This chapter was edited.
Kuoh Town
Walking to school was Issei Hyoudou, with Asia walking beside him. He's depressed from having lost his slime familiar when he and Rias' peerage went to the Familiar Forest.
"Issei, are you okay?" Asia asked, sounding concern.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I'm still mourning the death of Slime-Taro," said Issei depressingly.
Asia gently pats Issei on the back. The two continue walking towards the entrance, spotting several towards something in excitement.
"Well this is new, what's happening right now? Issei questioned.
"Is today something special Issei?" Asia asked.
"No, today isn't a holiday so I don't know what's going on here," stated Issei.
Both Issei and Asia walk together into the school and see a large crowd of students. Once there, they see numerous posters posted on the walls of the school. It says 'A magic show premiering after school at 3 p.m. on outside gym grounds'. The duo see Issei's friends Motohama and Matsuda.
"What the! What's this about guys?!" Issei asked.
"No idea, I heard from other students that arrived earlier said that these posters were here before they arrived," said Motohama.
"I guess that sounds cool. But personally, I want to see a cancan dance show with ladies in sexy outfits!" Matsuda said loudly.
"Yeah, beautiful women dressed in sexy clothes, throwing up their skirts for everyone's viewing pleasures…" Motohama said, drifting off to his fantasies, same as Matsuda, as the both of them walk off to class.
Issei let his mind wander, giggling perversely making Asia pout in jealousy. She pulls on his cheek hard.
"Ow ow ow, Asia stop!?" Issei said in pain.
"Well this is an interesting sight," Rias spoke up from behind the two teens. Next to her was Souna Shitori, who is really Sona Sitri, the heiress of the Sitri Household. Behind them were their respective peerages.
"President Rias, President Sona, do you know what's happening?" Asia asked.
"Apparently, a world renown magician made a request to the principal to ask if he could perform a show for some practice," Sona explained, sounding unamused.
"Apparently? Did no one know about this happening?" Issei questioned.
"No, none of us knew about what's happening here until we came in," said Rias.
"So even the Student Council didn't know about this?" Issei asked.
"Yeah, we didn't get any type of heads up, not even the President," Saji, Sona's newest pawn confirmed.
"So no one knows who the magician is President?" Issei asked.
"Wrong, I know exactly who's behind this," said Sona, with some killing intent leaking out of her, making some members scared.
"R-really?! W-who President?" Saji asked Sona, trembling with fear.
"Aaron Lebeau," said Rias. The newer Devils were shocked by this information.
"Wait, that's the name of one of the Sins!? Are you sure President?!" Issei shouted.
"That's right. This is exactly the type of stunt Aaron would pull," said Rias.
"Why would he come here President?" Asia asked.
"There's only one way to find out, Asia. Everyone, regroup at the Occult Research Clubhouse after school. Sona, are you going to come as well?" Rias asked.
"Yes, we'll help as well," said Sona. Everyone went to classes like usual.
After school, Rias' peerage are currently waiting for Sona's group to arrive in her office.
"So President… what kind of person is Aaron Lebeau?" Issei asked.
"Aaron is the Sin of Greed, before he got that title because he was an infamous thief in the human world who stole millions of jewels, antiques, and other material goods. He was so infamous, that people were calling him the modern day Arsène Lupin," Rias explained.
"Arsène Lupin, who's that?" Issei asked.
"He's a character from a popular book series of the same name. Aaron took a lot of inspiration from Lupin, he even copied his wardrobe just for fun. He enjoyed gaining the attention of the public and the fame that came with it, that is until he got caught," said Rias.
"Why, what happened?" Issei asked.
"When Aaron was captured, he was sentenced to be executed." Issei and Asia were shocked.
"Executed?!" Issei said.
"Yes," Rias nods.
"Isn't it a little harsh to execute someone for stealing, President?" Asia asked.
"No, nothing as petty as stealing would be enough to execute him," Rias said.
"What do you mean?" Issei asked.
"The real reason why he was to be executed was because he nearly exposed the Supernatural World to all of humanity," Rias stated.
Both Issei and Asia were shocked by this revelation.
"Seriously?!" Issei asked, sounding shocked.
