Quarta sits down with Irena as they confront the group. "We have Koneko, we'll be fine. We needed this modification to our operation so we as a group can function in the long run!" Koneko nods. "We'll be effective if we split into two teams. Koneko will take on Yuuto and Genshiro and take the east side of town while me and Irina will take on the rest. We report to each other if we find any of their strongholds, agreed?"
Everyone nods as the two angels pull up their hoods.
A pair of eyes open up. They're white and cold, lifeless as their body rises from a coffin. Issei feels this chill go up his spine as his own dragon eye opens up within his soul.
The White One has awakened.
"Issei?" Rias asks as Issei sat still for a solid minute. "Oh I'm fine, it's okay." She still stares at him strangely as she hugs him tighter.
"All these incidents, from the Warden, to Riser, and even those evil spirits in the museum. I feel like you've always been leaving me out of the loop." She then gets close to Issei's ear. "But you can make things better. At least tell me if something is going on. I wanna feel useful again. I'm strong Issei. I've been strong for you. My whole life was to be strong for you. I've loved you forever Issei. I've always been the one looking out for you, let me do that again."
Issei nods his head as he takes Rias and buries her face in his chest. "Rias, everything is all right. I love you too, you're mine now. Now it's my turn to fight for you. You don't have to fight anymore."
Rias felt her heart crack. "Are you sure?"
She asks on the verge of tears. Issei nods, smiling as he looks deeply into her eyes, but crying on the inside as he caresses her face. "Rias, I won't let them take you away from me. You don't deserve the boy you had a crush on. I'm a man now, let me take care of us." Rias sniffles a little as she gets off the couch. Issei looks at her in shock. "Alright, I'll go then." Rias finds herself abruptly leaving, but as she turns the door knob she looks back at Issei who is almost breaking down.
"Are you sure there's nothing to talk about?" She asks as her blue eyes shake. "Rias?" Issei asks, confused as Rias lets the door knob go. Her eyes open the floodgates and she turns around almost violently. She walks over to Issei and lightly hits her fists on Issei's chest.
"HOW COULD YOU?!"
"YOU SENT THEM ON A MISSION! YOU WERE GONNA LEAD MY HOUSEHOLD INTO DANGER! ISSEI WHY?!"
She asks with pain leaking out of her as Issei hugs her back despite feeling her punches finally taking a number on him.
"Issei! I thought we had more trust here?" Rias cries out with pain in her chest. "You don't think I care about the members of our household? Do you really think you are nothing but a pawn to me?"
She asks in a whimper. Issei cups her face and looks into her ocean eyes as he cries. Shocking Rias as her energy matches his.
"I know, and I'm sorry. I did this because, because it's all getting to be too much on me!" Issei yelled as Rias finally stops punching him and grabs his wrists.
"You called me here so I stayed, I was also going to go with them. But I need this to continue if we're going to crush the mercenaries. I'm exhausted Rias. We're going nowhere if we wait for the next disaster to strike! I wish I was less cowardly. I wish I could just tell you how I felt. I want to lead this household towards good! So that all of this can end quicker! I can't keep doing this! I'm growing tired!"
Rias hugs Issei with an angry aura leaking out of her.
"We're not going to sleep like this" Issei says as he sits down with Rias in his lap. He pats and strokes her long red hair as he lays down with her arms around him.
"We're not?"
Rias asked.
"I'm not going to bed angry at my best friend" Issei said with eyes weeping bitter tears." Issei then lies back down with Rias at his side. "So what do you say? Let's talk this out. I'm willing to change, but I can't let what happened with Riser and those others continue to happen. Something needs to change." Rias smiles as she hugs Issei and uses his arm as a pillow. "I promise you, everyone's safe.
"Let's stay up all night my love" Rias responds back.
Issei smiles as the two cuddle with their heavy eyes sinking.
"I'm so sorry Rias. I own up to everything I did. I just needed to control the outcome."
Rias smiles as she snuggles into Issei.
"Go to bed goofball. We'll talk more in the morning, or if the others summon us."
This raises Issei's eyeballs, scared she took nothing from his message, only to find her gentle eyes staring into his, with her beautiful smile ready to press against his.
"You're not still mad are you?" Issei asked.
"Oh you bet I am" Rias says with an evil smile. "We will change, both of us" Rias says as she wraps her arms around Issei.
