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With Issei, prior to Mittelt's Escape
Kuoh. It was a fairly decent sized town located in Japan. A sleepy town with nothing to it. One could even call it a no-name town, for in the grand scheme of the world, Kuoh hardly mattered. Sure, there were two devil heirs there but who cared? People come and go and these two will leave eventually once they take over their houses in the Underworld. There was absolutely nothing significant or special about Kuoh Town in the workings of this world and in the vastness of the Multiverse beyond.
Not that he knew that of course. Azazel was only privy to the ongoings of their world and their world alone. So why was he here? He had an entire race to govern. Sacred Gear to research. A father to either make proud or disappoint. That last part was a bit of a fifty-fifty on his part. He was sure that the Old Man would be proud of his Sacred Gear research but extremely disappointed with his perversion. But at least he can brag to his dead Father that he had made a little headway with his Sacred Gear research. Back to the topic of why, despite the fact that he was a rugged, intelligent, sexy, scoundrel of a Fallen Angel, he was also a doting father.
Mittelt. His little golden bundle of joy. She was always a good little girl but… her choice of friends left much to be desired. While he trusted her, it was that girl he didn't trust. Raynare. A conniving little crow. She chased after his affections despite coming out with the fact that he and Penemue were married.
This was what contributed to his little walk in Kuoh. When Mittelt left, she had left him a note stating that she was going to explore the world. While his wife was in hysterics, Azazel understood where Mittelt was coming from. Exploring was something he had done on many an occasion and he felt that keeping his daughter from doing the same would be holding her back so he let her. She promised to call and she did. But then, the worry began when the calls lessened and eventually stopped. And then, Dohnaseek called him. He had never heard such a rushed call from him but it sounded like… it sounded like he was in danger. And then he mentioned Mittelt.
So here he was, casually strolling through Kuoh. Of course, he would've hurried over if not for that sense of foreboding heading his way. Something in this sleepy town was off. He prepared for anything and placed his hands in his pockets.
"Hmph, so… I think that you want to talk?" he asked, when he felt it enter his personal space. He jumped back a little and saw a cloaked young man.
Issei was a bit surprised at this. He was pretty sure that he had snuck upon him. He had to be wary. If this man was able to sense him sneaking upon him, he was not someone to be trifled with. Issei had already felt him entering the town but being closer made him feel the near full force of this man's full power.
A small bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. He smiled a little under his hood. It felt like he was standing before an Archangel of Innistrad.
[That's Azazel. He's the Governor-General of the Grigori] Ddraig spoke.
Issei bit his lip. A leader of a faction. That was two leaders he had met so far in the time he had been here. He couldn't underestimate him. He might not have been the brains of the Gatewatch, he had enough common sense not to piss of a figure of importance. He needed to calculate his responses carefully. He didn't want to be on the bad side of someone such as Azazel.
"It's rude to ignore someone," Azazel said, catching Issei's attention.
He snapped out of his reverie. Right. He was supposed to respond to Azazel.
"I'm sorry… I was just thinking of what I was supposed to say to that. To be honest, I was just curious when I felt a massive power signature enter the town. I thought people like you would be more discreet when moving around," Issei replied.
"BAHAHA!" Azazel laughed at his response.
"What's so funny?" Issei asked.
"Of all the people I wanted to pick up my presence, it had to be you. I'm more surprised that you did rather than the Fallen Angels in this town or the Devils," Azazel said as he wiped a tear from his eye.
"I see," he said.
"So, I'm curious. Why did you come all the way here to intercept me?" Azazel asked as he placed his hands in his pockets. Despite his relaxed demeanor, he wasn't letting his guard down. There was something off about this kid.
"I needed to assess you. Whether or not you are a threat to this town or not," he replied.
Threat? Azazel was surprised. Was this kid some sort of vigilante? He didn't feel like a devil. He didn't possess that dark energy inside of him like he felt with most devils. However, he didn't feel like an exorcist either. He felt no holy weapons on his person… at least, he thought. Perhaps this kid was hiding it in some sort of dimensional storage trap.
"And if I was a threat… what would you do?" Azazel asked.
"I would have to eliminate you," Issei answered.
"HAHA! Okay okay. Well, I will tell you this now. I'm not a threat. I'm just here to pick up a few of my subordinates," Azazel said, raising his hands in surrender.
