2 Encounter

After flirting with Rias, stopping the rivalries between his female companions, and finally getting comfortable on his bed (he is now sleeping in his regular room, alongside with the ladies, as usual), Issei felt the liberation of relief on his chest, and sighed deeply in exhaustion.

"It's going to be hard being a Harem King if this is what I have to go through everyday…" he thought to himself.

Rias, Akeno, Asia, Xenovia, Irina, Koneko, and Ravel were already fast asleep, allowing him the time to think.

Well… it's supposed to be like that, but…

"...Suu~ Suu~."

"...Ise-san."

Rias's breathing and Asia's sleep-talking can be heard, but it was an everyday occurrence, so it didn't matter to him.

Akeno in the other hand...

"...Ise-kun...do it more roughly..." Akeno moans his name in her sleep, and she clung on to him, which allowed him to feel her thighs against his crotch.

"...Guu guu..." Xenovia, luckily, pushed herself out of the bed, and hasn't noticed that she was sleeping on the floor.

Irina, Koneko, and Ravel slept in separate rooms from Issei's.

The brunette haired Sekiryuutei could not sleep due to two conditions: one, Akeno's sex appeal is efficiently deadly, for it was impossible to sleep peacefully without resorting to alternative methods of achieving satisfaction (and that itself was difficult, for Issei was to embarrassed to masturbate in front of them, even though they were sleeping), and two, although it was a chilly winter night, their bodies were generating heat, causing Issei to be a bit uncomfortable. When it gets to hot for him, usually, his body will start to itch, adding even more discomfort.

But even so, drowsiness slowly over-accumulated itself, and it was only a matter of time before his eyelids dropped and his conscious state will be shut down, pulling him towards the land of illusions.

"Perhaps I should lower the heat generator tomorrow morning." he thought to himself as he fell asleep.

-Line Break-

Feelings of grotesque emerged within his feverish body, as if the black hand had gripped his intestines, and it's razor sharp claws pierced through the flesh. His soul was aflame by a comfort of an unknown force, watching him with hungry eyes as he slept with the amora of sweat and itchiness. (A/N: To my ES fans, I hope you get the reference *wink*.)

The simulation of wickedness and anxiety was to much for him to stay unconscious; he needed the urge to wake up, and find medication to ease and rid of the unknown culprit that cause him such uncomfortableness.

He attempted, but no avail.

'...Why...I...can't…wake up?' he thought fearfully and tiresomely, as he issued commands to every nerve within his body. When he succeeded in gaining the necessary energy in his blood, he woke up, and stood.

When he arose, his mind was clouded with drowsiness and confusion.

'...It's seems that I am awake. No...wait. This place is—— everything is so damn confusing! Is—— Is this a lucid dream?' he asked himself in helplessness, unfamiliar with his surroundings. He was aware of the coolness, density and loamy fragrance of the air, and the ground he 'supposedly' slept at was lumpy, as if he were on a bed of earth and rocks. He glance towards the ground, only to find ancient concrete.

"Where the hell am I...?" he asked himself slowly, still feeling the drowsiness, as he stretched his limbs to get the blood flowing.

"This is not Draig's realm, that is for sure. If it was, then this… 'sanctuary', would not exist. He preferred to be around the blazing inferno." Issei remarked, as incepted the concrete in greater detail. After a certain amount of time, he reckoned that he should investigate and explore the environment around him, to get a holding of his surroundings.

He walked around the platform, looking for clues about this strange location he was at.

"...This feels too real to be a lucid dream. I...I feel— M-My head is sort of…"

"There's no need for you to get so worked up, kid."

A voice called out to him, startling the brunette and putting him into high alert.

[Boost!] the iconic red gauntlet appeared in his arm, and Issei turn towards where the voice came from.

"Hello." the strange man greeted him with a friendly smile, and waved at him. Issei immediately scanned the person, and found that this man was no originary human being.

He had two large horns that stick out of his head, his beard consisted of more horns, and his skin was orange.

Most importantly, the man had an aura that was obviously dragon-like.

