The Lone Vigilante Issei

by Hide Shinyama

Issei Hyoudou, a hormonal first-year student would have his life changed by the death of his parents. How will he cope? And how will he deal with the supernatural? Together, Issei and his friends Matsuda and Motohama will go through trials and tribulations. First Fanfic. Inspired by "Human kind ascending" by Froggy-slice. Updates in Profile.

41. Chapter 33 - Battle at the Tengu's

The Lone Vigilante Issei – High School DxD

Hey everyone, it's me Hide Shinyama.

I apologize for the delayed chapter. I got lazy – and distracted.

Also, the chapter turned out longer than expected. Hopefully, it will be good compensation for my delay.

Now, as for the chapter.

Last time, Issei successfully rescued Kasumi from her kidnappers. But is this truly the end of it all?

Find out in…

Chapter 33 – Battle at the Tengu's

23rd of September, Monday, 8:35 pm – Tengu residence, Nerima

"Thank you, thank you… Oh, thank you very much…" Soun Tengu thanked him on his knees incessantly.

"Please, Tengu-san. I wasn't…" Issei tried to be modest and talk him out of the man's praising, but the Tengu patriarch was adamant.

"No, no… I insist. Such bravery and willingness to help complete strangers like us is an honor. I insist that we reward you.

Currently, Issei was sitting in the living room with food served at the Kotatsu (a Japanese type of table that also serves as a blanket). Sitting opposite him was Soun Tengu and sitting on the sofa was Sanma Raotome, who had a neutral expression. It was not as though Sanma was being rude or anything just that he was more concerned with Kasumi.

Speaking of which…

Ever since Issei departed to save Kasumi, Soun had been doing nothing but moping and wailing, while Sanma was trying his best to rest, despite the noise and his fears of Issei failing his task. But when the door-bell rang, both immediately stopped what they were doing and hurried to get the door. Upon opening it, they saw Issei carrying Kasumi in a piggyback fashion. Both of them were alright, though a bit tired. Kasumi had even fallen asleep on the way back, which is why she had to be carried by Issei in the first place.

Soun was crying tears with joy and started peppering Issei with questions, but Issei suggested giving Kasumi some sleep. After all, she had gone through a terrifying ordeal. Soun agreed to it, saying that Kasumi could talk about what she did tomorrow, while Soun practically dragged Issei to the living room to talk with him. Kasumi would be given her much needed rest by Sanma, who carried her to her room. After a minute or two, Sanma joined the others in the living room, which lead to the current situation.

Sitting there, Issei could not help but think. He had barely known this woman for a few hours and yet it felt like they had been intimate friends for a long time. No, rather it felt like they were more than that… Issei remembered the bliss of holding Kasumi's hand and how they walked home like couples do. Instantly, he remembered Sayori and the wonderful time the two of them spent. It was… kind of similar to that…

This made Issei look down sadly. To think he would find somebody else this quickly… He felt a tinge of guilt inside him. But he also realized – and that filled him with a tinge of sadness – that Sayori would never come back. They both realized this, which is why Sayori had told him to find someone else who loved him just as much as she did.

But could Kasumi be the one…?

"Hide No. 3?" Sanma's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Issei looked at Sanma, who was staring at him and then at Soun who had a concerned look on his face.

"Is everything alright?" the long-haired man asked.

Issei shook his head (to say no, but with the Japanese the no is a yes).

"It's alright... It's just that there is a lot to think about that's all…" Issei answered, keeping his answer as simple as possible.

Sanma huffed. "Ya got that right. First off, we want answers. What did those jerks want with Kasumi?" Sanma asked straight off the bat.

Issei's face hardened because of Sanma's blunt attitude, but also at the memory of what the Stray Exorcists were planning to do to her.

"They… were trying to turn her into a whore for sale…" Issei spat out angrily.

""WHAT!?"" the two of them yelled in shock, much to Issei's chagrin.

"Ow… my ears…" Issei complained, rubbing them painfully.

"You mean to tell me that that Yona fellow lured my daughter into his wiles just so he could turn her into a prostitute!?" Soun growled incredulously.

"Yes," Issei nodded. "He and his cronies were planning to start a prostitution ring and amass women for themselves, starting with Kasumi. Also, his name isn't Yona. It's Yuda. He was using an alias this whole time."

Sanma was furious beyond belief. He had a feeling that that guy was no good, but this? This guy was worse than he had ever imagined to be. Which led to his next question.

"Tell me. Where is that jerk? Did ya have him arrested or something?" Sanma asked.

Issei looked at Sanma confused. "Arrested? What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Ya mean… he's still out there? And ya left him off the hook!? What if he goes out and commits more crimes? Heck, he even might come here and finish what he started!" Sanma ranted and glared angrily at Issei.

Issei glared right back at him.

"Well, excuuuuuse me for not being able to rescue Kasumi and wipe out a crime syndicate at the same time! It was hard enough to fight off the lackeys and break out of the area we were in without getting caught. Heck, even having Kasumi-san back here safe and sound is a miracle in itself. Who knows what else those guys could have done to her had it not been for me?" Issei ranted back angrily, angered by Sanma's attitude. "Besides, who are you to talk? You got your butt handed to you – by Yuda. So, gives you the right to talk like that?"

"Whaddya say?" Sanma stood up from the sofa and aggressively got into Issei's face. Issei backed away at first, but mustered his willpower to push back (metaphorically). Things would have escalated from there had Soun not stepped in.

"Please, don't fight! Sanma, please don't be rude to our guest," Soun pleaded to Sanma.

"He was the one who started it. I was just pointing out the facts," Sanma responded.

"Facts? More like garbage…" Issei said mockingly.

Sanma was about to throw a fist at the brunette when Soun stopped him once more.

"Enough, Sanma! We have more important matters to discuss and have no time for fights of any kind," Soun said with a bit more force.

Although Sanma was a rude and rebellious kind of person, he still gave the Tengu patriarch the respect he deserved. Sanma reluctantly conceded and backed away, going back to the sofa where he sat down again, while still having a sour face.

"So… where did we leave off?" Soun asked of Issei.

Issei put a finger on his chin in thought. He shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know where we left off. But I bet you do have questions you have to ask, right?" Issei answered.

Soun nodded and it wasn't long before Soun came up with his next question.

"If what you said just now was true, then that means Yona… or whatever his real name is… is still out there with his accomplices. And if some of them are of supernatural origin, then it is certain that they cannot simply be kept behind bars. What are we going to do when they come for Kasumi again?" Soun asked with worry.

The atmosphere was subdued. That was a legitimate question – one that dealt with the most pressing issue right now.

Certainly, there was the likelihood that the Fallen Angels wouldn't take Issei's recent actions against them lightly. They were bound to strike back, or at the very least take back Kasumi by force. Yuda knew where she lived, so finding her wouldn't be all that hard. Worst case scenario, Yuda may try to wipe out any associates of Kasumi in the process, presumably to tie up all loose ends.

Either way this wasn't good. If either one of the beforementioned scenarios happened, then all of Issei's efforts would be for naught. In some ways, he would have ended up making things worse.

Unless…

"Hide-san? Are you listening?" Soun's question took Issei from his thoughts.

"I'm sorry. Did you say something?" Issei asked.

"I asked what we should do when these hoodlums come back for Kasumi," Soun repeated.

"Oh…" Issei voiced with his hand and index finger raised up in realization. "Well, about that question… I thought about it for a bit and my answer is… well… it depends…"

Soun and Issei raised their brows.

"Depends on what…?" Soun asked.

"Well, it depends on the current situation of your home. Take your family… Are all members of your family here in this house?" Issei questioned Soun.

Soun had to think for a bit.

"Well no… Aside from Kasumi, I have two more daughters. Hibiki, my next eldest daughter is on a school trip with some classmates visiting Kuoh. She won't be back until this weekend," Soun answered.

Issei could not help but be surprised upon hearing that this particular sister went to Kuoh of all places.

'What on earth could she be doing there? I don't know of any noteworthy reason to go on a class trip to Kuoh of all places,' Issei reasoned in his mind.

At the same time, he also sighed at the memory of his home city. It felt like he hadn't been there for an eternity, even though it was only less than a month since then. He still missed the place…

"Hide-san? Is something wrong?" Soun asked upon noticing Issei's melancholy face.

"It's nothing," Issei waved of the man's concerns. "Please continue."

Soun rubbed his mustache for a bit. "Hmm… other than Hibiki, there is also Nakane… she is out at a friend's place. Strange considering, that she should be home by now…"

"Whaddya mean, Soun?" Sanma asked this time.

"It's well past eight. And Nakane said she would be home by eight," Soun answered.

His classmate Nakane, huh? So Nakane is his daughter, huh? Interesting… What's more she hasn't come home yet? Sounds worrying… however, Issei would focus on that later.

"Any more family members?" Issei asked again.

"Well… other than that, there is Sanma's father, Gunma Raotome, and the Grandmaster of our School of Randomness, Hentai. Raotome-san is already asleep and as for my master, I do not know where he is. He probably is out for… certain business matters…" Soun answered the last past in a rather cagey manner, though Issei paid him no heed for it.

What Issei was focused on instead was the grandmaster's weird name.

"Hentai… that name seems familiar… Where have I heard that name before….?" Issei muttered to himself.

That was Sanma spoke up. "Hentai is the tiny old freak that steals boys' underwear for his collection. Ya got played like a lapdog by him last week, remember?"

Issei looked at Sanma in shock before seething in anger.

"Damn pervert…" Issei spat out.

He remembered that embarrassing incident where his pants got pulled down and how he got sent to the detention office for it. So, this is where he lived. Issei made a mental note to hunt him down here later, in case that pervert ever pulled some stunt like that again…

"Sanma, why did you…?" Soun started to reprimand Sanma for saying something that he obviously did not want to reveal, but Sanma was nonchalant.

"Eh. If he has a strategy on how to deal with those scumbags who kidnapped Kasumi, then telling him about everyone's whereabouts is a small price to pay," Sanma reasoned.

Soun was about to argue against it, but Sanma managed to ask Issei his next question before Soun could.

"So? Why do ya need to know everybody's whereabouts?" Sanma asked Issei.

"Just making sure of something," Issei answered before asking Sanma. "Is it possible to wake up your dad?"

"Huh?" Sanma interjected. "No way! My old man sleeps like a pig and he won't get up until he wants to and nothing will change that."

"If he is attacked, while sleeping, can he defend himself?" Issei asked with a follow-up question.

Sanma raised an eyebrow at his classmate. "Yeah… Why do you wanna know?"

