I made y'all wait long enough. I'm sorry for that. A/N at the Bottom, please read it as it has a few important details.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Consequences, Truths, and Secrets
*Warning: This Chapter may get a tad too brutal for some people. Reader Discretion is advised.*
It seems I finally have your attention. Show me what kind of existence you are RUIN PRINCESS!" Issei finishes with an excited roar as he charges the Gremory heiress.
Rias leaps backward, conjuring an orb of destruction in each hand. She hurls them at the teen, one after another with a small grunt. Issei sidesteps the first and thrusts his hand forward again, disrupting the orb and scattering it into harmless motes of energy.
Rias growls and frustration and lets her wings erupt from her back. She flaps her wings towards Issei, buffering him with an intense wind that he just powers through. Flying higher into the air, she thrusts both hands above her head and with a grunt of effort she creates a large orb of destruction above her head, 3 times larger than any she had created so far.
Issei growls in response. "Bigger doesn't always mean stronger Gremory!"
Rias ignores him and throws the orb into his path. The white haired teen crosses his arms over his chest with fingers extended on either side of his neck and whips both hands back. The motion disrupts the air around him and sends forth a visible X shaped wind vacuum directly into the Orb.
Rias smirks. 'I put a lot of power into that. There's no way the same trick is going to work aga-'
…
-And the wind vacuum cuts right through the orb, separating it into four parts that pass Issei almost harmlessly, minus a few parts of his shirt and pants disintegrating from proximity, before exploding against the ground several meters behind Issei. The X shaped attack didn't stop there however.
It continued straight at her. Rias, taken aback by her attack being cut through has almost no time to react from the speed of the attack. She quickly attempts to throw up a barrier, but in her haste its constitution is lacking. The spell cuts right through her barrier, shattering it like glass before slamming into the redhead's chest.
She gasps as the attack knocks her backwards into the school building again. The impact almost makes her lose concentration to keep herself in the air, but she manages to catch herself quickly. She growls in frustration and forms a magic circle in front of her hands and launches a stream of pure Destruction at Issei.
Thinking quickly Issei pulls a series of cards from behind is back. He tosses the twelve talismans forward into the path of the beam and invokes their magic. "Dódeka Petália Aigída!" (Twelve Star Barrier) The twelve talismans each let off a different color and a magic circle forms from each talisman. A single magic circle forms in the center of the talismans, creating a large multilayered barrier.
GASHAN!
The Destruction wave slams into Issei's barrier with a deafening crash. Issei grits his teeth as the force behind it causes him to slide back slightly. He begrudgingly has to admit that Rias does have quite a bit of magic power, but he can feel that it's not as potent as it should be. Almost as if she's holding herself back or trying to use her power differently than the way she's most comfortable with. The attack slowly dies down and his barrier fades into motes of light. A quick, cursory glance at the panting and obviously fatigued Rias is all the evidence he needed that his plan is working. 'Now she just needs one more final push. And I know just where to hit to push her over the edge.'
"You're wasting so much energy you know." He says quietly causing Rias to freeze momentarily before confusion settles in, but before she can come up with a retort he continues. "You keep lashing out instead of thinking. You tried to overwhelm an opponent with superior power, even after said opponent showed they could negate your attacks with ease. You also let your aura flare around you wildly and without restraint. Also a waste of your precious energy. I have much to say about you Rias Gremory. But before we can even begin to fix your ability as a leader, you need to fix yourself."
Anger flares up inside Rias again, the raging emotions inside her making her unable to keep quiet as he continuously insults her. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO SPEAK TO ME LIKE THIS?!" she all but screams at him. "YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME!" she takes a deep breath to continue, but Issei cuts her off.
"I know nothing about you…?" he asks quietly. "I know everything about you Rias Gremory."
Then he vanishes and pain erupts in her stomach as he materializes in front of her, fist buried in her stomach. The air is forced out of her body and blood erupts from her mouth. Shock written all over her face with her eyes wide as saucers. 'I…I didn't even see him move!'
"I know that you're Weak."
Pain.
Again it erupts within her body twice as strong, shaking her to her core as her bones rattle from the impact under her chin this time. Her vision goes black and her ears ring violently loud. The blow is so strong it lifts her off her feet and she can already feel the bruise forming around her almost fractured jaw. 'How is he so strong? Who is this guy?!'
"I know you're a child playing at being a King"
Pain.
And suddenly she feels her back slam into the ORC building. The feeling of the impact coming much faster than the pain that suddenly registered in her side. The air rushes out of her body and she retches violently. Blood and her lunch from that day erupts from her mouth as her vision and hearing slowly start returning. Never had she been hit so hard in her life. Her body aches. Her legs feel like jelly, and she doubts she can even stand at this point. Her mind is clouded and all she can feel is pain and fear, completely unable to form coherent thoughts other than these base instinctual feelings.
A low chuckle begins to emanate from the teen, starting slowly before erupted into a haunting cackle that sent chills down her spine.
"hehe hehe haha hahahaha hAhAhAhAhAhA eHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
A vicious smile adorned the teens face and his eyes gleamed with a manic light. Panic erupted through her as his Killing Intent is slowly released. At first she thought it was just his aura, but when its weight began to bare down on her fear unlike any other overwrote every other thought.
"And I know that you're nothing but a spoiled child throwing a temper tantrum about not getting her way… Which is why you're here in the human world."
And it only amplifies as Issei begins to slowly approach her. His Killing Intent released to its full potential. The threat of death less a threat and more of a resolute promise to those baring the weight of its gaze. But to Rias is was different. It was not merely pressure and the feeling. The moment he releases its full potential her heart skips a beat and her eyes widen as a fear unlike any other overwhelms her system. In her eyes his form begins to twist and convulse.
Fear.
Ran rampant as his form twisted into that of a Red Dragon. Its size that of a Mansion. Impossibly massive for the area. Her skin crawls as she feels the tail of the beat coil around the area, encompassing the entire area of the barrier.
Fear.
