Potential

Disclaimer: I do not own the works of the Seven Deadly Sins and Highschool DxD. That's how a fanfiction do. Please support the official release.

Chapter 3: Potential

(Que Seven Deadly Sins OP Season 2 OP 2 "Sky Peace")

Meliodas, followed by Raynare, put on his usual face until he started snickering five steps away from the ORC.

"Did you see their faces?" Snickered Meliodas growing into a chuckle.

"Oh yes I did." Raynare said, struggling to keep her own laughs at bay. Now she remembered why she loved hanging out with her uncle. It was so satisfying seeing the faces after blowing up their world.

"So what do you want to do now, lil Ray?" Meliodas asked.

"I just want to stay with you guys." Raynare declared without hesitation. "I have a few decades to catch up on."

"Yes you do." Meliodas chirped. "I could use a new waitress for the customers."

Raynare paled slightly. "You're not going to make wear those outfits, right?"

Oh, she remembered bringing up the subject of the uniforms for the waitresses. One day when she was still in her single digits, Raynare found a photo of her mother in one of those pink tights. Short version, Merlin had a furious scowl on her face before she turned the photo to ashes with a glare and proceeded to rain hell at the Boar Hat.

By raining hell as in summoning giant fireballs from the sky.

"Whatever do you mean, ni-shi-shi?" Meliodas feigned innocence betrayed by his laugh.

Raynare only stayed silent too afraid to discover whatever the short blonde devil had in store. She blocked most of the walk back to the Boar Hat, occasionally glancing at the Gremory's familiar she knew was following them.

'That princess certainly is nosy.' Raynare thought.

It wouldn't get within a block before Elaine's winds blew it away. It was near midday, ripe for customers that hate mornings for a drink to ease their nerves and early workers to find a quick meal.

She inwardly thanked Asuna's and Elaine's insistence to change her usual outfit or else every human in the bar would drool at her every step.

Inside the Boar Hat, Raynare was greeted with a slightly unexpected sight. There was the normal scene of humans eating and drinking at the tables, completely ignorant of the true nature of their servers.

What caught her eye was Uncle Ban slumped over the bar table with more than several empty bottles of beer and a blush on his face clearly drunk. If drunk meant destroying his liver a couple of times.

He would still go on if Elaine and King didn't restrain him down with magic seals.

Meliodas' normally cheery mood soured at the sight of wasted liquid money. He works hard for that booze dammit! Before he could say something, Ban beat him to the punch.

"Cap~, we ran out of booze~" Ban slurred ending with a burp.

"All of it!?" Melidas exclaimed with widened eyes. "You motherfucker, that was a whole weeks worth!"

Raynare sweatdropped. She forgot just how odd the Sins really were outside of the power monsters they were to the supernatural world.

In a way, it brought a sense of relief that with all their strength they can still act like a weird family.

"I guess I should clean that up?" Raynare half-asked.

Meliodas sighed. "Don't bother. He'll find a way to make a mess again."

"Why do you keep him here then?" Raynare inquired.

"He may be a pain in the green-lands, but he's good at attracting crowds." Meliodas countered. "You try finding someone who does free labor swallowing swords and enjoying it?"

Raynare sweatdropped even more. Given her uncle's uniqueness to being immortal and his disturbing turn on, it made so much sense she shivered a little.

"Come on." Meliodas gestured to Raynare to follow. "I have to show you something."

Raynare simply nodded and followed Meliodas behind the bar and kitchen. None of the humans even acknowledged their presence either from their senses being dulled or too engrossed in Diane's cooking.

They soon entered what she assumed was the wine cellar, or rather just the place to store alcohol, judging by the low lighting to reduce the risk of place of going up in flames. And also some empty bottles Ban left behind.

Meliodas crouched down and opened a sudden trapdoor just a few feet away from the entrance. Raynare had a puzzled look seeing even brighter light filtering from below complimented with a ladder.

A trapdoor below the cellar. She certainly didn't expect that.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Meliodas chirped as his head disappeared below.

