AN: Hey guys and welcome to the seventeenth chapter of "Switching Sides."

I want to thank everyone who Favorited, Followed, and Reviewed! You guys are the best!

I must say that I am very taken aback by the immense support that this story gets and I am happy to see that I made so many people feel enjoyment or any sort of positive emotion with my stories and I hope to continue doing that! And who knows? maybe one day this story will actually reach the first page of the DxD fandom here? :)

Now, without further ado here is the next chapter! Enjoy!

"..." Talking

'...' Thoughts

"..." Quotations

*...* Actions i.e., Yawning and Sighing

(...) Flashback and time skips

["..."] Talking through the Sacred Gear

['...'] Talking in the Host mind

[...] Sacred Gear Actions and modes

The next time Issei had opened his eyes, it was after he had felt a cool breeze across his entire body which made him shiver as the coldness of the breeze across his body had been enough to wake him up.

"Wh...What the hell?" Issei groggily asked as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

His memory of everything that had happened prior to his awakening was blurry for the brunette as he struggled to try and remember until a faint moan had snapped him out of his struggle and cause him to avert his gaze to the source of the moan.

He saw Kuroka lying on the grass beside him, her figure completely exposed for his eyes to enjoy, and her breasts pressed tightly on his right arm and her head taking a firm position on his chest. He looked down at himself and saw that he was naked as well.

The brunette had briefly widened his eyes in surprise as he realized that up until now, he failed to notice Kuroka's presence, but shrugged it when he assumed it to be because he was still waking up from his sleep.

Issei allowed his eyes to linger more on Kuroka's figure as a gush of memories had flooded his mind and caused him to wince in pain while he grabbed his head with only his left arm so he wouldn't interrupt Kuroka in her sleep.

Suddenly, all the missing pieces of his memory had surfaced as they linked with each other; he remembered it all now.

Going to Romania to get Valerie, Hearing Vali's sudden resistance to capturing the Dhampir girl, the meeting with his old peerage, the eerie forest they had teleported to afterward and his talk with Kuroka. A talk that had led to much more then the both of them could've imagined.

Issei cracked a small smile as the memories of his talk with Kuroka flashed through his mind over and over again, unlike the rest of the recovered memories which only needed one time.

The comfort he gave Kuroka, the promise he made to her, a promise he would never even think of breaking, and the love they shared... He didn't regret a single thing of it. In fact, it had made him happier than he had even been.

It was still new to him, all this love and affection that Kuroka had given him last night, but he wasn't scared of it nor did he thought of running away from the changes that it had brought. No, he welcomed it with open arms and a big grin adorning his face.

After Raynare, After Rias and the rest, after all the pain and sorrow he had been through it looked like the universe had finally found it in itself to smile at Issei, and he would return this smile with no hesitations.

He wanted a relationship for so long, and when he had Raynare as his girlfriend, even if it was short-lived, he was the happiest man alive. But ever since Raynare, he had suffered a terrible scar that had robbed him of the chance to feel the same happiness he felt when Raynare was his girlfriend.

For months he begged for the feeling to return, his heart longed for it more than anything. At first, his mind had allowed his heart to believe that Rias was the one who could grant him that feeling again as he slowly fell in love with the red-haired heiress and as time went by he started to be more sure about Rias being the one until she and the rest of the girls had broken his heart.

But with Kuroka it was different. He didn't need to be a genius so he could know that the feelings Kuroka has for him were as real as they could be, and he could clearly see it without her telling him.

The unconditional love that her eyes hold when they gaze at him, the excitement and happiness that her voice holds, the nervous stiffness that overtakes her body when she's with him, her aura full of affection and untold emotions.

And for the first time since Rias and the rest, Issei could say with full confidence that he felt the same about the Nekoshou girl; he unconditionally loved her with all his heart, and she was now his girlfriend.

The Draconic boy was filled with excitement when he thought about what the future would hold for them while a tiny shimmer of hope thought that the future would only hold more happiness and love for their relationship.

