Chapter 3

DxD Universe-1 - Kuoh

Issei starred at his two opponents. The third - the double of Asia - was still standing back.

He had hoped he could do this quickly and without using Awakening. So much for that.

This Irina, as it looked, knew how to use the True Longinus. And the Xenovia double was powering up more and more.

On the other side, he was sure that his friends had already detected what was going on. So he might not even have to end this by himself. But that didn´t mean that he wouldn´t try to end this quickly.

To Issei´s surprise, It was Irina´s double who was the first to act. And even more, she was using the spear like a regular weapon to attack him.

After his experience with Cao Cao, Issei would have expected her to rely more on it´s special abilities. But this was Irina here, he reminded himself. Even if it was a crazy and possibly broken version of her. So he should not be surprised.

But she had also activated two of the Sacred Gear´s extra functions called `treasures´, that had manifested in the form of two glowing orbs, floating in the air close to them. And she could activate them any time.

He parried another one of the other `Irina s´ strikes with his own blade.

In this moment `Xenovia´ attacked as well.

And her power and fighting prowess was similar impressive… not to say frightening.

The power she displayed as she charged forward in the savage looking armor that had formed around her now rivalled that of a Satan Class Being. She was even stronger than the Xenovia he knew.

At least it would have been frightening for most people. Issei however was another case.

He had already ascended into his Crimson Awakening Mode. (That was simply formulated a mutated form of Crimson Cardinal.) But he had not manifested his usual red armor. From the outside, for the plain eye, he still looked like his regular civilian self.

But that was just the outside. The Scale Armor - no matter the version - he learned a long time ago, was merely a manifestation of the power, not it´s source - or even the power itself.

Still he materialized once again his right gaunlet around his sword and parts of his Crimson Armor up to his shoulder, as he turned around to parry Xenovia´s strike. The force with that their blades clashed created a shockwave around them.

Issei´s feet burried itself nearly five centimeters into the ground, as he stopped `Xenovia s´ blow.

Then he activated the special abilities of the Cronus Sword - or rather he used the weapon to access his own power. As the name suggested, it had been forged out of the sichel of the ancient Greek Titan Cronus and said to have inherited his powers over time.

This was not entire correct however, as Issei knew by now. What the sword did was to draw out it´s users own latent powers for time-manipulation - if this weilder possessed such abilities of course - and gave him easier access and control over this abilities. That was also the reason Issei didn´t actually need the weapon anymore.

He used it to open a small rift in time and space and moved himself from one point and time to another.

For anyone watching, he was just disappearing and showing up again a few seconds later. In truth however he was moving right through a hole in time-space he had created. Moving without leaving any traces of magic or energy.

…. And he reappeared right behind the Xenovia double and landed a hard kick in her back, that threw her off her feet and on the ground. She however only stood up again and turned around with a visible snarl.

Despite all their training and the new powers they learned, `their´ Xenovia and Irina could still `just´ be considered somewhere around Ultimate Class. This was still much higher than most beings in existence were.

But still far below this.

At the same time however, just like the other Irina, there seemed to be something wrong about her. As they continued fighting, it looked as it she was more and more being consumed by her rage.

In this moment Irina decided to use one of the special abilities of her own True Longinus. Issei sensed it instantly. `Wheel Treasure´ - an ability to destroy weapons, directed against his Cronus Blade. Smart - even if it was actually pointless now. But the other Irina had no way to know that he had outgrown his own weapon.

Still, he didn´t want it destroyed. He intended to give it back to Darien very soon. After all it had been a gift to help him develop his powers.

He could have shielded himself. But blocking the powers of the strongest Sacred Gear would cost a lot of energy. So he instead simply used the sword´s power on itself… to send it for a second into the future and let it seemingly disappear, in the same moment that `Irina s´ attack was unleashed.

`Xenovia´ of course tried to used the opportunity to send another strike at him. What he however had seen coming and dodged.

The next moment the sword had reappeard in his hand.

With a scream of anger the alternate Xenovia leaped forward. She dealt another number of wild slashed. Her face was twisted in fury. With every blow she seemed to be getting even more aggressive.

Issei felt nearly as if he was dealing with an wild animal. In this state it was as if she was driven by nothing but rage and anger.

She had to be some kind of berserker, he realized.

He decided it was enough. He had first intended to solve this in the `regular´ way. But this two were tough. It was time to use his powers to their full extent. The power to reshape reality itself by his will alone.

He concentrated on his three opponents. He `saw´ them - not just their shapes and bodies (If he had been in his normal state of mind, he would have surely been distracted by their breasts and figures, that he knew so well) - he saw deeper.

The energies flowing through them, the circulation of their powers... their life-energies, their minds, their souls. It were twisted and broken versions of the ones of his friends and lovers.

