And here it is... the very first When Dawn meets Dusk chapter for the year of 2020, which as I said in the previous chapter, will be showing the moment I'm sure most of you have been waiting to see since Chapter 1! The moment... where Issei and Valiana become an official couple! After intentionally leaving both of them completely out of Chapter 19 to build up for this, I made sure to go ALL OUT when writing this chapter, just to make every detail be perfect.

Believe me, that's not a claim I make lightly. Making this chapter took a lot of effort to the point that I had to rewrite many scenes multiple times, and dig up the memory of how my current relationship started just to find the right mood and words for when Issei and Valiana finally confess. All of that took so much work that this chapter took a total of two months for me to finish.

Something that I'd also like to bring up in response to a review? I've been told that there's a lot of characters all gathered together through the Seven Stars Gym, and it may seem like there's too many to all keep gathered in one area without some kind of issue, presently or in the future. Without giving too much away, I will reveal that this arc is where many of them will stop appearing as often. For now, everyone will stay together for the Valiana/Ruihi Rating Game.

Due to how this is the first chapter of the new year, I've decided to reveal some details about the next arc. I'm certain that a few people already have a good idea what it's going to be about due to a combination of some scenes in the prior chapters and a certain Longinus wielder who's known, but has yet to make his official debut. When you see it, I hope you'll enjoy said details! ;)

Last thing I'd like to say before we begin? It's been nearly a whole year since the current version of the story started, and I'm thankful for all the support everyone's given me after what happened during the last two, since that support has kept reminding me to keep going. For that reason, there's something big I'll be announcing in the end notes, after everything else is revealed/shown to you all. Because of this, this chapter... is dedicated to every one of you!

Now, without further ado? It's time to start this special chapter!


[Chapter 20 - The Legend Evolves]

The scene opens to an area of Japan near the coasts, where a boy that was slightly younger than Issei could be seen walking to school. He had short black hair and pale gray eyes, with his hair looking like a flat and smoothed version of Mitsuya's.

He was wearing his school uniform, which was the expected Gakuren you'd see on a male student, with a set of red beads wrapped around his right wrist like a bracelet.

"Hey, Tobio! Wait up!"

"Hmm?" He blinked.

Looking behind him, the sight of a girl with brown hair in short twin tails and green eyes ran into view. Like Tobio, she was also wearing her school's uniform, but for female students, and had beads worn as a bracelet on her left wrist, only hers were blue.

"Oh, hey there Sae. I was worried that you were going to be late when I didn't see you at the station like usual." Tobio smiled.

She let out an embarrassed laugh in response.

"I got stuck on the back end during my rush to make it, so I didn't get a chance to flag you down... and then when I got off, I was swept into the usual storm of people on the train ends as they all tried to leave at the same time." Sae explained, scratching her cheek.

"Better than being pressed into the train window like I was once, or some of the... other things people could possibly do." Tobio mentioned, finishing with a flat expression.

Sae blushed at that before lightly bopping Tobio on the head with her fist.

"That's not funny!" She shouted.

"It... wasn't supposed to be." Tobio replied, giving her a blank stare.

Once again, Sae found herself blushing before she looked away.

Around that same time, Enseelyia was seen looking at the duo from a distance, focusing her eyes on their hidden auras.

"So, only the Alphecca Tyrant's current location and host are now a mystery to the world." She stated, smirking slightly.

She disappeared behind a tree, chuckling as she did.


Back at the Dragon Mountains, the sight of Tannin, Bova, and Hikari could be seen as Issei finished his talk with Belzard.

His eyes fluttered open as he tried to stretch his limbs, wincing as he stood up as his body finally registered his now incredibly stiff joints. This prompted him to hold out a finger, silencing anything the three could say.

*"CRACK!"*

Tannin and Bova winced at how loud the sound of him cracking his bones was, while Hikari simply covered her ears and felt her skin crawl from the sound, which was scarier to her younger ears.

"No more..." Hikari begged.

"Sorry." Issei apologized.

Once he finally shook off the last of his stiffness, he jumped backwards onto his hands and then pushed himself back onto his feet like he was doing a frontal flip.

"I'm not sure if it was because of the nesting material or the fact I was sitting on a pile of rocks, but it was like all my joints had been locked up." Issei stated.

Ddraig shivered as he brought that up.

["I don't know how, but I somehow actually felt that... and have no desire to do so again."] Ddraig replied.

Hearing that made Issei blush in embarrassment, winking his right eye and clapping his hands in an apologetic manner.

"Hungry..." Hikari mumbled, holding her stomach.

That rumbling was soon heard by the trio as her stomach let out a loud growl.

"I guess that's my cue to start head back." Issei realized, looking at Tannin.

"Agreed, especially since you've already finished your task by making contact with Belzard." Tannin replied.

He grabbed Bova as he tried to walk away.

"Nice try, but you're coming with us." Tannin warned.

"Crap..." Bova breathed.

Issei picked up Hikari and shifted her into a piggyback ride position, then got onto Tannin's head, who spread his wings and took off. A minute into his flight, Valiana ran into the area through the bushes.

Having reached her destination, she finally stopped to take a breath, but as she did...

("Uh oh.") Albion realized, seeing Tannin.

"Uh oh? Why did you say that?" Valiana asked.

("I hate to tell you this Valiana, but... look behind you, and behind you.") She replied, her voice faltering a little.

Doing just that, Valiana felt her eyes widen as she saw Issei was already flying back to the others, making her go white.

"Are you kidding me!?" She screamed.

The loud noise caused all the nearby Dragons to freeze up from the intensity behind it.

Immediately moving her feet, Valiana began running after the two Dragons as once again, the nearby animals fled from her charging form's determination scaring them off. The sight was enough to make the Dragons blink.


