A True Curse in DxD: I'm Gonna Touch You

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"IT'S TIME! BURN THE HERETIC! KILL THE DEVILS! PURGE THE UNCLEAN!"

The 6 hulking priests raised their transfigured rifles, aimed at the devils, and unleashed a hail of bullets made of bone fragments.

Akeno and Rias quickly put up a barrier in response, while Kiba created a wall of swords to defend himself.

But Issei, who hadn't learned any magic or spells yet, had no way of defending himself besides actively reinforcing his body with that mysterious energy and boosting. And because he hadn't expected a fight to happen, he didn't even have a single boost activated yet.

He realized he was about to be shredded like Swiss cheese. Closing his eyes, he raised his arms to protect himself, hoping to survive somehow. The shots rang out loudly as the priests peppered them with bullets.

Then, after firing their weapons continuously for 30 seconds, they stopped.

Issei braced himself for the pain he was about to experience, but it never came. Curious about what had happened, he opened his eyes and gasped in shock.

Koneko stood in front of Issei, arms spread wide, her body riddled with small holes. Her uniform was completely soaked in her own blood as she bled profusely from her wounds.

She was lucky to still be alive, given that she was a Rook. Because of this, she had high defense and durability. However, compared to the rogue priests' firepower with their transfigured rifles, it was laughable.

"KONEKO!"

Rias, Akeno, and Kiba shouted as they saw the state she was in after tanking hundreds of rounds for Issei. Koneko started to sway unsteadily before collapsing to the ground.

Issei moved instantly to catch her in his arms. He was shocked—extremely so. She had been cold to him at first, but after the incident with the monster, they had started to grow closer. Still, he never thought it would be enough to warrant Koneko risking her own life to save him from dying

"Why?"

His voice came out so quiet that it could barely even qualify as a whisper, but Koneko heard him clearly.

"I... I got... y-your... back... t-too..."

Tears welled up in Issei's eyes. Only now did he realize that they were truly as close as a family, all in this together as part of Rias' peerage.

"Awwww, how disgustingly sweet!~ A little devil risking her life for another! What a tragedy! Hahaha! Get 'em!"

Freed ruined the devils' moment together by mocking Koneko's sacrifice. The 6 rogue priests finished reloading their transfigured rifles and started another barrage of rounds at them.

Rias and Akeno quickly moved forward to block the shots, protecting Issei and the fatally injured Koneko behind them. Asia, who had been behind Kiba all that time, went up to Issei and knelt in front of Koneko.

"I... I... I can help"

Issei looked at Asia with hope and gratitude. She was a nun—an exiled one, but a nun nonetheless—and she was still helping them despite the fact that they were devils.

Asia placed her hands above Koneko and used her sacred gear, Twilight Healing, to heal Koneko's severe wounds. Koneko's expression eased as she lost consciousness, her pain dissipating and being replaced by the warm sensation from the light in Asia's palms, which enveloped her body

The bleeding stopped. Koneko's wounds began to visibly close, the flesh knitting itself back together, good as new. Issei watched in fascination as Asia focused with all her might to heal Koneko, and Koneko's condition improved significantly by the second.

Along with the others, Rias and Akeno were holding up their magical barriers to protect everyone from the onslaught of rogue priests firing at them nonstop. Kiba was positioned between them, having created a pair of the sharpest and most durable swords he had ever made with his sacred gear, Sword Birth.

"Ugh!"

"Ack!"

Rias and Akeno felt the strain of trying to keep their barriers intact. They knew that the moment they let their guard down, they would be annihilated by the gunfire, leaving behind nothing but a steaming pile of meat riddled with holes.

Just as the barriers were about to reach their limit and shatter, the relentless hail of bullets suddenly ceased.

"Guns dry, Sir!"

Hearing this, both devils sighed in relief, their barriers having withstood the relentless gunfire.

The rogue priests, now out of ammunition, turned to Freed for orders. Freed simply shrugged, twirling his transfigured sword before a manic grin spread across his face.

"Oooohhh well!~ Looks like we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way—up close, personal, and drowning in blood! Hah! Just the way I LOVE it!~ Brothers! Hack! Slash! Tear these devil fuckers apart! Paint the ground with their filthy guts!"

