A week has passed since the meeting with the devils. Issei was walking through town to have some time to himself. He enjoyed his reunion with everyone, but he was beginning to get burned out from spending all his time with them, so he went out to clear his mind. Mash did want to go with him, but Issei's mom wanted to spend some time with Mash and ended up dragging her into the kitchen. A wry smile came up on Issei's face when he thought about it. They seem to have taken to Mash well at least. It was a great relief even though he knew introducing her wasn't going to go wrong.

As he was walking around spaced out someone bumped into him. "Ow!" the voice cried out near him. He turned to see a girl in a nun's outfit on the ground.

"Hey! Are you ok?!" he said in a panic. He was so spaced out that he didn't notice her. He reached his hand out to help her.

"Ah. Yes, I'm fine. Thank you very much." She took his hand and brushed herself off. He observed the girl and realized she was a foreigner. She had long blonde hair under her veil along with green eyes. She looked amazingly cute.

(Rias) So this is how you met Asia. Honestly, it's like something out of a drama.

(Da Vinci) Bumping into someone who would change your life out of nowhere? Yeah, it totally screams main heroine all over.

(Mythos) Well, this is a harem story at the end of the day so there will be multiple "main heroines" appearing.

"Sorry about that I was in my own world for a bit there," Issei said with his hand behind his head, embarrassed.

"It's no problem really. Wait, you can speak Italian?"

"Eh?" Issei didn't understand what she was talking about until he remembered that Chaldea had given him language translation magecraft, which was how he was able to understand other heroes as he traveled through each Singularity. "Oh right, I can. My current job requires me to be familiar with all languages." He made up an excuse on the spot.

(Azazel) Smooth…

His voice was loaded with sarcasm, which got a chuckle out of some of the others.

"Oh, that's nice. I just came to this country and don't know the language well enough yet. So getting around has been difficult." She seemed a bit frustrated.

"Then why don't you let me help you out to make up for bumping into you?"

"Really?! That would be a big help. This must be the guidance from the Lord." She clasped her hands together in prayer. "Oh Lord, thank you for guiding me to this man who would help a stranger like me."

He thought she looked adorable when she began to pray. "So how can I help you miss…?"

"Ah, my name is Asia, Asia Argento. Can you point me in the direction of the local church? I've just been transferred here."

"My name is Hyoudou Issei, and I can help you with that. There are only two churches that I am aware of, one of them is abandoned so I can only assume you were sent to the other one." Asia pulled out a map as well as the directions given to her and showed them to Issei. Issei looked at the directions and had a confused face. "Are you sure this is correct Argento-san? These directions lead to the abandoned church."

(Rias) Wait, since when was there a second church in Kuoh?

Everyone tried to think it over, but they didn't remember there being a second church in Kuoh since it was devil territory.

Asia nodded her head in affirmation but couldn't hide the worry on her face. "They told me specifically to go here."

Issei was concerned someone was taking advantage of the sweet girl. "Well in any case if this is correct then I will lead you there," he said with confidence.

"Thank you, Hyoudou-san!" Asia said with a bright smile.

"You can call me Issei or Ise, and it's no problem." Issei began to lead the way. As they walked together, they conversed about what Asia thought about Japan and what things in town could be entertaining to her. As they walked and talked, Issei was interrupted by someone speaking in his mind.

[Partner, we are being followed.] Ddraig spoke.

Issei went on alert. "By whom?" he asked, trying to sense where they were.

[It's Fallen again, but I can't tell if it's the same one or another one.]

(Issei) Is it just me, or does Ddraig seem more useful than he usually does?

(Ddraig) What's that supposed to mean?!

Everyone laughed at the two's banter, with Albion getting the most enjoyment from it.

Issei did his best to look around without being obvious and he noticed a man in a trench coat and a fedora standing behind a tree. That's not conspicuous at all, he thought sarcastically. He was preparing to do something when…

"Issei-san? Is something wrong?" Asia asked beside him.

Issei almost forgot he was escorting someone. "No, nothing is wrong. C'mon, let's get you to the church." Issei tried to assuage her worries. As they walked, he could tell the man was following them, keeping a certain distance away.

(Vali) You know, people might have had a better image of the Fallen if your subordinates didn't act like shady stalkers.

(Kuroka) There are definitely better ways to be inconspicuous.

(Azazel) Yeah well, I can't exactly spend time teaching every subordinate how to act at all times.

(Mythos) No, but setting up some basic guidelines wouldn't kill you.