It only grows as the dragon bares down on her and locks its large eyes on her and she feels her body freeze, unresponsive to her desperate attempts to move.
'run… run… RUN! MOVE! I HAVE TO RUN!' Her instincts screamed into her mind as the dragon opened its massive maw and she felt the heat begin to grow as crimson fire began to build in the dragon's throat.
Fear.
'I'm… I'm going to die! We're all going to DIE!' She knew. She knew exactly who is in front of her now. She knew exactly who it was she picked a fight with. Even if it was only an inkling earlier. This dragon. She knew it. From both Fairy Tales from her Grandmother, and Horror stories from her Great Grandfather. It haunted his sleep until even to this day, thousands of years later.
THE Red Dragon.
Ddraig Y' Goch, The Red Dragon Emperor, The God-Eater, The Dragon of Domination, The Flame of Purgatory.
The flames she currently is staring down as the realization of her death rolls through her body. There is nowhere to run. He's already proven to be too fast for her. She couldn't over power him. Not an existence that even her Brother would struggle to survive against. Was there was to do was to just accept her fate?
The Dragon's Maw opens wider and the Red Flames of Purgatory spew forth a wall of death that there is no escape from.
'Is this it? Is this how I die?" and in the moments before the fire washes over her, her mind flickers to her Peerage and her eyes close in resignation. 'I'm sorry… Akeno… Kiba… Koneko'
Pain.
As the flames wash over her, she feels her skin melting and her body breaking down. The pain is unimaginable as she feels every inch of her being consumed. She tries to scream but her voice no longer works. Her tears evaporate before they can be shed and she can feel death rapidly approaching.
SLAP.
Rias recoils as she's roughly slapped out of her stupor. Panicked she looks around, searching for the flames that were washing over her just find… nothing. Just the snow haired teen glaring down at her in disappointment.
Issei takes a deep breath and stands to his full height while glaring down at Rias. "Gremory, is this really the best you can do? I expected more from the Ruin Princess, and yet here you are just accepting death so easily." He proclaims disappointedly. He buries his face in his hands as he wipes his face in irritation. "This is what I have to work with? I knew you were spoiled, but to be this weak? Have you ever even trained yourself or your servants? To have coddled your servants THIS much? Can you even call yourself a King, let alone the Heiress of the House of Gremory?"
"No wonder your parents chose to sell you off like breeding cattle. I feel sorry for the fate that awaits Akeno and Koneko from having such a failure as their King."
Rias feels the constant stream of insults he keeps slinging at her begin to get under her skin, festering like a diseased wound. Her Pride can only take so much damage. Anger the likes of which she had never felt before begins to rage inside her heart, and she knows immediately what this feeling is despite never feeling it to this extent.
As a Devil, their prospective Sin is the foundation that their identity is built on. While each Devil develops their Sin differently, there are similarities between each of them. For a Devil of Greed, tarnishing, mocking, or stealing their treasures is the quickest way to earn their ire. While gifting them something they desire is the fastest way to earn their favor. This is a trend that follows nearly all Devils.
Being a Devil of Pride, insults matter little to Rias. After all, what is the worth of slights and angry words of those who are lesser than her? As a High-class Devil, wielding the power of strongest Pillar's bloodline, who could compare? Who could actually look down on her?
The answer?
Only those who were truly her betters. Those of the Ultimate class or above in power were of the small percent who could. In terms of dozens who could truly utilize her family's power only four members of her family could truly consider themselves her better. Her Great-Grandfather, her Uncle, her Mother, and her Brother. But even among them, she is by far the youngest, being born nearly 650 years after her Brother who is the current Lord Lucifer, a being said to have eclipsed the Original Lucifer in power. Her mother will breach her second Millennia later this year, a woman so feared that the mere mention of her name makes most full grown Devils shiver in fear. Her Uncle is half way through his Third Millennia, and was a monster on the battlefield that fought during both the Great War and the Devil Civil war. And her Great-Grandfather Zekram? He's so old that he's one of the only Devils alive to this day that has ever met the Original Mau. And his power matches his age.
And even among such Monsters, she is considered to be a prodigy. Boasting both the INSANE magic reserves of the Gremory clan and the venerated Power of Destruction of the Bael clan, Rias has the potential to become just as strong as her brother, one of the strongest existences in the world.
She is Rias Gremory, the Princess of Ruin, Heir to the House of Gremory, and a High-class Devil.
How dare he?
How dare this no name Human look down on her?!
Sacred gear or not.
Potential peerage member or not.
Red Dragon Emperor or not.
And that last insult shattered any self-control she had remaining as her Sin consumes her.
"HOW DARE YOU?!"
Rage flared to life inside her as strong as the aura now surrounding her battered frame. The violent red and black aura escalating to a violent turbulence far more powerful than she had ever released in her entire life. For a Devil of Pride, she could NOT allow his transgressions to pass without consequence. Her blood boiled fiercely as a cold fury overtook her. Her power begins to rage out of control and with a final push she released all of the power she could muster at once, and for the first time in her life holding nothing back. Her aura doubles, then triples in size and begins consuming everything around her. The ORC building crumbles to dust, leaving just a single room untouched. The Garden withers and dies. Even the Barrier surrounding the area began to strain to contain her violent eruption of power. In a blink of an eye she's on her feet again, and the very ground she treads on erodes under her feet, leaving small divots in the ground where her power consumed it. The black energy remained behind after her foot left its location, leaving a trail of black flaming footsteps behind her. The wind buffets around her, creating a maelstrom of violent and destructive that forces Issei to actually use his armored gauntlet to shield himself from her power.
As Rias began advancing on the draconic teen, Issei is forced to retreat step by step lest her power reduce him to ash. Debris peppers his skin and the heat from her aura raises the temperature to a suffocating heat. And for the first time since he started down this path, he begins to question his sanity for purposely provoking the Heiress to this point.
