New Devil of The Gremory House

Life 4: Raid

Special thanks to Bakuto Masaki for helping me think of stuff for this chapter. I was completely stumped on how to go through this chapter but he helped me think of a way to go through the Raynare situation.

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The group of four Devils were making their way to the abandoned church in town. It was silent as the tense atmosphere settled between all of them. They were all walking side by side as they made their way down the street.

Koneko, then Naruto, then Issei, and at the end was Kiba.

They had been walking in silence since they had left the park and were coming closer and closer to the edge of town. Just past the front of the forest would be the old abandoned church. And for the oncoming Devils, the temporary base of the Fallen Angel faction that had snuck into town. They continued on quietly...

"Okay, I know this is a bit weird to ask when we are already making the march there, but do we have a plan?" Naruto asked as he looked between the group, "I mean are we gonna sneak in and ambush them? Or are we just gonna play this by ear?"

"I-um-" Issei thought for a minute before they all stopped and looked at him. He panicked and kneeled down while holding his head in shock, "Shit. I was so ready to charge in that I didn't even think of a plan." He looked back up at all of them, "I guess we'll just improvise and hope for the best."

"Aw man." Naruto sighed as he shook his head, "We're screwed, aren't we?"

"Probably." Koneko replied immediately in a monotone voice.

"Actually, in all honesty, we most likely will be meeting some opposition in the way of saving Hyoudou-kun's nun friend." Kiba added as he started thinking, "Besides the main Fallen Angel in charge there might be some others that followed her along. As well as the exorcist we met the other night and possibly others."

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, you might want to get ready with that whole multiple Fallen Angel idea. I met this asshole the other night that tried to make a shish-kabob out of me." He scowled while crossing his arms, "Bet money there's gonna be more of them to jump us."

Issei stood back up, "Geez, you really know how people think while fighting, don't ya Naruto-senpai? I guess it was a lucky break to have 'The #1 Delinquent of Kuoh Academy' on our side, huh?"

"You put way too much credit into a nickname some guys in school gave me. And you should really stop trying to summarize who I am just by the name."

Issei gave him a light scowl, "Well sorry, but from my experience, the nicknames they pass around usually do a pretty good job." He pointed to himself, "I mean don't you think my nicknames as a depraved pervert suit me pretty well?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulder, "I don't know. I usually don't waste even the most minimal amount of brain power thinking about you." Issei glared and was about to retort before Kiba raised his arm in the way.

"Excuse me for asking Uzumaki-San, but something is bothering me." Kiba looked towards the older blond, "How did you come to be called a delinquent and given such a bad reputation? I mean you do not seem nearly as bad as everyone says you are. At most you are a bit snarky and have a...rough personality."

Issei scoffed, "Rough is putting it lightly."

Naruto's hand instantly shot out and karate-chopped Issei in the throat. Kiba and Koneko watched as the brown-haired pervert gagged and fell on his back as he gasped for air as Naruto cupped his chin, "Well, it was all just a bunch of stuff that piled up after a while...but if I had to say what started it all..."

"It would have to be an unfortunate meeting I had with Akeno Himejima."

The small group of students all looked at the blond in surprise at what he said. He nodded, "Yeah, it all started a little bit after I first transferred here..."

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It was gym time and class was close to ending. It was still in the first week of Naruto's transfer into Kuoh academy on a scholarship provided to him by the board of the school. It had quickly spread that there was a new kid who had moved here from parts unknown. And while some people had approached him for various reason, no one had really gotten to know him yet.

And of course, when you are not only a new kid but moved here from possibly a different country (what with the rather odd accent in his voice), you're susceptible to bullying from local jocks. Of course, they aren't always expecting someone to fight back...

The door to the girl's locker room broke open as Naruto tackled one of the guy's that tried to extort him. He tripped them up and planted them on their back before he stood back up to intercept the last man standing.

The muscle-head yelled as he tried to tackle Naruto with a Judo move he had learnt in his club. But Naruto just used a bench as a stepping platform before jumping over his head and landing behind him. The large punk tried to catch him again but just as he turned around he received a kick to the face before passing out.

Naruto stood back up and wiped his forehead as he looked at the unconscious guys at his feet and the two others lying in the dirt outside. He chuckled, "Maybe that will teach you guys to try a more subtle tactic than walking up to me and demanding money." Naruto took a moment to look around at the room he had fought his way into, "Where the hell am I-"

"Wraahh!"

Naruto was tackled into a locker by one of the guys he thought he had knocked out and banged his face into the metal. Before the punk could go for a second strike, Naruto spun around and jabbed him in the face. Before grabbing his outstretched arm and slamming him into the locker and grabbing his head and slamming it into the same locker he had just hit.

The muscle-head slid down the locker door before it slowly creaked open from the continued stress. Naruto hissed in pain as he gently touched his aching face. He looked down at the drops of blood on his fingers and realized he had gotten a bloody nose from slamming his face. He groaned, "Dammit. Stupid pricks. Can this get any worse?"

*flop*

Naruto looked down to see something had fallen out of the open locker. He tilted his head in confusion before he reached down and picked it up. He grabbed the straps with both hands and held it out to get a better look.

It was a large black, frilly brasserie. And he was not kidding when he used the term large. If he was an immature little brat he'd take the opportunity to put it on his head and run around making a fool out of himself. Or maybe go and see if he could carry two watermelons in the cups.

Seriously, who in the school could possibly be this big?

"Uh-hum."

Naruto slowly lowered the bra out of his view and saw a beautiful woman about his age with black-hair in a long ponytail. She had a sickeningly sweet smile that could ease the pain in any nervous soul and she directed it solely at the blond in front of her. The whiskered man looked around her and saw a dozen other girls at the door peeking around at them. And then Naruto somehow looked at their situation from a third-person view.

The strange, foreign blond exchange student standing in the middle of the girl's locker room after its door was broken down. He was surrounded by unconscious jocks, he had broken into the locker of Akeno Himejima, and it appeared he had been holding and looking at her bra long enough to get a nosebleed.

Naruto stared at the ponytailed beauty and looked down at her assets as they stressed the fabric of her gym clothes. He looked down at the bra in his hands before he held it out to her, "Here. I believe this is yours."

Akeno just giggled lightly before she cracked her knuckles. Which was then followed by each and every girl in her class that was standing outside of the room.

"IIIYYYAAAAAAAAAAA!"

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"After that, guys started trying to work me over for cash and girls sorta just stayed away from me. I mean, to be fair, I probably would have somehow screwed everything up anyway if I waited long enough but...breaking into the girls' locker room and raiding a bra had a strong hand in advancing that problem."

The rest of the present Gremory group just stared at him with blank faces as they let his story sink in.

"Degenerate." Koneko said with half-lidded eyes.

"Oh come on. I just told you my side of the story."

Kiba chuckled, "Well, I suppose that explains why Akeno-San treated you so coldly when you were in the clubhouse. But I have to be honest, I've heard so many different stories and rumors about you that I can't believe that's how everything began." He looked over to the brunette, "It's actually quite funny, don't you think Hyoudou-kun?"

But he didn't get a reply as they saw Issei with his head lowered and his shoulders shaking. Kiba tried to touch his shoulder, "Hyoudou-"

"Why?! Why did this bastard get to hold the casing for the biggest and most wanted pair of breasts in the school?! I want to hold it too!" Issei cried indignantly as he pointed at Naruto. He then realized what they were doing and tried to compose himself, "Shit, no! Not now! Asia comes first! Must focus on saving Asia!" He started repeating to himself, "First Asia, then breasts! First Asia, then breasts!"

Naruto deadpanned, "Way to get your priorities straight man."

Koneko followed, "Pervert."

As Issei continued to psych himself up, Naruto let a small smile come over his face. He smiled and looked over to Issei, "See, I told you your true character would start showing itself soon."

Issei felt his concentration break and looked over to his blond senior. He blinked in confusion, "Huh? What do you mean?"

"I mean trying to save that little nun girl even though it will be dangerous. Looks like you found something you actually can live for now, huh?" He chuckled, "I told you you'd get over that Harem dream sooner or later."

"Ehehehe." Issei laughed evilly as a part of his face was shadowed and his eyes took on a menacing look, "No, Naruto-senpai, you've got it all wrong. You see..."

"THE HAREM PLAN HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY DREAM! EVER SINCE I WAS A LITTLE CHILD GETTING HIS FIRST CHUBBY!" The pervert proclaimed proudly as manly tears ran down his face, "ONCE I HAVE SAVED ASIA, I WILL GO RIGHT BACK TO MY PLAN OF BEING THE HAREM KING!"

