Ascalon by Wings of Sunshine

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Chapter 21: Ascalon by Wings of Sunshine

(Que Seven Deadly Sins Ost "Sky Peace")

"So Akeno, why did you want to bring me up here?" Spoke Issei.

"Not that I am complaining."

"It's a surprise." Akeno said with a teasing smile. "And besides, you should be happy enough to be invited to a lovely woman's home."

After Issei's massive serving of lunch for the ORC, it was a joint decision to relax for the rest of the day as a way to prepare for the tense summit tonight. Most of the peerage were going spend the rest of the day by taking on contracts as many contracts as much as possible. Issei was planning to work at the Boar Hat for his part-time job, but that derailed when Akeno had asked him to come to the shrine where she lived. He was more than willing to accept Akeno and decided to give himself a break from work for the fallen angel's sake. Meliodas would understand of course because there was rarely anything more important than a women wanting one's company.

Or at least Issei hoped Meliodas would forgive him. He didn't want to be thrusted into another spar with the son of Satan and end up with a thousand cuts. It was only by the Sin of Lust's regeneration that he survived the blood loss.

"We're here." Akeno spoke up, her voice driving Issei away from his thoughts.

At the zenith of a large flight of steps sat a typical shrine to the Shinto pantheon. A Japanese gate of red wood stood proud at the entrance into the shrine, beautifully casting down a rich golden glow from the setting sun. Squinting his eyes, Issei noticed a silhouette situated just below the top part of the gate where a circular ring that had the carved kanji for the sun hang. Beyond that was shrine itself, including the main plaza of tiled stone flanked by three one-story buildings made of wood, bamboo roofs painted brown, and paper walls and doors. Issei chose a glance down and his eyes widened just how high they were from the sheer amount of steps leading up to the top.

"It's a really nice place." Issei complimented. "But it has to get lonely for you up here, doesn't it?"

"It does." Akeno answered with a smile, but there was a forlorn look in her eyes. "I can always go sleep with Rias at her own home whenever I want to. We are best friends."

Immediately, Issei's thoughts automatically crashed down the mountain in the perverted abyss at the implication Akeno sleeping with Rias. The words that he heard twisted in a way an image came up of the King and Queen duo naked for his eyes to drink, and waiting for their strong dragon to join them. He was only able to stop himself after thirty seconds in that heavenly paradise, but not soon enough to stop one of his nostrils from dripping blood. Issei glanced to Akeno in embarrassment, who was giggling behind her hand once she caught Issei's perverse expression.

"It's so cute when you have that face." Akeno commented.

"Damn, you and Rias are going to drive me crazy if you fuel my imagination like that." Issei admitted.

"Oh." Akeno said with a perplexed look. "Then what about Asia?"

"I don't really need my imagination with her." Issei said with a warm smile. "Our cuddles at night are enough, and I won't go any farther without her permission."

"So a gentleman and a pervert all in one." Akeno said. "How interesting."

Once Issei now stood from the last step and onto the entrance to the shrine, his senses went haywire at an extremely strong presence surrounding him. He automatically shifted into a more cautious stance honed by years of being thrashed around by Meliodas at the Boar Hat, and all the times he had to run for his life from Asuna. His vision was filled with bright golden light shining from above him followed by an unrivaled soft voice of the greatest echelon of angels.

"Issei Hyodou, it is a pleasure to meet you." Spoke the voice of Michael the Archangel, his array of twelve golden wings folded out in their full glory and wearing red and white robes with golden armor topped over his neck, pectorals, and shoulders.

"Lord Michael?" Gasped Issei, his demonic side slightly burning from being in the presence of such enormous holy power.

"Indeed it is, Red Dragon Emperor." Michael answered, his soft voice somehow reverberating across the entire shrine and wherever his light touched.

"This is… Forgive me for my alarm." Issei apologized, relaxing his stance into a small bow. "I felt a powerful presence nearby and I thought it was an enemy after Akeno and I."

"There is no need, Issei." Michael said, his smile ever present. "I have only come to have a meeting of great importance with you."

"And I for one would like to see the new Sin of Lust in person."

