[!] Your pact with Y Ddraig Goch (Fire) has leveled up.
All associated abilities have leveled up.
Boosted Gear's Balance Breaker has evolved.
[Crimson Scale Mail] Unlocked!
"I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU!"
"HAH, neat parlor trick!"
Baruka grinned just as Issei launched himself at him, moving faster than he had done before. This time, however, the ice elf was able to intercept his attack, using his twin daggers to block his fist. Sparks flew as the sheer force pushed Baruka back a few steps, just as it knocked every combatant fighting near them to the ground. His boots dug into the frozen ground as Baruka stopped himself before shoving Issei back to swing his dagger in a wide arc, aiming for his neck.
Issei immediately ducked his head down, the blade narrowly missing as he retaliated with an upward, flaming punch. Baruka smirked as he leaned his head back, dodging the blow by inches, then countered with a rapid slash. The dagger scraped against the crimson armor but failed to pierce it, earning a growl from Issei.
"Is that all?" He asked. Baruka snarled and lunged forward, driving both daggers down in a vicious overhead strike. Issei raised his arms, catching the blades in his gauntlets. The impact cracked the ground beneath his feet, but Issei twisted his body and sent Baruka flying with a kick to his chest, just as Elva launched frost spikes toward Issei, who ignited the air around him, causing the spikes to instantly evaporate and vanish before they could reach him.
"You vermin!"
Baruka snarled as he dashed back into the fray, his twin daggers glowing as he charged at Issei with renewed aggression, but a massive swung down and intercepted the ice elf, forcing Baruka to leap back to avoid being cleaved in two. Without needing to say a word to his master as he stood at his side, Gladio raised his great sword in one hand, his eyes glowing menacingly under his shadowy helmet as he pointed a finger challengingly at Baruka with the other,
"Heh, that regenerative ability of yours is truly problematic, but I have beaten you once, shadow… AND I SHALL DO IT AGAIN!" Baruka laughed as he surged forward, daggers flashing as he clashed his blade with Gladio, who held his ground with seemingly renewed resolve. With a mighty swing, he pushed Baruka back, but the ice elf was quick to twist around, ducking under a horizontal slash and countering with a stab, but Gladio did not allow the blade to reach him as he swung his sword back, parrying the dagger in a shower of sparks.
At the same time, Issei rushed at Elva as she sent a blast of ice wind at him, blasting through it by wrapping himself in dragon fire and charging forward. Flames licked at the air as Issei swung his fist at the elf queen, forcing her to conjure a wall of ice to block the attack. The impact shattered the barrier and melted away a good chunk of it, sending shards of ice scattering around them, but Elva had already flown back, launching another volley of projectiles in rapid succession.
Despite the fact that they flew at him fast and managed to overcome to the heat of his flame, Issei was able to dodge all of them, but a sharp pain suddenly shot through his body, causing him to almost get hit in the head by an ice spike, snapping his head to the side just in time to avoid it.
[Partner, your body with these injuries right now cannot handle the strain of this new Scale Mail]
"Then we need to make every second count, Ddraig. Watch over my mana for me."
Saying that, Issei pushed forward, ignoring the pain that seemed to intensify with each move he made as flames erupted around him in a spiraling torrent, melting the icy terrain beneath his feet as he charged at Elva, who flew up high and summoned a blizzard to halt his advance. Snow and frost swirled violently across the entire battlefield, clashing against Issei as he continued to force his way through the freezing storm before leaping into the air, his dragon wings flaring as he sped up and brought his fist toward Elva like a flaming meteor. The elf queen barely managed to shield herself with a dome of ice, the impact shattering the barrier and creating a shockwave that sent her crashing into the ground.
At the same time, Gladio was locked in another brutal fight against Baruka, who laughed like a maniac as he overwhelmed the knight with his superior speed and agility, his daggers flashing in the dim light as he slashed at the shadow knight while simultaneously dodging and sidestepping to avoid his giant blade. Holding his ground against the onslaught, Gladio suddenly raised his gauntlet and deflected a deadly blow from Baruka before he twirled around and swung his great sword at him.
