I DON'T OWN HIGH SCHOOL DXD, IT BELONGS TO ITS RESPECTIVE OWNERS!
A/N: Wow. I wasn't expecting this type of response already. I post the first chapter and see a bunch of follows, favorites, views, and reviews.
Thank you to everyone who has read the first chapter and given me their thoughts and feedback. It's greatly appreciated!
A few people brought up the fact why Issei didn't go into DxD Mode to fight the Angels and Devils. That's because to access it, Issei needs to chant with Ophis and as you saw, Ophis wasn't present in the chapter. She won't be in any chapter for a while.
Besides that, I didn't want Issei to overpower everyone and win by boosting to an absurd degree. While he will obviously boost, I want him to use his wits and think like a strategist. Not having to rely solely on boosting to win.
It was also brought to my attention that the Angels have sinned and should've fallen. I completely forgot about it. Sorry about that... I will do my best to tie in the falling of the Angels as I go along. I want something to happen and it can't if the Angels fall too soon.
With that being said, let's move on to the fight!
[Ddraig Talking}
[Ddraig Talking To Issei]
|Fafnir Talking|
|Fafnir Talking To Asia|
Chapter 2: A Dragon's Wrath
["Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost!"]
Issei began to charge up for his first attack. With his fist cocked back, he quickly descended towards the group. He knew he couldn't take them all on at once. He needed to pick them off one by one.
Ddraig, sensing his thoughts, asked about it.
["What exactly are you planning to do, Issei?"]
Issei smirked behind his helmet and responded.
"Watch this Ddraig, you're gonna love this…"
Ddraig sighed, knowing he wouldn't get anything more out of him. He sat in silence, seeing what Issei would do.
By this point, Issei had closed the distance enough to execute his strategy. With his confidence and power brimming, he launched his first attack.
The Maou, Seraphs, Irina, Rias, and her peerage stood at the ready as Issei continued to boost his power.
Sirzechs eyed Issei carefully, trying to predict what he's going to do first. He watched as he came closer and closer to them with his fist still pulled back.
Believing that Issei is going to attempt a head on attack, he voiced his prediction to the others.
"He's trying to deal with us using brute force! Me and the other leaders will block him! The rest of you, be ready to counterattack!"
With no time to waste, the group got in their respective positions, ready to clash with the Dragon. However, he did something completely different.
["Dragon Shot!"]
Issei threw his fist forward right before he reached his targets, firing his Dragon Shot in the process.
The group widened their eyes, not anticipating this move from Issei. Reacting quickly, Ajuka used his power to deflect the attack to the ground, resulting in a huge dust explosion.
They all sighed in relief, thinking they dodged an attack.
Unbeknownst to them, this was all part of Issei's plan.
"Welsh Sonic Boost Knight!"
["Change Star Sonic!"]
With those words, Issei unleashed immense speed causing a shockwave of air to be released, clearing the dust away in the process.
"More, I need more! Armor Purge!"
["Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost!"]
Shedding off his excess armor, Issei's speed increased even more as he circled around his enemies.
By the time dust had cleared, Issei was nowhere to be seen.
Everyone was having a difficult time keeping an eye on him. Even the leaders could only somewhat keep track of him.
Suddenly, the attack came. His first target was his former brother: Kiba.
"Ascalon!"
["Blade!"]
Drawing Ascalon, Issei brought his arm up, preparing to slash Kiba.
"Kiba! Look out! Behind you!"
Xenovia screamed at Kiba to turn around, which he did in a flash to just barely block the first attack.
The two then engaged in a fast and incredible clash, neither giving up ground. Even with Issei's speed as a Knight, Kiba's superior swordsmanship allowed him to keep up with immense difficulty. However, Kiba knew he couldn't do so for long.
Kiba broke the stalemate by jumping back to get some distance, but Issei was already on top of him once again.
Issei swung his sword to Kiba again at an alarming speed. Having no time to dodge, Kiba brought up The Sword of Betrayer just in time to block the attack. However, he quickly found himself being overpowered in brute strength. He knew he couldn't bring out Gram yet. It was too early. If he were to do so, he'd tire himself out in the long run and Issei would undoubtedly take advantage of that. Using it as an opportunity to finish him off.
'Too… too strong. I must break this off and put some distance between us! If I can use Sword Birth he'll have to back away, giving me some breathing room!'
Before Kiba initiated his plan Issei surprisingly pulled his sword away, disengaging the sword lock. The sudden action caused Kiba to lose his balance as a result. Using this chance, Issei threw his other hand at Kiba's face to quickly temporarily blind him.
"Agh! Dammit!"
With Kiba stunned, Issei raised his sword up to bifurcate him until he heard a voice from behind.
"You bastard! I won't let you!"
Xenovia approached from behind, with Durandal in hand, ready to confront her former friend.
With no time to finish off Kiba, Issei opted instead to side kick him as hard as he could in the ribs.
"-COUGH-!"
Kiba spat out blood as he torpedoed away from his original position, tumbling across the ground in the process.
With Kiba taken care of for now, Issei turned around in time to deal with Xenovia who was already on top of him. His reflexes kicking in, Issei brought his sword up to block the incoming attack.
Both the Ascalon and Durandal users struggled to get leverage over the other. Xenovia did her best to overpower Issei and make him fall to knees, but he simply wouldn't budge.
"How dare you attack Kiba! You shall feel the full force of my Durandal!"
While Xenovia had Issei pinned down, Koneko took the opportunity to rush Issei from behind to deliver a powerful blow to the back of his head.
Seeing this, the wielder of Durandal pressed further in her attack to ensure Koneko could land hers.
Knowing he couldn't take a blow from the Nekomata, Issei got on one knee letting Xenovia lean in even more until he pushed her up into the air momentarily. He then pushed her behind him causing her to lose her balance and fall. She skidded across the ground face first, coming to a halt near Koneko.
Although worried for friend, Koneko still went through with her plan to attack Issei. She covered her fist with ki and drew it back, prepared to strike. She knew Issei would take a lot of damage from her in his Knight form.
Alas, her plan didn't succeed.
"Mode change! Welsh Dragonic Rook!"
["Change Solid Impact!"]
Sheathing Ascalon, Issei's armor shifted from having barely any armor, to having thickened armor all over his body. His arms and legs gained an increased amount of armor as well giving him an intimidating look.
Bringing one of his arms up, Issei planted himself in the ground as Koneko collided with him. The sound of her ki coated punch hitting his armor reverberated throughout the battlefield.
To say Koneko was surprised would be an understatement, she was shocked to the core. She stayed there, motionless for a second.
Unfortunately for her, that's all Issei needed.
"You'll have to do better than that," Issei coldy stated as he cocked his other fist back and threw it forward.
["Solid Impact!"]
Jets of flames spewed out of the back of the massive gauntlet as the attack hit Koneko directly in the chest.
The Nekomata's eyes widened as pain coursed through her body. Her defense as a Rook did little to dull the torment. She was sent flying backwards, barreling towards Xenovia.
Xenovia started to recover from Issei's assault. As she got on her feet, she heard wind whistling behind her. Turning her head only to see Koneko slam right into her knocking them both down.
Issei made a grunting noise beneath his helmet, as if approving of his handiwork. He started to advance towards them until he saw a lightning bolt and halo race towards his position.
Not having the speed to dodge due to being a Rook, Issei took the brunt of the attack, slightly burning his armor.
Issei looked up to the sky to see Akeno and Irina, levitating in the sky with their aura emanating.
"Ufufufu, looks like the big, bad Dragon got hit. What's the matter? Are you going to cry?"
Akeno spoke in a mocking tone, hoping to draw a reaction out of Issei.
Issei however, didn't lash out. Keeping his eyes fixated on the Angel and Fallen Angel, he spoke.
"It's going to take a lot more than that to take me down Akeno. You should know better."
While she didn't show it, the tone of Issei's voice sent shivers up the hybrid's spine. His whole demeanour had changed, making him appear more serious.
"Oh dear me! My former comrade had lost his way. Please God, I know you're no longer with us! But please, let his soul be saved and put him on the right path!"
Irina clasped her hands together, preaching to Heaven, blabbing along. Issei shut her out, finding her voice annoying.
But another voice rang out that caught his attention.
"Elemental Magic: Full Burst!"
Behind the two Angels on the ground, Rossweisse summoned her most powerful move. Several dozens of magic circles came to fruition, getting ready to send forth a flurry of magic towards Issei.
