On Monday morning, Kuoh Academy was buzzing with the usual start-of-term gossip, but the atmosphere shifted dramatically when a young brown-haired man stepped through the main gates.
Issei no longer walked with a slouch or that wandering, perverted gaze. Now, he walked tall, with a firm stride that radiated absolute confidence. His uniform, which used to be a bit loose, now strained slightly at the shoulders and back due to the brute force he had forged in the mountains.
"Is that... Hyoudou?" a second-year girl whispered, stopping dead in her tracks."No way, he looks... different. Did he hit a growth spurt?" her friend replied, turning to follow him with her eyes.
The usual murmurs of contempt were replaced by a deathly silence or astonished whispers. Issei ignored it all; his senses, sharpened by training, were focused on detecting every presence around him. Suddenly, a group of girls cleared a path in the main hallway. In the center, walking with regal elegance, were Rias Gremory and Akeno Himejima.
Issei stopped a few meters away. Their eyes met. In Issei's eyes, there was no lust, but a depth of longing and protection that hit Rias like an electric shock.
"Rias?" Akeno noticed her president had gone rigid. "What's wrong?"
Rias didn't respond immediately. She was analyzing the boy in front of her. 'His aura... it's not human, but it's not supernatural either. It's like a volcano about to erupt,' Rias thought, feeling a shiver she couldn't quite decipher.
Issei, making a superhuman effort not to run and hug them, simply nodded in a gesture of gentlemanly respect and continued toward his classroom.
"Ara, ara..." Akeno murmured with a mischievous smile. "It seems the school 'pervert' has become quite an interesting man over these last few months, don't you think, Rias?"
Rias stared at Issei's back until he disappeared down the hall.
"That boy... Issei Hyoudou..." Rias whispered, clutching her books to her chest. "Something about him has completely changed. Akeno, I want you to keep a close eye on him. I feel a power emanating from him that no human should possess."
Meanwhile, upon reaching his classroom, Issei was greeted by Matsuda and Motohama, who stood there with their mouths agape.
"Issei! You damn traitor!" Matsuda shouted. "What the hell did you do these last two months? You look like a freaking athlete now! What happened to you?""Tell us the truth!" Motohama demanded, adjusting his glasses. "Did you get surgery or something? Even the girls are looking at you like they want to get to know you!"
Issei let out a calm laugh—one that lacked any of his old high-pitched cackling.
"I just decided to take my future seriously, guys," Issei said, sitting at his desk. "The old Issei stayed in the mountains."
'Partner, get ready,' Ddraig's voice echoed in his mind. 'Rias Gremory has already taken the bait. It won't be long before she tries to contact you.'
Issei smirked to himself. Everything was going according to plan.
As classes ended, the Kuoh sky turned a deep orange. Issei walked toward the exit, feeling the gaze of several students, but his senses were on high alert. Ddraig warned him in a low voice:
"Partner, there she is. I feel the energy of a Fallen Angel, though she's trying to hide it behind that sweet girl act."
Issei didn't flinch. Near the fountain, a girl with dark hair and a seemingly timid gaze was waiting for him. It was Yuuma Amano (Raynare).
"U-um... excuse me!" she said, approaching with a fake blush. "You're Hyoudou Issei-kun, right?"
Issei stopped. His eyes, now sharper from training, scanned her with a coldness that made her hesitate for a second. It wasn't the look of a drooling pervert, but of someone reading her intentions.
"Yes, that's me. How can I help you?" Issei replied with a deep, calm voice.
Yuuma fell silent for a moment, surprised by the presence the boy emanated. He looked nothing like the reports she had on the "Pervert of Kuoh."
"Well... I..." she stammered, resuming her role. "I've been watching you for a while and... I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me on Sunday!"
Issei felt a sting of anger in his chest, remembering how she had murdered him in the past, but he controlled it thanks to his new discipline.
"A date?" Issei smirked—a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Alright, I accept. I'll see you at the central park on Sunday."
Yuuma seemed relieved, though something about Issei's confidence unsettled her.
"Great! Then I'll see you there!" she said before almost jogging away.
'That woman... she still thinks I'm an easy prey,' Issei thought, clenching his fists.
"Careful, partner," Ddraig warned him. "Your brute force has grown so much that if you land a hit without holding back, you might pulverize her before she reveals who sent her. Remember, we need Rias to show up for the contract to be fulfilled."
"I know, Ddraig. But this time, I'll be the one doing the hunting."
From one of the windows of the old school building, two figures observed the scene. Rias Gremory frowned while Akeno remained by her side.
"That girl isn't human, is she, Rias?" Akeno asked in a serious tone.
Sunday arrived with a clear sky, but the tension in the air was palpable to someone with the senses of a dragon. Issei walked toward the central park, wearing a shirt that highlighted his well-worked shoulders. He was no longer the nervous boy of his past life; now, every step he took was calculated.
"Partner, I detect three Fallen presences in the perimeter," Ddraig warned. "Raynare didn't come alone. It seems they suspect you aren't an ordinary human."
'Let them all come if they want,' Issei replied mentally, maintaining a neutral expression. 'My brute force needs a real punching bag after two months of smashing rocks.'