Baruka instantly blocked it, holding his daggers in an X-shape formation in front of his chest to keep the giant blade from reaching him, but the force behind it was still enough to send him flying back. Seeing an opening, Gladio lunged forward, appearing right above Baruka with his sword raising over his head. The ice elf swiftly sidestepped the strike, just narrowly avoiding the sharp edge of the blade as it cleaved through the air before slashing with both daggers in rapid succession. Sparks flew as the blade scraped against the dark metal, with each strike leaving a deep gash across his armor, but Gladio held his ground and sidestepped the last strike to backhand Baruka across the face as the elf briefly lost his momentum, sending him away.
"Heh, such aggression… what's wrong? Can't keep a cool head anymore after failing your master?" Baruka smirked as he flipped around and landed gracefully on the ground, wiping away the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His gaze locked onto Gladio, who had moved over to Sieghart and lowered himself down to rest a hand on his chest, as if paying his respect to the fallen hero.
After a brief moment, Gladio then reached to the side and picked up the black shield lying next to Sieghart, holding it at his side as he stood up. His eyes met those of Baruka again, and with a swift motion, he extended the hand holding his sword outward, making a challenging gesture for Baruka to come at him. Baruka smirked as he prepared himself, his eyes gleaming maniacally just before the two combatants clashed again in the center of the battlefield.
As the battle between elves and shadows raged on, Issei charged at Elva once more, his fiery aura intensifying as he pushed through the blast of icy wind she sent at him. Ice spikes shot toward him from every direction, even the ground, but Issei blasted through them with his dragon flame, leaving melting remnants in his wake. Before Issei could reach her, Elva soared even higher into the sky and raised both hands above her head, summoning a mini storm of icy winds that seemed to swirl into an expanding orb of condensed energy between her palms. The winds across the frozen battlefield howled as she channeled more and more of her power into the orb, causing the air itself, and even the fire that was burning away the tree down below to freeze over.
With a shriek, she hurled the orb at Issei, who boosted up his power as many times as he could before launching himself into the air, meeting the orb of ice head on despite the pain that was washing over his entire body. With a single, powerful punch, he struck the orb, his fiery fist slamming into the icy energy and sending it veering off course, flying sharply to the side to crash into the distant forest. The explosion that followed was immense, an eruption of icy energy that consumed everything in its path. The ground cracked as trees, rocks, and everything in its vicinity were frozen in an instant.
Neither party had the time to see the destruction, however, as Issei reached Elva, his fist colliding with her abdomen in a devastating explosion of dragon flame. A shockwave of heat and force blasted outward, scorching the very air around them and sending a ring of melted snow and ice spreading in all directions as Elva was thrown back like a ragdoll, her body crashing into the frozen lake just outside of the Hideaway with enough force to break through the ice and sink beneath the surface. The violent splash of water and ice shards erupted into the air as the elf queen was swallowed by the depths below while the entire lake rippled violently from the impact, as if the very earth itself was recoiling from the force of the blow.
For a moment, everything was still, despite the ongoing battle in the distance. Issei hovered over the spot where Elva had fallen, his eyes scanning the water, waiting for any sign of movement. The water remained eerily calm for a few seconds, and then, just as he had expected, Elva emerged. Her form, once regal and pristine, was now a broken and battered shell. Several areas of her blue skin were blackened and charred from the blast of heat that had sent her crashing into the lake. Blood dripped and trickled down from fresh wounds visible along her arms and chest, and her breath came in shallow, pained gasps.
With a snarl, the elf queen dragged herself from the icy lake, ice and water dripping from her form as she shakily tried to push herself up. Her gaze then locked on Issei as he landed on the ground before her, but the weariness in her posture betrayed the fury and hate she had in her eyes as she looked at him.
"You… you think this is over?" Elva rasped, her voice coming in hoarse. "I am the Queen of the Elves. I am the ruler of this sacred land you are standing on. You will not break me."
Issei remained silent. He simply took a step forward, his fiery aura flaring around him as his pace quickened into a run and pulled his fist back, his fire wrapping around him, shifting and twisting into the shape of a dragon. The armor on his back opened, revealing two boosters that unleashed a torrent of flame, propelling him forward at breakneck speed.
[BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST! BOOST!]
[Skill activated] – Transfer
[Skill activated] – Vital Slash
[Skill activated] – Penetrate
With a deafening roar, he shot toward Elva.
"This ends now!"
Sensing her imminent doom, Elva struggled to summon what remained of her strength, her body trembling from the wounds she had sustained. Despite the pain, she raised a hand, trying to summon the last of her ice magic to protect herself. "You fool!" Elva spat, gritting her teeth. "I will never fall—"
But Elva never got to finish her sentence. In a blink of an eye, Issei was upon her. Time seemed to slow around them as the fire dragon around him roared as if it were alive, its fiery maw opening wide with Issei surging forward, engulfing everything in his path in a blazing inferno before throwing his fist at Elva, sending it straight at her face with devastating force.
[!] Finishing move – Rage of the Fire Dragon
The moment the blow found its mark, the explosion of flame was blinding. As his fist crashed through whatever defenses that Elva had managed to raise, her screams were drowned out by the roar of the flame dragon as it consumed her, the dragon-shaped fire wrapping around her and swallowing her entire form. The explosion was so intense that it shattered the frozen lake beneath them, the ice cracking and collapsing as the heat spread across the landscape, melting the snow and turning the ground to ash in its wake.
Everything within the blast radius was obliterated, leaving nothing but a scorched crater in the ground where Elva had stood moments before as Issei pushed forward, dragging Elva with him while carving a path of scorched earth and destruction in his path. With a final, thunderous impact, Issei slammed Elva into the side of the mountain, the force of the collision sending shockwaves through the earth. The mountain itself trembled, cracks appearing along an entire section of its surface as if the very foundation of the land was being torn apart. Massive rocks and boulders dislodged from the mountainside, tumbling down as the ground rumbled beneath them. The explosion of energy created a massive crater in the mountain's side, the impact creating a deep fissure that ran down its length.
Issei stood amidst the destruction, looking at Elva as she whimpered weakly for her life, her once glowing eyes flickering dimly with pain, fear, and fury as she was pinned against the jagged rock of the crater, unable to move with her burnt and broken body. The once proud queen of the ice elves, now on the brink of death, looked up at Issei with defiance still burning in her eyes. Her voice, hoarse and strained, barely rose above the deafening silence that followed the destruction.
"You… all are going to die here…" She rasped, her words dripping with venom even as her strength continued to fade. Her chest then rose in one last breath before her arms fell limply down at her side, leaving nothing but an empty stare as her charred body went limp, the last remnants of her life snuffed out in the wake of her defeat.
[Elva, Queen of the Ice elves LV. 60 – DEFEATED]
[!] Level up!
[!] Level up!
[!] Level up!
[!] Level up!
[!] Level up!
"We will see if you will have anything to say about that…" Issei murmured as he pulled his fist back before speaking the command "Arise."
Just a moment earlier, on the other side of the battlefield, Baruka was struggling, finding it harder and harder to overcome the impenetrable defense Gladio now had with Sieghart's shield. Each strike of his dual daggers, no matter how swift or deadly it was, failed to find their mark as Gladio used the shield to block the attack before retaliating with a swift swing of his massive blade, forcing Baruka to stay on the defensive even though he was the one dissing out more attacks.
"Tch, how annoying."
The ice elf scoffed as the tip of his blade was knocked back once again by the wall of steel between him and Gladio, whose eyes then flashed a glowing purple under his helmet as he surged forward, bashing Baruka. The ice elf barely managed to catch his footing before Gladio sent his greatsword toward him, forcing him to duck his head down to dodge the strike as the blade cleaved through the air with enough force to send a gust of wind in its wake.
Swiftly, Baruka retaliated with a quick upward slash of his dagger, but once again Gladio blocked the attack with the black shield in his hand. Losing his composure, Baruka launched a relentless assault at Gladio, aiming for his joints, neck, and pretty much every exposed area that he could find on his armor – but the shield was always there to block each and every strike, generating sparks with every impact.
