Another chapter! Finally!

Sorry for the delay, everyone. I, uh, I kinda jumped like two continents, so there was some stuff I needed to take care of. More than that, I'd spent quite a big just pondering on how to develop some characters. Those being Issei and Riser. That's not important though, cause a chapter's finally out!

As usual, some notes (and spoilers) below:

-Just a quick question: Do you folks want a Side Chapter as to what happened to everyone? I mean, I kinda have one in the plans already, but getting more confirmation from you folks would be nice. What do you think?

-Yes, Gold Rush came from Lobotomy Corporation. I needed gauntlets and so I found gauntlets.

-We're not going to explore Otherworld Library in a while. Mostly because it isn't important at the moment, but also because if Issei did it now, there's a high chance he'd die.

-Koneko's traumatized. Ni and Li too. Actually, pretty much everyone's traumatized by this point, Issei included.

Anyways, enough from me. Enjoy the chapter!

Issei woke slowly. Or at least he would've had someone not suddenly shouted. His eyes shot open, and then he shut them when his left eye suddenly burnt. He heard someone running, and he carefully opened his right eye. He felt no pain. Which meant that it was only his left eye that was hurting.

But it didn't hurt though? He gave it a light press, and he felt nothing from it. He slowly pried it open. Pain.

He frowned. Was his left eye unused to light or something? What was-

And then he remembered. That final strike he dealt against the Rot, the burning pain all across his body, the stinging from his left eye, the burning flames-

He quickly looked around, and then blinked. He wasn't in the Rot's domain anymore. The walls around him were white. He was lying in a white, metal bed. There was an IV drip on his arm. There was a window to his left, its blinds covering the world outside. There was a desk just next to his bed, decorated by nothing but a vase of flowers.

…a hospital? How-?

His thoughts were cut short when the door to his room slid open.

His eyes went wide.

"Ni?" He whispered. His voice was hoarse. "Riser?"

"Issei!" Ni leapt at him with a wide smile, and then yelped as Riser quickly pulled her by the scuff of her neck. "Master!"

"He's still recovering, Ni." Riser said softly. The sheer relief in his voice was clear to hear. The man turned to him, and he smiled. "It's good to see you awake, Issei. When we'd found you, it was-" He shook his head. "It matters not. I'm glad you're awake."

Issei stared, and he finally noticed what the two were wearing. Ni was wearing a nurse outfit, with a small clipboard in her hand. She looked professional—a look she held surprisingly well. Riser wore his usual red coat over his white shirt. He looked the same.

At least, he would've had he not been missing his right arm.

Riser saw his interest, and a wry smile came onto his lips. "I was careless." His one hand hovered over the missing limb. "I believed Galilei would never discover a way to breach past a Phenex's regeneration. I was wrong."

Issei was quiet. That didn't bode well. Unease coiled in his gut, but he carefully pushed the feeling down and asked, "Where am I?"

"In the passing of Kokabiel, I had reestablished contact with my family." He closed his eyes for a moment. "The Underworld has-, no, that doesn't matter." He shook his head. "I had called upon my family to rebuild Kuoh's hospital under my name. That is where we are now."

He frowned. "Under your name?"

Riser blinked, before he laughed. "Perceptive as always, are you?" His laugh fell away, and a tired smile formed on his face. "You know what happened to Rias and her peerage. And Sona Sitri, she…" He grit his teeth. "She is incapable of doing her duties at the moment. For the time, I am Kuoh's holder."

"What happened to her?"

"Issei-"

"Tell me." He growled out.

Riser stared, before his eyes fell. "Sona Sitri's peerage has fallen." He said. "Only her Queen remains, though she has yet to wake."

"...fuck."

He laid back. What else was there to say? What else could he say? He didn't know them for too long, but he knew them enough. They'd fought together, ate together, joked together. And now they were gone.

He could feel the tears building in his eyes. He blinked them away.

"The others?"

"Kaori Murayama is well, though she's been rather busy for the past few weeks." Issei stared. Riser smiled. "Much of Kuoh has been damaged. Together with my family's servants, she has been working to repair what was destroyed."

Issei smiled thinly.

"Koneko Toujou has been working here." Issei blinked, eyes turning to Ni. The girl smiled, and Riser gently patted the girl's head. "Together with Ni and Li, she has taken care of you as you sleep. She does head out to aid Kaori at times, though she spends most of her time here in the hospital."

"How's Rias doing?"

Riser shook his head. "Still asleep."

"...I see."

"Asia works around Kuoh, healing those she can with her Sacred Gear." Riser continued. His smile turned wry for a moment, before he shrugged. "She stumbles at times, but she has been doing her best."

Issei nodded. That sounded like Asia. "And my mom?"

Riser was quiet for a few moments, before he slowly smiled. "Lady Hyoudou has been eagerly waiting for you to wake." He laughed. "It is her that has kept the people calm. She disappears at times, but she always returns. And when she does, she comes to visit you, waiting for the day you wake."

Issei closed his eyes. The disappearance probably came from his mom diving into an Instant Dungeon, but the way Riser spoke about it—it almost sounded like it was the norm. His mom had disappeared so many times that those not in the know considered it a commonality.