"YEEAAAAHHHH! BLOOD FOR THE RIGHTEOUS! JUDGMENT IS UPON YOU, FOUL DEVIL SCUM!"

The rogue priests roared in mad glee as they pulled out various transfigured people who had been turned into weapons—axes, swords, maces, spears, and hammers.

They charged with fervor, moving with shocking speed that belied their bulky stature. With a single swing, the first priest to reach the two devils shattered their barrier into pieces.

Rias and Akeno split up, each pursued by two rogue priests. Kiba lunged forward, locking blades with the priest who had shattered their barrier. Meanwhile, another priest bypassed the fight entirely, charging straight toward Asia, who remained oblivious to the danger as she focused on healing Koneko.

"FILTHY WITCH! IF YOU LOVE THE DEVILS SO MUCH, THEN YOU CAN DIE WITH THEM, YOU HERETICAL WHORE!"

Just as the priest's transfigured axe was about to cleave Asia's head in two, Issei stepped in between them to protect them.

BOOST!

"Your fight is with ME, you son of a bitch! Take THIS!"

With Issei finally reaching his limit of six boosts, his power surged from mid-tier Low-Class to high-tier Mid-Class. Clad in his Boosted Gear, his left arm shot forward, delivering a devastating punch straight to the priest's face.

The combined force of Issei's punch and the priest's forward momentum sent the priest's head snapping back, his face pressed firmly against the full force of Issei's gauntlet-clad fist.

'Got him!'

Issei smiled, convinced he had already won. But suddenly, the priest pushed forward against his fist with his own face. Blood trickled from his nose, yet he still wore a wide, twisted grin, his mocking eyes locked onto Issei's

"Is that all you've got, you filthy devil? PATHETIC!"

Issei was shocked at how tough this guy was. The force of his blow, combined with the momentum of his charging enemy, should have been enough to cave his face in at most—or at the very least, knock him out. Ddraig had told him so. But this priest was still standing, grinning like a maniac.

A disturbing thought crept into his mind.

'Are these guys even human anymore?'

Before he could even react, the rogue priest grabbed the back of his head and slammed his forehead into Issei's skull with brutal force. The impact was so strong that his vision went black for a moment, his consciousness nearly slipping away.

When he regained awareness, the rogue priest was already mid-swing, his transfigured axe hurtling toward him.

He dodged at the last second, but not fast enough—the axe clipped his right side, tearing through flesh. Pain flared as blood gushed from the deep gash. That thing was far sharper than it looked, Issei realized.

Issei grit his teeth, ignoring the pain as he locked in. He ducked under the second swing and countered with two rapid punches to the priest's face. But his enemy didn't even bother to defend himself. Issei kept hammering away, fists slamming into his body, yet the priest only laughed—mocking him, treating his attacks as nothing more than an annoyance

The rogue priest suddenly dashed forward, reaching for Issei. Panic surged through him as he tried to back away, but he stumbled, losing his balance and falling backward. As he fell, a chilling realization gripped his mind—I'M FINISHED!

Suddenly, in a flash, a memory surfaced in his mind—a video of a niche martial arts move he had seen once. His thoughts raced, and in that split second, he made a decision. He was going to recreate it.

By releasing his knees, Issei narrowly dodged the priest's grasp. Instead of hitting the ground, he let gravity drive him lower—straight into striking position. Without hesitation, he twisted his body and unleashed a savage upward roundhouse kick, his heel rocketing into the priest's chin with bone-crunching force.

'MANJI KICK!'

The rogue priest reeled back, momentarily stunned. The sheer force of Issei's strike, combined with the momentum behind it, shattered his nose, sending a fresh spray of blood flying. His head snapped back, and for the first time, his manic grin faltered as a dazed expression flickered across his face.

Issei seized the moment, dashing forward with intent, but the rogue priest reacted instantly, swinging his transfigured axe in a lethal arc toward his head. Anticipating the attack, Issei ducked just in time—the axe whistled past, sharp metal grazing the air mere inches above him, slicing off a few strands of his hair.

