Ise stared at the ceiling of 'his' bedroom, before he woke up - revealing that he was only clad in a pair of shorts that was a little too small on him - it belonged to the other him, since Issei only brought what he brought when he was going to school.
The clothes were too tight and short, further cementing the difference in musculature and height between him and the other Issei.
He glanced around, noticing the clock that read 5 in the morning. His sleep lasted a few hours after that talk with Rias.
Talking with Rias about her other counterpart did great on lightening his mood, and she was not much different than his Rias.
However, remembering the talk with Rias also reminded him that he was still not at home.
The readings he had before Rias came in, did not help him much. So far, his only clue was the brief sensation he felt on his way to school yesterday.
Honestly, he should have touched more on the subject of para-dimensional concepts and the chiliocosm from the Demons. They might have something for this since Ermias did state that Time Magic past a certain point is Taboo, messes with the concept of existence and stuff.
Parallel dimension or not, his morning routine calls.
Walking towards the dresser, he picked out a set of jersey pants and t-shirt. When he put them on, he confirmed that the others did not go through the same regimen as he did, since the clothes were a little too small; not to the point of uncomfortable, but the fabric was clearly latched against his skin.
Deciding not to mind the clothes too much, Issei then stepped out, intending to go through his morning run.
However, on the way to the front door, he ran into a familiar face that he did not see yesterday.
"...Ophis?" Ise blinked.
In return, the dragon god simply stared back at him without uttering a word. The silence grew more awkward by seconds.
Issei looked around, saw no one else around. He then carefully walked towards Ophis, who was undeterred by his approach.
Eventually, Issei knelt and was face-to-face with Ophis.
"...I guess this is our first meeting… Do you need something?" Ise was not sure how to approach this Ophis since she was stupidly overpowered.
Wait a second - He blinked when he noticed the aura surrounding Ophis.
Usually, the aura surrounding the dragon god appeared like a giant dome of nothingness. However, the said dome was looking significantly smaller than Issei recalled.
Did something happen to this Ophis?
"...Come closer."
"Hm?" Ise was snapped out from his musing when Ophis reached out to him.
He leaned closer enough for the dragon god to caress his face with her small hands. A few seconds later, Ophis blinked - her expression shifted slightly in understanding.
"I see, how curious…" Ophis remarked. "Look like Issei, but not Issei… You have something strange in you. Not a Devil but like a Devil, yet human."
"I have the powers of a Demon." Ise answered. "I am part of the Mastema Bloodline. Bet you didn't hear about the Demons."
"Hn." Ophis nodded.
"...Your skin… your eyes… They are tricky."
"Flesh of the Spawn of the Trihexa." Ise answered. "I lost my eyes and skin, and some muscles from a fight. A friend brought me back and replaced the missing parts."
"Ahhh… Where is Ddraig?"
"Ddraig is… not dead where I'm from. He's free from Boosted Gear."
"Truly?" Ophis asked, surprised.
"Nothing is unbreakable as I've learned. I heard even God's Longinus broke where I'm from." Ise was finally getting somewhere judging by the reaction from Ophis' mien.
"Oh... Interesting."
"You have no idea. Do you want to hear what my place is like? There is another Ophis like you."
"Hm." Ophis nodded as she finally let go of Issei's face, "I, shall listen, but now… I want food."
Ise blinked and snorted.
"Huh... Yeah, you're no different than the Ophis I know. What do you want? Chocolate? Some fancy dried squid?" Ise said as he picked Ophis up into his arms.
"What is inside the refrigerator?" Ophis asked as she allowed herself to be carried away.
OxO
Ise looked up to the sky that slowly became brighter as the morning sun approached. After serving Ophis some sandwiches and returning her to her room, he finally went out for a morning run.
His neighborhood was so similar in appearance no matter how many streets he passed, it was eerie.
His mind looked back at the day when he was stranded; the sensation he felt before he found himself in this reality… He wondered if there was anyone else in his home who was transported to his current place as well.
So this was what being in a parallel world was like. He did not think it was possible, but considering the above God-level beings he encountered, it should not be, but it was like opening a can of worms that should not be opened in the first place.
He wondered if he should start checking, but he did not have many resources. They were cut off, and his only viable help was Azazel.
But it should be near impossible to tell the difference other than their experience and such. Kiba should not be hard, Vali was a big 'if', the others… he honestly did not know.
His musing was interrupted when he met a familiar face along the way.
"Oh, Ise. Good morning." Yuuto greeted. The Knight was clad in his own jersey suit.
"Mornin' Kiba." Ise returned and the two found themselves running side by side at equal pace.
"You know, for a second I thought you're the Ise I know." Yuuto remarked with a wry smile, "Almost caught me by surprise to see him waking up early for a morning run."
Ise snorted slightly, "Other me here doesn't do that?"
"I don't want to say that he's a slacker, but…" Yuuto took a glance at the muscles that were visible through Ise's tee, "I believe his training regimen is lighter than yours."
