The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

Hey everyone, it's me Hide Shinyama.

Here we are at the time-skip of about a month. Ironic, considering this is how long it takes for me to think of the next chapter, write it down and then publish it.

But enough of the chit-chat.

What's going to lie in store for our heroes? Hint, it's going to involve another creature from another world.

What's that creature?

Find out in…

Chapter 48 – Powerful Foes Part 1

6th of November, Friday, 5:12 am – somewhere in the outskirts of Metropolitan Tokyo

It was still very early in the morning and thus still dark. The grass and the leaves of the forests were still damp. The owls were hooting and keeping watch for prey on the ground. The hedgehogs and mice were rustling through the leaves in search for food. Winter was coming and they were looking for food for their hibernation.

Some among the inhabitants of the forest remember the havoc the Metroid larva had caused them last month. But animals tend to be forgetful about such events, as they went through their daily lives.

However, on that night, the daily nightly activities in nature would be disrupted once more.

Suddenly, out of the blue, a light flashed through the sky like lightning. To the average onlooker it would come of such, but that was not true. It was then that something fell from the sky with great speed.

[BOOM!]

The owls, hedgehogs, mice and other creatures scattered into the distance or into their homes. The boom had frightened them severely. Thankfully for them, no one was injured or killed.

However, the threat posed by the object was not finished.

What's more, the object was no mere object. Rather, it was a giant humanoid figure. It loomed in the dark and looked around itself. Its eyes glared as if enemies were all around him and its mouth let out a growl of anger.

"ROOOOOAAAAARRR!" the figure roared.

Its angry roar echoed through the forest, causing trees nearby to sway in its wake and birds and animals of all kinds to flee, whether nearby or far away.

Then, it jumped away into the darkness of the forest.

6th of November, Friday, 4:31 pm – Tengu dojo, Tengu Residence, Nerima Ward

"Mmmm… Erk! Ah…" Issei groaned in pain.

Currently, Issei was currently wearing his gym clothes, which consisted of a white shirt, blue shorts and white socks (without trainers). He was seated on the dojo floor and was working on his flexibility in the Tengu family dojo. He was spreading his legs as far apart as he could (at a 120-degree angle), while trying to press his stomach to the ground. Unfortunately, he did not get very far down.

"Here, I'll help you," Kasumi said, as she helped push Issei from behind.

"UGH! AGH! AGH!" Issei cried out in pain.

Kasumi stopped immediately.

"I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Kasumi asked as she apologized.

"No, it's fine," Issei brushed it off, as he did his best to endure the pain. "Keep goi- UGH!"

Issei grunted and groaned as Kasumi knelt beside him and continued to push him from behind.

Why was he doing this? Well…

About a month ago (Chapter 41) when Issei had visited the Tengu dojo the second time, Ddraig had told him that he had plans to improve Issei's flexibility. Issei did not like the idea but had found a loophole that allowed him to enjoy his training more.

And that came in the form of Kasumi Tengu, the eldest daughter of the Tengu family. As a former home-trained ballerina, she was perfectly eligible to teach Issei how to improve his flexibility. On top of that, Issei liked Kasumi and Kasumi liked Issei. Whenever they interacted, it was clear that they had feelings for each other, as they would blush or get flustered occasionally.

For the past month, Issei would come by the Tengu home fairly often to visit Sanma. The two of them would often only see each other and exchange greetings and small talk. But because of conflicting schedules, neither of them had much time for each other. Issei had been busy doing homework, studying, and taking exams. Kasumi had to go shopping or make dinner for everybody in her home. Aside from personal greetings, they texted each other and set a date for their appointment. That was why, they were having this session today.

And Issei, despite his efforts, could only do so much.

"Whew…" Issei relaxed his legs as he breathed out a sigh in relief. "I think I'll take a short break…"

Kasumi giggled. "Well, you're doing good for the first day," she remarked as she stood up.

Issei panted and turned around. He could not help but stare at the beautiful teenage woman. Even after all this time, Issei could not help but be mesmerized by looks whenever he saw her. He gazed at her from head to foot.

Kasumi noticed this but didn't mind it. Instead, she made a gentle smile as she let him stare at her.

