(Flashback, Kuoh, the night before Issei's date with Akeno)
In the deeper parts of the town, a small stall was operating, selling some snacks and liquors for people who were fatigued from working late.
However, there were only two patrons in the stall with the owner was silently cooking and watching his goods as usual. One patron was a middle-aged man with slightly bulky body wearing a suit, while the other was a bald man wearing a T-shirt and sweat-pants. Couple plates of snacks, two glasses and a bottle of Japanese Sake were served in front of them.
"So that old man Odin is coming to town? And you're assigned as his escort?" The bald man, Saitama, asked the middle-aged man who happened to be Baraqiel, a fallen angel cadre of Grigori.
"Yes, it appears to be so." The fallen angel replied, taking a sip from his liquor. "Lord Odin will act as the representative from the Norse to finalize the terms of alliance between the Asgard and the Three Factions."
"I see, I see…" Saitama nodded in understanding. "By the way, since you are here and all… Are you going to see your daughter?"
Baraqiel did not say anything for few seconds before letting out a sigh. "I… would love to, but I'm not sure. Last time we met, she's still angry at me."
"Hmm… That's too bad." Saitama took a sip of his own drink. "But hey, don't let that stopping you from trying."
"I can only hope…." Baraqiel downed the rest of his drink in his glass. "Speaking of… I've been hearing from Azazel that Akeno has been… infatuated with your son… Hyoudou Issei, is it?"
"Seems like it. I still haven't gotten used to how popular my kid is…" Saitama downed his drink. "He practically has women left and right throwing themselves at him."
"A harem… Huh." Baraqiel huffed slightly, refilling his own glass before he proceeded to refill Saitama's glass as well, receiving a quick thanks from the bald man. "Having my daughter to be with a man who also courts other women… Doesn't sit well with me." The fallen angel grumbled. "Tell me, Saitama-kun. Considering your son has become a devil and is integrating into their society… Do you have anything to say to him?"
Saitama understood what Baraqiel was implying. "Not really… I just know that at least he won't mistreat anyone close to him. Besides…" Saitama's gaze softened, seemingly to have a far-away look in it. "I think I've lost the right to tell him what to do in his life, after neglecting him for over 15 years…"
"But you are still his father." Baraqiel retorted. "I… also have done something unforgivable to Akeno, but that doesn't stop me to worry about her well-being. Perhaps she won't look at me as her father anymore, but in the end, I can't see her as none other than my own flesh and blood… who I've sworn to protect ever since she was born."
"….Flesh and blood, huh…" Saitama muttered as he lightly twirled his glass, playing a bit with his reflection on the liquid's surface. Then, Saitama took a drink and he decided to change the topic. "Anyway, do you guys need my help during Odin's stay?"
"It's only finalization of the alliance between Three Factions and the Asgard. Lord Odin won't stay for long, so we should be fine on our own."
Hearing Baraqiel's reply, Saitama nodded to himself once before he turned to the fallen again. "I see… Then, Baraqiel. I have to go. There's something I need to take care of, so can you relay this message to Azazel?"
(End of Flashback)
Following the abrupt end of Akeno's date with Issei in the late afternoon, everyone from the Occult Research Club was sitting in the VIP room of Hyoudou Residence along with Odin, Rossweisse and Baraqiel. As Issei observed the guests, he found that while Odin was being his laid-back self, Rossweisse seemed to be exhausted to keep up with her superior, the boy found the fallen angel to be looking, or rather, lightly glaring between him and Akeno, whom was not even smiling as usual and kept her eyes from meeting her father's.
Issei had heard that Akeno did not really have a good relationship with Baraqiel, if he looked back when Akeno told him a part of her past. Issei had also heard that Baraqiel was one of Azazel's most trusted comrades, as well as one of the strongest combatants in Grigori in terms of fire-power thanks to his Holy Lightning. The fallen also happened to be Saitama's drinking buddy, despite how odd it sounded to Issei.
"Here's your tea." Rias politely served a cup of tea to the Chief of Norse Gods.
"Hohoho, you don't need to do that, but you have my thanks." Odin replied. "Though… seriously, it is indeed huge… That one is also huge~". Odin said as he looked at two particular ladies with perverse grin.
Issei felt a tick mark on his forehead with his eyes twitching when Odin ogled Rias and Akeno, particularly their breasts. Issei also noticed that Baraqiel's eyebrows were twitching profusely as his daughter was being ogled at.
"Seriously, Lord Odin! Please stop looking at girls with such lecherous gaze! She is the sister of the lord Satan Lucifer!" thankfully, Rossweisse immediately hit Odin's head with a fan before Issei, and possibly Baraqiel as well, could have taken any offensive measure towards the eldest man in the room.
The King of Asgard simply massaged his head, not perturbed at the fact that his own subordinate had just blatantly hit his head. "Geez, you are so hard headed. Sirzechs's sister is famous for being a beauty with a glamorous body, so it can't be helped if I end up wanting to stare at her breasts…" Then Odin addressed everyone else in the room. "Oh, yes. This fellow here is my escort Valkyrie, Rossweisse."
Having been introduced, Rossweisse then made her official greeting towards everyone. "It is a pleasure to meet you all. I will be under your care during our stay in Japan."
Now that Issei took another look at the Valkyrie, the boy noticed that Rossweisse seemed young enough to pass off as a high-school student.
"She is a virgin girl where her years she didn't have a boyfriend equals her age." Odin added, much to Rossweisse's chagrin as the woman started to contort a panicked expression.
"T-t-that has nothing to do with this! I never choose to not having a boyfriend! It's not my fault that I'm still a virgin! Uuuhh…!" Rossweisse cried and weep as she fell on her knees and began smacking the floor in anguish.
"…Oh, actually…" Odin appeared as if he remembered something. "She did kind of have a boyfriend, though…" the god made a sly grin as he threw a quick glance at the still-oblivious Issei.
"Nooooo!" Rossweisse then cried even harder. "Please don't mention anything about that! I'm begging you! Uuuuh…!"
Ignoring the wailing Valkyrie, Azazel then proceeded with the meeting. "During the time when geezer will be staying in Japan, it's decided that we will be your guard. Baraqiel is a back-up support member from the fallen angel's side. I also have been busy lately, so I only have limited times I can stay here. During then, Baraqiel would be looking after all of you in my place." The fallen governor gestured towards his old friend.
"I look forward to work with you all." Baraqiel gave his short, yet formal greeting.
"Say, geezer. Isn't your arrival kind of too early? I thought you're gonna come here by the next few days." Azazel asked.
Odin took a sip of his tea before replying. "I plan to talk with the gods of Takamagahara as well, thus my early arrival. Also, I need to finish things up here early if possible because there's also another problem from my country… One of my lads doesn't really agree with my ways. With times keep moving around us, it's also time for us to expand our connections."
"I see…. Then, Michael and Sirzechs can be our middle-men while I would be sitting with you during the meeting." Azazel nodded in agreement. "And what is this trouble from your side? Should I call Saitama back here?"
"No, I don't think there's no need for that…" Odin replied while stroking his long beard. "Speaking of, where's that baldy?"
Issei blinked, recalling that he actually had not seen his father ever since the morning.
"He's out of the country at the moment." Azazel replied. "He said something about confirming his suspicion, in the light of Khaos Brigade's recent activities."
