Okay, we're getting into the meaty stuff now. We've caught up to the plot. Oooooh, I can't fucking wait to reach the Kokabiel arc. Honestly, I've been waiting so fucking long for that shit, Jesus Christ, you have no idea. I MUST SATIATE MY LUST FOR CHAOS.

But, for now, this baby arc will have to do. I say "baby" arc because, even though I think it will be good, it can't compare to the Kokabiel arc. Also, it's probably gonna be shorter than that arc, lol? This one is probably gonna be like...two chapters? I mean, you could say that it technically started at the end of the last one, so if you want to count it then maybe it'd be two or three chapters. But I honestly doubt that this arc isn't gonna end in this chapter tbh.

WHICH MEANS, this might end up being a LONG chapter.

But we'll just have to see about that.


SCENE

"Too slow!"

BAM!

"Ah!"

The Fallen-Angel, Raynare, was sent flying and hit the ground after being hit by something. Or rather, someone.

"Your movements are still too slow and telegraphed. At least if you're going to telegraph your movements, then be fast enough so that the enemy can't react anyway. Otherwise, you have to execute attacks that seem unpredictable. You have a body that could handle any backlash from it, so push yourself more towards that."

The one who punched Raynare, and was giving her a critique on her combat abilities— was this generation's Sekiryuutei himself, Hyoudou Issei.

—For what had been almost two months, Issei would constantly train Raynare in a detached forest. That's right. He was training her himself, allowing her to become stronger under his tutelage.

Why? Well, the reason was obvious.

If Issei was going to leave someone like Asia, which he cared so deeply for, in someone else's care, then they'd best be capable of defending her. If not, there would be no point.

Raynare recovered from the attack by getting back onto her feet and spitting out a wad of blood, without changing expressions. Issei couldn't help but note to himself how resilient she had become in her time training with him.

"Now, come at me."

Issei motioned for Raynare to charge him. Raynare took action, and instead of charging him, spawned a light spear and shot it straight at Issei like a javelin.

Issei caught the bullet speed light spear with no trouble, right before it reached his face.

But the moment Issei caught the spear, Raynare followed his prior instruction without warning, and used her legs to propel her forward. However, she did not charge straight towards Issei. Rather, she boosted herself forward so that she could circle Issei and end up behind him.

Though she believed she was moving at an intense speed, Raynare didn't fail to notice that Issei's eyes were nonchalantly following her all the way around him, as if she was moving in slow motion for him.

Every time she realizes this fact, she is reminded of their difference in strength, and feels a chill run down her spine.

Zip!

Raynare finally halted when she was directly behind Issei, in his supposed blind spot. She instantaneously spawned two light spears in her hands to stab him, with the intent to kill.

Of course, Issei simply caught both of the spears headed into his back from behind, without even turning around or looking back.

"If you're not fast enough that I can't follow your movements with my eyes, then there's really no point in getting behind me, is there?"

Issei asked that in an unbothered manner, but Raynare responded despite expectations.

"Actually, there is..!"

Right then, without either of the two releasing their grip on the light spears, Raynare used said light spears as leverage and unexpectedly jumped to wrap her legs around Issei's neck from behind. It was essentially a similar move to the backwards "triangle choke".

Issei thought to himself in an interested manner about the surprising maneuver.

'Sankaku-jime… She's using the skills I taught her from Judo…'

[Hmph. A Fallen-Angel utilizing judo to fight in a mock battle with the Sekiryuutei.. To an existence like myself, it simply sounds like a joke.]

'It's only a joke if it doesn't work. In this instance…'

Issei hopped off the ground in a reverse motion, allowing himself to fall flat on his back against the ground, crushing Raynare beneath him.

'—It's not gonna work.'

Slam!

"Agh!"

Raynare cried out in pain from being smashed under Issei's weight. With that opening created by his retaliation, Issei flipped over and got on top of Raynare, with a knee to her stomach and a hand to her throat. While holding her in place, Issei commended Raynare.

"Not bad. It does you well to heed my advice, doesn't it? Keep it up and you'll be at a capable level before you know it."

In response, Raynare groaned and laid her head back, as if to accept her failure.

However, Issei's eyes narrowed upon seeing this, and his grip around Raynare's neck tightened.

"..What, are you just going to admit defeat? You think you can't win?"

Raynare panicked slightly at the unexpected tightening of Issei's grip. But Issei only brought his face closer to Raynare's, his eyes emitting a subtle, green light.

"..Listen, yeah? Defeat is a concept that only exists when you are dead. Until that point, you fight with every fiber of your being to win. Even if the enemy is stronger than you. Even if it may seem impossible. It's not over till it's over. Every enemy has an exploitable weakness. You're only defeated when you accept defeat… Or is your plan just to give up when you think you've lost, and let Asia die as a result of your actions?"

For a moment, Raynare did not respond to Issei's remarks.

But to Issei's surprise, after only a second of hesitation, Raynare took hold of the arm that was caught on her neck.

—Her eyes were burning like a fire, and she was growling like a beast.

And out of nowhere, she spawned a light spear with her free arm and brought it straight towards Issei's head.

ZIN!

….

But Issei caught Raynare's arm with his free hand before the attack could reach him.

"...That's enough for today."

Issei then released his grip on Raynare and stood up. Raynare followed soon after taking a breath. For some reason, Issei had a momentary smirk.

'...Out of all places, she was aiming for my eye… So she can react correctly when it matters.'

After Raynare wiped herself off, Issei gave her an in-depth "review" of sorts on her performance.

"That wasn't too bad. Your overall strength and speed have steadily been increasing. But it's still not good enough. We can't neglect your "javelin toss" or "sprint" training. Remember what I told you: if there's some part of you that's lacking, make up for it in another way. Since you can't fly, we'll just have to keep increasing the strength and speed in your legs, so that you can move around just as quickly. Speed would be easier to attain with flight, but you don't have wings anymore."

Raynare reacted to Issei's comment unintentionally, with an annoyed expression.

"...And whose fault do you think that is..?"

Upon hearing that, Issei scowled and directed his glare down to Raynare. She flinched, removing her gaze from his, and quickly lost her confidence.

"...I-It's my own.."

She just whispered that in a meek voice. After a few seconds, Issei also lost his anger and looked away from her.

