"Mmm, this tea is amazing!" he exclaimed with surprise. Issei had never been much of a tea drinker, but Akeno could really make a good cup.

She smiled politely. "Oh, you're sweet. It's just a normal blend."

"Thanks for coming here on such short notice, Issei. I had to admit I was surprised when Koneko told me you wanted to talk," Rias sat behind her desk with her fingers steepled.

Around the club room the other members of the Occult Research Club sat on chairs or couches. The entire place had a creepy atmosphere, but he guessed that wasn't unusual given everything he knew about them. However, it didn't help the anxiety in the pit of his stomach. These were still devils, and very powerful ones at that. Any one of these guys could probably take him down in one hit. Still, they had lived in Kuoh for so long without causing much trouble so he was pretty sure he had nothing to fear.

At least, that was what the rational part of his mind told him. The truth was he wasn't sure how to feel about them. His knee jerk response was always fear, or mistrust, but they seemed like normal people. So long as he didn't do anything, they'd have no reason to attack him. Besides, it wasn't like he was here to harm them.

"Sorry about that, I know it must seem weird. B-But I wanted to thank you and especially Kiba for trying to help me. I know now that you guys were in a tough spot," he scratched the back of his head.

Rias hummed, and stood up from behind her desk. She was a banging hottie, just like her VP, and pretty much the sexiest girl in the whole school. There were loads of times he'd peeped in the changing room hoping to catch a glimpse of her. Alas, to this day, he had never been so lucky. The red haired girl stepped in front of her desk and across the table from him, giving him a consolatory smile.

"You really have my deepest apologies for everything that's happened. Rest assured, what happened to Matsuda and Motohama won't go unpunished. I'm not going to let anyone harm the people of this town while I'm here."

At least she knew their names, that was frankly more than he was expecting.

"I assume Irina has brought you up to speed on some things. Unfortunately, she has her own work that needs attending to, leaving us on our own."

"Have… have you found anything yet? About Abella I mean?"

The girl sighed and glanced at Akeno out of the corner of her eye. The raven haired girl returned it with a small nod and Rias continued. "Not much. Irina mortally wounded her and with a holy sword no less. Since then, Abella hasn't made a single move which means no further attacks."

"But also no further clues as to where she is," he finished.

"Correct," she nodded grimly. "We're working nonstop to try and find her, and it's taking most of our attention. But there's other things going on, things I need to attend to as heiress to my clan's name. Rest assured we will find her, and when we do I'll turn her to dust."

The words were reassuring and genuine, but not enough. He'd long since past the point of sympathies and nice words. The only thing he wanted to now was Abella's head mounted in the team lounge. However, something the young woman said piqued his interest. Abella was critically injured, which meant she probably wasn't moving much if at all. Maybe there was a way to capitalize on that…

"Rias, do you mind if I ask you a question?" he asked.

Her eyebrows quirked up. "Go ahead."

"I've been learning what I can about this whole secret world business. I know that different people have different magical signatures. Do you think it would be possible to track her via hers?"

At that, the Occult Club President paused and raised a finger to her chin. Truthfully she would know more than he did, but if there was even the slightest chance he had to ask. Rias thought about it for a few moments before finally giving an answer.

"In theory, yes. However, typically, you can only track magical signatures when they're close or strong. Powerful beings naturally radiate such things, and you're right in that Abella would be have a potent aura, but there are also ways around it. The stray devil in my territory excels in a particular type of stealth magic, which is why it's been so much trouble to catch her," she explained. "Of course, there will always be traces of such energy, but it would require an exceptionally sensitive spell to hone in on it."

"Or a very precise machine…" he mumbled under his breath.

"Hm?"

"A-Ah, nothing! Nothing! Just talking out loud. I just want to help anyway I can, not just for you guys but also for Irina since she's supposed to be on your side. I figure I would ask and try my luck. Although I wouldn't even be sure as to what I'm looking for!" he laughed with a twinge of force to it.

