Before we begin…

"Talking."

'Thinking.'

"Flashback quotes. Text from paper & signs. Intercom."

When we last left off, Issei has given Asia a great day and intends to make her life happier as her new friend after learning about her childhood that eventually led to tragedy. Unfortunately, the Fallen Angel Raynare has appeared to spoil it. Will Issei be able to keep Asia safe from the woman who once tricked him? Find out now.

This was not a good development for Issei's day. Right now, he's found himself staring down at Raynare while staying in front of Asia, who was afraid of her mere presence.

"I will say, I didn't want to believe Dohnaseek when he told me that you're still alive. And now that I'm seeing you still standing, it's almost like I'm seeing a ghost."

Issei's eyes narrowed at Raynare dangerously while she brought her attention to Asia.

"Come on, Asia, we're going back. We don't have any more time to waste."

Asia shivered at the Fallen Angel's commanding tone before latching herself onto Issei's left arm.

"No! I want nothing more to do with your sinful deeds anymore!"

"I'm afraid that's out of the question," Raynare replies. "Your existence is important to us. Have you forgotten?"

"No means no, Raynare!" Issei shouts. "Can't you see how much pain you're putting Asia through?! What exactly do you even want from her?!"

Raynare blinks at Issei twice before snickering.

"Well well, could it be that you've become a couple with this girl, Issei-kun~?" Issei's eyes twitch at the cutesy tone the Fallen Angel used. "Hah~, it reminds me of when you once gave me a tour of the town. You know, I still found it to be very pleasant."

"You're lying!" Issei snaps. "You were never lost from the beginning, weren't you?!"

Raynare gives Issei a glare back.

"None of this would've happened if you had just died. Speaking of which, how exactly did you survive? I know I've hit a lung back at the park."

Issei's heart throbs when he remembers when Raynare first tried to kill him while balling his right hand into a fist, hiding the mark on his palm that once flickered blue before it calmed down and reverted back to black.

"That's none of your concern."

Raynare quietly growls at Issei but eventually calms down and smirks.

"You're right, it isn't," Raynare says while conjuring a light spear. "Because I intend to rectify my mistake right here and right now."

Asia gasps for Issei while the latter stays strong with wider eyes.

"It doesn't have to be like this!" he shouts at Raynare, making her hesitate a bit with a tilted head. "Look, you stabbed me that night because you feared that my Sacred Gear was dangerous, didn't you?"

"Issei-san?" Asia has a hand over her mouth, wondering if she heard him correctly.

Remaining calm, Issei sticks out his left arm and summons his Sacred Gear. Asia and Raynare gasp at the sight of the green light followed by the reveal of his red dragonic gauntlet.

"Here it is, Raynare, my Sacred Gear," Issei announces. "And look at me now. I'm still sane. I have it under control. I don't want to go rampant and I sure as heck don't want to kill. So please, just walk away. We don't have to spill any blood."

Raynare continued to stare at him and his Sacred Gear with broadened eyes for a few more seconds before she started giggling in her hand.

"Well, if that's all you're asking, then I'll gladly accept your request."

"Eh?" Issei was rather surprised by her answer. "Seriously?"

"Of course," Raynare answers with a smile. "See, the higher-ups said that your Sacred Gear was considered to be too powerful." The Fallen Angel titters before narrowing her eyes with a bigger grin. "But it looks like they've miscalculated. I don't see what's so deadly about a Twice Critical. Although its second name is the Hand of the Dragon, it isn't something exceptional since it multiplies one's power for a short term. And because you're human, you'll never intimidate me, not even if you increase your power."

Issei gives Raynare a confused stare.

"What..? You think this is-"

{Let her believe that!} Issei's eyes widen when he hears Ddraig in his head. {If she really is unaware of the gauntlet's true identity, then this puts you at an advantage.}

Issei took the Welsh Dragon's advice while keeping his eyes on Raynare.

"Now then, since we have that cleared up, hand over the nun," Raynare demands. "Do that, and I'll leave you be. You can finally live a normal life without me and my friends hunting you every day and night. All you have to do is give Asia to me."

Issei bared his teeth while Asia looked at her new friend with worry. She wasn't scared that he was going to give her up easily, but it was the fact that she learned that he was stabbed and hunted because of his Sacred Gear that she feared that he might get himself hurt, or worse, killed.

But Issei wasn't backing down. With a ready expression, he gives Raynare a defying stare.

"Sorry, Raynare… but I made a promise to Asia, and I intend to keep it."

"Huh?" Raynare gives him a weird look. "Did you not listen to what I said? Your Sacred Gear is weak, and you, as a human, are also weak. Those reasons alone are why I'm giving you this opportunity to live on."

"Did you not listen to me?" Issei counters. "Asia has suffered enough, and I don't intend on letting her experience more pain and sorrow. I don't care how my life turns out anymore! If Asia gets to experience happiness once more, that's all that matters to me!"

"Issei-san…"

Asia was touched by Issei's resolve, but Raynare grew annoyed while twirling her spear of light.

"Fine. Have it your way."

Knowing what she intends to do, Issei lifts his left arm in front of him.

"Okay, Sacred Gear, power me up!"

{Boost!}

Issei felt his strength get doubled by his Boosted Gear the moment the gem glowed green. As soon as it happened, he takes Asia's hand and begins running off, hoping to find a hiding spot for her so he can distract Raynare until Kalawarner can show herself.

But Raynare grinned at an action she considered to be a poor choice and took flight above them.

"Going somewhere?" the Fallen Angel asks playfully before throwing her spear at Issei.

But he was able to dodge it while making sure Asia didn't get hurt in his arms.

"You alright, Asia?!"

"Yeah, I'm fine!"

"So, that boost of power was enough for you to avoid my attack," Raynare says with a slightly impressed look. "Pretty lucky for a human. I guess I'll have to up the ante."

Issei wasn't quite sure what to do next. If he told Asia to run, then it'll give Raynare a chance to capture her. But if he tried fighting her with Asia close by, she may be caught in the crossfire. And he refuses to use Asia as a meat shield.

Raynare creates two spears with one in each hand while landing on the ground. With her glare locked tightly onto Issei, she throws the spear in her left hand right for Issei's skull, but he dodges it with a sidestep.

'I may have gone full-time training for one day, but I'm glad my reflexes are as sharp as they are now!'

Raynare grits her teeth at Issei. Two weeks ago, it was an easy shot, but now, he's managed to avoid her light spears twice.

With one foot forward, Raynare charges for Issei in an attempt to gut him up close. But as soon as she was in range, Issei was fast enough to block her with his Boosted Gear.

Issei took this moment to kick Raynare in the ankle. The force was hard enough for Raynare to nearly lose her balance, allowing Issei to take a boxing stance and land two punches in her stomach and one in her face before he took two steps back while keeping his fists up, breathing slow and deep.

'Maintain distance between you and your opponent… Keep your hips squared… Look for an opening when they go off balance…'

Steadying herself from Issei's punches, Raynare feels up her face. While she was, her eyes widened when she felt something wet drip from her lip. Bringing her hand back to look, she becomes shocked when she sees why that is.

It was blood. Issei's punch was strong enough to be able to draw blood from her lip. And because this damage was caused by a human, a species she views as inferior, the fact he was able to hurt her made Raynare very angry. And when she looked at Issei and saw that he was ready to keep facing her, her face twists into rage.

"Don't get cocky just because you got some hits in, you inferior human!"

Raynare gets another spear ready and strikes for his heart. Issei dodges to the left and goes for a punch to her rib, but she evades and swipes for his neck, only for him to quickly lean his head back to narrowly avoid the spear's tip.

'I'm not sure if I should boost again,' Issei thought while dodging more attacks and waiting for another opening. 'If I knew how long a Twice Critical's power-up lasts before it can be used again, I'd do it at that time so Raynare won't get suspicious.'

As the fight continued, Raynare began to grow impatient. Not only was she unable to land a hit aside from some small nicks on his cheek and shoulder, but Issei managed to brush his punches on Raynare's torso and cheeks, with a majority of those punches being from his Boosted Gear cladded arm.

"Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! That's it!"

Taking flight in the air, Raynare raises her hands in and conjures up another light spear, making it slightly bigger than her previous spears.

"DIE!"

With all of her rage, Raynare throws the spear at Issei, making sure that it destroys his heart and lungs. But Issei was able to roll out of the way and watch the projectile get stabbed into the ground.

Looking up, Issei can see Raynare still flying, looking to be more frustrated as her body shook, her frown got bigger, and her eyes were hidden by her bangs. But after five seconds, Issei could see her lips form into a grin.

Before he could question this, Issei noticed from the corner of his eyes that the large spear started glowing a brighter red than normal. The moment he did, he covered his face with his arms as the light flashed even brighter and blew up, harming Issei as the explosion sends him up in the air.

"Issei-san!"

Asia watches in horror as Issei falls to the ground in two bounces before lying on his back. His face and arms were all bruised up, his forehead was bleeding, and he could barely get back up because of the harsh power of the explosive light spear.

"You foolish boy, you just had to do things the hard way." Raynare shook her head at Issei while floating back to the ground. "While I'm impressed that you've endured as long as you did, a human is still a human."

Issei was unable to get back on his feet but he managed to sit up with the strength he had left while glaring at Raynare. He was about to say something, but he and Raynare saw Asia running towards him.

"Asia… get out of here!"

The nun didn't respond and immediately got to work on healing Issei's injuries.

"Keep still, Issei-san," Asia advises, starting the healing with Issei's forehead before she took care of the bruises.

Raynare looked at what was happening and put a hand to her chin in thought, moving her sights onto Asia's Twilight Healing.

'This is taking too long. I need to take that Sacred Gear, now!' "Asia."

The blonde nun looks towards the Fallen Angel after she finishes healing all of Issei's injuries.

"I'll give you an offer: If you return with me now, I will spare his life."

Asia's eyes widened at the proposition while Issei was baffled and growled at Raynare harshly.

"She doesn't have to listen to you! You have no right to decide how Asia lives her-"

"I understand."

Issei snaps his head towards Asia.

"What?!"

Asia turns her head towards him with a sympathetic expression.

"Issei-san, you've already done enough to make me happy. I don't want you to endure any more pain just for me."

"That's my line!" Issei counters. "What I went through is nothing compared to your past!"

Asia shook her head before walking towards Raynare, who grinned at the nun.

"That's a good girl. After today's ceremony, all of your pain and suffering will disappear."

'Ceremony?' Issei wondered as Raynare wrapped an arm around Asia's waist. 'What does Raynare plan to do to her?!' Standing up, Issei shouts for her friend. "Wait! Asia!"

The blonde nun looked over to Issei while Raynare made sure she didn't leave her grasp.

"This can't be how it ends!" Issei continues. "Since we're friends, I can't abandon you! Please, just let me protect you!"

Raynare rolls her eyes while Asia gives Issei a grateful smile. Her eyes began to leak more tears, which pulled at Issei's heartstrings.

"I really had fun today, Issei-san… and I'll always cherish our moment together until I die."

Raynare laughs at Issei's shock while getting a transportation circle beneath herself and Asia.

"Be grateful to the nun that I let you live. However, if you dare to get in my way again, I won't let you off as easily."

"Goodbye, Issei-san."

"No! Not again!"

Issei sprints towards Raynare with the intent of knocking her wind out, but the Fallen Angel grins evilly as she teleports away before he can punch her.

As Raynare and Asia left the area, Issei just stood there with his fist out in front of him. His eyes remained wide with his irises shrunken, feeling devastated.

'Again… I failed to protect her again…'

From the corner of his eye, Issei noticed something on the ground and looked to see what it was. With a gasp of horror, he saw that it was the plush doll that he won for Asia, which fortunately didn't receive any damage.

Issei slowly approached the toy, his hands shaking with every step he took. As he got to it, he fell to his knees, his eyes not leaving the object as he grabbed it in his left hand.

"Dammit… just what kind of person fails to keep their friend safe?!"

With gritted teeth, Issei was on the verge of tears, fearing what's going to happen to Asia because of this ceremony Raynare mentioned.

{Well, what now?}

Issei's eyes widened when he heard Ddraig's voice, but instead of his mind, he heard it from the gem of his Boosted Gear, prompting him to look at it.

{After the many promises you made to that nun that you'll keep her safe, you have failed to fulfill them twice. So I ask you, what now? Will you move on with your life and live another day, or will you continue to chase after her? If you want my opinion, you still lack the experience to rescue her without getting killed by the Fallen Angel and her goons. I'd even say it will take a long time until you get to their level.}

Issei was silent. It was a very long pause as he thought about what Ddraig had to say. But then, he starts remembering the happy times he cherished with Asia. From her smile to her kindness, Issei still believes that she deserves better.

"Not yet. I'm still going after her!"

{Hmm?}

Issei slowly rises to his feet, not taking his eyes off Asia's plushie for a second.

"You're right, Ddraig, I'm inexperienced, and that's what led me to my defeat." Issei then lifts his right hand to look at his black mark. "But if I gave up right here, then what kind of friend would I be?"

{Interesting choice of words. However, you should still remember your current level of strength.}

"I'm aware that I'm not as strong as a Fallen angel and a Devil, but even so, there's no point in running away. In fact, I'm done running! Sure, I'm not a proper fighter, but I'm not going in alone!"

{Really? Who do you suppose will help you on your suicidal quest to save a nun from a Fallen Angel's grasp?}

Issei smirks before peering at his Boosted Gear's gem.

"I've got you, obviously."

{Me?}

"Yeah. You're the one who told me about your past and what this Sacred Gear does, and I'm sure there's more of its power to use than just boosting myself up. And from here on out, I'm going to need to learn them if I'm going to succeed." Issei clenches his left hand into a fist as his stare focuses harder on his gauntlet. "So that's why I ask you, Red Dragon Emperor, will you help me?!"

There was a moment of silence. During that silence, Issei's expression remained determined to save Asia at any cost. And after what he'd seen last night and a few days ago, he wasn't really that intimidated anymore.

A few more seconds passed, and Ddraig began to laugh, confusing Issei.

"Wha… What's so-"

{You have a very noble heart, my host! You are the latest host I've ever had who holds such regard for those they care about.}

"Y… You think so?"

{Indeed. I've had hosts who use my power for their selfish goals and for chaos, but there were also those who used it for good intentions. And as I stated earlier, you're the latest host to have such a heroic attitude.} Ddraig unleashes another hardy laugh before resuming. {And after hearing such resolve in your voice, there's no way I'm going to refuse!}

Issei blinked at his Boosted Gear.