"Just to confirm something," Issei answered and gave Sanma and Soun an optimistic smile. "This is good news. If what Sanma said is correct, then we know that maybe aside from Sanma's dad, there won't be any problems in case they were to attack you here in the night."

"Hold on! They are going to attack us here tonight!?" Soun questioned incredulously.

"WHAT!? How would ya know that!?" Sanma demanded from Issei.

"It's just a hunch – but a very likely one nonetheless. I do think it's possible that they could be attacking us any minute. If everyone is safe and out of distance from this house when the enemy attacks, then we won't have to worry about anybody coming to harm… well aside from us here…" Issei reasoned.

"Yes, but even with all of us here, we are still vulnerable to an attack of supernatural creatures. My daughter is asleep and so is Raotome-san. Sanma here is still injured from his fight with one of these creatures and as for me… well… I am not exactly the best fighter, even though I am a master," Soun sheepishly admitted.

"Well, you need not worry," Issei beamed at them and showed them his wrist watch. "I've got friends that I can count on. Once I give them a call, they can come here and…"

And as if by divine orchestration, Issei's wristwatch rang, much to the surprise of everyone present.

Issei couldn't help but wonder whether either Matsuda or Motohama could telepathically read his mind over great distances. He pressed a button to receive the call.

"Issei? Are you there?" he heard on the other end of the line. Much to Issei's surprise, it did not sound like Matsuda or Motohama.

"Hide-san?" Issei voiced surprised. "How come you are calling?"

"I have a wristwatch of my own. Monika wasn't the only one who gifted you with these. And while we are at it, I thought I asked you to call me Shinyama. After all, you are also surnamed Hide-san now," Shinyama pointed out.

"Yeah, OK… Anyway, I need your help. It's about…" Issei wanted to continue, but was cut off.

"…the Fallen Angels and whatever they are planning next. I know," Shinyama finished for Issei.

"Wait, you knew?" Issei asked in disbelief.

"Yes. In fact, I've been having my eyes out for them for quite some time now. Heck, I even borrowed Matsuda's Chopping Board Type 2 to spy on them just earlier today," Shinyama revealed.

"How come I wasn't told about this?" Issei wanted to know, while frowning.

"The question is: Why did you leave us in the dark, while you were hunting Fallen Angels?" Matsuda's voice came out on the other end of line.

"Matsuda! Good to hear from you. I was just…" Issei sought to explain why he did what he did, but was interrupted by Matsuda.

"Zip it!" Matsuda said harshly. "You know how worried I was when you said you were out rescuing some girl from being kidnapped – and then to be cut off with no clue where you were?"

"Hey! I said, I would be at the Tengu family dojo!" Issei argued defensively.

"Yeah. But we have no idea where that is," Matsuda answered back with a deadpan voice. "Besides, you've got a lot of explaining to do. So, tell us what's going on."

Issei let out a huge sigh. He could tell Matsuda wasn't happy. Who knows if Motohama was the same?

"All right… But before I start, I have to ask. Is Motohama there?" Issei queried.

"Motohama?" Shinyama spoke this time. "He's in the bathroom now. Why?"

"It's just that I don't want to explain things twice in a day. While I'm at it, could you people hold on for a sec…?" Issei turned his attention to Sanma and Soun. "Listen. I'm going to explain to my… uh… folks everything that had happened to Kasumi. I suggest you listen in, so that I don't have to say things twice," Issei said with some hesitation. He still had a hard time calling his best friends and caretaker his family.

Thankfully, Soun and Sanma weren't too bothered by that and listened as Issei explained everything that has happened, starting from when Issei learned about these strange black feathers that were found earlier in Tokyo and how the Tengu family had them in the masses.

Issei continued on from how he came to the Tengu family dojo with Sanma and how he stumbled across an inner-family problem involving Kasumi Tengu and her father. And then, Issei went on about how he and Soun found out from Sanma that Kasumi was kidnapped by her boyfriend, who turned out to be a Fallen Angel. Then, Issei explained how he used the scent on the Fallen Angel feathers to find out where Kasumi was kept. He told everyone about what he heard the lackeys of the Fallen Angels had in store for her and how he rescued her from their clutches, only to be pursued.

Issei went quite into detail on how he fought off those thugs and would have said more, had Shinyama stopped him, saying that it wasn't necessary for everyone to know.

Thus, Issei wrapped his story by saying that in the end he managed to outwit them, run as fast as he could with Kasumi, break out from the shield they were in and get to the dojo.

What Issei left out of his explanation were Kasumi's wishes to be independent and how he and Kasumi built this quasi-romantic bond between each other. There was no need for them to know that. It would raise too much drama for Tengu family and himself, had that been revealed and Issei had enough drama to begin with.

After finishing his explanation, Soun was angered, relieved and astounded by it all. He was angered beyond measure that Kasumi's boyfriend and his accomplices were willing to do something as vile as forcing his daughter into prostitution. He was relieved, now that his daughter was safe and sound. He was astounded by the fact that someone as young and talented stranger like Issei would show up and help him in his direst need.

Sanma was likewise angry at the thought of Kasumi being abusing by someone for illicit reasons such as prostitution. He gritted his teeth. How dare they do that to someone who was practically like an older sister to him? Like Soun, he was also glad that Kasumi was back, but unlike Soun, Sanma could not help but feel a little jealous of Issei. How come Hide No. 3 could get all the glory? It wasn't like Sanma didn't try his best. He even got wounded, too! Had he not been wounded; he would have been the one to come to her rescue! If someone with no martial art skills could do that, why not Sanma (and it was clear to Sanma that Issei was no martial artist)?

Matsuda and Motohama (who had joined in just in time to hear everything) were silent. Inwardly, they were amazed at their friend's feat, yet also disappointed that they weren't involved in this. After all, they had been partners in crime (literally, too) from the very beginning.

As for Shinyama, he listened stoically, yet still with interest at what Issei told him and chuckled.

"I see. So that's how it was… Quite the adventure you had there…" Shinyama complimented.

"That… is an understatement…" Issei answered, as he rubbed his eyes in fatigue.

"You may be right. However, even then – and I think you know this already – the adventure is far from over," Shinyama reminded Issei. "In fact, the reason I called you was to warn you of what they planned on doing next."

This caught the attention of everyone present.

"You… What is their plan?" Sanma demanded, as he jumped into the conversation.

"Hmm? Are you by any chance Sanma Raotome? I have to say it's a pleasure to meet you, even if it's not in person," Shinyama greeted the young martial artist.

"You know about me?" Sanma asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I've heard my boys here speak about you. And I know that Issei went with you on his way from school, so it was easy to figure out," Shinyama answered with a slight chuckle.

"Yeah, but whatever! What did you say their plan was?" Sanma said, going straight to the heart of the matter.

Shinyama cleared his throat and told everyone assembled what he had found out.

"I had Matsuda fly his miniature helicopter to where the headquarters of the Fallen Angels and Stray Exorcists were hiding out. What we had discovered were a bunch of lightly to moderately injured men in a state of discontent, yet still capable of fighting. There were about twenty of them. Moreover, there are at least two Fallen Angels on standby in Nerima. I do not know about how strong they all are, but in case they were to attack, just the two Fallen Angels alone would be more than enough to overwhelm all of you here," Shinyama revealed.

Nobody said a word because of how dire the situation was according to Shinyama.

"What's more," Shinyama continued. "I overheard them saying that they were planning to attack the Tengu residence at 1:00 am sharp."

Everyone breathed out sighs of relief.

"Well, at least we can be prepared by then…" Soun said relieved.

"I had to spoil the mood, sir, but there is more bad news," Shinyama told everyone. "Just a few minutes ago, we detected a large barrier, cutting off your neighborhood of Nerima from the outside world."

There was a stunned silence until Motohama was heard on the other end of the line.

"Say that again?" the spectacled teen said in shock, clearly in disbelief from what he just heard.

"It's as I said," Shinyama confirmed. "The Fallen Angels and their underlings have placed a Distortion Barrier around the Tengu residence and its vicinity. Nobody can come in and nobody can leave the area, unless the creator of the barrier allows it or the array surrounding the barrier is destroyed."

"Wait! I already destroyed a barrier on the way. How come it's still there?" Issei wondered confused and unsettled.

"No, no, no, no, no… You misunderstand… That was a different barrier you destroyed. This one is surrounding the Tengu residence, while the other one was barricading a different part of Nerima," Shinyama corrected Issei. "I don't know when it was made, though. Perhaps about a few hours ago."

Even more confused, Issei asked again. "But if there was a barrier around this house, how come I and Kasumi could get here. Shouldn't the barrier have stopped me?"

"Who knows? Maybe the barrier has holes somewhere," Shinyama theorized. "But whatever the case, anyone who approaches the barrier from the outside gets turned away subconsciously and those who approach it from the inside get locked in by an invisible wall."

As Soun and Sanma took this in, Soun realized something deeply unpleasant.

"Oh, no! Nakane!" Soun cried out suddenly.

"What about her?" Sanma asked.

"She is still out there! If what that man said was true, then that means she cannot come back! She is stuck out there in the cold and… oh… my baby girl!" Soun wailed in despair.

Sanma widened his eyes at what he just heard and gritted his teeth in anger, feeling helpless at the predicament they all were in.

Issei also was feeling discouraged… until he had an idea.

"Wait a minute! I can destroy that barrier with my Boosted Gear! I even did that with the last one…" Issei suggested, but Shinyama shook his head.

"I'm afraid it's not possible. The barrier is much stronger than the last one and requires a much stronger Dragon Shot to destroy it. What's more, you're in a residential area. The stronger your blast, the more destruction it will cause, which is why I wouldn't advise you to destroy it," Shinyama said to Issei.

"Can you guys break the barrier from outside?" Sanma asked this time.

"I… can't say for sure…" Shinyama answered. "If I tried to use brute force to destroy it with my punches, the result would be the same as destroying the barrier with a Dragon Shot."

Issei could not believe what he was hearing, so does that mean…?

"Does that mean we're basically stuck here and can only sit and wait until they come?" Issei asked in disbelief.

"In a way… yes…" Shinyama answered soberly.

There was a deep silence in the room, the feeling of much anxiety filling the Tengu home.

This wasn't good.

Judging by what Issei knew about these Stray Exorcists, he knew that they were no joke. if there were at least twenty men, this would be even more problematic for him than before. As far as he knew, they not only had weapons, but Sacred Gears as well, such as the Twice Critical. Issei knew that he was lucky the first time around. Issei had gained experience fighting several of them, but so did they with him. Things weren't going to be easy the next time.

