Issei was bored. Being a teacher was fun, but being harassed with questions he doesn't have knowledge about sucked. Sona in particular was the worst for it. She kept asking about the 'Law of Magic Conversion' and he had no slither of information about it. He mostly followed Elsha's teachings concerning his magic. For more specialised spells, he relied on who he inherited it from.
He couldn't even consult his peers due to the extreme restrictions involved.
It was all based on feeling for him, not knowledge. He had never been the intelligent type, and the mathematics involved with human magicians escaped him. All he operated on was how the flow of energy felt within and around him, and he became sensitive to it under repetitive duress. Another problem was beginning to represent itself too.
The marks on his soul, the concentric circles and engravings etched into his existence, were beginning to manifest on his physical body once more. They did not reach his face or limbs yet, but it would be a cause for concern very soon. It was normal to see in his future, as he confided in people far smarter than him about his lack of magical reserves, and his desire to uphold life on his lonesome. It would raise questions now that Issei wasn't yet ready to answer.
It could be solved easily with a light illusory barrier placed around him, but constant maintenance of magic wasn't his forte. He performed far better when he could release everything all at once in a destructive quantity.
He could also try makeup, but that felt vaguely girly to him. Not to mention his lack of skill in the matter, and that a simple splash of water would render his efforts worthless.
Barriers were the answer, but it was a currently unsolved query on how to create self-maintaining barriers undergoing motion. The Underworld's best magicians, in cohesion with the Grigori, were still working on it at this very moment. The problem had been around for thousands of years and remained unsolved, and would likely remain so considering the genocide of all conscious organisms in the near future.
He hated practicing something he wasn't good at. If it meant he could keep his secretive marks hidden, he would prefer to just have them on show. Nonetheless, that would arise questions and answering everyone that asked was far too much effort and energy wasted.
Truth be told, the method with the least effort on his part would be to disappear for a few days and come back claiming that he was kidnapped and tortured by a cult. An unorthodox approach to keeping secrets, and something he likely wouldn't do. The option stood as a last resort in the back of his mind. He would just try his best to keep the barrier upheld.
In other news, Azazel and his Grigori agents were finally beginning to move. It had been around a month since he had returned to this time, and he had never known they appeared this early. It made sense if they had to search the entire population of Kuoh for threats and various Sacred Gears though. At the current point in time, only one agent was placed temporarily within the abandoned church they had used last time. Azazel was nearby Kuoh, but not quite within the borders.
Probably off fishing, drinking, womanising or something of equal importance. That being none, of course.
Issei also had the impending feeling of being watched, even within the safety of his home. Perhaps the Ouroboros was getting a little too invested in observing him, and was slipping in focus. Conversation with it was limited by himself, however, as he wanted to maintain independence as long as possible.
Each day he spent now was more or less the same. He would go to school, skip class, chat with Koneko in the ORC clubroom, share occasional banter with Rias, Akeno and Kiba as they appeared and disappeared, and was harassed by Sona about magic after school without fail.
He also started to train overtly on the school grounds after hours, mostly with an audience of the various devils. He could feel his body tensing up as he sat around doing nothing, so he did something.
Issei's body was at the level of an upper High-Class being at current, which was not good enough. Kokabiel would begin to move in a year, give or take two months, and he planned to extinguish the crow's flame of ambition entirely. To snuff out the burning candle representing his life with as little effort as possible, and without intervention from Rias' and Sona's respective groups.
In the light of good news, he had unlocked his Balance Breaker's wings a week after regaining the form itself. Practice was rough since he refused to let Ddraig control them this time, but progress was being made. He also wanted to alter the wings to better match Vali's own, as they were far superior in durability to his own.
As Issei was walking home from another boring day, every sense he possessed screamed at him a horrible melody of promised pain. He was being followed. He knew their location, the strength of their magic, and their race just from his sharp magical sensitivity. A fallen angel was far behind him, atop a tall building using observation magic and a weak barrier to disguise themselves from mortals.
They were extremely weak, so he had nothing to worry about. His reserves were minuscule compared to his current power standing, and he was suppressing them even further. No magic was flowing around him since he wasn't stealing from the atmosphere and hadn't been for hours now. Nevertheless, he remained watchful.
Previous experiences involving fallen angels in Kuoh had left Issei bleeding to death in a small park after a mediocre date with a wicked bitch.
