EPIC: Path of Demons and Dragons

"I take it the two of you were able to come to an agreement...?" asked Rias, sporting a faint smile from behind her desk as Vahn, Koneko, and Xenovia entered the club room.

"Good morning, Goshujin-sama, Koneko-chan~" hummed Akeno, sitting on the left of the two green sofas present.

Responding to Rias's question, Xenovia supplied a curt nod and asserted, "I shall become Vahn-sama's sword and shield, cutting down his enemies and protecting those he wishes to preserve."

"And here I was looking forward to having the wielder of Durandal as my Knight," remarked Rias.

"If my Lord wishes it," appended Xenovia, taking a seat next to Akeno and staring at Vahn, sitting on the opposite sofa with Koneko.

Shaking his head, Vahn adopted a smile and reasoned, "It would help to have you join her Peerage, but you don't need to make the decision right this instant. You can still act alongside us without becoming a Devil, even if it's not as convenient."

"I would also feel sorry for the Kendo Club if you were to leave just before becoming their Captain, so you should help them win a tournament or two before abdicating your position," suggested Rias, reassuring, "You can still act with us when the situation requires."

"Then that's what I'll do," responded Xenovia, nodding. She would prefer to stay at Vahn's side twenty-four-seven, but since he would presumably find that troubling, she resolved to take things slower...

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Following a hearty breakfast, Vahn, Asia, and Xenovia parted ways with Rias, Akeno, and Koneko so they could head to their respective classes while the three of them made their way to Class 2-B. Vahn found it a little insensitive on the administration's part that they were expected to attend Open House despite none of them having parents, but he didn't voice his thoughts aloud since neither Asia nor Xenovia seemed to mind.

"Xenovia! I was, like, super worried about you, you know...!?" exclaimed Irina, her eyes wide and slightly moist as she made a bee-line for Xenovia the moment they entered the Class, grasping and holding up her friend's hands as if she wanted them to pray together.

Exhaling from her nose and adopting a faint smile, Xenovia reassured, "I'm fine, Irina. Let's not make a scene..."

"I'm just so relieved to see that you're still you..." muttered Irina, sniffling and wiping a tear from her right eye before shifting her gaze to Vahn and Asia. Like Xenovia, she had been informed of God's demise, but unlike her best friend, she had been raised by loving parents and relatives who had been affiliated with the Church for generations. She couldn't simply cut ties with them, so once the initial shock wore off, she resolved to devote herself to Michael and the remaining Seraphim, believing it was what God would have wanted.

"Not for lack of trying," responded Xenovia, pulling Irina aside and using a charm that caused everyone in the Class, sans those with extrasensory or supernatural abilities, to ignore them as she detailed what had transpired the previous night, including her attempt to join Rias's Peerage and Vahn's refusal to take advantage of her during her existential meltdown...

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"Did I miss something...?" Issei asked Vahn, arriving at Class at the last moment with his parents in tow. Xenovia appeared the same as usual to him, but Irina had her head down, her face concealed within her folded arms.

Instead of answering Issei with words, Vahn closed his eyes and shook his head to indicate they shouldn't talk about it. Afterward, he looked at the back of the classroom, smiling and waving at Mr and Mrs Hyoudou before returning his gaze to Issei, changing the topic to anime and video games. Issei recently spent most of his free time with Tsubasa, immersing themselves in virtual worlds that recreated various martial arts and mecha anime, so he could ramble for hours if allowed...

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'Maybe I should get into sculpting...' Vahn mused, a faint smile adorning his face as he carefully kneaded the cool and moist clay provided to him and his classmates as part of the Open House. He was still searching for a hobby to immerse himself in, and sculpting was surprisingly soothing. The other options he was considering were forging, clothing construction, and alchemy, but since he had the option of purchasing items from the Shop or supplying materials to existing craftsmen and women, he was hesitant to immerse himself in a craft when his priorities should be conquering the Corridor and becoming stronger.

(I wouldn't say this under ordinary circumstances, but you could always follow Issei-kun's example.) suggested Sis, clarifying (If you enter into a virtual setting with a heavy emphasis on martial arts or spearmanship, you could experience the worlds you might have visited as Records while simultaneously developing your skills.)

'That's not a bad idea...' agreed Vahn, imagining himself in the worlds of Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Naruto. He wasn't sure how effective the training would be, but he imagined it would be fun to meet and interact with some of his favorite fictional characters, even if they were ultimately a bunch of computer programs. And since the Record he was currently in, Highschool DxD, had anime that paralleled those he was familiar with, like Drag-so Ball and One Pisu, he and Issei would have more to bond over as friends...

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With Open House reaching the point where parents socialized with each other and the faculty, Vahn parted ways with Asia and Xenovia and made his way to the Old School Building. They both had friend groups unrelated to the ORC and the supernatural, so he refused their offers to accompany him and encouraged them to have fun.

