4 Anticipation

After classes ended and the students began their journey to the courtyard where the anticipated match would be held, the devils of the Gremory Peerage made their way towards the clubroom. On one couch sat Kiba and Xenovia while the other held Asia and Gasper. Akeno was preparing some tea for their King whom sat at her desk facing the rest of her peerage. Irina, who was invited by the blond bishop, sat in a chair next to the window.

Silence loomed over the thick atmosphere within the ORC clubroom. Fluffy tangerines littered the azure skies outside as the sun drew closer to the horizon. The students could be seen gathering just below the window that overlooked the courtyard despite there still being some time before the match started.

"Asia, you said Issei is back? And he is going to fight the Kendo Club later today?"

"Yes." Asia answered her King.

"What about Koneko? Did anyone see her?" The obvious follow up came almost too quickly. Rias was hoping that the object of their affections finally making an appearance would lead to the school mascot returning as well. Asia had her doubts that this was the case. Then again, she didn't believe Issei would come back and look what happened.

"She wasn't in her classroom." Akeno walked through the door connected to the miniature kitchen carrying a steaming cup on a circular. "Her classmates said that they haven't seen her today either."

"Haa..." Rias grimaced at no one in particular and let a singular hand comb through her silky hair before accepting the offered beverage. "Well, if anything; we know that Issei is in Kuoh. I never expected him to be willing to come back to school after what happened. I know shouldn't complain but I wish Koneko came back with him. Perhaps we can ask for her whereabouts from Issei directly?"

The peerage was absolutely ecstatic to see their friend alive and well. Asia was no exception to that. When she saw Issei entering the grounds looking more or less pleased, her heart simply soared. The blond devil wanted to sprint into his arms and welcome him back with open arms, begging for his forgiveness all the while.

But before she could turn her desire into reality she felt something...off about the man she betrayed. He felt...cocky? No, that wasn't it. The Former Red Dragon Emperor had this...air of confidence about him. Every stride was filled with purpose, that unwavering gaze held an absolute certainty, and his picture perfect posture were clear testaments to difference between the Issei she knew and the one coming to school. Despite these new additions to their former ally, it didn't change the fact that Asia was glad to know he was safe and sound. Those emotions were also shared among her friends in Rias' peerage.

But why was he here? Asia couldn't help but wonder as to the reason behind his return. Issei had injured a great number of students, devils and humans alike, along with the property damages that took most of the month to repair. Does he really intend to come back as if everything never happened and expect the devils to just lie down and accept that? Two of the injured were the heirs of high class peerages in the Underworld, Sitri and Gremory, both of whom were directly related to literal Satan's, not to mention Super Devils. Serafall in particular was absolutely obsessed with Sona and while Sirzechs wasn't nearly as bad as her, he still had his overprotective side.

The wrath of the Ultimate Female Devil and the Prince of Destruction...was Issei simply ignorant? Did the thought never cross his mind? Or did the former Welsh Dragon simply not fear the eventual retribution?

Asia was scared to approach him not because of the looming conflict, but of the conflict already transpired. Victim to incomparable guilt, she didn't dare to so much as speak to him. What would happen if she did? Would he scold her like last time? Would she be given forgiveness? She didn't know and there was a part of her that didn't really want to know either, but the bishop knew that the longer this was drawn out, the harder it would be for their scarred friendship to heal. There was no doubt that everyone else felt the same.

Fear was staying their hands, one that needed to be overcome.

"When is the fight going to happen?" Asia looked up to see a hardened resolve burning behind Rias' sapphire spheres.

"Five minutes in the courtyard." Irina, keeping to herself in the corner of the room, answered not only the question asked, but the answer she knew was soon to follow. Everyone knew what was about to transpire, the entire school did. Looking out the window herself, Asia could see the large crowd that had been present ever since the last bell rang. Everyone wanted to either see the girls make a fool of the pervert for being uppity or see what made him so confident to openly challenge them in the first place.

"Then I suppose we should make our way down there. Knowing her, Sona is probably waiting for us." Having stated the desire of everyone in the room, the King made her way to the room's exit with the other devils on her heels.

"Rias." A voice stopped their collective advance. "Are you prepared to face the consequences this time?" The devil in question did not turn to face the person speaking to her. A few moments later and the sound of heels on hardwood could be heard, growing louder until the owner blocked the door. The angel stood in the way of the devil congregation. The facial expressions of the scarlet devil and the reincarnated angel remained unchanged as they simply stood and stared at one another. "Do you really believe the mask Issei is wearing? That he is simply ready to forgive and forget and continue with life as it was?"

Irina didn't raise her voice when she spoke. There was no aggression evident in her voice either. Now Asia could be imagining things, but it seems like Irina didn't understand why Rias was willing to risk the dragon's...human's...devil's... Issei 's anger. Lord knows how it happened last time and it most certainly wasn't pretty. What really worried the former priest was that the same resolve seen in Rias could be seen in Irina's eyes as well. Asia knew both her friend and the look she had. Irina was prepared to do what she believed needed to be done to protect her friends.

'She doesn't want us to meet up with him.' This realization came at the same time her King responded to the aggressive position Irina took up.

"To be perfectly honest, Irina, I don't know." Rias answered the angel as honestly as she could. While not as big as what happened with Issei, they did betray Irina by threatening and harassing him. The original plan was to simply criticize Issei for failing to understand Rias until he started using his brain to figure out why they were acting the way they were, nothing further. Yes, it was underhanded; yes, they regretted it. That was why..! "What I do know is that we hurt him in the worst possible way. There isn't any doubt it my mind that he is still hurting. However, the fact is he came here with a smile. You might be right, he may just be wearing another mask, but we can't just pretend the past didn't happen. Even if we can never go back to the way we were, even if there is nothing I would like more than to put this off, isn't it the right thing to do to apologize when you did something wrong? As soon as possible?"

"You already apologized to him," Irina replied with an even tone while crossing her arms below her bust, not giving in to the reasonable argument, "and that didn't end up so well."

"You're right in the fact that it didn't end the way we thought it would." Asia turned to see the blond knight, surprised that he chose to speak up at all.

Everyone messed up that day but after herself and Rias, Kiba seemed to be the most affected from their poor decision. Now that Asia was actively thinking about it, it made sense. Kiba was the only other man in their group and, from her point of view, they got along like brothers. Despite that, he was the first to draw his blade and actually fought him. The knight most likely had to deal with the guilt of not only losing a friend and a brother, but from actually lashing out at him as well.

"The school building was destroyed," Kiba continued, "getting a hole shot into my stomach, humans dropping by the second, Sona blasted into a collapsed wall and Ascalon pressing at Rias' neck was definitely not how I expected that whole ordeal to turn out. None of us could have expected Issei to do what he did even if we repeated that event a thousand times! But Irina, we ended up in that scenario cause because we couldn't see his trauma through Rias'...through our selfishness. The apology came once everything was already said and done."

"Kiba is right." Xenovia was quick to agree with her fellow knight. Ever since that day, the two of them secluded themselves to the training room back at home. They needed something to distract them from the grief and found that sparring with one another did just that. The two knights would have breakfast then immediately leave to spar for the rest of the day. The only exceptions to this was for lunch or dinner. During that time, Kiba and Xenovia began to grow closer and closer to one another. It wasn't something Asia had noticed immediately, mostly due to her own rituals in the avoidance of certain troubling thoughts, but was clearly apparent after several weeks. "Besides, do you really think Issei is going to be happy with an apology that he practically forced out of her?"

"I don't think Issei is going to be happy to see any of you guys period, myself included!" The even tone that started their argument broke into a frustrated shout, emphasized with a harsh stomp. "The trauma that you...that we put him through, on top of the suffering he was still enduring courtesy of Raynare, is not something that can be gotten over this quickly! The moment he sees you, he will explode! Again!"

