A note from the author! Revised 2/3/15!

Helloooooo everybody and thank you very much for taking the chance to read Eighth, the Dragoon! I greatly appreciate it and hope you like it as well.

A note before the story kicks off. Most of the notes in later chapters are a little out of date. Second, I've made a great deal of mistakes in this story. Like my math. I fully accept my math is TERRIBLE and I also regret not fully researching how Issei's Sacred Gear works. I've made corrections here and there but left some out in the open to remind myself of where I went wrong. I refuse to hide anything under the carpet.

Another thing, as I'm told to mention by my peers, this story is something of a crossover between High School DxD and the series of original stories I work on. Expect to be confused every so often on the lore, but I assure you everything is explained at one point. Mostly.

Now then, having all that said, I thank all of you for taking the time to read this story. Without further ado, on with the show!

Lately, should one turn on the television and watch the nightly news station, particularly in relations to world events, it wasn't uncommon to have the broadcast give a report about the newest mystery. Within the past three years terrible events have been prevented by the arrival of what could be best described as a 'red blur'. Planes landed safely after failing due to sabotage or malfunctions, invading forces in third-world countries were halted no matter what side they were on or for what reason they had to fight in the first place, to even petty robberies, muggings, attempted kidnapping and raping was stopped with the criminals being found bound in front of police stations.

Every one of the involved would report a red blur appearing out of nowhere and then disappearing as soon as it arrived. Never a life was lost when it was around. At first, this was just assumed to be some sort of childish speculation as several theories and mythological lore swept through the internet. It wasn't until a year ago did the news media start to take it seriously.

There was a fragment of a second when this red blur had paused. And in that fragment of a second had a group of teenage tourists been conveniently taking a picture of their surroundings to record their memories. And minutes later one of them would be calling the local authorities after having heard gunshots. It would later turn out to have been a lair of drug smugglers who had their base thrashed, and each one of the criminals would report to having seen a red blur moving far too fast for any of them to see clearly.

Though still so far away, the image of a red humanoid with a tail and fluorescent wings was captured right before its raid began.

The world was set ablaze by the surfacing of this evidence. No one knew what it was. No one could trace its movements as it continued to sweep across the world. In one moment it would be stopping pirates from the Atlantic and in less than an hour it would be rescuing people from a storm in the Americas. The speed of its travel was truly unfathomable. Many speculated there was multiples of this phenomenon. Governments had denied knowing of its origin just as much as they had attempted to capture this unknown creature. Some even went as far as creating their own disasters in hopes of luring it into a trap.

The creature had either adapted or grew cunning as now whenever it arrived, technology started to fail in its presence. Capturing any further pictures, let alone the creature itself, was deemed impossible.

But the photograph was the only evidence that would ever surface. Without any further leads, the people eventually began to lose interest. But that is not to say they weren't still curious about this. Simply until new information could surface, there wasn't anything they could do about it.

…That is until the appearance of a white blur appeared.

Now, just as the red creature was treated as some childish myth until the picture arrived, there were rumors on the internet about other colored creatures roaming around the world, including that of a white one. There were even people across the world who reported seeing blurs of various hues during events of carnage, but of course none of this was true.

Yet a camera crew from Germany had been able to capture the image of a white being just after a roaring forest fire had been contained. It had been floating high above the air, higher than their helicopter could reach, higher than most flying vehicles could. It was but a speck in the distance and impossible to notice. The only reason why they had noticed it was because of the howl of rage it had unleashed. Its roar had been heard within a several mile radius. Their cameras had been able to see the speck for but an instant before its florescent wings took it away due east.

The local villagers would later report something large and red had stopped the fire from advancing to their area before taking to the skies.

Once more the world was swept off their feet by the appearance of a second winged figure. And once more the cycle of trying to locate these two beings took off, but granting no results. However, the world had come to a conclusion as a pattern was starting to gather.

When a disaster struck, the red one would appear. And as soon as it was concluded and the red one would leave, the white one would appear as though searching for it.

Alas, there wasn't a definite pattern as there was always something going on around the world. At times the white one would be the first to appear as though waiting for the red one. Yet never were they seen together. It was also speculated the white one was slower than the red. It would take hours for the white being to travel throughout countries while it took a fracture of that time for the red one to travel around the world.

Their wings were also different. While the white could be described by witnesses to have wings akin to 'green mist' or 'green sparkling dust', the red was far more… radiant. Its wings never had the same description as witnesses would claim its wings were one color or the other. Even the lone photograph of its appearance a year ago produced different colors depending on who was looking at it. It was but another marvel that could not be explained.

The shape was an entirely different discussion.

Nevertheless, once more the world was left alone in the darkness as these beings were beyond their reach. Governments still attempted traps here and there, creating high tensions amongst other nations as well as their own people. The red one would be seen but could not be identified, and the white one would be close behind. Close, but yet so far away.

Some began to question if the white one was looking for the red, why not just cause a disaster of its own to lure the red…?

*Scene*

"Please go out with me!"

Hyoudou Issei was anything but a normal high school student. On the surface he might be, but after a few years of seeing the worst the world had to offer, most of his innocence hadn't been scrubbed away as much as it had been retched from his soul. He still attended school, still did his homework, still did a few odd jobs here and there to make ends meet, and still ogled (peeped) girls at every chance.

He was quite average looking. He wasn't handsome, but he wasn't hideous either. Most would say he was boring to look at. Which was good because of his hobby hardly anyone gave him a second glance… unless he got caught of course. Though he was far more fit than a normal high school student should be, the way he wore his uniform over a long sleeve undershirt left him looking like a scrawny weakling. Whenever he changed for physical education he kept on the undershirt so no one would see the series of muscles underneath.