Acting fast, Issei changed modes once again.
"Mode change! Welsh Blaster Bishop!"
["Change Fang Blast!"]
Doing away with his excess armor, Issei stood tall as two long cannons materialized on his back.
"Go, Dragon Blaster!"
["Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost,Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost!"]
Both the Dragon and Valkyrie charged up their attacks until…
""FIRE!""
Both shouted as their attacks launched, heading towards each other at immense speeds.
In no time at all, the attacks collided, each struggling for dominance over the other. Waves of energy were sent flying in every direction imaginable, destroying the battlefield.
Both were evenly matched until another attack came into the picture.
"Destruction."
A beam of Destruction was fired and merged with Rossweisse's, giving it the extra power it needed to overwhelm the Dragon.
There was no time to move as Issei's beam was overwhelmed and soon he too was engulfed in the attack.
The fallout was devastating as a mushroom cloud enveloped the sky. When the dust cleared, to everyone's slight shock, Issei was still standing. His armor had a few cracks along the chest and helmet which were already being repaired by Ddraig.
Looking back over to where Rossweisse was standing, he saw Rias with an expressionless look on her face.
Gasper stood behind her, shivering in fear with his hands clutched on her back.
Soon the rest of Rias' peerage stood at her side. Along with Irina, Maou, and Seraphs.
The Dragon and Devil stood there in silence for a few moments until one of them broke the silence.
"You will pay tenfold for laying your filthy Dragon hands on my servants, Issei," Rias solemnly said. "My next attack will end you. I'll make sure of it…"
Issei scoffed at her statement.
"With how little control and technique you have over your powers, I'm surprised that such a sloppy attack from an amateur like you hit me Rias."
Rias snapped, "How dare you speak to me, the heir of the Gremory Household that way! Apologize now!"
Issei sighed, sick of hearing the redhead's bullshit.
"You're so damn egotistical. It's amazing that you made it this far and made people willing to be your servants. But I wouldn't be surprised if you forced them all into a life of slavery to come at your beck and call."
Sirzechs stepped forward, his eyes glowing a foreboding crimson.
"Don't you dare talk about my sister that way Issei or I will make sure your death is slow and agonizing."
Michael joined in along with Gabriel at his side.
"I'll be sure to find the most Dragon effective weapon I can find and plunge it deep into your heart."
Michael kept on his kind and soft expression but it didn't give off either of those vibes. As if it was just a facade to fool people into thinking he was someone he's not.
Gabriel just stood there silently, with a neutral look on her face. She wanted to say something, but the words were caught in her throat.
Micheal saw this, but didn't comment on it. He made a mental note to ask her about her unusual behavior when they return to Heaven.
Serafall added on.
"When he's done with you, I'll encase you in ice for the rest of eternity. Put you on display in the center of Lilith for all to see.
Serafall smiled after saying that. Not her normal, innocent, pure smile. A smile of an insane person.
Lastly, Ajuka stepped forth to give his piece.
"I'll be sure to extract your Evil Pieces and give them back to Rias as well. She deserves a Pawn worth far more than you'll ever be."
Issei stayed silent for a moment until he started to chuckle to himself.
"Damn, the Angels and Devils are truly fucked up aren't they?"
"And you can't keep your mouth shut," Ajuka retorted.
"We've bickered long enough!" Sirzechs exclaimed. His voice boomed across the battlefield with his aura enhancing it.
"I'd rather finish this quickly, Issei, so I'm going to give you one more chance," Sirzechs ominously said.
"You can either submit to defeat and I will make your death quick and painless or you can draw out this pointless fight and I will ensure your death will not be a gentle one…"
Issei didn't reply. Instead, he threw his fist into the air.
Everyone tensed up, thinking he was going to boost as a sign of retaliation. What he did instead pissed them all off even more.
Issei raised his middle finger, flipping them off and finally replied.
"I will NEVER submit to you Angel and Devil scum!"
With his opponents flabbergasted, he took the opportunity to commune with his one, true friend.
"Ddraig, this is it. This battle is going to take everything we have. All of our training has led us to this moment... Are you ready?"
He already knew what his Dragon friend's answer was going to be. But he wanted to hear him say it.
After what felt like a century of waiting, The Dragon of Domination responded.
["Always... Partner."]
Issei smirked, "Alright, let's do this!"
"Promotion to Queen!"
Issei's aura exploded, becoming so thick and dense, the Angels and Devils found it hard to breathe and see.
["Welsh Dragon!"]
The armor transformation started at his legs.
["Cardinal…"]
The chest and arms.
["Crimson…"]
Then the helmet.
["Promotion!"]
Lastly, two giant wings sprouted from his back.
When the Angel and Devil's vision cleared up they were almost in awe of what they saw.
Issei's armor had completely changed. Instead of being red in color, it sported crimson as did the aura. The gems on the gauntlets and chest have changed from green to a vibrantly shining pink. The wings were now made out of pure energy as particles slowly fell to the ground, glowing like shimmering lights.
The Crimson Dragon's aura was still swirling wildly around him. Taking deep breaths in and out, his aura started to condense around his figure until it only outlined his body.
Issei slowly raised his armored head, his gem-like eyes flashing a pink light. He looked towards Rias and Sirzechs and spoke.
"Ironic, isn't it? Crimson is the color of the Gremory Household. It's the color you both first saw in your lives. And now, now it will be your last!"
Issei took another deep breath in as he prepared to attack.
Realizing what he was about to do, Serafall informed the rest of the group.
"He's about to breathe fire! Gather around me. I can block his attack with my ice magic!"
Heeding her words, they huddled around Leviathan, who brought forth the strongest defense magic she had.
She quickly summoned a thick ice dome around her allies. She also sprung up several ice walls between the dome and Issei, hoping that they would help weaken the attack. She turned to her friends, urgently speaking.
"Use your magic to reinforce my own, it will make it harder for that lizard to make it through!"
Within a second, layers upon layers of magic were added atop the ice walls and dome, fortifying their defenses even further.
Wasting no more time, Issei let his breath go, the fire along with it.
"ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRR!"
Torrents of crimson flames spilled from Issei's mouth, speeding towards their destination. The fire laid waste to the already barren wasteland that was the battlefield. The surrounding area was scorched from the sweltering heat of the fire as it rocketed past. Breaking through each of the ice walls with ease, the flames came closer to the ice wall until…
The Angels and Devils were dismayed. When the flames left Issei's mouth, the group were surprised by the power behind the attack. The Dragon's flames tore through the ice walls as if they were nothing but paper.
In no time, the raging inferno had made contact with the ice dome. Even being encased in Serafall's ice, which was said to be one of the coldest wielded by any supernatural being, the searing flames still caused them to sweat profusely. However, to everyone's shock and relief the dome withstood smoldering heat.
For not long though.
The flames grew in intensity, resulting in a small, but visible crack appearing in the epicenter of the attack.
Serafall's eyes widened as she saw this. There were very few people who could crack her ice magic. Only the Maou, Seraphs, and Azazel were on that list. Even fewer had broken through her ice.
Issei was about to add himself to that list as the crack spread further and further.
Serafall shrieked, "MOVE! GET OUT OF THE WA-!"
But it was too late.
The crack spread across the rest of the dome like a virus until the entire dome collapsed. With nothing left in the way, the blaze barreled towards its targets.
The scorching blaze engulfed everyone, proceeding to burn them alive. Some of the group, like the leaders, were able to deal the attack better. Possessing greater resistance, they were able to only by slightly burnt from the onslaught. The rest of the group did their best to protect themselves from the fire with their magic, but the flames were unbearably hot. While the magic did mitigate the pain, the group felt no different in the heat of the moment.
Finally, after a while, the flames started to subside to reveal to the group still standing albeit barely.
Their breathing was ragged and irregular. All their clothes were tattered from Issei's flames.
Gasping for air, Rias spoke.
"If you think these measly flames will stop us, you got another thing coming!"
Although her pride didn't let her admit it, Rias' body was inflamed to the touch, being the most burnt of all her comrades. Almost all of her body was burnt as shown with her apparent pink skin. Her skin was also extremely sensitive to everything. Even the light wind blowing passed her gave the princess slight pain. Desperate to get rid of the pain, she turned to her Bishop to heal her.