While crouched low, Issei planted his right hand firmly atop his gauntlet-clad left fist, his muscles tensing, ready to unleash a devastating strike.

EXPLOSION!

Activating the Explosion ability of the Boosted Gear, Issei's power surged to peak Middle-Class levels for a single instant. This ability allowed him to unleash all accumulated boosts in one devastating attack before resetting, erasing all stored power in the process.

In a sudden, explosive burst of motion, Issei delivered a brutal uppercut to the rogue priest's jaw. He never saw it coming—the impact was immediate and devastating. His head snapped back, eyes rolling into his skull as consciousness fled him. His body went limp, crashing to the ground with a heavy thud.

Issei had no time to celebrate his victory—his head snapped around as he quickly scanned the battlefield, checking on the others.

Kiba was locked in a fierce deadlock with a rogue priest wielding a transfigured sword, who seemed to be toying with him. Despite Kiba's superior swordsmanship, the priest not only matched his speed but also vastly outclassed him in raw strength. Every thrust and slash Kiba delivered was effortlessly deflected, while each of the priest's brutal strikes sent him staggering, chipping away at his demonic swords bit by bit.

Rias was faring considerably better than Kiba. Instead of her usual aggressive fighting style, she played it safe, adopting a defensive approach. She kept both rogue priests at bay, staying just beyond the reach of their transfigured spears by expertly zoning them with well-placed blasts of her Power of Destruction. The rogue priests moved with caution, wary of her attacks—one direct hit from her devastating blasts could be fatal, even with their unnaturally durable bodies.

"I'm gonna rip that pretty little head off your shoulders, mount it on my spear, and parade it around for all to see, bitch!"

"Go ahead and try—I dare you."

She just lacked the ability to finish them off quickly, as one wrong move could mean her end—she couldn't afford to take even a single hit from the rogue priests. Instead, she bided her time, waiting for the perfect opportunity or for her enemies to make a mistake so she could eliminate them in one precise blast.

Akeno was faring the worst among them. She struck both rogue priests with a relentless stream of lightning, her fingertips crackling with raw energy. Their bodies convulsed, muscles seizing under the sheer voltage. And yet, they still grinned—wide, twisted, and lecherous—as they advanced without hesitation, as if pain was meaningless to them, like something their bodies had long since abandoned.

Their hands slowly reached out for Akeno, unfazed by the lightning still coursing through their bodies.

"I'm gonna have some fun fucking those fat cow tits of yours before killing you!"

"Aaahhnn!~ I can't wait to see the gorgeous color of your blood splatter everywhere after I crush your skull into a fine, crimson paste with this exquisite transfigured hammer that was gifted just for me!~"

"Tch! Go ahead and try it!"

Akeno intensified her lightning, pouring more power into it, but the rogue priest still pushed forward, unfazed. Just as the nearest one reached out, fingers inches from grabbing her breasts—Issei came out of nowhere, drop-kicking him in the side. The force sent him tumbling, crashing into the other priest beside him.

"Akeno! Are you ok?!"

Issei shouted to Akeno, shaking off the slight numbness in his legs from the brief contact with the rogue priest while he was being electrocuted. But he ignored the discomfort. He raised his arms, fists clenched, slipping into a tight boxing stance. His eyes locked onto the priests as they started to stir, waiting for them to rise.

He couldn't afford to go on the offensive just yet—he hadn't even boosted himself to his limit. Against a single rogue priest, he had barely held his own with six boosts. And that was against one who lacked skill and underestimated him. The only reason he had won so quickly was that he went all out from the very start. But now, with two of them standing before him, he knew recklessness would get him killed.

"I'm fine Issei, thank you..."

"Don't worry about it! Let's beat these guys together!"

"Fu fu fu!~ Oh! I might just give you a reward later for saving my life!"

Akeno purred teasingly at Issei. His ears burned red at her flirtation, but he quickly shook off the distraction and refocused on the battle.

"I'd love to hear about my reward, but only after this fight is over. Let's focus for now, Akeno!"

"Fu fu!~ You've changed… I like that~"

She giggled, her sultry tone laced with amusement.