"...It's both of ours... But there's nothing we can do about it now. It is what it is. We just have to make do with what you have left. A Fallen-Angel's body is still useful beyond its wings. If you can't fly, we just have to make you fast another way, like I said before… Agreed?"

"...Yeah."

There was a lingering silence after that short interaction had ended. It wasn't until Raynare made an off-handed comment that it was broken.

"...'A Fallen-Angel's body is still useful beyond its wings', huh…"

"What, you got a problem? Get your mind outta' the gutter, wouldja?"

"You were the one who implied it.."

"There was no implication. You assumed that there was, when it didn't even exist."

"..Is that so?"

"Yeah, it is... Damn Fallen-Angels. As I thought, you must all be dirty creatures."

"Can't help it. It's in our nature. I got kicked out of heaven for lust after all."

"Ha!"

Issei, surprisingly, stifled some laughter. He quickly regained his poker face of disinterest.

"..So that's what it was, huh."

For some reason, that caused Raynare's lip to curve into a smirk for just a moment.

"Yeah.."

After that, the temporary silence returned, and Raynare mulled over something to herself for a bit.

"Hey, Issei-sama.."

Out of curiosity, Raynare inquired Issei about a certain topic.

"Between me and the Devils… which do you think is stronger at this point?"

Issei thought for a moment before answering.

He held no reaction towards being called "Issei-sama", it was a reference which Issei himself suggested to Raynare that it was fine to do, after all. Although, it was the first time she had called him that..

"..I can't give a precise answer to that. The information I have on Rias and her servants' capabilities is sparse. I only know from what she has described. Things like her knight being the fast one, her little rook being the tough one, and Himejima being the all-rounder in second place… In terms of raw power, I think I can confidently estimate that Rias and her queen are likely both stronger than you. But if it comes down to her other servants, that's a coin toss. Combat effectiveness and abilities are two different things. For all I know, they could be powerful amateurs. In which case, I think with all of the techniques and tactics I've been teaching you recently, you could win. But I haven't seen them fight. I can't know something like that unless I see it. And that's probably because they aren't so powerful that they completely outclass you, so it's a close call to make."

"..I see… So when do you think I'll complete my training?"

To Raynare's question, Issei raised a dumbfounded brow.

"Hah? 'Complete'? There is no "completion" of training. Only an arrogant fool would slack off just because he thinks he's "strong enough" already. Stagnation is the road to defeat and death. We train until the day we die… Or is that too much for you to handle?"

Raynare scoffed and frowned.

"Hmph. As if.."

Satisfied with that answer, Issei turned and began walking away from Raynare.

"Good. I refuse to entrust Asia to a coward… Now, let's head back. Asia will be waking up soon. I need to cook breakfast before then. It's a school day after all."

"Right.."

With their training for the day reaching its conclusion, the two returned home, prepared for school, and continued with the rest of their seemingly average day.


Part 1

After school, at the Kuoh Academy's old school building.

Knock, knock!

A knock on the door of the Occult Research Clubroom. Akeno Himejima responded vocally to the knock.

"Come in."

Of course, the ones who entered were the trio of current Hyoudou residents. Akeno greeted them upon entrance, to which, only Asia and Raynare reciprocated.

"Ara, welcome back, you three."

"Hello!"

"..Hey."

Issei merely picked at his ear in disinterest, and promptly sat down on the empty sofa, across from Koneko Toujou (who was eating snacks) and Kiba Yuuto (who was reading a book). Asia and Raynare followed suit, with Asia sitting in between her two companions.

After sitting down, Issei happened to catch the gaze of Koneko, who was sitting on the couch directly across from him. The two exchanged a nod of the head, but no words. For a person who appreciates a quiet atmosphere the most, Issei found that someone like Koneko was the most comfortable person to sit in silence with.

Shortly following their mutual nod, Koneko wordlessly offered Issei a lollipop from the candy bag she was eating out of.

Issei didn't particularly like sweets, but he certainly didn't dislike them either. If anything, he considered it as a symbol of peace to offer or accept a sweet from someone. That's why, he decided to accept the lollipop with a nod of his head and started eating it. Koneko returned a nod to him, acknowledging his silent gratitude.

"Heh.."

Kiba giggled to himself. He found it amusing that, out of all of the club members, Koneko was the one who somehow ended up becoming good acquaintances with the abrasive Sekiryuutei. Especially considering that Issei still didn't have that much of a stellar relationship with the rest of the club.

When it comes to Kiba himself, Issei technically has nothing against him, but they have relatively nothing in common either. Issei had already made it clear that he found Kiba to be "boring", and "straight edge". Kiba would always make an attempt to be friendly with Issei, since he is the only other male club member, but Issei wasn't too responsive. Issei's replies to him are generally short and inconsequential. Things like "Yo, pretty boy", or "That so, Arthur?". Arthur, of course, being in reference to 'King Arthur'. Another snarky nickname Issei has branded Kiba with is "knight of the circular table". Referencing that Kiba is Rias's 'knight', and replacing "round" with "circular" in reference to the fact that Devils use magic circles for various purposes. Kiba couldn't deny the cleverness of the label. Besides, the most interesting interactions Kiba had with Issei usually involved Issei making a joke about him, so he shouldn't complain, he thought.

When it comes to Koneko, well, that should already be obvious. Out of all of the original club members, you could say that they are on best terms. Not many words exchanged between the two, but with virtually nothing against each other and a mutual understanding of each other's non-expressive tendencies, they had a "positive" relationship.

When it comes to Akeno, well… If there were any way to describe it, the two would be on "uncertain" terms. From appearances alone, it doesn't seem like they have anything against each other. However, from a certain angle, one can tell that they weren't on positive terms. There are many instances in which one can view subtle hints, from Akeno in particular, that she does not feel entirely comfortable with Issei. Though she smiles as she always does, she hesitates to answer questions from him, preferring for another club member to reply instead. She always pours Issei's tea last. And, most of all, if she and Issei ever meet each other's gaze, she will look away as if they'd never seen each other. Issei speculated, but never fully understood why this was the case. The only thing Issei noticed was that it first started immediately after he mentioned that she wasn't a pure Devil, and persisted from there.

