Despair.
It was the only word that could describe what Kiba felt at that moment.
He stood frozen, his blade gripped tightly in his trembling hand. The battlefield around them was a complete chaos, but all he could see was Issei. His friend. His comrade. Being beaten. Being crushed.
His instincts screamed at him to act, but something else held him back. It was the same feeling that had rooted the others in place, stopping them from rushing in, from thinking they could do anything to save him.
It was fear.
This ice elf… he was so much more powerful than anything they had ever faced before. His overwhelming presence alone suffocated their will to fight, to act. His aura of frost and mana was like an insurmountable wall that they would never be able to cross, filling them with a feeling that if they ever so much as twitched a finger, they would be dead in an instant.
The monster had yet to even acknowledge them, but Kiba knew that he would never need to.
Please, someone…
To him, they were not even worth killing.
Kiba clenched his jaw as another strike landed.
Anyone…
"I–Ise…"
Perhaps it was desperation that gave Rias the strength and will to move, to try going in to do something, just anything, to help Issei. Aegis stopped her before Kiba himself could, just as a shockwave from another devastating blow caused the entire temple to rumble.
There was nothing she could do. Nothing any of them could do. Running in now would only get her killed.
Help him…
It was at that moment his shadow erupted.
Just when Kiba thought all hope was lost, a wave of darkness rippled out from where Issei had fallen, coating the broken stone floor beneath them. It expanded outward in a circle, reaching a fifty-meter-wide radius before fading away, leaving only an ominous feeling with trails of shadows twisting faintly in the air.
A cold chill ran down his spine as Kiba looked around with wide eyes, watching as the fallen shadow soldiers began to rise to their feet, and the ones still standing surged forward with renewed strength against their elven oppositions. Their forms radiated a pulsing aura under the light, but not the familiar colors that Kiba and everyone had known them with, but a deep, almost violent shade of purple.
Throughout the battle, the elven forces had held the upper hand through their seemingly endless numbers and relentlessness despite the undying nature of the shadows, but that advantage was gone. Now they found themselves completely on the back foot. In fact, overrun was the only word that fit, as the fully reformed and reinvigorated Shadow Army charged straight into their ranks and tore them apart.
Whatever formations the elves had before broke almost immediately as the Commander Shadows tore a path of destruction through their ranks, annihilating anything in their paths with strength and powers far greater than anything Kiba had seen from them before. Even the standard troopers were faster and stronger than they had ever been. Where before a single soldier would battle an ice elf on equal footing, now one was enough to overwhelm and kill two or three enemies with little effort while regenerating almost instantly when struck down.
And at the heart of it all was Issei.
Kiba felt a wave of relief wash over him at the sight of his friend back on his feet, having forced the elf master off with just a swing of his arm. But at the same time, alongside that relief came a creeping sense of unease. There was something off about him. Something different, as he stood facing the ice elf master who, only moments ago, had been beating him down while a violent aura of darkness swirled around him.
At the same time, the ice elf master merely stared back at him in response. His face was calm, but Kiba could also see a subtle shift in his expression. His eyes seemed to narrow slightly, not with fear, but with surprise, and then satisfaction, as if he had expected something like this to happen.
Kiba blinked, and in that instant, Issei was suddenly in front of him and the others, smashing his bare hand through an ice lance that the ice elf master had flung at them with a flick of his wrist. The lance shattered, but not harmlessly. The moment it was struck, the lance exploded outward in a violent blast of freezing winds and ice shards, forcing Kiba and the others to brace themselves as a wave of frost washed over them. Even with Aegis shielding them from a direct hit, the shock of it was still more than enough to send them reeling.
Fast.
Was the only thing that echoed in his mind as Kiba Yuuto stared at the back of his friend, eyes wide, mouth slightly open in disbelief.
"Ise…?" Rias called out softly, but the figure before her gave no response, his gaze fixed solely on the enemy ahead.
"So, you have finally revealed yourself." Sillad stated with a smirk, raising his hands as a pair of white daggers materialized within them. "Worried I might break your precious vessel?"
[W-Who… who are you?] Ddraig's voice echoed in his mind, laced with confusion.
In response, Issei said nothing.
