Chapter Seven - Rescued from over confidence

* Unknown bed, Unknown location *

A splitting headache. Limbs as heavy as osmium. Insides stabbing and pulsing as if burnt to a crisp. These were the sensations running through Issei's body as he struggled to open his eyes. The very effort of parting the lids was a battle within himself. As Issei's eyes slowly parted he saw a ceiling above himself. A ceiling he wasn't familiar with. It was a rich cream with intricate patterns of lavender and lime. Floral features dotted among the swirls and loops like vines of a thick jungle. Issei fought an intense battle against the muscles of his upper torso and neck to move his head, slowly allowing him to look around the space he found himself in.

The room he was in was sterile, white, clean and plain. White sheets, cream walls, no excess furniture. An open window led to the outside world with a cool breeze shaking the curtains. Issei knew he was still in hell by the pinkish sky. A closed door led to the rest of wherever he was. It wasn't these things that held Issei's attention though. Two sleeping figures lay slumped over the left side of his bed. Sat in a pair of comfortable parlour chairs with their bodies slumbering on his bed. Akeno and Rias had fallen asleep while staying with him. The pair were curled into each other as they slept. Issei admired the way their hair splayed out and mixed together almost fluidly.

The two beautiful maidens looked as exhausted as Issei felt. The idea of moving a limb to wake them seemed almost too difficult to comprehend. Issei pondered a few things but the main one was how he had come to be here. He remembered arriving in hell and going to speak with Sirzechs Lucifer about the threat of the fallen angels. After that he had been distracted. What had distracted him? He couldn't put his finger on it. Whatever it was, had it done this to him? Whatever had hurt him must have been powerful. In all his training, Issei had never felt like this before. He had felt sore, exhausted and worn out. All those had been temporary, short lived side effects, each leading to an increase in power. This was so much more.

Issei took a deep breath and winced at the sharp tendrils of pain that emanated through out his body from the damaged cavities of his lungs. He tried again and focused on reaching his mindscape. Nothing happened. Issei tried again but still he was unable. He couldn't understand why he was unable to reach the place of Zen within himself.

"Do not fret young one. Your Ki is completely drained. The fight against your bestial side took a great toll against you." the disembodied voice of Ddraig spoke once again almost from everywhere but only for Issei to hear.

His bestial side. He had a bestial side? This was news to him. Issei began to worry about the damage he may have caused. He was well aware that with his ability to channel his power so rapidly that he could inflict a great amount of damage to people or property at a rapid pace. He felt some relief that Rias and Akeno were there with him. If they were here then he couldn't have gotten too out of hand. Issei continued to stare at the ceiling and ponder his thoughts for a while more before closing his eyes to return to sleep. Before he drifted off he smiled internally at the fact that this was the first time he had simply slept without training since awakening to his true self.

Cool hands brought Issei back to consciousness. Opening his eyes was easier this time but by no means easy. The light in the room was brighter and he knew it was mid morning. Issei turned his neck to face the source of the touch and found Akeno's hand on his cheek. She faced him with a soft smile as Rias continued to sleep.

"Awoke to my touch, "she said with a soft smile. A cheekiness rested in her voice but concern outweighed it.

Issei smiled at her, the concern in her voice bought a warmth to him that helped to alleviate the soreness he was in. The pair sat in silence for a few minutes before Akeno broke it again.

"So do you want to tell me what the crazy monster rampage was all about?" she had a voice that was neither serious nor humorous but a little of both as she spoke with a small smirk forming at the edge of her lips.

Issei gave his best 'I have no idea what you're talking about' face before opening his mouth to speak. The words scrapped along his throbbing and tender throat. Each syllable a new dagger along the aggravated flesh.

"I really don't know." he croaked out to her, "I don't remember a thing after heading to see Sirzechs."

Akeno pondered what he said for a few minutes before nodding twice and shaking Rias gently by the shoulder. The heiress sat bolt upright which was humorous for the two watching her. She rubbed against her eyes and smiled at seeing the two people she cared about awake as well.

"Issei says he can't remember anything. I thought you should be awake for any discussion." Akeno stated simply.

Rias agreed with the logic of her words by nodding slowly. She was clearly struggling with waking up so abruptly. It took her a few more moments to compose herself before addressing Issei with a professional tone much like a detective gathering the simple facts of a crime.

"What exactly do you remember?" her voice was neutral yet compassionate, it was clear that she wasn't accusing Issei of anything.

Issei took his time, he tried to think of the exact last memory that he had. They arrived, went outside and then he became distracted. What was it that distracted him? It had been something above him. It had called to him, inviting and drawing him in. Bright, luminous, ominous. The moon. Issei wet his lips and replied.

"I remember arriving, following everyone outside and then I felt like I had to look at the moon. That's it." he said with difficulty and a gravelly voice.

"Yeah you were staring at it so intently." Akeno spoke up. "You just stopped and stared, then your eyes went red." she remembered clearly the look of concentration on his face.

This was news to Issei. He didn't know that his eyes could change colour. He was almost afraid to ask the next question but knew it had to be asked,

"What happened after that?"

The girls could hear the awkwardness in his voice and began recounting the events of his destruction the night before. They each spoke in turn to ensure that all the events were told correctly to Issei. He simply lay and listened to the girls. He was mildly shocked and secretly happy with himself at hearing that he had gone toe to toe with two kings of hell and another powerful devil, even if he hadn't been in control at the time. The girls approached the end of their story.

"Then as your beam was getting too much for Sirzechs you just stopped and went limp. After that you began shrinking back to yourself and fell to the ground. That's what they all said happened." Rias finished off as neither her nor Akeno had seen clearly the end of the showdown.

