KingVessel: It is with the greatest pleasure that I announce... that this work has gained a TV Tropes page! It's not perfect but still a huge monument for me! Thanks a lot, my supporters!

Chapter 22: Fallen

"Nothing so far, today." Irina Shidou sighed as she and Issei Hyoudou found no trace of either Freed Sellzen or Kokabiel after two days.

"Damnit!" Issei cursed in annoyance as he punched the tree beside him hard enough to crack it.

Their groups had taken to their tasks with gusto, only to swiftly realize how realistically boring the entire ordeal became.

Then the ordeal turned from boring to alarming when the Fallen Angels of the Red Dragon Horde had all gone missing right at the first evening of their search, with none of their tracking spells working.

Right now, they had split into three groups: Motohama searching remotely from the Den by using a drone camera he had bought and modified to search from above, Xenovia leading the search at Kuoh's east side with Yuuto and Matsuda while Irina and Issei took the west side.

"I don't know why you care so much for that Fallen Angel, Ise-kun." Irina scoffed. "Didn't you say that she was essentially your slave?"

"Yeah... But she's still someone worth protecting...? Besides, I really wish I didn't have to make her my slave, but I did want to kill her back then. Asia was the one who talked me down." Issei replied, conflicted in how to actually put his relationship with Raynare in words. "And now with Kokabiel around, he might have discovered them here being prisoners to unaffiliated humans of all things... Thinking back on it, I might have been too harsh on her... Wait, what am I saying? She tried to kill me and Asia!"

Issei shook away his self disappointment... before immediately trying the tracking spell he'd put on Raynare again, clearly unable to restrain his worry.

Irina pouted, not liking that for some reason. "Aren't you acting quite worried for someone you're saying you hate?"

"I can't help it." Issei shrugged before a sudden thought occurred to him. "Maybe it's because she was my first girlfriend, even if for less than 24 hours."

"What?!" Irina gawked at Issei. Her childhood friend had already gotten a girlfriend (no matter how brief)?! The closest she'd ever let a boy get close to her due to her faith was after she'd already lost him to another girl?!

How could Issei be so far ahead of her?!

Irina moaned weakly, leaning against the walls with her hands desperately grabbing at the ceramic surface as heated water showed down over her.

Behind her, Issei gripped her breasts tightly as he pressed her flush against the wall, letting his shaft grind between her thighs torturously.

Irina focused on that word: Torture.

While Issei was keeping his promise in not going past the line she'd set, Irina should've known that her perverted friend would've happily abused the loopholes he could find. And now, he'd wasted no time in ravishing her in the bathroom, unleashing sinful pleasure that she would never be able to attain on her own with just masturbating.

"You're really stacked, you know?" Issei murmured as he gently nipped her ear. "That bodysuit of yours was deceiving in actually making your breasts smaller than they were."

"I... Ise..." Irina shuddered as his hand drew teasing circles on her inner thighs. "Aren't you... Ah~!"

Her words tapered off as he pinched one of her rock-hard nipples, causing her to unconsciously push her butt back against the hot stiffness she could now feel throbbing between her lower cheeks.

For a brief moment, she imagined him fully bending her over and rubbing the flat of his cock against her entrance, getting ready to take her virginity right there and then.

For some reason, Irina didn't find herself minding it as much as she should have.

Without warning, Irina instead found herself flat on the bathroom floor while Issei knelt between her spread eyes, his heated eyes fixed on her eager pussy. "W-Wait, Ise-"

"No." Issei promptly cut her off and leaned forward, lapping his strong tongue against her entrance, causing Irina lean back with a heavy groan. She shuddered as Issei's tongue pushed in deeper with each lick, his eyes fixed on hers until she finally relented and grabbed him by his hair, dragging him forward so that he could reach deeper.

"Forgive me, Lord, for I have sinned." Irina breathed, one of her hands leaving Issei's head to maul her own breast readily while her legs locked in Issei's head.

Issei himself showed little discomfort, grabbing both of her thighs as he practically dove his tongue as deep as he could, enjoying every sound he caused like a musician with a brand new instrument.

"Keep going, Ise-kun~!" Irina begged, beginning to rut her hips into Issei's face the longer he continued exploring her depths with his tongue. "S-Something's coming~! It's comiiiiiiiing~!"

Irina slapped herself in mortification at the memory. Other than some sole and very few silent 'explorations' with her fingers, Issei was the very first and strongest impression of sexual activity that Irina had ever experienced.

How would she ever be able to go through with Confession?!

(Especially as she remembered the feeling of disappointment she had tried to squash when Issei refused to go further than that with her, settling for rubbing out an orgasm and letting his throbbing shaft splatter it's hot load over her heaving breasts.

Irina had made him promise that he wouldn't go too far and he hadn't, so why couldn't she fight back this wave of lust she felt?!)

