The final corridor stretched long and narrow, lit only by fractured moonlight leaking through broken stained glass.
At the far end, a figure leaned lazily against the stone archway.
Freed Sellzen smiled.
"Well now," he drawled, tilting his head. "Did the big bad dragon come to play with me?"
Issei didn't slow down.
Kiba stepped slightly forward, blade already forming in his hand. Koneko's ears flattened, tail low, eyes sharp with something darker than fear.
Freed's gaze slid to her.
"Oh? The little kitty's glaring at me." His grin widened. "Still upset about that contractor? What was his name again? Ah. Doesn't matter."
The floor cracked.
Koneko vanished in a blur.
Her fist slammed into Freed's jaw hard enough to shatter stone behind him.
Dust exploded outward.
Freed didn't move.
He looked down at her small fist pressed against his cheek.
"…That tickled."
His knee drove into her stomach.
The impact blasted her backward down the corridor.
"Koneko!" Kiba lunged forward.
Freed flicked his wrist, his blade of warped holy light, carved through the air. Kiba barely deflected it, boots grinding across stone as he absorbed the force.
Freed straightened.
"Only one of you three is strong enough to kill me." His eyes locked on Issei. "And I don't think he's got the stomach for it."
The air thickened.
Heat rippled.
Issei stepped forward slowly.
Gold flickered in his eyes.
Freed's smile sharpened. "Come on then. Kill me, you weak dragon."
Inside the gauntlet, Ddraig's voice rumbled low and eager.
"He mocks you."
Scarlet's tone cut in, tight and urgent.
"Host, assess before engaging. His light output is unstable but lethal. Don't rush."
Freed pulled out twin daggers of light.
"You know what I love most about your kind?" he said conversationally. "You roar. You flare up. And then you hesitate."
He lunged.
Boost.
Issei moved on instinct.
Dragon Claw erupted over his arm in crimson scales.
Freed's blade met scale.
The clash shrieked like metal dragged across bone.
Freed grinned inches from Issei's face. "See? You're holding back."
The second blade struck with his free hand.
He drove it toward Issei's throat, but Koneko intercepted.
Her punch shattered Freed's ribs with a sickening crack.
Freed coughed up blood, then he laughed.
He grabbed her by the hair and lifted her off the ground.
"You're brave," he said softly. "But bravery doesn't equal strength."
Holy light gathered in his palm.
Point blank.
Issei saw it.
Time slowed.
If that hits her.
Scarlet's voice, sharp and clear:
"Decision point."
Ddraig's roar thundered through him:
"TAKE HIS LIFE!"
Freed began to thrust the blade forward.
Issei moved.
Not wild.
Not screaming.
He stepped inside the arc of light.
Boost!
His claw drove forward.
Through flesh.
Through bone.
Through the spine.
Freed's body split cleanly from shoulder to hip.
The holy blade fizzled out mid-cast.
Freed looked down at himself.
"…Oh."
Both halves hit the floor.
Silence.
No roar.
No aura burst.
Just the sound of something wet sliding across stone.
Issei stood there, arm still extended.
Blood ran over crimson scales.
Warm.
Real.
He had done that.
He slowly retracted his claw.
Freed's lifeless eyes stared at nothing.
His stomach twisted.
The smell hit him as his knees buckled.
He dropped to one knee.
Kiba approached cautiously, sword lowering.
Koneko stepped in front of Issei, small hands gripping his sleeve.
Her voice was quiet. "You did the right thing."
He didn't respond.
Her tail flicked once, then wrapped gently around his arm.
"He would have killed us," she said simply. "You stopped him."
Issei's breath came shallow.
"I… killed him."
Koneko met his eyes.
"Yes."
Not comforting.
Not dismissing.
Just truth.
"You killed a sick dog."
The words grounded him.
Not heroic.
Not glorious.
Necessary.
Inside the gauntlet, Ddraig was silent now.
Scarlet spoke softly.
"You chose."
Issei stood.
There wasn't time to fall apart.
At the end of the corridor, a door waited.
Black.
Carved with fallen angel sigils.
From beneath it seeped faint green light.
Asia.
Issei moved forward.
Each step was heavier than the last.
The door creaked open on its own.
The ritual chamber beyond was in ruins.
Broken pews.
Scorched walls.
A circle carved into the stone floor, glowing faintly.
In the center Asia lay crumpled.
Motionless.
Eyes open.
Empty.
Raynare stood beside her.
Twilight Healing flickered weakly in her palm before fading completely.
She looked over her shoulder.
And smiled.
"Oh," she said sweetly. "You finally made it."
Issei didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
He walked forward slowly.
Kneeling beside Asia.
He touched her cheek.
Cold.
No response.
No spark.
There was no light left in her eyes.
The world narrowed to a single, unbearable truth.
