Before we begin…

"Talking."

'Thinking.'

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

When we last left off, Issei activated his Sacred Gear for the first time out of desperation to protect his classmate from the monstrous Stray Devil. On the next day, he meets a kind-hearted nun named Asia Argento, whose Sacred Gear allows her to heal any injury of the body, and escorts her to a church where Issei felt a bad feeling in his hand that something was up.

And now, the story continues…

Issei made it to Kuoh Academy right on time after bringing Asia to the church. He walked as calmly and as fast as he can to homeroom to figure out if Katase is at school or not. After deciding to trust the Fallen Angel Kalawarner in taking her home, this was the one thing that was on his mind right now.

Finding the door to his classroom, Issei opens the door and gets inside, getting the usual greetings from his classmates. While approaching his desk, he scanned the room for Katase, hoping that she was here, or if she's absent, she's okay.

After some searching, Issei's eyes broaden when he found the pink-haired girl sitting at her desk talking with her friends. She appeared to be a little down about something, and her friends seem to be cheering her up with Murayama having a hand on her shoulder.

'Katase-san is in one piece,' Issei thought with a small smile, glad to know that Kalawarner has kept her word from yesterday.

Katase shifts her eyes up and they widen a bit when she sees Issei before she blushes and looks away from him, making Issei gain a confused expression.

'What was that all about?'

Not wanting to get too nosy, Issei lets her be and takes his seat. After getting comfortable, he takes the time he has before class begins to take a gander at his left arm.

'Now that I've awakened my Sacred Gear, I need to know what it's truly capable of. I hope the Kaichou has gotten her "Devil servants" to study all the types of these artifacts so Genshiro or Reya-san can explain it to me.' Issei clenches his left hand into a fist. 'But that won't be enough. I need to make sure I can defend myself too.'

With that in mind, Issei continues to wait patiently for class to begin, now setting his attention on the mark on his palm.

Unbeknownst to the young man, Katase has set her sights back on Issei. Her eyes glinted at him as her hand slowly makes its way to her heart. And even when the bell rang and the homeroom teacher entered the room to begin today's lesson, Katase still kept her stare on Issei.

With lunch period rolling in, Issei remained at his desk for a bit to look over his notes while the rest of the students were leaving the room to eat. Having everything together, he stands up and starts to leave since he's the only student left in the room.

Or so he thought before he felt a hand gently grabbing his wrist, prompting Issei to turn his head only to gasp when he sees who it is.

It was Katase. And despite her slightly avoiding eye contact, she held on with such a grip that refused to let go.

"I… Issei-kun…"

"Katase-san?" Issei wondered what was up at first, but then quickly remembered the expression she had earlier back in homeroom. "Uh… are you okay? Is something bothering you?"

Katase didn't respond, but her cheeks have gotten red and her lips started quivering, something that got Issei more worried for her.

But before he could ask her another question, Katase pulls Issei's arm and brings him into a tight hug, catching him off guard.

"K-Katase-san?!"

The pink-haired girl broke into tears while keeping her body pressed up against his, making Issei even more concerned for her.

"Issei-kun… Thank you! Thank you so so much!"

Issei was surprised at the girl's choice of words.

"Eh?! For what?"

Katase hiccups a few times before answering Issei.

"You… You saved me… You rescued me from that psychopathic woman!"

Issei froze with his irises contracted. Does she remember the monstrous Stray Devil that he tried to protect her from yesterday at the abandoned building? Is she now aware of the supernatural?

Without directly going into it, Issei makes an attempt to check just what she knows about the Devil that attacked her and himself.

"Uh… Katase-san..? Do you… recall what exactly happened back there before… you know…"

Katase understood what he was trying to ask. What happened at the abandoned building would be quite traumatizing to not recall every little part of the event.

"There was a lady in that abandoned building calling to me for help while I was on my way to Murayama's place. But little did I realize that that same woman was actually someone very dangerous…"

Issei started to get more nervous since Katase paused there, making him wonder more and more if she knew if that psychotic woman was a Devil.

"What was she? Some kind of… killer or something?"

"Could be. All I can remember before getting knocked out was how she nearly cut me before I got rammed by something. And then… You came for me… just as I was about to lose consciousness, I saw you run to me."

Issei blinks at Katase.

'Wait, so… she doesn't know that that woman was a Devil?'

Not wanting to be any more risky with the subject without accidentally revealing something about the supernatural, Issei decides to leave it at that and give Katase a hug back in comfort.

"I… I'm sorry for what you had to go through, Katase-san."

"It's okay. Although, it must be just as frightening for you."

"Nah, it's nothing too bad," Issei says before looking away and sweat dropping. 'Comparing yesterday's Devil encounter to being nearly killed by a Fallen Angel, I'm honestly not sure which is scarier.' Issei coughs into his hand before setting his stare back on Katase. "A-Anyway, we should get something to eat. We don't want to waste too much time after all."

Katase makes a look of realization and laughs with a blush.

"Yeah, you're right. Let's go." Katase puts her hands behind her back with a bigger smile and redder cheeks. "And… If you'd like, you're more than welcome to join me and my friends…"

Issei blinks at Katase's offer in slight surprise before scratching the back of his head.

"Sorry, I would, but I plan on researching something at the library during my spare time after grabbing a quick bite."

Katase's eyes shift downwards, looking disappointed at the answer.

"Oh… I see…" Tapping her foot on the floor, Katase asks him this: Then maybe… you can eat with me next time..?"

Issei gives Katase a smile and a nod.

"Next time."

Katase beams with her hands held together.

"That's great!"

Issei chuckles with his classmate before heading out the classroom.

"Well, I better get going. See you later, Katase-san."

Katase nods strongly as she watched Issei walk away to his next destination. As he got farther, her eyes never left his body as she grabs hold of her skirt while placing her other hand onto her heart.

"Darn, I forgot to give him something in return for his kindness," she whispers to herself before giggling. "Oh well, maybe next time."

After eating a quick meal, Issei immediately made his way to the library and logged on to the closest available computer. Typing away, he looked up Elder Futhark, hoping there was something he can find regarding the mark on his palm.

After learning a bit of the oldest form of runic alphabets, he dives in to the symbol for ŋ, since it too was a four-sided diamond, meaning Ingwaz. Unfortunately, Issei couldn't find anything from Ingwaz that could tie in to his mark, but he found the information he read regarding the diamond symbol to be quite fascinating, along with the rest of Elder Futhark.

Issei then tries to search for every mythology he can find that has any four-point diamonds as one of their symbols, but he had no luck. There wasn't a single one other than Norse mythology's Elder Futhark that has any four-point diamonds like the one on his palm.

Issei was stumped. He didn't know what else to think about that can be related to the diamond mark. Just what else could he research regardless if it's well known or not?

But then, it hit him:

Otsutsuki.

That was the surname Dainichi told Issei when he revived him and gave him the black mark, and he has never heard of any other Otsutsuki, nor were they mentioned in any other religions or mythology.

Issei decides to give it a shot. He begins to type in the first four letters of Otsutsuki, but before he could finish spelling the word, he hears a rather familiar giggle from behind him and stops his fingers with widened eyes of worry.

Slowly turning his head to see who exactly it was, Issei almost let out a loud noise when the person that approached him was none other than Akeno Himejima in all of her glory. And while most boys would react with their hormones out of control because of her stunning beauty, Issei stayed vigilant since he knows her true identity as a Devil, along with those who are part of the Occult Research Club.

"… What do you want?"

Akeno gives Issei an innocent smile with a hand on her cheek and her eyes looming on him.

"Ara ara~, can't I at the very least say hello~?"

As cute and sweet as her voice sounded, Issei suppressed his blush and tried to keep a stern face, a face that made Akeno giggle again.

"Calm down, Issei-kun, I just want to speak with you."

Issei's body tenses up when she came closer to him.

"L-Look, Himejima-senpai, whatever it is you or your… master wants, I'm not interested."

Akeno's expression didn't change as she kept walking closer.

"It's okay. I have no intention of coercing you to do anything. In fact, I just noticed you were here while I was doing my own browsing here."

Issei wasn't sure if he should believe that because of the glint in Akeno's eyes and her smile. Staying cautious, he watches her get next to him before she looks at the computer screen.

"Researching other existences?"

Issei was hesitant for a few seconds before he answered.

"Just to keep myself informed. Although… I'm sure most of what I looked into isn't entirely true."

"Yes, I can say that as well," Akeno says. "After all, I've been a Devil for quite a long time."

"Eh?" This drew a surprised expression from Issei. "You mean before you came to Kuoh Academy?"

Akeno nods before continuing.

"I was very young when Rias reincarnated me into her servant. So trust me when I say that there is so much more than what most books say about the supernatural and even Norse Mythology."

Issei slowly nods while mentally berating himself for talking to Akeno despite the many times he made sure to avoid her and the rest of the Gremory Devils. However, he was a little curious about her wanting to talk with him.

"Okay… but… why bother telling me this? And why did you approach me the moment you saw me?"

Akeno's smile widens before she gets behind Issei and places her hands on his shoulders.

"It's because I want to be friends with you, Issei-kun."

"Huh?!" Issei was bewildered by Akeno's answer and was going to try and say something else until she slithered her slender arms around his neck and went in for the hug, making Issei's cheeks burn red as he felt her bust touch his nape.

"Issei-kun, I know that you don't want to be on talking terms with my Buchou or the other people in the Occult Research Club at the moment, but they really aren't bad people."

"E… Even so… you should know exactly why I've been avoiding them."

"I know. The Buchou understood her error with how she intended to save you earlier and is still remorseful about it." Akeno presses her bust further against the back of Issei's neck. "But please consider at least talking to me. It'll be just the two of us. I promise~"

Issei was once again gobsmacked by Akeno.

"But… Why?"

Akeno's eyes soften towards Issei before she started stroking his chin with a finger.

"Because you're different from the rest of the boys at school~"

"What..? Different?"

Akeno giggles before explaining further.

"When I got to Kuoh Academy, I always thought that all men were the same, specifically in the romance and personality department. But you? You're very different. You're sweet, gentle, and you're undoubtedly the cutest of them all~"

Issei had no idea what to say about what Akeno told him about men. He doesn't even know why she changed the subject to such a topic in the first place.

Before he could ask, Issei gasps when Akeno leans her head close to his where her lips approached his ear.

"So please consider befriending me. If you're concerned about Rias knowing, then it'll be a secret between the two of us. It'll be like having an affair~"

Saying that followed by Akeno gently blowing into his ear was enough for Issei's face to go red and his eyes to turn white. And with incredible speed, Issei logs off the computer and quickly gets up from his seat, forcing Akeno to let go.

"I-I-I-I'm leaving!"

Akeno watches Issei speed-walk out of the library without disturbing the other students residing in it. And as the door shut, her eyes glinted in excitement as her lips curled upwards.

"Fufufufufu~, you can't run away from me forever~" Akeno coos before licking her fingers, looking forward to speaking with him again.

After the school day has concluded, Issei got up from his desk and began to head off in search of Genshiro. He wasn't sure how much time he had since Reya decided to walk him home every day after school, but it wasn't going to stop him from at least looking for him before Genshiro has to do his duties as a member of the Student Council and a Devil.

As he kept moving, Issei saw a familiar dark shade of blonde hair and sped up to catch up to him.

"Genshiro!"

The blonde boy turned around when he heard someone call out to him and sees Issei.

"Oh, hey Hyoudou," Genshiro gives him a wave. "Sorry, but I got duties at the Student Council. I won't be able to hang out for today."

"I know, but this is important," Issei tells his friend. "Surely you have plenty of time before you go to the Kaichou."

Genshiro could see in Issei's expression that he really needed to tell him something.

"Well… if it's something really quick, we can talk, but not for too long," Genshiro says before his face turns a little blue. "The Kaichou doesn't take too kindly of her servants being tardy…" Genshiro's eyes widen and he shakes his head to rid his mind of the dark thoughts, making Issei look at him with a hint of concern. "A-A-Anyway, what's up? You need help with something, or is there anything else you want to know about Devils or the supernatural? I'm still learning, so I can't promise any results."

