I'm back! I actually didn't sprain my back like the doctor thought. After going for an X-ray, it turns out I have a freaking KIDNEY STONE, which is what's been causing all the pain. I'll be going to the hospital to see what I can do about it. Thankfully, it's a small one, so they probably won't have to cut me open. Anyway, this chapter, Issei rescues Asia and has a duel with Raiser and his peerage.
Kinunatz: I was planning to do that in one of my stories, but that's going to have to wait until I've gotten further.
edboy4926: I'm honestly not sure about that. In canon, Ophis isn't interested in anything aside form killing Great Red, so I have no idea whether or not she knows that the Biblical God is dead. For the sake of the story, let's just say she doesn't.
Sonicfanx1: I don't know, some people spell it as Ddraig, some spell it Ddraige. I personally prefer the second spelling, which is why I'm using it.
the Dragonbard: I wanted him to come off that way. Not so much arrogant, just extremely confident. And Issei is friendly, it just doesn't show in the previous chapter because most of his interactions were with Devils, which he heavily dislikes.
Akuma-Heika: I'm pretty sure it's been stated that Shiva is the strongest God, not just in Hindu mythology, but the strongest God period in DxD Canon.
In the earliest Arthurian legends, the Sword in the Stone and the sword King Arthur received from the Lady of the Lake are two different swords. The sword that King Arthur received from the Lady of the Lake was originally known as Caliburn before being changed to the more famous Excalibur. Since Excalibur and Caliburn are stated to be two different swords in DxD canon, I'm assuming that Caliburn is the Sword in the Stone, though if that is the case, I really don't understand why Caliburn is superior to Excalibur. Also, it's not Caliburn's sheath that grants immortality, it's Excalibur's.
I'm aware that Ophis was the main reason why so many people were willing to join, which is why I'm making someone else, someone truly malicious that some, not as many as in canon, are willing to follow. The Old Maou Faction has failed so many times that it paints the rest of Khaos Brigade as incompetent as well. To date, their only noteworthy achievements in 9 volumes was cutting Azazel's arm, which he quickly replaced, creating the Anti-Monsters which were all destroyed without any casualties and poisoning Issei, a problem resolved one volume later. I'm saying that without their presence, the new Khaos Brigade comes off as a much more dangerous threat.
I vaguely remember that Tsukuyomi killed some food goddess out of disgust because she literally spilled food out of her orifices, I just didn't know they were married, though I guess I shouldn't be surprised considering that appears to be the norm for almost all Gods.
Issei's parents are both demigods. Issei's human blood comes from them.
Yes, Raijin means Lightning God, but Raijin no Yoroi is nothing more than a fancy name, it's not like it really is Raijin's armor.
Issei's lightning is on such a completely different level that Yuuto's Sword Birth cannot hope to defeat it at his current level. You are right that he should have at least tried though. My bad.
Now I'm confused. Ddraige and Albion, the two Heavenly Dragons possess roughly equal power, so I assumed the same went for the two Divine Dragons, Ophis and Great Red. Now I've read the wiki and it appears that Great Red is indeed stronger than Ophis. But Rizevim implies that Ophis at her full power can defeat Great Red, though its likely she would also destroy herself in the process.
Yuuto's problem is that his current fighting style relies on pure speed. If he uses light armor, he would have to change his entire fighting style to suit it. It might be possible with a few years of training, but in just a year? Unlikely.
Untrue. Both Bikou and the original Sun Wukong can use senjutsu, which implies that all Youkai can use senjutsu too, not just Nekoshou.
Thanks for your feedback and support on all of my stories!
Jose19: His grudge against Devils will fade over time, but he won't see Rias as a love interest any time soon because he already has Ophis.
Basil Hiiri: The lifespan problem has been addressed in canon, since Issei has Great Red's and Ophis's power in his new body, his life force continuously fluctuates between zero and infinity, so I'm guessing that Ophis can make him immortal if she wanted. The harem will be the canon harem with a few additions.
On a side note, due to the violence and gore in this chapter, this story's rating will be changed to M.
"Sekiryuutei." – Regular speech
"Sekiryuutei." – Regular thoughts
Sekiryuutei. - Rating Game announcement system
On with the story!
Issei walked down the streets, heading for the church just outside town. To his left was Ophis, the strange glimmer in her eyes that Issei didn't know what to make of still present. To his right was the nun he had just met and was escorting to the church, Asia Argento. For some reason, a part of him felt drawn to her. Not his human aspect, or his divine aspect, but his draconic aspect that was a result of Ddraige's influence. Issei wondered if Ophis was also being affected by the strange allure.
"Are you here alone?" Issei asked the nun.
"Yes, I was just recently assigned here. Oh, but I heard that there are already other members at the church."
"Yeah, a bunch of low-level Fallen Angels…" Issei privately thought to himself.
"Are you okay here by yourself? You can't speak Japanese, right?"
"Yes…but once I've settled down, I can start learning!" Asia Argento replied in an upbeat voice.
"Provided the crows don't do anything to you first…" Some people had all the luck, and some had none at all. Issei was inclined to believe that this kind nun was one of the latter to be involved with the Fallen Angels. There was also a strong sorrow in her eyes that spoke of a past trauma.
"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Issei was shaken out of thoughts by a loud cry. He looked at the park they were passing, the same park where he met Ophis and saw a boy sitting on the ground wailing, blood seeping out of a scraped knee. A woman, who appeared to be his mother, was trying to console him.
"Yosh-kun, it's okay, it's only a small wound."
Since his mother was with him, Issei figured that the kid would be fine and was about to continue walking when Asia went into the park towards the boy.
"H-Hey…" Issei and Ophis followed her. Asia knelt down beside the boy.
"Are you okay? Boys shouldn't be crying because of a small wound like this."
Asia patted the boy's patted head gently. The boy looked at her in confusion, not understanding what she had just said. That was natural, she was speaking in Italian, so unless one was fluent in the language, unlikely for a kid, or had a translator, like Issei's own translation charm or the Devils' 'language', even more unlikely, Asia might as well be speaking gibberish.
Then, Asia placed her hand over the boy's scraped knee. Issei's eyebrows rose when he saw a faint green light emitting from her hands. The small wound closed instantly.
"A Sacred Gear?" Issei wondered silently. His left arm was aching slightly, confirming his theory. That healing power is the ability of a Sacred Gear. Beside the boy, the mother looked very shocked at what had just happened before her eyes. Issei wondered why Asia would use a Sacred Gear in front of ordinary humans.
"There, your wounds are healed. The pain should be gone now."
Asia patted the boy's head. The boy smiled in response.
"Thank you, Onee-chan!"
"He said thank you." Issei translated for Asia. She smiled happily.
Recovering from her shock, the mother grabbed the boy's hand and dragged him away as fast as she could, leaving Issei, Ophis and Asia in the park.
"…Asia, that power…Is it a Sacred Gear?"
Asia stiffened before nodding sadly. Evidently, her Sacred Gear was a contributing factor in her past trauma.
"Yes, my Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing, a wonderful power that the Lord gave me. But, how did you…?"
"Don't worry, I won't pry. I also have a Sacred Gear, so I also somewhat know what it's like."
Asia smiled in appreciation and got to her feet, and the three continued walking to the church.
"…You're a kind person, you know? Not many people would go out of their way to help someone, especially not someone with such a light injury." Issei commented as they continued their walk to the church.
"Really? I think that there are many kind people in the world. I'm happy to be called one of them."
Issei smiled sardonically. This girl was naïve but kind, definitely not someone who would willingly work with Fallen Angels. Issei briefly considered killing the Fallen Angels to get her out of their clutches, but dismissed the thought. He didn't want to risk sparking the next Great War, by barging into a church uninvited.
"Ah geez, when did I become this sentimental?"
He looked at the nun, and couldn't help but feel a strong attraction to her. Not a romantic one, he loved Ophis and only Ophis with all of his heart, but something was drawing him to this nun. Ophis surely felt the same attraction as well.
Issei paused as they made it to the front of the church. Issei looked at the dilapidated building and noted it was even more run down that he imagined. He vaguely remembered that this church was quite prosperous 11 years ago, when Irina and her family were still around. Without anyone of devout faith, he supposed that the church would have been abandoned eventually.