Kasumi had her hair styled in a loose ponytail which was held by her white scrunchie. She was wearing a purple one-piece dress and a pink cardigan. Her boobs were never visible but the outline from her dress allowed Issei to figure out the size of her breasts. They were middle-sized and although not as big as Issei would like it, he still was bewitched by them.

But Issei also liked to wander his gaze down to Kasumi's legs. Although her legs were covered by her one-piece dress down to the calves, Issei remembered when she exposed the full length of her legs wearing long white socks (and her white panties, too). They were smooth, long and sexy.

This time around she was barefoot.

For whatever reason, Issei had the strange urge to have her do a high kick in his face. Was he seriously, becoming a masochistic leg fetishist?

Kasumi brought up a hand to her lips and giggled.

"Oh my, Issei-kun. Do you like what you see?" Kasumi jested as she took his lustful stare at her as a compliment.

"Yeah…" Issei said as he nodded and stared. "…everything."

"Is it my breasts again? Or perhaps my legs?" Kasumi asked with an innocent tone, but the words and the mood she gave out were anything but innocent.

"Both…" Issei answered truthfully, as he looked lecherously at her. "…which reminds me, why are you wearing a dress? I thought you said that you wanted to wear proper training clothes."

Kasumi blinked in surprise. She looked down at her dress and picked the hems of her skirt.

"That's right. I did. I forgot to change…" Kasumi said as she inspected her dress. "If I showed off my splits, my panties might get exposed again…"

Issei was starting to drool and take on a lecherous grin. Her sexy panties and legs…

Suddenly, Kasumi lifted her skirt by the hems of her skirt.

Issei's heart leapt at that, but then she stopped right below her waist to show her knee-length black leggings.

"…Thankfully, I'm wearing these leggings, so that another incident like that won't happen again," Kasumi said as she showed off her modest legs.

Issei looked at her with disappointment.

Kasumi giggled at Issei's reaction. "Sorry, to disappoint you, Issei. You're here to train, not look at my underwear. So, let's continue…" Kasumi gently reprimanded Issei, as she made a curtsey.

"Sigh… yes, ma'am…" Issei groaned in disappointment and continued with his stretching routine.

For the next thirty minutes, Issei stretched his body upwards as high as he could. And then he stretched downwards by trying to touch his feet. Issei's hands could only go down to his ankles. Other than that, Issei alternated between lunges and high kicks. He tried to do as many as he could. Kasumi told him it was important to find out which way of improving flexibility worked the best. For today, Issei was trying out the basics of active, passive and dynamic stretching.

Thus far, Issei seemed to enjoy dynamic stretching the best because the high kicks made him look cool. But what he enjoyed even more was the time he spent with Kasumi. Issei was glad to be around her. She was such a perfect beautiful woman… Even though, he did not get to see her panties this time around, the rest of her more than made up for it. Her breasts that he could make out in the outline of her dress… her brown hair, tied to a ponytail with a white scrunchie… her wonderful one-piece dress… her clean, elegant feet… even her black leggings, which covered her panties, made Issei feel aroused.

Although, Issei was constantly staring, Kasumi would gently laugh and smile at Issei's lustful looks and tell him to go back to training. Naturally, Issei would comply, no matter how hard his training.

"HAH!" Issei shouted as he kicked once more, before taking a breather.

Kasumi, who was standing on the sidelines, approached him to give more pointers.

"When you kick, make sure to keep your legs straight at all times. Your knees were bent from time to time. Other than that, don't neglect the other exercises. They can help you as well," Kasumi pointed out.

"Thanks… whew…" Issei sighed in exhaustion.

Kasumi smiled and giggled. "I hope you're not too tired from stretching. When I was learning ballet, I was crying from all the pain and felt like I was going to die," she said rubbing her right leg over her skirt.

"I guess I've got a long way to go…" Issei said with a nervous smile on his face.

"It is your first day. So, there's no need to rush things," Kasumi assured Issei. "It took me at least a few months to achieve the flexibility that I now have. Your goal is to be able to do at least this."

Kasumi slowly slid to the ground with her legs apart – her right leg in front and her left leg backwards – until she did the splits. She lifted her arms over her head to strike the perfect ballet pose.