…Or what lay on his back.

Issei would have to say he did everything he could within his power to avoid attention like the plague. And it was working so far. It also wasn't that hard to do. Why, even Rolan-sempai encouraged it when the shrimp suggested he should continue being a pervert, to the extreme no less! Perverts never get much recognition other than to be despised by everyone around them. They were rejected by society most of the time and quite shunned. So, other than his fellow perverts Matsuda and Motohama, no one ever gave him the bit of time to get to know him.

It was a sad and lonely life, but he at least had the company of his seven sempai if he ever asked. But he didn't because they all scared the living shit out of him, especially the Divine Beast and the Dragon Slayer, the former hating him for being a pervert while the latter was his natural enemy.

So, Issei was at first confused as all hell when this girl approached him on his way home and asked him out. She was very cute, no doubt a highly popular girl with the boys at her school. However, Issei couldn't trace a hint of honesty coming from her.

"I think you have the wrong guy," Issei sighed. This wouldn't be the first time a girl had asked him out. And not once had they done so because they wanted to. Always, always, always they had done so because they lost some bet or this was some rite of passage. He was known as the 'ultimate test'— such was the fate of a super pervert like him.

"Hyoudou Issei-kun, a second-year at Kuoh Academy," the girl responded. She blushed, bowed her head, and fiddled with her hands. "M-My name is Amano Yuuma. And I've b-been wanting to meet you for some time. B-But if you don't want to…"

There it was again, that trace of insincerity. Her words weren't forced, but they weren't natural either. Without a reason of a doubt she was deceiving him.

"Okay!"

…But Issei was a pervert before he was anything else. So what if this girl was going to go on a date with him with impure motives? He was a huge sucker for cute girls and this performance was the best one so far with the way she was behaving and expertly putting on a blush. He felt weak in the knees with how kowaii~ she was behaving.

"R-Really?" the girl looked up with hope in her eyes.

"Un!" Issei nodded vigorously. He was so excited steam was about to shoot from his nostrils.

Yuuma gave a lovely smile as she said, "Then please meet me at the shopping center tomorrow at noon."

With that, she turned and fled in haste with a large blush covering her face. And Issei shot a fist into the air in triumph as though he had achieved the unachievable, despite it being given to him. However, when he turned away to continue onward home, he did not miss the presence of murderous intent coming from the girl. As one who had been surrounded by it constantly throughout his exhibitions, he hadn't grown numb to it but had been able to acknowledge and shrug it off.

Killing intent wasn't some actual presence often expressed in anime. It was a concept in which can only be assumed by the intended like any other emotion. Love, hate, joy, sorrow— these such things had to be recognized by reading body language and nothing else. Killing intent wasn't something that floated in the air and struck him like an arrow.

Yet, because of what he was, Issei had been able to sense what his favorite anime heroes could. This girl, without a doubt, was planning his death. The smart thing to do would be to avoid her from here on out. Some of his sempai would strike her down now just to avoid any future problems.

But, again, Issei was a pervert before he was one of them. He was going to spend as much time with the super cute girl as he could. He might even get the chance to take the first step into achieving his ultimate goal.

To build a harem!

*Scene*

Their day was fantastic. They were much like any other couple. They saw a romantic comedy film, had lunch as a local café, and spent the remainder of the afternoon playing games at the arcade. He managed to win her a trinket from one of the crane machines… after spending a large chunk of his cash in many failed attempts. But her smile was worth it, even if it was fake.

Throughout the day, he knew he was being watched. He pretended to not notice it as he continued playing with Yuuma, which wasn't all that hard to do as he was too busy staring at her chest. She noticed a few times, blushed, but said nothing as though she was giving him permission.

As it was getting late with the sun beginning to set, they took a silent stroll through the park. No one was around at this hour. Yuuma even wrapped her arms around his, pressing her right breast against him. Normally the chance to get closer should have sent warning signals through him.

…He was too busy trying to keep his downstairs roommate from getting excited.

They reached the center of the park, which contained a large fountain with a few benches circling around it. It was romantic sight as the sun leaked through the trees and created sparkles over the water. No one else was around and it would have been the perfect chance to receive a kiss.

Yuuma released him and skipped over to the fountain. She twirled, put her hands behind her back, and bent over slightly for him to catch a small glimpse of her cleavage. "Ise-kun, today was so much fun. Now there's just one more thing left to do. Can I ask you for a favor?"

Issei gulped as all of his attention was drawn towards her bountiful chest. The words as well as her growing murderous intent completely flew over his head.

Yuuma giggled as she drew closer to him. So close in fact she was able to cup one hand to his cheek. The smile she gave was truly radiant.

"Can you die for me?"

Issei blinked, snapping out of his daze.

She took a step back. Black wings sprouted out of her back in such a snap feathers fluttered everywhere. Gone was the persona of a cute love-struck girl, only to be replaced by a malevolent, if not amused, killer.

"This was nice," even her tone had changed to that of something far more mature, "it was like playing house with a child."

The air vibrated as she extended a hand to her right. The shadows within the park seemed to darken as though all the light was drawn directly into her hand. And as if so, light manifested into solid form in the figure of a spear. Her hands clenched around it as though it truly were a physical weapon.

Faster than a human could have moved, she went through the proper stance and performance of throwing the spear a master would have. The spear of light traveled as fast as a bullet. At this close of a distance, she could have just taken a step forward and stabbed him with it. Instead, she had been arrogant and thought to fling it at him, expecting him to die immediately.

He saw her eyes widened as the dragon blood coursed through his veins, changing his eyes into golden serpentine spheres. He twisted his body while assuming a stance of his own. The sphere of light phased by him, if not scorching his polo.