He sensed deep rooted pain and anger and hatred and trauma.

What had happened to them? he asked himself. Whatever it was, it must have been terrible.

He watched the `threads´ that were holding reality and destiny together… and with a thought in his mind, he cut a few of them off.

One moment later `Irina´ and `Xenovia´ were just standing there, powerless. Issei had cut off both their connections to their powers and weapons. The spear itself was still in `Irina s´ hand, she had just lost the ability to use it. Just like `Xenovia´ her sword... and her armor had disappeared.

They both were looking at him nearly sheepishly, not quite believing what just happened..

One moment later, both `Irina´ and `Xenovia´ were being frozen in time, not moving a limb, just standing there motionless like statues… literally frozen.

xxx

On some level inside his mind, Issei registered that he had just blocked the powers of two Satan Class Beings, one of them a Longinus user.

How far did his abilities to manipulate reality go? Issei asked himself sometimes. If he pushed himself and Ddraig far enough, could he froze an entire planet in time? Could he transfer a large city or even an entire country from one universe to the other?

Could he create a universe? Many Supernatural Beings, even weaker ones, were regulary forming small spatial dimensions for their uses. The Rating Games Areas of the Devils were probably the most famous of them.

But an actual stable universe, that could last for eons, grow by itself and eventually even carry life? That was something completely else.

He had actually asked Darien this question at one point during his training.

After a short silence, his first words had been:... "Better don´t try. You can never be quite sure what the outcome of this might be."

The implications of his words were not lost on him. That, when it came to raw power, he might actually be able to do it. But what he lacked was control and know how.

xxx

Two of his opponents were still standing completely lifeless.

Asia however was another matter. She was still standing there, starring at him. But she was neither frozen or powerless.

No - she was actually actively able to resist him.

As surprising as it sounded, sweet little Asia was actually the most powerful of his three opponents. Not only that, the nature of her power was clearly similar to his own. The ability to manipulate the universe itself on a fundamental level.

In the next moment however, some kind of energy seemed to be radiating from all three of them.

He had been right, he realized. These three were not on their own. There was something helping them.

Some outside force.

"What - what had happened?" `Irina´ asked.

"He had blocked your powers and froze you two in time," `Asia´ stated flatly. "This Issei Hyoudou is much stronger than we expected. It was only because of the influence of the Master that you have broken free."

The Master - so he was right, Issei thought.

"And he had just taken us out like that?" `Irina´ said.

"Fuck!" `Xenovia´ called out. "But together we can take him, right?"

"I am not sure," `Asia´ replied. Suddenly her head turned around.

"Someone is coming," she told them.

xxxxxxx

Similar like Issei himself, his friends had expected at least their first day back in town to be peaceful. And like him they were being disappointed.

They all had noticed the barrier Issei had errected nearly instantly, right in the middle of the town. They also knew that he had no reason to do that, unless there was something serious going on.

So a part of their Team - the ones who just happened to be around - teleported themselves to a spot close to the place where the clashing energies were. This were in this case, Raynare, Irina, Gaeriel, Kuroka-06, Xenovia and Asia, Murayama, Raiser and Yubeluna.

It of course had to be the park, Raynare thought as she realized where exactly it came from. Exactly where her `date´ with Issei had ended. Like so often before she felt a short painful stab of regret. She truly started to hate this place.

Whatever, right now it was the battleground between Issei and his mysterious opponents. So they all run in the direction where the fight took place. And entered Issei´s barrier a minute later.

What they saw gobsmacked them for a second, even after all they had faced with before.

"That is…" Xenovia said. Standing next to her, Irina had a similar surprised expression at seeing herself and her two friends fighting Issei.

"... Us," Asia finished Xenovia´s words.

Of course they had met other versions of themselves before, many times actually. But so far none of them came actually here to their own world to attack them. Not even Issei´s insane double or the Devil Hunters had gone that far.

"What do you want here?" Irina called out.

"I guess we can leave now," Alternate Irina stated. "This was just a test after all."

Asia´s double on her part was starring for a few moments at the group of newcomers. In particular at two of them, her own double and Raynare. It felt somewhat strange to her, even after all what happened, to see herself and her side by side… and obviously going along quite well. She asked herself what exactly happened in this world between herself and the Fallen Angel.

Their friend `Xenovia´ however had already re-manifested her armor and stormed forward again with her Sword raised and with a loud scream.

Issei´s friends powered up and manifested their own weapons. Raynare and Gaeriel had fomed two lightspears and Irina and Xenovia had summoned and raised their Excaliburs.

"Enough Xenovia!" Irina´s double however called out. "Remember, his is only a test."

Xenovia´s double stopped in her move. But she was still looking at them all as if she wanted to rip them apart with her bare hands.

"You have heard her," Alternate Asia added.