Perhaps at the same day and hour next year Issei could be married with Kuroka or have kids running around, but he wouldn't let the joy of these thoughts to overwhelm him because he knows how delicate fate is; how it could change in a matter of seconds.

But with all this joy he felt about his life with Kuroka as his girlfriend, there was also the troubling thoughts about what will he do with Vali, Yasaka, and Le Fay.

His heart was still not sure about the feeling it harbored for Yasaka and Le Fay, but the one thing it was sure of was that whatever feelings he had for the girls, it was more than friendship.

For Vali, his heart had already realized that the feeling he had for the silver-haired girl was nothing but love, a love that rivaled Kuroka's.

Before last night, Issei's love for Vali was the strongest feeling he had about any of the girls in his team. But after last night, after what he shared with Kuroka both emotionally and physically he was doubtful if the love he held for Vali at the moment would surpass the love he held for Kuroka.

But he knew one thing; he knew that Vali hides something from them, something that caused her great pain and unless she defeated that source of pain that haunt her, then she would hold herself back forever and because of that they wouldn't be able to have a relationship together.

Issei would help Vali overcome her pain, but for him to do that he had to know what exactly it was or else he was just useless, and the mere thought of that had made his hand shake violently.

"Nyaa, good morning," Issei snapped his gaze back at Kuroka's face upon hearing her talk; a tender smile adorning his face while he gazed at the form of his lover.

"Good morning," He replied, his voice soft and full of affection which caused Kuroka to form a big, happy smile upon hearing the feelings it conveyed.

"Nyaa, I guess we fell asleep after last night... I hope the rest aren't so worried about us," Kuroka sheepishly said as her smile had changed to a more awkward one as she thought about how their teammates were probably worried sick about her and Issei.

"Yeah, I hope so too. We should head back," Issei replied before lightly snickering as his mind conjured images of a very anxious, very pissed Vali and Bikou.

Kuroka released her tight grip on Issei's arm before she stood up and went to search for the clothes she dumped somewhere when she and Issei had stripped last night. All the while seductively swaying her rear as to arouse the brunette who didn't miss the gesture.

"Where the hell are they?!" Vali asked, her voice strained as she struggled to contain her ire and irritation while she paced back and forth.

More than eight hours had passed since Vali, and the rest had last seen Issei and Kuroka.

When they reached the forest, the sun was already setting, and after they had finished getting ready to sleep, they didn't think much of Issei and Kuroka's absence due to it not being too long since they've last seen them. And so, they went to sleep with a head devoid of any worries for their two teammates.

But now, when they saw that there was still no sign for Issei and Kuroka after a whole night apprehension has started to show itself.

"Jeez, Vali you should relax or is it that you miss your lover?" Bikou teased, his voice playful as he flashed a wide grin at Vali.

"S-Shut up! It's just that they have been gone for a long time now," Vali stuttered, her cheeks flushed from Bikou's teasing.

"Speak of the devil..." Bikou interjected as he spotted two familiar people entering the clearing they were at.

As soon as Vali heard Bikou, she wasted no time and quickly spun around to face their missing teammates, her face adorning a mix of great concern and irritation.

But that look had faded short moments afterward from what she spotted.

Issei and Kuroka were slowly walking towards them, their embarrassment clearly showing on their face, but that wasn't the thing that troubled Vali.

It was their interlocked hands, the way Kuroka's head has been softly leaning on Issei's shoulder and the emotions that flashed in their eyes when they briefly met each other's gaze.

As they got closer, Vali had started to take notice of more details that had only made her heart to clench more.

Their clothes were ragged, their hair was messy, and the smell they generated was one that Vali immediately recognized; it was the smell of sex.

Her heart couldn't stand the pressure that had been slowly placed on it as her mind had slowly started to make sense of Issei and Kuroka's condition and it was the realization that during their time away they had sex and had most likely entered a loving relationship with each other that her heart had broken.

"Vali?" She heard Issei calling her name with a voice full of worry that had gotten her confused as to why exactly was he worried.