"Wha—?!" Yuuma gasped in shock at the speed he had been able to move… before being cut off by him closing in on her and delivering a powerful punch to her abdomen.

Issei wasn't sure what she was. While he wasn't unfamiliar to the supernatural, he was still raised as a mundane child. It wasn't until his most recent exploits did he come across the likes of monsters. This was one of the few rare humanoid beings he had come across and their durability ranged. Thus, he wasn't sure how much of an attack was too much and too little.

He decided to give his first strike with enough force to knock a bulky human unconscious. Yuuma had a lot of resistance as the blow did nothing but startle her.

However, now he had a good guess on how much damage she could take. This time he held nothing back. Before she could recover, he sent his other fist ramming below her jaw.

She went spinning to his right, but caught herself in a backhand spring, flipping once, and then regaining her footing. Such a blow should have left her unconscious. All it left her was a slight bruise and a bleeding lip as the shock of the blow forced her to bite.

She wiped away the blood and snarled. "How the hell did a human—"

He didn't give her the chance to talk. He kicked off the ground at her, once more catching her by surprise. With the Assaulter stance, he dug his feet into the ground, brought the weight of his body around, and delivered a corkscrew haymaker. He heard something crunch as his fist met her left cheek, but his eyes narrowed as her inhuman durability once again left her conscious. All it did was make her stumble back.

Yuuma grunted in frustration and this time flew up with her large wings. She didn't need to flap to suspend herself. Issei wondered for a moment if it was a property of her species or if she had some sort of supernatural ability.

"Don't screw with me!" she cried, formed a spear of light in both her hands, and flung one after the other.

Issei clicked his tongue and moved to dodge. But as soon as the first spear struck the ground, his senses screamed at him.

When the spears made contact with the ground, they exploded. Debris flew everywhere fierce enough to damage the nearby fountain as well as tear apart a few of the benches. A pair of craters overlapping another about three meters in diameter was left.

Yuuma clicked her tongue in further frustration.

Issei had been able to double his speed at the last instant as though he was holding back from the beginning. He barely managed to avoid the critical damage, but not in enough time to avoid the blunt force of the impact. He had stumbled a few times and expertly rolled back onto his feet. His clothes were in tatters.

The faint glow of something etched onto his back was peeking through the holes of his undershirt.

Yuuma snarled but threw more spears of light his way.

She gasped when his speed jumped even further. Somehow, in some way, he had been able to move far away from the blast zone. He crossed the distance of twenty meters in the blink of an eye! Even with magic humans shouldn't be able to perform such feats. The human body had limits and the performance should have burdened his body to the point of snapping in two.

Yet Issei was unfazed. There wasn't a sign of fatigue on him.

His eyes were glowing as his stare sharpened. They weren't the eyes of a human. True, a human's eyes weren't gold with their irises being diamond shape akin to that of a serpent. She was referring to the way he was looking at her that wasn't human. Oh, he recognized her as one person to another. There was just something more… primal in that stare.

Like a beast defending its territory from an invader.

Issei moved again, crossing the destroyed field and without moving in a straight line to confuse Yuuma. She wouldn't be able to get a direct hit on him by the way he was flickering from one place to another. All she could figure was that he was growing closer to her. So, she decided to fly up higher and generate a more potent spear of light— one big enough to level the terrain and sweep him away.

"Explosion."

She didn't expect him to jump.

The ground under him crumbled as his draconian strength sent him rocketing towards her. He saw she was trying to make a larger weapon and thus would require more time to prepare. It was from that window of opportunity did he react. His body ascended the heights at an alarming speed, catching her by surprise once again. She was helpless as she fumbled with the incomplete spear.

He spun once in the air and brought an axis kick with his heel to her chest. Something definitely cracked as a loud thud from the impact could have been heard. The winged supernatural being was brought back down to the ground with enough force to create a crater from her crash. Even if she didn't lose consciousness, it'll take plenty of time for her to recover. More than enough time for him to safely descend and prepare for any further ploys.

His senses flared as danger spiked towards his back. It was at the precise time in which he was still regaining his control from delivering the blow to Yuuma. He had completely forgotten the presence watching him from earlier. He made a foolish mistake of ignoring it until they presented themselves. And so they had, and it would be critical.

A spear of light pierced through his sides as he tried to spin to dodge. He wasn't quick enough after his body had reset itself, bringing him down to his natural limits. Regardless if he had been able to avoid damage to his heart and lungs, there was still the gaping hole on his waist. He cried out in pain as the descent was having his blood trail after him.

The crash was anything but pleasant. It made his wound flare up in pain. Not that it would matter as his carelessness had gotten him killed. He was losing too much blood way too fast. He'd be lucky if he could make it for three minutes.

Yuuma slowly rose from the ground, grunting in pain and holding her right shoulder. Her right arm was dangling uselessly. She was having difficulty breathing and coughing up blood. It was probably from her inhuman durability she was able to stand. A normal person would have been dead from having their lungs caved in.

"Looks like you were having trouble, Raynare," a man's voice said.

Another winged being, in a black cloak and pointed hat, landed softly on the ground. He smirked in amusement at the sight of his wounded counterpart.

"Doh…naseek…" wheezed Yuuma— or rather, Raynare. She tried to say more, but ended up in a coughing fit.

As though knowing what she was going to say, Dohnaseek shrugged with lax care, "You'd be dead if I didn't intervene. Not that I really care about you personally, but I think our little group would be disbanded without you. Azazel-sama would question your disappearance. We can't have him looking in to our affairs."

