"I cannot accept this." Rias bit her thumbnail in frustration while hissing and pacing around her guest quarters. The quarters given to her as a guest were the size of a large apartment with several rooms, but she had no interest in exploring them, not one bit. Not when the quarters were mere stone's throw away from Issei's quarters! Even if it was on a floor directly above hers!
A location where her Issei, where her Issei would be… forced to… "I cannot allow my Ise to be taken advantage of, not like this!"
"Ara, is Rias-chan getting cold feet?" Akeno teased while she was pacing around as well.
"Doesn't this annoy you as well, Akeno?!" Rias snapped at her Queen, who had decided to intrude into her guest quarters instead of staying in the Peerage quarters that had been given to the rest of Rias's Peerage. The Peerage quarters would have been shared with Riser's Peerage in an attempt to get the two groups to mingle.
"Ufufu, I can't help but to feel very annoyed. However, at the same time, there's a strange feeling of excitement? That my Ise-kun has to breed a different woman and I have to just stay here and wait with my pillow on my lap and just listen to them going at it? How scandalous, my M-side is tingling. But it is an entirely unpleasant feeling…" Akeno said something shocking, causing Rias to stop pacing around and stare at her Queen. "Ufufu, I said that aloud, didn't I?"
"When did you start saying things like 'my Ise-kun'?! Akeno-chan!" Rias demanded! The rest of her Queen's words washed over her back like water off swan's feathers, as Akeno being Akeno was just normal for her.
"Ufufufu, and when did you start saying things like 'my Ise' with such a fond, loving tone of voice, Rias-chan?~" Akeno responded playfully, causing Rias's cheeks to blush a bit. "Could it be that Rias-chan has fallen for Ise-kun for real?"
"S-shush! It's only natural, after what he has said and done! After all he's… sacrificed for me, for my happiness…" Rias bit her lip while feeling conflicted. "Moreover! You didn't answer my question, Akeno!"
"...Excuse me." A voice came from outside the door and Rias walked briskly to the door, stowing the awkward conversation with Akeno for now.
"Koneko-chan? Asia-chan?"
"Yuuto-kun stayed behind to hold the fort and fight back the annoying crowd." Koneko was clad in her comfy sleeping kimono and Asia was clad in a green nightgown that covered her entire body and came with a hood. "We came to stay here."
"Yuuto-kun did?" Rias blinked in surprise, though in all honestly it didn't surprise her at all that Yuuto would sacrifice himself to a last stand of sorts. She knew he was all sorts of heroic and stoic, though Yuuto was always awkward and shut-off in his own little way whenever matters of the heart were concerned. At least this time there was no battle to fight, so Rias could rest easy that Yuuto wouldn't end up dying even if he 'lost'.
"Issei-kun… He was so brave, and I…" Asia seemed to be depressed so Rias hugged her.
"Shush now, Asia-chan. No-one blames you. Not even Issei-kun, I'm certain of it. If you want to blame yourself, then turn that into motivation to train harder, but don't wear yourself out. You're still my precious and cute servant, you know?" Rias muttered to Asia's ear.
Koneko had curled up into an overstuffed sofa like a cat in the meanwhile.
"Ufufu, this has turned into a pajama party between us girls, I'll go get the snacks." Akeno chuckled lightly, though Rias saw through the act. It was clear to her that Akeno was deliberately busying herself so that she wouldn't have to think.
"Is it really alright, though?" Rias asked Asia quietly. "These quarters are just below Issei's…"
"-Y-yeah." Asia had tears in her eyes. "Even if… Even if I can't be with him, I want to be as close as I can be! E-even if it's like this… Even if I h-hate this…"
Rias hugged Asia harder as the former nun shook violently and muttered words that she normally would never speak aloud. The gentle girl had always seemed to Rias like someone who could never hate anything or anyone, but she had been proven wrong. Not that she blamed her for it.
"Shh…" Rias kept hugging Asia and rocking side to side to calm her, and by extension herself.
A quiet hissing came from somewhere and Rias detached herself from Asia and went to sit beside Koneko. The white-haired girl had been hissing quietly for a while now.
