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.

60. Chapter 59: Winter beating!

Here I am with another translated chapter!

This update will be quite long, so I apologize in advance if you find more translation errors than usual. Still, I'll try to get it right.

No reviews this time, so let's move quickly to the chapter.

Enjoy!

The last thing he remembered, was how he grabbed the spears with his two hands to try to stop the metallic edge that shot straight into his abdomen.

Unfortunately, he had failed to stop it.

It was the last memory before everything went dark.

That darkness didn't last much longer for Issei, as his blurred vision began to present on him.

"Didn't I faint?" Issei thought instantly as he blinked repeatedly to regain his vision properly. "I thought the spear pierced my stomach..." His eyes finally stopped blurring, managing to get a very confused expression to adorn him.

After all, he was sure the battlefield wasn't a small room that was littered with seals from floor to ceiling.

"Yes it did."

Issei's eyes widened slightly as he heard a voice that practically matched his own. His gaze parked in front of him, his eyes widening slightly as he watched a man who looked quite similar to him sit on a futon while delivering a fang-covered smile.

If he didn't have that long spiky hair and those crimson slit eyes, Issei was sure this guy would be about a copy of himself.

"What is this place?" Issei asked him immediately. A second later, his eyes widened as he noticed that he couldn't move the rest of his body except for his head.

"You're still unconscious." The mysterious man stated, handing him a smile as he moved a little closer to him. "This place is your soul."

"My soul?" Issei couldn't help but think this was all very crazy, but quickly downplayed it. "I have to go back now!" He exclaimed in desperation.

"Don't worry, it's all under control." The man clarified quickly as he slapped his hands on his waist. "You'll be out on your own in a second, I took care of everything."

"You took care of it?" Issei couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in great confusion. "By the way, who are you?" Right after asking that question, the whole room started to move in a very strange way, as if Issei was dizzy.

"That question..." The mysterious man couldn't help but laugh.

A laugh that only lasted a second.

The man gave him one last rather sly look as his crimson slitted eyes glowed with a great intensity.

Before everything went dark once more, Issei could hear the man say something that confused him to death.

"Have you never seen yourself in a mirror?"

CHAPTER 59: WINTER BEATING, AND NIGHT OF REVELATIONS!

"Don't even dare to take a step!" Cao Cao roared, aiming his spear right over the rubble where a buried Issei was supposed to be. "If you come any closer, he dies!"

"Another one..." Penemue thought wearily as she noticed the energy surrounding the Hero Leader. "I'm going to have a chat with Ophis later to make sure how many guys she gave her energy to. This is awesome." She concluded, watching the hole in the man's abdomen regenerate in a second.

"Issei will be okay?" Rossweisse was quite concerned about her best friend's condition.

"It was just a blow. I know very well that the spear is monstrous against Demons and Gods, but let's just say that Issei is no ordinary Demon." Azazel replied instantly to relax the Valkyrie. "Still, a blow like that must have left him in a pitiful state." The Cadre thought with a small click of his tongue.

"Now what do I do?" Cao Cao paused to think. "I still have one more card in my favor, but I don't even know if I can take on that woman and beat her." The man fixed his gaze on Penemue, making it clear that those words were directed at her. "I suppose a tactical retreat wouldn't be so..."

Just before he finished his thought, his eyes widened in a shocked stupor as he noticed how all the debris flew away, leaving him to see an Issei who was surrounded by an imperceptible thin violet aura.

"How...?" Cao Cao's eyes progressively widened as he watched Issei fly over him.

"HOW...!" He thought again in great hysterics as he watched Issei materialize his gauntlet to give him a hard punch on the cheek that bent his face a little.

Issei took a great leap backwards as he used both legs to kick his enemy in the chest, managing to stagger his enemy a bit.

Issei parked on the ground as he grabbed his bleeding abdomen, noticing that the wound was glowing a violet color, plus it was much shallower than it really should have been.

"Amazing." Dulio said by all noticing how the young man was still conscious after being stabbed by True Longinus.

"HYOUDOU ISSEI!" Cao Cao shouted in anger as he grabbed his face, whose wounds healed almost instantly. "HOW MUCH LONGER DO YOU INTEND TO GET IN MY WAY?!" That was his final shout before lunging towards him with incredible speed, getting Issei a little startled, but still he surprised everyone again as he reacted in time, using his gauntlet to block the spear attack.

Again they were surprised, as the gauntlet resisted the impact, even though he wasn't even using his Balance Breaker. Which, in fact, even in that form he hadn't been able to stop the spear fruitfully before.

Still, that didn't stop him from flying away because of the huge difference in strength between one and the other.

Issei did a great somersault to rejoin the air. The brown showed enough mastery to slide through the spear as it passed between his arm and torso. His activity did not end there, as he acted quickly and grabbed Cao Cao's arm so that he could hold on to him.

"Not only is he not unconscious, but he can still move like that..." The one who was now shocked was Penemue, who watched intently as Cao Cao waved his arm with great force, sending Issei straight towards the ground, creating a great line of destruction in his wake.

Despite that detail, the brown-haired man did a large spin on himself and parked himself on the ground as if his body had taken no damage whatsoever.

"Don't you think we should help him?" Rossweisse inquired with great concern.

"No need." Penemue stated, unable to help but smile a little at the end.

"After all, she's already here."

"That was close!" Issei exclaimed as he raised both of his arms, noticing how his gauntlet had a large light blue seal that kept glowing.

"Stop moving!" Cao Cao demanded as he tried to pierce him with the spear, only for Issei to move with a great leap, dodging the attack completely.

The Leader of Heroes quickly followed and tried to hit him with his free arm, only to be grabbed by Issei. The Sekiryuutei firmed his feet on the ground as he half-turned around, only to take Cao Cao's full weight on his shoulders. The man's eyes widened in disbelief as Issei lifted him like it was nothing. The next thing he remembered was how his face crashed shatteringly to the ground, creating a small crater in the process.

Issei took a big leap backwards as Cao Cao swung his spear with the intention of cutting him in half, regardless of the fact that his head was buried in the ground.

"Shit, this guy can't get enough!" Issei exclaimed with his eyes rolling as he watched his enemy get up.

"You're a sneaky fucking rat!" Cao Cao exclaimed angrily as he tried to stab him again, only for Issei to dodge him again with a leap. "How can he still move like that without using his Balance Breaker?!" This last he thought to himself, as he couldn't conceive what he was witnessing.

"It's not my fault you're slower than a turtle!" Issei instantly defended himself, only to have to jump a second later when Cao Cao's spear embedded in his previous position.

Just as he was in the air, Issei felt a great discomfort on his abdomen, causing it to grab his wound and spit out a large amount of blood.

Issei landed on the ground in a somewhat forced manner, only to contract a bit from the burning that spread over his entire torso.

"I didn't think I'd be this fucked up." He thought to himself, only to then notice how Cao Cao stood a few feet away from him as the blade of the spear began to emit a very powerful aura.

"You seem to have run out of energy." Declared the man with a ghoulish grin. "But this time I'll make sure you don't get up again." The man pointed his spear backwards, causing the violet aura around him to intensify that much more.

"DIVERGENT WAVE!"

"Shit, I can't move..." Issei couldn't help but widen his eyes in horror as a huge wave of destruction headed straight for him.

"The attack is much more unstable because of the damage the spear took, but it's still quite destructive." Cao Cao thought with satisfaction, being sure that would be more than enough to finish Issei off.

Just before the great wave of devastating magic could hit him, a great icy blizzard appeared between the two, causing the attack to scatter as if it were just a couple of leafs.

"What?" Cao Cao blinked in great surprise. His body went completely static as a light blue-haired woman fell right between him and Issei.

"Are you all right?" The woman turned her back to Cao Cao at the same time as she raised her face which was covered in worry.

"Tiamat?" Issei was speechless as he noticed the dragoness' presence. He hadn't even realized that the liaison had called out to her. "I-It's just a scratch." Issei looked at her with a bit of a stutter, as Tiamat was wearing a white formal dress for some odd reason.

"Is that so?" She asked, giving him a toothy smile that framed her adorable fangs. "In that case, I'm so glad to be able to see you after all these days!"

"Uh, I..." Before he could reply loosely, Issei's eyes suddenly widened. "Tiamat, watch out!" He tried to move, but could only fall to his knees.

"Die!" Roared Cao Cao, appearing on Tiamat's back.

A huge explosion erupted on the spot. The 4 spectators stood completely still as they waited for all that dust to leave the place and allow them to watch the fight.

Issei coughed because of the dust. His eyes slowly opened, and his vision became progressively clearer.

His expression froze completely as he noticed Cao Cao standing right in front of him.

Strangely enough, though, Cao Cao also had that same expression.

Issei's eyes automatically went up to the man lying on the ground after noticing that a silhouette was sitting on him.

After the dust stopped disturbing, it could be witnessed as Tiamat was sitting on Cao Cao's waist.

The spear man could not even attempt to stand up, as his legs were missing.

Cao Cao was finally able to come out of his stupor, gritting his teeth tightly just as his legs regenerated. The man quickly got up from the ground and tried to split the dragoness in half with his spear. His expression was a complete delight to all as Tiamat stopped the advancing weapon with a single hand. The dragoness simply smiled, raising the spear's blade as if it were nothing, causing Cao Cao to pass over her.

The man landed on the ground and wasted no second, as he lunged again at the woman in order to lunge at her.

Tiamat disappeared again, appearing next to Issei.

"I'll take you somewhere safe." She declared with a beautiful smile as she carried her future lover in her arms.

Just at that instant Cao Cao tried to attack again, but the woman disappeared again in front of his eyes.

Tiamat appeared a few meters behind Cao Cao, though she no longer had Issei with her.

"Damn...!" Cao Cao shouted with hatred as he turned around, intent on another lunge.

Tiamat simply put her hands in her pockets and dodged it with a graceful movement of her body, colliding back and back with the man.