In the dead of night, Rodney found himself sneaking on the surface of the PSD headquarters in the city. He finally found a vent and searched each area for the lab, exploring the vast complex that acted as humanity's headquarters against the divine world.
"Haise squad!" An officer said. Haise saluted him along with four others.
"You five are dismissed for break. Well done soldiers. Motohama and Matsuda personally requested to take your spots for the next two weeks. They insisted!"
An agent says to the five.
"Aw those guys are awesome. We'll buy them a six pack."
The five all cheer, with Haise showing the least energy as his subordinates all celebrate. The agent places his hand on Haise and gives him a gentle look.
"You mind if we talk for a second?" He asks Haise. "It's not an order, not now anyways." Haise smiles. "Not at all sir Arima" Haise says to the agent. The others all walk away as Arima and Haise talk among themselves. "Haise, that man you encountered, the vigilante, stay away from him." Haise nods his head. "If I may say so sir, he did save me and my men's life out there." Haise said.
"Yes I am aware, but you must know that you were made from him right? He's the original source. He may target you." Haise nods his head as he takes out a sheet of paper. "Rodney Drake. Technically my father Jason did provide the means to make me." Rodney's eyes widen as he hears this fact.
"It makes sense now," Rodney says to himself.
"Anyways I understand he's not someone to associate with. But we can't ignore how he took down most of the Clowns the day they attacked, and then finished the job by taking down their two strongest members with ease" Haise says.
"No we can not," says officer Arima. "But we also can't take any risks. Please for your safety. I know doing business with the fallen looks bad, but we need you if we're gonna save humanity of God's enemies, and even God himself."
"Rodney's eyes almost pop out of their sockets as Rodney is joined by a woman wearing a Japanese Oprah mask."
"One day Haise, you'll be a member of humanity free from God's wrath. You will have the freedom to be your own unique being. Until then, you're stuck shackled to the soil like the rest of us." Arima offers his hand out for Haise to take. "One of us" Haise smiles as he takes Arima's hand.
"Welcome to the force kid"
Akeno startles Rodney, removing her mask. He looks at her annoyed as she grabs him by the ear and teleports out of the vents. She then throws him to the side of the roof and walks over to him taking off her mask.
"You idiot!"
She says as Rodney gets up almost ready to fight, until he recognizes her face.
"Oh it's you…"
Rodney says to his flying crush, seeing Akeno in her traditional kimono.
"You have any idea how stupid you and Issei are right now?" Akeno asks.
"Come back to my place. We're having a meeting tomorrow about team work. Gosh it feels like an episode of kitchen nightmares where the shitty restaurant can't even work as a team. You boys are the worst chefs at cooking up a plan." Akeno then grabs Rodney's hand.
"For what it's worth I'm glad we found out what we did. You with these new world order pricks and the others with those mercenary jerks, but next time we're doing this together" Akeno says frustrated. "She says as she then looks back at Rodney. "Alright?" She asks, smiling as Rodney pulls her close to him.
"Yeah, yeah I'd like that."
Meanwhile Koneko, Yuuto, and Genshiro all search the entire town until Yuuto gets an idea. He leads them to a familiar place, at least for him and Koneko.
"Wait, you guys fought a stray devil here?" Genshiro asks. "Yeah, it was wicked," Yuuto says. "Issei was there too" Yuuto said, speaking for Issei. "The demon took on a succubus aspect, she was a particularly beautiful woman. Long black hair, blue eyes, the whole package. She'd use her looks to lure school boys to this area for a "house party". Matsuda and Motohama almost fell for it."
Genshiro spoke in a sinister tone. "I heard from Motohama and Matsuda a week into their career that she was a school teacher, and she'd often feed on her class" Genshiro adds.
"That's tough" Yuuto says as the group suddenly feel a magical aura in the air.
"Hey Yuuto, wait" Genshiro says as Koneko gets in a fighting stance. Suddenly Genshiro creates a bow with his ability, and turns into a bronze dragon before he fires a blue laser arrow towards the top of the building. The leader of the mercenaries laughs his brains out as he leaps off from the building and slams down to the ground. Yuuto draws a blade with his magic and blocks Freed's from striking him down. Freed then launches himself away and lands on a slanted roof.