"Koneko-chan… I won't ask you to leave. I'll never ask that of you. But I'm confused… has something happened?" Rias stroked Koneko's head. Koneko seemed to freeze still for a moment before she shuddered. "Is it because of Issei-kun?"
"...Hentai was so brave. Even when… Even when my dirty past, my tainted past came to light, he… didn't… he didn't look at me differently, and when they accused me and tried to cage me, he…" Koneko muttered words so quietly that Rias had to strain herself to hear them. "And now he's… Because I didn't notice those two… Because I couldn't protect Asia…"
Rias had a complicated expression as she looked at Koneko.
"Awa… I- It's not Koneko-chan's fault, I'm just… too weak… And a burden…" Asia sat on Koneko's other side while self-flagellating herself with her words.
"Shush. Asia-chan, I'll get mad at you if you keep blaming yourself, hm? Koneko, could it be that you've grown more friendly towards Issei-kun?" Rias reached to pat Asia's head while taking care not to ruffle her hair.
"...No." Koneko had a huffy tone of voice. Rias smiled at the reaction and at the small, embarrassed blush that spread on Koneko's cheeks.
"Ah! Excuse me!" A new voice entered the conversation. It came from beyond the quarter's closed door. "Could it be that the rest of Rias-sama's Peerage are located here?"
"...Yes." Rias pondered for a moment if she should try to hide the girls, just in case, but discarded the idea as any uncounted-for devils in the Phenix estate would no doubt cause worry for the estate's guardians. "However, it is very rude to be shouting like that through the door. Step inside and reveal yourself."
"Rev- ahm, Y-you mean, to introduce myself? M-my apologies, my mind wandered." The door opened and showed a blonde girl with double-drill hair, and she was holding her nose as if it had started to bleed just now. "I am Ravel Phenix, as many of you know already. How do you do."
"What are you doing here?" Rias demanded as she was in no mood for games.
"I was asked to mingle with Rias Gremory's Peerage by my mother, so I figured that I'd seek out the majority of your group? Kiba-sama seems to be getting closer to the rest of Riser-sama's Peerage, he seems to specifically enjoy chatting with the two Knights of my bro- sister's Peerage. However I feel as if I'd be just an unnecessary interruption if I intruded on their conversation. Moreover I believe that the bold conversation about 'lengths of blade' and 'oiling the blade delicately' and such would not be good for my health, mental or otherwise. A-although it didn't look like Kiba-sama was talking about the 'same thing' as my big bro- er, sister's Knights…"
Ravel seemed to fall into daydream for a moment before she shook herself back to reality and adopted a ladylike posture. "I feel as if leading Riser-sama's Pawns here would be unnecessary, given that they have grown terrified of the Red Dragon Emperor-sama, therefore I decided to just bring his Queen and Bishop with me. And, well, Isabela is trying to calm down Xuelan, Riser's two rooks, that is, as Xuelan seemed to have fallen into a state of terrified despair upon witnessing Issei-sama's 'dragon'-state."
Two aforementioned women, the Bishop and the Queen, poked their heads out of the doorway and sent Rias's group a wary glance.
Rias wanted to scream at them and order them to get out, but she was a guest at the house and making a scene would not reflect well on her family or her own image. "...It's fine. Get in here, you two look like criminals when you skulk around the hallways like that."
The violet-haired Queen and the black-haired Bishop seemed a bit offended but came into the quarters nonetheless.
"Yubelluna. Riser's Queen, at your service." The violet-haired woman introduced herself, while the kimono-wearing Japanese girl beside her gave a short curtsy. "This is Mihae. Riser's Bishop, at your service as well. It was suggested for us to mingle."
"...Right. Well, here is…" Rias quickly and tersely introduced the girls of her Peerage as well. She then looked upwards and gave a hand-wave at the ceiling. "...And then there's Issei-kun, my beloved Pawn. Now we are introduced, so I'd like to ask what is your actual motive in coming here?"
"Um… Well, I was wondering if I could get closer to my lord's Peerage, so-" Ravel seemed to mutter something while Yubelluna and Mihae were still as statues.
"Ahem. I am the King of my Peerage, and Issei is my servant." Rias had a vein ticking on her temple. "Moreover, what exactly do you mean 'your lord'?"