As they came up to the abandoned church Issei noticed something odd. The church's lights were on which indicated someone was here. But that wasn't what really grabbed his attention.

[Partner, we need to get out of here right now!] Ddraig warned.

"I know! This is bad, really bad!" Issei responded mentally. He didn't even have to focus to sense what was in the church. He could feel the power of multiple fallen angels inside. As he was trying to figure out what he should do next he was brought out of his thoughts by the nun beside him.

"Oh, thank goodness. It was a good thing this turned out to be correct," she said happily.

Issei observed the girl, now unsure if she led him here on purpose but no matter how long he looked at her she looked completely oblivious to what was happening. "Well, I'm surprised by this, but I'm happy I was wrong about this. Maybe they are trying to start up this church again?" He did his best not to show his uncertainty.

(Issei) How could he question Asia's sincerity? She would never lie or set someone up like that!

Issei felt offended for Asia at the clearly suspicious look his other self was giving Asia. Asia herself felt a bit sad to be thought of that way by any Issei, but was relieved when hers stood up for her.

(Sirzechs) Keep in mind Issei-kun, that this Issei literally just met her, and has no attachment to her, so it makes sense for him to be suspicious, especially when he was led to the enemy's doorstep unprepared.

"Thank you again Issei-san. Would you like to come in for some tea?" She looked at him hopefully.

"Sorry Asia, but I have plans today, but I would be glad to take you up on that some other time." There was no way he was going in there as he is now.

(Azazel) Smart move.

Asia looked somewhat disappointed but accepted it. "All right. Until next time, Issei-san." She bowed to him.

Issei nodded back and walked off. After he made it a certain distance, he noticed he wasn't being followed anymore, which confused him. He thought for a while and a thought came to him. Were they watching Asia and not me? He started to become worried for the girl's safety. He decided to do something about it, not just for her safety but to keep an eye on the fallen. Issei clapped his hands twice.

"What do you need, Master?" Kato Danzo appeared out of nowhere. She was on one knee awaiting her orders.

"I need you to watch over that nun I was with. That church is the base of the Fallen Angels and I have a feeling that they're going to do something terrible to her." He grimaced slightly at the thought. "Take Fuuma and have Hundred Persona split one of her personalities and have it go with you too. Tell those two to watch over the church itself while you watch over Asia. Don't expose yourselves unless her life is in danger and only as a last resort."

"As you wish," she answered immediately and disappeared as fast as she appeared.

(Michael) Despite his initial suspicion, he immediately came up with a plan to protect Asia without a second thought. I'd say there's nothing to worry about when it comes to their relationship in the future. On a different note, this just reminds me that we did a terrible thing to Asia by simply casting her out, and ultimately sending her into the arms of the Fallen without thinking of the consequences. No offense.

(Azazel) None taken. But to be fair, my intention was to have her come to headquarters alive to study her Sacred Gear. It was Raynare who tried to go the extra mile and kill Asia, which I again apologize for.

(Asia) It's fine. I've already forgiven you and know it wasn't your fault. The same with Lord Michael.

(Mythos) Forgiving as always. Most people would call it foolish, but honestly, the world could use more people like Asia.

Mythos gave his glowing compliment to Asia, causing her to blush from embarrassment as the others showed proud looks for her.

I know this is obvious, but she really is a ninja. He thought to himself as he made his way home. What could they want with her though? She didn't seem like she would be good in a fight. As he thought to himself Ddraig interrupted again.

[It's most likely that she has a Sacred Gear.]

Issei stopped for a second. "Wait! She has a Sacred Gear!?" he asked, shocked.

[I felt something from her as you two were walking together but before I could figure anything out, I sensed the Fallen following us,] Ddraig explained. [It seems to be the most likely scenario.]

Issei was now walking faster to his home, now worried for someone who could be in a situation similar to his. The only difference being that she could be helpless against them. He wasn't going to stand by and let someone else get killed if he could help it.

(Xenovia) And just like that, he's on the move.

(Irina) Not even a moment's hesitation to try and save her.

After returning home he called the devils and told them that he had some info and was going to head to their clubroom with Mash to discuss it with them. As they were making their way to the school the area around them got slightly distorted. Both went on guard as someone approached them.

A voluptuous woman with long dark blue hair who was wearing a maroon trenchcoat-like top with a wide collar and a matching mini skirt approached them, her black heels clicking as she walked. "So, you are the one Raynare failed to kill. Well, looks like it's my lucky day. I can take care of you and take the credit for it." Her feathered wings appeared on her back and a light spear appeared in her hand.