Issei takes a moment to check his surroundings. While there were some students still walking their paths, they weren't too close to him and Genshiro. So he walks closer to Genshiro and whispers in his ear.

"It's about my Sacred Gear."

Genshiro's eyes broaden again. Even though it was a whisper, the tone was enough for the blonde to get an idea of what he's talking about.

"So… you've awoken it, didn't you?"

Issei nods slowly before resuming in a hushed voice.

"You see, I was hoping maybe you can identify what it exactly is so I can get a proper idea on how to use it." Issei realized how he worded that and puts his hands up. "B-But only for emergencies, of course! I'm not that crazy to use it like some superhero!"

"Alright, I got it! I got it!" Genshiro says, trying to put Issei at ease before sighing and scratching the back of his head. "Okay, unless you can describe what it looks like to me, I can't go with you to see it with my own eyes. Like I said, I have my duties, and-"

"I can have a look at it for you, Issei-kun."

The two boys yelp when they hear someone get in on the conversation. Turning their heads, their eyes widen even further when they see who it is.

"R-R-Reya-san!"

"H-How long have you been here?" Genshiro quizzes his fellow Devil, who giggled with closed eyes and a tilted head.

"The moment you said something about Issei-kun awakening something," Reya replies before walking next to Issei. "You go ahead to the Council room, Saji-kun. I'm going to walk Issei-kun home."

While Issei blushed at how blunt and surprisingly calm she was, Genshiro recalled Reya's talk with Sona about that whole ordeal and grinned at his friend.

"Well well, you must've been smooth back there, weren't you, Hyoudou~?"

"Eh?!" Issei's eyes whitened while Reya's brow twitched a bit. "Wh-What the heck do you mean by that?!"

"Oh, nothing, nothing at all. I'm just glad that you guys are back talking again, that's all. After all, Kusaka-san has gotten even happier than she usually would. And when she spoke to Kaichou about walking you home every day, I was shocked that-"

BONK!

"Less talking, more Council work," Reya tells Genshiro after karate-chopping his head, leaving a steaming knot on top it with Genshiro whining in pain. "Now then, shall we, Issei-kun? I know the perfect place where no one will see us."

Issei did a double take at what just transpired earlier with how Reya acted, surprised that she did what she did when she's normally shyer than that. But since he wants to figure out what his red gauntlet is right away, Issei just wordlessly nods, prompting the girl to giggle and wrap her arm around Issei's before they started walking.

Genshiro watched as the two kept going while Issei told Reya that she didn't have to hold his arm, but she insisted that she'd do that, making the blonde Devil chuckle at his friend.

"Yup, Hyoudou is definitely one lucky man." Brushing his lips with his arm, Genshiro looks up at the ceiling with a determined gaze and clenches his hand into a fist. 'But one day, I too will have her dote on me as much as Kusaka-san does to him! I will prove myself to be a great man!'

Issei and Reya continued walking with their arms linked together while the latter was looking for a private area that wasn't too shady to enter without anyone else noticing. And much to Issei's embarrassment, there were some people who did catch sight of them and whispered things about them possibly being a couple.

"Ah! Here's a spot," Reya spoke up before going to where her eyes were staring, making Issei wonder what place she meant.

As they got closer, Issei saw that it was a decently wooded area. Despite him worrying a bit since he found that to be a good spot for supernatural stalkers to spy on him, he trusted Reya and allowed her to guide him deeper into the woods.

"Okay, here we are," Reya announced before letting go of Issei's arm and checking the area. "And there's no sign of any hostiles." After checking one more time, she turns around to face Issei and nods. "Now then, Issei-kun, show me your Sacred Gear."

Having gotten the okay, Issei takes a deep breath before turning his left arm upwards to where his hand was pointing at the sky. Using what he learned last night, Issei had his Sacred Gear appear with a shine of green light, revealing the red dragonic gauntlet to Reya.

"Well, here it is," Issei says, showing Reya the green gem embedded on the back of its hand.

Taking two steps closer, Reya observes Issei's Sacred Gear to figure out what it is. Feeling it out, she can tell that it's got a decent amount of power dwelling within it. And because it's a gauntlet…

"With the Sacred Gear knowledge Kaichou hammered into us, and after looking at every nook and cranny of this gauntlet, I can deduce that this is a Twice Critical."

Issei blinks at Reya.

"Twice Critical?"

"Yes. And if I recall correctly, it's also known as the Hand of the Dragon. It's a common Dragon-Type Sacred gear that doubles the power of the user for a certain amount of time."

"Is that so?" Issei takes another look at his Sacred Gear and squints at it. 'If that's the case, then that boost in power will come in handy if I have no choice but to fight. But even then…'

"Issei-kun?"

"Hmm?" Issei looks back up to see Reya with a tilted head. "Sorry, I was processing the information you gave to me." He takes one last look at the gauntlet. "So… Twice Critical. A power like that would definitely classify this as a weapon." Issei deactivates his Sacred Gear before staring back at Reya with a grateful smile. "Well, thanks for helping me identifying my Sacred Gear. That's one piece of weight off of my chest."

Reya blushes at the kindness in Issei's voice before smiling back.

"Since we got that out of the way, shall I drop you off at your place?"

"Yeah."

As the two began to get moving, Reya wrapped an arm back around Issei's, causing him to blush again, but this time, he was a bit used to it, even though for the most part, if he insisted that he can walk on his own, it would fall on deaf ears.

Back at his home after having a good dinner, Issei is in his room finishing his homework before putting the pencil down and storing the papers safely in his bag. Turning around while still in his chair, Issei lifts his left arm towards himself, thinking about his Sacred Gear.

Activating it, Issei rotates his arm around to look at all sides of the gauntlet. And while he thinks its design is very cool, he also had what it was capable of in mind the most.

"Well… I guess I really need to start self-defense training since doubling my power is all this Twice Critical can do."

{A Twice Critical? Is that what that Devil thinks it is?}

"Whoa!" Issei nearly fell out of his seat when he heard a strong voice booming from somewhere. "Who said that?! Who's there?!"

{Go to sleep or meditate, and you shall see.}

Now hearing where the voice came from since he was more alert, Issei looks down and gasps when he sees that the gem of the Sacred Gear was glowing a brighter green than its base color.

'My Sacred Gear… talked?'

He wondered why that was the case, and if there are other Sacred Gears that have a voice inside of them. At first, he was stumped, but then he remembered what the gem said earlier.

"Well… It's not quite time for me to go to bed yet, so… meditation it is, I guess."

Getting off his chair, Issei sits on his bed and scoots to the very middle of it. Crossing his legs, he then places his hands with one on each knee and closes his eyes. Breathing deep, he clears his mind and focuses.

Slowly opening his eyes, Issei looks where he is and was shocked to see that he was no longer in his room. Looking around, he found himself in a pitch-black void while also noticing that he was now standing instead of sitting.

"Whoa… I've never meditated before, but I know that this isn't how…"

Issei pauses when he just realized something. A pitch-black area? Being able to see his own body but nothing else? This is definitely a space he's been in before, or at least, it feels similar to what happened on that dreaded day he was nearly killed by Raynare.

'Okay, Issei, calm down. You got here because you decided to listen to the voice from your Sacred Gear. But the question is, what now?'

{Look behind you.}

Hearing that familiar voice again, Issei slowly does as it instructed. Upon doing so, his eyes slowly go as wide as saucers as he bears witness to a large red western dragon with a long neck, green eyes, and red and golden spikes throughout his body.

{So, this is who my new host is. And it's not a warrior this time. These are strange times, indeed.}

Issei wasn't sure how to respond to the dragon's words, but he definitely has a lot of questions.

"Are you… the voice that spoke from my Sacred Gear?"

The dragon's expression didn't change.

{You are correct. That voice you heard belongs to me. In fact, I've been trying to contact you for quite some time. However, you were too young and weak at the time. But now, my words can finally reach you, both in your consciousness and from my Sacred Gear.}

'His Sacred Gear?' Issei echoed mentally before shifting his eyes to his gauntlet.

As soon as he did, Issei remained silent when he realized how similar its scaly design was to the red dragon before him. Or rather, the design was too similar.

{Finally putting two and two together, huh?}

Issei slowly lifts his head up back at the dragon with an astonished expression.

"You are… sealed in this gauntlet."

{Yes. My spirit was put inside of this Sacred Gear during the great war between the Three Factions.}

"The war?"

The dragon nods before explaining.

{Long ago, two Heavenly Dragons were in battle with each other to determine which one is the strongest. This fight carried on for many years up to the three-way war between the Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels. And during their fight at that time, the Three Factions have interrupted their duel due to the destruction these Dragons have caused. Enraged by their interference, the Heavenly Dragons decided to work together to get rid of them, starting with their leaders. Unfortunately for them, those leaders proved to be very powerful, resulting in their demise before their souls were sealed in their own Sacred Gears.}

Issei took a step back to take all of this in. Two dragons fighting during the war between the Three Factions was intriguing at first, but when he recalled the other details of the story, especially with what the dragon said before telling this tale, he stares at the dragon wide-eyed while the creature nods twice.

{That's right, Issei Hyoudou, you are looking at one of those two Heavenly Dragons.}

Issei's irises get smaller, getting shocked even further by what his Sacred Gear carries.

"… My God…"

The red dragon extends its wings before introducing himself.

{I am the Welsh Dragon, also known as the Red Dragon Emperor, Ddraig.}

"Ddraig? You're the Heavenly Dragon sealed inside my Twice Critical?"

{I am sealed in that gauntlet, but it is not a Twice Critical as your Devil friend misinterpreted it as.}

"What?"

The dragon understood his host's confusion and clarifies.

{The Sacred Gear I'm sealed within is called Boosted Gear; the Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet.}

"Boosted… Gear..?"

That name sounded familiar to Issei. Digging further into his memory banks, his eyes widen once more.

"That's right! Dainichi Otsutsuki said something about how I carried such Sacred Gear! He even mentioned a Red Dragon Emperor before he saved me from dying!"

Ddraig kept his stare on Issei, acknowledging how Issei remembered his near-death experience with this mysterious entity that revived him, which allowed the Welsh Dragon to stay with Issei instead of move on to another host.

"But there's one thing I don't get. If my Sacred Gear isn't a Twice Critical, then why did Reya-san classify it as such?"

{Well, the Boosted Gear is somewhat similar to a Twice Critical in how it's not only a gauntlet, but the way one of its powers works.}

"Eh? Do you mean how it doubles my strength?"

{Indeed. Instead of doubling your power for a certain amount of time like a Twice Critical, the Boosted Gear will keep doubling your power every ten seconds until the user reaches their limit. It will boost their physical abilities, their magic, or even their demonic power if that user carries any.}

"Whoa…" Issei was stunned as he stared at his Boosted Gear in amusement. "I had no idea it carried such an ability."

{Well, you better believe it now. But there's more to that gauntlet than just simply powering you up. If you were to master this Sacred Gear and all of its abilities, you may even be able to kill a God and a Maou with that level of power.}

This was a new surprise. The Boosted Gear allowing him to strengthen himself to where he can kill Gods? That was insane for Issei to hear.

{Well, anyway, I'm going to sleep now.}

"Huh?!" Issei looks up at Ddraig with a raised brow. "Wh-Why would you sleep?"

{Because I'm tired. I was never this social before until you became my new host, so speaking with you was surprisingly taxing for me.}

Issei sweat drops at the dragon, having some doubt that this was the real reason. But then, he remembered something else and he wanted to ask him something about it.

"H-Hang on! W-Welsh Dragon-sama, or… or Red Dragon Emper-"

{Just call me Ddraig, kid. It's not that big of a deal.}

Issei scratches his cheek sheepishly

"R-Right. Ddraig, can I at least ask one more thing before you turn over?"

{That depends on what it is.}

Ddraig's eyes broaden a bit when Issei shows him his right hand.

"This mark on my palm. Do you have any idea what it could be?"

Ddraig takes a moment to observe the black four-sided diamond. Grunting, he shifts his eyes at Issei before giving him his answer.