"...," Issei bristled on the inside. He didn't like how Azazel was so nonchalant about the situation. Deciding to just go along with it, Issei allowed himself to slightly relax.
"You wouldn't happen to know about my subordinates would you?" Azazel asked.
"I do," Issei said, "They were involved in the kidnapping of my friend. I was wondering… did you order that?"
His voice was sharp and dangerous. Something Azazel noted. He sighed. Damn Raynare. What was she doing? This town was occupied by the Devil Heir of Gremory and Sitri. Kidnapping a citizen from a town that they were protecting was a reckless thing to do.
"No, these Fallen went rogue. Two of my operatives that were part of this group notified me of their intentions so I came to personally bring them back. A war between Devils and the Fallen is not something I want to happen," Azazel said.
"A war?" Issei asked.
"Yes, this territory is being occupied by the sisters of the Current Satan Lucifer and Leviathan," he said.
"C- Current?" Issei asked. This was news to him.
"Yeah," Azazel said.
So Rias was the sister of the Satan Lucifer? This just got more complicated than I expected…, Issei thought.
[This could work in our favor. If Azazel can get us in contact with the Satan Lucifer, we can perhaps ask him for information on any strange anomalies that are going on in the world or if there are any people that fit the descriptions of members of the Gatewatch] Ddraig said.
"We can also just ask Azazel this question. But you're right… the more connections we can build in this world, the faster we can find the others if they showed up here," Issei said to him.
"Hey kid. You live here right?" Azazel asked.
"I actually just moved back here a few weeks ago but I have a good grasp at where things are in town," Issei said.
"How about we work together on this? You know this town far better than I do and it seems that we are after the same thing. You want the person that the Fallen kidnapped and I'm looking for my wayward subordinates," Azazel said.
Issei paused for a second. A partnership? He needed to think this over carefully.
"How do I know you won't turn on me after we get there?" Issei asked.
"A bit paranoid aren't we?" he joked.
Issei didn't laugh.
Azazel sighed. "Fine, I swear that I won't do anything to you when we get there. I swear that I'm just here for them and I will leave once I get them back," he said.
"Fine," Issei said.
"Good then let's go," Azazel said.
"But I find it a bit odd," he said.
"Odd?"
"Why would the leader of the Grigori personally come down to Kuoh in order to retrieve a couple of subordinates? Is there something more to this than just them?"
"You catch on quickly," Azazel ran a hand through his hair. He turned to Issei with a look in his eye that Issei couldn't quite identify. He did however recognize it. It was that look that parents had when thinking of their children. He had seen on many a world that he had walked to.
"My daughter. She's here and she's one of the people who got caught up in this group that went rogue. If it were just them, I would send someone else in my place but…," Azazel said.
"I understand," he said. For now, he would believe him. After all, they were just allying with each other as a means to an end.
Azazel smiled and motioned for him to lead the way. Issei walked past the Fallen Seraph and led him to the church.
Present
"Father?" Issei asked. He glanced between Azazel and Mittelt. He was a bit shocked when she said that Azazel was her father. That conversation they had at the sushi bar finally made sense to him.
"Yeah, she's my daughter. I'd like it if she was alive thank you," Azazel said, crossing his arms.
"Sorry, I didn't know," Issei said. His wings dissipated. A thing Azazel noted but would ask at a later time. There were more pressing matters to attend to.
"Dad!" Mittelt ran over and hugged him, causing Azazel to stumble back. The Governor smiled and wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm glad you're safe," Azazel said.
"Dad! I'm sorry! I didn't know! I didn't know that Raynare would go this far!" she said.
"It's okay. You didn't do anything wrong. The good thing is that you're safe," Azazel said, stroking her hair.
"Dad… Raynare… she's insane. She wanted to kill all the devils in this town," Mittelt said, gripping his shirt.
"Where is she?" he asked.
"In the Church. I managed to get Asia out before they stole her gear but the Gremory Heiress and her peerage are inside," she said.
"Azazel, I need to go," Issei said as he looked towards the direction of the church. He turned to Issei and nodded.
Issei's wings manifested behind his back as he took off towards the church. Mittelt covered her eyes, protecting herself from the wind. She recognized that voice. Was that…?
