Takamagahara
On the land of Takamagahara, Amaterasu sat in the fields of her home. She had a forlorned expression on her face as she looked all around her.
'My little Issei...' She moaned in her head sadly.
"Amaterasu-omikami."
At the call, Amaterasu lifted her head up and widened her eyes to see a man wearing Japanese clothes that featured the symbols of the moon.
"Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto. What're you doing here?"
Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, the god of the moon, glared at his sister. Similar to the relationship between Amaterasu and Susanoo, Tsukuyomi's relationship with his sister was not friendly at all. Originally residing with Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi angered his sister by murdering the goddess of food.
Sent by Amaterasu to represent her at a feast, Tsukuyomi was disgusted to find out that the way Uke Mochi, the goddess of food, prepared her meals, was less than desirable. As a result, he killed her. After Amaterasu learned what her brother had done, she refused to never look at him again, choosing to move another part of the sky.
"Please, you know why I am here." Tsukuyomi scoffed as he stared at his sister with distaste. "Don't be so naïve, sister. I do not like this...'tradition' we perform every year, but we have to join the Sun and the Moon together. It is essentially our routine."
"Why are you so eager, Tsukuyomi?" Amaterasu asked with a suspicious tone, "You have never been this eager before.
"Because I would like to get this over as soon as possible. The sooner we combine the Moon and the Sun, the better."
"...Very well." Amaterasu assented as she got up.
Issei's House
Leiko sighed as she watched Ophis sit on the couch. She had to admit, she was feeling worried for her cousin. She was also worried about Lilith. Despite only recently meeting the clone of Ophis, she had grown an attachment to her.
Great Red was quiet for a change as he looked at his 'sister'. He too was worried for Lilith. Despite her being a constant pain in his ass, he grew to care for her just like any older brother would do for his little sister.
Leiko looked up and her eyes widened.
"Hey."
At the sound of Leiko's voice, Great Red lifted his head up.
"What?"
"The Moon's moving towards the Sun. I think it's a Solar Eclipse."
"...Humph."
Issei's Inner World/Subconscious
With a great bellow, the Yamata-no-Orochi charged towards Ddraig. Narrowing his eyes, the Red Dragon Emperor formed a pool of energy around his body, speeding towards the Orochi. As soon as they came in contact, a clash of energy emitted in Issei's inner world.
Staring at the two creatures sealed within the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, Issei turned his attention to his uncle, who was looking proud of himself. As he looked at his uncle, he noticed there was a hole in his stomach.
The young man frowned as he looked at his own chest. The hole in his chest remained open. Widening his eyes in confusion, Issei flared out his aura, in an attempt to regenerate his chest. However, his chest wasn't sealing up. The hole wasn't closing in at all.
'What's going on?!'
Susanoo smirked as he looked at the confused look on his nephew's face.
'Everything is going according to plan. Soon the son of Amaterasu will be finished! And the best part is, I don't even have to try. I'll leave that honor to the god of the Moon. My brother.'
Looking over at the Orochi, Susanoo crossed his arms.
"Nephew, do you know about the legend of the Yamata-no-Orochi?"
"..."
"Humph. Since you're obviously too stunned from looking at the hole in your chest, allow me to tell you the story."
Narrowing his eyes in annoyance, Issei removed his attention from the hole in his chest to his uncle.
"After I was banished from Takamagahara, I encountered an elderly couple and their daughter. Oh, how I remember that day. Their daughter was named Kushinada-hime. The girl was supposed to be a sacrifice to the creature that is battling the Red Dragon Emperor as we speak."
Issei widened his eyes a little at the revelation.
'Sacrifice?'
"Originally, that couple had eight daughters, however each year the Yamato-no-Orochi would come in and devour them one by one, until Kushinada-hime was left. So obviously that meant she would be the next daughter and sacrifice to the Orochi. In order to keep her safe, I transformed her into a comb for safekeeping."
"GUAHHH!"
"GRAHHHHH!"
Issei turned around to see Ddraig growling at the Yamata-no-Orochi, who hissed and snarled back in response. The Red Dragon Emperor's body was glowing with a dark-crimson aura, his body releasing a large sum of power. Covering the Yamata-no-Orochi's body was a vast pool of black energy that surrounded the snakes.
"Humph," Susanoo scoffed as he watched the fight. "It looks like the Welsh Dragon is having a bit of trouble fighting the Orochi."
His scowl changing into a smirk, Susanoo turned his attention to his nephew.
"After I changed Kushinada-hime into a comb, I told the elderly couple to brew sake, and then build a fence around their house with eight large gates. I also made them build a platform and vat just inside each gate. We all waited, and eventually the Yamata-no-Orochi couldn't resist the scent of sake. As all Shinto Gods know, serpents all love sake. So all of its eight heads dove into the sake, and became intoxicated as a result. And that was when I attacked with my original sword. However, my sword broke when it touched the middle tail and its flesh. That was when I found the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, my nephew."
Issei narrowed his eyes at Susanoo's explanation.
'So that's how he got the sword. Why am I not surprised?'
"Although," Susanoo began as he looked almost grudgingly proud at the soul of the Yamata-no-Orochi, "I'm surprised the Orochi had sealed a portion of its own soul within the sword before I killed it. But what it didn't count on, was that the portion of its soul would be but a mindless creature. I must say, I did not expect such a conundrum."
"Why are you telling me all this? You said you wanted to fight me."
"Oh, but I did. I did fight you. Taking you into your own inner world was all part of my plan. I told you that I wanted to reclaim the sword back, and I have every intention of doing so. Without you as an obstacle."
Issei rose an eyebrow.
"Without me in the way? You're in my inner world. And what do you mean you planned this?"
Susanoo's smirk widened to extreme proportions, and he looked up at the sky of his nephew's inner world.
"Your mother was always such a whiny goddess. She's the sole reason I was banished from Takamagahara, all because I messed up her belongings. I swear, I should've just killed her myself if I had the chance."
He looked down to see his nephew's solar aura flaring in response, but then it suddenly dimmed.
'Ah, the eclipse is near. Just as I planned.' Susanoo thought as he looked back up at the sky.
"You see, Issei," Susanoo began, "the Sun is one of the most powerful primordial sources of energy in the Universe. However, even as it grants life, it does have a weakness. If Amaterasu were to hide herself, then the Sun would lost its vitality. However, there is also another way for the Sun to become weak."
Issei widened his eyes at the new information, while his uncle sent him a smug smile.
"A solar eclipse!"
'Solar Eclipse?!'
Susanoo smiled in sadistic glee as he watched the confused look on his nephew's face.
"You do know what a Solar Eclipse is, right?"
"..."
"Humph. The total solar eclipse is when the moon completely conceals the solar surface or photosphere from the Sun itself. Due to the moon covering the radiation of the Sun, it cuts off all direct rays of sunlight. Do you know what that means?"
