The two rivals were about to face off but were interrupted. "Stop! Stop!" said Nero loudly. Everyone looked at her confused as to why she was stopping the fight, but she just looked at Issei and Vali with a smile. "If you two are going to battle then it should be done in an arena worthy of emperors! Umu!" With her saying that she twirled her sword above her as she built up power. She then stabbed the sword into the ground and from it the terrain began to change. "Answer to me. Great stage, listen to the cries of the crowd and feel the honor of the empire right here! Take pride in your splendid way. Raise the curtain, Golden Theater!" Nero created her Reality Marble of her beloved theater with Nero, Issei, and Vali being on stage and the ORC, the faction leaders, and some of the nearby Servants were in the stands as if watching a show. Nero picked up her sword with a proud smile as if she had done something grand. "Here you two can fight to your heart's content! The emperor's theater is the only suitable place for a battle of emperors, isn't that right Darling?" she asked rhetorically as she looked at Issei. Issei gave her a wry smile and shrugged carefreely. Nero gave him a smile of her own before jumping into the stands with the others.
As she joined them Azazel asked her what all the leaders wanted to know. "Is this the place I think it is? The famous Domus Aurea in Rome."
"The very same, Umu! You certainly know your stuff, but it's to be expected since there should be no one who does not know of my magnificent theater!" said Nero with pride.
"How did you bring it here?" asked Sirzechs. The others nodded, wanting to know the answer as well.
"That's simple! I am Rome! I bring Rome with me wherever I go! So it is only natural that my theater be wherever I am as well!" she said while puffing out her chest proudly. The others made confused faces as if not understanding what she was talking about. The ORC looked to Mash hoping she could enlighten them, but she just shook her head apologetically.
"Hey emperor! If you're gonna put on a show you should at least provide snacks first," said Nobu pompously as she got comfortable. Okita was chastising her but some of the other Servants were nodding in agreement with her, also wanting some food.
"Do not worry. Of course I would be prepared for such an occasion." Nero clapped her hands twice and suddenly people appeared from nowhere offering food and beverages. If that wasn't strange enough the others noticed that these people didn't have any defined features on their faces, and they almost looked ethereal. They were concerned at first, but they saw the Servants acting normally and when Mash took something from them too they judged that it was fine and that they would ask about it later.
Vali was looking around the theater, now trying to take in his new surroundings. He saw the onlookers off to the side and then finally returned his attention to Issei. "You have some interesting Servants. Being able to shape reality to their own whims, how is it that you got them to make you their Master?"
"Like I said earlier, it was luck. Of course, we've fought together for basically a year straight, so that's more than enough time to form a bond with them. Not to mention, Nero is my wife, so naturally she would want to make things as flashy and over the top for me as she does for herself. But enough about that. She was generous enough to give us this space so we should use it to its fullest!"
[Welsh Dragon! Balance Breaker!]
Issei erupted into flames only to appear in his red armored form moments later. Vali saw this and his anticipation grew as he readied for battle. "Now then, let's get this party started!" Issei yelled as he launched into the air. "Ascalon!"
[Blade!]
Issei charged at Vali with his new sword and Vali easily dodged it. Albion took note of this. [A Dragon Slayer… Even a single hit will cause severe damage,] warned Albion.
"Then all I have to do is dodge," said Vali confidently.
"Oh really?" snarked Issei, catching Vali's attention. "Then let's see how good you are at dodging these!" Issei said while projecting multiple copies of Ascalon around him. This caught both Vali and the audience by surprise, with Scàthach and Emiya giving off proud smiles. Issei grabbed one of the copies and wielded it in his hand that didn't already have Ascalon and charged forward while his power grew. Vali didn't falter either and he released more power while charging in as well. The red and white powers clashed above the arena as shockwaves were being produced. Rias and Mash looked on, worried about Issei while the others watched on with interest. Okita and Nobu were cheering on Issei along with Musashi.
