Disclaimer: I don't own DxD. Ishibumi does.
The sound of blades clashing could be heard across the woods. A tree fell down to the ground, having been sliced by whatever entities there were that fought. The ground shook and the wind billowed across the clearing. The signs of battle could be seen everywhere. Decaying wood. Split stone. Deep gashes and scorch marks left behind from the swinging of blades and the slinging of spells.
Issei and Asia stood at the edge of the clearing, trying to keep up with the speed of the combatants. Ran stood next to them, her sleeves folded together and a protective barrier surrounding her two charges.
Shin suddenly appeared in the center of the clearing, blue energy arcing off his body like electricity. A silver sword appeared in his hand as he raised it to deflect a light spear. The deflected spear of light flew and pierced a rock.
Sophia appeared behind Shin, wielding a scythe made of divine light. She swung her scythe, only to be blocked by a blue barrier.
Shin jumped back and dispelled the sword. He raised his hands and created two pistols.
"Failnacht already?" Sophia asked. She raised her and created several spears of light. Her eyes glowed as a black miasma enveloped the spears.
"Heh, of course, I'll use them. Especially if you do…" Shin fired the pistols, shooting down some of the oncoming corrosive spears. "THAT!" Shin landed on the ground and ran around Sophia, strafing her and fired blue bolts of energy.
Sophia gripped her scythe and jumped, dodging the deadly bolts of energy. She opened her mouth and let loose a deadly black jet of gas at the remaining bullets. The bolts pierced through the gas but were corroded before they could even reach Sophia.
"Hah! Eat on that tasty lemon drop Shinku Faulkner!" Sophia grinned. Her grin soon disappeared as she rolled out of the way of a violet beam of energy that decimated the trees behind her.
"What was that?" Shin asked. He had his hand raised in front of him with a blue orb that glowed with soft violet light. "You want another Exterminate Ray?" The orb spasmed as violet light filled the orb. A blue magic circle appeared in front of it and fired another beam of violet energy.
"Shit." Sophia jumped into the air, dodging the annihilating beam of energy. The hairs on her neck stood on end as she blocked Shin's sword. The two split apart before disappearing in a burst of speed.
Flashes of sparks and light appeared across the field as Shin and Sophia clashed swords once more.
"I think this is my win!" Sophia said, swinging her scythe at Shin.
Shin's sword glowed as it transformed into a different blade. The blade clashed and shattered Sophia's light scythe, forcing her to dodge.
"HEY! NO FAIR! SWITCHING TO CLARENT MID FIGHT!" Sophia yelled indignantly.
"There's no such thing as fair in the real world!" Shin said, pointing Clarent at her. Red energy crackled across the sword. Shin dashed towards her and swung the blade.
Sophia reacted quickly, blocking it with a scythe made of black light. Shin narrowed his eyes. A weapon made of light backed by Divine Power from a God. Shin pushed against her, using magic to reinforce his strength to overpower her.
"Crap!" Sophia cursed. There was only one way to win. She raised her leg and kicked him in the family jewels.
Shin's face contorted in pain and Issei flinched at the sight. Shin fell over, dropping Clarent and curled into a ball.
"I told you. This is my win!" Sophia said, standing over him.
"No fair…" Shin groaned.
"There's no such thing as fair in the real world," Sophia retorted, smiling cheekily.
"Winner, Sophia Asterope!" Ran said, raising her hand to stop the match. She lowered the barrier. Asia immediately ran out and knelt next to Shin. She raised her hands and immediately began healing him using [Twilight Healing].
After a few seconds, the pain faded enough for Shin to sit on his haunches. Issei offered him a bottle of water which he gratefully accepted.
"Shin's already so strong yet you're training so hard," Issei said, clenching his fist.
"I'm not that strong. I still have a long way to go. I've been slacking these past few years and that almost got you killed," Shin said, looking down at his hand. "Now that you're part of this world, I'll do my best to prepare you. You're the Red Dragon Emperor. You have the capability to match some of the strongest beings in this world. And me, I have someone I want to reach too."