"Asia, could you please heal me using your Balance Breaker? I'm sure it will make me feel better in no time."
Nodding her head, Asia closed her eyes and attempted to summon her Balance Breaker.
"Balance Break!"
Asia's entire body started to go as her golden armor slowly started to appear on her body. But after a few seconds it suddenly stopped.
Asia stammered, "Wha- What? What's happening?"
Before she could inquire further, the armor of her Balance Breaker vanished. It's particles dissolve as they travel into the air.
Shaking her head, Asia tried again only for her Balance Breaker failing to summon again.
Rias' soft voice started to falter when the pain abruptly got worse. She asked Asia once again in a more demanding tone.
"Asia… use your Balance Breaker to heal me!"
"I- I can't Rias! My Balance Breaker won't activate!"
"How is that possible?" Kiba asked, still recovering from Issei's earlier assault.
"Perhaps try contacting Fafnir," Ajuka suggested, "he may be able to discern the reason behind this problem."
"Okay," Asia replied, "I'll give it a try. Give me a few moments."
Akeno placed her hand on Asia's shoulder and gave a comforting smile.
"Don't worry. We'll defend you while you figure out the source of the problem.
"Thank you, Akeno."
Asia closed her eyes once again to communicate with her familiar while the rest of the group stayed on guard in case Issei tried something.
Asia opened her eyes and was greeted with darkness in every direction. Not wasting a second, she called out to the Golden Dragon King.
"Fafnir! Come out, I need your help!"
The former nun waited, but no response came. Asia tried again, this time a little bit louder.
"I know you can hear me, Fafnir! We need to speak. It's urgent!"
Once again, silence was all Asia could hear.
"Could you for once-!"
She was interrupted by the appearance of golden flames illuminating the dark mindscape. The flames surrounded her as they burned brightly, spiraling towards the sky making golden pillars. As she looked into the sky, Asia saw what looked to be a bright golden meteor descending swiftly towards her.
The meteor crashed in the center of the pillars not too far from Asia. The blazing rock suddenly split in half with golden flames pouring out.
In the middle of the fire, a mighty dragon several meters tall emerged with golden scales all over his body. His piercing violet eyes were almost like amethysts as they shined radiantly. He had the appearance of a Western Dragon with a large horn at the tip of his nose. Although the Dragon didn't have wings he still looked very imposing and intimidating. He's the Gigantis Dragon, The Golden Monarch, The Dragon King: Fafnir.
Fafnir looked down, his violet eyes sharpening when he saw his 'Master'. Fury and disgust was written all over his face as Asia stepped forward.
"Finally! You came Fafnir. What took you so long?"
The Dragon didn't speak a word as Asia pressed further.
"What's wrong Fafnir? Why aren't you speaking to me? I need your help-"
|"What makes you think I will help you, Asia?"|
Taken aback by Fafnir's abruptive and rude behavior, voiced her concern to him.
"What do you mean by why I think you'll help me? You're my familiar! Familiars are loyal to their masters and help them in moments of need! My Balance Breaker isn't working and I'm not sure what the issue is. Beelzebub suggested that I speak with you in hopes that you might have the answer and possibly know how to fix it."
Fafnir scoffed.
|"Are you so reliant on others that you can't figure things out for yourself? Balance Breakers usually are never defective. There are two things that make them become such. If the user is not ready to wield it or if another force is actively disabling that person from summoning it."|
"So that means… Issei is somehow blocking access to my Balance Breaker."
The Dragon King sighed, almost amazed by the girl's stupidity.
|"No you foolish girl. While Issei is powerful, he does not have the ability to block off other people's access to their Sacred Gears or Balance Breakers."|
Asia's eyes widened as the realization dawned on her.
"So, you mean to say that…"
|"Yes, I'm the one who is cutting off your access to Twilight Saint Affection."|
Hearing Fafnir confirming that he was indeed the cause of her malfunctioning Balance Breaker, Asia balled her fist, vehemently speaking to The Golden Dragon.
"WHY?! Why would you do such a thing?! In the middle of a battle no less! Rias and the rest need my healing abilities. We've all been severely burnt and my Twilight Healing isn't going to be able to heal us in time before Issei's next onslaught!"
|"You know exactly why I'm not aiding you in this battle Asia. Issei has done NOTHING to deserve this and you know it to be true…"|
"No, that isn't true! He-"
|"You can deny it all you want, but deep down you know that what you're doing is wrong. You and your little entourage of Devils and Angels started this huge fight with him, completely destroying the relationship you had with him for what? Your pride as Devils? Issei is one of the greatest Dragons I've ever had the privilege of meeting. Meanwhile, you, on the other hand, deemed his personality and friendship worthless like the ungrateful bitch you are!"|
Asia's voice started to falter, her conviction getting weaker.
"N- No I-"
|"You may be able to resist it for now, but one day in the future you'll look back at this moment, regretting what you've done. Once that realization hits you, you'll weep, harder than you ever had in your life. You'll wonder what could have been if you Devils and Angels never betrayed him in the first place. Or at the very least! If they decided to go through with this egregious act, you could've stood by Issei's side and supported him, telling the others that they're wrong to do this! But no. Instead of speaking out against it, you kept your mouth shut and didn't make so much as a peep. When that day comes that the realization hits you, you'll want to fix this. You'll want to go back and change the atrocious deed you've committed. Alas, the deed will already have been set and stone. There won't be anything you can do expect berate yourself on your own idiotic choices."|
Somehow finding her voice after Fafnir's monologue, Asia spoke to the Dragon with evident anger in her voice.
"No! You're the one who's wrong! We're doing the right thing by putting Issei into the dirt! I won't break and cry about Issei! There are far better people out there that could offer me far more than that lowly, filthy Dragon EVER could!"
Lowering his voice, but no less angered by his 'Master's' words, Fafnir replied.
|"Oh you'll break. They always do…"|
Fed up with the Dragon King, Asia turned around to leave her familiar, but not before having the final say.
"Fine! I don't need your help anyways! Me and the others will deal with this on our own! I'll make sure you get a punishment after we're finished here…"
Asia summoned a magic circle to bring her out of her mindscape. Half of her body had already dissipated when Fafnir spoke one last time.
|"Heh… I'd love to see you try, witch."|
Hearing him say such an insulting statement, Asia snapped her head around, with rage in her eyes. However, before she could say anything, the magic circle had taken her out of her mindscape, leaving Fafnir alone.
Looking towards the endless abyss below him, Fafnir mumbled to himself.
|"Issei, I've done all I can to help you and Ddraig. The rest is up to you…"|
With those final words, Fafnir closed his eyes as golden flames consumed him. When the inferno cleared, Fafnir was nowhere to be seen.
Asia opened her eyes to see the group still standing on guard, defending her from the Dragon not far from their current position.
Noticing Asia was done talking to The Golden Dragon Monarch, Akeno got everyone's attention.
"Everyone! Asia's back!"
The group turned to quickly glance at Asia, not wanting to take their eyes off their opponent for too long. They were surprised that she was already done talking with Fafnir. But what surprised them even more was the expression on her face.
The Bishop's face was contorted, looking nothing like her innocent self. Her face had a mixture, anger, confusion, sadness, and dread written all over it.
Time passes much slower in one's mindscape than in the real world. As a result, Akeno's hand was still resting upon Asia's shoulder. Seeing her friend make such a face, the hybrid gave a comforting squeeze.
"Asia, what's wrong? Why are you making that face?"
Asia didn't respond, let alone move. Her eyes blankly stared forward as her brain attempted to process what happened in her mind.
Seeing how Asia was in a shocked state, Rossweisse walked up to her, looking deep into Asia's emerald eyes.
"Asia, are you okay? What did Fafnir tell you? Did he know the cause of the problem?"
Asia muttered something under her breath. Even with the Angels and Devils supernatural hearing, they barely heard her.
"Huh? What did you say Asia?" Xenovia asked, "We hardly heard you."
Asia spoke a little louder. This time, everyone heard her.
"Fafnir… Fafnir is the one who is restricting my access to my Balance Breaker."
"What?" Koneko asked, "Why would he do that?"
Asia responded, "He said that what we're doing is wrong and that he refuses to help me when Issei had done nothing wrong."
A deafening silence occurred for the next few seconds until an outburst emerged.
"WHAT! WHY? I need your powers so I can get back in this fight! Why can't you force him to summon your Balance Breaker?!"
