Here I present myself with a new translated chapter!
This time I don't have much to add. I just want to remind you that this is a translation, and as such, there may be some mistakes. I'm really sorry if it becomes annoying.
Let's go directly to the chapter.
Enjoy!
CHAPTER 75: THE TRUTH ABOUT ISSEI'S DEATH!
As was usual, the great abode of the God and King of the Asgardians looked in complete harmony. The Valkyries went up and down the stairs of the great ostentatious castle without making much noise. Many of them stopped and bowed to Odin and their Valkyrie Queen, who were standing together in the hallway leading to Rossweisse's room.
"Come on, Lord Odin!" The Valkyrie exclaimed with plaintive eyes. "It's been a few days since I was able to meet with Issei or my friends because I was doing my work! Why are you keeping me here right on my day off?!" She snorted, remaining with her arms crossed.
Seeing Odin remain completely silent, the Valkyrie couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
"I didn't even get to see them because swimming lessons ended the week before..." Seeing that the Valkyrie wasn't going to stop her complaints, her foster father decided to hand her the answer.
They hadn't arrived yet, but perhaps it was better for her to know now...
Most likely the God had thought that when he knelt down in front of her in a rather dramatic way in Rossweisse's eyes.
The Valkyrie just took the letter the old man extended to her with considerable confusion, for it had been a long time since she had seen him with such a serious and dark expression.
Rossweisse began to silently read the letter, causing the whole place to go completely silent.
Her expression began to slowly change the more she read the letter, until her face transformed into an expression that could only be explained in one way.
That expression was the mixture of despair, anguish and, above all, shock.
A shock so strong that it forced her to fall to her knees while her eyes remained as wide as saucers.
Odin turned his face as he heard someone coming up the stairs, which turned out to be Penemue, Azazel and Michael.
The Cadre's expression was the most affected, and seeing how her friend was on her knees, she simply couldn't take it.
Penemue started to run as tears slid down her cheeks and stopped a few steps away from Rossweisse. She just looked at her without a hint of emotion, denoting that she had not yet come out of her shock. Seeing her friend's condition, Penemue knelt down and hugged her tightly in an attempt to comfort her.
But it was obvious that this could never fix what was broken inside of her...
Rossweisse reciprocated the embrace, but still showed no signs of responding properly. Finally, the Valkyrie gave up her best friend's embrace and broke away from her arms, slipping into her room without a word.
Penemue could only watch in great pain as her tears fell unabated. She clutched her face in a poor attempt to make her crying stop, but it was impossible. The men at her back looked at her with great sadness. The first to act was Azazel, who placed a hand on her shoulder to try to calm her, though he knew that was impossible.
Rossweisse advanced into her room while looking at the different pictures she had taken with Issei and her friends on the walls. The first tears emerged from her eyes, and that expressionless shock turned into a heartbreaking cry covered in fury as she tore the pendant from her neck that Issei had given her, and then threw it to the floor in rage and helplessness.
The Valkyrie threw herself limply on her bed and drowned all the crying and pain in the pillow, letting the extreme suffering overpower her completely.
After several hours had passed since the event, the Valkyrie was still in her bed, but she was no longer crying. Her weeping was replaced by a completely dull and lost look that only stared at the ceiling. She had been like that for the entire last hour.
That lifeless expression changed a bit when one of the stuffed animals on the shelf fell on her face. She pushed the stuffed animal away with one of her hands, seeing that it was one of the many gifts she had taken from the fair when she was with Issei.
Rossweisse sat up in bed, her lost gaze recovering a little as she saw the amount of toys, pictures, and different stuffed animals she had on many shelves surrounding her room.
It still seemed unbelievable to her that she had been able to get so many cute things just by going out a few times to the fair. That thought brought a small smile to her face without her consent, though her expression changed again, this time opting for a rather depressed one.
She stood up and walked over to one of the shelves. Her hand automatically went to one of the many stuffed animals.
"This is for you."