"Dad, who was that?" she asked.
"His name is… huh… I forgot to ask," Azazel said, suddenly remembering that he never got the man's name.
Irina pulled her light sword out of the priest's gut as they fell to the ground. She looked at him with little emotion in her eyes. That priest's fate was in God's hands now. She sighed as she looked towards Dohnaseek, who had impaled a rogue exorcist to a wall with a light spear. Working with a Fallen was something that she was reluctant to do but so far, the Fallen knew that he was outnumbered in this situation and didn't do anything against them. Whether or not he could be trusted was something else.
"We're here," Dohnaseek said as his hand reached towards the door.
"She's past that door?" Kiba asked, his voice suspicious.
"Yeah she's-," Dohnaseek was interrupted as he formed a blue light barrier around them. The barrier stopped a yellow light spear, whose tip had pierced through the barrier.
Koneko's eyes grew wide as she found herself staring at the light spear's tip which was centimeters from impaling her through her skull.
Irina turned to the male Fallen, who had a grim look on his face. He turned to her and motioned to the door.
"Go," he said.
"Wait, what about you?" Irina asked.
Dohnaseek turned to her with a pained look on his face. He smiled a little.
"I'll buy you enough time to get Raynare," Dohnaseek said, "Now go!"
Irina nodded and kicked the door down. Everyone ran past her into the chamber. She gave Dohnaseek one last look before running inside.
"Dohnaseek you traitor!"
He turned back around to see Kalawarner standing with another yellow light spear forming in her hand. Her eyes were alit with fury as she glared at him.
"...," he remained silent as he summoned a blue light sword and turned to face her. He steeled himself as he gripped the sword tightly. Without saying another word, he dashed towards her and swung his sword.
Damnit! Where are Kalawarner and Dohnaseek!? Raynare thought as she bit her lip. The two hadn't returned yet with news of Mittelt and Asia. She clenched her fist as she slammed it on the stone altar. The altar cracked under her rage. She was so close. Close to gaining immense power. Close to gaining immortality. [Twilight Healing] would allow her to constantly heal herself during battle, making wounds trivial.
Her head whipped around when she heard the door splinter into fragments. She growled when she saw the devils run into the room with an exorcist. She narrowed her eyes. So the exorcist was colluding with the devils. It was the only reason she could think of as to how she survived her attack.
"You're Raynare?" Irina said, pointing her light sword at her.
"You survived?" Raynare said.
"It pays to know people in high places," Irina said.
"Well, I guess I have to fix my mistake then," Raynare said as light radiated off her body. Kiseki, Kiba, and Koneko felt their skin begin to sting. This angel was radiating an extremely potent holy aura.
"There's four of us and only one of you. Do you really think the odds are in your favor here?" Kiba asked as he gripped Holy Eraser tightly.
"Outnumbered? Yes. Outmatched? I don't think so," Raynare grinned sadistically. Her eyes glowed as a pair of wings burst from her back and she took to the air. She raised her hand and dozens of pink light spears manifested in the air.
"Do you ever get tired of being wrong?" Kiseki asked as she began to cast a barrier spell.
"Kiba, Murphy's Law," Koneko said.
Raynare threw her hand forward as the spears all homed in on them.
Kiseki threw her hand forward as a red barrier appeared around them, blocking the spears.
Raynare appeared in front of the barrier with a light sword. She swung the sword, shattering Kiseki's barrier.
Kiba, using his speed, attempted to slice her apart. Raynare dodged the attack and landed a kick on Kiba's ribs, sending him crashing into a wall. Her body screamed at her to move as Koneko brought her foot down, fragmenting the ground underneath her.
She spun and parried Kiseki's blade before using her wings to create a massive gust of wind that sent her flying back.
Irina grimaced. She was far more powerful than she expected for a Fallen Angel with only two wings. Was she hiding something from them?
Her answer came in the form of a feather that she deflected. The feather was embedded into the granite wall.
Raynare hovered in midair, looking down at them with a smug look on her face. They were just devils after all. They were naught before the might of a Fallen Angel. A servant of God.
"Why don't you all just give up? It's obvious that you're going to lose," she said as she summoned more light spears.
"Giving up? No, that phrase isn't in our vocabulary."
