Chapter 3

The Poll is over, and now the winner is VENELANA GREMORY!

Issei will summon her as his own familiar, and yes, Venelana will be part of his harem. Venelana will have a good time with Issei as she is a widow and is more of an Ice Queen than her normal motherly self, but she'll warm up eventually.

Now, onto the story!

Issei was in the middle of the living room, looking at his cards on the middle of the floor before picking them up one at a time in hopes that he could get a clear image of the servant that was connecting to him.

"I know I can feel the servant from the cards connecting to me, but I wish I could get a better image of them so I know how to implement their skills to help me and the garden security," Issei said as he was sitting outside in the garden that Semiramis was working on last evening.

The Assassin was happy to introduce Issei to the massive Flying Fortress and its capabilities as well as the defenses of the said fortress, which had Issei in awe while observing the power that the fortress was capable of when it fought or defended itself.

Issei especially loved the garden as he felt a comforting presence envelop his body that put him at ease, similar to when Issei was a child and enjoyed the forest where he played and relaxed at times.

"I take it you are enjoying the garden?" Semiramis asked as Issei smiled and replied to her.

"I am. Thank you for letting Medea and me come here to see it with our own eyes. I wouldn't have believed how powerful it was from the stories Medea told me about the garden unless I saw it with my own eyes." Issei said as Semiramis giggled with a hand over her mouth.

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Mind if I ask what you are trying to do?" Semiramis asked as Issei explained his actions.

"I'm trying to figure out the servants that are connecting to me from the cards, but all I see are a glimpse into their past or their weapons," Issei said as he picked up the Saber card but didn't see much besides the same sword that he saw all those years ago.

"Perhaps it's because you're not focusing on the servant you're trying to summon?" Medea said as she floated down towards Issei. "There are many servants in the Throne of Heroes, so it's possible that you need to focus on just one servant at a time and use that picture to call out to them. Similar to how you summoned Semiramis and me."

Issei pondered this as he looked at the Shielder card before closing his eyes and muttered the name.

"Shielder," Issei said as his eyes became wider, and he felt an image pop into his mind.

A tall red-haired man chiseled with muscle wielded a spear and a shield as he banged his two armaments together. His men of 300 took to formation as they prepared for the assault against a marching army of Persians that numbered in the millions, or presumably even a billion in number. But despite the odds being stacked against them, they held out and never faltered as they stood their ground.

"Thermopylae Enomotia!"

Issei's right hand then moved on its own to Lancer as a new image appeared in his mind.

"Lonely? No, I am not. Though I am confined to the Land of Shadows, I've had many young aspiring warriors gather as my students, after all."

A woman said as she had long, wavy purple hair as she sat on her throne, looking at the sky as her crimson red eyes glowed in the Land of Shadows, yearning for death from one who could give her that satisfaction as a human but due to her being a Godslayer the warrior could no longer feel human so after training her son and student she resided in the Land of Shadows, waiting for her end to come.

Issei came back to reality as he knew who to summon, so he picked up the two cards before calling out to his Caster. "Medea! Prepare a summoning circle. It's time to summon our newest members."

Issei said as Medea smiled at her Master before Issei spoke to her.

"Medea. How are the preparations for the familiar summoning ceremony? Are the security measures in place?" Issei asked, as he knew that Medea had been working during the morning to not only set up the summoning ritual but also finish setting up the appropriate barriers and charms to not only hide the summoning but also to trap the summoned creature if it turned hostile.

The summoning this time was still a familiar ritual but tweaked a bit so that it could help Issei control some of the more hostile creatures. Medea had recommended completely binding the summoned creature to his will, but Issei decided that he would only do it if the creature turned out to be truly hostile.

Still, he did set up some countermeasures just in case.

"The ritual is ready, should you wish to summon your familiar first before the servants," Medea said as Semiramis suggested that it would be a good idea for Issei to undergo the familiar ritual first before the servants since if the familiar he summons would be able to help his training in Origin Magic.

"Okay. Let's do it. Medea. Have the countermeasures ready, just in case. Semiramis, you'll keep an eye on the ritual from the throne room to make sure that the defenses are ready just in case the familiar breaks free." Issei ordered as Medea and Semiramis nodded as they got to their destination and prepared for the ritual.

Magic Testing Room

Issei was standing next to Medea, who was ready with the countermeasures to face the beast, until the Caster nodded his way.

"Alright then." Issei then took a deep breath as he readied himself for the risky summoning before nodding back to Medea. "Here we go."

With the book in hand, Issei began to chant the lines for the summoning.

This time, even if it was a familiar ritual, Issei felt that the drain was not as extreme as he had felt summoning Medea and Semiramis. He reckoned that it might be because of the difference in power between the two rituals. While that was a bit disappointing, Issei was glad that he wouldn't be facing a powerhouse in case things went south.

