As she watched Issei block yet another lightning blast easily with a rudimentary shield while ogling her naked body, Akeno was starting to think that maybe she had overplayed her hand. Self-doubt wasn't something foreign to her, but it was usually about her angst on her lineage, or occasionally about her helplessness against the challenge Rias was facing.

She hadn't been expecting the new pawn of their peerage to be the source of the problem, at least not the way he had been doing. When Rias first came to the decision of inviting him to the peerage, Akeno wanted to argue against, not seeing any value in a pathetic, spineless pervert with a mysterious Sacred Gear, even if all the indicators showed that it was one of the stronger ones. However, Akeno didn't argue much, knowing the only reason Rias was actually considering was that she was woefully unprepared for her upcoming engagement.

Even then, they were planning to be more careful when a bunch of fallen decided to join the party by targeting Issei for the same sacred gear, quickening their timetable even more. It was more underhanded than Rias preferred, but it was actually Akeno that convinced her that making sure to take him in was more important than his consent. Worst came to worst, Rias could always get rid of him after the engagement issue was solved one way or another. Not like they were facing an abundance of options, not with Phenex Family making sure to prevent Rias from getting decent peerage members, something Rias' parents were actually allowing, while her brother was helpless due to forced neutrality.

So, they recruited Issei without knowing his true potential, very reluctantly.

Akeno let herself feel hope when she learned that it took eight pawn pieces to actually resurrect Issei, hinting that his potential was above their expectations. However, even in her wildest dreams, Akeno didn't expect Issei to actually have Boosted Gear, one of the seventeen proclaimed Godslayer Sacred Gears. For the first time in months, Akeno let herself feel hope.

Of course, even with the boosted gear, Issei was a weakling, a baseline human with no hint of the strength of magic. Rias was planning to act more conservatively, but once again, it was Akeno who convinced Rias that more drastic measures were required, such as forcibly quickening the assembly of his devil powers. Rias felt guilty, knowing the possibility of permanently destroying Issei's future, but with the looming nightmare of Riser Phenex, it hadn't been hard to convince her.

Their strategy had certain drawbacks, in the particular necessity to tap into Issei's sins, and since he was a raging pervert with no other discernible trait, lust was the obvious choice to focus. Of course, Akeno would have preferred to hire several devil escorts and wash her hands completely, but a leak about Issei would have forced Phenex to act faster, with disastrous consequences. Koneko was out simply because it was impossible to use her in such a scheme, leaving Akeno and Rias to handle it.

Rias tried to handle it first, but soon, she asked Akeno's help, admitting that she wasn't able to handle it. Though she didn't give any reason, Akeno was sure that it was because Rias was feeling guilty about Issei's fate. Akeno didn't feel bitter about the fact that she had to whore herself for Rias' sake. Rias was her everything, and she would be willing to do much more than that for her. However, Issei's annoying weakling personality irked Akeno wrong from the beginning, making her wish that flat out dominating him mercilessly was applicable —possibly with a liberal application of torture. Sex was sex, right… In the end, Akeno was forced to play nice despite how annoying she found Issei.

However, that was before today's training. Akeno didn't know why —though suspected that it was about his new blonde girlfriend— but Issei was acting much more confidently today, with a smile that begged Akeno to smash him to pieces. Pity that they needed to shore his confidence as well during his training, forcing Akeno to wear a mask.

The training itself was even more fascinating. Akeno wasn't expecting Issei to achieve anything more than a flickering ball of mana at the end of their session, so his learning speed and accuracy caught her flatfooted, unfortunately costing her all of her clothes, leaving her in her birthday suit.

Still, it was nothing compared to the impressive reflexes he was showing against her lightning attacks, dodging what he could and blocking the rest. He still received some damage, of course, but it was nothing spectacular. She should have been feeling happy that he was showing such an impressive combat ability, but with an actual humiliating bet on the line, Akeno couldn't help but feel despondent.

She had tried to take him down at the beginning, both to teach him a lesson and to vent her anger, but since she didn't know his resistance and didn't want to kill him, she started slow. By the time she realized the problem, he had already used Boosted Gear to increase his capabilities significantly, making it impossible for Akeno to defeat him unless she went reasonably close to an all-out assault. And she doubted Rias would appreciate permanently damaging him just because Akeno was idiotic enough to agree to a bet —a bet that actually helped them to forward their plan, even.

"Come on, Akeno-chan, is this all you can do," Issei mocked her, even gesturing her to come closer, like he had a semblance of hope actually resisting her full strength.

But Akeno was an angry girl, so she decided to ignore the risk for a moment. "Enough!" she cried in anger and sent an impressive bolt of lightning toward him, far faster than the previous ones, hitting him before he could even react.