Her eyes widened as she was barely able to form a light barrier in time to block Kiba's sword. She growled when her barrier was being eaten away by his blade, forcing her to fly back to avoid getting cut.
The air was suddenly knocked out of her as she felt herself slam into the wall. Her vision was spinning as she saw three versions of Koneko with her fist held out. However, she managed to roll out of the way, barely avoiding Kiseki's katana.
"W- What?" Raynare said as she stumbled.
How? I'm a Fallen Angel! How are these Devils and one measly human harming me!? She thought furiously as she blocked Irina's light sword.
"How… you little shits!?" Raynare screamed as she pushed back against Irina.
Irina's eyes widened as she created a magical barrier around herself. She was pushed back by Raynare's holy aura, keeping Kiba, Koneko, and Kiseki back. Raynare raised her hand towards the ceiling as she gathered light into her palm. A beam of light burst from her hand as she blasted a hole through the ceiling and to the church.
She spread her wings and flew through the hole.
"Damnit! Don't let her get away!" Irina yelled as she ran to the opening.
Kiseki nodded and grabbed Irina, spreading her wings and taking off. Kiba and Koneko flew after her.
"You filthy traitor! You chose the Devils over us?" Kalawarner yelled as she and Dohnaseek exchanged blows.
Their dance could be described as graceful and intimate to the outsider was each and every blow was synchronized and met with equal force. Their battle had sent them back into the main foyer of the church where Kalawarner jumped back and landed on a pew.
Kalawarner gathered light into her palm and unleashed it as a massive blast of light.
Dohnaseek dodged the blast before creating a knife out of light and threw it. His aim hit home as Kalawarner screamed in pain, a light knife having been embedded in her shoulder. He knew where to aim. After all, he had hit her dominant arm.
"I didn't choose the devils," Dohnaseek said, hovering in front of her. "I chose to live. If we kill the Devils in this town, it'll be an easy excuse for them to go to war with us. Don't you care about the survival of our people?"
"Of course I do! Why do you think I sided with Raynare!? She's being proactive and eliminating the threat at the start! If that girl had only worked with us further, it would have been done by now and she and that human companion of hers would have received rewards beyond their wildest dreams!" she yelled.
"Have you fallen that far?" he asked, shaking his head.
Just then, a beam of light tore through the floor and Raynare flew through it. Her eyes caught glimpse of Kalawarner and Dohnaseek.
"Dohnaseek, Kalawarner! Help me kill these fools!" she yelled.
"Unfortunately…"
Raynare's eyes widened as she dodged a lightning bolt. Her eyes flitted over to the broken cross. There atop the ruined crucifix sat one of the administrating Devils of the town. Next to her, was a woman who was most likely her queen.
Rias Gremory looked down at Raynare similar to a cat that had caught its prey. And like a cat, Rias would play with her food. She smiled at her, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Your friend is with us… Dohnaseek, right?" Rias asked, hopping off the ruined image of God. Akeno followed after, her eyes filled with no emotion as she looked at Raynare.
From the hole, Irina and the others burst forth and landed around her, surrounding her.
Raynare gritted her teeth. Failure? She failed? What would Azazel-sama think? He promised her that if she succeeded, Azazel would love her and take her as a wife! This entire act! This entire mission. Fooling the nun into thinking that she would help her and her friend, plotting to eliminate the devils, it was all for their kind and for the love of Azazel. So why? Why did Fate abandon her when her motives were righteous and pure? Why did Fate favor these impure beings in front of her?
"Give it up, Fallen. Your comrades have turned on you and your last remaining commander. Surrender and we will notify our leaders to contact Lord Azazel," Rias said, pointing her finger at Raynare.
Kalawarner looked defeated. They were completely and utterly outnumbered. She glanced over at Raynare who had a blank look on her face. What would she do? Perhaps nothing reckless? If they returned willingly, maybe Azazel would give them another chance?
"No… I refuse," Raynare mumbled.
Dark malicious thoughts entered her mind. She still had it. That spell she had stolen. Unearthed from the depths of the planet. No one knew of its origins. Not even Azazel. A tome filled with unknown knowledge and she had been granted a piece of it.
"I refuse, Devil," she spat.
"Is that your choice? Very well then. I, Rias Gremory, shall hereby sentence you to death," Rias said as she formed a ball of pure destruction in her hand.