Picking up speed even more, Baruka then darted to the side, his movements fluid as he circled around Gladio. Faking a feint, the ice elf than ducked down quickly and slashed his daggers low, his blade targeting the small gasp between the shin and ankles, but Gladio was even faster to switch his stance, lowering the shield just enough to block the attack before surging toward Baruka, kicking the edge of the shield to slam it into his face.
The impact sent Baruka stumbling back, his boots skidding across the frost-covered ground. A flicker of pain crossed his face as he steadied himself, but he barely had time to collect his composure as Gladio was right upon him, using the momentum of his movement to strike with his blade. The sword came down with devastating force, and though Baruka managed to sidestep it at the last moment, the sheer weight of the blade cracked the ground where it landed, splitting the earth just as Gladio bashed Baruka, who tried to stab him through the head with both daggers, with the black shield to throw him off balance before shifting his stance to swing his blade at him in a sweeping motion. Gritting his teeth, Baruka wasted no time to leap back, but the tip of the greatsword still grazed his chest and left a deep gash there, causing blood to gush out as the ice elf stumbled back.
"You vermin…" Baruka snarled, frustration evident in his narrowed eyes as he glared hatefully at Gladio.
Before the ice elf could make another attempt to strike down the shadow knight, an explosion ripped through the battlefield, as a deafening roar of a dragon drowned out all sounds. The shockwave of the devastating attack done by Issei to kill Elva tore through the battlefield, knocking all but Baruka and Gladio themselves off balance. With his eyes widening in shock, Baruka snapped his head to the direction, with one arm shielding his face as the intense heat washed over the entire landscape.
"Everyone, look!" A voice cried out from one of the mages fighting in the distance, her words filled with awe and astonishment as a swirling mass of energy appeared in the center of the courtyard, flickering and illuminating the dimmed battlefield.
"It's… it's the Gate… that explosion just now… it must be Issei. He did it… Issei did it!" Frank murmured in disbelief before crying out, his voice rising in excitement. The words spread like wildfire, causing cheers to erupt from the heroes and devil combatants alike, their spirits lifted by the sudden hope of escape.
The sound of celebration quickly turned to urgency as the elves rushed forward, their swords and magic at the ready. Frank gripped at the sword in his hands as he braced himself along with his fellow devils and supporters, who had fought side by side with him with all that they had to defend the Main House, where they kept those who were wounded in the fight and allowed the healers to help them recover.
Just as a volley of ice arrows soared through the air toward them, a familiar fiery figure descended from the sky, cutting through the barrage effortlessly. His flame roared as Issei landed in front of Frank and the supporters, causing the elves to falter momentarily at the sight of him. Three elves rushed at him from different angles, their swords and daggers at the ready to strike him down, but before they could even land a hit, Issei shot forward and tore through them with his flaming fist, sending the elves flying back and crashing into the ground faster than they could blink.
"Anyone who can still move, grab the injured and rush for the gate!" Issei called out, his voice firm and commanding as he came to a stop, dodging an incoming ice arrow with a fluid sidestep. Without missing a beat, he threw a powerful left hook at the nearest elf, sending the attacker sprawling to the ground.
Frank opened his mouth to argue, but a sound in the distance stopped him. His eyes snapped to the horizon, widening in shock and horror. The unmistakable sight of an army of ice elves on horseback surged into view, their numbers vast as they charged forward, their battle cries echoing across the battlefield as their frosted mounts galloped toward the Hideaway. The only thing slowing their advance was the massive crater and the ruined lake caused by the fight between Issei and Elva, forcing them to detour around the destruction.
But even so, their numbers were overwhelming, and they were closing in fast.
Panic, Frank then turned his attention to Issei, but before he could say anything, Issei snapped at him with a cry "Get everyone to gate, now! My shadows and I will buy you as much time as we can."
The lead supporter hesitated, torn between staying and helping Issei and doing what he was told by the young man. Still, the sheer number of incoming elves left him with little choice, and with a final nod, he turned to rally the others.
"Go, now!" He ordered, and rushed back himself into the main house to help with the carrying of the injured to their escape. The other captains were quick to do the same, rallying their troops as Issei joined his shadows in battle, doing all that they could to take care of the remaining elves within their camp.
