Well, I'm going to warn everyone right now, that this chapter is very graphic in wording and imaginary visuals. Language is terribly strong and there is a lot of violence in this chapter. For those that have a problem with this, I warn you not to read it.
Chapter 36: Shattered Visage
Sylderia returned home, feeling worse than ever before in her life. Issei's words were unbelievably damaging to her. They cut through her like a burning knife and shredded her poor heart apart. Heartbreak ailed her as she weakly walked to her room, ignoring everything around her.
As soon as she reached her bed, she immediately collapsed. A billion thoughts and memories swirled in her head, playing over and over again. His severing of their relationship was resounding in her mind, refusing to disappear.
Left to mull and agonize over her lost love, Sylderia could only weep.
At first, Issei had just been a friend to her, but after so many times of being helped by him and his demonstration of character, she fell madly in love with him. He'd become irreplaceable to her. She couldn't believe she'd become so mentally dependent on him. Was it because he was the last of the people that were the absolute closest to her outside of family?
Far away, Issei was tracking down Ophis, who was nowhere to be found. It was just like her. A rover by nature, she was never in one place much. Now that she was aware that he was tracking her down, she had begun to move a bit faster.
Arriving in Delos, Artemis' abode, he found traces of Ophis' energy. She was either present here, or had left several moments ago. He would know the sensation of her snake anywhere.
As for the matter of coming to Artemis' home, he didn't care. This was just another place to him and she was somebody he knew. There wasn't any need to get anxious over all this.
(Bleach OST: A05A. Play Song.)
Artemis, who had been searching for him desperately ever since she remembered him, had come rushing to where he was. The moment she sensed him from her home, she had left with fervor, knowing that if she didn't act now, she'd never get the chance to again.
Issei was just about to leave, until he sensed a familiar presence behind him. He glanced from the side and found Artemis running towards him.
The moment she came close to him, she stopped in her tracks. She felt the urge to stop for some unknown reason that vexed her. She hadn't seen him since Rome. Her heart was beating rapidly but immediately paused, painfully. She looked at him and noticed that he had changed severely.
His hair was black now and spiked a bit more. His eyes were colored red instead of brown, and he looked a bit taller. His clothes were now swapped for a black longcoat, a black dress-shirt, and black pants with shoes of the same color. It enhanced his threatening image.
His gaze was completely different. It was as if he were a machine that were scanning the level of danger that others amounted to. Deep in those eyes, there was hate, sorrow, and coldness.
Artemis knew that he was nothing like the Issei that she had loved. Yes, she had admitted it to herself. Even without Praegorn's brainwashing, she had fallen head-over-heels for Issei, but it was only able to resurface after her memories came back. He was so kind and caring and selflessly helpful. It made her all-the-more regretful when she recalled the horrid treatment she gave him.
"Issei." She wheezed.
"What do you want?" He coldly asked.
Artemis was a bit stunned by his change in tone, but she felt that she deserved it.
"I want to apologize, Issei. I'm sorry. I'm so, so, sorry for what I said to you. I'm sorry for all that I did to you. I'm sorry for ignoring you. I'm sorry for being so mean to you." She listed off, recalling every single bit of treatment that she gave him.
Issei narrowed his eyes.
"And what did you hope to accomplish by saying all of this to me?"
"Nothing! I just wanted to apologize! And…"
"I'll accept your apology but that doesn't mean things will go back to how they were in Kuoh." Issei cut her off, knowing what she was trying to do.
"Eh?" Artemis gasped.
"Our love was artificial. It was prepared by the enemy who used it to manipulate you and me. It held no ground and it certainly doesn't at this point. Your feelings for me were only caused by guilt. I suggest you discard it and go back to living your life. Don't cling to those memories for such unhealthy reasons." Issei turned around.
Artemis dashed over to him.
"Wait! Please wait!" She begged, embracing him tightly.
"I know it was all a ploy. I know that Praegorn planned it. That doesn't change the fact that I've fallen in love with you. You showed me that not all men were evil. You helped me learn how to reconnect with my heart. You showed me unconditional love and kindness. I was a fool for taking it for granted." Artemis tried to explain herself, but Issei wouldn't have any of it.
"Artemis, everything you're saying is pointless. I don't care about love anymore. My duty is to destroy people like Praegorn. I have no time for anything else. I don't love you and I never will. If you've changed, then good. That means you can find somebody that can make you happy. I'm not that person. Your love for me is made from pity and regret. That love is not real and don't try to convince yourself otherwise. You're nothing more than someone that I guarded but our time together is over." Issei forcefully took her hands off him and walked away.
Artemis felt her heart crumble apart as she lost all feeling in her limbs. Her tears began to pour out again as she began to pant, finding it much harder to breathe. She clutched her heart as she tried to regain composure.
"No, Issei, wait…" She pled.
"I've had enough. We will speak of this no more. Perhaps we'll never meet again." Issei scoffed before warping away.
Artemis collapsed to her knees as her chance at reconciliation had vaporized in front of her. The only thing to show for her attempt, were her tears.
(Bleach OST: A05A. End Song.)
Aside from Artemis' shock and broken heart, the other deities had fled into massive panic.
(Kingdom Hearts 2.5 OST: Organization XIII. Play Song.)
The Greek Pantheon, specifically, had begun to try and set up methods of defense against Issei, should he come knocking on their door. Zeus was extremely anxious, at first, but realized that things weren't as bad as they seemed. At least, as long as they remained true to how they were now.
The fact that Indra had been colluding with Hero Faction and had been giving them secret entrances into other pantheons. His elimination was necessary, or at least, by Issei's standards. The others had argued that imprisonment would've been appropriate. Zeus and the other elder gods, however, knew better. Indra was extremely powerful and it would've taken considerable power and effort to seal him. Issei, who had no shortage of power, had the might to completely destroy Indra's schemes and his accomplices.
Sun Wukong and countless others had testified that Indra was planning a war with Shiva. By Issei's pardon, they were allowed to go free, since they hadn't taken direct action in Indra's plots.
Shiva, was immediately commanded by Issei to disband his army, since Indra was eliminated. Some feared that Shiva wouldn't, but Issei's threat made it clear that he'd end up like the dead King of the Devas if he didn't.
With that problem done, others began to follow suit.
Ares, who relished war, immediately stopped any sort of nefarious plans that he was up to, knowing first-hand, that Issei would brutalize and kill him if he didn't obey.
Zeus laughed in disappointment and vexation. It took Issei's return to make everyone behave. Most of all, he didn't use kindness like he did before. He used fear.
