Hmmm. sips tea then sees the reviews, making him spit it Fucking Hell guys! Ok, time to answer and clarify some shit.
SpartanKing J: I like your idea, but that would be WAY too broken here. Kinda defeats the purpose of the entire leveling concept.
ShadowStalker3424: Ima use this opportunity to answer both you and Hollow Seven; you see, the Party System is NEEDED, unfortunately, BUT it doesn't give the ones who join the same amount of benefits as the gamer. They only get, like, a 1 dollar version of it, which doesn't give the same type of benefits as Issei's, and which is more informative than anything. Also, I will state this now, the main reason it is needed is that the Party System will EVOLVE later on.
Frankieu: Yeah, there really weren't any other escape routes than the sewers. Thankfully, Akeno and Rias are too pristine to get into such a filthy place.
Sandford9687: Look man, as far as the Party system goes, I said it all already. Also, I think you misunderstood some stuff. 1. Issei doesn't have 2 Sacred Gears, only his Boosted Gear which can look like a Twice Critical when in its earlier stages of development, and 2. The Stray only stated that Issei cannot defeat it yet, which has a reason behind it. You see, Danbooru plays an important role in the overall scheme of things, but I will reveal this: He, along with others, are able to disguise their stats, which includes their levels and ranks. From all, you guys know he could be an S rank 100 level boss mofo, really.
Chris Ketchum: I will try not to leave any possible girl behind, but I cannot give Issei ALL the pussy out there just because he is the main character.
Jehu: Oh, she did. Thing is that Issei was not expecting to find a Stray like Kuroka so soon, let alone one so powerful. As you might have seen, Danbooru is even more powerful than Kuroka, who is stated in DxD to be able to face against High-Ranking Devils and such.
It was the very next morning after their first night out together, and the two lovers were currently in bed, the black cat cuddling close to her lover, sleeping soundly. Issei, for his part, was awake. It was around eight in the morning, and he woke up around 7. He was checking over his stats and EXP, the previous night has been very productive. They kept with the agreed strategy when they met any particularly strong Strays, getting them poisoned and incapacitated with Kuroka's poison, and then he simply came in and finish them off with one swift [Thrust] of his sword to ensure a quick end to their lives. The Strays they were finding now gave EXP anywhere from 0 to 2000, meaning he and Kuroka could end up sharing up to 1000 EXP each. Still, the math continued to have Solomon worried.
It was not going to be enough. Unless some big wave of Strays invaded Kuoh or higher-level ones show up, then even with their increased rate of progress they won't be able to gather all the necessary EXP in time. It was frustrating, really, but Ddraig mentioned the other source of possible EXP. The Quests. Granted, Issei did have only three actives at the moment, but once Ddraig mentioned them and Solomon brought up the question, they did receive a new quest.
Danbooru's Wisdom.
Main Objective: Listen to and rightfully spare 5 Strays who deserve to be spared.
Quest Time Limit: N/A
Main Objective Reward: 50K EXP
Failure Penalty: None.
So, he had to spare some Stray Devils, huh? Might be easier said than done, but the question was how he could find said Strays to spare. Regardless, Issei checked his progress next.
CURRENT GAMER:
Issei Hyoudou
Title:
Red Dragon Emperor
Level:
8 (3700/12800 EXP)
HP: 1700/1700 (1HP/Min)
STA: 1450/1450 (1STA/Min)
Mana: 1300/1300 (1 Mana/Min)
STR: 30
AGI: 24
MGI: 20
DUR: 51
ACC: 22
WIS: 49 (+20 from Ultimate/Unique Skill: Solomon)
INT: 29
CHA: 21
LCK: 15
SP: 15
Status effects: Lustful Desires.
The EXP was nice and all, but Solomon was right, they need to work harder. The clock was ticking. Alternatively, he had gained a few levels with sword-based Skills. Thanks to Kuroka incapacitating them, he only gave them a [Thrust] with the sword he took from that other Stray to kill them, making sure to strike a good spot to receive either a Critical or Fatal strike, which ended them quickly enough. Granted, he eventually ditched the blade as its durability was starting to become lower and lower.
[Swordsmanship - Novice] (Level 2| 100/800): This Skill shows your proficiency with a sword, allowing you to handle the bladed weapon according to the level of mastery of this Skill! No cost for this Skill. Currently, when using a Sword, you deal 2% more damage to your opponents.
[Thrust] (Level 2| 600/800): A simple movement and attack of your sword, used to thrust and impale your target with your sword or any other weapon which can use this skill. When performing a Thrust, if successful, you will receive a 5% damage bonus. This Skill has no cost.
No issues on that front.