Vali and Issei continued to trade blows with Vali skillfully dodging the projected swords and shooting some of them down. He then began to speed up. "So weak… Too weak…" he said as he landed a dive kick into Issei gut. Issei coughed up blood which came out of his helmet.
[Divide.]
Vali's Sacred Gear sounded off and Issei felt himself become weaker. He crashed to the ground with his sword retracting into his gauntlet. "My power… So this is what Ddraig warned me about. He wasn't kidding about it being the opposite of mine because I feel like the amount of power I lost is the equivalent to one Boost. Now that he's landed a hit on me this is going to be even more of an uphill battle. I'll just have to keep Boosting to counteract his Dividing. Not to mention how much damage he did to me, despite my body being reinforced," Issei muttered to himself as he picked himself off the ground.
"Issei!" shouted Rias from the stands worried. Mash looked like she was ready to jump in as well.
"I'm all right! Don't worry about me!" yelled Issei. "I'm nowhere near done yet!"
[Boost!]
Vali's smile deepened behind his helmet. As red sparkling lights were released from his wings. Issei noticed these lights and questioned Ddraig. "What's that?"
[He's discarding the power he can't contain through his wings. That allows him to maintain maximum power,] explained Ddraig.
"I see. I shouldn't be surprised. No matter how strong someone is, they all have their limits," said Issei as he readied runes this time along with a dragon shot. Vali was also readying magic in both his hands to launch at Issei. He launched the two orbs at Issei with Issei launching his dragon shot followed by flame runes. The two attacks collided causing a huge explosion as the two resumed colliding with each other again and again.
The onlookers were watching carefully at the battle, with the Servants watching on impressed by the fight their Master was putting up. The leaders were watching with interest as well, hoping for Issei's victory but also entranced by the fight between the red and white dragons. The ORC were watching with various looks of concern. Although he was holding his own it was clear to them that Issei was falling behind in the battle. As the battle raged on, Nero finally broke the silence of the crowd. "This battle is as beautiful as I thought it would be. The elegant clash of red and white is the perfect performance for my Golden Theater, Umu!"
"I will say that the White Dragon Emperor is no slouch. I always wondered what this supposed rival to our Master would be like, but to think he would be one of the worst outcomes for our Master. Fate is a humorous thing," said Scàthach.
"He's no pushover, I'll say that much. He could probably give some of the Servants a hard time with his abilities," said Cu. His expression soon changed to a wild smile. "But that just makes it more fun, doesn't it?"
Salter and Jealter were watching intently with Salter finally breaking her silence. "Albion… Even in this world, you seek only to destroy. Don't think I will allow you to cause the downfall of Master's world. I may have failed my kingdom, but I won't fail my Master," she said to herself.
Jealter just scoffed at her monologue. "Jeez, way to make this issue about yourself. Nobody needs to hear about your past drama. This is Master's fight, his problem to deal with. Let him figure it out," she said, annoyed. Salter gave her a glare but did agree that this was her Master's fight.
Musashi was looking at the battle in awe. She had seen many things on her travels but nothing quite like this. When she met Fujimaru last, he had very little combat experience, but now she could tell he was a lot more refined than before. While not a skilled swordsman, he was able to use his blades effectively enough to keep his enemy on his toes. Not to mention that he was keeping up with someone who was his superior. Musashi felt her own fighting spirit burning and wanted to join the fun. She looked to her side to see how everyone else was reacting to the fight and saw that Mash and some of the others were looking more concerned than excited. "Hey, why so gloomy? Isn't this fight amazing?" she asked.
Mash looked over to her with a strained smile as she answered. "It is definitely better than I imagined, but…"
"There's nothing to worry about Mash. If anything happens, we're all here to help. Do you really think they're all just gonna sit back and let Ritsuka, I mean, Issei die?" Mash looked down unsure. "This is his battle. A fight he has to take on himself. I'm sure you've heard this plenty of times, but he can't be reliant on all of you all the time. He will never progress if all you do is fight his battles for him." Mash's look became more conflicted. Musashi put a hand on her shoulder. "Have faith in him," she said with a smile. Mash stared at Musashi for a moment then nodded, returning her gaze to the battle.