Unlike Michael's voice that was as soft as clouds and welcoming as the heaven's glow, this one was a deeper baritone and carried itself with immense power in an entirely different league. Before Issei or Akeno could identify the user of the voice, another flash of golden light blinded the pair from the right. The glow however was much more intense in heat as if standing in front of an open oven and it made Issei's demonic biology scream in terror. His discipline and soul as a human kept Issei from following his danger instincts and running the farthest he can from the light.

Once the flash of light receded, a new angel floated beside the Archangel, Michael. He was ab absolute giant of a man almost eleven feet in height, and ten white wings were unfolded with faint flickers of golden embers. Thick golden metal covered the giant from neck to toe, hiding away humongous muscle to make every bodybuilder meek in comparison. His head looked quite youthful with a shaved blonde hair, and his face featured a square jaw and bright blue eyes. On his back was a massive axe seemingly made of shimmering gold with the sun emblazoned on a circular object near the axe-head and had a one-handed grip only possible to be wielded by someone of his stature.

"Hello there." Escanor greeted kindly, his feet landing not too lightly on the ground. "The name is Escanor, one of the Serpah Lords of Heaven. It is nice to make your acquaintance, especially you Sin of Lust."

Akeno could only stare at the newcomer with no little amount of awe.

Despite his array of ten wings, Akeno had the inkling that his power may surpass that of Michael himself with how intense it felt rivaling that of the sun. Issei was staring at Escanor paling by the second. It was not because his devil and demon side was quivering under the might of the Power of Shine the angel held. No, it was because Issei knew Escanor as the former member of the Sin of Pride among the Sins, and most importantly is Raynare's father. The same Raynare that he saw naked, and the thought of the man, who was without a doubt the kind of father to dote on his own daughter, knowing that a stranger had ogled his daughter, and will most likely smite him in cruel flames of the sun.

'I am so dead!' Thought Issei.

Issei's reaction was understandable, at least to himself, when he opened his mouth.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH-"

Instead of words, all that came out of Issei's mouth was an unrelenting scream as he stared at Escanor in utter terror. The man in question hummed and raised a curious brow at Issei's bizarre reaction to him. Akeno and Michael stared at Issei perplexed, the latter confused with Issei while the fallen angel never imagined Issei to look so terrified as he was right now. She was also impressed at his lung capacity as the scream showed no signs of wavering, and idly wondered how much he would scream with her 'toys'.

"Ara ara." Akeno said to herself, lost in her imagination of Issei tied up and gagged while she approached him in a bondage outfit and a whip in her hands.

Michael had the inclination that Issei's screams of terror were connected to Escanor. The golden angel glanced at the giant man, who in turn turned towards his superior in confusion. A deadpan stare met Escanor from the Archangel, feeling that this was Escanor's fault.

Michael could only sigh in exasperation. "Why did you have to accompany me to the human world, Lord Escanor?"

"My apologies if I do trouble you, Lord Michael." Escanor said with the politeness of a gentleman. "But I am here under orders from Lord Mael to protect you given you are to go to the summit surrounded by potential enemies."

"I can take care of myself." Michael protested lightly.

"Lord Mael is only looking after the safety of his younger brother."

Escanor replied. "I think it is kind of endearing. It shows how much Lord Mael loves his little siblings."

"… I'm not that little…" Michael mumbled under his breath with his head lowered down.

Escanor overheard and all he could do in response was laugh in amusement, which came out as a deep pattern of booms given his voice. During this, Issei continued to scream stuck in a trance of terror of Escanor looming over him with a giant ball of solar flames ready to burn him to a crisp. Akeno did not try to stop to snap Issei out of his terror trance, and was recording his scream with a stopwatch. So far he had already broken the record and was still going.

(Later)

Eventually, Issei had to calm down thank to Akeno using her holy lightning bolt to go up his spine, all the while giggling. The angels of Heaven and the Red Dragon Emperor made themselves guests in Akeno's second home. Tea was set on a small table where the four supernatural entities crouched down, but it was a bit much of a struggle for Escanor given his size. Michael and his guardian sat opposite of a nervous Issei and the fallen angel was sitting on the sidelines with a wide smile present on her face.

"This tea is wonderful, Himejina." Escanor complimented, holding a ceramic cup between his thumb and index finger.

