A saint and a vagrant

"Oh no, I fell again!"

Issei's attention was soon directed to the source of the voice, and the sight he beheld made him forget that he was making his way to school. Sprawled on the ground was a young nun, her ass in the air and her skirt flipped over, giving him a perfect view of her white panties. She quickly righted herself and sat up, but now sat in a way where he could still see her panties.
"Just my luck, a perfect view of some glorious panties. Wait, think, Issei think! This girl needs your help!"

He walked over to her and held his hand out. "Hey there. Need a hand?"

As she grabbed onto his hand, he got a good look at her, noticing her long and straight blond hair and green eyes, all with a sweet and serene face and a small but bus

"Are you all right?"

"Yes, sorry for inconveniencing you."

"There it is, the timid yet kind nature that completes the package! This girl is just my type! Blond and busty!"

Doing his best to keep his lust in check, Issei helped her pick up her luggage which had fallen. "So, um, the weather's nice out today"

"Goddamnit dude, you're sounding just like grandma!"

She fidgeted with her hands. "Um, I'm actually a bit lost. Could you help me?"

"Oh, are you a tourist"

"No, as a matter of fact I'll be living in this town from now on, As I've just been assigned to serve at the church."

Now understanding her situation, and having plenty of time before his classes, he began walking her to the church in town.

"It's good I met you. This must surely mean that The Lord is looking out for me."

Issei couldn't help but notice the crucifix dangling over her chest, which caused a pang of pain and unease in him, much to his confusion.

"What the heck was that?"
Suddenly, they heard crying from a nearby bush, and before he could ask, the nun had already rushed to the source of the sound, and so he quickly followed her to make sure she didn't get hurt. What they found was something he didn't expect to run into.

"Ugh, what is that smell?"
Before him was what he could only describe as a disgusting slime that smelled like a trash dump. It had gangly eyes on stalks, and a mouth full of human-like teeth. It was sprawled there, crying as it nursed a wound on its back as it cried. No doubt that it was a digimon. The nun was kneeling at its side, not bothered in the slightest by its stench.

"Hello there little one, what's your name?"
" Sniffle. I'm Numemon."

"Numemon, that's a cute name. Don't worry, it'll be better soon."

She held her hand out, and a light shined over Numemon's wound, healing it. As it did, it seemed to resonate with Issei, who felt a strange sensation in his left hand.

"Don't tell me, she has a sacred gear as well?"

"There, all better now! Run along now, your friends must be worried."

Sniffle. "But I don't have any. Why would someone like you help a bottom feeder like me?"

"Oh don't be like that. Everyone is beloved in the eyes of The Lord."

"Even someone like me?"

"Of course. No matter what anyone says, there will always be someone who loves you."

She then plucks a nearby flower and places it on Numemon's head.

With words of encouragement, Numemon left, although they kept turning back to look at the nun, who continued on her way with Issei, who couldn't believe how unbothered she was about a digimon.

"You must be surprised."

"Oh, that power of yours? No, not at all! If anything it's pretty cool to be able to heal others."

"Thank you. I consider it to be both a gift and a blessing. Truly… it's wonderful."

Despite her words, Issei couldn't help but notice her frown as she said that.

"Ah, there it is!" she pointed ahead, where the church could be seen from quite a distance. Strangely, the longer he looked at it, the more he had a sense of disorientation, as if he should avoid it.

"Yeah, that's it, the only Church in town. To be honest, I've never seen anyone up there."

"Thank you! I need to thank you properly. Would it be a problem for you to come inside with me?"

For as much as he wanted to oblige her and see where it'd go, Issei couldn't really skip classes, nor did he want to go anywhere near that church.

"Sorry, I can't, I have to be somewhere."

The nun appeared saddened by him declining. "Oh that's too bad. I should be going too. Still it was sweet of you to help me. Oh, I haven't even told you my name!"

She bows her head. "My name is Asia Argento."

"My name is Issei Hyoudo, it was nice to meet you."

Asia smiled, happy to know his name, although there was still a bit of sadness in her eyes.

"Issei, that's a nice name. Well, I like to think this meeting was a small blessing. If you ever feel like talking, please visit me at the church."

Her goodbyes said and now knowing where the church was, she went on her way. Once she was a sufficient distance away, Issei heard a familiar and annoyed voice from his digivice.