It was no understatement that he could kill anything, as he remembered Issei's threat to his own pantheon.
"If you and your pantheon refuse to curb yourselves and constantly rule over mortals as tyrants; I will kill you and your entire pantheon. Don't think that you'll ever be able to escape from me."
Zeus now understood that he wasn't joking back then.
Countless deities argued for going after Issei, but when Vishnu showed the evidence for Indra's execution, the arguments fell flat. His betrayal led to the Khaos Brigade's uncatchable nature and the growth of their forces. That immediately declared Indra an enemy of the Alliance and justified Issei's verdict.
Zeus and the others were now in a state where they had to control their pantheons, lest they also be judged with cold and stern eyes. It was either to continue as they were, and to not lapse back into their old behavior, or be put to the sword.
He was struggling to determine what Issei was, now. Was he an enemy? Or was he a strict friend?
Odin, Susanoo, Hades, Ra, Vishnu, and several others understood his reasons, but they felt that he was growing more brutal. Not too long ago, they had received news that the Human Realm was undergoing massive turmoil.
A terrifying amount of the crime in the Human Realm had been wiped out overnight. By several unanimous calculations, around 89% of the major crimes had been completely eradicated, along with 100% elimination in terrorist organizations and dictatorships that were unjust and cruel. For different levels, there were different outcomes.
Rapes and human trafficking with sexual extortion crimes, had a horrid judgement. All guilty participants were executed after vicious torture sessions. Some were left in insanity before being restored to normal and then killed.
Terrorists were killed by the billions, being torn and blown apart by unknown means, but it was suspected to be done with magic.
Dictatorships and those who supported it, were all murdered. Every single corrupt official and dictator was executed in brutality. Anyone who showed resistance, were immediately killed.
Corrupt governments had their evil politicians exposed and hours after, they were executed by unknown people.
One thing was for certain; there were bloodbaths in all of these cases.
Corpses were examined, and countless lacerations, punctures, plasma burns, blunt-force trauma-induced injuries, crudely torn limbs, and snapped necks, were found on several corpses in alternation.
That was enough to let the gods know who was behind this. It was Issei.
Only he had the power and resources to kill off so many in one night. A baffling amount, was what it all was.
Everyone had paled at the statistics as they read over it again and again. Sex criminals, rapists, and human traffickers were eliminated at 100%. Organized criminals were killed off till only 15% remained. Dictatorships and corrupt government officials were killed at 100%. Not only that, but slavers and human experimenters were eliminated to 100%.
Of course, several were spared the death sentence and only the most heinous were executed, but still, this was extreme. Maiming and brutalization were still reported, but those who were guilty and weren't killed, would still have to recover.
Nobody had seen this sort of thing since Issei's first appearance as the Grim Herald.
Everyone was left rubbing their faces, lost in shock and worry.
"How could things have gone this way?" Michael asked.
Hades, who had been clocking double-time on top of overtime, was feeling melancholic.
"So…you finally snapped, Issei. I hoped that this would've never come." He looked at the ocean of souls that were passing into the Fields of Punishment in his domain.
He had to create more servants to help deal with this massive flow of newcomer souls, while he had to have several others reincarnate. Was this some part of Issei's plan? To kill the wicked and have an abundance of good souls reincarnate?
The Grim Herald kept his motives secret and close to his heart. It was so hard to predict what he intended to do and when he did do something, it was either subtle, or shaking.
(Kingdom Hearts 2.5 OST: Organization XIII. End Song.)
Eldesa certainly took this as a bad sign. He had grown more brutal and was far less forgiving. She knew that Issei was responsible for the desertion amongst Indra's army. Instead of fear, Issei had used reason and more…gentle words with them in that situation. It was odd that he could be ruthless one moment and severely cruel the next.
That gave her hope, as that meant that Issei hadn't hit the point of no return. At least, she prayed to the Abyss that it wouldn't will for that to happen.
Issei only obeyed himself and just one other authority. It was a higher power that none could compare to, aside from life and death. Not even fate could measure up to this entity. The Abyss, itself, was the figure behind Issei. It gave him power and orders, just as light and shadow gave powers to others. So far, in the history of all creation, Issei was the only one who'd been given the power of the Abyss. That spoke volumes of his character. The Abyss was a neutral force and was treated with more venerable respect than the Light and Darkness, which formed the Vicizula Order.
Eldesa had gone over countless recordings of Issei's past deeds, and felt her heart quake. She couldn't help it. She was the unofficial voice of reason and compassion in the Order when judgement came. Watching Issei cast away his morality and to pursue dark justice, was just something to mourn. The hero was now an avenger.
That meant that she had to act. Issei had blocked the Order from tracking him down, obscuring his intentions and plans. They couldn't even see him anymore on the Overseer.
Before she left the room, she found out a disturbing bit of news.
The Abyssal Legion was disbanded.
She didn't understand why, so she went to Issei's second-in-command: Arsyla. She was a young woman with elf ancestry. She had long green hair that was braided towards the end with a gold ribbon. She had yellow eyes and pointy ears that were common to all elves. She had a lithe figure, lacking any ounce of fat, though there was exception of her bountiful chest. She wore a dark green militaristic uniform over a blue shirt and black pants with brown boots.
"Arsyla." Eldesa called over to her.
"Yes, Milady?" She asked.
"I wanted to speak with you in private."
She led the former Commander of the Legion to a private room and sat her down at a table with some tea.
"I think I know what you wish to learn, Milady." Arsyla knowingly spoke.
"Perhaps. Can you tell me how this all started?" She referred to the Legion's disbandment.
"Lord Issei decided that we no longer needed to fulfill this duty. He said that it was time that we moved on with our lives and lived with more fulfilling purposes. When we all asked why, he said it was because we had families to go home to. We had families that needed us and that we shouldn't risk our lives to help him with his burden. He apologied and gave everyone massive rewards before leaving. He said that we would be dissolved and what we did after, would be up to us. Still, he encouraged us to leave this life behind." Arsyla recounted.
'He's pushing everyone away.' Eldesa deducted.
"So, what'll you do now?" The Chancellor asked.
"Contrary to Lord Issei's intentions, we refused and have made it clear to him that our loyalty is to him and him alone. For the first time, we managed to argue him to a loss. So, the Abyssal Legion stays and now we have orders to remain idle until he sends word for us to engage in anything pertaining to our job descriptions." Arysla have a relieved chuckle.
"And in the mean time?" Eldesa asked again.