"Okay. I take back what I just said."

Koneko sent Issei a small scowl, "Super pervert."

"It doesn't matter what you call me! I proudly stand by what I am! So go ahead! Call me what you want!"

Koneko continued, "Filthy bottom-feeding scum of the earth that should just crawl under a rock and die."

Issei looked down at the little [Rook] in pained shock, "O-okay, that actually hurt my feelings a little."

"Oh, speaking of calling ourselves terrible names." Kiba looked over at Issei, "Since we are walking into the unknown together, is it all right if I call you Issei-kun now?"

Issei just gave a small nod, "Sure. I've got no problem with that."

"Great." Kiba sent him a beautiful smile, "And you can call me Yuuto in return."

Issei returned the beautiful smile with one of his own, "I'd rather get castrated then refer to you in a friendly manner."

Naruto lazily raised his hand, "I'll just stick to calling you Fuck-face."

Issei glared at the blond before he resorted to addressing the beautiful little angel in their group. He looked to the short white-haired girl and tried to appeal to her, "Koneko-chan~, you can follow in your Senpai's footsteps and start using my name if you like~."

She gave a small nod, "You got it Fuck-face-senpai."

Issei and Kiba looked at the freshman in horrified shock. Issei panicked, "Koneko-chan! What just came out of that little mouth of yours?!"

Kiba gave her a fairly stern look, "Koneko-chan, you shouldn't be using language like that. It's unbecoming of a sweet girl like you."

She felt a little sad at being told off and looked down, "I'm sorry."

"Haha, don't blame her." Naruto added with a small smile as he patted her head, "She only said that because I'm such a terrible influence on younger people." He looked down at her, "Right?"

She nodded her head as he looked at the other men, "See!"

The [Pawn] and [Knight] just gave their senior a flat stare before they finally arrived at their destination. The small group looked at the abandoned, run-down church that was currently the base of operations for the Fallen Angel group. The group dropped their knees to hide better in the surrounding foliage and looked around for any sight of attackers.

Issei furrowed his eyes and raised his arm, "Sacred Gear." His whole left forearm was covered by his red gauntlet as he made a fist, "Okay. Let's go."

"Woah. Hold on." Kiba grabbed his shoulder to stop him from charging in foolishly. He looked at the church tentatively, "We need to think this through for a moment."

"He's right. There's no reason for us all to die just because you wanted to knock down the front door." Naruto added as he looked around, "What about scouting the back?"

"Unlikely." Koneko looked up at him as she pulled a pair of kitten gloves over her hands, "The Fallen Angels would probably plan for infiltration from behind."

"Okay..." Naruto's eyes continued to roam before he looked at the roof, "What about up there? Peek though the glass? Use the banisters as cover and a platform. Prepare the next plan of attack."

Kiba thought for a minute, "That might work. If we use our wings to fly up there and check..."

Issei looked down dissapointedly, "I-um-I still can't fly with my wings."

Before Kiba could comfort Issei's insecurity, Naruto actually looked at each of them with genuine surprise, "W-wait. We have wings? Seriously? I thought that was just a gimmick she pulled to freak me out. And they actually work for flight?"

Koneko nodded, "Yes. Imagine you're a bat and you're spreading your wings."

Naruto blinked for a moment before he closed his eyes and concentrated. Two black, crooked Devil wings popped out of his lower back and spread out behind him. He looked back in surprise, "Woah!"

He focused for a moment and watched as they disappeared back into his body. He smiled. And then started to spread his wings out then back and out then back and out then back and out-"

Koneko grabbed his wing and shook her head, "Not now."

Issei just looked between all of them and yelled, "Can we think of something! We're trying to save someone here not play a stupid strategy game like Othello! Or Go! Or-"

"YAHTZEE!"

All four Devils felt the need to dive to safety as a blade of light slashed down the trees and bushes they were hiding behind. The figure holding the sword then pulled out a pistol and effortlessly aimed it at Naruto and Koneko as they were crouched on the ground. Naruto felt his reflexes kick in and grabbed the little freshman before diving to the side out of harm's way. He rolled on the ground and kept Koneko safe as the man stopped shooting.

"Ohhhh man! I was getting tired of waiting for you guys!" The white-haired priest cackled as he looked around at the Devils surrounding him and grinned, "I mean seriously! All of you, hiding in the bush, talking while you plan how to orchestrate the climax! Can you spell tease?!"

Issei sent a venomous glare at the priest as he spat his name out, "Freed Sellzen."

The stray exorcist spotted the brunette and quivered a little, "Oooooohhhhh~, little Devil-kun~, so good to see you! But c'mon man, don't look at me like that, I don't know what I'll do with myself." Freed then looked around at the Devils and counted them off, "Weak Little Devil-kun, Sexy Handsome Devil-San, Adorable Lil'Miss Devil, and...I don't know you."

Naruto looked at this weirdo before looking at Koneko, "Who the hell is his freak?"

"Pervert Exorcist. Really dangerous."

Issei stood back up and pointed at the psychopath, "Where's Asia you bastard?!

Freed beamed, "Oh, you're here for Lil'Asia-tan, huh? I can't blame ya for bein' interested." He wheezed out in a sultry voice, "When I last saw her inside, she was dressed in a flimsy little one piece dress and gettin' chained to a cross like The Lord and Savior himself."

Issei's eyes widened in shock as his teeth started to gnash at what he just said.

Freed then seemed to hug himself, "I so wanted to get some playtime in before they started the ritual but Raynare-sama said she'd gut me like a chicken if I came close to her. Oohhhhh~, that woman sure knows how to hit the masochist in me. But hey, maybe she'll let me cut up and play with the corpse when she's done. It's the least I deserve after everything I've done."

"WRRRRAAHHHHHH!" Issei roared as he charged forward with the intent of making the exorcist's face profoundly concave. Freed knew he shouldn't be fantasizing anymore as he aimed his gun right between the [Pawn]'s eyes.

"Get down!" Kiba yelled as he swept Issei's legs out from under him and pulled out his sword to block the Light Bullets. With an experienced hand, Freed blocked Kiba's sword with his own and aimed behind his head at Naruto and Koneko.

Naruto pushed Koneko out of the way as he dove to the side and started running away as the bullets riddled the path behind him. Freed laughed crazily as he watched the other blond dive away from his bullets as he swung his sword to intercept the [Knight]'s, "HAHAHAHA! C'mon Lil'Devils! At least try to stand your ground! I'm only at half-mast seeing you all squirm and run in terror! If you actually tried to fight back, I would be-"

Freed watched as Kiba jumped far away to give himself plenty of space as a large shadow started filling the area. Freed turned around to see an entire tree completely uprooted out of the ground and held overhead with him in its direct path. And standing at the base of it, the little white-haired girl that was pushed out of his sight was hoisting the thing up with her little arms.

Freed gave a little nod, "Actually it probably would kind of look like that if it was at an angle."

Koneko brought the tree down and tried to crush Freed as he desperately dove to the side to preserve himself. He stumbled on his feet before aiming the barrel of his gun at the young girl's head, "You insufferable little-GAK!"

Freed fell flat on his face after Naruto made a quick slide and pulled his legs out from beneath him. Freed held his nose in pain and tried to glare at the blond that pulled him down but was met with a swift kick in the jaw by the whiskered man.

Freed felt his gums bleed and grabbed his weapons to kill the blond, "You sonuva-OH SHIT!" Freed saw the tree come down for him again and jumped away while still close to the ground. He rolled in the dirt and grass for a moment before he aimed up and shot at Koneko as she ducked behind the tree.

Freed pulled himself up on his feet as he was starting to regret fighting four Devils at the same time. He looked to the side to see Kiba coming at him with a strange blade and blocked it with his Light Blade. He finally saw the opportunity and aimed his gun at Kiba's face, "Bang."

They all looked in worry as Koneko watched Freed pull the trigger, "Yuuto-senpai!"

*Bang*

The Light Bullet left the barrel and came a centimeter away from piercing Kiba's face...before it evaporated into dust and was sucked up over his head.

"What?!" Freed looked up to see Kiba's strange sword with an open top that revealed a black vortex that swallowed up the Light Bullet. He watched in disbelief as his Light Blade was broken down and reduced to nothing, leaving him with just a hilt. Freed was dumbfounded, "W-what the-"

"Holy Eraser. My sword of darkness that swallows up all light. It comes in handy to have a Sacred Gear like Sword Birth that let's me create any kind of sword I want on a whim." Kiba smirked, "And speaking of Sacred Gears..."

