Disclaimer: I don't own Highschool DxD and/or the Disgaea franchise, only this story.

Chapter 10: Burning Spirit - Part 2

AKA

Everything, Myself Included, Started Being Set On Fire

"Mmmh..." Hakase hummed while scrutinizing the object in her hand with a small monocular. "Yes, those are the rare materials I have requested. A remarkable result."

Issei gave the teacher a flat stare in response to the lackluster compliment. There were a lot of things he wanted to complain about, from the many bruises on his body formed after he engaged in a fist fight with the Wood Golems to the fact Hakase's precious 'rare materials' were cubes of some sort of metal with literally 'rare material' stamped on their faces.

However also they pilfered a lot of money and useful items from the defeated demons and the hidden chest they found on the scene, and gained a level each after the battle, so despite the pain and the silliness of their 'objective' Issei was willing to declare the whole endeavor a success.

"This is all for today." Hakase put everything inside her case and stood up. "I'll contact you once it's time for the next curricular activity."

Those were her last words before she left the classroom.

"Curricular activity. Yeah, right." Shiro crossed her arms. "As if we had a curriculum in the first place."

"Well, today was certainly intense." Reno scratched her head. "We better rest for now. Especially you Ise: tomorrow begins your training with Champloo. Who knows what he'll have you do."

"Peeling a thousand potatoes, maybe?" Issei chuckled. It would be boring beyond belief, but at least he wouldn't be risking his life for once.

Issei felt like kicking his past self where the sun doesn't shine, dreams about harems be damned.

"WHYYYYYY!?" He screamed at the top of his lungs while running down the slope, the avalanche of giant potatoes (on fire!) behind him slowly gaining ground.

"Nya nya nya nyah!" Champloo laughed, running next to him. Compared to the brunette, who was sweating and scared out of his mind, the demon chef was running, honest to god, backwards with a grin. "Keep running, my spicy dish! If you don't, you're gonna end up as flat as dough! And very burnt!"

"YOU'RE INSANE!" Issei cried. He couldn't believe the man was this insane. What the hell was wrong with him?! He knew demons weren't the most stable of individuals, but come on! This was just crazy! Where do potatoes ever grow that big for god's sake?! He risked a look over his shoulder and instantly regretted it. They were getting closer!

The road to returning home was steep indeed...

The disciples of Champloo looked at the somewhat cooked body of Issei Hyoudou, lying on his stomach with smoke coming off of his body. His eyes were white ovals while his spirit seemed to be flowing out of his mouth, slowly rising out and up to the heavens where it could rest in peace.

"Yeesh. And here I thought we had it bad." one of them commented. "Is he dead?"

"He will if his soul doesn't go back into his mouth." another snickered. "He kinda looks like a half-cooked casserole, don't you think?"

A third disciple rolled her eyes. She looked over to their Master, who sat by on a picnic cloth while sipping Oolong Tea. Sighing and shaking her head in exasperation she walked over to the half-dead human. Sucking in a breath she raised a hand up in the air.

"Tyah!"

A karate-chop slammed into the spirit of Issei Hyoudou, sending it slamming straight back into Issei's mouth. The force was enough to snap the boy awake and rise to his knees screaming. "AAAAH! DEMON CHEF! FLAMING POTATOES! DEMON CHEF ON FLAMING POTATOES!"

"Welcome back to the land of the living." a fourth disciple chuckled. Issei blinked, realizing he was no longer being forced to run away at top speed from giant infernal balls. Turning around he found the disciple who just talked: compared to the others his skin was significantly darker, his hair a dark gray with a black robe covering his body. Like most of them he had a fanged grin. "Gotta say, it's not everyday we get to see a human from another world get run over by a flaming potato."

Issei gave him a dry look. "Glad to be someone's amusement." he muttered before groaning. "Owowowow...damn it! I feel like an overcooked turkey on Thanksgiving!"

"Eh." the fourth disciple shrugged his shoulders. "I'd say half-cooked goose, but whatever floats your boat." He then looked over at Champloo. "Teacher! The boy is awake!"

"Excellent!" Without using his arms the blonde demon uncrossed his legs from the previous stance and pushed himself into a standing position. "With the last exercise we have ascertained your speed under extreme duress. It's pathetic, by the way!"

"Hey!" Issei protested. He has been running for his life, not even the girls from the Kendo Club used to push him so hard. The crazy bastard could at least praise the fact he was still alive: not even a cockroach would have survived after being run over by an avalanche of giant flaming potatoes.

Wait! That was not something to be proud of!

"Now we shall test your endurance." Champloo continued.

Instantly Issei was on edge. "More potatoes?!"

"No. You will simply walk." The teacher motioned to two of his students holding a giant pot between them. "While carrying that on your back."

The boy's eyes widened. "Empty?" 'I hope it's empty!'

"Empty, empty." The blonde demon nodded. At that moment the students let go of the pot, which slammed on the ground with a loud gong and sunk by at least ten centimeters. "Anything more and your spine will surely snap."

Issei whimpered.

Half an hour later the brown-haired boy was still carrying the pot through the barren landscape. Though it's more accurate to say he was dragging his already exhausted and trembling body forward by pure force of will, only the fear of being crushed under the pot if he let go of it in a wrong way keeping him going.

'Is this the infamous Training from Hell?' Issei thought, too tired to speak. 'It certainly fits in more than one way. What's even the point of doing this? Can't I get stronger by absorbing Mana? I assumed Master Champloo would just teach me a fighting style...'

Those were the thoughts going through Issei's mind as he kept moving. The terrain was not even, and more than once he risked to trip or had to make a detour to avoid a large hole filled with lava.

One such opening in the ground soon came into view. Yet, instead of just lava this one also had tongues of flames rising tall into the sky, their color almost white in their intensity. Issei found himself slowly down as he came close to it, his gaze strangely captivated by the movements of the fire.

And was it a trick of his mind, or was he really seeingsmall busty women dancing among the flames and languidly beckoning him closer?

His perversity and curiosity damn near won him over. He was just a bit close to the edge when-

"BOOM!"

"AAAARGH!"

Out of nowhere a heel decided to become intimate with his face, knocking him away. The pot dropped to the ground, while Issei flied through the air and bounced along the earth, eventually coming to a stop. After he face-planted on the ground, body hanging in the air before coming back down harshly on his stomach.

"...ow..." the human whimpered/groaned weakly.

The demon chef stared at Issei's body for a while before sighing. "This dish is gonna take a long time to prepare..." he said before he looked at the pool of lava. His eyes narrowed, staring at the flames before he apparently recognized what the flames were. "Well, that's surprising. Didn't think I'd find this here of all places!"

Issei groaned, his body protesting as he pushed himself off the ground. "What's...surprising?" he asked, rising shakily to his feet. "That I hallucinated seeing glorious oppai in a lava pit?"

"Who said you were hallucinating? Take a closer look. Just don't get overcooked, boyo." Champloo chuckled.

Issei frowned, but complied. He stood safely away from the pit while scrutinizing the inside. To his surprise he still saw the small, busty women among the flames, dancing around. Some had even begun to perform rather...intimate acts, hands roaming across their bodies. Much to his delight he was even given a free show of lesbian action, a few having started a full-blown makeout session.

"Lust, huh? Well, I can certainly see why you almost got yourself killed."

The Red Dragon Emperor felt his eyebrow twitch. Was that supposed to be an insult? More importantly, "What kind of demons are those?"