Baruka, his clothes in tatters and his body bloody from his gradually losing fight against Gladio, snarled ferally as he attacked the shadow knight, only for him to block his strikes again with the dark shield before swinging his blade at him, slashing his chest. The force of the strike forced Baruka back, but Gladio was nowhere near done. Before the ice elf could react, Gladio stomped on his chest with the weight of his armor, pressing him into the frozen ground before kicking him back with his left foot, sending the ice elf tumbling through the snow.
"BARUKA!"
Just as Baruka managed to pick himself up, he was struck across the face by Issei. His vision blurred for a moment, his body reeling from the unexpected hit before he was launched across the entire battlefield before striking the ground hard, his body tumbling across the dirt like a rag doll that had been thrown by a giant. Each time a part of his body struck the earth, it left indisputable proof where he had landed until his body crashed through a cabin, where his momentum was finally stopped.
Despite the damage, the angered ice elf emerged from the crash only a second later, his teeth bared in a feral snarl as he launched himself at Issei, who raised his hand to swiftly deflect the fist aiming for his face and retaliate instantly with a devastating left hook of his own at Baruka. The ice elf endured the pain and snapped his head back, grabbing Issei by the collar of his breastplate and striking him in the stomach with a foot. Despite his new armor, Issei could still feel the force of the blow as he doubled over before being sent backwards by another strike smashing into his face.
"You should have taken my offer."
Baruka said as he tore away his tattered shirt and jacket while cackling maniacally, fixing his gaze on Issei as he regained his footing and glared hatefully at him from the broken visor of his helmet. His entire body was aching, his strength normally would have been enough to handle the power of the Crimson Scale Mail, but the injuries he had sustained trying to stop Elva from killing everyone with Sieghart had been making it a hundred times harder.
Still, Issei refused to let the pain show on his face as he kept his gaze on Baruka, who stretched out his hands and declared confidently, a manic grin spreading across his face. "Can you not see it? Soon, all of you will be slaughtered by the full force of our people!" His voice was filled with cold confidence as he spoke, his words echoing through the battlefield. "Everyone you have fought here tonight was but a single tribe. Can you feel it? Our number range in thousands… and they are all coming for blood."
"Not if she has anything to say."
Issei murmured, as Baruka widened his eyes in confusion in response. Before he could open his mouth to speak again, a gigantic blast of ice collided with the frontline of the elven army, sending dozens of them flying just before they could finish crossing the lake. The rest of the army, meanwhile, was blocked off their path as the blast of ice solidified and became a giant wall of ice standing between them and the Hideaway, keeping them from advancing further, at least for the time being.
"No…"
"Glacia!"
On his call, a familiar figure, now cloaked in shadow garments and glowing a faint blue where her skin was exposed, floated down and hovered behind Issei. Her eyes glowed with power, exuding an ethereal presence as she gave the shocked Baruka a look of cold disdain before unleashing a blast of freezing wind at him.
Glacia – LV7
Rank: Elite Knight
Baruka quickly summoned his daggers, slashing through the air in front of him to destroy the shards of ice inside the blast, shattering them into harmless fragments before they could reach him. However, despite his swift defense, smaller pieces of ice still pierced through his defenses, grazing his arms and legs and leaving him covered in deep cuts and gashes once it ended.
[!] Warning
Baruka has gone [Berserk]. Enemies with the [Berserk] Status have increased offensive stats while their defensive stats are halved.
"You scoundrel… how… dare you. HOW DARE YOU!?" Baruka roared in anger, his eyes blazing red with pure fury as he threw his daggers out at his side and charged at Issei "I WILL KILL YOU ALL."
Before he could reach his target, a flash of steel intercepted his path, halting his movement and leaving momentarily shocked before realizing that his side had been slashed by Gladio, who appeared behind him with his bloody blade in hand. Not allowing him a single second to react, the shadow knight twirled around and tossed his sword into the air, allowing Issei to use Ruler's Hands to pull it down and catch it in his hand as he lunged at Baruka and descended upon him with a slash, splitting his body in two. The sheer force of the strike sent the upper half of the elf tumbling to the ground in a grotesque display, the once-proud elf now reduced to nothing but a bloody mess.