{Other than that the entity you call Dainichi Otsutsuki was the one who gave it to you after he revived you, I'm afraid your guess is as good as mine.}

Issei slumped over and sighed. He hoped that the dragon within his Sacred Gear could know something about the mark since he's been around for who knows how many years, but he didn't.

'Oh well, worth a shot.'

{This is where we depart for now. Until we speak to each other again, my new host.}

Issei's eyes snap open, finding himself back in his bedroom. There were a few beads of sweat on his forehead before he wiped them off with his hand.

"Phew! That was crazy!" he said to himself before standing. "So… My Sacred Gear is actually called Boosted Gear, and according to Ddraig, it's stronger than a Twice Critical." He lifts his left hand towards himself before slowly clenching it into a fist. "And if I remember correctly, Dainichi called it a Longinus, allowing me to kill a God."

Breathing through his nose, Issei puts that note aside for now and checks his phone for the time, which was nine o'clock on the dot.

"Geez, how long did Ddraig and I talk?"

Thinking for a bit, Issei decided to use the rest of the time he has left to look up some self-defense videos to get an idea of the routines before using some time tomorrow after school to head out and train himself. Plus, after tomorrow, he'll have a two-day weekend to take more time into physical training so he can at least deal some damage to his hunters or stalkers before running away if they're too strong for him.

With that decided, Issei got started with the basic self-defense videos of punching, specifically, boxing. After he watches these videos, he intends to implement them and strengthen himself with his own training later.

Two days pass. On a Saturday morning, Issei was getting ready to head out for full-time training, wearing a gray hoodie and dark blue short pants. He plans to not only increase his endurance, but make sure he becomes a good fighter to protect himself, and even his family whenever that time were to come.

"Issei?"

The young man turns around to see his mother approaching him as he was about to open the door outside.

"Yes, mother?"

Miki shifts her eyes to the side for a few moments, thinking about how sudden this was before looking back at her son.

"Look, sweetie, I know your father approved of you going out for a long time to strengthen your body and self-defense, but I for one am still worried for you."

Issei understood where she was coming from and gave her an assuring expression.

"I promise to not overdue it if that's what you're thinking about."

Miki's eyes soften before she hugs Issei tightly and kisses him on the cheek.

"At least be back before dinner, will you?"

"Of course."

Releasing him, Miki watches Issei exit the house and set off for his workouts, hoping that her son won't push himself too hard.

The moment he got out of the house, Issei started jogging while searching for a good, appropriate spot to perform other physical workouts. He kept running for fifteen minutes until he found a grassy area with plenty of room for such training.

Finding a good spot before taking a swig of water, Issei began the usual workouts. When he first started with the push-ups, he was doing great, but it was when he hit the thirty mark that he started to feel the burn.

Issei somewhat expected this for getting as far as he did for the first workout. Despite what happened to his body after being revived, he still didn't have unlimited stamina, nor was he anywhere on the level of Kalawarner and the Devils' strength.

And that's why he must keep training. And although it feels like he's cheating because of the bigger stamina and speed he's gained after that night, he's still going to push himself until he truly feels tired.

From push-ups to sit-ups and planks, a full hour has passed before he falls to the ground with his back, gazing at the clouds as he sweated from his activities. Reaching for his water bottle, he sits up to drink from it, for he knows that he wasn't done yet. He still needs to shadowbox so he can get his fighting skill to where he has a high chance of survival against whoever may come for him next.

{I'm pleased to see that you're preparing yourself.}

Issei jolted from where he was sitting when he heard a familiar voice in his head.

"D… Ddraig?"

{Yes, it is I. I am communicating with you telepathically instead of the Boosted Gear so that only you can hear me.}

Issei slowly nods before searching his surroundings, seeing that no one was paying attention.

'So… I guess this means you can hear every thought of mine, can you?'

{That is correct. Now listen closely, you do understand that the Devils and possibly other supernatural beings may be watching you from afar, yes?}

Issei nods again.

'I thought so the moment Gremory-senpai told me about the supernatural and Devils.'

{Then you also understand why it's important for you to get stronger. There are plenty of factions out in this world that will do anything to either have you join them, or kill you if they see you as a big threat.}

Issei's fists tighten when Ddraig brought up the possibility of death.

'Okay… but what about the other one?'

There was a moment of silence before Ddraig spoke again.

{Do you mean the other Heavenly Dragon?}

'Yeah. That dragon got sealed in a Sacred Gear like you did, so what are the possibilities that someone in this town may carry said Gear?'

Another moment of silence occurs before Issei gets his reply.

{I am unable to sense the other dragon at this very moment, but I wouldn't worry about it too much for the time being. For now, focus on becoming a better fighter. Even though the times have changed for most humans, the same cannot be said for those who carry power.}

'Just like your other hosts through those years, huh?'

{Indeed.}

Breathing deep, Issei stands up from his spot and glances at the clouds. His stare tightens, knowing full well that he has no other choice but to fight. Running wasn't going to work forever, and if he has to knock out his hunters, so be it, as long as he doesn't bring too much attention to himself.

With that in mind, Issei got began his shadow boxing practice. He started with punching appropriately before mixing it up with some dodges, both in boxing style and with the side-to-side dodges. He kept this up for five more rounds before taking another break and going back to the strength-building workouts.

Issei continued this routine for the rest of the day, switching from workouts to shadow boxing after every break. However, the hour came when he bought himself some lunch for a longer break before he got back to strengthening himself. He didn't want to practice on an empty stomach, after all.

It was now six o'clock PM. Issei decided to stop training for the day and go back home for dinner, just as he promised his mother. While he was walking, he takes a moment to look at his left arm with a thoughtful expression.

'It was only the first full day of practice, especially with shadowboxing since I could only do what I could yesterday since I had school. But hopefully, if I keep this up without overdoing it, I can at least survive and maybe scare off those who are after me because of my Boosted Gear.'

Although he thought of that, Issei was also aware of the possibility of how his next potential hunters can and will be stronger than the last. But if he's lucky, his reflexes and agility will improve greater than what they are now.

But… there was another thing that plagued his mind, making his frown bigger the more the thought about it:

Will this be the rest of his life? Having to constantly train and fight off his attackers every single moment because of the artifact he carries within himself? Is his life really no longer normal?

Before he could dwell on this further, Issei notices something to his right that made him stop walking. Turning his head in that direction, his eyes broaden when he sees the door to someone's house left wide open. And what made this stranger? All of the lights were off. And why that was the case was beyond Issei.

Without thinking twice, Issei jogs over to the house and stops right at the door, worrying about whoever lives there.

"Hello?! Is anybody home?!"

Issei waited six seconds for a response, but there was silence. This scared the young man. Either the owner of this house was robbed while they were not here, or something worse has happened in there.

Issei has a deep feeling that it's something worse because as he lingered at the house's entrance for a couple more seconds, his right hand started tensing up. And if he knew anything from having that feeling build up in that hand numerous times, he knows that it isn't good.

"I… If you can hear me, I'm coming in to check up on you! Please respond if you can!"

Wanting to help however he can, Issei enters the building and removes his shoes by the door. He then enters further inside, walking slowly while holding onto his right wrist, constantly looking around for the owner of the house.

The longer he searched, the harder his right hand shook, getting Issei to develop further dread for what happened to this house, or worse, its owner. This got Issei to pick up the pace and search faster than before.

'What am I doing? Entering someone's house just to check up on them? If anyone saw me go in like I did, I may be misunderstood as the robber here.'

Even though he thought of this, Issei couldn't help but feel very guilty if he hadn't gone into the house. Despite all the warnings that told him to leg it, there was a part of himself that really wanted to help whoever owned the building however he can.

But suddenly, Issei halts his movements when his nose picked up the faint scent of rust. Slowly striding towards the smell's source, which appeared to be the house's living room, the rusty aroma got stronger to where it got Issei's stomach to feel queasy.

Issei's eyes shift all over the living room to find what that terrible smell is. But after seconds of searching… he froze.

His entire body was as petrified as a statue the very moment he discovered the vile source of the disgusting, rusty scent. It was such a disturbing sight that Issei's breathing turned into shudders and his irises went as small as dots drawn on paper with a ballpoint pen.

On the right wall of the living room, Issei has found the corpse of a man stuck onto it like an inverted cross. His arms and legs were nailed while a bloody knife was stabbed into his chest. And what mortified Issei the most? He saw the poor man's intestines hanging from the knife wound while the wall the corpse was hung onto was painted a visceral red, along with the floor and some of the furniture.

Issei's breathing got faster and faster as his eyes remained glued on the dead body. His body began quaking to the point where he was on the verge of falling to the floor. He thought he saw a real gruesome death with how Kalawarner dismembered the Devil that tried to kill him and Katase, but this… This was a whole new level of violence compared to how it was portrayed in fiction.

With his mind giving out, Issei took a big step back and started screaming. The way the man went out before he was stapled on the wall was just far too much for the young man to handle mentally as he kept the shouts of horror going for a good fifteen seconds.

Before he could release one more screech, Issei was forced to put his hands over his mouth as he felt his stomach react. It wouldn't be long after that before he began to vomit on the floor. He kept retching and puking three more times before he finally stopped, staring at his own vomit with tears in his eyes while still remembering the man's murder.

"OH MY GOD!"

"Sheesh, dude, don't you think that's a bit too much?"

Issei's eyes widen further when he hears a new voice from behind him. Turning around in a sitting position, his irises contract when he saw a rather calm boy around Issei's age giving him a weird look while casually sitting on a couch. The boy's hair is short and white, his eyes are red, and he was wearing an outfit that's more suited for someone who is part of a holy church.

"I mean, to be fair, the place was already a mess before ya threw up," the boy continued with a shrug before grinning. "So, I take it this is your first time seeing a dead body~?"

Issei shivered at how happy he sounded. It was as if a mutilated corpse wasn't a horror show to this white-haired boy.

"Who… what are you doing here?"

The boy snickers at Issei before uncrossing his legs.

"I don't know why you expect me to tell you since you're an ordinary human," he states before taking a quick glance at the dead body and looking back at Issei. "But given the circumstances that have occurred this very second, I might as well give you the details." the boy's smile gets dangerously wider before resuming. "The name's Freed Sellzen, and if you can't tell by the attire, I'm a Priest, a young boy Priest~ and my job is to destroy all shitty Devils and the fiends who would dare to form pacts with them. And right now, I'm on a stakeout, hoping the shitty Devil that was summoned will take the bate."

Issei looked at the self-proclaimed Priest with a very confused stare. But then, he starts to put it all together when he recalled what he explained to him.

"You mean… that it was you who did this to him?!"

The young man nods with no shame at all.

"The cocksucker was a sinner. Wasn't even his first time summoning a shitty Devil. It was about time this Heretic met his end."

Issei felt disgusted by how joyful Freed explained his side.

"How… How can you say it with a straight face like that?!"

Freed rolls his eyes at Issei.

"Please, even someone as pretty as you should understand why it's a sin to befriend trash as filthy as Devils. Those shitty creatures feed on human desire while making sure the scum benefit more than who their contractors are, and with how shitty even most humans can be, it makes em' easy prey."

Issei's eyes twitch at how heavy the Priest's hatred was for Devils. Sure, there may be Devils that can be conniving, and Rias has tried to make him a Devil servant during that night with Raynare and made him keep his distance from her and the rest of the ORC, but he understood that there are Devils that are good people.

Reya and Genshiro, these two are his personal examples of good Devils, and maybe the rest of those at the Student Council are also the same. But with the Gremory Devils… He likes to believe in redemption and that they, as well as other Devils he has yet to meet, can learn and change for the better.

"Well then, with explanations out of the way, time to die~"

Issei was snapped from his thoughts when he heard Freed sing that in glee.

"Wh… What?!"

"Sorry, dude, nothing personal," the young man says while standing up and putting his hands in his coat's pockets. "You see, I have a 'no witnesses' rule when I hunt down shitty Devils and slay their source of power. Can't afford for anyone to know my existence~ Surely, you understand."

Pulling his hands out from his pockets, Freed reveals two weapons. In his left hand, he carries a pistol with holy markings, and in his right, a silver handle that looked like it belonged to a sword. With his thumb tapping what appeared to be a button, a blue light blade appears from its tip.

