Chapter 8
The strange conference between the Faction Leaders from the different worlds - who were mostly different versions of the same people - had taken an entire day.
It was now finally over. But it had not really given as much results as some of them might have hoped for. But more would have honestly been unrealistic.
Aside from regulary travelling between Earth, Heaven and the Underworld - both sub-dimensions of their own universe - none of them actually had any experience with other dimensions and universes before.
Not before they had met the Guardians.
And the Guardians themselves - given that they were still in a giant deathlock with the Dark Order and knew about several other potential threats out there - were very reluctant to interfere directly. Not if they knew that their enemies would likely do the same thing and an even greater Interdimensional War could break out.
Issei-01 and his team would support them directly. This was the obvious solution, since the cluster of the DxD Universes was their area of the Multiverse anyway.
The entire rest of the Guardian organization however would be standing back, at least for the time being, and continue to deal with the even greater threat of the Dark Order.
If the worst happened, they could still change this decision. And with the Guardian´s by now nearly certain suspicion about one of their old enemies being involved with the Erebos Demons, this would most likely come true.
This was of course far from ideal, but the best they could do for now.
xxx
There were also some DxD-worlds that the Guardians knew of that were not being involved in the conference.
This were the ones they had so far only secretly observed, through their usual combination of probe-drones and supernatural powers, but had not actually revealed themselves to the natives.
Only the ones they had actually directly contacted and shown themselves to were here.
While they knew that the other worlds were possible targets as well, it was not clear if the Erebos even knew about all the worlds of the DxD-Cluster and how to reach them. So there was a chance that they did not.
What was clear however was that the Erebos Demons and their allies, just like the Guardians, also possessed the methods to detect breaches and transports between the different universes.
So contacting them now, just to invite them here might draw their intention and actually lead to the Erebos Demons locating these worlds and put them in real danger in the first place.
Exactly what they all wanted to avoid. To give this new enemy even more potential targets where they could attack.
xxx
There was of course also the special case of DxD Universe-05 (Gods of Darkness Universe).
The same universe which entire remaining Devil and Fallen Angel population had abandoned and evacuated it and was now living here in DxD Universe-01, along with the native population.
So that it should not longer be a possible main target for the Demons anyway.
Not to mention that the surviving Devil and Grigori leaders, just like the Issei Hyoudou of that world, were already here in DxD Universe-01, were they fled to after evacuating their home-reality.
So while they had of course been informed about the events, they all agreed there was no real need for them to be present at the conference itself.
Also, the last thing they all needed was yet another set of identical people from yet another nearly identical universe being here.
This entire matter with this conference was already complicated (and hillarious) enough as it was.
In the end it was decided to create a line of communication between their worlds - with the help of magic and technology given by the Guardians - to warn the other worlds that were part of the pact if any sign of the Erebos were detected and come to each others help if another invasion would happen.
It would most likely not be enough. But for the moment, it was actually all they could do.
xxx
At the end of the conference, Issei and his teammates were using the chance for another short chat with some of their old `friends´ - a.k.a counterparts from other worlds.
One of them was Universe-15, where the Gremory Family and a large number of other Devils had turned themselves human a long time ago.
The same world also had a number of powerful guilds of human magicians - the Hyoudou Family of that world being part of one of them. That was also the reason why they were here as representants of their universe.
Also with them were their world´s Baraquiel of the Grigori and his (still living) wife Shuri, together with their daughter Akeno who were quite close to the Hyoudous in their reality.
"It is good to see you again," the Sorcerer Issei-015 greeted Issei-01 and his teammates Raynare, Rias, Irina, Asia, Xenovia, Kiba and Gaeriel.
"I guess I will never get used to this, literally talking to myself," he commented.
"I am also happy to see you again," Rias-015 standing next to them said. "And I am glad that I came along with the others," she stated. "Look - there are several versions of you here that I can admire."
She let her eyes glide over both of them and then over the few other Issei Hyoudous in the large hall.