"Yes, Aaron used magic with no thought or care of it being discovered. To regular humans, he was a thief who somehow stole high priced items out of heavily secured facilities with unknown methods, but in reality, he used magic to steal them. Aaron consistently risked the secrecy of the Supernatural with no remorse, that's why everyone wanted him to die," Rias explained.
"Whoa… how is he still alive then?" Issei asked.
"My sister Rosa spoke up to defend Aaron and saved him from execution. She saved his life and offered Aaron a place in her peerage, in return, he swore never to steal again. That's how he became the Sin of Greed," said Rias.
As Issei and Asia were letting this information sink in, the door opened and the Student Council walked in.
"Sona, you made it. Did you see Aaron before you came here?" Rias asked.
"No, but I don't doubt he'll be here. Many of the students are excited for the show," said Sona.
"I agree, it wouldn't be like Aaron to abandon a show before it starts," said Rias.
"So what's the plan President?" Issei asked.
"Unfortunately, we don't have one. We just have to wait and see what's going to happen," said Rias. She stands up from her desk. "Come on everyone, we have a show to catch."
Both Devil peerages walk together outside to see a stage in the middle of the soccer field. Many students were also there, waiting for the show to start. The Devils stand in the middle of the crowd.
Suddenly, drums start playing. It was getting louder and louder, and then it stopped suddenly, leaving everyone curious. Just then, a crow flew on stage in the center. It hops around to face the crowd of students.
"Caw!" The crow calls out loudly.
"What's going on President?" Issei asked.
"Wait for it, this is always how he starts his shows," said Rias.
The crow spread its wings out.
"Caw!"
Suddenly, a ball of smoke exploded where the crow stood making black feathers fly in the air, surprising every student who stood there. As the feathers fall, the smoke is blown away and someone appears out of it, Aaron Lebeau with his hat over his eyes. He stands tall in front of the crowd of students with a cocky smile and pulls his hat up to address himself.
"It appears I have a full house tonight, as expected. Welcome welcome one and all, to the show of the Magnificent Aaron Lebeau!" The magician said loudly.
Aaron taps his cane to the ground. Then, fireworks appear over the stage spelling out 'Aaron Lebeau'. The female students cheered starstruck while the males looked on with bitter discontent.
"Thank you," Aaron said, tipping his hat.
"Typical of Aaron, he always has to start off strong with his performance," said Rias crossing her arms under her breasts.
"What do you mean President?" Asia asked. Akeno spoke up.
"Whether it's in the Underworld or the human world, Aaron is a performer. In the Underworld he performs in shows where he's the main star of. While in the human world, he's now a world renown magician with millions of fans globally," explained Akeno.
"He sounds like an attention whore," stated Saji.
"You're… not wrong about that," said Rias.
Back on stage, Aaron grabs his top hat and places it on the floor upside down. Aaron takes his cane and taps the side of his hat three times. Just then, a flock of doves fly out of Aaron's top hat. All the students were impressed at the sight. The students started clapping, but Aaron lifted up his hand, stopping them. Aaron then sets his cane on the ground standing up, three feet away from his hat. He shakes it but couldn't move it. Aaron hops on top of his cane, making everyone eagerly anticipate what happens next. Aaron then jumps in the air and dives into his hat. The hat's brim widened open, completely consuming Aaron. The students gasped in shock. The hat started shaking violently, the students were standing back. And then, a torrent of water shot out from the hat. At the top of the water pillar was Aaron posing with his arms stretch widely. The students were shocked and in awe at what they're seeing. The water carrying Aaron started to descend, until he reached the floor. Aaron backflips and lands next to his cane just as the water disappeared. He grabs the cane quickly and rolls forward to pick up his hat. Aaron bows elegantly, prompting the students to cheer in applause.
"It feels so good to perform in front of a live audience again. I apologize for any fans here for my sudden hiatus, but I'm here now to announce my grand comeback to the world. And I'm here today to give a sneak preview of some of my newest tricks that I'll be performing one day in the future. And for my first pick, I need a volunteer," said Aaron.
Several students, most of them female students raised their hands up. Aaron scans the crowd until he sees his target. He points a finger at Rias.
"You there, with the lovely red hair!" Aaron points at Rias, shocking most of the students. "Come up here!" Aaron motions her to come to the stage. Rias walks forward.