Issei looks on at the arsenal with dread. It was bad enough that people of the supernatural were after him because of his Sacred Gear, but now, he found himself prey to a serial killer who murders those who make pacts with Devils.

And from seeing how messed up this man's body was because of Freed's actions and that he had no problems killing, Issei was getting more terrified by the minute.

{Get a hold of yourself!} Issei almost shouts when he hears Ddraig booming in his mind. {Listen well, throughout your life, you will face opponent after opponent who will stop at nothing to take your life! You will see dead bodies of either your foes or their victims, you will have to make tough decisions that may lead to things you are not ready to witness, and you will always find yourself in a life or death situation!}

As scary as this was for Issei to hear, he knew that the Welsh Dragon was right. No matter what he does, he will have no choice but to face danger head-on and fight for survival, as there are situations like this that he simply cannot run away from.

{Now if you want to live, get up, ready your Boosted Gear, and don't let that human scare you! You went through worse, now face your opponent and do what you can to win!}

With gritted teeth, Issei slowly gets up from his spot. This action got Freed to laugh as he watched him face him with his eyes obscured by his bangs.

"Well well well, somebody's ready to go out in style~! So, what'll it be? Want a bullet right between the eyes, or do ya wanna get sliced in half~?"

Issei was silent a moment, his bangs still covering his eyes. Freed notices a shine of green cloak his left arm before it revealed a red dragon-like gauntlet with its gem lightly glowing green.

"… None of the above!"

Freed's brows rise at the sudden change of attitude from Issei as he could finally see the young man's eyes, which were giving off a stern vibe.

"Oooooooooh~, so you're gonna try to fight me now? That's just cute!" Freed exclaims before rushing towards Issei. "But since you're ballsy, I'll give ya a discount on both weapons!"

Freed raises his light sword to slash at Issei, but he was fast enough to evade the attack while keeping his eyes on his opponent.

However, the one weapon Issei needs to be aware of the most is Freed's pistol. Because there was no telling on when he'll attempt to shoot him, Issei can't afford to charge at him like a brawler. For now, he kept his distance and waited to see what the psychopathic Priest will do next.

Freed's lips morph into a menacing smile as he slowly turns his head towards Issei, unnerving him.

{Guard yourself with the Boosted Gear!}

Issei wasn't sure why Ddraig gave that command, but he quickly did it anyway. And with a blink of an eye, the sound of gunfire rang throughout the entire house, making Issei flinch at the loud sound followed by the light vibrating feeling he got in his left arm.

Opening one eye, Issei saw that the bullet has hit his Boosted Gear and fell to the floor in front of him, revealing that the projectile was flattened.

'Whoa! That is handy! Well, this is a Sacred Gear.'

Freed's eyes widened at what has happened before appearing annoyed.

"Tch! Your damn fancy gauntlet was able to block it, eh?"

Issei kept his eyes on Freed as the latter aims his gun at his head, prompting him to cover his face with Boosted Gear. Freed goes for the leg only for Issei to guide his gauntlet there, making the Priest angrier at how fast he is to protect where he's trying to shoot.

"Wow, are you just..?" Freed grunts before trying to aim at another open spot before Issei moves his left arm there to guard. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Jackie Chan of bullet shielding. Seriously, how are you this good at it?"

Getting frustrated that he wasn't able to get a clear shot at Issei without wasting any bullets, Freed decides to take a more physical approach and lunges at Issei with his light swords out. Issei sees the blade coming at him on his right side and quickly jumps out of the way. And as a precaution, he got his Boosted Gear up to block if he didn't dodge far enough.

And the precaution was worth taking as the tip of the blade would've grazed his cheek if he didn't deflect it with his gauntlet.

Freed snarls at this and attempts to slash him again. But this time, Issei saw an opening to land a punch on his face or his stomach.

But before either one can make their moves, Issei and Freed were forced to stop in place when they catch sight of a familiar shade of blonde. Taking a closer look, their eyes broaden when they see that it was a certain nun that got in the way while extending her arms out to defend Issei, whose expression turns into dread when he managed to get a look at her face.

'A… Asia?!'

Freed blinks at the nun twice before giving her a scolding expression.

"Sheesh! I almost chopped your head off!" he shouts before taking a quick breath with beady eyes. "Anyway, you got that trap set up like I instructed, Asia-chan?"

Issei's expression remains shocked.

'He knows Asia?'

The blonde girl shakes her head at Freed with an upset face.

"Please don't hurt him! Why do you have to do this to Issei-san?!"

Freed tilts his head with a raised brow.

"Wait… do you know this guy?" the Priest questions before giggling with a wide grin. "How interesting~ What? Did ya get lost and had to ask for directions or something?"

"Asia…"

The nun turns around when she hears Issei talk to her.

"Issei-san, what are you doing here?"

Asia gasps when she sees the horrified expression on her new friend's face.

"… I should be asking you the same thing…" He began before pointing a finger at Freed. "Or rather, why are you here with a murderer?!"

Asia's eyes widen at the accusation.

"A… murderer..?" She was going to ask Issei to clarify, but the corner of her eye caught something that got her to direct her full attention.

And when she did, Asia's expression turns into dread before she falls to her knees and unleashes a terrifying screech, something that hurt Issei's heart because of what she had to witness.

Freed gave Asia a weird look at first, but it later changed into sadism.

"Is this your first time seeing a dead body, Asia-chan?" Freed asks before poking at the corpse with his pistol. "Well, don't worry about it too much. This human waste was mesmerized by a Devil, and I did the right thing by sending this fucker to Hell!"

Hearing Freed speak such vulgar words towards a girl as kind as Asia, as well as seeing her start to cry over the deceased man, got Issei enraged so much that his Boosted Gear's gem flickered green in reaction to the said anger.

"I know it's gross, sweetheart, but that's how it is. Now hurry up and get back to deploying that trap, kay?"

Asia's eyes were overshadowed by her bangs as more tears kept rolling down her cheeks. The more she cried, the more infuriated Issei got after he gets the idea on what kind of situation Asia is in.

However, if there was someone Issei was more angry at than Freed, it was himself. Issei was the one who took Asia to that church two days ago, and it was most likely that Freed was in there if the bad feeling he got in his right hand that day was what it indicated.

'This is all my fault…' Issei thought to himself as his right hand shook harder than his left. 'If I had just trusted my instincts and not taken Asia to that church, then-'

"… wrong…"

Issei and Freed looked over to Asia when they heard her whisper something.

"Hah?" Freed tilts his head left and right. "Did you say something, blondie?"

Issei could hear the nun's breath shutter as she stood back up and faced Freed with furrowed brows.

"I understand your feelings, but this is wrong, Father Freed! Just because the person was led astray by a Devil doesn't mean that they should immediately die! Everyone deserves a chance to repent, and if we keep doing such cruel things like this, are we really better than the sinner?!"

Issei was astonished by what Asia had to say. After she witnessed such a gruesome sight, he never expected her to still have the will to tell Freed what was wrong with his way of thinking.

But Freed, on the other hand, didn't like what she had to say and stomped towards her.

"What the hell are ya talking about, you idiotic nun?! People who make contracts with Devils are just as shitty as them! Isn't that something you learned in church?!"

She may have been frightened by Freed's anger, but Asia didn't back down.

"Even those who make pacts with Devils deserve a chance to atone without death!"

"No, they don't, you twat!"

"I thought so too, but… after what you've done to this man… it's absolutely unforgivable! Regardless of people's backgrounds, killing people is still a sin! Not even the Lord would allow-"

THWAK!

"KYAH!"

"ASIA!" Issei screams for her after Freed smacked her across the face with his gun, making the nun stumble and fall onto the floor.

"You really don't know when to zip that whore mouth of yours, do you?" the Priest asks while towering over the girl with a trickle of blood from her mouth. "Even though Nee-san said not to kill you, I can still do whatever I want to you if it means I can put you in your place!"

Issei's irises contract when he witnesses Freed use his firearm to unbutton Asia's dress, revealing her white bra and making the blonde girl squeak in fear.

And seeing Freed drag his tongue around his lips clockwise was enough for Issei to take action. Taking advantage of the opening, Issei runs towards Freed and slams his left fist into his gut, forcing the Priest off of Asia before Issei follows it up with a right hook to his nose, sending Freed slamming into the wall next to the window.

After sliding down the wall to land on his butt, Freed guides his hand towards his nose, and his brows raise when he learned that it was bleeding. This riled up Freed as he looked back up at Issei, but his eyes widen when he sees that his rage was greater than his own.

"You're not touching her again, you psychopath!"

Freed was a little taken back by the sudden venom in Issei's voice, but ended up laughing while wiping his nose with his sleeve.

"Lucky shot~ you took advantage of me trying to punish that stupid nun!" Freed grunts before getting up off the floor. "Even if you are a skilled fighter, why do you even care? You're just a stranger that guided the fragile thing to the church."

"… You've just answered your own question…" Issei whispers with only Asia hearing him since she's closer to him than Freed. "I'm responsible for the predicament Asia's in because I lacked the judgment to know that someone as evil as you would reside in that church." Pausing for a moment, Issei tightly clenches his left fist and raises his voice. "And now, I'm going to correct my mistake and get Asia away from you!"

"Issei-san…"

Asia stares at Issei as he took a protective stance in front of her while Freed sneers at the action.

"I don't know what makes you think you can just snatch her away, but if you're looking to die slower…" Freed reactivates his light sword while spinning his pistol. "Then I'd be happy to accommodate you!"

Hearing his heart thumping loudly in his chest, Issei steels himself for another battle, making sure to pay attention to Freed's firearm the most while also checking the Priest's other movements.

But before the fight could commence, Issei, Asia, and Freed noticed a shining blue light appearing on the middle of the floor. Observing it further, Issei's eyes widen when he saw a familiar circle slowly spinning.

'That circle… it's the same one as on that flier that girl working with Gremory-senpai gave me…'

The only difference he saw in it, other than that the circle was blue instead of red, was the marking in the middle of the circle. He remembered exactly what the red circle on the flier looked like to know that the marking he saw on the glowing blue circle was different from the red one.

The circle shined and spun for a few more seconds before it gleamed brighter. It took more time for that light to die down, but when it did, Issei was shocked to see a certain someone appear in front of him from the blue circle that vanished the moment she arrived.

'R… Reya-san?!'

The girl in question moved her eyes around where she was transported. She notices that the room was quite messed up due to a possible scuffle.

"What happened here?"

"Greetings and salutations, Devil bitch!" Reya snaps her head towards Freed when he spoke to her before her eyes narrow at him with caution, figuring out who he is just by looking at his clothing. "If you're looking for your summoner, then I regret to inform you that the pact has been canceled~"

Reya watches Freed point his light somewhere, prompting her to look over there. Once she did, she gasps with contracted irises when she saw the corpse of her summoner stapled on the wall. Her expression goes from horror to fury as she looked back at the grinning Freed.

"And you have the gall to call yourself a righteous Priest!" Reya hisses, startling Issei and Asia because of how angry she is.

Freed cackles like a maniac before pointing his sword at Reya.

"Is a shitty Devil seriously trying to criticize me?! How disgusting!"

Reya scoffs at Freed.

"You've lost your right to say what's revolting the moment you've committed murder, Stray Exorcist!"

Issei blinks twice at what Reya has called Freed.

'Stray Exorcist?' Issei wondered, recalling that the term Stray was also used by Kalawarner when she addressed the monstrous Devil before she slayed her.

"HA! And you have that right?!" Freed snaps with a frown and psychopathic stare. "Who are you to talk about reasons when you and the rest of your kind are just a bunch of bloodsucking shitbags?!"

"Even Devils have rules, monster!"

Freed laughs even harder at what he's been called. This got Issei worried even further for his friend since he appears to be crazier than before.

"Reya-san!"

Reya's eyes broaden before she turns around to see a familiar face while Freed tilted his head in curiosity.

"Issei-kun?! Why are you here?!"

Issei was about to try to explain his side of the situation but was interrupted by a whistling Freed.

