It was supposed to be the best day of our lives.

Both Yuuma-chan and I went out for our date in the town, and I had put my best clothes on. Kirijo-san told me to not try to impress Yuuma-chan, but she also told me that I should wear something good so that our date could go smoothly. So, instead of wearing my usual attire, I decided to wear something different. I bought the clothes that those bishounen always wore in the fashion magazines (damn those bishounen, by the way). They were expensive, but for Yuuma-chan's sake, I didn't mind.

When we met at the park, I was caught off-guard by Yuuma-chan's appearance. She was gorgeous! I mean, look at her breasts! Perfect Oppai, I'd say! When I approached her, she looked at me and smiled cutely as she brushed her dark hair behind her ear, and I almost got myself a heart attack. That perfect smile of hers made her look one hundred times cuter than she already was. She was also wearing a light violet blouse, accentuating her womanly figure and a black miniskirt, revealing her shapely, beautiful legs.

I thought I could die from this and be content with it.

So, both of us went throughout the town together, doing a lot of things a couple would always do while dating. First, we went to watch a movie. A horror movie, to be exact. Yuuma-chan seemed to be scared while both of us were watching the movie, and she ended up latching herself on my arm as we continued watching it. Once again, I could feel the softness of her boobs, and I could barely stop myself from experiencing a fatal nosebleed. She looked at me with teary, violet eyes, showing me her quivering lips, which made her a lot cuter. So, for the entirety of the movie, she had been latching herself on my arm the whole time. Naturally, I didn't complain about it. If anything, it was a blessing for me to have a cute bishoujo like her to shove my arm between her breasts.

After that, we went to the shopping mall, and we spent much of our time shopping for clothes. She asked me to comment on her looks when she put on a lot of cute dresses. All of them were perfect, I told her. Kirijo-san had told me to give her compliments sparingly, but I couldn't help it because Yuuma-chan was too beautiful. When I told Yuuma-chan that she was cute in all those dresses, she blushed and smiled shyly. I also got myself putting on some new clothes. Normally, I didn't really care about which clothes should I buy and wear, but with Yuuma-chan with me, I really enjoyed shopping with her.

Then, we went to a restaurant to enjoy our lunch. Yuuma-chan seemed to like her parfait and shared it with me. Since we were using the same spoon at that time, it could be said that both of us indirectly kissing each other.

I enjoyed seeing her smile. I had promised to myself that I would make this date the best day of our lives, and I would make her the happiest girl ever alive in this world. If I could make her happy, then I would be happy too.

And so, we enjoyed ourselves by doing a lot of things. Then, we decided to call it a day when it was the time for both of us to depart. We stood before each other, staring into each other's eyes. Yuuma-chan was so beautiful, and with the sun setting right behind her, she looked absolutely heavenly. It felt like she was an angel who had fallen from the heavens in order to stay by my side. Forever.

With both her hands behind her back, Yuuma-chan looked at me with her gorgeous violet eyes. She smiled and tilted her head before she spoke, "It sure was fun today."

I was glad she was having fun. I couldn't ask for more than that! W-well, at least I wanted to grope her breasts again, but that's beside the point. If Yuuma-chan said she was having fun, then I was happy for her.

"Hey, Issei-kun…"

"What is it, Yuuma-chan?"

Yuuma-chan put her finger on her cheek. "There is something I want to do to celebrate our first date. Will you listen to my wish?"

That would be it. This was something I had been waiting for! My first, real kiss with a girl! I felt like my dream that I previously thought not to be realized would come true! I looked at her lips. I couldn't imagine the feeling of having a girl's lips being pressed against mine. Such thought made me feel self-conscious. I made sure that I had checked the smell of my breath. The mental image of myself kissing Yuuma-chan made my heart bump faster. It felt like my heart might end up bursting out of my chest at this rate.

"W-well, w-what is the w-wish you want?" In the end, I made a fool out of myself by stuttering like that. The thought about myself kissing Yuuma-chan and my nervousness caused my speech to be impeded. I silently cursed myself for doing such a careless thing.

Still smiling sweetly, Yuuma-chan said something that I had not truly expected.

"Issei-kun… will you die for me?"

"Huh?"

At first, I thought Yuuma-chan was just joking, but then, before I could even say anything about that wish of hers which I thought was just a joke, something emerged from her back. A pair of obsidian, feathered wings expanded to their full lengths, scattering countless feathers around the area. I blinked several times, stunned by this unexpected turn of event.

Then, her cute smile twisted into something else, something sinister. Those violet eyes of hers narrowed, and when I looked at those eyes, I froze. I was unable to move as those eyes of hers sent shivers down my spine. Yuuma-chan flapped those raven-like wings of hers, sending more feathers to scatter in the air before she spoke again, "It was fun. The short time I spent with you, I mean. It felt like playing house with a child."

Her tone was cold and merciless, unlike before. She looked at me with a sneer as she placed one hand on her waist while holding out the other. Then, something started to form in her held out hand, something glowing, buzzing with power. When it finished forming, I managed to take a good look at it, which was a spear made of violet light.

I could feel it with my skin. The power it radiated, it suffocated me.

Then, Yuuma-chan hurled the spear towards me, and I was unable to do anything as it pierced through my chest. My eyes widened when the spear of light stabbed me right through my heart.

It hurt. It hurt like hell.

