I don't own anything. All characters and all rights belong to Ichiei Ishibumi*
M for mature topics. No children allowed. *
The Broken Boosted Gear
By Try Another Time
Corpses surrounded him in each direction he looked. The faces of those he claimed to protect now lay lifeless as he could not move a muscle. Shangri-La lay in ruins as everything was destroyed by the mysterious enemy forces.
Dark figures smiled and grinned as they massacred everyone he cared about.
His adoptive siblings.
His allies.
His friends.
His brides.
And worst of all, they left his beloved daughter for last.
Tosca was crucified in front of him. Her body was battered and filled with injuries. Her eyes pleaded to him for salvation. For him to protect her. For him to be the father he was supposed to be, yet he couldn't.
His body didn't answer him. He wanted to fight, scream, and move even an inch but couldn't. He was useless. He was trapped inside his own body.
A victim of his dying condition.
His two crumbling souls.
Unable to protect anything he cared for.
Just like he couldn't protect any of his brides, his eyes watched as the sharp blade approached Tosca's neck.
"Dad, save me." Tosca pleaded one last time.
But his body didn't move. No matter how badly he tried, it was useless.
"Tosca!" His weakened soul screamed her name, but his body couldn't even voice his pain and fear.
Voiceless, motionless, and unable to move an inch to protect anything. His eyes could only watch as the blade cut his daughter's neck.
Back in the real world.
"Ddraig! Calm down. You need to wake up." A voice screamed at him as a pair held him in place, trying to bring him back from the nightmare he was having.
It took a few seconds, but finally, Ddraig opened his eyes. The dragon was still panicking as his eyes looked all around, trying to understand where he was.
"Is alright. Take a few deep breaths. It was all a nightmare." The voice told him as a pair of arms carefully embraced him to comfort him.
The arms were cold, but it was comfortable, allowing him to calm down. His breathing and heartbeat slowed as the person embracing him reassured him that everything was fine.
"It was all in your head. Nobody is in danger." The voice said as Ddraig inhaled the charming fragrance that emanated from her body—a scent he had not smelled in weeks but a welcome one nonetheless.
"Yukime…" Ddraig said as he tried to get away from her embrace.
But Yukime stopped him. "Allow me this for once. After receiving the information, I wanted to come here as soon as possible, but I was away with my recruits. I was afraid of what I would find when I came in. Just let me hug you for a while longer." The young hybrid said as she continued to embrace him.
Ddraig couldn't deny her plea. Yukime sometimes did scare him when her wilder tendencies led to things like stealing his underwear, but he knew she was someone he could trust.
The pair continued like this for a while longer until Yukime finally released him. Like always, Ddraig couldn't see what expression she hid behind her veil, but knowing her, she was likely smiling from ear to ear after he had fulfilled her request.
"Feeling better?" Yukime asks as she sits on the chair next to his bed.
"A bit, but I won't deny it was one of the worst. I hope I never have that dream ever again." Ddraig said as his hand trembled. The nightmare felt far too vivid for his taste.
Yukime saw it and took the chance to grab it. "Nightmares are dreams based on our fears. Everyone fears something, but we shouldn't allow such fears to drive us mad. That nightmare won't become a reality. I assure you that."
The dragon appreciated her efforts, but deep down; he couldn't easily shake such fears away as he was closer to them in reality. Even now, as he tried to close his hand to reciprocate the affection Yukime was showing, his muscles barely listened to him.
Even to close it was a herculean task, and that hurt him.
"Good to see that the therapy is helping. You couldn't do this in previous weeks." Yukime said as she appreciated his effort.
"... Is still far from the minimum."
"Is more than enough in my eyes. You used "Infinity" for a second time. Losing control over your body is far more manageable than losing control over your powers. We both know the damage would be irreparable if your flames went on a rampage. Take easy and stop thinking as the Enforcer until you can safely return to the battlefield. For now, focus on your health and us. Especially now since Gabriel and Serafall have regained consciousness; you need to see them."