"…a really long way to go…" Issei corrected himself, as he saw the graceful ballerina do the splits.

Issei knew that worrying about it, won't help him reach the goal. Hence, he decided to take it one step at a time. Issei began to use this time to stretch his arms in the air to loosen himself.

"Umm… Issei?" Kasumi asked him, as she stopped doing the splits and stood up, her expression indicating there was something on her mind.

"Yeah? What is it?" Issei asked back, as he turned towards her.

Kasumi fidgeted a bit while grasping her skirt shyly, before speaking.

"There's something I meant to ask for a while now. Is it true that you helped Sanma become friends with the Kono family heiress Komachi Kono?" Kasumi asked Issei.

Issei looked at Kasumi with surprise. "Well, yes. Why do you ask?" he wondered.

"It's just that Miss Komachi has been coming nearly every day to visit Sanma," Kasumi revealed to Issei. "Which I find very surprising. Normally, Sanma would avoid her like crazy. But now, they go out and have dinner or even go to the movies. It's like they're a couple. When I asked Sanma about it, he told me that they were just friends and nothing more. He also told me about how you helped the two of them become friends."

"Ahh… so that's why…" Issei voiced in understanding.

"I'm really grateful that Sanma has friends like you," Kasumi said as she was about to make a Japanese-style bow. She halted mid-way when she decided to curtsey once again. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart."

"It's no problem," Issei raised his hands reassuringly, seeking to be modest. "I mean, Sanma and I are friends. Of course, I'd help him out."

"Yes, I am sure you would," Kasumi said with a sweet smile, making Issei swoon a bit. "Sanma has been a bit chipper these days because of his new friendship with Komachi."

Then Kasumi's smile turned a bit sad for some reason.

"If only Nakane didn't take it so badly…" Kasumi said with a small sigh.

Issei frowned at that.

"What do you mean by that?" Issei could not help but ask, as he sat down, being tired from standing all the time.

Kasumi took in a deep breath and sat down as well.

"Ever since Komachi started coming over to visit Sanma, Nakane has been acting more… moody these days…" Kasumi started to explain.

"But as far as I know, hasn't she been avoiding him since that incident at the hotel? I know that is the case in school. The same goes with Cat Fu and Ryuga. They're avoiding him like the plague because of this love triangle," Issei told Kasumi.

Although, he had by now gotten used to Ryuga and Sanma avoiding each other, it still hurt to see it. At least, they both still got along with Issei, Matsuda and Motohama.

"Really? That sounds awful," Kasumi gasped and put a hand in front of her mouth in shock. "I did not think that Sanma would experience this level of ostracism."

"Me neither," Issei agreed with nod. "Ryuga still hangs out with me, Matsuda and Motohama, but not when Sanma is with us. But anyway, you said Nakane's behavior was getting worse since Komachi's visits."

Issei said this because he wanted to get back on track on the topic of interest.

"Oh, yes. About that. I do not know, but… whenever Sanma would leave with her or come back after their appointments together, Nakane would just give Sanma this… dark glare…" Kasumi tried to describe it as best as she could.

Issei wrinkled his forehead in confusion. Dark glare? Was it jealousy? Or maybe hate?

"But that is not all. Nakane would also glare and sniff at Sanma disdainfully whenever Sanma tried to speak to her. The same also happens whenever he gets near her," Kasumi recounted.

"It sounds like this is getting worse than before…" Issei said as he rubbed his forehead as if he was having a headache.

Nakane Tendo… Just how was it that such a resentful, hot-tempered girl could be the sister to the sweetest woman he knew?

"It would have been one thing if Nakane just glared at him or even hit Sanma like she normally does when she gets into a fight with him, but a few days ago…" Kasumi trailed off, as her face saddened at the memory.

Issei looked at Kasumi with concern. What was Kasumi trying to say? Issei did not have a good feeling about this.

"She… just doesn't come out of her room that often. There are times when she looks tired and lifeless. She still goes to school, but…" Kasumi stopped mid-sentence, as she sniffed and shed a tear.

Issei sat there in silence and looked at Kasumi in horror.

