Chance Encounter

After leaving the old school building, Issei made his way back home. It seemed like a storm was about to hit the city so he hurried along before he gets drenched. Arriving home, he entered his residence only to spot his father watching TV but with no sign f his mother anywhere. Usually, she would be the first to greet him back home while preparing dinner. He did not feel her presence anywhere at home or the city for that matter.

"Welcome home, son" greeted his father, interrupting his thought process.

"Hi, dad. Where did mom go?" he asked while taking his shoes off.

"Ophis is currently back at Tannin's place hanging out with her friends. Apparently, a lot of the younglings asked for her so she went back to spend time with them. Although, she should come home soon. How was your day? Did you have a good time with Akeno?" smirked Great-red loving to tease the hell out of his son. He got the expected reaction as his son blushed

"Dad, could you stop that!" shouted issei who was annoyed that his father did this everytime. Great-red laughed.

"hahaha, sorry sport but I can't help it since you are easy to tease. I'm sure Akeno-chan does the same thing. But, in all seriousness, how did your day go?" his father asked seriously this time. After calming himself down, Issei answered

"It was an interesting day to say the least and… quite a few things happened that I believe I should let you know about but I would rather wait for mom to come back before we get to it." He said seriously causing Great-red to raise a brow wondering what happened.

"Well there is no need to wait because she is already here" Great red turned his attention towards the kitchen, Issei following his gaze, when a black aura in the form of many snakes begun materializing in that spot, soon taking the shape of his mother. Having come back home, Ophis very quickly spotted her son and went to embrace him.

"Good evening my Issei. I apologize for not being able to greet you when you arrived back home." She told her son who simply waved it off.

"It's no problem, mom. Dad already told me where you were. How is everyone doing back home?" They all still considered the dragon territory their second home and that would never chance.

"Everyone is doing fine. The younglings are as energetic as ever. Tannin is busy training everyone to be the best they can be. Oh, also Bova came by while I was taking care of some younglings asking me to relay a message to you saying he wanted to spar soon and that he would not lose this time. He seemed quite motivated to see his rival." She explained with a small smile on her face. Issei was pleased that everyone was doing well and he smirked at his friend's challenge. He would definitely spar with him sometime soon.

"How about you, how did your day go?" she asked, interrupting his inner monologue.

"Like I told dad, I had an interesting day and now that you arrived, there are a few things I wanted to let you know about." Ophis nodded and sat on the sofa near her husband and Issei took a seat directly in front of them.

Thus, he began to recount his day, from the time he left the house with Akeno until he got to the important details which was the meeting with Rias Gremory herself. His parents, mostly his father, laughed at the constant annoyance his son was receiving from his fellow students although they were both happy to hear him and Akeno getting along so well.

"During the meeting with Rias Gremory, she invited me join the Occult Research Club and after considering it, I decided to join the club. They are all wonderful people and it was thanks to them that Akeno was spared a life of suffering and from what she told me; Rias saved her life." Great-red and Ophis both looked disheartened when he said that. It was still a hard pill to swallow that while they were living in peace, she was barely making ends meet all those years. It should have been their responsibility to make sure Akeno was safe and they failed miserably.

Unaware of his parent's internal moral struggle, Issei continued speaking.

"After learning a brief history about the Devils, I found out a surprising fact. You will never believe who I've met but it appears that Rias Gremory possesses the host of the Red Dragon Emperor Ddraig." He revealed to them, shocking them out of their mindless thoughts. They never thought they would hear of Ddraig being here. It also provided a bit of concern.

"Really, so the host of Ddraig is affiliated with the devil faction this time. That is interesting indeed. Was he able to discern your identity by any chance?" Great asked his son wondering if Ddraig could feel Issei's power. Unlike the other devils, Ddraig had in fact come into contact with Ophis in the past so he would know her energy anywhere and he was strong enough to sense it even when he is sealed which did concern him a bit.

"I do not believe so. I always make sure to keep my powers sealed so, if he did notice anything, his tone did not give any indication that he did. It was still pretty cool to finally meet the fabled Ddraig that I kept hearing about. He seems like a nice guy, even started laughing hysterically when I told him that mom called him and his rival idiots for fighting a pointless battle." Issei explained. Ophis crossed her hand and huffed.

"hmf, well it's true. They both fought needlessly with one another and their pride cost them their freedom. It is my wish that you do not become like that. You already possess so many traits of your father and that alone makes me cringe."

"HEY, what is that supposed to mean." Interjected Great-red who was annoyed at the indirect insult.

"It means exactly what it sounds like BAKA-RED!" replied Ophis. Issei for his part decided to let his parents bicker amongst themselves and eventually they would calm down for him to continue. This was a usual thing between them so he learned to live with it.

After a short period, they slowly began to regain their composure before returning their attention to their son.

