Chapter 8

Akeno and Koneko could not believe what they were hearing.

"Issei?" Koneko said shell-shocked.

Issei had died weeks ago. But, of course... It wasn´t like it was the first time that he died.

And he had come back before... and so did Raynare.

"How?" Akeno asked.

"For the best part of the last year, my soul had been bound to Issei´s," Raynare explained. "It was he who had held mine anchored into this world. And now I am doing the same for him."

Akeno and Koneko felt the shock of realization. Of course. Why had they not thought about this possibility earlier?

"And you had not thought about mentioning any of this to us before?" Koneko asked.

"Now - why would I tell you anything?" Raynare asked in an `innocent´ voice that she normally used in her `Yuuma´ form. "I mean, it is now as if we friends or something like that, are we? It is more the opposite, isn´t it?"

Akeno and Koneko understood all too well. There was nothing she and them owed each other, except maybe death.

"Alright, I understand," Akeno said. "Let us continue with what exactly you intend to do... And not longer talk about this issue."

Besides, she thought. If there was any chance they could actually bring Issei back. Who cared there about the fact that Raynare had not told them about it earlier because she had a grudge against them for assisted Rias in killing her? Or nearly killing her as it turned out.

There was a chance to bring Issei back. Everything else should be meaningless compared to that. And when it meant dealing with Raynare, so be it.

"Maybe we should return to the topic," Griselda said. "One question," she turned to Raynare. "You said Issei Hyoudou is not fully dead because his soul is anchored by yours. Then what about Ddraig and the Boosted Gear?"

Raynare smiled at that.

"That is a good question," she said.

They were walking inside. To both continue with the regular Exorcism... and to beginn their new extra addition.

xxx

Inside Raynare, Irina and Asia were met with the same scenes that Griselda and the others here already knew.

The small family of the possessed victim with their deperate expressions, sitting and waiting in the living room.

And as they entered the room of their daughter, the young girl herself, lying bound and chained up on her bed.

"And then the creature itself - the Spirit Wraith - greeting them through the mouth of it´s victim.

"So you are back," it said, "and you have brought help. Did you no longer feel like you could do it by yourself?" it taunted them.

"Raynare - how nice to see you again."

It for a moment went through Irina´s, Asia´s and even Raynare´s heads that it could have been a scene out of `The Exorcist´ or a similar movie.

xxx

Of course Irina herself had technically been called an Exorcist - or at least she had been until she had become an Angel and then a Fallen. But in fact her work had consisted nearly entirely of fighting and terminating supernatural enemies from the other Factions or heretics.

She had never taken part in an actual exorcism ritual. Of course she had been thought the basic principles.

At one point it had just become habbit in the Church to just call all of their warriors who were dealing with the Supernatural Exorcists, no matter if they ever did or ever would perform an actual Exorcism.

Griselda however had obviously experience with this kind of tasks. Of course Griselda Quarta was an old-school Exorcist - a real one.

xxx

"Yes," Raynare replied, "nice to see you again. Hopefully it is for the last time."

"And?" the Wraith asked. "What are you going to do?

"Why are they here?" He turned back to Griselda. "What do you think two Fallen Angels and a former Nun who had become a reincarnated Devil can do what you can´t yourself? Or are you just getting desperate?"

"You will see," Griselda said in Raynare´s stead.

They continued with the exorcism.

With Griselda reciting another passage from the Bible.

The Spirit Wraith laughed.

"Oh - that again," he mocked her once more. "So what exactly are you hoping to achieve here? You know even if you succeed, I will just be driven out of this body and will simply find a new one... And I fear of the mind of this girl here will not be much left at that point."

"Do not underestimate the power of faith... or of Heaven," Griselda told him. "But you are right in one point, other methods are needed to get rid of you for good."

A smile formed on Griselda´s face.

"And that is exactly what Raynare and the others are here for," she said.

She turned around to them.

"You can begin now Raynare."

"Okay."

Raynare stepped closer to the bed on that the tied up possessed girl was lying on.

"There is nothing you can do to hurt me," the Wraith told her through his host body.

"Are you sure about that?" she replied. "We will see."

She activated her mental powers... and reached out with her mind to the one of the creature.

The Wraith itself actually seemed surprised by what she was just doing. Did she think she could defeat him in a mental battle? The Spirit Realm and the world of the mind were his homeground.

There were few telepaths who could even challenge him there. And even if Raynare was one of these few now, after spending several months being `dead´ as a bodiless spirit, there was no way she could actually do anything to harm him permanently.

Even if she managed to force him out of this host, he could still just leave and move on to another one.

Little did the Wraith realize that Raynare was not alone. So it accepted her challenge and reached back into her own mind.

Just like they had wanted.

And so Raynare moved both of their minds to the Spirit Realm.

xxx

A few moments later, on the Spirit Realm

Raynare recognized the familiar feeling as she found herself back in the Spirit Realm. She had after all spend several months here after her `death´.

But the creature she was facing was even far more familiar with this place.

The Wraith manifested itself in front of her.

"And here you are," the Wraith said. "I told you, it was a mistake to come. You might have a better chance than most other livings, but you can still not hope to match me here. You have spend a few months in this realm... I my entire existence."

"I guess you would be right... if I were alone."

