Let's go with another translated chapter!

These are the last two before the end of this arc. I know I said it many times, but I think it's good to clarify that once this arc is finished there might be a break between 1 to 2 weeks until I can correct the first chapters that are very badly translated. That means that there will be no updates during that time.

Now let's move on to the most interesting part of this section, the reviews:

MAX0910: Since it's too much dialogue, I prefer to summarize everything as much as possible. The main thing I could understand is that you really liked these last two chapters, and I'm glad you liked those interactions and comic scenes. There are still some mysteries to be solved, but you must be patient, as everything will be solved in the future. For now, I hope you can enjoy this battle.

With nothing more to add, it's time to begin.

Enjoy!

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you kill them." Vali lowered his index finger as he watched Brand with complete seriousness.

The Dragon Slayer's eyes lit up as the Hakuryuukou's towering armor shone in the strong light of the old night that was yielding to its first hints of light.

"I never thought that the two Celestial Dragons would meet in one place so that I could take them down!" Brand roared with a psychotic burst in his voice as his smile stretched to levels that were truly frightening. "This moment should be framed for all eternity!" He exclaimed with an air of smugness as he materialized two magical pink swords.

"The only thing that will remain framed is that you are alive now, but afterwards you will be nothing but a bad memory." Vali declared with his confidence high.

The albino turned his gaze to see how Kuroka couldn't move, so he couldn't help but frown.

"You're all very good scouts and spies, but I don't know at what point I thought splitting up to look for him would be a good idea. Luckily, that guy's main target is Hyoudou and me..." Vali's eyes blinked, gritting his teeth immediately as he tilted his face just in time to dodge a sword thrown directly at his head, managing to make his helmet crack as the weapon flew past him.

His overconfidence in himself led him into a bit of a sticky situation when he realized he hadn't paid attention to his enemy for a second, and that simple moment was enough for Brand to be right in front of him with a pronounced grin on his face as he prepared to slice his head off with his other sword.

Vali's eyes widened slightly as he saw that the blade of the sword was inches away from his eyes, so he quickly acted in a way that surprised everyone, even Brand himself.

"VANISHING DRAGON: DISRUPTIVE EVOLUTION!"

Brand went flying backwards helplessly because of the great whirlwind of white power that surrounded the albino out of nowhere.

The Dragon Slayer stopped several feet away from his opponent.

"In some of my battles against them I have come across bearers who were able to break their own Balance Breaker with an evolution. However, I've never felt such a powerful aura before." Brand commented, his smile already completely gone at what he witnessed.

"That happens because this isn't my first evolution..." Vali stated, denoting how his armor now looked much thinner than the original. "It's the second."

Brand widened his eyes a bit at such a statement.

"Impressive, I've never heard of a second release..." He said mostly to himself. "In that case, it means you're far from just some guy." Deduced the man, opting for a serious and composed look that had not been seen on him before.

"You guess right." Vali stated with smug airs. "Of all the bearers, I stand as the strongest Hakuryuukou ever."

"Alright..." The man declared with his serious expression, then smiled. "Let's see if that self-imposed title is nothing more than mere words." He culminated, to then launch himself at a great speed.

Vali had to be surprised once again, as even with this form it was hard to keep up with his movements.

"He's fast!"

The albino raised one of his hands to the front in one swift motion, creating a sphere of white energy in a matter of milliseconds.

"DRAGON SHOT!"

Vali's face lifted instantly after noticing how a blur shot upwards, indicating that Brand had managed to dodge the attack despite the sheer speed and suddenness of it.

"Not yet!" the albino roared, extending both of his arms over the entire battlefield, getting Issei and Rossweisse a bit startled at the sight of the sheer amount of magic circles that were created in less than a second.

"BLINDING BLAST!"

A large amount of magic was summoned through the magic circles, emitting a myriad of attacks. These attacks were so fast that it could only be seen as a white flash that kept flickering. But Brand was much faster than everyone thought. He proved that when he created various magic circles under his feet as barriers as he was jumping and bouncing between the various magic blasts that tried to reach him in vain.