"Mmmmm." Kuroka was cuddling quite close to him, and her breasts were as soft and beautiful as ever.
"This is life…"
"It has been used a lot…" Kiba, the young devil Issei had identified before with the use of his Observe Skill, muttered as he held the blade Issei discarded during the previous night. He was currently within a dimly lit room on the grounds of Kuoh Academy, and he was not alone. Beside the young blonde was also Koneko, also known as Shirone, but that is not all. Behind the desk, sitting in a chair and currently looking over them, was their King. Or rather said, Queen.
Her hair was of the brightest shade of crimson, reaching to her thighs and having a cowlick sticking from the top of her hair with her bangs loose and covering her forehead, with two strands framing her face. Her eyes were a contrasting color to her hair, being blue, and her overall figure was...buxom. Her assets were nothing if not mesmerizing, with her prominent chest sticking out. Her skin was pale, yet not sickly so, and one could tell she was quite the tall lady.
However, next to her stood another rare beauty, with a figure many would contest rivaled hers in all possible ways. The one next to her had a voluptuous figure with plentiful assets, arguably larger, but she had long black hair tied in a ponytail that reached to her legs, with two strands sloping backward and having an orange ribbon keeping it in place. Her eyes were of deep violet, and she was currently dressed in a simple attire consisting of a sweater and jeans, while the one in the chair was dressed in more loose clothing, being a simple shirt and pants.
"Koneko, can you identify the one who used it?" The crimson-haired woman asked, and Koneko did as asked, looking over the blade which Kiba has now set on the table in front of them, sniffing it. However, she shook her head.
"I do not feel any trace of energy on this blade, and the smell of the wielder is not obvious due to the blood on it." She said, then she went back to her seat, taking a chocolate bar and starting to eat it.
"However, we can confirm that this blade was used to kill the Strays we have been finding around," Kiba said. "Our mysterious assailant has been around for almost a month and all they have been doing is kill Stray devils, most likely at night."
"I and Akeno noticed a presence two nights ago in the sewers, but…" The crimson-haired one said, but then paused. "You can imagine why they got away."
"Quite the lucky one, aren't they?" The one named Akeno said, sounding somewhat interested in the individual. "However, last night was quite busy for them as we have found, and less messy."
"Indeed. Whoever they are, they have been perfecting their methods of killing from the looks of things. But something doesn't add up, this change is just too…"
"Sudden," Akeno said. "The first victim we saw was no one special, a mere pawn that was easily killed, but we found them on the further parts of Kuoh. That is where those murders have begun. However, over time they seem to have developed new means of fighting and killing. We even found some who appeared to have been hit by a strong projectile of sorts."
"But then they moved closer." The crimson-haired woman stated, getting up from her chair. "They are now hunting closer to this location - to Kuoh Academy. The latest victims showed little signs of resistance as well, but the last ones to show it was two Strays who were apparently killed together. However, if the timeline matches, that was also the night we nearly caught them."
"But Rias, back then we felt two presences," Akeno said, pointing out what they felt that night to the now named Rias. "One disappeared almost instantly as well, so how can we be sure which one was which?"
"It doesn't matter. What matters is locating this individual." Rias said. "So far we have had little luck in finding out their identity, even with this recent clue they left behind. However, it has become clear that we are dealing with a trained person, and someone who evolves and adapts quickly as well."
"What are you proposing, President?" Kiba asked, to which Rias replied simply.
"Our attempts to locate them have proved fruitless, but perhaps there is a way to bait them out? Predict their next target?" Rias said, leaning on her desk. "After all, they seem to be hunting Stray devils, so if we keep an eye on them, then we will likely find our culprit as well. Then, we can interrogate them and decide what to do from there."
"But how are we supposed to do that?" Kiba asked, feeling anxious about the plan. "There are many Strays we don't even know about and not a lot of us, meaning that the chances of encountering this person are pretty low as is."
"This is why we will need to split our forces," Rias replied.
"But President-"
"No buts, Kiba!" Rias said sternly to her knight. "I do not like it either, but this is our best shot at finding this person! I cannot allow some madman to run around in my town any longer, so tonight we will split ourselves, even use our familiars to get a wider range, find a relatively strong Stray devil, then tail them and hide. When this person reveals themselves, use your magic to contact everyone else and we will group up in order to take this person on, understood?"
"Y-yes, President," Kiba replied. "Sorry for speaking out of line."
"There is no need for apologies, Kiba. I know you are just worried about everyone's safety. Stray Devils are no walk in the park, after all." Rias replied, then she looked out through the window once again. "Let's just hope this individual is not a threat."