Then, without warning, he vanished.
A split second later, Issei reappeared in front of Sillad, his hand snapping forward like a dark bolt of lightning and seizing the elf by the throat.
"What about yours, then? Did Yogumunt make it?" He asked at last, his voice cold as steel while Sillad struggled to break free from his grip. Despite the resistance, he didn't so much as flinch, and his fingers only tightened even further around Sillad's neck. "Who was it?"
"Does… it matters?"
Sillad rasped, a smirk creeping up onto his face before he suddenly opened his mouth wide, unleashing a massive, concentrated breath of icy wind at the young man having him by the throat. Issei let go just in time, twisting his body and sweeping sideways in one fluid motion, narrowly avoiding the wave of frost as it tore through the air and froze a vast area in solid ice.
"That trick will not work twice."
Issei spoke. The moment his feet touched the ground, he shot forward again, circling wide before rushing in from the side. The Kamish Awaken daggers flashed into his hands mid-movement, slashing toward Sillad with blinding speed. The ice elf instantly reacted, twirling around to meet the incoming weapon with one of his own, parrying the strike with a sharp clang as metal met metal.
A shockwave burst out from the brief clash, reverberating across the battlefield and rattling the air like a drumbeat before both combatants leaped back from each other, only to lunge forward again with even greater ferocity. Once again, Issei struck first, blades cutting through the space between them in a storm of vicious arcs, forcing Sillad on the defensive. The ice elf gritted his teeth, matching the pace blow for blow, his daggers a blur of white light as he deflected and retaliated. Every time their weapons met, it sounded like thunder.
Cracks split through the crumbling temple around them, while the ground rumbled beneath their feet. Shards of ice and debris launching in every direction as their duel escalated in speed and violence, forcing the Gremory Peerage to retreat from the area, watching in complete shock and bewilderment as figures clashed like twin shooting stars, colliding and rebounding across the battlefield in blinding streaks of black and white. The multi-colored sky of the Dimension Gap above them seemed to tremble with every exchange, light flaring off their weapons as the air around them warped, caught between eruptions of frost and shadow.
And yet, as the duel raged on, it was clear who held the advantage.
With every step, every strike, every shockwave that tore through the crumbling temple ruins like a raging storm, the pressure started mounting. Issei was still accelerating, still moving faster and hitting harder with each strike, while Sillad found himself steadily forced onto the defensive, his blades no longer coming out to strike, but to defend himself from the onslaught.
"Tch…" The ice elf hissed, the muscles in his jaw tightening as he caught another blow and shoved it aside with a wide, sweeping arc. The sheer force of it forced him back a few paces, just enough for Sillad to use his power. Frost exploded outward as he raised his arms, sending out a spiraling storm of ice across the battlefield that swallowed and froze everything in its path. Pillars of ice burst from the ground, encasing several elven warriors and shadow soldiers within them and freezing them solid before they could even react.
But even all that did little to slow him down.
The frost clinging to his body shattered and fell away as he ran forward. Thick layers of ice generated from the sub-zero temperature tried to grasp at his limbs, only to be pulverized by the sheer pressure radiating from his movements. He dashed forward through the storm, slashing at the ice hails Sillad sent at him, shattering them mid-air before they could find their target.
"How troublesome." Sillad murmured before constructing several ice lances, sending them all at him with a sweep of his arms, but none of it mattered. Each swing of his daggers tore through the frozen barrage like paper, sending shards scattering in all directions as Issei continued his advance. His speed distorting the space around him as he disappeared in a burst of shadow before reappearing behind before Sillad to slash at his neck. The ice elf brought up his blade to block, barely managing to raise it in time and meet the incoming strike.
What he did not expect, however, was for the blade of his weapon to splinter on impact, unable to withstand the force behind the incoming strike. His eyes widened as he instantly forced himself to jump back, a hand snapping up to press against the bleeding cut on the left side of his neck, where the red blade had cut into just before he could move. The cut was not deep enough to be fatal, but it was way close for his liking.
