First of all, I'd like to apologize for the massive delay, again. Life got crazy, I moved halfway around the world, and was limited to just one monitor to work on. I am finally starting to settle in a little bit, but I am still waiting on a lot of my household items to arrive, which includes my computer and a lot of my notes/research material for this story. I will continue to try and find the time to update this story.
Moving forward, I can guarantee that by the new year that I will be back to writing and posting regularly. I will try and get a few more chapters out before then, but we shall see. Anyways, please enjoy!
The next morning I was talking with Rias as we watched the rest of her peerage, minus Issei, train outside from the large windows in the meeting hall. Akari had dragged Ayame off for some 'girl talk' which probably consisted of excessive shopping.
"I have never witnessed what you're talking about," Rias pondered after I told her what had happened last night, "I would likely have to see it myself to understand it more."
I heaved a deep sigh, "Yeah, I won't be doing that again until I understand it more. I had hurt Akari and Ayame and I'm reluctant to do so again."
"Hmm, perhaps my father will know. Unfortunately, he is on business the next few days so we may not get a chance to ask him for a while."
"That's fine. I need to explore what it's done to my magic anyways. Hopefully I'll have more information by the time your father can meet with us."
Rias turned to me then, a look of concern on her face, "I can feel Issei calling for me. He should be here soon. I think something has happened."
I frown, but simply nod my head. We both form a magic circle just by our ears, one crimson red and the other an inky black, and inform our peerages to head up to the meeting room as soon as they can.
I watch Rias' peerage stop practicing and file inside the clubhouse and wait patiently for my two girls to join us. Just as Kiba pushes open the doors to the meeting room Ayame and Akari appear on the far side of the room in a teleportation circle. Ayame rushes to my side, her eyebrows furrowed and lips in a slight pout, and Akari strides confidently to me from across the room.
"Leo! What happened? Are you okay," Ayame asks as she collides with me. She clings to my arm like she usually does and I greet Akari with a side hug. I drag both over to a couch nearest Rias' desk and pull them to my sides, my hands resting atop both of their heads.
"I'm fine. It's Issei that has us worried. He should be here any minute."
The rest of Rias' peerage gathered around us on the couches and made silent talk while Rias and I sat in silence. The minutes seemed to stretch on forever until finally, Issei exploded through the doors. He didn't stop until he was directly in front of Rias before putting his hands on his knees and bending over to catch his breath.
"Rias! It's Asia, they took her," he pants out, his eyes wide with panic and his cheeks slightly tear-stained.
"What do you mean? Who took her?"
"Raynare," Issei declares dramatically. The look in his eye changes to a strange mix of fear, sadness, and anger.
"Who?" I ask.
"Raynare, the fallen angel that killed Issei, who also happens to be Issei's ex-girlfriend," Rias replies with a sour look.
"Issei had a girlfriend?" Despite the situation, that statement had me more shocked than I expected.
Rias shot me a glare but what shocked me more was that Issei didn't seem to be proud of having had a girlfriend. Oh right, she tried to kill him. Wouldn't say I'd be proud if I were in his shoes.
"I'm assuming that's when you reincarnated him, Rias?" I asked, to which Rias simply nodded her head. I looked back at Issei who seemed to be stuck in his own mind. He's probably scarred from that.
"Issei, for what it's worth, I'm glad she did."
"Leo!" Akari was aghast at my bluntness, but I didn't care. I could at least start the process of getting him over his trauma now. Issei stared at me in mute shock, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
"No seriously, think about it. If she hadn't done that, do you think you'd be standing here right now? Without Raynare, you'd still be a dateless virgin who only spent time around women by creeping on them. Now, you have been given a new lease on life, you're standing in the presence of five of the most beautiful women on this campus, and you might someday have servants of your own."
Issei paused at my words and I could see the gears turning in his head as he thought on those words. All five of the girls in the room blushed at my off-handed compliment, Akari kissing my cheek and Ayame playfully slapping my chest, and Kiba even grinned at my smoothness. Gotta score points at every opportunity, I mentally grinned to myself.
"Leo is right," Ayame surprisingly spoke up first, "Without Leo I'd…I'd be miserable and alone. But now I have him and Akari to call family." She grinned a wide, face splitting smile at me and Akari after she finished. Akari giggled and gave the girl a few pats on the head, which made her blush, which only served to make her smile even more radiant.
"Don't forget about us," Akeno said, "You have all of us as your friends now, too." Ayame directed her smile towards Akeno now, who gave the girl a playful wink.
"Regardless of how correct Leo is, we have gotten slightly off topic." Rias said, though there was still a slight blush on her cheeks as well.
"Right!" Issei seemed to be a bit more charged up now, "Rias, Raynare said that there'd be a ritual of some sort tonight at the church. Something involving Asia. I'm not sure what it is but it doesn't sound good!"
