Issei, the true Dragon of the Apocalypse (translated into English)

by Jyanzein

[Issei x Tiamat/Penemue/Ross/Ophis] How much would a world change where the supernatural existed, and Angels behaved like Angels, Fallen Angels behaved like Fallen Angels, and Demons... behaved like Demons ? Issei has barely entered the world of the Factions, so he can't answer that question. But he will quickly find the answer. WARNING: sexual scenes and explicit violence.

46. Chapter 45: Venting, past and birthday

Here I present myself with a new translated chapter!

It's been 6 months since I started this. It's funny to think that it all started as a simple project that I didn't have much confidence in and I thought I was going to cancel it in a short time. Thanks to everyone who has helped me and especially for all the support you have given me during all these days. Without you, this translation would never have been possible.

Many thanks to those who commented on possible solutions to the dilemma I had in the previous chapter. From now on I will refer to the girls as "mentor" as long as Issei wants to refer to them with that meaning. Max talked something about a possible help for the translation, the problem is that as you said, it would be something that would take a lot of time and at the moment I don't have that. Maybe I will use it once the translation catches up with the original story, and as you know, there are still more than 30 chapters to go. All in all, it's still a long fucking way to go.

With nothing more to add, I think it's time to get started.

Enjoy!

Flashes of morning light coming through the small slits in the window marked the beginning of a new day.

Issei began to wake up slowly, rubbing his eyes in a poor attempt to shake off the drowsiness. By now, he was quite used to his body being much heavier than usual.

But, that didn't take away one fact...

That was the fact that he felt fulfilled just by looking at her face...

Issei lowered his gaze a little, seeing how the dragoness was hugging him while using his chest as a pillow.

Tiamat possessed an imperturbable look, it seemed that she was never going to wake up. All Issei did was look at her lovingly, then gave her a couple of strokes on her hair, something that Tiamat received quite well judging by her reactions.

Issei turned his gaze, seeing that it was only 6AM.

"Training has gotten me too used to waking up at these hours." He thought, turning his gaze back to Tiamat.

He continued to stroke her hair, getting the dragoness to cling even tighter to his body as her smile widened a bit.

"At least now I'm lucky enough to always get a good morning." Issei muttered under his breath, feeling how his body was trapped before the altruistic embrace of that woman who was doing her best to make him happy every moment.

So many months had already passed, but she still moved him every day.

It was unbelievable that, just by seeing her, she made his day start in a good way.

Issei snapped out of his thoughts when he heard footsteps hovering outside the room.

"What did we do wrong to deserve a son like this?" Issei couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly at what his father had said.

"Hush, maybe he's awake." His mother said softly, getting a chuckle out of the man.

"Do you think that bum would be awake at this hour?" Mr. Hyoudou questioned. "I just hope that when the academy is over he won't bother us anymore. After all, we won't be able to take care of an idiot and a little sweetie at the same time."

"Have the adoption papers been accepted yet?" the woman asked with a hopeful tone.

"Of course, although we still have to do a good role with Issei until he graduates. That way we won't have to go through so much paperwork to get the girl."

Issei could do nothing but stare at Tiamat as he continued to stroke her hair. But, his gaze already looked too downcast.

"What do you think will happen to Issei?" Mrs. Hyoudou asked, though her tone clearly didn't have a hint of concern for the boy.

"I don't know. At best he'll get a part-time job or something..." The man replied dryly, one might even say there was contempt in his words. "Now we need to focus on making plans for the girl. We need to make sure she has a good education and manners."

"I still remember when we made all those plans, but as it turned out, she ended up being a man..." The lady was clearly referring to Issei, and her dejected tone was more than clear. "But, now there's no way our plans can fail - she'll be a girl one hundred percent!" The frustration hiding her voice suddenly turned to joy.

"We will make her into a full-fledged woman, just as Tiamat is." Said the man with great pride. "We'll be the best parents in the world!" He concluded as laughing like a fool, until finally nothing more could be heard.

Issei's hands stopped, squeezing Tiamat's hair very tightly as his hands trembled. The dragoness's unperturbed smile changed to one of discomfort as tears fell onto her forehead.

Issei wore an expression of complete helplessness as his tears continued to fall.

The young man clenched his teeth tightly, then closed his eyes and let out a huge sigh, relaxing his crying and the features on his face.

"[Partner, it's not good to keep all that in. You'll end up exploding.]" Ddraig's knowing voice ran through Issei's mind, causing him to become serious.

"I've had enough, Ddraig..." He whispered under his breath as looked at Tiamat.

"[What are you talking about?"] His friend asked, denoting his worried tone.

Issei's serious expression would change to a combination of anger and helplessness.

"I'm sick of feeling so miserable." Those words hurt him even more than he thought they would.

"[Partner...]" Was all Ddraig said, knowing that the open wounds and traumas were hitting Issei again on this day, as they did wittily.

But this time the dragon was more concerned, as the emotions that abounded in Issei were much more self-destructive than before. It was probably because he has been trying to get through his pain without any support or help, and this made all that mental damage build up severely.

"I can't help him with this. I already tried, and he's not getting any better..." Thought the dragon with great seriousness. "But, I think those women might be able to help him..."

"[Partner...]" Just as Ddraig was about to propose the idea, Issei suddenly got up from his bed, causing Tiamat to almost wake up.

"I'll go for a walk." He muttered under his breath as pulled on his clothes. "I'm sorry Ddraig, but I don't feel like talking to anyone until I can relax." Issei closed the conversation suddenly, creating a magic circle at his feet.

Ddraig could only sigh at his carrier's attitude, as Issei was now much worse off because he didn't even want to listen to him. But it was not a sigh of understanding. In fact, it was quite far from being that.

The small vein that framed at the dragon's temple only further confirmed those words.

"I've tried to be understanding, and it's true I'm no expert, but I've helped you as best I could with your traumas. But I'm already starting to lose my patience, brat..." Said the dragon to himself.

"I don't care if you don't want to listen to me." Ddraig narrowed his eyes with some annoyance.

"If it has to be the hard way, then so be it..."

CHAPTER 45: VENTING, PAST AND BIRTHDAY.

Tiamat sat up in bed and then gave a big yawn. She rubbed her eyes as looked from side to side, searching for a certain person.

When she found no one, the dragoness simply got up as she dragged the sheets and used them as a sort of dress. She yawned again with great fatigue, stopping in front of the tiny glimmer of light that entered into the bedroom.

Tiamat opened the window, admiring the light that delivered a new tomorrow. She opened the sheets, managing to slowly pull them down until her body was fully visible, revealing that she was wearing a white bra and panties.

Tiamat brought a hand to her chest, causing the seal that connected her to Issei glow for a few moments. The dragoness' face was changing from a sleepy to a confused one, as she couldn't understand one thing.

"Issei, why are you in the park?" The dragoness used a small magic circle to talk to him.

"You don't need to worry." Issei replied instantly. "I just need some time alone to think."

Tiamat's face contorted at the hesitation those words generated, but she finally decided to respect her crush's wishes.

"Very well, but if you need anything don't forget that you can always count with me." The dragoness replied, while looking at the statuette Issei had given her.

"I know, thank you." Issei's tone sounded much more cheerful, something that reassured her a bit.

"I'll see you later then." The dragoness said, cutting off the communication then stretching as if she were a feline.

The hours passed much faster than everyone would have thought.

For the only ones it didn't go fast, were those who felt Issei's absence all day. Especially for those three women who were so close to him. Thanks to Tiamat's help, all of them were able to know that Issei was fine, he just required some time alone.

Classes continued as normal, where a somewhat worried Gasper could be seen, while Matsuda and Motohama looked at their friend's empty seat for a moment.

Rias didn't seem so bothered by the absence of her servant, but she looked a little uneasy. After all, they had arranged to meet today to take the first steps to carry out the plan discussed yesterday, but it could not be carried out for obvious reasons.

The others did not seem to attach too much importance to Issei's absence, assuming that he was just a bit sick to go to class.

The academy hours ended, making the beautiful sunset of Kuoh City begin to bloom.

Penemue went to her apartment after saying goodbye to Tiamat, Rossweisse and Azazel. The two women went off to a different side after bidding farewell to the Cadre, denoting that they had some things to do together.

"So, do you want to learn how to control your libido a bit more?" the Valkyrie asked, genuinely impressed that her friend would ask for help with something like that.

"Last time I was only one step away from going insane, even almost hurt Penemue..." The dragoness commented with great seriousness, though her look was somewhat crestfallen. "I don't have many people to trust, and I think that of all of them you are the one who can help me the most." She concluded, fixing her gaze on Rossweisse.

"Well...reducing a dragoness' libido looks too complicated. I don't think it can be done, since it's something in your nature..." The Valkyrie tried to explain it as clearly as possible, causing Tiamat to click her tongue. "But..." She commented with a sly little smile, managing to catch all of Tiamat's interest. "Perhaps you can use certain stimuli to keep your mind from clouding so easily."

"Stimuli?" Tiamat couldn't help but tilt her head to the side. "Something like tongue biting?" Rossweisse snapped her fingers.

