Disclaimer: See 1st Chapter. If you recognize an anime reference keep in mind I don't own it.

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Juggernaut Drive Incantation"

('Albion, mental')

(Albion Speaking)

[Ddraig Speaking]

{Vritra Speaking}

Just a reminder that this is a DxD story that is also rated M. It wouldn't be DxD otherwise. You have been warned.

Beta: Shad0wReaper133

Final Word Count: 7,783

The reason why this update took so long, even with a shorter word count? Too many damn perspectives to write. Tried doing only one, but that doesn't give the full picture and that's a disservice to you guys. Thankfully, there's not much left in the arc and then it'll be over for a while.

Shout out to SeerKing and DTMSentinal for keeping me sufficiently motivated and encouraged to stick to writing, even with a real-life final boss standing in the way.

Chapter 26: No Patience or Respect

Issei smacked one final magician into a row of lockers then paused. Finally out of opponents, he took a breather, not to rest but to think.

Each woman was physically identical, their skills, levels of power, all identical. Someone was being cloned or someone had an ability to duplicate herself. Either way, he found himself… disappointed.

"All this for a desperate fight that won't work out or amount to anything," he thought aloud. "So why?"

"Well, that's the million-dollar question." Issei looked down the darkened hall, where Vali stepped forward. His ScaleMail wasn't active, but the red gauntlet on his left arm was still present; the green jewel glowing furiously. "Or I suppose it's Yen in this country. Either way, I wouldn't call the other descendants of the Maou to be entirely logical."

Issei blinked. "What are you doing? Betraying us?"

Vali paused then laughed. "You're smarter than I gave you credit for. No one else suspects, and then you get it on the first try."

"Then I'll ask again," Issei pushed himself off the wall he leaned against, his light wings expanding. "Why?"

"Do I need a reason other than I wanted a good fight?"

"That's not a good reason."

"Maybe by your standards, but I disagree," Vali raised his gauntlet. "You are aware of our dragons and their history? Peace can be achieved, enforced even between the Three Factions, but the Dragon Emperors are destined to keep fighting."

"Destiny has nothing to do with it." Issei jerked a thumb back towards his Gear. "This guy says that yours habitually seeks out combat, fanatically so."

"That's a difference of perspective. Ddraig believes Albion stole something which rightfully belonged to him."

The Light Wings glowed. (LIES!)

The Gauntlet shone. [THIEF, TRAITOR!]

(SHE WAS NEVER YOURS! DENY IT ALL YOU LIKE, IT CHANGES NOTHING!)

"And there they go," Vali shook his head as the two Heavenly Dragons began shouting and cursing at each other. "I really don't care about the why's of it all. I just care about the fighting."

"A she?" Issei asked. "Who and why?"

"A lover, concubine, bonded mate- oh, come now, I know about dragons and their customs. Kinda hard not to when you have one constantly whispering in your ear." Vali shrugged. "Heard you're something special, with having two. Maybe special is the wrong word though, the way I see it it's twice the chance for me to really hurt you."

Issei moved, pushing off with his left and a small explosion of his aura. He made no effort to hide the pure rage on his face, white scales forming around his eyes and brow.

Vali rushed forward to meet him, red gauntlet leading and with twelve devil wings carrying him further.

With a shout, their fists collided as they officially began the fight Vali had wanted all along.

"Ryuu. For him to be here, now of all times." Baraqiel murmured, a light spear crackling with electricity forming in his hand.

"Ryuu?" Gabriel asked, taken aback that the Cadre was on a name-basis with an Evil Dragon.

"Young Issei's father and sole surviving parent."

That knowledge visibly stunned the teens and humans in the room, though it did earn some nervousness from the leaders. "What shall we do?" Grayfia asked her King.

"We do what we can. Can you hold him off for a little while?"

She nodded solemnly.

"Then keep him occupied. Young Irina, I'll ask you to back her up if you find the chance."

"Kiba, Xenovia, can you act as escorts?" Michael softly requested.

Xenovia affirmed it. "I've worked with Irina before, I have no objections." Irina looked surprised at her former comrade's declaration.

"As do I," Kiba stepped forward.

"Good." Sirzechs turned back to the rest of the students. "Then I'll leave them to you, while I take on Cattleya."

The Maou dissolved into a blood-red mist and disappeared. For a moment, Irina seemed as if she would lose her nerve, but it was Xenovia who clapped a hand on her shoulder in encouragement. "We've got this."

"How?" Irina shivered. "How do we have this anywhere under control, and why should I work with you!"

If Xenovia was insulted, she didn't show it. "Well, take a leap of faith. Besides, if we mess this up then there won't be any peace, we'll be enemies again. Let's try and work together to save that, Irina!"

Irina looked at Xenovia as if seeing her in a new light but nodded quietly. "You both know this campus better, is there a way to get around him?"

"There is." Kiba said, pointing to the next building. "There's a tunnel under there, an old drainage part of the neighborhood the academy was built on."

"Then let's go!" Xenovia grabbed Irina's hand while waving Durandal with the other. "We can do this!"

Irina seemed quite unprepared for her former ally's new strength as a Devil as she was pulled along at speeds that turned her body near completely horizontal. Kiba kept up easily, to him it seemed that Irina had turned into a flag waving in the breeze as Xenovia ran along.