"You're right, that doesn't sound good at all," Rias brought her right hand to her chin and leaned forward onto her elbow.
"We will have to wait for the sun to go down before we can act," Issei tried to cut Rias off but she silenced him with a single raised hand and a look, "You have my word that we will save her. Knowing the fallen angels they likely won't start until the sun has set anyways. They too prefer to act at night."
"Rias, if Raynare told Issei then it's likely because she wants to bait Issei into going. Let us come too,"
"I won't force you to go, but I won't stop you either," Rias replied.
"Don't worry. We won't miss it," I replied, Akari and Ayame giving resolute nods as well.
Suddenly, Issei bowed low in front of me, his head almost touching his knees, "Thank you, I will do whatever it takes to repay you tenfold for your kindness."
I simply stood and clapped a hand on Issei's shoulder, pulling Issei out of his bow. I looked him square in the eyes as I answered, "Walk with me. We should talk."
I then turned to Rias, "With your leave?" I wanted to make sure I was at least respecting her as Issei's master.
"Yes, that's fine. As for everyone else, meet here at sunset and we will go over the plan."
"Akari, Ayame, I will meet you both at the house in a little bit." Both girls nodded at me before I led Issei out of the clubhouse. Once we were on the path walking towards the main school buildings with no one around did I finally speak.
"How are you holding up?"
"I'm nervous about Asia. I don't know how I'm supposed to just do nothing while they have her captive."
"Asia will be okay. She will last long enough for us to save her. We rest now to make sure we are at full strength later tonight. Trust in Rias' judgment."
"You're right. I'm just so…antsy. Like my body is shouting at me to do something now."
"You should try meditating. It might help you calm those feelings and save them for when you'll need them."
Issei nodded and the two of us lapsed into a comfortable silence for a bit. I thought about how to bring up what I wanted to say but decided that being direct should be best.
"You shouldn't let yourself be afraid."
"I'm not afraid to fight! I'm-"
"I don't mean to fight. I know you aren't. What I mean is, after what happened to you. You know, you dying?"
I paused so that he'd calm down and understand my words.
"I saw the look on your face when you mentioned Raynare's name. You were angry, which makes sense. She killed you, I'd be pretty pissed too. I saw fear as well, a pretty natural reaction to someone who tried to, and in your case successfully, kill you."
Issei took on a thousand yard stare as we walked, absorbed in my words and his own mind so much that he didn't respond.
I stopped Issei with a hand on his shoulder and turned him to look at me, "Issei, I also saw the sadness in you. I can't imagine how it must have felt to have been betrayed by someone like that. My family was betrayed too, but by someone whom I never met. But you can't let that stop you from making connections with others."
"Leo, I…"
"It's okay. I know it's still raw, and you are likely still trying to deal with the emotions from it all. I just want you to know that I am here for you if you ever need anything or just to talk to someone."
Issei sniffled, but refused to let tears form in his eyes, "Thank you, Leo."
"Can I offer you some advice?"
"Of course."
"When you see Raynare tonight? Take all of that anger and sadness and work it out on her. Get your revenge. And when you have, find it in your heart to forgive her. And thank her for what she's done for you. Because of her, you are now on the path of becoming a harem king. And I for one am very much looking forward to that," I finished with a laugh.
Issei got that look in his eyes, one I imagined was him envisioning his future surrounded by beautiful women that were at his beck and call.
"Yes, sir! I will become a harem king," Issei stood ramrod straight for a moment as he declared his future goal before coughing and relaxing his posture, "And I will make sure to try your advice."
"Good man," I said as I clapped him on the back once again, "Now get out of here. Go relax and try and clear your thoughts. We have a friend to save tonight and we're gonna need you at your best to do it."
"Yes, sir!" Issei saluted before running off towards his clubhouse. Hopefully he would take my words to heart, but only time would tell. After Issei left me, I took in my surroundings and realized that I was quite close to the library.
It was still the afternoon so maybe Mizuki would still be in the library. I picked up my pace and made my way into the library. Seeing the usual crowd of people watching the chess games, I pushed my way through until I found Mizuki. I caught her eye and indicated another table. She simply nodded back at me before returning her attention to her game.
I sat at a table in the corner and waited for her to join me. Hopefully the others would take that as a hint to leave us alone. I sat down and turned the chess board so that the white pieces were on my side. I might as well take the advantage for the first game since she'll likely beat me, I smiled internally as I waited for her to join me. I had to turn one person away who was looking for a game, letting them know I was waiting for someone in particular to join me. They didn't like me turning them down, but honestly I didn't care.
Eventually, Mizuki finished her game and made her way over to me. A few people moved to follow her, but she shot them all a fierce look that turned them away. I greeted her pleasantly as she sat down across from me.