"Is she gone? Good. I was starting to worry that you were going to be lured in by another girl to your death."

Issei holds the digivice up to let Impmon out. "Come on buddy, you can't assume the worst of everyone we meet."

"Eh, guess you're right. Still can't believe she was okay with that Numemon."

"What's your deal with that anyway?"

"For your information, they're bottom feeders who live in shit! The only people who can even stand their existence are other Numemon or weirdos. Like real weird weirdos, not weirdos like that Koneko girl."

"Is there anyone you don't have something to say about?"

"Dunno. Is there a boob in school you haven't fantasized about?"

"Ugh, whatever. I still think this is something Kanji should hear about."

•••

ORC Clubhouse later that day

"You must never go near that church again, Issei"
This was not the response Issei was expecting when he told Rias what happened, at best he'd hoped she'd be curious about Asia and her sacred gear. It was hard to say what Kanji thought as he and Pulsemon listened to Rias.

"For devils like us, a church is enemy territory, and stepping foot inside can cause trouble for both angels and devils. Surely you must have sensed something was off."

Issei then recalled the strange feeling he had when he saw Asia's crucifix and the church.

Impmon, however, scoffed at her warning. "So what if it causes issues? I say bring it!"

Pulsemon piped up, unhappy at Impmon's recklessness. "You trying to get yourself killed? Issei hasn't figured out what he can do with that fancy power of his, and you haven't so much as digivolved to the champion level!"

The two of them were poised to fight, but Kanji quickly pulled them apart. "Easy, both of you! This isn't a time to fight. Rias has a point, it's too dangerous to start any conflicts when those fallen angels are at large." He looked back to Rias. "If it's okay with you, I'd like to scout that place to see if I can find any clues about the Evilmon."

"So long as you're careful. As for you Issei, I'm sorry, perhaps I was too harsh in my warning, I'm simply worried for your sake. You must be careful around those affiliated with the church. Exorcists are especially trained to hunt our kind with deadly efficiency."

"I understand Rias, I'll be careful." Issei felt despondent, realizing he wouldn't be able to keep his promise to meet with Asia.

Just then, the door opened as a red four legged creature ran in and jumped into Rias's arms. "Rias, there you are!"

Kanji was surprised but impressed by the sight, while Issei was simply confused. Rias walked over to them, which bore a resemblance to Jyarimon.

"I've been meaning to ask you about this Kanji. When I woke up this morning, Jyarimon had changed into this form and was talking in complete sentences, calling himself Gigimon."

"Yeah, that's my name!"

Kanji leaned in to have a better look at Gigimon. "Hmm, I guess this is a good time to explain digimon evolution levels. Let's go to the main room so you can get comfortable while I explain."

They go to the main room, where Kanji sets down several oreos he got from the kitchen, arranged in stacks with increments of one. He points to the first stack which consists of only a single Oreo. "You see, digimon have six levels that they can normally go through in their life."

"Yesterday when Jyarimon hatched, he was at the fresh level, which is equivalent to a baby, practically defenseless and their bodies barely formed. Apparently while you were asleep he reached the in-training level, which is equivalent to a toddler, still weak but their bodies have begun to take shape."

Gigimon smiled, feeling pride at growing up so quickly.

"Soon enough he'll reach the rookie level, just like Pulsemon and Impmon here. This level is comparable to children in most cases, although they're now capable of fighting."

Impmon crossed his arm in indignation. "I can assure you that I'm not "most cases"."

Kanji only rolls his eyes as he now points to the stack of four Oreos. "The next level is champion, which Pulsemon can temporarily digivolve to with my help. This is typically when they reach emotional maturity. Digimon normally don't revert to prior evolutions and champion is the level most get to in life."

Rias was intrigued by what she was hearing. "So what about the two levels after, what are they like?"

"From what I've seen and heard, it's pretty awesome. After champion is ultimate. Few digimon naturally reach that level and those who do tend to be respected or feared, as they have incredible strength and power."

Issei had become engrossed in the explanation, almost forgetting about his earlier disappointment. "The final level must be unimaginable then."