As they made their way into the next building, they came across several unconscious women. "Issei has been busy." Xenovia remarked to Kiba as they didn't stop.

"He's motivated, but if he finds that Ryuu is here, he may be in trouble." Kiba summoned an old favorite of his, the sword shaped like a tuning fork that he tapped along the basement wall. "It doesn't matter what anyone thinks, fighting family is incredibly difficult. If we can at the least drive Ryuu away, then we're set." He came to a stop. "Here."

The sword began to vibrate as he held it to the concrete. Xenovia set Irina down, Who glared at Kiba. "You don't think we can beat him?"

"You were the one shaking in your boots before." Xenovia said unhelpfully.

"The Dragon Kings are said to be on the level of a Maou. Evil Dragons are said to be stronger, and Lady Grayfia is strong but she's not a Maou. Otherwise she would be named Leviathan after the last time she duked it out with Lady Serafall." The wall he stood at crumbled. "With Ascalon, we have a chance to wound, maybe kill him. But if Issei is any indication, then his father won't be inclined to lose so easily."

The three sword beaters stepped into the tunnel. Kiba and Xenovia has devil's natural night vision, while Irina moved close behind. After running through for about a hundred meters, Kiba stopped. "And we should be under the science wing now," he lifted the tuning sword and drilled his way upwards. Xenovia grabbed Irina's shoulders to carry as the two devils flew upwards and into the empty classroom.

"Is it just me, or is it hot in here?" Irina asked, tugging at her collar.

"Now's not the time to joke." Xenovia frowned at her old friend.

Irina glared. "Not like that, I mean it's like someone left the oven on broil." She fanned herself with her left hand.

Kiba looked around and then dared to look outside the classroom. His eyes widened and he tucked his head back in, just in time as bright white flames filled the hallway. "Back! Move back!"

Kiba and Xenovia now began to feel the heat; they may not be immune to it but they were somewhat attuned to Issei's signature flames by now. But now they were more or less front row to the fight going on. Within the flames, two armored figures fought, grappling and hammering at each other incessantly.

"I thought those two were separated!" Irina unsheathed Ascalon from her belt. "Why are they fighting!?"

"They're the Dragon Emperors, what reason did they need?" Issei hooked his sword around a fire extinguisher and threw it into the mix. Somehow it didn't melt, instead, Issei snatched it from midair by the nozzle and whipped it into Vali's red helm, knocking him back a step. The champion of the Welsh Dragon recovered quickly.

[BOOST!]

A red gauntlet screeched forward as it was parried across white plate metal.

(DIVIDE!)

Issei reached forward and grabbed the gold horns on Vali's faceplate. Convenient handles, this was an opportunity he took advantage of. One yank and his knee met Vali's forehead…

...Only for Vali to grip that leg and twist as he jumped backwards, throwing Issei through a wall and further into the building.

Kiba, Xenovia and Irina stared agape, frozen by shock and awe at the exchange which had only lasted a handful of seconds before it left to continue elsewhere.

"That… that…"

The three of them had been there when Issei had suffered under Kokabiel's illusion. Back then, Issei had fought them, with nothing more than savage, animalistic rage, and as a group they had lost, and later he had fought Vali to a draw.

This time, that rage was amplified but this time Issei was in control.

None of his attacks they saw were mindless. None of them were haphazard, accidental.

These were focused, targeted.

Issei was furious, there was no doubt about it. He hadn't even registered their presence, save taking the impromptu bludgeon Kiba had given him.

"We need to keep moving." Kiba grabbed the free hands of the two girls. "We can't stop, we already have a job to do."

They kept moving, careful to avoid the trail of two rampaging dragons.

A red-clad fist blurred passed his face, Issei then threw his arms around Vali's neck and shoulder to throw him to the floor. Finally, some headway!

The booster on the back of his opponents ScaleMail activated, the intense heat beginning to scorch his own armor, but it held. For the moment.

Wrapping the tail of his armor around Vali's right arm, Issei constricted it causing the rounded pauldron to shriek and cracks to form. The shape of the armor blunted the effectiveness but it kept his other arm out of play for now.

With his weight holding down the left side, Issei lifted his own left arm above Vali's chestplate. Immediately he began hammering at the green jewel in the center, beating a staccato most similar to a jackhammer.

The damage was negligible. Of course, for dragons in reptilian form, the heavier scales and thicker armor would be on their chest and bellies. The ScaleMail armors would be the same. The weakest point would be…

Vali's own tail whipped up and over like a scorpion's; the hooked barb at the end stabbing the small of his back…

Ah, there it is. Damn, it stung.

Issei let go of his hold, twisting to get some distance between them as well as to take inventory of his own condition.

Vali's armor had been warped slightly from the heat of the white fire Issei had liberally used. The gem in his chest had cracked slightly, and claw marks from his talons wound around his arm. The worst injury seen was over the left gauntlet, five gouges where Issei had speared him with his fingertips and rendered the hand somewhat unresponsive just before the grapple.

