Just a little heads up before we start…In the first scene of this chapter, I will be using the '(0|0)' symbol to break up the thoughts of the different members of the ORC. I don't really know how to do a line break so I'm going to use this random symbol to do it or else it will all be one big paragraph. So please keep in mind that it will be the same scene, just different thoughts of the members.

Disclaimer: I don't claim ownership of High School DxD….it all belongs to Ichiei Ishibumi.

"Talking"

'Thoughts'

[Ddraig talking]

"Attack Names"

{Past Hosts Talking}

Monsters/Dragons/Grimm Reapers talking

xxxxxxx

Chapter 7: Expect the Unexpected Part 3

The mood was sombre in the Gremory Manor as the ORC gathered in one of the recreation rooms. They were all looking into space with empty eyes as they tried to make sense of the situation that they found themselves in.

It's been 3 days since they had opened the [Dragon Gate] in an attempt to retrieve the [Pawn] of their group. Only to be met with his 8 [Pawn] pieces returning without him. It didn't take long for the meaning behind what had happened to settle in. It was a horrible moment for them as they understood that the light that shone on them these last few months was gone.

Kiba Yuuto leaned stiffly against the wall at the edge of the room, keeping his sharp and protective gaze on the rest of the peerage. While he was feeling a deep sadness in his heart at the loss of his brother-in-arms…he knew that he had to keep it together. He needed stand strong in the face of this tragedy, to be the pillar of strength for the rest of the peerage in their time of turmoil. He knew that Ise would have wanted it that way. They had promised each other that they would carry out this duty if anything were to happen to the other. It was a promise that he kept close to his heart and one he would fulfil with every fibre of his being.

(0|0)

Koneko sat on one of the loveseats in the room, staring blankly into space, her face more emotionless than usual. Her eyes though, couldn't hide the grief that she was feeling. She had finally gotten to understand Ise recently. He wasn't just the shameless pervert that she thought he was. There was more to him, a greater depth to his beliefs that attracted her like a moth to the flame. He had an inner strength and conviction that he used to blow away the years of doubt and fear that she felt of herself and her power.

He helped her overcome the trauma of her childhood along with helping her reconcile with her older sister. Something that she would forever be thankful for. But most importantly, he gave her back the smile she had long since thought she had lost.

Being with him brought a new found happiness and joy to her, one that she would have never thought possible. She was hopeful of pursuing a relationship with him. He made no secret of his desire for a harem, and she had no problems with being part of it as she knew he would treat her well.

She also knew that her Master, Rias had a claim on the lovable pervert. So it was sort of an unwritten rule amongst them that before any of them could further pursue their relationships with him, his relationship with Rias will have to first be solidified as she would act as the 'Head' of the harem. Which was why it was a little frustrating to see that there was almost no progress being made between them. Ise was as oblivious to his own charms as ever and Rias was far too afraid to make a move. It was causing no small amount of headaches for the rest of them.

Which was why they were a little snappy at him on that fateful day in the clubroom. Looking back, she can't help but be ashamed of herself at her behaviour. While her frustrations were understandable, it was never any excuse to say something that could be construed as hurtful to someone, especially one as kind and caring as Ise. It was done in the heat of the moment and she realised soon after that she had stepped over the line. She knew that she would probably regret those actions for a long time.

When Ise came back from his training trip, she was awestruck to see how strong he had gotten once again. He stood toe-to-toe with Sairaorg Bael without using his [Sacred Gear]. His power and technique had improved leaps and bounds, but it wasn't only that. The quiet confidence that he now radiated was a stark contrast to the slightly insecure boy that he used to be. It just made him even more attractive.

But she had learned the hard way that all actions have consequences. Ise, while not overly aggressive or angry at them, kept himself at a cool distance. He treated them as friends at best, acquaintances at worse. He didn't have the same passion towards them as he used to. There was no perverted leer in his eyes when he looked at them. He treated them like everyone else…and there was nothing more painful to her then that. And now…he was gone. She would never get the chance to say the things she wanted to say. She would never get to see his goofy smile again or that lecherous look that he always had. As tears started falling down her blank eyes, she felt herself lost as to how to go on with this pain.

(0|0)

Asia Argento was on the opposite loveseat, curled up into a ball. Her shuddering sobs were the only sounds that could be heard in the room. Right now, she didn't know what to do. The light of her life, her guardian angel, was gone. She felt so empty right now, like a part of her soul was missing.

Ise had been the one to give her everything that she had ever wanted, even some things that she didn't even know she did. Even though Rias was the one to reincarnate her, she understood that it would have never happened had it not been for Ise's stubbornness and his unquenchable desire to save her. To befriend her. To give her the life he thought she deserved. If that wasn't enough, he had given up the majority of his lifespan to exact vengeance on her behalf when he thought that Shalba Beelzebub had killed her. Therefore, it came as no surprise that she fell unequivocally in love with him.

Just being by his side was enough for her, or so she said. But as the days went on, she became greedier. Maybe it was the nature of the devil that she now was that affected her, but she wanted more. She wanted more of his love and his attention. She wanted it focused on her. She thought back to the day when she said those horrible things to him in the club room and felt a searing pain in her heart. She remembered the look of hurt that appeared on his face at her words. But it was too late, the damage had been done.

Ever since then, things had changed between them. He didn't dote on her as much as he used to. He didn't sleep in the same bed as her anymore. He started to treat her like a friend and nothing more. She was fearful that she had lost that special place in his heart that belonged solely to her. She regretted the events of that day ever since it happened. Even more so when she realised the trauma that Ise might have been carrying from what Raynare did to him. It made her feel horrible. She had so easily disregarded his feelings and his worries in favour of her own happiness. When had she become thins type of person?

And now…it was too late. He was gone. She would never get to say that she was sorry. She would never have the opportunity to beg for his forgiveness. She couldn't help but wonder if this was her punishment from God. Maybe this was her penance she had to pay for being so selfish, for being so ungrateful of what she had that she so casually tossed it away. As the sobs wracked her body, she fell into a silent cycle of despair and self-loathing, wondering if this horrible pain and emptiness would go away.

(0|0)

Himejima Akeno was much in the same way as Koneko. She was sitting on a wooden chair, dead to the world. Her eyes were blank and she was unresponsive. She spent the entire time lost within her own thoughts. She wondered if it was her fate to forever lose the people that she loved. Whether it was to death or most times, her own machinations. She thought back to the years of self-loathing she endured. While she would forever be thankful to Rias for all that she had done for her, Ise held a special place in her heart.

Akeno knew that, for all her usual composure and the façade she put up, she had this horrible habit of acting on impulse and making the worst possible decisions possible. This was evidenced by the way in which she handled her relationship with her father. For all those years, she could have been comforted in his warmth, they could have shared their grief together and grew closer over time. But she threw that all away.

She could be forgiven to some extent as she was still a young girl at that point. It was normal that she had no way to deal with the horrors that she had witnessed and as such blamed the most convenient person possible. It wasn't something that she was proud of, looking back, but she had needed to do something like that or else she would have broken.

As the years went on and she matured, she could have found a healthy way to deal with her emotions and rekindle her relationship with her father, but she bottled it all up. She hung on desperately to the pointless hatred that festered in her heart. But then Ise came along…and he blew away all that negativity with his kindness and his compassion.

Even though he was one of the biggest perverts she had ever known, he had a heart bigger than anyone could possibly fathom. He took in all her hatred, all her self-loathing and all her insecurities and shouldered them for her. He gave her warmth and love, he accepted all her flaws and put her on a pedestal that she never deserved. He even repaired the relationship with her father, the one that had been so badly broken, and had given her back her feeling of belonging. And before she knew it, she had fallen deeply in love with him.

When the incident in the clubroom happened, she was so caught up in the heat of the moment that she allowed all the impatience and frustration of Ise and Rias not being able to advance their relationship so that she could finally have her chance, show. She cut into her beloved Ise with the one thing that he couldn't defend himself from. Her words. While seemingly inconsequential to most, they had a deep effect on the [Pawn]. His past trauma, his doubts and his own self-loathing…all of those festering wounds were the ones that the salt of her words rubbed into. She could see, from the hurt in his eyes, that she had made a mistake. But it was too late to take back her words. The regret was something that ate at her from that day forward.

When he left for those two months, it was pure torture for her. She would wait, every day, hoping she would see him again. Hoping that she could get the chance to say she was sorry, to beg for his forgiveness. When he finally did return…she could instantly tell something had changed. He had changed. Not necessarily in a bad way, but not in a way that would make things go back to the way they were. He was a lot colder and a lot less impulsive. He had a firm grip on his emotions and not once did her ever leer at her breasts. That was almost unthinkable for her. She could see it in his eyes when he looked at her…she didn't hold the same place of reverence that she once did in his heart. She wasn't the 'Great Onee-sama' anymore. She was just plain old Akeno. Just another girl in his life. In most cases, this would be a good thing to her as she just wanted to be treated as another girl. But that wasn't the case. She was just another friend to him…and she couldn't stand that. After experiencing his love, his warmth…she didn't want to give it up. She was addicted, and she never wanted to shake the habit.

She told herself that she would give him time. Time to cool down and put what happened in the past. When he was at a good place with her once again…she would tell him of her feelings. She would beg and grovel for another chance if she had to. She would throw away her pride and her dignity for those things never brought her any form of happiness…not like he had. But it was too late.

He was gone.

She had lost another one. Now all she had left were the bittersweet memories that would plague her till the end of her days. She thought that it was a fitting punishment for a being as disgusting as her…No! She shook her head. Ise had taught her better than that. She couldn't fall back into old habits. She knew what she had to do. She needed to move forward and embrace life and all the joy and the pain that it brings. That is what her beloved Ise had taught her and that was what he had tried so hard to make her see. But knowing what to do and actually doing it are very different things. It was far too painful to even think of trying to move on. She wished so badly that he didn't have to be taken away from her.

(0|0)

Rias Gremory was inconsolable. She was sitting in the corner of the room, her back against the wall and her knees drawn up against her chest. Her mind replayed images of the last few months of her life. They were the happiest that she has ever known. Ise came into her life, and like a hurricane, turned her whole world upside down…but in the best way possible.

She honestly didn't think much of him at first. Sure, he was kind of cute, in that silly little brother kind of way, but she never imagined the impact the he would truly have on her life. His strength, his determination and his indomitable will. They were the things that allowed him to blow away the lingering darkness plaguing her peerage.

He did the impossible and defeated the Immortal Phenex to save her from a fate worse than death, in her opinion. He helped Yuuto bury his demons, he showed Koneko that it was okay to be afraid of your power but that she shouldn't run away from it because of that fear. He managed to pull Gasper out of his shell and allow him to once more be a functioning member of her peerage. He even helped Akeno get over the hatred she had harboured for years and show her true smile once again.