Everything Issei had learned from her file made him suspect that she had always been holding her power back as to not hurt those around her, but the amount of power she exudes now made him realize how gravely he had underestimated the red-head. He needed to draw out the full extent of her power to see how much he had to work with in the future. For his own plans required her being far more powerful than he believed her to be. So he did the only thing he could think of to drag out her full strength. Attack her peerage AND her Pride.
'I maaaaay have fucked up here.'
Her power now easily reached the level of a TRUE High-class Devil, unlike the paltry amount she had utilized before. However, her power wasn't what made Issei freeze as a small flash of fear pulsed through his body, sending shivers down his spine. Even as strong as she is now, this amount wouldn't normally have effected Issei. Having fought beings and monsters far stronger than her in the past, he is no stranger to being outclassed in every way, let alone just outclassed in pure power. But his sudden instance of fear came from something far more mundane, and yet far more complex.
Her Eyes.
Gone were the beautiful blue-green eyes of the innocent, albeit manipulative, teenage girl he had met only an hour prior. Now they are replaced by violent crimson orbs with small black pupils. The moment their eyes met he had frozen up momentarily as the unexpected amount of Bloodlust surged through his body. Those orbs only conveyed one singular message.
Death.
No. Not even death describes this intent, but something much more. To go beyond just simply death. Something beyond destruction. To go beyond complete erasure. It could only be the promise of one singular thing.
Annihilation.
The complete erasure of existence. Those orbs threatened the removal of his presence from the very fabric of reality. To destroy him so thoroughly that even memories of him would be erased. The complete removal of his existence. The same eyes as THAT being, the Nexus Ruin. And the eyes of one possessing an Abyssal Fragment.
'I knew I she held one. This is perfect… Maybe she really can-'
His momentary loss of focus nearly cost him his life.
He felt the sudden spike of energy before he saw it, and barely managed to jump to the side as the area where he was just standing ceased to exist. Instead a 5 foot wide and 20 foot long trench just appears in its place. Trench? No, a chasm so deep he can't even see the bottom of it. His eyes widened in shock at the sudden spike in devastation from her previous uses of her power. His shock is short lived as pain explodes in his right side.
With a gasp he looks down and finds a chunk of his right arm and the side of his stomach gone with a small lingering trace of black energy remaining behind. The small black traces growing larger by the second as they continued to devour his body. He looks up at the teen again just to feel his instincts scream at him to move. He jumps in the air just in time to leap over several long Shards of Destruction impale the space he had just occupied. No longer is her power barely contained orbs of Destruction, now they are condensed and contained in a crystalline shape. Thrice as dense and powerful and exponentially faster than the crude orbs she was utilizing before.
He quickly pulls two slips of paper out and applies one to each wound to seal them temporarily and stop the remnants of her power from eating away at more of his body. He landed shortly after and for the first time since the battle began he regarded Rias seriously.
"It seems this is your true power huh, Gremory?" Issei asked in a stressed tone as he bought some time for the Talismans to start their work. The red-head merely tilted her head slightly as she regarded him. Her face neutral without any emotion showing now, but she didn't respond.
"Not going to talk huh? I suppose we are past that point by now…" Issei trailed off with a little chuckle as the pain subsided to a dull ache. 'She far outstrips me in power right now, and I can't get close to her without evaporating from her aura as I am now.' With an internalized groan he realizes what he needs to do, and he's not entirely excited about it either.
"You know, you really surprised me with this power of yours." His eyes widen slightly as she squints her eyes at him slightly. Her power wells and a mass of destruction begins to take shape above her head.
'Ddraig, I need you to wake up.'
[Zzz]
"I knew you were much stronger than what you let on, but even I'm impressed by this level of increase." Rias holds her arms out to the sides as a large crimson magic circle appears under her feet. Then more and more of those masses of energy began to form around her. They all began to morph and crystalize into large spike like shards that carry the power of destruction.
"You invade my territory, refuse to give reason for your being here, you insult my family name, you insult and attack my peerage. You have gone too far for flattery to still my hand, Hyoudou Issei." Rias all but spat back at the teen. Her power soars higher along with her aura, creating a shockwave that knocks Issei back a few feet, him barely retaining his balance. "Know that while I take no pleasure in your extermination Hyoudou Issei, I cannot forgive these transgressions."
'Ddraig, c'mon wake up, I need your help here.'
[ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ]
The Welsh Dragon continued to sleep inside his prison as Issei begins to sweat. Rias wasn't going to stay passive forever. Already he could feel her begin to tire of his conversation if the amount of "Shards of Destruction" appearing above her was anything to go by.
'GOD DAMNIT YOU LAZY DRAGON I KNOW YOU'RE NOT ASLEEP! HELP ME OUT HERE'
[…What's in it for me?]
'What's in it f-?! HOW ABOUT NOT DYING YOU USELESS LIZARD?!'
[Meh, if you die I'll just go to a new host. Make me a better offer.]
'The fuck do you mean? If I die you die remember?'
[…]
'Uhhhh… Ddraig? H-Hello?'
[…I really hate the Church.]
'You… you forgot didn't you? ALL THAT SHIT THEY PUT US THROUGH AND YOU FORGOT?!'
[N-no!]
'Why did you stutter then?'
[A DRAGON DOES NOT STUTTER! Just shut up, you whiny brat. Here take it. But you'll owe me later. 5 Dragon Apples.]
'5?! Fuck you! 2!'
[4.]
'3 Final offer, or I let her kill us here and now.'
[…]
'…'
[…]
'…'
[Fine. 3 It is. I can't believe I'm arguing with a Hatchling. You are easily the most irritating host I've ever had. Now hurry up so I can go back to sleep, Adenydd Sero.]
A snarl forms on Issei's face and his eyes flash dangerously. His violet eye glowing brightly as a gold ring begins to form around it and the slit in the green one narrows. But he quickly forces the rage down and chooses to ignore the Dragon's sniping comment.
'Whatever, you lazy dragon.'
