Chapter 10: Entry Permit Denied

Raynare stayed silent as the group of Fallen Angels reached back to the church. Finally being freed from Dohnaseek's grasp, she stumbled onto the floor alongside the blonde nun, Asia Argento.

"Prepare her for the ritual," Dohnaseek commanded her. "Mittelt, Kalawarner, stay outside with our friends in case we get any unwanted company. Make sure to set up some traps as well. I have a letter to write to our leader."

Immediately, the group dispersed, leaving Raynare alone with the human girl. Gritting her teeth at being given the low end of the stick so easily, she begrudgingly picked up the girl and headed into the church. Ignoring the looks of the stray exorcists on their side, she made her way to the lower level of the church and approached the cross-shaped structure in the middle of the room.

"Is… Issei?"

Raynare grit her teeth at that name. "That thing is not here. You'd do well to not associate with such a monster."

"What… oh. Raynare," Asia greeted the Fallen Angel while on her shoulder. Raynare huffed at the call of her name, then unceremoniously dropped Asia onto the floor, ignoring her scuffle.

"You are prepared, aren't you?"

Asia cast her gaze down. "… Yes. I'm ready."

Raynare frowned as soon as she said that. "You know that you will die after this, yes?"

"I know. But… that's okay. If this was what God intended for me, then I will happily accept."

"Fucking zealot," Raynare cursed out loud. "You're willing to throw away your life that easily? How heartless."

Asia shook her head. "Maybe, but… for once, I want to make this decision on my own. All my life, other people were deciding things for me. W-When I met Issei, all that changed. And now… now I'll end my life my own way."

Raynare's expression soured even further. "That boy you talk about… he is the Red Dragon. The being that slaughtered millions all those millennia ago just to sate his rivalry." She tightened the grip of her fist and gnashed audibly. "That… is a monster. One that deserves no mercy in the slightest."

"… Issei's not like that."

"You haven't seen it!" Raynare suddenly screamed at the girl. "You… You haven't seen… any of it. The terror left in that dragon's wake. That smell of ashen flesh in the air, boring into your very soul, corrupting you from the inside out. Your own!... my… Rulmare…"

Asia quieted for a moment. "Rulmare… was your brother, wasn't he?"

Raynare shook her head and jerked her mouth open to speak, but then paused for a moment. "… Fine. Since you are so eager to die, I will at least tell you this. Rulmare was… everything to me. We were mere babes then, only fresh Angels born out of the womb of our Father. And yet… when that dragon's flames reached the heavens, it couldn't spare him. My brother died to its flames, and I will do everything in my power to pay for his tears."

"… Issei is not like that."

"LIES!" Raynare shot back. "You hardly know him! You only met him a handful of times, how can you so comfortably speak of someone like him? He has that accursed Sacred Gear, and everyone with that damn Gear turns out exactly like that damn Dragon!"

"… Issei is sacrificing something too."

Raynare shook her head. "I don't care what that bastard sacrifices. I know how this story ends. He will go rampant and cause mass destruction, uncaring of anyone or anything he may kill in his way. I have to put him down before that. When we're done here and I somehow free myself of this position, I will kill him and rid this world of a future threat."

Asia paused as she watched Raynare's face. Tears were streaming out of the Fallen Angel's eyes, a nearly defeated look worn by her.

"You look just like me," Asia commented.

"Huh?"

"Raynare… are you okay?"

"Am… Am I okay?!" Raynare yelled back, unfurling her wings and spreading out her arms in fury. "Look at me! A stupid girl made to disgrace her new master. I'm an eternal half, and I'm always losing the one who makes me whole! Rulmare… Azazel-sama… I've lost them all! And now, I'm being made to work for someone that I despise with all my heart because nobody else will accept me!"

"Issei would accept you."

"Tch. Like I'd even accept if he offered. You need to forget about that boy. You won't see him ever again, after all."

Raynare chose to move on from her and headed to the device, fixing up the connections and making sure it was fully operational for that night.

"Raynare…" Asia spoke up behind her, letting her listen although she never regarded her. "If… If I could give Twilight Healing to anyone, it would be you."

Raynare paused as soon as she said that. Her hands still held one of the many cables as she paused to listen to her further.

"God gave me this gift, and despite everything, I've loved healing people. I always have. Their faces of gratitude and love whenever someone they care about was cured, their thanks… it made everything worth it. In a sense, having Twilight Healing healed me of my pain as well. I just hope it would help heal you too if I somehow could give it to you."

