Chapter 2
DxD Universe-17
Issei Hyoudou - more precisely in this case Issei-013, a dangerous psychotic killer the Guardians had encountered before - was looking at the group who had just appeared in front of him.
They were calling themselves the Devil-Hunters (the name alone was a good point for them in his books) and claimed to be interested in him.
Despite that he powered up… just in case. His Scale Armor formed around him as he activated Balance Breaker.
Of course that also contained a risk by itself… the risk of being detected by someone else.
… and that was exactly what happened.
Miles away in Kuoh, a certain group of Devils and a Fallen Angel did notice very quickly.
xxx
"You should really consider our offer Issei Hyoudou," the identical double of Vali Lucifer stated. "We have been following your movements across the universes for a while, you know."
"So you were stalking me?" he Issei-013 asked. "Nice," he commented.
"What do you expect, when some unknown suddenly starts moving between worlds randomly in only a short time, it is due to draw attention… from anyone who can detect this movements at least."
"You are using the thing you are carrying on your arm? A control-device for an interdimensional portal system, right? Not quite unlike the ones we use," the Devil Hunter´s Kuroka mentioned. She was gesturing to the portal-controller he had stolen from the Guardians. "But you had just figure out how to handle it, right?"
Issei´s face showed a light frown, but barely visible.
"So you want me to join your group?" he questioned. "You know, there were others who wanted me to `join´ their team before, who made great promises. It didn´t quite work out."
"And now you are on yourself, aren´t you?" DH-Vali stated. "Listen, we are not some Devils who want to take advantage of you. Given your latest actions, it is not hard to guess who this people were. Trying to assassinate the heiress of Gremory?
If you are a enemy of the Devils, you are right with us. And about what you said, while we are working for a certain group of Masters, we are still basically free agents and are only bound as long as we want to."
"Masters? Who?"
"I will tell you later, if you agree to here us out," Vali replied. "I guaranty, you will not be disappointed."
Their conversation came to an apprupt halt however, as a familiar magic-circle glew up on the ground and a well known group appeared… + one Fallen Angel.
Standing in a close distance to them were the native Sirzechs and Grayfia-017, Rias Gremory-017... and Raynare-01 - member of Issei-01´s team (and first member of his own harem).
The three Devils were starring at the figure of Issei Hyoudou, still in his Scale Mail, but they all could sense the familiar power… and then at the two Raynares… and at the Devil Hunters, in first line at Vali and the double of Koneko, their own having been killed just a few days ago.
"Well - I have to say this convinces me of your Story Fallen Angel Raynare," Sirzechs-017 stated. "Unbelievable - this Fallen truly looks exactly like you."
"Yeah sadly," Raynare-01 replied. "Only that she is an even greater bitch than I have been." At the same time however she send a more than worried look at the Devil Hunters. Damn it. She had not expected them here.
She remembered their last meeting with them.
The other Raynare was just starring at her unbelievingly with an open mouth.
"Who are...?"
"You know me as Mirage," she replied to her other self.
The second Raynare was still starring at her, but understood. She had already overheard Issei and these Devil Hunters talking about parallel Worlds after all.
"And Issei Hyoudou, Vali Lucifer, Kuroka and..." Sirzechs continued.
"Koneko," Rias-017 said.
"Don´t call me that - Devil," DH-Shirone hissed angrily, pure contempt was in her voice. "I know all about you and your kind."
Rias just responded with an stunned and hurt look. This was not Koneko. Just like her own double and her peerage, who she had met just a few minutes ago.
All what the Fallen had told them was the truth. That meant that this was also not Issei, not the one they knew anywac.
"I guess I owe you an apology," she said to Raynare-01 a bit sourely. "What you said was actually true." She still didn´t like the Fallen Angel and especially the idea of owing her anything.
Raynare didn´t respond.
"Don´t try to fight them," she warned Sirzechs and Grayfia instead. "I know them. This Vali here is dangerous, even more than the one you know of. If you clash with him, you could not only loose, the entire planet could easily be destroyed."
"It seems you are the same Raynare who was with that Guardian group," DH-Vali stated. "Interesting."
"About that offer," Issei-013 addressed him. "I guess I have made up my mind. I am in... for mow at least. Now - do we kill them?" he asked with a malicious grin.
