Hey, UknownHero here and welcome to another chapter of A Simple Mission Rebirth! There's not a lot to say right now, I felt like doing a chapter this time so let's do this!
Load Game… Start!
Chapter 6: A Simple Unstoppable Force 1
Blake had learned a lot of things throughout the years. When she was in the White Fang, her time at Beacon and everything else before that. But there was one lesson she learned early on that really stuck with her to this day.
The world was one surprising, cruel son of a bitch.
Dying and becoming a Devil and suddenly being able to add or remove cat parts really hammered that home.
But then again, she training and working towards making the world a better place. For everyone. Her teammates, her friends, the innocent, everyone she wanted to protect. She was willing to die (again) if it meant Remnant would have a brighter future. That would've been her legacy, the legacy she wanted to leave when she eventually retired or when gets herself killed. She would die knowing she destroyed at least some evil in the world.
And this Vizor was definitely something that needed to be destroyed.
"Blake!" Ruby shouted out,
"Don't even say it!" Blake called back before taking out Gambol Shroud and charging at the lion… woman… thing. Does Vizor count as a person?
Well, considering she just ate someone, she guessed it was no.
"Well then, I guess I'll continue with the lecture then." Rias said, knowing that Kiba & Blake wouldn't have much trouble with the Stray, as she played with Ruby's Queen Piece in her hand,
"Is this really a good time to do that!?" Ruby exclaimed,
"Don't worry, they're safe." Rias reassured her fellow King, "You see; Blake & Yuuto's roles are known as Knights. A Knight's main ability is their speed, and both of them have it in spades." Blake wasn't listening to Rias' lecture as she was dodging all the attacks Vizor threw at her. She felt faster, more agile, more flexible than before she became a Devil. Vizor wasn't close to touching her. And hadn't even used her Semblance yet. Which reminded her she never used her Semblance after becoming a Devil. In her distraction, Vizor saw an opportunity and thrust one of her lances at her. Blake's reflexes kicked in as she heard the attack coming. She quickly spawned a clone and jumped away, expecting the clone to take the hit.
Except it didn't. It dodged.
To say she was stunned was an understatement, but right now it was time for a counterattack. She and her clone crouched down and got ready. "But Yuuto's strongest weapon is…" Rias started with a smirk as she saw Yuuto summoning two swords, "A technique created by combining unpredictable speed and the mastery of swordsmanship." And with that, both Blake and Kiba attacked. Issei and RWY gasped as in a flash Kiba had sliced off the arms of Vizor while Blake and her clone covered in cuts and gashes. As Vizor cried out in pain, Kiba and Blake looked at their handiwork,
"That was amazing Blake!" Kiba told the former dormant Youkai,
"Th-Thanks." Both Blakes replied. They stared at each other as they realized Blake's Semblance had changed, "Um…" They didn't have time to talk about what the hell was happening to them when Vizor decided to try and crush them under her foot. Koneko didn't say anything and pushed Kiba to the side before she raised her arms,
"What is she doing!? She's gonna get herself killed!" Weiss shouted out,
"Not if I can help it." Yang said as she flung herself into the action,
"Yang!" Ruby cried out,
"Koneko-chan!" Issei cried out as well, but Rias remained calm,
"Don't worry. Koneko & Yang's roles… are Rooks." Rias explained,
"YOU LITTLE BUGS!" Vizor angrily shouted out as she tried to smash her foot down, only to see that Yang and Koneko had caught her foot. They didn't even look like they were putting in any real effort,
"Well, this is weird." Yang commented as she held the foot up with one arm, "But kinda awesome." She said with a smirk as the ground underneath them cracked,
"The Rook's trait is that they have an insane offense," Rias continued as Koneko and Yang threw the Stray off balance, both not noticing the tail coming right at them, "And an equally insane defense."
"How do you like-" Yang was interrupted when the snake tail hit her and Koneko and caused them to fly against a wall, "I… didn't feel that." Yang muttered, stunned as she and Koneko dropped to the ground. She looked at herself and saw that even her clothes didn't suffer any damage, "That's… really useful."
"I'm sorry Vizor, but that level of attack won't work well on Rooks." Rias taunted the stunned Stray. In Vizor's stunned state, Koneko & Yang looked at each other and nodded,
"Time to be blown away." Koneko said as she jumped up and punched the Stray in the stomach and sent it straight into the air, sending her straight to Yang, who punched Vizor straight in the face. Both of them hit her with enough force to create a sonic boom upon contact. With that amount of force, Vizor crashed through a wall and into another room, leaving the Stray in a visibly bloody state and among rubble,
"How could this be… this band of youngsters…" Vizor managed to say as she tried to get up,
"So weak." Koneko whispered to herself as she rubbed her knuckles,
'Mental note: Never get Yang or Koneko mad. Ever.' Issei thought as he started sweating while the rest of the RWBYs just stared at Yang & Koneko's display of strength,
"I wasn't even trying!" Yang exclaimed happily as she landed back onto the ground, "Oh… I can't wait to get back to Remnant."
"If we ever go back to Remnant." Weiss sighed, "Devils? Remember?"
"We'll figure out something." Yang said as she went back to the group,
"Like what?" Blake asked, having gotten rid of her clone during the demonstration of the power of a Rook,
"Something. But not right now." Yang answered before turning to Rias, "Continue."
"Thank you." Rias said as she turned her gaze to Akeno, "And lastly, Akeno."
"Yes, Buchou." Akeno said happily while giggling. A little too happily for the RWBYs' liking, "Now, how should I do this? Weiss, do you mind helping me?"
"Um, sure?" Weiss replied hesitantly as she joined Akeno in approaching the Stray,
"Do you know any lightning magic?" Akeno asked,
"Er… no. I have Lightning Dust if that's what you mean." Weiss answered. Weiss then saw the smile of sadist on Akeno face as soon as she mentioned 'lightning',
"Good enough." Akeno said as they reached the Stray,
"Unforgivable." Vizor spat out, still struggling to get up thanks to all the injuries,
"Ah? Still so energetic, are you?" Akeno said sadistically as she stared down the Stray before turning to Weiss, "Weiss, ready your lightning. I think Mr. Vizor here needs to be taught a lesson." Weiss didn't say anything else, mostly because she was scared out of her mind of the vice president right now, so she just activated the Lightning Dust in Myrtenaster, "In that case, is this level of attack okay?" Akeno asked sweetly as both she and Weiss proceeded to shock the living hell out of the Stray,
"Akeno's role is Queen. Having all the abilities of a Knight, Bishop, Rook and Pawn, the invincible club vice president." Rias said as she showed the group Ruby's Queen Piece while Issei and RWB just looked on in shock (pun intended) as they saw Weiss doing everything she can to keep the lightning up and Akeno looking like she was getting off to the pain she's inflicting. Blake swore she could actually smell Akeno's arousal past the smell of burning flesh,
"Ah, looks like you can still continue. How long can you keep this up?" Akeno asked the now charred Stray while Weiss fell to her knees, feeling thoroughly drained of her energy,
"Akeno specializes in attacking her opponents with magic power. Weiss should be the same due to her being a Bishop, though not as powerful as Akeno." Rias continued to explain as Weiss walked back to the group,
"It feels like Akeno-san is even more fearsome!" Issei exclaimed,
"She's gonna do it again!" Ruby shouted out as she saw Akeno lick her lips,
"Of course." Rias said with a smirk as Akeno raised her arm, lightning coming from her finger tip, "Akeno is the Ultimate Sadist after all." And with that, Akeno summoned a rather large lightning bolt upon Vizor, enjoying the horrible screams of pain coming from the Stray,
"It's okay, Vice Buchou is very gentle with her enemies." Kiba informed the newly reincarnated Devils. While Weiss, Blake and Yang processed that little factoid, Ruby & Issei only stared at Kiba, before looking at Akeno and the pile of smoking charred flesh, before looking back at Kiba,
"Is that what you call gentle?" Ruby & Issei asked as they pointed at the scene,
"For Akeno, yes." Rias answered,
"That does not make me feel better." Yang muttered just as Akeno finally stopped shocking the Stray,
"It seems like that's still not enough. I'll let Buchou & Ruby have the final blow." Akeno said as she walked back to the group. When she approached however, the RWBYs stepped away from her, "What?"
"Nothing!" Ruby quickly said before whistling while looking away,
"You stay away from me." Weiss threatened as she pointed her weapon at Akeno,
"Uh…" Blake managed to get out while slowly making her way to the exit,
"MY SEMBLANCE DOESN'T INVOLVE PAIN!" Yang shouted out suddenly before coughing awkwardly, "I mean, uh, er, what…?" Akeno raised one of her eyebrows at the RWBYs before shrugging,
"Oh, you're all safe." Akeno told the team, allowing them to sigh in relief, before she looked at Yang, "It's Yang that I'm interested in. How about after we… test what your Semblance is?"
