Chapter 7 – Twilight Rescue

The hour had grown late, with the day having to sped up to sunset and approaching the rise of the full moon.

'We need to hurry. It looks like the ritual is going to be performed soon. The ritual they're doing is going to completely sever the link between that nun and her Sacred Gear.'

'Ddraig, you know about this ritual?'

'Yeah, it's an old one. People found a way to extract common and low-class Sacred Gears from their hosts. If it's spiritually bonded to them and the host isn't strong enough, the result will be death.'

Issei had arrived outside of the church that he had dropped Asia off at and he noticed that outwardly, nothing looked wrong. However, this time, he felt multiple presences inside.

Gritting his teeth out of anger, Issei began to blame himself for being so blind and shortsighted.

He had failed to investigate the Church thoroughly when he should have. However, at the time, he had been thinking that she would be safe at this place.

Shaking himself out of his frustration, Issei made his presence known. Donning his Scale Mail, he blasted through the doors of the church and rushed in. He was met by glares and the brandishing of weapons from numerous Stray Exorcists that flooded the church.

"Crazed fanatics." Was all that Issei growled before he charged right into the legion of enemies rushing at him.

Back at the Hyoudou Residence, Akeno was sitting across from Rias, who had warped there. Of course, Raynare was joining them, though she was inching away from the Gremory Heiress quite a bit. She could feel that Rias had more power than her.

"President, what did you mean that one of our own were attacked?" Akeno had been alarmed by the news but suspected that this incident and the situation about Asia were related.

"Yuuto was attacked while out doing a job. A horde of Stray Exorcists got to him and managed to wound him after they grouped up on him. There was no less than a few dozens of enemies. He's resting at the Clubroom right now, so he'll be fine. He only had a few cuts and scratches on him. Still…"

Rias then turned to look at Raynare.

"If I may ask, what are you doing here?" She maintained a polite tone, showing not a hint of aggression.

"She's Issei's guest. As I explained before, she was a Fallen Angel that got caught by Stray Exorcists. I'm fairly certain that she isn't in league with the Stray Exorcists that attacked Yuuto." Akeno cut in.

Rias was surprised that Akeno wasn't acting hostile or hateful towards Raynare, given her past experiences and words.

"Very well, then. For now, we'll put this matter aside. On the other hand, Raynare. You said that the Stray Exorcists came here to kidnap me and the Sitri heiress as bait?" Rias was skeptical of Raynare's words but she nodded.

Having already told Rias about what the Stray Exorcists had planned to do, Raynare felt sure that she had gotten Rias's attention. There was also the unprecedented fact that Kiba had been ambushed.

"Normally, we wouldn't do anything but…now that those Stray dogs have laid hands on one of my precious servants, I won't just sit still while they plot behind my back." Rias then looked up.

"We will make our move. If what you said is true, then Issei has already headed towards the open church in Kuoh. I'll contact Koneko and Yuuto. The both of you will go to Issei. We'll join up with you after Yuuto is back on his feet." Rias assumed command of the situation, not that anyone complained.

Issei was having quite a frustrating time. For every few dozen enemies that he wiped out, a few more took their place.

Creating a small red orb of energy, Issei aimed his palm and fired a wave of destructive power that blasted away the enemy in front of him.

At the moment, he was rushing down a long flight of stairs that seemed to be endless.

Readying his next attack, Issei boosted and fired several bolts of red lightning that vaporized the enemy before him.

With the path in front of him cleared, he charged ahead. Even then, more foes blocked his path.

"Just piss off, already." Issei ignited an orange flame in his hands, roasting away another wave of opposition.

Akeno and Raynare burst into the church and were surprised by the dark appearance of its interior.

The white marble stone had turned black and the stained glass were the only source of light. In a nutshell, the interior of the church looked abandoned.

Stepping inside, the two felt a coldness grasp at them but that was the least of their worries. At the other end of the church, a secret passageway was revealed and torchlight was seen flickering in the depths as the sounds of battle echoed from it.

