High School DxD: Lustful Ascension

This is the combined chapter of 28/29

The Pervert Trio didn't mind the insult; they were used to being scolded by girls. Words like "scram" and "disgusting" were everyday vocabulary for them.

Ignoring the rebuff, they patted Hakata Tetsuya on the back, offering their support. "We may not be in the same class, but we'll go with you to the grove after school and teach that pretty boy a lesson."

"Yeah! It's not enough that he's got Hamazaki and the others; now he's going for Tsubaki-senpai and Akeno-senpai too."

"Damn him! And he succeeded!"

"Jealous...I mean, damn him."

The conversation inevitably turned to women, confirming the aptness of their nickname: the Pervert Trio.

Hakata Tetsuya wanted to explode but held back. He'd told them to scram, but since they didn't listen, he might as well use them as tools.

"Fine, after school, we'll go to the grove together," Hakata Tetsuya said, forcing a smile that was more of a grimace. "I never said I'd go alone. We'll teach that pretty boy a lesson."

He couldn't understand why Qingqiu had singled him out, fabricating lies and slander. Given Tsubaki and Akeno's ambiguous stance, he'd chosen to bide his time. But being approached by the Pervert Trio and treated as a comrade was infuriating.

Bringing along three ordinary students might temper any potential retaliation from Tsubaki and Akeno. If not, he vowed to severely punish Qingqiu.

The Pervert Trio had initially been bluffing; they had the desire but not the courage. Beyond their lecherous talk, they were cowards who wouldn't dare engage in a brawl.

Motohama, the glasses-wearing member, suddenly remembered, "Ah, I forgot, I have a club meeting today. Issei and Matsuda, you go with him."

Matsuda, catching on quickly, added, "Sorry, I've got family commitments. Issei, I'm counting on you."

Hakata Tetsuya: ...

Watching his friends bolt faster than rabbits, Issei was left with a head full of questions. As he considered making an excuse to leave, he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder.

Hakata Tetsuya stared at Issei with a menacing look. "It's settled then. After school, I'll come find you, and we'll go teach that pretty boy a lesson."

Feeling the tightening grip on his shoulder, Issei knew refusing would only earn him a beating before school even let out. Reluctantly, he nodded.

"Good. After school, I'll find you in your classroom," Hakata Tetsuya said, releasing his grip. "If you run, I'll make sure we have a 'talk' every day."

Issei froze, his expression growing even more serious. "Don't worry... I won't run. We're all birds of a feather; we should help each other..."

"Good," Hakata Tetsuya chuckled darkly, having seen through Issei's hesitation. If Issei dared flee, he wouldn't hesitate to take out his frustration on him.

Thanks to the warning, Issei didn't dare ditch his new "friend" after school. Going to the grove didn't guarantee a fight, and even if it did, he might not necessarily be the one to suffer. But if he ran, Hakata Tetsuya would certainly seek retribution.

The earlier tone and demeanor from Qingqiu were definitely not in jest.

---

The grove... or rather, a small forest.

Kuoh Academy was nestled against the mountains, and beyond the main campus and the club activity building lay a dense forest. Here, a magical barrier was set up, making it appear as just a small grove to ordinary people, with a wall a few dozen meters in.

Practical training sessions and special educational activities for the inner academy often took place here. Additionally, since ordinary people couldn't enter, students from the inner academy would often choose this place to settle disputes.

Qingqiu had become quite the prominent figure lately, so naturally, Hakata Tetsuya had some knowledge about him. Qingqiu had suddenly awakened a succubus bloodline, becoming a member of the inner academy, and was rumored to possess exceptional magical talent. His ability to enhance his power through fusion alone had many yokai and witch girls flocking to him. Coupled with his pretty-boy looks, they were more than willing to be around him.

Even girls like Akeno Himejima and Tsubaki Shinra, who were both powerful and beautiful, had been effortlessly charmed by him. After school, Hakata Tetsuya immediately sought out Issei Hyoudou, dragging him across the barrier despite Issei's look of impending doom.

