"I've come for my payback, and I won't let you harm anyone with me!" Issei said, electricity beginning to arc around him.

The was a pressing silence as everyone moved to Issei's side, preparing for an attack that wasn't going to come… or had already come. The shadows around showed movement, but not from some foreign object that hid within its darkness, but rather the shadows themselves were moving. Dancing wickedly as if they were disturbed by something unnoticeable in the voice they had made.

To Issei, this energy seemed familiar. It was like in his dreams where the shadows moved of their own volition, but it was also similar to the magic that formed the barrier over Yasaka's home. He knew what to expect from what was going to happen, he had already become familiar with the form of attack this Dragon was using against him.

And he also knew he was stronger. In a battle that relied on raw fighting prowess and power alone, he would emerge victorious. That was just who he was, and how things were going to be.

"The confidence that raided in the heart of the mentally weak is astounding. You know nothing, all of you. You cling to your feeble light, but you will die in darkness. This is my domain, where I am strong and all else is weak." The ancient and creaky voice of the dragon chimed, moving around in darkness and stopping them from getting any accurate reading on where it was coming from. Issei focused some energy on the people around him, remembering the feeling that he got when Ddraig had done it and tried reciprocating it perfectly. The people around him were developing feelings that he could only explain as being worried, but it wasn't growing, so he assumed they were prepared to fight at their full.

"The king, so scared of command. And the lizard, who know nothing of being a leviathan other than having the title." The beast started, his voice sounding impossibly close to them. The dragon was attacking the two leaders of the group on a personal level, and almost immediately, Issei could tell the curiosity began to grow between the two of them as they wondered how the creature had reached its conclusion of them.

"The swordsman with eyes haunted by a meaningless past." As soon as he said that, the mental stability of a certain blond-haired boy in Rias' peerage snapped, and Issei could feel the bottled up rage and vile leak out.

"The priestess… still running from daddy are we?" That apparently struck a nerve in two people, both Akeno, and a girl named Tomoe in Sona's.

Their morale was sundering downward rapidly as a sign they were letting the words get to them. But for Issei, he knew they only such reactions could be obtained, was because they were all true… somehow.

"The lost girl… second to last of her kind, and so very far from home. The girl who remains nothing but week and useless, the girl who failed to notice the evil that awaited Issei… because she doesn't except her own powers. Sister issues, right girl?" the dragon scoffed, his voice still booming around them. And that was all of the Gremory peerage, each one of them had let the words drill into them, and the focus they had formed had been eradicated. That was a chance to attack them, but the attack never came. The dragon was toying with them all.

"The fake lizard entourage isn't worth my time… but the nine tailed fox and her fatherless daughter. Yet… the girl clings to Issei as if he is something more. And the humans… not fit to be even Angel's, and yet still worship an entity that isn't there." The ominous voice continued. Yasaka even seemed to let the words get to her, it seemed that despite being even as skilled and experienced as herself, she still had certain limits that she couldn't handle. It was getting to her, and there was more to her emotions that just anger and sadness. There was so much more. He reached and grabbed her right hand in his left, comforting her and began to speak.

"You're letting it get to you. That's alright. It natural, that's just part of being alive. That's the best thing there is. Being alive is all that counts, you taught me that." He said, causing her to squeeze his hand and look at him.

The others took his words as motivation as well, and their morale as well as their focus increased back to the task they held before, which was to get out of this situation alive and return home. And as far as Issei was concerned, he didn't plan on letting a single person in the group who came for him get harmed. He wouldn't allow it.

"And finally… the boy without parents. Far from home, and adopted by a woman who wants to love you as more than a mother. The boy destined for a life of hollows. But fine, if you all are so confident in yourselves… then let's shake the earth! I am the abyssal rage dragon, Nidhogg! And I will be your demise."

Issei didn't even flinch. He had expected the dragon to say something about his own situation, so hearing it didn't come as a surprise to him at all. Issei saw the movement come from his left from the corner of his eye, but he knew better to fall for the same trick twice. He needed to focus on how the movement flowed, if it was coming towards them or around them. This wasn't something that could be distinguished from the corner of his eyes. This was something he needed to be able to listen for. But how?

He turned his body and faced behind him, looking for any sign of attack, and he found exactly that. The serpent was moving towards the peerage of Sona, targeting a specific girl, almost as if the people it was picking off was carefully calculated like a true hunter. Issei's arm moved on its own, and before he even knew what had happened, his electricity zipped through the air with a clap of sound, almost deafening loud as it connected with its target. With a scream as loud as a siren, the creature recoiled and as it did everyone got a good view of the terrifying appearance. And the uneasiness only grew amongst the group as they stared at the horror that was beginning to release a black smoke around its body. It began to disappear almost effortlessly once again.

