Here I present myself with a new translated chapter!
These days I've been updating daily, so I'll probably keep that rhythm for one more day.
Remember that this is a translation made by a person who is supported by a translator. Mistakes are more than expected, so I'm really sorry if it bothers you.
Now I'll go to the reviews:
Vanhellsing9000: I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter. I hope that when the time comes for the reencounter I can live up to your expectations. And yes, there will be a great deal of sex when that happens.
Cobin Michael: No one said there wasn't going to be revenge. Maybe Issei doesn't see it that way, but he will definitely have to eliminate them at some point since they pose a threat to everyone.
With nothing more to add, it's time to begin.
Enjoy!
CHAPTER 74: AGAINST THE ROPES!
"Do you know that interrupting the recovery of a person is impolite?"
The 5 men looked at Issei closely, noticing how he had a large number of wounds all along his body.
"As we surmised, it's impossible for anyone to make it through a battle of such magnitude unscathed." Thought the lieutenant with a smile as he saw Issei's condition, though he couldn't hide his nervousness as notice the pervasive aura surrounding the man.
"Mate..." Ddraig spoke in Issei's mind, causing Issei to nod.
"I know, they're not Demons. They look like normal humans, but there's something else in their aura..." Stated the protagonist in his mind.
"I've felt this energy before. They are Asgardian warriors." Issei could only blink in amazement after Ddraig's words. "I thought they had already all died in the previous war, but I see I was wrong. But back to the main topic, this only makes me even more certain about where we are." Clarified the dragon, gaining Issei's full attention.
Meanwhile, the men watched him with great care, as Issei still hadn't made a move, which seemed strange and even worrying to them. After all, they knew better than to take a being of such power lightly, no matter that he was seriously injured.
"We are at the Twelve Gates of Hell. We are at circle or gate number 12, where the worst beasts and condemnations that sinners can receive are found." Dragon clarified, getting Issei to widen his eyes a little.
"That means if we descend to gate number 11..." Stated the young man in his thoughts, receiving a nod in response from the dragon.
"Loki is located there. And this means that, if we reach Loki, the chance to return to the Upper World is possible. After all, I'm sure Odin must visit his son every so often." Clarified the dragon with a smile.
The 5 men tensed slightly as Issei finally made a move. It was a simple nod of his head to look at them.
"Hey, don't you guys recognize me?" The Asgardians looked at him with some confusion after his words. "Didn't you attend the Queen Valkyrie Ceremony?"
Issei wanted to continue speaking, but was greeted by a pair of ice arrows that pierced his abdomen. The young man lowered his gaze, observing the arrows without showing a grimace of pain.
"I don't know why you involve acts of Asgard, but you're not going to fool us." The man holding the bow stated, materializing various ice arrows. "Besides, we have too complicated a job to leave Loki's prison unprotected. It is clear that many condemned seek to free him for a chance to escape from here." Clarified the Asgardian, pointing his arrows at Issei again.
"Fleyer is right." The warrior lieutenant stepped forward. "We take it upon ourselves to clear this place as best we can to ensure that this God does not break free, even if we must risk our lives in the process. For that matter, there is nothing to talk about between us." The man created a large number of magic circles on his back, then frowned.
"If you cooperate properly, I promise that your death will be quick and painless."
After hearing the man's words, Issei was clear about one thing.
Those guys were not going to listen to them no matter what he did.
Therefore, there was only one option left.
Everyone watched in some disbelief as Issei chuckled under his breath while removing the three arrows from his abdomen.
"Then, I guess the only possible option is to force information out of him." He concluded, opting for a somewhat dark look at the end that alarmed everyone present.
"So be it!" The lieutenant exclaimed as his magic circles glowed, spewing a large amount of small magic orbs that impacted like bullets on Issei, covering everything in dust.
"You're not fast enough." Everyone looked to the side in utter disbelief, as Issei had dodged the attack without any of them noticing.
The protagonist lunged at the lieutenant at a great speed, causing the lieutenant to widen his eyes even more. But just before he could hit him, a large white sickle came across his path, forcing him to spin on himself in midair to dodge it. Issei brought his gaze back to look at the subject, feeling his cheek being ripped by the earlier attack.