Raynare stepped lightly around the circle. "Too late," she murmured. "I already took what made her useful."
Kiba stiffened behind him.
Koneko's tail puffed out, fur bristling.
Raynare tilted her head. "You're always slow, Issei. Slow to understand. Slow to grow. Slow to matter."
She crouched slightly, peering at his face. "Just like that night."
His fingers curled against Asia's shoulder.
Raynare's voice dropped, intimate and poisonous.
"You remember, don't you? How you begged me. How desperately you wanted to be special."
Holy light formed in her hand.
"You were nothing then."
The chamber grew still.
"And you're nothing now."
Something inside him broke.
Not explosive.
Not wild.
It cracked.
Quietly.
Crimson-black heat began to rise from his skin.
Not a blast.
Not chaos.
A steady burn.
The ritual circle lines began to glow red from the heat.
The stained glass overhead fractured further.
Kiba staggered back a step.
Koneko dropped to one knee, ears flat.
Raynare's smile faltered.
Scarlet whispered:
"Host… steady."
Ddraig's voice rolled like distant thunder.
"Yes… Now you understand."
Issei stood slowly.
He did not look at Raynare yet.
He gently laid Asia down.
Carefully.
Then he turned.
Gold flooded his eyes.
His voice was low.
Controlled."You're wrong."
The air vibrated.
Raynare raised her spear of light.
"Oh? And what are you?"
Issei's scales crawled up his arm.
Not flaring outward.
Not leaking.
Contained.
Focused.
He took one step forward.
The stone beneath his foot cracked.
"I'm the dragon," he said quietly.
The aura pressed inward instead of outward.
Compressed.
Dense.
Raynare's wings flared instinctively as her instincts screamed.
For the first time, she stepped back, showing the faint traces of fear.
Ddraig's voice dropped into a predatory growl.
"Now, partner."
Issei's claw extended fully.
"Burn her."
He moved.
Outside the ruined church, the night air trembled with residual holy energy.
Rias and Akeno landed lightly at the edge of the courtyard.
They were not alone.
Three figures waited among the broken statues.
Mittelt stood front and center, wings folded, expression lazy and cruel. Dohaseek loomed at her side, heavy holy spear resting against his shoulder.
Kalawarna leaned against a shattered column, violet hair catching moonlight, watching with amused detachment.
Mittelt's eyes gleamed when she saw Rias.
"Oh, good," she chirped. "More devils."
Dohaseek snorted. "You're too late. That joke of a dragon is probably already bleeding out."
Kalawarna's lips curved faintly. "Was he crying when Raynare killed him the first time? I always wondered."
Mittelt giggled.
"I still can't believe someone like that exists. I wonder what kind of pathetic creature gave birth to such a worthless loser."
The temperature dropped.
Power of Destruction coiled around Rias instantly, crimson-black energy spiraling like a storm about to break.
The ground cracked beneath her heels.
"You," she said softly.
The air distorted.
"You dare to speak about my precious pawn that way?"
Mittelt blinked.
The pressure was sudden. Crushing.
Dohaseek shifted uneasily.
Kalawarna straightened.
Before Rias could release the blast, the world stopped.
Not slowed.
Stopped.
The wind froze mid-gust.
Dust hung suspended in the air.
Sound died.
A small figure stood between the two sides.
Bare feet on cracked stone.
Long black hair falling straight down her back.
A simple gothic dress with violet accents.
Ophis.
Her golden eyes scanned the courtyard.
Her voice was quiet.
"Which one of you called my son a loser?"
The words did not echo.
They did not need to.
Mittelt's smile vanished.
Dohaseek's grip on his spear trembled.
Kalawarna's amusement evaporated.
"…Is that…" Mittelt whispered
.
Dohaseek felt it then.
Not pressure.
Not killing intent.
Certainty.
In his mind, he saw it clearly.
His own body torn apart.
No struggle.
No resistance.
Just erased.
Kalawarna's voice came thin.
"Hold on… Raynare killed the son of the Infinite Dragon God?"
Silence answered her.
"…Is she trying to end the Fallen Angel race?"
Ophis tilted her head slightly.
Her gaze landed on Dohaseek.
"You tried to kill my son."
No anger.
No raised tone.
Just a statement.
"Die."
There was no visible attack.
No flash of light.
No surge of power.
Dohaseek… came apart.
His body split down the center, clean and bloodless, before dissolving into black fragments that scattered like ash.
The spear clattered to the ground.
Mittelt stumbled backward.
Kalawarna's wings flared instinctively.
Ophis turned her gaze toward Kalawarna.
The fallen angel froze mid-step.
Ophis walked forward slowly.
Kalawarna tried to move.
She couldn't.
Invisible pressure locked her limbs in place.
Ophis reached out and grabbed her wrist.