(Issei) Oh right. I forgot about her. She was the one that caused me to awaken my Sacred Gear.

(Mash) How did she do that?

(Issei) By almost killing me. Well, more like push me into a corner where I was just desperate for a solution.

So, the one who attacked me was called Raynare. Good to know, Issei thought as he readied himself and Mash had her shield ready. "You ready to go Mashu?"

"Yes, Master!"

"All right! Just like we practiced!"

Mash charged towards the Fallen which she wasn't expecting, causing her to take flight in order to create some distance. Mash saw this and launched herself into the air at the Fallen. The Fallen was shocked that someone with such a large metal weapon could jump so high and panickly swung her light spear in front of her. Mash swung her shield to counter the spear, and both were deflected. As the Fallen was staggering from the clash a spear of ice hurdled towards her. She couldn't move out of the way in time and the ice spear pierced her abdomen. Blood gushed from the wound and the Fallen growled in pain. As she looked at the spear's origin, she saw Issei with his hand outstretched at her and magic runes in front of him. She cursed him under her breath but before she could retaliate Mash was on top of her once again. Mash swung her shield down on the Fallen, sending her crashing into the ground. The Fallen picked herself up from the crater she created and decided she had had enough.

"Shit! I didn't think you would push me like this. Raynare didn't say anything about this. I'll just have to let you go for now." Before Issei could respond, the fallen disappeared in a flash of light.

The altered space returned to normal, and Mash returned to her normal clothes. The two looked at each other and continued towards their previous destination. "Looks like we have more to talk about when we meet the devils."

(Ritsuka) He was well coordinated with Mashu and managed to deal damage to the enemy while Mashu distracted her. I should ask Skadi or Scàthach for lessons in runic magecraft.

(Issei) It definitely makes what happened to me seem pathetic by comparison.

Rias' peerage had gathered at the ORC clubroom, as well as Sona and Tsubaki and were awaiting Issei and Mash's arrival. It was taking them longer than expected so they were beginning to wonder if something had happened. As they were about to find out where they were there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Rias said. The door opened revealing a slightly tired Issei and Mash. "What happened?!" she asked in concern.

"We were jumped by another Fallen on the way here. We wounded her and she ran," Issei said tiredly.

The Devils were surprised that not only did they manage to hurt the Fallen but aside from fatigue, they were relatively unharmed. "I'm glad you both are safe, although it's unfortunate that the fallen got away," Sona said.

"Well, that's what I'm here to talk about. I found their base," Issei said while taking a seat on the couch in the middle of the room, Mash also sitting beside him.

(Kiba) Seems like this may be solved sooner than it did with us.

(Mythos) Wouldn't be so sure about that.

The others were confused about that. If they knew where they are, why didn't they act on it?

The Devils were surprised at the statement and Issei began to explain what happened earlier today. After he finished Rias and Sona went into contemplation. After a while Rias addressed Issei. "How should we proceed with dealing with them?" She was asking more to gauge where Issei's mind was at, rather than to actually follow through.

Issei leaned back in his seat. "Well, I have several of my Servants scoping it out, one of which is keeping an eye on the nun. If she does have a Sacred Gear like I suspect then it's in our best interest that the Fallen don't get to use it, or at the very least don't try to do to her what they tried to do to me." Issei looked upset while saying that.

(Da Vinci) Is it just me, or did he get attached awfully quick?

(Ritsuka) Yeah, I thought that was strange too. I mean, I help people almost immediately too, but it feels like there's another layer of emotion here when he speaks about her.

(Mash) Especially since he was suspicious of her before.

The DxD crew didn't think anything of it until it was pointed out, but Issei's sudden attachment was a bit strange.

(Issei) Maybe it has something to do with Asia's strange ability to attract dragons to her.

The others in the DxD group nodded in agreement with Issei's assessment.

Sona was observing Issei coolly, trying to gauge his mood, while Rias moved the conversation forward. "Are you sure they won't cause any problems that might trigger the fallen to act?"

"I gave them orders to just observe unless Asia's life was in immediate danger. I trust them not to get spotted. They are experts in their field, so I'm not too concerned about it. The question becomes when do we go in and get rid of them?" After he said that the faces of the devils became complicated. Issei looked confused. "Isn't that what we're trying to work out?"

"It isn't that simple," Sona stated. "If we do this wrong, we could trigger the war to start again, so we can't be careless when dealing with them."