"Makes me want to whip him into shape if we meet. Hell, I know a good evil coach that would do it for fun," Ise joked, earning an amused smile from the Knight.
Along the way, they also exchanged quick greetings to neighbors in their own morning rituals and patrolling officers.
"Say, since you are from a different world… Anything different with the neighborhood so far?" Yuuto asked with a curious tone.
"Aside from one or two houses? None." Ise shook his head, "But tell me a little about yourself for comparison. What is your Balance Breaker like? Any special demon sword on you?"
Issei asked because he realized the only reason Yuuto had Muramasa was because of Black, and Black did not exist here.
Yuuto blinked at the question before replying, "...Well, my Balance Breaker should be like your Yuuto's, a fusion of Swordbirth and Blade Blacksmith. As for Demon swords, I am in possession of four. Are you familiar with Gram, Balmung, Nothung, Tyrfing and Dainsleif?"
"All from Norse, and famous in their own right," Ise remarked. "So you don't have Muramasa on you?"
"...Muramasa?"
Ise's lips curled up as Yuuto stared at him.
The Knight blinked, "...That Muramasa? The legendary katana of Japan, Muramasa?"
Ise nodded, "Oh yeah, that Muramasa. Kiba from my home is an official Samurai now… and I guess you're still the princely knight."
"I don't believe it. Honestly, thinking about it, Rias might personally search for this Muramasa herself if she heard it's real."
"Is she obsessed with all things Japanese as well?
"Mhm."
"The difference between our Rias is so thin you can't guess who is who, huh?"
Both boys smiled at the prospect of their Rias-es meeting each other.
"How did your - other me get this Muramasa though?"
"Oh, that's a funny story. You see, it all started when a buddy of mine got this sword from the Black Market…"
Yuuto ended up following Ise all the way back to the Hyoudou Residence after the latter retells the former of the story between Yuuto Kiba and the Muramasa sword.
"I'm home! And I brought Kiba with me." Ise announced his return after entering through the front door.
"Welcome!"
Ise blinked when it was 'his' mother who greeted them. "...Err, good morning, mom."
"Good morning." Miki Hyoudou greeted before she abruptly paused to look at her son up and down. "Wow, Ise… I see that you've been working out."
Ise looked down and noticed that his abs were visible through the fabric of his T-shirt..
"Um… I guess? Everyone's been helping me with…. This." Ise said while gesturing his body, before he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head.
"I see…" Miki nodded slowly before her smile returned, "Well, I'm just about to prepare breakfast. Why don't you boys take it easy and wash yourselves up?"
"We'll do that. But… Kiba and I want to head to the basement a bit." Ise and Yuuto shared a nod.
"Some male-bonding?" Miki smirked suggestively before she laughed, "Sure thing, we still have time before breakfast anyway. Have fun!"
Ise and Yuuto then saw Miki heading towards the dining table, where she exchanged a quick greeting and morning kiss with her husband.
"...Man, I'm gonna need some time to get used to that." Ise whispered with Yuuto patting his back sympathetically, as they made their way to the training room.
OxO
Rias and the others usually woke up around the same time every morning. Normally, at least Rias and Asia would wake up next to Ise on his bed, waking him up for the day.
Due to the latest development, the two opted to sleep in their respective rooms; and when the morning came, they woke up and found that Ise's bedroom was empty. Fortunately, it did not take long to find him when Miki told them that Ise had apparently gone for a morning run and brought Yuuto back, and the boys were currently in the basement training room.
When they arrived in the spacious training room, Ise and Yuuto were standing in the middle of the sparring arena - the former was watching the latter conjuring his signature holy-demonic sword.
"Sword of the Betrayer…" Ise repeated the name of the balance breaker. "My Kiba's version is more like Blade Blacksmith and Sword Birth fused with Muramasa as their link, made a more… sturdier Katana version. So can you summon samurai warrior golems made from your swords or something?" Issei asked.
"So he can do it as well..." Yuuto remarked as he activated his other Balance Breaker.
Four armored dragon knights came into existence between Yuuto and Issei.
Issei quirked a brow at them, "Dragon knights? Huh, aesthetics differ based on circumstances, good to know. But are they as strong as the demon samurais I know?"
Issei placed one hand behind his back and summoned a sphere of blue fire with the other.
Yuuto widened his eyes at Issei's use of pyromancy.
"...What else can you do that our Issei couldn't?" Yuuto asked.
"You'll have to find out the hard way." Issei grinned as he snuffed the blue fire out, before he shifted his stance.
One hand behind his back, and his other hand taunted Yuuto to come at him.
Yuuto inhaled as the dragon knights drew their swords, each holding one of the four legendary demon swords as they charged at Ise, who remained still until the knight with Balmung confronted him.
The sword swung, but the blade's motion was interrupted by a hand grabbing Balmong's hilt, Ise pirouetting around that knight, ripping the sword out its grip while swinging the dragon knight in a wide arc, smacking the other dragon knights away.
Yuuto was startled when Ise came at him with Balmung.