And that's without taking the Fallen Angels into consideration.

These Fallen Angels… Issei only had knowledge about the Fallen Angels based on what Ddraig and Sanma told him and even then, it was too little. If the battle between Sanma and Yuda was any indicator, they were definitely not going to be easy. And if Issei were to presume that a Fallen Angel was at least as strong as a Stray Devil, that would mean that he would only be able to fight one Fallen Angel at a time. If both of them decided to attack him at once, it would be his end. Worse yet, if the Fallen Angels wanted to use Issei's inability to fight them both simultaneously to their advantage, this would allow the Fallen Angels to take the opportunity to kill all the Tengu Dojo residents and kidnap Kasumi.

This was not a good position. They were checkmated even before the fight even began.

Issei nervously chewed his thumbnail.

Was the only way out complete surrender?

Issei clenched his fists.

No way.

There had to be a way out of this.

There had to be.

"Although…" Shinyama spoke up suddenly.

With that everyone's attention focused back on Shinyama.

"Although what? You got a way to break through the barrier?" Issei eagerly asked.

"Yes, I do," Shinyama answered. "And that's by destroying the sigils used to create the barrier. Depending on the size of the barrier, it needs three or more sigils to be drawn on certain locations before it can be set up. All I need to do is find these sigils and destroy at least one. That way, I can destroy the barrier without causing any collateral damage."

At once, the anxiety of those in the Tengu family and Issei's residence was lifted.

This was a plan – a very plausible one at that, too! However, they still needed to deal with the enemies themselves…

"What about those Angels and their henchmen? How do we go about with them?" Sanma wanted to know.

Shinyama could be heard making a light laugh on the other end of line.

"I thought you would never ask. Well, then. Here is my plan…" Shinyama relayed his plan.

Everyone listened eagerly to what he said and prepared themselves in order to carry the plan out.

---

23rd of September, Monday, 10:35 pm – somewhere outside the barrier, Nerima

It was night time and the roads were deserted. Except for a few passerbys, there were no people outside in the streets. Yet, despite that, there was a female teenager with relatively dark short hair, wearing a brown jacket, a green skirt with matching leggings and loafers lying asleep on a bench.

Normally, this girl would be at home by now, having had a good time at a friend's place. But instead she was out there shivering in the cold.

Why was that?

Well, a few hours ago she had tried to go home, yet because of the magical barrier set up near her home she could not do so. At first, she thought she had taken a wrong turn. But after several more attempts, the girl grew frustrated because no matter how hard she tried, she kept ending up at same place over and over again without ever getting anywhere near her house.

She growled, then walked faster, then ran and finally screamed in frustration at her predicament. It had taken her about 30 minutes before she decided to give her father a call. It didn't work. After another ten minutes, she tried her fiancé – whom she was reluctant to call because he liked to make fun of her – but no success either. It was the line was dead or something.

In the end, the girl didn't know what to do. She did not want to bother her friend by going back and she did not dare go to anyone else's place to stay. Which is why she ended up in the current situation, having fallen asleep on the bench, trying her best to stay warm.

And it was because she was asleep that she failed to notice a certain black helicopter flying above her and descending behind a nearby house.

As soon as the helicopter landed, two young men got out, wearing black coats with hoods to keep them warm and hidden.

"This is the place, right?" asked Motohama, who was looking around in the dark street.

"Should be. The sigil should be here somewhere," Matsuda answered, as he, too, scanned the area.

"You look over here. I'll look over there," Motohama said, pointing in two different directions for each of them.

Matsuda nodded. He shrunk the Chopping Board Type 2, told Phoebe to go on standby, while the two of them headed their way.

Matsuda didn't find anything at first. He made sure to look on the ground for any suspicious markings. He would look hard. No way he was going to let Issei down…

At the same time with Motohama, he was not so lucky either. He also followed Shinyama's instructions to search the ground, but couldn't find a thing. But after three minutes, just as he was about to give up and inform Matsuda of his failure, he spotted the someone sleeping on the bench.

"Probably some homeless drunk…" Motohama muttered to himself and was about to go his way.

Before he left, he noticed something about that person.

He saw how the sleeper shivered while asleep, something that made him worry. At first, he was hesitant about helping some hobo. What if he lashed out at him?

But then, Motohama decided to let the curiosity get the better of him and came closer.

Upon coming closer, Motohama was surprised at the sleeper's appearance. For one, not only was it not a homeless old dirty man like he had expected, but instead it was a girl about his age. She looked kind of cute, too…

But at the same time, Motohama also noticed something else. He widened his eyes in surprise and stared with his mouth agape. That girl… he recognized this girl…

At that moment his wrist watch rang and Motohama picked it up.

"What's the stitch?" Motohama said.

"'What's the stitch?' Quoting Kim Possible out of all things. Really?" Matsuda said with a deadpan voice.

"Hey, it's pretty cool, so I thought 'Why not?'" Motohama shrugged.

"Well, it sounds stupid, so use something else like 'What's up?'" Matsuda opined.

"Yeah, OK…" Motohama said sourly. "Then… What's up?"

"I found the markings. They were quite easy to find and fit the description. All we need to do is destroy it and the shield will go down. That's mission accomplished in my book," Matsuda said with a grin.

"Good to know," Motohama replied.

"Good. Next, we're supposed to detonate this thing with our sigil detonators. I need you to get to where I am, so we can use them," Matsuda said.

"Got it. But before we go, there's something I need to say," Motohama said.

Matsuda was silent for a moment. He didn't expect to hear that. Was it an objection?

"Speak up," Matsuda said.

"I found Nakane Tengu sleeping on the bench," Motohama said.

"What!?" Matsuda called in surprise. "What's she doing out here?"

"Beats me. All I know is that she is all alone out here in the cold. She probably can't get home because of the shield," Motohama reasoned.

"What do we do?" Matsuda asked.

"I don't know. But we can't just let her sleep out here. She might die," Motohama glanced at her shivering form.

"Well… um… I… we…" Matsuda stuttered. He was so caught of guard by this development that he didn't know what to do now.

"Uh… Matsuda?" Motohama asked concerned.

"Shut up! I'm trying to think!" Matsuda lashed out.

Motohama was ticked off at his response, but decided to bear with it.

After a while, Matsuda spoke up.

"We'll do it like this. First, I'll tell Phoebe to come to your position. Then use Phoebe to get Nakane into the helicopter. Once that's done, leave Phoebe to get to my position and then we can plant those detonators together. After that, we get to a safe distance, blow the place up and get to the chopper. Got it?" Matsuda laid out his plan.

"Yes, sir!" Motohama playfully saluted and the plan commenced.

After a minute, the Chopping Board Type 2 landed down near Motohama's position.

"No matter how often I see it, it always looks so cute when it lands…" Motohama said to himself, before calling Matsuda again.

"It's arrived," Motohama simply said.

"Good. I'm letting it grow," Matsuda informed him.

And with that, the helicopter grew to full size.

Motohama went over to the sleeping Nakane and was about to pick her up. He put his arms under her back and felt her body. At the same time, she also stopped shivering and breathed calmly now, even snuggling closer to him.

Upon looking closer… she looked really cute… No wonder Ryuga wanted her to be his girl. Despite her tomboyish looks, she looked kinda pretty…

"Focus Motohama, focus…" Motohama said to himself, shaking himself from the girl in his arms. He had a mission to do after all…

He scooped her up (boy was she heavy!) and laid her on one of back seats of the chopper. He adjusted the seat to let her lean back and left her there.

"She's secured. I'm heading to you now," Motohama said.

"Good. I'm awaiting you. Meet me at the place where we landed. Over," Matsuda said.

Motohama did so and encountered Matsuda.

"Where is it?" Motohama asked.

"This way," Matsuda pointed and went out ahead.

Motohama followed him down the road and turned to the right after good distance of walking and then coming across a parking lot. They went into the parking lot and there was the sigil, glowing in the dark with a dim green light.

"Nice…" Motohama said with a smile.

"Indeed. You got the thing?" Matsuda asked him.

"Uh-huh," Motohama said, as he pulled out a rectangular object.

Matsuda grinned, as he pulled out a similar object and got to place them on the sigil.

"Great, now we can do it. I can't wait…" Motohama said and rubbed his hands in glee.

"Yeah, all we have to do is make a perfect pose for it and…" Matsuda said and pulled out the detonator, ready to press it.

"A perfect pose for what exactly?" a third voice asked from behind them.

"That's easy. It's to look… Huh?" Matsuda was about to say it was to look cool when the explosion went off, but that was when he realized… that he didn't know that voice…

Motohama and Matsuda felt a shiver down their spines, as they slowly turned around and saw…

"I was wondering what you boys were doing flying a helicopter so late at night…" as a young petite blonde girl with twin-tails and black wings coming from her back with a seemingly innocent smile. What's more, there were five hooded men accompanying her with sadistic evil grins and swords ready to be used – and they were blocking the way from which they came.

'Oh crap!' Matsuda thought to himself in a panic. 'They found us! And our escape path has been blocked!'

If the briefing sessions that they had a few hours ago was anything to go by, this was probably Yuki, one of the two Fallen Angels in town. And with five more men with swords in their hands, there were even more problems to be had.

In other words, they were so screwed…

"So, tell me. What was it you wanted to do a perfect pose for?" Yuki asked again sweetly with killing intent behind her words.

Motohama was sweating nervously.

"We… um… that… ehehe… that was…" Motohama was stuttering incoherently in fear. His instincts were screaming danger, but he could not flee. He thought of making some kind of excuse, but he could not because of how nervous he was.

Put it simply, he could not do anything.

But Matsuda was different.

"SUCK MY BALLS!" Matsuda screamed, as he pushed the button.

[BOOM!] The detonation set off an explosion that knocked everybody down. The sigil was destroyed in a huge bright explosion that could be seen from afar off. It looked like someone had set off a miniature nuke or something.

After a few seconds, it died down, leaving Matsuda and Motohama on the ground coughing and gagging from the smoke. Yuki and her men were also dazed and trying to get up.

But Matsuda was faster and seized Motohama's hand.

"Hey, wha-?" Motohama yelped, as he was yanked up by Matsuda.

"Go! Go! GO!" Matsuda yelled and was running away with Motohama in tow. They ran towards the nearest wall of a residential garden and scrambled over it.

Yuki was the next one to recover and scowled at her fleeing targets.

"Yuki-sama!" one of the men called out. "The sigil has been severely damaged! The barrier has been destroyed!"