But, there was a light coming from inside, and three Fallen Angel auras, all rather weak, weaker than the one he had killed the day before, and several dozen human auras, all slightly stronger than an average human, and one that was above the rest, stronger than even the Fallen Angels. Stray Exorcists, Issei realized and internally grinned. Looks like he would be entertained after all, if they chose to attack him…
"Yes, this is the place!" Asia exclaimed in happiness beside him.
"Alright. Then, we'll be going…"
"Ah, please wait, at least let me offer you a cup of tea as thanks for your help."
"It's fine, the two of us really need to get going. We're going to be late for school."
"Oh, I see…" Asia's expression turned downcast, and Issei felt just a bit guilty.
"…When we have time, we'll come visit you. Then, we can have that cup of tea. Then, we'll take you on a tour of the town."
"Eh?"
"What do you mean 'Eh'? We're friends, right?"
"Friends?" Asia's eyes widened.
"That's right, friends. And that's what friends do for each other."
"Oh! Okay, I look forward to that!" Asia smiled in delight as she waved to Issei and Ophis, who waved back as they left. Once they were out of sight, Issei lowered his arm.
"Ophis, did you feel an attraction to her as well?" Issei asked Ophis.
Ophis nodded in response.
"…That girl has a strong affinity with Dragons. And also…She has a very kind heart."
Issei looked back in the direction of the church. It didn't feel right, leaving someone so kind in the clutches of the Fallen Angels. Not to mention, he had sinking feeling in his gut, like he should not have left her alone.
Issei shot up in his bed, feeling a huge fluctuation of energy in the direction of the church. It was in the middle of the night, long after he had escorted Asia to the church.
"…Issei." Ophis sat up as well.
"Ophis, what's going on?"
Ophis closed her eyes, trying to get a feel of the energy coming from the church.
"…The Fallen Angels are removing the girl's Sacred Gear." Ophis said after a short while.
"Shit, I knew I shouldn't have left her there!" Issei got out of bed and got dressed in a hurry.
"Ophis, stay here! It'll be bad if Heaven finds out that the Dragon God is in their territory!" Issei called out to his mate as he dashed out of his manor.
Quickly casting a speed spell on himself, Issei moved through the streets like a gust of wind and quickly reached the front of the church. The fluctuations were getting more erratic, meaning the extraction process was almost done. He had to hurry.
"Sorry about this, God." Issei offered an apology to the Biblical God and unceremoniously kicked down the door. The inside of the church was almost pitch black, dimly lit only by moonlight.
"Yahooooooooooooo!" Issei looked up at the sound of an overly enthusiastic greeting to see a white-haired teenage boy dressed in priest's clothes leap down from the rafters, a crazed look on his face.
"Who are you? You don't look like a Devil. Well, whatever, Devils or not, as long as I can cut someone up, I'm perfectly happy-"
"Get out of my way." Issei cut him off and punched him in the gut with a lightning-coated fist. The Stray Priest hunched over in pain, coughing up blood.
"What…the…?" He lost consciousness and slumped to the ground, a fist-sized burn on his torso and blood pouring out of his mouth.
Issei felt fluctuations of energy coming from below the church and kicked the altar aside, revealing a staircase leading down. Descending quickly, he reached a set of iron doors. Inside, he could hear a girl screaming in pain.
"Shit!" He kicked down the door and was greeted by the sight of dozens of Stray Priest gathered in front of an altar, with Asia tied to a wooden cross, screaming in pain. In front of her were three Fallen Angels, a tall man, a tall woman, and a gothic Lolita girl.
"Who the hell are-!?" One of the stray priests began to demand of him, but Issei cut him off by jumping up and landing on his head. Using the heads of the Stray Priests as stepping stones, Issei made his way to the altar, but just as he reached it.
*FLASH*
There was a bright flash of green light and two silver rings with green gems embedded in them floated out of Asia's body, wrapped in green light. Asia's Sacred Gear had been successfully extracted. Asia slumped, the extraction process having taken a huge toll on her body. The tall woman collected the rings
Cursing, Issei leapt up to the altar and kicked the three Fallen Angels aside. He sliced off the ropes holding tying Asia to the cross with a bolt of lightning and caught her as she fell forward into his arms. Meanwhile, the three Fallen Angels recovered from the kick.
"You little…!"
Issei pulled a talisman from his pocket as the tall man began cursing him. He shut his eyes as the talisman exploded in a bright flash of white light, blinding the Fallen Angels and the Stray Priests, disorienting them and causing to fall into a panic. Using the opportunity, Issei escaped the underground chamber with Asia in his arms. Issei ascended the stairs and returned to the nave. He noticed that the Stray Priest he had defeated was gone. A trail of blood lead out of the doors. That guy was actually able to get up and walk away in the short time Issei was down there? He was briefly impresses before he sat Asia down on one of the benches. Her body was slowly getting colder.
"Asia! Asia!" Issei attempted to wake Asia up by calling her name. Asia's eyes opened slightly, revealing tired green eyes, most of their light having already faded.
"…Issei…san?"
"Yeah, it's me. Sorry I'm late."
"…I'm happy…You came to save me…"
"Of course I did, that's what friends are for, right?"
"…Friends…?" From the corner of her dim eyes, tears slowly leaked out.
"…I'm so happy…To have a friend…Even if it was only for a short while…"
Asia turned her head to look at the ceiling of the church.
"…Issei-san…I don't think I have much time left….Before I leave…Will you listen to my story…?"
"…Sure." Issei gritted his teeth and agreed. This was one of the times he really wished he didn't suck at healing techniques so much.
Asia told Issei a story of a girl who was once called a Holy Maiden. In a certain region in Europe, she was abandoned by her parents. A nun took her in and raised her with other orphans in the local church. The girl, having grown up a faithful believer in the Biblical God, discovered a wonderful power granted to her by her Lord at the age of 8. Using her wondrous healing power, she healed a wounded puppy she found, and her act was witnessed by a member of the Catholic Church. From there, her life changed. She was brought to the Catholic Church, and was praised as a Holy Maiden for her power. She used her powers to heal many believers, who were told that power was a gift from their Lord. Rumors begot more rumors, becoming more outlandish with each one, and she became known as a Holy Maiden, all without her consent. But, she didn't mind. The members of the Church were always kind to her and she liked healing people to begin with. She was happy that her power could be of use, and thanked her Lord for granting that power to her.
But, she was also lonely. In the Catholic Church, she didn't have any friends that she could open up to. Everyone around her treated her nicely, but also kept her at a distance, not willing to be her friend, and even she could understand the reason. None of them ever saw her as a fellow human being, but as a creature that had could heal them.
Then, one day, everything changed again. There happened to be a wounded Devil nearby. She couldn't ignore it, because it was in her nature to heal anyone who was injured, even if they were her enemies. And so she healed him. But, that act was witnessed by a member of the Church, who informed the higher-ups. Needless to say, they were mortified.
"A power that can heal Devils!?"
"Something that absurd cannot possibly exist!"
"The power of healing can only heal the followers of God!"
There were other people who possessed the power of healing as well, but none of them could heal Devils. The higher-ups believed it was only logical that the power of healing granted by God could not heal Fallen Angels or Devils.
However, there was a similar incident in the past, where there was someone who could heal even the Fallen Angels and Devils who had fallen out of God's grace. But, that power was feared as the power of a witch. And so, the girl was branded as a heretic.
"You damned witch who heals Devils!"
The girl who had been praised as a Holy Maiden suddenly fell from grace and was feared as a witch and was thus thrown out of the Church.
With nowhere left to go, she had no choice but to join the Grigori, where she received the protection of the Fallen Angels.
But even then, she never forgot to pray to her Lord, nor did she forget to thank him. But even so, she was abandoned. God did not save her. And no one from the Church was willing to defend her, because no one cared enough to do so.
"…It must be because…I didn't have enough faith…Because I'm clumsy and good for nothing else besides healing…Even now, this must be happening to me because…I didn't have enough faith in the Lord…"
"…" As he listened to her story, Issei's fists tightened to the point where his palms were beginning to bleed.