"So… does that mean…"

{Of course, Issei Hyoudou, I shall guide you on your journey to save that nun, but only if you're really resolved.}

"Of course I am!" Issei insists. "I won't let Asia suffer anymore! It's time we head to that church! Because of the bad feeling I had when I first took Asia there, that makes it the first destination!"

{Very well. Along the way, I will reveal to you more details of the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet, so be sure to pay attention.}

"I will, Ddraig."

{Alright, let's get to it, partner!}

Issei chuckled at what Issei called him.

"A partner, huh? Makes sense, since you're technically a part of me."

And with that, Issei takes off for the church. During his run there, Ddraig began to go over more of the Boosted Gear with him in detail.

While he was heading towards his destination, Issei failed to notice a certain bat that had watched all of what happened unfold before its eyes before it flew off somewhere else.

Issei has finally made it to the church. Along the way, he has also learned the other abilities of the Boosted Gear. Not only can he evolve it into Second Liberation to boost himself more frequently and transfer power to weapons and allies, but he can also activate a more powerful state called Balance Breaker.

It sounds easy since a Sacred Gear operates on feelings, however, Issei still lacks the physical and magical power to withstand how much he can power himself up. And it's because of his current limit that he needs to be careful with how many times he boosts.

But he wasn't going to let all of that bother him. Issei has a promise to keep, and whatever dangers await him inside that church, he'll do whatever he can to tackle the odds.

Taking a deep breath, Issei begins to venture towards the church. But before he could take another step, he felt a hand grab onto his shoulder, making him tense up and turn straight around, thinking that someone hostile had encountered him.

As soon as he took his fighting stance and got a look at who it was, Issei's eyes widened at the two familiar faces.

"Kiba..? Koneko-san..?"

"You were really going to go in there by yourself, weren't you?" Yuuto asks Issei, who notices that he's carrying a sword in his sheath, making him more wary of him. "I will praise you for your bravery, but without a plan, you will surely die the moment you step inside of that church."

Issei rolls his eyes at Yuuto while crossing his arms.

"Let me guess, your master's trying to stop me again, isn't she."

Yuuto shakes his head and smiles.

"Nope. We're going to help you."

Issei was taken aback by how blunt Yuuto was. But then, he remembered what he and Koneko were and got suspicious.

"… What's in it for Gremory-senpai?"

"Pardon?"

"I'm asking what she wants in return. Why would she even have you two go to this church in the first place?"

Yuuto understood Issei's caution and shakes his head again.

"Our Buchou is not looking for a payment. She herself wanted to help you out of reconciliation for all that's happened."

Issei tilted his head at the Devils.

"Why? I recall yesterday that Gremory-senpai said that it wasn't that simple because of the cold war between the Factions. So what's changed?"

"A lot, actually," Yuuto replies. "From what you said last night to what Buchou's recently learned, we've been sent here to go inside the church while Buchou and Akeno-senpai check the outside. And Buchou said to us that if we ever find you, we are to back you up and make sure you don't die."

Issei's eyes broaden at Yuuto. While he was surprised by what he explained, it was the sincerity in Yuuto's voice that got him the most.

Issei shifts his eyes left and right a few times before sighing and crossing his arms.

"Alright," Issei says, not wanting to spend too much time thinking about it. "If it will make saving a friend faster and easier, then I'll let you two help."

Yuuto's eyes soften while Koneko just nods.

"Don't worry. We won't fail you, Issei."

"We're experienced in combat," Koneko adds with a thumbs up while keeping a neutral deadpan expression.

Issei was able to tell that they were serious because of their expressions, so he sighed before taking a glance back at the church.

"Okay… where do we go from here?" Issei asks.

"Koneko-chan and I already planned out how we'll get in," Yuuto informs. "So just stick closely to us, and you'll be alright. We'll watch your back when you go and save that nun."

Right after he said this, Yuuto, Koneko, and Issei notice a large blue circle appear behind the latter two before shining brightly, revealing four silhouettes from the very spot.

"Are we not too late?"

Issei's eyes widen as he was able to recognize the voice from the vanishing blue light before gasping as he saw two people he knew and two more who accompanied him.

"Genshiro! Reya-san! And…" Issei pauses when his eyes go to the blue-haired girl and the shorter brown-haired girl in green socks. "… I'm not sure if I'm familiar. I know you two are a part of the Student Council, but…"

The two newcomers understood and introduced themselves.

"Tsubasa Yura," the girl with blue hair identifies with a smirk. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Hyoudou."

The brown-haired girl who's shorter than Reya goes next with a bow of her head.

"Ruruko Nimura. I hope to be of assistance."

Issei acknowledges their greetings with his head bowing to them.

"Y-Yes. Thank you."

As he lifts his head back up, Issei sees Reya walking towards him with a stern look in her eyes.

"Uh… Reya-san?"

"You just had to be risky with your own life," Reya says before getting close enough and snapping: "Idiot!"

SMACK!

Everyone with the exception of Koneko gasps as they watch Reya slap Issei across the face, bringing shock to the young Red Dragon Emperor. Before he could say anything in response to her sudden actions, he was hugged tightly by the girl.

He wasn't sure because of her fast movements, but Issei could've sworn that he saw tears build up in her eyes before embracing him.

"I was very scared, you know?" Reya questions Issei. "I thought you were going to die last night after pulling off that stunt! And now, you got in another fight and nearly got killed again?! Why did you have to frighten me like that?!"

Issei's eyes broaden at Reya before they soften as he returns the hug.

"I'm sorry, Reya-san. It's just… I feel responsible for all of this. Ever since I brought Asia to that church, I…"

Reya presses her index finger against Issei's lips while taking a few steps back from him.

"I know… I just didn't think your selflessness would get you right here."

Everyone watches the scene between Issei and Reya with small smiles, with Genshiro showing some jealousy a few seconds later.

'Damn you, Hyoudou! One of these days, I will catch up to you!'

Ruruko notices Genshiro's eyes of envy and lightly pouts at him with furrowed brows.

"A-Anyway," Issei speaks up, breaking what he personally thought was an awkward silence. "How did you guys get wind of the situation?"

"Gremory-senpai told Kaichou of what she has learned and how it correlated with what you shouted at the former last night," Genshiro explained before shaking his head at Issei while the left side of his lip curled upwards. "Honestly, dude, when did you get the balls?"

Issei's brows rise at Genshiro's choice of words before he scratches the back of his head.

"Well… after what I've seen last night and even the night before that, I guess I reacted like I did." Issei breathes deeply before setting his eyes back on the church. "Besides, if what Raynare said about a ceremony is what I think it is, then I just can't sit idly by and let her hurt more people."

The Devils look at the determined stare in Issei's eyes, making Tsubasa, Koneko, Ruruko, and Yuuto gain impressed expressions and give him respect for his nobility.

"If what Gremory-senpai said about this situation is true, then we can't waste any more time," Reya states with a resolved expression of her own.

"Yeah," Genshiro agrees before turning towards Yuuto. "So, got an idea how we're busting in, blondie?"

"From the entrance to the center of the sanctuary, we can make it in one go as long as we stick together."

Koneko nods before chiming in.

"Problem is, there will definitely be an Exorcist or more in the sanctuary."

"I'll bet," Ruruko says. "Even with our increase in numbers, we won't be able to enter the room of the ceremony so easily."

"Welp, looks like there's no other way than going forward," Genshiro says while slamming his fist into his palm. "Hyoudou, you stay behind me. I'm about to show you how we brawl."

"Eh?" Issei blinks at Genshiro. "But I can-"

"I second Saji-kun's statement," Reya interjects while grabbing Issei's wrist with the latter flinching at how tight her grip got. "No more suicidal stunts, you hear me?"

Issei shuttered at how scary Reya suddenly got, but he understood that she just wanted to protect him.

"A-Alright, alright," Issei replies to his friend before turning his head to Genshiro while the group move towards the church's front door. "So, anyway, has your Kaichou really allowed you four to join in?"

Genshiro nods in confirmation.

"At first, Kaichou refused to get involved in this when Kusaka-san made her plea, but to our surprise, the Fuku-Kaichou insisted that she send four of us to Kiba and Koneko-chan's aid. Well, mostly your aid since Kusaka-san had a hunch that you'd go this far."

Hearing this bewildered Issei.

"Shinra-senpai convinced Sitri-senpai?"

"Uh-huh," Ruruko confirms. "All of us servants of Sona Sitri were shocked since Fuku-Kaichou would normally enforce Kaichou's choices, but after she clarified what Gremory-senpai told her of the situation, here we are."

Issei's expression remained in awe as he lets this new information sink in.

'Man… I never thought something like that would happen.'

"Okay," Yuuto announced to everyone as they got to the door. "Everyone prepared to run through the gate and head for the sanctuary? We only got one shot at this."

Everyone nods in response with Issei and Genshiro's nods being the strongest.

"Alright, let's go!"

Unsheathing his sword, Yuuto destroys the padlock on the door. Throwing it open, the blonde Devil leads the charge as the Devils and one human head upstairs to the sanctuary.

"Let's move quickly!" Yuuto instructs. "The enemy most likely already knows we're inside!"

Everyone continued sprinting further into the church while shifting their eyes towards their surroundings, checking for any enemies that may be hiding. During the skirmish, Reya and Genshiro were closest to Issei than everyone else, making sure that he was well protected.

"By the way, Hyoudou, have you figured out how to operate that red gauntlet of yours?"

"Yeah!" Issei answers Genshiro. "I can double my power every ten seconds, but if I keep boosting myself past my limit, I'll get overwhelmed with fatigue." He lifts his left arm towards himself to look at his gauntlet. "There are other powers I can do with it, but since I've just awoken it, powering myself up is all I can do for now."

"I see," Genshiro nods while Reya raises a brow at Issei, noticing that what he's explained didn't fit the description of a Twice Critical. "But don't worry, if anyone starts pissing us off, my Sacred Gear should hopefully get the job done."

"Huh?!" Issei's brows raise. "You mean you have one too?!"

"Yup-yup!" Genshiro nods with a toothy grin. "And I can't wait for you to see it in action!"

"Pipe down, Saji!" Tsubasa hisses quietly. "We've approached our destination."

Issei and Genshiro look forward away from each other and see the two large wooden double doors, getting them and the others to stop.

Yuuto carefully approaches one of the doors and leans his ear against it to listen. Not detecting any noise, he slowly opens the door while scanning the room for any threats.

With the door wide open, Yuuto motions his allies to enter the sanctuary, with Reya behind Issei and Genshiro in front of him while Tsubasa guarded his left and Ruruko blocked his right.

Once inside, Issei and the Devils search all over the place, not detecting another presence in sight.

But then, Issei grunts as he felt his right hand tense up.

"Hyoudou, what's up?"

Genshiro and the others look and see Issei gripping his right wrist as his right hand's fingers twitch, with Reya worrying for him the most.

"This feeling… I think someone's here!"

The Devils raise their brows at Issei before they suddenly hear someone clapping from behind them.

"Well well well, looks like some shitty Devils have decided to crash the party~"

Issei and Reya's eyes widen, finding the voice of the source of the clapping to be very recognizable. When they and the rest of the Devils turn around to see who it is, the former two gasp when they got a look at the approaching enemy.

"Freed Sellzen!" Issei hisses with his left hand morphing into a fist and his Boosted Gear's gem lightly shimmering green while Reya takes a protective stance.

"You know this guy?" Genshiro asks Issei while he and everyone else get ready for a battle.

The Stray Exorcist in question grins as he notices Issei and Reya and waves at them like a kid.

"Aha! It's you two lovers again! This reunion almost feels heart-moving!" Freed's expression then quickly changes from gleeful to menacing with a frown. "Just one problem, I'm meeting a shitty Devil twice. And through all of my pilgrimage, there hasn't been a single Devil who's encountered me more than once! And this isn't right! I'm the strongest Exorcist there is, and I always kill Devils at first sight! I won't forgive you for ruining my policy, you bitch! I'll make you suffer until you beg for death!"

Issei's anger increases towards Freed while taking a step forward, prompting Reya to hold him back with an arm.

"Where's Asia?!"

The Devils glance towards Issei and sees his eyes full of rage. While Yuuto and Koneko have seen that level of anger before, it's a first for the Sitri Devils, who mostly knew him as a calmer, gentle person. But now, it looks like he won't act like this towards anyone with ill intent.

Issei's vexation even got Genshiro wondering just what exactly went down last night. He can get the gist of him encountering a Stray Exorcist and his desire to save the nun from him and the Fallen Angels, but something else had to have happened that got Issei to act like he is now instead of being even the slightest fearful.

Freed puts a finger on his chin, thinking about Issei's interrogating question before snapping his fingers.

"Oh! Do you mean that whore who thinks those who've made deals with Devils should be forgiven and not slain?" the Stray Exorcist points a thumb behind himself. "You can find that Heretic underneath that altar. There's a staircase leading to the underground assembly hall."

Issei was dumbfounded at Freed, not having expected him to reveal it just like that.

"He's one straightforward bastard, isn't he?" Genshiro asks while cracking his knuckles.

"I'm not worried about you learning her location," Freed says while sticking his tongue out at Issei. "You'll die trying to save that blonde bitch anyway~"

Issei's fist tightens while glancing at the altar Freed spoke of.

"You sure are composed," Yuuto says while aiming his sword at Freed. "But I wouldn't take us lightly if I were you."

"Get crushed."

Issei and Genshiro blink when they hear Koneko speak from behind them, turning around, their expressions turn to shock when they see her lifting a bench above her head.

"H… How..?"

"Koneko-chan must be a Rook if she can lift something this heavy so casually!"

"Eh?" Issei looks towards Genshiro. "A Rook?"

Genshiro was about to explain but was cut off when Koneko threw the bench at Freed, who clicked his tongue at the action.

"How stupid do you think I am?!" he exclaims before activating his light sword and cutting the bench in half, preventing himself from getting hurt.

Freed was about to run towards Koneko to cut her down, but Yuuto appeared in front of him at speeds that Issei could barely comprehend and clashed his sword with Freed's, gaining an enraged expression from the Stray Exorcist.

Issei kept his eyes on the battle while the other Devils waited for their moment to join in and aid Yuuto. While he was impressed with Yuuto's swordsmanship, he was still in awe at how fast Yuuto was able to maneuver while continuing to fight the Stray Exorcist.

But before he can think about that further, he looks over towards the altar that hides the staircase leading to where Asia is being imprisoned. He darts his eyes from Yuuto to the alter numerous times while slowly frowning. The longer they stay here and try to subdue Freed, the higher the risk of Asia meeting a tragic fate.

Having made up his mind, Issei begins to bolt for the alter, stunning the Devils that currently weren't fighting right now.