"Sacred Gear possessors that have achieved Balance Breaker, huh…" Odin followed. "Does that lad have some leads?"
"Seems like it. After all, he used to be a part of that group…"
"Wait, so… sorry, time out." Issei suddenly interrupted Azazel. "What is this about that guy being a part of the group?"
Everyone was looking at Issei's expression that demanded nothing but answers. Azazel only stared at Issei for a second before sighing. "I see, so Saitama still hasn't told you." Azazel then noticed that everyone has contorted curious expression on their faces. "Well, I guess you kids have the right to know, since you're likely gonna fight this group eventually."
Everyone did not expect what Azazel had to say next.
oXo
It was at night when Issei was walking alone towards the open-air garden on the roof while everyone else had retired for the night after the meeting.
The meeting had ended with Odin and Azazel wanting to go to what was called as 'Oppai-Pub' (apparently it had been established by Azazel himself, following his desires for woman's breasts), much to Rossweisse's frustration, since they had nothing to do until the time of the meeting between leaders of the alliance and pantheons. The discussion regarding Khaos Brigade could not be carried further due to still-lack of leads and evidence. However, what weighing the boy's mind was the information that Azazel had revealed about his father.
Saitama used to be a member of the Hero Faction.
According to Saitama's testimony in the previous meeting, Saitama once encountered the leader of the said faction and effectively joined the group soon after. At first, the man believed (more like he was told) that the group's objective was to 'protect' mankind from the threat of supernatural world like monsters and other evil beings that could be harmful to humans.
When Saitama joined the Hero Faction for the first time, Hero Faction could not really be considered as a 'faction'. It was more like a small group with very few members consisting descendants of historical, as well as legendary figures, and Sacred Gear possessors.
As the group steadily grew and getting more members, Saitama began to see that the so-called Hero Faction had been attacking and killing supernatural entities indiscriminately under the name of 'justice', an act that Saitama never approved upon. It did not take long until Saitama had enough and decided to defect.
Presumably, it was shortly after Saitama's defection of the Hero Faction that the latter joined the Khaos Brigade, growing into the second largest faction in the Brigade after the Old Satan Faction. It was by then Ophis started to scout Saitama to join the ranks as well.
Looking back at the event that took place earlier, Issei understood why one of the Sacred Gear possessors called Saitama as a 'traitor'.
Saitama had given some names of the members of Heroes that he could remember. The leader was the descendant of a famous figure from Chinese history, as well as the wielder of the ultimate Longinus, True Longinus. Not only the True Longinus, there were other descendants of other prominent figures who also wield high-tier Longinus, legendary weapons, and sub-species Balance Breakers. The name that Saitama had mentioned had been put into the wanted list.
However, there was one issue: lack of concrete evidence. Despite of Saitama's testimony and information about the Hero Faction, it was all speculations and assumptions; Saitama himself did not know that the group he was once a part of had been a part of terrorist ranks. Putting the dangerous method they had been using to strengthen their members with Balance Breakers aside, there was a fact that the Hero Faction was not the only group that had Sacred Gear wielders within their ranks. There were other groups that house Sacred Gear wielders such as Grigori, and several registered and unregistered magician organizations all over the world.
With that fact, the leaders could not ignore the possibility that the Hero Faction that had been causing troubles might not be the same one that Saitama once a part of; hence Saitama decided to travel abroad. Azazel said that Saitama might have an idea or two about who, where and how to find the one who might have orchestrated the entire thing behind the assault by Sacred Gear wielders. Until Saitama's return with something useful, the alliance would not be able to take any effective action.
Issei sighed as he finally arrived at the door that led him to the open-roof garden. However, just when he was about to reach for the door handle, Issei's senses kicked in and he was just on time to move out of the way, avoiding Akeno who burst out from the door and ran past him. When the boy caught a glimpse of the girl's face, the boy saw tears were running down on her face.
"Akeno-san?" the boy tried to call out, but the girl had already out of his range of sight and vision. The girl ran fast enough to completely miss Issei in the hallway.
He took a quick look at the garden, then he spotted Baraqiel was standing at the edge of the garden with his back facing the boy. Issei recalled that after the meeting, Baraqiel asked Akeno that he wanted to talk privately as the two left the meeting room. Issei was curious about what actually happened between the two and was about to go after Akeno, but the girl's expression earlier clearly stated that the girl would be best to be left alone for the time being to calm herself down. Thus, Issei decided to take another approach.
The fallen was gazing at the night sky and Issei just caught him letting out a sigh. When Baraqiel turned around, his eyes found Issei and the two fell into silence as if they were measuring each other.
It was Issei who was the first to break the silence. "Baraqiel-san." The boy greeted with a polite nod. The fallen regarded the greeting for a second before he returned the nod as well.
Issei then proceeded to walk towards the older man and when the two were standing next to each other. Baraqiel then addressed him. "Hyoudou Issei-kun… I would like an explanation about what you're doing with my daughter."
Issei could not help but feel that a cold sweat trailed down on his skin. With how the fallen usually carried himself and the warrior-personality he possessed, Issei had to be careful on choosing his words, lest he would end up as Baraqiel's personal lightning rod.
"It was… a complete coincidence, as well as an honest mistake from my part." Issei admitted, before he turned so he stood facing Baraqiel. "But it was never my intention to bring Akeno-san to that kind of place in the first place. I apologize for that." The boy finished with a bow.
The fallen stared at Issei for a minute, before he nodded once. "…Very well, I believe you."
Issei managed to prevent himself to sigh audibly as the two then fell into a silence that was slightly more comfortable than before. "Tell me, Issei-kun." Baraqiel then spoke again. "Are you seeing my daughter?"
Issei blinked at the question. "…No, I'm not." The boy then replied truthfully.
"Then what were you two doing together in the broad daylight?" Baraqiel asked again.
"It was… Well, a date." Issei replied while carefully picking the correct words. "But it was a one-time promise I once made with her. I do like her, she's a great person, but we are not in that kind of relationship."
"….I see." Baraqiel nodded once again after taking in Issei's answer, leaving the two in another still-uncomfortable silence. "Issei-kun, what do you think of Akeno?"
"I… she's a very kind person." Issei began as he tried to recall all of his past interactions with Akeno. "She carries herself very elegantly on daily basis, and while she might has her own perks that may caused us some troubles, she has shown us for many times that she is a very caring person towards her friends." Issei said with a smile, a hint of pride could be heard in his tone. Although…
"…But in the end, I still know next to nothing about her." Issei's tone then suddenly became rather solemn. "She is a caring and gentle woman, but only during our date that I recently found that she's also a teenage girl, just like the others from her peers. And she's been strong for too long." Issei then closed his eyes, recalling Akeno's expression when she was revealing her painful past. "I'm angry at myself that I couldn't… No, I still can't do a single thing to help her from her real troubles."
During Issei's explanation, Baraqiel's eyes never left the boy as the fallen took in every word and tone that came out from Issei's mouth. The corner of the older man's lips twitched upward ever so slightly when he learned that the boy was completely sincere about his opinion of his daughter.
"….You really care about her, don't you?" Baraqiel asked the question that borderlines statement.