Issei and Kuroka spent their day as per usual, with Kuroka doing whatever she wanted around the house, including the food, and Issei studying. Once he was done with this arduous part of his quest he would start helping with the chores some more as well, but for now, he had to get this done and move on from it. He began to study at 12 in the afternoon, which was quite late, but he and Kuroka had spent a good amount of time cuddling in bed. Late nights mean late mornings.
As a result, they only had 8 hours to study before taking one hour to rest and then head out for the evening to hunt the Strays some more. As a result, Solomon had Issei study 2 hours into all remaining subjects, putting him close to the finish with this quest. Seriously, his brain felt like it was melting from the amount he had to study, and his INT stat was not going up from it. Not that it ever did. His INT likely needed him to pull some big-brained action to get it improved. Speaking of improving things, Issei has not checked in a small while, but his [Aura Suppression] almost leveled up!
[Aura Suppression] (Level 9| EXP: 102200/102400): This Skill enables the Gamer to hide their Aura and Power from other beings, making them seem like normal human beings for the most part. However, at its current level, the Skill is unable to fully hide the user's power from Devils, Angels, Fallen Angels, and other supernatural beings. However, they will still be unable to tell much except the fact the Gamer has a Sacred Gear, but not what kind of Gear. Youkai, unfortunately, are able to bypass this Skill entirely at its current level. This Skill has no cost. This Skill does not affect the bonus given by [Draconic Aura] to the Gamer's Relationship points.
At night, despite there not being many individuals, there are some people walking around the streets, not to mention he did take some breaks at times from studying to go shopping, so EXP was plentiful when it came to the presence of others to level this up. This was great, as this Skill reaching MAX level was one of the objectives for his Quest. He also wondered what will happen when it does reach the last level.
His [Observe] was doing good as well.
[Observe] (LVL: 6| EXP: 1200/12800): This Skill allows the Gamer to observe and see various bits of information about the ones they are observing. It works on both beings and objects. Cost 1 STA per use. Currently, at the Skill's current level, it can only reveal the Name, Race, Level, and HP of the beings observed and only the Name, Purpose, and Durability of Items.
However, that will have to wait. For now, as the clock struck nine in the evening, Kuroka and Issei left their home, making sure to choose some casual clothing to go out in. Since Issei no longer had the sword, they agreed to try and see if he could kill the devils using his [Wyvern Shot] as well quickly enough. They ventured deep into Kuoh once again, looking more like a simple couple to the population. Issei also took the chance to [Observe] as many people as possible, but he flinched slightly as they passed a certain person and he read what [Observe] said about them.
[Akeno Himejima]
[Level: 33 B]
[HP: 33000/33000]
[Reincarnated Devil/Fallen Angel (1 Queen of Gremory)]
"Akeno?! Fuck me sideways, this is the chick from the other night!" Issei swore internally, and Kuroka also picked up on him tensing up. However, glancing back at Akeno and following Issei's gaze, she understood the issue.
"Another one?" She asked. Kuroka was not worried about being found out, as her magic allowed her to hide well enough. Issei nodded as they kept walking not to attract attention through the street.
"The [Observe] Skill states she is the Queen of the Gremory peerage," Issei said, making Kuroka narrow her eyes in worry as well. The Queen was the most powerful piece, meaning that was the most powerful Reincarnated Devil in the peerage. It was reason to worry, yes, but the two of them continued on their road until Kuroka picked up the signature of another Stray, and the two began to head in its direction.
They were unaware of the small trap they were walking into.
Akeno remained hidden on the top of the roof, looking down at a Stray who had gone through their mutations. Their body resembled some strange mix between human and crocodile, but they certainly held onto their predatory instinct. She was required to make sure some people avoided this dangerous Stray, and she wondered if this was going to yield any results. She highly doubted they would actually find the culprit in this way, being as skeptical as Kiba was, however, her skepticism was proven wrong it seems.
She watched as a dark purple mist began to flow from the neighboring alley, reaching the Stray who turned to its source. She was not in a good angle to see who was there, nor could she risk moving now and being found out. However, the Stray was in an open field, meaning that the culprit was likely going to come out of hiding in order to take them out. She listened closely, hearing footsteps and making sure to keep her presence hidden, and, eventually, she saw a woman peek from the corner, but only slightly before she was dragged back. But she noticed something...Tails.
A Nekoshou. This had Akeno on guard, mainly because she knew this kind of Youkai were powerful, but as she listened a bit closer, trying to discern voices, the Stray spoke. "Y-you…" It said, trying to formulate a sentence, but the mist must have been poisonous. "I'll kill y-you two-" However, its sentence was cut short as a powered sphere of energy struck the Stray in the head, making them fall back a bit. Akeno flinched at the attack, making her summon the communication circle.
