Chapter 3: Confrontation and Revelations

"Whenever you're in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude." William James

Scene: Hyoudou Residence

Upon arriving home, Issei simply sets the pizzas on the table while Kishibe's back is turned, speedwalking upstairs to change clothes before he notices the gaping holes in his shirt that have been stained with his blood. He almost runs into Nayuta but manages to close and lock his bedroom door before she can see him.

Swapping clothes has never been so tense, as he can practically see what Kishibe would do to him if he saw the bloody shirt. Shivers rack his body with the thought. Finally, in some more loose and comforting clothes, Issei heads back downstairs to the sight of Kishibe and Nayuta eating the pizza he almost died for. Not that they need to know that part.

"Sorry I took so long, I got held up by something."

Kishibe gives him a suspicious side-eye, forcing Issei to withhold any nervousness, lest he increases his suspicion of himself.

"It's fine, Big Brother. Were you just paying more attention to the bakeries? I know I would." Nayuta's innocence is a saving grace in this situation, as it gives him a viable excuse.

"Yeah, I wanted to get you something, but we already got a ton of sweets earlier and I don't want you cavities." Kishibe stops giving him the side-eye of death and goes back to his papers. Issei gives an internal sigh of relief and goes for the pizza in front of him.

The trio finishes their food, and Issei announces that he's turning in for the night. Kishibe lightly grills him on the status of his homework but relents when he gets confirmation that it's been dealt with.

Before falling asleep, Issei wants to smack himself, as he forgot to ask for Angel's number. Shrugging it off, he curls up in his bed and falls to sleep in moments.

(The following day)

Waking up in the morning is the same as always, barring the fact that he has to wear a shirt that he usually reserves for Devil Hunting, as his school clothes got fucked up in the scrap yesterday. Hopefully, he's managed to scare enough people into avoiding eye contact so he won't get called out on improper school dress code. As he drops Nayuta off at the elementary section of Kuoh Academy, he deigns to head off toward his class. On his way, he notices that the redhead from yesterday is glancing around the hallways, possibly looking for someone. Meh, not his issue. Heading to his class without confrontation is as easy as the day before, with the rest of the day going on as normally as ever. Everything ends calmly, but as Issei leaves class to pick up Nayuta, he can hear someone calling for him.

"Issei!" Hmm, that voice sounds familiar.

When he finally looks back at who's trying to interact with him, he has to hold back a groan. The guy's name is Yuuto Kiba, but to Issei, he's an annoying attention magnet. Already he can hear the comments of the people around him.

"What does the prince want with that demon?"

"Oh no, Kiba's actually trying to talk to that monster?"

"Hey, Kiba may not be my favorite guy, but he doesn't deserve to deal with that asshole."

God, even though he wanted to stay away from people, they still find a way to annoy the shit out of him. A strong glare makes the crowd wilt away by the time Kiba reaches him, plastic smile and all.

"Issei, I've been sent to fetch you to come to the Occult Research Club." He gestures down the way he came, expecting him to follow him just after a few words.

"Sorry, pretty boy. I'm busy, so get lost." Issei tries to return to his original plan, but Kiba doesn't relent.

"Issei, please. President Rias asked for you specifically." Kiba's voice takes a note of strain to it, even as the crowd remains ignorant of the slight tonal shift.

"And who the hell is Rias?" The crowd falls into hushed whispers at his words, each of them dumbfounded at him not knowing who this woman is.

"She's the president of the ORC, she has long red hair, and she wants to speak with you about joining the club." The crowd practically explodes with denial at that, basically saying that Issei is trash and shouldn't even breathe the same air as someone of her stature.

Issei doesn't care about that though, as all he can think about is the words 'red hair.' And fuck, isn't that a punch to the throat. Red hair is practically synonymous with danger to him, but even now, he can tell that Kiba isn't going to let this go.

"Can it wait until later? I've got to drop my little sister off at home, then I'll come to your stupid meeting." He turns away to resume his quest, barely hearing Kiba saying that he'd better show up.

Reaching Nayuta, he manages to put on a smile for her while picking her up onto his shoulder. The duo walks out, even as people finally notice the fact that Issei has a little sister. A harsh glare from him curves their attention, but he can't make everyone stop looking. Finally making it out to the open roads, Issei breathes a sigh of relief, then immediately retracts it upon realizing that he's not done with Kuoh today.