"So, what do you think the result of this battle will be?" asked Azazel to the other leaders.
"Despite being stronger it seems Issei-kun is keeping up with the Hakuryūkō rather well," said Michael.
"Especially since he is the descendant of the true Lucifer. To think that he had a hidden relative outside of the Underworld," said Sirzechs.
Azazel nodded his head at the two's answers. "And what about you Da Vinci?"
Da Vinci's hologram appeared behind them after Azazel called out to her. "So you knew I was still here."
"I figured you were monitoring the situation," said Azazel casually.
Da Vinci showed a small smile at that. "As things stand Issei-kun is at a disadvantage and his stamina is slowly being drained. I'm still trying to get a read on the White Dragon Emperor, but it's a bit difficult."
"I see. Well, I can help you with that stuff after this is all over. The Fallen have many technologies for things like this."
"It would be much appreciated," said Da Vinci with a small bow.
As the battle continued Issei was having a hard time landing a solid hit on Vali. Meanwhile Vali was able to get several good hits on him, everytime taking some power with Issei immediately replenishing himself. If this keeps going on like this, I'll tire out before he does. Guess it's time to try something drastic! he thought to himself.
[Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!]
Issei began to power up significantly which put Vali on guard and surprised the watchers as they never saw him do more than one Boost at a time before. Once Issei had finished, he launched at Vali, now much faster than before. He crashed into him as the two struggled grappling each other while flying around. "Yes! That's the way! Use your strength to entertain me, Hyoudou Issei!" said Vali excitedly. He then used some magic to push Issei off of him.
Issei quickly recovered and prepared a counterattack. "Ddraig! Transfer the power of Ascalon into my gauntlet!
[Transfer!]
Issei arm began to glow with holy energy as he charged forward and punched through Vali's armor. Vali tried to block it with his arms, but the dragon slaying properties of the sword made his armor seem like tissue paper. Issei's fist connected with Vali's helm, exposing some of his face. Issei wasn't done there, however. "And here too!"
[Transfer!]
Issei began transferring power to Vali, which caught everyone by surprise. They were all wondering what his plan was, but Issei explained. "I'll enhance your absorption and emission and put an excessive load on your system! So much that your wings will give in!" The Servants showed wide smiles at the gutsy plan as Vali tried to disengage.
[We're going into overdrive. It's best we back off and regain our footing,] warned Albion.
Issei didn't give him that chance though as he wound his fist back, still powered by Ascalon. "Take the power of the Dragon Slayer!" he shouted as he smashed his fist into Vali's chest, destroying his armor.
Vali fell to the ground landing on his feet and then falling to one knee. All that was left of his armor were his wings. He coughed up blood from the punch he took and held his chest in pain. Issei landed across from him and as he did so Vali began to laugh. He wiped the blood from his mouth and continued to show his usual fearless smile. "Impressive… You blew my Sacred Gear apart. Not bad at all. You truly are my rival." He stood back up and his body began to glow blue.
Issei was shocked at what he saw. Vali had resummoned his armor, as if it were never broken. "Are you serious? He can resummon it so soon? Even for me I need a break before uses," Issei complained to himself.
[It's not over until the host can no longer stand. That's how we fight.] said Ddraig.
"Easier said than done. His base power is stronger than mine since he's a half-devil."
[So, what will you do? Running is always an option. As long as we can fight another day the battle isn't lost.]
"Are you kidding? I've faced worse than him while I was weaker. I'm not gonna start running now!" Issei was weighing his options when something on the ground caught his attention. It was a piece of Vali's broken armor, specifically the chest jewel. Issei picked it up and thought of an idea. "Hey Ddraig, I just thought of something probably recklessly stupid, but if it works, we might be able to turn this around."
[Oh? And what might that be?]
"A Sacred Gear can evolve to satisfy the wielder's will, right? Then how about we take a page from Kiba's book?"
[Interesting. Are you willing to die for it though?]