The two rogue priests charged at them in a rage, their focus mostly on Issei for interrupting them just as they were about to reach Akeno. Sweat formed on Issei's forehead as he grew nervous—he was still only at four boosts. He needed at least twenty more seconds to reach his limit of six boosts. Just as he sidestepped the first priest attempting to tackle him, he noticed something—they were moving slower than the one he had fought before.

Analyzing them, he quickly realized the reason. Their bodies were covered in multiple burn marks from Akeno's lightning magic. While these guys couldn't feel pain, they still couldn't fully ignore the damage their bodies had sustained.

The other rogue priest tried to crush him in a bear hug, but Issei slipped behind him. Without hesitation, he kicked the back of the priest's leg, forcing him down onto one knee. Seizing the opportunity, Issei quickly wrapped his arm around the priest's neck, locking him in a tight chokehold.

"Akeno, NOW!"

"HAH!"

Bzzzt!

Issei released his grip on the rogue priest's neck just as Akeno unleashed a concentrated magic bolt of lightning. The attack struck the priest square in the chest, piercing through his body and exiting out his back. A small, charred hole was left where the attack had burned through, right where his heart had been. The rogue priest's body went limp, collapsing into a heap on the ground.

Issei then engaged the remaining rogue priest in a brutal exchange of blows. His fists landed repeatedly, though some were blocked, while he managed to evade all but one of the priest's attacks. A single punch struck him hard in the stomach, forcing the air from his lungs. He staggered for a moment but quickly bounced back, refusing to let the pain slow him down.

The rogue priest lunged, attempting to grab him, but Issei swiftly swerved to the side—only to be caught off guard by a sudden shoulder bash that sent him crashing into a wall. Before he could react, the priest raised a hand, aiming to smash Issei's head into the concrete with a brutal palm strike.

Just then, a bolt of magic lightning struck the priest's back, sending violent convulsions through his body and stunning him for a few precious seconds. Wasting no time, Issei seized the opportunity, wrapping his arms around the priest's waist before hoisting him up and slamming him through the wall with a devastating suplex.

Issei scrambled to his feet, ready to end the fight, but his fist barely missed the rogue priest's head as the man rolled to the side with uncanny speed. Before Issei could react, the priest sprung up and delivered a brutal front kick straight to his ribs.

The impact sent Issei flying backward, his body skidding across the ground as pain exploded in his chest. He groaned, clutching his side, realizing with a grimace that multiple ribs had cracked from the sheer force of the blow.

Akeno prevented the man from moving by firing continuous stream of lightning magic.

"You fucking annoying devil pieces of shit!"

"Issei, get him!"

Issei grit his teeth as he pushed himself up to his feet. He then ran at the rogue priest and then leaped.

"RAAH!"

EXPLOSION!

Issei activated the Boosted Gear's Explosion ability once more, sacrificing all six boosts for a single devastating attack. With explosive force, he launched forward and delivered a brutal Superman punch straight to the rogue priest's face.

His fist didn't just stop upon impact—it kept driving forward, forcing the priest's head downward until it violently smashed into the ground. The sheer force sent tremors through the floor, leaving behind a web of cracks beneath his skull.

The priest didn't get up again. Issei stood over his fallen opponent, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. The toll of boosting was beginning to wear on his body, his muscles aching from the strain. But he couldn't stop now—he wouldn't.

They had to finish this. If they could take down the rest of these monstrous priests, they could all focus on the biggest threat—their leader. That white-haired bastard had been standing at the back the whole time, watching the battle unfold with a twisted grin, as if all our fighting entertained him.

Issei clenched his fists. He wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug look off his deranged face.

"ISSEI, BEHIND YOU!"

"Wha-?"

SHLACK!

Issei didn't even have time to finish his words before a transfigured axe cleaved deep into his right shoulder, carving through flesh and bone. A burst of agony shot through his entire body, his vision swimming from the shock. His arm went limp, refusing to respond. Then, the one responsible leaned in close, their hot breath brushing against his ear.

Then a voice slithered into Issei's ear, low and venomous.

"This is what you get for making a fool out of me, devil boy."