"Still, with both you and Ddraig currently here, I have a sinking suspicion that you will not be able to keep your secret for very long. You have become a lot stronger over the years and I have absolutely no doubt you can take care of yourself. There are not many opponents who could pose a threat to you now that you have mastered your powers. Your crimson fire and black lightning in particular could easily dispatch god class beings; however, on the other hand, it also reveals your origins. Those powers contain our very energies and that is impossible to hide. If people found out that you were not only the child of the Ouroboros dragon but also the Apocalypse Dragon than they would no doubt see you as a threat and possibly create an alliance to take you down just like what happened to the Heavenly dragons. Of course, your mother and I would never let any harm befall you and should they try well… they will be wiped off from the phase of existence." Great stated. Issei could tell from his tone that he would definitely carry out his implied threat should it happen and he did not even need to look at his mother that she would do the exact same thing should anything befall him.

"I know how protective of me the both of you are and I am forever grateful to have been given the blessing of being your son. You both are the greatest parents a dragon could ever hope for; however, it is not what I want. If this conflict does indeed occur… then I have no doubts that Tannin shishou and the rest would join in as well. As a result, all the years of hard work Uncle Tannin spent for the sake of species would go down the drain. Dragons would be once again viewed as targets for elimination, this time by every faction and many of the younglings I've spent my whole life with would die. I'm pretty sure, if it came to that, Uncle and the rest would never regret putting their lives on the line for me. That is the kind of people they are but, I will forever remember that I was partially responsible for their deaths. I don't want to see anyone I care for die in front of me ever again. I… I just can't…" he took a moment to breath in, wiping his tears before continuing

"That is why I've decided to only use those abilities under extreme circumstances. Like you said before Dad, there are very few who could pose a threat to me so simply using my strength and other flames will be sufficient for the time being. Until there comes a time that our species can fly freely amongst the realms without prejudice."

Great-red and Ophis smiled, got up from their seats and each took a seat near their son. Ophis took her sons hand and gently caressed it hoping to ease her son's burden while Great-red simply ruffled his son's hair.

"My sweet little Issei. You are by far, the greatest thing that has ever happened to me during my infinite life. All I want is for you to grow up to be the best you can be and I will support you all the way no matter what path you take." Ophis commented.

"Your mother is right, Issei. You have grown up to be a wonderful man and an even greater dragon. We, as your parents can't help but be worried for you and that will never change but this is your life, your journey. Always know that no matter where your journey leads you, you will always have our support because for your mother and I, there is no greater pride in this world… then the pride we feel in you." followed Great-red who beamed with pride for his son.

"Thank you, mom, dad. I love so you both so very much" Issei returned his parents smile.

"We also love you, Issei" they both said as they all shared an embrace. Silence ensued for a moment until

.

Grumble

.

Somebody's stomach started rumbling causing them to separate and Great-red to laugh.

"hahaha, seems our boy is hungry. It must have been a big day huh." He looked at Issei who shook his head furiously.

"What, that wasn't me. That was totally you, dad" Issei rebuked his father.

"Heck no. I'm not that hungry yet." Both of them then looked at the only other member here, Ophis who was not looking at wither of them.

.

Grumble grumble

.

This time the sound came from Ophis who couldn't help but release a small blush.

"hahaha, so it was you. My, it seems someone is hungry."

"Hey, I was busy taking care of many energetic younglings and I did not have time to eat, OK" she complained to great-red. Even Issei could not help but release a small giggle at his mother's frustration. In the end, they all started laughing at the situation and they all decided to eat out at a restaurant.

All in all, it was just another hectic day in their lives.

The next morning, Issei woke up earlier than usual. Having gotten the address of her apartment from her yesterday, he decided to surprise her this time and go pick her up so they could go to school together. He bid his parents farewell and exited his house but not before hearing his father scream

"Go get her, Tiger… or in this case would it be dragon" he mumbled the last part which was not heard by issei as he closed the door and made his way to Akeno's apartment.

Having arrived at his destination, he could not help but feel a bit guilty because although her apartment was close to school, his residence was literally on the opposite side, meaning she probably walked a long way just to get to his house, unless she teleported using magic but he was pretty sure, she would not do that. He just felt bad that she had to walk all the way from her apartment to his house. Anyways, no time for sulking he thought to himself.

He entered the building, went up to the 4th floor and found the room Akeno was living in.

Knock knock

He knocked twice on the door waiting to surprise his girlfriend. He could feel her aura on the other side of the door so he knew she was clearly awake.

"Coming, please wait a moment." He heard her voice coming from the other side of the door. Steps were heard coming closer until the door knob twisted and the door opened revealing Akeno already dressed in her uniform. Akeno was surprised to see Issei. She was about to go get him at his house but it seems he came instead. Noticing her surprised look, Issei smiled.