The Vice President spoke up next as she took a seat on a nearby sofa. "Given everything that's happened, we're doing our best on our end. Unfortunately, it's been tough to crack. Even with the latent signals the wounds a holy sword would leave, it's likely going to be awhile before we catch up to her."

Holy energy? He could focus on that too. His mind was awhirl with a dozen conceptual designs. Already the image was beginning to take shape. A trio of transponders that would link up to a sensory hub at the factory, triangulating all the magical signatures in town. From there, he would be able to filter it down to the right frequency and type. He could pinpoint her exact location! His mouth felt dry, and he took another sip of tea to quell the burning excitement in his stomach.

"Issei."

The Gremory girl's tone was enough to break him out of his reverie. He nearly flinched at the look she gave him. Her expression was stern and unyielding, like a mother about to severely scold a misbehaving child. However, there was also a touch of softness there. Concern.

"Abella is far, far beyond your skills. That's not a mark against you," she held up a hand before he could retort. "She massacred a squad of soldiers sent to bring her back. Even I am thinking of calling in backup when we find her. If you try to go off half-cocked and try some insane idea, you'll die and Irina will be crushed. I know you don't want that."

The words were harsh, but true. In his current state, it wouldn't matter if she was wounded or not. She'd mop the floor with him with one hand. He needed better equipment. Lost in thought, he must've looked a pitiable sight because a hand came down on his shoulder. Issei looked up to find Kiba smiling at him.

Rias spoke again. "However, I understand your feelings. If you want, we can help train you. No strings attached, consider it my way of apologizing."

"That's… would that make the church mad at you?" He was dumbfounded by the offer. Of all the things he expected to get out of this, training was not one of them.

"Not at all. Irina was upset with us for… different reasons. But you're your own person, and you can make your own choices. Don't feel like you have to join up with us as a reincarnated devil or anything. But I'd like to try and make my failure up to you."

This was it. This was his "in"! If he trained with them, spent time with them, he could learn their techniques. Their skills. He could even get some scans off them if he was lucky! Issei took stock of the room to find the rest of the Occult Research Club in agreement. If he wanted to dig up some dirt on Rias and her peerage, this was the best way to do it.

"Of course… thanks guys, I really don't know what to say but thank you."

"Don't sweat it, man. We'll get you into tip-top shape and show you the ropes. Before long you'll be a certified badass," Kiba smiled.

"Like us," Koneko added.

The brunette teen felt his heart swell. Even if this was just for espionage, the fact that they offered their help to him… he stamped out the small spark of shame in his chest before it could grow. This wasn't anything nefarious. He was just collecting some information off of them. It wasn't like he was going to kill them or anything. He'd never do that. Issei inhaled slowly and put a smile that seemed far more confident than it was.

"Thank you, Rias. I would be honored to train with you guys."

0-0-0-0

"No way man, they actually offered to train you!?" Beaufort was gobsmacked as they sat around the dining table for dinner that night. He had told his parents he was going out with some friends, and they were all too happy to let him go.

He felt a bit guilty for using their feelings against them, but this was important.

"Talk about a good first step," Castor muttered between sips of water.

The flame-wielder was less tickled. "Dude, these are devils. You can't trust them! Their training is gonna be, like, pulling out your fingernails or something!"

"Calm down, Beau. Rias isn't like that," their leader rumbled from his seat at the head of the trouble. "For now, we should-"

"Bullshit! We can't have Da Vinci over there working with them! That goes against everything we stand for! DV, these are the same creatures that merked your friends. You're just going to play buddy-buddy with them!?"

"Beaufort, relax. I'm just doing it to gain their trust. It's why I'm a spy, remember?" Issei tried to calm his friend down. The guy had a serious hate boner for everything demonic. Then again, he couldn't really blame him for it.