Strange. Gods were not kind beings, Issei was perfectly aware of that, and he was also aware that his divine grandparents, even his sadistic grandfather, were much kinder than most Gods. However, according to his grandparents, the Biblical God was one of the most benevolent Gods in existence. Without fail, he would surely answer his followers' prayers. Even during the Great War, the Biblical God had been reluctant to fight until he was left with no other option. So, something had to be wrong, for the Biblical God to not save this kind soul dying in front of him. And Issei should have been able to tell that something was wrong, if his mind wasn't currently clouded by rage. In his current state, he was unable to connect the dots and see that something had to be wrong. Right now, the only thing he could think of was cursing the Biblical God.
"..Hey, Issei-san…If I were to be born again…Would you still be my friend?"
Issei gently pressed his forehead against Asia's cooling one.
"You don't have to worry about that. Someone as kind as you will surely ascend to heaven. And if you are reborn, that's even less reason to worry. I'll still be your friend. So, rest easy. By the time you wake up again, the world will surely be a kinder place."
Asia smiled. Even as she was dying, her smile was still radiant.
"…Thank you…" Asia whispered and closed her eyes. Issei felt her life force fade and her pulse stop. She was gone.
"…"
*BAM*
The floor behind him exploded as the three Fallen Angels blasted through, followed by the Stray Priests.
"There you are, you damn brat! You're gonna pay for that!" The male Fallen Angel growled at him. Then, he saw Asia's body lying on the bench.
"Ho, so the bitch is dead, huh? Good riddance, her Sacred Gear was the only thing she was good for. Oh, did you come all the way here just to play hero? Too bad for you, you were a bit too late."
Issei's eye twitched when the Fallen Angels and the Stray Priests behind him burst into manic laughter.
Issei stood up and sighed.
"Ah~ You know, I was actually going to leave you three idiots alone even after the other one's pathetic attempt to kill me."
"What!? You're the Sacred Gear brat that Raynare was sent to kill!? I see, you're the one who killed her!" The gothic Lolita Fallen Angel realized, but Issei ignored her.
"But now…"
Issei slowly turned around, and the Fallen Angels and Stray Priests froze in place when they saw the coldness in his eyes.
"…You've really gone and pissed me off." At that point, Issei's body was coated in black flames that even the Fallen Angels, as arrogant as they were, were certain would kill them instantly. As they tried to escape, Issei snapped his fingers. Immediately, a barrier surrounded the church. The Fallen Angels crashed into the barrier as they flew through the shattered windows and fell back down to the ground.
"It's no use. Even though this barrier is low level by my standards, trash like you have no hope of breaking through it in time before I kill you."
Issei took slow steps towards them, black fire trailing behind him, but not burning anything, not even the wooden structure of the church.
"I guess I'm slightly glad Asia's already passed on. She won't have to see this."
A burst of horrific, dreadful black aura sent the Fallen Angels and the Stray Priests to their knees, barely to raise their heads enough to see the boy…no, the monster standing before them. As they looked into his cold eyes, they felt as if they were sinking into a deep abyss, utterly devoid of light.
"Scream all you want, cry all you want, beg all you want. No one is coming to save you. Not your masters, not your comrades, and most certainly not God."
The black flames wrapped themselves into the shape of blazing black claws around Issei's forearms.
"Prepare yourselves, I won't grant you an easy death like I did the other Fallen Angel. I'll strip you of every last shred of dignity, pride and hope you have. You will suffer at my hands like Asia did at yours, and then you will die like dogs at my feet." With those final words, Issei leapt at his victims, claws outstretched, looking like a demon of old. Pained, fearful and hopeless screams filled the night, but no one would save them from the wrath of the demon tearing through them.
Rias and her peerage arrived at what appeared to be a scene from the Ninth Circle of Hell itself.
She was aware that a Sacred Gear-bearing nun had walked into town this morning. The only church in town was abandoned and occupied by Fallen Angels, so she figured that the nun was a Stray. She wasn't expecting said nun to meet Hyoudo Issei and Ophis of all people, but heaved a sigh of relief when they simply escorted her to the church without starting a fight. She didn't fancy her territory becoming ground zero for the next Great War.
Then, the night of the same day, she sensed a surge of energy coming from the church, and panicked when she felt Hyoudo Issei moving at incredible speed towards it. For a few moments, all was quiet as the surges of energy ended. Then there was a gigantic burst of malicious energy that sent Rias down to her knees. She recovered and contacted the rest of her peerage and they headed for the church, struggling against the malice that grew stronger the closer they were to the church. They finally got to the top of the hill where the church was built, almost dead on their feet from the effort it took to get there and froze in terror at the scene in front of them.
The church was engulfed in ominous black flames. No, engulfed was the wrong word, as the flames were not burning the church itself. The flames were simply spewing out of every opening, wrapping themselves around the building, but not actually burning the building itself. Rias noted that there was a powerful barrier surrounding the church, one that she could not break easily, not even with the Power of Destruction. But at the same time, the barrier felt…sloppy, as though it had been hastily cast without any preparation beforehand.
But, what terrified them the most were the screams. Sweet Satan, those screams…! Rias was no stranger to screams of pain. She had killed several Stray Devils before, not to mention the few Fallen Angels here and there unlucky enough to cross her path, but these screams were on a completely different level.
"SOMEONE, PLEASE SAVE ME!"
"WHY!? WHY WON'T THESE FLAMES GO OUT!?"
"AH, IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS!"
The sheer pain, fear and despair she heard in those screams terrified even a High-Class Devil like her. She wondered just what had happened.
The church doors burst open and a male Fallen Angel, though one had to look really hard to tell, engulfed in the black flames, his skin blistering and melting to reveal his innards, flew out and crashed into a barrier. He clawed desperately at the barrier, trying to get out and caught sight of them. He looked at them with scorched, haunted and desperate eyes and begged them for help.
"PLEASE! PLEASE SAVE ME! DON'T LET THAT MONSTER-"
*SQUELTCH*
He was abruptly cut off when a claw of black flames burst through his chest, gripping his heart.
"AH…..GUH….."
The Fallen Angel gurgled incoherently as copious amounts of blood poured out of his mouth. Then, the claw pulled out and ripped out the Fallen Angel's heart, and the Fallen Angel fell to the ground, blood pooling and vaporizing around his burning body.
Rias looked up to get a good look at the owner of the claw, and paled when she saw Hyoudo Issei, wreathed in black flames, his cold, ruthless eyes surveying the destruction he had wrought without a hint of regret, sorrow or sympathy. Rias paled as she realized just how dangerous Hyoudo Issei truly was. And worst of all, he didn't appear to be serious yet. Despite the huge amount of flames engulfing the entire building and the length of time he's been maintaining them, he didn't appear the least bit winded. Rias wondered, just how much of his real power was he still hiding?
Hyoudo Issei turned back to the nave.
"And then there was one. Any last words?"
Hyoudo Issei spoke to a tall Fallen Angel woman, whose legs were consumed by the black flames that were slowly beginning to spread to the rest of her body. She was holding her hands out towards her burning legs and Rias could faintly make out a green light coming from her hands…no, from the silver rings on her fingers. Rias realized that it was the nun's Sacred Gear. The fact that the Fallen Angel was using it meant that it had been extracted, meaning the nun had died. Was that the reason Hyoudo Issei was slaughtering them? They had only met once, and Hyoudo Issei was avenging her death?
Then, Rias noticed something else. It was quiet. Not completely silent, she could hear the leaves of nearby trees rustling in the wind, she could the black flames crackling, but the most prominent sound, the screaming, had stopped, and Rias knew why. Everyone else was dead, incinerated by the black flames until not even ashes remained. The night was almost serene without all the screaming, though the image was still somewhat spoiled by the black flames and the few splashes of blood here and there that weren't close enough to the flames to be vaporised.
"WHY?! THIS SACRED GEAR IS SUPPOSED TO HEAL ANY WOUND, SO WHY WON'T IT HEAL MY LEGS?!" The Fallen Angel, her face filled with fear and despair, screamed.
