The New Issei

A year has passed since Irina left and Issei is still training as hard as ever. During this year he managed to refine all the Intermediate level magic he had learned before and create a few new spells for himself. He also brought all his other magic up to the same level so now all his elements were at the Intermediate level. This had made his control over mana become much more precise making it much easier for him to create artifacts, strengthen his mana weapons and mana armor, and use less mana to caste more powerful spells.

As for his physical training, he had also made great progress. Both his body and mana levels are very close to reaching Ultimate Class. He had also learned two new styles of swordsmanship. A style focused on using the sword to divert the enemies attack and use the power of said attack to strike back. The second one was a style that focused on focusing the power of their attacks into one point for great destructive power, this style is also good for bypassing defenses and damaging the opponent internally. Although he had not fully mastered the styles he still had mastered the basics and greatly improved his skill with a sword. His hand to hand combat skills had also gotten better but Ddraig had said that instead on learning more styles for that he should learn how to fight with his body. He then proceeded to beat the crap out of him and point out his mistakes while sparring. He had limited himself to be on the same level as Issei so he greatly benefited from this. His combat instincts and reaction greatly improved and the amount of control over his body he had shot through the roof.

His crating of artifacts had also smoothly progressed. He made himself a bracelet that completely hid his mana as well as Ddraig's signature so that he did not have to constantly keep control of it. Of course if he used any magic then he could still be sensed if he did not take precautions. He also created himself a set of inner armor that looked like an undershirt. This would protect him from and surprise attacks by making a shield around him anytime his life was in danger. It also had healing capabilities so if he did not have time to heal himself while in battle the inner armor would. It's last effect was to boost his mana recovery abilities so that even in battle his reserves would slowly be replenished.

The next thing he made for himself was a sword. He created a sword that boosted his control over the space around him. It may not seem like much but this made all of his skills related to space get a boost in power and effectiveness. The sword is a Katana that has a blade with a length of 69 cm and a handle with a length of 31 cm. Its blade is pitch black and made of the scales of a black dragon, the handle is made of the bones of the same dragon, this is in order to create a better effect when it was Enchanted. The handle is wrapped in leather made from the skin of the same dragon and covered with regular black and red silk wrapping to make it more comfortable to hold. Its sheathe is also black and made from the scales of the dragon as well. The whole thing has been enchanted to make controlling the space around him easier, the blade sharper and stronger, and to also repair itself over time if it is damaged. To the surprise of Issei the blade had also gained an extra effect he did not expect, it gained the ability to absorb blood to strengthen itself. According to Ddraig it was an ability that the dragon had originally possessed and it was the reason he was killed since he had killed to many and was hunted down for it.

Issei's control over space had great progress as well and he could now phase two tenths of his body through things. This technique is done by fusing himself with the space around him using magic, but it is incredibly hard to do. You need excellent control of your energy (mana for Issei), high affinity with the space element, an affinity to everything within the space you fuse with (only possible for Issei because of the cheat he got from his worlds god), and the ability to concentrate even when you feel pieces of you missing. One of the weaknesses Issei found out about this ability is that if he can't maintain his concentration it gets undone. So it is really hard to use in the middle of a fast paced fight. Thanks to Ddraig he had managed to be able to use the technique about 50% of the times he tries to in the middle of a fight. Another weakness is that if the enemy can disrupt the space around him they can forcefully cancel the move. He had also learned a few new moves. One of them was how to use the space around him pressure people, the stronger he gets the more pressure he will be able to exert and the longer he will be able to do it. Right now he could only keep it up for couple minutes max. In the future he believes he may be able to kill people a few levels below him with just that pressure. The other move he learned is how to solidify the space in a limited area around him to slow down or stop his opponents. He could only do this in a radius of five feet around himself, but it is still a major advantage in a fight. Finally he had expanded the area he could sense to a 30 mile radius.

For the entire year Issei had also been in contact with Irina through letters and the occasional phone call. He had not yet gone to visit her because she was right in the middle of training so she did not have much free time. He also did not want to burden his parents with the cost of sending him to England and back so two months before he turned eight he had started to draw the one piece manga. He had asked his dad to take him to a manga publishing company and he had agreed, after that he had his dad help him open a bank account for him. Since then his manga had skyrocketed in popularity and he was making a decent amount from the sales despite only having started publishing it a month and a half ago. He had been really busy this past year but now he had hit a snag in his training.

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Issei: "Damn it, I do not know how to advance my control of space anymore Ddraig." He said as he got frustrated from his lack of results and flopped down on his back in his training grounds.

Ddraig: "Well you already have the highest understanding of the space element I have seen in any of my hosts, so I can't really help you there." He said as he shook his head with a smile. "Do not be to greedy with getting results, things like this usually require some kind of inspiration or more power. For this one I think you need to have some kind of inspiration to advance, so it is best to just wait and think. Fusing with the space around you was already a crazy thought in the first place, so advancing that even more might not be possible. You may simply not be able to fuse more of your body than you already can. So just put it off for now."

Issei: "I know all that, its just frustrating after all the progress I have made up to this point." He said as he sighed and got up. "Oh well guess I better get some rest, since the only thing I can really train right now is my physical aspects. I need to be at a higher level to learn any new magic." He said as he teleported back to his room.

Ddraig: "You could always create another new spell or skill. You have already made several but it is always good to have more. Also in a few days you will step into Ultimate Class so you will be able to train more then. But what I want you to work on personally is achieving Balance Breaker." He said as Issei got ready for bed. "Have you chosen what you are going to use to stimulate the transformation?"

Issei: "Yeah. You said I need a strong emotion or life threatening situation so I will focus on my d.e.s.i.r.e to protect those I care for." He said as he laid down and yawned. "Goodnight Ddraig."

Ddraig: "Goodnight Issei."

