragon-kind in general. There's also the fact that she and Vali knew they could find the Sekiryuutei through Ophis as well,' Ddraig theorized.

'Tiamat follows the strongest. Vali and Ophis are both more powerful than her without a doubt. Maybe she feels a greater sense of racial identity by working with them even if it jeopardizes her own safe position in the Underworld? It also seems likely that she's aware of things that the devils don't know. I doubt she would betray them unless she actually had some idea of what the Khaos Brigade was capable of,' Issei added.

'Regardless of how you feel on the matter, you'll have to fight them and a lot of other people from the Khaos Brigade…especially if they're going after Great Red,' Ddraig noted.

'True enough…I'll cross that bridge when we come to it,' Issei sighed.

10:55 A.M. [I got this number from my sister. This is Sona Sitri. I apologize for sending you a message on your phone without asking, Hyoudou-kun, but I thought you should know that Riser Phenex and his sister came by to talk to me earlier. They were asking me where you lived. Please don't freak out or kill them. I didn't sense any ill intentions.]

Issei immediately started texting Sona back on his phone, [What?! You told those people where I live?! Why are they coming over here?!]

A few seconds passed before Issei got a response, [They wouldn't say, but they assured me that they were not here to provoke you in any way.]

[How long ago was this?] he asked immediately.

[Fifteen minutes ago.] Sona messaged back.

Issei sighed heavily, 'What the hell? What could they possibly want with me?'

A moment later, his doorbell rang. He already shook his head as he dreadfully approached it. The delinquent calmly opened the door after taking a deep breath and looked outside. As expected, he saw Riser and Ravel Phenex. What he wasn't expecting though was his entire peerage.

Before he could even take in their reactions or theorize on why all of them would possibly be there, he overheard one of his neighbors talking, "That hooligan Hyoudou boy invites a lot of girls into his house. What must his poor parents think?"

'Yeah, we're house hunting later tonight, Ddraig…and I'm also going to find a way to mind wipe my neighbors. Maybe I'll have Gremory do it…she said she still owed me,' Issei thought as he briefly saw his neighbors shuffle out of his line of sight.

'Sounds like a plan to me,' Ddraig chuckled at Issei's cringing.

During his brief mental musings, Issei didn't realize that he had been awkwardly silent to the Phenex devils now in front of his door. They all looked noticeably anxious and some a bit fearful as the dragon finally looked at them with curious intensity.

Focusing his attention on Riser directly, Issei finally spoke, "Sitri sent me a text and said you were looking for me. You better have a good reason for being here. What do you want?"

Riser looked down for a moment as he tried to find some measure of resolve. None of the girls in his peerage looked like they knew what to say either. After another awkward silence, Ravel finally answered, "My brother, Riser, wanted to apologize to you. We're here to make amends…"

"Huh?" Issei deadpanned as his eyes widened disbelievingly.

"We all saw the news…we saw what happened to Diodora Astaroth. Seeing that made me realize how easily you could have killed us in the Rating Game. We have no wish to be on bad terms with you and we're here on behalf of the Phenex family to offer our sincerest apologies," Ravel followed up as she glanced over at Riser and nudged him. It looked like she was trying to encourage him to say something.

Issei crossed his arms as he looked at Ravel, "Is this some kind of joke? You're seriously here to apologize to me?"

"It's not a joke, Issei Hyoudou," Riser finally found his resolve as he looked up and spoke, "the only joke is me and my stupid ego for thinking it was a good idea to pick a fight with a dragon. I…I've never actually encountered one in battle before you. It's easy for devils to think we're the top of the food chain, but that's not the case is it? There's a reason every faction in the world fears dragons. My sister was right…you could have easily murdered every one of us, and you didn't. Clearly you have no concerns about the repercussions of killing devils considering what you did to Diodora. That left me wondering…why didn't you kill any of us?"

"I don't know…you probably would have died without your Phenex regeneration. But to be honest, I guess it's because you didn't do anything to personally wrong me. Other than your queen for destroying my uniform and you being a complete tool, I didn't really hate you guys. Hell, the whole reason I was in that Rating Game was so Sitri would enroll my friends at Kuoh Academy. I wasn't even going to do it until you started shit talking me. As for Diodora Astaroth…I killed him because he kidnapped my friends and threatened to defile them," Issei shrugged.

"Diodora did that!? Why?" Ravel asked curiously.

"He's a complete fool for even attempting that," Riser's queen, Yubelluna, shook her head.

"He assumed I wouldn't be able to find him and said that even if I could, he was politically protected from me retaliating. He was counting on his big brother, Beelzebub to protect him too. That didn't stop me. I murdered that prick for kidnapping my friends and to make an example out of him. The reason I didn't murder you guys is because I didn't really have a reason to. Riser, you're a complete douchebag, but that only deserved a brutal ass-beating. Diodora's actions deserved torture and death." Issei elaborated.

"Let me get this straight…you fought in the Rating Game just so your friends could get enrolled in your school?! Who are these friends anyways, and why was Diodora interested in kidnapping them?" Ravel asked inquisitively.

Issei sighed, "They're two exorcists…regular humans attached to the church. From what I learned, Diodora's entire peerage was made out of former nuns and what not. He mentioned something about adding them to his collection. The guy had a fetish for raping holy maidens and converting them into devils."

"Seriously?! Diodora was like that? He always seemed nice when I saw him…" Ravel trailed off disbelievingly.

"I never trusted the guy…but it's still disturbing to hear he was like that," Riser managed to speak again.

Issei crossed his arms as he stared at Riser for a moment, "I have to admit, I don't really know how to react to this. I never expected you would come near me again unless it was for revenge or something. Usually beating sense into people doesn't work."

"I won't lie to you…this isn't wholly genuine sincerity. It's more out of fear to be completely honest. Please just forget everything I said to you and don't attack my family. I'll gladly stay out of your way and encourage other devils to do so as well," Riser responded.

"Just the fact that you had the balls to show up here and apologize is enough for me man. I'm honestly amazed you even would. That kind of humility deserves respect…especially considering you're a devil. For that alone, I'll gladly honor your request. We're cool now," Issei replied with calm approval.

Riser looked at Issei confused, "You're a very unusual person, Issei Hyoudou. I find it bizarre that a dragon of your power isn't more relevant in the mythological world. You yourself are very prideful, but you live below the radar for some reason. Why?"

"To be honest, it's because I didn't want devils, angels, and whoever else to bother me in my life. I only wanted power so I could be a true dragon and live free," Issei explained distantly.

"Why do you go to Kuoh Academy then if you want to avoid devils?" Riser asked curiously.

Issei shrugged, "I don't know, maybe because I live in this town and it's convenient. I'd transfer to Kyoto, but it's probably full of yokai and what not. The devils might claim to have 'territory' in this part of the earth, but that's not going to stop me from going where I want."

"I suppose a being of your power has nothing to fear from devils or angels anyway. Why do the angels like you though?" Riser wondered.

Seeing his neighbors starting to spy on him through their windows, Issei facepalmed. He glanced at the 16 members devils in front of him and sighed, "My neighbors are staring, come inside and we'll finish talking alright?"

All of them looked surprised by Issei's invitation into his house and slowly took his offer as the dragon stepped aside and let them enter.

'This is bizarre…you're letting them into your house?' Ddraig asked.