"Where am I?" Issei asked the stranger, but still kept his guard up, in case of any emergencies.

"This place should be familiar to you. This is where all the past hosts of the [Boosted Gear] resided at, or used too, since they sacrificed their consciences to help you."

"How...How do you know that?"

"I watched it happened through the lens of time and space."

"I don't have time for your bullshit. Tell me where I am at, and how to get out."

"The reason why this place looks different than before, is because of the influence of my powers. Usually, this section of your conscious should be white."

"I don't give a shit—"

"You should. There is no reason to be alarmed, Sekiryuutei."

"You know who I am?"

"Yes, I know who you are. Your name is Hyoudou Issei, son of Hyoudou Gorou and grandson of Hyoudou Juzo—" as the stranger began spewing Issei's father and grandfather's name, he was interrupted by a wave of red aura coming from brunette's ower.

[Boost! (10x)]

[Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker!] the announcer roared in glory as Issei immediately transformed into his scale mail armor.

"That's not normal, knowing my father's and grandfather's name. Who are you, and what is it that you want from me?!" he yelled with anxiety and confusion, not understanding what type of situation he was in, and frustrated because of the man's knowledge about his family.

"More importantly, did you do something to my friends while I was here?!"

"...Ah, it seems we already went off to a bad start already." the stranger chuckled quietly to himself, much to Issei's displeasure.

"I can obviously tell you are a Dragon of some sort. Are you working for Rizevim? Is this some type of illusion?" he commanded the stranger to answer his questions.

"Obviously not. As a matter of fact, I am here inside your consciousness to offer you some assistance in defeating Rizevim." the stranger revealed.

"...Assistance? If your here to offer me some assistance, then you could have just met with me, like a person who has some humanity, instead of going into people's minds without consent! Also, how, when, and why did you decided do this?!" he yelled.

"I entered your soul, right after you were interrupted by Asia and the others. You sense a weird presence as the argument unfolded, correct?"

"...Yes, I did. So that was you, huh?"

"Fufufu, it must have been rough dealing the aftermath."

"...So, can you explain this—— this awful feeling?"

"I accidentally gave you an extreme form of STDs while I entered your soul."

"....!!!!!"

[Boost!!]

"I'm just kidding. I gave you the Dragon Flu."

"THAT DOESN'T CHANGE THE SITUATION!!!!!"

"I can understand why you are angry. Going into people's souls is taboo, but it's not like I am here to cause you any harm, Issei. Trust me, I would have met you a long time ago, if I could have. I have to conceal my presence, or else it will attract some unwanted attention towards me. I apologize for the inconvenience, but right now, I need you to analyze the situation you're in." the stranger said.

"Yeah, the situation is right of front of me!"

"Calm down. I can help you cure the Dragon Flu, however the side effects is little distasteful. You'll feel hungover for the rest of the night."

"...So much for a cure huh?"

"Would you rather have a needle struck up your ass again?"

"...Y-You do raise a point."

"Then shut up and listen, alright?" the stranger frowned.

He summoned a pipe through a magic circle, and some herbs. He then smashed the herbs, put into the pipe, and then lit it. The stranger deeply inhaled the smoke, then exhaled, releasing smoke shaped O's out of his mouth.

"That calmed me down a bit. You want a hit of this?" he asked.

"...T-Thanks for the courtesy, but I don't smoke."

"Suit yourself. Anyways, now that we have taken a chill-pill, let's start talking. In exchange for the cure, you have to at least hear me out." the stranger said.

"....Alright, seems reasonable." the young pervert agreed to his negotiation suspiciously, but dismantled his scale mail to make himself more comfortable.

"Excellent. I already prepared the cure. Of course, I added a special ingredient, in able to make it work. It's not like you can actually eat it, because we're inside your conscious, but it will give you my blessing, and it will be enough to aid you… perhaps in the upcoming battle."

"I don't get what you're saying. So I can't eat this?"

"You can, but it won't give you any nutrients, because it isn't real."

"So is the cure not real?"

"...Just eat it." the stranger sighed a bit impatiently. Issei sat down across from the stranger, and took a bowl of the stew. At first, he hesitated, thinking it could have been a trap that allow the stranger to take advantage of him.