In hindsight, there was nothing Raynare should expect from a basement, but Meliodas was always… odd to say. Odd in the terms that no one could predict whatever he did. With a shrug, Raynare followed him down the ladder.

She should've suspected something was off when she felt a breeze.

"Hey, what's taking so long, lil Ray?" Meliodas' voice echoed.

Echoed? How is Meliodas' voice echoing from in here-

"WHHHAAAAAAT?!" Raynare screeched that turned into a resounding echo when her eyes looked down to bear witness to a wasteland complete with an artificial sky, and she was over a hundred feet from the ground. This was all just below a bar, the cellar nonetheless.

While Raynare's face was etched with shock and awe, Meliodas was still nonchalant as ever. Completely unfazed like nothing was happening.

"J-Just a minute." Raynare called, composing herself. She allowed gravity to take her hold and spread her wings to glide down to the ground, landing with a gentle thump kicking up dust from her wings.

"What is this?" Raynare asked.

"This," Meliodas answered, panning over to the 'basement', "is where we will brush up your skills."

Raynare nearly had her heart stop, too stunned to make a word.

Only a squeak came out of her slacked jaw. Was this really happening?

"Does this mean," Raynare mumbled, tears building up in her eyes,

"you're going to train me?" Meliodas beamed a smile. "Of course."

"THANK YOU!" Raynare squealed as she wrapped Meliodas in a bear grip.

Or at least tried to if he didn't disappear from her view and reappear behind her. All that Raynare did was slide her front through the dirt.

"You're too kind." Meliodas said. "But I fully intended to train you. In truth, only three people can actually train you, including myself."

Raynare perked an eyebrow in confusion while dusting herself off from her fall. To her, it almost like they had a plan for her for a long time. And what did he mean by only three people? It sounded like an insult, but Raynare could tell there was a deeper meaning to it all.

"What do you mean?" Raynare asked dumbfounded.

Raynare nearly flinched seeing Meliodas' facade drop slightly to a bit more serious expression. The smile was still there, but his emerald eyes hardened like cold steel.

"Training you has been a long time coming." Meliodas explained.

"You're a lot special than you are Raynare. For more reasons than are safe to say."

"What?" Raynare spoke dumbly not getting where this was going.

Meliodas sighed, ruffling his hand through his blonde locks in thought. "How do I put this? You are a unique case. The kind that would make you want to be used or eliminated as a threat. When I said only three people in existence could train you, I meant that they have the knowledge to fully bring out your potential."

"What makes me so special?" Raynare muttered, dripping with doubt.

"Your light for one." Meliodas noted. "You don't realize this, but your light isn't anything like a fallen angel's should be. You may be fallen but your light has even far more quality than even regular angels should have."

Raynare's eyes widened in shock. What Meliodas was saying was simply impossible. The soul difference that made fallen angels different from their pure cousins was that their light carried a dull quality via the sins that mark their wings black. Unfortunately, that went on with naturally born fallen angels like herself since they carried an instinct for sin similar to devils.

Even though Raynare was the daughter of Merlin, arguably the most powerful fallen angel in the universe, there was zero chance her light could ever match that of heaven's angels.

"That's impossible." Exclaimed Raynare. "A fallen angel's light can never be pure. Mother would've told me if she knew."

"She did." Meliodas stated. "Merlin is also one of the three people able to train you."

"What?" Raynare snapped. "Sh-She knew and never told me about this?! How could she!?"

BOP!

The fallen's rant was abruptly cut short by a hand chop to her forehead. Raynare hit her bottom to the ground while rubbing her now red brow that sported a red bump. Meliodas looked as nonchalant as ever.

"Merlin never told you because she thought it was the best way to protect you." Meliodas clarified. "Rather involve yourself with us, Merlin wanted you to live a life away from the Grigori and the whole supernatural world. You know, to live a normal life. We never saw eye-to-eye to that, even when I knew it was impossible with your heritage."