My vision blurred. The world around me started to turn hazy. Before I could even realize it, my back was already on the ground, and Yuuma-chan approached me, holding out her hand to touch the spear of light that stuck on my body before she pulled it out without any hint of care towards my whole being.

Even with my vision blurred, I could see a fountain of blood, spurting out from the wound on my chest. I coughed up blood as the spear of light in Yuuma-chan's hand disappeared.

"Sorry." I heard Yuuma-chan's voice, and the tone she made while uttering the word didn't sound apologetic at all. "You were a threat to us, so we decided to get rid of you early. If you want to hold a grudge, then hate the God who put the Sacred Gear inside you."

I didn't get what she said. I was too busy dying to make any sense from her words. Then, she said no more. I could tell that she might have already left. I could feel a pool of my own blood starting to form below me, and everything started to become darker. Coldness started to envelop my whole body.

Was death always this cold? I couldn't feel my limbs at all. The pain that I had experienced earlier was replaced by the utter coldness.

Damn it. I was too young to die. There's still a dream that I had yet to achieve.

My consciousness started to fade. I was really dying. Briefly, I thought about my parents back home. I had yet to make anything that could make them proud. I might be a problematic child for them, but I was sure that they might be saddened with my death. Well, if there was one thing that worried me, it would be the collection of those porno magazines that I kept under my bed. It wouldn't be funny if they found those things while grieving for the death of their only son.

I tried to move my hand, and with the little energy that I had left, I could feel something in my hand. Ah, that would be the card that I used to write all those tips that Kirijo-san had told me before. All those tips sort of worked, but considering all the things that happened to me, I wasn't sure what to think anymore. If anything, I regretted that I would no longer be able to speak with her, the one who treated me like an equal.

Argh, I didn't want this. I didn't want to die. If only I could something. If only there was something I could do.

If only I could be reborn…

…

"So, you were the one who called for me."

There was a voice, filled with warmth that somehow alleviated the coldness I was experiencing. I could tell there was someone here besides me, but with my vision blurred, I was unable to see this someone.

"Looks like you are dying. Your wounds…" the voice, which sounded unmistakably female, spoke. "Oh my, looks like something interesting is happening to you. So it's you…" Then, she chuckled, as if finding this whole situation amusing. What was so funny about me dying, anyways? "This truly is interesting…"

I didn't know what to think anymore. I was tired and dying, and my consciousness would be lost anytime soon. Even so, I enjoyed the warmth this voice radiated. If only I could be alive, then…

I…

"If you're dying, then I'll pick it up. Your life, that is. From now, you will live for me."

Before I fully lost consciousness, I saw a glimpse of a beautiful visage of a girl with long, crimson hair.

Heart of a Butterfly

Persona 3 and High School DxD Crossover

Chapter 06: Fallen Angel

"I apologize for the lack of chairs, Fuuka-san. I never thought about having chairs for my guests before," Aigis apologized to the cute young woman with braided, teal-blue hair who was seated on the floor. Positioning herself in a seiza, the young woman just shook her head.

"It's alright, Aigis. I don't really mind," the young woman, Fuuka spoke softly. "So, how are you? How's the school you're attending at?" The scanner-type Persona-user asked.

"I'm doing fine. Thank you for asking," Aigis replied, smiling before she handed Fuuka a can of fruit juice. "This is the only thing I have in preparation to welcome the technician who will repair me. But I never thought it would be you, Fuuka-san."

Fuuka shook her head. "It's okay, really." She accepted the fruit juice from the battle maiden and popped it open. "Mitsuru-senpai told me that you were injured in a battle, so I was very worried. When she said that she would send you one of the technicians to repair you, I volunteered to come." She scratched her cheek in embarrassment. "I also volunteered to be your handler, so I will be staying here, in this town, for the time being."

Aigis blinked. "You're staying here?" She asked.

"Well, I'll be living at a nearby apartment, but yes, I'll be staying here to watch over you to be your handler and technician." Fuuka smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. I've been studying your schematic modules these last few weeks, so fixing you will be much easier for me."

"But how about your studies? Don't you still have classes to attend at the college you're currently in?" Aigis asked, seemingly concerned.

"Ah, don't worry about that. Mitsuru-senpai did something for me, so starting tomorrow, I would be attending the college department of Kuoh Academy. That way, I'll be able to stay here and provide with you any support you may need in your current mission," Fuuka helpfully explained to Aigis about the situation. "By the way, Mitsuru-senpai had already told me everything about your mission."

Aigis eyed the young woman curiously. "So, you already know about the Devils and Rias Gremory?"

Fuuka nodded. "Yes."

"Are you not surprised about this?" Aigis asked.

Fuuka thought about it for a few seconds before she shook her head. "Hmm… I don't think so, or rather, not really. I mean, yes, it's rather new and I never expected that all these Devils and Fallen Angels really exist, but considering what we had seen and faced before, I don't think I should be surprised anymore."

"I see…" Aigis mused.

Then, after taking a sip of her fruit juice, Fuuka immediately put the can down and hit her palm with her fist. "Ah! I almost forgot!" She got up and went out of the apartment. Aigis could hear the sound of something being dragged. "Urgh… s-so heavy…" Apparently, Fuuka was dragging something from outside the apartment before she came back inside, dragging a case which was half of her body in size.

