17 Chapter 17: You Can Mature

Chapter 17:

"___" - Speech

(___) - Thoughts

{___} - Internal Voice(s)

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With each step he took closer towards his destined rival, the heavier his breathes became, and the sweatier his palms grew. However, the flames of hatred were simmering within him, all they needed was a little push before they boiled over. 

"That's a good look on your face Issei Hyoudou! Show me more of that anger! More of your wrath!" His upper eyelids narrowed as he brought out the [Boosted Gear]. 

"Vali, you want to fight me don't you? As my destined rival?" Though his tone appeared calm, there was no mistaking the animosity it held. 

"Of course, why else would I go this far?" The [Pawn] let out an uncharacteristically dry chuckle as his [King's] concern grew. 

"Issei?" She called out. 

"Buchou, I'm quite the pervert aren't I?" There was a distinct sliver of ice in his voice, one that Rias, nor anyone else in her peerage had heard from him before. 

"Are you alright? Issei?" She wanted nothing more than to reach out to her subordinate, but something about his ambience was keeping her in place. 

Warning her to not approach. 

"This guy wants to murder my family, how could I be alright Buchou?" He continued to face away from his comrades, wanting to keep the look on his face sealed under wraps. 

"What's going on Issei? You're not acting like yourself!" All he could offer in response, was a reluctant nod of approval. 

"I'm sorry, but just for a little while, I'm going to quit being myself alright? If you want to look away, I won't blame you, as a matter of fact I encourage you to do so." 

Jin tapped his [King] on the arm, to which the latter responded by setting up a barrier between the two Emperors and everyone else. 

"Governor? What are you doing?" She beckoned. 

Rather than receiving a response from the Fallen Angel, her brother instead approached, gently clasping her shoulder with lament on his face. 

"Nii-sama?" Her pupils were filled with hope, that her brother was about to offer her an answer. 

Which he would do, but he wouldn't be able to give her the one she wanted. 

"Rias, I'm afraid you won't be in his eyes during this fight." 

"What's that supposed to mean? Tell me." Sirzechs sighed as he wished his sister didn't have to bear witness to such a side of her own subordinate. 

"I'm afraid, it isn't my place to offer an explanation. Just believe in your subordinate, there isn't much else you could do." The shine on Issei's bracelet reached an all time high as the words clawed up his throat. 

"Vali, truth is I have no interest in fighting you." He looked to his hand, or more specifically his partner, and though no words were exchanged he could feel Ddraig's sentiment. 

"I simply, wish to kill you." 

Snap! 

["𝔹𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝔹𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜!"]

His aura imploded as similar to his rival, he had become covered in an all-encompassing scale mail. However, instead of a brilliant white, he donned a threatening red. 

The signature red of the Welsh Dragon. 

"That's a good attitude Issei Hyoudou! Come! Come and try to kill me!" Vali beckoned. The wings of [Divine Dividing] shone as they responded to the aura of the only one they deemed worthy. 

{Partner, don't let him touch you. He'll end up [Dividing] your strength in half, and if you let him do it one too many times, it's over.} 

(I see, that's quite a terrifying power. But, perhaps this would be a good time to use that present?) 

["Ascalon —Blade!"]

From within his gauntlet, extended a radiant light-silver blade with a presence that in truth, Ddraig found to be rather revolting. But there was no denying its utility.

The Holy Sword St. George used to slay a Dragon, handed down from Michael to Issei. 

Ascalon.

{Act fast, you won't be able to sustain [Balance Breaker] for very long.} 

(I'm still being held back by my own weakness, how pathetic.) 

He shot up into the sky, leveling himself with the White Dragon Emperor as he rushed towards him. 

Vali's hand came crashing down, obviously trying to grab hold of him. Issei ducked below his arm, thrusting his blade towards Vali's gauntlet as the two were destined to clash. 

Shatter! 

(I got him!) 

Pieces of his armor fell apart as some of the skin under his armor became visible, but, the Lucifer hardly seemed worried. 

"Hm? A Dragon Slayer? Can't say I was expecting that." As if it were childs play, Vali's scale mail repaired itself almost instantaneously. 

(What? That easily?) 

{I told you, he's complete.} 

Leaving him with no time to react, Vali dashed towards Issei, swiftly planting his fist deep into his crimson armor. 

(Shit!) 

"As I said, you don't understand how big the difference between us really is." 

["Divide!"] 

The gems on his armor flashed as Issei's strength was sapped away, and used to nourish his opponents. 

(If he can half my power, all I have to do is double it again!) 

["Boost!"] 

Handing over a large portion of his stamina, Issei regulated his strength and responded by transferring Ddraig's energy into Ascalon. 

(My fists probably won't be enough to deal with him, I hate to admit it, but all I can do is rely on this.) 

"How foolish, we both know you don't have the gas to outlast me." Vali grit his teeth as he prepared to simply take the oncoming attack, after all he could simply mend his armor at will right after. 

(You're giving me a chance to attack? I'll make you regret that.) 

Knowing he couldn't afford to waste the opening, he let go of even more of the strength protecting his body, and turned himself into what was essentially a glass cannon. 

Splurt! 

The blade plunged itself deep into Vali's gut, straight through his armor, causing the latter to cough out a good chunk of blood as he dropped onto the ground. 