"They aren't demons, per say." Champloo said, looking at his new disciple. "Tell me, Ise. Do you know about Lucifer?"

"Er, kind of, if only from Shidou's parents yapping on about the Bible and crap. He got kicked out of heaven and became the Devil, right?"

"Mh, so your world has a similar story." The chef nodded. "The Lucifer of this universe was too once an Angel, and very much the strongest one of his time. But he took a large amount of pride in his strength, and no matter how justified he was it didn't sit well with the rest of Heaven, which preached virtues like Humility and Temperance. Well, that's sort of how Angels are in general even today." He chuckled. "Lucifer was just as righteous as any other Angel, but he just wouldn't let go of his pride: they say that, above anything else, he refused to be an hypocrite. Funny, uh? He was just being honest, and yet he was looked at in scorn because of that."

Issei could sympathize: he too had gathered the scorn of many people just because he was very open about his perversion. All hormonal, hot-blooded males had the same thoughts as him, yet people hated him just because he didn't pretend otherwise.

"So one day the other Angels decided to cast Lucifer out of Celestia and into the Netherworld, telling him that he would be allowed back only when he managed to let go of his pride. Guess what was his response?"

"Uh...he didn't?"

"Correct! BOOM! They say that, while he was still falling down, he shouted a refusal so inspired and absolute it ignited into an explosion of fire and light that put to shame both the sun and all the stars in the firmament. When he emerged out of it Lucifer had become a Fallen Angel, having gained control of a new type of fire that was fueled directly by his pride."

Champloo gestured to the flames. "This is some of that fire, having originated when embers from that original explosion rained down all over this place. Their name is 'Flames of Perdition', a power that draw from one of the Seven Cardinal Sins: Pride, Lust, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Envy and Gluttony. For Lucifer it was, obviously, Pride: they said that, fueled by his sense of invincibility, his Flames of Perdition protected him from any and all harm."

Issei tilted his head. "So...this used to belong to the guy?"

"Not quite my immature dish." the demon wagged his finger. "As I said Lucifer was guarded by his own Pride. However, it was his Pride that created the Flames of Perdition. You know how they say Pride is the root of all sins? Well, they meant it literally!"

'Wow. For a chef, the guy sure is one hell of a teacher.' Issei thought, quite impressed. He had to admit though, the story behind Lucifer's downfall was interesting. He wondered what Shidou would say if he ever heard it. Then again, he'd also imagine what his reaction would be if he ever met any of these demons. "So, how do you know so much?"

"Simple. I tried to utilize the Flames myself!" Issei's jaw met the floor. Metaphorically, of course. Even his INSANITY would defend him from that ludicrous idea. "Sadly, Gluttony's a dish hotter than hellfire. Trying to get a Deadly Sin to obey you is about just as hard as creating a ten-meal course of the finest cuisine in all the Netherworld and feeding it to a Sludge to get it to develop a sense of taste!"

"...Huh? W-wait, was that supposed to be a metaphor?" Normally he somewhat understood what Champloo was trying to get at. That particular phrase, however, meant absolutely nothing to him. Shaking his head he looked back at the now-named Flames of Perdition. He couldn't help but ogle, noting how the small sexy things in the flames were still going at it...only now things were getting even hotter (no pun intended). At the rate they were going things might get into forbidden territory! The stuff you'd only see in hentai! "I love Hell..."

"Whoa, hey now." Champloo's chuckled awkwardly. "Being mesmerized by the female body is all well and good. Hell, it's a good way to stomach the aphrodisiac meal of a Succubus, but don't go trying to tame it. Even an Overlord would have trouble taking control of Perdition!"

Sadly, much to his dismay, Issei wasn't listening. His right hand extended forward unconsciously, as if reaching for the tantalizing sight before his eyes.

In that moment a small gout of fire left the flaming hole, brushing against the side of brunette's hand.

Issei's world became pure PAIN. It was like all of his blood and nerves have been replaced by molten lava, the heat searing through his flesh and into his very soul. The boy's mouth opened in a soundless scream as he felt his bones turn to ashes-

Champloo grabbed Issei's arm and pulled it away from the flames with such force he dislocated the boy's arm. "What did I just said?!" Putting a hand over the burned part he grimaced as a red aura appeared around his limb before he swung it in a wide arc, the motion releasing a large arc of fire that fell back into the flaming hole.

Issei fell on his ass, the pain now a throbbing ache. If he wasn't sweaty before now he was positively drenched. "Wha...Wha..."

"I told you, even an Overlord would have trouble taking control of the Flames of Perdition!" Champloo waved the arm he used to help Issei, feelings slowly returning to it. "The Dean tried after me, and he only managed to control a fraction of the Flames' potential with his Sloth."

The boy's eyes bulged out. "The Overlord did?!" He looked at his right hand: the burned area was still blackened, and for a moment he could swear he saw embers briefly glowing inside.

"You were lucky boy. Even I would not be able to salvage a completely carbonized meal." Champloo pulled Issei back on his feet. "That's enough tests for today. Let's go, it's time for you to learn a proper stance."

"O...Okay." Issei answered with some hesitation. He gave a last look at the Flames of Perdition before following after Champloo.

Unaware that the small women in the fire had stopped moving. Even as their bodies broke down to return to simple flames, they kept staring at the boy's retreating back until the very end.

"Wrong! Again!"

Anime-style tears flowed down Issei's face. Strangely enough, for once his sanity felt it was appropriate: Champloo wasn't just a strict cook, he was also a Drill Sergeant's worst nightmare. Ever since they returned to Home Economics the man has been putting him through hell and back.

All to have a proper stance and fighting style.

"I keep telling you, my body is not meant to bend that way!" the human protested. He was most definitely sure that whatever Champloo was teaching him wasn't a fighting stance meant for humans. "What the hell kind of fighting style is this, anyway?!"

"Less complaining, more flexibility! How do you expect to digest an Overlord with this kind of weak palate?!"

From the sidelines the disciples watched Issei's training with amused looks. "Ai yai yai...Master's on the warpath today." one of them remarked with a grin. "I wonder what the human did to piss him off?"

"I heard he almost got his body burned to a crisp trying to touch those flames Teacher was talking about." the dark-skinned disciple said. "Teacher's told us to never go anywhere near it either. Might explain a few things."

"Sounds about right." a female disciple nodded.

"Wrong wrong wrong! Again!"

"I-I keep telling you, I can't bend that wa-YEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGHHHH!"

Reno looked up at the ceiling, a small frown on his face. "Something's wrong Master?" Shiro asked.

"...I could have sworn I just heard Ise screaming in complete and utter agony."

Agnes paled. "Y-You don't think Mister Ch-Champloo is trying to kill him, do you?!"

"Ise'll be fine!" Asagi told the girl, grinning. "Have some faith in him, will ya?"

"Y-you're sure, Miss Asagi?"

"...Probably."

Agnes wept. "THAT'S NOT REASSURING AT ALL!"

"So boring..." Kelly moaned, kicking her legs up and down with a pout. "Why can't we go out and roast some idiots? Kelly's becoming listless!"

"Have to agree with Kelly there, Master." Shiro agreed with the pyromaniac of the group, yawning and waving a hand over her mouth. "I'm getting kind of bored here myself."

Reno sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "As much as I'd like to, I've been hearing some...unsavory rumors as of late."

"Rumors?" the white nekomata cocked her head. "What kind of rumors?"