"Issei." Akeno instantly knew the cause and rushed in to go to his aid, followed by Raynare.

Soon enough, Issei had broken through a strong stone door that laid at the end of the stairs after wiping out the last of the Strays.

Gathering mana in his arm, he punched right through the obstacle in his path, causing dust and rubble to fly around.

Before he moved any further, he turned around reflexively.

To his surprise, he saw Akeno and Raynare flying to him.

"Akeno. Raynare." Issei's voice sneaked out from his helmet.

"Issei?" Akeno and Raynare were surprised by his appearance. They studied at his red dragon armor, sensing the immense power radiating from it, therefore assuming that this was his Balance Breaker.

"Have you seen Asia yet?" Raynare looked at him with hopeful eyes.

He shook his head.

"No. I've searched the entire church except for this place." Issei then turned toward the broken doorway in front of him and waltzed through.

He was introduced to a brick room that had a large altar with a massive grey and green cross. What stunned him was the fact that nobody was there. The room was completely empty.

"We've been tricked!" Issei growled as he searched around the room.

Even with a presence scan, no extra life signs were present.

"If they aren't here, then they must be at the other church in Kuoh. The abandoned one." Akeno concluded. Churches were considered sacred ground, so Stray Exorcists must have held value in hosting a ritual in one.

"Seeing as how the enemy may have predicted Issei attacking again, they must have set a decoy location here and then used the other church for the real ritual. If that's the case, we need speed up." Akeno then sent Rias new information as the she left with Issei and Raynare.

Flying to the abandoned church, the three were met by Rias and the rest of her peerage.

Kiba had a few band aids on his cheek and hands, but he had no other visible injuries other than those. Koneko was dressed in her Kuoh uniform but she had her kitty print fingerless gloves on. Issei found it hard to take her seriously with those on.

Rias looked at her Queen and nodded before turning to the intimidating red-armored figure that stopped in front of her.

"Who's this?" Rias asked.

Issei decided that the cat was out of the bag now, so he opened the faceplate of his helmet, revealing his face.

"It's me, Issei." He replied awkwardly.

Rias's eyes widened slightly in surprise. She didn't know what the armor he was wearing was, but she had suspicions. Unfortunately, now wasn't the time to ask questions.

"I'm happy to see that you all are alright. Now that we're all together, I propose a plan. I'm certain that guards are stationed around the church so a pair of 2 or 3 should go and deal with them. The others that are left over should enter the church as two groups. One group will act as back up and should help clear a path and distract the enemy while the last group goes to rescue Asia." Rias said.

Within a few short moments, three groups were formed.

Akeno and Rias would get rid of the enemies outside. Kiba and Koneko would help keep the enemy clear while Issei and Raynare would rescue Asia.

At first, Issei was going to deal with the enemy until Rias objected.

"Since you're part dragon, you're the most able at dealing with whatever surprise the enemy may have, since they aren't likely carrying dragon-slaying weapons. This way, the mission success rate might go up." Rias knew she sounded underhanded, but she felt that this mission had to succeed.

The fact that an innocent girl dying wasn't something she wanted on her mind.

When all was said and done, the mission began with the utmost rush.

Rias and Akeno circled around the church while trying to sniff out enemies,

"Are you sure that Issei can handle this, though?" Rias stood next to Akeno, who replied.

"Oh my. Are you worried about our junior?" Akeno teased.

"A little. I don't know what's inside, so maybe I should've volunteered."

"Ufufufu. There's no need to worry." Akeno smiled nostalgically as she turned to Rias.

"Issei is strong. I can just feel it. I may have not been with him for the past few years, but I can tell he hasn't been slacking off." Akeno spoke with such confidence that Rias couldn't help but be convinced.

"Alright then. I guess we should do our best to make sure that they can get out okay." Rias then fired a blast of destruction at a nearby bush, disintegrating it into dust.

From out of the shadows, came several hooded figures that brandished swords of light and guns.