Beaufort wolfed down another two slices of pizza and chased it with an entire can of soda. Even though he was older than Issei he still acted about the same age. A certain heat radiated off the man as he slammed the can down onto the table hard to crumple it. Castor and Pollux exchanged worried glances as Ajax eyed him evenly. For a few moments, Beaufort breathed hard before slowly untensing.

"Chill man. It's not like I'd ever join them. If it helps, think of this as pulling one over on the devils. It's not like we can make a straightforward attack at the moment," or that he even wanted to.

"We could if our leader wasn't scared."

Ajax's armored fist came down on the table hard enough to nearly destroy it. Silence descended on the once-merry group as Issei eyed the large man nervously. There was a loose pecking order in their cell, and it started and ended with Ajax being on the top. Beaufort returned the glare his leader leveled at him with as much disdain. Logically, Issei knew he didn't really blame the man, but there was a reason why he was here. Beaufort was still a secretary, just like Issei and Pollux. He liked the guy, but Issei knew his tactical skills weren't very sharp and he had a tendency to fly off the handle.

"Guys, guys, c'mon! We should be celebrating! We're finally getting somewhere instead of spinning our wheels in the mud. My tech is coming along nicely, and I finally have some real concrete ideas of what to do. Not to mention I might even be able to get a bead on Abella's whereabouts," Issei waved his hands to try and diffuse the tension. "I have this idea for a town-wide scanner that would allow us to track almost every supernatural presence in town."

Ajax's glare softened slightly as he regarded the brunette teen. Issei felt himself start to sweat under the scrutiny, but to his relief the man nodded and relaxed. Without Georg here to provide any higher leadership, they were dependent on Ajax's orders. And the last thing he wanted to do was get on the man's bad side.

"I need to do some tests, but it should be done within the week. And after that I should be able to put the finishing touches on my kit. I-I think with some scans I can sneak from Rias's peerage I could probably tailor some stuff to counter their whole team!"

At that, things finally relaxed. Beaufort seemed pleased that there was some focus on outdoing Gremory's little club, and Ajax seemed too tired to try and keep the drama going. Castor and Pollux both let out soft sighs and threw him thankful looks. He couldn't have his team dissolving over one little argument. Maybe he should talk to Beau later and explain things more clearly. He was a good sort of person, and it'd be a shame if he got transferred over something as dumb as this.

With dinner concluding, Issei retired back to his workshop for a little more research. By now, the Mk. II Modular Laspistols were completed and had completely blown the previous iteration out of the water. Combined with the jump boots and propulsion back he had cobbled together, his assemblage was finally coming together. Given the rest of his equipment, and the training he'd received from the others, he was jonesing for some action. Shooting at dummies and doing spars was great, but he felt he would learn best in a live-fire situation. Maybe he could go out and try to find some evil spirit or monster to slay. Really earn his stripes as a hero.

"Da Vinci, Beaufort, in my office!" Ajax called from above.

"Does that really have to be my codename?" Issei mumbled under his breath as he set down his tools.

The two heroes joined their boss in his office a moment later. It still smelled richly of cigar smoke, although this time Ajax was without one. His expression was stern though, and judging by the unopened folder in front of him he had an assignment.

"Gentleman, I'll make this brief. We've received scattered reports of a so-called 'haunted house' on the northern outskirts of town. According to local history, it was abandoned sometime in the late nineties and left to decay. Although it was put up for sale, no one ever bought it."

Issei nodded. "Yeah, I remember that old place. The older kids used to scare us with ghost stories."

"Yeah, well they're not just stories. Apparently this place is a hotbed for minor youkai and turbulent spirits. They've completely inundated the place, down to the foundation. From my best guess the Gremory and Sitri girls didn't see it as worth their time. However we cannot allow this to stand. Quite literally," he shot a pointed look at Beaufort. "There'll be no exorcising this place. I need you two to go in and clear it out. Leave nothing left."

