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Game of DxD: Redux

Chapter 4 – An Ominous Encounter.


He hummed as he waited, standing beside the classic ramen restaurant, Akamichi. It was around 9 in the morning, the people around Issei were hustling from their homes to their jobs. As for the ones who were in the dependency age, they were by their mothers, marvelling at all the new items and decorations hung up here and there for the festival.

Issei focused on a mother who held her baby daughter, the younger of the two laughing and giggling uncontrollably as she clapped and clenched her hands with what little muscle control she had.

"Hyoudou Issei-dono," he heard from behind him. Issei spun around and saw a woman with brown hair, wearing a white kimono with red along the bottom. Issei recognised the kimono from the palace.

"Are you the maid sent by Yasaka-san– I mean, Yasaka-sama?" He corrected himself, remembering that Yasaka was the ruler of Kyoto, meaning that she deserved the most respectful honorific.

His escort nodded and started walking in a certain direction. "Follow me," she said, and Issei followed, his gaze drifting her rather well-shaped ass here and there, but stopped after a while because of how many times she would catch him looking.


"We've arrived, Hyoudou Issei-dono." the woman maid said as they both entered a garden, in the middle of it a desk and a whiteboard.

He looked over to her, trying to hide how amazed he was by the beauty of the patio. "What do we start with today?" he asked his magic tutor.

"Please sit, Hyoudou Issei-dono," she said, and Issei sat down, finding that the wooden chair is strangely comfortable.

"To begin with, are you aware of the basics of magic, Hyoudou Issei-dono?" She asked as she stood in front of him

Issei replied with an answer she did not expect. "First off, could you please use a shorter name for me? Please, it's annoying to keep hearing it. Even a nickname is good enough. As for your question, no, I don't know anything about the basics of magic."

His tutor acknowledged his annoyed tone and decided to entertain his request.

"Very well, Issei-dono. The first thing to know about magic is that it comes directly from the soul's essence. This means that no matter how strong your body becomes, without working on your magic too, the strength and capacity of the mana inside of you will never increase."

"Next is that magic is limited. The correct way to represent it would be having a virtual container inside you. The substance filling the vessel is your mana capacity, but what determines the amount of mana you can hold and use in your body is the container. It represents how small your mana capacity is, whether it's a small container or a large one. To increase the size, training and practising magic is vital."

Issei focused on the tutor's words and noted down everything in his head. He didn't bring a notebook, but the boy decided to memorise it and write it down in a notebook later at home.

The teacher noticed his sincere attention and continued, "Finally, magic, for humans, is all about equations, which comes in two different steps. The first would be the equation required to channel mana into your hands and allow it to create a magic circle. Next, you'll have to calculate the spell itself, however, it comes in the form of, "If I do that, then this will happen." Please take this small magic circle as an example," she said as she summoned a blue magic circle above her palm, the size of a person's hand.

"Now, I have used an equation to direct the mana in me to create this. After that, I will create a fireball spell, a very simple one too. In my mind, I will think, "If I charge mana into my hand, and then use the oxygen in the air as fuel for the fireball, then it will appear," like this."

A small, but very noticeable fireball appeared right above the blue magic circle. It just hovered there, strands of flames dancing around. She then closed her hand and the magic circle disappeared, along with the small orb of flames.

"Please try it yourself now, Issei-dono."

Said boy nervously looked at his hand and closed his eyes, trying to imagine– to be more accurate, Issei tried coming up with an equation of sorts to channel his mana.

'Uh, maybe, I should command it? Let's see… magic, move to my right hand.' he thought, but it didn't work at all. Not even a single nudge. So, he tried a different approach.

'Alright then… spell creation, activated. [Consume oxygen + MP and create a fist-sized fireball, 700ºC.]' A small, bright crimson magic circle appeared, inside of it the design of the head of a dragon. Above it, a fireball the size of a man's fist appeared. It appeared to fluctuate randomly, but the spell did hold.

Ping!

+Unlocked Affinities tab

Due to certain actions, you've gained a new skill

Fire Affinity
•The ability to manipulate, use, and cast any fire-related magic much easier.
+50% ATK for fire-related spells.
-50% MP cost for fire-related spells.

Firebolt – Active – Lvl. 1
•Conjures a small fireball that can be thrown at an enemy.
•300 ATK per fireball.
•10 MP per fireball.

+200 EXP.

He terminated the commands, thus ending the spell. His tutor looked suspiciously at him, and Issei squirmed in his place.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked, confused by his teacher's reaction.

She shook her head and sighed, "Issei-dono, you're quite the fast learner. I haven't even demonstrated what sort of equation you must use to direct the mana in you, and yet you figured it out yourself."

'Oh. That's why.' he thought nervously.

|You didn't even look exhausted after producing your very first spell. It'll raise suspicion, but thankfully that busty fox lady decided to keep this all a secret.|

'Busty? Ddraig, I didn't know you were a pervert too!' Issei yelled in his mind, feeling proud of the dragon.

|Being stuck for several hundreds of years inside a gauntlet does that to you.|

"Then, why did you tell me to try and create a spell?" Issei asked, figuring out that it made no sense to do such a thing.

His tutor gave a thin, faint smile. "I wished to see if a theory of mine was correct."

She then cleared her throat. "Continuing our lesson, the next part is finding out your magical affinities. Most humans only have one affinity, two if they're lucky, and three if they're destined to be magicians." She held out her hands. "Please hold my hands. I will now assess your mana."

Issei did as told and gently grabbed hold, offhandedly noting how smooth her skin was. Her hands started to glow dimly for several seconds before she pulled them away, the glow disappearing.