"How can it move like that?!" Wondered Vali in palpable bewilderment as he watched a dark blur move at a great speed between and over his attacks.

Before he could even respond, one of his eyes closed as two magical daggers embedded deep into his arm, and somehow that caused his relentless magical attack to be cut short.

"My reserves...!" He thought in utter disbelief as he grabbed his bleeding arm, only to be shocked even more when Brand appeared right in front of him without any notice from the shock he had just received.

Just before Brand's approach could turn into something truly dangerous, a path of ice took the scene as a large gauntlet of ice struck the man's cheek with great force, causing him to expel some blood as he was thrown backwards like a whirlwind.

Rossweisse landed next to the albino, noting how he seemed to regain his composure.

"You must be careful, their weapons can extract an enormous amount of magic from you with just a graze." The Valkyrie explained, looking at Vali with quite a bit of surprise. "In fact, I find it amazing that you're still standing around like it's nothing."

"My magic reserves are not normal, so I can carry on without any problems." Replied the albino, noticing how Brand slowly got up from the ground while spitting blood. "But, still, the shock of the loss was so great to my body that the magic attack collapsed without me being able to do anything about it." Vali removed both daggers, giving them a very serious look. "I don't know how many of these I could take. In fact, I doubt my mind could remain so lucid after another piercing..." He concluded, focusing his gaze back on his enemy.

"So, what do we do?" Rossweisse consulted him, knowing that the terrain was far from favorable for them.

"The Half Dimension takes a long time, time we don't have. The Juggernaut Drive is a very bad option, as my body becomes much larger, and, thus, the odds of me getting hit are much higher, not to mention that technique consumes a large amount of my magic." Vali lowered his gaze for a short second, then raised again. "The only way is with the Divide, but the necessary requirement is to reach it with my body or magic in a direct way before I can use it. If we do it right, I'll be able to reduce his speed to controllable levels and the rest will become child's play."

"Then whoever hits first wins." Rossweisse's statement brought a smile out of Vali.

"I guess so." The albino replied, removing his hand from his wounds. "Are you feeling well enough to continue attacking?"

"I'm still a little dizzy, but my mind has largely adjusted by now." Valkyrie replied, smiling slightly.

Meanwhile, Issei watched all this from afar with a helplessness that could not be described.

Two other people he cherished were facing an adverse situation while he just lay on the ground, doing absolutely nothing.

As was always the case at all the important moments.

He had never measured up in those moments that called for power or maturity, and that simple fact was eating him up inside.

He vowed that no other of his loved ones would die after what happened to Irina, but Azazel was already doomed.

And the two people standing in front of him...

He couldn't even clench his fists to release his own frustration and pain, as his magical reserves were so ridiculous that he hadn't been knocked unconscious just because of the sheer amount of emotions that wouldn't allow him to let himself be embraced by the absolute darkness.

And, yet, he felt immersed in that darkness.

Tears began to roll down his eyes at the same time his teeth clenched so hard they might break.

"Okay, here I go." Oblivious to all the strife Issei was going through, Rossweisse prepared to pounce at Brand with a clash of her gauntlets in anticipation.

Brand focused his gaze on the Valkyrie, giving her a completely penetrating look.

"I don't know what they're planning, but the outcome is always going to be the same." The man concluded. His eyes furrowed for a second as the ice road came back into view, zigzagging from left to right so fast it would confuse anyone.

Brand followed her with his eyes, to the point where the Valkyrie passed right by him, only to throw herself on top of him in one swift motion. Rossweisse's eyes widened considerably as the man glanced sideways at her, only to disappear and then appear just to the side, dodging the attack with great precision. Brand was forced to make a great leap as a great energy shot over him. The man was forced to spread his wings that were a mix of all three races as another magical attack shot towards him, courtesy of Vali, who was limiting his Dragon Shot so as not to harm or even kill Rossweisse.