Issei was going to question the end of the fight when Ddraig spoke to him again.

"I can explain why you stopped so suddenly. Ask the girls to place a hand on you so that I may speak to them as well." the dragon said calmly.

"Ddraig knows why. Place your hands on me and he will speak to all of us at once." Issei relayed to his two alluring house mates.

Rias placed a hand on his stomach while Akeno paused and seemed to be considering her choices like a girl in a candy shop.

"Do I touch your firm muscles or go somewhere a little more fun?" she mused with a cheeky and seductive grin.

Issei resisted the urge to blush while Rias smacked her friend in a playful manner.

"Place your hand wherever you want." Issei returned in a tone that despite the difficulty of speaking showed a playful nature too. This time it was Akeno's turn to go slightly red and Rias hit him in the shoulder in mock irritation whilst telling the both of them off for being lewd. Issei held in the urge to wince at her hit, it was light but to his body the touch of a feather would ache.

Akeno placed her hand on the exposed flesh off Issei's chest and traced the defined muscles with her fingers. Issei felt embarrassed at the soft, tantalizing caress with his cheeks tingling red when Rias did the same so as to not be outdone by her friend and love rival. With both girls in contact with him Ddraig spoke directly. As he spoke, the trio listened to his explanation of fighting Issei's bestial nature inside the mindscape. He relayed his eventual defeat of Issei via roasting him from the inside and knocking him unconscious. This cleared up for everyone why Issei had so suddenly stopped fighting and collapsed to the ground whilst reverting back to himself. It also clarified for Issei why he felt like a roast dinner.

The explanation of what had happened and why Issei had stopped he been relayed to everyone present but it still failed to explain why Issei had done what he did or how he became the monster he had been. The moon was the only lead and Akeno stated what they were all thinking.

"Maybe it was like a werewolf with the full moon." she said simply.

Neither Rias nor Issei knew if that was the exact reason but it seemed like the only lead that they had and would be what they would have to go on with until they received something more substantive.

Continuing to feel worn out from his beating and now recovery, Issei yawned and the girls decided it was time to depart so that he could rest further. They agreed to bring him a large meal when he next awoke as he had gone since lunch the day before without eating and that was a big deal for him. He fell back to sleep shortly after the girls left, the complete lack of Ki in his body leaving him in an exhausted state.

A short time later Rias found herself standing in the lobby of the Gremory mansion. Magical workers were well under way with the task of repairing the damage caused the night before and it would be done easily by mid afternoon. Everyone concerned was gathered around her for an update of what had occurred. Around her stood Kiba, Akeno, Koneko, Sirzechs, Grayfia and Ajuka. She began by relaying everything that they had spoken to Issei about. The group agreed that the moon did sound like a probable cause although Ajuka also had a few more complex explanations involving the effects of different energies on the molecular level of a Saiyan but he couldn't confirm nor deny them without conducting some rather invasive examinations on Issei which were unlikely to be agreed to.

With the issue of clearing up the questions of Issei's rampage resolved, Rias moved onto her reason for coming the night before. She handed over to Kiba and the blonde boy stepped forward and explained everything to the best of his ability. He tried to cover the events that Issei had better knowledge of such as Raynare's attack but he admitted that Issei would be a much better person to speak to about it. He worried slightly that Sirzechs would oppose to the idea of him helping Asia but like Rias he didn't say anything about him helping her. Sirzechs agreed that it was too dangerous for Koneko and Kiba to be alone with the fallen angels seeming to be hunting members of the peerage.

The discussion moved onto the housing issue, after a rather lengthy discussion it was agreed upon that Issei's home was too indeed small to house a peerage of five and that for the interim until a better solution could be forged, both junior devils should move into the mansion and would be given access to the Gremory teleportation system temporarily to facilitate their travel. The pair bowed deeply to Sirzechs and thanked him profusely. He waved off their thanks with a kind smile.

The group traveled first to Koneko's apartment where she collected enough possessions to last her stay in hell and then they moved to Kiba's where he did the same before returning to now repaired mansion.

It was now rapidly approaching dusk and shortly after returning dinner was served. The group was pleasantly surprised to find a rather sore but now mobile Saiyan already in the dining room waiting to begin eating. Grayfia was fretting over his injuries but both Issei and Sirzechs waved off her concern. Issei was too concerned with eating and Sirzechs saw that the young warrior was too proud to accept resting for much longer. While Issei was still in a rather painful state, his Ki reserves were refilling at a brilliant rate and coupled with his impressive healing capabilities, he would be back to normal in no time. While waiting for the peerage to arrive Sirzechs and Issei had discussed the actions of the night before. Issei had apologized profusely but both Sirzechs and Grayfia had accepted his apology without any difficulty and stated that they knew he was not to blame at all.

The food was served after everyone had sat and was beginning to eat. Rias ate happily, enjoying the scrumptious spread of food until she noticed the dumbfounded expression on Grayfia and Sirzechs face. It took no time at all to understand why they weren't eating. Issei was eating considerably faster then usual if that was even possible for him. In the time it took Kiba to consume half a plate of barbecue ribs, Issei had a stack of twenty three plates in front of him.

Rias began laughing at her brother and his wife's disbelief which shook them from their stupor. The group explained Issei's eating habits while the offending Saiyan was too enraptured in his food to add any input himself. Sirzechs regained some composure and took a small verbal jab at Issei.

"Well of course he needs so much food after I whooped him last night." he said toward Issei.

Issei stopped eating and swallowed a large mouthful of food. He raised an eyebrow to the ruler of hell and replied in a cocky voice,

"From what I've heard, I had you on the ropes. That was without being able to fight coherently." he shot back with a challenging smile.

