He, The One

"Presidennnnnnnnnnnt! Hyoudou Issei, here at your seeeeeervice!" Issei shouted as he climbed on top of the school roof.

Currently, Rias's peerage was fighting Rizer's; yes, this was the rating game, and it had proceeded just as it did in the canon. Rias's peerage was underprepared for Rizer's despite their training, and though they did seem to be having an even fight, I knew they would ultimately lose.

"Issei!" Rias said as she noticed the presence of Issei.

"Issei-san!" Asia said with relief in her tone. She was scared the whole time, but Issei made her feel safe and secure despite how weak he actually was.

"The Dragon brat? That Ravel, she let him pass huh." Rizer said as he clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Rizer-sama. Should I take care of the Pawn boy and the Bishop girl? Also, the power of the Pawn Boy could be troublesome. His ability to get rid of what his opponents wear-" Rizer's queen said from behind him until Rizer himself interrupted her.

"It would be troublesome if he gets rid of the flame that covers my body? I wonder about that. From that ability and from Rias’s Pawn’s personality, it probably only has an effect on women. I will be their opponent. Then they will also be convinced." Rizer said, causing Issei to raise his brows.

"What the hell does that even mean?" Issei said genuinely confused.

"Don’t mess around Rizer!" Rias shouted with some anger in her voice before she sent a ball of destructive magic at his face, completely disintegrating it. Unfortunately for Rias, she didn't have enough control over her magic to actually end Rizer; his head regenerated almost immediately.

"Oh? Interesting..." I said with a smile as I examined Rias's magic and Rizer's healing ability; both would be nice to have.

Although Rias wasn't experienced with her destruction magic, I noticed that it quite literally destroyed almost everything that it came across. While it wasn't capable of it now, in the future, Rias's destructive magic could become extremely deadly, and I wouldn't mind adding such magic to my arsenal; it was better off with me than her anyway.

"Rias, resign. You will make Sirzechs-sama who is watching from another place look bad. You have no more choices. Everyone already has foreseen the outcome. It’s checkmate, Rias." Rizer said smugly.

"Shut your mouth, Rizer! I won’t give up! They know the outcome? I have no more choices? Me, the King, is still active you know?" Rias said while trying to feign confidence; she didn't want to give Rizer any emotional advantage over her.

"Asia!" Issei shouted as he ran over toward Asia and Rias, causing Asia to return to healing their master.

"I can't allow that." Rizer's queen said as she cast a spell.

Immediately after the woman cast the spell, a magic circle appeared under Asia, who was healing Rias, restricting her movement completely. Asia, their trump card that would heal them, was no longer of any use, leaving Issei and Rias alone.

"Kyah!" Asia shouted in fear.

"It's alright Asia!" Issei began reassuring the frightened maiden.

"Sorry about that. It would make you guys seem pathetic if it took too long. I could have taken that girl down but…… I just made sure you guys can’t heal anymore. That magic circle can only be unsealed if my Queen is defeated." Rizer said with a condescending smile.

"President. The battle continues right?" Issei said as he prepared to continue fighting.

“Yes, it does!” Rias replied instantly.

"But only me, President, and Asia are left. And Asia is captured. He, on the other hand, is immortal. He also has two servants as well. The situation is the worst." Issei says with a smile before continuing.

"But I won’t give up. I’m dumb so I don’t know anything about “foreseen” or “checkmate”. But I can still fight. I can continue fighting as long as I can crunch my fist!" Issei shouted confidently; he truly believed he wouldn't go down.

"Well said! Ise, let’s defeat Rizer together!" Rias said with a smile; the two were hyping each other up.

"Yes, President!" Issei shouted in response.

"You heard right, Ddraig!? My Master gave me an order! It’s simple! I just need to beat the guy in front of me!" Issei said as he looked down at the red gauntlet on his hand with a smile. The Boosted Gear had carried him on its back so far, and he believed it would again now.

"BOOST!" Ddraig's voice sounded from the gauntlet while doubling Issei's power.