Rias snapped once again, causing her to receive a wave of confused faces. They could understand if her anger was towards Fafnir not helping them, but it wasn't. Rias was pinning the blame on Asia. Blaming her for something that ultimately, she had no control over. The only one who didn't react negatively to Rias' outburst was Sirzechs who stepped in before things got any worse.
"Rias," Irina gently said, "This isn't Asia's fault, Fafnir is acting on his own accord. This is out of her hands. You shouldn't get mad with her."
Asia stammered, "Ri- Rias I didn't mean to-"
"Now now you two," Sirzechs calmly said, placing a hand on both their shoulders.
"This isn't anyone's fault beside that accursed Dragon. We will ensure that he's dealt with later. Right now, we have a much more imminent threat…"
The entire group turned their heads to Issei who had still yet to move. He remained like a statue not doing anything.
"I agree with Sirzechs," Michael voiced, "our main priority should be the Red Dragon. Once he's taken care of, we can deal with Fafnir."
Ajuka and Serfall spoke in agreement with Lucifer and the Seraph knowing that this needed to be rectified immediately.
However, once again, Gabriel only nodded her head to what her peers were saying. She kept her lips sealed. Unable to utter a single word.
Micheal caught her in the act again. This time he was positively sure that something was wrong. He'll have to talk about that with her later.
Everyone else nodded their heads including Rias reluctantly, understanding the more pressing issue at hand.
["Super Sonic Booster!"]
All of them turned their attention back to where Issei was standing, who seemed to vanish. Suddenly as quickly as he disappeared, he appeared in front of them as if teleporting to their location.
While Issei wasn't active physically, he was mentally as the group continued to bicker about something. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he honestly didn't give two shits. He was just grateful that this gave him time to formulate a better plan.
"Hmmm, Sirzechs and the other leaders are going to cause major problems if they fight with Rias and the others."
["Do you have any idea on what we could do to stop that from happening? If we allow the Maou and Seraphs to join the battle, it would vastly lower your chances of survival. Let alone victory."]
"Ddraig, do you think you could materialize an isolation barrier and maintain it? I could easily blast the Maou and Seraphs out the radius of the barrier with a surprise attack. That would leave me to deal with Rias, her peerage, and Irina. Once I deal with them, I can move on to Sirzechs and the rest."
Ddraig couldn't help but marvel at Issei actually using his head for knew that this would make Issei a much more formidable opponent in combat. The Dragon of Domination obviously didn't like the means in which this new attitude was achieved, but he is proud of how much Issei has grown as a person nonetheless. Despite being angered, confused, and most of all heartbroken, he didn't let that affect his train of thought. He kept a level, cool head, thinking and acting rationally. Ddraig knew that after this battle, his partner would probably weep and he was prepared to support him when that time comes. But right now, there was no time to feel sorry for themselves, it was time to fight.
["Yeah, I can definitely do that. I can hold the barrier so long as you don't take significant damage. In which case, I would have to stop diverting your aura to the barrier and use it to protect your body from further damage. But outside intervention from the Maou and Seraphs can expedite the process as well, giving you less time to deal with the first group. It can happen at any moment, so be prepared."]
Issei nodded in understanding.
"Alright… Let's do this."
["Super Sonic Booster!"]
In an instant, a shockwave is produced that is so powerful, it breaks the ground beneath it. A massive crater was left in his wake, as Issei was already on top of his former comrades.
Everything stopped, time froze as the Angels and Devils turned to see Issei was less than three meters away from them. They got so worked up and absorbed into the conversation about Fafnir that they didn't pay enough to the main target. No one said a single word until a certain redhead princess spoke up.
"WHAT THE FU-!"
Issei brought his wings up, arching them back as much as he could. He then let thrusted his wings forward, causing a massive wave filled with draconic energy to appear. Directing the attack toward the Maou and Seraphs, it caught them off guard, resulting in them being flung back.
"Wha- What is this?!"
"Sirzechs! I can't!
"Damn that Dragon, hold tight Gabriel!"
"Of course, brother."
"Everyone! HOLD ON!"
Ajuka, Serafall, Micheal, Gabriel, and Sirzechs catapulted through the air landing far from Rias, her peerage, and Irina.
"BROTHER!"
Rias screeched in fear as she saw her brother hit ground, slightly disorienting the Red Satan. She turned to Issei with such hate and fury in her eyes that death itself would fear her.
"You damn Dragon! You will PAY for that!"
The other members of her peerage and Irina shared similar sentiments. Looking at Issei with more disgust and anger than thought possible.
Issei didn't even bother listening to his former master or look at the contorted faces of his ex-comrades. He proceeded to execute his plan to divide and conquer.
"NOW DDRAIG!"
["Barrier!"]
With those words chanted, a gigantic isolation barrier erected into the sky. The barrier possessed a dark red color with little transparency. The barrier was quick to seal off any intruders, leaving Issei with her…
The Maou and Seraphs had already recovered from the shockwave. When the leaders looked up they saw the barrier being formed. Reacting quickly, Sirzechs tried to get into the barrier before it closed. However, he came up short, hitting the barrier. Punching the barrier in frustration, Sirzechs pulled his hand away when he discovered that the barrier was scorching hot.
"Damn it all! When get my hands on you Issei… You don't even want to know."
The other Maou and Seraphs approached Lucifer with the intent to observe the barrier.
"A barrier," Serafall stated, "Ajuka do you know what kind of it is?"
Turning towards said Maou, Beelzebub took a few more steps closer to the barrier. He raised his hand to hover over it as if to feel its energy. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on the thought. After a few seconds of doing this, he retracted his hand to share his wisdom.
"It's an isolation barrier, fueled by Issei's draconic aura. That would certainly explain why the barrier burnt Sirzechs' hand."
Glancing at Sirzechs' charred hand, Ajuka continued.
"Destruction of the barrier through physical means won't be possible. We'll have to use our magic to break through. Though, I'm not sure how long that will take."
"It can't be too long,'' Serafall exclaimed, "Rias and the others need our help!"
"Indeed. They are powerful," Micheal stated, "but I'm not sure how long they'd last against an enraged Dragon. The Red Dragon Emperor at that."
"Well? What are we waiting for?"
Everyone turned to Sirzechs, who spoke in an irritated tone.
"Let's crack this barrier open so I can rip that Dragon's head off…"
Rias, her peerage, and Irina were stunned by the sight in front of them. Issei summoned a barrier strong enough to keep out the current leaders of the Angels and Devils.
"He trapped us!"
Kiba gritted his teeth in frustration staring at his former brother.
Asia was next to speak, "Can the Maou and the Seraphs not break through?"
"It would seem so," Rias said, seeming to have calmed down from her frenzy-like state.
"We have no choice, we'll have to hold him off until my brother and the others can reach us."
"We're going to fight him?!"
Gasper squeaked, as he shook in fear. He didn't even want to be here in the first place. He was forced to come by his master, who wanted to use his Forbidden Balor View. He just wanted to climb into a box and hide there forever.
Seeing this, Xenovia approached the Dhampir and gave him a hug.
"Don't worry Gasper, we will protect you from any and all attacks."
The others nodded their heads in agreement to Xenovia. The sight calmed Gasper's nerves, making him feel slightly better.
"O- Ok, I trust you guys…"
Summoning her Sacred Gear, Asia sent pulses of healing energy to her allies.
"It's not much, Asia started, "but it's the best I can do."
"It'll do," Rias shortly said, "thank you Asia."
Having calmed down their young Dhampir and healed up, the group turned to face Issei who was still in Cardinal Crimson Promotion. They were about to engage when he said something unexpected.
"You know, there was a time where I loved you all more than anything. To get to know all of you on a more personal level. To tell you that you are never alone in anything. That was my greatest wish… If only I had known what manipulating assholes you would all turn out to be."
The statement of Issei previously treasuring them above all else ignited even stronger feelings to end this pitiful excuse of a Red Dragon Emperor. But another feeling rose within Rias that she wasn't expecting.
Deciding to go with the flow, Rias spoke.
"Maybe if we were stronger, things would've been so much different."
Rias spoke in a soft and gentle tone. It wasn't the fake one she had used recently. It was her genuine emotions coming to fruition, causing a slight twinge of happiness within Issei. He knew that this wouldn't last long and she would go back to her usual self. But knowing deep down she would miss the times they had brought a small, almost invisible smile on his face.