Vali snapped out of her shock, and as she slowly regained her senses, she noticed the wetness on her cheeks and the light trembling that had taken over her body.

"I-I'm sorry..." She replied, her voice cracking as she fought against the steady flow of tears that had escaped her eyes.

She couldn't stay like that; she couldn't face Issei and Kuroka when her feelings were as clear as the sky.

"Don't worry about me; I'm fine," She attempted to reassure them, a big smile adorning her face. A smile that both Issei and Kuroka knew was fake.

"Vali..." Issei weakly muttered, his voice full of sadness as he saw the tough facade that his close teammate had tried to put.

He knew Vali enough to know exactly when she lied and faked and when she was truthful and genuine and right now she was the former, and he hated that.

He wasn't dumb, he had his suspicions about the reasoning behind Vali's gloomy mood, and he hated himself for that, but he wasn't going to regret anything that had happened last night.

He tried to reach Vali out with his hand so he can reassure her and hopefully bring some comfort to the girl who was so close to his heart, but the response he received from her had left him with his mouth slightly agape.

"I said I was fine!" She bellowed at him, her voice strong and full of many emotions.

Pain, sadness, anger, and disappointment were the few emotions that the young emperor had managed to feel in her voice.

He understood the pain, the sadness, and the anger, but he didn't understand the disappointment.

'Was she disappointed at me...?' He thought to himself while he tried to make sense of this weird, out of place feeling.

But Vali's disappointment wasn't aimed at the brunette; rather it was aimed at herself.

She wasn't his first, and the thought of it broke her heart.

For a long time, Vali had thought that the feelings Issei and her felt for each other transcended the feelings that the other girls felt for Issei and likewise. She was so confident that she would be Issei's savior, that she'll be the first one to see the depths of his soul and learn everything about him as they became one both physically and emotionally... But she wasn't. Instead, her dream had been shattered and in its place was the image of Kuroka and Issei when they emerged from the forest.

"Now that we're all here, we should probably head back and deal with the consequences of our actions," Arthur had suddenly interjected as he and Le Fay had joined them with Valerie in tow.

"Y-Yeah..." Issei replied half-heartedly while all his focus was set on Vali and how to deal with what happened.

And so, Issei and the rest had teleported back to the headquarters of the Hero Faction, ready to face the consequences of their actions.

(Meanwhile At The Underworld...)

"I see. I guess Issei really doesn't want to come back," Sirzechs said, his voice not showing even a fraction of the emotions he felt.

During his long time as one of the four Devil Kings, Sirzechs had developed the ability to maintain a very calm demeanor despite his feelings, and it was situations like this that he was thankful for this ability.

Sure, this ability had been achieved after the countless times he had to face many tragedies and hardships, but every time, he had emerged as a stronger, better leader for his people.

But being able to hide his emotions didn't mean that he didn't feel something. In fact, he was quite upset from Issei's defection from his sister's peerage and into the same terrorist group that terrorized the three factions.

He cared for Issei greatly to the point where he considered him as his little brother and was actually willing to allow the brunette emperor to marry his beloved Ria-tan, and this wasn't something minor.

Everyone who knew Sirzechs knew of his "deep interest" in his little sister and the great concern he had for her, so allowing a specific someone to marry his sister meant much more than it looked like.

Anger and remorse have made themselves apparent as Sirzechs heard how Issei had mercilessly fought against his sister and her peerage and the words he had told them back in Romania, words that clearly showed that he had no intention to come back to their side.

"What should we do brother?!" Rias asked, desperation for an answer that would bring Issei back clearly evident in her tone.

"I don't know Rias. Let me discuss with Azazel and Michael, and we'll try to see what our options are," He told her, maintaining his calm demeanor although he slightly flinched from the desperation in Rias tone.

He could see it on her and the rest of her peerage; they looked awful. The girls looked like they haven't slept for days, their hair was disheveled, tear stains clearly visible on their cheeks and their eyes slightly red, and the aura they emanated was one of pure remorse and anguish.

