There was a clearing in the middle of a forest near a hill overlooking Kuoh Academy. Completely hidden from other people, it was a perfect location for those who wanted to do something that required a fair deal of secrecy – especially anything that couldn't have any witnesses.

"Too slow!"

"Gah!"

And it happened that having an android girl flinging a boy a few inches taller than her over her shoulder was the reason behind the secrecy. The boy fell unceremoniously onto the ground, landing on his rear end, eliciting a pained grunt from him.

"This is fifth time you failed to land a hit on me." Aigis said before she went to the downed Issei's side. She knelt beside him, showing the boy a concerned look. "Are you alright? I hope my throw did not hurt you too much, Issei-san."

Grimacing, Issei tried picking himself up. "Oww, my butt…" despite the pain, he grinned at the mechanical maiden. "Nah, it ain't that painful," he said as he stood up, dusting off his pants. "Still, you're amazing, Ai-chan. You didn't move much, but you threw me off my feet like it was nothing. How did you do that?"

Smiling at the boy, Aigis spoke. "As an Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon, I am also equipped with the standard melee-combat protocol in my database. I believe it can also be called as CQC, or Close Quarter Combat. This protocol allows me to efficiently disable my opponent without making excessive movements." She looked down on her gloved hand. "However, I prefer using firearms and ranged weapons than using this protocol."

"Wow. That sounds kinda complicated, but it's awesome too!" Issei said enthusiastically. "No wonder you're strong, Ai-chan!" He took a few steps away from Aigis before he adopted a fighting stance. A crimson gauntlet with an emerald jewel embedded on it covered his left arm, as he prepared himself. "Now, let's start again!"

Nodding, Aigis also prepared herself. Unlike Issei, she did not assume a fighting stance, but she lowered her body as she looked at Issei, who was a few meters away from her. "You can attack me anytime you want, Issei-san. I am ready."

"Alright!" Issei dashed over Aigis' direction, his gauntleted fist clenched. He went in front of her, aiming a punch at her. Easily, Aigis sidestepped, dodging the punch, before she used the momentum of Issei's movement to push him down to the ground.

"Guh!" Issei fell face first onto the ground before the mechanical maiden planted her knee on his back. She didn't apply too much force on it, as she just merely pushed him to the ground, using her knee to prevent the boy from getting back up.

"I believe that was the sixth try." Aigis said. "Are you alright? Did I hurt you?"

"Oww…" Issei grunted. "Not yet…" he clawed on the ground. "I have to grow stronger…" he said as he clenched his fists. "I have to grow stronger, so that I can protect my friends…" he tried to get up despite Aigis' knee being planted on his back. "Losing Asia-chan once is enough. I can't accept losing her for the second time. Or anyone else, for that matter. Never…"

Seeing that Issei struggled to get up, Aigis moved her knee away from Issei's back and helped him to get back on his feet.

"I understand…" Aigis said gently. "It is admirable to desire power in order to protect those who are precious to you. It is also the same for me too." She placed her hand on her chest as she smiled at Issei. "In order to protect everyone, I also desire power. By growing stronger, protecting others is something that can be done more easily. That is why I am willing to assist you, however small my role is. If you believe that my assistance can be a great help for you to become much stronger, then I will gladly assist you."

"Ai-chan…" Issei looked at Aigis before he grinned and nodded. "Thanks! I know I can count on you!" Then, he looked aside, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "A-and… I also want to protect you too. I-I mean, you're my friend, right? S-so… it should be alright if I try to become stronger - so I can protect you too, right?"

Aigis blinked and tilted her head. "Hmm… I appreciate the sentiment, Issei-san, but I do believe that I can protect myself just fine."

"W-wait, I mean… I wanna protect you too!" Issei said. "W-well, it's probably true that you're strong. Stronger than me, even. But, in case if you're ever in trouble, then I'm gonna protect you!" There was a serious look on the perverted boy's face. "I'm gonna protect you with everything I got!"

Aigis looked at Issei's face for a few moments before she giggled. She covered her mouth with her gloved hand as she did that.

"D-did I say something funny?" Issei asked, confused.

"It's nothing…" Aigis said, smiling at Issei. "I'm just glad, Issei-san. I'm glad that someone's willing to protect me too. Very well. In case if I were in trouble, will you come to rescue and protect me?" Aigis asked.

"Of course!" Issei pounded his chest with his gauntleted fist. "You can count on me, Ai-chan!"

"Thank you," Aigis said softly. "I'm very glad."

Then, she took a few steps away from Issei.

"Very well. Let us start again. Come at me, and try to hit me with everything you have, Issei-san!" Aigis said. Her voice was significantly louder than before. Perhaps she was in a great mood.

"Alright! I'm gonna show you what I got!" Issei shouted, clenching his gauntleted fist, the emerald gem on the back of the crimson gauntlet glimmered majestically before he rushed towards Aigis, preparing to attack her with a punch. "Graah!"