Raynare grinned as her eyes began to glow. From her lips, she uttered the spell's name.
"Hatred," she whispered.
Instantly, she was engulfed in a black and violet aura. She felt it. Power rushing into her. So much power. She grinned and let out a maddened laugh.
"AHAHAAHA! So this is power! This is more than enough power to rip you all apart! AHAHAHA!" she laughed.
Wind. That was the first thing Issei felt when he arrived at the church. His hood was nearly blown away as he hovered over it. Luckily for him, the stained glass windows were broken, allowing him to see into it. His eyes widened. While the others and she couldn't notice it, Issei did. That spell. She was feeding her life to it for a boost in strength. He needed to stop her.
[What are you going to do? Barge in there?] Ddraig asked.
Issei paused for a quick second.
"I have a plan," he said.
Rias flew back as she felt her ribs shatter. That Fallen Angel Raynare. She had gained so much power in such a short time. Her speed and strength were increasing by the second. She groaned as she looked up in time to see Raynare break Akeno's arm.
"AKENO!" Rias screamed as Raynare slammed her into the ground.
Kiba and Koneko both charged at Raynare, only to get defeated easily. Kiba had suffered shattered ribs and a broken leg while Koneko's nose and jaw were broken by Raynare, or what was Raynare. She wasn't… at least not in Dohnaseek's eyes.
That horrible black aura was turning her into a monster.
Irina and Kiseki gripped their blades as Raynare approached them.
Issei flew to the windowsill, his hood obscuring his face in the event that they noticed him. He glanced over to his sister and Irina.
Please let this be enough, he thought.
"Blessing," he said as he held his hand out towards Irina.
Blessing was a simple enchantment that he learned from Gisela while he was on Innistrad. A spell that he could use to enhance his allies by feeding the spell with white mana. He hoped that he had enough mana on hand to give Irina the strength to defeat that Fallen Angel.
Irina flew into a wall and slid down as Raynare walked over to her menacingly. Kiseki groaned in pain as Raynare had broken her collarbone and ribs just a few seconds earlier. She raised her hand as red lightning crackled around her fingertips. She needed to save her. Save Irina. For her brother.
As she was about to cast the spell, Irina's eyes suddenly lit up with a whitish-gold color. Raynare was thrown back. She used her wings to catch herself in mid-air as she looked down at the girl.
Irina felt strength rush into her. A newfound power that she had never felt before. She felt good. Really good. Like she could challenge the entire church and come out on top. Her eyes glanced at Raynare, who hovered in mid-air. Picking up her light sword, she jumped at the Fallen and swung her sword. She was surprised. She didn't mean to move that fast.
Raynare was caught off-guard as the sword sliced right through her right arm and wing. She screamed as she crashed into the ground, gripping the stump that was now her right arm.
"No, no! How! That spell was supposed to make me invincible!" Raynare screamed as she formed a light sword. She charged desperately at Irina, her movements becoming desperate.
Irina easily sidestepped her sloppy movements and parried and shattered her sword. Raynare stumbled and fell. She used her remaining arm to prop herself up. She found herself staring at Irina's light sword.
"It's over," she said.
"Tch," Raynare growled.
She wouldn't give in. Not to a human. She still felt the spell's effect on her but it was fading. Rapidly. She wouldn't let that happen. She didn't care what she had to give to get more power from the spell. She would kill this human before dying.
Irina's eyes widened as the aura around Raynare intensified. The Fallen suddenly lunged at her, forming a twisted sword of light.
Issei's eyes narrowed. Irina won't be able to react to that in time, but he could. He sighed. He was going to use it. It was his most discreet yet lethal spell. The air bent around his hand as the marble walls of the church began to melt.
Ghostfire. The Breath of Ugin. This flame had many names but it was famous amongst those who knew the Spirit Dragon. An invisible colorless flame that was so potent that it could incinerate nearly anything in the Multiverse as well as alter the fundamental nature of the natural elements themselves. The flame used to seal away the Eldrazi and a component within the Eye of Ugin.
He willed the flame to become a dagger and threw it. Far faster than Raynare could move, the dagger flew and impaled her in the head.