Kiba jumped back and out of the way to reveal to Freed the brown-haired [Pawn] that was glaring at him. He yelled, "Promotion! [Rook]!" And as his body felt the surge of power that increased his physical capabilities, he held out his gauntlet, "Sacred Gear!"

[BOOST]

A fully charged Issei charged forward while Freed was frozen in place for a moment.

He shrugged his shoulders, "Oh well. At least I'm goin' out with a ragin'-"

"HA!"

Issei planted his fist in Freed's face and felt a satisfying crunch from his shattered nose. The exorcist's body flew back and broke through a tree before he impacted against another one and dropped down to the ground limp.

The little group of Devils all came together as Naruto looked at Issei in surprise. He said, "THAT'S the Promotion thing you guys were talking about?" He nodded in surprise as he was feeling a little more optimistic about their chances. He looked down at the young freshman, "Nice job with the tree. It was fun seeing you play WAC-A-MOLE."

Koneko nodded, "Thank you for pushing me out of the way long enough for me to do that."

"Don't mention it."

Issei took a chance to breathe and calm down before he looked between them, "Now what?"

Naruto didn't even wait before he started casually walking towards the front door of the church. The others Devils called out, "Wait! What are you doing? What happened to sneaking in?"

Naruto looked back at them and then gestured for them to turn around. They all glanced back to see the broken trees, burning bushes, bullet riddled ground and generally destroyed landscape. They then realized that they couldn't have announced their presence any louder unless they did it on purpose.

Naruto moved towards the door, "Let's go."

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The bulk of the Gremory peerage ignored the unsettling feeling they had walking into a church and looked around at its run-down interior. The benches and walls were damp and splintered, covered in dust from no visitors in who knows how long. There was mold building up in the corners and edges of the walls and a musty stench had settled into the atmosphere.

Issei was completely underwhelmed by the sight, "This is their base of operations? Geez, you'd think a group of Fallen Angels would choose a little more glamorous place to work out of."

Koneko added while she looked around, "We operate from a room in an abandoned school building."

"Oh. Right."

Kiba whistled, getting all of their attention, before he jerked his head towards a back door that lead into a stairway towards the basement. He faced it, "I believe this might be what we are looking for."

Issei ran up next to him, "Asia's down there?"

"It would be our best bet." He looked around, "That crazy exorcist said that they were holding a ceremony for her. And I can't see anywhere else that would give them ample space and time to do so."

"So now we're going down into the deep, dank, possibly dungeon-esque basement to stop some weird ceremony in a church." Naruto chided as he shook his head, "Fuck. And here I am thinking Devils were the weird ones."

"Not just the weird ones...the vile abominations that should be wiped out from existence."

The group of Devils looked up in surprise to see three figures with large black wings standing on the banisters overhead.

One of them looked like a young girl, no older than Koneko. She had light blond hair in two short ponytails and she was dressed in gothic lolita attire.

The next person was an adult woman that appeared several years older than them. She was wearing a partially open trenchcoat that revealed amble cleavage and her long navy blue hair coming down her back.

And finally, in the center, was a tall man in a trenchcoat with a fedora on his head. Also known as...

"Dohnaseek." Naruto lowly stated as he glared at the Fallen Angel that had attacked him several nights earlier.

Kalawarner, the tall woman, smiled smugly, "We were genuinely surprised to see a rag-tag group of Devils beat up Freed and march their way into our church."

Mittelt, the young girl laughed haughtily, "I find it funny they think they can do anything to stop us. Once Raynare finishes the ceremony, we'll be set for life and we can exterminate all these pathetic Devils."

"Some...more pathetic than others." Dohnaseek added as his eyes landed on the familiar blond in the crowd he still had unfinished business with. He grinned menacingly, "Hello Baby Devil, your arms still aching?"

"I don't know. Do you still stink like partially degraded wrappers and crap?" Naruto replayed sharply as he wasn't in the mood to face this prick again.

Issei brought his fists up, "What do we do?"

"You should go on ahead."

"What?! I can't do that!"

"Well we've got three Devils standing against three Fallen Angels and you need to save the girl from peril." Naruto looked back at him and gestured for him to move along, "Don't keep her waiting."

"He's right Issei-kun. It would be best for you to try and stop this ceremony before it begins."

Koneko pulled her gloves on tighter, "Don't screw up."

Issei looked between the three of them before he nodded his head and ran down the stairs.

The Fallen Angels just laughed, "Don't think that just because you send one inexperienced Devil down there that anything is going to stop."

"Enough chat. I'm sick of looking at your smug faces." Naruto walked forward and raised his arms up the same way he saw Issei do earlier. He thought back at their explanations of the [Pawn]'s special ability and decided to test it out.

He yelled, "Promotion! [Queen]!"

It was silent in the main hall of the abandoned church as the Fallen Angels prepared for the [Pawn]'s increase in skill. Koneko and Kiba got ready to fight with their own stances. It was silent and tense...

Until Naruto looked back at his fellow Devils, "Okay, I don't feel any different."

Koneko and Kiba looked at him with wide eyes before looking at each other. Kiba took a step forward, "Are you sure? Check again or something. I'm told you're supposed to feel a well of new power burning up inside you when you do that."

"Right. Well, I don't feel any different." Naruto said as he poked at his chest in an attempt to jump-start it. He looked at them, "Is there something wrong with it or-"

A Spear of Light was embedded closely near Naruto's foot before it exploded and sent the Devils stumbling back. Dohnaseek came flying down until he hovered a few feet over the ground and laughed, "Looks like I was right! You barely even qualify as a Devil! Hahaha! The Gremory Family must have been scrapping the very bottom of the barrel if they resorted to accepting you!"

Naruto pushed himself up on his hands and knees and shook his head as the dust settled. He said in a low tone, "Figures I couldn't get a helping hand when I needed it. But you know what...that's fine..."

Naruto jumped up to his feet and pointed at the floating Fallen Angel in anger, "I DON'T NEED ANY HELP FROM THIS DEVIL SHIT TO KICK YOUR ASS YOU LITTLE CHICKEN BITCH! YOU WON'T BE CALLING ME BOTTOM OF THE BARREL WHEN I'M CLIPPING YOU WINGS! SO COME ON!"

Donnaseek grinned menacingly as he started throwing more projectiles at Naruto as the whiskered blond darted down the aisle of chairs and out the door. The Fallen Angel didn't waste a moment as he followed the senior Kuoh student out of the church.

Kiba was worried as he watched the blond lead the man away, "Uzumaki-San, wait-"

Kiba pulled out his sword and blocked a Spear of Light from skewering him sideways as the other two Fallen Angels laughed. Kalawarner looked down, "And where do you think you're going?!"

Mittelt held her weapon over her head before chucking it down, "We're just getting started!"

Kiba and Keneko jumped around as they dodged the Spears of Light that started hailing down on them like summer rain. Kiba used his blade to parry the spears from piercing them as Koneko grabbed a bench and spun around before throwing it through a window. The Gremory [Knight] and [Rook] used the shattered window as an escape route into the forest.

The Fallen Angels followed closely behind as the Devils darted around the trees. Kiba and Koneko ran besides each other as the trees and ground around them exploded into gravel and dirt. The two Devils looked between each other and nodded before Kiba darted forward in a burst of speed. He left Koneko behind before he circled around the trees and charged past her to attack the Fallen Angels.

Kiba jumped up and swiped his sword at the smaller Fallen Angel before he crossed weapons with Kalawarner. His blade and her spear sent sparks around them before he summoned another blade and blocked Mittelt's spear as well.

With his years of experienced swordplay, Kiba fought the two Fallen Angels off while they tried to pierce his body with light. The Fallen Angels clicked their tongues in anger as they realized they wouldn't be able to beat this impossibly fast swordsman in a challenge of blades.

Kiba forced them back long enough for him to charge to the side and cut through a tree. He then bucked back and dove for another tree before running for another. He sliced through the base of five trees before they collapsed and converged on the spot the Fallen Angels were standing.

The trees shook the ground as they all fell and Mittelt and Kalawarner floated over them. The little gothic girl coughed, "W-*cough*-was he trying to crush us?!"

"I don't know." Kalawarner looked around to try and spot the quick footed blond but found nothing. She narrowed her eyes, "Dammit. Where did that measly little Devil run off to?"

Mittelt looked around as well before something crossed her mind. She looked at her partner, "Hey, speaking of Devils running off, wasn't there another one we were chasing. Some little girl. Where did she-"

"Here."