"President, are you sure you should go up there?" Issei asked, sounding concerned.
Rias turns around to face Issei. "Relax Issei, I know Aaron. The last thing he's going to do is hurt me," Rias assures him.
Rias resumes walking again and goes onto the center of the stage, much to the appreciation of the students.
"I wonder what's going to happen?"
"Whatever it is, I hope it's great. Rias deserves the spotlight in my opinion."
"She is so beautiful."
The students were talking about what might happen. Aaron speaks up.
"I'm happy to make your acquaintance, may I please have your name?" Aaron asked, despite knowing who she is.
"Rias Gremory," said Rias. Rias introduced herself, playing along with the show.
"Rias Gremory, a lovely name for a beautiful woman like yourself. Do you all agree?" Aaron asked the audience. The students cheer in agreement. "I thought so, I'm not the only one who appreciates beauty. And I believe such beauty to be treated like royalty, do you all agree?!"
The students cheer even louder.
"Good good, then let's turn Miss Gremory into the embodiment of beauty," Aaron claps his twice, and then a shower curtain appears around Rias.
Everyone could see her silhouette through the curtains. Aaron taps the floor and suddenly upbeat music starts playing. Aaron stands in front of the curtains and holds up his cane in front of him. He waves his to the left, and then to the right. As his cane moved, Rias' silhouette started changing, her school uniform could be seen changing behind the curtains. Aaron then moves his cane up, then down, and Rias' silhouette is shown wearing completely different clothes, something like a dress. Aaron turns around to face his audience as he grabs the curtains.
"Behold, I present true beauty!" Aaron pulls away the curtain to reveal Rias in front of everyone.
Rias is dressed in an elegant black dress with red roses at the bottom, wearing long black gloves which turn red the closer it reaches her shoulders, and black high heels. Every student cheers in excitement and awe at Rias' new look. Aaron holds out his hand towards Rias, who grabs it and walks forward. Aaron twirls Rias around and makes her bend back with his hand on her hips. Aaron's face was only a few inches away from Rias'.
"Yet the beauty is only skin deep," Aaron whispers to Rias. Rias understood the deeper meaning of what he said. He stands her up straight and both bow to the audience. The students clap loudly.
Aaron steps back and claps his hands, causing smoke to cover Rias. After the dissipates, Rias is shown in her school uniform, causing the students to clap again.
"Thank you, thank you all. And thank you for my volunteer as well," Aaron bows again as Rias walks back to well her peerage is.
"That was amazing, President!" Issei said.
"You looked beautiful in that dress," said Asia.
"Thank you both," said Rias.
"Now, for my final trick, my assistant will take the stage," said Aaron.
"Assistant?!" Rias said in shock.
"Is something wrong President?" Issei asked.
"The only assistant Aaron ever works with is currently missing," said Rias.
"You mean…" Issei said before Aaron spoke up.
"And here he comes now!" Aaron walks back while a familiar looking young man walks on stage, which shocks all the Devils watching. It's Albert, dressed in a short sleeve light blue shirt with a white rabbit design on the front, black pants, and black shoes.
"Wait that's him, that's Albert!" Issei said shocked.
"What's he doing here?!" Rias questioned.
"Everyone, stay on guard for anything that might happen," said Sona. Everyone nods in agreement.
"I like to introduce my newest assistant, his name is Albert Liddell. Take it away Albert," said Aaron as he backs away from Albert.
Albert looks at the audience and closes his eyes. He then takes off his glasses. Rias' eyes widened and spoke up quickly.
"Everyone, cover your eyes!" Rias shouted. But it was too late.
Albert opens his eyes, and his blue eyes turn into purple, then a blinding light covers everyone.
When the Devils opened their eyes, they were in a completely different location. They stand in a big open field of grasslands as far as the eye can see. Only Rias and her peerage were there.
"Damn, we're trapped," said Rias.
"President, where are we?" Issei asked.
"We're in Albert's Wonderland," Rias stated.
"Wonderland?" Issei repeated.
"It's one of the most powerful abilities of Albert's Sacred Gear, Dreamer's Gaze. Wonderland is a separate dimension where Albert can create and control anything in it, and anyone who gets dragged into it will be visually helpless," Rias explains.