"Hello, again. I was glad to catch you still here."
"And why exactly is that?" her blue eyes watched me carefully, as if she relied more on my facial cues than my words.
"You are definitely one of the best players here, if not the best considering the crowd that follows you around, and by far the most interesting." I answered honestly with a smile as I moved my first piece.
"Interesting? How?" she answered with her usual calm, confident demeanor, but the slight blush that turned her cheeks a light pink hue gave her away. She quickly moved her piece and waited for me to move.
"Well for one, you seem like a genuinely good, kind-hearted person despite the attention you receive. Most people I see like that are awfully stuck up," I responded as I once again made my move. I did my best to remain calm and confident, trying not to hint at my nervousness. Why I was nervous, I couldn't really tell you.
"I hate it, the attention, and I certainly don't ask for it. Honestly I'd rather they just leave me in peace. They're just glory seekers," she moved again, her eyes never leaving the board. It seemed that despite our conversation there would be no distracting her from our match.
My eyes glanced up at her quickly, the match between us momentarily forgotten. My impression of her seemed to shift in that moment. What I had thought was a silently proud, confident woman turned out to be a secretly reserved one. She must just put on that outward demeanor as a form of armor to protect herself from the people that followed her around.
"That must get tiring. If you don't mind me asking, why do they treat you like that?" I made my next move and waited for her answer.
She focused on me once again, my eyes stayed on the board in front of me, before she answered, "I am the number one ranked chess player in the junior leagues in Japan. I'm here on a scholarship. Not too long ago a journal did a piece on me that revealed a lot of personal things I'd have preferred to stay private. Since then people have seen a frail, lonely little girl who's life they could worm their way into," she growled the last words out, her grip on the piece she was moving tighter than necessary and slammed onto the board with enough force to shake a few of the surrounding pieces.
"That's horrible! I can't imagine why a journalist would do that to you. I'm sorry," I replied, genuinely enraged over what they had done. My bishop slid to take a pawn from her.
"I don't need your pity," she stated calmly as she frowned at losing the pawn to my bishop, but moved to attack it with another piece.
"It wasn't pity. I like to keep my personal life private as well, unless I feel like sharing it with someone. If that happened to me I'd be pissed so I empathize with your situation. I apologize if I offended you." I began to play on autopilot at this point, focusing far more on the conversation than the match between us.
"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have responded that way."
"I don't blame you. I'm sure many people have offered apologies in the past as a way to get closer to you." She gave me a calculating look. "What? It's what I'd start with if I was trying."
"But you aren't trying to?" She arched an eyebrow at me, even without her eyes leaving the board in front of her.
"Well, I suppose I am. But not with nefarious intentions. You intrigue me, so I'd like to get to know you better."
"But why?"
"I believe I did say that I don't like sharing personal details unless I want to."
I thought I heard a slight growl of frustration come from her, but I couldn't have been sure. "Check mate."
I looked down on the board to inspect it. Huh, that is checkmate.
"Play again?"
She simply shrugged and rotated the board, claiming white for herself before taking her first move once again. We exchanged a few moves in silence. She was playing far more aggressively this time, but I was content to play defensively and let her make a mistake. If that's even possible for her.
"You're weird," she finally broke the silence. She said it as if she were stating a fact, not making an observation.
"Why thank you."
"Not many people would be okay with being called weird, which makes you weirder, you know."
I simply shrugged, "Being weird means I'm not normal. Being normal is boring and I do try my best to not be boring."
She simply giggled at my response, her first true display of emotion in my presence. I stared at her from across the board, I was not ready for that. She rolled her eyes at my gaze and returned her focus back to the board.
"You do seem to enjoy chess a lot."
"I really do. I've been good at it my entire life. But honestly now that I have reached the top for my age bracket I find myself bored playing it sometimes. Since I can't yet play in the adult leagues until after I've turned 25 I wish I could somehow make chess more exciting."
"I hope I don't bore you."
"I'm still deciding."
"And what if I could offer you a more…interesting life?" She lifted her head from the board rapidly at that, a look of confusion on her face.
"What does that mean?"
"Nothing in particular. Was just curious if you'd willingly change your lifestyle if it meant leaving chess behind."
A few moves were made each as she pondered my words, probably trying to find some hidden meaning.
Finally, she probed, "I suppose it would depend on what I would be gaining."
I decided to remain cryptic for now, "A game far more interesting than chess, though similar and full of danger."
"Danger?"
"Potential death," I grinned at her bewildered look but didn't answer further.
She seemed content to allow the conversation lull as we continued our match in silence. It didn't take much longer until she had checkmated me again. I thanked her for the games and told her I'd be back tomorrow to play again. Making my way through the middle of the chess tables, I could feel her gaze on my back as I left. Always leave them wanting more, I grinned to myself feeling especially good.