Raynare's head dipped down to the ground. Her mind reached back go her early memories before she joined the Grigori. Thinking to all those times her mother pushed away from her lab it revealed a whole new different side to the story. Rather than pushing Raynare away Merlin was trying her best to keep her daughter from being enraptured with the magic of the supernatural, more so the dangers that come along.

Her mind snapped back to Meliodas' last words. "What do you mean by my heritage?"

"To put it bluntly," Meliodas said, "you're actually half-pure angel."

Another wave of shock washed through her. Raynare didn't even have the strength to stand up again and just sat there in dumb silence.

There was no possible way for her to be half-pure angel as well. Any angel from heaven would become fallen from intercourse, or so she thought. But that also meant that her father was angel as well.

When Raynare was younger, she always wondered who her father was, but whenever she asked Merlin she always stayed quiet with this forlorn look, as though Merlin was staring aimlessly into the distance. Never once did Merlin say anything on the subject, and

Raynare just put it passed her.

"This is why Merlin wanted you to be as clueless as possible." Meliodas said. "If everyone knew what you were, some like the Grigori would think of you as a weapon while the church would see you as a heresy."

"I-I don't understand." Raynare said. "If I'm part pure angel, then who is my father? Isn't he fallen as well?"

Meliodas put a comforting hand on Raynare's shoulder seeing her start to tremble from shock. "Raynare, there's a fine line between lust and love. I can guarantee that your parents loved each other truly, and from that came you."

"Then what makes my light more powerful than a regular angel's?" Raynare asked calmly. "Just who is my father?"

"To answer the second question," Meliodas answered, "your father is one of my oldest friends. Formerly known as the Lion Sin of Pride, Escanor.

"Escanor?" Raynare replied in confusion, "I don't think I remember anything about him. All I know is Uncle Ban, you, and the other sins but never the Sin of Pride."

Meliodas nodded. "He was part of the Sins centuries ago. Believe it or not, he was human, but he was the damn strongest human ever to live. They called him the Bane of Kings, and most importantly… the only human to ever defeat me."

"WHAT?!" Screeched Raynare. "B-B-B-But that's impossible! How could you lose to anybody, much less a human?! You're the strongest person I know!"

"Why thank you, lil Ray." Meliodas said cheekily.

"None of this makes sense!" Cried Raynare in frustration while kicking her legs. "If this guy is my father, then how am I born at all if he died long ago?"

"That's what one would think." Meliodas agreed. "When he died, I knew he ascended with heaven. Imagine my surprise when he returns by as a new Seraph. Through sheer force of will, he became an angel himself..."

"That's…" Raynare gasped, unable to form words. The more she heard of her father, the more she was beginning to develop such a whole new awe to him. To put it in simple terms, her father was the best in the world. "He sounds amazing."

"That's putting it likely." Meliodas said. "Escanor has my eternal respect and he shows what humans can really become if they ever awaken their full potential. But you Raynare, are much more. You have the best from both of your parents. From Merlin, it is her cunning and genius, more that I can see in your swordplay. From Escanor, you carry a bloodline from heaven equivalent to the 72 Pillars of the devils, the Power of the Sun. You may doubt it's there, but all we have to do is dig it up. "

"So let's get started!" Meliodas chirped, his attitude going back to beaming charm.

Meliodas flipped back in an expert show of acrobatics till the blonde was fifteen meters away. He took a narrow stance putting his right side forward with his blade held in his right hand. His smile widened and looked like one of innocent fun.

Raynare blinked before her mind processed that Meliodas was already starting her training.

As she summoned a sword of light, Raynare gulped nervously but there was also a rush of excitement.

Very few people knew Raynare enjoyed the art of the blade. It was more than that because she was being trained by her uncle that she looked up to as a kid. Not in the sense just for power like before but in order to follow her family's footsteps. To become a Sin herself.

(Abandoned Church)

From recent developments, Rias made a decision to get rid of the unsanctioned presence of the fallen angels in Kuoh. They had gone too far with one of the exiled Exorcists killing one of their contractors in cold blood. There were lines that were crossed and she would make them pay.