Aigis blinked. "Did you drag that thing to my apartment?"

Fuuka smiled sheepishly, her cheeks turned rosy. "W-well, I asked for the cab driver to bring this here, but he just put this thing downstairs," she continued dragging the large case into the apartment. "Mitsuru-senpai told me to give this to you."

Aigis looked at the case, which was then unlocked and opened by Fuuka, revealing a few metallic objects which seemed to be the disassembled parts of a kind of long-barreled weapon of sorts. "Ah." She kneeled and checked the items in the case, carefully assessing all the components. "I see…" She picked one of the items before she started assembling all the parts. Due to her knowledge in weaponry, assembling all the parts took less than fifteen minutes. When she was done, Fuuka could only stare in amazement as Aigis held a long-barreled gun with a rectangular casing around the barrel that was mounted under her right forearm. There was a handle with a red button near the upper end of the barrel. The way she held the new weapon looked like she was holding an oversized tonfa. "A railgun…" Aigis muttered, checking the weight of the weapon in her right hand. Despite its size, the battle android was able to hold it without any problem. "I see that the research team of the Kirijo Group has finished their test on this high-powered handheld weapon."

Fuuka looked at the railgun that was mounted under Aigis' forearm curiously and in astonishment. "Wow… I'm surprised they are capable of developing a handheld railgun like this. Not only is it powered by electromagnetism, but it also possesses quite a destructive power that should be handled by a group of people rather than one person."

"This weapon is specifically designed to be used by an Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon like me," Aigis said. "An ordinary person is incapable of handling this kind of weapon because the power it generates is enough to rip one's hand upon firing." She looked at the label on the rectangular casing of the railgun. "HARPE-02…" she read the label. "I see. I suppose this is quite an outstanding gift from Mitsuru-san."

Fuuka smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

Then, Aigis held up the railgun before her arm glowed. Much to Fuuka's surprise, the railgun vanished, dissolving into motes of blue particles.

"I-it's gone!" Fuuka gasped.

"It is my special power…" Aigis told the agitated young woman. "I learned this trick some time ago. This is how I store all my heavy weapons…" Mitsuru also expressed surprise upon seeing this ability for the first time, and the battle maiden told her that it was a power that she gained from the ability to summon multiple Personas. In reality, she willed the weapons to dematerialize and be stored inside her psyche, the sea of her soul where her Personas resided. She could recall all these weapons to be used at any moment. Any Persona-user could use this power if they practiced hard enough. It's just that as a Wild Card, Aigis could use this ability much easier than other Persona-users. The utilization of this ability also allowed her to use Heritage Liberator Palladion, by merging her Persona, Palladion, with her weapon to be used as her ultimate attack.

"I-I see…" Fuuka looked at Aigis in amazement. "Ah, would you like to start the repair?"

"Yes, I'm ready." Aigis nodded.

"Good. Well, let's get started, then. Will you please get undressed?"

"Okay."

Fuuka took out her equipment while Aigis undressed herself, shedding off her armored bodices so that Fuuka could start her check-up and repair.

As Fuuka started checking her robotic body, the mechanical maiden could feel The Priestess within her, pulsating with warmth.

Aigis arrived at school a little later than usual. After the check-up and repair by Fuuka, she immediately put herself in 'sleep-mode' without setting the alarm. As a result, she woke up late. She barely made it to the school ground as the first bell rang.

At first glance, there was nothing out of ordinary when she entered the classroom. She exchanged greetings with Katase and Murayama, as well as a few others. When she took her seat, she noticed that the student in front of her, Issei Hyoudou, was also seated instead of joining his fellow perverts.

After homeroom session, Aigis noticed that Issei seemed to be more withdrawn and quiet. He looked like he was brooding over something. When he looked behind to see her, he immediately averted his gaze. There was a troubled expression on the boy's face.

'Does it have something to do with his date yesterday?'

Aigis couldn't help but ponder over this change in demeanor in the usually perverted boy. He did make a few perverted remarks alongside his perverted friends, Matsuda and Motohama, but they sounded rather forced and hollow. Raising her eyebrow, the battle maiden decided to ask him about it during lunch break.

During lunch break, Aigis approached Issei, who was still sitting at his seat. "Hello, Hyoudou-san," she greeted the brown-haired boy. "How are you?" She asked.

Issei looked at his neighbor before he smiled, or tried to. His smile seemed forced. "Ah, h-hello, Kirijo-san. I-I'm fine." Aigis frowned. The boy seemed anxious over something. Perhaps something did happen during his date the day before.

"So… how was your date yesterday?" Aigis asked.

Issei looked at Aigis with widened eyes, as if he were seeing a ghost in daylight. Aigis blinked, thinking that she might have said something wrong to the perverted boy.

"Y-you remember?!" Issei asked, getting up from his seat.

Aigis nodded. "Yes?" She replied. "You said last week that you would be going out on a date with a girl named Yuuma Amano. Is that not correct?"

"Y-you remember Yuuma-chan?! I mean, you really did remember when I said her name?!" Issei asked desperately.

"Yes." Aigis nodded again. "Is there something wrong?" She was confused. What really happened during their date?

Instead of answering, Issei plopped himself onto his seat, eyes still widened. Then, he brought his hand to his face before he pinched the bridge of his nose. He then looked back at Aigis, showing his troubled expression.