A somewhat grim smile took hold on the man as he dodged a large shard of ice that was hurled towards him. Rossweisse's eyes widened slightly as Brand landed a few feet away from her, preparing to cut her down.

"Now!" Vali thought, guessing that his enemy was too focused on the woman.

"DRAGON SHOT!"

Everyone's eyes widened in complete shock as Brand crouched his entire body and dropped to the ground, sliding under the large magical attack then rejoining as he materialized a sword, preparing to slash through Rossweisse's head.

Somehow miraculously, Rossweisse had enough reaction time to tilt her face to the side, thus avoiding a direct death. But that was not enough, as her cheek dripped a huge amount of blood as she was pierced deeply. Rossweisse fell to her knees instantly as she felt much of her magic leave her body, feeling her vision become quite blurry at the same time as her muscles became unresponsive.

"You're mine!" The Hunter roared, preparing to slice her throat.

"DRAGON SHOT!"

Brand disappeared with an instantaneous leap as he was forced to separate from the Valkyrie.

Vali sank his hands to the ground as he saw the man approaching at a great speed towards him while drawing a tenebrous smile on his face.

Numerous magical circles appeared on the ground, beginning to shoot a large amount of magic around the albino in a clear attempt to keep the man from approaching. Still, Brand continued to approach as he dodged and blocked the magical attacks with various barriers, and even with his own sword.

"I'VE GOT YOU!" Roared the Hunter with a grin covered in madness as he appeared in front of Vali out of nowhere, getting the albino to grit his teeth.

"It's not going to be that simple!" The Hakuryuukou roared, causing his entire arm illuminated by a white colored energy to shoot forward.

Brand took a huge leap and spread his wings to fly, miraculously dodging the massive magical attack that shot out of his arm. That simple fact made his smile disappear completely.

"This guy is completely different from the other one." He thought, his gaze still fixed on the huge magical attack below him. "If he touches me just once, I'm dead."

Issei's tears continued to fall to the ground as he barely managed to clench his fist. His blurred gaze focused on a Rossweisse lying on the ground as she bled from the deep cut on her cheek. His gaze shifted to Vali, causing him to grit his teeth in palpable helplessness as he saw how the albino was the only one still standing.

The only one who was still protecting them, and who could barely keep up with the enemy.

"Why?" Issei closed his eyes tightly, causing his tears to fall harder.

"Why did all this have to happen?"

"Why do I always have to watch as my friends save me?"

The memory of Azazel being cut almost in half when he saved him made his hands clench tighter.

"Why can't I protect the people I care about?"

"Why do they have to die for me without me being able to do anything about it?!"

Issei opened his eyes again, noticing Brand dodge another Dragon Shot from Vali.

"WHY AM I SO WEAK?!"

"Remember this..."

The memory of the last talk with Azazel came to his mind.

"No matter where I am, I will always toast to your happiness."

"In that case, I'll toast to you too."

The memory faded as the two clinked glasses with a big smile on their faces.

"Revenge."

Brand's words also struck his mind.

"That's what led your kind to their doom, and that's what will lead to your death."

"I don't want revenge anymore..." Issei closed his eyes with great force, causing his entire body to begin to tremble.

"I just want to protect my friends..."

"I just want to be more powerful..."

Brand dodged another Dragon Shot, starting to approach Vali through blinding speed.

"To your right!" Rossweisse shouted, getting Vali to turn his head in one swift motion, seeing how the man was much closer than before.

Vali wasted no time and threw a large amount of magical attacks, making Brand disappear through another quick movement just before said attacks hit him.

"I don't care if I have to give up my arm, my life, or even my soul..." Issei moved his face slightly, trembling with a noticeable helplessness as the crying does not stop emerging.

"I just don't want anyone else to die for me!"

Brand crossed between the various magic circles as he dodged and blocked all the attacks, getting closer and closer to a Vali who was noticeably getting more and more cornered.

"DRAGON SHOT!"

Brand dodged it again without much trouble as he slid to the side, getting Vali to grit his teeth even more as he sunk his fists into the ground again, creating numerous magic circles along the way to hinder his foe.