"Everyone, I found them! Come to my location, quickly!" She shouted, then she spread her wings. There was not one, but two culprits to those murders! The Stray was still alive, albeit barely, and Akeno tried to hover around to spot the ones responsible. However, the mist began to clear itself, and when she angled herself to look in the alley there was no one there. They hid, again, but this time they left a witness.
The Stray was breathing heavily, clearly affected by the mist still, but it was not long before a magical circle appeared on the ground close by, with Rias, Koneko, and Kiba appearing from it. "We came as quickly as we could!" Rias said, going to Akeno as she landed. "Where are they?"
"They somehow figured out I was around I think and ran, but not before striking the Stray," Akeno said, then she pointed at the Stray in question. "He has likely seen their faces. One of them, however, from what I was able to confirm, is a Youkai. A Nekoshou." Koneko perked up hearing that, starting to feel slightly nervous.
"An eyewitness is a great source of information," Kiba remarked, then Rias went to the downed Stray, looming over it.
"You, Stray, speak up!" Rias demanded it, the Stray looking at her while clearly dealing with some pain. "Who was it that attacked you now? What did they look like?"
The Stray took a few labored breaths, slowly piecing together that he was surrounded. However, he growled, not taking the presence of Rias lightly. "S-screw you, Gremory…"
"Oh? So you know who I am." Rias said as she stretched her wings. "Listen, I could care less about you, but I will grant you a quick death if you answer me. What did the attackers look like?"
The Stray was stubborn, foolishly so. However, he realized this was his end, so he might as well throw the ones who struck him now to the wolves. "I-I saw a boy and a girl, young…" He said, taking a deep breath and coughing. "The boy wore a hoodie, pulled it up pretty quickly...I-I think I saw something on his hand."
"A Sacred Gear?" Rias guessed, to which the Stray shrugged.
"Maybe, but he was pretty average in rest from what I saw, not really any visible special marks." The Stray said. "Didn't get to see much before I was blasted in the face! But the woman he was with? A Youkai."
"We know that, what else can you tell us about her?" Rias asked further, however, as the Stray tried to open their mouth and speak again, another one of the projectiles from earlier came out of seemingly nowhere and struck the Stray in the side of his head, this time taking them out for good. Rias and the others perked up immediately and looked up, seeing a figure standing atop one of the rooftops of the shop, using the shadows of the night as cover.
However, before they could catch the person, as Rias was the closest, she spotted the light from a spell before the roof became empty. "They escaped," Akeno said, narrowing her eyes before looking down at the Stray. Kiba kneeled down next to him, checking his vitals.
"He is dead. That last strike did them in." He remarked, however, Koneko was focused on feeling the leftover energies in the area.
"Youkai. Nekoshou. And Dragonic." She said, giving her report. "Two assailants."
"And one of them seems to have a Draconic Sacred Gear," Rias remarked as she went back to her peerage members, frustrated that the culprits slipped through their hands. "This is more than I anticipated. Two culprits and one is a rare Youkai as well. "
"Should we call in the Youkai Faction?" Kiba asked, but Rias shook her head.
"No, we will not contact them yet until we can be sure," she replied. "However, it seems like the plan worked if barely. They escaped, which is not ideal, but we made progress as far as identifying them goes. We confirmed this strategy can work, meaning we only need to repeat it."
"But what if the Strays attack someone?" Kiba asked, feeling the question needed to be asked. "Rias, our duty is to also protect the people in Kuoh, and leaving the Strays to their devices just to catch those individuals is-"
"I never said that!" Rias quickly said, clearing the misunderstanding. "We will maintain our duties. If the Strays in question are about to attack someone, you are allowed to take them out, but if our culprits are nearby you are to call for reinforcements, understood?"
"Yes, President," Kiba replied, along with the others.
"Good. For now, the amount of information we gathered from here is more than enough. We are looking for a pair, a male and a female, a Youkai and, most likely, a human with a Draconic Sacred Gear." Rias stated, then Koneko spoke up as well.
"The projectile didn't carry any traces of Senjutsu or Youjutsu. It was purely draconic as well." She stated.
"Oh my, and there goes the easy assumption of this person having a Twice Critical," Akeno remarked. "Whoever they might be, they must have a pretty mastery over their Gear in order to create such an attack! It took out the Stray in two clean shots!"
"Which is why I am also adding this; do not face them alone," Rias said, sternly so. "If you see them, call the reinforcements, but do not face them alone."