"K-Kirijo-san…" Issei began. "If you don't mind, can we speak about this in private somewhere?" He asked. "Things are getting more and more confusing by each minute, I dunno where to start…" he admitted.

Aigis blinked and thought about it for a moment before she nodded. "Very well. Let us go to the rooftop, then," she suggested. "There are still a few spots up there where we can talk without someone interfering." A lot of students would use the rooftop to have lunches or converse with each other, and considering the size of the school, the rooftop would be large enough for both Aigis and Issei to talk without other students interfering.

"Y-yeah, let's go, then…" Issei nodded, getting up again before he followed Aigis, walking out of the classroom towards the stairway. After a few minutes, they reached the rooftop. They still could see a few students doing their things, and they went to a spot where they could talk without any interference. And considering that there were a few students conversing with each other at the rooftop, they wouldn't have to worry about being eavesdropped by people. If anything, they seemed to look like other students who were chatting with each other.

"So, what really happened yesterday?" Aigis asked.

"Umm…" Averting his gaze, Issei hesitated. "W-well, it's like this…"

Issei told her about his date. Thanks to the tips she had given to him, the date seemed to be going pretty smoothly without problem. Then, he told her about Yuuma suddenly asking him to die for her before a pair of black wings sprouted out from her back. She then stabbed him right in his chest before leaving him to die on the pool of his own blood. He told Aigis that he sort of heard a voice before he lost consciousness. Then, he woke up the next morning on his bed, his chest still intact. He didn't know what happened to him, and when he checked his phone to see the pictures he took with Yuuma during their date, he found out that there were none. More precisely, the pictures were still there, but there were no traces of Yuuma to be found in the pictures. She just somehow got erased from those pictures, leaving only the image of Issei, grinning like an idiot in those pictures he took.

When he came to school at the morning, he went to ask his fellow perverts, Motohama and Matsuda, as well as a few others, about him having a girlfriend. They told him that there's no way he could have a girlfriend. It confused him since he told them last week that there was a girl from another school asking him out on a date. It felt as if the girl named Yuuma Amano never existed.

When Issei was done, he fell silent, putting his hands on his lap as he dropped his head in dejection and confusion. Aigis, who was sitting beside the perverted boy, just looked at him.

"I'm sorry to hear that…" Aigis apologized, feeling saddened after hearing Issei explain what transpired.

Issei looked up to see Aigis' face before he smiled weakly. "T-thanks, Kirijo-san…" From his voice alone, the mechanical maiden could tell that Issei was depressed over this. Not only was he attacked and left to die by his girlfriend, there weren't even any signs of her existence. "I guess you're the only one who remembers her, at this rate. Man, this is so lame…" he grumbled. "I thought everything would be going pretty smoothly, but I got killed instead. Though, I dunno if that was real or not since I'm still pretty much alive. Nobody remembers Yuuma-chan at all." He placed his palm on his face. "Well, except you, Kirijo-san. This is getting too confusing for me to handle."

Seeing Issei's distress, Aigis smiled and placed her hand on the boy's shoulder. "Please do not worry, Hyoudou-san. I'll help you sort everything out. You can count on me."

"K-Kirijo-san…" Issei looked at Aigis beside him, seeing her concerned eyes. "T-thanks… I-I really appreciate it. As a matter of fact, I really needed someone to talk to about this stuff."

"Just tell me if you have something to talk about, Hyoudou-san. I probably can help you somehow…" Aigis said.

"…Call me Issei," the perverted boy said. "My friends call me that."

"Ah." Aigis then nodded. "Very well. From now on, I shall call you Issei-san. In return, please call me Ai," she said.

Issei smiled slightly as he nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks, Ai-chan."

Deep within the sea of her soul, Aigis could feel The Magician stirring. The more she understood the boy named Issei Hyoudou, the stronger the Arcana became. She could see the Persona that was born from the bond, Conell Cernach, smirking in anticipation as the bond between Aigis and Issei became strengthened.

"Well, let's get back to our class, Issei-san," Aigis said, standing up. "Lunchtime is almost over. Tardiness is something that we must avoid at all costs."

"Y-yeah, I guess you're right, Ai-chan." Issei stood up as well. "Let's go now."

And so, both Issei and Aigis walked alongside each other to the classroom. The perverted boy's mood seemed to be improving, thanks to the talk between both of them. While he was still distressed by the matter regarding his girlfriend, at least he had someone who was willing to hear him out.

Unnoticed by Issei, however, Aigis had been trying her best to keep her poker face on so that Issei wouldn't see the grimness of her expression upon hearing him being attacked and left to die by his girlfriend. Thanks to the information given by Rias Gremory days ago, she managed to get some idea about what had happened to Issei.

[The boy was attacked by a girl with a pair of black wings and stabbed by a spear made of light. There is no mistake about it. He was attacked by a Fallen Angel.]

'But how come he's still alive?'

[The boy told you that he heard a voice before he blacked out. It's likely that the boy was reincarnated to become a Devil by Rias Gremory. There might be some spells of sorts that erased all traces of Yuuma Amano from everyone's memories.]

'I still remember about all the things he told me about his girlfriend, though.'