"Now hang on Irina, I don't agree with that." Xenovia raised her fist and slowly revealed the digits within. "Issei won't be able to cause as much damage as last time since he cut Ddraig out of his body. Not only that, but this time we are prepared if things go south again. Even if he found a way to get stronger without the Boosted Gear, it can't be that bad, can it? We dove pretty hard into our training just so we wouldn't have to think about what we did wrong. Not just Kiba and I, you guys did so as well! On top of that, there can't be a lot out there that could be more powerful than a Heavenly Dragon. I think we stand at least a good chan-"

"ISSEI! IS! NOT! WEAK!" Irina interrupted with a bellow, the sudden exclamation bouncing off the walls for only a moment. "I don't know about any of you, but something deep inside me is screaming at me to stay away from him! The only time I felt anything close to this was when Asia got sent to the Dimensional Gap and Issei turned Juggernaut on us! Given what happened last time, I'm going to stick with my gut and give him all the space he needs!"

"Irina..." Asia couldn't exactly deny what her friend was saying. She had experienced the same inexplicable sensation when she first saw him walking under the overpass at the school entrance. "You need to keep your voice down." Yelling like this wasn't going to do anything besides get her more riled up but the angel kept plowing on as if she had never heard her.

"What makes it worse is that I can't tell what he is anymore! Is he still a devil? A human? Something else? I can't feel any kind of power from him and, paired with this indescribable fear, scares me to no end!"

"Iri-" Once again Asia tried to get through to the angel but yet again she was cut off.

"You guys could feel it too, couldn't you? Every fiber of your being shouting to the heavens in fear just a few moments after he-"

"Proverbs 17:9," The deep voice of their resident healer cut into the hysteric voice like a hot knife through butter, drawing all attention to her despite their focus on the heated truth pouring from the angel's lips.

Having been interrupted and brought out of her monologue, the strange statement contorting her face in confusion before slowly morphing into realization. "'Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends'." This time, Irina's voice was but a mere whisper, her features and muscles relaxing until her legs folded beneath her. She had long since memorized the entire Bible and as such was easily able to pull the quote from her memory, as well as its intended message.

The devils, hearing the holy words from God's book, flinched at the sudden throbbing in their skulls. Asia had forgotten that only Xenovia and her were immune from the pain holy words brought to the beings of the underworld. A small blush and a word of apology later, she returned her attention to the angel in the room. "We want his forgiveness in order to rebuild the connection we had and while I would love it if he saw fit to do so, I don't believe any of us expect him to give that to us so easily. But the Lord gave all of creation free will for a reason, Irina. Don't you think we have the right to exercise the gift he gave us and ask for his forgiveness?"

"...Following that logic, I should be allowed to at least try to stop you from going through with this." Asia had grown a backbone in the time following those events. It didn't happen all at once but she was getting her voice out there more instead of letting her King make the decisions for her. Whether it was distrust towards Rias or an attempt at changing herself, not even she knew the answer. The only thing she was certain of was that she was growing for the better. Asia dedicated herself to ingrain the mistake she made into her very soul to ensure that something like this would never happen again.

"Irina," Asia walked over and helped the holy entity to her feet once more, "what is the real reason you're stopping us?"

"Huh?"

"Everything you just said, did you not think those exact same things were going through our minds?" Motioning to everyone, Irina's attention was brought to the rest of the peerage. All of them looked her in the eye and the angel could see clear as day the pain hidden behind each one. "No matter how hard we trained, no matter how much we wanted to push it away, it was those thoughts that motivated everyone to push themselves in their training. Some of us wanted the escape, others may have wanted to prevent something like that from ever happening again. Whatever the reason, every single one of us has had to listen to our own berating's for weeks on end. Nothing you have said is anything new to us, you know this. After all, you went through the exact same experience as we did.

"So, can you please tell us why you don't want us to see Issei?"

All of the energy that unstable angel had built seemed to just dissipate before the logical nun. No matter how hard Irina wanted to say something back, deep in the back of her head she knew that Asia would have a rebuttal for whatever excuse she could possibly muster.

"I...I don't want to lose you guys." The reply came in the form of a hitched voice and hiccups. "I may not have raised my ha-hand when things got violent but I-I also didn't try very ha-hard to st-stop it. He needed help... and I refused to give it to him! If I can't forgive myself for that, how is Issei going to!? I already lost him...and if you guys go out there I'm afraid I will lose all of you too!"

The tears falling down her cheeks as she spoke were soon matched by the other two members of the Holy Trio, well educated on how innocent and pure she was. Outside of Rias and Asia, she was probably the one that was hurting the most. Even before she became a member of the church, she always wanted to help people despite the risks to herself. It was this selfless desire that convinced Michael to reincarnate her into an angel in the first place.

But Issei had needed help...and she never noticed until it was too late...and even then, she did nothing; nothing to aid him, nothing to stop the fighting, she didn't even fly after him as he arced across the sky.

In her eyes, she had failed; failed herself, failed as an angel, and most importantly, failed at being a friend.

If Issei lost control again...

The peerage couldn't help but walk over to the sobbing angel with a small smiles and wrapping their arms around her in a tight hug. As soon as they did that, the angel couldn't hold it in anymore and those small drops of water flowing down her cheek turned into rivers.

xXx

"Where the hell is he!?" Almost every student in the courtyard had to cover their ears from the thunderous shout. Everyone in the Kendo Club gathered in the courtyard for the obliterat-mmhmm, the challenge Issei gave them. It was time, yet Issei wasn't here! Did he run away? Probably. It was the smart thing to do; who in their right mind would ask for a 1v20 Kendo match?

"He probably ran away!" A random member shouted from the crowd, unknowingly voicing Murayama's exact thoughts. It didn't take long for the others to join in.

"Yeah!"

"The coward challenges us and then runs away!? I say we find him and stick it to him!"

A chorus of approval echoed among the Kendo Club, however; there were two that didn't seem to join in on the war cry.

"I don't think that is it."

"What do you mean?"

Murayama and Katase exchanged a look. Ever since Issei walked out of the clubroom, her best friend had seemed off for some reason. Was it because of the sudden change their peeper had? True, it was a rather unsettling to see the man that would spy on them while changing acting like he didn't live with his brain down his pants. Witnessing the well-renowned pervert standing up to Matsuda and Motohama, saying that they would stop peeping no matter who won, the hickies and nail marks decorating his body like a tapestry...

...it was kind of a turn on if she was being perfectly honest.

"The letter Issei gave us," her best friend unknowingly dragged her out of some very disturbing thoughts, "said that he wanted to meet you, Kiryuu, and I in private." The wooden sword in her hand started to suffer from an unnecessarily tight grip. "He wants something from us. I don't know what it is but he will show up and fight to get it."

Murayama's eyelids rose, gapping at the outlandish idea coming out of her mouth. "Katase...you actually think he show up? Issei? The same man who has no absolutely no combat experience whatsoever? The one we beat over and over again?"

This was answered with a very hard glance. "Murayama...I think you should forget about the old Issei."

"...Huh?" What was Katase going on about? This was Issei! A very sick person who got off on watching girls change! A piece of filth that dared to linger around the most popular women in school! The fucking coward even got his fangs into Kiba! Why would she ever forget all of the horrid acts he performed!?

"'Huh'? What do you mean 'huh'?" Katase's was now flat out glaring at her now. She was angry, no, livid with what she just heard. "Were you not paying attention when he told everyone why he was gone for three months? He almost died Mamoru! People tend to change if something makes your life fly past your eyes!" Murayama physically faltered as if she was just slapped in the face.

To hear her first name used in such a scalding tone from the person she all but lived with hurt like nothing else could. Katase wasn't yelling but it wasn't hard to tell that she was more than just upset.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you." Katase apologized with a deep breath while running her hand through her hair. "It isn't like I don't know where you are coming from. For as long as we have known him, Issei has been kind of a scum bag. Then he comes back and we are supposed to believe he just... isn't anymore? That's a hard pill to swallow. You have no idea how much I want to get in his face and tell him he is full of shit, but you saw what he looked like: the scratch marks on his back, the rings, the three month absence... as much as I hate to admit it, it adds up."