Rias was ashamed to admit that these issues were things that she, as the [King], should have dealt with a long time ago. But she had let it fester due to inactivity and being caught up in her own problems. But Ise came along, and he barrelled through all of their problems with the force of a freight train and blew them all way. She could have tried, but it was impossible to resist falling in love with him. Sure, he was a colossal pervert, but she didn't mind that aspect of him one bit. If anything, it made him even more endearing as he never once tried to hide his true nature from anyone or pretend to be something he's not. His honesty and unthinking charisma just drew her in, and before she knew it, she was madly in love with him.

It wasn't an easy road from then on though. Ise seemed to be completely oblivious to her advances and looking back, she can see how she had missed the obvious signs of his lingering trauma. A woman in love can be a little selfish sometimes, something that they are rightly entitled to. But in this case, it had backfired spectacularly. She was so focused on her desires and her needs that she completely overlooked his. She just assumed that he would be happy to be with someone as beautiful as her and decided in her mind that they would be together. A lack of communication really messed up an already delicate situation.

She blew her top on that day in the clubroom. The combination of the stress she was feeling as well as the growing feeling of jealously towards Ravel caused her emotions to boil over. She snapped at him over something as simple as what he called her. Looking back, she can see how stupid it was of her. She was the one who told him to always refer to her as 'Buchou' even when he used to call her by her name in the beginning. She expected him to magically forget that just because she wanted to hear her name from his lips. It wasn't really reasonable even if Ise should have picked up on the signs she was giving him.

Maybe it was also a bit of cowardice of her part. She was also afraid of the rejection she could possibly face. She could have confessed her feelings for him at any time, but she never did. In a way, she was afraid that he would feel the same way she did about Riser. Her family did arrange them to be married in a few years after all. It wouldn't have been out of place to be outraged at the prospect of being forced to marry someone. She had felt those emotions not too long ago and knew how the resentment could eat away at you. In the end, she never did anything and he never took the initiative and instead of things working themselves out like they always did, like she had hoped they would, they imploded in the worst way possible.

Ise had taken two months off for training after that incident. At first she wanted to immediately go to him, but when she saw the steely look in Azazel's eyes, she knew he wasn't going to divulge Ise's location to her. She resolved herself to wait for him to come home. She figured that a few months away would be good for him. He would cool down and when he gets home, she would apologise and they could go back to the way they were…That didn't happen.

Ise seemed to have undergone a journey of discovery of sort and he came back more confident than he had ever been. He seemed so much surer of himself and his place in the world. But the most heart-breaking thing for her was the way that he looked at her. Gone was the admiration and the devotion that used to be in his eyes when he gazed at her. Now it was just an ordinary look. He didn't seem to hate her or be angry at her, but there wasn't much happiness towards her either. He was just indifferent to her. She would honestly prefer it if he hated her. At least that would be some powerful emotion that he harboured towards her. But it wasn't meant to be.

She spent all that time regretting the choices that she had made and lamented that things could have been different if she had just been a little more honest from the start. She didn't give up though, oh no! She vowed that she would win back his heart, no matter how long it took. But now…that hope was gone. He was gone. The love of her life would never return to her. She was forced to go on in this cruel world without the one who symbolised her hope. It hurt! It hurt so badly and she didn't know what to do to make the pain go away. She was only left with regrets and bittersweet memories. All she could do was sit there and ponder on what could have been…

(0|0)

They lost themselves in their thoughts as they sat in that room, uncaring to the situation going on in the Underworld. They were far too caught up in their own grief. Suddenly, a commotion could be heard from outside the room. The door opened and two men entered the room. They were both blonde but they were starkly different. One was familiar to the group, being Riser Phenex. The other though, was one that they had only seen on television. He was much more graceful and noble looking compared to the delinquent look of Riser. This man was Ruval Phenex, the oldest son of the Phenex Clan and the older brother of both Riser and Ravel. They both took in the solemn atmosphere of the room and winced a little.

Ruval looked over to Yuuto, as he seemed to most coherent of them and walked over to him.

"Kiba Yuuto." Ruval called out.

"Ruval-sama." Yuuto greeted back, but there was a certain fire lacking in his response.

"I wanted to speak to Rias-san, but she seems a bit indisposed at the moment. So it should be fine with you. Here." Ruval said as he handed over several bottles of Phenex Tears. "Since the situation is as dire as it is, we are giving out these provisions to counter-attack squads. Unfortunately, the situation calls for all the help we can get which means the youth devils, such as yourselves will be called into action."

"I understand, Ruval-sama. Thank you for taking the time to do this." Yuuto replied as he gave the man a respectful bow. Ruval just waved him off.

"Don't worry about it. I also had the added motive of coming to see my little sister. I know she was extremely attached to Sekiryuutei-kun. I wanted to ensure that she was doing okay, but I can't seem to find her. Do you have any idea where she might be?" He asked.

"Eh? Well to be honest, she was here a few hours ago. I'm no-"

"Ruval-niisama? Riser-niisama? What are you two doing here?" Kiba was cut off as the object of their conversation walked into the room, carrying what looked like a tray of baked goods.

"Ravel? There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" Ruval exclaimed as he rushed over to her and gave her a hug. The girl looked a bit bewildered at first but slowly returned the gesture. "How are you doing Ravel? Are you going to be okay?" He asked concernedly. Ravel just raised an immaculate eyebrow at him at his inquiry.

"I'm doing fine, Onii-sama. I was just making some Lemon Bars for the rest. Not that I'm unhappy that you're here or anything…but shouldn't you two be out on the frontlines considering the situation." She asked him, getting a troubled look from Ruval.

"Ermm…We came to make sure that you were doing okay. I know how close you were to the Sekiryuutei and we wanted to make sure you were handling his death okay." He replied unsurely. Her casual attitude was kind of throwing him for a loop. Ravel just raised her eyebrow at him once again and gave him a long hard stare. It honestly made him squirm a little. It was far too similar to the look his mother used to give him, and his body remembers the phantom pains associated with that look.

"Hmph! I don't know what you are thinking, but I can assure you that I am more than fine. I'm not so silly to believe that Ise-sama is dead just because his evil-pieces returned without him. I have more faith in him than that. He is the strongest person I know! He promised that he would come back…and he is a man that always keeps his promises! That's why, I'm not worried. I know he's still out there, probably gathering his strength for when he can return once again. That is the kind of man he is. I know that he will come back and nothing will stop him from doing so. That is the kind of man that I fell in love with." Ravel declared passionately as she puffed her chest out in her usual 'Oujo-sama' pose, as Ise called it. She said those words with such confidence and conviction that Ruval and Riser actually believed her.

The rest of the ORC perked up as well at hearing her words. Hearing Ravel say that she had absolute faith in Ise, that he would come back to them…it stirred something inside them. Something that they daren't hoped to think. Could it be possible? Could he still be alive? They didn't do much else since they tried opening the [Dragon Gate]. Could they have done a bit more research into the phenomenon? It was certainly a strange happening, but they jumped to the worst possible conclusion and didn't bother digging deeper. Maybe there's more to what's going on then they realised. For the girls though, hearing her declare her love for him at the end made them frown in annoyance. They always knew that she felt that way but this was the first time that she had said it out love. Where had this confidence of hers come from?

But Ravel had achieved what she had set out to do. She ignited a spark, however small it may be, in the hearts of the people that her Ise-sama cared about. She knew that he wouldn't want them to dwell on their negativity like this. They needed to be strong and defend the Underworld that he loved so much. The lingering seeds of doubt have now been planted in their minds. What they do from here on out was up to them. Whether they chose to continue wallowing in their self-pity or whether they rose above it was something they had to figure out themselves. Her part was done. It was up to Ise-sama to come through, just as she was positive he would. She couldn't help but smile, wondering what he was up to. She wasn't lying when she told her brother that she believed him to be alive. When she first saw his pieces return, she will admit that she felt a pang of despair. But as she slowly stared sifting through the information that she was given, she came to understand in her own little way. He was still out there. He was still alive. Call it the naïve hope of a girl in love, or maybe woman's intuition…but Ravel knew in her heart…Just as the grass was green, just as the sun rose in the east…Her Ise-sama was alive and he would come back her. She refused to believe any different.

(Scene Change)

The strange sounds of soft whirling and the churning of energies was what Ise woke up to. He was feeling a bit disorientated as his eyes softly fluttered open. He took the time to gain his bearings before he looked around. A wide expanse of rocky, red terrain was what greeted his eyes. It went as far as his eyes could see. He looked up to the sky and was treated to the sight of a kaleidoscope of different colours mixing together. It was like something out of a fantasy novel.

As he stared at the mesmerising sky, Ise's mind drifted back to his last memories. He remembered that asshole, Cao Cao attacking and setting the [Dragon Eater], Samael on Ophis. They fought briefly after which that guy retreated and set the Grim Reapers on them. In his mind, Ise pictured the cackling face of the skeleton-god. He made a note to do something in the future that would inconvenience that undead prick in some way. He remembered that Shalba Beelzebub crashed their little party, how that guy was still alive goodness only knows. He ended up forcing the wielder of [Annihilation Maker] into a forced [Balance Breaker] state and created those colossal abominations and set them on the underworld. Ise recalled having sent the rest back to the Underworld, proclaiming that he will take care of the wannabe Maou. Of course, the guy stood absolutely zero chance of even scratching Ise and after getting smacked around like an unwanted step-child, Ise was planning on ending him. But the crafty little fucker had a trump card. An arrow tipped with the poison of Samael. Ise didn't even know how he got something like that in the first place, but once again, the visage of a meddling God of the Dead appeared in his mind. Caught off guard, Ise was unfortunately poisoned by the Ultimate Dragon Slayer. The pain he felt from that poison was unimaginable. It wrought pure agony on his body. He remembered fucking Shalba up badly before having a small conversation with Ddraig and Ophis before passing out. Everything else was a blur afterwards, though he did faintly recall somehow lending [Ascalon] to Yuuto and giving him a kick in the ass that allowed him to defeat Siegfried. How much of that was real, he had no idea.

He looked around once more, trying to take stock of the situation. He was now coherent enough to recognise this place as the Dimensional Gap.

[So you're finally awake, Partner. I was worried. It was a bit touch and go for a moment]. The voice of his partner, Ddraig, echoed in his mind.

"Ddraig!" Ise cried out in relief as he placed his hand over his heart. It was in that moment that he realised something. He was in his [Balance Breaker]. That was something that didn't make sense to him because the last time he had used it was in his fight against Sairaorg. As his gaze moved over his body, he recognised another anomaly. He couldn't feel the sensation of his armour on his skin. In fact, he couldn't feel any sensations at all. It was as though he had lost his sense of touch. A mild sense of panic set in as he made to retract the armour on his hand. It was then that he got the biggest shock yet…where his hand was supposed to be…there was nothing! "Oi! Ddraig! What the fuck is going on?! Where are my hands?!" He shouted frantically.

[I see that you've finally noticed]. Ddraig commented.

"Ddraig…I'm trying really hard not to lose my shit right about now…so could you please spare me the part where you point out the obvious and get to the part where you explain what the fuck is happening to me." Ise responded in a measured tone of voice, though the undercurrent of annoyance and anxiousness were as clear as day. Even though Ise couldn't see him, he could practically feel Ddraig rolling his eyes at him.