The Lord of Hell found himself smirking in reply.

"Is that a bit of a challenge there?" he said. His eyes shining with pleasure at the idea of seeing where Issei would go with this.

"There was no 'bit' about it." Issei responded nonchalantly.

The rest of the table sat quietly watching the exchange between the two. Rias was unsure if she should interject. She knew that under almost all circumstances that Sirzechs would destroy someone who challenged him so blatantly but she also knew that he liked Issei and one of the things he liked the most was that the Saiyan was unapologetic in his willingness to stand up to a challenge against anyone. The group felt as Sirzechs unleashed some of his power. Issei and him in a staring battle with identical smiles across their faces. Not to be outdone Issei flooded himself with some of the Ki that he had recollected so far. He knew not to use too much lest he end up immobilized again. The pressure of his power filled the room to equal Sirzechs. It seemed the two would step up their display a notch when Grayfia cut in.

"Ok boys. I think it is time we acted our age and not our shoe sizes. Hmm." she cut across them in a tone that let both know that she meant business.

The two instantly released their power which caused the rest of the table to begin snickering at the way the female devil had taken control so easily. The snickering became outright laughter as the whole group including the two rivaling males burst into laughter. As they all regained control of themselves Sirzechs turned to Issei.

"Once you have healed. We will test your might." he said confidently.

"You can count on it." Issei replied with a happy smile.

The rest of the dinner went by without incident and soon after Koneko and Kiba said their good nights, moving off to their own respective rooms to shower and sleep. Akeno, Rias and Issei said their own farewells to Grayfia and Sirzechs before teleporting home themselves. Once they arrived, the trio washed and went to bed without much fanfare. Issei was the last to shower and went to his bed only to find the two girls already there. Both insisted that they ensure he not overdo his training tonight.

Issei was unsure about sleeping so tightly with the soreness he still felt and so being aware that he couldn't convince the girls to sleep without him suggested they all sleep in the larger bed in what was now their room. The girls accepted the compromise and so the group relocated themselves into the larger bed with Issei in the centre. Both girls curled into him under the pretext of ensuring they made enough contact to enter his mind yet in reality all three knew that was not the case. With both girls using him as a body pillow, Issei felt a proud smirk grace his face before drifting off to sleep with rosy cheeks.

* Kuoh Academy, Kuoh Town *

It was now Thursday morning and life had returned to as close to normal as it ever did for the young Saiyan. With his injuries healed he had returned to spending his nights training. The weight of his armour was now approaching a tonne at total and he had asked the girls to double the weight of his clothing for him. He now sat in his class attempting to decipher the algebraic equations that the sensei had put for the class to complete.

The group's routine had only changed moderately with Koneko and Kiba arriving at the Hyoudou residence prior to breakfast and the peerage now ate all their meals together. After breakfast they would walk to school together and after classes back to Issei's house. So far they had seen neither head nor tail of any fallen angels and Issei suspected that their enemy was smart enough to avoid a direct confrontation with the group as a whole especially after how easily he had scared off Raynare in their last encounter. The look of fear on his would be killer's face still brought a smirk to his lips. Rias' protective attitude did have repercussions for the group though as she had forbade any member from undertaking any assignments or contracts until the threat was removed.

Issei concentrated on a rather long equation and attempted to complete it via supplementation but didn't manage to solve the problem. He had just scrapped his latest attempt when the bell rang and he was more then happy to abandon his school work in favour of a more saiyanesque activity. Namely eating lunch. A few minutes later found the group spread out around the large lunch table in the club room. Today's lunch was a generous mixture of Spanish cuisines. Paellas, pincho, and many other plates that had Issei happily occupied. While he ate he considered new ways to increase his strength and improve his Ki control. Learning the energy attack used by the young Saiyan was still his main priority and he felt like he was getting very close as certain phonetic sounds had sent a surge through the energy he gathered within his palms during training.

Rias, Koneko and Akeno discussed the issue of contracts and their clients. Both junior devils had a back load of requests and feared that clients may choose to stop using their services if they didn't start fulfilling some requests soon. Rias however was adamant that she felt it was too unsafe for the girls to be out alone if her peerage was indeed the target of Raynare and her group. Neither girl could argue with her protection of them as neither wanted to face a group of fallen angels by themselves.

Kiba spent most of his time on his phone sending text after text as he had been recently. The group knew that he was messaging Asia and it didn't take a genius to know that the young knight was heavily smitten with the pretty nun. On the Tuesday Rias had spoken to Kiba at length about the dangers of pursuing a relationship with a member of the church but after Kiba had explained Asia's situation and lack of affiliation with any radical elements, she had allowed him to continue to talk with her.

Rias was weary of any church member as more extremist sects were known to work with fallen angels however Asia was a volunteer nun who had been sent to Kuoh to intern at an outreach medical centre in the poorer suburbs of the city. Rias had read some of her exchanges with Kiba and decided that the young girl was just a kind woman who wanted to help those who couldn't afford the services of a medical professional. Rias could understand her passion for helping but as a devil she would never provide her services for free though. Being altruistic was far too much like an Angel for Rias to ever consider, regardless of his general compassion. Lunch was rapidly approaching its conclusion when Kiba spoke up drawing in the peerage's attention.

"Hey guys," the young knight began in a voice that said he was considering this to be a serious topic. The group turned to face him and gave their full attention. Issei continued to eat but otherwise gave his attention as well.

