Oi, your senpai is back! Finally, the next chapter and the one im sure a lot of you have been anticpating for one thing or another. I've only got a few things to say at the beginning due to certain flow of this chapter so I'll make it short so you can read on.

First, Rias. There are so many things ive heard on what to do with her. Kill her, enslave her, have Issei get back with her. My answer to this is no to all three. Due to the personality I'm building for Issei, all three of these will not work. He is not thw type of character I want doing any of these, period.

Think that's about it. Anything else is in the bottom AN. So go there afterwards. Enjoy.

Boom!

Katerea fell back from her and Azazel's exchange. She had put a large amount of power into her attack and yet the Grigori leader was unfazed. She grit her teeth, angered at the fact that the Seraph looked to be taunting her.

"It would seem you're low on juice. Tell me, did you really think you stood a chance of taking all of us on? Even now, when you can't seem to stand against little ole me?" Azazel spoke with a grin. Yeah, he was definitely taunting.

"Shut your mouth, Azazel! I have more than enough power to kill everyone standing here!" The brunette shot back. Fringes of hair fell onto her face, breaking the last bit of regalia she had. Now she looked no more than a deranged devil. Her eyes were wide, her teeth were grit with such anger, it was hard for her to uphold what little prestige she had left.

She held up her hand and a magic circle appeared in it. In a quick flash a jar was seen in its place. The fallen angel narrowed his eyes, not at the jar but at what was inside of it.

There, perfectly coiled and slumbering, a black snake sat inside. It took a second before it opened its eyes, revealing purple orbs that seemed void and empty. It rose its head and glanced around before it leveled its gaze at the Governor, himself. It released a sharp hiss, showing off its long and jagged fangs that dripped a purplish glowing liquid.

The fallen could feel an ominous power coming from the reptile. It was something foreign, and yet familiar, to him. He felt that he knew what that creature was but couldn't quite place his finger on it. And what made it more confusing was why such a thing was in the hands of Katerea.

"Hahaha, I see this has caught your attention," the Leviathan cackled, motioning to the jar. "It is the final piece that will allow me to bury you and the other falsified leaders who dare stand against me!"

The woman popped the cork that sealed the jar. The snake didn't take its eyes off Azazel as she lifted it and began to open her mouth. The leader rose a brow at the realization that she planned to swallow the reptile. The fallen let his curiosity get the better of him as he made very little attempts to try and stop her. Instead, he opted to reach for the specialized dagger stashed in a sheath under his coat. It looked like he would need Fafnir if things were going to get out of hand. And there was no telling due to the endless abyss feeling that the snake gave off the longer it stared at him.

"Hah!"

SHATTER!

The sudden shout sounded throughout the battlefield. Shortly following was the sound of glass breaking and a hiss of pain. Both Azazel and Katerea were surprised when a needle of green energy shot past the latter and broke the jar in her hand. The snake had the needle embedded in its eye as it writhed in the air before bursting into particles of black.

Both leaders turned to the source of the attack to see the red Scale Mail cladded devil. He had his arm outstretched, giving the obvious conclusion that he was the assailant. He had no idea what he destroyed but a feeling overcame him during his rampage against the mages. Some deep feeling told him to turn, just in time to see Katerea uncork the jar. Once she did every fiber of his body screamed for him to destroy it as the power radiating off the creature sent a shiver up his spine.

The Leviathan switched from shock to furious the moment her eyes landed on the boy. Any last hope that she had of defeating the leaders was now gone. Her mana was just about depleted and she still hadn't taken out the Grigori leader, still leaving Michael and the Maous left. That snake was suppose to be her ultimate boost that would allow her to obliterate the city itself, but now that was impossible.

"Heh, nice job, kid," Azazel said with a toothy grin. "I would have liked to see what that snake would do but you also just saved me the trouble of having to get serious."

Katerea growled as her focus switched between the Grigori leader and the Sekiryuutei. She couldn't decide which she was seething at more. The former, who was openly mocking her, or the latter, who got in her way.

CRACK! CRASH!

The sounds of shattering filled everyone's ears. They looked up to see the massive gateway crack before breaking just as the jar did. The air surrounding the group began to flow again and the odd feeling, from when time stopped, disappeared. It was now obvious that Kiba and Rias had freed Gasper. It was further proven when the trio and Koneko appeared outside the old school building through a magic circle, revealing that they could teleport once more.