"We'll do as we've always done. We will continue to scour the globe and fulfill the duties that we chose to undertake. That's something that we shared with Lord Issei and it was something that he helped us learn. We just wanted to help others. I'll be honest and say that we'll most likely drop executing wrongdoers on our own. Lord Issei made it clear that we'll only do that when it's necessary. Even so, we've spent centuries creating homes and jobs for people on the streets and have been finding families for orphans." Alrysa chuckled.
Despite a chapter of their lives ending, they still had purpose, even with the end of their major rols.
"That was something that Lord Issei always did on the side. When he wasn't executing evil, he was helping people rebuild their lives and dealing with the plights of the common folk. It's such a shame that few remember him for it all." The elf sadly remarked while giving a fond smile.
"That's one of the curses of the Grim Herald. Nobody will remember the good he does for others." Eldesa agreed.
"Thus, we will continue his positive work. I don't know what brought this all on, but I know that something's troubling Lord Issei a great deal. None of us know him well enough to get past his shell, but I fear that he's burying himself in darkness." Arsyla analytically stated.
"'I know." The Chancellor agreed, feeling powerless as she did.
Issei, who was traversing the world in the hunt for Ophis, found that there was a parallel pattern in Ophis' movements. She was going wherever he adventured to, prior to his return as the Grim Herald.
"Who's hunting who?" Issei smirked.
By his analysis, Ophis was trying to understand his patterns and behavior. An odd play for someone who lacked any drive. Perhaps, it was because she was wary of what might happen if she directly appeared before him, unprepared.
Despite his no-nonsense attitude towards his targets, he wasn't going to outright attack them if they gave him good reason not to. That wasn't always the case, though. Some deserved death upon sight.
He had tracked her to the ruins of Camelot, which were basically old and crumbly stone walls.
Deep inside, Issei peered into the distance, recognizing her form. The castle no longer possessed any of its former magic, thus, he could come and go however he pleased.
Warping in front of Ophis, who had sensed him and tried to flee, he glared at her, determining her threat level. True to the rumors, she posed a significant problem. If they fought, he'd probably get a couple of hits dealt to him, but he'd make it out alive. That said, it was up to talks now, to determine what would happen next.
"So, I'll assume that you know why I'm here." Issei raised a questioning brow at her form.
Ophis had a frilly hair band and a dark purple long-sleeve dress that split at the left side at the hem. It was gothic in design and reached halfway down her lower legs. She was truly beautiful, having long black hair with bangs and a figure that was enough to stun any immortal, being gifted in many places. Her bust was quite large and her posterior was rather flamboyant in a…modest way. In contrast to that, she had emotionless grey eyes that reflected her personality. Hollow and lacking.
However, none of that grabbed one's attention more, than the natural aura that she had. Standing near her was like standing near a massive nuclear reactor. Of course, that's how others would describe it. As for Issei, it was like standing near a small refrigerator. Cool, but not very intimidating.
Ophis, who stood before Issei as the Grim Herald, felt like she was standing in front of a black hole. Endless, yet empty, capable of consuming all, yet not needing to. A walking contradiction, was what she would call him.
"Yes, I'm well aware." She replied with a flat tone.
"Then you're going to explain why you formed the Khaos Brigade. I advise you not to give me a stupid reason. You might not like my reaction." Issei darkly warned.
"I wanted silence. I wanted tranquility. I left my home, the Dimensional Gap, and explored this world. When I had accomplished that, I attempted to return, but it was taken over by Great Red. It left me with no abode and doomed me to be a drifter. Thus, I formed the Khaos Brigade to purge Great Red and return me home." Ophis concluded.
Her sorry explanation pissed Issei off. Looking into her soul, he understood that she had the maturity of a child. She understood little and knew little, lacking all common sense. Digesting the information, he came down to a few questions.
"Tell me, did you not care, nor understand the people that your recruited?" He asked, his tone stone-cold.
"I didn't. I know of Great Red's strength and it rivals my own. That's why, I planned to amass enough power and forces to get rid of the loathsome dragon." Ophis' expression soured.
"And did you not care to watch over your forces and keep them in line?" Issei asked again.
"I didn't. So long as I had their loyalty and their capabilities, I didn't care about what they did." Ophis shook her head.
Tightening his fist, Issei was obviously angry. He stopped his aura from showing, instead, he compressed it. He was holding onto it for after he determined whether or not he needed to eliminate her.
"Do you even know of what your soldiers did?" Issei asked.
"I do not."
Issei understood now. She was a naïve fool. She believed that by using the promise of power, she'd obtain followers to aid her in removing Great Red. In accordance with maintaining their allegiance, which was actually nonexistent, she let them run amok until she had use for the Khaos Brigade.
Seething with vengeful rage, Issei took a moment to think about this. She didn't know anything, basically. She was a blank slate that had no knowledge of morals and common sense. For someone that's walked the Earth for so many millennia, he'd have hoped that she picked up some sort of knowledge.
Determining that she needn't die, Issei chose to spare her…that didn't mean she wouldn't experience pain. She needed to learn the consequences of her actions. For so long she lived, and yet, she never bothered to learn anything. She had only focused on trying to get rid of Great Red. It was such a petty goal. Great Red wasn't some selfish and idiotic fool. If she'd asked, she could've shared with Great Red.
Ophis sensed his dangerous intentions and tensed up, backing away slightly.
"I hope you're ready, Ophis. I'm about to teach you a lesson that should prevent future crimes on your part. Let's see if you can survive it." Issei stepped forward.
(Final Fantasy XIV – Heavensward OST: Freefall/Final Steps of Faith Theme 2. Play Song.)
Ophis was about to attack, but at a speed that she could barely process, Issei grabbed her by the face before throwing her into the air. He did it with so much force that she couldn't stop herself. It was as if she'd been chained and yanked into the sky. She could hear the loud rushing of wind roaring against her ears. When she finally stopped her momentum, she had already ended up in outer space.
Yet, when she looked below, the Earth wasn't there. She found an emerald-green planet below that had one Sun and two moons. Around her, were several planets that were of foreign origin to her. Just how did he transport her somewhere else without her noticing.
"Where are we?" She turned to the Grim Herald.
"In a separate dimension that's devoid of any life. It's where Indra died." Issei notified her.
Ophis, for the first time in her life, was surprised. A being like her, had been forced off the planet with a simple throw.
Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her. Opening her palm without looking behind, she fired a beam of purple mana. It was several miles long and wide, matching the moon in size.