The memory of Issei giving her the first gift on that first time they went on one of their many fake dates together made her eyes light up.
She carefully put the purple rabbit back in its place, then picked up one of the many photos that were spread out on the piece of furniture. There she could see the first time she and her beloved had dinner together. It was the same day she received that cute stuffed animal as a gift.
That simple memory triggered a bigger one. It was that moment where they rode the last attraction of the night, a wheel. It was really fun for both of them, especially because of the huge amount of fireworks that shot into the sky just as they reached the top.
Rossweisse put the photo down carefully, then diverted her gaze to her greatest treasure that she had earlier discarded out of sheer impotence.
"ROSSWEISSE!"
She could feel a great shiver run through her entire body as she recalled one of the most recent and powerful memories that lay between them. In fact, she felt as if Issei had actually called out to her as she took the pendant between her hands.
"JUMP!"
Rossweisse pressed the pendant against her chest for several seconds as silent tears slid down her face.
Finally, the woman changed her devastated expression and replaced it with one of complete resolve as she replaced the pendant with utmost gentleness.
All the kisses they shared ran through her mind in a fleeting manner, causing her serious expression to harden even more as she tightened her grip on the necklace with her hand.
Before she could reflect any further, some people came through the door. The first person to approach her was Penemue, who hugged her from behind. Both women stood in silence, noticing at a glance that they were already feeling better, although they were probably hurting more than anyone else inside.
Azazel leaned against the wall along with Odin as they watched the two women support each other. Even though it was all so sad, that small moment brought a smile to both of their faces.
Meanwhile, Michael was staying out of it all, but he was also somewhat happy to see that Penemue could take that pain, as she had people to lean on. It was natural for him to worry about her, because even though so much had happened between them, she was still like a sister to him.
Several hours later...
By now, they were all in Odin's office. Rossweisse could already be seen much calmer as could Penemue, but their dark expressions made it obvious that they were going through a great depression.
"I know you're still not feeling well. Hell, even I still feel like the brat is among us..." Azazel explained, giving a small sigh at the end. "But, we should put that pain on the background."
Hearing this, everyone looked at him with great attention.
"How can you ask us to forget all this?" Penemue questioned him with a clearly annoyed tone.
"I'm not talking about forgetting him." Clarified the Cadre instantly, then darkened his gaze. "I'm talking about revenge."
Everyone fell completely silent after hearing those words.
"I already knew who were the ones who murdered him, and, above all, I know where they are." Those words caused Penemue to grab him by his shirt with great force, dragging him across much of the table to pull him closer to her.
"Why didn't you tell me in the first place?!" She shouted in his face quite angrily.
"Wait, does that mean you know where the Hero Faction is hiding?" Everyone's attention was diverted to Michael after asking that question.
"In fact, that's exactly what I wanted to talk about." Azazel fixed his gaze as best he could on Penemue. "If you could release me, I'd appreciate it."
Penemue released him, waiting intently for what the man had to say.
"First of all, I didn't comment to you because I knew that in the state you were in yesterday you would have tried to kill everyone without even formulating a plan first." Azazel clarified, then fixed his gaze on Michael. "And to answer your doubts, I will simply say that the Demons lied to us about who their real killer was." After hearing these words, everyone was quite astonished.
A myriad of questions arose in the air, but it was only one that reigned among them.
"So, who were they?" The question was asked by Odin, to which Azazel could only draw a bitter smile.
"Why do you think the Demons would lie to us in the first place?" The Cadre answered him with another question, and that question was more than enough for everyone to find the answer. "Apparently, Sirzechs had planned all along to take over the Boosted Gear, but the problem was that Issei turned out to be uncontrollable. That's why he betrayed him, and stole the Sacred Gear to get it in his possession." The man clarified, drawing a serious look at what he was about to say. "Now all the Fallen Angels are bound to them as well. After all, not only did he promise them salvation, he also told them about the prophecy and all the wishes they could fulfill if both factions united with the same goal."