"Well, supposedly there's a demon hunting down the Reaper monsters here at the school." The party stared at him with surprised expressions. "I don't know what kind of demon is after them, but what I do know is that the Reapers have been getting their asses kicked six ways to Sunday. I've even heard that some of them were from the Senior class!"

Kelly's face paled. "S-Senior class...?" she whispered in fear. "As-As in the really scary guys that Kelly's teacher talks about?"

Reno nodded, causing Agnes to frown even harder. "The Seniors are supposed to be on a level close, if not already, to Demon Lords, right? Then...what kind of demon can fight against a Senior? An Overlord?"

The samurai closed his eyes, deep in thought. Everyone's gaze slowly became directed at Priere, who sat leisurely on a couch that was definitely far too lavish to belong to a classroom. One Prinny was fanning her with a giant leaf, while another was handing her a drink. Noticing the sudden attention she gave them a strange look.

"...What?"

"...Kill me...please..."

The dark-skinned disciple chuckled. "Sorry, muchacho. No can do." he said, pulling a nearly half-dead Issei Hyoudou off the ground and slinging the boy's arm over his shoulders. "Besides, don't you have to go back to your dimension? Dying just defeats the purpose."

Issei muttered something unintelligable. The disciple had to admit, Teacher really put the boy through the wringer. In all honesty, though, the sight was rather nostalgic: it kind of reminded him of the old days back home, when his Master put him and the others through hell whenever he got annoyed. Such bizarre times. Though the Master had gotten better, thanks to the friends he had made during the whole 'Demon Emperor' fiasco.

"Speaking of which, I need to finish my cooking training soon." the dark-skinned disciple muttered. "If I don't get back to Scorching Flame soon Master's gonna get sick from eating the junk food Seraphina Sis keeps sending him."

"Huh...?" Issei looked at him drowsily. "What'dya say?"

The demon smiled. "Eh, don't worry about it. So, how do you feel about beefsteak for dinner?"

Elsewhere, somewhere in Evil Academy, a pair of shadowed figures stood over a pile of defeated demons.

"Mou...they knew nothing about the local Overlord." one figure, female, groaned. "They're his subjects, so how can they not know where he is?"

"Perhaps the Overlord of this Netherworld is a recluse?" the second figure, also female, suggested. "It would explain a few things."

"Even still, this is quite tedious. The demons here provide almost no challenge!"

The second girl giggled. "Have patience, sister. For now, let's just keep searching."

"Okay..."

"By the way, I've been hearing that there's a human here in this Netherworld. Two of them, in fact."

"Eh? Two humans?! How did they get here?"

"Who knows? But, if we do meet them, I think it would be quite interesting."

"What makes you say that, dear sister?"

"Call it intuition, sister."

[BOOST!]

[Issei Hyoudou - Lv. 26-34]

Issei gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. "Triple Strike!" he shouted, going in for the three-hit punch combo that had slowly became his signature strike. The first blow connected with Champloo's face, though the man barely looked phased if his fanged smile was anything to go by. The next strike was meant to throw him up in the air, but that fist was caught and shrugged off. Scowling Issei went for a leaping strike, jumping up into the air to deliver a roundhouse.

"Not good enough, my young dish!" Champloo said, evading the punch and ramming his heel into Issei's jaw. The force of the kick was enough to throw him aside and slam him straight into a wall, cracking it apart. The dust settled to reveal Issei stuck in the wall, his body slightly battered.

Much to one of the disciple's closet perversity, being the sole female of the group, Issei was clad only in his pants, which were rolled up to his calves: that being said, they were severely burnt and ripped while his shoes had long since been discarded. His upper body was exposed, thus revealing a slowly developing muscular build. Compared to the bodies of her fellow disciples, it was something novel to look at.

The dark-skinned disciple groaned. "Senorita, your nose is bleeding."

"Dammit..." Issei growled, pushing himself out of the wall. "I'm not done yet, you damn chef!"

"Nyah nyah nyah! Less talking, more sparring!"

For a moment Issei was about to rush at Champloo again, but the still fresh memory of his most recent failure made him reconsider his decision. 'Damn it, this is a repeat of our first fight, except even Boosting does nothing because he expects it and adjusts his strength accordingly. What should I do...wait, expect it?'

Boosted Gear doubles his strength every ten seconds, announcing it with a loud mechanical cry. But was Champloo counting the seconds, or just waiting to hear the cry?

[BOOST!]

'It's worth a try.' Issei finally decided. His body could only held three Boosts for now, so he didn't have many alternatives.

'One!' He counted inside his mind while rushing at a still grinning Champloo. Once there he raised his knee and let a kick fly towards the chef's midsection. 'Two!'

"That's right! If you always use the same move your opponent will learn how to read through it." Champloo parried the blow and was about to retaliate, but Issei jumped back the moment he saw his attack failed. Diving to the side the boy went with an uppercut to the blonde's unprotected side, but he was swapped aside by a sweeping kick. "But when searching for openings, make sure to protect your own!"

'Five!'

Pushing himself back on his feet Issei tried to distract Champloo. "Why exactly are you a chef when you're so good at this whole ass-kicking thing?!"

"Nyah Nyah Nyah! Simple! Martial Arts are a cherished hobby, but what I love most is cooking! BOOM!" Champloo laughed. "Furthermore, being strong is not by itself a job. Therefore, if you know only how to kick ass, as you said, you cannot eat!"

The female disciple stopped her ogling of Issei to blink. "Wait. But if you're strong can't you just force those weaker than you to do what you want?"

"You'd still be unemployed." The dark-skinned disciple pointed out. "It's a matter of pride."

"I see!"

'Eight!' Issei nodded to himself before approaching Champloo again. "Triple Strike!"

"Bzzt! Wrong! And you were going so well!" Champloo shook his head.

'Nine!'

The blonde demon's head tilted to the side at the last instant, Issei's fist harmlessly passing close to it. 'Ten!'

[BOOST!]

[Issei Hyoudou - Lv. 31-38]

Faster than before Issei's other fist came up and slammed into a surprised Champloo, the force throwing him in the air. "Have a taste of this! Explosion!"

[EXPLOSION!]

Jumping after Champloo Issei spun on himself, his arm pulled back, before completing the spin by slamming his fist into the chef's stomach.

The force of the blast was enough to engulf Champloo. However unlike last time, when he blew the man into a volcano, the demon plowed him several feet into the ground. Issei landed back on the ground, staggering a bit while panting and sweat drenching every part of him. Some of it was getting into his eyes, annoying him. Wiping his brow he felt the gathered strength in his body fade away.

[RESET!]

[ Issei Hyoudou - Level 38-26]

Stumbling a bit Issei bit the inside of his mouth. 'Shit...so this is what it feels like, losing all that strength after building it up.' he thought. 'Way worse than when it was Twice Critical.'

"Nyah Nyah Nyah! Not bad!"

Blinking Issei looked up. Champloo stood up atop a pile of rusty cauldrons, his clothes no worse for wear. They were slightly burnt, but overall the man looked fine. Another sign that, even now, he was holding back. "That's the sort of knife-work I expect from a chef!"

"But I'm not a chef." Issei pointed out before mumbling, "A good one, anyway..."

Hopping down Champloo dusted the soot from his clothes before he turned to the other disciples, folding his arms. "Now then, what would you all say were the flaws and upsides to this dish?"