The scene returned to Sae and Tobio as they made it to their school Ryoukuu Junior High, right as most students arrived alongside them.

"Hey guys!" Someone shouted.

"Let me guess." Tobio chuckled.

Turning around, they saw a girl with strawberry blonde hair tied in a small, yet thick ponytail run up to them, nearly tripping over as she did.

"Hey Natsume, what's got you so excited this morning?" Sae asked.

Natsume blinked in surprise, as she hadn't even said anything yet.

"You tend to trip when you're excited, which you just did, so something's definitely up." Tobio stated.

"Seriously!? Well, that's kind pretty embarrassing for me to hear..." She chuckled, scratching her cheek.

She then pulled out a rolled paper.

"Well, for what's up as you two put it? A friend of mine in the news club just snuck me some info about where we'll be going for our School trip!" Natsume revealed, unrolling the paper.

Tobio and Sae looked at what was revealed to be a flyer, and then felt their eyes widen as they saw it was a cruise ship going to Hawaii.

"No freaking way! How can a town like ours afford that!?" Tobio questioned.

"Luxury liner... luxury liner..." Sae repeated, feeling her mind getting overwhelmed.

Natsume and Tobio then looked at her Sae, with the former snapping her fingers in front of her as the latter waved a hand over her face, but to no avail.

"I think you broke her." Tobio stated.

"Yeah, I think you're right." Natsume realized, wincing a little.

Sae continued to repeat the same two words, until finally...

*"VROOM!"*

She screamed in surprise at the sudden noise, turning around as she, Tobio, and Natsume all saw a motorcycle drive into the school's parking lot. While most of the students were still too young to drive, this particular rider had to redo a year and was old enough to have a license.

Taking his helmet off, the owner of the bike was revealed to be a young man with brunette hair and a gruff appearance, with the sleeves of his uniform's shirt short and pants both rolled up to show he was somewhat of a delinquent.

"Well, at least she's not broken enough that Shark's motorcycle doesn't scare her when her guard's down." Tobio chuckled.

"Not funny!" Sae shouted, blushing in embarrassment.

He threw his bag over his shoulder as he blew a bubble gum bubble, noticing the trio that were some of the few he could call his friends were standing around.

"Something up, or are you three just blocking traffic?" He questioned.

Hearing that reminded them they needed to get to class.

"Oh man, let's continue this after school ends!" Tobio decided, rushing inside.

"Agreed!" Sae replied.

Natsume quickly followed, making Shark (whose real name was Kouki Samejima) roll his eyes before walking to class as well.


Afternoon soon came, though the sky was still at the stage where it was blue instead of orange, showing it was still in its early stages.

The scene was currently focused on where the majority of the Seven Stars Gym members were located, with Adam noticing the time before his son and Valiana's return was approaching.

"Get ready everyone, it's not long before we'll restart our training!" He alerted.

"Understood!" They all shouted in reply, nearly back to 100% from their resting period.

It was at that time that an unexpected sound got everyone's attention. Looking up, they saw Alicia hovering towards them with her newly upgraded backpack, which was acting like a hover jet pack at the moment now.

"Hey guys!" She waved, right before she landed.

"Whoa, are you done training with Regalzerva already?" Keitekai asked, looking surprised.

"No, but he did tell me that until we're done, I need to come here and back as part of the training. That, and... Humans aren't able to digest Lluinae food." Alicia explained, right as her stomach growled.

Keitekai blinked before laughing at herself, feeling a little embarrassed for forgetting that.

"Now I see why Eve insisted on leaving so many leftovers." She realized, shaking her head.

"Do you have enough leftovers for two then?" Mitsuya asked.

Everyone turned to see Mitsuya walking into the area, still a little soaked from his time in the ocean. However, there was a little addition on his shoulder, which was a tiny and plushie-like version of Resetoras.

"Let me guess, you couldn't eat any of the Spirits' food?" Miku asked, chuckling a bit.

"No, I just wanted dry food after being in underwater for a few hours." Mitsuya replied.

Verrine soon stared at the small Resetoras.

"Is that really who I think it is!?" She asked, looking at him with sparkling eyes.

"In a sense, yes." Resetoras confirmed, albeit with a high-pitched voice.

She squealed and hugged him like an actual plushie, which quickly made him turn blue as his eyes became white circles. However, she was soon pulled to Mitsuya like a magnet, causing both of their heads to collide and make everyone wince.

"Ow..." Verrine groaned, rubbing her noggin.

"Yeah... Seraselbes taught me how to use some of my aura to manifest a small body for him, but he's linked to me like a magnet." Mitsuya explained, massaging his chin.

"I had something similar happen to me." Alicia mentioned.

Her backpack began to shift until her tablet came into view.

"That's right! I've also gained a secondary body, and I am loving it!" Melvazoa announced, the tablet rotating to show his excitement.

That quickly got Fubuki's attention, prompting her to get closer.

"You're linked to her backpack and tablet? I've gotta hear this story." She stated.

Finally, as if to follow the rule of third time's the charm? Chichigami soon arrived.

"Hey everyone." She greeted.

"Hmm? Hey Chichigami, where's Valiana?" Keitekai asked, noticing her absence.

She gave an awkward laugh at that.

"Not with me, actually..." Chichigami admitted, rubbing her cheek slightly.

That left even Adam confused.

"That's odd, why would she do that?" Adam inquired.

"Well... she was fine for a while, implying she met Elsha, and then I heard her scream out of nowhere before she just ran out of the cave. When I told her to get back here, she replied with..." Chichigami explained.

She covered her face, mimicking Valiana's usual expression.