"I recently had a fight where my confidence almost led to my death." Tiamat declared with a smile, leaning her face over Cao Cao's ear. "That's exactly why I had to tear your legs off to make sure you weren't carrying anything strange. It's nothing against you..." Tiamat couldn't help but chuckle slightly at her enemy's stupor.

"Do you understand?"

Cao Cao reacted as he felt his ear being bitten by Tiamat, so he tried to give her a quick nudge, failing once again as she moved at a speed no one could keep up with.

The dragoness did her waist back with impressive elegance to dodge the spear once again. Just then she grabbed Cao Cao's arm so as not to let go. The man acted completely desperate as he tried to pierce her with his spear in swift movements while the dragoness swung along with him, causing them both to start dancing without Cao Cao noticing.

"And a twist!" Tiamat exclaimed as she released him, causing the Hero Leader to do a great deal of twisting about himself as he remained in mid-air.

His utterly dismayed gaze focused on a Tiamat who raised one of her hands, clasping her index finger with her thumb.

A loud crack was heard throughout the place, rendering everyone completely speechless as the ground shattered into a thousand pieces. Cao Cao was swept away by the same debris while still in the air.

The man parked himself on the ground as the wave of destruction ended, his back to the dragoness.

"So the rumors were true..." He thought aloud, smiling in palpable disbelief. "This has got to be a fucking joke!" He shouted as turned around and charged a powerful attack on his spear.

His eyes never stopped to look at the massive crater the dragoness had made with just a snap of her fingers. He thought only of going straight at her to slit her bloody throat.

Tiamat stood completely still in place, waiting for the man with a grin.

"DIVERGENT WAVE!"

Another huge explosion appeared on the scene just as Cao Cao was seen arriving at Tiamat's position.

"Looks like she's having fun." Commented Issei, who was being supported by Penemue and Rossweisse, as he could barely stand.

"The real question is how long she plans to have fun." Were the words of an Azazel who was looking quite caught up in the fight.

"That's it?"

Cao Cao's expression turned to art as he saw that his most powerful attack had only been enough for his spear to barely embed half a centimeter into Tiamat's neck.

"To be honest, I was expecting something as exciting as my last fight..." She said with clear disappointment in her words.

Cao Cao reacted and took a big leap backwards to get some distance from the dragoness.

"Well, maybe it was mainly due to my weakened state." The dragoness began to ramble aloud as she stroked her chin. "Actually, that moment was amazing in its entirety..." Tiamat continued to recount her previous battle without paying attention to the look Cao Cao was giving her.

"Not a chance..." Thought the Leader of Heroes as sweat kept pouring down his face.

A magic circle appeared above his feet as the dragoness continued her merry ramblings, seemingly oblivious to what he was doing.

"I have to escape while she's distracted..."

"Didn't you know that ignoring someone who is talking to you is rude?"

Cao Cao couldn't even react when Tiamat appeared at his side out of nowhere, grabbing his face with one hand and slamming him hard into the ground, creating a giant crater in the spot.

She jerked upright as placed her hands back in her pockets.

"As I was saying..." The dragoness completely ignored Cao Cao as she took a few steps forward, as if she was dealing with a sack of garbage.

"Shut the fuck up!" Cao Cao got up from the ground in one swift motion, pouncing on a distracted Tiamat who was turning her back on him.

At that moment it is not known what exactly happened. It could only be witnessed how the ground cracked into several fragments that flew into the sky, plus a huge blood stain that covered the scene completely.

Cao Cao fell to his feet on the ground and instantly brought his hand to his missing arm.

"What's wrong?" The man raised his gaze, noticing that the dragoness was sitting upside down on one of the many pieces of debris that had been hurled skyward.

"Your regeneration is failing already?" she commented with a gentle smile as she held Cao Cao's arm. "Do you want it back?"

"Hehehehehe..."

She chuckled under her breath as the mutilated arm began to freeze.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

A maniacal laugh escaped her lips as the arm turned to nothing but ice ash.

Cao Cao lowered his gaze in dismay and began to babble under his breath:

"Don't lose control, Cao Cao. There is still a way out of here..."

"What are you mumbling about, boy?" Tiamat fell a few feet away from the man with her radiant smile still in force.

Even the dragoness had a chance to be impressed in this fight. After all, she never expected her adversary to raise his face in a smile.

No one smiles if you know you're going to die, unless you're completely insane.

"If you don't let me go, they'll never know where we hid Yasaka's daughter." Tiamat could do nothing but place both hands on her waist.

She didn't even know who this girl was, but she knew it wasn't a good idea to fuck up an alliance just on the whim of wanting to play someone to death.

"That's playing dirty!" Tiamat whined like a child, making Cao Cao sweat at what he witnessed.

"Is this the way such a powerful supernatural being is supposed to act?" That simple thought filled him with rage.

But this was no time to get carried away by his madness.

After all, there was a chance to escape.

"Hey!"

A chance that disappeared because of that voice.

Both Cao Cao and Tiamat turned around, noticing how a smiling Serafall carried a fainting blonde girl in her hands who possessed a tail and fox ears.

"Apparently, the Demons did their job as well." Dulio declared with great satisfaction, becoming slightly alarmed as he almost dropped Gabriel's unconscious body.

"It wasn't that simple, there were a lot of monsters and some guys in that place." Serafall commented with a small pout, a pout that was replaced by her typical smile right away. "Luckily Ajuka was with me to give me a hand!"

"This..." Cao Cao shivered at what he was witnessing. "This...no..."

"You were saying?"

His gaze turned to watch as a Tiamat folded her arms with clear mockery in her gestures.

"You're not saying anything?" She raised an eyebrow, only to smile afterwards. "Say something. After all, it's always more fun when they still think there's hope for survival." Tiamat concluded, getting Cao Cao's eyes to widen.

He didn't know if it had been out of desperation, out of fear, out of hatred, or out of madness.

But...

It was what came from his lips that ended up condemning him.

"You all rejoice and wallow in the misery of others, that is what gives you joy and pleasure..." The man stammered with his gaze downcast, though it was loud enough for Tiamat to hear him. "All of you damned monsters who use wars to satiate your sinful pleasures..."

"Did I break him?" Tiamat couldn't help but think with a funny look on her face as she heard all those ravings from him.

"Especially you!" Cao Cao shouted out of nowhere as he pointed at her.

"Me?" Tiamat pointed at herself with an innocent expression on her face.

"You're a woman...no, it's an understatement to refer to you as a woman!" The shout was heard by everyone, getting the whole place covered in a very uncomfortable silence.

Even Tiamat's very smile disappeared completely.

Issei raised his gaze after noticing that a raindrop fell on his head.

"You're a thing...!" The last word was said with noticeable disgust. "You're a sadistic, despicable thing that rejoices over its own damned insanity as if it's the best thing in the world! You're what dooms this world, you're the most disgusting thing in existence!" Tiamat's gaze darkened after what she heard. "That's exactly why you locked yourself away for over a millennium!"

Tiamat's fists clenched for a second.

"BECAUSE YOU'RE A BEAST COVERED IN MADNESS WHO CAN'T COEXIST WITH OTHERS WITHOUT WANTING TO DESTROY EVERYTHING! THAT'S THE REASON YOU DRIVE EVERYONE AWAY!"

"That guy made his own death sentence!" Rossweisse declared as she created an umbrella of ice to cover Penemue and Issei, as a great storm had begun to fall.

"If you don't know Tiamat, the worst thing you can do is touch her most sensitive spot." Penemue spoke, knowing that her best friend was extremely sensitive when talking about her past.

Cao Cao was breathing heavily as he watched how Tiamat's smile had been replaced by an expression that held nothing.

She appeared to be dead.

After so much waiting, the dragoness raised her gaze slightly after feeling the droplets falling on her face.

Her eyes turned to Cao Cao, and her broken expression changed to a pointed smile so monstrous that even made Penemue herself tremble.

"I'm going to make you suffer until your mind splits, bastard."

Cao Cao took a step back at first, but quickly found the courage from a non-existent place to lunge at her.

"No matter what happens, I will not die here!" Roared the man as he delivered different thrusts that were deflected with Tiamat's bare hands. "I will not die until I accomplish my mission to purge all the beings that condemn this world!" He concluded. His spear stuck in the ground as Tiamat dodged it with a leap he couldn't see.

"I have met many like you..." Tiamat sneered as she arranged her hair back, causing a long fringe to fall in the middle of her face as the rain let her bra show through her dress. "All these naive ones who think they are bearers of justice. But you're the worst, I have no doubt."

"Shut up!" Cao Cao lashed out at the woman, being dodged by the lady as she placed her hands in her pockets and took a step to the side.

"Tell me one thing. You boast of your morality, when you even accepted the power of a deity that supposedly condemns this world." Tiamat couldn't help but laugh as she dodged another attack gracefully. "Where is your great righteousness in that, how can you call yourself a hero when you ask your own enemy for help?" Tiamat's eyes glowed with breathtaking intensity. "Answer me!"

"I have nothing to say to a damn monster!" Cao Cao roared, being dodged once again.

"Monster? Maybe I am, but even you are creating destruction yourself." She couldn't help but sneer as she dodged another lunge. "Why do only humans have the right to live? Why must the other races be exterminated? If there are innocent humans, why can't there be supernatural beings who are too?"

"I said shut up!" Cao Cao lashed out again, only to be dodged once more.

"YOUR SENSE OF JUSTICE IS A TOTAL SHIT!" Tiamat roared, only to remove one of her hands from her pocket to grab the tip of the spear, taking a big swing at herself.

"Aaaaaaaannddd..." She said with a small chant, until she finally stopped.

Cao Cao's expression changed to one of complete terror as he noticed that he was face to face with Tiamat. Though that wasn't what scared him the most.

What definitely terrified him was that completely sinister giant grin that adorned her features.

"Now it's my turn."

A small tremor appeared throughout the place, as did a powerful shaking that sent everyone reeling.

A large amount of blood was fired from the holes in Cao Cao's face as Tiamat's devastating slap made half of his face completely unrecognizable.

The dragoness's crazed smile was deepened as her eyes flashed with great malice just as the drops of blood hit her face.