"But-" Murayama tried to object to her friend's reasoning but was cut off.

"Issei is a lot of things, Murayama, but he isn't a liar."

"I...ugg...but...but he-" Katase had her there. As vehemently as she wanted to deny everything and keep looking at him like the same old creeper he always was, Mamoru knew her friend was right. That boy was a lot of things in the eyes the female student body, but not a single one of them would ever call him a liar. "Fine. You win. I'm not going to forget everything he has done...but...if he keeps his word, and that is a big if...then I promise I will try. If goes back on his word or so much as tries to sneak a peak on us again, however; I am cutting that thing off and shoving it down his throat!"

The dramatic way she tried to force everything out as if she just drank soul milk alongside the healthy bravado pulled at Katase's lips. "If he does, you'll have to wait in line. We won't be the only ones that will be on top of him should he break his word." Katase was about to end the conversation there, but Murayama reached out and grasped her sleeve before she could walk away.

"...Thanks. For helping me get out of that mental fog. It's just that this entire scenario has thrown me for a loop. I mean, taking on all of us," she swept her hand in front of her to indicate all of the girls standing mere feet from them, "at once?"

"I don't blame you. Out of all the things he could have done, this wasn't even on the list. But, looking back, I think I can understand why he is doing this."

"You can?" The thought of understanding what went on in that pervert's skull just sen-

Easy girl. Katase just pulled you out of that. We have a match coming up. Bad mental has no place here.

"Think about it. Every time the Perverted Trio tried something with us, we would beat them black and blue, right? But, according to the school rules, violence is prohibited. More so, we hit them with our swords and we both know how bad these hurt. To get hit repeatedly by a mob with these..."

"But Issei shouldn't have peeked either." Murayama pointed out with a raised finger. "That is sexual harassment. On top of that, we have a right to defend ourselves."

"An entire group of armed women need to defend themselves against three unarmed men? That isn't defending ourselves and you know it."

"Well...when you put it like that..." What made it worse is that Murayama couldn't help but agree with Katase's rebuttal.

"We should have went straight to the student council." Katase continued with a hint of regret in her voice. "Instead, we decided to play Judge, Jury, and Executioner. If that is what this is about, then it makes sense why Issei wants this to happen: he wants revenge. But what about Kiryuu? Why is she included in all of this? What did she do to him?"

"You'll find out when I take my win."

Everyone's head turned to face the school gates where a figure could be seen leaning against the stone wall with one leg wrapped around the other. With the attention of everyone in the courtyard on mystery person, said individual stepped out the shade the overhanging tree provided. A male adolescent of average height gave them a half smirk as he made his way over to them. His messy brown hair shone a bright gold in the setting sun and the casual wine purple shirt decorated with amethyst was taunt against his skin, contrasting with the thin and baggy ebony colored sweats.

Issei had finally arrived.

"About time you showed up!" A predatory smirk spread across a random girl in the crowd, one that was matched by every single member of the club. Now that their victim had finally showed, all of the onlookers began to wrap around the to-be combatants. "If you want to run away now, no one would blame you."

"Issei? Running away? If he did, we would most certainly blame him-nya."

"He would never live it down. We wouldn't let him."

"To use your own words, Issei is a lot of things but a liar is not one of them."

Once again hearing unknown voices on school property, everyone once again turned in the direction they came from only to see three feminine shadows walking under the overhang mere feet from where Issei was leaning on the wall.

As they stepped out of the blinding rays of the setting sun, the students grew more and more anxious. Murayama simply watched with a blank look as the girls took their time walking over to where Issei was. The strangers all seemed quite familiar with the brown haired pervert, claiming cowardice didn't suit him and that they would hold him accountable themselves if he ran away. Who were they? They couldn't be the three wives he told them about during class right? Right!?

Since not a single one of them appeared to be in any hurry, Murayama took the opportunity to get a good look at each of them. The leader of the three had... significant assets, hair the color of midnight that flowed down her back in illustrious waves, and sported a majestic kimono that seemed to demand attention be given to its wearer.

The one in the center was the polar opposite: a girl with snow draping down her back, matching skin, and bright yellow eyes. What made a lot of them do a double take was that she was wearing their school uniform. Was this girl a classmate of theirs? She kind of looked like Koneko but that couldn't be right. The last time Murayama saw her, there was no sign of her chest getting bigger or her bottom popping out. This attractive female had visible mounds on her chest and some junk in the trunk. There was no way it could be her...could it? No, it had to be a sibling. But wouldn't someone have noticed before today?

The last one didn't fall behind in comparison to the other two: an absolutely stunning foreigner with blond hair and blue eyes showing off her tight butt with a pair of form fitting jeggings and a snow white top that hugged her body to the point where nothing was left to the imagination.

A shudder.

Murayama's body convulsed like cold water was poured down her spine. As if on impulse, her eyes were drawn straight to the man of the hour. Brown met gold and a strange sense of calm came over her.

'It's almost time.' Right beside her, Katase drew her sword and raised it, signaling the other girls to begin drawing their as well.

Murayama merely tightened her grip on her sheeth.

xxx

Issei couldn't help but offer the lovely ladies a heartfelt smile as they drew closer. While Kuroka decided to have her share of intimacy for the day, Shirone took La Fey out shopping for her current outfit, leaving the men of the Vali Group to do as they pleased.

Since it was decided that Arthur and La Fey were joining them into the other dimension alongside Bikou, Issei had been worried about their humane lifespans until the older Pendragon assured him that such worries were irrelevant. Naturally confused, the dragon couldn't help but inquire as to how long their lifespan was. La Fey was the one who revealed that, thanks to the Lady of the Lake's blessing for properly returning Excalibur to her way back when, the Pendragon family was able to boast an astonishing five hundred years.

"Its been a while, Issei." The younger yokai took her place in front of disguised dragon with an unusual sway to her movements. Before the boy could inquire as to why, Shirone had already pulled his head down for lengthy kiss. Every individual in the courtyard went wild with exclamations, the boys whooping and/or shouting in objection, girls blushing at such a blatant act of romance before a massive audience while the Kendo Club simply gawked. Murayama and Katase expressed the least reaction with only narrowed eyes and a raised eyebrow respectively. Kiryuu, who was no doubt somewhere in this massive mob, was probably having the time of her life watching this.

Not a single complaint was raised from the victim of affection. Wrapping his arm around her waist and cupping the side of her head, Issei deepened the loving kiss before pulling back. "Really, Shirone? We've been apart for mere hours. I thought you would be happy to get me out of your hair."

Honey gold gazed up into his chocolate eyes before the beautiful color vanished as the girl pressed her lips into his neck. "You? Never."

Knowing full well that her time in the limelight was over, the devil shimmied to the side to make way for the bubbly witch who also seemed to sport an extra hop in her step. Were they-his thought process cut out as something was suddenly thrust inside his mouth. The Pendragon didn't even spare enough time to greet him before giving the audience a showing consisting of her Frenching her husband. While the multitude of exclamations sounded off in the background, the kiss ended with a pop several moments later.

"How does my outfit look, Issei-sama?" she asked before wrapping the very confused male into a tight hug that left her assets pressing nicely into him.

"Umm... I'm sorry, what?" was all that he seemed to be able to come up with, much to the pleasure of the molester of his mouth.

"Hahaha, did I kiss you senseless, Issei-sama?"

"You certainly caught me off guard, Fay Fay, and your outfit just makes you look...wow." He actually couldn't come up with a decent word to express how positively gorgeous she looked. Her clothes seemed to make all of her curves just stand out, as if she wanted to...so that's how it was. "Now get over there before I do something I might not regret." He motioned towards Shirone and Le Fay easily did as she was instructed whilst laughing and blushing at the insinuations behind his last words.

Kuroka's entrance didn't have the energy the other two did nor did she kiss him like her sister wives. What the black yokai offered to him instead was a loving embrace companied with her snuggling into his chest, the aroma of freshly scented hair after a shower gracing his nose. The overwhelming gentle and cute side of the seductive Nekomata never failed to make Issei's heart skip a beat. He returned the gesture and enjoyed the trace amounts of vanilla filling his nose.

