"Ara~ ara~ I was told to look for you by Sirzechs-sama and Gourou-san."
"Huh?" Rias froze, the color quickly draining from her beautiful face.
"Ah, Father and Mother must be angry because they couldn't find me," Issei muttered in slight panic.
"Ufufu, it's better if you go back before it's too late," Akeno said, smiling beautifully as she winked.
"Thank you for the reminder, Akeno-san," Issei replied.
Akeno nodded gently and parted ways with Issei and Rias.
Since Akeno didn't have any parents who would come to visit her, she chose to skip class.
"So you found him, Rias. I hope my spring will arrive soon as well." Akeno smiled bitterly as she left the old school building.
As expected, Issei and Rias were scolded the moment they returned to class.
Issei was scolded by his father and mother, while Rias was reprimanded by her father and older brother.
Night fell, and Sirzechs stayed over at the Hyoudou household.
"Issei-kun, how do you feel about Rias?"
"I love her."
"I'm glad to hear that." Sirzechs smiled in relief.
"Why ask something that's already obvious, Sirzechs-sama?"
"I just wanted to make sure."
"Hm…"
"By the way, what do you think about the Three-Faction Meeting?"
Sirzechs stared straight at Issei, his expression serious, as if expecting a good answer.
"I think it's a good thing. Since ancient times, peace has always been the best choice."
"You think so?"
Issei nodded gently and replied in a serious tone, "Even when peace is achieved, there will always be troublemakers."
Sirzechs' eyes widened in surprise.
"I see. So you've already realized that."
Issei nodded and slowly closed his eyes.
"Sleepy?"
"Mm. Good night, Sirzechs-sama."
Ignoring Sirzechs' reaction, Issei quickly fell into a deep sleep on his bed.
Sirzechs gave a wry smile. Issei was the first person who dared to act like this toward him.
Even so, Sirzechs wasn't angry at all, and instead felt something new stirring in his heart.
---
(An S-rank mission has been issued. Please check the system panel.)
As Issei washed his face, a system notification appeared, catching his attention.
"I wonder what kind of mission it is this time…"
After checking the mission details, Issei's eyes widened a moment later.
"Defeat Vali at the Three-Faction Meeting? Isn't this a bit excessive?"
"As long as you don't use Juggernaut Drive, this country won't be destroyed," Ddraig replied calmly.
"I'm confident I can hold back, but that guy won't hesitate to use it if necessary."
"Then defeat him before he uses Juggernaut Drive."
"That's easy for you to say. He's a Heavenly Dragon and a pure-blood Devil King descendant. Beating him without going all out won't be easy."
"So you're not going to accept this mission?"
"Who said that? I still have a trump card. If I use it, I'll definitely win."
"A trump card?" Ddraig asked.
"Mist Dispersion EX! With this skill, I can even erase Vali's existence."
Ddraig fell silent for a moment.
"You intend to erase Vali?"
"No. But this skill can be used in desperate situations. I can't erase Vali himself, but I can erase all of his attacks."
"If I remember correctly, erasure happens instantly, so technically you'd be unbeatable."
"Maybe not to that extent, since I've never tried using it on transcendent beings like Great Red or Ophis."
"I see. At the very least, you already have a general plan for fighting Vali."
Issei nodded seriously.
"More or less. I just hope things don't deviate too much from what I've imagined."
"Let's hope so."
Clack!
"Ise, why are you taking so long? We're almost late for school." Rias opened the bathroom door, reminding him gently like an ideal wife.
"Ahem, give me a second. I'll be right there."
Issei dried his face with a towel, hurried out of the bathroom, and headed to school together with Rias and Asia.
On the way, they met Xenovia, Koneko, Akeno, and Kiba.
Gasper stayed in the old school building, so it was only natural that he wasn't there.
"After school, we have an important task. Prepare yourselves!"
"Yes, Bucho!"
Everyone responded enthusiastically, clearly motivated by the upcoming Three-Faction Meeting.
At the same time, the three factions were preparing to arrive in the human world.
Heaven was represented by the Supreme Leader of the Angels, Michael.
The Underworld was represented by two Devil Kings, Lucifer and Leviathan.
Lastly, the Fallen Angel faction was represented by its Governor, Azazel.
The three great powers were about to gather.
What would happen next?
Would the duel of Heavenly Dragons begin?
Stay tuned for the next chapter.
To be continued…