He breaks into a brisk jog, making it home in decent time, dropping Nayuta off, and shouting to Kishibe that he'll be home later because of school things. He responds by shouting that if he's gotten in trouble with the school again, he'll be training with him for the next three days. Issei swears up and down that he's innocent, and bolts out before Kishibe can question it further.

Finally returning to school, a boy with dirty blond hair walks up to him.

"Hyoudou, I've been tasked by the Student Council President to escort you to the ORC room." He seems kind enough, but Issei can tell that he's not really giving him a choice.

"Yeah yeah, I could guess. Let's just go already." The pair make off towards the furthest reaches of the school, stopping in front of a vine-covered building.

"Is this really where the club room is supposed to be?" Scoffing, Issei can honestly say he expected more. Saji just tells him to hurry up.

When they finally enter the room, Issei is met with more people than he expected. The rest of the Student Council is present, as well as that white-haired girl who moved nigh-silently, a voluptuous girl with black hair serving tea to everyone, and Kiba. Oddly enough, one of the Council's members has a sword.

"Welcome back Saji. Thank you for ensuring that he showed up." The S.C. President welcomes the boy back to her side.

"Please take a seat Hyoudou, when Rias returns, we'll begin." Sona gestures to the seat next to the white-haired girl. Ok, this just feels like a court session in disguise.

"I'll stand, thanks." His words make Sona's eyebrow twitch, along with her posse not taking his words too kindly, but she gestures for them to remain calm.

"I insist."

"I refuse."

The two begin a silent battle of wills, spectated by the bystanders. The silence allows Issei a moment to realize that something's off.

Is that a shower?

A shower in a club room?

His confusion gives the other occupants a light chuckle, along with giving Sona a smile, as she believes that she's the victor because he looked away first. Childish, maybe. But she won all the same.

The running water turns off after another minute, letting the one who asked him to come to step out.

"Ah, wonderful. Thank you for coming Issei. I appreciate you showing up when asked." The redhead from yesterday stands before him.

Covered in nothing but a fucking towel.

Remaining stone-faced, Issei can still feel the blood rush to his face and junk respectively.

"Yeah sure. Why am I here?" No time for bullshit small talk.

Her smile widens slightly further as she steps back into the shower area, grabbing a change of clothes along the way.

"Tell me Issei, are you a religious man?"

"...No?" The hell?

"Have you ever seen something that might be misconstrued as religious, or based on religion?"

Did the Angel Devil count?

"No, I can't say I have."

Emerging fully clothed this time, Rias's smile is as unmoving as before.

"If you were given proof of religion and angels being real, would you become a man of faith?"

The hell has god ever done for him?

"Fuck no."

This answer seems to please her.

"Do you believe in Devils?"

"Of course Devils are real. That's why Devil Hunters exist."

"No, not Devils born from fear. Devils that were born devils. Ones hated by churches and holy men by simply existing."

He doesn't have to have a college degree to see where she's going with this.

"Is that why you brought me here? Because those kinds of devils exist?" His voice drips with sarcasm, making the black-haired girl giggle softly behind her hand.

"Yes, that's right. My name is Rias Gremory, and I have brought you here to tell you that I am a devil, as well as a proud daughter of the house of Gremory." Black wings flare out behind her back, even as her words feel like needles straight to his throat.

He barely notices when everyone in the room sprouts wings as well. All he can think about is 'red hair' and 'devil'. Fear floods his entire being. The urge to rip his cord rises. His fingers start to twitch.

Finally glancing around the room, he can see that everyone has a pair of wings like Rias's.

The twitch gets stronger.

"Everyone in this room is a Devil, and I've brought you here to formally invite you to join my peerage!" She holds out her arm in a dramatic gesture.

Radio silence from Issei. Everyone just watches him, without a single person making noise above the volume of breathing.

They stare at him, and he stares at her.

Clearing her throat in hopes of dispelling some of the awkwardness in the room, Sona begins her own questioning.

"What she says is true, everyone here is a devil. It may take some time for you to accept that, but right now there are some things I'd like to ask you, as there have been too many coincidences involving you to look past." Gaining the attention of the room, she begins.

"Forgive me for being so blunt, but I have asked for the assistance of Rias in investigating you. Two days ago, you went to a town adjacent to Kuoh, where the Eel Devil showed up and killed dozens of people."

His chainsaw heart begins to vibrate under its own power.

"The man who claims to be your guardian is a veteran Devil Hunter, with almost thirty years under his belt, as well as being the de-facto leader of the prototype squad four, comprised of Devils and Fiends."