'Hmm? This girl feels familiar...' thought Vahn, referring to a beautiful young woman wearing a red and purple kimono with a bright yellow obi, crouching down and drawing in the dirt with a long stick as he followed the path to the Old School Building. Her tied-up hair, kept in place with a flower pin, was dark brown with a purple hue, and when she turned her head to meet his gaze, her eyes were nearly as bright and blue as Rias's. More notably, at least to Vahn, her Demonic Power was similar to Sona's, but the amount and potency were as on par with a fully outfitted Grayfia...

Piecing things together, Vahn adopted his best smile, waited until he was within conversing distance with the girl, and stated, "You must be Serafall, Sona's older sister. It's nice to finally meet you."

"Well, poop," said the girl, rising to her feet and crossing her arms with a smile of her own as she spiritedly remarked, "And I even changed my hair color. What gave me away?"

"Your Demonic Power," answered Vahn, clarifying, "It's nearly identical to Sona's."

"So-tan neglected to mention how sharp your senses were," remarked the girl, confirming Vahn's suspicions as she nodded and revealed, "Well, you guessed correctly. I'm Serafall Leviathan, one of the Four Satans. But you, Vahn Mason, have special permission to address me as Sera, Sera-tan, or Onee-chan..."

Taking a step closer to Vahn, Serafall placed her right hand over his left breast, her eyes narrowing as she playfully appended, "You're quite a bit taller in person..."

With his height increasing to around 180cm, Vahn was nearly a full head taller than Serafall, who, in turn, was six centimeters shorter than Sona at precisely 160cm. She was quite a bit fuller around the chest and butt, but only someone like Vahn would notice, as the kimono she was wearing did a good job of concealing her figure.

"Did you come for the Open House, or were you hoping to speak with me from the beginning?" asked Vahn, unbothered by Serafall's touch. There was a brief period where he was fully prepared to make her a mother, so even if she utilized a more direct method to flirt, he didn't mind humoring her to the end.

"I actually came looking for you to form a contract," revealed Serafall, her blue eyes narrowing further as she licked her lips, drew close enough that her breasts were pressing against him, and affirmed, "Assuming you aren't reduced to ash, my heart, body, and womb will be yours to do with as you please..."

Leaving Serafall a little taken aback, Vahn didn't hesitate to assure, "I'll be fine," with a curt nod and a smile, followed by him asking, "Do you want to form the contract here and now or wait until the summit is over? Sona will probably want to be present."

"You're the real deal, aren't you?" asked Serafall, stepping away from Vahn, crossing her arms, and shifting her weight onto her right foot as she sized him up and down and remarked, "I suspected as much as Sona wouldn't have chosen you and the Three Factions wouldn't be convening like this if you weren't, but you're going to shape the entire world around you..."

"In my defense, the reason I came here was to experience attending High School..." contended Vahn, his expression softening as he appended, "But then I met your sister, Rias, and many other amazing people I have grown to want to protect. That includes you, Sera, even if you're currently much, much stronger than me..."

"Calling me Sera right out the gate...you're just as bold as Sona told me you were..." hummed Sona, grabbing the black ribbon of Vahn's uniform and pulling him along as she stepped backward, suggesting, "Let's find someplace private and skip to what comes after we form our contract..."

"Sure..." responded Vahn, allowing himself to be pulled along as he smiled and joked, "I was hoping to take a nap, but I feel like every man in all the realms would be taken aback with me if I refused the invitation of such a beautiful woman..."

"Oh~? You think I'm beautiful~?" asked Serafall, her expression giving off the scary vibe Akeno sometimes exuded as she asked, "Then who do you think is more beautiful, me or So-tan?"

"That's like asking me to compare two masterpieces with varying subjects and art styles..." responded Vahn, asserting, "Anyone who sees your sister can instantly tell she is noble, fiercely intelligent, and refined. Your beauty is like a flower blooming from the face of a precarious cliff. Most can only admire you from afar, and those who wish to acquire you need to be ready to part with their lives if they make a single mistake..."

"Hooo? Someone has a way with words..." hummed Serfall, releasing her hold on Vahn's ribbon and spinning on the back tooth of the geta sandal adorning her right foot as she led the way with her hands facing outward on her bottom, staring back at Vahn over her left shoulder as she said, "I'll give you sixty-five points and just as much time...Now, come closer..."

Though he was a little confused, Vahn did as he was told, approaching within a few centimeters of Serafall, enabling her to grab the hem of his white, vertically striped dress shirt. With the arrival of Summer, they had shed their blazers, so Serafall held onto his shirt and led him along in an awkward but titillating manner as she periodically took shorter steps that caused him to bump her soft, springy, and incredibly full posterior...

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"So that's God's Proxy..." remarked a tall and well-built man who appeared to be in his late twenties, observing Vahn and Serafall through the eyes of a tiny owl perched in the forest near the Old School Building. His hair was messy and black with golden bangs, a black goatee adorned his chin, and his eyes were reminiscent of red wine, glistening with intrigue and a fierce intellect. Behind him, standing with his arms crossed and leaning against a tree, was a young man with silver hair and hazel eyes, which, for a brief moment, glistened with a golden hue before he closed them...

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