With the three factions—Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils—maintaining a truce and preserving an age of peace, an existence appeared that would shake the balance of those three powers. It was [Akatsuki], the organization led by Uchiha Madara. On the surface, its purpose was the unification and domination of the three factions. Because of the incident in the Demon World, the name [Akatsuki] spread to the three factions in an instant, and even to the other mythological factions. It drew even more attention than the [Chaos Brigade], whose name would be revealed in the future.
And now, several days after [Akatsuki] had become known...
"Please let us join [Akatsuki]!"
"We beg you, let us in too!"
"Please allow us to serve Uchiha Madara-sama!"
Villains and ambitious souls from every faction applied to join [Akatsuki]. Rather, how they even found the place was a mystery; if they had already tracked down [Akatsuki], which had been hiding somewhere in a corner of the human world, and put that resolve into action, they would already have achieved half their ambition.
"..."
The clone Pain was at a loss over the sudden flood of applications. This was not part of the plan. After all, there should be no one who would want to join an organization that had effectively made every faction its enemy. Issei, the one who had created the organization, had thought that if he simply erased the clone, no one would notice, but the others were a different matter. Anyone who willingly wanted to wage war against the world was either a true fanatic or completely insane.
"Come to think of it, they're all criminals, aren't they?"
There were a few exceptions, but most of them were probably wanted criminals. [Akatsuki], which had declared war on the three factions, had already become an object of admiration among the forces of evil.
"Wait a second. If I gather all the bad guys together..."
The thing Issei had worried about most while living in the village was malicious beings who would harm his friends and family. Now the scope he had to protect had grown, and this was the time for systematic management. And just then, criminals who could threaten the people precious to him were gathering in one place. It was a golden opportunity. He could either sweet-talk them into obedience and control them, or, if that failed, wipe them out all at once. But...
"Can I really handle all these dangerous bastards..."
It was like an ordinary high school student suddenly becoming the boss of an underworld organization and ruling over every kind of hardened criminal and subordinates who were ticking time bombs waiting to explode. He had fought the Devils alone, but that had been nothing more than a one-sided clash of power. Leading an organization was on a completely different level.
"But I did want to try something like this at least once..."
For a man, there were many things he might dream about while watching movies or fiction: a life like a hitman or spy, living coolly and staking his life on the wind; a hero who saved people and was praised for it; a monarch who stood at the summit and ruled however he pleased. Perhaps that was why clone Issei had his heart stolen by that fleeting dream rather than reason.
"You want to join our [Akatsuki], which has declared war on the world? Then prove your worth!"
"It's Madara-sama!"
"Madara-sama!"
"A true man!"
"I'll follow you for the rest of my life!!"
Uchiha Madara appeared before a crowd of rough-looking beings, and those who saw him erupted into cheers, worshiping and praising him. And clone Issei did not know. Because of that momentary impulse, the world's distortion and chaos that would follow...
"Haa... At last, I can rest a little..."
After a brutal schedule, Issei finally lay down on the bed in the Church's secret room and let out a breath. A few hours earlier, he had been receiving information from his clones at set intervals, only to discover that one of them had done something outrageous. Shocked by the clones' actions, he had personally transformed into Madara to clean up the aftermath, only to find that the situation had already progressed. Then, after being persuaded by the clones(?), he had been forced to attend [Akatsuki]'s membership screening and welcome party, leaving his mental state in such chaos that it was beyond recovery. The clones' thoughts were his own thoughts; perhaps if he himself had been there pretending to be Madara, he might have made the same choice as them. So there was no point in blaming what he himself had done, and after deciding to leave everything to the clones and rest without doing anything for just one day...
"Are you okay? You look tired."
Raynare appeared again, peeking her face through the gap in the door as she worriedly looked at Issei. Since the last incident, Raynare still hadn't been able to face Issei properly.
"Ah... I've got a bit of a hassle on my hands. More importantly, what are you doing there? If you're coming in, come in. If you're leaving, then leave."
"Eh, um, so... It's nothing!"
At Issei's words, her face turned bright red. She hesitated, torn between entering and not entering, and then fled on the spot. Issei stared after the disappearing Raynare with a dumbfounded expression.
"What was that supposed to mean? Anyway, I should just sleep."
To clear his head, he chose the ultimate remedy: sleep. His mind was exhausted, so he fell asleep immediately. Several hours later, when he opened his eyes...
"Mm... Issei."
"...."
In front of him was Raynare, asleep while hugging him, dressed in purple lingerie pajamas so sheer that her skin showed through. Issei's eyes flew wide open at the sudden, overwhelming sight.
"W-What kind of development is this!? Her chest!... I can touch it, right?"
Her bare breasts were visible through the transparent lingerie. Unable to suppress his impulse, Issei reached out and put his hand on Raynare's chest.
"So soft!~"
He had touched them before, but touching them while she was dressed in something this lewd felt different again. It was like they were becoming healthier—so healthy, in fact, that they were just about to burst through the clothes.
"...This means it's okay, right?"
Issei decided that sleeping defenselessly beside a man was already an okay sign, so he resolved not to hold back. He placed his hand on her clothes and slowly began to peel them away.
"...? W-What are you doing!?"
"W-What do you mean? Th-That..."
Raynare suddenly woke up, and Issei panicked. But his hand did not stop. Seeing Issei trying to strip off her clothes, Raynare—
"Kyaaah!"
—slapped Issei across the cheek and covered herself with the blanket, putting some distance between them. Issei looked at her with a bewildered expression.
