As it turns out, sometimes things turn out even more ridiculous than anyone could imagine.
In Leon's view, Issei Hyoudou—the "Breast Dragon Emperor"—turning over a new leaf was an utterly incredible concept. But Rias's next words made him realize that the truly unbelievable developments were still to come.
"That boy is currently undergoing extracurricular correction by the Student Council every single day. At first, he dared to look at Akeno and me with those lecherous eyes, but now he doesn't even dare show a hint of that expression."
"Kiba actually gets along quite well with him. Even though the boy constantly claims to hate 'pretty boys' and handsome guys, they occasionally stay over at each other's places."
"On a side note, before reaching this point, he took exactly thirteen punches from Koneko. The kind of punches that smash the victim right through a wall every single time."
Speaking of this, Rias couldn't help but feel a sense of amusement.
Unlike herself and Akeno Himejima, who viewed him as something of a foolish younger brother, Koneko Toujou—the taciturn cat-girl—loathed anything perverted.
Leon's previous warning hadn't just reached Sona Sitri's ears; Koneko had taken it to heart as well. From the moment Issei Hyoudou joined the Gremory peerage, she had maintained a state of high alert.
The moment Issei directed a lustful gaze toward the two older sisters, the silent cat-girl would immediately strike, sending him flying until he shattered a wall.
One had to remember that while Koneko looked like a petite loli, she was a melee-type "Rook." She was a girl of monstrous strength, capable of easily lifting boulders the size of two grown men. Her "little fists" were not something easily endured.
Consequently, after thirteen brutal lessons, Issei Hyoudou was now genuinely terrified.
"It sounds like your recent days have been quite... lively."
After a period of speechless shock, Leon felt himself break into a smile.
Though it hadn't been his intention, Leon truly hadn't expected that a single warning of his would lead the original protagonist into such a miserable state.
Leon personally bore no ill will toward Issei. In fact, he somewhat admired him. Granted, Issei was an unrepentant pervert, but then again, what man wasn't?
Issei was often mocked as the incarnation of lust and faced the disdain of almost every girl, but his loyalty to his own desires was, from a certain perspective, quite admirable.
As an ordinary high school student, even after obtaining the Longinus "Boosted Gear," he was still looked down upon by many because his innate talent was simply too low. After reincarnating as a Devil, he couldn't even manage basic Magic Circle teleportation, and his internal mana was so pitiful that he was considered the weakest Red Dragon Emperor in history. Yet, despite this, he relied on his raw desire and relentless physical training to surpass himself time and again, eventually reaching heights no one could have imagined and gaining the respect of countless rivals.
That was a remarkable feat that commanded respect.
Initially, Leon had been indifferent toward this pervert until the boy fought Sairaorg Bael. Seeing them trade blows like true men in a Rating Game, surpassing their limits for the sake of their convictions until Issei finally took down the Leonn King, Leon had been moved by his hot-blooded spirit.
After that part of the story, Leon's opinion of Issei changed. It wasn't exactly "hater turned fan," but he certainly moved from "hater to neutral."
That was why he had reminded Rias to pay attention to this Red Dragon Emperor of infinite possibilities.
Firstly, Rias truly needed such an excellent servant to help her escape her predicament. Secondly, Leon actually wanted to try testing his skills against this Red Dragon Emperor.
He and Rias would eventually make their debuts as the new generation of Devils. At that time, they would participate in debut battles and clash with the outstanding geniuses of various clans. The Eligos Peerage and the Gremory Peerage would inevitably meet in a debut battle for a Rating Game.
He wanted to use that occasion to fairly and squarely face off against the Red Dragon Emperor who constantly created miracles.
That ought to be quite interesting, wouldn't it?
Thinking of this, the corners of Leon's mouth curled up slightly.
"It's alright, though Sona is a bit too strict with him. He is my servant, after all," Rias grumbled slightly, unaware of Leon's thoughts.
Rias's sense of possessiveness was actually quite strong. The Gremory family throughout history was famous for being protective of their servants. Therefore, no matter how lustfully Issei looked at her, Rias didn't feel angry; instead, she found it amusing.
Issei's lecherous nature might be a massive turn-off for other girls, but to a Devil like Rias, it wasn't a big deal.
They were Devils—what was wrong with being loyal to one's desires?
Never mind Rias—wasn't Leon himself acting on the same principle?
He never hid his intention to build a harem. To this day, he had never considered recruiting male servants. Every member of his peerage was a beautiful girl. Anyone with eyes could see his intent, yet who among them minded?
Powerful Devils had such privileges. A Devil loyal to their desires was a natural state of being. Not even Sirzechs, Lady Phenex, or even Tiamat cared about such things; they even took the initiative to help him recruit servants. That said enough.
Even Sona Sitri had never shown any sign of finding it strange, accepting the fact that Leon's peerage consisted entirely of beauties as a perfectly normal occurrence.
Leon himself never doubted that what he was doing was wrong. Lately, he had even started doing exactly what Yukino Yukinoshita and the others had previously predicted—majestically walking into the hot springs to bathe with them.
As for Yukino and the others, their initial reactions were naturally extreme, but so what? Just as they suspected, Leon had long ago regarded them as his property. Their protests were futile.
Faced with the reality that their protests were ignored, the girls had now resigned themselves to the situation and were beginning to adapt to bathing with Leon.
Rias naturally didn't know about this, but even if she did, she wouldn't think much of it. By the same logic, regarding Issei Hyoudou's dream of becoming a High-class Devil to openly start a harem, she didn't despise it; she actually felt like supporting it.
As long as Issei worked hard and improved enough to eventually become a High-class Devil, she could perfectly accept him becoming independent from her, receiving his own Evil Pieces in the underworld, and recruiting the beautiful servants he liked.
