Chapter 6
Coming Back to Life? Or Was It All Just a Dream?
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Morning light gradually fell upon Araki's face, accompanied by the chirping of birds outside his room. He slowly opened his eyes and was immediately startled to find himself already in his room, his glasses still perched on his face.
"Ugh... How did I end up here?" Araki muttered to himself, looking around his room in confusion.
He immediately patted his stomach and found nothing had changed.
"Strange..." Araki murmured.
He could only stare at his hands in silence before deciding to go wash up.
(Short Timeskip.)
"Hmm... That's strange. Wasn't I in the park yesterday?" Araki muttered, puzzled, as he stared at his reflection in the mirror.
"Hmph... Sooner or later, I'll find out what happened." e said, putting his glasses back on.
Araki walked out of the bathroom, picked up a family photo, glanced at it briefly, and then headed toward Kuoh Academy.
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(Time skip.)
"Do you guys seriously not remember her?!" Issei asked, his voice laced with frustration.
"What are you talking about, Issei? There's no way you could have a girlfriend." Matsuda replied.
"Damn it! Why can't you guys remember?!" Issei's frustration grew.
"Araki, you remember Yuuma, right?" Issei asked Araki.
Araki shook his head slightly. Issei clicked his tongue and quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket.
"Look! I even have her phone num—" Issei stopped mid-sentence, realizing Yuuma's number had vanished.
"I-it's gone..." Issei whispered.
"Just let it go, Issei..." Araki sighed heavily.
Issei's eyes widened as he stared behind Araki. Sensing Issei's strange gaze, Araki slowly followed his line of sight.
Araki turned to see a red-haired girl standing at the top of the stairs, her eyes fixed on him and Issei.
"Rias-senpai?" Araki murmured softly.
Rias descended the stairs and walked directly past Araki and Issei. She glanced at them briefly before continuing on, leaving Issei frozen in place.
"Ah! Rias-senpai!" One of the girls called out.
"She's so beautiful!" Matsuda said with a lecherous grin.
"Yeah. Her scent is absolutely divine!" Motohama replied, adjusting his glasses.
"That's enough! Everyone's gathering at my place today! You too, Araki!" Matsuda declared, pointing at Araki.
"Hmm? Is there something you want to show me?" Araki asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Hehe! You guessed right, Araki! I'm going to show you my collection of erotic manga!" Matsuda replied with a lecherous grin, holding up an erotic manga for Araki to see.
"Wow! That's amazing!" Motohama exclaimed enthusiastically.
Araki chuckled softly, but his face instantly twitched when he saw the manga Matsuda was showing him. He glared at Matsuda and Motohama through his glasses before walking away, leaving the three of them behind.
"Sorry, I'm not interested. Go without me." Araki said irritably as he strode off.
"Tch... You damn passionless bastard!" Matsuda grumbled.
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"Whoa!" Motohama stared at the porn DVD, drool dripping from his mouth.
This is so strange... Were those beautiful memories just a dream? Issei wondered inwardly.
"Issei, what's wrong with you today? Aren't you a huge fan of 'Momozono Momo'?" Matsuda asked, confused.
"Yeah," Issei replied quickly.
"Yosh! I'll turn off the lights to make the atmosphere more exciting!" Motohama said as he walked over to switch them off.
Click!
"Woah! This is so cool!" Matsuda exclaimed enthusiastically.
"You're right, Matsuda!" Motohama replied with equal enthusiasm.
Issei was startled to see the room still brightly lit. He slowly looked around, confused by the unexpected brightness.
"Motohama, didn't you say you were going to turn off the lights?" Issei asked, puzzled.
Motohama and Matsuda slowly turned to look at Issei, their expressions equally confused. Matsuda immediately stood up and approached him, pressing the back of his hand against Issei's forehead.
"Issei, I already turned off the lights. Are you okay?" Motohama asked, looking puzzled.
"N-no! The lights are off..." Issei replied, scratching the back of his head.