"Now this is an interesting development~! That boy with the red gauntlet is friends with a shitty Devil?" Freed snickers before spinning his gun twice and aiming for Issei. "Looks like I got a new reason to have his brains splatter all over the floor!"

Issei grunts before taking a boxer's stance to fight.

"Try me, you-"

"… Kill Issei-kun..?"

Issei and Asia blink when they heard Reya talk in a low voice. Upon looking at her, they tense up when they see her leak a dark aura that Issei found to be a bit familiar.

"Uh… Reya-san?"

"Oooooooh, the Devil's getting riled up~," Freed says. "What, do you actually care about that blasphemous human?"

Reya didn't answer either of the boys. Her bangs hid her eyes as she developed blue demonic power in both of her hands before aiming both of them at Freed.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Freed shouts in excitement with his tongue sticking out. "Come on, bitch! Show me what you love~! Not that it'll matter much, since I'll still be fast enough to slice you and your human boy toy to pieces, ALONG WITH THE REST OF YOU SHITTY-"

BOOM!

Freed was immediately silenced when a shot of demonic power struck him in the face. He nearly fell from Reya's attack and has just re-balanced himself so he can try to counter. But before he could make a move, much less shoot at her, he was met with another offensive attack of her demonic power.

And Freed kept getting hit with shot after shot. Another in the face, one in the stomach, and two shots in each arm. And the attacks just kept coming, not giving Freed any breathing room to dodge or even block.

Issei's face paled as he kept watching Reya keep shooting Freed with her demonic power while Asia was bewildered at the girl.

Reya kept hurting Freed for one more solid minute before finally calming down with ragged breath and eyes fueled with rage, a sight that Issei was able to get a glimpse at beady white eyes.

'Holy crap… this fury… that is not like her!'

As the dust caused by Reya's assault cleared up, Issei and Asia saw that Freed was knocked out cold. Issei could've sworn that all of those attacks would've killed him, but he could hear the faint sound of breathing from the Priest, proving that he's still alive.

Issei was about to approach Reya and see if she's okay, but before he could, he felt his right hand tense up, as if to warn him that it has become too dangerous to stick around in this house.

Reya seemed to have a similar reaction, but not in any of her hands. Using her abilities as a Devil, she was able to sense an enemy presence coming from outside of the house.

"Fallen Angels!" Reya announces before getting out her phone and looking at her friend, who was surprised by the identity of the newcomers. "Issei-kun, leave this area now! I'm going to contact Kaichou so we Devils can get all of this taken care of!"

"You don't need to tell me that twice," Issei replies before going to Asia and offering her a hand. "Come on! We're out of here!"

Asia and Reya gasp at his choice of words.

"What are you thinking now, Issei-kun?! That nun is allied with that Stray Exorcist and most likely the Fallen Angels that will appear here at any moment!"

"No, she's not!" Issei counters. "I've seen their interactions long enough to know that Asia's being dragged through all of this against her will! There's no way I'm leaving her here!"

Reya was taken back by his explanation, but her expression went back to being serious.

"Even if that's the case, what will stop them from going after you to retrieve her?! For all we know, they could be the same Fallen Angels that tried to kill you!"

Issei's eyes narrow towards the ground. She had a point. If those Fallen Angels were the same dangerous ones he's encountered before, then it was highly likely they'll also take this chance to finish the job during their search for the nun.

But when his eyes shifted over to Asia, he trembled when he witnessed her continue to cry while mourning the death of Reya's contractor. And that furthered his final decision.

"… I'm sorry, but I'm taking Asia. I won't let her suffer anymore!"

Reya grits her teeth before getting closer to Issei.

"Issei-kun! Are you asking to die for real?! Why are you making it sound like the Fallen Angels will kill her?! They have no reason to do that!"

"Maybe not, but if her sticking around with those Fallen Angels means that Asia has to be forced to look at the same horrors as this," Issei motions his head towards the dead body. "Then I won't allow them to take her and make her use her healing power for evil!"

Reya's eyes broaden. Asia's ability to heal was why Freed and the Fallen Angels wanted her? But regardless, she still wouldn't allow Issei to take Asia away from this house.

Before she could say something else, Reya saw Asia latch onto Issei's arm, whose eyes broaden at the sudden action.

"Issei-san…" the nun utters before looking up at him with more tears rolling from her eyes. "Please… take me away from here! I can't take being around them anymore!"

Issei and Reya gasped as they saw how much Asia was hurting. This got Reya to wonder how deep the situation between the nun and the Fallen Angels arriving here is.

But before she could ponder it further, Reya noticed Issei taking Asia's hand in his right and they both took off.

"I leave the rest to you and the others, Reya-san!"

"Issei-kun, wait!"

Reya tried to reason with him further, but Issei already took off from the premise with Asia in tow. As she watched him and the nun from a window get farther and farther, Reya's body shook like mad as she dreaded what was going to happen to Issei because of his choices. She understood that he believed that he was doing what was right after what he's explained to her, but due to the circumstances he and to some degree herself doesn't realize yet, Reya can't help but think of the worst.

Grunting, Reya immediately got to contacting Sona to tell her what has transpired. While she was, she hoped that Issei would survive tonight since she knows that he's just painted an even bigger target on his back.

With Issei and Asia, the two ran for quite some time until they stopped so the latter can catch her breath. Looking back, Issei notes that they've gotten far to the point that the house can no longer be seen. But whether or not the Fallen Angels Reya spoke of will be on their trail, he's unsure.

For now, Issei will have faith in Reya and the Devils that work for Sona will have the situation under control.

"U-Um…" Issei turns his head back when he felt Asia tug at his hoodie's sleeve. "I… I'm so sorry, Issei-san. I've gotten you into so much trouble."

"Hey, don't say that," Issei tells her while placing his hands on her shoulders in assurance, making the blonde blush at the gentle gesture. "I chose to risk my life to get you away from that evil excuse for a Priest. Besides, it's mostly my fault you're in this situation isn't it?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Issei breathes deep while scratching the back of his head.

"That Freed guy, he was in that church that I took you to the first time we met, wasn't he?"

Asia looked up in thought before answering.

"Well, no. But I did meet him shortly before what happened back in that house."

"Tch!" 'Figures.'

Asia looks at Issei and sees his expression develop into frustration.

"Issei-san?"

"I really need to start trusting my instincts more!" he whispers to himself before looking back at Asia. "Please tell me, Asia. Was there anyone else at all that was in that church during the time I brought you there? Anyone at all?"

Asia blinks at Issei before her expression turned frightful, making Issei worry for her more.

"I wouldn't dive into that topic if I were you."

Issei's eyes widen when he hears a different voice behind him, turning around, his right hand flinches when he sees a blue-eyed blonde girl with her hair styled into twin tails wearing a Gothic attire, consisting of a black dress with white frills, a large black bow on the front, a green jewel embedded on the collar, white thigh-high socks, black shoes, and a large black bow on top of her hair.

Since his right hand kept shaking at this new girl's presence, he assumed that she wasn't human and immediately got in front of Asia.

"I take it you're a Fallen Angel."

the blonde girl laughs with a hand over her mouth before slitting her eyes at Issei.

"You're pretty sharp for a human, aren't ya?" she chirps before tapping her foot on the ground. "And now that I got a good look at ya, aren't you supposed to be dead?"

Issei almost freaked out but was able to remain calm with only his brows raising.

'So that means she's involved with Dohnaseek and Amano-san,' Issei ponder before his frown got bigger. 'Or I guess I should call her Raynare.'

"Normally, I would kill you right here and right now," the blonde Fallen Angel says, making Issei more alert and Asia afraid. "However, I'd rather let her clean up her own mess than always have others do it for her since she thinks she's so good at everything, the petty bitch!"

Issei tilted his head at the blonde Fallen Angel as the latter went on a rant for a moment before she calmed herself and brushed a strand of her hair with a hand.

"Because of this, how about I cut you a deal, human?" The Fallen Angel offers in an upbeat voice. "Hand over that nun behind ya, and I'll maybe consider pretending I never saw you? Sound good~?"

Issei was very cautious. After what he's learned a minute ago, he has little reason to trust this blonde Fallen Angel.

"Why? What do you even want with Asia, anyway?"

The blonde Fallen Angel giggles with closed eyes.

"That's for me to know, and for you to never find out," she states before her face turns serious as a bright pink light appears below her right hand. "That is if you want to live another day."

Issei observed the light and saw that the Fallen Angel has made herself a spear. It was the same color as Raynare's, but a much lighter pink.

"Well, judging by that attitude, I'll bet it's something that doesn't benefit Asia at all."

"Heh! Aren't you a smart ass," the blonde Fallen Angel asks. "You barely know that nun, and yet you still want to get in my way?"

"It's the other way around," Issei talks back. "It is you who's gotten in my way. I won't let Asia suffer by you and your group anymore!"

The blonde Fallen Angel's eyes widen at Issei for a moment before her head leans forward, covering her eyes. She remained silent for a few seconds before her lips formed into a grin and she started to snicker. Those snickers later turned into titters before they evolved into full-blown laughter.

"So you're a comedian too, eh?! I mean listen to yourself! You, a human, are implying that you're gonna protect that girl from those who are stronger than you! Not even that toy in your left arm will give you the leverage to win against the likes of me!"

The fingers on Issei's left hand twitch as the Fallen Angel kept laughing at him while Asia looked between the two, unsure of how this is going to go down.

"Well… I guess I'll have to accept those odds."

"Issei-san, no!"

The blonde Fallen Angel gives Issei a weird look before glaring and sprouting her wings.

"Pity, I actually was thinking about letting you run free. But if you're gonna keep spewing that kind of shit, then you leave me no other choice." The goth girl tilts her head right to address Asia. "Better cover your eyes. This is gonna get pretty graphic."

Issei's eyes narrow at the blonde Fallen Angel.

'Okay, Boosted Gear, I'm gonna need some of your power now. Boost me up!'

{Boost!}

Asia and the Fallen Angel's eyes widen when they hear Issei's Sacred Gear make that call followed by the green gem shining in sync.

Issei looks at the phenomenon in his gauntlet before his eyes broaden.

'I can feel it! My strength has been doubled, just like Ddraig said it would!'

The Fallen Angel kept her eyes on the red gauntlet before snickering.

"You really are trying to fight, huh? Go ahead, your funeral!"

With her pink spear ready and her wings spread, she charges for Issei, who did the same with his Boosted Gear guarding his chest.

As the two got closer to each other, the Fallen Angel's grin widens before she suddenly vanishes from Issei's sight.

'She's fast!' Issei turned around to block whatever surprise attack the Fallen Angel had ready to follow that maneuver she did, but he didn't see her where he looked.

This got Issei panicking as he kept scanning his surroundings for the Fallen Angel. He kept shifting his Boosted Gear embedded arm up and down in case she planned on throwing her light spear from afar or go for a shank because of her speed.

"Yoo-hoo~!"

Issei jumped and quickly spun to the source of his opponent's voice only for him to become shell-shocked when she saw the Fallen Angel with an arm around Asia's waist.

"Issei-san!"

"Asia!"

The Fallen Angel laughs at Issei while flipping her spear around.

"Sike~! Like I'd want to get my cute dress dirtied by a human. And even if I didn't mind, we're on a tight schedule for little miss Asia~"

Issei growls at the Fallen Angel before rushing towards her, but she stopped him by throwing her spear, impaling it to the ground mere inches in front of his feet, which caused him to yelp and almost fall.

"Welp, see ya later, human!" the blonde Fallen Angel says. "And may you always remember this as the day you've been bamboozled by the greatest Fallen Angel in existence: Mittelt-chan~!"

As she stuck her tongue out at Issei, the Fallen Angel summons a bright purple magic circle beneath her feet, making Asia scared and Issei's eyes go wide.

"No! Asia!"

Issei runs past Mittelt's spear and goes full speed to reach for Asia.

"Issei-san!"

Asia reaches her hand for Issei, with the latter doing the same as he was able to get closer to her. But before their fingers could even connect, Mittelt has just teleported with Asia in tow, resulting in Issei falling to the ground on his hands and knees.