Demonic power surged like a solar flare at a level Yuuto had never seen as it covered Ise's frame in a dark-crimson shadow, his golden glowing eyes the only thing Yuuto could see within the darkness as Ise swung.
"Whoa!" Yuuto summoned a wall of swords.
A wave of destruction rushed past him, ripping a cone off the floor and destroying the wall behind Yuuto, erasing his conjured swords like air. The magical enchantments reinforcing the room to withstand the damage shattered as Yuuto stood there, stunned by the sheer power Ise wrought out of Balmung.
"Huh. So this is how it feels to wield Balmung. Sweet." Ise looked at the demonic dragon-slayer with curiosity.
"A bit traitorous though. I can feel the sword begging me to keep it," Ise mentioned as he swung it again at the other side of the wall, firing another wave of destructive energy at an output Yuuto could not hope to reach without killing himself.
"...Ise." Yuuto called out, snapping out of his stupor after seeing the second wave of destruction. "How in the world did you do that?"
"Do what?" Ise asked as he looked at Yuuto.
"How can you use Balmung like that? I didn't even see Siegfried use Balmung to that extent."
"...I winged it." Ise smiled.
"Winged it? The sword is extremely draining to the user, to the point of consuming your life force if used so recklessly!" Yuuto shouted.
"...Really?" Ise tilted his head. "I felt nothing though. I'm not even trying, this is just me testing the waters."
"Testing the waters…." Yuuto looked stupefied before he sighed in defeat, "I really need to ask you to teach me."
"Don't think I can teach you that." Ise denied with an apologetic smile. "I always had a strange affinity with magic swords since birth, you know… but I think you have yet to become one with the weapon and its power. My teacher once gave pointers to Xenovia, and she could use her Holy swords much better than ever. Even more so after showing her a trick in connecting with the sentience of her weapons."
"Wait, really? Is that possible?" Yuuto asked.
"Yeah. Want to continue? I will try to hit you this time." Ise grinned from cheek to cheek.
However, before the two boys could have gone for more, they finally noticed the spectators from the corner of their eyes.
"...Oh." Ise remarked when he learned the girls had been watching.
"Good morning… I must say, I am surprised that your prowess exceeds expectations." Rias greeted with a smile.
"What? Envious that you're stuck with your hopeless pervert now?" Ise joked.
"Nope~" She winked. "I will still pick our Issei no matter how interesting you are. Though I would have to ask that you return Balmung to Yuuto, even if it is treacherous like you said."
"Makes me wonder how he is doing back at my place. Part of me hopes he is doing well."
"Part of you?" Rias raised a brow.
"Can't say all of me after the crap I've watched. But don't worry, as long as he doesn't screw up and cause a misunderstanding, he'll be alright."
OxO
Koneko fought against many opponents in the Rating Games and from Khaos Brigade.
However, even with full powers unleashed, she still could not land a hit against this version of Issei Hyoudou, who was fending off her Senjutsu and Ki-based attacks with just one hand while dodging and deflecting Rias' and Akeno's erasure and holy lightning.
Then Ise broke through her attack and grabbed her head, lifting her before Akeno's holy lightning as he fired a stream of lightning from his other hand at Rias.
Yuuto dashed in with Balmung just when the lightning struck Koneko, but his blade was deflected to his dumbfoundment, by his foot of all things. It felt less like his sword hit his shoe, but more like hitting something like a repelling magnet guiding his sword to Ise's other side in an arc; the other-worlder stomping Balmung onto the floor.
Rias and Koneko cried out when the divine lightning and holy lightning struck them.
"Koneko!" Akeno shouted.
"President!" Yuuto shouted with worry when Rias crashed into the wall.
"Don't look away." Ise threw Koneko at Akeno before he moved to Yuuto.
Yuuto flinched, but he was too late when Ise's palm touched his head.
"I've been through much, you know? Let me try something fun."
Ise lifted Yuuto by his head…. Only to immediately sense an attack from his flank. On reflex, he threw Yuuto at the incoming Irina like a rock, while he intercepted Xenovia coming with her Durandal.
When the blade descended, Ise reached out and pressed his palm against the flat surface of the blade, maneuvered his footwork and redirected the sword's destructive force at Irina and Yuuto, before Ise drove his elbow to Xenovia's abdomen, forcing a pained cough of spittle as she bent forward.
"Poke." Ise flicked Xenovia's head.
The force behind the flick threw her into the air towards Irina and Yuuto when they picked themselves up only to have Xenovia crash upon them.
Everyone was in the middle of recovering from the one-sided beatdown - Xenovia in particular, soon realized that she had lost her hold on her Durandal, which was being held by Ise.
The devils stared at the sight of Ise appraising the holy sword in his hand. The energy surrounding the sword fluctuated in defiance for a few seconds, before it eventually calmed down.
Ise nodded and took a quick sniff at the said sword, "...Huh, Durandal here is more or less the same as the one where I came from. Good to know." He then stabbed the sword to the ground and addressed the others.