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Issei:" Man that was a boring day at school." He said as he got ready for training. Today he was going to see if he could achieve Balance Breaker. He could already Boost for half an hour straight so he is pretty confident he will succeed.

Ddraig: "Why do you even go to school when you already know all they can teach you?" He asked as he huffed in annoyance. As far as he was concerned that place was a waste of time.

Issei: "It is mandatory to attend, plus if I did not go we might draw unwanted attention." He said as he teleported to his training grounds. "Now lets do this Ddraig." He said as he summoned the Boosted Gear.

Ddraig: "You should reinforce the barriers around this place so that we do not accidentally get found when you power up." He said in a serious tone of voice.

Issei: "Okay." He said as he did just that. "All right all set. This is going to be fun." He said as he started to concentrate on his wanting to protect his loved ones. As he did he felt power start to build up in the Boosted Gear until suddenly he was covered in a bright red light. When it cleared Issei was standing there in pure read armor, but it was different then the one he had seen in the anime.

(This

https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/015/112/557/large/seunghee-lee-m1-2c1.jpg?1547104804

put that into Google since the direct link does not work for some reason. It is the red armor with wings and two swords. His does not have the swords and the helm fully covers his face.) "Wow, this is awesome. The wings are way cooler and I personally like this armor better." He said with a huge smile on his face.

Ddraig: "All of my hosts have their own unique armors, but this one is definitely one of the finest I have seen." He said with pride in his voice. "Now we can start training you to master this. No rest until sun down." When he said this Issei g.r.o.a.n.e.d but got to work. For the next three hours he tested what his limits were and got used to the new power. He also mastered flying with his new wings.

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The next day was Saturday and Issei had no school so he was planning to break through to Ultimate Class. He got up in the morning and immediately did his morning routine. When he was done with that he started to meditate. Three hours later he finally felt that prickling sensation as he broke through with both his body and mana. His mana reserves grew by about 10% and became denser. His body reinforced itself and all his physical abilities grew by the same amount as his mana had. It really was a great step forward.

Issei: "This feels amazing. No wonder reaching Ultimate Class makes one into a true power house. I feel like my ability to control mana has shot through the roof and all of my senses have increased. My mana has also become much denser than it was before. Like this I would be able to cast several more spells than I could before while still using the same amount of mana." He said while laughing.

Ddraig: "Of course you would feel that way. Becoming an Ultimate Class Being is the first step to becoming truly strong. They are at the top of the food chain in each faction and have great influence." He said while smiling. "Some of the older ones can even fight against people on the level of a Satan, so they are really monsters. From this point on anyone stronger than you has truly worked for their power so you cannot underestimate them." He said as his voice turned solemn.

Issei: "I know Ddraig, I will not make the mistake of underestimating my opponents ever again." He said as his face turned serious. He then asked. "When are we going to turn me into a half dragon?"

Ddraig: "We will give it a few days so that you can recover from the advancement before we do it." He said while looking forward to it.

Issei: "I am really looking forward to it." He said with a large grin on his face.

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Three days later in the middle of the night Issei had gone to his training grounds to get ready for the transformation. Ddraig had told him to set up extra barrier and reinforce them all. He had also said to put up a strong sound barrier to contain any noise. When Issei had asked why Ddraig had told him that the process was so painful that he will scream, and since it lasted for hours he will be screaming the entire time. Issei had gone pale at that but still got ready. He then laid down on the grass, ready but not looking forward to what was to come.

Issei: "Alright Ddraig I am ready, lets start." He said as he got ready for the pain.

Ddraig: "Here we go kid, just bear with it. In the end it will be worth it." He said as he started the transformation process. When he did Issei was covered in a thin red cocoon and his skin also began to release a red glow. Issei then began to feel immense pain in every part of his body and began to scream. His body began to jerk around, but the cocoon held him in place. His screams were filled with agony and would make anyone run in the opposite direction. They went on for exactly 3 hours before they began to die down and the red glow began to fade. Issei then began to calm down and half an hour later was finally able to speak.

Issei: "Ddraig was it a success?" He asked in a raspy voice. He then used magic to summon some water a take a drink.

Ddraig: "Yes it was. You are now half dragon half human. Your body has also changed a bit. You might want to look in a mirror." He said while chuckling.

Issei: "Crap, what happened Ddraig?" He asked as he began to panic slightly. He then took a full body mirror out of Ddraig's storage to look at himself. To his relief not much had changed. He still looked like a ten year old boy instead of an eight year old. But his hair now was dark brown instead of light and he now had a streak of red that ran from above his left eye all the way to the end of his hair at his shoulder. His skin had also become paler and his green eyes now glowed slightly.

Ddraig: "Instead of your appearance you might want to check the power increase you got." He said in a serious tone while being slightly shocked at what he felt as he checked the changed done to Issei.

Issei: "How the hell is this possible!!" He asked in a panic as he felt the difference. His mana and his physical capabilities had both grown outrageously. He had just stepped into the Ultimate level but he felt like he was not far from leveling up again. "Ddraig should the power up have been this much?" He asked confused.

Ddraig: "No it should not have been. You should have only gotten slightly stronger but your potential would have skyrocketed as well as your training speed. This is unheard of. By my guess you will get to the next rank within just a year. A nine year old at the same level as a Satan. That is terrifying." He said in a shocked tone of voice.

Issei: "Well it just means I will have to train harder to mast my new body and you will have to reach me all my new abilities that come from being a half dragon. More power is always a good thing in this world." He said while laughing. "Now lets go home, I need to get some sleep after that ordeal." He said as he teleported home.

Ddraig: "Yeah you are right, it is a good thing that the transformation gave you an extra boost. Get some rest, you need it." He said as Issei got ready for bed, after all, he still had school in the morning.