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"Let's go!" - Regular Speech
'Oppai!' - Thoughts
[BOOST!] - Sacred Gear/Ddraig Speech
Chapter 21: Aftermath and Resolution
The moment Issei allowed himself a brief sigh of relief as the attempted invasion of his base finally came to an end, he was suddenly hit by an absolute avalanche of notification screens. It actually took him a few minutes just to sort through them all and get them all into something resembling a recognizable order, going from oldest to newest.
After taking a moment to just breathe and steady himself afterwards, he began to examine the screens more closely, this time paying actual attention to what each one said.
[Invasion After-Action Report (1)]
First Floor
You have lost one [Dogū Golem]!
Your [Spring Floor] Trap has been tripped!
Your [Dogū Golem]s have slain Vincenzo Valisnieri (LV10)! Your [Base Core] gains 125 EXP, which is converted to 625 MP!
You have slain your first Dungeon Intruder! You have gained a [Shop Coupon] as a reward!
Your [Dragon Golem] has slain Francesco Bruni (LV10)! Your [Base Core] gains 125 EXP, which is converted to 625 MP!
Your [Dragon Golem] has slain Antonio Baronni (LV9)! Your [Base Core] gains 95 EXP, which is converted to 475 MP!
You have lost five [Dogū Golem]s!
You have lost one [Dragon Golem]!
Your First Floor Boss [Shakkōmon, the Divine Metal Dogū] has slain Angelo Zeno (LV11)! Your [Base Core] gains 155 EXP, which is converted to 775 MP!
Your First Floor Boss [Shakkōmon, the Divine Metal Dogū] has slain Giuseppe Ciano (LV13)! Your [Base Core] gains 215 EXP, which is converted to 1075 MP!
Base Invasion successfully repelled!
All Invaders have been defeated! Auto-looting corpses…done! Weapons added to newly-created [Armoury/Trophy Room]!
You gain [Exorcist Light-Pistol] X5!
You gain [Exorcist Light Sword] X5!
You gain [Exorcist Light Grenade] X2!
You gain [Exorcist Field Medic Kit] X1!
You gain [Vial of Holy Water] X5!
All other items deemed of no value due to damage.
You have successfully defended your base from your first hostile invasion force! [Armoury/Trophy Room] has been added to your [Base Core] as a reward!
You have successfully repelled your first invasion! You have gained a [Floor Catalogue Expansion Ticket] as a reward!
You gain 9000 EXP from proper management of your Dungeon during an invasion! One-time bonus multiplier of ten applied due to first Dungeon Invasion Defence!
The first screen alone nearly had Issei's jaw going slack in shock. There was just so much that he hadn't known before about 'Dungeon Invasions' that he now had to take into account. For example: his [Base Core] apparently gained EXP from enemies killed or beaten by his dungeon's defences, which was then (Somehow!?) multiplied by five and converted into MP and funnelled into the reservoir that sustained and grew his base and dungeon.
Another addition to the Pot of Odd Stuff that he'd stumbled upon was that Issei himself also received EXP from the entire experience. Looking at the amount he would have likely received, were it not for that massive X10 modifier, it was likely based on both how effective the floors themselves proved to be, the level and number of invaders, and how far they actually managed to progress through the dungeon itself. Probably with a bunch of other smaller factors added in. Honestly, that fact alone just added further incentive to both further invest into his dungeon and continue improving his abilities as a dungeon builder.
The [Shop Coupon] that he'd received as a reward for his first 'Dungeon Kill' was…interesting. It allowed him to acquire, for free, any single item from either the [Gamer's Store] or the [Dungeon Store] with a value no greater than ¥100,000. More than that, the Coupon itself had three 'charges' which meant he could use it three times before it was destroyed, although he had to use each activation for a separate item, meaning he couldn't spend all three uses on a single item worth ¥300,000. Disappointing, but not a deal-breaker.
The [Armoury/Trophy Room] was a new addition to his base that had apparently been automatically added after he unlocked it. It was basically a storeroom that he could use to hold all the gear and equipment that he wanted to keep but didn't want to carry with him. He could store things in either [Storage Mode], which hid them from regular view but allowed him to instantly move them to and from his inventory as long as he could link with his base, or in [Display Mode], which proudly displayed them along mounts and racks spaced throughout the room. He took a moment to transfer all the weapons he had in his inventory, aside from his personal swords, and put them into [Display Mode]. It would be nice to have them all displayed like that, like a visual record of everything he'd managed to accomplish since everything had started, from defeating the various Ratmen dungeons to dealing with the Stray Exorcists.
The [Floor Catalogue Expansion Ticket] that he received for repelling his first invasion was an item exclusively for use with his [Base Core]. By adding it to the core, it would automatically unlock twenty new random layouts that he could use to help expand his dungeon. He could actually change the overall theme of the dungeon every five levels, and Issei had been dithering about what to choose for his next level. Hopefully, one of the options provided by this would spark his inspiration…
Moving right along, the next few screens weren't all that interesting. They were basically breakdowns of the three 'battles' that his golems had waged with the quintet of rogue exorcists. It was useful for seeing just what kind of damage the exorcists' weapons were capable of dishing out, but again not all that interesting.