'The guy's apologizing to me, Ddraig…I'm not going to be a petty douche and just tell him to fuck off,' Issei explained rationally.

After all 16 devils were in Issei's house, he closed the door and addressed them again, "You guys can sit down if you want."

Reluctantly, about 10 of the girls in Riser's peerage sat down on Issei's two couches. Riser, Ravel, and a couple of the others remained standing. Among them included Siris, Xuelan, Isabela, and some of Riser's pawns.

Ravel looked around at Issei's house curiously, "You live in this tiny house?"

"I'm probably going to upgrade soon, but yeah. I imagine you guys live in a castle or a mansion, right?" Issei asked.

"We live in the Phenex Mansion. It's an eyrie-like Castle in the mountains of the Underworld," Ravel answered.

"An eyrie? So your castle is like an eagle's nest you mean? I suppose it makes sense phoenixes would live like birds," Issei chuckled briefly.

Ravel looked like she wanted to pipe off, but quickly remembered who she was talking to, "Yes, it's sort of like that."

Xuelan walked over and looked at a picture on the wall of a younger Issei with his parents. It was a picture of them on vacation at Hawaii. The Chinese devil girl stared at it curiously, "Are these your parents?"

"My human parents…yeah. Please don't snoop around," Issei replied briefly. Xuelan immediately walked away and back towards the living room couches.

Riser glanced at the picture as Xuelan passed him, "Which one of them is the dragon."

"They're both human…I became a dragon through different means which is honestly none of your business. Make sure the rest of your devil friends know to never touch my parents or I'll murder every last person in the Underworld," Issei said darkly.

Many of them flinched from Issei's hostile threat. Riser nodded immediately, "I would never dare to attack anyone you consider kin."

"The Maou had a meeting about you earlier today. Lucifer-sama ordered every devil in the Underworld to leave you alone. If any devil does try anything, just know that they're not with us," Ravel fearfully added.

Issei crossed his arms, "Yeah, you're talking about the Old Satan Faction, right?"

"Y-yes…what do you know about them?" Ravel asked.

"I know they're a bunch of assholes, and I know they might think I'm stupid enough to attack your faction instead of theirs. Trust me…I'll know the difference," Issei said with stoicism.

Despite his coldness, Ravel let out a sigh of relief. Riser looked down for a moment as he spoke again, "I guess your parents being human might explain why you befriend and protect weaker beings."

"I'm friends with a lot of people. Angels, devils, dragons, and humans. I don't care what faction they're in or how famous or irrelevant they are. You can't live your life behind labels and titles. People that care too much about that crap are all a bunch of fakes anyway. None of that means anything to me. People who I like, deserve my respect because I know that they genuinely like me back. I also live humbly so I can get people to like me for who I am. If everyone knew how strong I was, they'd be kissing my ass out the gates and I wouldn't be able to tell who was genuine and who wasn't. Think about it from your position for a moment, Riser. How many people truly had your back after I beat the shit out of you and knocked your pride into the ground?" the brunette stated.

Riser's eyes went wide for a moment as he contemplated the question. He looked away shamefully, "Not many…in fact I turned into a laughing stock. Even my own peerage thinks less of me now. When I rewatched the battle in the hospital, I heard what you said to Yubelluna. You were right…nobody has looked at me the same ever since my humiliating defeat. I can't even take pride in my own strength anymore, because I'm a failure."

"Riser-sama, that's not true!" Yubelluna tried to reassure him.

He quickly interrupted her, "It is true, Yubelluna. None of you respect me anymore because I'm weak."

Issei crossed his arms as he watched several other girls try to voice their opinions on the matter.

"Riser-sama, we never once thought lesser of you for the outcome of the battle!" Siris added emotionally.

"Issei Hyoudou was able to fight a Maou! You're not weak for losing to him, Riser-sama!" Xuelan said strongly.

"Onii-sama, stop feeling sorry for yourself…this is embarrassing." Ravel cringed.

Issei let several of the others speak before he himself finally commented, "It's only when we're at our lowest that we know who our real friends are. All the devils that made fun of you for losing to me, don't actually care about you. Your peerage on the other hand does…forget that they're not high-class or pure-breed devils. They're still with you and they still care. Maybe you should see people for who they are and not what they are."

'I can't believe I'm playing therapist to Riser Phenex of all people…" Issei thought to himself.

'It's rare for a high-class devil to humble himself like this…I think he did learn his lesson,' Ddraig replied.

"Until recently, I never would have believed that kind of perspective was possible. Though humiliation taught me a lot about myself and my peers. I think you're right, Issei Hyoudou…" Riser nodded understandingly.

"I have a question for you, Riser…what exactly is your goal in life?" Issei asked.

Riser perked up from his distant staring as he thought for a moment. He shook his head and laughed weakly, "You'll laugh at this…but I always wanted to be a Maou."

"Why?" the dragon responded immediately.

"Well, to start, I'm the youngest of three sons in the Phenex Family. Ravel and I are the youngest children. I will never inherit the family house as I am not the heir. I don't have the fame my oldest brother, Ruval, does either. I was practically invisible until my undefeated Rating Game streak," Riser began.

"Middle child syndrome, huh? Is that why you act like a tool?" Issei interjected.

"I suppose you could say that, but there's more to it. I act brazen and prideful so people will acknowledge me as more than what I am. My success in the Rating Games started giving me a big head, I guess. I truly believed I was stronger than all the young devils except Sairaorg. I thought I could eventually become a Maou and earn the true respect of the Underworld. Since I could never inherit the Phenex House, I could at least become a Maou. Even marrying Rias Gremory would have elevated my status to something of worth in the eyes of the nobility and my parents. Now I'm just destined to mediocrity and obscurity. Riser Phenex is a joke now." Riser continued.

Issei rolled his eyes at him disbelievingly, "Fuck those people, man. That's a dumb reason to get stronger. I don't know why devils feel like they have to get strong to impress others. Becoming a Maou just so they'll acknowledge you is retarded. Get stronger for your own sake…and for your real friends. I promise that the moment you stop letting other people's opinions define you is the moment you'll actually have real pride in who you are."

Riser's peerage all looked a bit anxious and surprised by Riser's confession and humility. None of them dared to interrupt at they stared at their master. He couldn't find the words to say as he looked away from them. It looked like he was trying not to cry much to Issei's disbelief.

"Do you think it's possible I could become a Maou if I had the right reason?" Riser finally managed to speak again after regaining control of his emotions.

"Honestly, yes, but even if you don't then who cares? It's a useless title. I think you should focus more on being who you want to be, rather than living your life for people that don't give a shit about you. Get stronger to protect your sister, your family, and your peerage over there. You're already on the right path now considering you were willing to admit your mistakes. Dedicate your life to a pure goal and ignore every naysayer along the way. If you actually become a Maou for that reason and through hard work, then I'll respect the hell out of you," Issei lectured.

After a moment of astonishment, Riser stared at Issei, "I misjudged you a great deal. You're right…about everything. I have a lot to learn as a devil and as a man."

"Don't take this as me acting like I know what's best for anyone. I'm not perfect either. All I'm saying is that you'll have much greater success and pride if your purpose is pure and true. That's what being a true dragon is all about. I see no reason why you can't live that way either," the delinquent concluded.