Issei glared at him for the umpteenth food jokes before sighing. "I don't even need to think about it. Boosted Gear is great, but it takes too long to become strong enough if the gulf between me and my opponent is too large. Explosion is a fantastic finisher, but if my opponent can still stand afterward I am too exhausted to properly defend myself. And like you just showed me-" he gestured at Champloo. "All the strength in the world amounts to nothing if I don't have the skills to properly use it."

Champloo grinned, while the disciples looked at Issei like he was a bizarre and rare animal.

"Oh come on! Why are you looking at me like that?!" Issei gesticulated towards the disciples. "Alright, so I'm not particularly bright! But damn, even I can think things through if it's my life on the line!"

[So without boobs and other erotic materials around you can put that mind of yours to good use. I was afraid the constant fantasizing left your other cerebral abilities atrophied.]

"I'll have you know that I go to a school were the admittance exam and required votes are among the highest in Japan." Issei grumbled before recognizing the voice that just spoke. "D-Ddraig?!" He looked around. "Where are you?"

[Still inside Boosted Gear.] The green jewel on the gauntlet flashed. [Once my hosts reach a certain level I can communicate with them through a mental link. You're the only one that can hear me at the moment.]

Case in point were the confused looks he got from the other disciples. "You okay there kid?"

[See what I mean?]

"Nyah nyah nyah! Seems like you've got some brains in you after all." Champloo laughed as he folded his arms. "Well, I believe we can conclude your training for today. Take the rest of the day off!"

"Eh? Really?!" Issei wanted to cry. Finally he was getting some relief! Then he remembered that he would most likely experience this hell again come tomorrow, causing tears of despair to fall from his eyes. "Crap..."

[Oh, relax. Compared to my other hosts this training isn't anything special.] Ddraig said before pausing a bit. [Then again, they never wound up in another world where the demons are utterly insane.]

"Not helping matters, Ddraig..." Issei mumbled before his nose twitched. He then took notice of one of the many grills, which currently had food cooking on them. His mouth salivated at the sight. "Oh, please tell me that's dinner...!"

The following day training went just as badly as the first time. Issei's body was put through agonizing lesson after agonizing lesson that usually left his body hurting and in need to go to the Nurse's Office. Champloo was still obviously a bit sore about him not heeding his words about the Flames of Perdition, so Issei made sure to be as obedient as possible. In the meantime, whenever a break presented itself Issei would take the time to learn more about Boosted Gear through Ddraig.

For starters, though he wouldn't be more aware of it until he got stronger Boosted Gear possessed the residual consciousnesses of the previous users. Issei didn't quite understand what that meant, so Ddraig simplified it for him: basically, their lingering personalities and passions were left behind as a sort of imprint. They were conscious and sentient, which of course meant that one day he may encounter them. The idea actually excited Issei: part of him wanted to see what sort of warriors he would be succeeding. Ddraig, however, warned that a good number of them only obeyed powerful individuals, so if he was to meet them chances were he'd find himself in a fight.

After hearing that Issei hoped he wouldn't meet them any time soon.

Secondly, Boosted Gear possessed a more powerful form called [Scale Mail]. Ddraig hadn't gone into specifics, but the [Scale Mail] was part of Boosted Gear's [Balance Breaker]. From what Issei took from that conversation a [Balance Break] was an abnormality, or 'glitch' for lack of better words, in the system God created for Sacred Gears. It could tip the fight into one's favor, and possessed incredible powers. As he was right now Issei wouldn't be able to wield it, though perhaps one day he might.

The third, and most important, was a revelation that shocked Issei. "You mean I can transfer my Boosts to others?!"

[Yep.] Ddraig said wryly. [It's called "Gift." You need to be in physical contact with someone to transfer your power to them, but it can certainly even the odds.]

"Damn...I gotta be like the best support character ever! WAIT! FORGET I SAID THAT! I NEVER SAID THAT!"

Ddraig sighed. [Focus, partner.]

"Doing it now!" Forget about being a support character, at the very last he had to be the main character: they are the ones who get the best-aaaand, those were pleasant but still dangerous thoughts. "Explains to me how exactly Gift works. When you say it transfers power to others, do you mean I give them the extra Mana that Boosting generate?"

[Not quite: while you still gain a fixed amount of extra power with each Boost - though you can just stockpile Boosts without gradually increasing power to get all of it at the same time - when you transfer Boosts to someone else your Sacred Gear multiplies their own power a number of times corresponding to the amount of Boosts. To put it in simpler words, it's like they use Boosted Gear themselves, while you pay the stamina cost in their places.]

"Wait. So it's like..." Issei began to count on his fingers, face furrowed in concentration. "If I am 1 and boost three times, I become 8. But if, let's say Reno, is 5 and I transfer the three boosts to him, he becomes 40. There is a difference of 35, while if I transfer my extra energy it's just 7. Is that right?"

[Dumbed down to the level of a child, but yes.] Issei scratched his head in embarrassment at Ddraig's flat tone. [As a dragon I never had much use for it, since I was the strongest being around, but many of my past hosts made extensive use of it. I remember one who had an army of familiars: during battle he would stay behind and focus on gathering Boosts to empower them. There is a technique to affect more than one target at a time, but part of the power is lost. Not to mention that the more people targeted, the less power is transferred.]

"Huh. Okay then..." He dipped his head in thought. So he'd only be able to increase his friends' power one at a time. "What else Boosted Gear can do?"

[Well, in theory you can merge certain items to it, but they would have to be modified in order to synchronize with the Gear.] Ddraig hummed thoughtfully. [Name a hero from any mythology off the top of your head.]

"Eh?" Issei blinked. Why was Ddraig asking that? What did a hero have anything to do with this? "Okay, um...Cu Chulainn? Wasn't he a hero?"

[The Hound of Ireland, yes.] Ddraig chuckled. [I'm impressed you know that.]

"You can thank anime for that." Specifically, 'Fate/stay Night'. Of course the anime was based off of an eroge game. Speaking of which, he still needed to finish it! He wanted to get to the H-scene with Toh-

[Partner... Please stop with the fantasies.]

Issei pouted. "Come on! I'm a guy! At least let me dream of oppai!"

Ddraig sighed. [Anyway, continuing on... Let's say for example Cu Chulainn's mighty spear, the Gae Bolg, were to be modified to be compatible with Boosted Gear. You would be able to merge and store it inside the gauntlet and use the spear's power for your own. Another example would be perhaps a dragon-slaying sword, such as the hero Siegfried's Balmung.]

"Wait, how would that work?" That didn't make sense. From what he understood Boosted Gear was more or less a prison for Ddraig, a dragon. A powerful one if Issei was to believe. "Wouldn't having a dragon-slaying sword being apart of a dragon's gauntlet be, I dunno, dangerous?"

[As I said, it's hypothetical. And the weapon would need to be modified. Of course, the only person who could accomplish that feat would be the one who manage the Sacred Gear system.]

"Oh. So basically only God can fix stuff around to make it work with this thing."

For a moment, Issei visualized Ddraig smiling. [Good. You're catching on. Also, heads up. The cook is coming your way.]

The glow from his hand faded. True enough Issei heard Champloo coming up from behind. He didn't need to turn around and verify. The smell was all he needed.

"There you are, my boy!" the chef said, as boisterous as usual. "I had wondered where you'd run off to!"

Isse groaned as he got up. He still wasn't ready for another day in Hell's Kitchen just yet. Especially not after nearly being shredded by an oversized Cheese Grater of all things.