Irina's eyes widened as Raynare's head bent sideways and she was sent crashing into a pew. The fallen thrashed for a few seconds before falling limp. Her body seemed to be breaking down into ash, then into nothing.
"RAYNARE!" Kalawarner screamed as she moved from her spot. She ran over and fell to her knees where Raynare's corpse once was.
"...," Irina immediately went on guard. Someone was capable of taking out Raynare in one hit even in that enhanced state. Her eyes flitted around the church, searching for any signs of an intruder.
Her entire body froze when a massive presence entered the church. This level of power was far greater than the entire group combined. She doubted that any of them could even hurt this thing, even with Rias on their side. Her eyes darted to where the presence seemed to be coming from. The church doors. Her eyes widened. She recognized that man. The description as well as images depicted during training and various books she had read in the Vatican.
Wings blacker than night…, she thought.
Rias blanched when she saw him. Her brother had only spoken about him in passing, whenever she paid a visit to their home during the weekends. She, of course, had caught a glimpse of him on the holographic call.
"Lord Azazel," Dohnaseek said, struggling to bow. The injuries he had sustained in his fight with Kalawarner finally catching up to him.
"Yo Dohnaseek," Azazel said as his eyes scanned the area.
So the brat made a quick exit huh? Azazel thought as his eyes rested on a blackened spot that had the imprint of wings and a person. A lone feather escaped pure incineration by luck alone.
"So is that Raynare?" he asked, not even turning to face the two fallen behind him. He bent down to pick up the feather and sighed. Another one of his own lost to arrogance and power hunger.
Dohnaseek nodded, not even knowing how to respond. What was he supposed to say? That Raynare suddenly disintegrated? He had seen it. They all had. Raynare suddenly fell down and thrashed around before turning into nothing.
"That was her…," Dohnaseek said.
"I see. Well, I guess it couldn't be helped. She did attempt to break the armistice between the three factions," Azazel said.
"Can't be helped! Lord Azazel! One of our own was just killed by those filthy Devils and that exorcist scum! Shouldn't they face retribu-!" she was interrupted as Azazel turned and focused his gaze on her. Kalawarner found herself being slammed into the floor by the sheer pressure of his stare.
"Raynare being dead is a mercy to what I would have done to her. By directly coming into Devil Territory without permission, she not only almost triggered a war with Hell and Heaven but also put the rest of our kind in danger. The Fallen do not have the capacity for an all-out war with either Heaven or Hell, Kalawarner," Azazel said, the anger in his voice prevalent.
"...," Kalawarner fell silent at his words.
Azazel turned to Rias and bowed.
"E- Eh?" Rias was shocked. Despite the fact that she was the Lucifer's sister, that never meant that another leader had to bow to her. This situation made her highly uncomfortable.
"I apologize for the actions of my subordinates and any harm that they might have caused," Azazel said.
Rias coughed before composing herself. She walked forward but stumbled, remembering that Raynare had broken her ribs just several minutes earlier.
"It's alright, Lord Azazel. I understand as with any group in our world, there are dissenters and hawks who always break away from the group consensus. I also know that some of those do not have good intentions in mind. I do exterminate stray devils after all," Rias said.
"I see we are at an agreement," Azazel said.
"However, your subordinate did ta-!"
"You mean her? This is why you're all here is it not?" Azazel said, jutting his thumb towards the door.
Their eyes all traveled towards the church doors to see Mittelt walking in with Asia.
"Asia… ASIA!" Irina ran over to her at full speed and wrapped her in a hug.
"Irina," she said as tears began to pool at the edge of her eyes.
"How? How did you get out?" Irina asked.
"Mittelt and Dohnaseek saved me. They didn't agree with what Raynare was going to do and hatched a plan for me to escape before she stole my Sacred Gear and used it to help her wipe out the Devils in town," she said.
Irina glanced past her to the Fallen Angel with the drill-like hair. Her eyes held a shine of appreciation within them. The Fallen sent her a smile in return, nodding in acknowledgement.
"What are you going to do about her?" Rias asked, glancing at Kalawarner. She had a dead look on her face as she just stared at the spot where Raynare once was. Nothing but a lone feather and her shadow was there.
"She's going to be locked up in our prison where she will await trial for acts of treason against our kind," Azazel said.
"I see," Rias said.