"You're such a weirdo, Issei!" Matsuda scoffed irritably.
"Don't bother us, man!" Motohama sighed, annoyed.
Issei grabbed his bag and stood up, clutching his head. Matsuda and Motohama, startled, immediately turned to look at him.
"Sorry, I have to go home." Issei said before leaving Matsuda's room.
"What's wrong with you, Issei? You look strange." Matsuda called out.
"I don't feel well." Issei replied weakly as he walked away.
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"Heeh... Why can I see so clearly even though it's almost night?" Araki muttered, looking around in confusion.
He was walking home when he spotted Issei approaching from a distance.
"Hey! Issei!" Araki shouted, running toward him.
"Araki, are you just getting home?" Issei asked, turning to look at him.
"Yeah, I just got back from the Academy after helping the Student Council members clean up the grounds." Araki replied, stretching his arms.
"Mind if I walk with you?" Araki asked with a chuckle.
"Not at all." Issei replied.
(Short Timeskip.)
Araki and Issei decided to walk through the park where the incident had occurred. Araki looked at Issei, who seemed to be carefully observing the surrounding area.
"I'm absolutely certain it happened here!" Issei murmured.
"What happened?" Araki asked, confused.
"I saw you saving me here!" Issei replied, pointing to the spot where Araki had been stabbed.
"What are you talking about?" Araki asked, his confusion deepening.
Issei continued to scan their surroundings with a bewildered expression, while Araki sighed and surveyed the area.
Suddenly, a transparent circle materialized around them, and a man in a fedora emerged from the shadows.
"Issei! Come here!" Araki shouted, calling Issei over.
"What's up, Araki?" Issei asked, confused, as he ran toward Araki.
"I have a bad feeling about that man's arrival." Araki whispered to Issei, pointing discreetly at the man standing a short distance away.
"What a pity. I've found my good fortune here." The man said coldly as he approached.
Araki shivered slightly as the man slowly walked toward him and Issei. Suddenly, Issei leaped backward, creating a considerable distance between them.
"I-Issei?!" Araki exclaimed in shock, watching Issei's sudden jump could be that far.
"I just meant to back up a little!" Issei said, confused.
Araki ignored Issei and turned back to the man in the fedora, his face was now slick with cold sweat.
"Trying to run?" The man sneered.
"Issei, run!" Araki shouted before sprinting toward him.
"Heh! You won't escape me." The man said coldly.
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"Run, Issei! Run!" Araki shouted from behind.
Araki sprinted with all his might away from the man in the fedora, while catching a glimpse of black feathers falling from the above as they fled.
The man suddenly appeared, standing before Issei and Araki with a terrifying smile plastered across his face.
"This is why lowly creatures are such a nuisance." The man said coldly.
"I sense neither your companions nor your master's presence, which means I can kill both of you." He continued, his gaze sharpening as he stared intently at Araki and Issei.
The man swiftly conjured a spear of light and hurled it at Araki with blinding speed.
"No... no..." Araki muttered inwardly, his heart pounding with terror as the spear hurtled toward him.
Just as the spear was about to pierce his neck, a magical shield materialized—a shimmering barrier composed of violet particles—and intercepted the luminous projectile.
Frozen in shock and fear, Araki could only stare blankly at the shield hovering inches from his throat.
"What?!" The man exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock at the sight.
His eyes widened again as he watched his spear of light slowly fade and be absorbed into the particle shield.
After fully absorbing the man's spear of light, the shield gradually dissolved into tiny, purple particles.
Seeing that his shield had completely vanished, the man swiftly lunged toward Araki, who was still in shock. He immediately kicked Araki squarely in the stomach.
Unprepared for the blow, Araki was sent flying backward, crashing violently into a tree behind him. The impact knocked him unconscious instantly.
"Damn it, how did that happen? I didn't even detect a Sacred Gear within him..." The man muttered, staring at Araki's body from a distance, his expression a mix of confusion and shock.
Maybe it was just weak magic he spontaneously unleashed when threatened... The man thought to himself, his expression shifting into a sinister smile as he continued to gaze at Araki's body.