The circle shimmered and glowed with power as Issei kept on chanting. Sparks began to fly, and the runes that Medea set up began to light up as Issei felt the circle perform its task.

The symbols on the circle glowed and began to move clockwise and anticlockwise in a slow rhythmic pace and gaining speed as Issei kept on chanting.

Blurring and changing their form as the symbols floated in the air in a brilliant display of colors.

The air began to hum in a melodic tune as it weaved and circled the symbols, gaining a distinct red hue.

"Arise as I command thee, arise and bind yourself to me and accept me as thy Master for eternity. ARISE!" Issei chanted and shouted the last lines of the spell as the symbols responded by twisting in the air and shattering in a display of bright blue lights, which began to converge and merge. Then, in a flash, the blue lights slammed into the ground like lighting, scorching it and forming a familiar seal in the ground.

Issei looked at the seal and knew what it was. He intimately knew the seal as it was one that Zelretch had written greatly about in the book.

It was a seal, representing one of the seventy-two pillars of the underworld, a seal that indicated the arrival of the demons of hell.

"Medea! Semiramis! Get ready!" Issei shouted at his servants as the seal began to light up. In his mind, there was no doubt that the creature that he had summoned was a demon, and he knew that he would need their help in binding the creature.

The seal began to glow with power, and out of it came a devil.

Issei, seeing the creature before him, was quite surprised as he had steeled himself to meet a demon whose form was supposed to be terrifying and inhuman. Not the all-so-human appearance that it donned.

The demon spoke with scorn and anger in its voice as it introduced itself.

"By your summoning, I have come. Ye who have bound me to your will for eternity and beyond, I ask of you, are you my Master."

Issei could feel the power rolling off the demon, and while terrified of it, he steeled himself to finalize the contract.

"Yes, I am Issei Hyoudou, your master from here on out till eternity itself, and I command thee to state your name," Issei said, following the advice of Zelretch, who had mentioned that knowing the names of demons went a long way in controlling them.

"I acknowledge thee as my Master, Issei Hyoudou. As for my name, I am Venelana Gremory." Venelana said as she wore an outfit that showed her Royal status and rank before she bowed to Issei and spoke to him.

"Thank you, Venelana Gremory. It's an honor to meet you face to face." Issei said as Venelana felt a circle appear on the back of her hand, which appeared to be a flaming skull.

"Likewise, now I would like to ask what it is you want with me," Venelana said as Issei explained that he wanted help with his magic since he was able to understand his Origin Magic but struggled with trying to control it as well as his Sacred Gear.

Venelana was curious about the boy's magic, and seeing that he had the Sacred Gear, Annihilation Maker, made him even more interesting since, with a bit of fine-tuning and training, Issei could become the human version of Saiorag. She smiled as she walked up to the big and smiled.

"Very well then. I shall assist you with your training, but know that I won't be lenient with you. If you want to get strong enough to stand on your own two feet and become a leader, then I'll push you to your limits and help you surpass them. Many underestimated me because I'm a woman, but I am more than capable of defending myself." Venelana said as she released a little bit of her aura, shocking Issei again as he could tell that this power was not to be underestimated by the user.

"Then I look forward to you training me," Issei said as he was going to enjoy the training from a beautiful lady such as her.

Venelana smirked at the boy as she thought the boy would take those words back when he experienced her form of training.

All in all, it'll be an interesting experience for both of them as the Gremory Devil is interested in the boy's growth and development as she is able to look at his memories due to the contract they now share.

Magic Creation/Experimentation Room

"Are you sure about this, Issei? We can always do this tomorrow." Semiramis said as she looked down at Issei, who was strapped to a lab table. Issei then looked at Semiramis with understanding in his eyes as he nodded his head in response.

"You know you will undergo tremendous pain if you wish to go through with this," Semiramis said as she had a syringe with a glowing purple toxin of sorts within it while Issei smiled at her before replying to the Poison Master.

"I wish to become a Hero and become strong enough to take on my future enemies, but I can't be taken out by cheap poison, so do it. Let my body be reborn anew in the poison." Issei said as he could understand Semiramis's worry for him, but he assured her that he would be fine and survive since he knew that Semiramis and Medea would always be there by his side to keep him safe from those who would want to use him for their benefits.

And Medea would be damned before letting someone try to taint her precious Issei.

Semiramis nodded as she injected the poison into Issei's heart, which made him bite into the piece of Dragon Tooth that was provided for him until his teeth shattered into the fang into pieces as he held in her screams while feeling the poison spread throughout his entire body. His veins glowed purple as Issei felt his body was suffering but being reborn under the effects of the poison's effects until his eyes widened as they shimmered a dark purple light.