"Yeah, it really is. The final level that can normally be achieved is mega, and it's rare to run into them. So much so that most people never see them fight naturally since mega level digimon rarely encounter each other. I've been told by some of the senior members in the CPA that when a fight does happen, it can devastate entire regions, yet that's not even the full scope of the level of power a mega can possess."

Gigimon jumped onto the table and began gobbling up the Oreos while the three watched him. "Raise him right, and if you can become a tamer, Rias, this fella here may one day reach even mega."

"Hmm, that's something I've been wondering about. What exactly is it that makes one capable of being a tamer, and what is it that allows them to strengthen their partners?"

"That's a good question honestly. Not everyone is capable of being a tamer, as they need to have the potential to produce Digisoul."

Kanji held his hand up as his hand was covered in a yellow-green aura of 1s and 0s, just as it did when he helped Pulsemon digivolve.

"Digisoul is our will and emotions made into data and energy which allows for digivolution. It's tied to one's emotional strength and the bond with one's partner."

As Issei looked, he could feel intense emotion, determination in particular, from this energy. "So how exactly is it supposed to be strengthened then if you want to evolve Pulsemon to even higher levels?"

"That… I'm not entirely sure. I tried asking my mentor for advice, but they said that I can't rush it and that I have to grow alongside Pulsemon. Sadly, we've not advanced past the champion level for a few years now."

"Is there anything else that Digisoul can do?"

"Well, it can also be used to reinforce the body, allowing someone to hit hard enough to split a boulder and take as much punishment."

"Ooh, that's badass! You gotta teach me how to do that Kanji!"

"I can't, all I can manage so far is to enhance my strike with my sword. You can't even do that since Impmon hasn't evolved."

"Ah man."

Rias recalled how Kanji had brought a sword when came to rescue Impmon the night she reincarnated Issei. "Why is it that you have a weapon if Pulsemon is the one who fights?"

"Well, things can get pretty dangerous, and it's likely that an opponent might aim to hit me instead of my partner, granted that's not an easy thing to do, since Pulsemon is quick to react to such things."

Impmon smiled confidently at the compliment. "What can I say, no way I'm letting any harm come to my partner!"

"Now that I've explained that to you, I was hoping you could explain to me a bit more about that reincarnation thing you did for Issei."

Just then, Akeno entered the room. "Rias, we just got a message from the archduke, there's a stray devil causing trouble nearby."

"Is that so? Well Kanji, it appears I will be explaining to you and Issei about the evil piece system and you'll get a demonstration as well."

Issei was curious by what Akeno had said. "A stray devil?"

"Oh my, I forgot you don't know about those. Well, sometimes servants may rebel and kill their masters. According to the reports, this one has been luring people and eating them."

"That sounds bad. Rias, are you okay with me and Pulsemon coming along?"

"There's no issue, if anything I insist. I'd also like you to carry Gigimon since there's no one we can leave him with."

"No problem. It'll probably be fun to watch you guys show off. Although I'll help if things get dicey."

•••

After Rias explained the benefits each evil piece conferred, kanji was excited to When they arrived at the hiding place of the stray demon, an abandoned storehouse, they were in for a surprise.

The stray devil was there, but so was a group of digimon. Flying around were several Evilmon, cackling evil as they watched a large minotaur with a metallic device in place of his left hand torment the stray devil who was bruised and bleeding.

"Stop, please I beg of you, stop!" Her pleas were either unheard or ignored, as the minotaur brought down his metallic appendage, crushing her head. The Minotaur then turned around, and it could now be seen that he had red glowing eyes, his face full of nothing but rage.

Kanji held up his phone, activating an app. "Scanner says that we're dealing with a Minotaurmon! Don't let him hit you with his demon arm!"

Everyone was forced to jump to either side when Minotaurmon charged, at which point the Evilmon also began attacking. Kiba acted quickly, and using his speed and moved faster than Kanji could keep track, hacking several of the Evilmon to pieces, reducing them to data.

"So that's what Rias meant when she said his piece gives him speed."

Issei saw that Minotaurmon had gotten behind Koneko, and was about to smash his fist down on her. "Watch out!"

Koneko didn't dodge but instead held her hands up and held back the blow, although with some difficulty. Rias stepped forward, a sense of pride in her voice. "Don't worry, as my rook, she has unparalleled strength. I trust her to handle even something like this."