"Wh-Why don't I just sh-tell you about it?" Yang asked nervously. Akeno looked thoughtful for a moment as she contemplated Yang suggestion,
"You could… but a live demonstration will be much more 'educational'." Akeno replied, some lightning jumping across her finger tips, "What do you say?"
"I think I'll pass." Yang said, not wanting to interact with Akeno any longer,
'Don't worry, I'll find a way.' Akeno thought with a smirk,
"Uh, excuse me, but we still have a Stray to neutralize." Rias spoke up, getting the attention of everyone,
"R-Right." Ruby said with a nod before the two Kings approached the Stray, "Any last words?"
"Kill… me…" Vizor rasped out. Ruby couldn't help but wince at the sorry state of the Stray,
"Do you want me to do it?" Rias asked Ruby. Ruby looked at her scythe before shaking her head. Vizor needed to die, "Okay then." Rias said as she stepped back and let Ruby pressed the Sniper-Scythe against Vizor's head,
"You've paid for your sins. Any regrets?" Ruby had to ask,
"Not killing all-" Ruby didn't let Vizor finish as she pulled the trigger and blew Vizor's head off. Ruby wiped the blood off her clothes as she went back to the group while Rias used Dust to Dust to get rid of the body,
"So… that… was a thing." Yang mumbled as there was now an awkward silence in the air, "I guess."
"It certainly was." Blake muttered,
"Yeah." Weiss replied, unable to think of anything else to say,
"Definitely was." Ruby said, still a little shaken up from everything that just occurred,
"It's over. Good job everyone." Rias said as she dusted off her hands, "Let's go back and have tea."
"By the way Buchou…" Issei spoke up,
"Hmm, what is it?" Rias asked as she turned to the new member as she gave Ruby back her Queen Piece,
"We were interrupted earlier. What's my Piece?" Issei asked, having felt like he had done enough waiting to find out that little crucial piece of information that was kinda important for his future in Rias' peerage,
"Yeah, it would be nice to know." Blake admitted, the others wondering what Issei's role was,
"Hm? Ah, I forgot. Issei, your role…" Rias paused for dramatic effect, "Is Pawn." The RWBYs and Issei stared at the Gremory, remaining silent as they processed the information,
"Please don't say it." Issei said, breaking the silence,
"What? That you're literally the lowest ranking out of all of us?" Yang asked,
"That." Issei groaned. It was going to be a long journey to become the Harem King for him,
"Don't worry about it." Rias reassured her Pawn, "Ruby's much worse than you. She's just a glorified Pawn."
"Yeah!" Ruby called out, trying to cheer Issei up, before realizing what Rias just said, "Wait what?"
(One Week Later)
"So you're doing this so you can touch Prez's boobs?" Ruby deadpanned as she and Issei walked together to the destination of their next contract, "You have reached a new level in shame." After dealing with the Stray Devil, it had become somewhat formulaic. Her teammates were being taught by those with the same or similar pieces. Weiss was getting taught some magic by Akeno now since she was the closest to a Bishop they could get currently, Blake was training with Kiba and Yang and Koneko would spar outside of school and the club. Her teammates and Issei would do grunt work while she trained with Rias, learning everything she needed to know about being a King as well as developing her new Devil powers. Occasionally, Rias would order Ruby to go with Issei or the other members when they went out to fulfill contracts to gain some experience as well as to get to know the others better. For some reason though, Ruby could only managed to find a spark of friendship in Issei out of all people. Kiba just made her nervous, Akeno scared her and Koneko wasn't exactly a big talker. Although he was a pervert, he had his redeeming qualities. A hard worker, no matter how weird the contract was, and a genuinely nice person who cared about the well being of others, though she did note the slight bias towards pretty girls. Ruby had to admit, she actually wouldn't have minded having Issei as a friend if he attended Beacon. He reminded her so much of Jaune.
Although he was still an irredeemable pervert with little to no chance of ever getting a girlfriend, and like hell she had any romantic feelings towards him, but at the end of the day she could call him a friend at the very least.
Though, if he did anything to her, she would cut off his balls and make him eat them.
"Hey! I'm still a growing teenage boy! How can I not turn the chance to touch Buchou's breast down?" Issei said, "Plus, this is surprisingly fun to do."
"I gotta admit, the people we meet are really fun." Ruby agreed, "Well, apart from Mil-tan." Ruby & Issei shuddered as they remembered the experience, "There is something seriously wrong about that person."
"No kidding." Issei muttered. They talked a little bit more about homework and stuff, slapped Issei a few times for looking at her chest before they reached their destination,
"Is this the place?" Ruby asked. Issei pulled out the contract and checked the address,
"Yep." Issei answered as they approached the house. Ruby noted that all the lights were off in the home, though didn't think much of it, "Hello? Is anyone here? I'm Gremory-sama's underling and I have her apprentice with me."
"Someone left the door open." Ruby noted. Her eye narrowed before she and Issei took off their shoes and entered the house, "Issei, I don't like this."
"Yeah, I'm getting-" Issei stopped his sentence as he noticed something, "Hm… this… this smell…"
"I-Issei!" Ruby cried out as she pointed at something. Issei jumped at Ruby's sudden yelling before looking where Ruby was pointed and gasped.
Someone had nailed someone against the wall and put them in a position as though they were an upside-down cross.
"Wh-What?" Issei said as they stared at the body,
"Wh-Wh-Who would do such a thing?" Ruby whispered out as they stepped away from the corpse,
"That would be me." A voice from behind them said. Ruby and Issei quickly turned around and saw who it was. A young man with short white hair and red eyes and dressed in clerical clothing, "I'm a Priest, a young Priest~" He sang out,
"What is with this guy?" Ruby muttered to herself before she realized something, "Wait, did he just say he's a Priest!?" Suddenly, the words of Rias Gremory echoed inside their heads.
Don't even think about going near people with a relationship with the Church!
They have been blessed by God, so they have enough power to destroy us. A Devil being hit by a divine holy power like that will be completely destroyed!
With no hope of returning!
'Shit.' They both thought as they at each other worryingly. Though, that quickly turned into confusion as the guy continued to sing about how he'll kill all the Devils, especially them and junk like that, 'Is this guy seriously a Priest?'
"And, uh… you are…?" Ruby hesitantly asked. He danced his way over to them before giving them a mad smile,
"I'm Father Freed Sellzen." Freed said, "And you two are Devils."
"W-What are you doing here?" Ruby asked as she looked at the corpse nailed to the wall, having a feeling this was not going to go well,
"Why, to kill that fellow over there, of course." Freed answered happily as pointed at the corpse,
"Huh? Wha-Wait? YOU DID THAT!?" Issei yelled out as Ruby's eyes widened, "What the Hell? Why would you do that to someone!?"
"Because he was a repeat offender." Freed answered simply, as though it was obvious,
"What?" Ruby growled,
"Yes yes! A repeat offender!" Freed said, "Ahh? You two are Devils and yet you still don't understand? All idiots will die, you know? All humans who sign contracts with Devils are trash! There's no reason for them to live on!"
"Wait, you're human too. Aren't you supposed to, I don't know, protect humans from us!?" Ruby shouted out, angry at this so called Priest. Freed could only laugh at their faces,
"That's funny! That's really funny! Even a Devil has to give me a lecture!" Freed laughed out before it slowly died down, "Listen well, you shitty Devils." He said before he started kicking the head of the corpse, "You feed on human desire, right? The humans who provide subsistence can't be called human anymore. Therefore, I kill them before they're tainted even further. Kindness! THIS IS KINDNESS!" Freed shouted out as he crushed the skull further,
"You…" Issei growled as he clenched his fists. Ruby didn't say anything. She couldn't say anything.
All she wanted to do was to wipe this guy off the Earth.
"Oh? You mad, shitty Devils? A human waste who was killed makes a partner of human waste angry?" Freed taunted,
"You. Shut. Your mouth. Now." Issei said slowly, now glaring at the "Priest",
"Go to fucking Hell, you son of a bitch." Ruby growled as she pulled out Crescent Rose,
"Good!" Freed said with a mad smile, "It's now a good time to kill you too! Arguing with shitty Devils is pissing me off." He then pulled out a sword and a gun. Ruby & Issei took a step back as they saw the crosses on the weapons, "Cha-ching! Which weapon I use to finish you off, Mr & Ms Shitty Devil? I'm trying to break the world record of turning in swiss cheese, and this is the world record for cutting you into thin capellini!"
"Issei, let me handle him." Ruby whispered to the Pawn,
"What?" Issei asked, surprised,
"I have a chance. You go and find Rias or anyone in the ORC." Ruby said,
"I'm leaving you alone to fight this guy." Issei said as he got into a battle stance,
"Issei, I'm being serious!" Ruby growled, "Go and-"
"Time's up!" Freed called out, "Here's a big discount for Mr & Ms Shitty Devil! I'll use both!" He shouted out as he jumped at them,
"Shit!" Ruby cried out as they both jumped out of the way, "That was-AH!" Ruby looked down and saw she got shot in the leg. She looked and saw Issei had also gotten shot. Ruby was about to help but suddenly the pain from the shot intensified, "Issei!"