Riser nodded approvingly, "I appreciate your words, Issei Hyoudou…I will take them to heart."

"If you're serious about all of this, then we could be friends too, I guess. Assuming you don't have a problem with a renegade dragon punk like me," Issei chuckled.

"Even after all of this, you think we could be friends?" Riser said disbelievingly.

Issei shrugged, "That's up to you, but I already like you a lot more just for apologizing and manning up to me. I respect you more now than I do the current Maou if that's any indication of where I stand on the matter."

"We'll see how it goes then, but I'm grateful for your respect, Issei Hyoudou," Riser nodded.

"You guys can call me Issei if you want. Everyone already does," the delinquent replied casually.

"I have a question, Issei. What are your goals exactly? You were mentioning that you want to be a 'true dragon' and I was wondering what you meant by it. Is it just a mindset, or do you also want to become a full-fledged dragon instead of being a half-breed?" Ravel interjected curiously.

The delinquent chuckled, "It is a mindset, but it's not something I can easily explain. To be a true dragon is live free and powerful. Most dragons in the world are either serving someone or they're in sacred gears. That's not a life I intend to live."

Riser tilted his head for a moment, "So you just want to live a peaceful and free life?"

"Sort of…like I said, it's complicated to explain. Still, that's why I just live away from all the politics. Pedigree and ass-kissing is all politics are. You're all devils, so I can't blame you for living that way, but I refuse to be anyone's pet or peon. If that gets me killed then, so be it. I'll die proud of who I am and what I believe in," Issei explained.

"That makes a lot of sense. I don't know much about dragons, but come to think of it, I rarely ever see one of great power that isn't a servant of someone. From your perspective, it would make sense why you wouldn't want to be a lower tier in someone else's hierarchy. You're powerful so you can be free," Riser replied understandingly.

With the tension now comfortably dissipated, Xuelan decided to speak to Issei again, "I apologize for my rude behavior towards you in the Rating Game. I thought you were some weird pervert."

"It's all good…I sort of am, but I keep that on the down low," Issei laughed briefly causing Xuelan's face to redden with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry I burned your uniform," Yubelluna added.

"It's over now, so don't sweat it," Issei smirked.

"I am curious about something, Issei…why are you aligned with the angels if you don't believe in politics?" Riser asked.

The dragon sighed, "That's a long story…the seraph Gabriel was sort of looking after my human friends, Irina and Xenovia. They came to this town looking for Excalibur fragments that the church and the Fallen Angels were gathering. Gabriel said she was interested in being allies with me and offered to look after all of us. I sort of agreed, but I'm not exactly allied with Heaven. Just Gabriel, personally. Gabriel's the one who went and started declaring that bullshit to the Maou. I'm technically still rogue."

"I see…well that's certainly unusual, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at this point," Riser nodded.

Ravel stared at Issei intensely for a moment, "I heard you were friends with Lady Serafall Leviathan. Is that actually true?!"

"Yeah, Serafall and I are friends. It's funny, she didn't know I was a dragon and I didn't know she was a devil when we first met. We…umm…kind of met at a convention," Issei admitted.

"Convention?" Ravel deadpanned.

"Yeah…an anime and gaming convention," Issei followed up.

Ravel gawked at him, "Wait…you're this thug dragon hardass and you're into that geeky stuff?!"

"Like I said…I do what I want, and I like what I like. Anyone who laughs at it can go fuck themselves. With that being said, I'm not trying to be some otaku weirdo. I keep that shit to myself for the most part." Issei replied.

"Fair point, I suppose…" Ravel nodded.

Xuelan glanced at Issei and took a step closer, "You kept calling me some name in the Rating Game. Chun something…was that some character?"

"Oh, you've never actually seen Chun Li?! You seriously look just like her…except your hair is black instead of brown." Issei said disbelievingly.

"Should I have? Riser-sama recruited me 60 years ago…" Xuelan replied.

Issei grinned as he pulled out his phone and began to search the internet for a moment, "Well, this is Chun Li…you look just like her."

Xuelan and many of the others got closer or leaned in as they tried to get a view of the picture on Issei's phone. Xuelan immediately got flustered as she shook her head, "I look NOTHING like that!"

"Hey, don't take it badly. It's actually a compliment," Issei laughed.

Riser looked at the picture briefly, "You do actually look like her, Xuelan."

"You're already off to a good start, Riser…you got Chun Li in your peerage," Issei laughed.

"That girl's legs are way bigger than mine! I don't look that bulky, do I?!" Xuelan shrieked self-consciously.

"Sadly, no…she's thicker than you are. Still, you see what I mean now don't you?" the delinquent smirked.

"Wow, I thought you were just being a jerk. She really does look like her," Isabela spoke for the first time as she looked between the picture and Xuelan.

Siris crossed her arms, "What's this character even from? Some weirdo porn game?"

"No, it's Street Fighter, but don't mind that anymore. I just thought it was funny," Issei replied as he put his phone away.

The Chinese devil girl blushed full of embarrassment as several of the others actually acknowledged the resemblance.

"Nya, you do look like her, Xuelan," Ni added.

"With bigger legs and lighter hair, I could see the resemblance," Mihae added with calm amusement.

"You should feel flattered, Xuelan," Marion added.

After their various remarks, Karlamine, took a step towards Issei and knelt down before him. He gave her a quizzical look as she spoke respectfully, "I, Karlamine, knight of the House of Phenex offer my sincerest appreciation towards you. You are very honorable for the respect you have shown to us and Riser-sama himself. You have our eternal gratitude for your hospitality."

"Umm…thanks I guess," Issei replied as he felt a bit awkward from her chivalrous action.

It was at that exact moment, that Xenovia walked into the living room. Xenovia, still in her underwear and a T-shirt and walked into the room groggily, "Hey, Issei, who are you talking to?"

Her grogginess immediately went away when she saw the devils. Without wasting a second, Xenovia pulled her Excalibur out of nowhere as she brought it up, "What's going on?!"

Irina, quick to hear the commotion followed up by running in with her own sword. Both girls quickly calmed down when they realized that Issei looked passive. They didn't recognize the Phenex peerage devils and stared at them curiously.

Karlamine immediately leapt up as she reflexively reached for her sword. She calmed down a moment later when she realized that Xenovia and Irina were both dressed rather…crudely.

"Issei, who are they?! What are devils doing here?" Irina asked with noticeable hostility. It wasn't surprising considering her recent abduction.

"Relax, girls…they're just here to talk to me. These are the devils I fought against in the Rating Game for Gremory," Issei explained.

"What are they doing here?" Xenovia wondered.

"W-what was she doing kneeling down like that?!" Irina demanded.

"I was humbly offering my appreciation and sincerity to your master for his honorable hospitality," Karlamine answered.

"I'm not their master…they're just my friends," Issei clarified immediately.

Ravel looked at the two girls and was quick to point out something obvious, "Why are you two dressed like that?"

"We just woke up. I was a bit surprised when Issei wasn't in bed, and I assumed something was happening when I heard him talking in the living room," Xenovia answered.

"W-wait…you two slept with him?!" Ravel blushed at the thought.

"Yes, we did," Xenovia replied carelessly.

Irina on the other hand looked embarrassed, "It's not what you think. We just felt safer sleeping next to Issei."

"O-oh…" Ravel trailed off.