"I told you… I won't let you harm anyone with me." Issei spoke out, earning only a chuckle.

"Issei Hyoudou. I'm having fun, are you? I've been keeping a close eye on you, watching you in the shadows. All that silence, all the slight abnormal you decided to ignore. I'm only in this for revenge, I want the red dragon to die, just as much as I want the white one to as well." The voice spotted out, low and calm. "You announce that you are the Red Dragon, and you have yet to use any power of the said dragon, don't tell me you hope to beat another dragon with the magic of a human? Pathetic… weak, fragile human bodies. Useless walking blood bags."

The malice that dripped from his voice was enough to suffocate. Issei's patience began to wear thin at certain areas. The dragon wanted him to use the powers of Ddraig… so be it.

There was no need to say anything in response to the taunting of the dragon. And even if he was to give a response, he wouldn't know what to say. It was better to focus on the task at hand, rather than focus on intimidating words he could use as counter jabs to the dragon. And besides, that would have been pointless.

Eyes landed on him. And it became obvious to him that none of the people around him had any idea what to do to defend themselves. But regardless, they tried their best. Sona summoned large leviathan like creatures that resembled the same body of Nidhogg, but they were created from water. The large serpents snaked their way around the group, forming a barrier of sorts. Akeno prepared a field of her lightning, but that wasn't going to do much, and Kiba… held a sword.

Issei was stuck in his own trail of thought. He had two types of magic creations that he could control at any given time before him. The water leviathans, and the field of lightning. He could use the water to attack from one side and the lightning to attack from the other. And since the two worked well with each other… it could be a perfect combo. And if he found a way to amplify it with Ddraig's power, and direct his power into a single focused beam… he could cause some serious damage.

The movement came from the front again, but it was a movement that flowed off to the side, it was a bobbing up and down motion that proved something was indeed coming straight for him. He raised his free hand, focusing all the energy he had into an single concentrated ball of red mass that seemed to spiral and twist inward. He pushed the ball forward in typical style, and a beam of red energy shot out of his hand like a laser and connected with the movement he noticed between the water creatures of Sona.

Sona didn't notice, but her attempt to defend her peerage and them made it harder for the creature to be seen. And Issei was still fully relying on his sight alone. It wasn't a good situation to be in. He looked at where his attack had landed and the movement had stopped, but he had fears that he hadn't hit his target. He hadn't heard a screech of pain, but then again, maybe there wasn't a need for one.

There was a loud thud, and the creature that had been assaulting them through the shadows landed on a few feet away, its translucent body fading away the further it stretched away from them. It's horrible, disintegrated face stared blankly at the group and caused most of them to flinch back in surprise. Guards were let down as they saw the creature, but Issei knew better. He noticed peculiar things about the creature that weren't the same as when he first saw it.

The most noticeable for Issei was the twelve yellow eyes, which weren't yellow at all, but were much closer to a deep orange. Not to mention the body seemed smaller than the one he had saw previously.

"You did it Issei! You defeated another dragon!" Irina chimed, earning the applause of several others that he never spoke to at Kuoh. Issei didn't take time to breathe, and neither did Yasaka, Rias or Sona. Though, their reason was different than Issei's, they had noticed the black surroundings hadn't faded back to normal.

"It's not over. If it were over, wouldn't things have returned to normal?" Rias began, summoning a ball of her own magic around the corpse of the dead, burnt body. Issei took his time to watch each detail of the process as her magic began to break down the body and reduce it to nothing.

How could he possibly replicate that? No. He couldn't, and even if he could it wouldn't help him any here if it took time to work. He looked around once more, looking for movement that wasn't there.

"So… the Red Dragon shows his powers. Perhaps I should play serious as well?"

Almost immediately, the air grew thick and smoky, and the amount of air they were inhaling had decreased rapidly to the point it was a struggle to keep their lungs filled. Heavy breathing began to increase, begging for more air to come from anywhere.

But that wasn't even the most peculiar thing about their situation. It was the fact that with each breath they took, it felt like something was intruding into their lungs. The feeling was something that could be explained simply as walking into a smoke-filled room and each suffocating breath was of toxic smoke.

Issei didn't know what to do, he was perplexed, and with each breath he took, he felt weaker and weaker. His throat began to get dry and itchy, and he knew if he started coughing he wouldn't stop and his breathing would fail. He was in a dangerous situation and he needed a fast way out of it… but how?

Air. If it was smoke that was causing this problem, he could use his magical control of air to push it all away from them. A cough sounded to his left, and it belonged to a certain blond-haired girl with fox tails and ears. Kunou had started to cough, and clearly she was struggling to breathe. Issei's patience had faded entirely.

Koneko started her coughing fit not even a second after Kunou's, and Issei prepared himself for an area attack. Yasaka moved to Kunou's side, trying to assist her as best as she could.

