Chapter 19: The Fallen's Witch

The ORC, Issei, and Vali had received their mission: find and destroy Diodora Astaroth, and rescue Asia Argento. It sounded simple enough, but it really wasn't. There were still thousands of Old Satan Faction Members (OSF) standing in their way, and their strength was all over the spectrum.

Issei, Vali, Irina, and the ORC sped through hordes of Old Satan Faction Devils, blasting through them like a battering ram smashing through a door. With Issei and Vali's destructive power, clearing the way wasn't too difficult. They were in no mood to waste time on the small fry. Sadly, they never seemed to be deterred. The enemy's numbers just kept replenishing no matter what they did.

At that moment, a decision was made, one that was quite critical.

"We'll hold them back. The rest of you go and get Asia!" Kiba declared.

Standing alongside him, was Xenovia, Koneko, Irina, and Vali, who opted to stay and serve as firepower.

"Are you sure?!" Rias asked. She hated the idea of leaving people behind to hold back the tide.

"Yes! Just make sure that you get to Asia and save her before Diodora does something to her!" Kiba shouted back while slashing away at the enemies in front of him.

"Please hurry, Prez. Asia needs you." Koneko urged her, punching away someone who tried to attack her from behind.

"Don't worry about us, we'll catch up." Vali winked at Issei.

She was pretty sure he wasn't okay with this idea at all. He hated these situations and he never liked leaving anyone behind.

"You won't lose anyone, this time." She softly spoke to him.

Issei was hesitant, standing in the hallway while Rias and the others ran off to continue the mission. The idea of leaving his friends to an uncertain fate wasn't something that boded well for him. Yes, Vali was powerful, but that didn't mean she was invincible. Judging by the number of OSF Devils barreling down towards them, they'd be overwhelmed in ten minutes.

"Issei, stop staring and go!" Vali snapped

Gritting his teeth, Issei whisked around, following everyone else to go forward.

"Have faith in them, Issei. Vali is a strong young woman." Ddraig tried to reassure him.

It didn't seem like it, but Issei had more scars on his mind than he let on. He'd lost his parents, his Aunt Shuri, and for a long time, he thought Akeno had been dead too. To add to that, Vali had left him for a long time. Not to mention, the number of friends he'd lost on missions for Grigori. At times, Ddraig wondered about whether or not Issei had abandonment issues, or an inkling of it.

Issei didn't respond. His thoughts were trained on recovering Asia and then returning to Vali and the rest of his friends. His mind, as cursed as it was, kept simulating different situations in which something could go wrong. All of them, leading to the possibility of him losing Vali. There were so many things he didn't know that he couldn't help but fear several outcomes.

He blinked out of his train of thought when a horde of OSF Devils blocked his path.

"Boost 10x"

"[Dragon Shot]"

The massive red beam burned away the enemies in front of him, reducing them to ash as Issei flew by, carving a path ahead. Unfortunately, his path was stopped when a group of women blocked his road ahead.

"Out of my way." Issei calmly demanded.

"I'm most sorry, but I can't allow that. Diodora has ordered us to keep you at bay."

Issei narrowed his eyes.

"You're willing to serve a man like Diodora? Are you serious?"

"He saved us. When our Churches turned their backs on us, he came to our rescue. He took us in without question, he clothed us, fed us, treated us kindly, and shielded us from persecution. He protected us from people who called us 'witches'." Diodora's Bishop shouted.

Given her vehement defense, she obviously wasn't watching when Diodora came to capture Asia.

"And did he tell you why he took Asia?" Issei asked.

"He's told us about you. Rias Gremory, over there, is nothing more than a snake. She waits for the perfect opportunity, allowing prospects to be cornered and killed. She watches, allowing events to unfold until the situation's just right for her to swoop in and make her targets her servants. If she were as loving and altruistic as she aims to be, then why is it that all of her servants were in danger of dying or already died by the time she made them her servants? That's what happened to Asia Argento." Diodora's Queen stepped forward.

Rias grit her teeth. Her temper was already boiling when Diodora kidnapped Asia, now he was spreading lies about her too. Her temper had become a fiery blaze at this point.

"You can insult me, personally, but the one thing you should never do, is deface the fact that I care about my Peerage, who I view as my family. Doing that is surely a good way to regret your day." Rias hissed back.

Every single one of her servants, wasn't a servant to her. She saw them as younger siblings.

Covering herself in a fiery aura of black and red, she hurled a river of Destruction at Diodora's servants. Pushed back, their defenses were beginning to collapse within mere seconds of being assaulted. They felt terrified. All they could see was black and crimson, nothing else. The howl of demonic energy rung in their ears, as if death was calling for them.

Akeno, circling around, volleyed them with Thunder magic. Convulsing and screaming in pain, Diodora's servants were flung around the structure, crashing in separate and unknown places. Issei was a bit surprised with the apparent ease at which the two disposed of their enemies. The Peerage really did treasure each other like family.


Without further ado, Issei and the other two moved on, fighting their way through without pause. They tore through building after building, undeterred in their goal. Before long, they'd reached the last area where their target was. It was a massive shrine, reminiscent of a temple, with shattered pillars and a collapsed roof. Inside, was Asia, who'd been chained to a device that looked like a wheel. Adorned on it, were gems and jewels with several magic circles carved onto the metal. From a distance, it looked like a magic circle.

"Rias! Akeno!" Asia shouted, relief spreading across her face.