"Initiating standard melee-combat protocol," Aigis said. This time, she adopted a fighting stance as she raised both hands, bracing herself for another attempt from Issei to attack her.

Heart of a Butterfly

Persona 3 and High School DxD Crossover

Chapter 14: Pallas Athena

Not too far from Aigis and Issei, a picnic blanket was spread on the ground. There were three people enjoying themselves with foods, as they watched Aigis flinging Issei over her shoulder yet again after delivering a palm strike under the boy's chin.

One of the spectators, Yuuto Kiba, flinched, when Issei landed on his back with a loud thud on the ground after being thrown by the android girl, who showed little effort in doing so. "…I hope that didn't hurt much." Kiba said before he took a bite of his sandwich.

"Hawawawa!" Another of the spectator, Asia Argento, was panicking when Issei fell. She was watching both Aigis and Issei spar nervously, and whenever she saw Issei being downed by the android girl effortlessly, she couldn't help but worry. She also showed a conflicted expression on her face. She couldn't decide whether to cheer for Aigis, or for Issei.

The third one, Koneko Toujou was silently eating her seventh serving of sandwich while watching the fight between the two. Whenever Issei was flung over Aigis' shoulder, she also flinched before she observed the perverted boy's body unceremoniously falling onto the ground.

"Even so, she's very good." Kiba said after he finished his sandwich. "Aigis-san, I mean. There's no excessive movement from her part, and all her moves are done efficiently." After that, he shrugged. "It's probably because of her robot stuff or something." He added.

"Yeah, you're right, Kiba-san…" Asia said, nodding. "Still, how did it turn out like this? I mean, Issei-san just wanted to ask her how to fight properly." She flinched again when Issei was thrown onto the ground again, this time via a suplex. "B-but all he did was get beaten down by Aigis-san…"

Kiba smiled at the ex-nun. "I believe Issei's trying to figure out the right way to fight by feeling all Aigis-san's attacks with his body. That way, his body can memorize all the attacks, and he will be able to use them instinctively because he'll remember them. Or at least, that's what I thought…" he looked at them again. "Still, it definitely hurts, I can say that for sure."

Aigis blocked Issei's gauntleted punch before she grabbed Issei's body and made another suplex.

"Yeah, that certainly hurts…" Kiba grimaced. "But I'm sure this is his way to get stronger." He smiled. "I probably should train harder too."

"S-so… he did all this because he wants to become stronger?" Asia asked before she looked down. "He's working so hard. Issei-san sure is amazing…" she mumbled softly. "Compared to him, I… I can't do much." She held out one of her hand, and a ring appeared on her finger.

It was her Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing, or at least what was left of it. When Raynare extracted her Sacred Gear from her, Twilight Healing wasn't completely taken out, and she still retained a small fragment of its power. The extraction process managed to kill her even though it didn't completely remove the Sacred Gear from her. Due to that, it was weaker and less potent than before. It could be said that she only retained one eighth of Twilight Healing's original power. One could even see a few cracks on the surface of the ring, indicating its incompleteness.

"W-why… why did Buchou revive me?" Asia muttered in all of a sudden. "I no longer have the same power as before, s-so… I should be useless for the group."

Kiba gave Asia a concerned look.

"I mean, I'm grateful to be alive again, b-but… I can't even heal properly anymore…" Asia said with sadness, despite the smile on her face. "I-I'm afraid I'm going to be a burden for everyone…"

Kiba let out a soft sigh before he patted Asia's head. "I don't think that's really the case, Asia-san." Then, he pulled back his hand and looked up to the sky. "You see, back then when I was still a human, I was dying in the middle of nowhere. There's snow everywhere. I thought I was definitely going to die. Or I might have died at that time. I'm not so sure. And then, Buchou showed up. She revived me using her Evil Piece, and I was reincarnated as a Devil…" he gave Asia a wry smile. "When she revived me, she didn't even know that I could use Sacred Gear. She revived me because she thought I was going to die."

Asia looked at Kiba with a sad look. She was visibly affected by what the blond boy had told her.

"So, when she revived you, I believe she wanted to save you too." Kiba told Asia reassuringly. "It's the same like my situation."

"B-but Buchou told me she revived me to keep Issei-san's morale!" Asia protested. "S-she didn't want him depressed, so she revived me…"

Kiba shrugged. "I think that's what she wanted you to believe. A King has to keep up appearance too, you know?"

Asia seemed conflicted before she nodded slowly. Koneko continued having her sandwich, which happened to be her seventeenth serving. Then, they continued watching the spar between Aigis and Issei. This time, Issei was getting better than before as he managed to avoid getting thrown over Aigis' shoulder, but he left his right side exposed, and the mechanical maiden seize the chance by attacking his right side.

A few seconds later, Issei was on the ground, defeated pretty soundly by Aigis.