"… Dohnaseek will be the one taking your Gear. I have no right to it."

Raynare returned to focus on her work, not realising the effect Asia's words had on her.


Freed Sellzen was lounging on one of the church benches, propping his legs up on the one before him as well. He was watching the short one of the Fallen Angels working on something behind the decrepit statue of the big guy of the church.

"What the hell are ya doing?" he called out to her.

"What? Can't comprehend my genius, human?" Mittelt fired back. "I'm setting traps."

"Tch. Coward's work."

Suddenly, a light spear appeared on the bench he was resting his feet on, forcing him to drop them down.

"Oi! I was using that!"

"Say shit like that again, and it'll be your head you won't be using anymore. I'm feeling merciful today, be grateful."

"Tch, whatever. As long as you don't hold back against that Devil scum if they have the guts to show up."

"Hah! Who do you think I am?! I ain't setting bombs all over this place for no reason!"

"Bombs?" Freed echoed, having his curiosity piqued.

"Heh, insurance policy. If the Devils happen to go through us, we'll just blow the whole place up over them! What do you think of my genius, huh, human?"

Freed grinned widely. "I'd love a piece of that, really."


Rias finally set down Issei on the couch of the ORC main office. The other three Devils were standing nearby as well. Issei was completely healed of his injuries during the flight, with Rias having poured her magic into him.

"Buchou, you were right," Akeno remarked. "One of the exorcists coughed up. They smuggled in a Soul Scope."

"Thank you, Akeno," Rias replied. "Issei, can you tell me what was going on back there? Did it have something to do with that nun?"

Issei gaped like a fish for a moment, until he could regain his bearings. "It's… yes, it's Asia. For some reason, the Fallen Angels wanted her."

"And not you? Did she have a Sacred Gear?"

"… Yes. Twilight Healing."

"I see. That is one of the strongest healing-centric Sacred Gears. It's in the hand of the church, then."

"No, Asia was excommunicated."

"… That's even worse. From what our latest intelligence has gathered, the Fallen Angels have smuggled in a Soul Scope. That is a device that allows for a scientist to properly study the effects of a Sacred Gear and its influence on the soul."

"W-Wait, what does that have to do with anything? And… the soul?"

Rias shook her head as she walked back to her desk. "My apologies for not explaining it sooner. Sacred Gears are attachments to the soul. Like how you'd attach a car fob onto a keychain with a door key, a soul is capable of housing attachments as well. These attachments are what we know as Sacred Gears."

Issei stuttered in confusion. "W-Wait, so a soul is like… a keychain?"

"It was the first simile that came to mind, cut me some slack, please. But it serves its purpose."

"Okay… and what's this Soul Scope?"

"It's a device created by the Fallen Angels that can observe the action of a Sacred Gear on a soul for any abnormalities. However, it is also capable of manipulating that bond.

"Science and Magic that manipulate souls are very dangerous things. Even slight fluctuations in a soul's power can cause an imbalance. While this aspect of the Scope is highly frowned upon, it is frequently used to heal anyone who'd been affected by Soul Magic or Curses, even though it's a risky procedure."

"Look, Rias-san, cut to the chase. What does this have to do with Asia?!"

"… The Soul Scope is also capable of severing the bond between a Sacred Gear and a Soul. We believe that the Fallen Angels want to take away the nun's Sacred Gear."

"You… You said it was risky, right? How risky?"

"Very. But I'm sorry to say… this Asia has no chance of surviving it."

Issei gaped at Rias, her words crashing down on him.

'I'm leaving tonight, so I can't meet you later.'

'Thank you. But… I need to go.'

"She… She knew," Issei realised, the horror of the situation making itself known to him. "She knew it already. B-But why?! Can't we save her?!"

"Unlike supernatural beings, a human's soul is placed into them while in the womb. Their bodies develop based on the amount of power their soul exudes, forging a harmony between soul and body to fit them both together. However, if this harmony is disturbed in any way, the two will begin to reject each other. A Sacred Gear contains additional power that a body has to adjust to from birth. If the Gear is taken out… the soul will no longer keep up with its body's demands, ensuring their separation."

"And… separation?"

"Death, Issei. The separation of body and soul is Death."

Issei shivered at the ominous tell. "So… what's the plan?" Issei asked. "We're saving her, aren't we?"

"… I see no reason to save her."

Issei jolted up to a stand. "Why?! A-Are you just going to abandon her?!"

