Draconic Codex: Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The night air howled past them as Issei tore through the mountain roads, his bike eating the asphalt in long, roaring arcs. Behind him, Akeno clung to his back in a death grip, every lean and twist dragging a squeal from her that was equal parts thrill and panic.

I hate how adorable she is right now…

Riding with someone else was... annoying. Especially when they didn’t know what they were doing. Akeno was less than useless when it came to helping him turn, trying to stay upright every time he leaned into a corner, throwing off his balance just enough to be a menace.

Frustrated, he layered another spell on top of the half-dozen he already had running that made his bike control like a dream. A quick adjustment—his magic bleeding out and back in a subtle wave—and gravity’s pull on Akeno weakened until she was barely more than a passenger-shaped suggestion.

Not zero, though. He wasn’t stupid enough to try that without some thorough testing. The last thing he needed was to accidentally yeet Rias’ best friend into the stratosphere.

And imagine how many favours I’d owe her if she didn’t die?


He shuddered at the thought. Not at how horrible it would be to accidentally kill Akeno, but at the thought of being her eternal bitch.

With her weight effectively muted, her disruptive presence faded to something he could ignore. It didn’t make her suddenly good at riding tandem—she still overcompensated and tensed at every sharp lean—but at least she wasn’t throwing him off anymore. Over the next few turns, even she seemed to get a feel for it, learning to move with the bike instead of against it.

Like a true gentleman, he didn’t say a word about her adorable squeals every time he braked late enough to make it look like they would crash and launch into the abyss and down the mountain.

She laughs at huge dick monsters and pussy flowers, but a little biking scares her? That’s honestly kinda funny.

Still, as annoying as Akeno could be, her warmth pressed into his back was... nice. Her arms around his waist, her breath brushing his neck—comfortably pleasant, dangerously distracting.

He hated it.

He felt dirty even thinking such nice things about the turboslut.

Thankfully, he had other matters to distract his constantly churning mind.

He was excited—and not because he had a pair of huge, braless tits smooshed into his back. No, this was something else.

This was training.

A new way to accelerate his progress.

He would’ve preferred to have Rias’ help, but she’d been buried in whatever “ritual” she was preparing—the one that would win her real-life game of Civ with Sona once and for all, apparently. And when she wasn’t doing that, she was helping him grind Codex points.

Heh.

He’d monopolised her time long enough. Time to cash in a few favours and handle his cultivation himself.

Besides, how could he surprise Rias with his growth if she was there every step of the way?


Also, can you truly be a dumbass if no one you care about is there to see you fuck up?


He needed no further proof that becoming a Devil had made him infinitely wiser.

Finally, the road straightened and, through the trees, Rias’ gothic manor came into view—glowing with Aether in the dark—invisible to and undetectable by mortal eyes. To his parents or friends, it would just look like empty, gloomy forest. To Issei, it was a giant, glowing nightlight perched in the mountains.

And now, his home. Though he hadn’t officially moved out of his parents’ house yet. He wasn’t mentally prepared for the inevitable waterworks from his mother.

He veered off the main road and followed a winding drive down to the garage carved into the manor’s depths. When the bike rolled to a stop inside its new home, he killed the ignition and listened to the soft tick of cooling metal.

The garage was huge—too big for just his new, badass bike—with immaculately polished stone floors and glowing sigils etched into the walls for ventilation. He wondered if the others would eventually bring their own rides down here.

Kiba has a bike too, I think.

Given how Akeno was shaking when she unclenched from him and stumbled off the bike though, he doubted she’d be one of them.

‘Oh come on,’ he said, pulling off his helmet with a grin. ‘You can’t tell me that wasn’t fun.’

Akeno looked pale as death and shot him a glare that could’ve frozen lava. She’d swapped her shrine robes for something way more modern and stylish—dark jeans that clung to her legs, ankle boots, and a loose white blouse half-tucked at the hip. The rest just hung open, showing black lace and a whole lot of tit, especially when she jerkily got off the bike and tried to regain her feet.

Her beauty was as effortless as Rias’— though knowing her, she probably spent half an hour making it look that way.

‘Seriously? You just got done fighting literal monsters. You fly with actual wings. How does a little toge biking mess you up so bad?’