"Welp, good news, guys!" Ise scanned at his downed opponents, "You guys are not total shite! But still, you're rougher than the ones I know back home!"
It was later that day in the Hyoudou Residence. Thankfully, the school had gone without any incident. However, Ise was confronted by one Aika Kiryuu, who was perceptive enough to notice the subtle difference. Thankfully again, he was able to dodge the question, courtesy of being 'saved by the bell'.
Club Activity - or more like, the devils happened to receive a few requests which were completed without much trouble, leaving the rest of the free time being used for Ise to 'observe' how far everyone had gone in terms of combat power. Hence they went home early and everyone had their asses handed to Ise soundly.
"Uggghh…. Did you really have to treat us like rocks? We're not objects, Ise," Irina complained as she picked herself up, rubbing her head.
"Using others as meat shields is important when you're alone." Ise smiled from ear to ear.
"That's cruel." Koneko puffed her cheeks.
"It's true. Also, you fight like a tank when you could DPS. You should use your nimble body to your advantage, Koneko. I told the other you where I'm from, about this, and it seems you didn't learn the lesson. Kiba, you're wasting the true potential of your Sacred Gear. It can create almost any kind of sword, with almost any effect; emphasis on ANY, acid, energy drain, sealing - use your head for crying out loud, you're not just a swordsman, you're a magic swordsman. Rias, Akeno, you both are too lax as long range fighters. Learn how to move for crying out loud, you're not in a game where you're in GOD mode all the time. Xenovia, Irina, you two… I don't know how to nitpick you two. Irina, you should focus on either close combat or magic since you're also a magic swordsman, but you're too reliant on your versatility to improve your power output to an acceptable level. Xenovia, you're too predictable. Where's your skill and tactics? A swordsman isn't all about brawn… and Asia."
Ise turned to Asia who was healing the others that had fallen.
"I guess you're not a combatant, but… Do you at least know how to defend yourself?"
"Y-Yes! I have Rassei with me just in case." Asia meekly replied with the baby Sprite Dragon perched on her head.
"...So that's Rassei?" Ise remarked the small dragon that hissed at him to his amusement.
"What? Is Rassei from your world different?" Xenovia asked with a curious tone.
"The Rassei I know is a baby Imoogi, and he's much, much cuter and fun to be around," Ise replied.
Rassei hissed at him and flew towards him like a missile, lightning dancing around his body as he tackled Ise's face.
Then Rassei started clawing his face for effect and biting his nose. Issei was not amused as he grabbed the Sprite Dragon and held him in his hand.
Asia ran towards Ise to stop Rassei's rampage.
"...And he isn't hostile to the same sex." Ise added as he handed the struggling Rassei back to Asia, placing him back on her head, the dragon still hissing at him, "Anyway, let's see what we can do here…" he tapped on his chin and his eyes landed on Koneko.
"Right, before I forget; Koneko, how far have you gone with your Senjutsu and Youjutsu?"
Koneko replied, "Um… I guess I have the basics covered through old textbooks…"
"...So you're a little behind…" Ise concluded.
"I wouldn't say behind. It's more like… you look like you're way ahead of the curve." Rias gave her input.
"Not sure on that. Actually, have you made contact with your sister?" Ise asked.
Koneko blinked, "Um… She did suggest teaching me more about Senjutsu and Youjutsu, but… She hasn't appeared again ever since." Then, Koneko fidgeted, "...Back in your world, is my sister, by any chance…?"
At the sight of Koneko's uneasy expression, Ise's face softened, "I… think your sister was still once a fugitive after killing her master and all, but… If it's worth anything, you two made up before I came here."
"I see…" Koneko replied, with a small smile appearing on her face.
"You need help talking to your sister?" Ise offered.
Koneko softly shook her head, "No, thank you, Ise-senpai. I think… I think I can manage."
Ise hummed and nodded, "...Okay, if you say so."
However, the door to the training room was opened, revealing Ravel, "Um… Everyone? We have some guests."
Everyone blinked and saw Kuroka popping out and standing behind Ravel, "Ciao~!"
[Kuroka!?]
Ise was the only one who remained calm at the sight of the Black Cat, who had Le Fay following suit.
"Um… Good afternoon, everyone."
"Yo. Glad to see Vali's taking care of you well," Ise waved at her.
Kuroka perked when she laid eyes on Issei.
"Ise-chin…? There's something different about you…" Kuroka walked closer to Ise until they were face to face.
Ise was inwardly amused while putting on a calm expression as Kuroka appraised him. The longer the Black Cat looking at him up and down, the more confused she was. She even took a step back to appraise his whole person, even stepped in closer and sniffed at him, ignoring the other girls who were secretly smiling in mild amusement.
"Your scent… Doesn't smell like a devil…"
Ise only blinked when Kuroka leaned forward and gave a quick lick on his face. "What the hell…? You don't even taste like a virgin."
The remark caused the other girls to perk up and stare at Ise, who did not know that Kuroka could literally taste one's virginity. Wait, Kuroka did not have a reason to tell, she was always like that back home.