I found my way back to my house to find Ayame and Akari cuddled on the couch watching a horror movie together. Ayame was shaking like a leaf in Akari's arms and was currently hiding her face behind the blanket.
"Leo! Akari is forcing me to watch scary movies! Help me!"
I simply chuckled as I made my way into the kitchen, "I've got exactly what you need!" The soft popping of kernels on the stove top was soon heard by the girls. Once they finished popping I tossed the popcorn in some melted butter and some salt for taste. Pouring them out into a large bowl, I made my way over to the girls and sat beside Ayame. She immediately flipped around and curled herself up in my lap.
"Ayame, if you're gonna sit there then you have to hold the popcorn."
Ayame happily accepted that trade as Akari pouted at me for having stolen her cuddle buddy. I grinned at her before snaking an arm around her waist and pulled her to my side, making her giggle happily as she brought her knees to her chest and slightly turned sideways. This allowed Ayame to lay her back against Akari's legs and lay her cheek against mine.
"Do we have to watch scary movies," Ayame begged as she raised the blanket that now covered all three of us to her face with one hand.
"Horror movies are our favorite movies," Akari giggled at Ayame as she reached around the younger girl for some popcorn, "Oops," Akari said as she 'accidentally' dropped a piece into Ayame's cleavage. Akari immediately snaked her hand in between the girl's perky breasts, parting her kimono a bit more in the process and revealing the tops of her creamy white flesh.
"Akari," Ayame whined but didn't stop her in the slightest.
"Delicious," Akari let out a slight moan to tease Ayame.
"Leo! Heeeelp," Ayame begged.
"Akari, be nice," I 'chastised' Akari.
"It's just so fun!"
"You do make it easy, Ayame."
Ayame simply harrumphed and munched on her popcorn quietly. The three of us sat there together, enjoying each other's presence and laughing at Ayame when she got scared of the movie. When the first finished, we simply put the next one on.
A few movies later Rias called me using a magic circle and asked us to meet at her place. We were the last to arrive, Issei was getting impatient as his leg wouldn't stop bouncing in protest, but we still had some time before the sun completely set.
"Now that we are all here, there's a few things I need to say before we get going," Rias began, "Issei, I know you were feeling a little down about being a pawn."
"Yeah, I'm the weakest piece in the fight."
"That's not technically true. In fact, some would argue that you are the most versatile and powerful piece of all."
"What? But how? I don't get any power boosts from my piece at all."
"Issei, if you advance deep enough into enemy territory you can promote yourself to any other piece except for the king. So if you try hard enough, you will be able to become a knight, rook, bishop, or even a queen for a short period of time. When you do, you will get all of the benefits of that piece as if you were one."
"Wait, really?"
"Yes. As a matter of fact, as your king, if I think you have advanced into enemy territory I can grant you promotion so long as I truly believe we are in enemy territory."
"So tonight, we will be in enemy territory so I can be promoted to a different piece?"
"Exactly. Also, in regards to your sacred gear. Every sacred gear works in sync with its owner's emotions. So the stronger your feelings are, the stronger your sacred gear will be."
"Really? I didn't know that, that's so cool."
"Yup! So make sure you do everything I say and we will save your friend tonight," Rias smiled at Issei who immediately bowed at the waist to Rias.
"You ready for this," I asked Ayame and Akari, who stood by my side.
"I'm with you, always," Akari responded confidently.
"I won't leave you. Not after you didn't leave me," Ayame gulps, but overcomes her fear with her devotion.
"You'll do great. Just stay with us and we'll all make it out of this okay."
"Alright everyone, gather around. I am going to teleport us to our starting positions. Kiba and Koneko, you two will escort Issei inside and help him free his friend. The rest of us will spread out and cover you."
"Leo, Akari, and Ayame will work together to secure the front of the church. Once you do, stay there and hold it as long as you can. Once we get onto church territory we can't teleport anymore, so that will be the only entrance and exit for the extraction team."
"What about you and Akeno?"
"Don't worry about us," Akeno winks at me, "We'll be making sure that the rest of the woods are clear before we join you at the church entrance."
"If we decide that the area is clear, then we will move in and join the others in saving Issei's friend."
After explaining the plan to us, Rias immediately teleported us to the outskirts of the forest that surrounded the church. We moved quickly yet quietly, careful to mask our presence as long as we possibly could. All too soon, we exited the tree line and saw the front of the church. As soon as we did, a massive purple cloud pulsed outward from the church.
Suddenly, the cloudy night opened to a sky full of stars. The sky was so clear that I could see each constellation and the gasses of the galaxy quite clearly. It would have been a very beautiful sight if it hadn't been for the priests and fallen angels that emerged from the church.
"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in," a male fallen angel called out at us. He was flanked by three other fallen angels and ten priests.
