EPIC: Path of Demons and Dragons

"I see you've cleaned up and organized quite a bit since our last visit," remarked Kiba, looking around Issei's room alongside Vahn. There were still figurines present, but they were mostly mecha and action figures. More notably, all the posters of scantily clad girls from anime and video games had been taken down, replaced by tasteful promo art and movie posters.

"Well, I don't want any girls that visit to be uncomfortable, you know...?" responded Issei, smiling wryly as he briefly met Vahn's gaze, earning an approving nod for his efforts.

"But why did you invite us over so suddenly...?" asked Vahn, pulling out a trio of comfortable chairs for him, Issei, and Kiba to sit on as he didn't feel like sitting on the floor.

"No reason, really," responded Issei, shrugging and taking a seat as he contended, "I just figured we should hang out more often, just us guys. I also tried inviting Saji, but he blew me off, saying he needed to take care of his siblings."

"Well, he wasn't lying," assured Vahn, revealing, "I heard from Sona that he's become the primary caretaker for his younger brother and sister ever since their grandfather died. That's the reason he became a Devil. If Sona hadn't intervened and purchased their grandfather's property, they would have lost it and been forced to separate."

"Damn...I had no clue. Now I feel bad for thinking he blew us off just to be a jerk..." muttered Issei, closing his eyes and sighing. As evidenced by his family's sizeable plot of land and two-story house, they were relatively well off. He also had both his parents, and while they embarrassed him to no end, they loved him dearly.

"Everyone has their circumstances..." confirmed Vahn, looking to Kiba as he asked, "What about you, Kiba-kun? What was your life like before you became a Devil?"

Exhaling faintly from his nose, Kiba's smile waned slightly, his blue eyes focusing on something neither Vahn nor Issei could see as he responded, "I would prefer not to get into specifics, but like Vahn-sama, I once took part in a cruel experiment. And like Issei-kun, I am only here today due to the grace of Rias-sama. She even gave me my name. Before, I was simply Subject 47..."

"Jeez...am I seriously the only one who doesn't have a tragic past...?" asked Issei, feeling a peculiar form of guilt he had never experienced.

"That's not entirely true," argued Vahn, causing Issei's already cramped expression to crack as he dutifully reminded, "You were pierced through the chest and heart by the first girl to confess and ask you out. You may have lived an ordinary life until then, but if this were a manga, that would be a pretty tragic way to go."

"You can be exceptionally blunt sometimes, Vahn-kun..." remarked Issei, grimacing.

Shrugging, Vahn adopted a faint, apologetic smile and argued, "I'm just saying it how it is. More importantly, if you hadn't experienced all of that, you would never have joined the ORC, and we wouldn't be here chatting like this. Now, not only do you have supernatural powers, but your Sacred Gear is one of the most powerful in the world. Using the manga analogy, you've basically become a main character."

"I don't know about that..." said Issei, rubbing the back of his head as he pointed out, "With you around, it feels I'm more of a supporting character. I mean, Tsubasa is amazing, and I really enjoy spending time with her, but she's no Buchou or Akeno-senpai..."

"But she is a Devil," reminded Vahn. "Her appearance can change to be as beautiful as she wants. Or are you talking about Rias's status as heiress to House Gremory? I didn't know you had such an interest in politics..."

"Mmnngh..."

As Vahn was right about Tsubasa being able to change her appearance, Issei sat with his arms and legs crossed, a slight, contemplative grimace marring his face. If he looked past their appearances, the only things that made Rias objectively superior to Tsubasa were her status and power, two things he didn't think he cared about but evidently did.

Feeling bad that Kiba was being left out, Vahn decided to include him in the conversation, asking, "What about you, Kiba-kun? What kinds of girls do you like...?"

"Me? I don't really have a preference, one way or another," stated Kiba, regaining his usual smile as he explained, "Right now, my priority is being the best Knight I can be for Rias-sama. If I am to enter into a relationship or marry in the future, it will be to help strengthen her position."

"Hardcore..." muttered Issei, his expression becoming conflicted as he wondered if he should think more like Kiba. After all, he wouldn't be alive if Rias hadn't reincarnated him as a Devil. She had even extended his life from a few decades to ten thousand years, so prioritizing his dream over serving her well was pretty selfish of him...

"Mmm...I'm not sure Rias would want that..." contended Vahn. "But I get where you're coming from. I also plan to marry to strengthen her position, but that's not the only reason. I'm also looking to strengthen my own, and if I don't get along with the girls in question, I won't marry them..."

Nodding, Kiba remarked, "Yes, but Vahn-sama's power is an exception among exceptions. I have confidence in my Sword Birth, but its only real use is combat. I would not be able to govern or provide for a large estate using it, so I'm better suited to serving a Lord than trying to become one myself."

"If you say so..." muttered Vahn, returning his attention to Issei, staring up at the ceiling with his hands behind his back.

"What are you thinking about...?" asked Vahn, prompting Issei to smile, lower his head, meet his gaze, and respond, "Well, people call me the Red Dragon Emperor because of the Boosted Gear, but when it comes down to it, that's Ddraig's title, not mine. So I was mainly wondering if there was a way to improve my strength quickly so I'm not completely dependent on a borrowed power..."

"So there are more than thoughts of breasts in your head..." remarked a deep, powerful voice, startling Issei and drawing everyone's gazes to the back of his left hand, pulsing with a green light.

"Ddraig? Why are you coming out now...?" asked Issei.