Issei himself didn't feel all that good either. It was hard to tell whether or not Vali was bleeding, given the red and all, but he could definitely feel himself leaking a bit. The armor in his side had been punctured, the skin pierced beneath it. It wasn't a deep wound at all, but given his history of not being wounded after some point, it was uncomfortable.

On top of that, his back ached from that last tail shot, and the back of his right knee had taken damaged after Vali had pivoted and nearly kicked it out.

He was preparing at the same time. The wings for both their armors had been retracted for mobility indoors.

Vali spread his.

Issei's activated immediately.

Then they tore through the roof.

To start, they separated and began building the speed necessary for the usual dance between the champions.

Then, they sped towards another for a devastating impact. The one knocked back would run, to be chased by the other as they streaked across the sky.

That was the usual manner that combat was done in between the Heavenly Dragons, combining speed and power until strength failed and one dropped. No fancy styles, skills, or defenses. Simply force.

Force being simple mass and acceleration. Vali might be boosting his speed, but the Light Wings gave Issei a slight advantage in that department.

Vali rocked back from the impact and staggered slightly, losing altitude until he streaked off. Issei followed.

'He knows in terms of physical strength I've outmatched him. And that I'm faster than him in a chase like this. So to equalize…'

A massive magic circle bloomed right before Vali. The Red Champion swiveled in mid-air, landing upon it as if gravity had taken an indefinite leave.

[BOOST!]

(DIVIDE!)

Issei suddenly felt a sharp sense of fullness, bordering on bloated. Once he understood what happened, he mentally cursed. Vali had been drawing the fight out, Issei couldn't Divide any further with his own capacity maxed out.

Vali's power increase was different. And with Issei at max, his Boosts would be more effective as Divide no longer stole the doubled half.

[BOOST!]

The circle turned from green to an angry red. The symbols on its circumference redrawn. And Issei felt a surge of energy he identified all too well.

So that was how it was going to be. Issei stopped his chase. Too close to avoid or evade, he gathered as much aura as he could spare to form a crude shield before him.

Vali had previously alluded to being a devil of a Maou's bloodline. He had to know several forms of combat magic that went a lot further than making some things explode. But if Albion's warnings over time had any weight, then Vali's arm was that of a dragon. Just like Saji.

Dragons generate their own aura.

Vali was more or less a dragon now.

A dragon capable of using aura to power or mimic an unknown number of magic styles. Vali did seem the kind to devour whatever knowledge or skills that would hone his abilities after all.

[BOOST!]

"Bright Morningstar's Requiem!" Vali shouted and the circle expanded to a cylinder, much like the barrel of a gun.

If light had a physical form then it hammered into Issei's shield with the fury of an exploding star. It held, protecting him from the blast and heat directly but the impact still sent Issei backward to crash down to earth.

Issei felt like he was going to pass out. He blinked, trying to clear the stars and haziness from his vision. 'What… how…?'

('You simply have never had another opponent push you to this limit before.') Albion spoke with his mind, then aloud, as Vali landed.

(To think, you were hiding in the bloodline of the original Lucifer. How fitting for a snake and betrayer.)

[I could say the same to you, cowering in the soul of the weak and ignorant.]

'Albion, what does he mean by ignorant. What does it mean?'

(Ignore it for now, that attack weakened him as well.') It was true, just looking at the armor and the body language, Vali seemed just as exhausted as Issei felt. ('Just hold out a little while longer.')

'And wait for what?! Divine providence!?'

[Give up and die, Albion. I will not ask again.]

(You lost the right to demand anything of me long ago, least of all that.)

[And yet I command, die for me, along with your wielder! Vali Lucifer, kill him!]

Vali refocused from where he stood. Like Albion said, that last attack had drained him. He was swaying on his feet but rebalanced quickly.

"I want to fight, not to mindlessly slaughter," Vali retorted. "Give me a reason."

[I have told you all you need.]

"Interesting stories as they may be, I need a better one. This is my fight, not your time for revenge."

'They don't work well together, do they?'

('Count yourself fortunate. I told you Ddraig wishes for my suffering and defeat above all else and how he guides his wielders to that end. If Vali had sacrificed more than an arm, this could turn out poorly.')

Issei thought quietly. 'And if I did the same?'

There was a loud growl within his head. ('No.')

'Take my wings if you need to, but I won't lose to this guy! Not after he threatened them!'

('ABSOLUTELY NOT!')

Issei growled as he fell into another stance. (Divide.)

Maybe Vali and Ddraig weren't the only ones who were having trouble working together.

Cattleya Leviathan scoffed as she looked down upon the wreckage of a school courtyard. What a waste, an eyesore. To think that pure-blood Devils were willing to lower themselves to the level of filthy humans and assimilate their culture. Foolishness.

Oh, she and every Devil's mother knew about the Evil Piece system. And despite her disgust toward humans and outright disdain for their net worth, she grudgingly recognized that Ajuka Astaroth's invention would keep their kind's underlings from going extinct.

However, once she and her comrades were reinstated as Maou, then she would bring her fist down upon the system. Reincarnated devils would not be allowed to gain rank, and wholly indoctrinated and educated within the Underworld.

It was too late for those here of course. Aside from these usurping Maou, the Heavens, and Fallen factions, the little sisters and their Peerages were too ingrained with this world. Time to wipe the slate clean.