The image of his older sister appeared in his mind.
"Someone you want to reach, huh?" Issei said.
"Hey! Enough with all this deep talk! Is this what guys do on their own time?" Sophia said, pushing the two apart.
"Right. Next, I'll spar with Issei a bit while you help Asia with her exercise and using her Angelic powers," Shin said.
"I'm gonna need some dummies for that. Asia, are you ready?" Sophia asked.
Asia stood at attention and nodded fervently. She unfurled her silvery-white wings and summoned her halo. Over the week, Asia had gotten more and more control over her powers and gotten to the point where she could keep the light contained in her halo.
"Alright, Issei. You're with me today so you might not need as much healing," Shin said, beckoning for him to follow.
"So are we doing the same thing again today?" Issei asked.
"Mmm. You said you had a dream about the Welsh Dragon right? I don't think that's a dream so we're going to try again today. We're going to force you to awaken the Balance Breaker of the Boosted Gear," Shin said.
Issei nodded. His mind reminisced the dream he had about… He banished that thought. For once, the wet dream he had didn't matter. What mattered was the giant red flaming winged lizard that interrupted it and called him weak. And that Dragon had the nerve to leave without saying anything else.
"So you're basically going to beat me into the ground," Issei said.
"Yeah. Unlike me or Sophia, your body isn't used to handling large amounts of power. You may be able to handle the base state of the Boosted Gear but the Balance Breaker will be more power than what you're used to. The point of this is to force your body into it then slowly acclimate you. You know that old saying. If you want to teach your kid how to swim, throw them off the cliff into the ocean," Shin said.
"I don't think that's right," Issei said. "What has Akari-oba been telling you?"
"Eh? Kaa-san didn't tell me this. Tou-san told me this right before he shot deadly bolts of magic at me and Onee," Shin said, smiling.
The two walked for a few more minutes before stopping.
"Ready?" Shin asked. His hands began to glow and his eyes had a blue light pulsating within them.
"At least it's not Sophia," Issei said, summoning the [Boosted Gear].
"Alright, Issei, I'll give you to the count of… NOW!"
Issei's eyes grew wide as he felt Shin's leg connect with his torso. Issei flew across the clearing and crashed into a tree. Pain shot through his torso.
"Ow, that really fucking hurt," Issei said, getting to his feet. "But I've gotten stronger so don't count me out just yet!" Issei dashed towards Shin, faster than the boy had given him credit for. He threw his fist at Shin.
Shin dodged the attack and parried Issei's follow-up. "You're getting better," he said.
"Thanks." Issei grinned. The jewel on his left arm glowed brightly as the Gear announced itself to the world.
[Boost]
Shin's eyes narrowed as Issei's strength doubled, forcing him to reinforce his strength with magic. He closed his fist and socked Issei in the gut, forcing him back a few inches. Shin held his hand out as several floating swords appeared around him.
Issei ran as the swords flew towards him like heat-seeking projectiles. He rolled and jumped as the deadly rain of blades stabbed into rock, soil, and wood. His eyes fell upon Shin, who kept constructing swords from nowhere.
He dashed towards Shin, barely dodging the swords that flew past him.
[Boost] [Boost]
The Sacred Gear announced two boosts. Shin narrowed his eyes as Issei's speed suddenly increased.
Issei cocked his fist back and threw a haymaker at Shin. His fist connected with a thin violet barrier. He rebounded off the barrier, landing a few feet from Shin, who had his arms crossed.
"Okay, I can see that this isn't going to get us anywhere," Shin said. He manifested a blue orb in front of him. The orb began to crackle with violet energy. "Okay, Issei. I'm going to kick things up a notch. I'm going to start using some of the things I did against Sophia like last time. If you still haven't made contact with the Welsh Dragon, then I'll bring out Clarent and try to slice you and all those trees behind you in half."
"Wait wha-"
"Think fast!" Shin fired an Exterminate Ray at Issei.