"FUCK ON A STICK, THAT WAS CLOSE!" Issei shouted as he and Kuroka were in the nearby park, the place being currently empty and void of any other person where he and Kuroka were currently recovering from the close call they had. Issei couldn't believe how lucky they were and how they nearly fell into a trap! To review the events that happened from their point of view, The two of them entered the alley and Kuroka deployed her mist to catch the Stray, nothing out of the ordinary there. But then issei received a notification from his [Aura Suppression] Skill, saying that it leveled up. He was using it, yes, to better sneak up on the Stray, but he had a feeling it was not the Stray that triggered it.
Someone was watching them. He grabbed Kuroka quickly before she exited the alley's entrance where they were at, since the Stray was in a more open area with little room to hide, and then he used a [Wyvern Shot] to strike the Stray, just so it didn't see them escape in case it was to be interrogated. He pulled up his hood quickly once the Stray saw them, but when they heard someone talk? They high-tailed it away, but Kuroka said she could hear the Devils talking to the Stray.
She was out of her disguise, so they needed to silence it, which led to them silently climbing on the nearby roof and shooting the Stray again with a well-aimed [Wyvern Shot] then teleport away with Kuroka, finding themselves in this park.
Kuroka was on the bench, along with Issei. "I should have been more careful and properly feel around for anyone else. Sorry, Issei." She said, thinking it was her fault they were almost caught by not paying enough attention to their surroundings. Issei's senses were not as powerful as hers, so she should have been able to sense that little devil.
"It isn't your fault, Kuroka," Issei said, comforting her. "They must have started actively hunting us."
"That does sound like the exact scenario, Ise," Solomon commented. "Our actions have attracted their attention, and now, they are hunting us. They are likely planning to use the Strays as bait in order to do so since they are aware those are what we have been hunting. This is bad. I was worried already regarding our rate at which we are gaining EXP, but if they interfere I am afraid we won't be able to make due for the quest."
"I agree. There has to be something we can do without them locating us! Come on! Can't we just locate some nests of Strays and slaughter them all to be done with this quest?"
Ddraig was more frustrated than anything about the whole situation, but Issei could understand him. This was already a bit difficult, but the addition of possibly walking into traps each time only made things more difficult. Damn it! Why did his quest have to be so difficult to grind for EXP? How is he supposed to get the necessary EXP if he has to keep avoiding the Gremory peerage?! Worst, what if the other Devil Peerage in Kuoh takes an interest as well? It would become nigh-impossible for him to get the needed EXP!
Issei sighed, rubbing his face with his palms and trying to think. Now he also had to avoid the Gremory peerage members somehow, which only made things more difficult. Granted, he did level up some stuff in the process.
Skilled Leveled up! Aura Suppression is not MAX Level! And, as a result, it has grown!
[Aura Suppression] (MAX LEVEL): This Skill enables the Gamer to hide their Aura and Power from other beings, making them seem like normal human beings for the most part. At its current level, the Skill is able to fully hide the user's power from Devils, Angels, Fallen Angels, and other supernatural beings, allowing the user to pass unnoticed. Currently, the Skill can prevent the listed beings from detecting the user entirely, and even conceal the power of their Sacred Gear completely. Youkai, unfortunately, are able to bypass this Skill entirely. This Skill has no cost. This Skill does not affect the bonus given by [Draconic Aura] to the Gamer's Relationship points.
Due to your outstanding shot, you have gained 1 ACC
Quest Update!
Stray Hunter & Secret Dragon
Main Objective: Level up and grow stronger by defeating Stray Devils around Kuoh! Reach level 15 before starting to attend Kuoh Academy!
Additional Objective: Your actions are bound to attract attention from unwanted parties, so you must remain hidden at all costs! Level up your Aura Suppression Skill to 10 and make sure to not blow your cover as the Red Dragon Emperor or attract the direct attention of either Rias Gremory or Sona Sitri! - Complete!
Quest Time Limit: 3 Months.
Main Objective Reward: 20 SP, Title: Stray Hunter, 20000 EXP
Additional Objective Reward: ?, 5000 EXP.
Failure Penalty: Possible death.
Do you wish to collect the Additional Reward of this Quest?
Y/N
Wait a minute, if he completed the additional objective of this Quest, doesn't that mean he can now forget about stealth altogether?!
Quest Acquired!
Stay Hidden!
Main Objective: Remain hidden from the likes of Rias Gremory until the beginning of Kuoh Academy! She, along with her peerage, cannot know about your identity at any cost!
Quest Time Limit: 3 Months.
Reward: 100K EXP.