But Issei did not celebrate the small victory. Hardening his gaze, he snapped around and turned his attention to the army that was slowly breaking their ways through the ice. Some used their magic to open paths within the ice walls, while others had managed to climb over and jump down to rush on their feet toward the Hideaway, their eyes burning with hatred while red electricity crackled around their bodies – a clear sign that they had also entered the Berserk state like Baruka had been at the sight of their elf queen in her new, revived shadow form.
"Please… promise me… that you will… finish this. Promise me… that you… will bring everyone… home… safe."
Sieghart's words echoed in his mind as he gazed at the people rushing to the portal around him while helping each other and the injured. The pain was unbearable at this point, worsened by the strains of his new Balance Breaker, but Issei kept himself on his feet – even as his Crimson Scale Mail started to revert back to its Crimson Armaments form as his body was unable to hold it any longer. With renewed determination, shown in the flame that surged from his body, Issei gathered every bit of strength that he had left and roared out the command, his voice echoing across the landscape.
"Arise!"
Frank, who was helping an injured warrior to the Gate, watched in awe and astonishment as shadowy figures started to rise from the corpses of the elves lying around the battlefield. It was Baruka that rose first, his hands picking up his daggers as he walked up and joined Gladio and Glacia, standing on his left while the shadow commander took his right. The other ice elves soon followed, joining the small shadow army of over two hundred strong before Issei charged toward the opposite direction that everyone else were heading, leading his shadows straight into the battle against the army of enraged ice elves, clashing with them in a deafening roar of steel meeting steel.
"FRANK!"
The moment that he managed to cross over the Gate and stumble out, exhausted and covered in the blood and grime of battle, he was immediately surrounded by helpers. He could hear the frantic sounds of medics and warriors already tending to the injured, moving quickly to help and assist those who had made it through the portal that was now behind him, but it was Zeoticus that rushed to his side first, his face etched with worry. Behind him was none other than Rias and who Frank believed were her servants, their concerned expression matching the look that his master was wearing on his face as they hurried to his side.
"Issei… he's still in there…"
Knowing exactly what they wanted to ask him, Frank answered the questions even before they could say it. Rias and Akeno immediately tried to rush in, but Grayfia held them back before they could try to do anything stupid.
Just when the two girls were about to tell Grayfia to release them and let them go, a flash of crimson, followed by a crackle of purple lightning shot past them and entered the gate.
Inside, Issei was fighting with everything that he had – his body aching, his mana rapidly depleting to heal his shadow. There were still others that had yet to cross over the gate, but the wall of ice had fully collapsed, allowing the ice elves to seep in the Hideaways by waves of hundreds. Led by the shadow of Baruka, Gladio, Tora, and Glacia, his shadows fought fiercely at his side, their shadowy forms cutting down any who dared approach. But, just like him, they were growing weaker as the battle dragged on. There was only so much they could do against such relentless onslaught of berserked enemies.
As the battle raged on and the pressure mounted, Issei felt himself being pushed to the brink. His movements gradually slowed, his body feeling heavier and heavier with every passing second as he got hit, slashed and stabbed. The sounds of clashing steel, cries of battle, and the cold, bitter wind filled his ears, but he refused to falter. Not yet. Not until he had fulfilled his promise with Sieghart.
He had to bring everyone home.
"COME AT ME, ALL OF YOU!"
Issei roared, ignoring the notification windows of mana fully depleted and health critical that were being flashed in front of him by the System. Reaching his hand into his inventory, Issei brought out his sword and got ready with Gladio and the shadow of Baruka as another wave of ice elves started to close in.
BZZTTT! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Before they could reach him, a gigantic bolt of white and purple lightning struck the very ground before him and his shadows, splitting the battlefield with its sheer power and generating an explosion that sent shockwaves across the battlefield, knocking several elves off their feet and blasting a large portion of their army into oblivion.