"Move..."

Rossweisse's eyes began to widen in progressive horror as she noticed the dark blur moving closer and closer towards the albino.

"Move..."

"This is not good!" Vali exclaimed to himself in his mind. "I have to move now, or...!" Vali's eyes widened in palpable disbelief as Brand slid out from under the Dragon Shot he had just thrown.

"Move..."

Brand's grin grew to inordinate levels as he materialized one of his blades, coming within inches of slicing Vali in two, to the dismayed looks of the albino and the Valkyrie.

Issei's eyes glowed crimson as his armor began to change just as his body began to move.

"MOVE!"

Brand's smile decayed in slow motion after witnessing Issei begin to rise as his armor underwent changes.

"MOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Issei disappeared in a burst of speed, shattering the entire ground as he left a large reddish trail in his wake.

Brand couldn't help but grit his teeth as his magic sword was shattered by a blow from Issei, who then delivered a kick so forceful that he was forced to take cover to contain the blow as best he could.

Even so, the force was superior to him, so he was thrown several meters backwards as a huge shockwave appeared on the spot.

"Hyoudou...!" Vali exclaimed with wide eyes after noticing his opponent's new appearance.

"WELSH DRAGON: TRIAINA EVOLUTION!"

"An evolution!" Brand exclaimed with a sinister grin on his face as he looked at the brown man in his new armor that kept emitting a very powerful crimson aura.

Issei clenched his fist with great force, feeling his blood not stop gushing from his pierced arm.

"I won't let you keep hurting my friends!" Issei exclaimed, getting Brand's grin to widen.

"That remains to be seen!" The Hunter exclaimed, lunging at both of them at an impressive speed.

Vali quickly shoved Issei back, then swung his magic-covered arm forward, releasing a giant blast of energy that Brand dodged.

Rossweisse's eyes contorted as he noticed how her body adapted to the abrupt loss of energy, so she quickly thrust her hands into the ground.

"ICE FOREST!"

Much smaller ice trees with a considerably smaller attack radius that had been present in their battle against the heroes began to surround Brand, who immediately became serious as he dodged and chopped at all the roots and branches emerging from the ground that came across his way.

"With this timing, and this opportunity...!" Vali pointed at the blur that was moving at an enormous speed with one of his hands, causing a sphere to materialize.

"It has to be now!"

Brand observed the albino and his intentions, so he moved at an enormous speed until he was just a few meters away from him. Just as he was about to hurl his attack, the man disappeared before the albino's perplexed gaze.

"Die."

Vali's body froze as he turned his entire body, noticing how a thrown magic dagger was inches away from his face.

Vali's legs slowly flexed, causing his eyes to widen in utter dismay.

"I can't dodge it, it's already in front of me...!" He thought, feeling everything around him freeze completely, as Brand turned a smile covered in madness on him.

"Is this really going to turn out like this?" Vali couldn't help but think with great remorse.

That moment of thoughtfulness was nipped in the bud when a crimson figure cut through the trajectory of the throwing attack at a speed he had barely managed to keep up with.

"How fast...!" He thought, watching as Issei grabbed the dagger with one of his hands, only to roll across the floor as he was unable to control his own speed.

Brand's eyes progressively widened as he noticed how Issei hit a small jump, creating a large sphere of energy while remaining in a completely uncoordinated position.

That wasn't what impressed the Hunter the most, though.

He was sure he could see how Issei's eyes had changed to a red color with a slit pupil, though it was only for a moment.

"I have to move!" The Hunter thought, ready to get out of the way of the attack.

"DRAGON SHOT!"

Just as Brand was about to leap to dodge the attack, his eyes widened beyond belief.

The man stumbled over his own ass when he saw that the attack had passed right in front of him, leaving him in a completely compromised position.

"That brat...!" Brand gritted his teeth hard as he saw him roll on the ground. "He did it on purpose!"

Issei fell in a crashing fashion, dropping to his knees in one swift motion as he focused his gaze on Vali.