"Yeah, maybe."
Deciding to give him one last chance for mercy, Rias offered him a deal.
"Ise, this fight can end now. If you surrender, we will end your life swiftly and painlessly."
Issei looked at the princess through his draconic helmet, making a short sighing noise.
"You know I can't do that…"
"I know Issei, I know."
After the short heart to heart, Rias sighed herself before an insane smile broke across her face.
"Then we will have no choice, but to TAKE YOU DOWN!"
Turning to her peerage and Irina, Rias spoke once more.
"You all know the plan! Let's bring this Dragon to his knees!"
Wasting no time, everyone moved into formation.
Kiba and Xenovia were the first to move. Kiba shoved his sword into the ground to call his greatest weapon.
"Time to go all out…"
Doing away with the Sword of Betrayer, Kiba reached forward, summoning forth the most powerful Demon Sword: Gram. As the Knight picked it up, he noticed Gram was harder to wield than usual and wondered what caused it. Shaking his head, he remained focused on the battle at hand. Nodding towards Xenovia. She summoned her second sword.
"Come forth, Excalibur!"
Calling its name, Excalibur appeared in her left hand letting her dual wield both Durandal and Excalibur.
The two quickly started approaching Issei on opposite flanks.
Koneko and Rossweisse were next. As Rooks, they knew they belonged in the forefront. Taking the majority of the hits while the others dished out retribution.
Koneko released her full Nekomata form, going so far as to using Shirone Mode. White ears and twin tails sprouted from the head and lower back respectively. Her height and bust increased as well, making her look very similar to her sister Kuroka. Rossweisse brought forth her Valkyrie armor, which is said to be made from the strongest steel in Asgard. Both Rooks charged the Dragon with their ki and magic ready.
Akeno and Irina prepared to support from the rear with their expertise of lightning and holy magic.
Lastly, Rias, Gasper, and Asia stood as back up should the need arise.
With their Knight speed, Kiba and Xenovia were going to reach Issei first so he drew his own sword.
"Ascalon!"
["Blade!"]
Drawing Ascalon once again, he raised it to block both Kiba and Xenovia. Both unleashing a flurry of sword strikes.
"Try taking us both on at once Issei," Xenovia said in a cocky tone. "We'll slice you into ribbons!"
While Xenovia spoke in a smartass tone, Kiba on the other hand didn't. His movements were sloppy, the momentum he used was more than usual. Seeing this Issei knew Gram was taking a toll on him, but it surprised him how soon. Nevertheless, he knew if he could just stall them, Kiba would exhaust himself.
"Let's even the odds a little bit shall we?"
Pushing both sword users off with ease, Issei locked Xenovia's arm, giving him the chance to knock Excalibur out of her grasp. He then proceeded to drive his knee into her stomach with such force, it bursted several blood vessels within her.
"-GASP-!"
The dual wielder didn't even have time to react to the pain as the attack sent her skywards. Travelling higher and higher into the sky until she plummeted towards the ground. She moved so fast no one could catch her in time as she impacted the ground, knocking her out.
With Xenovia out of the picture for now, Issei focused his efforts on Kiba who was having trouble keeping up.
"I… won't be bested… by the likes of you," Kiba panted out. "I refuse to submit!"
'Damn it! Why is this happening?! I'm losing control over Gram! At this rate, I'll be killed!"
Akeno and Irina, seeing his decreasing performance, tried to get him some cover fire. But the two were still moving too fast. Not to mention they could hit Kiba by mistake.
With little to no support, Kiba's movements became slower and slower until Issei saw an opening. Right before he took the opportunity, he said something that froze Kiba in his tracks.
"We were brothers once…"
Issei kicked the unclaimed Excalibur up into his other hand. In one swift motion, he slashed Kiba directly over the chest, flipping over him, and slashed his back, causing Kiba to scream in agony.
"AGGGGHHHHHH!"
"I'm not done yet…"
Firmly gripping Ascalon, Issei drove Ascalon through Kiba's stomach and out his front.
Kiba quickly lost all his strength after that. His consciousness faded as his entire world started going dark. Weakly turning his head to face Issei, he mumbled his last words.
"Issei, I-"
Before he could utter the words, Issei pulled Ascalon out. Blood spewed out of the gaping hole as Kiba collapsed to the ground, dropping Gram in the process.
Everyone was in complete shock, no one could believe what they just saw Issei do.
"Kiba…" Rias said quietly.
"Kiba, n- no," Asia whimpered.
"Is Ki- Kiba okay?" Gasper was shivering so much and was on the brink of crying. It was a miracle he hadn't already.
"Rias!" Asia screamed, "We need to get in there and save Kiba! I may not be able to access my Balance Breaker, but I can still use my Sacred Ge-"
"No."
"What," Asia said perplexed, "What do you mean?! Kiba is DYING out there! We need to help him!"
Glaring at Asia, Rias spoke.
"I said no, Asia. If we were to go out there, Issei would get to us in a heartbeat. We will only engage in an emergency."
Asia retorted, "This IS an emergen-!"
Asia stopped talking when her master gave her a foreboding glaring. Not wanting to invoke the princess' wrath, Asia kept her mouth shut. She turned her attention towards the battle that's about to take place between Issei and the Rooks. She hoped this fight would end so she could get to Kiba as quickly as possible.
"NOOOO KIBAAAA!"
Koneko shrieked in fear with more emotion in her voice than ever before in her life. There laid Kiba, in a pool of blood. Turning to Issei, she continued on her furious rampage.
"YOU BASTARD!"
In a fit of rage, Koneko summoned as many flaming wheels as she could, sending them hurling towards Issei.
"KIBA! You'll pay for this Issei! Do you hear me?!"
Summoning all the magic she could, Rossweisse sent towards the Dragon as fast as she could.
"Hmph."
Throwing Excalibur away and sheathing Ascalon once more, Issei ignited the jets on his back, propelling himself towards Koneko and the approaching Rossweisse.
Holding his hand out in front of him, Issei summoned a forcefield to absorb the power of the flames and elemental attacks as he closed in on the two Rooks.
["Solid Impact Booster!"]
On instinct, Issei and Koneko raised their fists, as they came into contact with each other. A powerful shock wave formed from the Dragon and Nekomata's brute force, destroying the ground below them, making another crater.
The brawl that ensued was filled with swift and powerful punches and kicks. Koneko's rage fueled her attacks, enabling her to keep up with Issei.
"I won't let you leave here alive Issei! I'll beat you into a bloody pulp!"
Dodging her attack, Issei countered by sending a left hook right into her jaw. Following up with a retort.
"Shut the hell up. You didn't give a rat's ass about anyone but yourself for the longest time. Why would you start caring now?"
Koneko flared her nostrils at that statement. Who does this Dragon think he's talking to?! She would show him. She WILL show what happens when you disrespected her.
"I'LL SHOW YO-!"
Suddenly another fighter came into the scene. Jumping over Koneko, she cocked her fist back covered with several different elements.
Having no time to counter or dodge, Issei brought his arms up to protect his face. The punch threw him back several meters making him lose his balance. He quickly corrected himself by planting one of hands into the ground and backflipping to his feet.
"Don't listen to him Koneko, he's trying to rile you up."
Standing tall in her Valkyrie armor, Rossweisse stood next to Koneko, her silver hair flowing gently in the breeze. She looked at the Dragon with an indifferent look on her face. While her Nekomata friend calmed down, she spoke.
"Well? Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"
Heavily blowing air out his nose, Issei responded.
"There's nothing left to be said Rossweisse. The only talking left will come from my fists."
Rossweisse sighed, "I was going to convince the Maou that you should be kept as a prisoner of war, but they were right. You're completely out of control."
["Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost!'']
"Better off dead than giving in to the likes of you," Issei countered.
Abruptly ending the conversation, the Dragon and two Rooks resumed their skirmish. Teaming up on Issei, they were able to get a few punches off. However, Issei withstood the attacks and countered with his own.
As they fought, Koneko misplaced her foot while trying to axe kick her opponent. Placing it on the uneven ground, causing her to slip and lose her balance.
Seeing this, Issei grabbed her by the leg, hanging her upside down. Koneko tried to free herself by attempting to punch Issei, but to no avail. Using the Nekomata as a ragdoll, Issei swung her repeatedly at Rossweisse, who was having trouble fighting back without hitting her ally.
