The next Red Dragon Emperor

Arc 1: Finale

Chapter 5: The end…?

3rd person POV

With Issei finally in her arms Rias breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was finally back in its proper place and, whatever came next, everything was going to be fine. Because together nothing could get in their way.

"R-rias?" Issei suddenly said.

"I'm here. Everything is alright."

"How nice…" the boy said as he was groping her chest.

Rias smiled and pulled his face closer, eliciting an excited noise from the newly reawakened devil. She had given him back the pieces so he could be healed on the flight back. As it turned out, the idea had probably not been necessary, as Ddraig had managed to not hurt him gravely… Even considering the unreal strength he had showcased.

"Y/N…" Rias thought, Ddraig's final words replaying in her mind as she held Issei tighter.

"H-help!" the boy said in a throaty voice, contrasting with the way his face was moving in her cleavage.

Seeing this the girl let go, continuing the flight hand in hand with Issei. The rest of the peerage also gathered around, the girls each hugging the boy. Rias got irritated, but calmed down. Compared to before this routine was familiar… soothing even.

Timeskip (3rd person)

A hooded figure was walking amongst the ruins of an old battlefield. As the devils working on clearing up the place saw him they approached, making sure to keep a distance. While not highly likely it could've been an enemy. Not that arriving alone was a good idea.

"Hold it right there! Who are you?"

They got no answer, as the intruder kept walking at the same pace. Seeing this the devils all manifested their demonic powers, firing soon after and hitting the rather unimpressed figure. A dust cloud and pieces of debris flew into the air. The devils also flew to inspect their work.

"Great. There goes half an hour of work." one of them complained.

"What even was that?" another asked.

"Who cares? Let's get back to work."

However, the devils were surprised to see the figure still walking, seemingly unaffected. They stood still, fear and confusion swirling in their heads. Why hadn't they been attacked? What could be in that direction that the figure wanted? It couldn't be a city. Or any tactical position…

"Why stop?" the figure asked, looking up with its eyes still shaded by the hood. "That's nowhere near enough."

Unfortunately these words only served to scare the devils further. With a sigh the figure moved on. Thirst would definitely do the job eventually… Even if it had been way past three days. With enough searching a powerful enough devil would come around or exhaustion would finally win…

Yet several days after the encounter nothing much had changed. How large was the underworld? Was it also spherical, like the Earth? Why were there no settlements? Those had to be guarded by strong individuals.

"I know you noticed me." a voice called out.

With no reply Vali swooped down, grabbing the neck of the figure and lifting it in the air. However, there was no struggle and no signs of the throat actually getting plugged in any way. Looking closer scales seemed to be covering the entire area, only really leaving the face uncovered. With the cloak now open at the front a tail could also be seen. The boy smirked, filled him with excitement and anticipation. This would be a fun fight.