"I FORGOT TO THANK YOU FOR OUR LAST ENCOUNTER! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" he laughed as he stuck his tongue out. "So the same creep who was with Raynare and her household is now the leader of his own!" Freed keeps laughing as he swings his blade around. "And now is also a user of Excalibur. A fragment to one of the most poisonous swords. How can mere mortals hold a holy sword? Tell me what did you feed that boy?" Freed laughs to the moon as Koneko lunges towards him. As she breaks off a piece of the building Freed dodges the attack and slashes at Genshiro, who cancels out his attack with another laser arrow. Freed leaps up to another roof and swings his blade around.
"This should have been a wake up call for me. A call that screamed Issei was right. Holy swords aren't swords angels use, they have fragments of material that are used to destroy sin. Thus how we believed the lie we were devils, when really any imperfect creature can suffer to it's poisonous lethal effect."
Freed's smile becomes a sinister frown as he grits his teeth.
"YOU PUNK!" He roars as Yuuto swings another blade around in his spare hand. "Gassing us was smart, but leaving the doors open, pretty stupid. You easily could have avoided this if you just kept them shut and let the gas leak in."
"DIE!"
Freed says as Yuuto leaps towards him. The two spare with their blades on the roof, leaping around as knights in battle.
"So you're hunting priests then!"
Yuuto says as Issei charges his gauntlet. Koneko tries to intercept the fight but finds herself not fast enough for the two. Genshiro's attacks only destroy the building that they're fighting on. Issei's gauntlet glows green as its power overflows and fires towards the group.
"Crap, this isn't working!"
"Issei needs more power!" Yuuto says as Genshiro nods. He uses his own watch like gauntlet to create a rope.
It ties to the back of Freed's ankles, allowing Genshiro to swing him around, slamming him into the building while Koneko lands several hits on him. Dust and debris is kicked up from the sudden bashing of Freed.
"I didn't realize you were also a dragon. HEY YUUTO!"
Issei says as he transfers power into him. Yuuto takes a minute to breathe before suddenly he creates a barrage of swords around the panicking mercenary.
"There's no way he's out alone."
Koneko says to herself as the priest panics and tries to cut the wire Genshiro made. He then looks around and slashes at the swords lunging at him while Yuuto charges towards the pinned man.
"COWARD I CAN'T FIGHT PROPERLY! EVERYONE GET OUT HERE!"
Suddenly Koneko's suspicions are proven correct. A group of two dozen mercenaries lunge out from the woods and surround the building premise.
"COVER ME! GET HIM YUUTO!"
Genshiro yells as Issei and Koneko shift focus onto the soldiers. Genshiro takes out a pistol and fires at several mercenaries while holding Freed down. Gun shots ring everywhere from both sides as the battle escalates. The violent barks of several dogs let everyone know what's about to come. Three of them run from the woods with foam leaking from their jaws. They bark as their red glowing eyes are set for Genshiro, who's busy holding down Freed.
"My my, looks like you still have to work on your blade skills."
The man said as he walked out of the building. He turns his head to look up at Freed.
"Valper Galilei! Well why don't you start helping me and my men out! I didn't make you head of my alchemy department just to watch me in combat like it's a free show!"
Yuuto recognizes that name and freezes as his eyes widen.
"You monster.."
He says as the battle seems to enter the eye of the storm. A moment of silence passes by as the elderly man looks into Yuuto's eyes with gentleness. Yuuto exchanges a glance as he feels his entire body boil.
"I hate you. That's all I have to say to you."
Yuuto then grits his teeth as Freed watches the dogs almost lunge at Genshiro's throat. He fends one off with his arm, taking a nasty bite when suddenly Issei and Koneko cover Genshiro. Genshiro looks back at Freed and smiles.
"Not letting go, asshole!"
He yells as he lets his anger get to him.
"THEN I WILL!"
Freed yells as he pours his energy into the sword. It burns like a Seraph. He slashes at the rope binding his ankle, causing the stubborn Genshiro to fall in the mud as more dogs surround him. He gets up and creates a blade to hack their legs before blowing them to shreds with his explosive energy arrows. As he gets on his feet Koneko wakes up to her senses and realizes that Issei is here.
"Wait, didn't you say you couldn't come cause Rias was...."
Genshiro and Koneko stare at Issei not realizing when he joined the party. He just stood there and smiled as he saw the remaining amount of mercenaries ready to tear them apart.
"Rias is pissed. Never interrupt her beauty sleep."
He says almost demonically as he then snaps his fingers.
"I get it now, the more I bond with the blade, the stronger we become."
Freed says as he holds his burning blade while staring straight into its flame.