Issei tried to move. All of his instincts were telling him to live. He was going to die if he didn't stop the bleeding. He was going to die if he stayed here. These things were going to kill him.

He winced in pain. He was cursing himself so much. These two weren't the greatest threat he had ever faced, yet it was because they weren't as powerful he didn't take them as seriously. His sempai always told him to never underestimate an enemy. His instincts had told him there was danger potent enough to end his life, yet he treated it like nothing. It was the most foolish mistake he ever made, and one that was going to cost him his life.

The world was getting dark as his thoughts were starting to lose cognition. The feeling of pain could no longer keep him awake as it was gradually dying down. No, he was dying, that's what it was. His body was beginning to shut down, draconian nature or not.

If it bleeds, it can die.

But he wouldn't live that much longer anyways.

Raynare brought a spear of light into his chest, piercing his heart. A sickening glare of pure hatred was locked on her once beautiful face. Her breathing was less labored, but her voice was still hoarse.

"Don't blame me for this," she said. "Blame God for giving you a Sacred Gear."

Before the spear dissipated, Issei's world became dark. He couldn't find the meaning behind her words. Not that it mattered at this point. He was dead.

*Scene*

As soon as the sun rose over the horizon and touched his window, Issei was snapped at attention with enough clarity as though he had been shocked with an electric current through his spine. His body was registering potential harm and that's what made him fully awake. But as he looked around his room, he didn't see anything that would bring him into immediate danger. He didn't get the feeling something was going to suddenly strike from a great distance either.

Rather, as he focused on the feeling, the harm was already being done onto him. His instincts were telling him to go towards the shadows, away from the light. For what reason he couldn't understand, the sun itself was weakening him. It wasn't burning his skin or anything of the like, just draining him at a barely noticeable pace. Not necessarily a poison but… like a decent weight, he supposed.

He scratched his head in confusion. And from his fingers going against a certain section of his cranium did pain spike at his temple. God! He had the worst headache ever. Just what the hell was he doing last night? It felt like he got hit with another tank shell.

When he tried to recall what happened last night, he couldn't remember. He remembered going on a date with Yuuma… and that's it. He didn't even remember how he came home last night.

Whatever. He could just send her an email or something or ask one of his friends. No doubt his fellow perverts would have asked (threatened) for details as soon as the date was over. He must have contacted them to rub it in their faces.

Since he was awake with no chance of going back to sleep, he might as well get up and start his regular routine. Plus it was a Sunday. He didn't have school and he had the whole day to fill out his responsibilities. Not that he would have slept in anyways. It's been three years since he's had the feeling to sleep more than four hours.

He was just glad the nightmares stopped a year ago.

In nothing but his boxers and his usual long sleeve, he went downstairs. And as usual, as it has been for three long years, everything was quiet. Though he no longer had the nightmares, he still had the phantasmal memories of his parents sitting together in the kitchen. His mother would be preparing breakfast, yelling at him to wake up, and his father would be reading the paper while drinking some coffee. To this day he could hear the clatter of their movements.

Perhaps he was forcing himself to remember their habitual noises. It was more like a mental trigger at this point whenever he climbed the last step. And it was always disappointing to turn around the corner and find himself alone.

Before going into the kitchen to prepare breakfast, he turned on the television to the usual setting— the one that would display six different channels at once. All of which were news channels. One was local, two were morning talk shows, and the other three were the stations that talked about the country as a whole as well as foreign affairs. Last, he flipped open the laptop placed on the counter. There were a large number of reports and messages to go over.

At breakfast, he paid attention to the news broadcasts while skimming through his notifications. A lot of the messages were from his sempai, particularly from Philips-sempai and Rolan-sempai. Philips let him know of potential threats that might happen while Rolan gave him the list of job requests the mercenary could have accepted. The rest were events that he couldn't fix with his powers alone.

But there were a few things he could do…

After cleaning the kitchen, showering, and dressing himself in his padded underclothes, he made way for the basement. There hadn't been one while his parents were still around, but thanks to Archibald-sempai it had been built and dated to have always existed in official records. Issei wasn't sure how the man had been able to manipulate the physical blueprints of the house with the papers being aged in exact date as their originals, but that was just the man's power.

Should anyone visit, if ever, they will find the basement to be just a usual concrete space to store things. There were a lot of trinkets such as photo albums, clothes, and toys from his childhood. The majority of things were his parents. However, once Issei walked under the wooden staircase and pushed open the secret door, it took him to a deeper part under his house. After following the usual path, he found his destination.

It was a large open lot of pure darkness. Not a trace of light leaked through as it was sealed in concrete, layered in lead, and buried so deep it even went under the subway and sewage. But Issei didn't need to see when in here; his other senses let him 'see' the void of the area. It was only used as a tunnel to get him out of the city without being spotted.

"Balance Breaker."

*Scene*

Once more he awoke before his alarm could go off. That was twice the rising of the sun had triggered his survival instincts. He didn't know what to make of it. He never had this problem before. And it's not like he could ask anyone about this. Going to a hospital was immediately out of the question. Imagine everyone's surprise when they examine him to find out he wasn't completely human anymore. As tempting as it was to curb that three-year-long curiosity about what his insides were like, he didn't want anyone else to know.

Especially if they decided to take a blood sample.

He wondered if he should ask one of his sempai for help. Maybe the Dragon Slayer would be able to give him an appropriate diagnosis. But then again… he's already asked them for much and didn't want to burden them any further. They had their own problems. Besides, nothing screamed at him to run as far away as possible louder than when being in the same room as Siegfried-sempai.

Unless something serious came up, like he was puking blood or on his deathbed, he wasn't going to chance being alone with the Dragon Slayer.