Power surged around Issei, catching everyone's attention, and with a swift movement of his arm, air exploded out and around him. And sure enough, a cloudy like mist of black began to shift before them, unnoticeable by the black space around them, but the mist had been cleared from them, however, there was still the burning feeling of smoke in his lungs.

"Temporary relief, but it's already left its mark. Surely you can feel it? It's going to start eating away at your insides, slowly. And for the two small girls… it will come faster." The taunting voice of the coward dragon said again to them. Issei let his anger began to take over as he looked over at Kunou who was beginning to develop pains, and then he looked to Koneko who looked at him in return. They were both scared.

They were fighting a dragon that refused to show itself, kept them in one position, and used decoys as a way of attacking… but not only attacking, but also to poison them.

"Sona… remove your water serpents." Issei said, his magic doubling until it had the attention of everyone around him.

"What? Are you crazy? Why would I-" Sona began, but was cut short by a cross Issei. A very cross Issei.

"Do it!" He yelled at her using his diaphragm. And Sona, not willing to fight the dragon that was her potential ally, she swallowed her pride as a leviathan and obeyed, recalling her serpents.

After her water serpents were gone all eyes landed on him, because no one knew what to do. And if he was being honest, he didn't know either. Yasaka was the only one that seemed to know what to do, and he watched her intently. Her eyes were closed, almost as if she was calming herself, but that wasn't it. He had seen it before, and he remembered doing it as well when Ddraig had taken over. How did he forget? He could use magic to locate his target like a radar, just like how Yasaka was doing with her senjutsu.

He closed his eyes next, projecting his own magic power outwards. Almost instantly he began to feel the magic presence of the people around him. And even further… he felt the movement of the dragon, but the magic was hard to pinpoint. Everyone around him had magic flowing throughout and around their entire bodies, but there was a specific part where it was usually concentrated the most. It was usually in the center most part of the bodies, the 'core.' But, with this giant transparent lizard, the core wasn't anywhere he could feel and imagine, it was even though the length of the body. But as long as he had a general sense of where the dragon was, he could attack it, even if his hits weren't fatal.

"Everyone… take a kneel." Issei said, and almost immediately, everyone obeyed as. Yasaka did so as well, but she kept her eyes closed and summoned her fox fire and placed her hands on Kunou's chest.

Her fox fire was a magnificent thing, and it was one type of magic that not much was know about it. One thing that isn't know, is that it can have healing properties, but the catch was it could only be one thing at once. An example was the time she used it to siphon Issei's power and return him from his juggernaut drive, in the process she burned him. But since those flames weren't supposed to heal, they caused damage to him. And it wasn't even like it was some perfect form of healing either, it was more like a ward, it removed blights, curses and poisons. The reality of it was, it probably couldn't even heal a small scrape.

But despite how limited it was, it was still extremely capable in other ways. It could siphon magic, deal massive damage, and the longer it was being used, the stronger it got. That's not even to mention the fact the fox fire was birthed in times of war and crisis, so it did good swallowing up emotions as fuel. It was dangerous to both the wielder and the enemy at the broadside of its brute force.

She watched as the pain Kunou had developed began to fade, and her poor daughter's pale face returned to color. Once she was done, she beckoned Koneko over, and the girl seemed to be suffering more than her daughter was now. The white-haired girl crawled over to Yasaka, laying down behind Issei as she felt week. And, she caught only a glimpse of his eyes through his eyelashes.

And her heart almost skipped a beat. She swore she saw green. She looked at Yasaka with wide eyes, and she only received a smile in response.

How strong had he become? How strong was he going to become? Those were the thoughts that came to her as she watched the magic surrounding him begin to envelop her, and if it wasn't for the warmth and feeling of comfort, she would have already passed out from the pressure.

Meanwhile, Issei was developing an idea that would be tricky to prove off. He recalled a basic Chemistry class regarding light and how it traveled through objects. He could control water, and the beam of energy created from Ddraig's power seemed to act in a similar way to a laser's… which mean he could refract it through an ice slab and control the direction it went.

"Can someone summon water alone?" Issei asked, opening his eyes and look at the group. Akeno raised her hand as fast as she could, jittery to prove herself worthy.

"I can, Issei!" she said, summoning a yellow magic circle above her that release a compact ball of water that floated in the air. It was perfect for what he needed.

He swished his hands at the orb, forcing long plate-like formations to form out of the water, and he lined them up in the sky above him and around the group.

But he began to wonder why he hadn't been attack yet. The dragon was smart enough to not allow an attack against him unless he had something he was preparing for himself. He closed his eyes, and his fears became a reality. Surrounding them, and coming straight for them in every direction, was at least ten more of the smaller creations, rushing towards them.