"Well, if you don't mind, I shall take the last remaining traitor out of here," Azazel said as he motioned for Dohnaseek to go grab Kalawarner. He complied, walking over to her. She didn't resist as he placed light cuffs around her hand. Dohnaseek sighed as he stood next to her awaiting Azazel's next order.
Azazel created a magic circle at the entrance and motioned for Dohnaseek to take her back to the base.
"Wait, you should be the one to tell my brother about this incident! Not me!" Rias said.
"No, you are the administrating devil of this town, Rias Gremory. As such, that job falls onto you and Sona Sitri," Azazel said, "Though nice job trying to push paperwork onto me, you have a bright future in politics."
Rias pouted as she glared at the Governor-General before remembering who he was and composed herself. She sighed and looked at him.
"I see. Very well, I shall report this incident to the Four Great Satans and hopefully, you can meet with them," Rias said.
"Heh, fine fine. I'll be waiting for that meeting notice on my desk. Well, then, I believe it's time we get going," Azazel said as he walked towards the magic circle.
"Wait!" Irina said.
"Hmm?" Azazel turned to look at her.
"Was that you?"
"Was what me?"
"The one that killed Raynare," she asked.
"No," Azazel said. He stepped onto the portal with Mittelt and Dohnaseek, who had a catatonic Kalawarner and disappeared in a golden light.
Irina remained silent while Asia stood next to her. Her mind was racing. Who was that that killed Raynare?
Up on the church roof, Issei sat, having listened in on the whole conversation via his enhanced hearing. He got up, deciding that it was over and summoned wings. He took off, leaving behind a few white feathers that fell through a crack in the roof.
[You should meet up with Azazel to see what to do next? He can help you get out of the country inconspicuously] Ddraig said.
Issei flew over to the park, where he saw Azazel sitting on a bench at the fountain. He wasn't alone. Issei landed before them, still wary of what would happen now that their alliance was over.
"I was waiting for you to show up," Azazel said, leaning forward.
Mittelt stood next to her father, eyeing the hooded Issei intensely.
"Why don't you remove your hood kid? Trust me, I won't tell anyone what's underneath," Azazel said, getting up off the bench.
Issei hesitated for a second. Should he? He needed to gain their trust obviously. And Yasaka already knew what his face looked like so hiding his face from any supernatural leaders was a moot point. And besides, gaining allies in this world would be far easier if the person he wanted to be allies with knew what he looked like.
He nodded and slipped his hood off. The moment he did, he heard Mittelt gasp as she pointed her finger at him shakily.
"Y- YOU! You're that guy I ran into and had sushi with! Issei! Issei-san!" she chirped as her wings flapped up and down.
"You've met?" Azazel asked.
"Yeah, I ran into her while I was walking around town," Issei said.
"I see," he said, placing his hand on his chin.
"You! You're an Angel-Dragon thing!" she said.
"Errr, no," Issei said. "I'm actually human…"
Azazel looked at Issei intrigued.
"Really?" he asked.
"Yeah," he responded.
"Interesting…," Azazel said, sensing Issei for any traces of angelic or draconic energy. He did pick up something similar to a dragon but nothing like that of an angel. "I do sense a bit of Dragon Energy in you but… it seems that you're completely human. Tell me, do you have a Sacred Gear?"
[Huh...] Ddraig said.
"I didn't think he'd be able to tell but... ," Issei thought.
[Most supernatural beings of this world are capable of detecting anomalies within humans. It was only a matter of time before he called you out on it. So far it seems that he doesn't know which one you possess] Ddraig said.
"I do," Issei said.
"Are you gonna tell me which one?" Azazel asked.
"No," he said.
"I see. Well, that makes it more fun," he said, smiling. That smile unnerved Issei a little and reminded him of how Niv-Mizzet looked at him the moment he discovered Ddraig. He still didn't know how that happened.
"Well then, I-"
"Actually, I have a request for you… if you don't mind," Issei said.
"Hmm, I guess so long as it's reasonable. You did save my little princess here," Azazel said, ruffling Mittelt's hair.
"Daaad!" she said, swatting his hand away.
Issei smiled at the interaction, remembering the interactions he had with his family since he got here. This would pain him incredibly so but he had to move on. Until this war was over, he would have to press on, lest the world his family lived on became a statistic on Bolas's list of destroyed worlds.