She devised a plan as such to eliminate as many as they could in one knight. Akeno and herself should flank from the back killing any patrols while the rest of her peerage would storm the church from the front.

Asia was joining them as well, more to be there for Issei if he got hurt. Despite protests from Rias, Asia was very brave to face danger if just for her friends.

Unexpectedly, Issei had kept the newly made angel close to him. Yet again, Rias was caught off by the socalled pervert's closeness to the nun. Not once did he ever perv on the girl and was highly protective if not even affectionate.

Rias had actually smiled at the makings of a couple, but couldn't stop the pang of jealousy in her heart. Asia got the freedom to choose to an admittedly lovable guy while she had to be stuck in a loveless marriage. At least for now.

Rias shook away those thoughts and focused her attention to her peerage just outside the grounds of the abandoned church. This was no time to be jealous of her own servants.

"Alright people." Rias said. "You know the plan. We hit them hard and fast. Their presence will no longer be tolerated in Kuoh."

"Yes, Buchou." Cried the peerage.

"Room for one more?"

All eyes turned to the voice followed by the familiar crunch of footsteps. Out of the shadows of the night stepped none other than Raynare. She had abandoned the bondage outfit for a uniform of the Grigori opting for more functional clothing.

Underneath a flowing purple cloak Raynare wore a black one-piece decorated with a white diamond that held her torso tight but left the skin of her thighs and arms in their pale beauty. She had a falchion of light resting on her shoulder. Raynare held a different smile, not one of seduction nor mischief, but one of playful mirth.

"What are you doing here?!" Rias growled out, her peerage on guard.

"Helping of course." Raynare responded calmly. "These bastards need to go, for both of us. If you have so little trust in me, then prove myself now."

"What is stopping you from betraying us?" Akeno accused, lightening arcing across her body.

Raynare didn't seem intimidated. "If I was going to betray you, you would already be surrounded from all angles with no way to escape."

Rias contemplates Raynare's offer while trying to clear her thoughts for logical thinking. She looks back at her peerage. Akeno was fuming with rage, no doubt still holding a grudge against fallen angels.

To her surprise, the rest of her peerage seemed neutral, especially Issei. Another factor Rias considers is that by allying herself with Raynare she would also in turn ally herself with that unknown devil that the fallen angel is somehow close with.

She's still shocked that a live Maou-class devil was living in the same town, and from the brief encounter with Meliodas he could rival her brother.

She was tempted to report to her brother about his presence, but that warning the short blonde gave somehow left a deep fear to not follow whatever punishment he had. Wisely or not, Rias never made such a call and kept it a secret even from Sona.

"I suppose we can cooperate, but under one condition." Rias said.

"You must become join the ORC and attend for at least once a week."

Raynare nodded. "Agreed. At least its better than sending your familiar to watch me. A word of advice, bats don't fly in the middle of the day."

Rias sputtered in shock, and even Akeno despite her fury towards

Raynare couldn't stop at least a giggle at the jab at Rias' pride.

Raynare simply walked in a brisk pace with that smile of mirth never fading. She glanced to Asia and for a moment a silent conversation was held between them before the former nun flashed her warm smile.

Akeno and Rias flew to the back of the church leaving the rest of the peerage and Raynare standing at the front door. Asia was hanging close behind Issei and Raynare while Kiba and Koneko took the lead.

"Hey Kiba, you use swords, right?" Issei asked, getting a nod from the knight. "Do you mind giving me a spare to use?"

Kiba quirked a curious eyebrow before shrugging and activating his Sacred Gear. Out of thin air, a simple straight blade manifested into existence. Kiba tossed it to Issei who nonchalantly caught it in his right hand without trouble.

He gave a few practiced swings, smiling at the fine balance in it. Being trained by Meliodas will tend to pick up the way of the sword naturally.

"You know how to use a blade?" Kiba noted.