"Since you came to pick me up yesterday, I decided that it was my turn to come and surprise you by picking you up." Issei explained, Akeno greeted him with a hug.

"Thank you Issei-kun, but you didn't really need to."

"I wanted too and besides it didn't feel right to have walking all the way to my house every single time." Akeno smiled at his concern for her.

"It doesn't bother me Issei, I like walking and it also gives me the chance to come see Aunty Ophis and uncle Red at the same time, but if it bothers you that much, I can always teleport to your house via magic now that I've been there."

"As long as you are alright with it, then I guess I don't mind." Issei answered. She nodded and told him to come inside while she finishes preparing to go to school. Issei accepted her offer and invited himself in her room. Looking around he could tell it was a very nice-looking apartment with all the commodities needed. He had to give credit to Rias Gremory or would it now be Rias-buchou since he joined the ORC. He can think about what to call her later. He looked back at Akeno who was finishing getting ready and once again he could help but notice how absolutely breathtaking, she looked. Even his dragon instincts couldn't help but scream at him to claim her then and there and Issei had to admit that it was getting very hard to battle those instincts when he looked at her. Akeno, for her part saw Issei staring at her from her mirror and from the way his eyes kept wondering, she could tell he was looking over every inch of her. It somehow resembled how a predator would stalk its prey before striking. Considering that Issei was in fact a dragon, one of the top apex predators known to man, it wasn't that crazy of a thought. Still, the idea that Issei was gawking so thoroughly caused several fantasies to pop into her head of Issei dominating her which sent a shiver down her spine. Luckily it seemed that Issei was so focused on her that he did not really notice her internal arousal so to calm herself down she decided to tease him a bit. Turning around, she placed a single finger on her chin and chuckled

"Ara ara, is the mighty dragon about to devour me? Oh no, I'm just an innocent little maiden. How can I hope to defend myself" She pretended to act scared, folding her hands over her chest as if protecting her body and waited for Issei to answer. Issei took a step forward never losing sight of her.

"And, what if I am?" Akeno was surprised at his response as she did not expect such an answer. Issei would normally start blushing or start teasing her in return but this time she could not tell from his tone if he was joking or serious. And those piercing eyes of his… now that he got a good look were slowly shifting to his original reptile eyes as slits appears in his eyes.

'Oh my' she thought to herself, a slight heat coming from her chest at the thought that she might actually be assaulted by her loved one. Not letting herself lose, she let out a small grin as she made her way towards Issei, embraced his neck and leaned next to his ear.

"In that case… I wouldn't stop you" she calmly whispered in his ear. Once again, Issei's instincts were screaming at him to take her then and there and from the looks of it, Akeno would not mind one bit or she would not be doing this. Akeno felt him raising both of his hands, placing them on her shoulders but, instead of him pouncing on her like she thought, she felt him kiss her forehead surprising her as she shifted her gaze to issei. She noticed that his eyes reverted back to his usual human ones as he smiled down at her.

"Someday, I will definitely take you up on your offer but right now, we have school to attend to." Akeno returned his kiss with one of her own but she aimed for his lips.

"I will look forward to it Issei-kun." She said after separating.

"In that case, shall we go?" he said, presenting her with his arm trying to act like a gentleman which seemed to please Akeno who wrapped her own arm around his.

"ufufu, With pleasure." They then proceeded to leave for school.

Arriving at school, as usual a lot of people were gossiping between themselves about their relationship which made him ponder when they would stop. Anyways, Issei noticed that his class seemed to be waiting outside with their PE instructor so after bidding goodbye to Akeno, he headed there to see what's up. Issei thought it weird considering that his scheduled showed PE as the last class of the day. His thought was then answered by his instructor who explained that they their gym was undergoing some repairs so they were going to do PE outside. However, the weather forecast said there might be rain in the afternoon so they decided to move PE in the morning to compensate. Seeing that everyone understood the situation, the instructor began his class.

Everyone wanted Issei on their team due to his incredible physique and the fact that he could do practically anything. Of course, unknown to them, Issei had to severely restrain his speed and power when playing sports less he injures his fellow students. But, even with that restraint, he was still leagues ahead of the other students, easily getting the best of them in any sport, be it Basketball, soccer, baseball etc. In track and field activities, he would always stay one step ahead of everyone and didn't even break a sweat when all was done. It wasn't really that the male students were weak, it was simply a difference in their species. Naturally, the students were oblivious to this. The girls were going wild, chanting his names cheering at him while the boys were glaring at him with envy. His class gathered so much attention that even the students who were taking classes in doors payed attention to him which annoyed the teachers. Although, ironically some of them watched him with awe, due to how amazing good he was. Issei could not help but chuckle in nostalgia. He recalled how in the past, during his frequent spars with Bova when they used to be evenly matched, everyone would cheer them on. Those were great times. Anyways, due to his overwhelming ability in sports, the teachers had no choice but to add a few restrictions when Issei would play less it becomes a one man show and his opponents simply give up.