"Rias, we might need some help here at first," I commented.
"I know. We will help open them up for you, but I can feel a few others spread out in the woods around the church that we will need to clear out. Our priority is getting the extraction team inside first."
"Of course," As amusing as it would be to listen to this fallen angel monologue, who hadn't stopped talking in the background about how doomed we were and how the fallen angels were about to become abundantly more powerful, I really wasn't in the mood to exchange pleasantries. "Ready when you are."
"GO!" Rias called as she summoned forth her powers of destruction. Akeno began to summon a massive lightning bolt as Akari brought forth a beach ball sized ball of hellfire to each hand. Kiba immediately summoned two swords, one a golden-handled short sword and the other a simple silver rapier, and tossed the rapier from his off hand to Ayame who caught it with practiced ease. I couldn't help but notice that Issei didn't summon his sacred gear immediately. Your sacred gear boosts your power, you dummy. I'd make sure to inform him of his idiocy later.
Kiba, Koneko, and Issei took off sprinting straight for the church doors. Before any of our enemies could react, Akari summoned two towering walls of hellfire that burned with intense heat on either side of the three. The walls of raging hellfire gave them a clear path to the doors uncontested, albeit a smolderingly hot one.
Akeno reigned a massive lightning bolt down upon the priests closest to the doors on the right side, a blush already creeping up her neck as she took pleasure in their pained screams. Rias unleashed a massive ball of destruction on the priests in the back on the left side of the doors, blowing them away and further clearing the path for our extraction team.
Not to be outdone, I allowed my newfound power to course through my veins, careful to keep the lid on the deep well within me. I shivered at the amount of power I felt as I connected to every shadow around us. With Akari's hellfire blazing proudly over us all, there were plenty of shadows for me to connect with.
Immediately, I detached the shadows cast by the trees behind us from the ground and formed a protective barrier between us and our enemies. I allowed them to keep the shape of their trees but had them remain incorporeal so we could see through them.
Next, I tried to take control of the shadows cast by our enemies, but quickly found that I had reached my limit on how many I could maintain control of at once. Gonna need to push myself in future training so I don't feel as limited.
Accepting my role as support, I summoned my own hellfire to my hands and began to throw softball sized balls at our enemies.
The three rushing the church were halfway to the doors by the time our enemies responded, but they did so with commendable coordination. Being split in half, they accepted that and spread even further towards our sides to catch us in a pincer. Akeno and Rias began to focus on the smaller group to the left, so Akari, Ayame and I faced towards the right. A few of the priests pulled out pistols of some sort and began to fire them at us.
"Those guns fire holy rounds," Rias called out, "Don't let them hit you or they will sap your power!"
I allowed the branches of my trees to become physical now, swinging them wildly and catching every bullet fired our way. They easily stopped the bullets, but where they made contact the shadows became wispy as part of them were broken off and lost.
Not letting that get to me, I split my attention between blocking the bullets and sending a few hellfireballs at the two fallen angels on our side. They both sprouted their wings and flew over my wall of protection, landing in front of us. The one on the right summoned fire in one hand and water in the other, while the second pulled out an ornate, silver handled sword with blue stones set in the hand guard.
"Be honored, young devils," the sword-wielding fallen angel who had spoken earlier began, "For I wield the legendary demonic sword, 'Ignis Sanguis', a sword forged with the scale of Big Red himself!"
Not really sure who Big Red was, but when the sword suddenly began to glow with a red aura I knew that we were probably in a bit of trouble with that one. Ayame didn't hesitate to stand in front of me and wield her rapier at the man.
"What's this? The little girl offers herself up to be my first victim? Well, who am I to ignore such an honorable request," he grinned before launching himself at Ayame.
Ayame, to her credit, reacted instantly by parrying his attack and repositioning, keeping herself between me and him. I noticed Akari and the other fallen angel dove to my opposite side, content to exchange powerful spells for now.
I tried to split my attention between the priests and the girl's fights, but the priests all drew swords that glowed with a bright white light that made my skin crawl. There's no way in hell I'm letting any of those touch me, I thought as I began slinging as many balls of hellfire at them to keep them from advancing. A few of my attacks connected, leaving the priests hit screaming in pain as the hellfire consumed their very beings.
By now, Issei and the others' had entered the church so Akari dropped her twin walls of hellfire and simply covered the front doors with a single one.
Okay, think Leo. Six priests all to myself. Four are rushing me with swords and two are covering them with their pistols. I guess it's time I experiment with my powers. Focusing my intent, I had one of the trees shoot two of its branches into the pack of priests rushing me and straight for the pistol wielding priests. Just as the others dodged, I separated the branches from my control and watched in fascination as they lanced forward like inky-black spears. One of the pistol wielding priests managed to dodge, but the other wasn't so lucky as my shadow spear buried itself in his gut.