Cao Cao flew off into the sky like a missile, though his way was cut short when Tiamat appeared out of nowhere, delivering a powerful kick with her heel that generated a shockwave so large that it shattered everything several meters away.

"Are you dead already?" She scoffed as she saw how her foot was piercing the chest of a Cao Cao who was on the verge of death.

"In any case..." Tiamat's gaze grew rather gloomy.

"I'll be sure to finish off the trash."

Tiamat lifted her leg again, showing off her incredible flexibility as the tip of her foot touched her forehead.

The dragoness brought her foot down in a motion that no one could follow, managing to dislodge Cao Cao's body from her foot and fall with the sound of a torpedo until he finally crashed to the ground, creating a massive amount of dust.

"Let's see, I think I can use something different today..." The dragoness thought aloud with some satisfaction as she saw the small swirl of ice needles that had been created over one of her hands.

She blew on it, causing the small swirl to slowly make its way towards where Cao Cao was buried.

When it was in position, the dragoness smiled greedily.

"Spread out..." She whispered, then clenched her fist tightly.

"FROST STORM!"

Everyone's breath was taken away by the great ice tornado that rose up on the scene. The white and light blue color it had began to slowly transform into a reddish hue, implying that Cao Cao's body had been torn apart in just seconds.

Satisfied with the result, Tiamat snorted with satisfaction and opened her hand again, causing the tornado to disperse as the blizzard and ice scattered into the sky.

Everyone was completely silent as the rain turned into snowflakes that had a blood-tinged hue.

"Impressive..." Issei thought aloud.

Witnessing such an event would be beautiful for anyone. As long as you take away the fact that that red-colored snow was due to blood, of course.

Tiamat watched the others. The dragoness raised her thumb in a gesture of victory as she gave a beautiful smile.

A few moments later...

"Then it's all settled." Azazel laid the broken spear on the table. "I've already been informed that Gabriel is fine."

"Good to know." Penemue stated, giving a slight nod. "I recently communicated with Serafall. She made clear that Yasaka and Kunou will awaken in a few hours."

"Agreed. Knowing Yasaka, I'm sure she'll want to give you something since you were the one who saved her in that last instant." Azazel couldn't help but chuckle a little as Penemue bowed her shoulders.

"I'm not interested." Was her simple reply as she continued to read different documents with her glasses on.

"Listen..." Penemue couldn't help but stop in her tracks as she noticed Azazel's strangely serious notation. "What's up with the brat's new technique?"

"I already talked to him. He knows he can't use it because his body is still too weak to resist his own attack." Penemue replied, denoting the same seriousness as Azazel. "In fact, because of his insufficient stamina, the attack is not yet complete and that makes it very unstable when comes to throwing them. I fear that, if he keeps using it, he may lose an arm."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it well." Azazel narrowed his eyes with a mysterious aura. "You're an expert in Sacred Gears, too. You know perfectly well that not even True Longinus could contain that much energy in it. In fact, the result was plain to see." He concluded, observing how the spear had the lower part shattered. "Not only did he damage the best Sacred Gear ever, but he also disabled his Balance Breaker from said damage." Azazel raised his gaze again, resting both hands underneath his chin. "What exactly is that katana, Penemue?"

"Even I don't know." Penemue answered with complete sincerity. "Our Father gave it to me, but he never went into detail about what it was or how much power it contained."

"If that weapon was meant for the brat..." Azazel said at length.

"You don't think it's a Longinus?"

Issei couldn't help but sneeze as he set his katana down on the side of his bed, watching its edge rust again each time it left his hands.

The young man turned around, seeing Tiamat waiting at the door.

"Now that all the mess is finally over, can you tell me why you're wearing that dress?" Issei got a big question mark over his head.

"We were partying with Ophis yesterday." She clarified. "She wanted to fight against her urges to assassinate anyone who made annoying sounds."

"And how did it go?" Issei couldn't help but feel very intrigued at what he heard.

"Well, there was plenty of food..." Tiamat bowed her shoulders, managing to get the silence between the two to answer the question.

"I guess she devoted more attention to the appetizers than to the party itself." Issei replied as an afterthought.

"What can I say? You know her as well as I do." Tiamat couldn't help but chuckle at the antics of the mature Goddess with the mind of a child.

They both laughed for a few seconds, until they finally stopped.

Issei was a bit surprised when the dragoness reached over to lay her hand on his bandaged abdomen.

"Doesn't hurt?" She said with great concern as she gave the bandages small caresses.

"Don't worry. It's a rather superficial wound." Issei soothed her with his typical toothy smile. "When I meet with the others to tell them what happened, I'll make sure Asia heals me."

"Agreed." Tiamat nodded with a distinctly relieved tone in her words.

The dragoness's face averted slightly, managing to change her expression a bit.

She looked downcast.

An emotion that Issei could pick up on instantly, though he completely ignored the reason.

He thought it would be because of what Cao Cao had said, but he never realized that the dragoness was looking anxiously at the bed where her so cute and beloved Issei was sleeping.

It was obvious what she wanted.

"Do you still think about what that guy said to you?" Issei took a step forward with great seriousness.

"Huh?" Tiamat couldn't help but look confused. "No, it's not that..." Tiamat tried to explain herself while looking at the bed repeatedly, but in the end she could never finish her sentence.

After all, Issei was already hugging her very tightly.

"You're not a monster." He whispered in her ear lovingly, managing to make the dragoness' body tremble as she felt herself melt. "Everyone else can say whatever they want, but for me will never change the fact that you are perfect just the way you are." He whispered in her ear to reassure her.

The dragoness' body clung tighter to Issei after what she heard and her eyes glazed over a bit.

"I know I've told you a thousand times already..." He commented, pulling away a little to give her that smile that drove Tiamat crazy.

"But I'll say it a thousand more times if I have to: you're perfect."

Tiamat couldn't help but sink her face into her beloved's neck as she felt the emotions pouring across her face.

Even she herself didn't know she could feel so moved with just a few words.

The dragoness decided to linger a little longer as she embraced him with breathtaking restrained love.

"Thank you."

A few minutes later...

After Tiamat left, the brown-haired man tried to sleep, but try was the key word.

His eyes were wide open as he thought about everything that had happened.

"In the end, I failed again..." He declared to himself with a frown. "I hope Penemue isn't too disappointed." His gaze twisted to a bitter one after that last thought.

Finally, Issei ruffled his hair in great irritation.

"I have to rest!" He sank into the sheets in a final action to try to fall asleep.

The silence only lasted about five seconds, as Issei had to turn off his alarm clock in one fell swoop.

"True, I was up all night today." Issei uncovered his face with a look covered in exhaustion.

"Now that I remember, I think maybe it would be a good idea to talk to Ddraig about what happened to me in the fight against Cao Cao..." The brown-haired man yawned as he stretched sporadically. "It's kind of crazy to think you can talk to your own soul, unless it was some kind of hallucination or something. The bad thing is, that lizard gets to sleep all day when a fight is over." He concluded, whittling his eyes in an attempt to shake off the tiredness.

Suddenly, all that tiredness was put on the back burner as a stampede of sorts began to move closer and closer towards his room as various screams could be heard.

Wait a minute...

Were they shouting his name?

"IIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEE!" Matsuda and Motohama burst into their best friend's room in summer clothes, scaring the poor protagonist to death.

"You won't get away this time!" They both shouted at the same time once again, getting Issei to cover his ears with a blank stare.

"How the hell did they get dressed so fast?!" Issei thought to himself, as the general alarm clock had barely gone off a few seconds ago.

Besides, his room was at the other end of the inn, and let's just say this place wasn't exactly small.

"Since you're recovered...!" They both made several ridiculous gestures just before ending with an even more ridiculous pose.

"WE'RE GOING TO THE BEACH TODAY!"

Issei could only give a small choked whimper as one of them threw a float in his face.

Several hours later...

Issei went to his friends despite his tiredness. After taking a closer look at him, both Matsuda and Motohama asked him about the bandages he had on his abdomen, where Issei downplayed what had happened saying that he had only a small accident and not to worry.

Before going to the beach, the brown-haired man went to check on Gasper and his other demon companions to tell him everything that had happened. The only one who seemed to enjoy the story very much was the vampire, since the others only listened attentively. In the end, Asia took care of healing the wound on his abdomen, so the problem was solved. Still, he decided to wear the bandages for one more day since Matsuda and Motohama would start to get suspicious and the last thing he wanted was to be filled with questions.

For that very reason, Issei stayed out of the whole party in the water, due to the fact that he had to keep his distance from the place to keep up appearances. That didn't bother him much, as all he wanted to do was spend time with his friends.

To his luck, Penemue and Rossweisse were the ones who took care of the students, but the bad thing was that it was a bit difficult to get that close to them if others were around. He wasn't worried about Matsuda and Motohama, as they both understood the kind of close relationship he had with both women, but he didn't know how the others would react and he was afraid that it might damage the reputation of the two teachers.

After all, having considerable closeness between student and teacher could be misinterpreted, and that in the human world meant trouble.

It was for that very reason that Issei was sitting on the sand, wearing his typical beach dress that covered almost his entire body, so his large physique and scars were not visible.

He watched silently as Matsuda and Motohama had fun in the water with their two girlfriends. At first, the two of them refused to leave their friend alone, but Issei insisted that they also had the right to have fun, especially if their girlfriends were with them.

In the end, they both reluctantly agreed, as they didn't want to make Aika and Murayama angry either.

Issei averted his gaze to the side, noticing how Gasper and Asia were creating a giant sand castle while Xenovia was tanning.

His gaze drifted back, noticing how Penemue and Rossweisse were sitting on high deck chairs in their bathing suits, looking completely majestic. The typical straw hat the Cadre wore gave her a rather beautiful look, while Rossweisse was in a rather full black bathing suit, as it left nothing to be seen.

His face averted once again, and his smile couldn't help but falter as he watched Kiba playing in the water along with many of his female classmates.

"Prince Charming, lucky as ever..." Issei thought as he pressed his legs against the chest.

His gaze returned to Matsuda and Motohama, watching his two friends having fun with their girlfriends.