Then the other `Xenovia s´ expression finally changed and she dematerialized her weapon and armor.

"It is time for us to go," `Asia´ said.

"Do you really think we will just let you walk away?" Raiser asked them.

But before anyone of them could do anything, the three were suddenly surrounded by a darkly shimmering glow - by some kind of energy.

"What makes you think you could stop us?" Alternate Asia responded.

And then they were gone, teleported away.

"What had just happened?" Xenovia - their Xenovia - asked.

"Something had transported them away," Kuroka said. "But they didn´t transported by themselves, something else did it?"

With the three gone, Issei now finally powered down.

"There was something - a force - behind them, backing them up. I have already sensed it during our fight," he told them.

They all had a feeling that they would see these three again.

"Are you okay?" Irina asked him.

She stepped closer and laid her arms around him. Closely followed by Asia and Murayama, who were doing the same thing.

Murayama however also placed a quick kiss on his lips.

She, just like Rias, had come closer to Issei during the two years of Issei´s training/exile. In her case it had maybe even started before that. Depending on how you saw it. It had probably not been romantic at first.

If someone told her a few years ago that something would be going on between her and the leader of the perverted trio, she would not have believed it. In fact she would have most likely laughed at the idea.

But they had certainly become closer.

Not that he wasn´t a pervert. He certainly was. With his dream of a harem of girls, which he now in fact actually possessed (and herself actually being part of it now).

With his fixation on breasts and constant lust for nearly every girl he met. These two aspects however became far more subtle and controlled during the last years. Funny, there was a time when she would have taken the words Issei Hyoudou and self-control as a contradiction.

Well - despite all that, Murayama certainly had fallen for his heroic side. Not that she didn´t come to appreciate his perverted one too... at least in bed. The thought nearly made her blush.

They had both become part his harem, that currently consisted of them, Raynare, Irina, Asia, Gaeriel and Ravel, who claimed herself to be and actually was something of a fangirl of Issei, ever since he had saved her from a kidnapping.

Still, ever since Issei had used his new powers to resurrect Murayama, after her own curiousity technically got her killed, she could not help to see another side of him.

One moment later Rias and her peerage arrived. They had noticed the fight as well of course.

"What had happened here?" Rias asked as well, as she saw that whoever they had been fighting was already gone.

xxxxxxx

Technically she was still one of the Devils leading Kuoh, Issei reminded himself. Even if, like himself, she had let her double from Universe-05 temporally take over her position.

Now however, with their return, this would be over as well.

Their counterparts from DxD-Universe-05 had fled their home dimension after an apocalyptic war that their world had barely survived. But that ultimately led to a misled human race, influenced by a corrupted and fanaticed Church and Heaven taking over.

And, as absurd as it sounded at first, a short time after they had made their first contact, they had - with the agreement of the leaders of the three Factions - group by group transported the entire surviving members of the Devil and Fallen races of their world to this one.

It was an agreement to the mutual benefit actually. The interdimensional `refugees´ got a save place where they could live, the Devil and Fallen Angel Factions of this world got to boost the low numbers of their population. Even if it was for the greatest part with alternate versions of people who already lived here.

This led to the quite absurd situation that there were currently two, sometimes even three, sets of the same persons in this world. They for example had three Kurokas here.

The actual one from this universe - who was part of the team of Vali Lucifer and as they had heard, had recently become his lover.

The one from Universe-05 - who was an ally and friend of the Issei of Universe-05 and part of his harem.

And the Kuroka from Universe-06 - who had joined Issei´s interdimensional Guardian team.

Koneko, who was not very socially skilled on her best days anyway, had more than once about the weirdness that she now technically had three sisters. (Not to mention that she used to be terrified of Kuroka because she falsely believed she had gone insane.)

That and on top another, slightly older, version of herself, who was - along with her Kuroka (not to mention Rias and Akeno and several others) - fucking her world´s version of Issei.

Yes - to say that it was weird would be an understatement.

Their Universe-05 counterparts had spend a great part of the last two years after their arrival to hunt down and eliminate threats to this world. To stop them before they could fully arise. Threats that included Khaos Brigade, the God Hades and especially the monstrous Dragon God Trihexa.

They had promised themselves to do everything to prevent this world from becoming like their own.

Now however, their other selves had decided that they wanted to retreat into a normal life… at least for the next years. Now that they had done everything they could. As far as Issei and the others knew, their doubles had been nearly constantly been in one conflict or the other for nearly five years now.

So their wish for a peaceful life for some years was only understandable and clearly earned. To that came that Issei´s older counterpart and a few of his girls already already had children with each other.

The first two already born in the first year after they had arrived in this world and more probably coming sooner or later. They wanted the chance to raise them in peace and were given it.

So their Universe-05 doubles had retreated to a secret private location and would most likely not been heard of for a while.