Such words dug into his chest as if they were knives. His mind remembered what had happened, and his heart sank further into the guilt he already felt. "I-"
"You failed nobody, and they want to talk to you. They are alive, and so is everyone, so stop blaming yourself. The mission to hunt Apophis was a success; I read the reports. What happened after was far from your mistake. An invasion that involved Crom Cruach and his allies is something not even I could have expected. I never expected him to show up on the side of the enemy. I guess his foolishness knows no bounds." Yukime's tone denoted disdain towards the evil dragon and even a
"Crom….. I killed him again."
"Good. You shouldn't show mercy to him. He will return, but we'll be ready for him." Yukime says as she shows no sympathy for the evil dragon.
"... you seemed relatively unaffected by his involvement."
Yukime grows silent. "... There was a time I did want to believe in his words when he tried to court me, but we both know that choosing to follow him would mean my own demise. Our paths couldn't be intertwined; I wanted stability and a family, yet Crom couldn't offer me either. He claimed he could settle down with me, but we both know that his words lack the determination to follow them. Words are not enough when someone lacks the conviction to follow them." Her free hand touches his face. "But you have shown me your determination to follow your words, whether on the battlefield or outside. The Welsh Dragon of this era is far more my type than Crom could ever be, so don't think about the past I share with him. I sincerely like you, Welsh Dragon, all of you. So please don't disappear from my life anytime soon."
"..." The dragon was slightly surprised to listen to her thoughts without any reservations. He knew the ones that had courted her before, and Tannin had been relatively open about it, but hearing her speak about Crom and declare her feelings with such sincerity made him weak as this was Yukime being sincere and not trying to test him with a sexual remark or showing her more devious side. "I don't-"
Yukime places a finger in his mouth. "No, I don't want to discuss you and me today. I came to see you, but since you're awake, let's brighten your day and get you to walk around for fresh air. You've been asleep for far too long. You also need to visit some people, so let's get you all changed. Her majesty (Tia) left new clothes in case you felt like exiting the intensive care for a while. I'll be with you for the rest of the day."
Yukime said before she began to help him to stand up. With impressive precision, the girl unplugged every apparatus and terminal from his chest and arms.
"But I haven't taken a shower," Ddraig said.
"Well, fix that in a moment. Your room has a bathroom. I'll help you with the shower." Yukime said.
"I can do that alone," Ddraig suggested as he tried to evade the delicate situation. He was still on the fence about letting her do as she pleased.
"You can barely move your body, so no. I'm new to this, but it was bound to happen. Now off with that gown." Yukime said as she sliced his patient gown with her claws, thus leaving him fully naked.
"... Was it indispensable to cut it into pieces?" The dragon asks as he glares at her.
"... You were going to oppose it, so I took the liberty to push forward. Anyways, let's get you into the shower." Yukime appeared unaffected by Ddraig's naked body, but behind the veil, she could barely hold it together as she helped him walk. "Calm down, Yukime. You need to keep it together. Keep your darker intentions under wraps for his sake….. Even though he's too damn attractive!"
It was going to be far from a cold shower.
Minutes after the shower.
Yukime helped Ddraig put on the coat that came with the black suit Tiamat had prepared for him. "Even now, you dress to impress. Tiamat likes to show your good looks."
"Thanks," Ddraig says as he reaches out and grabs the cane resting against the bed. As he rests some of the weight of his body on the cane, his body becomes stable as he takes a few careful steps forward.
Each step lacked the usual aura of strength that surrounded him in the past, and now it seemed more like the steps of an older man who held onto his last grasps of life.
Someone without knowledge would have looked at him and joked about his slow speed, but to Yukime, it was a sight that reinvigorated her interest in him.
"Is far from the regular Welsh Dragon, but is still you. I know that even in that state, you wouldn't doubt to protect any of us if danger would arise." The hybrid smiles as she sees he's not having an issue maintaining his balance as he walks. "Seems like we're ready to go. Let's visit them first."
She walks forward and opens the door for him.
Ddraig says nothing as he exits the room. Once in the hallway, both fallen angels, standing at each side of the door, lower their heads to him to show their respect for him.
"Is not necessary," Ddraig tells them.
"It is. You're still the Enforcer, Sir Welsh—our hopes for the future rest on your shoulders. Never forget the massive task you have chosen to bear in our stead. Be safe on your walk." One guard says.