"I see that you have an affinity for Fire and Wind magic. You're lucky, Issei-dono; not many humans get two affinities." She said, an impressed note in her voice, but then she cleared her throat and pointed at the whiteboard, drawing several designs.

She pointed at a small rock. "I will now educate you about Elemental magic. The most common of them is Earth magic, mainly used to increase one's defence and endurance."

She moved on to a water droplet. "Then comes in Water magic, a magic that can be used for both offence and defence, although it's usually used for the former."

Next was the icon of a small gust of wind. "Wind magic. It's the third rarest and mostly used for offence and speed enhancement. Some Wind magic spells can decrease a person's weight, thus making them faster."

After that, the tutor pointed at a yellow bolt. "Lightning, which is mainly used for offence, speed enhancement, and its unique trait to shock and paralyze opponents."

Finally, there was the symbol of a tiny flame, "Lastly, Fire magic. It can be used for defence, but most of the time it's used for offensive techniques.."


From there on, Issei paid his utmost attention to his tutor as she explained and demonstrated many things about magic, such as the creation of spells, how to contain them, and other theories that Issei wanted answers for. By the time his first lesson had ended for today, which lasted 3 hours, Issei returned home with great results.

Wind Affinity
•The ability to manipulate, use, and cast any wind-related magic much easier.
+50% ATK for wind-related spells
-50% MP cost for wind-related spells

Wind Blade – Active – Lvl. 1
•A gush of wind that may slice through an opponent, depending on the difference of power.
•300 ATK per spell
•10 MP per spell

Water Barrier – Active – Lvl. 1
•Creates a water barrier that can handle most small attacks and hits.
•150 durability per spell
•40 MP per spell

Rock Bullet – Active – Lvl. 1
•Shoots a sharpened rock that's the size of your hand.
•220 ATK per spell
•30 MP per spell

Quick Shock – Active – Lvl. 1
•Player can briefly shock the opponent by physical touch.
•50% chance of paralysing the opponent for 1 second.
•50 ATK per spell
•30 MP per spell

+400 EXP

Deciding to test out the new spells and their uses, Issei opened an Instant Dungeon, "I.D Create."

I.D Create – Active – Lvl. 2

The world shifted into the familiar ghost town of zombies, except that said ghost town was Kyoto this time. At first, nothing seemed different. The streets were still empty, the cars and shops were destroyed, and the skyscrapers were tilting and demolished.

However, the zombies ahead of him certainly had changed.

HP: 300/300
MP: 30/30

"Tripled HP and MP, huh? So, that's how it's systemised. With each new Instant Dungeon level, you guys get your power tripled." It made perfect sense. Doubling their capabilities was too little. Bosses and Mini-Bosses would make you used to that, and a Mini-Boss with double the power would just be a Boss.

"Rock Bullet," he mumbled. A familiar crimson magic circle appeared, magic crystallizing into a sharp-edged, small rock, which then shot forward and ploughed straight through the head of the zombie in front of him like shooting a watermelon. With the critical hit, it vaporised his opponent efficiently.

On the top left of his sight, he saw his MP bar go down from 315 to 285. It wasn't enough to make him feel fatigued or anything, but he did feel a small portion of his magical capacity decreasing. It felt like… a remote control starting to run low on electricity. Sort of.

+456 ¥
+90 EXP

'Even the monetary and EXP gains are tripled. This is good, it's increasing the rate at which I grow.' He thought, smiling.

Issei then heard one of the zombies running faster and with more posture than the level 1 zombies.

"Water Barrier." Some water ejected from the magic circle and reshaped itself into an oval-shaped shield, floating and swirling in front of him. The zombie crashed into the shield head-first and the water rippled and vibrated, but it did not break down. On the top left of his corner, right underneath his HP and MP bars, the latter decreasing to 245, was another number.

120/150 durability

"Oh, so it actually has a set limit on how much damage it can block, rather than just having a time limit or something. Good to know." With that out of the way, Issei realised that the zombie was moving rather strangely, trying to balance itself and not paying much attention to him, probably from the impact.

He quickly extended his hand onto the zombie's shoulder, "Quick Shock." A very small burst of lightning emanated from Issei's hand directly onto the zombie. The undead creature's HP dropped, but only by a chunk, and it froze for a second before moving again.

"Alright then, the secondary effect activated. Now, I just want to test out my last two spells…" Issei brought his hands forward, aiming them at five zombies in front of him.

"Wind Blade, Firebolt." The familiar flame orb launched from his right hand in a straight line, punching through three zombies effortlessly before vanishing into the air. From his left hand, Issei felt a gust of wind rush out of the magic circle, and with his enhanced eyesight, he saw that the wind was shaped into an arc similar to the swing of a blade, razor-sharp.

The two last zombies were sliced apart instantly, their bodies falling to the ground like a puppet that had its strings cut.

Ping!

Due to certain actions, you've gained a new skill.

Dual Casting – Passive – Lvl. 1
•The ability to cast two spells at once. It activates whenever the user is dual casting.
+1% ATK for dual casting spells with no affinity
+2% ATK for dual casting spells with an affinity
-1% MP cost for dual casting spells with no affinity
-2% MP cost for dual casting spells with an affinity

+100 EXP

Issei noticed his MP bar decreasing to 195. His body felt fatigued and his head was spinning.

|Mana exhaustion. Feels weird the first time, but you'll get used to it later on,| The elderly dragon informed.

Issei leaned onto a light pole near him and stood up unsteadily, "Damn, it's like I ran a fucking marathon," he commented as he straightened himself out.

+2,325 ¥
+450 EXP

"Those were pretty cool and all, but… I was kind of thinking of… yes, maybe that will work, but first I want to experiment with it." He mumbled to himself as he pulled out his rusted iron sword from the Inventory.