"Later," Vali replied. "We follow a greater plan and try to cause as much damage as possible. And while I am sure that I would kill this Sirzechs, I would need to unleash my full energy. This is simply not worth the effort. Let us retreat for now."
Sirzechs-017 actually looked slightly offented by the statement.
"The question is, what do I do with you?" Issei-013 said to the Raynare standing right beside him. "On the one side you are truly an arrogant bitch - on the other, you look exactly like my ex-girlfriend and I kinda miss her - decisions, decisions. I guess you would have a great future here, now that your master Kokabiel has been taken in."
Raynare-017 flinched. She knew with Lord Kokabiel already arrested and his plans revealed, she was finished as well. If these Devils here not killed her right away.
"Please - don´t leave me here Issei-kun," she said. She crinched her teeth.
"Funny - have you not called me a filthy Devil not long ago. Even if I am clearly not one. How quickly things are changing, right?" He laughed out loud.
"If you decide to take her with us, she will be your responsibility," Vali stated.
Issei shrugged his shoulders.
"I guess if I am not happy with you, I can always kill you and find myself another girl," he said casually, as if it didn´t really matter. "Maybe even another version of you."
Raynare-017 hated being at the mercy of this lunatic. But what choice did she have?
DH-Kuroka used the control device she herself was wearing and a portal opened before them.
"We will leave now," she announced to them. "Unless you have changed your mind and want a fight," she said with a threatening grin.
"Don´t…" Raynare-01 asked. "It is too dangerous."
"Let them go," Sirzechs said.
A second later they were gone.
This was it, Raynare-01 thought. She finally allowed herself to relax. She had never thought that they would run into them of all People.
And once again no trace of Kalawarner.
It seemed they would have to turn to the next universe on their list.
xxxxxxx
Kuoh
As they had returned to Kuoh a few minutes later, they saw not only Raynare´s teammates Rias-01 and her Peerage and Irina and Murayama waiting for them... but also the Fallen Angel leaders Azazel, Shemhazai and Penemue waiting for them in front of the school. With a quartet of High Class Fallen standing behind them as guards.
They all knew that the two Factions had called a short temporary truce, given Kokabiel´s arrest and Raynare´s more than a bit fantastic revelations. But they had for sure not expected a number of Grigori leaders visiting.
Despite that, they were technically still at war with each other. Something that at least Azazel intended to change.
"Azazel."
"Sirzechs," they greeted each other.
"They had arrived just a minute ago," Rias-01 stated to her alternate brother.
"I will make this quick," Azazel said, "I want an end of the war between us... and also with Heaven. An for that I want to invite you to a Peace Meeting."
`Nothing new here,´ Raynare thought sarcastically. Which was more or less what happened in her own world after Kokabiel was defeated.
Sirzechs frowned.
"It is no secret that you were not for the continuation of the war. But why so suddenly?" he questioned.
"To be honest, I was not planning this until a few months from now on. But with the last events and Kokabiel´s arrest, I am able to act sooner. He was the greatest hindrance for peace inside the Grigori.
I have Information for you about a organzation called Khaos Brigade, much information. And by what Raynare here told me, there is also a number of other threats to be considered."
"You should know that he had been executed a few hours ago," Shemhazai stated. "His adjutants had been detained and are awaiting trial as well. The first ones are being Sartael and Reyla."
Raynare froze as she had heard the last name.
"W-what? She is still alive here?… and she had joined Kokabiel?" she stammered. "This explains a few things actually."
`Why would she do that?´ she asked herself. Had Kokabiel promised her that Azazel would realize that they were `right all along´ when everything was over? Was she truly so stupid to believe that? And was her own counterpart so stupid to follow her blindly? Or had they other motives?
"I guess in your world, your mother is dead?" Azazel questioned.
"Yes - and good riddance I say," Raynare-01 hissed.
"Mother?" Rias-01 asked in surprise. The members of her peerage showed a similar reaction. Despite knowing the Fallen Angel for over years now and slowly becoming their comrade instead of an enemy, she had never mentioned her family.
"Yes - if you can even call her that. As you know I am a second generation Fallen Angel. Like actually most of us who are alive today."
"Well - if we were limited only to the Angels who fell from Heaven, we would not exist today," Azazel commented.
"I guess you didn´t get along?" Irina-01 stated.