Soon the swings came harder and faster. Koneko struggled even more to break free, but with all her blood rushing to her head she was dizzy and disoriented. Her entire body became battered and bruised from the constant assault she received.
Unable to take anymore, Rossweisse took a risk. Lowering her guard, she put both her hands in front of her to summon a barrier around her to recuperate. To her surprise, it paid off.
As soon as the Valkyrie summoned her barrier, the Dragon tried to hit her again with Koneko but he ended up bouncing off it.
Sighing in relief, Rossweisse berated her opponent.
"What will you do now Issei? You can't break through my barrier."
Scoffing, Issei replied.
"Correction: Koneko can't. But I sure as hell can."
Using his free hand, Issei channeled energy into his dragon claws. He continued doing so until his entire left hand was covered in an ominous crimson aura.
"Try as much as you like Issei! You won't get through this barrier!"
Jumping several feet into the air, Issei raised his hand while spinning in a spiral-like motion towards Rossweisse's barrier. As soon as his hand touched it, the barrier immediately gave way to immense power behind the attack.
Rossweisse felt as if her heart stopped beating the instant her barrier shattered. She was frozen in place until Issei spoke.
"First rule of defense: never feel safe when in it."
Continuing his current motion, Issei positioned his hand above the Valkyrie. Once he was close enough, Issei brought his hand down, slashing Rossweisse's entire chest.
The Valkyrie tried to scream in pain from the deep lacerations caused by the Dragon but she couldn't. Starting at her right shoulder and ending down at the left side of her waist, the attack easily tore through her skin and the majority of her muscles. The deepest parts had sliced her lungs. The rush of blood into her lungs prevented her from breathing properly.
She tried to speak but the only thing to come out was a gurgling noise.
Determining she was no longer a threat, Issei turned his attention to Koneko, who was still in his hand. She had barely recovered to think straight, but what she saw scared her beyond relief.
The fact that the Nekomata talked all that bullshit and now was scared out of her mind, angered the Dragon. Issei slammed her into the ground repeatedly to the point of almost losing consciousness. Dropping her to the ground, Issei bent over, picking her up by the neck.
Bringing her right in front of his face, Issei had never seen Koneko so afraid in his life ever before. Her eyes were full of fear with her ears pinned downwards.
"You can pretend to be an adult. You can pretend to be mature. But at the end of the day…"
After all that fighting and beating, Koneko's body and magic reserves hit their limit. Causing her to revert back to her miniature self.
"You are still just a child."
Not wanting to waste anymore energy on her, Issei delivered a strong headbutt against the Nekomata, fracturing her skull and knocking her out.
Casting her aside, Issei looked up towards the two Angels hovering in the sky. Wasting no time, Issei extended his wings, speeding towards them.
"Ajuka! Do you see what's happening in there!? Rias and her team are getting beaten into submission! How much longer is this going to take?!"
Sirzechs was starting to get angry and anxious about the situation. They've been at this for a solid thirty plus minutes and still haven't broken through.
"I know Sirzechs! We're almost done. Just a little bit more and we'll be through!"
Calming down ever so slightly, The Red Satan turned towards Serafall and Seraphs.
"We don't have much time! Put EVERYTHING you have into this!"
"Already on it Sirzechs," Serafall, Micheal, and Gabriel said at the same time although, Gabriel's conviction was much weaker than the other two.
More determined than ever (excluding Gabriel), the Maou and Seraphs used all their might to break through the barrier. The lives of their friends and family depended on it.
It took Issei less than a second to be in front of two Angels. It looked at both them with disgust and anger. However, more of it was directed towards the holy Angel. His childhood friend. Irina Shidou.
"Besides Asia, I definitely thought you stand up for me more than anyones, Irina. We were childhood friends after all…"
Issei spoke in a stoic tone, appearing nonchalant about the whole situation. However, on the inside Issei was hurt badly by his former friend's betrayal. Of course, he wouldn't show that weakness here, but it would be something he would never forget nor forgive her for.
"I'm sorry, Issei, but this is how it has to end. I wish there was another way."
Irina, talked in a soft voice with not much conviction in her voice like her superior Gabriel. She wanted to believe what she was saying was true, but she just couldn't.
"No it didn't have to," Issei countered, "You choose this path and now you'll see where it ends."
Suddenly, Akeno flew forward to give her comment.
"Ufufufu, if you think we're scared of you Issei, you're sorely mistaken. It is you who should be scared of us."
Issei snorted at that statement.
"You must be crazy if you think I would be even slightly afraid of an airheaded bimbo and a cowardly defector of the Fallen Angels."
Something in Akeno snapped when she heard Issei say that. Lightning sparked around her uncontrollably as she glared at the Dragon.
"Don't you DARE talk about me that way Issei. I think it's time someone taught you to show respect!"
"I'd love to see you try, half-breed filth," Issei mockily stated.
Two gigantic cannons appeared on Issei's back. Even more so than the cannons of Welsh Blaster Bishop.
"Don't worry, I'll end this quickly."
Realizing what he was about to do, Irina warned her fellow Angel.
"Akeno! He's going to use Crimson Blaster! If we use our combined magic, the holy effect could over his demonic one!"
Nodding in understanding, Akeno followed through with Irina's plan.
"Let's use our own attacks and blast this bitch out of the sky!"
Charging their own attacks, both Angels knew that this would be a quick battle. Whoever won this battle of attrition would easily be able to take the other side. While they powered their attacks, Issei charged his own.
["Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost!'']
"Come on Irina," Akeno screamed, "we have to fire now!"
Agreeing with her ally, Irina launched her attack along with Akeno causing their attacks to merge. The beam made up of holy energy surged towards Issei.
The Dragon continued to boost until he felt he was ready. Steadying himself, Issei lined up the shot and launched his attack.
"Take this! Crimson Blaster!"
["Fang Blast Booster!"]
"GO!"
Within an instant, two powerful crimson beams made of energy and fire flooded out of the cannons. Both started racing towards the Angels at impossible speeds.
Warping reality itself, the crimson beams violently clashed with the Angels' beam. Both struggled for dominance with neither side conceding to the other. Surprisingly, Akeno and Irina were able to hold out on their attack albeit with considerable effort. To try to encourage her teammate, Akeno spoke.
"We just need to last a bit longer and we'll overpower him! Just like Rossweisse and Rias!"
"I- I know," Irina rasped, "I'm trying to concentrate on this attack. You should as well."
Heeding her friend's advice, Akeno focused on providing power to the beam. However, both Angels almost stopped when they heard an iconic call.
["Boost!'']
The crimson beams doubled in size, starting to overpower the Angels' attack. Hearing that also severely dropped the morale of the Fallen Angel.
"Are you fucking kidding me?! He can still boost?!"
["Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost, Boost!'']
Issei's attack grew furiously until it completely swallowed the opposing team's. Immediately after it shot towards the two Angels who were completely exhausted from pouring out all their energy into that last attack. Or so Issei thought. One went straight to the ground while another did something unexpected.
"Got you!"
In a flash, Irina appeared in front of Issei with Hauteclere in hand, prepared to strike the Dragon
However, Issei easily countered the sloppy attempt. Kicking her in the jaw to send her down to the ground with her fellow Angel.
Issei quickly followed after them. Using his enhanced speed, he easily caught the Angels before they hit the ground. This was not however an act of mercy. Rather an act of malicious intent.
Both Angels were confused as Issei landed on the ground. Why would he catch them? Wouldn't it make more sense for them to fall to the ground? They were already so weak that dropping would easily take them out of this fight. Fortunately and unfortunately, Issei answered their question for them.
"I'm not letting you two get off easy, I got special punishments for you…"
Further alarmed by the Dragon's statement, the Angels desperately tried to free themselves but failed to do so.
Akeno screamed, "LET US GO YOU ASS-!"
Before she could finish her statement, Issei slammed both of them into the ground. Grabbing the nearby Hauteclere, Issei slowly walked over to frighten Irina who desperately tried to crawl away.
"Would you be so kind as to hold this for me?"
Without another moment's thought, Issei shoved the sword through Irina's abdomen and into the ground. The Angel screamed in agony, but Issei paid it no mind he focused in on Akeno who had barely made any distance away from them. Placing his foot on her back Issei spoke.
"Tell me Akeno, who was the one who helped you at your lowest? Who was the one who helped you reconcile with your father?! WHO WAS THE ONE THAT HELPED YOU ACCEPT WHO YOU ARE!?"