Issei closed his eyes and concentrated. 'Spell creation activated. [Consume MP to create a strengthening bond with the item, + Sharper edge + Vibrations. MP consumption = 100 MP per minute.]' As Issei finished constructing the new spell, his rusted sword began shining a mesmerising linear blue colour, and the weapon vibrated in his hand.

Ping!

Due to certain actions, you've gained a new skill.

Mana Enforcement – Active – Lvl. 1
•The user can enhance the strength, speed, quality and other factors of themselves or an item.
+10% ATK
-100 MP per minute

+100 EXP

Issei turned off his spell and stowed the rusty blade away. Instead, he summoned his brand new chokuto. Casting his brand new spells again and chugging a Minor MP Restoration Potion, Issei began today's onslaught of zombies.


"I.D Escape," he commanded, reappearing back at his bedroom. Today's grinding results were amazing. Small Fireball and Wind Blade both reached level 9, while Rock Bullet and Water Barrier rose to level 7, Quick Shock to level 6. Dual casting jumped to level 10 while Mana Enforcement went up by 6 levels. With each level, all effects increased by 1%.

Like this.

Dual Casting – Passive – Lvl. 10
•The ability to cast two spells at once. It activates whenever the user is dual casting.
+10% ATK for dual casting spells with no affinity.
+20% ATK for dual casting spells with affinity.
-10% MP cost for dual casting spells with no affinity.
-20% MP cost for dual casting spells with affinity.

Issei pondered if he'd have to waste no mana at all when using Wind or Fire magic when Dual Casting would reach level 100. Or there could be a limit for it so that he doesn't become fucking broken.

|Assuming you aren't already broken.| Ddraig commented, |Anyway, I think that it is now time to search for this kidnapper, no?|

Issei nodded after a moment of thinking and changed his clothing to something casual. He called his parents and informed them that he was going out, enjoying the festival.


It was already night, around 8 PM. The streets were filled with people once more, decorations lighting up the dark skies. Issei noticed many couples holding hands, families with their children.

An hour passed, but Issei found nothing; Ddraig couldn't sense anyone with a draconic magical signature nearby.

The boy stopped at a dark alleyway and sighed, rubbing his forehead with two fingers, "Fuck it, I'm going to use magic. No one can see me here anyway, and there are no cameras here." He grumbled and checked around him one last time to confirm that he's alone. Once done so, Issei started constructing yet another spell.

'Spell creation, begin. [Consume MP, spread out consumed MP to 20 meters in diameter. Convert the mana spread from offensive to sensitive. Link converted mana to awareness of physical senses + sixth sense. Search for given target Link converted mana to System to create alert notification + direction indication.]' He finished his train of thought, and lo and behold, another spell.

Due to certain actions, you've created a new spell.

Area Scan – Active – Lvl. 1
•Scans the area surrounding the user according to given parameters. Once located, the user receives a System notification of the direction.
•Scan area: 20 meters
•80 MP per spell
•An additional 1 MP is consumed for each 1 meter added.

+100 EXP.

Issei watched as a magic circle underneath his feet appeared and expanded before vanishing again. He waited for a few minutes, but no notification appeared.

With a grumble, He decided to cast the spell again, but before he could, he felt the wind shift and heard a gruff and irritated voice from behind him.

"Kid, all you did to me was give me a headache up until now. Seriously, what the fuck is someone like you doing in Kyoto?"

Turning around, Issei saw a large man, appearing in his mid-thirties. He had a short black beard, hazel eyes, and black hair combed backwards; with how it reflected the light, Issei guessed that he'd gelled it. What piqued his interest, however, was the clothing the man wore; a black cloak, underneath which were black jeans and boots. Printed on the cloak was a small circle, bearing a spear with a golden double helix at the top. The spear seemed to pass through the letters 'H.F.', although he had no idea what they could possibly stand for.

"How'd you counter my spell?" Issei asked, quietly summoning his chokuto and Boosted Gear from behind him. The Gear read his intent and remained silent.

|Boost!| the emerald on the back of his gauntlet displayed, but other than that, nothing.

Your Level has doubled.

The stranger grinned, "You idiot, you only made your spell to scan the area in a certain area, right? Well, you didn't account for height, so I just went to a rooftop; the spell couldn't detect me." The man shook his head, sighing in a condescending tone, "Tsk, tsk. Rookie mistakes."

From underneath his cloak, he drew a more western-styled sword with a golden handle, the blade keen and deadly. The moonlight reflected off of it, giving it an eerie shine.

Issei prepared himself for battle, ready to call out all his skills, "Where is Kunou-hime? Aren't you the one who kidnapped her?" He asked, trying his best not to sound scared.

Because at the moment, Issei was fucking terrified.

|Boost!|

Your Level has doubled.

He didn't see it, but he could certainly feel it. As his soul engulfed him and buffed up, more and more sheets of pure magic and strength washed over him, covering him like a beautifully twisted meat suit. In a sense, he was magically ripped.

The middle-aged man blinked, "Kunou? Shit." He mumbled, "That fox bitch must've hired you, huh? I don't know why the fuck she would've hired a fucking kid, but I ain't complaining. No hard feelings kid, it's just that you're interfering with our plans, and that's a big no-no."

One moment, the man was standing still, holding his sword. The next, he appeared right in front of Issei, blade striking-

CLANG!

The wind and shockwave from the collision did nothing more than blow away the man's hair making him look more menacing, but it took an honest effort for Issei to not fall over. The boy's draconic instincts and AGI stat were the only things that kept his knees from buckling under the force of the swing. Even then, a few strands of Issei's hair fell off.