"You can say that. You know these stories where a parent raises their child merely as a tool or a weapon for their own ambitions? She was the perfect example of that, Fallen Angel or not. She raised me practically to be nothing but a soldier for the Grigori. She trained and drilled me practically since the moment I could walk.
… And whenever I failed at something…" she let the words hanging in the air.
"All she cared about was shaping me into a new asset for Lord Azazel and the other Grigori Leaders to please them and she let me know that."
To get back into his pants, Raynare thought bitterly.
Not that she herself was any different in that regard.
"She made that more than clear to me my entire childhood. I was to succeed where she failed. To become a great and powerful Fallen Angel Warrior," she snorted. "Not that she had ever truly been one herself."
"You have never told us any of this," Murayama brought up.
"There was never a need too," Raynare said bitterly. She sighed a bit.
"I really don´t like talking about it," she admitted. "And whenever I fell short to her insane expectations, she let me know and `motivated´ me to try harder." The tone she used left no doubts about what kind of `motivation´ that was. She didn´t want to say it out aloud, and certainly not in front of these people, but all of them more than got the hint.
"I am sorry," Rias-01 said. She of all people could not imagine having family like this. Even the native Rias, standing next to her, was looking somewhat unsettled at this.
"So am I," Azazel-017 added. "If my self in your world - and in this one - had kept a closer eye on Reyla… and on Kokabiel… " He felt the eyes of the other Grigori Leaders present on him. "... and a lot of other people," he added a bit emberassed, "a lot could have been prevented. In your world and ours."
"This is in the past," she replied. "And you are not truly the same Lord Azazel I know anyway. So it doesn´t really matter to me, right? If you were my Azazel - well." she muttered.
"I have heard she had not been that bad when my father was still around. But he died in a battle shortly after my birth. I don´t even really remember him. Only that he had been her teammate and partner for a long time."
"That is true," Azazel-017 said. "She and her had been partners and close friends ever since they fell together - together with the rest of us as part of the original Grigori. Both of them had actually been serving directly under me as we fell. And since you have told me that our universe had only separated around hundred years ago, I guess it happened the same way in both our worlds."
"But he was not the man she was in love with. That was someone else," she said this, looking straight at Azazel. "I also know that she had been one of your mistresses, at least for an entire while."
"I don´t deny that," Azazel replied. "Over the time however I saw that she became more and more, well- obsessed with me. So I ended that part of our relationship and kept only the professional one. Then I saw how she hooked up with your father and thought she would return to normal.
But later, after she had especially asked for her to be assigned under me, I started to see the same sort of behavior in her daughter."
"Well - that is more or less what happened in my world as well," Raynare said. "It is nearly ironic, I guess our infatuation with you is the only thing we really shared. She had installed the idea to look up to and admire you in me very early. But as I started working under you, I saw how different you were from her. For the first time I actually felt somehow appreciated."
"So how have you grown out of it?" Azazel-017 asked her.
"Who says I did?" She now had a smirk on her face. Her entire demeanor had suddenly changed.
"You should know that, while I am together with Issei as part of his harem and love him deeply…" She took one step forward, her body suddenly moving very seductively.
"... we have a special agreement when it comes to you." She laid her right hand close to his waist suggestively as she moved Closer to him. "While he can have all the other girls, I have his okay to show the Azazel of my world how much better I am than mother whenever I feel like it," she purred against his chin.
She saw that Azazel was just looking at her wordlessly for a moment, obviously stunned.
"W-well - okay." That was all he said.
Raynare realized that nearly all the others in the room were starring at her with more or less open mouths.
"Raynare - what…?" Rias-01 said-
"What the hell was that?" Irina nearly shouted. Both of them had a deep blush on their face.
Only Akeno had a wide grin.
"Raynare - that… that was just fantastic." She giggled loudly.
"Well - thats one thing about these parallel worlds, no consequences in ours, right? she replied. "Let us return to the topic," she stated.
"So Reyla still lives in this world," she stated, "and she had joined Kokabiel here? I guess that somehow explains why my own counterpart believing in his crap as well. Never truly got out of `mommies´ grasp, I guess." She smiled bitterly. "I didn´t thought that I would ever feel sorry for my bitch counterpart here."
"Do you want us to spare Reyla?" Azazel-017 asked.
"What?"
"Do you want us to spare her life?"