Rias realized that she was right. Even though she was using the healing power of the Sacred Gear, none of her wounds were healing.
"Oh no, it's definitely working. If you weren't using that Sacred Gear's power, my flames would have already consumed your entire body by now. The fact that you're still alive proves that the healing ability is working, just not fast enough to overcome the power of my flames." Hyoudo Issei slowly started walking towards her with an impassive look on his face.
"I'll ask you again, any last words?"
"W-W-Wait! What is it you want!? I'll give you anything you want, so please, just spare me!" The Fallen Angel, stripped of her pride, begged pathetically for her life. Hyoudo Issei paused in his steps, and if Rias could see his face, she would be able to see that he had an eyebrow raised.
"Really? Then, bring Asia back to life."
The Fallen Angel froze at the impossible request.
"I-I can't do that…" She admitted in a quiet voice.
"I see." Hyoudo Issei raised his hand, and the black flames in the area gathered and formed a giant black fireball.
"W-Wait! I-I can't do that, but I can find someone who looks like her to replace her-"
"You're useless to me. Die." Hyoudo Issei coldly cut her off and threw the fireball at her. Without any time to even scream, the Fallen Angel was erased from the mortal plane with no trace left behind.
The black flames vanished. Having burned only the Stray Priests and the Fallen Angels, if it weren't for the few splashes of blood here and there, it would be impossible to tell that this had just been the scene of a one-sided massacre.
The barrier around the church vanished and the oppressive aura around Hyoudo Issei faded away.
*DRIP*
Rias blinked when a droplet of water gently touched her nose. She looked up to see that black clouds had gathered overhead and rain was beginning to fall. The rain washed away the remaining droplets of blood, completely erasing any trace of the earlier bloodshed.
Rias looked back at the church to see Hyoudo Issei walking out with a body in his arms. A girl a bit younger than herself, with blonde hair and beautiful smooth skin. Rias had to admit, the girl was quite beautiful.
Rias noticed two silver rings on the middle finger of each hand. Hyoudo Issei must have retrieved her Sacred Gears.
For the first time since they arrived, Hyoudo Issei caught sight of them and his eyes narrowed.
"Is there a reason you're here, Rias Gremory?"
From his tone, Rias knew he wasn't in a good mood, and so she treaded lightly.
"We felt the Fallen Angels making their move, so we came to investigate. Though, it looks like you beat us here."
"Hmph, I was still too late to save Asia though."
"Can't you revive her?" Rias asked. She knew he was capable of many things, so it didn't seem too much of a stretch for him to be able to revive the dead.
"If I could, I would have already done it. I suck at healing magic." Hyoudo Issei admitted. He walked past her without another word.
"What do you intend to do with her body?"
"Give her a proper burial."
"Don't be so hasty. I still have this, you know?" Rias took out her remaining Bishop piece and waved it in the air. Hyoudo Issei's eyes sharpened and Rias wondered if she had just signed her own death warrant.
Then, his eyes softened and he grimaced slightly before setting the nun's body down on the ground and turning around.
"Hurry up."
Rias blinked at his consent before shaking her head and placing the Bishop piece on the nun's chest.
"I'll need her name for the process."
"Asia Argento."
"Hm. In the name of Rias Gremory, I command you. Asia Argento, I bring you back to this earth as a newly reincarnated Devil. You, my Bishop, rejoice in your new life!" The Bishop piece sank into Asia Argento's chest.
For a few moments, there was silence. Then, Asia's eyes opened and she sat up, looking around in a daze.
"…Huh?"
Then, she caught sight of Hyoudo Issei.
"…Issei-san?"
"Let's go, Asia." Hyoudo Issei offered a hand to her.
"Go? Go where?" She asked as she took hold of his hand.
"Home." Hyoudo Issei answered simply and pulled her to her feet. Asia Argento stumbled, but Hyoudo Issei immediately caught her and picked her up in his arms. As he made to leave, he turned his head.
"I'll let her rest at my house for a few days. Then, once I bring her up to speed, I'll take her to your clubroom."
His tone implied that he was requesting permission. But, Rias didn't mind.
"That's fine."
Hyoudo Issei made to leave, but paused in his tracks.
"…Rias Gremory."
"Hm?"
"…I'll…definitely find a way to repay you."
Then, without waiting for a response, Hyoudo Issei disappeared from sight with Rias's new Bishop in tow. Rias stared at the spot that he had just vacated, and giggled.
"…He really is a tsundere."
A week peacefully passed after the end of the Fallen Angel incident. As he had said, Issei brought Asia home and prepared himself for Ophis's wrath. Surprisingly, unlike with most other girls who were close to Issei, Ophis didn't seem to mind Asia's presence and welcomed her warmly. Warmly for her anyway.
Issei informed Asia of her current circumstances. Asia was shocked at first at being reincarnated into a Devil, but accepted it without any complaints.
"If I can be with Issei-san, I don't mind becoming a Devil."
…Was what she said. Issei scratched his cheek in embarrassment.
Asia settled in nicely as both a member of Rias Gremory's peerage as well as a student. Rias Gremory arranged for her to be transferred to Issei's class, where she was warmly welcomed by the entire class, mostly the boys. Most of the girls got jealous when they heard that she was living under the same roof as one of Kuou's Princes. Of course, when they saw how naïve and innocent she was, they heaved a sigh of relief and treated her kindly.
While Asia settled into her new life, Issei was racking his brains as to how he was going to repay Rias Gremory for reviving Asia. He couldn't think of a single act that could fully repay his debt to her, so he figured he would have to do it in installments. His first act of course, was to start treating her and her peerage more kindly than before. It came as a unexpected, but not unwelcome surprise to them, but they accepted the change without a word.
And right now, that was why he was walking to their clubroom, a cake he had baked in hand, and Ophis walking beside him. Asia, as well as the rest of Rias's peerage, had been called to the clubroom earlier, something about Gremory Clan business.
Issei stopped when he neared the old school building. There were two unfamiliar auras in the Occult Research clubroom, bith that of Devil's. One was relatively strong, a bit stronger than Rias's and aside from the texture of darkness that was common to all Devils, also had a texture of fire and wind. Compared to Issei's own power, it was of course heavily lacking and Issei had full confidence that he could easily defeat this aura's owner.
It was the other aura that worried him a bit. Its power exceeded his own, though only by a small margin. The aura had an icy feel to it, but more importantly, was old and controlled. Whoever this aura belonged to, he or she was a war veteran. Keeping that in mind, Issei was sure that he would have to use his Scale Mail in order to defeat them.
Shaking off his hesitation, Issei continued his way to the clubroom, taking a deep breath before knocking on the door. The heated chatter inside abruptly stopped.
"Ojou-sama, are you expecting visitors?"
"No…Come in!"
Issei heard a regal, yet respectful voice ask Rias, who permitted him to enter. He pushed the door open to see Rias seated on the couch, her peerage standing behind her. Seated on the couch opposite her was a blonde male with blue eyes, wearing a blazer over a white dress shirt that had one button left open, with matching pants and black shoes. He gave off a bad boy vibe that made Issei instantly dislike him. It seemed the feeling was mutual since said bad boy was glaring at him, presumably for interrupting.
But the one that attracted Issei's attention was the maid standing slightly away from everyone else. She was a tall silver-haired, grey-eyed woman dressed in a French maid outfit. She was attractive, Issei would admit that much. But she was also giving off an impressive oppressive aura that made everyone else in the room nervous. She was staring him with a hint of curiosity and caution.
"Is this a bad time?" Issei asked nonchalantly. Rias looked glad at the interruption.
"No, your timing is impeccable."
Issei set the cake down on the table. The bad boy rose to his feet.
"Cake!? You interrupted our meeting for a measly cake!? You damn peasant, turn to ashes!" He lost his temper and threw what had to be the most pathetic fireball Issei had ever seen. Issei caught the fireball with one hand and shocked everyone present by taking a bite out of it, before promptly spitting sparks of flames out.
"This has to be worst fire I've ever tasted." Issei nonchalantly crushed the fireball in his hand without receiving so much as a burn.
"You…! Why you-!" The bad boy looked like he was about to blow a gasket when the maid stepped in.