"NOOOOOOOOW!"

Issei's shout made Vali's eyes mirror his figure.

He was still wondering how Issei had managed to create a majestic plan in just a second.

But this was no time to wonder things.

"DRAGON SHOT!"

Brand could barely spread his wings to get up, because the attack was already right under his nose.

At that moment, he could only think one thing.

More specifically, he could only think one word.

"Shit."

The magical attack impacted his figure squarely, causing his eyes to roll as he was blasted skyward at an enormous speed.

Rossweisse and Issei's eyes narrowed at the same time as they both ducked their legs, then took a huge leap that cracked the ground.

Issei materialized his katana as he braced for impact. The Valkyrie mimicked his movement as she created an ice spear, holding with both hands.

The two flexed their arms back, charging a devastating attack.

"Perfect timing." Vali thought with a big grin as he watched the two of them shoot out towards the enemy as he himself began to create various gigantic magic circles.

Just as Brand regained consciousness, it was only to see the katana and spear approaching at a speed that no longer allowed him to respond.

The spear pierced the side of his abdomen until it pierced through the other side, while the katana pierced his neck from side to side as it was impaled from left and right, managing to twist his body in a ridiculous way as he felt several of his bones crunch from the great force behind the impalements.

Still, that wasn't enough to bring him down.

Brand materialized a sword in one swift motion, then waved it at a stunned Rossweisse.

"Damn...!" She thought, trying to pull back her head to avoid the attack. "It won't give me time...!" She concluded, feeling the blade already grazing her nose.

"DIVIDE!"

A small amount of silver hair scattered in several directions as Rossweisse managed to lower her head in time.

"VALI!" Rossweisse's shout caused the albino to grit his teeth with great force.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

"DRAGON SHOT!"

A huge mace of energy shot through several magic circles, making his aura feel much more suffocating and powerful than before.

Rossweisse and Issei responded instantly as they hammered down on Brand's body, then delivered a strong kick to his chest which they used as momentum to leap as far away from the collision as possible.

The attack swallowed Brand's body completely, making only his figure visible through the powerful white light.

"Aaaaahhhh-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The Hunter's high-pitched scream could be heard for several seconds as his figure began to turn into small pieces until he finally disappeared completely, leaving not even a fragment of his skin.

Issei and Rossweisse landed next to the albino, and both accompanied their companion's gaze to watch as the massive magical attack slowly disappeared without leaving a trace of the Dragon Slayer.

The three stood looking down at where the man's body had once been, sensing that he was somehow still alive, knowing that this was impossible. That was because of the mark this fight had left. That mark had been deeper than any of the three of them could believe.

"Is it over?" Kuroka's voice brought them back to reality.

The three of them looked at the Nekomata, who was leaning against one of the walls as her arm did not stop bleeding from the various punctures along it.

The three looked at each other again, at which point Issei let out a big sigh as he dropped to the ground at the same time as his armor disappeared.

"It's over." Vali stated with a small smile as he dematerialized his armor.

"Don't move!" Ross exclaimed with concern as she noticed that Kuroka wanted to get up.

The Valkyrie walked over to her then grabbed her arm.

"You lost a lot of blood, we need to patch up those wounds." Rossweisse began to freeze her entire arm at the small whimpers of pain the Nekomata was emitting.

After a few seconds, the Valkyrie pulled herself together gladly as she saw that her work was done.

"Thank you." Kuroka thanked with a weak smile, managing to get the woman to smile back at him.

"I'm glad to see you're okay." Vali stated, kneeling down in front of his companion.

"You're a fool." The Nekomata didn't take a second to scold him. "You should have called the others, not come here by yourself."

"I'm sorry, but I think I had already subjected them to too many unnecessary risks and I didn't want to do it again. I knew with the two of them I could win." The albino commented with full confidence in his words.

"You say that when you were about to die..." Kuroka gave him an evil glare, then sighed. "I guess you never learn. For next time, feel free to leave me if the situation is too dangerous."