"We got our first one!" The valkyrie exclaimed with a toothy grin.

Meanwhile, elsewhere...

Issei stopped in front of the fountain that was the permanent reminder of what he was as a person: A piece of trash.

Or so he thought of himself...

Issei clenched his fists tightly as numerous memories began to hit his mind.

First, it was all those days he would stay waiting for his parents at the kindergarten. It would always get completely dark and he would be all alone in that place.

He was never good at making friends, as Issei had always been known for being very shy. For that reason Irina had been his only friend during his childhood, and that was because she had approached him.

He still remembers those days spent in the rain. Those were undoubtedly the worst, since his parents did not come to pick him up on those days and he had to go back alone. More than once he had gotten lost, and his parents had scolded him much more than he would like to remember.

After that, his life took a small leap when Matsuda and Motohama came into his life. In those moments he thought that maybe life wasn't as unfair as he thought. Those thoughts were magnified to unthinkable levels when that sweet girl had proposed to be his mate.

Yes, that sweet girl...

Issei's fists clenched even tighter.

Now, that sweet girl just had a completely repulsive image while constantly laughing at him.

"Did you really think I had feelings for you?"

"The date was really boring. But it was totally worth it to see the asshole face you made as you died."

"How do you think any woman could ever be interested in you?"

And the memory that gave him the most grief above all others...

"Would you die for me?"

Issei couldn't help but clutch his chest tightly after the very lucid and real memory that always hovered in his head whenever he remembered her.

"[Why are you still alive?"] Ddraig's question made Issei react somehow, though soon after the question seemed completely absurd to him.

"What are you talking about?" the young man questioned, only to shake his head furiously. "Whatever, I said I didn't want anyone to bother me...!"

"[Listen to me brat!"] The interruption, the imposing tone and the clear annoyance in Ddraig's tone made Issei shocked beyond belief. "[You're going to listen to me, and you're going to fucking do it!"] Spat the dragon with great annoyance. "[I've had enough of your stupid drama, dragons don't act that miserable way!"]

"But, I'm a Demon..." Issei said, though he could see no intention to correct his companion, due to the fact that he was still very surprised by Ddraig's reaction.

"[Bullshit!"] Issei couldn't help but think that word sounded very strange if it was used by Ddraig.

The dragon began to gasp at his outburst, but pulled himself together rather quickly.

"[Now, you're going to answer the question I asked you earlier.]" The dragon demanded, making it clear that he wasn't going to allow a refusal as an answer.

Issei finally snapped out of his stupor, slowly thinking about the answer.

"I'm still alive, because the Buchou rescued me." Issei answered the most obvious thing that came to his mind.

"[Of course not, you idiot!"] Issei's skin could only bristle when he heard the dragon shout. "[You're also not still alive because of that promise you made before you died. The Demon girl may have helped, but the reality is that you're still alive because you still had things to live for]]." Issei couldn't help but be confused at his words.

"I think you wouldn't be being very clear..." Ddraig's carrier stated as he sat down on the edge of the fountain.

"[Alright then, let's take the topic towards a similar analogy."] The dragon replied, then cleared his throat. "[What is your worst fear?"] The dragon asked, getting Issei to think about all the enemies he faced recently.

Oddly enough, he wasn't afraid of any of them.

But, the memory of Raynare made him shiver like never before.

"I think she and those memories..." Issei couldn't finish, as he heard the dragon groan.

"[Another wrong answer!"] The dragon shouted with a vein in his temple, unable to believe that his own companion isn't capable of knowing himself.

Ddraig's anger vanished just as quickly as it appeared, opting for a very tempered look.

"[Your worst fear is just one thing. A very insignificant one, but one that could destroy even the strongest being in the world...]" The dragon declared wisely.

"[I'm talking about loneliness.]"

In those moments, Issei could feel his mind click. As if he had understood something that was completely indecipherable before.

"[Why did Raynare almost destroy your mind? Because you thought she might be the most important person in your life]." Explained the dragon. "[But why didn't she manage to kill you completely?"]

"Because I wasn't completely alone yet..." Issei said to himself, remembering Matsuda and Motohama.

In these moments, the realization hit Issei so hard that he felt as if had discovered the truth of his own life, and his expression was clear proof of it.

Ddraig couldn't help but give a great snort as his bearer fell backwards over the edge of the fountain..

"[How your main desire is to care for, love and protect all those people who are very important to you, I really thought you would already know everything I just told you...]" The dragon paused briefly for a short laugh. "[But I can see that I overestimated you. You're so strong to face a deadly fight, but so weak when you have to face yourself...]"

"But, I don't understand in how this helps me now..." Commented Issei, who had just come out of his stupor.

"[Are you really that much of an idiot?"] Issei could only feel embarrassed at the comment. "[Are you afraid of being left alone? Then don't be alone.]" Said the dragon with a tone cloaked in wisdom. "[You must get together with one of those females who are bound to the deepest part of your being. You must talk to them about all the sorrows that torment your heart]." Issei couldn't help but look at him with confusion, as he didn't quite understand. "[After all, they are the only ones who can comfort you...]" Ddraig concluded in a calm tone.

"But, telling them that..." Issei didn't seem at all sure about doing so.

"[You're going to do it, damn brat!"] The young man trembled as the dragon shouted again in great annoyance. "[I'm not your babysitter to be putting up with all your problems, and I've been putting up with too much already these six fucking months! I'm fucking Welsh Dragon, not your fucking babysitter!"]" Dragon shouted with great irritation. "[You will go to that Cadre's apartment right now, or I swear I will find a way out to kick your fucking ass until you get to that goddamn door!"]

"Okay, I'm coming!" Issei exclaimed, starting to walk as he put his hands in his pockets.

"But, I have a question..." Issei continued to move forward as he cocked his head to the side.

"Why if or if it has to be with Penemue?"

"[I don't plan on risking seeing your stupid parents' faces!"]

The dragon's shout made Issei stagger to the side.

A few minutes later...

Penemue thundered her neck as she stretched out her arms, completely satisfied to see that she was done with all the paperwork for today.

La Cadre lowered her gaze, looking at the large stack of papers she had read. Her gaze twisted into one clearly annoyed.

"Why do I still think that bum will do anything?" the woman wondered, referring to a certain man who wasn't taking charge of his own faction. "Next time I see him..." Penemue slowly snuffled, only to have a hollow look appear in her crimson eyes.

It was clear that this did not bode well for Azazel.

The Cadre distracted her discomfort by averting her gaze, looking at the small statuette Issei had given her.

The woman walked over to it, then took it in both of her hands as she focused her gaze on a certain young man with a goofy grin.

"Tiamat said you needed to be alone, but I don't know if that's so right..." She thought aloud, then set the statuette down on the piece of furniture after hearing a knock on her door. "How strange..." Cadre said to herself. "I wasn't expecting visitors today."

When Penemue opened the door, her unperturbed look changed to one of surprise after seeing Issei, who seemed to be quite nervous.

"I..." Issei couldn't help but rub his cheek in embarrassment. "I'm sorry for coming unannounced. It's just that... I think I need to talk to someone." Cadre's surprise only increased even more after hearing those words. "I can leave if you're too busy!" The young man exclaimed as he laughed nervously, turning around to leave.

Before Issei could take another step, he felt Penemue grab his shoulder.

"Actually, I just finished." At that moment, Issei only deigned to admire the smile the Cadre gave him.

"Please come in."

Issei settled into the armchair as he felt Penemue perch behind him.

"So, what brings you here?" the Cadre inquired with genuine interest, taking Issei's shoulders as she massaged them with great affection.

"It's complicated..." Issei lowered his gaze regretfully after those words, something the Cadre could tell. "To be honest, I don't know where to start..." Issei couldn't help but laugh at himself at how pathetic he sounded.

"I understand." Issei didn't try to hide his surprise after hearing the response from the Cadre, who was looking at him with a small empathetic smile.

"Do you really?" he asked in amazement.

"But before start talking, I'd better prepare something to eat." Cadre commented, breaking away from Issei. "Don't you think?" She asked, heading towards the kitchen.

"Hum, I guess it's not bad..." Issei replied, turning to watch as Penemue headed towards the kitchen.

Since Penemue's dwelling was a small apartment, Issei could see her cooking, even though he was in the supposed "living room". In fact, not even the bed had a separate room. Only the bathroom had that luxury.

She moved in a much more elegant manner than he remembered. Her constant serious and committed look that she gave to her work made her look like a professional chef, although at some moments he could see how the flame was going crazy, that she was dropping some objects, or that she was not using the seasoning properly. In all those moments, her face of concentration was influenced by a huge blush covered with embarrassment that made her look gorgeous. Coupled with her secretarial attire that she very rarely wore, it gave her a more beautiful touch than she already was.

"I guess we could go back to culinary classes..." Issei thought, remembering the first time he helped her cook. "I remember back then she looked just as gorgeous as she does now..." Issei couldn't help but let that thought slip out, but it was the truest truth in his view.

She was too beautiful for his eyes...

"Done." The Cadre approached with a large pot that was covered with noodles and other appetizers that seemed to give it a nice color and flavor, though that last remained to be seen.