"Those were holy bullets, weren't they?" Issei groaned in pain,
"Correct! Does it hurt? Hey, it hurts doesn't it!?" Freed shouted at them,
"Shut up!" Ruby called out before transforming Crescent Rose in its Sniper form and shooting at the Priest. The guy turned out to be really good at dodging her bullets. That, or the pain was screwing with her aim. Either way, she was missing,
"DIE! DIE YOU SHITTY DEVILS! TURN INTO DUST AND GO UP IN THE AIR! JUST FOR MY PLEASURE!" Freed shouted out manically as he charged at them,
"We're gonna die!" Issei cried out,
"NO!" Ruby shouted out as she braced herself for pain. Suddenly, she heard a thud and felt no pain other than the one from the bullet wound. She stopped covering her face to see what happened.
It was Asia. She had tackled Freed before he could attack them.
And… her dress came undone and revealed her bra. If it wasn't for the excruciating pain running through their bodies, Ruby would've gave Issei a glare if he even dared looking at the nun's chest.
"Hey, that was dangerous! You were almost split into two!" Freed scolded the nun, "Have you finished preparing the trap, Asia-chan!?"
"Please stop! Why did you have to do this to Issei-san and Ruby-san!?" Asia said, demanding why Freed would attack her friends,
"…Eh? You know these two?" Freed deadpanned before a suggestion came into his mind, "That's funny! Is this a forbidden love triangle between two Devils and a nun?"
"Issei-san & Ruby-san are Devils…?" Asia asked, stunned at the revelation,
"Asia…" Ruby groaned as she tried to stand up, but the holy bullet in her leg was preventing any movement,
"That's right, you know? These guys are the shittiest of the shitty Devils!" Freed told the shocked Asia, "What, didn't you know before? Ah forget it, soon these shitty little Devils will turn into similar works of art."
"What?" Asia asked before turning to see the dead corpse on the wall and gasping, "N… No! YAHHH!"
"Is this Asia-chan's first time seeing a corpse?" Freed asked with a mad smile, "Then take a good look! Any human waste who is mesmerized by a Devil will be sent to Hell this way." By now, Issei & Ruby were shaking in rage,
"This bastard…" Issei growled as he clenched his fists. Ruby was still trying to get up but the holy bullet was affecting her a lot more than she would've thought,
"Get up. Get up." Ruby told herself as she tried to, but the light now running through her veins were weakening her. She couldn't even feel her leg at this point,
"No… no way…" Asia whispered out as she covered her mouth,
"Asia… I'm sorry…" Ruby said quietly as she and Issei shut their eyes in shame,
"That's the way it is. If we don't cut down these Devils, we won't be able to complete our job." Freed told the nun, "Asia-chan, hurry up and get back into position and deploy your trap, okay?" The nun looked at Issei and Ruby before looking at Freed. She frowned at the "Priest" before standing in front of the Devils, "Er, hey, Asia-tan. Do you know what you're doing right now?"
"…I understand!" Asia called out, "Father Freed! Please let them go!"
"Asia…" Ruby groaned before finally having the strength to stand up. Issei followed quickly as he stood up,
"I don't like this. Just because the person was led astray by the Devil, and using that reasons to kill people and as well as Devils…" Asia said before shouting out at the top of her lungs, "THIS IS WRONG!"
"AHHH!? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT YOU SHITTY NUN!?" Freed shouted back as he lifted Asia by her collar, "ALL DEVILS ARE SHITS! DIDN'T THEY TEACH YOU THAT IN CHURCH!? ARE YOU SUFFERING BRAIN DAMAGE!?"
"THERE ARE SOME GOOD PEOPLE WITHIN DEVILS!" Asia tried to yell louder than Freed,
"NOT AT ALL, IDIOT!" Freed yelled back,
"I-I thought that before… but Ruby-san & Issei-san aren't like that!" Asia continued to argue as Freed trembled with rage, "Even if I know they're Devils, they're still my friends! Killing people is unforgivable! This… This! The Lord doesn't allow th-" She didn't finish her sentence as Freed just pistol-whipped her in the back of her skull,
"ASIA!" Issei & Ruby called out before glaring at "Priest". They tried to move but they stopped as soon as they saw Freed point his gun at Asia's chest,
"Even though nee-san told me not to kill you… that means, while I won't kill you, I could still do whatever I want with you. Something similar to ra-" Suddenly, there was a click behind his head,
"Finish that, and I finish you." Ruby growled, ready to blow Freed's brains out with Crescent Rose, "Get off her. Now."
"All right, I need to kill you two first." Freed said with a mad grin on his face, before he quickly turned around and hit Ruby in the face with the gun, sending her to the floor and throwing Crescent Rose somewhere. Ruby spat out some blood before slowly standing up,
"I won't let you touch Asia." Ruby said as she wiped some blood from her mouth,
"And like Hell I will too." Issei said as he cracked his knuckles,
"I'd rather die before I let you." They both finished, ready to fight the "Priest",
"Then, not to let you die quickly, I'll kill you all slowly!" Freed shouted out as he charged at them, "RIGHT, I HAVE TO BEAT MY WORLD RECO-"
He was then interrupted by a fist to the face. Which he ran into.
"Sorry, your record's just been broken." Yang said as she wiped the blood off her knuckles, "Along with your nose."
"What the-?" Issei started before he saw Kiba, Akeno, Koneko, Weiss and Blake appear in the room, "Guys?"
"Everyone!" Ruby exclaimed,
"Just leave everything to us." Akeno said sweetly, indicating her Ultimate Sadist mode activating, while Yang and Weiss checked on Ruby's injuries,
"Greetings, Devil group!" Freed shouted out as he tried to attack the group with his sword, only for the attack to be blocked by Blake & Kiba,
"Attacking just that, it's ungentlemanly. You'll be disliked by a lot of people, especially the ladies." Kiba said before he and Blake pushed Freed away,
"Ah? Do I have to introduce myself again? So disgusting. Just ask those wavering Devils there, since they're gonna die soon, so please do it earlier." Freed said before went and attacked the two Knights. They quickly dodged his attacks before they launched a counter,
"Sorry, but I can't allow you to kill Hyoudou-kun & Rose-chan in a place like this!" Kiba shouted out as he slashed his two swords at the "Priest". Blake quickly spawned a clone to try to add more pressure on Freed, but he just kept dodging with ease,
"That's really hot! So, what's the relationship between all of you? Which one's the pitcher and which one's the catcher?"
"You're disgusting!" Blake called out, before taking note of Freed's outfit, "And you're supposed to be a Priest?"
"From his vulgar mouth, I'm guessing he was excommunicated from the Church." Kiba guessed, "A Rouge Exorcist."
"A real Priest wouldn't rape someone." Ruby growled, before wincing as Weiss managed to get the bullet out of her leg,
"You sure about that?" Issei asked, only to be glared at by the RWBYs,
"WHO CARES!?" Freed shouted out, "So what if I was excommunicated!? As long as I kill you under the protection of Fallen Angel-sama, then I'll be satisfied!" Ruby's eyes widened at the mention of a Fallen Angel. Suddenly, she started having flashbacks to the day she and her teammates died,
"N-No." Ruby mumbled quietly as she clutched her head as she shook her head, "No no no no no!"
"Hm? Looks like Ms Shitty Devil has a fear of Fallen Angels. How appropriate." Freed noted with mad grin as Weiss & Yang tried to calm their King down,
"Over-zeal in hunting Devils and the excitement it brings causes the excommunication of Priests." Akeno explained, "He seems to be the type that's most harmful to us."
"There's no point to talk about the reasons with you group of bloodsucking shit bags." Freed said. Akeno only glared at the insane Priest,
"Even if we are Devils, we still have rules and limits." Akeno said firmly. Freed only seemed to get aroused by Akeno's cold stare,
"Hyu~! That's right, that's right~ Onee-san's stare! What killing intent, it's so good to be alive! Ahh~ I can't take it anymore! I'm getting hard between my legs!" Freed cried out joyously,
"You're a psychopath." Yang growled as she glared at Freed with red eyes, which only got him even more aroused. Yang almost decided to test out her Sacred Gear on him when Rias came into the scene,
"Well, shall I turn you to ashes then?" Rias said as she walked into the room,
"Rias-sensei." Ruby groaned as Weiss & Yang helped her up,
"One right after another…" Freed muttered, "I'll kill all of you, can you all line in order?" Rias ignored the Priest as she went up to Issei & Ruby,
"Ruby, Issei, I'm sorry. I didn't count on an Exorcist to show up in the home of a summoner." Rias apologized before going down to check their injuries, "Are you two hurt badly?"
"Well, apart from the fact that we got shot, we're fine." Ruby answered,
"Yeah, sorry for getting shot, Buchou." Issei said sheepishly,
"Hey, it's my fault we got shot." Ruby spoke up, "If I was only faster…"
"It doesn't matter." Rias said as she stood up and glanced at Freed, "It seems like my underling and apprentice were under your care?"
