After a few Days/Back in Japan
Issei could be seen walking back towards home after a day at school somehow nobody noticed that he was gone for more then two weeks and when he was back everyone was just as much hostile as before he did encounter few student council members but they all were busy in the preparation of some sort of event, he wanted to take a few days off but the thing he listened yesterday made him stop from doing so as he would have to take a month of to prepare for the event, the events of yesterday put up a genuine smile on issei's face as he finally found a little bit about his savior from that forest he only had the name Tonelico to go by but a bit research in the library and wiki got him to closer to that person's background and the upcoming tournament and who can forget the scare he gave to that bastard...
Flashback
Issei had just completed his knowledge gathering for today, he studied about the creation of the world, the adventures of the first hero and his only friend & learnt a life lesson that it's not gay if its clay. He was looking for more information on the name Tonelico but all he found was transcript of an old ash tree similar to Yggdrasil, so he decided to dilute his study to the dimensional gap and found that it acts as an epicenter for multiple realities, there were experiments from many factions to use it for travelling in other realities but none were much successful, who knows all these anime and manga that Issei was reading about might be real, just imagine the possibilities him using Haki how strong would it make him.
Well, that was the other issue after the extraction as Issei termed it, he kind of got a lot interested in fighting strong opponents, well he was a little bit of battle maniac before but not of this level. "Part of it might be because of all those anime I was watching on binge, or it might be something related to the extraction who knows. All I know is I love this feeling." Issei mused to himself, that was the other thing all that studying and training to control his powers had made Issei crave for a good fight something that will have his body work a good amount of sweat as the occasional strays were not enough of a challenge to him.
Feeling a bit hungry from all the musing, he decided to grab a quick snack as no one was at home this time so it meant little interaction with others, but as he passed through the basement gate he heard some familiar voices he decided to ignore them but something caught his attention so he decided to listen further and since he was practicing on utilizing his Aura he used it to make him kind of undetectable so that he could listen better.
Inside the Basement
Now in the strategy lounge inside the basement, the entire Gremory Peerage was there with the exception of Issei, Gasper and Rossweisse. Irina and Ravel were here as well, but the most surprising guests were five male figures that stood at a side, all being the current love interests of the girls. The first one was tall, he had blonde hair that reached to his shoulders and a rather fit image. He appeared to be in his early twenties and was wearing a blue polo shirt with blue jeans and black sneakers. His name was Reiji Minamoto, President of Senior Faculty in Kuoh College Division. The second and third ones looked similar, but they also seemed opposite to one another. Both had black hair, but the former had it tied into a ponytail that fell down his back and it only reached his upper back. The other one also had the same black hair but it was really messy, with many bangs covering his face. Both of them wore the Kuoh Academy uniform and looked quite similar, they looked young, around eighteen and had a delicate face that gave them the appearance of young boys. The former had blue eyes while the later black, other than that, they looked practically the same to one another. They were Ryutaro and Souji Takahashi. Brothers by blood and both of them were the elder brothers of a young one. The young one was Hijama, also sharing the same last name as the both of them. He was also present on the room, right at the side of his brothers behind the largest couch on the room. The fifth one had blonde hair that was also mixed with brown. Making him have real foreigner-like hair and overall appearance. He had blue eyes that were gentle but held a hint of smugness. He, as the three brothers, wore the Kuoh Academy uniform with a pair of black dress shoes. His name was Ken Mishima.
The five of them stood behind the couch because of the orders of Rias. Soon she spoke up. - "Well, I'm grateful that everyone made it. I have important news for all." - She talked with a calm voice. "According to my brother, a World-Class Rating Game will be held in the next couple of Months. Around three or four, the date hasn't been specified yet." - Rias talked while looking at her Peerage, Ravel and Irina. "It means that any being of the supernatural world can participate in it. Humans, Devils, Angels, Fallen and Gods. Anyone can participate, as long as they signed themselves in before the last day." - Rias dropped the bomb, making her Peerage, Ravel and Irina open their mouths and eyes. But the five men didn't understand, they were kind of new to this.