Rias just nodded and with her peerage in tow has left the room.

"I have to say that your sister's words are very troublesome," Michael said with a frown shortly after Rias and her peerage had left the room.

"I agree, what should we do about it, though? If what your sister told us is true then Issei might have a fair chance to defeat us," Azazel asked, his demeanor showing the seriousness in his question.

"You're right. I think that for now, we should find out more about the current power balance within the Hero Faction so we could know the full extent of what we're dealing with before we send our people to fight what could very well be a hopeless battle," Sirzechs replied, his expression solemn.

"Wise decision Sirzechs. From what our intel suggest the people we should be concerned about the most are the White and Red Dragon Emperors and the rest of their team, the girl your sister has seen fighting Issei in Romania, Cao Cao, and Ophis; this are the people we know about. There might be more people whose been kept hidden for the purpose of being used as wildcards in the case we decide to launch an all-out assault on them," Micahel said, his expression matching Sirzechs's.

"Very well then, we should learn more about the powers of the people we already know about as well as preparing our forces for the chances of encountering other powerful people. Once we're done with this, we should devise a plan and gather all our forces to tell them about our decision and their role in it," Sirzechs summed up as relief from reaching a plan of action washed over him.

"Phew, glad that's over," Azazel said before he snatched the bottle of scotch that stood on Sirzechs table and poured him and the others a glass.

"Cheers!" They toasted while the solemn thoughts that troubled their minds had been pushed aside for a little while.

(With Issei And The Rest...)

As Issei and the rest of his team emerged out of the magic circle into the Hero Faction's HQ, they immediately felt that something was not right.

"Do you guys feel that too?" Issei asked as he swallowed the lump in his throat as an uncanny feeling has flooded him.

"Yeah, I guess we should check this out," Kuroka replied as she took Issei's side and clung to his hand in fright.

"C'mon, let's go," Vali said in irritation as she flashed a quick frown from Kuroka's closeness to Issei.

The more she watched the closeness the two possessed, the more pain and jealousy she felt. She loved Kuroka, and the Nekoshou was a great friend, but seeing her with the boy she loves was hard no matter if she was her friend or not. She wished she could replace her, to be the one who clung to Issei's hand and receive his words of reassurance, but she wasn't, and the most she could hope for was that one day her turn would arrive as well.

As they all continued to walk the feeling that something wasn't right had continued to strengthen. It was just too... Quiet, as if no one was present at the headquarters, and that fact by itself was just plain wrong.

Never during their entire time as a part of the Hero Faction have they come across a situation when the headquarters were as empty and quiet as they were now and that freaked them out as they tried to think of a possible reason for why has this happened now.

Upon reaching the doors to the main hall, they made a brief stop, looked at each other for confirmation and opened the doors only to find the hall void of any person.

They slowly walked in and as soon as they made the first step they quickly snapped their gaze to the floor upon feeling like they have stepped on something wet.

*GASP!* They gasped in horror when they realized that the wet thing they have stepped on was blood and a lot of it. They quickly scanned the area around the pool of blood and gasped in fright once again when they saw the bodies of none other than their fellow members lying around lifelessly.

"Th...They're all dead..." Issei whispered in complete shock as he struggled to comprehend the scene in front of him.

Kuroka dug her head deeper into Issei as tears started to wet his clothes. Le Fay had followed the Nekoshou and clung into Issei like her life depended on it as she was barely able to deal with this horrid scene.

"What the hell happened?" Bikou asked in disbelief, voicing the question that ran through everyone's mind.

"I...I don't know," Vali replied as she continued to focus on the corpses of her comrades; rage started to well up.

"Who the hell did this?" Kuroka asked, again voicing another question that ran through everyone's mind.

"I don't know, but whoever it was wouldn't live for long," Issei said as the color of his eyes flickered from brown to emerald.

['Parnter you should calm down, there's no sense getting angry now; you should try to find out about who did this instead,'] Ddraig told his partner in hope to calm him down before his anger would consume him.