[Long story short, your body was destroyed by Samael's curse. The state you are in now is as a result of me extracting your soul from your body before the poison got to it and storing it within the [Boosted Gear]. We were lucky that we managed to get that done quick enough or else your soul would have been obliterated by the curse].

Ise was stricken with shock as he heard this. He gripped the sides of his head, which in reality was just his armour and therefore didn't serve much of a purpose to alleviate whatever phantom pains he was feeling, as he tried to come to terms with the fact that he was now basically a Dullahan, except with a head.

"How did this happen though. My reserves are much larger than before. I should have been able to fight off the curse for much longer than I normally would have. I mean, Vali was able to fight it off for a much longer time and even though my demonic power is nowhere near as high as his, it should have been enough to fight off the curse for longer than it actually did." Ise asked in confusion.

[You are right in that your power should be high enough to hold back the curse for longer than normal…and you actually did. Comparing the time you held it back to the time that Vali Lucifer held it back is an understandable comparison. However, you forgot to add one fundamental component to your calculations. Due to the ritual that you undertook a few months ago…you are far more of a dragon than he is. In fact, you are more dragon than you are human or devil. That means that the [Curse of Samael] is far more potent and deadly to you than it is to him. In fact, if you were still a regular reincarnated devil, I would have been able to save your body for the most part. As it stands, the poison spread through most of your body so rapidly that he had no choice but to separate you from it. The only thing that we managed to salvage was your left arm. The rest of your body became unsalvageable due to how deeply saturated it is with the poison of the Ultimate Dragon Slayer. Like I said before, your dragon half compounded the damage exponentially.]. Ddraig explained. Ise went silent at hearing that. It seems that in his pursuit to increase his strength, the consequences of his actions were coming to bite him in the ass. What are the chances of encountering the Ultimate Dragon Slayer only a few months after undergoing such an extensive dragonification ritual? His luck really was horrible.

"So what now? I can't live the rest of my life as a suit of armour. I won't be able to intera-" Ise stopped mid-sentence as his eyes slowly started to widen, before they were bulging out their sockets and a look of absolute horror was plastered on his face. " no no no. NO!" He shouted as he dropped to his knees and pounded the ground in anger and frustration. "I won't be able to touch a woman again! I will never fell the soft, pillowy heaven that is the generous bosom of a beautiful girl! I will never be able to have sex! Oh sweet Lucifer! I'm going to die a virgin!" Ise cried out hysterically as he continued to hit the ground.

[And here I thought that you matured and had overcome such base desires]. Ddraig dead-panned.

"Don't give me that! I may have learned to control myself better…but I'm still a pervert at heart! Wanting to have sex with beautiful girls is only natural for a virile young man such as myself. Besides, I don't want to hear about not overcoming my base desires from a battle maniac dragon like you." Ise argued.

[You're an idiot]. Ddraig told him, to which Ise flipped him the bird.

"Putting that aside…What's the actual plan here? More importantly…Where's Ophis?" Ise inquired as he surveyed his surroundings, hoping to get a glimpse of his self-proclaimed imouto. He found her on towards the edge of the terrain they were on, comically smacking the ground.

"Hit hit hit." She repeated as she pounded the red ground.

"Hey Ophis-chan…What are you doing?" Ise asked, highly amused by the cute behaviour of the adorable little dragoness.

"I, shall defeat Great Red." She replied blankly, with a gleam of satisfaction in her eyes as she continued her 'attack'.

Ise's brain jolted at hearing those words. His eyes stared blankly ahead as he robotically turned his head to take in his surroundings once again. This time he took care to pay more attention to detail. He slowly walked towards what he perceived to be the edge of the ground he was standing on, and looked down. From his perch, he could see the large maw, with razor sharp teeth. The huge horn that was sticking out of the top of aforementioned maw. He was intimately familiar with that visage. He had seen it once before and he could never forget it no matter how hard he tried.

"Ddraig…is there a reason that we are hitching a ride on the back of THE FUCKING GREAT RED!" Ise shouted hysterically, his voice starting off in a blank tone before it evolved into a hysterical shout.

[Err…well he just happened to be passing by when the pocket dimension collapsed so we decided to get a lift from him]. Ddraig responded.

"Oi oi…I may be a pervert but I'm not an idiot. I know enough to know that he wasn't just coincidentally passing by when that dimension collapsed. I also know that most people in the supernatural world, including most of the leaders, have barely ever caught a glimpse of the big guy. Yet we see him in the space of a few months not to mention he comes to our aid when we most need it. Even I can tell that it's far too convenient. So what's his deal? Is he stalking us?" Ise questioned, getting a sweat-drop from his partner.

[Honestly, I have absolutely no idea. I'm just as lost as you are. Normally Great Red doesn't care much for what happens outside of the Dimensional Gap, but for some reason, he has seemingly taken an interest in you]. Ddraig replied tentatively.

"Are you telling me that Great Red, the Dragon of Dragons, the fucking Ultimate Existence, has taken as interest in me…?" Ise asked slowly, getting a hesitant nod from Ddraig. "…FUCK!"

[Chin up…it isn't that bad]. Ddraig tried to comfort Ise, but failed miserably.

"Isn't that bad? Listen Ddraig…you can piss on my face…just don't tell me it's raining! There's no way that drawing his interest can bode well for me in any situation!" Ise argued.

[Well, if you think about it…this was almost inevitable. Ever since you've entered the supernatural world, you've attracted powerful beings to yourself like a moth to the flame. It's kind of unnatural if you think about it. I mean, you had that Ouroboros Dragon, the strongest and most feared being on earth, sitting on your lap and calling you 'Onii-sama' this past week. Is it really a stretch to believe that meeting Great Red was the natural progression?] Ddraig pointed out logically.

Ise cradled his head in his hands, trying to comprehend the amount of crazy that was happening right about now. His crazy fortune, or misfortune depending on who you ask, when it comes to encountering powerful beings was surely going to bite him in the ass one of these days. Even without Great Red having any negative intentions towards him, just the fact that he helped Ise and took that minute amount of interest in him…will surely draw the attention of the rest of the world and mark him as a person of interest to the other factions. Just thinking about the repercussions was giving him a headache.

"You know what…fuck it! I'll brood on the fucking consequences later. Ddraig…what the plan now? I don't have a body apparently…but you obviously have something in mind." Ise inquired, putting the morbid thoughts to the back of his mind. Ddraig was about to answer, but was cut off when he and Ise felt soft fingers poking the side of their armour. Ise looked down to see the blank eyes of Ophis looking up at him in what was seemingly a curious manner. "Hey Ophis, I thought you would have returned home. Why didn't you?" Ise asked.

"This, is my home." She answered.

"Ah, I phrased that incorrectly. Why didn't you return to the human world or the Underworld?" Ise rephrased.

"Onii-sama said that we will go home together. That is why I am here. I will go home with Onii-sama." She answered blankly. If Ise had a face, you would see the blindingly happy smile he had on his face at hearing her answer. He placed his hand on her head on gently ruffled her smooth locks. Even though it was awkward with his armoured hands, the feelings conveyed were nonetheless understood by both.

"You really are a good girl, Ophis." Ise said with a fond smile on his face, more precisely on what would have been his face if he had one…you get the idea. "So Ddraig, about my previous question."

[First, let's get up to speed with what happened. I already told you that [Samael's Curse] ravaged your body and we were only able to salvage your left arm before your body was completely killed by it. Azazel also succeeded in opening the Dragons Gate and attempted to summon you, but for some reason, it was only the [Evil Pieces] inside of you that returned. I'm unsure as to why but that's how it happened. Currently, Great Red is lending you some of his power, allowing you to exist in this state that you're currently in. If you look over the far left, you should be able to spot something]. Ddraig explained. Ise looked to where Ddraig advised and spotted what looked like a swollen block of flesh. It was slowly pulsating.

"What the heck is that? It looks like something out of a cheesy horror flick." Ise inquired.

[That is a cocoon. No, it would be more accurate to call it a cultivation capsule].

"I'm almost afraid to ask but…what's being cultivated inside of that thing?"

[Your body]. Ddraig answered without hesitation.

"Huh?! I thought you said that my body was too badly damaged by [Samael's Curse] to be salvaged."

[And what I said was the truth. Your previous body is of no use to you now. Which is why we have no choice but to craft you a new vessel. If you were to go back to the Underworld at this very moment, I have no doubt that they would be able to build you a new body based on your DNA alone. The problem with that is that no matter how closely they stick to the DNA structure, there will still be imperfections in the body and you probably will never be able to operate at 100% ever again. With that being said, Great Red and Ophis' abilities far outstrip anything those scientists could ever hope to do. Currently in that cultivation capsule rests the undamaged arm of yours that we managed to salvage along with the template body that we are going to use as the base to rebuild yours along using the flesh of Great Red and the power of Ophis]. Ddraig explained. Ise's jaw was hanging after that explanation. It was almost incomprehensible to him. Not only the actual process of it but the fact that the two most powerful beings in existence are working together to restore him to his body. He couldn't believe his luck. It really was the devils luck…but in this case it may be more appropriate to call it the 'dragons luck'. It also warmed his heart to see that Ophis actually put her deep dislike for Great Red to the side just to help him. He was about to thank them both before something occurred to him.

"Wait a minute. You said you are using a template body in place of my damaged one. I'm assuming that you mean that it is going to be similar to the foundation that a house is built upon. If that's the case…where did you guys managed conveniently find a body in the Dimensional Gap?" Ise inquired.

[We didn't 'find' him per say. He was already there right next to you]. Ddraig said cryptically. The gears in Ise's head started turning before his head jerked up a little in realisation.

"You don't mean…!"

[Yes. We are using Shalba Beelzebub's body as the base for rebuilding yours].

If Ise had a face right now…it would be turning green in revulsion.

"Oi oi…You actually expect me to be okay with having the same body as that fucking lunatic?!" Ise demanded in indignation.

[I expect you to be mature enough to realise that there isn't any other way. Regardless of his personality and his actions, Shalba Beelzebub was in fact a pureblood devil and a direct descendent of the original Maou Beelzebub. His pedigree and demonic reserves are nothing to sneeze at and he was powerful in his own right. It was just that his application was lacking and he was hampered by an unfathomable amount of arrogance. If your original body was still usable, I would have been happy to use it but in the situation we are in, I believe the saying goes that 'beggars can't be choosers'. We don't have much of a choice if you want to be fully amongst those of the living once again. It should help to think that by using his body, your magical reserves will receive a massive boost as well]. Ddraig lectured. Ise didn't say anything, seemingly deep in thought.

"I…I get what you're saying…and you're right in that there isn't any other way. It's just…it's a lot to take in…especially considering what he has done." Ise said, apparently having an inner struggle.