The Fallen Angels looked up just in time to see the white-haired [Rook] over their head after jumping of an adjacent tree branch. She cupped her fist in her hand and brought it down in a hammer strike, knocking Kalawarner into Mittelt and sending them both hurdling into the ground hard and fast enough to form a small crater.

Mittelt was instantly knocked out from being smothered by Kalawarner's larger and heavier body and taking the blunt of the harsh landing into the ground. Kalawarner weakly pushed herself up on her elbows to try and stand up but Koneko landed besides her and punched her across the face.

The short girl looked at the two Fallen Angels she had knocked unconscious and gave a small nod of accomplishment before she took off her gloves. She heard footsteps approach from behind and turned around to see her the blond-haired [Knight] sheathing his sword.

Kiba smiled and walked up to the shorter girl, "I'm glad you caught the gist of my plan. It was much easier knowing the muscle in our group had my back."

"Don't mention it."

Kiba held up his hand with palm facing out as Koneko caught on to what he wanted and high-fived him. Kiba laughed a little before looking back at the church, "So..."

"I wonder how everyone else is doing."

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Meanwhile

Issei was making his way into the basement of the church as quickly as he could as all light started to fade the further down he went. He started using the wall for support in case he tripped while making his way down.

The new [Pawn] couldn't help but feel a pit grow in the center of his stomach as fear started taking root. What was going to happen when he reached the bottom of the stairs?

What was all this crap about a ceremony and what did it have to do with Asia?

Were the rest of his team going to be okay?

These thoughts raced through Issei's head over and over...until he spotted a faint shimmering light at the end of the staircase.

Issei walked into the room and his eyes widened in shock. On the opposite side of the room, there was a large cross placed against the wall with a beautiful young blonde girl in a short white dress hanging from it wrapped in chains. Between them was more than a dozen men in robes with their hands clasped together in prayer and a Light Sword attached to their hips. And standing right besides the cross, looking up at it as Asia let out a pained moan...

Was the girl he once called his girlfriend. In the same clothes she wore on their first and last date together. Raynare, the Fallen Angel.

Issei yelled, "Asia!"

Some of the priests went silent as Issei's yell reverberated through the room. Raynare blinked in surprise before looking at the back of the room as Asia noticed someone yell her name.

She weakly lifted her head and saw the man standing at the end of the crowd, her eyes widening in shock as a warm sensation spread through her chest. A tear of joy trailed down her cheek as she smiled and whimpered, "I-Issei-San."

Raynare sighed, exasperated by Issei's arrival once again ruining the moment. She looked up at him lazily, "Are you serious? Gee-how many times do I have to kill you before the lesson starts to stick?"

Issei looked to the black-haired beauty, "Yuuma-no..." He glared at her, "Raynare...let Asia go! Or else I'm going to take her from you by force!"

Raynare raised an eyebrow at his exclamation before she let out a small giggle. She looked at the Devil, "Woah, you really fell head-over-heels for her, didn't you? Geez Issei-kun, I might start feeling jealous if you keep hurting my feelings like this." She lowered her arms to her side and nodded, "Okay you can have her..."

A light started to shine from Asia's chest and illuminate the entire room...

Raynare smiled, "The ceremony is over anyway."

Asia's body went rigid and she threw her head back as tears formed in her eyes, "AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Asia!" Issei yelled in panic as he heard his friend's desperate scream of agonizing pain. He charged forward in an attempt to get to Asia but had to jump back as a Light Sword swiped at his neck.

Issei growled and activated his Promotion to [Queen]. He felt a surge of power build up inside him before he dashed forward and punched a priest across the face. He dodged and smacked another priest away before several more filled their place.

As Issei tried to fight his way forward, Asia's screams continued and became more dreadful with each passing second. Her back was arched in pain as a green light glowed against the skin of her chest. Issei tried to make his way towards his friend but was blocked off by several priests pushing him back. The little game of strength continued for a few moments until the light from Asia grew as bright as possible...

And a beautiful green light floated out of Aisa's chest.

The room went silent as Asia's screams died out and she was frozen for a moment. But then her back went slack and the light faded from her eyes as the green ball floated down into Raynare's open hands. She placed it against her chest and looked like she struggled for a moment before it disappeared and two green sparkles appeared on her ears.

The Fallen Angel smiled at her success and gently touched her prize. She chuckled, "Finally. We can win."

Issei looked on in horror as Raynare disappeared in a flurry of black feathers and Asia's eyes slowly started to close. He felt something snap as he gritted his teeth until he tasted blood-

"ASSSSSIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAA!"

||||||||Devil||||||||

Meanwhile

Naruto dived forward and rolled against the ground before he started sprinting around the trees directly in front of the church. Dohnaseek made quick pursuit and flew low to the ground as he threw spears at his blond opponent as fast as he could. He laughed, "What's wrong?! Now that you know you can't even use your Devil abilities, are you realizing how weak you truly are?!" He cackled, "Because this feels like I'm hunting for fish in a barrel!"

Dohnaseek created a large spear and tossed it at Naruto back before he quickly ran to the side and out of the Fallen Angel's sight. He raised an eyebrow and looked around, on his guard for the Devil that escaped. The man with the fedora smiled, "If you're trying to hide, it won't-"

Dohnaseek was immediately knocked off his feet as Naruto came into his side with a flying sidekick. The Fallen Angel was rammed into the tree where he let out a pained groan and shook his head. He laughed, "Is that the best you've-"

He was instantly struck in the face before grabbed by the collar and punched several times in the nose. Naruto grabbed Dohnaseek's head and brought it down into his knee, shattering his nose and covering his pants in blood. He dug his fist into the Fallen Angel's gut, then kicked him in the shin, jabbed him in the side, elbowed him in the jaw and backfisted him in the eye. He then swept the man's knee out and barreled into his chest with his shoulder.

Dohnaseek was pushed against a tree before he coughed and spit up blood. He gasped for air as he was in complete disbelief that the blond had done this much damage to him in so little time. He spit out some blood and glared up at the whiskered man as he marched forward, "H-how did you do that?! When we fought the other night, you-you were not this strong!"

"Well. There are two reason for that. 1..." Naruto held up his arms and looked between them, "When I actually tried to fight you, I was a bit handicapped because I had metal lodged in my arms and I couldn't punch you hard enough. And 2, every time one of you guys have tried to attack me, it's been by sneaking up, ambushing, or catching me off-guard. But now that I'm actually fighting back..."

Dohnaseek lunged at him with a spear in hand but Naruto just leaned out of the way of its path. He then caught the Fallen Angel's arm and locked it up before he kicked his knee as hard as possible. The man hissed in pain before Naruto started to punch him all over the chest and finally in the face. The Fallen Angel fell back against the tree before he was pinned at the neck and his right arm was pinned with Naruto's left.

Naruto tightened his grip around Dohnaseek's throat and smirked, "You know, for a Fallen Angel that's supposedly infinitely stronger than me, you really suck at hand-to-hand fighting. And that's coming from me." Dohnaseek tried to claw at Naruto's eyes but the blond man just knocked his hand back with his shoulder and kept the furious man pinned, "Now, you and I are just gonna wait here until the rest of my group show up. And after that, we'll figure out what to do with-"

Before Naruto could finish, Dohnaseek's anger reached its boiling point and he formed a small Spear of Light in his hand. He brought it up and pierced through the back of Naruto's shoulder, the small spear's tip poking out the other end and searing the flesh of the blond Devil.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Naruto screamed in pain as he felt the agonizing burning sensation spread through his shoulder. He felt the strength in his arm fade as he lost his pin hold against Dohnaseek. The Fallen Angel took this chance to try and cut Naruto across the throat but with the blond jumping backwards to a safe distance, all he got was a burning cut across his cheek.

The Fallen Angel breathed heavily as Naruto grasped the burning wound on his shoulder. He looked down to see a small hole on the front of his shoulder and a gaping hole big enough to fit several fingers on his back. Oh, and as blood continued to seep out of it, the effect of the Light still lingered and he couldn't summon any strength to that arm.

Shit.

"This..." Dohnaseek growled, anger brimming his voice and blood dripping down his chin. His wings flapped violently as he started to ascend, "THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS INJUSTICE! NO MORE GAMES! THIS! ENDS! NOW!"

The Fallen Angel summoned dozens of Spears of Light over his head as Naruto looked up in shock. He started running for cover as he held his injured arm to keep it from getting worse.

"THIS IS YOUR END!"

Dohnaseek sent the dozens of spears falling towards the earth as Naruto only kept ahead of them by mere inches. The ground, the earth, trees, bushes, and anything standing between the hail of Light attacks and Naruto were reduced to scorched ash.