"So these are your friends? I guess I can see why Diodora wanted them now. They're pretty," Riser noted.

Karlamine immediately gave Xenovia a curious look, "You two are both swordswomen?"

"Yeah, we're exorcists, but we fancy ourselves templars," Xenovia explained.

"Impressive swords…I would very much like a chance to spar with you. I can always appreciate another warrior who wields a sword," Karlamine replied.

Ravel scoffed at the interaction, "Oh no, don't get her started on swords..."

Xenovia tilted her head, "I don't have a problem with that so long as it's okay with Issei."

"Issei-sama, do you think it would be possible for our peerage to train with you and your friends?" Karlamine asked.

Riser looked a bit surprised by her request and immediately glanced at Issei. The dragon looked at Karlamine for a moment before turning to Riser, "That's fine with me, I guess. I'm moving to a bigger house soon, so I'll let you guys come visit if you want. Maybe I could teach Riser a few things too."

"You would be willing to do that?" Riser asked shocked.

"Sure, why not…just give me a head's up before you come over. I'm kind of a private person," Issei replied.

"How would you like me to do that?" Riser asked.

"Just text me or something. You got a phone, right?" the dragon responded.

Riser shook his head, "Actually I don't, but my sister Ravel does."

"Alright, well I'll just get her number then," Issei nodded as he turned towards the drill haired blonde.

"That would work. Ravel is practically my secretary anyways," Riser said with a nod.

She looked completely flustered, "Nii-sama! I…I've never given my number to a boy before."

"Do you need to get parental permission first?" Issei teased her.

"N-no! Our parents don't actually know that we came here. We're technically not allowed to interact with you," Ravel said nervously.

"A rulebreaker eh? It's always the ones you least expect…" Issei grinned.

Ravel shyly reached out her hand, "Give me your phone…I'll put my number in."

"Okay…go ahead," he nodded as he handed it to the girl.

She quickly sent a message to her number from Issei's phone and saved her contact information in it. Without wasting any time she handed the phone back to him, "There…just don't send me any weird pictures, got it?"

"Issei, are we still going to parent teacher night later?" Xenovia asked out of the blue.

Irina was quick to notice the interest everyone had in the topic as they all looked at Issei. He sighed to himself, 'You have the worst timing, Xenovia…'

"Yeah, we're still going," he nodded.

"Do you mind if we go to that event as well? I'd like to speak with Rias and Lucifer-sama. I imagine they're both going to be there yes?" Riser trailed off.

"If you want…either way I'll be there," Issei shrugged.

'Great…now all of these guys are going too?! This shit is already going to be awkward enough with Rias and Sona's families showing up. Come to think of it, what the hell will they say if they see me palling around with Riser? Ah whatever…at this point who gives a shit. At least Red will be there to make it fun.'

Before the situation could get more awkward, Issei sighed, "Well anyways, thanks for coming by and apologizing guys. I'll be seeing you around later tonight I guess."

Without another word, the devils all departed his house one by one. Issei was truly thankful that Raynare and Kalawarner didn't show up today as he couldn't even begin to imagine how awkward it would have been.

After they were all gone, Issei let out a sigh of relief. Irina walked up to Issei shortly afterwards and looked up at him, "What was that all about? They seriously came here to apologize to you?"

"Yeah…it was weird, but I gotta respect the effort at least," Issei nodded.

Xenovia shook her head, "I'm sure a lot more devils will be paying tithes of humility now that you fought a Maou and lived."

"It's whatever…" the brunette said carelessly as he checked the time.

A moment later, he turned towards Xenovia and Irina seriously, "Alright, well we might as well chill for a bit until parent teacher night. You girls go do your thing for a while. I'm going to be at the other house for a few hours."

"What are you going over there for?" Irina wondered.

"Nothing serious…just a side project of mine. I won't be far, so don't worry about anyone coming after you okay?" Issei replied.

'I'm setting up defense wards, alerts, tracking systems, and a stable portal today. I'll want the neighborhood secure for when mom and dad come home. Man tonight is going to be so weird,' Issei thought shaking his head.

Parent Teacher Night, Kuoh Academy

After spending most of the day buying parts and magically materializing necessary equipment, Issei had finally set up Irina's old house and his own with a security system. It would alert him to any supernatural being coming within 400 meters of the house. With that matter settled, he felt much more comfortable about his parents coming home soon.

'One less thing to worry about. Once I get tonight over with, we're going to finish house hunting, Ddraig,' Issei said with satisfaction as he rode on his motorcycle towards Kuoh Academy. He soon passed through the front gates to the school and casually parked next to Vali and Tiamat who were both beaming with amusement as they leaned against their bikes.

After getting off and parking, Issei glanced at the two dragons curiously. Vali was dressed in her uniform again, and so was Tiamat unsurprisingly.

"You looked good in that picture you sent me, Vali. That was a cool outfit," Issei remarked.

"Hmph, thanks, Issei…I thought it was something up your alley," Vali smirked.

"What picture?" Xenovia asked curiously.

"Ah nothing serious...I just sent Issei a selfie from earlier," Vali smirked.

As Xenovia and Irina both reacted in their typical ways, Issei felt Tiamat jump on his back. She was quick to playfully and loosely wrap her arms around his neck as she brought her legs up, "Carry me, Issei!"

"What the hell are you doing, Tiamat?" Issei tried to flake her off as he moved from side to side.

"You smell good today…better than usual," Tiamat said approvingly as she sniffed his hair.

"Why are you acting so weird?" Issei sighed as the blue haired dragon finally got off of him.

She smiled at him playfully, "You're worthy enough for me."

"Come again?" he deadpanned.

"I will for you," Tiamat said suggestively.

'Oh no…don't tell me she's in full dere mode now that I've flexed my power and fought Ajuka Beelzebub,' Issei thought horrified.

"Excuse me?! What did you just say!?" Irina interrupted.

Before an argument could break out, Issei stopped them, "Does this mean you're going to stop being a bitch, Tiamat?"

"Don't get your hopes that high…but I'll stop goading you now if you want," she giggled.

"Please do…it was getting annoying," he replied.

Vali stared at Issei briefly, "If we get the chance later, I want to talk to you alone, Issei."

"Sure thing, Vali. Let's go ahead and get inside girls," Issei announced as he and his entourage entered the school.

Upon entering, the school was decorated and filled with students, teachers, parents, siblings, and all manner of other guests. Despite how crowded it was, everyone immediately noticed Issei's arrival as the chorus of mingling quieted down for a moment.

"Issei-kun!" Someone called out excitedly.

To his complete disbelief, the delinquent saw Gabriel walking hastily towards him. She was currently disguised as a human woman in what looked to be professor's clothing.

'What the actual fuck is this?!' he thought horrified.

"Oh hey Gabriel…" Issei acknowledged her.

"That's Gabriel-sensei to you now. I am your newest history teacher!" she said happily.

Seeing Issei and his friends now interacting, most of the room went back to their own business. Several onlookers were still watching them, however. They mostly included the resident school devils and their families.

"Gabriel-sama…sensei?" Irina said surprised at the woman.

"You're a sensei at this school now? That's amazing!" Xenovia said awestruck.

'How in the world did she pull this off?! Don't tell me Sitri and Gremory let this happen…' Issei wondered.