Issei, who could only watch on in astonishment, snapped his head to the side to see an unfamiliar man walking up to him, his fingers crackling with the same electricity that was still raging across the field. Before the elves could recover, a blast of familiar demonic power surged forward, obliterating hundreds of ice elves in an instant, their bodies disintegrating in a violent burst of crimson and black. The remaining elves could only gaze at the destruction in pure shock and horror, their weapons scattered and their morale shattered by the sheer force of the devastating attacks.
"Issei!" A familiar voice called out, and Issei turned his head to see Sirzechs Lucifer rushing at him, feeling a sense of relief that finally allowed him to loosen his body, causing the tolls to finally catch up to him in an overwhelming rush. Fortunately for him, before he could fall over as his knees grew weak, the other man standing on his right had caught him, throwing a hand over his shoulder to pull him right back up.
"I got you. Let us get you home, lad. You have done well." The man, whose name he would later learn to be Cid, said softly as he helped Issei toward the gate, with the remaining members of the raid being helped out one by one.
"W-wait…" Issei managed to say, his voice faint as he turned his gaze to Gladio, who stood resolutely at his side, even as the others faded into his shadow. With a solemn bow to him, the knight then turned on his boots and walked toward the body that lay under the vigil of the remaining shadow berserkers. Kneeling, Gladio gently wrapped the lifeless figure in his cloak, lifting it with reverence and respect before standing up to follow Issei outside.
There was no cheer, no jubilant cries of victory, only a heavy silence as Issei emerged from the closing Red Gate with Cid and Sirzechs. No one spoke anything, not even Rias and the other members of her peerage, who were all overjoyed to see their beloved Issei returning. They could only stand there and watched with the others in sorrow as Issei slipped out of the supporting hold of Cid and Sirzechs and fell to his knees, tears streaming freely down his cheeks while his gaze stayed on the body Gladio was carrying.
Name: Issei Hyoudou
Race: Reincarnated Devil
Class: Level 40 Dragonsworn / Level 17 Shadow Monarch [5 Available Unassigned Levels]
HP: 10285 / 10285
MP [Current Attribute: Draconic/Demonic]: 3455 / 3455
Title: Shieldbreaker [Add 10% Armor Penetration]
Strength: 160
Vitality: 159
Intelligence: 154
Dexterity: 164
Perception: 144
Charisma: 134
Unique Class Skills: Fire Imbue (LV2), Shadow Extraction (LV1), Shadow Storage (LV1), Karma (LV1).
Active skills: Doubling (LV2), Transfer (LV2), Penetrate (LV2), Sprint (Max Level), Vital Slash (LV1), Jump (Max Level – Equipment Ability), Observe (LV2), Ruler's Hands (LV1), Phoenix Shift (LV1).
Active spells: Fire balls (LV3 - Fire Dragon Pact Affected), Firewall (LV3 - Fire Dragon Pact Affected), Lightning Strike (LV1), Water Blast (LV1), Earth Shield (LV1), ...
Current Pacts: Y Ddraig Goch (Fire) – Pact LV2, Chaos Karma Dragon Tiamat (Fire) – Pact LV1
Current Active Pact [2/4: Y Ddraig Goch (Fire) – Pact LV2
Current Shadows: 210 / 210
Elite Rank Shadows: Lycaon (Knight), Gladio (Knight), Tora (Knight), Unnamed Shadow of the Ice Elf Baruka (Knight), Glacia (Elite Knight).
Items: Boosted Gear (LV4), Fur Jacket (LVMAX), Razan's Blade (LVMAX), Magitek General's Helmet (LVMAX), Palace Guard's Boots (LVMAX), Metal Gauntlets (LVMAX – Only one currently in use -Stats Reduced), Kamish's Slumber (LV?), Blessed Random Box (x1)…
Potions: Healing Potions x15, Mana Potions x15, Greater Healing Potions x10, Greater Mana Potions x10, Miracle Potions x3...
Gold: 2,740,630 (G)
Ultimate: Welsh Dragon Balance Breaker – Boosted Gear Crimson Scale Mail (LV.2 – Pact Affected)
Finisher: Rage of the Fire Dragon.
Sigils: Sigil of the Shadow Commander - Igirs, Sigil of the Shadow Ice Bear - Tank.
End of chapter 16