His opponent narrowed his eyes and started lashing out quick jabs and slashes. Even as Issei swung back and threw his body around, blocking, deflecting and dodging as best as he could, he saw the tiles on the floor crack. The force behind these attacks was such that merely being near their path was enough to kill an ordinary human. He found blocking, or at least knocking the blade off course, relatively difficult but not impossible to keep up. However, the issue lied elsewhere.

HP: 1,610/1,610
MP: 870/870

His HP was almost as high as his, and his MP was even higher; more than double the amount.

|Boost!|

Your Level has doubled

Another layer of magical power surrounded him, his previous suit now compressed. No longer was his body just a buff suit of magic, it now felt full, compact and brimming with energy.

'This should do it!'

His arms moved fluently and faster, having an easier time pushing against the resistance of the wind and the speed of the man. Issei found himself pushing back the cloaked man now, thanks to his Sacred Gear. His opponent backstepped and created distance.

"Double Firebolt," the attacks flew, their damage and velocity boosted by the Dual Casting skill. However, the man easily conjured a three-layered water shield, which absorbed the twinned spell easily.

What resulted was a giant explosion of pressurized steam.

"GAAAAH!" Issei screamed as he was knocked back and slammed into a wall. When he opened his eyes, stumbling and trying not to fall he saw a faint foggy image of the kidnapper still standing, looking smug as a cat and unharmed.

His opponent lowered his body, held his sword back and balanced himself. While the man took his stance, Issei stood up and refocused on the battle. He could see tiny little glowing streaks of green going up the man's legs as his eyes glowed the same colour. A bright magic circle with incomprehensible runes on the floor beneath the man began to spin, accelerating to high speeds, turning from an intricate, rune-filled magic circle to a flat green disc. The man's eyes glowed more intensely and his muscles bulged, emitting more steam. With a powerful rumble, he yelled, "HASTE!"

|BLOCK IT!|

"WATER BARRIER!" Issei screamed, instantly raising his liquid barrier and his sword.

BANG!

The man kicked off the ground hard enough to shatter it, blasting forward and bringing down his blade in a vicious chop, boiling the barrier with just its speed. However, miraculously, despite bubbling and splattering, the water shield held firm, even as the shockwave that blasted out upon impact spread it thinner. Issei skidded several meters from the impact, before finally, his barrier shattered, splashing to the ground as ordinary water and soaking the broken tiles. He looked at the man, eyes sharp, determined.

|Boost!|

Your Level has doubled.

Another wave of red flowed out from within him, as his sleek magical cloak billowed around him, growing thicker, more solid and rich.

Issei gathered himself, noting that his opponent was taking his sweet time to approach, still totally self-assured. "Mana Enforcement!" A dim blue glow washed over his body and chokuto, making the blade vibrate in his hand. Issei dashed forward, making the mysterious man's eyes widen in surprise with his speed. Both exchanged a flurry of swipes, jabs, and slashes with their weapons, clashing again and again, and this time neither gave ground.

Then, in the turmoil, Issei raised his free hand. "Rock Bullet, Wind Blade!" The stony and invisible projectiles both shot out at high speeds; the man deflected the blade of wind with his own, but the bullet pierced through his flesh. As the rock struck a wall and dissipated into dust, the man shouted in pain as blood and excess flesh burst from his wound, his swings weakening. And with difficulty, he resisted the instinct to press his hand onto his shoulder.

For a brief moment, he twitched, causing him to stagger as he lost balance in the exchange of attacks. Issei pressed the opportunity and slashed diagonally as his blade glowed yellow, before creating 3 orbs of fire that merged along his strike into a single slash of white-hot combustion.

Due to certain actions, you've created a new skill.

Triple Casting – Passive – Lvl. 1
•The ability to cast three spells at once. It activates whenever the user is triple casting.
+1% ATK for triple casting spells with no affinity.
+2% ATK for triple casting spells with an affinity.
-1% MP cost for triple casting spells with no affinity.
-2% MP cost for triple casting spells with an affinity.

The attack connected and exploded upon contact, the fire blade sliced instead of exploding, the heat burned through the man's clothes, the force ripped his skin off and all 3 of them would've been enough to turn the man into a charred skeleton, but instead he was merely sent crashing through the wall of a small building.

Issei, meanwhile, was blown back in the opposite direction.

"Argh!" If he kept this up, he'd have to marry that wall!

|Boost!|

Your Level has doubled.

|You're reaching your limit. The best you could do is two or three more Boosts before you collapse from not only loss of stamina, but mana exhaustion.| Ddraig warned as another wave of prowess coated him again, though the compression was unwelcome. He now felt it more clearly, his magical spiritual muscles inflamed and squeezed. The power was still coming but it hurt, he looked like a balloon animal.

Issei panted, even as he glanced at his opponent's status and grinned savagely

HP: 559/1,610
MP: 519/870

'Wait.' Issei narrowed his eyes, 'He didn't use magic at all this whole time. How did his MP go down?'

The man slowly hoisted himself up unnaturally, almost floating even while grounded. His face twisted into a snarl of absolute fury. The broken bricks around him flew up and spiralled into an erratic motion, before compressing and shooting right at Issei.

Issei, now confused, just tanked the not very damaging bullets, letting them smack against his skin and crushing them to dust under their own momentum.

"You little fucking bastard!" screamed the man furiously, "I didn't expect you to be this strong. That's it! I ain't holding back, kid. Twice Critical!" In a blinding display of colours, a pair of short swords appeared in his hands, one black and the other white, both bearing hexagonal designs.

|Boost!|

"HASTE!"