Diodora, who stood next to her, sneered. To see hope still alive within her was something he didn't enjoy.

"Well, you certainly took your time." He sighed.

"What have you done to her?!" Rias demanded, her eyes enlarging with fury.

Diodora loved that. To see Rias get riled up was one of the things that he'd had on his bucket list.

"Nothing much, right now. I'd rather do more to her in private. The only thing I've done so far is tell her the truth." He merely shrugged.

Asia looked at him in disappointment, shame, and grief. Issei could see the remains of tears lining her eyes. Her eyes were puffy and swollen, stains rain down her cheeks, and her nose was red. She was certainly demoralized by Diodora, alright. Issei couldn't let that slide.

"I remember that incident as if it happened yesterday. I'd wounded myself, staggering to the steps of the Church where she lived. I waited for her to be just close enough to the door that she could hear me. Knowing her, after spending weeks observing her, I understood that she couldn't leave a helpless and wounded person alone. She would heal me at any cost." Diodora snickered, his face contorting into the most twisted grin imaginable.

He crept closer towards Asia, gently placing his hands on her shoulders. From behind.

"When she did, I revealed my species, ensuring that others could see. That was how she was labeled as a heretic and made vulnerable to my desires. Unfortunately, you lot came along."

Within the blink of an eye, Diodora's face switched to a savage sneer, his eyes bugging and his teeth gritting in rage.

"I'd arranged everything perfectly. I had her come here, to Japan, to the arms of the Heretical Priests. I waited, biding my time as Freed began to take away her Sacred Gear, hoping to claim her as she died. Just when it was almost time, you filthy maggots came along. You took her away just as I was about to enter the fray." Diodora shook, rage coursing through his veins.

With a quick sigh, his demeanor returned to its calm façade.

"No matter. In the end, she came back to me. She came back to where she belonged: on a leash, attached to my grip." He smiled serenely at Diodora, licking her cheek as he did so.

Rias, growled, triggered by this vile action.

"Get the hell away from her!" She hissed.

"On the contrary, I could be saying that to you. I had my eyes on her first. She was my target, my prize, and the last piece I needed for my collection." Diodora, high on his arrogance, snickered.

"Collection?" Issei asked.

"Yes, my Peerage, have you met them?" Diodora asked them.

They remained silent, already not wanting to hear what was coming.

"They were the same. I took them into my home, after their old ones evicted them with extreme prejudice. I saved them, and in turn, they became my slaves, my servants, my satisfaction. Fwahahahaha!" Diodora let out a mad and malicious laugh.

At that point, Issei didn't need to hear anything else. He was ready to smash Diodora's teeth in. He loathed people like Diodora, having seen a lot of them during his missions with Grigori. They loved having people to grind beneath their feet. They relished the chance to feel superior. Oh well, Issei knew how to break him down.

"Rias, Akeno, do you mind if I deal with him? Or would you like the honors?" Issei asked.

"Uh-Uh, I don't think you get an option." Diodora wagged his finger in the air.

"Ddraig, divert power to my boosters." Issei growled while Diodora tried to begin another tirade.

"Kick his ass." Ddraig scoffed.

(MAGI OST – L'Arabesque_Sindria. Play Song.)

Emerald light and particles flared from the jetpacks on Issei's back, launching him forward. Diodora was still talking before he noticed the fact that Issei was in front of him, having already equipped his Balance Breaker.

"Choke on this, asshole!" Issei roared.

His draconian strength was already nothing to sneeze at, but when combined with gravity magic and one Boost, it was enough to seriously injure a Mid-Class Devil. The armored gauntlet slammed right into Diodora's mouth, causing numerous cracks to echo. Akeno and Rias cringed a bit when they heard the sound, but just when it seemed as if they had nothing to do, numerous OSF Devils came flying towards them from nowhere.

"Looks like we can't rest easy, either." Akeno remarked.

"It wouldn't be fair if we did." Rias nodded.

Standing back-to-back, they let out their auras, unleashing a vortex of Holy Lightning and Destruction that threatened to vaporize anyone who got close. Sadly, the enemies that were homing in on them, were only small-fry. Contrary to that statement, there was certainly no shortage of enemies.

Akeno and Rias blocked and dodged attacks, defending the other's flank while alternating attacks. Akeno fired her Holy Lightning, netting others that were close by with wild electricity and electrocuting numerous foes at one time. Rias, who'd improved her control over her powers quite a fair bit, volleyed stars of Destruction at her targets, It was like trying to avoid rain for them. No matter what, they'd be struck and killed.

Issei, meanwhile, was thrashing Diodora.

"To think that a shitty dragon like you would dare to lay a hand on me…" He sneered and growled, his eyes bugging in livid rage.

"Know your place!" He pointed his hands at Issei.

Out from his palms, came two giant beams of demonic power. Issei had to admit, they were larger and faster than he'd expected. Forced to divert power to his thrusters, he dodged the attack, but noticed that he'd nearly been struck by the attacks. This was outside of the limits that he'd seen from footage.

"Through the Ouroboros, I have gained more power than before. My magic is more than a match for a scaled cur like you." Diodora laughed.

"Think again, brat." Issei scoffed.

"Boost 10x" Ddraig echoed.

Issei darted right at his target. Clutching Diodora's head, he slammed it into the stone wall, causing rocks and dust to scatter everywhere, shaking the ground.

"How's that for power? A snobby brat like you, who prizes inherited power over hard work, will never be strong." Issei retorted his earlier comment.