All of the ones who were frozen were unfrozen and many looked confused as they looked around. But once it all became clear the remainder of the armies, as well as those from the meeting room, took action to begin a counter attack.

The remaining mages were quick to try and take out as many as they could but it was all useless. The forces behind quickly began to overwhelm them with little effort. Many of the terrorists were either dying or surrendering, leaving what little was left to attempt to escape. But there was no way out and the collapsing force of the three great powers brought down every last mage.

Panic began to set in on the brunette Leviathan. Both her trump cards had been stopped and her remaining forces were being decimated by the Three Factions.

All of her hard work and planning was starting to crumble before her very eyes. She would be left with nothing, captured, and interrogated into revealing what she knew about Khaos Brigade. She couldn't let that happen-no, she wouldn't let it happen.

"Katerea, its over. You've lost so give it up," Azazel spoke up.

The devil clenched her fist and grit her teeth. It was victory or death for her.

"I'll never surrender!" She shouted. The Leviathan turned and threw her hands out, stretching them as if they were some kind of rubber, and wrapped her arms around the Grigori leader. "I don't need to live for our goals to succeed! As long as I can take one of you with me, that's more than enough to welcome death!"

"Hmm, while death is okay for you..." Azazel paused momentarily before summoning a light spear. He sliced through the appendages with ease, shocking Katerea at the lack of fear in her opponents eyes. "...I still have a lot left to do. And your little parlor trick has punched your one way ticket to the other side. Farewell."

With that, he threw the spear, piercing right through the terrorist's skull. There was no time for her to scream as she was vaporized within the same second. Azazel folded his arms and sighed.

"If you had spent more time training instead of seeking vengeance, maybe you'd have stood a better chance," he chastised to the fallen devil. There was no way for her to hear him but he simply wanted to talk out loud.

Issei had watched the final moments with wide eyes. He was in awe at the power the fallen Seraph possessed. It was on a totally different level from Kokabiel and even that terrorist devil was stronger than the ten winged warmonger. He could sense the power leaking off of them and the potency coming from the Governor showed Issei he was no match for him at all. It was actually scary that such a lazy and nonchalant man had that much power at his disposal.

"Hey kid," Azazel called out. The angel had his back to the boy but could feel his eyes on him.

"Uh...yes!?" Issei snapped in reply, caught off guard.

"What you did saved me a lot of annoyances. My curiosity took over and could have endangered others. You knew that snake was dangerous, didn't you?" The leader asked, turning to face the Pawn.

"Ano... It gave off this weird power. Something dark and...endless. It was like staring into the abyss without having to look at it," Issei replied, scratching the back of his head. "I felt something...ominous once she summoned that thing. My body kind of moved on its own and destroyed it."

"Hmm..."

Azazel cupped his chin in his hand. He closed his eyes and hummed in thought. It had to have been his instinct. But for such a young an inexperienced child to have that kind of instinct in the midst of fighting all those mages. The Governor's curiosity began to peak but for the Sekiryuutei that continued to amaze him.

BOOM!

In the midst of his thoughts, a powerful blast struck Azazel in his back, sending him into the ground. Issei's eyes widened before he turned to see Vali as the assailant. The Hakuuryukoi hovered above him, hand outstretched.

"Vali, bad boy. How could you?" Azazel asked, pulling himself from the small crater he created. He sounded the least bit hurt and, actually, had a look of expectancy on his face. Had he already known of Vali's betrayal?

"Sorry Azazel, things looked a little more fun on this side," the silverette replied.

"Is that so..?" The angel asked, dusting himself off. He stood from the crater and leapt into the sky, coming up to level with the betrayer. "Let me ask you this then, the one you're working for...is it Ophis?"

Everyone had shocked looks at the question. It wasn't possible for the Ouroboros dragon to involve itself with such trivial matters. What reasoning could make that dragon come out and create a terrorist organization?

"Yes, Ophis is the one who leads Khaos Brigade. She gathers the strongest from the ends of the earth, all with one goal in mind," Vali explained with ease. So it wasn't a kept secret on who lead them.

"It wouldn't happen to be a conquering kind of thing, right?"

"No, neither her nor I have such desires for any of that," Vali answered swiftly. "Our dream has aligned for defeating something much bigger than you and I. Nothing more."

"I see. With how you worked with Katerea, and how you brought her here of all places and time, it would have been a calculated guess that you wanted your title back as well."