[DRAGON BOOSTER]
[BOOST]
His Gauntlet evolves for the final time. His Gauntlet now extends all the way to his elbow with several golden spikes coming out below his wrist and extending the length of the gauntlet. No longer is it a sleek red metal, but lined with crimson scales. His fingers now end in razor sharp claws that extend and retract. And the green gem on the back of his hand enlarges significantly and turns into a darker emerald color. Power erupts inside Issei, doubling his current strength, speed, power, and vitality with a flash of Crimson light.
But with his increase comes with the familiar sensation of a burning pain erupts just as fiercely within his veins. He grits his teeth through the pain and takes a step forward with his right foot and reaches for the left side of his waist with both hands in a quick draw stance. The number of Shards Rias began spawning stopped around 2 dozen, and all point at the teen threateningly.
Issei sighs and looks Rias in her eyes. "Rias, do you intend to kill me?"
The Red-head says nothing, but one of the dozens of Shards flies forward at an insane speed right for Issei. Issei merely closes his eyes and gives a small smile as he tils his head just barely enough for the shard to pass by his head and impact the barrier, shaking it violently.
The familiar feeling of adrenaline surges through his body, numbing the pain in his veins. Her intent to kill him enforces the ideation that this is no longer a small skirmish, but a true battlefield. The place where Issei feels most at home. A rush of power floods his veins separate from the adrenaline. His smile grows into a smirk as he prepares to call forth one of his most precious treasures and yet one of his most hated curses. A gift given from love from his loving Guardian, and a yet a reminder of his accursed Father.
"I'll take that as a yes." Issei sighs and cracks his neck. His stance and tone shift into a deeper more serious version of his more playful persona he had been using until this point. "I suppose it's time to pull the Kid's gloves off then what do you think?"
Rias snarls at him in response and prepares to eviscerate the snow haired teen before her.
Issei takes a deep breath and utters a single line that changed the entire direction of the fight, as Rias launches another shard at him.
"Heed my call and aid me once more, KUSANAGI-NO-TSURUGI!" And with his call the boosted Gear gleams brightly with a crimson and green glow, and a hilt begins to form in Issei's right hand, and a sheath in his left. With a quick blurring motion his hand unsheathes a Kodachi sized blade, barely larger than a kitchen knife, and a blindingly bright white light emitting from the blade as it is unsheathed. With practiced ease, Issei slices into the Shard of destruction coming at him, dispelling the attack entirely, and sheathes the blade in a single heartbeat.
With the name merely uttered Rias visibly recoiled as if she had been burned merely from the name, even though the words made no sense to her. When the sword unsheathes however, even for the fraction of a second it was visible, her eyes became temporarily blinded from merely glancing at the sword and she cries out in pain. She lashes out by sending all of the Shards at the attacker simultaneously.
However, even this many is not a challenge for Issei as he is now.
[BOOST]
With Issei's power doubled again, the pain doubles as well. It ripples throughout his body in waves as his blood feels like its boiling inside his veins. Issei grips the hilt of the still growing blade more tightly in his hand in response to the overbearing pain rushing through his veins. The blade, now passing 90cm in length, continues growing at a steady rate. He sucks in a deep breath and gnashes his teeth tighter in both pain and concentration. He leaps backwards and unsheathes the weapon once more and with quick, masterful strokes the teen lashes out with the incredibly long blade at the incoming attack from the Ruin Princess.
Rias hears the telltale sound of metal slicing through the air, but confident in her own power she ignores it in favor of trying to rub the blindness out of her eyes. In a matter of moments her blindness is gone and she reopens her eyes and whips her head around only to see the teen sliding the massive white blade back into its sheath, her attack completely eradicated. Shock and a small tinge of fear spreads through Rias's veins at his ability to deal with her attacks so handedly.
Issei exhales the breath he had taken roughly as his feet touch back down onto the ground with two small tapping sounds. Rias growls in frustration, her eyes hardening as she glares hatefully at the draconic teen. She lifts her right hand above her left shoulder, fingers extended upwards, as she gathers her power in a small orb above them, the crimson magic circle shining brightly in the artificial darkness.
Issei, however, smiles brightly at the redhead. A small chuckle rumbles in his throat as he stands to his full height. He grips the hilt of his sword and slowly slides the ridiculously long blade out of its sheath and holds it before him, the tip pointed at Rias. "Very good Rias! Had it not been for my Father's sword I would have been erased from even one of those attacks!" His grin becomes wilder as his eyes take on a savage gleam. His burning blood pumps harder and faster through his veins as the thrill of battle ignites an insatiable thirst within him. "Now come! Show me more of your power!" Issei taunts.
Rias growls again and whips her hand across her chest, the energy at her finger tips slashing out at the teen. However, with a lazy flick of his wrist, Issei dispels the attack with the 150cm long blade. His grins widens and Rias's glare intensifies. Again and again she whips her destructive energy at Issei, but each time the attack is lazily countered with that sword of his. She begins switching her attacks up between the small orbs, to the shards, the slashing attacks, and she even tried overwhelming him with a large steady stream of her power. But each attack meets the same fate. It isn't long before Rias is panting from the effort, her body covered in sweat and her muscles screaming out in pain. Suddenly her legs give out and she sinks down to her hands and knees.
Issei sighs exasperatedly as his excitement dulls to mild frustration. 'All that power and no one has ever taught her how to wield it.' He just shakes his head and slowly sheathes his blade. Once his sword is fully sheathed, the top of the sheath seems to ripple and releases several black tendrils that latch onto the hilt of the sword locking the blade in place as the Boosted Gear lets out a booming [SWORD SEALED]. He unhooks the sheath from his hip and holds the sword at his side. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He lets it all out and opens his eyes once more, the vicious gleam gone and replaced only with disappointment. And as Rias sees this change in his demeanor, sees the disappointment in his eyes, a small part of her feels ashamed.
'Why…? Why do I care about whether or not he seems disappointed in me?' she begins to wonder, but before her thoughts can go any farther, he breaks the silence.
"Is that it? Is this all you can do?" Issei taunts the redheaded King. "Is this as far as your love for your Servants go?"
At the mention of her peerage Rias's head snaps up and her eyes widen in fear.