When it came to Rias, you could call the relationship between the two as "the most complicated". Issei would never fail to ridicule, mock, or chide Rias on whatever subject. However, in that same way, Rias does not fail to deliver a rebuttal either. A great amount of their interactions would end up being a back and forth "slugfest" of insults. Issei would usually deliver the cutting remark, while Rias would immediately give a snarky or mischievous reply. Looking at it from an outside perspective, it might even look like some sort of competition. Nevertheless, they did not hate each other, at least. In fact, it could be said that only one of the two had a better perception of the other.

Speaking of Rias, Asia noted that Rias never reacted to their group entering the room.

"Rias-san?"

Asia called out to Rias, who seemed to be in a daze, looking off into nowhere.

"..Rias-san?"

Once again, Rias did not react to Asia's calls, as if she hadn't heard them at all. Issei, who finished eating his lollipop, took the lollipop stick and bent it. He then flicked it towards Rias's head.

Flick!

The stick harmlessly bounced off of Rias's forehead, but it still prompted a response from Asia.

"I-Ise-san, that's rude..!"

"What, I'm just checking if she's dead."

Rias rubbed the spot of her forehead that the stick bounced off of, snapping out of her daze, and then noticed the stick sitting on her desk.

"Look, she's alive. Too bad."

"Ise-san..!"

Asia chided Issei with a whisper. Soon enough, Rias shook her head in confusion.

"..What?"

"Ah, Rias-san!"

"..Oh, Asia. I didn't notice you three enter. What is it?"

"No, it's just… Is something wrong?"

"Eh?"

Rias realized it with Asia's concerned expression. Rias shook her head and seemingly returned to her usual attitude.

"Ah, no, of course not. I'm fine. I was just thinking of… No, it's nothing. Thank you for asking."

"...Is that so?"

Asia felt uncertain about Rias's response, but decided not to question it further. Issei didn't care to question it either. But it wouldn't be accurate to say that he didn't mentally note it.

"Buchou."

Akeno approached Rias's desk and whispered in her ear. Rias then made a face of realization.

"..Oh, is that right? You must have been waiting on me. I'm sorry."

Rias stood up after receiving whatever information she did, and she cleared her throat.

"Ahem. —Ise, Asia, Raynare. My peerage and I have some official business to attend to. The "violent" type. As a result, we'll have to depart here. You can all go home today."

Upon hearing Rias's announcement, Issei rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Ugh, what a waste of time… Well, not that we do anything else here, huh. Come on, let's go, Asia, Raynare."

Issei stood up to leave, with Asia and Raynare about to follow. That was, until Rias added onto her previous statement.

"..Unless, you three would like to join us?"

Issei halted mid-step. He tilted his head back in a slightly interested manner.

"..Join you for what, Ichigo?"

'Ichigo' was one of the various nicknames that Issei had given Rias, in reference to her head being red like a 'strawberry'. To Rias, nicknames were an affectionate gesture, and she would annoy Issei with that perception, which he vehemently denied.

—That aside, Rias crossed her arms and smirked when Issei questioned her.

"I knew that you would be interested so long as I snuck the word "violent" in there."

"Just shut up and tell us already, G-spot."

That was Rias's least favorite nickname. Vulgar, and disrespectful to her family's "G" initial, which it made fun of. Issei knows this, which is probably why he said it.

Rias said it after losing her smile.

"Ugh.. What I mean is that we will now be departing to dispatch of a Stray Devil that was spotted here in Kuoh. And I was asking if you three perhaps wanted to join us."

"Join you? For what? You need help? I'm not an errand boy."

"No, not for your help, Ise. If it were you, I'm sure that you could handle it all on your own… Rather than help, I wanted to see if you were interested in observing us."

"An observation?"

"Yes. Until this point, Ise, you have never had the chance to see how combat works for us Devils. Or, at least not for a proper peerage of Devils. That's why, being a seemingly skilled fighter such as yourself, I assumed that you would perhaps be interested in watching the way we do things. To observe the teamwork of Devils. How about it?"

Normally, Issei might have declined such an offer. His response would predictably come out to "I'm not interested in shitty Devil tactics, I can fight better than all of you". However, this time, it was an entirely different response.

Instead, Rias's offer was met with a silent consideration from Issei.

'...Watch how a Devil peerage fights, huh?...'

For some reason, during his contemplation, Issei's eyes slid over to Raynare who was sitting on the couch, unaware of his gaze.

…After a few moments of silence, Issei shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright, sure. Show us how the little Gremory "heiress" does it, or whatever."

When Rias heard Issei's challenging reply, she smiled confidently.

"Very well. We shall."


Somewhere in Kuoh, outside of what looked to be a construction site, a magic circle appeared on the ground and revealed a few figures from it.

Shiin!

When the light of the magic circle died down, the entirety of the ORC appeared in front of that place, including the Hyoudou residents.

"Hmph. Looks like ya actually managed to transport others than just your little slaves, huh, Rias."

Right out of the gate, Issei gave a snide remark about Rias's magical capability. Rias only responded with a confident smile.

"Yes, that's right. After receiving your criticism in the past, I decided that I wasn't going to stand for it. That's why I dedicated myself to improving my magical control so that even those who are not a part of my peerage can teleport, without being forced to use a preparation blood circle. So now, I am able to create one that can transport us all on the fly! You should praise me. It took me quite a bit of time and effort to master this. It's truly a High-Class ability, transporting non-peerage members. Especially this number of them. I'm sure if I wasn't a Gremory, it would've taken me years to accomplish this, not months. Impressive, isn't it?"

Issei scoffed at Rias's expectancy to praise. He said it in a mocking way.

"Hah. Many actions that you take in life will go unappreciated, Ichigo-chan. You just have to learn to deal with that. If anything, a "prodigy" like yourself should be treating it like it's something that's expected of you, not exceptional."

Rias frowned at his statement.

"..Every Good effort deserves to be rewarded even once in a while, Ise. Otherwise, it's just unfair."

Issei shrugged.

"Life is unfair."

Even at this point in their relationship, Rias could only imagine what sorts of trials or tribulations that Issei experienced in order to develop such a hardened mindset. Nevertheless, Rias was largely unaffected, and walked briskly towards the inside of the construction site.

"One day I'll break through that hard, cold shell of yours, Ise."

Issei scoffed again as the rest of the ORC followed Rias's lead.

"Hmph.. No, I don't think you will, Ichigo-chan."

Even though Issei had a less than entertained expression on his face, his eyes were especially hollow as he thought to himself.

