Chapter XXVIII


Ten days.

Ten blessed days where nothing happened.

Now, most would be confused as to why someone might feel happy at the prospect of having over a week where nothing of importance happened. To the city of Kuoh, however, the week previous to it had seen nothing short of the largest amount of incidents in recent history.

From Heretic Gods, to Buddhas, and even multiple Campione.

It was clear that the city had seen better days. With its local population and the stationed government agents running themselves ragged to put the place back together in the aftermath of the Heretic God's rampage. All so kindly caused by a visiting Luo Hao.

As for Issei?

He found himself being able to wake up in peace without having to worry about getting jumped on the way to school by gods or extended, adopted family. That much was enough to put the jittery and suspicious god slayer at ease for the first time since he was invited to go on a date by a goddess. There had actually now been an entire weekend where nothing at all had exploded!

"Man, this really just was my first week in class huh?"
Looking up at the ceiling, Issei Hyoudou, the 7th Campione, was currently refusing to get up. Just because he only needed half his usual sleep after getting his powers, it didn't mean he was obligated to get up. Instead he was free to indulge in all sorts of hobbies and proclivities.

No, nothing dirty. That was actually a smidge more awkward with the recent changes.

So, instead, the young godslayer found himself engrossed in the most dangerous of indulgences: self reflection. Or, well, it would be self reflection if he were the only one talking.

"Look, things weren't that crazy for a while, I suppose. I had a whole month between Dusa… I mean Medusa… and then, well, everything else."

[Largely because you were not noticed.]

"Sure, but I'm not exactly noticeable."

[If you were not, how did you become my host?]

"Wasn't I born that way?"

The dragon roared in Issei's mind.

[Are you saying I'm some trinket to be handed out like a lottery prize!?]

"Sorry, sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to offend you!"

And just like that, the roar of indignation turned into a rumble of laughter.

[Because if so, you'd be partly correct.]

Issei wished to say many things. Very few of them pleasant.

"Stupid gecko."

Laughter turned to chortles and then to the slow, steady breathing of the spirit dwelling within Issei's… now inhuman soul.

"I wonder if I'm jinxed."

[It is the average for my hosts to find themselves embroiled in all sorts of conflicts. That you have faced adversity such as this is good.]

"Really? Were they as bad as me? And how is almost getting killed a bunch good?"

[Because you were only almost killed.] There was a slow exhale, what sounded almost like a steam geyser going off as the teenager could picture the immense beast of shining metal and emerald shifting position. [As for having luck like yours…. No. Some had much, much worse luck.]

"Oh."

[Do not dwell overmuch on it. Their past is just that and I can say that my partners, both those I approved of and those I did not, were powerful, proud people. They would not appreciate pity.]

Something in the great beast's words echoed in the Campione's mind, gently bumping against something else he vaguely recalled his self proclaimed adoptive mother telling him about or mentioning. But the dream meetings were still hazy, at best, and outright muddled at times.

[But I'd wager that these challengers are due to your nature as a god slayer. Combine their propensity for attracting danger to my own propensity for seeking it out and you have a fearsome combination indeed.]

Issei groaned, turning on his side so he could look at the glowing green gem on the back of his hand.

"Can't you do something about that? I really don't wanna be some sort of danger magnet." And he was speaking the truth. As exciting as the challenges from ten days ago had been, the young man still worried that this might be just the calm before another storm.

It had taken one month for Athena and the sisters to find him, after all.

Who knew what might be coming up next?

[You're not at all what I expected, you know?]

"Funny cuz I didn't expect you, period."

The gem flickered with a rumbling laugh.

[That's fair. It really did take the absolute last second for me to show up, huh?]

Issei shrugged. Not like he was gonna hold it against the big dragon. He wasn't expecting any help when he fought Wukong, so whatever he got was welcome, regardless of how late. Though he might need to get used to having a new roommate, it wasn't the strangest thing to happen to him so far.

[I'll say, you seem to have quite the strange luck with Heretics. Can't help but wonder if you actually want them to show up.]

He shuddered at the thought.

"Look, is it so hard to accept I'm not eager to go wrecking my town just for a fight? There's gotta be at least a few Campione out there who weren't complete muscleheads."

Like his 'sister'.

[Sorry, kid. But in my experience you lot are always the ones going around picking fights. Hell, even I had to deal with a few crazies back when I had a body. It must have been… I don't know… twelve… no, fifteen hundred years ago? There was this one human king who somehow managed to kill an angel and went on to become a Tyrant. Obviously, after going around killing heretics for a decade or so he decided he wanted to go for larger prey.]

Why wasn't he surprised?

