~ I have added this Fanfic to my Patreon. If you'd like to read advanced chapters, feel free to check it out!
~ I'm planning to increase the number of advanced chapters to +50 this weekend!
~ I've edited some of the previous chapters to remove anything you might consider "cringe" or "unnecessary." I'll continue reviewing them from time to time!
~ Very soon, we'll return to releasing two chapters daily, including bonus privileges for Power Stone contributions!
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Staring at Leiko momentarily, Ophis suddenly gave the dark-silver haired girl a sly smile.
"I, am Ophis. Your cousin, my Issei, belongs to me."
"W-wait. What about Issei?"
"Issei belongs to me. One day, I shall claim him for myself."
Leiko suddenly felt a little uneasy around Ophis, and she started to feel a bit anxious.
"Claim Issei. What do you mean?"
"I have marked Issei. He belongs to me."
Leiko didn't know how to respond to this.
Removing her stare from Leiko, Ophis looked at the living room table and picked up the Fortune Cooky flyer. Smiling deviously, Ophis held up the flyer to Leiko.
"Would you like free food?"
Leiko rose an eyebrow at Ophis's request.
"Free food?"
Grand Ise Shrine
The area around the Grand Ise Shrine was completely silent, so silent that not even a tumbleweed would be able to make a sound by blowing away. 'Inside' the shrine, laid Issei on the ground. His eyes were closed as though he was asleep. Next to him on the ground, was the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi itself.
Issei's Inner World/Subconscious
{You want to know who I am, partner?! Well here's your answer! I AM…!}
Two Kusanagi-no-Tsurugis clashed against each other, one fierce and proficient, and the other clumsy and hesitant. Issei quickly blocked the man's attack. The pressure to hold his own against his opponent strained him greatly.
"I still don't understand! I don't even know how to use a sword!" Issei yelled as the man put more pressure on his sword.
{What's not to understand, partner?! Better concentrate, or else you'll lose a limb!}
Issei tensed as the man pushed him forward. Landing on top of a skyscraper and trying to regain his balance, Issei rubbed his forehead.
'I don't have a clue on what's going on here!'
He looked up and he widened his eyes to see the man about to attack him with the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi once again. Issei thought quickly and blocked the attack. As soon as the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugis touched again, both of the swords emitted colorful auras.
The color of the man's Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi emitted a dark crimson aura, while Issei's Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi released a yellow-orange aura.
Issei widened his eyes, while the man deepened his frown. Narrowing his eyes, Issei flew away the other side of the skyscraper, putting some distance between himself and the man.
The man narrowed his eyes and pointed the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi towards Issei.
{Don't be so hesitant! Quicken your pace and attack me!}
Issei narrowed his eyes as he tried to catch his breath.
'It's not exactly easy for me!'
Gritting his teeth, Issei let out a bellow as he transformed into his Super Solar state. The man shook his head at the sight. Issei screamed louder as he tried to access his Hell-Fire form.
{Don't even bother!}
Issei stopped and widened his eyes when he saw a large dark-crimson wave of energy soar towards him. Issei quickly dodged the energy wave, and looked behind him to see the energy wave decimate an entire multitude of buildings, leaving large a crater in the ground.
'Oh my god!'
{Don't get all distracted on me!}
Issei looked back just in time to see the man send another crimson energy blast with the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. Issei tensed and proceeded to block the energy wave with his own sword. But he found it hard to withstand the pressure, so he forced himself to maneuver the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi and send the blast to another direction.
A bright crimson flash illuminated the space on where Issei and the man stood. As the light faded, Issei struggled to catch his breath and then clenched his fist as he pointed to his opponent.
"W-who the hell are you?"
The man rolled his eyes and then transmitted away. Issei widened his eyes and looked around his surroundings. The man then appeared in front of him, grabbing onto Issei's own version of the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.
Holding a tight grip on the sword, the man huffed and clenched his fist, causing the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi to break.
"?!"
Issei looked on in shock as the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi disintegrated in his hand. The man broke off a piece of the sword, and held it up towards Issei.
{Don't make me repeat myself, partner. Didn't I yell it out to you earlier? My name…is Ddraig, The Red Dragon Emperor!}
Issei had no time to react, when Ddraig suddenly grabbed his face and threw him into a nearby building.
His frown becoming stern, Ddraig narrowed his eyes as he watched Issei struggling to climb out of the building.
{For such a powerful brat, you sure do show a lot of stupidity.}
Issei grunted as he looked Ddraig in the eyes.
{When you are in battle, always keep your guard up. That should be an obvious rule, Issei. While you were standing there without a weapon like a dumbass, I could have easily just stabbed you.}
Issei widened his eyes and looked down to see that the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi was no longer in his hands.
"?!"
{Kukukuku.}
At the sound of Ddraig's laughter, Issei narrowed his eyes and glared the disguised Red Dragon Emperor.
{Battle not going in your favor? Well, the next ones won't if you keep standing around like that.}
Issei gritted his teeth and tried to increase his energy, until Ddraig pointed the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi towards him.
{You can't access that Hell-Fire transformation of yours, partner. At least not in the human world.}
Ceasing in attempting to transform, Issei straightened himself.
"What are you talking about?"
{The reason you can't access it here, is really simple. You're not in the Underworld.}
"I don't understand."
{When you absorbed the flames of the Phenex Devil, not only did you achieve a transformation that allowed you access to the power of Hell-Fire, but you also gained the powers and abilities of an individual of the Phenex Clan.}
Issei widened his eyes at Ddraig's explanation.
"You mean I gained all of Riser's powers?" The young man said in a bit of disgust.
Now he had a portion of Riser's powers.
'Great.'
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