"It was a mistake to have transmitted this very relevant message to the Demons..." Michael commented, feeling like a complete idiot.
"It's not your fault. Our father decided so, and you just did what you had to do. No one would believe that the Demons were acting for all these centuries until they found a chance to save themselves and dominate the world." Azazel clarified, though that didn't make Michael feel much better.
A somewhat awkward silence fell over the place, which was soon broken when Penemue stood up.
"What are you doing?" Azazel gave her a discreet look, knowing how her friend was thinking right now.
"I don't plan on staying here, I'm going to kill them." Penemue clarified, causing Azazel to give a big sigh.
"That's exactly why I waited until today to tell you. Before you do anything stupid, listen to me carefully." The Cadre clarified, giving her a look that indicated he wasn't joking. "The Supreme Demons and Cadres will hold a meeting in five days to discuss the plan. There they will bring the Boosted Gear. That is the perfect time to ambush them." Hearing this, everyone looked at him with intense attention.
"And how come you know all this?" Rossweisse posed the question they were all thinking, getting Azazel to smile a little.
"Sirzechs think I'm still being dragged along by my Original Sin, and that's why they told me about every one of their plans. They were just being cautious with Penemue." The Cadre answered the question, then continued with the plan. "Although we want revenge, it is important not to confront the main family, since, according to the Prophecy, the Gremory Demons will be very important to succeed in stopping the Trihexa. I think it goes without saying that this won't just be a half revenge, as we must focus on recovering the Boosted Gear under any means." The final words seemed to convince everyone, except for a certain Cadre.
"Will we leave them alive after what they did?" Penemue asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You must control yourself, the Prophecy..."
"The Prophecy?" Penemue interrupted him. "Must I make you remember how the last Prophecy our Father made ended? We tried to anticipate as we do now, and it all ended in disaster. In fact, it's a miracle we're all still alive." Penemue's cold eyes made everyone in the room quite nervous, except for Rossweisse, who couldn't help but understand her best friend's motives.
"That's true, but that doesn't mean it should happen again." Michael rose from his seat, raising his tone of voice slightly, something that undoubtedly surprised those present. "God entrusted us with this last chance for life to continue on its path. He even sacrificed himself so that we could move on..." Michael frowned at the next words he was about to say. "Do you want to tarnish the last will that our father left on our shoulders?"
Those words struck Penemue, though she didn't seem to show it. All she did was click her tongue and look away.
"Do whatever you want..." She said in a low tone.
"So, how should we act?" The one who asked was Odin, gaining everyone's attention.
"I think Miss Yasaka should also know the truth..." Michael commented, waiting for the answer from the other two Faction Leaders.
But before the answer came from either of them, Rossweisse interrupted them.
"Just a moment. I think before we go any further with this, I'd like to know how Tiamat is doing..." Rossweisse's words slowly trailed off as she noticed how Azazel's and Penemue's eyes widened beyond belief.
"In fact, I have not heard from her these days. She hasn't attended the academy either..." Azazel clarified, fearing the worst.
"As far as I know, she said wanted to return to the Familiar Realm to reminisce about old memories and find out how some friends were doing." Penemue clarified, feeling like crap, since at all times she worried only about her sadness, and never thought about the dragoness or the Valkyrie.
"Being a dragon, the emotional shock received could trigger the Dragonfall." Odin clarified with much concern, knowing what that illness triggered.
"That can't be, since she already suffered from it and was able to recover. But, that doesn't stop her mind from being a mess..." Penemue clarified with unparalleled concern.
Rossweisse rose from her seat by means of a jump.
"We have to go to the Family Realm right now!"
In an unfriendly place...
Everything around him was a complete blur, and the only thing he could make out with any clarity was the red sand being carried through the slight breeze.
"But what...?" Issei slowly stood up while gripping his head tightly.
But at that moment, he realized.
There was a large bag in front of him that was overflowing with food. And not only that, his body had been treated with new bandages.