Issei could see that crazy lady going after a dragon just because she thought it would give her a good fight.

"So he went after you?"

[Why wouldn't he? Dragons are powerful on average, even some of those younger than me can put up a fight against Campione so the white dragon and I were premier targets for god slayers.]

Well, Issei couldn't exactly blame the guy. Most games had dragons as big boss battles and defeating one always gave you some nice loot. So it wouldn't be that unrealistic to think a real life dragon would be worth a lot.

"And how did that go? Did you kill him?"

[Nah, wish it had been that easy. Little weasel cut his losses when Albion showed up for our usual duel. Kinda wish he hadn't, as much of a pain in the ass as that guy was he at least had some fight in him. Shame that he died before I could try again.]

"Wait, he died? How?"

He got the impression of the dragon shrugging.

[Hell if I know. I took a nap and by the time I got back he was gone. Same as every other Campione at the time. Damn waste that was, I really wanted to fight the guy back at the isles.]

They all died?

From what Smith and the others had explained, some of the past Campione were born hundreds of years ago. So unless they were all really unlucky then something must have happened. He might not know a whole lot about how the supernatural side of things worked, but he knew people like Luo Hao, people who could fight Heretic Gods, were strong. And even then, Campione weren't really the strongest.

It was more like… a gamble.

If you fought one and lost, and were strong enough to have a chance at fighting them, then it became a problem.

[In fact, it was so much of a problem back in the day that some gal named Himiko would just open a portal and yank them out of the country whenever a godslayer showed up wanting to make trouble.]

By teleporting them?

If it was that easy, why not dump them somewhere that might kill them? It certainly would have made things easier for him if he could just have teleported Luo Hao away!

[Hah! You wish it were that easy. See, Campione cause just about any kind of spell to go haywire around them, it takes a lot to affect one of those tough bastards and even if you can, parts of the spell might still break down randomly. Himiko wasn't chucking Campione into the sun because they always ended up being teleported at random]

And given how they were supposedly super lucky… Issei would bet top dollar they always somehow landed on their feet.

"Well, as one of those tough bastards I guess I have something to be thankful for, huh?" Issei smiled at the red gauntlet a bit sheepishly.

[Thinking about trying your luck? Who knows, maybe the local gods might try something with you. If you make a bit of a racket maybe they will send Susano'o. Now that sounds like a good fight.]

"I already told you I ain't like that." Issei groaned, throwing his blanket off as he stood.

[Well, you haven't told me a whole lot to be honest, so all I have to go on are the Campione that I faced in the past. They were all ambitious or obsessive to a terrifying degree but I haven't exactly pieced together what you are after.]

What he wanted?

Issei sat up, tossing the blanket off of his legs.

For a moment he looked at his room - it was a little messy after all. Right now, the wire frame desk the teenager had left his school work on was the neatest part of the whole place. Two pencils, a sharpener, and a pen were neatly laid out next to the eight notebooks he used to organize his classes in. And hadn't it been nice of Akeno to show him to better arrange his materials?

A lot less time spent cramming meant more time for napping!

And… other things.

He coughed, blushing a little at the memories of his particular daydreams.

'Damn pretty women who realize they're pretty and torment me with the hopes and dreams of all mankind.'

But the rest of the place was a bit of a mess.

Issei's bed was kind of a pile of sheets and blankets and pillows he'd just kinda piled up against the wall, his hamper of dirty clothes were kind of overflowing and he hadn't even put up the last load of clothes he'd washed. Partly out of laziness and partly because he kinda knew where everything was in there, so, you know, why worry about it?

His floor could be vacuumed and he could do with dusting the place a little bit.

At the very least, he'd kept his computer clean and it wasn't like his playstation was difficult to look after. Even his games were all where they should be. So it was his bookshelf that would actually need the most work. Over in the corner, the real wood frame was pretty heavily laden down at the moment.

Mostly because of the softly shining marble figurines that had started to crowd out the, ahem, collectibles he'd gathered over the last couple of years.

The shaped bits of plastic were still beautiful in their own way. Quite a few had rather wonderful memories associated with them. And not just lewd ones. He and his friends had coveted the bits and pieces carefully gathered, step by step, con by con, market by market.

But they just weren't… the same.

"Dusa-Chan, Sthen-Chan, Ra-Chan." Two women sat on the carefully arranged scale of a great serpent, the colors of marble forming individual details as the three stared out at the world. "I'm glad you look happy now."

Well, Medusa did, and so did the giant snake that had tried to eat him. Their last sister just looked smug, somehow, sitting there and smirking out at the world. Defiant even in defeat.

"Three immortals, a dragon, and a sage. How… crazy."