"Issei-kun!" Reya shouts with shrunken irises. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"I can't waste time standing here!" Issei shouts as he gets closer to the altar. "I have to get Asia out of here now!"

"Hyoudou-san!" Ruruko shouts while Tsubasa, Genshiro, and Koneko grit their teeth at Issei's choice of action and Reya's heartbeat increases.

While still fighting, Freed takes notice of Issei's advances and snickers at the sight.

"I don't think so, Devil sympathizer!" he says before finding an opening against Yuuto by kicking him in the leg before pulling his gun out.

Issei gasps as he notices that the Stray Exorcist is aiming his firearm at him just as he gets to the altar. He wasn't sure if he'll be quick enough to block the bullets in time, but he'll guard as fast as he can.

Before Freed could pull the trigger, a glowing pale blue line wrapped around the Exorcist's wrist and forced it down, making him shoot the floor instead of Issei, who was surprised by what just happened.

"Don't even think about it, punk!"

Everyone turns their heads towards the source of the rope-like line and sees that it was Genshiro's doing. Following the line that Genshiro was grappling with, Issei's eyes broaden when he sees that it's from a small black bracer on Genshiro's left hand in the form of a small black chameleon-like lizard with violet jewels for its eyes. And from further inspection, the artifact's mouth was open, making the blue line like its tongue.

"Genshiro! That's your Sacred Gear?!"

The blonde Devil in question snickers while nodding.

"Pretty handy, huh, Hyoudou? And what I'm doing right now is just the tip of this bad boy's iceberg!"

Freed snarls at Genshiro.

"So, it was you huh? Well, let's see you laughing once I…" Freed pauses as he suddenly felt weaker to the point where his hand is forced to drop his gun. "Wh… What the..?"

"Feeling tired?" Genshiro asks Freed with a smug face. "That's what happens when your power gets absorbed by my Absorption Line! Oh, and while I'm at it…" Genshiro grips the blue line of his Sacred Gear and pulls it downwards, making Freed fall and slam to the ground harshly.

Ruruko watches Genshiro with glinting eyes and a light red blush.

'Saji-senpai… you're so cool~'

Freed snarls while watching Genshiro approach the altar with Issei and keep his eye on the Exorcist at the same time.

"You motherfucker… If you think your Sacred Gear will drain my powers dry…" Freed manages to get on one knee before raising his light sword high. "Then you're really fucking stupid!"

Freed brings his blade down to sever the line off of his wrist. It makes contact, but once the Exorcist lifts the weapon away from the line, his eyes widen when it doesn't get chopped off.

"What?!" Freed tries to cut it again and again, but he still had no luck. "What is this bullshit?!"

Genshiro laughs at Freed.

"What's wrong? Not enough power to cut the line?" the Sitri Devil's grin gets bigger. "And even if you were strong enough to cut it, good luck, because my Absorption Line is a Dragon-type Sacred Gear!"

Issei gasps at this new revelation.

'Just like mine…'

{Indeed. And if I'm feeling it correctly, this Absorption Line is carrying the soul of a Dragon in it as well.}

Issei blinks at Ddraig's interjection.

'It is?'

{Yes. Or rather… it carries a part of the Dragon's soul. Why this is the case, I'm not quite sure.}

After many more failed attempts at getting the line off of him, Freed's expression twists into fury.

"Fuck it! I may not be able to cut the line, but I can at least kill its source!"

Genshiro's eyes widen as Freed works up the strength to pick his gun up off the ground and aim for his head. His first shot missed because of his lack of strength, but the bullet was able to fly by Genshiro's hair, forcing him to retract his line from Freed's wrist.

Feeling his strength returning, Freed grins gleefully and properly aims right for his head, but as soon as he shoots, Issei is able to block the projectile with his Boosted Gear, shocking Genshiro and the other Devils.

"Whoa! Hyoudou!"

Issei sets his stare on Genshiro while being thankful that he could get there as quickly as he did.

"I guess that makes us even now, huh?"

Genshiro snickers at his friend before lightly punching him in the shoulder.

"You speedster. That boost really helped out, didn't it?"

"Yeah. And I only boosted once too."

"Issei-kun!"

"Eep!"

Issei snaps his head behind himself when he hears Reya shout his name while marching towards him with Tsubasa and Ruruko following from behind.

"What did I tell you about pulling off those risky stunts?!"

Issei chuckles while scratching the back of his head.

"I-I had to protect Genshiro. He would've got shot if I didn't take action."

"Y-Yeah!" Genshiro chimes in, being just as scared of Reya's serious side as Issei.

"I would've stopped him with my magic," Reya counters with a deadpan.

"No more arguing," Tsubasa spoke calmly while patting Reya's shoulder. "We need to get on with the task at hand."

"Move aside."

Issei, Koneko, and the Sitri Devils turned their heads when they heard Ruruko speak and saw her cracking her knuckles while approaching the altar. With furrowed brows and contracted pupils, she lifts one foot up and harshly kicks the altar to the side, revealing a case of stairs that lead to the ceremony.

"Holy crap!" Issei exclaims at the strength of Ruruko with Genshiro gaining the same wide-eyed expression.

"Uh… Ruruko-chan..? We're in a church, so can we please keep the damage to a minimum?"

"Gremory-senpai told Kaichou that the church is abandoned," Ruruko clarifies before flashing Genshiro a smile. "So we don't have to worry too much about that."

"Really?" Issei questions with a raised brow. "So, do the churches have to be abandoned in order for them to be Fallen Angel territory?"

"Not necessarily," Reya answers. "There are occasions where Fallen Angels will use churches as their bases when they're not occupied, but when they do, they and their subordinates tend to destroy all religious icons in those churches out of spite for their former leader."

Issei nods while soaking in the new information like a sponge. But then, his expression suddenly turns dreadful.

'Wait… so if that church was abandoned the whole time…'

The Devils can see how much more regretful Issei got because of him bringing Asia to the church when they first met. But Ruruko understood more and was quick to hug Issei.

"Stop blaming yourself, Issei-kun. What's done is in the past, and we can only move forward and learn from our mistakes."

"I know…" Issei whispers with contracted pupils. "I'm just…"

"You guys!" Issei and the Sitri Devils look towards Yuuto when he gets their attention. "Go on ahead and help Issei rescue the nun! Koneko-chan and I will handle Freed here!"

"What?!" Issei was surprised, as was everyone else except Koneko, who nodded with Yuuto.

"Don't worry, Issei, We'll be fine! The sooner you get to that nun, the higher the chance of saving her!"

"H-Hold on a second!" Genshiro speaks up. "Won't you two need me to power down that Stray Exorcist again to make it easy to restrain him?!"

Yuuto shakes his head.

"If the Fallen Angel is down there, then your Absorption Line will be more useful against her! Now go!"

"Hurry, you guys!" Koneko adds while rushing in front of Freed to block his path toward Issei and the Sitri Devils.

Issei looks down to think about what Yuuto is saying but feels his shoulder get grabbed and looks up to see Tsubasa.

"Come on, Hyoudou, they got this."

Issei was still a little conflicted, but with Yuuto insisting that they go on without him and Koneko and that he was on a timer that cannot be seen or foretold, he swallows a lump and decides to head downstairs with the Sitri Devils.

"… Don't die up there… you hear me, Kiba?"

Yuuto chuckles and gives Issei a thumbs-up.

"Trust me, we don't plan on dying that easily."

Nodding, Issei and the Sitri Devils venture downstairs while Yuuto and Koneko set their attention on Freed.

"You know, you could've stopped them, Stray Exorcist."

Freed snickers while crossing his arms like a gunslinger.

"I know, but I like the odds Raynare-sama has. And as for that Heretic with the red gauntlet…" Freed's eyes turn dangerous and his tongue slithers out of his mouth like a snake. "There isn't a chance in hell that he'll save that slut of a nun. So while he and his shitty Devil friends get slaughtered down there, why don't we continue our dance~?"

Yuuto and Koneko get ready to continue their battle against Freed, hoping to defeat him as soon as they can so they can join their allies.

Back with Issei and the Sitri Devils, they continued to run downstairs to the area where Asia was being held captive. Along the way, Issei was the fastest of the group, having sidestepped the Devils and was now in front of them all.

"Whoa! Slow down, Hyoudou!" Genshiro says while trying to match Issei's speed without tripping and falling.

Issei didn't listen. He was so desperate to save Asia that he got pretty far from the Devils, making them speed up so they don't lose him.

Just as they manage to catch up, the Devils break to a halt when they see Issei stopping at another set of double doors.

"Here it is," Issei announces with his right hand shaking harsher than his left hand.

Getting next to Issei, Reya slits her eyes at the doors.

"There's no question about it, the Fallen Angel is in that room. And she's got more Stray Exorcists in there as well."

"That must mean the nun's here too," Tsubasa adds with Ruruko nodding in agreement.

Genshiro's eyes slowly widen while his brows remain furrowed.

"She better be ready," he snarls with venom. "I swear, I'll make her pay for hurting you, Hyoudou."

"Easy there, cowboy," Tsubasa cautions with a hand on Genshiro's shoulder. "We'll take her down together and give Hyoudou an opening to save the nun."

"Yeah," Ruruko nods. "And while we're at it, we better upgrade ourselves, don't you think, Saji-senpai?"

Genshiro rose a brow at Ruruko before it clicked to him.

"Oh, yeah! Doing that will definitely come in handy for us!"

nodding together, Genshiro and Ruruko announce "Promotion: Rook!" And as soon as they did, Issei felt something from the two that was out of the ordinary.

"This is…"

"Don't worry, Hyoudou," Genshiro assures. "Ruruko-chan and I just powered up our physical strength with Promotion."

"Promotion?"

Reya understood Issei's confusion, so she explained.

"In the world of Devils, people are reincarnated as that race through Evil Pieces, which are a set of chess pieces a High-class Devil is given when they are eligible to have a peerage. This was done in order to repopulate the Devils since they suffered a major loss of pure blood Devils."

"Sheesh," Issei says. "I had an idea of how harsh the three-way war was, but for it to be that bad…"

Reya nods before resuming.

"The way Evil Pieces work is that each type of chess piece carries a different trait of what power it'll carry." Reya places a hand on her chest. "For me, I'm a Bishop, which focuses on using magic attacks. Tsubasa-san is the Rook, which gives her strong physical strength and defense. As for Saji-kun and Nimura-san, these two are Pawns."

Genshiro and Ruruko nod before the latter interjects.

"Like in chess, we Pawns can promote to any piece we want except for the King piece when we're in enemy territory. If we want more magic power, we'll pick the Bishop. If we want to go faster, we'll use the Knight piece's speed attribute. And I'm sure you already know what a Rook's trait is."

Genshiro chuckles with Ruruko.

"And if we want to go all out with all these attributes, we can promote to Queen, an Evil Piece that grants the reincarnated Devil all of the powers of a Rook, Bishop, and Knight."

Issei blinks at Genshiro while he keeps the new information about Evil Pieces in mind.

"If that's the case, then why didn't you two promote to Queen instead of Rook?"

Genshiro laughs while scratching his cheek.

"Unfortunately, Ruruko-chan and I aren't quite physically ready to handle the Queen promotion yet."

Ruruko nods with closed eyes while Issei sweat-dropped.

"Right… and I assume the King piece belongs to your master, Sitri-senpai."

"You got it," Tsubasa confirms before facing the double doors. "Now, with that crash course out of the way, let's get that nun out of there!"

[Yeah!]

With that said, Tsubasa shoves the two doors open and is the first to enter with the rest in tow. And as soon as they entered the room, they saw that the room was filled with more Stray Exorcists like Reya felt.

Issei saw how dangerous these Exorcists were. From swords to axes and daggers, these Strays looked ready to slaughter him and his allies as soon as possible as they stood there in a line. But it didn't intimidate Issei too much.

"You got here early."

Everyone turns their heads toward the source of a female voice. When they did, their eyes narrowed when they saw Raynare looking down at them from the other side of the room with her grin.

"And I must say, Issei-kun, I did not expect you to work with Devils just so you can get this far." the Fallen Angel giggles menacingly. "I wonder what price you had to pay just to get backup for someone as weak and timid as you~?"

Issei, Reya, and Genshiro snarl at Raynare with the latter two being the most offended.

But before any of them could retort, Issei notices someone next to Raynare and gasps with contracted pupils.

"Asia!"

The Sitri Devils follow Issei's stare and share the same shocked expressions when they see a blonde girl hung onto a large black cross by thick black wrist cuffs, wearing nothing but a white dress.

"Whoa… That's the nun Hyoudou's trying to rescue?" Genshiro whispers while looking at her blonde hair.

"Focus, senpai!" Ruruko hisses with a hard nudge against his arm, making him wince a bit before regaining balance.

The nun in question releases a light gasp before lifting her head up, seeing someone she did not expect to see.

"I… Issei-san…?"

"Yes! It's me!" Issei calls out. "I've come to save you, and I've brought help!"

Raynare laughs loudly at Issei.

"Still holding on to that nonsense, are you?! But even with your 'friends', I don't intend on letting you ruin the ritual." the Fallen Angel sets her eyes on her Exorcists. "Kill them all!"

[Yes, Raynare-sama!]

Issei's eyes twitch as the Stray Exorcist rushes him and the Sitri Devils on all sides, but that didn't stop him from putting a foot forward and screaming:

"I won't let you hurt Asia!"

{Boost!}

Issei sprints towards the cross Asia was tied to with all of his speed, making the Devils gain bewildered expressions at how quick he was to charge forward.

"Issei-kun!"

"Hyoudou!"

Issei disregarded the cries of his friends, not having any time to waste since he has no idea when this ritual Raynare spoke of will begin.

"You will not interfere, Heretic!"

Issei grits his teeth when a male Exorcist with a ponytail gets in his way. But because he has his katana raised high, Issei took advantage of that stance and pulled his left fist back before slamming it right in his stomach.

The Devils, Stray Exorcists, and even Raynare look with shock as they watch the Exorcist cough and drop his weapon as he gets the wind knocked out of him by Issei's punch.

With adrenaline, Issei uses his right fist to punch the Exorcist right in his left cheek, knocking him away from him by three feet.

"Stay out of my way, monsters!"

{Boost!}

With more determination and anger, Issei resumed running toward Asia and Raynare, the latter of whom growled and attempted to speed up the ritual process.

While Issei kept going, another Exorcist, a female, leaps from behind him and attempts to stab his back with her knife, but Reya was quick to blast her away from him with a magic projectile.

Tsubasa watched Issei push forward with Reya watching his back, whistling at how he took care of that one Stray Exorcist with those punches. Grinning out of respect, she shifts her eyes towards Genshiro and Ruruko, who notice the stare.