"Raiser-sama, please sit down."
"This peasant dared to disrespect me! Me, a scion of the Phenex Clan!"
"I am not telling you in order to protect this man. I am telling you for your sake. You cannot defeat this man."
The bad boy, Raiser, froze in place.
"…Are you saying…that he is superior to me!?"
"He hides it well, but his power is almost on par with mine. You cannot hope to defeat him."
At that, everyone else in the room, save Ophis and Asia who was looking between Issei, Raise and the maid in confusion, turned to stare at Issei in shock. The maid bowed elegantly to Issei.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Grayfia, a servant of the Gremory Clan. May I ask who you are, young man?"
Issei bowed back.
"I am Hyoudo Issei, a Shinto Demigod. The grandson of Amaterasu, the Queen of the Shinto Kamis, and Susanoo, the Shinto God of storms." Hyoudo Issei released his full power aura to make his point, sending everyone, except Ophis and the maid, to their knees. He reigned it back in a second later and the oppressive aura vanished. Rias rose to her feet, looking a bit peeved.
"I've been trying to figure out who you were for the past year, and you tell Grayfia when she asks you!?"
"You basically cornered me when I was alone and demanded to know who I was, threatening me with violence when I didn't answer. Had you asked politely, I would have told you." Issei countered with a glare of his own.
"Hyoudo Issei-sama, may I ask what the Shinto Faction's stance towards Devils is?" Grayfia asked him.
"Had it been just a few minutes ago, I would have said neutral. However…" Issei turned to glare at Raiser, who froze at the intensity of the glare.
"…One of your kind just attacked me, a blood descendant of the Queen of the Shinto Kamis as well as her brother's, without any reason. You do realize that wars have been started for less?"
Raiser regained some of his bravado and puffed his chest out, his nose high in the air.
"H-Hah! How do we know you're not bluffing!? You could just be a human who happens to have strange powers!"
Issei held out his hand. A katana materialized, releasing a powerful aura.
"…A Holy Sword!?"
"Holy Sword? I'd appreciate it if you didn't compare me to those little toothpicks. I am Futsu-no-Mitama, a Divine Sword." A voice rang out from the sword, causing everyone to stare at it.
"Futsu-no-Mitama…the legendary sword wielded by Takemikazuchi, but was never seen again after it was taken back from Emperor Jinmu who had borrowed it for his campaign to the east…It appears that his claim is valid. Only a member of the Shinto faction could possess that sword. Unless you're trying to say that a human managed to sneak into the Heavenly Plains and steal it without any of the Shinto Kamis noticing?" Rias challenged Raiser, who scowled and sat back down with a huff.
"This is obviously a very delicate matter, so I would like to consult our Maou about this." Grayfia requested, a touch of nervousness entering her normally stoic expression at the thought of a war with the Shinto Faction.
"Go ahead."
Grayfia bowed and left through a magic circle. Issei sat down on an unoccupied chair and crossed his arms while waiting. Rias, her peerage and Raiser stared at him in apprehension. After a few moments of silence, Issei spoke.
"Gremory, who's the punk?"
Raiser bristled at the insult, but did not make a move. Despite his arrogance, he was well aware that he might have instigated a war against the Shinto Faction and that it would likely end in the Devils' defeat, and so did not wish to aggravate the situation any further.
"He's my fiancé, unfortunately." Rias spat the word fiancé with as much venom as she could muster.
"…I'm guessing you aren't too happy about this arrangement?"
"Of course not, I'd rather die than marry this pig!" Rias surprised even Issei with her vehemence. Issei's eyes narrowed, wheels turning in his mind as he filed that information away.
Then, the magic circle lit up and Grayfia appeared in a flash of light, but this time she was not alone. Appearing behind her in another flash of light was a taller, male version of Rias Gremory, dressed in armor and ceremonial robes. His eyes turned to regard Issei.
"You are Hyoudo Issei-kun, correct? Pleased to meet you, I am Sirzechs Lucifer, one of the four Maous."
"Likewise. Though, I didn't expect to meet one of the legendary Super Devils so soon."
"Oh, so the Shinto Faction has heard of me?"
"Of course. Sirzechs Gremory, Ajuka Astaroth and Rizevim Livan Lucifer, the three Super Devils whose full power can rival even Gods. Though you and Ajuka Astaroth are enemies with Rizevim Livan Lucifer, there was a chance that the three of you might unite to defend the Underworld if the Shinto Faction were to invade, which is why even after the Great War, the Shinto Faction was reluctant to attack the weakened Three Factions."
"Ha, so you were just bluffing after all!" Raiser sneered, but Sirzechs silenced him.
"No, Raiser-kun, he said reluctant, not unable, meaning they still had confidence they could win if they attacked us."
"That's right. The Shinto Kamis dislike unnecessary bloodshed. If we were to clash with the three Super Devils, the Shinto Faction would still win, but there would countless casualties on both sides. However, this does not mean we will not go to war. One of you just attacked a member of the Shinto Faction without a good reason. I'm sure that you're aware that if the Shinto Faction declared war against you, Heaven and the Fallen Angels wouldn't hesitate to join us. More than half of the 72 Pillars are already gone. And what's more, we have this one on our side." Issei patted Ophis on the head. Ophis released a powerful aura that could rival most Gods to emphasize her mate's point.
"And this is?" Sirzechs asked as he looked at the diminutive girl.
"The Ouroboros Dragon, Ophis. She's allied herself with us."
Sirzechs's, Grayfia's and Raiser's eyes widened in obvious fear at the thought of being invaded by a faction with the backing of the strongest being in existence.
"I'm sure you understand now, even if the three Super Devils were to unite against us, you would still lose."
Sirzechs nodded after regaining his composure.
"You're quite right. The Devils cannot afford another war, especially not with a faction with multiple Gods and an alliance with the Infinite Dragon God. And it's unlikely Rizevim would help us. That man is only interested in whatever benefits him, which a war with the Shinto Faction is most definitely not. Is there anything we can offer you to prevent a war?"
Issei crossed his arms and thought about it.
"A duel with the punk over there." Issei nodded his head towards Raiser, who suddenly looked nervous.
"I see. And the rules?"
"Free for all. I'll even let his peerage join the fight."
"Very well."
"Sirzechs-sama!?"
"Raiser-kun, while you might be my future brother-in-law, your actions might have doomed us. If all it takes is your life to prevent a war we cannot hope to win, that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. I'm sure your family would understand." Sirzechs's voice turned very cold as he eyed Raiser with a hint of disdain.
"But, more importantly…" Sirzechs turned back to Issei.
"This duel would definitely be beneficial for the Devils whether or not Raiser-kun wins, however, I do not see any merit for the Shinto Faction. If you were to invade, your territory would expand and you would be in a good position to attack Heaven and the Fallen Angels as well. I'm guessing there's something you want as a prize if you win?"
"That's right. When I win, I would like you to dissolve the engagement between your little sister and the punk."
"Excuse me?" Sirzechs raised an eyebrow at the unexpected words.
"I owe your sister a favor, and it's clear that she does not want to be married to the punk, not that I can blame her. This is my way of repaying her."
"…I see. Very well. If you win, I'll dissolve the engagement between Rias and Raiser-kun."
"Sirzechs-sama, you can't-!"
"Raiser-kun, I will not tolerate another word of this matter from you. I will protect my citizens, and if your pride must be trampled for that, so be it. Hyoudo Issei-kun, is it fine if we conduct the duel in the Underworld?"
"Fine with me. Lead the way."
"Well then, everyone, please step onto the magic circle. It will teleport us straight to the battle grounds."
Everyone hastily rose to their feet and stood within the magic circle which started glowing.
"You're quite well prepared to have a battle ground ready in such a short period of time."
"Oh no, the battle ground was originally meant for a battle between Rias, Raiser-kun and their peerages. But since we're having a duel right now, I don't see the harm in using it."
With a flash of light, the magic circle activated and Issei felt himself being liefted momentarily before his feet touched the ground. He opened his eyes to see that…he was still in the Occult Research clubroom?
"No, the energy in the air has completely changed. I see, so the battle ground is a replica of Kuou Academy."