And that was it. Asia is gone, taken by the Fallen Angel that had dark intentions for her. That thought played in Issei's mind on loop as his irises expand and shrunk numerous times. He could hear his own heartbeat as his hands shook, knowing how he has failed to keep his new friend safe.

"DAMMIT!"

Snapping, Issei punches the ground with his left fist, leaving a small dent in it while the gem on his Boosted Gear mildly glowed green. He kept panting violently as he manages to get up on his shaky feet.

His shaky eyes remained on the dent he created with his punch. He kept thinking about Asia and her kindness from when he first met her to the night she was able to stand up against Freed about their beliefs. Issei believed that Asia didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve to go through this torture.

"… Not yet…" he whispers to himself, knowing where exactly Mittelt has taken Asia.

And with that in mind, Issei began to march toward his next destination with his left hand clenched tightly.

'Hang on, Asia, I'm not giving up on you yet.'

But as he took one more step, he felt someone grab his right wrist firmly. Feeling irritated, he turns around to see who it was, prepared to punch them if they too were an enemy, only to stop when he saw who it was.

It was Rias Gremory who stopped him, and she wasn't alone. Behind the third-year, there was also Akeno, Yuuto, and Koneko, all of whom were looking right at him with mixed reactions. Yuuto and Koneko kept their eyes on Issei's gauntlet while Akeno was able to get a good look at Issei's face, seeing the range of emotions he's going through right now.

"… What are you all doing here?" Issei broke the silence, with the Devils able to tell from his tone that he was agitated.

"Don't even think about looking for that nun," Rias warns with a serious stare.

"Why do you care?" Issei asks. "What I do is none of your business."

"I'm sorry, Ise, but if your actions mean that more attention will be brought onto you, then I have no choice but to get involved."

Issei rolls his eyes.

"You make it sound like that I'm bound to you like a slave."

"That is not it at all!" Rias snaps. "We are trying to prevent any casualties from all people! And if the Fallen Angels are the ones actively causing trouble, with you being next, then the Devils will have to take action!"

Issei was silent for ten seconds before his mouth opened, not bothering to make eye contact with Rias.

"Like I said, it's none of your business. My choices are my own to make. And not you, your servants, nor any Devil, Fallen Angel, or any other supernatural entity can decide who I'm allied or even acquainted with!" Issei forces his arm out of Rias' grasp with a strong tug before immediately walking. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got someone to rescue."

Rias' eyes widen before narrowing them with her breath shivering.

"Ise, please! You have to forget about that nun!"

Issei stops walking and slowly turns his head around to look at Rias.

"I'm sorry?"

The Gremory Devils saw the suddenly developed anger in his eyes, making Rias flinch a bit. But she remained strong as she continued to speak.

"Look, I understand where you're coming from, I truly do, but it's not that simple! There's still a lot more of this situation to know about before action should be taken."

"What else is there to know?! Asia is already suffering from not only that murderous Priest back there but from the Fallen Angels that have bad intentions for her! That's more than enough reason for me to intervene!"

"That is not for you to decide!" Rias shouts before regaining her composure and narrowing her eyes at Issei. "And speaking of Fallen Angels, I've also heard that you've started associating with one."

Issei's expression didn't change, but the fingers of his right hand twitched ever so slightly.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm saying," Rias replies. "I've gotten word from my Familiar that you've actually talked to a Fallen Angel and actually allowed her to do what she did last night. What was her name again? Ah, that's right. Kalawarner."

Issei's teeth clenched together. He tried to remain calm and not say anything that could get too hostile. And hey, at least he knows how Rias watches over his hometown since he researched about Familiars too.

"Fine, you got me, I've interacted with a Fallen Angel in a calm manner, but unlike the others, Kalawarner-san is friendly."

Rias rose a brow at Issei while Akeno's hand shivered a little at the last part he said.

"And how do you know for sure?" Rias questions. "She could have deceived you the moment you first encountered her. And who knows, maybe she's allied with the Fallen Angel that tried to kill you."

"I think I know better when I say that this is not the case. If Kalawarner-san really was dangerous, she would've gutted me at any moment we've met!"

"What if she wanted to at a later time?! You can't trust the Fallen Angels, Ise! Think about what the one who called herself Yuuma Amano did to you! That Kalawarner could as well do the same! Can you really trust her?!"

"MAYBE I TRUST THAT FALLEN ANGEL WITH MY LIFE MORE THAN I TRUST YOU DEVILS!"

This shocked Rias into silence. All of the rage that was in Issei's words as he roared them at the top of his lungs, this wasn't like someone who's usually gentle and timid.

But the most gobsmacked out of all the Gremory Devils was Akeno. The moment Issei declared his trust in a Fallen Angel, her eyes were wide, her breathing sped up a little, and she could almost hear her heartbeat in her chest.

"I have better judgment than all of you to know that Kalawarner-san is not evil! She protected me from that other Fallen Angel and didn't bother to finish me off in my sleep! She saved me from a monster that she called a Stray Devil and allowed me to walk free! And I'm not sure if your Familiar mentioned this, but she also helped a classmate of mine get home safely instead of killing her in a sort of 'no witnesses' rule! Kalawarner-san saved my life twice and never asked for anything in return! SHE DIDN'T EVEN REQUEST ME TO SERVE HER!"

The Gremory Devils were unable to respond. The sincere, but genuine anger in Issei's words and voice were so strong that they couldn't even think of a counterargument. Could all that Issei has shouted really be true?

"…Gremory-senpai… I believe that not all Devils are bad… Genshiro and Reya-san are my prime examples of that…" Issei pauses to lift his head up at Rias to give her a glare. "So why can't I have the same mindset with Fallen Angels, huh?! Who's to say that someone is not to be trusted just because of their race and origin?! Maybe that's why you, the Fallen Angels, and the pure Angels are at war! It's because they either don't understand each other and don't want to, or your higher-ups as well as the higher-ups of the other two factions are so desperate to spill more blood that they're willing to see and manipulate the truth of the tiniest detail so they can start increasing the body count of their enemies!"

That speech cut deep in Rias and Akeno for different reasons. Rias, because of how he felt about the three-way war, and Akeno, for how he currently sees the Fallen Angels.

"I… Ise… I just… don't want you to be a target-"

"A target?! News flash, senpai!" Issei shoves his Boosted Gear in Rias' face. "I already am a target! I've been a target ever since the almighty God himself decided that I should be born with this weapon, in case you haven't noticed! Not just by the Fallen Angels, but by YOU AS WELL!" Issei breathed heavily from the adrenaline-fueled snap before snarling and looking away from Rias. "If you Devils really care about peace, then actually be willing to act in order to ensure that nobody dies. That's what Kalawarner-san did for me and my classmate, and she was your 'enemy'. What did you do when this 'Yuuma Amano' stabbed me if you knew she was stalking me the whole time?"

Rias' eyes went wide. That one question he asked her got her heart to sink very low.

Issei turns around and stomps his way home. While he was, he says one last thing.

"Even if God himself wanted me to forget about Asia, I'm not going to do that. Never!"

Issei spat the last word out with venom as he got farther and farther away from the Gremory Devils.

As she watched, Rias thought about everything Issei has said. Her eyes remained full of shock before they softened and glinted as she recalled each and every word he spoke regarding not just the current situation, but the three-way war in general.

Yuuto and Koneko wanted to say something to Rias, but from what they can observe, they can understand that their master has a lot on her mind right now and remained silent for now.

As for Akeno, although her eyes were now hidden by her bangs, her sight never left where Issei once was.

Issei made it home with a deep sigh, having deactivated his Boosted Gear during his walk.

"Hey, welcome home, champ!" Gorou greets with a smile. "So, how's the workout been?" The father looks at Issei and sees that he was in another world. "Issei?"

Gorou's son snaps from his thoughts before snapping his head to him.

"O-Oh! Hey, dad! Sorry, I was thinking about something."

Gorou blinked at his son twice before giving him a small smile.

"Don't worry, I understand. Becoming a fighter isn't as easy as it sounds, isn't it?"

Issei rose a brow at him before sighing and scratching the back of his head.

"I… guess you can say that."

Gorou laughs kindly before patting Issei on the back.

"Well, there's no need to stress about it son. You can't expect immediate results on your first day. Now come on, your mother's got dinner ready."

Issei blinks at his father twice before nodding with a small smile.

"Yeah."

As soon as he finished his meal, Issei went up to his room and sat in the middle of his bed with Midnight on his lap. He had his hands on his cheeks with a deep pondering expression, shifting his eyes towards his window every three seconds as he planned on heading back out that way to rescue Asia from the Fallen Angels' clutches.

Every now and then, he would make a slight movement for the window, only to stop himself and look back down at the floor. The more often he'd do this, the more frustrated his face would morph, and Midnight can tell that he was going through something right now.

'What am I doing?! Asia is in danger, and here I am still sitting there!'

Issei tries to get his cat off his lap and go for the window, but he just freezes up. He sees his right leg shake as if it's sticking itself on the floor to prevent the movement.

'Dammit… Dammit! Am I really gonna be like this?! Who knows what's happening to Asia right now?! Why can't I just stand up and get out from the window and find her?! I said that I'd help her, so why am I hesitating?!'

Although he kept asking himself that same question, he knew deep down what the real reason was.

Issei was afraid. He never got into a single fight in his life besides his one scuffle with the man Reya called a Stray Exorcist, and he most definitely didn't have enough experience to win one. He even wanted to just train and get himself stronger, but with every day Asia is with the evil Fallen Angels and Freed, he knows that she's suffering even more, making him want to save her even more than to train.

'What am I gonna do..? What am I gonna do?!'

TAP TAP TAP!

Issei and Midnight were caught off guard when they heard Issei's window get gently knocked on. When the cat saw who it was, she meowed loudly and leaped off Issei's lap before skidding and running under his bed to hide.

"Midnight, what's wrong?!" Issei checked on his cat real quick and saw that she was doing her best to remain hidden behind the manga under his bed. When he checked to see what it was that got Midnight spooked, he did a double-take when he saw a familiar face. "K… Kalawarner-san?!"

The Fallen Angel in question waved at Issei with a gentle smile as she flew from outside.

"Can I come in?"

Issei was able to hear what she said on the other side and contemplated it for a moment. Making up his mind, he checks his bedroom door behind him before swallowing a lump and approaches his window, slowly undoing the locks in case one of his parents were walking by his room.

Issei opens his window for Kalawarner to enter. Getting her butt to sit on the edge, she retracts her wings to make room so she can mount her way through without her shoes touching the ground and plops right onto his bed.

"Phew! What a soft bed! Feels way better than what I'm sleeping on~" Kalawarner giggles before looking at Issei with her feet still in the air. "Sorry for wanting to visit you this way since I still got my heels on."

Issei sweat dropped at Kalawarner.

"I-It's okay. Just take them off and set them beside the bed."

Kalawarner nods before doing just that. Kicking her right foot up before crossing her legs, she then pats the spot of the bed next to her, inviting Issei to sit next to her.

"I… think I'm fine standing."

Kalawarner pouts at Issei.

"Come on, I won't bite. Besides, you'll be easily protected in case there's a sniper Fallen Angel."

Issei tilts his head at her before sighing.

"I guess I can't argue with that, given that I've been hunted for almost two weeks now."

Slowly, Issei walks over to the bed and sits on the spot next to Kalawarner. As soon as his butt landed, she wraps an arm around Issei's waist and pulls him in closer.

"There we go~!" Kalawarner snickers while Issei's head bumps into her breast. "Nice and comfy right?"

Issei's face heats up when he felt Kalawarner's hand rub his leg and her foot poke at his ankles.

"Um… S-So… why are you here, anyway?"

Settling down, Kalawarner gave him her response while not letting him go.

"I'll cut right to the chase: Asia Argento is away from the enemy's custody and is alright."

Issei's eyes broaden at the information before he lifts his head up at Kalawarner.

"R-R-Really?! How?! When?!"

"Ufufufufu~ I have my ways. Right now, she's resting somewhere in the town where not even Raynare and her group know where."