"Rias-sama, are you saying that Gods can participate in this as well as other races?" - Kiba asked her, dumbfounded by the new information. She just nodded her head. - "Yes, that's correct Yuuto. Everyone, everything, can participate!" - Clarifying, Rias looked at her knight. But seeing the expressions of the five men that couldn't understand, she decided to explain to them. "A Rating Game is usually a game of Devils in which they fight with their Peerages for fame and Glory. The Rating Games were made to satisfy the ego of the Devils and to prove which Peerage is stronger." - She began her explanation. "In the beginning, they fought against each other saying, ' My Pawn is stronger, or my Rook is stronger!', and because of those skirmishes the Rating Games were created. " - Rias talked about the Rating Games making the five men nod their heads. Then Akeno continued. - "For the first time since the beginning of the Rating Games, a World-Class Rating Game will be held. One in which anyone can participate, we are telling you this because since now you all now belong to the supernatural you would be scouted by someone to be part of their teams." - Akeno finished the explanation while adding a bit more information.
The five were surprised, never would have they thought something like this will happen! "Yes. Since all five of you possess Sacred Gears, others will start moving. After all, battle-oriented Sacred Gears are rare." - Rias explained to them again. Reiji asked while crossing his arms. - "Battle-oriented?" Akeno answered instead of Rias. - "Yes.~ Sacred Gears have classifications, whether battle-oriented or not battle-oriented. You five have battle oriented ones and because of that, someone will try to get you." - Her words shocked them. "Reiji~ Although you already knew that the supernatural world existed thanks to your parents, you still do not know enough about it. Ufufufu.~" - Akeno looked at her lover and giggled. Reiji was a pure born human but both of his parents where High-Class Mages, around Mid-Class Devils, in terms of power so they explained, since he was little, that the supernatural existed.
However, since they didn't know much about it and only very simple information was given to him, he was not as informed as Rias' Peerage. That gap in knowledge was slowly being filled in by Rias and Akeno. The rest of the men were also purely born humans, but with a Sacred Gear. Ken liked spears since small, so he knew a martial art to help him during a fight. Souji, like Xenovia and Kiba, practiced with swords but he wasn't very talented at it, above average was Kiba's guess. Reiji practiced Karate since small, that thanks to his parents since they owned a Dojo, and was quite good at it. The rest didn't know a single martial art, so now they were being trained by the girls from scratch.
"Rias-sama. What about Gasper and Issei-kun?"- Kiba asked her, managing to get the surprised looks of certain girls, it seemed they forgot about Issei and Gasper. But Rias answered with a calm voice. - "Don't worry. Gasper was the first one I told this information to, but since he doesn't want Laveena to be alone, he's still at the hospital. And Issei, I spoke to him a few days ago, he is already training!" - She explained to them with a tone filled with pride at the mention of her Pawn"
""""Issei?!""" - The three brothers screamed, they knew about the infamous reputation of the brown-haired boy. "Hyoudou Issei, he's with you guys?!" - Souji screamed his question.
"Yes, Ise-kun is the sole Pawn of the Gremory Peerage." - Kiba answered back.
"That pervert!?" - Ryutaro spoke, this time his voice filled with disbelief and a bit of anger. "…" - Hijama only stood there, frozen in shock.
"What can that pervert do?! He can't do anything right, he's worthless and doesn't have any redeeming quality. A really stupid guy that has been threatened with expulsion far too many times to count!" - Souji spoke again, making Kiba's face to twist into a smirk that the hidden Issei knew too well .
"Well I hate to break it to you but Ise is the possessor of the Boosted Gear and has fought many different beings that appeared only in Legends. He has even killed a few." – Kiba spoke without missing a beat.
"""Him?!""" - The twin brothers and Reiji spoke at the same time. "Is he really the same guy!?" - This time Hijama spoke up, surprised by the words of the blonde-haired. "That isn't possible! How could a pervert be someone that awesome, it's impossible, I refuse to believe it!" - Souji replied as quickly as he could, refusing to believe those words. Ken just stood there not saying a word. He knew about the reputation of his classmate, but he also knew to not judge a book by his cover.
"Yes Souji. Issei has really done that; I daresay his strength is on a whole another level, undoubtedly he is the strongest in the peerage." - Xenovia answered him, trying to make him believe their words. Seeing his girlfriend like that, he knew she was serious she wouldn't joke about something like that.
But then Reiji asked again evading that conversation. - "Boosted Gear? What is that? A Sacred Gear?" Kiba answered his question instead. - "Yes. It is one of the thirteen Longinus and I dare say he is the strongest user of it." - His words caused them to be even more confused. "Longinus?" - Ken for the first time asked in a loud voice for them to hear.