"Whoa! That sounds incredible, you're saying he could create harem of naked girls if he wanted to?!" Issei shouted, sounding jealous. Rias and everyone else facepalms at him.
"I guess I could if I wanted to, but I couldn't care less about something like that," Albert's voice was heard behind them. The Devils turn around to see Albert and Aaron standing next to each other. "Hey," Albert said in a dull tone.
"Aaron, Albert! What are you doing here in Kuoh Town?!" Rias asked.
"You asking why we're here or why the magic show?" Albert questioned.
"Both!" Rias replied.
"Well, the latter reason is because of him," Albert pointed a thumb at Aaron. "Ever since Rosa went into hiding, Aaron has been clinically depressed. He rarely left his room and could barely do anything for himself, so Lance said he could perform here at your school as a way to cheer him up," Albert explains.
"And what about the former question?" Rias asked again. Aaron this time spoke up.
"Unfortunately we're not at liberty to speak about that. However I do believe it's time for introductions for the newest additions to the Gremory family. Greetings newcomers, I am Aaron Lebeau, the Crow Sin of Greed and a Pawn of Lady Rosa Gremory," Aaron bows in an elegant way.
"Albert Liddell… the Owl Sin of Sloth, also a Pawn of Rosa Gremory. Nice to see you again Dragon Boy," said Albert to Issei.
"They're both Pawns?" Issei questioned.
"That's right Issei. And don't underestimate them, like you, they also consumed multiple Pawn pieces," Rias explains.
"They did?!" Issei said shocked.
"The lady's correct, I took three Pawns, while Albert here took five. You're a fellow Pawn as well, I heard you consumed all eight pieces. All because of that Sacred Gear of yours," Aaron states, with that last sentence in a slightly bitter tone.
"Aaron, now is not the time for that," said Albert.
"Quite right, we're in a bit of a hurry right now. So if you please Rias, would you kindly allow us to do what we need to do?" Aaron asked.
"That's not going to happen," said Rias.
Everyone prepares for battle. In Rias' Peerage, Yuuto summons a sword, Akeno changes into her miko outfit, Koneko puts on her gloves, and Issei summons his Boosted Gear.
"Why can't it ever be simple? Aaron… you take Blondie and the sadist, I'll take the cat and Dragon Boy," Albert yawns out.
"Fine by me," Aaron walks forward, taps his cane on the ground and points it at Rias' group. "Let's dance."
Aaron charges at Rias' Peerage. Yuuto rushes at Aaron and strikes him from behind. Aaron quickly turns around and blocks it with his cane. Aaron parries with several swings of his cane. Yuuto blocks all of them with impressive speed. Yuuto disengages and uses his speed to attack Aaron from multiple angles, Aaron blocks all of his attacks, twisting and twirling his body like he was dancing. Aaron blocks another strike from Yuuto and stands in a sword lock.
"Whoa, that guy is fast enough to fight Kiba?!" Issei said shocked.
[Boost]
Issei's Boosted Gear charges itself.
"Don't get distracted, Dragon Boy," Albert said as he walks towards him and the others.
"You want a fight? Then bring it!" Issei shouted.
"Not really. I don't like to fight. I'll let C.T. deal with you," said Albert as he stands twenty feet away from them.
"C.T.?" Issei asked.
"Issei, be careful," Rias warns him.
Albert looks up and snaps his fingers. The Devils follow his line of sight. Suddenly, something is falling from the sky.
"What is that?" Issei asked.
[Boom]
Dust was kicked up as something dropped out of the sky. The Devils were now on guard for a fight. When the dust settled, both Issei's and Asia's eyes widened in extreme shock.
The thing that fell out of the sky was a bipedal rabbit that stood five feet tall without taking into account of it's ears. It's fur was pure white and had pink eyes. It wears red boxing gloves on both hands, red boxing short, and a necklace in the shape of a pocket watch.
"What… the… hell is that thing!" Issei shouted loudly in surprise.
"Let me introduce my friend here, his name is Cottontail. I call him C.T. for short. He'll be the one you're fighting right now," said Albert in a lazy tone.
"We're fighting… a rabbit, President?" Issei said in disbelief.
"Don't underestimate it Issei. Albert can create illusions so life-like they appear real. If that rabbit hits you, it will hurt," Rias warns.