"?!"
"That means you can't absorb any traces of Solar Energy from the Sun. Without the Sun to supply you with virtually limitless Solar Energy, you will eventually burn out."
Issei gasped at the revelation. Susanoo chuckled darkly at his nephew, relishing at the look of despair on his face.
"It's ironic. The Sun, the primordial source of energy is what gave birth to you, but it will also serve as your death."
Remaining silent, Issei looked down at the hole in his chest.
"That's why you can't regenerate anymore. Your Solar Energy is depleting by the second we stand here in your inner world."
Issei lifted his hand up and clenched his fist. He could feel his power decreasing, but that wasn't worrying him. What worried him, was what Susanoo was going to do after all of this was over. What would he do next? Would he go after his family? Leiko, Ophis, Great Red, Lilith? And hell, even Amaterasu?
"You will...die here, Issei." Susanoo said in a menacing voice.
Death was something Issei had never dawned upon in a complex manner. Whenever he did think about it, he always contrasted it with Ophis' original home, the Dimensional Gap. Ophis was the Nothingness of Infinity. Death was not the same as Nothingness.
Looking up at his uncle, Issei gave him a determined glare.
"If I'm going to die, then the only thing I have to do," Issei began as he lifted his finger towards Susanoo, "Is stop you."
"What? Stop me? Please, you're growing weak as we speak. There's nothing you can do." Susanoo gloated.
Issei's Super Solar aura began to fade away, until it reanimated itself once more. He could feel himself growing weak, but he couldn't allow himself to fall just yet.
Narrowing his eyes, Issei bolted towards his uncle, who smirked widely and charged at him in a great burst of speed.
Ddraig vs Yamata-no-Orochi
The Red Dragon Emperor and the Eight-Forked Serpent growled at each other, as they shot vast energy blasts towards each other. Ddraig's crimson blast shot towards Orochi's black energy blast, causing them to collide into a bright flash beam struggle.
The Red Dragon Emperor narrowed his eyes darkly.
{Goddamn it! The fact that its clone is mindless makes it even more dangerous!}
Charging more power into his crimson energy blast, Ddraig was able to overpower the Orochi's beam. The Orochi growled once more and charged at Ddraig. Ddraig gritted his teeth as he held the serpent back. He grunted as he noticed that the Orochi's golden reptilian eyes were showing no traces of sanity.
"HAH! You're weak, my nephew! Just like the Orochi I destroyed all those years ago!"
Ddriag widened his eyes and turned to look at Susanoo, who grinned widely as he nearly dodged another punch from Issei. Gritting his teeth in annoyance, Ddraig turned around to look back at the Orochi, and then he stopped.
The Orochi stopped in its attempt to kill Ddraig, and stared at the fight between Susanoo and Issei. Its gaze was directly on the storm God, its stare almost hypnotic. Suddenly, its eyes started to gain a glowing red color.
Raising an eye-ridge in confusion, Ddraig widened his eyes when the Yamata-no-Orochi soared past him and sped towards Susanoo and Issei.
{...What the hell?}
Issei vs Susanoo
Issei vigorously sent Susanoo a flurry of punches and kicks. His movements were growing sluggish, but he couldn't stop. He wouldn't stop. He had to stop Susanoo from going through with his plans.
"You're wasting your time, nephew," Susanoo bragged as he dodged another punch from Issei. "Just surrender and die within your own mind. After the Orochi defeats the Welsh Dragon, I'll take the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, and lead the Khaos Brigade on to defeat the most powerful existences!"
Feeling his anger surge, Issei reared his fist back and sent Susanoo a punch to the face. Susanoo widened his eyes a little at the pain.
"Well, it seems that you have some fight left within you." Susanoo said as he summoned up a lightning bolt spear.
He then looked to see Issei glaring at him fiercely. In his hand, was the fang of Fenrir.
"Are we really going to do this whole scene again, nephew? Just quit already!" Susanoo yelled out as he went to stab his nephew.
Gritting his teeth, Issei moved out-of-the-way of Susanoo's direction, causing the storm God to miss him. Narrowing his eyes, Issei plunged Fenrir's fang in Susanoo's stomach.
"AHH! You little bra-!"
Before Susanoo could shout out his disdain, he suddenly felt his neck constrict. His eyes widening to small pupils, Susanoo looked up to see the Yamata-no-Orochi hissing at him.
"Y-YOU?! What are you doing?!" Susanoo demanded as he tried to pry the snakes off of him. "You WILL obey me! Do you understa-!"
The Orochi cut Susanoo off once more as it tightened the other snakes around his neck. It then stopped as it heard heavy breathing. Lifting its head up, the Orochi saw Issei touching the hole in his chest, his Super Solar aura fading away, causing him to revert into his normal form.
The Yamata-no-Orochi tilted its head as it saw Issei suddenly fall onto the ground, causing a thud to echo throughout the inner world. Tilting its head again, the Orochi looked at Susanoo to see a bloody fang in his stomach. It then looked at Issei's bloody hand.
The portion of the Yamata-no-Orochi's soul was in a sense, mindless. When it first grew within the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, it only focused on trying to survive. It grew frightened as it sensed numerous energies outside of the sword. After the other creature had been sealed in the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the Orochi was irritated and frightened.
It was afraid that Ddraig was going to kill it, so the Orochi constantly tried to drive Ddraig out. But the Welsh Dragon constantly suppressed it, causing it to grow increasingly insane.
When it first saw the storm God, the Orochi felt frightened of him for some reason. It couldn't understand why, but it felt wary of Susanoo. The storm God threatened the Orochi to obey him, so in order to ensure its survival, it would listen to him.
Then it came across the boy that had just collapsed onto the ground. The boy it had almost tried to consume, due to Susanoo's orders. The boy seemed different from Susanoo. The Orochi didn't perceive Issei as a threat at all. That was why it tried to eat him in the first place.
However, as it spotted the drops of blood from Susanoo and Issei's hand containing the blood, it felt...sentience. The boy had just attacked the God who had threatened it into submission. Even if he didn't intend to do so, the boy, in a way, saved the Orochi.
"You will release me! Release me or I'll kill you just like I did with your original!"
Its attention back to the storm God, The Yamata-no-Orochi turned its head menacingly, and sent Susnaoo a deep and frightening growl. Gritting his teeth, Susanoo went to summon a lightning bolt spear, until the Orochi suddenly bit down onto the arm.
"GUAHHHHH!"
Susanoo screamed as he felt his arm being consumed from the Orochi. Growling darkly, the Orochi sent its snakes to attack the screaming storm God. Yelling in intense pain at the snakes eating him, Susanoo felt his consciousness leave him, as he was consumed by the very monster he had killed long ago.