Surrounding the two women, they all stood ready for battle, not knowing that they were out of their league.

Within a flash of light, Akeno's attire shined brightly before a Japanese Shrine Maiden's robes replaced her school uniform.

"Oh my, ufufu. It looks like we have many hosts to greet us guests." Akeno surrounded herself with an aura of yellow thunder as her facial expression changed to a sadistic smile.

"Allow us to teach you what happens to people that attack a member of my peerage." Rias spoke with a cold tone as her anger erupted with a black and crimson aura.

She had been very angry when she saw Kiba return to the clubroom with multiple cuts on him. Even if he wasn't in bad shape, the fact that Stray Exorcists attacked him without any reasoning was more than enough to set her off.

Akeno rose into the sky and created a yellow magic circle that encircled the entire area where she and her enemies stood.

"Ufufu. I wonder if you can persevere through this." Akeno said before raining down several bolts of thunder that electrified every foe that was foolish enough to stand in front of the two women.

Several cries of pain rang out as several hundred volts of electricity ran through each Stray Exorcist.

"Oh my. It seems like there are still many of you left." Akeno gave a sensual, yet sadistic lick of her lips before opening her palm and creating an orange flame.

Stretching her hand forth, she swept the area around her in a sea of fire that lightly incinerated the swarms of opponents in front of her.

"These freaks are too strong for us!" One of the exorcists cried out as he tried to run away.

To his misfortune, he was blasted into smithereens by a magic circle that appeared on his chest.

Rias and Akeno were surprised by such an occurrence, but refocused their attention to the other enemies in front of them.

"Looks like we'll have to spend more time outside than we thought." Akeno mused as she and Rias returned to assaulting the leftover Strays.


Inside of the church, the two other groups were largely met by Stray Exorcists.

(Bleach OST – Other Tales of Zanpakuto. Play Song.)

"This scene is starting to get really old." Issei sneered before creating a [Dragon Shot] and blasting away the crowd of enemies in front of him.

Kiba, Koneko, and Raynare were surprised by his strength. At school, they were only able to sense his presence but they weren't able to gauge his battle strength.

Turning their attention to what was in front of them, Kiba and Koneko sprinted forward to help clear a path to the altar that was underground.

Kiba drew his black-bladed sword and cut down 3 enemies that were in his path. Grinding to a halt, he used his knightly speed and dashed in a different direction, slashing his enemies as he passed by them.

Suddenly, a Stray Exorcist got in front of him and locked blades with him. To his surprise, Kiba's black sword created a dark aura that nullified the light of the fake holy swords in his opponent's hands.

"What's with that sword?"

"This is my weapon, the [Holy Eraser]. It can absorb and devour light." Kiba replied before swinging his blade down on his opponent, striking him down.

Cutting his way around enemy lines, he formed a perimeter that was clear of opponents, leaving Issei and Raynare some breathing room to go downstairs.

Suddenly, a large mannequin statue creaked and rumbled as 2 white eyes lit up on its face. The mannequin was placed in a far corner of the room and was hidden from sight. It was easily 25 ft. tall and a strange dark aura seemed to trail off of it.

"What's up with that?" Issei looked up at it in skeptical criticism.

"Hahaha! That's a holy golem. A machine of stone that has holy energy flowing through it. It's perfect for fighting Devils!" A Stray Exorcist exclaimed triumphantly.

Kiba immediately jumped at it and impaled it in the head. Through the use of his sword, he absorbed the holy light from the golem, weakening it to the point that it wasn't much of a threat.

"Koneko!" Kiba jumped away from his position as Koneko leapt into the air and bashed is head off of its shoulders.

"What?!"

It was shocking to the deluded Stray Exorcists that a weapon that they were so proud of were defeated by such regular sized opponents. Well, save for one.

"How can a bite-sized pipsqueak like her punch the head off of our sacred golem!?"

Unfortunately for the Exorcist that said that, Koneko turned to him and rushed at him, punching him with a violently strong aggression.

Koneko's brow twitched as she took in what he said.