Hyoudo Issei-sama, everyone else except for you, Raiser-sama and his peerage has been transported to the viewing room. Would you like a moment to prepare yourself?
Grayfia's voice sounded from the speakers in the room. Now that he thought about it, there were 16 energy signatures, including Raiser's, coming from the Student Council room, though the other 15 were all weaker than Raiser's.
"No need, though if the punk needs time to think of a strategy, I'll allow it. He can plan all he wants, I'll be waiting for him on the rooftops.
Understood. We wish you two the best of luck.
The speakers cut off and Issei stood silently in the replica of the Occult Research clubroom before walking out of the door, taking his time to get to the roof.
*TAP* *TAP* *TAP*
"…" Issei crossed his arms and impatiently tapped his fingers on his arm as he waited for his opponent to show up. It had been about half an hour since the match had started, but Raiser had not yet shown up. All of them were still gathered in the replica of the Student Council room and not even one had left.
"Don't tell me he's getting cold feet…" Issei idly wondered to himself.
"…Maybe I should just go attack them myself?"
Issei straightened when he felt the auras leave their base at once and approach his position with great speed.
Issei uncrossed his arms and coated his forearms and lower legs in weak lightning.
"Hm…Just this should be enough for now."
"Tou!"
A shadow descended on Issei, who casually lifted a hand to catch the blade aimed for his head. He turned his head to see a brown-haired woman wearing a knight's armor and a headband holding a broadsword that he had stopped.
*FWOOSH*
The sound of something moving at high speed through the air entered Issei's ears. He raised an open palm and caught a fist aimed for the side of his head. This time, it was a tall woman with brown hair with red highlights. She was wearing an odd ornament on her face, a portion of a white mask that covered only the right side of her face. She was dressed in a black jacket and matching jeans. Issei noted that she was also wearing black gloves that looked slightly charred.
*FWOOSH*
Once more, another one attacked, this time from the front. Issei looked to see a young black-haired and green- eyed girl dressed in a Chinese qipao with her foot outstretched and coated in flames as well. He raised his lightning-coated leg to block the kick.
"…I can't defend against any further attacks like this." With that in mind, Issei tightened on the sword and swung the swordswoman into the Chinese Kung Fu fighter, while simultaneously pulling the tall woman closer and elbowing her in the face. All three were knocked away, just in time for Issei to see twin green-haired and blue-eyed girls in gym clothes, wielding blue chainsaws, also coated in flames. Issei twitched in annoyance and casually caught both chainsaws. He was temporarily pushed back when he was caught off guard by their surprising strength, but increased his own strength and tossed them aside.
"Rooks? No, the Rooks are most likely the two martial artists just now, which means these two are Pawns that used Promotion…" Issei thought to himself before looking up.
It was then that Issei realized that he was surrounded by Raiser's peerage. The five he had just knocked aside, all recovered and in a battle stance.
Two maids, one light brown-haired and the other dark-brown-haired, dressed identically, standing in a martial arts stance.
Two cat girls who could have been identical twins if it weren't for their different hair colors, one blue and the other red, both wearing fighting gloves the same color as their hair.
A scantily clad woman with grey hair and a metal headband with a red jewel. She wasn't in a martial arts stance, so Issei assumed that she was a magic user.
A young blue-haired and brown-eyed girl dressed in a white haori with a red obi, under a red happi, wielding a wooden bo.
An elegant Japanese girl in a kimono, without a weapon in sight. Like the grey-haired woman, Issei guessed that she was a magic user.
A tall black-haired and brown eyes woman wearing a white Chinese cheongsam-like top, a red skirt and gauntlets and greaves. A huge zweihander with a red hilt and a black blade was mounted on her back, and if she had been a human, Issei would not have been able to believe that she could actually use that monstrosity effectively.
Finally, floating above him were the last two members of Raiser's peerage. The first was a voluptuous, purple-haired and purple-eyed, wearing a skirt and a tunic top that didn't do much to cover up her cleavage. In her hands was a staff, making it obvious that she was also a magic user. Furthermore, among all of the members of Raiser's peerage, she had the strongest aura, meaning she was most likely the Queen.
But, it was the other girl that caught his attention. She was a blue-eyed teenage girl with her blonde hair tied in twin ponytails with drill-like curls. She was dressed in a light purple dress with a blue bow tie at the front and three phoenix tail-like extensions at the back. Combined with the wings of fire she was using to fly, she seemed very much like the regal fire bird of legend.
Issei's eyes narrowed slightly as he felt her aura. It spoke of fire and wind, as well as the darkness common to all Devils. It was exactly the same as Raiser's, but a bit weaker.
"A sibling, perhaps?" Issei thought to himself. He had never seen a High-Class Devil join the peerage of another High-Class Devil, her own brother, no less.
"For her to gain experience before starting her own peerage?"
That was Issei's best guess, but right now, that didn't matter. He just had to defeat the lot of them, and this silly farce of a fight would be over and his debt to Rias would be settled.
He looked around, but couldn't find the boss monkey anywhere. Reaching out with his senses, Issei found his aura still in the replica of the Student Council room.
"Trying to wear me out with his underlings first? Damn coward…" Issei muttered to himself in irritation. Still, it was a valid strategy and Issei had to reluctantly applaud him for not approaching carelessly.
Issei sighed and got into a battle stance.
"Allow me to apologize in advance. I do not take pleasure in hitting women, but it looks like there's no other way to draw your boss."
His opponents frowned simultaneously at his words that implied that he could easily defeat all fifteen of them on his own, but before any of them could say anything in response, Issei vanished from their sight. As they whipped their heads around trying to find him, a crackling sound entered their ears.
*BOOM*
An explosion rang out throughout the school grounds and their vision was obscured by smoke.
3 Pawns, 1 Bishop and 1 Knight of Raiser-sama's peerage, retired.
The rest of Raiser's peerage froze when they heard that five of their numbers had been taken out.
"A teleportation spell to remove combatants when they've received critical damage? That's convenient. I won't have to hold back as much as I thought."
Raiser's peerage tensed when they heard their opponent's casual comment from inside the smoke cloud. The smoke dispersed and Hyoudo Issei was standing in the spot where the kimono-clad girl had been standing a few seconds ago. Her, as well as the two maids, the scantily-clad woman and the zweihander-wielding Knight had vanished from the rooftop.
"Impossible…Marion, Burent, Shuriya, Mihae and Siris were all defeated in an instant?" The relation of Raiser floating in the air muttered in shock and fear that this battle would not go anywhere near as well as they had hoped.
"Sorry, but I'd rather not waste time fighting you girls. I'll have to crush all of you in an instant." Issei sighed and started walking towards the remaining 11 opponents.
"You…! Don't get too cocky!" The one that Issei had correctly assumed to be the Queen, Yubeluna, got mad and pointed her staff at him. Issei felt a buildup of magic power in the staff and was slightly surprised at the speed. His eyes narrowed as he felt the magic leave the staff and travel towards him, though he wasn't able to see it. Yet, he made no move to dodge it and was obscured by smoke when an explosion engulfed him.
"Ha! It's over! No opponent can take my strongest explosion spell head on without being forced to retire!" The Queen laughed as smoke billowed from the point of impact.
*SPLAT*
Her laughter was quickly cut off when she felt a jolt of pain in her abdomen. She looked down to find…a bloody arm protruding from her stomach.
"…Eh?"
She let out a sound of astonishment before coughing up copious amounts of blood. The arm was roughly wrenched out and she fell forward, dropping down to the roof, but disappearing right before she landed.
1 Queen from Raiser-sama's peerage, retired.
The rest of Raiser's peerage began to get nervous as the strongest member was defeated in one attack. They looked up to see Hyoudo Issei floating…no, standing in midair, his left arm, coated in a macabre mix of lightning and blood. He tilted his head to the left to avoid a fireball aimed for his head, cast by the relation of Raiser Phenex, who had a look of pure fear on her face. Issei pointed a finger behind him and fired a bolt of lightning through her stomach. She shrieked in pain as the bolt carved a hole through her abdomen and a strong electrical current ran through her body, but the hole was covered in flames and closed in an instant.