Much to anyone's expectations, Issei had warped in front of her, easily avoiding the attack. He punched her in the cheek with a right hook, sending her sailing through space, but she easily stopped her momentum.
Opening her right hand, she created five snakes from her mana and set them loose. Issei fired a beam of mana at them, but they merely consumed it, growing in size as they fed. Opening their mouths and baring their fangs, they hissed at him, ready for their pray.
Warping out of their sight, Issei expressed interest when the snake zig-zagged, chasing after him. Firing [Cosmic Blades] at them, the snakes chomped down on the projectiles, shattering them into pieces.
Casting [Grim Defiance], he nullified the magic applied to the ethereal serpents before manifesting the [Herald's Shadow]. The black specter raised its left arm before swiping at Ophis, who blocked its attack, stopping it stone cold, though with very clear effort.
Warping in front of her, Issei flipped, kicking her up into space. Warping above her, he smashed his foot into her face, propelling her downwards toward the Earth. Warping yet again, he spun around with Tenzan, slashing her across the back, drawing blood as he kicked the back of her head.
Much to his chagrin, she had extreme regenerative abilities. The bloody gash he made on her back had sealed itself up within ten seconds. Not only that, but she had a magical field around her, blunting the majority of the force of his attacks.
Ophis spun around, whooshing with waves of purple mana, slapping him across the face, sending him flying through space, right past Mars. Braking in midair, or space, Issei blasted her with telekinetic force, smashing Ophis into Jupiter as she came after him.
Almost immediately, a storm of wind and fangs hissed at him. Spiraling around him, Issei saw a bright light hurling at him at full force.
Issei held up his hand, stopping it before sending it right back at the source with [Solemn Repulse].
He sensed her presence shifting locations, turning to the side as he blocked a jab from Ophis. While maintaining contact, a dragon aura manifested around her, taking the form of a multi-headed serpent. The dragon heads roared at him, slithering at his vitals.
Warping away, Issei retaliated by weaponizing his own aura. Willing them to like water, they slashed at Ophis' energy.
Ophis created a magic circle beneath Issei, forcing him to become stationary as gravity smashed down upon his shoulders, forcing him onto one knee. In response, Issei grabbed her windpipe with his telekinesis.
Ophis' eyes bulged as she gagged and coughed. Firing a wave of mana at him, Issei compressed aura before causing it to burst, dispersing Ophis' attack and trap.
Reaching out with his left hand, he pulled it back with a snappy movement, yanking the Ouroboros towards him. Manifesting the [Herald's Shadow], he smashed its gargantuan fist into her torso, causing loud cracks to echo as she gagged in evident pain.
Firing back, she unleashed a twister of razor wind, cutting Issei's left cheek. It hissed as purple steam burned it. As a serpent, she also had access to venom. Unfortunately, this meant more pressure for her.
Increasing his speed, Issei pummeled Ophis into space with a flurry of punches that boomed upon contact with explosive mana, dealing internal damage to her.
Not willing to just take punishment, Ophis manifested a massive snake from her power, swallowing Issei's mana as she flared her aura into an endlessly climbing number of loops.
The serpent swallowed Issei, but within three seconds, it exploded as Issei emerged, covered in black and red mana that surged throughout space with wild abandon.
While he was distracted, Ophis stretched her aura into space. Pieces of it broke off from her body, separating and shaping from purple mass and energy into orbs, bubbling whilst growing in size. The orbs slowly protruded limbs, wings, and heads, gaining a more objective appearance. The bubbling purple liquid subsided as the flesh and bone that had grown underneath, gained muscles and scales to mask them. At last, several dragons were born from the infinity that was Ophis.
"[Dragon's Horde]."
Ophis' true capabilities were widely unknown, as she often, if barely, used her powers. This was probably one of the few times that she'd ever done anything remotely aggressive.
In front of him, was a cloud of dragons that bared their fangs at him, enraged and ready to kill. Even so, they weren't at a level that would seriously bother him. Despite her power, Ophis lacked focus, thus, her dragons weren't up to par with him.
Sheathing Tenzan and assuming a battoujutsu stance: crouching with his sword to his left side and his hand near his weapon hilt. He compressed and gathered mana into the entirety of his weapon. With one technique, he'd bring down her entire horde.
Calming himself and stilling his rage and sharpening it into cold hatred, he waited. Ophis was unsure of what he was planning to do, but figured that she had the resources to outlast whatever it was that he was going to do.
Commanding her dragons to attack, they formed a wall in front of her. Opening their maws, which glowed with heat and light, they breathed their last breaths.
Mere seconds before any attacks could come, Issei's visage blurred. The dragons failed to notice as they let their firestorm surge at him. A rainbow of inferno crept closer towards him, but suddenly, it imploded inwards.
Ophis realized what had happened but was too late to stop it.
A rushing storm of mystic sword slashes were sequentially appearing as black and crimson tears in the fabric of the dimension. The atmosphere around them quaked as the air cracked and shattered while slash marks grew in the air, as if bleeding.
The flurry of attacks flooded towards Ophis' wall of dragons, quickly shredding them apart the moment they were touched. As if thrown into a blender, the flying serpents were lacerated to the point where no flesh was left behind. Not a single drop of blood, nor sound was remnant, as absolute death washed them away like a cold gust.
Ophis' 200-strong force of dragons had been literally slashed out of existence, with only memory to testify for their momentary lives.
This was the epitome of Issei's sword-style, Ephemeral Downfall. To either strike with one blow that would kill or to attack multiple times in one instance in a preemptive strike or in a pressuring counterattack. It was his main style that he used up until he became the Grim Herald, in which he moved to a mixed style of swordplay and magic.
Ophis, now knowing to take Issei seriously, recreated her aura of a multi-headed dragon.
The heads opened their mouths, charging breaths of different elements while Ophis prepared a spell to counter Issei.
Not wasting time to attack, Issei exploited her charging time. Warping right next to her, he had his weapon poised to stab through her chest from the front. Her aura, having protected her, activated, rearing the dragon heads to aim at him again.
Warping to the other side, Issei attacked again before moving to another spot while the dragon heads re-aimed. He knew that Ophis would have to concentrate to defend from his aura-enhanced strikes.
Ophis let her spell loose, exploding a giant aura throughout the dimension.
Issei gazed around his own form and noticed that she had locked his warping. He tried to will himself to move as particles but was unable to, instead, feeling as if he were tethered to one spot. Even after activating [Grim Defiance], he found that he was only able to warp within a certain range and only after a period of time had passed. At least 3 minutes was the requirement. He wasn't too surprised, given how powerful she was. Yet, that didn't matter.