"So she will be executed?" she stated.
"It is not sure yet," he said. "We will have to wait what the investigation will bring out about her crimes… and the trial. But if you ask us to, we could give a pardon to her and just put her under custody. And your counterpart as well, if we ever see her again. Even if I doubt that, since she literally disappeared to another dimension."
"Why do you ask me that?" Raynare wanted to know.
"You gave us all important information and very likely prevented a war. To say it straight, we all owe you a lot Raynare."
"I can only agree with that," Sirzechs stated. "You have revealed the one who tried to murder my sister and killed her Servants. And you kept us from falsely blaming the Fallen. Whatever your other self here had done, we owe you."
"I..." Raynare was on a loss for words. She had never expected this.
"I - I can not." The others saw that she was shaking. "I can not decide if she should live or die."
Only the ones Standing closest to her could see it, but there were actually a few tears appearing in her eyes.
"I hate her," she hissed. "I hate myself. I became just like her. I looked down on other just because they were not Fallen Angels. I was willing to kill innocent people just to get your attention. I..."
She looked back to Azazel and the other Grigori Leaders.
"Just do what you think is right," she said to them.
xxxxxxx
Far away, in the Headquarter of the Grigori, in a secured area a female Fallen Angel, who was nearly a mirror-image of Raynare - just maybe a few years older looking - was sitting in a cell, awaiting her judgement.
Of course, being immortal creatures, it was impossible to tell that she was actually thousands of years old. The ressemblance between mother and daughter was really great here.
xxxxxxx
Somewhere else
Issei-01 - the one from the same universe like Mirage/Raynare-01 was just about to make is trip back home.
After nearly two years, he would see Kuoh, his parents and everyone he knew again.
He was just meeting with his hostess Varnia. The owner of the inn he had lived in for this time. So she had essentially been his hostess for the last couple of years, even if it was on the Guardian´s request.
Despite that this planet, in this dimension, was not exactly Earth (or even it´s direct counterpart in this universe), it´s inhabitants were human.
This world had a somewhat middle age like civilization and society. Well - European, in some ways at least, in others they were not. The name this world - meaning this planet - was called by the natives was Hyrion.
A name those meaning was in the translation not much different than Earth.
Once they possessed a much higher developed technology. But a few centuries ago this planet had been the place of a large battle between the Senior leader of the Guardians called Darien and the Lord of the Dark Order calling himself Faust, after it had been labeled for destruction.
Of course this were not their true names. The senior members of both sides were centuries - some even thousands of years - old and had in a few cases long lines of different names and identities they had been using.
The Guardians had been able to prevent the planet´s complete destruction. But still the population had been nearly wiped out and the civilization been thrown back into the Stone Age. Afterwards the Guardians had helped the remaining one to survive and to start rebuilding their world.
This however had slowly and unintionelly led to the Guardians - especially Darien - being seen and referred to as some kind of gods by the population.
And despite their best attempts to discourage this notions… this was not quite easy if you were actually a practically all-powerful immortal being, that could perform god-level magic and hgher, travel between dimensions and bent reality to your will by thoughts alone.
Something that he himself had become by now, Issei mused.
xxx
Varnia was a quite attractive dark haired woman, by now in her mid-twenties. With a bit tanned skin and blue eyes… and of course an impressive set of breasts.
He tried in vain to keep himself from starring at them for a few moments. She noticed, but didn´t say something. She was more than used to his antics by now. Even if she was not always too happy about it.
If he was honest, he had been making moves like this on her since he had arrived here. He could jut not let such an impressive set of oppai (on such a pretty woman) go by without at least trying. That she was a few years older didn´t matter to him. Hell - Raynare, Gaeriel and Kalawarner (who he had a one-night stand with) were decades, even centuries old.
Varnia however rather started some kind of affair with Darien. After he had convinced her to stop treating him like a deity. Not that this kept Issei from keeping to try.
He even pointed out that Darien, as they both knew, was also in some relationship with Specter as well. After all Issei knew that they even had a threesome together. So there was no reason why she couldn´t have two men.
But she still politely declined.
Still, she tolerated his - well, advances. As long as he respected certain bounderies. She even admitted to him at one point that she was somehow flattered that a younger boy like him was interested in her.