Unwilling to allow the situation grow even more awkward, Ise decided to cut in, "What brings you two here? Where's Vali, by the way?"
It appeared Ise's question also prompted Rias to ask her own question as well, "Yes, that's right. Kuroka, how did you even get here?"
"That's a secret, nya~. Besides, didn't the Fallen Angel Governor tell you about our arrival?" She winked at Rias, who blinked and checked on the messages in her phone.
"As for Vali and others, they're not coming because they are busy with other stuff." Kuroka carried on.
True to Kuroka's words - instead of notifying her directly, Azazel simply chose to type a casual message about Kuroka and Le Fay's visit.
"...Damn him." Rias sighed as she read the message to her chagrin.
"Anywaaaays~ Care to tell me what happened to Ise-chin? Are you sure that this is Issei? He looks and feels like him, but-"
"...Yes, we know." Akeno answered.
"...Kuroka is here to teach Koneko Senjutsu and Youjutsu, according to the message. Le Fay is meant to help give advice to Issei… on contracting magicians." Rias explained as everyone looked at Issei.
"...I never bothered with the contracting thing in the first place because it seems more trouble than it's worth, but I guess it's about prestige for your people. How does it work, though? Is it like a Divine Pact sort of thing, where you have to follow the rules to the letter else you get smited, or is it something more casual?" Ise asked.
Rias sighed while rubbing her forehead, "That's right…. I actually forgot that our other Ise was supposed to make a pact with a magician around this time."
"Who? And you still didn't answer my question," Issei asked.
"Um, hello~? You guys are making me and Le Fay-chan confused now. What is this about other Ise-chin and what-not?" Kuroka interrupted, her expression became a tad annoyed.
Ise exchanged glances with everyone, who looked uncertain and could only shrug at him. Sighing in resignation, he then turned to Kuroka.
"Can you call Vali and others over somehow? If you guys are gonna show up on a regular basis, I might as well clear things up with that edgelord wannabe."
"Um, but Mr. Vali, my brother and others are busy at the moment…." Le Fay replied meekly.
"What's he even doing? Training his ass all day long? Looking for Gods to challenge or something?" Ise snarked.
Kuroka and Le Fay exchanged looks - something was definitely going on with the Red Dragon Emperor before them. Nonetheless, Kuroka replied, "Vali is investigating extinct monsters and old legends… Particularly Evil Dragons."
"Like Grendel? Or is it Azi Dahaka? Or maybe Nidhogg?" Ise replied, earning blinks from Kuroka and Le Fay.
"...Those are… the dragons Vali are investigating… How'd you know their names?" Le Fay pointed out.
"Wait, you haven't faced them yet? Huh. Anyways, just call him over. Trust me, if he's the same Vali I know, he'll definitely want to be here."
Kuroka and Le Fay exchanged another look, with the former nodding. Le Fay then conjured a magic circle over her ear and began speaking.
"Um, hello, Mr. Vali? I'm sorry for the sudden call, is this a bad time?" Le Fay asked, paused for a few seconds before replying again, "...Well, I'm not sure if this is an emergency, but Mr. Issei wanted you to come over."
Then, Le Fay looked a little panicked as she looked between the telepathic link over her ear and Issei, who guessed that Vali began to ask questions. Not wanting to waste time, Ise approached Le Fay and leaned until his mouth was next to the magic circle next to Le Fay's ear.
One thing about telepathic magic - due to its magical nature, the communication was strictly private between each end of the line. However, Issei put his finger on Le Fay's hand and channeled his magic through his voice and somewhat 'hacked' into the link between Vali and Le Fay.
"Hey, Vali. You there? It's me, your so-called rival."
Le Fay yelped at the sudden intrusion while Kuroka was looking quizzically at everyone while pointing at Issei.
"...What do you mean, how'd I get your line? Look, that's not what matters now. Listen pal, you want to know about the Evil Dragons? Khaos Brigade has Grendel, Azi Dehaka, and Nidhogg in their ranks, so don't bother continuing whatever you're doing."
"...You want to know where I know that from? Then get your pasty white ass here. Make sure to bring Arthur, Bikou and Fenrir too if you want."
Everyone stared at Ise as a tense pause weighed the air, as Le Fay slowly dispelled her communication magic. Ise, on the other hand, looked nonchalant as he patiently standing, waiting for the arrival of his other rival.
It took nearly a minute when the door was opened and revealed Vali Lucifer, followed by the rest of his team.
"...Issei Hyoudou, what is it you want to tell me-", Vali's speech was abruptly stopped as soon as his eyes landed upon Ise.
Everyone - including Arthur, Bikou and Fenrir watched Vali appraising Issei with trepidation. A minute later, Vali's lips grew into a feral grin.
"Issei Hyoudou…. I want you to fight me now."
Everyone balked at Vali's sudden request. However, in return, Ise only snorted, "Different realm, same battle junkie. Alright, why not? Could use the workout. Though…." He looked around at the enclosed space of the training room.
"Maybe not here, yeah?"