"Alright C.T., don't hurt them too badly," said Albert, yawning out that last part.
C.T. hops around a little like a boxer psyching himself up. C.T. then jumps at Issei with surprising speed and kicks him in the stomach. C.T. then kicks off of Issei and backflips, then lands back on his hind legs.
"Oof!" Issei falls to the ground, holding his chest in pain.
"Issei!" Both Rias and Asia shouted, sounding worried. Asia immediately rushes over to Issei to heal him.
C.T. hops a little and punches the air multiple times with confidence. Koneko rushes at C.T. from behind to her fist drawn. C.T. jumps back over Koneko to dodge the attack. Koneko quickly turns around and faces C.T., who's stanced like a boxer. Koneko charges at C.T., who does the same. C.T. and Koneko exchange punches and kicks. Koneko throws a kick at C.T., who catches it. C.T. then throws Koneko over his head and slams her into the ground hard. C.T. does this three more times, then tosses Koneko in the air and unleashes a fury of punches at fast speeds. C.T. then gives one more strong punch in Koneko's stomach and sends her flying towards Rias' group.
"Koneko!" Rias shouted. Koneko lands on the ground.
"I'm fine Asia, go help Koneko," said Issei.
"Okay!" Asia complies. She runs over to Koneko and begins healing her.
"Issei, transfer your boost to me," ordered Rias.
"Got it, President!" Issei said. Issei runs to Rias and touches her body, making her glow green.
[Transfer]
"Ahhhh!"
Rias moans out in bliss when Issei transfers power into her. Rias sprouts her wings and flies above C.T.. C.T. then starts jumping multiple times until he reaches the same height as Rias and chases after her. C.T. tries to punch her when he reaches her height, but Rias narrowly dodges the attacks. It goes on for sometime.
Meanwhile, both Aaron and Yuuto were still in a swordlock. Aaron forces Yuuto back, making him stumble. Aaron points his hand at Yuuto's left foot and a rope of multi-color scarves wrap around his ankle. Yuuto immediately rushes at Aaron, swinging his sword at him. Aaron ducks under it and shoots another rope of scarves at Yuuto's other ankle. Aaron turns his body around and tangles both rope scarves together. Aaron pulls on the scarves hard and the two scarf ropes combine together, making Yuuto trip to the ground when his ankles come together. Aaron runs up to Yuuto and tries his hands and feet together, immobilizing him.
"You can't be a good dance partner if you have two left feet," said Aaron. Yuuto grits his teeth in frustration.
Aaron senses something from above. Aaron looks up to see Akeno flying above him with electricity covering her hands. Akeno fires lightning at Aaron. He quickly dodges the attack. Aaron reveals his wings and flies in the air to face her directly.
"Akeno, it's been a while since we've seen each other. You seem to be well," said Aaron.
"Be quiet Aaron," said Akeno, surprisingly serious.
Akeno shoots more lightning at Aaron, who flies around evading it. Aaron covers his body with his cape and pulls it back, revealing a flock of crows that fly into Akeno's lightning, leaving nothing but black feathers behind.
"I see you haven't changed in these last six months. Then again, I wasn't expecting much," said Aaron.
Akeno frowns and flies towards Aaron with incredible speed. Aaron maneuvers through the air and avoids all the attacks Akeno throws at him. Aaron moves with surprising speed for an unpromoted Pawn behind Akeno and flies above her. Aaron pulls out a deck of playing cards from his pocket and throws it at Akeno, aiming at her right wing.
"Agh!"
Akeno falls out of the sky when several cards hit her wing. Aaron flies towards her at fast speeds and removes his cape to wrap Akeno in it. When both Devils hit the ground, Aaron immediately wraps scarves around Akeno. She tries to escape but can't.
"Don't bother trying to escape, my cape is heavily insulated so it can't electrocuted by you," Aaron explains.
Back with Rias and Albert's fight, C.T. was still jumping towards her. Rias hasn't used the transfer boost yet, waiting for the perfect chance to use it.
"This is getting more tiring, might as well speed this up," said Albert.
Albert looks up at where Rias was still dodging C.T.'s attacks. Albert's eyes were staring directly behind Rias.