"Oh yes, I decided it was very important that I keep a much closer eye on Issei and you girls from now on. I asked Sirzechs Lucifer for permission and he agreed to it," Gabriel explained.

Before Issei could even fathom a response to this situation, Sona walked over towards them. She calmly and politely explained the situation, "In light of recent events, Gabriel-sensei insisted on keeping a closer eye on you at this school. Lucifer-sama agreed on the condition that she look after us as well. I was surprised by this turn of events, but it did have an unforeseen problem…my sister didn't approve."

"ISSEI-CHAN!" A familiar voice called out as a black and pink blur blindsided him.

Serafall Leviathan was aggressively clutching onto him in a tight hug as she beamed with excitement, "I'm so happy to see you again. I'm glad you're okay. Did you get my messages?"

"Yes, I did, Serafall. I appreciate your concerns about me, but I'm all good now," he replied.

A moment later, the Maou turned her head towards Gabriel with aggressive hostility, "If she's going to be a teacher here, then I'm going to insist on staying full time in order to make sure she doesn't get any naughty ideas."

"I'm only here to look after Issei and his friends," Gabriel replied with a smile.

Serafall narrowed her gaze at her archrival, "I'm looking after him now…not you."

"I'm afraid I have to insist on ensuring Issei-kun's continued safety and oversight. He is after all under the protection of heaven," Gabriel responded happily.

"Over my dead body! Don't get any ideas about Issei-chan, you…you…YOU BIRD!" Serafall stuttered halfway through her sentence with the childish insult.

Despite her aloof nature, Gabriel seemed aware of Serafall's dislike of her. She tilted her head innocently, "I would prefer no hostilities be involved. I assured Sirzechs Lucifer that I would not harm any devils here."

"W-what? Are you saying you could take me?! Wait until I sparkle!" Serafall countered as she held up her magical girl wand. The fact that she was wearing the Milky Spiral cosplay only added to the weird looks she was getting from some curious onlookers.

"Onee-sama! Please don't do that here!" Sona pleaded with a flushed and embarrassed face.

Serafall quickly stopped herself but looked more than a little heated, "You're lucky Sona-chan is here or I'd kick your butt, Gabriel."

"I'm sorry you don't like me, Lady Leviathan, but there is no reason we both can't be friends with Issei Hyoudou and look after him," Gabriel replied with diplomatic kindness.

'Angels are too nice…it's really creepy to watch,' Issei thought to himself as he watched this brief exchange.

Before their argument could continue, Sirzechs Lucifer arrived along with Rias and most of her peerage. He quickly diffused the tension, "Serafall, I'd appreciate it if you eased up in this matter. I approved of Gabriel being here. I have no issues with your continued oversight here, but I insist that you remain civil with the seraph."

"If you insist, Sirzy-chan…" Serafall pouted.

Glancing over at Vali now, Sirzechs addressed her, "Ah, you must be the girl Grayfia mentioned…Vali was it?"

"I take it you already know who I am?" Vali replied sternly.

The Maou nodded his head, "Yes I do…I know who you are and why you're here, Vali Lucifer."

"Lucifer?" Irina gawked.

Xenovia's head jerked towards the silver haired girl shocked, "So then…she's related to the Lucifer Clan?"

Vali seemed indifferent to their shocked reactions, but nodded nonetheless, "I'm only a half-devil, so it's not like I'm in deep with the Old Satan Faction. They don't really like me as I'm sure you can imagine."

Issei's lack of a reaction caused Sirzechs to glance at him, "I take it you were aware of this already, Issei?"

"Look man, can we just fuck off with the politics for one night? I'm here for a grade…not to mingle or gossip, alright?" Issei sighed.

Sirzechs nodded, "As you wish, Issei. It is good to see you again. I heard you befriended Rias and her friends. That's great news."

"You did?" Tiamat asked a bit quicker than she meant to.

"Awww, Issei-chan is becoming friends with everyone now!" Serafall chirped happily as she clutched onto one of his arms.

A loud sound interrupted any follow-up conversations as everyone turned their heads towards the entrance of the school. They could hear a powerful screaming motor coming from outside along with extremely loud music. It had a strong hardcore sound with an epic chorus. It shut off a few seconds afterward.

Several seconds passed as everyone stared at the entrance in anticipation. Both doors went flying open as a lone figure came walking into the building. He was tall and muscular, but still had a chiseled and lean look to him. His clothes were some type of full biker suit. It looked stylish and a bit armored. It mostly consisted of red and black, but a few trims or gold and noticeable dragon designs decorated his entirety of it. His hair was mostly black with red tips and golden highlights. It was a bit longer than Issei's and was slightly slicked and styled. He was also wearing sunglasses even despite the fact that it was nighttime. Even in spite of them, Issei already knew his eyes were gold just like in his dragon form. Red's human face was also strong and handsome. What was most surprising about his appearance though was the fact that he had some resemblance to Issei.

'Did Red make his human form match mine?' Issei wondered as his 'dad' walked in like a badass.

'He actually came…this ought to be interesting,' Ddraig laughed.

"THE STRONGEST DAD HAS ARRIVED! Oi, Issei! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Red called out loudly as he casually looked around. Everyone was blatantly staring at him with unfiltered shock. It only took him a few seconds to locate Issei, and to everyone's amazement, the newly arrived individual appeared to be related to him.

"Excuse me, sir," Issei's homeroom teacher timidly addressed Red, "a-are you Hyoudou-san's father?"

"OF COURSE I AM! I'm his real dad! Who are you?" Red asked the timid woman.

She stared at him almost lost in thought as she couldn't even respond. Red leaned in and looked at her closer, "You one of his teachers or somethin?"

"Y-yes, it is such an…such an honor to meet you," Issei's teacher began to blush at Red as she bowed her head politely and stuttered through her embarrassment.

"COOL! HE BETTER BE THE BEST DAMN KID IN THIS SCHOOL OR WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A TALK! Oi, Issei, come here!" Red waved him over.

The delinquent immediately walked over towards Red and away from his current group. Issei looked at him curiously, "Glad you could make it…dad."

"So this is your father, Hyoudou-san? He is not quite what I expected, but he looks very much like you. What's your name, Otou-san?" she asked.

"Red," he answered casually.

"Red? Strange…is it a nickname or something?" she wondered.

The dragon nodded, "Yeah, something like that!"

"So what do you do for a living, Red-san?" she asked Red with awestruck eyes.

"Just call me Red, alright?! I suppose you could say I'M A PROFESSIONAL BADASS! I pull wild stunts and break speed records. I don't look at explosions either!" he answered.

"Oooh…so you're a professional stuntman or movie star then? How fascinating. That would certainly explain your son's interest in motorcycles as well," his teacher said with unfiltered interest.

"Yeah…" Red said with a suave coolness.

"Did your wife manage to make it as well tonight?" she asked.

"I ain't married…" Red scoffed at her.

The woman's eyes widened with hope, "R-really? I suppose that's a personal matter then. Does that mean you're single?"

"Huh?" Red asked.

He briefly turned towards Issei as the woman continued to stare at him. Issei could hear Red speaking to him telepathically, 'Is your teacher eyeing me up right now?'

'That's what it looks like,' Issei replied telepathically.

'Watch this, Issei…' Red laughed.

"OF COURSE I AM! This dragon can't be tamed! I'm too much for anyone to handle!" Red said proudly.