‘In those situations,’ she said flatly, her jaw clenched and cheeks steadily flushing in embarrassment, ‘I’m the one in control. Not a suicidal psychopath.’

He clicked his tongue, stripping off his jacket and hanging it on a conjured coat hook. ‘Stop being a baby. You’ve shocked me with enough voltage lately to power this entire town. You don’t hear me complaining.’

Colour was already returning to her cheeks, the tremor in her hands fading. Regal as ever, she sniffed and finally took the hand he offered.

‘I’m sure I could put up with a lot of unpleasant situations too,’ she murmured, voice smooth again, ‘if they made me stronger like they do you. We’re not the same.’

Issei scoffed but didn’t argue. ‘Come on. You’ll like this.’

He led her a short distance down the corridor—painfully aware that he still held her delicate hand clasped with his, and that she hadn’t yanked it away—until they reached a reinforced door. The room beyond was so plain it looked more like a prison cell—just a cot, a sink, and the hum of quiet power. Runes inlaid with mithril formed two massive circles on floor and ceiling, geometric lines threading between them like circuitry.

The hairs on the back of Issei’s neck stood on end as he felt the immense stream of Aether flowing from one rune into the other. He couldn’t see the stream, but he sure as shit could feel it.

Akeno frowned, her experienced, violet eyes scanning the room with interest. She finally let go of his hand and slipped inside to get a closer look and Issei hated how much he immediately missed the warmth of her touch. ‘What is this?’

‘My training room,’ Issei said, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. ‘Rias made it for me yesterday. See that wall?’ He pointed to the far side. ‘On the other side is the chamber that siphons Aether from the leyline feeding that big crystal upstairs. This room’s a side channel—think of it as a pipe branch, but a much smaller flow. It lets me cultivate as much as I want without wasting money on crystals or draining you dry…’

Akeno studied the circles, eyes narrowing. ‘If you’ve already got an infinite tap here, why bother with me? I have better things to do than watch you meditate.’ Her gaze dropped pointedly to his crotch, a wicked smile curving her lips. ‘Things you’ll never understand or be able to help me with.’

Just wait until I get this cage off, turboslut.

Outwardly, he ignored the jab. She could talk shit all she wanted—as long as she helped him get stronger, he didn’t care.

Joke’s on her. Every time she insults me she just turns me on more. This Codex has really fucked with my mind…

‘Two reasons,’ he said. ‘First, I want you to keep zapping me with your Holy Lightning. I’ve been building a tolerance to it, and I think I can turn that into immunity if I keep pushing, keep cultivating with your Aether.’

Her brows rose slightly and she crossed her arms under her breasts. If anything, she looked impressed by his tolerance for punishment. ‘And second?’

Issei reached into his pocket and pulled out a small glass sphere, the size of a plum. Inside, suspended perfectly at its centre, was a crystal no larger than his fingertip—smooth, flawless, and somehow… wrong. Light acted funny around it. Instead of reflecting, it bent toward it, like the world was leaning in for a closer look.

The tiny thing floated in place, motionless, and even through the glass he could feel the faint prickle of hairs on his arm reacting to it.

Another purchase made from the Draconic Relic Exchange without Rias’ permission.

Whoops. Guess she’d have to punish him again.

Heh. Sorry babe. If you want me to be a good boy, find a punishment I don’t actually like…

Draconic Codex Ascension Point Shop 

Draconic Relic Exchange

Cosmic Crystal

Classification: Rare Exotic Material

Cost: 1200 AP

Formed within the accretion zone of a collapsing black hole. Expelled during the collapse event and dispersed across the universe, these crystals exhibit extreme gravitational signatures. If removed from their housing, they can warp the surrounding environment due to their extraordinary density.

Samples demonstrate anomalous attraction fields and spacetime distortion at microscopic scale. Prolonged contact correlates with increased comprehension of gravitational phenomena.

Akeno’s eyes widened. ‘Rias got you a Cosmic Crystal? Already?’

‘Not exactly,’ he said, skirting the truth and suppressing a smirk. ‘But she helped.’