Diodora, despite his bleeding forehead and shattered teeth, continued his ongoing declarations of superiority.

"A lowborn lifeform like yourself could never overtake me in power. You're nothing but a dragon with brute strength!"

"If that's the case, then let me prove your statement about brute strength."

Issei grabbed hold of his collar and flung him into the air. With another burst from his jetpack, Issei was above Diodora, his fist aimed right at his sternum.

"[Impact Crater]"

(MAGI OST – L'Arabesque_Sindria. End Song.)

Boosting his draconian energy and putting it into his fist, combined with gravity magic, he launched his attack. With the force of a meteor, Diodora could feel almost every single bone in his body shattering. It was so painful that he was paralyzed, unable to speak. He could only crash into the ground, as still as stone as a massive indenture in the ground formed. The entire ceiling above the two collapsed as Issei rose from the dust that obscured the both of them.

He marched right over to Diodora, grabbing him by his cape. With his palm opening, Issei held it over Diodora's chest.

"You're nothing more than a rapist and sexual predator. This world might be better off without you." Issei concluded.

"Please! Spare me! I'll do anything. I'll tell you anything!" Diodora cried out. All of his arrogance and pride was now gone, spent in the throes of his speech. Now, a look of terror was plastered on his face. Tears trickled down his cheeks as he cowered.

Issei, for a moment, considered truly finishing him off. He detested Diodora to such a degree that every fiber of his being wanted to obliterate him. Yet…

"I won't kill you, but I will tell you this: come near me or anyone else that I care about again, and I will make sure that you pay dearly. I will make you wish that you were never born. Your family won't save you and the Ouroboros will not save you." Issei growled, his tone deeper than before.

If Ddraig still had a body, he'd be sweating. It wasn't that Issei was scary. Issei's deeper voice worried him. It was a secret that Ddraig had hoped would stay buried forever.

Diodora nodded furiously, his body going limp as he dropped onto his back, frozen in shock.

Issei walked over to Asia, his fists clenched. Gathering power into his hand, it began flaring with fiery red light. He slammed his armored fist onto the wheel in which Asia was trapped in and began funneling his power through.

"Issei, what are you doing?" Asia asked.

"Just hold still. I'm going to break this thing by overloading it." Issei calmly replied.

It was only through academic studying with Azazel, that Issei understood how to deal with this thing. If he hadn't, then it was likely that he'd have had to wait for Vali. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Vali was better at this stuff.

Soon enough, the device began blinking, blaring an alarm.

"Hold tight, Asia, and brace yourself. There's going to be a pop from this thing." Issei warned her.

Just as he said, the device broke down, only it burst, instead of popped. Snapping apart as sparks, gems, and metal flew in several directions. With a loud crumple of metal and the clang of steel echoing, the wheel capturing Asia fell apart, crumbling. Gently catching the gentle Bishop, Issei helped her stand as he turned around to see that Akeno and Rias had already finished dealing with their sudden guests.

"Alright, that settles that." Rias sighed.

She walked over to Asia and embraced her.

"I'm so glad that you're alright." She happily exclaimed.

She wasn't sure of what she would've done if her precious little Bishop had been harmed more than she'd already been.

"Thank you. I knew you'd come for me." Asia nodded to everyone.

"Of course. You're our precious friend." Rias agreed.

Issei smiled. He was thankful that they'd succeeded, but his mind immediately turned to Vali and the others, who'd yet to meet up with them. Just as he took his first step away, his instincts kicked in. His gut told him to dodge, his feet already moving in motion. Every single fiber of his being warned him of danger, feeling an incoming hostility.

"Dodge!" Issei yelled.

Grabbing Rias and Asia, he moved them out of the way as a ray of light erupted where they were standing. Stone and dust blasted everywhere as Issei looked behind him. Floating above them, was a man dressed in armor, being reminiscent of a Devil. He had long brown hair that covered one eye, with a fur cape draped around him.

"Looks like I missed." He passively remarked.

'No matter how I look at it, that was definitely a blast of light.' Issei noted.

"Who are you?" Rias asked.

"I am Shalba Beelzebub, last heir of the original Beelzebub." The man answered.

"I thought you'd disappeared to the farthest corners of the world." Rias muttered.

"Yes, it seemed that way. Now, are you done talking? I have many more important things to do, so I'd rather kill you now and wrap things up. I've made it a mission to kill every relative to the Fake Satans." Shalba haughtily scoffed.

Issei thought this was a bad thing. Rias and the others, aside from Akeno, were too vulnerable to light. One precise blast and they could die.

"I won't let that happen." Issei stood up.

Shalba turned his attention towards him, amused.

"Yes, the Red Dragon Emperor that's been stirring up so many things as of late. To think a worm like you would crawl into the politics of our world, I never thought I'd see the day."

"You needed intervention, anyways. Now, what else are you planning?"

"I have no need to tell someone like you. This is strictly Underworld business." Shalba proceeded to ignore him.

He then turned to the whimpering Diodora.

"Speaking of business." He pointed his finger and vaporized the arrogant youth with a ray of light.

"Aaaaah!" Diodora screamed with a shrill voice.

Just like that, he'd been turned into dust, his scream echoing into the sky.

"The wretched fool was so busy gloating that he wasted all the time we gave him. He failed to take the Twilight Healing. He failed to kill all of you and he even showed off at the Games, which got him busted for his use of his new powers. I should've killed him the moment he came groveling." Shalba scoffed.

