Shameful!
Shameful!
Shameful!
Koneko's face burned crimson as she sprinted toward Akeno's location, her ears twitching with agitation. For the longest time, she had believed she was immune to embarrassment. But the sight she'd just witnessed was simply too much.
'They're perverts!' she thought, her mind racing. 'He's no better than the Fallens!'
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't understand why Rias was so fixated on Issei.
No, that wasn't true. She knew.
But surely, there had to be better options.
"Koneko," came a calm voice through her earpiece, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Don't lose focus. Rias is on her way."
The voice belonged to Kiba, who had already arrived at the scene. Despite his composed tone, she could sense he was just as flustered as she was.
"You can sense them, can't you?" he asked.
Koneko closed her eyes, focusing for a moment. The faint, sinister energy was unmistakable—dozens of Fallens, converging on the park.
"Yes," she confirmed. Her voice carried a rare edge of uncertainty. "What do we do?"
"We wait," Kiba replied with a steady tone. "Akeno is clearing out the surrounding areas that could be used against us. If we eliminate potential threats around the park, we can keep the crowd safe."
Koneko frowned as she realized it was going to be much more troubling than what she had expected. The park was more crowded than they'd anticipated. Clearing the area was smart, but time was running out.
"And those two?" she asked, her tone oozing disdain. You could practically feel her scowl, even over the comms.
Kiba hesitated. "Let them be. Rias will handle it."
Koneko's lips tightened. She hated the idea of leaving two naked idiots sprawled out in the park, but orders were orders. Even so, she silently hoped something—or someone—would intervene.
Just then, her earpiece buzzed back to life.
"Koneko," Akeno's voice came through, sharp and urgent. "They're here. The Fallens are moving in!"
Koneko clenched her fists, pushing aside her embarrassment and letting a steely resolve take over. No matter the chaos, it was time to fight.
…
…
Light.
Light was the Fallens' most lethal weapon.
The brilliant light that the burly man had conjured while floating high in the sky was sharp and deadly—a stream of energy powerful enough to impale anything in its path.
"How pathetic," he heard one of his companions click their tongue in disgust. "I knew she'd waste time, but this is embarrassing, even for a Fallen."
"Oh, don't be so dramatic," another voice, feminine yet sharp, countered. "We both know this is nothing compared to what we're capable of."
"Doesn't matter," the man growled, his gaze cold and focused. "Before the devils notice, before we draw any unwanted attention, we need to get rid of him."
His hand moved forward, pointing directly at the naked boy lying below them. They hovered high above the ground, far enough that only someone with exceptional eyesight could make them out.
"What about Raynare?" asked the mature of the two women, taller and more voluptuous than the other.
"If she can't handle a little ray of light, what good is she as our leader?"the man sneered, his eyes gleaming with the same intensity as the light bolt he'd just summoned.
"If she makes it through, you won't," the busty woman said, her voice low and threatening. "Remember that."
The man smirked. "We'll see."
With one swift motion, he aimed the light bolt directly at the two figures in the park, hoping to pierce them both.
It wasn't out of hatred for his leader, but because he was a Fallen—opportunistic by nature.
And Fallens, they were always looking for their next move.
"Dohnaseek…"
But what he hadn't anticipated was the change in course.
<
Before they could even celebrate their plan working, something unexpected happened.
A glowing green orb of energy shot straight at them, intercepting the light bolt Dohnaseek had fired.
"What the—" he muttered in shock.
"Dodge!" The petite blonde Fallen yelled, throwing herself at Dohnaseek with all her strength. She shoved him out of the way just in time, saving him from the incoming energy blast.
"Oi!" a voice shouted from below. "Are you trying to kill us?"
As they scrambled to regain their bearings, they turned their eyes to the source of the voice. There, standing tall and unapologetically naked, was the boy they'd intended to kill. His expression was a mixture of annoyance and amusement.
"If that was supposed to kill me," he said, "you missed."
And worse, beside him, was a furious woman—the one they hadn't even seen standing.
"You're in trouble now, Dohnaseek," the petite blonde said, her voice tinged with mock sympathy.
"Big trouble," added the busty woman, her smirk widening.
…
…
"Are you alright?" Issei asked Yumma, quickly draping the coat he had near them over her shoulders.
"I-I…" She hesitated, unsure of how to respond. For a moment, she'd forgotten why she was even here. Now, she had no idea how to react to the situation unfolding before her.
'You better have a solid plan treating her like some princess, kid,' Ddraig growled. 'Don't forget, she's one of them. Worse, she orchestrated the whole thing.'
Issei had just unleashed a Dragon Shot, deflecting the bolt aimed at him. If it had been another girl, someone human and normal, she would have either fainted or run off in fear.
But Yumma didn't flinch. It was a clear sign she wasn't normal—her confusion aside.
"O-Okay," she said, not asking about the situation, nor about the glowing orb of light Issei had thrown, which even she couldn't understand.
'Is it something like Twice Critical?' she wondered. 'But Twice Critical shouldn't have been able to erase a light attack that easily...'
She simply nodded, bit her lip, and tried to act as though she were a powerless human, hiding behind a nearby park structure.
'Keep an eye on her,' Issei instructed Ddraig. 'She could be more useful than you think.'
'How?'
'You'll understand.'
With that, Issei stepped forward, the Boosted Gear fully manifesting on his arm.
"Now, who threw that at me, and why?" he asked, his tone surprisingly confident. "I need an explanation."
Instead of an answer, another bolt of light shot at him.
'It won't hit,' Ddraig assured him. Issei stood his ground, and the bolt landed nearby, creating a small crater in the ground.
