Ok, all things considered, perhaps he shouldn't have spent so much time with Kuroka last night fucking. Especially seeing how early they needed to be up, so as Solomon would say, thank the Lord above for the miracle of coffee. It at least helped in some way. After a cup of coffee, Issei and Kuroka went to the airport, making sure to be paying attention around them for their target.

Once at the airport, they tried not to seem suspicious, especially as Issei was taking notice of the security guards around. They decided to walk to the panel displaying the various flights, and sure enough, Issei immediately spotted something. "Here!" He said, pointing at one flight in particular. "There is a flight coming from Rome, set to land in the next few minutes or so."

"Great! How should we go about approaching her?" Kuroka asked, looking at Issei.

"Simple: we just need to talk with her." Issei told Kuroka, hoping with all he had his CHA stat would aid him. "From what we heard from Raynare, she is not a difficult person, so she might understand us if we bring her to Raynare and she tells Asia the entire truth."

"Hmm. That could work, but then we might need to explain a lot more." Kuroka added. "But that is not an issue, considering the alternative for the poor girl."

"Indeed, and speaking of alternatives…" Issei said, then he sensed something with his [Aura Sense] skill.

Skill Level-up! Your [Aura Sense] is now level 3!

He was picking up three signals, one of which he recognized. Freed was here, and he was willing to bet the other two were the fallen angels from yesterday night as well. He had to be careful, seeing as Freed had Dragon-Slayer bullets which quite literally went through his Scale Mail. Though, other than that, he had no idea what the other two fallen could do or what they were good at. Their friend did have a hidden ability Raynare had no idea about, so who knows what those ones can do?

Current strategy? They needed to get to Asia, quickly, and run. Keeping the supernatural secret is priority number one, so they might not risk fighting here, but still, it is a risk too big to take. They now knew where the flight was coming in from, meaning they could get to her, but escaping is another matter altogether.

Not to mention that if he noticed they are here…

Then it is possible they too know they are here as well.

Yet, they had no choice but to bite the bullet on this one, so they headed towards the gate, losing themselves in the crowd. They kept their eyes peeled for Asia Argento, and sure enough, as the plane landed and people began to disembark, Asia exited the plane with her luggage. She was as Raynare described her, more or less. She was also given away by her nun-like attire. Long, golden hair flowing down her slim body and beautiful, green eyes. She had split bangs and a strand poking out from her head and sloping backward. As for her clothing that gave away, she had a dark teal nun outfit with light blue accents, a white veil over her head with light blue accents, a brown satchel slung on her right hip, and brown boots with black straps.

"There she is…" Issei said, noticing Asia and nodding to Kuroka to follow her to pick her up, but as they did, they noticed where she was going. And who was waiting for her? The fallen were waiting for her, but Freed was not with them. Strange, he definitely sensed him earlier! Having little choice, they decided to listen in on their conversation.

"Finally, you arrived." The one whom Issei recognized as Mittelt, given her stature, said, letting off slight hints of annoyance. "Come on, things have changed and now we will escort you to the church."

"I thought I was supposed to meet Lady Raynare here." Asia said, confused, but Kalawarmer replied to that question.

"She is no longer available, so you are stuck with us. Come on, we will find a good place to teleport from." Kalawarmer said, then Asia began to follow the fallen. This was going to be cutting it close, but Issei and Kuroka followed them out of the airport, towards a more open location with few people around.

"Alright, let's hurry up! Those rogue priests won't wait for the ritual to be done all day." Mittelt said, trying to cast the teleportation spell. However, seeing this, Issei and Kuroka reacted and Issei fired a [Wyvern Shot] at Mittelt, making her stop casting the spell. "What?!"

"You won't take her!" Issei shouted as he and Kuroka came out, the system deployed the barrier for them and the two came out from their hiding spot, ready for battle.

"Huh? Who are you?" They could understand Asia thanks to the translation spell, and she could understand them, but the girl likely knew little to nothing about Japan or its language. Yet, she was confused by the sudden interruptions, afraid even. But then she noticed the Sacred Gear on Issei's arm and Kuroka's nekomata features. "A Sacred Gear?"

Mittelt hissed. "Freed! Do your thing!" She shouted, and it finally clicked on Issei as Freed jumped from above.

"Surprise, you fuckers!" He shouted as he dropped between Issei and Kuroka, his weapons out. He wasted no time shooting at Issei, who was forced to use [Power Jump] to dodge. "Haha! Like this?! We saw you two the moment you entered the airport and thought about setting up a little ambush! But we had no idea you were after this nun! This changes things a little, but not enough! So…" He brandished his blade at Issei. "Are you ready for round two, dragon boy?"

Issei clicked his tongue. "Kuroka, get Asia! I will take care of this nut-"

"Wait!" Asia shouted, getting their attention. "What is going on? Why are you fighting? Father Freed, why did you shoot at him? Is he a devil?"

Freed snorted, hearing her. "As if! He does work with them, but he is as human as they come! And more…I don't know who the kitty slut is, however, nor do I care."

"Asia Argento!" Issei shouted, getting her attention. "Come with us!"

"Huh?!"

"Ha! As if!" Kalawarmer said, summoning forth her spear of light, but that is when she woke up with Kuroka before her, the Nekomata making quick work of the fallen with a well-placed strike to her abdomen that saw Kalawarmer get the air knocked out of her and smacked back.