In that time, C.T. jumps high in the air again straight at Rias with his fist out. Rias again dodges the attack, moving out of the way quickly. However, C.T. immediately flips forward and faces the direction Rias escaped to. Albert waves his hand, and suddenly a wall appears where Albert was staring at, which was also where C.T. was. C.T. lands on the wall and bounces off it in and aims directly at Rias with his fist out. Rias' eyes widened and had no choice but to attack with her Power of Destruction, which was boosted by Issei's transfer.
The attack hit C.T. directly, exploding and creates a large smoke cloud. Rias was blown back due to being in close proximity to the explosion.
"Ugh!" Albert held his head as he grunted in pain.
C.T. fell out of the huge smoke cloud. His pure white was covered in soot. C.T. lands on the ground on his hind legs but was injured.
"*whistle* Now that was an impressive attack, how did that happen Albert?" Aaron walked up to Albert, having finished his fight with Yuuto and Akeno.
"Dragon Boy transferred his boost into Red. She attacked C.T. when he got in too close to her," Albert explained, still clutching his head.
"I see, the Boost Gear truly is a powerful tool. Such a shame it's wasted on a weakling like you," said Aaron. Issei's frowns at that comment.
"Aaron, do not insult my peerage! You may be a member of Rosa's peerage, but I won't stand for you belittling my Pawn!" Rias said, sounding angry.
"There's nothing belittling about it if it's true Rias. This generation's Red Dragon Emperor has been nothing but a disappointment. He hasn't even put up a fight yet," said Aaron.
"He was just a normal human before he was reborn as a Devil, who had no knowledge about the Supernatural world. It's not his fault," said Rias.
"Maybe… still doesn't change the fact that Dragon Boy isn't strong enough," Albert spoke up, getting everyone's attention. "When we heard that you recruited the Red Dragon Emperor, we were hoping that he was strong enough so Rosa could come out of hiding. But since that's not the case, nothing's changed. You can't really blame us for being a little disappointed… no offense," Albert said that last part to Issei.
"He will get stronger, I promise you. And when he does, he'll be able to do incredible things," Rias defended.
"And how long until that happens, hmmmm… a year, two? We don't have the time to wait for you to train the Red Dragon Emperor to become stronger, especially when you take the rest of your peerage into consideration," Aaron motions his hand to Yuuto, Koneko, and Akeno. "Look at them, six months have passed, and not one of them is stronger since we last fought. And then there's you Rias, the heir of the Gremory Household, and yet you're weak when compared to your younger sister," said Aaron. Rias grimaced at his insult. That's when Issei finally spoke up.
"Shut up!" Issei shouted. "I know I'm not as strong as Koneko, or fast as Kiba, or good at magic as Akeno! But President Rias is strong, and a great King. I will be a Pawn worthy of her, and one day, I will become a Harem King!" Issei said proudly. Everyone was silent by his speech for one reason or another, but Rias stared at Issei.
"...Issei," said Rias, smiling softly. But it was cut off by laughter.
"Heh heh heh… HAHAHAHA!" Aaron laughs loudly. "Th-that's a pretty bold statement from someone like you! Especially when you haven't even seen us at our full power," Aaron said.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Issei asked.
"Here, let me show you," said Aaron.
Suddenly, sprouting from his back were two sets of wings. One pair were ordinary bat-like Devil wings, but the second pair were black feathered wings of a Fallen Angel. Both Issei and Asia were shocked by this revelation.
"See these," Aaron moves his wings. "This is how powerful I am," said Aaron.
"You're a Fallen Angel?!" Issei said in shock.
"That's right. You see how out matched you are now? I could've ended this whole fight faster if I decided to use my Holy magic. And Albert here is even stronger than me," said Aaron boastfully.
Albert lazily reveals his wings, three sets of Devil wings.
"The amount of wings an Angel, Fallen Angel, or Devil have signifies the level of power they have. You had no chance of defeating us at our full power," explained Aaron.
"Then what are you doing here? What is it that you want?" Rias asked.
"It's simple, we want Rosa to come back," said Aaron.
"Then why are you fighting us? What is the point of this?" Rias asked repeatedly.
"That's none of your business Red. Aaron, let's put an end to this. That attack did more damage to me than I thought," Albert groans in pain.
"Alright then, we wasted enough time here," said Aaron.