Issei's eyes glint before he sighs deeply with his hands on his face.

"Thank goodness." Issei takes a few more breaths before looking back at Kalawarner. "But… why are you telling me this?"

Kalawarner's lips form a small smile as her hold on Issei tightens a bit.

"Because I have a favor to ask of you, Issei-kun."

"A favor?"

Kalawarner nods before explaining further.

"When morning comes, I want you to watch over Asia until I complete my other missions. I should be finished until the late evening."

Issei's eyes widen at the favor, but eventually, they soften before he sets his stare on the floor.

"Issei-kun?"

"… I don't get it… Why me?"

"Huh?"

Issei was silent for ten seconds before speaking up again.

"I mean… look at me, Kalawarner-san. Do I look like someone who can be intimidating at all?"

Kalawarner tilted her head.

"Well, you've got your Sacred Gear. It has been helpful to you, hasn't it?"

Issei looks over his left arm.

"Even if it is as powerful as he says, it's still up to how it's used. And me..? Heh, I'm still inexperienced in fighting." Issei's lip trembled and his hands balled into fists. "And here I was minutes ago… boldly declaring that I would go and save Asia, even though I found myself hesitating to follow through. I want to help her, I really do, it's just that… I'm scared. I'm so damn scared!" Issei's right hand opens for him to look at the mark on his palm. "And it sounds so stupid! I technically already died once, and here I am still fearing death! I already know what the dangers are, and I know that I have to fight, so why?! Why can't I stop being so full of fear?!"

Issei was going to keep on ranting with tears finally rolling down his cheeks, but before he could, his head was caught by Kalawarner and was propped right into her bosoms, shocking the young man.

"You poor thing. You really had to go through a lot, didn't you?" Issei's cheeks turned redder as Kalawarner kept his head in her cleavage while gently stroking his hair. "It's okay. Everyone is afraid when they first start fighting. There's no shame in acknowledging your weaknesses. The best we can do is to keep pushing forward, strengthen those weaknesses, and make the best of things."

Issei looked up at Kalawarner as she continued to comfort him. As he remained in her embrace, he started to feel a sense of tranquility that was able to calm him down and steady his mental state.

"… Kalawarner-san?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I can… overcome my fears?"

"Of course you can," she assures him with two pats on the back of his head. "All you have to do is trust yourself and not give up. And whenever you fall back down the slippery slope, you have your friends to pick yourself back up, and I'm one of them."

Issei's irises contract a bit. He never thought of the idea, but after what she's done, Issei didn't mind having Kalawarner as a friend. She proved to him that she was a good person despite being part of a faction that not only harmed Issei but are also responsible for the hell Asia is going through.

Issei's lips curl upwards, feeling quite better after the quick pep talk Kalawarner gave him. Breathing softly through his nose, he then tries to move to get himself more comfortable, but Kalawarner was still holding onto him.

The moment he noticed that this was the case was also the moment he realized where his head was still is, making his cheeks turn redder than before.

"Uh… Kalawarner-san… you can let go now."

Kalawarner giggles with a warm blush of her own.

"You sure?" she asks as she moves his head lightly left and right in her boobs. "Don't you want to stay like this for a little longer~?"

Issei's heart skips a beat at the sensual tone in the Fallen Angel's voice but quickly shook his head away from any dirty thoughts.

"N-N-No! I'm okay now, really!"

Kalawarner cooed at the reactions she received, but she conceded and allowed his head to be free, to which Issei took that moment to give himself a little space while placing a hand on his own cheek.

"R-Right, anyway," Issei began. "Where do we go from here?"

Kalawarner crosses her legs the other way before going into detail.

"Okay, I've got someone on the inside watching over her while I'm here with you, so first thing in the morning, I'll have you meet Asia at a destination I'll write down for you right now." Kalawarner produces a pen and flashcard from her trench coat's pocket before writing down the location. "Here."

Issei takes the card from Kalawarner to see what she's written. Reading it, he nods before placing it next to his alarm clock, setting the timer for exactly as the card says.

"Okay. All set."

"Good," Kalawarner says while tucking her hair behind her ear. "Now then, I think it's time we get ready for bed. Gotta get up early for the mission, after all."

"Eh?" A question mark pops from Issei's head as he tilted his head. "We?"

Kalawarner titters with closed eyes and a hand covering her mouth.

"Yes, we. After thinking about it during my visit, I've decided that I'm going to sleep with you."

Issei had to block his mouth with both of his hands to prevent a bewildered shout from getting in the ears of his parents.

"Wh-Wh-What?! N-No no no no! That's alright! I'll be fine."

"That won't do," Kalawarner says while getting on the bed on her hands and knees. "After your encounter with the Stray Exorcist, there may be a big chance that the Fallen Angels he's working with will now take the assassination approach at your own home, therefore, I'm sleeping over."

Issei's cheeks burn red as Kalawarner crawled closer to him, who smiled when she saw him in such a flustered state.

"Don't worry, Issei-kun, I'll hold you tight as if you were my baby boy~"

"B-B-Baby boy?!"

With her eyes slit and her smile wide, Kalawarner unbuttons her coat and pulls it open. Issei's entire face turns steaming red as he saw her naked breasts bounce free from the restraints of the coat before covering his eyes with his fingers. He tried his best not to stare, but he found himself lightly moving his fingers to look at Kalawarner's face with his eyes shifting towards her pink nipples every few seconds while she tossed her coat on the floor.

Kalawarner giggled at this, finding his resistance to stare at her boobs to be very cute. Wanting more of those reactions, she tilts her head at him to reveal her obscured eye and starts to rhythmically push her breasts together, causing Issei's breath to shiver.

"Don't be ashamed, Issei-kun," Kalawarner says seductively while she reached for her skirt with one hand. "As long as it's you, I don't mind giving you a quick show if it will help you feel at ease~"

Kalawarner grabs her skirt and pulls it down. Issei's ears start to fume steam as he saw that she also got her black panties in her grasp as well, giving him a view of her perfectly round butt. Dropping her skirt and panties, Kalawarner crawls closer to Issei, who was still covering his eyes with his hand despite him still peeking from his fingers.

'This… This is crazy… having a woman strip in front of me… It almost feels like a dream!'

The Fallen Angel's wings began to slowly emerge from her back as she grabs Issei's face by the cheeks, releasing another coo as she watches Issei's will to avoid staring at her nude body dwindle with every passing second.

"K… Kalawarner-san…"

"Shhhhhhhhhhhh… Just relax and cuddle with me, baby boy~"

Before Issei could muster up a response, Kalawarner gives him a toothy grin and hugs his head deep into her breasts before wrapping him in her wings, blocking the view of him and herself. With the wings wrapped like a cocoon, a constant line of red hearts began popping out from above the opening of the wings while Issei was yelping from the skin contact and Kalawarner laughed joyfully.

While all of this was happening, Midnight glanced upwards from underneath Issei's bed, growling quietly as her claws ground against the floor.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Click!

With a tired hand, Issei shuts off his alarm and slowly opens his eyes. He yawns and stretches while sitting up straight to get ready for another day out, especially to do that favor Kalawarner asked him to do.

Speaking of whom, Issei checks his left side to see if she was still in bed with him but saw that there was no sign of her. He looked around for a bit before he caught the sight of something next to his alarm clock. It was another note card placed on top of the one that had the location Kalawarner written down for him.

Picking it up and having a look at this new card, it read the following:

Got up earlier to take care of some business. I leave Asia in your care.

Remember to have faith in yourself.

Kalawarner.

Issei's eyes broaden when he saw a kiss mark planted next to the woman's name, making him sigh with a sweat drop. He was flattered that she likes him and is glad to be friends with her, but after last night, he also found her to be a bit of a handful.

Issei then felt his leg get poked and looked down to see his cat looking up at him.

"Oh, good morning, Midnight." The cat didn't meow at him. She just kept staring at him with narrowed eyes, making Issei laugh awkwardly while scratching his cheek. "Oh… sorry about her, I really didn't expect her to sleep over. But she's friendly, I promise."

Midnight's eyes slit further before she walks off towards the door, prompting Issei to open it for her so he can allow her to have some breakfast. Issei then walks back for the card that had the location Kalawarner told him to find Asia and collects it.

He was about to walk out of his room to brush his teeth, but before he could, he noticed something and walked over to his mirror. Standing in front of it, his eyes widen with a blush to see that his face was covered in kiss marks, only to end up chuckling when he remembered that this was from last night when Kalawarner was smothering him before they finally fell asleep.

"Ha ha… I should probably wash up."

Issei was now out of the house. After doing a bit of training and workouts for five minutes, he made it a top priority to find Asia and jogged off to the part of town where Kalawarner wrote, wearing a navy blue shirt and caramel-colored short pants.

"Well, this is the area," Issei whispered to himself while double-checking his card.

Observing his surroundings, he found a burger joint, an arcade, and other shops that sold certain items. And after looking around for a bit longer, he still found no sign of Asia. He waited for almost an hour, and he still didn't see her.

"I really hope it's Asia taking a long to get here instead of something bad…" Issei's expression gets a little grim, starting to fear that the latter possibility may have happened. "I can't back out now. I've gotten this far, and I won't abandon Asia. I promised myself this!"

"Issei-san?"

When he heard his name get called out by a familiar voice, Issei's eyes widened before he slowly turned around to see who it was.

"Asia?"

The blonde nun in question stared at Issei in surprise before her eyes fluttered and rushed him with a smile.

"You actually came, just like she said she would!"

Asia latches onto Issei in a tight hug with Issei returning it, glad that she was able to make it.

"It's good to see you again, Asia."

"Yes. It's a real blessing for us to meet again."

The two remained embraced for a little longer before they let go while they both smiled at each other.

"So, Asia, were you able to make it here on your own, or…"

"I was able to get here without an escort if that's what you mean, but I figured out where to go thanks to Kalawarner-sama."

Issei nods, knowing firsthand that Kalawarner has helped Asia escape from the enemy Fallen Angel's grasp.

"So, Issei-san, since we're here now, is there anything you want to do now?"

Issei's eyes broaden before they soften.

"Honestly, I was wondering what you'd want to do."

Asia wasn't quite sure what to say. For all of her life, she rarely ever got to make her own decisions, so she never thought about what she'd like to do as much as Issei has now that they're together for the latter to protect.

While she was thinking about this, Asia jumps when she and Issei hear her stomach growl, causing the nun to blush in embarrassment and Issei to chuckle kindly.

"Well, I think I know the first thing we should do."

Asia looks back up at Issei and sees him point a thumb at the fast food restaurant behind him.

"Issei-san, you don't have to do that for me."

"Don't worry, I don't mind," Issei assures her. "I've got plenty of money."

Asia shifts her eyes away from Issei in thought, but when her stomach started growling again, her blush deepens before she nods at Issei, accepting his offer of buying lunch.

After Issei ordered the food and found a spot to sit, Asia already felt conflicted about how to consume her meal, which consisted of a burger and fries.

"Um… are there any forks and knives around, Issei-san?"

Issei chuckles with Asia.

"For this particular food, we can eat it with our hands like this," Issei explains while showing her by holding his burger properly.

"Really?! That's how you do it?!"

Issei nods while his eyes softened on her, gaining the impression that even before the Fallen Angels and Freed got to her, she lived quite a sheltered life.

"In that case, I better wash my hands before I eat."

Issei watches Asia take out a bottle of holy water from her bag.

"Here," Issei stops her by presenting her with something else to use. "People use wet wipes to clean their hands in these places."

"Ah, I see."

Asia takes the wipe from Issei and proceeds to wash her hands with it. It took her a few seconds, but she got them clean and presented her palms to Issei with a proud expression.

"Yes, very good," Issei compliments with a smile, gaining one back from Asia.

"And now, I should pray before the meal."

Issei remains silent as he watches Asia do just that. While she was praying, he takes that moment to look at his left arm and slit his eyes.

'I won't let my guard down anymore. I have to steel myself and make sure Asia is kept safe at all costs. I'll even give up my life if I have to!'

"All done," Asia announces, snapping Issei from his thoughts. "Time to eat."