"We should be asking you that, pervert," a hoarse voice called out. "When did you awaken your Twice Critical?"
'Twice Critical?!' Ddraig roared internally. 'They're comparing me to that pathetic Sacred Gear?'
"You still haven't answered my question," Issei said, unfazed. "Who are you?"
"I expected you to be terrified," Dohnaseek sneered, his words hitting a nerve with Issei. He would have been terrified seeing such a large number of enemies in the sky, but after his encounter with the God of War, Hachiman, Issei realized numbers meant nothing.
Not even all of them combined could replicate the pressure Hachiman had exuded when he removed that ring.
"But I should have known," Dohnaseek spat. "A pervert like you, thinking with your lower half, would be stupid enough to think you could handle this situation."
'Pretty sure I can, easily,' Issei thought with an inflated sense of confidence.
Just then, a ring echoed in his mind.
Defeat and Kill Dohnaseek without taking a single bit of damage from him.>
That was all the motivation Issei needed to stand tall.
'You sure we can take them all down?'
'Never said we could take them all,' Ddraig replied. 'But I can already sense the devils approaching. If it's just the crowd around us, we can handle it, well enough.'
That was all Issei needed to hear. He stepped forward, grinning, feeling a strange excitement bubble within him. Maybe it was the clash of his personality with Ddraig's influence, or something else entirely, but he was actually enjoying this.
Weirdly enjoying it.
"Don't drag this out, Dohnaseek," two new voices called out.
"End this quickly. We have a devil problem."
Two women appeared, one petite, looking almost childlike with two blonde pigtails, and the other a stark contrast, mature, with a sinister presence —sinister in the physical department.
'That body can't be natural,' he thought, baffled by her figure.
As he analyzed the mature fallen angel, appreciating her presence, the petite one spoke up.
"You don't look like someone unaware of the supernatural," she said, her voice tinged with amusement. "Aren't you surprised to see us?"
Flaring the green orb of the gauntlet before him, he responded, "I'm not dumb enough to think I'm the only one with powers. When I awakened this one, I realized there were others like me."
"Enough talk!" Dohnaseek barked. "Let's kill this little rat!"
'Big words,' Ddraig scoffed.
With a harsh shout, Dohnaseek advanced, summoning two light whips. "You dodged that bolt, but let's see if you can handle this!"
With a sadistic grin, he lashed the whip at Issei, aiming for his lower half.
"Watch it!" Issei yelled, narrowly jumping back with boosted speed.
"Don't worry," Dohnaseek sneered, "you won't be alive to use that mouth again!"
He swung the whip again, but Issei wasn't going to let him take control.
[Boost]
This time, Issei wasn't dodging. He extended his gauntlet-arm and caught the whip mid-air.
[Boost]
By now, he was on his fourth boost, and surprisingly, it didn't hurt despite his previous exhaustion.
'The Dragon's Vigor skill you gained has doubled your stamina,' Ddraig explained. 'You can push up to seven boosts now.'
That was all Issei needed to hear.
[Boost]
"You... are tough," Dohnaseek grunted, his teeth grinding as he failed to pull the whip out of Issei's hand.
"Stay back!" Dohnaseek ordered the two girls. "I'll handle this."
[Boost]
Issei felt an overwhelming surge of strength, speed, and energy coursing through him, threatening to break free.
'You can boost once more,' Ddraig suggested, but Issei shook his head.
'I don't need to.'
With that, he yanked on the whip.
"Dohnaseek!"
The fallen angel was suddenly pulled toward him, overpowered by Issei's strength.
"Ugh!" Dohnaseek snarled. "Enough of these tricks!"
Still holding the whip with one hand, Dohnaseek conjured an orb of light with the other and hurled it at Issei.
But Issei wasn't just going to take that hit.
"You really don't learn, do you?"
<
With barely any distance between them, both fired their energy orbs at each other.
As expected, Issei's Dragon Shot obliterated Dohnaseek's light, engulfing it in a burst of power that exploded in the fallen's hand.
"Ahhh!"
"No!" The blonde girl screamed, rushing toward Issei. But as she charged, Issei shifted his focus to her—until a sudden lightning bolt struck from above —right on her.
"Now, now," came a seductive voice. "We can't let you harm an innocent human, now can we?"
Issei looked up, ignoring the two fallen who were still recovering, and saw a stunning beauty descending from the sky.
"And Issei," she smiled, "you should be more mindful of your surroundings."
'Dodge,' Ddraig warned.
Just as he moved, a lightning bolt shot from Akeno's hand, narrowly missing him.
"Ugh!"
Turning, he saw the bolt strike Yumma's arm. She hadn't run; she was still hiding behind a tree.
'I thought I told you to tell me about her?' Issei asked.
'She wasn't doing anything, just hiding,' Ddraig argued.
Ignoring the concern, Issei heard the screech of wings. A group of fallen angels descended, swords drawn, all aimed at Issei and Akeno.
As he prepared to unleash his Dragon Breath, a new voice rang out—raspy, yet unmistakable.
"You will stop this at once!"
A blinding wave of red energy surged through the air, obliterating half of the fallen angels mid-descent.
"That is an order!"
Above them, the most beautiful redhead Issei had ever seen floated gracefully.
Rias Gremory.
The devil responsible for most of the chaos.
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[[A/N: 25+ Advanced Chapters on Patreon + Other Stories: https://www.patreon.com/Greedyfrog
P.S. From the Devil's Perspective, it looked like a regular attack that Issei launched. It has draconic essence, but so does twice critical.]]