Moving on the next screen was the second [Invasion After-Action Report] and Issei was again briefly overwhelmed by the sheer size of it. He quickly opened the settings interface and selected the option to remove the destruction reports of his basic dungeon 'mobs' (as the interface labelled them) and the activation reports of his various traps from the invasion reports. That slimmed the report itself down immensely and made going through it a bit more bearable.
[Invasion After-Action Report (2)]
[Dungeon Law: No Flying Zone] has been invoked. Punitive systems standing by in case of second infraction.
Achievement Unlocked: [Lucky Pervert Moment]! You can now set the dungeon's monsters and traps to only destroy clothing when striking enemies should you wish!
Your First Floor Boss [Shakkōmon, the Divine Metal Dogū] has been defeated by the invaders. Respawning in 12 hours.
Your Second Floor Boss [Occult Device: Guardian Golem] has been defeated by the invaders. Respawning in 14 hours.
Your Third Floor Boss [The Crawling Dragon] has been defeated by the invaders. Respawning in 16 hours.
Achievement Unlocked: [Stripperific]! Earned for stripping one invader of their clothing at least five times! New mechanics have been unlocked!
Your Fourth Floor Boss [Bandari, the Terracotta Sorcerer] has been defeated by the invaders. Respawning in 18 hours.
Title of [Chūnibyō Fallen] has been bestowed upon Invader Dohnaseek.
Invader Title Bestowal System is now active.
Retreat Prevention Systems now active. No retreat is allowed for the invaders on the Fifth Floor.
Your Fifth Floor Boss [Ooze Avatar, Crawling Chaos] has defeated Invader Mittelt (LV25)! EXP halved due to non-fatal nature of defeat. Your [Base Core] earns 1300 EXP, which is converted into 6500 MP!
You have successfully captured your first Dungeon Invader! [Gaol] area has automatically been added to your [Base Core] as a reward.
Invader Mittelt has been teleported to the newly created [Gaol]. All Fallen Angel abilities sealed.
Invader Raynare has invoked her [Echoes of Angelic Fury] ability! The effect of all Light manipulation abilities increased by 200%!
Your Fifth Floor Boss [Ooze Avatar, Crawling Chaos] has slain Invader Dohnaseek (LV37)! Your [Base Core] earns 5300 EXP, which is converted into 26,500 MP!
Invader Kalawarner (LV18) has surrendered!
Invader Kalawarner has been teleported to the Gaol. All Fallen Angel Abilities sealed.
Invader Raynare (LV40) has surrendered!
Invader Raynare has been teleported to the Gaol. All Fallen Angel Abilities sealed.
Base Invasion successfully repelled!
You gain 3000 EXP from proper management of your dungeon during this invasion!
No items worthy of being looted detected.
For defeating a party invading your dungeon including two or more enemies stronger than you are, you have earned the [Stalwart Defender] Base Skill!
For defeating a party invading your dungeon including an enemy more than twice your own level, you have earned the [Reliable Guardian] Base Skill!
[Stalwart Defender]: The defensive abilities of yourself and your monsters are increased by 25% within the dungeon and base.
[Reliable Guardian]: If you, or any of your monsters, would be instantly defeated while inside of your dungeon by an invader, you will instead be left with a single HP.
A quick check of his own [Status] screen showed that Issei himself was now teetering at roughly 99% to his next level up, which made him both want to cheer and grind his teeth in sheer frustration. Taking a breath and deciding that that would be something that he would take care of later, he began unpacking the sheer deluge of…unique features…that his second invasion had unlocked.
[Lucky Pervert Moment] and [Stripperific] had both been earned by Kalawarner being stripped of her clothes by his dungeon's various attackers the first and fifth times respectively. While he could only offer a heartfelt thumbs up at the idea of his monsters and traps specifically stripping female invaders, which this new mechanic would allow, the fact that it likely also affected guys would be a big no way on using it for now. He'd have to investigate the new mechanic in more detail later, to see if he could gender-segregate its activation.
He had absolutely no interest in seeing another guy's junk! Nuh-uh!
The fact that the revival of his Floor Bosses appeared to be staggered wasn't all that much of a surprise, but he was now willing to bet that there would be some sort of 'hurry up and summon' button if his dungeon was attacked in the meantime, likely at the cost of his [Base Core]'s MP reserve. However, most of the basic monsters that had been destroyed by Raynare's Flock had already respawned, and the triggered traps had likewise already reset; so that meant that his basic protections were at least back in place, for all the good they had proven against more powerful invaders.
The core of his current defences was definitely his Floor Bosses. Having them down for the better part of the next day would leave his base (and Asia in particular) unsettlingly under-guarded.