Feeling extremely cold and back to his normal state, Issei's eyes were hollow as he looked up at his uncle's death. Feeling his eyes growing heavy, Issei almost missed the Yamata-no-Orochi gliding towards him.
Tilting its head at Issei, the Orochi's body glowed as it began to take a shape. The snakes from its neck disappearing, the Yamata-no-Orochi morphed into the form it took when it had come in contact with Issei. It was the form of a black-haired, reptilian golden-eyed girl with a voluptuous body. Since its progenitor had no clothes, the Orochi didn't think to make any type of covering for itself.
The Orochi tilted her head to the side, looking down at Issei with an unreadable look on her face. Looking up at the Orochi, Issei sent her a bitter smile.
"I guess...you hated that guy too, right?"
The Orochi didn't respond. She had no knowledge of how to speak, so she didn't bother to speak. As she looked at Issei with her reptilian eyes, the Orochi merely stood there.
Noticing her lack of response, Issei removed his attention from her and looked up at the sky.
{PARTNER!}
Issei looked over to see Ddraig gliding towards him. The Welsh Dragon's massive form towered over Issei. His green eyes showing worry, Ddraig went to lift Issei up, until Issei spoke.
"No..."
{What?!}
"...Just let me stay here."
{What the hell are you talking about, partner?!}
Issei smiled as he slowly blinked.
"I don't want my family to get hurt, Ddraig. Ever since people could sense my power, I've attracted so much trouble. People have wanted to fight me, and as a result, most of the people I know have been their targets. It's all because of me."
{What the hell are you saying?!}
"I'm saying...I don't deserve to live."
Ddraig suddenly sent a sharp slap to Issei's face. The sound of the slap echoed throughout the inner world of Issei.
{Partner! DON"T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT!}
"..."
{How can you say you don't deserve to live?!}
"..."
{ISSEI!}
Issei continued to smile as he felt his eyes close slowly.
{ISSEIIIIIIII!}
As his eyes started to close for the last time, Issei was able to spot the Yamata-no-Orochi tilting her head.
[...Isssssei.] She said in a hissing voice.
"Hey. Wake up."
Brown and orange-yellow eyes opened slowly, until they cleared. The young man lifted his head up as he looked around his surroundings.
There was nothingness. The area around him was completely pitch-black. It was nothing like the Dimensional Gap at all. It was almost suffocating.
"Hey. Over here."
At the sound of the voice, the young man turned and he scooted backwards. Standing in front of him was a tall skeleton clad in a dark-black hood. The image creeped him out greatly.
"W-where am I?" The young man asked frantically.
"What do you think?" The hooded skeleton asked sarcastically. "You're in Death's domain."
"The domain of Death?" The young man said as he tried to lift himself up. "I heard that when people died, they either went to Heaven or Hell."
"The realm of Death is far different from the realm of Heaven and the Underworld."
The young man rose an eyebrow at the cryptic tone of the skeleton.
"Who are you? Are you like a Grim Reaper or something?"
"Humph. Don't be so cliché. I'm something much worse. I'm more than just a mere Grim Reaper. I am merely showing you my true form because you really intrigue me."
"...I-I intrigue you?"
"Must you repeat my statements?" The skeleton stated in annoyance before its body began to glow.
The young man widened his eyes in confusion as he saw the being start to take another form. The shape slowly formed into a far different incarnation.
In front of the young man, was now a woman with night-black hair. Her skin was as pale as the moon, her lips glistening within the darkness. Her curvaceous hips were covered by a dark-black robe, her well-endowed figure hidden away.
The young man rose an eyebrow in great curiosity, until he widened his eyes to see that there was a scythe in the woman's hand. Taking a step back, the young man widened his eyes further when he saw that the woman was staring at him with an unreadable gaze.
"You are a very interesting creature." The woman remarked in a dark yet sensual voice.
"Who are you?" The young man asked cautiously.
"I am the void that all mortals fear. I am the one that ceases every existence within this Universe. I, my dear, am..."
The young man took a step back as the woman started to smile.
"Death itself. And you have become the center of my interest, little godling." Death finished.
Issei's House
Leiko rose an eyebrow in curiosity as she looked out the window.
"Hmm. It's rare for a Total Solar Eclipse to emerge. Really rare."
"What do you find so damn fascinating about it?" Great Red asked in his usual gruff voice.
Staring at the moon-covered Sun, Leiko sighed and shrugged.
"It looks very beautiful. That's why it's rare, in my opinion."
Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, Great Red scoffed and looked over to Ophis, who still had her eyes closed.
'Lilith. What happened to you?'
Ophis' Subconscious
Ophis' eyes were widened with an expression akin to great confusion as she stared at her clone. Compared to the behavior she displayed outside, Lilith seemed to act like a little child. A frightened child.
"You, have frightening thoughts?"
"...Yes." Lilith answered quietly.
Ophis didn't know what to think. She knew her feelings and emotions towards Issei had grown to the point of affection of love. She was also aware that Lilith was born out of the other aspects of her personality.
'Is my clone the embodiment of my obsession towards Issei? My jealousy? The dark aspect of my affection?'
It would explain why Lilith had been acting strange outside. As she began to draw on more of Ophis' negative emotions, her childish personality began to change into something far more unsettling.
The Ouroboros Dragon's eyes softened as she looked down at her clone. Closing her dark-gray eyes, Ophis' body began to glow, before the glowing energy manifested and surrounded around Lilith.
Outside of Ophis' Subconscious
Ophis opened her eyes, and she let out a deep breath. At the sound of Ophis, Great Red and Leiko turned to face her.
"Hmm, it took you long enough." Great Red said.
Glaring at Red for his behavior, Leiko looked at Ophis with a soft frown.
"How's Lilith? Is she doing all right?"
Setting her eyes to Leiko, the Infinite Dragon God offered her a small smile.
"Yes. She is fine."
Realm of Death/Death's Domain
The aspect of Death was something Issei never thought about thoroughly. He assumed that when a person passed, they would either go to Heaven or Hell. It never dawned upon him that there was another realm.
As he looked around the pitch-black space of nothingness, Issei looked back to the beautiful woman who proclaimed herself as Death.
Death kept her stare fixed upon the young man in front of her. As with most primordial entities, Death could sense all of the many sources of energy signatures throughout the Universe. After all, it was the embodiment of the end of life. It was born along with the Universe, and represented destruction and decay.
"You seem calm for someone whose life has just come to an end." Death noted as she looked at Issei.
Removing his attention from Death, Issei looked all around his surroundings. Smiling at Issei's lack of response, Death looked up to see a series of floating figures gliding across the black space.
"Do you see them, my dear?" Death asked. "Those are the lost souls that pass on when their lives end. Those lost souls belong to me."