"Asia is in the middle of their stronghold, Issei. Yes, they will gain a significant boost in power if they extract Twilight Healing, but it's nothing we can't stand against. Asia was never a citizen of Kuoh, she was brought here by the Fallen Angels as well. There is no motivation for us to save her. Instead, it would be much more tactical of us to whittle down their external support, rather than storming into their stronghold with no warning."

"But Asia - "

"Is just another poor human soul whose life will be claimed by this war."

"… I'm starting to think," Issei grit his teeth. "That you want to invite Asia into your Peerage, the same way you tried with me."

"Now, Issei, please – "

"Tell me the truth, Rias Gremory. Are you trying to let her die, to make her be reincarnated by you?"

"I am not. It is just tactical."

Issei shook his head. "I'm starting to think that everything that comes out of that mouth of yours is another lie."

Rias glowered at that accusation. "And you? Do you pretend that your words aren't conditioned to learn as much as possible?"

"I can admit to it, unlike you. Despite everything that I am, I hate lies and liars. I always have. Rias, you reek of bullshit."

"I don't know what to say to make you believe me, Issei. I've learned my lesson with you, so please, believe me here. We can't fight them either. We're far too tired for today."

"What do you mean?"

"Just look at the others, Issei."

Issei cast a glance at the other three Devils in the room. He finally noticed that they were all scuffed and bruised in some way. Koneko's knuckles and Kiba's palms were bleeding, while Akeno had blood splattered around different parts of her uniform.

"What… happened to you all?"

"We found a horde of exorcists," Kiba explained to him. "We killed most of them and trapped the rest. Akeno tortured them for the information we just got."

Issei grimaced at the details he'd just received. "So… what, you can't fight anymore?"

"We've exhausted ourselves, Hyoudou-san," Kiba confessed. "I'm truly sorry, but we can no longer fight."

"… I'll go by myself, then."

"You can't, Issei!" Rias intervened. "Going by yourself would be suicide. You hardly made it out of the battle last time. I won't be around to save you another time tonight!"

"I don't care. If you're going to let Asia die, then I will no longer deal with you. I'll do everything in my power to make that reincarnation plan of yours fail. That is a promise."

"… In that case, good luck finding her."

Issei faltered at that. He cursed at himself; he'd failed to get that information from them.

Rias smirked down at him. "We haven't told you the location of their base. We weren't going to tell you either way. Akeno mentioned to me that you know we don't want you fighting this battle. As such, for the sake of your life, we cannot allow you to throw away your life in such a manner."

"Who the hell are you to decide something like that?!" Issei retorted, veins popping. "I can handle myself, dammit!"

"I'm certain that your brother did not raise a boy who'd throw their lives away for a stranger."

"… Don't you dare take Aniki's name in such a way. And Asia's no stranger. She is my friend. I don't care what it takes, I will save her."

"Your tenacity is admirable, but it doesn't change anything. I will not help you here. If you go, you go by yourself. I cannot guarantee your safety if you do this."

"I'm going."

"… Do you have a plan, at the very least? You need to – "

"If I have one, I wouldn't tell you. You've lost my trust once again, Gremory-san."

"… That is a shame."

"In that case, I will save her myself. Goodbye."

With his verbal cue, Issei stormed out of the room, hell-bent on finding Asia and saving her despite the impossible odds.

Rias, meanwhile, was massaging her temples. "Issei… just how much are you going to put onto my plate?"

"Buchou," Kiba spoke up. "Does that mean we cannot count on Hyoudou's support? And what about the nun?"

"We still have to see. I might be able to spin this into my favour," Rias stood up from her desk. "Everyone, I'm sorry to say this, but we won't get much rest today. Are you still able to fight?"

Akeno smiled. "That session with our dear prisoners got me excited. I wouldn't say no, of course."

Kiba bowed. "Of course, Buchou. My sword is yours."

Koneko simply hummed, but Rias knew her enough to take that as her approval.

"Thank you," she said. "In that case, we head to the church today before Issei can find it. We should time it right. We should let the girl die and reincarnate her as one of us."

"Buchou is a true liar, isn't she?" Akeno commented.

Rias smirked. "I feel bad for lying to Issei-kun, but what can I say? I am a Devil whose brother is known as the Prince of Lies, after all. What Issei-kun doesn't know won't kill him."

Unbeknownst to the three of them, however, something was listening nearby. Invisibly sitting on Rias's desk were two insects for his eyes and ears. Two Beetles.