"Ahe- w-well, there's nothing particular, I am merely interested in- no, that's not good either… aaah… I-it's just that, ahem…" Ravel seemed to panic a bit after trying her best to stay aloof and polite like a proper young noble lady, but she overdid it. "O- Ohoho, w-well, after Issei-sama boldly took my mother in the baths and remodeled her body around his cock, and then told me I'd be next, but I passed out and was healed afterwards, I figured I'd come and listen to the sounds of Lord Issei's brutal breeding-sex with my new cute big sister and listen as he gives her several creampies directly into her womb- No! Wait! That's much worse, actually!"
Ravel paused to hyperventilate into Yubelluna's breasts for a bit. The violet-haired woman patted the blonde's head and helped her calm down.
"Ravel-chan, did you see one of Riser-sama's porn movies by mistake again?" Yubelluna had a sympathetic expression.
"No! That sort of ecchi thing is too much for me! I would never!" Ravel denied vehemently.
Yubelluna lifted her eyebrow at the girl's heated denials.
"...Mom told me Riser and I should bond together as a family after I beat him to a pulp with a metal bat for making fun of me, and I agreed, but he got to choose the movie…" Ravel muttered into Yubelluna's robes.
"It is alright, Ravel-sama is a growing young lady after all, it's alright to be curious about all sorts of things." Yubelluna spoke as if she was a big sister and smiled at Ravel, who blushed up to her hairline while muttering cutely. Mihae looked like she was completely ignoring the conversation and had walked off to prepare a tea ceremony some distance away.
Rias was frozen still as a statue, certain that she had suffered a spontaneous stroke and misheard something. Rather, she wondered if she had misheard an entire exchange.
Asia was swaying from side to side on the couch next to her, with a blush so supercritical it could set off a nuclear explosion.
Koneko sent a loathing glare at Ravel. "Hentai-yakitori. Only thinking about eggs and sausage. Go bury yourself in porn books and become a hikikomori."
"Gyaaah! Th-that's not it at alllll!" Ravel sprinted out of the room, embarrassed, while looking as red as a strawberry.
"Excuse us, Rias-sama." Yubelluna gave curtsy to the redhead. "I believe myself and Mihae have to go to Ravel-sama and calm her down."
"Oh no you don't! Not alone! I'm coming with you! And then she'll explain just what exactly she meant with her words just now?!" Rias growled as the two women departed to chase after Ravel! Something had happened when Rias had been separated from her Ise!
If Lady Yakitori had laid her fingers on her Ise, she would never forgive her! Not in a million years! Even Akeno was glowering at the spot where Ravel had been, as the Queen had just come from the kitchen with snacks in time to hear Ravel's surprising declaration!
However, before she could rush in after Yubelluna, she heard a feminine shriek and a loud 'bang' noise coming from somewhere above!
The shriek repeated, and came with several 'bang' sounds in loud succession, as if something was hitting something very hard and caused the entire floor to shake a bit.
Akeno looked down at the tray of teacups that she was carrying, and saw ripples on the surface of the tea.
Koneko looked like she had eaten a lemon.
Asia continued to hold her beet-red face which let out steam.
Akeno had a complicated expression on her face and a faint blush.
Rias let out a frustrated harrump, power-walked to Akeno, and drank one of the teacups dry in one long sip. "It's fine. I'm fine. This has to be fine. If Issei has to do this, then he has to… Even if I don't like it! Once this is over I'll make sure to make Riser regret messing with Issei-kun!"
"Ufufu, Rias-chan has a determined expression… And I agree, I cannot forgive Riser-chan. I'll have to punish her very harshly once I get the chance~" Akeno had a deadly glint in her eyes.
Rias and Akeno shook hands in reinforced comradery!
"Oh, speaking of, you didn't tell me why you kept calling my Issei 'your ise-kun'." Rias asked Akeno as she remembered something crucial.
"Ufufu, maybe one day I'll tell you~" Akeno looked mischievous while trying to ignore the sounds of banging and occasional female noises coming from above.
Asia covered her face with a pillow and almost suffocated herself, while Koneko's violent hissing almost overpowered the echoing feminine sounds and the rough 'thump's.
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Riser panted while her eyes felt like they'd burst out of her head.
Her head. Not 'His' head. As much as she wanted it to be otherwise.