"They attacked someone in your territory. Isn't that enough reason to deal with them?"

The members of the ORC were shifting uncomfortably in their seats. They remember the days where they felt they had to tip-toe around acting, for fear of starting the war again, and now by the looks of things their counterparts were gonna have a problem with this Issei about it.

(Xenovia) Issei does not look happy about this.

(Mythos) You wouldn't be happy either if your supposed allies were just waiting around for something to happen while your life or someone you care about's life was on the line.

"Unfortunately, since the person in question, in other words you, wasn't a part of any faction there isn't any real reason to do anything about it," Rias said. "The same goes for the nun. If anything, she is technically an enemy. Even if she is no longer associated with the Church, it seems that she was recruited by the Fallen and we don't really have a say in how they treat their own."

Rias felt a sense of shame, having said something similar about Asia before Issei went to save her on his own. She also felt terrible since she remembered thinking that way for a long time and saw how shallow it was from another perspective. Sona was in a similar boat even though she didn't feel as bad about it.

Issei was starting to become irritated, but he couldn't refute her words. It made the most sense from a tactical standpoint. Didn't mean that he wasn't going to figure something out. Just then someone appeared behind Issei. "Master, I have a report," a woman said. She was tall with black skin wearing all black. She wore a white skull mask on her face and had long blue hair in a ponytail.

(Ritsuka) Oh, it's Hundred Personas.

(DxD group) Who?

(Mythos) Later. The lore dump will take too long.

The Devils immediately went on alert at the new person suddenly in the room while Issei just turned his head to look at her. "What happened?" His voice was stern and serious.

"There is activity at the church. That Fallen you encountered returned to the church and after recovering and discussing with her compatriots they decided to move up their time-table. They haven't discussed any specifics yet but whatever their planning they are now speeding up the process."

"Which means they're now going to try and be more effective in trying to kill me and whatever they are planning with Asia."

"What should we do, Master?"

Issei leaned forward trying to plan his next move when he was brought out of his thoughts by Rias speaking to him. "Um… Issei-kun, aren't you going to introduce your companion?" She seemed somewhat perturbed.

Issei gave her a side glance then returned his gaze to in front of him. "She is another of my Servants." He could feel the stares from the others asking for more info, but he ignored them. As he was thinking he decided to see for himself. "Connect my vision to the spy at the church," he said to the woman. She nodded her head in compliance then put her hands on both sides of his head. His eyes began to glow faintly but enough so the others could see it if they looked closely.

(Sirzechs) Clearly this Issei-kun becomes less cooperative the more you upset him. I mean, it's not completely unreasonable but there are bigger things at stake.

(Mythos) Your version of "bigger things at stake" is one Noble Phantasm away from being solved for him, so it's not a big deal in his eyes.

(Da Vinci) When you put it like that, I guess it makes sense why he only seems to be not acting because he's trying not to start a war on two fronts.

(Issei) I mean, if he's really me, then he wouldn't like to fight women unless he had to. Not to mention I don't like the idea of fighting Rias or any of the ORC, period.

As his vision shifted to the spy at the church he was watching as people were moving in and out of the building. The spy changed positions and was now in the church. While inside he saw the secret entrance obscured by an altar to a lower area under the church. As the spy was about to move a few people came out of the secret entrance under an altar. The first was a young man with white hair and a crazed look on his face. The second was someone who he was all too familiar with. Asia, he thought to himself.

(Michael) What a useful ability. Being able to spy on your enemies without being detected or present is an invaluable skill. I don't think I've seen any this effective before.

The crazy looking man spoke. "All right now remember, when we reach the designated location next week you are to keep the barrier up. This is to keep anyone from escaping and to keep the shitty sinners in, understood?" He was practically barking at Asia causing Issei to grit his teeth.

The DxD group immediately recognized who this was, with Issei, Kiba, Xenovia, and Irina glaring at the man.

(Kiba) Freed.

(Da Vinci) I take it he's not your favorite person?

(Sona) There are a lot of things wrong with Freed, foremost being his twisted sense of pleasure from killing people.

(Da Vinci) I see. He does look like that kind of guy.

(Kiba) I'm glad I killed him.

"Y-yes Father Freed. I understand," Asia responded despondently.

At that Issei disconnected his vision from the spy. "Well, I learned a few things just now from what I saw," he stated to the others. As they inclined their heads for him to continue, he told them what he saw and what he heard from the man called Freed.