"Because, despite being a Devil, you might be the weakest host I've ever had," answered Ddraig, appending, "As it stands, you wouldn't even last a single second against the White One. So, if you're serious about getting stronger, I may have a solution."

"Yeah? Well, let's hear it..." responded Issei, sporting an understandably annoyed look after being called Ddraig's weakest host.

"I have existed as a Sacred Gear for thousands of years. In that time, I have had hundreds of hosts with many different capabilities and fighting styles," revealed Ddraig, preempting Issei's follow-up question by stating, "If you train to focus your mind and access the mindscape where we first met, you will be able to meet and inherit the power of your predecessors in the form of their wisdom and teachings. Failing that, you can also learn martial arts. Simply throwing punches without thought will only get you so far."

"Wait, does that mean there are, like, a ton of dead guys sealed away in my left arm? And does that mean I'll also be sealed away when I die...!?" exclaimed Issei, leaping from his chair. Fortunately, Tsubasa had installed a sound-dampening barrier during her visit, so even if he screamed at the top of his lungs, his parents wouldn't hear him.

"Calm down," said Ddraig, exhaling a sigh before explaining, "Only those who have lost themselves to their power or willfully submitted themselves to me remain within the Boosted Gear. When I say they will teach you, it is more accurate to say you will experience their pasts and inherit their wills. The duo known as the greatest Red Dragon Emperors in history were able to gain tremendous power using this method, all in the hopes of removing my seal and allowing their predecessors to move on."

"Mmm...I would also like to free you, but is that really the right thing to do?" asked Issei. "I mean, wasn't the reason you were sealed because you and the White Dragon Emperor rampaged without caring about the destruction you caused? And it took the combined forces of Heaven, Hell, and the Fallen Angels to seal you..."

"That was long ago, back when I was much more willful," sighed Ddraig, sounding nostalgic as he appended, "I have since learned the value of life by living it alongside my wielders. My battle with the White One is fated to continue, but we decided long ago that our future battlegrounds would be the Dimensional Gap or worlds untouched by life. You have my word, and Dragons do not lie."

Hearing Ddraig speak, Vahn asked Sis, ('Is there anything I can do to help unseal him...?')

(There are several, but the most practical is achieving Soul Tier 4 and attaining Divinity) answered Sis. (The other methods would require you to gain the assistance of multiple Chief-level Gods, but due to the danger posed by the Red and White Dragon Emperors, they are not likely to agree without sufficient assurance and compensation.)

('In other words, I can help, just not anytime soon...') concluded Vahn, a slight frown marring his face as he didn't feel it was fair for Ddraig and the White Dragon Emperor, Albion, to be sealed away and treated as tools. He had no doubt they had warranted being sealed away, but if they couldn't be slain, that's where their punishment should have ended...

"Then, how about this..." said Issei, proposing, "You help me gain enough power to remain a Harem King without your help, and I'll use this long life of mine to ensure that you and your rival can obtain your freedom. Sound fair?"

"Very well," responded Ddraig, his voice sounding notably pleased as he remarked, "You are the first among my wielders to be a Devil. Your innate abilities and talent may be the weakest, but so long as you aren't killed by the White One, you should be able to become the strongest."

"Right on...!" exclaimed Issei, raising and clenching his left fist, causing his Boosted Gear to manifest, sporting distinctive gemstones on each of the fingers and four golden spikes instead of two.

"I'm happy the two of you were able to reach an agreement," said Kiba, feeling genuinely appreciative of Issei's character. Most people wouldn't question that Ddraig and his power belonged to them, so his willingness to part with it said a lot about the type of person he was.

"Nn...I'll also help however I can..." appended Vahn, choosing not to reveal that he could acquire the power to free Ddraig until the duo's agreement had come to fruition. Ddraig didn't appear to mind too much that he was trapped in the Boosted Gear, and with a functionally infinite lifespan, he probably wouldn't mind waiting a few decades, centuries, or even a few millennia longer...

"That's reassuring, coming from you," remarked Ddraig, his words clearly directed at Vahn as he added, "Your power is similar to that of the Great Red who presides over dreams of the past, present, and future. You give form to thought, and that Corridor of yours seems to be able to actualize infinite possibilities. Truly a God-like power..."

"Nn...I can't deny that my powers are incredible..." conceded Vahn. "But, like Issei, I also seek to grow stronger through concerted efforts. I don't like things being handed to me, even if I had to suffer a lot before gaining this power and my freedom..."

"Do you want to talk about it...?" asked Issei, his tone softer than usual and his gaze showing genuine concern as he didn't feel that Vahn, Kiba, or anyone deserved to suffer what they had gone through.

"Maybe at some point in the future," responded Vahn, adopting a smile as he added, "Right now, I'm much more concerned with the present and the future we're all shaping together. I also want to try experiencing a normal sleepover like Kiba, so let's change topics or do something else."

"Actually, I had some ideas about that," said Issei, regaining a smile, his clear brown eyes sparkling with anticipation as he asked, "Your power can create or reproduce pretty much anything, even items from anime, manga, and video games, right? Do you think you could make a fictional, futuristic game console and some games for us to play?"

"It should be possible..." confirmed Vahn, taking a moment to peruse his Shop, conveniently filtered in advance by Sis. A few minutes later, Issei became the proud owner of a game console at least several generations ahead of the current market...

...

..

.

(A/N: For those who are unaware, I caught COVID a few weeks back, so we'll soon catch up to the most recent chapters on Patreon. Sorry for the slowed releases, but I just don't have the energy or motivation to pump out more than one chapter of The Path and one chapter of EPIC per day at the moment.)