"Yes y-es, I really took care of them." Freed said, "At first I planned to slice and dice one Devil, but then a whole group decided to show up." He would've continued, if not for the section of a wall behind him disappearing, "Oh."
"For me, I can't allow anyone to harm my property, especially an extremely vulgar person like you." Rias said. The RWBYs and Freed looked through the hole and saw the path of destruction Rias caused,
"Remind me to not make Rias angry." Yang said,
"Noted." Issei and RWB replied. Akeno looked out the window and saw something coming towards them,
"A group of what looks like to be Fallen Angels are approaching!" Akeno informed the group,
"How many?" Blake asked,
"A lot." Akeno answered. By now, Ruby was hyperventilating. She didn't want to face anymore Fallen Angels. She'd rather die by Grimm than die by Fallen Angel again, "If we stay, we're going to be at a disadvantage!" Rias cursed. They could fight but more than likely Issei or some of the RWBYs would die in the process, especially since they had two injured,
"Yang, you get Ruby. Kiba, you get Issei!" Rias ordered, "Akeno! We're leaving, get the transportation ready!"
"Yes, Buchou." Akeno said as she started preparing their escape,
"Buchou, let's bring this girl back with us!" Issei said as he put his jacket of Asia,
"That's not possible. Only Devils who are part or at least related to my peerage can use pentagrams." Rias informed her Pawn,
"Well, we can't just leave her with the F-Fallen Angels!" Ruby argued before glaring at the excommunicated Priest, "Yeah, we can't leave her alone!"
"Issei, Ruby." Rias said quietly, "She's the enemy."
"No, she isn't." Ruby said as she glared at her fellow King,
"Even so…" Issei started as he clenched his fists, "But even if that's the case, Asia still protected us even though she knew we were Devils."
"We aren't leaving her here." Ruby said, "Because…"
"Because…" Issei repeated before they both gave Rias serious looks past the tears they were shedding,
"She's my friend!" They both yelled out, "I won't leave Asia alone!"
'Issei-san… Ruby-san…' Asia thought as she looked at her two friends,
"Ruby…" Yang whispered out as she saw her sister protecting the nun,
"You dolts! We need to leave!" Weiss exclaimed as she shoved Crescent Rose into Ruby's hands,
"Then leave us behind! We'll-" Issei didn't even get to finish that sentence as Rias slapped both him and Ruby in the face,
"Ow! What was that for!?" Ruby called out,
"You need to think rationally! If you two stay, you die." Rias firmly stated, "And don't worry about the girl, they won't kill her. To Fallen Angels, there's no reason for them to kill."
"President, at least try-"
"The best plan right now is to leave." Rias interrupted Ruby. Issei and Ruby looked at Asia before sighing sadly,
"We understand." Ruby said quietly,
"Buchou, the preparations are complete!" Akeno announced,
"Yang, help me up. I can't walk like this." Ruby said. Yang nodded before picking her half-sister up,
"Damn it! I won't let you escape!" Freed shouted out as he charged at the Devils, only for Koneko to throw a couch at him,
"Let's get out of here!" Blake shouted out as Kiba and Yang carried the two injured Devils into the circle,
"Hurry up, now!" Rias ordered,
"Yes, Buchou!" Akeno responded as she activated the circle,
"Asia…" Issei muttered as he and Ruby looked worryingly at her,
"Issei-san, Ruby-san…" Asia said as she looked at her friends before smiling with tears in her eyes, "We have to meet again." Issei & Ruby couldn't help but start crying when they saw Asia's face,
"We promise." They both told her before the circle activated and teleported the Devils back to the clubroom,
"We're safe." Akeno said as Yang & Kiba put Ruby and Issei on the couch. When everyone else left to get the necessary equipment to heal the two of the wounds, they both looked at each other and nodded,
"Asia." Ruby muttered as she looked at her hand, before clenching it into a fist, "We'll definitely come back for you. Just wait for us." She then looked at Issei again and they both knew what their goal was for now.
They weren't going to leave Asia alone again.
(The Next Day)
'What are we going to do?' Ruby thought to herself as she waited for Issei to finish his shower. She and Issei had stayed over at the clubroom for the night since they couldn't exactly go back home with the injuries they had. Yang did offer to carry Ruby back to the apartment but Ruby, for some reason, had declined. After a few threats to Issei's manhood, everyone had left them alone to rest apart from Rias, who felt responsible for letting them get shot by holy bullets. So she stayed over. That night, they quietly discussed about what was going to happen next and how they would save Asia before went to bed. It was early morning now and she was now just waiting for Issei to finish his shower so she could clean herself. She still had the smell of death on her. While trapped in her thoughts, she didn't notice Rias slipping into the showers while Issei was showering. She snapped out of them when Issei called out to her, saying that it was her turn now. She sighed, grabbed her spare set of clothes and everything she needed to clean herself with before limping to the shower. She passed by Issei, who was dressed in his casual clothes, and looked a little depressed, "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Huh?" Issei said, just noticing her presence. He just sighed and rubbed the back of his head, "Nothing."
"Hey, we're gonna save Asia from the Fallen. It's a promise." Ruby said as she patted Issei on the back, "Just give it a bit of time. We'll figure out something." Issei just sighed before heading over to the couch and sitting down. Ruby sighed as well before she made her way to the shower and started taking off her dirty clothes, not noticing that Rias was behind her. She stayed silent as Ruby showered before deciding to make her presence known,
"I'm sorry." Rias spoke up, freaking Ruby out. Without thinking, Ruby gathered up some of her Devil energy and blasted a small shot out at her. Rias didn't even dodge and let it hit her. As soon as it touched her bare skin, it dissipated harmlessly. Rias couldn't help but sigh, "You're getting better, Ruby, but you still don't have control over your powers." Rias noted,
"Why are you here!?" Ruby demanded while covering her private parts, "And why are you naked!?"
"I'm here to apologize, and it wouldn't make sense to go into the showers with your clothes on. Plus…" Rias explained before she stopped and looked at the bullet wound on Ruby's leg. Before she knew it, Ruby's face turned a deep red as Rias started hugging her leg,
"Wh-What are you doing?" Ruby squeaked out,
"I'm giving some of my power to heal your wound. So don't move." Rias said. Ruby was too mortified to move as she let her fellow King put her power into the bullet hole. She felt better, there was no doubt about that, but there had to be some other way to heal other than skin-to-skin contact,
"Hey, that Priest from before, Kiba called him a Rouge Exorcist or something like that. What is that?" Ruby asked, wanting to focus something other than the situation right now. Rias sighed. She was going to have to repeat herself,
"With Exorcists, there are the proper ones on the side of the divine as well as the heretics who serve the Fallen Angels." Rias explained, "The ones who were expelled by God, the heretics who joined the Fallen Angels, are the Rouge Exorcists. They, along with the Fallen Angels who want to destroy the Devils, have the same useful relationships. Naturally, that's why both sides would team up. Anyway, like I told Issei, try not to get involved with any of them." Ruby sighed. It more than likely that if she wanted to save Asia, she would have to get very involved with everything. But, it was going to be worth it considering it was for a friend in need, "I've given emergency aid, but you still have to be careful and rest, you hear?"
"Sure thing, Prez." Ruby muttered as she checked the wound. It didn't hurt anymore and she was sure she could walk properly, but it still looked nasty, "Still, that guy was a nut. I don't think anyone would get so… excited just from killing people." She looked down at her hands, images of Asia flashing through her mind, "Asia… damn it, why can't protect one person let alone myself…"
"Forget about her!" Rias shouted out frustrated that Ruby was being exactly like Issei about the issue, "We and that girl are on opposite sides of existence! If you really want to get involved with her, it won't be just your blood being spilled!"
"'We and that girl' huh?" Ruby repeated, "I'm sorry, but I think you're missing the fact that I USED TO BE HUMAN! What? Is it not in a Devil's nature to care about someone, no matter what they are? Who they are? What they believe in!?"
"Ruby, I understand you're-"
"Look, I know you care about our safety, but at the end of the day, what do you know about me really? What makes you think you understand me? You aren't even a human to begin with and before knowing all of this, the Devils, and the Angels and all this stupid junk; I would've gladly killed you if you dared hurt my friends." Ruby pointed out harshly, stunning Rias, "Let me remind you that groups are made out of people, and each and every one of them has their own beliefs and personalities. So tell me, Rias Gremory, what makes you think I won't walk out of here and turn against you? Because I swear, I will become the first Holy Devil if you give me the wrong answer." Rias stayed quiet as she tried to think of an answer, but couldn't, "That's what I thought. Just leave me alone. I still smell like poop and dead people." Rias nodded before leaving the bathroom. As she went and dressed herself, she noted how different Ruby was starting to act. It was odd. Maybe it was side effect of a human getting a King Piece? Pieces wouldn't and shouldn't affect the personalities of the reincarnated. Now, Ruby was starting the act a bit more violent, more aggressive, letting her emotions drive her forward. She also ruled in the fact that maybe it was because of her death that she was starting to act that way. Either way, she needed to keep Ruby under check or else something will get her and her team killed again. She waited for Ruby to finish her shower and change into her clean set of clothes before she spoke to her again,
"Hey, before your injuries are healed, you and Issei shouldn't go to school. Use this chance to think about your standings." Rias said before leaving to go and get ready for the day. Ruby only looked on as Rias walked past her before narrowing her eyes.