"Dying would remove the point. I'm doing this to live, just like every other battle. But… I'll take all the pain for it!"
[Ha ha ha! That's my partner. I'll do whatever you want!] Issei held the gem above him gathering everyone's attention. The gem in Issei's gauntlet began to glow brightly as the light enveloped the arena. [I am the manifestation of pure power, the Red Dragon Emperor! Let's make it through this alive, partner! Ready, Hyoudou Issei?!] announced Ddraig loudly.
"Yeah!"
Vali, who had been watching silently the whole time was now interested in what his rival was trying to do. "What are you up to now?"
"Vanishing Dragon, Vali! I'll be taking your power!" yelled Issei as he slammed the jewel into his other gauntlet, forcing it into the jewel slot there. The colors of the light flashed between blue and green as Issei tried to assimilate the power, all the while screaming in pain.
"Senpai! What's happening?!" yelled Mash worriedly.
"It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It feels like my entire body is on fire!" Issei struggled with the merger. It was so intense that his artificial magic circuits were showing all over his body as they tried to process the huge strain in power, although no one could tell since he was still wearing his armor.
Da Vinci was monitoring Issei's vitals as all this was happening and from the readings she was getting things weren't looking good for him. "If this goes on this stunt is gonna kill him!"
Vali looked on in confused interest. "You're trying to absorb my power?"
"Kiba was able to put holy and demonic together! So I'm going to take your power of annihilation and give it to my Sacred Gear!"
[How foolish. We are polar opposites. That is only going to kill you.] said Albion.
[Albion, if there's one thing I've learned from this host, is that those who are foolish and brave enough to walk through hell for their goals can even achieve the impossible!] responded Ddraig.
"Heh! Call me whatever you want! In the end, I'll keep moving forward towards my dreams and ideals! Evolve to my will!" yelled Issei.
[Vanishing Dragon, Power is Taken!]
Issei's right gauntlet transformed into a white one with a blue gem in it. It looked completely awkward compared to the rest of the armor that was the usual red, but he didn't have time to be picky about looks. "Heh, I guess you could call this the Dividing Gear!" he said as he took a stance ready to keep fighting.
[Impossible… That should be impossible!] said Albion in disbelief.
From the stands everyone had different reactions to the stunt Issei just pulled off. With the ORC looking surprised and relieved that Issei's plan worked and the leaders and Servants looking impressed with his resourcefulness. Scàthach showed a small smile as she complimented her student. "Using everything to your advantage. That is very like you Master. Recklessly charging forward while thinking on the fly. It's definitely one of your strong points."
"This is how a battle should be! Putting everything on the line for absolute victory," said Cu.
"That kind of determination is necessary. I remember having to do some reckless stunts like that in the past to win too. Maybe he picked up more from us than just our technique," said Emiya.
Mash was looking like she was going to have a breakdown as she really wanted to help Issei but was holding herself back. Musashi was doing her best to console her and keep her in her seat. Nero seemed excited at the turn of events as she was now standing with one foot on the railing in front of her and pointing out with a rose in her hand. "Magnificent, Darling! Expanding your repertoire and pushing through with will alone! You are truly worthy of the title of Red Emperor! Now charge forward to victory, Umu!"
[You're lucky. That process should have killed you, but it seems those magic circuits took a large portion of the load off of you. Although, your lifespan has been cut dramatically for it,] said Ddraig.
"It's fine. After all, we have a different problem related to that if what Merlin said is true. But that's for later. Vali, I've got your power now! You-"
Issei was interrupted by Vali laughing, which gave him pause. "Most intriguing. Then I think it's time that I show you my true power!" he said as he launched into the air. He spread his wings out as they began to glow brighter.
[Half Dimension!]
As his gear called out the space of the Reality Marble started to become unstable. Vali extended his hand out towards Nero's throne and as he slowly closed his hand the throne began to shrink forcibly. "What the hell is he doing?!" asked Issei.
"My Theater!" yelled Nero distraught.
"He is bending space. He is extremely dangerous!" said Michael.