"Trust me, Issei. I am not here to hurt you, Please." the stranger begged.

"Alright, alright. But you better start explaining yourself."

"I will." the stranger vowed, convincing Issei to eat the stew.

-Line Break-

"Thanks for the meal, although it did taste like nothing."

"It's only a blessing."

"Right…" Issei sighed as he prepared himself to hear a lecture. He always hated long speeches that dragged on for an unnecessary amount time; he rather prefers explanations that were brief, blunt, and straight to the point.

"Okay, since I kept part of my bargain, you have to keep yours. It is a tradition among Dragons since the ancient times, and breaking this tradition is a taboo." the stranger reminded Issei.

"Ancient times? So you must be old." the brunette remarked.

"I am old as Ophis."

"...You're lying."

"Why so closed-minded? The Dimensions are limitless, there is bound to be another Dragon God somewhere deep within."

"Y-You're...a Dragon God?"

"That, I am. My apologies Issei for the late introduction. My name is Akatosh, Dragon God of Time, and Harbinger of the Stars."

"D-Dragon God of Time…"

"Yes. For many centuries I live peacefully in the [Dimensional Gap], away from the useless rivalry that Ophis and Great Red were currently having."

"...If your a Dragon God, then what you could you possibly need my help with?"

"As I stated before, If I could had handle things into my own matter, then I would have done it."

"...W-Wait, if your a Dragon God, then how come I never heard about you from Ophis or Great Red?"

"I tend to keep away from those two as much as possible. Especially Ophis."

"You have grudge against Ophis?"

"No. ...But I am her younger brother."

"W-Wait, what?! You're Ophis's brother?!"

"Yep."

"...I can't believe you. The way you speak is…"

"The way I speak?"

"Nevermind. So, if you're the Dragon God of Time, can you foresee the future?"

"Unfortunately, that is not how it works. It is more complicated than you think it is. However, I can show you the past."

"What are you going to show me?"

"The story of a man, who was given a title of a Saint, encountering a dragon. Watch closely." with a swift movement of his hand, Akatosh changed the dreaded scenery into something unexpected.

The concrete floors changed into grasslands, and the blasted ceiling that encaved the darkness dissipated. The blue skies appeared, and the sunshine warmed Issei's face a bit too much.

"Are you sure this is a lucid dream?"

-Line Break-

(A/N: You don't really have to read this section. It's more of a bonus rather than plot.)

300 AD

"Help! A Dragon! It's attacking the village!"

"God save us all!"

"Please, my child—"

The cries of peasants can be heard, as the king's army was being slaughtered like Guinea pigs, and their defensive lines were being cut, imitating the edge of the butcher's knife at the pig's neck. The stench of burning corpses can be smelled as far as 5 miles, and the houses are being lit under the ashen, darken skies. The priests tried to use their holy books and crucifixes to repel the beast, only to be terrified by the angry dragon. Some of them prayed, remaining loyal to God, and others sin and ran for their lives, killing and stealing as much as they could.

"Drive back the beast! Shoot the arrow into it's eye!" A mercenary Roman commander by the name of George yelled out the order, and the soldiers who were brave enough did so. But to no avail, as the dragon roared and flew away from it's handiwork of destruction.

After the tragedy, the priests who were caught stealing and rapeing woman, were marked as servants of Lucifer and were beheaded by the executioner's axe. They prayed and begged, but the faithful George and the order of the Catholic Church refuse their cries.

"Think of this as mercy." said George, as the axe cut off one the priest's head. This was mercy in the Catholic Church, as there were other ways to 'purify' the sinner who acted wrong in front of God and his son Jesus.

After ordering the remaining soldiers to repair the church and helped carried the dead bodies to a resting area, George stayed at an inn for the night. Surprisingly the inn survived and was at a decent condition, despite the carnage of the dragon. George thought that God was rewarding him for his good deeds. When he entered the inn after his completing his duties, there were many wenches who are desperately trying to get money. He went up to one of them and said:

"My child. Go to the church and become a holy woman. There is no need for you to do this. Your faith will guide the way if it is strong enough."