He held out the crystal sphere to her, careful to keep it away from the thick Aether stream shooting through the room until he was ready. ‘While you’re giving me the ol’ electrotherapy, I need you to keep that steady and suspended beneath me with your magic. You probably can’t feel it, but the Aether’s flowing through the room even as we speak. The crystal should pull the current into itself, flavour it with the powerful concepts imprinted on it, and I’m going to draw from that. Cultivate it. I’m not hoping for immunity like with your Holy Lightning, but I’m hoping if I cultivate with that, it’ll make manipulating Cosmic Essence even easier, or change my body in a way that gives the same effect.’

Akeno stared at him, mouth slightly open. For once, she looked impressed.

It’s like I start every conversation at negative a hundred friendship points because of the size of my dick, and every time I prove I’m not the dumbass she clearly thinks I am, she gives me twenty back.

Before they got to it, Issei reached into his pocket and fished out two more quick purchases he’d made behind his fiancée’s back. Along with his stockpiling of the AP-boosting Elixir of Rapid Ascension, he’d purchased two more elixirs specifically with this training session in mind.

Draconic Codex Ascension Point Shop 

Alchemy Exchange

Elixir of Rapid Ascension

Boost AP gains for one night by 100% - all AP boosts stack multiplicatively

Cost: 200 AP

Elixir of Flowing Currents

Moderately boosts the ability with which the imbiber can control and manipulate Aether for 30 minutes.

Cost: 200 AP

Elixir of Enhanced Focus

Moderately boosts clarity and speed of thought, as well as willpower and comprehension for 30 minutes.

Cost: 200 AP

The crystal vials clinked together in his palm as he eyed the swirling, Aether-dense potions with a cautious frown. They weren’t flashy like artefacts or weapons, but they’d go a long way toward making him stronger.

If he used them right.

The Elixir of Rapid Ascension had already proven its worth—so much so that he and Rias had agreed it’d be stupid not to buy one daily if he even suspected there’d be grinding involved.

The others, though… he hoped they’d push his cultivation even further tonight. With only thirty minutes before the effects wore off, he’d make sure he got full value out of the favour he was cashing in from Akeno.

A soft voice snapped him from his thoughts.

‘More help from Rias?’

He looked up—and nearly jumped. Akeno was standing right there, far closer than he’d realised. Close enough for him to catch the faint scent of ozone and floral shampoo, close enough that his entire field of view narrowed down to her exposed cleavage.

Not even caring about the expected retribution, or that fact that he was obviously staring, Issei inhaled deeply, his gaze zeroing in on the one heavy, lace-covered tit that was fully exposed by the fold of her blouse.

God Damn…

He ignored the twinge of discomfort.

Remembering that Akeno had asked him a question, he shook his head to clear it of his pervy fantasies and offered her another vague grin before shrugging and giving another non-committal answer. He couldn’t help himself. ‘Something like that.’

She’d been incredibly pleased with his attention on her breasts, but at his answer, her eyes narrowed and her smug attitude vanished. ‘Does this have to do with the Codex?’

His grin turned downright wolfish. ‘Why, Akeno, it sounds like you really want to know about my super-mysterious, totally-legendary, absolutely-unparalleled Sacred Gear. I’m happy to tell you all about it…’ he tilted his head, voice dripping mock innocence, ‘…for a price.’

Her cheeks flushed and her brows furrowed—equal parts anger and curiosity. She’d come up with this stupid game of trading favours—and now that she was on the receiving end, now that he dangled something in front of her that she couldn’t refuse, she hated it.

Spoilt brat. 

But the hunger in her eyes betrayed her.

Even among Devils and Fallen, knowledge of the Draconic Codecies was beyond myth. Whole pantheons would trade their souls just for a tiny fragment of information. And Issei gleefully dangled that forbidden knowledge in front of her like bait on a line.

She licked her lips, visibly warring with herself. ‘What do you want? Is it sex? Take the cage off and let’s go right now—’

He snorted with derision. ‘Please. I’m getting that for free soon enough. Don’t even try to deny it. Nope. You want to know about the Codex? You want the knowledge that scholars would kill for? I’ll tell you, gladly. But then you’ll owe me one billion favours.’

Akeno just stared at him, speechless. ‘You’re insane. That’s… you’d be turning me into a slave.’

He shrugged, utterly unbothered by the pleading in her tone. ‘Guess we’ll see how badly you want to know.’