Seeing that Issei was sprawling on the ground, Aigis went to her side and kneeled beside him. "Issei-san, I believe this is your seventeenth attempt already. Let us take a break, shall we?"

"Urgh… y-yeah, l-let's take a break…" Issei grunted. "Oww, my tailbone!"

"I apologize! I got excited when you managed to avoid my strike, and I forgot to hold back." Aigis spoke. "Here, please take my hand. I will have Asia-san treat your injuries."

Aigis assisted the perverted boy to get up on his feet and brought him to Asia, who used her Sacred Gear to heal his injuries. While her healing power might have been diminished thanks to the extraction ceremony, she was still able to heal minor injuries without problem.

"Turning into a sandbag must hurt, from what I can see…" Kiba said, observing Asia treating Issei's bruises from the fight. "Still, you're pretty strong, Aigis-san." He looked at Aigis, who was adjusting her black Chesterfield coat and red necktie.

"It's not much compared to my sister, Labrys." Aigis said, shaking her head. "Unlike me, she was specifically built as a power-user, while I am a jack-of-all-trades. As an Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon, my speed, defense, power and reflexes are average, while Labrys' defense and power are outstanding, even for ASW's standard. In exchange to that, she has to sacrifice her speed, however."

"I see…" Kiba mused.

"She's more like a Rook." Koneko spoke.

"Rook?" Aigis raised one eyebrow as she looked at the white-haired petite girl.

"Ah, yeah…" Kiba said. "Well, we already told you about Evil Pieces, right?"

Aigis nodded. "Affirmative. From what Gremory-san had told me, Evil Pieces are some sort of artifacts that allow other beings to be reincarnated into Devils." She remembered that the reason behind the creation of Evil Pieces was to replenish the number of Devils after the Great War that had caused countless deaths from every faction. Created and developed by one of the Great Satans, Ajuka Beelzebub, Evil Pieces were something essential to ensure the survival of Devil species.

"Yup, that's right. Each Evil Piece has its own attribute, which reflects on those who are reincarnated. For example, I'm a Knight, and my special attribute is speed in exchange of defense. And Koneko-chan here is a Rook," he gestured at Koneko before he continued, "Whose speciality is her strength and defense. She has to sacrifice her speed, though."

Aigis looked at Koneko. While Koneko might be small, she had seen what she was capable of before, back at the time when she encountered the stray Devil Gremda and at the cathedral. For someone small like her, she sure packed quite a punch.

"I assume Asia-san is a Bishop," Aigis said, glancing at Asia who was busy healing Issei's bruises.

Kiba nodded. "Yeah, you're right about that. Bishops specialize in magic, and it happens that Asia-san can heal." Then, he held out his hand as he continued his explanation. "As for Akeno-san, she's a Queen. Well, let's just say that she has all the attributes of a Knight, a Rook and a Bishop."

"I see…" Aigis mused. "Issei-san?" She already had an idea about which piece that was used for Issei, but she would like a confirmation about it.

"Well, he's a Pawn. Normally speaking, a Pawn is the weakest piece among the pieces, but it has a special attribute that allows a Pawn to be promoted into a Queen, a Knight, a Rook or a Bishop in enemy territory." Kiba explained. "And thanks to Issei's Sacred Gear, Boosted Gear, Buchou had to use all her Pawn pieces in order to reincarnate him into a Devil. Well, she really didn't know about that at that time, and Buchou thought that when she resurrected him, he's a special case. It turned out that she was right all along." He shrugged. "He's the possessor of one of the Longinus, so that should have been expected."

"A Longinus?" Aigis tilted her head, blinking a few times. "A question, Kiba-san. Does a Longinus refer to the spear used by Saint Longinus to stab the crucified Jesus Christ?"

"Ah, well… you see, I'm not really the right person to answer that, but I guess I'll try," Kiba said. "The Longinus are the Sacred Gears that are believed to be capable of killing gods and bodhisattvas, and there are thirteen of them so far." The blond boy said as he glanced at Issei. "And one of the Longinus belongs to Issei." After a pause, he continued, "And all these Sacred Gears are specifically named after the True Longinus, the spear that was used to stab Jesus Christ."

While Aigis was listening to Kiba, Asia had finished her healing.

"Thanks, Asia-chan!" Issei said happily. "As usual, awesome job!" He held out his hand and patted the ex-nun's head.

Blushing, Asia stuttered, "I-it's alright! I-I just did what I had to do!" The girl's cheeks were turning redder and redder, to the point where it might seem unhealthy for her, unless if one of her ancestors was part-tomato. Or strawberry. Or any red fruits out there.

"Don't sell yourself short, Asia-chan! You're amazing!" Issei said as he kept on praising Asia's ability.

"Hawawa…"

Not even being part-tomato could be a plausible explanation of her reddening face. It seemed that her head might explode due to high blood pressure anytime soon.