'You're right. Thanks, Ddraig!' Issei told his partner as he started to slowly calm down while the initial shock and anger had slowly subsided... Until a horrifying thought had entered the brunette's mind, a thought that made him freeze in fright before his eyes had turned completely emerald as if he was just about to enter Juggernaut Drive once again.

"Issei!" His team cried out in horror; hoping that the brunette will calm down before he would wreak unnecessary havoc.

He rushed from the main hall without sparing his teammates another look as only one thought had been on his mind.

"Where the hell are Yasaka and Kunou?!" He quietly asked himself as he rushed towards their room in hopes that the two Youkai were fine.

With each step he took dread and hope had fought for dominance as the uncertainty Issei felt only continued to increase as he got closer to the room.

He cared for Yasaka and Kunou a lot, and if harm had come their way and they ended up the same as the ones at the main hall, there wouldn't be a single being who could survive his wrath.

After what happened with Kuroka and the effects it had on him both emotionally and mentally the brunette had started to slowly understand the place that each girl in his life had in his heart.

And Yasaka's place was in the same one as Kuroka; she was someone he loved and wanted to have a relationship with her just like he had with Kuroka.

He realized that he felt that way ever since their encounter at Kyoto, but only now he had fully realized it.

Kunou, despite not knowing her very well, has slowly started to take an unclear place in his heart although a different one than Kuroka and Yasaka.

He broke the door open as soon as he reached it and was surprised when he heard a gasp resounding through the room as well as what appeared to sound like sobbing.

"Issei!" He heard his name being called before he felt someone embracing him tightly.

He looked at the person who embraced him, and relief has quickly washed the uncertainty and dread away.

"Yasaka! Are you ok?! What about Kunou?!"

"Yes Issei, we're ok. I am so glad to see you!" She had said before she gave Issei a passionate kiss on the lips which took the brunette by surprise.

He returned the kiss with the same passion that Yasaka possessed and as he did, the place she had in his heart continued to feel right as if every doubt he had about it just faded.

The couple has parted shortly after so they could regain their breaths; a thread of saliva connecting them.

"Issei!" He heard his name being shouted once again before someone has clung tightly to one of his legs.

He didn't need time to figure out who it was and he immodestly crouched down on one knee so he could face the one who clung to his leg.

"Kunou, I am so happy to see that you're ok," He said as he patted the girl's hair which managed to calm the sobbing Youkai down slightly.

At this moment, Issei reached a realization. He realized that the place Kunou had in his heart was the same place his future kids will hold.

He snickered internally as happiness started to flood his heart upon thinking that he had gotten a small family of his own.

True, Kunou wasn't his real daughter and Yasaka, and Kuroka weren't his wives, but he was sure that those things didn't have any importance; he loved the three of them, and he was sure that they loved him as well, and that's all he needed.

But with happiness came the dread as thoughts about his little family being torn apart by the same one who slaughtered his comrades.

'I'll protect them no matter what!' He promised to himself as he couldn't bare the thoughts of his small family being taken from him.

"Everything's going to be okay Kunou; I'm going to protect all of you no matter what!" He reassured the little Youkai and was pleased when he saw her crack a smile at him in return.

"Thanks, Issei!" She told him in happiness before doing something that had completely caught him off-guard.

He looked with his eyes slightly widened as Kunou bit his leg with no apparent reason.

"Oh my...I didn't expect her to do that," Yasaka said in surprise as she saw what her daughter has done.

"What exactly did she do?" Issei cluelessly asked; hoping to realize what exactly Kunou did.

"My daughter has marked you as hers,"

"Marked me as hers? What does that mean?" Issei asked in bewilderment.

"It means that Kunou decided that the one for her is you and not other," Yasaka explanation caused Issei's eyes to widen again.

Yasaka saw how stunned Issei was from what Kunou did and decided to add a little fuel to the fire.

"That reminds me that I need to do the same to you, but my way to mark someone is quite different then Kunou's, but I think you'll enjoy it much more," She teased with a husky voice which caused the brunette to brush profusely.