Issei landed perfectly and did several somersaults on the ground to dodge the various ice arrows that landed on his position. He pulled himself together with a small jump, watching all the men quite seriously.
"Stay alert." The lieutenant stated, causing everyone to carefully form up around Issei. "His speed is quite high."
"They may not be very strong individually, but their teamwork is good." Issei thought carefully, then watched as the guy in chains began to twirl his apparent weapon, causing it to glow.
His eyes widened as the chain enlarged and went to hit him directly. He had enough reaction to fend off the first and second blow, but was barely able to deflect the other Asgardian's sickle attack as it approached him, which delivered a long slash to his right arm. His dazed look changed to a slight expression of pain as he felt the chains hit him in the side of his abdomen, causing him to take several steps backwards.
"These guys..." Issei thought with slight anger as he watched the guy with the sickle and the guy with the chains position themselves together.
Issei repelled the chain attack with his bare arm, something that quite surprised the two men, but the one with the sickle was undeterred and continued his onslaught, being dodged by Issei as he lunged to the side. His instincts were instantly deployed and he miraculously dodged a magic bullet that passed between his legs courtesy of the lieutenant. And it didn't just end there, as his eyes widened as dozens of arrows were aimed at his back. Issei was barely able to respond in time, so some of the arrows stuck above his back, causing him to grit his teeth at the pain.
But it wasn't just the pain of those attacks...
Issei landed on the ground in a somewhat forced manner while breathing with great agitation. He brought his gaze to his bandages, grimacing slightly in annoyance.
"My wounds are opening up." He thought aloud as he tried to control his erratic breathing.
"Remember, you decided to do it the hard way." The lieutenant stated earnestly, earning a murderous glare from the protagonist.
"Now you'll see!" Issei exclaimed as he leapt into position.
The magic circles surrounding the lieutenant disappeared as he crossed his arms in X to withstand the attack. After that he began to dodge and block all the attacks as Issei was distracted by numerous arrows being shot in his direction.
The lieutenant made several backward leaps to stand behind the man with the sickle and chains, who instantly protected him as he again created numerous magic circles.
At that moment, Issei could understand that the guy also knew how to defend himself hand-to-hand, if only a little.
"What's wrong?" the lieutenant clarified with a smile. "Is that all you've got?" Issei could only frown at those words as he saw how he was surrounded by everyone again.
The protagonist's labored breathing was interrupted as he clicked his tongue.
"My magic reserves haven't recovered anything on this day, so I can't use magic unless it's something life or death. I can't even activate my Sacred Gear..." Issei couldn't help but grit his teeth as his vision became somewhat blurry. "Besides, my body is so screwed up I can barely stay conscious."
"Have you already realized that you can't handle us? Or do you still want to continue with this ridiculous game?" Sickle clarified.
Hearing this, Issei's expression changed radically and he began to laugh, to everyone's surprise.
"You are very brave when it comes to fighting with a numerical advantage and against a badly wounded opponent, aren't you?" Issei clarified with a somewhat exhausted smile.
"Don't blame us. We don't do this out of honor or pride." He was answered by the arch Asgardian. "We're just doing our job."
Issei couldn't help but grimace as he felt his blurred vision deepen by the second.
"It's just your job, huh?" Issei thought as he tried to regulate his breathing. "In a way, I can't blame them for anything. After all, even I might misunderstand things if I found myself in their positions..." A small smile appeared on Issei's face after those thoughts.
"But..." Issei wiped the blood from his cheek, widening his smile a little more.
"Now that doesn't interest me. All I want to do is get out of here to get back to everyone. With the girls..."
Issei gave a small sigh, feeling his muscles relax. And just at that moment, he remembered all the teachings he received from his much-loved teachers, especially one from Tiamat that was left lingering in his mind.
A teaching he had learned when he had first met her, but one that was quite key to getting around this situation.
"A fight is not only won with power, it is also won with experience."
A small chuckle emerged from Issei's lips, drawing the attention of his pursuers.
"What do you find so funny?" The chain Asgardian asked him with a frown.
"Now that I know their attack patterns and movements..." Issei widened his smile a bit more as his fighting stance changed to a much more complex one.
"This is where the real battle begins."
