Sorry for taking so long but well, things to do. Here's the newest chapter and I still think I should change the title of this story, maybe in my next update. Anyway, here's the beginning of Issei's arc.

Chapter 14: Side Issei –Trouble in Romania-

-Issei side, Romania-

"Dammit! There's just no end to them!"

Issei whined as he ran while carrying a small blonde dhampir in his right arm. Noire was right and Issei did find the little dhampir boy but now he's being chased by a very large group of vampires.

Fortunately, the vampires were then distracted by a powerful burst of energy that Issei recognized as a high-output Kaleidoscope triggered with Noire's jewel dagger. Zelretch could do it silently and unnoticed but since it is noticeable, that means the perpetrator (or victim) is Noire.

With Noire now gone (either he escaped or lost in the dimensions) Issei could now make his own escape. Thanks to the distraction made by Noire (and presumably more important target he's retrieving) Issei could make his way to safetly using reinforcement to enhance his speed. It is more effective than using Boosted Gear as reinforcement doesn't cost him as much stamina as using his sacred gear.

Issei waited a little bit inside an abandoned building while keeping a lookout for any vampires that are still around. After he's sure that no one is around, he allow himself to feel relieved. He was about to pick up the small vampire when he heard a creaking sound and a footstep getting closer. Issei summoned his boosted gear and his mystic code slides out from the gauntlet, prepared to fight.

As the footsteps got closer and a nearby door opened, Issei prepare to lunge at the person. The moment the door fully opened, Issei made his move. He lunged straight at the person.

"Ehh! Wait, Ise-kun!"

When the person said his name in a familiar manner, Issei stop his attack just inches before he stabbed the person. He finally look at the person and the first thing he took note is that the person is not a vampire. Issei is relieved for who know how many times that day but his mind immediately processed what he heard earlier.

"Wait a minute, how do you know my name?"

Issei ask while still looking warily at the person, a girl. And that ridiculously tight and form-fitting black suit, that's an exorcist battlesuit. Issei knows that he doesn't know any female exorcist so how did she recognize him by name? Issei look at her face this time and suddenly he felt like he recognize her from somewhere. Light brown hair and those eyes, those reminds him or Iri-kun. Maybe she's a relative of Iri-kun? But even if that's true, she shouldn't be able to recognize him at first sight.

"How can you say that! It's me, your childhood friend!"

"Uhh, my childhood friends are Noire and Iri-kun. I'm sure that neither of them are boys and Noire just left a few moments ago."

"What, Noire-kun was here too?!"

"…seriously, who are you?"

"Mou, it's me Ise-kun! Irina!"

Issei paused for a second before laughing out loud.

"Ahahaha! That's a good one. Iri-kun showed you some photos of us, right? That's how you recognize me. So you're his cousin or something?"

The girl trembled a little and pouted with tearry eye. Before Issei realized it, she decked him in the face hard enough to cause him a good amount of pain despite his reinforced body. Somewhere out there, Zelretch laughed at Issei's misfortune even as he waited for Noire's arrival.

"Baka! I'm Irina! Shidou Irina! Your childhood friend! Me, you, and Noire-kun used to play together! I've always been a girl you baka!"

"That's impossible! There's nothing girly about Iri-kun at all!"

"Uuu… I might be a bit of a tomboy back then but to think that Ise-kun cannot recognize me. Where is Noire-kun? I know he would recognize me immediately."

"Uhh, we kinda split up before and… well, I'm sure he's fine. So… you're really Iri-kun? I guess I can't call you that anymore. So… Irina?"

Issei stand back up while nursing his bruised cheek. That would leave a mark. Irina punched him hard though he did deserve that. What kind of childhood friend could forget about his friend after only a few years? Granted he didn't know Irina's true gender but still. Issei wonder if Noire knew. He probably knew since he's more perceptive than him.

"So… an exorcist? I never expected that."

"And you too. What are you doing here? This place is dangerous!"

Irina almost raged until she saw his left hand covered in red gauntlet adorned with green gems and golden spikes. She felt like she should recognize it but she can't put from where. But she at least recognize it as a sacred gear. A sacred gear wielder. She never thought that Issei would be one. It is impossible for a sacred gear wielder to live a normal life so she felt a little sad but also happy that she and Issei could live in the same world. And if Noire was here too that means he's also one.