Kalawarna gasped as her power was suppressed instantly, completely.
"You will make a good maid for my son," Ophis said calmly.
Kalawarna's eyes widened. "W–Wait—"
"Come with me."
Space folded inward like torn silk.
Before stepping through, Ophis glanced toward Rias.
"Young Gremory."
Rias met her gaze steadily despite the ancient weight behind it.
"Kill the last one quickly."
Ophis's eyes flicked toward the church doors.
"And calm my son's anger."
Then she vanished.
Time resumed.
Wind rushed back.
Sound returned.
Mittelt dropped to her knees, shaking violently.
Akeno exhaled slowly.
"My, my," she murmured, lightning already dancing between her fingers. "Issei's mother is absolutely terrifying."
Rias's Power of Destruction dimmed slightly, though it still coiled around her like restrained fury.
"How do you want to handle this last fallen angel?" Akeno asked sweetly.
Rias stepped forward, wings spreading.
"Akeno," she said calmly, "you may have your fun."
Mittelt's eyes filled with panic.
"I need to check on Issei."
Akeno pouted dramatically.
"You're no fun, Rias. Leaving your best friend because your future mother-in-law gave you an order?"
Rias lifted into the air, crimson power trailing behind her.
"The way you're talking," she called back coolly, "it sounds like you're trying to become the second wife."
Akeno's laughter rang through the courtyard.
"Oh, please," she replied, lightning crackling violently around her as she turned toward Mittelt.
"If anything… I'd be his mistress."
Thunder split the night.
Mittelt's scream followed.
Issei moved first.
The system screen flared in crimson across his vision.
[Urgent Quest Activated: Overcome the Past]
Condition: Defeat Raynare without losing control
Reward: Skill Fragment – Dragon's Resolve (Passive: Mental Resistance +20%)
Secondary Fragment: Dragon's Breath (Active – Mid-Range Draconic Blast)
Failure: Dragon Essence Instability (-3% Permanent Loss)
The red letters flickered, then vanished.
Raynare smiled. "Oh?" she purred. "You're coming at me without screaming this time?"
She launched forward.
Light spears rained from above, detonating against stone. The chamber exploded into chaos.
Issei dodged right.
Boost.
Her spear skimmed his shoulder, holy energy burning through cloth and skin.
She laughed. "You still hesitate."
Another thrust.
He blocked with Dragon Claw.
Holy light seared into scale.
Pain lanced through him and with it, memories.
Her smiling face under streetlights.
Her whisper in the park.
The blade went through his chest.
The betrayal.
His breathing faltered.
Raynare saw it.
"There it is," she whispered, circling him. "That pathetic look."
She dragged her spear across the floor, sparks hissing.
"You wanted someone to love you so badly."
She lunged again.
He barely twisted aside.
"You were so easy to use."
Her words hit harder than her weapon.
He stumbled.
Scarlet's voice cut through.
"Host. She is attacking your psyche. Anchor yourself."
Raynare smirked. "You still crave approval. Even now."
She vanished upward.
Light gathered above.
A barrage of spears formed, dozens this time.
"You're still that lonely boy."
Raynare circled him slowly, spear dragging against stone, sparks hissing in the dark.
"You know what hurts the most?" she murmured.
She stopped just behind him.
"You still look at me like I mattered."
Her voice lowered, intimate and poisonous.
"Like I was the first person who ever chose you."
Issei's claws trembled.
Memories struck hard.
Her smile under the streetlights.
Her hand over his heart.
The warmth.
The blade.
"You wanted to feel special," she whispered near his ear. "Wanted. Needed. Seen."
Her gaze slid toward Asia's still body.
"So now you collect girls who look at you like you're a hero."
She tilted her head.
"But you're not saving them because you're strong."
A faint smile curved her lips.
"You're saving them because you're terrified of being alone."
The words slipped under his scales.
"You begged me," she continued softly. "You would have done anything just to feel chosen."
She stepped in front of him again, eyes sharp.
"And deep down? You still would."
Silence.
"That's why you'll never be enough," she said quietly. "Not for Rias. Not for the nun. Not even for yourself."
Issei's breathing hitched.
Scarlet's voice cut through sharply:
"Host. She is reframing your past. Anchor on truth. Anchor on choice. Anchor on who stood beside you."
But the doubt flickered.
Raynare saw it.
"There he is," she breathed. "The lonely boy who just wants to be loved."
The explosion hurled him backward.
Stone shattered.
Smoke filled the chamber.
He coughed, kneeling.
She landed lightly in front of him.
"And you always will be."
Silence.
His fingers dug into the cracked stone beneath him.
No.
He wasn't that boy anymore.
He remembered Koneko's tail wrapping around his arm.
Kiba was standing beside him.
Asia smiled shyly.
Rias calling him her pawn.
