Barakiel and Shuri

Unbeknownst to Issei, she had been secretly following him during the past week to make sure he was safe and what she saw absolutely infuriated her. She witnessed many kids and even adults ostracize Issei for being different. No one wanted him nearby and this caused Issei to become depressed. She could see it in his expression even though he tried so hard to hide it from her and Great-red. However, both understood that something happened so Ophis immediately decided to trail him the following days with Great-red warning her not to get involved too much otherwise it wouldn't be good for his growth and also to prevent other forces from discovering their presence in the city.

What right did any of these pathetic humans have to treat her little Issei this way? They should be grateful that their children would have the privilege of playing with her son and yet they dare to treat him this way. It took every ounce of willpower she had to not erase them from existence then and there. Even worse was the sad expression Issei made after every failed encounter which had torn her heart, something she always believed she never had, asunder when she saw him. She wanted to run and embrace him in a warm and loving hug telling him that everything would be alright but knowing that issei was trying his hardest not to worry them and kept on trying again and again, kept her from acting. She was extremely proud of his unyielding resolve to succeed. That is a quality that very few possess especially at only 5 years old.

Yet, now this pathetic fallen angel was attempting to kill HER son. The very thought of her son dying sent a shiver down her spine. At the same time, an all-consuming anger erupted from her being which was directed at Barakiel. Luckily, throughout the years, she managed to learn how to control her powers so it is only aimed at the people she wants to target rather than having everyone able to sense her infinite aura. In the past, it didn't matter to her whether people detected her presence or not as she was infinite and no one, safe for great-red and one other, could even put a dent on her. But now, she had a son to worry about and the last thing she wanted was to attract attention towards themselves and risk Issei getting caught in the crossfire.

Barakiel, on the other hand, was on full alert at the moment. He instantly knew who the being in front of him was and his face carried an expression of fear knowing that in front of him was the Infinite Dragon God, Ophis. He was currently pondering what he should do. Should he call for reinforcements? No, even the entire fallen angel faction combined would not be able to put a dent on her. She was the most powerful being in the world for a reason. It would only lead to his faction's extinction, something that needed to be avoided at all costs. After evaluating his options, he could not think of any way to deal with the current situation. Nevertheless, behind him was his family and he would give his life to at least give them a chance to run away. Determined to keep Ophis away from them, he was about to engage her when suddenly a small figure stood between them. With his four draconic wings spread out as well as his arms spread out, Issei placed himself in between his mother and Akeno's dad in order to hopefully spare him from her wrath. He knew of his mother's overprotectiveness of him and was very grateful that she loved him so; however, if, he didn't do something, she would send Akeno's dad into oblivion which would make Akeno very sad. He has finally found somebody who did not shun him as if he were a monster and more particularly had actually called him her friend, something he desperately wanted since arriving in this town.

"Mom, please wait!" he said, looking straight at his mother. Both parties were surprised by his actions. Barakiel was surprised that the boy was willing to protect him despite the fact that he was ready to kill him moments ago. But what shocked him the most was the words that came out of Issei's mouth. "Did he just say mom. As far as we know, the Ouroboros dragon has never had a child. Is he perhaps a new member of her group that Azazel has been talking about? What is going here?" thought Barakiel to himself as he tried to evaluate the situation further. According to Azazel, Ophis has never been interested in anything other than to attain silence so the thought of her having a son and taking care of a family was very impractical. However, Azazel also mentioned that Ophis had completely disappeared off the face of the world around 5 years ago which is about the age of the young boy in front of him. No one knows what happened to it, yet everyone was secretly happy they didn't need to deal with it so they all let it be except for a few leaders such as Azazel and Sirzech.

Ophis did not understand why her son stood in between her and that bird. If she was rational, she would have taken the time to think about it but currently she was in a state of rage. This feeble fallen angel dared to raise his hand against her own son and that was inexcusable.

"Issei, please get out of the way. That little vermin dared to raise his hand against you, my own son and I will not tolerate it. I will erase him from existance" Ophis said looking at Barakiel who flinched at her infuriated gaze. However, Issei would not budge.

"No mom, Akeno's father did nothing wrong. He was only trying to protect his daughter from harm, just as you would for me. SO please don't do this, if you do I… I… I will hate you." Issei retorted. It was extremely difficult to utter that last part because he sincerely loves his mother but he did not want her to kill his first friend father as it would make her sad.

Ophis, on the other hand, was extremely devastated at his last remark. If there was one thing she truly feared in this world was for her little Issei to start resenting her. She did not want that at all. Her enraged state was replaced with a bitter state as her aura slowly dissipated. Everyone became silent when two new voices were heard.

"What is going on here?" "What is going on here?"

The first voice came from a beautiful women who resembled an older version of Akeno. She had long raven hair tied by a ponytail and was garbed in a Miko outfit. She was Akeno's mother and the wife of Barakiel. She had sensed the tension outside her house and came out to make sure everything was alright. She came out to see barakiel with his wings spread out and holy lightning coming out from him facing off against a gorgeous woman who by definition would be the epitome of beauty. In between them was a child who seems to be trying to stop the engagement and Akeno who is worriedly looking at them from the side. She did not understand what was going on and would have to ask her husband to clarify the situation for her.