Yuki growled in anger. "Ignore it. Focus on the rats," she spat out angrily and pointed at where the boys just fled.

She spread her wings and took flight, giving chase. She saw from above at how Matsuda and Motohama were scrambling to get away, climbing over wall after wall. She formed a light spear in her hand.

"YOU LITTLE RATS! I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!" Yuki shouted and threw it down furiously.

"WAH!" Motohama fell over the wall just in the nick of time as the light spear missed him by an inch, landing just a few feet in front of him. He ran even faster, while looking up at Yuki who was swooping down like an eagle towards its prey with another light spear in her hand!

"Matsuda! She's coming! What do we do!" Motohama screamed.

"This way! I know a shortcut!" Matsuda shouted back and made a sudden left turn.

Motohama looked back in fear before looking to the left and doing a judo roll in the same direction. This caused Yuki to barely miss him by two inches. But not only that…

Yuki gasped just before she hit the wall ahead and used everything in her strength to soar up. Had she reacted a second later, she would have smashed against it.

She caught her breath for a few seconds, before resuming her pursuit. However, by now Motohama had already disappeared into the shadows of the houses, fences and bushes obstructing her view from above.

"Damn it!" she cursed.

Just then, her men called out to her from below.

"Where did they go?" asked one of them, who was catching up with her with his comrades.

"Spread out and find them! They couldn't have gotten that far away!" Yuki commanded her men.

"Yes, Yuki-sama!" The men responded and spread out to look for the boys.

Yuki seethed because of her misfortune, but then decided to resume her search.

---

23rd of September, Monday, 10:50 pm – with Matsuda and Motohama

Matsuda and Motohama had managed to get away from Yuki, having gone out of sight and over a few walls. By now, they were back on the main street.

"Did we lose them?" Matsuda asked Motohama.

Motohama looked behind him, then shook his head.

"I think we did," he answered and relaxed.

"Good. At least that's dealt with – for now. Where's Phoebe?" Matsuda asked.

"That way," Motohama pointed in certain direction.

Matsuda nodded and gestured him to lead the way.

The two of them ran. They sprinted, hoping that they wouldn't get spotted by Yuki or anyone else. They made it to the end of the road and turned to the right. As they headed for the other end of the road, Matsuda looked behind him and saw Yuki from the corner of his eye. She was flying up, presumably to get a better view of the neighborhood. And that meant, that she would find them sooner or later.

"Dude, I see that Fallen Angel chick! How much further!?" Matsuda asked despairingly.

"Hang on! We're almost there!" Motohama said, not daring to look back.

Matsuda, on the other hand, swore he saw Yuki look in their direction, which made him pick up speed.

"Faster, dude!" Matsuda was sprinting past him.

Motohama didn't say anything. He started to move to the right side of the road, indicating that the chopper was to their right.

They turned around the corner and saw the familiar chopper.

"There! I see it!" Matsuda called out.

"Yeah! We made it!" Motohama affirmed with a joyful cry.

Upon arriving, the two of them entered through the front door on the right side. While climbing in, Matsuda stopped, as he looked at Nakane, who was still asleep. In doing so, he inadvertently blocked Motohama's way.

"Dude, move! I have to get in!" Motohama demanded impatiently.

"Wow! I've gotta say. Nakane looks really cute when she's sleeping…" Matsuda said dreamily.

Motohama rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever… Can you get in?"

Matsuda groaned and went in. As the both of them got themselves seated, they closed the doors and Matsuda got the rotors moving.

"Hey, Motohama? Could you call Hide-san and tell him about the situation?" Matsuda asked of his friend (because he had both hands on the steering wheel).

"Sure," Motohama replied and contacted Shinyama.

"Boys? Are you there?" Shinyama called from the other end of the line.

"Yup," Motohama affirmed. "We've blown up the seal and destroyed the shield just like you asked."

"Excellent!" Shinyama said happily. "Get to the Tengu house. Your next move will be discussed there."

"Yeah. Got it!" Motohama answered as the helicopter lifted off the ground.

He was about to hang up until he remembered something.

"Oh, yeah! I almost forgot! We've got Nakane on deck with us," Motohama reported to Shinyama.

"Nakane? Why is she with you?" Shinyama asked.

"We found her sleeping on the bench for some reason. We managed to get her inside to keep her from freezing. She's fine now – and we did it all just before blowing up the shield," Motohama answered.

"That's good," Shinyama said. "Her father and Sanma will be happy that she's safe and sound. Good job, boys. By the way, were you discovered?"

Motohama was silent. Matsuda and Motohama stared at each other with uneasy expressions, as they weren't sure what to say.

"Boys? Don't tell me you were discovered…" Shinyama wanted to know.

"Well…" Motohama was about to start his explanation until…

[BOOM!]

An explosion rocked the helicopter, almost throwing everyone in the cockpit off balance.

""What the-!?"" both of them cried out simultaneously, as they glanced behind them using the rear mirrors.

"I'm coming to get you filthy humans! Just you wait!" a certain blonde angry Fallen Angel roared, flying and throwing blasts in a fury.

{Mayday! Mayday! The rear has been damaged! Incoming threat from behind!} Phoebe's voice blared out.

"Matsuda! What do we do!?" Motohama implored his friend.

"Good question, umm… Shinyama-san! What do we do? That Fallen Angel chick is after us and she's going to kill us!" Matsuda shouted into his watch.

"Lose her. Shake her off by whatever means you can. I suggest using the turrets to take her out. It's the only hope you have," Shinyama instructed Matsuda.

"The turrets? Got it!" Matsuda replied and got straight to work. With one hand on the steering wheel, he flew faster, trying to shake the angry Fallen Angel off.

"Phoebe, change setting on remote. Put the settings on turret mode," Matsuda ordered.

{Yes, Captain. Controls changed to turret mode} Phoebe's voice rang out.

With the other hand, Matsuda took out the remote control in the middle (it was can be integrated into the steering wheel when placing it inside it).

"Here!" Matsuda said to Motohama, as he handed him the remote control. "Take it!"

Motohama was baffled and confused at Matsuda's sudden action.

"Dude, what are you doing? You want me to fly?" Motohama asked.

"No, I'm doing the flying, you dolt! I want you to handle the turret. The button on the left lets you shoot. To turn the turret, you move the controls. The rest you have to learn as you go," Matsuda explained to Motohama.

"What? But I can't…" Motohama protested, but…

[BOOM!]

…another blast from the rear stopped his excuses.

"We don't have time! I can't fly and shoot at the same time. So, I'm relying on you to do it," Matsuda said urgently.

Motohama gulped down his fear. "Alright! But how do I aim at her? I can't exactly see where the gun is pointing at…" he argued.

Matsuda smirked, before making his next order. "Phoebe, activate turret view."

{Turret view activated} Phoebe said and just then, a screen near Motohama's seat was switched on.

"That's…" Motohama voiced out surprised.

"…the solution to your problem. NOW GO!" Matsuda yelled.

Motohama started to move around the turret until he saw Yuki on the screen,

"Here we go!" Motohama starting shooting, bullets coming out like a machine gun (of course).

For a moment, Motohama thought he saw Yuki widen her eyes and move out of the way.

Motohama felt triumph. This was easier than he thought and continued shooting.

Yuki, on the other hand, was recovering from her surprise and frowned.

"So, they have some tricks up their sleeves, eh? Well, that won't work…" Yuki said to herself, before giving chase.

And so, the Chopping Board Type 2 flew towards the city of Tokyo with Yuki in tow, causing one of the most significant dogfights in the history of Tokyo since the Second World War (sort of).

What neither Matsuda nor Motohama noticed was that their Nakane had woken up because of the ruckus.

"What… Where…?" she muttered.

---

23rd of September, Monday, 11:00 pm – in the living room, Tengu residence, Nerima

Everybody in the living room had just received the news from Shinyama about how Matsuda and Motohama had just destroyed the barrier surrounding their neighborhood and how they rescued Nakane. Naturally, they also heard about they were now caught up in a dogfight between them and one of the Fallen Angels, which was a matter of concern for them.

"My darling girl…" Soun whimpered at the development of her and Issei's comrades being caught in an attack.

"Don't worry about them, Tengu-san. I'm sure they'll be fine. The ones who should be worried right now are us," Issei said to Soun Tengu.

"I still think it's a crazy idea… ya know… cuz' of his plan and all…" Sanma muttered.

"Well, unless you've got a better plan, then we don't have much of a choice, right?" Issei reasoned.

"Whatever…" Sanma rolled his eyes. "Though is he really sure about them attacking sooner than later?"

"It's possible… in any case, we've come prepared. All that's left is to wait for those punks to come so we can finish them once and for all," Issei said, as he leaned back on the sofa.

Sanma smirked. "Can't say I hate yer attitude…" he said, cracking his knuckles.

---

23rd of September, Monday, 11:01 pm – somewhere above the Tengu residence, Nerima

While Issei, Soun and Sanma were waiting in the living room, Yuda was flying circling the Tengu residence from above like a vulture.

He licked his lips in anticipation and lust. He could hardly wait to bed the wonderful young virgin Kasumi. He had waited far too long for this…

"Now, you will be mine and nothing will stop me…" Yuda grinned evilly.

Yuda swooped down with the intention of breaking down through the window and into Kasumi's room where she was sleeping.

He had studied the place well enough in his past visits to know where it was (even from above). The plan was failproof. Yuda reasoned that everybody in the Tengu family knew that he would come back for her. They probably never realized that he would not be coming through the door though. After all, who would expect an entry from the sky?

Yuda crashed through the window and into Kasumi's room, broken glass getting everywhere on the floor. He quickly looked around and saw Kasumi's figure tightly wrapped in a rose-patterned blanket. From the looks of it, she still seemed to be asleep.

Within a second, he dashed towards the bed, grabbed Kasumi and quickly made his getaway through the window. He spread his wings in triumph as he flew higher and higher.

Issei, Sanma and Soun came into the room.

It was too late! Yuda was gone!

Now, in such a situation, Soun would have broken down in tears and wailed for losing his daughter for the second time in 24 hours. But strangely enough, he seemed quite composed, if not dumbfounded than anything.

"Do you really think this is OK? Doing something like that to him…" Soun commented.

"He'll be fine. If I could survive all the crap, he's thrown at me, so can he," Sanma stated casually.

"It's a good thing we moved Kasumi to your room, Sanma… Oh, boy! This is going to be so funny…" Issei tried to hold in his laughter.