Currently, they were playing volleyball and the restriction that the teachers placed on Issei was that everytime he scored a point for his team, the next 5 points could not be scored by him so he would be restricted to receiving and passing. He could not be part of the block since that would give him a chance to score. His PE teacher believed that would at least balance things out. Unfortunately, it was still not enough due to the simple fact that he simply received all the spikes made by his opponents, never letting them score. His naturel instincts allowed him to react extremely fast and easily receive any ball coming his way no matter how fast it came. This forced the teacher to also ask Issei to not receive during the time he was on the court. He felt really bad asking a student to restrain his abilities considering that PE was an opportunity for all students to have fun and go all out. However, Issei was very understanding and accepted everything his instructor told him with a smile. Unfortunately, his actions caused the girls to fawn over him even more. All of them thinking that Issei was very noble to hold back for the sake of everyone else. Just another day, Issei thought to himself.

The bell rang signalling the start of lunch. Issei was getting ready to leave when he noticed Kiba coming towards him

"Issei-kun, Rias-buchou has invited all of us to have lunch in the club. Would you care to join us?" he asked with the usual smile plastered on his face.

Seeing no reason to refuse he accepted.

"Sure although… Where is Matsuda-san, shouldn't he be with you?" Issei was looking around for the pawn of the group who seemed to have vanished the instant the bell rang.

"Ah, I already sent Matsuda-kun ahead so he should be at the clubroom by now." Kiba answered.

Issei nodded "Very well, let's go". He got up from his seat and both of them took their leave. They made their way towards the clubroom and Kiba knocked on the door.

"You can enter". They both heard Akeno's voice giving them permission to answer. Normally it would be Rias who answered but their query was answered the moment they entered the room. Issei could spot a magic circle near Rias ear, meaning that she was currently talking with someone else and by her current expression, it may have been serious so he kept quiet and gave a nod as a form of greeting which Rias returned. He saw Akeno who gave her usual smile and a wave of her hand. Usually she would run to embrace him but it seemed she was taking her duty as the queen of the peerage seriously, staying near Rias until she finished.

"Very well, I understand. We will take care of it. Thank you very much." He heard Rias speaking before she dissipated the magic circle terminating her connection. She simply sighed and returned her attention to her friends.

"Good afternoon Issei, I'm pleased you accepted to have lunch with us." Rias initiated the conversation.

"Thank you for the invitation, although it seems I came at an inconvenient time. Is everything alright?" he asked with some concern.

"Oh no, its nothing very serious. It's just that we've been given an assignment to hunt down a stray devil. Normally, we would wait until school finishes but this time, it is a request from the Archduke so it is better to take care of this as soon as possible. Are you familiar with stray devils, by any chance." She asked him to see if he knew or not.

"um… well if I'm not mistaken, stray devils are devils who betrayed their masters or something a long those lines?" he answered trying his best to recall any conversation he had with tannin about this topic.

"Yes, they are. More precisely, they are devils who have betrayed their masters for their own selfish reasons and without their masters to keep their powers in check, they become a great threat who rampage everywhere and devour innocent civilians. It is our duty to hunt down any stray to prevent further harm to the populace. Since the stray is located in my territory, it is my responsibility to destroy it." She explained. Issei nodded in understanding before an idea struck Rias.

"Say, would you be interested in joining us on the hunt. This could be a chance for you to see us in combat and see the way we devils do things. What do you say?" she inquired. Issei thought about it carefully. If speaking truthfully, he would be curious to observe the teamwork of devils and how peerages handle combat. Plus, he would be there to protect Akeno should things become really bad so he had no reason to refuse.

"Sure, it would be interesting to see you all in action" answered an excited Issei.

"Very well then. We will depart immediately. I just a few minutes to adjust my teleportation spell since it can only transport my peerage members." She said as she rose from her seat only to notice Issei shaking his head negatively.

"That won't be necessary Rias. I can make my way there just fine. You can go ahead and transport yourselves and I will be right behind you." He said confidently.

"Are you sure?" she asked just to be sure. Issei simply nodded.

"Very well. Let's go then." Rias activated her magic circle and all of her peerage including herself teleported to the place where the stray devil was located. Issei took a moment to sense their location and immediately disappeared in a pillar of flames.

Somewhere in Kuoh, outside of what looked to be a construction site, a magic circle appeared on the ground and revealed The Gremory Peerage. When the light of the magic circle died down, the entirety of the ORC appeared in front of that place.