He turned off his alarm before it could go off and hopped in the shower. He was so tired last night he had forgotten to record any of the news stations to see if anyone else reported another sighting of the 'red blur'. And if there was a sighting of the red, there was assured to be the white one close behind. So many times he was tempted to stick around to see who the other one who had similar powers was. But their meeting might stir up trouble. It was one thing that the world was aware of his existence, it would be another if he gave them the chance to know what he could and couldn't do.

And then there was the white one. Who was he? What was he? Was it even a he? Why did the white one always follow him? These were the things that haunted his mind to the point where he was ready to snap. He was so damn curious so many times he wanted to say the hell with caution and just meet.

Imagine if it was a smoking hot babe under all that white armor. And she followed him because they were destined to be 'partners'.

He wished. He didn't get that sort of vibe when watching the German footage. His primal instincts had told him the white one was challenging him.

…Still didn't stop him from imagining if it was a hot babe.

*Scene*

"Hey guys," Issei asked his friends as soon as school was over. He would have asked them sooner if that blazing sun didn't give him such a headache. His fellow perverts were going on about what eroge they beat this weekend, but Issei had difficulty following them. He had difficulty during class more than usual for that matter. He wasn't that great with school to begin with, but seriously…

"Do you happen to know what happened Saturday night?"

His friends looked at him strangely.

"Saturday? Why? Were we supposed to meet up somewhere or something?" asked Matsuda.

Issei raised a brow. "Huh? Didn't I tell you I had a date?"

Silence.

…And then the two began laughing hysterically.

"I-I'm serious!" Issei defended his pride as a man. Yeah, so he was a pervert who was hated by every single girl within the entire school (potentially the whole city) but he had managed to score! Granted the girl was more than likely to have been forced to date him from some penalty game from her friends, but they went on a date regardless dammit!

Motohama fixed his glasses and smirked. "Please Ise-kun, the chances of you getting a girlfriend are equally just as absent as ours."

"That's right!" boasted Matsuda with pride… for whatever reason. "The three of us are at the bottom of the tier! Besides, if you did get a girlfriend, we'd have to bring you back down to our level."

Issei sweatdropped. Yeah, his friends had threatened him when he had told them about Yuuma with the same thing. So he planned on proving he went on a date by taking a picture with her with his cellphone.

Oh wait. The picture. That's right.

…Only when Issei scanned through his phone he couldn't find it. He was sure the phone captured them together at the café. But as he was looking for more proof of her existing, he found that her email address was no longer registered in his contacts. Grimacing at this, he decided to dial the phone number he had memorized. He had stared at it the day before it had practically branded itself into his skull.

As expected, the number was not in service.

…He didn't imagine having a date… did he?

"Well, whatever," Matsuda waved it off. "Say, why don't we all go back to my place and watch my secret collection?"

"That's an excellent idea," Motohama gave a lecherous smirk. "Matsuda-kun, you should invite Ise-kun. It might do well since he hasn't been himself all day."

Issei shrugged. Naturally they would have noticed he wasn't himself when he turned down their offer to peek on the girls' locker room for the umpteenth time at lunch.

"Of course I'm going to invite him, Motohama-kun. We are high school boys who move with sexual desires. If we don't do anything perverted, it would be disrespectful to our parents who gave birth… to…"

Silence.

"I-Ise-kun…" his bald friend realized what he had said. "I… um… that is…"

However, Issei put a firm hand on his friend's shoulder and looked with fierce determination. "Okay then! Today, we won't hold back! We'll get some soda and chips while watching porn movies!"

His outburst was heard by everyone within the vicinity. By this point in their high school career, everyone had learned to expect this sort of deal from the three. However, there will never be a day when they could grow comfortable with them. After all, who would want to be okay with a group of young men with the highest potential in the entire world in becoming sexual assaulters?

His words also sliced the tension between their group better than his claws through mundane steel.

"Oh! Yeah, that's it! That's definitely the Ise we know!"

"That's the spirit. We need to enjoy our youth even more."

Matsuda and Motohama responded respectively to his declaration.

Issei smiled. The hell with if he did or didn't go on a date. Besides, someone as cute and perfect as Yuuma couldn't have existed in the first place. Though it broke his heart, he had to come to terms with the realization that no girl would actually date him. Even those who were forced to as a penalty game couldn't last more than an hour and showed their obvious disgust.

And if that was the case, then he'd rather look at hentai and use his mind's eye to swap himself with the main protagonist.

…Nah who was he kidding. He was crying on the inside. Why couldn't Yuuma be real?!

"Kya~" one of the girls in the class squealed in delight. "It's Rias-oneesama!"

Within a blink of an eye, everyone dropped what they were doing and crammed themselves to the windows, including the three perverts.

Who didn't know about the Rias Gremory? She was the number one most popular girl among all of Kuoh Academy, by both boys and girls. She was of English descent who chose to attend a Japanese school due to the business involvements of her father. It was obvious too. She had fair skin, the most dazzling blue eyes, an hourglass figure with the greatest of breasts, and flowing crimson hair…

…the same shade as blood.

Issei's hand went over to his waist where he felt the remnants of a pain that wasn't there. There was a flash of… something within his mind. Sure he had seen Rias a few times before, but it felt like he had seen her before, if that could make sense. Crimson hair… crimson blood… why did his chest and side ache so much…?

The strangest thing happened. Of the many times he was within range of Rias Gremory, she always continued with her pace as though she couldn't be bothered by anyone else. Not out of arrogance, but rather like a queen who her people would shun should she suddenly start talking to commoners. That, and the Rias Fan Club would murder the lone individual she talked to.

The strange thing that happened was Rias had broken out of this norm. Her eyes snapped up to his and she gave the lightest and lovely of smiles.