With one less pistol wielder to worry about, I seized a hold of my own shadow and manifested my right arm into a wickedly sharp and long dagger. I tested the grip of it in my right hand before grinning at my ease of control over it.
One on four with one in support in the back? Not exactly the best odds, but it's time to get more involved. I pushed my wall of trees forward towards my opponents, making their branches swing wildly as I attempted to take as many down before I followed them in. I broke two off from the rest and had them focus down on the last pistol wielding priest. He died quickly under their combined assaults.
All too soon I was in the midst of the last four, my shadow dagger never stopping as I blocked each attack as they came. At first, I was surprised that after each block I had to reform my dagger. I wondered if it was the force of the blows or something else. More testing in the future, I thought before refocusing so I didn't become a pincushion.
I was too hard pressed to make any counter attacks yet, but now that I no longer needed to worry about blocking any bullets, I dropped my control of my trees. They immediately broke into wisps of darkness before dissolving into nothing.
Suddenly, I noted a flash of light and the sounds of battle coming from inside the church. Come on, you three. I know you can do this, I mentally cheered for them as I refocused on my surroundings.
With room to control new shadows, I focused my intent on the shadows of my enemies and waited for an opportune time to strike. Overhead block, drop to a knee, roll to my left, spin and kick that one away. Now! Seizing all four of their shadows as they all attempted to strike me at once, they were now open to my counter attack. First, I had the legs of their own shadows become corporeal and pull on their back foot. As they stumbled and tried to catch their balance, I manifested the shadows of their arms and pierced all four of them in the back. I drove them into the ground and left my swords impaled in them, leaving them there to slowly bleed out.
I turned my attention back to Ayame and Akari to see how they were doing. Akari looked as if she was toying with her opponent. She looked especially radiant in her flowing red and black kimono, the belt cinched tight around her waist but the fabric hung loosely over her shoulders. Her green hair fluttered wildly in the wind as she hovered in the air. The fallen angel was breathing hard and was completely on the defensive, but proved too elusive for Akari to finish off.
Ayame, on the other hand, was having difficulty with the strength of her opponent. She easily outmatched him in speed and form, but he more than made up for it in brute strength and ferocity. Ayame had started to take after Akari's fashion sense as she was wearing her usual predominantly white with bold red trim and accented kimono. The smooth fabric fit her frame perfectly but was just loose enough to allow full freedom of movement without getting in the way. Her hazel eyes were alight with adrenaline and her hair was held firmly in place by her crown braid. The shy and self-conscious girl was gone, the girl before me was confident and downright fierce with that rapier in her hands.
Ayame definitely needed the most help, but I wanted to let her finish the fight herself. I'd be there in an instant to help her if she needed it, but she had yet to unlock her sacred gear and I was hoping this fight might do it.
Ayame continuously dodged around the man, doing a great job of not letting him hit her, but was unable to counter attack. Finally, she was presented with a situation where she couldn't block. The fallen angel attempted to cut her from shoulder to hip in a diagonal slash that used both hands.
Ayame, having just stumbled after tripping on a rock while trying to sidestep his previous blow, didn't have her feet under her enough to move in time. She brought her rapier up in a partially successful attempt to redirect his blade that resulted in him only earning a hit on her right arm. Unfortunately, her rapier went flying and she was sent sprawling from the force of the swing.
The fallen angel took a few quick steps and began to bring his sword back up following the opposite direction of his previous attack. If he were to land this blow he'd likely cut her head off.
I connected to the shadows around the both of them immediately, refusing to allow that to happen. Before my shadows could even manifest themselves, Ayame's feet and hands became aglow with a vibrant white light. A moment later, Ayame was a blur as she moved to pick up her rapier and reface her opponent.
On her feet were sturdy looking white boots, the tops of which just reached the middle of her calves. The red and gold buckles of the boots shimmered with an odd intensity that reflected the light of Akari's powerful distant attacks.
Her hands were now covered by silk gloves that disappeared into the sleeves of her kimono and fit her like a second skin. The mostly red gloves had a delicate, swirling white pattern on the backs of her hands that looked like wind.
Her opponent seemed shocked at her activating her sacred gear, and I'd wager pretty scared too, but he simply roared in defiance and continued to try and hack her to pieces. She was now so much faster than her opponent that she must have seemed a blur around him. He gave up all attempts at proper form as his blade became a whirlwind of missed attacks around him.
Small cuts started to build all over his body as he screamed in rage. Finally, Ayame managed to sneak inside his guard, duck and step through his sloppy overhead blow. Now behind him, she thrust her rapier through the back of his right knee, dropping the man to one knee before she pulled it out and drove it through his right shoulder.
The pain must have shocked the man because he barely struggled as Ayame pinned him to the ground by driving her rapier through him to the hilt.