As for Kiba and Aigis, who were the onlookers of this particular scene, they were smiling. Even Koneko smiled.

Soon after that, Aigis went to talk to Issei about his training, in order to give him her assessment.

"How do you feel now, Issei-san?" Aigis asked.

"Uh, well… I won't exactly call 'getting tossed around' a good experience," Issei shrugged. "But I guess I got something out of it. And thanks to Asia-chan," he patted Asia's head. "I feel better now." He grinned, and the ex-nun blushed again.

"I see. Good." Aigis nodded. "I can see that you have improved. Still, allow me to give you my assessment. When you were trying to attack me, you were too focused on the offense, ignoring the need to defend altogether." She said as she looked at Issei, whose expression turned rather sheepish. "Defense and offense are two important aspects in battle, and one has to make use of them. If you are too focused on the offense, then you won't be able to do much against the enemy's counterattack. And if you are too focused on the defense, you may end up prolonging the battle, tiring yourself out along the way."

"Uh… w-well…" Issei awkwardly rubbed the back of his head.

"Despite that, I believe that you have potential to grow even stronger, Issei-san." Aigis said, smiling at the boy. "It's just that you lack finesse and skills to fight effectively."

"S-so, umm… what will you suggest me to do?" Issei asked, his tone sounded uncertain.

"I already have a plan for that. I am sure this plan may work. All you have to do is to have a teacher." Aigis said.

"A teacher?" Issei blinked a few times, confused.

"Yes. A teacher." After nodding, Aigis closed her eyes before her body was wreathed in azure glow. Then, a figure started manifesting itself beside the mechanical maiden. The figure took the shape of a beautiful woman, clad in white, flowing dress, adorned with golden accessories and shoulder guards. She also wore a plumed war helmet, which covered the upper half of her head, as well as a pair of bronze sandals that reached up to her calves.

Standing regally in front of everyone, Pallas Athena removed her helmet, fully exposing her face. There was a notable absence of her signature weapons; her barbed spear as well as the great round shield, the Aegis. As she looked at the perverted boy in front of her with her intense grey eyes, the goddess of wisdom spoke. "It's been a while, boy."

Issei was awestruck as Pallas Athena addressed him. He had seen her before, back at the clubroom, but now that he was given a chance to speak with her, he was mystified by her inhuman beauty. And one thing that Issei realized about her was her rather impressive bust, or goddess' Oppai, as he might call.

"I know that sort of look, boy…" Pallas Athena frowned. "Odysseus used to give me that look whenever I dropped my disguise and showed him my godly appearance." She folded her arms under her chest, further emphasizing her shapely feature. "I am willing to tolerate your display of perversity for the time being, but if you dare to do something unsightly on me, then I shall deliver an appropriate divine punishment upon you. Be thankful that I give you this warning beforehand. Did I make myself clear, boy?"

Issei gulped. While he would like to cop a feel, he definitely didn't want to experience the divine punishment from the goddess. "L-loud and clear, ma'am!"

Smiling, Athena spoke, "Good boy. Now, about what we are going to do…" she glanced at Aigis. "The girl here suggested me to be your teacher on how to fight effectively. It happens that I am quite a decent mentor, with me being the goddess of wisdom and warfare." Smiling confidently, she added, "I have quite a lot of things I can teach you, boy. Consider yourself lucky."

When Athena was done, Aigis spoke, "Just like what she said. Athena will be teaching you how to fight. While she's not the original Athena, she still has her memories. She probably has a lot of things she can teach you."

Pallas Athena gave Aigis a frown. "I dislike the way you describe me, girl." She said with a huff. "Especially with that 'probably'. Are you perhaps doubting my ability, little girl?"

"I certainly never doubt your ability, Athena." Aigis said. "Let us not focus on your swelling pride and instead on the most important thing here, shall we?" She focused on Issei. "Like I said, Athena will be teaching you how to fight with finesse. Considering that my fighting skills are more like preprogrammed standard close-combat protocol, it is probably unsuited for others."

Athena smiled proudly. "And it happens that as the goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare, I have quite a lot of knowledge regarding the martial arts. First, let me teach you the basics of pankration…" her golden accessories and shoulder guards magically disappeared, leaving her with sleeveless white Greek dress.

"Pan… kration?" Issei shot the goddess a confused look. "W-what… is that?"

"It is ancient Greek unarmed martial art…" Pallas Athena said. "Many ancient Greek heroes used this when their weapons were unavailable. And considering that you primarily use your fists in a fight, pankration is definitely a suitable fighting style for you."

"O-okay," Issei said. "Alright, I guess I got it. So, how do we begin, Athena-sensei?"

"Sensei?" Pallas Athena blinked. While she definitely knew the meaning behind the word, it was her first time being addressed as such. It definitely caught her off-guard. "Ah. Let us begin by seeing your stance first. We have to see whether you are capable of withstanding your opponent's attack with that stance or not."