Indeed, she had been locked into her new quarters, and some time afterwards her husband had been dumped into the quarters like a monster being let loose in the building to chase after a victim in a slasher movie! Riser had locked herself into a closet to hide from the monster!
'Who could have known that the [Boosted Gear] wielder was this dangerous?! I knew he was trouble the moment he just stood up after Xuelan had kicked him several times, like a madman with an agenda, but I didn't think he'd be this mad!' She tried to stifle her breathing but putting both of her hands over her mouth to keep any noises from coming out of her. 'Is this what it means to face a 'Longinus' wielder?! Terrifying! Longinuses are terrifying! Dragons are so terrifying! Dragons who are Longinuses are even more terrifying!'
She could feel the terror coming out of her every pore like a flash sweat. The memory of the terrifying figure in front of the burning gymnasium, the insane rambling that had been almost prophetic, and now even that form… Her 'husband' was absolutely terrifying! The fact she was now 'married' to the monster was terrifying! Her life had been so idyllic up to that point, and suddenly it was nothing but terror?!
'Mother! Why did you do this to me!? Have I been a bad son?! How could you?! I was meant to marry Rias! I even won! I won but I was betrayed!' Riser cried internally and recalled the scene at the 'wedding'. 'Dad… Thank you for trying to keep me safe, but in the end, even you couldn't stop that terrifying Dragon… Li, Ni, everyone… I'm sorry for being such a poor King to you! That you'd have to try to fight the Dragon alone while your useless king just watched and shook in fear! Shit! At this rate I'll really become a helpless maiden in my soul! I don't want to! I want to be a man! I'm not into guys! I don't want to have some ugly dragon shove his thing into my ass! Dammit!'
There was a creeping sound, like something slimy dropping from the ceiling outside the closet that Riser used as a hiding space, in the quarters that had been prepared for 'her' and 'her husband' in the Phenix estate.
The room layout was familiar to Riser, and the several different kinds of rooms that made the quarters were lavish- But more importantly, they offered many hiding places!
The sounds of footsteps echoed in the dark, lightless room… And the slimy, scaly monster outside Riser's closet paused to sniff the air!
Riser almost let out a scream of terror as she thought she had been discovered, but managed to keep herself quiet through squeezing her mouth and nose with her hands so tightly she almost suffocated herself!
The monster seemed to turn around a few times… And left the room.
A sound of climbing told Riser that the monstrous lizard-thing had climbed up to the ceiling in the hallway connecting to the room, and had slipped into one of the ventilation ducts running invisibly through the roofs of the dark rooms.
She didn't dare put the lights on. The monster would see where Riser was if there was light, and could trace her path if she was being too obvious!
"Haa… Haa… I just have to survive until the morning… Come on, you can do this, Riser…" Riser muttered very quietly to reassure herself as she quietly pushed open the closet's doors. She couldn't hide too long in a single place or the monstrous creature would eventually run out of things to search and would finally discover her. Sleeping was certainly out of the question.
She slowly crept into the hallway… And almost slipped on a trail of slime that was on the floor.
"Hng!" Riser quickly muffled herself so that her surprise wouldn't turn to a shriek that could give her away! A woman's body was seriously difficult! Not only did it have different dimensions than her 'real' male body, her feet were more narrow and her body was far more sensitive! The combination made it much harder for her to sneak around and stay quiet! The fact she had been stuffed into an almost-see-through nightgown didn't help things, but she didn't have the time to go search for different clothes, and she couldn't control her nerves enough to use [Power of Imagination] to make different clothes.
She looked down at the trail of slime that the monster had left behind in the hallway… And froze in terror as she saw that one of the ventilation duct panels in the ceiling was open! There was a trail of saliva running down from the duct!
In other words… The monster was waiting for her to walk to the trap! It knew she was here! It was waiting inside the air-duct and would grab her if she walked underneath it without noticing the slime trail!
Riser quietly backpedalled away from the open air duct, hoping against hope that she wouldn't be seen or heard… But her hand brushed against a vase!
The vase tilted dangerously and fell over before Riser could react!
Crash!
Riser's eyes bulged in terror and snapped forwards as she heard sounds of something large moving, and then a dark form fell down from the saliva-dripping open duct!