This was… not what he expected. The assignment sounded straightforward enough, but if these youkai weren't doing anything then was it their place to destroy them? Issei wasn't sure if he wanted to raise an objection though. He joined the Hero Faction of his own volition and did so knowing he'd be ordered to kill all sorts of supernatural entities. Maybe there was something he wasn't aware of. Some aspect to long term possession that made it dangerous. Beaufort gave a sharp salute, earning an equally sharp look from Ajax directed at him.

Issei swallowed dryly, but felt compelled to ask. "Do we… really have to destroy all of them? What if they're, I dunno, friendly?"

"According to our sources these creatures seem ambivalent. They only defend their nest if provoked, but all it takes is one adventurous kid or an unlucky homeless person and we have a body on our hands. The devils won't do anything, and the church has its hands full. As such, we of the Hero Faction must step in and take charge of the situation. This is what we do. We remove supernatural influences from human territory."

"Yes, but it doesn't seem fair to them. We're the aggressors here!" he argued back.

"Da Vinci, I am giving you a direct order! We've given you your powers, your training, and your resources. If you feel at odds doing a mission as benign as this, then I will be forced to communicate your failure to the higher-ups," Ajax barked, causing Issei to wince. "Do you think this will be the most troubling thing we ask of you? We are heroes because we make the tough choices. Because we do the things others would balk at. Being a hero is more than saving the day or kissing the pretty girl, it's getting your hands dirty for the sake of humanity."

A popular quote about monsters and those who fight them sprang to mind, but it was quelled by the gnawing fear he had begun to feel. If he couldn't do this, if he didn't do this, they'd take it all away. He'd be back where he started. Alone, powerless, or maybe even dead. He'd promised Georg that he'd lay down his life, so why was he hesitating so much? This was his life now. The life he chose. Ajax was right. They would ask more of, maybe ask him to do terrible things. And he had to.

He couldn't go back to who he was before. He wouldn't.

With all the steel he could muster, the young inventor spoke once more. "I understand, sir. Sorry for my outburst."

"Forgive me for mine. I understand this must seem like a taxing predicament. It's never easy the first few times, but it does get easier. Ask any of us," Ajax spoke sincerely.

Beaufort threw an arm around his shoulder. "And look at this way smarty-pants, you get to see me in action. I can finally show you how awesome I am when I'm not holding back!"

Issei accepted the words with a smile and felt a little better. His phone buzzed in his pocket suddenly, nearly startling him. With a brief glance, he saw that he had gotten a message from Irina.

Hey-o, mind if we talk at the church? Needs to happen asap, don't worry nothing bad, the message simply read.

Concerning, but maybe this had to do with the witch thingy. Sure, I'll be there soon.

"Get out there by the end of this week, and see that it's all taken care of. Issei, pull this off and you'll have earned your stripes and finally be one of us. Good luck guys, I'm counting on you."

"I won't let you down sir," Issei said resolutely.

He split away from his team soon after and made his way towards the church. He was careful to take one of his guns with him and his rocket boots which lay hidden under his jeans. If he was going to be ambushed, then at least he'd have a fighting chance. There was still a lot he had to work on, but the weight of the equipment was comforting.

The church had never looked so foreboding. In the dim darkness of the night, and without any of the lights on, the place looked abandoned. Laspistol drawn, he approached the door and knocked twice. After waiting a few seconds without an answer, he slowly pushed the door open and stepped inside. The only lights were a few of those ceremonial candles near the altar who's light didn't illuminate much past the first few pews. He clicked the safety of the pistol and felt the comforting thrum of energy start to build up.

"Irina," he whisper-yelled into the darkness. "Irina!"

No response, was this some game of hers? Issei felt a cold sweat trickle down his back as he struggled to remember Ajax's advice. Keep calm, listen for the smallest sounds, control your breathing and don't drop your guard. He paused as he reached the steps of the altar, turning to see if anything was out of place. It was then that he saw the figure. Hidden in the shadows in the center of the pews was a person wreathed in a cloak.