"Are you done?" Issei glared at him. Setting aside the fact that Shalba killed Diodora in cold blood, he really didn't like the idea of letting Shalba gloat and stand around. He had to get back to Vali and the others to confirm their safety.

"Yes, let's play. I've been curious as to where you stand. Come, show me whether or not you live up to your predecessors." Shalba flapped his cape.

With his open palm, he volleyed a rain of light bullets at Issei. Dodging and weaving between each one, Issei found Shalba's prowess to be a bit surprising. He was much more proficient than he'd ever expect a Devil to be. With every movement, Issei could feel that Shalba's attacks were growing narrower in movement, closing in on him. His attacks were already precise to begin with. Sadly, Shalba's prowess wasn't at the level of an Angel's.

Issei darted past every attack before he was repelled by a barrier of light, causing him to bounce back violently. He took a moment to collect himself, not having expected Shalba to deploy a barrier.

Snapping his fingers, several magic circles lined up around Shalba.

"Do you know what Beelzebub has dominion over?" He asked.

"Flies." Issei dryly answered.

"And you shouldn't underestimate them."

Flying out in clouds, were thousands of winged insects that were the size of one finger segment. All of them were spiked, had glistening wings, glowing red eyes, and fangs. As they flew by the corpses of OSF Devils, Issei was alarmed to see that the flies were decomposing them rapidly, reducing them to sopping flesh within several minutes. It was a disgusting sight that produced a disgusting smell.

Holding up his arms, Issei unleashed a firestorm from his hands, creating a wall that burned the flies to ash. Approaching it wasn't even a good idea. Within five feet, the flies were turned into cinders. Pushing his offensive, Issei morphed the wall of fire into a dragon's form, commanding it to attack and devour the insects with one violent rush around the room.

Shalba didn't look impressed, however.

"I see. I can understand why that Phenex plebian had such trouble with you. That match you had had caught my attention for a small bit."

Opening his palm, five rays of demonic power came surging at Issei, who deflected them with his armored gauntlets.

"[Dragon Shot]"

The red beam of energy roared at Shalba, who managed to defend against it with mild effort.

"Ophis' power, it really is incredible." He smirked.

"Ophis?" Issei asked, stunned.

"Yes, I believe you might meet her one day soon. However, I highly doubt that since you're going to die today." Shalba calmly shook his head.

Before anyone else could say a thing, a magic circle appeared next to Shalba's ear. No one could hear it, but clearly, Shalba loved what was being told to him. His grin merely widened as time moved on.

Issei advanced, preparing to assault him again. Holding his arm out, he used gravity magic to hold Shalba in place. With unseen force, Shalba was hammered to his knees. Staggering, he stifled but he didn't lose his grin. A magic circle sprouted in his hand, causing a much larger one to appear in the air. Emerging from it, was a black and gold box of metal covered in magic symbols. Shrouding it, was a dark aura that radiated pure power and hostility.

"Do you know what this is?" Shalba asked Issei.

"Enlighten me." The Red Dragon Emperor retorted.

"It's called the Witch's Cradle. We came across it a long time ago, decades back, really. We've tried looking into it, but the language on the box has made it difficult to know what it does. We believe that it's a lost language, so finding its full purpose isn't high on our priority anymore. One thing we do know, is that it has immense power that can be gifted to anyone that enters it. So, out of curiosity, we threw someone in there. Wanna know who it was?" Shalba chuckled.

Was this some kind of sick joke? Who did any of them know that Shalba would ask that? The box began opening, sectioning apart as a massive gust of wind swept through the room. Bright light began shimmering from the box, blinding everyone who looked at it. When the light died down, Issei froze. This was impossible. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He grit his teeth, wondering if he'd been tricked somehow.

'Ddraig, tell me that I'm seeing things.' He spoke to the dragon.

'You're not, Issei. What you're seeing is the real deal. What you see is flesh and bone and alive.' Ddraig spoke with much regret.

He didn't want to confirm anything to the young boy, but he had to. There was no point in lying and this was a moment that was going to erupt no matter what.

"SHALBA, YOU DISGUSTING BASTARD!" Issei roared at the top of his lungs.

For the first time in a long time, Issei felt actual hate and rage boiling in him. His blood was steaming hot, his mind overloading with dark thoughts. His aura flared into a fiery red blanket and the gems on his armor began shining as electricity crackled around him. The ground cracked and cratered while Issei struggled to keep the burning sensation in his chest contained.

Within the box, was someone that Issei knew very well. She had long black hair with a black kimono adorned on her. It had gold and purple trimmings, with a silk sash across her waist. Her hair had several floral pins within them, and on her feet were steel boots that were golden. Not only that, but her beauty was captivating. It was like looking at a dark goddess. She had silky ivory skin with a slender and gifted figure. However, that wasn't what struck Issei at all. What caused such a powerful collapse in his calm demeanor was the fact that the woman inside the Witch's Cradle was none other than Shuri Himejima.

"How dare you do this to her!" Issei roared.

Akeno was stunned. She was wondering if she was having a nightmare. What had they done to her mother? Wasn't she actually supposed to be dead? She remembered seeing her relatives kill her so many years ago. She remembered how her mother's body went limp in her arms, defending her. Her father hadn't even found her body when he tried looking for them.

"Yes, it's as you suspected. This is your mother, Queen of Rias Gremory." Shalbe leered at Akeno.