This human version of Rias - going by the name Rias Mac-Greymore - was quite eccentric and as much of a pervert as most versions of Issei were. She was born human and had only found out about her Devil heritage 2 years earlier.
She was however looking quite different from their last meeting, Issei-01 and his teammates saw. Her hair was still brown, instead of the usual red of her Devil-self. She had however used magic to correct her eyesight and was not longer wearing glasses.
And she had used a similar method to enlarge and push up her originally flat breasts. Not nearly to the size of the Devil Rias, but Issei-01 admitted it was not bad.
"Yes yes - I can imagine," Issei-015 commented sarcastically. "You should take this here more serious. It is about a threat to our entire world after all."
"I know that," she responded. "Just because I am perverted doesn´t mean I am not serious about this. After all I have worked along with you all so far, right? But now the Conference is over and we can talk in privat."
He could not argue with her here. She had truly worked along so far.
"Do you think any of them might be in for a threesome?" she asked shamelessly.
Issei-015 only facepalmed at her behavior. But he was more than used to it.
The others around, even Issei-015´s parents, were just looking at them amused. They too were more than used to her behavior.
xxxxxxx
The next morning
For Issei and his team yet another day was just starting.
And in some kind of nearly bizarre way, everything seemed to return to normal. At least on the outside.
You would hardly believe that they had witnessed a full blown genocide just a few days ago.
Their three former Stray Devil `guests´ (that meant refugees they had temporally taken in) Ehron, Maya and Rei would later today have their final procedure to free them from the magical effects from their Evil Pieces, that were now being removed for good.
With that the Stray Mutation would also completely disappear after a short time.
That also means they would probably leave and start a normal life somewhere else very soon.
They were not the first group of refugees that had staid here for some time. They were however the first one that Issei-01 had actually met in person, since he had spend the last two years in his trainings-exile.
Still, given all the other things they had currently to deal with, Issei had not really spend much time with them. Neither did Raynare, Gaeriel - who was their most experienced temmate or Irina and Xenovia - who had been busy for the last days as well.
And they intentionally avoided Rias, Raiser and the other Devils in their team.
The ones who had been with them the most were actually Kuroka - who as another former Stray Devil felt connected to them - and Murayama - who was a normal human, except for the immortality Issei had accidentally given to her.
xxx
"I am still not sure about these Devils in your group," Maya said.
"D-do you really think we can trust them?" Rey asked nervously.
"You can," Murayama replied. "We have known them for years and they had not betrayed us since they joined our team."
Yes - not since then, she thought. She remembered that time after she had nearly died from being caught in that fight and how she was told later that Rias brother had after Issei had saved her intentionally slowed down their efforts to bring her, Raynare and the others to the Guardian´s homeworld in an attempt to barter for political connections with them.
She couldn´t help but still feel somewhat sour about that one.
"And even if they were not," Murayama continued, "Rias and Raiser are not in charge here - Issei, Gaeriel and Raynare are."
Ehron had barely said anything during their conversation so far. But the grim expression on his face told her enough about how he thought about this matter. He would for sure not trust either of them or their Servants.
"And you girls all are Issei´s lovers?" Rey asked her somewhat embarrassed.
"Well - some of us are not," she replied a bit awkwardly, being ripped out of her thoughts by a question like that.
"But you are?" Maya questioned. "And even the Gremory Heiress?"
Murayama remembered how that part of their relationship had started - a.k.a when both she and Rias had in the end joined Issei´s harem. It was right after that night he had spend with Ravel when they both had asked him out and they simply ended up going on a double date with him.
On the other hand, thinking about it, she was not sure if what had drawn her to Issei was truly love, or more curiosity, combined with thankfulness for saving her. IIssei had over the last two years become one of her closest friends. But if she was completely honest, she was not sure if she loved him like the other girls did.
xxxxxxx
DxD Universe 18
It was the same somewhat suspicious world that Rias and the others had just visited a short time ago. The same reality where they had met another incarnation of Raiser and his Peerage, who they had not really trusted - rightfully.