Issei shrugged. "I dabble."

"So how are we doing this?" Raynare inquired, looking at the closed doors. "Are we just going to sneak in and take them by surprise?"

Koneko gave her answer by pulling her fist back and sending the doors flying with a punch. Immediately, the short girl jumped into the church following the sounds of fists hitting flesh and shouts of men flying. Kiba soon followed with a sigh, leaving Raynare, Issei, and

Asia with sweatdrops.

"Or we just make a lot of noise and wing it." Raynare muttered.

A moment later the three supernatural beings arrived in the church.

There were already bodies of exiled exorcists on the floor dead from either bludgeoning or bleeding. A war cry catches their attention to a couple exorcists jumping them at their flanks. Immediately Issei and Raynare take action. Issei first summons his Sacred Gear and used the gauntlet to parry away the light sword and drive his own blade through the man.

As for Raynare, she deflected her opponents blade away with ease. The exorcist stumbled back from the sudden imbalance giving Raynare the chance to summon a light construct of a dagger and throw with laser precision to the man's throat.

"And I thought they were competent." Raynare commented with disgust.

Another appeared from behind trying to get a slice at Asia. It was too late for her to get away from the blade. She closed her eyes in fear of the pain only for the sound of clashing metal to snap her eyes open.

Inches from her face the light sword was held back in the red gauntlet of the Boosted Gear, and Issei was glaring murderous eyes at the exorcists. For just moment, his eyes seemed to turn a dark purple.

"No one hurts Asia." Issei growled, and in the blink of an eye cut the man from the left hip to the right shoulder.

The three continued on and found Kiba and Koneko battling the last of the exiled exorcists. One of them that was keeping a surprising pace with Kiba was a man in his mid 20s with greasy white hair and a crazed look in his eyes. The exorcists just jumped back from a blade to his neck when he saw Raynare.

"You bitch of a crow!" The man cried with half-pissed, half-insane look. "You betrayed us for these filthy devils! How wonderful! Now I get to see the insides of a fallen angel!"

"Freed." Raynare said with no joy.

"C'mon let's dance the last dance-"

"Highway to the danger zone~" Sang a voice in the distance slowly coming closer.

All combatants suddenly stopped at the voice completely caught off in surprise. Issei and Raynare especially had comical reactions with wide eyes full knowing who it was.

"What is that?" Koneko wondered.

"It's three o' clock, isn't it?" Raynare mumbled, less of a question and more of a statement.

"Who is that?" Kiba said, looking back at the entrance where the singing was coming from.

Entering the main battle was none other than Ban the Sin of Greed.

He was in his usual red attire of a tight red vest and pants. There was a stumble in his step and his cheeks were flushed indicating he drunk. It is a normal occurrence for as long as the Sins could remember that at three o' clock that Ban would drink far too many beers that he would go through a few livers and walk into the town hollering whatever song came to his head.

Normally Elaine would have him restrained but today was an exception.

"Riding to the danger zone~" Sang Ban like a shrill banshee. "Ooh, a party's going on here? Ray, why didn't you invite me?!"

Raynare did the only thing she could do at a time like this. Her hand met her face in a loud smack and muttered incoherently about dumb uncles. Freed didn't have a rebuttal for this unexpected development of a man just walking in here singing.

Then he remembered that it was just a man, so he signaled the exorcists around him to attack him at once. It was either too fast for Ban or he didn't see it, but the next he knew he was skewered by half a dozen light swords surrounding him.

As Ban coughed blood, Kiba and Koneko went pale in horror that a bystander got killed in their battle. Freed had a sickening smirk on his face, relishing the kill before him. He looked to the wide eyes of Ban to see his hopes and life leave his eyes. Ban made a gurgling noise choking from the blood in his throat. The more Ban seemed to suffer coughing out mouthfuls of blood, the more Freed laughed.

After what felt like minutes pass, there should only be a standing corpse in the middle of the exorcists.