Suddenly, a pair of Evilmon came flying towards her from behind, but Issei and Impmon reacted.

" Night of fire!" " Booster gear!"

One of the Evilmon was then blasted by a ball of dark flame and sent flying into a wall, and was then hit by the second when Issei punched the second one into it, causing them both to break apart into data. Issei looked at his gauntlet arm, surprised that he did it without even thinking, almost instinct.

"Thank you Issei, though we can't celebrate yet."

A light flashed behind her, as Bulkmon charged forward and tackled Minotaurmon as they rolled on the ground. Bulkmon managed to stop them, with him on top. He then noticed Akeno walking towards him.

"Oh my, it seems you need a bit of help, mind if I lend a hand?"

"Yeah, I'd appreciate that."

She then raised her hands, and a bolt of lightning sprang forth, hitting both digimon.

Although he could handle it, Bulkmon was not prepared to also be hit, or for Akeno to have such a gleeful face. At the very least it was having quite an effect on Minotaurmon who could only wail in pain.

"Man, she packs quite a punch, guess that's what to expect from Rias's queen, although I don't think she'd be a sadist."

Soon enough, Kiba managed to clear out most of the Evilmon, although some managed to flee. Meanwhile, with Minotaurmon shocked into submission, Rias finished it off with her power of destruction, and turned to Kanji.

"I guess that wasn't what you were expecting."

"Certainly not. I especially didn't expect them to have a Minotaurmon. Something was off about it."

"What do you mean?"

"Even though they're a virus attribute species, they tend to be reclusive and simply territorial. There were also those red glowing eyes."

"What do you think this could mean?"

"All I know is that there's something more to all this, so we'll have to be careful. It's getting late so I suggest we all head to our homes."

•••

Fallen Angel hideout

A trio of Evilmon stood before Raynare on her throne, huddled together in fear as they finished recounting the battle they escaped from.

"Hmph, so you have the gall to return here, after allowing Minotaurmon to die at the hands of devils? Pathetic!"

The Evilmon in the middle stepped forward, his hands clasped in a pleading gesture. "But, there was no way we could have defeated them! They even had two tamers among them!"

"What?! And you didn't even kill one of them or their partners? What do you expect me to tell our master when the servant he gave us is now dead?!"

Raynare then felt a chill pass through her spine, as she felt a clawed hand from behind her caress her cheek.

"Tell me what? That the Evilmon could not perform a task beyond them."

"Master?! Please, I can explain!"

Her master then moved a claw across her cheek, drawing blood, reminding her of how vulnerable she was here.

"No, there's nothing to explain. We simply put too much expectations on the Evilmon. Yes a servant may be lost, but they can be replaced. Of course, an example must be made, to ensure this doesn't happen again."

Suddenly, the hand extended out to the Evilmon in front, terrifying the other two as they watched their fellow be crushed into data.

"Raynare, you need not worry, for tomorrow, the priest shall make sure that boy dies a final death, and after that, we must on worry about that tamer."

His presence then disappeared, allowing Raynare to breathe a sigh of relief, as she watched the two Evilmon scurry into the dark, just as terrified as she was.

•••

The following night

As Issei made his way to the client's house, he couldn't help but feel a bit despondent. He couldn't stop mulling over how he couldn't meet up with Asia, as well as learning that he was a pawn unlike the others. All he could do so far was punch with his Booster gear. Even Kanji could do more than him.

Arriving at the client's request, he quickly put those thoughts away as he prepared to do whatever task the client wanted. Hopefully it wouldn't be anything like what Kyoko did. Only for him to feel a familiar feeling.

"This sensation, it's just like with the church!"

"You feel something is off, don't you?"

Started, Issei looked to the side to see Impmon had left the digivice and was standing there.

"I may not get the same weird vibes you devils do, but what I do have is a gut, and my gut is telling me that there's trouble ahead of us."

"Well, thanks for having my back then."

He checked the door, and found it was unlocked. Slowly opening it, the first thing the two of them saw was blood on the floor, leading to a mangled course. Issei had to hold back from vomiting on the spot while Impmon could only look on in disgust.

"Punishment of the wicked. Anyone who relies on devils deserves to die."

They both looked towards the source of the voice, and saw a white haired man lounging on the couch who then flashed Issei a demented smile before getting up.

