52

As the Full Vanish collapses in on itself, leaving a mirror-smooth sphere where the core and most of the chamber was, I nod in satisfaction. I should have a moment or two until this thing's body dematerializes and drops all of us in the crater beneath.

'Hey, Sasami. Remind me to copy Lars' Shadow Clone ability the second we see him next,' I say.

[Oh, I did that as soon as Transmogrify was thoroughly analyzed. I figured that was what you wanted to do anyway, and it didn't even cost any LP with the new upgrade.]

'Oh, nice. So, how strong will the clones be?"

[The clones should be able to present a consistent class B strength overall. If you ever raise the ability's rank, it will improve the overall strength of the clones as well. However, the clones will never equal your own power and will always be at least a rank lower and will only possess whatever magics you infuse into their summoning. Also, these clones do not possess artificial intelligence, so you will have to control them manually.]

'So, not as good as the Kage Bushin no Jutsu then?'

[Perhaps, but they do have an advantage over the Shadow Clone Jutsu in that they don't go poof from light damage.]

'Well, that is good, but since they can't operate independently from me, I can't use the training trick, and that's really what I was hoping for. Well, maybe when I make a trip back to Orario, I can - Oof!!'

A wave of pressure slams into me and nearly knocks me to the floor. My vision blurs, and I taste bile and blood at the back of my mouth. Spitting, because I'm not a genteel lady, I frown and try to pull myself together.

"What the fuck was that?" I say internally and externally.

[Issei, there is a spatial fluctuation at the approximate coordinates that the monster's core was located.]

I turn around to look, and there is a glowing free-standing crack in reality in the center of the hollowed-out sphere where the core once stood. "Well, shit. Um... Can I counter it with my own Spatial Magic?" I ask.

[I don't think so. The energy causing the fluctuations is higher plane energy. This is a dimensional breach. Someone or something may be trying to force their way through. The spatial distortion is a byproduct.]

"Well, that doesn't sound ominous. Does it? What about the Dimensional Barrier ability I copied from the monster. Can I use that to seal the crack and keep whatever is trying to break in, out?"

[It is possible, but hurry.]

"Yes, ma'am."

BOOST!

'Issei, you're going to need to use the Balance Breaker if you want to stop who is trying to come through,' Ddraig says.

'Hey, Ddraig. Where have you been?' I ask.

'Fewer questions, more Breaking!' she says.

The green gem glows, and the gauntlet shifts and flows over my body almost like a liquid. It's very reminiscent of a symbiote from Marvel that way, and in a way, it is. In the end, the result looks more like a transformation effect than the original scale mail armor.

BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!

Holding my now clawed hands apart, as though I'm holding an invisible ball, and using the Dimensional Barrier ability, I try to force the rift in space to close. I emphasize the word try, as something is definitely making this difficult, and whatever that something is, it's pushing its way through the crack.

[Issei, you need to close the rift now. Whatever that is on the other side has immense power.]

'No shit, huh!?'

BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!

'Don't let it through!' Ddraig shouts.

'Why do people keep telling me the obvious!?' I mentally shout while gritting my teeth.

BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!

Finally, I gather my will and slam my hands together; the rift shuts with an audible pop, and the Balance Breaker ... breaks. Actually, it seems to just melt into me. It's a strange sensation, and I feel absolutely drained. To the point, I fall back on my ass.

"Wow," I say with a smirk. "I fuck six succubi into horny little goo dolls in about an hour and a half, and I have the energy to spare but wrestle one measly little dimensional rift for about a minute, and I want to take a nap. Is there no justice?"

"That isn't exactly true," a small voice says from behind me.

Leaning my head back to look behind me, I see a petite girl with hip-length black hair and reptilian-slitted dark eyes. She has slightly pointed ears, wears gothic lolita chic, and as she is one of the very few beings on this world that I'm pretty sure could still curb-stomp me into a paste, for now, I say it looks great on her. I'm not saying I'm scared. Nervous? Maybe.

"Which part?" I say.

"The rift," she says. "It wasn't a naturally forming rift. Baka Red wanted to see who was causing such a large dimensional shift."

Well, that's not good. "You guys noticed that, huh?" I say awkwardly.

"Un."

"So, to what do I owe this visit from the Infinite Dragon God?"

"This time, the fluctuation was smaller than the time at the hero village. I was curious if it was the same person," she says without emotion.

I guess Full Banish tickles the Dimensional Gap enough to draw unwanted attention. Good to know. "I would say so. I've gotten a little control, and I didn't want to affect as large of an area as I did accidentally back then."

"You overpowered Baka Red's rift," she says. Uh oh.

"I don't think he was trying very hard," I say.

She tilts her head to the side, thinking. "Maybe," she says and continues to ponder for a minute. Then she holds up a bottle with a black snake-like thing inside.