Issei felt the poison continue to mix with his blood as Semiramis and Medea watched with concern as his Sacred Gear activated and began to circle Issei as shadow-like creatures roared as if to stop Semiramis or Medea from doing anything.

Medea clenched her fists as she watched Issei's body darken a bit, and his hair gained a purple streak until Issei gasped loudly as the effects started to die down. Issei panted as Semiramis slowly picked him up before being carried to a pool that had a lime-green glow to it.

It was a special pool that had healing properties and could make sure that Issei's body was able to recover from the external pain, but for the internal damage, that was a different story.

"Hah..." Issei breathed out as he looked at her new body and felt that it was new and no longer weak like it was before. "I feel so alive, Lady Semiramis. I feel reborn."

Issei said as he let the pool begin to soothe his pain while he steadied his breathing, much to Medea's relief as she was happy. He was okay before the witch looked at Venelana, who had a passive look on her face before the Gremory Devil walked to the boy and asked.

"Why do this to yourself? That poison is extremely dangerous, and you could've died." Venelana said as Issei looked at her and replied.

"I'm fine, Venelana. Really, I am-!" Issei said before he felt a blade pointed at his throat; with Venelana looking at him now with shock as she then looked down with her hair covering her eyes.

"I see. You really are in pain. I'll make sure I correct that during our training." Venelana said in a tone that surprised Issei before he tried to speak to her.

"Venelana-"

"Normally!" Venelana shouted as she made sure that Issei was listening to her. "A boy that was raised as a normal child wouldn't show no sign of fear when a knife is thrust against his throat!"

Issei was shocked by this as he saw Semiramis stop Medea from interfering. Venelana then held Issei's head and whispered to him.

"Back in the Great War, I saw many children that were trained as soldiers not to show any signs of fear or pain as they underwent so much pain in the experiments on their sides," Venelana said as she continued speaking to him. "I had to fight innocent children that were prepped for war and witnessed them with no signs of fear in their eyes as if they had already died once and felt no fear of Death befalling upon them."

"So how do you expect me to just not care about a teenage boy who's already experienced Death because of this world?!" Venelana shouted. Issei was shocked by her words before seeing a memory that Venelana had deep within her mind.

Venelana Gremory was standing in the middle of a battlefield that had no signs of life except her own. Venelana held in her hands the body of a little girl with blonde hair. The girl in her arms was just eight years old and had nothing to do with the war, but the girl wore a priestess uniform, which made the Devil cry until she felt a small hand touch her face.

In shock, the Gremory Devil looked down to see the girl's eyes open as she smiled at her with the warmth and kindness of a normal girl her age.

"Don't cry. I'm happy that I'm finally free. Thank you, Miss Devil." The girl said with a warm and kind smile on her face until she let out a sigh of relief as she closed her eyes and snuggled in the body of the Devil, who was still in shock from the girl coming back to life before the words were registered in her head.

Then, for the first time since the Great War began, a massive explosion of magic erupted as the Gremory Devil let her sorrows be known to the world as the Gremory Devil cried to the Heavens and the Gods as her way of asking why the children must suffer in this war when they have nothing to do with it.

"Why must the children be raised in a world that does not care for them?"

Venelana had tears form in her eyes as Issei then wiped them.

"I'm sorry. I guess dying a first time left a bigger impact on me than I thought, but the reason I'm doing this is because I want to change and become better." Issei said as he started to breathe a bit easier due to the stress leaving his body.

"That's why I wish to become stronger, so I won't have to feel that pain again. So I want to ask you again, Venelana Gremory. Will you help me?" Issei asked as Venelana smiled at the boy's eyes and then nodded.

"Of course I will. You need someone to make sure you aren't so reckless." Venelana said as Issei smiled in response while Semiramis smiled at the sight before her since she could tell that the trauma of her Master's death still affected him. Still, Issei was turning that into his strength to help him become stronger and better to combat the supernatural forces that he would have to face in the future.

"Well then, I suppose it's time to begin the other ritual," Semiramis said as Medea pouted but followed her to prepare the ritual as they left the Devil and their Master to rest and heal before the summoning ritual to call upon their fellow heroes.

A Few Hours Later.

Issei was now dressed in some fresh clothes as he thanked Semiramis again with the poison before Medea helped Issei prepare himself for the ritual due to the Caster seeing that he was still weak from the poison in his body.

"And this is why I suggested you summon the servants first before you did that crazy ritual with Semiramis," Medea said as Issei chuckled weakly with a hand behind his head.

"You make a good point."

"Mhm," Medea said as she continued to scold Issei a bit for his recklessness before Semiramis stopped her.

"Come on, Medea. Let's leave your Master be so he can concentrate on the ritual and not on you scolding him. He is an idiot." Semiramis said as Issei felt insulted by this.