"What the hell did you do to her?!" Akeno screamed.

"Several years ago, I decided to reveal your location to your family. Mainly, I wanted to see what your clan was capable of, but I was disappointed. For years, we Devils used you to do our bidding, and I'd hoped to make some use of you but you disappointed me. You held no purpose in my war against the Fake leaders of the current government. Then, I had an idea. Why not take someone with prowess in Shinto practices with strong magical blood and use them as an experiment with the Witch's Cradle. It was an idea made on a whim but I'm quite pleased with how things turned out. Your mother has proven to be the perfect tool for destroying certain targets. I was wrong to have assumed that your clan had no talent and use. I merely had to awaken the power in your lineage." Shalba began chuckling.

"At first, she was comatose from her wounds but the Cradle fixed that. When she tried to resist, we also dealt with that. We had no use for her emotions and memories so we got rid of them. After her transformation into a full-fledged witch, she was a strong tool in our arsenal. For years, she did our bidding and now, she will be the one to destroy you. How apt it is, that mother will kill daughter, her boyfriend, and their friends." Shalba laughed louder.

He then turned to Shuri.

"Kill them all."

(Bleach OST – Encirclement Battle. Play Song.)

Shuri levitated out of the Cradle, eyeing her targets. Issei and Akeno looked her in the eyes and saw the true depth of how much she'd been damaged. There was a lack of light and luster in her eyes. She only had a grim and neutral expression across her face.

"Mother, no…." Akeno pleaded, her voice slightly shaky.

Shuri didn't register her voice. She extended her hand and pointed her finger forward. Out from it, a wire-thin ray of purple magic came straight at Issei.

"Aunt Shuri, it's me! It's Issei HYoudou! Don't you remember us?!" He yelled out.

"Mom, it's Akeno! I'm your daughter! You've got to snap out of this!" Akeno pleaded.

Again, Shuri didn't register her words. She pressed her attack, extending her arms to both side. Her purple aura flared around her like a gentle blanket. Firing from it, were countless wires of sharp magic, lasering through everything they touched. The entire building they were in was sliced apart, razing it to the ground as it became rubble. Issei, Akeno, and Rias dove out of the wreckage before they could be buried, floating across from Shuri.

"Aunt Shuri, try to hear us! Try to remember us! It's your nephew and daughter! Fight their control over you!" Issei returned to trying to reach her.

"It's no use. You're nothing more than targets for her to destroy. Your voices are nothing more than the wind to her. Give up and accept death from a cherished person in your life." Shalba denied him.

"Shut the hell up!" Issei flared at Shalba.

His voice, for a small fraction of a moment, became deeper and mighty, causing the very air to vibrate from his raging temper. Issei couldn't stand to look at the filthy bastard for another second. He hated the OSF now with a passion. They enjoyed trampling on others. They did whatever they wanted, however they wanted, whenever they wanted. All of this, just to satisfy their arrogance.

He was itching to punish Shalba at this point. It was so overpowering that it was painful. This man was the one responsible for wrecking the happy life that Shuri, Akeno, and Baraqiel lived. He was the one who robbed them of the happy life that they could've lived up until this very moment.

"Partner, control yourself. Don't do anything risky and most of all, don't let your rage get the better of you." Ddraig warned him.

One thing that Ddraig feared more than most other things, was Issei relapsing into another Juggernaut Drive. Especially, not after Issei's earlier moment with Diodora.

Ddraig was hesitant. Azazel and him wanted to avoid several things with Issei. They didn't want Issei to be power-hungry, nor arrogant. That was why Azazel always lied to Issei about his strength. He didn't want Issei to constantly hunger for more power and battle, which would waste his life. He didn't want Issei to be stagnant either, which would make him weak. Now, Issei was facing another problem that could come down the road: becoming a hateful and desperate person. Becoming drunk on power was a constant and major flaw of the Red Dragon Emperor.

"Shuri, destroy this rabid lizard." Shalba casually flicked his hand.

Issei didn't let that pass, however.

"Boost 15x" The Boosted Gear echoed.

Diverting that power to his thrusters, he zipped right over to Shalba, who hadn't expected to see Issei right in front of him.

"That's the thing about you relics. You're so arrogant that you don't expect anything. That's why it's so easy to take advantage of your stupidity." Issei rammed his fist right into Shalba's gut.

Gagging, he coughed and clutched his stomach as he tried to inhale some air. He was still reeling in pain, collapsing to one knee. Shuri moved to attack him but Akeno and Rias rushed to Issei's aid. Destroying the lasers that were going to hit Issei, the two stood next to him.

"We'll deal with her, you deal with Shalba." Rias decided.

"Sounds good." Issei nodded.

Shalba took this moment to lunge at Issei. He caught hold of his fist, but much to Issei's surprise, Shalba's clawed hand raked across his helmet, chipping it.

'He's faster than before.' Issei remarked, slightly annoyed.

Throwing a kick, Shalba blew it back with a pulse of demonic power, but swinging around, Issei bashed him across the face. A loud crack echoed from his nose, along with Shalba's pained groans.

Not finished with his assault, Issei proceeded to volley Shalba with fists and kicks. Dodging and catching some blows, Shalba was unable to shield himself from all of them. With every strike, he noticed that a powerfully painful sensation would erupt wherever Issei struck him, and it wasn't from a physical hit only. There would be red ripples in the air where Issei hit him.