"Looks like we are here. Now we just need to wait for Issei." Rias commented before all of them saw crimson flames materializing near them and out of them came Issei. This was a nifty ability he learned which allowed him to transport himself anywhere he wanted. It was very similar to the way his mother teleports from one place to another.

"Holy crap, that was sick. How did you do it" Matsuda asked looking in awe.

"Oh, that is simply my means of transportation. Using my senses, I found your location and teleported myself here." Issei scratched the back of his head as he explained his ability to Matsuda. Rias coughed in order to regain their attention in order to accomplish their mission.

"Alright, now that we are here, let's get to it. The stray devil we are hunting has last been tracked to this location so keep your eyes open, everyone. Understood." She warned everyone.

"Yes" they all answered before making their way inside the site. As they made their way further inside the construction site, the ORC reached a place that resembled a dirt pit. A wide, but not very deep, pit. It was a weird place for it thought Issei but he was not the only one.

"A pit? But there are no tools or vehicles." Kiba made that observation while looking around. Just as he said, there were no digging tools or vehicles around that could have created this pit. Moreover, Issei made another interesting observation while looking at the ground.

"It looks to be recently made as well" Matsuda added his own 2 cents after observing the pit.

All of a sudden, Isseis enhanced senses started picking up strange noises coming from somewhere. It seemed as though even koneko was aware of the stray's presence.

"It's here" Issei stated as everyone raised their guard. Without saying a word and following his instincts, Issei looked towards a specific location. The moment he did, sounds of metal bars dropping were heard.

"There you are. You can come out now, we know you are there" Issei said. Seeing that he was discovered, the stray jumped down, crashing just in front of the ORC members. Everyone redirected their attention towards the new arrival.

The stray was revealed to be an enormous creature, standing over 3 meters tall with multiple limbs. On his back, he a pair of bat like wings that devils usually possess but he also had 4 long tentacles with a length greater than his own size. It was absolutely revolting and the worst part was that he could smell the blood of a recent victim, indicating that there was already an innocent casualty. Rias stepped forward.

"Greetings Stray devil, Veyron. My name is Rias Gremory. I've been sent on behalf of your former master to eliminate you." Veyrons voice came out in a most distorted manner, just like his appearance.

"huhu… Rias Gremory, is it. I'm impressed that they sent the spoiled little sister of Lucifer to deal with little old me. I should be honoured to be graced by your presence but I expected that they sent someone of your caliber since little weaklings would be able to take me on." He said with a smug on his face. What an egotistical fool, Issei thought. The stray was overconfident in his power despite being very weak.

"You should not flatter yourself to much. The only reason I've been sent is due to the fact that I've been assigned to this territory and it is my responsibility to take care of any threats. You should actually consider yourself unlucky that you had the misfortune of crossing paths with me."

Issei was a bit confused, wondering why she was conversing with the abomination instead of simply destroying it. He leaned towards Akeno

"um Akeno, is… is there any point to conversing with the stray?" he whispered, seriously wondering about it. If it was the younglings in this situation they would simply destroy the enemy in front of them dispensing any kind of formality.

"ufufu, apparently for Devils, its some type of common practice that shows that they are civilised beings but other than that not really."

"I see" he said hesitantly not really getting it.

"hahaha, such arrogance. I will enjoy watching you die as I rip your body to pieces. I'll remember to send your remains back." He stated before jumping back, gaining a bit of distance between them. That seemed to be the signal for the start of the battle.

"Very well then, let us commence. Everyone". Everybody took their positions as Koneko, Matsuda and Kiba stood in the front lines while Akeno and Rias were placed in the rear. The stray used his multiple arms to grab several objects and threw it towards them. Kiba was the first to move as he intercepted the incoming objects and sliced them all to pieces.

"How about this?" the stray screamed as he swung his 4 tentacles at them. Unfortunately for it, Kiba easily side stepped them while Koneko smashed them away.

"hmm, all of those extra limbs of him are going to be a problem. Rip me piece by piece you said? In that case, we will return the favor. Kiba, Koneko-chan"

"Yes Buchou" they both answered. Both of them charged at the stray once Rias gave the order.

"Now then, Issei. As I told you before, Kiba is my knight. His specialty is very simple, pure speed. Kiba was already fast to begin with but if you add in his expert swordsmanship as well as the knight's increased speed then you have a wind that cuts you down before you know it. That is Yuuto's power. By, combining those 2 skills, he becomes the fastest knight."

Slash, slash, slash

"AAAAARRRRRGGGG". The sound of multiple things being sliced followed her speech along with a cry of anguish from the stray. From what he could see, the devil could not keep up with Kiba's speed and was powerless to defend itself as the knight dismembered him piece by piece. He heard several thuds as the severed limbs of the stray landed everywhere including 2 of the 4 tentacles. Since he could not deal with Kiba, he decided to shift his attention to another, easier prey when he caught sight of Koneko making her way towards him.