"So kid, what do you want? Women? Money?" he asked, cheekily. Issei was a virile young man. He expected a combination of women and money as an answer. At least, that was normal to the answer he got.
"Money sounds nice. But, what I really need is help to get out of the country. I need your help to get out of Japan," Issei said.
Cards used in this Chapter:
Hatred
Cost: 2B+3
Type: Instant
Pay X Life: Target Creature gets +X/+0 until the end of the turn.
Blessing
Cost: 2W
Type: Enchantment- Aura
1W: Target Creature gets +1/+1 until the end of the turn.
Ghostfire Blade
Cost: 1
Type: Artifact- Equipment
Equip Cost: 3
Equipped Creature gets +2/+2
Equip Costs cost 2 less if the creature is colorless.
Card Showcase:
Issei Hyoudou, Exiled Vagabond
Cost: 1R+1W+3
Card Type: Planeswalker
Loyalty Abilities
+1: Target creature gets +2/+2 until the end of the turn.
-3: Deal 4 damage to target creature or player.
-5: You gain an emblem with "Creatures you control get +3/+3 and First Strike"
Starting Counters: 4
Hey hey! I'm sorry for the late update guys but midterms happened. I hope you guys can understand. I will try to get back to my normal schedule after this. Anyway, there are a lot of things that I plan to keep from the original if you've read the original. If not, then I shall explain it here.
Summoning: Summoning shall remain a mix of Revisionist and Pre-Revisionist. What this means is that Issei can still summon copies of creatures he encounters on the grounds that they aren't capable of sapient thought. Meaning they have no sentience. For example, if Issei encountered a wurm, he would be able to summon a copy of it. Otherwise, if the wurm was capable of forming thought, Issei has to gain its agreement to be able to summon it or enslave it (not that he would).
Card Interpretation: Okay, this one will be a bit to explain. My way of interpreting cards is not literally. I usually go off the image or flavor text with a bit of the mechanics. If you've looked at how Raynare used Hatred, I had her burn her life force to gain that extra power... the +X. And when Issei cast Blessing on Irina, he fed the enchantment mana to increase her offensive and defensive capabilities. Okay, that's pretty straightforward. But spells like Path to Exile (thanks MPrevilO for bringing this up), where the card based on its mechanics can one-shot everyone, will have a different way of going about. Any spell with Exile or Destroy will have limits imposed upon them with the limit being the skill of the user or the available mana they have with them. So if Issei uses Path to Exile, he can instantly remove a weak being from the field but if he were to use it on... let's say Sirzechs... no. It won't work. He would need a stronger spell like Merciless Eviction or Descend upon the Sinful. Even then, his skill would play a great factor and like most Planeswalkers, Issei's spells are limited to what he specializes in: Angels and Dragons.
Mana Colors and Alignment: I do plan to keep the Mana Color System and blend it into DxD. For a brief overview so you all know what color what the Three Factions are:
Angels: White + Random Color if needed (Michael is White-Green)
Devils: Red or Black primarily + Random Color if needed (Rias is Red-Blue)
Fallen Angels: White and Black + Random Color if needed (i.e Azazel is White-Black-Blue)
Dragons: Red (for the most part. Ddraig is obviously a Red Aligned Dragon)
I feel like this will be easier for some spells and harder for others. For example, Senjutsu. While the name implies Green Alignment, controlling time and space is more a Red and Blue ability. I'll make a list of who has what Mana Color later. People in MTG have displayed affinities for more than one color but primarily, they were born with one as their core i.e Rias was born Red due to race and Azazel was White Centered before he became White Black Centered with Blue due to his intelligence.
I'll discuss more of Issei's journey around the Seven Continents and Seven Seas since him being there will be the equivalent of Jace being stuck on Ixalan without his memories. Another thing, I have scattered the Gatewatch across the Multiverse. They never ended up on Dominaria except for Liliana and... Gideon. Chandra, Nissa, Issei, and Jace are all gone. So... I will ask that you also place in your review whether you want Chandra or Nissa to be on Earth with Issei for this next arc.
Sorry for the long author's note but I've had this on my mind for a bit and I needed to get it out there. Remember, stay safe, review, and remember to have a great day or not, the choice is yours.