Normally, Issei wouldn't believe for a second she was looking at him. However, something within him stirred and he knew she was looking at him. How that smile was just for him. It was a primal feeling he was unfamiliar with. Love? No, something more definite. Something that was making him aware of her presence, of her beauty, of her feelings. How she was suddenly his whole world.

Issei, being a pervert and all, would have been like this by default. But when there was a force telling him otherwise, he naturally had to take a step back.

The feeling was subservience, he realized.

Rias Gremory wasn't giving him a smile of arrogance, believing she was a greater being above him like every other woman did. She was presenting an authority that said so. Like he was wearing a collar and she holding the leash.

It pissed him off. S&M he was okay with. But this? There was nothing perverted about it. This was a girl who had, somehow, claimed every fiber of his being for herself. This wasn't natural. His draconian nature wouldn't— couldn't allow it.

His title as Eighth couldn't allow someone to be above him.

Rias saw his displeasure. Her smile faltered as her brows scrunched up in slight confusion. No matter what expression she had, it was absolutely breathtaking anyways.

The girls squealed and the boys cheered.

"Oi, Ise-kun, you alright?"

Issei blinked as soon as Rias was out of his sight. He didn't know what that was about. Whatever it was left him clenching his left side. His face felt stiff. He wondered how long he was glaring at her.

"Yeah, I'm alright," he released his grip and flexed his fingers. His hand was a little stiff. "A-Actually… I'm not feeling so well today. I think I'm going to just head home for today."

"Eh?" his friends gawked in unison. The glasses wearing Motohama said, "Do you have some kind of illness? No, it can't be. There is no way that you, the manifestation of all sexual desires, would fall sick."

Issei tried to smile at that. Tried. There were some things that came out of Motohama's mouth that really hurt. "It might have been something I ate. I'll join you guys next time."

*Scene*

Home was forever a depressing place to be. There was no one to return to other than his own isolation. It also wasn't the day to travel the world. In order to avoid being traced back to Japan, Issei had come up with a randomly generated schedule of when he was to go out saving people. The 'red blur' couldn't be saving people during only the time when most Japanese schools didn't hold classes. People would get suspicious. And so, there were days when he had to skip classes to go out. He also had to stretch out and even his schedule so that it wouldn't harm his grades. As much as he hated doing so, he had to make time to study and homework.

Regardless, going home was something he wanted to avoid at the moment. But he also didn't have anything to do. Perhaps he should have gone with his friends to watch porn. It sure as hell would have been much better than brooding around the city. Well, with nothing else to do, he decided to just wander. Maybe he'll catch some crooks trying to have their way with some girl, only for him to swoop in and save the day.

…And receive a reward from the damsel? Sounds like a plan.

As the sun began to set with his hours of wandering going to waste— there wasn't so much as a girl to save as there was crime to stop to begin with in the whole freaking city!— he began to notice some things.

The dragon blood had enhanced his senses above human standards. But he had them for three years and so had grown accustomed to them. However, as it began to get darker and darker, he noticed his senses were being enhanced further. He could see within the darkness when there was no light, could hear the conversations of people from as far as his eyes could see, and his scent of smell could pick up, recognize, and sort the various stenches of the city.

Luckily he could also block them off. Like hell he wanted to smell the sewage under the sidewalk.

He didn't know what was going on or why. He couldn't even come up with a theory. Clearly something had happened to him at some point. His body hadn't gone through such a metamorphosis since three years ago. However, nothing came to mind within the past few days. But then again… there was that large chunk of memory he couldn't recall from Saturday night. Despite what his friends might say, he remembers that date. But... at some point the memories cut off…

The last thing he remembered was walking side by side through the park…

*Scene*

"Well this is rare…"

Issei knew that voice. Or at least he thought he did. The sound and tone rang a chime through his head, but he couldn't recognize the owner.

Issei had come to the park, not really expecting anything but rather hoping to find some clues as to what happened a few days ago. His head was aching a little as he could pick up a few flash images here and there. He saw light, black feathers, the sound of explosions, and then there was the feeling of being stabbed in the chest. From his experience, he could at least piece together there was some kind of fight he was involved in. But he couldn't make sense of it, especially about the part on how he came home unscathed in the first place.

The area was immaculate as it had always been, but that was irrelevant as he knew there were forces and organizations that specialized in covering the damages caused by supernatural beings. He did wish he was one of those beings who could find out who was responsible for cleaning the area, however.

When he turned away from the fountain, the appearance of a tall man in a dark suit and fedora was approaching him. Not only was his voice familiar but as well as his appearance.

"I didn't expect you to be revived as a Devil," he went on. "Who is your Master?"

The image of Rias Gremory flashed through his mind at the word 'Master'. Almost out of instinct, he responded, "I have no Master." Although, he had no idea what it meant.

"…I see," nodded the man. Black wings sprouted from his back. "Then that would make you a Stray. So it wouldn't be a problem if I kill you."

He extended his right hand. The shadows of the area grew as light was being absorbed into his hand. It manifested into solid form, taking the shape of a spade-bladed spear.

Wings and a spear of light… The memories were starting to come together.

"H-Hey wait a minute!" Issei shot his hands up and waved frantically. He took several steps back to gain as much distance as possible, not before doubling his potential just in case. "What the hell is that? A-Are those wings?! What is going on? Here, take my money! Just don't hurt me!"

He knew he had fought something like this before. The phantom pain to his side and heart confirmed that. He needed to take him on seriously else screw up like last time… however last time ended up, but still! And in order to do that, he needed time.

The more time he wasted the higher his potential could be doubled.