And with her new ally from the Khaos Brigade's ranks of supporters, she could do it easily.

"Ryuu, burn the school and all within it! I want~hurkkk!"

She was hit with a wave of killing intent that nearly sent her tumbling into the pools of flame below. She managed to catch herself on a tree branch, but the heat from the molten rock all but destroyed her royal dress.

"I, I do not… answer… to insects." The terrible lizard rumbled without once looking at her.

Internally, Cattleya was seething though she took care to keep it hidden. Creusery and Shalba had decided not to join her for this attack, not because they did not trust the Evil Dragon but because they had no control over him.

Ryuu had joined the Khaos Brigade's upper echelons roughly eight years prior. Like the few other Evil Dragons that had joined, he didn't want any radical change in politics or worldviews. He just wanted the world gone.

Perhaps joined was the wrong term. Using would be another. He wanted to use the Khaos Brigade to embody death and obliteration and bring it to as many as he could.

She grit her teeth. All she needed was for him to kill the Maou present. Evil Dragons were rare enough for reasons unknown to her, as a notably strong Evil Dragon he would rank somewhere in the top thirty beings, maybe top twenty. He was even stronger than Apophis and Aži Dahāka for crying out loud. Only Crom Cruach was stronger amongst them.

At that level, differences in the top rankings were miniscule. Combined with Serafall Sitri's ice element weakness against a fire drake's power, and that Sirzechs and Ajuka were among the last on the list of the top ten, she was sure she could deal a devastating blow with this raid.

The Evil Dragon had at least taken interest in the plan to attack this wretched corner of the world. She hoped that would do.

The lake of fire began cooling as Ryuu inhaled for another breath attack. She could see the heat rippling as the attack readied.

Without warning, an orb of red and black blasted Ryuu and caused him to take a step back.

One step. For a four-legged beast, one step did not mean much.

His dulled white scales were damaged though, chipped and blackened. Such was the power of the current Lucifer, even for such a paltry, glancing blow.

Before Ryuu could retaliate with another gout of his signature flame, he was bombarded with a continuous volley of light and ice from the building still intact. Ignoring the Maou for now, he lumbered forward.

"We didn't expect you to show up, Cattleya. I didn't think you'd be rude enough to appear without an invitation." Sirzechs floated in the air just before her. "And this is a formal occasion, for which you are remarkably underdressed."

Cattleya was reminded of her nudity. Damn robes, they were not nearly so durable as she! She didn't let the irritation show, calmly activating her wings to hover at the same height and seemingly unconcerned with her dress. "Whatever dress I wear, you'd be lucky enough to see it, Sirzechs Gremory. The whole Underworld should be so lucky to behold me, one of its rightful rulers."

"Funny, it sounds an awful lot like that Danish children's story." Sirzechs' smile didn't reach his eyes. "The Emperor's New Clothes, wasn't it?"

Cattleya screamed at his insult veiled in jest and threw her hands forward, globes of yellow energy flattening into circles that spun violently with her vitriol. "DAMN YOU!"

The blasts splashed against him harmlessly; it was either a testament to the difference in their strength or the quality of his tailors. Both only continued to enrage her.

If she hadn't given in to his taunting, she may have noticed that he was flying, but his wings were not present. His form was beginning to waver like a mirage. Red energy leaking from his eyes.

"Look, I've been having a wonderful time recently. My sister is no longer engaged to the worst sort of person, she's all but married to the best kind of idiot male who loves her back, my son got an A on his last math test and my parents are forcing my wife to take a vacation next week. So would you kindly…"

Sirzechs outline burned away to leave a roiling mass of red energy in the form of a man.

"Take your peons and fuck off to whatever hole you crawled out of!"

Normally, Grayfia would reprimand his language in her questionably violent fashion, to the point where politeness had become his real persona. But he genuinely disliked Cattleya and most of the other descendants of the original Maou. So, even if it broke character and his princely image, he would educate Cattleya on what exactly he thought of her little assassination plot.

How fitting for her to come to this academy only to promptly get schooled.

Cattleya grew desperate, hurling her spells and energy, sacrificing efficiency for whatever scrap of power she could draw upon to survive. It wasn't a question of winning anymore.

Sirzechs had abandoned the guise of normalcy which he wore, revealing himself as a being of living Destruction.

She'd miscalculated. Badly.

She gulped in one last breath of air and then redirected her focus to the other trump card she had brought. The snake she had swallowed, one created by Ophis.

She could feel it, the aura rushing through her! So this was the power of a dragon! Incredible!

Now she could forgive that brat for sullying herself with that half-breed. Actually, if she could manage it she'd take the demidrake for herself if she could.

Her yellow magic circles became enhanced with a purple insignia, the serpent eating its own tail. Ophis' mark.

And then the entire thing dissolved. She gaped, staring at where her glyphs had been before looking to her front where something had hit her.

From her stomach, there was an arm of red, within its grip was the purple snake, torn asunder in moments.

"You have my apologies, but only for my poor language," a voice whispered in her ear and in a tone of one mind-numbingly bored and obligingly reading a pre-written apology. "Honestly Cattleya, for you to take one of Ophis' snakes as a way to stand against me. To lean upon the power of others as a crutch. Have you no pride, no shame?"