'...A shell, huh…'

—After making it further inside the construction site, the ORC reached a place that resembled a dirt pit. A wide, but not very deep, pit.

"A pit? But there are no tools or vehicles."

Kiba made that observation while looking around. Just as he said, there were no digging tools or vehicles around that could have created this pit. Moreover, Issei made another interesting observation while looking at the ground.

"..It was recently created too… Brand new."

GOGO

Just as the peculiar discoveries were being made, the more attentive listeners of the ORC heard a strange noise coming from somewhere. Those better listeners being Issei, Koneko, and the newly trained Raynare.

"..It's here."

Koneko stated it plainly, but her guard was up. Likewise, Issei was also aware of the Stray's presence, but even more so.

"..."

Without saying a word, Issei moved his eyes towards a certain direction. The moment he did, sounds of metal dropping were heard.

Din, Dun!

"..Found you."

The rest of the club members then directed their attention towards the place that Issei was staring at. Rias stepped in front of the group to announce their awareness of the Stray's presence.

"We know you're there. Come on out."

Following Rias's announcement, more sounds of metal clanging and then a large thud. And with that, a tall body crashed in front of the ORC.

DON!

Before the ORC, the Stray landed. When it stood upright, the Stray was revealed to be a large creature, over three meters tall, and with multiple arms. Six arms, to be precise. And each arm was almost as large as the Stray's entire torso. A grotesque, large, creature with veins throbbing over its whole body.

At this point, Issei didn't even care to feel disgusted anymore. He's seen worse, he's killed worse. Though he didn't fail to note that it reminded of a certain figure from an eastern mythology.

But if what Rias told him about mythologies was true, then he should refrain from making any comparisons, as to avoid offending such a being.

"Greetings, Stray Devil, 'Alkassa'. I am Rias Gremory of the Gremory clan. I would say that it is a pleasure to meet you, but formalities can only go so far. Truthfully, I feel disgusted."

The Stray Devil, Alkassa's, voice came out in an almost distorted manner, as most Stray Devils do.

"Kuku.. Gremory, is it? So they've sent the big dog of the Satans? I'm honored. Or rather, I expected this. It would take more than just mere Devil-dogs to scatter me."

"You shouldn't flatter yourself. It's simply a coincidence that I was assigned to this territory and it's my responsibility to exterminate you. Or should I say, it's just your bad luck that you were stuck with a Gremory like me."

Alkassa laughed at Rias's comment.

"Kukuku.. Interesting. Rather than kill you, I should tear you limb from limb with care. It's too rare that you meet a Gremory in times like these, let alone the heiress to the clan. I shall end your bloodline with this—"

"—Oy."

Issei interrupted the short dialogue between Rias and Alkassa. He was picking at his ear, not only in boredom, but also in severe irritation.

"...Why the fuck do Devils bother with this sort of talk? You're enemies, aren't you? Kill each other. I see no point in wasting time like this."

Rias attempted to explain the logic to Issei in a tone that suggested he was the odd one out.

"It's a formality, Ise. Without these sorts of traditions, we're nothing but brutes and savages."

"Excessive violence is what makes someone a brute. It's based on actions. Language does not change that. Whether you speak or not, you will be a brute if you are brutal. And in the end, one or both of you will die anyway. So other than wasting time, what are you accomplishing?"

"...It keeps us civilized, Ise."

"What worth does civility have to something that you're going to kill?"

"Because, Ise, it… Ugh, I swear, you're incorrigible sometimes.."

Alkassa, the Stray Devil itself, gave Issei an amused expression.

"Kukuku… Though I am a Devil, I can somewhat agree. You, you aren't a Devil, are you? You certainly don't smell it."

"I'm no Devil, I'm human. Though, I'd say I'm much worse than normal humans..."

"Kuku, is that so? Well, to answer your question, I'd say that an exchange of dialogue is nothing more than entertainment. To keep my interest until I kill my prey. I don't want to be bored after all. Otherwise, it's meaningless, just like you said."

Issei smirked in a condescending manner.

"Heh. Honestly, I find it even more unbelievable that a monster would bother with formalities, instead of just finding entertainment in ripping people apart."

Alkassa looked even more amused by Issei's comment.

"Kukuku.. The way you say that, it's as if you understand it… It's interesting, that look in your eyes. You certainly give off a different feeling than most humans. The fact that you are around Devils is also odd… Tell me something, human… What exactly do you know about monsters?"

Alkassa asked that while leaning forward a bit, a menacing aura surrounding his large figure, as if trying to intimidate Issei and his group.

Asia hid behind Raynare, clearly being the only one who was afraid. The rest of the ORC looked generally unfazed. Issei, on the other hand…

"...Haha, what do I know, huh?..."

..His smile widened in a somewhat twisted way.

—Though, from the perspective of Alkassa, Issei's face was obscured in darkness. And his right eye was glowing in a red light, piercing through the shadows, and Alkassa's own soul.

"..Perhaps far more than you do, Devil.."

[—?!]

In one swift, unconscious movement, the Stray Devil Alkassa distanced himself from the ORC.

DON!

The Stray landed with a loud thud. From the looks of it, Alkassa was completely on guard now, causing Issei to snicker casually.

"Heh, so even monsters have instincts, huh."

"..You aren't human."

Alkassa stated it in a cautious manner, but Issei simply laughed it off.

"Ha! Maybe not."

Rias, who was observing from the side, felt that she had become accustomed to the idea that Issei was a frightening existence. After all, she had been intimidated by him before, and he is the Sekiryuutei. She understands the powerful, oppressive feeling he gives off very well.

Even so, it still amazed her that even a Stray Devil, which could be considered akin to a mindless beast, was terrified of him.

That aside, she had a job to do. And as Issei said before, they were now just wasting time. Rias cleared her throat to break up the atmosphere.

"Ahem. —Now then. Stray Devil Alkassa, you needn't worry yourself with Ise. Your enemy is us, Devils of Gremory. Ise is only here to observe."

"...So my enemy is just Gremory, is it?"

Alkassa noticed the small gap between Issei and his fellow household residents, and the Devils of the ORC. He then laughed upon realizing it.

"Kukuku… Kakaka! I see, I see. So then you are the main course? Very well. This much, I can deal with. Kuku.. Honestly, someone like me feeling so challenged, how ridiculous. Well, if it's just these Devil brats, I can handle them."