He didn't hesitate. Issei raised his weapon and opened fire with the light bolt and the chambered electric charge. The mix of blue-white energy and sparkling yellow fire carved straight through the wood and exploded a hair's breadth from the figure. It would've been an impeccable shot if said persona non grata didn't leap at the exact same time. The hooded malcontent kicked off the rafters and used the momentum to slingshot themselves right at him. They didn't seem to be wielding any weapons he could see, but he wasn't going to take a chance.

He clicked his heels together and felt the ground leave his feet as the propulsion boots propelled him off the ground. It was more of a massive leap than a sustained flight, but it was enough to carry him away from his enemy. He opened fire with a dual-round burst of light bullets that hissed and whistled like sparklers, resembling the brightly-colored firework in turn. Again, the figure was too quick and outpaced the shots with languid steps. They leapt forward and crossed the distance between them in a few blinks of an eye.

They're too fast! He thought through gritted teeth. "Bastard, take this!"

He fired a ball of hard electricity which they, predictably, jumped over. What they were less prepared for was how it suddenly changed course and boomeranged back to him. It smashed into the cloaked assailant's back causing her to cry out in pain and shock. He lacked the powered generator to properly make use of the recycled energy shot, so it was lucky she had blocked it with her body. If she hadn't, it was very likely he would've had to eat the two hundred thousand volts.

The woman staggered, but to her credit she didn't go down. There was a flash of light as an utterly massive broadsword appeared in her hand. Instantly he could feel the atmosphere in the room change. That wasn't an ordinary blade. There was another flash he dimly recognized as her moving before he felt the rush of wind that accompanied a wide swing from just behind his head.

"Xenovia!" a shrill and familiar voice called out.

The sword stopped inches from his neck. The lights in the church came on, as Irina rushed out from the back of the church. She was dressed in strange garb, like some kind of leather onesie that left everything below her upper thighs bare. She completed it with long stockings and equally black shoes that covered most of her legs. He turned to see the woman from before, Xenovia was her name apparently, holding her weapon just above him. If she had carried through with that strike, he'd be dead.

"Dangit you two, look at this mess! Xenovia, I told you just to test him not use Excalibur Destruction on him! You could've brought this whole building down!" she scolded her… partner(?) harshly.

Issei was pissed. "What the hell is this shit? I get called here from a meeting just to be attacked by this crazy bitch!?"

"You performed admirably, given everything. You were no match against me, but Irina was right in assuming you had gotten stronger," despite the nearly-successful assassination attempt the blue haired girl's tone was blase.

"Sorry, sorry! Forgive me! She didn't believe me when I said you could handle it, so I thought I'd prove it to her!" Irina dropped down before him in apologetic sorrow. "I really didn't think she'd go this far."

"Why are you apologizing? I'm satisfied."

Issei shot the woman an absolutely stunned look. Stunned and offended. "Does somebody want to explain to me just what the fuck is going on!?"

Irina glanced up, still ashamed, and nodded. He was guided into the back of the church and into the basement where he came upon an almost cavernous room beneath the building. It looked like some sort of dungeon-in-making, complete with rows of tables and bookshelves.

"This is our inner sanctum. It serves as the basis of our headquarters and its where we form our plans. It used to be a research outpost believe it or not, in my dad's time. Now though we mostly use it for storage and privacy since no one comes down here," Irina explained as they rounded a small conference table. "I asked you to come here for a legitimate reason. Issei, according to everything we've heard there's a force of Fallen Angels, excommunicated priests, and a witch heading towards Kuoh."

So Ajax was correct. He tried to seem genuinely surprised, which wasn't hard given everything his boss had left out. "Fallen Angels? What the hell are those?"

"Just as it sounds, they're once holy warriors of God who gave in to their sin and fell for it. Many of them are wicked and as cruel as any demon," Xenovia clarified.

"Yeah. Something happened in the Vatican and a bunch of priests suddenly turned traitor and joined with them. When they abandoned God, they took with them a now heretical priestess who used her powers to heal devils. From what we've heard, they're coming here to try and carve out some territory," Irina finished the explanation.