Yasaka giggled in response, but as soon as she heard Issei's reply, she gasped in surprise as she was caught completely off-guard by it.

"I would actually like that very much, but I would have to ask Kuroka's permission first," He told her without showing even a hint of humor which made Yasaka think that perhaps the boy was serious.

"A-Are you serious?" She asked, dumbfounded.

"Yes, you don't want to?"

"I-I do!" She replied again, now irritated from the way her teasing had backfired.

"You and Kunou should move to my room because I don't think I'll be able to sleep peacefully when you're someplace else considering what happened," He suggested, making Yasaka and Kunou blush.

Issei was quite surprised from the newfound confidence and boldness that he now possessed, but it didn't mean that he didn't like it.

He realized that now when he had Kuroka with him, he wasn't scared of getting hurt anymore because now he had someone who would help him overcome the pain; a supporting pillar and partner who would ease the pain with no conditions.

"Are you sure that this is a good idea? What about Kuroka?" Yasaka hesitantly asked.

"Yeah, and I'm sure Kuroka will be fine with that," Issei said with a small smile.

"I'm going to let her know so you should pack up and move to my room. My room only has one king sized bed, but I could bring Kunou a separate bed if she wants," Issei told them before he left the room with Yasaka and Kunou looking at him in shock and disbelief from what just happened.

"Are you sure that you don't mind?" He asked for the third time.

"Yes, I'm sure," She told him in reassurance as she rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's antics.

She loved him so much; he was everything she had desired in a man.

The Nekoshou wasn't surprised when he told her about his feelings for Yasaka, and she showed her support in the idea of sharing him with another as long as she'll get her time with him. There was no doubt even for a slight second that Issei would stop loving her if she shared him with others; his heart was just big enough to contain more than one girl in it, and his dream of having a harem has made his resolve even stronger.

She was aware of his goal for quite a while. At first, she thought that he was just a pervert who wanted nothing more than having a bunch of beautiful girls surrounding him as they begged for sex, but as she got to know him, she realized that his dream came from a much darker place than she initially assumed.

It came from the loneliness he felt as well as the feeling of rejection he had always received from girls and not only from his hormones; he wanted multiple women who would shower him with love as he did the same for them.

"Thanks, Kuroka! Did I already tell you that I love you?"

"Always," She told him with a smile before the two of them had returned to their room.

(The Next Day...)

Issei has woke up with a smile on his face as he gazed at the other occupants of his bed.

After Rias and Raynare he didn't think that he'll get to experience love and happiness again, but now as he lied on his bed with Kuroka, Yasaka, and Kunou, who was on the bed across from theirs, he realized that he was wrong.

His mind had wandered to the surprise that awaited him when he entered the room after his training. How he saw Kuroka and Yasaka lying naked on the bed.

Issei could've sworn that if it wasn't for the sheer surprise he felt, he would've painted the room red with his nosebleed.

He wondered where Kunou was, but his concern was quickly put to rest when Yasaka has told him that she left her with Le Fay for an hour or two, depends on how long will they take.

Issei was hesitant about leaving Kunou someplace out of his reach, but he trusted Le Fay so he let his worries fade as he went to Yasaka and Kuroka and spent what he could describe as the best two hours of his life.

Their heavenly moaning that accompanied his thrusts, the tightness that enveloped his member, the sweat that adorned their body as they continued their activities with undying vigor, and their climax as he came inside Kuroka while his tongue had played with Yasaka's womanhood until she came as well.

By the end of their activities, Issei had come to the conclusion that his decision of asking Yasaka and Kunou to stay in his room was by far the best decision he had ever made in his life as he looked forward to many nights like this one.

He got up from his bed and went to wash all the sweat and other fluids that last night had brought.

Once he was finished, he was pleased to see that Kuroka and Yasaka were already awake and waited for him to get out of the shower.

"We would've joined you, but we feared that we might wake Kunou up," Yasaka seductively told Issei, kissing him on the lips before she went to the shower.