Naruto dove behind a tree but it did nothing to stop the attacks as the bark and wood were reduced to dust. Naruto leaned further down as he tried to hide long enough for the spears to stop falling. He closed his eyes and thought about what to do now. He couldn't fist fight anymore with such a glaring flaw in his defenses. And the Fallen Angel was too high up for him to reach while he kept throwing spears down. If he wasn't by himself maybe there would still be a chance...

Naruto's eyes widened before he looked down at his hands. He thought for a moment before he sighed, "Didn't think I would ever have to use that again. Shit...this is so going to hurt..."

Dohnaseek created a dozen more spears and kept them floating by his head as he looked around for the blond. He stayed alert, ready at any moment to end that miserable Devil's life in excruciating agony.

Naruto finally popped out of his hiding place and started dashing for another set of trees to hide behind. Dohnaseek spotted him as he ran and smirked as he raised his hands, "No you don't!"

The Spears of Light flew through the sky and down at Naruto before one of them pierced his chest. And then another severed his leg beneath the knee. One burnt through his arm and another took off a chunk of his head. All of the spears shredded through his body and destroyed the ground beneath him as dust rose up in the air.

Dohnaseek grinned. He was so happy knowing he had finally killed that annoying bastard. He waited as the dust cleared and prepared to claim whatever was left as a prize...

But there was nothing.

No blood. No flesh. No guts. No clothes. Nothing was left of the blond the Fallen Angel was fighting. That was impossible. He watched as that Devil was riddled with spears and reduced to the human equivalent of Swiss cheese. But now it was like the body just disappeared.

Dohnaseek looked around in an attempt to find something-

"Hey!"

Dohnaseek heard that yell directed from behind and spun around in the air. He looked up to see the blond Devil, clutching his injured shoulder and his black wings unfolded from his back. He had climbed to the top of the church and used his wings to help send him over the Fallen Angel.

Naruto smirked as he looked down at Dohnaseek's shocked face, "Hey! Remember when you said it was a courtesy to say you name?!"

"The name's Naruto Uzumaki!"

Naruto closed his wings and slammed both feet into Dohnaseek broken nose and beaten face. They fell five meters down into the ground before the back of Dohnaseek's head broke their fall. Naruto stumbled off the beaten man and used a tree to catch his balance. He was catching his breath before he looked back at the defeated Fallen Angel.

His nose was even more crooked then it was before, blood spilling down his nostrils and mouth. He had two dirt marks from where Naruto's feet planted themselves in his face and a swollen face. Naruto stood over him, "Hey, asshole, you dead?"

No repsonse.

Naruto sent a swift quick into his shoulder.

"GAK!"

Dohnaseek gagged and coughed up some blood but stayed unconscious. Naruto just shrugged his shoulder before he hissed and resumed holding his injured one. He walked a few feet away before falling on his ass and grunting.

He threw his head back, "This suuuuuuucks! Okay, once we're done with everything tonight, I'm out." He started coming up with a plan, "Maybe I could drop out of school? I don't even know how I got that stupid scholarship in the first place!" He looked up at the night sky, "I could try getting a second job. It would probably help me pay back my debt to Gramps faster. But...I would actually need to learn about having better social skills..."

"Now that seems like an impossible task."

Naruto's ears perked up at the new voice and he turned around to see who it was. Walking up behind him was a certain crimson-haired [King] and her ponytailed [Queen] keeping her trademark smile.

Naruto looked up at them with a dry glare, "Great. Thanks for showing up just as everything finished."

Rias smiled, "Well sorry for showing up late. Unlike the rest of you I actually have to deal with the fallout of these actions." She then walked up besides him and got his attention, "I never would have believed they could convince you to join their mission. How exactly did they do that, huh?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes and avoided Rias' eager gaze to know how to control him. He grumbled, "I sympathize with idiots. Plus I've met that nun girl before and I couldn't live with myself knowing I could do something to help but I didn't."

Akeno titled her head, "Awwww, the tin-man does have a heart. It's cold, withered, and possibly cracked, but it's still a heart."

Naruto just sent a cold glare at the beautiful [Queen] as Rias walked over to the Fallen Angel. She nodded in surprise, "I have to say, I'm surprised you beat a Fallen Angel all by yourself." She looked over to the blond, "Did you use your Promotion to win?"

"No." Naruto said as he looked up at her questioningly, "That stupid power-up didn't even work. I tried to use it and nothing happened. Your stupid Devil trick was a total fluke."

Rias and Akeno looked between each other in surprise before looking down at Naruto, "You couldn't use Promotion?"

"Didn't need it as it turns out." Naruto decided to stroke his own ego, "This stupid fedora bastard wasn't so tough."

Akeno smiled, "Says the man with the gaping hole in his shoulder."

"Shut up." Naruto then threw a gesture over his shoulder, "There's this crazy ass exorcist we knocked out over there too. You should make sure he doesn't escape or anything."

"Where exactly?" Rias asked as she looked around.

Naruto looked behind him to see the unconscious priest had woken up and escaped while they weren't looking, "Tch, dammit."

"Well, you still did a good job. Akeno..." Rias looked to her best friend, "Do you mind fixing our new [Pawn] up a little?"

"Of course Buchou." Akeno said as she walked over to Naruto's side and dropped to her knees before holding her hands over the cut on his cheek. After a few moments, it started to close and fix itself.

Naruto sat there while the woman fixed him before he saw Rias standing over Dohnaseek. He asked, "What are you going to do now?"

"Well...it's not unusual to kill one of our foes while they are unconscious or asleep." She looked over to the blond and shrugged her shoulders, "But it leaves a bad taste in my mouth to kill someone who can't fight back. So we'll probably just capture him and interrogate him for information."

Naruto thought that was fine. If the poor bastard was going to be forced into interrogation by a bunch of Devils, that might be worse than anything he could possibly imagine.

"Did this hurt?"

Naruto looked over to see Akeno start concentrating on his shoulder wound. He looked at her in confusion before he gave an indifferent grunt, "Yeah but I've had worse."

"I can't even imagine how it must have felt to get stabbed like that."

Naruto was a little confused about why she was striking up this conversation. From his memory, they never really had much communication or a public relationship to build on. At most, there might have still been a little animosity from the bra incident a year ago and nothing else. He thought, "Well that's a good thing-"

"The pure, unrivaled pain coursing through your body and the blood-curdling scream you must have unleashed as you felt his attack pierce through your skin."

Okay. That was just a weird thing to say as you healed someone's wound. Naruto looked over at Akeno-

And was surprised to see the beauty with a deep blush and a heated look on her face. She looked up at him, "Ufufufu, just thinking about the pained look on your face is making me excited. Ara Ara, I so wish I could continued form where you left off~."

Naruto had a horrified look on his face before he jumped up, interrupting his healing session and leaving with a slightly smaller wound on the back of his shoulder, and ran over to Rias for safety. He grabbed her arm, "Ummm, please protect me. I think something's wrong with Akeno Himejima. She's acting like she just wants to see me suffer like a fucking sadist."

"What are you talking about? She's not acting like a sadist." Rias faced him with a leveled smile, "She IS a sadist. 'The Ultimate Sadist' to be precise." She smiled pleasantly at the horrified blond, "I thought I should at least let her have some fun while she fixed you up."

Naruto stared at the shorter woman in horror before shaking his head, "You're a monster."

"No. I'm a Devil. Now..." She walked forward and placed her hands on her hips before looking at the blond, "Where's the rest of my peerage?"

||||||||Devil||||||||

Issei panted as he carried the unconscious, unresponsive blonde girl in his arms. He was beaten and a little bloody but he had still come out of that crowd of priests with enough strength to carry Asia back upstairs. The pervert looked around and saw the scorched concrete and broken glass as he felt a sense of dread fill his belly with no sign of his friends. But he had to trust them. They were stronger than him.

Issei stumbled over to one of the only benches that wasn't mostly destroyed and laid Asia down on it. He got down on his knees and nervously started to look her over to check if she was hurt anywhere. There were no physical wounds but...

Asia's face was losing color. And her breathing was becoming sporadic.

The green orb Raynare took out of her chest...it must have been her Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing. Issei didn't have any evidence but when he saw that orb, it felt the same as when he used his Sacred Gear. And if that really was her Sacred Gear...

Raynare had just ripped out Asia's life force. A piece of her soul.

Asia submitted herself to such terrible pain and suffering just to save his miserable ass from getting killed.

Issei swallowed the lump in his throat as he cupped Asia's cheek to try and get a response. He weakly muttered, "Asia?"