Well - they deserved their time for themselves, he thought.

xxxxxxx

After a few explanations, Rias and her peerage were similar surprised.

She walked closer to Issei.

"Can you tell us more about these three? Have they said anything?" she asked him.

"Not much," he replied. "They had just attacked me and said something about it being a test. And about some kind of Master."

"The same being who had transported them away?" Akeno questioned.

"Possible - very likely actually," Issei responded.

"Anyway, I am happy that you are okay," Rias told him with a smile."But it is unlikely that they could have done anything to you anyway, right?"

"Don´t underestimate them," Irina said. "They were dangerous."

"Yes - especially Asia," Raynare added.

"Me?" the former Nun asked.

"This other Asia, she had some kind of great hidden power. I could feel it."

"She was," Issei confirmed. "I don´t think she was anywhere on my level. But she was dangerous. And with the help of the other two? I am not sure."

"Then I am even more happy that you are okay," Rias said to him.

Like with Murayama, they both came together during the time Issei had been out of business at the world called Hyrion. One of the reasons, as they both admitted, was at first curiousity on Rias part. At least in the beginning.

He remembered the time that would, looking back, probably counted as their first dates... and what came before.

xxxxxxx

The world Hyrion - one and a half year earlier - evening

Issei was in the room that was his for his stay in this world. The sight was actualy a little bizarre. With a room itself and most of the furniture looking like it was part of the Middle Age, but filled with things that belonged to a teenager of the 21st century. Like a bedside lamp, a radio, a laptop (with a few futuristic extras the Guardians had given to him.) and an alarm clock.

Issei himself was currently lying naked on the bed, which was one thing they had also brought here from their home-world. And like so often at the end of his days, he was not lying alone in this bed, but surrounded by nearly equally naked girls.

The one woman moving on top of his lap right now and riding his manhood, with only a string thong hanging loosely from one of her legs was the brunette Fallen Angel Gaeriel.

One of the two other girls was the dark haired Fallen Angel Raynare, who was currently sitting on Issei´s face, as he pleasured her orally. Raynare was as well nearly naked. Except for her black high-heeled leather boots she was usually wearing in her Fallen Angel form.

Both of the Fallen girls had materialized one pair of their black wings, while they were doing it together.

The last girl was Ravel Phenex, wearing only white stockings and a loosely hanging bra, who was lying on the side, her blonde hair still in her typical spirale like ponytails. With Issei´s right hand gliding over hand body and her own finger between her legs, pleasuring herself. And waiting for her turn.

Gaeriel on top of him, started to move faster.

"Ah yeah - ah," she moaned, her face gimacing in pleasure. "Ahh- Ah Yes!" she finally cried out as she came.

After a second, Gaeriel was moving off him and Raynare was taking her place. After she had literally impaled herself on his dick, she continued to ride him in the same manner Gaeriel did for a minute… before they changed positions.

Issei lifted her up and Raynare wrapped her legs around him. Then he moved with her through the room, while she was moving on him.

Before he pressed her body against the wall of the room as he continued to thrust into her.

"Funny. Do - do you remember?" she said to him. "It was exactly like this when we were doing it the first time. How did you say? Who knew that a bitch could felt so good inside."

"Yes," he said, while he was fondling one of her large breasts, "but back then you had been Yuuma-chan, right?"

She gave him a quick grin, before her entire form suddenly changed. She had transformed into her human form called Yuuma, her Body shrinked a bit, her wings disappeared and her very few clothes changed.

Both of them let out a light groan as she changed, for a very simple reason.

"Goddamnit - you are even tighter than usual when you are Yuuma," Issei whispered, "even if your breasts are a little smaller."

"But you like them anyway," she replied. "Issei - I am sorry that I hurt you." She was now talking in her sweet typical highschool-girl `Yuuma voice´. "Please forgive me... but only after you fucked me so hard that I will never forget it." She grinned.

Issei was now nearly stopping holding back at all. He was ramming into her like crazy and less than a half minute later he literally exploded inside her, while Raynare came with a loud scream as well.

They were looking at each other while he was holding her in his arms. His member was slowly gliding out of her.

"I am truly a messed up woman aren´t I?" she said.

"You are. But I love you anyway... and I forgave you a long time ago." He felt how she winced a bit at the last part.

"Besides, I am hardly the one to talk about being messed up, right?" Issei said.

"Neither I am," Gaeriel reminded them. She was now sitting at the edge of the bed next to Ravel. "And if you remember, I had done nearly the same shit as you in my youth." She sighed. "I had actually been worse. Maybe you can `punish´ me too from time to time," she said to Issei.

"Count on it," he replied smiling.

Gaeriel was by her age by far the oldest member of his harem, even more than Raynare and the oldest of their team. She and Raynare were both hot like hell, in their bodies and their spirit both.