"Araki!" Issei shouted in panic after seeing Araki's unconcious body lying there on the ground.
"That was quite impressive... But such weak magic won't be enough to save you!" The man said coldly, his gaze fixed on Araki's body.
"Damn it!" Once again, Issei sprinted away from the man with all his might.
"That's futile." The man sneered, shifting his gaze to Issei as he fled.
The man swiftly conjured a spear of light and hurled it at Issei.
"Argh!" Issei cried out in pain.
He collapsed to the ground as the spear pierced his back.
I'd rather be stabbed by Yuuma-chan than by a guy like him! Issei thought desperately, struggling to his feet.
"It didn't hurt this much when Yuuma-chan did it." Issei murmured, wincing in pain.
He reached out to touch the spear piercing his abdomen, but his palm burst into flames the moment it made contact with the weapon.
"Arrgh!" Issei cried out in pain.
"Painful? Light is poison to unholy races like yours." The man replied, advancing toward Issei.
Issei tried to rise, but his consciousness began to fade. He slowly collapsed to the ground, motionless.
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"How pathetic... Now only one remains." The man said before flying toward the unconscious Araki.
"What a waste. You had the potential to become a powerful devil, but alas, this is the end for you!" The man declared, hurling his spear of light toward Araki's body.
But, the man's spear suddenly shattered as crimson magic struck it. Startled, he immediately searched for the source of the magic.
"Don't touch him!" A red-haired girl declared, suddenly appearing nearby.
"Damn you!" The man roared in fury.
The man immediately hurled a spear of light at the girl. Before it could strike her, a white-haired girl, who had appeared out of nowhere, intercepted the spear.
"Die!" The man cursed as he charged toward the two girls.
The man was startled again when a yellow light materialized above him. Realizing danger was coming from above, he swiftly dodged to the side. He was immediately thrown backward as an explosion erupted right in front of him.
"That hair... it's... You must be from the Gremory family." The man said, his voice filled with surprise.
"That's right. I am Rias Gremory. What are you doing here, Fallen Angel?" Rias replied, her smile sharp as she glared at the man.
The man slowly rose from the ground, brushing the dirt off his clothes.
"Oh, I see. Who would have thought this was Gremory family territory? Are those two members of your family?" The man asked, gesturing toward the unconscious Issei and Araki.
"I will never forgive you if you harm either of them." Rias replied coldly.
"Very well, I apologize for today. But you'd better not let your servants wander around alone. Someone like me would kill them both on sight, wouldn't I?" The man retorted, a sinister grin spreading across his face.
"Thank you for your advice. But let me remind you again... I won't let you get away with this if you hurt them again." Rias retorted, her eyes narrowing into a fierce glare.
"Very well, Heiress of the Gremory." The man replied before unfurling his wings and slowly ascending into the sky.
"My name is Dohnaseek. I hope we never meet again." He said as the barrier surrounding the area gradually dissipated.
Rias continued to glare sharply at Dohnaseek as he flew away. Once the Fallen Angel was out of her sight, she slowly shifted her gaze between Issei's and Araki's bodies.
"I was too reckless," Rias murmured, approaching the unconscious Araki. "I never expected them to encounter a Fallen Angel so soon."
"Club President, if we keep letting him like this, Issei will die soon." Koneko said flatly, pointing to Issei's bloodied body lying nearby.
"Araki didn't even sustain serious injuries when that Fallen Angel kicked him. How intriguing." Rias remarked, smiling as she gazed at Araki's unconscious form.
"Koneko, take care of Araki. I'll handle Issei." Rias said, turning her gaze to Koneko.
"Understood, Club President." Koneko replied, gently lifting Araki's body.
"Ara ara... Don't you have any orders for me, Club President?" Akeno asked, biting her fingertip.
"Not for now, Akeno." Rias replied.
"Ara ara... You're no fun, Club Presiden." Akeno pouted, her face showing disappointment.
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