The blonde nun heard the panicked voice call her name and weakly opened her eyes halfway. She saw the Devil with brown hair and felt a sense of warmth fill in the cold feeling in her chest. She smiled as her hand slowly touched the hand on her cheek, "Issei...San...I knew it...I...I thought it was just a dream but...you really came..."

Issei gave a weak chuckle before he took her hand and squeezed, "Of course I did. I would never leave you just become some Fallen Angel pierced through my stomach like rice paper." He grinned, "That's what friends are for."

Asia looked up at him with a warm expression, "You...you really meant it...didn't you?...I'm really your friend..."

"Of course you are stupid. How couldn't I be friends with someone as great as you?" He squeezed her hand a little tighter and tried to get her attention off the cold sensation running through her body, "When I get you out of here, you and I can do a bunch of fun stuff together. There's some really funny and sweet movies I know you'd like! Oh, and we can go and eat together again. I know a place that has the best hamburgers and fries..."

Asia smiled, "Could...could we go back to that place with the noodles we went today?...I'd like to try that with you again..."

"Um...sure...I mean I'm sure Naruto-senpai would hate seeing my face again and I kinda already owe him a favor for coming here but I'm sure we could work something out." He chuckled a little before shaking his head, "But why in the world would you ever want to go to that dingy little place again?"

"Because..." Asia struggled for a moment before a tear ran down her face, "That's...the first place I went with you...when we became friends..."

Issei's heart sank when he heard her tone crack and lower as she struggled to keep her voice . He closed his eyes and tried to compose himself before he looked into the blonde's emerald eyes, "I swear to you Asia, I'm going to get you out of here. And when I do, you can make as many friends as you possibly want. I know you will."

Asia looked at his firm and honest expression and felt a sense of relief wash over her. She nodded her head, "Thank you...Issei-San...but I don't think I'll need to..."

She smiled at him as two small tears came down her eyes, "I'm happy...knowing I was able to have someone like you as my first friend..."

Issei watched as Asia slowly closed her eyes and laid her head down. Her breathing slowly came to a stop and the strength returning Issei's grip faded until he was holding a limp hand.

Issei's eyes widened and he just stared at the blonde silently. He squeezed her hand, "A-Asia? Don't close your eyes. P-please wake up."

He didn't receive a response from the kind-hearted nun. Issei felt his eyes start to water as he struggled to keep himself stable. He leaned in and placed his forehead against hers as tears streamed down his face...

He whimpered out, "Don't go."

After he let out some soft sobs and realized that Asia really was gone, he grabbed her soft hands and placed them together over her chest. It wasn't a pleasant trip but at least she looked like she was in peace now in death.

And that's when it fully hit Issei about what had happened.

Asia was gone.

She was dead.

She was an innocent, kind little girl that never thought about herself. She cared more for a dumb, perverted, weak little Devil she had met while he was staring at her panties in a park than she did her own life.

She was called a witch. A heretic. A traitor to the church just because she was born with a power she didn't ask for. And because the moment she followed the kindness in her heart and did something for herself, she was deemed an enemy of The Lord and his followers.

She was thrown out, tossed aside, and abandoned by everyone she had ever known. No one would accept her.

But that never stopped her from doing what she thought was right. She still prayed to God. She still helped those in need. And she never held a grudge, even against those that had abandoned her.

But no one cared. They took advantage of her like that. And now, a girl who had a heart bigger than a saint, was taken from this world because they didn't even need her anymore.

...

Why?

"It is tragic, I must admit."

Issei's ears perked up as he heard the familiar voice pierce the awful silence that had settled around him. A pair of large black wings flapped through the air as Raynare landed at the base of the altar, looking at the brown-haired Devil as he kneeled by the deceased nun.

Raynare looked around the church, "She was just a poor little girl, abandoned by her church and home and forced to travel alone through the world. Blessed with a power that could heal any form of life she touched." Raynare activated her stolen Sacred Gear and touched the green lights forming over her ears, "When I told her that all she needed to do was follow everything I said and she would be accepted by God once more, she didn't even argue. She was so desperate to be accepted by her so called Lord and Savior."

Raynare looked down at the nun and actually had a look of pity come across her face, "I hope he has mercy on her. Or wherever she did end up. As a Fallen Angel, I could no longer grant her access to Heaven. But maybe The Lord will show her compassion and accept her into his kingdom."

Raynare looked at the slumped over Devil and started walking forward, "Now, there's the matter of what to do with you, Issei-kun. This farce is over, and I've got what I want...but..." She formed a Spear of Light in hand and walked behind the shivering pervert, "I don't think I would be able to sleep at night knowing I let you get away for a third time."

Issei's shoulders were shaking as he heard her talk before he lowly hissed out, "Why..."

Raynare heard his question and thought he was asking why she took Asia's Sacred Gear in the first place. She decided to indulge him, "I took her Sacred Gear because it was just what our side needed. This war was taking its toll and the injured were building up on all sides. Maybe, with Twilight Healing, I can stop our bloodshed from getting any worse. For Azazel-sama, when he sees me save our brothers and sisters, he will-"

Issei's red gauntlet dug into her cheek and cut her off before sending her flying down the aisle. Raynare slammed against the base of the altar before she fell to her hands and knees gasping for air. Tears went down her face in pain as she felt her cheek swell before Issei's hands clamped around her neck.

Issei screamed with tears going down his face, "WHY?! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO KILL ALL OF US?! ME?! NARUTO-SENPAI?! ASIA?! WHAT DID WE DO TO DESERVE IT?! WHY DID WE HAVE TO DIE?!" He watched Raynare desperately grab at his hands as she tried to gasp for air. He continued, "IT WASN'T ENOUGH THAT YOU KILLED ME?! THAT YOU DESTROYED MY LIFE, BUT YOU HAD TO TAKE ASIA TOO?! FOR WHAT?! WHY DID SHE HAVE TO DIE FOR YOUR CAUSE?! TELL ME DAMMIT! TELL ME!"

Raynare swiped at his face and left bloody scratches over him, causing Issei to let go of her neck and stumble back while holding his face and screaming. Raynare gasped for air and wheezed before standing up and rubbing her throat, "Don't..." She kicked him in the stomach hard enough to cause him to throw up before beating him in the back of the head, "You ever touch me you filthy mongrel."

"I don't need a reason to hate you Devils." She kicked the downed man in the stomach as he groaned in pain. She flicked her hair back, "I've been raised since I could flap my wings to do whatever I could to kill Devils and Angels. It's the effect of when your race has been in endless war for centuries at a time." She stood over the coughing pervert, "I will do whatever I can for the benefit of my people."

"THEN WHY US?! WHY ME?!" Issei forced himself up and tripped Raynare's feet from under her. He then jumped her and pinned her shoulders to the ground as he looked directly into her startled eyes, "WHEN YOU ASKED IF WE COULD DATE, THAT WAS THE HAPPIEST I HAD EVER FELT IN MY WHILE LIFE! YOU WERE BEAUTIFUL! YOU WERE KIND! AND EVEN THOUGH I KNEW IT WOULD NEVER LAST, I WAS HAPPY AT LEAST KNOWING SOMEONE IN THE WORLD BELIEVED IN ME!" He then lifted her shoulders and slammed her head against the ground, causing her to gasp in pain. Issei continued, "BUT YOU KILLED ME! YOU TOOK MY LIFE LIKE IT WAS NOTHING! WHY DID I HAVE TO DIE?! WHY DID I HAVE TO SUFFER?!"

"DON'T ACT LIKE YOU KNOW REAL SUFFERING!" Raynare responded as she punched him across the face and got him off of her. She pushed herself to her feet and stumbled a little before glaring at the Devil.

She stomped over to him and grabbed his hair as she started ferociously punching him in the face, "YOU THINK JUST BECAUSE YOU LOST SOME GIRL THAT CALLED YOU HER FRIEND THAT YOU COULD EVEN BEGIN TO KNOW PAIN?! I'VE LOST HUNDREDS OF FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO THIS WAR! I CAN'T REMEMBER A DAY WHERE I DIDN!'T SEE SOMEONE SUFFER AND DIE FROM THEIR WOUNDS! AND YOU!"

She punched him in the eye, "YOU HUMANS DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON!" Bruising his cheek, "YOU ALL LIVE YOUR LIVES, WARM IN YOUR BEDS, AND IGNORANT OF OUR SUFFERING!" She punched him in the jaw, "IF I COULD SAVE MY RACE, EVERYONE I CARE ABOUT BY SACRIFICING MILLIONS OF HUMANS, OF COURSE I WOULD SACRIFICE ALL OF YOU, LET ALONE ONE FEEBLE LITTLE GIRL!"