Speaking of wicked bitches, he would absolutely maul her this time too. On his own. He might even set various restrictions on himself to make it even more enjoyable. Maybe he would limit himself to the Gremory's Power of Destruction? That could be interesting.
It was one of the powers he was gifted from the Maou Lucifer before his passing. He had awoken it without assistance, but it wasn't very effective as of yet. He had a year to refine it, so it would surely be a good part of his arsenal in time. He also couldn't practice it openly, thanks to obvious reasons.
Thinking about what he would have for dinner today, he walked back into the house 3 doors next to his before teleporting inside the barrier around his home.
It would confuse his neighbour a bit, but it would disguise Issei from the tailing crow. It seems like they noticed the immense holy aura very quickly too, upon arriving within the vicinity of Kuoh. It could raise problems, but Azazel was easy to reason with and befriend.
His mother was in the kitchen waiting for him. Following various claims of "I never heard you come in." and "Dinner will be ready in ten minutes, come downstairs after getting dressed!", he traced his way into his room, obeyed his mother and came to sit at the table. His father was already there waiting, reading various news articles on his phone.
These small involvements with his family never got old, and never would. Issei loved that he had the opportunity to spend more time with his parents, and cherished every moment. He loved being around his lovers too, but it was peculiar to show such emotions in front of them. With various small talks, a plate being placed in front of him and his mother coming to seat herself too, the Hyoudou family enjoyed their meal.
Dohnaseek, a proven useful Grigori spy, was out on the hunt. He was on a secretive mission by the orders of Azazel to find the source behind the holy barrier. He watched various people come and go across multiple days, but the only people he saw leave and enter were a regular human couple. They didn't even acknowledge the powerful wall's presence, nor did they possess any Sacred Gear or outstanding magical energy.
Someone had placed the barrier on that couple's home, and he was determined to find them. He thought he had luck with an unsuspecting teenage delinquent walking home, but he didn't enter the home. He had lower reserves than average for a human, and combined with his slightly ill-looking visage, he was less than a suspect.
Not that he would stop looking, of course. Even if he had to kill the couple to drive out whomever placed the barrier.
To speak of barriers, Sona was currently at the Student Council's staff office, where the devils within her peerage slept. She was practicing the barrier Issei Hyoudou had demonstrated a month ago, and had been practicing since seeing it in action, with little luck.
Magic wasn't just about a chant, despite how some may think. To create magic without a circle was akin to painting without a canvas, a miracle of sorcery in every sense of the word. Issei himself confessed that he had not used a circle, and wasn't just hiding it. He even demonstrated clearly how his magic flowed.
Upon asking him to create it as large as possible, and following the information received that it would be vastly weaker, he had covered the entire academy and a few surrounding buildings in a magical field without the use of a foundation circle, or even a chant. It had just appeared, as if the world itself had decided a barrier should be there.
It was extremely weird, and she didn't want to rely on her sister for help, but any books on the matter repeated the knowledge that she already had and was not helpful in the slightest. Issei himself couldn't explain the phenomenon well, so it seemed she was running out of options.
He had provided Sona with the chant and the directions his magical energy flowed, but it wasn't enough. It made him and his magic all the more mysterious to her, and it seemed like only Serafall or her sister-proclaimed-uncle Ajuka could help.
'What are you, Issei Hyoudou?' She couldn't help but think.
Meanwhile, said Maou were currently in yet another meeting discussing the aforementioned Red Dragon Emperor. It was abnormal that such a sudden appearance of such a strong Longinus wielder occurred.
Ordinarily, it would stem from the discovery from one of their kind inheriting and taking care of a possessor, in some cases only learning later. That, or their presence was detected and recorded after a particularly notable conflict. This host to Ddraig had many inconsistencies that followed alongside him too.
For example, his aura wasn't overwhelming, but rather surgically lethal. It was strange for someone wielding the Dragon of Domination to not have a dominant and rawly spirit. It's more likely that he had two sides of a coin and only showed one, but the origin behind the revealed side posed questions. At current knowledge, the only people capable of such an achievement were a few notable Gods of War and Death, Azazel, Serafall Leviathan and to a weaker extent, Sirzechs Lucifer and Kokabiel. People that had seen the horrors and atrocities and sufferings of war, had helped commit most of them, and were not divinely-inclined in the biblical sense. Angels could not possess such an intent to kill, as they only committed murder to prevent atrocities and worse sins from being commenced.