Normalcy...was it too much to ask for?

"So, what's on the agenda today?" Issei asked, already fearing what his teacher had in store for him in that demented mind of his. "No, wait. Don't tell me. You're going to have me run away from demonic flaming meatballs, aren't you?"

Champloo cocked his head to the side. "Why in the Nine Hells would I do that?" he questioned, genuinely confused. "Demonic flaming meatballs are primarily used for Hellfire Dishes. Which, mind you, is a dish that makes a volcano looks tame in comparison." Issei stared at the man as if he were growing a second head. "They wouldn't make good for training anyway." Champloo shook his head. "Anyway, I had a different idea for your training today."

"Oh? What torture are you going to subject me to this time?"

"Well, I've apparently heard there's another human running around the Netherworld." Issei's eyes widened. Another human? Like him and Asagi?! For a moment he wondered if it was someone from his world, but then thought against the idea. The chances were low unless the Vato Brothers were stupid enough to try that ritual again. "I don't know if they're from your world, but from what I've gathered they have red hair and carry a black sword with them."

Issei closed his eyes. The best he could think of regarding that description was perhaps Rias Gremory, one of Kuoh's Great Ladies. However, he was pretty sure she didn't have a sword. If it were Katase or Murayama, maybe. But he knew no one that fits that sort of description.

"Okay." he nodded. "What do you want me to do? Find and beat them or something?"

Champloo shook his head. "Not quite. Lately, I've been hearing that a rather particularly nasty dish has been running around eating some dark fruits."

Issei stared. He...understood little of that. All he got out of it was that there was a demon running around, probably beating other demons.

Then again, how was that new? That was pretty much what happened every other day here in this crazy world. "And not just any dark fruits." Champloo continued. "They say this demon's been attacking Reapers!"

Issei blinked. One, twice. Then his jaw became rather intimate with the floor.

"DID YOU JUST SAY REAPERS?! AS IN, GRIM REAPERS?!"

"That's right." Champloo nodded. "Don't worry too much: it's not like those guys go around killing people. Well, no more than your average Demon. But they're essential to the correct management of the flow of souls: without them doing their jobs properly there is a risk of wayward souls running amok around the Academy. It's the kind of things that's better to avoid altogether: destruction by Demons going all out can be fixed." He traced a circle with his index finger. "Malfunctions in the Reincarnation System...not so much."

Issei sighed in relief, a hand on his chest. Then he heard what Champloo said last and frowned. "Reincarnation?"

"Oh? Did your friends not explain it to you?" the chef asked. Issei shook his head. "I see! Then, allows this connoisseur to teach you a new recipe! To start with, I assume you're already familiar with the Prinnies?"

"Yeah." It was rather hard to forget such cartoonish-looking creatures that walked on peg legs. Especially since they explode when thrown. "I am. Agnes said her uncle is a Prinny Instructor in a place called Hades."

"Hades is one of the many facilities where they discipline the Prinnies, refining them into a decent dish of sort, and then served them to the demons in the many existing Netherworlds. However, they weren't always Prinnies: they were all human once. To be more exact, they were criminals in the human world!"

Issei's eyes widened. "S-Seriously?" He found it VERY hard to believe that. They were so pitifully weak and unreliable, unless their very lives are on the line...well, and if they are high. Then they are just flat-out annoying.

"Mm-hm! When a human dies, they're judged by the Reapers and sent to either Celestia or the Netherworld. If it's the latter, they're trapped in the bodies of Prinnies and have to work to the bone under demons in order to obtain an amount of money proportionate to the weight of their crimes."

Issei frowned. "...How much cash are we talking here? Like, for something as minor as shop lifting?"

"That would be around, say...500,000 HL!" Issei's jaw dropped in disbelief! That high?! Good lord, what was the price of something as serious as murder?! "Anyway, back on topic! Once a Prinny has earned the HL necessary to pay off their sins, their palates can be cleaned and remade, reborn into a new life! Of course, that system is also available to demons as well, though its mostly for training purposes."

"Training?"

"Yep! You can reset your Level back to 1 and start all over! It's a very common method among demons, especially if they wish to digest some VERY strong dishes!"

Issei scratched his cheek, wrapping his head around the idea. "So, basically...if I want to, I can get 'reincarnated' and have my Level reduced?"

"Yep. And depending on how much Mana you've got, you can give your stats a much needed initial boost!"

Issei's eyebrow twitched, fingers curling into a fist. 'Must...contain...rage!' he thought, trying to keep his sanity-safety response system from lashing out at Champloo for stating such outlandish nonsense.

Champloo cleared his throat. "At any rate, a demon's been running amok cutting down Reapers. Some of them, it seems, were also very special dishes from the Senior class, which are typically demons comparable to low-level Demon Lords, even possibly an Overlord. That however isn't my concern. It's this new human. While I have faith in yours and that gunslinger girls' capabilities, I know nothing about them. Even if they have a sword, with a dangerous death-hunting monster running around, well...I think you get my point."

"So, instead of this human you want me to make whoever is going around Reapers stop?" It was the logical conclusion after Champloo's explanation, though Issei didn't fancy his chances against a being capable of picking up a fight with a freaking Grim Reaper and survive.

"Correct! BOOM! Try first to track down this mysterious human, even if they are not from your world they could have valuable information, or maybe start a Side Quest with a valuable reward at the end." Issei promptly pretended the blonde demon didn't say the last part. "Then you can see to this apparent lover of risky dishes. From what I gathered they wield a scythe, and look like of a complete sadist."

'Fantastic. As if this couldn't get any better.' Issei thought with a heavy dose of sarcasm. Maybe he should start adding it to the food he cook, let's see what Champloo think of the extra flavor.

A second later he realized just what he thought of and promptly kicked his mental self.

"...A new human, huh?" Reno said as he put a hand to his chin. "I have been hearing about a red-haired girl carrying a jet-black sword."

"Wait, it's a chick?!" Issei asked excitedly. Already, his imagination was running wild. "Do you know if she's got awesome boobs?!"

Shiro stared at Issei rather flatly before she palmed her face. "I see the cook has barely done anything to help with your perversion." she said, shaking her head before putting a paw on her hip. "Anyway, is there a reason why you smell like fried chicken?"

"Don't ask." The brunette immediately replied with a dead look. "No, seriously. Don't ask."

"Deep trauma, uh?" Reno smirked. "So, Mister Champloo wants you to find this human?"

"Yes." Issei nodded. "He also mentioned an unknown demon picking up fights with the Reapers. More as a warning to stay away from them, I believe, but I need to find this person before the two come into contact."

"I can see why. Even if everywhere in Evil Academy is dangerous, demons of a certain level of strength tend to stay in the same territory. With some caution and a little inquiry the most dangerous areas can be avoided, but with a wandering high-leveled demon you could meet it anywhere." The Samurai shook his head. "It's a common mistake for humans to only look at the level of the first demon they meet in a new area and ignore the other sheets, thinking all the other demons have a similar level."

"Ehi!" Asagi and Issei complained at the subtle insult.

"It's true." Priere smirked. "Why, even I...but at least I had the common sense to check the sheet of any demon that looked like the Boss. Not that I ever met a demon I couldn't defeat."

"You burned them?" Kelly asked.

"Nah, never had a knack for magic." She raised a clenched fist. "This usually did the trick."

Issei shuddered, feeling pity for all the demons that had the unfortunate chance to antagonize Priere.