"... Do as you please," Ddraig replies as he awaits for Yukime.
"We'll be back by night. Rest up, you two." Yukime says as she closes the door behind her and walks closer to Ddraig. The hybrid interlocks arms with him, but Ddraig says nothing about it.
"Take care of him, Major Tannin." Both fallen angels reply.
The pair then begins to walk towards the next destination of their day together. As they walk through the halls, many working within the wing stop whatever they do to pay respect to Ddraig.
It wasn't unusual for him to receive some form of greeting, but it felt far more respectful than before. It was as if they couldn't allow themselves not to show their respect towards him and his actions.
"They don't know how else to show their respect to you after you gave your own eye to Gabriel and fought a million enemies to protect Ra's realm," Yukime explained.
"I can regrow my lost limbs. Losing an eye won't spell my doom, and this is not the first time I have fought for the Alliance." Ddraig argues.
Yukie shakes her head. "You seem to forget how much the fallen angels care for Gabriel and how much others look up to you. Ddraig, killing to prove your strength is one thing, but killing to protect your allies has far more meaning. Yes, you can regrow a lost limb, but giving a body part so openly shows that you're willing to give your own body for others sake."
"I won't start to donate my organs if that's what some of them think."
Yukime pinches his cheek. "Fool. Nobody is asking for that. Just take the compliment and allow them to show their respect. Everyone hopes this is the last time something similar happens, as nobody wants to lose a limb without a reason. In my case, if I lose a limb, don't try to do the same. A prosthetic will do fine. So, no more body ripping your body apart. A robot arm doesn't sound too bad."
Ddraig sighs as the joke doesn't ease his worries. As they got closer to the rooms, he felt his heart sinking further into his fear. The very idea of facing them now was making him doubt about continuing.
"I failed them. How can they stay with someone like me after I couldn't protect them?"
He had never faced an event in which he could not protect those he cared about, which was still affecting him. Maybe the fear was always there, to begin with, but now it was taking hold of his every thought.
Such was its effect that he didn't seem to realize that they had stopped walking.
"We have arrived," Yukime said.
As Ddraig lifted his eyes, he saw the all-so-dreadful door before him. His fingers gripped the cane as he tried to remain calm.
Yukime noticed this, so she placed her hand on top of his. "Relax. They won't eat you or blame you. They care for you, so try to let go of that fear. This is not a battlefield."
The cold temperature of her hand did its magic as Ddraig's hand eased its trembling.
The hybrid smiled to herself as her cold, icy tail reached out to grasp the door handle.
"Wait-"
"Too late for second thoughts," Yukime said as she opened the door.
Time seemed to stop for everyone as two sets of eyes met those of Ddraig. Gabriel and Serafall could barely hold back their tears as they saw him standing on both feet. His face seemed to hold back the pain he tried to bear as he faced both of them. He lowered his head as he bit his lips.
"Come on, step forward, Ddraig." Yukime incites him to go inside.
"I can't…." Ddraig replies.
"Ddraig?" Gabriel calls out to him.
"I failed you two. I should have been alert and protected you from any harm." The dragon continued.
"..." Serafall remained silent. She could see why he couldn't face them.
"It should have been me who took in the blast of that attack," Ddriag said.
"... Fool," Gabriel says as she summons a golden rope that shoots out and traps Ddraig. Yukime steps aside to evade it. "We're no damn flowers that can't take a hit or two." Gabriel begins to pull him closer.
"But you two almost died! I… almost lost both of you." Ddraig admits as he tries to resist Gabriel's pull.
"But we're alive, foolish boyfriend. We all let our guards down. You can't blame yourself for what happened." Serafall grabs the rope and begins to pull as well.
"We always knew that death was possible, but a close call is not enough for us to run away now. I understand you're afraid of losing us, but so are we about losing you. Even with that, we must strive to survive together. So get over here, you fool!" Gabriel said as she pulled even harder, and with the help of Serafall, they finally brought Ddraig into the bed.
"I-" Ddraig is stopped as both girls team up to hug him, although awkwardly, as Serafall has to force herself to stand up from her chair. Nonetheless, the hug is effective as the dragon drowns in their affection.