Akeno nods as her smile widens ever more. "Please enjoy, Escanorsama."

"So, uh," Issei said, "what brings you here to see me, Michael-sama? I'm sure there are better places you need to be."

"Don't sell yourself short, Red Dragon Emperor." Michael said with a warm smile. "I've heard how you fought bravely against Kokabiel, and Ruby has spoken very highly of you. It is no wonder that she allowed you permission to say the name of God."

"Well, it wasn't really that much." Issei said, scratching the back of his head. "I just couldn't let someone blow up my home and kill my friends. I was just doing what anyone would've done in my stead." Escanor laughed. "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! You are too modest for your own good, Issei-san! What has Meliodas-san been drilling into that head of yours, besides his own perverted antics? My good lad, you have shown more bravery than most people will ever do in their entire lives."

'This is the guy that beat Meliodas?' Issei thought incredulously. 'I thought he would be more… serious.'

Issei bowed his head. "Thank you, Escanor-sama, but I still don't get why you are here to see me."

"Lady Ruby and the Seraphs have agreed that despite yourself being a devil your valor in the fight against my fallen brother deserves a just reward." Michael announced.

A bright light shined in front of Michael opening into the Archangel's personal pocket dimension. Drawn from a bright sheath came a hilt of black and a pommel made of a flat copper-colored pommel with a slight arc to it. It was large enough to be held in two hands, but no so cumbersome that it was not so unwieldy with one hand. As it began to unsheathe itself, the guard revealed itself to be smaller than average, and the blade itself was strange in design. The edge was a startling silver untouched by the marks of time, but it the thick of the blade was an ebony black rimmed in orange going all the way up the blade to the point, which the edge curved inward than outward to make the point the shape of a water droplet.

The light died away, revealing the sword in its majestic glory. It was not so overly large, about the same size as one of Kiba's creations instead of the huge monstrosity that was Excalibur Destruction. Yet Issei felt a strange chill run up his arms as he looked at the blade, and not the kind he associated with holy powers that the sword was also generating in great amounts.

"Issei Hyodou," Michael said, "I present to you Ascalon, the blade that Saint George himself once wielded in his quest that he was famed for slaying a dragon. His legend personified if you will that will both protect you and defeat your enemies."

"Ascalon…" Issei gasped, having not heard of this sword at all but could feel the weight of Michael's words. "But why give this to me? I am the Red Dragon Emperor. You should use this to stop me."

"It is not my place to give Ascalon to you or not." Michael said. "It has already been decided by the Seraphs, but you can feel the blade choosing you, and it has found you worthy to wield it."

"Yeah." Issei agreed as the more he stared at the blade, the more it felt right to grasp its hilt. "But still, I'm a devil and aligned to the Underworld. Why entrust this legendary blade to me?"

"Hear me child." Michael said. "The time has come for all of the Biblical Factions to work together, or die trying. The Great War almost two thousand years ago ended large-scale fighting, but to this day we still experience bloody skirmishes. If this allowed to ruin, my father's legacy will go extinct along with the entire Biblical Pantheon.

It is possible an entirely different power may attack us to stop this one chance to achieve peace between us."

"I can understand that." Issei agreed.

While most of the supernatural factions like the Shinto Pantheon are devoted allies to the Biblical Factions, Issei was not naive to think there are some that have personal grudges. The ancient American gods like are a good example as it was missionaries and conquerors from a Christian-dominant Europe that destroyed their culture and pantheon. While not as big of a threat with the near extinction of their history and culture, the American pantheon housed very ancient gods as old as the Summerians and the Egyptians. One of the most powerful is Quetzacoatl, the sun god of the Aztecs. If one asked how powerful he is, all one would answer is that he was the meteor that killed the dinosaurs.

And that is just one example, and not counting the possibilities of Outer Gods or alien pantheons from another dimension. To simplify it, the summit was dangerous not only for the one chance to achieve peace between the Biblical Factions, but it was also a target for any outside power to cripple them. The very future can come out in an era of prosperity or an age of total destruction. Worse, the summit may end in the start of the apocalypse.

"I give this blade to you, Issei Hyodou," Michael said, "so that you may aid us in ending the bloodshed. Please help align the goals of the three factions so we may become one unified pantheon."