If she says what he thinks she's going to say, then he very well may have to fight, but he remains unsure if he should fight to kill.

"Koneko here has heightened senses, and she claims that you smell like metal and blood."

He slowly and subtly curves his foot so he can kick against the ground to give him a bare-bones sprint position.

"Given all this information, I believe that I am accurate in my assumption." Standing up, she gestures for her peerage to ready up. He can't hide the twitch anymore.

"Issei Hyoudou."

The cord is primed.

"You are Chainsaw Man."

Turning tail and bolting, Issei can hear the sprinting footsteps of the Student Council. Without looking back, he sprints for the forest line, trying to think up a plan, as well as trying to figure out if killing people who claim to be Devils from religion is part of his job description.

"Saji, Tomoe!"

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"On it, President!"

A whirring noise from behind prompts him to drop and roll. Overhead, a blue line shoots past where his body previously stood. Turning around only shows Saji and that girl with a sword.

"Why're you running, Hyoudou?" Saji taunts.

"Yeah, we just want to talk." Tomoe tries to sound harmless, but the sharp katana isn't helping her case. When Issei refuses to respond, Saji decides to cut the small talk.

He instead chooses to charge at Issei, engaging him in a fistfight. Luckily for him, Kishibe is one helluva trainer, and even with his Devil-enhanced strength, Issei can easily whack him around. While he's doing that, the sword girl that hung back finally jumps to help when she sees that Saji can't take him alone.

Honestly, Issei didn't think that she would contribute much to the fight, but he is soon reminded that appearances are deceiving. The girl's speed is nothing to scoff at, and gouging her blade into the ground that easily does not bode well. In his human form, he frankly stands no chance in a drawn-out fight.

Well, he's been itching to do this ever since he entered that clubroom.

Kicking at Tomoe and throwing Saji, he reaches into his white button-up and yanks the ripcord, the roar of the engine sending their fear through the roof.

*BDROOOM*

Her peerage is treated to the live transformation from Human to Devil, as chainsaws begin sprouting from his forehead and forearms. His head mutates into the bulky motor of a chainsaw, finally outright confirming Sona's assumption.

Issei Hyoudou is indeed Chainsaw Man.

Finally regaining their nerve, Tomoe sprints at Issei to combat him in close quarters, while Saji's wrist flashes and gets covered in some kind of deformed lizard effigy.

As she makes an overhead swing, one swipe is all he gives to shatter the sword like glass. In the split-second it takes for her to realize what happened, she's already too close to stop her enemy from eviscerating her. As the spinning blade of the chainsaws draws nearer thanks to her foolhardy charge, all she can do is pray to Satan for a miracle.

Just as Issei is about to slice the girl into chunks of meat, she's suddenly yanked back by an unknown force. She barely gets out of range by the time Issei's chainsaws cut through her former position. When she feels someone catch her, her confusion turns to relief in the comforting arms of Saji. He used his Absorption Line ability to tether her to him at the last moment, allowing him to remove her from the dangerous spot just in time. She almost breaks down into tears as her life had begun to flash before her eyes.

Unfortunately for the pair, Issei gives them the same treatment that they gave him. He charges at them with his chainsaws whirring at full speed as the two look up at him in terror. Saji yanks Tomoe to her feet, and the pair flee from Chainsaw Man.

Just before Issei can mow them down, Saji pulls Tomoe into his chest and flies into the air with his summoned wings.

Sprinting from behind prompts him to dive and roll to reposition himself. His new opponents include Tsubaki Shinra, Momo Hanakai, and Reyu Kusaka. The latter pair hang back, choosing to let Tsubaki get in close. Issei meets her head-on by swinging his blades, but she just vaults over him. He completely ignores her attempt to redirect his attention to expose his back for the bishops, instead breaking into a sprint as the other girls begin hurling beams of lighting and fire at him. This does very little, as he simply continues through them while pulling his ripcord constantly to mitigate the damage.

Upon reaching them, Issei decides to replenish his lost blood, sparing no effort in separating them. Once they're a few yards away from each other, he dives for the one with brown and braided hair. She tries desperately to get away, even resorting to using her wings to try and fly, but he simply lassoes her legs and yanks her right into his open jaw. Biting down on her calf, she screams in agony as his needle-like teeth begin to poke holes in veins and other blood-heavy areas. While Issei is busy choking down her vile-tasting blood, the other girls prepare their attacks.