The group's eyes widened once more. "Wait, he's a descendant of a former Devil King?" Serafall voiced everyone's thoughts.

"Mm, I am Vali Lucifer. Great grandson to the former Great King of the Underworld, Lucifer. But I am a mere half-blood, born of a human mother, which allows me to also be the White Dragon Emperor."

Vali then turned to Issei. Both entered a staredown as their eyes bore into one another. Those around them could see the fire building up again as their helmets did little to hide the growing flames between the two. There moment of ceasefire was now over with the defeat of the mages.

"I have no desire to gain my title back. All I want to do is fight and become the strongest White Dragon Emperor to ever live."

"Hmph, hiding behind that woman while she did all the work doesn't back your claim," Issei shot back. His eyes were narrowed and his teeth grit. No one could see his face but his tone and body language told a thousand words.

"I had no reason to assist her as it was her own choice to do something foolish."

"Wasn't she your comrade though? Why hide when she at least stood her ground to the very end!?"

"I would not allow her foolish actions to affect me. Her rash actions warranted death," Vali said back, an ice cold glare leveled at the brunette. It only brightened the fire in Issei's eyes.

"So you'd let your comrades die..? You could have done anything to help and yet you sat there and did nothing..."

Flashes of white began to appear in Issei's mind. The first showed Issei when he was stabbed by Raynare. It showed his last moments before the sudden flash of red came that was Rias saving him.

Flash!

The second was Issei holding Asia, just after she died. Tears were flowing down his face as he cried out for her.

Flash!

The third was during the Rating Game. It was when Koneko was blasted by Yubelluna in a surprise attack. He held her injured body, fear for her safety evident on his face just before she disappeared in his arms.

Flash!

The fourth was Akeno. She was defeated by her fellow Queen, having lost by Phenex tears. The pained and hurt look on her face as she fell from the sky was still in the back of Issei's mind.

Flash!

The fifth was Kiba. The moment Yubelluna struck again just after they defeated a large portion of Raiser's remaining pieces.

Flash!

The final was at the end of Kokabiel and his fight. The look of fear and horror on Kuisha's face when the war-monger drove his spear through Issei. It was a look he never wanted to see again. One he never wanted anyone to make ever again.

These memories were constant reminders of how he was weak. How he was unable to save those he thought of as friends and family. The ones who he let down because he didn't push himself.

Issei realized the reason he was so angry at Vali. It was because he had the power to do something and didn't. The Pawn growled as he could see Vali didn't care who got hurt, so long as he achieved what he sought for.

It made Issei sick.

The brunette grit his teeth tighter and felt the anger building inside of him more and more. The Hakuuryukoi spoke so casually about things that put peoples lives at stake. What if one of those casualties were Ladora? Or Asia? Or Irina? Or any of his family? His mom or dad? Or...what if it was Kuisha...?

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

A deep rumbling sound filled the courtyard's silence. Everyone could feel the very grounds themselves vibrating from a sudden intrusion of a new force. Chunks of rock danced up and down while the trees surrounding the area began to shake back in forth in a manner unnatural.

Issei floated just above the ground, his head lowered and arms to his side. Green sparks of electricity began to dance around the boy. The dirt beneath his feet blowing out in rings around him.

"What is this feeling...?" Sirzechs asked aloud. Everyone was thinking the same thing, their eyes glued to Issei.

Crk!

A crack appeared on the dragon armor.

Crk! Crk!

Two more followed behind it. One on the left gauntlet, just right of the green gem. The other forming across the helmet, between the eyes.

Crrrk!

The next one was a large crack that shot diagonally across his chestplate. It stretched from the ball of his shoulder down to just above his hip.

Everyone watched in silence. None of them could say a word even if they wanted to. The power that was coming from Issei had any form of speech caught in their throat. And the fact that his armor looked to be breaking under such a power increase was unheard of.

"...People lost their lives. So many people. Many you were suppose to call comrades..." Issei spoke, his voice a very scary calm.

Vali seemed unaffected by it. "Mere pawns to a bigger picture."

"...'A bigger picture', you say..?"

The silverette could feel the brunette's power rising higher. His smile got wilder, more excited, more exhilarated as he could feel his rivals emotions fueling the aura. He, too, couldn't help raising his at the anticipation of the massive fight about to ensue.