"Don't tell me…" Issei mumbled half to himself and half to Kasumi.

"…I'm worried about her, Issei. I don't know what is going to happen to her if this continues," Kasumi voiced her fears to Issei. She sounded so helpless.

"What about your father? Has he done something about it?" Issei asked, thinking of the mustached master of the Tengu dojo.

"My father has tried talking to her, but Nakane just brushes off whenever he tries to help her. In fact, she does that with all of us – especially Sanma. Ever since, he has been wailing and drinking himself into a stupor. He is worried that the engagement between Sanma and Nakane is going to fail. Though, really, he is worried that the School of Randomness' future is going to be in jeopardy," Kasumi said with a hint of disdain for her father's behavior.

Issei hadn't heard such a tone from Kasumi since the day she tried to run away from home. It truly surprised Issei how such a sweet young woman like Kasumi could change her behavior at a dime.

"And how is Sanma taking it?" Issei asked out of concern for his friend.

"Sanma is worried, though he is also busy with Komachi and Ukyu, too. His father also tries hard to pressure Sanma into reconciling himself to her. Mr. Raotome is also more concerned about the dojo's future than anything," Kasumi answered.

Issei groaned. Complications and more complications…

Could this possibly get any worse?

[Partner! You just thought of the sentence!] Ddraig suddenly warned him.

Issei was startled by Ddraig's mental warning.

'What sentence?' Issei wondered in surprise.

[You know, the "Could it possibly get any worse?" phrase?] Ddraig pointed out. [Whenever you say that, something always gets worse.]

'Like wha-?' Issei asked but was interrupted by the sounds of footsteps.

A teenage girl with a bob haircut, wearing white pants and a black and blue striped tank top walked in towards them.

"So, you must be Issei Hide that I've heard so much about," the girl said as she approached Issei and inspected him.

"Who are you?" Issei asked her suspiciously.

"Oh, Hibiki. You're back!" Kasumi said as she stood up. "Issei, I'd like you to meet my sister Hibiki. And Hibiki, it seems like you know, Issei."

"Yes, I do," Hibiki replied to Kasumi with a nod.

Hibiki? Come to think of it, Issei did remember hearing that name. She was the middle sister of the Tengu daughters. So, this was her, huh?

Wait, did she just say she knew him? What was she talking about?

Issei inspected her after getting up from the floor. Just like violent tomboyish Nakane was very different in demeanor from the lovely lady-like Kasumi, so this girl was different from Kasumi and Nakane. She gave off the impression of being a shrewd and cool type of girl. But Issei also thought that she seemed kind of devious, too. He made a mental note to be careful around her.

And her rack… was not too bad…

"Could you not stare at me like that? I really don't like to be checked out like that," Hibiki told Issei, putting her hands on her hips.

Issei couldn't help but frown at the blunt response.

"Well, excuuuuse me, lady," Issei responded with a defiant attitude.

Hibiki turned her nose up to him and looked away.

"As expected, the intel was true, after all," Hibiki muttered to herself.

Issei happened to pick that up with his perceptive Dragon ears.

What… did she just say?

"So, what are you two doing in here?" Hibiki asked her elder sister.

"Oh, I was just helping Issei improve his flexibility," Kasumi answered, trying her best to appear cheerful. "We also were taking the time to talk about Nakane and Sanma's situation."

"Oh? And what exactly were you discussing about Sanma and Nakane if I may ask?" Hibiki asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Just about Nakane's recent behavior and Sanma's relationship with Komachi Kono," Kasumi replied.

"Oh, that…" Hibiki said with a serious face. "…it really sucks… having to have this love drama play out in this house."

'I agree one hundred percent…' Issei thought to himself.

As much as he thought that Hibiki was smug and unlikeable, he was glad there was something he could agree with her on.

Kasumi gestured to Issei with her hands.

"Issei-kun here is a close friend of Sanma. Ever since that day when Yuda kidnapped me, Issei-kun here has been helping all of us. He saved me from Yuda, protected our home from villains and has been a good friend to both Sanma and me. In fact, right now, he is trying to help everyone solve this dilemma," Kasumi revealed to Hibiki.