[I understand what you mean...but you have nothing to worry about. He is as dead as one can be and he is never coming back. Look at it in this way…think of this as him paying the price for his madness. You are going to use the body that he prized and make it your own and you are going to use it to stop the catastrophe that he caused and save the Underworld and in doing so, you will be snuffing out his final act of petty vengeance. You will also be doing a whole lot of good, everything that he hated and stood against, with the same body that he used to bring misery. I don't think there is a more fitting punishment for one as repulsive as he was, don't you agree?]. Ddraig advised. Ise was silent for a moment, taking in what Ddraig said before his armour started shaking.

"HahahaHAHAHA! You're right, partner. I can't afford to stop now, not when I've come so far. I need to use everything in my power to return to the Underworld and stop the madness that he started. I have too much left to do to throw in the towel now. There's no looking back now. Thanks for reminding me of that, Ddraig." Ise declared, getting an amused snort from his partner. "But I am worried about how I will convince the others that it really is me. Considering what Shalba has done, I don't think I would get the time to explain myself before Sirzechs erases me from existence." Ise shared his worries.

[You don't need to worry about that. Like I said, they are using your DNA in the process, what that means is that they will conform the template body to suit you and how you used to look as well as the musculature that you worked so hard to achieve. Your new body will be optimised to the max in terms of appearance and performance. While it's true that you may pick up one or two features from Shalba Beelzebub, you will still look the same as you did before so there's nothing for you to worry about. Like I said, at this point, Shalba Beelzebub's body is nothing more than a tool to advance your progress and your ambition. After a while, you won't even remember that guy as he will be nothing more than an afterthought].

"Phew…That certainly puts my mind at ease. But what about my regeneration along with my other abilities? Will I lose those as well?" Ise questioned tentatively, afraid that he would lose the powers that he worked so hard to achieve.

[It doesn't work like that. Concerning your regeneration, it was imprinted in your blood, and we have enough of that from your left arm alone. Great Red and Ophis will propagate the remaining blood to the rest of your body and your ability will be restored. In fact, it's possible that your regeneration will be boosted if you consider that your new body will have the flesh of Great Red and the power of Ophis, both of whom have unfathomable regeneration abilities. There's a chance that a tiny fraction of those abilities will be passed over to you. It isn't an inevitability but there might be a chance. In any event, even if it doesn't happen, your previous regeneration abilities will still be fully functional]. Ddraig clarified, making Ise release a sigh of relief. He went through an unimaginable amount of pain to obtain that ability, he would be really pissed off if he were to lose it. [In terms of your other abilities, those are impossible to lose. You know them like the back of your hand. They are engraved within your mind and within your soul. Trust me when I say, nothing is going to change. All that will be happening is that you will be getting a stronger body with larger magical reserves. There may be a few new physical features and maybe a few new abilities but you will still be the same as before in every other aspect. No, let me correct that…there will be one large change. The lifespan that you lost when you used the [Juggernaut Drive] will be restored. Considering whose power you will have running through you, there is a chance for your lifespan to surpass those of ordinary devils].

"Really?!" Ise said with a bit of shock as well as a mighty amount of relief. "Damn! This is looking less like a set back and more like the best thing that could have happened to me."

[Hahaha! I wouldn't disagree with that, partner. Your amazing luck once again surprises me]. Ddraig replied heartily.

(Scene Change)

All throughout the Underworld, numerous battles were taking place. The forces of the Underworld as well as their allies were doing their best to hold back the terrible monsters that were threatening their home. Help from the Youkai faction from Kyoto, the demigods of the Greek pantheon, the Valkyries of the Norse as well as the angels and fallen angels were all out in full force, displaying the unity of their alliances and their desire to protect their peace. They Lucifer peerage along with Serafall Leviathan were the ones leading the charge as they showing no mercy in dealing with the monsters.

Towards the inner part of the city, there were also a few decisive battles taking place. Thanks to the bravery of Saji Genshirou, an entire school bus of children were saved from the attack of a rampaging Heracles. The large member of the Hero faction wasn't done with a single attack though and proceeded to use the devils concern for the children as a way to inflict damage upon them. Not long after, the Sitri peerage was assisted by the Gremory peerage plus Ravel who came upon the scene after being attracted by the large explosions. The returning Rossweisse displayed her improved defensive magic by holding Heracles at bay. Irina and Xenovia, who had returned from heaven with a new and improved [Ex-Durandal], engaged Jeanne d'Arc of the Hero faction along with Akeno.

Sairaorg Bael entered the scene not long after and proceeded to beat the shit out of Heracles, who sneered throughout the entire ordeal at the thought if Ise and Sairaorg being considered 'heroes' to the children of the Underworld. One Touki enhanced punch later and Heracles crumpled like a house of cards.

Gasper was next to arrive and was happy to see the rest of his friends, although he was ashamed of himself for not making any progress with his training. His mood was further dampened by Georg from the Hero faction who informed him unsympathetically that Ise was killed. Nobody could explain what happened next other than that Gasper seemingly snapped. His eyes glowed an eerie red and the shadows and darkness around him came to life before devouring Georg who could do nothing to defend himself. Gasper had passed out shortly after, leaving all those who witnessed the act with a deep sense of fear and unease at the events.

Jeanne, seeing that things were not in her favour anymore, took one of the nearby children hostage and held him at sword point. Surprisingly though, the child showed absolutely no signs of fear or anger. He had a happy smile on his face as he was held against his will. Jeanne had noticed this and decided to question the boy about it.

"Ara? You seem quieter than I thought you would be, little boy. Can't say anything because you are too scared?" She asked, looking at the boy with a smirk. The boy didn't seem to fall for her taunts as a bright smile made a way onto his face.

"Nope. I'm not scared at all. Because the Oppai Dragon will be coming very soon." The boy said with absolute certainty in his voice, taking those around him a bit by surprise. There was no fear in his voice whatsoever.

"Fufufu…Too bad little boy, The Oppai Dragon is dead. This Onee-san's friend defeated him. That's why the Oppai Dragon can't come here anymore." Jeanne said, hoping to extinguish the hope the boy seemed to be holding onto but it did absolutely nothing to diminish it if his smile was anything to go by.

"It's okay. I made a promise to him in my dream. When I was sleeping because I was scared of the big monster, he appeared in my dream. He said he will come here soon so I shouldn't cry. He said he will definitely return when we make a magic chant!" The boy explained enthusiastically. "Everyone else saw the same dream as well! Ferrer-kun and Tullas-chan also saw the same dream as me! The children in the other class also saw the same dream! Everyone saw the same dream!"

There were a few shocked faces among those that were looking at him, trying to make sense of what he was saying. They didn't know if it was his overactive imagination or if it really happened. There was a faint stirring of hope in the devils at what they were hearing. Even though their hope was already there, hearing this boy say what he did only added the fuel to that fire.

Almost as one, the boy, along with his friends as well as the rest of the children in the Underworld, started singing…their voices reverberating throughout the different cities.

THERE IS AN OPPAI LOVING DRAGON LIVING IN THE EDGE OF A CERTAIN COUNTRY

THE DRAGON GOES FOR A WALK WHEN THE WEATHER IS GOOD

DRAGON DRAGON OPPAI-DRAGON

GROPE-GROPE SUCK-SUCK PAFU-PAFU

THERE ARE SO MANY TYPES OF OPPAI

BUT HE LIKES THE BIG ONES THE BEST

THE OPPAI-DRAGON ALSO FLIES TODAY

IN A EDGE OF A CERTAIN TOWN, THE OPPAI-DRAGON WAS LAUGHING

EVEN IN A STORMY DAY, THE OPPAI-DRAGON BECOMES HAPPY BY PRESSING OPPAI

DRAGON DRAGON OPPAI-DRAGON

CLICK-CLICK ZOOM-ZOOM IYAAAN

HE HAS SEEN LOTS OF OPPAI, BUT HE LIKES BIG ONES THE BEST

OPPAI-DRAGON ALSO PUSHES TODAY

It was surreal to those that were watching. The hearts and minds of the children of the Underworld were in sync as they gleefully called out to their hero. The hero that they held in the highest regard. The hero that they had the utmost faith in.

A hero that would never ignore their voices.

It was when their singing got louder and their voices reached a crescendo…a large crack appeared in the sky. It gave way to more cracks as a portion of the sky shattered as a familiar aura blanketed the entirety of the Underworld…filling those that knew it with hope and courage.

Jeanne started to look around frantically, along with the rest of the Youth devils, around her as they tried to spot the source of the aura. The boy though, was still singing happily, his voice even more excited than before.

The sky in the distance fully shattered and an enormous red dragon made its way through. The entire battlefield was silent as the Ultimate Existence, Great Red appeared. Before anyone could react, there was a streak of black from the top of Great Red's head that was seen.

Before she knew what happened, Jeanne's pretty face was introduced to the bottom of a size 11 boot courtesy of black clad figure delivering a perfectly executed helicopter kick, sending her flying in the opposite direction as he scooped up the boy in his arms as he used his momentum to go skidding backwards with one hand on the ground and his head down as he tried to control him movement. He came to a stop opposite the devil group and Jeanne, who was slowly picking herself up out of the rubble.

As he lifted his head up, the brown hair that was covering his face fell away, revealing the piercing green eyes and handsome face of Hyoudou Ise, as he gave a roguish grin at his audience.

"Yo…Sorry I'm late."

(Scene Change)

…Minutes Prior…

[How does your new body feel? Any discomfort?]. Ddraig asked as Ise flexed his hands, feeling out is new body.

"I feel great! I can literally feel the power thrumming beneath my skin. I can honestly say that I feel as though I've been in this body my whole life. Ophis and Great Red did some really great work with this one." Ise replied as he continued to take in the sensations of his body.

Not much changed in terms of his overall physique. His solid, compressed muscles were still on full display and his height didn't change. His hair, though, was a bit longer, reaching just past his shoulders, and was also a little lighter in colour being more hazel in colour compared to the darker brown that it used to be. His cheek bones were a lot higher and more pronounced, giving him a bit of a noble face but other than that he was pretty much the same. It was spiritually and magically that he felt the most changes. He could feel his reserves of power had shot up exponentially. He could estimate that he was at least at the level of a High-Class devil in terms of demonic power. It was a massive improvement from the meagre reserves of power that he had boasted a few months ago. He was looking forward to what other secrets this new body held.

They had already used Ise's potent fire magic to burn the remainder of his old body. It was a strange moment for Ise to see himself burn to ashes. He would be lying if he said that it didn't make him uncomfortable.

[You were already an unpredictable person to begin with, but now with the added power of Ophis and the flesh of Great Red…your growth is something that not even I can predict]. Ddraig said. [That being said, there are downsides to your new body…one of them being that you are now even more vulnerable to [Dragon Slayers] due to your constitution. Light based magic will also do a bit more damage compared to before due to you increased devil traits. As it stands…it would be apt to call you a devil-dragon hybrid].

"Well…that kind of sucks…but I guess that there's always a downside to everything. I can live with those weaknesses though. I was already vulnerable to them in the first place and after taking poison from the [Ultimate Dragon Slayer]…I think I might be able to handle a regular [Dragon Slayer]." Ise pondered out loud. "Devil-dragon hybrid huh? So I'm a demonic dragon? Nah…Diablos Dragon sounds a lot cooler."