'I knew it,' Issei yelled in his head. 'I fucking knew it!'

He's listened to the entire conversation in the clubroom through his Stand. He'd heard their unwilling confession to wanting Asia in their Peerage. Most importantly, he got information on where Asia was.

'The church,' he recalled. 'It makes sense. Asia asked me to stay away from it, even though I dropped her off there the first time. She was probably afraid that they would see me as an intruder of some sort.'

Issei, knowing where to go, finally changed directions.

'So, what's my plan?' Issei asked himself as he made his way to the church on his bike. 'They did say they will be going in as well… maybe I can use that? I can use the Devils as a distraction to get in, maybe? Ah, shucks, I'll think about it when I get there and see how things are.'

Issei knew that the Devils would move much faster than him and that his Stand was limited in range, so he called his Beetles back. His priority was getting to the church and somehow infiltrating it, so he had to get there as soon as possible if he wanted to maintain his head start. Rias certainly wouldn't act too soon for fear of Asia not having died by the time she entered the equation, so Issei could guarantee that she wouldn't let her Peerage involve themselves so soon. That gave him time to act, especially since they didn't know that he figured out her location.

'Right now, I need to get to the church.'


'WHY THE HELL DID I THINK THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA?!'

As Issei found himself hiding behind a house near the decrepit church, he found his breath getting shallower while his heart hammered in his chest. He could feel the sweat pouring out of his forehead.

'Why did I think I could do something like this?! Infiltration? I'm not some damn spy!'

The prospect of breaking into the church and saving his friend was an absolutely terrifying one, especially considering how the Fallen Angels inside could obliterate him far too easily. He was just a high school student! Was he seriously planning on doing something as stupid as that? Aniki would have certainly whacked him in the head for that!

'The Devils were actually right about that. I'm way in over my head right now,' Issei told himself, trying to calm himself. 'Well, it's not like I've got much of a choice. I need to save her, but… I need to keep myself safe too.'

Looking around, Issei noticed that across the road between him and the church was a forest of trees that would serve as a perfect hiding spot.

'That's where I'll go, then. I need to be able to keep some cover if I want to do this right, don't I? I can stay hidden behind those trees.'

Double checking for anyone watching, Issei ensured that he was obscured before he ran across the quiet road to the trees next to the church. Immediately, he rested his back against another tree, being wary of anyone watching him.

'Wait… I can do something about this, can't I?' Issei quickly realised. 'Beetles!'

Summoning another pair of Beetles from his eyes, Issei sent them over the forest to watch for anyone that could fly in. With that, Issei felt more confident in walking deeper into the forest.

He took a few steps and moved past a couple trees until a sound of steps rang out. Immediately, Issei hid behind another tree, forcing his Stand to descend to check who it could be while heaving in fear. He didn't need to do so, however, for the being immediately stood next to the tree he was hiding in, looking right at him.

It was a squirrel.

Issei sighed in relief while feeling like an idiot. 'A squirrel? Really?' Looking down at the rodent, Issei gestured to it, hoping that it would send it along its way without disturbing him. Thankfully, the squirrel seemed to understand what he was trying to say because it turned and scampered away immediately.

Only to be swallowed up with a clang in a bear trap.

Issei jolted at the sudden demise of the squirrel. That bear trap was near invisible. Issei hadn't noticed its presence in the slightest. In fact, it was far too dark to make out any details as well, and he surely couldn't turn on a flashlight unless he wanted to be a beacon for enemies.

Soon after that, however, Issei noticed something through the Beetle that still held overhead vision. Immediately, he hid behind the tree once again.

Surely enough, the sound of flapping wings once again appeared in the forest. Issei pulled out yet another Beetle from his eye and aimed it to look behind him, closing his normal eyes to focus through his Stand instead.

"A squirrel? Come on!" the short blonde girl of the Fallen Angels complained, black wings proudly plumed behind her. "Why couldn't it have been a Devil or something? This is just boring."

Once again, his heart was hammering in his chest. He was so close to being caught. He was still at risk! A single slip-up would be enough to put that girl, Mittelt, on his track! Immediately, Issei clapped his hands over his mouth, stifling the sound of his breathing. On that quiet night, any sound like that could be easily picked up.

Meanwhile, Mittelt took her sweet time to dismantle the trap and reset it, throwing the squirrel carcass away uncaringly. Issei knew that she wouldn't move from that position soon. He had to do something to retaliate.