"Come on, you two. Let's give Hyoudou some space from these freaks!"

"Right!" Ruruko says.

"Way ahead of ya, Yura-san!" Genshiro adds with his Sacred Gear embedded hand in front of him. "After seeing him kick that prick's ass, how can I sit by like that?!"

Tsubasa, Ruruko, and Genshiro charge toward Issei, who was halfway there juking and shoulder charging more Exorcists out of the way, remembering those training videos he watched for evading and self-defense.

Just as he ran closer, Issei found himself surrounded by more Stray Exorcists, who made sure to get in a circle so he had nowhere to escape.

"End of the line, sinner!" the fat Stray said with his battle axe out.

"Your interference with Raynare-sama's task ends here!" The other Exorcist spoke while pointing his broadsword at Issei, who snarled at the sight.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" the young Red Dragon Emperor questions. "After all I've seen and experienced?!"

"Hmph! You have spirit and courage, I'll give you that. But for your crimes of coercing with Devils and breaching the ritual, you must die."

Issei's eyes are hidden by his bangs as the Exorcists that circled him get closer. The one with an axe was ready to make his first move as Issei observed, but before he could strike, the Stray was clobbered on the head by a double-fist punch.

Issei was taken back by the action before he saw who was responsible for knocking that Stray Exorcist out.

"Yura-san!"

Tsubasa snickers at Issei before winking.

"We got you covered, Hyoudou! Keep going and don't stop for a second!"

Issei then saw another exorcist get kicked and punched by Ruruko.

"We'll be right behind you!"

Another Stray feels something wrap around his stomach before feeling weak and seeing the source of the glowing blue line run toward him.

"Go to her, Hyoudou!" Genshiro shouts before kneeing the Stray he captured in the groin and punching his lights out.

Issei watches the Sitri Devils take on the Exorcists and keep them at bay for a moment before nodding at them in gratitude.

"Be careful!"

Issei turned around and continued to run for Asia. Every time a Stray Exorcist would try to stop him, Reya would take care of them with her magic projectiles while Tsubasa, Ruruko, and Genshiro would brawl the rest of them after knocking out their previous opponents.

Raynare frowned as she watched Issei finally make it to Asia, who stared in awe at how he was able to make it this far.

"Issei-san!"

"Don't worry, Asia!" Issei shouts as he approaches the cross. "I'll get you out of here as soon as possible!"

Issei immediately grabs hold of the cuffs and tries to yank them off. But no matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't get them off.

"It's no use." Issei turns his head right and glares at Raynare. "This cross is fueled and powered by my magic. Therefore, I'm the only one who can set Asia down."

Issei's anger fuels his stare.

"Then I'll keep pulling until I force the restraints off!"

{Boost!]

Raynare cackles at Issei.

"Oh, Issei-kun," she states before giving him a wicked stare and a monstrous grin. "You're already too late."

Issei was about to question what Raynare meant, but before he could get a word out, he noticed a glow of green from the corner of his eye and saw that the cross was shining that color. Moments later, the cross cross shined much brighter before Asia began to scream in pain.

"ASIA!"

Issei began to pull at her restraints harder with all of his efforts, but they still wouldn't come off.

"Why are you still trying?" Raynare questions with a twisted smirk. "Give up. The ritual is already in progress. And once it's over, Asia's Twilight Healing will be mine!"

Everyone's eyes widened at Raynare with Issei being more shocked than the Sitri Devils.

"That's why you wanted her?!" Issei's expression turns more enraged, causing Raynare to laugh.

"It won't be long now! As soon as this ritual is over and I claim that nun's Sacred Gear, I will finally get back at those who fucked me over when I was once a Pure Angel!" After shouting that, Raynare's face turns innocent towards Issei. "By the way, would you like to know what happens to a person who has their Sacred Gear forcefully taken with methods like this?" Raynare leans her face closer to Issei with slit eyes. "They die~"

BA-BUMP!

The moment Issei learns this is when his heartbeat gets faster. Now more desperate than ever, Issei continued to pull and pull without showing any signs of stopping.

"Come on! Come on! Let go of Asia! Let go!"

{Boost!}

"HA HA HA HA! Keep trying! It's cute! But it won't help. All you are is an inferior human! There's no chance of you stopping this ritual! Ever! So why don't you just stop before you start hurting Asia more, huh~?"

"No! I won't give up!"

{Boost!}

Genshiro and Reya saw how desperate Issei was to save Asia, both of them having to hold back tears since they and Tsubasa and Ruruko also heard what will happen to Asia.

"It can't be like this… I won't let it be like this! I won't allow Asia to be hurt by people like you!" Issei's grip on Asia's restraints tightened as tears roll down his cheeks before he bellows: "NOT EVER AGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIN!"

SHKRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

With another strong tug, the palm of Issei's right hand suddenly flashed a bright blue, a phenomenon that caught the attention of Raynare.

As the blue light faded from his palm, Raynare's eyes widened when she saw something else happen to Issei's right arm. With the same blue light as earlier, a mysterious pattern began to form up his arm in a spreading fashion as if it was being quickly etched onto it, with each piece of the pattern fading to black when it finished forming.

On the back of his hand, there were four rhombuses with one on each MCP knuckle joint, a small circle just below the rhombuses, and three unique v-like arrows with pointed bottom tips with the top two shapes having two top curved edges each. Two of those shapes were on his hand while the third one went down his forearm.

"Wh… What is that?!"

Before she could question the appearance of the black markings further, Raynare noticed that the green light of the black cross started moving away from it and appeared to be entering inside Issei's right palm. As Issei kept pulling while more of that light kept being attracted to his hand, everyone gasped when the black cross started to gain cracks with each tug.

'What's going on?!' Raynare wondered with confusion. 'How is he able to do this?!'

Raynare looks from Issei to the cross and sees that it has suffered more damage with barely any green light radiating from it.

"No! Stop! You'll ruin the ritual!"

Issei ignored Raynare and kept at it. With adrenaline fueling him, Issei roars as he gives Asia's restraints one last tug with all of his strength. What happened next was something that caught Raynare, her Stray Exorcists, and the Sitri Devils by surprise.

The black cross that once held Asia explodes in the green light, forcing everyone to cover their faces with their arms while Issei and Asia are engulfed by the said light. As the light kept shining bright, the Sitri Devils looked on with worry that Issei and the nun might have gotten hurt.

It was a matter of thirty seconds before the large green light began to vanish. As it went away, everyone's eyes went as wide as saucers when they saw Issei on the ground with Asia wrapped around his arms and the large black cross completely destroyed with some smoke fuming from what remained.

"Issei-kun!"

"Hyoudou!"

Hissing and grunting as he felt his right arm sting like crazy with the mysterious pattern from earlier gone without a trace, Issei sits himself up while making sure Asia is alright.

"Asia… you're not hurt anymore, are you?"

Her body aching, Asia manages to lift her head up towards Issei.

"It still hurts… but I'll be okay." Asia then gasps when she sees the small cuts and bruises Issei gained from shielding her from the debris of the destroyed cross during its explosion and softens her eyes. "Issei-san…"

"Don't worry about me," Issei tells her. "Your life is all that matters to me right now."

While she was touched by his words, Asia still didn't like seeing him like this. Although everything still hurts, she gently clasps Issei's cheek with her hand and caresses it.

Next thing to happen, a green light shines from Asia's finger, making everyone gasp when they witness Issei's bruises on his face get healed.

When Issei took a look for himself, his eyes broadened with a shivering breath when he saw one of the rings of Twilight Healing still on Asia's finger. Checking her other hand to see the other ring to complete the set, Issei's breath nearly gets caught in his throat.

"I… I did it…" Issei utters before more tears are produced from his eyes. "I actually did it! I wasn't too late!"

The Sitri Devils watch in astonishment as Issei hugs Asia while releasing a few sobs of joy. Reya and Ruruko looked with softened eyes while Genshiro and Tsubasa smiled, happy that he was able to prevent Asia's Sacred Gear from being stolen.

"Oh, Issei-san, there's no need for you to cry," Asia whispers as she wipes his tears away before returning the hug.

"It's okay, Asia. These are tears of joy. I'm just so glad that I was able to reach you."

Asia blinks at Issei before smiling with closed eyes.

"You…"

Issei and Asia lift their heads up when they hear Raynare growling. Their eyes widen when they see how angry the Fallen Angel is as she slowly strode towards them.

"You bastard… do you have any idea what you've just done?!"

The Sitri Devils were about to intervene and make sure Raynare didn't hurt Issei or Asia, but before any of them could make a move, they heard Issei begin to chuckle.

It wasn't loud, but everyone in the room was able to hear him laugh, including Raynare. And as she kept listening to him chortle, she got more irritated with her eyes slowly becoming bloodshot.

Issei continued to chuckle for five more seconds before stopping. He looks directly into Raynare's eyes and gives her a mocking grin; the very same grin that he saw on her from when she first stabbed him.

"I did the right thing."

Raynare's eyes go wide and her irises shrink very small. Her lips formed a very large frown baring teeth as Issei continued to stare at her with his grin not going away.

She couldn't believe this was happening. Issei Hyoudou, a human, was able to disrupt her ritual and prevent her from claiming Twilight Healing from Asia. All of her planning and scheming from tricking her superiors to manipulating others to get to this point was all wasted, and by a human no less. The very same human that she tricked because of his innocence has got her back, and Issei kept grinning at her for it.

With her eyes twitching violently while hyperventilating, Raynare's mind flashes memories of the times Issei has gotten her, starting from him being able to harm her to stopping the ritual by somehow gaining the strength to destroy Asia's restraints and the cross. And she wasn't even sure if those markings that suddenly appeared on his right arm were something she actually saw or not, because Raynare found no sign of them anymore.

These memories kept playing in her head on loop until she finally snapped.

"MOTHERFUCKER!"

Fueled by rage, Raynare raised her hands in the air and started to create a spear of light.

'Bigger,' she thought before her spear grew. 'Bigger!' The spear gets larger. 'BIGGER!' Raynare kept making the spear grow until it was the size of a pillar. 'Perfect!'

While he was a little stunned at such a gigantic weapon, Issei didn't let it intimidate him. He gets ready to move in front of Asia and counter before Raynare can bring the large spear down, but before either of them can make a move, they fail to notice a magic projectile hit the light spear, causing it to explode and engulf Raynare in its bright light.

Issei was quick to grab Asia bridal style and evade the explosion, making sure to get close to Genshiro and Tsubasa who were in closer proximity to him than the others.

"Sheesh, Kusaka-san!" Genshiro exclaims with white eyes. "You think you could've given us a warning?!"

Issei looked towards where Reya is and broadened his eyes when he saw how deadly her glare was on Raynare, who was revealed to be slammed into a wall and barely conscious after the light from the explosion went away, which got the Stray Exorcists worried for her safety.

Reya kept her eyes on Raynare for another moment before she blinked twice and came to her senses.

"S-Sorry," Reya says with an embarrassed face. "You didn't get hurt, did you, Issei-kun?"

Issei shakes his head.

"No, I'm good," he assures Reya before wincing a little since the rest of his mild injuries from the explosion aren't healed.

"You damn Heretic!"

"How dare you ruin the ritual?!"

"Your crimes will not go unpunished!"

Everyone looked towards the remaining Stray Exorcists that were charging towards Issei, who held onto Asia tighter to keep her protected.

The Devils immediately took the offense. Tsubasa, Ruruko, and Genshiro went for the Exorcists who were getting closer to Issei and Asia while Reya stuck with ranged combat with her magic.

"Hyoudou!" Tsubasa shouts while uppercutting a Stray. "You head back up with the nun while we take care of the rest of them!"

"But…"

"Quit worrying about us so much!" Ruruko says with a kick. "We can take care of those punks in a matter of minutes!"

"Trust us!" Genshiro adds while wrapping his Absorption Line around four of the Exorcists with deadlier weapons. "It's like you said, the blonde's life should be the top priority, so while you don't have anyone else cornering you, get moving!"

Issei's eyes broaden at Genshiro before turning his head to Reya, who nods firmly while keeping her eyes on any Stray Exorcists who may draw a gun.

With his eyes glinting for a while before narrowing, Issei nods back at Reya and the others while turning around towards the exit.

"Thank you all," he says for them to hear before he gets moving. "And when this is all over, start calling me Issei, because we're friends!"

Genshiro chuckles while grabbing a restrained Exorcist by the collar and headbutting him.

"Less talking, more rescuing, hero!"

Issei chuckled back with Genshiro before breaking into a run upstairs. As he left the room, the Sitri Devils kept battling the Stray Exorcists, making sure to buy as much time as they can.

But while they were fighting, Raynare's fingers of her left hand began to slowly move…

It took some time, but Issei finally made it back up to the sanctuary. Along the way, he spotted Yuuto and Koneko, who were breathing heavily from their fight.

"You guys!" Issei calls out to them. "How did it go?"

Yuuto takes another deep breath before brushing his lips with his fist.

"Unfortunately, Freed got away with a smoke bomb," he explains before he and Koneko see the nun in Issei's arms and smiles. "you got her to safety! Good work!"

Issei laughs softly.

"It wasn't all me, I have the others to thank for getting me there quickly." Issei's eyes widen before looking at Yuuto. "Speaking of whom, they're still down there fighting Stray Exorcists to help me retreat here! They might need your assistance!"

"No need to tell us twice. Come on, Koneko-chan!"

Koneko nods and follows Yuuto downstairs to assist the Sitri Devils.

"Wait!" Yuuto and Koneko turn around when Issei gets their attention. "I… I want to thank you guys, truly. If it weren't for you and them…"

Yuuto understood and nodded with a smile.

"Pleasure's all mine. We'll be right back."

"Okay, be careful!"

After watching Yuuto and Koneko head downstairs, Issei turns around to search for a spot to set Asia down to rest. Finding a bench left intact, he walks over there and carefully places her on it.

"How are you doing, Asia? Still hurting?"

Asia groans a bit before looking towards Issei with a small smile.

"Yeah, but… it should go away if I get some rest…"

"Of course. You went through a lot today."

Before he could say more, Issei felt his hand get grabbed by Asia and saw her glinting eyes on him.

"Issei-san… I really am glad… that I became friends with you."

Issei's smile grows.

"Me too, Asia," he says before taking something out of his pocket, surprising the girl.

"Ratchu-kun!"

Issei nods strongly while giving the doll to her.

"I was able to hold onto it during my path here," he tells her before showing her something else. "I even held onto our photos because of how much I cherish our time together."

A sob almost left Asia's mouth as her eyes started to produce tears.