It took some searching, but they were able to find an isolated, uninhabited island that could serve as the battle ground between Ise and Vali.
Ise was clad in a fitting dark red T-shirt and jersey pants, as well as going bare-footed; doing stretches and warm-ups while Vali watched from a few distance in front of him while the others watched from the side.
"...Albion, are you seeing this?" Vali asked with the Divine Dividing manifested on his back.
[I don't understand Vali… I still cannot sense the Red One inside him… Yet something definitely happened to Issei Hyoudou. I can only warn you to be careful with him.]
The Vanishing Dragon replied. When Vali Lucifer arrived in the Hyoudou Residence and laid his eyes upon Issei Hyoudou, some kind of vision flashed in his mind - an image that was born from his sheer instinct as a fighter, as a warrior.
The White Dragon Emperor found himself standing in front of an enormous cavern, and something massive, powerful was lurking from the darkness inside, ready to attack him as soon as he took even one step closer. His instinct flared, his blood boiled at the prospect of a good fight.
"Say, Rias, I didn't see Vali with us in the mansion before. What's he usually doing with the other me?" Ise called out.
Other me? - Vali blinked at the question while Rias answered.
"Um….. Not much? Vali Lucifer was never been around us much to begin with." Rias replied.
Ise glanced at Rias as he finished his stretching, "...Well, since your Issei is a hopeless pervert, I can see why. Okay, then. Yo, Vali! You ready?"
[Vanishing Dragon Balance Breaker!]
In return, Vali simply equipped his Scale Mail, "...Are you?"
Ise nodded and took a deep Awakening Breath, his footing and arms shifted as he took on his stance.
"...Issei Hyoudou, why are you not using your Boosted Gear?" Vali asked.
In return, Ise smirked, "Hmmm, I don't know. Come and find out if you can."
Vali hummed before replying, "Is that so…. Then, come!"
As soon as Vali finished speaking, Ise had vanished from his spot and closed the distance.
He's fast!
Everyone gasped in shock when Vali barely managed to guard himself against Ise's barrage of strikes on his body. The latter blinked and activated his Meta Vision when the White Dragon Emperor leapt away to gain some distance.
An array of defensive spells coating his armor… Typical Vali - Ise grinned as he gave chase to his opponent.
From the spectator's side, everyone was stupefied at the sight of Ise landing the first, solid hits on the White Dragon Emperor.
"Holy shit! What the hell was that?! Since when can the Red Dragon move like that?!" Bikou exclaimed.
"...And I don't see him using his Boosted Gear either, what in the world happened?" Arthur wondered.
The members of ORC were at loss for words - the practice match they had, showed the gap between them and this Ise, but Vali Lucifer was supposedly on an entirely different level. Ise claimed that he no longer possessed the Boosted Gear, but the lack of raw power of dragon was replaced by sheer finesse and skill.
Back to the fight - despite his initial shock, Vali Lucifer was grinning from ear to ear behind his faceplate. Somehow, Ise was keeping up with him without using his Boosted Gear, and he was airborne, to add.
"What is this, Issei Hyoudou?! What kind of new tricks have you invented this time around!?" Vali could not contain his excitement.
"Like I said - find out for yourself! Less talking, more fighting!" Ise replied as he and Vali were engaged in a heated exchange of blows.
Vali was thoroughly impressed - he was not pulling back his punches, but Issei was able to meet and intercept every single blow with an astounding grace. He would admit that he was confused, but damn he was having fun as well.
Vali gained another distance and proceeded to fire an array of offensive spells. However - there it was again, Ise moved his arms in a peculiar, fluid-like pattern that deflected every single energy projectile thrown at him.
Some kind of new technique? I'm still not detecting any sign of him using the Boosted Gear… What is he up to? Does this have anything to do with his new body made out of Great Red and Ophis' power?
[Vali…. I cannot detect any sign of Ophis or Great Red from Issei Hyoudou]
"That makes things even more interesting! This display of skill and techniques are even beyond the likes of Cao Cao!"
As for Ise, this Vali was the same as before, though something about him seemed lacking for some reason.
Ise continued deflecting Vali's array of magic while waiting to see any new tricks this Vali might have, considering Yuuto's array of talents since Black was absent here.
Vali then engaged Ise on the offensive in close combat.
"Hoh?" Ise was amused as he started running backwards.
At an absurd velocity despite the awkward movements, it was less running and more like walking backwards in fast motion.
Vali was dumbfounded, pausing his assault for a brief second before shaking himself back to focus.
But Ise stopped and thrusted his palm into Vali's face as Vali crashed into it face first, breaking his helmet using his own velocity against him.
Vali launched into an arc before falling into the dirt.
"You satisfied yet, Chuuni?"
Vali recovered soon enough, his face plate fell off revealing his bleeding face, shards of helmet dug into his skin.
"I will ask you again, Issei Hyoudou…. Why are you not using your Boosted Gear? Forget about that, even Albion cannot detect the presence of the Welsh Dragon in you."