Ophis, activating her aura magic Infinite Escalation, which would give her endless magic and would dispense with the costs of some magic spells. Not only that, but she could multiply the strength of her attacks while rapidly decreasing that of an opponent's.
"So, you're getting a bit more serious." Issei remarked.
"I don't have a choice with you. I've never had to attack more than once against an adversary before. You're the very first that I've had to waste this much effort on." Ophis bitterly retorted.
"You've never done much to begin with. I honestly don't think you've ever fought efficiently." Issei scoffed.
"Then allow me to test myself against you and learn of my own powers." Ophis cast her next spell, which was a field that would exponentially increase or decrease anything of her choosing.
(Final Fantasy XIV – Heavensward OST: Freefall/Final Steps of Faith Theme 2. End Song.)
(Final Fantasy XIV – Heavensward OST: Revenge of the Horde/Final Steps of Faith Theme 3. Play Song.)
She tried to reduce Issei's power but he had a natural aura and field that made him impervious. Much to her shock, they were oddly similar in traits. He was also endless in limits, yet he symbolized the highest point that was beyond even her own understanding.
To counter Ophis, Issei used a more supportive version of [Chaotic Avarice], which was like Ophis' trap. It would drain away the mana used to fuel a spell or technique, rendering it unable to work.
Creating the small black hole beneath them, it didn't pull anything within the realm itself, but the energy within. It was as if it was merely a visual effect.
This made no difference to Ophis, as she represented infinity. Her mana was endless, though it did serve as a distraction.
Warping in front of Ophis, Issei brought his sword down, intending on cleaving into her right shoulder. Sensing his movements now that she had a better grasp on his abilities, she moved to the side, swiping her hand through the air.
Dodging her attack, the blade of power from Ophis' hand struck into a planet, leaving a visible tear in its outer shell.
Whirling around, Issei was about to strike again, but was repelled by the powerful field that Ophis generated. Creating dragons once again, she formed two that floated near her.
One opened its maw and breathed a stream of acid at him, coming out as bubbling green liquid that hissed dangerously. Faint green mist shuffled through the air as the steady stream followed him as he glided away from it.
Ophis dashed behind him and landed a punch in his back, sending him flying into the green sky of one of the planets around them. Sensing her imminent assault, Issei manifested the [Herald's Shadow], which smashed its forearm into Ophis' side, causing her movements to falter as she stood five feet behind him.
Backflipping above Ophis, Issei enhanced all of his attacks with his aura, maximizing his melee capabilities.
He threw a quick jab at Ophis, who caught it with urgent effort. Returning a kick, Issei ducked from her attack before using his aura to explosively throw off her composure, causing a burst of energy that knocked her back.
Punching her with the spectral arm of the Shadow, Ophis was sent flying back several yards before she was pulled back by Issei's telekinetic powers. Flattening his fingers into a knifehand, he slashed her across the abdomen, leaving a deep cut across her stomach.
In response, she sunk the fangs of her dragon aura into Issei's limbs, attempting to bite into his flesh. Issei felt as if hot swords were needling into his skin. Activating his Mark, he repelled the aura.
When Ophis got a literal taste of it, she reared back in horror. She felt intense chills run along every cell of her being, coursing through her like a frozen river. For the first time in anyone's knowledge, Ophis showed disgust and slight apprehension. She was repulsed by the terrible feeling that she got from Issei's mark-influenced aura.
She felt anger, despair, hate, and overwhelming emptiness from it at a spiritual level.
Issei took this chance, while she was disoriented by the sheer repulsive nature of the Mark, to give her the beating of her lifetime. He didn't don his armor because he wasn't serious, nor did he have any murderous intentions towards her. He only wore his armor when he decided to punish and destroy at a catastrophic level, as he abhorred wearing it. It reminded him of his dark nature and the secrets of his heart.
Since he wasn't going to kill her, he had no desire to wear it, no matter what.
Ophis, sensing his movements, put her palm in front of herself, casting a spell. A river of spectral serpents bit into him before dissolving as they pushed him from the sky, onto the world below. The sheer force of the impact sent Issei hurling into the 4th layer out of the 6 layers of the planet.
Looking at himself, he had several holes in his body from fangs and numerous bloody cuts across his limbs. Issei merely scoffed.
"Well then, let's do away with the warmup." He concluded.
Magnifying his speed with his mana, he jumped out of the crater that he made and reappeared in front of Ophis with a gigantic boom made from him shattering several sound barriers.
Entering the mental state that he would naturally be in when wearing his Grim Herald Armor, which was a state where he could sense all of his opponents' movements and react accordingly with enhanced reflexes and physical limits. The only way to truly counter this, was to be fast enough to head him off or to be strong enough to endure what he could dish out.
Issei landed a powerful strike into Ophis stomach. She gagged as her eyes bugged and she coughed out all the air in her lungs, her throat contracting as it burned from the rough experience.
Issei warped behind Ophis as her dragon aura breathed their beams, which ended up obliterating two planets when they hit, even shattering the outer shells of surrounding planets.
With her effort dispensed with and time lapsing in, Issei made his way toward her. Punching her with his spectral guardian's arm, he slashed at her with his sword before kicking her just before she was hit by the Herald's Shadow again. Issei repeated the process with ever-growing speed like a ballistic saw, attacking her like a blur. The attack was furious as it was painful enough that she was completely disoriented. Any effort she made to attack was averted by him, as his mental state made him move as if he was clairvoyant.
When she tried to strike him, he moved out of the way as if he were lightning before resuming his assault.
After getting her near the ground, Issei manifested blades for his spectral guardian to wield, followed by a storm of blades from his [Cosmic Arsenal]. Pressing his assault, Issei slammed his hand onto the ground, invoking a magic circle that used [Grim Defiance] to wear down Ophis' powers. Bringing down the circle of [Chaotic Avarice] above her, the two swirls of magic pulled on her power, one taking away her ability to invoke her powers and the other absorbing it and breaking it down.
Still, Issei was amazed. His wounds were barely regenerating, and he had received various cuts and torn muscles. His unsurmountable mana count was also heavily taxed, being drained to 68%. Ophis really did live up to her title as the strongest amongst deities. He chided himself. If he wore his armor, he'd have already overtaken her and finished the job 30 minutes ago. The armor unleashed all of his potential and gave him full command over the scale and level of his abilities.