To Freed, Koneko, and Kiba's shock, Ban still had more life in him. In fact, that shocked look in his eyes gave away completely to a fox-like grin that spread his face.

"He-he-he, that is pretty funny." Ban spoke as though he wasn't impaled multiple times.

"The fucking shit is this!?" Cursed Freed at this man not dying but light swords through his heart and body. "You should be fucking dead! Dead, dead, dead!"

"But that's what makes this so much more hilarious." Ban laughed, clearly enjoying the pain. "Can't kill something that's, ha-ha, immortal and all. C'mon, let's have a good laugh like merry men."

Ban's arms suddenly wrapped around the exorcists' necks and started squeezing them in a hug. The mortal men gasped and choked for breath, but all was useless to resist Ban's iron grip. Their faces turned blue following a loud crack as six necks snapped at once under the immortal's arms.

"What - the actual - fuck!?" Kiba said, completely terrified. Koneko made her fears known by vibrating like a cat.

"Aww~, I broke them." Ban whined. "Hey Ray, can I *burp* play with these people?"

Raynare sighed in exasperation. "Fine go ahead."

"Yippe!" Cried Ban, pulling out his signature three-part nunchucks.

His red eyes scanned over the apprehensive exorcists. The fear in their eyes made the immortal grin except for one man. Ban locked eyes on Freed, who was more pissed off than afraid that someone wouldn't just die.

"Hey, you." Ban said, holding his right hand out.

"Wha-" Freed cut himself off when he felt his light sword suddenly try to yank itself out of his grasp.

"Gimme your sword."

The invisible grip was too much for Freed and the light sword flew out of his hands and into Ban's outstretched arm. His foxy grin only got bigger from the feat.

"Why you fucker!" Freed cried. "Someone, everyone, kill that fuckhead!"

The hall soon became crowded with the bulk of the exorcists present in the church. Ban's red eyes darted to every individual in the crowd but his smirk never fell. There was a tense silence that fell between the opposing sides, waiting for the other to make a move.

"Just a heads up," Ban said suddenly, "does anybody have any gum?"

Instead of answering, the exorcists all charged Ban all at once. What followed next was a complete massacre. Blood rained down from the bodies ripped apart from Ban's weapon with limbs and hearts coming loose with each swing.

Ban didn't even stop as more light swords skewered his body, and the pain just served to make him laugh. By thirty seconds, he looked like a human pincushion moving in a blur to a regular human.

"Perhaps we can leave him to this." Kiba noted nervously, glancing to Koneko. "Want to check the rest of the church?"

Koneko merely nodded and the two devils split up to two different halls to look for more exorcists to kill. Raynare, Issei, and Asia chose that time to continue on their own path and headed to the basement of the church. As they rushed to the stairs, Freed was already there in their way.

"No way am I letting you bi-" Freed was abruptly silenced as Issei casually backhanded him with the Boosted Gear sending the crazed exorcist through the wall. Asia had the decency to cringe for the man, but kept herself going in order to help her friends however way she can.

The flight of stairs to the basement soon turned awfully dim with the light at the bottom their only way to guide them.

'Not once did we meet either of the fallen angels.' Raynare thought.

'Mittlet most definitely is outside on partrol, and she always goes with a partner. The most likely to be with her would be Dohnaseek has he has a habit to walk around. Which means we'll most likely meet…Kala-san.'

Out of the three possible clashes with her former allies, Raynare hated this one the worst. It was Kalawarner who approached Raynare to serve under one of the Cadre with her for the past fifty years.

She was the only one Raynare had even an inkling of a positive relationship with, and Kalawarner always did encourage her pursuit of power. In the end, Raynare knew Kalawarner's loyalty to Kokabiel was her highest priority.

Devil, angel, and fallen angel arrived in the basement. The chamber was dimly lit by a few torches. Standing in the center was a tall woman with a waterfall of blue hair. Her features were sharp to add to her beauty, giving her a vibe of a warrior. A pair of wings of black feathers were unfolded from her back. In her hands was a light construct of a double-ended sword.