"Oh, the surprise that he's gonna get…" Sanma could barely hold in his laughter as well.

"Yeah, but unfortunately…" Issei's expression turned serious in a blink of an eye. "It seems like it's almost time…"

"Yeah… good luck against him. Ya're gonna need it," Sanma said, as he laid a hand on his shoulder. "The two of us here will watch over Kasumi."

"Whatever, happens, please stay alive out there…" Soun said gently, but firmly.

Issei nodded to the two of them.

"Yeah. Let's go," Issei simply said. As he stared up into the sky where Yuda had flown off to.

---

23rd of September, Monday, 11:04 pm – somewhere above the Tengu residence, Nerima

"My dear Kasumi. You thought you could run away from me, Yuda? Well, you are wrong," Yuda said with a sickening sweet smile.

Kasumi was wriggling, her feet dangling and kicking, while making muffled sounds inside the blanket. But Yuda showed her no pity or remorse for he loved to see her squirm in fright for that was the kind of person who he was – lust-driven, cold and arrogant. And it was because that, that he continued his boasting.

"I will make sure to enjoy every single thrust inside of you, as I take your virginity and make you moan and scream my name. And then, I will pass you on for I will no longer have any use for you except to make a pretty penny for the Grigori. And you shall be the cornerstone for it all…"

Yuda was about to say some more until he realized something was wrong. He only just realized that not only did Kasumi seem heavier than he remembered, but she also seemed… rounder, too. That was strange… she wasn't that… fat… How was it that she…?

And it was then, that the rose-covered blanket fell off, revealing…

"GET OFF ME!"

[WHAP!]

"WHAT!? UGH!"

…a burly, stocky man in his forties in pajamas angrily smashing his fist into a surprised Yuda, landing a blow into his face. Yuda was hit so hard that he almost lost consciousness from it, causing him to let the burly man go and letting him plummet into the Tokyo harbor with a huge splash.

The man did not resurface. Instead, a panda came emerging with an enraged roar, seemingly infuriated by Yuda's actions. Eventually, it would swim to shore and disappear into the city.

As for Yuda, he fell a significant height before regaining his bearings. He was shocked at the turn of events, before his face twisted in anger. He had been fooled!

With a roar, he flew back to the Tengu residence and destroy it and then take Kasumi, come whatever may happen.

Within two minutes, he could see it from the distance and could get there within seconds. But as he flew towards it…

[Dragon Shot!]

Yuda dodged in the last second, as a beam shot right past him. He went right on the alert, trying to see just who it was who shot him… He spotted the culprit in front of the house immediately. The culprit was a brunette teenager with a buzz cut with his arm stretched out towards him. And on his arm was a red gauntlet – a Sacred Gear!

Yuda eyed the boy wearily. 'That boy… That's no ordinary Sacred Gear… What is it?' he thought to himself.

He shook his head. It seemed like there was only one way to find out…

Yuda flew closer and landed on the road before the house.

Issei boosted his power once more and got ready to shoot. The two of them stared at each other, neither of them daring to make a move. Each of them was now probing the other with their eyes.

'So… this is Yuda… the boss of those thugs… and Yuda's fake boyfriend…' Issei thought to himself.

[Be careful, Partner. He's about as strong as those three Stray Devils combined] Ddraig warned him.

'Got it,' Issei said, trying to gulp down his fears telling him to run away.

Yuda was also analyzing his opponent.

'This brat… Is he the one who infiltrated m headquarters and frustrated my plans? He doesn't look like much. Probably awakened it by chance. Though even then, I have to be careful…' Yuda thought to himself and summoned a light spear in his hand.

Nobody said anything for there was nothing to say. Issei took a stance…

[Boost!]

…and Issei rushed at his opponent!

'So straightforward. Fool!' Yuda mocked at Issei's simplistic attack and swung his light spear with a horizontal slash.

Issei widened his eyes and dodged back, but his arms were hit by the spear, knocking him back. Thankfully, the arm that received the impact was his left one, which had the Boosted Gear on it.

[CLANG!]

Issei fell backward and awkwardly landed with a thud on his rear.

Yuda pointed his spear downwards toward Issei ready to finish him off with a thrust.

"Too easy!" he called out triumphantly and thrusted.

The spear would have skewered Issei, had Issei not raised his Boosted Gear towards Yuda with a Dragon Shot ready to go.

"What the…?" Yuda widened his eyes and instinctively jumped back…

[Dragon Shot!] Issei's red beam shot out into the night sky, opening up even the clouds above. It illuminated the sky with a fascinating red glow.

As for Yuda, it missed him by a hair, leaving only a few hairs singed by the beam.

Yuda panted hard. He would have been killed by that had he not reacted in time. Thankfully, he was experienced enough to react in time.

And speaking of experienced…

'That boy… he obviously is not a warrior, yet even he failed to attack me first, he managed to come up with a counterattack this easily…' Yuda gnashed his teeth.

Issei was also gasping for breath, except that he was scrambling to get away and stand up.

'That was so close… Any more and I would have been skewered like a pig…' Issei thought with a nervous sweat drop.

[You were lucky, Partner. But remain cautious. A Fallen Angel like him has plenty of tricks up his sleeve] Ddraig advised him.

Issei nodded.

Meanwhile, Yuda, on the other hand, had just realized something.

'This boy seems to have two ways of attacking. One is with his fists and the other is by using beams. Judging by the brat's attacks, he probably will have a high chance of missing. So that means…' Yuda smirked, he spread his wings and flew up into the air.

Issei looked up at Yuda wearily. "Just what is he going to do?" he wondered out loud.

He received his answer in the form of two light spears, being summoned in Yuda's hand and hurled at Issei. Issei widened his eyes and jumped away.

[Partner! Shoot him!] Ddraig urged Issei.

"I know!" Issei replied with a frown and boosted.

[Boost!] Issei charged up the next Dragon Shot, while Yuda had the next spears formed at his disposal.

"Take this!" Yuda shouted, leading Issei to duck under one and barely parry away the other. The force of the throw was so strong, it caused Issei to stumble and make him lose balance.

[Boost!]

Issei gritted his teeth and caught himself from falling. He shot.

[Dragon Shot!]

Issei shot out another Dragon Shot which Yuda avoided once again.

'As I thought. This brat needs time to charge up an attack and can't hit me with it. They are quite easy to dodge, while my attacks…' Yuda readied some more spears.

"…Beat this brat in quantity and quality! You die brat!" Yuda called out triumphantly.

Issei dodged and jumped. Thanks to his training, he was capable of dodging, but just barely. However, Issei knew that if he couldn't fight back, he was doomed. He tried boosting and shooting again, but he still could not hit the Fallen Angel.

Yuda launched more light spears, which Issei avoided once more. The last one, however, barely nicked his side, leaving a small bleeding cut wound. It wasn't a serious injury, but it still stung.

[Partner! Pull back! You can't fight him like this! You'll be dead if this goes on!] Ddraig told Issei.

Issei clenched his fists in anger. Ddraig was right. He needed to deal with it differently and fast!

Issei began to run into the house, leaving a bemused Yuda behind.

"Running away? I don't think so!" Yuda exclaimed and rushed in pursuit.

The house door remained wide open. Issei, in his haste, forgot to close the door in his retreat.

"Fool! I've got you now!" Yuda shouted and was ready to fly in to skewer Issei.

But within a split second, Yuda's senses were screaming not to fly in. He abruptly back away just in time, before Issei…

[Dragon Shot!]

…fired a relatively narrow Dragon Shot from inside the house!

"Curses!" Yuda backed away.

Only this time, the beam hit his right leg above the knee.

"HRGH!" Yuda stifled to hold in a cry of pain, clutching his knee while flying away from the house.

With significant distance between Yuda and Issei, the latter used this time to catch his breath.

"Did… I get him?" Issei asked Ddraig, panting loudly.

[Indeed, you did. But you only hurt his leg. And a Fallen Angel like that is going to need more than a leg injury to be taken out of commission] Ddraig answered him.

Issei hit the nearby wall in disappointment.

"Dang it! I almost got him! That was the best opportunity to nail him and yet I…" Issei rambled.

[Don't be too hard on yourself, Partner. The fact that you managed to hurt him, is quite the achievement. But be on your guard, this Fallen Angel will try to attack you once more] Ddraig advised Issei.

Issei nodded. But that still didn't change the fact that that guy survived. Issei had hoped that he could end the fight at that point, except that this was no longer an option.

The pressing question now was: What was Yuda going to do next?

"Yo, Hide No. 3!? You OK!?" Sanma called out in concern.

Issei looked and saw Sanma coming down from the staircase.

"I'm fine. Just a bit tired, but I'm OK otherwise…" Issei panted, yet put up a cheerful facade.

"And Kasumi's ex-boyfriend?" Sanma asked again.

"He's… he's just outside the house… That guy is tough… It's not easy for me to take him out… especially when he's flying…" Issei explained.

Sanma frowned and looked outside wearily, then looked back at Issei.

"He's got wings, right?" Sanma asked to which Issei nodded affirmatively. "Then, all we have to do is bring him to the ground somehow…"

"Easy said than done. Do you have any ideas?" asked Issei.

Before Sanma could say anything more, the two of them heard a crash coming from above, flowed by a cry of panic.

"Isn't that…?" Issei asked Sanma in surprise.

"…Kasumi?" Sanma finished the sentence, before a feeling of dread overcame him-

Both boys headed upstairs as fast as they could and into Sanma's room where the sound came from.

"There you are, my dear Kasumi…" said Yuda, who was standing just before Kasumi.

Kasumi had apparently just awoken from her slumber and had a fearful look on her face. Her father had crawled away to the nearest corner in fear.

"Now, come here or it will get ugly…" Yuda growled impatiently because of the misfortune he had received these last 24 hours.

"NO!" Kasumi yelled, scrambling away from her tormentor on her bed.

Yuda reached out his hand to seize her, only to be stopped by Sanma's spin-kick.

Yuda blocked it with his hands, but the impact caused him to skid back.

"You!" he roared in anger at the young martial artist.

"Hey, bird-man! I want some payback for what you did to me and Kasumi!" Sanma yelled at Yuda and got into a fighting stance.

Yuda clicked his tongue. Seeing that he was at a disadvantage with Issei and Sanma around, he quickly flew off into the clouds.

Issei quickly took action by firing another Dragon Shot at him, which missed once again.

"Damn it!" Sanma cursed and stomped his foot. "If only we could stop him from flying, we'd be able to get him!"

Issei nodded. At that moment, he noticed something coming from the sky.