Issei couldn't care enough to see what he looked like, it hurt, and all he could see was pure magical red.

The man blasted forward, leaving a trail of dust behind him as he closed in on Issei with a much higher speed. He and the enemy began exchanging attacks once more, but this time, Issei could feel himself growing used to the man's wild, furious strength. As he blocked, the ground under his feet started cracking even more until-

C-CRACK!

SMASH!

The concrete floor shattered and both man and boy flew into the air. Cut and bruised battered Issei all over, but still, he hung on. While he had only one sword, his opponent had two, and any lapse in vigilance would spell his end.

Both launched at each other once more, engaging in another ruthless attempt to kill the other. The man swiped up, jarring the chokuto away from Issei's hands. Issei leapt backwards from one concrete platform onto another, creating distance and high ground, but it was futile, as the man jumped forward, punching Issei's gut mid-air.

The boy spat blood and he was sent flying even higher, straight above the clouds. With no light pollution, he could see the beautiful moon in the night sky, and the potential for so much more than just one school, of one city, of one country, of one insignificant but amazing planet.

'From up here…this world really is beautiful enough to fight for.'

Mesmerised, he almost forgot about the fight, right up until he fell back to the ground and the man punched him again, slamming him right back into the wall and letting him slide down from it. He felt dizzy and weak, but Issei stood and glared at the towering form of his opponent.

"Fucking asshole. You even made me use my runes twice, you bitch." He glanced at Issei's gauntlet and chuckled, "Come to think of it, ain't that the Boosted Gear?" He grinned wickedly as he traced a line with a blade across Issei's left thigh.

His HP bar dropped from green to red, flashing, while his MP bar remained green, thanks to its Boosted state.

It hurt, but Issei didn't panic or give the man a reaction. Gamer's Mind helped with that. Instead, he started constructing a spell. 'Spell creation, activate. [Consume MP + oxygen, create a coordinated landmine of a water burst, -100ºC.]'

Ping!

Due to certain actions, you've gained a new skill.

Freezing Landmine – Active – Lvl. 1
•Creates a landmine that will freeze an opponent's body.
•60 ATK per spell.
•60 MP per spell.

+200 EXP.

"Another Longinus, huh? Boss will surely be happy. We already have a few! Hahaha!" The man laughed, throwing his head back and slapping his knee. All the while, he didn't notice the dimly glowing magic circles glowing underneath his feet.

Issei whispered in the lowest voice he can muster to avoid the enemy's attention, "Double Freezing Landmine."

|Boost!| The Boosted Gear announced, no longer needing to hide.

Your Level has doubled.

He felt immense pain as waves after waves after waves of exponentially more powerful aura wrapped around him in a cocoon. In the end, his appearance was that of a single heart, barely able to beat with force and power enough to end the city a hundred times over.

A pair of magic circles shone brightly underneath the man's legs, catching him off guard.

KER-SHRAK!

Ice exploded from them, rapidly freezing over the entirety of the stranger's legs and lower body. The Dual Casting skill made it so that the spells consumed less MP while dealing more damage, even if just barely.

He growled dangerously. "FUCK! YOU SON OF A BITCH!" he yelled as he tried to lift his legs. However, they simply wouldn't budge. He lifted his blades, aiming to chop down at the ice, only for Issei to seize them in his gauntlet. Quickly, he aimed at the man's right shoulder.

"Firebolt." The attack shot through the shoulder, causing the entire right arm to drop on the ground, unmoving.

Ping!

Firebolt has levelled up by 1!

Issei ignored the notification, focusing solely on the man in front of him, who continuously screamed profanities while screaming in anguish.

"Who the fuck do you work for, and where the shit is Kunou-hime?!" Issei yelled, his rage evident. He was bleeding, broken, tired, and just wanted to finish this fucking charade.

The man, his eyes bloodshot, spat, "And why the fuck do you care?! You were hired, right?! I'll give you a whole lot more money if you help me here! Ten-fucking-grand! In US dollars! What do you say, kid?!"

'Holy shit!' Issei's eyes widened in disbelief at the man's words, '10,000 US dollars! That's a large amount…' He thought, quickly calculating an estimate of how much that would be equal in Yen. The amount would certainly be generous, he realised, and it would be a million Yen. That would definitely help his family out in any financial issues.

Ddraig narrowed his eyes, not liking Issei's train of thought, contrasting with the man, who grinned at the possibility of winning issei over.

|Partner, you're not seriously going to–|

The dragon blinked in surprise as Issei punched the trapped man, who groaned and spat blood from the impact as Issei's fist definitely broke his ribs, caused internal bleeding, and most likely destroyed half of his respiratory organs.

"No fucking way am I selling out a little girl for money, you piece of shit!" Issei shouted at the man's face. This was no time to worry about mannerisms.

"I'll ask again. Who do you work for?" He growled deeply, sounding like a real dragon. The noise caused the man's broken ribs to vibrate. What resulted was him groaning in pain.

The man looked up to Issei's eyes. His usual chocolate-brown eyes were glowing a fierce green, sending chills down his spine.

They reminded him of a dragon's eyes, one who was enraged.

"...F-Fuck. My employer, they're part of an organisation. They call it the Khaos Brigade," he started slowly, voice trembling as he forced himself to stay awake. The battle had drained him and using his Haste rune had only worsened the matter.

"I don't know what they want, or who they are, but they contacted me and offered me a contract. While they disable the Yokai's defences and alert systems, I'd use my runes and abduct the princess. It was simple enough, and they even offered good cash. Of course, I accepted! Happy now?! Now lemme go!" The man shouted once again, although not as loud or as aggressive as before.