Momo begins to convert her demonic magic into lightning magic, while Tsubaki reels her arm back with the meanest right hook she can imagine. This, however, means nothing in the long run, as they are hopelessly outmatched. Issei throws Reya at Momo, forcing her to dispel her lighting as much as she can before catching her wounded friend, and swings his chainsaws at Tsubaki. Carving into her is expected, but not shredding her bones on contact is unexpected. He continues relentlessly as he shoves his other arm forward in hopes of either running her through or throwing her back if she really is that resistant to physical attacks.

What he doesn't see coming is her manifesting a glowing mirror right in front of his thrusting arm. Upon contact with the mirror, his entire body gets flung backward, struck by the force of his own attack. Slamming his chainsaws into the ground to slow himself down, one of his new opponents has blue hair. In total, he's now going up against Tsubaki, Saji, who made a return after regrouping with Momo and Reya, and that girl with blue hair, Tsubasa Yura.

Believing Saji to be a coward that likes to play the range game, he disregards him entirely, choosing instead to go for Tsubaki. The two begin to fight in close-quarters combat, with it honestly not going anywhere. Thanks to Tsubaki's position as queen of the peerage, she has all the traits of the other pieces, including the rook. So she is more than capable of taking a hit, but so is Issei. Even if she managed to hit somewhere vital, he can just as easily remove that injury with his cord. Frankly, the only reason that Issei hasn't tried to go for the throat is because covering up a murder would be too much for the Devil Hunter Committee to pull off. Tsubasa joins in on the fight, and it's around that point that the fight truly becomes a stalemate.

During this entire fight, Sona has simply been spectating, trying to figure out how to beat him. Now that she's seen that Chainsaw Man truly is as powerful as the videos and interviews described, she decides now is the best time to incapacitate him. Summoning Saji to her side and briefly giving him a rundown of her plan, the pair move to enact the finishing blow.

Once Tsubasa has been cut to the point of being unable to continue, Issei has had to pull his cord at least four times. The constant tiny regenerations have left him with maybe a single full recovery. With a kick to the chest, Tsubaki is slammed against a tree, completely vulnerable to getting shredded by his chainsaws. Finally going for the finishing blow, Issei did not expect to see Saji appear from behind the tree, much less get so damn close.

Saji punches Issei right in the solar plexus, stunning him easily. But that was just to distract him from what else he was ordered to do. A bright blue line attaches to Issei's back, following Saji as he runs further from him. Without delay, Saji uses his Absorption Line power to begin draining Issei of his extra blood. While he's stunned on the ground, Sona begins to absorb the water from the surrounding trees, condensing it all into a magic circle made of water. Once the last drops have gathered, she fires a serpent made of the same water directly at Tsubaki.

For a moment, terror and confusion override her natural thinking ability, but it passes as quickly as it came. Summoning Mirror Alice, she absorbs the serpent and redirects it to the downed form of Chainsaw Man. With double the power that it was manifested with, and the debilitating effects of Absorption Line, Issei is slammed from behind through multiple trees and a miniature boulder with little resistance.

Let's see, broken ribs, check. Busted spine, check. Pierced lungs, check. Crushed esophagus, double check. Basically, everything needed to function properly in life has been fucked beyond human repair. Luckily for him, all he needs to do is pull his cord and he should be back to normal.

The water serpent finally lets up, allowing him a moment of peace. Even as his body begins to fail, he can still see and hear the approach of Sona's injured group. Yellow orbs glance up at the figure with her natural neutral expression.

"Well, this isn't how I wanted us to talk, but it will suffice. Hyoudou, I would like for us to partner up. I feel that you will need the extra assistance in the coming days, and I want to be able to call on your power when necessary."

Your honor, I present the case of Souna Shitori being a class-A bitch.

"I am aware that you are capable of reviving yourself, so I won't make some threat like leaving you to die. That would be foolish."

Case in point, bitch.

"Instead, I'd like to ask you to join Rias's peerage. A collaboration would be much easier if you were one of us. You can learn the in's-and-out of devil society, as well as make a name for yourself in our world." She tries to tempt him with the thought of fame and popularity.

Issei stopped listening, as he snakes his thumb through the cord, ripping it. Everyone tenses up in preparation for continued combat, but it would seem that Saji's power took more blood than anyone thought. The dying puts of a motor are all the response his chainsaw heart can give.

"Eh...eh?"