Issei looked at Kasumi with surprise, then rubbed the back of his head flattered.

"Oh, that's nothing… I was just doing what I had to do, that's all," Issei said in a bid to appear modest.

"Oh…?" Hibiki said, her facial expression expressing interest in him. "So, you're a problem solver of some kind."

"I… guess so…" Issei answered to her somewhat caught off guard.

Come to think of it, Issei did help people solve their problems. Was that what trying to be a hero did to you?

"Oh my! I almost forgot!" Kasumi voiced in alarm and getting both teens to turn to their attention to her. "Hibiki, what time is it now?"

Hibiki looked at her smartphone. "It's 5:08 pm. Why?" she asked.

"Oh, goodness! I have to prepare for dinner!" Kasumi rushed to the door. She stopped to turn back and look at Issei. "I'm sorry, but it seems we're out of time. Are you going to stay for dinner?"

"Umm… I'm afraid not. It's my turn to make dinner for my bros, so I've got to head home this evening," Issei said to her.

"Oh, now that's… a shame…" Kasumi said, her voice showing disappointment. "We'll remain in contact for our next appointment, all right?"

"Will do," Issei said with a toothy grin.

Kasumi smiled back warmly and headed for the kitchen.

Issei was about to leave when Hibiki stood in his way.

"Issei Hide, I need a word with you," the middle Tengu sister said to Issei.

Issei frowned. "What for?" he asked suspiciously.

"Business. Is it really true that you've been dealing with Sanma and Nakane's love affairs recently?" Hibiki asked of Issei.

"Yeah… what's it to you?" Issei asked her warily.

"A lot. For one, Nakane is my sister and I do care for fer. Seeing her in this sorry state, really doesn't sit well with me. There is also another reason why I've come to you," Hibiki said to Issei.

"And what's that?" Issei wondered.

"To give you an offer you can't refuse," Hibiki said to him.

Issei was starting to become wary of this girl. This girl sounded like trouble.

"What kind of business?" Issei asked her with narrowed eyes.

"You want to help Sanma, right? And to that extent Ryuga, Cat Fu and Ukyu, I presume? You're trying to untangle that web of complicated relationships, right?" Hibiki asked Issei. "If that's the case, then I can help you by giving you a…"

"Hold on!" Issei interrupted her. "How do you know about Ryuga and the others? And what did you mean by 'intel' earlier?"

Hibiki made a smug smile. "Oh, let's just say that I've been watching you for quite some time now. You see, I may be an ordinary girl, but I have connections. And these connections give me information about all sorts of things. I know things about Ryuga, Cat Fu, Ukyu, the Kono Family and many more people that you would never be able to find out on your own."

"So… what are you trying to say?" Issei asked, as tried to ascertain what her deal was.

"I'm saying that I can help you give that information. Not for free, of course. But if you and I work together, I'm sure we'll both gain a lot from each other," Hibiki explained to Issei. "So, what do you say?"

Issei did not know what to say. This girl was shady as one could be. Her motives… seemed to be monetary and familial in nature. However, Issei could not help but feel that Hibiki had some other motive to her. Even if she didn't, this girl herself spelled trouble in plenty of ways.

However, on the other hand… Issei truly wanted to help Sanma and his love problems. And he knew doing it by himself was going to be difficult. Even if Matsuda and Motohama were involved, it would still be a challenge. But if someone who knew both Nakane and Sanma, along with many others in Nerima (or even Toyko as a whole), then… this might improve his chances…

Still, Issei felt conflicted and was fidgeting insecurely.

Noticing, Issei's discomfort and indecision, she leaned in towards Issei's ear.

"I can tell you all about Kasumi if you want… I know all her secrets, whether it be her three sizes or even her underwear. If you want, I can give you pictures and videos of her, too…" Hibiki tempted Issei with whispers in his ear.

With the prospects of getting memorabilia from Kasumi, Issei gave into her temptations.

"How much?" Issei asked Hibiki calmly.

"Are you sure you want to give poor old me money? Maybe, the information I'll give you is worthless. I don't want you to have buyer's remorse…" Hibiki said, playing hard to get.