He was already growing hard again.

But now he turned to the last girl in the room. Ravel was still lying on the bed beside where Gaeriel sat.

"Issei," she said. He noticed that she was rubbing her legs together in an a bit cute but quite erotic way. "Can you finally do it with me now? I can not take it anymore."

"You could have waited till tomorow," Gaeriel said to her with a hint of smugness. "Today should have been mine and Raynare´s turn, since we are leaving this morning."

"I didn´t want to wait another day. I had just gotten permission from my parents to be with Issei and I wanted this now."

"You got permission from your parents to have sex?" Raynare asked curiously.

"No," Ravel said a bit awkwardly, "I meant that my parents have finally made up their minds that I can fully be with Issei and that they won´t have me merry anyone else. And I wanted to…"

"Okay - I get your point," Raynare interrupted her.

"Issei - please come here to me now," Ravel said.

As she said this, she was raising her left leg and bend it in a quite erotic looking way and started to slowly pulled off one of her stockings, before she finally threw it to the ground in a cocky looking gesture.

"Where have you learned to act like this?" Gaeriel asked her.

"From human movies," Ravel said `innocently´.

Issei was now done holding back once more, after seeing this display. One moment later he was kneeling on top of her, with her spreading her legs and him starting to push into her.

At first he moved slowly. Until...

"Yes Issei - ah move faster please," she moaned.

They turned around, with Ravel now being on top. After a few more minutes she was riding him just as wildly as the other two had done it.

They continued like that till long past midnight. With the girls taking turns and Issei making short breaks in between.

xxx

The rest of their teammates, including the other girls - at least the ones who were currently in this world - were in the two neighboring rooms.

They were aware that the others could hear what they were doing. They were not exactly trying to be quiet at all after all.

Xenovia and Kiba often responded by doing the same themselves and trying to be even louder than them. The rest mostly tolerated it. The remaining members of Issei´s small harem especially, since they knew that they were just as loud when it was their own turn.

The only one who usually complained was Koneko, who was not visiting here often anyway.

This night however, the noise caused for two different girls a mixture of jealousy and lust. Murayama would never admit it to anyone, but she was masturbating while hearing the sounds. She was alone right now, with her roommates Raynare and Gaeriel currently being over there.

In the room in the opposite direction, Rias was doing the same thing. She tried to stay quiet, but not that much. It was not as if she was truly worried. Even if they caught her doing this, the worst what could happen to her was some friendly mocking and teasing.

She was not even quite sure when exactly she became interested in Issei the first time. Maybe right after meeting her older counterpart from Universe-05. That other Rias was a part of the older Issei´s harem. And not only her, the other Akeno, Koneko, Xenovia and Ravel and several others as well. And her other self seemed to be happy with this.

They all were, if you wanted to call it that, a big - though perverted - Family.

And after some time Rias could not help to secretly image herself in the same position.

Not that she hadn´t been impressed, even fascinated, with Issei for a while now. She even admitted she admired him.

Looking back, she was actually happy that she hadn´t succeeded in turning him into her Servant. No - she wanted him to be the one in charge.

This thought caused her to let out a louder moan, as she was fingering herself.

"Are you okay Rias-buchou?" Akeno´s teasing voice came suddenly from the other side of the room. "I thought I just heard something. You are not doing something naughty, aren´t you?" This was followed by a light giggle.

The room was dark, but Rias knew that her face must had turned just as red as her hair.

"You…" she growled for a short moment at her Queen, before she let herself sink back down into her bed. "Yes I am," she then willingy admitted.

This caused only louder laughter.

"I guess that means we will have you in that room over there an hear you getting fucked as well Buchou? Just great," the annoyed voice of Koneko spoke up.

Damn it. They both had heard her.

"Oh shut up Koneko," she responded aloud. "You are barely here with us anyway, maybe once every couple of months, so don´t act as if it is that bad for you."

"I had not seen my sister in years - my real sister. And I rather spent time with her than to come here with you to a Middle Age World, just to sit around at day and listen to Issei have sex with girls at night - thank you."

This caused only more giggle from Akeno once again.

"Okay - we will leave this for the night. But tomorow we will talk about this, you can count on that… Master," her Queen announced.

"I know," Rias said in resignation.

xxxxxxx

The next day

Issei had spend the first half of the last day training and the rest of it together with some of his friends, especially with the girls.

Now they were sitting together in the ancient looking tavern of the town he was currently living in.

Sitting right with him was Ravel, who had spend a great part of the last day (and the night) with him. Murayama, Rias, Akeno and Koneko were sitting at a table close by.

Kiba and Xenovia where also here. But they were at a table at the other side of the room, on their own date you could say.