"Sorry dear, but I am afraid there is no easy way to explain all of this." Kuroka said, facing Asia. "But please, you need to trust us! They only want you for your Sacred Gear!"

"My Gear…?" Asia said slowly, summoning her gear: Twilight Healing. "But…What do you mean?!"

Issei charged forth at Freed, activating his Balance Breaker and attempting to strike, but upon making contact, Freed was able to clock his punch with his blade and gun. "We know! Raynare is with us!" Issei said, revealing the information about Raynare. "We know from her, she told us everything!"

"So that bitch is also a whistleblower?!" Mittelt snarked hearing that line, but that slip was enough for Asia to look back at her and begin to doubt them. She took a step towards Kuroka, and Mittelt, slowly, eyed her. "Don't make a stupid choice, you little-" Then Asia booked it towards Kuroka. "Why you little bitch!" The short fallen summoned her spear of light, throwing it at them, but Kuroka was able to summon a barrier to block it, defending Asia. Then, quickly, she summoned a teleportation spell.

"Issei! I will take her back! Wrap up your business here and return home as soon as you can!" Kuroka shouted.

"I understand!" Issei shouted back as he pushed Freed back, then used his [Water Jet] on Freed again, sending him back. "Go!" And so, Kuroka teleported away with Asia, leaving Issei alone with the three enemies around him. "All right, you three, come get me if you dare!"

"Water again?! Really?!" Freed shouted, annoyed that he was splashed again. "I will make you regret doing this, you fucking runt!"

"Me and you both, Freed!" Kalawarmer shouted as she and Mittelt charged at Issei together with their spears of light, so the boy acted quickly, summoned his [Water Whip] in both hands and using it to strike them and knock them away, but Mittelt was able to dodge and strike Issei with her spear of light, scratching his arm.

Issei hissed in pain, and released one of the whips, allowing him to cast his [Fireball] spell and strike Mittelt directly, sending her back a little. Freed and Kalawarmer charged at him again, so seeing them, Issei took flight, deciding to cut on their numbers.

"Hey, you fucker! Fight me like a man!" Freed shouted, taking out his gun and shooting from below while the two fallen took flight to chase after him. He flew up to avoid Freed's bullets, all the while he launched his whip and spheres of flame at the chasers, trying to fight them off as much as he could.

Eventually, he got Mittelt, but that allowed Kalawarmer to get close to him and attempt to strike down with her spear, but he was able to put his arm up to protect himself from it. Using the opening, he placed his hand against her midsection, using his [Wyvern Shot] again and gaining a CRITICAL announcement. Kalawarmer fell out of the sky like a sparrow with broken wings, but luckily for her, she was caught by Mittelt, who was able to break her fall.

"Damn it!" She swore, then she summoned a teleportation circle. "Freed, get here! You know Lord Kokabiel will kill us all if we report another loss!"

"Screw that! I have a score to settle with this-" Suddenly, however, something was heard in the distance. Something not quite human, or entirely supernatural. "What the fuck is that? Hey! Red Lizard! Is it one of yours?"

"Same question." Issei replied, then something entered the barrier, and its crimson eye settled itself on Issei, the boy recognizing some of the parts on it. "I thought I turned you into scrap!" Before they was a golem, like those he killed before, but something was different about it. Looking at it, Issei noticed how it seemed to have parts from multiple golems combined, as he saw the stuff from the reinforced golem on its torso, but also from the one used by the Puppet Master. It wasn't all patchwork, however.

The golem itself had a one-eyed head, with bars where its mouth should be and one glowing crimson eye pointed at him. Its left arm was like the ones he saw on armed golems, being some kind of cannon, but now it was equipped with magical stones. Those were the stones the golem used by the Puppet Master used, and it somehow fixed them. Its body was covered in various types of plating, giving a patchwork mix of white, gray, and black. Its legs were also unsymmetrical, as he clearly saw the skeleton of one of them around the area of the ankle.

It was at this moment that Issei also realized something…This was not the same golem. "How is this possible? I cleaned those places thoroughly!"

"What the fuck is this freak?" Freed asked, looking at the golem, but it had eyes only for Issei.

"Red Dragon Emperor…" It said, its voice sounding more like google translate after rubbing its vocal cords with sandpaper. "Objective: Kill the Red Dragon Emperor and assimilate the Boosted Gear!" It pointed its cannon-like arm at Issei.

"Crud." Issei said as the golem fired, delivering what he could only describe as a sphere of purplish lightning. He, of course, dodged the first one, but he was taken by surprise by a second one which struck him in full, causing him to spasm and scream. "AHHHHH!"

His body was going numb, and HP dropped rapidly, but the worst was yet to show itself. His Balance Breaker was dismissed, and he fell down to the earth, taking heavy damage. "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!"

"Ddraig, what happened?!"

"I do not know, Solomon! When that attack hit, my connection with Issei wavered, causing the Balance Breaker to be dismissed. I feel it is recovering, but if that attack hits again…"

"This thing…" Issei said slowly as he got up, using his healing magic to fix himself. He even used [Ailment Removal] in case of anything, but the fall was pretty bad. He fell on his right arm, and now it hurt like a motherfucker! "It's not like the normal golems."