So far Issei had warded off the first one that had attacked them, so he had no idea what kind of damage the petty familiars could do, and being honest, he didn't want to find out. Not wasting any time, he summoned the magic from Ddraig into multiple orbs, ten to be exact, and had each one facing the direction of an incoming enemy. He raised his hands, and the water plates he had created straightened, as if obeying his will. Everyone watched in curiosity at his display of control over elements.

And with a gust of energy that radiated off Issei in waves, each orb shot a beam towards each plate of water with more intensity and power than the last attack he used. It was almost like that attack had grown stronger with each time he was to use it. How amazingly broken would that be?

Gusts of wind exploded around them, and the bright color of the red energy began to slowly fill the void around them, causing most of the black to fade away as red flashed towards the plates at unimaginable speeds. In almost an instant, the beams connected and refracted through the water in at a slightly different angle. Issei tilted his hands downwards, causing the water plates to angle themselves and shoot the beams of pure red energy down.

As the creatures became visible by the large amounts of light that was produced, they were immediately cut in half by the focused red beams of energy. The darkness surrounding them had began to fade, but the feint shadows remained. The building they were in before that was lined with garage doors had been completely eradicated. They were cut in half by the beams of energy Issei had produced and bent with water. Looking around, it didn't seem possible that such limited amount of room around them granted them such a large amount of space in magic, but he digressed. He lowered his hands, but the water stayed afloat, ready to deliver more damage at any given moment.

"How… interesting. So, this is the power of the next Red Dragon." The dragon hissed behind shadows, staring at the group with two, menacingly purple eyes.

This was getting boring to Issei. If he didn't have a group with him, he would have already disposed of the dragon and punished him in only the worst way possible. The terror of the Red Dragon Victorious. But instead, he was forced to play defensive, sticking in the middle of the group to defend them from cowardly attacks. He wanted a fight with pure power… not a mind game.

"Why not come out and face me?" Issei said aloud, looking towards the figure that hid behind debris. From its mouth dripped an eerie fluid that Issei had a feeling was poisonous.

The dragon moved at incredible speeds, but it wasn't toward Issei or his group. It was retreating. Issei prepared himself to take pursuit, summoning his sword to his side, which formed into his hand by an array of red energy. He hunched his legs down as wind began to circle around him, but just before he could jump after the dragon, and small and delicate hand grabbed his left hand.

He turned and faced who it belonged to, only to see Kunou, who held then lunged at him and held onto him for dear life.

"Don't go Issei! Please just stay with us!" the small girl yelled, forcing his focus to shift away from the cowardly dragon. He moved and hugged the girl into him, not letting her go and petting her head in an attempt to ease her. She only pushed her face into his chest more as he did that. He looked around as Kunou hugged him, and it seemed that both Yasaka and Irina were in agreement about not wanting him to leave and pursue the dragon. Even Xenovia gave him a worried look.

He breathed out a long sigh and let his muscles and mind relax as he breathed in.

"How about we go home then, Kunou?" Issei asked, still patting the girls head as he looked at Yasaka, who moved closer to the two. She crouched down close to them, and prepared her magic around all of them. A golden magic circle formed under everyone, and it moved up engulfing everyone. Almost immediately, their surroundings shifted from white-painted debris and metal shrapnel, to an intricate and lowly lit room with an old yet intricate design scheme.

Issei hadn't recognized where he was, but the crimson colored couches and chairs, along with the energy that resonated from the walls being similar to the one of Rias' peerage, he assumed he was at their base. Sona was the first one to speak, walking towards a set of double doors.

"Well, we are going to take our leave, unless my peerage wants to stay for something. It was a pleasure to assist you Issei, until our paths cross once more." Sona said, giving a bow to Issei and Yasaka before turning and leaving with most of her peerage following. Only two stayed behind, one was Momo Hanakai, and a girl Issei recognized as Reya Kusaka. He hadn't had the faintest clues about why the two had decided to stay, he hadn't ever talked to any of them, they were in the same grade, but not the same class. But they stood by, looking in his direction, waiting for their chance to talk to him.

"Issei, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." Rias spoke up, catching his attention first. As much as he wanted to ask why these people were showing him attention now, he already knew why. And he remembered what Yasaka had told him about them needing him for something. He figured it wouldn't be good for him to handle this in a blunt and direct way, so he played it like he normally would as though he hadn't changed at all.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well." Issei replied. Everyone began to move to sit down, except for the two in Sona's peerage and Akeno, who went to prepare some drinks for all to enjoy. Issei was waiting for Rias to continue, picking up that the conversation had so far only been fragmented and had left room for a carry up conversation.

"Please, have a seat." Rias said, extending her arm in a friendly gesture to the second couch that was parallel to the one Koneko and Kiba sat on. They moved towards the couch as a team and took a seat together, with Kunou sitting in Issei's lap, Yasaka beside him, then Irina and Xenovia.

"Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Rias Gremory." She said, moving to the rest of her peerage before standing behind Koneko, who had began to eat some chocolates. "This is Koneko Toujou, she is my Rook."

"Yo." The white-haired girl said to Issei. Issei made eye-contact with the small girl who was a grade below him. He caught a feeling from her that was almost familiar, it was similar to Yasaka's and he spared a glimpsed towards Yasaka before he immediately focused back on Koneko. The small girl seemed to notice this and glared at him in interest as she continued to eat her chocolates. Rias moved away from being behind her, and moved to the blond haired boy who sat on the other side of the couch.

"This is Kiba. He is my Knight." Rias said, gesturing an arm to him. He looked at Issei with his typical smile.

"Hey man." He said softly, raising his right hand and waving at Issei. Issei returned the gesture, but his facial expression remained stoic. Things were moving too fast around him, one second he had been in a room getting tortured. Then he was fighting his way out, leaving blood trails behind him. Then he was fighting another dragon and winning, and now… he was here.

Talking to people he never would have talked to before. He didn't even want to be in this room right now, but the only reason he speak out about it was for two reasons; one, Yasaka seemed exhausted. And two, he was grateful they had helped get him back to Yasaka. So… to him, that made them allies.

"Prince of Kuoh." Issei replied with a nod and a wave himself. Rias smiled at the gesture as Issei finally showed some form of familiarity with someone from Kuoh. Kiba took it the same way, laughing lightly as he heard Issei talk to him. Rias moved away from behind the couch and moved towards the desk that was at the end of two couches.

Just as she leaned against the edge of her desk, Akeno passed by her, holding a large platter that was adorned with cups filled with a hot liquid, evident from the steam that came from it. She moved to Issei's couch first, offering each of them a cup, and they gladly accepted the offer.

"And this is Akeno, she is my queen." Rias finished with a smile while looking at him. Akeno finished passing her drinks out and stood idle beside Rias, smiling at the group who held her drink. Everyone took a drink of the liquid except Issei, who stared at the flowing liquid deep in thought. Akeno's eyes landed on him, and she seemed almost hurt that Issei showed little trust in her. He brought the cup up to his lips and tasted it.

And it was good. Really good. He tip the cup up and began to drink more, letting the refreshing liquid flow down his throat and provide warmth as well as comfort. As he drunk the liquid he realized just exactly how thirsty and dry his throat had been, either from the screaming, or from simply being dehydrated. Regardless, he was thankful the purple-haired girl gave him the drink that was now already gone.

"That tasted amazing, Akeno. Thank you very much." Issei said to her earnestly. He was parched, and if he wanted more, but didn't want to ask and feel useless. The girl smiled brightly, clearly happy by him praising her.

"I'm glad you like it, Issei. Could I treat you to some more?" Akeno said, talking to him in a way that made him feel like they were familiar. It was comforting.

"I would love some. Please and thank you." He replied, and she moved up to him, taking his cup with a bow and smile and moved to get him more.

Rias smiled at the interaction between her queen and Issei. She knew that she should just let things continue, but she needed to ask when Issei would be returning. But, it was too early to ask him to help her. And she wasn't evil, she wanted him to enjoy his time especially since he was just rescued. She didn't want to be the person who put even more on his plate.

"So Issei, we have heard word that you would be coming back to Kuoh?" Rias began, causing his attention to avert towards her. She continued: "There are lots of people who miss you, Issei. Lots of people who want to be friends with you, like us."

There was a stagnant pause and Issei thought about his response. It didn't require much thought, he had already decided what he wanted to do before he was even asked, but it was hard for him to put it into words to say to her.

"I would like to return here soon. I miss my friends and the memories I made here. And you said you wanted to be my friend? I think I would like that." Issei spoke out, his voice cracking as if it were strained. He wondered why, that when he was yelling his voice sounded normal, but when he was talking normally his problems began to arise.

"Would you like to join our club then? I'm sure you already know we are Devils, but joining out club would give you a place to stay while you're here. As well as people to talk to, and you can participate in school club activities with us." Rias smiled at him, just as Akeno came back into the room and handed Issei his drink back, which he took gratefully. He gingerly sipped the substance once again, letting it soothe his throat.

"I think… that would be nice." Issei responded. The expression of everyone in the room seemed to be uplifted as he agreed, and for Rias it looked like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "Though, I'm not sure when I'll be coming back. After today, I would like to just take a break away from things, you know?"

"We all understand completely. Spend time with your people, don't feel pressured to come back because of this. Just know, you have a place here with us." Rias said, earning a thumbs from Koneko and head nods from the other two.