While Pallas Athena was mentoring Issei, Aigis left them be, approaching the others.

"Pankration, huh?" Kiba muttered as he observed Athena correcting Issei's stance.

Aigis nodded. "Yes. It happens that Athena knows about pankration, which is obvious, considering that she's a Greek goddess. But the better choice has to be Herakles, or other Greek heroes, or probably Chiron. Sadly, none of those Personas are available to me just yet. I can feel them in my sea of soul, but they are somehow blocked by an invisible wall of sorts." The mechanical maiden sighed.

Kiba looked at Aigis. "Umm…there's something I'm curious about your power, Aigis-san. It's about the Personas. You told me that the Personas are the manifestations of self that take the appearances of mythological and legendary figures, right? How many Personas do you have, actually?"

Aigis seemed bashful when she answered Kiba's question. "Well, I actually have more than three hundred Personas in my repertoire. Yet due to certain reasons, I can only summon a handful of them at the moment. I was capable of summoning all of them for a time due to the circumstances, but now, I have to unlock them one by one. What's with the question, Kiba-san?" The mechanical maiden asked.

"Oh, it's nothing…" Kiba said. "It's just that I've been wondering if you have some sword-wielding legendary heroes to summon as Personas or something like that."

"If you're wondering about that, I certainly have some," Aigis nodded.

"Really?" Kiba looked curious.

"Yes. Among the active ones, I have Galahad, one of the Knights of Round Table. It is said that besides being a Knight serving under King Arthur, he's also an exorcist. A very powerful one, actually." Aigis said.

"An exorcist, huh…"

Aigis realized that Kiba looked away, as if hiding his changing expression. But after a while, the blond boy looked back at her, smiling.

"I see…" Kiba mused.

Thinking that she might just be imagining it, Aigis continued. "Besides him, I also have more of them who are still locked away." Aigis began listing the names of sword-wielders among her Personas to Kiba. The blond boy listened to her, seemingly curious.

While Aigis was busy telling Kiba about her powers, both Asia and Koneko were watching Issei getting berated by Athena while the goddess was instructing him.

"You think you can withstand an attack with that sloppy stance, boy?! You're nothing but a stack of cards at this rate! Now, withstand this!"

"W-wait, Sensei! T-that's just too fast! I- urgh!"

"Just one punch and you're down? Pathetic! Stand up and face me! You are a man, are you not?!"

"H-how do I suppose to withstand your punch if you don't give me time to prepare?!"

"Do you believe your enemy will be giving you enough time to prepare, boy?! Don't be sloppy and take it like a man!"

"W-wait a mi- urgh!"

"Again?! How pathetic! Do you wish to make the ground your bed, boy?! Training is far from over! Stand up and take whatever I am going to throw at you!"

As both Koneko and Asia were watching Pallas Athena pummeling the poor boy, the ex-nun glanced at Koneko. "Umm… are you sure he'll be alright?" She asked uncertainly.

Koneko was silent as she observed both Athena and Issei before she looked at Asia and shrugged. Then she continued watching them.

Rias was at her home, talking with her brother, Sirzechs Lucifer via a magic circle. The Great Satan told his little sister about his encounter with the leader of the Shadow Operatives, mostly about the secret organization itself.

"So… they really do have their own adventures, huh?" Rias mused to herself. "Honestly, I didn't expect that. I mean, I never heard of such a thing before."

Sirzechs grinned at his little sister. "A supernatural world is far bigger than one can possibly imagine, Rias. When you get to live for a long time, you will be able to accept things for what they are, despite how sudden and unexpected they can be."

"Still, after hearing that from you, I…" Rias looked away, bringing her hand to her chin. Despite learning most things about the elusive organization Aigis belonged to, she couldn't find any point that she could use in order to convince the mechanical maiden to join her peerage. "I'm not sure if I can find a way to convince her to join my group."

"Oh? Is there anything else my dear little sister wants me to do?" Sirzechs asked.

Rias scoffed. "There's no need for that, Nii-sama. You've done a lot to me already. And you're the Great Satan Lucifer, you shouldn't focus on me alone." She sighed. "Even so, thank you. You're really a really great help, Nii-sama." She smiled at her big brother.

Sirzechs seemed satisfied and was elated when Rias expressed her gratitude to him. "Don't mention it. It's just a big brother's job to help his cute little sister, you know?" Then, his expression turned serious. "But, there's something I'd like to remind you, Rias. While I understand why you want one of their members to be in your peerage, remember to thread this matter carefully." There was a strange look on the Great Satan's face. "They don't think rather highly of us, to put it rather mildly."

Rias listened to her big brother. She still remembered what Aigis had told her before. She said that she dedicated herself to protect mankind from any sort of threat, whether from the outside or from itself. And considering that they had already faced inhuman threats several times, which might give them an unpleasant impression to most supernatural beings out there. In this case, Rias sure needed to make use of her skills in diplomacy. And she also needed to present herself and her peerage as a non-threatening party to her.