Issei's smile slowly faded.

He was very happy for his friends, but...

"I'd like to have someone too..." Issei couldn't help but sigh somewhat sadly as the image of Raynare flashed through his head.

For some reason he didn't understand, a lot of memories he spent together with Tiamat, Penemue, Rossweisse flashed through his mind.

"Would you die for me?"

Issei couldn't help but grimace as he clutched his chest.

"I thought I was over this." Issei got up from the ground somewhat wobbly as he felt dizzy from the negative emotions that were hitting him. "Why does it keep bothering me?" The young man clenched his hand tighter on his chest as the beautiful smiles of the four women he admired so much popped into his head.

For some reason, that didn't comfort him, it only made everything more painful.

He didn't understand how the pain of loneliness could invade him again, if he knew they would never leave him.

Still, he couldn't help but feel this bad.

Issei staggered toward a clump of rocks that divided the section of the beach. No one noticed him climb over the rocks to the other side, because everyone else was busy doing their own thing.

No one saw him separate in solitude, except for certain teachers who could not help but look at each other in confusion, and, more than anything else, concern.

Issei fell to his knees on the floor when he noticed that he was alone, and at that moment he couldn't stand it any longer.

Tears involuntarily sprang from his eyes as numerous beautiful memories with his three sweethearts wandered in his mind.

But he still didn't understand.

How could such pleasant memories be so devastating?

It all felt so insufficient.

Why was it insufficient?

Why hadn't he experienced so much with them yet?

That was ridiculous, since he knew perfectly well that he had lived everything he lived in his life in those 6 months since he met Tiamat.

Therefore...

"Why?!" Issei gritted his teeth hard just as he dropped onto the sand.

"Why does it hurt so much?! Why with them, if all they gave me was happiness?!"

Issei racked his head for answers.

But as always, those answers were not appearing.

He didn't have them.

Or rather, he didn't want to accept it.

He didn't want to accept that he...

"By the way, you said earlier that you were planning not to fall in love..."

Issei's eyes widened and his crying was muffled in the bud as the words spoken by Rossweisse a while ago echoed in his head.

"Unfortunately, we can't control what our heart feels."

Issei sat on the sand with his eyes wide open as he was accompanied by a strong breeze.

"You must also worry about yourself."

Issei's head fell back onto the dense sand in a dull thud after recalling a more recent conversation he had had with Rossweisse two weeks ago.

"He tells me he'll try to worry about his feelings!"

"Feelings..." Issei repeated the last word as he rested his hand on his face, as if he had encountered the greatest revelation ever.

Issei sat back down on the soft sand, watching the small waves in utter bewilderment.

The silent weather dulled the atmosphere around him, making everything go black around him as a question kept formulating in his head.

Finally, he opened his mouth to share said concern, as if someone was standing next to him.

"At what exact moment did I fall in love with each one?"

"Almost from the beginning." Issei couldn't help but widen his eyes as he noticed how Ddraig answered him. "I'm glad you've finally accepted it." Stated the dragon, who couldn't help but wake up as he felt the great conflict spreading through his bearer.

"Accept it...?" Issei grabbed his hair with both hands, having a great internal debate. "It's true, I never wanted to. I was afraid that my true feelings would get in the way of our relationship and it would cause them to pull away from me. After all, they would never fall in love with someone like..." Issei scrunched his hair as a puzzled look decorated his face.

"So what do I do now?"

"Could the medicine have been worse than the disease?" Ddraig couldn't help but worry as he noticed his companion's lost face.

Just at that precise moment, salvation came by way of a magic circle, managing to startle Issei as a very worried Tiamat pounced on him, pulling him to the ground.

"Tiamat?" Issei couldn't help but be confused to death as he felt the dragoness hug him very tightly.

"What happened?" She placed her forehead on Issei's with great concern and love.

"What are you talking about?" Issei's confusion completely transformed as he became overwhelmed at such a display of affection since she kept caressing one of his cheeks with great affection.

"What do you mean by that?" Tiamat looked genuinely confused after listening to her beloved. "The link conveyed a lot of sad emotions to me, that's why I came as soon as possible to find out how you were doing." Now that she said it, Issei could tell that she was only in her underwear, so she had really come quickly. "What I felt was so horrible, I'm really worried." She concluded with eyes covered in restrained sadness, as she went through some very similar feelings every so often.

The fact that Issei was suffering something seemed to sadden her to the depths of her heart.

Issei could only look at the woman with utter bewilderment, denoting that he was very moved by the dragoness' words.

The young man soon began to laugh, at which Tiamat became even more confused.

"Is my over-concern funny?" Tiamat couldn't help but frown after her future lover's reaction.

"It's nothing of the sort!" Issei clarified instantly so as not to anger the beautiful woman.

"Then?" Tiamat tilted her head to the side slightly, managing to look very adorable.

Issei gave a big sigh to end his laughter.

"I think I was just worrying too much. In fact, having found the answer made me feel much better." Issei rubbed his hair with a slight blush as he noticed that Tiamat was still rubbing her nose against his. "Though the reality I have to face makes me a little nervous..." He concluded with a coy chuckle at the end.

"What?" Tiamat tilted her face again, as she hadn't understood anything he said.

"I'm just saying it's personal." He stated, then handed her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, it's already something that won't bother me again."

"Uh, I understand..." Tiamat nodded awkwardly, as this was the first time Issei had kept something serious from her.

It was fine with her though, everyone was entitled to their own secrets.

She had hers too.

"Hey..." Issei couldn't help but blush at what he was about to say. "Can't you break away a little?"

Tiamat did find herself surprised right now.

After all, they were always giving each other these displays of affection and they were both very comfortable with this.

In fact, whenever she had the chance to enjoy it, she didn't just enjoy this, she loved it.

For that very reason she found it rather strange that Issei was asking for some space, so she broke away again with a certain silliness in her steps.

"Issei!" they both turned around, managing to make the young man blush again when Penemue placed his head between her breasts as she hugged him tightly.

Rossweisse stuck to his side, so the Valkyrie wasn't helping the situation either.

"Are you alright?" They both asked at the same time with much concern after noticing how Issei had left with an aura of sadness around him.

"I'm fine! In fact, I'm more than perfect now!" The brown-haired man exclaimed with his eyes rolling as an inordinate blush took over his face. "Can I have some space, please?!"

Both Penemue and Ross looked at each other with slight confusion after the frantic and embarrassed attitude demonstrated by Issei. After all, they had never seen him act in such a manner.

"By the way..." Penemue ignored Issei's request, noticing a presence. "What are you doing here?" The Cadre couldn't help but raise an eyebrow after focusing her gaze on a dragoness bowing her shoulders.

"Same as you." Was Tiamat's simple reply.

"Hey, Penemue..." Issei stammered, and his blush increased tenfold when Penemue looked up at him with a beautiful smile on her face.

It was rare to see her smile, so Issei couldn't help but melt at the beautiful Fallen Angel.

"What's wrong?" She asked him, unable to help but raise an eyebrow as Issei started babbling incomprehensible things. "You're acting a little strange." Issei's ears emanated a large amount of steam as the Cadre placed her hand on his forehead gently. "Are you sick?"

"I know!" Everyone looked at a smiling Rossweisse who materialized a Volleyball. "Now that you're here, let's play a short game of 2-on-2!" The Valkyrie increased her smile.

Tiamat focused her eyes on Penemue, implying that everything depended on her word.

"As long as we stay on this side, I really don't see a problem." She concluded with a faint defiant smile, a smile that was answered by Tiamat.

As the two of them were so focused on their upcoming competition, only Rossweisse could notice Issei's blank expression, who seemed to be melting under Penemue's physical contact for some reason she didn't understand.

The ball bounced on the sand. Issei and Tiamat were together, while Rossweisse and Penemue were from the other side of the line they had made with their foot.

"We don't have a grid, but we can use that as a reference." Cadre clarified, getting into position to prepare before the serve.

"It's no bother." Said the dragoness with a defiant smile as she mimicked Penemue's stance.

"Get ready!" The Valkyrie exclaimed with a tender smile, a smile that gave a rather noticeable contrast to the murderous aura surrounding the ball.

"For some reason, I feel like I'm at risk of dying." Issei thought with a trembling body.

"Here I come!" Yelled the Valkyrie energetically, lifting the ball into the air.

Issei's expression was indescribable as a loud pop was heard throughout the place, watching as the ball headed straight for his face.

At that moment, a light blue trail landed right in front of him. Tiamat smiled broadly as she raised her hand to return the ball with a smash.

The whole place shook again, causing many on the other side to look in various directions with much confusion.

"An earthquake?" Matsuda thought aloud, looking from side to side.

Penemue's eyes glowed a strong red as they moved at a great speed. The Cadre moved at an imperceptible speed, grabbing the ball with one of her hands to give a strong blow that generated another shockwave.

Issei couldn't help but fall to the ground as the ball passed right by his face. His skin turned a pale color as he heard an explosion rise up behind him, indicating that the ball wreaked havoc when hit the sand.

"1 to 0." Penemue stated smugly, earning a grumble from Tiamat.

"I think it's coming from here..."

The four looked at the source of the voice somewhat alarmed.

Tiamat could only feel confused as Rossweisse and Penemue grabbed her by both arms.

The dragoness could only roll her eyes as both women threw her with all their might into the water.

"Issei?" Motohama arrived along with Matsuda, looking rather confused to see the three of them together. "Do you know where those tremors are coming from?"

The three involved looked at each other innocently, then bowed their shoulders.

"This is all a bit strange..." Matsuda commented, leaving along with Motohama.

"By the way, did you also see something fly off just now?" Motohama consulted him rather hesitantly.

"It must have been your imagination." Said the bald man, only to have them leave the scene.

"We'll have to be a little more cautious." Rossweisse hinted under her breath, receiving a nod from her two companions.

Tiamat emerged several meters in the distance. The woman expelled a small stream of water from her mouth as a crab landed on her head with a lock of her hair in one of his claws.