As if sensing her discontent, Issei turned to her with a teasing smirk. "Oh? Are you... actually jealous, Rin?"

*BAM!*

Irina huffed as she stalked ahead, leaving Issei hunched over as he tried to recover from the gut punch he'd gotten for his remark-

"Get down!"

-only to yelp as Issei suddenly tackled her to the ground, just in time to avoid an attack that cut two nearby trees down.

"What the hell?!" Issei looked around him in alarm, shuddering at the danger his Observation Haki had suddenly alerted him to. "Rin, is there any rogue Exorcist you with the ability to become invisible?"

"No..." Irina got to a combat pose, placing her back against Issei's as they surveyed their surroundings. "But there is {Excalibur Transparency} which allows both user and blade to become invisible!"

Issei stilled. "There's an {Excalibur}... that lets you go invisible...? Such misfortune...!"

Even as he wailed, Issei still dragged Irina out of the way of an attack that would've slashed off her legs, keeping her behind him as he could at least roughly sense the danger before him. "Rin, is there anything the sword can do beyond just invisibility? Because unless that's a really huge sword, something like a projectile was definitely used to cut the trees behind us."

"I only know the barest of {Excalibur Transparency}'s abilities." Irina grimaced at how useless she was being in this fight. "An {Excalibur} can only be used to it's fullest potential if it's user is capable and creative enough."

"So basically like a Sacred Gear wielder, huh?" Issei confirmed as {Boosted Gear} manifested. "Right. Rin, make a huge dome to cover this area. Regardless of how this goes, we're not letting them get away! I'll handle them since I can sense them whenever they move to attack."

[BOOST!]

"Okay!" Irina raised up {Excalibur Mimic: Katana}, transforming it into a net-like construct that glowed as it enlarged and encased the entire area in a dome-like structure. "I'll call Xenovia and the other-"

Irina flinched as her raised phone was promptly shattered while still in her hand.

"Well, I guess that our opponent's smart enough to not grant us the option of backup." Issei surmised as they readied themselves. "It's also not a stretch to imagine that the others are probably being attacked right now."

[BOOST!]

"...I can't fight another {Excalibur} wielder without my own." Irina admitted in worry. "How do I get through this?"

"I'll protect you, of course." Issei instantly replied. "Don't question the obvious, Rin."

[BOOST!]

With that said, Issei suddenly dashed to Irina's right, smashing his blazing fist against something invisible that rang out with a metallic *gong* and smirking when he saw the indent of two feet being dug into the earth. "Nice to know that I guessed right."

"H-How is he seeing them?!" Irina gawked as Issei clearly blocked a few more attacks he couldn't see and then retaliated with a flaming kick that smashed the invisible swordsman into a tree.

[BOOST!]

"[Red Dragon's Roar!]"

Issei's breath attack smashed through the tree immediately, incinerating it and many more in it's path.

However, Irina clearly saw something burst through the flames and into the air above Issei, smoke trailing after their hazy figure. "Above you!"

[BOOST!]

Issei instantly dodged away just as something carved a long gouge through the ground where he'd just been standing.

[BOOST!]

"I don't think so!" Issei leapt up to deliver a bicycle kick, smashing his Hardened boot against what felt like the swordsman's shoulder and sending them careening through a few more trees.

[BOOST!]

"The power of invisibility..." Issei huffed, his eyes shadowed from how serious he was at the moment. "The fact that there's something holy that possesses that particular power..."

Issei shook his head and glared at where he could still sense the {Excalibur} wielder. "It's just a hunch but... you've been using something other than just a sword that turns you invisible. Something that lets you create some kind of durable material and then shape it into any construct you like. Your own Sacred Gear, maybe?"

"What?!" Irina exclaimed in shock. "How come we didn't see it?!"

"Because of {Excalibur Transparency}... is most likely capable of turning their Sacred Gear invisible too." Issei revealed his theory. "If we assume that to be true, that must be why both her defenses and projectiles are invisible as well! They could even probably use it on any other weapon they might have on them!"

Irina gasped in shock. 'So that was why things kept getting destroyed from way beyond their possible reach! Is this {Excalibur Transparency}'s true trump card?!'

"You see... When I learnt about magic, there was something that instantly struck awe into my boyish heart... If I was capable of being able to become invisible myself..." Issei took a shuddering breath... before screaming in rage. "Do you realize how many chances I could've had in the girls' locker room?!"

"THAT'S YOUR TRUE DESIIIIIREEEEEE?!" Irina yelled out hysterically, completely dumbfounded.

Only a shift in the dirt was enough to alert Irina that the swordsman had moved, but Issei punched downward even faster than that.

"Screw you, your exorcist bastard!" Issei roared as he sent them slamming into the ground hard enough to crack it. "You're not going anywhere!"