Irina and Asia were currently not here. They were in their makeshift base back in their own world. Raynare and Gaeriel had left this morning, to join them on another small mission.

The others all knew that they and Ravel did have sex with Issei last night. And they had not been holding back at all. The loud moans and shouts had been easy enough to hear through the walls.

They all also knew that for the Phenex girl, it had been her first time, with Issei or at all.

Rias could not help to feel somewhat jealous. She knew that it was irrational, since Ravel had shown interest in Issei months before she did. But still, that the flat-chested `cute little girl´ Ravel Phenex actually got it before her? It somehow irked her. Especially with Akeno having been egging her on the entire day.

xxx

Their friend Kuroka-06 was still somewhere outside. Either by herself or maybe with that Guardian woman named Specter. Kuroka actually spend most of her time on her own. She had lost pretty much everything and everyone back in her own world. So they all could understand why she kept her distance from all of them.

This made it kind of ironic that she and Specter were actually talking with each other. Like Kuroka-06, she was a woman of few words.

Still, there were at least a few members of their team she was at least talking to sporadically. In first line of course with Issei, since she helped him to train and with Gaeriel, who had been part of the Guardians for over a century before the rest of them had been recruited. And also with Asia, Irina, Raynare and to a lesser degree Xenovia.

But there were also a few of their team whose existence she practically seemed to ignore. Rias, Akeno, Koneko, Kiba and Ravel, who were not really part of their team but came often to visit. It was clear that she was avoiding the Devils under them.

That was something that should not have really surprised them, given the problems their organization originally had with the Devil Faction. It was only logical that at least a few members would not let go of their resentment that quickly.

Even more ironical, Kuroka would have been a member of the same race as well, had they not agreed to remove her Evil Pieces and let her transform back into her birthrace. Specter however didn´t seem to care about this.

Rias and her Servants had already considered to talk to the elder Guardian about this matter. But so far they could not quite bring themselves to actually do this.

xxx

Right now however Rias had other things on her mind anyway. She saw Issei sitting at his table, eating and drinking, with the Phenex girl next to him.

Rias stood up and started to walk towards them. She had made up her mind. After she had made a few steps however she heard a noise behind her and as she looked around, she saw to her surprise that Murayama had stood up as well, just a few moment after her. And she was heading in the same direction.

They all had noticed that the human girl had grown closer to Issei as well. They had actually teased her about it regulary. Had she finally decided to act on it?

Their eyes met each other. Neither of them would try to hold the other girl back. Not that they were in any position to. Issei had a harem after all and that was the only reason they could even do this. If he had a single girlfriend, it would be either Raynare or Irina and certainly not them.

They sat down right next to him.

"Hey," Rias said to him. "We just want to ask if we can spend the day with you tomorow?"

xxxxxxx

M-Universe 001 (Home Universe of the `Guardian´ - Caerleon Organization) - Earth - Great Brittain, the year 2727

They had just returned from their journey to the world called Hyrion, where they had just send off Issei Hyoudou a short time earlier.

Their own home was another version of Earth. One were some things were pretty similar, others completely different. There was for example no Fallen Angel (Grigori) or Devil Factions.

Or even a Devil race like Issei´s world knew it. There were Demons, Angels and Fallen Angels, but they had a different history and did not get involved with Earth and humanity to nearly the same degree as in Issei´s world.

Instead the Fallen Angels who had once been the Watchers had never really separated themselves from the ones who had followed Lucifer. This Lucifer also fell much earlier than his counterpart, so that his version of Hell was not habitated by any older Demons yet. (And it was Hell, not simply the Underwold like the DxD realities knew them.)

Sacred Gears didn´t exist. That didn´t mean however that there weren´t other Supernatural artifacts and weapons.

The probably greatest difference however was that the God known from the bible was a different Entity.

Or better said the God this universe refered to was the real one. Not an in anyway mortal or even physical being, but the force who had created and watched over the entire Multiverse

The one who had existed in Issei´s reality had been an incarnation and avatar of the actual creator. An avatar who could... and did die. Issei and his companions came from a world where God - as he was described in their bible - died a long time ago. But that also meant that he had never truly allmighty or truly eternal - not what you would imagine God - in the first place

Here he was both of it.

xxx

There were also some great differences in the history of humanity by itself. Especially since the 20th century. With the apperance of several groups of superpowered human beings. The most prominent of them the so called mutants - or homo superior. And one of the most prominent group of them being the so called X-men.

And also with the contact with several alien species that first happened around this time.

With this the existence of the Supernatural had of course also been revealed to the human public. The reality of Sorcerers - like the legendary Doctor Strange, Demons, so called Gods and even Cosmic Entities was widely known at the brink of the 21st Century.