Now another group of visitors had appeared. In fact this new group had come because they had been tracking the movements of Rias group.
It were Issei-013, Kuroka and Raynare-017 from the Devil Hunters, who were following the dimensional breach caused by Rias travel here.
"Aaand here we have... yet another version of my hometown. Looking nearly exactly like the last. Who would have thought?" Issei-013 commented sarcastically.
It did not take long for them to be detected by Raiser´s Servants as well and being confronted by them.
Issei-013 for his part grinned and seemed all to eager to fight as he saw the group of Devils - consisting of Yubelluna, the Knight Karlamine and the Pawn Marion - who had suddenly teleported right in front of them.
His compatriots Kuroka and Raynare however were a bit less enthuastic. They knew nothing actually about the circumstances of the world they had just arrived in.
But ultimately - these were Devils, so they were still the enemy. Their group was called Devil Hunters for a reason after all.
Kuroka and Raynare-017 powered up as well. Even if out of them at least Raynare-017 would have clearly preferred to be somewhere else in this moment.
The only reason she had even joined this group here was simply to survive. She had really no intention to die for them. And it was clear that in the moment this Devil´s comrades appeared, they would be outnumbered.
And even with the incredible power her two `comrades´ possessed, she knew that protecting her was not very high on their list of priorities.
For Kuroka and the other senior team-members she was just some baggage they had taken along when they had recruited Hyoudou. Who they were not all too fond of from the beginning.
And Hyoudou himself...
xxxx
... This twisted version of Issei Hyoudou might be keeping her around as both a fuck-toy and as an outlet for his messed up emotions, but she really doubted that he would truly care if she were gone.
It was not just that she had to spread her legs for him to ensure her own survival.
He had told her his entire story. Or better said, he repeated it to her again and again and again until she could no longer hear it.
In particular he often told her about his first `girlfriend´ back in his own world. That world´s version of herself, quite ironically.
As it seemed, the Raynare of that world world had gotten the same order to kill Issei Hyoudou. But in opposite to herself she had not gone through with it. (Looking back though, it would have probably been better for everyone if she did.)
So that stupid softhearted little counterpart of herself had staid his `first love´ in his perverted little heart.
How pathetic.
But the Rias Gremory of that world was obviously a particular bitch-version of herself and could not miss the chance to add an potentially powerful Sacred Gear user into her Peerage.
So she wrote him a message in Raynare´s name to meet her at a special place. A place that in truth was the hideout of an insane Stray Devil who was cannibalizing and killing people.
So he of course ended up to be attacked, had parts of his flesh eaten while he was still alive and was finally killed by the Stray.
Then of course - `luckily´ - Rias-013 and her Peerage, killed the Stray and she resurrected him as one of her Servants out of the `goodness of her heart´.
What an interesting story. What a load of crap, she thought.
Raynare-17 was for sure no fan of any version of Rias Gremory, but she was pretty sure the one from her world would not have used methods like this.
Gremory then told Issei then about the Supernatural World, the Devils, the Fallen and his Sacred Gear. And since the fake message had been written in her name, it had not been hard for her to convince him that it was Raynare who had betrayed him and lured him into this death trap.
But he soon found out that he had been deceived. Gremory of course edged him on to take `vengeance´.
So a short time later he and `his´ Raynare got into a fight in the old church building that served as her temporally base.
And Issei-013 realized he had been deceived.
Not only was Raynare-013 not the one who had killed him, she had not even known that he died in the first place.
He realized who had truly send him the message. The same person who had known about the Stray Devil... and who had shown up right in time to `save´ him.
In his rage however, he only listened to Raynare as it was too late.
When they were both weakened from their duel, Rias stepped in and killed her when she could not longer fight back.
He had helped to kill the girl he had feelings for and was serving the one who was truly responsible for all his misery. The realization shattered his mind.
Having to spend the next month as a glorified lapdog of the same girl he had started to hate like no one else only made it worse and drove him completely insane. Before he managed to help his parents escape Kuoh with the help of some allies and went Stray.