"Sorry, no can do! There's something more important I need to take care of!" She shouted, using a tone that matched Valiana's voice.

She then reverted to her usual expression, with Adam blinking in surprise.

"And then rushed in a certain direction I couldn't tell. Since she was that brazen to say that to me, I just let her do it, since it seems like there was something she realized and needed to do. When I considered seeing where she went... I saw she had KO'd a bunch of animals in her path and decided against it." She finished.

Once again, Adam blinked in surprise.

"OK, now I'm really confused. That doesn't sound like Valiana at all." He remarked.

He looked at everyone else.

"Unless... has anyone else ever seen anything like that?" Adam inquired.

Everyone either shrugged, shook their heads, or replied with some form of no.

"Weird..." He remarked, scratching his head.

"Well, it looks like we should get answers on where she went soon enough." Fuyuka answered, looking at the sky.

"Why do you say that?" Adam asked.

"Because your son and Tannin are currently flying into view as we speak." She answered, pointing at them.

Looking up, everyone saw Tannin and Bova fly into view, noticing Issei and Hikari sitting on the former's head.

"Hey guys!" Issei shouted, waving at them.

"Hey big bro, welcome back!" Homura waved in return, smiling brightly.

Tannin soon made his landing, leaving Issei to jump off with Hikari in his hands.

"So, what did I miss?" He asked.

"Before we answer that, do you know where Valiana is?" Chichigami inquired.

Issei was surprised by that.

"Wait, she didn't come back with you?" He questioned, looking genuinely confused.

"No, she ran off after what I assume was meeting Elsha, leaving a trail of unconscious animals that tried to go after her or were just in her way. She was determined to do something I know nothing about." Chichigami revealed.

"That's strange..." Issei replied, scratching his head in response.

While he was thinking that, the Dragon on his back suddenly blinked before jumping off, getting a strange feeling in her veins.

"Hmm?" Hikari blinked, suddenly turning around.

"Hikari, is something wrong?" Issei asked, noticing this.

She held a hand up, easily silencing everyone as she felt her ears twitch, then looked in one direction. Once she did, Hikari felt a strong aura rushing towards them.

"Someone's coming." She replied, pointing her finger forward.

Issei looked in that direction, which is when he saw Valiana run into view, making his eyes widen as the Devil Princess finally took a break as she caught her breath due to reaching her destination after a long trek.

"Valiana!?" Issei shouted in surprise, quickly noticing how dirty and damaged her training attire was.

"Issei..." She tiredly replied, looking at him.

"What are you doing here? And why do you-" He questioned, feeling understandably confused and overwhelmed right now.

His words fell flat as she ran up to him before hugging him tightly.

This caused his remaining words to vanish as she looked up and smiled at him, tears of joy filling her eyes. The sight was enough that everyone was silenced, unable to do anything but stare at Valiana's sudden action, while Ashir silently gasped.

"I remember..." She suddenly said.

"What?" Issei asked, still confused.

"I remember Issei, the day we really first met!" Valiana answered again, closing her eyes for a moment as her tears flowed out.

He gasped as his eyes widened from her words.

"Say what now?" Eve asked, looking confused.

She looked at Adam, who shrugged in equal confusion.

"You... you actually remember? That we actually first met on your 5th birthday!?" Issei asked, his eyes flashing with a strong sense of hope.

"I do." She confirmed, nodding her head.

Hearing that, Adam let out a gasp, remembering the event he took Issei too sometime before Rui was born. This got Eve's attention as he briefly glanced at her.

"OK, now I have an idea, but just keep watching for now." Adam whispered.

Eve nodded in reply, right as Valiana took a step back and wiped her tears.

"Right after I left, because the guards were looking for me... I was attacked by a Devil from the Anti-Maou Faction." Valiana revealed.

Issei gasped as he heard that, feeling his fist tighten.

He already hated the Anti-Maou Faction for the actions Zariska and Gavauren had taken, but now that he knew they hurt Valiana in a way he hadn't even known about? He outright despised them!

"There was no lasting damage to me physically, but when I woke up the following day? I... lost all my memories of our meeting." She said, closing her eyes.

Issei said nothing, already having a feeling her attacker was responsible for her inability to recognize him.

"When I finally woke up, and wondered why I couldn't remember anything? My mom told me a cover story that I just forgot about the party because it was so boring. When I heard her tell me that, I answered that it was something... I was expecting." She continued.

"Expecting? Wait a second, are you saying that's why you-" Issei repeated, his eyes shaking as slowly put the all of the pieces together.

Valiana nodded her head.

"That's right. It was why two years later, when we finally met again... I had my entire mindset based on that one belief I had made. One that likely formed because of how I still knew how important our first meeting had been to me." She confirmed.

She soon closed her hands together before giving Issei a big smile, with more tears flowing out of her eyes as she did.

"But thanks to Elsha and Albion's words? I finally remember that day, and why it was so important to me. How that one moment of your kindness truly changed my life for the better." Valiana revealed.

"Valiana..." Issei replied, feeling his eyes getting a little misty.

The others soon felt themselves starting to cry as well. Despite a lot of them still had no idea what was going on, due to being unaware of the story, they could feel the flow of emotions in Valiana's words.

"And that's why... I need to say this to you." She continued.

She grabbed him by the arms, confusing Issei somewhat... until he suddenly felt an unexpected sensation on his mouth. Everyone's eyes all went widened at the sight, which was of Valiana kissing him.

The shock had even caused the shades on Bova's snout to pop off, which then Hikari on the head, briefly causing it to bobble without her noticing.

"Oh!" Adam began.

"My!" Eve continued.

"God!" Asia finished.

Valiana held that kiss for a minute before she pulled away.