Issei called out for his Stand once again and sent several of them ahead past the short girl hovering over the air. Keeping an eye on them with the eye Beetle directed at her, he made them smash onto a twig in the opposite direction. Mittelt's head perked up on hearing the noise, letting her get up and swoop in its direction. Issei let out a sigh of relief and called back his Stand, needing to move on as soon as possible. However, due to that poor squirrel, he knew that the forest was booby-trapped, so he'd have to keep an eye out for any dangers.

He was so tempted to call it quits right then and there. He was mere moments away from being butchered by a bear trap of all things, who knew what else a freak like Mittelt had set up out there?

'Okay, just… calm down,' Issei berated himself, forcing himself to breathe slowly and keep control of his heart rate. 'What should I do here? Think logically. Can I move ahead? No, there are traps. Can't I avoid them? I have no idea where they are, and there's no light. Can I go around? I have no clue if anyone else is waiting for me out there. Wait, so… what do I know?'

Issei cursed in his head. He was lacking the knowledge needed to infiltrate that place.

'Wait… if it's information that I'm missing, then I can find that, can't I? Beetles!"

Once again, a swarm of Beetles emerged from his body, although Issei focused on them emerging from his eyes and ears. Closing his own eyes to look through his Stand's better, he sent them forth to observe the surroundings. One set of eyes followed Mittelt, while another group hunted for the other three Fallen Angels. One went to observe the road and check for anyone guarding or any traps, while another did the same for the forest. A pair of eyes and ears went into the church itself, which was the one he'd focused the most on.

It was incredibly annoying to separate his vision that much. Every Beetle took a specific area of his vision, meaning that his vision at that moment was severely bug eyed, seeing multiple things at once in a scattered montage. However, as soon as he found the church to be an object of interest, he ignored the rest of the views and focused on that one exclusively.

Within the church, Issei saw that several people wearing white robes and cross chains were lounging. Most of them were simply talking to each other, while some were fiddling around with sword hilts that had beams of light emerging from them, almost like lightsabers. Using his Stand's ears, he listened in on their conversations.

Most of them were simply talking about their exploits against their enemies, be it Devils or other church members. Some were nastier, talking about how they had raped certain women and how they wanted to do so for others. Issei ignored all that but zeroed in on a conversation that wasn't like the others.

"Hey, what're we doing here again?" one of the exorcists asked another in Italian. "That Fallen never gave us any details."

"Tch, were you living under a rock or something?! Didn't you hear that guy talk about it?"

"Fuck that, I had to take a piss."

"Then keep pissing, ya bastard."

Grumbling, the first exorcist tossed a couple coins to the second one, earning him a smirk.

"Well, you know how to loosen lips for sure. The Fallen bastard had some big operation thingymajig he's doing, so he's keeping us as guards."

"Where is he right now?"

"That table there before the stage? It's over a trap door, leading into the basement. That's where all the shady business happens. My kinda place, really, dunno what I'm doing wasting my time out here."

"Hey, if we're lucky, we can kill a couple Devils and brag about it, right?"

Issei ignored whatever else they had to say and willed his Stand to move into the same trap door they'd mentioned. His Stand easily phased through the table and entered the basement, revealing the other three people he was looking for. Dohnaseek, Kalawarner and Raynare were at work there, connecting some wires to a cross-like structure that had Asia suspended on it.

'That must be the Soul Scope,' Issei realised. 'Good, they haven't started yet. This means that they'd be busy. I'll need to find a way to get into the church.'

Satisfied with his data collection, Issei called back his Beetles other than the ones tailing Mittelt overhead. However, he still wasn't done. He still had no idea how to properly traverse the traps. His Beetles that tried to identify the ground traps failed in their task. It was just too dark to determine and Issei wasn't paying enough attention.

Issei immediately realized what he had to do. Just like how the squirrel got caught in the trap earlier, Issei had to guide squirrels to the traps before they could be caught in them. However, he needed a squirrel. Thankfully, he remembered two guards were standing guard outside the church from his observation with Beetles.


It was a boring night. The man yawned out loud at how inactive he was being. He was waiting for a couple Devils to break his attention and make things a little more fun, but every second he wasn't getting his fix was another moment of torture for him.

His partner wasn't faring well either. The two of them were landed with guard duty, and because of that, they weren't able to even talk with the other guys inside.

The man yawned yet again, feeling the boredom seep into his bones.