I feel my pupils dilate. "No, thank you," I say, waving off the offer. "I have my own methods of getting stronger, and I'm comfortable with those."

Her hand lowers a little. "Will you help me get rid of Baka Red?"

I smile. "If you give me a little time, I'll try to come up with something to help you with your problem."

I figure, at worst, I'll get enough mastery of dimensional magics that I can just create a demi-plane that one of the two can live in without bothering the other.

She gives me a half-smile and nods. She holds the dark snake-thingie up a little higher, and I shake my head. "I'm good."

She turns to leave. "Oh, hey," I say. She stops and looks my way again. "Could you tell Kuroka that her sister would like to see her? Just give her my address, I'm sure you can find me, and I'll facilitate the meeting."

"Un," she says, nodding, and before I can blink, she's already gone.

"Huh... Well, that was, thankfully, painless," I say with a shrug. 'So, Ddraig, where were you earlier. You're not usually one to sit out bonding time.'

'I figured the new blood needed some alone time with you,' she says. 'Besides, I found a way to have a little talk with the sword you bonded with. Or, rather, the spirit of the woman bound inside.'

'You're able to talk to Brynhildr?' I say, surprised. 'That's great.'

'Yes, it was difficult, but I was able to squeeze my way inside enough to talk with her. She was a bit subdued, but then I realized it was due to the seals suppressing her. Suppressing her will. It was a struggle for her to communicate as she resisted the seals the entire time, trying not to be consumed by the sword.'

'Oh, well, we removed most of those. Maybe-'

'Yes, I know,' Ddraig says. 'I know because, when you merged that light blade with your sword, I was inside talking to her. When the seals broke, Brynhildr's personality changed dramatically. She was no longer calm and subdued. She- Well, I suppose you'll know once she meets you in the Dreamscape.'

'She can come to the Dreamscape?'

'It shouldn't be a problem for her, as she is mostly spirit at this point; she's half a dream anyway. She is looking forward to meeting you in person.'

"Should I go there now?'

'No. Brynhildr still hasn't fully shaken off the shackles of the seals, and she still needs to gather her strength, but once she does, she'll come to see you.'

The shaking around me increases. Apparently, my time is up for lounging around like a slug. Struggling to my feet, I reach out and slash my own hole in reality back to the throne room. Stepping through, I see Mio, Albedo, and Zest still waiting for me. Lars has wandered off, and I honestly don't mind in the least. I'll see him later probably.

[Issei, this creature is going to implode. You either need to get out of here or use the Dimensional Barrier to protect yourself.]

Pulling the three girls to me, I create a spherical barrier around us. Mio wraps her arms around me, and Albedo wraps her wings around the two of us. Zest stands close but has her head down. I reach out and pull her into the group hug.

I plant a kiss on the side of her head. "Thank you for your help in removing this threat to people I care about," I whisper. "Remember, you're one of those people now."

Her eyes flicker with some ill-defined emotion before her body relaxes, and she accepts the embrace. The walls of the throne room glow and then explode as the world disappears in a blinding light.

As the light fades and the world returns, the barrier with us inside is suspended a half dozen meters above ground in the center of a crater at least a hundred meters in diameter. I end the barrier, and Mio uses her gravity magic to slow our descent.

Once we land, I release the barrier and tug Mio into a full embrace. "Are you okay with what happened?" I whisper to her.

Her arms tighten around me. "Un. Thank you, Onii-chan."

It's an innocent embrace with none of the sexual tension that usually accompanies these between us. It is meant for comforting and not seducing... So, why did her hands slide down my back and onto my ass? She's becoming as bad as Maria. I kiss the top of her head and pull away.

"Why don't we pick this up back home?" I say.

She smiles and nods, but her hand still hasn't left my butt. I separate a little and turn to Zest. "How about you?" I ask. "I know our relationship is a little weird, and we're going to have to work through that for a while, but if you need someone to talk to, I'm here. If you need more than that, I'm here."

Mio steps out of our embrace and approaches Zest. "We all are," she says, and then with a wry smile. "You're part of our ever-expanding family now, and that's what family is there for."

'Gah, is that how cheesy I sounded when I used that line?' I think to no one.

'Yes,' Ddraig says,

'Thanks, Ddraig,' I think, rolling my eyes.

I look back at Mio and Zest and am surprised to find them in their own embrace. This time, Mio's hands stay above the waist, which is a damn shame because Zest has one hell of a fine ass.

Albedo is smiling from the side. "I think I will like this family," she says.

"Heh," I chuckle. "Why don't we head back home then. I have to prepare dinner and sleeping arrangements for everyone."

Mio turns to me, concern written on her face. "Onii-chan, I think we're going to need a bigger house."