Picking up her burger, Asia takes a bite out of it before her eyes gained stars.

"Wow! This hamburger is very tasty! I had no idea such delicious foods existed."

While he was happy for Asia, Issei still felt bad for the nun, remembering how afraid she first appeared when he first saw her again today.

'I had a feeling that Asia's still not used to being out on the street. And even though Kalawarner-san helped, Asia still looked like she's running away from someone or somewhere.' Issei's eyes shift down at the table before frowning. 'Asia… how much did you go through in your life?'

"Hey, Issei-san, what's that place?"

Issei looks back up at Asia and turns his head to where her finger was pointing.

"Oh, that's an arcade center."

"An arcade center?"

"Yeah. I go over there sometimes to have fun when I'm not in the mood to play the games I have at home." Issei winks at Asia and points a thumb at the place. "You wanna check it out? I promise it's fun."

"Um… Okay, sure."

When the two made it inside after they finished their meals, Asia was taken back by the many machines and the countless amounts of people at the arcade.

"Issei-san… this place looks a little cramped, doesn't it?"

"Well, it is the weekend, Asia. A place like that having this many people can be expected." When he looked at Asia, he saw that she was holding onto his arm because how nervous she was.

Asia noticed Issei looking and gasped before quickly releasing his arm.

"O-Oh! Sorry, Issei-san!" Asia says while blushing. "I don't know what came over me!"

Issei laughs sweetly.

"It's okay, Asia. Is this place scaring you?"

"Well… just a bit."

Issei understood and stuck his arm out to her.

"In that case, you can hold on to me to feel safer."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. It's not a burden to me at all, Asia."

The blonde nun's eyes glint at Issei's kindness before slowly wrapping her arms around his left arm.

With her hanging on, Issei guides Asia through the arcade to see if there are any games she's interested in playing. She found one that was a racer, so with a quick tutorial and a token for a play, Issei watched Asia give the racing game a shot. She was sloppy at first and crashed a decent amount of times, but after getting a good feel for the steering wheel, she was able to catch up to the enemy racers and claim first place for the race, with Issei applauding her for her efforts.

The next game they played was competitive multiplayer Tetris. Asia was able to beat Issei many times in that game since Issei wasn't that good at those types of games where the falling of the pieces gets faster as the game progresses, but he still had fun nonetheless.

After a couple more rounds of Tetris, Issei and Asia walk around the arcade to look for another game. Along the way, Issei saw a cosplay booth where the people there, mostly girls, were showing off the many outfits they were wearing to the audience. Most of the costumes were of magic girls, but he did find some from samurai films and other battle anime.

But because there was a decent amount of suggestive cosplay, Issei sweat drops with pink cheeks.

'Yeah… we should probably steer clear of that.'

Issei then turns his head left to check on Asia, only to see that she was no longer next to him. Looking around, he found her standing close to a crane machine that have plushies as prizes. When he got close to her, he saw that she was staring intently at the yellow mouse plushies.

"Uwah~! Issei-san, this is Ratchu-kun! There are a lot of them."

Issei chuckles, finding Asia's liking for those stuffed animals to be cute.

"Do you want one?"

"Huh?!" Asia was surprised by the offer and started shaking her head rapidly. "N-No! I was just-"

"But don't you like Ratchu-kun?"

Asia stopped blabbering before her face got flustered while poking her fingers together.

"Y-Yes… er, but…"

Before she could say anymore, Asia's eyes broaden when he saw Issei insert a token in the crane machine and began to try and collect at Ratchu-kun.

"It's all about finding the best part of the plush to grab in order to guarantee a victory," Issei says as he finds one with its tail appearing to be easy to grab and not drop.

Taking the odds, Issei goes for that one and presses the button to make the crane drop. He and Asia see the claw grab hold of the Ratchu-kun's tail easily, but Issei was holding his breath. He still needs to know if the hold is good enough to guide it to the hole for him to collect it.

The claw raises the doll high in the air and starts to carry it towards the hole. Issei watches it with a single bead of sweat going down his forehead while Asia had her hands together, praying for Issei to be successful.

Ratchu-kun started swaying a bit as it was getting close, making Issei swallow a lump with contracted irises as he feared that he may have to try again. However, the claw has finally made it to the hole and dropped the plush in the hole.

"Holy crap!" Issei exclaimed as he saw his prize ready to be taken. "I didn't think I'd get it, but here it is!"

Asia sets her eyes on Issei and gasped when she saw him present the Ratchu-kun to her.

"Thank you so much, Issei-san!" Asia says gratefully as she hugs her plush in her arms. "I'll care for it forever~!"

Issei smiles at Asia's joy, being glad that he was able to perform such a good deed for his new friend.

"You know, if you want more, I can give it another shot."

"There's no need," Asia declines. "This Ratchu-kun is the best present received due to our encounter today. I want to treasure them."

Issei sighs in happiness.

'Man, she's a sweet girl. Just like an Angel.'

Issei then checks his phone to see what time it is. Now knowing that it's now four thirty PM, Issei looks back at Asia.

"Asia, let's do one more thing before we leave."

"Oh? What is it Issei-san?"

Issei guides Asia to the final destination of the arcade. Looking up, the nun reads what this machine is.

"A photo booth?"

"It's an area of the arcade where friends can get their pictures taken together. It's a memorial thing."

Letting the information sink in, Asia's smile gets bigger.

"Then let's go, Issei-san. I want to create the best memories possible."

Issei nods in agreement and takes Asia inside the photo booth. From there, the two take the best pictures they can think of. Some are heartwarming, and some are silly, with one of those photos being where Asia made her plush kiss Issei on the cheek, who laughed at the action in the photograph.

As soon as they wrapped up with photos, Issei and Asia leave the arcade and walked together in the park, with both of them carrying their own copies of the pictures they'd taken in the photo booth.

"You know, Issei-san, I haven't had this much fun in, well, forever, actually."

"Well, I'm glad I made it worthwhile, Asia," Issei tells her before looking to his right. "Here's a bench. Let's rest here for a while."

"Okay."

The two take their seat on the bench. As they got comfortable, Issei takes the photos out of his pocket to take one more look at them. Smiling at how well they came out, Issei began to stack them back properly before suddenly feeling a sharp pain in his finger, causing him to hiss and yank his hand away from the pictures.

"What's wrong, Issei-san?"

Issei takes a look at his finger while putting his copies back in his pocket.

"Oh, a paper cut," Issei says as he sees a small dot of blood emerge from the cut. "It's nothing too bad."

Asia gently clasps her hands onto his and gets his finger out to look at the paper cut.

"Please excuse me."

Issei tilted his head at her and was about to speak before he sees green lights from the rings on her finger.

'Hey… it's the same light as what she healed that kid with.'

"There. All better."

Asia releases his hand so Issei can take a look for himself, and as she stated, the paper cut was gone.

"Man, that sure is an amazing power," Issei compliments. "This must be your Sacred Gear."

"It is," Asia confirms. "It's called Twilight Healing. As the name suggests, it possesses the ability to heal."

Issei's smile widens.

"And it gets the job done quick, huh?" Issei laughs for a bit before setting his sights on Asia. "So, does it not matter what the injury is? And is it limited to humans or can they heal other species?"

Issei's smile drops when he sees Asia now have a saddened expression. It only took seconds for him to then notice that they started to produce tears.

"I… I'm sorry," Asia says while wiping them away before any could go down her cheeks.

"No, I'm the one who should apologize," Issei replies while shaking his head. "Saying something I shouldn't have."

"No, you didn't," Asia promises while scooting closer to Issei. "It's just… sometimes, I would think back…"

"Think back to what, Asia?"

The nun was quiet for a while, but with a deep breath, she decided to explain it.

"After I was born, my parents abandoned me at an orphanage at the church, which was where I was raised all of my childhood. And when I was eight years old, I received the power of healing to save a dog after I prayed hard for the poor thing's safety. As soon as the church found out what I've acquired, the church treated me as a saint, and I was worshiped. I used Twilight Healing to help a lot of sick people, and many were cured with no problem because of it. But then, rumors started to spread everywhere, so people kept coming to the church seeking aid. Because of how valuable my healing power was, the church guarded me heavily, but they still treated me well."

Despite her still smiling, Asia's eyes appeared sad as she continued her story.

"I'm very grateful to the almighty God who blessed me with this power to help others. My heart was filled with appreciation, and I felt like I had a purpose in my life. But… since I'm being called a saint, normal people would look at me differently, and I started to feel lonely since I barely had time to actually talk to people."

Issei's expression saddens for Asia. He had a feeling that she lived a sheltered life, but for her to reveal those details, he wouldn't be surprised if those normal people Asia spoke of were those of different beliefs.

"But then one day…" Asia resumed as her smile dropped to a frown. "I met a mortally wounded man who was being hunted by an Exorcist. I used my power to save that man…" Asia's hands slowly shook, appearing to be traumatized as she recalled more of the event. "But little did I realize, that man was a Devil, and after I healed that Devil, he killed the Exorcist and fled."

Issei's eyes widened at this new information, already guessing where this is going while Asia continued.

"I committed a serious sin for helping a Devil and was expelled by the church because of that. The people who called me a saint now despise me, calling me a Witch, a Heretic, and demonic girl." More tears began to show as she slowly guides her hand to her cross. "But after all of that, I still hold onto my faith and continue to live a good life. I…"

"That's enough, Asia!" Issei says with a hand on her shoulder, seeing that she's unable to hold in her pain. "You've explained enough. I can fit in the rest of the pieces from here."

Issei really felt bad for Asia. Even after being cast out and called such mean things despite her healing a Devil to be an honest mistake, she's still fateful to her God. He couldn't imagine someone having a similar mindset to Asia despite not only being treated as something beyond human either if how she worded her story meant anything to him.

'I guess even if that Sacred Gear contains powers that are helpful to all people, they can still wind up being curses, huh?' Issei wonders as he looked from Asia to his left arm.

"Issei-san… I have a dream…"

"What is that dream, Asia?"

With more tears, Asia tells Issei what she desires.

"To make as many friends as possible. To be able to go out with them together many times. To shop normally, chat normally, and play normally. That's all I've ever wanted."

Issei gives Asia a sympathetic look as she quietly sobbed. For all of this to happen to such a genuine kind girl, he couldn't help but feel anger for the people of her church and the Fallen Angels who took advantage of her kindness and her Twilight Healing.

As more tears leaked from her eyes, Asia suddenly felt Issei's arms go around her and bring her in for a hug, surprising the blonde girl.

"I'll be your friend."

Asia's eyes slowly widen.

"I… Issei-san..?"

"Actually, you know what? We're already friends!" Issei continues. "I mean look at how much we've done today. We've chatted together, we had lunch together, we've played together, and let's not forget the memories we've immortalized in those photos!" Issei looks down at Asia in her eyes. "And I plan on creating more of those great memories with you. No matter what happens, I'll be there to shop with you, talk with you, and do all those fun activities with you as many times as it takes to make your life better than it is now. You can count on it!"

Asia became shocked. After everything she's told him, he was still willing to become her friend, no matter what the circumstances, even if he too has stepped into the territory of the supernatural.

"Oh, Issei-san!"

"Well, isn't that sweet?"

With his heart skipping a beat, Issei's eyes go as wide as they go when he and Asia hear a female voice they find familiar, especially to Issei.

Slowly turning their heads, their irises shrink when they see a Fallen Angel standing on top of a street lamp, looking down on them with a frown. But this was no ordinary Fallen Angel. This one was someone that Issei knows all too well, from her black hair to her violet eyes and leather outfit that revealed a lot of skin.

And unbeknownst to Issei, the mark on his palm began to flicker blue, as if it was reacting to the mix of emotions he was feeling right now.

"… You!"

To be continued in the next chapter: "The Resolve of the new Red Dragon Emperor."

Issei's current harem: Reya, Kuroka, Kalawarner, Tiamat, Akeno, Asia, Irina, Rias, Koneko, Xenovia, Ravel, Serafall, Gabriel, Tsubasa, Tsubaki

Genshiro: Momo and Ruruko

Until next time, folks~!