Alkassa pointed his finger towards Issei.

"That being said, I still plan to kill you. For some reason, I have the feeling that you are an existence that shouldn't be allowed to live. You are too dangerous. Even a monster like me can recognize it. That's why, after killing this Devil royalty, I will kill you next."

"Haha, you and every other Stray has shared the same sentiment towards me. [A monster like you cannot be allowed to live], I've heard it so much that it's a joke to me. But, you know…. Every Stray that I have come across who's said that— No, every Stray I've crossed paths with in general… They've all died, you know?"

Though he started it in an amused tone, Issei's attitude shifted into a more threatening one by the end of his statement. Alkassa acted as if he was unaffected.

"Well, it doesn't matter right now. I'll kill these rodents quickly. Then I'll dispose of the real threat."

Rias moved her lips in an annoyed manner, clearly irritated by Alkassa's comment.

"So you're implying that we aren't to your existence? How rude. I suppose we'll have to change that opinion of yours."

"Kuku, try as you may, Gremory. In the end, I will only erase you."

"Ara, how becoming of you. You've stolen my favorite line."

—The moment that exchange ended, the fight between Gremory and Alkassa began, with the Gremory servants taking up some sort of formation.

While that was happening, Issei asked a question to Raynare beside him, without turning to her.

"Raynare. Tell me, was he telling the truth?"

Raynare was confused by the random question, but she quickly caught on after a second of thought. She was being tested.

"...No, he's lying. The moment he kills the Gremory, he'll run. You can tell by his body language."

"Correct. Keep it up."

Raynare thought to herself with a grim mindset.

'...Of course he would run.. Even a monster knows that facing you means certain death… The only stupid part of him is thinking that he can actually escape..'

Meanwhile, the battle between Gremory and monster had just begun.

Slam!

Alkassa slammed two of his arms into the ground and quickly pulled them out. When he did, two mounds of dirt turned into stones in his hands. He tossed the stones straight at Rias.

"I'll aim for the leader first!"

"—Koneko."

However, Koneko jumped in front of Rias at her master's command.

"K-Koneko-san!"

Asia cried out in worry, but once the stones reached Koneko..

DON, DON!

The stones were smashed to bits by Koneko's fists.

"..Dirt rocks are easy to break.."

Koneko said it in a flat tone, seemingly taking no damage from the attacks. Rias then commanded her servants further.

"Those extra appendages of his are going to be a problem. His height is troublesome as well. I'd say bring him down to our level, so we can speak properly. Tear me limb from limb with care, is that what you said? How ironic. —Kiba, Koneko."

" "Yes, Buchou." "

Both Kiba and Koneko immediately charged Alkassa once Rias ordered them to. Rias explained it with confidence while her servants fought.

"As you know, Koneko is my [Rook]. This means that she is granted great physical capability. Strength and durability, in particular. She is the epitome of offense and defense. Now that you've seen it, I'm sure you won't judge her based on her appearance any longer, will you?"

ZIN ZIN ZIN!

"Gaaah!"

The sound of something being sliced followed Rias's speech, along with a howl of pain, and a plopping noise.

Thud, thud, thud!

Three entire arms of Alkassa had fallen by the wayside, one of them even falling by Rias, who remained unfazed. The one who had severed these arms was none other than Kiba.

"Kiba, my [Knight]. His specialty is simple, speed. Add to that, his swordsman skills, and you have a wind that cuts you down before you know it. You once asked me exactly how fast he was, Ise. Now you can see it for yourself."

Issei replied in a disappointed tone.

"That's it? Raynare is faster."

Rias frowned while looking back at Issei.

"..I find that hard to believe."

"Believe it. It's true."

Rias furrowed her brows. Truth or not, she found it odd that Issei was defending Raynare of all people. Moreover, how could Kiba be slower, she wondered. Raynare doesn't even have wings.

The battle continued, with Kiba removing even more of Alkassa's limbs. Two of them. Now, the Stray had only one remaining arm.

ZIN ZIN!

"Guaaaaah!"

Alkassa roared in pain, but before he could react any further, Koneko appeared beside his legs. With a few harsh punches, she was able to break both legs, causing Alkassa to fall to his knees.

DON!

The Stray fell with a loud thud, and Rias called upon her final servant.

"Akeno."

"Ara Ara, it looks like it's my turn, ufufu."

Akeno walked forward with her usual smile. Rias explained it as Akeno approached the fallen Stray.

"Akeno is my [Queen]. The strongest servant. The Queen, instead of being restricted to one ability, is the all-rounder of a peerage. She has the abilities of Bishop, Rook, and Knight. Overall, she is the most powerful, and most balanced piece. Though, Akeno, in particular, is a "special case" amongst queens."

While approaching the grounded Stray Devil, Akeno's expression gradually began to shift, the closer and closer she got.

"Ufufufu… Please forgive me if I do something unsightly.. It's been a while."

Akeno's hands sparked. There was a yellow colored aura that danced around her fingers.

"Akeno is a sadist. And her specialty as a Queen is thunder."

At that moment, Akeno raised her arms, and a large strike of thunder descended upon the Stray Devil's body.

BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ!

"GAAAAAAAAH!"

Akeno's thunder struck Alkassa's body relentlessly. Even when it seemed like he couldn't resist, the thunder strikes continued. And during that time, Akeno laughed.

"Ufufufu! Please try not to give up! It will become boring if you do!"

BUZZ BUZZ, BUZZ!

"GAAAAAAAH!"

Raynare whispered to Issei while this was happening.

"That's sadistic? If that's it, what does that make you? I think you've been more sadistic to a piece of raw meat."

"..Right?"

Though Issei agreed, the combination of the words "sadistic" and "raw meat" did bring up some gruesome memories in Issei's mind.

"That's enough, Akeno!"

Rias called out in a voice that was loud enough to hear over the clapping thunder. Akeno ceased her strikes upon command, her face flushed and licking her own lips.

"Ara, ufufufu… And I was just having fun too.."

Rias turned her head to Issei again, this time with a prideful smile.

"Now you've seen how a Devil peerage fights, Ise. What do you think? An opinion from such an impressive existence like you, the Sekiryuutei, is important."

Issei smirked in response to Rias's inquiry.

"Heh. Yeah, yeah, it's ve~ry impressive, Icihigo-chan. As a master, you must be so proud of your little servants, huh."