"Won't we be using plates?" he asked curiously, watching as Penemue sat down next to him as she placed the pot between her legs.

"No need." She concluded, handing him some chopsticks to eat next to her.

"Thanks for the food!" Issei exclaimed, but Penemue rested a finger on his lips.

"Not so fast." She said with a small smile. "First, you'll tell me what's tormenting you."

"But, didn't you say you already knew?" Issei questioned as he gently removed Penemue's hand.

"I get the idea, but it's always good to talk about it." The Cadre replied, then gave him a small smile. "You need me to listen to you, and you need to listen to yourself as well."

Issei lowered his gaze for a short second, internally debating whether or not to do so.

It wasn't that he didn't trust her. It's just that...

He didn't like the idea of showing himself weak in front of her...

After all, he always wanted to appear happy and fulfilled for those people who were so important to him...

He just didn't want them to worry...

Those thoughts suddenly dissipated when he felt something wet touch his cheek.

Penemue placed one of her hands on his head and caressed him with great affection as she continued to kiss his cheek.

After a few seconds that seemed eternal for both of them, the Cadre slowly pulled away from him.

"Do you know that I adore you very much?" Issei nodded without any hesitation at the question. "Then let me help you, just as you helped me." She delivered the best smile she could muster, getting Issei to widen his eyes even more.

In those moments, a small flash back of a very similar smile crossed his mind. It was identical to the smile Penemue gave him when they were riding on that ice swan, celebrating the Anniversary of the Fallen...

He would never be able to forget that day...

And much less could he forget that smile...

A small enthusiastic smile appeared on Issei's face.

"I adore you very much too." Such a surprising statement made Penemue had to use both of her hands to cover her huge blush. "Please, never doubt that." He concluded, getting Penemue to lower her gaze as she couldn't contain how her whole body jumped with happiness.

She couldn't believe that something like this had made her feel so special. Mostly because Issei didn't have to say it for her to know.

But it felt too sweet when it came out of his own mouth.

"First, I'd like to start with Raynare..." Issei's words brought Penemue back to herself so fast she could have scared anyone. "Actually, I think the problem isn't that she practically betrayed me and threw me away like trash..." Issei couldn't help but rub his hair with some misgivings after the memory. "The strongest thing, came after..." Issei had no choice but to close his eyes at the laughter of that woman that pounded his mind all the while.

Those laughs disappeared instantly as his hands were cuddled by a very warm and comforting sensation. He opened his eyes, only to see how Penemue had her two hands intertwined with his.

"Don't worry, she won't be able to reach you as long as I'm here." Seeing her smiling again, coupled with those words, made Issei feel much more confident.

The young man could only smile at the kindness presented by the Cadre.

"Once I revived, I crossed her again. I guess you know that part of the story..." Issei commented, then gave a small sigh. "She told me so many things. Things that I didn't want to believe, that really hurt me a lot." Issei clenched his fists tightly. "Most likely, those words affected me so much, since when I acquired that taste for women, what I wanted the most was for someone to be close to me, to love me, even to spoil me..." Issei couldn't help but laugh as he heard himself. "It's pretty ridiculous for someone like me to wish for that, isn't it?" He asked, lowering his gaze sadly. "I always dreamed of being able to give all my affection to someone, and that person would also return it to me with that energy. But..." Issei couldn't help but close his eyes tightly.

Before he could continue talking about his regrets, Issei could feel how a nice smell reached his nose. He opened his eyes, watching as Penemue held a pair of noodles in front of his face.

"Let's eat." The Cadre said with a sweet smile, something Issei couldn't understand.

"But, you said we'd eat it when I told you everything..." He said with great confusion.

"You already did, you don't need to keep torturing yourself." Penemue explained, then moved the noodles even closer.

"Open your mouth."

Issei finally gave in to the Cadre's insistence. As the noodles entered his mouth, he felt a great mixture, but it wasn't tastes.

It was his chest, which had been bothering him all this day. It was as if that pain had suddenly increased.

That pain was increased by the taste and by the smell...

It was strange...

"What does it taste like?" Cadre asked.

Issei continued to chew for a few seconds, until he finally deigned to speak, though his mouth was full.

"The noodles are overcooked, and the taste is a bit underwhelming..."

Penemue couldn't help but smile ruefully.

It wasn't because of what she had said about her food, but because of how Issei's tears began to fall non-stop.

"It's perfect!" The young man exclaimed as he tried to brush the tears away to no avail, as they kept coming.

"Eat, eat and take off everything you have in there..." Cadre said as she stuck to him and set the pot down on the small table.

Penemue hugged him as she handed him another portion, watching as Issei cried non-stop.

"Cry, cry all you want..." Penemue said as she lifted him up and made him sit on her lap. "I will be here as long as it takes. I will listen to you as long as you need." Penemue hugged him like he was a cute teddy bear, making Issei cry even harder.

"Why am I so miserable?!"

"Why can't I stop being so pathetic?!"

"I fucking knew, I knew! But she didn't have to tell me! I didn't want to hear it, let alone from her!"

"You hate her?" The Cadre asked him, watching as Issei furiously shook his head.

"Maybe I may hate her, but I hate myself a lot more!" Issei exclaimed, placing both hands over his face in an attempt to stop the crying.

"It's normal." She said, clinging tighter to Issei. "The suffering of the past is something you can cope with, but it will always be haunting you. The important thing is to know that you'll always be surrounded by people who will help you. And if you have them to us, they will show up." Penemue placed her chin on Issei's head lovingly. "Just as you did with me. Now I have Tiamat too, and Rossweisse is being integrated into my much treasured bond."

Issei's crying stopped, looking at Penemue with some astonishment after her words.

"The past may never disappear, it may always be able to overtake me. But it can never destroy me, it never will as long as you are around." Penemue concluded, giving him a beautiful smile.

A smile so beautiful that it made Issei's heart race.

Penemue was a little surprised when her crush hugged her very tightly without warning.

"You're right." Issei commented, wiping away the last of his tears as he rubbed his face against Penemue's breasts. "None of that matters now. What matters is that I'm with all of you. What matters is that I'm with you." Penemue couldn't help but blush slightly at his words. "It doesn't matter if I can never be together with a woman because I'm so insignificant."

Those words were ones Penemue could not accept.

She made him appreciate her displeasure instantly when she cupped both his cheeks and forced him to look into her eyes.

"Don't you ever say that again!" She exclaimed, getting Issei to look at her with great surprise after her words. "You're someone amazing! Any woman would wish to be by your side!" Issei couldn't help but blink several times at the Cadre's outburst.

"But..." Was all he could say, as Penemue squeezed his cheeks much tighter and denied him speech.

"No buts!" Ordered the woman with her classic strict look. "If you can't understand, even..." Penemue's strict look dwindled to nothing as an intense blush took over her face. "I'm even willing to give you my first kiss to make you understand." She said, slowly pulling Issei's face closer.

In those moments, Issei's eyes widened beyond belief.

"Wait!" he shouted, watching as Penemue seemed to stop. "I get it, I swear I get it!"

Penemue glared at him, seeing that Issei seemed to be very nervous.

After a few intense seconds, the Cadre finally let go of her future lover's face.

"I'll decide to believe you, for now..." She concluded, while still possessing that cute blush on her face.

The door was slammed with incredible force, opening with a loud bang that caught both of their attention. It didn't take them long to find out who it was, as Tiamat entered along with Rossweisse, and they both looked quite alarmed.

Tiamat's gaze was positioned on Issei, who had stopped from all the commotion. Without him even being able to understand what was happening, the dragoness rushed over to him and hugged him tightly.

"Issei!" Tiamat purred as she rubbed her cheek against Issei's cheek. "We were so worried!" Issei couldn't help but be confused at the last thing she mentioned.

"Why are you girls like this?" He asked as hugs Tiamat in an attempt to relax her, as she seemed to be quite upset.

"Tiamat said she could feel how you were suffering through the connection." Rossweisse explained, still with her worried look on her face.

"Oh, about that..." Issei said, not knowing how exactly to respond.

"He was just venting." Cadre answered for Issei, making everyone look at her. "Don't have to worry, he's fine now." Penemue looked at the young man, giving him a small smile. "Isn't that right?" Issei looked at her with a smile after the question.

"I owe it all to her." He replied , getting Tiamat to cling to him even tighter.

"So, it was just a false alarm?" The dragoness asked, earning a nod.

"Since you're here, wouldn't you like to join us for dinner?" Penemue would ask, pointing to the pot with her chopsticks.

The aforementioned women looked at each other, then handed a smile to the Cadre.

During dinner, the women were discussing all the problems Issei had been keeping all this time. Tiamat and Rossweisse said that if he needed help, they would always listen to him, to which Issei replied with a big smile.

After that, the four of them were talking and laughing late into the night. The most interesting stories were Penemue's, as she told of the many beatings she had given the Cadres for not doing their jobs, though she had finally given up on them as they never learned. Rossweisse told many of the stories she and her grandmother had lived through, and how Odin had managed to overcome his great hysterical crisis that had arisen thanks to the enormous stress generated by the Great War, added to the people who had abandoned the Norse beliefs a little over a thousand years ago.