"you miserable insects. I will crush you where you stand."

Stomp

The enormous monster tried to crush Koneko however to its shock, his foot did not hit the ground and even more surprising was the fact that the girl was unharmed and lifting his foot with her little body.

"Impossible." He screamed unable to comprehend the situation.

"Koneko is my rook and as she just demonstrated, the rook grants her increased physical capabilities. Both offensive and defensive. It's impossible for a stray of that calibre to even harm her let alone crush her." Rias explained.

LIFT!

Koneko then completely lifted up the stray.

"…Fly" She then jumps high and punches into the monster's stomach very sharply.

BANG

The enormous body of the monster gets thrown backwards, crashing on a wall. In pain, he struggled to get up but his anger gave him the adrenaline needed to keep fighting.

"DAMN YOU." He shrieked sending his 2 remaining tentacles towards Rias hoping to kill her but this time, Matsuda stepped in the way.

"Oh no you don't. Let's do this Ddraig." He said.

[Right, partner]

BOOST!

Matsuda had been boosting his power since the start of the battle. Having boosted 5 times gave him enough strength to deal with the incoming assault. Both appendages struck Matsuda but he was able to defend himself and at the same time he grabbed both limbs tightly keeping them in place. This gave Kiba the opening he needed to slice of the remaining 2 appendages as the stray screamed in agony.

"Hell yeah, that's how its done" said Matsuda.

"Good work Matsuda-san." Kiba praised Matsuda.

"Matsuda is my sole pawn. Now, I know what you might be thinking. That the pawn is the weakest piece in chess and you would be right to think so. However, the pawn possesses an ability that none of the other pieces have. The ability of promotion. Basically, under the permission of their king, if they manage to enter enemy territory, this ability grants the ability to promote to any piece with the exception of the king. That is why the pawns of a peerage are seen as the trump cards of a peerage and I have no doubt that Matsuda will become a very powerful trump card someday thanks to being the Red Dragon emperor. I have complete faith in him." If Matsuda had heard that then he would have been extremely elated.

"Last but not least, Akeno" Rias turned towards Akeno

"Yes, Buchou. Ara ara, what should I do?" Akeno was giggling while walking towards the stray that is on the ground panting.

"Akeno is a queen. She is the one who is the strongest after me. Being the queen allows her to possess all the characteristics of a pawn, bishop, knight and rook."

"Grrrrr" the monster growls at Akeno. Akeno makes a fearless laugh after noticing the monster's anger.

"Ara ara. It seems that you still have quite a bit of energy in you. Good thing since Issei-kun is watching me so… how about this?" Akeno raised her arms towards the sky. The next instant, the thunderclouds started to appear then a lightning bolt strikes down the stray.

"AAARRRGGHHH" He was being electrocuted alive. It's entire body got burned with smoke coming off his skin.

"ufufu, it seems like you can still take more. Here's another" Another lightning bolt hit the monster.

"GRRRAAAAAHHHHH" Veyron got electrified again. It was really close to death but even so Akeno still striked it relentlessly. During the times the lightning bolt struck the body, Akeno could be seen laughing.

"As you may have noticed, she is also a sadist" Rias added. It seems that Akeno really did inherit that particular trait from her mother. He realizes that he has a very tough journey ahead of him.

"I give you my sincere condolences." Rias whispered to him seemingly having read his mind about the road that lies ahead. He simply sighed

"Thanks for the concern, I guess although I kind of had an inkling this might happen considering who her mom was" he scratched the back of his head.

"Believe me that is nothing. Did you know that she possesses a BD…" but she was interrupted before she could finish her sentence!

"Buchou, I believe we are done." Akeno said in a loud tone yet never losing her smile. However, Rias knew that behind that smile was a silent threat to not say anything else. Rias shivered. There were times that her queen could be quite scary. Seems doubly so when it came to Issei.

"V… very well. I guess it's time to finish this." She said as she conjured a sphere of destruction on the palm of her head. Issei, for his part, was curious what Rias wanted to tell him but it seemed Akeno would have none of it. He could ask her later after all of this was done.

Suddenly, his instincts flared up warning him that the danger was not over. He quickly focused his senses and noticed that every single limb suddenly began twitching. He looked back towards the stray devil and despite the charred corpse could notice a small smirk coming from it. Then suddenly, all of its severed limbs launched towards Rias to everyone's horror

"BUCHOU!" everyone screamed in panic. Kiba launched himself towards her wanting to act as her shield but to his horror he saw that he would never make it in time.

If this was any other circumstances then the stray might have succeeded in killing the princess

.

.

That is if Issei wasn't present

"Flame Barrier"

A barrier made of flames suddenly surrounded both Rias and Issei protecting them from the stray's desperate attack. Once the limbs made contact with his barrier, they easily disintegrated. Everyone breathed in a sigh of relief seeing their king was safe.