This was the first rogue priest that Issei fought and knocked out after he underestimated him. The rogue priest then whispered, his breath hot and stinking of bloodlust.

"I was just going to kill you… but now? Now, I want to carve you apart, piece by piece, savor every chunk of flesh as I rip it from your bones. And you? You're going to eat it with me. Bit by bit… until there's nothing left of you but a pile of stripped, broken bones."

Then, his voice exploded into a manic roar, dripping with twisted glee.

"NOW SCREAM FOR ME!"

The rogue priest's other hand clamped down on Issei's left shoulder like a vice. Then, with a brutal yank, he ripped the transfigured axe from Issei's right shoulder. Flesh tore, bone scraped, and a spray of blood burst forth in a violent arc, splattering across the ground like a gruesome fountain.

The agony was unbearable—so intense that no sound escaped Issei's lips, only a silent scream frozen on his face. His strength abandoned him in an instant, his body betraying him as he slumped to his knees, trembling uncontrollably from the sheer, searing pain.

The rogue priest then yanked his hair back with a brutal grip, forcing Issei to lift his head and look upon his friends. He was helpless, broken, and completely at the priest's mercy.

He saw his friends in various pitiful states—battered, struggling, and barely holding their ground against their monstrous foes.

Kiba was in the same defeated state as Issei, kneeling on the ground with his shattered swords scattered before him. Blood dripped from countless small cuts that covered his entire body. A rogue priest stood over him, sneering as he twirled a transfigured blade in his hand, mocking Kiba's swordsmanship with a cruel smirk.

Akeno was sobbing as the rogue priest methodically shattered her bones one by one with his transfigured hammer. It was the same priest Issei had struck down with a superman punch earlier. He had only pretended to be unconscious, biding his time before catching Akeno off guard when her back was turned. Now, he loomed over her, grinning as he raised his hammer for another brutal strike.

Rias was barely standing, her body trembling from exhaustion. Blood poured from a gaping wound in her left shoulder, leaving her arm limp and useless. A deep puncture wound in her stomach drained her strength even faster, her breathing ragged as her demonic power dwindled.

She had managed to kill one of the rogue priests with a perfectly timed blast of Power of Destruction, vaporizing his head instantly. But the other had used his fallen comrade as a shield, closing the distance before driving his transfigured spear deep into her shoulder and stomach. In desperation, Rias unleashed another point-blank blast, but the corpse absorbed most of the attack, leaving the priest with only part of his left arm obliterated. Even maimed, he still grinned, while Rias struggled to stay on her feet, knowing she had little left to give.

Asia sobbed helplessly, her hands trembling as she channeled her healing power into Koneko's motionless body.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

Tears streamed down her face, her voice shaking as she kept whispering over and over again.

She could do nothing but watch as Issei and his friends suffered, forced to witness their pain while being powerless to stop it. Koneko was nearly healed, but she remained unconscious, leaving Asia alone, drowning in guilt as the battle raged on around her.

Bzzzz! Bzzzz! From the screen 💻 to the ring 💍 to the PEN 🖊️to the king 🤴 wheres my crown 👑 thats my bling 💎 always trouble when i reign 😈🎵🎵🎵

Suddenly, an eerie silence fell over the battlefield. All eyes turned toward the source of the awful sound—an obnoxious, grating ringtone that shattered the tension like a cruel joke.

It came from Freed.

The monstrous priest casually reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone that looked comically tiny in his hands, the device looking almost fragile in his massive fingers. The moment the shrill noise stopped, he pressed it to his ear, barely managing not to crush it with his monstrous strength.

Freed's grin widened as he pressed the tiny phone to his ear.

"Hello! Hello! Who's calling this devout believer at a time like this?"

He drawled, his tone mocking and playful. Then, his eyes lit up.

"Oh! Bossman! Yeah, yeah, we were dealing with these devil fuckers for you, just like you asked."

His expression briefly soured, brows furrowing.

"Already? Tch… sure, sure, if you say so!"

He sighed dramatically before hanging up.

Freed then crushed the phone in his fingers as he didn't need it anymore.

"I guess our time is up for now."

He called out, voice dripping with amusement. Then, his tone sharpened, carrying an undeniable authority.