"He's mad!" said Rias.
"The hosts of Dragons… are always mad in some way or another," said Azazel. His expression changed to a mischievous smirk. "It's worth a try. Let's poke at what the other one's mad about." The others were confused as to what Azazel meant. They all knew Issei well enough, and aside from a good fight he was never overly emotional or obsessive about things (aside from his women). Azazel called out to Issei. "Hey, Sekiryuutei, Hyoudou Issei."
Issei looked over to Azazel. "What do you want?" he asked, slightly irritated.
"I'll give you a simple explanation of his ability. That ability halves everything around it."
"Halves everything?" asked Issei, not understanding where he was going with this.
"Which means… it's going to halve Rias Gremory's bust as well," he said casually.
"...Huh?!" everyone thought at the same time with Rias audibly saying it to what Azazel just said. They were all looking at him like he was crazy. Sure, Issei favored women with large breasts as his type, and the Servants knew this because of gossip in Chaldea from when Issei first got his memory back, but he was usually composed, even around the more voluptuous women in Chaldea. There was no way that he would freak out over-.
"Don't Fuck With Me!" yelled Issei, clearly pissed.
[Boost!]
The entire audience was stunned by Issei's outburst with Azazel showing a wry smile. "You're gonna halve my woman's boobs?!"
"What?" asked Vali, completely lost and confused at what was happening with his rival all of a sudden.
"Never!"
[Boost!]
"You're never…"
[Boost]
"Getting away from me alive!"
[Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!]
Energy erupted from Issei and spread in all directions. The leaders had to put up magical barriers to protect the audience. Issei's power caused destruction for the Golden Theater and along with Vali warping the space caused the Reality Marble to collapse returning everyone to outside the school. As all this was happening Azazel was laughing at how ridiculous this was, despite him causing this to happen. "I knew this kid had a dangerous fascination with large breasted women, but to think he would get a million times stronger just to keep his women's tits big." The others couldn't help but agree with his statement, never having seen Issei like this before. Only the ORC were somewhat familiar with this version of Issei from before he disappeared.
Vali got himself ready as his smile grew behind his helmet. "Today is full of surprises. This is so incredibly entertaining!"
"You lay a hand on Rias or any of my women… then I'll crush you so hard there won't be anything left to scrape off the ground, Vali!" yelled Issei as he launched at Vali. Vali tried to avoid him by flying up, but Issei was much faster now and flew up after him, kicking him in the stomach.
"How is he so fast?!" questioned Vali as he tried to evade him. Issei chased after him catching up and delivering a punch to the gut with the Dividing Gear.
[Divide!] said Ddraig.
Vali spit up blood as it came out of his helm. Issei wasn't done as he grabbed Vali's helmet and smashed it with a powerful headbutt, causing both of their helmets to be destroyed. With their faces exposed everyone saw something that surprised them. Issei's face had glowing lines on a part of it that glowed with a green and blue energy. Issei then kicked Vali in the side of his ribs, followed by a punch to the face. He finally did a hammer fist to launch Vali to the ground and as he was falling Issei prepared some runes. As Vali crashed into the ground Issei descended as well, now prepared to launch his spell. Vali got up quickly and turned to face his rival when he saw something being launched at him. He prepared to guard from the attack, but the spell didn't hit him, instead spreading around and surrounding him. "What's this?" he questioned.
Scàthach and Cu recognized what Issei was doing while the others were wondering as well. "It's a sealing rune. He's trying to keep Vali in place," explained Scàthach.
"Seems like he's trying to end things now. Let's see what he's got!" said Cu excitedly.
"Ascalon!"
[Blade!]
Issei summoned Ascalon again and he started funneling the power in his body into the blade. The Servants, including Mash, immediately recognized what Issei was trying to do. "Is he about to-" Mash tried to ask but was cut off.
"Yes, he is," said Georgios as he walked up to them with Darren by his side. "Master and I have been training with his sword ever since he got it, and although he hasn't completely mastered it, he has learned to wield my power, similar to how your Noble Phantasm was before you found its true form."