Still - Raynare-017 hardly felt any sympathy. What kind of an idiot blindly believed the words of a Devil who openly admitted that she had turned you into a slave?
The way he was treating her sometimes only caused her to resent Raynare-017 even more. True - he was never truly violent towards her. Something that actually surprised her given his manical behavior in nearly every other case.
What he never grew tired of however, was telling her in various variations how much `better´ her counterpart had been than her.
Sometimes even before, after and even while they were having sex, he was telling her how she was just a cheap replacement for her counterpart.
She had heard this so often by now that she would have gladly killed her Universe-13 counterpart herself if she weren´t already dead.
`Could you imagine to be compared with another version of herself nearly every day and being told that you are not good enough?´
Idiot. Crazy bastard, she thought.
And who said that his world´s Raynare had ever returned his feelings anyway? Just because she spared his life did not necessary mean that she was in love with him.
But he was probably too psychotic by now to even care about that detail. Sometimes she believed he was just looking for an excuse to be an asshole.
Who knew what Raynare-013 had been feeling? she thought. And who cared?
She was long dead and she herself was still here. And she had no intention to die like her counterpart did - not at all.
xxxx
Now - the same universe
But before a fight between the three Devil Hunters and the Devil Servants had even a chance to beginn, their Master Raiser himself appeared - flanked by Kara, Ravel and this worlds Akeno.
"Well - it seems we already have new visitors," he said. "Issei Hyoudou, Kuroka Toujou and a Fallen Angel. But I believe neither of you is the version I know of."
"Raiser Phenex - I did not take my chance to kill the vou from my world. I guess I could make up for that right now," Issei-013 replied.
"Hyoudou-" Kuroka reminded him, "as much as I like to see Devils burn myself, we are here because we traced the movements of that Guardian team, not to pick a fight with the natives. This here is not part of the plan."
"And?" Issei-013 asked. "I don´t care. As far as it comes to me, every dead Devil is a progress," he called out.
"You are the one who will die here little boy," Raiser replied. "Don´t mistake me for the weak Raiser from your world."
He send out a blast of fire, that Issei-013 however easily countered after activating his Balance Breaker.
Still, this version of Raiser seemed to be much stronger than the one he had met in the past. But so was he.
Before the two maniacs could do anything else and go fully against each other however, they were interrupted once again.
"Wait!" Kara suddenly called out. "You said that you were tracing the Guardian group? So they are your enemies?" she turned to Issei-013.
"Indeed they are," Kuroka stated.
"We are just planning an attack on them," Kara said. "Well - since we have a common enemy, maybe we could..."
"Work together?" Raiser finished her suggestion incredulous.
"I don´t work with Devils," Issei-013 said. "I just kill them."
"And I don´t work with arrogant little shits like you," Raiser responded.
"You can of course also continue to kill each other for no reason." Kara scoffed. "But you have to admit both of you are quite powerful and you would have a better chance to reach what you actually want."
She was looking in particular at Raiser as she said this.
"And you should remember that you have promised Lady Thenis that you would destroy that Guardian group," she pointed out. "She would clearly not be happy if you fail because you weakened yourself in a pointless fight before the attack even happened."
This statement caused Raiser to stand down.
"Lady Thenis? So the `mighty Devil´ is actually working for someone else?" Issei-013 remarked.
"We all are actually agents of the Dark Order," Kara stated.
This caused Issei-013 and the two others to freeze as well.
"The Dark Order?" he repeated.
"You mean the ancient enemies of the Guardians?" Kuroka said. Beings the even the Erebos were wary of, she thought.
"Yes. You said you want to kill Devils?" Kara said to them. "We have quite a few of them under our foes. If you still insist on fighting us however, you should know who you are dealing with."
"We will think about it," Kuroka said.
It didn´t take them long to make a decision.
They send a short message to Vali and the rest of their team and got a reply. It was the one she would have expected.
This opportunity was just too good after all. To rid them and their plans of a potentially dangerous obstacle.