"Say thanks to that Asgardian who defeated you." All of Issei's doubts were dispelled when Ddraig spoke. "Apparently, you managed to convince him that you weren't someone evil. Though they're still a little suspicious of you."
"Well, that's a start." Issei chuckled as he sat down in the thick sand, taking different foods like fruits and breads.
"Now that we finally have time to talk, I'd like to talk to you about all the things that are going on." The dragon clarified, earning a nod from Issei as he enjoyed an apple.
"First, and most importantly, you must ask yourself how you are still alive." That certainly caught Issei's attention, so he stopped the chewing in his mouth instantly. "To be honest with you, the logical thing would have been if you died. But I couldn't let that happen. Not if there was anything I could do to prevent it." The dragon clarified, earning a confused look from Issei.
"And what was it that you did?" He asked with much curiosity.
"As you may know, your body was really screwed up. You had lost too much blood, so the only option I had was to replace every part of your body to that of a dragon and that way I could reestablish all the damage they had done to you." Replied the dragon, causing Issei to look down at one of his hands.
"Now that you say so, I feel much stronger and more resilient than before..." Clarified the young man, clenching his fists tightly. "But wasn't that supposed to be something impossible?"
"It was the only option. Besides, I have a confession to make." The latter caught Issei's attention a lot, as Ddraig's tone sounded much more solemn than before. "To manage to replace every part of your body not only requires a very powerful dragon to help you, but you also need to keep your soul inside the reconstruction, and that's impossible to do if you don't include more than 1 dragon in the process. But, let's just say that my case, or rather, our case, is quite special." Hearing this, Issei could only become even more curious as to how his friend had saved him. "Being working on the reconstruction from inside your body, I have certain advantages and that very thing is what helped me to keep your soul inside the new body. Though let's just say there is one small negative thing about it all, and this is the fact that I was forced to merge my soul with yours in order to accomplish this." That last comment made Issei stand up instantly.
"That means if you failed...!" He exclaimed in great alarm, getting a laugh out of Ddraig.
"I already knew you were going to get worried and angry, that's why I was thinking if I should tell you." Ddraig's laughter stopped, opting for a very serious look. "You're right. If I failed, I would die with you. Even now, my soul is completely bound to yours." The dragon clarified, then closed his eyes.
"Do you know what that means, brat?"
Issei fell on his butt, unable to believe what was happening.
"It's just like the Prophecy said, I'm the last Sekiryuutei..."
"And before you come out with your bullshit, I have to make it clear to you that I would never have left you here stranded under your own fate, even if that chance of saving you was so remote. You were the only Sekiryuutei I ever really liked. You are more than my bearer, you are my brother. For that reason, I would never be able to let you die, no matter if it caused the Sacred Gear to fuse with you." Ddraig clarified, then smiled. "Besides, I wouldn't have liked to be wandering around aimlessly in a place like this either."
"Ddriag, I can only thank you..." Issei clarified, managing to make the dragon chuckle.
"That's what I should say. You've been a great friend, brat." Clarified the dragon with a half smile. "By the way, this change brought quite a few negatives for me. The main one is that my power has fused with yours, though you can still use it separately as you used to. The second problem is that I can only communicate with you. So I will always have to use you as my mediator when I want to say something." Clarified the dragon, receiving a nod from Issei.
"Come to think of it, if you had spoken up, I'm sure we wouldn't be locked up in this place anymore..." Issei clarified, looking at the dense red sand of the huge desert that seemed to have no end.
"Speaking of which, I'd like to tell you more about this place." Ddraig commented, taking the moment to explain to him how the place worked. "The Twelve Gates of Hell are known to be in a very remote location. The white sky are actually damned souls that cannot escape from the site, as they cannot disappear due to the huge amount of Magic Density in the place, nor can they go towards Heaven. The possibility of flying or teleporting to this place is simply impossible. The high Magic Density is larger than Elysium itself, so only those with a special seal can access here. That, or by entering through the Dimensional Breach, which I see really difficult." The dragon finished his explanation, watching as Issei took from a bottle, then tossed it into the bag.