[Errgo]

[Level 52 A]
[HP: 76000/76000]

[Assimilation Golem]

"Oh, I hate this…"

"Eyes on the prize!" Freed shouted as he came from the side, attacking Issei and nearly cutting him. However, all he left was a scratch on his cheek as the boy was able to dodge. "I don't care about the extra pair of scrap boots here! You are mine, got it? I will take great joy in killing-"

"Interference identified." The golem said, now aiming at Freed. "Elimination in progress!"

Freed went silent upon hearing that. "Well shit, this turned into a hate threeway."

Issei pulled out his blades from his inventory, Freed getting his own sword ready and the golem fired at Freed, who used his blade to slash the attack in half, but that is when Issei attacked using his more special blade, sending a wave of blue energy at the two, hoping to do some damage. Freed dodged by jumping and then aiming his gun at him, shooting three rounds at Issei who was able to block them with his steel sword.

The golem, however, got struck, causing it to stagger a bit. However, once it refocused, it let out a shriek and charged at them, attacking Freed first as he landed to get rid of him. The golem was targeting Issei for his gear, seeing Freed as an obstacle. Freed, for his part, was able to drop down and double-kick the golem, lifting him up and throwing him towards Issei, who attempted to decapitate it, only for the golem to block using his arm and then turn around, aiming his cannon right at Issei and firing a quick round. It was different this time, however, using different magic.

Issei blocked with his blade, barely, but as he did and took another look at it, he noticed something. His Enchanted Steel Blade lost its glow…And slowly, it rusted and turned to dust. Whatever that magic was, it was bad news for his weapons, so he stashed his other, rarer sword, away as well. Freed charged in again, swinging down his sword at the golem, but he caught the light sword with its other arm and kicked Freed away, attempting to shoot him if not for Issei coming from behind and grabbing it by the neck, making it aim up and fire, missing entirely.

However, the golem grabbed him, throwing him towards Freed who dodged Issei, but remembered him and aimed his gun at the boy as he tried to get up, almost hitting true if not for Issei's stats regarding AGI. He was able to roll out of the way, but then the golem happened again, charging at him, but Freed turned to the golem and fired his gun as well, aiming for its eye.

His shot missed but did make the golem stop in its tracks and Freed went for it, trying to cut him again. He slashed with his sword, causing shallow cuts on its armor, but the golem was not taking much damage. It eventually blocked with his cannon arm and punched Freed across the face, dazing him before he blasted the crazy priest with a powerful shot, sending him flying away.

However, Freed dropped his sword, which Issei picked up, and charged at the golem, driving it up the cannon arm as it tried to load it up to fire again. The result was the arm exploding, dealing a CRITICAL amount of damage to the golem which reminded him of the first armed golem he fought. Issei took his distance, however, not wanting to risk being surprised and struck down.

Luckily, the golem was now missing an arm, and the way it looked at him was nothing short of actual rage. But it was not done yet. "AHHHHHHHHH!" It gave a powerful battle cry and punched the ground, causing a small earthquake to ensure that cracked the ground beneath them open, allowing the golem to vanish in the crack. Issei looked down, seeing that it led to the sewers.

Still, at least it seems the fight was over. He looked over to where Freed was, only to see he was nowhere to be seen. But the blood stains on the ground told him more than enough regarding his current state. Freed was soundly defeated, and even if it was not by him, the system seems to think otherwise.

Quest Complete!


The Nun

Phew! That bitch sure told you some interesting stuff! Now, saddle up, boyo, this is a big one.

Main Objective: The other Fallen Angels are likely to still want her Sacred Gear; Save Asia Argento at any cost. - Complete

Additional Objective: Defeat Freed Sellzen - Complete

(Note: Since you didn't defeat Freed Sellzen by yourself, the EXP reward from the Additional Reward is cut in half)

Quest Time Limit: N/A.

Main Objective Rewards: 200K EXP, 50K Y, +5 RP with Asia Argento.

Additional Objective Reward: +1 to your STR, AGI, and DUR. 100K EXP,

Failure Penalty: Death.


Fuck, who knew the system could doc his pay like this?! Still, it mattered little in the end. He collected the rewards either way.


Relationship unlocked!

Asia Argento

5/100

She is currently safe, but confused about everything and slightly scared.


Congratulations! You are now level 27!

At least that was a plus…

Quest updated!

Oh, come on!


The Mysterious Golem

You were attacked by a golem with unknown abilities, which was even able to temporarily disable your Sacred Gear! Luckily for you, the fact this was a fight in three meant your enemies weakened one another enough for you to strike, but this is not the last you will hear of this golem.

Main Objective: Defeat and Destroy Errgo.

Optional Objective: Learn how Errgo came to be.

Time Limit: N/A

Main Objective Reward: 500K EXP, 1 Skill Book, 300K Y.

Optional Objective Reward: 150K EXP, 100K Y.

Failure Penalty: Death


Great, so now he needs to learn more about THAT golem too? Where can he even begin?! No, know what? Nevermind that. He will worry about that strange golem another day because right now he is using his healing magic as much as possible to help manage the damage he sustained during this fight. That being said, he is going to return home, walking away and using his [Shadow Walk] multiple times to do so, his Mana running dry for the day. He wished they acted more towards the evening because right now since it was quite early in the morning, there were next to no shadows for him to use.

This is quite the weakness of his magic.


"AHHHHHHH!" Back at the church of the fallen angels, Freed was currently shouting to high heaven as Mittelt struggled to heal him as some of the priests were dressing up his wound.