"You can be such a foolish idiot, but we still love you even with that," Serafall says.
"I-"
"Stop. Just stop. Be silent and stop your stupid guilt loop, or I promise I will make you regret even trying to apologize once more. Just smile and be glad that it worked out in the end." Gabriel says as she ignores the fact that Yukime is seeing all this.
Ddraig grows silent as he closes his eyes and allows his body to accept the feelings.
Yukime closes the door and smirks to herself as she learns something new. "So the seraph was the next? You didn't waste your time on Ra's realm. You keep romancing girls as you go…. I need to be more careful from now on."
A couple of moments later.
"So you two are a thing now?" Yukime asks.
"Yes…. please keep it a secret," Gabriel replies as Ddraig sits beside her on the bed. She held his hand and rested her head on his shoulder like a maiden in love.
Yukime lowers her head. "I won't divulge such secrets to others, especially when it involves him."
"Ddraig did "try" to reject her, but he couldn't deny his own feelings. He did reject Sekhmet's advances, but Gabriel was too special." Serafall jokes.
"Sekhmet? As in the bloody lioness of the desert?" Yukime continues.
"That same one. Sekhmet was determined to take Ddraig to bed. She wanted to own him as a boy toy." Serafall explains.
"... It seems my list of targets for execution has grown. Another dangerous girl is trying to cut in and get ahead." Yukime says as her attitude turns colder and more deadly than usual.
Ddraig raises his hand. "I'm not going to get involved with her in that way, so let go of it."
"Are you sure that she won't get inside your pants?" Yukime asks as she points her finger at him.
"I'm 100% sure of it. There won't be anything between Sekhmet and me besides work or mutual support. I have never lied to you." Ddraig says as he tries to prevent a tragedy.
"... I'll trust you, but don't forget my words. "No whores near you." If you're going to keep romancing girls, you better be serious about each of them." Yukime says as she returns to her calm tone.
"My Lilith. If this is you before the relationship is official, I can't imagine what it will be like if it does become official." Serafall joins in.
"Yukime might turn more violent," Gabriel argues.
"Or she might become much softer. It will be a mystery until then. Anyways, what's the plan for you two? Where are you taking Ddraig while he's so nicely dressed?" Serafall asks as she examines his suit.
"Fresh air and visiting some places. Yasaka and the others involved in the mission must be waiting to see him. As the mission's leader, he should check on them and see how they are doing." Yukime replies.
Gabriel turns to Ddraig. "Right, we're the only ones that are still recovering. I should do the same once I'm able to walk around. They did their best to ensure the success of the hunt."
While she looked excited about meeting them, Ddraig didn't feel the same about the idea. "Yasaka must be mad at me. She tried to stop me and got injured while I let my anger get the best of me. The others must also be mad about my actions."
Serafall seems annoyed at his words. "Come on, my beloved idiot. They can't be mad about that. You fought alone against a million enemies while we were unconscious. If anything, they might feel ashamed of being unable to support you while you fought. Just visit them and tell them we'll be walking around soon enough."
"Serafall is right. I met with some of them already, and none showed anger at you. Baraqiel even claimed to have been useless, as his one job was to protect Ereshkigal, but he was also taken down. If anything, this experience has pushed everyone even more into training and working harder to protect the future that Alliance seeks. We're no longer fighting an invisible enemy; we know who they are and what they seek to achieve. Qlippoth and the Khaos Brigade, thanks to our prisoners, the Alliance has more insight into their inner works and plans. I have been reading all of Ereskhkigal's reports about her digging through the memories of Angra and the other two. As the one responsible for recompiling intel in our enemies, I was amazed at what she found." Yukime said.
The seraph's face becomes more concerned as she hears such words. "Tell us. I haven't had the time to read any of those documents, and my siblings have not been helpful as they claimed that I need to worry about recovering."
Serafall nods. "Sirzechs and the others have also banned me from any job until I'm out of this place. I like to know more about our enemies."