The arm withdrew back through her stomach to its owner, leaving a ragged hole within her abdomen. She twitched, a cold feeling radiating from the newly-formed void as the ragged edges expanded to corrode her flesh.

"For someone who cried to the rooftops of her pride and right to her family name and holdings, I had hoped for better." As he willed flesh and clothes to regenerate over his true form, he let go of her arm and watched from his height as gravity and fire claimed what was left. "Maybe your conspirators will do better."

Cattleya Leviathan couldn't hear him anymore.

The Human World, Ravel had decided, was absolutely horrifying.

It had fashion and cute shoes but that came at a cost.

Stray Devils, Chaos Platoons or whatever they called themselves, and perverts.

Though she had thought that living with Raiser for a brother had inoculated to perverted antics, she hadn't before had them directed to herself till she came here.

Still, some things, some people made the stay worth it. After all, Kuoh was Issei's hometown. It had to have its upsides.

Though after today, she would deny meeting her father-in-l… Issei's father, meeting Issei's father to be one of those benefits.

"Here it comes!"

Gabriel, Michael, and Baraqiel were relying on their familiarity and coordination in combining their power to shield themselves and the rest of the group from the fire literally raining down upon them. It splashed, drew traces as it streamed down the shield or any solid surface, it was liquid fire.

Seriously, what kind of monster was this Ryuu?

Another roar of irritation and she was reminded.

To counter, Serafall and Grayfia were attacking between those deadly gouts as best they could with their own power of ice. Sadly, it wasn't very effective. The power of the average grown dragon was simply much higher than that of a high-class; compounded with an Evil Dragon's standing this was a poor match-up.

Then the remainder of those present, Griselda and the remainder of the Peerages were simply trying not to die.

While the nonhuman adults were faring better, the rest of them had no major resistance to the fluctuating heat and cold or even the light-based shield that defended them, to say nothing of the noise. Asia, Ruruko, and Momo had passed out from the heat difference, unable to cope. As a human, Griselda wasn't doing well, but she stayed conscious through sheer willpower, but could not contribute further.

The rest of Sona's Peerage was barely hanging on to consciousness as well, with the exception of Saji and Tsubaki. Tsubaki as a Queen and Saji with his own dragon. They were tending to their friends and mistress, Sona had her strengths but even as a high-class devil she was struggling.

The remaining Gremory team fared somewhat better. With Asia passed out, Gasper had gotten creative as the remaining Bishop. He had pulled some more cardboard boxes, choosing and unfolding one that must have been for a refrigerator. He dragged Asia inside to heal her with his magic, leaving the lid undone for courtesy and supervision but staying inside to deal with everything, including his own phobias.

Rias and Akeno were supporting the strongest female devils with their power, acting as pseudo-Bishops and offering as much defense as they could to the Ice Queens.

And Koneko, hefted a piece of rubble, cocked her arm back and held her other forward to aim. Sticking her tongue out in concentration, she hurled the lump of concrete skyward. "EI!"

It arced beautifully, passing through the shield; it was only one-way. The impromptu projectile reached its apex then fell only slightly... and hit Ryuu in the eye.

Another of Ryuu's ear-shattering bellows told them all exactly what he thought of that.

It wouldn't be enough, only a pinprick to the armored behemoth. The leaders needed reinforcements. The Dragon Emperors were gone with Tobio to secure the school, and Dulio had left on Michael's orders, to keep guard over the perimeter and make sure that the fighting did not spill into the surrounding neighborhood to keep the innocent citizens of Kuoh safe. And Azazel was busy.

"Come on, what did the Khaos Brigade pay ya? I'll double it!' Azazel's volley of light spears were met with a wall of purple flame. "I could even fix your Longinus, give your Holy flames an actual color that makes sense! What'd ya like, white, silver or gold?!"

"SHUT UP!" Walburga Black screamed. The Hexennacht mage pushed her hands forth to create five pillars of the weird purple flame, the pillars spiraling into a tornado-like effect with Azazel trapped inside.

Light spears shot out from the storm in all directions, forcing Ravel and her own opponent to take cover. Enough spears more or less embedded themselves, fixed in space around the whirlwind and dispelling it, revealing a slightly singed Azazel.

"The Khaos Brigade didn't hire me! Hexennacht is part of the Brigade! This is just us supporting the Old Satan Faction, and in return, they'll help us with our own goals!"

Azazel nodded sagely. "Ah, scratch my itch and I'll scratch yours. Funny, that works better without clothes." He looked at her figure appraisingly. "If we weren't fighting, I might hire you for that too. Actually, fighting makes for great foreplay, one of the best kinds!"

"You're disgusting!" Another beam of purple flame, neatly sidestepped.

"You've got the wrong idea. Wouldn't be for me, I don't need any help getting into the beds of lovely human women," Azazel scoffed dismissively. "But Vali needs all the help he can get."

Walburga looked at him like he had grown horns. "As if I'd ever fuck an idiot like him."

Azazel had hefted a light spear and nearly threw it but paused. "You're already acquainted? Didn't know he was using dating apps yet. What'd he do? Swipe left?"