He went to Kuroka and gave her a big kiss on the lips before they sat up on the bed as Kuroka waited for Yasaka to finish so she could enter the shower next.

After Yasaka and Kuroka had finished showering, they woke up Kunou, who quickly got ready, before they went to the main hall after being asked by Vali last night to attend to the main hall.

Once they reached the main hall, they saw that everyone were already there waiting for them. The flashed them a sheepish smile before they took their place by their side as they waited for Vali to start.

"Morning everyone! I hope you had a good sleep..." Vali started.

"Due to recent... Events, we were all left with many emotions as well as uncertainty about many things such as who has committed this horrific act as well as why, and the reason I gathered you all here is so we could try and find out about what exactly had happened last night," She continued, her gaze aimed at Kunou as she finished her words.

"Kunou, you and your mother were the only ones who were present here during the events that happened last night so could you tell us what exactly has happened?"

"Y-Yes..." Kuroka timidly replied from her place between Issei and Yasaka.

"My mother and I were talking when all of a sudden we heard screams coming from outside our room. We were worried, so we went to the main hall to see what this was all about, but when we entered, we saw Cao Cao killing everyone in his sight without showing any mercy towards them. We gasped and tried to run, but our legs wouldn't budge. Once he noticed us, he slowly walked towards us. By the time he was a few steps away from us my mother has regained herself and lunged at Cao Cao and briefly fought him so he wouldn't be able to reach me. Both of them didn't suffer any injury, and a short while after the fight had started Cao Cao had stopped it and said that someone was waiting for him and that he'll come for us later," By the time Kunou had finished telling the story, everyone but Yasaka looked at her in astonishment while Issei and Vali just shook violently while unadulterated rage started to well up inside them.

"I can't believe Cao Cao did this," Bikou said in incredulity.

"That bastard! He'll pay for what he's done!" Issei said in spite, barely able to contain his rage.

They all continued to stay like that; each to his own thought as they tried to deal with the news about the culprit behind the slaughter of their comrades.

They were all snapped out of their daze when a loud sound of what appeared to be a wall crashing had resounded through the hall before the room had been filled with debris and dust.

By the time the dust had cleared Issei and the rest were in their battle stance, ready to attack whoever it was that stormed their headquarter, but were surprised when they saw who it was.

They saw a beautiful girl who looked to be in the same age as Yasaka; she had a long beautiful pale blue hair, the color of her eyes the same as the one of her hair, her breasts rivaled Kuroka's in its size, her clothes were made out of a navy blue blouse and blue denim pants that hugged her figure tightly.

Issei and the rest had noticed that since the girl had crashed into the main hall, the atmosphere has clearly changed into a colder one.

"Who are you?" Issei asked in irritation as he pointed at the girl with his left hand that was clad with the Boosted Gear.

"You dare to point that finger on me you vile Dragon?!" She asked, her eyes turning darker as she noticed the gauntlet on Issei's hand and the aura he emanated.

"I see that you're here as well Albion," She said as she sensed another familiar aura in the room.

["Yes, I have to say that I am quite surprised to see you,"] Albion replied, a bit of surprise evident in his voice.

["Me too, although I can't say that I'm glad to see you,"] Ddraig interjected; making the girl grow irritated.

"Even after all this time, I can't seem to get over the bile that threatens to come out whenever I hear your voice," She told Ddraig while she glared at Issei.

["I suppose that you didn't miss me at all?"] Ddraig asked mockingly.

"Pff as if! I waited so long for this moment. I've tried to track you down for years, but every time I felt even a faint trace of your aura it always disappeared and showed up later at a different location, but now... Now I was fast enough and have finally managed to get to you before you disappeared again! You should've known better to control your aura,"

"You two seem to know this girl so could you tell us who the hell is she?" Issei asked the two Dragons in exasperation.

["This is Tiamat, a legendary Dragon and one of the Five Great Dragon Kings"]

AN: Don't forget to Favorite, Follow, and Review! I'll see you next chapter.