"Well, how can I not?" Issei smiled sheepishly while rubbing his head and the face of his comrades appeared in his mind. "It's just that… the days we've been spending with everyone else; school, club activities, training, even rating games… I just love them so much when everyone was smiling, laughing, facing the day and the days to come with their heads held high together…. I just want to protect their smiles… As well as those fun and peaceful days…"
Baraqiel felt relieved that his daughter was on good hands as he took in Issei's words. "…I can see why your father has so much faith in you."
Issei blinked at the mention of his father, his cheek became slightly flushed as he looked away with a small pout on his face.
"Saitama-kun and I have been friends for sometime now…" Baraqiel said. "…He has done a favor to me… A favor that I probably could never repay." He said with small, imperceptible smile.
"What did he do…?" Issei could not help but feel curious.
"That… is something that I cannot share yet." Baraqiel then turned to Issei. "I'll leave my daughter in your care, then… Hyoudou Issei-kun."
Baraqiel then left Issei alone in the garden. The boy looked at the fallen's retreating figure until he vanished from his sight, then Issei sighed. There was nothing he could do for now, he could approach Akeno tomorrow, or another day, and if everything else failed, he would just have to suck it up and get his answer from his father instead.
It was the next day when three men were occupying the underground special training room. There were two training grounds, one was everyone's usual gym with fitness tools and equipment, while the other one was a spacious hall with reinforced wall, designed by Grigori and team of Underworld's researchers, that the walls and the floors could withstand an attack of Satan-class powers, so the people could train their powers and abilities to their heart's content. Of course, Saitama was the only person so far that could easily destroy the walls, thus when Saitama, and especially with Issei were about to have their own training session, the two would be led to an isolated area on the planet to prevent any collateral damage and casualties.
[Boost!]
Currently, Issei, Yuuto and Gasper were training themselves in that special training room with the former two sparring against each other with the latter watching.
Issei and Yuuto were moving around the stage with the speed that made their spar seemed as blurs with occasional sparks and shockwaves. The Knight was equipped with his signature holy-demonic sword, while Issei only had his Boosted Gear on his left arm. However, if one took another look, Issei's body was coated with Touki.
The two exchanged blows with Yuuto throwing swing after swing with his sword at Issei, whom would block with his red gauntlet and dodged the Knight's blade by hair's breadth. The Pawn himself threw his punches and kicks from various angles and Yuuto easily evaded the attacks with graceful ease thanks to his trait as a Knight. The two were seemed at a stalemate, but Yuuto was actually able to gain an upper hand.
While Issei was able to easily evade a direct hit, whenever he had to block Yuuto's holy-demonic sword with Boosted Gear, the holy element from the Knight's blade would seep through the gauntlet and burned his skin beneath the gauntlet. Currently, Issei just inwardly winced when he felt another burn.
In addition, when Issei managed to gain some distance, Yuuto would not give any chance as the Knight would produce several smaller holy-demonic swords and threw them like projectiles towards the Pawn. The conclusion was while Issei possessed more raw power and strength, Yuuto possessed more techniques and arsenals thanks to his Sword Birth.
When Yuuto held his sword high and slammed it to Issei, the latter parried the blade with his crimson gauntlet and Yuuto was barely able to jump away to avoid a straight fist from the Pawn.
The two were now facing each other, seemed to be slightly out of breath. With another deep breath, Issei smiled at Yuuto. "You are… really picking up, aren't you? I can't even brush you."
"I am. That's just my style." Yuuto replied with smile of his own. "While you've become stronger and faster, sadly you still need to work on your fighting techniques."
"Easier said than done, you know…" Issei huffed. "Well, let's turn this up a notch, okay?"
While it was true that Yuuto managed to push Issei thanks to his techniques and swordsmanship, Issei remembered something that Xenovia once argued during the summer training with Azazel.
While it sounds rather stupid, it was still possible to overwhelm techniques with absolute power.
[EXPLOSION!]
Issei's aura's intensity burst up at the moment Boosted Gear's jewel shone brightly. At the sight of Issei's power-up, Yuuto only snorted with a nervous sweat trickling down his temple.
"…Great." Yuuto half-sarcastically muttered, as he brandished his holy-demonic sword and thinking several possible scenarios. Because it was supposed to be a spar, the Knight did not count how long the time had passed since Issei had begun boosting his power. Keeping up with Touki-enhanced Issei was already taxing enough, but to keep up with the Pawn after his further enhancement from Boosted Gear? Kiba Yuuto's real training had just begun.
"Here we go." With those three words, Issei suddenly vanished from Yuuto's sight.
The Knight widened his eyes that just barely managed to catch the movement from behind him. By the time Yuuto moved away, the back of his clothes had been torn as Issei threw several punch-combo. However, just when Yuuto barely regained his ground, Issei had already gone too close for comfort and the Knight forced his body to move away again in order to evade Issei's flurry of strikes. Yuuto jumped and maneuvered to gain distance, but Issei suddenly had appeared behind him again.
It happened for several times like a cycle. Whenever Yuuto evaded Issei, the latter would have appeared right behind him, never giving the former any chance to recover. This cycle made Yuuto raised his eyebrows. Why would the pawn bother to keep appearing behind him? Such repetitive actions could be his undoing… Until Yuuto caught Issei's playful smirk.
It only took few seconds until Yuuto understood what Issei had been insinuating and also smirked in return. If the training had become something akin to contest of speed, then the Knight of Rias Gremory's peerage would happily oblige the challenge.
Yuuto then suddenly blurred away from Issei's sight as the former pushed his speed to the max. Soon the Knight returned the gesture as he appeared behind Issei, his sword ready to be swung. However, Issei only disappeared again, and appeared behind Yuuto and delivered his own counter attack. Yuuto also only vanished and retaliated from Issei's back.
They repeated the cycle as the two kept disappearing and attempting to ambush each other from behind. However, Yuuto's stamina was not as tenacious as Issei, forcing the former to think of a way to end this 'silly' debacle soon. After all, contest of speed might be one thing, but the Knight had no way to win against the Red Dragon Emperor in a contest of endurance.
That was why when the Pawn vanished to avoid Yuuto's blade once again, the Knight did not move much from his spot. Instead, he planted his sword blade-first to the ground. "SWORD BIRTH!"
Several holy-demonic blades sprout out from the ground, exactly where Issei appeared for his ambush. However, the blades only managed to nick several places of Issei's body as the Pawn guarded himself well and quickly jumped away to gain some distance.
In retaliation, while still in mid-air, Issei charged his demonic power and fired his dragon-shot towards the Knight, who easily moved out of the way as explosion occurred across the training hall.
Gasper had to cover his ears from the exploding noise before he turned his attention back to the occurring explosion. Issei then landed, while he could not see Yuuto anywhere from the smoke from the his dragon-shot, the Pawn knew too well that even with the enhancement of Boosted Gear, a dragon-shot of that level was not nearly enough to defeat someone of Kiba Yuuto's caliber.
When Issei caught the slightest movement, he dashed straight towards the smoke and as if on cue, Yuuto also came out from the cloud of smoke and the two fighters ran towards each other at high speed. Yuuto then thrusted his blade towards Issei's head, which was easily evaded, as the Pawn was too close for the sword's range, the Pawn threw his left arm into a punch towards Yuuto's face while Yuuto quickly conjured a holy-demonic dagger and thrust its point towards Issei's face as well.