If there was one thing that this world was certainly much different from the typical European Middle Age he had heard of, then it was that it was far more open-minded sexually. Something that he was glad about.
Nobody said something against it if he was spending time with his girls, even two or three of them at once… andwent to dates with them. (Or what passed for dates in this world.)
If Issei was honest, his behavior had actually tamed down a good deal during the last years.
That meant he was not longer spying on girls when they were getting undressed, loudly declaring his designs on women he had just met or discussing sexual topics loudly in pulic. Like he used to do it together with Motohama and Matsuda.
He and them - the perverted trio, he thought. He could only hope that his two friends would have matured out a bit as well when he returned.
"So you are truly leaving `Lord´ Issei," Varnia said to him. She used the title that were usual for members of the Guardians on this planet. But they both knew that she had long stopped seeing him or Darien or any of the others just as higher beings.
"I find it nearly had to believe that the two soler-rounds are already over."
"Sorry - but yes they are," he replied smiling.
"I will miss you. You know - I think I actually got used to your constant attempts to court me. Or - how do you call it? `Trying to hit on me´."
"You know," he replied, "I don´t need to go right now. We have still time. So if you want to, we can always go to your room and..." A smug smile was forming on his face.
"Oh - as I said, I am very flustered, but I think I will still give it a pass. Like I said, I like you as a friend, but you are not really my type of man. And besides that, after declining for so long, would it not be a bit strange if I suddenly changed my mind now?" She giggled.
"And here goes another one," he commented drily. "It seems I have actually found the girl who is able to resist my charm."
They both shared a friendly laugh with each other.
"I guess I will visit this world from time to time," Issei said.
xxx
As they walked to the edge of the town, they saw a group of his friends already waiting for him.
The ones were Irina Xenovia - Irina´s fellow Exorcist from the Church and Holy Sword weilder and partner on their last missions for them. She was also the Kiba´s girlfriend, who was also part of their team, since Rias had decided to join them along with the rest of her peerage,
Gaeriel - a beautiful female Fallen Angel, who came from their wold, but was not part of the Grigori. She was the oldest member of Issei´s team and had been a member of the Guardians for over a hundred years. During his recruitment, she who had been mostly responsible for Issei´s first training. Like Irina, Raynare and Rias, she was also a member of his small harem of girlfriends.
Asia Argento - the former Nun, who had never been killed by Raynare or become a Devil in his world. Instead she had been saved from this fate when Issei and Gaeriel when they had begann to influence Raynare to change her ways.
And Ravel Phenex, who they had saved from a kidnapping long time ago and who had become somethiing like a fangirl of Issei. She was the only one present who was not really pert of their team. Just a close associate and friend of them. Or in Issei´s own case, a lover as well. Both she and Asia were also members of his harem. With Raynare, Irina and Asia being the first ones, followed by Gaeriel, Ravel and Rias.
Then there was Kuroka-06, who had joined them right before Issei had come here. In her own world, the Devil Hunters had framed her for a murder attempt on the Pope and she could not go back. Not with both the Devils and the Church after her.
They also had two more members in their Team. Two very unexpected ones. Ravel´s brother Raiser and his Queen Yubeluna (who was also one of his lovers).
Both had volunteered to join their team and despite their past disagreements Issei and the others saw no real reason to refuse. Especially since the Guardians and the Devil Faction intended to work `closer together´ in this world.
And Raiser and his Queen were two of the most powerful `younger´ Devils after all and by what they had heard, he had truly shaped up mentally during the last years. Meaning he had become less of an arrogant yerk.
The one who were still missing of the team were Raynare and Rias and her peerage-members. Who were currently still on their mission to Universe-17.
But they had already received a message from them that Raynare´s mission was successful and they would be back very soon for Issei´s return home.
Standing in some distance beside the rest were the last two persons present. The first was Darien, in his human form as a dark brown haired well built young man clad into a grey futuristic armor and the second the woman they only knew as Specter. She had also the appearance of a very attractive, tall, dark haired woman.
But Issei also knew that what they looked like meant ultimately very little. Both had evolved themselves and their powers to a point where they had pretty much long outgrown their physical selves.
While he was pretty sure that this was how they had originally looked like when they were still mortal and they still preferred their original appearance, they could change their shape at will.
Just like he could if he wanted. Not only that, he could leave his body behind and exist as pure Supernatural energy. He only needed to let go of it. He could even merge with Ddraig completely and become a single super being.