[Partner! Those are hardened Fallen Angel feathers!] Ddraig warned Issei.

"EVERYBODY TAKE COVER UNDER SOME FURNITURE!" Issei cried out, leading everyone to instinctively hide under what was closest to them.

Soun scrawled under a nearby table, Kasumi got down next to the bed, Sanma and Issei followed her actions. A storm of hardened feathers rained down into the bedroom, piercing even through the ceiling and walls!

The room was starting to fill with sharp feathers, piercing the room everywhere.

Miraculously, nobody was hurt, though they were all either scared to death or frustrated by their helplessness.

"Dang it! As though it couldn't get any worse!" Sanma cursed, as he wondered just how they could get out of this alive. "It looks like this feathered chicken is going all out. He's gonna kill us all at this rate!"

"Are you OK, Tengu-san?" Issei asked Kasumi.

"Mhmm… Yes…" she nodded, trying her best not to show Issei how frightened she really was. She did not want him to worry needlessly.

"ARGH!" at that moment, they heard a scream coming from beside them. It turned out, Sanma's leg has been pierced by a feather.

"NO!" "Are you OK!?" Kasumi and Issei shouted in horror and shock. Soun said nothing, though he was also shocked.

"I'll live… This alone won't kill me…" Sanma gritted his teeth and pulled out the feather. "If only we could get this cocky jerk to the ground, then we could finish this for good!"

"I know, I know!" Issei responded frustrated. "You've said that over and over again!"

"We need to think of a plan!" Sanma said.

Both boys became silent to think even as the Fallen Angel feathers began to rain down near their positions.

"I know! Why don't ya call yer brothers? They've got a helicopter. They can take him down!"

Everybody looked at him with surprised faces and then with enthusiasm.

"Great idea! Call them here!" Soun asked of Issei with eagerness and hope.

Issei went right to it. He called Matsuda… but after five seconds, he did not respond.

"Argh!" "Kya!" Kasumi and Issei yelped when some feathers started coming through the bed and unto the floor. Soun also had some near misses when some feathers grazed his back.

"We don't have much time!" Sanma called out.

"Everyone, get under the bed!" Issei said.

Soun scrambled over to them and one by one, they went under the bed. Issei pulled the blanket down with them as a precaution.

"Oh my! Good thinking! That should buy us some time!" Kasumi smiled cheerfully at Issei.

"Thanks!" Issei replied with a small blush and tried to call Motohama this time.

"Issei?" Motohama's voice came from the other line.

"Motohama! Where are you!?" Issei demanded of him.

"Trying to escape that Fallen Angel chick! She's hot on our heels! And she won't give u-!" Motohama was interrupted by the sound of the helicopter being impacted.

"What's happening?" Issei asked again.

"Like I said. She's pursuing us and we're trying to fight back! But we can't shake her! Matsuda is doing his best right now, but it's impossible! I've been trying to shoot her, but she's too good at dodging!" Motohama hastily explained.

"HEY! WHEN ARE YOU JERKS GOING TO LAND!?" Nakane's voice came from Issei's watch.

Soun gasped at the sound of his youngest daughter.

"Nakane! Is she alright!?" Soun voiced with worry.

"She's fine, though kind of noisy!" Motohama answered in irritation, as he tried to speak over the blasts that were pounding the chopper. "If this keeps up, however, we won't be alive for long! Sorry, got to go! Over and out!"

And the line hung up, leaving everybody with a sense of unease.

"I presume that means they won't be coming any time soon…?" Soun asked, despite the obvious answer.

"Dang it! We have to think of something else!" Sanma growled in frustration.

"WAH!" Issei cried out this time, as a feather almost hit his head.

"Dang it!" Sanma cursed once more, this time with some despair in it.

"Are we going to die?" Kasumi asked worried to death.

"Don't worry, my dear. The boys here will find something out…" her father spoke comfortingly, though on the inside, he too was feeling despair.

Meanwhile, Issei was wracking his brains to figure out what to do. He tried thinking of all the inventory in his arsenal.

Dragon Shot? No good, Yuda could dodge them.

Body enhancement through Boosts? No good either. Even if Issei could jump higher because of it, Yuda was probably too high up in the air.

His special glasses? They were good, but they weren't weapons.

Wings? He didn't have those, even though he could get those through much dragonizing – except that that would take too long!

[What about your ice orb?] Ddraig reminded Issei.

Issei looked puzzled for a moment and then shook his head.

'Ddraig, as much as I'm grateful to you for reminding me of it, I don't think I there's much I can do about it?' Issei replied mentally.

[I wouldn't dismiss it, if I were you. In fact, I have a plan] Ddraig replied.

"You do!?" Issei asked this time out loud, earning everyone's puzzled looks.

[Yes. Throughout my life time experiences, I have encountered numerous ways how ice users have fought, such as Tiamat, one of the Five Great Dragon Kings – especially when it came to using their temperature to their advantage.] Ddraig explained sagely.

Issei looked puzzled once more.

"What are you talking about?"

Ddraig sighed. [I'll explain it to you then…]

---

23rd of September, Monday, 11:10 pm – above the Tengu residence, Nerima

About fifty meters above the ground was Yuda, looking down at the Tengu residence as an overlord would towards its target. He had fired off many hardened feathers at the house that everything in the house must have been made into Swiss cheese. Of course, Yuda didn't have the intention to kill any of them – at least, not yet.

His goal was to frighten those mortals into submission and make them wave the white flag. All that so he could get the lovely virgin Kasumi… Only then, would he kill them… and make dear Kasumi suffer for her foolishness.

Speaking of mortals, he could sense the boy with the Boosted Gear get out from under the bed and bolt out of the room. Truth be told, Yuda could detect their locations all this time. It was because he knew that Kasumi was under the bed with the other inhabitants that he decided not to kill any of them. It was too risky to try to pinpoint his aim on the three males without hurting Kasumi.

But now that the brunette had gone out of hiding, he could focus his attacks on him. He didn't even need to hold back anymore!

Yuda saw Issei enter the bathroom and open up the taps. Water gushed out in full flow from them all.

The male Fallen Angel had no idea why Issei was doing this (not that he cared anyway) and proceeded to blast Issei with his magic.

[Partner, incoming to your left!] Ddraig called out.

Issei turned and instinctively held the Boosted Gear in front of him.

[BOOM!]

The blast destroyed the bathroom, leaving it not only without a wall, but damaged the floor as well! Moreover, the waterpipes that led into the bathroom were damaged and were now gushing out with water.

Issei fell to the kitchen below with a painful thud, his body being exposed and his clothes now torn.

"I've got him…" Yuda said with a cocky smirk.

Issei stood up, despite his injuries and made his way to the kitchen and turned on the faucets there, too.

"Foolish boy! What are you trying to do!?" Yuda exclaimed triumphantly, intending on finishing him off once and for all.

Issei noticed the incoming blast and shielded himself once more with his Boosted Gear arm.

[BOOM!]

Once more, Issei was flattened and water was gushing out from the destroyed sink, flooding the now ruined Tengu residence.

"HAHAHA! Know your place, brat! You brought this upon yourself!" Yuda mocked Issei, who was either dead or badly injured.

Whatever the case, it didn't matter to Yuda. This should be more than enough for now. After all, he had other things to do.

He turned his gaze towards Kasumi, who was rushing towards the backyard trying to escape with her father and Sanma.

With Issei taken out of the picture, Yuda saw no reason not to fly into the house once more.

What Yuda didn't notice was that Issei's Boosted Gear was slowly getting warmer and warmer…

---

23rd of September, Monday, 11:12 pm – with Sanma, Soun and Kasumi

Once the three of them got to the middle of the flooded hallway, Yuda was standing right in front of them, blocking their way with an evil smile.

"Get into the living room! I'll hold him off!" Sanma told Soun and Kasumi, who did as they were told.

"Oh no, ya don't!" Yuda called out, but Sanma lashed out with a kick which Yuda instinctively dodged, "I'm yer opponent!"

Yuda chuckled darkly. "You don't even know who you are messing with, aren't you?" Yuda mocked him.

"I know what yer kind is. Yer the kind that thinks ya can do anythin' you want. Well, I've got news for ya! Ya're wrong!" Sanma countered and took a stance.

Yuda snorted and summoned a light spear. Although, Yuda wasn't a martial artist, he had good reflexes, which allowed him to block and parry Sanma's punches and kicks. Sanma, on the other hand, winced every time he hit and kicked. He still had not fully recovered from his injuries and the light spear was a rather solid object. What's more, the floor was covered by water, which made it rather hard for Sanma to fight on. The only advantage for Sanma was to fight at close range, so that Yuda could not jab him with the spear.

But Yuda had his own tricks. With the help of his wings, he jumped back to gain distance and quickly thrusted forward! Sanma was nimble enough to dodge to the side, but with repeated jabs and a slippery floor, it would only be a matter of time until Sanma slipped only for Yuda to run him through. That is why Sanma jumped back and cupped his hands together.

"Now, die!" Yuda yelled, as he thrust his spear forward.

"MOKO TAKABISHA! (Pride of the Fierce Tiger)" Sanma yelled and thrust his hands forward, a fiery blast coming out from his hands.

[BOOM!]

The blast enveloped the Fallen Angel and the hallway was covered with smoke.

Sanma panted hard after launching that attack.

'Man, good thing he didn't know about my chi blasts or else I wouldn't have been able to catch him off guard…' Sanma thought to himself, as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

As the smoke subsided, to Sanma's horror, he saw Yuda still standing. His shirt and coat were tattered, leaving his bare chest open for all to see and he looked like he had seen better days. Yet all in all, he still had more than enough strength to deal with Sanma.

"Damn it…" Sanma cursed and readied another to fire another Moko Takabisha.

"Not this time…" Yuda growled and stretched out his hand against him to fire a blast of his own.

[KABOOM!] [KABAM!] The two blasts collided and caused both combatants to fly back.

Sanma hit the wall behind him hard, knocking the air out of him. Sanma coughed out blood and lay there on the ever-increasing water on the floor. He was out for the count.

Yuda, on the other hand, was wounded and on one knee. He struggled to get up and managed to do so unlike Sanma.

"You brat… cough…" Yuda disdainfully coughed out. "You dare do this to me…?"

He stared down at Sanma with hatred. All he wanted to do was swoop in, take Kasumi, fly back and have his men finish off all witnesses. He hadn't expected to encounter this much difficulty from just two teenage boys alone. Humans weren't even capable of hurting him to such degree. So how did they do it? Even the Stray Exorcists could not do so and they were trained fighters.