He'd actually posted pictures of his work on a few forums, anonymously, admittedly, but he'd gotten a lot of love for the work.

But the cast of the Journey to the West now stood together.

Sandy was trying his best to be a badass, standing to the side, looking stoic as he could be. Pigsy was snacking on a pork bun while Teacher was distracted, because of course she was, and Wukong… he was trying to clamber over Bai Long Ma to give the world a thumbs up and a lecherous grin.

'Sanzang, ah, it's hard to sin when I know it would disappoint you.'

Rubbing the back of his head, he fought the urge to gently reach over and touch the artifacts.

Even if they were super durable material, well, breaking them felt like it would be insulting to their memories, so, with his luck, it was probably best not to risk it.

"I suppose, Ddraig, I would like to meet more guys like those. Even if a lot of it was scary and I almost died and I had to fight a lot… I learned a lot, too. And, you know, it was pretty cool at times."

[Heh. As you say. Still, is that all you want? To meet new and interesting people?]

The question was asked with perfect respect.

It was clear the dragon wasn't fishing for more information, just continuing their conversation.

Issei still blushed a little.

"Ah, well, you see… I also want to be a harem king!"

Raising the armored gauntlet to the heavens, the teenager cleared his throat, shook off his shame, and declared his war cry to the world.

"I want a harem of at least… three, no, four beauties who I can love! Maybe more, I, uh, well, I don't actually know how those things work, you know? And I figure games probably aren't the most accurate representation of how they work either."

[Bwahahahahaahaha! You're an honest one, aren't you?]

"Oi! You asked!"

[I did.] The dragon agreed, still laughing. [But you know you could just ask for one, right?]

"Wait, what!?"

[As my partner you would already have been able to assemble one easy enough. Most people, women and men, tend to be attracted to power and you would have had plenty of that. But you also went and made yourself a Demon King, too. If you asked, you could easily get a hundred women delivered to you.]

Issei waved his hand dismissively.

"Nah, nah. Not like that. I want to earn one, you know? Build it with my own hands!"

[Hmm. I wonder if I won the lottery with you or got the craziest possible person ever.]

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

[I mean that I just told you, you could have your dream right here, right now, and you dismissed it without a thought. All because you would not have claimed it with your own hands. Perhaps you really are a dragon at heart, and not a demon. Well, heh, this is more interesting, you know?]

"Because it's gonna be a lot harder like this?"

[Do not doubt that fact, Issei. I normally remain rather passive, but it would be prudent for me to warn you. If you want a happy ending to your story, you will have to fight for it.]

"I… see."

[No, I fear you do not.] The gem shone brightly for a moment before dimming. [But, in time, you will. And that shall be the climax of your struggle. Or that's what this old dragon thinks. And I want a nap now, so go have fun getting talked at by the other monkeys.]

Issei huffed but didn't take the bait. He did call him a gecko, after all.


Walking to school never felt more nerve wracking. At least when it had been so long since anything had gone wrong.

Considering Issei was two for two on either getting ambushed on the way to school or outside of school, the god slayer was starting to regret his decision of staying in Kuoh, though a larger part of him was willing to stubbornly see this through to the end if only because of all the time and effort he spent on the entrance exam studies.

He deserved it, dammit.

He was gonna graduate, he was gonna spend time with a bunch of cute girls, and by the end of his time in high school he'll get started on his grand plan to become the Harem King.

"I don't get why you're following me, though."

Looking to the side, Issei shot the younger boy a puzzled look as he kept pace with him, arms folded behind his back, Lu Yinghua looked less like a student headed to school and more like a monk in the middle of a pilgrimage replete with a serene, placid look and steady uniform steps.

"It was the mission bequeathed to me by Master. She wished to be notified of your growth and thus bid me to stay as her representative in Kuoh."
Issei quirked an eyebrow.

"Really? Because from what I heard she got kicked out of the country by an annoyed Buddha. Did she even have time to ask that?"

Shifting slightly, the younger boy smiled wryly.

"I see no issue why her current status should affect my mission in the slightest. Big Sister will find the reports on your growth on her desk the moment she returns to the human world. Whether that be tomorrow, next month, or a century from now, I am merely complying with her orders."

More like malicious compliance then.

"And you're not going to help her?"

Yinghua shrugged.

"It is not my place. If Big Sister hasn't returned yet then it is obviously something beyond my own capabilities. She would see any offer of help as an insult to her abilities and bonk me over the head."

He grimaced at some sort of memory, hand reaching for the top of his noggin.

"I'm really sorry you have to deal with that."