"Here's a little lesson from me now. Never let your guard down even when you think it is safe for that is the moment when you are the most vulnerable. That is a lesson my shishous drilled into me, constantly." Issei advised. Rias was very embarrassed at her blunder. Had it not been for Issei, then she would have lost her life here.

"Thanks for saving me. I owe you one." She told him.

"Don't mention it. Now I believe you should finish your mission, no?" he replied. She nodded and made her way towards the stray, this time never letting down her guard until she was face to face with the tattered body of the monster, power of destruction still present on her arm.

"Any last words?"

"Go… to… hell." He wheezed out the insult causing her to laugh

"I live there." She replied before blasting it away with her power thus ending it's life.

After a moment of silence, everyone gathered together.

"Alright, great job everyone. Aside from my earlier blunder, everyone performed their duty marvelously. Thank you all for your hard work. So, Issei what did you think of my peerage's performance… minus my little mistake" she mumbled the last part but Issei caught it due to his enhanced hearing. He giggled but gave her an answer

"From what I've seen, you have a very good team assembled. They worked very well together when taking down the stray. You are still a little rough around the edges but I see a lot of potential in each of you. I have no doubt you'll become a very powerful team in the future." He said confidently, praising their abilities earning him a nod of gratitude from each of them.

"Thank you Issei. We appreciate the praise. It means a lot coming from you. Now then, shall we head back to school." Everyone nodded to Rias question as they all teleported back to school.

***ADDED THIS PART TO THE CHAPTER. REST IS THE SAME***

With the bell tolling signaling the end of another school day, Issei was making his way back home, accompanied by Matsuda who joined him since he lived towards the same direction as Issei. Akeno wanted to accompany but seeing Matsuda with him decided that this would be a chance for them to bond as friends. On the other hand, the various other girls were shouting insult after insult at Matsuda about not polluting Issei with his perverseness. As they walked, they both talked about themselves in order to get to know each other more just like Akeno hoped. Issei talked about all the crazy things he did during his training while Matsuda talked about his dream of becoming a harem king since his rebirth into a devil earning him a hearty laugh from Issei. It is a unique dream to have but at the very least he was very passionate about it and Issei had to respect him for that. He was never one to judge a person for their taste but rather for who they are as a person and so far, although Matsuda is indeed a big pervert, he seemed to be a decent guy… as long as he steers clear of Akeno that is. Besides, it's not like he isn't a bit perverted himself. That would be a lie.

"When I become a high-class devil, I will possess a peerage of nothing but beautiful women. I don't mind if they have big or small breasts." Issei's thoughts were interrupted by Matsuda's dialogue about his dream peerage. Unfortunately, he was indeed very loud so many people were giving him looks of disgust, especially the girls who Issei could here mutter 'pervert' or 'scum'. With a sigh, he answered

"I see. In that case, what do you think about you master Rias Gremory" he asked, curious of his thoughts about his king. This earned him a heavy blush from Matsuda who lowered his head down and started fidgeting a bit as he relayed his answer "I believe Buchou to be one of the most amazing women I have ever met. The day I saw her form peering outside the academy window, her long flowing crimson hair gliding in the wind, I was absolutely mesmerized and could not take my eyes off of her. I didn't know that she was a devil back then by even so, it would not have changed how I felt even if I knew. Now that I am her pawn, I hope to become the greatest pawn and prove myself to her."

The answer he received was honestly not what he expected from him. He thought Matsuda would have shouted something along the lines of "She's the best woman with amazing Oppai or something along those lines but instead he received an honest and dare he say, pure answer from Matsuda which only served to reinforce his opinion that he really is a very decent individual who is misunderstood… or not.

"to top it all of, she has the most amazing body I have ever seen, with the most amazing breasts I have ever laid eyes on. Did you know that she offered to let me touch them when I manage to bring in my first contract! Of course, I still have no luck on that front because all the clients I get are complete wierdos. One of them, is a huge bulky guy called Mil-tan and he dreams to become a magical girl. He scares the shit out of me and I Have no idea how to grant his wish. Other times, my clients talk about manga or games for so long that I accidently forget to sign a contract with them and leave. Ehhh, nothing ever goes right." Matsuda complained as he reverted back to his perverted self making Issei giggle a bit at his plight.

Their little sessions were interrupted when Matsuda felt someone collide with him.

"Oww"

"Huaa"

Thud thud

Both of them fell on their bums. When he turned around, the first thing he saw was white. Looking more carefully, he noticed it was the body of a young girl who had clumsily collided with Matsuda having fallen face first on the floor, her robes having flipped over her head revealing white panties.

