First Encounter with the Supernatural

Issei was already on the move.

The world blurred around him, as his superhuman strength and speed propelled him towards the source of the scream.

As he ran, he also conversed with Ddraig.

"I don't want to go in there blind. What do you think made that noise?"

"You shouldn't even be going there at all, partner." Ddraig groused. "What happened to laying low?"

"That plan still hasn't changed," the transmigrator responded, "But you heard the scream earlier. That's not something I can just ignore."

"…"

Ddraig did not immediately respond. The old dragon knew his host well. And true to his word, this sort of situation was simply not something that Issei could ignore.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything too rash. I'll just check out the situation and if it's something that I need to intervene with… well, I'll still intervene, but I'll do it discreetly."

"Right, like you even know what the word 'discrete' means." The young man could feel the old dragon rolling his eyes from inside the Boosted Gear, but he chose to ignore it. Seeing as how Issei had clammed up, Ddraig decided to address his original question. "I'm not too certain what made that sound. It wasn't human, and it certainly wasn't a dragon. My first guess would probably be a magical beast of some sort."

"Magical beasts?" Issei raised a curious brow. "Any relation to the spirit beasts from the Immortal World."

"Eh, they're similar. Think more along the lines of the Nemean Lion: legendary creatures from various myths and legends."

"The Nemean Lion? Isn't that thing like indestructible or something?" Issei looked concerned. As he was now, he doubted he would survive an encounter with such a beast.

"Don't worry, something as strong as a Nemean Lion can't just wander in here undetected... In fact, most magical beasts are far from stealthy... On second thought, it might not even be a magical beast. Those are pretty rare nowadays." Ddraig corrected himself.

If this had been a thousand, even five hundred years ago, then his first guess would have definitely been a magical beast. Such creatures were a lot more common back then. These days, magical beasts tended to live in isolation, away from humanity and away from most of the other supernatural forces of the world.

"Then, if it's not that, then what is it?"

"Hmm…" The heavenly dragon lapsed into silence. After a brief pause, he stated, "Maybe a devil or a youkai or some such."

Issei inwardly groaned. "Can't you be more specific?"

"… then a stray devil, most likely."

"Stray?" He titled his head in confusion.

"I'm not too certain of the meaning either." Ddraig truthfully responded. "It's a phrase that some of my previous hosts often heard, mostly involving the devils."

In truth, the Red Dragon of Domination did not have much previous exposure to the Devils of this era.

Most of his interactions with their kind had taken place during the Middle Ages, back when figures such as King Arthur and Lucius Tiberius still existed. Back then, the devils were nothing more than hindrances that often got in the way during his battles with Albion.

As such, most of his information was vague and second-hand. In short, Issei was pretty much going in blind.

"Sorry, partner."

"So, pretty much nothing's changed, huh?"

A bitter smile formed on his lips. Issei was used to working with little to no prior knowledge of his enemy. Back in the Immortal World, he had relied on an uneven mixture of luck and tenacity just to survive through the sticky situations that he often found himself in.

Now, it was time to see whether the same method would work here on Earth.

With his enhanced physique, it did not take long at all for the transmigrator to reach his destination.

He had traced the noise all the way back to a construction site that sat near the border between the city's urban and suburban sections.

From what he could tell, the construction site was halfway finished. They were building what he assumed to be a new apartment complex. Most of the flooring had already been laid out, but the walls had yet to be plastered.

Issei did not immediately rush into the building. His time in the Immortal World had taught him not to blindly rush into things.

Instead, Issei used a nearby platform and spring-kicked himself towards the top of a telephone pole. His presence scared away a flock of crows that had been perched on the nearby wire, but he paid it no mind.

The young man crouched down, reducing the visibility of his body. It was already dark outside, and the streets were mostly empty. Hopefully, nobody would notice a man standing atop the telephone pole like some kind of comic book ninja.

Issei was roughly one hundred meters away from the building. With his cultivation, the distance meant frighteningly little.

He silently observed the building. He attempted to listen for any noise, whether it be the roar from earlier or the human scream from before. Unfortunately, there was nothing but faint skittering. He had trouble pinpointing where exactly that sound was coming from.