Akeno was ready to dash forward, to apply first-aid to make sure he wasn't dead or permanently crippled, so she was pretty surprised when rather than collapsing, Issei dashed toward her, especially when she wasn't even able to react to his speed before his gauntleted hand ended around her throat, squeezing hard enough to cut her breathing. And before she could say anything else, she found herself smashed against the reinforced walls of the training area, hard enough to actually crack it.

"So, Akeno-chan," he drawled. "I guess that's my win…"

Akeno felt tongue-tied, and not because she actually lost a pawn with less than a week of combat experience. Well, at least not entirely because of it. No, Akeno was shocked at Issei's demeanor. Gone was the simpering pervert that would humiliate himself any way Akeno desired just to get a glimpse of her panties, replaced by an unfathomable being that radiated pressure. She didn't know whether it was the Boosted Gear that was making him like that, or he was finally tapping into his inner manhood after painful combat, but regardless, the gauntlet around her neck wasn't the only reason she was having trouble breathing.

"Issei-kun… Air…" she managed to gasp.

"Did you say something, Akeno-chan," he answered, acting like he didn't hear her, but it wasn't as impressive as the tightening around her neck. She suddenly felt herself forced to rise, her feet dangling in the air. It wasn't really dangerous thanks to her Queen resistance, but it was still uncomfortable.

More importantly, the message was clear.

Akeno had always prided herself in her ability to maintain control since the day she became a part of Rias' family and abandoning her roots. She was calm, collected, and if necessary, explosively sadist and controlling, but never submissive. Even against her king, she showed loyalty enough to give her life, but never submissive deference.

Which was why it was surprising when she suddenly found herself frozen in his grasp, unable to raise a hand to blast him away. She tried to force her hand, but it only took a pointed glare from him for her hand to stay frozen, leaving Akeno in a daze trying to understand what was going on. His presence was nothing she felt before, suffocating her completely.

She tried to say something, but with his grip around her throat, all that left her throat was an indecipherable gasp. "Are you trying to say something, Akeno-chan?" Issei said mockingly, but the undertone of it was much darker than sheer amusement.

Akeno nodded helplessly, and Issei loosened his grip, enough to allow her to speak. "I admit defeat, Issei-kun," Akeno said, trying to sound cheerful, but very much aware of the fragility of her voice. She was feeling things she never felt before, and it was making her confused. "Now, can you please let me go?"

"And why would I do that?" he countered, his smirk in place.

"Because I don't like this," she rapidly answered, even though those words left her mouth rather hard for some reason.

"Oh really? Are you sure about that?" Issei said, once again radiating that damnable confidence. Akeno nodded, ignoring the sudden burst of doubt she felt, afraid of its implications. Issei said nothing for a moment, but his free hand reached to her cheek, his caress leaving an imaginary burning sensation after a fleeting touch, making her gasp.

When his hand slowly dragged lower, it also destroyed any hope of her calming down. His finger dragged down her neck first, then passed the valley between her breasts. Akeno bit her lip, determined not to admit what was going on, even in the confines of her mind. She wasn't this weak.

She wasn't… No matter how much she wished his hand to stay on her breasts and dig mercilessly.

Issei continued, caressing her stomach with the same torturous slowness before finally arriving between her legs, caressing her nether lips. When he brought his hand up once more, his fingers were glistening with her juices. She was unprepared for him to stuff his fingers into her mouth, forcing her to taste herself. "Tell me again, Akeno-chan, are you really not enjoying this?"

"I don't. I'm a sadist, I'm the dominant one," she murmured helplessly, and then, without prompting, she added. "I can't…"

"And why is that, Akeno-chan?" Issei asked, but despite everything, Akeno kept her mouth shut. Even under those circumstances, she had no intention of spilling her secrets. Seeing her confident expression, he sighed. "As you wish, Akeno-chan," he said, once again dismissive, like he was talking about the weather. "However, as a friend, I would be remiss if I didn't help you connect with your real desires."

"How?" she stammered reflexively, but even as she asked, she knew that it was a mistake. Issei just grinned before loosening his grip around her throat, but before she could react, he forced her to turn so that her chest was pressed against the wall. At the same moment, she felt a distinctive, cylindrical object pressing against her entrance. Her backdoor entrance. "Issei, no, don't you dare-" she started, only to feel an absolutely humongous fleshy appendage to force itself into her puckered hole mercilessly, enough to make Akeno gasp in pain despite her resistance.

"Damn, A-chan, you're tight," Issei grunted in appreciation even as his shaft moved deeper into the untouched depths of her puckered hole. Under a combined assault of pain and shock, Akeno did nothing other stand standing still, her mind too clogged to process just how things had come to that point. And as Issei's shaft moved deeper and deeper, it was getting harder to process.