The second entity that came was none other than great-red having sensed Ophis power from his new home, he knew that something had gone horribly wrong and immediately teleported to where Ophis was to try and mitigate the situation before she does anything crazy as well as check if Issei was alright. He arrives to see the same situation as Shuri, although in his mind, he was impressed by his son to have managed to stand up to his mother. "I'm proud of you my son" he thought showing a small grin on his face. It seems that Issei managed to solve the issue without any bloodshed for now. Still, he now needed to understand the situation and would talk with Ophis to see just what happened.

"mom" "dad" was heard simultaneously from Akeno and Issei respectively.

As both dragged their respective family apart, they started questioning them on the events that previously transpired.

(Shuri and Barakiel)

After Barakiel explained to his wife what happened, he got slapped in the face which surprised him greatly. Even worst, was the look of anger that his wife directed at him.

"Of course, she would react like that! You threatened to hurt her child. As a mother, I completely understand her feelings on the matter. I would have reacted the same way had our daughter been in the same situation so this incident is indeed your fault. As a parent yourself, what possessed you to attempt to strike at another person's child?" Said Shuri as she hammered Barakiel with her words. Barakiel, in turn answered

"B… But I was only trying to protect our daughter from danger! Despite being a child, his aura and power are almost equivalent to my own and I thought that he had malicious intentions towards Akeno."

Shuri looked at him with doubt clearly displayed on her face.

"Are you referring to that sweet child who stood in between you and his own mother to protect you from her wrath? Furthermore, suppose you were right and he turns out to have been evil, did you not think of the consequences should you had engaged in battle with him? Akeno would have been caught in the crossfire of your fight. Aren't you supposed to be a leader of your faction? Please think before you act!"

Barakiel was shocked at her answer because he knew she was right. Had he been more rational and calmer, he could have handled the situation a lot better. Yet, he let his emotions get the better of him and acted rashly. His mood took a big dive as he looked down on the floor. Shuri, seeing that, took his hand and smiled at him saying "Let us offer our sincere apologize for the incident and hope that it is enough." Barakiel nodded as they made their way towards the dragon gods.

(Great-Red and Ophis)

While Akeno's parents had their little meeting, great-red and Ophis were having a discussion of their own.

"What were you thinking letting your power out like that? Have you forgotten that we are trying to lay low as to avoid detection by the other factions?" yelled Great-red at Ophis. Arguing with her was the last thing he wanted at the moment but if he needs to do it in order to get his point across then so be it. They both agreed that they would keep a low profile while living in the human world in order to ensure the safety of their son; yet, here she is flaunting her power. They were truly lucky that this time it was only felt by him and Akeno's family otherwise every other faction would come here to investigate. That is a hassle that he does not want to deal with at the present moment.

Ophis explained the situation to him believing that her actions were justifiable. Great-red sighed after she finished and continued talking yet in a more relaxed manner

"I understand what is going on now; However, you did not need to flaunt your power like that. We are very lucky that your aura was too abrupt to be felt by any factions safe for me. Did you not think of the consequences that could have arisen from your actions? We are trying to remain hidden to ensure not only Issei safety but to be able to raise him without any sort of unwanted intervention. Also, didn't you promise that you would not intervene in Issei's affairs. This is his life to…" Ophis interrupted Great-red exclaiming

"You wouldn't understand how I felt baka-red. I followed him for the past week and saw how everyone treated our son leaving him in a depressed state everytime he came back home. Don't you dare start talking to me when you don't weren't there to…" Before she could finish that sentence, she sensed Great-red aura spike as his expression turned into one of fury directed at her no less.

"WOULDN"T UNDERSTAND! I understand more than you know Ophis. Have you forgotten what I represent? I'm the dragon of dreams and everyday I got to see Issei's dream that was filled with nothing but pain and sadness from his encounters. It utterly devastated my heart knowing what Issei was going through and, like you, I wanted nothing more than to exterminate those vile humans for treating my son this way so don't you dare, for a moment, think I don't understand".

This is probably the first time that Ophis was ever really afraid of great-red. Never had she seen him this serious and furious at the same time.

"Yet, the reason I do not intervene is because not only was Issei determined to keep on trying but he also tried his best not to make us worry about him. If I intervened, not only would this be an insult to his resolve but it would make Issei feel like a failure for making us worried. This is an obstacle that he must face. Young he may be, but he is a dragon and dragons do not back down from a challenge. Also, from what you told me, he seems to have been able to make his first friend until you showed up and threatened to kill her father. It's no wonder he told you that last remark." Great-red noticed that Barakiel and Shuri were slowly making their way towards them and figured this was as good as time as any to try and rectify this situation. "Alright, it seems the parents of Issei's friend are coming over. Let's see if we can resolve this situation. If worst comes to worse, I'll use my powers to wipe out their memory of their encounter with us."