"Hey, stop yawning so much!" his partner chastised him, holding his own mouth. "You're making me yawn too!"

"Give me something better to do, then sure."

As if to respond to his query, the sound of a crackle perked him up. He found that it emerged from the forest.

"Who's there!" he demanded, pulling out his flashlight and aiming it at the shrubbery while arming himself with his light gun. However, nothing responded to him.

"I'm checking it out," he declared to his partner, earning him a whine.

"Oi, are you gonna leave me here?! Let me come with ya!"

"Keep guard, you idiot."

"It's fucking boring, man!"

"Deal with it, bastard."

"Like you were?!"

Brushing him off, the guard approached the forest, trying to find where the sound came from. As he moved past the bushes, the sound of yet another crack came in.

"Tch, who the hell's out there!" he demanded. "Come on out and let me shoot you!"

He cursed; navigating that forest would be annoying with all those traps that loli Fallen had set up. However, he did have to check out what that sound was. Remembering her advice on navigating the forest, he aimed his flashlight low and tried to find discolourations on the ground. However, he couldn't notice the trail of breadcrumbs left behind by invisible insects trailing him setting themselves on the ground.

He kept on hearing noises that he kept trailing after, mainly because he was itching to use his gun on something. As he moved while avoiding the traps, he kept unwillingly leaving his trail behind.

"How the hell has this guy not triggered any traps yet?" he murmured to himself. "Tch. Stop playing mouse and come on out!"

CLANG!

The guard jolted at the sudden noise to find that finally, the subject he was running after was gotten caught in a trap. Running to it, he aimed his gun at the asshole who thought they could sneak in.

"… It's a fucking squirrel?!"

The guard gnashed his teeth at how badly he was humiliated.

"Die, you fucking bastard."

Despite the dead body of the squirrel in the trap, the man hastily shot at it several times, letting the repeated bangs make themselves known to the forest around him.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!"

Looking up, the guard found that the same loli Fallen was speaking to him.

"Bastard squirrel had me on a goose chase this whole time. Can't blame me for venting, can you?"

Mittelt cast a glance at the unfortunate thing caught in the now destroyed trap. Nothing of it could be made out anymore. Its entire body was obliterated after the exorcist rained hellfire upon it.

"Tch, could have taken it easier."

"I was fucking bored. Get off my ass, already."

"Who the hell do you think you're talking to, human?! Weren't you supposed to be on guard?!"

The guard cursed under his breath. "I know, I know, I'm heading back."

Waving her off, the man took the same path back. Meanwhile, Mittelt cast a suspicious glance at the bear trap that was pretty much destroyed.

"Wasn't I here before?" she asked herself. Looking back, she found that the exorcist had long gone already. Tsking, she flew up to the air, resuming her patrol, ignoring the suspicions that she had.


Issei gasped as loud as he could as soon as Mittelt lifted off. He was so close yet again. While the exorcist going absolute ham on the dead squirrel did nothing to settle Issei's nerves, it at least covered up the fact that the squirrel already had wounds on it. He only knew of the one trap, after all, as well as the one dead squirrel he had to reuse with his Stand to catch the exorcist's attention.

What he didn't account for was Mittelt's return. That she returned was not surprising to him, especially after the gunfire from that exorcist. However, he failed to think about her possible return. He hadn't expected the guard to be so aggressive, after all. Thankfully, she didn't pay enough attention to the fact that it was the same bear trap being used a second time. Issei was glad that she'd armed it for him already and that she'd left the squirrel corpse nearby for him to toss in with Beetles when the time came.

Despite that, he'd done his job with Beetles. He finally had a route to follow, ignoring all possible traps. So, Issei kept an eye Beetle trained on Mittelt while following the path he'd set out.

In a few minutes, Issei finally found himself resting behind the bushes the guard had walked through. Looking at them, he found that they were still fighting sleep while sitting out there.

'Okay, think. The first hurdle is cleared. How do I go on from here?'

His solution came into the view of the eye following Mittelt. Following her vision, he found that four figures were flying into the forest, each soaring with bat wings on their backs.

'The Devils are here,' Issei realised, taking a silent sigh of relief.

Mittelt, upon seeing the approaching Devils, had pressed her ear and said something. Taking her fingers away, Issei found that an earpiece was resting there. She was contacting the Fallen within the church.