"Then you can give me some of your faith through the acts of pleasure of the flesh."

Although George had a tiresome expression, he gave a sermon to the woman and her acquaintances; of course, it was to no avail. He sighed hopelessly at the failed attempt to convince the wenches to stop their sinful acts, and went to his room.

He laid upon the bed that innkeeper gave to him for a day. It was not the most comfortable bed, since the hay can make his back itchy and the pillow feels like bricks, but it didn't matter though, as he was thankful for a roof above his head and food he can eat.

He did his prayer, like any normal follower of the Christian faith.

"Saint Maria, Jesus and the Holy Spirit...please give me your blessings as I and my men hunt down this cursed beast that Satan has laid upon this village. Also, please give the souls who were lost today one last judgment."

George finished his prayer and attempted to sleep.

The candles that were lit suddenly die out as the cold wind blows upon the destruction of the village. George ignored it, as he thought that God was protecting him from any danger.

That cold wind signalizes the dragon's return. Suddenly, multiple knocks on George's door were heard, and his sergeant yelled out his name.

"Commander! The beast is coming back!"

"What!? I don't even have my armor on...oh god...this must be a test from the angels! Prepare yourselves my men! Today we will kill the beast in the name of the Roman Empire and the Catholic Church! Amen!"

[Amen!!!] The soldiers regain their spirits and prepare their bows and spears. They evacuated the remaining villagers and priests out of the town, and George order his men to fortify their position.

George was a smart commander, even among the Roman Empire. He knew that he needed every resource that he can get to do his job not only as military personnel, but also as a follower of Jesus.

The men did a lot in a short amount of time; it was decision for the kingdom to had hire George and his unit as a temporary army. The king was afraid of the dragon, which made George question his view on Christianity.

The men heard the dragon's roar and prepare themselves, hiding in cover and preparing their deadliest shot.

"Aim at the eye! Use poison to neutralize the heathen! Make sure it feels warm embrace of God!" The faithful George shout out his command and his men happily followed it. They believe that this will wash away their sins for their past battles.

As the dragon approached...it said something.

"Joor! Hi fen dir!" The dragon opened its mouth, and the flames turned cold as ice.

"What is this sorcery!? It can also breath Ice!?"

"Dovah fen alun rel lok ahrk okaaz! Mu los eylok tol rah okmaar los faas do!" It spoke in it's unknown language, making the men puzzled. How come this beast of the devil can develop communication, something only human civilization can do?

"It spoken the words of Lucifer! Kill it!" George fiercely raised his hand as the men shot the arrows and threw their spears. It hit one of his eyes and it roared in pain.

"Ha! We did it-" Just when the men boast of their false victory, the dragon blew them away with it's fire breath.

"Ahhhh——- It bur——"

"Help me Saint———"

"I have a family——-"

The soldiers were obliterated within seconds.

The stench of burning corpses and the screaming of the men on fire terrified George to his bones and spirit, but he was taught that faith is stronger than fear, so it can be used as a weapon against the demon spawns. He stand his position and draw out his sword.

"I will slay the beast myself! I will avenge my fallen comrades!" He ran up to the dragon, only to realize that the difference between sizes was humongous.

When he took some steps back, the dragon laughed.

It was insulting to see something like this. George let his anger get the best of him, and charge the dragon like a idiot. The dragon stomped his feet and sent him flying away from the village.

The remainder of his men tremble in fear.

They die like cowards as the dragon eat them, and burn the already collapsing village to the ground.

Nothing was left….only the smell of misery and flames filled the dead night sky.

-Line Break-

Issei looked unimpressed with the imagery in front of him.

"Although I do process [Ascalon], what does Saint George have to do with me?" the brunette asked.

"But what was his true source of strength? How was he able to kill a dragon with just a holy blade, and a body of mortal?

"I blessed him with my powers, which was enough to kill the dragon, and earn the title of saint.

"And I wish to make the same offering to you, Issei."

[That's quite a proclamation]

"And hello to you, Y Ddraig Goch. Did I awoken you from your slumber?"