Not that he would ever want that. He enjoyed his physical self far too much.
(Yes - I can imagine that you of all people would not want to leave the physical world behind,) Ddraig commented inside his mind. (And I am not really sure if I would want to become one with a perverted human like you forever.)
In response Issei send the mental image of a smug smile back to the Dragon.
xxxx
Issei also knew the risks. He had been warned several times about going mad and loosing yourself. He knew that this was one of the reasons why Darien preferred to spend periodically longer periods of time in his human state, without or barely using his powers. To keep himself grounded an remind himself how it was to be human.
And he knew that some of the others were using similar methods.
Issei asked himself if he would too in the future.
xxxx
"I see you are ready to return home," Darien addressed him.
"I am - you can count on that," he answered.
The Guardians were a vaste and complex organization, with access to entire armies and various sub-groups and allies across several dimensions. Issei´s own team was only one of these many groups.
Darien and Specter were members of the oldest existing part of the organization, that operated from the universe where it was originally founded, a futuristic world where it was already the 27th Century.
And while Issei knew that Darien´s original name was Galahad and that he was actually once a member of the legendary Round Table who became immortal, he knew practically nothing about Specter´s heritage. Not even a real name.
It was then when a portal was opening close to them… and Raynare, Irina, Murayama, Rias and the others arrived.
"How did it go?" Gaeriel asked them.
"Oh - we have just helped to take down Kokabiel and his followers and prevented a war, nothing special," Rias declared smiling and a bit theatrically. "You know, the usual."
"As far as I remember Rias-`sama´, it was Raynare who did nearly all the work," Akeno commented smugly. "We were only there so that the other Devils could see us, to concince them that there are more than one set of each of us."
"Okay okay," Rias responded. She then actually stuck her tongue out at her Queen playfully.
Raynare however said nothing. She was just looking slightly downwards silently.
"Raynare-chan?" he asked.
"It is alright Issei," she said. "I will be… okay."
"Okay - but we will talk about whatever is bothering you later."
She nodded.
They were just about to return home.
xxxxxxx
Kuoh - DxD Universe-01
He was back. After two years, Issei-01 was finally once again walking through the streets of his hometown.
Their two new teammates had already awaited them at their arrival as they stepped out of the portal.
Issei knew that he for the most part didn´t even need the control device anymore. He had by now learned to open and control dimensional portals fully out of his own power.
So he could travel savely at least between very similar universes.
For world that were quite different however and so `farther away´ in the multiverse (like the one he just came from) or when he had many fellow travellers with him, he preferred to still use it for safety reasons.
"Hyoudou," Raiser-01 greeted him politely, "it is good to see that you are back."
Raiser, he came to realize, had really come quite far from the arrogant prick he had defeated in a duel years ago. It seemed the events since then had humbled him and made him more reasonable.
xxxxxxx
During the last two years, Issei´s own double from the future of another reality - the same one who had arrived together with his friends and lovers and a large number of other Devils and Fallen as refugees in their world over two years ago - had actually taken his place here in School and his daily life while he was gone
So that nobody would notice Issei Hyoudou going `missing´ and they wouldn´t need to manipulate the minds of countless people to cover up his disappearance.
Only his parents and his closest friends knew about the switch. Matsuda and Motohama being under them. As well as Murayama´s friend Katase. Who all had found out everything anyway through coincidence.
He remembered in horror the stories about all the death and destruction that happened in this other world that his older counterpart and his friends had told them. Issei swore to himself that he would do everything in his power to prevent the same from happening to his own.
xxxxxxx
Issei-01 was now taking a walk through the town.
The others had offered to accompany him, he however had asked them all for some time for himself. So they had staid behind in their makeshift HQ, a once abandoned villa.
He would first go home to his parents, to let them know that he was back. Then… he wasn´t quite sure. He would certainly go to greet Motohama ans Matsuda, but he wasn´t sure if this was the first thing he would do.
He would also talk with Raynare about whatever had been bothering her.
On his way, he came across the school. Two years - that means his time as a student would be already over. And to think that his double had take his place the entire time? It was hard to really wrap his mind around it.
As he was walking through his hometown however, Issei had long realized that he was being watched.
xxx
In some distance, three figures in dark blue robes, with hoods over their faces, were following him.