After a few tense moments, Issei was just about ready to throw in the towel and enter the building himself. That was when he saw it.

It was a hulking, lumbering mass of flesh and muscle. Most of the figure was obscured in shadows, but the creature moved through the fourth floor with the grace of a crippled slug.

Fortunately, this section of the building had yet to have its walls built, so Issei had a pretty open view of the thing.

It was bipedal, with a pair of arms so long that they scraped against the ground. The creature was at least twice as tall and probably weighed more than a pick-up truck. He could not quite get a good look at its face, but it had a messy mop of black hair and an elongated neck that reminded him of a mantis.

It was creepy looking, but none of that was what Issei focused on though. In his humble opinion, the most notable part about the creature's anatomy was its breasts.

"Wow…" Issei muttered, half in awe at the sight. Despite the thing that they were attached to, he had never seen such a massive pair of mammaries in his entire life.

"More like ew," Ddraig commented. "I'm not human, so I can't quite understand the allure of the breasts that you are so fond of, but even I can tell that that's not something you should be ogling at."

Issei ignored the complaining lizard. His eyes were focused solely on those rounded pearls.

The breasts were pale and roughly about the size of a watermelon. He could make out little blue veins that ran underneath the skin. The nipples were a pale black, which was an odd color, all things considered. The most impressive thing about them though was the amount. There was a total of thirteen breasts attached to the creature's chest.

Issei was certain. He had even double-checked.

It was unnatural. It was inhuman. It was disturbing, but for some reason, Issei could not look away.

"Partner, focus up! Quit being an idiot and get your head in the game!"

Ddraig's voice wrenched him back into reality.

Issei blinked. He shot the breasts one last critical look. How dangerous. Those things had almost entrapped him with their supple flesh and shapely figure. He was almost certain that those were no ordinary breasts. They most likely contained a sort of hypnotizing effect. Fortunately, his heart was strong and his will was like steel.

It would take more than six and a half pairs of breasts to beat him!

Now that he was more focused on the situation, Issei noticed something peculiar about the creature's movement.

"It's searching for something."

"Probably its prey," Ddraig added.

If this creature truly was a stray devil, then it probably fed on the life force of other living things.

From what he could tell upon observation, Stray devils were once devils whose inner magical energy grew too chaotic, resulting in physical mutation and mental degradation. Unlike their normal counterparts, strays simply could not persist by relying purely on the magical energy in the environment.

Nearly every supernatural being on Earth required magical energy to survive. Most absorbed it passively to sustain themselves. Fortunately, Earth's energy was so potent that running out of energy was never really an issue.

This was different for stray devils, as they were incapable of passive absorption due to the condition of their bodies. They most likely sustained themselves by eating other life forms.

"Prey?" Issei's eyes narrowed. "Is it hunting someone?"

"Most likely."

"Well, we can't have that," Issei muttered darkly.

While the young man did not consider himself to be righteous, his parents had taught him the basics of right from wrong. He could not just stand by and watch as a tragedy unfolded before him, especially not when he had the power to prevent it from happening in the first place.

In fact, Issei had gained a small reputation in the immortal world for his altruism and willingness to sacrifice himself for others. He was considered an advocate for the week, although such a title did not really help him with other cultivators. Most of the time, his actions did not align with the agendas of the sects, who often liked using ordinary people for their own nefarious purposes.

Weirdly enough, Issei actually preferred the company of ordinary folks over cultivators. Unlike with cultivators, the regular people of the Immortal World generally acted like good people.

"Issei, I think it found what it was looking for." Ddraig's voice snapped him out of his reverie.

Issei turned his attention back over to the stray devil.

True to the dragon's words, the creature had stopped moving. It stood in the center of the room; its head turned towards one particular corner. Issei strained his vision. There, in the corner of the room, he could just barely make out a figure. The figure was slumped against the wall, curled up in a fetal position. It was trembling.

That was all that he needed.

Issei did not waste any time and immediately kicked off the pole. The force of his jump was so great that part of the pole's metal surface had dented. Using the force of his kick, he practically hurled his body towards the fourth floor of the building.

He flew through the air like a wraith. Just before his body could hit the floor, he dissipated any extra force by rolling across the floor.

His arrival did not go unnoticed.