"Truly? Because looking from where I'm standing it is Big Brother who appears to be in dire straits when compared to this Lu Yinghua."

Issei blinked in confusion.

"How so? I mean, I know I just got through a bunch of fights but it doesn't seem like anyone is showing up to keep that going."

"You misunderstand me. Big Brother might be great and powerful, however he makes the mistake of surrounding himself with vipers who are only willing to use him and undermine his freedom. Truly, it beggars belief that you haven't been told this the moment you became a Godslayer."

Leaning forward, Issei couldn't help listening in closer.

"Yeah, what haven't I been told?"

"That you shouldn't trust women, of course."

What.

"What?" He repeated, this time outloud.

"But of course. Big Brother is a great and powerful warrior, therefore he is used to great and powerful enemies such as Gods and monsters. Your dedication to maintaining peace and observing a humble life is in line with many important precepts. Nonetheless, this Lu Yinghua believes that your lust and desires may be used against by treacherous enemies who will seek to usurp your authority for their personal gain. Master may consider herself above such practices but through observation I've come to realize that underneath all pleasantries and smiles, all sisters and their ilk are fundamentally the same."

BONK

"Ouch! Who did that?!"

Behind Yinghua, a young woman with white hair and yellow eyes lowered her fist, giving the younger man an exasperated look. Besides her, an equally familiar blonde scratched his cheek awkwardly, as if trying to ignore the entire thing.

"You needed it."

Her deadpan expression and Yinghua's narrowed eyes and sudden glare were, well, adorable.

Issei couldn't help but smile.

"Hmmph. Wicked cat."

"Dog breath."

"Conniving stray!"

"Panting lapdog."

Issei, however, was glad for the interruption.

"Morning, Kiba, Koneko."

The blond pretty boy returned the greeting with a smile, the white haired girl merely tipping her head in acknowledgement as she shot Yinghua a none too pleased look. Not that the guy seemed to care, shooting an equally annoyed glare as sparks flew between the two of them.

He wisely decided not to get involved on that one.

If Yinghua wanted to annoy the pint sized powerhouse, that was on him.

"Good morning. Headed for school early?"

Issei looked at his watch, they still had around an hour until class started. But since he had so much extra energy these days he figured arriving earlier meant he could get an early start and maybe even talk to the… supernatural side of his classmates for some ideas he had.

Important god slaying ideas, that is.

"Yeah, was hoping to catch up with Buchou and Akeno before class. Had some things I wanted to ask."

"Ah, that. Sorry, they're not coming today." The blonde devil grimaced.

They weren't?

"Something happened?"

"No, nothing serious like that. Buchou just has to visit her family more often these days and Akeno accompanies her. The school is aware and lets her skip every now and again so long as she manages to keep her grades up."

Now that he mentioned it, she had taken a bit longer to come back after the entire mess with the Heretic God and Luo Hao.

And now she was skipping days in the week to go back home?

There was definitely something going on there, but if they didn't think he needed to know about it then Issei wasn't going to pry. Even if he really really wanted to catch up properly with those two after all the help they gave him with those subordinate gods.

He never even got to properly thank them.

"Well, I guess if they're okay then it's alright. I'll just talk to Miss Prez about it."

Issei knew she was also a devil, but they hadn't gotten much time to chat before the whole mess dragged him into a fight so he was hoping to get a feel for how things were supposed to happen in school and in town since they were apparently the ones looking after it before he showed up and kinda… took it off their hands.

Waving away Kiba's worries, the Campione ignored his juniors squabbling with one another. Though he hoped he just imagined the bolts of lightning flying from their eyes as they were glaring at one another.

"So, how is everyone, Gasper too, since I haven't gotten to speak to him properly in a bit, either."

"Deceiver!"

"Brat!"

The blonde merely smiled.

"Unfortunately a bit early, Gasper is actually going through some training, too, though of a different sort. I'm afraid that it was something that only Lord Lucifer and his wife could do." Scratching his cheek, his friend looked at the other two members of their group. "But, um, normally she's not… like… this."

"Hmm? Oh, Koneko? Don't worry. Yinghua, well, let's just say his master is a bit crazy. So they'll be fine. He already promised not to go overboard again!"

Looking at the Chinese boy with a smidgen of awe and a dose of sympathy, the Devil nodded.

"Thank you. Koneko is more than capable of handling herself, usually, but anyone who can handle that crazy lady's training…."

"Oh, oh! I remember now! Gasper sent me a link to his normal stream!" Fishing a rather new cell phone out of his pocket, the Campione pulled up his little buddy's page. "See. That's Millcas, Rias's nephew!"

A crimson haired young man was chasing the blonde crossdresser with a necklace of garlic.