"Issei-san… even if we're still being chased… will you still..?"

"You bet I'm still going to be your friend," Issei assures her. "And guess what, when I get you out of here, I plan to take you to a lot more places. Not just the game center again to try out other games, but I'll take you to Karaoke, a sweets shop, I'll even take you out bowling." Issei chuckles sweetly while scratching his cheek. "I'll even introduce you to my parents and see if they'll take you in to live with us. I also have a cat named Midnight, and I'm sure she'll welcome you kindly. And if I'm lucky, I'll see if I can get you to go to the same school as I do. You'll make lots of new friends here like Katase-san and Murayama-san. Does that sound good, Asia?"

The blonde's tears could no longer be contained and had begun to travel from her eyes to the edges of her ears. Issei was willing to go through hell and back just to make her wishes come true, and for him to offer a living space…

"Yes… I would love that very much…" Asia answers as she feels her eyes grow heavy. "Issei-san… I can't thank you enough… You really are… an Angel…"

Issei watched Asia's eyes close as she could no longer maintain consciousness. He was worried at first, but he later heard her begin to peacefully snooze. He understood because of what happened to her on that cross when Raynare tried to steal her Twilight Healing. If the magic that was used in the ritual was that painful, it would make sense that she needed to rest.

"Sit tight, Asia. We're going home."

Issei gets ready to pick Asia back up and carry her back to his place. How he was going to explain this to his parents was something he'd have to improvise when he gets there.

But as he was about to kneel, Issei's eyes widened as he felt a dangerous presence from behind him. Tilting his head right out of instinct, he felt a sting on his right cheek before he saw a familiar object made of light zip past his head and go through a window.

Issei's eyes remain glued onto the window as blood trickled from the cut on his cheek. After a moment, he slowly turns around and sees Raynare approaching while covered in bruises and a few cuts, and she looked absolutely livid.

"You filthy human…" Raynare snarls. "You're really in for it now!"

Issei's stare remained on the Fallen Angel, gaining a bad feeling about her being the only one having ascended from the stairs.

"Where are the others?!"

Raynare breathes ferociously before answering.

"You mean those Devils you befriended? Well, they did put up quite a fight against my Stray Exorcists, but not a single one of them stood a chance against me."

Issei gasped, fearing for the worst if Raynare meant how she implied it.

"You better not have killed them!"

Raynare releases a shuttering laugh with a twisted grin.

"Oh, I really wanted to slaughter them since they were involved with the ritual's interference, but I have other priorities." Raynare lifts a hand up and points at Issei. "Hand over the nun, or do you want me to blow off the rest of my steam on you?"

Issei's brows narrow while taking a protective stance from the sleeping Asia.

"Are you really expecting me to give her up now?"

Raynare got angrier as her expression turned more demonic.

"Oh, don't you dare act like a hero! You really think you stand a chance against me because you got lucky and had help?!"

Issei's expression didn't change.

"Maybe not, but there's no harm in me trying."

"Ugh! Just listen to yourself! You, a weakling of a human with a shitty Twice Critical, are willing to fight me, a supreme Fallen Angel, just to protect that stupid girl?! You are just asking to die right now, you know that?! You could've just walked away and let me claim Twilight Healing! You could've left it be and have your normal life back! But noooooooooooo, you decide to dig yourself deeper into Fallen Angel business where you-"

"It's your fault that I involved myself further in the supernatural, Raynare!"

That response irked Raynare.

"Excuse me..?"

Issei continued without backing down.

"It is you who could've left me be! You brought me to the supernatural world because you saw me as a threat! It's because of your actions after you got me to tour you through the town that I ended up having to learn more of the supernatural because of what else transpired in my life after that!" Issei pauses to glance at Asia before glaring back at Raynare. "The same can be said for Asia. All she ever wanted was a normal life with normal friends! She never wanted to be worshiped as a deity because of the greed her old church had for her power. It's the same greed you possess to the point that you want to have the Sacred Gear for yourself instead of having Asia stay alive! It's because of your greed that she hasn't been able to live a quiet normal life!"

There was silence. Not another word was spoken from Issei nor Raynare, who had a bewildered expression from all he had to say.

But then, Raynare started to giggle. Those giggles eventually turned into laughs before she unleashed a howling cackle.

Issei's eyes slit and his teeth grit in irritation as Raynare kept laughing like a psychopath for what felt to him like minutes, but she later ceased her howls before wiping a tear away and setting her eyes back on Issei.

"Issei-kun Issei-kun Issei-kun, do you really think it's that easy for those with power to live a 'normal' life?" Issei didn't respond, so she kept talking. "Those who carry abnormal powers like Sacred Gears are ostracized in societies and organizations. Those possessing strong powers, which humans call, special talent holders, are persecuted because of them. Even if their powers are useful and helpful, they'll either be shunned or used for their own benefits."

Raynare's grin widens before she continues.

"And as for your accusation of greed, you're not entirely wrong~ The Devils, we Fallen Angels, and even a select few Pure Angels all desire power for the sake of becoming stronger. Everyone wants a piece of power~ In fact, if I hadn't tried to kill you during our time together, that is if you actually were carrying a dangerous artifact, the Devils would want you for that said power. I mean, think about it. When you somehow survived that evening, haven't they tried to make a move by trying to turn you into a Devil since they're able to do that to people?"

Issei's eyes broaden before they shift towards the floor and narrow. Raynare did have a point when he recalled when Rias explained how she intended to save him from his supposed death by making him a Devil because of the flier that would teleport her to him. And while he still was a bit agitated at that, Issei at least knew that she had the intent of saving him. He just wished that she handled it in a better way.

"And it's the same circumstance for little Asia." Issei lifted his head back up towards Raynare when she kept speaking. "Her Twilight Healing is the perfect medical Sacred Gear. No matter how severe a wound is, it heals with no problems. If the entire world knew of its existence, then I'd imagine they'd be willing to do the same thing I'm doing just to have it for themselves!"

Issei's fists tightened when Raynare finished her speech.

"You're right, Raynare… There are many people who hunger for power, and no matter what, they'll do anything to obtain it."

Raynare snickers.

"Is that so? Then do us both a favor and-"

"But I don't care," Issei interrupts. "Even if the entire world comes after us, as her friend, I'll do what I can and protect Asia from monsters like you."

Raynare clicks her tongue with an agitated stare.

"There you go, acting like a hero again! Do you honestly believe you can take me on?! Sure, I'm still injured because of those Devils, but I still hold greater power than you and your toy can ever achieve!"

Issei didn't feel intimidated.

"Again, don't care. If I have to fight you, I will. Asia deserves a better life, and I intend on giving her that life!"

Raynare sneers at Issei.

"You are making a very poor decision, human."

"Maybe," Issei says before getting into a boxing stance. "But it's mine to make."

Raynare scowls, finding Issei to be very foolish to keep defying her. But if it means she can be rid of him once and for all, she stopped caring at this point.

"I am so going to enjoy every moment of this."

Issei watches Raynare create a light spear in her right hand. He stands his ground, waiting for the right moment to make a move.

Gripping it, Raynare throws her spear at Issei, but he dodges to the side and takes two steps forward. Annoyed, she makes another spear and aims for Issei's leg, only for him to avoid it with a forward roll.

When he got close enough thanks to said roll, Issei swung his fist upwards for Raynare's face. While she was able to dodge it by flying up towards the ceiling, she felt his knuckles brush her chin, making her eyes twitch.

"Try harder!"

Raynare conjures two spears with one in each hand and zooms towards Issei. He stepped back, but the tip of one of her spears was able to nick his cheek vertically where his first cut was, making a plus sign from them.

Issei was fast in dodging Raynare's barrage of slashes, but the latter was faster. He could barely get a punch in because of his opponent's berserker-styled attacks that got him getting more cuts on his forehead and his other cheek, with a couple of swings almost getting one of his eyes.

If he was lucky, Raynare would eventually grow tired because of the injuries the Devils were able to inflict on her. But because of her rage towards Issei, he was unsure if she'd be growing fatigued anytime soon, especially since she's a supernatural being while Issei is a human.

Issei and Raynare jump away from each other to get distance. With both fighters breathing heavily, their eyes never left one another while Raynare smirked.

"Do you get it now, human? While I was making you bleed more with cut after cut, you were unable to lay another scratch on me! Our difference in power is too great!"

Issei grows annoyed, not wanting to waste any more time here than he already has.

"I'm not done yet!"

{Boost!}

Taking a gamble, Issei charges toward Raynare, making her snicker while bringing her spears up to kill him. But when he got close, he used his Boosted Gear to block the attack and trip Raynare with a low kick. And as she fell on her butt, Issei took that moment to punch Raynare's face.

Snarling while his fist was still connected, Raynare stabbed the spear she was able to hold onto forward, managing to cut Issei's left side. She originally went for the heart, but could barely see because of the punch.

Issei shouts in pain and was forced to back away from Raynare, holding his left side with his right hand and feeling his blood from the wound.

'Oh no! This isn't good!'

Raynare gets back on her feet before locking her stare on Issei. While her face still hurt from his punch, seeing him injured was able to make her feel better.

"Fufufufu~ Even though the wound is rather deep, you're still able to stand." Her eyes widen sadistically as she watches Issei nearly stumble. "Why don't we fix that because of how much you piss me off?"

Creating another light spear, she aims and throws it at Issei's right leg, scratching his calf and getting him to fall to his knees. And because she wanted to see him hurt more, she nicked Issei's right shoulder with another spear thrown.

Issei suppressed a scream as he felt the pain from the cuts persist, only able to hold his shoulder and left side of his torso while the rest of the spots she hit continued to bleed.

"This is the end for you, foolish human. The more blood you lose, the weaker you will become, even if you rely on your Sacred Gear. Not that it will help you much~"

Issei hisses as he watches the visceral fluid pool next to his leg before noticing it trickle from his shoulder. And he didn't have to look at his left side to know how bad it was bleeding there.

"You've gotten far, I'll give you that. But you've already lost when you kept thinking you can defeat someone way beyond your league." Raynare walks four steps toward Issei while gripping a spear in her hand. "This time, I'll properly send you off till the end. And I definitely intend to make it nice and slow~!"

Issei felt his strength getting weak as he tried to keep his eyes open. Managing to shift those orbs of sight towards Raynare, he sees her continue to stride to him while letting out sinister giggles.

But despite the pain he was feeling all over his body, Issei did not want to give up. He kept trying to get up despite the pain wearing him down, not wanting to die here.

Raynare chuckles, finding Issei's numerous attempts to rise up to be funny. As soon as she gets right in front of him, she lifts her spear up in the air, aiming for his skull.

"Get ready to suffer, Issei Hyoudou!"

Raynare brings her spear down to finish Issei off once and for all. The tip of the weapon gets closer and closer to his head until…

BA-BUMP!

Issei was able to snap his head upwards to glare at Raynare right in her eyes. She was caught off by the motion and could only react for a split second before she felt a sudden strong pain in the bottom of her chin.

POW!

{Boost!}

Raynare's body was shot high in the air by Issei's uppercut. She could barely keep balance with her wings because of the force of the punch, resulting in her crashing into a wall and falling to the ground. Growling, she gets up on one knee to look at Issei.

And much to her shock, Raynare saw Issei back on his feet. He was still hunched from the cuts caused by her spears, but he was still standing.

'Impossible… How can that human keep going after losing this much blood?!'

"No more… No more holding back!"

{Boost!}

Raynare's brow rose while her irises were contracted.

"Wha..? What do you mean by 'holding back'?! How can a human weakling like you hold anything back when you have no power to begin with?!"

Issei brushes his lips with his fist while keeping his glare on Raynare.

"That's where you're wrong, Raynare." Before she could respond, Issei brings his left arm towards his face and stares right into the green gem. "Red Dragon Emperor, hear my call!"

Raynare blinks at Issei.

"What..? What did he just say?"

"I am weak in my current state, but with your help, I know I can achieve victory! So please, lend me your power!"

{Boost!}

Issei can feel his power double even more thanks to the previous times he's boosted.

"That's not enough! Give me more so I can not only save Asia, but to make sure Raynare doesn't hurt anyone ever again! LEND ME MORE POWER!"

{Explosion!}

Issei's body erupts in a red aura while the gem of his Boosted Gear shined brightly, startling Raynare because of how much power was radiating from the boy as it caused a mid-class shockwave.

"No way… This can't be right! Where did all of that power come from?!"

Issei breathed deep out of his mouth, resulting in steam fuming from it while the red aura continued to leak from his body.

"Sorry for being so loud Asia," Issei says before locking his eyes on Raynare. "But it'll all be over soon!"

Right as Raynare blinked, Issei zipped towards her and landed a punch right into her stomach, making her spit out blood because of the strong impact.

Despite the pain he was feeling all over his body because of Raynare's spears, Issei did not waver. With the help of his adrenaline, he kept attacking Raynare without giving her a chance to counter. And when there were times Raynare could try to hit back, he would swat her hands that carried a conjured spear and continue to land successful blows onto her.

He even made sure to punch the injuries on Raynare's body caused by the Devils to make her pain worse, making her scream loudly as more blood oozes from her wounds that were just about to scab.

Issei lands one more punch in the face with his left fist, launching Raynare far away from him while her feet skid across the floor. Being able to stop herself by grabbing a nearby bench, she struggles to keep standing as she lifts her head up towards Issei.

'What is this..?' Raynare questioned with a mix of fear and confusion. 'How is a human like him able to power up like that?'

But then, her eyes widen further as she sees some blue aura mixing with the Sacred Gear power's red aura, specifically around the parts of his body where Raynare was able to get him. And what she saw had her gobsmacked.

'The cuts on Issei's body… they're healing themselves?!'

Raynare kept watching the wounds on Issei's body slowly close up as the blue aura flowed out of them. And unbeknownst to the Fallen Angel, the mark on Issei's palm was glowing a lighter shade of blue as the darker blue aura made its appearance.

"This doesn't make any sense…" Raynare mutters aloud as the red aura keeps cloaking Issei's body while the blue aura evaporates. "It's a Twice Critical, so how..?"

Issei's eyes slit at Raynare.

"You mean you don't realize it yet? What I wield is no Twice Critical. What I have embedded in my arm is the Gauntlet of the Red Dragon Emperor!" With his fists clenched tightly, Issei bellows his next sentences. "I wield the Boosted Gear! And with it, I have become the next Red Dragon Emperor!"

Raynare's irises shake as she hears those words. She thought Issei went mad from pain when he made an earlier call to such a dragon, but as she felt his power continue to course through his body, her heartbeat increased as more information about the red gauntlet flooded her mind, recalling times when she's learned of it from one of her superiors.