"Let's not waste any more time with talk that will get us nowhere!" The lieutenant exclaimed as numerous magical bullets were fired at Issei.
The protagonist dodged all the attacks as he rolled to the side, only to somersault several times to avoid being hit by the arrows. Just then the long white chain appeared right in front of him, but it did something that surprised everyone. That was because he not only dodged it, but also grabbed it with one hand and did a half turn that no one could witness. The one who was most impressed was the man with the sickle, as Issei used the chain as his own weapon in order to hit him and entangle him with his own sickle. The Asgardian could only scream as Issei grabbed the chain with force and swung it at his owner, who could only blink in shock as he and his companion collided with great force and ended up entangled on the ground.
"Damn freak!" The lieutenant exclaimed as he threw a large number of magic bullets towards his position.
Issei dodged them all without much trouble and rushed behind his back taking advantage of the fact that he was no longer backed up by the other two. The lieutenant could only widen his eyes when he felt a shadow land behind him. He could not even finish turning his face when he received a great blow on his cheek that made him spit a large amount of blood along with several teeth, at the same time he was thrown into the air by the great strength of his adversary.
At that moment, Issei raised his face and saw how numerous arrows fell from the sky. The protagonist showed off his great speed as he caught each of them with a single hand before they could harm him, greatly impressing the bow-wielding Asgardian. Though he would have wished for that surprise to end there, as Issei delivered him a short glare before flinging all of the arrows at his position, causing him to spit out a large amount of blood as they all stuck deep along his entire torso.
"Damn you!" Exclaimed the spear-wielding Asgardian, who was approaching at a great speed towards his position, preparing a strike that would definitely be able to decapitate him.
At that moment, a feral grin broke out on Issei's face as he moved behind the bow-wielding Asgardian who was trying to recompose himself. The poor man could only feel someone grab him from behind, and after that his awareness was extinguished like a candle facing the wind as his face was embedded with blunt force into the sand.
Seeing this, the sickle Asgardian was forced to withdraw the attack in the nick of time so as not to hurt his friend, as Issei was using him as a human shield.
The sickle man took a big leap backwards and watched with gritted teeth at Issei, while his other two still conscious companions approached him, holding glares that were not friendly at all.
"I don't understand..." The lieutenant looked at Issei somewhat terrified as his mouth wouldn't stop bleeding.
Issei just threw his human shield away, giving them a very imposing look.
"How the fuck can he move like that, being that he can barely stand upright!"
"If you think this is unbelievable..." Issei asserted his foot in the sand, then widened his eyes dangerously.
"It means you still have a long way to go before you're true warriors!" The three Asgardian soldiers were forced to cover their eyes as a large amount of sand was shot towards them.
The first to reopen his eyes was the guy with the chain, who was greeted by a resounding kick to the chin that sent him flying away.
The second to open his eyes was the lieutenant, who opened indiscriminate fire on Issei, who was moving at great speed. His attack was forced to stop when Issei reached the chain Asgardian, who was just recovering from the previous attack.
The guy had enough reaction time to spin his chain at an enormous speed so that it functioned as a shield, causing all of Issei's fists to collide against it. But just when he thought he had it all under control, Issei grabbed the chain and snatched it out of his own hands.
"Give me it back!" The man shouted as he grabbed the man's shoulder, clearly intending to hit him.
"You want it that badly?" Issei wrapped the chain around his hand in one swift motion.
"Then take it!" A barrage of punches were directed at the Asgardian's face who could only take each one as he expelled a large amount of blood.
"LET HIM GO!" The spear-wielding Asgardian appeared on his back with the intention of cutting him in two, but Issei turned around at a mammoth speed and used the chain to entangle the sickle and take it from him.
He surely wished that was all, as he also received dozens of blows to the face just like his companion without even being able to do anything about it because of how fast and forceful they were.
Issei culminated the performance with a loud shout as he squeezed his injured arm hard, delivering a strong blow to his abdomen that made him vomit a large amount of blood and sent him flying.
Issei paused in his position for a few seconds and lowered his arms, trying to regulate his breathing which was now much worse.
"Now..." Issei's eyes widened beyond measure after hearing the voice. "You no longer have a human shield to defend yourself." The protagonist turned his gaze slowly, watching as a large number of magic circles aimed at his position, courtesy of the lieutenant.