Cracking his knuckles fervently, Issei stalked towards the still invisible Exorcist. "I don't even care anymore. We can let Kiba destroy this particular {Excalibur}. I'll keep increasing my stealth and peep the normal way as I used to."

"YOU'RE STILL GOING TO KEEP PEEEEEEEEPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING?!" Irina shouted.

With a strong leap, Issei slammed down on the Exorcist, swiftly straddling them and searching around for their arms so that he could disarm-

*grope*

Issei stilled as his hand touched something. Something round, soft and squeezable around the chest area.

*grope*

Just to be sure, Issei directed both hands to the area.

*grope*

*grope*

*grope*

*grope*

"RIN!" Issei turned to Irina swiftly, a strong look of shock on his face while his hands kept 'checking'. "This dude's a gal...! And a pretty stacked one, too!"

"THEN WHY ARE YOU STILL GROPING HER?!"

While contemplating the answer to that, Issei was left completely unprepared for the heel that sunk into his cheek and sent him flying off her.

Rolling with the hit, Issei came to a crouch only to gawk at the new attacker.

It wasn't Freed or another rogue priest or Exorcist.

It wasn't even Kokabiel himself.

"Raynare?!"

Raynare said nothing, grimacing as she was currently dressed in her Fallen Angel attire again. Without a word, she suddenly blitzed forward and stabbed a glowing magenta spear against Issei's hastily crossed arms, sparks flying off as the Light Spear grinded against his haki.

"Raynare?! What are you doing?!" Issei gritted his teeth as he tried to stand his ground. For some reason, Raynare was much more powerful than the last time he'd seen her.

[BOOST!]

Issei's slow backstep came to a stop as Ddraig doubled his strength and brought them to a stalemate. "Where did you go, Raynare?! What happened?!"

Raynare grimaced some more. "My boss happened. Sorry, between you and Kokabiel-sama, we both know who's really the stronger one."

"Ise-kun!" Stopping from wondering how Raynare had snuck past her {Excalibur Mimic: Barrier}, Irina called back her sword and tried to attack Raynare as well. "Get away from him!"

Raynare dodged the slash to her neck and backflipped until she was now beside the now visible but unconscious Exorcist, {Excalibur Transparency} having slipped from her hand. "Let's see if that durability of yours is still up to par."

And suddenly too many Light Spears were shot all at once towards the duo, with Issei instinctively blocking Irina from it while Boosting his defenses as swiftly as he could along with Armament Haki.

"Gah!" Blood spurted out through his gritted teeth, unfortunately splattering Irina's shocked face as five Light Spears buried themselves into his back while the others utterly demolished the area with the force of grenades packed in each one.

"Ise-kun!" Irina yelled in worry as he slumped into her arms.

"And with that, you're out of commission until Asia reaches you. Well, if she can reach you." Lifting the unconscious Exorcist over her shoulder, Raynare ignored Irina's gasp as six wings of black feathers burst from her back. "...say goodbye to Asia for me. Despite everything, it was a bit nice of her to treat me like a big sister after all the trouble I caused her... Ah, one last thing."

She turned back to look Issei in the eye. "I've learnt that the Vanishing Dragon has been active for some years now. Consider this info the last bit of friendship between us."

And with that, Issei weakly raised his hand towards Raynare's form as she lifted off and disappeared into the night.

Finally, Issei succumbed to unconsciousness, leaving Irina alone as she screamed in worry for her childhood friend.

When Issei woke up again, it was to the familiar sight of his room's ceiling. A brief pulse of Observation and the numb feelings of his arms confirmed that both Rias and Asia with him, with the former circulating her magical energy in her sleep to probably aid wherever Asia's {Twilight Healing} couldn't reach.

But for the first time ever, he didn't care about the two nude girls in his bed, his thoughts solely on Raynare.

[Ddraig... Does... Does it count as betrayal if one's genuinely sorry about it?]

[...sometimes. The reason it doesn't feel right with you is because you agreed with her a bit.] Ddraig's reliable voice thrummed reassuringly in his mind. [Between you and Kokabiel, Raynare chose the stronger side because she believed that she would be safer. Raynare has always been a person who valued her survival. The problem is that she didn't expect to get attached to you and Asia, and you didn't expect to get attached to her, either.]

[But I still...]

[Feel like you were the one to betray her? That is because you were- are the Rex of the Red Dragon Horde. An Emperor. How could she feel safe against Kokabiel if Raynare felt like the one who put her under his charge wasn't strong enough to actually protect her?]

Issei tried to fight back the heat he could feel burning in his eyes because Ddraig was right. He'd grown conceited after enjoying the fruits of Zelretch's training.

Raynare and her fellow Fallen Angels had just been unlucky enough to be weaker than him.

Freed, as insane and talented as he was, was the same until he'd gotten his hands on an Excalibur.