"Well… Don't think I need him to beat you," Ise smiled at him. "Welsh Dragon or not, you're struggling against a guy not even in armor like yours."
Vali blinked, "...What?"
[Where is Ddraig, Issei Hyoudou?]
Albion called out.
"...Well, if you must know - he's gone," Ise answered bluntly.
He was starting to have fun playing with Vali like this. It felt a bit cruel though.
"Are you joking with me, Issei Hyoudou?" Vali narrowed his eyes.
"Nope. He's gone. You really think I can hide Ddraig like this?" Ise's smile widened.
"You…!" Vali blinked rapidly. "How is that possible?! There's no way, I swore you still had Ddraig the last time we met!"
"Oh, I don't know. We all have to let go at some point. What, sad that the whole destined rival shtick no longer panning out for you?" Issei taunted.
"Again with this round-about answer… If you don't take this seriously, then I will make you!" Vali then pointed his hand at Issei and his wings of light glowed.
[Divide!]
A pulsing wave traveled towards Ise, who pointed a finger at Vali and mentally summoned a barrier as the wave hit it.
Vali blinked when he felt… almost nothing, so little droplets of power that it was inconsequential.
"...What did you do?" Vali asked.
"Made a barrier to ground your Divide. It can't actually block hits, but it can handle your Divide as a substitute energy source forever since your favorite move can't actually deplete any source to zero. If it was a normal energy drain attack, well, it wouldn't work. You basically took a droplet of water from me." Issei smiled impishly at Vali.
"That's… too absurd. You came up with such precise technique in such a short span of time?" Vali retorted, unable to believe the ingenious counter to his signature move.
"I have known you for a while, brother. Give it up. As long as you keep relying on Albion, you cannot defeat me."
Vali snorted, "Didn't expect you to act so cocky, rival. Last time we fought, you barely won against me; and you think you can win without your Boosted Gear?"
Ise sighed, "Like I said…" His eyes then morphed as he activated his Meta Vision, he crouched low, ready to dash forward, "I don't need the Boosted Gear to beat you."
[Boost!]
The first thing that Vali registered was something that impacted him square on his torso, then his armor was shattered, as an intense shockwave ran through him, launching him away, tumbling towards the sandy shores.
Coughing a mouthful of blood, Vali stared ahead to see Ise had his fist outstretched forward before his foot greeted his chin, kicking his ascent as he blinked through the distance, shattering his helmet in the process.
Vali grit his teeth, but before he could regain himself, Ise grabbed his hair and slammed him face down on the sand, Vali bouncing up high enough to be uppercutted in the jaw with a flying Shoryuken, Ise jumping high in the air with Vali.
Once they reached a high enough altitude, Ise raised the same fist and smashed Vali's face, forcing the latter back into the shores as they landed into an eruption of sand and dust, everyone watching blocking the backdraft of the shockwaves shaking the land.
Everyone waved the dust away as they looked at the conclusion, all holding in their breaths.
Once the dust cleared, Ise stood over Vali, the white dragon emperor… half buried into the sands, his armor had been shattered.
His lower half was sticking out of the sands comically while the rest of him was under it.
To Ise's slight surprise - though he shouldn't be, the pair of legs kicked the air, waving around before it planted their feet against the sands and pulled the rest of Vali out.
"PWEH!" Vali coughed out sand, hacking the grains out of his throat and blowing the rest of it out of his nose.
His face was a mess, several broken teeth. Vali raised his Divine Dividing before he fell to his knees, his gaze unfocused.
"You're out of steam. Give up, Chuuni." Ise was starting to find this fun.
"N-Not yet… Not yet! I… I still have a final… Trump card!" Vali declared as he took a few steps back.
"Juggernaut drive?" Ise quirked a brow.
"Even better." Vali smirked as he started his chant.
[I, who is about to awaken,
Am the White Dragon Emperor who will take the law down to the darkness.]
"...Really?" Ise sighed and shook his head.
[I walk the road of domination with infinite destruction and by piercing through the imaginary dream.]
Ise made his way towards Vali, having had enough of this charade.
[I shall become a pure Emperor of White Dragon
And I shall have you obey the silvery-white illusions and the perfect evil wa-]
Ise reached out and grabbed Vali's gauntlet and inserted his will into it. Then he let Vali's gauntlet go when Vali pulled away.
"What are you doing?"
"Ending this fight before it drags on too much." Issei responded.
"My thoughts exactly. You're too late, my chant is finished!" Vali raised his Divine Dividing above.
[...Juggernaut Overdrive!]
The wings of light shouted as the sapphire jewels on his Scale Mail shone brightly, covering the entire surroundings.
Ise stood there, unimpressed when the light died, Vali… stood there unarmored, his grin of triumph remained stuck in his confusion when there was no dragon-shaped armor on him.
"...I said, it's over."
[Juggernaut Overdrive!]
Vali shouted, his wings shining again.
When it died down, there was no new dragon armor. Vali blinked rapidly as he looked at his Divine Dividing.
"...What is happening?" Vali shook his gauntlet.
