[Status]
"You okay?" Rias asked, sneaking a glance at him.
Issei, lost in his own thoughts, just smiled. He felt like a collector on a mission, gathering powers and abilities like rare antiques.
"Issei?" Rias called again, this time with a hint of concern.
"Never been better, Rias." He stood up, stretching a little. "So… how do I pop those wings out like you do?"
Rias blinked, a little amazed at how upbeat he was—especially considering he'd just sacrificed his humanity.
"Well," she began, trying to match his casual energy, "you just think about it… and they'll pop out."
He nodded, taking a moment to figure it out. Then, with a faint shimmer of magic, a pair of black, bat-like wings unfurled from his back.
"Neat," he said with a grin. "Although… how does that work? My shirt's still intact."
"They phase through your clothes," Rias explained. "Devil magic is all about imagination. Logic doesn't really apply."
What Rias couldn't explain, Ddraig happily chimed in to clarify.
'Wings phase through fabric because of how they're rooted in thought. The wings are like holograms around the base and solid everywhere else.' Ddraig said. 'It's part of the evolutionary progress devils made. Back in the day, wings used to tear through clothes—primitive, messy, and expensive.'
'Props to whoever fixed that problem,' Issei thought, genuinely impressed.
'But don't bother with those bat wings,' Ddraig scoffed. 'They're filthy. Use your dragon wings instead—they're clean, majestic, and way superior.'
'Wait, I can use dragon wings?' Issei's eyes widened as he remembered how difficult it had seemed before.
Ddraig let out an exasperated sigh. 'What do you think that <
As if a light bulb went off, Issei grinned. 'Same method?'
'Same method.'
Issei's smile widened as he dismissed the bat wings with a thought.
"You don't like them?" Rias asked, a bit worried.
"Oh, I like them," he reassured her, "but I've got something better."
Before anyone could ask, the air around him shimmered.
"Are those…" Akeno gasped, her eyes wide.
From his back emerged wings—not just any wings, but large, radiant ones. Their red frames glowed like molten metal, while their green inner membranes shimmered like ethereal flames. They were stunning, powerful, and undeniably dragon-like.
"Whoa!" With a single flap, he shot straight into the air, barely missing the ceiling. "These are way cooler!"
"Dragon wings…" Kiba muttered, his disbelief evident.
"Since when could you do that?" Rias asked, completely astonished.
Issei shrugged, grinning. "Just figured it out."
"I think I'll stick with the dragon wings," he added with a smirk. "They're faster… and, well, they are cooler."
'You bet they are,' Ddraig said with pride.
Rias tried to hide her unease. As impressive as his wings were, they reminded her how little control she truly had over him. He was slipping further out of her grasp, and the less she had to offer, the less reason he'd have to stick around.
Her one trump card—the favor he couldn't refuse—was still in play. But beyond that? He wasn't obligated to help her at all.
With her peerage down eight pawns, Rias knew she'd struggle to manage tasks that required a full team. Yet, she had chosen this path.
'Relax,' she told herself, taking a deep breath. 'Calm down.'
She needed to calm down. Stress wasn't helping anyone, and right now, she needed peace.
For the moment, things were stable—or at least, mostly.
The three Fallen Angels were still out there, and while Sona and her peerage were tracking them, it didn't bring much comfort. Rias hated being out of the loop. She didn't know their plans or if they had leverage against her peerage.
With a tired sigh, she sank onto the couch. Her gaze drifted to Issei, who was still marveling at his dragon wings. She couldn't blame him—they were incredible. Jealousy wasn't a luxury she could afford right now, even if those wings were enough to make anyone envious.
"Issei," she called out, her tone even. "By any chance, during your time with… um…"
"Raynare?" Issei raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, Raynare." She nodded. "Did she ever mention anything about their plans? Why they're here or what they're after?"
Issei tilted his head, pretending to think hard about it.
"Because," Akeno chimed in, her voice edged with concern, "you must have known she was a Fallen. Spending the night with her was incredibly risky. It could've gotten you killed."
"Well, it didn't." Issei shrugged. "Things spiraled out of control even for her, or at least that's what the other Fallen implied. And let's be honest, Ddraig wouldn't have let me die there."
'Not without meeting the White One first,' Ddraig growled in Issei's mind. 'I'll be ripping his wings off myself this time.'
"Raynare did seem hesitant to attack you," Kiba added, his tone thoughtful. "I don't know what you said to her, but you definitely got in her head."
"So," Rias pressed, her gaze steady, "you must've learned something. You didn't agree to that date just because she was pretty, right? There had to be another reason."