Regardless, this was it. Both boys have been eliminated. If they were still breathing, he would have to do the coup de grace right away. However, just in case he didn't get caught in any surprises…

"Yuda-sama! Are you alright?" a voice came from down the hallway.

Coming from the front door were ten of Yuda's men. They had been assigned to storm the house at Yuda's command and do the extra wet work. They were armed with swords, blades and guns and looked ready to kill.

"I am alive, so that's something…" Yuda replied coldly.

He and his men then went into the living room where Kasumi and Soun had fled to, only to discover that they were no longer there. He saw that the living room led to their yard and that they had probably gotten away. But they wouldn't get far…

"Men, search the house and finish off those pests. There are two of them here, one in the kitchen and the other back in the hallway. Leave none alive…" Yuda ordered.

"Yes, sir," one of them answered and all them pulled out their weapons.

This was it. Now, there would be no more hindrances to stop Yuda anymore. Kasumi may have escaped with her father, but finding her shouldn't be too hard. But first things first. First, he had to eliminate both boys here and now, lest they come back and be a menace to him once more.

Five of the ten men decided to form one group and the other five formed another. They each were about to go when they noticed something strange about the house.

"Yuda-sama," one of the men spoke up. "If I may ask. Why is the room so foggy?"

Yuda turned his attention to the questioner and glared.

"What do you mean by that?" he said, giving a dark glare at the man.

"I-I mean… houses like this don't fog up like this…" the Stray Exorcist replied, as he shrank from the taller supernatural being.

"Yeah, plus, don't you think it's rather hot in here?" said another Stray Exorcist and waved his hand in front of his face to cool off.

Yuda looked around the room and had a bewildered look on his face. At first, Yuda was dismissive of the fog because he was too busy fighting. He simply presumed it was all the smoke and dust caused by the damage of his attacks. But upon a second glance, he realized that it was indeed fog. What's more, it wasn't merely here in this room, it was seemingly all over the house.

And it was warm as a sauna – far warmer than what a house should be (how much more a destroyed house).

"Check where it's coming from. Kill the boys, too while you're at it. Start with the one in the kitchen first," Yuda said, giving the men new orders.

"""Yes, sir,""" the men responded in unison and went towards the destroyed kitchen to find the downed Issei.

While the men searched, Yuda took his time to contemplate this abnormality.

As he was doing so, he heard a quiet sound.

[Boost!]

Yuda stopped what he was doing and looked around. It sounded like it came from the hallway.

Yuda couldn't help but feel suspicious. He knew that sound from somewhere, but where had he heard it before? He looked to the hallway…

[Boost!]

Yuda widened his eyes when he saw Issei standing near the downed Sanma, the latter who was running away.

"THEY ARE IN THE HALLWAY! GET THEM!" Yuda shouted in alarm.

The men rushed into the living room and…

"ICE ORB! FREEZE FLASH!" Issei shouted with the Boosted Gear lifted over his head.

[Freeze!]

Before Yuda could comprehend or act, the warm, foggy room instantly turned icy cold!

"HAGH!?" Yuda froze in shock and not just mentally. His body also froze because the sweat and condensed water (in other words the mist) had turned into ice. This not only caused his skin to freeze, but his wings were frozen solid as well. As a result, Yuda fell down to the ground face first like a toppled statue.

His men fared no better. They fell down in shock at how icy cold their environment had become in a second. Some of them had even taken their coats off, which made matters even worse for them.

'DAMN IT!' Yuda cursed, but could not say it out loud for he was frozen solid.

His opponent, though visibly freezing, at least had covered himself with blankets from the Kotatsu beforehand and was now calmly walking towards Yuda with a look as cold as the room.

Issei stopped before him and spoke.

"I knew we couldn't beat you head-on in a fight, especially with those wings of yours. With you fighting in the air, it would have only been a matter of time until we kicked the bucket. That's why we had to take out those wings of yours. The only problem was how were we to do it?" Issei asked rhetorically. "It was easy. All we needed to do was to buy enough time for me to let as much water come to the surface as possible, heat it up to create a fog and flash freeze it along with the rest of you. I guess that ice orb came in handy after all…"

Issei's face softened for a moment, as he thought of using the ice orb Freyr gave him to its fullest potential. But his face hardened once again as he looked down on his defeated opponent.

"But I digress. I don't have time for this, so I'll make this short. You've caused pain and misery for Kasumi, her friends and family. But not anymore. It ends here…" Issei held out his hand and charged.

Yuda tried his best to flee, attack or curse. But because of his frozen state, it was impossible to do any of these things. And thawing out within such a short amount of time was also out of the question.

In his last moments, Yuda wondered what went wrong. How was it possible for him to fall before a mere human like him? Even the ten Stray Exorcists here were frozen solid and at the boy's mercy. At a glance towards Issei's Boosted Gear, which was ready to fire at any moment, Yuda widened his eyes in horror – the only thing he could do in his frozen state.

That was no ordinary Sacred Gear.

That was… a Longinus…

[Dragon Shot!] [KABOOM!]

In an instant, Yuda was blown into smithereens.

---

23rd of September, Monday, 11:20 pm – up in the skies over Tokyo

{Warning! Armor compromised! Damage at 78 percent!} Phoebe's voiced rang out.

"We know! We know!" Motohama shouted back to Phoebe, whose warnings rang out for who knows how many times.

"Motohama! Do something! I can't shake her off!" Matsuda yelled, trying his best to outmaneuver Yuki in any way possible.

He tried his best in shaking the Fallen Angel off, whether it be by hiding in the clouds or flying someplace high up into the sky where the oxygen was low in the hopes that she won't pursue them. Unfortunately, none of these tactics worked. Yuki was just too persistent and was hammering at them with blasts and light spears. The damage the Chopping Board Type 2 took was serious enough to down it. It was only through a miracle that it was still flying.

"Yeah! What are you doing!? How can you miss!?" Nakane shouted in frustration and panic.

Ever since she left her friend's house, it had been nothing but trouble for her. First, she could not get home for some reason, then she almost froze to death and now she was in a helicopter with two of the transfer students and about to be killed in a dogfight. For someone who has experienced the craziest things in Nerima (and she has witnessed many things), this was far too random!

"But she just won't stay still! I can't hit her!" Motohama said, pressing the remote over and over again, trying to gun Yuki down.

[Click! Click!]

"Huh?" Motohama wondered at what that sound was.

{Ammunition empty! Please wait for the dark energy tank to recharge} Phoebe stated.

"Seriously!?" Motohama threw his arms up in the air in frustration.

[BOOM!]

The helicopter was rattled once more by Yuki's attacks.

{Warning! Armor compromised! Damage at 82 percent! Emergency landing is advised!} Phoebe called out once more.

"Dang it!" Matsuda cursed and made the chopper drop altitude.

Motohama noticed this and was alarmed.

"Dude! Matsuda! What are you doing?" Motohama asked.

"I'm trying to get to ground! We're not exactly able to fly at this rate," Matsuda answered.

"No, man! If we go down then she'll definitely killed us!" Motohama replied.

"We're gonna be killed either way!" Matsuda argued back. "And I'd rather die on the ground than in the air. Besides, at least on the ground we can run, so we have a chance."

Motohama shook his head in disbelief. "You're crazy… She's gonna hunt us down and kill us one by one!"

"That's why I suggest that once we hit the ground that we split up and run. At least, one of us will survive," Matsuda said seriously.

Motohama did not answer back. What Matsuda suggested did make sense…

However, that would entail only one or two of them surviving (if one were to count Nakane), which was not a favorable option for him.

[BOOM!]

Another explosion hit, but this time it was accompanied by the helicopter spinning out of control.

{MAYDAY! MAYDAY! Tail rotor is damaged. Helicopter functions compromised!} Phoebe announced.

"WHAAA! NOT GOOD!" Motohama screamed and held on tight for dear life.

"WE'RE SPINNING! DO SOMETHING YOU PERVERTS!" Nakane shouted, as she held on to her seat tightly.

"HANG ON TIGHT!" Matsuda called out, as he tried his best to bring the chopper under control.

He looked to the computer screens to see where they were going to land. To their luck just below them was the Arakawa river. With any luck, they could land in the river and swim for their lives.

[BOOM!]

Now, their dramatic spinning had stopped, but now they were in free fall.

{Main rotor is damaged! Chopping Board Type 2 is in free fall!}

"KYAAAHHH!" "WE'RE GOING TO DIE!" Nakane and Motohama shouted for dear life.

"Brace for impact! We're gonna land in the river!" Matsuda announced.

The other two followed Matsuda's instructions and held on to dear life.

Everybody was on edge, as they wondered how much the impact would hurt them.

From their window, they could see the river approaching them at high speed from below.

This was it. And they instinctively yelled out.

"""AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

[SPLASH!]

All three teens were thrown off balance by the painful jolt of the landing, even as the chopper sank unto the floor of the river within a second. With a thud, the destroyed chopper hit the seafloor. The particular area of the river they were in was about 5 meters deep.

Everybody breathed heavily after that and sighed in relief.

They were alive. Thank goodness… They had survived…

But before they could rejoice, they saw water coming down from the holes of the chopper.

{Warning! Chopper is critically damaged! Recommend dismissal for repairs} Phoebe sounded once more.

"What do we do now?" Motohama asked Matsuda.

"We get ready to swim of course," Matsuda answered, which earned him worried looks.

He gestured Nakane to come forward, which she did and said to both her and Motohama. "Listen. Once I count to three. This helicopter will disappear into thin air. At that moment, you will take a deep breath and we'll swim. Got it?"

Nakane looked at Matsuda with confusion.

"Wait. Disappear? How…?" she wanted to ask, but Matsuda cut her off.

"It's a long story. Anyway, get ready. OK?" Matsuda said to her.

Motohama and Nakane tensed and waited for his signal.

"One… Two…" Matsuda said, using his fingers to count.

Matsuda and Nakane took in a deep breath.

"Three!" Matsuda pressed the button of his wristwatch and the helicopter disappeared.

The waters of the Arakawa river swept over them, making them almost lose their breath. Nevertheless, they held it and swam to the surface as quickly as possible. The river current was quite strong and it was sweeping them downriver, yet all three of them endured it all and arrived at the surface…

They gasped for air, as their heads popped out of the water. All three of them used all of their strength to get to the shore and crawled unto land once they did.

They were so exhausted, they fell took a rest on the grassy shore, not caring if they got dirt and grass all over them.