"Ho, so that's the famed immortality of the Phenex Clan. Hmph, what a silly trick. All I have to do is utterly destroy every trace of your body. You can't regenerate if there's nothing left of you." Issei snorted and raised his hand. Around him, the kanjis for fire, water, wind, earth and lightning appeared and multiplied, forming a wall. Each kanji was wrapped in the element it represented and grew steadily bigger.
"Disappear…Hm?" Issei hesitated in firing and summoned a bolt of lightning behind him to deflect a blade of flames aimed for the back of his neck, forcing him to land.
"I will not allow you to harm Ravel-sama!" The Knight that had been the first to attack him struck again, this time her blade coated in flames. She swung the blade once more, only to be met with a blade of lightning Issei had created in his hand.
With a swift movement, Issei brought his blade of lightning down on the Knight's sword, shattering it, and proceeded to drive his blade through her stomach. The Knight stumbled back, hand over her bleeding abdomen and vanished in the next instant in a flash of light.
1 Knight from Raiser-sama's peerage, retired.
Issei whirled around and caught a flaming fist from the masked Rook, who he immediately flipped over his shoulder and attempted to drive his sword into her chest. The Rook rolled to the side, barely evading the tip of the blade, and kicked at Issei, who stepped aside and sliced her foot off.
Reeling from the loss of her foot, the Rook didn't notice the blade aimed for her until it had pierced her sternum. She too vanished in a flash of light.
1 Rook from Raiser-sama's peerage, retired.
Issei raised his arms and caught a bo and a flaming leg overhead. He tossed the remaining Rook and the bo-wielding girl away and struck them down in a bolt of white lightning. Both vanished before the bolt even dissipated.
1 Rook and 1 Pawn from Raiser-sama's peerage, retired.
Issei kicked himself off the ground and landed behind the chainsaw-wielding twins, who swung said chainsaws, coated in flames, around in an attempt to strike him. He ducked and the chainsaws struck each other, the cutting chains jamming and locking each other in place. Issei swung his sword horizontally, slashing their abdomens. As blood spurted out of the wounds, the twins were also removed from the battlefield.
2 Pawns from Raiser-sama's peerage, retired.
Issei turned and gazed at the remaining 2 Pawns coldly. They shivered in fright as he slowly walked towards them, his lightning-coated limbs crackling with each step. They turned and tried to run, but were stopped by a pillar of fire that appeared in front of them when Issei stomped his foot hard. As Issei continued stomping, more pillars appeared, surrounding the catgirls. With a snap of his fingers, the pillars expanded and combined, forming a ring of fire that close on itself and consumed the catgirls.
2 Pawns from Raiser-sama's peerage, retired.
With all but 1 member of Raiser's peerage defeated, Issei turned to the remaining Bishop, who was called Ravel if he heard the Knight correctly. She trembled in fear as his cold gaze turned to her.
"Do you still want to continue? I don't mind, but I won't show any mercy to you."
Ravel shivered, but stood her ground.
"I….am the daughter of the Phenex Clan and Onii-sama's Bishop! I will not run like a coward!"
Issei nodded, idly noting that she was Raiser's little sister.
"Hm. You're a good kid. I'll make this painless." Issei moved behind her in a flash and struck the back of her neck, catching her as she fell unconscious and laying her down gently. Issei rubbed his head.
"Great, now I feel bad for bullying a kid."
Issei stood up as Ravel was removed from the battlefield.
1 Bishop from Raiser-sama's peerage, retired.
"Now that just leaves the boss monkey."
Issei looked towards the Student Council room to see that Raiser was still making no move to leave.
"Fucking coward." Issei sneered and raised his hand over his head. A giant bolt of lightning formed in his hand, lengthening and sharpening, until it looked like a giant electric javelin.
"Get your ass out here!" Issei flung the javelin in the direction of the Student Council room. The javelin exploded with great force, generating a pillar of lightning that consumed the replica of the main school building in an instant, vaporizing it and forcing Raiser out of his hiding place, most of his body covered in flames as he recovered from the powerful attack.
"You damn…!" Raiser started, but was cut off when Issei appeared in front of him and rammed him in the gut with his elbow. Raiser staggered backwards, losing his balance after having the wind knocked out of him.
"Shut up and fight." Issei raised his arm and brought an elbow down on Raiser's open back, sending him down into the ground. Raiser quickly recovered and threw a fireball at him, which Issei casually crushed in his hand.
"It's no use. Flames like yours will never work on me."
"Don't get cocky, bastard!" Raiser's temper flared and flames burst into life around him, surrounding him and cloaking him. He smirked smugly, believing that he couldn't be touched while within the flames. The smirk abruptly faded when a hand passed through the flames and grabbed his face. Before he could even think of struggling, he was pushed out of the flames.
"Is that all you got?" Issei asked as he blasted Raiser's head off with a blast of lightning. Raiser's body fell to the ground, but was engulfed in flames as Raiser's head regenerated. Raiser looked up at Issei, this time with a hint of fear and uncertainty on his face, unnerved at how his most powerful defensive ability was pierced so effortlessly.
"I can keep this up all day. You should just save yourself a lot of suffering and give up." Issei sighed, already bored by the fight.
"Like hell…! I cannot give up when my pride is on the line!" Raiser coated his fists in flames. Shooting up at high speed with wings of flames, he punched Issei's face as hard as he could.
Raiser paused when Issei's body was pushed back, wondering for an instant if he had won. That hope was crushed when his flames were suddenly extinguished, revealing Issei's cold face, with nary a scratch on it.
"I already told you. Your flames are incapable of harming me." Issei struck Raiser with a lightning-coated fist that exploded upon contact, sending him careening through the air and into the gym. Issei floated down to the wreckage as Raiser pulled himself out of the debris.
"There's no point in dragging on this pointless fight. I'll end this now." Issei held up a hand and immediately, a ball of ominous black fire formed in his palm. Bouncing it up and down a few times before tossing it at Raiser's legs, where it immediately ignited and started consuming said limbs. Raiser raised an eyebrow.
"It's useless, I can just rege-" Raiser stopped, his eyes widening as he started screaming in pain.
"AAAAAAAAAAGH! WHAT IS THIS!? WHY ISN'T MY BODY REGENERATING!?"
"You are. It's just that the rate at which my flames are destroying your body exceeds the speed of your regeneration." Issei coldly explained as Raiser writhed in agony.
"DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT! WHY CAN'T I EXTINGUISH THIS FLAME!?" Raiser's panic increased as he tried and failed to will the flames away. That shouldn't be possible. The Phenex were masters of fire and wing magic. While not at his older brother's level, Raiser was easily stronger than most High-Class Devils. There wasn't supposed to be any fire magic that he could not suppress. And yet, this black flame was not only resisting his control, it was overcoming his regeneration, the greatest of his abilities.
"Of course not. The Black Flame of Amaterasu will not bend to anyone but those who possess the blood of the Queen of the Shinto Gods. They cannot be extinguished through any means, and once they've taken hold of you, they will burn you for seven full days, 168 hours, without end. Can you endure the pain? No, can you survive all seven days of this torment?"
Raiser's already pale face paled even further as he registered the full extent of the brutality of this attack. There was no way in hell he could possibly survive this technique for seven days. In just the few short minutes that the flames had started consuming his body, the flames had already destroyed his feet and most of his lower legs. He probably had less than an hour before he was completely destroyed by these bizarre flames.
But what could he do? He could not stop the flames, he had just tried and failed, and if his opponent's claims were to believed, which Raiser reluctantly did, he would not be able to extinguish them. The only one capable of extinguishing these flames is his opponent, and he wasn't looking too keen on helping Raiser.
"Surrender."
Raiser froze, despite the unbelievable pain travelling up his lower extremities.
"Surrender, and the pain will end."
"YOU…! YOU DARE INSULT MY PRIDE AGAIN…!"
"Again with your pride. Is that pride of yours truly so important?"
"OF COURSE IT IS! I AM A SCION OF ONE OF THE 72 PILLARS, ONE OF THE FEW PURE-BLOODED DEVILS LEFT! I AM A HIGHER BEING! A SUPERIOR BEING!"