Finally, the stories were over, and the night grew even more heated on that day.

"It's already too late..." Issei thought with some nervousness as he saw the time on the TV.

Penemue seemed to pick up on this, so she moved a little closer to him.

"Do you want to stay over?" the Cadre asked as she grabbed his shoulders, getting Issei to look back.

"Uh... don't you think that might bring trouble with my parents?" He asked somewhat sheepishly.

"I'll take care of that." Assured the dragoness with a mischievous grin as she bumped her two fists together hard. "It won't be a problem to modify one or two of their memories..."

"Then I guess it won't be a problem." Issei concluded with a smile.

Before anyone noticed, Issei was already sleeping between the breasts of Tiamat and Penemue, who were looking at him with great affection.

"It's still a little weird to see this..." Said Rossweisse, who was sitting in a chair near the double bed.

"I'm not going to say I don't like sleeping with him..." Penemue commented, pausing slightly as she began to stroke his bangs. "But today was a bit of a special day..." She concluded, unable to help but smile at the sight of Issei's completely calm expression as he slept.

"I understand what you mean." Tiamat said, intertwining her hand with her future lover's. "This day needed all of us." Rossweisse couldn't help but look at the two women with great confusion.

"Me too?" the Valkyrie pointed out, causing the dragoness and the Cadre to smile at her.

"Of course." Penemue replied.

"Despite not having known each other long, you two became close friends with all those nights out." The dragoness stated with a slightly teasing tone, making Rossweisse blush with embarrassment.

After all, she had wanted to keep that a secret for just this reason.

The Valkyrie looked at Issei for a moment, then placed a hand on the sheet with some empathy.

"Issei's fears were extinguished thanks to his realization of the people he is surrounded with..." Valkyrie said, gaining Penemue and Tiamat's attention. "But, that's not over here." Ross explained with great seriousness. "From what I've heard, he suffers from gynophobia, although it's a rather strange case..." The two ladies looked at her with great interest after what they heard.

"What is gynophobia?" they both asked at the same time, getting Rossweisse impressed.

"Don't you know what it means?" both women denied, causing Ross to settle back in her seat. "To put it in a nutshell, gynophobia is the fear of women." After hearing this, both women looked at her with confusion.

"But he doesn't have this fear, otherwise we wouldn't be sleeping with him right now." Tiamat gave her point.

"As I said before, it's a strange case." The Valkyrie's words caused the interest of her two friends to spike even more. "He can interact with women. The strange thing is that he seems to suffer from a severe disorder when we talk about the love a woman could give him." Rossweisse looked at Issei with some pity after her words. "If Issei's self-esteem was at rock bottom before, that Fallen Angel took it upon herself to bury him. Now he thinks that no woman could love him, and that he doesn't deserve to love anyone either because it would only bring pain to himself. He blindly believes he's nothing but trash." Even Rossweisse herself looked shocked as she said that word. "Looking at it this way, it's a good thing neither of them confessed." She thought, looking at her two friends. "With Issei's current condition, he would have rejected them because of his great feeling of inferiority."

"Is there any way to cure him?" Both women would ask with great concern as they looked at their beloved. They had no idea the situation could be so serious.

Rossweisse was silent for a few seconds, then smiled slightly.

"Of course it is. But it's complicated." She replied, much to the relief of Tiamat and Penemue. "Before you guys go ahead with your matchmaking plan, we need to deal with their trauma slowly. You may not understand much psychology, but I can handle it."

"So, what would be the first step?" Tiamat asked, really interested in how to help Issei.

Rossweisse was thinking about it for a few seconds. When she found the answer, she snapped her fingers as a cute smile came across her face.

"First we have to make him realize that he has those kinds of feelings too!"

Penemue and Tiamat looked at each other, as they hadn't quite understood what she was referring to.

Rossweisse increased her smile even more as she folded her arms.

"Just leave it to me!"

The next day...

Issei's eyes slowly opened wearily as the light began to penetrate the small apartment. He tried to move, but all to no avail when he couldn't even move his arms.

Memories of the previous night pounded in his head, causing him to look to his sides. His dazed look quickly changed to a small smile after realizing that Penemue and Tiamat were holding his hands as they slept close to him. In fact, Issei was on top of them, as the bed was too small for the three of them to fit in.

His gaze strayed to the edge of the bed after sensing some movements, seeing how Rossweisse had her face resting on the bed as she seemed to be sleeping with great relaxation. This sight proved to be very curious to the young man, as he could feel as if the three women were protecting him.

It was a strange sensation, but he did not dislike it in the least.

After studying his situation for a few more seconds, his smile quickly widened.

"After waking up like this, I don't see it possible for today to be a bad day."

Later, at the Academy...

Issei appeared at the institution with a toothy smile as he was accompanied by the three most famous female teachers of Kuoh Academy. The women talked to each other and carried on a very organic conversation. Tiamat and Rossweisse usually laughed, while Penemue always wore a serious face, although she seemed to be very comfortable with the presence of both girls, without taking away from the student who was accompanying them.

Some students looked at the quartet strangely, since Rossweisse had not arrived long ago and they already seemed to be best friends. Then there was Tiamat, who only used to laugh on very rare occasions when she struck up a conversation with Issei or Penemue, being that those conversations were not very regular.

"ISE, OE ISE!"

The conversation was very abruptly interrupted as a giant stampede created solely by two men was rapidly approaching where Issei was standing.

The two subjects stopped right in front of Issei, leaving a large cloud of dust in their wake.

"We were worried..." They both said at the same time while breathing heavily.

"What are you two talking about?" Issei couldn't help but look at his two best friends with a raised eyebrow.

The former pervert duo fixed their gaze on the dragoness instantly after hearing the question.

"Miss Tiamat told us you were sick." Motohama replied.

"I see..." Issei thought as the realization hit his head. "Don't worry, I'm fine now." He stated with a toothy grin.

"Are you sure?" Issei couldn't help but look at his two friends quizzically after Motohama's question.

The two friends looked at each other for a short second, then looked at Issei again.

"It's just that you've been getting sick a lot lately, and you were even absent for a huge amount of days." Motohama made his point, showing genuine concern for his friend. "If anything happens to you, remember that we will always be there to support you." He clarified, adjusting his glasses.

"No matter what!" Matsuda finished Motohama's statement, watching as Issei seemed to be quite impressed at what he heard.

Finally, the young man couldn't help but chuckle a little to the confusion of his two friends.

"Don't worry." Both Matsuda and Motohama were immensely surprised to see Issei's expression after saying those words, as his eyes shone in a very different way. "I know I can count on you guys, always. You don't even have to say it." He concluded, earning a smile from his two friends.

"As long as you understand..." They both said at the same time as they crossed their arms.

The three women looked at each other with a small smile after overhearing the conversation.

"It seems Issei wasn't exaggerating when he talked about them..." Rossweisse thought, admiring the three men walking in the direction of the main building as Issei said goodbye to the three ladies.

The conversation between the three friends didn't last long, as the president of the Occult Club interrupted them, because she had something very important to talk to Issei about. The young man dismissed his friends, saying he would see them in class as he left with Rias towards the old building.

"Master!" Gasper jumped out of his seat after seeing Issei.

"Hey, I told you not to call me that way..." Issei commented at the same time as a bead of nervous sweat slid down his head.

"I was worried, since you didn't warn anyone about your absence." Explained the half-vampire, approaching the one who, to him, was like some sort of role model.

"Don't worry." Issei replied with a smile, then tousled Gasper's hair. "It was nothing important."

"What we came for..." Rias said, resuming the attention of the only two servants in the building right now. "Since you were absent yesterday, we couldn't test the measurements." Said the redhead, materializing a tape measure.

"But, that's not necessary." Said Issei, sitting on the couch accompanied by Gasper, who was watching the events with great intrigue. "A large robe is enough for me, and a good cap to cover my eyes."

"A cap..." Rias rubbed her chin as she thought carefully. "All right." She concluded, then handed him a smile. "By the way, I was able to get a wig that's identical in Hell."

"So, do we have everything ready yet?" Issei asked somewhat impatiently, watching as Rias widened her smile.

"Would you like to try it?" She asked, earning a quick nod from Issei.

Gasper continued to watch the entire interaction with absolutely no understanding of what they were talking about.

After about 10 minutes had passed, that expression on Gasper's face had changed dramatically.

"I see!" The half-vampire exclaimed as he bumped his fist against his other hand. "That's a very good plan!" He concluded, delivering a smile to both of them.

"You think so already?!" Issei exclaimed as he struck a ridiculous pose.

"Hey, I don't pose like that..." Rias commented, looking at Issei as if he was being an idiot.

"I wasn't trying to imitate you, Buchou." Issei said as he rubbed his hair with a smile on his face.

"Let's go now, classes are about to start." Ordered the redhead, receiving a nod from the two boys.

Before they could open the door, Issei could feel Rias grab him by the shoulder.

"Hey, I think you shouldn't just rest this week." The redhead said with a small blush on his face. "You should take a longer break." Issei could do nothing but look at her with great confusion. "Once the first phase of the Rating Games is over, we're all going to take next week much easier. You should do the same, and then you could spend more time with me. I mean, with us."