Deciding to move on for now, he turned his attention to the [Gaol]. Like the [Armoury/Trophy Room] it was another new addition to his base that had been installed the moment it was unlocked. While inside the prisoner section of the [Gaol], no prisoner would be able to access any of their unique racial abilities, such as the [Iron Skin] and [Light Manipulation] abilities of the Pure and Fallen Angels. It also prevented prisoners from performing any form of self-harm or inflicting any form of serious harm against another prisoner. It automatically delivered food and water based on its current settings, the materials drawn directly from the [Store] at the cost of some of the base's MP reserve. Issei wasn't sure if Fallen actually needed either, but decided to err on the side of caution and have food and water delivered to the prisoners twice a day.
Finally, [Stalwart Defender] and [Reliable Guardian] were a pair of buffing skills that would be a very useful in upgrading up his 'mobs' a bit. Magic-using Devils, he had learned, tended to favour the kind of magic that could overwhelm and destroy enemies in a single attack in order to quickly clear the way before them. [Reliable Guardian] would ensure that, no matter the strength of the attacker, his defenders would be able to at least weather the first strike. The fact that most would expect an overwhelmingly powerful first strike to completely destroy his relatively weak golems would also mean that said invaders would likely drop their guard once they were sure their attack had landed, giving his surviving-by-a-thread golems a chance to deliver at least a single surprise blow of their own.
[Stalwart Defender], on the other hand, was a far more straightforward skill, it was a direct buff skill that boosted his monsters' defences. The fact that it was based on the monster's original defence score was a bit of a hit or miss. It wouldn't be all that much use for his [Dogū Golem]s or [Eternal Mud Golem]s, but it would be a great asset for both is [Terracotta Soldier]s and his [Dragon Golem]s and even his [Brick Golem]s would benefit from it to a certain degree.
Skimming through the remaining reports detailing the Fallen's various battles, he noted with a frown that his non-magical traps, [Dogū Golems], and [Brick Golem]s had been utterly unable to do any damage through the Fallen's [Iron Skin]. His [Dragon Golem]s could actually do some damage, but they were far too slow to actually land a hit without his other golems and traps acting as distractions, and even then it was rare. While his magical traps could at least momentarily hinder or distract the Fallen, even his direct attack ones only did a small amount of damage. His [Terracotta Soldier]s and [Eternal Slime Golem]s could also do some damage, but the amount they inflicted usually only amounted to bruises and scrapes on beings at the Fallen's level.
He seriously needed to upgrade his available defenders, or the dungeon floors themselves would be good for nothing more than getting rid of fodder and buying him a bit of time.
With that morose thought, he turned his attention to his three new prisoners. Or rather, the three bargaining chips he'd gained to exchange with the Grigori in order to ensure that Asia had her freedom. Granted, since Azazel had, apparently, expressed an interest in examining [Twilight Healing] he just might be stubborn about it and refuse, but from everything he had been able to learn about Grigori and the various Cadre, their leadership, the organization as a whole (with a few notable exceptions) seemed to be rather heavily focused on preserving Fallen lives first and foremost.
It made sense. The Fallen had apparently always been the least numerous of the so-called Three Biblical Factions, and it had only gotten worse since the Great War had ended and fewer and fewer Pure Angels had Fallen From Grace.
Closing his eyes, Issei let out a pained breath as he privately admitted something that he really, really didn't want to…he was simply too weak at the moment to protect Asia. In terms of raw combat strength, both Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri were still leagues ahead of him and both of them were apparently very much small change, at least in comparison to the levels represented by the small army of Devils that had shown up to cover up the destruction of the Purifier's base. And that was just in terms of raw physical and magical power; politically, he was an absolute nonentity, a complete nobody with no influence whatsoever.
Yes, revealing his status as the Red Dragon Emperor likely could change that, but he was going to be keeping that under his hat for as long as he could. It simply wouldn't be worth the amount of trouble it would bring down onto his head from the various factions and groups that would be highly interested in gaining control of the holder of one of the Thirteen Longinus while he was still young and inexperienced. Not to mention the sheer number of Devils that would come sniffing about, eager to try and poach him for their Peerages.
Issei suddenly paused as that errant thought suddenly gave him an idea. A Peerage…that might actually work. The biggest issue would be convincing Asia to accept it as a necessity, which could be a rather large hurdle given everything that happened.
He suddenly stifled a yawn and decided that that kind of thinking could wait for tomorrow. It was far too late to be plotting and he was tired; he'd only managed to get two hours of sleep before he was waken up by the invasion alert and it was getting close to five in the morning already.
He absently opened up the shop and quickly bought a can of [High-Energy Soda] to properly wake himself up in the morning. Fortunately, [Tiredness] counted as a debuff thanks to [Gamer's Body] and like most other debuffs could be countered with the proper item. In this case, something loaded up with an insane amount of caffeine.
Anyway, to bed!
The Next Day
Asia Argento's Suite, Inner Sanctum, Issei's Base
"L-Lady Raynare and the others attacked while I was sleeping!?" Asia yelped out, face rapidly paling. She'd been enjoying a late breakfast with Issei when he'd brought up the previous night's unexpected visitors.