Mash's eyes went wide as her attention returned to Issei. Issei now was focusing and began his chant. "Pseudo-Noble Phantasm activate. Thy dragon, originating from sin, see the truth!" The blade began to glow in holy light, causing some of the nearby devils to shirk back. Issei readied himself, then launched in at Vali. "Let's Go, Ascalon!" Vali built up power to try and tank the hit since he was unable to dodge it. As Issei was charging in, he leapt into the air bringing down the blade on Vali in a vertical slash, quickly followed by a horizontal slash, then for the finisher stabbing where the light trail of his attacks intersected and, in the process, stabbing Vali in the chest.
Vali coughed up more blood as he was in much more pain than before, although the smile on his face didn't go away. Issei could tell he was enjoying every minute of this. Vali grabbed Issei's shoulder pauldron and pulled him closer, even though it caused the sword to impale him deeper. "So entertaining… Most entertaining!"
"Even after all that, he can still stand?!" exclaimed Nobu, surprised. "He's more stubborn than a cockroach!"
"What do you think Albion? He deserves to see the Juggernaut Drive," said Vali ominously.
[Don't get carried away, Vali. It is not wise to do that here.]
Vali ignored him and began to chant. "I, who shall awaken,-"
"This can't be good," said Issei as he quickly shook Vali's grip on him and took the sword out of his chest to create distance.
"Am the Heavenly Dragon who lost all to the principles of supremacy, I envy the "infinite" and I pursue the "dream"-"
[Vali! Did you intend to be consumed by my power this entire time?!] asked Albion.
Before anything else could happen the barrier above them broke as someone came crashing down between Vali and Issei. Everyone was on guard with Mash quickly rushing to Issei's side (since she couldn't wait anymore). When the dust cleared everyone saw a man in chinese armor carrying a bow staff. "Bikou, what are you doing here?" asked Vali.
"I'm here to pick you up since we're supposed to go fight the Asier up north," responded the now named Bikou.
"I see. So it's already time for that, huh?"
"Oi! Who are you? Why are you getting in the way?" demanded Issei.
"That's Bikou. He's a descendant of the Victorious Fighting Buddha," explained Azazel.
"Wait you mean…"
"To put it simply, he's this generation's Sun Wukong."
"Sun Wukong…"
"I never thought that even you would join the Khaos Brigade. The world must be ending…" said Azazel casually. "But the White Dragon and Sun Wukong do seem to look good together."
Bikou just laughed at Azazel's statement. "Unlike my ancestor, I'm carefree and live as I please. Nice to meet you, Red Dragon Emperor." He lifted his staff above him, twirled it then slammed it into the ground creating a portal beneath his and Vali's feet.
As they sank into the portal Vali said one last thing to Issei. "Let's have a more intense fight next time we meet. With more power." With that he was gone. The others looked around and saw that all the other enemies along with the magic circle that was summoning them was taken care of while they were in the Reality Marble.
Later the forces of the factions were using magic together to repair the damage from the battle. The leaders from the factions looked at everyone working together and shared a smile. "Seeing all our people working together gives me hope for the future," said Michael.
"I agree. This is the start of a brand-new era for all of us," said Sirzechs.
"Well, that's all well and good, but even if things are fine between us, we have another enemy to deal with," said Azazel lazily.
"Then we'll just beat them to achieve the peace we all want," said Issei, who was currently being healed by Asia. The leaders all nodded with Issei's statement. Issei turned to Michael with a serious look. "Michael, I would like to ask you something. It's about what I wanted to talk about before." Michael as well as the others tilted their heads in interest. "Can you make it so that Asia and Xenovia don't get hurt when they pray to God?"
This request shocked everyone, Xenovia and Asia most of all. Michael's expression soon changed to a small smile as he looked at Xenovia and Asia. "Xenovia, Asia."
"Yes!" both of them responded.
"As you know God is dead. Even so, will you still pray?"
"Yes. Even if there is no God, I want to pray," responded Asia.