His arms sag.

His head drops.

His chest ceases rising.

Chainsaw Man has run out of fuel.

Sighing, Sona rummages around for her phone before hearing the footsteps sprinting in her direction.

"SONA!" Rias shouts at her longtime friend.

"Ah, hello Rias."

"Sona, what in the name of Satan is this?! I told you I wanted to recruit him, why did you go and kill him?"

"It wasn't my intention, I assure you. We both know that he can be revived through his own power, so it likely means that Saji simply took more blood than he should've."

"I'm sorry President." For as downcast as he sounds, his face doesn't reflect it.

"Give it back, he's down anyways." Saji obeys like the good pawn that he is, reinvigorating Issei's corpse with the blood he took.

"If you'd like to simply cut out the middle man, now is a great opportunity for you to bring him into your peerage." Now she tempts Rias.

"But, that's not how I wanted to do it, I wanted him to join of his own accord."

"Well, if you want to get out of your marriage contract, this is likely the only way. He certainly didn't hide the fact that his first thoughts were to run or kill."

With a sigh, Rias fetches her own Evil Pieces in preparation to begin the revival ritual.

Kiba goes over and grabs the handles on Issei's chainsaw head, pulling him away from the boulder. Turning his body face up, Rias approaches with all eight of her pawns. As she draws nearer, Kiba undoes the top half of Issei's shirt, and upon noticing the cord above his heart, starts to fiddle with it.

"Kiba, step back." His master orders.

Finally given a shred of hope in getting out of that awful marriage contract, Rias can barely contain her tears. The pawn pieces are set down above his heart, and a red magic circle forms around him.

"In the name of Rias Gremory, I call to Issei Hyoudou. Hear my command. Return thy soul from the shadows of death to the human realm. Rise once more as my demon servant. Rejoice, for you have been given new life! Wake as my pawn and servant." As she recites the ritual speech, the circle underneath Issei's corpse begins to rotate as the pieces shine a similar red color.

The crowd around his body watches as Chainsaw Man becomes one of them, the Evil Pieces slowly melding into his body.

However, an unforeseen result occurs. The pieces that tried to meld into his chest suddenly eject out of his chest with the speed of a bullet, forcing everyone to duck to dodge them. Most of them get embedded in the environment around them, in trees, in the boulder, and two even just fly into the sky, only to fall back down. Looking back at the corpse, they can see jolts of red lightning sparking around his body, before the circle and everything disappears entirely, leaving behind the corpse of Chainsaw Man.

"Ok, what the hell just happened?!" Kiba shouts, simply spouting what's already on everyone's mind.

"His body rejected the Evil Pieces..." Sona's voice trails off, as never before has she seen an event like that.

Silence blankets the group, as nobody is particularly sure of where to go from here. Koneko and Kiba however, decide to approach the body, at the behest of their curiosity. Koneko starts to poke at the mutated head, observing how his body melds with the wires that make up his neck. Kiba returns to fiddling with the ripcord. Not a minute later, his curiosity finally reaches the breaking point.

"Koneko, stand back please." Securing his finger around the ripcord, everyone watches with bated breath.

One final gulp and Kiba works up the nerve to do it.

He pulls.

And...

*BDROOOM*

The chainsaws begin to spin rapidly, prompting the individual groups to huddle closer. Kiba jumps back, rejoining his group. They watch in morbid fascination as his body begins to put itself back together, ending with him finally rolling over, propping himself up on one knee, chainsaws planted firmly in the dirt.

"Issei?" Rias tries to get his attention but goes ignored. The yellow orbs that normally stand in as his eyes remain off.

Before anyone else can get a word in, Koneko gasps and jumps upwards, just barely avoiding the chainsaw cords that sprout out of the ground around the legs of the groups.

Rising to his full height, Issei yanks his arms back out of the ground, ensnaring the groups like a rabbit trap. Issei can confidently say that fighting two groups at the same time without trying to massacred them will result in his loss. So, to mitigate this, he begins to swing them around, slamming into quite a few trees that don't put up much resistance, going faster and faster until finally throwing Sona's group skyward. Rias's group gets slammed into the boulder that he was embedded in not too long ago.

