Disclaimer: I don't own DxD
In a humid room with little to nothing light could get inside a sigh could be heard. How many times does he sighed was simply uncountable now. For years of being a prisoner that could get out anytime he wants. Those who put him inside the prison even aware that it was useless. But they believe that he would not do anything to try and escape from his punishment, true to their belief he decides to shut himself and accept his punishment.
"How many days now..." The man was simply isolated from the outside world. He was never talking to anyone outside his prison. There are no prison guards, only someone that delivers his food even then the person never responded to him when he tried talking to that person.
Thankfully he still had 'someone' that he could talk to or else he may have gone mad "Ddraig..."
[Are you going to ask me about days again, partner? The answer still the same you know.] Answered that 'someone' from the backhand of the man who now recognized as Issei.
Issei Hyoudou, the Heavenly Dragon of the Church.
He killed his own. His fellow believer with his own hands.
They should have executed him. Instead, they throw him in jail. A jail that he could escape from any time he wants. But knowing his own sins he decides to take all his punishment.
Maybe the Church didn't want to lose one of their most powerful warriors.
The Sinner.
That's what they called him now. And he doesn't have any intention to denied it.
He sighed, "Peace is really the best."
[Wait, what? not oppai?]
"After oppai." Issei corrected.
As those two talks, an earthquake shakes the underground prison.
"Hm, another one, huh. it's been happening a lot lately. It's already the..." Issei trailed off.
[More than twenty as far as I remember, partner.] Ddraig supplied his host the answer he was looking for. [At least for this week alone.]
Issei sweatdropped. "Didn't you said that you don't know how long we've been locked up here."
[It's just my blind assumption. Though I'm pretty sure it's not far from the right numbers.]
All of sudden the door of his cell blown open.
"What the fuu...!" He barely evaded the door that flew towards him.
A woman wearing a black skin-tight bodysuit that in her early twenties with a mix of white and black hair tied up with red eyes appears before him. with a closer look, he realizes that he knows this woman even when how much she has been grown and has her womanly appearance, his years of confinement never failed him to recognize her because of her unique appearance.
"Sempai, it's been a while." The woman said in a calm monotone voice.
"L-Lint?"
"Yes, and we don't have much time let's get out from here. The longer we stay the more dangerous outside it'll be more difficult for us to escape."
"What!? I'm free?! Didn't they sentenced me for life?!" Issei asked with a bewildered expression.
"Yes, you are free. A more detailed explanation's for later. Our priority to get to safety. The current situation is not favorable for us to hold a conversation." Lint said still with her flat tone.
"Here, senpai." Lint tossed a Japanese sword, a katana towards Issei as she turned to leave in haste.
Issei's eyes widen as he catches the katana, and start running after his junior. "This sword?! Impossible they managed to combine them back into one sword."
"You can tell, senpai?" Responded Lint. "Of course you can, what am I thinking. One of those swords once entrusted to you and report stated you could use all six which in the church protection."
"... well, yeah." The situation just getting more bizarre in his head, as much as he wanted to ask a lot of questions he needs to set them aside for now. One thing for sure he knows he could trust his kohai. But he always could ask for a second opinion right?
Ddraig.
[I'm just confused as you are, partner. Your sudden freedom, that sword, and lastly the thing that bothers me the most is...]
Organization. Issei supplied in his head.
[Correct. With her character like this, she definitely moves on someone's orders. She did mention the Church but, never once that girl mentioned that she is from the Church despite she wore that attire. Can't really let our guard down even she someone you know in the past.]
Don't you think we are being overly paranoid Ddraig?
[Can't be helped the Church known us as the greatest betrayer, partner.]
"..."
[And one more thing the I have a bad feeling whatever waiting for us-]
"... The world isn't the same anymore, huh." Issei Interrupted.
"We're here senpai." The red-eyed woman said stopping in her track.
They were still in the hallway Issei slightly confused was there a secret passage or something? Or she wants to create the secret exit herself.
"According to the underground prison map that I memorize this is where the closest with the surface," Lint explained.
So it was the later. She wants to create an exit herself. Maybe it wasn't possible to use the entrance anymore.
"You want to do this or..."
"I leave this to you, senpai. I'm almost empty after holding the invisibility for almost twelve hours with a little break several times." Lint answered.
Invisibility? Did she use...
"Very well. but, at least tell what kind of enemies waiting for us outside."
"... Monsters. A lot of them." Lint answered simply. "Cerberus, Chimera, Manticore, you named them, even Dragons. The mass-produced Evil Dragons."
"Evil Dragons, how much danger they pose for us?" As much he wanted to ask what did she meant by 'mass-produced' once again, he realized the time was not right. It going to be a long explanation for sure.
"The strongest could be around the Heavenly Dragon or even more."
"..."
[... that's quite bad news.]
Issei sighed. "Guess there is no other way." Issei takes a deep breath as he muttered. "Balance Break."
Without any grand transformation or anything, Issei enveloped by a red light that immediately changed into a red Dragon armor that covered his whole body the whole transformation was not even lasted for a second and it was such a quiet transformation that makes you think that his transformation occurs while you blink.
Truth to be told the mixed haired woman just blink and suddenly his senior already in his balance breaker state. That red armor with massive dragon wings and emerald glowing jewels scattered across the armor still as beautiful as she remembered.
Issei retracted the head part of his armor and said. "Lint, hold on to me."
Without an ounce of hesitation, Lint wrapped her arms around Issei's neck which makes Issei surprised for a moment since their face only inches apart now. he immediately regains his focus back and covers his face again. "Make sure to hold on tight."
Raise his hand left hand upwards a thick red energy blast shoot forward from his palm makes a huge hole on the ceiling. He makes sure to wrap his left hand around her hips and blast his jet thruster.
As they emerged from the ground into the outside world Issei couldn't hold his surprise as he saw the outside world.
The Vatican was no more or more precise there was no life anymore aside from those creatures that Lint mentioned before. Everything in ruins. As far as his eyes could see no building still standing.
Just ruins.
"They don't even bat an eye on us. Is this the Nightmare?" Asked Lint without even realized any change in her senior since he still in Balance Breaker.
Issei blinked, turned his gaze back to Lint.
"You can tell, huh, impressive. Just before I blasted the ceiling I cast wide range illusions beforehand so that at a distance five kilometers around us they won't see or hear anything amiss." Explained Issei.
Lint raised her eyebrows. "That far?"
"Didn't want to gamble if there is a smart one among those creatures. However, how much far I can spread the illusions it'll be useless against someone who could classify as senjutsu master." Issei explained. "What about you? I'm sure you used this sword power to reaches the prison since you said 'invisibility ' earlier." Issei asked.
"I've been using the Transparency on my way to the prison. That's why I know the difference. The Transparency won't hide any sound, and your jet thruster is quite noisy."
"Haha. Yeah." Issei chuckled.
They fly in silence without anyone said anything until Issei decides to break the ice.
"Lint."
There is a question he has been meaning to ask since they get out of the underground prison.
"Hm, what is it, senpai?"
"How long have I been in confinement?"
"... Seven years."
Seven years locked inside prison and he faced by a post-apocalyptic world... it definitely wasn't the Urashima Taro's scenario he expects, but, whoever behind his release desperate enough to free him from his life sentence.
1. Prologue – Seven Years
An.
There you have it.
Very short. Yeah, I know. I just need this to get out of my system, and out of the usual plot.
This is quite a dark fic you've been warned.
An AU.
I'll also be borrowing character from other works.
Lastly, those who don't know Urashima Taro, just Google that name.