‘That’s ridiculous, I—’

‘Or,’ he cut her off, ‘we can drop this “trading favours” bullshit entirely. Instead, we can act like actual friends—because newsflash, I’m marrying your King and best friend—and we stop acting like a pair of back-alley traders haggling over fish. You help me when I ask, I help you when you ask. Sounds fair?’

Her mouth opened, closed, opened again. Several expressions flickered across her face before she sighed, deflating. She shot him an adorable pout that had him wanting to cup her cheeks and give her a soul-searing kiss.

Stupid, traitorous brain!

‘You’re no fun.’

‘Oh?’ he teased. ‘You find extortion fun, then?’

‘Yes.’

‘You know what? I should’ve seen that coming.’

She sighed again, though this time a faint smile tugged at her lips. ‘Fine. No more bartering. Friends. So… tell me.’

The hunger in her eyes, it was completely different to the flavour she showed when having sex. This time, the desire was still there, but her eyes glowed with an eagerness that took his breath away. It made him want to spill all his secrets and confess everything right there.

Thankfully, he didn’t just think with his dick. 

Maybe I have the cage to thank for that…

Instead of answering, he grinned, uncorked both elixirs, and downed them in one go. ‘I’ll tell you everything…’ He smirked, licking the residue from his lip. ‘…in half an hour. That’s when these wear off.’

The look she gave him could’ve curdled milk.

But Issei ignored it, sitting cross-legged in the centre of the runic circle. He closed his eyes and sank into his focus. The clock was ticking, and while flirting with or teasing Akeno was always fun, it wasn’t four hundred AP worth of fun.

Rias would cut his balls off if she found out he’d wasted their points like that…

He drew in Aether, converted it to Cosmic Essence, and shaped it. He’d been practising all week, fine-tuning the flow between body and will. A push beneath him—small at first, then heavier. Gravity bent under his command. His body rose, weightless, until he hovered halfway between the floor and ceiling.

He slowly eased the force until equilibrium held. 

Perfect balance.

Levitation, of a sort.

When he cracked his eyes open, Akeno was watching him, breathing hard, that same mix of awe and something else simmering under the surface.

He couldn’t resist. ‘You must really like it when someone tells you no. Daddy issues?’

Her expression froze—humour and heat vanishing in an instant. Cold. Beautiful. Terrifying.

Perfect. Right where I want her.

He winked. ‘Don’t forget to put the crystal in place before you zap me, turboslut.’

He closed his eyes and braced himself for the pain he knew was coming—especially after that dig about her daddy issues.

Rias had warned him not to poke the bear.

But he needed Akeno at her best.

Below, he felt the crystal drift into place, hanging in the Aether stream like a black sun. Akeno’s magic caught it and locked it there. The flow from the leyline and the annoying, incessant prickling as the Aether flowed over him dulled instantly, the stream now bending toward the crystal as though the very concept of Gravity that it exuded commanded it to.

The Cosmic Crystal drank it all in—endless Aether compressed into its tiny, impossible heart.

It didn’t know restraint. How could a concept know such a thing? Especially one as ancient and powerful as Gravity itself. It would pull and pull until there was nothing left to take, until it tore itself apart.

He couldn’t let it reach that point.

But before he finished examining how the Aether was flowing into the crystal, pain hit him like a lightning strike—because that’s exactly what it was.

He’d been so focused on balance and control that he’d forgotten what he’d asked Akeno to do.

The Holy Lightning hit him square in the chest, bursting through his veins like liquid fire. His back arched, muscles locking as divine voltage lit up every nerve in his body.

It felt like he was the one about to explode.

Fucking hell, daddy issues, much?!

He forced the scream back down his throat.

Pain was fake.

Just a signal.

A message he could ignore, could command.

Could make his bitch.

His teeth ground together hard enough to creak. Sweat rolled down his face in steady drops. His mind felt split apart—too many tasks pulling him in every direction at once.

One part of him held the levitation field steady, his desire to remain square in the middle of the Aetheric stream taking a considerable amount of concentration under the circumstances.

Another tuned out the agony of Akeno’s lightning, tuned it out so he could draw it in to himself. Like fuel.

A third monitored the crystal’s intake of Aether, feeling it thicken and darken with the weight of Gravity and then, once it had been transformed by the powerful concept, he began to draw it into himself. Began to consume it. Before the crystal overloaded and exploded.