But against Kokabiel?

Albion's host who'd apparently been active for years already?

He'd undoubtedly die.

No wonder Raynare left. Probably the same for Kalawarner and Mittelt as well.

He still wasn't strong enough, yet.

Issei's amber eyes narrowed in determination as a soft growl escaped his lips. "That bitchy Fallen Angel..."

[So... what's your plan, partner?]

Gently sitting up so not to disturb his bedmates, he summoned {Boosted Gear} so that he could look at it speculatively. [Ddraig, how long do you think it'll take me to achieve Balance Breaker?]

[For a normal person, years. For you, I'd say a few more months at your current pace.] Ddraig tried and failed to keep back the rising excitement in his tone. [Do you disagree, partner?]

[Yeah. Kokabiel's a current issue that we all have to deal with as soon as possible.] Issei dismissed his Sacred Gear and cracked his knuckles menacingly. [I don't care if I have to solo every single one of the Strong World Bosses back in Merveille. I'm achieving Balance Breaker in two days maximum.]

She felt something was wrong.

She just couldn't figure out what.

Not even an hour after that Fallen Angel Mittelt had healed her wounds from her battle against the Red Dragon Emperor, she found herself between Freed's legs with his hands gripping her hair as he repeatedly shoved his cock down her throat.

Something was wrong about this and she just couldn't figure it out.

A little ways from them, Mittelt kept glaring at Freed while Raynare had tried to go to sleep.

But the Fallen Angel was awake, she could tell.

She didn't think that anybody could really go to sleep with Freed's groans and foul language in the room.

With a last groan, Freed held tightly onto each side of her head, holding her in place as he let out a few ropes onto her tongue and into her throat right before he pulled back with a smile.

She didn't react as Freed popped his cock out from between her lips and slapped it down onto her face for a moment. Just long enough for her to be able to feel him throb against her cheek before he continued to cum. Rope after rope of his thick and hot seed splattered into her hair, onto her face, and onto her exorcist outfit as he pulled back and stroked himself to completion in front of her.

However, she didn't say a word while Freed covered her in his cum, not even complaining when she looked down at her black outfit and noticed it being stained white with his cum. She simply looked up at him with no sense of outrage or embarrassment or even lust, causing him to look down at her and chuckle before slapping his cock against her face once again.

In the back of her mind, she wondered if she was supposed to like it or hate it that Father Valper had designated her to relieve Freed of his carnal urges whenever he felt like it.

Because she felt nothing at such an order, she knew something was wrong but didn't know what.

Even as she found herself bent over a desk as Freed hammered into her anew from behind, the lower half of her clothes removed, she still felt nothing from the acts.

Besides, Father Valper had been the one to take her innocence some years back, as a thirteenth birthday gift he said, and had continued to do so even when Freed had eagerly joined in sexually using her.

But still, she couldn't tell what was wrong about this, only that something was as she turned back to give Freed a feeble glare.

"Tch. She's coming to, again. Oi, one of you bitches go get Father Valper!"

Even as both Fallen Angels left the room, neither wanting to be near Freed longer than they needed to, he still hadn't slowed down his thrusting hips, slamming into her as quickly as she could while making sure to reach all the way to her womb with each and every thrust. Right up until the point where he reached his peak and blew his load inside of her. A low, blissful, and twisted grunt left him as he came inside of her. "I swear there's just something about your cunt that draws me in."

"She does have a rather delectable body, doesn't she?" Valper spoke as he entered the room. "However, do show some restraint. Ever since Kokabiel-sama granted her {Excalibur Transparency}, it's slowly been building a resistance in her against my hypnosis."

"Tch. So we're gonna have to scrap her at some point?" Freed scowled even as he pulled out his cock and rested it between her ass cheeks, letting the fluids on it spread over the reddened skin.

"Well, after I've fused the Excaliburs into one, we really aren't going to need her afterwards, were we?" Valper took off his vestment and started to pull down his lower clothes. "At best, I only saved her that night on a complete whim. After we take away her {Excalibur Transparency}, she will surely go back to normal."

She blinked idly as Valper's own erect cock was shoved against her face, causing her to inhale the musk before instinctually closing her lips over the shaft.

Suddenly she was filled with a strong surge of revulsion as the cock shoved past her lips and into her throat, with her unable to move on her own as Valper grabbed her hair and started to thrust his hips with savage want.

But just as suddenly, the hatred faded away as Valper placed a glyph against the back of her neck while muttering something.

She didn't know why she was letting this happen, but her pussy throbbed nevertheless as Freed thrusted back into her, and her thoughts simply stopped processing anything else.

Still, something was wrong.

And Tosca just didn't know what.

KingVessel: A Shoutout to Imperial-samaB's Fanfic "The LP Dragon Emperor" for reminding me of Tosca's existence.