"With pleasure. Loki mainly leads Qlippoth alongside other evil gods, and their work focuses on gathering souls and producing equipment for the Khaos Brigade. They are the ones who also work on sustaining the mass production of devils, which function as the 90% troops of both organizations. This situation is thanks to Rizevim Lucifer, who provided Loki with Lilith, the Womb of Devils." Yukime begins.
"Bastard. He would use his own mother as a tool for war. Lilith shouldn't be forced to produce any more devils. She can't even move, speak, or think after creating our race; we should have put her out of her misery before she disappeared." Serafall holds her chest as she imagines Lilith's torture as her body is forced to continue acting as a monstrous womb that produces devil day and night.
"It is a fate worse than death, and not even Father would have placed it on her. Does Rizevim even have some sense of conscience?" Gabriel asks as she turns to face Serafall.
Serafall shakes her head. "None. That bastard is the vivid personification of ruthless and disgusting. We devils don't get the best images because of our past, but Rizevim is the living Antichrist. He enjoyed making everyone under him kill each other for his amusement. My childhood was non-existent as he claimed that if any devil could defeat me and my family, they would be allowed to take me as a bride. He was the main driving force behind the whole thing. Rizevim cares for nobody, not even his blood."
"You despise him, which means he inspires nothing but disgust. I'll also guess Rizevim didn't join the civil war, and this is why he escaped with Lilith?" Ddraig asks.
Serafall nods. "We never saw a report of his appearance on any battlefield. He would give orders from safe locations and disappear before we could reach him. Even when we took the Capital, he was nowhere to be seen. A coward that couldn't even die alongside his so-called allies."
"He must have seen his faction's imminent fall and escape before he could be executed. I had not seen a report or propaganda piece describing him as a worthy leader. Not even in the museums from the war. Did you erase his information from the records?" Yukime asks.
"... We couldn't put such things on display. Those weren't reports or propaganda that the public should even see. Have you ever seen someone parade around with the heads of its victims? Rizevim did something worse as he sacrificed a human enslaved person in public and kept her severed head around for weeks. One could smell the putrid scent of the head and even watch as maggots devoured the flesh. He was never sane or a person one should look up to, but that was the image he wanted devils to have. Be ruthless, be cruel, disregard decency, and erase the word mercy from your dictionary." Serafall explained as she remembered the disgust she experienced whenever Rizevim was in the same room as her.
"It should have been us who ended his life back when Father was still alive. If Rizevim had fallen alongside the other heads, maybe peace would have come around much more easily." Gabriel added.
Ddraig sighs. "It would be our task to slay him when the chance appears and give Lilith peace as well. She played her part in giving birth to devils. Becoming a weapon for war is a mistake for someone who gave it her all to create life."
Gabriel nods. "Regardless of the past, she must be allowed to rest. She played her role as your race's mother; now, as her descendants, you must release her."
"I know…. We all know that." Serafall says. The image of a massive glass box came back to her: A glass box that used to be displayed within the palace of the capital—one containing a grotesque creature that once had given birth to her race. She remembers exactly how she couldn't control the tears as she faced the dead eyes of Lilith that day. Like many, she couldn't bear to see her in such a state as she fell to her knees in prayer.
Lilith, their holy mother, the one that had taken the hand of the evil god Lucifer as her husband. Ancient texts describe her as the one who rebels against the Bible god and chooses a different path. But to Serafall and those devils that had joined the Alliance, Lilith was something sacred. Their godly mother was much more critical than Lucifer himself, as her very flesh had given birth to their race.
Now, they needed to give her peace as her own son was using her for his malicious plans.
"Right. Luckily for us, we have confirmation on where to find Lilith. Qlippoth's main base, the ship fleet, which constantly moves beyond our current grasp, is also the factory where the production occurs. If we intercept the fleet, we can get to Lilith and Loki. The coffin is still active and giving us some coordinates, but we still need to figure out how to pinpoint a place to intercept them. It might take us months and even years, but the mission would be one of our main ones, as failure won't be an option. I will make it my task to track down any leads that could help us achieve such an important goal; I already began to assemble a team which I'll train into the best agents that we could get to improve the intel we gather." Yukime says.
