Issei's Soul Room

The overwhelming scent of blood made Issei sick to his stomach. It made his stomach twist and churn, unable to settle itself. The smell wasn't the only thing that bothered him. Every so often, blood would rise up in his throat, forcing him to either swallow or spit it out.

The young man didn't even have the energy to scream out in pain. He was breathing heavily, as though his air was being taken away. His only consolation was that the poisonous voice was gone. However, Issei was once again unsettled by the fact that he couldn't contact Ddraig, the Yamata-no-Orochi, or even Albion's clone. He couldn't hear their replies. If they had even replied back in the first place.

Taking another deep breath, Issei struggled to get up, lifting himself up with his hands. As soon as he got up however, his eyes constricted, and he fell with a thud.

"?!"

He grunted as he slammed onto the ground, and he covered his mouth, feeling the copper taste rising up in his throat. The young man looked down, and he instantly regretted it, spotting the pool of blood he was almost submerged in. The puddles came from the blood flowing from his back, and the blood from his own mouth.

Eyes twitching in pain, Issei closed his eyes and swallowed the blood back into his throat, almost growing sick from the amount of the crimson liquid. He felt constant pain, the agony becoming more pronounced the longer blood spewed out. From getting stabbed by Ddraig, to battling with Susanoo, and his final battle with Yoru, those were nothing compared to how he was feeling now.

Aside from the pain and overflowing blood, there were times when Issei thought he could hear the voice whispering out to him, sending him mental images. Some depictions involved mostly of Leiko. There were instances where Leiko shouted at him, proclaiming her hatred for him. After those, there were several scenes of Leiko's death, ranging from minor to true gore.

But the voice didn't stop there. Not only did it constantly show depictions of Leiko, but it also sent mental images involving Ophis, Great Red. There were scenes in which the Apocalypse Dragon and the Ouroboros Dragon were being harmed by Samael's needle.

Taking another deep breath, Issei sat still, fearing the slightest movement would cause him to throw the blood up again. He felt pain. Constant pain.

He felt so…

Broken.

"…No."

The young man gulped down another mouthful of blood, and began to stand up, his knees wobbling from the strain.

What the hell do you think you're doing?

Damn. It was that voice again.

"…Be quiet." Issei muttered out before gaining his balance.

Oh, you're standing up are you? Well, don't bother. Your 'family' doesn't care about you. Leiko, Ophis, Great Red, the Trihexa, and Amaterasu couldn't care less. And your supposed best friend, Saji? He's part of the Devils, the very species who wronged you since your first encounter with the supernatural.

"…" Issei stood up straight, keeping his mouth shut.

What's the matter? Run out of words already? No more words to say?

Issei took another breath, trying to block out the smell of blood.

You really think you can escape from here, can you? You're wasting your time!

The young man clenched his fists, more blood seeping out from his hands. Gritting his teeth from the pain, Issei looked through the crimson pool of darkness, and narrowed his eyes.

"We'll just have to see about that."

Azazel's Lab (Kuoh Academy)

"Did you not hear us, Fallen Angel Azazel? Explain what you did to my Issei." Ophis demanded coldly.

"...I didn't mean for it to go like this."

"Well, it's already done," Great Red snarled, "Now hurry up and spill the beans!"

Azazel gulped down a nervous lump in his throat. The Fallen Angel was normally a pacifist type of guy, choosing to talk his way out of unfortunate situations. Except this time, he wouldn't be able to save himself if he wasn't careful.

Sighing, Azazel took a deep breath.

"...There's an upcoming tournament for the Three Powers, and yesterday, I tried to enroll Issei Hyoudou into joining the side of the Fallen Angels. I probably would have succeeded, if Sirzechs hadn't shown up. He said that Issei was on his side."

"Well, we all know that's a damn lie," Great Red said, "The kid wants nothing to do with the supernatural, you crows, or those Devils at all. Why do you think he's been lying dormant for the past six months?"

"...Anyway," Azazel began, "So when that failed I built a machine with the intention of cloning Issei Hyoudou. So if Sirzechs had Issei on his side, then I would also have Issei on my side as well."

"That is foolish," Ophis narrowed her eyes, "You tried to clone my mate just to win a tournament."

"I just don't understand why it didn't work." Azazel muttered to himself.

"Your machine is flawed," The 'Above' stated, "It did not clone Issei. It dissociated one of his transformations from himself. The very transformation he acquired in the Realm of the Shinigami."

"But I saw that creature meld itself back into Issei Hyoudou."

The 'Above' looked back at Issei, and then to the scythe. The scythe was acquired from the Realm of Hades, so Issei was right not to use it in his fight with Cao Cao. The entity narrowed her eyes as a thought came to her.