"Stop screaming so much!" Mittelt said in annoyance. Freed had come back to the church, but not in the best of state. The strike of that golem fucked him up good, as half of his chest was burned with a clear circular shape to it. The inner part of the said circle had more burned flesh that needed to be removed, and as you went further from the center, the burns got less severe, but the edges of it were bleeding badly.

Currently, Mittelt was giving Freed some healing along with the priests who were trying to dress his wound. For safety reasons, he was bound to the table, his weapons well out of reach, allowing them to work safely. Eventually, she finished, and Freed stopped screaming. "There! Finally, some quiet."

"That…Fucking bucket of…scrap." Freed said slowly, flinching from the pain in his chest. "Once I see it again…I will-"

"You will what, Freed? Disappoint me again?!" The heads of the fallen turned to the door, where they were met with the angry visage of their leader. "Not only did you fail to secure Asia Argento for her sacred gear, but look at you, Freed! How could you allow the Red Dragon Emperor to strike you so badly?"

"It was not him!" Freed sneered. "It was some kind of golem!"

"A golem? Don't lie to me!" Kokabiel said, but looking at Freed, he slowly came to realize something. "You are not lying, are you?"

"That thing came out of nowhere, right in the middle of our fight! I don't know who made it, but I could care less!" Freed said further. "It fought like a damn pro, and when it shot the boy his Balance Breaker simply vanished and-"

"Wait a minute, you mean to tell me this thing disabled the Red Dragon Emperor's Longinus?" Kokabiel asked with great interest.

"He fell like a stone from the sky and screamed!" Freed continued. "Whatever that thing did, it really didn't sit well with the boy. But then he began to display weird shit, like pulling out swords out of fucking nowhere! I didn't even see a circle for accessing magical storage."

"Interesting…Perhaps, this was not so much of a failure as I believed." Kokabiel said, taking in the information.

"Good luck with whatever you are planning." Freed told him. "That thing saw me as some kind of interference and tried to off me! I want nothing to do with it!"

"As you wish. You are lucky you are too precious for my plans to endanger you, otherwise, I'd be collecting your head for this failure. But in light of this information you bring, I will be merciful and spare you three." The fallen to the side took a relieved sigh hearing this. "However…" And then they perked up again. "This golem is something I want. True, having Twilight Healing would have been great as well, but having the ability to disable gears at will is an even greater prize! Mittelt, Kalawarmer! Forget the nun! Your new assignment is simple…Find this golem, and attempt to recruit him."

"Ah, shit…" Freed said, not liking what he was hearing.


"I…would have died?" Asia said slowly, having finished listening to Raynare, who was made to tell the girl the entire truth by Kuroka and Ingvild using the Seal on her. Poor Asia was distraught, close to tears. "W-why?"

"Need I explain it more?" Raynare asked in a sour tone. "You have a rare recovery-type gear, able to heal any injury. But all in all, you are a liability, so we decided to extract your gear and get rid of the rest."

"Enough, Raynare." Ingvild said, silencing the fallen. Then, she looked at Asia. "I know this is a lot to take in at once…"

"I…" Asia began, trying to restrain tears. "I just wanted to continue serving the Lord."

"And you still can, nya!" Kuroka said, going to Asia along with Ingvild to help her. "Thanks to Issei's efforts, you can still praise and pray to Him all you want. He saved you."

Asia looked at Kuroka. "This…Issei, was it? He was the boy at the airport, right?"

"Yes." Kuroka replied. "I don't know how much you know about gears in general, but Issei is the wielder of the Boosted Gear, which is a Longinus. He is the Red Dragon Emperor, nya!" She explained.

"I did hear about it." Asia said slowly. "They say the Red Dragon Emperors are always guided by sin, using their ability to increase their power almost endlessly for selfish purposes. H-how is Issei?"

"Well…" Ingvild began, trying to mellow it out a bit. "Issei is not selfish, I am telling you that, nor does he abuse his power in any way." Raynare muttered to the side, not agreeing with that statement. "Raynare is a separate case, he had no choice."

"So is he…Good? Does he follow the Lord's scripture?" Hearing those words, Raynare couldn't help but make a remark.

"Please, that boy is like an embodiment of lust."

"Shush you!" Kuroka hissed at Raynare, but her words were entirely lies. "Issei might be perverted, but he is one of the good ones! He is kind and honorable, more so than what can be said about you, nya!"

Raynare scoffed. "So, does Issei tend to…make you uncomfortable in any way? I did hear about how Red Dragons tend to gather women around them."

"It's more of a thing for all supernatural beings of considerably large power." Ingvild stated, replying to Asia's question. "Harems are more or less common among devils as well. I'd know since I am one."

Asia turned her eyes at Ingvild. "You're a devil?" She said, not acting scared, just surprised. "But you are so nice!"

"Not all devils are selfish and arrogant." Ingvild said, making sure to point that out. Solomon did have that impression before, and Ingvild hoped Asia was as open-minded as he was. "I was also saved by Issei. I was once plagued by the Sleep Disease."

"The Sleep Disease? I read about that! It is a rare and incurable disease among devils, right?" Ingvild nodded. "How did he do it? Is he a great healer?"

"Not quite, but he is full of surprises." Ingvild said, making sure not to reveal his secret to her. However, unknown to them, their words alone scored Issei another RP point with Asia. Who knew this stuff worked by proxy too? "Trust me, you are safe now and have no need to worry about anything."

"I am still confused." Asia admitted. "Everything has just happened very quickly, and I think I am still trying to piece things together."