God damn it…
"Well, Kuroka, I at least have some good news," Issei said, thinking he might as well tell Kuroka about the newly acquired quests. "[Aura Suppression] leveled up to max, meaning that the additional objective of the quest is done. However, the system gave us another one in which we must still remain hidden from Rias Gremory." And for good reason as well. He managed to [Observe] her back then.
[Rias Gremory.]
[Level: 50 A]
[HP: 157000/157000]
[Pure-blood Devil (House of Gremory)]
He didn't know her Stats, but with that level, he was not willing to find out.
"Well, if at least that objective is done, better claim the rewards for it, let's see if it was at least worth it," Kuroka said, sharing Issei's small displeasure with tonight's events and the system's apparent rotten sense of humor. With that in mind, Issei nodded and tapped on the 'Y' receiving the EXP and the mystery reward, which manifested in his hands in the form of a box.
"Is this it?" Issei asked, looking at the box. "This is the mystery reward?" He opened the box, looking inside and laying his eyes on the ring within. "Uh. A piece of equipment?" He wondered, then he used his [Observe] skill on it, revealing the details of it.
[EXP Boosting Ring]
[A special Ring which, while worn, grants the user a bonus when gaining EXP! While wearing this you gain an additional 12% EXP bonus!]
[Durability: N/A]
"Oh, system, I forgive you!" Issei said as he brought up his inventory tab, Kuroka looked confused as to why Issei reacted like that towards the Ring.
Equip slots - body (Equipment):
Head -
Torso -
Legs -
Hands (X2) -
Fingers (X9) - EXP Boosting Ring.
Equip slots - Other:
Main Weapon -
Secondary Weapon -
Sacred Gear: [Boosted Gear] (Longinus)
Money: 6300Y
10 INV Slots are free, no item stored.
"What is it? What is with this ring?" Kuroka asked.
"It gives me more EXP, Kuroka. It gives US more EXP!" Issei said, making Kuroka understand why this ring was nifty, but Solomon had some things to say.
"Actually, it gives YOU the EXP Issei. Only you receive the bonus." And this is why he was there, to point out little details like that. "Still, this item will come in handy as it offers us more EXP and is bound to even the scales as far as our grinding goes."
"At least there is SOME good news. Regardless, let us keep going and seek more Strays. I have doubts regarding the presence of the Gremory Peerage making itself known again tonight, but we cannot be too careful." Ddraig said.
"Nya! I will make sure to keep my guard up, see if I can sense any of them." She said, determined not to let themselves be found out again. With that done, the two of them began to walk out of the park, heading towards the alleys again since that is where it seemed that the Strays were mostly keeping to. They kept themselves out of the visible light, hiding as much as possible, and as such, they took to the alleyways for that.
It was nearly midnight, meaning they had two more hours before their hunting session finished, but as they roamed around the alleys Kuroka's senses picked up something else again. "A Stray, just up ahead." Issei nodded and they walked, eventually coming across the mentioned Stray...Although he was not very impressive.
[Stray Devil]
[Level: 10 D]
[HP: 3000/3000]
[Reincarnated Stray (1 Pawn)]
It was just a pawn, nothing more. And by the looks of things, they were not even that strong, so what were they doing in those parts? The man before them was not even properly mutated, his hand was just like some lizard's claw or something. "Hey," Issei said, making them look up from the ground and back down immediately in fear. "Tell me, did you run or kill your master?" Issei asked, remembering the words of Danbooru.
The Stray gulped, but they were confused as to why those people were not killing it. However, it then spoke. "I-I ran…" He said, slowly and stuttering. "I just- I couldn't take it anymore! The conditions were horrible, and- and...I just couldn't stand their abusive training and voice! My master is nothing but a control freak, so I ran! Please, be merciful! I only want to live my life in peace for as long as I may have, please be lenient!"
"Hmm. I do not think he is lying." Kuroka said, looking at them. "What do you say, darling?"
"I believe them…" Issei said, letting out a small sigh. Danbooru was right, some of those Strays ran away because of bad masters, and some wanted only a peaceful life away from everything. "But now we have another problem; namely the fact they will mutate further and lose their mind." The Stray flinched, remembering that detail as well.
"If I may, Ise," Solomon said, speaking in his mind. "Based on what Kuroka had told us before about Evil Pieces, I think it is possible to extract them."
"Did you go senile, Old Man?" Ddraig asked, "Doing that would kill this poor bastard."
"Ddraig, my old friend, as always, your vision ends with the facts presented before your eyes! Humans use magic based on mathematical calculations, and any other supernatural being is using it based on their imagination, which is how things work today, but I never used magic based on math!" This had Issei perk up hearing him, making sure to pay attention. "See; Feel; Free; a quote that I personally used to describe my own use of magic. Issei, I think it is worth it if you give this a shot."