"Yeah, but they couldn't get through my defences." Issei responded with a reassuring smile. "The were able to plough through the first four levels of my dungeon with minimal serious damage, but I didn't design those to deal with enemies on their level. Instead, they were able to show me a good measure of just what that Flock was capable of and even managed to wear them down quite a bit. The Fifth Floor, however, was the real barrier for them. I actually designed it to target the biggest weakness in an Angel's normal fighting style, Pure and Fallen alike; their lack of wide-area attacks. And none of them were strong enough to power through that disadvantage."
"Th-that is truly astounding, Issei-san!" the blonde nun said with wide eyes full of admiration for her friend and protector. "You managed to defeat four Fallen Angels! That is something that no mortal man should be capable of!"
"Hehe, I have to admit that a lot of it was just due to proper planning and prep work. [Dungeon Law] kept them from taking advantage of their ability to fly and limited their mobility, while my own experience from fighting Armârôs the Lesser let me design the Fifth Floor, and its boss in particular, to best counter how the Fallen like to fight." the Gamer replied with a modest blush, though inside he was basking a bit in Asia's awe. She was such an amazingly nice girl!
Sadly, this was a very serious talk in the making, so he reluctantly decided to get on with it. "Asia…please be honest with me. You aren't all that happy living down here, are you?"
"Eh?!" the young Italian's bright green eyes widened in surprise. "H-How did you…I-I mean why…"
Issei offered her a sad smile. "Ever since you took refuge here, it is obvious that whenever I stopped by to visit and spend time with you here was the highlight of your day. Aside from practising with whatever skills you learned form the Church, praying, and reading, there's nothing for you to really do down here. You deserve better than being trapped in here like a gilded cage; you deserve to be free and out in the world, making even more friends and having fun. And I…I'm not strong enough to ensure that you'll be safe doing that…but there is a way. You have been excommunicated by the Church and it is clear that the Fallen and Grigori did not mesh well with you, but there is still one more faction left."
"The…the Devils…" Asia whispered out, trembling slightly. A part of her had been well aware that such a path was always an option to her, but she had spent her life as a devout member of the Church, raised to revile and shun the Devil in all its forms, and it was not a path she had ever allowed herself to truly consider. "But…they are..."
"Asia, I know the Devils that live and rule in this area, and they are all surprisingly good people. Rias Gremory in particular cares deeply for all of her Peerage Members and treats them as family." Issei offered softly. "If you ever wish to live outside of this little bubble dimension without having to constantly fear the Grigori, the Purifiers, or some other Faction coming for you, then she would definitely be your safest bet. I also attend Kuō Academy, the same school that Rias Gremory and her Peerage all attend so we would still be able to see each other nearly every day. But…I won't force this decision on you. This is your life, the Church cannot control you any longer and that means you should follow whatever path your heart wants. Whatever you decide, I will support you with everything I have."
"Issei-san…!" the excommunicated nun breathed out, her eyes tearing up. For most of her life, Asia had been subservient to the wills of others for various reasons, many of which she had agreed to on her own.
For the good of the faith.
For the sake of the common good.
In the name of the Lord.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.
But…But even while she faithfully served the church, her obedience had always been expected. Sometimes the orders were given to her courteously, other times dispassionately, other were accompanied by simple or empty platitudes, and yet others were given quite rudely. And yet, she was always expected to obey without question; whether the orders came from bishops, archbishops, exorcists, paladins, or even holy swordsmen. Her own desires and wants had never been a factor, unless it would somehow affect her ability to use [Twilight Healing]. But here, Issei, in spite of having a clear preference for what she should do, was simply laying out her options and entrusting her with the ability to make her own decision on what she should do while promising his support no matter her choice.
'Oh Lord, what good have I done to deserve such a wonderful friend?' she silently offered a small prayer of thanks. In her mind, all of the healing that she had done from the moment she had awoken her Sacred Gear were not her own acts. They were her following his tenets and simply acting as a good Christian should, hardly worthy of praise and not to be taken into account.
While unused to being given such trust and faith, Asia Argento was at heart a rather simple and straightforward girl. Her shyness often made acting on that part of her nature more difficult, but she had never had an issue offering her thanks for such kindness as she was being given. So she when she rose from her seat, walked around the table, and engulfed her first and dearest friend in the world in a hug; she did so without a bit of hesitation in her desire to show her gratitude for his unflinching support.
Unfortunately, Asia's naïve nature meant that she failed to notice that, with Issei still seated as he was, her leaning forward and engulfing his head in a warm hug had, essentially, shoved his head directly into her breasts.
'EEEEEEEH!?' Issei's mind mentally ground to a shrieking halt as Asia unintentionally smooshed his head into her bust. Granted, they were nowhere near the size of Rias Gremory or Himejima Akeno's magnificent mammaries, but they were still very nice and very well-developed breasts, easily as large as Aika's, if not slightly larger!
He then mentally slapped himself upside the head before [Gamer's Mind] could even start kicking in. 'No perving on Asia when she's just being a sweetie, asshole!' he mentally berated himself.