"Size isn't everything." She replied to his earlier statement as a vein popped on her forehead.

Lifting the massive face of the dead golem, she threw it at a cluster of Exorcists, who didn't manage to dodge her projectile.

"Go on ahead, Issei! We'll take care of the enemy here." Kiba turned to his fellow classmate, who nodded.

"Then here's a parting gift." Issei then activated his gauntlet.

"[BOOST!]" Ddraig's voice rang out.

Having boosted 3 times for safety reasons, Issei activated the second function of his Sacred Gear.

"Boosted Gear Gift!" Issei fire two beams that hit Kiba and Koneko with supportive enhancement.

"[Transfer]"

The two felt strong surges of adrenaline and heightened power as their performance increased. It was a soothing feeling.

"Thanks." The two replied in unison before Issei led Raynare downstairs.

While fighting, Kiba and Koneko noticed that their mana supply had jumped. Kiba was faster and Koneko was stronger, to boot.

(Bleach OST – Other Tales of Zanpakuto. End Song.)


Deep downstairs, Asia was wearing a white dress and was chained to a large metal cross with green lines and symbols lining it.

"Father Freed, why are you doing this?" Asia asked with her usual innocence.

Freed stared at her with a mad grin and calmly responded.

"My dear child, it's because of the fact that you have such a sinful power that it must be removed. A power like yours is too much of a burden for you to carry. That is why I will take possession of it." Freed snickered.

"I don't understand. This power is able to heal people. It isn't a wicked power!" Asia bellowed with resilience. While the cross she was restrained to, sapped her strength, her mind remained resistant.

At this comment, Freed sneered as his brows furrowed.

"Raising your voice with me, are you? Don't get cocky!" He backhanded Asia's face, causing her to yelp.

"With your power, I can gain immortality and then, I will become even stronger. I will be able to rid this world of Devils and Fallen Angels. It will be so blissful to walk around and do as I please without anyone getting within my enlightened way." Freed spread his arms as he ranted before finally, he stretched his hand over Asia and began the ritual.

A green magic circle appeared over Freed's hand as a powerful light of the same color erupted from Asia's chest.

Slowly screaming louder in agony, Asia felt as if something was being torn out of her, as if her very heart and soul was being ripped apart.

For what seemed like hours, Asia endured the pain, holding out hope that someone would save her. She even thought of Raynare.

During Raynare's time in Italy, she had treated Asia like a little sister. She taught her many things that she would have normally missed if she weren't there, like pop culture and modern interests and words.

Issei taught her the joys of the outside world and the activities that it offered.

With her last few breaths, she silently thanked Issei and Raynare, as well as everyone else in her life for befriending her.

'Raynare. Issei, everyone. Thank you all for standing with me and taking care of me. I will never forget any of you. May Heaven bless you all.'

At the last word, Asia felt her life force slowly slip away; the light in her eyes began to fade as the rings on her fingers disappeared. They reappeared with a bright green light as they left Asia's body, symbolizing the severed connection between wielder and Sacred Gear.

Freed eagerly snatched the rings from the air and grinned as he admired them.

Issei and Raynare immediately rushed down the many stairs that led underground before arriving at the doorway that led to their destination. Raynare's eyes widened in horror as she saw Asia's dead body chained up.

With the fact that Freed was standing in front of her with a strong green aura around him, it was clear that they were too late.

"I got it! I got the Twilight Healing! Yes! Hahahahahahahahaha!" Freed leaped for joy as he put on the rings.

Issei felt intense anger well up inside of him. He detested the injury and murder of innocent people. Seeing the gleeful acts of the murderous fallen priest, his twisted excitement at inflicting cruelty and violence. It enraged Issei to no end.

"Get Asia. I'll take care of Freed." He growled, almost sounding more like a beast than human.

"ASIA!" Raynare shouted as she flew forward.

Suddenly, a barrier of light blocked the beam, causing Issei to muse on it.

"He's getting some outside help." Issei didn't care. He was going to pay Freed in full for what he did.