"Are you sure? He's shit with magic."
"Hey!" Issei protested at the jab given by Ddraig. "Tell me what I have to do, Solomon!"
"That's the spirit! Now, listen to me, Ise."
Issei took a step back from the Stray, then he put his hand forth, summoning his Boosted Gear. The Stray was scared by the presence of the Sacred Gear, but then he looked below himself, seeing a strange magical circle being formed beneath him. It was not like any other he had seen before either! The magical circle he found himself in was black and red, with the black parts making up most of it as a circle was drawn with a hexagram inside and various dots between the star's tips. However, the red parts consisted of a second circle surrounding this one with various letters written in old Arabic in-between and a symbol resembling the head of a dragon in the center.
This was Issei's magical circle, his very own symbol. However, the boy was feeling the strain of using such magic, and even with Solomon's directions, it was no easy task. But the magic circle was completed. "Very good, Ise! Now, listen to me! You need to SEE what you want your magic to do! Visualization is very key here! Then, you must FEEL the magic - the Mana in the surrounding area and within yourself! The Mana in your body has to leak out and give commands to the one outside, and those commands are what you visualize! Now, lastly, you need to let go, to FREE the magic and let it do the rest!"
Issei did as instructed, and slowly, ever so slowly, he imagined the chess piece coming out of the Stray devil before him, floating gently towards him while keeping the poor man ALIVE. However, he felt something akin to a block, causing him a headache. He...He was not strong enough, his magic was not powerful enough! This is going to be risky, but Issei used his Sacred Gear, using [Boost] on himself. He felt the block give way, then slowly, he did another [Boost], followed by one last one after the cooldown was over and he felt no block being left.
"This is...Amazing." Kuroka commented next to him, but Issei had his eyes closed, unable to see what was happening so he could focus. Finally, he felt everything was in place, and so, he freed the magic, and opened his eyes, seeing the Stray glowing with a crimson glow. Issei watched with his mouth slightly agape as the Evil Piece, a mere Pawn, flew out of the man's chest and towards Issei, the boy picking it up.
The magic circle then vanished, leaving the man behind, but they noticed how their hand went back to normal. "I am…" He muttered, getting up and looking behind himself. "No wings...I am human again...I AM HUMAN AGAIN!" He shouted, then he turned to Issei. 'Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He said, bowing down on the ground.
Issei, however, had better days. He was wobbly on his feet and Kuroka had to hold him. "No problem. Now go, be free to live your life." He said, and the Stray nodded at him with tears of gratitude in their eyes before rushing off. With them gone, Issei collapsed in peace in Kuroka's arms. "I feel like I just ran a freaking marathon…"
"No wonder. Check your Mana!"
Mana: 300/1300 (1 Mana/Min)
That alone took 1000 Mana?! "That was expensive…" The math was not on point because he likely recover one mana point, but the cost of that spell must be 1000 or something-
And on cue, he heard the notification dings.
Skill Acquired! Thanks to Solomon teaching you a new way to cast magic and putting it into practice, you have earned the following skill.
[Evil Piece Extraction Spell] (Level 1| 98/400): Thanks to this skill/spell, you can now extract the Evil Pieces from Reincarnated Devils without killing them! The process returns the ones affected back to their original race, as well as undoing any side-effects from Stray Mutations. To cast, you must have the Stray remain within your magical circle and cast this spell, but it is not an instant process! The entire spell takes 10 full seconds to complete, and the spell CAN be interrupted. This Spell needs an MGI of 150 and 1000 Mana per piece to use.
That...That explains why he needed to boost. His current MGI was at 20, so the first boost put him at 40, then the second at 80, and the last one at 160. Issei looked at the new spell closely before closing the screen, looking back at Kuroka, who was looking at him a bit strange. "So, it worked…" She said slowly, and Issei caught on to what she was thinking.
"You...want me to use it on you as well?" Issei asked, and Kuroka helped him sit down on some nearby stairs to sit down. "Kuroka, I could use this to remove your Evil Pieces."
"I know…" She sighed. "Honestly, this whole System thing is already fucking up with the order of the world! If Ajuka Beelzebub or Azazel get wind of such a thing - a successful extraction without any side-effects - I fear to imagine what they might do to get their hands on such power."
"Wait, you are worried I might attract their attention because of this?" Issei asked.
"Of course! So far, you have shown things that are nothing short of miracles, nya!" She finished
"She has a point there," Solomon added, rubbing his beard in the Mindscape as he talked. "The system's power is great, and if others find out about it they might try to take it. As impossible as that is."