Carefully, as if the smaller girl was made of spun glass, Issei gently reached out and hugged her back, making the Italian blonde let out a happy sigh. She was, if not actually touch-starved, then at least a bit touch-deprived. Her former status as 'The Holy Maiden of Healing' had made the majority of her fellows in the Church treat her like some sort of sacred relic that was not to be touched carelessly. Thus, to feel the touch of another human being for something as simple as a show of affection was a precious treasure for her.
The two simply remained like that for some time.
Later
Occult Research Clubroom, Old School Building, Kuō Academy
"Rias."
The sudden, unexpected voice of her [Queen] drew the [Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess] out of her contemplation of her latest (pro-forma) budget request that she was submitting to the Student Council. As Kuō Academy was wholly owned by the Four Maō via an assortment of proxies and cut-outs (with Sirzechs Lucifer and Serafall Leviathan holding the majority of ownership with Ajuka Beelzebub and Falbium Asmodeus only owning enough to interfere and keep their friends from…overindulging their sis-con natures), she and Sona were all-but destined to have everything go almost entirely their way when it came to dealing with the school's administration. Sona wouldn't ever even try to remove or cut the ORC's funding, not only because she and Rias were childhood friends but also because such an act would go against their alliance.
"Yes, Akeno?" she asked, looking up and quickly taking note of the slightly hardened expression that had overtaken her almost-sister's violet eyes.
"HE just arrived at the Himejima Shrine and it seems he wishes to speak with us." the Priestess of Thunder stated.
Rias stilled as her eyes narrowed. "Does he now?" she purred out dangerously. "Kindly inform Sona and Tsubaki of this while I go and fetch Kiba and Koneko. We wouldn't want to keep our dear guest waiting for long, now would we?"
"Ufufufufufufufu~! As you say~." Akeno tittered out demurely as she waved one hand, creating a communication circle. "Sōna-kaichou? It's Akeno. Our mutual friend…."
Rias stood up and strode through the doors into the rest of the Old School Building, which had essentially been remodelled into her own personal playground. She actually lived in the building, though spells kept other students from noticing that, and she even had several room set aside for all of her beloved Peerage should they ever have need of one, though only Akeno ever took her up on their use with any regularity.
She returned a few minutes later with both Kiba and Koneko in tow and was not surprised to find a visibly irate Sona waiting for her, with Tsubaki doing what she could to calm her [King]'s ire.
"Ready to go?" the redheaded Devil asked with a bit of a teasing tone. Sona was usually so hard to rile up that seeing her so irritated might have been amusing, had the same troubles not been causing her problems as well.
"Please." Sona responded tersely.
Rias let out a small sigh. "Sona, we cannot just jump down his throat when we arrive." she pointed out patiently. "He is an independent, owing neither of us any fealty. We need to hear his side of things first, or we risk driving off or making an enemy of a potentially useful asset. From everything we've seen so far, he would not have caused such devastation without a very good reason."
The bespectacled girl glowered at her for a moment, before reluctantly nodding her agreement. As Rias had more or less predicted would happen, certain members of the Sitri Family and their various allies had started making noises about investigating Sona's tenure as co-ruler of Kuō Town due to the sheer number of incidents that had been happening recently, along with associated allusions to her maturity and need for a 'guiding hand' involving 'important matters.'
Naturally Sona was having absolutely none of that and had proceeded to fully flex her legal muscles, brandishing the binding contract that she had with her own House Patriarch, guaranteeing her the right of choice in regards to her fiancé, which she had more or less strong-armed her father into signing after she'd defeated all ten of his 'best' matches for her at chess.
Still that any had even dared to try such a move had unnerved the usually calm and stoic Sitri Heiress more than she cared to admit, and right now she was keen on having a few words with the wild card that seemed to be at the centre of these happenings.
Rias didn't exactly feel all that sanguine about the [Gaia Gamer's Gear] Holder herself; her father made a bit of noise about trying to 'hurry up' her formal engagement before her brother had intervened on her behalf. Officially, Sirzechs Lucifer, as one of the Four Maō, should not have been able to intervene in the private affairs of any of the 52 Pillars, even those of his birth-clan, but Zeoticus Gremory still appreciated and respected his firstborn's input regardless of his legal status.
Exactly what her brother had said or done to get her father to settle down again, Rias still wasn't sure but it had obviously worked. She was well aware that this would likely only prove to be temporary reprieve.
Mentally cracking her own knuckles in preparation, she quickly cast a transportation circle and teleported them all to the Himejima shrine. When they arrived, her Peerage automatically moved to spread out, just in case more of those 'ratmen' creatures decided to show themselves.
Sitting at the top of the stairway was the red-armoured man, looking completely unchanged from their last encounter with him, but there was one surprising addition. Sitting next to him was a girl who looked akin to their own age, with blonde hair and green eyes and dressed in what appeared to be a slightly more elaborate version of a nun's habit. She actually looked quite familiar for some reason…
"Heiress Gremory, Heiress Sitri." the [Gaia Gamer's Gear] Holder acknowledged them with a nod as he rose to his feet, the girl quickly moving to hide slightly behind him. "I assume you have questions for me about the…incident the other day?"
"What. Happened?!" Sona growled out, glasses flashing intimidatingly. "Do you know how much trouble your little act of demolition has caused us!? Rias and I were almost recalled to the Underworld!"