The stray devil turned its head towards him in surprise.

At first, the creature appeared worried, but that worry quickly gave way to confusion. It squinted its beady black eyes and scrutinized him. After five seconds, it suddenly smiled. It was an ugly, unsettling smile that revealed a mouth with far too many teeth.

"Whew, it was just another human." It spoke with a normal female voice, which was all sorts of creepy, considering what it actually looked like. "I thought you were a devil at first, so I was a bit worried, but if it's just a human…" It let out a stuttering chuckle. The noise seemed ill-fitting, like someone wearing jeans that were three sizes too small for them.

Issei was not fazed. He stared at the creature with a hardened glare.

"What are you doing here?"

It was an admittedly dumb question, but Issei was currently fishing for answers. After all, this was his first encounter with a supernatural creature from Earth.

"Can't you see?" It replied back, "I'm about to have my dinner. Now, don't go anywhere while I eat. I want seconds."

"And you think I'll just sit here and let you do whatever you want?" Issei raised a brow. Surely this thing couldn't be that stupid.

'Then again, it seems like it can't perceive the difference in strength between you two.' Ddraig commented inwardly, 'What did those guys call it? 'It has eyes but can't recognize Mt. Tai!''

The stray devil let out a bell-like laugh. "Foolish little human. I killed my own master and escaped from those who tried to exterminate me. What do I have to fear from someone like you? Such a weak and insignificant race… you truly do not know the immensity of heaven and earth."

"Did it really just say that?" Ddraig was somewhat surprised. "Wow, I'm feeling all sorts of deja vu right now."

"Now, I don't know how you got up here, but you certainly won't be going back down." It continued, its voice dripping with derision. "For now though, just sit tight. I'll get to you in a second. I want to enjoy this little one first. I haven't had such tender flesh in a long time…"

Issei breathed out a silent sigh. This thing was posturing like crazy. It reminded him of the Cultivators back in the Immortal World. It was kind of nostalgic, actually.

"It's a shame, you know…" Issei stated idly as he casually walked through the room.

The stray devil paused. It turned back towards him. It was somewhat amused by this human's boldness. It decided to humor his little act. "What is a shame?"

"Your breasts." He immediately stated. "I rank them at least a B, maybe even a B+ if you take into account the color of your nipples. Black is a very exotic color. It kind of gives off a goth vibe, you know? And everyone loves goth girls."

He rambled on, seemingly unconcerned by the creature's penetrating gaze that raked all across his body. After a few seconds, he stopped in front of a pile of construction supplies. Issei eyed the pile for a moment before he bent down and grabbed a metal pipe.

The pipe was thin and narrow. It was almost as long as he was tall. He examined the pipe with a critical eye.

"What are you talking about?" The creature was seriously confused. It momentarily forgot about the cowering human that it was just about to eat. Why was this man suddenly talking about breasts? Did he hit his head or something?

"All I'm saying is that you've got a nice pair on you. If this was in the past, I would have done something foolish and asked you out on a date, just so I could have a chance to cope a feel of those puppies." Issei shook his head. "Unfortunately, I have matured. I've learned a long time ago that breasts do not make a woman. The whole package has to be considered and not just the tits!"

Issei finished his inspection of the metal pipe. He nodded his head in satisfaction before he suddenly chopped at the tip of the pipe with the side of his open palm. In one swift motion, he sliced off the tip at an angle. The pipe now sported a new edge.

And with that, he had created an impromptu spear.

The stray devil widened its eyes. That casual display of strength had truly surprised it. That was certainly not something that any ordinary human could pull off.

'There's something weird about this human…'

Still, the creature was largely unconcerned. For the longest time, humans were regarded by the rest of the supernatural community as Earth's weakest sentient race. In fact, they were so weak that they did not even qualify as their own faction, despite outnumbering most of the factions 10 to 1.

No matter how many 'surprises' this human possessed, it could not hope to match the might of a 'devil'.

If anything, it just made the human that much more enticing. Maybe he was a mage or a wielder of a sacred gear? If so, then he would certainly be something worth devouring.

Unaware of the creature's insidious thoughts, Issei continued his little rant.