Just when Issei's Boosted Gear and Yuuto's blade were about to land on their targets, they immediately stopped when a ringing sound was heard across the room.
"T-Time's up! That's all for now! L-let's take a break~!" Gasper announced as he went to the ringing clock and turned it off.
Issei's knuckle was an inch away from Yuuto's cheek while the latter's blade-point was also an inch away from Issei's eyes. The two then let out a loud sigh as they dropped to the ground.
oXo
"You really have become more and more of a monster, Ise-kun…" Yuuto drawled out, went to grab a sports drink nearby and took down its content down his throat. "Huff… I'm surprised that I can keep up with your training loads this far."
"That means that you also have become stronger, Kiba." Issei replied. After the practice match, the Knight took a break while Issei chose to do another push-ups, and Gasper took his turn to train his Sacred Gear with practice drones. "And you still outclass me in terms of techniques. I was still having a hard time following your movements." The Pawn added.
"But still not good enough if you're to go all out in Balance Breaker…" Yuuto replied back. "…I don't mean to be rude, but our overall combat capability have surpassed buchou, Akeno-san and average high-class devils."
"Hmm…" Issei only hummed in agreement. "But thanks to the Rating Game with student council, many people have learned what we can do. So expect some hardship ahead. Enemies will most likely prepare a counter-measure against us."
Yuuto only nodded in agreement. There were many viable threats for the Pawn and the Knight. Holy element attacks were obvious, given their race. Yuuto had been training his physique, but he still could not last long if he were to be attacked by a heavy-hitter. An ability that had been designed to slow or freeze movements was Yuuto's natural enemy.
Issei himself had been refining his fighting style and techniques, but in the end, they were still rather sloppy compared to Yuuto and several others. Enemies that had been more experienced in outsmarting and outmaneuvering their opponents were still Issei's natural threat; there was also the threat of dragon-slayers as well, due to Issei's dragon-type Longinus.
"W-W-W-Will I be of any use...?" Gasper then timidly joined the discussion.
Issei and Yuuto blinked at the Bishop before the former smiled in return. "No offence, Gasper. But you're definitely a support type. But because of that, we'll have to count on you in future battles. Are you up for it?"
Seeing that his friends were putting their trusts on him, Gasper felt his confidence sparked up. "Y-Yes! I'll do my best!"
"It's good thing that most of rating games are team-battles, right?" Issei grinned.
Yuuto nodded. "True, true. While becoming stronger on your own is good, you also need to learn how to work with others."
Suddenly, a new voice joined them. "Seems you're doing well with your training."
The three male devils looked up and saw Azazel was approaching them with a package in hand. "Here, eat up. These are hand-made rice-balls made by the girls…" then Azazel wink at Issei. "…And by your girlfriend, of course…"
Issei blushed slightly before he and the boys indulged themselves with their well-deserved lunch.
"Hey, Gasper-kun. Let's have a taste on Asia-san's hand-made." Yuuto smirked playfully as he inched his hand closer towards one particular rice-ball, only for his hand to be slapped away by Issei.
"No, fuck off! Those ones are exclusive for me!" Issei rebuked, receiving an amused laugh from Azazel while Gasper shrieked.
"Eek! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I never wanted to take Asia-senpai's hand-made rice-ball!"
"Ahaha, calm down, Gasper-kun…" Yuuto gave a small, mirthful laugh. "I was just joking. Of course that one is only exclusive for Ise-kun." The Knight winked at the Pawn, who was still flustered.
Issei took a bite of the food, and that one bite allowed Issei to confirm that it was indeed Asia who made that rice-ball, as Issei blissfully indulged the taste in his mouth.
"By the way, I happened to overhear some of the girls chatting…" Azazel said. "And I heard that Asia and Xenovia want to join your peerage once you have become a high-class devil and receives your own set of evil pieces."
"Really?" Issei raised his eyebrows.
"Well, I can see that it's only a matter of time." Yuuto shrugged, as if he had seen this kind of thing coming from a mile away.
"Yeah, those girls have made up their minds." Azazel nodded. "And another thing; there's been a talk about granting Hyoudou Issei the promotion into a middle-class devil."
At this news, the boys widened their eyes. "…What?"
"It's not yet made official, but there are several agreements." Azazel clarified.
"Wh- wait, wait." Issei interrupted. "Me? A middle-class? Are you talking about taking a test?"
"No, no, not a test, but an actual promotion." Azazel replied. "Try to look back. You stopped Kokabiel from sparking another Great War, you played a big role of defending the peace conference at Kuoh Academy from terrorist attack, as well as repelling the Strongest White Dragon Emperor in the process, and you also the key player during the recent incident of Diodora Astaroth."
"Well… I mean…" Issei seemed flustered again, looking around between Yuuto and Gasper. "Everyone also helped… right?"
"It's true, Ise-kun." Yuuto put in his two-cents. "It's undeniable that you were the key player of our several battles with powerful enemies like Kokabiel and Khaos Brigade in the past, as you have saved us in many occasions. If it weren't for you, all of us wouldn't be here by now. You should be proud of yourself." The Knight then gave encouraging pats on Issei's back.
"Congratulations, Ise-senpai! Isn't that amazing?" Gasper congratulated Issei with his eyes filled with admiration.
"Although…" Yuuto then thought again. "I sense a 'but' in that news. I mean, it's already been sometime now, why has Issei's promotion not been made official?"
Azazel sighed with a small frown. "That's the thing. It's related with Ise's Juggernaut Drive."
The boys tensed up as they recalled that terrifying forbidden move of the Heavenly Dragon.
"Ise's stunt about almost activating the Juggernaut Drive during the fight with Vali had already been bad enough, and when you actually pulled it off during Diodora incident…" Azazel paused. "… Let's say that you managed to scare the shit out of many people from the alliance. That's why there are still doubts from the ranks."
The boys looked rather disappointed at the news, despite Issei was still not sure about the whole middle-class promotion thing.
"Oh, well. We just have to see what's gonna happen later." Azazel waved off. "If worse comes to worst, you'll just have to take the formal test…. And the same goes for you as well, Kiba."
The Knight blinked and pointed at himself in question.
Azazel nodded at the Knight. "Yeah, with your growth and achievements, it won't be that long for you, Ise and most likely Akeno to receive a missive about middle-class promotion test."
The eyes were widened again at the news Azazel had relayed. But Issei was still in doubt of something. "But are you sure about me being a middle-class? I still feel that it's too soon for me."
Azazel rubbed his goatee before explaining. "Well… while it sounds condescending, in a way, middle-class devils in the devil society are not that different than low-class. Middle-class devils will begin to learn about leadership, advance strategy, and even basic politics that will prepare them to step up to high-class. And with your wits that easily learn, you'll be fine."
While the boys were taking in everything that the fallen angel governor had told them, the latter spoke again. "Oh, and one more thing, Ise… About Juggernaut Drive."
Issei quickly interjected. "I know, I can't use it again. I won't."
"Well, that's a given. But there's another thing…" Azazel's tone became rather grim. "During that one week period when you're unconscious, I've communicated with Ddraig with Fafnir's help."
Issei then leaned forward in curiosity. "…And?"
"…Ddraig said that there is…. Something inside you."
At Azazel's response, Issei's expression turned into a frown. Yuuto was frowning as well while Gasper seemed confused. "…What thing?" the Pawn asked again.