A few nearby women and even some parents were staring at Red almost lustfully from his pure charismatic swagger. Issei found it odd that they were turned on by it as he found it almost comical and embarrassing to watch.

'Is this normal? All of the older females in here are staring at me,' Red laughed.

'I don't know…I get the same looks. I think it's just some kind of allure that dragons give off. I figured you would know more about it than I would,' Issei replied.

'As if I know how this shit works. I haven't been to Earth in thousands of years. Though I guess that explains why you have so many females following you around. Trying to repopulate the dragon race now, are you? Attaboy!' Red laughed.

"So, TELL ME SENSEI! IS ISSEI THE BEST STUDENT IN THIS SCHOOL!? I WOULD EXPECT NOTHING LESS FROM ANY SON OF MINE!" Red asked loudly for everyone nearby to hear.

His sensei nodded slowly, "I believe he's still number one for the 2nd year students. His academics are very good, though he didn't make a perfect score in math compared to most of his other subjects. His physics grade is still very impressive though. He has a 98."

"98?! Out of 100?!" Red said seriously.

"Y-yes…it was very impressive considering it was the highest score in-" the woman never got the chance to finish her sentence as Red shook his head.

"ISSEI! YOU DON'T HAVE A 100 IN PHYSICS?! What happened?!" Red demanded with an almost comical hysteria.

"I…I was distracted that day," he replied.

"You could fail history or biology, and I wouldn't care…but physics?! WHY?!" Red continued.

'How does he know what classes I take?' Issei wondered briefly.

"H-he's not failing, sir. His grades are the highest in his year right now," the woman tried to reassure Red.

Looking at Issei's teacher, the dragon immediately grabbed her shoulders, "Tell me what happened! Why is he failing in physics?! I personally tutored him in physics! THIS SCHOOL SYSTEM IS FAILING MY SON!"

The woman immediately went scarlet from Red grabbing her shoulders and spoke slowly, "H-he made 100 on all the exams, but he forgot a homework assignment. I-I can give him an extra credit assignment if you'd like."

Red immediately regained his cool as he nodded approvingly, "If you would do that for him, I would greatly appreciate it."

"A-anything you want…" the woman said with obvious sexual innuendos attached.

'Smooth…aniki,' Issei laughed.

'No protégé of mine isn't going to have a perfect physics grade. That shit's important so you can maximize speed, momentum, and aerodynamical badassery!' Red responded.

Red seemed oblivious to Issei's teacher now and her lustful shyness as he immediately walked away. Issei quickly followed him and spoke once they were a reasonable distance away from everyone, "So, why'd you want to come here tonight anyways, Red?"

"To hype you up even more," Red laughed.

"You already told my teacher your name. Are you going to reveal yourself to anyone? The devils aren't that stupid you know." Issei said seriously.

Red laughed, "Who cares. I'm just here because I thought it would be funny."

"Be careful what you say to them. They're very meticulous about remembering shit I say," Issei explained.

"Don't worry about a thing, Issei. I'll explain away any questions they have. I'm actually here to reinforce your cover story as well," Red said coolly.

Before the two could continue their private conversation, several individual began to approach them again.

"Issei-chan, this is your dad?!" Serafall asked with amazement as she ran up to Red beaming with childish glee.

"I AM INDEED, ISSEI'S REAL DAD!" Red announced unnecessarily as he looked over the surrounding devils and other onlookers. Among them included Sona, Rias, and both of their entire peerages. Issei's own friends were also all present. Sirzechs and Grayfia were standing further back, but looked interested in the situation. On the opposite end of the room, Rias' parents were with Sona's parents in a distant corner watching the scene almost bewildered.

"Who are you exactly? I've never seen you before, and I know a lot of the big dragons," Tiamat immediately asked Red as she looked at him with fascination.

"Red is what I go by. You're allowed to call me that if you wish!" Red answered.

Tiamat looked at him curiously, "So you're Issei's dragon parent? You must be really powerful then considering how strong he is. How come I've never heard of you though?"

"Who knows, but I live my life away from other beings. I suppose it's not surprising that you've never encountered me," he answered.

Vali looked at Red fascinated, "What kind of a dragon are you?"

"The badass kind!" Red replied as he crossed his arms.

"So you said you weren't married. I was wondering how exactly did you have Issei then? Did you have a thing for his mother or something?" Vali wondered.

Red shook his head, "No, not exactly. I created Issei with my own flesh and a fraction of my power. I endowed these gifts into an unborn human child that could one day grow to be my son. I selected Issei's human parents specifically because his human father is descended from a hero bloodline. He's technically my son and theirs from a biological and spiritual standpoint."

'Are you just bullshitting them Red? Or am I really?' Issei couldn't help but ask.

'Technically you are, but I didn't really know that until I upgraded you a few years ago. You were born with the Longinus Boosted Gear because you're a descendant of a Hero bloodline. It's not entirely random with humans despite what everyone thinks. Those with hero blood have a much higher chance of being born with a sacred gear,' Red told Issei.

'That's interesting…I actually didn't know that,' Issei thought.

'Neither did I…but now that he mentions it, I can certainly understand my previous hosts better,' Ddraig added.

"He's from a hero bloodline? Which one?" Vali perked up with fascination.

"That's not important…but the result is why my son is such a complete badass. He might even pass his dad one day!" Red laughed.

'That's the funniest thing you've ever said!' Issei chuckled at how much nonsense Red was spewing.

'I gotta sell it to them, Issei,' Red laughed back.

'Which hero bloodline am I from though? You can tell me, right?' Issei asked.

Red sighed, 'You're better off not knowing to be perfectly honest. I'll tell you later if you really want to know, but now's not the best time to talk about it.'

"That's very interesting…I guess it explains why Issei is so quiet about his parents. I have another question…do you know the Sekiryuutei? Issei claims to have been trained by him," Vali asked Red seriously.

Red nodded, "Yeah I know him…he's off training right now to become stronger."

"Really?" Vali's eyes sharpened, "how strong would you say he is?"

"He can use Ddraig's full power…so I'd say pretty strong," Red smirked.

Vali seemed anxiously concerned as she looked away, "I see…well that's interesting to know."

"He can?!" Tiamat's eyes widened seriously.

Before their inquiries could continue, Gabriel herself came up shortly after and addressed the great dragon, "Hello, Issei's dad, I am his new history teacher, Gabriel."

"You look like you belong in one of those student teacher porn movies," Red stated bluntly.

"I'm afraid I don't know which movies you're referring to…" Gabriel frowned.

Red chuckled, "Ah you know…the ones where the student is in detention and the teacher tries to sedu-"

Before Red could finish his sentence, Serafall interrupted, "Issei-chan, come meet my parents!"

It was completely obvious that Serafall was trying to separate Issei from Gabriel by any means necessary.

Red stopped mid-sentence as he watched the eager Serafall try to drag Issei away from the group. He was about to follow behind them before Sirzechs and Grayfia approached him and started staring.

"It was nice meeting you, sir," Gabriel said politely to Red before she followed after Issei. The angel kept a respectable distance, but was still close enough to see them interact with Sona's parents. Vali and Tiamat took this opportunity to wander off to talk to each other about the situation. Sona and her peerage followed behind Serafall and Issei along with Irina and Xenovia. Rias' people all wandered off with each other as they undoubtedly wanted to talk about Red in private. This left Red alone in front of Sirzechs and Grayfia who were staring at him still.