"And with us. If you ever find yourself near us and need a place to stay or just relax, me and Reya are happy to help." Momo spoke up, causing Issei to turn to the smiling girls who had stayed behind. Each had a drink in their hands as well. His curiosity began to peak as he thought about the reason for them possibly being here.

He hadn't spoken to any of them. So why were they here? Did they want something from him? Why the sudden change of heart from them? Shouldn't Reya be all of Kiba, and everyone knew that Momo had a thing for Saji. He shivered at the thought of Saji, but he couldn't understand why. Perhaps, it was a recognition that Ddraig had with Saji. But he didn't feel it before.

Issei never had a problem with the arrogant and egotistical bastard, but for some reason his skin started to crawl. His power spiked slightly, just enough for everyone to notice the sudden change of atmosphere. Issei wanted to move to them, demand them to tell him why they were doing this, but with Kunou still in his lap, and figuring he didn't want to cause harm to people who tried to save him, he instead released a short sigh.

"Thanks, both of you. And also, thanks for coming to help me. It means a lot." Issei spoke, causing the two girl to lose their nervousness and place their smiles back on their faces. "Sorry for my actions… I'm just exhausted right now. In more ways than one."

He wasn't entirely lying. He wanted to just go home. He didn't have the patience to have a conversation with everyone in this room. But his luck never seemed to work in his favor. The energy in the room shifted, and behind him, a magic circle formed, and its center was something that resembled and orange bird.

"Oh no… not now. Why now?" Rias mumbled looking at the circle, and backing away slightly, taking a defensive stance. Issei's thoughts moved, who exactly was coming from that circle? And why did he not like the feeling he got from it?

And from the circle that grew larger, sixteen people emerged. Fifteen of which being females while the other was a Male with a very cocky smile that made Issei's skin crawl more than when he thought about Saji.

"Ahhh… and Riser has arrived in the human realm." A blond haired man said. Issei felt the skin on the back of his neck crawl. Who would address themselves in third person? He felt rage boil over inside him as he felt his pride from Ddraig began to unleash full force. "I've come to visit you, my beloved Rias Gremory."

Right after, another magic circle formed on the floor. From the light of this magic circle, emerged a girl with silver-haired that reached down to her back, braided on each and tied off with a blue bow. She wore a blue maid's attire, and as Issei looked at her serious aura, he could tell she was strong. Very strong.

In fact, it made him almost want to pick a fight with her. Almost.

The silver-haired girl didn't say anything, but her eyes landed on Issei, who looked at her with a smile that was far more sinister than he intended. It was like realization had taken over her.

Issei summoned the book into his hands, using Kunou as cover for the magic, and no one seemed to notice him summoning it. Almost immediately, the page he flipped to had information on it. The secrets of the Phoenix. He read the whole page in a blink, like the words poured into him like they were water. He closed the book and pet it disappear, missing pieces of the conversation the arrogant Male had with Rias.

"You dare speak in such ways around Lady Yasaka and Grayfia?" Rias began, but the man turned his head and moved towards the couch where Issei was sitting.

He looks at Yasaka, then looked at the small girl in Issei's lap who had pushed herself closer to Issei. Issei didn't like how he eyes Yasaka or the other two.

"What do we have here… the Lady of the Youkai. What a beauty you are, and this is your daughter? It's a pleasure to meet the legendary Yasaka." Riser said, moving his hands towards Yasaka's face. She remained perfectly calm, it was like she knew who was going to say something to him.

"Don't touch her." Issei spoke for the first time, trying to keep his anger in check. With the small amount of information he had just read about a phoenix, he wasn't sure he could hold himself back. Arrogance was going to be the downfall of Riser.

"Ohh? And who are you? Some low-born filth that isn't even equal to the worth of the gunk on the bottom of my shoe? A fine gem like her deserves to be in a fine Harem like mine… where we can have fun…" There was a pause as he clicked his tongue at Issei, getting disgusted glares from everyone in the room. "Every. Single. Night."

Issei had the intent to kill seeping of him. And immortal or not… he would see the phoenix before him self-combust. He knew what he needed to do to rid the world of him as well. And he was more than willing by this point to act. 'I'll dethrone you.'

"But. I suppose you're right. It would be bad news to touch someone as honorable as her. But these two…" He said, stopping as he stared at Irina, who met his gaze with her own disgusted eyes. "These two could fit nicely in my harem. The toned, tanned bodies…"

He moved his hand and caressed Irina's cheek. And that was all it took for Issei to snap.

In a swift movement that took not even two seconds, Kunou was sitting in his spot, and Riser was hung in the air. Issei had grabbed Riser with one hand by the neck, and picked him off the ground with a crack. The silver haired girl acted, just as well Yasaka.