"V-Valiana?" Issei said in surprise, his eyes almost shivering.

"I feel the same way... I love you Issei!" Valiana confessed, closing her eyes as tears of joy flowed out.

Hearing that, his eyes widened and a big smile formed on his face, followed by him also crying tears of joy.

Without saying anything else, Issei moved closer to Valiana, causing them to share their second kiss. Ashir wiped his eyes as Rias walked by his side, wrapping an arm around his waist as he did the same.

("Congratulations you two.") Ddraig praised.

("You've earned this.") Albion smiled.

As the two finally stopped to breathe, they simply hugged one another and just stood in place, wanting to let this magical moment last just a little longer.


Back at Ryoukuu Junior High, classes had ended for the day, with Sae packing her bag as someone walked up to her. This girl had physical traits of someone both Japanese and European, or Eurasian as some people called it.

Her hair was long and blonde, which she had tied into thin pigtails using a pair of white ribbons and having a small yet braid across the top of her head that mimicked a hairband or modest crown. She had heterochromia, having a blue right eye and a black left eye.

"How was... your day, I hope... it was good?" She asked.

"It was very good Shigune, and I see you're doing better with speaking in Japanese." Sae answered.

Shigune nodded slightly.

"Thank you, but I am... still struggling... to speak it." Shigune replied, trying to speak correctly.

For most of her life, Shigune had lived in England with her parents, who met when her father left Japan for work. However, near the start of Spring, her family transferred when her father got a better job back at home.

As she had been used to speaking English most of her life, speaking in Japanese was something she wasn't used to just yet.

"No need to worry, you'll get used to it soon enough. Hyousuke's patience makes him a great teacher." Sae reassured her.

"Yes, I... also agree that... he's a good teacher." Shigune agreed, blushing slightly.

Sae soon got up from her desk and looked at her at eye level, which was easy due to their shared height.

"Oh, Natsume learned about what our school trip will be. Want to join us for lunch?" Sae offered.

"I shall... accept that offer." She replied, nodding her head.

With that, the two walked towards what was a usual restaurant for Tobio and Sae to visit.


After they had their moment, everyone began sitting down as Issei and Valiana explained their actual first meeting to their friends. They were all quite surprised, especially Adam, who had technically been there.

"And... that's everything." Issei finished.

"Whoa, so... you already knew Valiana from the moment you and I first saw her at the gym?" Chiemi realized, letting it all sink in.

Issei silently nodded in response.

"For all these years... it didn't feel right for me to say anything, not when she didn't recognize me. As such, I just kept hoping and waiting for her to remember, until I tried confessing to hopefully remind her of that day. I had almost given up hope she'd ever remember when we first met... until she finally told me I remember." Issei admitted.

Eve sniffled a bit once she heard that, wiping away a pair of rogue tears that slipped from her eyes.

"It reminds me of how your father and I fell in love, and the story of how Valiana's parents realized their feelings for each other. You two are soulmates!" She smiled.

"Mom!" Issei shouted, turning a little red.

Adam chuckled a bit looking at his wife.

"She told me about your talk, and told me that you'd likely become a couple within the week." He admitted.

Issei and Valiana's faces went red at those words.

"Is my love life a game to you two!?" Issei shouted.

"No, it was just incredibly obvious that the two of you would end up together." Eve giggled.

Issei covered his face and looked away, followed by Valiana letting out an awkward chuckle.

"Well... since we're already this far? I'll make a confession, and then make up for said confession by Rias and me admitting something we've been putting off for a while now." Ashir decided.

Rias blushed at that, knowing there was no turning back now.

"Confession to what?" Issei asked, who was still covering his face.

"I... actually saw you confessing to Valiana, and then told everyone, who've all been keeping it a secret." He admitted, lowering his head in shame.

Issei uncovered his face and let out an embarrassed scream.

"So, in exchange? Rias and I... will be confessing this in return!" Ashir shouted, blushing after he said it.

Everyone looked at Rias, who stood up and stood by Ashir as she grabbed his hand.

"Ashir and I... got engaged last month." She admitted, closing her eyes as she blushed.

Those words caused everyone to gasp as she undid magic that hid an engagement ring on her finger, making Issei's blush disappear... though Valiana soon gained a faint one, as what Rias said caused her to remember something.

"Finally! It took you long enough to man up and propose, but you finally did it!" Cecilia praised, slapping Ashir on the back.

He let out an embarrassed chuckle.

Meanwhile at the same time, Valiana suddenly tugged on Issei's outfit, getting his attention.

"What's up?" He asked.

"Well, it's just... Ashir and Rias bringing up their engagement reminded me of something that needs to be done before a Devil Heir can be allowed to start dating someone." Valiana quietly answered.

"And that is..." Issei asked, feeling nervous after hearing those words.

She let out an awkward laugh in response, making him sweat a little.

"Issei, you have to go talk with my parents, and... you have to do it without me." Valiana revealed.

Issei let out a loud scream as that revelation struck him.


Tobio and Sae were soon seen at their usual restaurant hang out with their small circle of friends, with everyone shocked at Shigune's appetite.

"Where do you put all of that!?" Kouki asked as he watched her.

"I'm... not sure where it goes." Shigune admitted, blushing slightly.

As that was happening, the sixth friend of their group let out a small chuckle, getting Kouki's attention. He had black hair like Tobio, albeit his was longer, reaching to his shoulders and having gold highlights.

"You should have seen my parents' reaction the first time she came over for a Japanese lesson. My mom had to buy more milk... after having already done so the day before." He revealed, still chuckling somewhat.

Kouki stared incredulously at what he just said, feeling his eye twitch.

"Hyousuke, I commend how tolerant you get from being lazy." Natsume praised, in an unintentionally insulting manner.