"Do you think he knows we are here?" one of them asked.
"Going by all we have been told about him I would be surprised if he didn´t D.W," another one replied, "not to mention disappointed."
All three of them were females. Young ones.
"We are only here to test him anyway Bloodknight," the third said, "not to cause serious damage."
"And if we loose?" the first girl questioned.
"He won´t harm us Dark Witch. In the worst case we could be captured and then be freed later."
"By the information we have about this world, is Freed Selzen still alive?" the one called Bloodknight asked.
"No - he was killed two years ago."
`Bloodknight´ just shrugged.
"I was looking out to hunting down and killing him again."
"The usual way I guess?" the girl called Dark Witch stated. "How many times have we done this again?"
"Six times by now," the third girl replied, "and I loved it every single one," she hissed.
This three indeed had hunted down, tortured and castrated and then murdered the psychotic Stray Exorcist a half dozen times in different worlds by now.
"What about our other `old friends´?" Bloodknight asked. "Kokabiel?"
"Also dead."
"Valper?"
"He too."
"Kiba Yuuto?"
"He - he is an ally of Issei. He is also still a Devil and the Knight of Rias Gremory… and he is in a relationship with Xenovia Quarta."
Bloodknight suddenly stopped appruptly and froze.
"W-what?" she nearly screamed.
"Hey - don´t look at me as if this is my fault."
"F-for how long?" Bloodknight asked.
"Nearly two and a half years."
"So he has fucked her for sure. Countless times probably." She was balling her fists and shaking with anger. "How could she...? Spreading her legs for this - this sorry excuse of a Devil?
I will get him and castrate him and then feed him his own dick, like I did with Freed. Then I will find his Little slut and beat the shit out of her."
"Aeh - Bloodknight - I think you should calm down."
"Shut up B.H, you are not the one he..."
"Guys!" Dark Witch interrupted them, "I think we should go back to the mission. We can not affort to mess this up."
"Okay - I am sorry, I just freaked out a bit." Bloodknight finally gave in.
"It´s alright," the third girl - with the codename Broken Hero - said.
xxx
Issei had decided to walk the route through the park. It was not the favorite place after what happened there, but it was the best place to confront his pursuers without involving other people.
It was still early in the morning and he hoped that nobody would be there yet.
As he arrived, he saw to his disappointment that a young couple was already here. He send them a short telepathic suggestion to leave the park as quickly as possible.
They turned around and walked away in the other direction.
Issei however just sat down on a park bench, right in the open... waiting for them.
He did not have to wait long.
Two of the figures approached them from two sides. The third was standing back... at least for the moment.
They both draw their weapons. One of them was clearly a Holy Sword, even if he had never seen it before. The powers he sensed from it however were quite familiar to him. The other seemed like a regular blade. But he knew all to well that this did not have to say much about the owner. Or that it had to be his only weapon.
Both jumped forward and attacked him at the same time. From what Issei could make out of their figures under the Robes they were wearing, Issei was sure they were women.
Issei manifested two swords by himself in his hands. These blades had no special abilities on their own. They did not even truly exist. They were just manifestations of his mind, given solid form by his powers.
He used them to block both their blows.
But they both simultanously took another swing and forced him backwards with brute strength.
Issei then however channeled his energy into one his simulated blades and stroke again one of his opponent´s swords (the not Holy one). The blade shattered at the impact and broke into two.
They both jumped back and got into greater distance again.
The other figure now however actually unleashed the real power of her weapon, powered up and and with a wide slash, send a real attack at Issei.
He realized he had been right. This sword was a combined form of Excalibur Destruction and Durandal, the two weapons Xenovia was weilding. But the power now directed at him was more than he had ever seen of either of these weapons. The weilder had to be Ultimate Class at the very least.
Not only that, there seemed to be some strange sort of power surrounding his opponents hat was disturbing his telepathic abilities.
Issei had already errected a barrier around the entire park... and now he formed a second one around himself. It was able to for a second block the massive power of the combined Holy Sword - at least for the moment.
Then however Issei opened a small rift in space that swallowed the attack and removed it from this plane of reality into Hyperspace.
Then `Issei´ just disappeared. His two opponents looked at the place he had been standing amoment before.