"I'm never going to do that."

Kuroka was a bit surprised at the albino's blunt response.

"I never leave behind the people who are part of my life. If I do, I would also be leaving a part of me behind. Something I don't plan to accept." After those words, the albino did something no one expected.

Issei stood up, only to look at Vali with wide eyes after seeing the kindest smile he had ever seen in his life, after the nearby women around him, of course.

Kuroka couldn't help but widen her eyes when she felt the albino give a small tap on her forehead.

"And you're one of the most important people I have. I'm never going to leave you."

Vali increased his smile slightly, and that was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Kuroka couldn't help but control the giant blush that spread all over her face as she noticed how her heart was pounding with unparalleled madness.

"I-I..." The Nekomata's ears lowered in clear sorrow as she tried to find the words of thanks for the person who was also so important to her.

Rossweisse folded her arms with a small smile after seeing the somewhat unexpected outcome those two were having. Though now that she looked at Vali more closely, she was sure that the Hakuryuukou didn't understand the reason why the Nekomata was acting so out of her own personality.

That moment was broken when they all heard a thump. Their eyes instantly darted to Issei, noticing how he had once again fallen to the ground, though this time he looked quite a bit more haggard.

"I guess waking up that Balance Breaker evolution left me a lot more exhausted than I expected..." Issei laughed at the end, trying to break that atmosphere shrouded in worry that had been woven because of him.

"It's not just that, you also lost a lot of blood." Rossweisse walked over and crouched down in front of him, then took his bloody arm very gently.

"I'm going to close the wound until you are properly treated." The woman stated, beginning to freeze the puncture just below the Sekiryuutei's shoulder.

Issei grimaced slightly at the cold, but it didn't last long. His gaze focused on the serious Valkyrie for a few seconds, until he finally broke the silence.

"Ross, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come alone."

Rossweisse lowered her gaze at the words. Her body began to tremble, alarming Issei. A feeling that turned to great astonishment as he watched his bloodied arm become covered in tears.

"It's serious...!" The Valkyrie sobbed, trying to stop her tears from falling. "Why do you always have to cause so much trouble?!"

Issei's daze changed to a small smile after seeing the Valkyrie's reaction. He could feel the immense appreciation she had for him with just those words. It was something that even touched him.

"I promise I won't do any more crazy things from now on." Issei clarified with a small smile, getting the Valkyrie to nod her head, and it seemed to be that those words helped for her crying to calm down.

"Don't be naive." Vali joined the conversation, kneeling down in front of Issei. "Asking Hyoudou not to do crazy things is like expecting a monkey not to do anything stupid when you give him a machine gun."

"Hey...!" Issei instantly groaned when he was compared to a monkey, but it wasn't long before he started laughing along with Rossweisse and Vali.

Kuroka watched all of this without being able to help but smile. A single thought crossed her mind after seeing such a beautiful scene in her eyes.

"Apparently, you've already found more people important to you."

END OF CHAPTER!

In fact, it's not the end. There's still a pretty important scene to follow.

Anyway, I'll get going now.

I hope you enjoyed this battle.

Thank you very much for reading!

Rias walked back and forth with quite visible discomfort and anxiety.

As soon as she heard about everything that had happened, she rushed to the hospital as quickly as possible to find out how her servants were doing, only to learn that Issei was carried away by his stupidity when he went off to confront the Dragon Slayer by himself.

Worst of all, Tiamat apparently knew where he was, but she couldn't even speak a word to that woman after all the recent events they'd had between them. Then there was the rest of Team Vali, who arrived a moment ago, claiming that they had been called by their boss to this place without giving any further explanation.

Therefore, she could only be nervous.

If something happened to Issei, the consequences could be very serious not for her, but for all Demons in general. The plan her brother had been preparing would go down the drain just because the Welsh Dragon Bearer is a complete idiot who is driven by his lust for revenge.

"Hey, what's wrong with her?" Bikou approached Tiamat, noticing how Rias looked rather impatient and annoyed. "I understand that she's nervous, but it's a bit too much..."