Rather than act offended, Rias smiled.

"Yes, that's right. I'm proud of my cute little servants. I'm very proud of this peerage.. The Gremory peerage…. And of course, I'm proud to be a Gremory as well…"

"Hmm?"

For some reason, Rias's voice faded off into a murmur, and her expression became vacant. In only a moment, she was lost in her thoughts. Her expression almost looked...melancholic.

Gogo...

Issei's impressive instincts picked up on something. His ears caught onto the sound of something moving, like a subtle twitch.

The direction he looked to was beside Rias, where one of Alkassa's severed arms had fallen.

"...Hoh?"

Sizzle..

The body of Alkassa, which was releasing strings of smoke, twitched in a peculiar manner. After a few seconds, it became apparent that he was laughing.

"Kukuku… Kakakakaka! Idiots! I can control my arms even when they're separated from my body!"

"Wha.."

[—?!]

Kiba yelled back after realizing it.

"Buchou, watch out!"

GOGO!

—Rias was snapped back to reality with Kiba's shout, and the severed arm behind her had suddenly launched towards her.

DON!

But before the arm could make contact, Issei appeared beside Rias and deflected the attack with the back of his fist. The deflection was set with such force that the top half of the severed arm's palm was easily destroyed.

Thud!

"...I.. T-Than—"

Rias couldn't express her gratitude before all of the severed arms around the pit began attacking her and her peerage.

GOGOGOGO!

And the second chaos ensued, Alkassa charged up his one attached arm and used the strength in it to make an attempt to escape.

"Nyahahahahaha! Take that, Gremory! You won't be getting me today! I'm a survivor! I'll escape and live to see another day, just like I always have!"

Alkassa, using the strength in his arm, launched himself in an attempt to jump onto a building under construction, and escape.

TON!

"Nyahahahahahaha!"

Alkassa laughed maniacally in midair, believing himself to have escaped. But that laughter was cut short, because the building before him had a figure already standing where he would soon arrive.

"Ahahahaha— Eh?"

It was Issei. He was already standing in the place Alkassa would have landed in.

"Ah."

—Time slowed down for Alkassa. Seconds felt like they had suddenly become minutes, and what should've been a swift landing, was now more akin to a slow motion glide.

For some reason, he couldn't remove his eyes from the form of Issei ahead of him. Issei's silhouette, which was illuminated by a construction light from behind, despite having a shadowy appearance, there was something calming about its stillness. It was like gazing upon something ethereal.

The shape of the being that was going to end you, end everything that you are, you once were, and ever will become, there was something oddly captivating about it.

Once Alkassa could finally make out those eyes in the darkness of the silhouette, not red, but green, shimmering eyes— once he laid eyes upon those, Alkassa felt the need to close his own.

He understood now, why Issei had told him that talking to one's prey was meaningless.

Every moment before deathis silent.

BAAAM!

—And with one kick of Issei's leg, the top half of the Stray Devil's large torso was eradicated. In one moment, the Stray Devil known as "Alkassa", disappeared from existence. And the leftover body crashed down to the ground far below.

DOOON!

The moment that the body made contact with the ground, all of the severed arms ceased their movements and fell limp.

"..Are you alright, Asia?"

Raynare, who protected Asia from one of the severed arms with her light spear, asked Asia that.

"Y-Yes... Thank you, Raynare-san.."

"..Yeah."

Raynare removed her light spear from the dead arm, with sweat running down her face, and shaky hands.

—It was the first time she had protected Asia from anything that was a legitimate threat. And she did it without even thinking.

"Oy."

Issei, who had descended from the construction building, approached Asia and Raynare. For some reason, Raynare felt nervous.

"Are you okay, Asia?"

"Y-Yes, Ise-san.."

Issei walked past the two of them, but not without briefly placing a hand on Raynare's shoulder and whispering to her.

"Good job."

He walked away, towards Rias and her servants, without saying anything else. Though it was ever so subtle, Raynare felt a small sense of pride in herself.

"Are you unharmed, Buchou?"

"..Yes, Yuuto, I'm fine."

The Devils noticed Issei approaching them, and Rias tried to express her gratitude to him again.

"Ise, thank you, you saved me… You… I was.."

Rias could think of nothing more to say. Issei's expression, though it looked bored on the outside, Rias felt she could only interpret as disappointment. Perhaps because she was disappointed in herself.

"..."

Issei didn't say a word to Rias. After staring silently at her for a few seconds, he walked away without a sound. Rias felt the desire to call out to him, but her words were caught in her throat and never escaped.

"Let's go, you two."

Issei quickly returned to Asia and Raynare and motioned for them to follow. The two girls followed him without question.

Rias wanted to call out to the group, but out of shame, she couldn't bring herself to do it..

—While walking home, Issei mentioned an earlier subject to Raynare.

"Raynare."

"..What is it?"

"You're stronger than all of them."

"..!"

Raynare was surprised to hear Issei's declaration.

"..Even more powerful than Rias and her queen?"

"No.."

"Eh?"

Issei clarified while keeping his deadpan expression straight ahead of him.

"...But you are stronger."


Part 3

"Neh, neh, Yuuma-san? Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Do you have any boys that you like right now? I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours!"

"Hey, have any guys hit on you since you've transferred? If the two perverts hit on you, just tell us. We'll make sure the kendo club takes care of it."

Raynare released an exasperated sigh, finding her attempt at shutting out the world to be futile.

—It's a fairly "normal" morning in Kuoh Academy, much to Raynare's dismay. She has been attending the school for a few days and already she's been constantly bombarded with random students' questions, daily. Even now, her desk is surrounded by female students she doesn't recognize, throwing countless annoying questions at her that she couldn't bother to answer.

In all of her life, she has never found humans so unbearable.

But, for the sake of Asia, she has to try her best to keep her composure. If Asia realizes that she hates interacting with humans for no reason, she'll assume that Raynare hates school entirely. That would only make Asia sad.

So, she'll have to deal with it. But if it isn't an infuriating experience..

"Hey, hey, hey, girls. Break it up, let her breath, will you?"

While Raynare was dreading her current situation, two girls cut through the group in front of her. One girl with short, pink hair, and another with brown hair tied into a ponytail.

"Alright, you all. Break it up, disperse, let us talk with her, will ya?"