[Do you not remember, foolish girl? You are immune to any kind of memory manipulation. Remember that time, the promised day. You were the only who remembered all that happened, the fight against Nyx and the sacrifice he made for the sake of all mankind. And you are unlike others, as you are made of steel and wires in place of flesh and blood.]

Aigis bit her lower lip upon hearing Pallas Athena's brutal honestly. Despite how brutal it was, the goddess of wisdom was right. So, Issei Hyoudou really was killed by his girlfriend, Yuuma Amano, who happened to be a Fallen Angel. For what purpose she did so, the mechanical maiden could only speculate. And when Issei was dying, he somehow was found by Rias Gremory, who then resurrected him, reincarnating him into a Devil.

[Watch over the boy, little girl. He was meant to die when the Fallen Angel attacked him. If she finds out the boy she supposedly killed is still pretty much alive…]

'…Then she will show up to finish the job.'

[Good. As expected from my other self.]

Nodding upon hearing the goddess of wisdom's suggestion, she looked at Issei and spoke, "Issei-san, would you mind if we walk together on our way home once the school day is over?"

Issei looked Aigis, a little bewildered. "Huh? Umm… w-well, I don't mind at all."

It would be preferable if Issei wouldn't be immediately attacked, but it wouldn't hurt to be careful about it. If Issei was still alive, then the Fallen Angel would come to finish the job.

And Aigis would deal with her, preferably in the most painful way possible for hurting her friend.

After the end of today's school session, both Issei and Aigis walked home. Issei was still distressed about everything that happened to him, while Aigis carefully studied their surroundings. If her calculations were right, then the Fallen Angel might show up anytime soon.

"My house is that way. It's not really that far," Issei said. "How about yours, Ai-chan?"

"Mine? Well, my apartment is over there." She pointed in a different direction.

As they continued walking, Aigis heard Pallas Athena's warning.

[She is nearby. Brace yourself.]

She stopped and held out her hand, stopping Issei from walking. The boy looked at her, confused.

"I know you are there," Aigis spoke, her voice loud and clear. "Show yourself."

For a while, nothing happened. Then, both Aigis and Issei heard the sound of someone chuckling before a raven-haired girl in a violet blouse and black miniskirt stepped out from her hiding spot, sporting an innocent smile. Aigis readied herself as the girl made her presence known to both of them. She also noticed that there was no one else besides them in the area.

"Y-Yuuma-chan?!" Issei gasped.

The girl, Yuuma giggled cutely when Issei spoke her name. "My, my… isn't that Issei-kun? How do you do?" She asked with faked pleasantry.

"H-how…? Y-you… what…?" Issei was too stunned to say anything coherent.

"What? Has the cat got your tongue, Issei-kun?" Yuuma tilted her head, a pose that Issei would consider cute if not due to the fact that her whole being seemed to radiate pure malice. "Well, if I have to be honest, I was kind of surprised, you see? You should have died for me yesterday. I don't know what happened to you, but you just made my job even harder because of it. You're really a pain in the ass, you know?" Then, her cute-looking smile morphed into something malicious, her voice turned dangerously low. "To be honest, you bored me. You were nothing but a child, a spoiled child. It vexed me when I had to put up with you." She seemed to be savoring the look on Issei's face when she said those words to him.

"T-then… everything that we…" Issei said, his legs trembling.

"Duh, of course everything was a fake!" Yuuma exclaimed. "What else? Do you think anyone with a sensible mind will go and ask you out on a date? You? Making me the happiest girl ever alive? Pah, give me a fucking break!"

"N-no way…" Utterly devastated, Issei fell on his knees, his strength escaping his legs.

"Issei-san." Aigis went to Issei's side.

Yuuma chuckled upon seeing the look of despair on Issei's face before her violet eyes flashed. "Well, no matter. You're going to die either way, Issei-kun. And you too, little girl. If you want to curse someone, curse him for associating himself with you." Her eyes focused on Aigis. Then, Stygian pinions emerged from her back, scattering countless feathers around her. Her clothes then ripped apart, exposing her naked flesh for the world to see before some kind of shadowy substance wrapped around her body, covering only the little bits of her body. She flapped her wings as she flaunted her almost naked body, with the shadowy substance covering only the small parts of her breasts and her crotch as well as her backside. "Now, die."

A pair of violet spears of light came into existence in her hands. She threw the spears toward both Aigis and Issei like javelins. The spears would skewer both the boy and the girl, killing them instantly.

But before the spears could even reach them, Aigis picked up the prone body of Issei before she propelled herself backward, avoiding the spears. She held Issei with both hands before she landed back on the ground and put Issei down. Issei seemed to snap out of his daze when he realized what had happened.

"Oh? So you're not an ordinary girl after all, huh? You seem to know how to fight, at least." Yuuma raised one eyebrow in fascination. "Haha, this is interesting. But, will you be able to fight all of us?" She raised one hand, as if making a signal before a few figures showed themselves to surround both Aigis and Issei.

The first one was a tall, voluptuous woman clad in a rather provocative dress, though it was nothing compared to what Yuuma was currently wearing. The way her navy-blue hair was styled seemed to obscure one of her eyes. The second one was a smaller girl with blond hair, grinning deviously as she made her presence known. Attired in a black Gothic Lolita dress that covered her whole body, her appearance seemed to be in deep contrast with the woman. And the third one was a middle-aged man, dressed in a violet trench coat over a white dress shirt. His head was covered by a black fedora, which made his eyes obscured. But his piercing dark blue eyes could still be seen as he looked at both Issei and Aigis in disdain.