"What the hell are you lookin at?!" Red said to Sirzechs distastefully.

The man smiled in response, "My name is Sirzechs Lucifer. I am currently one of four-"

"I don't care. You look like a square," Red said carelessly as he interrupted Sirzechs and immediately walked away from him. As Red departed, he began to examine the various people in the area. Many older women were quick to try and follow Red and introduce themselves to him the moment he was alone.

Sirzechs looked shocked by the response from Red but he maintained his coolness, nonetheless. Grayfia on the other hand actually seemed kind of mad about it. She turned towards her husband seriously, "He's rather rude, isn't he?"

"I can certainly see where Issei got his attitude from," Sirzechs nodded.

"Who do you think that dragon actually is?" Grayfia wondered.

Sirzechs stared at Red for a moment as he thought aloud, "His son has four wings and has shown the ability to use illusions and open portals. Issei is a red dragon and he derived his powers from this 'Red'. There has to be a reason for his immense power..."

A moment later, Sirzechs' calm demeanor instantly went serious as his eyes widened with disbelief, "It…it can't be."

"What is it Sirzechs-sama?" Grayfia asked.

"We shouldn't speak of it here, Grayfia…but what if that dragon is the Dragon of the Apocalypse…the Great Red?" Sirzechs whispered.

Grayfia's face went even paler as she darted her eyes towards Red. The dragon was currently ignoring a growing crowd of female admirers and was talking to Tsubasa of all people. His boisterously loud voice drowned out the room, "AHAHAHAHA! I DO INDEED LOVE THAT MOVIE! Your tastes are very similar to mine and Issei's, Tsubasa Yura! It's a wonder he's not good friends with you!"

"You think we have a lot in common? Me and him?" Tsubasa asked with eagerness.

Ignoring their antics, Grayfia gasped at Sirzechs, "That's impossible…a being that powerful couldn't come here undetected. Plus, do you really think the Dragon of the Apocalypse would act like...that?"

"We don't really know anything about the Apocalypse Dragon. Maybe I'm just jumping to conclusions, but it could explain why nobody has ever seen this dragon before and how his son is so powerful. I'll have Ajuka look into it," Sirzechs said seriously.

Meanwhile, Issei was currently being dragged over towards Sona and Serafall's parents where most of the others followed. Rias' parents were no longer there with them, and were now with their daughter's peerage further away.

"Tou-chan, Kaa-chan, meet my friend Issei Hyoudou!" Serafall announced proudly as she stopped in front of them holding onto Issei's arm.

Lord Sitri and Lady Sitri both had widened and cautious expressions as they politely acknowledged him.

"Nice to meet you, Issei Hyoudou…we've heard a lot about you," Lady Sitri began.

"I understand you're friends with both of our daughters. I admit I find that strange, but not unwelcome. We would much rather be on your good side than not. It's real shame what happened to Diodora Astaroth recently, but we do not condemn you for it. I only hope you continue to show support and friendship to my daughters and the Sitri family," Lord Sitri droned on politically.

Sona quickly walked up as she looked at her parents, "Don't worry about us, Otou-sama, Hyoudou-kun has been nothing but cooperative with me. He's even friends Rias and her peerage now. We all trust him around Kuoh."

"That is good to know, Sona," Lord Sitri nodded approvingly.

Lady Sitri gave Issei a quizzical look, "I have a question for you, dear. Why do you attend this school if you do not care much for most devils, Hyoudou-san?"

"I live here…" Issei replied bluntly.

The woman looked away for a moment, "Oh pardon my question, I didn't mean for it to come across like that. Please don't think me rude. I was simply curious about your interest in this academy and your academics in general."

"I promised my parents I would get a good education. There's no ulterior motive...it really is as simple as that," Issei answered.

Lord Sitri turned towards Serafall a moment later, "Tell me, Serafall, how exactly did you become involved with this dragon?"

"Issei and I met at an anime convention!" Serafall announced proudly.

Both Issei and Sona cringed at her announcement. Lady Sitri quickly voiced her confusion, "So you're into the same forms of media our daughter is then? Interesting…I never would have expected a dragon like you to have similar hobbies."

Serafall gave them a pouty face, "Issei isn't afraid to be who he wants to be. That's what I like about him."

'You're too pure and good to be a devil, Serafall…' Issei thought approvingly that the female Maou could actually understand his mindset.

"ANYWAYS!" Sona loudly tried to change the subject, "what ever happened with Riser Phenex coming by your house, Hyoudou-kun?"

"Look, just call me Issei now, alright? I'm already on a first name basis with all of Gremory's people and your sister," Issei stated causing Sona to look a bit embarrassed.

She closed her eyes as she quickly adjusted her glasses, "I…If you insist on it, then I will call you by your first name, I-Issei…"

"I actually wanted to thank you for sending them to my house, Sona. Riser apologized to me," Issei explained.

Sona looked embarrassed by Issei calling her by name directly, and both of her parents looked like they wanted to say something about it too. Nevertheless, that issue was overlooked as the news of Riser apologizing had everyone surprised.

"H-he apologized to you?" Sona repeated with disbelief. Her entire peerage appeared equally as shocked, but they remained silent as to not interrupt the high-class devils speaking.

Issei nodded, "Yeah, I was surprised too. It was random as hell, but I can't say I didn't appreciate it."

"The Phenex boy did that?! Do his parents know he came here today?" Lord Sitri gawked.

Issei shook his head, "No, his sister thought they would object to it, so they didn't tell them. I respected the fact that he had the spine to do it…so he and I are on good terms now."

"Interesting…Lord and Lady Phenex will be most pleased to know that their family isn't in any danger from you then. No offense to you, Issei Hyoudou, but many among the pillars consider you a dangerous threat," Lord Sitri replied.

"They should consider me a threat…no amount of politics is going to protect anyone from me if they try anything stupid like Diodora did," Issei stated coldly.

"That won't ever happen again! I got your back next time, Issei-chan!" Serafall added cheerily.

"Duly noted…it was nice to meet you, Hyoudou-san. If you'll excuse us, we have to be leaving soon. I will assure the Phenex family that you mean them no harm though," Lord Sitri said with a polite nod before leaving with his wife.

Red, finally came walking back with Tsubasa as they caught up with the Sitri group. He spoke to the blue girl approvingly, "Just do what I told you and if you're serious about it."

"Thank you for telling me, Red-sama," Tsubasa bowed her head towards the dragon.

The others found it confusing, but they didn't get a chance to ask about it as Red quickly called out to Issei, "Yo Issei, come here! We have to talk about something!"

The delinquent immediately walked over towards Red, but unsurprisingly, everyone else followed him. Red looked past Issei at Sona's peerage and Serafall, "You mind giving us some space?"

"As you wish, sir," Sona bowed politely as she gestured for her peerage to follow her. Irina and Xenovia both left as well, but had concerned expressions on their faces.

Serafall lingered briefly, "Is something wrong?"

"Nah, but we need a few minutes alone," Red dismissed her.

"O-okay...hurry up and come meet Rias-chan's parents next Issei-chan! We'll be over here!" Serafall announced to the delinquent before leaving him alone with Red.

'Couldn't you just speak to me telepathically if this was important? What's up, Red?' Issei wondered.