"Freed, is it?" Rias said somewhat disgustedly.

"Do you know him?"

"We don't know him personally, but that man has a notorious reputation for killing Devils and those associated with them in atrocious ways. It was for that reason as well as the sick joy he took from it that he was kicked out of the church. He is now known as the Mad Stray Exorcist," said Sona informatively.

"Looks like the Fallen Angels picked him up," Kiba said from the side of the room, a look of disgust on his face.

"He said something about sinners. Does anyone know what he means?" Issei asked.

The kings looked at each other before answering. "It's most likely that they are going to target people in town who have made contracts with us," Rias said. Issei looked lost so she continued. "Devils make contracts with humans in order to increase their power. A human uses one of these and makes a wish." She pulled out a flier with a magic circle on it. "Then a Devil is summoned that would hopefully be able to fulfill the requirements in exchange for payment, and before you ask it isn't their soul, usually. We will accept objects of appropriate value or even a bit of life force, but it is within our best interest to continually form contracts with people. We all have regulars who summon us from time to time," Rias stated somewhat proudly.

(Da Vinci) How interesting. That probably makes you the nicest Devils we've ever met. Most we know would have a steep cost, even if they were being nice about it.

With her explanation done, Issei thought over what he learned. "So then they are going after those who have made deals with you then? Shouldn't we warn your customers if that is the case?"

"We will, but if our movements are made known then the Fallen and those who work with them could be tipped off."

"Then shouldn't we just take them out. At this point they are now actively targeting your assets. Surely that is grounds for some kind of retaliation?"

(Akeno) Again, he makes a good point.

Rias and Sona looked upset. They agreed with him, but the repercussions could be catastrophic if things were done wrong. "While I agree with you Issei-kun, we can't do anything for now without checking with the higher ups first. We will warn our contractors so that we can keep them safe but that's all we can do for now."

(Sona) I know hindsight is 20/20, but even I'm becoming irritated by our own hesitancy to act. We did have a bit too much pride for ourselves back then.

Rias couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Issei wasn't satisfied with the answer, but he let it be since he didn't know the details of how devil society worked. After a bit more conversing, they ended the meeting for the night with things being left undecided as to how to deal with the Fallen for now.

As Issei and Mash were walking home Issei was lost in thought about what to do and Mash was looking at him worriedly. "Senpai, if you stress about it too much you may end up making a mistake."

Issei looked at Mash for a moment then looked away. "Sigh… I guess you're right. But I can't just relax knowing someone like Asia is basically surrounded by people who want to kill or use her."

Mash looked at Issei with a confused look on her face. He was always kind to others, even strangers, but his obsession with making sure this girl was safe was abnormal. "Is she really that important to you?" she questioned.

(Mash) Ah, so I noticed it was strange too.

Issei gave Mash a look like he didn't know what she was implying, but when he thought about it his sudden attachment to the girl was strange. When he was suspicious of her before that soon went away as well as compared to when he first met the Fallen. It was strange no matter how you looked at it.

[Partner, I think that girl has an affinity with dragons,] Ddraig said aloud.

"Ddraig-san, what do you mean by an affinity?" Mash asked.

[During the time partner spent while escorting her I felt no ill will towards her. Even when we became suspicious of her, the feeling of wanting to get along with her was still there,] Ddraig explained. [There are some people in the world who have affinities with certain supernatural creatures. It is usually inherited through the bloodline, but it can also be learned. My guess is that it is something natural to her, since it seems she is not even aware of it herself.]

"So, the reason I'm so worried about her is because my Sacred Gear makes me part dragon and thus makes me affected by her affinity." Issei's eyes narrowed. He didn't like the idea of his thoughts being guided but now that he was aware of it, he could do something to block it out. But from what Ddraig said it seems that she was doing it passively and was unaware that she was doing it. "It seems like she is really wrapped up in things that are out of her control."

[Sounds all too familiar doesn't it Partner?] Ddraig mocked.

(Rias) So Issei's guess was right. It's because of Asia's natural affinity with dragons that he got suddenly attached.

Issei felt a bit proud to have guessed right with the other girls quietly chuckling at how happy he looked to be right.

Issei ignored Ddraig's comment. "Either way, as long as she isn't an enemy it's in our best interest to keep her out of the Fallen's hands."

"Right!" Mash affirmed.

