Bang! Boom! KABOOM!
Explosion after explosion erupted, destroying an area spanning hundreds of square meters.
Koneko fought Issei seriously, yet she still couldn't overpower him.
Her face darkened, clearly irritated because not a single one of her punches had landed on Issei.
"Koneko-chan, you're still cute even when you're pouting!"
"Shut up!"
Koneko lunged forward in anger.
"An opening!"
"Huh?"
Issei suddenly ducked down, grabbed Koneko's small arm, then slammed her into the ground.
Bang!
Issei held back, so Koneko shouldn't have been hurt. Even if she was, it definitely wouldn't be serious.
Koneko, who had just been thrown, froze in place, staring up at the sky with her golden eyes, looking like she still couldn't process what had happened.
"S-Sorry, are you okay?"
Issei hurriedly checked on Koneko, making sure she was fine before finally letting out a relieved sigh.
Rias, Akeno, and Kiba also came over to check on Koneko's condition.
Once they were sure Koneko was alright, they looked relieved—then turned their gaze to Issei with curiosity.
"Issei… who are you, really?" Rias asked, her expression serious, as if it was impossible to fool her eyes.
Akeno narrowed her violet eyes, crossing her arms beneath her chest as she stared straight at Issei.
Kiba's expression was extremely tense. He was even ready to create a sword with his Sacred Gear—Sword Birth.
"Ahem! As you can see, I'm human... but not an ordinary human."
"A human who can defeat a devil specialized in strength—do you really think I'll believe that?" Rias replied.
Hearing Rias's response, Issei could only let out an awkward laugh before looking straight at her with a serious expression.
"Rias-senpai, I have secrets I can't tell. I'm sure each of you has your own as well."
Rias pressed her lips together.
Akeno, Koneko, and Kiba reacted slightly upon hearing Issei's statement.
"You're right. But if this is all you've got, you won't be able to defeat Riser."
"Hahaha, why the rush? I haven't even used my Sacred Gear yet."
"Eh? You have one?"
"Huh?! Wasn't the reason Rias-senpai called me here because you knew I had a Sacred Gear?"
Rias shook her head and said elegantly, "I called you because I thought you had the potential to become a devil."
"... Ah, so that's how it is."
Issei felt embarrassed, scratching the back of his head with a flushed face.
Rias smiled adorably, amused by Issei's behavior.
Meanwhile, Koneko kept staring at Issei with her golden eyes.
Unlike before, her eyes no longer held hostility toward him. Instead, there was something else—something buried so deep that it wouldn't surface anytime soon.
"Back to the point—you said you have a Sacred Gear? Show me." Rias gave a faint smile, looking at Issei with interest.
"Okay." Issei walked farther away.
Rias and the others looked confused, not understanding why he needed to create so much distance.
"Ddraig, time to show off."
"Alright, leave it to me. Welsh Dragon—Balance Breaker!"
Crimson light mixed with green enveloped Issei's body. In the next second, a full set of armor covered him completely.
Kiba trembled as he felt an overwhelming pressure radiating from Issei.
Koneko stood frozen, unable to take her eyes off him.
Akeno touched her lips, smiling elegantly, yet looking slightly lewd.
Rias was the most shocked among the Occult Research Club members. You know why? As the only high-class devil, Rias had better perception than the others.
Not just the kind of perception used to sense someone's presence, but the kind used to measure someone's strength.
The Issei standing before her now wouldn't lose to any Ultimate-class devil.
Because Issei possessed a Longinus, it wasn't impossible for him to fight even an ordinary Devil King.
Rias didn't know what to say. Just like Koneko, she couldn't look away from Issei.
At first, being admired by Rias's group felt nice—but after a while, it started to feel embarrassing, especially since they kept staring as if they'd forgotten how to blink.
"Ddraig, release it."
"Okay."
Issei was once again wrapped in crimson light mixed with green. The armor covering his body vanished, leaving behind a faint dragon aura that slowly faded away.
"Ahem! So, what do you think?"
Rias took a deep breath and asked sincerely, "Issei... with your strength, you could succeed anywhere."
"What do you mean, Senpai?"
Rias looked up at the sky and explained softly, "Besides devils, there are angels, fallen angels, gods, and other races from various mythologies in this world. You're human—are you sure you want to join the devil faction instead of angels or gods?"
"What's the point? You're not there, Senpai." Issei smiled warmly, looking at Rias with gentleness in his eyes.
Thump-thump!
Rias froze, blushing as she lowered her head in embarrassment.
"I see... so you're willing to join the devils because I'm here?"
"Of course. That's why I trained so hard—to help Senpai deal with the problem of Riser Phenex."
Thump-thump!
Rias's heart pounded. She couldn't stay calm anymore, becoming flustered as she realized the loving gaze Issei was giving her.
"Hee... if you insist, I don't mind. But we only greeted each other today. To be honest, I don't have any special feelings for you."
"That's fine! Feelings can be nurtured as long as we have time together!"
Issei's eyes were firm, filled with determination.
Rias was weak against something like this, so she could only agree with a slightly flushed face.
"Alright then... welcome to my family—Rias Gremory's family."
... .. .
To be continued...