Or maybe of two - if this Guardian group and this Devil Peerage here just happened to decimate each other.
But they should not ask for too much. For the moment she should be happy for a chance to easily get rid of this troublesom Guardian team that got in their way several times before.
That of course didn´t mean that they actually trusted these `allies´ - of course not. But for now they had a shared interest.
xxxxxxx
A short time later the two sides were assembled in the former ORC-clubroom inside Kuoh Academy.
"Now - how shall we start this little alliance?" Raiser questioned a bit sardonically. "Maybe we should demonstrate you our hospitality first?"
"Thanks - but I have already seen more than enough of the `hospitality´ of Devils," Issei-013 replied.
"Oh - I am sure you have only seen the bad parts so far," Raiser responded with a sly grin. "Especially if Rias was your host. And she is a poor example after all."
He said this with a side-glance to the two versions of Rias Gremory standing in the room with them. Neither showed any reaction.
One only looked insecure, the other completely apathic.
"I am sure we can reeducate you here," Raiser continued. "As a honored guest, I could even offer you the services of one of my Servants for the night."
"Any of them?" Issei-013 asked with a similar grin.
His eyes wandered to Yubelluna... and then to Ravel.
"Any," Raiser confirmed.
Issei-013 however only showed anger and disgust.
"I would rather kill any Devil than to have sex with it," he stated angrily.
Did he really mean that? Practically everyone in the room asked themselves. They all already had contact with at least one other version of Issei. And him downrigh rejecting beautiful women of any race just felt wrong for him.
Also, the Devils in the room certainly took offense in him referring to their race as `it´. Still - since Raiser said nothing, their as his Servants didn´t as well.
And...
Even Devil Hunter Kuroka frowned at Raiser´s offer. As much as she hated Devils, offering their Servants for sexual favors during the first meeting was certainly not normal custom for them.
The SHA officer Kara´s had similar thoughts. What exactly was Raiser doing? she asked silently. Offering even his Queen and his own sister? Had Raiser expected from Hyoudou´s earlier words that he would reject and was only playing mind games?
What kind of game was this?
"But if you truly want to give me something?" Issei-013 said. "I want them."
He pointed at the two Rias Gremories who were standing at the other side of the room.
"But not alive. If you let me kill them, then we have a deal."
He smiled.
One of the two Rias suddenly turned pale.
The other did not really seemed to react at all. She was just starring emptily into the room.
"Oh - and I thought we already had a deal," Raiser responded. "Isn´t this what your partners said?"
"You have a deal with the Devil Hunters," Issei-013 answered. "I am talking about one with me personally."
"I see. And otherwise it is possible that you might betray me? Is it this what you suggest?" Raiser questioned.
"I just say otherwise I might not care much if all your Servants make it back alive during the battle," Issei-013 stated.
"Hyoudou," Kuroka hissed.
"What? I have not said that I will kill them. Only that I will not feel obligated to help if someone else does."
Raiser admitted he was a bit surprised at his own reaction about this demand.
Why did he even hesitate? It was not as if he cared about Rias Gremory beyond as a tool for his own amusement.
xxxx
In fact he hated her.
Of course it had not always been like this. There had been a time when he had actually seen her as a worthy bride. He could barely believe how stupid he had been back then.
Until Thenis had shown him the scenes of his own defeat and humiliation by Issei Hyoudou on her behalf from another reality. Something that might have happened in his own world as well if she hadn´t interferred.
He came to see Rias Gremory for what she truly was - a spoiled worthless girl that only had her looks going for her. So passion for Rias Gremory quickly changed into passion for hurting her and destroying everything she stood and cared for.
And so he did.
Instead with the help of Thenis power, he had been able to destroy them all. For this at least he owed her.
But Raiser Phenex was nobody´s Servant. At least not in the long run, he thought to himself.
xxxx
So why was he reluctant to sacrifice them now? Did he just want to hurt them a little bit more?
Or had he grown attached in some twisted way?
He would soon have another Rias to play with anyway.
