DxD: Ascension - Redux

Chapter 18: Open House

Poolside, one day ago...

Zach reclined in his deck chair, putting on a pair of aviators and closing his eyes. He quickly drifted off to sleep, his soul headed for the Heart of the Multiverse.

BGM: Persona 5 - Poem of Everyone's Souls

Zach awoke to find himself in the Heart of the Multiverse, laying under the same tree he'd been under on his last visit. He stared at the building in the center of the island. At the time, it was a tall skyscraper. The island was surrounded by a black void. All Zach could see from the island was a small red cross in the distance. "That's new..." He entered the building, walking into the elevator and going up to the top floor, where he found the Primordial Lords standing around a circular table, waiting for him.
"We've been expecting a visit," Satanael commented with a smile. "Good to see you again, Zach. And congratulations on that fight against Kokabiel."
Zach nodded to the Lord of Order. "Thanks. But that's not why I'm here, as you all surely know."
"Right." Kaira crossed her arms. "You want to know if we know who that woman was. Sorry to disappoint, but we don't know."
Zach was stunned. "What's with you guys lately? You created the entire multiverse, shouldn't you know everything that goes on?"
"That's just it. We should. But something's not right," Azrael began. "For one thing, forcibly keeping us here in the Heart has hindered us by a fair bit. But to add on to that, an outside force is blocking our omniscience."
"What could possibly be powerful enough to do that?" Zach asked.
Satanael shook his head. "Nothing. My first thought was Great Red... he's incredibly powerful and as the Dragon of Dreams, he'd have at least some influence over what we can see and discover from here."
"Great Red?"
"A dragon from the timeline you're stuck in. They call him the Dragon of Dragons, among other things. He represents dreams. He's arguably the most powerful thing you could encounter there."
"Arguably?"
"There are other powerful creatures there," Kaira added. "Trihexa, a ferocious monster with timeline-destroying capabilities, would be equivalent to Great Red if it weren't sealed away. There's also the Leviathan God. Nobody down there really knows where he came from, but he's dead, so don't bother worrying about him. There's one other major creature that you should worry about, though: Ophis, the Dragon of Infinity. It's just as powerful as Great Red, and at large somewhere in the timeline. Don't mess with it."
Zach nodded. "I understand. I guess it's a shame that you guys don't know anything about the mystery woman, but what you just told me will definitely help. By the way, what's with the area outside? All I can see out there is a red cross."
Azrael looked out the window. "We're in a sort of reverse version of reality. Like a... mirror dimension."
"There are a lot of those."
"Yes, there are. At least one for every mirror in existence. Now, you should be going. You don't realize it yet, but you've been asleep for a long time."
Zach nodded once more. "See you guys next time." He exited the building, laying down under the tree and drifting off to sleep.

Present, outside Kuoh Academy (BGM: Persona 5 - Suspicion)

"I'm Vali, the White Dragon Emperor. Otherwise known as the Vanishing Dragon," Vali said to introduce himself.
"Holy crap..." Issei felt a sharp pain in his left hand once more. My hand is freaking out again! Sure picked a crappy time to do it...
Vali pointed at Issei, his finger just an inch from his face. "How vulnerable you are, Issei. It wouldn't take much you defeat you with my power. Almost too easy."
Issei slid back, preparing to summon his Boosted Gear, but was interrupted by the interference of Kiba and Xenovia, who had their swords crossed at Vali's throat.
"Don't you think this joke has gone on long enough?" the former asked.
"It wouldn't be wise for us to let you start a fight with the Red Dragon Emperor here, would it?" Xenovia added.
Asia walked up behind Issei. "What's going on?"
"Stay back!" Issei extended his arm, keeping Asia from getting closer.
Vali chuckled. "Is this really the best move? If all of you fighting couldn't bring Kokabiel down, you'd never beat me. But don't take my word for it. Keep going, if you don't care about causing a scene." He waited. Sure enough, Kiba and Xenovia's weapons dematerialized as they walked to Issei's side. "Tell me, Issei. How do you think you compare to those with real power in this world? I'm talking about your Balance Breaker. I watched your fight with Riser, you know. It's quite incomplete if you ask me. But still a four-digit ranking. On a scale of strongest to weakest, that is. I'd say between a thousand and fifteen hundred, maybe lower. Not bad at all for a kid who's only had his power a couple of months."
"That's great, so what's your point?" Issei demanded.
"My point is that you're a valuable player. You should be taken care of and properly nurtured. Wouldn't you agree, Rias Gremory?" His gaze shifted over Issei's shoulder.
Sure enough, Rias was standing behind Issei alongside Koneko and Akeno. "I don't need your advice, White Dragon. Mind telling me what this is all about?" She walked forward. "If you've come here on behalf of the fallen angels, I can assure you it's a huge waste of time."
Vali smirked. "Hmph. Were you aware that the Welsh Dragon and Vanishing Dragon call upon the Twin Sky Dragons? People involved with them have never had the best of luck. I'm quite fascinated. Makes me wonder how your life will turn out, Princess."
Rias rolled her eyes. "It's like a second Zach..."
"Did someone say my name?" Zach asked, suddenly appearing behind Vali.
The Vanishing Dragon turned. "I was wondering what would draw you out. I have to admit, you interest me. I know my fair share of pyrokinetic fallen angels, but you're special. Using the same ranking system as Issei, I'd rate you somewhere around three hundred."
Zach crossed his arms. "And how good is that?"
"At your age? Phenomenal. Prodigious, actually. I haven't gotten to see much of your power yet, but I can sense that you've got some room for growth. You've got double-digit potential, Phoenix of Rebellion. And that's where Dragon Emperors ought to be too."
"So where are you on this scale?"
Vali thought for a moment. "Around the same place as you, so I've got some work to do. Sounds like a fun battle, no?"
"Is that a challenge?" Zach raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not here to fight. I have more important things to do today." Vali walked away from the school, disappearing into the crowd of students.