"Pull back, Issei-kun, please," she managed to murmur in her haze, however, when he actually followed her request and pulled back, she was struck with a sense of loss, an emptiness, feeling like she had committed a big mistake. Which was why when Issei pushed into her again, she was unprepared for the rush of pleasure that accompanied it, and a moan escaped her mouth.

"Just as I guessed, Akeno-chan. For all of your bluster being a sadist and dominant, you're nothing more than a submissive bitch," Issei whispered into her ear even as he started impaling her with a merciless rhythm. Akeno would have liked to argue, but with her body's betrayal, it was impossible to actually speak. The pain was expected, but the accompanying pleasure, getting more with each beat, was not.

Akeno was in a daze as she turned her head, trying to catch his lips, but failed when Issei pulled back. "Please, Issei-kun," she moaned, her earlier resistance long forgotten.

"No kisses for submissive bitches, Akeno-chan," he whispered even as his lips lingered just an inch away from hers, so close yet too far away. For a moment, Akeno was struck with a sensation of yearning and loss, desiring his lips over hers mercilessly, like he was staking his ownership, lamenting the fact that it wouldn't happen. Then, Issei continued. "Not before they earn it, at least."

When he followed his words with another merciless push of his hips, invading even deeper into her bowels, Akeno couldn't help but gasp under a fresh wave of pleasure, threatening to drown her. Even then, she was doing her best to understand the implications of his words, that even when he was taking her anal virginity, he wanted more from her, in a way to prove her devotion.

It would never happen, she thought sharply. She would never degrade herself to willingly try to earn his favor, just to get a measly little kiss. She was the Lightning Queen, the Sadist, the strongest person after Rias in their peerage. Why should she be inferior to a measly little pawn, even if that pawn had the Boosted Gear, with the potential to reach Ultimate Class? Of course, the voice back in her head tried to remind her that she was currently leaning against the wall obediently while he used her asshole mercilessly, beat after beat, uncaring of the pain and the pleasure he caused, but Akeno ignored that voice steadfastly.

She wasn't a submissive. She just wasn't…

The voice asked her why she was standing there obediently if she wasn't submissive, and the answer came just as quick. She was just helping Issei to get connected to his lust better, to make him stronger. The fact that she had no intention of letting him penetrate her was immaterial. She just saw an opportunity, and she took it. It was all for Rias' sake.

For Rias' sake.

So, when she started to push her hips outward to match his beats, she felt relaxed. She was doing her job as the queen, helping Rias to avoid her fate. And if she was selflessly helping her king to avoid her fate, what was the harm if she felt some pleasure at the moment. Thinking like that, she almost convinced herself that she was doing the altruistic thing by pushing her hips outward, filling the training room with the sound of flesh hitting flesh, giving her a fresh jolt of pleasure with each repeat.

"Good girl," he whispered, which had no effect on Akeno. Definitely no effect. She didn't shudder with sudden joy. Her hole didn't suddenly get tighter. And most definitely, she didn't explode with a sudden climax that hit her stronger than a freight train, turning her legs into a puddle, with the only thing that left her standing was Issei's pole stabbed in her bottom, keeping her upright.

She just had a sudden bout of dizziness because of her low blood sugar, completely normal for a devil in perfect condition.

Since Issei was a rude bastard, he had shown no respect to her sudden onset of dizziness, continuing to slam into her back door again and again. Akeno tried to tell him to stop. Well, she moaned and cried, but that was essentially the same thing, and the way her hips moved was definitely not from a desire for more.

She didn't know how long she stood there, smashed against the wall, used as a doll, but the ending was all too memorable. She felt his cock twitching inside her mercilessly in a warning before a flood invaded her bowels as he started spurting his seed, pump after pump until she started to feel bloated. Another sudden bout of dizziness struck her, once again definitely not from an orgasm, her legs trembling, but this time, Issei pulled back without a warning.

Akeno wasn't prepared for that, so she collapsed on the ground, far too aware of the way his seed seeped out of her puckered hole. She hated the way excitement filled her heart as she tried to imagine what Issei would do next, trying to combat her daze. Seconds passed with no contact, then, she was shocked by the sound of the door slamming close. Akeno raised her head, only to see Issei gone, leaving her alone in the training room, abused and used. She never hated anyone as much as she hated him at that moment. How dare he use her like a toy, and how dare he could leave her like that.

Anger filled her heart. Anger was good, Akeno decided, because it pushed her confusing feelings away. She stood up with vengeance, walking toward her clothes. A part of her wanted to go talk with Rias, but she decided not to. Rias had enough problems without thinking about the implications of her request on Akeno. Her friend deserved better. Akeno could handle the confusing situation on her own.

And if she skipped showering, it was definitely not about keeping Issei's smell on her body a little more. Definitely not…