Thankfully for Raynare, the group of girls dispersed quickly. Unfortunately, she now was obligated to interact with these two new girls she's never met.

The girl with pink hair introduced herself to Raynare first.

"Hey, hope they weren't bothering you too much. I'm Katase, nice to meet you."

"...Ah, no, not much. Thanks."

Of course, they were actually bothering Raynare very much. But, it's probably best if she doesn't say that. Katase extended a hand to Raynare and Raynare shook it.

"I'm.."

"Amano Yuuma, right? Pretty much everyone knows you now."

"..Ah, that so?"

"And I'm Murayama, hi~."

The brown haired girl introduced herself next with a hand shake. Raynare shook hers as well, wondering why she was now stuck with these two after losing the other girls.

"So, you, Asia, and Hyoudou must be good friends, right? You're always walking to school and back with them. You live near each other?"

Out of curiosity, Katase asked Raynare that. Raynare, who was a bit hesitant to answer, glanced at Asia beside her. Asia maintained a quiet and shy attitude. She wasn't the best when it came to more "outgoing" people, she was still getting used to it.

"...Uh, well.. Asia and I live with each other."

To that reply, Katase and Murayama both made shocked expressions.

"What?! You mean you live with Hyoudou too?!"

"Ah."

Raynare then realized that it must have been common knowledge that Asia lived with Issei. Honestly, that made things easier.

" Oh, yeah, I do. We all live together."

At that moment, Katase and Murayama both whipped their heads towards Issei, who was mindlessly staring out of a window.

[Partner, those two women from what you call "kendo" are looking at you.]

'I know, Ddraig, I'm doing a thing called "ignoring" them.'

"Hey, Hyoudou, don't ignore us!"

Katase and Murayama shoved their faces into Issei's personal space, forcing him to acknowledge their presence.

"...Ah, Katase, Murayama. Didn't notice you."

"How come every transfer student is getting sent to your house?! Do you own some type of student exchange home or something?!"

"Right out of the gate, huh.."

Issei sighed. It was going to be annoying when word would spread about Raynare's current home. It's even more annoying to deal with these two right now. They are what you would call, the "persistent type".

"..Look, it's basically just a coincidence. Asia came from Italy a couple months ago and had nowhere to stay. We bumped into each other and the rest was history. As for R… Yuuma. Uh, well, she came from a different place too, but under weird-er circumstances. She was from..up north. And then she came to Kuoh with no prospects, we met by accident, and I offered her a place to stay. End of story."

[You certainly brushed over some vital details. Also, "up north", quite the jest, partner.]

On the outside, Katase and Murayama acted as one unit, sharing a reaction of skepticism. Katase leaned in closer to Issei, her eyes narrowed.

"Hmm… Quite the coincidence, meeting two transfer students who didn't have a place to go and asking them to stay at your place… It's almost like they were actually your girlfriends from afar or something?"

"G-Girlfriend..?!"

Asia, who had been silent up until now, developed a flushed face in the background. Issei rolled his eyes at Katase's hypothesis.

"Knock it off, will ya? They needed a place to stay, I offered. End of story…. Besides, it's not like we don't have any room anyway.."

Issei finished that by resting his chin on his palm and returning his gaze to the window. Katase was able to pick up on that hint.

"..Oh, right… Sorry.."

Issei just shrugged.

"..It's fine."

Just as Katase and Murayama were looking at each other awkwardly, a more vibrant personality came in to destroy their atmosphere.

"Yaho~, I heard someone say "girlfriend", so as a result, I have arrived according to your summons."

The miscellaneous character that appeared was the perverted glasses wearing girl, Aika Kiryuu. Katase and Murayama didn't look too amused with her appearance, Murayama expressing it verbally.

"No one 'summoned' you, "lady megane-chan". Honestly, do you just appear whenever anybody mentions anything related to dating?"

Murayama meant it as a jab, but Kiryuu smiled proudly.

"Of course I do. It's a subject I know much about after all. More importantly, I heard Asia's voice repeating the word "girlfriend", and if it's to do with Asia, then you can be rest assured that I'm there. Isn't that right, Asia—"

Kiryuu turned around to face Asia, but she caught Raynare's gaze first. Raynare was not giving her a friendly smile, to say the least.

"..Ah, hello again."

Kiryuu tried to greet Raynare with a handshake, but Raynare didn't take it. She just stared at her, which made Kiryuu feel awkward on the inside. The two had met once before, but Raynare refused to greet or interact with Kiryuu at that time too. For whatever reason, Raynare does not seem to like Kiryuu much.

Kiryuu retracted her hand and acted as if nothing happened, instead returning her attention to Asia.

"Anyway, if it's advice about boyfriends you need, I'm your gal. Asia, you particularly require such a thing, don't you? After all, you are aiming for—"

"—Waah! N-No, don't say it!"

Asia covered Kiryuu's mouth before she could continue, causing her voice to be reduced to a muffled sound in Asia's palms.

"..Even when her mouth is covered, she still talks… It's like her mouth is a speakerphone or something."

"Can you mute it?"

Katase and Murayama remarked to each other. Issei rolled his eyes again at all of their antics. He always wondered why it couldn't just be peaceful and quiet. That's why he prefers being with Asia and Koneko the most. Asia is used to his silence and feels comfortable with it. Koneko is already a quiet person, so it was easy just to sit with her and say nothing. Hell, even Raynare is more pleasant to deal with, since she doesn't talk much either.

Then again, Raynare just became oddly similar to Issei ever since she started living with Asia and him. Not that it bothers him. If anything, it makes things easier.

"..Um, hey, Hyoudou?"

Issei's train of thought was interrupted by Murayama. She was messing with her fingers in a bashful manner, with Katase acting a similar way behind her.

"Y-You go to the same club as Rias-senpai, don't you?"

"..Yeah, that's right. Why?"

"..No, well… It's just, um… A few of us girls have noticed recently that Rias-senpai is acting, um, weird, lately? Or something like that. I mean, she still greets everybody in a nice way, if we say good morning.. But, uh, she also looks..different, sometimes."

Katase leaned forward and gave her input as well.

"Sad. She looks sad."

"Uh, yeah, kinda.. She just looks like she's always thinking about something. Something unpleasant, maybe? I don't know. Maybe we're assuming too much… I know it's not our place to ask, but we wanted to see if you could, you know, check up on her? You're a reliable guy, I think. So maybe you'll be able to figure it out, if you ask..?"