To show he was serious, Issei even pulled out his wallet, dropped it to his feet, and took several steps away.

The man frowned, "How strange. Though it is not uncommon for the dead to suffer memory loss… You don't expect to fool me with that charade, do you? I've seen what you can do."

Issei frowned. Well, that sucks. But the strategy wasn't hopeless yet.

He fell to his hands and knees and bowed. "Please don't kill me! I haven't achieved my goal of obtaining a harem yet!"

That right there consumed ten seconds of silence. The winged man didn't know how to properly respond. He opened his mouth and then shut it. "…You can't be serious."

"Of course I am!" Issei burst with passion. "What man wouldn't want to have a harem?! To fall asleep every night with pillows of breasts! It's what I live for!"

Again, the man paused. He sighed, "You base creatures are so simple-minded. Devil or not, you were once human. Of course your desires would be so primitive. And I don't doubt those desires are stronger than ever because you're now a Devil."

Issei laughed nervously as has scratched his head, "So does this mean you'll let me go?"

"No."

"Oh… Well, could I make one last request then?"

"I'm not going to find you a woman or anything of the sort."

"No, no, not that," he waved it off, but began to drool. "It would have been nice though. Spending the last night alive on this world with a beautiful—"

"Out with it," the winged being was growing impatient.

Issei was actually surprised he was willing to listen. "Ah. Well, could you tell me what this is about? Seems like a waste and all not knowing why I'm about to die."

The man's eyes narrowed in contemplation, taking up more time in the process. "Very well. I see no point in telling you since you're about to die. We simply see you as a potential threat because of what you contain within you. We're not sure what Sacred Gear you contain, but if it has Azazel-sama's interest then it means it is something of high potential. We can't afford to have you awakening its power, and so we decided to eliminate you before you become a threat. It's nothing personal."

The memories were beginning to come together. Yuuma was also a winged being who could throw violet spears of light. Yuuma wasn't her name either. What was it…?

"Then can I have the name of the one who is about to kill me?"

"Dohnaseek," the supernatural being replied while raising his spear up. "Now enough!"

"One last thing."

"What?!"

This time, Issei smiled. "Explosion."

Recognition surfaced from Dohnaseek's face as his eyes widened. He must have seen this technique before. But it was too late. Issei had been able to drag out two minutes. A total of 140 seconds of idle conversation. And if he could double his base potential every ten seconds, he had doubled them fourteen times.

Imagine a weakling only able to lift fifty pounds. If his abilities are doubled, then he could lift up to a hundred pounds. If this is done fourteen times, then he will be able to lift 700 pounds.

Except Issei was far from being weak. His body was enhanced by draconian blood— in which he had three years for his body to finish adapting to. He was far more durable than any average human being. Hell, he was probably stronger than the strongest man alive. His limits went above and beyond the norm of a human's.

And this freakish power was multiplied fourteen times.

Thunder struck loud enough to make anyone nearby rupture their eardrums by the sound of impact coming from Issei's fist to Dohnaseek's face. There never was a chance for the winged being to react in time. It was simply impossible. Sure he moved, he tried to do something, but Issei couldn't tell whether it was to defend or attack. It was but an instant when Issei crossed the distance and delivered his strike.

Dohnaseek was sent flying, breaking through benches and trees alike as though they were made of paper.

Issei gave a sigh of relief as his body reset to its natural standard. The memories finally came back and set into his mind. He had forgotten them due to damage from the blood loss. At least he had been able to get them back, let alone being fully functional and not some kind of spud— being revived or not be damned. It would suck if he couldn't feel anything downstairs.

…But it didn't answer how he had been able to get home. He remembered Dohnaseek's surprise attack and then Raynare delivering the final blow. But that's it. Perhaps… what happened afterwards transpired outside his consciousness?

"How…"

Issei grimaced. It hadn't been his aim to kill him, but seriously?! The guy took the blunt force of a truck going as fast as a bullet! Yet, Dohnaseek was making his way back to the fountain. That wasn't to say he was unscathed. His nose was clearly broken and leaking blood and his left eye was completely shut. His clothes were in tatters with a few splinters sticking out of his limbs.

He gritted his teeth and continued, "How dare a low species like you do this to me. I'll not forgive you for this. I'm going to torture you until you beg for mercy."

The mood had shifted. Dohnaseek's killing intent spiked. But as he had grown serious, so too had Issei. He underestimated his opponent once and it cost him his life. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

"Balance—"

A bright crimson glow erupted between them. Dohnaseek growled in frustration while Issei had to shield his eyes from the light. But he recognized the markings of a magic circle etching themselves into the ground. He couldn't tell what sort of spell was being cast nor could he sense the origin of the caster. Just in case, he took several leaps back.

It never was a hostile spell. It was a summoning circle. When the lights died down, the presence of a crimson haired beauty stood between the two. Issei didn't need to see her face to know who it was.

Dohnaseek's eyes narrowed with disgust. "Crimson hair… You must be of the House of Gremory."

Rias Gremory gave a pleasant smile after taking the moment to eye his condition as well as the surroundings. Her face was full of questions, but politesse was her priority. "My name is Rias Gremory. How are you doing, Fallen Angel-san? If you are trying to hurt this boy, then I won't hold back."

The… Fallen Angel looked between Rias and Issei as though weighing the value of them both rather than finding the truth behind her words. He frowned as he found the odds weren't in his favor. "So this one belongs to you… And this town is also a part of your territory. Well. For today, I will apologize. But I advise you to not let your servant loose. People like me might slay him while having a walk."

"Thanks for the advice," though her remark could never be taken seriously, there wasn't a sign of sarcasm within her. This down is under my surveillance. So, if you get in my way, then I won't hold back."