Raynare struck him one last time and looked at her handiwork. Issei's face was covered with blood, his eyes were swollen and his cheeks were cut from her brutal beating. She let go of his hair and let him fall on his face as she walked towards a bench to hold herself up. She cringed when she felt how painful her little wounds from the measly little Devil felt and reprimanded herself on her failure.

"I-I d-don't care a-about any of that."

Raynare's eyes widened as she looked back to see Issei struggle to push himself up again. Blood was dripping from his gums but he forced himself up on his shaking legs. He mumbled, "You may h-have suffered because of Devils. A-and you may go as far as you want for your cause." Issei clenched his left fist as it started to shake, "But I won't let you hurt innocent people anymore. Not like me! And not like Asia!"

His gauntlet cracked and broke apart, revealing a leaner, more stylish red gauntlet with a green crystal over his hand. Raynare stared at it in disbelief, "B-Boosted Gear?!"

[BOOST]

Issei glared up at her as his body was filled with power and he ran forward. He pulled back his fist, "THIS IS FOR ASIA!"

Raynare tried to protect herself but Issei's fist dug into her face and sent her flying upwards. She impacted against the large cross mounted on the altar and broke it in half. She fell back down to the floor as the cross came crumbling apart over her.

The dust settled and Issei stood there with an outstretched fist, beaten and bloody but victorious in his fight.

And only his fight.

Issei held himself up by placing a hand on the bench for support and started gasping for air. He looked to the side and saw Asia's motionless body, still peaceful and unharmed even after his vicious fight.

There was a rumbling and Issei looked over to see Raynare pull herself out of the debris from the broken cross. She struggled as she pulled her legs out but couldn't summon any strength to fly away to safety. Issei saw her and glared...

"So what are you going to do now? She wronged you, used you, and killed you. We would probably understand if you are holding a grudge."

Issei turned his head to see Naruto, Rias, Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko all standing behind him as they looked at his tattered back. He knew they had probably already seen that Asia was gone and that this entire mission was a failure. But he still had something left to do.

And it was currently trying to expand her Fallen Angel wings and escape.

"What are you talking about Naruto-senpai? She killed you too, remember?"

"Well she killed me." Naruto looked over to the deceased blonde nun and had a tinge of sadness in his face before looking at his fellow [Pawn], "It looks like she did a whole lot worse to you."

"Issei." Rias joined the conversation as she stepped forward and addressed the young pervert, "You don't have to worry anymore. If you want, you can step back and I'll finish everything up." Her hand was engulfed by her Destruction and she said in a sad tone, "I promise."

Issei's shoulders slumped and he thought about what to do. Until-

"P-please, Issei-kun..." The Occult Research Club looked over at the defeated Fallen Angel as she struggled to pull herself up to her knees. She cowered a little and tears formed in the corners of her eyes as she looked up at the Devil whose life she had destroyed, "I-I know you are better than this. Just-just let me go. Please, s-show mercy."

Issei's eyes widened as he felt something break in his mind.

"Mercy?" Issei growled as if the very mention of the word was venom on his tongue. He turned and faced the Fallen Angel as he looked down on her with fire in his eyes, "You want mercy? Did you ever show anyone mercy before you killed them?" He gripped his chest where he still felt the burning sensation of her spear, "Did you show mercy when you killed me and Naruto-senpai? Did you? Or what about Asia?"

"I-I just-"

"WHAT ABOUT ASIA?!" Issei yelled as hot tears streamed down his face and he pointed to the deceased nun, "WHERE WAS HER MERCY?! SHE WAS THE KINDEST, MOST CARING PERSON I'VE EVER MET! SHE DIDN'T CARE IF YOU WERE A HUMNA, ANGEL, OR DEVIL! SHE BELIEVED EVERYONE DESERVED TO LIVE BECAUSE THAT WAS WHAT SHE WAS TAUGHT! BUT SHE WAS THE ONLY ONE! EVERYONE ELSE JUST USED HER AND TOOK ADVANTAGE OF HER KINDNESS! AND SHE WAS NOTHING MORE THAN A TOOL TO YOU, WASN'T SHE! ONE OF THOSE HUMANS YOU WERE WILLING TO SACRIFICE FOR YOUR CAUSE!"

"I-I'm sorry-"

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Issei roared as he raised his gauntlet overhead.

"Issei wait-" Rias tired to intercept but was stopped when Naruto raised his arm in the way. She looked up to see Naruto completely focused on the crying [Pawn].

Issei came up to Raynare as she cowered in fright at the vicious look in his eyes. He prepared to strike at her and the raven-haired woman raised her hands in front of her to protect herself. As he was about to strike her down-

"Oh thank you! I don't know what I would have done if I had lost it."

Images of his time with Asia started to play out in his head...

"The way you treat me with such kindness gives me hope we can resolve all this hatred without any more suffering."

This woman had killed the blonde nun. This woman had slain him without a single shred of remorse. So why? Why...

"I'm happy...knowing I was able to have someone like you as my first friend..."

Why did he feel like taking revenge would be against everything the kind nun stood for?

Reluctantly, Issei slowly lowered his gauntlet and felt his shoulders shake.

Raynare saw this moment of hesitation and used her new Twilight Healing to heal herself. As she raised her hands to activate it-

Issei's hands swooped down and grasped at the green lights on her ears. Raynare looked up in shock as Issei said, "I'm not...going to let you...keep...the last piece of her that is still alive!"

Issei pulled and Raynare started to scream in agony. She smacked his hands and tired to push him away as she cried, "S-stop! Don't! I-I need them! I-"

Issei started to yell and he pulled harder and harder as Raynare screamed with tears coming down her face. Her wings spread out as far as possible and pain showed in her eyes...

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Issei ripped the Sacred Gear out of her as a shockwave spread out through the entire church. It was silent for a moment as every member of the ORC looked at the scene in surprise.

Kiba leaned over to Koneko, "Did he just physically rip out a Sacred Gear?"

Koneko nodded, "Yes."

Raynare was silent with a stunned expression on her face, tears coming down from her eyes and a little drool out of the side of her mouth. Her wings started to dissipate into a storm of black feathers before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell over unconscious.

Issei held the Scared Gear of his deceased friend close to his chest like a lifeline and sobbed, "I hate you with every fiber of my being. And I want to kill you so, so badly. But that isn't what Asia would want."

Issei looked down at Twilight Healing, "So I'll keep her memory alive. If no one wanted her then I'll keep her with me now and forever."

The club looked at the bloody [Pawn] as he had fallen into a deep state of depression. Naruto felt like Issei had finally accepted what had happened to him. He actually felt sorry for the poor pervert.

Rias walked over to Issei's side and hugged him closely as he let out a few sobs. She rubbed his head to calm him down, "Issei, do you truly believe that nun would be happy if she was still alive."

He controlled himself before he looked up at his [King], "Of course I do. I would never have let her get hurt again. If I was stronger...if I was better...I would have protected Asia with my life."

He felt Buchou's hand grasp his shoulder and she smiled at him proudly, "Then she sounds like someone I can trust."

While Issei looked at her in confusion, she grabbed his hand and led him over to the peaceful nun. She took out a red chess piece and showed it to him, "If she is really so important to you, then I can't let someone like that leave before their time."

Rias gently took Asia's Sacred Gear from Issei's hands and held it with her [Bishop] piece. She placed them down on Asia's chest and closed her eyes before a large magic circle was created around them. Rias spoke an incantation and the entire church was flooded with red light.

When the light died down, the [Evil Piece] and Twilight Healing were gone. Issei looked at Rias in shock before she smiled and motioned to the motionless nun. Issei kept his eyes on Asia...

The blonde nun's eyes fluttered a little before she woke up staring at the ceiling. She blinked in surprise before she lifted herself up and looked at her hands. She muttered, "What? I...I thought I was gone..."

She looked up and saw a horribly beaten Issei looking down at her. She gasped, "I-Issei-San, what happened to you?! You look terrible!" Asia then blinked in surprise and looked at everyone that appeared around her before looking at the brown-haired Devil, "What happened?"

"Asia!" Issei yelled as he enveloped her in a big hug and almost smothered her.

Naruto walked over to Rias' side and was gobsmacked at what he had just seen. He looked at her, "Are you sure that was a good idea?"

"I wouldn't use my last [Bishop] piece if I didn't think she deserved it. A kind girl with a healing Sacred Gear that got most of my peerage, including a certain stubborn blond, to come risk their lives to save her?" She smirked, "How couldn't I have someone like that on my side?"