A large hail of magical bullets hit Issei all over his body, covering the entire area around him in dust.
The lieutenant lowered his weapon, thinking he was done with his job.
His surprise was more than evident when he realized that it was far from it.
"I-It can't be!" Stammered the man completely in shock, seeing how Issei's figure was standing still, without having any holes in his body.
"He stopped all the bullets with the chain!" He exclaimed in complete disbelief, and Issei took advantage of his state immediately.
The protagonist lunged at him at a speed he couldn't react to because of his distraction, taking a heavy blow to the middle of his face that sent him flying. Not content with that, Issei used the chain and gave him endless lashes in the air, until his opponent finally fell to the ground.
The lieutenant tried to move, but the word tried was the key, as he could barely stay conscious.
"Hey..." His face slowly lifted, watching in complete terror as a monstrous, corrosive aura surrounded Issei completely.
"You're still awake?" Issei knelt down in front of him. "I need you to answer a couple of questions for me."
"I-I'm not answering anything! I'd rather you kill me right here and now!" The man exclaimed proudly, though it was plain to see he was very fearful at the thought.
"Are you an idiot? I'm not going to kill you." Those words completely threw the man off balance.
"B-but...you attacked us..." The man commented in complete disbelief, watching as Issei looked at him like he was an idiot.
"First of all, you guys attacked first. Secondly..." Issei raised his hands for emphasis on his next words. "Do you even see that I killed any of your comrades?"
At that moment, the lieutenant looked at all his comrades. They were badly wounded, but it was true, none of them were dead. They were only unconscious.
Realizing this, the Asgardian changed his view of Issei a little.
"What do you want to know?" Those words brought a smile to Issei's face.
"I see we understand each other better already." Issei positioned a hand on the man's head, at the same time widening his toothy smile even more. "I just want to know how I can get to gate number 11."
"The circle where Loki is? You must only guide yourself by that celestial glow you see in the sky. There you will find the door that will take you to that place." At first he wanted to know the reasons, but quickly realized he was in no position to question.
Issei raised his gaze, seeing how there was indeed a small part of the sky that differed from that pale color.
"Thank you. I guess you guys can make it back without a problem." Issei stated as he patted the man's bald head a couple of times, then walked away.
After taking several steps and walking down the sand hill, his facade completely collapsed.
Issei removed the arrowheads that were still embedded in his back as he breathed very erratically, feeling like he was going to pass out at any moment.
"Companion, I think it would be a better idea to find a place to rest before..."
Ddraig was unable to continue speaking, as a large amount of sand rose up in front of them as someone practically fell out of the sky.
"You're not going anywhere." The sand slowly returned to its place, revealing Rosswell, who was giving him a death stare.
Before Issei could speak, the man moved at a considerably faster speed than the previous Asgardians, so Issei couldn't help but grit his teeth as he dodged the heavy downward punch with a leap, watching as Rosswell's fist impacted against the ground and generated a giant tremor throughout the area.
Issei's eyes widened even more after seeing how the man landed next to him from one second to the next, proving once again that he was much faster than his companions. All he could do was cross his arms in X as he endured the great rain of punches that landed on his arms.
Issei gritted his teeth as he miraculously dodged a punch that was going for his face, only to raise his fist and smash it hard into Rosswell's, getting them both to separate thanks to the strong shockwave that caused such a collision.
Thinking that he had a second of rest was Issei's mistake, as he saw how the unknown subject pounced on him practically instantly, delivering a great rain of punches that Issei was able to dodge at first, but several blows reached him, making him spit some blood.
Although his opponent's face did not convey the slightest emotion, he was sure that there was a great deal of fury behind his fists.
Issei was able to grab one of his arms in one swift movement, only to see his adversary's other fist coming towards his face at a great speed. The protagonist did not hesitate and made a small jump to deliver a strong upward kick to his arm, preventing from hitting him. Issei did not waste this opportunity and gave him a strong blow using his other leg, sinking his knee into the man's cheek.
Half of Rosswell's body was embedded in the sand after such a forceful blow, and at that moment Issei saw his chance to end this.