"Lies..! LIES!" She screams in denial before making another spear. "There's no way a brat like you can be given one of the thirteen Longinus capable of killing God!"

Raynare was about to throw her spear at Issei, but before her arm could move an inch, he appeared before her and grabs the hand that carried the light weapon. Looking at his face, she trembled in terror as she saw the wrath in Issei's eyes.

"If it's that big of a problem for you, then blame God for giving me such a powerful weapon."

Raynare gasped at Issei's choice of words. But before she could make a response, she screams again as Issei's hand tightens its grip, resulting in the sounds of popping and cracking emitting from her hand before her light spear vanishes from thin air.

With his other hand raised and formed into a fist, Issei prepares to deliver the final blow. Raynare tries to escape his grasp because of the overflowing power that suffocates her, but he wasn't going to let her go anywhere.

"NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!"

Issei unleashes a battle cry as he brings his punch forward.

"TAKE THIS! THIS IS FOR ASIA!"

Issei's fist collides with Raynare's face. Blood spews from her nose and lips as she is sent flying towards another wall and crashing through it.

Issei was able to see the unconscious face of the Fallen Angel before smirking at the sight. It was a hard battle, but he was glad he could overcome it.

"I did it… You're safe now, Asia."

{Reset!}

"Huh?"

As soon as he heard that call, Issei's body suddenly grew tired before he fell to his knees, making him push his hands onto the floor for support.

As he panted, Issei checks out his own body and sees the tears in his clothing. There wasn't a lot, but they were wide enough to expose his skin while stained in his own blood.

"Aw, man. How am I gonna explain this to my parents?"

"Hyoudou!"

Issei's eyes broaden before turning his head left to see Genshiro and the other Devils coming back from upstairs. Some were bruised up with a few of them having blood trickle from their lower lip, but they were still okay with nothing broken.

"You guys!"

Genshiro laughs before winking.

"You thought we could die that easily, bud?! Not a chance!"

"Issei-kun!"

Genshiro was suddenly shoved aside when Reya rushed towards Issei with a worrying expression. And just as he was about to call her name, she lunged at him and gave him the tightest hug she's ever given him.

"You're alive! I'm so glad! I really thought she was going to kill you!"

Issei could tell from her voice that she was crying, so he gave her a hug back while patting her on the back.

"Well, I'm alive. And I won, too, so it's okay now, Reya-san."

While Reya kept her hold on Issei without any intention of letting go, the rest of the Devils take notice of the large hole made in the wall and go to check it out. As they got in front of it, their eyes widen when they saw Raynare lying unconscious on the other side of the hole.

"Holy shit!" Genshiro exclaims. "Hyoudou actually won! Hell yeah!"

"Man…" Yuuto kept his eyes on the knocked-out Fallen Angel with astonishment. "To think he would take her down all by himself."

Koneko and Ruruko shared the same expression as Genshiro and Yuuto. As for Tsubasa, she got a better look at how badly Raynare was beaten, checking out the bruises and the bloody nose that she could tell weren't the injuries Yuuto and herself were able to deal inflict.

Turning around, Tsubasa looked at Issei, who was still being hugged by Reya, and saw how roughed up he was. She witnessed the tears and bloodstains on his shirt and right pants leg, the blood he got on his face, and the tiny cuts he has on his left side and right shoulder.

As her stare remained on his dirtied clothes and face, Tsubasa's cheeks started to light up. She found his messy state to be very cool for someone who she has heard of to be more humble and shy. There was just something so attractive to her about boys in a dirtied state during or after a fight.

"I trust that there are no casualties?"

Everyone blinks when they hear a familiar voice before turning to see four third-year girls that Issei knows too well: Rias, Akeno, Sona, and Tsubaki.

"All of our enemies are knocked out," Tsubasa informs Sona. "No major injuries on any of us either, but Issei-kun's got some blood and cuts on him, but nothing a few bandages here and there can't fix."

The four girls look towards Issei and see the state he's in. Because of their stares, Issei looked away with an embarrassed expression for plenty of reasons.

"Can you walk?"

Issei looks towards Reya as she asked that question.

"I'm not sure…"

Genshiro walks over to assist Reya in helping Issei up. As they got him on his feet, Issei hissed lightly because of the persisting injuries on his body.

But… they weren't as painful as he thought they were.

Taking two steps forward and observing himself on his own, much to the concern of the Devils, Issei checks every spot Raynare has dealt damage on, and much to his shock, they appeared to be as minor as a paper cut.

'Hang on… I swear the cuts were deeper than what they are now…'

Issei kept observing his own body for another moment before feeling Reya's hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'll get you fixed up."

"Th-Thanks, Reya-san, but… all these cuts are the least of my concerns."

Reya raised a brow for a moment before seeing where he was pointing, showing her how damaged his clothes are from his fight.

"Oh… that…"

Issei nods at Reya.

"Please tell me there's a spell that fixes my clothes up like new."

"Perhaps I can be of assistance with that?"

Issei and Reya turn their heads towards Rias when she approached them with the offer. While Reya was cautious, Issei blinked at the redhead curiously.

"You mean you can actually repair my clothes?"

Issei grunts when Reya grips his arm tight.

"Not while you're like that, she can't."

Issei looks at Reya and sees her stern expression, making Issei shiver a bit while Akeno giggled at the scene.

"R-Right… I am still bleeding, so…"

Everyone hears someone huff and turns their heads to see Tsubaki pushing her glasses up while keeping her eyes on Issei.

"Maybe if you weren't so reckless in there, you wouldn't have this conundrum because of your circumstances."

While Issei shrunk at her scolding with Reya observing his wounds, Akeno tittered at Tsubaki before grinning at her with a glint in her eye.

"Ara ara, wasn't it you who was very worried for Issei-kun when you encouraged Sona to help him~?"

Issei, Genshiro, Tsubasa, and Ruruko drew blanks with Reya seeming to be preparing something with her eyes closed while Rias and Sona rose a brow at Akeno for such a statement. And while Tsubaki's face remained stern, her body stiffened a bit before she looked away from Akeno while crossing her arms under her bust.

"… Naturally, as we don't want to have any casualties to occur when it comes to the crimes of those like the Fallen Angel Raynare."

Akeno's smile widened as she was the only one who could see the light developing in Tsubaki's cheeks.

Issei's head tilted at the scene, wondering why Akeno would say something like she did. But before he could question it further, he felt Reya's palms lightly touch the wounded area of his arm.

"Keep still, Issei-kun."

Just as he turned his head to her, Issei saw a bright light illuminate from Reya's hands. And as that light touched the cut on his shoulder, his eyes widened when he saw that… it's getting better?

"Is… Is that..?"

"Healing magic," Reya confirms. "Something I've been training myself in for a while now. At its current level, I can only take care of minor injuries like these."

As Reya moved on to the next cut, Issei looked at his shoulder and saw how great it healed. It wasn't anything he saw the Twilight Healing since there was some mild red where the cut used to be, but it got the job done.

'Wow… if Reya-san were to master this type of magic… perhaps it can be on par with Twilight Healing?'

Reya finishes up with the last cut on Issei's leg before standing up and nodding.

"Okay, good to go. The rest of the healing is on you."

Issei nods in understanding.

"Thank you, Reya-san. That's one less thing for me to worry about."

"Uh, guys?" Everyone turned towards Genshiro when he spoke up. "I don't mean to interrupt, but Hyoudou, now that you've rescued that nun, what do you plan to do now?"

All Devils' eyes were on Issei, who looked towards the sleeping Asia with softened eyes.

"Well… I gotta see if I can convince my parents to let Asia stay with us."

Everyone's eyes widen at Issei with Reya and Genshiro being the most shocked of the Devils.

"Wh-What?! You can't be serious, Hyoudou!"

"She's got nowhere else to go, Genshiro. I may have freed her from Raynare, but…"

"But what?" Reya quizzed Issei.

From what the Devils can tell from Issei's furrowed brows and frown, it sounded very bad. And while he was a bit hesitant to explain, he decided to do it.

"… Whatever church Asia was from before arriving in Kuoh… They won't welcome her back."

This new information got another wave of surprise from the Devils. Before anyone could speak, Issei resumed.

"Asia… she's been labeled as a Heretic for an honest mistake…" he grew hesitant again, but after swallowing a lump, he went into further detail. "… The mistake of healing a Devil."

Another wave of shock hits the Devils. Even the more stoic Sona and Tsubaki shared the same expressions as the rest of them do.

"No way…" Reya utters.

"That can't be…" Genshiro adds, feeling sadder for the nun than ever.

"He speaks the truth."

Everyone turned towards the open doors of the church and saw a certain blue-haired woman walk inside. And while the Devils had mixed reactions to her arrival, Issei's eyes widened as he knew who that was.

"Kalawarner-san!"

The Sitri Devils, with the exception of Sona and Tsubaki, look at Issei with raised brows while the Gremory Devils understand his reaction.

"You know her?" Genshiro asks, being the most shocked.

Issei scratches the back of his head.

"It's… a long story, Genshiro, but I can promise you that she's a good person."

While Genshiro kept blinking between Issei and Kalawarner with his stare on the latter longer than the former, the rest of Sona's servants kept a cautious stare on the Fallen Angel, with Reya appearing to be a bit more hostile.

Seeing that everyone was still silent, Kalawarner decided to speak up again while setting her gaze on the sleeping Asia.

"This nun you all see before you has been through quite a lot of Hell. She had nowhere else to go after being cursed and ridiculed as a witch. So I took her in to help her live a better life." she pauses to look at the hole where Raynare still lies out cold. "But little did I realize, Raynare had her own plans with her, and she had other Fallen Angels like Dohnaseek helping attempt to steal Twilight Healing from her. And during that preparation, they made sure that she saw things that were way worse than when she was demonized by the church."

While the Devils held looks of sorrow, Issei's expression tightened on the floor with his fists shaking.

"Damn…" Genshiro says. "It's no wonder you went through the lengths you did to keep that nun safe, Hyoudou."

Issei blinks while shifting his eyes away from the Devils.

"It wasn't until today I learned of Asia's past, and I can confirm that she was forced to see terrible things because of that Freed guy." Issei sighs loudly before turning his head towards Kalawarner. "Anyway, this… Dohnaseek person. Where is he now?"

"Eliminated, along with the rest of the Fallen Angels and Stray Exorcists that allied themselves to Raynare and her cause."

Issei's eyes broaden at her answer before they soften as he frowns deeply, something that the Devils were able to see clearly.

"We had no other choice, Ise," Rias tells him, prompting the boy to look at her. "They were a threat to not just the town of Kuoh, but potentially to the rest of the world as well."

Kalawarner nodded with Rias before speaking next.

"As disheartened as I was having to slay my former brethren, they were too far gone when they joined Raynare. It had to be done."

Issei's soul ached. Hearing that there were casualties made him feel sorry for Kalawarner.

He was going to apologize but was interrupted when he heard Sona cough into her fist. Turning to her, he saw that she was looking at him with a solemn stare.

"With what they've stated in mind, Hyoudou-san, there is something very important I need to tell you." Issei was silent, ready to hear what Sona had to say. "Because of your actions here tonight, as well as what you've done last night, you will now be under surveillance by myself and Rias Gremory."

Issei's eyes widened as well as Genshiro's and Reya's while Rias and Akeno frowned.

"Do not misunderstand, Hyoudou-san. You are not our enemy, and we have zero intention of restricting your freedom. However, these events prior will not only raise the attention of the higher-ups of the Angels and Fallen Angels, but to the higher ranking Devils as well; Devils that rank higher than Rias and myself." Sona looks at Issei's left arm. "And it's only a matter of time before they all learn that you are the next Red Dragon Emperor."

Everyone except Tsubaki, Rias, Akeno, and Kalawarner gasp before looking at the red gauntlet embedded in Issei's arm. While the third-years and the Fallen Angel were able to figure out what it was because of their research of Sacred Gears, the rest were awestruck that Issei carried something so powerful.

"The higher-ups on all sides will wonder what's going on," Sona resumed. "And if you continue to get caught into the situations and business of the supernatural where you aren't suppose to, they will consider taking action." Her eyes slit. "Worst-case scenario, they will want you captured for questioning."

Issei was shaken by Sona's words. For it to be as dire as it is, he didn't know how to respond. Everyone could see how much he was thinking about right now.

"Ise…" Rias approaches him with sympathy before placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's the only way to make sure you and the others are protected."

Issei was motionless for a moment before he took two steps, removing Rias' hand from his shoulder in the process while avoiding eye contact.

"… It's fine… I get it…"

Although his eyes were obscured by his bangs, Issei was very exhausted. Not only did he have to put up a real fight, but he was now going to be watched for the reasons Sona explained to him. With frustration in his frown, Issei slowly lifts his right hand up to where he can see the mark on his palm.

"I guess I really am no longer an ordinary human, huh?"

Despite him whispering this to himself, everyone was able to hear Issei with a majority of them gaining sympathetic looks for him.

Genshiro was going to try and comfort him before noticing something on Issei's right hand.

"Uh… Hey, Hyoudou, did you always have that thing on your palm?"

Issei turns his head towards Genshiro before his eyes shift towards the black diamond, which gets everyone else's attention.

"Oh, this?" Issei presented his palm for Reya and Genshiro to get a clear view. "It's… something I got after I was supposedly killed by Raynare."

Reya, Genshiro, and Tsubasa's eyes broaden at the explanation before the three walk closer to him. Genshiro leans closer first, looking the four-sided diamond up and down with a hand on his chin.

"Huh… gotta be honest with you, Hyoudou, given the way you explained how you got it, I was expecting the tattoo to have a more unique design, not just some simple shape."

Issei cocks a brow at Genshiro, not quite sure how to respond to him.

Reya takes Issei's hand with her thumb and finger to bring it closer to her.

"Whatever it is, I hope it's not anything dangerous."

Issei glances at the mark one last time before balling his right hand into a fist, recalling what Sona has cautioned him regarding it.

"Anyway, what are we going to do with her?"

Everyone turns their heads towards Koneko when she approaches them while dragging the out cold Raynare by her hair.

Rias and Sona observe the Fallen Angel with narrow eyes. Because of her many sins and misdeeds as well as what Kalawarner has told them, the two look at each other for a few seconds before Rias turns her head towards her Queen.

"Akeno, please wake her up."

"Yes, Buchou."

With a lift of a finger, Akeno creates a sizable blob of water with her magic and splashes it onto Raynare's face. This woke her up as she gasped and coughed after the contact.

"Good day to you, Fallen Angel Raynare."