"If this is all you are capable of then don't deserve your peerage. If you care so little about them then perhaps I should just get rid of them. After all… they'd all be better off without such a weak King such as yourself." He finished with a cold glare directed at the redhead. He turns his back to her and approaches the downed form of Akeno. HE pulls out another talisman and points it at the dark haired beauty. Electricity begin to crackle around the talisman as he pours his power into the small piece of paper.
Her eyes go wide and she struggles to speak. Her peerage? Her friends? Her Family?! 'No. No. Nononononono-'
"NO! Please wait!" She cried out as she struggled to stand back up.
"Wait? Your enemies will never wait on the battlefield simply because you ask Gremory. NOW LEARN THE PRICE OF YOU WEAKNESS!" The power emanating from the talisman oscillates rapidly growing in strength before a large lightning bolt erupts from the talisman.
Crrrrrk- BOOM!
A massive explosion emanates as the lightning bolt makes contact and detonate, tearing a blood curling scream from the downed girl. Smoke and dust covers the area obscuring his vision. Issei closes his eyes to save them from the debris and waits for the impending attack from Rias. Seconds tick by… but no retaliation comes from the redhead. In confusion he reaches out with his senses, but doesn't feel the redhead where she was before the attack. But a faint groan in front of him causes his eyes to widen in shock. He taps the hilt of his sword with his free hand and the dust and smoke are blown away to reveal a surprising sight to the teen.
Because laying on the ground in front of him, shielding the body of Akeno with her own is one Rias Gremory. She lays over her friend, her back burned viciously and the entire back of her blouse reduce to smoldering ash. At first he thought he made a mistake. The unmoving form of Rias Grmory sent chills down his spine.
'I didn't kill her did I?! She shouldn't have been able to move that fast!'
"Kill me instead!" barely restrained relief flooded Issei's veins. 'Good, she's not dead.' "Please let them live. I was the one who ordered you to be watched. I was the one who ordered them to attack. They were only following my orders. It's my responsibility as their king to bear the consequences of their actions…" She trails off and takes a deep breath, closing her eyes as a single tear rolls down her cheek. Not from the pain of his previous attack, but from the heart wrenching thought of losing any of her family, her peerage. "Please…" she begged once more, her Pride long forgotten.
Has Rias been facing Issei during her speech, she would've seen the genuinely happy smile that graced Issei's face. It was exactly what he wanted to hear from the beautiful redhead. He takes a deep breath and struggles to school his features. Wiping the smile off his face was harder than he thought it would be. Her first test she barely passed. She had the power, but had obviously never been truly trained on how to fight correctly. Her second she passed with flying colors, her willingness to put her servants above her own life spoke volumes of her love and compassion for her servants. Unlike most Devils, they were not tools or toys, or even just servants to her. They were family. Exactly what he wanted to hear from the redhead. Now for the final test. A test of her resolve.
"You wish for their lives to be spared?" He asks quietly. "How far for your servants are you willing to go?" He wonders aloud.
Her eyes widen at the loaded question as small sob almost escapes her lips, but she chokes it back. 'I knew it would come to this…'
"I would die for them. So if someone has to die tonight, please… let it be me. Please spare them. I will give you whatever you ask for in exchange."
Issei's eye twitches slightly at her odd choice of words, but shrugs it off.
Her eyes harden and she takes a deep breathe to strengthen her resolve, as she comes to the only possible conclusion as to what he wants from her. She sits up and crawls a few feet from Akeno and sits on her knees, the small move taking almost all of the strength left in her body. She lets her head hang and rests her hands in her lap.
"Do what you will… but promise me you'll spare them."
Once he dons the cold façade, the cold glare back in place as he turns around and levels his gaze at the King in her tattered uniform. He raises the sheathed sword above his head and begins to pour power into it.
"I promise to not harm them further.
A red and blue aura forms around the sword and swiftly grows to a massive size. The pressure suffocating Rias almost as much as his Killing Intent had earlier. Once again she accepted her death, but this time she felt no remorse. No sadness other than that she would never see them again. And a small smile formed on her lips as she slowly looked up at him tears forming in her eyes as she whispers "Thank you." And closes them once again as he brings the sword down.
She feels the heat and wind cutting its way through the air as it rapidly approaches her-
…
…
…
-except it never reaches her. Seconds pass and she slowly looks up to see the end of the sheathe stopped a few inches in front of her face. Confusion spreads across her face. 'I'm… not dead… does that mean he decided to go for that after all?' and a small pink hue adorns her cheeks as her mind begins to wander.
She slowly looks up the blade until it reaches the white haired teen who has a large smirk on his face-
…
-which she completely misreads due to the wild look he still retains with his draconic features still showing.
A small sigh escapes her of resignation. This is what she had expected after all. A pervert like him? Defeating her this completely? 'It's inconceivable, but yet there we are.' She's lucky he agreed to not harm her peerage. Another sigh escapes her as his sword dematerializes and he begins to approach her with that same smile.
She closes her eyes again as he begins to kneel down in front of her. She reaches up and pulls down the rest of her blouse and her destroyed bra, letting her large breasts free from what little confines was still hiding them from view. And she felt him freeze.
'Here we go… I will not falter. He may take my body but I won't let him break me.' She thought to herself resolutely.
"Do what you wa-"
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" The snow haired teen shrieked out in a very unmanly voice as he tried to stop the blood pouring from his nose, whipping it to the side to avoid looking at the half naked female.
Rias froze in confusion, still holding the left over fabric from her destroyed blouse and bra "W-what do you mean…? You asked how far I was willing to go for my peerage, you didn't kill me, and with you being the pervert that you are…" she trails off as she gestures to her herself in her state of undress and him at the same time.
Issei's head snapped back towards her, rage in his eyes and shrieks again, "I AM N-NOT A P-P-PERVERT!"
Then immediately had to turn his head away as the blood pouring from his nose started again.