Moving back, he created another swarm of flies that buzzed and hungrily flew at Issei. With another flamethrower born from Issei's dragon DNA, he reduced this wave to ashes as well. Rushing through the fire, was Shalba's armored hand, which clutched Issei's face. Slammed to the ground, the back of his head painfully crashing against the ground, he looked ahead. Shalba held his hand over Issei's face, preparing to blast him into nothing with light mixed with demonic magic. Issei, taking this chance, put all of his power into his left gauntlet. Shalba was finally right in front of him. That was the perfect chance to make a decisive blow. Using gravity magic, he magnified the force around them, plummeting Shalba to his knees as he felt the full effects of 20x gravity bearing down on him. He tried to fire his attack but when he was able to collect himself, it was too late.

"Boost 15x" The Boosted Gear echoed.

"[Drake Flare]"

Roaring out of Issei's fist, a massive red dragon of fire came shooting out, devouring Shalba within its maw, chewing and burning him. His pained screams echoed as he thrashed around within the fiery dragon, unable to escape. He could feel the magical fire burning the magic within him, as well as his armor and flesh. It was so painful that Shalba was unable to do a thing. He couldn't rouse his magic and he couldn't concentrate in order to use the power that Ophis had given him.

"Gaaaaaah! Damn you, Red Dragon Emperor!" He cursed aloud.

Almost immediately after, the fiery dragon exploded, leveling the area around them into a burned crater. Shalba's smoking and burned body trickled through the sky, plummeting to the ground with a violent boom.

(Bleach OST – Encirclement Battle. End Song.)

Issei stood up, as he turned to see the end of Akeno's battle with her mother. Shuri volleyed a torrent of water, mixed with lightning and wind, knocking down Rias to the ground, hard. Akeno tried to defend herself but it was taking all her power to fend her mother's attack off. Even with her full focus and power, Shuri had proven to be an extremely powerful opponent. Behind her, purple strings of razor-sharp mana crept up, aiming right at Akeno.

"Akenoooo!" Issei called out.

She turned her head around, finally noticing the silent deadly strings.

"Shit!" Akeno cursed under her breath.

Before she could be impaled, Issei dove in, pushing her out of the way before she could be harmed. With no more defense from behind, Issei was struck by Shuri's trinity of elemental magic, shocking him while driving him into the countless wires of mana. Impaled with a total of 8 large lasers of mana, Issei gagged out blood while he felt his armor cracking from behind. Blood shot out of his wounds as he was thrown across the ground, dragged painfully through the dirt.

"Gwaaahhh!"

"ISSEI!" Akeno screamed.

The Red Dragon Emperor was sent rolling to the ground, sprawled out. Akeno dashed over, holding him.

"My god…" She whimpered as she saw the large amount of blood trickling through his armor.

"Your mom's way stronger than I'd expected. The Cradle must've done a real number on her."

"I can't believe this." Akeno stifled a cry.

Everything was going so wrong.

"Don't fight against her." Issei groaned out.

"What?"

"She'll keep seeing you as an enemy, Akeno. That's exactly what Shalba wants. You have to show you're not an enemy. You're mother's brainwashed. Fight her with words, not attacks. Trust me, I've been through this before. Don't fail like I did. You need to remind her of who you are and what she had. That's the only way to get her back." Issei gently shook her shoulder.

"But look at what she's done to you."

Issei held back a chuckle.

"I'll be fine. She missed my vital areas. My dragon DNA will help me heal and I'll be back on my feet in a little while. Shalba's been taken care of. I'll leave your mom to you." Issei tried to sit up but faltered.

Akeno gently settled him down before turning to her mother. For a short while, Akeno and Shuri were locked in a dogfight. Akeno was solely focused on trying to get through to her mother while dodging the numerous tendrils of laser-like wire. Some did indeed move like lasers yet others moved like snakes, all of them going according to Shuri's will.

(Yoko Shimomura ~ Memoria – Vector to the Heavens. Play Song.)

"Mom! Snap out of it! Don't you remember me, Akeno?! Don't you remember your husband, Baraqiel?! Don't you remember your family?!" For the next span of time, Akeno had been repeating stories to her mother, trying to jar her mind.

"Father told me of what happened to you! He told me how he was wounded, bleeding right outside your doorstep. He told me how you were cleaning the grounds when you saw him fall. You didn't even hesitate when you went to go see what had happened. You saw him sprawled out on the ground, wounded. You cared for him, for months. You bandaged him, fed him, and protected him. You even ran away from your family when you found out about who he was. You fell in love with him. You gave up everything for him. You ran away and made a nice home in the woods, away from everyone who knew you two." Akeno recounted.

At that moment, Shuri's brow twitched, the left corner of her lip jerking to the side. Slowly, her brows began to furrow. She was starting to make a difference. After so much talking and screams, the words of her daughter were finally beginning to make an impact.

"Enough…" She muttered.

"Then, after three years, you gave birth to me! You raised me lovingly until I turned nine. That was when your family came after us. You shielded me. You were slashed across the back to protect me, while trying to make peace. Don't you remember that?" Akeno continued.

"I-I don't…" Shuri muttered again.

"You taught me how to cook. I made a batch of cookies that burned and you ate every single one, telling me that as long as I did my best, I could always try again."

Shuri's eyes, twitched this time. Something was clicking in her mind.

"When I cut my finger while chopping vegetables without your permission, you, bandaged my wound, kissed it, and soothed me when I wouldn't stop crying." Akeno's voice quivered.