Was Rias going to be her enemy now?
"We have a day off, huh?" Issei said as he walked up to the Royal Pawn, "Hey, since we do…"
"Issei, if you think about asking me out, I will shoot you in the balls." Ruby threatened,
"What!? No! I wasn't going to-" Issei paused as he simulated the conversation he was about to have with Ruby in his head before he continued, "Look, we haven't eaten anything yet. Wanna go into the city and get something?"
"You're asking me out…" Ruby growled,
"If I was asking you out, I would be paying." Issei pointed out, "It's just some breakfast." Ruby was about to continue the argument but her stomach told her to think about it through its growls, "I think your stomach is agreeing with me." Ruby couldn't help but chuckle,
"Fine. Alright. Let's go get some breakfast already." Ruby said as they prepared to go out, not minding that she was going to pay- "Wait, what?"
"Too late! You're paying!" Issei laughed out. Ruby could only groan in frustration as she cursed the future Harem King.
(Some Time Later)
"So… how's your breakfast burger?" Ruby asked, her eye twitching. They were currently in a fast food restaurant having a burger, fries and a soda for their breakfast,
"What? I felt like eating a burger for breakfast?" Issei replied, "And come on, you said you wanted one too."
"I'm not annoyed about the stupid burger; I'm annoyed because you made me pay for it!" Ruby said, annoyed, "Seriously, don't you know how to treat a lady?"
"Hell yeah I do! But you're not a lady right now, you're a friend!"
"Is that an insult? That feels like an insult."
"Do you want it to be an insult?"
"No. Not unless you want to go on a shopping spree with me?"
"It's a compliment."
"Thank God." Ruby sighed in relief before she winced in pain, before she realized something, "Hey, I thought you were aiming to be the Harem King? What makes you think I won't suspect that you're gonna try add me to your army of girls?"
"Because I don't like you that way." Issei informed the Red Leader, "You're acting more of a friend than my actual friends. It's a nice change of pace to be honest." Issei explained with a smile, "Plus, I've seen the way you look at your scythe thing. Instant turn off."
"Wh-What? I don't, I don't-" Ruby stuttered out as she blushed, causing Issei to laugh. Ruby looked annoyed before joining in with Issei. After all the heavy stuff from Remnant and Earth, it was nice to relax and just laugh with some friends,
"Anyway, the whole Harem King thing isn't going to go anywhere if I can't even protect one girl." Issei added in, causing the mood to drop. They both sighed sadly as Asia flashed again in their minds, "If we keep this up, we're gonna burden everyone."
"Yeah." Ruby had to admit, Issei was right. All she has done as King was get almost killed and have her teammates or someone from Rias' peerage or Rias herself bail her out. It was frustrating how weak she was compared to other Devils. She needed to get stronger if she wanted to save-
"Asia!?" Issei & Ruby called out in surprise as they saw the nun walk pass the restaurant. They looked at each other in the eyes and nodded before the rushed out of the restaurant, "ASIA!"
"Ruby-san? Issei-san?" Asia said, pleasantly surprised.
(One Order Later)
"Oh, and you pay for her food and yet I have to pay for ours." Ruby said, looking at Issei judgingly,
"What? It's a friendly gesture." Issei said as he sat down next to Ruby,
"You are so paying for lunch next time." Ruby told the pervert before smiling evilly, "And you better hope your life savings still have 2 digits after I'm done with it."
"Sorry, but I don't have money on my person." Asia apologized as Issei put the tray of food in front of the nun. Ruby sighed as she smiled,
"Don't worry about it. It's fine. We're all friends after all." Ruby said, before noticing that Asia was just staring at her tray with confusion, "Uh… did you get something you didn't want?"
"No, it's just…" Asia said as she looked at the tray, "Where are the forks and knives?"
"Uh, well, for this you can eat with your hands." Iseei informed the nun as he grabbed his burger and pointed at it, shocking the nun,
"Really!? That's how you do it!?" Asia asked, surprised before she started searching through her purse, "Then I better wash my hands."
"Um, I think we have some wet wi-" Ruby started before her sentence died in her throat as she realized Asia just pulled out an entire full bottle of Holy Water from her purse, "We have wet wipes! We have wet wipes!"
"Just put that dangerous thing away!" Issei cried out as he threw the wet wipes at Asia,
"Huh? Oops! Sorry!" Asia quickly apologized, remembering that her friends are Devils. Though, they didn't seem to care at all. Asia, religiously (which Ruby noted), cleaned her hands before she got ready to eat, proud of her thorough cleaning,
"Uh… very clean." Issei said awkwardly before noticing that Asia was putting her hands together,
"Then, I should pray for the meal…" Asia said, causing Ruby & Issei to panic. They would've stopped her, if she didn't already begin, "Dear Lord…"
(One Prayer to the Lord Later)
"Done, time to eat!" Asia said, having finished her prayer, only to notice that both Ruby & Issei looked liked they were about to die, "Ah! Issei-san! Ruby-san!"
(One Meal to Regain Strength after Asia Almost Killed Them Later)
"Wow, I never thought hamburgers would be this tasty!" Asia said, savoring the taste. She even got Issei to get her another one. Both Issei & Ruby were full so they decided to wait until Asia finished her second burger,
"She really never ate a burger before." Ruby whispered to Issei, "She must've been really sheltered."
"I know." Issei replied, "I noticed something when we saw her outside. She looked scared to be out on the street. Though…"
"What?" Ruby asked,
"Maybe she was scared because she was running away from something." Issei theorized, "Or maybe I'm just thinking too much."
"I'm surprised you actually think." Ruby joked,
"Issei-san, Ruby-san, what's that place?" Asia asked as she pointed at the building across from the fast food restaurant, having just finished her second burger,
"Oh, that's an arcade." Issei answered before an idea popped into his head, "Hey, why don't we all go and check it out?"
"You're paying for it though." Ruby said as she stood up,
"I don't mind. It's for Asia after all." Issei said, causing the nun to smile. They put away their trash and headed over to the arcade, where they checked all the games that were available. Issei & Ruby had faced against each other in Shake Shake Rebellion, with Ruby winning by using her Semblance, while Asia cheered them on. Though, Issei evened the score by beating Ruby in a shooting game out of all things, which Ruby complained about how unrealistic it was to hide the embarrassment. They asked Asia if she wanted to join in on the fun but said she was happy watching them have fun. It went on for a little longer before Asia got distracted by a claw machine,
"Uwah! Issei-san! Ruby-san! This is Ratchu-kun! There are a lot of them!" Asia said excitedly,
"Huh? Do you want one?" Ruby asked. Asia looked stunned before shaking her head,
"N-No!" Asia answered quickly and nervously,
"But don't you like Ratchu-kun?" Issei questioned,
"Yes! No! I mean…" Asia stuttered out, looking rather sheepish. Issei looked at the claw machine before slamming his fist into his hand,
"Alright! Just leave it to me!" Issei declared with a heroic smile,
"Oh no, I'm getting that plushy for Asia." Ruby said as she cracked her knuckles,
"Wanna bet on it?" Issei asked. Ruby only grinned in response.
(Half of Issei's Money Later)
"This stupid machine cheats!" Ruby complained, stopping herself before she kicked a hole into the machine, "I would've gotten it if this machine wasn't rigged."
"Hey, I lose too! That stupid thing stole half my money!" Issei pointed out before they saw Asia cuddling her new plushy, "Though, that makes it worth it."
"Definitely." Ruby said with a warm smile,
"Thank you very much you two! I'll care for it for forever!" Asia said happily,
"Something like this… if you want more, we can always help grab it for you." Issei offered,
"There's no need! This Ratchu-kun is the best present created due to our encounter today! I want to treasure those memories for forever!" Asia said, still extremely happy. Issei and Ruby looked at each other before smiling,
"Yep, totally worth it." They told each other. After that, they went to get some photos from a photo booth, but Ruby and Asia got dragged into wearing cosplay by random strangers, with Asia becoming a catgirl in a nurse outfit and Ruby becoming someone named Yukiko Amagi from some anime/game called Persona. Of course, Issei's reaction was a nosebleed and to drag them into the photo booth despite (well, Ruby's) protests, but ended up enjoying it as the embarrassment faded away and let themselves go and had fun. After returning the outfits, they played a few more games, except this time Asia joined them. Before they knew it, the sun was starting to set, indicating that the day was coming to a close,
"Looks like we played too long." Ruby said, feeling exhausted,
"Yeah, it was getting exhausting." Issei noted before he and Ruby winced in pain,
'Crap, our injuries.' Ruby thought as they clutched where their bullet wounds were,
"Hey, why don't we rest for a bit?" Issei suggested as he pointed over to a nearby park bench,
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Ruby replied as they went over to the bench and sat down. Asia noticed the pained looks on their faces as they made their way to benches,
"Issei-san, Ruby-san…" Asia said as she looked at them with concern, "Those injuries from… that time haven't healed yet?"