The two versions of the same red haired Devil were looking at them - one in fear, the other just apathic.
Maybe he had really gone too far with this one, Raiser thought. She did not even seemed to care anymore if she lived or died.
"You can have one of them," Raiser finally decided.
"Okay," Issei-013 ageed instantly. "On another thought..." he said.
He had seen Raiser´s short hesitation. But also the look of obvious contempt he had shown to the two red haired Devils.
"Why don´t you do it yourself? I will let you decide which one."
Raiser´s expression became unreadable as he looked at the two - the Rias Gremory of this world and right next to her the one of his own.
"Lord Raiser please..." one of them said. "h-have I not always done my best..." She hated being reduced to begging like that. But she knew this was serious... and it was not like she had any pride left anyway.
The other one staid silent. She was just looking at him with the same empty expression, seemingly accepting her fate.
Raiser made his choice.
He reached out to the silent one, the one from his own world, and grabbed her by the throat.
She was the one his entire quest had started with.
Memories of his time with her began to play in his head. From the moment he first met her to the moment he finally broke her. But it was time to let go of the past.
xxxx
Flashback - Raiser´s home-universe
Rias - the heiress of the Gremory Family and sister of the strongest Maou - could not believe what she had just seen.
During her suposed wedding-ceremony with Raiser, her Servant Issei had suddenly appeared and challenged him to a duel for her hand.
She knew this must have been a plan from her brother to get her out of the wedding.
But in the end it all came different when they all would have thought.
Raiser had won - and just killed Issei in cold blood. Her hand clenched a certain dagger she was carrying with her.
It was given to her by Raiser´s Queen Yubelluna just a short time earlier - a wedding-gift from Lord Raiser as she said. She even explained to her that the blade was poisoned. A protection from powerful enemies, as she said.
Rias had scoffed at this. In her mind the one she needed actual protection from was her supposed groom.
xxx
During the fight Raiser had the upper hand for most of the time, just like you would have expected.
Issei had gone so far to even sacrifice one of his arms to Ddraig to save her. He did that for her, Rias thought. And that after she had used and manipulated him more than once, a small part of her said to herself.
She could not help the warm feeling rising up inside her.
But now it all was meaningless. At one point when it looked like Issei was loosing, he suddenly threw a veil filled with water at Raiser.
It had to be holy-water, probably given to him by Sirzechs.
But then something happened that shocked everyone. Raiser used a weird power that nobody had ever seen before and the holy-water just passed through his body without actually touching him.
Then he used the chance to send out a pillar of fire at the surprised Issei that badly damaged his arm and his shoulder.
Issei was not longer able to fight. But Raiser just stepped forward, grabbed him and without any more gestures, casually broke Issei´s neck.
Rias could not believe it. And neither could she the anger that was suddenly rising up inside her.
But then everything around her seemed to be turning black.
xxx
As she came back to her senses, she realized that she was not longer standing at the same spot like before.
Then to her horror she noticed that her brother was kneeling next to her, with the same dagger she had been carrying embodied inside his chest.
"Rias?" Sirzechs said quietly, starring at her in shock and disbelief.
In the same moment a bizarre shadow like thing appeared before them, flowing out of her own body.
The she remembered. This thing had taken her over and controlled her, possessed her - it made her stab her own brother.
And to her even greater shock she saw that Yubelluna had, as it seemed, used the chance to stab Grayfia in the back with an identical dagger.
"Good work Phantom," Raiser - who was approaching them - said.
Everywhere around them chaos had broken out as Raiser´s Servants - along with several other powerful creature who had suddenly appeared among them - were suddenly attacking the other guests.
"It seems for once you were actually good for something Rias," Raiser told her cruely as he looked at the wounded and weakened Sirzechs.
He laid his hand on his forehead and something else happened what nobody would had expected.
Sirzech´s life-energy seemed to be flowing out of him and into Raiser. While Sirzech´s life was fading, Raiser´s power suddenly skyrocked.
At the same time Yubelluna was doing the same thing with the dieing Grayfia. Just like her Master´s, her power was increasing enormously.