"Release me, you bitch! You dare-" He didn't get much farther as I delivered a powerful kick to his midsection. His sword finally fell from his grasp and he coughed up a large amount of blood.
"Shut the fuck up. Nobody calls her that," I delivered a second blow for good measure and approached Ayame to make sure she was okay. She had a few cuts on her, most notably the rather deep gash in her right arm.
"Ayame, you're hurt."
"I'm better now thanks to you," she grinned at me as I lifted her uninjured arm over my shoulder. I inspected the glove on her hand but didn't get the chance to comment on them since a shout caught both of our attentions.
"Just die!" Akari screamed as a massive, meteor sized ball of hellfire rained down from above us. I immediately called forth as many shadows as I could as I pulled Ayame close to me and wrapped us in them. The heat of the resulting explosion washed over us, but thankfully my shadows kept us safe from the worst of it.
When I cleared them away, Akari was floating in the air with her wings and heaving for breath. Sweat dripped down her brow and her heaving breasts painted quite the attractive picture.
"Was that as hot for you as it was for me," I stupidly asked Ayame with a grin.
Akari giggled at my stupid joke and Ayame remained quiet, but I could definitely see the blush that painted her face in the corner of my vision.
"Come on! They might need our help," I said as I helped Ayame towards the front door of the church. Akari dropped her wall of hellfire and the three of us stepped inside.
Asia was laying on the front pew of the church, pale and unmoving. Rias and the rest of her peerage were standing in the shadows off to the side, watching the events unfold. Issei, who had tear stains running down his cheeks, was stumbling towards a very well endowed and scantily clad fallen angel. Issei had a hole in each leg from her previous attacks, but he refused to quit.
I couldn't quite hear what he was mumbling to her, but suddenly he shouted, "As long as I can take you down!"
Issei burst forward with a blinding flash of light that lit the entire interior of the church up in a green glow. In that moment, we all watched as Issei's sacred gear, Twice Critical, morphed into something else. Red scales of metal grew out of his sacred gear to cover his fingers as the arm guard extended to just short of his elbow.
"Boost!" a new voice called out into the room, echoing around us all as the green light coming off of his sacred gear intensified.
"No! This is impossible! That's way too much strength for just a simple Twice Critical!" Raynare shouted as she attempted to flee. Issei shot forward once again, grasping Raynare by the ankle and winding up a powerful left straight.
"You won't get away, bitch!" Issei screamed as he caught her square in the stomach, launching her through the large stained-glass window of the church.
Issei suddenly fell to his knees, likely overcome from exhaustion. The rest of us rushed forward to him and Asia.
"Issei, I knew you could do it."
"Rias? I don't understand. You were there the whole time?"
"I'm sorry, Issei, but I knew that you'd need a final push to fully activate your sacred gear."
"But, Asia... you could have helped…"
"We all got here too late, Issei," I informed him as I knelt next to Asia to check on her. The doors to the church suddenly flew open to reveal Koneko dragging Raynare back inside, "Did someone order this?"
I couldn't help but laugh at Koneko's deadpan delivery as she threw Raynare at Rias' feet. Koneko is the best, I grinned internally.
"So, you must be Raynare. I am Rias Gremory, heir to the house of Gremory."
"Heir of house Gremory? The princess of Annihilation? You've got to be kidding."
"It's wonderful to meet you. It's too bad you couldn't be there with those friends of yours."
Raynare finally seemed to look around the room and realized that there were more of us. The defeat of her friends must have finally dawned on her.
"But why? Why would the hair of Gremory dare to get involved with the business of fallen angels?"
"Well after Dohnaseek attacked Issei it became apparent that fallen angels were operating in my territory. So naturally, I had to get involved."
"But can you imagine my pleasure now at learning that my new pawn, someone that you practically delivered to my side thank you very much, doesn't have a Twice Critical for a sacred gear. No, don't you see? You were defeated by the owner of the Red Dragon's Boosted Gear. Don't feel too bad for yourself, now."
"What? No! That's not possible!"
"Issei's Boosted Gear allows him to double his power repeatedly, eventually putting himself on par with God and Satan at will. It's one of 13 sacred gears we call Longinus."
"Issei, please," a soft voice called from where Raynare had just been. In her place now sat a rather attractive girl about our age, "I'm sorry. I know I said and did some mean things to you but I had to fulfill my role as a fallen angel. I didn't want to hurt you."
Issei's face went from one of awe as it stared at his sacred gear to one of shock as he couldn't look away from the girl in front of us.
"Yuuma," Issei said softly.
"If I really didn't care, would I still be wearing this?" she gestured to a purple hair tie wrapped around her wrist, "You bought it for me, don't you remember."
Kiba and Koneko made to step forward and end this, but Rias cut them off.
"Why do you still have this thing?"
