1 day after the meeting, which was customary of the demonic factions, a service was organised to pay respect to Rias Gremory. When a person passed, it was common for friends and family to come and pay their respects mere days after their passing and given the wide range of factions and families linked to the Gremory, the service was filled with demons, gods, angels, fallen angels and other beings from pantheons that had not been seen in millennia.

Everyone at the event was wearing formal wear that fit their cultures and customs that befitted such a service, with Serzechs wearing a tailored black suit with a bright white shirt; his hair was well kept, but despite this appearance of being in control and stable, his eyes were restless and had bags under them, which to all who say him as he prepared to speak, showed just how much the death of his sister was affecting him.

"Today was a day I thought would never come, but it has sadly come to pass. My sister Rias was a kind and thoughtful soul who would do everything within her power to make the world a better place and provide those she cared for a life that was full of warmth and kindness. For someone so young, Rias had wisdom beyond her years that made her a formidable leader but also compassionate to the lives of others."

As this speech was being said, the entire room had their heads hanging low as the words were spoken, listening to the pain that clung to each word, but for Issei, despite his attempts to hear the words, he could not, as the last words of Rias played in his mind.

I...I...love you."

"How can she love someone who failed to keep her safe...I promised her that I would always ensure she was safe, but I failed." Issei thought.

While Issei was lost in his own mind, Sirzechs continued his speech.

"I spoke to her about her peerage, and her words were always filled with a warm admiration that could melt the hardest of hearts. To Rias, her peers were more than just colleagues or even friends. They were her family." These words from the demon king cause the entirety of Rias's peerage to weep.m Issei, during this moment, was met by the Ddriag speaking, which he had not heard since Rias had passed. Issei, in his mind, saw Ddriag in his dragon form.

"I wish I could have done more to help you, Issei; this pain you feel is not unfamiliar to me...I have felt the grief of all my wielders; whether it was caused by the loss of their homelands or their loved ones, they all felt grief... "

And how did they handle it?" Issei asked

"Many of them turned to destruction, destroying all those who opposed them or turned to greed to fill the void in their souls. It didn't work." Ddriag said in a cold tone, but it was clear that despite this seeming lack of emotion in his voice, it was not a result of not caring, but instead a result of being exposed to these events for so many centuries, which Issei could see in the dark green eyes of the mighty dragon.

"I have to do something, Ddraig; if there is a chance to bring Rias back, nothing will stop me, even if it means I have to fight Sirzechs. " Issei replied.

You braver than most then, but I caution you, Issei. Before you act, you must come to terms with whether you speak from the best intentions."

Hu? " Issei said in a confused tone, which led to Ddraig simplifying his statement.

Are you doing this to save Rias, or is this response an attempt to quench your vengeance by killing Cao Cao?" Ddraig moved closer to Issei till he was eye to eye with his wielder as he spoke.

Before Issei could answer this, he felt a hard thump on his arm, causing him to turn to see that Akeno had jabbed him with her elbow.

"What is it? Issei whispered, only to realise the room was silent.

"Sirzech has asked you to say a few words... " Akeno replied

Wait a minute..." Issei whispered back. Before he could finish speaking, Sirechs spoke directly to him.

"I know you had a great love for my sister. She would have appreciated hearing you speak, if you don't mind, of course. " As Sirzechs said this, Issei looked at him as he spoke, noticing how worn out he looked.

"Um... "

"Shit, shit, shit! I don't even know what to say!" Issei yelled in his head, but Ddraig responded

"Speak from the heart."

"Okay," Issei replied to Sirzech and walked towards the speaking area, which was easy to access as he was at the front of the stand.

Issei was visibly sweating, his hands were trembling, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not stop his legs from shaking as he made his way to the stand to speak.

"I can't do this," Issei mumbled as he stood at the podium, and realising he couldn't hide, he had to say something.

"Um, where do I begin? Issei said as he rubbed the back of his head and scanned the room, now taking note of all the guests.