"Oh really?" came the mocking and very unconvinced voice of one Rias Gremory. Placing her hands on her hips, completely unabashed that she was still revealing herself to him, and levels a disbelieving glare at the white haired teen. "The amount of blood pouring out of your nose right now says otherwise." But she didn't stop there. She continues as she hugs herself and wiggles with a blush on her face, "A few moments ago it almost felt like you were about to roughly pin me down and-"
"SLEEP" Issei bites out as he pokes her forehead, sending a shockwave of Senjutsu energy pulsing through her body. Her body goes limp and he catches her before she falls over.
HE gently lays her down and shakes his head in disbelief.
"I was just trying to kill you and your peerage and then you go and pull that ridiculous stunt." He groans in exasperation, "Are all Devils this fucking weird?" he mutters. Then a certain dark hair twin pigtailed Devil flashes before his eyes and he groans again. "Yeah… Probably." He begins looking around at the damage caused from the fight. He sighs in resignation, "Well… better clean this all up."
He closes his eyes and reaches out to all the Talismans lining the barrier. Sending a pulse of energy through them they change to a bright yellow color.
Slowly at first, but quickly picking up speed, the damage down to the interior of the barrier begins to reverse itself. The fallen trees replant themselves and their leaves reattach to their branches. The flowers regain their life. Earth is replaces and grass regrown. The ORC slowly begins to build itself back up.
It takes 10 minutes of intense concentration, but finally Issei opens his eyes as everything is restored to before he was thrown from the building. He staggers slightly, but quickly regains his balance. A grimace forms on his face as chains erupt from the fingertips of his gauntlet and begin working their way up the Boosted Gear.
[RESET]
He sinks to his knees as his strength leaves him. The fight and fixing the damaged area taking more out of him than he had expected. Sweat drips down his face as he fights the exhaustion, he wasn't finished yet. His body shudders as he forces himself to his feet. His vison clouds for a few minutes before shaking it away.
He looks to the three downed teens. He walks to Kiba first, and glares down at the teen. "I don't know why, but just looking at you just pisses me off." He then grabs the teen by the ankle and drags him across the courtyard to the ORC building and then up the stairs. The poor blonde's head banging off each step. Upon reaching the ORC room he proceeds to toss the unconscious blonde across the room like a sack of potatoes, leaving said blonde laying against the far wall with his legs sprawled over his chest and upside down in a very uncomfortable position.
Afterwards he heads for Akeno. He gently picks up the beautiful Miko bridal style and blushes lightly as she grips onto his arm and lets out a few sounds he refuses to admit he heard.
After placing the Queen on the couch he summons a magic circle and three small vials appear in his hands. He pops the lid of one of them and pours it over the girl. Instantly the dark haired beauty's injuries vanished.
A few moments later Akeno started stirring in her sleep and slowly opened her eyes opened and blinked slowly while looking up at the ceiling. Confusion slowly overtook her as she realized she wasn't in her bed, but on one of the couches in the ORC.
"H-how did I-?" The sound of someone coming into the room made her tilt her head to look who it is. And in walks a battered and dirty Issei carrying a very immodest and beat up Rias in his arms. Panic quickly follows rage as the events prior to her being knocked unconscious come rushing back to her.
She immediately sits up and throws he hands forward to cast a spell-
…
-except she suddenly realized she couldn't sit up and her hands were bound with black rope. Once again confusion reigns while Issei just lets out a little chuckle. "Thank you ''Roka…" He continues walking towards the opposite couch and gently sets Rias down on it. After brushing a lock of red hair behind the unconscious girl's ear with a small blush (an action Akeno definitely saw and narrowed her eyes at), Issei stands back up and stretches with a groan.
The raven haired Queen immediately takes in the several talismans covering his exposed side and arm, as well as the numerous scars and scrapes covering his well-toned body. Despite herself and the situation she couldn't help the feint blush that suddenly graced her pale cheeks. Hearing him sigh however, kept her thoughts from wandering too far.
"I'm guessing you probably have several questions for me huh?" Issei asked Akeno without turning to look at her.
She regarded him warily for a few moments as she watched him summon the vials again and splash the contents of one onto her King, and watched as her wounds vanished immediately, drawing a sigh of relief and content from the redhead.
'Ph-PHOENIX TEARS?!' Akeno internally screamed with wide eyes. 'Just how in the hell did he manage to get his hands on Tears, let alone that many?!'
But before she could ask her question out loud he answered.
"I figured people would get injured, so I brought these to make sure there were no lasting effects." Then he pauses for just a moment, as if hesitating, "As for where I got them? Eh… lets just say ive got friends in the Underworld."
"Friends in the Underworld?" She asked incredulously, "Then do you have any idea who you attacked? Who her brother is?"
Issei let out a nervous chuckle and turned to face her for the first time since they started talking. "Well yeah, of course I know who she is," he replies sheepishly. "Rias Gremory little sister to the Big Red Siscon Satan. Why do you think I brought Phoenix tears to make sure you could all be healed and wouldn't die?"
Akeno couldn't help but let out a laugh, "Ara Ara, so Ise-kun attacked so fiercely even knowing her brother would eradicate you when he found out?"
Issei's face went bright red and he began to sweat just a little. "H-hey! No one is getting eradicated ok? Besides… Y'all attacked me first you know."
"Only because you trespassed and refused to cooperate, what else was Buchou supposed to do?" Came the condescending retort from the Queen.
"Well I have every right to be here. I told you all I was on a mission for the Youkai Faction under direct orders from Yasaka-sama herself." Issei retorted matter-of-factly while crossing his arms and trying to look dignified.
"Mission from the… NO YOU DIDN'T!" Akeno almost shrieked. 'If he was on a mission for the Youkai faction Buchou would've let him do whatever he needed with very little supervision! Why didn't he just say so?!' "Why didn't you just tell us that?!"
"Ara Ara! I didn't mention that?" Issei said in a tone that very much sounded familiar to her… A tone that made her eye twitch uncharacteristically. "Must've… slipped my mind…" Issei trailed off as he whistled innocently.