He watched as Ophis struggled to break free of the ordeal that she'd fallen into. It was around this time that Issei's trap would activate. Throughout their fight, he'd intended to wear her down to make her vulnerable enough to for him to attack her, mentally. To do so, he planted a curse on her, which would activate and immediately wrack her with physical pain and emotional damage. It was a watered-down version of the painful episodes that his curse caused him.
Ophis' eyes widened as she froze and spasmed. Her whole body felt as if it had been lit on fire and then frozen. Or was it both on fire and frozen? She felt her body grow heavier. She felt so powerless, then she felt as if she was stronger than anything. Then she felt as if she were a human on the brink of death. What was this? She never felt this before.
She felt one thing, then the opposite, then rinse and repeat. She began to grow frantic as she felt as if she were losing her grip on herself.
(Final Fantasy XIV – Heavensward OST: Revenge of the Horde/Final Steps of Faith Theme 3. End Song.)
Issei walked over to her, seeing that his spell was doing its work. He put a spell of contradiction over her. It would cause her to hallucinate with various feelings of contradiction that happened in random patterns. He had designed it this way to break people's wills and doubt their own senses, creating easy prey.
He looked Ophis in the eye and decided to teach her the 'lesson' that he promised.
Just as he did with Georg, he activated his [Solemn Vision] and glared into her very mind soul. Since he had no time to waste on teaching her these things, and because she needed to be punished for her negligence, he painfully jammed every morale code he knew and every appropriate punishment for breaking those codes, into her brain.
Since this was on a spiritual plain, even Ophis was invulnerable to his mental attack. No bodily trait and fight ability could save her now.
Emotions such as love, anger, fear, sadness, happiness, disgust, and regret, were plunged into her mind, running simulations in her mind, according to Issei's whims. He made her feel the pain of those that had fallen because of her immaturity and ignorant whims. The vengeful souls and cries of those that fell to the Khaos Brigade were made known to her.
In Ophis' mind, she was surrounded by swirling orbs of light, which were turned red from the hate and negativity that had encroached them. They were the vengeful souls that held pain against her.
For once in her life, Ophis was literally powerless. The souls wailed and screamed, with voices of men and women, spanning from children to elders. Terror and regret had sprouted in her mind and heart as she was trapped in her own mental landscape.
Meanwhile, common sense and knowledge that Issei believed that everyone should know, flowed into her as she was exposed to his torture session.
Before long, Ophis was crying and screaming in the physical plane, learning what it was to feel and understand others. She wailed like a crazed person as tears fell down her face, understanding what her indirect victims felt as they were victimized and murdered by the Khaos Brigade.
Issei ensured that he had toned it down enough that she would remain coherent when he was done. Sure enough, Ophis was left staring at him as she fell over on the ground, wide-eyed.
"Learned enough yet?" He asked, his voice still cold and dark.
His only response was a sniffle from Ophis.
"This is what you immortals need to understand. Because you were born with more than what mortals have, you think you can behave as you wish. You're selfish and trample upon others based upon on your whimsical desires. You, Ophis, have walked upon this earth for millennia, yet you've failed to understand life on this planet. You were born empty and barren of all knowledge. I had expected that you would've picked up a thing or two but you didn't. It was because you never cared. You only thought about removing Great Red from the Dimensional Gap. And for what? Silence? Pathetic." Issei sneered.
Ophis looked away in shame. Issei's input of neutral knowledge that was clean of any input or point of view, had been logged into her mind.
"In your blind and petty quest to go home, you created an organization of filthy wretches that did as they wished. They destroyed lives and homes across the world and you didn't do a thing. You have the sense to fight back, but you don't have the sense to think about what's right and wrong. Now, too many have paid the price for your stupidity." Issei growled.
"I've given you unbiased knowledge of morals and common sense. I've also shown you a glimpse of what kind of suffering you've caused others. Pray that you change with that added knowledge. I held back this time. Don't expect me to if you let these chains of events happen again." The Grim Herald warned, his eyes glowing crimson.
His entire eyeball was glowing that color, leaving no sclera or iris. Only glowing red orbs that symbolized his full return as the Grim Herald, were in his sockets.
Issei sensed that Ophis' magic was dispelled, allowing him to move freely. Warping the two back into their home dimension, he left her to reflect on herself. Thankfully, Ophis hadn't gone all out, or he'd have experienced more trouble. The only beings that could injure him in a direct fight, was Ophis, Great Red, and Trihexa, albeit, they'd have to team together if they truly wanted to give him serious damage in his armored form.
The point of all this wasn't to prove superiority or to just exercise his power. It was to beat down Ophis so that she understood fear and powerlessness and then, to ingrain lessons of morality and life so that she could understand how precious life was. He had also hoped that she would come to understand what repercussions were, as he couldn't excuse her again if she didn't deter from this futile path.
A war between Great Red and Ophis was one of the last things that he wanted. They were beings born of phenomenon like him, and were of great solitude. They didn't know what people like him knew. That lacked sense and behaved mostly on instinct, though Great Red showed more personality and sense of feeling, than Ophis did.
Issei walked off, not looking behind as Ophis cradled herself, severely weakened in mind and body, but safe from anyone who'd do harm to her.
While this happened, Eldesa had gathered the seven people who had the greatest chance of getting Issei away from his duties.
She sat in a room with Sylderia, Artemis, Brynhildr, Camilla, Amaterasu, Grayfia, and Morrigan.
She could sense emotions and her heart told her that these seven women held feelings of affection for him, ranging from unconditional love to affectionate infatuation.
She looked at Sylderia and Artemis, and immediately understood that Issei had said something to them. It must've been heartbreaking.
Sylderia looked listless, lacking enthusiasm, with red eyes and a puffy nose. Artemis was in the same state. That just showed how much they cared for the Grim Herald.
As for the others, they were rather nervous in her presence. Despite explaining herself and her position, she remained cordial. She needed everyone to be calm for this.
"I gathered you all here because we have a grave matter on our hands. I'm certain that you all know of it." Eldesa inquired.
"Issei." Camilla nodded.
Just hearing his name made Sylderia and Artemis flinch.
"As some of you may know…Issei isn't how you all knew him to be." The Chancellor noted.
"I'm afraid we don't. That news hasn't traveled to us, yet." Brynhildr referred to Morrigan, Amaterasu, and herself.
Grayfia had a faint idea.
"Then, I must retell the details. Issei has returned to being the Grim Herald."
Brynhildr froze. She was the only one who understood what he was like when he was that way. She knew that he was a sad individual, since she had seen his gaze before. However, she had no idea of what sort of activities that he were his official tasks.