The day passed somewhat normally for Issei. To say that it was completely normal was not quite true, as his now recognized feelings made him stay a bit distant from the three women who couldn't help but be a bit confused at the attitude he displayed.

Maybe it didn't hurt now, but it was quite annoying to have to deal with that growing discomfort that was plaguing him. After all, looking at them with different eyes was much more difficult than he thought.

But...

Why did he have to look at them in a different way now?

This time, Issei was not so long to discover the answer.

That answer was answered with a feeling.

Fear.

But...

Should he really push them away?

Wouldn't that make things more obvious?

Even that could make their relationship cool down, and it was something he didn't like.

And that he still didn't think about how he should face the next few days with Tiamat, since they always slept together and now that possibility was looking a bit worrisome for him.

All in all, it was a pretty fucked up day for Hyoudou Issei.

It was already 12 o'clock at night, but he was still awake because of everything that was tormenting him.

After knowing all his problems, he decided to talk to the person who always gave him answers.

That's exactly why he was in the bar next to the man with golden bangs.

"It's strange that you're still awake." Azazel stated, offering him a drink. "Have some sake. Alcohol always eases worries."

"Those examples you set are quite reprehensible." Rossweisse snorted, causing the two men to look at her, as they stood next to a certain Dragon Goddess who had already drunk about 10 bottles.

"Since when is she here?" Issei's question was directed at Ophis. He couldn't help but sweat at the image the Goddess left on herself.

"It's amazing that she's drank 10 bottles of sake and still isn't the least bit drunk." Azazel commented, being in a similar position to his student.

"Alcohol doesn't affect the Dragon Gods." The dragoness stated matter-of-factly, taking another drink in mere seconds.

"That explains a lot..." Thought Rossweisse, who felt a bit uncomfortable in this place.

After all, Ophis had asked her to join her for a couple of rounds, taking advantage of Yasaka buying today's drinks as a thank you.

"So, this is supposed to ease the worries?" Issei looked at the contents, only to drink it in one breath, getting Rossweisse and Azazel to be impressed.

"Don't follow their examples!" Rossweisse shouted comically.

"Hey, take it easier. It's your first time." Cadre declared with a faint smile. "And as for you, stop talking gibberish." He declared, fixing his gaze on a Valkyrie who tensed at the man's words. "Look, even he has more courage than you to try a sip of sake. You're not even a good companion, that's why you don't have a husband." A small arrow inscribed with the word "reality" struck Rossweisse's chest, causing her to twist dramatically.

"You'll see!" Rossweisse shouted, and Ophis flexed her fingers in a rather comical manner as the bottle was snatched from her without warning.

Issei couldn't help but sweat as Rossweisse gulped down the entire contents of the bottle in seconds.

The woman set the empty bottle down on the counter with a thump being accompanied by a small "Hip!".

"Ross?" Issei inquired, noticing the Valkyrie's shadowed face.

"What's wrong, darling?" she raised her gaze in a flirtatious tone, her cheeks were completely flushed.

"'Darling'?" Issei couldn't help but roll his eyes after the nickname.

"Look at her, she got drunk faster than a kid who never tasted alcohol in his life." Azazel couldn't help but chuckle under his breath at the Valkyrie's drunken expression.

"Bullshit! Hip!" She slammed the desk down hard. "I'm going to prove to you that I can drink a lot...!" Rossweisse never got to finish the sentence, as her hand reached her mouth in an instant as she did her best to hold back a spew.

The Valkyrie ran off at full speed towards the bathroom, leaving a laughing Azazel and a perplexed Issei on the spot.

"Weak." Was the only word that left Ophis' lips as she grabbed another fresh bottle.

"So..." Azazel's tone made Issei glare at him. "Are you going to tell me what's bothering you?"

Issei stared at the contents of his drink for a while as he tried to find the right words. He decided it would be best to clear everything up in a straightforward manner.

"It's about love." Issei fixed his gaze on the Cadre, noting a somewhat shocked expression on the man's face.

Not that Azazel would ever expect him to accept such feelings. He found it truly shocking that he would want to discuss this with him.

"From your tone of voice, it seems to be something quite serious." Stated the man, who rested his hand on the cheek. "I can understand if you want to talk about it in a more private setting." He culminated, fixing his relaxed gaze on an Ophis who was listening to them intently.

"Actually, I don't think it's a problem. Ophis doesn't know anything about these things, so really it wouldn't be any bother for her to listen to us." Issei replied instantly, unable to help but smile at the Goddess as he watched her tilt her head to the side rather intrigued.

"I see..." Azazel nodded, his relaxed look shifting slightly at what he was about to say. "In that case, we'd better get started before Rossweisse returns."

"To be honest, I don't know what to do." Issei replied with complete sincerity. "I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders after coming to terms with what I simply cannot control. But, I spent some time with all of them today." Issei's eyes dimmed a little. "I always enjoy every second I spend together with them, but this time it wasn't like that. I felt very uncomfortable at all times. It's not because of them, it just happens because I'm scared. I don't want things to change because of me, but I just can't help it. I feel like my chest burns every time I think about it. I feel like everything could end badly if I'm not careful with my actions. But at the same time, I feel like the outcome would make me separate myself from them. I just...I just..." Issei was currently holding his head with both hands while a completely tormented look accompanied him.

"I understand." Issei couldn't help but look at Azazel with quite a bit of surprise as the Cadre set his glass down on the counter. "Your words are so far fetched just like all the torment you're suffocating yourself with. That face you had was a bit funny, if you ask me." Azazel stated with some amusement.

No matter what the situation, Azazel would always find a way to make any serious conversation lose some weight.

Azazel's calm smile changed slightly after pouring himself more sake. The man savored the drink for a few seconds under the watchful eye of Issei, who watched as the Cadre set the glass down carefully.

"How about I tell you my story?" Azazel gave him a small glance, needing only that to know that Issei was very interested in his words.

"Are you talking about you and Gabriel?" The young man asked immediately.

"There was never a me and Gabriel. Only me." The man quickly clarified, leaving a somewhat confused Issei.

Wasn't Azazel supposed to be in love with that Angel?

"As you may know, those kinds of feelings are forbidden in Elysium. Or rather, they are feelings that should never travel inside an Angel." Azazel explained, remembering his old days.

Azazel couldn't help but laugh in a bitter way after remembering his days in heaven.

"I was like you."

That simple sentence made Issei's eyes widen beyond measure.

"But, at the same time, it was different." Azazel began to play with his drink as he continued to narrate his story. "When I began to feel those feelings for Gabriel, there wasn't a day when I was uncomfortable with myself. Every day I suffered a little more each time I fell more and more in love with her. I always had to hide all those feelings, so my inner desires became more and more unstable, and, then, the time for lustful thoughts to come was inevitable." Azazel couldn't help but get a little serious at his last words. "In the end, I ended up falling from the sky as a result of my Original Sin, which you know well enough what that was. I didn't even get a chance to tell her how I felt. And even if I had, I doubt she really understood." He concluded, then looked at the brown-haired man. "That's why I say we're both similar, since you don't dare to express what you really feel either."

"But, still, you said we are different..." Issei clarified, getting Azazel to smile.

"Apparently, you were paying attention." Commented the Cadre. "The reason we are different is simple enough to find." Azazel tapped his sake against the counter, delivering a piercing look to the one who was like his son.

"I never had a chance."

Issei could only remain silent at such a revelation.

"The relationship between two Angels is immoral. Besides that, Gabriel was always a very pure Angel, so she would never have agreed to anything like that. Even if I had the slightest chance of making her fall in love, I never tried. I never did because I knew I was changing, and I didn't want that to happen to her. I didn't want to separate them from all her friends, from her family. I loved her, and I still love her very much. For that very reason is that I would never be able to commit a selfish act that could hurt her so much. I never thought of hurting her even when my Original Sin was in full swing." Azazel gave a small sigh, then gave Issei a drowsy look. "That's why I have a certain resentment of people like you, since you can love, and they can love you. That's the difference between the two of us. For me, it was impossible, but it's not for you." Azazel drew a smile as he raised his glass.

"If you want me to give you some advice, let me tell you one thing..."

Azazel clinked the cup on Issei's forehead, getting Issei to widen his eyes with some anxiety.

"Life gives you many chances, but they are not infinite. You'd better take the next one, because you don't know when it might be too late."

"But..." Issei couldn't help but lower his gaze. "I'm just..." Azazel could watch as Issei began to tremble with helplessness.

The Cadre couldn't help but feel some pity at the sheer amount of mixed emotions coursing through Issei's eyes.

The young man stopped shaking, and couldn't help but look up as he felt Azazel rub his hair.

It was amazing to be able to touch all that damage that his past had done to him...

"I know your past is still present in your heart." Azazel gave him a small glance, then leaned back against the counter reassuringly.

"Everyone gets hurt sometimes. Everyone gets hurt someday." The Cadre clarified, then handed him a toothy smile. "But everything will be all right. You'll always have people you can lean on." Azazel raised his glass. "The first of those people will be me, who, no matter where I am, will always raise a glass to your happiness." He concluded, inviting Issei to clink his cup with his own.

At first, Issei looked rather impressed. He was even puzzled.

He simply didn't know what to say about it.

Finally, the brown-haired man just smiled. That smile was soon accompanied with a small clink as both cups clinked.

"Thank you very much, Azazel." The young man declared with a genuine smile.

The Cadre was somewhat surprised, as he very rarely delivered such a smile to anyone other than his crushes.

"I would like to make you promise me one thing." Azazel's words made Issei look at him with great curiosity. "As I said before, I understand that your past is still very much alive in your life. But don't let that drag you down." The Cadre stated with complete seriousness, getting Issei confused.

"What do you mean by that?" He asked.

Azazel abandoned his serious expression to give him a big smile, managing to confuse Issei even more.

"I just want to tell you not to stop being yourself!"

Issei's eyes sparkled at such words.

That's right.

He had always been himself despite all he had suffered before.

So why should he leave him now that he knows about his own feelings?

What has love got to do with the way he really is?

Why should it affect him?

Who said it had to?