It was difficult, but if she used her cards right, she believed that she might be able to pull it off.

"So, I guess that's all for now. And good luck, Rias." And so, the conversation between the siblings ended. Rias let out a soft sigh before she went to her bed and plopped herself into it.

With everything that she had learned, she had to figure out the ways to convince Aigis that joining her wouldn't be so bad. If things could go better, she might be able to convince Aigis' sister, Labrys, as well. As she imagined those two android girls being among the ranks within her peerage, she broke into a smile. She imagined that it would be a great boon for her peerage to have those girls with them.

While Rias was thinking of ways to get Aigis and Labrys to join her peerage, Sirzechs was sitting alone in his room, seemingly mulling about something. After a while, a silver-haired woman in maid uniform entered the room. Her expression was neutral as she spoke to the red-haired Devil. "Sirzechs-sama, have you finished speaking with your sister? The meeting with the other Great Satans will start one hour from now."

"Ah, yes. I already finished. Thank you for reminding me, dear." Sirzechs said, getting up from his seat.

The silver-haired woman, Grayfia, furrowed her brow as she looked at her husband. "Do I have to remind you to address me accordingly and properly?" Despite that, one could see a faint shade of crimson on Grayfia's cheeks.

Sirzechs shrugged. "Well, it's just two of us here. In private, I'm free to call you 'dear' as much as I want."

Grayfia sighed. "Seriously, what a difficult man you are, Sirzechs-sama."

The Great Satan grinned. "A difficult man whom you fell in love with, that's what."

Coughing into her fist while ignoring her reddening cheeks, Grayfia spoke. "Putting the matter aside, what will be your next course of action? Are you going to share your finding with the rest of the Great Satans?" She gave Sirzechs a questioning look. "I do have a feeling that Serafall Leviathan-sama will not be pleased if you inform her that you made a first contact with those group without her knowing it."

"I'll deal with that as soon as she voices out her complaint." Sirzechs said. "But I'm sure she'll understand once I explain everything to her, as well as to Ajuka and Falbium." There was a sad look on his face. "Like me, they also desire peace. That was why we toppled the Old Satan and seized control. Like I said, this is our chance, a chance to create an everlasting peace between all factions. I believe if Azazel and Michael were to be presented with the same chance, they will also think of the same thing as well."

Sirzechs let out a tired sigh. The weariness was made apparent, Grayfia couldn't help but to notice it. Standing before her was no longer a Great Satan, but a survivor of two wars that had claimed countless lives. She recognized the look in his eyes, because she also saw the same look back then, when they were alongside each other during the aftermath of the bloodshed during the civil war among the Devils. After a while, the silver-haired maid stepped forward, going closer to her husband before she held out her hand to hold his.

"The idea of peace of yours…" Grayfia spoke softly. Her tone was evidently different than before as it sounded gentler and warmer. "I share it with you as well, dear. Please remember that through thick or thin, for better or worse, this Grayfia Lucifuge will always be by your side. The vision of yours will be made reality, and we will see them together."

As both husband and wife stared into each other's eyes, Sirzechs smiled. "Thank you, Grayfia."

After a while, Grayfia let go of Sirzechs' hand and took a few steps back. She straightened her back, and her expression returned back to neutral. "Sirzechs-sama, let us depart. You still have to prepare for the meeting."

"Yes. I'm glad to have you by my side, dear."

Grayfia scoffed, but then smiled before she helped Sirzechs to prepare himself. Sirzechs himself thought that once he's done with the meeting, he might have to take his time to send some letters to Azazel and Michael regarding his new finding. From there, their plan would begin.

Back at the training ground, Pallas Athena was training Isse. Apparently the pummeling done by the goddess seemed to work, as Issei started improving himself. He was no longer sent flying by Athena's punches anymore, and he was capable of blocking her strikes.

"You're improving, boy!" Athena said. "But don't expect your opponent to throw punches and kicks alone! Hah!" She closed the distance between her and the boy, aiming to throw a punch right onto his face. Issei brought up both his arms, crossing both of them in front of his face in order to protect himself. He also took a few steps back in order to lessen the blow.

Unfortunately for Issei, the punch was merely a feint. Using her sandaled foot, Athena delivered a kick right onto his gut, and the force of the kick was enough to send the perverted boy flying.

"Grkh!"

The boy was on the ground, groaning in pain as he brought his hands to his stomach. Thanks to his resilience as a Devil, he was mostly alright. If he were still a human, the kick might have caused a serious internal damage on him.

"Down already? What a shame." Athena went to the downed boy. "Still, you manage to withstand my attacks for more than ten minutes, which is far better than before." She smiled. "Here, take my hand, boy. We are taking a break."

Still groaning, Issei got up with the help of the goddess. Asia immediately went to his side and started pouring healing aura on him in order to heal his injuries. Aigis, Kiba and Koneko also approached him.