"Issei, let him go! Don't let him get to you, things could get bad." Yasaka said, grabbing him just as red gauntlets began to form around Issei's entire arm. Issei did as he was instructed, dropping the man to the ground, and the intimidating look the man gave made Issei smile back at him.

"You touched Irina." Issei began with a smile, letting his power seep out around him slightly. The difference between this energy and the energy he released prior, was that thus magic was noticeable.

"There will be no fighting here. If you wish to fight, we can arrange a tournament." The silver-haired girl named Grayfia spoke out, looking at Issei sternly. But in her eyes, Issei saw something interesting. Almost like glowing, and they said something he couldn't quite understand. "Milady Rias, Lord Riser. As you know, I am here by order of Sirzechs. Which mean… there will be no disruptions of peace."

"When told such an ominous things by the one know as 'The Ultimate Queen,' even Riser can become somewhat fearful." Riser said, shrugging his arms and shoulders, dropping the previous act as though it had never happened.

"My master anticipated there would be a conflict of some sort. As such, he has assigned me a last result, should communications break down." Grayfia continued.

"Yes. Of course he did." Rias scoffed. "Would you care to be a little more specific?"

"If Milady insist to put her own personal preferences above those of her family, she is to settle this via a Rating Game against Lord Riser." Grayfia finished. This seemed to throw Rias for a loop, and she seemed depressed and lost in thought.

Issei stayed silent. He was now intrigued. This Rating Game sounded like a fight, and he wanted in on it. He wanted revenge for what he had done to Irina.

"Riser has participated in many Rating games, and has chalked up many wins. But my lovely bride here is inexperienced, and hasn't even been able to qualify for a Rating Game." Riser taunted.

A smile grazed Issei's face.

"I hate to ask, Rias. But is this cute group of three your entire peerage? How could you possibly hope to defeat Riser without even a full peerage?" Riser continued to taunt. Making Rias even more angry.

"Let me fight alongside Rias." Or at least, that's what Issei wanted to say. He didn't get to say that as Riser directed his attention to him next.

"Fine then, I'll allow it! This low-born can participate on behalf of Rias Gremory. I want to step on you like the bug you are." Riser said, whispering the last part to him, but still loud enough for Yasaka to hear.

"He declin-" Yasaka started, but was interrupted by Issei.

"I accept." Yasaka looked at Issei in both shock and horror, she grabbed onto him in a hug.

"Haha! That's the spirit! But even with a joke like you, I have fifteen other members… and your group will only have five. Good luck. It must feel bad being so weak, right Rias? I'll give you two weeks. Train as much as you can." Riser said, laughing long and deep. He walked over to the rest of his group, and in a flash of fire, he left while laughing.

And the smile that remained on Issei's face was ear-to-ear. He stayed standing, and held his right hand out. The book formed in his hand, its black cover and strange faded markings catching the eyes of everyone in the room as they felt the magic pour from it that was strange to all of them. He turned to Yasaka.

"Let's go home." Everyone stood with Issei in sync, and move to the open space behind the couches where Riser and his peerage had appeared.

"Red Dragon, is it wise to be leaving?" Came the words of the silver-haired girl once again. And Issei was beginning to get very cross. He turned, and before Yasaka could restrain him, he went loose cannon.

"'Red Dragon!' Red Dragon! It's always Red Dragon this and Red Dragon that. Buzz off, would you?" Issei mocked comically, approaching the girl who remained perfectly collected. "I'm very, very angry right now, do you have any idea of the things I've been through today? I was tortured relentlessly, I've engaged in fight after fight, and just as things started to calm down, here I am! And now you're trying to tell me, of all people… me. That I shouldn't go home? To the one place I get comfort from?"

All eyes were on him in amazement as they were all seeing a side of Issei they had never seen before. He sounded completely broken. His spirits were just… crushed. He wasn't the same. And they began to realize how forced his smiles had been. He took a deep breath in, counting to ten and letting his muscles relax through tactical breathing. He let out his breath and looked at the silver-haired girl with a new emotion.

"I'm sorry. That's wasn't me. I shouldn't have went off on someone who didn't deserve it. Look, I understand I'm now Rias' teammate. I'll return tomorrow, but can I please just get a good nights rest tonight?" Issei said, offering his sincerest apologies to the girl, who looked at him calmly.

"There is no need for apologies. I understand your situation, I have been informed. I'll make it a priority to call you Issei Hyoudou from now on." Grayfia said.

"Come on. I'm going to apologize again until you forgive me." Issei said, trying to gain some form of his happy go-lucky joking back from before. But the girl only looked at him. She didn't accept. But she understood why he was upset and didn't blame him.

"Fine. Then how about this? How about I earn your forgiveness?" Issei began. The girl looked at him curiously. Everyone else's eyes looked at him curiously as well wanting to know how he would earn her forgiveness. "I can see it in your eyes, you want Rias to be happy as well. I'll make sure she wins this Rating Game, so she doesn't have to marry someone as insensitive as him."