Under these circumstances, Sona's "correction" of Issei seemed to Rias not only like an overstepping of boundaries but also a bit excessive. He was her servant, after all. If anyone was going to discipline him, it should be her, right?
Of course, Rias was just grumbling; she wouldn't actually hold a grudge against Sona for it. She understood Sona's perspective as well. After all, Sona was the Student Council President in charge of school discipline. With her personality, she naturally couldn't tolerate such disruptions.
Therefore, after much thought, Rias accepted Sona's corrective education for Issei. Regardless, Issei was already a second-year high school student. Once he graduated from Kuoh Academy, he wouldn't be "disrupting school discipline" anymore.
At that point, he could do whatever he wanted. For now, he would just have to endure it and exercise some self-restraint; it could be considered profound training for his willpower and endurance.
"If you're interested in the boy, you can come over and meet him," Rias said with a smile, perhaps sensing a bit of Leon's intent.
"There will be an opportunity; there's no need to rush," Leon replied with a smile, not denying his interest. He then added, "Since the Red Dragon Emperor has become your servant, you must be very careful of Grigori."
"I've heard that the current White Dragon Emperor is among the Grigori, and his strength is formidable."
Hearing this, the smile on Rias's face vanished.
"The White Dragon Emperor, one of the Two Heavenly Dragons?" Rias murmured softly.
"Indeed," Leon nodded. "The Red Dragon Emperor and the White Dragon Emperor—two incredibly powerful dragons once hailed as the Two Heavenly Dragons."
"They possess power surpassing the Dragon Kings and can rival gods. They are the strongest legendary dragons beneath the gods."
"In the past, during the total war between the Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels, the Red Dragon and the White Dragon fought each other on the battlefield as if no one else existed, causing immense damage to all three sides. Eventually, they were defeated by the alliance of the three factions. Their bodies were torn apart, and their souls were sealed by God into two artifacts, turning those artifacts into Longinus."
"Since then, the hosts of these two Longinus have inherited the names of the Red and White Dragons. Driven by ultimate competitive instincts, they began a ceaseless cycle of conflict. Every generation of the Red and White Dragons are mortal enemies; once they encounter each other, a fight to the death is inevitable."
Now, a new generation's Red Dragon Emperor had appeared, and he was in the Gremory peerage. Thus, when the White Dragon Emperor of this generation appeared, a conflict between the two was inevitable. And the White Dragon of this generation was in the Fallen Angel camp, one of the Longinus users nurtured by Grigori.
"Is he... very strong?" Rias asked with a frown.
"Very strong," Leon said without hesitation. "Do you know how the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels evaluates him?"
Rias listened intently.
"The strongest White Dragon Emperor in history."
Leon delivered the evaluation that caused Rias's expression to change instantly.
"The evaluation... is that high?" Rias's face was solemn.
"It can't be helped. Compared to Issei Hyoudou, who was born a mundane high schooler and has pitifully weak mana even after becoming a Devil, the other party has startling talent and was born extraordinary. He has even mastered the Balance Breaker. Even I might not necessarily be able to defeat him," Leon warned seriously.
This was one of the very dramatic aspects of the original story. The current Red Dragon Emperor was the weakest in history, while the current White Dragon Emperor was the strongest in history. They weren't even on the same starting line; the gap was despairingly wide.
At least, for now.
"Once news of the current Red Dragon Emperor's emergence spreads and he finds out, he might just come looking for you on his own initiative," Leon reminded her. "Even if he comes alone, the danger he brings will surpass the Old Maou Faction's attack."
"So, you must be careful."
With the current strength of the Gremory Peerage, even if they joined forces, they were absolutely no match for the current White Dragon Emperor. Unless Issei pulled off an incredible power-up, the Gremory Peerage would have zero chance of victory if the White Dragon Emperor attacked.
Leon knew this all too well and naturally had to warn Rias.
"I understand," Rias took a deep breath and nodded. "I'll be careful."
As she spoke, Rias had no idea that before the White Dragon Emperor attacked, the Gremory Peerage would encounter a catastrophic disaster. Besides the White Dragon Emperor, another powerful enemy hidden in the shadows would soon arrive in Kuoh Town to cause them trouble.
Unknowingly, the month of special training for the Eligos Peerage in the underworld came to a quiet end.
When the final night's practical training concluded, Leon and the others didn't head straight back to their tents with exhausted bodies as usual. Instead, they gathered around a roaring bonfire.
Leon stood with his back to the fire, facing the girls who were silently watching him.
They were covered in dust and grime. Some even had dirt on their faces, far from the image of beautiful girls in others' eyes. Their clothes were torn in places, but every one of them looked spirited. Their aura and mental state had undergone a transformative change compared to a month ago.
Especially since a faint, subtle aura that disturbed the atmosphere would occasionally emanate from them, they felt less like ordinary beauties and more like intimidating Valkyries.
"Today is the final day of special training," Leon announced before them. "Just now, you finished your last exercise here, bringing this training camp to a perfect conclusion."
Hearing this, the girls remained completely unmoved.
Had they heard this when the training first began, they likely would have let out a massive sigh of relief. The reason was simple: this training camp had been brutally strict, almost treating them as sub-human. They had been tormented to within an inch of their lives every day, countless times stepping one foot into the grave.
At that time, they even felt they might die during the training and never return to the human world.
But now, they had completely adapted to the high-intensity training. Having surpassed their limits time and again, they no longer viewed the initial training as anything significant. Looking back now, the disheveled and miserable states of their earlier selves could never happen again.
"Clean yourselves up, girls," Leon gave them a wide smile. "And then, prepare to head back."