Issei kept his real eyes out at the guards, waiting to see the Fallen emerging from the door. He used his airborne eye to keep watching the Devils approaching, while Issei himself coated his entire body in soil. Knowing Koneko's nose, he had to take measures to conceal his presence. Hopefully, covering himself in a different smelling agent would serve as enough of a distraction. The dirt and grime stuck to his skin due to his sweat, and it felt uncomfortable as all hell, but Issei swore to manage.

Looking ahead, he found that the doors had stormed open, revealing Kalawarner and Raynare coming forth. They paid no heed to the two startled guards as they took to the air. However, Raynare paused in his ascent, to soon go back down and re-enter the church. Kalawarner paid no heed to her absence, however.

Looking at the Devils, they had split into two groups. Rias and Akeno were still flying in, ready to attack Mittelt. Kiba and Koneko, meanwhile, had descended. Taking a momentary break from the flying figures, Issei had his eye trail Kiba and Koneko. Koneko was sitting on Kiba's shoulders as he quite literally zipped through the forest.

'Kiba's ridiculously fast, but he's gonna be caught in the traps if he keeps that up,' Issei realised. Checking in on Kalawarner, he found that the more mature Fallen was joining Mittelt in her battle. Mittelt was probably confident in the placement of her traps. 'Shit, those two don't know about the traps! Beetles!'

Issei summoned another swarm of his Stand and sent them as quick as possible to Koneko and Kiba. Thankfully, they were faster than Kiba and reached the duo before they could step on any traps.

Meanwhile, Yuuto Kiba was running in the forest with Koneko on his back. Seeing how the Fallen didn't send anyone down to intercept them yet, he assumed that there were traps or guards of some kind waiting for them. Whatever it was, he counted that his speed and Koneko's strength would take care of it.

However, something odd happened soon after. Some kind of force pressed down onto the floor before them but kept well in pace with his Knight speed. The bending of the grass in a line was enough to denote that force's presence.

"Yuuto-senpai, what is that?" It seemed that Koneko noticed it as well.

"I don't know," Yuuto replied. "Be ready for anything."

CLANG!

Kiba leapt in his step at the sudden sound of a bear trap triggering shut.

"This thing… is it helping us?" Yuuto wondered. "In any case, we can't be too reliant on it. Sword Birth!"

Pausing to force out a sword from the earth, Yuuto picked up the dark iron sword with a white line running within. Sword Birth allowed him to create any sword he could imagine, and a metal-detecting sword wasn't too far off from his capabilities. Iron Scent, he named the blade.

In a moment, the blade began to glow. Kiba pointed to the ground with it, finding that it glowed stronger in one specific direction. Surely enough, the force before them triggered another bear trap resting there.

"Do whatever it is you need!" Yuuto demanded, hoping that the one behind that force was listening. "We have this handled! Thank you!"

Issei smiled upon hearing the response. He saw how Kiba's sword acted, after all, and he realized that his contribution had helped them survive. Not like he'd ever tell them that; that would mean the reveal of his Stand. As such, he withdrew Beetles from their vicinity.

'Now, I wait and keep an eye on things,' Issei decided. 'It's best for me to make my move during the chaos of the upcoming battle.'

He mainly helped the Devils out because he knew that their attack would help him save Asia. They would serve as a distraction that could help him get into the Fallen's chamber undetected. Also, he just didn't want to see them being struck by a bear trap of all things. He may hate the Devils for what they're trying to do, but he still cared for their lives.

With Kiba's surprising speed, he breached past the bushes in record time. In fact, the Devils and Fallen in the skies had only just begun to fight by the time he reached. While Issei would have loved to watch Rias harness that red energy she had and Akeno transform her dress into a shrine maiden's outfit, he had other things to focus on.

Koneko stood up on Kiba's shoulders while he was running, using them as a point to jump up.

"Ha," she softly grunted as her small fist landed on the wall of the church.

The solid concrete wall blew inwards, crushing a number of the exorcists within with absolutely shocking strength. Issei gaped in shock at Koneko's power.

'Point to remember,' he thought as he watched the guards scramble into the room as well. 'Never piss that little girl off.'

Hearing the steady sound of gunfire and sprays of blood, Issei forced down his rising bile and stood up. Clapping his dirt-caked cheeks with grimy hands, Issei charged into the hole in the wall forged by Koneko.

Leaping through the hole, Issei grimaced at the sight of the number of bloodied bodies on the ground. It was an absolute slaughter. Kiba and Koneko were being covered deeper in blood with every life they took. Issei gagged at the iron scent permeating through the air, but he still forced himself to go forward.