The boy reacted, fueled by pure adrenaline and rolled out of the way. The violet beam of pure destructive power rolled past him, annihilating every tree in its path for hundreds of feet. A barren scorched land was left in its wake.
"THAT COULD'VE KILLED ME!" Issei yelled.
"That's the 150th time you've said that this week alone. Let's continue!" Shin rushed Issei, reinforcing his body with magic. He jumped into the air and performed a heel drop on Issei.
Issei raised his arms and blocked it, wincing as he fell to one knee. The ground under him cracked from the sheer force of Shin's blow.
If Shin's this strong and he's still training, just how strong is Aka-nee? How strong are Rowan-oji and Akari-oba? Issei thought, throwing Shin off him. His mind quickly conjured up images of his secondary family with the auras of pure monsters behind them.
"Don't get distracted now!" Shin's fist rocketed hit Issei in the jaw, sending the boy flying into a tree and knocking it over. He gave Issei no time to breathe, manifesting Clarent in his hands. The sword crackled with holy power, emitting red lightning.
Issei felt the air stinging his skin. The power of a Holy Sword. So this is what Devils feared. He rolled out of the way, narrowly dodging the blade. However, the aura burned his skin, causing him to clench his jaw tightly in pain.
Shin turned around. Clarent's aura flickered ominously, giving Issei a sense of dread. The Focus Orb orbited Shin. He raised his hand and a blue magic circle appeared in front of it. "Enchant: Triple Impact," Shin chanted. A blue, red, and violet aura appeared around Clarent, enhancing the sword.
He raised the blade and pointed it at Issei. Ice, fire, and lightning manifested around the blade.
"Oh shi-" Issei backpedaled as a bolt of lightning narrowly missed his leg. He scrambled to his feet and began to run.
Shin swung the sword, sending a wave of fire and electricity. The Focus Orb glowed, preparing another enchantment on Clarent. Shin released some of its Holy Aura. "Enchant: Power Amplification," he said. The aura grew in power tenfold, producing a bright red aura.
"Hey hey hey! That'll actually kill me!" Issei said, seeing the bright red light around the sword.
"Life or death situations have been known to produce bouts of hysterical strength! I'm banking on this working on you!" Shin said, smiling.
"That smile's creeping me out man!" Issei said. Come on you shitty lizard! Work with me here! We're about to die!
Issei heard no response. A bead of sweat dripped from his forehead. Surely, Asia and Sophia would have noticed this. There was no way those two were going to let Shin kill him right. He looked towards Ran. The girl was in her human form. She calmly sipped a cup of tea as if the immense holy power had no effect on her at all.
"Crap. Please, Red Dragon! I need your help!" Issei said.
[You're finally reaching out to me?]
Issei's eyes widened in relief upon hearing the voice. That was until the Dragon's words hit him in the face.
"I'VE BEEN TRYING TO REACH YOU ALL WEEK BUT YOU DECIDED TO GHOST ME!" Issei yelled.
[Perhaps it was because this is a moment of desperation. One of life or death. And I appear to be right. This is quite the predicament you've gotten yourself in, partner] the dragon said.
"Well, can you help me? I'm about to get annihilated by a Holy Sword unless I do something like go into my Balance Breaker or whatever!" Issei said. His skin was beginning to hurt from the overexposure to holy power.
[Unfortunately, in your current state, going into the Balance Breaker would kill you. However, I can teach you a different trick with my power] the dragon said.
"A different trick?" Issei muttered.
Shin raised an eyebrow. Was Issei attempting to communicate with the Welsh Dragon? He smiled. "Alright then." The orb responded to his mental command and circled around Clarent. Shin swung the blade at Issei.
The torrent of roaring holy power rocketed towards Issei.
[How many boosts have you done so far?] the dragon asked.
"I don't know. Ten?" Issei said.
[That'll be enough for this. Now, go.] the dragon said. [Show this wielder of the Holy Sword the existence that is a Dragon!]
"You got it, partner! [Boosted Gear]!" Issei yelled.