"Asia just sent me a few pictures of people that have been coming in to her clinic over the last few days. I think you should see their injuries." He finished and handed his smart phone around to the group. On the screen was a series of images showing various people with identical injuries. Each was a rather nasty collection of bite marks. The bites themselves appeared to belong to a large dog or canine of some breed. What made the bites unique however was the severe burn marks that accompanied them. It was clear that the rendered flesh had been burnt at the same time as it had been pierced. Rias knew exactly what would cause injuries of that nature.

"Hell hounds." she said firmly.

This was concerning as it took a rather powerful devil to control the beasts and if a devil like that was running amok in her jurisdiction then she had to deal with them immediately. She addressed Kiba in a flat tone that left little doubt that she was taking this issue seriously.

"Where has this been happening?"

Kiba relayed the question to Asia. He worded it in such a way as to avoid it seeming interrogative and more concerned curiously for her safety, which was also true as the knight most certainly did not want her to encounter any of the beats. The group waited for the reply. It didn't take long. Odaiba. A suburb in the south of Kuoh that was known for being less then affluent. It had one of the highest rates of unemployment and crime in the city. As was unfortunately too common in areas such as it, drugs and alcohol plagued the community and many felt trapped, unable to escape the vicious circle of poverty.

Kiba continued to text Asia with simple chitchat as Rias analysed everything. She continued to weigh her options throughout her remaining three periods of the day. She had only a few real choices that she could choose from. She could ignore the situation but that wasn't very practical. This was her jurisdiction and to allow someone to kill and injure would send the message that she was too weak to act in her own territory. Furthermore she knew that Issei and Kiba would want to confront the adversary. Issei for the simple reason of his Saiyan desire to fight. Kiba as he would want to stop the attacks to help Asia out. The idea of helping out the nun sat uncomfortably with Rias but she would pay it off as helping Kiba instead. If she didn't act then Kiba might but Issei definitely would.

She informed both boys that she would have her decision by the end of the day. Pondering it over during lessons, she decided that if she caught the devil then she could extract recompense from them and that would make the whole endeavour worth her time. As the bell tolled to signal the end of the school day she decided that they would remove this threat tonight.

The group met up and walked to the Hyoudou residence like any other group of friends. They chatted and joked as they made their way along the side walk but each was still keeping track of their surroundings. Rias was especially weary. She wouldn't allow her peerage to be ambushed or at a disadvantage if they were attacked.

Once they were all at Issei's home the group spread out in the living room and Rias addressed them all.

"Tonight we will track down and remove this hell hound summoner. We will leave around nine." she stated to the peerage with the authority of a natural leader.
Everyone nodded their agreement to her. They all ate dinner together. Rias and Akeno felt self assured about the night while Issei was almost bouncing off his chair in excitement. Kiba and Koneko were confident but weary and both were quiet and reserved during the meal.

After they ate each prepared themselves for combat. Kiba removed his blazer as he found it rather constrictive to fight in. The girls each braided their hair to avoid it getting in the way. Issei remained in his weighted training asked that he change but he said he felt more then confident to fight in them and if the need arose then he would remove them. Kiba and Koneko were both painfully aware of the massive increase that Issei received to his fighting ability once the restriction of the heavy weight was gone.

He really felt a lot stronger since his time injured from the rampage. Ddraig had explained to him that the more injured or exhausted he was, the more of a boost to his power he would receive upon recovering and the beat down that the dragon had given him created a definite boost within Issei.
At a quarter to nine the group gathered around Rias. The Gremory symbol appeared beneath them momentarily before they all vanished in a flash of crimson light.

* Derelict Apartments, Odaiba *

The peerage reappeared on the roof of a four story apartment complex in Odaiba. The building was at least forty years old with the majority of its render finish cracked and dissolved from exposure to constant sunlight and poor maintenance. The underlying brickwork was faded and crumbling. Graffiti and gang signs blatantly sprayed all across numerous surfaces. Walls, windows, doors. No space was left clean. The group could see around themselves in all directions as far as the surrounding blocks would allow and after a tertiary check, Kiba quickly identified a three story apartment building that was just over two blocks to their east, it was definitely their destination. Rias ruled out flying over as she didn't want them to be spotted as that would give away their advantage of surprise.

An old fire escape was bolted onto the side of the building and by some simple miracle it was still in good enough condition for the group to climb down, albeit carefully whilst avoiding grasping any beams that appeared too rust ridden to support them. They reached the pavement and made a bee line for their goal. Issei was practical bouncing out of his skin at the prospect of combat. His eager energy gave him a sinister vibe that deterred any locals who thought they might attempt to make a pass at the group.

The building they arrived at was beyond derelict. The front doors were missing and it looked as if the building had only avoided collapsing through sheer luck. It was clear that the only people who would live here were doing so out of pure necessity and not by choice. A rancid odour of filth wafted around the building. Entering the five friends found themselves in a long hallway with a stairwell at the end. A half dozen apartments lined the hallway. Each was open and unoccupied.

When passing each one, everyone would stop and wait whilst a single member of their party would check each apartment thoroughly but found no sign of anything other then squatters before they moved on.

As they reached the stairwell the group waited. Rias wanted to avoid making sound moving up and so Issei floated up the stairs to the second floor. The stairwell being too narrow for the devils to employ their wings. He reach the second floor and floated along it. All but one of the apartments, the second, was locked. The stairwell couldn't take them to the third floor as it was blocked. He returned to the group and led them to the second floor. They entered the open apartment cautiously.

It opened into an entrance way that led to a living room. Two further rooms branched from the short foyer. A heavily rundown kitchen and a bathroom with all the fixtures ripped out. Both looked as if their last use was well over a decade ago.