"Nope, but it's fine. It'll heal on it's-" Ruby was interrupted by Asia placing both her hand on where the bullet wounds are, "Huh?"
"Pardon me for this." Asia said before Issei & Ruby felt relief flow through their system. They looked down and saw that Asia was healing them like she did with the child, "There. All done." She said as she stood up, "How do you two feel?"
"A-Amazing." Ruby replied as she stood up. It felt like the bullet wound was never there to begin with, "I haven't felt this good since I got accepted into Beacon 2 years early."
"That must've been your Sacred Gear, huh?" Issei said as he made sure his leg was back to 100%,
"Yes, my Sacred Gear possesses the ability to heal." Asia informed them,
"Wow, Asia's power is amazing! You can heal anyone, even Devils like us." Issei noted. Suddenly, Asia looked sad before she started to shed some tears,
"Issei…" Ruby said as she gave the boy a quick glare before she tried to comfort the nun, "Hey, it's alright. Issei, apologize for what you just said."
"Yeah, um, sorry about that. I shouldn't have said that." Issei apologized. Asia just tried to wipe away her tears.
"No, it's alright. Issei-san didn't do anything wrong." Asia said as she sat down on the bench, "It's just sometimes I would think back…" She then went to explain her backstory. About how she was abandoned by her family when she was born, sheltered and lonely, how she couldn't be with other people because of her power, and how she healed a Devil, who killed a Exorcist soon after, and how she was excommunicated from the Church,
"Asia…" Ruby muttered, too stunned to say anything,
"Then, a Fallen Angel found me and took me in." Asia continued, causing Ruby to freeze, "Issei-san, Ruby-san, I've always had this dream…" Asia sobbed out, "To be able to go out with my friends together, shopping normally… chatting normally… to be with friends… to able to…" Asia was interrupted by Ruby & Issei hugging her. She felt the tears leaking onto her shoulder as she was hugged by the two Devils,
"Then let us be your friends." Issei whispered into Asia's ear, which shocked the nun,
"…Be your friend?" Asia asked, wondering if this was true,
"Well, more like make it official." Ruby said as they stepped back, "We were friends as soon as we met, Asia. And we'll always be friends. Our bonds… the connections we've made with each other… will never be broken."
"Don't you see? We chatted all day, we played together all day! And when we go shopping, no matter if we're sick, no matter the weather, no matter we're suffering from the ups and downs of life, we'll be there to go with you!" Issei shouted out,
"That's a promise of a lifetime!" Ruby & Issei declared, "We promise, from this day forth, you'll never be alone!"
"Issei-san… Ruby-san…" Asia sobbed out before hugging the two, "Issei-san! Ruby-san!"
"That's not possible." A voice from above them said. Issei & Ruby's eyes widened, as they recognized the voice, before they looked up and confirmed their fears,
"Y-Yuuma-chan!?" Issei exclaimed as he and Ruby stood still. Ruby, again, cursed for not bringing her weapon with her,
"How can you two be still alive? And you're Devils now? Disgusting." Raynare said as she flew towards them. Ruby tried to move, but her body wasn't responding. She wanted to run away, but at the same time she couldn't.
So she just stood there, frozen on the spot.
"Raynare-sama." Asia whispered as she saw the Fallen Angel,
"'Raynare'?" Issei repeated, looking a little confused before realizing it must've been Yuuma's real name,
"Come, Asia. Let's go back, don't waste my time." Raynare commanded the nun,
"No, I don't want to…" Asia said as she hid behind Issei and the frozen Ruby, "Helping you all kill people… and also me."
"To us your existence is a must. You do realize that, right?" Raynare questioned. Issei growled standing in front of the girls with a determined look on his face,
"Wait, didn't you hear her refusal!?" Issei called out, "What are you planning to do with her after you take her?" Raynare smirked a little as she saw Issei trying to protect the two behind him,
"Well, look at you. Two girls at the same time. That's impressive, I must say Issei-kun." Raynare said sarcastically, "I remembered our date. You know I was quite happy that day?"
"Sh-Sh-Shut up!" Ruby squeaked out weakly, her fear of the Fallen Angel overriding her instincts telling her to run, "Y-Yo-Y-Y-You…"
"Aw… is the little Devil afraid of little ol' me?" Raynare taunted, "You know, nothing would've happened if you two just died, but to actually turn into Devils…" She then summoned a light spear and smiled wickedly, "Then, how about having me kill you two once again?"
"Asia, Ruby, stay behind me." Issei said,
'I'm supposed to be the one protecting him. I'm a Huntress…' Ruby thought as she tried to move her body, 'Why? Why can't I protect anyone!? WHY CAN'T I MOVE!?'
"I have to make the first move." Issei said before thrusting his hand into the air, "SACRED GEAR!" And with that, Issei summoned his red gauntlet, causing Raynare to gasp in surprise, "Yeah baby!"
"Issei-san…" Asia muttered, looking on in awe at Issei's Sacred Gear,
"I-Issei…" Ruby managed to get out, "Don't die."
"Don't worry, it'll be fine." Issei reassured the two girls before going into a battle stance, "Now get back! I'll take care of…" Suddenly, Raynare started laughing, "What?"
"Last time it was because your Sacred Gear was too dangerous, that's why I accepted the order from the top to kill you, but…" Raynare couldn't help but laugh again as she told the three what the punchline to this joke was, "It looks like the Higher-Ups miscalculated."
"…What." Issei & Ruby said in a flat tone,
"That Sacred Gear is called 'Hand of the Dragon'. More commonly known as 'Twice Critical'." Raynare explained, "And speaking of common, it's the most common Sacred Gear a human can possess. Despite the name, it really isn't all that impressive. It only doubles the power of the user and nothing else. Sorry, but your Sacred Gear isn't all that sacred at all. Really, for a Low-Class Devil like you, it fits you just fine."
"Well, it's better than nothing!" Issei shouted out as he activated his Sacred Gear, "Activate! Sacred Gear! TWICE CRITICAL!" Suddenly, the word 'Boost' appeared in the gem of Issei's Sacred Gear as it started to glow.
And Issei literally felt nothing.
'Oh shit.' He thought before he grabbed both Ruby and Asia by their hands and ran,
"Come on! We gotta get out of here!" Issei shouted out. It was all too sudden as Asia dropped Ratchu-kun. Raynare smiled menacingly as she threw and light spear at the fleeing Devils and nun. Ruby saw this and finally, her body moved,
"ISSEI!" Ruby yelled out before attempting to tackle Issei to the ground, and ended up with both of them getting a light spear through the gut,
"Issei-san! Ruby-san!" Asia shouted out as Issei and Ruby fell to the ground,
"Not again. Not again!" Ruby cried out in pain before she coughed up some blood, "Fucking Hell… not again…" Ruby sobbed out as she punched the ground,
"Even when using the Sarcred Gear, he's still so weak that the spear didn't even bounce off. And even with Little Red Riding Hood 'heroically' trying to take the blow, it only ended up with both of you getting stabbed." Raynare said, somewhat disappointed, "As expected of a Low-Class Devils. No, even worse You can say not only was it an undeveloped power-up, it ended up increasing the pain, and slowly both of you will surely beg for your death."
"Crap…" Issei cursed as he tried to pull the spear out while coughing up some blood. Ruby was behind him spooning him, connected to him thanks to the spear in their gut. He didn't want to move just in case it worsened the pain for the both of them,
"Asia… go…" Ruby managed to say as her strength was starting to fade, "Asia… run away… go! Don't-" Ruby hacked up some blood in the middle of that, "Don't worry about us…"
"Please… just run away…" Issei begged. But Asia wasn't having any of it. She pulled the light spear out of them, and before they had the chance to cry out in pain, she activated her Sacred Gear and started healing them,
"Get a hold of yourselves, Issei-san! Ruby-san!" Asia said as she quickly healed them,
"Asia." Ruby said as they slowly stood up. Raynare looked thoughtful as she looked at Asia before making her decision,
"Asia, return with me now." Raynare commanded, "If you refuse, your cute Devil girlfriend and boyfriend with be destroyed." She threatened as she summoned another light spear,
"You shut the Hell up! A thing like you…" Issei growled as he got ready to charge at the Fallen Angel, "I'll send you flying-"
"I understand." Asia said, interrupting Issei,
"Asia…." Ruby said, realizing what the nun was doing, and couldn't help but cry, "Please… no… don't…"
"Good girl. Now come to my side." Raynare said. Asia nodded and started walking up the Fallen Angel,
"Issei-san. Ruby-san." Asia said, catching the attention of the two Devils. She gave them a smile as she waved at them, "I really had… I really had a lot of fun today. To someone like me, you two were willing to be my friends. Thank you very much."