"Hey!"

"But that's part of his charm." Semiramis ended as Issei felt like he was getting bullied by his servants before grumbling to himself a bit as Venelana was amused by their interactions.

"So you will be attempting another summoning ritual for more Heroes like those two?" Venelana asked as Issei nodded and explained how he had a vision about the next servants he would summon, so he decided to go through with it despite his lack of energy due to his body still healing from the internal damage to his body.

"Yes. This time, I'll be doing two servants, so it's probably going to take a lot out of me." Issei said as he took the two cards out of his pack: Lancer and Shielder. He then placed them on the summoning circle before he sat across from them and took a deep breath to relax his body before releasing his power, which amazed Venelana by the amount of power he had deep inside of him.

"If I could help him hone his magic and abilities, he might be able to become a Super Maou in the future," Venelana whispered to herself as she watched Issei speak the words he did for the ritual before with Medea.

However, unknown to the four in the room, two other cards began to resonate with the ritual as they slowly began to leave the box that Issei had the other cards for him. The two then left the box as one went into the portal, and the other one went to his heart, causing the shadows around him to roar with even more power.

The cards glowed as Venelana covered her eyes from the light before the magical energy exploded as three voices now spoke.

"I have arrived from the Land of Shadows. I am Scáthach. Shall I call you "Master"?"

"Leonidas, King of Sparta. At your service!"

"I have come as bidden by the summons. You are the one the others call a 'Master'?"

The voices said as the light faded away to reveal the three people who had spoken to Issei.

The first was a tall woman with long purple hair and red eyes, and she wore a full-body outfit that highlighted her curvy body with metallic shoulder pads. She also wore a mask on the lower half of her face and seemingly protective gear underneath the body suit.

The second person was a tall, red-haired man chiseled with muscle, wielding a spear and a shield as he banged his two armaments together.

And finally, the third person was a tall knight of sorts. They wore pitch-black armor with red lines going down; strange eyewear covered the knights' eyes as the helmet fell to reveal a mop of hair as white as snow, amber eyes, and pale skin.

The servants and Venelana then turned to Issei, who was on his feet but wore different attire, now wearing an outfit similar to that of a general.

Issei looked up at them all as he opened his eyes to reveal that one of them was still his normal eye, but the other one was red as blood.

"Yes. I am your Master. It's an honor to meet you three. Queen of the Land of Shadows: Scathach, King of Flame: Leonidas, and of course, The Fallen King of Knights and Britain: Artoria Pendragon." Issei said as he looked to see a blade was pointed between his eyes.

"Say that again. I dare you." Artoria growled. Issei showed no fear as he lifted his left hand and pushed the sword out of his face.

"Do I have to put you down like a dog?" Issei asked as he tilted his head before Artoria was pulled into the air by many chains. She saw a massive shadow-like beast with a scythe at her throat, ready to slice off her head. The beast wore a red coat with a white diamond design, a tight black skirt, and laced-up white, heeled boots.

"Know that I'm not going to kill you, but know that who you were in the past means nothing to me. Now, will you comply and play nice, or do I need my Bloody Rabbit to punish you?" Issei asked as his power radiated similarly to Venelana's before Artoria shook her head as Issei snapped his fingers.

The chains let her fall to the floor before the rabbit joined Issei at his side, protecting him from the rear.

[Try to harm or threaten our Master again! We dare you.] The massive rabbit said as Issei patted the rabbit's head; before the rabbit caught Issei, his clothes vanished into his normal clothes before he collapsed in the rabbit's arms.

Medea quickly flew towards him, much to the shock of the other servants, before Medea looked into his soul and saw what triggered such a transformation.

"I see. So it's the Avenger that has chosen him. The Demon King of the Sixth Heaven: Oda Nobunaga." Medea said as Artoria, Semiramis, Leonidas, and Scathach were surprised to see that the spirit of the Avenger had chosen this boy to be their host and partner.

Medea then saw that he was out of mana, and it was only Oda Nobunaga speaking to Artoria.

"However, raise your sword against him, and then I'll punish you," Medea said as she snapped her fingers and lifted Issei with magic before carrying him in her arms to one of the many rooms for him to rest.

Venelana, on the other hand, apologized to Semiramis that she had to leave to attend to her duties as a Devil, which the Poison Master understood as Venelana then left for the Gremory Mansion before smiling to herself about the potential the boy has within him.

"This is going to be a wonderful summer break."

Scene.

Venelana will understand Issei's pain and help him overcome his trauma while also helping him be able to use his Origin Magic.

Let me know what you think of the chapter by leaving a review, follow, and favorite the story if you like it. Also, who do you think should be Issei's remaining servants?

See you all next time. Ta-ta!