Ddraig nods. "We appreciate your determined efforts and those of your team. We'll entrust that responsibility to you, and any resources you might need will be offered to you."
Serafall and Gabriel nodded as they understood how crucial Yukime would be from now on as they chased after an almost unreachable enemy.
"Right. Returning to the reports, we also got more intel into the other enemies involved with Loki. Those include Whiro, Loviatar, Lamashtu, and the four Perils, among others." Yukime continues.
"For Gaia's sake, it is like meeting all the evil deities in several pantheons," Ddraig argues.
"We shouldn't be surprised. There will always be those who ally themselves under similar goals, be it for good or evil. Who says they can't join to cause chaos if we unite for peace?" Gabriel asks.
"Is not all evil gods," Yukime argues. "The Khaos Brigade, which is under Rizevim, has several curious members based on our reports. Gilgamesh, The 3rd, a distant descendant of the legendary "hero," is part of the brigade. So is the descendant of Joanne D'Arc and many other descendants of significant heroes of legend. Each one is getting equipment from Qlippoth. Thankfully, we have an agent inside the group who could give us accurate information on their movements."
"Tristan, I hope he's smart enough to escape when he sees himself in trouble. Le Fay would kill me if she learned her brother died because I allowed him to go behind enemy lines." Ddraig says as he tries not to imagine the worst.
"We gave him the tools necessary for his survival. We should remain confident in his skills, Ddraig. That boy won't let himself die while his family awaits his return." Serafall says as she tries to dispel his worries.
"He will return to us. Don't lose hope. A human who has been training in such challenging environments won't die that easily. If anything, he might be the one to save us from doom in the future." Gabriel joins in.
"They are both right. If anything, Tristan's actions will increase our chances of success. We must remain hopeful about the child as much as we should stay optimistic about the young Buddha that sleeps inside you, Ddraig. Tell me, how is he? Has something changed since the last time Issei returned?" Yukime focuses her eyes on him.
Serafall and Gabriel do the same.
Ddraig grew silent as he tried to remember the memories he obtained from Issei.
Inside the dream of Gautama.
"You seem tired, yet you continue forward. Tell me, is all this time inside here insufficient to make you question your path?" Gautama asked his student.
"Giving up won't protect them. It is because of them that I must continue." Issei replies as his blazing feet turn the sand into glass. "I can't allow myself to fail." On his hands rested two weapons as his only companions on this solitary path.
The desert was covered in the corpses of his previous attempts at the impossible task that was imposed on him.
"I know, but even then, I wonder if this path would offer you peace. How long has it been since we began? Ten cycles? 20? 100? You're burning your humanity away and with each cycle, you are letting go more of those attachments to your past self. This might be a dream, but it shows exactly what you're becoming. I… can't say if there's any humanity left inside to be rescued. You're not like any other human Buddha."
"Is that a bad thing? Isn't a Buddha supposed to go beyond their current self?"
"Yes, but also it requires that one doesn't forget the past self. One must accept the past to move toward the future, but you can't even remember the past, the former human you once were. Nor do you want to."
As Issei continues forward, his eyes see a sand figure in the distance. It resembles a child, a child that he couldn't recognize anymore.
Issei looks away. "I don't need it to continue. I… not that human anymore, nor can I return to it."
"But you feel the void it left, yet you choose to ignore it? Doesn't it hurt? Doesn't it make you want to turn back?"
"... Not anymore. They, those I care for, will continue to fill that void. Ddraig's memories are my own, and they are enough for me to continue on." The young Buddha says as he looks forward and never back.
Gautama takes a deep breath as he continues to watch his student. "I feel sorry for you. I truly do, Issei. Look at your face."
A mirror appears before Issei. A tall adult body is shown. Several draconic tattoos covered every inch of his torso, while his right arm was covered with large rosary beads, but the most surprising change was his head. What used to be a human head was a blazing skull with sharp teeth and hollow, deep, green, flaming eyes. Two large horns had broken through the skull's frontal bone, giving it a more menacing appearance.
"Is this the appearance of a human?" Gautama asks.