Snarling, Sillad gathered his power and thrust a hand into the sky. Glowing blue and white glyphs formed in a rapid spiral, and from the frozen earth behind him, a colossal golem of ice rose with a roar that shook the entire battlefield, causing what was left of the temple ruins to crumble under its might. It stood over thirty meters tall, its fists cracking stone with every shift, and frost rolled off its body in thick, freezing waves.
"Oh, something new finally." Issei said while looking at the ice golem, sounding almost amused. "But still..."
Sillad widened his eyes as a dark blur descended from the sky above, while his ice golem barely had time to raise its arms before an enormous greatsword cleaved straight through its body in a single descending strike. The entire construct convulsed before crumbling away into frozen rubble, from which Gladio emerged with a sweep of his massive blade.
Sillad glared at the advancing knight before suddenly, he felt a sharp gust of wind brushing his cheek. Without hesitation, he threw up his free arm, the back of his hand intercepting the invisible dagger just inches from his throat, stopping it just as Blade took off his invisibility and revealed himself to give Sillad a wide, mocking smirk, one that filled him with fury…
… and distracted him just long enough for Vulcan to smash an enormous stone pillar into him. The impact shattered the makeshift weapon and sent the ice elf flying. Before he could hit the ground or recover, Issei appeared right next to him in a blur, eyes glowing with sharp purple light, and drove a brutal punch into his gut. The blow launched Sillad like a bullet into a frozen spire, which exploded on impact, fragments and shards of ice erupting in every direction. Gritting his teeth, Sillad tried to get back on his feet, only for the entire broken structure to come crashing down on him as Issei raised a hand and yanked it down from the distance.
"These guys might not be mine, but they want to kill you all the same." Issei said as Vulcan let out an earth-trembling roar, watching as Sillad forcefully blew away the rubble on top of him and rose with a furious snarl. Frost crackled across his pale blue skin as his mana erupted from his body in chaotic waves. His hair, wild and untamed, moved around him like white flame, glowing brightly with the unimaginable power coursing through his veins.
"You think you have accomplished anything?!" He bellowed, holding out his arms as a long trident materialized in his left hand in a burst of icy wind. "Let me show you my true…"
Crack!
Before he could make his next move, blood suddenly sprayed from his left shoulder, then from his right thigh. His body convulsed as Sillad stumbled a step forward as more blood exploded from his back and side, muscles and bones tearing themselves apart under the strain caused by unleashing his own mana.
"It seems this vessel of yours is still imperfect, Sillad."
A deep, gruff voice cut through the air. From the waves of frost and mana exploding from Sillad, a floating figure emerged beside the bleeding ice elf, his form cloaked in a tattered black robe. Long, silver-gray hair whipped wildly in the wind beneath the shadow of his ornate hood while golden eyes glowed with unearthly malice.
"Yogumunt!" Sillad snarled as he looked at the man hovering next to him. "You said the vessel would hold even if I unleashed my power."
"You mistook my words, Sillad, I merely said our calculations were solid. You are to blame for your own hastiness. If only you have managed to suppress your desire for vengeance and wait just a little longer…" Yogumunt stated in a calm tone, making Sillad scoff before glancing over to Issei and inclining his head slightly, almost mockingly. "We meet again, Shadow Monarch. By the look of it, it seems your new vessel is also breaking apart."
Issei kept his focus locked on both Sillad and Yogumunt, though he knew exactly what the latter was referring to. Despite suffering no injuries during the duel, blood was trickling down his right forearm, dripping toward the ground from his fingertips. Even though he was fine and showing himself as such, his breathing had grown uneven, and the veins along his neck and temple throbbed dangerously while a bead of sweat trickled down the side of his face. Moreover, every slight movement sent searing pain through his muscles, as each one screamed to him that they had reached their limit.
But still, none of them was as concerning as the glowing crack lines that had started to slowly spread across his face and neck.
"I could still take you both out right here." He said, his voice calm and unwavering.
Yogumunt chuckled darkly, his golden eyes flashing as he smirked. "Perhaps. But at what cost?" He gestured subtly toward the battlefield still rumbling in the distance. "Even if you killed us both here, your vessel would most likely disintegrate in the process, simply from you actively inhibiting his body. Everything you have worked for till now would be wasted, but more importantly… who would be left to stop the rest of us from slaughtering every living creature in this world if that happens, I wonder? Never forget, there is only one of you, while there are many of us."