"Ise-kun, you're a sacred gear wielder."

It's more of a statement than a question. Issei knew Irina noticed his gauntlet and it is only a matter of time until she recognizes the title associated with it.

"Yes, that's right. Then allow me to properly introduce myself. Hyoudou Issei, wielder of the Longinus Boosted Gear and the current Sekiryuutei, the Red Dragon Emperor."

Issei properly introduce himself with a bow with his left hand placed across his chest, showing Irina the full form of the infamous Boosted Gear. Irina's brain tries to process what he had just said.

"…I'm sorry but did you say you're the Sekiryuutei?"

"Yes."

"Eeeehhhh!"

Her reaction is as expected. It's not everyday that you learn that your childhood friend that you haven't seen for years is the current generation Red Dragon Emperor. Issei had top plug his ear with his finger so he won't go deaf. He hoped nobody heard that.

"Calm down Irina. Anyway, why are you here?"

"I'm looking for my partner. She got lost somewhere when we were chased by some vampires."

"Your partner?"

"Yes. She's a little taller than me, has yellow eyes, and a distinct blue hair. You can't miss her. Have you seen her around?"

"Uhh, no, sorry."

"I see. Umm, Ise-kun, what are you doing here?"

When Irina asked, that's when Issei remember about his task. He look behind him and saw that the dhampir he's supposed to is still there in a corner kneeling while hugging his folded legs. Irina also noticed the blonde dhampir.

"Who is that?"

"Uhh, I don't know, my teacher dropped me and Noire to retrieve a certain dhampir. I don't know why. The boy is our target's friend so Noire told me to help him while he went to save our target."

"You have a teacher?"

"Well, I'm kinda like a magus. With Ddraig sealed in me, I need to learn something so I can survive."

Irina pouted, not happy that Issei practices pagan magic since he is her friend and she is an exorcist but she understood the need since he is the Sekiryuutei.

"Muu, I can't believe that I left you guys for a while and now you practice pagan magic."

"Maa, don't mind the little details. Anyway, let's get out of here first. I need to drop off the dhampir and then I'll help you look for your friend. It's safer with the two of us."

Irina beamed at his words and nodded. Issei call out to the small dhampir and told him to follow. The little dhampir meekly nodded and start following Issei who at least he feels he could trust more than anyone else currently in Vampire Romania. The dhampir is still very nervous though, looking all over the place as if expecting to be attacked at any time.

Using reinforced eyesight and hearing, Issei survey his surrounding as he takes the lead. He led the dhampir and Irina away from the abandoned building while the vampires are still distracted. His first thought is to get out of Vampire territory. Now that he thought about it, why is Irina in vampire territory anyway? Vampire hunting is part of the church's job but mostly just those who can be considered renegades who lives outside Vampire territory.

Plus if the church did want to invade and exterminate the vampires, they would've sent a larger group, probably as large as an army and led by angels, or even the Seraphs themselves. You never invade enemy territory alone or just with a small group unless the objective is espionage and not invasion. That is what he learn from all the Apostle Hunts Zelretch dropped him in and in hunts like those you don't do espionage, you brave the Apostle's territory and must be prepared to either win or die. Basically it is always a direct invasion. He doesn't know if he can compare the two worlds' method though.

He could ask Irina later. For now, he has to focus on escaping the Vampire territory first. He might not know the layout of the territory well but he's been dumped in random places enough times to figure out what to do. Navigating through the city with only his sense of direction focusing in a single direction, the group continue to move.

By his estimation, they should be halfway out of the territory. He had to get back to help Irina find her friend though but that is for later. Issei almost felt relief when he saw a place with no mist which means it's the border between human land and vampire land. But… he then realize that they shouldn't have made it out so fast.

When becoming Zelretch's apprentice, the first and fastest thing he learn was how to detect danger by spotting unusual things and a place without mist around while in Vampire territory is making Issei's danger sense scream at him. When they got to the open area where there are no mists around, Issei stopped the others from walking any further.

"Ise-kun?"

"Something is wrong here. This is… a bounded field!"