Things then ultimately led to the first Interdimensional War called the Great Conflict between the Guardians and the Dark Order. During that time the original Guardians merged with other organizations, like the X-men, the Avengers and the Justice League of Universe M-003 and became the interdimensional force it was today.

This period ended finally in a long state of Cold War.

By now, over 700 years later, their Earth was a known and respected member of the Galactic community. And also the Headquarter of the powerful Guardian Organization.

xxx

The woman calling herself Specter didn´t return directly to their organization´s Headquarters. Instead she went to a regular appartmen that she had rented under an assumed name - Sarah Ross in this case.

The appartment was in an suburban area of the City of London.

Darien had the right idea, she thought. Just pretend to be normal for a few days - or maybe weeks. Just like everyone else.

What she never would have expected was the person waiting for her right next to the entrance.

On the first look it was just a young man, maybe in his mid twenties. He was wearing a simply dark colored coat, trousers and boots. He had shoulder long black hair, a thin but still quite musculous figure, pale skin and, as she saw, had grown a thin mustache and beard since she had seen him the last time.

But he was anything but normal. Like with herself, his appearance meant very little. While she was quite sure that they were both using their original looks from when they were still mortal, they could change it at will.

He was the being currently calling himself Faust - one of the Lords of the Dark Order. Once he had been a nearly normal human. Born with magical potential and the gift of the `second sight´, but still human.

Now he was one of the most powerful and dangerous beings in all existence.

But to her, he was also something else.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him.

A light smile formed on her lips.

"Should you not be out there corrupting a universe or something?"

"I am happy to see you again as well my love," he replied calmly. "You don´t know how much I have missed you - your spirit, you beauty... and your sharky humor," he added after a short pause.

"Seth -" she greeted the man. "... or shall I call you Faust now?" she asked him. "I admit the name suits you. That play was always one of your favorites, right?"

"Not only mine. Tell me - how are things going between you and John - or should I call him Darien? Well, you know as good as I that our names don´t really matter."

"No - they don´t. At least anymore. How did you come here without my comrades notice?"

"Oh - they know I am here," he told her. "And you are not that naive. Of course they have noticed. They just know challenging me could very easily mean the end of this planet and the entire solar System. So they are careful."

"Of course," she replied seemingly casual.

She had been too shocked by him just standing in front of her door, but now that she was actually paying attention she could sense the energies of a few of her comrades close by. Like Faust they were hiding the most of their presence, but they were noticable.

And to be honest, until right now she had simply just reduced herself to her old physical mortal self and had suppressed all her supernatural abilities. So ofcourse she had not noticed any of them.

She had just wanted to relax and act like a normal person for a short while. Just like Darien said so often. Not hat she had ever been truly anywhere close to whar counted as normal in the first place.

She could sense Alucard, Stephen Strange - another one of their most powerful - and a few others.

As she saw further, she could also sense the presence of a large number of very tense, but disciplined minds just outside of this town. Soldiers - either troops belonging to the Guardians or regular Army.

But she could now also sense that Faust was not alone either. In some distance away, probably in one of the neighboring towns, she could sense another presense.

One that was nearly identical to Alucard´s. She knew perfectly who it was. The one of his counterparts who was standing on the other side. The member of the Lords calling himself Dracula. So her comrade was in a sense literally facing himself.

She was actually a bit emberassed for having overseen them all. Even if she had intentionally suppressed herself.

"Why are you here?" she asked again.

"Is it so hard to imagine that I just wanted to see you?," he told her. "Or did you simply think I would not come here to this planet?"

"So this is just another one of our `meetings´," she stated. "And no - of all things I would not have expected you to show up right in front of the appartment, less than a fifty miles from our Headquarters."

"You should know better than to understimate me. Beside that, who says that we doesn´t have an Invasion force somewhere, ready to open a portal and come in?"

"You would start a new Great Conflict if you did that. All that just to see me? You could easily waited another week for that, when I would be somewhere else. Or do you have other reasons as well for being here?"

"You know me well enough. And who says a new conflict is not beginning anyway? - something else you know as good as me," he said. "But the most important reason is quite simple," he said.

"Tell me - are you happy?"

"What?" she asked confused.

"Are you happy protecting creatures who would despise you and look down on you if they knew what you really are? How many of the beings you are fighting for now would only see you as a liveless doll, a tool… a machine?... If they knew the truth.

And then what about your organization´s newest allies? The Devils of the DxD Universe Cluster. A race who has the habbit of enslaving other beings by just transforming and twisting them into their image. Using them as fighters, servant, gun-fodder and playthings. Thinking that they are better than anyone around them because of status they have given themselves.

Do you really like that thought my dear? Especially if this entire situation reminds you so much of your own past? How do you think creatures like that would look at you… if they knew your past?"

For a split-second, she froze uncomfortable.

"I never cared who your creators intended you to be." He made one step closer to her. "Only who you are. Who you have become by yourself."