He then casted his glance over to Sillad, who had straightened himself up. "It is time for us to leave this place, Sillad. I have seen what I need, even if your vessel failed today." Yogumunt then casted his gaze back to Issei, who narrowed his eyes at the words he just said "We shall meet again, Shadow Monarch."
"Next time, I will kill you for sure, Sung Jinwoo. You and that… vessel of yours." Sillad said, a smirk plastering across his face.
In response, Jinwoo simply gave him the middle finger.
With that, a swirling portal of dark red energy opened behind them. Yogumunt turned without another word and floated through. Sillad followed a step behind, his murderous glare lingering on Jinwoo a moment longer before he too vanished into the void. The portal then sealed shut, and the remaining elves swiftly retreated through the closing Gates that they came from. Additionally, Bedelia was nowhere to be seen, leaving the battlefield, littered with the corpses of the slain ice elves, in a still, oppressive silence.
"Ise!"
"Issei-kun!"
It was after no enemy was left on the battlefield that Sung Jinwoo allowed himself to fall to one knee, his fist slamming into the ground to keep himself from falling forward. His body, however, trembled under the strain as cracks spread faster across his skin, glowing faintly with a pulsing violet light.
From those fractures, tiny fragments of red and purple began to break away, peeling off from his face, arms and shoulders to drift upward like embers caught in a breeze and fade one by one into the air above. Rias and her servants tried to run him, to their Issei, but an explosion of energy caused by mana bursting uncontrollably from his body halted them in their steps and forced them to keep their distance, unable to get close as the entire battlefield rumbled under the tremendous pressure, with winds and shadowy trails spiraling fiercely around him in a whirlwind of darkness.
And then, just as quickly as it had come, the storm came to a sudden end. The winds thrashed for a few seconds more before finally dispersing into the air like mist under sunlight. Mana continued to leak from his body for a brief moment, but it was no longer pitch black with a violet glow, and instead shimmered with the color of deep crimson.
[…]
[…]
[…]
[SYSTEM 2.0 REBOOTED!]
[RECALIBRATION COMPLETED!]
[TRANSFER OF CONTROL INITIATED…]
Barely noticing the Notifications that flashed before his eyes, Issei let out a sharp gasp as he felt his chest burn and his muscles screamed in protest. The glowing cracks running across his skin pulsed once before sealing shut, leaving behind only faint traces that faded away a few seconds later.
For a moment, he stood there, remaining frozen in the same position before his strength finally gave out, causing his body to slump forward.
The last thing Issei Hyoudou felt before he felt his consciousness once again slip away was the warmth of his friends as they rushed to him and caught him in their arms before he could fully collapse.
[ALL FUNCTIONS OPERATIONAL!]
His senses came back one at a time. The scent of fresh linen and floral lingered in the air, filling his nostrils as he took in a deep breath. His body felt heavy, but it was also surrounded in the warmth and comfort of a soft bed and its blanket.
He opened his eyes slowly. The ceiling above him was high, with ornate molding and a chandelier casting a soft glow over the space. Sunlight filtered into the room through the crimson-colored curtains covering the window, dim but enough for him to tell that it was daytime.
Issei recognized the place. It was his bedroom at Gremory Residence in the Underworld.
[Partner!] Ddraig called out in relief at the back of his mind as Issei slowly sat up, causing the blanket to slide off his chest and look around the room. A flower pot filled with fresh lavenders sat on the nightstand next to his bed, and beside it stood the limited-edition figurine of Gladio, the one with his old, but signature Magitek greatsword.
The sight brought a small smile to his face. Millicas must have come to visit him.
"Ddraig… how long was I out?"
[Three days, partner.] Ddraig answered, making Issei widen his eyes slightly before letting out a small sigh. [How do you feel?]
"Honestly, I feel fine. Just a little hungry, I guess." Issei replied. The heaviness he'd felt earlier had faded away, and aside from a bit of stiffness, his body felt normal.
"Hey, Ddraig."
[Yeah?]
"What the hell happened?" He asked finally.
[You tell me.] The Heavenly Dragon replied before continuing with his own question [What was the last thing that you remembered?]