"Well, this is more like a one-sided beatdown than anything, if I have to be honest," Kiba said. "Still, I can see Issei getting even better than before." He looked at Athena. "As expected from the goddess of wisdom herself."

Pallas Athena huffed as she folded her arms under her chest. "There is a reason why one of my nicknames is The Mentor. I pride myself as a teacher and an instructor."

As for Koneko, she looked at Issei who was healed by Asia. She was curious about this pankration. From what she had seen, it was a combination of boxing and wrestling, with kickboxing mixed in as well. As a martial artist herself, she couldn't help but to be curious about what she had seen.

"You okay there, Issei?" Kiba asked.

Scowling, Issei answered, "It could be worse. Still, I need to recover so we can continue the training." He looked at Athena. "Sensei, can we continue after this?"

Pallas Athena was positively surprised, but then, she smiled. "Why of course. I also have a few things to teach you as well after this. And considering that you are a possessor of Boosted Gear, I'm sure you will like it."

"Alright, that sounds awesome." Issei grinned. Despite being pummeled several times by the goddess, he liked her way. Whenever he made a mistake, she would make an effort to correct him. And most of her instructions were easy to understand. Granted, if one's instructions were literally beaten into your body, they would be. And in addition to that, whenever she grappled with him, he could feel her breasts. The feeling of having her big, soft breasts being pressed against his body brought a mixture of pleasant feeling within the perverted boy.

"Boy… I know that kind of look…" Athena noticed the perverted look on Issei's face. "While I said that I will overlook your display of perversity, I do not appreciate that look on your face." She scowled.

"Pervert." Koneko said, agreeing with the goddess.

"Well, it is safe to assume that they are getting along just fine." Aigis commented.

Meanwhile, without any of them noticing it, there was a man clad in a rather luxurious pinstripe suit, floating in the air. He seemed to be wearing a pair of leather shoes with small, mechanical wings attached on them.

He was observing the people in the middle of the clearing of the forest below. His gaze was mostly focused on the woman in sleeveless white Greek tunic who was lecturing one of the boys.

The man smiled.

"Finally, I have found you, sister…"

Hermes spoke to himself as he continued observing the group.

"Truly, the lost child of Olympus has returned."

It was already late at night, and there were two girls dressed in Kuoh Academy's school uniform, running frantically through the dark alleys in the city. Apparently, they were trying to escape from something that had been pursuing them.

"C'mon, this way, Lisa-chan!" A girl with lavender-colored, shoulder-length hair, spoke to her companion as they ran together, holding each other's hand.

"Miu-chan, not too fast!" The other girl, Lisa, whose brown hair was chin-length, gasped for air.

"We cannot stop! Or else he'll get us!" Miu said.

As they ran, they suddenly heard an explosion right behind them.

"Eek!" Lisa shrieked, bringing her hands to her head, ducking. "W-what was that?!"

"Oh no…" Miu looked behind her. "This is bad. He's catching up." She looked at Lisa. "You go on ahead! I'll try to slow him down!"

Lisa was surprised by her friend's suggestion. "No! We'll go together! If you stay here, you'll die!" She cried.

Miu smiled and patted Lisa's head. "Don't worry. I'll try to slow him down so you can escape. I'll live, believe me." Then, she turned to face the direction where their pursuer would be coming from. "Now, go! Make sure to inform our master and the rest of the members of peerage!"

"Y-yeah! Stay safe, Miu-chan!" And so, Lisa ran away.

When Lisa was already gone, Miu clenched her fists before magic circles started forming on both her hands. A pair of leathery wings emerged from her back as she stood her ground. Soon after that, she heard the sounds of footsteps approaching, and she tightened her jaw as she braced herself to face her pursuer to slow him down.

"Oho? A kitty-cat is staying behind? I'm impressed!" Said a jovial, high-pitched voice before a white-haired man clad in clerical uniform showed up. He seemed to be holding a glowing sword while sporting a face-splitting grin. His red eyes were focused on Miu as he approached her.

Taking a few steps back, Miu brought up her hands. "S-stay back!"

"Ah, so you're stayin' behind to delay me, ain'tcha?" The white-haired man spoke. "Well, that's admirable of ya, but it's useless. 'Cause you're gonna die here."

"I'll kill you first…" Miu growled.

"After I kill you, I'm gonna rape you too." The white-haired man added, grinning, and Miu let out a frightened squeak. "Now, if you don't wanna die painfully, give it up. I'm kinda merciful tonight."

"D-die!" Miu fired a flame blast towards the man, and fired another for extra measure. The fire blast would be enough to reduce a man into dust. But, much to her surprise, the man emerged unharmed. There was an amused smirk on the man's face. "H-how…?"

"It's my turn now."

With a snap of his fingers, Miu saw something moving in a blur. Before she could even do anything, it was already over. It took her a few seconds to realize that her whole body was missing, save for her head.