"I don't know. Even Ddraig himself still can't tell what the hell he just ran across during your fight with Saitama." Azazel shrugged. "But Ddraig knows one thing: whatever sleeping inside you was insanely powerful, that dragon described that thing as colorful flames. When the Welsh Dragon got exposed to some amount, he was immediately drunk with power along with all the souls of your predecessors."
The boys only blinked a couple of times, still trying to make sense out of Azazel's story.
"I'm serious." Azazel said. "And let me tell you this, Ise. According to Ddraig, when you entered Juggernaut Drive, and followed by that…. Power hidden within you… You managed to hurt Saitama."
"…Huh?" That was the only word that Issei could give in return.
"Um…" Yuuto raised his hand. "I know Saitama is strong, but isn't it normal for people to get injured during a fight?"
Azazel only shook his head. "You still have no idea about Saitama's true power... Well, neither do we." The fallen then sighed. "There are so many feats of that guy, that had to be kept secret for the sake of power balance, but let me tell you this: in terms of raw power, Saitama is most likely on par with Ophis, even Great Red as well. And as I said, these are still mere speculations."
The boys were showing various expressions. Issei's expression was still incredulous; Yuuto's expression was frozen, while Gasper's face became even paler than his own race. The latter two recalled how Saitama had fearlessly scolded the Infinity Dragon God to 'buzz off', like an adult to a child. And they could not help but acknowledge that Azazel was not lying.
"Anyway, that's not my point." Azazel shook his head. "There's still too little information about the true nature of the power hidden inside you. We don't know if this… power is safe to be used around or not. Until we and Ddraig can learn something more, you should stay alerted."
Issei then went silent, taking in Azazel's words.
"But put that problem aside, there's still the problem in Juggernaut Drive itself." Azazel added. "Ise, you need to master the power of Red Dragon Emperor and find an alternative to Juggernaut Drive. Ddraig, will you help him out?"
[Absolutely. Though, I must warn you that the thoughts of the past possessors are covered in deep darkness that even I can't approach them.]
The Welsh Dragon replied from Issei's left arm.
[Also…. This is a good opportunity for my partner to take a look at the deeper part of his soul.]
"What do you mean by that?" Issei asked.
[That foreign power you had during the fight with Saitama… It's located at the deeper, possibly the deepest part of your soul. I hate to say this, but even my instinct is telling me to stay away.]
"Hmm….. Yeah, that's bad." Issei concluded. "Okay, so I have to somehow communicate with the soul of my predecessors and make contact with some eldritch alien power…. Sounds fun."
"Well, there you have it." Azazel smirked and he prepared to leave. "I'll leave you boys back on your own again. See ya later."
After the fallen had left, Yuuto and Gasper took another worried glance at Issei. What had transpired during the talk was still too much for them to take in.
"Ise-kun, are you sure you're fine with this? Whatever is happening within your body sounds very dangerous to me." Yuuto asked.
"No use of worrying about it." Issei shrugged. "In the end, we all just have to do what we all have to do."
Issei then walked a bit and he turned back towards his two friends. "So, let's have one more session and call it a day, shall we?" the Pawn asked with confident smile.
Yuuto and Gasper could not help but to smile in return. However, Issei blinked as he remembered something. "Oh… Actually… Sorry, can you two start off without me? I forgot to ask another thing from Azazel-sensei."
Issei did not wait the two to reply as he immediately ran out from the training room and went after the fallen angel. It did not take long until Issei caught up. "Sensei!"
Azazel turned his heels and saw Issei was approaching him. "Ise? What is it?"
"Sorry, I forgot to ask you one more thing." Issei took a second to catch his breath.
Azazel only nodded wordlessly and Issei looked around, as if to make sure that nobody else would be around to listen. With a deep breath, Issei steeled his mind to ask the fallen angel one particular question.
"Azazel-sensei, can you tell me what's been going on between Akeno-san and Baraqiel-san?"
Days have passed since Odin's arrival at Kuoh.
On one particular night, Odin, Rossweisse, Azazel, Baraqiel and the Occult Research Club were riding through the night sky with the wagon of the legendary, eight-legged warhorse Sleipnir. Yuuto, Xenovia, Irina and Baraqiel were flying outside the wagon with their respective wings, serving as guards in case of any sort of ambush.
"The Japanese ideal beauty sure is good~ Geisha girls are the best~" Odin said with satisfied expression while laughing on his seat.
The Chief God of Norses had been dragging his escorts along with the Occult Research Club across Japan for sometime now. So far, they had visited various amusement parks, restaurants, and other tourist spots for Odin to entertain himself with. But Odin's favorite type of places just happened to be red-light districts. Many times that most of Odin's bodyguards who were 'under-aged' had been forced to remain stand-by outside while Odin was enjoying himself with Japanese girls and hostess.
Issei sighed in exasperation as the ride went on, while Asia was sleeping with her head leaning on Issei's shoulder due to exhaustion. The boy took a quick glance around him, and he could not help but feel worried when his eyes laid upon Akeno's out of characteristic. The boy inwardly grimaced as he recalled his previous conversation with Azazel.
During the conversation, the fallen governor had been hesitant at first, before he decided to take his chance with Issei and began telling the boy – from his point of view - about what the tragedy that befell Akeno's family in the past which resulted the current estranged relationship between the girl and her father.
Issei closed his eyes as he could not imagine what Akeno had been through. He just found out they were a bit similar in a way. However, Issei was much more fortunate compared to the girl. The boy then wondered, perhaps Akeno's past related to the reasons why Issei was angry at his father for neglecting his family for 15 years. If something were to happen to the boy and/or his mother, would Issei be experiencing the same feelings Akeno was having now? Issei honestly did not want to imagine that kind of thing to happen. If the boy still wanted to help his senior, it would not be easy. But that sure as hell would not stop him from trying.
But in the end, Issei chose to deal with Odin's shenanigans with everyone before he would do something about Akeno.
"Lord Odin." Rossweisse spoke. "It's almost time for the meeting with the Gods of Japan, so please lose that mindset of being on vacation. At this rate you will be yelled at by other people when we return to our homeland…" The Valkyrie chastised her superior, as she had been doing for the past few days, which caused her patience to get thinner and thinner.
"Sheesh, you're really a woman who doesn't know how to lighten up, aren't ya?" Odin replied with a scoff. "You really should learn how to relax a little. This is why you can't even get a single man."
Rossweisse finally began to tear up. "T-that has nothing to do with my love life! It's not that I want to remain single like this in the first place!"
Everyone started to get tired of such repetitive actions: Odin fooled around, Rossweisse chastised him, then Odin retaliated by teasing her about not having a boyfriend, and the woman would get frustrated.
KAKUN* HIHEEEEEN!
The voice of screeching horse was heard, followed by the wagon suddenly stopped moving without warning, causing everyone to lose their balances.
"What is it? A terrorist attack?!" Rossweisse was completely on alert.
"Beats me!" Azazel was tensed as well. "But I can tell that this is nothing good!"
When Issei looked out through the window, he found that Yuuto, Xenovia and Irina were forming battle positions with Baraqiel at the center between them. Without another word, Issei sprout out his devil wings and joined the frontlines. Issei's flight had become better over the past few months. Thanks to his experience of flying with his Scale Mail, the boy had gotten a better feeling of flying on his own.