"I think you're right. I can only stretch the interior dimensions so much; we'll have to sleep a few to a room for now. I can always create more beds." I say with a smile.

I also need to work on my Time Magic. I'm going to need it to give all the girls the time they deserve.

.

.

.

Before heading back home, we stopped at the school to drop everyone else off to meet up with their respective groups, and I told them to come to my house in about three hours to give me time to prepare.

Before she leaves, I pull Levi off to the side. She's still a bit pink from her time with Maria. "Hey, Levi, I know Maria said some things to you," I said, and her cheeks flared red. "Don't think about that right now. I know my situation is pretty over the top and not for everyone. I don't have many friends from my time in Orario left, and I don't want you to go because you think there are strings attached.

There aren't. Your friendship isn't some deal I made for power and influence like some of my relationships started. Those relationships are growing, but you are my friend first. So, I hope you'll come tonight. I think you'll be amazed at what I have in mind. Nothing sexual... well, nothing mandatory sexual."

She raised her visible eyebrow at that. I shrug. "Succubi. They're nearly insatiable. I meant you don't have to worry about anything sexual. I'll tell Maria to lay off and give you some space."

She sighed. "Thanks, Issei. I'll come tonight. You should know that you have more friends in Orario than you might think."

"Well, that's nice to hear. The way the elders were spinning things, you'd think I was some mastermind that stole Brynhildr and killed a bunch of people instead of Seito," I said.

"Well, Seito was Elder Danzo's son," she said, triggering memories and putting another piece of the puzzle in place. "Speaking of the Hero Clan, you are aware-"

"-that a bunch of them are in town and planning to ambush us tomorrow when I'm on my date with Yuki pressuring her to join them?" I said.

She smiled. "I figured you were aware. I recognized a few. That crazy bitch Shiba is leading them, and I'm pretty sure I saw Kurumi and Ino with them, and you know where Ino goes, her sister is sure to follow."

Shiba... bitch? Another GB. What are these crazy gods up to? Thinking about it, I remember that Shiba gets bound to Basara after that arc with the "four gods," and the gods don't seem to want Issei bound up with guys at all.

"Is that why you brought up my former fiance before?" I asked.

She smiles. "Not sure I'd call all of them 'former' fiances. They might stab you."

I snort softly and shake my head. "Well, that changes a few things. Thanks for the heads up, Levi. I'll see you tonight. Pack some pajamas. I've got a surprise in mind."

"I thought you said nothing sexual?" she says, giving me the side-eye.

"If it were going to be sexual, I wouldn't have you bother with the pajamas," I said with a grin.

.

.

.

I arrive back at the house with Mio, Maria, Yuki, Zest, Liese, and Raynare. Albedo took Mari, Kurumu, and Lolisa back to their parents to let them know they were alive. Carrera and Shamsiel returned to their homes to 'get some essential and let people know they're alive.'

All of them said they were coming later, and I got the distinct impression they were spelling that with a 'u.' I hate to disappoint them, but I have specific plans for tonight, and shockingly enough, it doesn't involve an orgy... Not to say that it is impossible, but there are a lot of people that will be meeting me for the first time, and I want to ease them into the grand debauchery.

As we approach the gate to the house, I see a black cat sitting on the fence, and I smirk. "Well, that was faster than I thought," I say softly.

"Hmm?" Mio says. "What was that Onii-chan?"

"Oh, nothing," I say. "Go on in. I'll be right behind you."

She nods, and the girls walk inside while I approach the cat. "My goodness, what a pretty cat," I say with an exaggeratedly pleasant voice—the kind of voice you'd use to talk to babies. I reach out and stroke her fur. She arches up into my petting. "Well, aren't you a sweetheart? I see you don't have a collar yet. Are you a stray? Does that mean I can take you home with me?"

I pick the black cat up and hold her in my arms, running my hands through her soft fur, the enhanced version of Min's Touch integrated with Harem King's Blessing working overtime. She twists and rolls in my grasp, rubbing herself against me until she's on her back and I'm rubbing her belly. Her purr gets louder, her eyes shut, and her little pink tongue sticks out.

"Oh, you like that, do you?" I ask in a cloyingly sweet voice. "You remind me of another little kitty I know. She's a little white kitty, and she loves the treats I make her and when I rub her belly."

The little black cat freezes in place and looks up at me. "If you're a good little kitty, I'll introduce you to her," I say, my voice sounding a bit smug. I turn up the Min's Touch by adding a few 'tentacles' of power to wrap her little feline form in pleasure. "And if you are really, really, good, I might have some other surprises for you in the future."

"Why don't we go inside? I'll put you in my bed for now until we can introduce you to the little white kitty." Her eyes flutter as she relaxes into that cat's semi-solid state that they seem to be able to enter.