A gross exaggeration, it had to be said, but Rias did not feel like correcting her childhood friend at the moment.
"Sadly, there is quite a tale behind that incident and it all begins with the young lady accompanying me." the red-armoured man replied with a shake of his head. "To start, I believe some introductions are in order."
He gently drew the girl out from behind him, resting one hand protectively on her shoulder. "This is Asia Argento, formerly the Holy Maiden of Healing of the Catholic Church and the wielder of the Sacred Gear [Twilight Healing]. Everything starts with her basically being kidnapped off the streets of Kuō by the Purifiers."
Rias' eyes widened slightly. Now she knew why the girl, who seemed quite adorable by the way, looked so familiar. The story of how the Church's 'Holy Maiden' had healed Diodora Astaroth and been excommunicated for it was rather well-known among the upper ranks of Devil Nobility. More than a few Devils had been sniffing after her since news of her excommunication had become well known, eager for the opportunity to recruit someone who had one of the few healing Sacred Gears capable of affecting Devils into their Peerage, but they had had little luck tracking her movements…
"Kidnapped?" she found herself asking aloud with a slight frown. "From all we've seen from these Purifiers so far, they prefer to simply kill rather than capture."
"That was their end-goal in this, albeit in a far more…drawn out process." the monotone voice generated by the strange mask-like item the Sacred Gear holder wore was still perfectly flat and without inflection, but it was very easy to see a great deal of anger leaking through his body language when he answered. "To start from the beginning, Miss Argento was out on a bit of a date of sorts with one of the students of your academy when she was locked into a pocket dimension by an item which, as far as my own research can tell, should only be able to be created by a holder of one of the [Gamer's Gear]s. You can see the implications of this, I trust?"
"So, the current holder of the [Tartarus Gamer's Gear] is either a part of the Purifiers or at least providing them with magical items." Sona offered, her expression immediately growing grim at the implications. "These Purifiers seem to be even greater hypocrites than you have led us to believe."
"I admit, it appears that I have underestimated just how far they will bend or break their beliefs in their so-called 'purity' in order to gain victory." the human agreed. "Back to the matter at hand, Miss Argento and her date were then accosted by a squad of Purifiers, who proceeded to beat up her date and make off with her. The boy in question is one with whom I have had previous contact and he got in touch with me as quickly as he could to hire me to retrieve Miss Argento and anyone else they might have taken. Naturally, when given an opportunity to impair the machinations of those reprobates, I was all too happy to agree and had intended to leave the site they had been taken to…inoperable afterwards, albeit not quite to the level things actually reached. Unfortunately, things escalated quite badly."
"You slaughtered your way through the inhabitants of that base." Kiba stated stiffly.
"As you would have, had you known what…atrocities…were being performed there." the Gamer replied coolly. "What was done in the underground sections of that base would have made the Holy Sword Project seem like little more than a high school biology project."
The blonde swordsman recoiled slightly in a mix of shock and horror. Shock at the casual reference to his past. Horror at the very idea that something that could make the slaughter of his friends seem so small in comparison was occurring right under his nose.
"Perhaps you should elaborate then." Rias put in, though a part of her suspected that she was not going enjoy the answer in the least.
The armoured man nodded. "This base was apparently the chief research institute for the local branch of the Purifiers. The chief researcher and apparent leader of the facility, Tenkūjō Arima, had developed a device that allowed him and his Purifiers the ability to detect various supernatural forms of energy and was apparently obsessed with figuring out how magic works and finding ways to counter it 'scientifically.' This amounted to that particular madman vivisecting and dissecting countless supernatural beings of all stripes, often while they were still alive, ranging from migrant Yōkai to human Sacred Gear users and other supernaturally 'talented' individuals." he elaborated grimly.
"Sweet Maō." Rias muttered under her breath. Yes, she very much did not enjoy that answer.
Every devil present blanched at the description of what had occurred in that facility, with Kiba looking like he was close to becoming physically ill. The haunted expression on his face told Rias that her Knight was currently having flashbacks to that terrible night that still made her blood boil with fury in remembrance for the poor, damaged, dying child she'd found. Then she glanced toward Asia and noticed that she was trembling slightly at the reminder of her own close brush with the reaper.
Poor dear.
"I did not know any of this when I first infiltrated the building, but learned what was going on shortly afterwards. I proceeded to steal whatever information on the Purifiers and their activities I could before moving to rescue the captives. I used a specific item to neutralize the gunpowder in any firearms, grenades, and other bombs they had in their possession to prevent anyone from getting caught in the crossfire before transporting the captives out of the base. From there, I proceeded to slaughter every Purifier in the base, something I feel no guilt about considering that every member stationed there was at the very least complicit with Tenkūjō's atrocities. I eventually located Tenkūjō Arima himself who proceeded to attack me with his so-called magnum opus, 'Project Damocles.' A giant robot whose design I honestly think he stole from the Human Reaper from Mass Effect 2 and equipped with a device that was supposed to suppress Sacred Gears. That deranged lunatic had apparently linked his machine directly to the base's underground reactor core to provide it with power and had put in precisely zero safeguards to prevent a backlash. The result was that, when I destroyed the machine, it caused a chain reaction that blew the base sky-high while I was pursuing and eliminating Tenkūjō himself. I will admit that while I had planned on destroying the base, I was intending to do so far more discretely, so you have my apologies for that."