He exhaled slowly.
The rage didn't explode outward this time.
It sank inward.
Compressed.
Focused.
Scarlet whispered: "Yes… hold it there."
Raynare tilted her head. "What are you?"
Heat gathered in his chest.
Not in his arm.
Not in his claw.
Something deeper.
Instinct.
Ancient.
Ddraig's voice rumbled in approval. "At last. Use your lungs, partner."
The air vibrated.
Raynare's eyes widened slightly.
Issei lifted his head.
Gold flared bright.
"I'm not that boy anymore." He inhaled deeply.
The chamber temperature spiked, and he exhaled.
A concentrated blast of crimson-black fire erupted from his mouth.
Not wild.
Not scattered.
A focused beam.
Dragon's Breath.
Raynare screamed as it tore through her wings mid-flight, incinerating feathers and holy constructs alike. She slammed into the far wall, stone cracking from the impact.
Smoke curled from her burned wings.
She staggered up, furious. "You think that changes anything?!"
She charged desperately.
Her spear aimed at his heart.
He stepped inside her reach and caught the shaft.
Holy light burned his palm, but he held it anyway.
"I didn't want you. I wanted to matter."
He twisted.
The spear shattered.
His claw flashed once.
A clean diagonal strike across her chest.
Not lethal, but decisive.
She collapsed to one knee.
Wings broken.
Confidence gone.
"You…" she breathed. "You wouldn't…"
Issei stood over her.
Aura steady.
Eyes clear. "I won't kill you."
Her eyes flickered with disbelief.
"But you will never control me again." He turned his back on her.
That hurt her more than any wound.
Behind him, a surge of crimson.
Rias entered.
Power of Destruction condensed into a single, terrifying point.
Raynare barely had time to widen her eyes.
The blast erased her.
No scream.
No body.
Just absence.
Akeno's soft laugh echoed.
"My my… someone is very protective tonight."
Issei didn't react.
He was already on Asia's side.
Her breathing was shallow.
Fading.
Rias knelt. "I can save her," she said quietly. "But she must become a devil."
Issei didn't hesitate. "Do it."
The Bishop piece pressed to Asia's chest.
Crimson light flared.
The chamber trembled.
Asia gasped sharply, arching as demonic energy rewrote her existence.
Her eyes fluttered open.
Confused.
Then soft.
"Issei…?"
His shoulders sagged in relief.
"Yeah," he whispered. "I'm here."
Later that night
Asia slept peacefully in the clubroom, now a Bishop of the Gremory peerage.
The crisis was over.
For now.
Back at Issei's house, the air smelled of heat and spice.
Rias stood at the stove, carefully turning strips of lava bird meat in a cast-iron pan. The meat sizzled softly, glowing faintly from retained elemental heat.
"You require higher-grade protein now," she said without looking back. "Ophis wasn't exaggerating."
Issei leaned against the counter, exhausted but calm.
"You're cooking for me?"
She glanced over her shoulder.
"Of course."
A faint blush touched his ears.
She plated the food carefully.
Steam rose in soft crimson curls.
As he took the first bite, warmth spread through him.
Not explosive.
Not violent.
Steady.
Growth.
Rias watched him closely.
"You faced her," she said quietly. "And you didn't lose yourself."
He gave a faint smile. "I almost did."
"But you didn't." She stepped closer.
Close enough that he could feel her warmth.
"You're mine to protect," she said softly.
Then her eyes sharpened slightly. "And I am yours to grow beside."
He swallowed. "Yeah."
Outside the window, high above the quiet street, a small bird made entirely of flame settled onto a power line.
Its body flickered softly, feathers sculpted from living fire.
Its eyes burned an unnatural, intelligent blue.
It watched.
Inside the Hyoudou residence
Rias stood at the stove, sleeves rolled, crimson hair falling over one shoulder as she turned the lava bird in the pan.
Asia slept peacefully on the couch, hands folded near her chest, breathing steadily.
Issei sat at the table, exhausted but calm, watching Rias with quiet warmth as he ate.
Domestic.
Intimate.
Protected.
The firebird tilted its head.
Noting.
Measuring.
The feathers along its wings shimmered once, almost contemplative.
Then the construct unraveled into drifting sparks and vanished into the night.
Far away, within the gilded halls of the Phenex estate, Ravel Phenex slowly closed her hand.
The last ember faded between her fingers.
A small smile curved her lips. Not amused.
Interested.
"So this," she murmured, "is the dragon stirring the waters around my brother's fiancée."
Her blue eyes gleamed with quiet intelligence.
"And he already has two girls at his side."
She leaned back in her chair, golden hair spilling across the velvet.
"How fascinating."
Her fingers tapped lightly against the armrest.
"Let's see what kind of fire you truly are… Hyoudou Issei."