"Being beaten up by Sillad."
Issei answered flatly, as a sharp pain washed over him, as if echoing the impact of each and every blow he had taken. Images of that moment, of Sillad standing above him, his cold fists crashing down his form in earth-shattering blows, flashed across his vision, so clear it felt like everything was happening all over again.
"I almost got killed, did I?"
[I won't lie to you, partner. You were seconds away from it.] Ddraig answered solemnly before [If things had gone on even a second longer the way it was, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now.]
For a moment, Issei sat in silence, fingers curling slowly around the blanket covering his lap. The truth was that he didn't need Ddraig to explain it to him to understand just how close he had come to dying, how utterly defeated he had been against a foe like Sillad.
"Everything that happened after… it wasn't me, was I, Ddraig?"
[No, partner.]
And that was all Issei needed to hear.
It wasn't that hard for Issei to figure that specific part out… not with all that he had seen, and everything he had learned since the moment he unlocked the Shadow Monarch subclass.
Lifting his gaze from his hand, Issei pulled up the System Interface, spotting the familiar string of notifications waiting for him. Just from the number of unread messages from his [Inbox] alone, Issei already had a good idea of what some of them were.
[!] Notice
You have failed to complete the Daily Quest.
"Oh well, nothing I can do about it." Issei muttered under his breath while rubbing a hand over his face. The first message in his inbox was, unsurprisingly, the notification of his failure to complete the Daily Quest. It had come in three times, once for each day he had been out.
Issei dismissed and deleted them from his [Inbox] without much thought. There was no penalty listed, which meant the System had likely accounted for his condition. It was honestly a good thing, all things considered.
With that in mind, Issei continued to scan through the rest of his [Inbox, finding pretty much everything to be the same until he stumbled on a particular message. It was the oldest one, dated three days ago, with the timestamp just a couple minutes after everything had gone down, if he was not mistaken.
Clicking on it, the message navigated him straight to his Quest Panel, where Issei quickly discovered that his quest to clear the Demon's Castle had somehow climbed to the top of the list. While the details remained entirely the same, its banner had shifted from light blue to a stark black, an unmistakable change that set it apart from the other active Main Quests he had.
It was clear enough where his priority now lay.
Just as he was about to back out of the Main Menu, the quiet click of a door opening caught his attention. Turning his head, Issei looked up to see a familiar silver-haired maid making her way into his room, her usual calm and composed expression giving way to surprise the moment her eyes landed on him sitting upright in bed.
"Uhm… hey, Grayfia-san."
Issei greeted, offering a sheepish chuckle as he raised a hand in a small wave.
DRAGON LEVELING.
"So… the Old Maou Faction is gone?"
"Essentially, yes."
Sitting in the chair beside his bed with Grayfia standing behind him, Sirzechs gave a small nod as he spoke. He had arrived shortly after Grayfia informed him that Issei was awake and was now filling him in on everything he had missed, from the little updates like how often Rias, Akeno and the others had come to visit him, but were forced to leave every time to attend school after staying for too long by Grayfia, to the more serious matters concerning the current state of the Underworld following the attack by the Old Maou Faction in collaboration with the terrorist organization, Khaos Brigade. There was certainly a lot to take in, but not that Issei was complaining.
"Now that most of the descendants of the original Maou are dead," Sirzechs continued. "Their faction has crumbled. The rest are either surrendering or retreating into hiding. Their supporters, on the other hand, are looking toward the other surviving descendants in hopes of leadership."
"Ingvild?" Issei asked. Apparently, in the battle that had taken place outside the Rating Game battlefield, Sirzechs had personally confronted and killed one of the current remaining leaders of the Old Maou Faction, Creuserey Asmodeus, who had led the attack on the alliance of the Three Factions.
"And Vali Lucifer." Sirzechs added, making Issei nod his head in understanding "The Hakuryuukou is their most likely choice because of his position. but… well, he is walking his own path right now."
"What about Ajuka-san?" Issei asked, remembering the green haired devil he had met during the Middle-class Promotion Test. "I take that he's in a lot of trouble because of Diodora's betrayal?"