However, one of the exorcists intercepted him. One that he recognised.

"Freed Sellzen," he recalled, seeing the white-haired man wielding two guns. "I can understand you now, you know?"

"Hah! I'll chop you to pieces and feed them to your gurgling gutted stomach and I'll fry your brain and feed it to the birds!"

"… I preferred it when I didn't understand you."

To the grace of his hammering heart, one of Kiba's swords flew at Freed, forcing him to turn and knock it out of the air with his guns. Issei used the distraction and ran away from his vicinity, briefly seeing Kiba begin to engage him.

Looking ahead, he finally found what he was looking for. Issei scrambled over to the table and summoned his Sacred Gear.

"BOOST!"

Hearing the signature voice, Yuuto and Koneko turned to see Issei Hyoudou, completely covered in dirt, smashing away a table at the centre of the church's stage. They had noticed his presence earlier but hadn't recognised him as Issei due to the dirt on his body. However, seeing Issei's signature hairstyle as well as the sound of his Gear, they could confirm his identity.

"Shit, he found us already?!" Yuuto cursed out loud. "We should let Buchou know immediately!"

However, Yuuto immediately blocked a light blade appearing on his face, a grinning Freed Sellzen at the opposite end.

"Well… I guess I'll have to keep it for later."

Meanwhile, Issei immediately jumped into the hole revealed under the table, the one where he knew the Fallen Angels were hiding. He clambered down the stairs and leapt to the main entrance, getting ready for the fight to save Asia. He even wiped off most of the dirt on his body and face to keep himself recognisable. However, as soon as he entered the basement, he had to pause.

Dohnaseek was caught midair by a light spear through his chest, blood spilling from the rear end. On the other side, holding onto the spear was a grinning Raynare, proudly showing off a pair of glowing emerald rings worn on her hands.


A/N: Cliffhangers. Gotta love em.

I know I said last time that the arc would end with this chapter, but it turned out to be bigger than I expected. That's why I've decided to split this into two different chapters. I just didn't expect Issei to take so long to enter the church itself, but it makes sense as to why.

As for the vote, I'll say that the period has ended, just as mentioned before. I hardly got any votes this time, but it's still a one vote lead for the happy ending, which will be the final choice. If I receive a sudden overhaul of opposite votes, I might change my mind, but the happy ending is what's been confirmed for now. If it fits it all, you'll see the ending in the next chapter. I'll also give an explanation to what the tragic ending entails in the next chapter.

We've got a little more insight into Raynare's motivations and her past. And now, we see that she's got Twilight Healing. I will say this, though: Asia isn't dead yet. She can still be saved if Issei plays his cards right. I still won't say if that entails the tragic or happy ending, though.

The thing about Issei infiltrating this place is that he's wholly inexperienced in such matters. He's never gone into battle like this; he'd only stayed away attackers before. As such, he's frightened at the prospect of taking one misstep to lose his life. That's why this chapter happened. He had to navigate around the defenses that Mittelt had set up and find some way to go into the church and enter the basement. He was also lucky as hell, too.

Now, onto the reviews.


madarawank1: Thanks for the review! I cannot answer the first question for the sake of spoilers and that I haven't decided yet, but I can answer the other two. As of now, I don't plan on Issei developing an Act 2. My plan for his Stand is much greater than that. Also, I've fully caught up with JoJo's canon. I've finished JoJolion, but I have not watched the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan series.


NeroAlmia: I won't comment on your reasoning of the tragic ending. I don't want to give anything away, after all. To mess with you further, I won't even detail which vote I took from you. I will say that the additional characters you've listed were never in the plans for the tragic route, though. You were rather spot on there. I also agree with Issei x Asia, which is a ship I'm hoping to bring forth later on. I can't say if the tragic ending would change that, though.

Now, I know it's like I'm saying things and not saying things at the same time, and I'm sorry for that. I just don't want to spoil the next chapter to anyone. I'll follow up your review in the next A/N. However, I will say that your final statement of where you want your vote to go will happen regardless of the choice you pick. Issei is still a Stand User and will face tragedy from the Gravity of Stands. I can't say it would entirely be as you described it, but it would be close.

So, I'll pick this up again in the next chapter. Thanks for the review.


And that's it. Once again, I've omitted vote submissions in my responses, but I've considered the vote.

In that case, please look forward to the conclusion of this arc, and I will see you next chapter!