"Let’s go!" Issei shouted as he began running at Rizer, but something unexpected happened; Issei puked up a huge amount of blood while his seven orifices leaked blood as well.

"Issei!" Rias said as she ran toward the now kneeling Issei as Rizer and his queen watched curiously; had the man done this to himself because they did nothing.

"I'm fine..." Issei said as he struggled to stand up with Rias's help, but Ddraig's voice in his head said differently.

'Your body has given out partner; you can't contain any more power.' Ddraig said to Issei. I did wonder why I was privy to their conversations when they spoke telepathically, but I was satisfied with it.

"The Boosted Gear’s ability exhausts the possessor more than you can imagine. Doubling your power is something very abnormal. The burden it puts on the body is several times higher than the ordinary Sacred Gear. You already reached your limit a long time ago Issei." Ddraig said to his partner, knowing that the desperate Issei wouldn't allow himself to lose, no matter what.

Issei was extremely desperate to win this rating game, and the reason for that was simple; he was in love with Rias, and he didn't want to give her away. But a few days ago, another revelation was revealed to him. If Riser won the rating game, everyone within the peerage would belong to Rizer, meaning the women in the peerage would become Rizer's playthings, and that wasn't something Issei would ever allow.

"President let’s go!" Issei said, ignoring Ddraig while mustering all of his remaining strength before resuming his charge at Rizer.

“Guhaa!" Issei groaned as Rizer's fist impacted his stomach before a kick hit the side of his head. Although Issei ran at Rizer, Rizer met him halfway and attacked first.

"Issei!" Rias shouted as she threw balls of destruction at Rizer, who paid her no mind.

BAM! BANG!

The sound of Rizer kneeing Issei who had just stood up in the stomach and slamming him on the ground reverberated through the room while Rizer looked down at Issei with a sinister smile.

"Ugh..." Issei groaned as he slowly got up, slipping in and out of consciousness. Issei was way beyond his limit at this point.

"Get away from him!" Rias screamed as she threw a big enough ball of destruction that forced Rizer to retreat before she ran toward Issei and wrapped her arm around him to help him stand.

"Issei... I," Rias said with a solemn face. Issei was her last resort, the red dragon empowered, but even so, she was still on the losing side.

"Sorry... President..." Issei said, but one could still see some lingering hope in his eyes.

"It's okay, Issei. We tried..." Rias replied with a sad smile as she prepared to resign. She knew they couldn't win now.

"Rizer, we re-," Rias said before Ddraig interrupted her.

"Don't do it, Issei!" Ddraig shouted from the gauntlet, causing everyone to become confused. Do what? Had Issei achieved the Balance Breaker and kept it hidden so far? Everyone thought to themselves.

"I have to..." Issei replied.

"What are you talking about, Issei? What's going on?" Rias said as she held Issei tight. She was just as confused as everyone else, but Issei offered no response and instead spoke to the air.

"Sukuna, you there?" Issei said before continuing while a devilish smile appeared on my face. Of course, he would call for me; he was desperate. Unfortunately for him, I wouldn't answer yet.

Different from what I expected, Azazel wasn't here. I don't know why, but even with his lack of presence, the risk of revealing my existence still remained. Even though Azazel isn't here to see me in person, everything here is being recorded and broadcasted. Knowing Azazel's character and his fascination with sacred gears, when he hears that the Red Dragon Emperor, Issei, has fought, he will definitely watch the fight's recording. I was certain of that.

Outside of this fight being seen by Azazel; Grayfia and Sirzechs were here, as predicted. If I were to reveal myself now, I would get on the radar of the Devils, and then the radar of Fallen Angels', Azazel, who would most likely tell our siblings, meaning that after a bit, I would be on the radar of the Angels as well.

I would also bet that God had warned my siblings many times I shouldn't be free, and they, being the mindless mongrels they were, would listen to him in all scenarios. So if I were free, they would most likely kill me or seal me, and with my current strength, I don't believe I could take them all on. But the thing is, I got a system quest, not an incentive, but a quest.

-----

 ~ System Quest ~

Task - During the rating game, if Issei asks, help him.