"You really told them to show off, didn't you?" Issei whispered into the Nekomata's ear. Never before had he known or seen Shirone, much less Le Fay, emphasize their hips that much. The following chuckle confirmed his suspicions.

"We have been cooped up in the other dimension for decades doing grueling amounts of training. Of course we're going to pretty ourselves up and drape ourselves over you. We had to make it clear that you are taken and what better way than to 'show off'?"

Issei couldn't help but ask the obvious question: "Why didn't you go with them then?"

Watching the way her lips slowly curled up into a smile, Issei knew she had a plan. "Because then I wouldn't have my darling husband's opinion."

Now it was his turn to get a small laugh in. "Fair enough, I need to get some things for myself so that works out great. Now then..." Issei separated himself from the hug and stepped forward, the girls taking up the space he had been in before.

"It's time."

As if some sort of indication was made, Issei starting walking forward the same time as two of the Kendo Club did. As they drew closer to one another, the dragon couldn't help but wonder what happened to all the noise he had to endure during his wives' acts of affection. Shouldn't the rest of his opposition be yelling for his blood and the crowd calling for him to die for having three very attractive women?

Now an equal distance from both groups of women stood Murayama, Katase, and Issei. What was surprising to see was the relatively nonchalant expressions on the two girls faces. Were they focusing on the upcoming battle?

"Are you intending on taking all of us without a sword?" Were they not going to inquire about the women he just shared rather bold moments with? They must really be pushing to get this show on the road. Issei took a moment to ponder on Katase's question after seeing how serious they were. The humans were already irreparably disadvantaged- contesting one of the strongest existences in reality, so using his sword skills would be overkill. Whether he chose to destroy them or allow them victory...no, Issei wasn't that kind. The whole purpose of this is to find out what kind of Sacred Gears the club's brass had. Once that was achieved, he would crush them.

Kiryuu also seems to have something stashed away inside of her but he was going to find that out regardless of the outcome. When he was reading off the challenge to these two, the female pervert didn't seem adverse to the terms of meeting up with him. Sooner or later, Issei would find out what made her special.

"I was actually hoping you would have a spare lying around."

Might as well use this opportunity to warm-up for when the bigger fish want to bite.

With the thought of his inevitable rematch with the local devils dancing in his head, Issei turned to see the girls part to reveal someone bringing the spare he requested. Offering an arm towards her, he couldn't suppress the uncomfortable feeling holding the insignificant piece of wood gave him.

That is because you have gotten too used to real weapons, ones that hold real power. Your pride as a dragon won't allow you to consider what you hold a stick, much less a sword.

Issei Hyoudou; who has been on the giving and receiving end of powers capable of killing angels, devils, and dragons; could not help but agree with Ophis. Proper weapons shouldn't feel so hollow, so fragile, so...empty. Just holding this abnormally large sliver was stirring up his more negative emotions.

"Let's get this over with already."

The Black Dragon spun on his heel to retreat to his original position against the comfortable stone.

"Are we actually doing this?" A random voice questioned from within the mob of females eager for the bloodbath to begin. "What if the student council tries to stop us?"

"While I appreciate that at least some of you have a small respect for the rules, now hardly seems like the time to start abiding by them."

A small smile spread across the dragon's face after hearing this new voice. It was a strange thing for him to actually feel calmer hearing a girl outside of his wives speak. Nevertheless, he was grateful to the Sitri heiress. If he had gone to 'battle' with feelings of disgust and frustration, the dragon might have let some of his power 'slip' and a reenactment of what happened last time was the last thing the Ouroboros wanted.

The student body parted ways to reveal a stern Sona Sitri and the rest of the Student Council members slowly forming a perimeter around the combatants.

"I will personally supervise this event. We have been brought up to speed on the terms of this battle as well. While you may beat on Issei as you please, if we see him deliver a 'point', the pointed individual will be removed from the contest. I trust that everyone finds this acceptable?"

Although it was phrased as a question, the look in her eyes and the sound of her voice heavily indicated otherwise. A chorus of 'yes' and 'yes ma'am' rang from the overeager females.

"Good. Now then, Issei, are you ready?"

"Yeah."

"Girls, are you ready?"

The familiar chorus answered once again with 'yes' and 'yes ma'am'.

"Then...begin!"

xXx

What the student body witnessed could only be described as impossible.

Right out of the gate, the girls beelined for the man in front of them, eager to be the first to lay into him. The audience expected him to be running for his life or, hell, dashing in to meet them halfway. What they didn't expect to see was for Issei to simply stand still, even when they got close enough to hit him. Once the first member of the Kendo Club was about to strike the first blow...

He leaned to the side a split second before the sword flashed through where his head had been, hit the girl who was falling from putting too much weight behind her weapon, and retreated before anyone else could react.

The women who did see what happened could only stop their advance in sheer bewilderment while those that failed to notice charged none the wiser. Those tunnel vision fools were met with the same fate that happened to the first one: dodge, retaliate, back away. This repeated up until the forth tried her luck and failed, leaving everyone else confused and weary.

No one knew what was going on. Issei had only ever displayed athleticism when he was running away from the Kendo Club after he was caught peeking. How was he doing this? How skilled in Kendo was he?

"We all know Issei watches them change, but did he also watch their practices as well?" A random student murmured from the audience.

"Is that how he learned to do this?

"That is going a bit far, don't you think?"

As the numerous people watching the event unfold attempted to come up with explanations for what they were seeing, the devil peerages watched with calculating gazes. Every single one of them could tell that something about him was off before this clash between man and women started. What they were witnessing now only drove that point home even further.

"He isn't wasting a single movement." Xenovia had tasked herself with memorizing the way he fought, looking for any openings he left or habits he could exploit. Rias wasn't exactly pleased with what she heard but couldn't bring herself to deny her subordinate. If Issei did lash out at them again like last time, they would need to be ready. She had her doubts that this...'fight' would reveal anything significant but chose not to voice them.

"Before, he would just blow through everything with pure power." Kiba couldn't deny that Xenovia had a point. As individuals who fought on the front lines, the two of them were aware of how the smallest mistakes could end a battle. It didn't matter to them if Issei was weaker or stronger than before. If there was the slightest chance of a repeat from last time, they would eagerly study his every movement to tilt the scale in their favor. "But now it seems like he has taken up training in fighting technique."

"Couldn't it be because that the girls are just slow?" The fallen-devil hybrid had a decent point. Every single supernatural entity present is faster than the girls cautiously eying the ex-Welsh Dragon. The show Issei was putting on could easily be replicated by any one of them, even for those not focusing on the more physical form of combat. It was difficult to tell if his footwork was just a fancy nothing or actually held some kind of purpose.

"That could be," Kiba conceded, "however; that footwork seems a bit too natural and practiced. I think it would be safer if we all overestimate him than underestimate him. We have all seen him perform feats that shouldn't be possible, after all."

"It looks," the blond bishop cut into the knight's analysis of Issei potential fight skills, "like Issei doesn't want the girls to touch him, even though those swords can't hurt him."

"Well, that can't be it." Akeno decided to join the conversation. "We all know how he acts when girls show interest in him. Plus, its Issei's dream to become a Harem King."

"'Was' Akeno." All the pain and regret Rias endured rose to the surface with that simple sentence. "That was his dream...and because of me...Issei and Koneko sided with Chaos Brigade."

"That might be going a bit too far Rias-oneesama," Asia's stopped that thought dead in its tracks, "and it isn't because of you. It was because of us. We didn't have to follow through with your plan. We chose to do what we did of our own violation. All of us are to blame for this."

It was strange how a few words from the Underworld's most innocent devil could completely heal a person. She didn't need a sacred gear to do it, all she need do is speak and the listener would feel redeemed once she was finished. Just looking at her made her think of an angel with a devil's wings.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I just can't seem to get over what happened is all."

