Vash
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Chapter 75
🕑 Added 2025-08-18 14:49:46 +0000 UTC"So let me get this straight," Issei said slowly, his voice rising with each word as he processed Leon's explanation. "Angels exist. Fallen angels exist. Devils exist. Gods exist—plural, GODS—and vampires are real too? Like, ALL of mythology is actually real?"
"Essentially, yes," Leon replied calmly, sitting across from him with Koneko curled up against his side like a protective cat.
Now they sat in Leon's opulent living room—a space that screamed wealth and refinement with its leather furniture, expensive artwork, and floor-to-ceiling windows. Issei looked completely out of place on the pristine white sofa, still wearing his torn and bloodied uniform.
"All of it?" Issei's voice cracked. "Like, Zeus? Thor? Buddha? The Christian God?"
"Most pantheons, yes. Though some are more active than others," Rias added from her position on the opposite couch, still maintaining what she hoped was a respectful distance from Leon. Her usual confidence was replaced by careful wariness.
"And you're all..." Issei gestured wildly at the group, "...supernatural beings? Just casually going to high school?"
"We are devils," Rias confirmed, her tone more subdued than usual. "My entire peerage consists of devils or reincarnated devils."
"Reincarnated?!" Issei shrieked. "You can DO that?!"
"It's a standard practice," Akeno said with her usual gentle smile, though there was less of her characteristic playfulness. "When a devil finds a promising human, they can reincarnate them using Evil Pieces."
"Evil Pieces? Like chess?"
"Exactly like chess," Kiba nodded, his polite demeanor unchanged despite the tension in the room.
Issei turned to Leon, his expression desperate. "Please tell me you're at least human. Please. I need ONE normal thing in my life right now."
Leon exchanged a glance with Koneko, who tightened her arms around him slightly, her usual stoic expression showing just a hint of protectiveness.
"I'm human," Leon said.
“Oh thank god!” Issei buried his face in his hands. "My brain hurts. Yesterday my biggest worry was whether Matsuda would steal my lunch money. Now I find out my classmate can crush fallen angels with magic and my school is run by actual devils!"
"To be fair," Leon said with a slight smile, "you were already attending a school run by devils. You just didn't know it."
"THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT BETTER!"
Leon laughed.
"It still doesn't explain why Yuuma—no, Raynare—wanted to kill me!" Issei continued, his voice cracking with lingering hurt. "What did I ever do to her? Why did she have to make me fall in love with her first?"
Leon was about to speak, but Rias cleared her throat, drawing their attention.
"It's because of what you have inside you, Issei-kun," she said carefully. "You possess what's called a Sacred Gear."
"Sacred what now?"
"Sacred Gears are divine artifacts created by G—" Rias flinched visibly, her face contorting in pain. Akeno and Kiba also grimaced at the unspoken word. "—by the Biblical deity. They're housed within certain humans and can grant incredible powers."
Issei looked around at their pained expressions. "Why do you all look like you're having stomach cramps?"
"Devils... have difficulty with anything related to the divine," Kiba explained diplomatically, still looking uncomfortable. "Even mentioning that particular deity causes us physical pain."
"Oh." Issei blinked. "Sorry?"
"It's not your fault," Rias continued, regaining her composure. "The point is, your Sacred Gear is likely a very powerful one. Powerful enough that the fallen angels saw you as a potential threat."
"But I've never done anything supernatural!" Issei protested. "I can't shoot lasers or fly or anything cool like that!"
"Most Sacred Gear wielders don't manifest their abilities until they're in mortal danger," Akeno added gently. "The trauma of near-death often awakens them."
"So... I could have superpowers?" Issei's eyes lit up with sudden excitement, momentarily forgetting his confusion.
"Potentially very significant ones," Rias nodded, though her tone remained cautious as she glanced at Leon.
Koneko spoke up quietly from her position against Leon's side. "Fallen angels kill Sacred Gear users they can't control."
"That's horrible!" Issei exclaimed. "So they were just going to murder me because I MIGHT be dangerous someday?"
"Welcome to the supernatural world, Issei" Leon said dryly. "It's all about eliminating potential threats before they become actual ones."
"Wait a minute," Issei said suddenly, his brain finally catching up to something he'd been noticing all evening. "Leon, why is Koneko-chan sitting close to you? And why did she hug you earlier?"
And before Leon could reply, Koneko looked up at Issei with her usual stoic expression, completely unbothered by the question and spoke. "Leon is my boyfriend."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Issei's jaw dropped so far it practically hit the floor. His eyes went wide, then wider, until they looked like they might pop out of his skull entirely.
"BOYFRIEND?!" he screeched, pointing frantically between them. "Since WHEN?! HOW?! LEON! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!"
"You didn't ask," Leon replied matter-of-factly, as Koneko snuggled closer to Leon's side.
“ASK?!”
Rias deadpanned from her seat, her expression completely flat.
"Ara ara~" Akeno giggled behind her hand, clearly amused by the entire situation. "How observant of you to finally notice, Issei-kun."