As the group tries to get their bearings, Issei sprints off, hoping to get back to Kishibe and call the entire fucking Devil Hunter Committee. All the while forgetting that simply being slammed around would not put many of them off, especially Koneko, who did not get trapped. Without turning around, Issei can simply tell that he's not out of the figurative woods just yet. With a heavy crunch, a tree to his left begins to fall. Little effort is required to cut it out of his way, even if that wasn't actually her attack. When his midriff is exposed after swinging his chainsaws through the fallen tree, Koneko drops in front of him, gut-checking him with the force of a car. With a cough, he revs his blades and swings for the fences, pushing Koneko back and allowing him time to go for his cord, only to be interrupted once again, this time by several swords jutting from the ground, impaling his legs.

For the first time tonight, this is what makes Issei talk while transformed.

"FUCK!"

"Come now, Issei. We would simply like to talk." The silky voice of Rias comes from behind, as well as the politely smothered giggles of Akeno. Still pinned in place by the swords, Issei remains unable to properly face them.

"Rias, he can take so much pain and still come back from it!" Ok, that's new. In all his time knowing her, Issei is certain that he's never heard his upperclassman sound so... hormonal.

"Please Issei, you have to join us! I promise that we will have so. Much. Fun together." Accentuating her words individually, she wraps her arms around him, pressing her goods into his back. While Issei remains rooted to the same spot, Kiba and Rias have moved to stand in front of him alongside Koneko, as Akeno has begun lightly fiddling with his ripcord and stroking his muscles.

"Well, tonight has certainly been eventful, hasn't it? It turns out that our own Junior is the esteemed Chainsaw Man, and he certainly lives up to his reputation." Her body language speaks of significant interest in what's in front of her.

"He really does know how to use those blades. Issei, I would very much so like to spar with you sometime." Kiba seems impressed with his actions tonight.

"Metalhead here took on Sona's entire gang and almost won. He's strong." The first words he's ever heard from Koneko's mouth are monotone and bland.

"You were so violent and aggressive, I only get this hot and heavy when I'm the one dishing out the pain!" Her words send jolts down his spine, only for him to realize that she's actually sending some kind of lighting magic down his back through her funbags, lightly paralyzing his arms.

"I would like to ask you once more to join me. I will promise you anything you desire, no matter what it may be." She holds out her hand once more in that dramatic pose from earlier.

Now, where has he heard an offer like that before?

With the heavy release of a breath he didn't know he was holding, Issei's head lolls back onto Akeno's shoulder. She gently caresses where his fleshy cheeks would normally reside.

"Let me get this straight..." The group awaits his next words with anticipation.

"You first call me out to that clubroom, basically putting a target on my back for your more obsessive fans." Kiba feels a modicum of remorse, as he knows that some of his admirers would be less open to mercy.

"Then you drop on me that religion as a whole is real. And after that, I learn that you and the president have been spying on me for the last few days." Rias is reminded that she did unknowingly help Sona in forcing a confrontation with someone who wanted to keep their secrets, as well as giving a life-changing truth.

"And finally, to top off everything you dropped on me in less than two minutes, you figured out I'm Chainsaw Man, then proceeded to chase me into a forest, one in which I have now died in." Collectively, the group around him feels that a conversation with Sona is in order.

"And after all that, you seriously think I want to join your stupid group?!"Throughout the entire monologue of his, he sounded remarkably chill, all the way to the end part, where he finally broke the streak of calm with the fury he most definitely deserves to feel.

The group winces at his sharp words, knowing that his recount of the events of the last hour has been fairly accurate.

"...listen, we had no clue what Sona was planning to do. She came in two days ago asking for any info we had on you, and said that she wanted to talk with you after we did." The smile falls from her face, and she bows at the waist. Her group follows suit, including Akeno, who has finally stopped feeling him up and instead has moved alongside her master.

"I'm sorry about forcing you to reveal yourself. I'm sorry about just dropping everything on you at once instead of easing you in. It's just that we're on a tight schedule. More things are happening in this town than you're aware of."

Silence falls over the group as Rias' peerage finally stops bowing. The yellow orbs in his chainsaw head give nothing away.

*sigh*

He's tired.

With a hearty swing at his legs, Issei shatters the swords that impale him. Rias's group steps back tensely when he rips his cord one last time, closing up the wounds in his legs, finally relaxing when the chainsaws begin to melt, leaving behind Issei's unimpressed face.

"Can this wait until later? It's been a long day, and I don't want to deal with anything else."

Rias is disheartened but nods yes all the same. Issei passes them quietly, just as Sona's peerage flies into the scene, weapons and tools drawn. Rias updates her on their brief chat, with Saji expressing his discontentment with the results of today.