"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Riser couldn't help herself! She screamed with all her might! She wanted the scream to be a manly war-shout, but it was a feminine shriek of terror!
A part of her wanted to act manly and befitting of her title and rank and fight the monster with flames! But she knew it was futile! Her strength was meaningless! She was just a prey in front of the dragon! She was going to get brutalized and eaten! She was going to get killed on her 'wedding night'!
"NOOOO! HEEELP!" Riser ran off, crashing against the end of the hallway and bouncing off thanks to the hindrance that was clinging to her chest, her 'breasts', and she dove into the nearest room to hide and slammed the door closed behind herself!
She heard a loud thump of the monster's footsteps! The monster was in hot pursuit!
Riser quickly dove under a sofa that was in the lounge that she had entered!
The door to the lounge was slammed open! The door almost fell off its hinges from the force of the entry! The monster had certainly seen Riser enter the room!
Riser covered her mouth with her hands to stop herself from whimpering. Her bladder felt like it'd burst. She was terrified and could barely hold it in!
The monster took several swift steps around the room and paused in front of the sofa! Riser's heart felt like it had stopped beating as she was certain she had been found!
A long, segmented and scaly tail swished in front of Riser's field of vision. The prehensile tail of the monster seemed to have a mind of its own as it moved around a bit, at one point coming within inches of her nose and causing her to let out a tiny, minute whimper against her will, past her hands.
The monster paused and squatted a bit… But seemed to give up instead of crouching to look under the sofa, and then turned around.
The 'thump's of the monster's footsteps echoed in the room as it stalked out with the grace of an apex predator and exited the room. The nearly-broken door remained open in its wake.
Riser took several breaths while feeling as if her heart would burst after the way-too-close call! She thought the tail would find her and alert the monster to her presence! Her bladder felt like it'd burst out of terror! But… If she went to use the bathroom, she'd certainly be found! There was no way she could do her thing 'quietly' as she was! It'd be like a pressure jet being fired at a puddle! And if she gave up where she was, the monster would certainly track her from the scent like a bloodhound tailed to her scent! It was terrifying! 'What was mom thinking?! Did she think I could somehow 'tame' that thing?! Rather, isn't this more like that I'm being trained?! That damn monster! I'm definitely going to steal mom's underwear and use it to lead that monster to chase after her scent! See how she likes it! Dammit!'
Riser let out a whimper and slowly shuffled herself out from under the sofa, feeling as if her life had flashed before her eyes just now.
Suddenly-
THUMP!
THUMP!
THUMPTHUMPTHUMP!
There was a rapid, loud sound of footsteps! The floor shook from the thumping sounds of the sudden charge!
Riser screamed in absolute terror as the dark shape burst through the doorway with rapid steps that echoed in the room!
The monster had seen her and had just waited for her to get out on her own will! It had been aware of her presence the entire time! There was no way for her to hide anymore!
"NOOOOOOOOO!" Riser screamed and curled into a ball on the floor.
The monster lunged at her and Riser tumbled over, and performed [Castling] from sheer survival instinct!
A flash of red light passed over Riser's field of view!
She was engulfed by something! Riser let out a terrified whimper and curled up harder while covering her head!
…Only, the rending pain of having her heart torn out from her chest, or having a prehensile tail shoved through his back and out of her stomach, never came. Instead, Riser was engulfed in something soft, dry and warm.
She slowly opened her eyes, expecting to die at any second, but…
"Eh?" Isabela, Riser's half-mask wearing Rook, was hugging Riser.
The room around the two of them was bright and comfortable, and around them were soft and fluffy pillows.
"R-Riser-sama?" Isabela blinked. "Is, is everything alright? I was just talking with Xuelan, but… um?"
"Ueh… Ueeeeehhhh!" Riser hugged Isabela while crying miserably like a child, smushing the two's breasts together. Any thought of 'her being actually him' and whatnot was washed clear out of her head and was replaced by childlike relief that her Rook was in front of her, and that the room was warm and filled with light and soft things! "Scary, so scary! I like warm and soft things, I don't want to go back! I want to stay here! I'm going to die, I'm going to get killed! The monster is going to chase me here, please save me, Isabela-chan! I beg you!"