Issei sharpened his senses and prep his Boosted Gear along with his mystic code. He could feel the bounded field all around them encompassing the open area. Suddenly the whole space distorted and Issei recognize this method of spatial teleportation.

'Kaleidoscope?! What the hell is happening? Is this Zelretch or Noire? No, it can't be them.'

When the spatial teleportation ended, Issei, Irina, and the Dhampir was met with a brutal sight. Hundreds of vampires piled up all over the place killed in various ways either through stabs or dismemberment but most of them was killed through poison if the color of their faces and their tortured expression were anything to go by. Immediately Irina stood back to back with Issei drawing her light sword.

"Ise-kun, what is happening here? You recognize this?"

"A magician's bounded field. But to find one here and all these bodies…"

The bounded field, Issei recognized it as a bounded field related to magecraft, a magic that is different from than the one practiced in this world. The worst case scenario is a magus who obtained one of Zelretch's various mystic codes and managed to come into this world and started experimenting.

But soon Issei will realize. This is much, much worse than an unethical magus.

[Partner.]

'I know Ddraig, someone is here. But their presence is concealed well. Wait a minute… haven't I heard of this or saw something like this in a parallel world. A mirror world, all these bodies, concealed presence… this place is also very thick with prana.'

[I think I remember that one. It was when Zelretch forced you and your friend to try out his sticks and help those magical girls… partner.]

'Presence concealment, dammit! And this way of killing, an Assassin! Are we dealing with class cards?!'

Issei could remember his training (or Zelretch's practical joke) a few years ago where he and Noire was dropped in a parallel world with nothing but Zelretch's kaleidosticks as backup. Issei, unfortunately, got Ruby and he had to help the other world's owner of Ruby who is a magical girl called Prisma Illya. That was hellish in more ways than one.

But what Issei clearly remember in all of that madness is the class card hunt. That was the first time Issei faced a Servant and it was a series of tough battles. He never wanted a repeat of that (or any other 'training' in fact) but it seems fate has some other plans for him.

"…there!"

The air whistles as three knives flew through the air. Issei move the moment the projectile was thrown and with a swing of his gauntlet and sword, Issei deflected the knives. The knives are white and look very much like a kunai used by Japanese ninja. Following the trajectory, Issei saw her, the Assassin. Now Issei is sure that she is a class card Servant.

The Assassin is a femal with short violet hair and long bangs. She wore a skintight outfit that looks like a leotard that shows a lot of her skin and her curves and even from over the skull mask she wore on her face, Issei could tell that she is extremely beautiful. After all, this Assassin is probably the one who kills with her beauty, the most dangerous kind of woman.

"Assassin."

Issei raise his bladed gauntlet ready to fight. The last Assassin he fought has the Arm of Syaitan that kills through a curse. He won't let their supposedly weak class and appearance fool him. He almost died in that battle against Assassin and he will be damned if he let his guard down this time, especially against a female assassin. They are the most slippery bunch and lethal in many ways.

The Assassin drew more knives. He can't let those knives scratch him. If the corpses around him are of any indication, this Assassin uses a lot of poison. A single scratch and he would be weakened greatly or even die. He won't wait to find out which though, so it's best to be safe than sorry.

"Let's do this Ddraig."

[A Servant. Even if it is an Assassin, she will be a worthy opponent. Let's go partner!]

"Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker!"

In an instant, armors began to appear on Issei's body, covering every inch of him with the Boosted Gear Scale Mail. With his whole body protected, Issei rushed towards the Assassin.

And that's a wrap. So I decided to give Issei the class card incident to deal with on top of the DxD cannon events. How the class card suddenly appear will be explained in the next chapter. Issei meets Irina and retrieved Gasper and now he's facing Hassan of Serenity which will be one of his girls since I took out the girl that's supposed to be with him due to using her in another story, the Godslayer one to be precise. So in exchange I put in Hassan of Serenity and the whole class card incident to compensate for the reappropriated heroine. If I didn't replace said heroine, the plot would've been very different.

Now for the revs.

Dragon Rider 66: Well, their magical organs (?) will be different since they use a whole different system. Issei, being the Sekiryuutei, will definitely have different kind of core/circuits.

Judgement of the Arbiter: After the First Order, I feel bad for using Solomon here. Let's just say he's Solomon Alter then.