Issei widened his eyes to see that he was suddenly surrounded by a large crowd of spirits. Amused by the shocked look on Issei's face, Death lifted her hand and waved it. At Death's order, the spirits surrounded Issei, sped away from him.
"What did you do?" Issei asked in curiosity.
"Simple. I called them away from you. Once a soul passes into my realm, they lose their traces of sanity, forced to consume the next soul that passes into my domain."
Issei shuddered a little by Death's explanation. Death tilted her head in curiosity, and sauntered over to the young man, who stood cautiously.
"So, my dear," Death began as she placed her hands on Issei's cheeks, "Do you understand why you are in my domain and not in the realm of Heaven or the Underworld?"
Issei didn't open his mouth. Not because he didn't want to answer the end of all existence. It was because he was honestly trying to figure out why he was in Death's domain. Despite not being the obvious race, Issei was by no means an Angel, a Devil, or a Fallen Angel. He wasn't a saint, but he wasn't a demon.
The young man inwardly shuddered at the chill feeling of Death's cold hands. Looking up at the female aspect of destruction, Issei tried to put caution into his words.
"I guess...I deserved to die."
Death tilted her head again, her soulless black eyes peering into Issei's eyes.
"You truly are a strange creature. Interesting, but strange." Death amended.
Issei widened his eyes in confusion, prompting Death to smile and let go of his cheeks.
"If I'm dead," Issei began as he looked down to see the hole in his chest, "then why am I still here?"
"Because your task hasn't been complete yet."
"What task?"
Death held up the hand which contained her scythe, and brought it down in front of Issei. His eyes widening further, Issei looked into his reflection, his image suddenly morphing into a familiar Goddess.
"Son of Amaterasu, your mother brought you into this world for a purpose. Even if her reasons for abandoning you and sending you to Earth were unjustified, she created you for a good cause."
"..."
"In case something were to happen to her, then it was assured that you would be able to protect the Earth. And quite possibly, the Universe."
Looking up at Death with an unreadable look on his face, Issei remained where he was.
"If my mother created me to be some kind of...'Earth messiah', then the fact that I'm in your domain, says differently. I'm not a hero at all. I've killed and injured most of the beings on Earth."
"Yes," Death began as she removed her scythe from Issei's sight, "But all of those 'beings' you fought against had wronged against you. Some of them even threatened you and your family."
"...I don't deserve to live. So why am I still here?"
"The reason you perished was because of the merging between the Sun and the Moon. When the Moon covers the Sun, the rays of Solar Energy is cut off completely."
"So that's what Susanoo meant."
"Because Amaterasu created you using her own energy, along with the energy of the primordial Sun, you were affected as well. When the Moon cut off the Sun's rays of Solar Energy, you were unable to absorb any more."
"So why am I here?"
"You have another attribute that is preventing your soul from being consumed. Tell me, my dear. Do you remember your battle with Riser Phenex?"
At the name of the first being he had killed, Issei widened his eyes.
"?!"
"Well I suppose I'll take your response as a yes." Death droned as her eyes narrowed. "During your battle with him, you achieved the first evolution of your Solar form. When he started to fight seriously and attacked you with his blazes, you absorbed them."
"..."
"Not only did that give you the attributes of the legendary Phoenix, but it also granted you another Solar transformation composed of the mystic flames of Hell itself."
"So the reason I'm still here is because of the Phoenix?"
"Precisely."
Issei looked at himself, still trying to figure out how he was still here. Death smiled in amusement at the look on Issei's face.
"Do you know what this means?"
Issei shook his head in response.
"Hmm. You are neither dead nor alive."
"I'm not following you." Issei said in confusion.
"Little godling," Death cooed as she placed her hand on Issei's left cheek, "You are now an embodiment of Life and Death. A celestial being."
"?!"
Issei widened his eyes in shock. He widened them further when he felt Death's cold yet moist lips on his cheek. Immediately after, a luminous circle appeared above Issei's head.
"Is this-?"
"Yes, my dear." Death began with a smile, "This is a halo of sorts."
"But I'm not an Angel."
"I'm aware of that. That halo is a symbol."
"A symbol of what exactly?" Issei asked in nervousness.
"Hmm." Death hummed as her smile widened. "It's to ensure that you are kept in my sights."
Issei blinked several times in confusion, and tapped the halo on top of his head in curiosity.
Chuckling in amusement, Death turned around when she felt a familiar energy signature. It was one of the energy signatures that perished when Issei first obtained the first evolution of his Solar form.
"Son of Amaterasu. There is someone who would like to see you. And he knows you quite well."
Issei rose an eyebrow in confusion. Chances are, it couldn't be Susanoo. His uncle's soul should have been consumed already. So who was this person?
Moving out of Issei's peripheral vision, Death smiled as she heard the person float behind her. Looking at the person, Issei widened his eyes in absolute shock. Out of all of the beings he had come in contact with, he never would have expected to see this being again.
The person next to Death looked up tiredly at Issei, his expression showing nothing but despair. The man appeared as though he had fallen into a slump.
"...Issei Hyoudou."
"I-it's you!" Issei exclaimed in confusion and shock.
The Dimensional Gap
As the silence prevailed within the Dimensional Gap, so was the area around it. Without the Apocalypse Dragon or the Ouroboros Dragon to occupy themselves within the space, the Dimensional Gap was but an empty area.
However, despite its quietness, there was something floating around the Dimensional Gap. It appeared to be a sword of sorts. Its blade glowed and dimmed with dark-crimson energy. Occasionally a pool of deep black energy would manifest and surround the sword as well.
Within the Seals of the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi
Much similar to the Dimensional Gap, the boundaries of the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi were empty as well. There were no boundaries within the space, the area spaceless with nothingness.
Ddraig, the Red Dragon Emperor, was quiet as he floated. His facial expression, normally calm and composed, or battle-hardened as he was in his human form, was somber. It appeared as though he was in the state of melancholy. His expression never changed, his colossal body immobile. It was as though he was frozen.
A girl who appeared to be in her late teens, merely floated aimlessly, her black hair waving behind her. Unlike Ddraig, the girl didn't show any signs of emotion. Her reptilian golden eyes were half-lidded, her face showing no expression. Occasionally, she would turn her head to look at the Welsh Dragon, with no response from given to her.
As the girl tilted her head, she suddenly felt something prod within her mind. It was something she had gained when the boy disappeared from his inner world. Thoughts. Before she had killed Susanoo, her thoughts ranged from trying to survive, to driving out the Welsh Dragon. But now, her thoughts consisted of...
[Isssssei.] The girl hissed in her thoughts in a monotone.
That was the boy's name. The boy she had attacked when he appeared in front of her in the inner world for the first time. Even when ordered to eat Issei upon Susanoo's orders, the sight of Issei influenced the girl's thoughts.