The woman locked eyes with Raynare in disgust. "Raynare, you damn traitor! What do you think you're doing?!"

"Me, a traitor?" Raynare retorted. "Do you think I'm blind? I never realized it, but this whole time we have never orders from the Grigori, have we?"

Kalwarner responded in a dark chuckle. "So what? It's all worth it for power. Azazel has become soft and weak. We should be the supreme power in the world and take whatever we want. And since you brought the nun here, I'll just end her measly life and take her Sacred Gear."

Kalawarner snapped into motion after the vulnerable Asia. Just five feet away from the young blonde, the bluenette halted in a clash of steel and staring at hardened violet orbs.

"You will not touch her." Raynare declared with venom. Kalawarner scoffed while fighting the blade lock. "Since when did you become such a spineless bitch?"

Issei was about to flank Kalawarner until Raynare called him out. "Don't. This is my fight."

Issei reluctantly backed off while protecting Asia if the bluenette tried any underhanded tactics. The blade lock continued between the fallen angels until to the bluenette's shock Raynare was gaining ground on her.

"You know," Kalawarner growled, "it was so easy getting you to join us. You were like a lost puppy, a weakling born from such a powerful line. All those promises of power were so easy to goad you I wanted to fucking laugh at how pathetic you were."

Despite the harsh words, Raynare didn't let up in her steel-like demeanor. Unable to win the contest of strength, Kalawarner disengaged and jumped back to get distance from Raynare. She projected a spear of light in her hand and threw it with an expert's aim at the daughter of Merlin.

Raynare sprinted to meet the spear in the middle of their distance. Right before impact, Raynare reversed the grip on her falchion and swung at the point of the spear. Issei could clearly see what was happening and he was impressed with Raynare's skill with the blade. In that one swing, Raynare perfectly split the spear in two halves.

While Kalawarner was shocked by the maneuver Raynare kept her speed. The bluenette's late response nearly costed her arms. At the last second, Kalawarner blocked the opening swing from the left but Raynare's blade of light dug a few centimeters into Kalawarner's left arm.

Kalawarner parried the blade away, but was too slow to make her own attack before Raynare returned with a thrust that dug into Kalawarner's side. Kalawarner roared in outrage pushing herself to make a wide swipe with her double-ended weapon. Raynare ducked under the slash that she mentally noted was pathetically slow, and punished by driving her falchion through Kalawarner's right knee.

She was brought to one knee and was met to a devastating that crushed her collar bone and sent her flying to the center of the room.

Issei was quite amazed by Raynare. He had been under Meliodas' tutelage since his late childhood and he could tell that Raynare's movements were well-timed. In fact, it seemed to almost seemed she was 'remembering' through the art of sword play and was now back in her prime.

"Kalawarner," Raynare said, lowering her blade, "it's over. The exorcists, Dohnaseek, and Mitlet are dead. Kokabiel isn't going to come for your rescue and the Gremory girl will not spare you."

Kalawarner wanted to curse at Raynare, but only managed to cough blood and succumb to her bleeding injury. To her further fury, Raynare turned her back to her keeping a slight, uncaring frown of disappointment and walked back to Issei and Asia.

The more she stared at Raynare's back, the more Kalawarner was convinced that this weakling was looking down at her. It was she that brought Raynare here, that gave her a purpose when she was so lost. She was hers to use as she saw fit, but Raynare had the audacity to treat her like the floor.

It was all because she had grown a spine and softened her heart to these pathetic devils.

"What absolute shit." Snarled Kalawarner, forcing her good leg to get herself up.

"Only power is what matters in life. Without it, we are no different than rats in the shit. The method towards that power is no consequence to me."Kalawarner shot her left arm into the air and surged so much holy magic that her hand was literally scorching all the way to the bone.

The result was a spear of light continually increasing in size as Kalawarner poured more magic into it, a crazed gleam in her eyes.

Her eyes stared at Raynare who merely glanced back then to suddenly dart to Asia.