(Was that enough?) 

"Yep, that was a pretty damn good hit. But what now? Issei Hyoudou?" Just as planned, Vali was still standing, and Issei had left his entire body vulnerable. 

(The fuck? I pierced right through his abdomen, how is he moving?) 

"Did you forget? I have the body of a Lucifer. Putting me down isn't that easy." Like the freak of nature he was, the gaping hole in his body had already begun to seal as he reaffirmed his posture. 

The White Dragon scoffed as he brought back his scale mail, aiming his hand towards Issei as sparkes gathered around his finger tips. 

{Try to endure, Partner.} 

Vali's eyes flashed as lightning assaulted the Red Dragon from all angles, seeping through his armor and practically cooking him alive. 

Issei's pupils grew bloodshot as he tried his best to resist the mind-numbing amount of pain he was being forced to bear. 

(Lightning? He can use lightning!?) 

The armor of the [Boosted Gear] slowly started to unravel as his body became exposed, the faces of the onlookers twisted as blood spilled out of the cracks of his scale mail. 

"Holy Swords are only as strong as their wielders allow them to be. The moment you believed Ascalon would be your sole key to victory, you had lost." Step by step, Vali inched closer towards his fallen rival with a smirk on his face. 

"Fuck —you." He wheezed. 

"Haha, that's a good look you have on your face. Your spirit is strong, but spirit isn't enough to defeat me and Albion. Anyhow, it looks like this encounter of ours will have to come to an early close." His head tilted upwards as a crack appeared in the sky above him. 

"What?" 

"Looks like you got a little carried away, Vali." With his feet planted on what could only be described as a flying nimbus, was a young man with short light-colored hair wearing some form of eastern-armor. 

"Bikou? What are you doing here?" 

"We're about to go fight with the Norse-guys, I've been sent to call you over." Vali shrugged as the two of them calmly started to walk away. 

"Wait." With shaky legs and labored breaths, Issei hauled himself to his feet as he shot a thousand-yard stare his rivals way. 

"Doing that will only make your recovery take longer." 

"Why didn't you kill me?" 

"You're still incomplete, killing you right now would just be a waste of material. As a matter of fact, Albion said that you're apparently a better Dragon host than me. Shocking isn't it?" Before his counterpart had a chance to respond, Vali stepped into Bikou's teleportation circle and vanished into thin air.

"Issei!" With the barrier now disabled, Rias took the opportunity to rush straight to her subordinates' side. "Asia!" She called out, to which the blond [Bishop] responded by sprinting towards Issei as she placed a palm on his back. 

As [Twilight Healing] performed its magic, Issei's eyes lifelessly scanned the scenery before shifting to his [King]. 

"I lost, Buchou." 

"That doesn't matter now, all that matters is that you're alright." 

"That's right! Issei!" Asia reaffirmed.

"It matters Buchou, it's the only thing that matters." 

"What are you talking about Issei? Just forget about that repulsive man already, just let Asia do her job." Her words seemed to go in one ear and come out the other, once again he tried to will his body back to life before inevitably stumbling over. 

But this time, there was a hand to catch him. 

"Jin?" He muttered. 

"Frustrated?" Issei let out a self-deprecating chuckle followed by a helpless sigh. 

"What kind of question is that? I was brought face to face with my fated rival, and all I could muster up was the strength of a flailing child in response. Frustrated doesn't even begin to describe it." Jin nodded as Issei peered into his reptilian-like pupil. 

"Indeed, it was pretty one-sided if I do say so myself. But, you're still alive aren't you?" 

"So what? You heard him, he just intends on annihilating me later down the road. It's almost as if I'm just entertainment to him, but after that sorry show I put on, I guess that's fair." The Fallen Angel smiled as Issei's expression grew somber. 

"You lost pretty badly, there's no denying that. But you know what? I don't think that's such a bad thing." 

"Huh?" 

"Now that you understand just how strong your rival really is, you'll be able to find the motive to push on. To surpass him, you've grown from this fight, Issei Hyoudou. You may not realize it, but it's true."

"Grown? What's that supposed to mean?" 

"I'll be honest, when I first met you my friendliness was pretty much an act. All I saw was a boy who happened to get lucky by being blessed with a Longinus." 

"I'm hoping there's a 'but' somewhere?" 

"There is, now when I look at you I'm able to see faint traces of purpose in your eyes. You have the potential to be deserving of your title, wouldn't you agree?" 

"Deserving? I wouldn't know about that." 

"I didn't say you were, I just said that you had the potential to be. The rest is up to you, Kouhai." He looked up at Jin with a perplexed look on his face. 

"Kouhai?" 

"Hm? She didn't tell you? I'm a third-year." His eyes widened as he blinked repeatedly in disbelief. 

"Third-year? Are you sure you're not a teacher?" A vein popped out of Jin's forehead as he "accidently" dropped his junior. 

"Ow!" 

(I don't look that old, right?) 

He turned towards Oron in search of a second opinion, to which the latter simply turned his head with a nervous sweat running down his face. 

(Shit.)

"Jin." To his surprise, Issei still had more to say. 

"What do you want?" 

"Do you have one? A motive to push on?" Though Jin offered a response, it wasn't verbal. 

Instead, all he did was point to his morphed eye with a faint smile on his face before walking off with Oron at his side.