"Yes, the House of Astaroth has suffered some considerable damage for the foolish choices Diodora had made." Sirzechs nodded his head in confirmation "The current head is being pressured to step down from his position, and their eligibility to produce a future Maou has been revoked. Ajuka has also been asked to take responsibility for the incident."
Issei exhaled through his nose. Politics sure were complicated, just like Aphrodite had once warned him.
"I wouldn't be too worried if I were you, Issei-kun," Sirzechs explained. "Losing Ajuka now would be fatal for us devils and the alliance we have formed with the other Factions. He is a man talented in technological programs. He is also the one who created the Evil Pieces System and basic theory of the Rating Games. Above all, you can never find someone of his caliber."
"And speaking of Rating Games." Sirzechs then voiced another of his concerns. "We need to reconsider the rest of the Youth Devil Tournament as well. It will be too dangerous if terrorists are able to keep interfering with them so easily."
"So, you're gonna call it off?" Issei asked, feeling a little disappointed. He had really been looking forward to the chance of facing Sairaorg and his Peerage. His match against Diodora had been canceled because of the attack, but a victory would have brought them one match closer to the finals, where the Bael would undoubtedly reach.
"Hard to say… we still need to think carefully on the matters, "But there is one match everyone wants to see above all else, no matter what."
Issei didn't need to ask—he already knew which one Sirzechs was talking about.
"There is also the match between the Sitri and Archduke Agares." Sirzechs continued with a shrug "That one is highly anticipated as well due to its strategic value compared to yours and Sairaorg, which is about power."
"Right." Issei nodded his head in understanding. So there's still a chance for him to compete against Sairaorg.
"Another matter, Issei-kun." Sirzechs said, his tone shifting more serious as he held out his hand toward Grayfia. The silver-haired maid swiped her fingers across the tablet she was holding before handing it over to her master. "We need to talk about your… encounter with that ice elf…"
"Sillad." Issaid said, cutting in before Sirzechs could finish, making both him and Grayfia raise their eyebrows at him "His name was Sillad."
Sirzechs nodded slightly. "What about the other individual who helped him escape? Were you able to learn his name as well?"
Issei frowned. "No… to tell you the truth, it's all kind of hazy."
He wasn't lying. He literally couldn't remember a thing after Sillad nearly killed him.
"Can't really blame you, Issei-kun. You took quite the beating. I was surprised that you even had the strength to fight back and win." Sirzechs stated, making Issei chuckle awkwardly. "Fortunately, while we couldn't catch much of the fight, we were able to recover a recording of your conversation with the two. You spoke to them in their language, so I'm hoping you can translate it for us, see if there's anything useful we can learn."
Wanting to do so more than anyone, Issei took the tablet from Sirzechs, pressing the play button so the footage could start. The fight ended when Sillad started bleeding from many places across his body when he tried to unleash a tremendous amount of power, and it was then that the second individual arrived, speaking to Ice Elf in the same language Baruka and Elva had used to converse.
"Yogumunt… Sillad called the other man Yogumunt." Issei translated, eyebrows furrowing in confusion as he continued to listen in on the conversation between Sillad and Yogumunt. "They… seem to be talking about vessels that Yogumunt created for them. I think Sillad was inhibiting a body that was not his own, and it couldn't contain his power because he was being too hasty."
"That would explain why his body began breaking down when he released too much power." Sirzechs nodded his head, acknowledging the information seriously.
But Issei barely registered the comment. His eyes were fixed on the screen on his lap, not because he was surprised at being called a vessel, but because hearing Yogumunt say it had confirmed his suspicion.
But what did he mean by he was also breaking apart? Was that the reason why he had been unconscious for so long?
More importantly… if he was a vessel, then for whom?
"Issei-kun, are you alright?" Sirzechs called, resting a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. Blinking, Issei looked at the crimson Maou and his Queen before quickly nodding his head.
"Yeah…" Issei nodded, though the confusion and strain in his voice betrayed his words. "I feel fine. Just… trying to make sense of what Yogumunt said. What it could mean."
"We could leave this for later if you want." Sirzechs said, but Issei immediately shook his head in response.
"It's fine, Sirzechs-san. Really."