"Reno, did you hear where this girl could be found?" Agnes asked the samurai.

"Vague descriptions." He waved a hand. "But the best way to find info is to listen to the gossip of the low-level demons that hang around the shopping area."

"You do that." Priere yawned and leaned back on her throne. "I'll take a nap."

"Eh? A red-haired chick with a sword?" a demon wearing a poncho and western hat quirked his visible eyebrow. "Oh, you mean her. Yes, I know her. A real quiet one, that girl. She got into a small fight with a few honor students, but she kicked their asses to kingdom come."

"Do you know where we can find her?" Reno inquired. "We have something to ask her."

The Gunner shrugged. "Sorry, don't know. She left when the whole thing blow over. I think she's a mute or something. Never said a thing except for grunts."

"Sounds like a silent protagonist." Kelly remarked, causing Issei to twitch before he could stop himself, his hand slamming down on the pyromaniac's head. "OW! What was that for?!"

"Sorry! Reflex!"

"You're looking for a human with red hair?" The horned demon wreathed in flames, oddly resembling a dragon to boot, cocked his head as he folded his arms. "Hm...I vaguely recall encountering a human with that description. She carries a black sword, yes?"

"That's the one!" Rathina nodded eagerly. "We're looking for her! Do you know where we can find her?!"

"I think someone saw her go into one of the classrooms in the Southeast Wing. If you're going, though, I'd be careful. I've been hearing that the Reapers there have been getting cut down. I've heard the culprit is some kind of scythe-wielding maniac."

Reno's eyes narrowed, bowing his head in gratitude for this information as the party walked away. "It seems whoever this Reaper hunter is, they're not just sticking to one area."

"At least we got a description." Asagi put her arms behind her head as she swung her legs into the air. "A demon with a scythe. Other than the Reapers, it can't be that hard finding a demon with a description like that."

Issei sighed. "Whoever that human that got tossed in here is, I hope she's okay. This place is full of nutjobs!"

A pause. Issei then turned to his friends and bowed his head. "No offense to you guys."

"None taken." was the collected response.

"Guys! I think I found the classroom!"

The group followed after Rathina's shout, joining the dinosaur demon in front of a great stone arch. Demon faces were carved over its surface, all of them showing comical grins and sneers. It was, in Issei's opinion, very silly.

The space past the arch, on the other hand, not so much: it was a classroom, one that looked like it was build by a drunkard. The desks and chairs had undulated and twisted forms, totally unfitted for sitting on, and even someone like Issei, who knew nothing of architecture, could understand there was no realistic way for the room's structure to hold by itself without crumbling.

'Is this what they mean when they talk about an eldritch location?' The human boy wondered. While he was familiar with a large number of genres, he made a point of avoiding anything horror-related: after all, if he wanted to be scared shitless all he had to do was getting caught peeping by the kendo girls.

Such thoughts took a back seat in his mind when he saw a figure sitting on a small ledge on the wall. Like the rumors said she was a girl with red hair: unlike Priere's they were of a paler shade, more reminiscent of flames than blood. Her eyes were of the same color, staring with a blank look at her legs as if she was deep in thought. To his delight her upper body was mostly bare, naked save for a pink bra. Her arms were clad in a mix of detached green sleeves and pinkish armor, while below the waist she wore baggy green and white pants: they ended a little below her knees, her feet clad in high-heeled sandals. She didn't have big boobs, but in Issei's eyes she possessed a cool type of beauty, the type that originates not from looks but personality.

It made a very sharp contrast with the huge and wicked-looking sword she held in her right hand: as tall as she was, and black like all the sins of the world gathered together. He didn't know where the last thought came from, only that it was oddly appropriated.

And for some reason the weapon brought with it a great sense of discomfort. In contrast to the beautiful girl who radiated a sense of coolness, the sword felt otherworldly and terrifying. Just looking at it brought shivers down his spine.

"Well, that thing isn't ominous at all." Reno joked with a dry tone. "I've never seen a sword of that craftsmanship before."

"A Demonic Sword, maybe?" Agnes offered.

"Possibly. Well, off you go Ise!"

The brunette blinked before looking at Reno. "Wait, what?" he pointed a finger at himself.

Reno nodded, prompting Issei to gawk. "Why me?!"

"Well, this is technically your quest. You started it, you finish it."

"...You know what, Reno? I hate you."

"I love you too man." Reno grinned. "Now, come on! Get going!"

Issei growled, angry at his friend for more or less throwing him to the wolves. Then he gave a sigh and ran his fingers through his unruly mop. Why was this happening to him? Resigned to the fact that he might be getting into a fight he instinctively had Boosted Gear increase his Level. He'd probably need it, given his luck.

Then he approached the woman as calmly and as non-threateningly as possible. "Um...excuse me? Miss?"

She looked up at him, showing no sign of surprise at being addressed. Like the whole situation was completely normal to her. She blinked once, head tilting slightly sideways as if to say 'Yes?'.

Encouraged by the positive, if silent, reaction Issei continued. "Are you a human?"

The tips of her lips turned upwards in amusement, her free hand coming up and pushing a few hair behind her ears, revealing their roundness.

"Right. Sorry, that was a stupid question." Issei bowed his head in embarrassment. "It's just, I'm trying to find someone else from my homeworld, but I fear the method used was one of a kind. Does the world 'Japan' say anything to you?"

She shook her head, eyes closed and smile dimming as if to say 'Sorry, no'.

'She's very quiet. Maybe she's really mute?' Issei thought. "Then, can I ask why are you in the Netherworld? It is not exactly a...safe place."

She smiled again, clearly amused by the irony of the boy's statement. She seemed to think about it for a few seconds before holding out her open hand and slowly move it around, following it with her gaze. It was like she was reaching for something, or... "You're searching for something?" A shake of her head. "Someone?" A nod. "A guy?" Another nod.

Probably her boyfriend. Lucky bastard.

"What does he look like?" The girl fiddled with her hair, giving off the impression that her head was messy, which it already was. Then she moved her hands over her shoulders, mimicking something that was over them. "A cape?" She shook her head. "Shoulder pads?" A tilt this time. "Pauldrons?" A nod. "Okay. What's his name?"

Rather than answer, the girl walked to the cracked whiteboard, grabbed a nearby piece of chalk off the floor and used it to write out a name

GIG

"Gig?" Issei blinked. What the hell kind of name was Gig? That was slang for a job! Still, the name sounded kind of impressive in its semplicity. "Okay. Is he missing?"

The girl nodded, showing a look of concern. She must really care a lot for this Gig person. Now Issei felt even more envious of whoever it was. Seriously! Even here some lucky bastard had a hot girl! 'Wait, no. Focus, Issei! You have a job to do.' "Okay, um... Is it okay if I ask you something else?"

The girl smiled and nodded.

"Would you happen to know anything about a crazy scythe-wielding demon that's been hunting Reapers?"

The girl blinked, as if thrown for a loop. Her expression more or less read 'Someone is killing off Death?'

"Yeah. My teacher more or less has me on this mission, kind of. I'd rather not get involved with a crazy guy like that. But he wants to know if we ever have to worry about him changing targets. Would you happen to know anything?" To his surprise, the red-haired girl nodded. "Wait, seriously?!" Another nod. "W-who is it?"

She pointed back to the chalkboard. He turned and found that she was pointing at the name of the person she was looking for.

Suddenly, Issei felt as if someone had just walked over his own grave.