"You should-"

"While I am happy that you guys are doing a lot better than the last time we saw each other, I would appreciate it if you would focus on the task at hand." The President really was pleased that her friend and her peerage were getting over their mistakes and all, but they had plenty of chances to do that before her hu-the target arrived. Additionally, if the cards were in their favor, there would be plenty of chances afterword as well. "Because once he is done with them, its our turn."

Sona's words were only somewhat harsh. All of them knew that this wasn't the time, with Issei literally in front of them, but the pain still lingered in their hearts. What Irina said turned out to be true: a couple of months is simply not enough to recover from trauma. For Issei, it was his friends betraying him. For the Gremory peerage, it was witnessing what had become of their loved one knowing that they were responsible.

But like Sona said, now wasn't the time. With newfound determination, they returned their attention to the 'fight' and waited for their turn to confront the man they turned their backs on.

xXx

The annoyed dragon patiently waited for his opponents to resume their reckless charge against him. After a solid minute, he was pleased to see the female adversaries taking up a more cautious approach. They held their sticks at the ready while slowly encircling him. As they surrounded him, Issei couldn't help but notice their lack of proper footwork and disgustingly tight grips on their hilts. If Arthur was here right now he would throw a literal fit at the absolute lack of respect for their 'swords'. Curiously glancing over towards the younger Pendragon, it seemed she was also holding in quite a bit of disappointment.

Now that Issei let the Kendo members finish their encirclement, they all struck on a queue that Issei didn't bother paying attention for. While the 'weapons' slowly stabbed their way through the air towards his chest, the dragon took a squat that was barely perceived by the humans and spun. The outstretched 'blade' struck all ten or so of them in their calves harder than he had intended, knocking every single one of them off their feet. At best, they would have black and blue bruises and at worse a broken bone. There were still a few members besides the main course but they made the wise decision in dropping their weapons and backing off.

In the short span of a couple minutes, only three were still standing.

The ever present breeze was the only comfort the dragon had. Fighting these weaklings with a mere stick was far more unappealing than he initially thought. Now that it was time to savor the main course, his hopes rose only a tiny bit. If the skills the fallen had shown were any indication, then he would just end this here and now.

"Do you two want to call it quits too?" Issei was going to find out what sacred gears they had hidden away one way or the other so it really didn't matter if this farce continued. He couldn't quite decide which one he wanted more however: for them to flee so he can snap this piece of crap into twigs or for them to fight and hope that once he got God's gifts to manifest in them, that the two humans would give him a proper challenge despite how unlikely the possibility was.

Murayama and Katase did not respond to his inquiry. Their facial expressions were that of indifference as the sound of footfalls muffled by grass came without a moment's notice. Were they not bothered by what he had done to their peers? No...that wasn't it. Both pairs of eyes had a strange lack of life to them, kind of like Bikou's when he was preoccupied with something serious. Were they seriously going to fight him distracted? Or were they blocking out all forms of distraction to focus on the battle?

With a ping of annoyance, Issei pulled his arm up for a half-hearted swing...

...only for it to...get deflected by Katase?

Oh?

A flash of white came from behind the blocker and Issei stepped back to see a piece of wood where his head had been. Raising his weapon down on Katase, Murayama performed a similar maneuver to redirect his blow.

Alright, Issei thought happily seeing that his remaining adversaries were not so easily put down as the rest. Guess its time to get some more practice in.

Near his foot was a sword that one of the people he pointed left. With how fast Issei could go, even with both girls nearly on top of him, it was child's play to get his foot under the pathetic weapon and flip it into his arm in time to block both horizontal slashes. Now that Issei had acquired a second sword, both opponents pulled back for a series of coordinated strikes at his crotch, throat, and various other locations on his body that would be rather painful for ordinary males. Issei countered each strike with ease, constantly keeping track of the power in his blocks and counters. It wouldn't be good to simply knock them out so soon after all.

All of the club members were cheering on Katase and Murayama as they never ceased their coordinated onslaught of attacks on Issei's stationary body. One of them was always trying to get into his blind spot while the other attempted to keep him distracted with a flurry of attacks. Needless to say, each and every single blow the two attempted was blocked effortlessly despite their constant repositioning.

Start dodging, Ophis instructed her vessel with the boy doing as he was told. Still on the defensive, Issei began to duck and weave under their relentless volley of attempts to hit him. He was still rather uncomfortable with evasive maneuvers when dual-wielding so Ophis' idea to get some reps in with that as well made sense.

After several more minutes of constantly evading and occasionally blocking their offensive, Issei noticed Murayama overextending her swing in an attempt to catch him backpedaling. Blocking an overhead from Katase, the dragon stepped forward with an overhead of his own. Murayama was barely able to block in time, the force behind this particular attack far exceeded what he had been using. He could even see her arms shaking from the shock of blocking such a heavy blow.

Turning his attention to Katase momentarily as she rushed him in an attempt to get Murayama out of the pinch she was in, Issei began to would if their little dance would be enough for their sacred gears to manifest. When he first unlocked the Double Critical state of the Welsh Dragon, he was attacked by Kalawarner and remembered Rias' advice: focusing on the part of your body you feel is the strongest. Despite her telling him that all he had to do at the time was focus, Issei was certain that something else was needed. Back then, he was genuinely afraid he was going to die. Was that they key? Threatening their life? It certainly wasn't something he was willing to do, least of all in the middle of this mass of humans and devils alike. What about other strong emotions like anger?

After making his decision, Issei let Murayama return to her feet while he struck at the other girl with a force equivalent to overhead. Seeing the attack coming, Katase rolled out of the way and made sure her friend was okay via whisper.

"Both of you are going to lose at this rate." Issei noticed the grimaces on their faces, telling him that both of them knew he was being truthful and absolutely hating the idea. "So I am going to give the two of you a chance."

"We don't need any handicaps to beat you!" The dead looks had vanished to reveal the frustration and anger in their gazes.

"Murayama, don't let him get under your skin!" Katase scolded her comrade but Issei could tell she agreed with her.

"Really? You think you can make me bleed? When I haven't recieved so much as a single scratch?" Adopting a slightly more serious expression, Issei lowered himself into a proper stance for the first time since the start of this little event. His legs were bent and his left arm hung limp while his left was pulled back with the sword pointing at Katase. "I'll only tell you this once: if you want to have any chance of winning this little contest of ours, then you need focus."

"You think we haven't!?"

"Correct. At the very least, you're doing a piss poor job. This time, focus on cutting me with your sword and not the dirt you've been eating."

"Why you!" Having fallen for his goading, Murayama charged with a reckless abandon exactly like Issei wanted. Before she could even make it halfway to him, Issei suddenly thrust out his arm.

Crack.

"Gah!?" Murayama fell to her knees instantly, the forward momentum she had built absolutely obliterated. "You...cracked my rib. How...did you do that...from over ten feet away?"

"That is the difference in our strengths." Issei answered as he stood back up and confidently made his way over to her. "When I thrust out my arm, the force behind it traveled through the air and hit you. Truth be told though, I didn't mean to crack your rib. That is my b, but do you see now? You lack focus. You started out well enough but the moment you were pushed into a corner you just...stopped. Do you even want to win this anymore?"

"Of course I do!" Her attempt at shouting was met with a violent coughing to which Issei couldn't help but shake his head. The dragon stood over her with his stick pointing at her throat.

"You don't act like it. Look at Katase," Murayama painfully did as she was told despite her reluctance to do anything the pervert instructed. What she saw was a far cry from what she was used to seeing in her friend, "she wants to hurt me. You can see it plain as day in those eyes and the way she is gripping her hilt, not to mention that snarl is down right terrifying. The only reason she hasn't done anything about it is because she is worried about you...or trying to get the jump on me while I'm distracted talking to you. I don't know her that well."

The girl in question couldn't help but swear that she had been noticed and didn't bother trying to get a sneak attack in anymore. Her sword dragged in the grass while she stalked closer to the two. "Get away from her!"