"You all don't know the details of what he's done, aside from Sylderia. It's bloody and violent and I'm probably betraying his trust by telling you all this. He told me that you all were to never know, but for his own good, I think this is necessary." Eldesa confessed.
"What's going on?"
"Right now, Issei has gone a destructive path, to himself and others."
Eldesa explained what it meant to be the Grim Herald, and as she did, everyone, aside from Sylderia, gained faces of horror and realization.
Never had any of them fathomed that Issei was doing such dark work. Artemis instantly threatened to fall apart again as she relayed the memory of her outburst during their breakup to herself. Now she understood the story behind his pain of being called 'monster'.
Eldesa decided that they needed to see him in action. Not only was it so that they could understand his pain and reluctance to open to others, it was to test if they were the ones who could draw him out of his self-hating mindset.
Using the Overseer, she created a projection peering into a warehouse of a crime organization in the Human Realm.
Dead corpses were lying on the ground. Desks of narcotics and dirty money were piled in the room. In dark corners, would-be victimized hostages were tied on the ground. Beneath the light of the lamps, several crime leaders and their accomplices were discussing business.
"If the embassy doesn't follow our will, then their families pay the price." One person gestured to the hostages.
"I've been tipped off by our informants that a shit-ton of crime vanished five hours ago in the States. We best watch our asses." Someone else warned the others.
"What's the fucking deal? We're far and away from it all. We got half-pint officials backing us and insurance to keep it that way. The cops are our dogs, and we've got the resources to fuck up anybody who's enough of a dipshit to fuck with us. Got it?"
"Yes, boss."
"I got a deal with another syndicate. Four thousand mass-produced assault rifles that're all top of the line, for 1,000,000 in cash. We give the arms, they give the cash, so don't fuck this up." The apparent leader of the organization looked around dangerously, intimidating his followers to keep them at maximum efficiency.
"We've got our new recruits in too. Training's bout to start in five hours." Someone reported.
"Good. Break em' slow and show em' the ropes. We lost about 200 good men last night. I want the fucker that did this to go down in fire and blood. I want his head too." The Boss took a swig of his liquor.
"I got one of ours to sniff his trail. We'll get him."
"Aside from that, I gathered you all here because we gotta get together and figure this out. Somebody's going around and killing off men from all our groups. I ain't gonna just sit here and watch my men die." The Boss looked around at his rival crime lords.
"What've you got to convince us to join up?" A rival inquired.
"We join together, pool our resources and wealth, and split it from joint operations. We keep our own possessions, but when we work together, we profit together. Not only that, but we can't find the shithead that's killing our men by the hundreds if we do it alone. We pool our sources and info and kill that son of a bitch. My boys are like my family. Nobody touches my family."
Several nods of agreement resounded across the warehouse.
"I'm doing this for the men that stood with me since I started. They died, all cut up and torn to shreds and I'm not resting till I catch the asshole that killed them. I know you all feel the same way I do and I want you to know that I'm inviting you all to hunt with me." The Crime Boss looked around.
"I lost 500 men 9 hours ago. Count me in." One crime lord remarked.
"I lost my right-hand man…I'm not letting that pass." Another recounted.
"We'll catch this bastard and tear him apart." A fourth provided the final statement.
"Good. Now we'll split this up and get going. It's to seal the deal. If you don't want to join the cause, don't grab it. Once you take it, you accept the oath to see this through." The Crime Boss pointed at the blocks of money on the table. It was nowhere below the hundred-thousands.
"What do you want us to do with them?" One subordinate asked.
The heinous criminal regarded the hostages dangerously.
"Do what you want. Those officials fucked up by forgetting that we got them on a leash. They sicced their dogs on us and now they gotta pay the price. Waste em', violate em, I don't care. Lessons need to be learned. Make sure you record and send it to their relatives so that know who's the boss." The Boss chuckled.
Before the criminal could get to the door in the room, it immediately slammed shut, causing everyone to snap to look at it. Chills went through everyone's spines as they realized that something was terribly wrong. The air seemed to drop into the negatives, everyone shivering from the literal drop in temperature.
"The fuck is going on?" An enforcer asked, immediately grabbing his gun from his holster.
Someone tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge, even with kicks and bashes from various items in the warehouse.
"It won't open."
"Calm down. Somebody's up to something here." The Crime Boss leered around.
"The cops don't know where we are. The only ones who know are us." One subordinate remarked.
Nobody could shake the feeling that somebody was in the room with them. Rather than someone, they felt that something was providing watch. Several gulps and gasps echoed as eyes darted around to find the source of this ominous situation.
Finally, someone turned around and froze like a statue in ice. He stared, wide-eyed, blubbering, gasping, and shaking at the wall. In front of him…were two glowing eyes in the shadows that leered at him with malicious intent. What was worse, it was inside the wall…the wall!
Ripping out of it like a horror movie, was an armored gauntlet that dragged the gangster into the darkness that terrified him.
What was truly bone-freezing, was the utter silence. The gangster wasn't even allowed to scream. There was no sound of scuffle or struggle. There was only dead silence.
Suddenly, the lights in the warehouse crackled and fizzled, as if dying.
"What the fuck?" Someone stared at the ceiling incredulously.
The lightbulbs gave out as darkness took hold of the building. The only source of light, was the moon's illuminating rays from the windows.
Finally, it was time to act.
"Get your guns and lights! I want eyes on everything." The Crime Boss took out his guns and looked around.
They looked everywhere in the wrong places, not even noticing that death was above them. Materializing from the shadows above them, was the Abyssal Legion.
(Jin-Roh, the Wolf Brigade OST: Grace Omega. Skip the song to the 2:35ish mark on the video and play the song until it reaches the 5:04 mark. You can loop that part if you want.)
Drawing their weapons and waiting for their targets to reach a certain point, they finally came down.
Spears, axes, hammers, and swords came down like lightning.
Cleaving bodies in half and spilling pools of blood on the floor, the other criminals were alerted to the danger in the room with them.
"Gah!"
"Nagh!"
Several screamed as dozens of Abyssal Knights hacked down on their targets with extreme prejudice. One Knight bisected someone in half as another Knight literally smashed someone else into a gruesome puddle.
Everyone turned to the knights but were stopped when chained blades shot out of the walls, stabbing several gangsters in the chest before they were yanked back. They also dropped from the ceiling as the chain blades wrapped around several gangsters' necks, impaling them in the throat before leaving them to hang.