Issei made an expression of annoyance. "Reliable guy"? It must have been Kiryuu who convinced them of something like that. So she is causing trouble for him after all.

"Hah? Just ask her yourself. What am I, her slave?"

The implication of that phrase was probably lost on anyone that wasn't Asia or Raynare. But Katase still contested Issei's point.

"But you go to the same club as her! Surely you can try to do something about it! Or at the very least, just ask!"

"Hell no, I couldn't be bothered."

Issei scratched his neck in an uninterested manner, while Katase and Murayama glared at him. But Asia seemed to agree with the duo's sentiment.

"..But, I am also worried. Rias-san has been, um, absent-minded lately… I think that it may be bad for her safety, if it stays this way.."

Asia said that with a certain implication while looking at Issei.

"See! Even Asia is saying the same thing! Now you have to do something about it, right?!"

Even though Katase was yelling it in Issei's face, he refused to make eye contact with her. Instead, he glanced towards Asia, who had a worried face.

"..."

He clicked his tongue and turned away.

"Tch… Yeah right… Not my problem."

Katase and Murayama simultaneously frowned at Issei's response. Asia, not being able to shake off the worry, was also frowning in the background. Raynare only took care to notice Asia's reaction, and pondered over it herself.

Issei ignored the rest of the world as it continued moving, preferring to lose himself in his own thoughts.

—To lose oneself in thought, to become "distant", distracted.

Was there ever a time when Issei lost himself so deeply in thought that he wasn't able to react to something dangerous? That's never happened, so far as he knows. Perhaps it's because he has the instincts of a dragon, but even when he was a child, he was never so foolish. Was he..?

No, that's wrong… There was one time.

The day he lost his eye. That day, he was distracted by his thoughts.

He was too concerned with sparing the lives of the many brainwashed Genesis members to realize that he was being aimed at. By the moment he realized it, he had already lost his eye, and there was a hole in his face and brain.

A thought which should've been inconsequential to him, ended up costing him his eye and a piece of his brain.

—All because he was too concerned with the thought of disappointing the woman he loved.

….

….

He remembered the way Rias reacted to his snide remark about her peerage.

("..I'm very proud of this peerage.. The Gremory peerage…. Of course, I am proud to be a Gremory as well…")

….

..Perhaps she is dealing with a situation that could've been similar, in some way..?

….

Well, it wasn't really Issei's problem, was it?


—Later, the same night.

"I will take a bath first then. Would you like to join me, Raynare-san?"

"..Sure."

Asia and Raynare decided to take a bath ahead of Issei, leaving him to think to himself in his room. He sat down at his desk, where his newly purchased desktop computer was at, and leaned back in his swivel chair.

For some reason, he couldn't get today's subject regarding a certain crimson haired Devil out of his head. It was nagging him.

But why? Was it because he considered the idea of her and Issei's circumstances somehow being similar? He knew they weren't. From what he can piece together, it has to do something with her family? If that's the case, then they are in no way similar. Issei went through something like that due to the person he loved. It wasn't because of family.

So then why, if he realizes the contrast, does it bother him still? Perhaps he pities her? After all, even Devils have instincts. The fact that those instincts of hers can be overcome simply by distracting thoughts, perhaps it was something to pity. She is still a novice, it seems.

...But that wasn't it either. It wasn't that Issei pitied her. That couldn't be it, because it implied that he saw her as "pathetic" for it. That wasn't true. He didn't. He wasn't sure why, but he just didn't. So then what is it? Why wouldn't he be able to just ignore it?

Even today in the clubroom, after school, he caught himself glancing over at the bratty Devil woman. She was particularly distant this day. There was even a point when she spoke privately to Himejima in another room, only to return with a bit of nervousness added to her demeanor. Though it was subtle, Issei was perceptive enough to notice it. It was like looking at someone who was running out of time. Comparable to...desperation.

But even still, Issei doesn't understand why he cares. If he doesn't relate to her, and he doesn't pity her like a fool, then why? Why can't he get it out of his head?

….Was this simply a pure sense of sympathy?

"...Tch."

Issei leaned even further back into his swivel chair, allowing him to get a full view of his white ceiling above him.

'...Who am I becoming?..'

[Is it such a bad thing, to sympathize with a Devil?]

'..It's not my style..'

[That church girl is changing you, partner.]

For some reason, Issei let out an unconscious laugh.

"Haha!"

There was a fond smile on his face.

'...History repeats itself, huh…'

But soon, that smile faded off into a sad frown.

"...Church girl..?"

—Although the ceiling above his head was a blank white, he was still able to make a face out of it.

A face that he so dearly longed to see again.

"...What would you want me to do…?"

….

….

And then, there was light.

SHIIN!

(—?!)

Right behind Issei's chair, a magic circle appeared on the floor. Perhaps because he was lost in thought, he didn't sense it preemptively, and instead noticed the light first.

Ironic.

"...That seal is.."

A magic circle bathed in crimson light, and a beautiful form that appeared with crimson locks. There was no doubt about who. Rather, the question was the same as always.

"...Why?"

When the light faded away, the woman with crimson hair spoke.

"...Ise.."

She uttered his name, her face stuck with an expression of resignation.

But what exactly could she have resigned herself to?

"...Gremory…."

Due to surprise, and an old habit, Issei acknowledged the Devil— Rias, with her surname instead.

To this, Rias lowered her head, masking her expression from him.

"...That's right."

"..?"

Issei was still recovering from his initial shock, and as such, he had no reaction to her currently ambiguous attitude.

Nevertheless, Rias..

"...Ise."

..unexpectedly approached Issei, backing him up to his desk. He was quickly cornered.

And then she uttered the most unintelligible line.

"...Make love to me."

.

.

.

.

.

.

"...Hah?"


End

Alright, everyone. Get your reviews out while you can. You have a limited amount of time. Why? Well, my long-time fans may know... All I can say for now is: review quickly. You don't have very long..

What do you think of Issei's decision to train Raynare? What did you think about the encounter with Alkassa?

And by far the most interesting questions: What do you think is going to happen next chapter? What is Issei going to do about a certain situation concerning a certain character next chapter?

Read, Rate, Review go crazy, hurry.

You're about to freeze for a sec.