Raynare's coughing ceases with her body growing stiff. Slowly turning her head, her eyes widen when she sees Rias and Sona staring down at her.

'It's… the heiresses of the Gremory and Sitri clans…'

Checking who was with them, Raynare sees not only the Devils she had once defeated still standing, but also Rias and Sona's respective Queens standing by their sides making sure she doesn't try anything.

And among the crowd, Raynare's irises contract when he sees Issei with them, staring at her with an unforgiving glare.

"You…" The Fallen Angel's rage builds up as she remembers all the damage Issei's done to her before he knocked her out. She could even still feel the pain from her bruises and nose from his beating. "You little-"

Raynare was cut off when she felt something press against her neck. Shifting her eyes down, her irises contracted more to see that it was a yellow lance of light that stopped her.

"Just stop, Raynare. Don't make this worse for yourself than you already have."

Raynare's breath shivers as she recognizes this voice too well before looking up at the woman holding the lance.

"Kalawarner… Why?!"

Kalawarner's expression becomes a mixture of pity and disappointment.

"What you've been doing is wrong, Raynare. Not only have you tormented Asia, but you tried to murder Issei-kun when the higher-ups made it perfectly clear that we are to watch him and make sure his Sacred Gear doesn't go berserk!"

The Devils eyes broaden at the reveal with a small exception of the four third-year girls, but when they take a quick look at Issei, they see that his expression hasn't changed in the slightest. Although, he does have his arms crossed in front of his chest with his eyes showing a hint of his own surprise.

Raynare bares her teeth as her irises contract at Kalawarner.

"So you're going to screw me over too? Huh?! First those Pure Angels, then the higher-up Fallen Angels who rejected my plan-"

"They rejected your plan because it was cruel!"

Raynare's glare tightens.

"I would have made our race stronger! The power of Twilight Healing would make us invincible! Azazel-sama and Shemhazai-sama would benefit greatly if that Sacred Gear belonged to us and us alone!"

"Azazel-sama would never approve of such a plan! And he sure as hell would never approve of all you have done!"

As he watched the scene unfold Issei shifts his eyes down in thought.

'I wonder… What are the higher-ups for the Devils and Angels like..?'

After thinking about that for a moment, Issei and the Devils watch on as Raynare's expression becomes distraught. Not only was she defeated by a human and cornered by Devils, but Kalawarner, someone who she thought was her ally, was also against her as well.

But then, Raynare's face turns vengeful as she glares at all of them.

"… You think you've defeated me, but I've got backup that will arrive soon." She pauses to shoot her eyes at Kalawarner. "And I'll make sure they make good work of you, you traitorous bitch!"

"They won't come," Raynare gasps at Kalawarner's quick response. "Dohnaseek, as well as the other Fallen Angels and Stray Exorcists that teamed up with you, are all dispatched."

Raynare begins to sweat as her body shakes.

"No… You're lying! You couldn't have-"

Raynare was interrupted when Rias approached her and presented her black feathers in her fingers,

"Do you recognize these?" The red-haired Devil quizzes, despite having her answer when the Fallen Angel's eyes were locked onto the feathers in dread. "Once we heard what you and your friends were up to, we went to them to talk for a bit. And after greeting them, we managed to get them to spill their plan to us immediately, thanks to my Queen's…" A small drop of sweat goes down Rias' cheek as her eyes shift towards Akeno. "… Tactics."

Issei noticed how a bit disturbed Rias was as she finished that sentence followed by Akeno's giggle. Although it sounded sweet, it felt so dangerous to him and Rias, as well as Yuuto and even Sona to an extent.

"When we also learned that it was an independent action, that was when we made our move and took care of the enemy with no problems."

Issei raises a brow.

"No problems?"

Issei felt his shoulder get tapped and turned to see Yuuto.

"Our Buchou is the daughter of the Household possessing the Power of Destruction. Even among the young Devils, she's considered a genius, earning the nickname the Crimson-Haired Princess of Ruin."

Issei's brows raised, but he wasn't that surprised.

Rias walks closer to Raynare while looking at her with a stern expression.

"Now then, it's time for you to disappear."

Raynare gasps with a fearful expression while Issei and Kalawarner's eyes widen towards Rias.

"Wait…" Kalawarner speaks. "You mean you're going to…"

Issei saw the panic on the Fallen Angel's face.

"Raynare committed many crimes, Kalawarner," Rias explains. "Not only has she made a murder attempt towards Ise and tried to kill a nun to claim her Twilight Healing, but she even betrayed your higher-ups at the Grigori as well."

Kalawarner bit her lip. While she does acknowledge all of those crimes her higher-ups may consider unforgivable, she still feels conflicted about having it all end like this.

Issei could tell that was how Kalawarner was feeling. From observing her eyes shift around to the light, barely noticeable shaking of her hand, he couldn't help but think that there was more to her relationship with Raynare than just an ally of her faction.

Raynare crawls backward an inch while her head slowly tilts towards Kalawarner.

"K… Kalawarner…"

The blue-haired Fallen Angel's expression turned more conflicted as she gripped her own forearm tight.

"… It's Gremory territory, Raynare… I'm afraid I don't have a say in the matter… especially because of all that you've done."

Tears started to well up in Raynare's eyes.

"No… Please, not now, first my allies, and now you're gonna let me die?!"

"You think this was easy for me?!" Kalawarner snaps. "You think I wanted to kill those Fallen that joined your cause even after I've learned from the Devils how deep your crimes go?!"

While a majority of the Devils were still surprised by what was going on between the two Fallen Angels, Issei just watched the scene with a frown with his eyes mostly on Kalawarner.

"Yo! Is everything wrapped up here?"

Everyone blinks when they hear a new voice from behind them. Turning around, their eyes widen when they see a certain blonde-haired Fallen Angel walk into the church.

"You!"

Issei dashed to the sleeping Asia's side while keeping his eyes on Mittelt, who immediately put her hands up.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Chill! Chill!"

While the Devils and Issei still took caution, Raynare appeared to have gained some hope the very second she saw Mittelt.

"Mittelt! You're here! Please, you have to get me out of here!"

The blonde Fallen Angel stared at Raynare before her eyes turned beady.

"Yeah, how about no."

Raynare had to do a double-take.

"Wh-Wh… What..?"

"Did I stutter?" Mittelt asks. "I ain't lifting a finger for your sorry ass."

This response shocked Issei, Genshiro, Reya, Ruruko, and Tsubasa. And when they turned towards the third-year Devils and Kalawarner, they didn't seem surprised at all.

"Don't worry about her," Sona says while adjusting her glasses. "Kalawarner told us ahead of time that Mittelt was her double agent."

"A double agent?" Issei echoed before looking back at Mittelt, who stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

"Yeah, my acting's pretty good, isn't it, human? Get bamboozled once again~!"

"I… er… wha..?"

Issei was at a loss for words. When he first encountered Mittelt, she looked ready to kill him and/or take Asia back to Raynare to extract her Sacred Gear.

"It's okay, Issei-kun," Kalawarner assures him. "Mittelt-chan is indeed on our side. In fact, she was the one who brought Asia to safety away from Raynare last night."

Issei remained shocked with Rias and Sona's servants sharing his reaction.

"Sheesh, just how deep does this rabbit hole go?" Genshiro wondered.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Saji-senpai," Ruruko says with a tilted head at the Fallen Angels.

Raynare starts to breathe rapidly.

"No… no, no no, not you too, Mittelt! Please no! I thought you were my friend?!"

Mittelt cocks a brow at Raynare.

"A friend? What kind of friend would treat them like dog shit, put the blame on them for their own problems, and try to murder an innocent nun for a 'good cause'? And don't get me started with how obsessed you are with earning Azazel-sama's affection despite you doing the opposite of what he wants."

Raynare grits her teeth at Mittelt and Kalawarner. She became more distressed by the second as she felt betrayed by them.

"Well, Fallen Angel Raynare," Rias speaks while conjuring demonic power in the palm of her hand. "It seems that you have no more allies to come to your aid."

Issei frowns, feeling a little nauseous that he is going to witness another execution in his lifetime. He then shifts his eyes towards the Fallen Angels, and while Mittelt just had an uncaring expression towards Raynare, his eyes broadened when he saw how Kalawarner was acting.

Despite her remaining silent, he could tell that there was a part of Kalawarner that didn't want this to happen. She looked like she wanted to say something, but the conflict was all over her face.

Looking back at Raynare, he saw that she was more scared for her life than ever as Rias got closer to her.

"It's good to live and fight for love, but yours is a tainted one," Rias states as the demonic power in her hand gets larger.

Raynare's breathing got faster. She didn't want to die. She still had so much to do to prove herself to be the strongest Fallen Angel. And there she was, staring death in the face as Rias was ready to deliver the killing blow.

Looking all over the area in desperation, Raynare resorted to one more thing, shutting her eyes as she screamed out:

"ISSEI-KUN!"

Kalawarner, Mittelt, Sona, her servants, Yuuto, and Koneko gasp when Raynare cries out for Issei, the one she has targeted over his Sacred Gear.

Turning their heads towards the bench where Asia was resting, their eyes widened when they saw that he was no longer there. Searching for him, they gasped louder when they witnessed Issei standing in front of Rias, who was just as surprised as the others were when he got in her way.

"Ise?! What do you think you're doing?!"

Issei remained silent for a moment. His eyes were obscured by his bangs as his lips parted.

"No more…" he says before shooting his head at Rias. "No more killing!"

The Devils and two Fallen Angels were silent, still baffled by what Issei just decided to do.

Raynare was just as shocked as them, but her lips curled upwards.

"Issei-kun! I knew you would-"

Raynare was silenced when Issei immediately turned his head towards Raynare to glare at her.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not doing this to protect you."

Raynare quaked at how rough his voice was when he addressed her.

"Then what's the idea?" Rias questions Issei. "Surely you haven't forgotten all the evil deeds she's done. Especially to you, Ise."

"Of course I haven't," Issei answers. "It's just… It's… It's too easy."

"Too easy?"

Issei shifts his eyes towards the ground for a few seconds before landing them on Kalawarner.

"It's like you said, she betrayed her own kind for her own selfish goals, didn't she? Then let them sort her out! Killing Raynare… it's just gonna give her an easy way out!"

Kalawarner, Mittelt, and the Devils were taken aback by Issei's reasoning. While Genshiro, Ruruko, Tsubasa, and Reya understood what he was saying, the Gremory Devils, Sona, and Tsubaki felt mixed.

Despite the good points that Issei made, they still believed that the crimes were severe enough for a death sentence from their hands.

Issei saw the looks of doubt in their faces, so he sighed and spoke again.

"Look, I may not know a lot about what truly goes down in the politics of the supernatural, but… does it really have to be like this? I mean, yeah, I resent Raynare for all she's done, but I want her to actually face the consequences of her actions. Plus, there's been enough bloodshed, so please… let the Fallen Angels decide what will happen to Raynare."

The Devils were left speechless by Issei's words with the Fallen Angels being the most stunned. Despite all that he's been through, especially today, he still said what he said with little to no panic or frustration.

Rias, who was fully ready to execute Raynare, stared at Issei for a few more seconds before setting her eyes on the ground. She thought about all that happened in the past couple of days, specifically regarding Issei, from how vocal he was about his opinion of the war between the Three Factions to how he felt about her and her group.

And then there was Issei's speech about how he felt about the Fallen Angels. She recalled how little he cared about Kalawarner's race and only judged her based on how she was as a person, and nothing more. And what Kalawarner has told her and Sona before Issei got to the church has proven the Fallen Angel's credibility.

As she kept thinking about it further, as well as what recently transpired, Rias sighs a deep but calm breath and disables her demonic power.

"Okay."

"Rias?" Sona blinked twice at her friend with the others being just as surprised as her.

Tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, Rias sets her sights on Kalawarner.

"Get Raynare out of here, Kalawarner. Ise's right… Let's not add any more casualties to this skirmish. Have her dealt with by the Grigori."

Kalawarner gasps. Her eyes slowly widen, unable to believe that Rias has said what she said. When she slowly turned her head towards Issei, she saw that not only had he gotten over his own surprise by Rias' choice, but he was grateful as he sighed in relief and smiled.

As she kept her stare on Issei, Kalawarner's eyes softened and glinted. Because of his convincing, the Fallen Angel has a chance to help Raynare change for the better despite her vindictiveness and pettiness.

Kalawarner was about to express her gratitude to Rias and Issei, but while she was approaching them, everyone heard Raynare hyperventilating.

"So… Is this really it..?"

Everyone saw the dread in her face as she seemed to be thinking of all the possible punishments the Grigori could have for her treason. While a majority of them showed no pity, Kalawarner's expression softened a bit while Issei's eyes were harsher than the rest.

But then, Raynare looked towards Issei, who flinched a bit despite his expression still being the same.

"Issei-kun…"

"What are you looking at me for?" Issei questions. "You have no one to blame but yourself for what's going to happen to you next."

"But… you're going to-"

"Yes, I am," Issei disrupts, knowing exactly what she was going to say next. "You've hurt Asia, and I will never forgive you for that!"

Raynare cringes before she starts getting more desperate.

"I… I see that now! I was just so worried about what would happen that I acted like I did!" Tears began to form from her eyes before her lips slowly formed into a smile. "The truth is… Even if you carried a dangerous power… I still like you!"

Issei took a step back. He did not expect her to say such things given the current circumstances. But he knew better. After her previous deceit and how dead set she was in killing him and Asia, Issei's face morphed from shock to disgust.

And the Devils and the other two Fallen Angels didn't blame him, as they were just as repulsed as he was when she blabbered such words.

"I know what I've done was unjust, but I still want to know you more! I even enjoyed myself when you toured me through the town! So please… Please help me!"

Issei looked away from Raynare and everyone else, trying what he could to suppress the urge to snap and curse at her, knowing full well that what she said was just more lies.

"Issei-kun, please! I'm begging you! Issei-kun! ISSEI-KUN!"

Raynare continued to scream for Issei to help her, fueling his anger more than ever as his hands were now clenched into fists. And just as he was about to reach his boiling point while slowly turning his head right back at the Fallen Angel…

BAM!

Issei stood back still when he saw Genshiro deliver a very brutal kick to Raynare's face, stunning everyone in the church as the blonde Devil wore a very scornful expression on his face. The kick was so hard, it caused Raynare's skull to slam into the floor and create a crater from the impact, knocking the Fallen Angel out once again.

"Saji!" Sona and Tsubaki were quite flabbergasted by the former's servant's actions.

"Damn, dude," Tsubasa says while wondering if that attack will cause any internal damage to Raynare's skull.