"Huh? W-Wait, was that not an okay sign!? Then why were you sleeping next to me looking like that!?"
Raynare's incomprehensible behavior left him thoroughly confused.
"You pervert! Idiot!! What do you think you're doing all of a sudden!?"
"No, if you're sleeping next to me looking like that, it's basically the same as asking for it!"
"I-I didn't come here with that kind of thought at all!?"
Issei could never quite understand a woman's heart. Honestly, he thought the earlier relationship, when he could freely do lewd things, had been better. After seeing Raynare's true feelings not long ago, his heart had started pounding like it had during his first date with Amano Yuuma, and because of that, he couldn't bring himself to act as boldly as before.
"T-That kind of thing is supposed to happen after you set the mood properly! Ambushing someone in bed is the worst! Idiot! Idiot!"
Red as a tomato, Raynare shouted at Issei and ran away. For some reason, seeing her leave while blushing so furiously made Issei think...
"Cute..."
That old fluttering feeling had returned. The feeling that he wanted to cherish her, his first love.
"But right now I've got senpai! Ah, but Yuuma-chan too!"
After deciding to charge straight toward Rias, the return of his first-love feelings was enough to drive him crazy. But then Issei suddenly had a thought.
"Yeah... There's no need to follow the common sense of my old world."
That was right. He had already been reincarnated and was living in a world far beyond ordinary common sense, so there was no need to keep common sense when it came to romance either. Among Devils and the other factions, polygamy and harems weren't strange at all; in fact, most high-ranking Devils already had harems of their own. So there was no reason he'd be criticized for making one. No—once he had already become the strongest existence, criticism and other people's opinions no longer mattered at all.
"Yeah! I... I'm going to become the Harem King!"
As expected of Issei, who loved women's breasts above all else, his future dream was decided naturally.
"I'm going to become the Harem King and fondle girls' breasts however I want!"
"Puhahahahaha, this partner of mine is quite the unusual one."
"Huh?"
Just as he shouted out his dream, reaffirming it to himself, a voice like a machine suddenly rang out. Startled by the unexpected sound, he looked around, but there was nothing there.
"I'm over here, partner."
Somehow, a red gauntlet had been fitted onto his left hand without permission, and it was blinking with a bright light as it spoke.
"No way... a Sacred Gear? You can talk!?"
"Of course, partner. Since I dwell within your body, I see and hear everything with you."
That meant it knew all sorts of things about him...
"Then you also know about what happened in the Demon World?"
"Of course I do. But don't worry, I'm tight-lipped."
It said that, but Issei remained suspicious.
"And for me, your being such a transcendent existence is the best thing of all. It seems you'll become the strongest Red Dragon Emperor in history."
"The strongest Red Dragon Emperor in history? Then there were a lot before me?"
"Most of them were human, so there must have been dozens. Among them, you're the strangest one."
"Hah?"
"With such incredible power, and yet your dream is to become the Harem King. If it were the previous Red Dragon Emperors, they would have conquered the world first. Probably."
"Shut up! What's wrong with dreaming of becoming the Harem King? It's every man's dream!"
"Hahahaha! Well, that is true. In that case, I'd say my power will help my partner achieve that dream."
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"The previous Red Dragon Emperors all had one thing in common: they were surrounded by the opposite sex. Well, I don't know the details, but it seems the Red Dragon Emperor easily wins the favor of women."
"W-What!?"
It was exactly the kind of thing Issei needed most: a cheat-like item that raised affection on its own without any special effort. And that power was now dwelling in his arm. As his Sacred Gear awakened, that power would activate and draw women toward him more and more. The real beginning started now.
"Ooooh!! You! You're the best partner ever!! Thank you for dwelling inside me!"
"Hahahahaha! Call me Ddraig. The previous Red Dragon Emperors called me that."
"Oh!"
In the end, Issei and Ddraig introduced themselves to each other, and Issei immediately decided to test this power. It seemed to be a passive skill. Usually, when men show favor to women or compliment them, the woman either smiles and answers while reading the man's face, just answers, or ignores him with an unpleasant expression. And Issei's passive skill was...
"Hey there, cute lady. How about having a cup of tea with me?"
"....S-Sorry... I'll have to refuse. More importantly, can I call the police?"
He tried to pick up a woman on the street, and she threatened to report him.
"What do you mean, a power fit for the Harem King!? I've become a target of disgust already!?"
He protested to Ddraig about what the hell was going on, but Ddraig either really couldn't hear him or had gone silent, and in the end Issei thought he had been completely fooled.
"Oh my, if it isn't Issei-kun."
"Akeno-senpai?"
He ran into Akeno. Akeno then came running toward him with a delighted smile.
"Ufufufu, I heard from Rias. I heard you went wild in the Demon World."
"Ah, that? Anyone who threatens Rias-senpai, I won't forgive them! No matter who they are, I'll blow them all away!"
"Ufufufu, how reliable. Please keep taking care of Rias, Issei-kun."
"Yes! Leave it to me! I'll protect senpai no matter what happens! And of course, I'll protect Akeno-senpai too!"
"Ufufufu, thank you for saying that. Well then, I have something to do, so I'll be going."
"Yes, good work, senpai!"
For some reason, just looking at Akeno's large chest made him bow his head automatically, and Akeno left with a smile that seemed more genuine than usual. Apparently, that was the effect of the passive skill, though Issei himself never noticed it.