"Well," Issei admitted with a cheeky grin, "her beauty was a big part of it. But Ddraig was curious about their plans and wanted to fight some Fallen too."
'Oi! Don't blame me for your choices!' Ddraig huffed.
'Just roll with it. I can't let them know about the other power in me.'
Ddraig grumbled but let it slide.
"Anyway," Issei continued, scratching the back of his head, "I remember her mentioning something about a church. I think it's the abandoned one in town. She said they were up to something there, but I don't recall the specifics."
Rias's eyes widened, and the mood in the room shifted instantly.
"Koneko," she said, turning to the petite girl, "let Sona know we'll be checking out the church. They can handle the north and west."
Koneko nodded silently and left the room.
"Issei," Rias said after a pause, her tone softening, "it's been a long day for you. You should rest. We'll handle the church."
Issei raised an eyebrow, amused. "To be honest, I'm not tired at all. I want to test out these new devil powers—and I want to see how you deal with situations like this. After all, I'm part of the team now, right?"
His declaration caught them off guard.
"Well… I—" Rias stammered, momentarily at a loss. But then she smiled, her surprise giving way to appreciation. She couldn't help but love his enthusiasm. "Perfect. Let's coordinate and plan for the future."
Inwardly, she was thrilled. If he enjoyed this mission, there was a good chance he'd stick around for others. At least, that was what she hoped.
As for Issei? He had a very specific reason for wanting to visit that abandoned church.
A very alive reason.
…
…
[Same time — Southern Kuoh]
Leaning against the grimy wall of a deserted alley, Raynare huffed, her breath uneven and labored. Pain radiated through her body, and exhaustion weighed her down.
"You two have a lot to explain," she said, barely holding on to consciousness. "That damn shot Dohnaseek fired is what caused this mess."
"Yeah, it was him," Kalawarner said defensively, attempting to justify the situation. "He ignored us and shot at the boy, thinking he could take him out."
"Bullshit!" Raynare snapped, her eyes narrowing. "There's no way he didn't know I'd get hit too. Light bolts don't discriminate—one would've pierced me just the same, no matter how much stronger I am than him."
"And you weren't exactly helpful either," Mittelt shot back through gritted teeth, the pain of her missing arm evident in her voice. "You played around with that boy, but you couldn't find the chance to kill him?"
Raynare bit her lip, anger bubbling beneath the surface. "Don't even try to pin this on me. You're the one who got almost all of us killed. No—correction—you did get our entire damn army wiped out!"
"Well, why didn't you finish the boy off?" Kalawarner interjected, struggling to tend to the wound on her thigh.
Raynare hesitated, then lied smoothly, "His Sacred Gear. During our… little game, I realized it wasn't Twice Critical. He let slip it was something far stronger. I needed to figure out what it was before acting. I thought it might be one of those gears we could extract, like the one—"
She cut herself off abruptly, her expression darkening.
"Like the one we left at the church," Mittelt finished bitterly, glaring at her. "We're royally screwed. We've lost on every front."
"Even the one thing that could've gotten us out of this mess," Kalawarner muttered with a resigned sigh. "How are you so sure they're heading for the church?"
Raynare hesitated but quickly covered it up with another lie. "I overheard them talking about it. We're lucky they didn't find us. If we'd been there, we'd all be dead by now."
"Not that we're much better off here," Mittelt said, her voice trembling. "If he finds out about this…"
Her words were cut short by a voice that sent chills down their spines.
"Oh, you're already in a lot of trouble, meow~"
Their heads snapped toward the source of the voice. It was familiar, but it carried a terrifying edge that froze them in place.
Perched atop the alley wall was a black cat, its golden eyes gleaming in the dim light. Its tail swayed lazily, batting at the air as if mocking them.
"And he already knows everything, meow~" the cat purred, its tone playful yet menacing.
The three Fallen stared, fear gripping their hearts as the weight of the situation hit them like a tidal wave.
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[[A/N: 25+ Advanced Chapters on Patreon + Other Stories: https://www.patreon.com/Greedyfrog
DxD available till chapter 47 on Patreon
Marvel: Pay to Win Gambling 2 chapters posted so far.
P.S. It was my birthday yesterday, so I didn't write. Spent the day with friends and family.
P.P.S. As a birthday treat, The 2 chapters of Marvel: Pay to Win Gambling are available for free on Patreon. Both free and paid members can read them. I am kind of proud of how this Marvel story is going. (It is under the tag Gambler. If you don't know how to access tags, just scroll down manually a little and you will see chapter 1, then scroll back up for Chapter 2)
P.P.P.S. And if anyone is salty about him becoming a devil, ReAd ThE dAmN sYnOpSiS! It was always stated that he would become a devil.
]]