Therefore, great was his surprise when a huge burst of icy magic exploded around Rosswell, forcing him to take a great leap backwards to avoid being affected.
Issei took a short distance and brought his hands to the bandages that were now covered in blood, implying that his wounds ended up opening almost completely. Meanwhile, the figure of Rosswell made an appearance among the dust, who for some reason had gone completely still as he studied Issei's appearance better.
"His face looks familiar from somewhere..." The man thought with some uncertainty. "But I must be mistaken. Ever since what happened with my parents, remembering people other than Lord Odin or my sister is impossible for me."
"Don't be in the clouds!" Issei shouted as he saw that his opponent was distracted, moving at a great speed on his back, then grabbing one of his arms.
Before he could do anything else, Rosswell fixed his gaze on Issei in a rather piercing manner.
"You're not the only one who knows the dragon fighting style." After hearing those words, Issei could feel himself receiving a strong punch to the face that sent him flying.
That didn't stay just there, as a large amount of ice shot out against Issei, being caught by the large attack. Issei was left embedded among the ice at the same time as he watched in horror as Rosswell was preparing a large magic circle that would undoubtedly kill him.
"No matter what you do!" Issei shouted in great agitation. "You're not going to stop me!" He culminated his roar, giving off a magical burst in order to free himself from the ice, at the same time dodging the great attack that generated a great line of destruction in its wake, until it finally exploded in the distance.
"Great..." Issei said to himself as he staggered. "There gone the little amount of magic I managed to recover."
Issei's vision became even more blurry, causing him to fall to his knees. His eyes widened slightly as he watched a figure land in front of him.
"I said...!" Issei stood up with a start, once again opting for his dragon stance combined with Penemue's. "I SAID I WON'T GIVE UP!"
Those were his words, but all he received was a hail of blows around his entire body. Despite that, Issei managed to stay on his feet and started blocking all the blows while trying to counterattack, causing several shockwaves to shoot everywhere.
But that standoff didn't last that long, as Issei received a blunt blow to the jaw that completely knocked him off his feet. Even so, he managed to respond in time and grabbed both of the man's arms and then tried to knee him. But Rosswell anticipated him instantly, delivering a hard knee to the jaw at a much faster speed that sent him somersaulting through the air, and then finished the act with a hard kick to the abdomen that sent him flying.
Issei tried to get up, but he didn't even have time for that. The brown-haired man was forced to cross his arms in X when Rosswell came out of nowhere and delivered a big punch to his arms, generating a great roar that scattered all the sand that was near his position.
The man's onslaught did not end there, as he continued to deliver a large number of blows to his forearms, combining them with some blows that were aimed at his exposed abdomen, causing Issei to spit out a large amount of blood.
Just as he was about to deliver another blunt blow, Issei was able to push him away with his legs, and once he had him away, only one idea ran through his mind.
"In this condition I can't against him, especially if he anticipates my every move!" Issei exclaimed rather alarmed as he started to run. "The only thing left for me to do is to run away!"
"Not so fast." Rosswell appeared in front of him and delivered a big kick to his face, managing to roll him several meters backwards.
Issei got up as best he could while spitting out quite a bit of blood, gaining the Asgardian's attention.
"Anyone else would have given in to those wounds by now." The man thought, showing some astonishment in his eyes. "Even if it's because he has a very unique body, I also believe that no one would have been able to stand without having enough willpower to do so."
Issei pulled himself together completely, fixing his gaze on the man again, denoting a look that only delivered decisiveness and assurance.
"But where does all that will come from? What is he looking for?" Those were Rosswell's last thoughts before leaping at him again.
Issei instantly went into a defensive stance, but to no avail as he was humiliated by the man as he took advantage of every small opening to give him a real beating.
"I already survived the worst..." Issei began to think, feeling Rosswell's piercing gaze fall all over his body as he pummeled him.
"Am I really going to die for a simple misunderstanding?" He thought, feeling a big kick to his nose that sent him flying.
"Mate, don't give up." Ddraig declared in his mind, watching as Issei found himself on his knees, barely staying conscious.
"Remember that there are many people waiting for you out there." After hearing Ddraig's words, Issei's eyes widened in an overdrive.