Aaron rushes at Issei and grabs his shirt collar.
"WHOA!" Issei was thrown by Aaron towards Albert.
""Issei!"" Both Rias and Asia yelled.
Issei rolls on the ground and lands in front of Albert. Issei looks up and sees Albert kneel down in front of him to stare into his eyes.
"You know, I just remembered that I never paid you back for your entertaining company back then. Here, this is your payment," said Albert before he snaps his fingers.
Suddenly, everything turns white. When everyone opened their eyes, they were back in Kuoh Academy with the students clapping and cheering at Aaron, who's now on the stage bowing to his audience.
"Thank you, thank you all. But now, the show is over. I bid you all farewell, Au revoir!" said Aaron. Aaron taps the floor with his cane, then a cloud of smoke bursts beneath him. When the smoke dissipated, Aaron disappeared.
"That was amazing!"
"It was, I hope we can see him again!"
"I thought this was going to be boring, but that was actually pretty cool."
The students talked about how impressive the show was as they dispersed. Sona and her peerage ran up to Rias' group.
"Are you all alright?" Sona asked Rias.
"What happened after we disappeared, Sona?" Rias asked.
"When Albert trapped you in Wonderland, the students were placed under an illusion for a whole minute. What happened to you?" Sona asked.
"We tried to catch Albert and Aaron in Wonderland. But we couldn't do much, even with them holding back their powers. We were in there for about ten minutes," Rias explains.
"Wait, you were in there for ten minutes?! How is that possible?!" Saji asked, sounding surprised.
"Albert doesn't just create and control the environment in Wonderland, he can also control the time in there as well. A minute in there could be ten minutes or an hour in Wonderland," Sona explained.
"Wow…" said Saji in disbelief.
"President! Issei's not here?!" Asia spoke loudly.
Everyone's eyes widened as they looked around. Asia was right, Issei wasn't there.
"They took him! I swear if they hurt Issei I'll never forgive them!" Rias said with anger in her voice.
"Relax Red, he's fine," Albert's voice was heard from behind them, with him holding an ice pack to his head. He was wearing a boy's school uniform.
"Albert!" Rias was about to grab him when Albert held up his hand, stopping her.
"Don't bother trying to grab me. This is another illusion of myself," said Albert.
"Where is he Albert!" Rias demanded.
"Dragon Boy is in the Nurse's office. And he isn't hurt if that's what you're thinking," said Albert.
"What did you do Hyoudou, Albert?" Sona asked.
"None of your business, we got what we came here for so there's no reason to stay here. See ya," said Albert before disappearing.
"Everyone, to the nurse's office," Rias ordered.
Both the Research Club and Student Council rush towards the nurse's office.
"Issei!" Rias burst in with everyone behind her.
They found Issei on a nurse bed and they rushed to him. Issei looks slightly delirious and has a perverted smile. His nose was bleeding lightly and his face was pale.
"My, this is quite a crowd here," the nurse walks in to find the Devils huddling around Issei.
"Nurse please tell me, what happened to Issei?!" Rias demanded.
"Calm down Rias. I'm sorry, she's just concerned for her club member. Can you please tell what happened to Mr. Hyoudou?" Sona asked politely.
"I understand. You don't need to worry about him. He was brought in by his friend just a few minutes ago," said the nurse.
"Who was this friend who brought Mr. Hyoudou here?" Sona asked.
"His name was Albert Liddell. He brought Hyoudou with one arm over his shoulder. He said Hyoudou felt light-headed and passed out so he brought him here," said the nurse.
"Do you know how he passed out?" Sona asked.
"I think so. Tell me, did your friend donate blood recently?" The nurse asked.
"Donate blood? I didn't hear anything about that," said Rias. Everyone else said the same.
"I see. Well Mr. Hyoudou shows signs of blood loss that's seen with people who donate too much blood or didn't eat properly before donating," said the nurse.
"I see, is there anything else you can tell us?" Sona asked.
"Nothing that I could tell, at least with Mr. Hyoudou. His friend did ask for an ice pack because of a headache he had. I offered him another bed but he declined and then he left." The nurse looks at the clock and needs to leave. "I have to go to a faculty meeting. Can any of you watch over Mr. Hyoudou?" The nurse asked.