"The question is, can I channel enough energy to use this to its full potential?" As Freed asks himself hard hitting questions Rias sends down an Aerial strike of black and red lightning. Right as Koneko and Genshiro anticipate another grueling battle they're surprised by the overwhelming power of Rias's strike.
The building shakes as everyone but Freed and Valper stand there at their opponents, outnumbered nine to two.
"We're here"
Quarta says as she and Irina drop down behind Freed and Valper and land on the roof like super heroes with their white robes flapping like capes. Their blades are drawn ready for battle as Rodney's giant tentacles knock Freed and Valper to their feet. Akeno flew over the group ready to strike with Rias as they controlled the battlefield at this point.
"Asia knows and is at home Issei"
Rias says as she floats above the scene.
"YOU BOTH ARE TRAITORS!"
Quarta yells as she walks over to Freed. She strikes at him but he blocks her.
Issei stood there awkwardly with the others as they begin to drop their guard, watching the angels quarrel with the mercenaries.
AGH!
Yuuto yelled as he slashed at Freed, causing him to draw back to Valper. The two stood there and looked up at Yuuto who stared down at them with vengeance in his heart.
"You're done."
Valper says.
"All you had to do was eliminate those priests. But this is too much. We have several households crashing down on us!!!" Freed looks back at him bitterly. "Wait just a second, remember I'm in charge now." Freed says.
"So what ever happened to our masters Issei?!" Freed asks as Issei keeps walking towards him clenching his fist.
"I don't know." Issei says as he charges his power. "But you sure do, don't you." Freed laughs as he looks at Akeno. "Oh and you, you're back. You're all so screwed Jason's coming after you! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Rodney clenches his fists, but Akeno puts her arm in front of him.
"Oh really?" She asks as her eyes glow yellow. "Everyone's been saying that, but he's sure taking his time." Akeno says smiling, on the verge of laughing as Rodney starts to ease up.
"So you're working with fallen angels now?" Akeno asks, taking charge of the situation. "And now they're slaves to lil old Lord Issei." Freed feels his heart drop as he stares at Issei. Velper as well as the two back away from Issei approaching them. "So you actually don't know. Yeah I have some evil brothers. Guess your mercenary army worked under them, but it doesn't matter you guys just like chaos regardless. Even without fallen angels." Freed and Velper just look at each other and nod before a portal is summoned.
"Well it looks like for now you guys win." Freed says as he raises his hand.
"Until next time! Oh and Issei, be careful around school. I heard our former masters have been keeping tabs on you. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The two disappear in a giant violent flash. Issei stood there not realizing he was in a red tank top. He looks around to see the entire house of Gremory with Sona and her queen now.
"Issei, how did you know about this from our house?" Rias asks.
"The spirit visited our room in the middle of the night. It wasn't Azazel's this time, no it was the real deal. And it led me here." Sona walks towards a cowering Genshiro. "I think we all need to have a talk." Sona says as she glares at Genshiro. He gets onto his knees inside the abandoned building as Issei watches Koneko do the same. "I'm not kneeling on broken glass." Issei says as he looks at the floor. "And I get it alright." He says as he walks over. I'll take their blame when we're home." Rias and Sona look at each other for only a moment before they giggle and laugh. "I'm disappointed Genshiro. You weren't as alert as I trained you to be." Sona says saddened. "I'm so sorry!" Genshiro screams as Rias takes a seat in front of Issei and Koneko.
"So I think we all know why this doesn't look the best. Can we all agree that we need to stay in the loop on everything. I mean you guys could have been killed!" Rias says as she hugs Issei with anxiety racing all around her, Yuuto, and Koneko in one big group hug. Her hair wraps around them like a blanket as her arms warm their backs, all while Sona lines Genshiro up.
"What?! How come they're all getting hugs and I'm getting yelled at!"
"That's them!" Sona says as she wacks Genshiro. "This is us!" she continues to berate him with wacks as Rias wraps her arms around her house members.
"Issei, especially you" Rias says as she cups Issei's face and pecks his forehead. "If you're gonna be a leader then you have to be mindful of your actions. They affect everyone now."
Issei takes a deep sigh as he looks all around the abandoned church, examining the shattered pews and broken glass windows.
"Can you do that for me?" Rias asks as she kneels before Issei with her hans places on his shoulders. He takes his hand and places it over one of her delicate hands. Looking down into her eyes, he feels his heart race.
"Even you?" he asks, earning a nod.
"Okay Rias, I can."
To be Continued….