A short time later it was all over.
Her brother, her parents, Grayfia and Akeno... they were all dead. Even Serafall and Falbion - they had been fought and teamed up on by a group of Raiser´s mysterious new allies and in the end even they were overwhelmed and killed.
It could not be.
She was still standing before Raiser, in her now blood-splattered wedding-dress.
"You see - my wife, my price - this is all your fault." He gestured to the carnage around them.
"If you had just stopped trying to use dirty tricks to cheat yourself out of our marriage, I would not had to accept the offer of my new allies and none of this would have happened. We could have lived happily. But you didn´t want this."
Unconsciously she stepped backwards, wanting nothing than to run away from the thing before her. If she tried, she could still sense the life-energy and even the souls of her family inside this abomination.
Her father and mother had attacked him enraged after what happened to Sirzechs. But they both had only been slaughtered and absorbed as well.
He grabbed her roughly with one arm and started to tear her dress apart with the other one.
A few moments later her large breasts were hanging free and be begann to rip up her dresses skirt with the other one.
"No!" she called out.
"Remember - this is our wedding day," he said.
He roughly bend her over the broken remains of one of the castle walls and held her face against the cold stone.
"I know this is not what you had imagined," he told her. "But you have to admit, it is somehow fitting."
This could not be happening, she told herself. All of this. This had to be a nightmare. Her mind only wanted to black out and pretend this all never happened.
She only started to scream again as he ripped off her panties and she felt him roughly pushing inside her.
xxx
From somewhere else, a certain Lord of the Dark Order had been following the events.
What is that fool doing? Thenis thought.
Ajuka Beelzebub was still alive and Raiser should, as it was their agreement, hunt him down and kill him like the other Satans and not be doing something like... that.
This battle was meant to crush the Devil Faction of that world and create a power imbalance that they could use for their plans. Instead they were now left with the job only half finished.
Faust and some of the others had warned her not to rely on this guy and not to give him that kind of power. Damn it.
xxxx
End Flashback - The present
And with a simple move he broke her neck. Quite similar how he had done it to their world´s Issei Hyoudou years ago.
Her body went limb in his arms and he let her corpse fall to the ground.
Putting her out of her mysery had been a mercy anyway, he thought. That was the reason he had chosen her. This version of her had suffered enough, even by his standards.
The second Rias tried not to show her horror.
"Are you satisfied?" Raiser asked Issei-013.
"Yes," he said.
"Then let us prepare our attack."
xxx
A short time later
The two Devil Hunters had just left
Raiser stared at the broken corpse before speaking
"Rias," he addressed the other one, who flinched upon hearing her name. "Come here"
Rias tried not to show her fear despite having just seen him kill a version of her, knowing that he probably just wanted her to please him.
`And if he didn't?´ a traitorious part of herself asked. What if he wanted to kill her too?
She slowly moved towards him. Nearly like a weak animal approaching a predator.
But then he did something that she would have never expected.
He softly laid his arms around her.
"You see - this is how things are under the Dark Order." Not that he was that much of a loyal follower anyway. "The weak and useless are dieing and left behind and the stronger ones move on."
"I - I will not disappoint you My Lord," she said.
She knew - if she ever disappointed him, if he ever got bored of her, if she stopped living up to expectations, she would end just like this too.
But if she pleased him, then she would get to live. If she maybe even managed to become someone different than the old Rias - a loyal helpful Servant - then maybe he would forget who she used to be and treat her better.
"Dispose of the body," he told her. "And when you see Akeno, tell her to come to my room."
"Yes - My Lord."
xxx
Right after this meeting Kara made contact and send her usual report to Lady Thenis.
The next had originally only scheduled for the next week. But after what just happened, she certainly had some important developments to report.
xxxxxxx
The next day - DxD Universe-01
The plan for their attack was simple - very simple.
From Raiser and his allies the Devil Hunters now knew which universe was the home of Issei-01 and his Guardian team. After they arrived, it didn´t take them long to make out the exact location of their base.