Seeing Hakata Tetsuya charge at the wall, Issei was startled, and before he could stop himself, he was pulled through. The unfamiliar sight before him left Issei with a look of pure foolishness.

The existence of the supernatural world was a secret to ordinary people. However, there was no strict rule against revealing it to them. If the impact was too great, there were people responsible for handling it. So, Hakata Tetsuya had no intention of explaining anything. Issei Hyoudou was just a tool; what happened afterward didn't concern him.

"B-Bakata..." Issei stammered, looking around in confusion at Hakata Tetsuya. "Where is this?"

Without even glancing at him, Hakata Tetsuya let out a roar and transformed. Perhaps his yokai bloodline wasn't that potent, as his transformation only resulted in longer, sharper nails, bulging muscles, and an uglier face.

Off in the distance, Qingqiu didn't notice much of a power increase in Hakata Tetsuya. However, the ugly face did have a bit of a yokai vibe—an ugly yokai, but a yokai nonetheless.

With his preliminary skills activated, Hakata Tetsuya began searching for his target.

"Pretty boy, I'm here. How long do you plan on hiding?" he yelled.

"Ugly bastard, compared to you, anyone's a pretty boy," Qingqiu taunted, leaping down from the treetops. "I thought you wouldn't dare show up. Didn't expect you to have some guts."

Just in case he did show up, Qingqiu had been waiting at the grove—the sacred ground for fights—right after school. Of course, Qingqiu wasn't alone. Tsubaki and Akeno used magic to conceal their presence, keeping a close watch.

"Hmph, if it weren't for those two women..." Hakata Tetsuya muttered, scanning for others but finding no one, though still wary. "If Tsubaki-senpai and Akeno-senpai weren't backing you, what would you amount to?"

"Yeah, I've got women backing me up," Qingqiu sneered, glancing at Issei beside Hakata Tetsuya. "Better than having a guy do it for you."

"What? Can't get girls, so you're going after cute boys now?"

Hakata Tetsuya: "..."

He realized he couldn't match Qingqiu in a war of words.

"Enough nonsense. What did I do to offend you? Why slander me?" Hakata Tetsuya demanded, switching from insults to reasoning when the former failed—a typical move for shameless people.

With his goal achieved, Qingqiu stopped taunting. There was no need. However, he didn't offer any explanation either; that would come once the real culprit was caught. After observing for some time, Hakata Tetsuya didn't seem like the main suspect. Instead, Qingqiu's interest was piqued by the dumbfounded Issei.

Don't get it wrong—Qingqiu wasn't interested in men. Whether in the past, present, or future, that wasn't his inclination. Perhaps due to his victim template, Qingqiu hadn't yet encountered the protagonist from his memories. Initially, he just wanted to gain some combat experience and rule out a suspect, but finding Issei was an unexpected bonus.

With a year until the storyline began, Qingqiu wondered if the Red Dragon Emperor's gauntlet had already found its host in Issei. As he scrutinized the dazed Issei, Qingqiu casually responded to Hakata Tetsuya.

"No reason, just don't like you," Qingqiu shrugged.

Hakata Tetsuya: ???

You don't like me? Do you know how many people don't like you? Messing around with the girls, receiving confessions, not to mention you've got the popular senpais on your side...

And I can't even have the leftovers?

Unaware of Hakata's thoughts, Qingqiu wouldn't have cared anyway. Seeing Hakata at a loss for words, he issued a challenge.

"Enough talk. Let's settle this with our fists."

"Fine, let's see what you've got. You're just a newly awakened half-breed," Hakata sneered.

Qingqiu rolled his eyes. Listening to him, one might think he was some purebred yokai. With magic flowing, his Eye of Insight enhanced, Qingqiu spotted Hakata's openings and advanced.

Using primary physical mastery, Qingqiu perfectly coordinated his muscles, unleashing 200% of a normal human's physical potential.

Boom!