Three of them also had black wings on their backs. Yuuma raised both her hands as she conjured a pair of light spears, grinning madly.

"Kalawarner, Mittelt, Dohnaseek," the scantily-clad Fallen Angel addressed her brethren. "Kill them all. Do not show them mercy." Her eyes focused on both the girl and the boy they surrounded. "If you wish to curse something, curse your fate, as I, Raynare, shall destroy you!"

"Tch!" Clicking her tongue, Aigis aimed both her hands at the Fallen Angels before she unleashed barrage of high-caliber bullets from her fingers towards them. Issei immediately crouched, lowering himself as the sounds of gunshots resonated in the air. The discharge of the bullets destroyed the white gloves Aigis was wearing.

Not expecting this, all the Fallen Angels deflected all the bullets with their spears of light. While they might be low-ranked Fallen Angels based on the number of wings they had on their backs, their reflexes far exceeded than those of normal humans. As Aigis ended her assault, she ejected the blank bullet shells from her arms, dropping them to the ground.

"W-what… what are…" The Fallen Angel who called herself Raynare looked at Aigis with widened eyes. Despite her successfully deflecting all the bullets, she was caught off guard by the assault. "What are you?!"

Wordlessly, Aigis pulled out a knife from her jacket, twirling it before holding it in a reverse grip position. With the help of her rocket propeller, she propelled herself towards Raynare, attacking her with a diagonal slash of her knife. Raynare swung her spear to block the attack, but the moment when both the knife and the spear of light met, Aigis already changed her trajectory, quickly shifting her position to attack the Fallen Angel from another direction. With inhuman speed, Aigis circled around Raynare, attacking her from all directions as Raynare frantically blocked all the attacks from the battle maiden.

"What are you all waiting for?! Help me!" Raynare screamed to her fellow Fallen Angels. Three of them, Dohnaseek, Mittelt and Kalawarner tried to surround the battle android, intending to overpower her with their number. But before they could even bring down their weapons on her, Aigis released some kind of hot steam from her body, distracting them and blinding their vision. Aigis took her chance to use her backhand to push the Fallen Angels away. She managed to send both the busty woman, Kalawarner, and the middle-aged man, Dohnaseek, flying with a swing of her backhand. Due to her short stature, Mittelt didn't get hit by the android's fist as it just passed over her head, so Aigis grabbed the collar of her dress, much to the petite Fallen Angel's surprise before the battle maiden hurled her towards Raynare, sending both of them away from her.

Issei, who was watching the battle unfolding before his eyes, was stunned and amazed. He didn't know what happened, but it seemed that Aigis managed to overpower these four people all by herself.

"Don't let this get to your head, you bitch!" Raynare screamed madly before she spotted Issei. Apparently, when Aigis was battling four of them, the boy was left unprotected. Her lips curled up into a mad grin before she bellowed, "Now, let's see what will happen if I kill him!" Forming another spear of light, she hurled it towards Issei, who was too stunned and too terrified to move his body. From her position, there was no way Aigis could move to protect the boy.

Before the spear could reach him, however, a great shield bearing the frowning visage of Gorgon materialized just in front of Issei, blocking the spear. Then, a woman clad in a flowing white dress and golden accessories materialized herself just beside Issei. In her hand was a barbed spear that could not only be used to stab, but also to slice and cut.

"Hold on tight, child. Don't say a word, or else you may end up biting your tongue." The woman spoke to Issei with a voice filled with authority before she scooped him up under her arm and leaped backwards just by kicking the ground, distancing themselves away from the Fallen Angels. Grinding her teeth, Raynare pursued after her with two light spears in both hands, intending to attack both the woman and Issei. Gently, the woman put Issei down. "Stay there. Do not move if you value your life."

Absentmindedly, Issei nodded. Calmly, the woman, the patron goddess of Athens, Pallas Athena, stepped forward as she looked at the approaching Raynare.

"Don't get in my way!" Raynare bellowed. "I don't care what you are! I'm going to destroy you!"

Removing her helmet to expose her full head, Pallas Athena's grey eyes focused on the approaching Fallen Angel. She dropped her plumed war helmet to the ground. Letting her great shield, the Aegis, orbit around her, she held her barbed spear with both hands as she assumed a fighting stance.

"I shall see you try, you little rebel," Pallas Athena replied calmly. "Let us see whether you can even put a scratch on me with those spears of yours or not."

While Raynare was busy engaging in combat against the shield-bearing woman who suddenly showed herself, Kalawarner and Mittelt were trying their hardest to hit Aigis, to no avail. Dohnaseek went to assist the scantily-clad Fallen Angel as he realized that the woman might be too much for their leader to handle alone.

"It is time to end this," Aigis muttered. "Initiating weapon change. Harpe, stand ready." Her right arm glowed before her new weapon, a railgun that was specifically designed to be used by an Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon like her appeared, mounted underneath her right forearm. She fired a few rounds of her bullets at both the Fallen Angels and leaped backwards to open a distance between her and them. "Take aim." She aimed to shoot at both the Fallen Angels, standing with both legs opened so that she could withstand the shockwave and the recoil generated from the shot before she pressed the red button on the handle. "Fire!"