Issei said assuredly before turning his gaze back to the scene. He continued listening to the conversation carefully, translating the words as they came while offering his own insights into what Yogumunt might have meant. He did, however, deliberately leave out the part where Yogumunt had referred to him as the Shadow Monarch, unsure whether it was just a class, or something far more significant.
Also, did they know about the System? They spoke to him as if they had met him before, or at least knew of him. If that were true…
"Sillad said he would kill me the next time we met, and…"
Issei paused mid-sentence, his eyes widening at the name he heard Sillad call out...
..call him.
Sung Jinwoo.
"What is it, Issei-kun?"
"N-Nothing." Issei said quickly, looking back at Sirzechs and continuing with a nervous chuckle "I was… just a bit worried that Sillad said he would kill me for sure the next we met, that's all."
Sirzechs did not look convinced, but he chose not to press the matter. Issei then looked over to Grayfia and found her giving him the same suspicious look, prompting him to immediately lower his gaze to avoid their eyes.
It was then that he noticed the date on the top of the screen.
"Wait, today is Sports Day at Kuoh Academy." Issei said suddenly.
"Issei-kun, you should rest. You just woke up." Sirzechs reminded him as Issei hurriedly rose to his feet to get off the bed and leave. "And besides, Rias has already informed the school that you'd be absent for the rest of the week and wouldn't be attending the event..."
Issei paused for a moment, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "Yeah… I get that. But I really do feel fine, I promise." He then walked over to Grayfia, handing her back the empty bowl of chicken soup before picking up the glass of water she had placed on the nightstand to down the whole thing in one go. "Thank you, Grayfia-san. The chicken soup was great too."
With that said to the silver-haired maid, Issei activated his Shadow Exchange skill and vanished into a swirl of darkness. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared in the familiar space of the training space in the first basement floor of his house, standing exactly where the shadow trooper he had ordered to stay there had been moments before.
Stepping out into the hallway, Issei glanced around, noting that the house was empty, with his parents at work, and everyone at school attending the Sports Event Day. Quickly leaving the place, Issei went to his room and put on his uniform, straightening out the wrinkles as he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He paused for a moment, frowning slightly at his reflection. His eyes looked a little more tired than usual, no doubt from everything that had happened, but otherwise, he looked like the same old him.
Grabbing his backpack and flinging it over one shoulder, Issei hurriedly made his way downstairs and left the house, stepping out into the warm morning sun of Autumn. Without wasting another second, Issei broke into a jog, his pace quickly increasing until he was running down the familiar path to school. His shoes pounded against the pavement, leaves scattering in his wake as he sprinted through the residential streets, waving his hands to the elders he met walking to school every morning, before rounding the last corner to arrive at the school gates, wide open to welcome visitors and participants of the event. Colorful banners hung across the entrance, and the sound of student voices mingled with the loud announcements from the loudspeakers echoing across the school grounds. From the distance, the sports field came into view, bustling with activity, students in gym uniforms, parents cheering in the stands, and teachers overseeing events with clipboards in hand.
As he made his way through the gate, Issei dashed past two very familiar faces.
"Wait, Ise? I thought you were still overseas with the vice principal!" Matsuda shouted after him, while Motohama adjusted his glasses, eyes wide in surprise.
"I came back early!" Issei called over his shoulder without slowing down, waving a quick hand as he kept running toward the running track.
He reached the edge of the track just as the whistle blew and the crowd cheered. The contestants shot forward in pairs, their strides uneven as they struggled to stay in sync for the three-legged race. Some laughed, others stumbled, and one pair already tripped within the first few meters, tumbling to the ground in a heap. Dust rose around the runners as they pushed forward, arms wrapped around each other for balance and support.
Looking ahead, Issei quickly spotted Asia and Xenovia running down the track together, their faces full of determination. With one final burst of speed, the two girls pulled ahead, beating the closest pair as they crossed the finish line. The crowd erupted again, students and visiting parents cheering loudly as Asia and Xenovia stumbled to a stop, panting and smiling in victory.
Issei clapped, watching the scene with a wide grin before raising his hand to wave at Asia when he saw her suddenly looking in his direction. The blonde froze mid-step, blinking rapidly as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Then, without hesitation, she dashed toward him just as Xenovia finished removing the cloth that had tied their ankles together, tears welling up in her emerald eyes as she brushed past the crowd of students and flung herself toward him, her arms wrapping tightly around his waist as she buried her face in his chest.