Issei Hyoudou was added to that list. His information was sent to Heaven previously to discuss his roots in holy-natured magic. It returned empty, not even a distant relation spanning tens of generations, nor any recorded bonds made between Issei and a member of Heaven or the Church. Michael made a note to them that he would come and visit Issei to discuss it.
His existence was a mystery, and it couldn't be decided whether or not he was a threat to anyone. If he was, any attempts to eliminate him would likely have to be conducted by a Maou-Class being.
According to the reports from Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri, he wasn't a threat to devilkind at the very least. He posed no threat to any named factions, but when asked if he desires conflict with any faction, he had bowed his head shaking in what was described as 'The deepest rage I had ever encountered, a seemingly all-consuming hatred for whoever it was directed at' by Rias. When asked what faction it was that he hated, he had avoided answering and left.
A cause for concern amongst the leaders of devils. If he posed such a hatred to an allied faction, he would have to be eliminated. Sirzechs Lucifer organised plans to visit Issei and ask him in person about the faction. If it was necessary, he could also conduct the termination. It was decided that Falbium Asmodeus would accompany him, as the designated 'Warlord' of the Maou. Should Issei escape, it would be down to him to contact the faction head and make plans to go to war. A Code Red would be issued amongst all devils and members of the hated faction, and Issei Hyoudou would be killed almost certainly.
Assuming they were allied of course. If not, he would be free to roam and live uninhibited.
Such tense conversation was cut short by a magical communication circle connecting to Serafall Leviathan. After hearing her beloved Sona start to speak, she flew into what could only be described as a frenzy of confusing mayhem. Without letting the other party utter a single word, Serafall had proclaimed her love to her sister multiple times, asked if she was in trouble, prepared a teleportation circle and several destructive ice spells, then flew into a worry about her health all without any mention of the reasoning for the call.
The Maou were used to her antics, and Sirzechs is almost the same level of intensity as her, so the 'normal' members just sat in a completely silent deadpan. When Sona finally spoke, asking for her help involving magic and potentially Ajuka's assistance too, Serafall could not move faster to grab him and prepare to teleport.
Sirzechs figured he could use this time to escape his paperwork and responsibilities to go and visit Rias, until his lovely, endearing and not mortally terrifying wife Grayfia dragged him out to his personal desk. He was not kicking and begging for Falbium to help him, despite what anyone may claim.
Ajuka Beelzebub was fairly uninterested in anything not involving magic or official business, so he just let Serafall drag him along with a lazy expression on his face. Face to face with Sona after a short transmission period, Serafall swarmed at her with various cries of "I LOVE YOU" and "I'LL HELP YOU WITH WHATEVER YOU NEED". She didn't even get the chance to explain what she needed help with. Serafall, despite how she acted, knew that her sister wouldn't ask for Ajuka without it being a relatively serious or complex matter.
After light scolding from her sister, Sona finally had a chance to explain.
"Issei Hyoudou, the source of the magical barrier, showed me something. He had showed us how he delayed his spells with his chants, but he hadn't used a magical circle. Is it even possible to cast magic without a circle?"
Now, Ajuka was interested. With the word 'magic' being mentioned, his lust for knowledge in all its might had manifested.
He was, however, stunned that Issei Hyoudou had reached past the pinnacle of magic. Serafall, for seemingly the first time in an agonising amount of time, was speechless. It was possible for the upper echelons of Super-Class beings, the 5 Dragon Kings, The Maou, very few gods and the twin Heavenly Dragons to cast magic without a circle. It was, however, impossible for that magic to be anything higher than Low-Class. What Sona had described was impossible.
A High-to-Upper-Class barrier being manifested without a circle was like saying God had returned from the dead, and was actually living peacefully in the Bahamas for hundreds of years. It was impossible. Magic had to have a foundation, and any magic without such would be unnaturally weak. Even the beings that could cast without one had to use their bodies as circles and temporarily mark a unique magical circle onto themselves.
Issei did no such thing. He manifested magic out of nowhere, and at a complex level. Ajuka was stunned for the first time in too long, and a beyond joyous smile overtook his face. He had to meet the Red Dragon Emperor, even if he had to defect from being a devil to do so.