[...What is your purpose?] Ddraig directed his question towards the Orange Dragon, and he seemed very alarmed by the fact that a random dragon, that he has never seen before, has appeared in Issei's consciousness. Also, the commotion interrupted his sleep, which made him very annoyed.

"Yes, it is time for me to reveal my purpose. Issei, I have an offering for you to consider."

"In exchange of Ophis's power, I will give you mine."

"My power is known as [Dragonbreak], and it is not different from Ophis's [Dragon Deification], which is now dormant as we speak. Although you could master [Destructive Energy Manipulation] under [Dragon Deification], [Dragonbreak] gives you the power to surpass the level of a [Dragon God]; of

course, with the price of your stamina, and life force."

"Also, [Dragonbreak] gives you another ability…"

"The ability to absorb any Dragon soul, and add more fuel to [Dragonbreak]."

"That is why I consider myself the strongest among the [Dragon Gods]. I can kill Ophis, Great Red, and that other [Dragon God] which I won't mention it's name."

"...[Dragonbreak] seems dandy and all, but why would I give up the power that Ophis bestowed upon me?" Issei complained.

"Of course, the amount of power Ophis gave you is not enough to defeat Six-Hundred and Sixty-six'. I will give you everything that I have to offer in able to defeat the beast, in case Rizevim does somehow awakens it. Think of it as Insurance."

"...and if I refuse?"

"I won't force you. But, in due time, you will change your mind."

"For now, let time continue to run its course. We'll be meeting again soon."

-Line Break-

His lungs were aflamed.

After gaining control of his breathing, he looked down at his bed sheets, and noticed that they were wet from his sweat. It seemed that he was like this for a couple of hours. There was a disgusting, terrible taste of blood and mucus in his mouth, as he had no choice to swallow his spit at the moment. He then licked his lips to soften them, and swallowed more spit due to his sudden dehydration.

He attempted to get up, but was met with resistance; a certain redhead was grabbing onto his arm, not willing to let go. She was deep in sleep, and Issei had no way to move without waking her up.

"...Unyuu." Rias used his arm as a hug pillow, pulling him closer to her. If Issei was not feeling the way he was, he would enjoy the sensation of her body and breast, hugging her back and cuddling more with his girlfriend.

But his thirst for water was so great, he forcefully pushed her down to the hard, cold floor and ran for his life. Rias landed her head on a pillow that was lucky there, so she was unharmed.

But upon impact, Rias instantly woke up and noticed two things:

One, Issei was running.

And two, Issei forcibly pushed her down.

"W-What just happened…?" she asked herself in confusion.

Issei finally made it to the kitchen, and chugged an entire gallon of water.

The taste of the water made his tongue soft again, and the cold liquid runs down his throat, curing him from his dehydration. Before he knew it, there wasn't a single drop of water left in the jug.

The satisfaction quickly turn into regret, since he quickly drank a gallon of water, it gave him hyponatremia. His stomach felt like it was getting tighter, as if somebody was tying a knot in between his stomach. The urge to vomit is rising.

He sprinted again.

He found the nearest unoccupied toilet, closed the door with enough force that the entire hallway echoed, got on his knees, bent over, and started to cough and vomit inside the toilet.

His agonizing sounds can be heard through the silent hallways of the Hyoudou Residence.

[Oi, partner… you alrig——]

"Shut the fuck——" another wave of vomit interrupted him.

Issei never felt this agonized in his entire life.

The puke swaddles down the toilet, green, gray, and flecks of orange. It moves and drifts like the insides of an uncooked egg, as it stubbornly clinging to its own mass, refusing to break up.

After awhile, Rias found him, and she was terrified at the state he was on.

-Line Break-

A few hours had passed.

Issei was on his bed with an icepack on his forehead, and other medical essentials on the side table.

'I never want to go through that again. That shitty dragon was trying to kill me!' he cursed at the supposedly 'Dragon God of Time' for the cause of such pain.

He would rather suffer the symptoms of the Dragon Flu, but what had been done cannot be irreversible.