"Oh, Ken-san sorry. I forgot to tell you about that!" - Asia was feeling slightly regretful by not telling him this. "The Longinus are the thirteen strongest Sacred Gears that exist. They are so strong that they can even kill Gods from the different Mythologies around the world." - Irina answered his question, but it made all of them widen their eyes in shock
"Something like that exist?!" - Ryutaro looked at her, surprised by the new information. "Yes." - Irina replied while looking at him. "So he can Kill a God?! Like the Gods in Myths?!" - Reiji was dazed, he tried to hide the small hint of fear in his voice.
"To be exact, he already killed a being with similar power to that of a God." - Xenovia told them absentmindedly, making all the men get goosebumps. You really can't judge a book by his cover. "W-Who did h-he k-k-kill?" - Hijama stuttered, however, Koneko still answered him. - "A Dragon." Silence ruled the entire ORC, the men couldn't quite process that kind of information, it seemed, and was, illogical to them. They knew about Issei, rather infamous reputation he had, seeing him as someone with the power to slay a Dragon of all things was irrational.
They looked around the club, trying to find any hint of being a joke or a prank. But the hard look on all present quickly crushed their hope to bits. The five inhaled a cold breath of air at the realization, this wasn't a joke. It was the harsh truth and there was nothing they could do to refuse it. "H-He really slew a D-Dragon?!" - Souji asked, sweat falling down his cheek and trying to hide the tremors in his voice "To be more precise an Eeevil Dragon!" - Irina spoke once again trying to sound cheerful, maybe to calm them down. "There are different types of Dragons?" - Ken asked back, his voice seemed to be emotionless but all could see his amazement. "Yes. They are divided like any other race but after a certain, unknown threshold is reached, they… evolve." - Akeno decided to answer this question but was confused as well, she didn't understand much about Dragons, a race full of mysteries.
"There are normal Dragons from Low, Mid, and High-Class. Dragons that reach Ultimate class are basically unheard of across the Supernatural Globe and in History, so, there's no Ultimate-Class Dragon." - Rias decide to intervene and continued the explanation. "Afterwards, there's a huge strength leap in their race and no one knows what causes it. It's a mystery. However, after that, a huge increase in power happens to the Dragon and they are able to reach the level above a supposed Ultimate-Class." - The men swallowed their spit, obviously uncomfortable with that kind of information.
"That 'level ' " - She quoted. - "Is known as Dragon King and rather than Class or Tier, is a Title signifying their status in their race. Across History there has been only Six Dragon Kings but the majority of them already are no longer active, so very few remain." - She said and took a breath of air. "Above them are the Two-Heavenly-Dragons, the Red one and the White one. Ddraig and Albion. Both destroyed and sealed into Sacred Gears but were known for their power to crush Gods. Ise possesses the Boosted Gear in which the Red Dragon was sealed." - She said with a teasing voice, but before continuing she was interrupted by Akeno. "Above them are the Dragon-Gods, being the strongest among the strong. The Zenith of Power across the world. The Dragon of Infinity and Nothingness and The Dragon of Dreams and Illusions." - Akeno finished her explanation, gifting Rias a teasing wink of her eye. The males in question just swallowed their spit. Their bodies trembling, they now understood the meaning of, ' A Mountain above a Mountain and a Person above a Person', or in this case Dragon. (((((The World was filled with all of this and I didn't even know about it?!))))) - They all thought at the same time. "What about Evil Dragons?" - Hijama asked with a soft tone of voice, realizing that they weren't mentioned. "Evil Dragons are like their names say. Dragons that became corrupted, whether by outside forces or by their own wills. Turning them into beings of evil." - Ravel spoke for the first time since they came inside the room. Since the beginning, she was completely silent but this time she wanted to speak. Therefore, she answered the question in the best way possible. Kiba continued her explanation, this time with detail.
The five males thanked him mentally. - "Among them, there were a few which were the strongest of the Evil Dragons." - He looked at them and continued his explanation. "From the strongest to the weakest they were; The Crescent Circle Dragon-Crom Cruach, Diabolism Thousand Dragon-Azi-Dahaka, The Primal Eclipse Dragon-Apophis, The Insomniac Dragon-Ladon and last but certainly not the least, Crime Force Dragon-Grendel."
"The first three had the strength of a Heavenly Dragon, but among them only Crom Cruach is alive." - Finishing the explanation Kiba smiled remembering the battle between Issei and Apophis, the seen where Issei surprisingly used a Kamehameha of all things to destroy Apophis, well it was more of a Longinus smasher but eh thematic do mater.