"No… is the appearance of the current "me." The one that I choose to accept. Shiva's candidate for Buddhahood. The second head of the current Welsh Dragon….. I embrace this "me," and I won't ever turn back. So allow me to burn, Gautama. Allow me to keep burning until I'm strong enough to protect them. To protect those who are filling this void." Issei says as he walks past the mirror.
A tiny flaming halo starts to take shape on his back.
"Will you continue even if you can't ever see those you left behind?" Gautama asks.
More sand figures appear around Issei, each representing people he could no longer recognize.
None seemed to make him doubt or even stop as he continued forward.
"They can't reach me anymore, nor can I," Issei argues.
"Are you sure about your answer? Are you sure nobody is waiting for the human you're letting go of? Is there nobody waiting for the Issei of the past?" Gautama pushes on.
"I… don't know." Issei stops before a figure of two children holding hands. His broken memories made him reflect as he tried to recall the girl's face.
The few remaining scramble pieces were not enough for him to clearly remember her, but he could still feel his lingering attachment to her. To the joy and happiness she once offered him. The friend he so cheerfully followed around Kuoh.
"I…ri…na…" Issei barely remembers her name.
"Is she enough for you to turn back the wheel? Is she the person to whom you should return to? The one that holds the key to your humanity?" Gautama asks.
"..." Issei grows silent as he tries to answer, but before he can't even turn around to look back to his forgotten past, the memories he had made alongside Tiamat, Ophis, Tosca, and the others made him stop. The rising beating of his heart reassures him that this is the path forward. "No…. She's not my future. I must continue towards my destiny."
"Then you know what one must do, young Buddha. Never doubt and keep burning. Burn brighter than the very stars in the heavens. Burn until not even the coldest of winters can stop your flames. Burn for your flames will protect the future. Embrace thy path, Buddha of the Everlasting Flames. Embrace the destiny that is yours and Ddraig. Slay the beast, young Buddha; failure is not an option." Gautama says as he incites him to embrace the flames.
*Unravel- TK from Ling Toshite Shigure*
As the ground beneath him shakes, the crimson flames spill out from Issei in all directions. The young Buddha growls like a wild beast as more body parts transform and appear more draconic with the second.
The flaming halo grows in size as his transformation into Buddha enters a new stage.
From beneath the sand, his opponent arises as its seven heads lunge forward to devour him. Issei spreads his wings and evades each one before he sees an opening and severs one of the heads with his sword from the rest of the body.
The beast cries in pain as its remaining heads charge several blasts, which they fire against Issei.
Beams of pure destructive energy try to enclose him, but the Buddha pushes on and pierces right through them with the help of his spear. He had no fear in his eyes as he saw only one path forward, and it was the beast's death before him.
Once he's past the beams, Issei charges forward but gets smacked away as Trihexa spins and hits him with its massive tails.
The tiny Buddha crashes into the sand but quickly recovers as Trihexa bears its massive jaws against him. "Its speed doesn't match its size. I shouldn't forget that."
The beast spreads its own wings and takes off into the sky before its body regenerates any damage that Issei inflicted upon it.
"That damn regeneration!" Issei curses the beast's unnatural ability to recover with such ease, but his nightmare has just begun as he witnesses its next move.
Several clumps of flesh start to pop off from Trihexa's body before each one grows large until a new Trihexa is created. These new copies are equal in size to the original; after counting each, the number reaches 66.
Issei glares at the beasts as he sees how they almost seem to smirk at him, but this doesn't make him back down. "Hear my call, arise from the flames, and aid me in slaying the beast that threatens our lives. I call upon thee, my army!"
Figures start to take shape from within the flames that now consume the desert. Instead of the usual flaming copies, it was something different as Sirzechs, Tiamat, and others were remade into perfect flaming copies.
Leading all of these copies was no other than a copy of the massive Welsh Dragon, which charged forward and tackled the original beast's enormous body into the ground, although Trihexa was much larger.
"You will fall to us on this night!" Issei screamed as he set out with his army to make the impossible into a reality.
Gautama's POV.
"Anger, fear, love, rage, mercy, hope; humans possess the ability to do many things, to feel all these emotions, but you're far from a human. You willingly accept the path of carnage for the sake of the future, a direction in which you'll bleed until not a single drop of blood remains in your body. So pure is your desire to fight for the future that you have discarded any remains of your humanity. I feel sorry for you the most amongst the trillions of humans I have seen over the ages."