"Uh…" Issei struggled with his words.

"Issei, this is the part you accept his gift." Akeno perked up.

"Indeed." Added Escanor, locking his eyes on Issei. "It would be quite the offense to the forces of Heaven if you denied Ascalon."

For a moment, Issei wasn't staring at the giant gentleman of an angel. His blue eyes hardened into that of a warrior god unyielding and merciless to his enemies. Behind those eyes, Issei saw the true Escanor, the great Sin of Pride that beat Meliodas in a fight and went toe-to-toe against Satan himself. The strongest human ever to exist that may unleash his wrath for looking at his daughter naked.

"Ah, yes, I, er, humbly accept this blade." Issei answered with a strained smile.

It seemed to have work as the deadly visage of the Sin of Pride disappeared and replaced by a smiling giant angel and gentleman.

Akeno giggled at the sidelines at Issei's troubled state of mind. Issei stood up to accept the sword, but Ascalon itself floated towards the Red Dragon Emperor waiting for to be held in his grasp.

Steeling his nerves, Issei grasped the hilt of Ascalon without protection of his Sacred Gear. Instantly, he felt a pseudo-presence of sorts shoot from the blade to his arm to all over his body. He could feel holy and anti-dragon properties surging through his veins, yet miraculously was not killing him from the inside. It came to a point Issei felt Ascalon touching his sword, judging his worth to wield the power of the blade.

And in that instant Ascalon made the right choice. The light that filled the room receded back in Ascalon now held in the hands of a demon/dragon/devil hybrid. His palm was not sizzling on contact with the holy metal, and in fact it felt right to Issei to hold it in his hands.

He held the blade with two hands raised vertically to himself so he could inspect the blade. Issei took a few steps to the side and held Ascalon parallel to the ground with the flat of the blade resting across his left forearm while his right hand gripped the hilt. Ascalon singed through the air in silver streaks as Issei gave a few practice swings, amazed that the holy sword felt as light as a feather.

"It feels so light and right to use." Issei complimented.

"As I have seen, you have a just and honest soul, Red Dragon

Emperor." Michael said.

"And the spirit of the Sins." Escanor added.

Issei would need of a sheath to properly store Ascalon, but he had a better idea for the legendary dragon slaying sword. Summoning the Boosted Gear around his arms, Issei matched the frequency of his draconic energy with that of the holy sword. A bright flash emanated between the Sacred Gear and Ascalon and ended with the disappearance of the blade. With a mental command, the back hand of the Boosted Gear on his left hand protruded out the hilt of Ascalon ready to unleash to its full glory.

"Thank you very much, Michael-sama." Issei said, bowing to the Archangel.

Michael smiled warmly. "Take good care, Issei. Companionship and unity shall be the salvation of our race. Farewell."

After levitating to the sky, Michael disappeared in a flash of golden light. However, Escanor stayed behind and was eyeing Issei in a weird manner. Without a word, the giant picked himself up to his feet and had to squat a little to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling. Issei froze on the spot as the giant angel approached him, laid a giant hand on his shoulder, and leaned down close to his ear.

"Issei," Escanor said softly just loud enough for the Sin of Lust to hear the ten-winged Seraph/former human, "I know of the incident between you and Raynare, especially when you saw my daughter in that 'state'. Take heed, young man, while my wrath is one very few can endure, it is not I that you should be afraid of. Rather, you should be terrified what my wife has planned for you. With a few words, she can skin you alive or banish to a dimension of eternal agony. Have a good night, Issei Hyoodou."

With a smile on his face, Escanor disappeared in a burst of solar flames that engulfed his body, leaving slight scorch marks on the wooden floor. Akeno turned to her love interest in curiosity of what the angel said to him, only to find Issei frozen on the spot in a silent scream.

"Fu-fu-fu, such a wonderful face you're making, Ise-kun." Akeno giggled behind her mouth.