More purple flames and screaming.

Ravel turned her focus back to her own opponent. A short blonde girl, roughly her own age. She was dressed in a witch's gown, complete with a staff and witch's hat.

They'd been trading spells ever since she had shown up with Walburga. She was good, using magic from schools of both Merlin and Solomon, making her own counters with structured magic difficult.

Fortunately, she had trained under a dragon. She was terrified, for herself and for Issei. She was also angry. Both at the attackers for endangering them, but also at Issei, for being an idiot and not coming back to defend her already. Not that she needed him to!

Even if this girl was more skilled in structured spellweaving, she had the upper hand in innate power. And her flames worked better in coordination with her emotion.

Ravel's orange flames acted upon her will and instinct. The other girl's eyes widened and she focused on the defensive as Ravel guided the flame over and around the magical shields the girl had prepared. She even went so far as to douse herself in cold water, adding a paltry defense if only to last a little longer.

Like it would matter! She was Ravel Phenex, a high-class devil and she would not be outdone by a human trying to play with fire!

Little birds made entirely of flame began pelting the mage from all directions. There was hardly any power in a single one, but it forced her to take each one seriously when they exploded upon contact.

The girl waved her staff, causing a blue arc to whip out and destroy the birds in its path. The wave continued, slapping through Ravel's hastily conjured shield and smacked her in the stomach. Ravel folded over from the impact.

She wasn't like her eldest brothers. She could heal like them, and she knew that instinctively she'd be fine so long as it wasn't light or holy magic in the attack, but immortality meant very little when right now it hurt so very bad.

Maybe she should ask Issei to train her in hand to hand, so she could at least learn to take a hit. All her training so far had been for offensive casting, she'd assumed she wouldn't need to worry about getting hurt.

As Ravel clutched her stomach, willing the dark bruises beneath her dress to go away, the other girl leaned against her staff, probably just as exhausted.

"Why can't…" the girl huffed for air. "Why can't you… just give up?"

"Because I don't want to let him down!" Ravel glared.

"Well, I don't want to disappoint lady Walburga!" The magician pushed off her staff, ready to go again. "She's believed in me, supported and protected me! Even when my own parents didn't, she was there! She deserves my... I mean, she deserves acknowledgment from everyone!" Her face was red but after this much time, it probably wasn't exertion.

"I don't care about all that! Lord Issei always treated me with respect, teaching me and protecting me as hard as he could! He stood up to my brother for what he believed in and I admire him most!" Ravel shouted back, then gasped. Her own cheeks were red. It wasn't exertion. It wasn't the heat either.

"WHY ARE YOU JUST LIKE ME!" Both petite blonds abandoned their use of magic and charged each other. Ravel took an elbow to the jaw but reached further and gave the other girl's hair a good yank. The girl screamed before clawing out, causing Ravel to shriek as she got scratched in the eye. Any injury or irritation quickly healed of course, but the Phenex princess retaliated in turn or tried to. The other blond brought her staff between them to block her.

It must have been a rather amusing sight for professional fighters, two young girls struggling to shove each other back using the same quarterstaff. Glaring at each other over the same twig the entire time.

"Ahem, if you're going to threaten me, my kin, and him then I, Ravel Phenex shall stand in your way!"

"Then I, Le Fay Pendragon, shall do all in my power to push you aside for Lady Walburga's sake! I~"

Ravel, in a manner most unladylike, raised one foot and kicked down. She normally wore flats, but given the formality of the event, she had gone with mid-height stilettos. With a grin of satisfaction, she watched as Le Fay flinched as the tip stabbed into her cloth slips.

Her grin was wiped out when Le Fay violently slammed her forehead into the bridge of Ravel's nose. Blood, tears (the normal kind, not the magical) dripped down as Ravel let go of the staff to clutch at her face.

Le Fay tackled her midsection, forcing her down and starting a useless confrontation of clawing, slapping, and hair pulling, as you may expect of fights between girls, but these two were genuinely trying to hurt the other.

Gasper stuck his head out of the box to peer over the lid. On one side, he saw two blonds brawling ineffectively. On the other hand, there was a monster of white and grey biting through the magical shield protecting them all. Behind, Azazel was trading magic and insults with a raving magician.

He pulled his head back down and continued to try to resuscitate Asia. He wasn't brave enough yet to interfere with any of those fights.

But if he had to choose, Gasper wasn't sure which he'd avoid: the behemoth or the catfight.

He was sensible like that.

Issei groaned and pushed himself from a wall. Vali did the same as he stepped out of the trophy cabinet.

It had been a mutual effort to relocate themselves to their respective places. Neither one was wearing their armor. Long since shattered from force and their concentration and reserves depleted from the ferocity of their continued bout.

Vali's wrist was definitely broken now, he was missing some teeth and there was a rather savage series of claw markets crossing his back which wept blood freely. He was swaying on his feet, loss of blood making him sluggish.

Issei hadn't been cut anymore since the Boosted Gear gauntlet had dispelled, the same with his wings. Vali might have the strength of a dragon, the arm, and flesh of one, but his hands weren't exactly claws. That said, the force of his blows were making themselves known.