"That is perfectly fine, nya!" Kuroka said, then her ears perked. "Speaking of, it seems Issei has arrived. Strange, that took a bit longer than expected."

Then, in the next second, the door opened, allowing for Issei to walk in. Almost immediately, however, the girls could tell he had a hard fight, and he still had a few bruises and scratches here and there from the battle. He had been using his healing magic on the way here, yes, but it is nowhere near enough to get rid of all the pain or fully heal his HP bar. Upon seeing him, Ingvild rushed to him, offering some aid.

"I am fine." Issei said, politely denying the hand offered to him. "It's just…I am tired. I had a nasty surprise during the fight."

"Are you sure?" Ingvild asked, worried about him as he walked into the living room where everyone else was.

"Yes- Agh!" Suddenly, however, Issei lost strength in one leg. "Damn it, this hurts…"

"Issei!" Ingvild caught him, offering some support. She looked down at the leg in question, seeing how it seemed to bleed a bit. "Here, sit down."

"What is wrong?" Asia asked, worried about him as Ingvild helped him take a seat. They rolled up his pants, revealing a bullet wound, likely from Freed, which has barely healed. As a matter of fact, the bullet was still there as well. "Oh no…"

"I guess I was too high on adrenaline to notice when I was shot." Issei said, then he tried to use his healing magic again, but it was of little use. He was out of Mana. "I am out of energy."

"Here, let me heal you-"

"Let me." Asia said, rushing to Issei with her gear manifested. His eyes immediately locked on her gear, seeing the twin silvery rings on her fingers, and then feeling the warm effects of the healing it provided. Slowly, the bullet came out, and the wound closed itself. His HP was also rising quickly as well, which was another testament to the power of the Twilight Healing gear, he supposed. "There. How is that?"

Issei stood up, testing his leg. "It is like I was never shot." He replied. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She replied politely. "So you are…Issei, correct?"

"Yes, that is my name." He replied.

"You speak very good italian!" Asia pointed out, which the room found funny to some degree. "What is it?"

"Dear, there is a spell that allows one to understand and speak all languages in the world." Kuroka replied. "We are simply using that, nya!"

"Oh…"

"It's alright, I am guessing you never had that much interaction with magic." Issei told her. "Well, I think we should all properly introduce ourselves here, to begin with. My name is Issei Hyoudou, the current Red Dragon Emperor of this generation."

"Nya! I am Kuroka Toujou, Issei's Queen and his lover." She said, presenting herself as well, but Asia did pick up on her pointing out the part with 'lover'.

"My name is Ingvild Leviathan, Issei's Bishop and a descendant of the original Leviathan. Oh, and also his lover, although Kuroka here has seniority in that regard." Ingvild said, then she turned to Raynare. "And as you might know, that is Raynare."

"Leave me out of this." The fallen sneered.

"Ok…Well, I am Asia Argento, a former nun, and saint in service of the Church. My gear is Twilight Healing, which you saw. I was kicked out of the Church for healing a devil that showed up at our doorstep." Asia said, introducing herself. "Excuse me, but what did you mean by Queen and Bishop? Like a devil's peerage?"

"That is right, but let me assure you, only Ingvild is a devil." Issei said, making sure to keep her calm. "I am human, and Kuroka here is a Youkai, former Reincarnated Devil."

"Former? I thought the process was for good!" Asia said, and at this even Raynare was interested, but then she recalled something, making her speak out of term again.

"Yeah, right, as if he cares!" She said, quickly getting their attention. "This guy here has the magic of Solomon!"

"The Wise King?!" Asia gasped in utter shock and surprise, then she looked at Issei. "How can this be? Solomon is regarded as a respected figure, even if he turned his back on God! His feat of enslaving the devils to construct one of the Lord's first temples is legendary! How? Are you perhaps a descendant of his?"

"I don't think so…" Issei said, a bit sour at Raynare for revealing that bit about him. "To explain, I can use Solomon's magic in some ways, like extracting evil pieces without harming the reincarnated devils and reversing the process. I can also use his seal."

"The Seal?" Asia looked at Raynare, who showed her Seal. "Amazing…"

"If you like enslavement." Raynare pointed out, making Asia flinch.

"Nya! Be grateful you are only made to clean and cook!" Kuroka said, being a bit mean to Raynare, but her reasons were still sound. "Plus, you did try to kill Issei."

"I feel like I should step in." Solomon said, making his presence known, which not only surprised Asia to hear another voice coming from Issei without him moving his lips, but Raynare also felt a real chill go down her spine.

"Y-you have to fucking k-kidding…" She said, turning to Issei.

"At least you are smart, fallen!" Solomon said to Raynare. "Yes, the reason Issei can use my magic is that I taught him how. Behold! I am Solomon, of Israel!"

"King Solomon…" Asia said slowly, confused about what she should do. On one hand, Solomon was among the very first saints, even before the 12 Apostles of Christ! But on the other hand, he was a man who let lust corrupt his virtue. "How?"

"I do not know, child." He said, using a kinder tone for Asia. "My presence here, I know little of what made it, and I know not if it was the Lord who did. My wisdom is mine again, the gift God gave me and took, but now, I put my wisdom to Issei's use. Whatever my purpose now, with my soul within Issei, I took a guidance role to the boy."

"Solomon has been with me for a long time." Issei told Asia. "He's like an old teacher constantly breathing down your neck."