Raising one hand, a small box filled with paper, drives and various other medium suddenly appeared resting on top of it. "Here is everything that I managed to gather from the base. I tried to read a bit myself but found I didn't have the stomach for it. I'd advise against you doing the same unless you have a strong stomach or avoid eating beforehand. What that…monster…did in his labs was nothing short of foul in the purest and most biblical sense of the word."
"So noted." Sona agreed, a moue of distaste on her face as she regarded the box as if it contained a particularly vile pile of excrement. "Tsubaki."
"Hai, Kaichou." her [Queen] responded, stepping forward and taking the proffered box, before creating a teleportation circle beneath it and sending it back to Sona's apartment for later review.
"Who precisely was your client, might I ask?" Akeno interjected curiously.
"I'm afraid that I take client confidentiality very seriously, Himejima-san. I find it a fundamental necessity for acting as a lone mercenary." the human Sacred Gear User replied blandly. "And no, I will not be sharing the names of the others who were captured by the Purifiers either. However, I do have one more matter to discuss, with you in particular, Heiress Gremory."
"Oh?" Rias asked with a single raised eyebrow.
"Miss Argento here, after being excommunicated, was quickly as a prospective recruit for Grigori." he informed her. "However, their previous behaviour combined with the events of a few days ago have convinced her that they simply do not have her best interests in mind, so she has broken from their organization. Just last night, the local Fallen Flock invaded my current base, where I have been temporarily allowing her to stay, in an attempt to recapture her. Five Stray Exorcists and one Fallen died in the ensuing conflict, and I now have three Fallen as prisoners, including one that is the apparent grandchild of one of the Cadre."
Akeno, the daughter of one of the Cadre, immediately looked at him sharply. "Which Cadre?" she asked with narrowed eyes.
"I'm afraid that I have neither asked nor had the time to look into the matter personally." the mercenary replied with an unconcerned shrug. "Anyway, it is immaterial, as I intend to trade the three captives for the Grigori formally relinquishing any claim they have on Asia Argento…or I would if I had either a way of contacting them or some means of ensuring that a Cadre-level Fallen doesn't just swoop in and annihilate me when I try to negotiate. After some consultation with Miss Argento and the young man I was contracted with, it has become evident that I lack the ability to properly safeguard her. So, with that being the case, Miss Argento here a request for you, Heiress Gremory."
Asia gulped as the blue eyes of the High-Class Devil turned to regard her curiously. This was harder than she'd though.
"P-Please make me a part of your Peerage!" she finally managed to blurt out as she bowed to the Gremory Heiress, causing the redheaded Devil to let out a small, surprised gasp.
Rias could only stare at the former nun for a moment, having not expected anything like that, before things began to click into place in her mind.
Sona on the other hand had already put things into place. "…I see. Protecting Asia Argento from the attentions of Grigori and any other 'interested' parties would be a simple thing for the younger sister of one of the Four Maō." she offered clinically. "But what merit is there for Rias in accepting her?"
"You mean aside from acquiring one of the few Sacred Gears in existence that are capable of healing any being, including Devils; one whose healing power can surpass even that of the Phenex Clan in strength, albeit temporarily, to boot?" the mercenary responded rhetorically. "Well, Miss Argento also possesses quite the potential talent for magic, particularly when it comes to defensive and support types, and has a rather strong affinity for dragons. Added into the fact that the girl herself is kind, sweet, and generous by nature and I can see no reason for Heiress Gremory to reject her recruitment, save perhaps wanting to spite me for the troubles that I have recently caused you both."
When he put it that way, Rias would indeed have to be exceptionally stupid and/or petty to refuse Asia's request. That being said…
"Asia, are you absolutely sure that this is what you want?" Rias asked the younger girl gently. "Once I reincarnate you as a Devil, there will be no going back for you."
"I…I can't go back either way." the Italian blonde replied, her voice trembling as she fought to get the words out. "The Church…doesn't want anything…to do with me…and the Grigori…they scare me. Lady Raynare and Lady Mittelt were…indifferent to me at best…but Lady Kalawarner and Lord Dohnaseek…and the other former exorcists… they were all almost…casual in their cruelty…. I-I've finally found a friend here…and I want…I want to stay with them…regardless of anything else…so please let me stay!"
The [Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess] regarded her for a moment before nodding slowly. "Very well, I accept. Asia, you may wish to remove your cross before we begin, however; it will immediately harm you once you become a Devil."
With visible reluctance, Asia reached up and gently removed the silver cross from around her neck, gently handing it over to the [Gaia Gamer's Gear] Holder, who held it for safekeeping.