As soon as Susanoo had screamed his boast of killing the Yamata-no-Orochi, a foreign emotion suddenly emerged within the girl. Her next instinct, was to attack Susanoo. She no longer felt fear towards Susanoo. All she could think about, was trying to kill the storm God.
Eventually she succeeded, but not without the help of that boy.
[Issssei.]
Before she fatally attacked Susanoo, that boy had managed to stab him with an extremely sharp fang. With Susanoo distracted, that allowed the girl to constrict and kill him, ending her rule over her.
After making sure the storm God was gone, the girl didn't know what to feel. Her thoughts of attacking the Welsh Dragon had long ago faded away. Her thoughts unclear, the girl chose to fly down to the boy laid upon the ground. She remembered seeing him smile almost sadly at her. She remembered what he said to her. Despite understanding what he said, she did not know how to speak, so she remained quiet.
Shortly, the Welsh Dragon had glided over to the boy, and tried to help him. But much to their mutual surprise, the boy stated that he didn't want to be helped. He wanted to stay in his inner world.
Seconds later, the inner world began to crumble apart, and the boy's body began to fade away. After spending her few moments of looking at the Welsh Dragon trying to reach for the boy, the girl was suddenly pulled out of the boy's inner world.
And now, here she was. Trapped with the Red Dragon Emperor. The same being she had fought to drive out of the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.
Tilting her head, the girl floated over to the Welsh Dragon, who remained where he was. His green eyes floating up to the girl, Ddraig narrowed his eyes slightly.
{...What do you want?}
The girl kept her reptilian eyes on the Welsh Dragon, her expression showing no traces of feeling. Ddraig kept his moody and annoyed expression on the girl. Tilting her head again, the girl opened her mouth, revealing her tongue in a rolled up position.
Ddriag silently rose his head up in confusion. His unstated question was answered, when the girl unfolded her tongue, revealing the bloodied fang of Fenrir itself. Ddraig widened his eyes in shock, while the girl picked the fang up from her tongue, and held it up to the Welsh Dragon's vision.
[Isssssssei.]
{Humph. Yeah. He was a good host. Hell, he was my only host.}
Death's Domain
"Riser..."
Riser Phenex remained still as he looked into the eyes of the one who ended his life.
For a long time, the Phenex Devil had been trapped in the depths of Death's Domain, forced to wander endlessly. Over time his thought process began to deteriorate, to the point that he could no longer think clearly.
Due to him being a Devil that possessed the attributes of a Phoenix, Riser's regeneration prevented him from becoming a disembodied soul. When the lost souls fed on him, his body instantly regenerated.
Lifting his head, Riser's eyes seemed to clear as he saw Issei.
"It's been awhile. Issei Hyoudou."
He could tell by the look on Issei's face that the young man was shocked to see him. In truth, Riser was a little shocked to see Issei in Death's domain as well. When he saw Issei's body materialize in the domain, Riser was greatly surprised. He was also a little surprised to see that Death had taken a great interest in Issei.
To say Issei was surprised would be the understatement of the year.
Death, deciphering that the situation between the two was awkward, put in her two cents in an attempt to soothe the tension.
"You were not expecting this encounter, were you Darling?" Death asked Issei.
Issei couldn't respond. He didn't even know what to say. It's been so long since he has seen the man standing in front of him. He remembered the blonde hair and dark blue eyes, the red blazer, and the energy signature.
His shocked expression fading into a serious look, Issei tried to relax himself. He wanted to say something, but nothing came out. He could see that Riser looked like he didn't have anything to say either.
"How are the girls?" Riser finally asked in an attempt to start a conversation.
"They're fine," Issei answered as he knew who Riser was talking about, "They're still living at the mansion."
"And my sister?"
Issei frowned before he thought of his answer. He hadn't really spent a lot of time at the Phenex mansion to get to know all of the girls. Xuelan, and recently Siris, were the only girls he had come in contact with. He was not familiar with Ravel Phenex or the other girls.
"I haven't spent a lot of time with the girls, but your sister is still at the mansion. As far as I'm concerned, she's safe with the other girls."
"...I see." Riser said as he nodded.
The two young men then went completely silent. One of them expected the other to be extremely angry at the other. However, the expected reactions between the two of them, never came. They merely stared at each other.
"Issei Hyoudou. I've wronged against you."
Issei widened his eyes in response, while Riser's expression remained serious.
"When I first sensed your power, I was paranoid. I was paranoid because your power derived from the Sun. The Phoenix's powers are akin to that of the Sun. That's why I wanted to see how powerful you were."
"..."
"I asked Sirzechs-sama and my father for permission to fight you, under the pretenses of a bet. My peerage and I were able to sense your energy. That's how they were able to track you down and...take your cousin hostage."
"..."
"I shouldn't have committed those acts, Issei Hyoudou. I let my arrogance and irrationality get the better of me."
"...I didn't enjoy it."
Riser widened his eyes a little at Issei's response. The young man fixed Riser with a frown, but it seemed to be softening.
"I didn't enjoy it when I killed you. When I transformed for the first time, the anger I suppressed over the years had finally been released. You were the one who released all of that anger, Riser."
"..."
"The truth is...killing you was probably one of the worst things I've done since I've been born into this world. In my head, I thought it was the right thing to do. But I didn't enjoy it. I never did."
"Hmm," Death hummed as she looked over to Issei, "You say that Riser Phenex was the one who released all of that anger. However, I still sense a lingering amount of rage within you."
"..."
"You've suppressed so much anger when you were a child, only for Riser Phenex to summon it all out. There is still a lot of anger left within you, Issei."
"Even if someone's anger is lessened", Issei began as he frowned, "It could still come back. No one can feel positive or happy all the time."
"That's true, Darling. However, if one is angry all the time, then that becomes their downfall. You achieved your first and second evolution of Solar Energy, by fueling yourself with rage. Due to your rage, your energy often fluctuated because of that."
"Are you saying you want me to get rid of my rage?" Issei asked in confusion.
"In simpler terms, yes."
"But anger can't be destroyed. Chances are, it'll come back eventually."
"That's true. But anger is one of the basic emotions in behavioral aspects. There are a number of ways to control anger, Issei. The way you have been doing so, is suppressing it. That's not a good thing. The longer you suppress your rage, the more poisonous it becomes."
"...No one can be happy all the time."
"Of course not," Death waved the comment off, "But that isn't what I'm saying. I'm saying that there are ways to control your anger in a positive manner."
This time Issei widened his eyes in confusion.
"How so?"
Issei had the strangest feeling that Death was trying to get him killed or something. Death had convinced him to follow her procedure on how to convert his anger into a more positive approach.
The problem was, the situation he was in wasn't positive at all. Not even in the slightest. The young man found himself in another section of Death's Domain, where a large crowd of lost souls were floating around endlessly. He also discovered that he was encased within a shield that prevented him from escaping the lost souls.