Even though the Fallen Angel didn't answer they both knew that she knew it was the person above her: Issei.
"It's time for you to pay the price."
Issei placed his dragonic hands onto Akeno's Fallen Angel wing and started to pull.
Realizing what he was about to do, Akeno cried out.
Irina widened her eyes in horror. All she could do was watch but she couldn't bring herself to do that. She turned away from the inevitable outcome of her friend.
"NO PLEASE! PLEASE DON'T THAT! ANYTHING BUT THAT!"
Issei pulled more.
"PLEASE!"
More.
"PLEASE!"
Even more.
"STOOOOOOOOOOP!"
Unable to take the strain any longer, Issei pulled the wing right off of her body. The skin ripped and tore as the Akeno's wing was completely removed from her back.. The pain was indescribable to her. It hurt so much but no noise came. In fact, she didn't have much time to reflect as the Fallen Angel passed out from shock.
Throwing away the wing, Issei walked over to Irina who tried to take her own sword out of her but couldn't. She was just too weak. Placing his foot on her back, Issei was to deliver his vengeance.
"Your turn."
"Issei! Please you don't have to do th-!"
"Shut the fuck up… I don't want to hear your bullshit excuses!"
Grasping her four wings, Issei pulled even harder than he did with Akeno. His anger returned when he recalled his childhood friend had betrayed him! Of all people! She was going to pay the price for that! Right. Now.
Having four wings instead of two intensifies the pain for the Angel. She screamed louder as Issei pulled harder.
"You don't deserve these wings Irina."
The Dragon pulled harder.
"Because clearly…"
Even harder.
"YOU ARE NO SAINT!"
The wings ripped right off her back as blood gushed from the wounds. Irina didn't have time for anything. The instant her wings were detached from her body she passed out from both the shock and blood loss.
Looking at the wings in his hand, Issei wretched as he stared at them.
"Disgusting."
Dropping the wings made his way to the end of the battlefield where two Bishops and a King stood frozen in fear.
"He defeated all of them…"
Gasper was having a severe panic attack as he saw Issei fly over to them. Asia didn't say anything as well, she had trouble breathing and her heart felt so heavy.
"How?" Rias asked herself, "HOW THE HELL IS THIS POSSIBLE!?"
Rias went on another episode, stamping and pouting about how things weren't fair. Bitching and complaining as a toddler would, she abruptly when her worst nightmare was not even five meters away from her.
"He's here!" Gasper shrieked.
Landing, Issei spoke.
"Well Rias… There's no one left to help you. You're on your own now."
Refusing to concede, Rias retorted.
"NO! THIS ISN'T OVER! THIS IS FAR FROM OVER! I'M THE PRINCESS OF DESTRUCTION! THE SISTER OF THE MAOU. I AM RIAS GREMORY!"
Issei sighed, "I'm tired of this Rias. I'm ending this now."
Teleporting in front of the trio, Issei rammed his shoulder into Rias knocking her away. He then grabbed Asia and Gasper smashing their heads together to quickly take them out of the picture. Letting the Bishops fall to the ground, the Dragon walked over to his last obstacle.
"This is it, Rias… You have lost."
Slowly getting up Rias chuckled to herself.
"Is that what you think? Well it's not..."
Reaching into her pocket, Rias pulled out a small vial with some pale blue liquid in it.
"Not while I still have my trump card."
Before Issei could ponder what it was, Rias popped the cap off and drank it all in a single go. A bluish white barrier then appeared around Rias, outlining her entire body. Giving a cocky smirk, Rias gave an explanation.
"This right here is an Absolute Barrier. As the name implies, it provides the user with absolute defense that is invulnerable to all threats, physical or magical. The only downside is that the user also can't use any sort of attack or the barrier will dispel. But I don't need to attack you. All I need to do is wait for my brother and the others to break through that barrier you manifested and you'll be done for."
Not believing her, Issei tried to attack the barrier. But as soon he came into contact with the barrier, his fist bounced right off. While the barrier did ripple significantly, it didn't break. He tried using his magic, but it had the same results as before. He used everything at his disposal, but nothing got through.
Seeing Issei struggle gave Rias a greater sense of security and spoke to him more cocky than before.
"What's wrong Issei? Are you struggling," Rias said laughing, "Like I said, nothing can penetrate this barrier you might as well kick rocks."
After trying all his options, Issei contacted Ddraig for his advice in hopes he'd have something in store.
"Ddraig, she may be right. This barrier isn't breaking. Do we have anything else we can use?"
Giving it a moment's thought, Ddraig offered the only solution he could conjure.
["There's only one thing that I can think will successfully break that barrier."]
"What do you have in mind?"
["If you use the Dragon Gate and manifest me we could attack the barrier together. You saw how the barrier rippled under your attacks. Think how the barrier would react if there were two Dragons capable of boosting."]
"That's impossible Ddraig, I have to be in DxD Mode to summon you and Ophis is *ahem* knows where. Without Ophis' power I can't bring you here."
["Under normal circumstances, yes, that would be the case. However, your current power level and emotions are giving me a chance to let you use the Dragon Gate. Obviously, due to the nature of this situation, this would be a one off and you wouldn't be able to do this again. Are you ready to give it a try?"
Yeah, let's give this bitch something she wasn't expecting!"
Glad to hear his partner's enthusiasm, Ddraig wasted no time and started the timer.
["Eight!"]
Rias, who was cheering for her victory already, halted her celebrations. Did she just hear that correctly? Please Lucifer, just let her be hearing things.
["Seven!"]
No! She wasn't! Ddraig was counting down. But what for? She tried to play it off like she didn't know, but deep down she knew. When that realization dawned on her, she screeched.
["Six!"]
"WHAT?! HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS?! YOU CAN'T MANIFEST DDRAIG! YOU AREN'T EVEN IN DXD MODE!"
["Five!"]
"STOP COUNTING DOWN! I'VE WON ALREADY! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!
["Four!"]
Rias wanted to do nothing more than to blast Issei into a million little pieces. It would've been so easy considering Issei was always vulnerable when he counted down for Ddraig Manifestation. But with her Absolute Barrier active, she couldn't. If she let the barrier go down before her brother could get here, she'd be dead for sure.
["Three!"]
"I SAID STOP! NOW!"
["Two!"]
"SOMEBODY SAVE ME!"
["One!"]
With the counter over, Issei smirked. This was it! He was going to get his revenge against his former master and the best part? There was nothing she could do to stop it.
Throwing his fist into the air, Issei started to chant.
"Red Dragon Emperor! Ddraig Manifes-!"
Right before he could finish, Issei stopped chanting. Why would he stop? The counter was over and chanting was almost done as well. What would cause him to do such a thing?
As Issei stood there, he felt something in his chest. Looking down, he saw a blade made of pure crimson energy shoved through his back, through his heart and protruded out of his front. Suddenly he heard a voice speaking to him.
"Game over…"
Issei was filled with dread as he heard the voice. He didn't need to turn around; he knew who was there. The Red Satan: Sirzechs. Issei looked around and realized that his barrier wasn't present anymore which could only mean one thing. Sirzechs had broken through.
As reality settled in, the pain did as well causing Issei to scream in torment.
"AGGGGHHHHH!"
["Issei!"]
Unable to sustain Cardinal Crimson Promotion, Ddraig had no other choice than to do the one thing he didn't want to do.
["Reset!"]
Having his power completely reset, Issei's armor broke and left him at the mercy of the Satan before him.
Sirzechs took his energy sword out of Issei's chest, slashing him all over his body and kicking him towards the edge of the ravine once again. Relieved, Rias sighed, smiling at him.
"Brother, you came. I never had any doubts."
"Of course I would Rias," Sirzechs reassuringly stated, "But let's focus on discarding that Dragon before anything else so we tend to your peerage."
Nodding in agreement, Rias walked swiftly with Maou and Seraphs to finish him off for good.
Issei didn't even have a chance to attempt standing when Sirzechs stomped on his head.
"This! This is what you get when you mess with my sister!"
He continued to beat Issei into submission. While she approved of what was happening, Rias found it hard to watch as she saw Sirzechs relentlessly beat her soon to be former Pawn.
"Sirzechs, that's enough," Ajuka said, placing his hand on Sirzechs' shoulder, "Let's remove his Evil Pieces before we proceed."