"Well, excuse you! You were not a brilliant student, either, know that!" Solomon replied, and Asia had to suppress a giggle at the exchange. Solomon cleared his throat. "But yes. I know you might be confused, child, but be at ease. Issei here saved you from a cruel fate and an early death."

"I see…" Asia said slowly, confusion fading from her face. "But then, what now? This is a nice house, but I doubt you have enough room for me." At that, they had no way to reply. True enough, they had no more rooms available, and they couldn't have her sleep on the floor. She deserved her own room.

Luckily, Issei had a plan. "I think I know." He said, then he brought out the Dungeon Seed he got after defeating Dohaseek. Asia, and even Raynare, were curious about it, of course. But to Issei, this seed meant a free room in the dungeon, but maybe he could use it for more. There is a room free down there, which he did plan to use for his own room, but maybe Asia needs it more.

"What is this?" Asia asked, curious.

"Nya! One of the things making Issei special." Kuroka said, catching on to his plan.

"Let us go inside the Dungeon." Issei said, leading the girls, except Raynare, inside using his Dungeon Key.


"You have a magical dimension?!" Asia gasped in utter amazement as she stepped inside, seeing the large construct.

"It is still pretty basic, and I don't have a structure in mind for it now, or the resources to build it in a more massive way, but for now, we mainly use it for training. But now…" Issei pulled out the seed, then the interface manifested before his eyes, bringing the room downstairs before him. The system recognized the seed, and true enough, using a seed seems to act like some voucher for most actions regarding the building and decoration of the dungeon. "I can make you a room, Asia. However, I don't know what kind of furniture you'd like, so please forgive me if I make a boring one."

"It's fine, really!" She quickly said, trying to not make him feel awkward "I am used to simple rooms, and if need be, I can always decorate it myself."

"Still, I will do my best." Issei replied, then he began to input the information into the custom-design settings. When he was done, the button that indicates the end of the operation appeared, and he pressed it. Before his eyes, however, a new key materialized.

Room registered for Asia Argento within Issei Hyoudou's dungeon! Key generated!

That was nice. "Here." He handed Asia the key, the girl taking it in her hands. "Let's go see your new room." He said, leading her downstairs where the rooms were, and true enough, there was one with a plate with Asia's name on it. The nun went closer to it and unlocked it with the key, opening the door slowly.

The room before her was on the larger side with a larger bed than she was used to, with a few plushies here and there. The walls were mainly white, and there was a desk at the edge with nothing on top and a rug on the floor. "It's…"

"A bit boring…" Issei said, realizing he did fuck up.

"Amazing!"

+10 RP with Asia Argento.

That's a lot!

"Huh?! But it is barely anything!" Issei said, consued, but Asia just continued.

"It's more than enough, Issei!" She said, turning to him. "Thank you!"

"Well, this turned out well." Kuroka remarked. "Still, what should we do now? She is around your age, and I feel like she'd be bored just standing here."

"Maybe we can enroll her into Kuoh Academy?" Ingvild suggested, and Asia heard her.

"Kuoh Academy? You mean the college here?" Asia asked, sounding a bit excited about it. "Is that where you are going?"

"Me and Ingvild, yes." Issei replied. "I am also the Contracted Magician for one of the Devils there, but it is more of a temporary situation. I could talk to her to get you a place if you wish."

Asia seemed a bit skeptical at first, thinking it over. But then she smiled and replied. "I'd be grateful! I always wanted to go to a normal school! Ever since I was taken by the Church, I barely interacted with other children, and I was mostly schooled by the nuns and priests there."

"Then it is settled, I will talk with Rias then." Issei said. "Hopefully, things won't be too complicated."


"What do you mean you cannot just give her a place in the school?!" Issei asked as he was currently standing in Rias' office, talking to the she-devil about getting Asia a place in the Academy. It was the evening of the same day currently, and Asia was back at home, with the other girls, getting herself settled.

"Issei, I admire your deeds of rescuing her and stopping the fallen, but I cannot just give spots in the Academy willy-nilly," Rias replied. "If she was transferring, sure, that is easy, but like you, she was mostly schooled outside the system, meaning she needs to take the entrance exam as you did."

"And let me guess, there are no spots left?" Rias shook her head, making Issei raise his eyebrow.

"There are some spots left, make no mistake, but I am not the only one you should be talking to." Rias said, and Issei knew what she meant. Sona…He really didn't wish to have to face her so early or directly, but it seems he has no choice in the matter. "We can have her take an exam, and even forge some documents, but as you know, devil nature is not very, let's say, generous if they gain nothing in return."

"I am NOT joining any peerage or giving Asia to any of you, I am making this clear now." Issei said, making his point clear. "However, if a favor is what you want, then I will hear it."

"Thank you, and trust me, Issei, I don't want to make things this complicated, but I need to consider Sona in this as well. She is the one who is on the Student Council, not me, so she has more Administrative Power." Rias explained, and frankly, Issei really didn't blame her. She was President of a Club, not the Student Council. No, that spot is reserved for Sona, meaning she decided if Asia could get in or not.

"So, what do I need to do to earn that spot for Asia?" Issei asked, not wanting to drag this on.

"Well, all in all, there is not much you can do for me, as it is Sona you will need to talk with." Rias said. "But considering your history together, I feel like the atmosphere would be more than awkward, so I will act as an intermediary. I will explain to her the situation, and see what she may desire while keeping in mind the conditions."