Serafall was extremely advanced in magic, being the second strongest in Hell next to Sirzechs. She had committed horrific acts of extreme large-scale violence during the Great War, and knew her way around her spells. Her applications of her given arsenal were almost unmatched, even outside of Hell. This, however, was far too advanced for her.
It also spelled out that Issei was a far greater threat than they could have imagined. If his strength was not unfairly balanced towards magical application and versatility and was instead equalised, he was hiding his strength and would be the third strongest being to manifest, second only to the twin Dragon Gods, Great Red and Ophis. He could topple almost all of Hell without needing to think twice.
While Ajuka helped her with the barrier she was trying to cast, saving the personal questions about Issei for later, Serafall contacted every higher-up within Hell. They had to know about his strength.
The mentioned soul, Issei, had enjoyed a lovely dinner with his family and was in the process of learning to control his wings within his soulscape. He had made a big leap in progress just now, being able to levitate without needing to flap his wings and landing well. The only factor he had to work on was speed. Getting used to wings was like learning how to use two new arms. Difficult, but it gets easier with experience and patience.
When Ddraig had given his performance a measly rating of 52 out of 100, he had silently chanted his strongest spell just to dodge a colossal wing sweep at the last second. He could tell the flow of magic within Issei with his eyes closed, as their souls were interlinked. He could hear the silent beseeching of magic to flow alongside him, and knew everything about his partner.
He also knew that taking the attack head on would really fucking hurt. This kind of playfighting was their form of dragon-banter, and both were laughing after the small confrontation. Were, being the key word, until Elsha decided to have a little fun herself and smacked both of them atop the head with invisible magic hands before they could even register her presence.
Issei was loving the life he was living. He knew his duties, and knew what he gathered strength and power to fight for, but enjoying the little things while he could helped keep him sane. It also stopped the incessant nagging remorse in his head for the innocent people he had killed after losing his family. Everyone he had killed or lost was alive now, and that was all that mattered.
The same thing would not happen again. He was weak, but now he's different. Different enough to make a change? Only time could tell.
After his flying practice, he began to practice differently with the strongest available being. That being his wonderful supportive partner, of course, who was more than happy to slam Issei into the ground hundreds of times. Even better, by his own request. Being numb to pain had its advantages, and he wanted to reap all of them. He was durable enough not to die instantly, at least.
He did seem a little bit mad about the onslaught of pain afterwards, however, as seen by the reprehensibly large beam of light he had sent down to pierce Ddraig. With a simple roll to evade, he fell victim to the trap inlaid to the ground beforehand. Consumed in fire, he didn't even flinch. A flap of his wing and it was extinguished, but his partner had vanished from sight.
He took to the skies, creating hurricane-force gales of wind with each flap of his wings, and after a surprise attack from behind with Ascalon, all-out combat training had begun.
Elsha just watched them destroy everything Issei had created in his mind with a shake of her head. He was strong, yes, but not quite Ddraig's strength yet. She just sat and watched the various flashes of light, fire, holy energy and the blasting of wind kicking up dust around her until Issei was thrown deep into the ground, and subsequently crushed underfoot Ddraig's claws.
This kind of careless training and fun directly contrasted the panic spreading within Hell's upper ranks right now, of course. It seemed Rias and Issei were the only ones that were calm and enjoying themselves. Rias was enjoying a lovely calm bath with Akeno before they both left for bed. Sona wasn't told about the consequences of creating stronger circle-less magic, and was simply content to have a foundation to work with now.
An emergency meeting was held in Hell. It seemed like all of the Maou would have to visit Issei alongside Grayfia. Especially if he had the potential to invoke the first Code Red involving evacuation of the Underworld. Azazel was also informed, albeit missing certain key details. His forces resided in the Underworld as well, and it would not be fair to let the innocent fallen angels fall victim to inescapable horrors. Olympus received some information as well, thanks to Hades, settling for evacuating him and his Grim Reapers into the gardens of Lower-Olympus for the time being.
Their meeting would have to occur far sooner than expected too. Tannin, being an Ultimate-Class devil, had heard about the Red Dragon Emperor and would join alongside the Maou. Various schedules were cleared, potential evacuation notices were sent to all major population centres and all Family Heads to the 72 Pillars of Solomon.
War was being prepared for and the cause for concern was sleeping soundly right now, dreaming of brimstone and bloodshed.