[Hmph, it's certainly much better than Oppai Dragon]. Ddraig snorted derisively.

"Hahaha…don't be such a downer, Ddraig. I kind of like the Oppai Dragon persona. It's like natto…a bit off putting at first…but it eventually it grows on you." Ise replied with a hearty laugh. "So what's the deal with the big guy? He hasn't really said anything to me…did he give you a reason as to why he decided to help me?"

[It's Great Red…so most of the things he does are on a whim. Who knows? Maybe you caught his interest or something…I honestly don't know and I can't tell you for sure. He's normally a pretty mellow guy. As long as you don't look at him funny he's happy to swim around the dimensional gap all the time]. He replied. Ise felt a bead of sweat going down his face as he heard that.

"So, in a nutshell…he's like a dragon version of a delinquent motorcyclist…except with the power to destroy the world…" Ise said with a disbelieving voice. Even Ddraig hung his head a little at hearing the description.

[Basically].

"Is the world really going to be okay?" Ise asked with a dead-pan look on his face. "All the powerful guys in the world have some serious personality issues. I thought I was bad, but compared to most of them I'm like the poster child of sanity." Now it was Ddraig's turn to dead-pan at his partner. Ise was the furthest thing from sane. He was just as crazy as the rest. "It's a wonder that the world is still in one piece."

As they both lapsed into silence…a sound could be heard in the silence of the Dimensional Gap. It was the sound of chanting…no it was the sound of singing. It was the voice of children singing. Ise recognised the song immediately. It was the Oppai Dragon theme song. Images started projecting in front of him of the children of the Underworld calling out to him with happy smiles on their faces. He remembered the dream he had where he told them that if they ever needed help that they should sing the Oppai Dragon song and he would come to save them. It looks like it was time to keep that promise.

[Great Red is saying that he is reflecting the feelings of all the children in the Underworld here]. Ddraig explained. [Great-Red represents dreams….. The dream one has. The dream one saw. The dream one imagined. He is showing it to us. Come to think of it…it's possible that your strong desire to return home was what made Great Red appear by responding to your dream].

Ise just nodded his head, too busy basking in the feelings of positivity and hope that he could feel radiating from these innocent little children. It was an amazing moment for him…to hear them call out to him in such a way. A few months ago, he was getting beaten up by the girls Kendo club in for peeping…and now, he's in the dimensional gap with the two most powerful beings in the world on the way to the Underworld where the majority of the children are calling out to him to save them. It was a euphoric feeling.

"It's amazing…for them to be singing for me…it's hard to believe this is happening."

[It's strange…The song that I detested so much…Now, it feels strong to me…Kukuku…Looks like I'm seriously breaking down now…]. Ddraig stated despondently.

"Hahaha! Let it be Ddraig. This song is something which is very warm and comforting right now. It's a song of hope and happiness. I think it's a good thing." Ise said, before looking to his side where Ophis was blankly staring at him. "Ophis-chan, are you ready to go home?"

"Home? I have, no such place." She answered.

"Fufufu…don't be silly. You are my kawaii imouto…my home is your home. You can live with me as long as you want. That's what families are like." He responded. Upon hearing that, Ophis displays the first blatant sing of emotion he had seen thus far. Her eyes widened in surprise before a dazzling smile graced her face.

"I, am Onii-sama's family. I, shall go together with you." She replied before Ise scooped her up into a warm embrace, no longer able to refrain himself as her cuteness was just too deadly.

As Ise finally put her down, dusting any dirt off of her, they broke through the Dimensional Gap and were greeted with the purple skies of the Underworld. There were skill quite a few of the monsters milling about and the largest one was right in front of them, being held at bay by the Lucifer peerage. He spotted Grayfia-san flying about, delivering some devastating hammer blows to the creature all while looking like a badass warrior queen. He made a note to never get on her bad side.

"Ophis-chan, I need to go take care of something real quick. I'll be back in a minute so sit tight okay." Ise said, getting a nod from Ophis before he vanished in a blur of black. He zipped through the skies and finally spotted his target. He let a fond smile come across his face as he gazed at his comrades. Even though he's been a little icy to them these last few weeks…he still cares a great deal for them. As such, he can safely say that he missed them a bit. They say that absence makes that heart grow fonder and his certainly did. Coming so close to death made him realise that holding on to such grudges would be pointless. He made a vow to try and be more accommodating to them in the future. He also spotted the Sitri peerage down there as well as Sairaorg. That guy looked as magnificent as ever. He eyes finally fell upon the visage of his beautiful manager. He smiled at the defiant look in her eyes as she glared at the enemy. She really was too good to be true. Ise decided that he would do something for her when this is all said and done to show his appreciation for her as well as make up for any stress that he may have caused her with his 'death'.

He put those thoughts out of his mind though as he got his game face on and focused on Jeanne, who was holding one of his little fans hostage.

Before she knew what happened, Jeanne's pretty face was introduced to the bottom of a size 11 boot courtesy of Ise delivering a perfectly executed helicopter kick, sending her flying in the opposite direction as he scooped up the boy in his arms as he used his momentum to go skidding backwards with one hand on the ground and his head down as he tried to control him movement. He came to a stop opposite the devil group and Jeanne, who was slowly picking herself up out of the rubble.

As he lifted his head up, the brown hair that was covering his face fell away, revealing his piercing green eyes and handsome face, as he gave a roguish grin at his shocked audience.

"Yo…Sorry I'm late."

"""Ise-sama/Ise/Ise-kun/Ise-senpai/Ise-san/Hyoudou Ise!"""

His friends shouted upon seeing him. He was in his regular outfit of black leather pants with three red straps on his right thigh along with black leather boots. He wore a plain white button-up shirt that was left untucked with the top button left undone showing off his tantalising neckline as well as his dragon fang necklace. He wore a knee length black leather jacket over it that had a thick covering of white fur around the collar.

"Oppai Dragon!" The little boy in his arms cheered as he gazed upon his hero. Ise gave him a smile in return.

"Hey there little guy. That was mighty brave of you. Good job. I'll take it from here though." Ise said with a ruffle of his hair. He vanished from his spot, the boy in his arms, before they both appeared next to Sairaorg. "Hey Sairaorg, do me a favour and keep an eye on the little tyke will you. There's a few things I need to take care of."

"Hahaha…Hyoudou Ise…you never cease to amaze me. Sure, I'll watch the boy." He replied. Ise gave him a thumbs up before vanishing once again.

This time, he appeared before Jeanne with his fist cocked back, he concentrated his Busoshoku Haki in his fist, holding just a little back as to not kill her, before unleashing a devastating falcon punch to her mid-section. She was sent flying through two buildings before her broken body came to a stop. She was out cold and bleeding. A few of her bones were jutting out at odd angles as the concussive force of the punch as well as the journey through concrete took its toll on her body.

"Xenovia, Irina. Go collect her and bring her to Asia for healing. Make sure to slap some magic supressing bracelets on her and ensure she stays unconscious. She will tell us a lot about her organisation when this is over." He ordered, getting no hesitation from either of the two mentioned as they both gave him a comical salute before taking off.

Once they got to work, Ise took off once again, only this time heading back towards Great Red.

"I'm seeing things right? That's was Hyoudou who came here riding Great Red like a fucking steed…right?" Saji asked out loud, looking completely befuddled. His King just gave a tired sigh as she massaged her temples.

"It's best you not question it, Saji. When it comes to Ise-kun, the impossible rarely stays as such." Sona advised. Saji nodded dumbly…before catching onto the slip in her sentence where she referred to Ise in a casual and friendly manner, using his nickname. His eyes burned with anger and jealousy as he glared at the spot in the distance, vowing to beat the shit out of that bastard for making Sona-kaichou call him so familiarly.

The girls of the ORC were shedding tears at seeing Ise, well all except Rossweisse who just nodded her head in confirmation, having never believed that he had died in the first place. They were having a hard time processing their emotions at this point and simply settled for gazing at him happily as he went about doing what he did best.

Ravel had a beautiful smile on her face as she gazed at her future Master. She had absolutely no doubts about his safety. She knew he would never lose to such a lowly worm like Shalba Beelzebub. All she could do up to this point was wait for his return as she rallied his friends. And once again, he proved her faith in her to be absolutely worth it.

Ise reappeared atop Great Red, right next to Ophis. He saw that the Lucifer Peerage was still having a bit of an issue with the largest monster, who had stopped moving and was staring straight at the large red dragon.

"Oi, Ddraig? What's going on here?" He asked his partner.

[Haaa….well Great Red said, and I quote, 'I don't like that monster because it glared at me']. Ddraig replied with a dead-pan look on his face at the absurdity of the Apocalypse Dragon. Ise sweat-dropped at this, feeling a bit sorry for the monster who managed to garner the wrath of the Sekiryuushinntei for simply glaring at him. This solidified Ise's opinion of Great Red as a delinquent high schooler. It made him wonder if this really was a peaceful dragon. [Anyway, Partner. Great-Red is saying it will lend its powers, so let's defeat that monster].

"Lend me his powers? How?" Ise asked incredulously.

"It is okay. Onii-sama and Great-Red should 'combine'. Onii-sama's current body, it is kind of the same as the True-Dragon. You can combine." Ophis supplemented, sounding like it was a completely normal occurrence.

"Oooi, Ddraig! What is my cute little Ophis-chan talking about?" Ise asked nervously before Great Red's body started emitting a red aura that blanketed the entire area. Ise's body started emitting the same kind of aura as they started to resonate with each other.

Ise blacked out for a few seconds before he finally came to. The first thing he spotted was the monster that was in front of him before, only this time it wasn't a hulking monstrosity…it was at eye level with him…which made zero sense at all.

[Did you regain consciousness, Partner?]. Ddraig asked.

'Err…Yeah, I have. But why does that crazy looking monster look smaller than before?' He asked in response

[It isn't any smaller than before…you just became a hell of a lot bigger]. At hearing Ddraig response, Ise looked around and realised that everything became micro-sized. Not only that, but he was now covered in his [Balance Breaker] armour as well. He could see the tiny figures of the Lucifer peerage flitting about as well as the once towering skyscrapers of the Underworld barely reaching his knees. He felt like he was in Lego Land. [It seems that you finally understand it. Great Red said that he will lend his power to you right? This is what he meant. Great Red made you into his size, just like Ophis said, by combining. And thus you became a super gigantic mecha…congratulations]. Ddraig said dryly.

'Fuck you, Ddraig! Stop deriving some sick amusement from my suffering. Why the hell is he even doing this? Couldn't he just have roared and blew that abomination away?'

[Well, he said that this isn't really his battle to win. Plus, apparently it's a lot cooler to be a giant mecha as he's always wanted to see one in action].

'I can feel a migraine coming on. Let's just get this over with before this crazy bastard gets me into an even more outrageous situation.'

[The good news is that there is a finishing move for you to use according to Great Red].

'Great!'

[The bad news is that it would destroy the entire area if you use it as its destructive power is insane].

'Fuck!'

[We have to use it though, there's no other way].

Ise nodded before walking (read: stomping) a little closer and waving over Grayfia.