"But, president..." Rias' blush disappeared as she met the gaze of her servant, who seemed unperturbed.

"If I take things more calmly, then I won't be able to make myself stronger anymore."

Those words alone didn't mean much, but if you saw Issei's face, if you saw his eyes, even Great Red himself would have been scared.

Issei said it with complete naturalness, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Which, in reality, it was. But, it could be seen that Issei saw much further than just a desire to become stronger.

"But, you should know when enough is enough." Rias took his hand, causing Issei to raise an eyebrow. "If you keep training all day, you will no longer gain anything, only power. In the end, that obsession will only make you have nothing left."

Rias' tender smile was replaced by a wide-eyed stupor as Issei slapped her hand and pulled away from her. Issei's eyes pierced Rias' soul, making her feel afraid of her servant.

"If you don't have any idea about a subject, then don't opine about it." The serious tone Issei used would have made Penemue feel very proud.

The atmosphere suddenly became extremely tense. Gasper looked from side to side, unable to understand the reason why everything had become so unsettling.

"I...I'm sorry." They were the only words that went through Rias' head.

Issei could tell how much discomfort he himself was generating, so he quickly dropped his gaze and handed her a smile as he rubbed his hair.

"Don't worry. I understand you're just worrying about me." He replied, getting the whole tense atmosphere cut off immediately.

Rias simply gave a sigh, then pointed to the exit.

"We can't dawdle anymore. We're going to be late." The two boys nodded in agreement, leaving the Club.

Several hours later...

All the women of the Gremory team were in a hot spring that belonged to the territory of Tannin. As it was a huge volcano, one could witness how there was a kind of two floors, one far away from the other. The girls were at the bottom, two of them were looking at the hot springs near the top with some misgivings.

"Why can't we go? I just wanted to play for a moment with Issei..." Akeno said with a very disappointed tone mixed with sadness.

"I told you." Rias said as she sat down on one of the overhanging rocks, heaving a big sigh. "Now Rossweisse is also accompanying us and she has been too strict about sharing the hot springs..." The redhead said, remembering how Rossweisse denied and re-denied that no woman could go towards the place where the men were bathing. "Lately, I feel like my word isn't worth that much anymore and it's bothering me too much..." Rias would think with a clearly annoyed expression on her face.

Speaking of the upper floor, Tannin was there in his human form giving a couple of pointers to Kiba on how to properly use his sword while enjoying the bath, being a bit away from Issei, who was at the edge of the hot springs.

"I want to train..." Thought the young man with a bored look on his face as he shook his legs, seeing the giant cliff that awaited him if he fell downwards. "Watching everyone's training wasn't so bad, even though I ended up feeling obligated to do something in the end..." Issei recalled how Tannin trained everyone in much the same way he did with him. "When I snuck off to train with Tiamat, I felt like I was finishing learning certain combat skills I didn't have yet." He thought, looking up at the sky as he had a small flash back.

"So, do you want to learn the Dragon combat style properly?" the dragoness asked with a proud smile after listening to her future lover. "You didn't count on enough strength before, but I think it's a different story now." The dragoness stated with a defiant smile, making her beautiful fangs make an appearance.

"What should I do?" Issei asked with great enthusiasm, then watched as Tiamat entered a combat stance, where her thumb remained free, while her other fingers did not end up forming a fist completely.

"You already have the base. You learned it with me some time ago." Explained the dragoness. "Now, you just lack the technique." A dangerous gleam adorned the dragoness's eyes. "Now, pay attention. I will use the moves against one of my ice copies." An ice Tiamat appeared after saying those words. "The first few times I will move slowly so that you can understand everything clearly. After that I won't be so benevolent. These movements require some speed and a lot of force to make a good impact." She stated, looking intently at her clone. "Impact is the key, for, if you possess enough strength and skill to strike, your opponent could be stunned or even incapacitated with a single blow." Tiamat looked once more at her beloved, giving him a small smile. "But, since you are much weaker than me, don't expect to get a destructive weapon that can take out any enemy."

"You didn't need to remind me..." Issei thought aloud with a drop of nervous sweat.

Issei returned to the present time, looking down again.

"I was lucky Rossweisse was with Penemue when she discovered us, or else she would have killed us both." Thought the young man with some amusement after remembering how a furious Penemue was restrained by Rossweisse so she wouldn't give him a good whack on the head. "Although, after that she even agreed to help us." He concluded, remembering how Penemue was adjusting his arm and hand posture, as well as correcting the posture of his legs that were creating an imbalance along his body. "Tiamat is a very good teacher, but Penemue is second to none."

Issei laughed after his last thought, knowing that if Tiamat heard him she would have given him a tender smack upside the head for belittling her, though that was not his intention at all.

"What are you doing, Senpai?" Gasper sat right next to his best friend, watching as he seemed to admire the night sky.

"Nothing, I was just remembering a couple of things." Issei replied, fixing his gaze on the half-vampire. "By the way, how's your training going?" Gasper couldn't help but feel uncomfortable at the question. "From what I saw, you were having some difficulty controlling your power."

Gasper shook his legs as Issei did, while looking down at the ground with a dejected face.

"To tell the truth, I'm not doing well." Gasper commented completely dejected. "Even if I try my best, I'm not improving one bit. Control over my magic reserves still remains close to nil and I lose control at times, with Tannin being the only one who can enter my space and break the flow of magic." The half vampire clenched his fists tightly. "I'm just a nuisance. The buchou said I had incredible power, but if I couldn't control it, I should stay out of the upcoming Rating Games since it would hurt the whole team, plus I could accidentally kill members and they'd end up disqualifying us for that." At this point, Gasper was almost close to tears. "Even though I'm trying so hard... Why?" Issei couldn't help but look at his friend with great empathy. "I hate training, I hate it!" He exclaimed with great anger. "How come Issei always wants to train?! What does it take for me to be as strong as you?!" He asked with great energy, holding back tears.

Issei looked at him with great surprise after his words. At first, she didn't know what to answer, but then he smiled with a dejected expression, something that caught Gasper's attention.

"What does it take for you to be strong, huh?" Issei said, then increased his smile. "That's something I've been asking myself ever since I entered the Supernatural World." Gasper's eyes widened beyond belief after the revelation.

"I'm sorry, but I can't believe you..." The vampire said, clenching his fists tightly. "After all, Issei is amazing!" Issei just smiled at him for the praise, then went back to looking at the night sky.

"You asked me earlier how I can like training so much..." Gasper paid special attention to him after hearing his words. "The truth is that I have suffered a lot of psychological injuries before I started, but I have already studied them carefully and will not make the same mistakes. Besides, thanks to the help of my best friends I have been able to overcome it." A memory of Tiamat, Rossweisse and Penemue smiling came to his mind. "And also thanks to a certain dragon." He added, knowing Ddraig would be very offended if he didn't include him in that group. "If you're wondering 'what does that have to do with training?' The reality is, for me, it's everything." Gasper couldn't help but look at him with some surprise after what he heard. "Those mistakes, and everything I've been through in the past. All those things helped me realize what I really wanted in my life, and that's the simple fact of not being alone." Issei looked at the half-vampire out of the corner of his eye.

"Do you still remember our talk?"

In those moments, Gasper's eyes widened like never before.

He remembered that time they were on the rooftop of the main academy building, that little talk they had had just before the "bad lady" attacked them.

"I don't train to be more manly, nor do I train for the simple whim of being the strongest."

"I only train so that I can protect my loved ones."

"Those words..." Gasper said, snapping back to reality.

"This new life I've started six months ago, training hard and learning..." Issei clenched his fists tightly. "Never giving up searching for that which will bring me to my true limits." Issei gave him a very serious little look. "But I'm not going to lie to you, those trainings were very hard. Having the ambition to surpass them sometimes wasn't always enough. Sometimes I made mistakes, and those mistakes almost ended my life. In all those days, I went through real hell." Issei closed his eyes calmly. "...But I have no regrets, and I'd do them again a thousand times if I had to." Gasper was immensely impressed after his words. "Do you know why?" He asked, opening one of his eyes, receiving a quick refusal from the vampire. "Because if I had to do it a thousand times to save the people I love, to die for the people I love, then I would do it with a smile. Because I'd rather die saving them, than be left living all alone." He concluded, resting one of his hands on Gasper's head. "That's why I'm going to keep searching for my true limit, and I'll never stop no matter what they say." Issei couldn't help but narrow his eyes in slight annoyance. "They say I'm too obsessed, and that I won't have anything left..." Gasper could tell instantly that he was talking about the conversation he had with Rias in the morning.

A small toothy smile appeared on Issei's face, something that cheered Gasper's soul.

"But I'll see to it that they all regret those words!"

"Awesome!" Was all Gasper could say as his eyes shone with great intensity.

"Then don't say you can't get it." Issei said, giving him a sympathetic look. "I understand that it's very hard, and that it's ridiculously frustrating. But in this world there are always immense dangers, and those dangers often present themselves when you least expect them. That's why you always have to be prepared." Issei's gaze became somewhat serious. "No matter how much you psyche yourself up, no one is prepared for the death of the people who are really in your heart, believe me." Gasper lowered his gaze slightly, sporting a very serious face.