Issei, however, paid no attention to his prisoner and started thinking.

'An employer? Khaos Brigade? What the fuck is all of this? This doesn't sound good… if it's a mission, then that means that Kunou would be received as fast as possible…! Shit!' Issei panicked and grabbed the man's hair, pulling his face closer.

"You didn't tell me where Kunou-hime is! Where did you take her?!" Issei yelled directly onto the man's face. It didn't even matter if the guy would go free or not. If snatching Kunou was a mission from an employer, then Kunou would most likely be too far away to reach.

The man gulped, shaken by Issei's yelling. "The Great Iron Building! 6th floor, the first apartment to your right! I swear she's there, in a closet with runes on it!"

Issei narrowed his eyes, ready to punch the man to check if his words were truthful, but Ddraig intervened. |I sense no ill intent. You need to hurry, adrenaline is the only thing keeping you conscious.|

Issei let go of the man's head and sprinted out of the alleyway, cracking the floor with a bang and leaving the poor man in a cloud of dust. The numerous streetlights became one clean streak of warm yellow as he ran against the clock.

"Come on! Great Iron Building, where is it?!" as he said those words, an airborne pamphlet suddenly latched onto his face, blocking his vision.

"AH! GET IT OFF!"


He saw the elevator and the stairs, but Issei ran up the latter at supernatural speeds, leaving cracks and footprints with each step.

It didn't even take more than a few seconds to reach the 6th floor. The corridor was divided into three directions, and without pausing Issei turned to the right and smashed the door for the first room. Inside was a living room, although it looked unoccupied by the looks of its initial and pristine state.

'It's like he was preparing to leave,' he thought as he slowly passed by it, then by the restroom. Opening the door for what Issei assumed was the bedroom, he witnessed one closet constructed out of synthetic wood, judging by its unnatural brown colour. Despite not turning on the lights, Issei was able to see the dimly glowing magic circle on the closet, filled with tiny scriptures Issei couldn't understand due to his lack of knowledge on runes and magic. Even if it were a human language, the boy couldn't recognise it.

|Hmm, those look like they're Chinese, although it's an ancient variant of the language. Of course, you wouldn't recognise it.| Ddraig commented, remembering his days of visiting the Chinese gods once before, where they used to be a powerful religion. Now, however, its gods were just barely strong enough to still be considered divine beings.

Issei frowned at the sight of the incomprehensible runes; he had no idea how to even begin deciphering or disabling them. However, he could certainly hear Kunou's heartbeat and breathing from inside the closet, thanks to his absurdly high SNS stat.

He stepped closer and reeled his fist back, his knuckles turning white, before swinging, putting his shoulder behind a brutal, trick-smashing fist. When it struck, the door and the wall around it was smashed utterly into dust and rubble, wind whipping about the room from the force of the blow. Even in the low moonlight, Issei was able to pick out the tiny form of the girl inside. Her fluffy, soft, golden fox tails were wrapped around her, huddled up and shaking, her triangular ears lying flat against her skull.

Issei realised that Kunou was unconscious, especially when he received no reaction after lightly poking her delicate fox ears. He extended his large and muscular arms, gently picking her up. A black blindfold was wrapped around her eyes, and her nose was red and puffy.

Issei assumed it was from crying.

'She must've been through a lot,' he thought as he inhaled deeply, feeling guilty for not finding sooner.


Exiting the building, Issei tightened his grip on the little fox girl. By this point, he had removed her blindfold and other bindings, but she had somehow remained asleep. Nevertheless, he whispered into her ear, "Hold on tight," before forcing his sore and tired legs to move once more, his calves burned, his breath forming clouds in the air, but he held on and. The battle left him drained, bloodied, bruised and injured all over. Thankfully, he'd drunk HP and MP Restoration Potions to prepare, on the off chance that the man had freed himself and called backup.

Still running, Issei saw several figures near the place where his fight with the man went down. As he approached, zooming past the many houses, he recognised those figures as fox Yokai.

They stood in a circle, activating magic circles that shot out blue chains, encompassing the frozen man. As he got closer, they sensed his approach and glanced around.

Issei stomped the ground, grinding himself to a halt in front of the guards. As he did so, he stumbled, his strength beginning to leave him, aura bleeding away like steam.

"Here ya go…" he told, his voice raspy and his eyes fluttering. Even Kunou, who was weightless to him several minutes ago, felt heavy now. The guards scrambled to snatch the fox princess from his arms, checking her for any injuries or other ailments.

'Haha, they're all acting like worried moms… Ddraig, I'm gonna pass–' Issei didn't get to finish his thought as his body buckled over, collapsing on his knees with a thud.

|Reset!| His Sacred Gear finally announced as it vanished, along with the tremendous amount of power that had encompassed him, leaving him without a drop of stamina.

The last thing Issei heard before being wrapped in the arms of sweet sleep was a ping from the System, signifying the completion of his quest.


Time for the reviews, folks.

Tyrant Overlord Killidia said: Dang. A pity because Kiyome is underused as a harem girl. As you also outright admitted to not liking Kiyome, I'm gonna have to drop the fic.

Response: Pain Peko.

Jetff said: Going back to reading and really that from my point of view grammatically I improve the story a lot, to say something it would be good to always maintain the dragon pride that comes with having a dragon in your soul I do not say that it is a badass but please do not Nobody's bitch, many allies, no masters, Issei's progress I think you have great and the experience that he will gain in these battles as in this mission should be very important, the harem believe me that while you are writing the interactions are develop naturally. Great chapter all the support from this humble reader.

Response: I had 4 strokes reading this, but I think I get the message. Thank you.

