Broken Soul (DxD)

The maroon dragon took a step that broke the absolute silence in the hall. Then another and another. The scaly one slowly approached the altar.

Rias's heart sank and she took a step towards the dragon. Riser blocked her path with his hand, which immediately caused a reaction in Issei.

Taking another step, the dragon disappeared from sight, creating an air vortex, and the next moment, Riser was thrown into the wall.

The dragon stood in front of Rias with its right-wing extended to the side and looked at the face of its mistress. Tears flowed down Rias's cheeks and she stretched out her hands to the dragon's muzzle. Issei leaned forward a little and felt the touch of warm palms.

"Issei. I knew I knew that you would return to me." The dragon stood on its hind legs and began to gradually shrink.

When the growth of the armor decreased to a state in which it was only half a head taller than Rias, the maroon metal on its stomach began to crack.

Cracks began to spread across the entire body, gradually covering the entire surface of the armor.

"Issei…" A piece of metal fell off the dragon's head and crashed to the floor. A brown eye with a predatory dragon pupil appeared before her eyes. A calm, almost emotionless look pierced the bones.

Gradually, the armor fell apart into pieces, which, falling to the floor, dissolved into particles.

When the last fragments fell, Hyodo approached Rias and the next moment, the girl found herself in tenacious and strong embraces.

The scarlet-haired princess of destruction, taken aback by all this, froze in place. But as soon as the essence of what was happening reached her, she hugged Hyodo back and burst into tears.

The couple sank to the floor. Sirzechs dispelled the illusion spell and several dozen people dissolved into thin air. Picking up the beaten Riser, Lady Phoenix said goodbye to the demon lord and moved to her home.

Lucifer led the remaining members of the Gremory family out, giving Issei and Rias some time alone. The silence in the hall was broken only by the girl's rare sobs. Hyodo slightly moved away from Rias and looked into her eyes.

Goosebumps ran across the girl's body. There was something predatory and frightening in the dragon's eyes. Something not inherent in his soft, slightly chaotic character. It seemed that he was trying to tell something with his gaze.

"Issei, is something wrong?" Seeing something visible only to him, Hyodo picked up Rias in his arms, which made her embarrassed. The girl's face instantly blushed.

"Issei, what's wrong?" Wings of armor burst out of Issei's back with a crack and flapped, instantly accelerating the dragon to an unimaginable speed.

Having broken through the ceiling with his wings, Hyodo rose to a height of several kilometers.

From the sudden change in pressure, Rias's breath was taken away and she almost lost hold of him. Opening her eyes, the sunset sky appeared before her.

The sun had almost set behind the horizon and was breaking through the clouds with a scarlet light, creating bizarre shadows.

Rias looked at the sunset sky for a few moments, then turned her gaze to Issei. Her heart sank. The dragon's gaze was directed somewhere far beyond the horizon.

"Issei, are you okay?" Hyoudou looked at his mistress and his expression changed. Rias caught melancholy and resentment in his gaze. A few seconds later, Hyodo began to descend to the ground. A light wind fluttered her scarlet hair and lace wedding dress. Issei descended and placed Rias on the ground. Sirzechs and the others approached the couple.

"President, are you okay?"

"Yes, everything is fine. It's just…" Rias watched Hyodo, who was staring into space in front of him. "Issei, are you okay?"

The dragon turned his gaze to the source of the sound. Rias felt uneasy. The dragon's gaze was empty and lifeless. And now that she was in a calm environment, the girl noticed something else as well.

Hyodo had grown taller and two rather long fangs were showing from under his upper lip.

"Listen, Rias, do you know what's wrong with him?"

"I have no idea. He's kind of, I don't even know how to describe…"

"Calm?"

"Exactly. Even too calm."

"Well, at least he returned to his human form, and that's already progress. Rias, see him off. He needs rest."

"Okay. Issei, let's go." Rias took Hyoudou's hand and pulled him along. Issei followed her without any resistance and didn't seem to even understand what was going on around him.

The couple moved away from the family's location, and Sirzechs thought about how to return Issei's emotions to him.

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Rias changed into her nightgown and went to her room. Hyodo was lying on the bed without moving. It felt like he didn't care what was going on around him.

"Issei, is everything okay?" The dragon turned his gaze to the girl. Lifeless, empty eyes looked at Rias's face. Something in the girl's soul ached painfully from this look.

The daughter of the Gremory family lay down next to him and hugged Issei, pressing him to herself. Hyodo intuitively wrapped his arms around Rias's waist. The girl became noticeably sad. "Issei."