Reward - Partial integration: Kurama (Kyūbi / Nine Tailed Demon Fox)

 - Reward Description: You will experience a partial integration with Kurama, The Nine Tailed Demon Fox from the Naruto-Verse but different from your boons, you will not become Kurama, you will only inherit certain things.

-----

I was completely aware that this reward was tailored for me by the system. Integrating with Kurama would definitely give me a power boost, and although it wouldn't directly make me the strongest person in the DxD Verse, it would open up doors that had been closed thus far.

By doors, I mean possibilities, and one of them could possibly be chakra. If I gained chakra, I would be able to do things I hadn't before, and one of them could possibly be the merging of my Domains, which hasn't worked at all as of currently.

At the moment, I have two categories of power: my Gojo set of powers and my Sukuna set of powers, something that I didn't want to stay separate. My domains were certainly strong, but imagine how potent they would be once they merged together; the possibilities were quite literally limitless.

That was just one example of how the integration could benefit me, among others. But the point was, the system had given me the chance to grow stronger. However, every chance comes with risk, and the risk here was possibly exposing myself to my siblings, who would definitely come for me.

If I accepted the quest and helped the brat, the question I then have to ask myself is how long it would take for me to get stronger. Would I have enough time to strengthen myself before my siblings came for me?

"That could work," I said to myself with a smile on my face.

The system allowed me to use the incarnation selector to escape from the dimension. But now, if I was placed within the dimension again, I could escape myself. And why was that, you ask? Well, it's because I fed a finger to a certain reincarnated Devil girl named Asia. If I was killed by my siblings or sealed again, I could simply use her as my incarnation.

"Heh." I chuckled some as I imagined the faces of my siblings after they killed me but I came back in someone else's body.

"Even better, I could feed a finger to Issei while taking over his body to be thorough," I said to myself as I stood from my throne. My main concern was being sealed away again permanently, but right now, even if I was sealed or killed, I could escape.

I wasn't certain that I could return to Issei's body if I was somehow extracted and sealed, so it was better to be careful and leave a finger so that I could return if I wanted. I'd rather not use Asia's body, but I will if necessary.

"Sukuna!" Issei shouted with a tone of desperation. I hadn't answered yet.

"Don't!" Ddraig shouted once again. He clearly didn't want Issei to surrender his body to me, but it made sense. Dragons were prideful creatures; how could Ddraig be fine with Issei begging someone for help when Issei was supposed to be the Red Dragon Emperor, a being who should strike fear in others.

"Shut up, brat," I said as I pulled Issei's consciousness into my domain.

"Sukuna!" Issei said as he appeared in my domain without any injuries he had on his physical body. Obviously, this was Issei's soul form and not his physical body.

"What?" I said with a smile as my head rested on my hand.

"I need your help!" Issei shouted again, which was beginning to annoy me.

"Stop yelling; you're annoying," I said with a tone that allowed no denial.

"What do you need my help for, brat?" I said, although I already knew the answer.

"My peerage and I are in a rating game, and we're about to lose. I need you to win it for us; we can't lose this," Issei said with determination on his face.

"...And why should I?" I questioned with a smile as Issei froze.

"Huh?" Issei said stupidly.

"Why should I help you?" I repeated still holding my smile.

"...I-I don't know," Issei said with an odd expression on his face. He had just realized that I indeed had no reason to help him as he requested.

"Can I owe you one?" Issei said, hoping he could get away with that.

"Heh." I chuckled at the kid's words; he was pretty ridiculous, but I could use that to my advantage.

"How about this: you owe me a few favors," I said before continuing.

"But when I ask for a favor, you cannot deny me because if you do, you die," I said with a smile as I disappeared from my throne and reappeared in front of Issei, who was caught off guard by my speed.

"Die? Why so brutal...?" Issei said with a strained smile; even he knew this wasn't a joke.

"Do you accept these conditions? I'll help you this time, and in return, you will do me a few favors whenever I ask for them," I questioned with my hand out, waiting to shake Issei's hand. This wasn't a simple deal but a binding vow.