The unease returned. His throat felt like lead.

He took a breath. "Riser," He opened his eyes and stared at the man. "How long have I been asleep?"

Riser just smiled tiredly, as if he'd been expecting that question. "It has been two months."

"Oh."

He had nothing else to say. Because what could he say? He'd been in a coma for two months. What was he supposed to think? And how was everyone doing then? How did his mom feel right now, not knowing whether her son would ever wake again?

Again. Again. Again. Again. Again.

Leaving everyone behind. Never thinking about anyone.

So many died. So many that were supposed to still be here.

I'm sorry. I'm still here. Look at me.

Pleasanton'tleavemelookatmeI'mstillherelookatme-

[Data Influx halted. Refurbishing failsafe…]

"Issei!"

He blinked. The thin blanket he was sleeping under was stained red. He could feel something slick on his chin. He slowly brought a hand up to his nose, and he pulled away to see his finger stained with blood. He stared at it, confused, before he turned his eyes to the notification floating at the edge of his sight.

Data Influx? That…was it saying this was caused by Lost Data? But-, he'd never had such a volatile reaction to these odd feelings. Why now? What'd changed?

"I'm fine." He said slowly. He looked up to see Ni fussing over him, tears spilling from her eyes. He slowly reached over and wiped them away. "I-, I guess I pulled something wrong. I'm fine now."

"I will call for Asia." Riser said as he turned to leave. "Ni, keep him here. I'll be back soon." And saying so the man ran out of the room. Ni nodded at the closing doors, before she turned back to him. She slowly pushed him back onto the bed, and her lips trembled as she slowly wiped away the blood running down his chin.

"It was so close."

"Ni-?"

She glared at him. His words stopped in his throat. It was the first time he'd ever seen her glare. It looked wrong.

"I-, everyone thought you were going to die when master found you." She began, her hand gently running through his hair. "W-We don't know what it was, but there was something inside you. Some sort of parasite that was eating through you. Asia tried all she could, but her Sacred Gear couldn't do anything."

He frowned. A…parasite, was it? Was she talking about the Rot?

That sounded entirely too plausible. Those tendons he ran through had shredded him. Some of the Rot's flesh had probably slipped inside his body, and again it tried to take him over.

"I-It was so close. I thought-, we thought-" She sniffed, and her eyes glimmered with tears. "M-Mama said she'd be fine, and she-, and then you-" She couldn't say anymore. She broke then, and her tears fell freely. He stared at her, her words echoing through his mind, and he could feel his own tears building.

Because he'd almost died. Because he almost left her behind. Because he almost left everyone behind.

Because, from all those months ago to now, he just didn't want to die.

He shut his eyes and forced those tears away. Not now. Crying was normal, but just-, not now.

"I'm sorry." He said, and he brought his hand onto her head. "I wasn't thinking." He gently patted her. "I was out of options. I just needed to end it all. I didn't think about whether I'd even be alive then." Scorching and stinging pain came into his mind. He shook the memories away. "I didn't think about you. I'm sorry."

Ni continued to cry. He silently swept her tears away, forcing a smile on his lips as he screamed in his mind.

He thought he was fine.

He was not.

Whatever that Data Influx was, it'd caused a major artery in his nose to explode. Which-, how? Had so much information flooded his mind that it physically hurt him? And if that was the case, why was the rest of his brain fine?

Whatever the case, he remained confined to his bed. Asia had come minutes earlier, and she'd healed him. And straight after the girl had kneeled before him, asking for any 'commands' he could give. He pushed past the discomfort in his chest and told her to keep doing what she'd been doing for the past two months. The girl nodded and left the room.

Ni left some minutes later, having dried her tears and smoothed out her crumpled uniform. She'd smiled at him and told him that she'd be back a couple hours later, promising to bring her sister and Koneko with her.

And now he was alone.

He pulled away his blanket and looked at his leg. The stump that was once his right leg had grown back. But the skin on his right leg was discolored. It was lighter, pinker. It moved fine, but it felt somewhat numb. It almost looked like someone had attached someone else's leg onto his.

He brought a hand onto his left eye. They'd placed a medical eye patch over it, and he took a breath. They'd told him that he was partially blind now. "The parasite ate your eye." Ni had said slowly. "W-We tried all we could, but it was too late. A-And when it healed, it-, um, the nerves were all mangled and stuff."

Sanguine Regeneration had done its best, but it couldn't do enough. The Rot had torn his left eye apart. The eye was a delicate thing, and it seemed his body had healed it wrong.

That was…not ideal, but he'd live with it.

He sighed.

There was little he could do at the moment. He could head out, but he'd rather not immediately cause everyone to panic. And he still needed to acquaint himself with his new limited eyesight.

He busied himself with his System in the meantime, reading through his Inventory to pass the time.

And then he remembered the Rewards he got from killing the Rot. He quickly brought them up.

His eyes went wide.

Gold Rush

Rank B

A pair of gauntlets once wielded by a magical warrior, before her greed solidified and cursed her for all eternity.

Increases all Punch-based attacks by 350%.