"Same here. I want to pray with thanks to God and to you, Lord Michael," said Xenovia.
"I also ask on their behalf, Lord Michael," said Irina, surprising the duo.
"Irina…" said Xenovia.
"I'm sorry about before Xenovia. I blindly thought you had betrayed us and didn't bother to understand your circumstances. Then when I learned the truth about God, I realized that I had done something horrible to you when it wasn't your fault." Irina changed her gaze to Asia. "The same to you Asia-san. If God was dead then he couldn't have protected you, with his guidance or otherwise. I said terrible things to you without knowing anything, I'm ashamed to think I was a believer."
"It isn't something you should apologize for, Irina," said Xenovia.
"That's right, Irina-san. There was no way you could have known about any of that, and I'm happy with how my life turned out," said Asia.
Michael and the others were happy to see things resolving peacefully. "It shouldn't be a problem to have two devils that do not receive damage when they pray."
"How magnanimous!" said Irina.
"I am grateful-" said Xenovia.
"O, Lord," prayed Irina, Asia, and Xenovia, with Asia and Xenovia receiving damage from praying.
Michael chuckled at the two. "I will have to make the changes when I return to Heaven so you should probably wait a bit before praying."
"As for me, I will be living in Kuoh for the time being," said Azazel, which gained the attention of Issei and his Servants. "You all need some guidance when it comes to your Sacred Gears, and that happens to be my area of expertise. So expect to be seeing more of me in the future," he said as he walked away closely followed by Raynare.
As they saw he was leaving Michael and Sirzechs took that as their que to leave as well. "We should be going as well. There is much to do now that we have established peace," said Michael and he and Gabriel left with their followers.
"We will be heading out as well. We have to take care of things on our end as well," said Sirzechs with Serafall nodding in agreement. They soon left with their followers too, leaving only the ORC, Musashi, and Issei's Servants.
The group prepared to head home when Issei was stopped by Scàthach. "That was some battle you had, Master. To think you had that much power held within you. Not to mention your reckless strategies and pulling off a Pseudo-Noble Phantasm. I'll admit, I'm impressed." Issei felt a bit embarrassed as he scratched the back of his head, but Scàthach wasn't done as a mischievous smile appeared on her face. "But I will admit, I was surprised that you gained that much power just because you thought someone was gonna mess with your woman. Especially when it came to her assets," she said in a mischievous tone. The Servants who were there had wry smiles on while the others were confused. Salter had a neutral expression while Jealter was giving him a small glare. Issei on the other hand suddenly remembered the reason for his outburst and that they were all watching him. He crouched down on the spot while covering his face to hide his embarrassment.
Mash went to his side to console him with the ORC giving him sympathetic looks. Rias decided to enlighten the other Servants. "It was surprising to say the least but not completely unexpected. As I'm sure you all know, Issei's personality changed due to his circumstances, but that outburst was definitely the old Issei shining through since he used to say things like that all the time before he disappeared. Even then, it still felt like he was holding back a bit." The other Servants seemed to understand, and it was definitely an experience to see their Master's true nature, even for a moment.
This explanation didn't help Issei's embarrassment and he quickly stood up and turned around. "Look, can we just go home already? It's been a long night," he was practically pleading. The others gave small smiles and laughs, and they all went home for the night.
Early upload as opposed to a late one this time. Got this chapter done two weeks ago and have been working on Octobers chapter since next month the Pokémon DLC is coming out and I wanna sink my time into that. As I said before this battle went more or less the same as it did originally. Honestly I wanted to write the freakout scene at the end because I always thought it was stupidly funny and awesome at the same time. So I've been chatting with some of you and tossing around ideas for other stories I can write along with me finding interesting stories to read and I wanted to ask you all. How would you guys feel about a react story, where I have the characters from this story react to the original story of DxD and Grand Order, to see how things were supposed to go? I thought it would be interesting to see their reactions at how one change sent the course of their lives in completely different directions. Anyways, I look forward to the comments as always. : )