That's right, it had been his own unconsciousness, which was always forcibly dragging him into the past without him realizing it.

But he'd had enough.

He wasn't going to let the past continue to haunt him.

He wasn't going to let this stupidity keep him from the people he loved most in this world.

He wasn't going to let Raynare take him away from the main reason he felt so alive every day.

He wasn't going to let anyone take him away from them.

Not even his own unconsciousness.

That's right...

He'd put up with this for so long, but he'd had enough.

Azazel's gaze twisted to a slightly surprised one as he watched Issei raise his glass, denoting a toothy grin that made his face glow.

"Let us also drink to your well-being, and to our remaining friends for much longer." Azazel looked rather surprised at first, but his expression soon changed to a half-smile as he raised his glass.

"Amen for that!"

The sound of glasses clinking was heard once more, where both men shared a smile as they drank.

"To be honest, I'm surprised you're so sober after drinking so much." Azazel couldn't help but look at him with quite a bit of interest, as it really did intrigue him.

"Now that you mention it, at no time did I feel that supposed warmth you experience in your throat when you drink alcohol." Clarified the young man with some hesitation, managing to make the Cadre even more impressed.

"That's even stranger." Azazel looked at the bottle with great doubt, as if he expected it to be expired or something.

"I want to go to the beach again! Hip!" Issei couldn't help but roll his eyes as Rossweisse kicked open the bathroom door, falling to the floor in progress.

"Now I understand why she never drank alcohol with Tiamat and Penemue." Issei thought aloud with a roll of his eyes.

"Are you calling me weak!" Issei couldn't help but have a shiver as he witnessed the Valkyrie lift her face slightly off the ground, denoting a murderous look. "Even you, even you...!" That murderous look disappeared from her face as she began to tear up.

"Even you are telling me that I have no chance of being happy!" She cried as she threw a tantrum on the floor.

"I never said that..." Issei couldn't help but sweat with a rather hesitant smile as he noticed Rossweisse's state.

"You'd better take her to her room." Azazel, who wasn't feeling much better than Issei, stated.

Meanwhile, Ophis watched everything that happened with her typical stoic expression. She materialized Issei's headphones so she wouldn't have to listen to the Valkyrie's whining that intensified when she was carried by Issei like a sack of potatoes.

"Besides weak, very loud." The Goddess said to herself as she opened another bottle of sake.

At the inn...

Because of the Valkyrie's kicking, the idea of using a teleportation circle was impossible, so he had no choice but to make the entire journey on foot.

After a few minutes, Rossweisse finally seemed to have calmed down a bit. But that only made her start complaining that she wanted to go to the beach again, making different hints quite clear that she wanted to be seen and touched by Issei.

Obviously, the young man was aware of all these insinuations, but he attributed it all to the simple fact that Rossweisse was so fucked up on alcohol that she could only say stupid things.

And the truth was that she was.

It was quite funny to think that the Valkyrie's reserved and moralistic personality was completely transformed when she was drunk.

It seemed like he was talking to a completely different person.

Perhaps the only thing that remained recognizable about her was that she would sometimes act like a child. Although these occasions became extremely recurrent when she was drunk. He found this out quite easily, as the Valkyrie kept kicking her feet every time Issei denied the overtures to go to the beach.

Somehow he managed to calm her down when he said that if she wanted to get wet so badly, then she could do it in the hot springs at the inn.

Issei couldn't help but have a big shiver when Rossweisse stopped her kicking from one second to the next.

He knew she was planning something, and it was pretty obvious to know.

"Here we are." Issei opened the sliding door, carefully setting Rossweisse down on the floor.

"Finally..." Rossweisse couldn't help but chuckle in a strange way, unable to contain a small "Hip!" at the end.

The Valkyrie turned around and began to remove her pants in a sensual manner, oblivious to the fact that Issei was standing next to her.

"What do you say we start having some fun?" She looked up at him with misty eyes at the mischief that was crossing her mind. "A student-teacher diversion in the middle of a school trip..." Rossweisse narrowed her eyes with a look coated in complicity. "Don't you think it's kind of interesting?"

Rossweisse's mischievous face completely transformed to a confused one after seeing how Issei was in one of the shallow pools, filling it with water.

"Aren't those pools cold water?" She couldn't help but think with much confusion as she removed the back of her clothing, being left in just her underwear.

Another thing that also confused her was that Issei had not yet taken off his clothes.

As she took off her shirt, her head began to turn in a funny way as she noticed that Issei had disappeared.

"Where did he go?" She thought comically.

"Take a nice bath to clear your head, I'm leaving now." Commented Issei, who was standing at the exit door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Rossweisse seemed to have grown a second head as she noticed Issei slipping out of the place, under her point of view.

"Didn't you want to take a bath?" Issei asked with a blank stare, getting Rossweisse to jump in anger.

"You were supposed to have fun with me!"

"I'm not going to do that." Issei waved his hand dismissively, getting a depressive aura to surround the Valkyrie. "You're too drunk. If you don't want to take a bath, then you'd better go to sleep." He concluded, leaving.

Or so he had planned, for he never expected Rossweisse to grab his arm so tightly that he forced one of his eyes shut.

"Don't be so mean!" Ross almost cried after shouting those words.

Issei only managed to sigh after the Valkyrie's attitude.

"Okay, let's go over there. The water's ready." The brown man declared, noticing how Rossweisse's face changed from a depressed one to the most cheerful in the world from one second to the next.

"Are you sure you want to use this one. I think the water's too cold..." Rossweisse couldn't help but feel somewhat uncomfortable when she saw the pool. "By the way, I think you should change before..." She couldn't finish her sentence, as she could feel her feet leaving the ground for some strange reason.

She looked over her shoulders, noticing how Issei was lifting her up by the waist.

"What are you doing?" Ross inquired, only to let out a loud yelp as Issei tossed her into the water without a word.

The Valkyrie emerged from the water shivering slightly from the temperature of the water.

"How can you be so crue?l!" Rossweisse shouted at him on the verge of tears.

"I hope that sobered you up, even a little." It was the simple reply from the chestnut, who patted his hands at a job well done.

That victorious expression on his face froze as a large amount of water splashed over him.

"Now we're even." Declared the Valkyrie with a vengeful smile. "Now, don't you want to come with me?"

"I don't want to get wet..." Issei stopped as his body was bathed in water once more.

"Do you have another excuse?" The Valkyrie asked innocently as she folded her arms. "Now you're going to say you're allergic to pools?" Issei's eyebrow twitched after hearing the woman's words.

"I'll teach you not to mess with me!" She exclaimed, getting Rossweisse to yelp in surprise as a large amount of water rushed towards her face.

"You want war, then I'm going to give you war!"

"Wait, that's enough!"

"You were the first to attack!"

"You know that's not true!"

The sound of water and laughter continued to be heard for a couple of minutes, until the entrance to the site was covered with water.

"I think that's enough!" A somewhat agitated Rossweisse declared, earning a quick nod from Issei.

"I agree." Issei nodded as he sat on the edge of the pool, noticing how Rossweisse positioned herself between his legs. "Looks like he's sobered up already." Issei thought with a slight smile as he noticed that the Valkyrie had stopped making sexual advances.

"I don't know how you do it, but whenever I'm with you everything is so much fun." She commented with a big smile, a smile that wavered a little at what she was about to say.

"I wish it could be like this forever..."

Rossweisse's cheeks tinged a faint red as she noticed how Issei began to caress her head.

"Who said this can't last forever?" Issei gave her a big toothy grin, managing to make the Valkyrie smile.

"You're right..." She said softly, taking her future lover's hand gently.

Issei froze completely still as he felt Rossweisse drag his hand down her cheek.

At first he only deigned to smile calmly, as he thought the Valkyrie was just enjoying the moment.

Those thoughts changed drastically when his hand came to rest on one of the Valkyrie's breasts.

In fact, his change in expression was quite funny when he noticed that.

"Ross?" Issei inquired carefully, feeling somewhat uncomfortable when the Valkyrie raised her gaze with a playful smile.

"Time to move on to the real fun." She said, getting Issei to roll his eyes, not only at her words, but because she had removed her bra without him noticing.

"Apparently she's still drunk." The brown man thought with a slight blush as he felt his hand brush against her nipple.

Indeed, her breasts seemed to be quite soft and moldable, but now was not the time to dwell on that.

"Do you like the way they feel? They're not as big as Penemue's, but I'm still proud of them." Declared the Valkyrie with a smile as her face was tinged with a blush.

Issei wasn't sure if that blush was due to her drunkenness or because of what she was doing.

It was probably a combination of the two.

"Ouch!" The Valkyrie groaned as Issei gave her a small smack on the head.

"Stop doing things you'll regret later." Issei stated with a mean look, giving her another sweet smack on her head, getting Rossweisse to groan again.

"Why do you have to be so mean to me?" She cried as she rubbed her bruised area. "Why can't you behave like you did with Penemue when you were kissing her?" Issei couldn't help but blush at the Valkyrie's comment.

"That was quite a different matter. It was just a bet that had to be fulfilled. In this case this couldn't even be considered a game." Issei clarified, feeling rather uncomfortable at the comparison.

"No! You're only mean to me because I'm not as pretty as her!" She sobbed with a rather tender expression on her face.

That sob was muffled when Issei rested a hand on her head rather lovingly.

"That's not true." Rossweisse widened her eyes a bit at the rather serious tone of her crush. "To me, you're just as beautiful as she is. I don't want to do this because I know very well you're going to regret it later." Issei handed him a faint smile.

"I'm just looking out for you."

Issei's smile disappeared as he noticed the Valkyrie's rather stunned expression. For a moment He thought he had said something wrong, but the result was completely opposite of what he had expected.

After all, it was impossible to expect that she would pounce on him, hugging him with incredible strength.

"You're so adorable!" The Valkyrie said completely touched.

"Stop!" Issei could barely speak as the embrace turned into a suffocating prison. "I can't breathe, they're so big!" The young man did his best to convey the message to her, feeling like Rossweisse's naked breasts were killing him.