Dargon32 said: Another great chapter! To clarify I meant Ddraig is one of the oldest and wisest when it comes to battle experience (both in his original body and through his hosts). Will Issei end up joining the Yokai faction (even if just partly, kind of like Vali with the Grigori) or will it just be the occasional business deal?

Response: Occasional business deal.

GreekfanFT said: Kinda expected for Issei's identity to be found out by Yasaka, or by the Youkai in general. Seems to be a constant theme for Gamer fics. Not that I'm complaining, since I like Yasaka and Kunou! That quest at the end, I have a feeling that it's gonna be a reason for Issei to become more powerful, considering the difficulty and the possible bad end.

You didn't answer my question as to how much till cannon, but I don't care too much, since I enjoy the fic.

What I do care is this. Yasaka herself told Issei that she can be absent from Kyoto for about a couple of weeks, while the quest has a time limit of 3 days. I didn't like the contradiction, but I get the possible underlined point that Yasaka might want to test Issei's resolve. Or, more likely, trying to get an ally out of the Sekiryuutei through underhanded tactics, since she's more manipulative as a faction leader.

Lastly, I think you could even involve the Shinto Trinity, considering that they are from Japanese myth just like the Youkai. And, since it's an AU, it would make sense if you made them appear so early in the story and the cast.

As for the opinions about Rias being a 'manipulative bitch'... it doesn't make sense. Except for Koneko and maybe Gasper, the others were reincarnated by her through their will to continue living for one reason or another. Xenovia just because, Issei because he wanted to see his dreams come to fruition even in death's door and Rossweiss because of the benefits she would have as a Devil. The fact that she 'let Issei die so as to reincarnate him' is a topic that has many holes and is up for debate, but I don't believe she actually hoped for Issei to die to reincarnate him. I totally agree that she has many flaws both as a King and as a girl/woman, bit it's to be expected due to her age. In fact, all the girls in the Peerage are the same way and the worst is that they all are too selfish. Even in the Light Novel, Rias never realised how Issei was affected by his debacle with Raynare. Akeno, Asia and Koneko did, probably for plot convenience, but never mentioned anything to Rias.

Anyway, sorry for my rant, but I thought it was appropriate, considering your AN at the end of the chapter. Good work with the chapter!

Response: Dude, you basically exposed like ⅕ of the next chapter lmao. As for how long until canon, it's actually soon. One or two more chapters and we're going to start canon. Some might ask why even create the entire Yasaka debacle if the arc's going to last just two or three chapters, but this arc is actually necessary for the future.

OechsnerC said: Now I really wonder if he will impress Yasaka. Yasaka is practically the hottest character in dxd that is a mature women, that is single. Maybe Gabriel is number 1 with Yasaka as number 2. Though we never did seen any goddesses yet. Wonder who will be in his harem. Looking forward to reading more

Response: Yasaka is probably number 1 with Gabriel being number 2. Yasaka is more MILF-hot while Gabriel is a smokier version of Asia.

Shaedy Hoe said: TSUKA? My guy, is you for real? So, you couldn't just call it a "handle" like a normal person? Had a bitch Google translating shit just to know look up something so simple that coulda been easily avoided. You really did me dirty with that one, bro. *crying* lol just kidding.

But damn, man. Them Youkai were rude as fuck! And if I were Issei then I'd be holding a grudge. But then again, Yasaka is a very a powerful being so it's good that'd be was able to befriend her in some manner.

Really, like what you're doing with the story, though. Good luck witcho next chapter!

Response: I mean, it does make sense for them to be aggressive. Their princess just got kidnapped by someone with draconic energy, and they have someone right in front of them with a similar energy signature too.

The Wolf Paladin said: I think people started hating on Rias because she didn't get called out for her less than stellar moments.

I mean there is the circumstances of her peerage that she can seem to be able to deal with and her reaction to a major threat in her territory (sure Rias I believe you can deal with Kokabiel without any help). That coupled with Rias's weird timing made people suppicious of her true intentions.

The truth is that Issei's encounter with Rias was supposed to be a fateful encounter as in the classic boy meets girl and fall in love at first sight. This type of encounter tends to forgo any sense of logic in favor of the romantic aspect.

To me Rias doesn't have malicious intentions but she is rather not good at dealing with those situations.

I mean it is interesting when you think about it : she is, if I remember correcly, the only Devil her age that has to share her territory with another Devil.

Now one could say that the Satans didn't want to take any risks after what happened to Belial. But one could also say that Sirzechs didn't believe that Rias was ready to deal with the management of a territory on her own.

And most importantly I think Rias would have seen it this way since she definitely doesn't know about Belial and her circumstances.

So in essence Rias has something to prove to her brother which explain her reaction to Kokabiel and her caution towards Raynare's group : she wants to show that she can deal with the situation alone without any help.

However because she is in a tough spot and knows that she won't get a second chance because her independence was only a temporary concession for her arranged marriage, she tries to play it safe and do damage control instead of intervening. She only acts when she knows that she won't be punished for her actions.

: Rias isn't manipulative but she makes mistakes due to a desire to prove herself and a limited freedom.

Response: Stop! You're making too much sense! Good points though. I already changed my views on the matter.

AzureDominion said: in regards to my previous comment, I guess what I meant was that he gets discovered by one of the main factions, like Rias or Azazel catching him. in the previous iteration of the fic you basically made him go "true neutral" and never interacting with others. It's fine if he doesnt choose a side, but its even worse to never interact in some way with the factions. I can honestly see him and Azazel having some kind of contract of sorts with Azazel being a "quest giver", same with the devils or Yokai.

Response: Worry not, friend. Those interactions will happen along with several pleasant business deals.