The first thing that came to his mind was his crushes.
Mainly, it was decorated by a feeling of bitterness. After all, he had spent incredible times with each of them.
But certainly, now that he had passed through the brink of death he could understand Azazel's words much more.
"You make me envious, because I never had the chance to love her. But in your case, if you can. You'd better take advantage of it, because you won't know if at some point it will be too late."
That's right, now that I was about to die...
Precisely now, is when I understood that hugging them was not enough.
That spending time with them was not enough.
What he really always wished for was only one thing.
"I DON'T WILL DIE IN THIS PLACE!"
Rosswell was forced to take a great leap backwards as he watched Issei scream at the top of his lungs, giving off a purple aura so corrosive and strong that it shook everything around him.
The Asgardian landed several feet away from his opponent, opting for a completely impressed look for the first time in the entire fight.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Issei's shout was heard throughout much of the red desert as his power kept rising. What stood out most about his image was the purple and red gem gauntlet that appeared on his arm.
It was a monstrous aura and power that left Rosswell speechless. The Asgardian could only cover his face in the face of such a display of power, until...
Until something completely unexpected happened.
Issei stopped shouting. At that moment, the aura and pressure that accompanied him also disappeared from one instant to the next. His gauntlet shattered into a thousand pieces and fell onto the sand in a dull sound.
"His-I guess his body couldn't take any more..." Rosswell thought aloud, still quite impressed at what the man lying in front of him was capable of.
Rosswell approached in slow steps, until he was finally in front of Issei.
"Definitely, he's very dangerous." The Asgardian raised his hand, ready to eliminate him. "Still, I can't quite understand how the Demons managed to contain such a powerful being. And of course, what I'm most curious about is who the hell he is..." Rosswell filed away the idea of asking Sirzechs a couple of questions when he has some free time.
But just as he was about to eliminate him, a pleasant surprise he hadn't expected to see hit him instantly.
"Rosswell, don't kill him!" The lieutenant exclaimed, who were walking alongside their now conscious comrades, though it was easy to see that they could barely stand.
"Guys? I thought I was late..." Clarified the Asgardian rather surprised when he saw them, then materialized a photo to make sure it was them.
"Actually, we should be. But that guy didn't mean to kill anyone. He just wanted get to the door where Loki is." Clarified the lieutenant, fixing his gaze on the unconscious Issei.
"Is that so?" Rosswell lowered his hand, studying the boy with his eyes.
"I seem to recognize his face, and now this..." Rosswell thought carefully. "There's definitely something very strange going on here."
"Shall we warn the Demons?" The lieutenant commented, receiving a quick negative from Rosswell.
"This is very suspicious, it would be best not to warn them. For the time being we will wait for Lord Odin return to visit Loki, and we will continue to do our work as if nothing had happened so as not to raise suspicions from the Demons." Rosswell clarified, receiving a nod from all his teammates.
"So what will we do with him?" Rosswell fixed his gaze on Issei after hearing his words.
"He's definitely not a bad person. But we also don't know if his intentions are entirely good..." Rosswell paused to meditate for several seconds, analyzing everything that had happened recently.
Especially the fact that Issei's face looked familiar to him, being that he would never remember a person who was evil.
"We'll just keep an eye on him."
END OF CHAPTER!
Actually, no. There's more down below.
Maybe I should stop the scenes after the end of the chapter? I guess so, since some people can skip it.
Will I do it? No, I just ask you to be a little more attentive, as black letters are always important.
With nothing more to add, I say goodbye.
Thank you very much for reading!
Odin couldn't help but chuckle as Rossweisse found herself very happy.
"Don't you think you're being too hasty?" Clarified the man graciously, receiving the letters from Rossweisse. "I understand that you really love him, but wanting to marry him just taking a few days can be quite odd." God clarified, opening the letters.
"You think so?" She wondered somewhat warily, holding a wedding dress in her hands. "I suppose you're right. Besides, not only must I cement our relationship, but I must also help Penemue and Tiamat." She nodded several times to herself, demonstrating an angelic smile that would blind anyone with her sweetness.
Odin only signed to chuckle at the attitude of the one who was like his daughter as he read the last letter.
That smile was completely erased from one second to the next after reading the content.