Before they could celebrate a job well done, the club heard a groan and saw the Fallen Angel woman lift herself up while rubbing her head. Akeno saw her, "She's waking back up."

"I'll handle this." Kiba assured as he pulled out his blade and started walking over to her, "This one has caused our family too much pain. I will not let her go."

As Kiba approached, Raynare looked up at him and jumped back in fear. She screamed, "Who are you?! Wh-what are you doing?!"

"I'm going to put an end to you. For what you've done to Issei-kun and Argento-San."

"What do you mean?! Wh-what did I do?!"

"You know what you do! You tried to kill them! You used them!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Yuuto wait." Rias said as she ordered her [Knight] to halt the execution. Rias looked at the raven-haired woman as she gazed up at the pure-blooded Devil in fear and confusion. Rias shook her head, "Something's wrong. She's different from before."

Kiba looked between the woman and his master. He asked, "What do you mean Buchou?"

"She doesn't feel the same as she did before. I felt it when Issei took back the Sacred Gear." She looked to her [Queen], "Akeno, can you sense something different?"

Akeno closed her eyes and tried to sense something with her magical power. But among all the signatures she felt in the room, Raynare's was the smallest and most fragile. Almost like it was broken. She looked back at Rias, "You're right Buchou. She isn't the same as before. Her magic power was destroyed. She doesn't even have as much compared to a normal human anymore."

Issei asked, "What does that mean?"

"Issei..." Rias said as she looked at her [Pawn], "I think you completely destroyed the Fallen Angel Raynare, and now all that's left is this empty shell."

Naruto looked back at her in confusion, "What? What if she's just lying?"

"Look at her. That's not an act anymore. That's real and honest confusion in her eyes. She's scared." Rias shook her head, "I don't think she is a real Fallen Angel anymore."

Kiba looked at Buchou, "So what does that mean? Issei-kun turned her into a human?"

"No, she's not human. But she's close. It's like..." Rias tired to explain the feeling she was getting from the frightened woman in front of her, "It's like her wings were destroyed. What was left of Raynare the Fallen Angel...is gone." Rias looked at them, "Like she been wiped clean of everything she was. A permanent case of amnesia."

"Is that possible?" Koneko asked.

Rias thought, "It could be. There's never been a recorded circumstance like this. When humans have their Sacred Gears taken from them, they start to die. Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils have stronger bodies than humans, so if a Sacred Gear was forcefully taken from them like that it might be the same as dying for them. Being reborn as something new."

The group was silent as all that could be heard was the new 'human's' whimpers of fear as she touched her injured body. Kiba had a dark look in his eyes, "So what do we do with her now?"

"What she did to Hyoudou-kun and Uzumaki-San still hasn't changed." Akeno said with a stern look as electricity started crackling around her hand, "I say we punish her for what she has done to them."

Koneko countered, "But can we punish someone for a crime they can't remember committing? If she isn't a Fallen Angel anymore, would that mean we are killing someone who is innocent?"

"It doesn't matter what we say." Naruto interrupted as he shook his head, "It isn't our decision to make."

The club members all looked towards Issei and Asia as they realized they were left with the decision of choosing the woman's fate. Issei looked up at Naruto for his opinion but the blond shook his head as he decided not to interject anymore.

Issei thought for a moment before looking at Asia, "Asia, what do you think we should do?"

Asia looked between everyone that was gazing at her before she spotted the frightened woman she was knew as a Fallen Angel. Asia saw the fear in her eyes before she slowly stood up out of the bench. She walked over to her and watched as she cowered in fear. Asia raised her hands, "I-it's okay, I'm not going to hurt you." Asia kneeled by her side and pointed towards herself, "Do...do you remember who I am?"

The black-haired woman shook her head, "N-no."

Asia swallowed and thought for a moment about a question she could ask. She thought of one and looked at her, "What's the last thing you remember?"

She thought for a moment before realization dawned on her, "I-I don't know. I can't remember anything?" She held her head and started to panic, "What-what happened to me? My head hurts and I don't know who I am. Who are you? What happened?"

"You had an accident and you were hurt." Asia said as she placed a calming hand on her shoulder, "A lot of people were hurt. But it's okay. We're all fine now." Asia looked at her, "Can you remember your name?"

The black-haired woman thought for a moment before she shook her head. She whimpered, "No."

Asia continued, "Your name's R-" The blonde nun saw the club members shake their heads and tell her not to call her that. Asia sputtered, "U-um, your name is-uh-is-"

"Yuuma." They all looked over to Issei as he stood back up with a painful grunt before looking at the woman that had changed his life. He stared, "You're name is Yuuma Amano. That's all we know."

The woman looked between all of them before looking at the blonde nun. She looked down at her hands...

"Yuuma...Amano..."

||||||||Devil||||||||

It was the evening after the Gremory peerage raid on the church.

"Well, that puts an end to one of the most eventful weeks we've ever had." Rias said to her [Pawn] as she sipped on a cup of tea. She looked at Issei, "Please don't make such a ruckus around the office anymore, okay."

"Yes ma'am." Issei sheepishly said as he scratched the back of his head. He looked at her, "Um, Buchou, is everything settled now or..."

"Well...as settled as an unauthorized mission to rescue a church nun from a group of rouge Fallen Angels can be." Rias lowered her cup and looked at him sternly, "We didn't catch the priest. All of the other Fallen Angels escaped while we were healing you. And..." Rias pouted while looking off to the side, "I still haven't gotten Naruto to come around to our side yet.

Issei sent out a weak chuckle when he remembered what had happened after all the commotion at the church. Rias confronted Naruto and said that while she healed the injury on his shoulder, they were going to have a nice long talk about what he was going to do about the club. His repsonse...

"Shit! Fallen Angels!"

And while the rest of the team looked where he pointed, he dashed out of the church and ran as fast as he could...Buchou was not happy about that.

Rias placed her tea on the table, "And finally, on the matter of Ms. Yuuma Amano..." Rias looked at her [Pawn], "We've done some checking on her and come to a result...she doesn't have her wings anymore and her memories and experiences have been completely destroyed. Turns out you ripping a Sacred Gear out of her did some pretty severe damage to her system."

"R-right."

Rias took out a photo and handed it to Issei. He saw the picture of a smiling Yuuma, standing at a train stop with a suitcase and a bandage of her cheek. Rias continued, "We sent her to another school in a different town where we have some connections. We will keep an eye on her to make sure nothing goes wrong but I think that everything is settled now. The Fallen Angel Raynare is gone and the woman Yuuma Amano has been given a new chance at life."

Issei looked at the photo for a little longer before he nodded. He still didn't know what to think about this situation but it was no longer his concern. He placed the photo on the table, "That's good."

"I'm proud of you Issei." He heard Rias say with pride on her voice, "You've come so far in just a week. I hope you can find some peace with this."

"Thank you Buchou." Issei said as he stood out of his spot and was ready to leave the building and go home. Before he looked back at her, "Um, Buchou, can I ask you one last thing? What about Asia? What's going to happen to her?"

"Oh...well..." Rias smiled at her [Pawn], "Why don't you see for yourself?"

Issei looked at her in confusion before the main door opened and Akeno and Koneko emerged with Asia dressed up in their school uniform. She fiddled with the skirt a little before she saw her friend staring at her. She gave a nervous smile and blushed, "H-hello, Issei-San, I'm your newest club member. I-um-I hope you treat me very well."

Issei blinked in surprise, "Asia?"

"Yes. Rias-s-I mean Buchou-San invited me to come to your school and study here. She said it was what every normal girl should do at my age." She looked up at him, "How do I look?"

Issei was speechless as he answered, "Wow."

"Awwwwwww~, they're so cute." Kiba teased as he walked into the club.

"Ara Ara, I think I see hearts flying around them." Akeno added with a hand on her cheek.

"Babies." Koneko stated flatly.

Issei and Asia blushed in embarrassment at their group teasing as Rias stood up, "Now now, that's enough everyone. Now, we need to celebrate Asia's new place in our family. But first, Issei, I need to ask you something."

The perverted [Pawn] looked at her, "What is it Buchou?"

Rias looked at him and smirked, "How exactly did you find Naruto?"

Issei saw the look on her face and could already imagine the whiskered man beating the shit out of him when he sold him out. Issei gulped, "Shit."

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Done

I've decided that after every arc, there would be a break chapter to add in those little stories they made for Volume 8 and 13. The next chapter will be a bit of filler before we get back to the story.

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