A fourth began cycling both the Holy Essence and Gravity tinged Cosmic Essence through every fibre of his being. He drank it all in, absorbing it. Cultivating it.

Four battles, all at once.

If not for the elixirs pumping through his veins, he’d have collapsed already, his mind—pulled in too many directions at once—shattered under the punishment he was putting it through.

FOCUS!

He pushed harder. The Aether screamed through his system, feeding his cells, hardening flesh, bone, spirit. His draconic physiology drank it greedily, reforging itself under the twin hammers of divine lightning and ancient cosmic power.

At some point, Akeno must have grown bored—because the next bolt felt like getting punched by God. The air cracked, the floor glowed white, and his entire body seized.

Everything became infinitely more difficult.

The pain pressed harder, the aether slipping through his grasp like sand. What had felt like spinning plates a moment ago now felt more like balancing on a tightrope strung over a volcano—upside down, blindfolded, and burning.

But Issei didn’t give up. Couldn’t. Not after being tossed aside like a joke earlier that night. He took that humiliation, that raw frustration, and burned it like kindling.

His Soul Sigil flared, violet light flooding his inner world—fuelled by his fury, his hunger, his refusal to stay small. To stay weak and helpless.

The rage that surged through him at the thought was a fuel all on its own. He used it, used it to grow stronger, to leave his weak self behind, in the dust.

Just when he thought it was all too much—when the pain might actually swallow him whole—he felt a pair of arms slip around his waist. Two heavy breasts pressed against his back, and that familiar scent—floral, laced with ozone—filled his lungs.

Of course, the Holy Lightning hadn’t stopped.

Don’t be silly.

Is this crazy bitch really hugging me while still electrocuting me?!

Still, he drew strength from her presence. Used it to ground him, to centre his mind while it was bombarded with pain and pulled in every direction.

He endured, and grew stronger.

Soon, there was no time. No sound. No self.

Only pain.

Rage.

Struggle.

Akeno’s presence by his side, grounding him, filling him with her twisted love. Her fury.

And power.

So, so much power. Issei had thought he’d understood power from the little taste he’d had, but this was on another level.


And it was only a fraction of what the Leyline had to offer…


What would happen if he jumped in entirely?


Focus, focus, FOCUS!

In the middle of his trance—just as he felt like he was finally getting a handle on the impossible strain—everything stopped.

No more pain.

No more mind-splitting intensity.

No more overwhelming rush of Aether.

It was like someone had yanked the plug on reality.

Then a hard shove sent him flying.

For a split second, panic spiked—were they under attack? Did the Cosmic Crystal explode?!—but when the Holy Lightning ceased and the suffocating pressure of Gravity-tinted Aether faded, he managed to slowly open his eyes, expecting the worst.

Everything looked… normal. Remarkably so.

No destruction. No cracks in the runes. No mysterious enemy standing over him.

Only Akeno—pale and trembling, so fragile-looking that he almost mistook her for dead—until her eyes fluttered open and locked on him with a weak glare.

She was clutching the Cosmic Crystal, staring at it in disbelief while he struggled upright.

‘Why’d you pull me out? Did we run out of time? Did Rias call for us?’

I don’t remember telling her how long the elixirs would last…

Her gaze snapped to him, sharp again despite her exhaustion. ‘No, you idiot. I ran out of Aether. I might be incredible, but even I have limits. Channeling Holy Lightning into you for three hours was apparently mine.’

Issei froze. ‘Three hours? That’s—what? The elixirs only last thirty minutes—’

He trailed off, fragments of the trance returning in flashes—the surge when things got harder, the moment she’d wrapped her arms around him.

The elixirs did run out. Akeno held me up before I crashed under the pressure…

‘You helped me?’

She grimaced, torn between pride and irritation. ‘You’re useless as you are. The faster you grow stronger, the better it is for Rias.’

He grinned, stepping closer and draping an arm over her trembling shoulders. Despite the ocular daggers she was trying to stab him with, she allowed herself to use his body for support. Issei didn’t mind one bit, especially since it allowed her blouse to completely fall open and expose her lace-bound tits to him. 

‘You liiiike me.’