"Sorry, you guys…" Genshiro shutters in rage. "That bitch was really getting on my nerves. Begging for mercy after making people suffer, especially my friend? Fuck that shit!"

Although she was shocked by Genshiro's action, Ruruko would later look at him with admiration.

'Saji-senpai…'

After taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Genshiro walks over to Issei and pats his shoulder.

"You gonna be okay, bud?"

"Y… Yeah…" Issei says, still trying to get over his surprise at Genshiro's sudden attack.

But then, the two hear someone whistle and turn to see Mittelt, who approached the unconscious Raynare.

"That really is a mean kick, blondie. You even broke the bitch's nose."

Genshiro's narrowed eyes lock onto Mittelt.

"Why do you care, Fallen Angel?"

Mittelt's eyes widened at Genshiro's expression before she pouted at him.

"Uh, hello? I was giving you a compliment! And in case you haven't noticed, I don't like her as much as any of you do!"

"Whatever." Genshiro crosses his arms and looks away from Mittelt. "Just be grateful that you're not an enemy, or you'd be next."

Mittelt gasped at Genshiro before her cheeks started to redden, only for her to later shake her head and mimic Genshiro.

"Wh-Wh-Whatever. Be like that."

Issei looked between Genshiro and Mittelt with a bit of perplexion. But as long as there wasn't any stronger hostility, he didn't worry too much about it.

"Issei-kun?"

Turning around, Issei sees Kalawarner approaching him, gaining the attention of everyone else.

"What is it, Kalawarner-san?"

The blue-haired Fallen Angel kept her stare on Issei, not uttering a single word, making the young man a little nervous.

"Is… there something you want to s-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Issei suddenly found himself trapped tightly in Kalawarner's embrace.

This action from the Fallen Angel caused the Devils to have surprised expressions while Mittelt just rolled her eyes.

Genshiro was the most shocked and was blushing because of how Kalawarner hugged him. Because of their height difference, Issei's head is right in Kalawarner's breasts with one of her arms locked around it while her other hand was on his back.

And while Ruruko glared at Genshiro for where he was staring, Reya's glare was right on Kalawarner as her fingers twitched.

"K… Kalawarner-san?!"

"Thank you…" Kalawarner whispers as her hug gets tighter. "Thank you so much… Issei-kun."

Issei's eyes widen before he looks up at her, only for his irises to contract when he sees a single tear roll down her cheek while she smiles at him.

"You… You really do want to help her change, do you, Kalawarner-san?"

Kalawarner wordlessly nods while she wipes away her tear.

Watching the scene play out, Akeno's eyes glint, still feeling complex about how Kalawarner and Issei were treating each other. Remembering what Issei said about Kalawarner and the Fallen Angels, her eyes would sometimes shift to the floor for a bit before they would go back to Issei.

"Everything alright, Akeno?"

Akeno's eyes widened a bit when Rias brought her out of her thoughts. Blinking twice, she sighs.

"I'm fine."

Rias' eyes soften, having an idea what this is about.

"Akeno, you know you can talk to me if-"

"I said I'm fine, Rias."

Rias was taken aback by the tone in Akeno's voice despite their conversation being whispered. Seeing that she wasn't in the mood to talk about that, she decided to leave it be for now while Akeno continued to look at Issei, who was now released by Kalawarner while still being flustered about how he was hugged.

"Are you going to be okay?" Issei asks her.

"Yeah," Kalawarner replies. "I know how you currently feel about Raynare, but please know that I'm still grateful."

Issei chuckles with Kalawarner.

"Y-Yeah… No problem."

The two continued to smile at each other for a moment, both being glad that things turned out like they did.

"Oi! You done chatting with your favorite boy?"

Issei and Kalawarner jump when they hear Mittelt calling out to the latter.

"I… I'm coming!"

Mittelt sighs at Kalawarner before looking towards Issei and grinning mischievously.

"See, this is the reason Kalawarner's fallen from heaven. She's got a thing going on for young-"

Kalawarner silences Mittelt with a bonk on her head while blushing like mad.

Coughing into her hand while approaching Raynare with Mittelt, Kalawarner activates a transportation circle beneath their feet. And as they were about to teleport, Kalawarner looked back over to Issei and smiled while waving a hand.

"I'll see you later, okay, Issei-kun?"

Issei blinks twice before smiling and waving back.

"Y-Yeah."

The last thing Issei saw before Kalawarner and Mittelt teleported with the unconscious Raynare away from the church was the former's smile widening with her eyes softening in his direction.

Issei's stare remained on where the Fallen Angels once were. He felt content with how things were able to end. Asia was saved and Kalawarner is bringing Raynare to justice to pay for her crimes. Although there were some casualties, at least it didn't escalate any further.

"See you later, huh?"

Issei's body stiffened before he felt a squeezing sensation on his shoulder. Turning his head, he paled when he saw Reya staring at him with hollow eyes and a rather menacing smile.

"Wh-Wh-Whoa! R-Reya-san, you know it isn't like what you're thinking!"

"Oh, I understand," Reya says while squeezing his shoulder tighter. "But since it's the supernatural, you should be more careful with whom you decide to be friends with."

"Wh… What..?"

"… She's got a point…"

Issei blinks at a familiar voice and turns his head to see Akeno slowly walking towards him with a doubtful expression.

"Himejima-senpai?"

"Akeno?" Rias was about to approach her before her Queen spoke again.

"… That woman… She's a Fallen Angel, and…"

Akeno tried to find the next words to say, but… she found herself pausing, recalling yesterday and what she witnessed minutes before Raynare was taken away by Kalawarner and Mittelt.

"This again?" Akeno was snapped out of her world when she heard Issei responding.

Looking up, her eyes broaden when she sees him pinching the bridge of his nose and sighing.

"Himejima-senpai, I don't know what your personal experience is with Fallen Angels, heck I can say the same to the rest of you guys, but me? Kalawarner-san is a Fallen Angel who earned my trust, much like how Reya-san and Genshiro earned my trust despite them being Devils. And… Look, I made myself clear last night despite being angry, but a person's race and origin do not determine if they are good or evil. It's all about who they are as people. And with all of this in mind, especially with what you've seen with your own eyes minutes ago, I'm going to continue to trust Kalawarner-san. I'd even go as far as to consider her a friend."

Akeno froze. A Fallen Angel as a friend? She wanted to respond, but… She didn't know what to say.

If Issei doesn't see Fallen Angels as inherently evil, then what if…

As Akeno kept pondering to herself, Issei sets his stare on Rias. He looked a little embarrassed at first, as did Rias, but he would eventually bow his head to the redhead.

"I guess… I owe you my thanks as well, Gremory-senpai. If you hadn't sent Kiba and Koneko-san to help, I… would've been a goner."

Rias offers a small smile before returning the bow.

"I'm glad we could help." As she raises her head, her eyes soften with a guilt-ridden expression. "I… also want to apologize for… well… everything related to the Fallen Angel Raynare and how we handled, well..."

Issei nods while twirling one of his locks with his finger.

"… I'm sorry too for how I acted towards you and your servants. After experiencing what I did back then…"

"Don't worry, I understand," Rias assures him before her eyes suddenly widen. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot!"

Rias gives Issei another smile before she snaps her fingers, resulting in a red circle surrounding Issei. Before he could ask her what she was doing, he then noticed one of the tears on his shirt slowly reformed itself back to normal.

Checking the rest of his clothes, he saw that the rips and tears on them were all putting themselves back together. And by the time they were fixed, the red circle vanished while Issei was still looking at the spots on his clothes that once had such damage.

"Incredible," Issei whispers as he pats and rubs his shirt. "But I guess I shouldn't be that surprised if magic can do something as simple as clothing repair."

Rias giggles with Issei.

"Even though I went this far to help, I still feel that I owe you more."

"Don't worry about that," Issei tells her while stretching. "Well, anyway, time to get Asia home."

As Issei approaches the sleeping nun, Tsubaki looks towards him while adjusting her glasses.

"While I believe what you're doing is a good cause, Hyoudou-kun, how exactly are you going to explain to your parents about bringing home an unconscious girl for shelter?"

Issei stops his movements just at the bench where Asia is resting. He was silent for about seven seconds before it suddenly hit him like a truck.

"Oh, crap, that's right! They'll probably get the wrong idea of why I'm carrying her like this! And not just my parents, but there will also be other people outside questioning what I'm up to!"

The Devils look at Issei with some of them sweat dropping, thinking along the same lines as he shouted out.

"Really didn't think that much through, huh Hyoudou?" Genshiro quizzes, trying his best not to snicker.

"Remind you of anyone, Saji-senpai?" Ruruko asks with a deadpan, getting him to remember his other setbacks during his time at the council and sharing the same embarrassed expression as Issei.

"It's not only that," Tsubasa speaks up. "Issei-kun forced the nun off of that cross during the ritual process. Call it a hunch or me overthinking it, but you guys don't suppose there are any sort of consequences for interrupting the ritual don't you?"

Hearing that made Issei a little nervous.

"Wait, the nun still has Twilight Healing," Reya reminds everyone. "She may still live, but it is a good question to know if there are still any side effects from the ritual before it was disrupted."

While he understood where they were coming from, Issei was still unsure. So, swallowing a lump, he kneels before Asia and gently grabs her arm before placing two fingers on her wrist.

"Let's see, the pulse is still stable. Not too fast or too slow."

Issei then lifts his right hand towards Asia's forehead. And as the Devils were watching him, their eyes broadened when they noticed a blue light emitting from the middle of Issei's palm. But before they could get a closer look, Issei has it placed onto Asia's forehead.

"Her temperature seems to be fine too," Issei says with his hand on her forehead for a little longer. "Whatever stress you guys are referring to, I hope it's only temporary."

Issei removes his hand from Asia's forehead. As he did, the Devils saw that the blue light was still present on his palm for a short time before it started to fade, revealing to them that it came from the black mark.

They weren't sure why Issei's mark glowed blue, but this was a phenomenon that the third-year girls and Reya made sure to keep a mental note of because of its mysteries. And from what the girls observed, Issei didn't seem to be aware of what the four-sided diamond was doing.

But then, everyone started to hear someone stir and groan. Turning their heads toward the source, everyone gasps when they see Asia slowly lifting her head up before stretching her arms upwards and yawning.

"Asia!"

The blonde girl in question jumped before looking over to see a familiar brown-haired boy.

"Issei-san."

"Hey there," Issei waves a hand. "Are you feeling okay?"

Asia adjusts herself to a proper sitting position on the bench before looking at her own hands.

"I feel great," Asia answers as a smile works itself on her face. "In fact, I haven't felt this rested since… ever."

After giggling to herself, Asia notices more people from the upper corners of her eyes and looks up to see the Devils.

"It's okay, Asia," Issei assures her. "We're among friends. These Devils helped me reach you."

Asia took a closer look at the Devils. While she recognized Genshiro, Reya, Tsubasa, and Ruruko, the rest not so much. But nonetheless, Asia offers the Devils a smile before standing up and bowing her head.

"Thank you all for your efforts."

While most of the Devils nodded with the third-year girls still surprised with how much energy she has after the whole incident, Genshiro was the most shocked.

"Huh? Y-You're thankful to us?" Asia nods, confusing the blonde Devil further before he starts getting flustered. "W-W-Well… I'm not sure if you… D-Don't get us wrong, we're glad we helped, but… you know that we're Devils, and-"

"I know," Asia affirms. "But because you all decided to help Issei-san, and that he trusts you all, I know that you are good people."

Saji and the other servants of Sona and Rias felt touched by her words.

"She's right, you guys," Issei chimes in. "Although a lot has happened in the past few days, I wouldn't have rescued Asia if it weren't for all of you." Issei pauses to look toward Sona's servants and offers a smile with closed eyes. "Especially you guys. I'm really grateful."

Reya and Ruruko smiled back with a nod while Tsubasa gasped lightly with a blush, still recalling how he looked when his clothes and himself were once dirtied and bruised.

As for Genshiro, he ended up comically bawling his eyes out, unable to get over how someone as angelic as Asia could exist, prompting Ruruko and Reya to roll their eyes at him.

Sona, Tsubaki, and the Gremory Devils continued to watch Asia get more acquainted with the Devils with Issei joining in on the chat. Sona and Tsubaki kept their stare on Issei, impressed with how he was able to defeat Raynare and rescue the nun with the latter still feeling some worry for the boy, but didn't show it.

Koneko and Yuuto were also astonished by what he accomplished. Despite how the two feel towards Fallen Angels, with Yuuto especially having certain stronger feelings for the species, they both understand and respect why Issei would treat those like Kalawarner like one would with other humans of differentiating characteristics.

Akeno remained silent as she kept her eyes on Issei. She was still in a mild state of disbelief that he would trust a Fallen Angel and call her a friend since her previous experiences showed her otherwise. But even after she remembered her own past, there was no denying that not only was Kalawarner proven innocent, but Issei would still only judge people on their character and character alone. And with all of this in mind, Akeno would continue to look towards the young man with new feelings beginning to sprout and develop within her.

And Rias? She was satisfied with how this situation ended and was glad that Issei was safe and that some things were mended.

However, her smile would later curl downwards, as there were still some things that she wasn't quite sure about. Not just with her current relationship with Issei, but with… something else.

But unbeknownst to them all, a tall mysterious figure was watching them from afar through a shattered window, standing on a branch of a tree. The figure wore a black cloak that hid all of her features except for her feminine arms and legs.

As the figure peered at the people inside the church, her eyes would eventually lay on the young man with brown hair.

"So… this is the boy who I've been sensing this familiar power from," the figure spoke before tilting her head. "How strange. He doesn't look that powerful. Unless…"

The figure takes a much closer look at the boy. With further inspection, her eyes broadened when she saw a red gauntlet on his left arm, and upon observation of his right hand, her breath nearly halted when she noticed a certain marking in the middle of the palm.

While her eyes continued to trace the black four-sided diamond, the woman's lips slowly curved upwards.

"Ah… I see now…"

The mysterious woman started to giggle. Those giggles would grow louder and a little out of control for a full minute until she finally calmed herself down, her hand going over to her endowed chest.

"It looks like things are finally getting interesting around here," The woman says before licking her lips as her gaze goes back to the boy. "I look forward to the day that I get to greet you when the time comes… Issei Hyoudou-chan~"

To be continued in the next chapter: The Dragon of Chaos and Karma.

Issei's current Harem: Reya, Kuroka, Kalawarner, Tiamat, Akeno, Asia, Irina, Rias, Koneko, Xenovia, Ravel, Serafall, Gabriel, Tsubasa, Tsubaki

Genshiro: Momo, Ruruko, Mittelt, Sona

Until next time, folks~!