"Nee-san! Can you hear me? It's me, Ise." He called out.

"Ise-san? That gigantic Sekiryuutei is really you then? I'm glad you are safe." She said with a relieved tone and expression on her beautiful face.

"Hahaha…yeah. A lot of things happened but I'm back. Thanks for your concern." He replied.

"Fufufu…it's no problem. What is with this gigantic form though?" She questioned

"Nee-san, there isn't much time so I will explain about this form afterwards. There's something I need your help with. I have a way to defeat that monster but I need your cooperation." He stated. Grayfia's face took on a stern look as his words that truly made her look like a warrior queen. Ise felt his face heat up as he cursed Sirzechs for being such a lucky bastard for bagging such an outrageously beautiful woman as his wife.

"Let me hear it. What should I…No…What should we do?" She replied

"Okay. I need you to get that monster up into the air. If you can do that, I can release a special attack." He responded. Grayfia smiled at his request which isn't even much a proper plan.

"I see. It's a plan that is very easy to understand. More than that, your 'special' attack sounds very heartening. Let's do it. If I can't do at least that, then how can I call myself the 'Queen' of the Lucifer group?!" She declared as she flew off, giving out orders to the rest of the peerage.

They went to work slowly wearing the monster down with powerful attacks before one of the members lopped off its leg, which slowly started regenerating, but it was enough. A large magic circle appeared beneath the monster which started glowing brightly.

"We will take it up now Ise-san!" Grayfia shouts as the monster is launched up by the impact from the magic-circle, blasting him up straight into the sky.

"Alright Ddraig, Let's do this!" He said.

[You got it!]. Ddraig responds immediately as the chest portion of the [Boosted Gear Scale-Mail] slides open allowing a large cannon to push out. [Longinus Smasher. This is a taboo power which you are not supposed to attain outside of the Juggernaut Drive].

Ise remembered the last time he used this move and got a little chill at the destruction he caused. The cannon started vibrating silently as a massive red aura gathered at the tip. As the monster turned its attention to the cannon upon its descent, Ise let loose.

"[LONGINUS SMASHER!]"

A thick red aura burst forth from the cannon, completely enveloping the monster before detonating in a colossal explosion that literally shook the Underworld. As the smoke cleared away, not a single trace of the monster remained. It was completely vaporised.

Ise's body was once again surrounded by a red aura before his perception changed once again as everything was back to scale. His armour was gone and he was back in his base form. He looks around and finally turns his eyes to Great Red, who was high up in the sky, staring straight at him. The two stared in silence for a moment before Ise gave him a smirk and a thumbs up.

"Thanks for all your help big guy!" He says.

The sky behind Great Red started opening up, showing the Dimensional Gap, as he opened his mouth and spoke to Ise for the first time.

Zoom Zoom Iyaaan

The smile on Ise's face froze as he heard those words from the Ultimate existence.

Zoom Zoom Iyaaan.Zoom Zoom Iyaaan

Great Red kept singing as he entered the Dimensional Gap. As the portal finally closed, the smile fell off Ise's face as he had a hollow look in his eyes.

"Neh? Ddraig? What the fuck just happened?"

[I didn't hear it. Boku didn't hear anything -moun]. Ddraig replied in a childish voice.

"Oooi! Ddraig! Stop trying to run away from reality!" Ise protested.

"Zoom Zoom Iyaaan." Ophis says with a cute tilt of her head as she appears next to Ise. He froze for a moment before scooping her up into a large hug as he nuzzled her cheek with his own.

"Kawaii! It's so much better when you say it, Ophis-chan! You are definitely better than that useless delinquent dragon, Great Red." Ise declared, causing a satisfied gleam to appear in Ophis's eyes at hearing his praise ahead of her rival.

After pampering her for a bit more, he scooped her up and placed her on his back before releasing his large dragon wings and taking off towards where his friends were. Ophis tightened her grip around his neck as she snuggled into his back as he soared through the sky.

"Comfortable." She murmured, getting a smile from Ise.

His sharp eyes spotted his friends as he neared their destination once again, happy to see that they were still unharmed. He noticed that Gasper was unconscious and wondered what that was about. As he finally touched down, he took on their expressions once more. A few of them were still in a state of shock while others were looking at him with tears in their eyes. He just shook his head fondly at them.

"I'm glad to see you all again." He said with a soft smile, which released the flood gates as he was tackled by Rias, Akeno, Asia, Xenovia, Irina and Koneko. It was quite the dog pile, luckily he was sturdy enough to stay on his feet, but he didn't protest as he let them get it out of their systems as they cried. It must have been quite a harrowing experience for them these past few days and he wouldn't begrudge them this moment. He simply returned their affectionate gesture with a fond smile on his face.

While they were caught up in their emotions, he turned his head to the others.

"Rossweisse, it good to see you again as well. I see your training paid off. Your aura feels a lot more potent than it was before." Ise complimented the white haired beauty.

"I'm glad to see that the rumours of your death were greatly exaggerated as well. It's good to have you back, Ise-kun." She replied with a smile. She would never say it out loud, but she had a bit of a soft spot for the lovable pervert.

"Yo Pretty Boy." Said Ise as he gave a cheeky look to Yuuto who just smiled in fond exasperation.

"Ise-kun, you really are something else." Replied the blonde [Knight].

"Sairaorg, always a pleasure to see you." Ise tipped his head to his rival.

"Hyoudou Ise. Wonders never cease to amaze me." Sairaorg replied with a cheeky smile.

"Hahaha, what can I say?" He responded with a shrug before his eyes turned to the next person. "Sona, Saji as well. You guys look to be in good condition."

Sona simply pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose before replying.

"I know you well enough to know that you wouldn't let something like this keep you down forever. So I guess I should just say, Welcome back."

Ise gave her a smile and a nod in response as Saji gave him a murderous glare for being so intimately familiar with his crush.

Ise's gaze turned to the final, and most important person there. His green eyes locked onto the dark blue of his manager. Nothing needed to be said between them as their eyes conveyed all that they needed to. He could see the trust and the confidence she had in his return and she could see the happiness and the relief that he was finally back where he belongs. They both exchanged genuine smiles as they said the only appropriate words that came to mind.

"I'm home." Ise said.

"Welcome home." Ravel replied warmly.

After a while, the girls disengaged him and worked to clean up the tears from their faces. Ise took the time to ask something that was bothering him.

"Sooo…what's up with Gya-suke?" He asked as he pointed to the unconscious cross-dresser.

"Err…he exhausted himself while taking out Georg." Rias replied nervously. Ise let out an impressed whistle at hearing his kouhai defeated the second in command of the Hero Faction. He could tell that there was more to the story but decided that this wasn't the time for it.

"The power to attract the strong, it truly is a scary thing if it can come this far. I came here to look at the monster that was going to destroy the capital city Lilith, but I never thought you would appear alongside Great Red, Hyoudou Ise" A voice said as they all turned to look at the leader of the Hero Faction, Cao Cao. He was casually walking to them, resting his spear on his shoulder.

"Oh ho? If it isn't my old friend, Cao Cao. How've you been doing buddy?" Ise asked in a condescending tone of voice, causing Cao Cao's eyebrow to twitch slightly…breaking his normally composed appearance.

"You are as unpleasant as ever, Sekiryuutei." He replied, getting a shit-eating grin from Ise in response. "But still…to come back after experiencing the poison of Samael. Your ability to survive is truly astounding. You are like a cockroach that refuses to die."

"What can I say? I'm not as intimately familiar with Death as you are, if you catch my drift." Ise teased with a mocking look in his eyes as he gestured with his eyebrows, referencing the homosexual relationship between Cao Cao and Hades that he implied that existed the last time that they met. Cao Cao's eyebrows were twitching even more violently as compared to before causing Ise's grin to widen.

Cao Cao had wanted to say more concerning Ise's ability to survive and the luck he seems to have had to meet Great Red, but the Sekiryuutei was doing his absolute best to get on the Chinese youth's nerves that all of his comments went out the window.

As the stare down between the two powerhouses intensified, a creepy aura started manifesting to the right of Cao Cao. The black aura started coalescing and taking shape as an ornamental black robe, a scythe and a clown mask.

Ise was familiar with this aura and this appearance. It was the Ultimate-Class Grim Reaper, Pluto. He involved himself in their affairs at the behest of his master, Hades, earlier. Ise, who was still pissed off at the skeleton-God glared dangerously at the Reaper.

It hasn't been that long since we last met everyone

Cao Cao sighs at the appearance of the Grim Reaper.

"Pluto, why are you here?" He asks. Apparently, the appearance of the Grim reaper wasn't in the cards for the wielder of the [True Longinus].

It's an order from Hades-sama. He told me to capture Ophis once she appears, no matter the cost

As he says this, his greedy eyes move to Ophis who is standing next to Ise. Upon hearing this and seeing his action, Ise's killing intent increases dramatically, so much so that most of those present are affected by the violent intentions of the Sekiryuutei. Ise vowed in his mind to crush the worthless piece of trash in front of him to dust for daring to lay his filthy eyes on Ophis. He was about to engage the Grim Reaper, when he felt a familiar aura. He smirked lightly, before relaxing his body, deciding to leave it to his rival.

"I will be your opponent…Ultimate-level Grim Reaper, Pluto." A magic circle appeared between the two parties as a handsome silver haired youth appeared from it. Vali Lucifer had a bloodthirsty grin on his face as he stared at the Grim Reaper upon declaring his challenge, already donning his [Scale Mail]. "Like I thought, you have returned, Hyoudou Issei." He commented as his eyes turned to Ise who smirked at him in return.

"I will take the lack of surprise in your voice as a compliment, Vali."

Vali smirks at Ise's reply before turning his attention to Pluto.

"I wanted to take out my anger from back in the artificial dimension on someone. I was having trouble deciding whether I should take it out on Hades or the Hero-faction, but I left Hades to Azazel, Bikou and the others. I was waiting for the Hero-faction to appear, but the Gremory group took them out. Then if this is the case, the only one I can take out my anger on is you, Pluto." Vali says with a stony look on his face, but Ise could see the underlying anger and frustration in his eyes. Pluto makes his stance at Vali after spinning his scythe.

I heared that you sent Fenrir to Hades-sama's place. I received the message just before coming here. The fang that is able to kill a god is truly a serious threat…We've truly received a terrifying assault

"We captured Fenrir for such occasions." Vali replied succinctly.

It's a dangerous thought, were you hoping to fight the Gods from each of the factions?

"If we don't have a negotiation 'tool' like that, we won't be able to take on God head on right?"

Very well. But for me to take you on, who is the true descendant of the Lucifer, and also someone who is the Hakuryuukou…I really don't know what will happen even though I've lived for such a long time. It feels like my soul will go even higher if I defeat you

An oppressive aura started emitting from Vali's armour as his power started pulsating. The aura was pure white and enveloped the entirety of his armour, along with the jewels which started flashing.

"I, the one to awaken. -Am the Hakuryuukou who will take the law down to the darkness."