Issei then spotted someone was hovering above them on the sky. It was a young man with good-looking appearance with sharp looks, wearing a robe similar with Odin but with different ornate markings. The man also possessed a light blue hair that floats behind him with two small bangs. There was also a blue jewel on his forehead and yellow earrings.
When Rossweisse got the sight of the newcomer, her expression went shocked. Azazel himself clicked his tongue in distaste. The stranger then weaved his robe to introduce himself.
"Greetings, everyone!" The man said with pride and confidence in his voice. "I am Loki, of Asgard!"
Everyone minus Issei, who did not have that wide knowledge about Norse pantheon, widened their eyes as they were completely, caught off-guard with the appearance of another god from Asgard, the infamous evil god to add.
"Loki…. The Evil God of Mischief from Norse…" Issei heard his master muttering from beside him. From the title alone, the boy could tell that the man- god in front of him is anything but friendly.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Lord Loki." Azazel flew out from the wagon with his twelve jet-black wings to face the evil god. "To meet you in a place like this… Do you have some business with us? On this wagon is the chief-God of Northern Europe Lord Odin. Your action is something done with that knowledge, no?" the fallen asked calmly.
"Nothing much. Our chief-god left our organization to make contact with another pantheon… And that is very painful for me to endure." Loki replied while crossing his arms.
Azazel's manner of speech then changed drastically. "You are quite arrogant to say that up front, Loki…" the fallen's tone was laced with anger.
"Fuhahahaha!" Loki laughed in return. "As expected of the governor of the fallen angels! Normally I wouldn't want to meet you or the devils, but it can't be helped. Along with Odin and the others, you shall receive my punishment."
However, before anyone could have replied, Loki's eyes then darted around, as if he was looking for something before returning to Azazel. "…Actually, I've been expecting him to be here as well… Tell me, where is Saitama?"
"Unfortunately, that guy is taking care another business elsewhere. So you have to make do with us at the moment." Azazel replied without dropping his glare towards the Evil God. "…Or rather, didn't you approach us at this very moment exactly because you knew that Saitama won't be around?"
"Call it whatever you wish. But in any case, I do not approve of this idea of peace. It is your religion which stepped foot on our soil and spread the bible after all." Loki said with venom in his tone.
Azazel snorted at Loki's reasoning. "Well, then you should've gone and complained to Michael or the deceased Biblical God instead of me."
Loki only carried on with his speech. "Either way, there's still a problem about the All-Father Odin negotiating with Gods of the Far East. At this rate, Ragnarok would never come. What is it you wish to obtain that by trading the information regarding Yggdrasil, father?" there was a hint of sarcasm in the last word.
Before Odin could have replied, Azazel interrupted by pointing his finger accusingly at the Evil God. "I will ask you one thing! Are your actions connected with Khaos Brigade?" Then the fallen snorted. "Pssh, who am I kidding? Expecting an honest answer from Evil God like you…" he berated himself.
"How dare you mix me with those foolish terrorist." Loki shot back. "I came here on my own free-will. The Ouroboros has nothing to do with this."
Upon hearing the answer, Azazel became slightly less tensed. "I see, so you are not affiliated with Khaos Brigade, but the fact remains that you're here without any peaceful intentions. I guess this is the Norse's internal problems, huh…"
Azazel then noticed at the corner of his eyes that Odin and Rossweisse stepped out from the wagon and flew via magic. "Indeed this is the current problem we are facing, Azazel… There are still stubborn fools like this one who will come out like this." Odin said while stroking his white beard.
"Lord Loki!" Rossweisse raised her voice. "Your actions exceed your authority! Such transgression by raising your arms towards the Chief-God is unforgivable! You should express your opinion through official means!" the woman's formal suit then transformed into a set of armor.
"I know you…. While I heard that you're excellent by your peer's standards, a mere battle-maiden shouldn't get in my way. I'm talking to Odin here." Loki merely dismissed the Valkyrie and returned his attention back to the elder god. "Are you still planning to involve yourself with matters outside Asgard and Valhalla?"
"Yes." Odin replied without hesitation. "Talking to Sirzechs, Azazel and dealing with Saitama is ten thousand times more interesting than dealing with you. I want to know about Japanese Shinto, they also have an interest in our Yggdrasil. After we make peace, I'm thinking of exchanging our cultures by sending out each of our emissaries."
Upon Odin's answers, Loki only smirked as he slowly unleashed his divine aura. The aura could only be described as 'malicious', matching his legend as an Evil God. "I have confirmed your foolish plans… Very well, then; Let's have a display of powers right here."
Everyone then became even more high-strung than before. For the youngsters, they were not just facing some enemy on ultimate-class devils level, they were facing a real god, a famous one on that. However, those on the frontlines could somewhat tell that Loki was aiming for Odin.
"I take that this is your declaration of battle?" Azazel asked, the fallen was ready to act at any moment's notice.
"Take it as however you want it to be."
As soon as Loki said those words in reply, the god was suddenly hit by a wave. Everyone turned around to find that the wave was an attack of Xenovia's Durandal; the blade was exuding a massive amount of holy aura.
"Victory goes to one who makes the first move." The blue-haired knight said. The others blinked and somewhat disapproved at Xenovia's recklessness, but they approved of the initiative, especially during a fight against someone on Loki's caliber. "…Though it seems like it didn't work. To be expected from a Norse God." The Knight continued with her eyes never left the target that she just hit.
As the girl had said, Loki remained floating in the air without any damage whatsoever on his person. "A holy sword, huh… It has impressive power, but it isn't enough to take on a God yet. That attack earlier is no different than a gentle breeze."
Yuuto and Irina then proceeded to prepare their own weapons and pointed them towards the Evil God: a holy-demonic sword and a sword of light. Loki himself only laughed at the spectacle. "Fuhahaha! Haven't you already realized that I'm a god!? Attacks from a mere devil and an angel are nothing to me."
Loki then slowly pointed his hand forward. Issei quickly realized the danger, and he turned his head towards the wagon. "Ojou-sama, allow me to use promotion!"
Rias only gave a nod upon Issei's request, but it was enough to allow Issei to turn into a Queen, and he immediately went on full-throttle towards Loki.
[WELSH DRAGON BALANCE BREAKER!]
Loki did not get intimidated in the slightest at the sight of Issei in his Scale Mail marching towards him with high-speed. "Ah, of course! I forgot that the Red Dragon Emperor is here as well. That is some power you are showing, but…." Loki then gathered light particles in his outstretched hand, compressing an overwhelming power on his palm. "It's still too early for you to take on a god!"
[Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!]
Issei immediately charged his own power and he released his dragon shot when Loki was about to unleash his own divine power.
BOOOM!
The explosion from the collision of force occurred, obscuring everyone's vision with smoke and a blast of wind. When the smoke cleared up, Loki was seen with his hand smoking from Issei's attack. "How very amusing…. Fuhahahaha! Even though I have put up some power in that attack earlier, you're still able to keep up! As expected from the Heavenly Dragon!"
Issei only clicked his tongue, sensing that the Evil God before him was not a push-over either. Rias and Akeno then joined the battle with their devil wings outstretched. Rias especially was leaking crimson aura from her body.