[...Something's wrong.]
Albion called out.
[Something is interfering with the transfer of power.]
"I locked away your Balance Breaker. Including your other forms," Issei answered.
Everyone stared at Issei, trying to let the words 'locked away' and 'Balance Breaker' sink into their comprehension.
"...Huh?" Vali stared at Issei stupidly.
"Go ahead. Call out your scale mail." Issei gestured.
Vali grit his teeth.
"Quit joking, rival! You do not have that kind of power!" Vali shouted as he willed Divine Dividing.
Even as the sapphire glowed, Vali couldn't call out the scale mail. After a few more attempts, Vali started to panic as he waved his Divine Dividing as if trying to force it back into working function.
[...Vali… he is right. Your access to Divine Dividing. There is something in the way, and I cannot do anything about it from my side.] Albion informed.
Vali stared at Ise, his face unreadable for a moment.
"...What?"
"I made the lock so that only I can unlock it. Well, for you, it's like trying to unlock your Balance Breaker all over again, but much harder." Issei smiled. "So…"
Issei slammed his knuckles together.
"You want to see how long you can survive without Albion?"
Vali remained silent as Issei slowly walked towards him, his smile reaching from ear to ear.
"...What are you?"
Seeing that Vali could not fight anymore, Issei relaxed his stance.
"Now you're finally asking the right questions. Right, I guess this will be our first official meeting; my name is Issei Hyoudou, Son of The Strongest Man, former wielder of the Boosted Gear, and…. An honorary member of Ancient Demon Mastema Tribe. Nice to meet ya."
To be Continued…
Extra
[Aiyaiyaiyaiyaiyai~]
While the radio blared the iconic Aztec dubstep, Issei flew from macho to macho, his face caved, skeleton now a ragdoll, bouncing from each of the Big Bads as they used him as a punching bag and a pinball at the rate of machine gun fire.
He was uppercutted, karate chopped, healed back to full health, then felt every bone in his body broken again, then rinse and repeat.
The platinum one stomped Issei to the ground as he flexed his bulging muscles over him.
"Well? Have you finally realized how futile it is to lie?" Platinum called out over this Issei while Asia entered and healed him, restoring him to full health rapidly.
Every time he was near death, Asia would come in and repair him to full health, then repeat the torment all over again.
"A-Asia… why are you helping them? I… I thought we were friends…" Issei reached out to the girl.
The last thing Issei saw before the door was closed was Asia's look of pity at him - was she somehow forced into doing this? He had to find out.
"You even know the angel girl. Your informant is faulty, however." The golden one stomped on his reaching arm, crunching another cry of pain from him.
"W-What did you do to her, you freaks?! Asia would never let this happen to anyone!" Issei then blinked, "...Wait, did you just say 'angel'? What are you talking about?! Asia is also a reincarnated devil like me!"
"...Hardly. Asia with bat wings and unholy power does not suit her, honestly." The silver replied with a scoff and flexed while breaking his leg, forcing another cry of pain from his mouth.
"You have grit. Acting like you're in the right despite the evidence stacked against you, impostor. You have served us well as our punching bag, but we must move this along. Samurai boy. You're up." The three macho flexed one more time before they walked away posing with each step. The silver one grabbed their radio, the last one to leave the room, leaving Issei alone in the interrogation chamber.
Issei remained there, crying out and hissing from the agony as he looked at his arm and leg. He could see bone jutting from the skin.
He had never seen himself this broken in his life, the sight terrifying him.
His breathing became haggard as he felt bile rising in his throat. He retched, vomiting the contents at the sight of his body. He was afraid. For the first time in his life, he was scared, very scared and confused.
Why was this happening to him? Why do they keep calling him an impostor? He was real, the real Issei Hyoudou yet…
The door opened and Issei looked at a welcome sight.
"K-Kiba! You're here!" Issei almost cried tears of joy at the sight.
Yuuto's brows raised.
"Thank god you're here! Did you bring Rias?! Please tell me you're here to save me!" His tears streamed down his face.
"...You sound strangely convincing like Platinum said. Yet so wrong in many ways," Yuuto took out his katana.
Issei blinked when Yuuto drew the blade, the sword bearing arcane runes of a holy nature on the cursed metal.
"...Where'd you get the katana from?" Issei asked. He could feel the devil blood within him screaming danger at the sight.
Yuuto simply blinked at him and at his sword, "So you really have no idea… What if I tell you that it was you who gave me this very same sword?"
Issei blinked, "...Eh?"
At the prisoner's confused look, Yuuto exhaled, "...I thought so. I didn't want to do this, but for the sake of finding my best friend, you will give us answers." Yuuto walked towards Issei as he twirled the katana in a reverse grip and raised it.
Issei's face paled at the ominous-looking blade, "W-W-Wait, wait a minute-!"
Yuuto cut him off when he stabbed his shoulder, the holy power reacting violently against Issei's Devil blood.
The pain, however…
The interrogation room was filled with echoes of agonized scream for the next one hour.
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