"We can, thank you nurse," said Sona.
The nurse leaves the room, leaving the Devils alone.
"So Aaron sets up a performance at school, with Albert showing up, trapping Rias and her peerage inside Wonderland. Then Albert takes Hyoudou so he could get his blood, and then both of them leave. Why go to all the trouble for this?" Sona questions.
"Something must've happened if they did something like this President," said Tsubaki.
"Why did they take Hyoudou's blood anyway?" Saji asked. Sona thinks for a moment.
"The only thing I could see them doing with the blood is for Emil," said Sona.
"Why President?" Saji replied.
"Emil is a dhampir, when he drinks blood, his strength increases. And the more powerful the being, the more power he gains. And few beings are more powerful than the Red Dragon Emperor," Sona explained. Sona heads towards the door before turning to Rias. "I'm going to let the Satans know about this. You stay here with Hyoudou."
"Okay, thank you Sona," said Rias. Sona leaves the nurse's office along with her peerage.
"What should we do Rias?" Akeno spoke up.
"For now we wait. There's nothing we can do. You all can go now, I'll stay here with Issei," said Rias.
"Can I stay too President?" Asia asked politely.
"Of course Asia," Rias nodded. Asia sat down on the opposite side of Rias while the rest of the peerage left the office.
All the while, a phoenix was watching them from outside.
Safe House
Aaron and Albert are in the living room of the safe house, Aaron standing up while Albert is laying down on the table with a pillow under his head and the ice pack on his forehead, wearing his original clothes.
"That was perfect, nothing's better than performing in front of many adoring fans," said Aaron loudly.
"Good for you, now be quiet. My head is pounding like a stampede," said Albert, sounding both tired and in pain.
"So you two made it back. Did you get what we needed?" Lance asked, before entering the room with Peter.
"Indeed, while my performance was limited, I certainly left an impression on some students!" Aaron said, boasting.
"Happy to hear it, but I hope you didn't get distracted enough to forget the other objective, right?" Lance said.
"Here it is," Albert spoke up.
He threw something up in the air for Lance to catch it. It was a small vial of blood.
"Do Rias or Sona suspect the reason you were there today?" Lance said looking at the blood.
"Doubtful, they didn't seem to know anything about Emil's capture. But I doubt they'll keep quiet about this. They're likely to let Lord Lucifer know about our show today sooner or later," said Aaron.
"Which means now is the time to act. As soon as Ivor gets back-" Lance was interrupted by Ivor teleporting in.
"Heya guys," said Ivor.
"Perfect timing Ivor. Did you confirm Emil's location?" Lance asked.
"Yep, and he's in the exact place we were all expecting him to be. He's in MacGregor's Tower," said Ivor. Albert sighs in disappointment.
"Why can't life ever be easy?" Albert asked himself.
"Ugh, forget it, I'm not going there. I couldn't care less if Emil is MacGregor's prisoner. I mean it's not like he's gonna kill him," said Peter, sounding childish.
"Fine then Peter. If you don't want to go then that's your choice. However, you're going to have to go back to Rosa and tell her that you refused to help a comrade," said Lance, which made Peter squeak in fear and gave the others a chill down their spines.
"Hoo… a punishment from Rosa. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy," Aaron commented.
"Ditto," Albert added.
"On second thought, it would be best if we get him out as soon as possible. I mean who would leave a comrade behind… heh heh," Peter said, sounding terrified.
"That's what I thought. Ivor, how long until Emil wakes up?" Lance asked.
"Not long, maybe a few minutes," said Ivor.
"Okay, all of you get ready. You're all going to go to MacGregor's Tower to save Emil. Meanwhile, I'll go to Glasya-Labolas' territory and find information on Ivan. Call for me if you absolutely need to," said Lance. Lance tosses the blood to Aaron, then teleports out of the safe house with a spell circle.
"Ugh… so unfair," Albert groans out as he sits up straight and stands.
"Come now Albert, we're going to break into MacGregor's Tower. It's going to be fun!" Aaron said, sounding excited.
"You sure have a strange taste for fun Aaron," said Ivor.
"This is gonna suck," said Peter, sounding annoyed.
He and the other boys stand together. A spell circle lit up under their feet and they disappeared.