"Are we seriously not going to finish this?"

"I suppose not. Very well, but Rias, I still want you to contact me if he decides to join." Sona lets it go for the day, wanting to give her peerage some time to rest and heal up after a fight that violent.

"Excuse me..." Both peerages jump at the voice, sharply turning to face Issei, who has come back for some reason.

"Yes, Issei?"

"Can I get a new uniform? Mine got fucked up the other day. And also a shower?"

The collective relief of the group is palpable. They return to the ORC room, where Issei finally gets his shower. Most of Sona's peerage has been glaring at him during the time it takes for Kiba and Saji to go get a fresh uniform. Finally reimbursed with new clothes, Issei returns home, clean and no longer covered in blood.

Scene Change, Hyoudou Residence

"So, what'd you get called for? I didn't get any calls from the school, so you didn't get in trouble." Kishibe's curious as to what got Issei to stay at the school for longer than usual.

"A club was scouting me and invited me to join."

"Did you?"

Hmm...

"No..." Issei trails off as he goes for the leftover pizza in the fridge.

"Well, don't forget that you need to take care of Nayuta as well."

The rest of his evening is spent in peace externally, but internally, he can easily say that he's a jumbled mess.

Man...

One hell of a day, eh?

To be continued in Chapter 4: New faces, Old faces

A.N: Hello again, it is I, the writing goblin coming at you with this pile of words once more. There are several things I'd like to cover, as this chapter is somewhat fast-paced, a bit more than I'd like. But all the same, this chapter involved Issie being briefly told about the supernatural, as well as Sona's confrontation, and subsequent battle. I hope that the fight satisfied you, if only partially. I didn't want Issei to completely massacre them, even though he could, I wanted it to seem like he only wanted to incapacitate them so he could leave undisturbed. Sona's peerage does not hold the same sentiment since they did their research, knowing that he can revive himself easily. One of Saji's abilities allows him to absorb the blood of his opponents through a process called 'exsanguinating'. It's a real thing, look it up.

Regarding the comments from people last chapter, one in particular caught my attention. Someone claimed that Denji could pull off the same attack that Katana Man did during the fourth arc of the story. In the entire story of part 1, I have never seen him do anything remotely similar to that move. They might have been talking about Pochita brutalizing the weapon devils, but it wasn't Denji. Next up, one Chainsaw Man versus multiple people wielding enhanced powers and physical capabilities would result in his victory if he was out to kill, otherwise, he loses because of constantly restraining himself while being outnumbered, especially against rooks.

In season 1 of DxD, against the stray devil, Koneko took blows that would rip through most bodies with ease like they were nothing, only resulting in minor skin damage. I'm translating this over to other rooks and queen pieces, as this is the only way that I can think of how to balance the immense power that Issei can wield. Because the best way I can perceive it is that Issei in Chainsaw form matches and surpasses the capabilities of a queen piece. He has range when needed, The durability, longevity, and strength of a rook, as shown when he lifted a car thrown at him. The speed and destructive power of a knight, no explanation is needed there. And the convenience and consistency of a pawn, on-demand regeneration is a buff in its own right. He's literally an all-rounder compared to everyone else.

That's why he can curb-stomp everyone in Sona's and Rias's peerages, so long as he fights to kill. Or maim extensively. And finally, the Evil Pieces. I'm going to use this as the catalyst for future events and power development, as well as showing how Issei is unable to join the Devils. Pochita has already occupied his heart, so that's going to be what prevents the Evil Pieces from doing their thing. This will be reasoned with the thought process of "if the Devils from Chainsaw Man could be reincarnated into the same devils from DxD, wouldn't the DxD Devils do so already?" That's all I wanted to cover in this chapter and A.N.'s, so I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and are looking forward to the next ones.

Important! Still unsure of what to do with Ddraig. This is about Issei being chainsaw man, not the red dragon emperor. I might use him in the future to further develop Issei's abilities as chainsaw man, but idk.

Side note, after writing all this, as of November 26th, THREE OF YOU FUCKERS HAVE POPPED MY SKULL OPEN AND REMOVED THREE IDEAS I HAVE BEEN PUTTING TOGETHER! AM I THAT FUCKING PREDICTABLE, OR HAVE I MET PEOPLE WHO THINK ON THE SAME WAVELENGTH AS ME?! Sorry about the small rant, but fuck, I'm not going to seem original now.

Anyways, until then, please review :)