What they were planning was technically a simple surprise attack.
The Devil Hunter´s leader Vali had by now met with Raiser. And while he was not particular impressed by the obviously insane Devil as a person, he was for sure by his power and also recognized the chance to get rid of a dangerous enemy.
That Issei-01 and his group could be a real threat to their plans had they already more than proven during their last meetings.
And while their assault was on the surface a simple surprise attack, their advantage was that their opponents had no way of knowing that their two groups had teamed up. So they would not expect the second group of attackers suddenly appearing.
Raiser and his Peerage would be the ones starting the attack.
And so far it was going exactly as planned.
With their first move they assaulted the barrier surrounding the mansion Issei-01 and his team team lived in. This was not even really difficult to them, since the barrier was relatively low-leveled.
Raiser and his Servants had teleported right in front of the barrier... and shattered it one moment later.
His version of Yubelluna unleashed a barrage of explosions on it, that instantly brought it down.
Issei-01 and his team had of course noticed their arrival instantly and reacted as well.
Issei, Raynare, Rias, Irina, Xenovia, Kuroka, Kiba, their Raiser and Yubelluna and Gaeriel teleported outside to meet them.
"So it is you," Rias-01 said. "I had a feeling you would try something. Especially after finding that tracer from you."
"I see you have noticed," the dark version of Raiser commented. (The fact that he came from an universe that they did not know so far would probably make him Raiser-20 by the Guardian´s protocols.)
"You seem to be a particular smart version of yourself after all. You know - we have come just for you," he commented.
Technically that was a lie. They certainly had other reasons as well. But let them think he was just guided by his lust for the moment.
"You are agents of the Dark Order, aren´t you?" Gaeriel questioned.
"How about we take this outside the city?" Issei-01 asked.
"Sorry - we can not do that," Raiser-20 replied. "If you want to fight us and protect this humans at the same time - why should we give up such an advantage for us?"
"I understand," Issei replied. "And you will not lay a hand on Rias."
"You know, another version of you had told me the same thing a long time ago. He did not live much longer."
"I am not longer the same," Issei-01 answered.
"And I am not your usual Raiser Phenex."
Issei exchanged a short look with Raynare and Kuroka and prepared to raise up a new more powerful barrier around this entire area.
But before that happened, they just noticed another group teleporting in.
They could sense energies nearly identical to Issei´s own and Kuroka´s, as well as Vali Lucifer´s, Koneko´s and a few others. They instantly knew who it had to be.
"Issei," Raynare-01 said.
"I sense them," he replied.
"You have noticed our new friends as well," Raiser-20 stated.
The Devil Hunters. But How? Why?
Why in the world should a Devil Peerage working for the Dark Order cooperate with a team with the purpose to undermine and kill Devils?
(There is most likely one simple answer for this,) Ddraig said inside Issei-01´s head, (a common enemy.)
`Us,´ Issei stated.
(Yes.)
Whatever else - they realized that they were in big trouble.
Especially after Raiser-20 started to power up and they sensed the bizarre and terrifying power radiating from him.
They realized to their shock that great parts of this energy felt quite familiar to them.
Issei-01 and the others quickly errected that barrier. But given the power of their opponents, it was doubtful if it would be of any help at all.
xxxxxxx
Several minutes later
They were now standing several kilometers outside of Kuoh. Not because Raiser had suddenly changed his mind about taking the fight outside, but because Issei and his team had not even tried to confront them.
Instead they all - after unleashing a barrage of faux attacks as a distraction - instantly teleported outside the city, evacuating their base and tried to get as much distance between themselves and the attackers. Before sending out a call for help.
They all knew this combined group was too much even for them. So they were attempting to buy time until assistance arrived.
But it was also clear that they could only avoid these enemies for so long.
Issei, Raynare and Rias-01 were now confronted with the Devil Hunter´s Vali, Issei-013 and Raiser.
The rest of the members of their teams were scattered all over the surrounding area.
Here is finally the next chapter.