"…Who is now writhing on the ground like a worm, completely at my mercy. I wonder which is more important to you: your pride or your life?"
"What!? You wouldn't dare…!"
"Don't forget, this fight's purpose is to quell my anger so that the Shinto Faction won't declare war against you Devils. If I want to, I can claim your life as well. However, I'm offering you a choice. Your pride or your life, choose which you will give up."
"…"
…Cruel. Raiser finally understood just how cruel this boy…no, this man was to those who roused his ire. It was a decision that Raiser could not easily make. He was a selfish man, even he knew that, but he believed it was his privilege to be selfish. He coveted anything and everything and would do anything in his power to obtain it.
That's why he could not make a decision. He did not wish to die, but he did not want to swallow his pride. He wanted to live, he wanted to stand tall, he…wanted to win!
But, it was hopeless. For the first time in his life, Raiser understood what 'hopeless' truly meant. He had never met such an overpowering opponent before, and right now, the chances of him winning had plummeted to zero the instant the black flame touched him. Or perhaps it was even earlier than that.
As the flame continued making its way up Raiser's body, primal fear slowly took over.
He didn't want to die…He didn't want to die…He didn't want to die…He didn't want to die…HE WANTED TO LIVE!
"I…!"
"Hm…?" Issei snapped out of his bored daze as Raiser spoke.
"I…surrender…"
"What was that? I couldn't quite hear you, could you speak up?" Issei mockingly cupped his ear and leaned to Raiser's prone, burning form on the ground.
"I SURRENDER! I GIVE UP ALREADY! I WANT TO LIVE! I WANT TO LIVE! SO PLEASE, PUT THE FLAME OUT!" Raiser's pride shattered, leaving behind only a shadow of his former self, his upper body, not yet touched by the flames, shivering and tears marring his face as the full weight of his mortality was driven home.
Issei straightened and looked skywards, looking for confirmation.
"Well?"
Acknowledged. Raiser-sama has resigned. Winner: Hyoudo Issei-sama.
Issei nodded at the acknowledgement of Raiser's defeat. He turned back to the sobbing wreck that was once the proud Raiser Phenex.
"Geez, you could have saved yourself the pain and humiliation if you had just obediently given up when I told you to."
Issei snapped his fingers and the black flame vanished. Raiser's devastated body was immediately wrapped in flames as it regenerated, but he did not seem to notice as he continued sobbing.
Issei raised any eyebrow as the ground beneath him lit up as a magic circle formed. In a flash of light, he was teleported to what appeared to be the observation room that Grayfia had mentioned earlier. In the room, Rias, her peerage, and two men who resembled a middle-aged Raiser and an older Sirzechs, were staring at him in shock, probably at how one-sided the fight had been. Only Ophis, Sirzechs and Grayfia, who had already expected this result, did not seem in the least bit surprised. Issei made his way to the two middle-aged men, who he assumed were the heads of the Gremory and Phenex Clan. They seemed to get just a bit nervous as he approached, but paused when he bowed.
"Please allow me to apologize. Even though this fight was to prevent the outbreak of a war, I have made a mockery of the union between the Gremory Clan and the Phenex Clan."
"Ah, no, I understand that this whole incident was the result of my son's arrogance and recklessness. This was a good lesson for him, and I'm quite satisfied with the result, even if it means that the union between the two Clans will not be realized. Lord Gremory, you're also satisfied with this result, aren't you?"
"Yes, I'm fine with this. It's a bit of a pity that the engagement had been called off, but it's a small price to pay to prevent a war."
The two Lords seemed to be okay with the result.
"Well then, Ophis and I will be taking our leave. Lords Gremory and Phenex, Maou Sirzechs Lucifer and Grayfia-san, it was a pleasure meeting you." Issei bowed once more before turning to leave with a talisman, Ophis next to him. He paused as he walked past Rias.
"My debt to you has been repaid in full. Don't expect any more favors from me."
Without waiting for a reply, Issei used the talisman to teleport Ophis and himself back to the human world. As the spell activated, Issei turned to his mate.
"Ophis, what do you want for dinner?"
"…Spaghetti." Without hesitation, Ophis repiled
"Italian food? That's unusual, you usually request Japanese food…Wait, don't tell me you were eating during the entire fight?"
Ophis nodded without a hint of shame.
"…It's nice to know you care." Issei deadpanned.
"…The result was obvious even before the fight started." Ophis defended herself.
"Haaaaah…Whatever, I'm not as confident about my skill at cooking Italian, but I'll try."
Issei and Ophis were engulfed in a flash of light emanating from the talisman and vanished from the observation room.
"…What are you doing here?" Issei rubbed his temples as he took in the sight in front of him.
He was standing at the gate to his estate and standing before him…was Rias Gremory, with a lot of luggage behind her. Issei was getting a sinking feeling he did not like.
"I'm moving in with you. Isn't it obvious?" Rias proclaimed without a care.
"Like hell! Why the hell should I let you stay here!? Do I look I have a death wish!?" Issei paled as he thought of what Ophis would do to him if she found out.
"…Why are you yelling?"
Issei froze as the person he feared most came up behind him.
"O-O-O-Ophis. This is…!"
"I'll be moving in as well. I'll be in your care, Ophis-san!" Rias cheerily said, not sensing Issei's fear. Ophis's eyes narrowed as she turned to look at Issei.
"…Is that so?"
"No, wait! This is…! GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Issei let out a pitiful scream that echoed throughout town.
Let it be known that even someone as strong as him was utterly whipped by his mate.
"…That was quite the interesting fight. Don't you think so as well, father?"
"Hm…I agree, but to think the reclusive Shinto Faction would suddenly make a reappearance like this…"
"Agreed, it's as though it's an ill omen, that our peace is about to be shattered. I can only hope the Underworld will be able to brave the oncoming storm…"
And I'm finally done. I'm not entirely happy with this chapter. I was fine with the Asia part, but the Raiser part felt way too rushed to me. But, I wanted to get this chapter out so I can get back to my other stories. My intent is to get as many chapters out before May, where I'm going to be busy again.
A bit of spoilers, but Dragon Emperor is about to take a darker and more serious turn in the chapter after next, meaning after Kokabiel. This fic was originally meant to be a light-hearted humor fic, but as I brainstormed, it got way more serious than I had originally intended.
Speaking of which, Dragonberry Chronicles and Black Joker are about to get more serious as well, coincidently in the chapter after next too. Weird, huh? I didn't do it on purpose, I just noticed while typing this out. But they differ in that the seriousness in Dragon Emperor is more than likely to stay for the rest of the fic, while the seriousness in Dragonberry Chronicles and Black Joker will probably end after the arc is over and return back to canon silliness.
One more thing, I just noticed that there's a Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance archive in Fanfiction. Right now, there's only one pure STnBD fic and two crossovers, one with Naruto and the other with DxD. I never read the pure fic as I don't really like OC insert fics. It's the same problem as OC insertion in Infinite Stratos. The whole plot is based on the strange circumstances that allow the male leads, Kamito and Ichika, to be the only ones of their gender to wield the same power as the females. Throwing in male OCs just doesn't make sense to me. The only exception I've ever made is an IS fic, Gender Dislocation by Strovist. I think it's the only good OC insertion fic in the whole fandom, and deserves way more praise than it's currently getting.
The Naruto crossover is by Alternate Rouge, so I won't even bother hoping that that fic will ever be updated, much less completed. The DxD crossover is surprisingly well-written and definitely worth a read.
But anyway, I don't know when, but I'll be writing a pure STnBD fic. The plot is basically this: After the Blade Dance that Kamito under his alias Ren Ashbell won singlehandedly, knowing that there was a good chance that Kamito would not be able to 'kill' all of the Elemental Lords in time, Restia teaches him a teleportation spell so that they can escape if things go south. They do like they did in canon, but Kamito manages to escape with Restia, and thus neither Restia nor Ren Ashdoll are corrupted by the otherworldly darkness. Kamito retains his memories and his skills, and knowing what they would have to face, Kamito and Restia start training even more seriously than before. Skip forward three years later to the start of canon.
What do you guys think? Let me know in your reviews.
That's all for now. As always, please read and review.