DxD: The Dragon Oppai {Chapter 183: Possibility! ] (Patreon)

Her eyes filled with understanding, Ingvild interjected, "You're considering the possibility that you might not win...?"

Issei let out a heavy sigh. "I possess significant power, Ingvild, but I'm uncertain of how I can stop Ophis if she decides to confront me directly. Overcoming all those evil dragons is already a formidable challenge in itself."

"Do you think Great Red could assist us if things become that dire?" she inquired hopefully.

"No…if he showed up on Earth to fight Ophis, it would destroy the world. He purposely left at the parent teacher night just so he wouldn't. Great Red doesn't care much about the Earth, but he did it for me. He knows I don't want my human parents to die and he's cool like that. I'd feel like a total pussy if I asked him to come fight my battle for me. Besides, Red's busy with something important anyways. He already helped us by building that training course so I can practice Nightmare Mode. If I can master that, then I might be strong enough to at least beat Ophis' generals and make her retreat. I doubt she'll go all out to try and destroy the world…she needs her allies to fight Great Red. If we take them away from her, then she might give up on it. Red isn't scared of her or her army…I had a dream about them hunting him down and he saw it. He laughed at the idea and isn't worried about them. I don't think he's in any danger…so all we have to do is stop Ophis' generals." Issei explained heavily.

Shortly after, Ddraig's voice resonated within Issei's mind. "Your plan isn't half bad, Issei... It's highly unlikely that Ophis herself will engage in direct combat. She wields immense power, and a clash between her and anyone else would result in the destruction of Earth. The primary concern lies in her Infinity Snakes, which empower her followers. If we can find a way to disrupt those, you will gain the upper hand against her Qlippoth Dragon generals."

Ingvild's gaze fixated on the radiant green light emanating from Issei's arm. "Is that... the Red Dragon Emperor?" she asked, her tone filled with awe.

Issei nodded affirmatively. "Yes, that's Ddraig."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Ddraig-sama," Ingvild addressed him respectfully.

Ddraig responded with a hint of approval in his voice. "Likewise, Ingvild Leviathan. Based on what I've witnessed, you seem to be the least bothersome companion Issei has had thus far. We both appreciate your ability to keep secrets. I hope your Longinus proves advantageous in the upcoming battle. Issei mentioned that it has a bard-like nature... perhaps you can enhance or weaken dragons with its power."

Perplexed, Ingvild tilted her head. "Do you truly believe I am Issei-kun's least bothersome companion? Don't you like his other friends?"

Ddraig let out a sigh. "They are tolerable... but they remind me too much of the companions previous hosts of mine have had. I've seen it time and time again—well-meaning individuals dragging my hosts into pointless wars. It becomes even more exasperating when my host is some self-righteous 'hero' or power-hungry fool. I grew weary of being exploited for people's petty politics or personal crusades. After my previous host died from overusing Juggernaut Drive, I swore that this time around, I would try to avoid such circumstances by encouraging my new wielder to maintain a low profile."

Ingvild's confusion was evident on her face. "Who was your previous host? And how exactly did they meet their demise?"

Issei chimed in, trying to recall the details. "The last one was the girl, right, Ddraig? The hero from China?"

A spark of excitement flickered in the half-devil's eyes. "I know we're short on time, but could you please tell me more about her?"

Ddraig let out a weary sigh. "Yes... she was a human born into a lineage of heroes from China named Jia Hongyu. Her surname, Jia, means 'red jade' or something of the sort. Many of her subordinates simply referred to her as the Red Jade Dragon. I suppose in China, I might still be known by that name. This was around 140 years ago. She awakened the Boosted Gear when she was seventeen or thereabouts, so she struggled with a peculiar identity crisis. She harbored a deep hatred for anything non-human, and her clan, which belonged to an ancient lineage of monster hunters, possessed a fanatical and self-righteous desire to exterminate non-humans. Although I cared little for their cause, her clan worshipped certain gods and considered all dragons to be evil."

Ingvild's eyes were filled with curiosity as she turned to Issei. "Have you heard about her before?"

Issei shrugged nonchalantly. "Not the whole story, but it gave me a clear understanding of why Ddraig insisted on keeping my identity hidden for so long."

"Like something out of a movie, her mom got killed by a devil and she used my power to get revenge when she proved to be too weak. It scared her clan when she accidentally killed people in the crossfire, and it turned her into a self-pitying hypocrite since she thought she was a 'monster'. Her clan exiled her for being a 'dragon'. Eventually when her self-pity was too much for me to tolerate, I tried to convince her that she needed to get over it. I told her that as a dragon and my host, she had no choice but to master my power or eventually die when Albion's host found her. She agreed but said she would only use it to protect humans and to destroy 'evil creatures' with it. Boy do I regret that one…she went on some self-righteous crusade to kill off all the non-humans she could in China and would purposely just instigate fights with various factions for no reason. As you can imagine, it quickly made us a ton of enemies.”