'What is done, is done. Although I felt like hell, it only lasted for a few hours.' he told himself, looking at the positive side of the barrigin.

"Thank goodness…. I was so worried about you Ise!"

Rias rushed towards Issei, and hugged him very tightly. Rias's bust was grinding on Issei's chest, as she burst into tears.

"Arara…. don't cry, ne? I'm okay now, see?"

"*Sniff*…"

"Did Ravel arrived in time?"

"Ravel has gone over to Riser for his rating match against Diehauser Belial-sama."

"I-I see…"

"Ise…" Rias leans in for a kiss, but Issei turned away.

"I wouldn't want you tasting my vomit, now would I?"

"...Then I'll settle for a hug."

"You sure are spoiled aren't you? What if you catch my sickness, huh?"

"At least it's from you than anyone else…" As Rias proceeded to hug the brunette in front of her, Issei felt a weird throb in his heart.

"A-Are you okay, Ise? What's wrong?"

"N-nothing…"

All of the sudden, Rias gets a call from Azazel.

"Azazel-sensei? Why call at this hour?"

[There is a DxD meeting today. Make sure Issei is fully recovered and able to attend the meeting]

"Okay. I'll let him know."

"Who was that?"

"That was Azazel-sense, just reminding me that today is a DxD meeting, and make sure you were fine. Go take a shower, and get dressed if you feel better. But take some medicine before you do."

"Okay, I will."

-Line Break-

The [DxD] team was currently gathered in the VIP room, which was in the upper level of the Hyoudou residence. All the members for the exception of Ravel are present. They firmly focused on the video which was projected onto the screen in front of them. All programs were news about the latest match in the rating games. Text at the bottom said such things like:

[Sudden accident in the Rating Game!?]

[Champion Belial has disappeared during the middle of the match!]

[Phoenix family's third son, eldest daughter and Champion have disappeared together!]

The team confirmed the disappearance of them by replaying the video of the match and continuing watching the news.

Issei, who hasn't spoken a word, has his fist shaking in anger. Just a few hours ago, Ravel was safe and sound; He did not expect this turn of events, and if it wasn't for the meeting, he would immediately go after her. Rias, who is next to him, held his fist, but he still continued to shake.

"So, the whereabouts of Raiser, Ravel and the Champion Diehauser Belial-sama are all unknown right?" Rias asked Azazel.

"Firstly, what can be confirmed is that before the three people disappeared, the game system's emergency program was triggered."

"Originally, in order to respond to any kinds of situations, there was a corresponding set of procedures for professional Rating Games. For example, if the location of the match was destroyed more than was expected, then they would initiate a procedure to repair it." Sona stated.

"So what happened?"

"That aspect is currently being investigated, but one thing which is certain;there is a high possibility that there was improper conduct during the game."

"That's prohibited! Could it be the Champion!?"

"...The managers believes that it's the opposite."

Issei grips Rias's hand tightly to ease down the shaking.

"Ise, I understand. You and I are the same. …For Raiser to have improper conduct, that's impossible. It wasn't easy for him to get over things and stand up again. And he also has Ravel by his side, those siblings would definitely not allow improper conduct."

"Well, then it really is the Champion Belial…right?" Kiba said as he used his hand to support his chin.

"…Azazel-sensei, don't you have any ideas about this?"

Everyone's gaze was directed towards Azazel.

"Is that true?"

Hearing Issei's question, Azazel raised his hands and sighed.

"…I can't say it. But, if it's really as I think, the Phoenix siblings whose whereabouts are unknown shouldn't be as bad as it's being imagined. I'm really sorry that I can't say any more right now, but if you believe in what I've said, then believe that those two are safe."

'Fuck, fuck, fuck! Why did this have to happen!? And what pisses me off the most, is that I cannot do anything, meanwhile Ravel could be going through some trouble! This is bullshit!' Issei thoughts were exploding with hatred.

"…Ise, it's painful right now, but we need to believe in Onii-sama and Azazel-sensei."

"Raiser, Ravel…please, you must be safe." Issei whispered to himself.

End of Chapter 2