'I'm leaving soon, but I wanted to warn you before I did. Speak to me normally but listen to what I'm telling you,' Red replied.

Issei walked directly next to Red now as he rose a brow, "What's up dad?"

"Ah nothing much, I was just going to leave soon since I have to be somewhere early tomorrow morning. YOU KEEP BEING THE BEST STUDENT AT THIS SCHOOL! SHOW ALL THESE RIAJUU DWEEBS THAT IT'S POSSIBLE TO BE COOL, BADASS, AND SMART!" Red announced super loudly. Issei was quick to realize he was purposely getting everyone's attention with these antics. He had no idea why though.

'I can sense Ophis just entered this plane. Normally, I wouldn't give a shit, but she'll be able to tell who I am if she shows up here. I need to leave before she detects me otherwise your cover and your world are going to be destroyed,' Red explained casually.

"Alright dad, well thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to show up here tonight," Issei responded.

'You're running away from Ophis?' Issei psychically demanded.

'What the fuck did you just say?! I could body that bitch in a minute flat, but she'll undoubtedly try to fight me if she senses me outside of the Dimensional Gap. That would destroy the Earth. I'm getting out of here for your sake, not mine. If it wasn't for you, I'd beat her ass right here and now before blowing this world into dust,' Red replied a bit heatedly.

Red held his hand up to fist bump Issei, "See ya around son! Make me proud!"

'Watch your back, Issei…Ophis might be weaker than me but she's still way stronger than you. If that bitch tries anything, I'll come fuck her up...so just steer clear of her for now. In the mean time, I'm gonna be making an obstacle course for a while. Try to come visit me the next chance you get and MAKE A 100 IN PHYSICS DAMN IT!' Red waved as he turned around left the school.

'OH, before you go, I meant to ask you something! How should I go about perfecting Nightmare Mode in conjunction with my Balance Breaker?' Issei asked.

Red smirked, 'Use your imagination.'

'Oh haha, very funny,' Issei shot back.

'We'll work on that later. I'll let you know when the obstacle course is done. It's going to be good training for the both of us,' Red laughed before leaving the front door of the school building.

He disappeared shortly afterward much to Issei's disappointment. There was nobody in the world that he liked spending time with more than Red. Every time they parted ways was a bit depressing.

After Red was gone, Issei let out a sigh. He was distracted from his momentary depression when he saw Riser entering the building with his entire peerage.

'Ah shit…well just when I thought this was going to get boring. Where'd Xenovia and Irina go? They've been awfully quiet ever since Gremory's brother called out Vali. Speaking of which, where is Ingvild? I should try to find her too. I'm guessing she was too shy to show up with all these people swarming me and Red. That sucks that he just left. Is Ophis actually coming to Kuoh though?' Issei thought concerned.

Issei was drawn from his thoughts when he heard Vali's voice from behind, "You got a few minutes to talk now, Issei?"

He slowly turned around as he looked at Vali, "Sure I suppose. I take it this is something serious?"

"Very serious…Ophis is interested in meeting you," Vali replied.

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I swear I tried not to make this a cliffhanger, but it just got too long again. I guess parent teacher night is going to be finished up next chapter now. Anyways, this chapter itself was like 17 k words. I seriously didn't want to make it this long, but I knew it would disappoint people if we didn't get to parent teacher night in this chapter. I know some people think I should make smaller chapters, but sometimes I feel like it just throws off my flow. Plus I personally hate short chapters, so I can't make myself do that. I usually average 11-12 k word chapters for most of my fics, so don't expect anything this extreme in the future. I just didn't know where to stop this time. Anyways, with all that crap aside, let's go over the chapter.

So to start, Issei sleeps in and wakes up next to Irina and Xenovia. They are both still a bit nervous about being too far away from him and will be getting much closer as the fic progresses. After he wakes up, Issei is bombarded with a ton of texts from various people. These offer a bit more of an in-depth reaction to how various characters felt about Issei's recent attack. I apologize if you didn't get to see too much of everyone just yet. There will be plenty more of it in the next chapter, so don't fret if you didn't get enough of Vali and Tiamat's plans or Serafall being Serafall.

Speaking of which, Gabriel is now a teacher at Kuoh Academy so that she can directly watch over Issei and his friends in person. Sirzechs agrees since he's a good guy, but how do the other various Maou and pillars feel about it? Serafall certainly seems opposed. More on that coming soon…

Now a large portion of this chapter was dedicated to Riser showing up at Issei's house and apologizing to him. As I wrote it out, I could already imagine the various reactions it would get. I know a lot of people hate Riser, and he was certainly a douchebag in canon and earlier in this fic. With that being said, I didn't want to make him into a character punching bag in my story. Personally, I never had an issue with Riser as a character…especially after he becomes cooler in the LN. Diodora and Freed are the only characters I actually hate…and that's why they're conveniently dead lol. So yeah, this might seem like it's a bit out of character, but keep in mind they're scared shitless of Issei…especially after he fights Ajuka. Ravel being the intelligent girl she is convinces Riser to apologize. Now during their interactions, Issei learns a bit more about Riser and why he acts the way he does. The two have a sort of heart to heart conversation and resolve the conflict they had between them. How will Rias and friends react to Riser's crew showing up next chapter? You'll have to wait and see! Also, Ravel is in the harem because I've always liked her so there's that.

Moving on to the main highlight of the chapter was of course Red himself showing up at Kuoh Academy. Now you didn't get to see it this chapter, but he showed up on his own motorcycle. I left the music he was playing vague but I am curious as to what you guys would expect him to listen to. I hope Red's antics weren't underwhelming for anyone as I can assume many people were imagining some wild and awesome things from him. Nevertheless, he does make his presence known and is appalled by Issei not having a perfect physics grade. That aside, he reinforces Issei's cover story to everyone when he talks about how Issei was conceived. Now this is a very important moment in the chapter. Issei finds out he is descended from a Hero bloodline and that's why he was born with the Boosted Gear. Which Hero bloodline is it, and why didn't Red want to tell him? Feel free to speculate, but that will be answered in a future chapter. And yes, I know it's not canonical for someone to need hero blood to be born with a Longinus or a sacred gear. I'm only saying that makes it more common. It's not canon, as far as I'm aware...it's just something I added for this fic. So don't get too hung up on that.

The ending was particularly serious however, when Red tells Issei he is leaving because Ophis is on the Earth. Now I know people were dying for that interaction between Red and Ophis, but don't you worry…it's coming SOON. Despite ghosting before Ophis arrives, Red makes a lasting impression on everyone there. Sirzechs in particular is now suspicious that Red is in fact the Great Red. Did the DXD do this by design, or does he simply not care if someone is smart enough to figure it out on their own? What will the Maou do once they confirm this truth?! Also, why is Red making an obstacle course to train on? These are the things to keep in mind, folks.

Next chapter we'll be wrapping up parent teacher day, and Issei will be getting himself a new pad. Also, don't you worry…Ingvild will be in the next chapter too. She was just too shy to go near Issei and all of his other friends right away. There will be plenty more interactions with all the minor characters we missed in this one, so don't fret my loyal readers. Also, Kokabiel will be making his debut next chapter or two, so stay tuned for that! Anyways, thanks for reading as always. Let me know what you're most hyped for if you enjoyed it.