Issei, who had initiated the first kill, walked out of the shadows.
As the gangsters formed up on his subordinates, he created a barrier that deflected their bullets right back at them, popping them full of holes that made them look like empty pincushions.
Snapping his fingers, he materialized hundreds of Cosmic Blades that fired like they were from machine guns, shredding the foul criminals into ribbons. Drawing Tenzan, he grabbed someone from the neck and crushed it, leaving his head to roll to the floor as he slowly walked in front of a cluster of enemies.
He cleaved on in half as he threw another into the air with a toss of his hand. He backhanded one criminal so hard that when his head collided with a wall, it splattered like a tomato. Raising his sword into the air, the criminal that he tossed into the air, fell upon it before he could ever touch the ground while alive. Throwing the corpse at a gathering group of armed men.
Raising his left hand, Issei yanked it back, wrenching their guns away as he proceeded to lay waste to their numbers. He bisected one vertically while grabbing another by the skull and crushing it. He warped above someone and planted his armored foot into his face, smashing it into the ground before whirling around, slaying 15 gangsters.
Whirling his weapon, he deflected the bullets that were coming at him, carefully aiming them to blast through the hearts and brains of the attackers.
The Grim Herald and the Abyssal Legion proceeded to mow down every single criminal inside of warehouse before leaving the Crime Boss.
He scooted up to a wall, as he looked at the horrific figure in armor. Issei glared at him with his crimson eyes and lifted him above the ground with telekinesis.
Staring into his eyes to travel within his soul, Issei smashed his way through the Crime Boss's mind. Thus he began tearing apart his thoughts and distorting every single memory of the Boss's life into a nightmarish version of its original form as he needled his way into the darkest pits of his targets subconscious.
Grabbing his fear and bringing into the most resident and present thought in his mind, Issei his greatest phobia: tigers.
"I see you are deathly afraid of tigers. Judging from your memories, it's because you got mauled by one as a child. That's just perfect." Issei noted.
Mutating the mental image of a tiger into a massive beast of bloody fangs, he swirled the image around in the Crime Boss's mind, creating hallucinations and illusions that visualized the tiger tearing him apart and consuming him from childhood into the present.
Not only that, but he used his curse magic to project the vengeful and wailing screams of the Crime Boss's victims into his mind. After breaking from the nightmare, Issei granted him execution, slashing him through the heart.
(Jin-Roh, the Wolf Brigade OST: Grace Omega. End Song.)
The Overseer's recording ended as Eldesa cut it off. She felt horrified and was visibly shaking as she digested the event. She looked around and took note of everyone's reactions.
Sylderia was crying silently, looking away. She gazed into his eyes and saw that Issei was destroying himself by forcing himself to fight and do this. He was using fear to manipulate humanity to take notice of their actions and to become more responsible, lest this continue. She mourned for him, as she knew that he was almost emotionally numb now. To watch her lover tear himself apart and silently suffer, was something unbearable.
Artemis was of the same opinion. Her image of the loving and serene Issei, was shattered. Twisted and deformed into the image of the Grim Herald, she stared wide-eyed into the distance, tears in the corners of her eyes. The harm that she had inflicted on him, must've related to this sort of thing, only enhancing her guilt.
Grayfia was shocked beyond belief as she digested what was going on.
Camilla was shaking as she tried to comprehend the fact that the Issei she had grown a powerful crush on, was truly this.
Brynhildr was utterly horrified and silent. She knew that he punished others for their wrongdoings, but to go this far? She never saw this coming.
Amaterasu was clutching her heart. She had been nursing a growing infatuation with Issei, and had formed a merciful and caring image of him. This shattered that image completely. He was ruthless and brutal in his attacks and showed no mercy. He even seemed to take some sort of amusement in making his targets suffer. This was wrong. So utterly wrong.
Morrigan now understood what caused so much death to happen. She was stupefied by the massive vacancy in the number of souls in the Human Realm, and now understood why. Issei had snapped and it must've been something genuinely terrible to make him do so. She knew that the kind-hearted Issei wasn't a lie, but to make this other side come out, it must've required something truly unspeakable.
"Now, you understand what he does and who he truly is. What is your verdict?" Eldesa looked around.
Sylderia sighed, breathing in a very shaking fashion. She seemed to stumble on some of her words before collecting herself as she wiped her tears.
"I know that he's in agony. He hates this sort of thing but he's doing it. I don't know the reason yet, but I know that it has to do with the world. Regardless, I can't let him continue. Any more than this, and Issei will deteriorate beyond saving. He's already so broken that he can barely feel much anymore. I can tell that much based on the emotion in his eyes. That's why, I'm going to bring him back." She declared.
"I have far too much to apologize to him for. I've known him from before he went back to being the Grim Herald. I can tell…this is hurting him. The word 'monster'…hurts him a lot. Any more of this and he'll get worse. I'll join in searching for him." Artemis meekly whimpered.
"I feel the same way. Before, Issei appeared in the Underworld and executed several corrupt officials. I know that Issei is operating under his own brand of justice. Still, there has to be another way." Grayfia hoped.
"Issei's done too much to be let go like this. He's suffered too much and on top of that, he's enduring this. I can't let that happen. I'm going to do everything I can to get Issei out of this." Brynhildr boldly vowed.
"He's so full of…despair right now. I can feel that something's gone wrong with him. When he first did this, I didn't understand it, but now I know that he can't continue like this. He'll destroy himself soon. I'll also do what I can for him. I still haven't told him…" Camilla trailed off.
"I swear, I'll bring him back here before anything else. We need to make things clear to him." Amaterasu looked at Eldesa with a fire in her eyes.
"I agree." Morrigan concluded.
The Chancellor nodded in satisfaction.
They all showed that they cared about him deeply and understood that Issei wasn't doing this because he wanted to. He was doing this out of a sense of duty and out of his beliefs. As long as they understood that this was all reluctant, they passed the first mark.
"Understand that Issei isn't like how you all remember. This is a side that only few know of. Should he refuse to revert, what will you do?" She asked.
"Whatever we have to. Positive emotions are the only things that can possibly reach him now." Brynhildr answered.
Eldesa was satisfied by the answer and nodded in recognition.
"Then, let us begin our search for him." She announced.
I never planned to make the chapter this long, but I just couldn't stop writing it. I have much more planned for the next chapter and I can't help but be excited about it.
That said, I didn't think I'd break out the brutality for this chapter too. I had intended to keep things strict but non-lethal with Ophis, but I figured that I needed to show what Issei is like when he's 'working'.