Either Death really was trying to kill him, or 'she' had a weird and twisted way of expressing her affection for him.
'Probably both.' Issei thought dryly.
Issei found that he could move around while he was encased within the shield. As he looked around his surroundings, he spotted Death and Riser floating above him.
"What is this?" Issei shouted up to Death.
The embodiment of decay and destruction smiled as she answered back.
"This is your test, Darling!" Death shouted.
'Test?' Issei thought questioningly.
Turning back around to face the lost souls, Issei widened his eyes to see that they were closing in on him. He remembered Death stating that the lost souls has no traces of sanity left. They were forced to consume the next soul that entered through Death's Domain.
Now they were coming towards him. To eat him.
'Joy.'
Issei thought about his options as he looked at the lost souls. The Moon was blocking the Sun, so that meant he couldn't absorb any more Solar Energy.
'So no transformations.'
The Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi was no longer in his possession. Chances are, it was still floating around in the Dimensional Gap. He couldn't sense Ddraig within his mind. Nor could he sense the Yamata-no-Orochi.
'So no sword either.'
Issei narrowed his eyes as he tried to think of something. His eyes then widened as he had an epiphany.
'Hold on. Death said I was an embodiment of life and death if I remember correctly. That was all because of the...Phoenix! But I could only use the power of the Phoenix in my second form. So can I use it here?'
He was feeling hesitant about his decision. He had never used the power and attributes of the legendary Phoenix in his normal state before.
'Only one way to find out.'
Glaring at the lost souls with a serious look on his face, Issei grunted as he tried to flare out even an ounce of the power of the Phoenix. His attempt was a success, as a pool of orange-yellow flames surrounded him.
Suddenly, the flames started to change into an eerie purple color with black outlines. Issei widened his eyes in confusion, until he suddenly felt his chest beating. Issei cried out at the unexpected pain and looked down to see the hole in his chest spreading out more.
"Uhhhhhhhhh!"
Issei grunted as a pool of silver-white energy burst out of the hole on his chest, and began to spread around him. His eyes widening further, Issei hurriedly began to pry the silver energy off of him, but to no avail. The energy kept regenerating itself.
Riser widened his eyes in surprise.
"What's happening to him?"
"Fufufu."
The Phenex Devil widened his eyes further to see Death giggling like a schoolgirl. It was so unsettling to see the most terrifying being in existence...giggling.
"Isn't it obvious? He's trying to battle his anger."
"What?"
"Don't you remember what I said, Phenex? Issei obtained his Solar and Hell-Fire transformations through anger. And because the attributes of the legendary Phoenix were present in his Hell-Fire form, that means he achieved it as a result of anger."
"So what is that silver energy?"
"It's all of the anger he's suppressed over the years. As anger continuously grows, it becomes far too much for the person to handle."
"So is he transforming?"
"We shall see." Death stated with a smile on her face.
"GAHH!" Issei grunted as the silver energy began to envelop him.
While Issei was distracted, a lost soul sped towards him and bit into his flesh. Gasping in pain, Issei retaliated by grabbing the lost soul and throwing it towards the others, causing the crowd to fall down in a domino effect.
Issei flared out his aura to keep them away, but the lost souls wouldn't cease in their attempts to harm him. As his aura flared, the silver energy began to expand to a great size, before it covered Issei entirely.
Without any interruptions from their meal, the lost souls went to feast on the young man, unaware that the silver energy began to combine with the purple aura with black outlines. Seconds later, a vast explosion erupted within the sphere, causing some of the lost souls to back away.
Riser's eyes remained wide-open, while Death remained still with that smirk on her face. Seconds later, the light from the explosion faded, revealing a new figure that stood ominously still.
The figure had long brown hair that reached down to his waist. The hole in his chest, which seemed to be bigger than it was before, was decorated with black makings that stretched across his chest to his shoulders. His extremely pale-white skin, glistened within the darkness of Death's Domain. There appeared to be a mask that covered his entire head. The mask featured two long horns that pointed upwardly, and had black outlines extending from the center towards the tips. Jutting out from the sides of the horns were wing-like fringes.
Although the lost souls couldn't show emotions, they backed away from the figure, as though they realized that their meal could no longer be considered a meal.
Lifting his head up, the figure released a deafening roar that echoed throughout Death's Domain. The echo was so spine-chilling, that it even frightened Riser. Death, on the other hand, appeared to be more cheerful than anything.
"He's...", Riser began as his voice trembled, "He's a monster! I don't even recognize him anymore!"
"Hmm," Death cooed as she licked her lips at the sight of the figure, "It's just as I said, Phenex. When you hold in anger for such a long time, it's bound to make an ugly appearance."
"I-I!" Riser couldn't even speak his retort.
"Fufufu. I wonder what we should call this form of Issei?"
The lost souls floated away from the ominous figure, whose mask revealed glowing golden eyes. Letting out another chilling roar, Issei lowered his head down, and a spark of black energy began to emit from his horns. The sphere of black energy quickly expanded to a colossal size, almost reaching near the top of the shield that encased him.
"Hmm," Death hummed as she smiled wider, "He really is an interesting creature."
"RAHHHHHHHH!"
Issei's roar echoed throughout Death's Domain, causing the spaceless area to shake in tremors. As the black sphere of energy began to increase in size, the lost souls tried to escape their prison.
"GUAHHHHHHH!"
With another bellow, Issei shot his energy blast, causing a vast explosion to emerge within the shield. As the light cleared, there appeared to be no traces of the lost souls. Suddenly, a large number of ghostly auras began to take a shape, revealing themselves as another set of lost souls.
Riser widened his eyes at the sight.
"What's happening? I thought he destroyed them!"
"Haha," Death chuckled as she watched the scene, "The lost souls that exist within my realm are already destroyed. You cannot kill something that is already dead and expect it to stay put."
"So if Issei keeps blasting them with those horns of his, then they'll-"
"Regenerate." Death finished for him.
"..."
"Bet you're glad you're not trapped within that shield." Death said as she teased the Phenex Devil.
Riser scowled but he didn't say anything.
Issei let out another howl of insanity as he charged another energy blast. Instead of the one he used before, this particular blast was purple with black outlines.
"What?! He can summon another one just like that?!" Riser cried out in shock.
Death chuckled in amusement, but before she could answer, another voice made itself known.
"SON OF AMATERASU!"
At the sound of the voice, Death and Riser turned around to see an old man with brown-black hair. His eyes showed nothing but contempt as he glared at the berserker transformed Issei. There was a hole in his stomach that seemed to spread wider. There was also blood that dropped from parts of his body, courtesy of the lost souls that had attempted to consume his flesh.
Death smiled as she instantly recognized who it was, while Riser looked at the man in confusion.