Moving deeper into the dilapidated abode they found themselves at what should have been the entrance to a bedroom. Instead the wall was torn open and the adjacent wall into the next apartment was missing as well. They could all see clearly into the next apartment that had been torn apart. The walls separating the rooms were smashed down crudely and a pile of debris was stacked against the door. That wasn't what caught their attention though.

In the middle of the room stood a steel stake. A body impaled upon it. The body was female with dark hair and fur covering her arms that ended in claws. Her devil wings dropped to the ground and her mouth was open. The tongue and eyes were missing from her corpse however. A great pool of congealed blood stained the floor and stake. Against her better judgement Rias moved forward with the rest of the group. As they passed into the third apartment and approached the devil's corpse a galloping crash arose from behind them signalling a pile of rubble dropping from above to fill the space that they had just entered through, their was not option for retreat now.

"Welcome" a female voice spoke from above them. The group looked up to see the ceiling separating the second and third floor missing. Standing central and facing them on the third floor was Raynare. Her face sporting a malicious grin of someone who felt that they had just won. To her right stood Dohnaseek. Both fallen angels had their wings tucked behind their backs.

To the left of Raynare stood a man in priestly robes. His face was split by a psychotic grin that rose to his red eyes. White blonde hair sat neatly groomed on his head. He carried two long swords that he left hanging lazily in his hands. To his left was a tall busty woman with long dark blue hair and eyes to match. She wore a maroon trench coat over a grey blouse and a dark business style skirt. A pair of black feathery wings were folded on her back as well. To the right of Dohnaseek was another fallen angel. This one was shorter then the rest. She possessed blonde hair that was tied in twin ponytails. A black bow perched on her head that matched the Gothic style dress. Her skin was pure and angelic but her blue eyes were cold with a murderous intent that didn't match her innocent looking body.

The devils dropped into their defensive stances whilst Issei crossed his arms.

Raynare continued speaking as if reciting a prepared monologue. "How nice of you all to follow my bait. This will be an excellent place for you all to die."

As she said this a cross floated in front of her. Embedded in the timbers of the cross beam was the eyes of the rogue devil and the mouth was fixed to the stalk. The mouth moved and spoke in a demented, disembodied voice that scraped against the souls of those who heard it. "Come"

Instantly a dozen beasts howled into existence around the peerage. Hell hounds. The beasts had thick black hides and stood as tall as a Great Dane. Where their eyes should have been was nothing but empty sockets and their open maws showed rows of fangs made of flames. These beasts were definitely the culprits of the attacks.

"Killed by beasts of your own realm. Genius if I do say myself." Raynare continued maliciously. "Now if you will excuse me. We have a treacherous nun to execute and a potent power to collect."

Kiba moved forward and yelled at her."If you harm a single hair on Asia's head I'll." he began in a defiant tone.

"You'll what?" Raynare spat back. "You will be dead and you know what. I was going to make her a faithful servant of mine but she befriended filth like you and all traitors must die. Isn't that right father?" she directed the final words at the maniacal man in priestly robes who spoke with a cracked and twisted voice.

"Yes. Yes. YES. ALL. ALL traitors must die. Die. DIE!" his voice rose and fell in a psychotic manner and it was clear that the priest was heavily disjointed from reality.

Issei had listened to enough of their garbage and released his Ki. The energy flooded his body and those around him could feel the rise in his power. Raynare felt the rise in his power and it flustered her momentarily. She addressed Dohnaseek and the busty female.

"You two deal with them. We will go on ahead." Issei could hear the crack in the confidence of her voice and grinned mockingly.

The twisted cross floated in the centre of the room and the pair of fallen angels flared their wings. At that the hell hounds charged the group as if on signal.

Issei dodged one beast by twisting to the side and booted another away with a swift straight kick from his right foot to the jaw. The large animal crashed into the ground but rebounded and renewed its attack. Teeth claws, fists, blades and magic flew around as the two groups engaged each other.

The two angels hung back and fired spears of light at the devils causing them to have to dodge while avoiding the hell hounds. Issei dodged a spear of light and returned with a Ki ball toward Dohnaseek. The fallen angel was smart enough to avoid Issei's attack outright and dived toward Akeno. Kiba cut through a hell hound with an overhead slash. As the slash pierced through the beast he noticed that Raynare and her two other compatriots had vanished. He cursed and made straight for the exit but was forced to back peddle as a set of burning jaws attempted to clamp down on his abdomen. The hell hounds attacked relentlessly and the close proximity hindered Rias' and Akeno's spells.

This didn't affect Koneko and Issei however who both thrived in the close confines combat. Issei landed a straight punch into the snout of a hell hound and felt the creatures head implode. He followed it up with a Ki blast that disintegrated another. Rias saw the opening he created and launched a ball of destruction at each of the fallen angels. The female narrowly dodged the blast which impacted with a wall causing a large portion to disintegrate. Dohnaseek wasn't as fortunate though and the attack found its mark against him. His eyes widened as the magic entered him and then he popped like a balloon causing gore to be thrown out from where his body had been.

The other fallen angel screamed in anger and began firing spears of light rapidly. Kiba cut through another hell hound as Koneko kicked one into the path of a spear of light fired by the enemy. The beast fried as the holy magic pierced its hide and collapsed to the ground in a useless heap.

Less then half the hell hounds remained when the floating cross spoke again. "Come" it said again in the same disembodied nightmarish voice. More howls filled the air as another batch of hell hounds were summoned.

Kiba dodged a light spear and yelled to the group, "We have to destroy that cross quickly or we will never be rid of these monsters." his voice calm and tactical as he analysed the situation.

"I can still track Raynare if we do it quick and save Asia. I have to save her." he added with a determined passion entering his voice as he slashed through another beast.