"R-Riser-sama, p-please calm down!" Isabela was stroking her head gently, causing Riser to shake all over from relief. If Riser was in any sane mood she'd have asked what the normally-delinquent-like Rook was doing in such a girly room, but any such concerns were very far down her priority list right now!
Riser felt as if his pride as a man was dying. The Red Dragon Emperor was molding her into 'a female' for his sick pleasure, it was clear as the day. She didn't want to become a 'girl at heart'! 'I'm a man, dammit! I won't go out like this! I won't submit! I won't! I'll fight!'
However, the thought that she'd have to go against the Red Dragon monster in order to defeat him and reclaim 'his pride as a man' caused her to shrivel up inside out of terror! 'I- I can't! It's too terrifying! I have to become a woman, for real! I can't fight against that damn dragon! Even then, I'll die for real! Mom showed me a picture of that blonde girl, Asia, healing Ravel in the onsen, calling it 'cute'! But there was blood everywhere! That damn monster had brutalized Raval so badly! She was covered all over in blood! How did she even survive?! Do I really want to know?! Do I really have to find out?!'
A thought entered Riser's mind, and it was a bitter, longing one. 'Ravel… I wish I had your strength… Your foolish big brother doesn't deserve a little sister as brave as you…'
"Um, Riser-sama, I was wondering… Wasn't this supposed to be the 'wedding night' between u-um, Riser-sama and Issei-sama?" Isabela had a small blush on her cheeks as she spoke while stroking Riser's head. "That is, if you performed [Castling] to get here, wouldn't Xuelan-chan have… uh…"
Riser froze up in shock as she realized what she had done-
'Thank you for your sacrifice, Xuelan-chan… I'll always remember you.' Riser shook her head sadly, causing Isabela to start to pale.
.
.
.
"Oh, it's the chinese boobs-and-thighs."
"KYAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! NOOOOOO!"
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Couple of minutes earlier
Lady Phenix had dumped Issei into the maze-like quarters and had locked the door behind him and had told him to sleep well and take care of 'Riser-chan'.
The blonde woman had done so shortly after she had fetched Asia and had helped her heal Ravel at the onsen. Unfortunately the 'bloodbath' had caused Issei to get soaked by blood again, but that didn't seem to deter Lady Phenix as she had looked at the time and had just shooed Issei into the quarters. All the while telling him that he should take a shower to clean himself up first, and then join his 'bride' in bed. And that she'd make sure they wouldn't be interrupted.
Issei had, naturally, first gone ahead and washed the blood off his body, even if he had accidentally used lube instead of shampoo at first (and he had several questions why there had been lube in the shower in the first place), resulting in him being all sorts of slippery even after he had swapped for actual shampoo. But being slippery didn't matter as he could just put on a red bathrobe, and tried to tie it closed with the long fluffy rope that came with it. He gave up after a while and just let the rope drag behind him like some sort of tail.
It was a bit embarrassing, though since the alternative was to get naked, Issei shouldered the awkwardness- After all, he had a fried chicken to beat up!
There was no way he was going to do -that- with a man! Even if said man was in a woman's body! If he- she tried anything, Issei would brutalize him- her! He had to make sure to intimidate him properly to make sure he wouldn't try anything during the night, since Issei felt tired and he'd be certain to sleep like a corpse!
'Bleh. I'm here to watch over you so it's fine even if someone tries to murder you in your sleep.' Ddraig read Issei's thoughts and gave her two cents. 'I can't say I'll stop them for sure but at least I'll wake you up. We can take turns sleeping since it looks like I'll be doing that a lot… haah… I want a nap soon, preferably tomorrow…'
'Right! Thank you, Ddraig! I feel reassured when you are looking after my safety!' Issei thumbed up the mental dragon and got a vague handwave back. It was good enough! Ddraig looked to be in higher spirits than earlier. Relatively speaking anyway. 'I'll still need to intimidate Yakitori right and proper though, to make sure he's- she's too scared to try anything in the first place! Lady Phenix told me he's… she's here somewhere, so I just have to find him!'