"That's why you should avoid it..." He said quietly, to which Issei nodded.

A few small seconds of silence came between the two, as Issei let Gasper absorb all the newly acquired knowledge.

"...That doesn't mean you have to be like me." Gasper observed Issei with some surprise after his comment. "There are people who are driven by different ambitions. That's why there are people who seek to do right or wrong. Personally, I would never want to have to kick your ass, so try to find a good ambition to get even better." He concluded, remembering the wise words Azazel had told him.

In fact, it was funny...

Issei only just realized that he had learned an impressive amount of things from surrounding himself with certain people who were very important to him.

"But, your ambition seems perfect to me." Gasper said, implying that he had been completely moved by the story. "But, I doubt it can get any better in such a short time..." He concluded, lowering his gaze with some regret.

"That's true." Issei stated, causing Gasper to lower his gaze even further. "But if the only thing you're having trouble with is controlling your magic reserves, then the solution is very simple." Issei's comment caused Gasper to look at him in utter amazement.

"What should I do?" He questioned with little stars in his eyes.

"You said you could control a portion of your magic reserves, though it was very poor control." Issei explained, receiving a quick nod from Gasper. "So, we just have to reduce your magic reserves to that point before we enter the Rating Games." He concluded, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Though it didn't seem like it to Gasper, and his mind that was about to explode at the revelation was clear proof of that.

"I get to participate!" The vampire yelled with great excitement.

"Although, you'll be bordering on fainting constantly from extreme mental fatigue..." Issei said, only to get a little nervous as Gasper yelled again, giving him to understand that he didn't care about that factor.

"That's right. With your gigantic magical reserves, it's a good plan. Even I hadn't thought of it."

The two young men turned their gaze in search of the voice, slightly surprised to see who it was.

"Azazel..." Issei said, as he hadn't had a chance to engage in a long conversation with the Cadre for many days now.

"You've grown a lot Issei." Azazel commented as he sat down next to him. "I am proud."

Meanwhile, in a place much less remote than it really should be...

The large amount of red bushes near the hot springs began to move in a strange way, indicating that there were people in that place. The entire path to the top was surrounded by those bushes, so it was impossible to see anyone unless you paid close attention.

"I don't think this is a good idea..." Penemue said as she followed closely behind Tiamat, who was holding her towel so it wouldn't be dragged through the branches.

"You wouldn't be here if you really thought about it." The dragoness declared with a smirk, causing the Cadre to click her tongue as she looked in another direction.

Tiamat peeked her face through the bushes, watching as Issei stood not too far from her position. Penemue appeared soon after, mimicking the dragoness' action.

Her gazes settled on his two companions, opting for a curious look as the three of them seemed to be chatting quite energetically while giggling.

"So you pissed off Penemue, huh?! And you're still alive?! Awesome!" shouted Azazel as he laughed nonstop. "She's scary, isn't she?" The Cadre's expression changed in a way so fast it would have scared anyone.

"I agree." Issei replied as if he were a robot, something that was quite funny to Gasper.

"I'm creepy?" Muttered the Cadre with a tone shrouded in surprise.

"Better not to tell her the truth..." Tiamat thought after seeing the out-of-her-mind reaction her friend has had.

"I think Tiamat's pretty scary too..." Gasper said as he raised a hand somewhat sheepishly.

This time, it was Tiamat who changed her expression radically.

"Well, I think they both have their moments..." Issei commented. "But..." He fell silent for a moment, thinking about what he was going to say.

"What do you think of them?" the Cadre asked, gaining the attention of Issei and Gasper, as well as the two women who were eavesdropping on the conversation.

"Well, I think either of you two could point out the flaws that they have. But the truth is, to me they're perfect." Both women couldn't help but blush at what they heard. "Well, how to explain..." Issei rubbed his hair as he thought. "Let's just say the part of them that makes them charming I love, and the part that many would mark as a problem I love too." Issei raised his gaze, thinking hard. "No matter how hard I try to look, I think they are the most captivating women I've ever met, and I don't think it's possible for any other woman to top them."

Tiamat and Penemue withdrew their faces from the bushes, and immediately grabbed her upper abdomen.

It hurt too much, but it also felt so good...

It felt so good to hear those words...

Both women looked at each other with small smiles covered in complicity, as they both knew very well what the other was feeling.

"Every time he talks about me like that, I can feel my whole body heat up. I just want to hug and squeeze him like never before right now." The dragoness said with a big blush on her face.

"I can understand you. It's complicated to cope with this kind of emotions." Said the Cadre.

The talk between the two was cut short when an "evil" presence stalked them from behind some bushes. The two women quickly became alert, only to instantly tense up after seeing who it was.

"You..." Rossweisse's voice sounded downright dangerous. "Can you tell me what the hell you're doing here?"

"It was her idea." Tiamat instantly blamed Penemue, earning a "Jaaah?!" from the Cadre.

"Are you going to start acting like a child?" Penemue questioned with a dark look on her face, while Tiamat played it off.

"I don't know who came up with this idea. I only know one thing..." Rossweisse's comment made her two friends forget about their little quarrel. "We're leaving." She said in a curt manner, pointing to her back. "Now!" The tone and her dangerously narrowed eyes left no room for argument.

"For some reason, I feel your roles in ending the perversion were reversed..." The Cadre said.

"Are you implying that I should be suppressing a man?" The Valkyrie questioned with a raised eyebrow. Penemue just bowed her shoulders.

"I don't know, it's just a feeling." Was the Cadre's simple reply as she passed by Rossweisse's side.

The Valkyrie's gaze fell on Tiamat, who was playing with her hair.

"Come on, let me be with my little dragon for a while..." Commented the dragoness with a tender look.

That look disappeared instantly when a vein appeared in the Valkyrie's hundred.

"Hmp!" Rossweisse snorted as she pointed behind her back, indicating that she would not fall under any kind of bribery.

"Come on!" Tiamat shouted in frustration as she approached the two women. "Then don't go getting mad when I accidentally freeze all the water..." She muttered under her breath with a pout.

"Oh?" Penemue said as she followed close behind her. "The great and awesome Ice Queen, the most powerful Dragon Queen, the Winter Excellency, are you going to throw a tantrum?"

"Hug!" Tiamat whined. "Silence!" She shouted, fiercely tossing her hair.

Rossweisse watched the entire interaction with a small smile. She couldn't believe that an entity as powerful as Tiamat was could be swayed by two people who were far more inferior to her.

Unlike a certain God she knew...

Rossweisse's gaze couldn't help but twist to one of complete displeasure after remembering it.

"And what do you think of Rossweisse?" Azazel's question caused the Valkyrie to look back in mild surprise.

"Well..." Issei said as he shook his legs. "She is a truly beautiful woman." A faint blush shot across the Valkyrie's face. "She's a bit desperate and has very low self-esteem. She also has certain somewhat reprehensible moral attitudes that make her very hysterical at times." A depressive aura covered Rossweisse after hearing those words.

"But..."

Rossweisse couldn't help but glance at Issei after his last word.

The young man's toothy smile flashed before her eyes.

"Her common personality and those mixed characteristics is something that makes her someone very special, don't you think?" Ross's eyes widened slightly.

She had never thought that those aspects of her could ever appeal to any man.

"At first, it seemed totally absurd to me that she didn't have a mate. After all, she's someone really lovely." Issei said showing genuine astonishment, and his expression and tone used was a clear proof of that. "After being with her for a while, I could understand that the problem might be something I still don't understand. But I didn't want to pry, as I don't know how she would take it..." Issei said as she rubbed her hair with slight shyness. "Besides, as awesome as she is, I'm sure she'll find a way to work it out."

Those last words made Rossweisse visibly disillusioned.

"Hey!" The Valkyrie was snapped out of her torment when Penemue called out to her. "Are you coming or not?" The Cadre asked, raising an eyebrow.

Rossweisse shook her head fiercely to shake off the evil thoughts, then quickly approached towards her friends.

"A problem you don't understand..." Azazel thought as he rubbed his chin, watching as Gasper and Issei chatted happily. "If you knew why, believe me you wouldn't be so calm..." He concluded, unable to help but get serious at the end.

A few minutes later...

"So you weren't over that yet..." Azazel commented as he leaned against a nearby rock. "It's normal that it took you so long, you really had a hard time." He would conclude, watching as the brat nodded.

Issei looked behind him, watching as Kiba and Gasper seemed to be chatting with Tannin.

"The reality is, I still feel like I haven't completely gotten rid of certain things." Issei said as he positioned a hand on his chest, his gaze saddened slightly after remembering Raynare. "But now is not the time to think about that. All that's left for me to do is keep looking forward to continue improving." He finished with a determined look as he gazed off into the horizon.

"You say understand, but I think there are certain things that are still not clear to you..." Azazel's comment made Issei look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" The young man questioned.