She tried to bat him away, but her strength was gone. She’d drained herself completely to help him. Whatever excuse she gave—duty, curiosity, pity—he knew she’d gone beyond that.

Her blush deepened. ‘Koneko’s right. You’re an idiot.’

‘Maybe. But I’m an awesome idiot,’ he said, smirking. ‘Tsundere looks good on you.’

Her frown sharpened into something between prayer and threat. ‘This has to be a test from Him. Who else would be so cruel as to curse me with a buffoon who can resist Holy Lightning?’

Issei’s grin widened, eyes flicking upward. ‘He wouldn’t do that would he? Ol Goddy-boy?’

A faint tingle crawled over his skin—like a static slap. Barely noticeable.

If he hadn’t been paying attention, he’d have missed the smite entirely.

He laughed. Loudly. Maniacally.

Akeno groaned almost as if his joy brought her pain. ‘Unbelievable.’

He ignored her, scooping her up in his arms and jogging out of the chamber toward the garage. Instead of heading for his bike, he stepped into the wide open space and let his grin turn feral.

‘Alright,’ he muttered. ‘Let’s see how much cultivating pure Cosmic-tinged Aether helps…’

Magic surged through him, wild and obedient all at once. His feet lifted from the ground. Then Akeno’s. They hovered together, suspended in the middle of the wide-open garage.

I barely even have to think and my magic does whatever I tell it to. Is this what Rias meant when she said Devil magic is all “Desire” based?

He laughed—pure, boyish delight bubbling out of him—as the world bent to his will. He didn’t just float—he fell wherever he wanted, changing gravity’s pull at a thought. Straight lines turned to loops, loops to spirals.

He wasn’t flying—he was falling in any direction he chose. And that direction was wherever he damn well pleased.


It’d take some time getting used to the constant feeling of falling, but Issei was having way too much fun to care.

The control was flawless. The effort, almost none.

He’d never felt more alive.

Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for Akeno.

When they touched down again, she fell out of his arms and onto her knees, one hand clamped over her mouth.

Oh… oops.

Maybe taking her on the world’s most intense, gravity-assisted roller-coaster ride while she was half-dead wasn’t his brightest idea…

He pulled up the Codex interface with a thought, navigating to the Store before scrolling to the Alchemical section. The Aether Potion caught his eye—rapid recovery over several minutes, but it’d leave her sluggish and unable to absorb ambient energy for a while.

Draconic Codex Ascension Point Shop 

Alchemy Exchange

Aether Potion

Boost Aether absorption rate by 100% for 5 minutes, then reduce by 200% for 30 minutes.

Cost: 200 AP

Perfect for an overzealous idiot that didn’t know when to call it quits in his cultivation training… Not so great mid-battle.

He crouched and held the vial to her lips despite her glare.

‘Stop being a baby. Drink.’

Her eyes crossed trying to focus on it, but she relented, letting him tip the contents into her mouth.

A beat later, colour flushed back into her cheeks. Her eyes widened—then she bolted upright, almost bouncing with energy.

‘What in the Hells was that?!’ she shouted, jabbing a finger into his chest. ‘I want answers. Now!’

While a part of him still felt leery about revealing all to Akeno—especially the nature of the system and just how he earned points—Issei knew it would be stupid to keep things hidden from her. Not only was Akeno a valuable resource, his soon-to-be wife’s best friend, and a powerful mage in her own right…but she was a part of his new family.


If he couldn’t trust Akeno, that meant he couldn’t trust Rias’ judgement. And if he couldn’t trust Rias, what was even the point of any of this?

No. As much as he wanted to keep his cards close to his chest, telling her everything was the right thing to do.

If nothing else, she’d earned it.

He’d take the inevitable teasing and how gleefully Akeno would join in on cucking him like a man.

It’s not like I don’t find the idea giga-hot anyway…

Issei slid his hands into his pockets, grinning. ‘Sure thing, bestie. So… how much do you know about video games?’

She blinked, completely stumped by the utterly random non-sequitur. Issei didn’t care how much of a typical, hot, popular, overachieving Ojou-sama Akeno was, if she was best friends with Rias, the turboslut had to know something about video games.


‘What…like Animal Crossing?’


Issei grimaced and shuddered in disgust.


Fucking casual.