She looked around. Both she and the Wraith sensed a presence close by, a presence that belonged to neither of them.

And one moment later the figure of Issei Hyoudou appeared next to Raynare.

"Hey Issei," she said.

"Hello Raynare," he replied.

"Issei Hyoudou? You are dead." The Wraith reacted surprised.

"Yes - like I had also been for months, if you remember," Raynare countered.

The Wraith laughed.

"So you two are still bound together. And you are now holding him at the edge of life like he had done it with you. But do you really think that will let you beat me?"

A deep crimson aura suddenly flared up around Issei... and for a short moment it looked like his Balance Breaker Scale-Armor was forming around him.

That was at least how the Wraith... and also Raynare had seen it.

Of course the Scale Armor did not actually appear in the physical sense. Their bodies here were not even actually physical in the first place, but projections of their spirits and souls.

This here was the Spirit Realm after all... everything here was just psychic projection.

And the appearance of the crimson aura around Issei and the Armor were simply signs and manifestations of the presence of one special being. A being that now showed itself.

And so the giant form of Ddraig appeared in the air right behind Issei.

"No - that can not be. You died weeks ago Hyoudou. Ddraig can not be still with you," the Spirit Wraith exclaimed.

"Normally yes. The Boosted Gear should have been reincarnated into another host after I died," Issei admitted. "But since my soul never actually moved on... neither did he. Isn´t that right, Ddraig?"

("Yes. Since your soul was anchored, so was mine,") Ddraig´s voice filled the air. ("Besides, you are the most interesting host I ever had, so I thought it was a good idea to stay a little bit longer.")

"No," the Wraith exclaimed.

Hyoudou was a spirit. All his power was now concentrated in this realm... and if Ddraig was backing him up...

Ddraig´s power was flowing into Issei once more and the Crimson Armor manifested round him once more. Only in Spirit of course.

("It is good to work with you once more Issei,") Ddraig´s voice halled though the room.

Issei moved forward, just appearing at a different place from one moment to the other...

... and struck the Spirit Wraith and the Crimson Armor´s claws ripped though his non-physical `body´.

Psychic manifestation vs psychic manifestation.

Not physical claws ripping through a not physical shape.

"Arhh!" the Wraith called out.

Before Issei and Ddraig unleashed a wave of pure supernatural energy on a short distance, that annihilated him completely.

xxxxxxx

At the same moment in the physical world, the girl screamed out in the same moment...

... and then she suddenly sank down on the bed quiet.

"Mom, Dad," she said a moment later. She was looking very weak and exhausted, but the presence of the Wraith was not longer to sense.

"The Spirit Wraith is gone," Griselda said. "They have done it."

xxxxxxx

Spirit Realm

"Good work, Issei... Ddraig," Raynare told them.

"Yes Raynare," Issei said. `Rias,´ he thought, `we finally got your murderer.´

"Issei - we are ready to bring you back," Raynare told him. "Your Spirit has stabilized enough and Great Red has agreed to create a new body for you once more."

Issei turned to Ddraig.

"Can you stay a bit longer and come back with me to the living world?" he asked him.

("Me time here is nearly over,") the Dragon responded. ("I am barely holding on as it is and the last attack has cost me EVEN MORE energy. I might be able to do it if you bring Issei back to life now, I mean right NOW.")

"I understand," Raynare replied.

xxxxxxx

Back in the normal world

Raynare opened her eyes.

"Thank you. Thank you," both of the girl´s parents said.

"That was good work, thank you," Griselda congratulated, "to you and Hyoudou both."

"Congratulations," Akeno told her as well with a tone of grim satisfaction.

"Sorry - we have to leave. No time for explanations. We have to bring Issei back right now."

The others did not like her tone. But they complied.

Irina formed a magic transport-circle on the ground. One that would bring them directly to the Dimensional Void and to Great Red.

xxxxxxx

A short time later

They were standing together on a large rock floating in the Dimensional Void. The Fallen Angels Raynare and Irina and the former members of Rias Peerage Asia, Akeno and Koneko.

Looming above them was the giant form of Great Red.

And lying before them was Issei´s new body. Looking exactly like like his first (and second) one.

Raynare knelt down beside it, to transfer Issei´s soul and consciousness into it. She began, with a bit of assistance from Great Read.

A few seconds later Issei opened his eyes... and he slowly stood up.

"Issei?" the girls around him called out.

"Yes." He looked to the Dragon God.

"Thank you Great Red," he said.

The Dragon gave him a short acknowledgement, before he turned around and flew off into the Void.

Irina, Akeno, Koneko and Asia threw their arms around him and hugged him. Raynare held herself back a bit more.

After the other had let go of him however, she embraced him as well.

"What about Ddraig?" she asked him.

"Yes - that is the question," Issei said. Did they do it fast enough? "Ddraig? Ddraig?" he asked.

For a few moments nothing happened.

("I am here Partner") Ddraig finally said. ("It seems you will be the Red Dragon Emperor for a bit longer.")

Issei smiled.

xxxxxxx

Kuoh

They returned to Kuoh, where not only Kuroka, Rossweisse, Kiba and Sona and her Peerage... but also Issei´s parents and his friends Matsuda and Motohama, who had been informed about his return to life and all what happened before, were already waiting for them.

End