"Hmmm..." Azazel hummed, seeing the curious expression Issei was giving him. "I guess you didn't understand everything they wanted to tell you." Issei's look only twisted to a more confused one after what he heard. "You know something?" Azazel moved a little closer to the brat, resting a hand under his chin. "You haven't realized it yet, but you've surrounded yourself with the one thing you were so lacking." Azazel widened his smile slightly after his words. "You have a real family now." Issei's eyes widened enormously as realization hit him. "Not just those three women you hold so dear. There's also Gasper who sees you as a role model, as if you were his big brother. Even though you haven't had much time to talk to Tannin, he considers you almost like a brother, as he blindly believes that you are one of the last surviving Dragons, even though you are a Demon. You also have comrades and co-workers who will always be there for you. From what I know, Ddraig is like a kind of father to you since you were introduced to the Supernatural World, due to the fact that you learned a great deal of things thanks to him..." Azazel paused for a short second, thinking about his next words. "There's even me... Though to be honest, I don't know what kind of role I would encompass in this crazy group." Azazel concluded as he laughed, imagining what all those people would look like together living together in the same household.

Azazel's laughter culminated when he saw how Issei seemed to be on the verge of tears.

"Senpai..." Was all he could say, indicating that those words had sunk deep into him.

Azazel looked at him with slight surprise, then laughed again.

"Come on, don't be so dramatic, man!" Cadre exclaimed, slapping him hard on the back.

Issei's shocked look changed dramatically as he was displaced about 30 meters by such a blow.

His mind couldn't even process what was happening, he didn't even have time to scream. All he knew was that he was falling straight down into the hot springs below.

"I forgot that this floor is very slippery..." Azazel thought as he looked down at his hand, then leaned back with a carefree smile. "Ahhh! I'm sure he'll be fine. I don't think he was such an idiot to forget he can fly."

Unfortunately, Azazel had overestimated him too much...

He should know that Issei's stupidity sometimes hit unsuspected limits.

"I really needed this." Penemue stated, breathing a small sigh of relief. "Hot springs really help take the stress out of work..."

Tiamat stepped out from under the water, having a wistful smile on her face.

"This reminds me of the hot springs that were in the Familiar Realm..." Were the Dragoness' simple words.

"Someday we should go to your old home." Rossweisse commented. "I'm very curious about the place where you used to live." Tiamat lowered her gaze slightly, as she tied her hair into a ponytail.

"Actually, it's no big deal..." She muttered under her breath.

The women's chatter was interrupted when a strange figure fell behind them, generating a huge wave.

The three women looked back, seeing Issei emerge from the water a few seconds later, spitting out a large jet of water.

The three women looked at each other, then back at Issei. The young man would simply cross his gaze with the three without saying a word.

"Hem... Hello?" Issei raised a hand in a gesture of greeting without abandoning that neutral gaze.

"What happened?" Rossweisse questioned with the same expression as her future lover.

"I was pushed." Was Issei's simple reply.

"Good thing you adjusted your towel properly." Penemue commented as she fixed her gaze on the thin towel that covered everything necessary.

Before they could continue that awkward conversation, Tiamat and Penemue sharpened their gazes and quickly jumped on Issei, sitting on top of him and plunging him into the water.

"Did something happen?" Rias asked, peering out from the huge rocks that divided the hot springs.

"We were just playing!" Tiamat and Penemue exclaimed at the same time, as they did their best to hold their butts together.

Rias couldn't help but look at them quizzically, as they seemed to be sitting on a moving rock.

"If it bothers them, we can make less of a fuss." Rossweisse decided to play along with her friends, since it hadn't been Issei's fault.

"No, it's okay." Was Rias' final comment, leaving with a quick wave.

Rossweisse glanced at her two friends just in time to see them both quickly get up.

Issei kept a blank stare as he floated above the water, causing the two women to look at each other with slight concern.

"I think he got knocked out..." Rossweisse stated with a blank stare.

A few moments later...

For some reason, Issei was in the middle of a huge plantation together with Matsuda and Motohama. The three of them were in collector's outfits as they went about happily talking about their things.

Issei drifted over to a large tree, widening his eyes slightly at the sight.

"I've never seen such big peaches..." The young man muttered, approaching the tree, then picking one of the peaches.

Issei's eyes widened even more when he noticed that those peaches were about 4 times bigger than his hands, plus they were extremely flexible.

"It's amazing to see them being so soft to the touch..." Issei thought aloud as he groped the peach. "It must surely be because it has amazing juices..." Issei smiled at the thought. "I guess it'll be okay if I take a bite."

Issei slowly brought his face closer until he took a big, but careful bite. His eyes couldn't help but widen in great confusion.

"The texture is tasteless, but why doesn't it break?"

Issei opened his eyes and his dream quickly ended.

The first thing he saw was that his head was resting in someone's lap. Or that's what he should be doing, due to the fact that his face was glued to one of that woman's breasts as he bit it lovingly regardless of the fact that a cloth was hindering direct contact.

The breasts were so large that it was impossible to see the woman's face from that angle. But it was impossible not to know who it was, since only one woman had such large breasts.

Penemue was looking at him without saying a word while holding his head with one hand and accommodating his body with the other, making Issei feel extremely comfortable.

Issei broke away slightly and looked at her. His blush was slow to come, but it finally did.

"I'm sorry." Was Issei's reply, watching as the Cadre stared at him.

After a few seconds of silence, Issei began to expect the worst.

Touching her breasts was one problem, but kissing them was an entirely different thing. And it didn't matter that a cloth separated his lips with her breasts.

The awkward silence disappeared when a small blush appeared on Penemue's face. Issei's eyes widened slightly as the Cadre's hand began to stroke his head, causing a very tender glow to appear around the fearsome woman.

"Is she treating me like a baby?" Issei thought with a roll of his eyes, though he had to say it wasn't that bad.

After Penemue handed him his "punishment", Issei sat down next to her and looked up at the sky, noticing that dusk was much more pronounced.

"Where are the others?" Issei asked, looking up at the Cadre.

Penemue stood up, the towel covering her glowed brightly, and was replaced by her classic garb shortly after.

That made Issei look down at himself, seeing that he still had the towel.

"They're over there." The Cadre pointed out, seeing as a fire stood deep in the forest. "Most of the Gremory have already left, so there are only a few of us." Penemue clarified as she held up her hand, replacing Issei's clothing. "I stayed here to take care of you until you woke up."

"By the way, what happened?" Issei cupped his chin as he thought. "I just remember something crashing really hard into my face." The comment made Penemue look away with a huge blush.

"We didn't measure our strength..." Cadre replied, getting Issei to look at her with great confusion.

A few moments later...

"Senpai!" Gasper exclaimed happily after seeing that Issei had finally woken up.

Issei looked at everyone in mild surprise. After all, he hadn't expected them to be gathered around a huge campfire while feeding.

"You finally woke up, brat!" Azazel exclaimed as he settled into his trunk.

"Do you remember exactly what happened?" Tannin asked, leaning forward a bit. "After all, they don't want to tell us."

"Silence!" Roared Tiamat with a faint blush, getting a few chuckles and a few startled ones.

Issei and Penemue quickly joined the dinner. The group told interesting and funny stories, though the most noteworthy were only a few.

"And so, I was able to save myself yet another day of paperwork." Azazel commented, getting many to laugh, with the exception of one person.

"It was from those moments that you became a bum, I remember it very well." Penemue said mischievously as she crossed her legs.

"Come on, Penemue! You know me!" The Cadre exclaimed with a bulron tone as he raised his glass of beer. "You must stop trying the impossible." Azazel bowed his shoulders as if he was saying the most natural thing in the world. "You know I'll only go back to doing my job when I've successfully outwitted death." Everyone laughed at Azazel's clear joke. Everyone, except her.

And that dangerous gleam that crossed her eyes was proof of it.

"So, you're telling me that, if you find yourself on the brink of death by x circumstance and survive, you'd start doing your job?" Penemue narrowed her eyes managing to make them give off a very dangerous shade of crimson.

"Hey, don't think anything strange..." Azazel said with a bead of nervous sweat after seeing how the Cadre was giving him a look from beyond the grave.

"Hahahaha!" Tannin laughed loudly, wiping away a tear. "This brings back old memories..." He commented, unable to help but snuffle a bit at the end.

"I understand..." Tiamat commented with a small wistful smile.

"What are they talking about?" Rossweisse asked with great interest.

"Well, the Dragon Kings were almost always together in the past." Tannin replied as he reminisced about the old days wistfully. "There were three who were always getting into trouble with the other Dragons, and they never tired of getting into mischief. The other one took upon to scold them whenever could."

"I guess Tiamat always gave them a good thrashing." Tiamat became strangely alert after hearing Azazel's comment.

A smirk appeared on Tannin's face.

"She?" the dragon scoffed. "She was the one who caused the most mischief in the past. She was like a little girl who was impossible to bring up, never mind that she was over 18,000 y..." Before Tannin could finish, Tiamat fiercely covered his mouth.

"Don't go on." She said in a sepulchral tone, getting Tannin to laugh under her grip.

Tiamat's reaction caught everyone's attention, especially Issei.

"Does that mean the mean madam was a naughty madam in the past?" Gasper wondered aloud, making a grave mistake.