"...Wait. Let me get this straight." he held up his hands. "You're telling me...the guy you're looking for...is also the same guy who's been wrecking the shit out of the Reapers?!" The girl sighed, nodding her head as if she was disappointed. Issei stared at her for a good long while before speaking up again. "Please wait a moment."

He then walked back over to the group. They leaned forward, eagerly anticipating what information he had gathered from her. Instead, he began to promptly freak out. "We're so fucking boned!"

"W-wait, what?" Reno stepped back. "Ise, calm down. What happened?"

"That girl back there? She's looking for someone. Her boyfriend I think! He's the one who's been taking down Reapers left and right!"

"Oh." The samurai blinked, looking at the girl with a calculative gaze before moving back to Issei. "That's great."

"What's so great about it?!"

"If he's her boyfriend then he will likely listen to her. That way we can make him stop antagonizing the Reapers without a fight."

Issei opened his mouth to deliver a scathing reply, but suddenly clamped it shut. "That...isn't a bad idea." He conceded. It was also a logical one that tried to avoid violence altogether, which sounded terribly out of place coming from the Demon.

Still, he wasn't about to refuse a small mercy from the universe. Returning to the girl he chose his next words carefully. "To tell the truth, the Reapers being defeated is kind of a problem. If we help you finding this Gig guy, could you persuade him to stop?"

Grinning she slapped the flat of the blade on her palm, head nodding in agreement. Issei was starting to realize that the girlfriend of a crazy powerful, scythe-wielding maniac isn't likely to be normal herself. "My name is Issei. What's yours?"

"Revya."

The brunette blinked. He then looked at the one who just spoke, Kelly. "...How do you know that?"

"Her status screen, of course!" she chirped happily, pointing to it. Sure enough, floating next to the now-named Revya was a status screen.

[Name: Revya
Title: World Eater
Level: 25]

Issei's eyebrow twitched. His hand swung, but missed by a large margin. "Hah!" Kelly grinned. "I was prepared-OW! NO KICKING!"

"Sorry! Reflex again!"

Issei chuckled before realizing something. With a noticeable amount of dread he looked back at Revya and, for once, ignored his common sense.

[Title: World Eater]

What did you have to do, to get a Title like that? Issei wasn't sure he wanted to contemplate the possible reasons.

Afterwards greetings were exchanged between the sword-wielding redhead and the rest of the group. But inevitably someone had to vocalize a certain question: that someone ended up being Asagi: "What now?"

"Remember what the last demon we interrogated said? The Reapers here in the Southeast Wing has been attacked." Reno answered. "Revya's friend may be closer then we think."

At that moment, the building shook. Issei turned to flatly look at Reno. "...Really dude?"

"Oh, you know it was going to happen anyway."

Without another word the demons plus three humans fled the room, dashing out into the hallway and booking it to the obvious sounds of battle. There was battle cries, screaming, yelps and things being broken. Rounding around the corner Issei skidded to a stop at the sight before him: he felt his jaw fall to the floor, followed by Agnes gasping in shock and Kelly staring at the sight with fascination and awe.

"Holy shit!"

The hallway had been turned into a demilitarized zone. The walls were bashed all to hell and the majority were broken, revealing several holes where debris and defeated demons laid among the rubble. There were a few demons who matched the description Champloo had given him: large skeletal beings dressed in sharp suits with bone-like wings and a skull for a head, scythe in hand.

However, there were many other types of demons as well. Some were Succubus, their clothes damaged and nearly providing Issei a clear shot of nipples and private areas, but sadly they remained hidden from view. Others were humanoid and very slim, wearing tight shorts and a belt acting as a makeshift bra with green hair: one of them was atop a particularly large boulder, lying flat on her back with foam coming out of her mouth. The remaining demons were more monstrous, like the beefy looking demons with dark skin, a large metal cannon for a hand and glowing red dots for eyes: their golden horns were cracked, and one of them was even missing.

All in all, it looked as if there had been a battle royal and all parties involved got their asses handed to them.

"One, two..." Shiro counted the defeated demon with her paws. "Damn, fifty. That's a lot. How did so many demons got the shit kicked out of them?"

"Who could have done this?" Agnes asked, nervous. "Is-is it a Demon Lord?"

"Thank you for your kind words, but I'm afraid we quite aren't at that level yet."

Issei felt his body light up like a Christmas tree, standing at full attention as he heard an unmistakably and positively sexy female voice call out from within the dust cloud that continued to linger among the pile of rubble and defeated demon. He could faintly make out two figures within, but couldn't quite make out the details. They were definitely girls, judging by their curves.

Reno stepped forward, a hand on the hilt of his sword. "Are you the one who has been defeating the Reapers here at Evil Academy?"

"Afraid not." another female voice replied. "That was someone else's work. And what about you? Is one of you an Overlord?"

The group looked at one another, a bit confused and nervous by such inquiry. Issei definitely felt anxious: were they looking for Priere? "Um...Quick question." he called out to the two girls. "Is the Overlord you're looking for a girl?"

"No. It's a man."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Then no. None of us is an Overlord."

"How do we know you're not lying?"

"Just check our Status Screens!" A second later, Issei realized what he just said and promptly paled. 'Oh god! I acknowledged the madness! Evil thoughts begone! Evil thoughts begone! Evil thoughts begone!'

The dust cloud thinned, and eventually the two mysterious females stepped into view. When they did Issei snapped out of his mental self-loathing for his mistake in acknowledging the madness that was the video game-like rules of this world and felt something warm running down is nose.

"Ah!" Agnes panicked. "Ise! Your nose is bleeding!"

'Can you blame me?!' Chibi-Issei shouted, waving the panty flag within his brain. 'Look at those sexy babes! And they're TWINS! Evil Academy! Fucking! Rocks!'

That said, even if twins there were many difference between them. The first demon was a girl with red eyes, black purplish hair, fair skin and big breasts. She wore a black bra-like top with no sleeves, a large red coat, black gloves, black shorts and black boots with golden linings. Her hair were tied into twin-tails by two golden hairpins shaped like crescent moons, with a pink butterfly wing on their sides. In her hands she held a scythe with two blades on each side and a skull on the top. She strode forward with a slow and sensual gait, an expression of pure confidence on her face.

The second sister had long black hair, dark purple eyes, white skin and modest, but still attractive, breasts. She wore a purple shirt, a large black coat with golden linings, black shorts and black boots with golden buckles on them. Her hair were tied into a bun and ponytail combination, the bun fixed by a golden ring with a purple butterfly wing on it. She also wielded a scythe: it had only one blade, with a purple orb in the center of the latter and a golden spike on the top. Unlike her sister her movements and expression showed a certain shyness, which seemed to worsen when she realized the group's eyes were on her.

"Uhm, true. None of you has the title of Overlord." The confident sister's gaze swept over each member of Issei's group, eventually stopping on the brunette himself. "But there are a few that are quite interesting, even if your levels are nothing special." she grinned. "Who knows, maybe you will be worth fighting in the future."

"A very far future I hope." The Samurai kept a hand on his sword, while Shiro was still tense and ready to move.

Reno's answer seemed to amuse the girl, until her sister tugged at her coat. "Elza." she said with a soft voice, sneaking timid glances at Issei and Asagi. "They're human."

"Oh? You're right Alice." a coy smile formed on Elza's lips. "You don't see many humans here in the Netherworld. How novel."

Asagi folded her arms as she tilted her head. "Who're you two?"