This girl… That's it! He could not take it anymore!

"I'm willing to pay the price, I don't care what you demand! So, shut up and take my money!" Issei demanded angrily, his patience now at an end.

6th of November, Friday, 4:21 pm – on the way home, Nerima Ward

[You agreed to her smooth talk, Partner!?] Ddraig asked Issei incredulously.

"What should I say, the offer was too good to refuse," Issei tried to make an excuse.

[500 yen for some lousy piece of information? I don't think so, Partner] Ddraig said distrustfully.

"Well, technically it was two pieces of information," Issei corrected Ddraig.

[Still! It is not worth it to get entangled with such a woman] Ddraig reprimanded Issei.

"It's risky, but well worth the risk," Issei retorted.

[Sigh… I hope you're right…] Ddraig said with a sigh.

With that the conversation ended there.

Issei reflected on what Hibiki had told him right before leaving.

After giving Hibiki the "discount fee for first-timers" as she called it, Issei found out two things. Although, the payment was meant for one piece of information, Hibiki decided to give him a second piece of information for free out of generosity.

These were the two pieces of information that Issei had received.

The first piece of information was not really that but rather a series of pictures of Kasumi and Issei training together. Hibiki sent them to him by phone and Issei received them on his wristwatch. This was the one that Issei had paid for.

There were ten in total. Five of them had Issei in it trying to stretch himself in different ways. Two of them involved him doing some kicks. The remaining three were focused on Kasumi. One of them showed her lifting her skirt to show her leggings. Another was her doing a curtsey. And the last one was her doing the splits and making a pose with her arms.

Issei found the pictures of him trying to stretch embarrassing. The kicks were… okay, as far as he was concerned. The ones with Kasumi were the ones Issei absolutely loved. Kasumi looked so beautiful when doing those poses… They screamed of elegance and beauty. Issei was definitely going to keep them in his phone and make safe copies of them just in case.

The second one involved actual information. This one was the freebie that Hibiki tossed in for him. And unfortunately, it did not help him. Rather, it made Issei more aware of obstacles and threats ahead of him if he made the wrong step.

Why?

This was what the information was about: "If you're going to deal with Cat Fu in the future, you need to beware of her grandmother. She is an Amazon elder and moreover a grandmaster in martial arts. You better be beware when dealing with her, since she has a lot of abilities. For instance, I was told that fifty years ago she once touched a huge dragon that attacked her village with her staff. As a result, it convulsed and exploded. Apparently, she sent Ki to destroy its body from the inside. Pretty gruesome if you ask me."

Those were the words of Hibiki Tengu, his new information broker – and a money greedy one, too. She claimed that she did this kind of business to feed her family as her father was a deadbeat and Kasumi was a housewife. Mr. Raotome and the lecherous Grandmaster known as Hentai were just as unproductive as Mr. Tengu.

Tengu family financial issues aside, just what was Issei going to do with this piece of information? All he got out of it was that he was putting himself at risk if he got on Cat Fu's (or her grandmother's) bad side. Didn't she have something more useful to tell him? Of course, he could have paid her more for more information, but Issei did not want to overstretch his allowance.

[I told you not to say that phrase] Ddraig said to Issei.

"Just… let it be…" Issei groaned and just wanted to let bygones be bygones.

[That sentence truly is cursed, so we should swear not to say it – ever] Ddraig said to Issei seriously.

"Don't worry, I will," Issei assured Ddraig. "From now on, I'll think of something positive. Like Kasumi for instance…"

[Yes, you should. I'm surprised nothing worse has happened] Ddraig said to Issei.

"Yeah, I guess…" Issei casually shrugged his shoulders.

It was then that a fly flew around Issei, annoying him.

Issei tried to ignore it at first. Then, he became very annoyed by the fly's persistent buzzing.

"Go away!" Issei called out to the fly and smacked with the back of his hand.

Issei sighed and was about to continue his way home when the fly came back and hit Issei's face in high speed.

[SMACK!] "UGH!?"

The impact sent Issei flying and landing on a nearby open grass field. The impact on the grass left smudges on his face. But more so, it left Issei utterly bewildered.