"Uh, hey, Asia. Uh…" Issei chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head as he glanced around. The entire crowd was staring, some amused, others in jealousy, but before he could think of anything else to say, Xenovia ran up and threw her arms around his neck. Then came Irina, who had been watching and cheering for her friends nearby, beaming radiantly like the angel that she was as she joined the group hug.
And then…
Rias.
Akeno.
Koneko.
Ravel.
Ingvild.
Even Kiba and Gasper, stepping in to surround him in a growing circle of warmth and relief..
For a moment, the whole school just stared—completely stunned at the scene, but Issei no longer cared. His expression softened as he looked at each of them, overwhelmed by the affection he hadn't realized he needed.
"Sorry, guys," he said, his voice quieter now. "I got you all worried, didn't I?"
For a brief moment, the image of Sillad standing over him, his cold fist poised to crush his skull, flashed through his vision.
But it immediately passed as his arms moved, slowly at first, then fully embracing those around him.
Name: Issei Hyoudou
Race: Reincarnated Devil / Dragon
Class: Level 50 Dragonsworn / Level 39 Shadow Monarch
HP: 25,821/25,821
MP [Current Attribute: Draconic/Demonic] : 8450/8450
Link Gauge: 120/120
Title: Champion of the Dragons
Strength: 277 (28)
Vitality: 221 (22)
Intelligence: 244 (24)
Dexterity: 226 (23)
Perception: 206 (21)
Charisma: 196 (20)
Unique Class Skills: Fire Imbue (LV3), Shadow Extraction (LV1), Shadow Storage (LV1), Karma (LV1), Shadow Exchange (LV1).
Active skills: Doubling (LV4), Transfer (LV4), Penetrate (LV4), Sprint (Max Level), Vital Slash (LV1), Jump (Max Level – Equipment Ability), Observe (LV2), Ruler's Hands (LV1), Phoenix Shift (LV2).
Active spells: Fire balls (LV4 - Fire Dragon Pact Affected), Firewall (LV4 - Fire Dragon Pact Affected), Lightning Strike (LV2 – Lightning Dragon Pact Affected), Water Blast (LV2 - Water Dragon Pact Affected), Earth Shield (LV1), ...
Current Pacts: Y Ddraig Goch (Fire) – Pact LV3, Chaos Karma Dragon Tiamat (Fire) – Pact LV1, Rassei (Lightning) – Pact LV1, Ingvild Leviathan (Water) – Pact LV4
Current Shadows: 350 / 520 (Wolves 29. Panthers 18. Shadow Troopers 118. Shadow Elementals 27. Magicians 34. Shadow Elves 42. Fallen Angels 13. Orcs 69)
Elite Shadows: Asterius (Knight), Vulcan (Knight), Tempest (Knight), Lycaon (Elite Knight), Tora (Elite Knight), Blade (Elite Knight), Gladio (Elite Knight), Glacia (Elite Knight), Katerea (Elite Knight), Aegis (Elite Knight).
Items: Boosted Gear (LV5), Razan's Blade (LVMAX), Magitek General's Helmet (LVMAX), 1.[High-ranking Demon] Armor Set (LV1), [Obsidian] Jewelry Set (LV1), Kamish's Awaken (LV?), Key to the Demon's Castle, Ascalon R1 (LV40), Orb of Avarice, Yarn of Ariadne.
Potions: Healing Potions x15, Mana Potions x15, Greater Healing Potions x10, Greater Mana Potions x10, Miracle Potions x3...
Gold: 15.251.720 (G)
Ultimate: Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker – Boosted Gear Crimson Scale Mail (LV.2 – Pact Affected), Soul Link (LV1).
Finisher: Rage of the Fire Dragon (Crimson Scale Mail), Twinflare (Soul Link), Hammer and Anvil (Soul Link), Draconic Assault (Soul Link)
Sigils: Sigil of the Shadow Commander - Igirs, Sigil of the Shadow Ice Bear -Tank.
End of Chapter 37