"Wrap it up, my brothers! The plan is heading to the next phase!"

Freed's grin widened as he gently patted Asia's trembling head, his touch mockingly tender. His eyes then shifted to Koneko, lying unconscious but fully healed on the cold floor.

Without hesitation, he lifted his massive transfigured sword high above her, its twisted blade hung over her like an executioner.

"Mahito sends his regards! Hahahahaha!"

The blade descended in a slow, deliberate arc, as if Freed wanted to stretch out the moment, to let the weight of inevitability sink into their bones. His grin widened as he drank in their horror, the agony in their eyes more satisfying to him than the actual kill.

As Kiba watched Koneko's impending death, a memory surged through his mind like a lightning strike.

Flashes of his childhood—small, fleeting moments of warmth with others just like him. The laughter of children who had no idea what cruel fate awaited them. Then came the experiments. The suffocating gas. The helpless screams of his friends as one by one, they perished. His family—no, his entire world—ripped away, leaving him the sole survivor of that nightmare.

And now, it was happening again. Right in front of his eyes.

He was too weak then. And now, he was too weak again.

But he couldn't accept this. He refused to accept this.

Something inside him snapped.

A raw, primal force surged through his body, stronger than pain, stronger than fear. His vision blurred—not from tears, but from the sheer, overwhelming rage consuming him. His body moved before thought, before reason. He wouldn't let it happen again. He couldn't.

Even if it killed him, he would fight.

Kiba's entire body trembled, his bloodied hands clenching into shaking fists. His vision blurred with red, his mind consumed

by an all-encompassing fury that drowned out reason. His voice cracked, raw with desperation and unrestrained wrath as he roared—

"YOU DARE?! I-I'LL RIP YOU APART! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOUUUUUU!!!"

His breath came in ragged gasps, his body lurching forward before his mind could even register the action. There was no strategy, no thought—only the overwhelming urge to tear Freed limb from limb.

The rogue priest he had been fighting slashed across his back, tearing through flesh and muscle. Blood sprayed onto the ground, but Kiba didn't even flinch. He didn't feel it. Pain no longer mattered.

In his hands, he created a demonic sword which then twisted and warped, his sacred gear, Sword Birth, responding to the unrelenting fury coursing through him. Black steel melded together, swords fusing into a jagged, monstrous greatsword—a weapon born purely from his hatred.

Without hesitation, he spun around, his body moving on instinct. The rogue priest barely had time to react before Kiba's massive blade cleaved through him in a single swing. Flesh, bone, and transfigured weapon split apart like wet paper, the two halves of his enemy collapsing lifelessly to the ground.

Kiba didn't stop to look. His rage demanded more.

Kiba charged ahead towards Freed, who stopped his swing midway when he noticed Kiba going berserk, killing one of his fellow priests as he charged toward him, prepared to kill him with everything he had.

Kiba lunged forward, eyes burning with unrestrained fury. His blood-soaked greatsword dragged against the ground, carving deep gashes into the floor as he closed the distance.

He then leaped high into the air, his monstrous greatsword held aloft, swirling violently with black and red flames—an embodiment of his unbridled fury. His eyes burned with unrelenting rage as he let out a thunderous, primal roar that shook the air. With every ounce of his hatred pouring into the swing, he brought the blade down with everything he've got, aiming to cleave Freed in two.

"Pest."

Schlkk!

He didn't feel it. He couldn't react at all. He didn't even see his arm move. It was too fast. Way too fast.

Kiba collapsed, landing face-first on the ground, unconscious. A moment later, his severed right arm—still gripping his greatsword—fell beside him with a dull thud. His rage, his hatred, all of it had been meaningless. The gap in power between them was simply too vast to be bridged by mere emotion.

Freed had swung his transfigured sword so fast that Kiba hadn't even seen the strike that took his arm.

"Heh, that was anticlimactic. Now, where were we?"

As Issei knelt with his shoulders slumped, the rogue priest behind him still yanked his hair harshly, forcing him to watch his friends suffer. His will wavered, teetering on the edge of collapse. One thought echoed in his mind—how? How the hell did this even happen?

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