The room was silent, with the universal gaze on the ill-prepared teen. , which brought a wave of anxiety, which was only eased when he caught sight of his friends, who looked at him warmly, which gave him the peace of mind he needed to speak.

"I um...Rias was a woman who was great. No, she was perfect, haha. If you were asked to create the perfect person, Rias would come to mind. She was strong but soft, strict but fair, and kind in a way you could not believe...Rias brought me back from the dead to be beside her, and at first, when I learned about this world and what I would do, man, I thought I'd be dead within the first week, but Rias didn't give up on me; she never gave up on anyone she saved no matter how badly they had been treated." as Issei said this, in the back of his mind, he replayed every joyous moment he spent with Rias, from seeing her saving him from death at the hands of Yuuma to him unlocking his powers that destroyed a mountain, as well as his confession of his love to Rias while battling the golden juggernaut of power, Sairaorg. These moments of happiness helped lessen Issei's pain as he spoke.

"She gave me a chance in life that I can never repay. Ive seen and done things no normal person will ever get to see, and it was all thanks to her..." As he continued to speak, these fleeting memories of happiness faded away. They were replaced by every moment Rias was hurt. She was in pain until they arrived at the final moments of her life, her screams in discomfort, her struggling against Cao Cao as he drew the blade of his spear across her throat. Her crimson hair was surpassed by the blood pouring from her wound. This brought Issei to silence. Until he mumbled

"I don't deserve to thank her." as this was said, the crowd, smiling and even chuckling at Issei's statement, became deathly silent, with many in the audience worried and shocked as they watched Issei.

Issei walked away from the podium, a glassy look in his eye as he sat at the end of the stage and began to ramble.

"I promised to protect her, and now she's gone... she's gone, and it's all my fault! When I saw her die, I couldn't move! I lay there helpless as she struggled. How can I live with myself knowing that I failed her?!" Issei started to cry, waving his arms about in a panicked rant."

As this occurred, the entire peerage stood up from their positions, readying themselves in case Issei did something extreme in his panicked state."

"I watched her die, for fuck sake! I held her hand and promised her she would be okay, and I fucking failed her, and I can't get that moment out of my head. I haven't slept since she died; all I see is her lifeless in my arms."

As Issei said this, he replayed the last words she ever said to him in the same weak.

"I...I...love you."

"She told me she loved me...she could have said anything else, commanded me to fight till I die or to kill myself for my failure, but she told me she loved me before she died. How could she love a failure? How could she love me..." Issei broke down, stopping when the pain became too much as he wept into his hands, with the entire peerage rushing over to console Issei, with Akeno taking Issei into a hug as if she were a mother consoling a distraught child. While Koneko and Asia hopped around to hug Issei from behind, which was followed by Gasper, Kiba, Rossweisse and Xenovia standing in front of this small group to try and offer a sense of privacy, but seeing that this would not work, Kiba leaned backwards to whisper to Akeno.

"We need to get Issei to his room."

Akeno nodded, and the group, without further words, escorted Issei, who held onto Akeno, Koneko and Asia as he was moved; all the while, the room stayed silent, all eyes focused on this huddled mass. Which only broke once they left the room.

40 minutes later

Issei was in his room alone. After he had returned to his room, Issei screamed at his friends to leave him alone. Despite their refusal to leave him, he refused their support and pushed them away, slamming the door in front of them.

"...I don't want them to see me like this. I know speaking to them like that wasn't right, but I need to be alone." Issei thought as he lay on his bed, his right arm covering his eyes, stinging from how long he had been crying.

"How can they even stand seeing me after what I did..." Issei mumbled as he was about to cry again when he heard a loud knock on the door.

"Go away..." Issei sighed, only to be interrupted by a deep voice coming from the door

"Issei"

"Sairaorg?" Issei mumbled, surprised to hear him at this moment.

"I know your struggling, Issei. I would not wish that pain upon anyone. However, I feel that you cannot handle this pain alone...Can I come in?"