"Issei…" Rias began, shocked to her core at his words. She hadn't ever had someone go so far for her of their own will.

"Don't be confused, I'm not doing this just for your forgiveness. That's just a bonus. I intend to save Rias from him regardless. And so you don't have any reason to doubt that or doubt me." Issei said, holding his left hand up, letting his red scales form on the entirety of his arm. "The pride of a dragon means everything. It's defining existence. So I promise you, on the pride of being the Red Dragon Emperor, that I, Issei Hyoudou, will save Rias Gremory."

Rias' eyes, as well as everyone else's, went wide and dumbstruck as they heard his promise. The silver-haired girl had more and more emotions enter her eyes the longer she processed the information. She summoned the red magic circle under her, and just before she faded away, Issei saw the smile that graced her face, and seeing it on her face, when he had only ever seen her stoic expression, made it seem all the more sweet.

"Issei…" Rias began again, moving towards him slowly as her eyes began to water.

"Don't cry. C'mon. Crying isn't fun." Issei said, and just as he finished, the red haired girl crashed into him. Her arms wrapped around him, and he held his arms up as if he was getting arrested.

"Thank you… so much!" She cried into his chest. To him the gesture to save her from Riser was nothing more than an act of kindness. But to her… it was so much more than that. She was happy, extremely so. She let him go, wiping her remaining tears With her fists and looking at him with a smile. "I guess, we'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Of course. Thank you for all of you help. Akeno, the tea was awesome. I would be honored to have some more. And Momo, Reya, sorry for not talking much. We'll talk tomorrow about what it was you two had to say." Issei gave a nod, and moved back with Yasaka, who held onto his arm as a large golden magic circle formed at their feet. Issei looked at them all one last time, Akeno was smiling still and so was Rias. Momo and Reya both seemed happy with the reply they got from him.

Issei began to develop a sense of vertigo as a flash of gold consumed them, and before he knew it, he was standing in the living room, where plates had been ready and laid out with food, but the said food had clearly been setting.

"Issei…" Yasaka began, but Issei beat her.

"I know… I didn't have to do that. I just… felt the need to, you know? Spending your whole life married to someone you hate, who only uses you for sex and a title… that's not a way to live. I don't want that for anyone. So, I felt like I had to." Issei explained, hugging Yasaka. But she mumbled something under her breath.

"That sounds exactly like you. I'm happy to have you with me." Yasaka said.

He had the feeling today was far from over. Irina was standing behind him, waiting for her turn to hug him and tall with him. And it wouldn't take to long.

"I'm going to prepare some food for us, I'm sure you're hungry right?" Yasaka said letting him go and proceeding into the kitchen to cook him something. He let her go, assuming he would have plenty of time at night while sleeping with her to have all the "catch-up" time they needed.

Irina threw herself on him next. He held her close just as he held Yasaka. She tried to speak but, through her tears, it came out as incoherent speech, but regardless, he pet her back to comfort her as well.

He was happy he was back home, with the people he cared for the most. As much as he wants to just sleep, he wanted to eat as well. He moved to the ground with Irina, sitting down on the ground as Irina moved into his lap curling her head under his chin and placing a hand on his chest.

"I was… so worried about you Issei. I tried to keep my composure…" Irina began.

"It's okay, Irina. You did great. You're strong, it's okay to let go of your emotions and let them run free. You'll feel better, so just let it all out… I'm here now." Issei said, petting her head once again.

He shook his head in thought about today, how crazy things had been and how it ended with a reunion back to Kuoh. Though the reunion wasn't as nice as he would have liked it to be, he supposed it could have been worse, and he was contempt with how things had turned out.

He knew the night ahead of him was going to be insane just the same. But he looked forward to spending his time with Yasaka, Irina, Kunou and Xenovia. He let out a sigh.

Things were just about to get extremely interesting.

End of Chapter 18: Dragon and Phoenix

So guys… some of you might have read a news article that read "First airman trainee to test positive for covid-19" well. That was me. True story. So I've been locked in quarantine for a week, they gave me my phone, and here I am.

So, I guess it all worked out? I'm doing good, very minor things now and I'll return to training in a little less than a week, so I'm not sure how much more I can write, but hey, I got this out. Wasn't even expecting that, but I'm happy I've got the book at a better place for when I'm out.

Please. Please leave me a review, I spent all my time writing this when I wasn't talking to my parents.

So yeah. Let me know how I did please, that's all I ask and hopefully I get to read them all before I go back.

What do you all think about a lemon or 'emotional' heart-felt time with Irina? Or another moment with Yasaka? Let me know.

Stay safe, all of you.