Rias heard her knight and acknowledged his logic. She wasn't concerned about the life of the nun but wouldn't let her die as she was in her jurisdiction and meant something to Kiba. Rias knew what had to be done and yelled to her group as she caused a beast to implode with a small blast of energy.

"Issei, you and Kiba go ahead and catch those three. Deal with them. We will take care of this trash and stop these hounds." she ordered out to her peerage.

Issei acted without missing a heartbeat and flashed forward catching Kiba and propelling himself out of the hole that Rias had made with her magic. As he came out into the night air he fired Ki blasts at the fallen angel as he released Kiba. Kiba dropped momentarily before coming back up level with Issei, his wings wide and beating.
The fallen angel dodged the Ki blasts but two of her hounds were less fortunate and large holes were blown through their bodies by Issei's perfectly formed Ki orbs ripping through them like paper. The Saiyan and knight turned away from the fight and flew off in the direction Kiba tracked their adversaries going.

Akeno took advantage of the distraction Issei provided and redirected her lightning from roasting a hound to arcing toward the floating cross abomination. The fallen angel fired a shell of light toward the cross to protect it but the crackling magic struck partially before the shell could form around it and the cross crashed onto the beams of the third level.

Koneko leapt to strike it but was caught on the leg by a hell hound. She grimaced in pain and turned to face the beast that caught her in its jaws. Her leg was burnt where the teeth pierced her flesh. She dropped down and drove her fist into the beast's mouth with the momentum of their landing. The beasts empty eye sockets widened and oozed blood as the wretched animal went limp from the powerful strike to its skull.

Rias eradicated another pair of beasts and created a sword of destruction energy much like Sirzechs. With blade in hand she lunged at the angel who raised a spear of light to block her strike. The pair twisted as sparks flared from the contradicting energies. As the two twisted, lunged, swung, thrust and parried it almost looked like a aerial dance. The tip of the light spear passed Rias' left cheek and she twisted to catch her opponents arm in much the same manner as she had seen Koneko do to Issei during their first duel. Rias abandoned her sword as the angel struggled to free herself. Rias shoved her free hand into the angels back creating a burst of destruction energy that evaporated her opponent.

With the angel dead the shell protecting the cross vanished and Akeno unleashed lightning onto the deformed construct. The mouth unleashed a scream before erupting in flames and becoming little more then ash. With no more reinforcements coming, the trio slew the remaining hell hounds and stopped to catch their breath with the bodies around them.

"Never seen you fight with a sword before." Akeno commented between pants.

"Been watching Issei fight too much." Koneko commented through equal pants.

"I don't prefer it. I feel weaker up close but it was necessary." she replied to the two as she dismissed the sword.

"You should practice it more. It was sexy to watch." Akeno shot at her friend with a teasing grin.

Rias blushed deeply at the comment and turned from the two releasing her wings and approaching the hole Issei and Kiba had left through.

"Come on. Let's go help the two boys." she said with a slightly flustered voice.

She took to the air with Koneko and Akeno following. Akeno wore a flirtatious smile the whole flight.

* Medical centre, Odaiba. *

Kiba and Issei landed onto the pavement outside the medical centre that Asia volunteered at. The building was a simple one story structure. A red cross was painted on the doorway and the building appeared to be well maintained. Despite that, the lights were turned off and that was less then ideal. It was approaching eleven at night but still this clinic should have been open as most places like this were open constantly.

Issei tested the door and it swung open. The pair entered the building and flipped a light switch close to the door. Nothing happened. Undeterred the two ventured into the building. They approached what the assumed to be a reception desk. Issei stopped and felt along the desk. His hands touched a sticky substance and he reached for his phone. The torch application flicked on and Issei felt a boil of anger rise in his stomach. The corpse of the receptionist lay on the floor. He had been stabbed through multiple times and fear was etched across his lifeless face. Kiba closed the man's eyes and the pair pushed forward with a nod.

They passed a large waiting area and multiple simple examination rooms, all dark and empty, yet could see light shining from under a doorway ahead of them. Issei pushed the doors open and they they were unpleasantly surprised by what they saw.

Asia lay prostrated naked on a surgical table. Her wrists and ankles were strapped to the table. Raynare floated beside her with a long vicious sickle of light in her hand. Her two accomplices stood between Raynare and the two would be rescuers.

"Oh you made it just in time." she said with malicious intent dripping from her words. Before anyone could act she plunged the weapon into Asia's chest. The girl screamed in pain and Raynare slashed her torso and stomach open with the blade.

Kiba screamed in fury and rushed forward. He charged at Raynare but was intercepted by the mad priest. Their swords clashed as the two fought intensely.
Issei launched himself forward toward the two fallen angels. The small angel fired darts of light at him. Issei raised his Ki and his aura flared. The light attacks shattered as they made contact with him. He gave his adversary no time to react and backhanded her mid flight. The small girl was thrown across the room and crashed into a stack of medical supplies. Issei continued moving toward Raynare but was forced to dodge and twist to the side as a volley of light spears fired at him from his hated foe.

Successfully evading the attacks, Issei spun back in time to see a bright green object floating up out of Asia. Raynare touched the object and it evaporated into her. The fallen angel's whole body shone a bright fluorescent green. The light faded and she floated upward. Issei rose steadily into the air at the same pace, maintaining the distance between them.

"With this new power I will destroy you monster." she spat at him.

Issei just smirked. "Good. You're confident. That will make this better." he replied in a cocky tone.

The two stopped ascending and faced each other. A moment passed before they flew at one another.