"Issei is her most powerful card." The dragoness replied without paying much attention to the conversation. "It's normal for her to be so frustrated when her most powerful weapon is in danger." Was her dry reply, getting Bikou to rub his hair in some discomfort.

"Oh, I understand..." The man couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed at the dragoness's edgy attitude.

Though in a way, he understood her.

She seemed very calm, but he could see that she was actually very worried. And in her case, it seemed like a much deeper concern than what the redhead was suffering from.

Meanwhile, the Gremory peerage remained completely silent as they watched their mistress pacing back and forth. Gasper looked the most stricken, as he felt bad that he had left Issei alone at such a delicate time.

"Someone's coming!" The heavy and depressing atmosphere was shattered in just seconds after hearing Le Fay's words.

Everyone looked towards one place, watching as the Valkyrie arrived with a Kuroka on her back, who had a faint smile on her face.

Happiness invaded the bodies of the vast majority as they approached the duo.

"You're okay!" Le Fay shouted with a happiness brimming with innocence as she rose to bump fists with Kuroka, managing to get a chuckling smile from Kuroka.

"I see you didn't suffer too many injuries, I'm glad everything went well." The dragoness declared, giving a cute smile to the Valkyrie, who replied in kind.

"Well, the truth is that we had our complications..." She chuckled under her breath, remembering the fact that they were about to die more than once.

"By the way..." Artur arrived, taking Kuroka in his arms to carry her. "I thank you for bringing her all the way here, but where are Hyoudou and Vali?"

"That very question I was going to ask." Tannin arrived, earning a look from everyone.

The Dragon King had also arrived when he heard about everything that had happened. At first he demanded Tiamat to tell where Issei was, as he wanted to kill the chief assassin of his kind with his own hands. But it was all to no avail, as Tiamat had not the slightest desire to talk.

"They were right behind us." Kuroka replied, looking towards the horizon that presented the long, completely empty street.

Just at that moment the sun began to rise over the buildings, and as if by fate, two figures began to emerge from the horizon.

Everyone's eyes began to slowly widen as their mind was able to correctly process what they were seeing, and at that precise moment everyone had to make sure that this was not some kind of illusion. Even Tannin himself was completely shocked by what he was looking at, so he blinked in a somewhat funny way to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

Finally, a fang-covered smile appeared on the dragon as his eyes reflected the two figures walking towards them.

The figures slowly were struck by the light of dawn. The first thing that appeared on those two men were their smiles. Vali was holding his typical triumphant grin while Issei was delivering his goofy, toothy grin, as he always did.

Most impressive of all though, they were both leaning on each other so they could walk, or to be more specific, so the brown-haired man could walk.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing." Tannin said what everyone was thinking at this point. "A thousand years of rivalry to present us with a singular image like this."

"Boss!" Gasper exclaimed with tears in his eyes as he ran towards Issei, causing him to spit out a small amount of saliva as the half-vampire strangled him with his embrace.

"You barely come back alive and they already want to kill you, Hyoudou." Vali sneered, managing to make his rival rub his hair ruefully.

"I can't blame them, I worried everyone." Issei retorted, getting the albino to shake his head.

The two parted, causing Issei to stagger a bit for the simple reason that he could barely stand. The brown reciprocated the affection Gasper was giving him while Vali rejoined his friends, accepting Le Fay's hug and fist bump with Bikou.

Issei's smile faded completely after seeing Tiamat approach him.

The emerging tension between the two made Gasper himself confused, so he was quick to turn away from Issei to look at the two of them.

Issei was completely silent as was the dragoness, who remained folded in her arms.

Finally, that silence was broken when Issei smiled at her and took a step forward.

His head pointed towards the ground when he felt a great sorrow for the last conversation he had had with Tiamat. Surely that was the reason she was looking at him with a distinctly annoyed expression.

"You told Rossweisse to follow me, didn't you?"

The silence made the dragoness' answer more than evident, making Issei feel even guiltier.