(Later; Grounds of the ORC)

It was almost time to start the summit between the Biblical Factions, and the ORC chose that time to squeeze some extra time to train Gasper and his Sacred Gear, Forbidden Balor View. It was quite easy in Issei's opinion as all the dhamphir/devil needed was a extra positive encouragement so the young lad didn't lose confidence in his abilities. His lack of control stems not necessarily from his lack of control but the fact that Gasper doubted himself too much. Now that Rias was much stronger as a Super Devil, she was able to share the dhamphir the famed care of the Gremory to provide the love that Gasper was denied earlier in his life.

Issei would have joined in, but that wasn't his priority. What was imperative at the moment was the grunting sounds from nearby and the cracking of wood. He walked around the ORC building till he reached the far back opposite from where Asia, Xulean, and Saji were helping the dhamphir/devil hybrid. There he found one of the visitors from Remnant, Yang if he recalled, trying her absolute best to pummel a tree with her bare fists. She had ditched the coat and lower wear for an orange sports bra and tight pants that highlighted her hourglass figure despite the prosthetic on her right arm. He will admit that she was quite impressive as her the martial arts she was displaying rivaled Xulean and her strength can surpass that of Koneko's when she's pushed over the edge. No one would call themselves lucky to be on the receiving end of those punches as he watched every impact of Yang's fists chip off whole layers of the tree without any repercussions on her knuckles.

Yet Issei could sense that Yang was venting rather than training herself. Her eyes were not the lavender that he associated with the busty blonde, but were a bright red that showed a growing fury that had no aim. All she could do was poorly aim it in some way to deal with it, but it was obvious to an observer that it was getting Yang nowhere to calm herself down.

"You know," Issei said, making Yang freeze in her motions, "I don't see what that tree did to offend you. They don't make good conversationalists."

"What do you want?" Yang huffed in annoyance, grabbing for a bottle of water at her feet.

"You look troubled, and I thought you needed someone to help you." Issei said seriously.

"Nice try, pervy." Yang scoffed, downing the bottle. "But as you can see, I am doing perfectly fine."

"Of course you are." Issei replied. "After all, all you've been doing is punching a tree all day. So what's bothering you so much? You can talk to me."

Yang relented in a sigh. "It's Ruby."

Issei blinked. "The Heiress of Heaven?"

"No!" Snapped Yang, unleashing her bottled-up frustrations over the past couple of days. "I'm talking about my little sister Ruby, before she became a part of this whole mess of demons, angels, and fucking gods. The biggest craziness we have to deal with back home is just a homicidal witch that controls a horde of monsters, but somehow this is so much worse! And find out that she's a part of it as some sort of Heiress to a literal holier-than-thou, big-shot god and my own sister remembers nothing about me. She remembers nothing of her life where I loved her for her whole life and she now treats as a stranger barging into her personal space. I know that how she feels, no matter how nice she feels."

"Er, I can see how that's a problem, but that's amnesia." Issei said nervously. "You just have to give her time."

[You suck at this.] Ddraig commented.

"And that's not even the problem!" Yang shouted, tears spilling from her red orbs. "What really hurts is how much she has moved on without me. Despite not having me there to help, Ruby's is moving on her life without me there to - to - to - just be there for her! I wanted to be there everywhere in my little sister's life. I wasn't just her sister, I was like a mother to her. I wanted to see Ruby's first kiss, see her dating (where I would clobber any perverts after her body), and maybe stand by her side when she fulfills her dreams as a Huntress.

"I should be proud Ruby's moving on without me, but I'm not just hurt. I feel torn, upset, and feel like I've been abandoned for the people she has met here. I feel like I've been replaced, thrown out like trash, but it's not even her fault because she doesn't know me anymore. Ruby even has an awesome fucking hunk of a boyfriend every girl would dream of, and I should have been there for that! I wanted to be there! So what the fuck do I do!? What do I if Ruby doesn't need me anymore!?"

Yang, degraded into a sobbing mess, let out a roar of mixed emotions and swung one last hook at the tree. The trunk was instantly obliterated in a mess of splinters and soon fell down to the ground. Her Semblance was at full power with her eyes now glowing in the night and her hair licking up tiny golden embers that casted the blonde in a sunlit glow.

"Okay, so obviously talking it out isn't the proper way for you to vent." Issei said. "Well… how about we spar?"

"… What?" Yang said, staring incredulously at the idiot.

[I have no words.] Ddraig said dryly.