"W-What happened to the other t-two?" - Souji asked, confusion written across his face and fear in his tone. "Azi-Dahaka was killed by the Hakuryuuko during a fight. Apophis was killed by Issei, the Sekiryuutei." - Rias explained to them about what happened to the Evil Dragons. "Hakuryuuko, Sekiryuutei'?" - Ken questioned, not understanding, why the names? "The ones who hold the Sacred Gears in which the White Dragon and Red Dragon have their souls sealed, receive those titles. As the current possessors Vali and Issei hold the titles." - Rias answered the question of Ken. But another came after that.
"Vali? Who's that?" - Ryutaro asked while keeping his eyes on Rias. But Akeno at her side, answered instead. "Current Hakuryuuko, the possessor of the Divine Dividing and the host of the White Dragon. Maybe if you're really unlucky, one day you will meet him, but really hope you don't. ~" - Akeno explained, not telling Vali's full name on purpose, she didn't want more questions.
Finishing their explanation, the five of them took some time to assimilate the information. Then, they said at the same time while bowing their head, just like it was rehearsed. - """""Please train us!""""" They wanted to be strong. If the world counted with such terrifying beings and one of them was a seemingly normal boy. Then they needed to be strong enough to protect themselves. Surprised at their response, Rias asked. - "Why?"
"Because we want to protect the people we love alongside with ourselves!" - Reiji represented the group and said those words. The answer made all the women freeze. They remembered the same words as a brown-haired boy, making them feel conflicted. They still loved him but they also loved their current boyfriends as well. That's why they treated him like that. They felt conflicted, and every time they saw him they felt, even more, that's why they evaded him and ignored him. They had to put their feelings at ease and think clearly, something that they hadn't been capable of. Not yet. They wanted to be with him, but they also didn't want to end their relationships with their boyfriends just like that. The clash of feelings made them feel guilty, that's why they evaded, scorned and ignored him. All the girls felt the same but they knew something needed to be done. Far too long has passed and they didn't know what Issei was doing. Since they were going to live for ten thousand years. They wanted to gain experience in a relationship. Rias and Akeno wanted to try approaching to other types of boys to gain experience.
Since they would spend their eternity with Issei, they had time, and compensate for all damage done-if it was done, at another time. But they didn't expect that their interest would turn into something more. After spending time talking with him and knowing more about him, they slowly forgot about Issei. After some time passed he asked if they believed in the supernatural, seeing where the question was going they said yes and after a long talk, they told him they were Devils. Since he knew about the supernatural he wasn't surprised, and instead he continued treating them like normal girls that weren't related to the supernatural at all, something they really felt thankful for. They wanted to be treated like normal girls not related to the supernatural, and since Reiji was the closest man that wasn't as related to the supernatural as the rest of the men they knew, he was the best choice. They spent their time; talking about idle topics, going out as friends, among others. The fact that he didn't stare at them in any perverted way, really made them feel at ease. Being always stared and looked like that is really tiring, they liked the expression and reaction they provoked on Issei but after some time, it gets exhausting.
Time went by and they started to forget about Issei, replacing him with him which was their role model of an ideal man when they were kids. Tall, good looking, and confident, the dreams of any young girl. The reason they tried to get closer to their said senpai was that they didn't understand the male mind. After all, they didn't have many male acquaintances their age. So they started to get more involved with the males in their College and soon they met him with the excuse that maybe in the future they will able to understand Issei better. Since understanding him would be a key piece for them to get even closer to Issei.
The other girls seeing this asked them, why? When they heard their answers they were surprised, in their minds this was a good idea. If they are capable of understanding what other men thought of, then understanding Issei will be easier and their relationship will be closer. But they started to fall in love with the guys they chose to understand. They even dismissed Issei, forgetting everything he did for them.
Even being cruel so that he didn't stop their plans. Once their 'relationships' were over they will get even closer to Issei and cross the line! Yet because of their selfishness and egoism. They truly didn't know how much Issei was suffering. Because of their lack of trust to themselves into getting closer to him and their inexperience in relationships, they made certain choices that unknowingly affected Issei in a very terrible way. Because they were lost in their heads, they started to compare Issei with them. Seeing his faults like a living being, and soon after they started to bad mouth him behind his back. Scorning him, Insulting him, Ignoring him. Those words were spoken without thinking, yet they 'believed' it was 'just the truth'. After their inner thoughts appeared, they remained silent for some time but then Rias answered them.