[Partner!?] Ddraig called out in worry, obviously surprised at the turn of events.

"Ddraig? Is it just me or did that fly send me flying…?" Issei pointed shakily at the fly hovering at a ten-meter distance away from him. It stayed where it was.

[I… that's impossible… A fly should not be able to do that, unless…] Ddraig trailed off at the end.

Suddenly, a huge barrier manifested itself, cutting Issei off from the outside world.

[A barrier!? What? How?] Ddraig voiced in shock.

"Ddraig… the fly…" Issei pointed at the fly, as he stood up.

Ddraig turned its attention to the mysterious fly and saw that magic enveloped it.

The magic subsided revealing a man with long light-blue hair and a white outfit. The man had a very intimidating aura to him and oozed with magical power.

Issei did not know why, but he was trembling in fear. Everything within him screamed danger and that this man could kill him easily if he wanted.

"Who…?" Issei was about to ask the man, who looked at Issei with scorn in his eyes.

"We meet at last, Issei Hyoudou… holder of the Red Dragon Emperor," the man said to him darkly.

Issei widened his eyes in shock.

"What…?" he voiced out, not believing his ears.

How did he know his name? And how did he know about Ddraig? Who was he?

The Boosted Gear manifested itself on Issei's arm.

[Partner, stay away from him!] Ddraig warned him. [This man is no ordinary supernatural opponent. He is a God – a Nordic one!]

"A Nordic God…?" Issei whispered. He looked at the Boosted Gear and then backed away from the man in fear.

"The Boosted Gear. No doubt about it. You truly are the Red Dragon Emperor," the Nordic God said. "It took me more than a month to find you. But at last, I've found you."

Then, he stretched out his arm towards Issei and fired a blast.

[Partner, move!] Ddraig called out and Issei responded.

Issei jumped out of the way and landed with a judo roll on the grass. But the blast impact was so big that the magical attack froze his left arm, which had the Boosted Gear on it. Issei tried to free himself, but he was stuck.

[Boost!]

Issei strengthened himself but still could not free himself from the ice.

Just then, the Nordic God approached Issei slowly. Issei tried to get away but the ice on his arm would not let him. He looked at the God fearfully.

"Who… who are you? Why are you doing this to me?" Issei demanded defiantly, doing his best to keep the fear suppressed within him.

"Who am I? That is a good question," the God said to him smugly. "But first, let me see if you can survive this."

The Nordic god reached out his hand towards him.

[Boost!] Issei's strength doubled again.

Issei broke his arm out of the ice and threw a punch at the god. The god blocked it easily.

"Is this all there is to you, boy?" the Nordic God taunted Issei.

Issei tried to kick him, but the god just slapped him away.

"UGH!" Issei hit the concrete this time and bounced once before coming to a standstill. He was covered in bruises and was in pain.

"I'm quite disappointed," the God shook his head. "I was expecting much more, considering that you were the one who humiliated me."

[Boost!] Issei's strength doubled again.

Issei looked at the god in confusion.

"Humiliated you? But I've never met you before," Issei objected.

"Indeed, we haven't but you have met somebody we both know. The god of blessings, Freyr," the God revealed.

"Freyr…" Issei repeated the name and then it clicked.

A Nordic God that had a grudge against him and knew Freyr, a Nordic God that Issei had befriended with in the forests after catching Gullinbursti. There was only one God who fit the bill.

"You're… Loki… the God of trickery," Issei whispered fearfully.

"Clever," Loki confirmed Issei's conclusion. "I can see how you managed to deduce what I did to Freyr and his pet pig. And it was because of you that Freyr humiliated me."

Loki said darkly and walked towards him.

Issei attacked him with the Boosted Gear.

[Dragon Shot!]

Issei fired it, but Loki smacked it away before rushing towards him. Issei tried to jump back but Loki beat Issei to it.

Loki punched him in the stomach and sent him flying. Issei hit the barrier behind, sending him reeling. He coughed out blood from the punch.

[Partner, are you alright?] Ddraig asked him worried.

"I'm fine…" Issei coughed out.

"But not for long…" Loki said ominously once near him.

Issei gritted his teeth and threw a haymaker at Loki. Loki dodged it and seized Issei by the throat suspending him in the air.