His left knee was definitely fractured, he wasn't sure how much longer it would sustain his weight. Combined with the punctures previously sustained on his back and side, Vali had broken his right collar and what felt like a rib or two through sheer force. The effort was too much for his already damaged forearm, rendering it broken as it was now.

And the battleground?

Well, the main campus had seen better days. The student council office was on the side of the building still intact, but everything was a smoldering wreck of wood, concrete and slagged metal.

"Well, feel like giving up?" Issei managed to choke out, leaning right to take some weight off his bad leg.

"Heh, you kidding?" Vali swayed, leaning on a surviving pillar. "I'm just getting started."

The Red Dragon Emperor raised a hand to reveal a magic circle. From it, a red vial emerged with a familiar insignia.

"I'm not really a fan of using Phoenix Tears. It kinda takes away from having a fair fight, but as my rival, I'd say you're worth it. This fight's been the most fun I've ever had, so I want it to continue and win!"

Vali unstoppered the vial and let the liquid pour onto his injured arm. His injuries vanished and he breathed a little easier.

"That's... cheating." Issei raised his hands back up, all too aware of how his body protested as the broken collarbone shifted.

"You're my rival. B tradition I'm supposed to defeat you with anything and everything I have. But in the end, you're just a stepping stone for me to push off from in order to defeat him."

(Him?)

[The only person Vali truly hates.] Ddraig answered from the newly-reformed gauntlet. [That is what connects us, he helps me destroy you and your legacy, Albion, and I help him eradicate that man.]

(You're perfect for each other. Battle and death is your only calling, with no thought for peace or future.)

"Oh, I'll have a peaceful future." Vali smile was a sad facsimile as his armor reassembled and his faceplate closed. "Me and those few I care about. But to get it, I need to master Ddraig's power. So I'm gonna go through you both."

Time seemed to slow as Vali drew into his stance and charged, closing the gap between them. Issei had a perfect view with crystal clarity of what it looked like. What it felt like.

Embers floating in the breeze, smoke billowing from fires set by the both of them. How his muscles ached and tore, how badly he wanted to rest.

The imposing figure of the Sekiryuutei, the gems across his armor flashing green. He could faintly register the sound made, a voice calling as the power of his opponent doubled.

For a split second, he wondered what it would be like to die. For real, this time.

Albion sent back into the Sacred Gear system, imprisoned by the system.

Peace disturbed and made impossible. Or perhaps not, what real contribution did the two of them make to the talks?

Kiba and Gasper left, the only male friends he had. Gasper not as much, but just enough.

Xenovia, would she be upset? They didn't know each other too well to be sure.

Koneko would make a real face probably. Not her stoic one. She'd be sad, most likely incapable of hiding it.

Asia and Ravel would cry.

Akeno. Rias. The women he shared his body and soul with.

His mates.

His hearts.

What would become of them all, if he passed before they?

He didn't want to die. But as the situation was, what could he do?

('What indeed?')

'Albion. I'm not strong enough for this.'

('Are you so willing to lose faith in what you can really do?') Issei's confusion was obvious, easily felt. ('Vali may be of Lucifer's bloodline, but he's already equaled the original in strength at such a young age. It may be in part of his own sacrifice, but I believe it is because he is part human. And humans, after all, define potential. Particularly when striving for a purpose beyond themselves. So, my young wielder, what then are you truly capable of?')

('What is your goal?')

'What I want? I want to live, a life where I can hold my women and children in my arms without fear for their safety and wellbeing. A life, where I will no longer need to fear for the future. A life without that, that is worthless to me!'

Issei noted that time seemed to be moving even slower, Vali's thrown fist had slown to the pace of a snail. By now he had realized that he wasn't moving faster or anything, he just perceived time at a faster rate. He was moving to block, but it felt as though he were moving through a heavy fog.

('If that is the dream you stand for, then reach out and take it!')

Issei felt a crack within his own mind as if suddenly the walls of his own consciousness had been removed.

He could sense… everything. The wind, the warmth, the scents, the sensations were nearly overwhelming. As if someone had removed a hazy lens from his eyes he could see, really see! Vision already perfect now showed everything, visible or not.

Vali hadn't changed at all, but Issei could see shadows tinged blue within his form. It took a moment for him to realize that he was seeing demonic energy. It grew from his heart to spread throughout his body, matched with the red aura spilling from the incoming fist.

He remembered how his father had once told Baraqiel how he could see the Light flowing within him, easily identifying him and his level of threat. And now he could do the same?

Then his own hand came into view as he reflexively prepared to defend and he was amazed.

Power, so much of it! It was as if his arm was made of energy, no his entire being!

He then recalled something he believed, recited, foolishly unrealizing of his own truth. Aura wasn't simply the collection of one's power. It was an individual's available magical energy, physical strength, life force, emotions, willpower, even memories, and soul. The collective energy of a person's very existence and to his embarrassment, he now understood.

He'd barely scratched the surface.

Time sped up.

Vali's fist smacked into an open palm. Behind the red helm, the descendant of Lucifer widened his eyes as the various injuries of his opponent were going ignored. Not healed, simply ignored as trivialities.

"My turn."