[Explosion]
A light red aura appeared around Issei as he felt his entire body become flooded with power. This strength. It was beyond what he had experienced with this gear so far. He saw the oncoming torrent of holy power.
"Haaaah!" Issei swung his armored fist at the beam, focusing all his released power into the punch.
The beam stopped, held back by Issei's punch. The boy tried not to wince or faint at the feeling. Despite having his power boosted to that extent, the feeling of the holy energy eating his flesh still remained. After a few more seconds of struggle, Issei won and punched the beam right back at Shin.
Shin's eyes grew wide. He made several motions with his hand and finger. "Perfect Cube!" A violet cube appeared around Shin moments before the beam made contact. A violent explosion rocked the area, sending Issei crashing into a tree.
"What the hell is going on!?"
Issei groaned and looked up to see Sophia and Asia hovering above him. The white-haired Princess landed next to him. Asia knelt next to him and began healing his wounds.
[Greetings, Daughter of the Morning]
"Who the hell just said that!?" Sophia asked.
"Wait, you can communicate with people outside of the Sacred Gear?" Issei asked, glancing down at his gauntlet.
"Sacred Gear?" Sophia muttered. Her eyes widened as she understood what Issei meant by that phrase. He had made contact with the Welsh Dragon. Did that mean what she thought it meant? "Does that mean you can use your Balance Breaker?"
"No… he said my body would give out if I did," Issei said.
Sophia looked Issei up and down. The boy had undeniably gotten stronger since he started training. The aura he emitted was powerful but it was due to the boosted power he received from the Gear. However, even without that, Sophia knew that it would only be a matter of time before Issei could be a match even for the members of the Gremory Peerage. It was his destiny after all.
"Sounds about right. Looks like we need to bea- whip you into shape even more," Sophia grinned. "Where's Shin?"
Issei pointed to the violet cube in the middle of a large crater about half the size of Kuoh Academy. The barrier flickered before dissipating. Shin fell to one knee, panting. "Never gonna try that again."
"It's your own fault, Shin-sama," Ran said, appearing next to him. "Vivi-sama told you the consequences of trying to block your own attacks." She helped him to his feet.
"So Issei, what was that? You deflected an amplified attack from Clarent," Shin said as the two made their way over.
Issei thought over his response for a moment.
"Well, I managed to talk to the Welsh Dragon. He's in my left arm. Say hi!" Issei said, raising his reddened left hand. A green glow emanated from the back of his hand.
[Hello, Champion. I have not introduced myself yet. I am the Welsh Dragon and the Red Dragon Emperor, Ddraig Y Goch. I live in this man's left hand] the now-named Ddraig said.
"Issei's left hand? Issei isn't that your…" Shin went silent when he saw Issei giving him the look that said 'shut up'.
"Ew that's gross," Sophia said, catching onto Shin's sentence.
[What?] Ddraig asked.
"Nothing nothing. What did Issei just do? He didn't enter his Balance Breaker or anything," Shin said.
[Well, to put it in simple terms, Partner is not strong enough to handle the strain of Balance Breaker at the moment. The moment he enters it, the power will tear his body apart so for now, I taught him how to release the Boosted Power he built up] Ddraig said.
"Oh, that explains what just happened," Shin said, crossing his arms and nodding.
"Am I the only one that's lost?" Issei asked.
"Basically Jailbait. What the nice dragon thing in your arm is saying that we need to strengthen your body more before properly handling the strain of the Balance Breaker. So for the meantime, you have a holdover on the Balance Breaker. It's no substitute for Balance Breaker but... it'll do for now," Sophia said. "Problem is… how long will that take?"
"No rush," Shin said. "We have plenty of time to buff Issei up."
"Ow!" Shin winced as Sophia wrapped a bandage around his arm. The two sat in the living room while Issei and Asia were in the kitchen cooking. "Why couldn't Asia heal me?"
"Asia's tired. I pushed her a lot today. Soon, she'll be punching people and stabbing them with light spears," Sophia said, tugging on the bandage.
"I hope you don't turn her into another you," Shin said.