"You're right," Sirzechs admitted, "Micheal, come over here and help me hold him up."
"Of course," Micheal agreed.
Both the Maou and Seraph grab one of Issei's arms, hoisting him up so Ajuka could perform the ceremony.
"Just to let you know, this process is painful," Ajuka said, preparing himself.
"But I'm going to make sure it's extra painful for you."
Without so much as a warning, Ajuka thrusted his hand toward Issei, into the Dragon's chest. However his hand didn't appear out of Issei's backside. He continued to do so until the majority of his arm was not visible. There was no blood whatsoever apart from the gaping hole in his chest from Sirzechs.
Ajuka fished his hand around the inside of Issei's chest. It was as if a black hole existed within Issei that he had no idea about. When the Green Satan found what he was looking for he clasped his hand around them and smirked and looked at the defeated Dragon.
"Alright Issei, we'll pull on three… three!"
Ajuka pulled out the objects in Issei's body without a shred of regret or remorse. Issei felt so much pain that he didn't even react. The amount of pain he felt was surreal. He felt his entire body go limp as lazily stared at the objects.
In Ajuka hands, were Issei eight Pawn pieces.
Turning to Rias, Ajuka handed her Evil Pieces with a smile on his face.
"Thank you Beelzebub," Rias politely stated, "I'll be sure to pick a better Pawn next time."
"I'm sure you will, Rias," Serafall chirped.
"Now that that's over, we can finish this once and for all."
All the Maou, Seraphs, and Rias turned to Sirzechs, who looked like he was ready to explode in a violent ball of fire.
"Thank you for your assistance, Micheal, but I want to deal with this filth myself…"
"Very well, Sirzechs."
Letting the Maou have his way, Micheal backed away and stood next to Gabriel, who looked super ashamed and upset about something. Placing his hand on her shoulder Micheal tried to comfort her.
"Gabriel, are you okay you've been acting strange this entire fight. What's wrong?"
"Oh nothing! Nothing brother, just surprised we managed to defeat the Red Dragon Emperor."
Not buying her response, Micheal simply nodded, dropping the conversation for now. She would need to be questioned when they return to Heaven. Turning to Sirzechs, he watched punishment unfold.
Grabbing Issei by the collar of shirt with one hand, Sirzechs spoke.
"All you had to do, Issei, was submit to defeat and this would've been over hours ago. But no! Instead, you go on a violent rampage beating anyone in your path. Look around at what you've done! My sister's peerage and Irina lay close to DEATH because of you! You should've conceded when you had the chance."
Weakly looking up to meet Sirzechs' gaze, Issei chuckled.
"You must not know a single thing about Dragons Sirzechs. We don't quit, even when the odds of us winning are close to zero. We'll fight to the bitter end for the causes we believe in. I don't regret a single thing I've done here today. You on the hand, I cannot say the same."
Sirzechs felt an uncomfortable feeling as Issei said that. As if deep down, he agreed?!
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH YOU PIECE OF TRASH!"
Sirzechs violently lashed out, punching the defenseless Issei over and over again. Issei knew he was on the verge of death. The combination of the attacks from Sirzechs and the removal of his Evil Pieces sapped the majority of his life force and he was losing what little he had left at an alarming rate.
The other Maou and Seraphs watched on as Sirzechs moved on to the grand finale. Picking up Issei, who was basically almost dead at this point, Sirzechs summoned his crimson blade once again.
"Let this be a reminder to serve you in the afterlife: never test us again!"
Before Issei could even blink, Sirzechs raised his sword and swung it in a downward motion. Right over Issei's right eye.
Issei's eye widened. All the hits and blasts that he didn't feel over the course of the entire fight caught up to him, causing him to scream in pain.
"AGGGGHHHHHH!"
Sirzechs, the other leaders, and Rias smirked in satisfaction watching Issei writhe in pain. All except for Gabriel who kept a deep frown on her face. Knowing he wouldn't be going anywhere, Sirzechs dropped the broken Dragon on the ground.
"Nice work Sirzy! You did-"
Serafall abruptly stopped when she received a transmission. It was from one of the many squads of Devils that Sirzechs assigned to keep watch of any outside forces approaching the battle."
One moment please," Serafall said, "What is it?"
"Lady Leviathan," the Devil yelled, "Azazel! Azazel is approaching your position!"
"What! Why is he coming here?"
"We don't know! He wouldn't tell us! Just know he's reaching your location fast! If you haven't finished what you were supposed to do, please do so now!"
Taking deep breaths, Serafall responded.
"Very well I'll see that it's done. Thank you, soldier."
Cutting the transmission, she quietly told the others the conversation so Issei wouldn't hear them, who was still clutching his eye.
"We can't kill him ourselves, Micheal whispered, "If we do, the amount of energy released by Issei would no doubt reach Azazel. Then he would know it was us who killed him for sure."
"Then what do we do?" Rias inquired.
"This," Sirzechs curtly said.
Grabbing Issei by the throat, Sirzechs walked over to the edge of the ravine. Looking at Issei he spoke one last time.
"This will be the end of you Issei. You'll fade into irrelevance. No one will want to nor care about your death. Nobody will remember who you are…"
Done wasting his breath, Sirzechs tossed Issei into the ravine. The latter of which started plummeting into the bottomless ravine at full speed.
["Partner! Can you hear me? The sudden extraction of your Evil Pieces is causing your life force to diminish!"]
Issei however didn't respond; he just stared blankly staring up at the receding light above him.
Ddraig thought quickly. He knew if Issei, in this state, started hitting the rocks on the ravine's side without protection, he would most certainly die. Unwilling to let his favorite host and good friend meet his end, Ddraig knew what he had to do.
["Partner… I know you can't talk. Just listen, I have to make this quick. There's no way both of us can get out this alive, but I'll be damned if this is where you'll meet your end. I'm going to transfer what little energy I have left to strengthen your body so you'll withstand the rocks below. By doing this, I'll be sealing myself away, forever. But as long as you survive, that's all that matter…"]
Following through with his plan, Ddraig transferred the last of his energy to strengthen Issei's weak body to withstand the fall. As he did so, he felt his soul fade away instantly.
["Goodbye… Issei."]
With those final words, Ddraig faded away, leaving Issei all alone.
"Ddraig…"
A lone tear rolled down Issei's cheek as he started hitting one rock after another. Falling deeper and deeper into the endless abyss.
A/N: Hehe, I bet you guys weren't expecting the chapter to end like that now did you?
This originally was meant to drop on Halloween. But school crap came up that I had to deal with. :\
ALSO, now of all times, after 6 years of use, my laptop finally decided to give out and doesn't function properly anymore. I'm using an old, backup computer in the meantime while I'm waiting to get a new computer.
On a different note, I'm not very skilled in writing fighting sequences. It's hard for me to find the right balance between the description of the fight and actual fight itself if that makes sense. This chapter definitely had some fluff that didn't need to be there. I was also a little intimidated by this chapter since again, I'm not experienced in writing fight scenes, which is part of the reason this chapter took so long.
The idea of the isolation barrier hit two birds with one stone. It cut down how many people were in the fight and it also let me really focus on Rias, her peerage and Irina. The people that Issei was the closest to.
I know this chapter was substantially longer than the first, but it didn't make sense to stop writing until I've reached the conclusion of the fight. Most chapters won't be this long unless it's some huge fight. Or maybe that's what you guys want to see? Longer chapters? Please let me know what your preference is!
Of course, there will be more fight scenes in the future. With practice, I'll get better at writing them. I'll most likely update this chapter when that happens.
When I first started writing this chapter, I was going to have Issei kill Asia. But in the end, I decided against it. Especially once I wrote the conversation between Asia and Fafnir, because I do believe what I wrote for Fafnir to say is the truth. She of all the people who betrayed Issei would definitely break and would most definitely regret her actions. I plan to showcase that in future chapters.
Lastly, thank you guys so much for being patient with me writing this chapter. It took a month to post. That definitely wasn't the original goal, but all the things mentioned above really slowed down my progress with writing this chapter. I'm going to try my best to keep the time between chapters 15 days maximum so you guys don't have to wait so long.
Sorry that this Author Notes went on for so long. I just wanted to convey my thoughts to you guys. XD
The next chapter is probably going to surprise a good lot of you. I'm sure you will find it enjoyable.
That's all for now. Thanks for reading and I hope you all have a great day!