Her eyes were beginning to moisten, tears threatening to pour out. It hurt so much to see how much her mother had changed. It hurt so much to think about what they could've had if Shalba had never intervened in their lives. It hurt to see her reduced to an emotionless weapon.

"I-I can't." Shuri spoke up once more, this time, her voice being much clearer and louder.

"You always spoiled Issei and Vali, your nephew and niece. You loved them like they were your own. You loved Azazel and Uncle Ryuken like brothers. You loved Auntie Reiko like a sister. You loved so many people, Mom. Try to remember all of us." Akeno continued her onslaught of words.

At that point, all of Shuri's attacks were missing, going everywhere, raking the ground with lines burning through. Clearly, she wasn't making a conscious effort to kill anymore. Akeno's voice, combined with Issei's, along with the numerous stories, were stirring her mind. Despite the powerful brainwashing done to her, Shuri just couldn't lose those cherished memories that were etched deep into her soul.

Her head was beginning to hurt so much. Her temples were pulsing, as if contracting while her brain kept thumping in overdrive in confusion. Shuri slowly began to cry out in pain, clutching her head.

"My…my family…my husband, my daughter…ugh…" She mumbled to herself.

At that moment, hope sparked in Akeno's heart. Shuri began shaking, clawing at her head as she began screaming, her brainwashing and her memories conflicting. It was the most excruciating pain she'd ever felt. She couldn't take it. Even her heart was hurting. She was actually growing frustrated and angry. Just why was she in so much pain. Words had never hurt her before.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" Shuri let out a sudden cry.

"That's right! Remember, focus! Think back to the happy life and family you had. You're not a weapon of the Old Satan Faction! You're not a doll! You're a wife, an aunt, a kind and loving woman, and most of all, you're my mother!"

Those words echoed into the sky, as if resonating with the universe. Shuri stopped moving, floating in midair. She blinked, her hair covering her eyes. She was panting, her aura weakening as a result. She looked up and saw Akeno, gasping. She could feel the brainwashing lose its hold on her.

"Akeno…Baraqiel…Issei…Vali…Ryuken…Reiko…" She muttered.

"That's right." Akeno pushed her on.

"My family, my beloved family…" Shuri sniffled.

When Akeno finally got close, she saw that the familiar warm light in her mother's golden eyes had returned. A smile crept across the faces of mother and daughter. As the two made their way closer to each other, a magic circle appeared underneath Shuri, enveloping her in a sickly purple light.

"Aaaaaahhhh!" She screamed in agony.

"What's happening?!" Akeno yelled out.

Shuri, motivated by the voice of her daughter, looked at her.

"The enemy had a failsafe. Now that my brainwashing's weakened, a spell's been activated. In one minute, I will either detonate or I will go back to being a weapon. I can hold the detonation spell at bay at ten minutes, but if it goes off, everyone is going to die here." She grunted out.

"WHAT?!" Akeno cried out in horror.

"I just got you back! You finally remembered me! You can finally come back!"

"I know, Akeno, but I can't anymore. It's taking all of my willpower to keep myself from blowing up or from turning against you again. You have to kill me."

Akeno froze, wide-eyed.

"No…" She whimpered.

"Yes, you have to. I either kill all of us, or I turn back into a weapon. I won't become a tool again. I refuse to hurt my friends and family, let alone my precious daughter. Either way, I'll die when I stop being useful. The Old Satan Faction will discard me, anyways. That's why, if I'm to die, then I'll die knowing that my daughter has grown up to be strong and beautiful inside. Even though I've only seen you for a few minutes, I can see it in your eyes. After hearing how you spoke, I'm reassured that you have a strong character. I don't regret a thing concerning you, except for one thing." Shuri let out a derisive and sad laugh.

"It's the fact that I couldn't watch you grow up and I won't be able to see you become a full woman, Akeno." She smiled, tears sliding down her face.

Things were now at an ultimatum. Shuri would either turn back into a mindless killing machine or she would explode and take this whole dimension with her.

(Yoko Shimomura ~ Memoria – Vector to the Heavens. End Song.)

Shalba laughed, choking on smoke. He didn't have the strength to move, but he certainly had strength to relish this moment.

"Either way, you're all screwed. That bitch has three minutes, tops to live. Either way, the spell we placed on her will kill her. She was sent here to become a bomb, anyways. Baraqiel is here, so he's sure to come for her. Not only that, but we knew that that half-Fallen Angel whore would be here. Wherever she is, Rias Gremory is, followed by Sona Sitri. It's a win for us, Red Dragon Emperor. This whole plan was to deliver the first blow to the "New" government and it's going to succeed. If you try the smallest thing, the spell will automatically set itself off. No matter what, you're all fucked."

Issei grit his teeth. Time was running short. He didn't have time to waste on Shalba. The wretched bastard deserved to die even more than Diodora but that wasn't at the top of his list right now. He needed to find a solution to saving Shuri.

'Come on, Issei, think. There has to be a way to save her. Come on. Come one! COME ON!' He wracked his brain.

Blitzing through his mind for ideas in seconds, he punched his head, trying to get to a working solution. That was when he had an idea. The Boosted Gear had the unintentional ability to overload magical equipment and spells. If he overloaded the spell with magical energy, he could damage the function of the detonation spell to create a small window of time for opportunities. It was like technology. If he 'glitched' or fried the spell, he could substitute something else as a medium for the spell and have it blow up instead of Shuri. Unfortunately, Issei lacked the mastered prowess for interacting with the deeper immaterial functions of magic circles and the written symbols and runes within.