Rage instantly built up in Akeno. 'How dare this boy come into our territory, do whatever he wants with no regard for protocol or manners, and then insult us all so directly like he knew exactly what to say to make… us… angry.' Realization dawned on Akeno as she remembered the exact words he said to her to earn her ire: "Was that the full might of the famed Half-FallenMiko, the Priestess of Thunder? I hope that was you holding back."
No one should have known about her father being a Fallen. Her mother being a Shrine Priestess? Anyone in the supernatural world who knew the Himejima name knew exactly who and what they all were. It's understandable that a little research would net him that information… but about her father? No one outside the Gremory Clan and Satan's knew who or what her father was.
Which means…
"Ara Ara Issei-kun… How much of this did you plan hmm?" She asked shakily while trying to keep her composure.
Issei at least had the decency to look a bit embarrassed. "Well actually… almost all of it."
Akeno frowned. If all of this was planned, how long had he been looking into them? She needed to clarify a few things.
"The Strays?"
"I knew y'all were swamped with them. So I started taking care of them as soon as I got here about a month ago… but if you mean 'Did I purposefully leave that evidence behind'? Then yes, I did." Issei replied while he started walking towards the shower at the opposite end of the room, conveniently located behind her head so she couldn't see him from her tied down position. "Mind if I take a shower? I'm filthy."
But before she could retort, the water turned on and she heard his clothes starting to hit the floor… which brought an unconscious pink hue to her cheeks.
"Thanks! Who knew the ORC was so accommodating." Issei sighed as he climbed into the shower and felt the hot water rush over his skin. "Go on though I'm sure you have more."
"So you've been here a month but you just started school this week? Why the wait?"
"To observe you Devils and to establish my Den." Issei replied Matter-of-factly. "Needed to gauge your level of threat and your capabilities."
"And your assessment?"
"I'll give that to Rias when the sleeping beauty wakes up."
"What about Koneko and her reaction towards you? Was that part of your plan?" She asked seriously, but raised an eyebrow when she heard something bang from the shower.
"About K-Koneko? W-well… not exactly. I approached her because I knew I could convince her that I wasn't a threat. But I didn't realize how either of us would react towards that connection…" he trailed off quietly.
The answer caught Akeno off guard, but she was resolved to see if he was truly using the white haired girl or if his actions when they were caught at the ORC door were genuine. "Ara Ara, it sounds like someone is smitten with his Kouhai." She giggled.
"Well I wouldn't say you're wrong. I knew things were already going to be interesting around her before I even got to town." He said softly, barely loud enough for her to catch with her enhanced hearing.
Akeno furrowed her brow in confusion. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
But she received no reply. And any further questions just left her with the sound of him washing up. Giving up she decided to just lay there and think on what he had already said.
Soon he was getting out of the shower and started getting dressed back into long sleeves and pants. He sighed and sat on the arm of the couch by her head. She opened her eyes and looked up at him. She took note of how sad he looked.
"Someone very dear to me asked me to check up on her… and to take care of her in their stead." He said softly again.
She tilted her head in confusion before her eyes widened in fear. Koneko had no family. She knew no one outside the Gremory Family and the school. So who could possibly?
"Who?" she asked worriedly.
He gave her a small grin.
"Just someone as special as her." He said cheekily, but it did nothing to ease her concerns.
"So what now?" she asked suddenly. "Are you planning to kill us or?"
He lets out a barking laughter and stands up stretching again. "Eh, no such thing. Once sleeping beauty here wakes up ill brief her on why I'm here. Then ill offer her the best solution to her problem. Training"
"Training…" she asks slowly, "What kind of training could you possibly offer?"
He gives her a mischievous grin. "I defeated all of you didn't I?"
She frowns deeply. Very uncharestically.
His grin devolves into a neutral face as he points at her. "You're a one trick pony." Then to the uncomfortable looking Kiba, "Yuuto has absolutely nothing but speed. He has no power and very little creativity behind his swings. Koneko needs special tutelage due to her heritage." And finally points to Rias. "And Rias needs someone who can force her to go all out without dying."
"And you couldn't have just asked or offered to train us?"
Issei shook his head. "You know it's not that simple with her Pride. She would get suspicious of who I am or who sent me. You know she wants to do everything on her own. I had to show her that she can't do everything." Issei walks over and kneels next to the raven haired beauty. "You know as well as I do that her Pride is her biggest weakness, and it's the thing most likely to either get you killed…" he hesitated for a moment looking away with a sigh. "It's the thing most likely to get you killed or wind up as sex slaves to some obnoxious noble."
Akeno's eyes widened in shock. "You know about that?!"
"Of course. I did all the research on you all that I could. It's the only reason I went about this the way I did. I do not want to see any of you end up under his thumb. It's not like I wanted to hurt any of you… well Yuuto a bit… " He sigh and closes his eyes looking down. "But this is the only way I know how to do things." He glances up at the clock. "Convinced I'm not evil yet?" he asks with a smile that didn't meet his eyes.
She ponder what he says for a few moments. 'Maybe he isn't so bad… He could've easily killed all of us, but didn't...' "Ill accept that you did what you though was best…" She smiled half-heartedly. "So while, sure you may not be evil… but you're definitely a naughty boy." 'And I can't trust you just yet.' And if I wasn't bound I would definitely teach you a lesson about hurting poor, defenseless women." She finished with a coy wink.
"BWAHAHAAA! Poor and defenseless huh? Well, I'm an equal opportunities kind of guy. You hit me with a lightning bolt? I'm not going to like it. So I might drop kick you, male or female."
"Well, you never know Ise-kun, you might like it if you tried." She says seductively. "After all, pain can be so pleasurable sometimes..." she trails off giggling with a feint blush on her cheeks. Issei blushes too and they stare at each other intensely for a few moments, neither looking away.
Issei finally breaks and looks away, cheeks ablaze.
"Vir~gin!" Akeno teases in a sing song voice.
Issei rolls his eyes and smirks back. "Yeah, I'm definitely not."
Akeno starts to retort, but something catches her attention. "Issei… whats wrong with your face?" She asks worriedly.