"Tell me, Vali. Does this 'bigger picture' have you in it..?" Issei asked ominously.

The fellow dragon's grin widened. He was ready. "Of course. Why wouldn't it?"

"..Because you're going to die here.."

It was then that Sirzechs eyes widened along with the other leaders. Azazel, on the other hand, couldn't help his curiosity light up again as stars twinkle in his eyes. His grin stretched from ear to ear as his anticipation made him very excited.

"Everyone get back!" The redheaded Maou shouted. No one argued and was quick to fall behind the leaders before they created another barrier.

"Onii-sama?" Rias whispered. She noticed the serious look on his face. More so than when Katerea first made her appearance. He wasn't as concerned with the deceased Leviathan as he was now with the inevitable battle between the two dragons.

"Rias, stay behind me. If you get too close, their auras will reduce you to nothing," he warned. The heiress said nothing and looked over to Issei once again.

The cracks were spreading more and more across his body and the lightning sparked longer and more frequently. Even though she was behind the powerful barrier, she could still feel the draconic energy swelling around her former Pawn. For him to have attained such a feat of power, Rias could say she understood how bad of a mistake she made.

"Issei..."

Crrrrkkkkkkk!

Fragments of the Scale Mail chipped out as the cracks grew. A bright green light shone through, blinding the group as the cracks extended. Issei held out his finger, pointing it at Vali, who's hands twitched with a readiness to finally fight.

"All of this for simple weaklings being sacrificed. I wonder if you'll get even stronger if I kill that blonde Bishop. Oh, or possibly that woman who seems close to you. Kuisha, right?"

The ground below Issei caved into a deep crater. The energy took a darker crimson color, now mixing with the green bolts.

"...You've guaranteed death..."

CRACK!

The green light enveloped Issei completely as his armor shattered into tiny shards. The backlash of energy shot across the entire courtyard, obliterating the school building until nothing remained. The grounds beneath him shot up in massive chunks, lifting up roots and pipes along with it. The barrier that surrounded the school cracked and shook but held together with what little strength it had left.

Amidst all of this, a lone Governor could be seen laughing. He stood inside his own barrier, looking at the explosion of energy with complete fascination. Never before had he witnessed such a thing before. No books, no matter the surplus amount he read, had any mentioning of such a thing before. Not even Vali, the projected strongest White Dragon Emperor, had achieved such an evolution in his Sacred Gear before. And, as such, his curiosity and anticipation for the final results matched that of the silverette who was a catalyst to call forth such a change in the brunette.

After thirty seconds, the light began to fade.

Pmph!

Vali had been unprepared for the attack. He had severely underestimated the speed and power of his opponent. His anticipation had clouded his judgement of the enemy. And his desire to fight left him without an actual plan or counterattack.

Looking down, Vali came face to face with the evolutionized Issei Hyoudou. The brunette had red scales on his cheek and neck. Few of his teeth looked sharper, giving him fangs, and his eyes were now slit like a reptile. His nails were also sharper, taking on a reptiles claws. His armor had completely disappeared and his shirt from the meeting was now shredded and wrapped around his waist by a few threads, leaving him with only his pants and shoes.

"This form...such power..." Vali said with genuine praise. Looking at him, the Pawn looked to be between evolutions, as if it was an incomplete form. And yet he had so much strength behind that one punch.

The silverette looked down. The spot where the brunette's punch landed had completely destroyed his armor. It was long after that something raced up his throat and the Lucifer descendant coughed up a decent amount of blood. It had been some time since he last bled.

"I'll make sure you regret ever trying to harm any of my friends again..." Issei stated coldly.

[Ascalon!]

Shkk!

The Hakuuryukoi's eyes widened to full size. At the call of the red dragon an unbearable pain filled his entire being. His eyes fell to the source of the burning pain and his mouth fell open from it.

In Issei's hand, the holy dragon slaying sword lied. And it was stabbed directly into the gut of the silverette. He was caught completely off guard and hadn't expected for a fellow dragon to wield a weapon that was deadly to their kind. He had no words for this and, for once in a long time, didn't feel so confident.

Issei only looked at him with cold eyes. He kicked his rival off the blade, sending the dragon to the floor. He swiped his blade to the side, splattering the blood that stained it into a crescent on the ground.

"You talk of pawns being sacrificial pieces and how the weak are only here to die to the strong-," Issei spoke as he slowly walked towards his enemy. No one made a move, not even Azazel, everyone stunned from the change in Issei's personality. He wasn't the same from before.