Raynare threw a roundhouse kick at Issei and he caught the strike with his hand. He returned with a jab that Raynare deftly blocked with her arms. Issei expected her to be thrown back by his strength but she held steady. The two exchanged blows in a rapid series. A swift punch from Issei that missed followed by an uppercut from Raynare that glanced off his body. Issei pivoted and struck her with a knee. She couldn't catch the blow and it struck her in the stomach. Blood sprayed from her mouth but she didn't falter. She twisted and fired a spear of light at Issei. The attack forced him to back away as it passed over him. Issei watched as a green light shone in Raynare's stomach and she straightened as if she had never been injured. She laughed and the two collided in an intense flurry of blows again.

While the two above fought, Kiba matched blades with the deranged priest. Kiba was more skilled then the man but he made up for it with raw power and an insane drive to keep pushing at the devil. The sound of steel meeting steel filled the air as the two struck, blocked and parried against the other. Kiba sliced overhead at the man, who in turn jumped back to dodge the razor sharp blade. As his blade lowered Kiba launched himself forward attempting to impale his foe. The priest's sword deflected Kiba's blade and he continued with a swing against the boy's head. Kiba leaned back and the blade passed mere millimetres over him. However he was off balance. The man saw this and repaid his mistake by charging forward. Kiba was driven to the ground but took the priest with him. As the pair crashed their weapons tumbled out of reach and the man raised his fists to beat down on Kiba. The knight thought fast and raised his knee repeatedly into the man's genitals driving the wind from his body.

Issei and Raynare continued to trade vicious blows. A straight cross from Issei, Raynare crossed her arms to block the strike and felt part of her right forearm break. Before she even lowered her guard to throw a jab at him the bone had healed. Their melee continued with neither able to gain the advantage needed to slay the other. Issei was stronger, faster and more talented in close combat than her yet each blow he landed was for naught as it healed immediately. He began to disengage to attack with his Ki when sharp spikes of energy pierced his back.

Issei looked over his shoulder to see the other fallen angel preparing another volley of shots to fire at him. His quick glance cost him as Raynare darted forward and struck him hard to the face with her elbow. The blow caused Issei to plummet into the concrete floor below. He landed and rolled backwards onto his feet as he looked over and saw Kiba caught on the ground also with his opponent above him. He didn't have time to help his friend though as he heard Raynare command her fellow fallen angel.

"Mittelt. Help me summon a grand spear to destroy this filthy vermin." Raynare's voice was a mixture of true malevolence and an absolute hunger for power.

The two fallen angels came together and raised their hands. Above them a large mass of purple and green energy collected. It moulded and sparked as it shifted into a long vicious spear, easily ten feet in length. Issei took a firm stance with his feet and watched as the girls lowered their arms toward him.

Time slowed for him as the spear fired down toward him. Issei could see the wind break around the tip of the attack. There was no way that he could dodge something like this, the energy it would produce on impact was likely to cause a devastating explosion. He could attempt to catch it, but that seemed dubious at best. Making up his mind, he cupped his hands to the side of his hips, the fingers clawed inward toward the adjacent palm and thne began a deep extended chant. His long sessions of experimentation had paid off and he was confident that he knew the phonetics that were needed.

"Gaaaa" a surge of energy rapidly spread through him. "Liiiick" the energy pooled in his cupped hands. "Guuuun" his aura burst out in a glorious royal purple with an enormous and violent surge of energy. Issei felt the Ki swell and peak right as he threw his hands forward and screamed the last word as he did so "FIRE!"

A tremendous burst of purple energy shot forth from Issei's outstretched palms, spearing forward in a powerful beam and impacted with the incoming spear. The energy of the two attacks sparked and fought against each other as they collided. The girls screamed in sheer shock and panic at the attack Issei had produced. They immediately poured all of their remaining energy into their dual attack. The energy attacks remained even and Issei dove into his Ki pool. He drew a great deal more energy into himself. He let out a guttural beast like roar and the attack surged, the energy widening in his hands. A pulse of energy ran along his beam and impacted with the spear. The great spear was overwhelmed and imploded under the impact of the new energy. The fallen angels' eyes bulged in true fear but neither could avoid the attack in time. The galick gun crashed into the pair and they screamed out in pure pain as they were obliterated. The purple attack exploded in a gruesome shower of bloody entrails and charred black feathers.

Kiba and the maniacal man were stunned by the incredible attack Issei unleashed. Kiba took the advantage and through the man off of him. He crashed to the ground. Kiba got to his feet and watched as the man fled from the building. He could chase him down but chose to rush to Asia instead. He heard Issei scream and watched as his attack overwhelmed the fallen angels. As they exploded he watched a green essence float down to the ground. Kiba held Asia's hand and wept at her dead body.

Issei joined the devastated knight and looked at the desecrated body of the nun. He couldn't revel in the victory he had achieved with the death of the young girl hanging over the event. Footsteps filled the room and the boys looked to see their three friends enter. Kiba faced Rias with desperation written heavily on his face.

"Save her. Please Rias. Save her." his voice sounded broken and cracked as he spoke.

Rias approached and faced the dead girl. She then looked at the green essence on the ground. "A sacred gear." she stated.

Magical energy floated around the mass and the essence floated up and re-entered the girl's body. Rias then reached into her clothes and brought out her evil piece set. She removed a bishop piece and held it over the girl. The bishop dropped down and entered the girl's body. Rias began to speak in a soft voice.

"Rise. Rise Asia Argento. Rise from the dead. Rise alive again Asia Argento by my will. I, your new King Rias Gremory raise you Asia Argento as my bishop."

The skin of Asia's body began entwining together as the cavity closed up and the internal organs healed. Her chest slowly rose and fell with the weak breaths she was now taking. Kiba searched around briefly and then pulled the cleanest surgical sheet over her body to save her dignity. He wept tears of joy as he held her body tight. With her wrapped in the sheet and cradled in his arms Kiba faced Rias.