"Susanoo. The God of the storms and seas. How awful to see you. Might I ask why you're here in this part of my Domain?"
Susanoo moved his attention from his nephew to the very embodiment of demise. Susanoo's glare didn't even faze Death in the slightest. Then again, this was Death he was staring at. She was the greatest fear of all, so why should a God be able to frighten her?
"Hmm. Perhaps you would like to take revenge on your cute little nephew?" Death asked in curiosity.
Smirking darkly, Susanoo clenched his fist.
"Of course! I will not die until the son of Amaterasu is dead! The damn Yamata-no-Orochi prevented me from delivering the final blow! I will not rest until I witness his death!"
After declaring his wish, Susanoo shot towards the shield that encased his nephew. Lifting his hand up, a lighting bolt spear formed, and he threw it towards the shield.
Feeling extremely amused, Death humored Susanoo and allowed her shield to dissipate. With the shield gone, the lightning bolt summoned from Susanoo landed a direct hit on Issei, who stumbled, causing his energy blast to implode.
Susanoo grinned as he stopped his pace, waiting to see what his nephew would do. The lost souls stopped in their attempts to escape the berserker Issei, as though they were curious to see what would happen next.
"Uhhhhhh..."
A black mist began to emit out of Issei's mask, its effect causing his breathing to emit a low, garbled and echoed sound. Susanoo felt a chill go up his spine as he looked down to see his nephew slowly turning around to face him. Suddenly, he transmitted away.
"What?!" Susanoo cried out as he tried to sense his nephew's energy signature.
His eyes widened at his recent discovery.
'What's happening?! I can't sense him!'
He couldn't sense Issei's energy signature at all. It was as though he wasn't even there. Susanoo couldn't understand. Issei was clearly in Death's Domain, which meant he couldn't be considered alive. Yet, he also couldn't be considered dead either.
'What the hell is he?! Is he dead or alive?'
Susanoo's eyes widened further as he began to think more clearly.
'Is he both? Is he alive and dead at the same time?! That cannot be possible at all!'
"Ahhhhh..."
"?!"
Susanoo turned around just in time to see Issei right behind him. Narrowing his eyes, Susanoo clenched his fist to summon a lightning spear, and went to attack Issei with it, until something unexpected happened.
Before Susanoo's spear could stab him, Issei grabbed his spear with only one hand, causing sparks and bolts of lightning to emit throughout Death's Domain. Susanoo gasped when Issei began to clench his fist while holding the lightning spear.
'How is this possible?! He's blocking it with his bare hand!"
Placing more pressure on his grip, Issei destroyed the lightning spear, which shattered into sparkling pieces. A smoke cloud emerged from the destruction.
Susanoo blinked as he tried to enhance his sight through the smoke cloud. Seconds later, the smoke cleared, revealing a face close-up of the masked Issei, who narrowed his glowing eyes.
"Uahhhhhh..."
"?!"
Susanoo panicked and retreated away from his ferocious nephew. Growling in a garbled and echoed breath, Issei lowered his head once more. The God of the seas and storms widened his eyes in fear when a spark of dark-purplish energy began to emerge from the tips of Issei's horns.
The pool of energy began to form into a large sphere, causing Susanoo to feel a bit of fright. Narrowing his eyes, Susanoo held out his hand as a pool of blue-silver energy began to shine from his hand. As he witnessed his nephew' energy sphere expanding, Susanoo quickly shot his lightning blast. As if on cue, Issei released his energy blast, causing his attack to collide with Susanoo's attack in a beam struggle.
Watching from above them, Death rose an eyebrow in curiosity.
'The Storm God is losing his concentration. Issei is overwhelming him by the second, and yet Susanoo is fighting to the point of desperation.'
Riser could only stand still with his mouth agape. He had already labeled Issei as a monster when they first fought at the arena in the Underworld. However, as he looked at this monstrous form of Issei, he felt that the term monster was an understatement right now.
"I can't believe it! This is all of his anger?! I still don't understand any of this!"
"Anger can manifest in many forms, Riser Phenex. So many forms." Death said in a dreamy voice.
"?!"
Susanoo widened his eyes when he found out that his blast was weakening against Issei's own energy blast. Seconds later, Issei's energy blast overwhelmed Susanoo's lightning spear, enveloping the storm God into a pool of energy. The surroundings around them shook as a result of the large-scaled explosion.
As the light faded away, the smoke from the explosion cleared, revealing Susanoo, with Issei's left hand wrapped around his neck into a tight grip.
"I should have expected this from a worthless being such as yourself! A monster who would kill his own kin! OOOF!"
Susanoo choked in pain as Issei tightened his grip around his neck. The storm God looked up to see Issei's horns charging another energy blast. However, the color of the blast was merely a purple shade.
"I should have known. There'd be no mercy, especially from a berserk being such as yourself." Susanoo stated as he taunted his nephew.
As if agreeing with his uncle's statement, Issei released the purple energy blast onto Susanoo. There were no screams or cries of agony. Only the sounds of Issei's energy blast prevailed over the noise of Death's Domain.
The light from the explosion faded once more. The smoke cleared, revealing Issei. However, the smoke cleared out more, revealing Susanoo with blood splattered all over his body. The storm God was bleeding and breathing heavily, his chest rising ever so slightly.
Silently, Issei tossed his uncle far away from him, causing the storm God to land into a pile of lost souls. As Issei floated where he was, a slight crack began to break apart the top part of his left horn.
Susanoo widened his eyes in confusion.
'What the hell happened to his horn?! I didn't even touch it!"
Riser rose an eyebrow as he watched one of Issei's horns break apart. Death merely stared at the scene with a hint of curiosity. As far as she was concerned, neither she or Riser moved at all during the battle between Issei and Susanoo. Plus, judging by the look on Susanoo's face, it seemed that he was puzzled as well.
Suddenly, a colossal pool of purple and orange-colored flames began to surround Issei, before they imploded upon him, causing a smoke cloud explosion. Susanoo covered his eyes from the bright light. As he removed his hands from blocking his sight, his eyes widened.
Issei's body shook as he took short haggard breaths. His now short brown hair covered and shadowed his eyes entirely. His entire body seemed to tense all at once, shown by his legs shaking. Starting to breathe heavily, Issei looked up, allowing his uncle to see his eyes.
Susanoo widened his eyes further.
'His eyes! They're both brown! His left eye was already brown, but his right eye used to be the color of the Sun! But now both of his eyes are brown! What the hell happened?!'
The God of the storms and seas also noticed there was a certain...light within his nephew's eyes. His eyes were now soft. The appearance of his eyes greatly contrasted to the ones he had seen before. However, the brown eyes in his sights were not innocent at all. They were soft-looking, but they weren't innocent.