"A sister?" He recognized the attire of the young girl. It would certainly be someone related to the church. What puzzled Issei was the question of what was a sister doing in the territory of a devil. It is widely known that this was the territory of Rias Gremory and he doubted Heaven would be stupid enough to send someone that can be seen as a declaration of war. However, what most perplexed him was the very familiar feeling he was receiving when looing at this girl. Had he met her somewhere? While he was pondering such thoughts, Matsuda got up and approached the girl, offering her a hand to help her get up since he felt bad for having not paid attention to his surroundings.

"Are you alright?"

The girl took Matsuda's hand and stood up slowly.

"Oh, thank you very much. I'm sorry for having bumped into you" she apologized to Matsuda who quickly shook his other free hand.

"Oh no, it was my fault for not paying attention" he replied.

Then, a sudden gust of wind blew by causing the girl's veil to fly off.

"Hau"

Luckily, it was caught by Issei immediately. When he tried to give back to her, the girl's appearance was then revealed. Her long blond hair that was hidden beneath the veil fell down her shoulders. Underneath the sunlight, it seemed to glow even further but it was Issei looked at her face that he was honestly left awestruck.

Specifically, her eyes.

She possessed the most beautiful emerald-green eyes that he had ever seen. Her eyes were the glimmering color of emerald, sparkling in the light of the morning sun like a fresh sheen of morning dew. But most of all, it was what was what he saw in them that shocked him. Purity and innocence. An ignorance stemming from kindness. A feeling of comfort and familiarity. They say that the eyes paint a clear picture of someone's soul and hers are the definition of purity and innocence. Not a speck of evil or wickedness could be found in those irises no matter how deep you looked. Something that is very rare to find in the world these days.

Matsuda as well was awes trucked. She was the perfect definition of a blond-haired beauty. Her emerald eyes were so beautiful that it felt like he would be sucked into it. Eyes as clear as water, but with a color that matched a calm forest, with all the same serenity. Their color even reminded him of his boosted gear jewel but gave a strikingly different impression. While the jewel gave a feeling of power, hers gave off the feeling of absolute innocence and purity. Both of them could not help but stare at her

"Ano… umm" The sister looked at Matsuda with a worried expression but also darted her eyes back and forth in an embarrassed manner since Matsuda, in his absentmindedness, had yet to release the hand he picked her from.

"Ohh, sorry". Realising it, he let go of her hand, scratching the back of his hand in embarrassment with a huge blush on his face. You could tell he had no experience in this kind of situation.

Issei then realized he was still holding her veil and returned it to her.

"I'm sorry as well. I believe this is yours".

"Ahh! Thank you… wait a minute?! Y-You can both understand me?" her eyes widened in surprise that they could both understand her.

"Yes, we do" answered Matsuda for both of them. He was actually surprised the first time he learned he had this ability. He recalled what Rias had told him.

"When you turn into a Devil, one of the unique ability you attain is "Language". The moment you turn into a Devil, everyone in the world can understand what you are saying. People listening to you will hear it in the language they are most familiar with. If they are American, then they will hear it in English. If they are Spanish, then they will hear it in Spanish. And also the opposite. If they speak in a language besides Japanese, you will hear it in Japanese." It was an amazing ability to have and he guessed that currently he was speaking her language while everything she spoke was translated into Japanese. For Issei, it was pretty much the same thing. As a dragon he could instantly understand any language.

"Oh, this has to be a blessing from God! I was having a lot of trouble since I got here because I cannot speak Japanese very well. I was lost and since people could not understand what I was saying…" She held her hands together in front of her chest and looked really sad. She did not notice Matsuda cringe in pain when she mentioned the name of the lord but he recovered quickly. That was when they both noticed the bag; she was carrying with her.

"Are you travelling by any chance?" asked Issei.

"Oh no. That's not it. I was recently appointed to the church in this town but I got lost trying to find it. You both must be residents of this town. My name is Asia Argento. It's a pleasure to meet you… um"

"Ah, my name is Issei Hyoudou. Pleasure to make your acquaintance" Issei gave a small bow.

"And mine is Matsuda Suzuki. Nice to meet ya." He pointed towards himself.

"So your name is Asia ehh. Have to say, that is a very pretty name." he added causing Asia to blush.

"ehh! R-really?" she stuttered causing Matsuda to laugh a bit

"Of course, I would not lie."

Issei enjoyed seeing the both of them interact. In a way, this was good practice for Matsuda to be able to talk normally with other girls.

All of a sudden, something inside his mind clicked when he looked at the both them. Issei seemed to have realized something but he needed to ask her to be sure.

"Asia" he called out to her and she turned her attention towards him.

"Yes, Issei-san" she smiled

"um, I know this may sound weird but"

.

.

.

"by any chance, are you"

.

.

.

"a dragon"

It felt as though, her world crumbled.