"I agree with Solomon. Despite Sacred Gears being extractable, the same cannot be said about this System. It seems locked tightly in place around you, partner." Ddraig said.
"So I take it this means we need to keep it a secret?" Issei asked.
"Nya, correct!" Kuroka said.
"One we must be tight-lipped about! No one can know, apart from those whom we can trust!" The Wise King said. Issei agreed with everyone about the subject, but Kuroka added that this should mark the end of their trip. Although early, Issei wasted too much Mana way too quickly, which clearly affected him. As a result, she teleported them home for the rest of the evening to go shower and prepare for bed.
However, compared to them, Rias and her Peerage were still outside, well after their departure. Issei's spell resulted in their cover being revealed, and the peerage members rushed to the location of the presence. Once they arrived, however, they were once again too late to do anything. "Damn it!" Rias said, frustrated.
"That energy from before matched the one from the projectiles. It was them, Rias." Koneko said, being their detector. "But now they are not here anymore."
"I swear, they are like slippery eels," Kiba said, being equally frustrated.
"Eels that hiss and then swim away," Akeno remarked. "That flare was nothing sort of a mockery on our inability to catch them if I were to guess. We never felt such an amount of magical power before from them, so they either fought something really big or-"
"Or they are mocking us," Rias said, completing the sentence. "First they kill Strays on my territory, have the audacity and boldness to attack Strays even with us near them, and now they willingly reveal their location and without a trace, they vanish. Mark my words…" A crimson aura manifested around her, making everyone be on guard. "When I find them, I will have answers for everything they have done. This humiliation will not stand!"
"Indeed," Kiba said. "Whoever they are, however, they are not stupid." He said, but then they noticed Koneko acting strange around a certain area, where the Stray was before and where Issei's magical circle also manifested. "Something the matter, Koneko?"
"Another presence." She said, tracing a hand over the ground. "Old, very old. Powerful." She focused a bit, trying to sense more, but somehow, it made her skin crawl, almost like an instinct. A devil instinct. "Something is not right."
"A possible third culprit?" Akeno guessed.
"If there are more, then this is going to be difficult," Rias commented, narrowing her eyes. "I will have a talk with Sona tomorrow, about employing the aid of her peerage as well in our search."
"With their numbers, we should have no issue covering a wider area," Kiba said. "If that is the case, then our chances of locating those mystery individuals have also gone up."
"Fufufu. Quite so. I cannot wait to meet the ones who have been doing so much trouble." Akeno said with a small laugh. "That Stray said we are looking for a pair; a boy and a girl. A boy and a Nekoshou, that is."
"Which is not a lot when it comes to helping us identify them," Kiba said, thinking for a bit. "What if we check around the area where the killings first started?"
"Why do you ask, Kiba?" Rias inquired.
"Well, as we know, teleportation magic requires magical power based on the distance between point A and B, but they have been using it quite a lot, so maybe they are living in town?" He suggested, making Rias humm a bit in thought.
"Possibly. However, it may be that they also moved in quite recently."
"Rias, dear, I hate to bring the bad news, but it's not like we have access to the town's registry." Akeno pointed out. "There is no way for us to easily find out the names of our targets unless we use more of a street-based approach."
"So your proposal is to go around the neighborhood and see what rumors we pick up?" Kiba asked.
"You all make good points, however, we do not have a lot of evidence as is," Rias said, putting up another issue. "Plus, who knows how many couples are living together that fit the description in Kuoh? The only one who could tell among us all is Koneko, and the task is not easy given the distance she must cover."
"I could go with her," Akeno said, volunteering. "I could use magic to teleport-"
"And alert the culprits?" Rias said, cutting her off. "Sorry, Akeno, but they also have a Youkai on their side. Not to mention they know our faces now, which further complicates things. We cannot hope to find them in the street during the day, meaning that our best bet remains the night when they go hunting. For now, though, it seems we scared them off."
"At least until tomorrow night," Kiba remarked, which was the bad truth in this situation. The group then teleported back to Kuoh Academy where their little base of operations was, but they were left unaware of a certain pair of ears listening to them. Koneko was so focused on the presence of the culprits that she completely missed them!
"They are looking for the kid who cured me?" The Stray Issei helped earlier said, beginning to sweat. "I-I have to repay him! I need to warn him about the increased numbers of the devils!" He said to himself, then he remembered the words of the devils. He actually knew the area they were talking about, that is where he came from! Without much thinking he began his road there, hoping to find his savior before them and warn him about the trap he was walking into.
Because if there was a chance, a slight one, he was going to help others like him, then he had to do it. Not just for himself, but for all other Strays who ran away seeking a better life.