"Thank you-" He replied.

His eyes widened as he realized what Natsume said.

"Hey!" He shouted, slightly glaring at her.

"Wait, that didn't came out right!" She panicked, waving her hands out in a defensive manner.

As the hilarity continued, they failed to notice Creuserey staring at the group from a distance.

"So, those children hold their power..." He realized.

Four areas shaped like four common pets, which only he could currently see, stood beside everyone that wasn't Tobio or Sae, who had something else linked to them.


The scene opened to the entrance of Valiana's house in Hell, where she currently stood alongside a sweating Issei, who was about to talk with her parents.

"Good luck." She said, waving at him with a smile.

'Saying that only makes me feel even more nervous!' He panicked.

He soon knocked on the door, causing a Maid to open the door.

"Hello there, can I help you?" She asked.

"M-My name's Issei Hyoudou, a friend of Valiana's, and... I need to tell her parents something. Are they... home right now?" Issei greeted, shaking as he did.

The maid nodded in understanding.

"Yes, they are. Please, come inside while I go and get them for you." The maid replied.

He gave a nervous nod, walking into the house and sat in a chair next to a nearby table.

"Well, this is a surprise." Lucifer chuckled.

Issei nearly jumped as he and Lilith walked into view, wearing casual clothing, and then sat down on the couch across Issei's chair.

"Good to see you both again... it's been a while." Issei greeted.

"Likewise." Lucifer replied.

"Although, last we heard? You and Valiana were in the Hidden Lands, training for the Rating Game with Ruihi, so there must be something important going on if you're visiting us in our own home of all places." Lilith remarked, already aware this was no ordinary talk.

Issei gulped as he heard that.

"Yeah, it is. You see..." He replied.

He took a deep breath.

"Valiana... has given me the great honor of dating her, so... I've come to ask for your blessing!" Issei revealed, closing his eyes as he blushed.

Lucifer and Lilith both gasped at this, and Issei waited for Lucifer to have an overprotective father moment. However, he instead heard sobbing.

"Huh?" He said, opening his eyes.

To his surprise, Lucifer was crying tears of joy, hugging his smiling wife who had her eyes closed.

"Finally, after so long, they've finally confessed to each other!" Lucifer cried, making Issei stare at him.

"Wait... both of you expected this!?" He realized.

Lilith answered him with a giggle, making him give an awkward laugh in response.

"Yeah... I'm not going to tell Valiana that detail." Issei decided.

"Fair enough." She replied.

Her eyes soon opened as her expression became serious, making Issei stiffen as he realized this talk wasn't going to be as easy as he believed.

"That being said, there is still something we must ask before you can officially date our daughter." Lilith stated, holding up a finger for emphasis.

Issei gulped and nodded his head.

"Because of the ranking of various families in the world of Devils, being allowed to date the heir to a Clan is only possible if the one wishing to date them swears an oath that proves they are willing to take the step following it." Lilith explained.

"Wait, by next step, do you mean..." Issei asked, though he was certain he already knew.

"That's right. The next step is marriage." She confirmed.

Issei panicked at that, feeling it was way too early to consider being engaged.

"Don't misunderstand me. The oath isn't the same as becoming my daughter's fiancé, as that's a decision the two of you should make, but this oath is still needed to prove you truly love the one you wish to date. After all, there are many who would only wish to marry for something that could benefit them." Lilith clarified.

"Oh, I get it. You just need me to prove that I truly love Valiana." He realized.

"Exactly. Now, for how this oath works..." Lucifer confirmed, standing up.

He placed a finger on Issei's hand, causing a blue crest shaped like a heart to form on it. Upon seeing it, Issei already had a good idea what it was for.

"I need you to say the following. I, your full name, wish to prove my feelings of love to name of beloved with this oath. Let the pink light of truth confirm my feelings as genuine and permit our bond of love, or the black light of lies reveal my sins and shame me forever. I think that chant itself is fairly self-explanatory." Lucifer continued.

Issei nodded his head as he closed his eyes.

"I, Issei Hyoudou, wish to prove my feelings of love to Valiana Lucifer with this oath. Let the pink light of truth confirm my feelings as genuine and permit our bond of love, or the black light of lies reveal my sins and shame me forever." He said.

A few seconds passed, and the crest began to change color, turning from blue into pink. Despite having already expected this, the sight left Lucifer and Lilith smiling.

"Congratulations Issei, your oath has been made. As such... you now truly have our blessing to date our daughter." Lilith smiled.

He smiled before bowing to the two.

"Thank you so much. I promise you both, I'll make her happy and protect her with my life, but... I also won't just give it up for her. No matter what? Both of us will always be together, so I'm not letting anything happen to her or myself." Issei stated.

"We already know. Now, I'm pretty sure our daughter's getting antsy, so go and tell her the news." Lilith replied.

"And give us and everyone a big show when she and Ruihi have their Rating Game!" Lucifer shouted passionately.

Issei chuckled before bowing once more, and walking outside. The two looked out the window, outside of their daughter's view, as she smiled and hugged Issei, who just told her the good news.

"So, how long do you think it will take for them to get married?" Lilith asked.

"Who knows? Though I'm pretty sure it will at least be 3 years, since it sounds like Issei's waiting for them to finish High School." Lucifer guessed.

"Yeah, it's definitely going to be at least three years." She agreed.

Seeing the two return to Lemuria, Lilith decided to write a letter, which she sent to the Satan Clan territory.


Ruihi was seen back at her home, taking a necessary break in her training as she and her Rating Game team relaxed over some tea. As they did, one of her personal butlers walked in, holding Lilith's letter as he approached Ruihi.