A buzzing sound was heard when Aigis pressed the button before the shot was released. The bullet that was shot was an electrically powered electromagnetic projectile which was accelerated by the electromagnetic effect generated from the barrel of the railgun. The result was an explosion from the tip of the barrel with the bullet ejected, flying towards the intended target. Realizing the strength from the shot, both Mittelt and Kalawarner immediately jumped aside to avoid the shot, and the bullet ended up hitting a tree instead. The sheer power of the shot was enough to decimate the whole tree, leaving behind nothing but charred remains of the tree.

The shockwave from the shot was enough to rip apart the sleeve of Aigis' uniform, revealing her robotic arm and metal arm bracer. "Ah." Aigis lowered her arm. "It seems I need to calibrate this gun in order to aim properly. This is something that needs to be done in the future," she made a mental note to herself regarding her new weapon as she nodded to herself.

Both Kalawarner and Mittelt were stunned as they looked at what remained of the tree that was shot earlier. They didn't dare to imagine what would happen if they were hit by the bullet. Fallen Angels or not, being obliterated by a single bullet wasn't an enticing idea to be had in their heads. When they looked back at the one who released the shot, they immediately snapped themselves out of their daze before they charged forward in order to attack the mechanical maiden.

"Ah, it seems that I still have a battle to finish," Aigis spoke before she blocked two incoming light spears with her new weapon. She then stepped forward, propelling herself with her rocket propellers and closing the distance between her and both Fallen Angels before she swung down her new weapon like an over-sized tonfa. The Fallen Angels managed to avoid the attack, but the impact of the weapon the battle maiden wielded was enough to leave a crater in the ground. Eyes widened in astonishment, Kalawarner and Mittelt looked at the crater that was formed from the impact.

Seeing that her enemies were distracted, Aigis moved forward, still wielding her railgun like a tonfa before she swung it towards the closest one, Mittelt. The diminutive Fallen Angel was too stunned to even move, and when the attack was about to connect, she could barely brace herself as she was hit by the over-sized, improvised tonfa, sending her flying.

After sending Mittelt away with a powerful blow of her tonfa, Aigis turned to look at Kalawarner, whose visible eye was still widened in shock. She had already formed her light spear, but she had yet to hurl it at the battle android.

"W-what are you?" Kalawarner asked in exasperation while studying her opponent.

"I am Aigis…" Aigis replied. "I am an Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon, designed specifically to fight all oppositions, whether they be Shadows, monsters, humans, or even Fallen Angels like you. You have yet to land a hit on me, even though you are Fallen Angels." Her glowing blue eyes looked at the busty form of the Fallen Angel who stood before her, sending chills down the Fallen Angel's spine. "Now, allow me to fulfill my true purpose." She aimed her railgun at Kalawarner. "My true purpose is to destroy my enemies. Thus, I shall destroy you."

"Damn you!" Raynare snarled as her opponent wounded her yet again. Despite the fact that she was assisted by Dohnaseek, this woman not only fought them evenly, she also overpowered them. Whenever they tried to attack her by hurling their spears, her shield would block all of them. Whenever they tried to attack them in melee combat, she would effortlessly deflect and block all their attacks before inflicting more damage on their bodies.

"Now, where is that boastful claim of yours earlier, you roguish brat?" Pallas Athena asked, twirling her barbed spear before she pointed it at Raynare. "I have landed approximately forty-six wounds on that whorish body of yours, and you have yet to land even one on mine. Are you really that weak? It seems that you are only capable of wounding a helpless, unarmed boy like the one whose heart you just broke, Raynare…" the goddess of wisdom spat the name of the scantily clad Fallen Angel in distaste.

In response, Raynare cackled despite her injuries. "So what?! So what if I hurt Issei?! He's pathetic! He's a worm! He's nothing but a smudge of dirt just below my shoe! So what if I kill him?!"

Pallas Athena shook her head in disappointment. "Heh… Fallen Angels, even after falling down from the grace of their creator, still have the gall to act high and mighty. You fell because you are no longer under your God's blessing. You fell because you are no longer the one who basks under your God's glory. You fell because you are nothing but a smudge of dirt just below your God's shoe, Fallen Angel. You are nothing but a disgrace, an unwanted child whose role is to be thrown away. The black wings that you wear on your back with pride, they are nothing but the symbols of your disgrace."

"S-shut up! Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" Raynare conjured dozens of light spears around her before she willed them to zoom towards Pallas Athena. Effortlessly, the goddess of wisdom just deflected all the spears with the help of her spear and shield. When Dohnaseek tried to attack her from behind, Pallas Athena spun and slammed her spear onto the male Fallen Angel's head, knocking him out cold. "Grr… who are you?! WHAT ARE YOU?!" Raynare screamed, conjuring two more light spears.

In an instant, Pallas Athena closed the distance between her and the Fallen Angel. Before Raynare could even react to it, Pallas Athena swung her barbed spear towards her right hand, cutting through the limb like a butter. Then, the goddess of wisdom smashed her shield against Raynare's face, knocking her down to the ground.

"MY ARM!" Raynare screamed in agony when she saw the bloody stump of her arm. Pallas Athena stabbed the severed hand of the Fallen Angel with her spear and lifted it. It twitched and shivered as blood leaked out from the stump. With Raynare's back on the ground, she tried to pick herself up, but Pallas Athena pressed her sandaled foot on her chest, pushing her down. The Fallen Angel could only look in horror as her severed hand disintegrated into ashes from the tip of Athena's spear.