Unfortunately, Riser had managed to evade Issei's pursuit for a frustratingly long time, and Issei had gone as far as to check the ventilation ducts (thanking the lube mentally for allowing him to plop in and out without getting stuck or without needing to dislocate his shoulders or something like that to fit into the tight tube, though for some reason he had a eerie fear of someone crawling into the air-duct behind him and eating his toes), before he finally spotted Riser upon exiting the air-duct… and he hesitated a bit as he got a good look at Riser's new form. Which was clad in a nearly see-through nightgown that displayed her definetely-not-male curves.
"Uh, that is…" Issei paused as the Riser in front of him didn't really… act like the Riser he'd seen in the Rating Game and before that, though he had gotten a glimpse of her during the wedding. Even if she had been foaming from the mouth like a rabid animal at the time.
Nothing seemed to have changed from the latter state, as Riser spotted Issei, screamed very loudly, and ran away like a girl in a slasher-film that Matsuda had mistaken for a porn DVD during a movie night that had taken a drastic turn.
She-Riser had then hit the wall, bounced off thanks to her oppai that were slightly below Rias's in size, and had scrambled off in terror.
Issei felt bewildered so he walked after her, and even entered the room that Riser had entered in a hurry. It hadn't been hard to spot which room she had entered as she had almost yanked the door off its hinges before slamming it shut so hard that the lock broke.
'...Um.' Issei felt strange as he looked down at the sofa which was shaking all over. There was a blonde woman underneath the sofa, though only her legs were visible.
Issei walked to the legs that were poking out from under the sofa and squatted down for a bit. '...Uh, this isn't exactly how I envisioned this going. I thought there'd be more "You damn dragon! Turn me back or I'll burn you alive, and I'll take Rias back from you!" and less, uh... "kyaah get away from me, someone please help!"-sort of thing? It doesn't feel like something that Yakitori would do...'
'How exactly did you think this'd go? You saw her during the ceremony? What, did you think she was just feeling stage-fright there?' Ddraig told him. 'The ire of a dragon is a terrible thing to face, you know? I remember that quite a few of my previous wielders were seen as outright monsters because of that, amongst other things. It looks like you've managed to accomplish one way of winning versus a permanently-regenerating enemy: To break their spirit.'
'...Right. I suppose she's not a threat, I guess. I should probably go to sleep or something.' Issei felt bewildered so he just wandered out of the room, leaving Riser to shake under the sofa. 'I'm spent. After all that, I'm just about to fall over and sleep for half a century.'
'Hooh? I'm surprised, I thought you'd try to grope her boobs or something.' Ddraig tilted her head.
'Yakitori's still a man, even if he's shaped like a girl right now. I'm not into BL, Ddraig.' Issei refused, though on autopilot as seeing Riser's actually-female form and strange sort of behavior had shaken him quite a bit.
'Weren't you able to restore your energy and whatnot by touching thighs? I figured you'd 'recharge' from that girl and then go to sleep, that way you'd be energized, she'd be spent, and so forth.' Ddraig noted.
'Gah! You're right! If I suck the power out of Yakitori I'll be able to take a power nap, get up early, and go see Rias early tomorrow!' Issei felt like lightning had ran through his spine and he sprinted back to the lounge where Riser had been hiding, saw her getting out from under the sofa, and jumped at her!
…Only that she turned into someone else at the last second?
"Oh. It's the chinese boobs-and-thighs." Issei commented as the said Rook had appeared out of nowhere in Riser's place, spotted Issei, and started screaming loudly in terror.
"Huh." Issei paused to stare at the curled-up Rook's thighs a bit. Or what was visible of them, as she was clad in a huge one-piece bunny onesie that was extremely fluffy. For some reason Issei didn't think it was a regular piece of clothing for the girl, but rather something that she had worn due to extreme stress or some such. "Oh well, you'll do as well. Ittadakimasu~"
"KyaaaahhH! Noooooooo!" The Rook screamed… and then fainted as Issei groped her thighs through the thick bunny onesie she was wearing.
'...Somehow I feel like I'm the bad guy.' Issei thought as he felt his internal pervert-energy reserves go up from massaging thick, muscular thighs while the girl the thighs were attached to had flopped on her back and was gurgling and foaming from the mouth.
'You are the villain, most certainly.'
'N-no! I definitely wanted to be the hero!' Issei protested weakly.