Creating a larger orb of red energy, he blasted a giant beam that completely shattered the barrier that was protecting Freed.

"What?! You- Blegh!" Freed didn't even get to finish his sentence as Issei punched him in the face. A loud crack echoed as Issei's fist collided with Freed.

The exiled madman was then sent flying to the other side of the room with a loud crash.

Coating his hand in energy, Issei flew after him while he was midfall. With one big motion, he punched Freed into the ground.

"Take Asia and go! Get her to Rias and Akeno!" Issei growled as he continued attacking Freed.

Raynare was about to leave until two suits of armor in the room began to move. The armor were of western design and both brandished fake holy swords.

Setting the dying nun down, Raynare immediately attacked.

"Out of my way!" Raynare created two swords and charged at them.

Anger and desperation filled Raynare's heart as she continued to fight. Locking blades with the enemy, Raynare struggled to maintain her ground before gliding backwards to gain distance before flying forward again.

Crashing into one knight, Raynare knocked away the sword of the other knight with a backflip before stabbing it in the chest. Dragging it across the ground, Raynare threw it into the other knight before backing away and creating a magical circle in her hand. A pinkish-red beam of light blasted from her palm, obliterating the knights in her way.

When the dust cleared, it was clear that Raynare was the victor, with no traces remaining of the knights.

Darting to her dying friend, Raynare returned to Asia's side and hoisted her up again. Stirring weakly, Asia looked up at Raynare in surprise.

"Raynare?" Asia looked up at her. Her vision was getting weaker and it was getting harder for her to breath, so she believed herself to have become slightly hallucinatory.

Raynare tearfully held her friend as she nodded.

"Yes. It's me, Asia. Your friend, Raynare." Raynare held onto her as she flew up the stairs that led back onto the main floor of the church.

Issei looked behind himself and made sure that the two had left safely before turning his attention to Freed.

He had dealt several wounds to the exiled priest but he just kept getting back up to heal himself.

"Ahahaha! Freaks like you are useless against me. Not even the Red Dragon Emperor can kill me now. This time, I'm going to pay you back for what you did to my arm!" Freed lunged forward with his sword of light and gun with a deranged expression.

He tried to pierce the red armor on his enemy but it was useless. The blade shattered as it collided with Issei, though it reformed itself soon after.

Firing several bullets of light at Issei, they merely bounced off, much to Freed's annoyance.

"There's no point in trying to wear me down, idiot. You're only wasting time. Even if you have those rings, they do nothing for your strength." Issei stated coldly.

Angered, Freed rushed at Issei again.

"It doesn't matter. My sword is still in A-OK condition and my gun doesn't run out of ammo. I'll just find a weak spot in your armor and skewer you." Freed giggled as he closed the distance between them.

"Is that all you've got, weakling?" Issei snarled as he blocked a swing of Freed's sword.

"Watch this, then!" Freed lunged.

However, this was a fatal error. Faster than he could think, his head had been grasped by Issei's left hand. Struggling to move, he kicked around and punched at Issei, but he only hurt himself in the process.

"Now then, tell me everything that you know. Who's helping you? Who exactly is Vilcifer?" Issei beckoned forth answers, but Freed only spat at his gauntlet.

"Bite me!"

Issei didn't exactly possess any mental powers, so he couldn't do any sort of mind trick or mental probing. It's not like he would've done that, anyways. Issei just wanted to beat the living snot out of Freed.

"You. Make. Me. Sick. You wretch!" Issei sneered beneath his helmet as he tightened his grip, causing Freed to cry out in pain.

Issei slammed Freed's head down into the concrete blocks below him, creating a giant crater. He flailed Freed around like a rag. Each time, he made sure Freed hit his head. By the time Issei was done, Freed was unconscious, his head a bloody mess. The only reason he was alive was due to Twilight Healing.

'Partner, it hasn't been long since the nun lost her Sacred Gear. You should be able to just take them away from the parasite and return them to the girl.' Ddraig advised.

