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Chapter 65: Serafall Leviathan’s Arrival
🕑 Added 2024-09-20 11:59:09 +0000 UTC10+ Advance Chapters: patreon.com/Accel14
Discord Link: KQAtTw9u7x
500 Power Stones = Extra Chapter
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Over a week had passed since the Hero Faction had attacked the West Youkai Faction.
To say the members of the Gremory peerage were nervous, would be an understatement. Each of them had already boarded the train to Kyoto, and would arrive at their station in a few minutes' time.
And of course, they knew exactly who awaited them here. He had told them so himself back then, not after revealing his true colors to the peerage that was.
But it wasn't just the presence of Ashikaga Takauji, or the absence of Akeno Himejima who had set off to build her own powerbase that instilled them with unease, but rather the current state of one their current members.
He was a tall man with chestnut colored hair who looked to be the same age as Takauji after his assimilation. He wore a simple red shirt alongside a set of track pants and trainers, his build was like that of a professional athlete, muscles bulging out of his clothes which gave immense definition to his frame.
His eyes were bright green, with slit pupils reminiscent of a snake's or some sort of reptile. His hands were folded over each other with his chin resting atop them, his foot constantly tapping against the train's flooring to convey his apprehension.
The man's expression was that of sheer determination, as for what that determination was directed at remained to be seen.
"Is everything alright? Issei-kun?" Rias walked over to him, still finding the sight of Issei's new body jarring to look at. One that required the memories of the entirety of Kuoh Academy to be rewritten to prevent people from freaking out when they looked at it.
"Yes, everything's fine." Even his voice had become deeper, a result of having biologically been pushed to his physical prime through some means. "How about yourself? Are you feeling alright?" His old attitude was nowhere to be seen, if one were to make an assessment at glance, they would think Issei was consoling Rias as her senior or something.
"I could be better if I'm being honest, the last few days have been rather stressful if that wasn't already obvious by now." She admitted, breathing a dry chuckle.
Issei turned to her, offering Rias a warm smile.
"You'll manage, you've always pulled through situations like these haven't you? Also, I'm here to support you." Even if his perversion had vanished, the kindness and love he held for Rias and her peerage remained. It was a part of his character he never wished to part with.
"I know," his words offered her much-needed comfort. "However, I still don't think it's a good idea to fight him now, the West Youkai Faction is under his protection, which would make us the aggressors if we were to engage him here."
He nodded in agreement.
"I'm well aware, don't worry, I wasn't planning on just attacking him out of the blue."
"Then?"
"I'm going to challenge him to a duel, that's it."
Rias's eyes widened a little in confusion.
"Will that work?" She wondered.
"It will, you heard him didn't you? He said he would respond to my decision regardless of what it was, I'm confident he'll accept. And when he does, I'll pummel him into the ground." A small fraction of his aura leaked from him as the thought entered his mind, terrifying everyone around him momentarily before he recomposed himself. "Sorry about that, you know how personal this is to me right?"
"We all do, and we're all rooting for you."
Rias knew that neither her, or the rest of her peerage would be of any help against Takauji, even the him from back at the conference would be too much for them to handle.
But Hyoudou Issei was another matter.
He was indeed still a Low-Class Devil, but that was only his ranking. His strength exceeded that by leaps and bounds, he had been offered promotions numerous times, but he had put them on hold since he had no intention of working on a peerage of his own at the moment.
Personal strength, that was all that mattered to him right now.
He had matured enough to understand that he wouldn't be able to set off on his own journey until he had cleared his mind, and the only way to do that was to avenge Asia. He wouldn't settle for anything less.
Issei had risked his life itself to acquire the power he now wielded, there was no going back.
The Red Dragon Emperor would conquer the Dragon Of Vainglory, that was his resolve.
"Thank you, it means a lot." Rias couldn't decipher the intent behind his words anymore, after the conference had ended Issei had become—complicated, to say the least. If not for the still remaining warmth in his heart, she wouldn't be able to even remotely connect the old and current Issei.
["He's not going to be an easy battle Partner, you could die."]
I know, but so could he.
["That's a good mindset, make sure you remember everything I've taught you regarding your new abilities, they'll be vital if you want to win."]
Though Ddraig sounded worried, he was nothing but ecstatic. Even if Issei hadn't noticed it, he had adopted the perfect mentality befitting that of the Red Dragon of Domination. He could feel it in his bones, Issei could do it, he could surpass the legacy of Belzard.
Centuries had Ddraig gone without a host who had reached Issei's level of strength without crumbling to the tyrannical power of [Juggernaut Drive]. The taste of battle in the air almost reminded him of his glory days.
Almost.
Yeah, I've also mastered Ascalon now, if I use it correctly my chances will skyrocket.
Ascalon was a famous Holy Sword that Saint George once used to slay a Dragon, a sword that contained Dragon-Slaying properties that were only eclipsed by the Dragon Eater itself.
It had been gifted to him by Michael, and with Azazel's help not only had he figured out how to assimilate it into the [Boosted Gear], but also mastered the sword's aura itself in order to truly tap into its strength.
On top of his hand to hand combat, he had become a bona fide swordsman. One that rivaled even Kiba in terms of raw technique alone.
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How long is she going to make me wait?