Dragonsayianblue said: Interesting story. I hope you do have issei join Rias peerage and follow exactly canon. Like you could figure a way to spice it up that is parallel to canon. Also With these Gamer fanfic I always want issei or OC going thier own path and explore the actual gamer part then just follow canon to a T. Like issei could get his own group like a gamer group and his own enemies to fight. But still interact with the canon cast in the mix. Also Draig need to be the wingman and actual teacher like what the other review say. As for the harem here what I would like to see Invigild Leviathan she underuse. Irina but better flush out character I like the childhood friend thing but it never really get flush out it just hey long time no see oh your a devil ok die now~~ she can have a lot better character personality. Kounu is your doing that. Ravel because it can be a side quest that ties canon in and Sona but that because I like her better then Rias personally lol. Serafall because she more free spirit lol. Koneko Kuroka because they can help with Send it to Senjutsu. And lastly Kiyome ame because like the other review said she underuse. Also give issei a human. But what ever you chose I'll be find even if it end up beginning the same canon harem. Phew this was long lol.

Response: This story will and will not follow canon. It's a Solo Leveling crossover, after all. The events planned are unique and will certainly be interesting for you guys. As for the confirmed harem, I can't add that yet because that'll spoil.

Guest said: harem be girls will be 5 girls from fate that issei summon in the harem, quest to find inglvid. asia , kunou that all for his harem you said eight and here they go . he will train them to be strong

Response: I know nothing about the Fate universe, my friend. Legit. I haven't watched it.

Arctroopercat said: I think Rias appearing in places she shouldn't have been were she just stumbles on peerage members was her brother directing her to convinent places. this type of coddling from her brother contributed to her lack of training because he didn't want his little Rias-chan's innocence to be tainted by the hardships that life brings. This also explains her poor decision making and childish outbursts as well. The issei thing was to well engineered to not be manipulative but I don't think she was expecting him to die I believe that she didn't think that the fallen would kill someone on her territory so she thought that the fallen would ditch him after she got what she wanted and then he would use the summoning sigil later.

Response: The main reason why I thought that Rias planned her peerage members' encounters was how she wasn't supposed to be in such places. That, and the too convenient timing but ehh.

Jehu said: Cool chapter and great showing of issei. Shows that while still a man of culture he's not gonna be thinking with his dick. Truthfully keeping issei human or at least free is the best choice, because his presence in rias' peerage kinda undermined the work of other characters. Rias doesn't really need him at all to beat riser, koneko and akeno alone should be able to bulldoze through if not for their problems, and him suddenly solving all their problems makes rias look a little incompetent as a king.

Response: Facts, bruh. [Certified bruh moment meme.]

Issei said: Is issei going to min max? If so it would be helpful knowing what 1 point if vitality equals in terms or hp. Or how much 1 point in strength increases his physical strenth.

Response: I don't even know what you mean by min max but 1 VIT point is equal to 25 HP points, and 1 INT point is 20 MP points. As for STR, I don't know how to calculate that.

Synndraval said: Nice. Though might also slightly rushed at several point in my opinion.

1. About Ddraig's knowledge about evil pieces. you might need to elaborate this point more rather than just a simple explanation like that. Evil pieces is only start in development around three or four hundred years ago if I'm not mistaken it's after the civil war that time Sirzechs and gang was around 70 years old and now they are 500 years old(from DxD Zero). Four hundred years is fairly short time for a sealed dragon like Ddraig moreover not all sacred gear possessor manage to awaken their sacred gear before death.

2. I feel Yasaka like a quest giver NPC, was this deliberate because this is gamer fic? Yasaka might cannot leave her post but asking help from someone that just entering supernatural world feels very foolish on her part.

OR maybe I'm the one who rushed things with all those points and questions. Lol.

As for Rias being manipulative well... I guess when she was trying recruit Rossweisse was the most manipulative things that I saw from Rias. In anime when she reincarnated Issei she was more like an opportunist, it's not like she knew Issei going to die anyway. it's all start from a certain fanfic by puratinamu 'something' iirc.

for Rias peerage that just pure luck. just like how Sirzechs luck with his peerage and no one complaining about Sirzechs peerage. Lol.

well the core of problem actually lies within 'DxD plot' it barely have any(or none at all?) 'plot twist' or 'dark twist' its theme is very light hearted despite the grand setting with different myth across the world which makes the people disappointed.

Response: 1. I don't know where you got that information, but either way, 300-400 years is enough for at least 5-6 wielders to exist and live their lives fully. Ddraig should have some knowledge about the Evil Pieces by then.

2. The reason why is mentioned by another person in the responses to the reviews.

3. I don't know what you're tryna say in the last part.

MasatoSugiura UchihaUzumaki said: i gotta really say i loved this fic especially issei is much more mature and kind of level headed person along with ddraig helping him to know the actual dangers of the supernatural world. especially him being the red dragon emperor, tends to have allies, enemies, some greedy creatures targeting him left and right. and i applaude the way you write issei into a true man the one that doesn't thinking all about boobs and stuff... anyway i liked this fic and looking forward hiw the story progress :D have a good day and stay safe and always wash your hands :D

Responses: Issei's Issei. Boobs and tits will always be a thing on his mind, although I'm not planning to make it always the first thing he'll think of.

Anyways, I feel very grateful for all the appreciation you people showed. By the way, the fight scene that was written is only this good because of my beta readers. They deserve credits for their part, so please check out NorthSouthGorem and TheBoys'LastBranch.S.A.M.S law for straightening out this chapter.

Also, more chapters for Sekiryuutei of Hope are soon to be uploaded. Don't worry.

Peace out fellas.