"Hey!" The Valkyrie couldn't help but laugh as she felt Issei trying to escape in great desperation. "Stop fidgeting like that, you're tickling me!" She continued to laugh, being completely oblivious to how Issei's face was turning purple.

"What are you doing?"

Issei felt his salvation was at the doorstep after hearing the voice of Ophis, who seemed to have come there to talk to him.

"We're just playing!" Rossweisse replied with a completely blushing smile, getting Ophis' expression to change radically.

"Sounds like fun."

That was the only three words Issei had to hear to know that Ophis was going to do anything but save him.

The Goddess took off almost all of her clothes, going topless.

"Hey, wait your turn!" Rossweisse commented with a big pout as she noticed how Ophis placed her breasts on top of Issei's head.

The Goddess furrowed her brows in confusion after the Valkyrie's words.

"This game is turn-based?"

"I'M-I'M-I'M GOING TO DIE!"

One resuscitation later...

"WE'RE SORRY!" Rossweisse sank her forehead to the ground as she remained on her knees.

"Why should Ophis apologize?" The Goddess looked to an Issei who was standing in front of the two with a small nasal discharge for answers.

Rossweisse didn't even explain the reason, all she did was grab the back of the Goddess' head, then obligingly lower it.

"It's your fault too! How can you think that's a game?!" Rossweisse yelled at her, noticing how Ophis lifted her face as if she were a robot due to the force they were using to hold her down.

"Rossweisse is so mean to Ophis." She rubbed her red forehead as anime-style tears threatened to roll past her eyes. "Issei, say something to her." The Goddess quickly looked to her squire to stand up for her, managing to make them both sweat at the childish attitude of the woman who was even older than Rossweisse.

"Calm down both of you, it's no big deal." Was Issei's simple reply, trying to lighten the mood. "By the way, why did you come looking for me?" Issei changed the subject, in an attempt to get the seemingly sober Rossweisse to put the whole thing aside.

"Issei had promised me that he would give me a sweet if I behaved well. The rule I was to abide by was not to come here uninvited." Ophis clarified, standing up. "You were supposed to have agreed on the candy for the next day, but you never gave it to me." She concluded with a small pout.

"Oh, I completely forgot..." Issei confessed, getting Ophis' pout to deepen.

"Bad Issei bad. That's rude." Issei felt strange to see how Ophis was using his own method of education against him.

"I'm sorry, I promise I'll give you something tomorrow." Issei bowed his head in apology, getting the Goddess to nod with a slight smile.

"Very well." She replied. "In the meantime, I will continue to stand by you until you keep your promise." Issei raised his head with a neutral expression.

"Huh?" was all he could say, watching as the Goddess disappeared through a magic circle.

A small silence arose between the two present as they noticed that they had once again been left alone.

"I think I know where she is..." Was the Valkyrie's simple comment.

"Don't worry, you saw that she's clumsy enough to think of strange things." Issei replied instantly, noticing how Ross looked pleased at his response.

"Yeah, I think so too. I think we'd better go to sleep, it's already very late and neither of us slept properly the day before." Clarified the woman.

"I agree." Issei nodded, only to stop short when he noticed how the Valkyrie was holding her head with a clear expression of pain. "Are you okay?"

"Don't worry, it's what I deserve for what an idiot I was today." Valkyrie said bitterly, feeling like her head was about to split.

"I'm not going to let you go alone in that condition." Issei stated, stepping closer.

"I said I won't let you... Uaahhh!" Rossweisse couldn't help but blush to astronomical levels when Issei carried her in his arms, as if she were a princess.

"Lead me to your room." Were the young man's words, receiving a tender, awkward nod from the embarrassed Valkyrie.

A minute later...

Rossweisse covered half of her face somewhat shyly, as Issei was tucking her in quite gently.

Somehow, that brought back memories when her parents were still alive. They had always been there for her, even these small memories were quite treasured for her.

Rossweisse closed her eyes with a faint blush as Issei placed his hand on her forehead without any words.

"You don't seem to have a fever, it must just be an alcohol induced headache." The brown-haired man stated, noticing that the woman's body temperature was normal.

"Hum, yes." She nodded awkwardly, earning a smile from Issei.

"Since it's already late, I wouldn't want to bother you much more. Especially since we're going to be getting up quite early tomorrow to leave." Issei stated, then turned around and left.

Or so he planned...

"Wait!" Rossweisse caught one of his fingers, getting Issei to turn around with some confusion.

At that moment, a somewhat awkward silence arose between the two. Rossweisse wore a rather funny expression as she thought about what she should say, while Issei was sweating comically.

"Ross?" Issei couldn't help but rub his hair in some discomfort as he noticed how the Valkyrie wouldn't let go of his hand.

"Yes!" She startled at hearing his name, managing to make Issei roll his eyes.

He was supposed to be the one who was embarrassed.

"It's...that..."

"I...I mean..."

"I don't feel like a moment ago, so..."

Issei's eyes sparkled as he noticed a completely embarrassed smile from the Valkyrie that was decorated with a huge red hue that expanded all the way to her ears.

Issei looked at her with great attention as he noticed that she was making quite an effort to say her next words.

"C-can you stay by my side for a while longer?"

"I guess it's not a problem." The brown man stated, though his response came across as somewhat hesitant as he found it rather odd that Ross would want to be with him for a while longer at this time of night.

Silence once again took hold of them both as Issei approached once more. But on this occasion, that silence was not awkward at all.

The Valkyrie looked quite at ease playing with Issei's fingers while Issei kept out of it all, holding a faint smile at his friend's actions.

"I never thought you had a side like that." Issei commented without thinking, getting Rossweisse to look at him with a quizzical look.

"Like what?" She asked with her existing smile as she turned her attention back to Issei's hand.

"So cute."

Rossweisse stopped her games with Issei's fingers as a faint blush decorated her cheeks.

Issei looked at her somewhat confused. He wondered if perhaps he had been too direct.

"I think it's time for me to leave." He stated, noticing that Rossweisse had gone completely static.

He didn't want the atmosphere between them to get awkward.

Just as he was about to turn away, the Valkyrie reaffirmed her grip on his hand, causing him to look at her with some surprise.

"I've barely been able to talk to you these past two weeks. I heard that the training had proved too extreme for you." She started the conversation, denoting a passive expression on her face. "How have you been?"

"Was she worried about it?" At first, Issei looked somewhat puzzled, though that expression quickly changed. "There's no need for you to worry. It's true that it was hard, but it was something I had to do." He concluded with a smile, managing to make the woman smile slightly.

"I'm glad everything went well, but you can't ask me to stop worrying about you. It's kind of impossible." The Valkyrie's comment made Issei look at her with slight intrigue. "Since I met you, you helped me so much and became my friend so fast. Sharing so many moments with me that made me forget everything I was and what the future held for me." Issei felt himself tense up at the sight of Rossweisse's bitter smile. "You helped me escape my reality, you made me feel moments I could never have lived and you managed to make me so happy even though it was all fake. I guess the only thing that mattered to me from the beginning was that it was fun." Rossweisse laughed at the end, but it was a laugh that didn't convince Issei at all.

In fact, it was a laugh so heartless that it would have alarmed anyone.

And no wonder, since it sounded as if that person was dying inside...

"You're still a little drunk, aren't you?" Issei attributed that everything she was telling him was due to the Valkyrie's drunkenness, and those doubts were confirmed when she nodded slowly.

"Yes, and that makes me glad. Even if I'm a little drunk, this helped me to tell someone everything I was feeling. And that someone turned out to be you, so I think the venting was perfect." Rossweisse gave a small sigh at the end, denoting how her eyes were duller than usual. "But, there is one thing that was left hanging from our fake dates." She raised her gaze, tugging his hand to pull the man closer to her.

Rossweisse smiled again, though this time, her smile seemed to regain the glow she always had.

Therefore, Issei knew quite well that this last wish of her friend's was very important to her.

So, all he did was to listen attentively.

Obviously, he never expected such an outcome.

Rossweisse's lips slowly parted, letting her next words leave Issei unresponsive:

"I want to kiss you."

"But why?" Was all the young man could say, as it was incomprehensible to him the Valkyrie's need to go so far. "When we started the missed dates, I thought you just wanted to learn to live together with a man."

"That's a half-truth." Rossweisse's response completely threw Issei off balance.

A half-truth?

Did that mean she was hiding more than he thought?

Did that have something to do with what she had mentioned just now?

"Besides..." She added, getting Issei to come back from his thoughts. "I may have hundreds of kisses in the future, but I'm sure none of them will feel like ours."

That was a rather redundant answer, since Rossweisse was claiming that the least fake kiss would be just the "fake kiss" she would have with Issei, so it was a rather obvious contradiction.

Anyway, it wasn't time to think about something like that right now. At least, that's what Issei thought.

"Ross, from the beginning everything had seemed very strange to me. But I always decided to help you without asking questions, since I also had a great time with you when we were together." Issei's gaze became extremely serious. "But what you're telling me now I can't overlook. What are the problems that are tormenting you? Can't you solve it yourself with the great power you have?" Rossweisse laughed in a dry and lifeless tone, getting Issei to start worrying quite a bit about the whole thing.

"When the time is so close already, I think it's absurd to keep everything a secret, but I'm afraid. Afraid that something will happen to you, because I know you so well." Rossweisse laughed again, though this time she seemed a bit more animated as she continued to play with Issei's hand.

The Valkyrie paused once more, lowering her head so that her face would not be visible.

Just as Issei was about to ask what was wrong with her, the Valkyrie spoke.

"What I am?"

Issei felt rather puzzled at such a question.

"You are Rossweisse." Was the young man's simple reply.

An answer that he quickly understood was wrong, as he could feel his hand being squeezed a little tighter by Rossweisse. It wasn't just that detail, as the woman had begun to tremble for some reason.

"I didn't ask you who I am, I asked you what I am..."

Issei frowned noticeably as he began to search for the answer.

This seemed like something that was getting to her too much, so he didn't want to fail the answer again.

At that moment, a resolution popped into his mind.

After thinking that there was no better answer possible, Issei decided to speak:

"You are the Future Queen of the Valkyries."