"I will say the same to you, heiress of the House of Gremory. As I told the boy, my name is Dohnaseek. I hope we won't meet again."

The black winged angel nodded once to Rias. His head turned towards Issei, who continued to stack boosts just in case. The Fallen Angel narrowed his eyes as though noticing the rise in physical prowess, but nodded just as well. With that, his wings fluttered open and he took off towards the sky.

…Leaving Issei alone with Rias.

God— he winced from a sharp pain to his head— why couldn't he be alone with her under normal circumstances? No, someone like her would never give him a second glance even if they were bound together within the same room. Instead, he was alone with her under weird circumstances. Oh how he wanted to go into the corner and cry. The greatest beauty and total bombshell of the academy and he had to be professional with her.

"So," Issei began in a serious tone while he was crying on the inside, "what's this about me being revived as a Devil, Master?"

Crying? No, he was sobbing and pounding his fists on the metaphorical floor. Rias Gremory was so hot and he couldn't do anything with her… Not that he could have to begin with. But come on!

The crimson haired beauty turned around to look at him. She gave a radiant smile that almost melted his knees. Almost. He had to stay firm. But it didn't stop him from grinning like an idiot. "I see. So you know, that stuff that happened the other day wasn't a dream."

Issei wiped the drool from his lips. "Y-Yeah I kinda figured…"

"I'm sorry for not informing you at an earlier convenience. When I tried visiting your home I couldn't find you anywhere. And with all the fuss happening lately at school I couldn't find the time to approach you either."

"No, no," Issei assured her. "I think I understand. We all have our responsibilities."

She nodded in agreement. "Right, I believe we should move to a more secluded area. Where exactly do you live?"

Within his metaphorical space within his head, he was now banging his skull against the ground as hard as he could while shedding tears of blood. Rias Gremory wanted to come to his place! They would be alone! It was like a dream come true!

"I think here is secluded enough," was his reply. He was a pervert before he was anything else, he constantly told himself. He might as well cut off his manhood at this point. If it were true, he'd gladly bring Rias into his home. But instead, he was keeping her at bay.

Screw safety! This is Rias freaking Gremory! You'll never have a chance like this again Hyoudou Issei!

"Sorry if I'm not so trusting right away," he elaborated when she gave him a curious look. "I was attacked by… Fallen Angels and then revived as a… Devil without any prior knowledge. But I suppose it would explain what's going on with my body. I am grateful that I'm still alive, but I can't help but wonder for what reason."

Rias looked a little surprised. Only a little. She either had the skill to keep her emotions in check or there was a part of her that had expected him to respond this way.

"You're… different from how you behave at school," she began.

Issei scratched his chin. "Don't get me wrong. I'm only like this when I have to be. Honestly, I'd love to bring you back home to my house. I-I mean I wouldn't do anything! Not that I think you're not hot or anything! I mean… I just… You see…"

Rias giggled at him. Giggled! She didn't look at him with disgust or call him a plethora of foul names.

Yeah, and Yuuma— Raynare acted the same way.

At the sign of him grimacing, Rias placed her hands on her hips and nodded. "Very well. As you had heard, my name is Rias Gremory, heiress to the House of Gremory. And I am a Devil."

At her declaration, black bat-like wings sprouted out of her back, kicking up small bursts of wind at their summoning.

Issei felt something stir within him at the sight of them. It felt like an urge to do something. Letting the urge flow naturally through his body, he found a familiar sensation burst through his back. But instead of sprouting from his shoulder blades, a pair of black wings sprouted at the arch of his back. His brows shot up. He hadn't realized his physiology had changed that much. And unlike his draconian wings, these didn't require a mark on his body to hide.

"That's a nice look," Rias grinned. "But you shouldn't have that on your face. There are plenty of supernatural things around the world if you know where to look."

…Oh. He knew. He came across plenty. This was just the first time he had ever heard of real Fallen Angels and Devils.

"From this point onwards," Rias went on, "because of your death, you have been reincarnated as a Devil under my peerage. I am your King. It's nice to finally meet you, Hyoudou Issei. Or can I call you Ise-kun?" She finished with a smile and a cute tilt of her head.

There was a moment when Issei closed his eyes and thought. Rias was polite enough to leave him alone. However, when plenty of time had passed enough for her to grow concerned, she decided to wait further. And when that time expired, she decided to try and stir him.

His eyes snapped open at the sound of her first step. Hyoudou Issei, the greatest pervert who had ever walked Kuoh Academy halls, was replaced with the eyes of… to be quite honest, Rias wasn't sure what could be used as a comparison. Not a beast but not human. Not an enemy but not an ally. Someone who had the eyes of one who had seen countless bloodshed but had never taken a life at the same time.

But it also made Rias uneasy. The look he was giving her was like an appraiser would, judging her for all her worth.

…Deciding whether to abandon her, follow her, or strike her down now.

And for some reason, Rias had the feeling he could.

The feeling vanished as he gave her a large grin. "Wow this is seriously like a dream come true! I'm seriously going to be with you always, Sempai?"

Rias blinked. "Y-Yes. As you are now a part of my peerage, you and I will be together from here on out. Of course, I'll have to introduce you to the others."

She could swear she saw stars within his eyes. "This is so awesome! Alright, alright. I'm Hyoudou Issei, and of course you can call me Ise. And if it weren't for you I would have been dead, so of course I'll serve you. My life is yours to do with as you please~"

Rias smiled.

"However," Issei's tone shifted to neutral. "I will determine for myself whether or not you will be my Master and King. I will serve you and obey your every order, but if I don't find you worthy of my loyalty, you will find it that much harder to control me."