A few days had passed since the meeting and nothing serious had happened yet. Issei had notified his Servants that were patrolling the town to be on alert and the Devils had warned their contractors to put their business on hold for now. As Issei and Mash were heading home from school, they caught sight of Akeno going somewhere in a hurry. "Akeno-san! Did something happen?" Issei called out to her.

Akeno, now noticing them as they approached, responded. "Issei-kun, Mash-kun, it's just a bit of trouble but it shouldn't be anything to worry about." She tried to assuage their worries.

Instead, they started walking along with her. "If it's not a big deal then it shouldn't be a problem if we come with you, right? What's the issue?" Issei asked.

(Vali) Seems like he was itching for some action.

Akeno stared at him for a bit before conceding. "One of the people we contract with has been out of contact recently. We sent out the warning, but he seemed to be the only one who didn't seem to be too concerned about our warning." Her eyes narrowed. "Earlier we tried to transport to his location to check on him, but we were blocked. We don't know what the cause is, so I was sent to check since I'm the strongest after Bucho."

"I see. Well now you have backup in case something is wrong. Besides, this is about the time that Freed said they were going to enact their plan so it's better safe than sorry." He had a determined look on his face.

Akeno slightly blushed seeing his face but refocused on the task at hand. The three walked to the residence and immediately noticed something didn't feel right. Mash went into her combat gear and entered first followed by Issei then Akeno. The door was unlocked, which was suspicious and slowly they went further into the building. They eventually arrived in the living room to a horrific scene. There was blood all over the floor and someone's headless body was pinned to the wall upside down in a mockery of a crucifixion.

The DxD group narrowed their eyes at the scene with some remembering what happened and some seeing it for the first time. The FGO group looked horrified with Mash covering her mouth as if to keep herself quiet.

Akeno went to inspect the body. "This is still fresh. Couldn't have happened more than an hour ago." She pulled out her phone. "I should call Bucho and-" She was cut off by the sound of metal against metal as Mash blocked a thrown knife with her shield.

(Akeno) Thank you Mash-san. You saved my life.

(Mash) Well it's the other version of us, but your welcome all the same.

"Now why did you have to go and do that? It would have been quicker that way," a mad voice spoke as it entered the room. "Although this might be better. Now I can take my time killing you." He narrowed his eyes at Akeno. "Hey, you have a pretty good body for a shitty Devil. I know! I'll rape you before I cut you up and kill you!" He laughed maniacally.

Everyone looked at Freed with disgust, with Issei becoming somewhat enraged.

(Issei) I didn't want to hear this asshole's voice ever again.

(Akeno) He was always so crude, and not in an endearing way.

Akeno and Mash's faces contorted in disgust at the exorcist's words. Issei's face was stern, watching the exorcist but sensing for Asia who should be nearby. "Freed the Mad Exorcist, huh? Well at least the mad part of your reputation is correct," Issei said snarkily.

"Huh? Who are you? Some shitty Devil lover?" Freed seemed to have just noticed he was there.

(Akeno) Well, he's right, just not in the way that he thinks.

Akeno had a playful look on her face as she cuddled up to Issei. Issei himself slightly blushed but didn't seem to dislike her wordplay.

"I'm surprised you don't know. I thought the Fallen would at least keep their peons informed about their targets. Maybe I overestimated their ability to make coherent plans," Issei mocked.

(Vali) Egging him on in order to throw him off. He's quite clever.

Freed narrowed his eyes but seemed to figure it out. "Ahh, I see. You're the shitty brat that Raynare failed to kill and managed to get a shot in on Kalawarna. It's no surprise that you were aligned with the shitty Devils but that makes things better for me. Now I can kill a shitty Devil and shitty brat together! I'm sure my boss will reward me handsomely for it! Hahahahahahahaha!" Freed let out mad laughter as he pulled out a gun and a sword handle that lit up into a laser sword.

As soon as everyone readied themselves for battle there was a sudden gasp from behind Freed. Everyone turned to see Asia standing there staring at the mutilated corpse pinned to the wall. "W-what happened here?" Asia asked in a somewhat frightened tone. Then her gaze met with Issei's. "Issei-san? What are you doing here?"

Freed let out an annoyed "Tch" and began to scold the girl. "Why did you drop the barrier!?" He was practically yelling at her which made Issei grit his teeth.

Asia visibly flinched from being yelled at but questioned Freed. "Father Freed, did you do this?"

"Of course I did! This is what we do to all those shitty sinners! What do you think we're here for!?" He gave her an exasperated and annoyed look. "Now go back to maintaining the barrier while I kill this shitty Devil and her companions!"