"If it isn't a devil." He then mockingly bowed. "My friend is Freed Zelzan, a young priest who's part of a certain exorcist organization!"

"A priest?!"
"Don't listen to him Issei, this guy is clearly off his rocker!"

Freed simply laughed at Impmon's statement. "Even if that was true, I'm still better than a filthy devil and his familiar!"

Issei couldn't believe someone could just casually murder a human being. He thought that regular humans would at least be left out of this by the church. "How could you possibly kill him!? What did he do to deserve this!?"

"Ha, anyone who relies on devils stops being human! A dead end! So I killed him! That's my job after all"

Freed then took out a gleaming sword of light and a gun from his coat.

"I'll stick this sword in your heart and score a lovely headshot with this gun!"

He then leapt towards Issei, who barely dodged the slash, before Freed turned around and shot him in the leg. Impmon quickly retaliated by throwing a small fireball only for it to be blocked by Freed's sword.

"You sure speak a lot for someone who just wants an excuse to kill, so why not just stand still so I can hit you!"

Before Impmon could try anything else, however, Issei had summoned his Booster gear and tried charging Freed, only for him to move out of the way and slash him in the back and shot Impmon in the arm, launching into the wall, the bullet having tore up his arm and exposing the wireframe beneath.

Suddenly, a familiar scream could be heard, stopping Freed. Everyone's attention was drawn to the source, and there stood Asia.

"Ah Asia, my assistant, did you finish setting up the barrier?"

Asia was speechless, seeing Issei, someone who had been nothing but good to her, sprawled on the floor with wounds.

"Ah what's wrong Asia, you know this is our job. Don't get jitters now!"

"Issei, you're a devil?"

Freed was surprised by her reaction. "You know this filth?"

Asia did not respond to him, as she walked towards Issei.

"Issei, why are you here?"

"Asia… I'm sorry. The truth is that I'm a devil. That's why I was avoiding you."

Freed could only laugh at what he was seeing

"This is precious, but you should know that humans and devils are incompatible, it's why we need the protection of fallen angels." He once again raised his sword, poised to strike, only for Asia to put herself in front of Issei.

"Please, there has to be another way"
Freed responded by slashing at her, tearing her clothes and exposing her. He then pushed her to the wall, as he began groping her.

"Stupid girl! There is no forgiveness for these freaks! Raynare said I couldn't hurt you, so I guess I'll have to teach you a lesson another way!"

"No, I need to stop him! I know I can't win, but I'd rather die than let him hurt her in any way!"

Issei willed his body to move despite the pain, and was poised to to fight again, getting Freed's attention.

"Oh someone's still got some fight! I guess I can cut you up instead! No one's coming to save you though!

Unfortunately for Freed, the world seemed intent on proving him wrong, as something from the other direction flew at Freed's head, impacting it with a squelching sound.

"AHH! "What is this!?" He grabbed some of the substance from on top of his head and smelt it. "This, this is shit!"

"That's what you get for trying to hurt Asia!"

It was then that Issei noticed where Impmon had landed was Numemon, and it was clear they were the one who threw that shit. Knowing this was his chance, he then threw as strong a punch as he could, striking him square in the jaw.

"Damn it, guess I'm gonna use you to set a record on how many pieces I can cut someone up!" He then leapt at Issei, who didn't have the energy to dodge. As Asia screamed and all seemed lost, a summoning circle appeared, and out leapt Kiba to block the strike.

Soon, Rias and herpeerage followed through, as Rias rushed to Issei's aid while the others fended off Freed.

"Issei, are you okay? If I had known there was a rogue exorcist, I would have been more careful."

"It's okay Rias, you guys came to my rescue anyway."

Suddenly, Koneko noticed something. "Rias, I can sense several falling angels coming." Hearing this, Freed could only laugh. "Ha so much for your rescue!

"Koneko, grab Issei and Impmon, we need to go!" As she said this, Akeno began prepping a summoning circle. Issei was quick to protest, however.

"We can go, we can't leave Asia and Numemon!"

"I'm sorry Issei, but this summoning circle can't transport those who are not part of the Gremory household."

Despite this, Issei kept struggling against Koneko as he reached out towards. Just before his view was consumed by red light, he saw Asia make a sorrowful and apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry"

And then there was only red…