'The realm of the Shinigami.'

There was one other being that had an expertise about the subject of scythes. A powerful being that imbued the fears of any mortal.

As if on cue, a manifestation of black energy formed within Azazel's laboratory. The massive energy formed into a curvaceous woman with night-black hair and was dressed in a black robe. Ophis' expression lifted just slightly at the familiar entity.

"Shinigami."

The entity known as Death smiled and tilted her head. Her smile widened as she spotted Ophis, the Great Red pinning down a poor Fallen Angel, and her Creator.

"Fufu. It's been a long time, everyone."

"Death." The 'Above' greeted one of her creations.

"Creator, it's good to see you. It seems Eternity was right. You were contemplating on taking a female form. Are you living with Darling now?"

"Now is not the time to talk about that." The Omniversal Entity cut Death off.

"Hmm," Death tilted her head as her smile faltered, "Yes I am aware. Issei doesn't look too good over there."

The Shinigami looked over at the unconscious Issei, and she tapped her scythe on the ground. Next to Issei, was a double-edged scythe that seemed to glisten. The personification of decay hummed in interest.

"What an interesting scythe. Might I ask where Darling got that?"

"Do not be coy with me, Shinigami," The 'Above' demanded, "You know the origin of the scythe. This is not the time to act like this."

The embodiment of despair formed a small pout with her lips, until she assented and sighed. It was natural for the personification to be indifferent or otherwise downright gleeful when death itself was near. It made her all the more excited when she sensed that it was Issei who was bleeding out from his back.

"You're no fun." She pouted again.

"Hold on a minute, who are you?" Azazel asked in disbelief.

"Is it not obvious? Both Ouroboros and my Creator stated my name. Or were you not paying attention, Fallen Angel Azazel?"

"I-"

"Oh, shut up!" Great Red barked as he knocked Azazel out, "I'll be back for you later, bastard."

The Fallen Angel slumped to the floor, unconscious just like Issei.

"Now Shinigami," The 'Above' began, "What is that power emitting from the scythe?"

"Hmm," Death hummed as she looked at the scythe, "Even though the power is nowhere near my own, it's not exactly weak, especially if the scythe came from Hades' Realm."

"Hades has a vendetta against you, Shinigami." Ophis pointed out.

"I know," Death smirked before continuing, "But back to the matter at hand. Scythes are very powerful objects. They can kill Angels, Fallen Angels, Devils and even Grim Reapers. But, something that powerful is not without its drawbacks."

"What kind of drawbacks?" Great Red asked.

"Well, the scythe that Issei acquired in the realm of Hades has a rather…serious setback. Even though Issei hasn't used the scythe once, it was still absorbed into his body."

"The scythe affected my mate's body chemistry?" Ophis tilted her head, "But he appeared to be well."

"Appeared is the key word, Ouroboros. Even though Issei looked fine as day, the inside of his body wasn't. The scythe was transforming him."

"Transforming into what?" The Apocalypse Dragon demanded.

Death's serious expression dissolved into an amused expression. She placed her hands over her mouth as she giggled.

"Fufu. Isn't it obvious, Apocalypse? It was turning him into a Grim Reaper from the inside."

Ophis and Great Red widened their eyes a little, while the 'Above' entity's green eyes darkened.

"A Grim Reaper."

"That's right, Creator." Death's smile widened, "Didn't you find it interesting why Hades let Issei and the owner of the True Longinus go? Hades isn't that benevolent of a Olympian God, you know. He let them go for a reason."

"Because of the scythe." Ophis answered.

"Exactly, Ouroboros. Remember, Grim Reapers are sub-species of Gods that serve Hades in the Realm of the Dead. As soon as Issei obtained that scythe, Hades allowed him to go, because he knew sooner or later, that Issei would convert into a Grim Reaper."

"So that bastard wants Issei to work for him. Well, isn't that just peachy?" Great Red snarled.

"There is also the matter of my Issei's dissociation," Ophis began, "What is wrong with his transformation? I thought the Biblical God fused with my mate's powers in order to balance his rage out."

"That may be," Death began, "However, when the God from the Bible fused a portion of his soul within Issei, it was supposed to be temporary. He only did that in order to help Issei deal with the Trihexa."

"So when 666 turned to our side…" Great Red answered.

"The soul of the Biblical God faded away into non-existence, because his task was finished. So since that soul is gone, Issei has to combat his dissociation, along with the scythe by himself. Although…he doesn't look like he has any time left."

The Dragons, the 'Above', and Death looked over at Issei, who was looking paler by the second. His peach skin was whitening to a chalk-like color. Ophis' eyes softened as she rubbed her mate's hair, noting how cold he was.