"Huh!?" A gloomy music played as Tiamat turned her face, fixing her piercing gaze on Gasper.

"Hey..."

"Y-yes!" The vampire couldn't help but jump in great fear after seeing the dragoness's shadowy expression.

"Let that be the last time you call me madam..." Her creepy tone, her completely cold light blue eyes, and the vein standing out on her temple made Gasper nearly die of fear.

"S-sorry!" The half-vampire quickly apologized as he covered his face with his hands in sheer terror.

Oblivious to everything that was happening, Issei was deep in thought as he glared at the furious dragoness.

"Naughty Tamat?" He thought to himself, making a mental image of how the dragoness annoyed other dragons. "I honestly have a hard time imagining it..." He concluded, snapping back to reality.

After Tiamat almost killed Gasper with her glares, and Tannin almost ended up choking because of the dragoness, all the stories continued as normal.

In that way, dinner finally ended, and everyone began to leave. Issei decided to stay by Tannin's side to tidy things up, while Rossweisse, Penemue and Tiamat took a last bath before leaving.

"What's wrong?" the dragon asked, setting the log down to look at his pupil. "You've been looking at me for a while now as if you felt like asking me something." Issei lowered his gaze for a short second, pondering whether or not to ask.

"It's about Tiamat's past..." Issei mentioned, earning Tannin's interest. "Well, I just found what you commented about her rather curious. It seems like you were talking about someone else entirely..."

Tannin studied him with his gaze for a few seconds, then raised his face.

"It's normal that those circumstances changed her so much, even I would have gone crazy..." Dragon said, turning his gaze back to Issei. "Tiamat was the most cheerful of the four of us, and by far. She always kept cheering us up on our dull days, or she always kept playing pranks on the other Dragons, even her own mother." Tannin paused, unable to help but smile at his last word. "The first three of the Dragon Kings we were born from power, from magic particles, to be more precise. That is where our soul was formed, and our body. Let's say we are similar to the Dragon Gods, only the magical sources that created us were much less dense than those times. In fact, that's why Ophis turned out to be so inferior to the other Dragon Gods, since she emerged when almost all of the condensed magical clouds had disappeared...But let's not digress." Said the Dragon, returning to the main point. "Tiamat arose when the magical condensation in the world was already very diluted due to the recent birth of Ophis, so it was very strange to think that she could be the most powerful Dragon Queen or even be a Dragon Queen. The thing is, she didn't arise from power. It was through a dragoness giving birth to a female offspring. Something completely unheard of, and even more incomprehensible when we found out that this little dragoness had a power that doubled my own, being the strongest Dragon King." Explained the dragon, remembering the great commotion that had been experienced at that moment. "It is not known who her father was, but it is estimated to be a Celestial Dragon because of the great amount of power it contained, but Albion and Ddraig never took charge, so that detail was never entirely clear." A small smile appeared on Tannin's face after remembering Tiamat's mother. "She never seemed to mind, as she cared for her little girl as if she was the most important thing in her life. Tiamat had a great mother, and that is why she was always so cheerful and lively, as she could only pass on all that her mother had bestowed on her. That's why we loved her so much." A very nostalgic look crossed the dragon's face as an image of the Four Dragon Kings together and laughing crossed his mind. "Unfortunately, now only a shell of what she was is left..." The dragon concluded bitterly, then smiled. "...Or so I thought. After all, she's acting exactly the same when she's around you. I may not have seen it, but I can feel it." Tannin gave him a toothy grin, crossing his arms. "I'd like to see that side of her again, but it's enough for me to know that she's back to shining like the old days."

Issei could do nothing but be impressed.

Very impressed.

It had never crossed his mind that Tiamat was so... explosive, to say the least.

"I never would have guessed..." Was all Issei could think to say, receiving a smile from Tannin.

"It's only natural. Like I said, the traumas and betrayals she experienced left her with a gigantic scar. No one could ever go back to the way they were after such experiences, but she has regained the light that characterized her so much. That is the most important thing." The dragon stated, receiving a nod from Issei, indicating that he agreed. "Speaking of her, I remembered something very interesting..." Said the dragon as he began to rub his chin.

"What is it?" Issei asked with great curiosity.

Tannin simply gave him a smile covered in complicity and moved closer to him, then said a couple of words in his ear.

Issei's eyes suddenly widened.

"Really?!" Issei exclaimed with genuine surprise.

Tannin simply nodded repeatedly as he folded his arms.

"But, it's in just a few days..." Issei thought aloud with clear distress, for some strange reason.

The chatter was abruptly interrupted as the three women arrived, preparing to leave.

Time Skip:

The following days passed normally.

They all had certain conversations about specific topics, as in the case of the plan that Issei or Rías were carrying out, or they were simply more casual conversations.

They also trained continuously with the help of Tannin and Azazel, making Rias and Akeno gain more control over their unstable powers. Meanwhile Kiba and Xenovia made great progress with their sword skills, although they did not increase their powers much. Something similar was happening with Koneko and Asia, although the latter had made great progress in controlling her magic, making her able to heal wounds much faster.

Meanwhile, Issei continued her training together with Tiamat, Penemue and Rossweisse. The last two were somewhat impressed with the fast progress Issei was making, but not so for the dragon, who knew well that she had already given him the previous basics from the beginning so that he could develop that method of fighting.

Thus came the day of the first challenge for the Gremory Family.

Even though it was late in the morning, Issei was training his precise strikes with the help of Tiamat's clones. One could see how the dragoness was sitting not far away, leaning against a tree while giving a big yawn.

Issei broke the last clone, and before he could ask Tiamat for more, a magic circle appeared.

"Get ready, the Rating Games will begin soon." Cadre commented to Issei's surprise.

"Wait a minute, how did you know we were in the Cursed Forest?"

"It's easy to anticipate someone who only knows the word 'training' in his brain." Penemue's neutral comment made Issei chuckle nervously. "By the way, what's wrong with her?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow, watching Tiamat nod off from sleep.

"Well, I couldn't sleep all night and I was training. She said just wanted to help me and wouldn't take no for an answer." Issei explained as he rubbed his hair.

Penemue simply sighed.

"You're hopeless..." She said, getting Issei to laugh nervously for a second time. "In that case, I'll take her to get some sleep." She commented, heading towards the dragoness.

"In that case, wait a moment!" Issei exclaimed to Penemue's surprise and Tiamat's fright, as the latter was about to fall asleep.

Issei quickly approached and stopped right in front of her, to the curious gaze of the dragoness.

"I didn't exactly know what you might like, and I had little time..." Issei said with great nervousness, getting Tiamat to tilt her head slightly to the side after not understanding what he was referring to. "Anyway..." Said the young man, making a small magic circle appear above his hands.

A stuffed white dragon with a light blue bow would emerge from the circle to the surprise of the two women.

"Happy birthday."

Those words made Tiamat's eyes widen beyond belief.

She picked up the small stuffed dragon without a word, admiring it as her eyes sparkled with great excitement.

She slowly stood up and continued to admire it, without saying a word.

"So it was her birthday..." Penemue thought really intrigued at what she had discovered.

Issei seemed to get quite nervous as he watched Tiamat continue to look at the gift without saying a word.

"I know it's no big deal, this was the first thing that came to my mind..." He commented, then laughed with great nervousness.

That laughter was instantly extinguished and replaced by total surprise just by three simple movements.

She smiled at him, moved closer, and leaned against him...

Issei was speechless, as he didn't know what to do.

Finally, Issei hugged her, thinking that this was the right thing to do right now.

As she felt the contact, her heart raced and her body burst with joy. Because of those same emotions, she couldn't resist her instinct, so she moved a step closer and hugged the little stuffed animal even tighter.

Then, she said the next two words that came straight from her heart:

"Thank you."

END OF CHAPTER!

I hope you enjoyed it a lot, as it took me a long time to translate it because it was such a long chapter. Besides, the next one will also be quite long, so it might take me 3 or 4 days to bring another update.

Before I leave you with the final scene, I would like to thank everyone who is supporting this story, since we recently reached more than 300 favorites and 320 followers in this story. As I said at the beginning, this would be impossible without your support, so I thank you again from the bottom of my heart.

In a mansion far away from everything, there was a solitary silver-haired man sitting at the foot of a bed.

Vali's tranquility was interrupted when Bikou entered the room, getting the Albion bearer to glance sideways at him.

"Have you found it yet?" the albino asked.

"You know how rats are." Bikou commented as he approached him. "It's impossible to know where they hide until they show their face." He concluded, sitting down next to his friend.

"Never mind, we'll find it." Vali commented, quickly downplaying the matter.

"By the way, once we kill Rizevim, how many more are left on the list?" Bikou asked with great interest.

"Including Rizevim?" The albino questioned, receiving a nod from his friend. "Only two." He concluded, then looked back towards the bed.

"My desire always was and always will be to fight opponents that will take my last breath..."

Vali's fists clenched tightly and his eyes grew cold with great fury after that thought.

On the bed, lay a severely wounded Le Fay Pendragon.

"But I will not allow anyone to touch my comrades!"