"Thank you. Thank you so much Rias." he said over and over.

* 19 Hyoto Lane, Kuoh Town *

The group returned with Asia still unconscious to Issei's home. They placed the girl to rest for the night in Issei's bed. Kiba wished to remain until Asia awoke and Koneko stayed to be with the peerage. Koneko took the extendable couch and Kiba piled a small group of blankets on the floor in the living room to sleep.
The group all made their way to sleep shortly after sorting out their various sleeping arrangements and Issei found himself once again between the two beautiful seniors.

With Asia saved and once again alive, Issei allowed the glorious feeling of accomplishment to show. He had achieved the galick gun. The attack had been every bit as powerful as he hoped and then even more so. On top of that he had avenged himself for his attempted murder at the hands of Raynare. Issei relayed the battle to the two beautiful girls who shared the bed with him and they both congratulated him on his success. Issei lay between them drifting off and listened to the sound of their steady breathing. Both girls cuddled into him and Issei felt for that moment to be an invincible conquering hero.

He approached Ddraig as the girls practiced their magical energy in the whiteness of his mindscape.

"I see you achieved the attack." the dragon said with an air of pride in his voice. Issei nodded and thought for a moment.

"I want to fight someone powerful. Someone who can truly challenge me and help me grow." he said thoughtfully.

The girls looked at him, Rias was slightly taken aback by what he had said.

"What about Raynare today? She pushed you to use a new attack." she was a bit shocked that Issei hadn't considered that a challenge.

"True" he began, "But I didn't need to drop my weighted clothes. I want to fight someone who will push me to my limit."

Rias shook her head at him and the girls returned to their activities. She admired his desire to grow stronger but sometimes she thought he pushed it too far.
Ddraig shifted his position and spoke slowly.

"I think I could do that." he said in a slow pensive voice.

"How?" Issei asked.

"Well if I channel the energy that I usually use to summon your armour into a memory of a fighter from the past. I might be able to summon one. Though they wouldn't have a personality or emotions. More just like a soulless clone that you could fight. I don't think I could recreate any truly monstrous opponents though." Ddraig explained.

Issei nodded enthusiastically and felt excitement fill his body as he watched Ddraig concentrate. A memory of the past floated out before him and the dragon placed his left fore paw into it and froze. Energy began to move and emanate from the memory wisp.

The two girls watched the dragon concentrate and waited patiently. Nothing happened for over ten minutes but slowly energy gathered in a point a hundred feet beyond Issei. The excited boy turned and watched as a body formed. It was a tall muscular form that slowly took on the shape of a man. He was extremely muscular with extremely long black hair, his facial features reminded Issei of the young boy from the memory of the boys training with the old sensei but he seemed more ruthless and violent. A thick black furry tail protruded and waved behind him.

The new Saiyan wore a form of armour, white and yellow segmented plates over a black one piece suit. Thick carapace style armoured plates spread out from his shoulders and he wore white boots and gloves. His tail wrapped around his waist in the same manner as Issei's often did. The Saiyan stood lifeless for over a minute before his eyes shot open. They gazed around the whiteness but it was clear that no soul existed. The eyes simply looked without understanding. Upon seeing Issei the warrior shot forward at a speed that dazzled and bewildered the young warrior and landed a crippling punch into his unprotected torso. Before Issei could respond a swift spin kick projected him across the whiteness.

The two girls were stunned. Issei wasn't wearing any weighted clothing and yet he was being thrashed. They watched dumbfounded as Issei was struck over and over. He could barely land a blow and those that he did glanced off the warrior like waves against a rocky shoreline. Issei reeled back from a harsh cross punch and delivered an uppercut. The blow connected with the saiyan's jaw but did absolutely nothing, even failing to move the powerful foe's head an inch.

The Saiyan caught Issei's wrist and lifted him into the air. He then slammed Issei into the ground and blood burst from his mouth as all the air was driven from his body. He twisted and fired Ki into the warrior and it exploded on impact. Issei felt the hand release from his wrist and he collapsed to the ground. He looked up to see the Saiyan warrior completely unaffected. Issei was beyond shocked and just managed to roll away from a kick but the following kick caught his side and he was once again fired across the nothingness.

Both girls' expressions slowly turned to abject horror as they watched Issei lose thoroughly.

"He can't die. Can he?" Akeno asked with tears welling in her eyes at watching Issei lose so badly. Panic and fear evident in her last two words.

"I don't know but we need to stop this." Rias replied with an attempt at sounding composed.

Her attempt wasn't successful as she would have liked as worry broke through her words. She too was finding the fight difficult to watch. She looked toward Ddraig and saw the dragon caught in the memory. Akeno followed her as she rushed toward his outstretched limb and together the two girls drove their weight into the giant claw, shoving Ddraig from his contact with the memory.

Issei was curled up, barely protecting his vital organs as the Saiyan stomped on him, when the blows suddenly stopped. He looked up to see the warrior had vanished. He groaned and rolled onto his back. He felt once again like he had awoken after losing control to his bestial side but this time the beat down had been his own fault. He had gotten far too over confident and that Saiyan had put him in his place. Clearly he wasn't the invincible hero that he envisaged himself to be just yet.
A smile kept onto Issei's face though. If that was a weak Saiyan and a mindless clone to boot then how powerful could a true Saiyan become. Issei laughed softly to himself and held his ribs as he the chuckles caused pain to surge through him. The pain subsided and Issei rested while considering his potential for the future.

Edited on 27 December 2020