"Do you wish to know what I am, little girl?" Pallas Athena asked. "I am Pallas Athena! The divine child of Zeus and Mother Metis! Patron goddess of Athens, the goddess of wisdom…" She pointed her barbed spear at Raynare's throat. "…And the one who will deliver a swift judgment on you, little fallen. A judgment that your creator had failed to deliver. Brace yourself, and remember my name as you fall even further into the realm of the dead." She raised her spear, preparing to stab the downed Fallen Angel through her skull between her eyes.

But before she could even do so, a few light spears flew towards the goddess of wisdom, causing her to shift her attention to her back, moving her Aegis to block the attack. Raynare took her chance to scamper away from the goddess' foot. The one who threw the spears was Dohnaseek, who regained consciousness just a while ago. His fedora was nowhere to be seen. He might have lost it sometime when Pallas Athena knocked him out earlier.

"Kalawarner! Mittelt! We're leaving!" Dohnaseek shouted to his fellow Fallen Angels as he continued to distract the goddess before he went to scoop up the horribly injured Raynare with both arms. His black wings expanded before he flapped them, propelling himself upwards as he carried the barely conscious Raynare in his arms.

"R-right!" Kalawarner responded, also expanding her wings as she held the unconscious Mittelt under her arm. Judging from her battered and bruised look, it was clear that she was soundly defeated by the battle android earlier.

And so, all the Fallen Angels escaped, barely with their lives. Both Aigis and Pallas Athena seemed to be unharmed from the battle earlier.

"Tch, cowards…" Pallas Athena hissed in disdain as she looked at those Fallen Angels that had become dots in the sky.

Dematerializing her railgun, Aigis immediately approached Issei, who was unharmed. "Issei-san, are you alright?"

"W-what… whuh…?" Issei was too shell-shocked to make any sense out of what he had seen earlier. Then, his eyes rolled back in his head before he fell to the ground, unconscious.

"Issei-san! What happened, Issei-san?!" Aigis shook Issei's prone body. "Did they somehow hurt you somewhere?" She was starting to panic over the thought that those Fallen Angels might have left some sort of curse on the poor boy's body. "Issei-san, answer me!"

"Little girl, he is unharmed…" Pallas Athena spoke. "Everything that happened to him was too much for his poor mind to handle. Please, let him rest."

A while later, they heard the sounds of wings flapping in the air before several figures landed right in front of them. They seemed to come from above.

"D-did we… did we make it?" One of them, the one with long, crimson hair panted. She saw the unconscious Issei who was being cradled by Aigis. "Aigis-san, w-what happened?"

Aigis looked at Rias Gremory and her group.

"You people are late. We already beat all those Fallen Angels," Aigis spoke, still holding the unconscious Issei.

Rias, alongside the members of her group, could only blink in confusion.

Meanwhile, somewhere outside the realm of mortals, at the top of Mount Olympus…

"Are you sure? Please, let not it be another false alarm. We've had enough of them for a millennia."

An elderly man with a white, long beard, dressed in a bluish-white toga was seen reclining on a throne made of diamonds. Before him was a man, clad in a rather luxurious pinstripe suit. Upon closer inspection, the man was hovering a few inches above the ground, and the posh leather shoes he was currently wearing seemed to have metallic wings on them.

"I am sure, Lord Zeus. It has been more than three thousand years already since that time…" the man in the pinstripe suit spoke to the elderly man on the throne.

Stroking his beard, the man, the ruler of Olympus, Zeus, nodded to himself. "Very well. Hermes, go and inform the rest of the Olympians regarding this matter."

"Your wish is my command, Lord Zeus," the man in the pinstripe suit, Hermes, spoke, bowing to the elderly man.

"Tell them, the lost daughter of Olympus has returned."

TO BE CONTINUED

Author's Note: It's me, Prince Arjuna. Thanks for the reviews that you had given for Chapter 5, they meant a lot for me. So, just to inform you guys, I will never turn Aigis into a Devil, period. Though the possibility for an android like her to be turned into a Devil will be explored in future chapters, she will not become a Devil. But that will just apply for her, the protagonist of the story. I am free to decide who may end up being reincarnated into a Devil from Persona side. And as you can see, the gods from Greek mythology will be jumping into the fray as well. In the original source materials, the Greek gods, or the Olympians only played some kind of minor roles and appeared as cameo, but for this fanfic, some of the gods will play a few major roles. The personalities of these gods will be adjusted according to how most gods and goddesses act in DxDverse.

And just for your information, the original idea for Chapter 5, I thought about introducing Labrys early, but then I decided to introduce Fuuka instead. I'm saving her for much later. Please look forward to it.

Of course, special thanks to Sorata Shioya for beta-reading this chapter. It is nice to work alongside you.

So, this chapter is longer than the previous ones, and I hope you will like it. See you guys again in the next chapter, Chapter 07: Silver Popess.

What I have planned: In future chapters, Grigori Institute and Azazel will get their hands on ASW's schematic modules, and Azazel will end up modifying Aigis' body, saying that he will make her 'stronger, faster and more powerful' while cackling like an evil scientist.

Prince Arjuna (2014)