'Look at you, scaring your wife to the brink of insanity and then taking advantage of some other defenseless women during your own wedding night. Tsk tsk.' Ddraig seemed to draw amusement from Issei's conflicted feelings.
'...Uuuh… If I think that it's for Rias's sake then… I can do it, probably…' Issei felt re-energized from the [Power of Thighs] but somehow de-energized internally from the words that Ddraig had said just now. They were definitely words that rang harshly against Issei's moral compass!
On one hand he loved boobs! And he loved thighs! He loved women's bodies in general!
But on the other hand, he didn't want to touch girls that were too young! Or who didn't want to be touched! He would definitely peek at girls, but touching without permission felt to Issei like had gone over some sort of line of no return!
'Ddraig, am I… a bad person?'
'Hoo? You're asking me? Is this a post-thigh clarity or something? If you're asking me, then I dunno. Only you can answer that sort of question. Plenty of terrible people have been seen as saviours and vice versa, and plenty of terrible people have seen themselves as good people. But in the end it doesn't matter. They either have the strength to stop you, or they don't, all else is just labels.' Ddraig seemed to preen a bit as Issei asked the question. 'It is the way of the Red Dragon of Domination! To dominate your enemies, drive them before you, and hear the lamentations of their women! Indeed, many of my wielders were such power-hungry maniacs who could do what they want… though, none of them lived for all that long. And amongst my wielders, you definitely are the weakest. And strangest. That [Power of Thighs and Boobs] is something I haven't seen before… And I hope I never see again… Ahem!'
Ddraig seemed to get sidetracked. However Issei had heard what he needed, though he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not.
'So the only thing that matters is strength, huh… The supernatural world sure is brutal… It makes me shiver from fear, knowing I'm the weakest Sekiryuutei so far…' Issei felt renewed determination to get stronger for Rias's sake, so that no-one could get between him and her anymore!
He had sworn to Rias that he'd become a High-Class Devil and get a Peerage of his own… But now, he also swore to himself that he'd not only do that, but he'd become the Ultimate Pawn! Someone that Rias could be proud of! And someone who'd have the strength to keep what he had from thieving hands!
'I'll swear this! I'll keep everyone safe! I'll keep that White Dragon Emperor's NTR-ing claws away from them all! And I'll make sure Rias ends up happy, no matter what!' Issei declared inside his mind. 'I'll become the Ultimate Pawn! I might not be the strongest Sekiryuutei in history, but I'll be certain to be one of the longest-living, so that I can stay by Rias's side!'
'Hoo~ That's not a bad declaration. Very good. You'll become a splendid Sekiryuutei yet, partner…' Ddraig seemed to warm a bit to Issei from hearing his declaration.
With that, Issei turned around, walked to the sofa, and fell asleep on it before he could count to three as the exhaustion from the past day caught onto him, even despite his 'thigh-energy-drain'.
Xuelan continued to foam from the mouth while laying in a spread eagle on the floor, clad in a bunny onesie.
.
.
.
"Chu!"
"You keep sneezing, Albion."
"Shuttup, Vali. I keep getting cold shivers up my spine like someone is telling outrageous lies about me. Just focus on getting stronger, you damn battle-maniac."
"Right. Speaking of getting stronger, you interrupted our viewing of the Sekiryuutei's Rating Game and you keep screaming loudly whenever I try to load up a recording, what's up with that?"
"Nothing! It's extremely stupid! I watched the whole thing! I felt like my mind would break! I have never felt sympathy for Ddraig before but now I feel like I would hug him if I could! How could that monstrous wielder do all that to Ddraig?! And his opponent?! Vali! That Sekiryuutei is definitely a dangerous enemy that you cannot underestimate!"
"Then why are you so adamant that I don't see how the Game ended-"
"No! It is forbidden! That… That sort of thing shouldn't exist! I cannot afford my wielder seeing that and getting ideas from it, I know what sort of easily impressionable person you are, Vali!"
"For a White Dragon Emperor, you sure like to fuss a lot about my health and mental state. Moreover, calling me a 'easily impressionable' feels like an insult."
A moment passed.
"Oi."
"Took a while, huh."
"Shut it. You can apologize by letting me watch the video."
"NOOOOOOooo….."