The reincarnation that followed went very easily, with Rias warmly welcoming the little blonde Italian into her Peerage as her second and final [Bishop]. Given her apparent magical inclination, it would have been a waste to use her as a mere [Pawn] and the girl obviously wasn't suited for the abilities associated with a [Rook] or [Knight] piece.
"Welcome to my Peerage, Asia." the redheaded Devil offered with a warm smile before engulfing the smaller girl in a hug. The former nun eeped a bit in surprise but responded very well, hugging her back almost immediately.
"She seems to be a bit touch-deprived, so she likes hugging apparently." the mercenary offered in apparent amusement from his position off to the side. He had removed a small case from his inventory and placed Asia's cross within it before snapping it closed and offering it to Asia as she disengaged from Rias' embrace before pulling out a small suitcase that contained most of her clothing and other possessions.
Rias was honestly a bit jealous of how handy that ability could be. Just a little.
"Well, if I have answered all of your questions on the matter, I really must be going. Theirs is still one last item that I need to take care of today." the Red-Armoured Man stated as he started to head back towards the stairs.
"And what might that be?" Sona asked warily.
"Why, I intend to evict the remaining Stray Exorcists from Kuō Town of course." the man replied with a single clenched fist. "That is, if any are still hiding there now that their Fallen leaders have been gone for the better part of a day. I see no reason to kill them, unless they prove to be most unreasonable, but from what Miss Argento has told me of their apparent leader, one Freed Sellzen, it might be impossible to avoid. From what she's told me, the man is an utter psychopath."
"That kind of move might very well antagonize the Grigori." Sona pointed out, trying to avoid another incident sparking off in her territory.
"I think that the Fallen, being exactly what they are, will understand that vengeance is the oldest form of justice in the world." the human replied as he let out a short bark of laughter before dropping something at his feet. A paper tag? "Still, you have my thanks for the warning. Farewell, Miss Argento. You and I will meet again at some point, I feel."
With the sudden red flash of a teleportation spell, likely from the paper talisman that was smouldering away on the ground, he vanished.
"Urgh…that man had better not blow up the old church as well." Sona groaned out as she pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation.
"Unless the fallen have some form of giant generator hidden underneath it, I very much doubt he'll be able to cause another explosion so easily." Tsubaki offered in a reassuring (?) manner.
"Well, I suppose we should leave as well then." Rias sighed as well. "I think between you needing to get in contact with your sister and prepare those documents for Lord Ajuka and me needing to arrange for both new housing for Asia and her enrolment into Kuō Academy, we both have a lot more to do tonight."
"Indeed." the Sitri Heiress agreed with a sigh, already feeling a headache forming. At the very least, providing more proof on how dangerous and malicious these Purifiers were would help ease some of the pressure that was coming towards them from the Underworld. Of course that same information would also make her overwhelmingly loving sister even more overbearingly protective, but such was life. More that that, what she had learned had only reaffirmed her own desire to start seriously investigating the Purifiers herself.
She had already intended to, but it was now far higher in her hierarchy of importance. They had planned on murdering herself and Rias, along with their Peerages. That alone was unforgivable, but the depths of depravity they were apparently willing to reach to achieve those goals just made the threat they represented all the more real.
"Buchou, may I be excused for the evening?" Kiba asked, his face still painfully pale. "I…need some time alone."
"Of course, Yūto." Rias agreed softly, offering her [Knight] a gentle smile. "But if you need anything, even just a shoulder to cry on, or someone to talk to, just let me know, alright?"
With a silent nod, Kiba cast his own transport circle and vanished, likely back to his own apartment.
Rias sighed. Learning what the Purifiers had done was going to stir up all kinds of unpleasant memories for her dear [Knight]. The Massacre of the Holy Sword Project was one of the blackest days in the Church's recent history, and it had left Kiba with a deep and abiding hatred for anything associated with Holy Swords, and the Excalibur blades in particular.
"Well, let's head back to the Clubhouse for now." she said, turning to her remaining Peerage members, both old and new. "We can set Asia here up in one of the rooms there for the night, and we can get her a proper apartment after school tomorrow. Maybe do some clothes shopping as a bit of a bonding activity. Don't you think so, Akeno?"
"Sounds lovely, Rias." The reincarnated Nephilim agreed with a demure laugh. Poor Asia looked so unsure and nervous right now with her protector gone. That would have to be fixed toot sweet; a nice little welcoming party would hopefully help her start to relax around them a bit. It wouldn't do to have her so on edge around her new family after all.
She had to admit that she was more than a bit curious about just who Asia had been on a 'date' with who also seemed to have some form of contact with the mysterious supernatural mercenary that was causing such a stir in her territory, but that could wait for later. Once she was more at ease with her new life as a Reincarnated Devil, then they could start finding out just who was connected to their oh so mysterious guest~.
Light flashed, both red and blue, before the Himejima Shrine was soon left empty once again. Meanwhile, a lone figure in red armour appeared just outside the boundary of the abandoned church. Beneath the red dragon menpō, Hyōdō Issei smiled grimly as he planned his assault.
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Next Chapter: Psychotic Exorcist of Slaughter, Freed Sellzen
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