The Sekiryuutei stood above the Hakuryuukou, his eyes piercing into his opponents. Vali stared back, pain clear on his face. The brunette didn't care and placed his foot directly on the spot where the wound was. His response was a grunt of pain from the Lucifer.

"-Now, you'll know how it feels to die by someone who is both a pawn and was called weak by everyone around him!"

Issei rose the blade, ready to plunge it directly into the dragon's heart. His grip tightened and his muscles tensed as he prepared to drive it through.

"Issei!" He heard Kuisha shout. The brunette's eyes widened as he knew of her warning.

He leapt back just in time before a figure landed directly where he had stood.

"Vali, I've come for you," came a cheerful voice.

The dust quickly settled to reveal a young man wearing armour that used to be worn by military commanders of the Three Kingdoms. He also had a long wooden staff in his hand, holding it behind his head and across his shoulders. "Seems I've arrived it time. You look like you've bitten off more than you can chew, haha."

"Bikou, I suppose I owe you one. But what are you doing here?" Vali asked still with pain evident in his voice. He had slowly risen, holding his wound with a hand over it.

"Isn't that cruel? I made a long journey and came all the way to this island country because my partner was close to dying... The other guys were making a fuss at headquarters because we're joining together to fight the northern country gods. You were supposed to flee and return right away if the mission failed, right? Katerea failed to assassinate Michael, Azazel, and Lucifer, right? In that case, your observation role is also over. Come back with me," Bikou explained with a pout, leaving Vali to lower his head and close his eyes. He grunted at the searing pain of his wound. It seemed he definitely had underestimated his opponent.

"…Yes, I would say I've overstayed my welcome."

"Who are you?" Issei asked the new arrival.

"Descendant of the Victorious Fighting Buddha, Son Goku. Names Bikou, pleasure Sekiryuutei," the monkey man replied, still as carefree as ever.

"Hm, so you're related to the Son Goku?" Issei wanted to be in awe but the situation didn't call for it. Especially since he still wanted to kill the man hiding behind the staff wielder.

"I'm different from my ancestor, who had became a god. I just live doing as I please as that is my dream," Bikou replied, waving lackadaisical.

"Enough... It's time to go. I must get this treated," Vali ordered, grunting as the dragon slaying properties lit him up with pain once more.

"You think I'm going to let you go?" Issei asked, lifting Ascalon once more. It was then that he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to see Azazel. The fallen gave him an uncharacteristically serious expression that warned him from attacking.

During that time, the monkey youkai slammed his staff into the ground. A black portal appeared below the duos feet and the two sunk into the earth. Their eyes locked with Issei's once more, the brunette begrudgingly letting them go. But the fire roared even brighter behind the eyes of both dragons. It was obvious that their rivalry would be a destructive one.

Once they were gone, Issei released his new form and Ascalon disappeared along with it. He stared at where his rival was a few seconds ago and could still feel his blood boiling. His words of threat towards Kuisha rang in his ears and a deep possessiveness rose inside him like no other.

He clenched his fist and his jaw tightened. The Pawn came to a quick conclusion and made a promise to himself the very second the thought crossed his mind.

"No one will take her away from me. No one."

Okay. We have now made it to the end. And I'm sure a lot of you are kind of blue balled. So lets get into the details on why I have done things this way. But only the few that won't get an explanation in the story. The rest you'll wait for.

First, and the biggest question I've been getting, Albion. No, Issei isn't going to take him away from Vali. And no, hes not taking his power. The reason behind this is I want Issei to become stronger through different means, not through the power of the two heavenly dragons. He'll be gaining new powers through new means with Dragon Shot, Ascalon, and Pierce really being the only ones I want him to keep. Maybe even Dress Break and Booblingual if I ever am desperate enough to dive into those perverted powers.

Second, Kuisha and Issei's relationship. Its gonna push hard the coming chapters. So be prepared.

Third, Rias. I have my plans for her, I don't need any suggestions as her storyline is one of the few I'm dead set on.

Fourth, Issei's new form. Its incomplete and will take some time before he fully evolutionizes. Just in case you were curious.

Alright, I've got nothing else. Join the discord if you want, the link is the same from the past few chapters. Review and let me know your thoughts. I'm always down for a debate.

Okay, i think im done.

Ciao~