Asia went wide eyed at that and got between Freed and the others with her arms outstretched. "No! Not Issei-san! He is a good person!"

(Da Vinci) Brave-

(Vali) But stupid.

Freed's face was now becoming upset. "Get out of the way you stupid girl!" He used the butt of his gun and hit her across the face. Asia fell to the ground holding her face where she was hit. "I may not be allowed to kill you, but I can still punish you for disobedience! Maybe I should rape you as punishment!"

Issei seemed like he was ready to jump at the screen with how angered he was getting. The others tried to sooth him but were also clearly angry at what was being shown.

Issei had had enough of this and was about to move in to help Asia, but he was stopped by Akeno who grabbed his arm. "We need to leave! I can sense multiple Fallen heading this way," she warned.

(Issei) Don't tell me it's gonna end like it did last time?!

(Ritsuka) What happened last time?

(Rias) We took him away before he could rescue Asia.

(Mash) Why?

(Rias) Because, she wasn't our concern at the time.

Rias said so with regret present in her voice.

(Asia) It's fine Rias-Onee-sama. It's all in the past.

Rias was grateful for Asia's forgiving nature as always.

Issei had a dissatisfied look on his face. He really wanted to beat Freed's face in. "Fine, but we're taking Asia with us," he stated.

(Issei) Hell yeah! Not letting this happen this time!

He snapped his fingers as Freed was beginning to mock him. "Oh? And what makes you think you-" He was stopped mid-sentence from a kick to the back of his head. Kato responded to Issei's signal and stunned Freed. After that she dashed and grabbed Asia moving to the side of Issei and the others. Asia was confused at what was going on.

(Issei) Ha! Did you guys see that? Priceless.

(Rias) Yes Issei, we saw.

The others thought it was amusing how happy Issei was, but also thought the whole interaction was funny too.

"Now we can go," Issei stated with a smirk. Before Freed could recollect himself, Akeno created a magic circle and they teleported away.

(Kuroka) Can I just say, I love how snarky this Issei is.

(Saji) If he was any snarkier, he would be saying one-liners all the time.

(Azazel) Now there's an amusing thought. Maybe we can think of some for the Oppai Dragon show.

(Da Vinci) The what now?

(Mythos) Again, later. Too much to explain right now.

Rias was sitting in the clubroom, waiting to hear back from Akeno. Also waiting in the room was Koneko eating sweets on the couch and Kiba standing attentively in place of Akeno. They had taken the necessary precautions to prepare for the fallen but it still worried her. She debated whether or not she should contact her brother about this, but she knew that if she told her brother he might overreact and come here himself to deal with it. The same was true for Sona and why she didn't get in touch with her sister. The two kings wanted to prove they could take care of their territory themselves, but with what is at stake their options are limited. She knew she was being stubborn, but she was not going to hand over the problem to her brother. She was determined to take care of it herself.

(Sona) Like I said earlier, we were too stubborn for our own good.

(Serafall) Were you really so opposed to having us help?

Sona and Rias both looked away. Mythos decided to cover for them.

(Mythos) While I think they could have handled things better, it's not like I don't see where they're coming from. After all they have to show they can stand on their own and that's hard to do when your older siblings are too doting. With how over-the-top you two can be when it comes to your siblings it's no surprise that they would think you would overreact at the smallest trouble for them.

Sirzechs and Serafall looked disheartened when it was explained to them, but it wasn't like they didn't understand.

Just as she was going to call Akeno to check on her progress a magic circle appeared in the room. From it appeared Akeno, Issei, Mash, and two girls she didn't know, one of them looking very confused. Rias stood from her seat concerned. "What happened?"

"Unfortunately, you won't be doing business with that guy anymore," Issei said jokingly, trying to ease the mood.

(Saji) Oof. Not his best attempt.

"Senpai, that's a little…" Mash looked a bit uncomfortable.

"Yeah, sorry, just trying to blow off stress with humor."

Akeno gave the pair a side glance then explained what happened at the house. After she was finished Rias went into contemplation. Issei on the other hand started checking on Asia. "Asia-san are you alright?" Issei was checking her face from where she was hit.

"Ahh! I'm fine, Issei-san. It just hurt a bit." She tried to assuage his worries.

"That asshole. The next time I see him I'll-" He was interrupted mid-sentence by Asia putting a hand on his arm.

"Really Issei-san, I'm fine. Please don't go into danger for my sake," she was almost pleading with him.

