An unknown place.
At some point, I decided to make myself a little place to relax in the form of a table covered with all sorts of odds and ends and two chairs, because I was simply bored. There was no particular reason for the second chair, just aesthetics, I would say, but someone else had other plans.
- "It seems like we've been seeing each other too often lately, don't you think, Rizevim?" I asked my unexpected guest after taking a sip of coffee. "How do you manage to find me so easily?"
Of course, it was Rizevim, who was currently leaning her elbows on the table and resting her head on her clasped hands, smiling sweetly, clearly enjoying herself. Her outfit had changed again, and now she was wearing heeled sandals, a ribbon choker with a bow around her neck, and a light, loose sundress.
Everything was white, which created the image of an innocent, light, and free attractive girl, except that Rizevim was definitely not like that. In fact, her entire look was chosen as if she was going on a...
- "A date? Yes, that's right. I did some research and realized that you would like this look," she giggled, then stood up and twirled around. "What do you think? Does it look good on me?"
- "Yes," I admitted honestly, to which Rizevim put her hands on her hips and struck a victorious pose. "And right now, I don't know what to be more surprised about. That you can find me as if I were wearing some kind of beacon, or that you can now read my mind."
- "It's all the power of love, Romani," she used the most slippery answer possible and sat back down on the chair. "Don't you know that nothing is impossible for a woman in love?"
- "In your research, did you happen to learn the meaning of the word 'yandere'?"
- "Of course!" she replied. "But I'm not that type. After all, I haven't killed any of the women you've paid even the slightest bit of attention to, let alone married, right?"
I rolled my eyes.
Not killed yet. Heh.
- "Oh, I just thought I couldn't leave your questions unanswered. That would be extremely rude of me towards my beloved, wouldn't it?" Rizevim said to herself.
- "Wow, really?"
- "Yes, yes," she nodded, completely ignoring my sarcasm. "You know what Sephiroth Grail is capable of, don't you?"
I raised an eyebrow and used the third spell on her, because in her case there was nothing to fear. Rizevim's soul already belonged to me because of the peculiarity of the Touch of Heaven, and...
- "Disgusting..." I grimaced with an appropriate expression on my face. "How did you even have the brains to decide to do that?"
- "Nothing is impossible for a woman in love," she declared with an extremely proud expression on her face. "Yes, I had to endure a lot of pain, but it was worth it."
What caused me to have such unambiguous feelings?
Well, if her soul had been fairly pure before, for a demon, I mean, now it looked like something out of the movie 'The Thing'.
Attached to her own soul were shapeless black connections, like organic nerves and stretched skin, a fusion of several other souls. And under their influence, the original pure white color of her soul turned gray, which I saw for the first time in my entire life.
The connections themselves gave off my mana, which was disturbing, but who did the attached souls belong to...
- "So you can see souls after all. Just as I expected from my beloved," Rizevim began. "It was easiest to get the souls of the dragon and the yokai, but the fairies took some work, and the remnants of my father's soul, which he had kept for a rainy day, were perfect for the angel's soul. The original Lucifer was a terrible father, but he was an excellent planner. Your mana, which I had to gather bit by bit over a long period of time, became the perfect material to bind them together and attach them to my soul."
- "That's disgusting."
- "And yet, I got what I wanted," she said with a smile that now seemed proud and sweet to me. "Angel. Dragon. Fairy. Yokai. With each new wife, I will add the appropriate souls to become perfect for you and rid you of the need for all these women."
- "And why? You do realize that this is a one-way street, and that there will definitely be consequences?" I asked. "Not to mention the shortened lifespan, even now I can clearly see how your own soul is rejecting the others, and judging by the signals resembling those that run through nerve endings, you..."
- "Oh, are you worried about me? I'm melting," she chirped in a loving tone and hugged herself excitedly. "There's no need to worry. It hurts, yes, and sometimes so much that it's hard to breathe, but I'm already looking for a solution and I'll find it. And in the end, we'll meet the end of this world together. Just us, in each other's arms. Isn't my dream beautiful? Isn't it worth something as insignificant as a lifetime? I think it is, and that's why I'll see it through to the end."
I closed my eyes.
Should I return everything to the way it was? No, it's too late. Given her attention to detail, Rizevim must have prepared countermeasures. That is, even if I restore her, both in terms of gender and soul, she will return to this path and continue doing what she was doing.
Just kill her, cleanse her soul, and send her to the cycle of rebirth? In my circumstances, that's impossible. At least, not now.
- "By the way, Romani," she interrupted my thoughts. "While we were talking, Cao Cao's attack has almost reached its end."
At these words, I opened my eyes wide and looked toward Issei's house, which had already lost its roof and upper floor. Shalba, who looked like an empty doll in both his movements and emotions, was pouring Ophis-enhanced attacks on Rias and the others.
Pluto had just fled right before my eyes, and Georg was talking about something with Cao Cao, who was holding an unknown spear with a divine aura. And yes, they left the place quite quickly. Ophis was also present here, having already lost half of her strength. In the Balance Breaker, Issei had a rather large wound in his stomach that was not healing quickly, and Samael's poison was slowly spreading through his body.
- "The job is done, and I'm sad that it's time for us to say goodbye," Rizevim began, standing up from her chair and blowing me a kiss. "Goodbye, Romani, and remember that my love for you is the strongest in the world."
With that, she disappeared, and after a short pause, I was able to focus my attention on Rias and the others, temporarily putting the problem with Rizevim and Sephiroth Grail on the back burner.