They had made it for real this time… They had survived… They had…

Suddenly, the three of them heard the sound of clapping, which made their blood freeze in their veins. No… It couldn't be…

"Very good…I have to admit, seeing you three crash into the river and swim to shore was quite amusing…"

The three teens saw Yuki standing at a distance and clapping in a mocking fashion.

"…It's quite the show, really. Not something you see every day. But unfortunately, all good things must come to an end…" with that, Yuki summoned a light spear and approached them.

"Not good…" Matsuda clenched his teeth.

He was hoping they could high-tail out of here somehow, even spreading out in different directions, if needed. But now that they were exhausted and hardly able to run, that plan had to be thrown out the window.

"RUN AWAY, GUYS! I'LL HOLD HER OFF!" Motohama shouted, summoning his seax and rushing towards her.

Before he could attack her, Yuki simply stabbed her spear into his right leg just above his knee!

"GRAAAHHHH!" Motohama yelled, as he fell down in excruciating pain. It felt like his leg was on fire, burning his entire body.

"MOTOHAMA!" Matsuda screamed in horror.

Nakane didn't scream. Yet, the scene before her caused her to quake in fear.

Looking down at her writhing, incapacitated opponent, she laughed.

"What? Was that all? If that was all, I think I should just finish you here and now," she said, raising her spear to finish him off.

Matsuda clenched his fists. He needed to think of something fast. He looked around him and saw a big rock just by the water.

Before Matsuda knew it, he threw it at the Fallen Angel's head.

"AGH!" Yuki flinched, as she stumbled back in pain.

She clutched her forehead in pain. The throw had caused her head to bleed, something that infuriated her deeply.

"You filthy brat!" Yuki was outraged now. "You dare hurt me!? I'LL KILL YOU!"

In her anger she threw her spear at Matsuda.

Matsuda jumped out of its way. The spear missed him. Matsuda tried to pick up the next rock, but Yuki was faster. She flew at him in a fury and knocked Matsuda to the ground.

"OOF!" he grunted as the air was knocked out of him.

Matsuda tried to run, but he was pinned down by Yuki. She summoned another light spear and letting the blood from her wound trickle down her head.

"Now die…" she said coldly and raised her spear for the finishing blow.

Nakane neither said nor did anything. She sat there completely helpless before the anger of the Fallen Angel, simply looking on.

Motohama, despite being injured, was the only who tried to do something.

"NO! DON'T DO IT!" Motohama cried out for his friend.

Matsuda closed his eyes. This was the end. He awaited the finishing blow. And just when he wondered how painful a spear would be, something else happened.

"What!? Who!? What is this!?" Yuki screamed. He could feel her flailing for some reason.

Matsuda looked up and saw something shocking.

Out of the blue, a green jellyfish-like creature with red orbs within its transparent membrane had just latched onto Yuki's head with its fangs. Yuki was trying to pry it off and was completely distracted by it.

Matsuda used this opportunity to crawl away and scramble towards his injured friend.

"Dude! Are you alright?" Matsuda asked worried.

Motohama nodded, while still clutching his leg.

"I'll live… I don't know if my leg will live this through… hrgh…" Motohama grimaced in pain.

"AAARGH!"

A scream from Yuki made everyone focus on the female Fallen Angel.

By now, Yuki was not merely struggling to pry the green jellyfish off her head, she was also screaming in pain. She used a light spear and tried to stab it, but because of how unpractical it was to stab this close to her vicinity, she naturally could not do it. Moreover, the jellyfish made sounds that sounded like sucking – as if it were sucking her dry!

"What's going on…?" Motohama stared at her in surprise.

Even while she tried to get rid of the green jelly fish, her skin started losing color. She became paler for some reason, as the creature held on to her its fangs. Yuki tried her hardest to get it off, clawing at its membrane with all her might. But it was all in vain.

Nakane gaped and trembled as she pointed her finger at the sight.

"What is this…? Is this… for real…?" Nakane whispered in horror.

Yuki turned to Matsuda with an enraged look.

"YOU! IS THIS ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR TRICKS!?" Yuki demanded of Matsuda her face turning ghastly white.

Matsuda didn't say a word. He simply had a look of horror on him, something that told Yuki volumes about the answer she sought.

And it horrified her.

"NO! NOOO! GET IT OFF ME! GET IT OFF ME! GET… IT OFF… ME… Get… it… off… me…" Yuki screamed and thrashed and clawed with all her might.

Despite her efforts, her strength and cries were growing weaker and weaker.

What was even more horrifying was that her movements became sluggish and slower, the terror on her face ever present. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head, as she stopped moving altogether, her body remaining perfectly frozen even as her body turned ash gray.

"What the heck has happened to her!?" Matsuda exclaimed in utter incomprehension.

"What is that… that thing?" Motohama asked to no one in particular.

"It looks like something out of a nightmare…" Nakane said, her eyes completely glued to the terrifying sight before her.

Nobody said a word, as the green jellyfish remained on Yuki's still body. Her ash gray body turned beige like sand. Not only that but by now her body even looked like a sand sculpture of herself.

Then the sucking sounds stopped.

Everybody remained transfixed at the creature and what it was going to do next.

It floated… making chirping sounds as it went. It hovered and moved its tentacles for a bit, before making its way up and disappearing into the dark night sky.

After it had gone out of sight, Matsuda, Motohama and Nakane looked at each other wordlessly. What they just saw… they had no words for it. And they also didn't know how to begin.

All they could do was turn their sights on the now lifeless Yuki, who was still frozen in her last moments of horror and struggle.

Then her body fell over… and partially broke down into dust, lying there at the banks of the Arakawa River even as some of Yuki's remains partially were swept into the river.

The three teens remained there dumbfounded. Absolutely nobody could process what had just happened. Seemingly millions of questions went through their heads.

Nothing made sense anymore and they had witnessed a lot of unbelievable things. Planting explosives to destroy a magical shield, escaping from a Fallen Angel on land and in the air, rescuing Nakane (or in Nakane's case being rescued) from a cold sleep, surviving a helicopter crash and from drowning, struggling to death against the same Fallen Angel from earlier…

And then… that thing?

What were they to make of it?

Were they supposed to be relieved?

Or were they supposed to be horrified that that… thing might come back to haunt them someday.

If only someone would come and make sense of it all…

"Boys?"

At the sound of someone's call, the three teens stunned daze spell broke. Upon seeing who it was, they saw Shinyama, the legal guardian and landlord of the perverted trio on a tricycle and a trolley attached to the back.

Normally, the three of them would have looked in bewilderment or made fun of Shinyama for his peculiar mode of transportation, but currently they were too drained and tired to think about it. Motohama was badly injured, so he had better things to worry about.

"Are you guys OK?" Shinyama asked concerned. "Here. You have to cram together in the trolley. It's not exactly the comfy but this is all I can provide you with. So, hop on."

Without, Matsuda propped up Motohama and got on the trolley together with Nakane. Matsuda and Nakane stood at the front corners of the trolley, while Motohama occupied the rest because his injury required him to do sit down.

"All abord? Well then…" Shinyama said with a smile and started to cycle.

As the four of them departed in the dark to head back home, they left behind the area at the river along with its eerie atmosphere.

They still could not understand the events of today and would probably ponder about it for a long time. After all, they had many questions and even questions they had yet to figure out.

But out of the many questions they asked themselves, only one thing could be answered that night – the most immediate and relevant question of the day.

Shinyama turned around and gave them a thumbs up.

"We did it, guys. We won."

---

Phew…

Second longest chapter ever. But well worth it.

And that was chapter 33 of the Lone Vigilante Issei. I hope you enjoyed the extra-long read.

Now, about this chapter.

There is quite a lot to unpack, so let me start with the plan that I hatched.

My plan was to throw the Fallen Angel's plan off balance by making the first move. That's why I sent Motohama and Matsuda to destroy one of the many sigils to destroy the distortion barrier.

The distortion barrier's existence was to have the enemy infiltrate, attack and exfiltrate out of the area they were attacking without being alerting the entire city. Entering and leaving the barrier can only be done by them and whomever they wish.

It was because the barrier was destroyed that Yuda rushed forward his plan to kidnap Kasumi. His original plan was to put up the barrier, surround the house with his men just when everybody was asleep and then eliminate all opposition and kidnap Kasumi. With that plan foiled, Yuda knew that we had found out about his plan to some degree and thus resorted to launch a stealth attack and take Kasumi right then and there.

And we all know how that went.

I spent a lot of time thinking about how Issei – and Sanma – was/were going to beat Yuda, an experienced Fallen Angel with an immense magical arsenal in a fight. Issei right now, is too weak to beat him on his own and I don't plan on giving him his famous Scale Mail just yet.

As for Sanma, he was wounded from his last fight with Yuda, so of course he wouldn't have been able to do much.

So, what to do? Use out-of-the-box tactics, of course.

When water turns into steam and meets cool air on the ground, it condenses and becomes fog. When mist gets on your body, naturally you become wet. And when your body is drenched by fog and temperatures go rapidly down to -20° C… I think the outcome should be clear.

Issei's ice orb, though perhaps not special, does have a lot of tactical advantages. Good that he was able to use it.

As for when Issei is going to get stronger… well… keep in mind that Issei is human and that even with dragonisation it would still take a bit of time. Plus, the dragonisation process itself is not something you do right away. Unlike Canon Issei, who is a Devil, getting strong quickly is not something a human Issei can achieve.

Besides, this story is not about Issei getting stronger and stronger with astounding speed and then becoming one of the strongest beings in the world. No, rather this is about him growing and developing as a character, something that I feel is severely lacking in the Canon story.

But back to the chapter.

As for Matsuda and Motohama, they actually had to deal with aerial combat for the first time – and they lost. I plan on having them use the Chopping Board Type 2 more often in the future.

As for the rather gruesome surprise at the end, well… I'm pretty sure you all know what killed Yuki.

For all those who don't I'll say it.

That was a Metroid Larva from the Metroid Series. Yes, I made another crossover, since I already did it with DDLC and Ranma ½ to a certain degree, why shouldn't I add another one to the mix. Heck, I already cooked up a plot regarding different dimensions, something even Canon DxD has in its story (you know… Chichigami?).

But for now, I have other things in store. So, stay tuned for the epilogue to find out more.

In the meantime, how did you like this chapter? Did you like it or did you think it was long and needlessly drawn out?

Please read and review. I would like to hear from you.

Also, if there are any grammatical mistakes, please tell me so I can correct them. Never liked spelling or grammatical errors.

And as always, I hope to see you next time.

Until then.

Hide Shinyama