"Thank you." Issei replied, then he got up. "Well, if this is the situation, then I will be on my way. Once she states what she wants, give me a call."

"Very well. Oh, and Issei, one more thing." Rias said, grabbing his attention. "I do need to point out that acting on your own like this is not something I easily condone. While I admire the pure reason, I cannot let such solo actions fly, given how you are MY contracted magician. Your actions can reflect poorly on me."

"I see. I apologize, I guess I am not entirely used to this arrangement yet." Issei said, offering a small apology. "However, I cannot promise I won't be doing such things again. But I will try to at least notify you."

+1 RP with Rias Gremory.

"I ask for nothing more." Rias replied, then Issei was on his way, exiting the room and leaving Rias alone with her thoughts. She did not lie to him, she WILL talk with Sona, but she needs to think the new information through. Asia Argento, a former nun who has the Twilight Healing gear, and she cannot add her to her peerage.

She had to admit, if not for the fact Issei agreed to aid them with their problem, she'd be more irked by this, but all in all, anything to ensure a positive relationship with the Red Dragon Emperor was welcomed. She could live with this.

She doesn't know about Sona, however.

Considering this is Issei, the same Red Dragon who threatened to use the Juggernaut Drive on her, Sona might not have him at heart all things considered. And now, she might see Asia as leverage, but she will play it smart. If she does something like reincarnating Asia behind Issei's back, as unlikely as that is, Rias has no doubt he might just use the Juggernaut on them. No, Sona will likely ask for some other kind of favor, something long-term.

She is also curious about Asia Argento herself. True, she will keep her word and not make her part of her peerage, but she may still be a valuable ally with her gear. And with Issei behind her, Rias is slowly suspecting she might just grow as well.

And speaking of growth, she did notice how Issei was stronger. Again. His growth was starting to become scary if anything. With each passing day, he just got stronger and stronger, and one day, he might be even powerful enough to take on her entire peerage without effort. No, she cannot think like that.

Such thoughts were bound to cloud her judgment and make her make mistakes. She CANNOT afford to make mistakes now, not when her freedom seems to be assured with the aid of the one and only Dragon of Domination. She needs to remain cordial with him. Although…

She'd lie if she said Issei was not her type. Sure, he has other women, and knows from Kuroka he is not fresh, unlike her, but she didn't care about that. Maybe, just maybe, she can start getting a bit more interested in him. It might help her gain more confidence, but she didn't wish to manipulate him outright.

Maybe a bit of flirting was in order. She sure had the assets for it, but first, she needs to have a talk with a few individuals. Namely, Issei's current girls, to make sure everything was ok, and Akeno to see what advice she can give regarding flirting and teasing.


Elsewhere, in the outskirts of Kuoh, Errgo could be seen moving through the piles of scrap at the junkyard. He was using the parts from old appliances here to fix himself, using anything from the metal and circuits, to the devices found in the junkyard. He had barely managed to replace his arm, which now looked more skeletal than he'd like, with only three fingers to it. He clenched it, his eye glowing brighter.

"Red Dragon Emperor…Revenge." He said, looking around for anything else of use.


"I am telling you, Danbooru, that guy screwed us over." Leon said as he and Danbooru were currently in Sophia, Bulgaria, looking for their target, Arachna Andromalius, whose house has the power to mark and track anything. But the two were in the city for a good while, yet nothing.

"He didn't. I know it." Danbooru replied, the two walking in the dim light of the coming night. Then, out of the corner of his eye, the monk saw someone enter through the side entrance of a strip club. "Follow me."

"Hey, where are- Oh! Well, I won't object." Leon said as he followed Danbooru to the entrance of the strip club, being stopped by the bouncer as they approached.

"Halt there, buddy. You need to pay the entrance fee." The bouncer said, but the two of them did not have any local money. "You deaf? Pay up, or-" However, they didn't get to finish as Danbooru punched them in the face, knocking them out.

"Jeez, why not let me use my magic?" Leon asked.

"This is better." Danbooru said, then the two entered the club. Immediately, they were struck with the smell of cheap booze and cigars followed by the exaggerated amount of neon lights made to put the focus on the girls dancing on the podiums, all in different states of undress.

Not that Leon minded, but Danbooru found such places repulsive. The monk wished to hurry through the place but also knew they could not hurry, so they simply took a seat, time at which one of the workers there went to them, her uniform being…Well, non-existent, she was topless.

"How can we serve you tonight, fine lads?" She asked, being somewhat seductive in her tone of voice.

"My buddy is here mostly to enjoy the show, but please, beautiful, can you get me a glass of whiskey?" Leon asked, and the girl noted down, nodding her head and leaving. Danbooru gave Leon a bit of a narrowed gaze. "What? I am thirsty."

"You could have just ordered a glass of water."

"Dan, this is a strip club - or titty bar, I never cared for the difference - meaning that in places like this, you want to integrate so as to not seem suspicious." Leon said, being the one with more expertise in undercover missions. "But that being said, mind telling me what are we doing here?"

"Hmm." Suddenly, Leon's gaze went to the stage, where he noticed a new girl walking forth, dressed in nothing but semi-transparent lingerie. "For that."

"Fuck me…It is never pleasure AND business with you, is it? Only work." Leon said, narrowing his eyes. There, on the stage, with short dark hair and deep, blueish eyes. She had a rather small rack compared to other girls there, around B, but Leon would admit she had great hips that made up for the lack of tits. He watched her begin to dance, using her best asset for it. And as he did, his drink arrived as well.