"I'LL OBLITERATE EVERYTHING YOU CARE FOR!" Roared Kalawarner as she chucked the giant spear towards Asia of all people.

To Issei, the spear was moving at the speed just fast enough that he needed a boost from Ddraig but he didn't have the time to do so.

Asia looked at her death approaching with growing terror in her eyes.

Her hands instinctively clasped together and prayed to God to save her. Her prayers were answered as a shadow leaped in the way of the spear just a three feet from her. The nun opened her eyes and time seemed to slow down for her as she saw Raynare swipe at the spear of light with her falchion. At the point the two light constructs met, there was a familiar chink of steel.

"Full Counter!"

The holy magic construct's shape distorted into a wave and crashed back to Kalawarner with twice the power. She could only let out an echoing scream before the blast completely disintegrated her and the wall beyond.

The aftermath was nothing but charred stone, and standing at its starting point was Raynare at the end of her swing standing protectively in front of Asia complete with two pairs of black wings.

The fallen angel lifted her head and flashed a smile to Asia. "Are you alright, Asia-chan?"

"I-I'm all alright." Asia said, barely keeping the strength in her legs via shock. "Thank you so much."

Raynare chuckled. "You truly are an angel."

"I see you live up to your word."

Raynare turned to the stairs to see Rias and her peerage fresh from battle. There was not a single scratch on Akeno and the Gremory princess while Kiba and Koneko were just a little dirty. The moment Rias arrived and sensed that massive build-up of holy energy, she was extremely worried for her peerage members in the church.

Imagine her surprise when she found Raynare protecting Asia while half of the chamber was scorched. Rias had no idea what type of magic that Raynare used, but she was thoroughly impressed if she unleash this amount of destruction as though she was part of the Bael clan.

Before she had little to no reason to trust Raynare after her hand in killing Issei, but now seeing the fallen angel putting her life for the sake of one of her servants dramatically raised her opinions on Raynare. In fact, Rias was mentally debating whether to have her join her peerage.

"Thank you for protecting Asia." Rias said with a smile.

"It was my pleasure, Gremory." Raynare said. "So, are we good now?"

"Yes, we are 'good'." Rias said with just a little of reluctance. "Now that my territory is secured, what will you do? Azazel will not happy about this."

"That pervert can shove it." Raynare scoffed. "Today, I am no longer Raynare of the Grigori. I'm my own angel if you will."

"By the way," Raynare asked, "you wouldn't happen to have found a shitty priest with silver hair?"

Rias shook her head, causing Raynare to sigh. "Word of advice, be on the lookout for him. For a human, Freed is a tough bastard as much as he is bloodthirsty."

"I'll keep that in mind." Rias said, gathering her peerage members in a magic circle to teleport them away.

"See you at the club." Raynare waved goodbye. "Ciao."

As the ORC disappeared into the magic circles, Raynare flew out of the church with her four wings in full display. Her dark features blended into the night, and no one was the wiser of the presence in the sky. All except a certain drunk immortal pulling light swords out of his body.

Yay, I got this done. By the time Riser arrives, his peerage will have no chance with an experienced Issei who has more than just the power of the Welsh Dragon on his side. I hope this chapter won't go in flames that I made Raynare the daughter of both Escanor and Merlin. Characters from other shows won't make their appearance until the Holy Swords Arc. And I'm still debating whether to have the classic ElizabethXMeliodas or something like MeliodasXSerafall. If the former happens, I'm adding Fate/Stay Night into the mix.

For those who don't get it yet, Issei will still have his harem but he won't be much of a pervert. That will be explained later on.

The only difference is that Asia is the main girl instead of Rias because I always found there was more of a connection between Issei and Asia since they both became their first real friend.

Admittedly a cute romance.

Vali will also get his own, but not as big.

Also to note that Asuna and Kirito are actually Longinus wielders of Heavenly Dragons as well, and I've also added more Dragon Gods besides Ophis and Great Red.

Stay in touch. Please, please leave a review.