Issei sat silent for a moment, contemplating his next move, only to rise to his feet and walk to his room door, slowly opening the door to see Sairaorg looking at him, a concerned gaze marking his stern face. No words were exchanged when Issei allowed Sairaorg into his room. Instead, the pair sat on Issei's bed and sat silently for a moment.

"I don't know what to do," Issei mumbled, putting his head in his hands as he spoke.

Sairaorg turned to look at Issei as he spoke.

"How can I live with myself knowing I could have done something to save her, to at least die trying." Issei yelped, his emotional pain spilling over again, which was then met by Saiairg raising his strong right arm and wrapping it around Issei's shoulder, causing Issei to stop speaking and lift his face from his tear-soaked hands.

"I understand your pain, Issei. Rias was a magnificent woman, rare in her character, and I know that feeling of regret all too well, but know this. Rias would not hate you for what happened that day. " Sairaorg spoke with a level of softness that would not have been expected given Sairaorg's appearance and love of conflict, but Issei had seen the lord of Bael speak in a manner that was similar to this when they had been in the hospital together after their rating game.

"But I can't leave it at that! We know that there is a chance to bring her back. I don't care about stopping a further war. Rias did not deserve to die, and if I could bring her back to life, I would fight everyone if it meant she would come back." Issei yelled in response. His voice was a mix of anger and grief.

"When I heard that news, I thought we would unite to tackle Cao Cao and his regime. But Sirzech cannot act as just a warrior; he is a king, a politician and a man who must think of the greater good for his kingdom. Which I knew would sway his hand." Sairaorg stated, reiterating the point made by Sirzechs, but this just angered Issei.

"So what do we do then? When we know we can save bring Rias back, is it wrong to do that?"

"I understand, Issei, but we cannot do this with Sirzech's support..."

"So you're giving up?" Issei said in a disappointed tone, but to his surprise, Sairaorg laughed.

"Hahahahahaha. Issei, you know me better. I did not say I would not help. I said we could not do this with the help of Sirzechs.

"So, your going to help me?"

"Of Course! I need to see you in actual combat, and with such a noble cause, this battle will be truly remarkable. Besides, I want to test the metal of Cao Cao." Sairorg said with an imposing grin, clenching his fist tightly as he spoke.

"But how are we going to find them? Issei asked as they had no clear evidence of Cao Cao's whereabouts.

"Well, Issei, that's where we will have some help," Sairaorg said, clicking his fingers, which caused Issei's door to open and show the human form of Regulus, the golden lion and sacred gear companion of Sairaorg.

"What is he doing here? As Issei said this, Sairaorg rose to his feet with a confident grin on his face.

"I HAD A REVELATION. The Grail, due to its mixed magical sources, will have a unique energy signature, which may be difficult for standard methods to track, but for sacred gears, this would be child's play, as they are sources of incredibly powerful and distinct magical power, in turn, they would be able to detect the location of the source if given enough time."

As soon as Sairaorg stopped speaking, Issie's right hand glowed a familiar shade of light green.

"Indeed, an incredible revelation, so much so that I was doing this since coming into contact with the Grail." Ddraig said,

"So that's why you have been so quiet."

Yes, Issei, I didn't want to get your hopes up in the event it did not work." Ddriag replied

"And lucky for us, Regulus has also managed to pick up the energy trail, and we can track Cao Cao down," Sairaorg stated confidently, which lifted Issei's spirits and returned some sparks of life to his eyes.

After this, Issei, dressed in his standard attire and with great care, left his room with Sairaorg. As they left, he asked Issei a question in a quiet tone of voice.

"Before we make our next move, do you want to get your friends involved? I know they are as hurt as you are at this moment, and the more people we have fighting, the better our odds are."

No, after seeing what happened to us, if any of them were to get hurt or die, I couldn't live with myself...this is my fight."

With this Issei response, Sairaorg nodded as they planned their next move.

Hey everyone, I hope you are all enjoying the story, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. The last two chapters have no views despite the previous chapters being quite well-viewed. Has anyone else experienced this recently?

See you all in the next chapter.