Kiba remained silent but slowly shook his head.
Issei wailed, clutching his chest dramatically. "My heart! My poor, innocent heart! How could you do this to me, Leon?!"
"Do what to you?" Leon asked, genuinely confused.
"You already have everything! You're rich, you're mysterious, you're powerful enough to scare fallen angels, AND you got the cute cat girl?!" Issei collapsed backward on the couch like he'd been shot. "This is so unfair! What's next, are you secretly dating Sona-senpai too?!"
The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees as everyone suddenly found the floor very interesting. Rias's deadpan expression didn't change. Akeno's giggling intensified. Kiba just continued shaking his head more vigorously.
"...Oh god, you ARE, aren't you?" Issei whispered in horror.
"I do," Leon said carefully.
"Dammit!"
"Fufu~," Akeno added with obvious amusement.
Rias's deadpan expression finally cracked slightly. "Perhaps we should focus on more pressing matters—"
"NO!" Issei sat up abruptly. "I need to process this! My classmate is apparently some kind of supernatural harem protagonist! How is this my life?!"
Leon patted Koneko’s arm comfortingly. "Ignore him. He's always dramatic."
"I AM NOT DRAMATIC!" Issei shouted dramatically, throwing his arms in the air.
Kiba finally spoke up, still shaking his head. "Issei-kun, I think you might be missing the bigger picture here."
"The bigger picture?" Issei turned to Kiba with wild eyes. "What bigger picture?! My entire worldview has been shattered! First I find out supernatural beings exist, then I discover my classmate is basically living in an anime!"
"Perhaps," Rias said, trying to regain control of the conversation, "we should discuss what happens next. Issei-kun, you're in danger now that the fallen angels know about your Sacred Gear."
"Right!" Issei suddenly straightened up, his expression shifting from heartbreak to panic. "They're going to try to kill me again, aren't they?"
"They won't," Leon said confidently. "I made it very clear what would happen if they tried."
"Wait, what do you mean?" Issei looked confused. "Are you some kind of bigshot or something?"
It was Rias who answered, her voice carrying a mixture of respect and wariness. "Yes, Issei-kun. Leon is one of the strongest beings in the world."
Issei's eyes went wide. "Seriously?"
"He's defeated Azazel, the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels," Kiba added quietly.
"And Vali Lucifer, the White Dragon Emperor," Akeno said with her usual smile, though there was genuine admiration in her voice.
"The White Dragon Emperor?!" Issei's voice cracked. "That sounds really important!"
"One of the Heavenly Dragons," Koneko explained simply, nuzzling closer to Leon. "Very strong."
"Dude... you're really a protagonist!" Issei stared at Leon with his mouth hanging open. "No wonder you always seemed so confident at school! You're actually some kind of supernatural powerhouse!"
Rias's expression remained serious. "Which is why the fallen angels won't dare touch you anymore, Issei-kun. Leon's protection carries significant weight in our world."
"So I'm basically under the protection of a powerhouse?" Issei asked, still in awe.
"Something like that," Leon said with a small smile.
"This is the best day ever!" Issei declared, then immediately deflated. "Except for the whole 'getting murdered by my fake girlfriend' part."
Leon's expression suddenly turned serious, the casual atmosphere in the room shifting instantly. Issei, recognizing the change, fell quiet and sat up straighter.
"Now this is the important part," Leon said, his voice taking on a gravity that made everyone listen. "Issei, I need you to make a choice about what you want to do moving forward."
"A choice?" Issei asked quietly.
"Do you want to get involved in the supernatural world, or do you want to return to being a normal human?"
Issei blinked in surprise. "Is... is that still possible? After everything that's happened?"
Leon nodded slowly. "I can remove your Sacred Gear completely. You'd go back to being an ordinary human with no supernatural abilities. The fallen angels would lose interest in you, and you could live a normal life."
"But," Leon continued, his tone becoming more serious, "if you choose to stay involved in the supernatural world, you need to understand the risks. Constant danger. Political schemes. Enemies who won't hesitate to kill you or use you as leverage against others. Life-and-death battles. Your normal life would be over forever as I won’t be able to protect you all the time."
Issei swallowed hard, the weight of the decision clearly hitting him.
Before he could respond, Rias leaned forward. "There is a third option, Issei-kun," she said, her voice gentle but carrying an undertone of hope. "You could become a devil. Join my peerage. We could reincarnate you, and you'd gain the protection and power of being part of the Gremory family."
"Become... a devil?" Issei repeated slowly.
"You'd keep your Sacred Gear, gain demonic powers, and have the backing of one of the most powerful devil families," Rias explained. "You'd be safe, and you'd have companions who understand this world."
Leon's eyes flicked to Rias, then back to Issei. "The choice is yours, Issei. But whatever you decide, it needs to be your decision. No pressure, no coercion. Just what you truly want for your life."
The room fell silent as everyone waited for Issei's response, the weight of his future hanging in the balance.