As he watched the pair face the fake beast, he couldn't help but pity the former human. He knew there was no path to reverse the changes he had suffered. The Issei that once had a path alongside humanity was truly dead now, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he was far from the end of his transformation.
"Is still incomplete. Something is missing, but soon he will achieve it. He will truly become a Buddha like no other across the realms, but even with that, I can't help but feel guilty. I'm sorry, child, for being unable to protect you from the future that awaits you."
The screams of Issei only increased his guilt as he knew that the fight had just begun.
Back to the real world. Ddraig's POV.
"He has a halo, which means he has stepped into the realm of a Buddha, but he might be losing pieces of his former self. The Issei before any of this or us might never return. He will continue to shed his former self until not even the memories that Yukime holds can restore his former humanity. His face even resembles a burning horned skull inside the dream." Ddraig explains to the group. "He even feels far sharper and more brutal than I ever was. Is both impressive and scary as he has let go of so much."
His words take everyone by surprise.
"Burning skull? Has his transformation into a Buddha been so drastic?" Gabriel asks.
"I have no way of explaining it," Ddraig replies.
"We can worry about it, but this might be his only way forward. As long as he remains the same Issei at the core, a few changes here and there won't make a difference." Serafall argues.
"But a burning skull seems extreme. Maybe it should be time for Issei's return. What could happen next? Will he shed even the memories he has with us? Will he become a bloodthirsty monster?" Yukime seemed worried about his transformation.
Ddraig shakes his head. "It is best to wait and remain hopeful because he's doing all this for us, the Alliance, and the era we're trying to create. He chose this path, and I wish to respect it. He won't forget any of us."
The three girls seemed concerned about Issei but wanted to trust him as much as Ddraig did. If Ddraig, who knew him best, was still confident about Issei's choice, they could only show the same faith as the dragon.
Outside the Intensive Care Wing. General POV.
As Ddraig and Yukime made their way outside the building, several sets of eyes watched them while hiding at a safe distance.
"That is the Welsh Dragon: our leader and one of the most essential heads within the Alliance. Each of you will be working alongside him in some cases as the years go by. Remember his face and learn as much as possible while hiding your presence. This is your practice mission for today. Yukime will be watching, do your best." Kuroka said as she stood behind a group of masked agents.
Each one of the agents hid their identities and even their race as their attires were explicitly made to keep them hidden—no faces, no real names, and only codes that would distinguish one member from the next.
This was the squadron Shadow of the Dragon, and their activities would play a big paper in the future of the Alliance.
"You got your orders. Depart and remain hidden." Kuroka ordered the group.
Each agent disappeared except for a single one. A single three-digit code followed by an animal name was visible on the right shoulder area of the dark cloak covering the agent's body.
"001-Raven, you should depart," Kuroka told the agent.
"Instructor Kuroka ... The Welsh Dragon…. Will I ever get the chance to speak with him? I wish for a one-on-one with him." Agent Raven asks. Its voice got distorted by an integrated device on the mask covering the agent's face. One couldn't know even the gender or age of the agent.
"... That I don't know. Your missions might not leave time for you to talk to him about anything besides work, but some occasions might allow this to happen. You might have a chance." Kuroka approaches the agent and places her hand on its shoulder. "But know this: the Welsh Dragon is someone I care about, and if you intend to hurt him, me and Yukime will interfere. I don't care what your intentions entail, but his safety comes first. I don't trust anyone who asks for something so personal so easily."
Kuroka glares at the agent as she can't see the expression behind the mask.
"... I understand. I apologize if I offended you. I... just wish to speak with him." Agent Raven steps away from Kuroka and jumps off the building.
Kuroka's eyes follow Raven as she disappears in the distance. "Such mysterious staff, Yukime has recruited. I hope I never have to eliminate any of them, but Raven concerns me. Why is she so interested in Ddraig?"
The young reincarnated devil could only ponder and feel drawn to figure out the connection between Raven and the Welsh Dragon.