"Please… don't go…" Issei quietly begged,
"That's good. After today's ceremony, your pain and suffering will all disappear." Raynare told the nun,
'A ceremony? What does she…' Ruby thought before her eyes widened.
She was going to kill her.
"WAIT! ASIA!" Ruby & Issei yelled out as Raynare got ready to fly out of there,
"Don't go!" Ruby shouted out, tears running down her face, "Please…"
"Asia, we're friends. I'll never abandon you!" Issei called out, "Let me protect you! Let us protect you!" Asia couldn't help but smile at her friends,
"Issei-san… Ruby-san…" Asia whispered out as she cried tears of both sadness and joy. Then, she said the last three words they wanted to hear.
"This is goodbye."
And then she was gone, flown off into the night by Raynare, their murderer. Leaving behind three things. Ratchu-kun and two teen Devils, yelling out to the sky.
(Occult Research Club)
"Please, let us go save her!" Issei begged. Ruby was slowly becoming more frustrated with Rias. First, she orders them not to be friends with a girl who definitely deserved a few. Next, she was ordering them to forget about her despite the fact that she was almost raped by a psychopath. Now, it was this.
When did helping someone in need become this complicated?
"No way." Rias stated as she got dressed, "Your actions will have a major effect on the relationship between Devils and Fallen Angels. If you step into their territory without a cause, and it could mean war."
"But I thought the Devils and Fallen hate each other already. We can't make them hate us more than they already do." Yang pointed out,
"Are you really willing to take that risk?" Weiss asked,
"Hey, a friend of Ruby's is my friend too and I'll go to the ends of the world to save them." Yang replied, "Plus, maybe I can finally test out Bloodlust." She added as she summoned her Sacred Gear,
"Yang! Do you even know what you're-" Blake was interrupted by the sight of Yang's eyes,
"Also…" Yang growled as she cracked her knuckles, "I want revenge."
"For what?" Rias asked,
"For us! Ruby, it was her, wasn't it? The one who killed us." Yang asked. Ruby nodded in response, "You say if we go into their territory without a reason, we'll spark a war, right? Well, I'm sure killing the person who killed us is enough of a reason to go after 'em."
"Look, I understand that you feel like you need to avenge yourselves." Rias said, now starting to get fed up with the entire conversation, "But I'm not risking war to save one life and to take another."
"But Asia is our friend! And like Hell I'm-" It was right then when Rias decided enough was enough as she interrupted Issei,
"PLEASE! FOR EVERYTHING IN HELL, DON'T MAKE ME REPEAT MYSELF!" Rias snapped at her Pawn and apprentice, stepping out half-dressed and her boobs definitely showing, "Why don't you two understand!? Do I have to spell it out for you!? If I let you go, YOU! WILL! BE! KILLED! I don't want to see something like your deaths!"
"She said something about a ceremony today! Buchou, it's possible that Asia will be killed, and I can't allow that to happen!" Issei continued to argue, though the nosebleed didn't exactly help him convince his King,
"Senpai, your nose is bleeding… it doesn't sound convincing." Koneko said, holding a box of tissues,
"It's no use if you beg and cry." Akeno informed the Pawn,
"Rias." Ruby said, no tone in her voice as she glared at Pure Blooded Devil, "You're not going to stop us."
"And what makes you think that?" Rias retorted as sparks started to fly between the two Kings,
"Because…" Ruby started before clenching her fists, "I'm not gonna fail again. Not anymore. You stand in my way, and I cut you down."
"You think you can beat me?" Rias asked,
"No, I won't beat you. I'll make you suffer." Ruby growled, her eyes suddenly turning dark red. Rias actually took a step back. That… shouldn't happen. There was something seriously wrong with Ruby. She knew she was treading into dangerous territory now, and if she didn't get out of this soon, things might get a little… out of hand,
"Buchou." Akeno spoke up, getting her attention while Koneko wiped Issei's bloody nose. She mentally thank Akeno as she saw Ruby's eyes turn back into it's usual colour of silver before turning her attention to her Queen. Akeno whispered something into Rias' ear that everyone in the room couldn't quite make out, but it seemed urgent,
"We have something very important to do. I'm going out with Akeno for a bit." Rias informed the two peerages,
"B-Buchou! Wait a minute, I'm not done-" Issei said before he was interrupted by Rias again,
"Before we leave, I'll say something to you up front." Rias said, "Ruby, you should listen as well."
"Er… sure." Ruby muttered. Just because she was mad at her doesn't mean she would skip out on a lesson about becoming a better King,
"The way you see it, a Pawn is a really weak Piece, right?" Rias said. Issei got another look at Rias' cleavage and, obviously, his nose started bleeding. The RWBYs swore one day he was going to die of blood loss,
"I-Isn't it the lowest piece?" Issei pointed out,
"Actually, yes and no." Blake spoke up as she approached the chessboard, which was conveniently next to Rias and Issei, "Pawns are actually very useful, despite having an incredibly limited movement rage. In a game of chess, if you manage to get one of your pieces on the opponent's side, it doesn't do anything. But is a Pawn reaches it…"
"They promote." Rias finished with a smirk, "Just like in chess, someone with the Evil Piece of Pawn is able to promote themselves to anything except King if their King allows them or they're deep in enemy territory. For instance, a Church to us would be a good example of enemy territory. That's why I keep saying that Ruby's worse than you, Issei. Kings don't have that type of power."
"So, after Issei promotes, he would have access to similar abilities like Akeno's Queen, or something like that?" Blake asked,
"So he can literally be any Piece he wants other than King and get the benefits, even if temporarily." Weiss mumbled to herself, "I have to admit, that could actually be useful."
"Yes, in theory however." Rias continued as she got dressed, "But the Queen Piece is the strongest Piece out of all the Evil Pieces. With Issei's stamina, that power would be an enormous burden, It's possible that he can't bear the weight of the promotion."
"So, just stick with the lower Pieces." Yang suggested, "Knight, Rook and Bishop shouldn't be too hard, right?"
"It's possible." Akeno said,
"Also, one more thing." Rias said as she gave Issei a plastic white Pawn Piece, "Sacred Gears are activated by your willpower. The stronger your will, the more powerful it'll react to your request."
"Willpower, huh?" Yang muttered as she looked at her Sacred Gear, "Hm, that shouldn't be a problem."
"And remember this last point." Rias said, just as she and Akeno were about to step out, "Even a Pawn can kill the King. You can become stronger." And with that, Rias & Akeno left, doing whatever they were doing, "Yuuto, I'll leave everything to you."
"Yes Buchou." Kiba said. Ruby and Issei looked at the Pawn Piece before Issei put it back on the chessboard, "Issei-kun, Rose-chan, if you two are really going, both of you can die."
"Yeah, think about this before you do something you regret." Weiss said,
"The only regret I have right now is not being strong enough to stop Asia from throwing her life away." Ruby told the Heiress as she grabbed Crescent Rose, "She's a friend, Weiss. I'm not going to sit here and let her die. I have to do something."
"But just the two of you? Going against, what? Dozens of Fallen Angels? Ruby, this isn't a mission, this is suicide!" Weiss argued, "Do you even know what you're doing!?"
"Yeah. Get in, save Asia, get out." Issei said,
"And the details?" Blake asked,
"We'll figure that out later. Every second we spend here is a second closer to Asia dying."
"It is quite bold for just the two of you to charge into enemy territory without a plan. But, if you two died, no one would be able to save her." Kiba pointed out,
"Then what should we do then!?" Issei yelled at the Prince,
"Not go alone." Kiba answered, "I'm coming with. You're my colleagues. To see the two of you bravely going towards certain death, I won't be able to stand idle by. Also… I personally dislike Priests and Fallen Angels. No, wait, 'hate' is the better term."
"Yeah, I'm not letting my little sister go on a suicide mission without me. Plus, I think it's time for that Fallen Angel to taste her own medicine." Yang said with a grin, "Count me in too."
"Yang…" Ruby whispered before hugging her sister, "Thanks."
"No problem." Yang replied, "Plus, I wanna see what our local Pawn can do and to test Bloodlust out."
"That's right. It's likely the ceremony you talked about will be set at a Church and Buchou did say they're a great example of enemy territory." Kiba said, "Which means…"
"Issei can promote!" Ruby finished before she realized something, "Wait a minute, are you saying that…"
"Buchou approved. Even without saying it directly." Kiba said, confirming Ruby's thoughts, "If she didn't approve that Churches are enemy territory, both of you would've been stopped, even if she had to tie you up." Ruby couldn't help but chuckle,
"Okay, Rias is cool again, but we're potentially going to face a lot of Fallen Angels." Ruby said, "Plus, me and Issei don't exact have the best track record with Fallen Angels encounters."