"Excuse me, Lady Ruihi?" The butler greeted.

"Yes, what is it?" She asked, putting down her tea.

He handed her the letter.

"Lady Lilith has written a letter for you. She and Lord Lucifer got a surprise visit by their daughter and the current Red Dragon Emperor, and the result of that meeting led to something that they thought you should know as motivation for the Rating Game." He explained.

That caught Ruihi's interest, making her take the letter.

"I wonder what could motivate you at this point?" Bikou asked.

"That's what we're about to find out." Bennia remarked.

Unfolding the message inside, Ruihi began reading it aloud.

"Dear Ruihi, it is my great honor to inform you that Valiana and Issei have, as my husband and I expected alongside many others, finally become a couple. The two of them will more than likely be heavily motivated because of this when they face you in the Rating Game." She said.

This surprised the whole group.

"P.S: It turns out that Valiana only just realized how she felt because of a funny story related to when she was 5, which Adam and Eve told me about right before I wrote the last part of the prior sentence. When you have any free time, come over, and I'll tell you about it." She continued.

Finishing the letter, Ruihi said nothing for a moment, and then smiled.

"Sounds like this Rating Game will be even better than I thought it would." Ruihi realized, looking towards the sky.


Time flew by until it was November 20th, and the scene opened to the village Chichigami and Keitekai called home, where the two of them were joined by Seraselbes and Regalzerva as the members of the Seven Star Gym were gathered before them.

After three weeks of training? They were finally heading back home, so the four of them, along with the original six Humans of Humanity's second wave had all gathered to see them off.

"Thanks for having us as long as you did, we'll make sure our Rating Games are amazing when you watch them." Valiana smiled, bowing to them.

"And we'll be looking forward to them, that's a promise." Chichigami replied.

Seraselbes moved near Mitsuya's ear.

"Oh, and make sure you actually listen to my older brother when it matters, so he doesn't come back and complain to me." She requested.

Mitsuya groaned at that, while Resetoras snickered.

"I get it already; I wasn't using my Longinus' full power before. You can stop reminding me every 10 minutes." He replied.

"Then you should have listened in the first place." Kirino smirked.

He barely held back a scream of annoyance and anger from his girlfriend's teasing.

"Alright everyone, we're off!" Adam announced.

With that, everyone teleported back to Japan, with Chichigami looking at where they were before looking towards the sky.

'After meeting them, I'm certain of it... they will be the ones who will bridge the ten mythological factions together.' She thought.

That one thought was a powerful one.

Even more? Despite such a day was still far away, those words would ring true sooner than she realized.


It wasn't long before everyone had returned to the Seven Stars Gym, where everyone was about to announce their Rating Game teams.

"Since Ruihi directly challenged Valiana through a live broadcast and wants a team that can truly push hers to the fullest? We'll let Valiana have the first pick, with Fubuki here being the one chosen as her team's adviser." Adam announced.

"I'm a little nervous, but... Valiana, just know that I promise to do my best for everyone on your team!" Fubuki shouted.

Valiana smiled before rubbing her head.

"Don't worry, you'll do fine." She replied.

Fubuki showed some surprise, but then smiled and nodded her head.

"Now, for my team choices?" Valiana replied, looking at everyone.

With those words, everyone stiffened as they wondered who she'd consider the right people to face off against Ruihi's team.

"Before I start? You should know that I've actually decided to ask three people who aren't part of the gym, since I believe their skills blend well with the three I've chosen among everyone here, though that doesn't mean I think any less of you." She revealed.

"Really? You've already chosen someone besides Issei and Asia?" Kelsey asked, understandably surprised.

Valiana nodded her head.

"All of them will meet us tomorrow, when our Rating Game conference begins. Now, for the people I've chosen among all of us, my second Knight will be..." She answered, closing her eyes.

She pointed at her choice.

"Xenovia!"

Hearing her name being called, Xenovia showed some surprise, which was quickly followed by a look of excitement.

"I won't let you down!" She promised.

"Now, for my Bishops and my remaining choices among everyone here? I've chosen... Shirone and Kuroka!" Valiana continued.

Kuroka smiled at that.

"I had a feeling you might choose us, considering our abilities." She remarked.

"Game on." Shirone stated, holding her fists up as a sparkle appeared in her eyes.

Adam looked at her three choices, comparing them with Valiana, Issei, and Asia, which left him wondering who her other three choices were.

'Xenovia has absorbed her father's Light Crystal and become a pure Angel, making her a second Angel for Valiana's Team, while Kuroka and Shirone's Nekoshou powers are both strong and diverse alongside Durandal's powers. I honestly can't see a pattern here.' He realized, wondering if that was her team's intent.

He then looked at Rias.

"Rias, it's your turn now." Adam decided.

"Right." She replied, looking confident.

However, right as she was about to start, Adam remembered something and coughed for a moment, getting her attention.

"Sorry, but I just remembered that Lucifer asked me to tell everyone this. No one choose Ashir for your teams." Adam revealed.

Ashir shouted in surprise.

"What? Why!? I'm already sitting out because I don't have an opponent to face!" He questioned.

"Sorry, but that's what I was told." Adam apologized.

Hearing that, Ashir lowered his head and then sat in the corner.

One by one, the other Devil Heirs besides Ashir chose their teams, setting the stage for five amazing Rating Games.


~ November 21st, 2017: Agreas Stadium

The day of the Press Conference, and by extension, the day before what ended up being all 5 Rating Games due to popular demand and the decided matches for each that made it possible... had finally come.

At the moment, a limo was seen as it drove all five teams towards the stadium area.

"I still can't believe Valiana's family owns all of this!" Rui exclaimed.

"So, everything on this floating island surprises you more than the island itself does?" Valiana asked, giggling as she did.