'Shut the fuck up.' Issei growled mentally back at the Heavenly Dragon.

"If punching a tree or ranting won't vent it out, then how about a live punching bag?" Issei proposed, taking a basic fighter's stance with dominant leg forward, knees bent, and his two fists raised in a narrow stance. "But of course, I am going to punch back."

"You're on, pervy boy." Yang said with a small grin, cracking the knuckles of her left hand. "I am going to clobber you."

'Oh, I have become error.' Thought Issei as he felt a shiver go down his spine.

Yang got into her personal boxing stance, and the two fighters circled each other in a ten meter radius. Glowing red eyes locked on warm brown flecked with purple and green highlights, and neither of them showed a falter in spirit. A tension rose between the couple that lasted for a whole minute before it was broken by Yang making the first move launching off her feet for a rocketing haymaker. Rather than dodge, Issei crossed his arms in front of him to block the blow, but winced feeling his arms rattle from the force. His feet slid across the ground carving out a trench, but he made sure his left foot was behind Yang.

The blonde growled seeing Issei had not caved in the blow and threw a left hook to his head. Issei swayed his head out of danger and took the opportunity to counter. Using his left foot as leverage, he rushed forward to land a knee to Yang's sternum, knocking the breath out of her lungs. Staggering back in her daze, Yang received a left hook to her jaw from Issei followed by a right jab and a midhigh kick to the side. He went for blow with his left fist, but his blow never made it caught in Yang's prosthetic arm.

'And this is where the pain starts.' Issei though, accepting the coming pain.

In that moment, Yang unleashed every bit of emotion from sorrow to rage through her fists onto Issei. Multiple punches were delivered to his sternum, shaking his ribs in an uncomfortable way. The power in each blow was enough to tear apart his clothes and only his durability as an Ultimate-class saved himself from serious injuries being laid on him by the buxom blonde. A pattern of left and right hooks struck at his face, making his vision go blurry unable to recover as Yang gave no room for reprieve.

Eventually, Issei went up a notch and parried away a hook to deal punishment on his opponent and followed up with a strong punch to Yang's stomach flowing into an uppercut to her jaw. Yang snapped back into action immediately swiped a fist to hit Issei in a back hand, but the demon/dragon/devil hybrid ducked under the blow and twisted on his heel while simultaneously hitting Yang at her hip to stagger her stance.

Now behind her, Issei sent a series of punches to Yang's shoulder blades and below her ribs to at least deal some pain. That only fueled Yang's Semblance more, turning around to throw a punch to Issei's face. The Red Dragon Emperor dodged out of the way and caught Yang's fist, and then used her momentum to throw her behind himself into a tree. He was upon her instantly, kicking her left leg to unbalance her to then deliver a blow to her temple and then to her chest right under her left breast.

He may or may not have cupped a feel there for a split-second there.

And if he did, he did not regret it for that was one soft orb of flesh, softer than even Rias'.

A fire was ignited behind Yang's red eyes, and her right arm snapped up hitting Issei with a loud dink. He could have sworn the blow right there may have cracked his jaw bone, but he wasn't given the chance to think on it. Yang grabbed a hold of Issei and threw him into the tree instead where she proceeded to lay on the beat down with her prosthetic as that has seemed to be the most ideal damage dealer in this fight. Issei however did not bother to resist knowing Yang needed to vent and was on her last fumes of rage.

Each blow carried enough force to break a layer of the trunk behind Issei, and any body shots resulted with his clothes torn to shreds from the power in them. Finally, Yang reared her right arm for the finisher and threw her most powerful haymaker enhanced with one of the last Dust rounds she had in store. The impact of her fist to Issei's face went off with an explosive bang that forced Issei's body through the whole trunk of a tree and halfway into another one. Both of course fell with a long groan of the weight of the trees failing them, and Yang was left standing there panting in slight exhaustion. But emotionally, she felt better than she had for the past twenty-four hours Yang was wasting away with this.

A movement in the pile of timber caught Yang's eyes, and they widened in shock seeing a massive trunk lifted up by one hand belonging to Issei coming up. Despite the brutal beatdown that would leave any normal person or a Mid-class devil a bloody paste, Issei was relatively fine with some purple bruises dotting his body and face, and only a cut lip bled any blood that was quickly sealed up via his demonic healing factor. The spar had also relieved Issei of most of his top clothes revealing his fit figure of abs and other muscles that looked to have been sculpted.