"I'm sure it isn't that bad." Yang muttered before Ruby pulled her down by the collar,
"Three times! I've been stabbed in the gut and almost died three times! I am surprised I still have a stomach left at this point!" Ruby shouted out, "We need more people!"
"I'll go too." Koneko said,
"Huh? What!?" Issei & Ruby exclaimed in surprise, "Why!?"
"Yeah, why?" Weiss asked, "Four should be enough."
"Four mean death." Koneko answered simply, "More man power equals better chances."
"I may as well go too." Blake sighed as she pulled out her weapon, "I'm not going stay here and potentially let someone die after all."
"Thank you." Issei & Ruby thanked the two,
"You have no idea how much this means to us." Issei said as he went to pat Blake on the back, only for it to be slapped away,
"Hey, you might be doing something noble, but you still touch yourself at night. I'd rather avoid as much contact with you as possible." Blake told the pervert,
"Okay, no touching." Issei said as he saluted the former dormant Youkai,
"It applies to me as well." Koneko quickly said,
"So two Pawns, two Knights and two Rooks. Six in total." Ruby listed off, "It's a solid rescue team but…"
"I heard that the number 7 is a lucky number." Yang spoke up,
"And we don't have a magic user on our team yet." Kiba pointed out, catching onto the joke,
"It would be a shame to encounter some who can only be beaten by magic." Issei said as he shook his head in fake disappointment,
"And Vice Buchou is with Buchou." Koneko added in,
"Now, if we only had one more teammate who used magic and/or is a Bishop to join us in helping the defenseless, cute, innocent little girl from the clutches of the Fallen Angels. Preferably someone wearing the colour white…" Ruby muttered as everyone in the room looked at Weiss. The Heiress could only sigh,
"I hate you all." Weiss said pulled out Myrtenaster,
"Alright, team's set! Let's get this show on the road!" Ruby proudly declared, "Let's go save Asia! Go Team RWBYIKK!" There was an awkward silence after Ruby's proud declaration of their extremely dumb team name, "What?"
"How about just Team Devil?" Kiba suggested, not wanting to say anything about the team name,
"Come on, there has to be a better team name than that." Issei said,
"It was the only one I can come up with right now. Stop patronizing me." Ruby retorted, "A-Are we gonna do this thing or what?"
"We will, just change the team name." Yang said, "I-I mean, there has something better than just putting at the end 'IKK' of our team name."
"Yeah." Koneko spoke up with a nod,
"I'm sure we can find a word that can fit if we tried." Blake guessed, "Though, it would be a little tricky considering it wouldn't be in English or Japanese."
"…Let's just go." Weiss groaned as she walked out the door,
"Oh, right. Asia." Ruby muttered before clearing her throat, "Let's go Team… yeah, let's just go team."
(Some Time Later)
Blake & Issei peeked around the corner of the alleyway to see their destination across the street, "Is this the place?" Blake asked,
"Yes." Issei answered, recognizing it was the Church he and Ruby delivered Asia to. They both shuddered as they looked at the location, "Man, I'm getting a weird vibe from that place."
"Well, judging by the atmosphere, we can be certain Fallen Angels are nearby." Kiba said as he pulled out the blueprints of the Church,
"Meaning Issei can promote." Ruby spoke up,
"Not until we're inside." Kiba said as he placed the blueprints of the Church on a crate,
"You sure are prepared Yuuto." Yang noted as they all gathered around the blueprints, "It's heard to believe that you guys have blueprints for every Church in Kuoh."
"It's the basics of attacking enemy territory." Kiba said, giving Yang his signature smile, which ticked Issei off. Things became serious when they went back to the plan, "The Church itself isn't that big. This is the Sanctuary and behind it is the Living Quarters." Kiba said as he pointed at the rooms,
"I'm not seeing any backdoors or any side entrances to this place." Weiss noted,
"That's right. That means unless we break in through the windows, we have to go through the front entrance." Blake said, "Which is bad since we're such a large group. I was hoping that we were going to split up into three groups but it looks like that isn't possible."
"This is sure suspicious though." Kiba muttered,
"How do you even know all of this?" Issei asked,
"Even now Rouge Exorcists and Fallen Angels destroy holy places. By doing such acts of blasphemy against the God who exiled them, they get pleasure.' Kiba explained,
"Man, I am so glad I'm not that religious." Yang mumbled to herself as she rubbed the back of her head, "Even their God here is at fault."
"Anyway, from the looks of it, we can actually head straight to the Sanctuary from the entrance." Ruby pointed out, getting everyone's attention back to the blueprint, "We can make it in no time."
"It isn't going to be that easy though." Blake spoke up,
"There will be an Exorcist in the Sanctuary." Koneko stated,
"It'll most likely be that insane Priest from before." Ruby said as Kiba put the blueprints away, "So, our plan is to charge in and head straight for the Sanctuary. If possible, we take down that Freed guy. That's simple enough."
"But even simple missions can go awry." Koneko said. Ruby winced at that before nodding,
"Well, there's no time to waste! Let's get moving!" Issei declared. The team of Devils nodded and they all started heading towards the gate of the Church. Kiba summoned one of his swords as the team stood at the sides of the gate, Team RWBY on the left and Team IKK on the right,
"Okay, since you're King, you'll lead the mission from now on." Kiba said as he got ready to destroy the lock, "Everyone ready to move?" Kiba asked. Everyone nodded at the blonde Knight as Team RWBY got out their weapons,
"Alright we can do this. I'm not gonna fail again." Ruby whispered to herself, Crescent Rose at the ready, "Everyone stick together and watch each other's backs."
"Ready to save an enemy?" Yang asked,
"I'm ready to save a friend." Ruby corrected before she counted down, "3. 2. 1. Kiba!"
"NOW! GO!" Kiba shouted out as he sliced off the lock off before Yang summoned Bloodlust and punched the gate open,
"Was that really necessary!?" Weiss exclaimed as they ran towards the Church,
"Told you I was testing out Bloodlust." Yang said while looking at her Sacred Gear before putting it away, "Though, I don't feel any different…"
"Anyway, it doesn't matter. We should've been discovered as soon as we stepped in!" Kiba said as they ran up the steps. When they entered the Church, the RWBYs and Issei tried to ignore the shivers going down their spines as they continued forward. After a few minutes of running they approached the door to the Sanctuary. Ruby looked at her fellow Devils before she slowly opened the door. She peeked into the room before fully opening the door,
"And… it's empty." Yang said as they walked in, "Wow, this place is creepy."
"Still, don't let your guard down. Someone's here…" Kiba said. Blake's ear twitched as she heard footsteps coming from the back,
"Over there!" Blake and Koneko called out as they pointed towards the pillar,
"Oh my, splendid work." A familiar voice said as he walked out from behind the pillar, "Yo! It's a reunion~ It sure is heart moving!"
"The Shitty Priest!" Issei yelled out,
"Oh Hell, it's this guy." Weiss groaned as she aimed Myrtenaster at the "Priest",
"There hasn't been a Devil who's met me twice! Since I am extremely strong and I always defeat Devils the first time I meet them." Freed said, before glaring at the Devils, "But thanks to you guys, my policy got ruined. This won't do… it pisses me off…" He then stomped around childishly, "That means I want all of you to die! Just die already! Die, shitty Devil!"
"You're really starting to make me angry, you know that." Yang growled, "Look, I really don't care about you, we have bigger fish to fry so would you mind getting the Hell out of our way!?"
"Oh… you all came to save Asia-tan right?" Freed said with a smirk, "It would be better for a bitch like her, who would even save Devils, to die."
"YOU SHUT THE HELL UP!" Ruby yelled out,
"Where is Asia!?" Issei demanded,
"Hm. Oh, underneath that altar, there's a hidden staircase leading to the Underground Assembly Hall." Freed answered off-handedly, "She should be there."
"Oh. Thanks?" Yang… thanked the crazy guy, "You're surprisingly helpful."
"Meh, you're all gonna die anyway." Freed said as he pulled out his weapons,
"Ugh, we don't have time for this!" Ruby said as she readied Crescent Rose, "Asia's gonna die! We can't waste time!"
"Then we don't." Blake said, "We'll handle Freed, you and Issei go ahead and get to Asia."
"Are you sure?" Issei asked as he got out his Sacred Gear,
"Don't worry about us! Worry about your friend! Go!" Yang shouted out as they all charged at the "Priest", "Activate! Sacred Gear! BLOODLUST!" Yang yelled out, dramatically summoning her Sacred Gear,
"Come on, Issei!" Ruby said as the others distracted Freed, "We need to move!"
"Are you really sure?" Issei asked, not wanting to abandon the others,
"They're going to be fine, but Asia won't be soon. Let's go!" Ruby said as she went over to the altar to find the secret entrance. Issei looked at the others before he went over to help Ruby,
'Don't worry Asia! Just wait a little longer!' Ruby & Issei thought.
Save Game… Quit!
Whew! Done. I was actually going to go further but I don't know how to continue without starting a new chapter. Anyway, I might update this next week so stay tuned for that.
UknownHero signing off, my friends!