"Of course not. Now turn around," Sophia said. "Towards me. I'm going to put this antibacterial stuff on that cut on your chest."
Shin sighed and turned around.
Sophia stopped for a moment and just stared. There was a large scar located on the upper left of Shin's abdomen. The scar appeared to be that of a stab wound.
"What happened there?" Sophia asked, tracing her finger across the scar.
"I don't remember much but I got it when I first met Ran," Shin said. "Did I ever tell you how we met?"
Sophia shook her head and instead focused on applying the antibacterial cream to the cut on Shin's chest.
"Well, I met Ran when I went on my first shrine visit as a kid. She was just a small puppy that was hurt really bad so I went to go help her. I don't know what happened after though. Mom thinks it was someone trying to use the Shrine Spirit to their own nefarious ends," Shin said.
"I thought Ran was an Inugami?" Sophia said.
"She is but she's also a Loci," Shin said.
"There we go." Sophia patted the bandage on and smiled. "All done…" She looked up and noticed that her face and Shin's had gotten extremely close. The two teens blushed and flew apart. "S- Sorry!"
"Y- Yeah," Shin said.
The doorbell rang, alerting the two.
"I'll go get it. You go get dressed," Sophia said, hastily getting up.
Shin put on his shirt and jacket. Vivi appeared next to him with her arms crossed and a sly grin on her face. Shin knew that smile. That was the face she made whenever she planned to tease him.
"Well, well, looks like someone has a cruuush," Vivi said.
"What? No," Shin said.
"Maybe you and Issei aren't so different. Akeno and Sophia. Two beautiful busty women. Hell, even their hair colors are inverted," Vivi said, floating in the air and making kissy faces.
"Shut up," Shin said. He walked towards the kitchen where he saw Sophia talking to the guest. Said guest was none other than Akeno. Akeno had a serious look on her face, as if something dire was happening at this very moment. She stopped talking upon seeing Shin.
He pulled out one of the chairs and took a seat. Before he could speak, Issei and Asia walked into the dining area with food in tow. The two set the food down, not even noticing the change in atmosphere. Only after they finished setting food down for dinner did they notice the extra presence in the room.
"Akeno-senpai?" Issei said. "What are you doing here? We don't have a club meeting today and the Pub is closed for the day."
"Oh no, I'm not here for work. I'm here for something else," Akeno said. Her face darkened. She folded her hands and sighed. The group all gave each other concerned glances. The playful Vice President of the Occult Research Club and Queen of the Crimson Haired Ruin Princess was not acting like her usual self.
"Akeno-senpai, what's wrong?" Shin asked.
"Other than you calling me senpai even after I told you not to? Something. But, I came here to get you four. Rias is calling a meeting," Akeno said.
Shin and Sophia exchanged confused glances.
"A meeting? Why?" Sophia asked.
"Because the Phoenix is coming to Kuoh and we have less than five minutes until he arrives."
[]
Ddraig Y Goch
The Welsh Dragon and the Heavenly Red Dragon Emperor.
Ddraig is one of the two Dragon Emperors and the rival of the Vanishing Dragon. He is the symbol of the Welsh Flag.
Wielding vast insurmountable power, his power is noted to cause women to miscarry, animals to perish from his mere cries, and the land shall become barren from the very wind of his wing beats.
During the War of the Three Factions, he and the Vanishing Dragon engaged the Three Factions due to an interruption of their battle. However, despite his vast power, the Heavenly Dragon met his end at the hands of the Coiled Serpent and the White God.
However, even death could not stop his rivalry with the White Dragon.
Here's another chapter guys! We shall officially kick off the Phenex Arc! Which won't be that long. It'll be a chapter or two longer than the Initial Arc but other than that, it's not that long. There will be some things regarding Issei's Balance Breaker that'll be different from canon. Specifically how long he can use it and how many times. Not to mention that I basically turned Explosion into the Kaioken from Dragon Ball. Anyways, please leave a review. I'm a sucker for those things and they help improve the story. See ya'll in the next one.