"Because it reminds me of you," Yuuma/Raynare said from the floor as she scooted closer to Issei.
"You wouldn't let them hurt me, would you Issei?" Tears ran down Issei's cheeks as his inner turmoil spilled over for us to see. I had to bite my tongue in order to not say anything. This was Issei's battle to win. Anything I said or did would only prevent him from moving on from this.
Issei seemed to shake as he fought with himself to do something, but eventually he dropped to a crouch in front of her, "I pity you. To rely on such a cheap tactic to try and use me. You were the first girl I thought I loved. The first girl to ever pay attention to me in a good way. But you were a mistake." Issei glanced to the side at me for a moment before returning his attention to her.
"A friend once told me that I should try and forgive you for what you did. At first, I thought he was crazy. But the more I thought about it the more I realized he was right. Unfortunately, I can't forgive you." Issei stood up so that he was looking down at the top of her head.
"Because there's nothing to forgive you for. Sure, you killed me. But now I have more friends than I've ever had. And I have someone who I'm willing to die for if she needs me to."
I grinned widely at Issei, surprised by his ability to finally come to terms with what happened. Just goes to show you that the best way to deal with your problems is by facing them head on. Ayame appeared at my side and took my hand into her own, tears falling down her face. I pulled her closer and leaned my head down onto hers to comfort her.
"Oh, Issei," Rias said as she shot forward and hugged his face into her chest. Issei immediately entered what I now referred to as 'bazonga mode' as he began to mumble about how soft and amazing Rias' rack was.
Maybe I should make it my next mission to help curb this side of Issei next, I mused internally as I shook my head at Issei.
Raynare seemed to begin to lose it at this point. She screamed and made to stand up, but Rias quickly unleashed a powerful spell of destruction magic point blank into her face, shattering Raynare and blasting her into hundreds of pieces.
Black feathers rained down around us and I couldn't help the feeling of disgust that washed over me. A green orb of light slowly lowered itself to the ground. Rias caught it in both of her hands and I noticed that two beautiful rings floated within.
"Shall we return these to their rightful owner?"
Issei took them gently and crouched down next to Asia. His tears started falling once again as he placed the rings on her cold fingers. He stayed there for a while, holding her hands and apologizing over and over for what happened to her.
"Rias, couldn't you…" I trailed off, confused why she hadn't done anything yet.
"I was wondering if she might better serve you. You don't have a bishop yet after all," Rias replied. I thought about it for a moment, but quickly decided it wasn't worth it. While having a healer with the sacred gear Twilight Healing would be absolutely incredible, the sight of Issei crying over her changed my mind.
"And split these two up? I couldn't do that to Issei."
"What-what do you mean?" Issei sniffled as he tried to get himself together.
"Issei, have you ever seen one of these before?" Rias held a polished white bishop with gold accents up for Issei to see.
"A.. chess piece?"
"Uhuh. That's a bishop. Their role in the household is as a mage, either healing or casting powerful spells," Akeno answered as she approached Rias from behind and placed her hand on Rias' shoulder.
"Wait? You don't mean?"
"I offered Leo the chance to reincarnate Asia as a member of his peerage. He only has Ayame and Akari, you see. But he refused, saying that he'd rather you and Asia stay together with me."
Issei stared blankly at me, his eyes full of hope.
"Asia is going to be reincarnated as Rias' bishop. It's going to be a hard transition for her since she used to be a member of the church. She's going to be relying on you to help her," I told him, a soft smile playing at my lips.
"Of course! Thank you, Leo. And you, Rias. It means the world to me that you both care so much for me."
Rias giggled at Issei, "Of course! Anything for my favorite pawn." Rias placed the bishop piece onto Asia's chest and took a step back. With both arms out to her sides, she began to chant, "In the name of Rias Gremory, I call to Asia Argento to hear my order. Return your soul from the shadows of death and to your body and serve me as my faithful servant. Rejoice, for you have been given new life!" a glowing red circle flashed rapidly beneath Asia as the bishop piece began to sink into her skin.
Asia woke with a start, sitting upright on the pew and blinking owlishly at us, "What? What happened?"
"Asia!" Issei rushed to Asia and together they cried into each other's arms.
"I'm surprised he still has tears left," Koneko deadpanned.
"Oh stop it! I think it's terribly romantic," Akeno cried as she swooned over Rias who held her softly.
I pulled both of my girls closer to me as my own emotions swelled at the scene. "Thank you both for being here. I don't know what I'd do without either of you."
"I'll always be with you, Leo. Your partner in life and in love. Equally," Akari leaned on her tiptoes to kiss me on the cheek.
"I'd be lost without you, Leo. For better or for worse, I'll always be with you," Ayame copied Akari from the other side. As Issei and Asia continued to hold each other and cry, I couldn't help but once again feel like the luckiest guy in the world.