"I don't know how the Dimensional Breach works, so the only thing left for me is to advance to the Eleventh Gate, which is where Loki is." Issei clarified, starting to unbuckle his belt.
"I think that's the only possible way to escape this place. Although I must be honest with you, I don't know how exactly the doors work, and I don't know how far we are from them. The only thing I do know, is that we are in the most dangerous circle where extinct beasts lie. You are much more powerful thanks to the fact that you are now a dragon, but you'd better not take this place lightly and go carefully. Even Vali might have some trouble in this place." Hearing this, Issei nodded.
The dragon locked himself under his own thoughts, remembering everything that had happened when they had just arrived at the place.
"It's obvious that just the fusion of my powers and yours would not be able to generate that much power. I would like to comment to you about it, but the truth is that even I have no idea what is happening to you." At that moment, the dragon's eyes widened slightly. "Most likely, your soul is more than just an ordinary dragon..."
Ddraig put his thoughts aside as he heard Issei let out a shout.
"What the hell?!" The boy looked at his mini-Issei, who was much larger than he remembered. "Ddraig, what did you do to me?!" Hearing that, Ddraig chuckled under his breath.
"Relax, I just did you a small favor. Since I could modify your body parts, I thought you might be pleased to replace your 10 centimeter penis to a 35 centimeter one."
"WHAT?! THIS THING GROWS TO 35?!" Issei's eyes almost popped out of their sockets at such a revelation. "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DO THAT WITH THE GIRLS WHEN I GET BACK?!"
"Ooohhh..." Ddraig's tone sounded rather playful. "So, you do plan to use it, do you?"
This caught Issei a bit off guard, but he couldn't deny what he felt.
"The reality is that after everything that happened, I realized that just being together with them isn't enough." The brown-haired man clarified, rubbing his hair with some embarrassment. "But, to be honest, I still have some insecurity about what I should do. I know I have to go to Tiamat first because she's a dragon and she must be feeling pretty bad right now..."
"I'm going to be honest with you." Ddraig interrupted Issei's ramblings, getting Issei's full attention. "The Dragon Mating Season doesn't start just because. The reality is that it only begins only when the female dragon has a partner and she feels very attracted to him." The dragon clarified, making Issei feel quite confused.
"But, Tiamat doesn't have any partners..."
"Are you seriously that dumb not to realize that?" Clarified the dragon with a smirk covered in smugness. "What she felt for you was so big that even her body started acting that way, regardless of the fact that you two aren't a couple in reality."
To say that Issei was impressed at such words was an understatement.
It was a surprise that turned into utter happiness and relief, and his smiling face showed it.
"She must have been feeling pretty bad all that time..." He clarified, his smile diminishing a little after his words.
"But that doesn't matter now. I originally didn't want to get involved in this since it was something for you two to sort out. But listening to your remaining doubts, I thought it would be best to give you one last little push to make up your mind." Commented the dragon watching as Issei placed the bag on his back.
"Thank you, Ddraig. You always help me..." Issei clarified very sincerely, showing the appreciation he had for the one who was like his brother.
"Don't worry. Just make sure you don't say any of this to Tiamat, for if she finds out I told you the truth..." A small shiver ran down his entire back after remembering the threat the dragoness made to him several months ago.
"Relax, your secret is safe with me!" Issei exclaimed with a toothy grin as he began to make his way towards the faint blue light on the horizon that indicated the position of the Eleventh Gate.
"Ddraig, may I ask you one last question?"
"No fear, brother."
"I understand that you wanted to help me, but was necessary to make it so big?"
"I want you to be my best bearer under all the scopes, brat."
END OF CHAPTER!
I hope you enjoyed it!
I'll probably take two or three days to deliver the next update, as I need to focus on posting a new chapter in the untranslated story.
Well, that was all.
Thank you very much for reading!