Rui blinked at that.

"Isn't that what Mu technically was?" He asked, looking confused.

Issei let out an awkward laugh before moving near his ear.

"That was a joke." Issei explained.

Rui blushed a little in embarrassment, right as the limo stopped by large white dome that was none other than the Rating Game arena, which looked like a futuristic version of the Tokyo Dome.

"Wow... this is amazing!" Homura exclaimed.

"That's right, you've never seen it before."

Hearing that voice, everyone turned around to see Ingvild standing before them, wearing casual clothing that showed how she was recently in America.

"No way, Ingvild?" Valiana said happily.

"That's right! Since your Rating Game happened near Thanksgiving, which is when I had a break scheduled to spend it with my family, that let me be here to see it!" She smiled, waving hello to everyone as she did.

Ashir chuckled, walking up to her.

"I get it now. The reason Lucifer said I couldn't join anyone's team is because with you here, I do get to have a Rating Game as a King!" He realized, feeling energized.

"That's right, so I hope you'll be ready for it. Although, you might want to choose your team before it's too late, even if you and I are the last match before Ruihi and Valiana act as the grand finale for tomorrow." Ingvild confirmed.

"Oh boy, who should I choose?" Ashir asked himself, thinking of who his team should be.

Ingvild then looked at everyone.

"Don't mention that I'm actually having a Rating Game to anyone, that's a surprise we'll be sharing after the conference is over." She requested.

"Got it." Valiana nodded in understanding.

Everyone soon walked into the building, where the sight of Sairaorg could be seen as he walked into view.

"Sairaorg! Glad you could make it!" Valiana smiled, putting a fist out.

"Of course, you did offer me a place on your team, so it would be pretty rude if I didn't." He replied, pressing his fist against hers.

Issei looked at Valiana and smiled.

"Ah, so Sairaorg's one of the three you asked outside of the gym's members." He realized.

"That's right, and I'm assuming the other two should be here any moment now." Valiana confirmed.

"We already are!" A female voice replied.

Issei turned as he saw a female silhouette flip into view, only giving a clear image of her appearance upon her landing.

She was a 15-year old girl with silver hair reaching to her belly button, with some of the hair behind her left ear being braided to a similar length as it rested over her shoulder, and eyes that matched the silver color of her hair.

Her attire was similar to that of Lucifuge's attire when Valiana was born, revealing her heritage.

"Hey Sylvie!" Valiana smiled, holding out her arms.

"Valiana! Good to see you!" Sylvie smiled back, holding her arms out in reply.

The two hugged each other before Valiana looked at everyone.

"Everyone? This is the daughter of Lucifuge, and my unofficial retainer, Sylvia Lucifuge." Valiana revealed.

"Just call me Sylvie." Sylvia greeted, waving her hand.

"So, you had the daughter of Lucifuge join you. I can't say that's too surprising of a choice." Adam remarked, chuckling slightly.

At that moment, someone walked into view. He was a young man in a dark green V-neck shirt with a high-collared black leather jacket over it, dark green jeans with a silver chain drooping down over them, and black shoes with black buckles.

He had dark purple hair that seemed familiar, wearing a backwards black cap on his head and large sunglasses that completely hid his eyes.

"Who's this?" Xenovia asked.

"He's our final team member. However, I think Issei's already quite familiar with him." Valiana smiled, winking as she did.

Issei looked confused, and then looked at the man, unsure of who he was.

"Really? The shades that Hikari gave me aren't telling you anything?" He answered, revealing Bova's voice.

"Bova!?" Issei shouted in surprise.

The young Dragon laughed and pulled down his shades slightly, revealing his eyes.

"Surprised? Before you guys left, Valiana came to my dad and asked him for his permission to let me fight on her team. I think her words to convince him were... he might be less of a rebel if he fights strong beings who can match Dragons without being one themselves?" Bova revealed.

Valiana giggled at his choice of words.

"I also figured that with Ruihi's ability to make part of her body into a Dragon's? Having an actual Dragon on our team will help us, since I'm sure Ruihi trained with her team, how to fight her in that form." She added.

"Ah, that's pretty clever. Not to mention since he isn't an Evil Dragon, certain tactics might not work on him." Fubuki realized.

Valiana nodded her head.

"Now, come on everyone. The conference is about to start." She advised.

Everyone followed her to the conference room.


In another room, the Press Conference stage could be seen, already filled with reporters waiting to take pictures of Valiana and Ruihi's teams, who had yet to appear and take their seats on the respective stands set up for each of them.

Walking up to a pair of stands, with one having Lucifuge walk into view and the other having the current Head of the Abaddon Clan.

"Everyone, we will now begin the Press Conference!" Lucifuge announced.

"Let us start by introducing the challenger responsible for tomorrow's events. On the left side, I now introduce to you... Ruihi Satan!" Lord Abaddon announced, motioning his hand to the left.

Spotlights moved to the door, which opened to reveal Ruihi and her team, joined by Elaine as their team's adviser. All of them walked to their seats as the reporters began to take pictures of them.

"And for the one accepting the challenge. On the right side, here's our Devil Princess herself... Valiana Lucifer!" Lucifuge announced, motioning her hand to the right.

Like before, the door opened as the reporters took pictures of Valiana and her team, joined by Fubuki as their adviser. As he walked to his seat, Issei became a little nervous at all the attention they were getting from simply walking into the room.

Once the cameras stopped flashing, Lord Abaddon and Lucifuge left their stands, which fused together with magic to allow another Devil to take their place.

"Now, each King will have a chance to comment about the coming match. We shall do so in order of their entrance into the room. Lady Ruihi, the floor is now yours." The new Devil revealed.