I didn't see the beginning of the battle, but judging by how Rias's Destruction Power was deflecting about a quarter of Shalba's attacks, the training had been very productive.
Now, her combat effectiveness, like that of the others, was slowly declining. Rias and her entourage, along with the weakened Vali and his team, were doing everything they could to give Akeno, Le Fay, and Arthur time to open the portal using the fragment of Excalibur. The space was already beginning to collapse, and there was a chance, but even so, they needed time. Moreover, they couldn't escape all together, only one at a time due to the settings of Georg's Sacred Gear.
I heard Rias screaming about where the help I promised was and all that, but instead I telepathically contacted the Great Red and Ophis, who was silently watching the battle behind Shalba's back.
Because of my presence in the plot, the connection between the Great Red, Ophis, and Issei was much weaker than in the canon, so intervention was necessary. Thanks to Tie, the Great Red listened to me relatively well, not as much as her, but still, and at the moment of Issei's death, it was he who was supposed to catch the pervert's soul and Ophis herself in the canon.
And so, when the messages were relayed, the rest managed to escape, and Issei remained the last to hold Shalba back, and the final part of the arc began.
The pervert, overcoming the pain from Samael's poison and saying exactly what the most standard main character would say, still defeated Shalba. His Balance Breaker shattered into pieces, black blood flowed from his wounds, and Ddraig naturally shouted at Issei not to pass out. Death was near, and it was at that moment that I appeared before him.
- "I give you this, skilled pervert, you did well. Be proud of yourself," I said with a smirk on my face.
- "R-Really?" he asked with a bleeding eye and a smile on his face.
- "Yes," I nodded. "Now rest."
- "No... I... N-no... not now... I have to... go back to... them..." Issei whispered in a weak voice, and then, when his legs buckled, he fell. The life in his body slowly faded away like dying embers, and his eyelids almost closed, signaling his end. "I'm... going to die... Sensei?"
- "It depends on how you look at it," I chuckled and crouched down to ruffle his hair. "Sleep, Issei. And don't worry, you'll see them again."
- "O... Okay..." he whispered his last words, and I covered his soul with protection using the third magic, just in case.
And when the space was almost destroyed, my eyes caught sight of red scales and a giant golden eye with a vertical pupil, and a magic circle appeared under Issei's body, I nodded briefly.
Well, that's it. Let's see how Rias and the others are doing, huh?
-0-
Kuoh.
As soon as the teleportation circle spat me out in the occult research club, Rias immediately rushed at me, grabbing me by the collar.
- "Is this one of your jokes again?! Where is he?! Where is Issei?!"
Of course, everything ended as in the canon, and instead of Issei, the Evil Pieces returned here. This was only possible in the event of the carrier's death.
Everyone was present, including Azazel and Sirzechs, watching from the sidelines. And each of them looked at me with eyes demanding answers to Rias' questions.
- "Answer me!" Rias shouted in my face.
- "Sensei... where is Issei...?" Akeno added quietly.
- "You know, life and death are relative concepts, and..."
- "You bastard!" Rias interrupted me with tears in her eyes and swung at me to slap me, but I caught her hand and grinned. "You promised to help us!"
You gave me your word! And now... Now..."
- "Oya? I remember you told me you were willing to take the risk, didn't you? Where is your confidence now, m?" I asked, and in that instant she fell to the ground, looking like a doll, and an aura of despair burst out of Rias like a tsunami. "Now do you understand the consequences of your actions? Yes, the goal was worthy, but you are still not ready to accept reality. However, the same goes for the rest of you, doesn't it?"
I looked up and glanced around.
Akeno stared at me blankly, apparently struggling with herself. Gasper, Koneko, and Asia were quietly crying, hugging each other. Xenovia fell to her knees and pounded the floor with her fist, while Kiba glared at me with anger, but still alive.
The feeling of loss, despair, and grief filled every inch of the room so much that it was hard to breathe. They mourned and, as expected, blamed both me for my insensitivity and themselves for their rashness.
Did I feel sorry for them? To some extent. However, it was a valuable lesson for them, as well as a test of whether they were ready to move on so that their comrade's sacrifice would not be in vain.
Vali turned away in defeat and loss of his rival, Kuroka tried to support her sister and the others, Bikou just kept quiet, and Le Fay and Arthur looked at me with eyes full of suspicion, but didn't say a word. I felt the same from Azazel and Sirzechs; more precisely, they clearly understood what I had done.
- "Your training is over. At this moment, you are not worthy of it, and with that, I bid you farewell," I said and looked at Azazel and Sirzechs. "Let's go outside. You have something to say, don't you?"
They nodded briefly, and when we were outside the building, I sat down on a bench nearby, created a cup of coffee, and took a sip.
- "You didn't say he was dead..." Sirzechs began.
- "...and you never lie," Azazel added. "So where is Issei?"
I just smiled in response, but that was more than enough to confirm their suspicions.
- "So you don't want them to know about this?" Azazel asked. "But why? What's your goal?"
I just kept quiet, and he shook his head, realizing he wouldn't get an answer.
- "Will my younger brother come back?" Sirzechs asked.
- "Yes," I said calmly, and they immediately felt relieved. "That's all. That's more than enough for now. And yes, keep this a secret. Issei will tell you everything when he returns."
When I saw them nod, a teleportation circle lit up beneath me, returning me home.
Well, that's done, and now... Who stood out there? Hades and Indra, right? Also, will there be an attack on the Underworld now that Goetia is watching over it?
-0-
A/N: How's the chapter? Give us your opinion. You may well be able to influence future chapters.
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