"Apparently he's not actually allergic to that, but it's exposure therapy?"

"Ah." The white haired middle schooler walked over and actually gave a small smile. "He's a good boy. Even tried to give Gya-kun the present I sent him."

Shaking his head, Issei offered up a small prayer for his friend.

'Well, maybe it'll make him a little more manly… maybe.'


"Summer break can't come soon enough."

"Miss Sitri?"

Shaking her head, the devil heiress turned her head to the side, facing the door leading out of the Student Council room and inclining her head to her queen.

"Ah, I'm sorry for ignoring you. Was there anything you needed?"

Sona Sitri was exhausted.

Mentally, emotionally, and magically.

The past few weeks following the arrival of Luo Hao and the campione's battle against the Heretic Monkey King had been a reprieve of sorts, yet Sona hadn't found in herself the ability to relax. Like somewhere, in the back of her mind, she was waiting for the next disaster.

What she didn't expect was for Rias to just up and leave the city for her to manage.

"We have some of the reports you asked for." Momo and Tomoe shuffled into the room, too, each carrying a small pile of paper. They looked, well, perhaps a bit tense. Inexperienced as they were, they probably didn't know how to deal with all the trouble the city had seen since the year started.

'Not like I handled it any better.'

She sighed, eyeing her cup of coffee. A well that had long since run dry.

"I'll take a look at them later. Thank you." She waved off the students, and considered whether destroying the papers would actually accomplish anything before filing them to deal with later.

Studying was hard. Keeping up grades she was satisfied with was hard. Add to that the quotidian duties of a Student Council president and Sona's routine would normally be swamped. Doable, but still busy.

"Campione, and now Rias leaving…"

Her friend hadn't abandoned her life in Japan, but in the past few weeks all the free time the Gremory heiress had was dedicated to training sojourns to the underworld, leaving part of her peerage and Sona to look after Kuoh at night.

She thought she could do it.

She barely did anything to manage Kuoh during the day, so there shouldn't be any problem adding a task or two to her list.

'But at the end of the day, nobody is perfect.'

Responsibilities pile up, those of a heiress, those of a student, as well as those of a friend. At the end of the day, she was driven to the brink trying to think of a way to salvage this situation that didn't involve going to her family for help. Because that would have been the surest sign that she was struggling and thus unsuited to those responsibilities.

'Who else is left, though?'

Her peerage was still young and primarily made up of reincarnated humans with very little experience in devil-related affairs. Her Queen was perhaps the only one she could delegate that part of her work to, but that just meant overworking someone else for her own benefit.

It was a dead end.

The only thing she had left was to relinquish something.

"What a dreadful state of affairs."

Despite what her colleagues might believe, Sona was a naturally strict person who demanded hard work and dedication, not just from others around her, but from herself. If one took on a task then they should endeavor to see it through to the end, that was her honest belief.

And to foster talent and learn how to better improve other's learning abilities was why she took on the task of Student Council President.

It was an important step for her dream.

'Even so, to be forced to give it up this soon…'

There was a knock at the door and Sona suddenly startled. She wasn't expecting anyone, and only her peerage tended to arrive this early in the morning. Yet she could keenly feel the presence of a stranger behind the door, something ominous that made her hair stand on end.

A strange, familiar prickling sensation.

'Was that divinity just now?'

Still, maybe it could have been just her mind playing tricks at her and upon closer inspection she found there was nothing else but a human standing outside.

They knocked again.

"Hello? Is anyone here?"

Sona shook her head. This wasn't the time to get distracted.

"Yes, please come in."

Standing in the doorway was a young Japanese woman, obviously expected considering where they currently were, but there was an air of nobility, of something else mixed in that was particularly strong. And Sona's instincts as a Devil were very, very nervous. Though her red eyes and long bangs were hardly unusual, nor was her uniform anything even remotely as ornate as the Kuoh one, and by her side was a small cloth bag, the sort she'd seen carried around by members of the Kendo club.

"Good morning. I'm a recent transfer student and my name is Ena Seishuuin. Pleased to meet you."

When she bowed, the heiress realized what she was feeling, eyes wide open as the bag shifted ever so slightly.

'Dragon!'

Sona swallowed.

"Pleased to meet you." She licked her lips. "The Committee… informed me you would be arriving soon. But not today."

"Ena apologizes, Devil-san, but I thought I should be prompt in greeting the masters of this area. Former and current, in that order, of course." Her face, before a flawless mask of politeness, shifted to a knowing playing smile. Like a cat on the hunt for a mouse.

Sona had a bad feeling about this.

"Now, would you tell Ena where His Majesty is?"