Ruihi nodded before standing up, leaving the room silent.

"My only comment is... I'll let the Rating Game do the talking for me, because actions speak louder than words. That's all from me." She said, smiling through closed eyes.

She sat down, with many clapping in applaud for her bold, yet very effective words.

"Lady Valiana, the floor is now yours." The Devil continued.

Everyone saw her stand up, and then... she said nothing, only smiling as the reporters were left confused by her silence.

After another minute of silence? It seemed like she had no words to say, and just as it looked like everything would move on...

"I plan to win." Valiana stated.

Her comment shocked everyone. Not because of what it was, but how she chose to time it, leaving Ruihi to smile at how bold she was.

The crowd soon applauded at her sudden declaration, signaling her to sit down.

"We will now start accepting questions." The Devil announced, looking for those raising their hands.

He soon found one and pointed at her.

"I have a question for Issei Hyoudou." A female reported asked.

Issei nervously stood up.

"Y-Yes?" He asked, trying to stay calm.

"Recently, word has spread that you and the Princess have begun dating. Is this true?" She asked.

That caught the attention of many, while Issei let out a sigh of relief, having expected much worse.

"Yes, it's true." He confirmed.

The press quickly began to murmur in excitement, and everyone began asking questions all at once.

"And... here comes the storm." Ruihi sighed.

"I'm starting to wonder why we even let them ask us questions?" Valiana replied, trying to smile despite the sweat drop on her head.

Issei let out an awkward laugh, prompting Valiana to rub his back.

Once things got noisy enough, the Devil at the stand lifted a magically enhance air horn, prompting both Teams to cover their ears.

*"BLARE!"*

The press all covered their ears from the loud noise.

"To officially end this conference, both Kings will say their final words before the battle, then shake each other's hands." He announced.

Both Valiana and Ruihi stand up and meet each other at the area between the stands.

"Your parents told me about everything... it's honestly hard to believe, or at least it would be if it wasn't for my story being its own kind of crazy." Ruihi admitted.

"I know what you mean. In a sense, that makes this Rating Game between us more than a normal game. It's proof of how far we've both come." Valiana replied.

Ruihi chuckled at that.

"So, the winner is the one who's grown more and pushed herself harder in the end. Just know that it's going to be me." She replied.

"Don't be so sure you'll take your victory lap just yet." Valiana smiled, making a determined expression.

"Of course not. After all, there's no point to this Rating Game if it's too easy." Ruihi stated, holding out her hand.

Valiana accepted her hand as the press took pictures one last time.


Finally, the day of the Rating Games arrived, and the crowd was already pumped from the initial five matches. Among the Seven Stars Gym's side, they had victories through Rias, Sona, and Ravel against the Heirs of the Asmodeus, Mammon, and Beelzebub Clans.

Ashir and Cecilia were not as fortunate, losing against Ingvild and the Heir to the Belphegor Clan, though both still put up a fight that earned the respect of the crowd.

"Is everyone ready for our main event!?" Naud asked.

The crowd answered him with screams of excitement.

As this was happening, both teams were shown standing by the entrance gates, getting ready to walk in when given the word.

"Man, I'm getting pumped for this!" Issei remarked, shaking with excitement.

"Everyone, while we still have time... I have something I need to say." Valiana stated.

Her team looked at her.

"Now, coming in from the East Gate... it's the Ruihi Satan team!" Naud announced.

Taking a deep breath, Valiana smiled at everyone.

"I just want to thank all of you for joining my Rating Game team. Even if it's not the end goal, let's go out there and hold nothing back!" She shouted.

They all smiled at her, especially Issei.

"And coming in from the West Gate... it's the Valiana Lucifer team!" Naud continued.

"It's time to show everyone what we're made of!" Valiana exclaimed.

"Yeah!" They agreed.

Both sides walked into view, causing the crowd to go wild as both teams were revealed, showing each and every one of them with an expression saying the same message.

That they would win.


That's it for this chapter! Issei and Valiana are finally an official couple, and while she has yet to actually use it? Valiana's managed to unlock her Balance Breaker, which means Ruihi and her Team will have the honor of being the first opponents she'll use it against. The road to this chapter has been a tough one... and now the time for the Valiana and Issei's first Rating Game has become a reality!

I bet her choice of teammates was quite the surprise for some of you, as Valiana showed a major curve ball by choosing to include Bova into the mix. Some of you may also recognize Sylvie from my Daydreamer Dragon story (though this is a different version of her), with this likely being the only major role she and the Maou Heirs (except Ruihi and Ingvild) will have, due to reasons I'll explain in Ch 21.

Anyways, as the other scenes in this chapter showed? The next arc once this one ends is the Slash Dog arc! Unlike the canon novels, the members of Tobio's team already know each other, rather than them meeting through the incident. The exception being Lavinia, as I have something else planned for her debut. Lastly, as the previous chapter heavily implied, and Enseelyia just confirmed... Sae is the current wielder of the fourth and final story exclusive Longinus!

Now, it's time for my big announcement. Starting next chapter, until the end of the arc, I will allow anyone that wants it... to make a cameo appearance in the story! To better explain this? You can appear as a member of the crowd watching the Rating Game between Valiana and Ruihi, and get to say something of your choice during the Rating Game.

For how this works, you can either PM me or mention in your review that you'd like a cameo. If you do, then you'll appear as either a random (but named) Devil, Angel, Demon, or Fallen in the crowd. How you appear is totally up to you, as there are no restrictions on your cameo's gender or age, but I'll be the one who decides your cameo name, as it will be based on your pen name is. Ultimately, this is my way of thanking everyone that's supported this story.

Until next time everyone, and stay awesome! ^^