Yuuma (Raynare) was waiting for him by the fountain, wearing her summer dress and that fake smile that Issei now found repulsive. They spent the afternoon walking, but Issei noticed her becoming increasingly nervous. The "new" Issei didn't fall for her games; he didn't blush and spoke with a confidence that threw her off.
Finally, at sunset, she led him to the most secluded section of the park.
"Hyoudou-kun... today has been so much fun," she said, stopping under a tree. "But I have one last request... could you die for me?"
In a burst of violet light, her human clothes vanished, revealing her true form as a Fallen Angel with black wings and a light spear in her hand.
"Die?" Issei let out a dry laugh that made Raynare's skin crawl. "Sorry, Yuuma, but I've already been through that once. And I don't plan on repeating it."
Raynare, enraged by his lack of fear, hurled her light spear at top speed. In the past, that would have been the end for Issei. But now...
In a blink of pure speed, Issei vanished. The spear struck the ground, creating an explosion of energy, but Issei was already behind her.
"What!?" Raynare screamed, turning frantically. "Impossible! A human can't move like that!"
"Ddraig, now!" Issei roared.
Though he didn't summon the gauntlet to avoid alerting the entire Underworld, Issei charged his fist with a fraction of his brute force. The air around his arm began to distort from the pressure.
"This is for what you did to me last time!" Issei shouted.
He threw a punch that broke the sound barrier. Raynare barely managed to cross her wings to protect herself, but the impact was devastating. The sound of her bones cracking echoed as she was sent flying backward, crashing through three trees before smashing into a stone wall.
"Careful, partner!" Ddraig shouted. "Rias Gremory has just arrived!"
Issei felt the characteristic scent of roses and the Power of Destruction. A crimson magic circle appeared on the ground, and from it emerged the Gremory heiress, her face a mask of absolute shock at the sight of a human standing over a defeated Fallen Angel.
"Issei... Hyoudou?" Rias whispered, looking at the crater the boy had caused with a single fist. "What... are you?"
Issei turned slowly, hiding his dragon aura just in time, and feigned exhaustion.
"Rias..." he said, with faked heavy breathing. "I don't know what happened... she attacked me and my body just... reacted."
Rias approached him, still processing the scene. Raynare, wounded and bleeding, tried to get up to throw one last spear, but Rias disintegrated her with a simple wave of her hand.
"It doesn't matter now," Rias said, placing a hand on Issei's shoulder and noticing the intense heat emanating from his skin. "You are in danger, Issei. But I can save you... if you accept my offer."
Issei stared into Rias's crimson eyes. He knew that to get his life back and stay close to those he loved, he had to follow the original script—though this time, he would be the one secretly setting the rules of the game.
"I don't understand what's happening... but I trust you, Rias," Issei said, faking a vulnerability that his Herculean body almost contradicted.
Rias nodd
ed solemnly. She pulled out a chess piece that glowed with an unusual intensity.
"Hyoudou Issei, you have died as a human, but you shall be reborn as my servant. Become my Pawn!" she exclaimed as she inserted the piece into the young man's chest.
Normally, Pawn pieces enter with ease, but this time was different. Upon contact with Issei's body—enhanced by two months of brute force and Ddraig's essence—the piece began to vibrate violently. Rias had to use both hands to contain the pressure.
"What... what is this power!" Rias cried out, feeling her own energy reserves being sucked into Issei's body. "Eight pieces! He has consumed all eight Pawn pieces in one go!"
A pillar of crimson light enveloped Issei, cracking the park ground. When the light dissipated, Issei stood there, surrounded by a dark red aura that made nearby trees wither. His eyes flashed emerald for a second before returning to normal.
"It feels... strange," Issei lied, though inside he felt his new devil body merging perfectly with his previous training.
Rias fell to her knees, panting from the effort. Akeno appeared from the shadows with lightning in her hand, ready to attack, but stopped upon seeing her President safe.
"President, what happened?" Akeno asked, looking at Issei with a mix of fear and fascination. "I've never seen such a violent transmutation."
"He's a monster..." Rias whispered, looking at her trembling hands. "Issei... you've absorbed my entire set of Pawns. Your potential is something I've never seen in the Underworld."
Issei approached Rias and extended his hand. Upon touching her, Rias felt a warmth and strength that made her shudder.
"Thank you for saving me, Rias," Issei said with a sincere smile. "From now on, my life is yours. I will do whatever it takes to protect you."
Rias blushed slightly at the intensity of his words. This wasn't the declaration of a scared boy, but the vow of a warrior.
'Partner, we did it,' Ddraig celebrated in his mind. 'You are a devil again, but with the foundation of a god. Tomorrow, when we go to the Club, the others won't believe their eyes.'
The Shadows Stir
After Issei and Rias departed, a magic circle appeared where the other Fallen Angels emerged.
"Dohnaseek: Stupid Raynare, she got overconfident and ended up eliminated."
"Kalawarner: Now, because of her, we'll have to move up our plans. Mittelt, how long until the nun arrives?"
"Mittelt: She'll be arriving in two days."
"Kalawarner: Let's retreat to prepare the ritual and get out of here as fast as possible."
The three then vanished through a magic circle. Little did they know, their plans would not go as expected—because a dragon was already on the hunt.