Each attack increases overall damage by 1%. This increase can stack 150 times.

Each attack decreases the target's Endurance by 0.25%. This can stack 100 times.

+70 Strength, +50 Vitality, +20 Luck, and -20 Dexterity when wielded

Warning! The curse of greed remains. Using this weapon for too long will cause the wielder to slowly lose control over their mind.

That was…

It was the first Rank B weapon he'd ever seen, and it showed. It was strong. The decrease in Dexterity wasn't great, but it more than made up for it with its incredible boosts. The Curse of Greed was a tad concerning, but he didn't need to worry. Enlightenment of a Fig Tree would be there to stop the curse from affecting him.

And more than anything, it was just cool. Thick gauntlets made from some metal he couldn't identify, colored by a patchwork of different tones of gold. A bright golden gem sat at the center of each, and they glowed an eerie gold.

He slipped them on, and he immediately felt it. Strength surged into him, coiling and burning. He wanted to try it out, but he'd promised Ni he'd remain here. So, reluctantly, he placed it back into his Inventory.

[Strange Vinyl Record]

A strange vinyl record. Though uninteresting at a glance, a massive amount of magic seems to be contained within.

When used, unlocks access to the Otherworld Library

Warning! Only usable by Issei Hyoudou

This was the Reward he got for completing the Undying Abbaration Quest, and it was…strange. It was the first time he'd seen an Item that was restricted to only a single person. And more than that—only usable by Issei Hyoudou? It didn't just specify that it could only be used by one person or by someone with a system, but by him specifically.

Was it implying that the System he and his mom had were different?

[You have discovered a Truth. +1 Wisdom]

He smiled wryly.

[Using [Strange Vinyl Record]...]

[Used. /Otherworld Library\ Function has been recovered]

He narrowed his eyes. There it was again. Another function that was 'recovered'. What did that mean? Why was the System missing parts of itself?

He shook his head. They were thoughts for later.

/Otherworld Library\

A Different Paradigm — UNLOCKED

Worthless Necessity — UNLOCKED

Role Reversal — UNLOCKED

Crippled — UNLOCKED

Soundless Warrior — Lvl 30 ; Tier I

…

He frowned. It still didn't really explain what the Otherworld Library was, but he'd save the exploration for later. And that Tier I—he assumed that was about how many times he'd Ranked Up.

That was that, he supposed.

…

He grimaced.

He felt…terrible.

Sona had nearly lost her entire peerage. Koneko had lost hers, and Rias was still yet to wake. And Riser had most likely lost some of his as well. He hadn't said anything, but he could see the sadness in his eyes, and the gentleness he had with Ni seemed almost desperate.

He knew it was inevitable. They all knew that not all of them would survive. But it didn't make their deaths sting any less. Those were all lives lost. People he couldn't get to know any better.

He could only lay there and grieve for futures that would never be.

When Issei tried to stand for the first time in two months, he immediately fell.

He blinked, staring listlessly at the crutch that now laid a meter or so away. He tried to stand again, but then he fell again. It was as if his legs were refusing to listen to him.

No, not just his legs. His entire body wasn't listening. He could move his arms around and all, but they felt…numb, for a lack of a better word. It was like there was some sort of fluff in his nerves that dulled his control.

"It's normal," Koneko said by his side as she slowly pulled him up. She was dressed in a nurse outfit, just as Ni was. "You slept for two months. Your body…um," Koneko frowned for a moment, before her eyes lit up. "Atrophy. Muscle atrophy." She nodded. "Un. That."

But that shouldn't have been possible. He wanted to retort. Except he didn't. He thought about it again. Sanguine Regeneration had kept his body alive while the Rot did all it could to destroy his body from the inside. It'd probably destroyed his nerves, and his Skill had healed it back up.

There was no guarantee that his own muscle memory would've been recovered.

So he pushed down his annoyance and smiled instead. "I see." He gently patted her head. "Thanks for taking care of me."

She blushed. "You helped a lot. I…want to help."

She brought him over to his fallen crutch, and he reached over and grabbed it. Slowly and with shaking arms he pushed himself up to stand again. He wobbled the whole time and eventually fell once more, but Koneko was there to keep him from falling straight onto his ass. He thanked her with another pat, and her cheeks glowed pink as she smiled.

And-, well, he wasn't blind. Not completely, at least.

Koneko was attached to him. Perhaps unhealthily so. She was a Nekoshou and all, but he wasn't sure how much feline characteristics she carried, or if she carried anything at all. There was a certain manic gleam to her eyes, and the terror in her eyes when he told her about his little nosebleed a couple hours earlier was clear.

Ni and Li were rather similar, actually. An attachment to him.

It reminded him of the dependence a pet would form with their new owners after being abandoned. He wasn't sure if that was really the case, but it got him thinking nonetheless. The three were feline Youkais. The three were reincarnated Devils. And this attachment had formed after he'd given them aid in some form.

Did Ni and Li act similarly with Riser then? Did Koneko do the same with Rias?

…hmm.

Nevertheless, they were thoughts to consider for later. For now, he had to do his best to regain his motor functions.