[What we strengthen is the height of the heavenly-dragon!]

[The path we go is the road of the domination of the Hakuryuukou!]

[We stop the infinite and devour the dream!]

The voices were filled with neither the hatred nor malice that normally accompanied them. They were instead projecting pure fighting spirit.

"I walk the road of domination with infinite destruction and by piercing through the imaginary dream. I shall become a pure emperor of the dragon….."

[[[["I shall have you obey the silver-white illusions and the perfect evil-ways."]]]]

[Juggernaut Over Drive!]

As the light dissipates, Vali is seen covered in silver-white armour, and is emitting outrageous amounts of aura. His mere presence and overwhelming power was crushing his surroundings.

Ise realised, from the little information that was presented to him, that this guy subjugated the past possessors of the [Divine Dividing] as opposed to his own method of coming to an understanding with them. Even though he didn't agree with the method, he came to appreciate the sheer resilience of his rival. His blood started boiling in excitement at the thought of fighting him.

"[Empireo Juggernaut Over Drive]. It is similar, but different to [Juggernaut Drive]. An enhanced form which only I can use. You shall taste this strength with your own body!" Vali declares while pointing at Pluto, who goes slashing towards Vali an impressive speeds, leaving after-images in his wake. Vali didn't move from his spot and allowed Pluto to come to him. The next sound that was heard was the sounds of something breaking.

Wha!

Pluto looks on in shock at the scythe in his hands, now in pieces courtesy of Vali's fist. He didn't get much time to dwell on it though as he received an uppercut to the jaw from Vali, sending him flying into the air. Vali directed his right hand towards the airborne Pluto and closes his palm.

"Compress"

[Compression Divider!]

[Divide Divide Divide Divide Divide Divide Divide Divide Divide Divide Divide Divide!]

Pluto's body, which is still in the air starts to get compressed in length, then next by width. Then again by length and so on until his entire body is halved. The process doesn't stop though and is continuing without pause.

Something like this…..! Such power like this…!

Pluto screams in panic, unable to believe what is happening to him. Vali simply stares at him without mercy.

"Perish."

Pluto, whose body became so small that only those with the sharpest eyesight could pick him out, screamed out as he was erased completely from existence. There was no glorious battle or fanfare as the life of the most powerful Grim Reaper was snuffed out without mercy.

Vali allowed his armour to dissipate as he took heavy breaths, clearly having a lot taken out of him from using his new form. But the form was extremely dangerous if the way he erased Pluto instantly was anything to go by. Ise was deeply impressed. The others were speechless in the face of Vali's overwhelming power.

"The Two Heavenly Dragons are truly terrifying." Sairaorg say with an eager smile on his face.

"Vali. I was right to not allow you to use [Juggernaut Drive] back in the artificial dimension." Cao Cao says with a perturbed expression as he stares at Vali.

"The [Juggernaut Drive] excels in terms of destruction, but it comes with danger to your life and the risk of going out of control. The form I just showed you minimized that as much as possible. But what's different from [Juggernaut Drive] is that it can be strengthened even more. Cao Cao, your greatest failure is that you didn't kill me when you had a chance." Vali declared, getting a sour look from Cao Cao. The expression is quickly wiped off his face though as he gazes across the rest of the devils.

"So what should we do now? Will the one who will play with me be, Hyoudou Issei? Or Vali? Or Sairaorg Bael? Or will you come at me all at once? No…Taking on all of you will be impossible. It would be reckless if I take on three [Longinus] class [Sacred Gears]." Cao Cao states arrogantly. As Cao Cao is caught up in his own hubris, Vali makes his way towards Ise.

"His [Seven Treasures]…how many of them do you know?" Vali asks.

"Only one. The one which allows him to destroy weapons." Ise replies, regretting that he didn't allow Cao Cao more time to show off his ability during the last fight.

"He has one which seals women's abilities, one which transfers attacks, one which transfers his opponents, one which allows him to fly, the ability to create many doubles like Kiba Yuuto's [Blade Blacksmith] [Balance Breaker], and the last one focuses heavily on destruction" Vali advised, getting an appreciative nod from Ise, who had no problems taking on Cao Cao as he stepped forward.

"So my opponent will be the Sekiryuutei I see. And the others aren't moving knowing that." Cao Cao points out with a happy smile.

Without a word, seven orbs appear around Cao Cao and start rotating around his body. The silence of his [Balance Breaker] is quite unnerving to most, but Ise just grins in anticipation.

"Balance Break!"

[Welsh Dragon - Balance Breaker!]

A blood red aura surrounds his body as his armour manifests around him. When the light dies down, his sub-species [Balance Breaker] is on display for all to see (AN:/ again, for a visual…it is the dragon deification armour from volume 22 on page 145 minus the four wings and the blasters).

This was the first time anyone, besides Sairaorg, saw his new form up close and personal. They were all staring in awe at his new armour. Vali had a battle hungry look in his eyes as he stared at the new [Balance Breaker].

"It truly is an impressive sight and would be quite intimidating for a lesser opponent." Cao Cao comments as he shoots into the air.

"Hatsutei Ratana"

There was on orb beneath his feet so Ise assumed that this was his ability to fly. Without hesitation, he allowed his dragon wings (AN: / Red Dragon Archfiends wings from Yugi-Oh 5D's) out and took off after his opponent.

The two of them stare at one another from across the sky as the tension starts to rise. Ise is the one who takes the initiative as he releases an orb of emerald energy from the tip of his finger towards Cao Cao.

"Flash Cannon"

As the attack approaches Cao Cao, a spiral appears in front of him and sucks up the attack.

'This is the ability to transfer attacks.' Ise thought as a spiral appears beneath him. He uses his inhuman reflexes to dodges at the last second as the torrent of green energy spews out at him.

Seeing that a single attack wouldn't have much success, Ise decides to go with a multiple scattered attack.

"Higan!"

He says as both his hands mimic a gun and he shoots out small orbs of compressed fire at Cao Cao.

"Gahapatei Ratana!"

One of the orbs around Cao Cao appears in front of him as dozens of humanoid figures appear in the way of the attack, shielding him. Ise realised that this was his ability to duplicate himself, similar to Yuuto. They weren't very durable though as they were taken down with a single hit each.

Cao Cao vanishes after the attack is done and Ise had to have his Haki on overdrive to dodge the swipe of the holy spear that came at his head. It seems that Cao Cao can transport not only his opponents, but himself as well with one of his abilities. It was basically teleportation. Not a fun ability to fight against.

Ise lashed out with a spin kick as he dodged, which Cao Cao stopped with the body of his spear before he regained his posture and thrust the glowing tip at Ise.

Ise used one of his large wings and flapped it hard, sending him in the opposite direction quickly and avoiding the thrust. He then sends out a bullet of demonic power at Cao Cao, who once again absorbs it. But he didn't notice Ise charging in after the bullet and was therefore caught off guard when he saw an armoured red fist approach his face at high velocity. It was only a desperate application of his transportation ability prevented him from having his head taken off.

Ise was beginning to get a little annoyed at his opponent's ability. Due to the fact that all seven of the orbs looked exactly the same, it was impossible to anticipate which ability was being used.

Ise continued to attempt to engage him in a physical battle, but Cao Cao just used either his reflexes or his transportation ability to evade. Sometimes Cao Cao would use his [Medusa's Eye] ability to turn Ise's armour to stone, but Ise would just destroy those portions and reform them before carrying on. It was turning into a game of cat and mouse between the two. Ise knew that that longer this battle went on, the better it would be for him. Regardless of Cao Cao's abilities, in a battle of attrition, he would always lose against Ise who has a superior composition.

Ise knew that he couldn't take any chances though as he didn't want to allow Cao Cao the opportunity to use any of his trump cards.

Ise, after getting a little fed up at Cao Cao's dodging, decides to use a wide area attack to smoke him out.

[Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost!]

"Eat this." Ise said as the mouth portion of his armour opens up and he breaths out a colossal amount of fire that blankets a large portion of the sky that they were fighting in.

Cao Cao had no choice but to use his transportation ability to dodge, which Ise was counting on as he used his Kenbunshoku no Haki to anticipate the place he would appear. He silently detached [Ascalon] from his [Sacred Gear] and held it in the palm of his left hand as charged towards the anticipated destination.

Cao Cao had a look of surprise on his face as he was forced to block a sword strike as soon as he reappeared. He was forced on the defensive as Ise's powerful swings were not giving him any room to manoeuvre.

While his skill with a sword was nowhere near the levels of Yuuto, he was good enough to be above average and his superior strength and speed gave him an added edge.

Cao Cao, seeing that he was being boxed in, decided to be a little reckless.

"Parinaaya Ratana!"

An orb went flying to Ise from close range. Not expecting him to do something so rash, Ise was left unable to dodge the attack. He collected his aura towards his abdomen and strengthened his body with Busoshoku no Haki was he prepared to take the attack head on.

As the orb collided with his armour, there was a massive impact that took place. The sound of it rang through the air. The shockwave reverberated throughout Ise's body as he understood that this was the orb that focused on destructive power. He spit out a little blood but he wasn't in too bad of a condition. His defensive measures as well as his naturally sturdy body lessened that damage that was done. He could already feel his regeneration kicking in and healing whatever damage was done. The impact of the attack did send him flying back though, so there was a bit of a gap that opened up between the two of them.

Ise could see that Cao Cao was breathing a little heavier and his attention was off him. The attack clearly took a lot out of him and he expected to fatally wound Ise, which explains why he let his guard down. Seeing an opportunity, Ise took out a vial of black goop and poured some of it on the tip of [Ascalon] before putting the vial away before Cao Cao could notice.

When he finally looks up, a look of astonishment appears on his face.

"That ability is still incomplete as it overlaps with the ability to destroy weapons. It is also a bit unclear in its application. Regardless, it should have destroyed most of your body." Cao Cao say in befuddlement.

"Ha! I'm far sturdier that I look buddy. You're going to have to do far better that that to leave any scratches on me." Ise declared before he charges at Cao Cao.

Knowing that he is still a bit drained from executing his last attack, Cao Cao elects to block the oncoming sword strike from Ise instead of teleporting. Something that will cost him as Ise anticipated him doing that and was actually hoping for it.

As the [True Longinus] and [Ascalon] connected, the black viscous substance on the end of the holy sword bounced off from the impact and landed on Cao Cao's face. He shut his eyes for a moment, fearing being temporarily blinded, but he noticed that Ise disengaged him.

He was confused and attempted to wipe some of the substance off his eye before an unbelievable amount of pain wracked his body. He is forced to bend at the waist as he coughs out a large amount of blood. His screams could be heard from throughout the area as his insides are battered torturously.

"Wha?! What have you done to me?!" He wheezes out painfully.

"It's Samael's blood. The portion that Shalba used against me." Ise said emotionlessly. "I had Ophis extract it from my old body for me to use."

Cao Cao's eyes widened in shock and realisation.

"…My eye! My medusa's eye!" He shouts in fear. His eyes was already destroyed by the poison and was leaking a large amount of blood.