"What's happening?!" A familiar voice reached Issei's ears.

'YESSS! THAT'S EXACTLY WHO I NEEEDED!' Issei excitedly thought to himself. His saving grace had shown up right when he needed her.

He turned around and looked up to see Vali, pointing at her in glee. She was a bit winded from fighting off so many opponents, but Issei couldn't let her rest.

"VALI! Don't ask any questions! I need you to do as I say! Follow me!" Issei grabbed hold of Vali's hand and flew into the air towards Shuri.

"UWAH!" She yelped.

Stopping in front of Shuri, Issei began unsealing his power.

"Vali, I know you know how to interact with the inner layers of a magic circle better than I can. I need you to displace it and map it onto my armor. That way, we can have the detonation happen safely." Issei declared.

"WHAT?!" Vali, Shuri, and Akeno shrieked.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL YOURSELF?!" Vali screamed in utter fright and panic.

"Listen to me! I'm going to overload the spell to create a small window of time so that you can interact with the detonation spell. I'm going to disengage my armor and leave it as a hollow shell. Then, once you've been able to grab onto the spell, place it in my armor's magical system and then I'll have it detonate far away from us. This way, we can save Aunt Shuri and get rid of this problem. NOW, HURRY UP!" He demanded.

Immediately turning away, Issei disengaged his armor, leaving behind an empty suit.

"Issei, this is crazy!" Ddraig warned him.

"JUST SHUT UP AND LET ME DO THIS!" Issei roared at him.

"BOOST!" The Boosted Gear echoed, being louder than usual to reflect Issei's urgency.

Holding his palm in front of the magic circle that would detonate, he began transferring his power. Rapidly, a red light began to overtake the magic circle, showing that Issei's plan was working.

"Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on!" He pleaded with whatever higher power that would let him succeed.

When red crackles of energy began to wrap around the circle, Issei knew it was time.

"Now, Vali!"

Vali immediately began [Dividing] the circle, lowering the chance of it going off by weakening it. Interacting with the small magic circles within the spell, she began freezing and reworking the spell.

"Done!" She declared as she placed the spell on the empty Scale Mail armor.

Issei turned around, trying to find somewhere to send the armor. Then he noticed something. The bastard Shalba was making an escape. The light of a teleportation circle was shining brightly as he was almost ready to get away. Then the perfect idea came along.

"Hey, Shalba!" Issei snapped his fingers.

The Scale Mail moved according to Issei's will, darting right at Shalba.

"WHAT?!" He let out a surprised yell.

The Scale Mail moved with urgent speed, reflecting Issei's mood.

"Go to hell!" Issei called over.

The armor wrapped around Shalba, locking him within as the teleportation circle finally took him away. Along with him, the detonation spell went, ensuring his defeat and Shuri's escape.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Shalba screamed as he was taken away.

And just like that, the detonation spell's threat was removed from the area, just as Shalba made his escape. Issei wasn't sure if Shalba would die, but he knew that Shalba wouldn't escape unharmed at the least.

Panting, finally allowing his body to process everything, Issei felt lightheaded from all the stress that he'd just endured. That was when his entire body locked up with pain.

"AAGH!" He froze, stifling his breath.

Looking at himself, he saw his clothes being soaked with blood.

"Damn it!" He cursed.

Plummeting towards the ground, he would've smashed into it, if it weren't for Akeno.

Catching him within her arms, Akeno held him tight. Issei looked around and found that Xenovia, Irina, Kiba, Koneko, Rias, and Asia were safe and sound, despite several injuries. Shuri was alive and well, being cared for by Vali, who was slowly bringing her to the ground.

"I can't believe it! I can't believe you did it! You saved my mom!" Akeno sobbed happily.

She had no idea what to feel right now. Her mind had just processed what could've happened if they were one second too late. She couldn't believe the good fortune that'd just been delivered to her. Her mother was alive and well. Her brainwashing and death had been removed and averted and most of all, everyone was alive to relish it.

"You crazy man. What would I have done if you'd died?" Akeno was trembling, clinging onto his bloodied shirt.

She was taking heaves of breaths, trying to compose herself. She nearly lost her boyfriend, but also got her mother back.

"I don't know. I just couldn't let your mom and anyone else die. I really didn't think the plan would work, actually." Issei chuckled sheepishly.

Akeno didn't respond. She was just so happy right now. Finally, for the first time in a long time, a personal disaster had been averted. She'd been so scared that Issei was going to sacrifice himself, let alone her mother dying in front of her for real this time. She thought her heart would literally stop and give out from the stress.

Issei looked around one more time and smiled, satisfied. He too, was unable to believe just how well things had worked out.

'Finally, for once, I can finally save someone. For once, we all get to have what we want.' He happily thought to himself.

He felt great right now. He'd finally fixed the biggest mistake of his life. He'd saved his Aunt Shuri, who'd lost so many years because of his inability to think straight and for losing control of his emotions. Now, Akeno and Shuri could finally catch up and enjoy the rest of their years together, let alone with Baraqiel.

He was so elated that he didn't care about anything else that had happened today. He was just happy that the people he loved were together again. He was happy that he was able to help a family get back together.


Changes compared to the original Chapter 19:

1. Grammar fixes

2. Some more concise dialogue