"Truly pitiful," Loki mocked Issei. "But no matter. I'll just end you here and now."

Loki proceeded to choke the life out of Issei. Issei struggled and kicked but Loki was far too strong. Issei was about to pass out when…

"GRRRROOOOAAAAARRRRRR!"

Loki stopped choking him upon hearing the roar. He looked to see who or what was making that noise. Issei, on the other hand, gasped for breath, as Loki's grip on his throat loosened.

"What was that?" Loki wondered.

Before he could ponder further, something jumped toward them with a great leap. The silhouette of something huge headed towards them from a great distance. It landed on the barrier, then proceeded to hammer away at the barrier.

Loki immediately let go of Issei and focused his powers on maintaining the barrier.

"What's going on! My barrier is being compromised!" Loki gritted his teeth while stretching his arms out to maintain the barrier.

Then…

[BAM!] [KARASH!]

…the barrier broke, making Loki collapse to the ground. The culprit landed before him.

Issei, who had backed away from Loki took in the sight of the huge creature before him. It looked like a man at about more than two meters. It was muscular and was wearing nothing but purple shorts. But what stood out the most was its green skin color and angry face.

It was currently ignoring Issei and focusing all its attention on Loki.

Getting up, Loki pointed at the creature.

"Who are you? And how you interrupt me, Loki, the God of trickery and harbinger of Ragnarok?" Loki demanded with authority.

The huge creature looked at Loki with anger.

"Loki…?" it said and then let out a huge roar like a war cry.

"RRRROOOOOAAAARRR!"

"AGH!" Issei covered his ears because of how loud and painful its roar was.

Loki, though steadfast, could not help but flinch at the roar. He readied a magical attack of ice and fired at it.

The ice hit the creature full force and froze him in its place. A huge mountain of ice covered it, leaving its head out.

"Tell me who you are and why you are attacking me!?" Loki demanded as he walked up to him.

The creature was not deterred by the attack. Instead, it tried to free itself.

Nothing happened at first, but then slowly the ice shook. Then, the trembling became louder and more violent.

Seeing this, Issei sat there and trembled. His instincts screamed that whatever this creature was, it was extremely strong.

[Partner, I think we should get away!] Ddraig said to Issei.

Issei briefly looked at the Boosted Gear and nodded.

"Good idea," Issei said and picked himself up. He proceeded to run as fast as he could with no destination in mind.

[CRASH!]

The creature broke out of the ice, scattering huge chunks of ice in all directions, making Loki raise a shield to protect himself.

Loki covered his eyes until the noise from the falling clumps of ice stopped.

When he opened his eyes, Loki was greeted by the sight of the angry green creature rushing towards him in a fit of rage. At the same time, it gave the closest thing to an answer to Loki's questions.

"LOKI! HULK SMAAAAAAASSSSSSSHHHHHHH!"

The creature, calling himself the Hulk, punched Loki into the distance.

After that, the Hulk jumped after Loki.

Issei, in the meantime, had made his way far away from those two as possible.

And that was Chapter 48 of The Lone Vigilante Issei.

Yes, indeed. I brought the Hulk himself into the story. Although, I am not much of a Marvel fan, I have to say that the Hulk is a fascinating character, whether it be just doesn't go down no matter what or the fact that his real persona is a meek scientist, trying his best not to lose his cool. I also did it to throw a wrench into the plans of the various people trying to capture Issei, while having fun at it.

And why did I choose Loki? Isn't it obvious, Avenger fans?

As for the first half of the chapter, I wanted Issei to spend more time with the lovely Kasumi. I really love this character. In fact, she has got to be my favorite character out of everyone in this fanfiction.

I also used this opportunity to introduce Hibiki, who I had mentioned in past chapters. I never had a proper opportunity to introduce her before, which is why I did it in this chapter. With her in the picture, Issei will have a proper source of information when dealing with problems in Nerima.

As for Issei and his plight, you will find out next time.

In the meantime, what did you think of this chapter?

Did you like it?

Please read and review, I would like to hear from you.

And as always, I hope to see you around next time.

Until then.

Hide Shinyama