"Sure we'll train you, but it needs to be the next week. We actually are quite busy and need to finish everything before concentrating on the ' Game ' " They felt happy. There was a way for them to protect themselves, they had to take the chance!
"""""Thank You!""""" - They said again at the same time. Although recently they had been having some trouble with their relationships with this they could fix it! Reiji was focusing on his work completely, not wasting a single minute with both Rias and Akeno, and when he had free time he wastes it with his friends.
Since they were really spoiled women-and always ordered him to say where he was and with who, sometimes he snapped and yelled at them to stop bothering him, creating friction between them.
Souji was completely focused on sports. He played Tennis and practiced his Swordsmanship and was rather close to Kiyome Abe. That, alongside him only focusing on his Tennis and Sword practice, made him tight on time. So he set Xenovia aside temporarily and only focused on his 'Sports'.
For her, it seemed that she was replaced by the new advisor of the Tennis club; Kiyome Abe. So sometimes arguments started. Ryutaro and Irina were good enough. She was really energetic something he liked but… sometimes he just felt tired and just ignored her, causing her to be furious.
But because of her energetic self, she was sometimes even jumpier than before and just exhausted him a lot. The woman just had too much energy sometimes. Hijama was always in the middle of the fights between Koneko and Ravel, making him feel awkward. Sometimes he felt as if he was treated as a toy, but he hoped it was just his imagination.
Since he trained with them he wasn't as bad as the others but… sometimes arguments started in their training and escalated into insults and fights, making him feel tired out and annoyed. The thing is that these two women would always fight for something dumb. Ken and Asia were the second, ' better ' ones. But because Ken was a man of few words and Asia was timid, sometimes they wouldn't speak for hours. Making Asia tear eyed, thinking she was boring and he didn't like when she was with him. Something he didn't like about her was that she always cried for something, she was kind but she didn't have the courage for anything, at least in his eyes. Like a small animal always waiting to be protected.
So, this opportunity for training alongside them would help them with their relationships! Well, they hoped. From the next week onwards, they would try their best, both at becoming stronger and also at improving their relationships.
Issei left the basement unnoticed clearly happy that his Aura actually worked at erasing his presence and also the information about the tournament. He thought About both the World-Class Rating Game and as well as his future plans, one thing was clear the Red Dragon won't be fighting for the Gremory peerage this time around.
If Issei had paid close attention to his surroundings, he would have noticed a small eye following him around.
At- ????
"Really man, I was hoping for some mysterious mind control magic at play but it's the cliché teenage love drama of all thing. Seriously brother you're always falling in trouble with women...*Sighhh*…. Looks like I really have to end all your troubles permanently this time Ise. The mysterious stranger muttered to himself flashing a silver card with the image of a katana on it and an ominous aura surrounding it.
End of Flash back
Issei finished thinking about the tournament and started to worry about the training trip he would be going on, suddenly the grocery bags in Issei's hands started feeling oddly heavy, but not from the weight of the goods. Something in the air felt wrong, the streets were quiet, unnervingly so.
As he walked, he felt a chill run down his spine. His instincts screamed at him, and before his mind could register what was happening, his body reacted. He dropped the bags and lunged to the side just in time to avoid a blade aimed to decapitate him.
"Whoa!" Issei shouted, eyes wide, adrenaline flooding his veins. The spot where he had just stood erupted in a series of magical explosions, the ground cracking and crumbling as the shockwaves tore through the street.
Issei's heart raced. He quickly summoned his Boosted Gear, the familiar weight of the gauntlet comforting him. Issei's mind raced at the possibilities was it another of those assassins since he wasn't able to feel any presence no, they will not be that flashy. "What the hell was that? Who's—"
From the cloud of smoke and debris, a figure stepped forward, calm and composed. As the dust settled issei saw a face he recognized very well clad in a black suit with a purple shirt. The figure exuded both power and elegance. Atis.
"Long time no see, brother," Atis said, his voice calm, but there was a dangerous edge to it.
Issei's eyes widened in shock. "Atis? What are you doing here?"
Atis smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I'm here on business. The Mage Association in London has placed a bounty on your head, Ise. I've come to collect."
Issei's heart sank, only one word left his mouth as he mentally prepared himself for what might very well be his final battle. "Fuck..."