"..." Issei looked at my hand unsurely for a good moment before raising his hand and shaking mine before speaking.

"I agree," Issei said seriously as he looked me into my eyes.

"Very well," I replied as I held in a laugh. This guy was way easier to handle than Yuji, but that was fine for now.

"Watch carefully, Issei; this is how you end a fight quickly," I said with a smile that unsettled Issei before I took over his body.

I didn't plan on letting this fight last long; the quicker it was over, the better. Even though my existence would be revealed, I didn't need to reveal anything else. I won't lie and say I didn't want to play around and have some fun, but everything had its time and place, and unfortunately, this wasn't the time to cause chaos.

"Issei?" Rias said as she held up Issei's body as he had fallen silent after screaming my name.

"Are you-" Rias said before stopping completely as she saw an evil smile appear on Issei's face, which was transforming into my own.

"Dammit, Issei!" Ddraig shouted with an easily detectable amount of anger; he really didn't like this.

"Issei...?" Rias said as her grip around Issei's body, or mine now, loosened. She was surprised and nervous.

"Ah... it hasn't been long, but it's good to be back," I said with a smile as I ran my hands through my hair, pushing it back and out of my face.

"Issei—No, who are you?" Rias said as she jumped back away from me with a wary look on her face.

I didn't bother answering any of her questions; there wasn't any need to. I wasn't her servant like the rest of her servants.

"What trick have you used, dragon boy?" Rizer said as he glared at me. It appears that Angels and Fallen Angels reacted to my presence while Devils of this level didn't.

"Don't look at me. I didn't give you permission," I said as I looked at Rizer with a passive face.

"Wha-" Rizer said before being separated from his waist.

"Huh?" Rizer said, confused as he lay on the floor looking at the ceiling with an expression of pure shock on his face.

"Maste-" Rizer's queen said before her head was separated from her body, a beautiful sight.

'I wonder if bathing in the blood of supernatural species will benefit me.' I said to myself with a smile as I walked toward Rizer, who despite his healing ability, wasn't healing. My abilities were imbued with curse energy, and that alone seemed to prevent Rizer from healing.

"R-Rizer isn't h-healing?" Rizer said with surprise on his face as he looked at his severed waist, which was a few feet away from him.

"Rizer-Sama's Queen piece has retired," the voice of a woman I recognized as Grayfia announced.

"Hey," I said with a smile as I looked down at Rizer, who was still surprised.

"W-You? Who are you?!" Rizer shouted as his surprise transformed into anger; he was too stupid to know fear.

"Nobody," I replied before placing my foot on Rizer's head.

"What ar-" Rizer said before grunting under the pressure of my foot as he tried to push my foot up with his arms.

"Heh, you'll need much more strength, brat," I said with a smile as I slowly pushed my foot down on his head, causing the sound of a cracking skull to echo through the environment.

"GAAHH!! I-I SURRENDER!" Rizer screamed, causing Grayfia's voice to immediately be heard.

"Rizer-Sama has forfeit; Rias-Sama wins the rating game," Grayfia announced, but I didn't stop.

"S-STOP!!" Rizer screamed as I continued squashing his head before deciding to end this and completely crushing Rizer's head, successfully fulfilling my part of the deal.

"W-Who are you?" Rias asked as she looked at me with curiosity, but still, I could sense her wariness.

Just like the first time she spoke to me, I ignored her before raising my hand and putting my index finger into my mouth before sealing my mouth and biting it off, but before pulling my hand out and revealing that my index finger was missing I used Reverse Cursed Technique to reform it.

'Fun while it lasted I guess.' I said to myself with a smile as I looked at Rias before releasing my control over Issei's body, and just like last time, as soon as Issei retook control, his original appearance returned before he fell on his face."

[ System quest complete ]

[ Does the host accept the reward? ]

Immediately upon releasing control over Issei's body and returning to my domain the sound of an emotionless and robotic voice sounded in my head, immediately I knew it was the system voice, the system that hadn't spoken since I was reincarnated.

"I accept," I said aloud as I sat upon my throne with a smile, things would get more interesting from now on.

To be continued...