And then the real Issei Hyoudou came out from between a group of tree a hundred meters away, where he had been the entire time and hiding his presence.
The two realized they had been fighting a psychic construct until right now. They looked at their third comrade a bit emberassed, who said nothing.
"You know?" he addressed them. "I had really hoped I could at least spend the rest of the day peacefully before the trouble starts. But I guess it wasn´t meant to. Who are you?"
He manifested the gaunlets of his Scale Armor on both his arms.
"Congratulations Issei-kun," one of them said, "that was quite impressive." He knew that voice.
She removed the hood... and he was looking in Irina´s face. He would have realized it far earlier if this strange interferance hadn´t been.
The other two did the same thing. It were Xenovia and... Asia?
Or at least other doubles of them. Because he was pretty sure he had never seen this versions of his friends before.
"What is Issei-kun? Are you not happy to see me?" she asked. It was the same tone he was used to from his Irina. The ones who always told him how much she loved him and cared about him. But at the same time there seemed to be something wrong about it.
"I would be if you were the Irina I know. Or if you at least had not pulled a weapon and attacked me on sight," he responded.
"I am sorry Issei. We are not really trying to harm you. We are just here for a test. And so far you are doing very good. But now it is time to get serious."
With this words she let another weapon appear in her hand. He recognized it instantly, it was the True Longinus.
At the same time Xenovia´s double was forming some kind of armor he had never seen before around herself.
`This could be a bit more troublesome than he had expected,´ he thought.
xxxxxxx
Kalawarner´s world
The Fallen Angel who had been lost in another world was just meeting with one of her aquaintances from this world.
At the agreed point, she saw the young former Devil Woman calling herself Seria waiting for her. Kalawarner instantly recognized her red dyed hair with the black strains. Like quite often, Seria was wearing a black leather Outfit.
In truth, she knew perfectly well, she was just this worlds counterpart of Sona Sitri, no matter what she called herself. Even if she denied her old identity.
It was a Sona however, who had lost nearly everything.
Nearly all of her peerage, just like Rias Gremory´s had been killed during the attack on Kuoh. She herself had only barely gotten away with her life - barely. And only because the being who was appearantly Issei´s counterpart had saved her.
Her parents and her older sister had died during the war Kokabiel´s new Grigori and Khaos Brigade had waged on the Underworld.
All that had turned her into a completely different person - bitter, sarcastic and cynical. But that didn´t mean that Kalawarner didn´t feel some sympathy for her.
"There you are," Seria/Sona greeted her. "Now - did you have a good time to prostitute yourself?" she asked sardonically.
"Yes - it was quite pleasant actually." The Fallen grinned viciously. "By the way, maybe you could use a good hard dick as well from time to time. It could help you not always to be so uptight," she teased her.
Seria actually had a deep blush on her face
"You!" she growled. "Enough, " she said as she had calmed herself dow, "we both know that you are not really as perverted as you act now. Even if you truly are a tramp."
"You know - he really doesn´t like what you are doing," Seria commented.
"I know," she replied. "But it isn´t as if my - well, connections, had not been useful. So he does not try to stop me."
"Have you at least found out anything useful?" Seria asked.
"Some things," Kalawarner stated. "You were rght. There is actually another Group Kokabiel and Khaos Brigade are working with. I have found out a few things about them. They are called the Erebos."
"Like from Greek Mythology?" Seria questioned.
"Yes - but as I was told that they don´t actually have anything to do with it. They in fact seem to be some kind of demonic force. Maybe these guys just found the name cool."
"Whatever."
Have you been talking to Tsubaki?" Kalawarner asked her.
The crinch she made as an reaction was barely visible, but the Fallen Angel saw it.
Her former Queen Tsubaki Shinra was the only other member of her former peerage who had survived the massacre. And like Sona and Kalawarner, she had been found by the same person.
She had however blamed her former King (along with the now dead Rias Gremory) and their carelessness for the loss of her fellow Servants and friends and believed Sona had left her behind. So for the longest time refused to have anything to do with Seria. It was only recently that they were at least on speaking terms with each other again.
"I have."
"Any progress?" Kalawarner asked.
Seria didn´t answer.
"Let us go back home," she just said.
With that the two teleported away.
The new Alternate version of the Church Trio appearing here are based on a idea suggested by Midnightson41. They are not part of any faction shown so far.