"Oh ha ha hhhhaaauuugh," he says mockingly and stands to his feet-
…
-only to feel a sense of extreme vertigo as the room begins to spin around him. HE loses his balance and slams onto the floor. His breath becomes ragged and his skin starts scaling over. Cold sweats rack his body.
And then the pain hits.
"ah augh AAAAAAUUUUGGGHHHHH!" He cries out as the blood in his veins begins to feel like its boiling.
"ISSEI!" Akeno screams and tries to get up, but her bonds keep her held down. "ISSEI!"
Spasms wrack his body as his cries die down. He pukes up bile as he struggles to lift himself up by crashes back down as another wave of pain hits.
And all Akeno can do is lay there and look on in horror as the snow haired teen shrieks in pain like he's dying.
"ISSEI!" She screams again. Panick over takes the woman as violently as the helplessness does as she struggles in her bonds which refuse to budge.
No response other than a blood curling scream from the teen.
She looks over at her King who's still completely unconscious.
Issei quiets down some, leaving him in panting sobs. His eyes glaze over as his vision fades to gray. Suddenly, her bonds fall off and she leaps to her feet to see Issei pointing at her, obviously having dispelled his binding technique.
"B-bag… hrrrrr…. Black *cough* case." He manages to point towards his school bag across the room by the shower.
She ignores this and rushes to her side and begins trying to cast a healing spell, but the moment her spell begins to touch him, his screams begin again. HE thrashes violently as the healing only seemed to exacerbate his pain instead of alleviating it. She quickly undoes the spell but his screaming doesn't stop. He points reaches out towards his bag again and again as if he's trying to pull it towards him despite the distance
Barely understanding she rushes over to it calling out. "Hold on Issei!" the panicked queen tries to assure him. She reaches the bag and snatches it up and begins sifting through it.
"Black case, black case, BLACK CASE!" she finds it and rushes back to Issei. As soon as she sees him her heart almost stops.
Scales cover almost all of his skin, but it's clear and dead looking. His veins are visible and look like green cobwebs crisscrossing all across his body. His eyes are boy glazed over and unseeing, and his breath comes in short ragged gasps.
"No no no no NO ISSEI!"
She all but rips the case open in a panic, and a single vial and syringe gun pop out.
Time slows down as she catches the vial in her hand and stares down at it blankly. Sound became muffled as she stared down at the black, inky substance in the vial. It almost seemed to move on its own. 'W-what is this? What am I supposed to do with this?! This looks like it's more likely to kill him than save him, and why does this single vial make me feel so terrified?!... so… so small and insignificant?!'
Suddenly, as if time simply restarted she became aware of a tapping against her leg as she knelt next to him. She shook her head and saw Issei reaching for her, tapping against her leg in a panic.
"Oh Lucifer, Issei!" she shook her head to clear it. No more hesitations.
Issei began clawing at his chest, right over where is heart is and then tapping her leg. Almost as if he were trying to tell her something.
"Do I need to inject this d-directly into your heart?!" she asked, but received no reply other than his motions becoming slower and slower.
"FUCK!"
She quickly reached for the Syringe gun, only for her shaky hands to miss and send it sliding under the couch. She tried to reach under for it, but it had slid too far under.
"No no no NO! I don't have time for this!" she shrieked tears starting to well in her eyes as she launched the couch across the room and made a grab for the Syringe Gun.
Finally managing to grab it she quickly slotted the vial in and rushed back to Issei-
…
Dun…Dun
-who had completely stopped moving and breathing. His eyes had gone gray and the green spider webbing of his veins had encroached his face and were slowly making their way toward his brain. She quickly ripped his shirt off and tried to find where his heart is, but it had nearly stopped beating. Its rhythm so slow and soft she had though it had stopped completely.
Finding the right spot she closed her eyes and prayed to every Satan that this worked. She slammed the needle down into his chest and pulled the trigger and watched as the viscous black liquid is pumped into his chest. Slowly, so slowly it drained into the teen's heart-
Duhn…Duhn
Duhn…Du
-seconds ticked by and nothing happened. Every second ticked by felt like an eternity. She hesitantly leaned her head down to her chest to listen for his heart beat… and heard…
….
…
..
.
..
…
….
SILENCE
…
"ISSEI!"
A/N: Well I'm not dead, but apparently Issei is…
Now y'all have so many more reasons to hate me other than my ridiculously long absences between updates. Is he dead? Does he live? I guess y'all will just have to wait and see.
I'm currently working on an outline to help keep me on track, at least an Arc at a time. There's so much I have planned for later I keep getting distracted, and then work, and I started back to school, and then I started helping support COVID-19 support… and it just became so difficult to find time for updates, or even the motivation to.
But, another author recently helped me find the motivation to start writing again, whether they know it or not I'm really grateful to them because it helped me write this chapter in about 3 days. It's probably not the best, I'm sure there's some grammatical errors and I may have crossed concepts here or there… but if I don't put this out now, it'll be months before I can get it out. I tend to over focus until I lose interest, which is one of my biggest problems with everything in life.
I would like to get on a schedule, but with my job so hour fluid right now, there's no telling when I may have time to work on this story. But I am hoping this outline with at least help me stay focus and interested to at least finish whole Arcs before I disappear.
Anyways, to all you who read the chapter and this I'm truly grateful to you all.
Please let me know in the comments what you think about the direction of the story.
Also, I'm having a poll for an alteration to Rias's character. Either let me know in the comments or PM me what you all think about adding a bit of Darkness from Konosuba into Rias's character. She'll still retain the proper front of her station, but with her friends she gets a little overzealous with her fantasies and thoughts like Darkness does. I was going to start it this chapter, but I thought it was too soon for that.
Either way, I've already started working on the next chapter, so here's a little tease about what's coming up:
Koneko will find out what Issei did.
Issei will have a direct meeting with the Sitri Heir.
Asia will appear for the first time.
And a bit more of Raynare's and Issei's pasts will come to light.
I love you guys, and can't wait to hear your feed back.