Loki's eyes then gleamed in recognition upon seeing Rias' crimson hair. "Crimson hair… I see, the House of Gremory, correct? You must be the blood relative of current Satan. Two leaders of the fallen angels, an angel, a group of devils, and on top of that, the Red Dragon Emperor is with you…" Loki re-assessed his opponents once again before turning to the Norse Chief-God. "Odin… Saitama might not be here, but isn't this too overboard for bodyguards?"
"Considering your visit here, it turned out to be… Well, not exactly the right decision. Perhaps I should have asked Saitama to stay around a little bit longer." Odin sighed.
Loki only smirked at Odin's answer. "I see… Then, I shall summon it." the Evil God then spread his robe and bellowed with loud voice. "Come out, my adorable son!"
A moment later, a rift was created in the air. From the distortion, something crawled out.
It was a massive, 10 meters-tall wolf with ash-grey fur. The wolf then peered around its enemies without any movements, and upon the sight of the wolf, everyone even the veteran ones felt chills ran down their spines in the face of overwhelming pressure. Even Issei could not bring himself to pry his attention away from the wolf, as if the wolf would tear his neck off at the second he looked away.
"This thing is bad news…"
[Partner… Whatever you do, don't go near that thing as much as possible.]
Even the Welsh Dragon warned his host with cautious tone.
"This is bad… You guys, don't lay your fingers on that giant wolf! Especially Ise, keep your distance!" Azazel ordered with alarmed and nervous tone.
"Seriously, sensei! What the hell is that thing?" Issei asked in return.
"…Fenrir." Azazel replied, rather, he let that one word slipped from his mouth.
Everyone's eyes widened upon recognition of the name. Yuuto and Rias were particularly familiar with the name Fenrir. "…This is really, really bad."
Azazel then turned to Issei once again. "Ise, that is one of the worst and strongest creatures! It possesses the fangs that can kill even a god! Those fangs can definitely pierce through the scales of the toughest dragons as well, even your dragon armor!"
Issei could not help but swallow a lump as he still paid his full attention towards the Fenrir for any possible movements. "Heh, this wolf is definitely a Longinus material…" the boy muttered under his breath.
"That's right. You should be careful. This one is among the highest class of the worst monsters that I have created. After all, this one's fangs are something that can kill any god. I haven't tried it, but it should be effective against gods from other religions. It can give mortal wounds whether you are a high-class devil or even a legendary dragon." Loki explained while patting the god-devouring wolf.
Fenrir, the god-slaying wolf, the monstrous beast that had been prophesized to kill Odin during the Norse's end of days, Ragnarok. According to legends and old scriptures, due to the gods' knowledge of prophecies foretelling great trouble from Fenrir and his rapid growth, the gods bounded him, and as a result Fenrir bit off the right hand of the god Týr, the Norse God of War. From that story alone, all pantheons who heard the name Fenrir had acknowledged that the wolf, son of Loki was one of the strongest beings in the world. And it seemed that at some point later on, Loki had somehow severed Fenrir's bindings and prepared his plans to kill Odin as soon as he got a hold of the information about alliance.
"I honestly didn't want to use Fenrir's fangs on those who are not from Norse, but I believe this child needs to taste a new kind of blood for the sake of his experience." The Evil God then turned his gaze towards Rias. "The blood relative of Satan… I believe her blood will be a good treat for Fenrir here."
Issei's eyes went wide at what the Evil God intended to do towards his master.
He was aiming for Rias Gremory.
"…Kill her."
Time seemed to slow down when Loki gave out the order. Despite the words that had come out from Loki's mouth, Issei's mind was still processing of the thing that had begun to dread him the most.
He ordered the god-devouring wolf to kill her.
The legendary wolf then unleashed a loud howl under the dark night sky.
Fenrir is going to kill Rias.
The wolf had already moved like a gust of wind towards the Gremory heiress, whom would probably not even know what had hit her by the time Fenrir had done with her.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO!
BA-BUMP.
oXo
Meanwhile inside Issei's soul, Ddraig quickly turned his head towards the source of that familiar pulsing noise.
BA-BUMP!
[What the fu-!?]
It hit the dragon so fast that he could not react properly, but the dragon felt a massive wave of colourful flame just washed over him, the soul of his past possessors, and the eight mutation evil pieces inside Issei's soul.
oXo
"LEAVE HER ALOOOOOOONE!"
With furious anger in his tone and the irises of his eyes seemed to be flaring; Issei, donned in his Scale Mail mustered all of his power into his speed and made his way towards the path-line of the charging Fenrir. The wolf had its fangs and claws ready to rip Rias' body apart, while the girl was attempting to fly away backwards in order to evade, but before the beast, her speed was no different than a snail's.
For beings who were moving at immense speed like Fenrir, who was about to pounce at Rias, and Issei, who desperately wanted to protect Rias from getting hurt, everything around them almost stopped moving.
When the Red Dragon Emperor roared those words, Fenrir suddenly felt something terrifying was coming at him. The wolf picked up the scent that was heading towards him, and it recognized the signature as the dragon's, the wolf had remembered its scent all the way back when the wolf was measuring up its father's foes.
The wolf's hair was completely rigid, frozen in fear; and for the first time, the wolf did not dare to turn its head and confirmed what was coming to it. However, the beast's curiosity won over, and upon turning its gaze towards its…. 'attacker', the wolf's eyes widened in terror.
That thing was no dragon. It was…. Something else.
It was something far greater, greater than the god-devouring wolf, and possibly even greater than the god itself. Clad in red, its body that was speeding at his direction, particularly its clenched fists were screaming DEATH all over it.
At that moment, Fenrir's mind went haywire. While possessing a certain level of human intelligence, the wolf's brain to process information was completely jumbled with unadulterated fear and survival instinct.
WhatisthatThatisnodragonThatisnodevilThatisnohumanThatisnogodIt'sdangerousdangerousdangerousdangerdangerndangerdangerhavetogetawaygetawaygetawaygetawaygetawaygetaway…
GET AWAAAAY!
The wolf used all the strength it could muster to stop its body from moving, contracting and flexing its muscles and bones of its limbs as much as it could to mobilize and maneuver its body in order to escape its incoming doom.
By the time Fenrir just managed to pull away its body from Rias, Issei had already arrived within range and threw his fist forward. The boy's knuckle just brushed over the wolf's skin under the thick ash-grey fur, and what happened afterwards would be (most likely) forever engraved in everyone's memory.
WOOOOOOSSSHH!
"KYAAH!" Rias had to shield herself when she was met with powerful blast of wind and shockwave, while Fenrir was letting out a painful whine as its massive body was flipped high to the air like a rag-doll.
"Fenrir!"
Everyone else, including Loki, who was barely able to catch the wolf in mid-air via magic, had to cover themselves from the incoming shockwave that was resulted from whatever Issei did in his attack, and when they regained their vision, everybody could not believe what they saw.
At the direction where Issei's fist was launched at, the surrounding clouds had completely blown away, creating a straight and clear path as the clouds were still moving away from the empty space in the sky. The path kept going all the way until the horizon.
Scientifically and hypothetically speaking, for an object or something to be able to render clouds to clear away in the sky like that, it requires at least the speed of Mach 4, which is four times the speed of sound, to achieve a similar feat as what just occurred before the Occult Research Club, Rossweisse, Odin, Azazel, Baraqiel, as well as Loki.