"At the time, I shouldn't have told you those things. I wasn't thinking clearly, but that's no excuse. I never thought about what you might have felt." Issei bowed his head in reverence, closing his eyes tightly.

"I hope you can forgive me!"

Issei's eyes widened with some confusion as he noticed how a hand rested on his hair. He slowly raised his gaze, only to witness a beautiful smile from the dragoness.

"I'll settle for you never doing that again." The dragoness declared, stroking his hair lovingly.

Issei chuckled after hearing the response, so he quickly ducked his head once more.

"Thank you so much!"

A small chuckle escaped Tiamat's lips at the attitude of the person she secretly loved.

"I guess I worried in vain..." Thought a Rias who watched all this from afar with a smile.

The moment between Tiamat and Issei was interrupted when Penemue came out of the hospital. The Cadre instantly smiled after seeing that her crush was fine.

"Penemue!" Issei gave her a big toothy grin as he came running up to her.

An imperceptible blush appeared on the Cadre's face as she was suddenly embraced.

"You had me worried." She confessed as she patted his head lightly.

"Have you had the last checkup on your arm yet?" He asked, anxious to know whether or not the Cadre would recover soon.

"I was actually inside on another matter." Issei's smile slowly declined after hearing those words.

At this moment, Issei had been hit by the torturous reality once again.

"At this hour, he..." Issei lowered his gaze very sadly. "He's already gone right?"

"Issei, a miracle happened."

The brown's eyes widened after hearing those words.

"What?" He raised his face, his stunned eyes indicating how he was right now.

"What you heard, brat."

Issei's eyes widened even more after hearing those words.

"That voice..." He thought, slowly turning away from Penemue.

His gaze turned into a sea of indescribable emotions when he saw how Azazel was standing in the doorway as if he had never suffered a terrible accident.

"What's wrong?" Azazel scoffed with an amused smile. "Did you see dead people?"

Issei was quick to rush out to the Cadre, only to hug him with a force that was choking him.

"Shit, take it easy!" Azazel laughed as he responded to the hug. That laughter was cut short when he saw something that surprised him.

Issei hid his face in the man's chest, but Azazel was sure he had seen tears.

At that moment, the Cadre took it all in stride as he rested a hand on Issei's hair to comfort him.

"You made us all worry for nothing, you bastard." Tiamat approached the man, managing to get him to bow his shoulders.

"What can I say? Even I myself am surprised that Ophis decided to save me." Clarified the man with his typical carefree smile.

"By the way..." Azazel's relaxation came crashing down as a large stack of papers appeared next to him. "Remember when you said you'd get serious about the job only if you faced a situation that brought you to the brink of death?" Penemue gave a big evil grin as she patted the papers. "Well, this whole pile of work is already waiting for you."

"Hey, I guess we shouldn't take someone's words at face value when they're just joking..." Azazel stated with a nervous smile as he gestured with his hands, making it clear that he wanted that huge piece of paperwork as far away as possible.

"You promised." Penemue stated, patting him on the back. Evidently, that pat was not friendly at all, so Azazel could only chuckle under his breath.

"I guess things will never change." Issei declared as he broke away from the Cadre, smiling a beaming smile that cheered everyone around him.

"Hyoudou." Issei turned after being called, noticing that it was Vali and his friends. "Our task in this place has already been accomplished, so we're leaving."

"I told you not to call me that way anymore." The brown-haired man declared, getting Vali a little surprised, especially by the smile his rival was giving him. "You must call me by my name."

Issei extended his fist, delivering him a toothy grin.

"Or are we not friends?"

Vali's eyes widened at such a statement, and he wasn't the only one.

The albino got over said shock after a few seconds, so he just opted to close his eyes with a smile.

"See you later then, Issei."

The image of both of them froze as they clashed fists.

They knew it was just a hallucination, but they were all sure they had seen how both Celestial Dragons were also clashing their fists over the figures of Vali and Issei.

It seemed that the most bestial rivalry in history was going to have a great before and after in the wake of this moment.