Issei replied smiling, a smile that decayed practically instantly when Rossweisse pounced on him while crying non-stop.

"Valkyrie Queen! Valkyrie Queen!" She sobbed at the top of her lungs as she clung to Issei with unparalleled momentum in a poor attempt to calm her shattered heart.

"Won't you come help me?!" She cried out again, feeling a stunned Issei respond to her embrace in a half-hearted attempt to try and comfort her.

That would never be able to comfort her.

Nothing would be able to.

"What should I do?" Issei found enough strength to ask, even though he was completely overwhelmed at the current situation.

"Just take away all that I am!" She sobbed in a completely broken tone.

"Take this to an end!"

"Hey, calm down..." Issei tried to calm her down, noticing that her hysteria was leading her to act in a very sad way.

"I can't calm down!" She hugged him even tighter, as if she felt Issei was going to somehow pull away from her.

"I don't want to be taken away from the only friends I ever made!"

"I don't want to be taken away from you!"

Rossweisse's eyes widened beyond measure as lips sealed her mouth.

All her hysteria came completely to naught after noticing that Issei was kissing her to calm her down.

At last, her trembling body managed to relax at the very warm touch that quickened her broken heart, feeling like she was somehow being rebuilt.

All that crying stopped abruptly, as if that simple kiss had healed not only her heart, but also her soul.

The awkward and desperate embrace she had on Issei began to transform into one with a much more subtle and loving touch as her hands encircled his neck, taking advantage of this action to squeeze her body tighter to his.

Now she could feel how that warmth emanating from Issei's body was embracing her in such a way that all her horrible thoughts dimmed.

And finally, her disconsolate figure and soul finally managed to find that comfort she had been longing for so long.

A comfort that didn't last much longer than a minute, as their lips had to part due to lack of air.

Still, that simple encounter had made her wild and torturous thoughts settle just enough to keep from snapping again.

And that hilarious, warm feeling came back to her when she saw Issei's eyes.

Eyes that delivered an immeasurable amount of love and sustenance to her.

"Ross, I want to make this clear to you..." Issei caressed her cheek, getting the Valkyrie's full attention.

"No matter what might happen to me, or what might happen to you..." Issei bumped his forehead against Rossweisse's, getting her to slowly widen her eyes.

Issei broke away again, denoting a look coated with seriousness.

"I'm never going to leave you alone."

Rossweisse could only manage to look at him with wide eyes, feeling her cheek being caressed before an Issei who remained unmoved.

After a few seconds, Issei couldn't help but smile with empathy as he watched Rossweisse's eyes begin to well up with tears. Said tears rolled down her cheeks, masking a completely silent cry, but which at the same time meant more than a thousand things.

Finally, the Valkyrie could bear it no longer and embraced him with all her being, sobbing silently on the shoulder that was supporting her, feeling all worries leave her, if only for this day.

Issei's smile deepened as he closed his eyes to return her embrace.

They no longer needed to talk.

Their own bodies were expressing everything they needed to share.

After a few seconds of silence, the Valkyrie spoke again with only one word.

"Issei..."

"Don't worry, I'll stay as long as you need."

The next day...

Issei sat in one of the many carriages. His gaze remained calm after remembering everything that happened when he went to sleep.

He had a small discussion with a certain Goddess, as she was not at all happy that Issei forgot his promise. In the end, the childish-minded mature woman agreed to leave the room, on the condition that Issei bought her two sweets instead of one.

Issei couldn't help but smile after remembering Ophis.

All their encounters were always quite confusing or problematic, but they always managed to understand each other in one way or another. In fact, he quite enjoyed spending time with her, as she could be quite funny without the Goddess herself noticing.

Today he was able to say goodbye to Yasaka and Kunou, who looked quite grateful for everything done by the brown.

Initially, the mother of the Yokais made a pass at the brown-haired man to be his next wife when he finished the Academy, to which Issei quickly denied, claiming that he already had too many women in his heart.

Evidently, Issei made sure that everything remained a secret. At no time had he given her the names of the women who had captured his heart, but this could be clearly seen that Yasaka had pretty clear ideas about this.

After that, he had a little chat in the carriage with the Cadre who was now asleep beside him. At first they had argued a bit, as Penemue had been angry with him.

The reason?

It was simple.

He had again felt ridiculed for not getting a clean win last time.

Penemue gave him a little smack with her holster to make him hear her clearly, abalating that it wasn't something he should pay much attention to, especially since he had done so well.

Finally, he had to accept Penemue's words. Not that that beautiful smile she gave him would have contributed to his unquestioning acceptance, of course not.

A few seconds into the trip he had a little chat with Rossweisse, who seemed quite uncomfortable for obvious reasons.

Issei quickly played dumb, saying that he didn't remember anything about what happened yesterday. Understanding her friend's complicity, the Valkyrie could do nothing but give him a beautiful smile and then leave.

So, now all that was left was to sleep.

The trip was long, and let's say that he had not slept very well these days.

A small smile appeared on Issei's face after remembering all the events.

"A lot of things happened, but I think everything ended up being quite fun. Plus I was able to overcome certain things thanks to Azazel." Issei opened one of his eyes, seeing the Cadre sitting in the other corner of the wagon, sporting a bored look as was customary on long, slow trips. "Come to think of that, I never thanked him like I should have..." Issei drew a somewhat goofy grin on his face as he rose from the seat by a small hop.

"I guess this is the time."

After taking a few steps, Issei was forced to lean against one of the seats as the carriage shook rather strangely.

Azazel himself noticed this, so he quickly got up from his seat. So did Penemue and Rossweisse, who realized that this movement was completely abnormal.

They were not the only ones to be alarmed, as many people in the same carriage acted similarly.

The shaking had been too strong to go unnoticed.

"What happened?" Asked Penemue, who had just woken up.

"Maybe some animal run over?" Issei tried to come up with a coherent answer, receiving a quick negative from all three of them.

"We're in the middle of the subway." Azazel dismissed Issei's idea completely with his words, beginning to sweat. "For some reason, I have a bad feeling about this..."

Right after saying that, another big tremor came not only in the carriage, but in the whole train.

Penemue suddenly drew his katana to block a pink magic dagger that was shot from one of the windows.

Rossweisse did the same with his ice gauntlets, and Azazel did the same to head at a great speed towards a bewildered Issei so that another dagger would not pierce his stomach.

Suddenly, all the windows shattered into a thousand pieces as a large number of daggers shot out like bullets, killing almost everyone in the carriage except for the four immortal beings who managed to block and dodge each of the projectiles.

"Look out!" shouted Rossweisse, who quickly lunged towards Issei to deflect one of the daggers that was heading straight for his skull.

"Was that the last one?" Wondered Penemue without letting her guard down, seeing that the attacks had ceased.

At that precise moment, everyone grabbed what they could as various daggers embedded themselves in all the wheels, managing to make the train begin to slow down and derail.

"Hold on tight!" Shouted Azazel, only to be followed by a great deafening crash.

Issei got up from the ground somewhat dizzily, as he had a bump on his forehead.

"Are you all right?" Rossweisse instantly pulled herself together, noticing how her three friends nodded without much difficulty.

They all watched defensively as the front door opened with a loud kick, revealing that it was Xenovia, Kiba and Gasper.

"I'm glad they're okay." Azazel stated, letting his guard down a bit as he noticed who they were.

"I'd like to say the same, but Asia didn't expect the blow and was badly injured. We need to leave now." Clarified the swordswoman.

"Apparently, we were ambushed..." Azazel looked at one of the many magical daggers embedded in the wagon, causing his eyes to widen in shock. "Kiba, Xenovia!" The aforementioned two tensed after the man's overly serious tone. "Get the hell out of here with Asia! Gasper, retreat with Issei!"

"Which place...?"

"Anywhere that's far away from here!" Kiba couldn't help but take a step back after Azazel's big outburst.

None of them had ever seen him like this before, so they all knew the subject was much more serious than they first thought.

Seeing that they didn't move at the stupor, Azazel gritted his teeth in restrained rage.

"Didn't you hear me?!" They all awoke after Azazel's shout. "Get the hell out of here before it's too late!" Kiba and Xenovia nodded immediately, leaving for another carriage, while Gasper stood next to Issei to prepare the magic circle.

"What do we do?" Penemue consulted him, holding a much more serious seriousness than usual.

Apparently, she also understood what was going on.

"The three of us will take care of making time for them to escape." Azazel replied, becoming slightly alarmed when one of the lower carriages exploded into a thousand pieces.

"I want to...!"

"This is no time for stupid things, Issei!" The Cadre exclaimed, knowing what he wanted to do. "He's not an opponent you can take on!"

Issei could only open and close his mouth at such a comment.

He never thought he could see Azazel this way.

"He's almost ready." Clarified the vampire, causing the magic circle beneath his feet to glow brightly.

A second later, an all-too-fast shadow passed outside the wagon. In fact, he was so fast that even Penemue couldn't follow him exactly.

"He's already here..." Declared the fallen woman coldly.

A wall of the wagon shattered into a thousand pieces, and at that moment a dark blur sped towards an Issei who couldn't even follow his movements. But Rossweisse and Penemue managed to follow his speed a little, so they got in his way.

No one knew how, but Rossweisse flew off to one side and Penemue to the other, leaving the way clear once again.

Issei's eyes widened as he could make out the gleaming metal of a sword sliding off the swift figure.

He tried to move, but it was too late.

His eyes widened when he felt someone pushing him to save him.

His butt hit the ground, and just as he started to disappear, his eyes became completely horrified as a huge bloodstain covered his body completely.

In front of him stood a staring Azazel, who had been sliced horizontally across the waist until he was almost cut in half.

He could only scream one thing before he disappeared.

"AZAZEL!"

END OF CHAPTER!

I'm not going to lie, it was really exhausting but I finally finished that.

There are only two more chapters left before the end of the arc, so I hope you can enjoy them. Now is where the real battle of this arc begins.

With nothing more to say, I just have to say goodbye.

Thank you very much for reading!