Ddraig sighed. This was yet another time that Issei got carried away in a fight. He'd punish people and get lost in it. If they wasted any more time, it would be too late to save Asia. Luckily, he'd reminded Issei of what was at stake if they kept wasting time.

Having done enough, Issei dropped him and took the rings off Freed.


Back where Raynare was, she laid Asia down on a bench in the church, with Kiba and Koneko standing behind her.

(Green Rose OST – Main Title. Play Song.)

"Raynare. You helped save me. Thank you. The whole time, I hoped that you would come rescue me." Asia smiled at Raynare as tears trailed down her face.

"And you did." She gratefully finished.

Raynare grasped Asia's hand and began to cry.

"You'll be fine, Asia. You'll be okay. I'll find a way to save you. You can't die on me now. You're one of the few friends I've ever had. Remember, we promised to catch up the next time we met." Raynare broke down as she tried to find ways to convince Asia to hang onto her life.

"You were the only one who didn't look at me like I was some sort of freak. You didn't reject me and hunt me down like others did. You were the only human who looked at me like I was worth something. Please, Asia. You have to hang on!" She pleaded.

"It's fine, Raynare. I was blessed to have you and so many others in my life. Every single moment that I've lived haven't been regrets for me. I thank you for going so far to save me, but I don't think there's anything we can do now. All that's left is for me to accept this. I thank you all for working so hard to come help me. Now…farewell." Asia's eyes closed for the final time as her hand went slack.

Raynare looked at her with wide eyes in disbelief as she shook her deceased friend.

"Asia, wake up. Please wake up. Asia…Asia!" Raynare then began to sniffle and sob letting out a scream of emotional pain.

The door creaked open. It was Rias, who'd just finished the fight outside. She took one look at the scene of carnage and understood what had happened.

"I'm sorry. We should've done better to help her." Rias genuinely looked sorry as she put a hand on Raynare's shoulder.

Suddenly, Issei flew up the stairs from underground and landed. Dispelling his Scale Mail, Issei walked over to Asia and put her rings back on her fingers.

"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have left her here. I'm so sorry, Asia." Issei bit his lip as he added yet another person onto the list of people that he had failed to save.

"If I hadn't been foolish, if I wasn't so naïve, you'd be able to live with Raynare." Issei then bowed his head low in apology, as best as he could.

Hearing Raynare's sobs only made him feel worse.

'How am I supposed to move on from this mistake…' Issei thought to himself.

However, remembering that there was still a way to save Asia, Issei turned to Rias.

"Can you revive her?" He asked her hesitantly.

"You mean revive her as a part of my peerage?" Rias was a bit unsure of doing that.

If she did so, Asia would become naturally aligned with the Devils, thus friction would arise between her and Raynare.

Raynare then looked at Rias and gripped her shoulders.

"Can you do that? Can you save her?" Raynare begged.

Rias thought it over briefly.

"If you revive her, you'll have the Twilight Healing, a Sacred Gear with healing powers that are on par with Phoenix Tears. That alone should be all the proof you need." Ddraig goaded her on. He couldn't bear to watch Raynare cry in despair, nor could he let such an innocent and virtuous girl like Asia die.

Deciding that there weren't many cons, if any, Rias nodded.

"Very well, then. However, if I revive her, Asia Argento will become a member of my peerage and will be reincarnated as a Devil. Are you fine with that?" Rias made sure to double-check with the only person present who had any connection to Asia.

"Yes." Raynare replied.

Wasting no more time, Rias moved towards Asia and took out Evil Pieces from her skirt pocket. They were chess pieces that were made of white material and each gave off no visible supernatural vibes.

Motioning a bishop over Asia and planting it on her chest, the bishop began to glow brightly with a red hue, signifying that the value of the bishop was equal to Asia's soul and power.

"Alright, let's begin." Rias then laid her down on the floor and began to chant an incantation as a red magic circle of the Gremory Clan appeared under Asia's body.

