At Issei's house, Zelretch appeared out of nowhere, and Issei looked at him in shock, as if he had been startled.
"Where were you, you shady vampire?" Issei pointed at Zelretch angrily.
"I've been to many places, many dimensions, many worlds, and many planets. I can't even count them," Zelretch replied, scratching his beard.
"Damn it, you disappear out of nowhere," Issei became even more irritated, "and then you come back with these excuses."
"Sure, sure. Now let's get to what matters. Here, take this," Zelretch said, handing several tarot cards to Issei. "These are reserves."
"What is this?" Issei looked at the cards and touched them, but nothing happened. "What the hell is this? They're not disappearing."
"Exactly because they're not your cards," Zelretch replied with a smile. "These cards are for your faction."
"What do you mean?" Issei asked, confused. "Why the hell would I create a faction?"
"Simple. What do you think will happen when the world's factions discover that you possess weapons and powers from two of them?" Zelretch answered with a mischievous smile, pointing at Issei. "They'll either force you to join them or…"
"Kill me," Issei looked down angrily. "Have I ever told you that I hate you?"
"This week?" Zelretch joked. "I don't think so."
"Then I hate you," Issei declared with hatred in his voice.
"Now let's get to the most important part," Zelretch said playfully, raising the Lancer and Berserker cards. "These two cards are connected to you. You can use them to summon your weapons and, in a very distant future, summon the spirits that dwell within them."
"I'll be able to summon them?" Issei asked, confused but now excited.
"Yes, but only when you reach the level of a faction leader," Zelretch crushed Issei's short-term dream.
"Zelretch… Ddraig said I'm different from the vampires he's seen," Issei asked curiously. "Vlad didn't tell me much about it. What makes me different from normal vampires?"
"You are a Dead Apostle," Zelretch replied thoughtfully. "Not just a vampire, but a super vampire above all vampire classes. A normal vampire would hardly ever reach that level."
"I reached it on my first try," Issei became arrogant again.
"Because Vlad, in his Berserker form, was already a Dead Apostle. You only inherited his body," Zelretch crushed Issei's arrogance brutally. "Now I have something to do. Goodbye."
"Wait!" Issei shouted, but Zelretch was already gone.
---+++((+++(
Later that day, Issei was fooling around with his friends when one of the Kuoh princes appeared and called out to him.
"Issei-kun, may I talk to you for a minute?" Kiba called with an angelic smile.
"What the hell?" Matsumoto growled, looking at Issei. "Now you're friends with good-looking guys too?"
"Did you turn gay or something?" Motohama declared, pointing at Issei. "I had my doubts. You've been weird lately."
"Hey, you idiots!" Issei shouted, grabbing both of them by the collars. "Don't jump to conclusions, you idiots!"
"When did you get so strong?" Matsumoto coughed as he was lifted off the ground, while Motohama was almost passing out.
"Sorry," Issei panted, remembering that he had gained a boost in strength. He let them go, and they went back to fake fighting.
-----+++++_---
Kiba watched the scene, smiling in amusement, and soon Issei walked over to him.
"Hey man, why call me out in front of everyone? Trying to give me a gay reputation?" Issei asked with an irritated growl.
Kiba smiled, noticed everyone was watching, and smiled smugly.
"But what's the problem with people knowing about our relationship?"
Everyone froze at Kiba's words, and Issei stood there with his mouth wide open.
"You idiot, what did you do?" Issei rubbed his hands over his head. "Now I really am going to get labeled as gay."
"Just kidding… Buchou wants to see you," Kiba laughed casually. "In the clubroom."
"Fine, let's go," Issei sighed and followed Kiba.
---+++++++---
When he arrived at the clubroom, he saw all the members sitting and staring at him, and Rias was just coming out of the bath.
"Holy shit…" Issei made a perverted face as he looked at Rias's nearly naked body, his nose starting to bleed. "I am the happiest man in the world."
"Issei-kun, I'm glad you came," Rias said as she got dressed and greeted him. "Please, sit."
Issei walked to the empty spot on the sofa and looked at everyone. There were Akeno, Koneko, Rias, and Kiba, who had come with him.
"Well, well, my kouhai came to visit us," Akeno said with a sexy giggle, making Issei pull another perverted face. "I'll prepare some tea for you."
"Issei, I would like to apologize," Rias bowed her head to him, surprising everyone, given that the proud Gremory heiress was apologizing.
"It's fine, I forgive you. You're lucky you're hot," Issei replied, easing Rias's guilt.
Everyone looked at him as if he were just a pervert who forgave a hot girl for anything.
But Akeno noticed that Issei was only saying that to lessen Rias's guilt and give her a reason not to feel so bad.
"As we've seen, I can't reincarnate you as a devil," Rias said with a sigh. "But would you like to be our ally?"
"Sure," Issei replied. "Why not be allied with a bunch of hot girls? The downside is Kiba."
Issei glared at Kiba, who only smiled back.
"But Issei, you said the old vampire transformed you when you were young, right?" Rias asked with interest. "With the regeneration level you showed, you're at least a high-class vampire."
Issei was confused. Not all supernatural beings healed that fast.
"That means this vampire was at least Ultimate-class," Rias said confidently. "Could you arrange a meeting with him so we can talk about why he entered our territory without notice?"
(Politics, partner. Lie. Don't let her know too much, and I doubt the old man would want to talk to some teenage devil.)
Ddraig replied in Issei's head.
/He's right/ Vlad added. /Zelretch only gets involved in what interests him. He just appears. Since your transformation comes from me, use me as an example. Say I died and that you belong to my lineage./
/Exactly/ Chulainn agreed. /Don't give demons specific information./
"Unfortunately, grandpa was already very old and passed away," Issei said with a sorrowful expression. "He said he wanted an heir for his lineage, and that his vampire descendants were pathetic, so he chose me, a human descendant."
Rias widened her eyes and immediately understood.
"Adoption of lineage? That's impossible," Rias commented as a noble. "Rejecting your own heirs to pass your lineage and power to an outsider is cruel."
"I understand. My condolences," Rias then said with a soft, sad tone. "So from the beginning, you already had some dormant vampire blood in you, and he just amplified it and passed his lineage to you."
"Yes," Issei nodded.
+++++
"So Issei," Rias continued, "you have a Sacred Gear, don't you?"
(She must have sensed the dragon aura on you) Ddraig said, then paused. (Don't reveal that you're the Red Dragon Emperor. Use one of the inheritances instead. Use my power as a trump card.)
/Exactly/ Chulainn spoke first. /Use my spear as if it were your Sacred Gear. Don't say its true name./
"How do I do that?" Issei thought. He had no idea how to summon the spear or the heroes' powers.
/Take the Lancer card/ Chulainn instructed. /Say 'Include'./
"Include," Issei obeyed. The card began to glow, and a blood-red spear appeared in his hand.
"Crimson Moon!"
Issei shouted the modified name of his favorite anime character's weapon from childhood.
Rias, Kiba, Akeno, and Koneko stepped back as they felt the spear's killing intent. Their eyes widened, and the most affected was Koneko, who began to cry.
"Issei-kun, please deactivate your Sacred Gear," Rias said with a trembling voice.
----++++---
In another world, in Ireland, a goddess of death widened her eyes.
"That's impossible."
---+++---
In the same Ireland, a god drinking alcohol widened his eyes.
"That presence… it's impossible. It's not corrupted by anything, yet it's still my divinity."
---+++----
In the Land of Shadows, an immortal witch opened her eyes with a confused expression.