The sheer amount of anger in her voice alone was enough to raise a singular eyebrow on Issei's head. Was she seriously that upset that he hurt her?

The dragon's lips curled up into an evil smirk, a plan formulating inside his brain. Kneeling down to the downed female, Issei grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked it back so she was staring into his eyes. The gasp of pain was exactly what he was looking for, glancing over at the now thoroughly enraged woman charging at him with everything she had. Before she could get close enough to hit him, however; he quickly whispered a few words to the student below him.

"Focus everything you have into your sword. You might actually hurt me that way. If you don't, I might do something … unethical to Katase. I'm sure you know exactly what I mean by that."

Issei jumped out of the way of the wrathful stick intent on smashing his skull into a bloody mess, the attack itself barely missing the one Katase was trying to protect. Issei backed up until there were at least several yards between them while Katase checked on Murayama. As he waited for their attention to be brought back to him, an icy sensation poured down his spine like water. He knew the bloodlust was coming from his wives' anger for threatening perverted acts. He would deal with that later since both of his opponents were on their feet and ready for round two.

No...that wasn't it.

They wanted this to end. Now.

Threatening illicit acts on Katase to anger Murayama. Katase's rage at the way you were treating Murayama. Their fear of what happens should they fail. You purposefully fueled their emotions so they would hit you with everything they have.

And the talk about focusing their everything into their swords. If those sacred gears are going to awaken at all, it is going to be now.

And if they don't?

"You son of a bitch." A voice filled with malice interrupted his talk with the Ouroboros. As he turned towards the speaker, he couldn't help but notice that her sword was starting to glow. "Not only did you injure her..."

That shining vibrancy grew...

"...not only did you pull her hair..."

...and grew...

"...but now you want to rape me!?"

...and grew into a dark black and blue that illuminated the surrounding area!

"Murayama was right, you haven't changed! No, you are worse than you were before!" Katase held out her weapon in a manner promising pain. "You shouldn't be allowed to walk freely in this world. I am going to kill you here and now so you don't get the chance to hurt anyone else!"

Judging on the sheer hatred in Murayama's eyes, she wanted to give him a small speech as well if not for the pain in her ribs preventing her from doing so. Instead, she settled for grabbing a nearby Kendo stick and dropped down in to a dual-wielding stance that promised great suffering. The sword in her hand, as well as the one she had just picked up, was also glowing brightly. The only difference was that the two blades were glowing red and black in comparison to Katase's blue.

Doesn't look like I need to worry about that.

"If you think you can, then bring it!" Issei welcomed the challenge with great fervor. He wasn't sure what these sacred gears were and couldn't say they would give him a satisfactory battle, but he hoped. He so desperately wanted to test the skills he learned on someone he hadn't fought thousands and thousands of times.

The enraged females needed no further encouragement, dashing towards him ignorant of the state of their weapons. The muffled footfalls were like music to his ears and he also readied his stick, the human weapon glowing black as he ran draconic energy through it.

Just as he was about to clash against the two, the swords glow began to fade and in their retreating brilliance, Issei was able to identify what their sticks had become.

Muramasa.

Murasame.

And Dainsleif.

All of the excitement that was coursing through Issei's veins vanished in a mere instant.

Faster than any human or devil present could react, a hand reached out and stopped Dainsleif's swing before Issei's turned to slits, releasing a portion of the power he held for the quickest of moments.

The effect was instant. Every single human in the area fell like a puppet with its strings. Several tens of bodies hit the ground just as fast as Issei's heart did upon witnessing the sacred gears of his interests.

You made the correct call. Ophis attempted to raise his spirits once more with praise on his decision making. Neither of them are capable of wielding their sacred gears to an acceptable degree. Not only would they destroy themselves, but the surrounding humans as well.

There was no answer for the Ouroboros.

"Issei..." Issei turned towards the familiar voice to see Sona, Rias, and their respective peerages approaching him. "What happened?"

"These two had sacred gears." Issei saw no reason to deny the Sitri and answered. "I wanted to awaken them."

"Why?" She pressed on. "Did you forget that there were human's watching?"

"Did you forget that we are capable of making them forget?"

"We can't just keep using memory magic on them!" Tsubaki snapped at him for the barbed comeback he gave her King. "If we do, we run all kinds of risks!"

"Like what?"

Tsubaki seemed startled that she was so suddenly put on the spot, having trouble coming up with a suitable answer off the top of her head. This pressure she was feeling coming off of him in waves wasn't helping her state of mind either.

Easy, Issei. I understand you are upset but don't take it out on them. It isn't their fault you couldn't have a decent fight.

"Issei," Rias took her turn to speak, ignorant of the deity's words and walking closer than the others dared to, "you looked like you were happy this morning and even seemed to be enjoying yourself just a few minutes ago. Why are you acti-"

BOOM!

An explosion originating from the former Gremory Pawn blasted Rias off of her feet as well as send dirt and grass speeding through the air and even cracked the concrete walls. An aura of black and purple energy materialized around the boy, a mysterious, dangerous yet beautiful veil of energy dancing to its own tune. While the sound of an explosion in such close proximity to normal humans could provide quite nasty for their hearing, the devils did not seem to be affected by such a loud noise in point black range. Whether the devils were protected against certain amounts of noise pollution or they were to focused on coming to the aid of their King, Issei didn't know.

The girl with crimson hair shook her head to erase the shaking sensation from her head, raising a hand to her temple as she looked at Issei in disbelief, as did the others.

He was scowling at her.

"I would appreciate it if you don't try to casually approach me like you did nothing wrong Rias. You are far from deserving of it." As he spoke, the energy that clung to him slowly shrank into an eerie luminescence.

It was obvious from the way the devils shrank away from him that they weren't prepared for the hostility the former pawn gave them. Surely they anticipated some amount of anxiety and anger, but not the full brunt of a full dragon's. The girls and Gasper, who had quickly moved to assure themselves of Rias' condition, retreated out of fear. The only exceptions of the group were Rias, who was on the ground, Akeno, who stood defiantly with a single leg positioned slightly behind her acting as support against his explosion of power, and Kiba who seemed to be expecting something like this.

Seeing that the peerage was backing away from their King, Akeno stepped up to help Rias regain her footing while Kiba took his spot between his King and Issei. A recently conjured Holy-Demonic sword was held tightly in a single arm. The nervous sweat on his brow was an obvious sign of his emotional state but despite his evident fear, he still took up his sword to protect his King. Issei, as upset as he was about being denied his anticipated fight, couldn't help but admire his courage and bravery.

Maybe Kiba could give him the battle he was lusting for?

"Do you really intend to fight me Kiba? I'm not going to tell you 'you shouldn't' but I am also not going to tell you 'you should' either. Attack me if that will make you feel better. Just be prepared to accept the consequences of your actions." While delivering his declaration, Issei straightened himself and took a few steps forward, shattering the Kendo sword simply by closing his fist around the hilt.

Seeing him advance, Kiba braced himself and conjured a blade that even Issei was surprised to see.

"Ascalon?"

The sword forged from God for Uriel rested in one hand while the Holy-Demonic sat in the other with Kiba squatting down into a stance. Another dual wielder with supernatural blades that weren't nearly dangerous enough as those others...

Looks like he was going to get that fight after al-.

"What is going on here?"

Everyone looked towards the direction the voice had come from. There were two people walking out of a crimson magic circle, one with red hair with shoulder plates and a flowing cape while the other wore a blue maid outfit and had silver hair.

"Onii-sama! Grayfia!" Rias exclaimed, not understanding why they were here but grateful that they were. The peerage just looked on as the newcomers stepped out of their magic circle.

Sirzechs seemed to understand the look on Rias' face and explained why he was here, quickly switching his attention to Issei with a frown. "When we rebuilt the school, we included a variety of sensors to notify us in the event anything of significance occurred. When the Sitri family informed me you were here, I made sure everyone was ready in the event things turned for the worse. When the supernatural seismic sensor went off just now, we came as fast as we could."