"Isn't it rude to now introduce yourself first?" the now named Elza retorted with a smirk.

Her words served to infuriate a few members of the group, though thankfully Issei stepped in before anyone could attempt to pick up a fight. "I-I'm Issei Hyoudou! Nice to meet you!" he greeted as cheerfully as possible whilst trying to not stare at their chests. Somehow, he got the feeling that if he dared to do so before Elza he might find his life coming to a very early end. "A-and these are my friends! Agnes, Reno, Shiro, Rathina, Kelly, Asagi and Revya!"

Revya raised a hand in greeting.

"Oh." Alice bowed her head. "I'm terribly sorry. We didn't notice you."

"Revya doesn't talk much." Agnes told them. ("More, like, at all..." Issei muttered under his breath.) "S-So, um, what are your names?"

"I'm Elza." the confident sister introduced herself. "Elza Drakesworn. And this is my sister, Alice. We're Overlord Hunters."

A silence fell upon the group, suddenly thankful that Priere had chosen to stay behind in the classroom. Issei gulped down a rather large lump of nervous saliva in his throat. "Is-Is that so...?" he asked timidly. "A-and I take it you want to find the Dean?"

"Yes." Alice nodded. "Do you know where we can find him? My sister and I have been asking around, but no one seems to know where he is."

"He has...disappeared from the public scene for a while now." Reno replied. "We're in the dark about his whereabouts as many other students."

"That's too bad." Elza mused while using her scythe as a staff. "I suppose our only choice is to continue our search. I hope dealing with so many small fries isn't bothering you Alice."

"I'm fine." She shook her head. "Really."

"Uhm, can I ask you a question?" Agnes raised a hand to gather the sisters' attention. "Have you meet a demon who also use a scythe here at Evil Academy?"

"Another scythe-user? Why yes, just yesterday in fact." With a dismissive gesture Elza waved a hand behind her. "A boorish and uncouth man, going on and on how he was a 'Master of Death' and similar rot."

Smiling and nodding quickly Revya raised a thumb-up, as if to say 'That's Gig!', Much to Issei's chagrin.

"You met him here in the Southeast Wing?"

"Yes. This place is very huge, there are a lot of underground floors. The last I heard of him he was screaming about being lost."

The brunette human groaned. "Great. So this place is more or less like a freaking dungeon. What happened to this being an RPG?!" A pause. Then his eyes went wide with horror. "Wait! What did I just say?!"

"Well, we need to get going." Elza said as she turned to Alice. "You ready to go?"

Her sister nodded. The two girls then turned around, ready to make their leave. "See you guys around."

And with that they left the group of demons and humans behind, walking away from the carnage of their own making. Soon, their forms vanished in the distance.

Agnes giggled. "They were surprisingly polite." she remarked, "If a little rude."

"More like irritating." Kelly growled. "Who does she think she is?! Kelly is not small fry!"

"We may as well have been." Reno said, pushing up his glasses as everyone turned to look at him. "Did you all look at their Levels? Their Titles of Overlord Hunters are not unwarranted. Anyway, it seems we have a lead on Gig. Let's head back to the main lobby."

"Eh?" Asagi tilted her head. "Why should we do that? Can't we just go and find him now?"

Revya shook her head, as if to say 'Listen to your friend.' Everyone turned to look at her: the girl's face was serious as she folded her arms. Somehow everyone understood what she wanted to say: 'Gig is strong. He's not as strong as he used to be, but he's not someone you should take lightly.'

"Ugh, great..." Issei groaned. "Well, I guess we could probably hit up Rosen Queen."

"Probably a good idea." Shiro nodded. "Master, how much HL do we have?"

Reno took out his wallet, giving it a quick lookover. "Hm... I'd say enough to buy a few items. Maybe a pricey weapon if we're lucky." He slipped his wallet back into his pocket. "Okay. Let's head back to the Classroom. I'll see about passing a new bill. We could probably use some extra EXP from one of the maps."

Without warning, Issei's hand snapped out, nearly striking Reno were it not for his quick reflexes. He caught the fist and gave Issei a frown. "Seriously?"

"Sorry!" Issei apologized. "My hand just acted on its own!"

Elsewhere, deep in the Southeast Wing, a group of Reapers was surrounding a single individual, bloodlust radiating from their forms as their brandished their scythes.

"You dare cut down our brethren and proclaim yourself Death?" one of the Reapers bellowed menacingly. "We shall smite you here!"

The figure, his form shrouded in darkness, smirked. "Give it your best shot." he challenged cockily. "Just don't blame me if you die."

"Insolence!" The Reapers cried as they all charged at once, scythes ready to claim his soul.

They had no idea who they were up against.

The figure raised his arm, a writhing mass of black and red energy coiling around the appendage, before he swung it in a wide arc, releasing a burst of incredible power. The powerful wave released was enough to rip apart the ground beneath him, kicking up chunks of debris that were either thrown around or reduced to tiny grains of dirt. The Reapers suffered similar fates: some were killed, being reduced to mere flecks of Mana for the figure to absorb into his person, whereas others were just thrown away. Their HP dropped down, dangerously close to zero.

There were ten Reapers in all, each Level 24 or so. Yet not one of them so much as touched the figure.

"All bark..." the figure grinned as he stepped out of the shadows, revealing his full appearance. "And no bite."

He wore a purple shirt and jet black jeans, with silver-colored hair that somehow managed to seem both neat yet messy at the same time. Two blue rectangle-like marks were seen at each side of his face underneath his eyes, and floating over his shoulders were two huge demonic-looking pauldrons. However, the two most noticeable things about the male figure were on his face: a cocky grin and cold blue eyes, which seemed to glow like fire.

"H-how...?" a surviving Reaper wheezed, futily trying to stand. "How c-can you be t-this powerful? W-Who...are you?"

"Who, me?" the man smiled as he walked up to his foe, standing in front of the Reaper before he rudely slammed his foot down on its back, pinning the demon to the ground. "I'm glad you asked, you wannabe Nightmare Before Christmas reject! I'm the baddest of the bad! The maddest of the mad! The killer of kings and destroyer of worlds!" he paused, tilting his head for a moment before amending his statement. "Well, not worlds. I mean, everything! And the commander of the World Eaters! But hell...!"

He raised his arm. The pauldrons hovering over his shoulders quivered, becoming black and red energy that flowed around his arm like a flame before it solidified, creating decaying thorns wrapped around his hand, sharp spikes covering the dead weeds. Upon closer inspection, however, an observer could see they weren't normal thorns: after all, no thorn in this or in any other world had a bloody red blade jutting out from it, curved and sharpened with a dark aura surrounding it. The Reaper looked at the man, almost fearfully so, as it shook beneath the boot that held it down.

The man's wicked grin was the last thing the Reaper ever saw before he brought the scythe down upon it.

"...you can just call me Gig!"

Revya

Level: 25

Title: World Eater

Evility: Devourlord (Steals 10% of remaining HP from adjacent enemies after the turn's end)

Weapon Type: Sword

Skills:

All Sword Skills

Personal Skills:

Soul Linkage (Revya call upon the souls of a Clergy, an Archer and a red Mage for a devastating combination attack) Description: Fight with me. Range: 2 panels ahead (1x3 line formation)

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Description: The heroine of the game 'Soul Nomad and the World Eaters'. Quiet and androgynous. She is a fairly nice person, but also possesses a rather sarcastic side.

Equipment: Onyx Blade