"How the hell are you alive?!" Yang could not help but exclaim.

Issei chuckled while stretching out any pains. "I'm made of really tough stuff, Yang. It comes with being the Red Dragon Emperor and all that jazz."

"You were holding back, weren't you?" Yang accused in a low tone.

"At every second of that spar, you could've finished me in an instant, but you held back to make a decent sparing partner. I don't anyone else besides my dad that could do that to me."

"You're right about that." Issei admitted. "I'm not human, Yang, and I am a whole lot faster and stronger than you can imagine, so I kept our fight at just beyond peak human level. But you are one impressive firecracker, Yang. You're actually as good as Xulean with those moves."

"What was the point of all of this?" Yang asked.

"To let you vent." Issei said. "Did it work?"

"Yeah, it did." Yang relented, letting her arms hang at her sides. "I… really did need that. Thank you, Issei. You're not as bad as I thought you are. For a pervert."

"We're all perverts on some level, Yang." Issei teased, wiggling his eyebrows. "Besides, it didn't suit you seeing you all glum like that.

You're really pretty with those lavender eyes and that smile of yours."

"Wha-" Yang stammered, completely caught off guard by the compliment to her looks, causing her cheeks to redden.

Before she could make a retort, Issei had walked just around the corner of the ORC building and out of earshot. With a defeated sigh, Yang collapsed on her back on the grassy ground. Her thoughts were in a jumble as usual, but not in a chaotic storm of emotions as they were earlier. Thanks to Issei, her mind was clearer and she knew that her bond with Ruby was not totally lost. She was still there if only in small hints with her usual adorable demeanor. Maybe she could at least talk to the new Ruby at the summit, and maybe being friends with her sister wouldn't be so bad. It would at least be a start.

'And that Issei guy… he's got a cute attitude going on there.' Yang thought until a small, yet perverse smile stretched her face when she remembered the glory of Issei's bare torso for the world to see. 'And he's got a freaking body of sculpted mastery there. Oh yeah, Momma loves what she sees.'

You asked and here it is! I know you want me to focus more on Meliodas and Serafall, but you have to understand that just his presence in the story has already changed so much. Issei is stronger with his own peerage, so I have write about that obviously and how he builds his own peerage. Then there is the Heaven side of things with Ruby training to become the Supreme Goddess, and other characters I have added that have totally changed the story of Highschool DxD. There's a lot of world building I have to do, and I can't explain it all in one chapter. I can give a small spoiler that in the Kyoto Arc, Cao Cao ain't walking out because a whiskered blonde said, "I'm the one who's gonna beat the shit out of you for touching my mom!" Oh yeah, that's going to be so much fun to write.

In the next chapter, we will see some really fluffy moments among the characters such as Escanor being a lovable papa to Raynare to Merlin being a flirty wife to Ludociel getting laughed at for his black wings by Meliodas to the Crimson Fucker crashing the party.

I also have this new food for thought I had.

Twilight Dragon God, a RWBY and Fairy Tail crossover.

Summary: You know how you freak out when something doesn't go as planned? That's exactly what happens when Natsu turns to be a Demon Dragon Slayer of fire and lightening: a Destructor Demon Dragon Slayer. The seal of END is not as strong as before, and the gods of Earthland need someone with such raw potential to be trained to rival the power of END. And a just and simple soul of a young girl may be the perfect candidate. Plucked at the age of nine and thrown in the year 777 in Earthland, watch this simple soul grow into the legend of the Twilight Dragon God Slayer. "So, uh, Emperyean, I need one of your humans?" "Which one, Ea?" "I believe her name is Ruby Rose." "I already don't like this." Adventure/Humor. Featuring a stronger Wendy mentored by Ruby, a new rival of Erza, and a much stronger Natsu.

I just need some suggestions of what Ruby's starting age should be in the series as she spends her first six years training Wendy till the events of canon. And don't worry, she will find a way back to Earthland.

Up next is Chapter 22: The Gathering.

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