"Okay, that sounds… well, bad obviously but what does that have to do with a scrub like me?"

"Because doofus, you wield a longinus. If we're really going to take on these guys and try to keep the town safe, I felt like having a potential god-killer on our side would help."

He hummed and nodded sagely. "Well, I am pretty badass. You're right."

"Shut up," Irina rolled her eyes. "Look, Rias talked to me about you training with them. I have my… ugh, reservations about it, but you seem to know what you're doing. I'm going to trust your judgement, Issei. By the time those guys get here you should be able to hold your own if you really commit to Rias's training regimen. Those guys don't mess around."

Geez, what was this? "Make Issei Feel Guilty" day? He wanted to tell her and spill the beans about his espionage, but he couldn't. He promised himself that he'd protect her from all this. She needed to be able to maintain innocence if he wanted to make sure she got out of this relatively unscathed. Instead he swallowed his feelings and sighed.

"I get you. It's not like I was going to let some buttmunches have their run of the town, even if I am just a low-tier hero," he scratched his head. "But if you really want to help me, I could always use some scans of your sword. Swords." He amended with a glance at Xenovia.

"That's… I guess that's fine. The higher-ups will be okay with it if it's to defend this town."

Score, blood rushed to his head. This was everything he wanted. With the scans of their swords, he'd be more than ready for his mission to exterminate the evil spirits at the mansion. All he had to do in return was defend the town, which he planned to do anyway!

"What do you think we're going to be dealing with? I'll admit to being pretty virgin with this stuff, Irina," he leaned in closer and looked his friend in the eye. "I guess I'll need to rely on you again."

He detected the faintest hint of a blush on her cheeks as she looked up. "I really don't know. We're not even really sure what they want, only that there are easier places to set up shop than this town. Seriously, it's like they wanted to get smashed to bits."

"What does it matter what their reasons are? They're our enemies, so they must be destroyed," Irina's partner said plainly.

"Ugh, fair enough I guess. Look, I'd feel bad if you guys gave me your help and I didn't give anything back in return. As thanks for the scans, I can make you guys some equipment if you think it would help. Nothing big, but maybe a gadget or two if you need it."

The bluette regarded him with veiled curiosity. "I've heard about your Sacred Gear, the mighty Innovate Clear. It's a rumor that's only spoken about in whispers in the church, in the same breaths as the Holy Artifact Longinus, including the original Spear of Destiny."

That sounded really cool, so it was too bad he had no idea what the hell she was talking about. He nodded seriously like he did though. When it doubt, bluff it out! Still, the way she appraised him sent tingles up his spine. And not the fun, sexy tingles like when he occasionally imagined Irina doing some "bible study" one-on-one with him. More like "wake up in a bathtub full of ice" tingles.

"Hope I don't disappoint. My boss has me running a different mission for him in between my training and my research, so I'm pretty stretched thin for time. However, you're my best friend so I'm willing to give one hundred and ten percent," he smiled beatifically at the blonde exorcist who's blush magnified.

"Thanks…"

"Don't mention it! Man, who'd have thought I'd be this busy? Feels like I barely get any time to myself now," he chuckled.

"Except when you're with Aika," Irina muttered under her breath.

"Huh?"

"Nothing, doofus. Just take care of yourself. You need to shave."

The remark caused him to instinctively touch his cheek. Geez, when had he let it get this bad? He was growing a full-on neckbeard here! Man, when was the last time he slept for a full eight hours? Maybe she had a point in that he needed to take better care of himself. There was more to life than training and research. Like boobs, and smoking hot chicks, and wicked rare pornos, and boobs!

He'd nearly forgotten all this time. His once expansive mental spank bank had been gradually eroded by boner-killing thoughts of theoretical physics and quantum thermodynamics!

"What is he doing, Irina?"

The girl sighed as she saw her best friend in deep, no doubt perverted, thought. "Beats me."