"…Huh…" Rias simply stood with her allies with a look that spoke of shocked acceptance. Knowing her, she was probably put off by the fact that these devices were planted in the school without her authorization or knowing. Issei, for one, was absolutely ecstatic with all anger and frustration forgotten! Forget Kiba, he wanted to fight Sirzechs now!

Then he remembered the explanation the Super-Devil gave and Issei couldn't stop himself from chuckling. "A supernatural seismic sensor? Did you honestly show up just because a single machine gave off an insignificant seismic reading? I am going to apologize in advance for this but isn't that a little too protective of you Sirzechs?"

"Normally, I would agree with you…" Issei turned around to witness Ajuka Beelzebub stepping out of his custom magic circle wearing his signature poker face. "…but it seems the emergency Satan summons is going to be at least worth the trouble it took for all of us to get here."

"Ah, geez!" To the left of the former peerage member, a certain devil dressed in her signature magical girl uniform was pouting cutely with her arms extended to the ground in front of her. With her was her little sister, still dressed in her school uniform. Issei couldn't help but sweat a little as he gazed at the newest newcomers.

Does she always wear her uniform? Does she seriously have no other clothes?

"I was in the middle of a recording Sirzechs!" Serafall pouted cutely as she stuck her tongue out at the Lucifer, waving her arms sporadically as she did so. "Why did you even call the emergen-" It was then that her attention was finally drawn to the boy in the center of the three Super Devils. Her entire demeaner changed in less than a second. A flash of light and gone was the magical girl clothes; in their place was an emerald business suit and a knee length skirt that was several shades darker. "I believe an explanation is required."

"I, too, would desire to be briefed on the current state of matters." A voice could be heard from above. As everyone looked into the sky, they watched as the misshapen balls of various color begin to glow a brilliant tangerine as the sky seemed to split. From the sky, a man of unsurpassed grace floated downwards, gently touching down several feet beside Issei with a frown on his face, taking one of the few empty spots in the immediate area. It was not often that the Archangel showed something besides upward turned lips so this sight was very unusual to the young devils. "I was lead to believe that Issei Hyoudou had died or became a stray. Yet, he stands before me very much alive and without any demonic energy."

"It certainly is strange isn't it, Michael?" Another individual stepped out from behind the leader of the angels and walked over to the spot next to Ajuka and Serafall, surrounding the should-be dead man in a hexagon formation. The Original Alchemist was smiling with the Downfall Dragon Spear bouncing up and down on his extended palm. "Under normal circumstances, he should very well be dead. I don't even know if anyone has ever removed a Sacred Gear and survived the ordeal." Azazel's characteristic smile faded with a new air of seriousness. "It shouldn't be possible. That leads me to the conclusion of him having some form of help…revival and brainwash aren't that far out of the picture either."

"Perhaps Chaos Brigade has something to do with Issei's return?" Beelzebub addressed the fallen angel, no doubt analyzing a number of algorithms and various memories he had on him in his head to find the most likely reason for the resurrection of the former Red Dragon Emperor. The Super Devil got no response from Azazel who acknowledged his colleague's words and did not count it out of the realm of possibility.

Issei observed his surroundings, calculating his next course of action. He did not anticipate coming face-to-face with almost every leader of the 3 powers so soon. Additionally, he was still unable to use Ophis' full power without repercussions and his base form wouldn't be enough to tangle with one of them let along all of them should they choose to gang up on him.

At least it isn't boring…dammit Vali!

"Sorry, but you're both wrong. Azazel. Ajuka." Issei calmly denied the 2 leaders their hypotheses, not changing his posture in the slightest save for taking his arms out of his pockets and shifting his weight to his other leg.

"Sorry kid," Azazel smiled again, resting the spear in his hands, "but I am going to need a little more to go on besides a simple denial." Ajuka nodded in agreement as he, Azazel, Michael, and Serafall moved to stand beside Sirzechs, confident on their ability to stop Issei from running should he choose to. Rias and her peerage remained standing a few yards away from the main gates, unable to draw their attention away from the interaction happening in front of them.

The Lucifer, despite the accusations his friends made; decided to keep a more open mind. "So, are you saying that you are truly Issei Hyoudou and not some mindless puppet?"

"Yeah," said person replied, "the one and only. But Azazel and Ajuka are right when they say that I am…different. I think Azazel was closest when he said I had help and that I was revived."

"Dammit," the Beelzebub muttered under his breath with the fallen angel grinning in victory.

"You owe me a bloody Manhattan." Azazel told his fellow friend and rival, pleased that he had won their apparent bet. Ajuka started muttering something about Azazel and why he couldn't just lust for bodies other than knowledge like the rest of his kind.

"But Ajuka was also right as my help and revival came in the form of the Khaos Brigade."

"Ha!" Ajuka exclaimed, this time it was Azazel who was muttering. "You owe me a Unholy Tequila."

This made an eyebrow raise on Hyoudou's face.

…the bloody Manhattan I can comprehend…but the fuck is a Unholy Tequila? Questions for later.

Sirzechs decided to ignore his friend's betting on his sister's ex-pawn until later. Just as he was about to ask a question another question, Serafall interrupted him. "But why would they help you? What could you provide the Khaos Brigade with to encourage them that you were worth the effort to keep alive?"

"You have it backwards Sera." Issei told her, shortening her name to Sera because her name was so unusual to say fully, annoying the girl in question as the -tan was not present. "It isn't about what I could do for her, but what we could do for each other. I was able to give her something in exchange for my body and soul."

This got the attention of everyone present, including the two supernatural scientists as well as the Gremory peerage plus Sona. However, Rias, her pieces, and Sona noticed something different from what the leaders did.

'Her?'

The Leviathan was visibly taken aback by this new information, stepping back with widened eyes and covering her mouth with a single hand. This didn't last long as she took two steps forward to voice her denial of his choice only to be blocked by Michael's arm as he called out to the boy.

"You gave the Khaos Brigade your body and soul!? What for!? You realize that as long as they have it, you are subject to their every will and whim for all of eternity right!? What could possibly be worth that much?"

Issei exhaled a tired sigh, beginning to grow tired of trying to tell them his story. "I don't expect any of you to understand and honestly, I don't think you all would understand if I just said it through words either. Perhaps showing you would be quicker."

As the boy trailed off, he bent his elbow and raised up his left arm so that the flat of his fist was directed away from his body, the fingers only an inch or two away from his shoulder.

"I'll show you my Sacred Gear."

This declaration was met with a sharp intake of air from everyone present.

"Impossible!" Serafall whispered in disbelief. "You shouldn't be in possession of the Boosted Gear!"

Ajuka was equally as shocked as his fellow Satan. He also spoke out once he composed himself as best as he could. "You cut off the arm that you have the dragon with Ascalon, somehow severing his connection with Ddraig and breaking the seal that was placed on Heavenly Dragons. That bluff will serve you no good here."

"Really?" Issei couldn't help but smirk at their ignorance despite the situation he found himself in. He actually didn't think they would react the way they did, hell; he was surprised his words got a reaction out of them at all. Were they scared that he might have managed to acquire something even stronger than Ddraig?

Azazel picked up where Ajuka left off. "As absurd as that last part is, it's impossible for you to have another Sacred Gear Issei. You should know that first hand, right Issei? Since you not only cut out Ddraig, but also the devil pieces you had in you, you're only a-!" He paused briefly, earning a quick glance from Azazel before he too widened his eyes in realization.

""Human!"" Both scientists exclaimed at the same time.

Michael immediately understood what they meant by that. "God's system makes it so only human's can acquire Sacred Gears. Issei was a devil, but when he cut off the part of his soul that Ddraig inhabited, he also managed to cut out the Evil Pieces he had inside of him, turning him back into a normal human!"

"Making it possible for him to acquire another Sacred Gear." Serafall finished in shocked horror.

Issei had paused his actions to listen in on the logic of the leaders and found himself to be quite impressed. "I must say that I am surprised you guys were able to come up with that much. Azazel and Ajuka aside, I didn't expect that out of any of you. Honestly, I'm surprised Sera was even able to keep up."