Secretly, Great-red was hoping he would not need to utilize this last resort as it would also mean that Issei would lose his first friend, which would cause him to be hated by him and he really didn't want that. Both "couples" were now at speaking distance and Shuri decided to start off the conversion.

"Hello, my name is Shuri Himekawa, I am the mother of Akeno and wife to Barakiel. I heard of the commotion that has occurred here and I would like to offer you our sincere apologizes for how it was handled. My husband should not have raised his hand against your child. As a mother, I understand that Ophis reaction was reasonable as a child's safety is a mother's number 1 priority. I know my husband only did what he did out of concern of the safety of our daughter but I believe he could have handled it differently so I would like to make amends and offer a due apology on our behalf." Shuri bowed to show her sincerity and looked at Barakiel to do the same which he did.

"As my wife mentioned, I am truly sorry for the way I behaved and for having threatened your son. I pray that you could forgive me." Barakiel said as he also gave a slight bow hoping that this would resolve the situation since he knew that conflict would only lead to their demise against Ophis.

"Please raise your heads." Both of them lifted their headsas great-red continued "I heard from Ophis the details of this incident and while I am troubled by the fact that my son was nearly hurt, I do believe that things could have been resolved more smoothly if both of them had been calm and rational so I can let things slide. In addition, I can tell that you both are genuinely sorry for the events that transpired so we will accept your apologies"

Both of them became relieved knowing their apology was accepted while Ophis was giving a stern look as he basically indirectly called her stupid which he ignored to her ire.

"Thank you very much … um, I'm sorry but I forgot to ask your name" Shuri asked. Before answering, great-red took a moment to think about it. Should he reveal his identity to them? Should he tell the truth or bend it a bit? After careful consideration, he decided that he would give them the benefit of the doubt and give them the truth. They already met Ophis so revealing his identity won't really matter. If things go wrong, as he stated earlier, he would use his powers to modify their memories. Although he would still warn them to keep everything a secret; if not then he would have no alternative then to do what must be done to keep Issei safe.

"I will tell you my name, but you must promise me that you will not only keep it a secret between us but also everything that happened during the earlier incident from anyone." He told them, giving them a serious glare showing he means business. Both were a bit confused at the statement nevertheless, as an expression of goodwill and the fact they owed them an apology, they would concede this to him. Barakiel, although a bit distraught that he would need to lie to Azazel and his friends, also agreed. He was bewildered why the dragon in front of him wanted to keep his identity a secret since nothing was more shocking than meeting Ophis and learning she has a kid. Still, they looked at each other and nodded.

"We promise you that we will keep your identities a secret from our respective families and superiors unless you give us permission. Is that alright?" Barakiel answered for the both of them.

Great red nodded showing his approval

"Indeed it is! Very well, then allow me to introduce myself. I am the Apocalypse Dragon, the true God Emperor Dragon but you can call me Great-Red." He answered with his 4 wings sprouting from his back. He could have simply told them his name but he is proud of his title as any other dragon would be.

On the other hand, to say that Shuri and Barakiel were both shocked would be an understatement. They were blown away by the revelation. Even Shuri knew of Great-Red through Barakiel. Barakiel's mind was going a million miles per hour trying to understand the situation. Never, in his wildest dreams, did he ever think he would meet with the strongest existence face to face. It was unthinkable due to two reasons. One, according to Azazel, Great-Red is a dragon that swims freely across the dimensional gap and never really interacts with other worlds which is why he isn't deemed as a threat to any factions. Two, and this is probably the biggest reason, is that Great-Red should be Ophis's mortal enemy as stated by Azazel and yet here he is standing side by side with her, casually engaging in conversation and not at each other throats. In fact, if he didn't know better, they were almost acting like a couple… It was then that he was struck with a sudden realization. When he first appeared in the commotion, he could swear he heard the boy shout 'dad' and if that's true then … "Oh no, what have I done" Barakiel thought to himself. If he wasn't scared before than he certainly was now, in fact, he is absolutely terrified right now. If what he thought of was correct, then that would mean that not only had he tried to harm the son of the Infinite Dragon God but also of the Apocalypse Dragon. If he earned the wrath of both dragon gods then there really is no hope for him. Just one of them can destroy the world many times over, but both combined he stuttered to even think about it. He prayed to the deceased God, something he hasn't done in centuries, for his family to be safe from harm should things turn sour.

Great-red seeing Barakiel's expression could guess what he was thinking and stated

"From your expression, I can tell that you are worried about your earlier transgression against my son. I would be lying if I said I wasn't angry at your actions against him and if this were any other time I would certainly have eliminated you without a second thought" Barakiel shivered at his response "but given our current circumstances and the fact that you were only trying to protect your child, something I recently understand, I let it go. Besides, I've already accepted your apology and for Issei's sake, I would rather not cause trouble with his first friend."

Barakiel let out a big sigh of relief and once again bowed at great-red "Thank you very much for your kindness and forgiveness." He said. With a small wave of his hand great-red replied "Don't mind it."