"Here you go, Sir." Then the woman left.

"So?" Leon asked, picking up the glass. "What's the plan?"

"You will use your illusion magic to get us backstage so we can talk to her." Danbooru said, then Leon downed the entire glass in one go. He then placed a few dollars on the table, hoping they could at least convert those into the local currency.

"Fine then. One disappearing act coming right up." Leon said, and true enough, when he was sure no one was paying attention, they vanished. Simply vanished, but in reality, they were still there, only invisible to everyone around them. The two of them got up, and simply walked toward the back of the stage, waiting for Arachna to finish her dance.

It took a couple of minutes, but then she arrived, heading to her little private room. The boys found it strange, but did not ask themselves why she was getting special treatment, and simply entered the room, much to her confusion. "What the-?" She began, but then the door closed, and Leon dropped the illusion, revealing himself with his hand on the door while Danbooru stood before Arachna.

The shock of them appearing had her almost trip and fall, if not for the monk catching her. "Arachna Andromalius." He said her name, making her eyes widen.

"Who the fuck are you?!" She asked, yanking her arm back and backing down. It didn't help she was currently topless and in a pair of panties before them either, making her fully helpless. "Don't try anything, or I will scream!"

"Go ahead!" Leon said, challenging her. "I can simply make us both vanish again."

"We are not here to harm you in any way." Danbooru added, trying to be the voice of reason. "We are here for different reasons, and we require your abilities."

"Considering you used my actual name, I figured the two of you are not normal." Arachna said, calming herself. "Fine, spill it out, what do you need?" Hearing her question, Danbooru pulled out an object from his clothing, putting it before her. It was very simple…A quill. "A fucking feather?"

"A quill belonging to someone we wish to track." Danbooru said, letting her take it. "It holds great emotional value to our target."

"Hmm. It looks brand new, almost like it was never used." Arachna remarked. "I fail to see the emotional attachment."

"I don't know much myself, but I know he could never use it. He was blind." Danbooru added, which really struck Arachna.

"Well, that changes things. Why keep something you cannot use around? Because you don't want to lose it." She said slowly, inspecting the quill.

"While you do your thing, care to explain to us how you ended up working in such a place?" Leon asked out of curiosity.

"Please, as if." Arachna said, going over to her little desk and pulling out something from the drawer, spreading it on her table to reveal a map of the world. The human world, that is. "It's true, I used to work here as the other strippers, but I used my charm to…persuade the previous owner to sign everything for me."

"You fucked him to give you the place, didn't you?" Leon said, taking a wild guess, but the look Arachna gave him did not say the same.

"I might have licked a few lollipops, but I never spread my legs for those pigs." She retorted. "Plus, not that they are an issue anymore. I made sure they died of a heart attack by dropping some underworld-made drugs in their drink when they were not looking. Human police are not worth shit when dealing with things above their pay."

"Cunning." Leon added.

"Enough. Our target, where is he?" Danbooru asked, being more impatient, but that was mostly due to the location they found themselves in. He wanted to leave the joint as soon as possible, and idle chatter would not speed things up.

Arachna scoffed, then she pricked her finger, placing a bit of her blood on the quill and then placing it on the map. "Now then…Show us where your master is." She said, and the quill came to life, standing upright on the map and starting to hover above it, slowly placing itself above a location. "Hmm. He is quite far away, so my ability cannot pinpoint him well."

The quill was making a circle above a certain location. It was in China, close to the Korean border. "It looks like we got our location." Leon said, then Danbooru went forward, picking up the feather. "I don't think we can convince you to come with us, right? We could use a female touch during our travels."

"Ha! Sorry to say, big boy, but I have my hands full running this joint. Although, if you yearn for a female touch that badly, you are more than welcome to come back here. I might even give you a discount, or better yet, attend to you myself." Arachna said, laying down the options that had Leon humming with a naughty smile.

Of course, Danbooru then grabbed him by the back of his shirt. "Make us invisible."

"Gah! Fine then! Fucking shit, Dan, one of those days you need to unwind yourself and get your beads wet."

And so, the duo once again vanished, leaving Arachna behind. She waited for a bit, making sure they were gone before she went to her little desk once again, and pulled out a crystal, activating to connect to a communication channel. "Arachna Andromalius here. They were here, as you said they would."

"Good." The voice of the general came from the other side of the crystal. "Anything useful that you learned?"

"Whoever they are looking for is located close to the territory of the Kims."

"North Korea? Shit place. Anything else?"

"Whoever they are looking for is also blind, but strangely, they had a quill they apparently held very dearly." Arachna replied. "That is all."

"Better than nothing. I will have a small team patrol the same area, and see what they can get. Those two give me a strange gut feeling, and we both know how that goes." The general said. "That aside, how is business?"

"Booming, thanks to your aid." Arachna replied. "Most of my clients ARE members of the Snake, and even some of my employed strippers. Your idea of creating an undercover base here is working flawlessly, sir, and it also works to bring in funds."

"Of course it does! But remember, you yourself are to not whore yourself. The girls? If they wanna bang they can bang, but you have a husband waiting for you and trust me, those updates to assure him of your faithfulness are one of the few things keeping him from storming the place."

"I understand, Sir. Thank you, Sir." Arachna said.