His nephew had already lost his innocence ever since he unlocked his power. That innocence had shattered long ago. But now...as he looked and focused into his nephew's eyes closely, he saw only peace. There were no traces of wisdom, but there were traces of peace.
His soft brown eyes feeling heavy, Issei closed his eyes as his body began to fall forward. Before he tumble down, he was caught by none other than Death itself. The female personification of decay and destruction softened her gaze as she gently carried Issei.
As she set her sights to Susanoo, however, her soulless black eyes seemed to darken, if that was even possible.
"I'm impressed, storm God."
Susanoo, his attention removed from his nephew and to the storm God, narrowed his eyes.
"About what?"
"I'm impressed that you were able to make it this far. Normally the lost souls that reside in my Domain would've feasted on your soul by now."
"Humph. No lost souls will keep me tame."
"...Is that a fact?" Death asked menacingly.
"?!"
Susanoo gasped as a large crowd of lost souls began to float towards him. He looked around to find a way to escape, but to no avail. He looked up to see Death looking down at him with a terrifying smile on her face.
"You may have been able to avoid only a few of my lost souls. Let's see how you fare against three million!"
Susanoo didn't even have time to scream in agony as the lost souls took turns as they ate him as though he was a shish-kabob. Smiling wickedly at the tortured storm God, Death summoned a pool of shadows around her and Issei, as the two transmitted away from the Domain.
In the Dimensional Gap
Death smiled as she floated around the void that existed between Earth, Heaven, and the Underworld.
"Hmm. This is a surprise. The Ouroboros Dragon and the Apocalypse Dragon are not here. Usually they are here to occupy this realm. Hmm. It seems that Issei has changed them more than he had ever expected."
Looking around the Dimensional Gap, Death quirked an eyebrow in curiosity as she spotted a sword which featured a white metallic color.
'Ah, so this is the sword my Darling carried before he ended up in my Domain. I sense two energy signatures within the sword.'
Humming lightly, the entity floated over to the sword, and picked it up, causing the sword to release a bright light.
Realm of the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi
The Red Dragon Emperor and the Yamata-no-Orochi lifted their heads up as they sensed a terrifying surge of energy. The energy signature of this entity brought great fear within their hearts.
Very cautiously, Ddraig rose his head to see an adult female with a well-endowed figure. She had night-black hair and equally colored soulless eyes. Hugging her shapely figure, was a dark-black robe.
Despite the fact that it was the woman herself who wielded this vast yet frightening energy, she smiled politely at the two creatures in front of her.
"Red Dragon Emperor. Yamata-no-Orochi. How do you do?" The woman greeted politely.
Ddraig didn't respond. After all, what could he say? He was staring Death right in the face! Although he was known as one of the most prideful Dragons in existence, not even he could collect himself while in the presence of Death itself.
The Yamata-no-Orochi understood English. However, she didn't even know how to speak. That didn't mean she was exactly brave. Even before she had gained sentience, the sight and energy surges of Death would frighten her.
Death tilted her head as she looked at the pale faces of the Welsh Dragon and the Orochi.
'For goodness sake, by the looks on their faces, it's like I'm going to kill them or something. Fufu.'
Death chuckled at her own little pun, but she quickly composed herself.
"I took this form because I wanted to ensure that I wouldn't be perceived as a threat. However, it seems that this appearance does not soothe you two at all."
{...}
'...'
Death sighed as a smile formed on her lips.
"Very well, I shall get to the point. I've come to tell you two something very important."
Issei's Room
...itoko!
...itoko!
Brown eyes started to drift upwards before they opened wide to see a familiar person. Dark crimson-ruby eyes looked down at him worriedly.
"L-Leiko-san?"
"ISE-ITOKO!"
At the unexpected loud cry, Issei was unprepared to defend himself as Leiko latched herself onto him. Issei winced at the pain as he became the victim of an unpredictable hug from his cousin. His thoughts at this moment were unclear, but they seemed to dwell on wondering how Leiko could have such a vice grip on him.
Leiko was relentless as she hugged her cousin tightly, not wanting to let him go. Moments before she had discovered Issei was back in his own house, she was sitting downstairs with Ophis and the Great Red. She noticed that the two were quiet for once. Usually the Great Red would say something rude and/or stupid, and Ophis would say something back, which caused an never-ending argument between them.
However, the two most strongest existences were quiet. It was pure coincidence that Leiko wanted to go upstairs to her cousin's room, only to find him laying on his bed. With a hole in his chest, and a luminescent circle on his head.
"Ise-itoko!" Leiko said worriedly as she hugged Issei tighter, "Oh, my precious baby Ise-itoko! We've been so worried about you!"
Issei's mouth was covered, so he couldn't give her a response. Seconds later, Issei's room door opened, revealing Ophis and Great Red.
"My Issei?"
"KID!"
Issei widened his eyes when the Apocalypse Dragon ran over to him, and held him in a bear hug. Walking slowly, Ophis climbed onto Issei's bed, and placed her face in front of Issei's own, before she gave him a kiss. The Ouroboros Dragon tilted her head when she noticed the 'halo' on top of Issei's head, and the color of Issei's eyes.
'My, Issei. He is back.'
Finally releasing her cousin, Leiko widened her eyes slightly as she looked into Issei's eyes.
'Hey. His eyes! They're both brown. And they look soft again!'
Great Red didn't even bother to look at his brother-in-law as he gripped him into a bear hug. Before Issei could eventry to say anything, a bright blade suddenly manifested into his hand. Widening his eyes, Issei squinted his eyes to avoid a bright light that flashed before him.
Issei's Inner World/Subconscious
Shaking his head, Issei looked up and his eyes widened.
"M-my inner world."
The skyscrapers and buildings were now back in their original order. The sky in his inner world appeared to be brighter than usual.
Looking up at the sky in curiosity, Issei sighed.
[Isssssei.]
"Huh?"
Issei turned around just in time to see the Yamata-no-Orochi staring at him with her golden reptilian eyes. The young man widened his eyes and backed away just slightly. The Orochi tilted her head to the side as she took a step forward.
Suddenly, her sharp tongue rolled out of her mouth, stretching across until it touched Issei. Issei, not expecting the strange contact, could only stand silently. Retracting her tongue, the Yamata-no-Orochi walked closer to Issei, and suddenly latched herself onto him.
Issei had to give himself credit for not crying out in surprise. Usually when a naked and voluptuous girl glomped onto a person, that person would either try to pry the girl off or just endure it.
Issei was one of those brave souls who endured through it.
All in all, he never expected the Yamata-no-Orochi to display this amount of affection for him.
{Kukuku.}
At the sound of the familiar laughter, Issei looked up to see the Red Dragon Emperor himself, floating upwards in the sky of his inner world.
"Ddraig!"
{...It's good to see you, partner.}