The hand gripping his left tightened, locking him in place as a fist gathered renewed silver aura between them rather than the blue Albion's wielders normally would. Another [BOOST!] and the aura sustaining the crimson armor reinforced, but like before, when the situation had been reversed, it would not be enough.

They both knew it.

The Hakuryuukou grinned.

"Dragon Shot."

And Vali disappeared.

Issei staggered back from the recoil of his own blast, stunned by both the attack's power and the strength he still had left. And how he had gotten it.

'Albion. I want answers, right now. What did Ddraig mean about a woman, what lies did he mean, and where did I get this power? Why... What did you do...'

('There are many things I haven't told you, Issei. Some things are not mine to share, others are more difficult after millennia of keeping them to yourself.')

'Answer the damn question.'

('Do not demand answers from me, boy!')

Issei sighed, falling back against a short wall and sat upon the ashen ground.

'You do not trust me...'

Issei nearly regretted saying that when a wave of emotion overcame him. Uncertainty, apprehension, doubt.

Fear.

('You will always have my trust. You are not simply the strongest of my wielders, you are my favorite, my... I've said too much. But know, it is... difficult... for me to tell anyone of what Ddraig meant. Someday I may have the courage to tell you, but I must ask you to trust me for now. Love me, hate me at the end of this, but I have never lied to you and I never will.')

Issei didn't reply.

The Vanishing Dragon grunted softly in the dark echoes of Issei's mind. ('I have never lied to you and I never will.')

'That doesn't mean your truths won't hurt me if Ddraig is concerned.'

('Only he and two others you could name know of my secret. Some others too, though you'd neither know their names nor recognize them. And of all of them, only Ddraig is here with the intent to hurt you.')

As if to prove him wrong, the ground shook.

And again.

Issei pushed himself up, facing the direction he had just sent Vali.

He hadn't seen it, but he had sent Vali for some distance at a tremendous velocity. And then Vali collided with someone else, who then battered him aside with annoyance.

It wasn't enough to kill him, but Vali was more or less stunned and benched for now. Now, the great lizard attacking the leaders had lost interest in them and had stalked unopposed to the other side of the school. The leaders, either still in combat or exhausted from the ordeal could do nothing.

The ground shook again, and now Issei gasped as he caught the scent.

"No. Oh, God," Issei choked out, pain from the invocation ignored for the present, "please no..."

('WHY IS HE HERE!?')

An armored limb stomped down before him, connected to a dragon whose scales were dull, chipped and greyed. Maw stained a dark brown with dried blood, all of which Issei instinctively knew wasn't that of cattle but of human origin.

Eyes filled with madness, but behind the madness was a sickening glint of cruelty and glee.

"So, you did survive back then. And here we stand, where our hovel once stood."

The voice he was so familiar with, but in a tone which absolutely terrified him. Claws tore into the earth as the Volcanic Dragon flexed his foreleg in a testing manner.

"Well? Be a good son, and welcome your father home."

AN: Referencing all notable issues, in order of their appearance.

Another reason why I wasn't particularly thrilled about writing multiple perspectives meant that the focus is off Issei, something that doesn't help since this chapter is intended to set-up for the father/son reunion. If I brought the chapter up to 20-24k words, then it probably would feel more satisfying as I got it all in one go, but that's that and I wanted to give you guys something.

I had several issues and arguments for why I made things go the way they did, but that's a lot of words for something I can say simply now instead.

I picked a power rating system that applies with what I already have written and a small portion of what canon provides, but that diverges with a lot of what canon has. For reference, Serafall only beat one of 13 monsters created by a middle-schooler with a top tier Longinus. Then Fenrir, one of the top 10, gets tamed by Arthur on Vali's behalf to join his team.

See the problem?

DxD has far too many new enemies and constantly shifting victories and allegiances to use as a firm foundation for who's stronger than who or who'll win. So I made my own scale to justify how things could happen. Any other skills or occurrences seen I've done my best to either pull from canon or from abilities seen previously in my own work.

Now, for what many of you want to hear.

My opinion on DxD Hero so far:

Decent opening and ending so far. Xenovia in thong bikini bent over a car during of car wash is +10 waifu points.

DxD Born is pretty much retconned immediately after Diodora's death, this I like since it opens the stage for future seasons following the light novels. Story progresses well and seems to be exact from novels, so it won't go teh way of Born.

My problem?

The animation style. It feels that the character models are softer? More generic? I'm not sure how to put it in writing, but it feels to me that the trade-off for studio sacrificed the sexiness somehow. I mean come on, the first time Rias slept with Issei at the end of the very first episode and the look she gave him screamed of sexual appeal. Same with Akeno trying to get the good morning kiss at the start of DxD Born, or Xenovia intent on babymaking at the pool in DxD New.

I just can't see how those same looks/vibes coming from these new designs. Sure, it has a level of fanservice that I do appreciate but I'm not convinced it can reach the over the top level of ecchi that bordered on hentai from the familiar forest bit.

I'll still watch for the fanser- THE PLOT, I'LL WATCH FOR THE PLOT, but if I'm being honest I'm hoping that the art style changes back.

Anyway, I'll end my ranting here. Please let me know what you thought in the review section! I'm on a decent roll with my muse, but it helps to keep the support coming!

Updated: 04/21/18