Caught off guard, Hakata staggered back from Qingqiu's punch, surprised to find Qingqiu's speed and strength nearly matched his own.

Yokai were known for their physical prowess, especially the oni tribe, famed for their physical strength. Though Hakata had only a faint trace of oni blood, it shouldn't have been comparable to a half-breed succubus.

Unwilling to be outdone, Hakata counterattacked.

Issei only saw a blur as Hakata and Qingqiu clashed. It was a brawl—neither had any formal combat training. Relying solely on physical attributes and reflexes, they engaged in an all-out brawl.

Issei could barely follow their movements, hearing only the whoosh of punches and the thud of impacts. He watched the two, bloodied and battered, and muttered, "This can't be real... I must be dreaming..."

Meanwhile, the fight between Qingqiu and Hakata intensified. Relying on his oni bloodline's regenerative abilities, Hakata was fearless, eager to trade blows.

But something felt off to Hakata. While getting hit was normal, it felt like he was hurting himself when he struck Qingqiu...

Qingqiu chuckled, wiping the blood from his lips. The Mirror Reflect was incredibly useful in close combat.

Taking advantage of Hakata's distraction, Qingqiu ramped up his assault. Back on the defensive, Hakata struggled to keep up. As a freshman barely a month into the academy, he had little beyond his bloodline's innate abilities.

Seeing Qingqiu gaining momentum, Hakata decided on one last gamble. Crossing his arms, he took a kick from Qingqiu and used the opportunity to create distance.

Biting his tongue, Hakata muttered an incantation, his mouth filling with blood. Qingqiu didn't understand but knew he had to interrupt.

He raced forward, but it was too late. Hakata roared, spewing blood, as his body grew more massive. His shirt shredded, pants reduced to tatters, revealing muscular calves that nearly matched Qingqiu's waist.

Qingqiu winced. He just wanted a soft target to test the waters, not a berserker...

Facing the hulking Hakata, Qingqiu instinctively stepped back.

In terms of combat strength, Qingqiu had the upper hand. But with Hakata's second transformation, the tables turned.

Unfortunately, Qingqiu lacked any restorative talents or skills. Otherwise, he could have outlasted Hakata, relying on Mirror Reflect to wear him down.

Seeing Qingqiu retreat, Hakata's eyes gleamed with malice. "Trying to run now? Too late!"

"Who said I was running?" Qingqiu retorted. This was his first fight in the supernatural world; even in defeat, he wouldn't flee. Besides, Akeno and Tsubaki were nearby, hidden.

If push came to shove, he could call for backup. What? Outnumbering the opponent?

Hakata brought an accomplice first. Issei was a man, and Akeno and Tsubaki were women. Everyone knows one man can fight two women.

Sure, he'd take a hit, but assuming the helpers were evenly matched, the fight remained a 1v1 battle between men of honor.

"Should I step in, or do you want to?" Tsubaki asked, worried as Hakata transformed.

"Hold on," Akeno replied, gesturing for her friend to look more closely.

"Uesugi, that little pervert is sharp. If he were in real trouble, he would have called for help by now," Tsubaki remarked, focusing intently on the scene. Despite Qingqiu's frantic dodging, he remained unscathed.

"As long as his magic holds out, the little pervert will be fine," Akeno added, feigning nonchalance while keeping a close eye on the fight.

Magic was a versatile tool, enhancing not only the Eye of Insight but also other talents. Qingqiu had discovered this early, though without the ability to train in magic, he subconsciously overlooked it. Whether it was mental resistance or disguise, magic significantly boosted their effectiveness.

With magic enhancing his primary physical mastery, Qingqiu focused all his muscle usage on agility. Meanwhile, after transforming into a bear demon, Hakata Tetsuya gained considerable strength and speed, but his agility suffered. The complex forest terrain, with its thick tree trunks for cover, allowed Qingqiu to evade Hakata's attacks without much difficulty.

[•———•——•———•]

𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟲𝟬+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.