Takauji was sitting down on a bench near the spot where Serafall was supposed to arrive, with Kunou sitting next to him enjoying a scoop of ice-cream. Yasaka, having known how Takauji might react to the Leviathan's presence, had decided having Kunou near him would prevent the Dragon from acting out.
And she was right.
"Pandora-sama," Kunou spoke.
"You don't need to use the -sama Kunou, just Pandora is fine." He said with a gentle smile.
"I-I see, is the Leviathan a nice person?" She asked, somewhat nervous to be meeting with a Satan.
"I couldn't say for sure, I haven't really interacted with her all that much." Kunou's ears flopped a little. "But don't worry, if she tries anything I'll scare her away." He raised his hands up in a playful manner.
Kunou's mood lifted a little, reassured to have a Dragon guarding her, making her basically the safest person in Kyoto at the moment.
"Mother has been very busy lately, so I hope I'll also be able to help her out during the exchange." Kunou looked up to Yasaka more than anyone else, but she didn't have much of a role in the West Youkai Faction other than being a Princess, which sometimes made her feel useless.
"Then do you want to handle greeting the Leviathan?" Kunou flinched, looking at Takauji with a shocked expression.
"Isn't that a big responsibility? What if I mess something up…"
"You'll be fine, remember how you handled greeting me and Azazel when we first arrived?" She nodded. "Try to act as you did back then, you're more familiar with both Kyoto and the Faction than I am anyways, so you'll be able to do a better job at answering any of the Leviathan's questions."
And if she somehow has the audacity to criticize Kunou, they'll have to make do with three Satans instead of four.
Even though it was still too early for him to take on the likes of Sirzechs or Ajuka, Serafall was a different story.
"Is it really alright if I do it? The Leviathan is supposed to be greeted by you, so what if she feels offended that I'm doing it instead?" Even though Kunou's involvement in the Faction's politics was minimal, that didn't mean she didn't understand them.
"Hmph, she should be honored to have the super-duper cute Kunou herself greeting her. They're the ones who want to ally with your Faction, if she has the gall to disregard your presence then they aren't a group worth joining to begin with, wouldn't you agree?"
"I suppose you're right…"
"Also, I'm not just going to throw you to the Leviathan and scurry away, I'll be with you the whole time. So don't be afraid to call on me for help if you need anything." He patted her head, inspiring a bit of confidence within the young Kyuubi. "You're a smart girl though, so I doubt you'll need it."
Time continued to tick away, Takauji's attention eventually being grabbed by a teleportation circle appearing near them.
"Ready?" He looked at Kunou.
"Yes." She steeled herself and took a deep breath, walking towards the appearing figure with Takauji right beside her. "Welcome to Kyoto, Leviathan-sama." She bowed, greeting the young woman with black hair fashioned into twintails with pink ribbons holding them together, wearing green noblewomen attire.
"The pleasure is all mine, Kunou I believe it is?" She returned the gesture, slowly looking up at Takauji shortly after. "And you must be Pandora, I hope my presence isn't too much of a bother." Right now she was demonstrating professionalism, putting her Magical Girl act on hold for the time being. Having been warned by Azazel that calling Takauji "Pan-chan", might result in a few lost limbs.
"Of course not, Kunou will be handling your arrangements from here on out if that's alright with you?" He replied curtly, carefully scrutinizing the Satan with all four of his eyes.
"How could I refuse being lead around by such a well-mannered young woman?" She didn't need to crouch all that much to level with Kunou. "I'll be in your care from now on," she said with a friendly smile.
"Mother is waiting for you back at the Headquarters Leviathan-sama, I will lead the way." Kunou glanced at Takauji, earning an approving nod from him in turn. "If you have any questions feel free to ask me."
"Then I'll do just that," all of a sudden, Serafall clenched her stomach with a mildly embarrassed look on her face. "You wouldn't happen to know a good place to eat by any chance?"
"Our servants will have a meal prepared for you," Kunou said. Earning a sigh of relief from the Satan.
They took their time walking towards the Headquarters, Serafall wanting to enjoy Kyoto's scenery a little before they got to business. Her work normally kept her cooped up in the Underworld, giving her scarce opportunities to go out and about.
"I heard that Khaos Brigade decided to try something on the West Youkai Faction not too long ago?" For some reason, she had decided to make conversation with Takauji.
"They did." His response remained short. "What of it?"
"Nothing in particular, if I remember correctly it was you and Azazel's successor who repelled them?"
"We did," again, there was little emotion in his voice. An awkward silence looming over them as Serafall looked for a way to break the ice.
"If you don't mind me asking, do you know what the cause behind the attack was? It's still a little unclear from our side." Both Masashige and Takauji were the most uncooperative lifeforms on this planet when they wanted to be, so it wasn't surprising that the Satans hadn't been entirely filled in on the situation.
"They wanted to kill me." Technically that wasn't a lie, but a half-truth at best.
"You? What for?"
"They're whole deal was killing Devils, Fallen Angels, and Dragons to protect humanity or whatever. I was probably deemed a threat to them or something." Serafall had a feeling he wasn't exactly being honest, but she wasn't in a position to inquire any further, so he pushed aside the thought to the back of her mind for the time being.
Takauji's corporation was just as important as Yasaka's if they wanted their relationship with the West Youkai Faction to proceed smoothly.
And if they could have him actively work with the Underworld and Heaven, then all the better.