"Appearance, intelligence, personality, and finally breasts. All of these things must be considered first before one even thinks about courting a lady. Unfortunately, despite your B+ breasts, everything else about you is sorely lacking." He shook his head in disappointment. "So, I apologize in advance to your thirteen breasts, but I cannot go out with you."

The creature's thoughts stopped for a moment. It looked at Issei with a blank expression. "Are you… asking me out?"

"What! NO!" Issei vehemently shook his head. "Did you not hear what I said? I was REJECTING you. Geeze, get with the program, lady."

The stray opened its mouth to retort, but Issei suddenly snapped his fingers. He looked as if he had just remembered something. "Oh yeah, before I forget, I have to tell you something…"

"What is it?" The creature could not quite keep up with Issei's scatterbrained monologue. Still, it was curious as to what he wanted to say.

"Eating people is not cool, so die."

With that sudden declaration, Issei sprang into action.

He hurled the steel pipe (now an impromptu javelin) forward. The piece of metal whistled through the air. The stray devil did not even have the chance to react.

The metal pierced the creature's flesh with ruthless efficiency.

Issei visibly winced as he watched the pipe pierce through one of the breasts. It did not stop there though. The make-shift javelin continued forward, moving through its innards before it popped out the back and embedded itself onto the floor below.

A fountain of black blood sprayed out from the newly opened wound.

The creature let out a pitiful scream. It glared at Issei with a burning hatred. "I'll fucking kill you!"

Issei paid its threats no mind. Instead, he took note of how sturdy the thing was. He had pierced through its heart, yet the thing was still alive and kicking.

'Partner, you won't be able to kill it with just that. Devils are more resilient than humans. Stray devils seem to be even more so.' Ddraig spoke through their mental connection. He pulled from his past experience with aberrants and devils in order to provide some advice to his partner. 'You have to destroy at least 50% of its body if you want to permanently put it down. Either that or decapitation.'

Issei nodded his head. That made sense. They were kind of like zombies on steroids. At the same time, he couldn't help but think about the rest of the Devil Faction.

Were regular devils also this resilient or was this purely a case of the stray's divergent physiology?

Well, questions for later.

"You… what are you?" Contrary to Issei's expectations, the creature did not immediately attack him. Even after making such a declaration, it stared at him wearily. "You are no ordinary human. A hunter? An exorcist? What are you?"

"Wrong guess. I'm… I'm just a guy searching for love."

Issei stated what he thought was a cool line before he suddenly sprinted forward.

He moved like a breeze. Even without using any movement techniques, Issei was still tremendously fast.

His speed was only to be expected. After all, Issei was currently at the peak of the Qi Condensation realm. Right now, his body was well beyond superhuman.

On the other hand, his opponent was a creature that Issei could have killed as a first stage Qi Condensation cultivator. At his current level… it wasn't even a fair comparison.

The stray devil could not even hope to match his speed. Issei was already in front of it by the time it even had the chance to blink.

He quickly jumped onto one of its outstretched arms and using the limb as a springboard, he hopped onto its shoulder. Issei then struck out with his palm. He grasped the creature by the forehead.

"What are you—" It could not even finish its sentence before it began wreathing in pain.

There was no fancy technique involved nor any hidden martial art skills. Issei simply infused a sliver of his True Qi into the creature's head.

With the infusion of Qi, the creature's head bulged before it suddenly popped like an overinflated balloon.

Issei jumped off its shoulder, just as its body slumped to the floor with a loud thud.

The transmigrator grimaced in disgust. Some of the brain bits had gotten onto his shirt and face.

"Man, so gross," Issei complained as he wiped away at a splotch of black that had stained his cheek. He glanced at the corpse in mild disgust. Even the breasts that he had ogled earlier did not seem as attractive now that they were attached to the headless corpse of a monster.

Issei shook his head in sadness. To ruin a pair of perfectly good breasts like that… he had truly sinned.

"Partner, there's still the human" Ddraig reminded him.

"Oh right," Issei nodded. He completely forgot about that.

The transmigrator turned away from the corpse and began looking for the human that the stray devil had eaten. It did not take long.

They were currently still huddled in the corner of the room. Issei approached, but when he got a closer look at the person, his eyes widened slightly in surprise.

It was a girl.