"Just like Darien and the others," she replied.

"Yes - but would the creatures you are not interacting with, who you allowed into your ranks, think the same way?"

He was voicing her own doubts.

"Things have already changed there," she said. "They are not longer allowed transform people without their permission - only volunteers. Devils who are mistreating their Servants are being punished and stripped of their status. And..."

"Yes-" he interrupted, "after your comrades used political pressure on them - showing them your power - while hanging the possibility of an alliance over their heads the entire time. Or - if they don´t agree to your terms, to only form an alliance with their rivals.

Very well played by Darien and Gaeriel, really. I am impressed. Still - they are only changing for their own self-interest," he commented.

"But would it not been far more satisfying to crush them?" he said to her. "To make them kneel before you? To show these slave drivers once and for all that they can not treat other beings like this? Instead of acting friendly and shaking hands with them?

To let many of them get away with treating other beings like... like the humans in your home-world treated you?"

"Is this what you think?" she asked him angrily.

"No - my dear," he replied, "this is what you are secretly thinking deep down. Don´t even try to deny this. I know you."

She was now even more uncomfortable than before.

The truth - she was an Android. With organic components, but still an artificial being. Just one member of an entire race, created by the human population of one of the many parallel Earths, as workers, disposable soldiers, tools an toys - a race of biomechanical slave. Once - a long time ago. Before she became what she was now.

"There is a reason you had been chosen as the new vessel for the Specter my love - a force of wrath and vengeance."

She silently admitted he was right.

"Please just stop this," she said loud. "I know how you can manipulate people."

"Is it truly manipulation if I speak out what you are thinking inside?" he asked her in a soft time.

He was now standing right before her, laid his arms around her shoulders and gave her a short kiss.

"You remember your home? If you just said it, we could return there, back in the past. Or to a timeline practically identical. We can take over this world together and free your kind - years earlier as it had happened in your own past. We can save the friends you had lost and destroy all the ones who had oppressed and hurt them. And we can renew your entire homeworld.

All you need to do is… say it."

"To what price?" she asked. They both knew the answer. "Please," she said, "... just go for now."

"If that is what you wish my love," he answered. "But we will talk about this again another time."

With that he teleported away. The other hostile presence in a few miles distance was disappearing as well.

Left behind was a being who had once been a artificial woman, who had become the vessel of a Supernatural Entity. Left behind with her comrades in a few miles distance… and with her own doubts.

xxxxxxx

DxD Universe 1 - the present

Meanwhile in the home-universe of Issei and the others, things had more or less returned to like they were before the two years. Going on missions, defending their world from intruders, like this mysterious trio and looking for signs of Kalawarner.

So they had more or less spend another three days.

But a few things had changed.

For once the fact that a few of the rooms of the formerly abandoned mansion that had become their base were now filled with computers and all kind of futuristic devices, that had been delivered to help them with their work.

He and Rias and her peerage were now also officially out of school, with their doubles having made their last year in their stead.

Officially Issei, Rias and the others were now working for the new Kobayashi-Caerlon Company. Which was in fact nothing but a cover for the Guardian organization in their world.

While Sona and her peerage were in a similar way `hired´ by one of the strawman companies of the Devils.

xxx

After his fight with the Irina, Asia and Xenovia doubles, Issei had first gone home to see his parents. As one can imagine, the reunion was quite heartfelt.

His mother had just trown her arms around him after looking at him for a short moment and drew him into a fierce hug.

His father acted a bit more reserved, but only on the outside.

"Son it is good to see you again in person," he told him. Then he laíd his arms on Issei´s shoulder as well.

During the two years, they had only exchanged messages.

He would also meet up with Matsuda and Motohama later this day. To catch up and talk about what they had been doing this last two years.

During the next few days, he would also have a number of meetings with the Three Faction´s Leaders who wanted to officially welcome him back to their world. The first being with Sirzechs and the other Satans the next morning.

xxx

During the time Issei was gone they and their contacts in the Guardian HQ had continued their search for universes that showed signs of dimensional breaks and were Kalawarner could be. Most of them turned out to be dead ends. Other dimension-travellers, anomalies in time and space etc. With other words the kind of work the Headquarter or other bases had been doing for them when they were still beginners.

This was something else he would have to get used to.

As it turned out however, they had also discovered two worlds that were possible candidates. Both of them very similar to their own - a.k.a part of their own cluster.

They had already send out a couple of the tiny probe-drones the Senior Guardians had provided them with.

The information they had received from the first one had looked qute normal, at least on the first look. The second however, in the place where should have been Kuoh Academy was nothing but a large crater. And some kind of memorial in front of it. It looked pretty clear that something really bad had happened in that version of their town.

They would make a visit in person to this two worlds very soon.