"I, Rias Gremory, hereby order you: Asia Argento, to return to this world as a Devil and to rejoice in your new life as my bishop!"

The bishop piece then sank into Asia's torso with a bright flash of light from the magic circle beneath her before the circle disappeared.

Silence then filled the church until a bright green light lit up from Asia's rings.

Slowly, Asia's eyes opened with vigor and life returning to them.

Raynare could barely contain her excitement and relief when Asia sat up with wide eyes of surprise.

"Huh? Why am I still here? I thought I…" Before she could finish her sentence, Raynare darted forward and embraced her dear friend in a strong embrace.

Sobbing and crying, Raynare couldn't even speak properly due to her raging emotions.

"Asia...Asia! I'm so glad!" Raynare choked out as Asia patted her back.

"Yes. I'm glad to be back as well, Raynare." Asia also began to cry as well. Tears of rejoice fell down her face until she noticed Issei.

"Mr. Hyoudou? What are you doing here?" She was truly perplexed by his presence.

"It's a long story. For now, Asia, let's get you somewhere nice to rest." Issei smiled happily as he put his jacket over Asia, who was adorned in only a small white dress.

As everyone left the church, Issei turned around one last time and looked at the desolate place.

'The night's finally over.' He thought to himself.

(Green Rose OST – Main Title. End Song.)

'This was only one trial that we had to pass. There are still many more obstacles that will stand in our way. Take heed of this night and prepare for the future.' Ddraig spoke in a sagely way.

Issei couldn't help but laugh.

'Ddraig, have you been watching those old shows with those sagely people giving advice?' Issei joked.

'I just wanted to give it a try. Heheheh.' Ddraig couldn't help but laugh as well, given the long and chaotic night.

He was glad that tonight hadn't been a completely tragic night. As old as he was, he was rather tired of sad endings.

Since Asia had no place to stay, Rias took her along with her to her residence so that she could smooth things over for Asia and to prepare the necessities for her new life.


The next day, Issei awoke and readied himself for the day and eventually walked downstairs.

What he saw next surprised him. Raynare was happily cooking in her uniform with a white apron draped over it. She was also humming harmoniously as she moved around the kitchen.

Normally, Issei was the first to wake up but today was obviously an exception.

"Ah, good morning, Issei." Raynare smiled brightly at him as she set down a large plate of pan-fried steak with a side of buttered potatoes with herbs and spices. A basket of garlic bread was also put out on the table.

"It's good to see that you're in a happy mood." Issei smiled as Raynare nodded.

He found it hard to ignore that she was much happier than before. Perhaps Asia being saved had to do with it. She seemed almost carefree, as if there were no more significant weights on her mind. Regardless, Issei also felt a bit better. He managed to do something good.

"Alright, let's eat! We have to get to school in an hour!" Raynare then sat down before smiling brightly at Issei.

Locking up the house before leaving, Issei and Raynare made their way to school and eventually got into class.

After homeroom started, the teacher had an announcement to make.

"As of today, we will be receiving a new transfer student. Make sure that you treat them well." The teacher then turned towards the door and announced for the student to enter.

Issei and Raynare weren't exactly surprised to find a familiar blonde walking in with the Kuoh uniform on.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Asia Argento. I recently came from Italy and I would be delighted to get acquainted with you all." She then bowed.

As soon as her introduction ended, a ton of male students erupted into loud shouts.

Issei sat at his desk and looked as on as he thought of one thing.

'Looks like things are going to get more chaotic now.'


Changes from the original Chapter 7:

1. Grammar and dialogue fixing.

2. I toned down the violence displayed by Issei. I actually found it a tiny bit unlikeable. Issei doesn't have the amount of experience and world-weariness to be acting the way he did in the original chapter. It also made him look bloodthirsty, not something I want in this version of Issei if he's just gonna get away with it. Unlike Grim Herald Issei, who's jaded and seen and done a lot, Dragonic Will Issei's still not experienced enough and dealt with enough to try and be so world-weary.