"Did you just call me dumb!?" Said devil exclaimed, reverting back to her magical girl attitude. "I am a Satan! Of course I can keep up with that much! Call me that again and I will blow you all the way to kingdom come! Do you hear me!?"

This response seemed to be amusing to the human since a few loud chuckles managed to escape his lips.

"Hahaha! I am going to have to ask you not to do that. I already got blowed to kingdom come before I got here. Chances are I'm going to get blowed to kingdom come again once all of this is over."

This leaved the vast majority of the populace confused and puzzled, save for the only two fallen angels present. One of them hoped her thoughts were wrong while the other was clapping the boy's back proudly in his head despite the situation.

"But I should say something before the secret is out." Issei told all of them to get their attention back. "I say Sacred Gear…but she only acts like one so she has less work to do and more silence to enjoy."

Before anyone could ask what Issei meant by his latest statement, everything became silenced as two words pierced the air.

"Balance…Break…"

"Ouroboros Dragon! Balance Breaker!"

Everyone in the immediate area was blinded by the brightest, blackest light. The sensation was equivalent to looking at the sun. The only difference was that the sun is not black with small shimmers of purple energy. The devils, fallen angel, and angel, as well as the one and only hybrid present, averted their eyes to avoid further irritation of their eyes. However, this was the only reason why Azazel and Michael blocked the black light. The devils, however, tried to shield themselves from the black light with their hand and arms, the apocalyptic sun making them feel a sensation akin to burning upon their skin.

A few seconds later and the bright light had faded and the burning sensation had vanished from the devil's skins. When they returned their gazes to where Issei was located, they were surprised to see a glowing black ball giving off what appeared to be a purple aura in his place.

Before they could question the strange phenomena, the perfect orb began to shatter. It started at the bottom, cracking and breaking with a low crunching noise. The pieces of the orb floated towards the sky, the sphere breaking apart from the bottom to reveal the figure that was within.

The figure looked in similar to that of the Welsh Dragon's scale mail. The jewels were in all of the right places and the overall design seemed to be based off of it. The differences were that the jewels were not green, but purple. Instead of the signature red color signifying the Red Dragon Emperor, there was a color that resembled the night sky with no stars or moon, outer space with no sun or stars. Instead of the metal that made up the draconian armor, the figure before them was clothed with what appeared to be actual scales, each one overlapping the other to recreate the body of an actual dragon. The elegant entity before the supernatural creatures even seemed to have the neural spine of a dragon, small triangles the color of ivory stuck out of the armor, each one razor sharp and capable of slicing through flesh. Even the tail seemed to be of similar proportions to the Welsh Dragon's Balance Breaker. There was also an infinity symbol present on the chest plate of the suit of armor. The helmet itself was completely different, however. There was nothing that looked akin to horns, the neural spine seemed to stop just short of where the scalp would normally be. Whereas the Welsh Dragon had green eyes, the being's eyes were more intricate. In comparison to a human's eye, the sclera was a raisin purple, the iris was the same color as the rest of the armor, and the unique pupil representative of dragons was a pale violet.

"Balance Breaker: Infinity Gear, Scale Mail." The voice that emerged from within the helmet of the Scale Mail was dual toned. One of the layers was obviously Issei's voice. The other one…was not hard to figure out.

"Infinity Gear…Ophis?" Sirzechs exclaimed, taken so completely by surprise that he stumbled back and fell to the concrete in a very un-Satan-like manner, the rest of the The Power's brass doing much the same. Even the mighty Leviathan, the strongest female devil in the underworld and referred to as a demon of pride in demonology and as a demon of envy in Christianity, could do nothing but sink to her knees and stare at the ground in a cold sweat.

The symbol of infinity on his chest, the voice that Sirzechs and Azazel knew so well, even the name of the gear's Balance Breaker. There was no doubt in Azazel's mind. The Governor of the Fallen Angels had no idea how it was possible or even how such a union was made. He was not the only individual who had these thoughts soaring through his head at mock speed. Every single individual, save for two, were shaken at what had just transpired.

"Th…the Ouroboros Dragon...?" Someone whispered in unfathomable disbelief.

The set of draconic armor gazed in the voice's direction, falling onto the combined mass of peerages.

"All together correct, but I believe I need a new name to go with the descendance of a new Dragon God." Two heavily armored arms crossed one another, the black helmet bowed in thought. It rose quickly, "I'll keep it fairly simple."

With grand poise, the person within the Scale Mail put one clawed foot in front of the other, lifted its tail off the ground slightly, and loosely outstretched its arms to both sides. "Call me thus: Issei Hyoudou, The True Black Dragon God Emperor of Infinity."

"DON'T FUCK WITH ME!"

All attention was instantly brought to the owner of the voice who shouted out in rebellion. The voice belonged to…Rias!? She was standing with her legs spread at shoulder width, her teeth clenched against each other and was glaring at Issei with utter hatred, a radiant red aura clinging to her skin. Sona surprised by the sudden outburst of her friend couldn't help but jump in shock.

"I know I made a mistake…the worst mistake that I will probably ever make…and I regret it so much every day…but this…to ruin his memory…by taking his body…by taking his soul!? I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS OPHIS!"

!?

After this declaration of war, the intensity of the aura Rias was putting out multiplied exponentially, rising into the air like a pillar of red light! If what she was putting out earlier was equivalent to a fire, what she was putting out now far surpassed that of a wild inferno! Did she intend to raise her fist against Issei/Ophis?

"Sona." The massive energy output not impeding her voice in the slightest, the King of the Gremory peerage called out to the Sitri King. "I can't take her on alone. I need your help."

While this was going on, Issei was studying the tower of aura that continued to skyrocket into the air.

This feels...eerily familiar. Something about Rias power seemed to be drawing him in like a moth to a flame. He was utterly fascinated that Rias had as much energy as she did. Was this her full power? It would definitely be entertaining to have a few rounds with her in his base form, but in Balance Breaker? She didn't stand a chance and Sona wouldn't make that much of a difference. What made her think they had a chance? Issei was staring back and forth between the girl who tore his heart apart and the student council president trying to solve this puzzle that wouldn't leave him alone.

It should. Ophis confirmed.

Meanwhile, the Satan's, Michael, and even Azazel himself glanced at the young devils in awe, wonder, and bewilderment. What could Rias possibly be talking about?

"You do realize what we are up against right?" Sona asked with a strange smile on her face. Crouching down as she loosened the collar of her school uniform with her right pointer finger, she continued, "Yet, you still have the gall to ask me that?" The President of the Student Council glanced up at the now confirmed God Emperor. "You don't mind, do you Issei?"

"I don't...but do you really intend to fight me?"

"Of course. I need to find out if you are who you say you are or you really are Ophis in Issei's form." Now that she had gotten approval from her opponent, Sona redirected her attention towards her fellow King. "You better thank me for rewriting that extraction ritual you gave me!"

This time, it was the Sitri's aura that exploded! A vast oceanic aura shot into the air as a blue tornado, its output matching that of Rias'.

"Sona?" Serafall, having recovered from her shock, turned to look at her little sister in amazement. The Satan never knew Sona had so much power at her disposal. In fact, when had their bimonthly sparing ritual 2 months ago, wasn't she a lot weaker?

Silence fell upon the crowd of the supernatural as they watched in wonder and confusion as the two heiresses continued to power up.

Then…once again…everyone who bore witness to this strange phenomenon was hit with a bombshell of surprise as the two girls opened their mouths.

"I who shall awaken"

"I who shall awaken"

"am the heavenly dragon who stole the principles of domination from God"

"am the heavenly dragon who took the principles of supremacy from God"

"I laugh at the infinite and grieve for the dream"

"I envy the infinite and pursue the dream"

"I shall become the Red Dragon of Domination"

"I shall become the White Dragon of Supremacy"

"And I shall sink you to the depths of the crimson purgatory!"

"And I shall take you to the limits of white paradise!"

""JUGGARNAUT DRIVE!""