And everything turned dark.

"Ah... hah…" Panting heavily, Lisa leaned against the wall in the dark alley. She was sure that she might have already escaped her pursuer. She could only hope that Miu would be able to get away unharmed.

She never thought her day would turn out this way. In all of a sudden, that strange man clad in exorcist's garb showed up and started pursuing them. He somehow knew their true nature as the Devils.

"Ah… I-I need to contact master and the others too…" Lisa muttered. "And then search for Miu-chan…"

"Lookin' for this?"

Lisa let out a squeak when she heard that voice. She turned around and gasped when she saw her pursuer, whose grin was too wide to be considered human. He was holding a glowing sword in his right hand, and something else in his left.

When she took a look at it, Lisa brought her hand to her mouth, suppressing a scream.

The man was holding Miu's head. Her eyes were closed. Blood could be seen dripping from the severed stump.

"N-no way… M-Miu-chan… n-not her…" tears started to gather in Lisa's eyes before they rolled unbidden down her cheeks. "W-why? Why did you do this to us?"

"Hmm? Why, you ask? Obviously, you're Devils." The man shrugged before he threw the head towards Lisa. The head rolled on the ground before it stopped near Lisa's feet. "It kinda sucks, though. Only her head remains and I can't rape her. Oh well, at least I can skull-fuck her after I kill ya." He grinned.

"You…" Lisa looked at Miu's head before she glared at the man. "Y-you bastard…" she conjured a pair of katana in her hands as her Devil wings emerged from her back, expanding to their full length. "You're gonna pay for this! I'll kill you!"

"Oho? We'll see about that." The man said.

Lisa was about to attack, but then, she was stopped when she saw what was behind the man. She froze as she saw what was behind him.

Words alone couldn't describe what was behind the man. It was an ever-shifting, ever-changing mass of chaos. As a reincarnated Devil, there was a part within Lisa that was still human. As soon as she saw what was behind the man, the human part of her reacted to it.

Much to her horror, she somehow recognized the swirling chaos. It felt like seeing her own reflection in a mirror. She saw herself in the chaos. Hell, she might even say that she was the chaos.

Resentment, hatred, self-destruction, despair, lamentation, fear, death…

Lisa trembled as she dropped her katana. She was unable to move. She was too shocked to even say anything or do anything as she saw herself in the mass of chaos that was presented before her. The man slowly approached her before he brought his hand to her chin. She didn't react to it, because her eyes were still focused on the swirling chaos behind the man.

"Devils… the creatures of darkness…" somehow, his tone was subdued and calm, unlike before. "You are the creatures made of sins, made to sin. Yet you put those masks on yourselves, acting like the humans you are actually not." The man sighed. "You are the creatures of the Underworld, the ones that are never humans to begin with. But you take the appearance of the humans, mimicking them, copying their behaviors. You are a different creature altogether, and yet you discard your true nature in favor of a lesser being that your kind usually perceived."

The man brought his hand to Lisa's lips, tracing them with his thumb.

"You see them as inferiors, yet you act like them. Is this an acknowledgement to humans themselves? Or is it simply due to a simple fact that controvert your true nature?"

Then, he moved his hand to the girl's ribbon, undoing it.

"As far as I can see, you, the Devils, are contradicting yourselves."

TO BE CONTINUED

Author's Note: Prince Arjuna is here! Thank you for reading the latest chapter of Heart of a Butterfly. Actually, I have a lot of things to say about some of the reviews for the previous chapters, about how many people are ignorant of the source materials, which are from High School DxD. Seriously, is it fun to demonize the Devils? I mean, yeah, they're Devils, but do you seriously think that Sirzechs are really that evil? Geez, you guys sure are influenced by Demon Lord's Hero's nonsense, aren't you? Well, if you guys like DLH, I don't really mind, and don't really care. It's an acquired taste.

Okay, enough with talking about other fic in my fanfiction. So, the next chapter will probably be the mark of a new arc, which is also focused on P3. And I'd also like to mention that this is the first chapter of Heart of a Butterfly to be updated in 2015. Yay! By the way, Miu and Lisa are just OCs who may not show up in later chapters, but they may be mentioned somewhere in between or whatever.

Also, I'd like to thank Sraosha for beta-reading this chapter. It's so nice to work alongside you.

So, as usual, why don't you guys leave me some reviews? Considering that an author needs a motivation, overflowing reviews seem to be a good start. Thank you once again and see you guys later in the next chapter, Chapter 15: Soul Phase. Stay tuned!

Edit: Alright, I admit that I made a mistake in the previous chapter, and also in my rant above. I will not deny that I screwed things up. Here, I will try to figure out a way to patch things up so they appear to be acceptable for you guys. My principle as an author is 'most of the time, the readers are often right, except when they are not'. And here, forgive me for my lack of foresight.

Prince Arjuna (2015)