"My Issei…."

Watching the scene, Great Red growled.

"A Grim Reaper. That means his body is going to alter and decay soon."

Normally turning into a Grim Reaper wouldn't be fatal, but seeing as Issei's death manifestation slashed him with the scythe, his life was shortened.

Ophis clenched her fists in anger at the Olympian God of the Dead. Hades had planned on Issei becoming a Grim Reaper because of that scythe. And because of him, Issei's body was going to deteriorate.

"Without the soul of the Biblical God to tame his anger, along with the influence of the scythe from Hades' Realm, Issei's powers are unstable. The transformation into a Grim Reaper is going to kill him from the inside." The 'Above' deduced.

Ophis' eyes started to form into watery tears. The passing of her mate was something that she never wanted to happen. She swore that once this was all over; she was going to disintegrate Hades into oblivion. She was going to rip every bone off of him, and then crush his skull.

The supernatural had manipulated her mate too many times. So many times, her Issei had been involved in situations that he was always uncomfortable with. Circumstances in which he had never even caused to begin with. And now his body was growing weak.

Narrowing her eyes, Ophis pet Issei on his head.

"Then Great Red and I, shall make a new body for my darling mate. His body is too unstable now."

The 'Above' turned around to face the Ouroboros Dragon, and her dark-green eyes sharpened.

"His body has always been unstable, Ouroboros. It has always since the day he was sent to Earth. It is intriguing on how he was able to survive for this long."

"Humph, then let's not waste any time," Great Red growled, "As soon as we're done, I'm going to that bastard Hades. I have a bone to pick with him."

"Fufu."

"No pun intended, Shinigami." The True Dragon snarled towards Death.

"Then we shall begin." Ophis declared as her body began to glow.

However, before the Ouroboros Dragon could even touch her mate, Issei's body started to glow with a white light. Suddenly, the scythe began to shake, releasing a bright light that blinded the beings within Azazel's laboratory.

The light slowly faded, allowing the sight of the beings to return. Rubbing her eyes, Ophis blinked several times as her sight cleared, and her dark-gray eyes widened.

"Issei…"

The Ouroboros Dragon then grit her teeth. Issei was gone, along with the scythe. The only sign that he was there, was the dried blood that flowed from his back.

Her body trembling with overwhelming emotion, Ophis clenched her fists tightly.

"Where is my Issei?!" She shouted out.

Tokyo

"AHHHHHH!"

"What the hell is that thing?!"

"Everyone run for your lives!"

The city of Tokyo was in absolute ruins, with the buildings and skyscrapers destroyed completely. Vehicles and shattered glass were spread all over the area.

RAHHHHHHHH!

A massive figure in a dark hood stomped on the ground, causing it to shake in tremors. Wielding a scythe, the creature roared and charged a colossal sphere of energy. Increasing the power of the blast, the hooded figure delivered the energy to a nearby building, completely disintegrating it.

Leaning on a fallen building, was a weary looking Issei Hyoudou. His Kuoh Academy shirt was shredded, stained with crimson-blood. His skin was pale as the brightest light, with the cuts on his face noticeable. He breathed heavily, feeling a little relieved he was finally separated from his death incarnation.

"That scythe…it altered me somehow. And from the looks on that giant, the scythe turned him into a Grim Reaper."

The young man winced in pain as he saw his skin becoming paler. Gulping down some blood in his throat, Issei looked up at his Grim Reaper incarnation. He had a feeling that if this chaos went on, he would turn into a Grim Reaper as well.

He couldn't let that happen.

Issei closed his eyes as he tried to contact Ddraig. While in his soul room, he had been unable to hear the cries of Ddraig, the Orochi, and even Albion's clone. Since he was now in the real world, Issei assumed that he would be able to converse with them.

'D-Ddraig? Orochi-chan? Al?'

…

No reply.

The young man sighed and took another step forward. So not even the Welsh Dragon, the Eight-Forked Serpent, or the clone of the Vanishing Dragon could help him. But he couldn't lose hope on that. This being was a part of him that had to be destroyed. It was source of his instability and everything that Issei hated about himself.

It represented how broken he really was. In spite of that, he couldn't let anyone else get hurt by his Grim Reaper incarnation.

The death incarnation of Issei growled again, swinging his scythe towards the crowd of frantic citizens. It summoned and shot another energy blast. The ground cracked below him, the force so powerful it felt as though an earthquake was occurring. The incarnation gathered another sphere of energy within his mouth, and charged to a massive size.

"GYAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The death incarnation canceled its attack and looked behind him to see its host incarnation screaming to the heavens. The intensity of his scream's echo caused buildings and skyscrapers to collapse all around him. His eyes glowing with rage, the Grim Reaper incarnation of Issei roared at his original incarnation, who glared back.

"What's wrong? Aren't you going to finish what you started with me?"

RAHHHHHHHH!

The incarnation roared again and charged towards Issei, lifting its scythe up. Issei lowered his head, and narrowly missed the attack. The young man yelled and flew back up to attack. The incarnation growled and slapped away Issei away from him.

"AHHHH!"

Issei grunted at the pain, and then suddenly, he smiled at his death incarnation.

"What's up? Are you not taking this seriously?"

The incarnation bellowed and went to punch Issei, who caught the giant fist.

"Ngh. Is this really all you can do? You'll have to do better than that." Issei said as he moved the fist back.

The Grim Reaper version of Issei shouted and pulled his fist back, sending it towards Issei. Issei gritted his teeth and shouted as he was hit by the impact. The incarnation's force blew away the buildings. Issei winced at the pain, but he successfully forced the fist back.

The young man flew away from his death incarnation, and landed on the ground. He looked up at the monster, and narrowed his eyes.

"I'm still standing!"

GRAHHHHHHHHHH!

The incarnation lifted his scythe up once again, this time charging a black-crimson energy around it. Issei looked at the scythe, and looked at himself. He was growing weaker. And he had a feeling if he used whatever energy he had left, he might not make it.

Shaking his head, Issei concentrated on the current situation. He cared about his family. Leiko, Ophis, Great Red, the 'Above' entity, Amaterasu, and the rest of the friends he had made. He couldn't let this creature ruin their lives.

He couldn't let himself ruin their lives.

"Come on." Issei baited his Grim Reaper incarnation.

The incarnation swung his scythe down, with the energy forming around it increasing by the second. At the last second, Issei smiled and dodged the scythe, feeling satisfaction as it embedded itself into the ground.

As he neared the beast, Issei made a straight fist faced at his incarnation. His body started to glow with tremendous energy. Narrowing his eyes, Issei increased the energy within his body and gritted his teeth.

"DRAGON SOLARRRRRRRRRRRR!"

Issei's body exploded into the form of a colossal Dragon formed out of pure Solar Energy. An immense pillar-like solar aura surrounded the Dragon, its intensity burning and incinerating everything in its path.

The death incarnation howled in shock as the Solar Dragon collided into him, tearing right through his stomach. Immediately after, the intense pillars began to surround the incarnation, the heat growing intensely. The Grim Reaper incarnation of Issei roared louder as the Dragon coiled itself around him.

GRAHHHHHHHHH!

The Solar Dragon's body glowed with intense Solar Energy, while the death incarnation shouted out in pain. A bright light flashed from both of the entities, causing the city of Tokyo to become trapped within an aura of white light.

As the light faded, the sky above Tokyo appeared to open up, the darkness fading away into the light. An aura of energy particles floated upwards into the sky. As the clouds cleared up, a lone figure stood with his fist set up towards the sky.

"…Heh. Heh heh heh." Issei chuckled softly with a warm smile on his face.

Moments later, the scythe from the Realm of the Hades dropped down on the ground next to him. Issei continued to stand still, looking up at the sky. The scythe suddenly burned with leftover solar energy, completely destroyed from the power.

With his eyes growing heavy, Issei sighed and began to lean back. Before he could drop onto the ground, a large crimson scaly body caught him.

"…You really are something, little bro." Great Red muttered.

"My darling Issei."

Sitting on top of Great Red, was none other than the Infinite Dragon God herself. Her eyes showing worry, Ophis rested her mate's head on her lap, stroking his head gently.

"My Issei…did wonderful. You are safe now, my adorable Issei." The Ouroboros Dragon whispered.

"…Little Darling never ceases to intrigue me."

The 'Above' entity, who was sitting on Ophis' opposite side, caressed Issei's cheek. Looking around the decimated city of Tokyo, the entity closed her eyes and lifted up her fingers. She then snapped them, and the effects of Tokyo began to reanimate.

"…Great Red," Ophis began quietly, "Our next destination…is our original home."

"Don't have to tell me twice, Ouroboros. After we're done this, that son of a Fallen bitch Azazel and that bony bastard Hades are going to get what's coming to them."

"The Olympian God of the Dead and Fallen Angel Azazel are beings you should not concern yourself with," The 'Above' pointed out, "All that matters…is generating an efficient body for our little darling."

"Then, let us go." Ophis ordered.

"All right then," Great Red began as he looked towards the young Solar God, "Stay with us, Issei."