"Correct. Medusa was closely related to serpents, hence susceptible to [Samael's Curse]." Ise's verifies. "Isn't it ironic? The reason for your defeat and your largest weakness…it that you weren't completely human." Ise stated coldly.

Cao Cao starts to laugh pitifully at that, realising that in his pursuit for power, he had strayed from his most defining trait. It was a bitter pill to swallow for someone like him. He knew that his mostly human body would never be able to withstand the curse in the same way that Ise and Vali did.

"Then I will use [Truth Idea]." He declares painfully. "Spear…The true holy-spear which pierces through God. Suck the ambition of a king of domination sleeping within me, and pierce through the gap of blessing and destruction. You! Announce the will, and turn into a glow."

After his chant, the tip of the spear opens and a magnificent amount of light starts erupting from it. As it reaches a crescendo, the light eventually starts to die down and weaken. The light eventually disappears and shows the still open tip. Cao Cao looks on his shock, unable to believe what just happened.

"It's not…activating…?" He said confusedly. Ise raised an eyebrow at that. After a few seconds, an expression of realisation appears on Cao Cao's face. "I see. So that is your 'will'. So you have picked Sekiryuutei's dream over my ambition."

That was a shocking announcement from Cao Cao. Even Ise was having a hard time comprehending why such a thing happened.

"So you received the curse Cao Cao" Vali said as he came to a stop not too far from the two combatants.

"Hey Vali…Your rival is the best." Cao Cao said with a bloody smile on his face.

"I won't hand him over to you, Cao Cao." Vali said with a challenging smirk. "Why did the [Truth Idea] fail? You tried to use it just before right? I sensed it when I was coming towards this building."

"The [Truth Idea] is related to the 'will' of the God from the Bible. The will of the deceased God sucks the ambition of the holder of this spear, and by responding to how strong the opponent is, it creates many effects and miracles…That can be something with absolute power to destroy the opponent…or a blessing to the opponent to capture their hearts. But the answer the [Truth Idea] gave to Sekiryuutei is silence. This implies that the Sekiryuutei won this match, and this spear wants to see Hyoudou Issei's dream over mine…" Cao Cao explained.

Vali then smiles in amusement after hearing that.

"So that holy-spear chose Hyoudou Issei and not Cao Cao. That's why I told you remember? That you should have taken down me and Hyoudou Issei before we become out of control. And this is the result. An end which just seems dull. Like I thought, the person who has the right to defeat the Sekiryuutei is me." Cao Cao laughs bitterly at hearing Vali.

"I wanted to defeat him…" Cao Cao says feebly as he coughs out blood. Ise makes a disgusted face at hearing the words being traded by these two. They were speaking as though he was some popular girl that they each wanted a chance to date. It was making him sick.

"Yeah, that's right. I will be the one defeating Hyoudou Issei." Sairaorg says as he comes to the scene.

"My friend sure is very popular." Yuuto adds his comment

'Fuck, more dudes are here. Just what I need. This is a total fucking sausage fest. And they're all looking at me with such intensity. Ugh…It's making me want to puke. I need to fill up on [Oppai Power] soon to counterbalance the outrageous amount of testosterone I'm being exposed to.' Ise thought with disturbed look on his face.

A familiar mist suddenly surrounds Cao Cao before it disappears revealing Georg, whose body looks like it went through the grinder. He is missing one of his eyes and one of his arms. His left leg is an off black colour as well. He clearly looks like he's seen better days.

"Let's return, Cao Cao." Georg says brokenly, clearly fighting back some kind of trauma.

"Georg…" Cao Cao whispered.

"Cao Cao. We…have made many miscalculations, but we weren't entirely wrong. Except…" Georg says as he takes Cao Cao's hand and activates the transportation magic-circle. "We will be eliminated if we get involved with the Two Heavenly Dragons…Just like Shalba and the others…"

"You are right, Georg…" Cao Cao replies before they disappear in the magic circle.

Ise did nothing to stop them nor did any of the others. For one, the battle was already won. For another, and this was from Ise's perspective, Cao Cao was already a dead man. His vulnerable human body could never hope to fight off the poison of Samael. Ise could have easily killed him, but that would have given him an easy way out. Ise was still holding a grudge for what he did to Ophis and wanted him to suffer a slow, painful death with the very tool he sought to control the Ouroboros Dragon with. It was a cruel twist of irony for Cao Cao to face and Ise took pleasure in the agony that the arrogant hero was sure to be in at this moment. For now though, he had to deal with the aftermath of this little incursion of the Khaos Brigade on the Underworld.

Not long after that was done, Arthur showed up from a rip in space, informing his leader that they were done making a rampage in Hades' dimension. He also issued a challenge of a promise of a future fight to Yuuto, who clarified that he had defeated Siegfried. Vali and Arthur both left, but not before Vali stated his intent to finish their battle in the future. Sairaorg also left to collect his peerage and get started on repairing the Underworld.

[Partner that was a good fight. For you to also start fighting not just with your power but also with your brain…You have come a long way since you started and you are definitely worthy of being the Sekiryuutei]. Ddraig praises Ise, who looks at his left arm in confusion.

"What is it, all of a sudden?"

[No…You should be fine with this. It looks like I used too much power to revive your body. I will lose my consciousness very soon…Don't worry though…I will make sure you can use the [Boosted Gear] even without me…That's why I'm glad I was able to see a good fight…at the end…]. Ddraig says weakly. Ise looks at his gauntlet with a profound look of sadness at hearing that. [My partner…Ise. Thank you. It was a fun ride].

"Ddraig!" Ise shouts frantically at hearing his partner's voice being cut off. He was using all of the control exercises that Ddraig had taught him to stop himself from crying at losing his partner. Ddraig has been with him through so much and he didn't know if he could continue being the Sekiryuutei without him and his guidance. They had a strange relationship but it was one that Ise treasured which was why it was hard to accept not ever hearing Ddraig's voice ever again.

As he was contemplating these thoughts…he heard a sound that both pissed him off and made him want to laugh with joy.

[Gugoooooooooooooooo].

Ise realised what that sound was. It was a snore. More specifically, it was the sound of Ddraig snoring. The bastard was fast asleep.

"Ddraig is exhausted because he used his powers in the dimensional gap. He's sleeping." Ophis says as she gently touches his gauntlet, having silently snuck up on him. Ise looks at her with a smile of relief.

"Sleeping? That bastard made me think he was dying. I'm definitely going to get him back when he wakes up. Maybe by watching a season marathon of the Oppai Dragon show. That should be fitting punishment." Ise says with a creepy smile on his face. He smiles normally though, when he looks at Ophis. He gently pats her head, causing her to silently purr at his ministrations. "Are you ready to go home, Ophis-chan?" He asks with a warm smile.

Ophis looks at Ise, and for the second time, displays a large degree of outward emotion. She makes an adorable smiley face as her eyes light up in joy at him.

"Hai, Onii-sama."

There was no better response that Ise could have ever asked for. All was right again in his world. He couldn't wait to get back into the swing of things.

xxxxxxx

Author Note:

Damn, that's a long chapter. This was the longest chapter I have ever written for any story. It took me a while to get out due to the inspirational juices not fully flowing. Anyway, I didn't manage to finish it and this is the end of this arc. I will probably be moving onto an original arc next chapter where Ise picks up one or two of his future peerage members. I'm not sure when I'll get that chapter out but I eventually will at some time so be patient.

Regarding the events of this chapter…I wanted to show the feelings of the ORC, which I have neglected a bit these last few chapters and give them some spotlight. The rest of the background events happened almost the same as in the light novel i.e. the meeting with Ajuka, defeating Siegfried, Sirzechs and Azazel confronting Hades etc. So keep those in mind when you are reading.

I kept the way he defeated Cao Cao the same as the delicious irony of it was far too good to disregard. I initially had Ise kill him with his 'finisher' but decided against it and left him to suffer the poison instead.

The reason as to why I gave him Shalba's body is:

I realised that the poison would be far too potent for him now that he's undergone such extensive dragonification.

I needed to give him a way to remain a devil and get his peerage without going back to being Rias' [Pawn].

It's a bit cheesy, but I'm going to go with it. For those that read right, yes, he's not going to be Rias' [Pawn] any longer.

I found it kind of strange that she was able to reincarnate him the second time around in canon.

When he was first reincarnated, his specs were absolutely shitty so it wasn't hard for her. Azazel even said that in terms of pieces, Ddraig was 7.9 and Ise was 0.1.

But after his training with Tannin and attaining [Balance Breaker], his specs shot through the roof. He surpassed Rias then and there. He went on to defeat Diadora, Shalba, and Loki, kind of tied with Cao Cao and beat Sairaorg. If that wasn't enough, he received the flesh of Great Red as well as the power of Ophis…yet it still took only 8 [Pawn] pieces from Rias to reincarnate him.

HOW?!

He was clearly stronger than her and his base specs weren't '0.1' any longer. The mutation pieces were meant to contain the Triaina and the Tue Queen…so I refuse to believe that they compensated for his additional power. The concept of mutation pieces were pretty vague as well were never fully explained in terms of their real capacity. Could they really reincarnate someone so vastly superior to the [King]?

At that point, Ise was at the same level as the likes of Vali and Sairaorg…and I refuse to believe that Rias could have reincarnated them.

If someone can please give me a logical explanation as to how this happened in canon…it will be greatly appreciated.

If you are wondering about Ise's power level now, in terms of his base level…I would put him on par with Vali…both are somewhere just a few notches below Grayfia.

Anyway, like I said, I'll try to create a new mini arc next chapter to start building his peerage. If you have seen the list in the last few chapters, feel free to send me a PM for any scenarios that you can think of to introduce them.

For those that forgot, here's the list…

Future Peerage:

King: Hyoudou Ise

Queen: Hildegarde (Beelzebub)

Knight 1: Jeanne d'Arc – There wasn't a clear description of her given in the novels but whenever I picture her in my mind I think of Yukinokouji Nobara from Inu x Boku SS

Knight 2: Mikazuchi Kagura (She has abilities that can be realistically transferred to the DxD universe. Expert swordsmanship + [Gravity Jail] sacred gear. Archenemy can be a demonic sword.)

Bishop 1: Ravel Phenex

Bishop 2: Akitsu (From Sekirei. She's another one of my favourite characters. She will be a yuki-onna here, which will account for her ice powers…plus she's got ridiculously huge oppai so she already fits in DxD)

Rook 1: Rossweisse

Rook 2: Senju Tsunade (Shinto clan similar to the Himejima's. Strong hand to hand combat with her usual style strength using magic instead of chakra + Twilight Healing. Plus…you have to have a MILF in the harem) – Mutation piece

Pawn 1: Yoruichi (Nekoshou like Kuroka) – 6 pieces.

Pawn 2: Matsu (Sekirei – Human with a technology type [Sacred Gear] – plus she's a bigger pervert than Ise is with huge oppai.)

Anyway, I'm not sure when I'll update this story next, but don't fret…I will eventually. Thank you all for taking the time to read this and your reviews are much appreciated.

Until the next time…Lionheart021 out!