And speaking of the Evil God, Loki took few seconds to gaze upon Issei's handiwork, and when he turned his eyes to Fenrir, the wolf was in grievous state where there was a deep, nasty gash on its torso, bloods were leaking out profusely. The canine itself was heaving, desperately clinging to life.
Issei on the other hand, retracted his fist and let out a breath, thinking that he had prevented the worst-case scenario. The boy did not bother to look at his handiwork as he immediately turned to his master instead. "Are you alright-!?"
The boy's eyes widened as something else happened to his body.
oXo
[What the hell was that!?]
Ddraig, startled out of his wits, was darting his head left and right as the wave immediately disappeared as fast as it came upon him. The rest of the past possessors were still restless while they gradually calming down. The evil pieces however, showing some static and began to crackle in electricity.
Ddraig found himself out from the wave of fire into a wave of what appeared into a scarlet storm as all the eight evil pieces were emitting and firing electricity everywhere like generators being overloaded.
[Aw, what the fuck now!?]
oXo
"AAAAAARRGHH!"
Issei suddenly screamed in pain, the boy felt like his body, from head to toe, was being burned alive, torn apart, and electrocuted from the inside out. He could barely breath, he felt like puking, and his Scale Mail crumbled apart, Boosted Gear vanished, letting his body to immediately fall freely to the earth.
"ISE!" Rias, followed by Akeno, did not waste any time as the two great ladies quickly dived down and caught Issei's falling body. When Rias examined the boy in her arms, Issei was grunting, wheezing and clutching his seemingly hurting body.
"UUUUGHH…! GRRRHHH…!" Issei grunted as his body was having a seizure, sweats were profusely soaking his skin along with his clothes as his body was like burning hot, and Rias and Akeno could have sworn that Issei's muscles were so tense that veins and nerves were visible on his skin.
"Ise, what's wrong!? ISE!" Rias tried her best to calm her servant down, but Issei only toned down his grunt into pained wheezing while his entire body was obviously still hurting all over.
"Asia!" Rias called out, and on cue, Asia, being escorted by Xenovia, approached them and the Bishop quickly put her Twilight Healing to work.
"Ise-san?! What is happening to him?" Asia asked as her tears started to form up. The Twilight Healing had begun to heal and fix all sorts of possible damage inflicted on Issei's body, but there was one problem: there was no injuries to begin with.
Issei finally took several deep breaths and tried to talk in order to calm his friends down. Pushing down the massive pain and ache that had been torturing him for the past minute, Issei gave out a weak smile.
"I… I'm alright… I'm okay now… Thanks, Asia, everyone." Issei said between heavy breaths.
"…Who are you?"
Everyone looked at the one who asked the question. Loki was wearing an incredulous expression with a hint of anger laced on. The Evil God had just finished teleporting the heavily wounded Fenrir somewhere else.
"Even if you are the Red Dragon Emperor, you're not supposed to have enough power to defeat my Fenrir. Just who… What are you?" the question had a hint of curiosity as well. Fenrir was Loki's most prized possession, his trump card to kill Odin and eventually usurp the throne as the new King of Asgard. "Boy, what is your name?"
"It's Hyoudou…. Hyoudou Issei." Issei managed to reply while maintaining a glare.
One minute passed, and nobody said a word until Loki began to giggle, and soon his giggles turned into a full-blown laughter. "FUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Everyone was just nerved at the Loki's laughter despite the bizarre development. The laugh that escaped the Evil God contained what it appeared to be a mixture of amusement, surprise, and wonder.
"Oh, truly! One surprise after another!" Loki finally spoke out between the laughs. "The new champion of Valhalla has a son! The Red Dragon Emperor, nonetheless! Even my precious Fenrir had been badly injured, I can't help but seeing some merit in tonight's event!"
Everyone from alliance was sure as hell not enjoying this. Loki's laugh could mean that the Evil God still had something else under his sleeve. Issei, the Red Dragon Emperor, did not seem to be able to fight for the time being, which left Azazel, Baraqiel, Rossweisse, Odin and the Occult Research Club to be the only ones to fight the Evil God. With one of their biggest guns (Issei) succumbing into some unknown condition, there was no telling what would happen next if the fight went on.
Loki on the other hand, was contemplating whether to retreat or to push his attack. Both sides were on similar condition; while his trump card would be out of commission for a while, but it was not like he did not prepare something else. In addition, the people from alliance were probably still shaken from what had occurred on their prized Red Dragon Emperor, who appeared would not be able to fight for quite sometime.
"Well, I sure didn't see this coming."
Before Loki could have decided his next course of action, another voice joined the fray. Everyone looked up and they saw a figure clad in white armor equipped with wings of light.
"…Vali?"
Vali Lucifer, the White Dragon Emperor, descended down between Loki and the alliance and turned to Issei. "Hyoudou Issei…. That was quite something you did earlier… But never-mind that. Can you still fight?"
Issei only gave a smirk as he tried to regain his balance. "Heh… Of course I-!" only to wince in pain again and supported by Rias and Asia.
"Wow, it seems the Red Dragon Emperor is in a really bad shape here." Bikou, who was riding a golden cloud, also appeared next to Vali.
"My, my, if it's not the Vanishing Dragon." Loki greeted, the amusement never left his tone.
"How do you do, Evil God Loki." Vali returned the courtesy. "I'm the White Dragon Emperor Vali. I came here to eliminate you."
Loki only grinned at Vali's declaration of war. "…This has been a satisfying opening act for tonight, but unfortunately, I'm afraid that I have to withdraw." Even Loki was not that stupid to take on the Strongest White Dragon Emperor and the alliance while his most powerful pawn had been taken out of commission. The reserve that he had prepared would not be enough if there was another Heavenly Dragon to fight with. "However! On the day where the gods will meet in this country, I shall come here once again! Odin, next time I and rejuvenated Fenrir will definitely tear your throat off your head!"
With that declaration, Loki disappeared into a space distortion. At the same time, Issei finally lost his consciousness, succumbing into the extreme pain and fatigue.
Meanwhile, in a certain country of the east, deep in the mountains, far away from human civilization, there was a natural hot spring, hidden from plain sight as its location was in the deep forest of trees and bamboos. Some monkeys were spotted loitering around the spring, peeking and observing from tall trees, as there was an occupant inside. In the hot spring, a figure of a bald man was dipping his body inside the steamy fresh water as he enjoyed the warmth and the heat permeating into his body, washing away his accumulated stress.
Saitama let out a soft breath as he sunk his nude body deeper into the water until his mouth was a bit of his nose was dipped in the water, playfully made some bubbles with his breath in the process.
"This is really nostalgic, isn't it?"
The man stopped his bubbles and raised his head out of water, his ever-plain face scanned around the area when he found that he was not alone.
"Back in the day, all of us will be enjoying ourselves in this hot spring after days of hard work and battles."
At the other end of the spring, a figure's shadow could be seen within the steam of the hot water. Saitama blinked as he kept staring at the figure, until the steam somehow cleared up slowly, revealing a man with short black hair and charismatic face. The man then looked at Saitama eye-to-eye as his smile widened ever so slightly.
"It's good to see you again, Saitama."
Saitama's expression did not change one bit as he only nodded in greeting.
"…Cao Cao."
To be Continued…