Issei stared at Asia for a bit before conceding. "Fine, I won't go looking for them," Issei said that, but he knew they were going to come to him sooner or later.

(Koneko) He's totally going to go kick his ass.

The others nodded in agreement.

As the two were conversing Rias seemed to have gathered her thoughts. "So, what do you plan to do about her?" she asked while pointing to the nun.

"She can stay at my place for the time being. I have a bounded field set up around my house that will keep her safe and prevent her from being detected."

(Da Vinci) How nice of him. Wonder if he's still being affected by Asia's affinity?

Asia looked surprised. "Oh no, please Issei-san. There is no reason to do all this for someone like me."

Issei gave the girl a confused look. "You don't have anywhere to go right? You can't go back to that church, and you don't know your way around Japan so it should be fine right?"

"But… Would it really be okay? Won't I be a bother?" She had a sad look on her face.

Issei gave her a warm smile. "Not at all. Rather, isn't it in the church's teachings to help those in need."

(Akeno, Rias, Kuroka) Smooth.

The trio had wry looks at how Issei seemed to be working his magic like with Mash earlier.

Asia looked at him surprised but then gave him a smile. "Ahh. That's true. Then, thank you Issei-san."

"Like I said, it's no trouble at all." He gave her a reassuring smile.

Rias looked between the two then decided to speak. "While that covers living arrangements for now, what about long term?"

(Rias) Uh oh.

Rias recognized that look on her face, and she felt her other self was about to make a mistake again.

"We can figure that out after this mess is over," Issei said irresponsibly. Rias could tell he didn't have a plan beyond saving her from the Fallen so she was going to try and take this opportunity to get another piece with a Sacred Gear. But before she could say anything. "You're not going to suggest something like adding her to your peerage because she doesn't have any other options, right?" Issei was giving her a suspicious stare.

(Mythos) Nailed it.

Rias blushed in embarrassment.

"O-of course not… That would be completely selfish of me to do something like that… Hahaha…" He saw through her. Now if she tried, she would get on Issei's bad side and that would be detrimental to her. She wasn't going to give up though. "Of course, that is an option if she wishes to."

(Da Vinci) Still couldn't give up though.

Issei's eyes narrowed at the Devil, but he didn't say anything. After he was done staring a hole into Rias, he addressed his assassin who had been waiting silently at the side. "Thank you for keeping an eye on Asia for me."

"There is no need to thank me. You are my Master. Your will is mine as well."

Asia was looking between the two. "You had someone watching me?" she asked, confused.

"Yeah, I was suspicious when we arrived at the church and sensed the Fallen Angels in there, so I had my Servant watch over you in case you got into trouble." Asia had a look of surprise but then it changed to a grateful one.

"Well, now the Fallen are going to be upping their activity since it seems both of their targets are now still active. We will also need to add more protection for our contractors since they were able to get at them so easily," Rias stated.

Issei pondered for a bit before asking Rias. "Do you have less than a hundred contractors between the four of you?"

(Ritsuka) I see where he's going with this.

Rias had a look of confusion as to why that number specifically. "Yes, why do you ask?"

Issei stood and turned to a space where no one was. "Personas." As he spoke, the woman from before appeared where he was looking.

"Yes Master?"

(Ritsuka) Just like I thought.

(Da Vinci) Yet another clever idea.

Issei turned back to Rias. "I didn't properly introduce her last time." He lifted a hand up gesturing to the woman. "This is Hundred Personas. She has the unique ability to split herself into multiple bodies and personalities. Having her guard all your contractors in secret would be useful to you."

Rias' eyes went wide at the description of the woman's abilities, but she recollected herself and smiled. "Yes, that would be very helpful. We unfortunately don't have the manpower to protect everyone at once so this would work out nicely." She turned to the woman. "If it's not too much of a bother we would appreciate your help." She slightly bowed.

Personas put a hand on her hip and gave an exasperated sigh. "Well, it sounds like a hassle, but if Master orders it then I will obey."

Issei gave her a grateful look. "I'm sorry. I know I've been working you hard lately. I'll make sure to make it up to you."

Personas looked away. "L-like I said if it's Master's decision then it's no problem." If one looked closely, you could see a blush under her skull mask.

(Akeno) He's even smooth-talking the Servants. Just how did he get so good at it?

(Issei) That's what I wanna know.

"So I will leave her with you and once you have distributed the copies to guard your contractors she will return to me."

"Agreed. Thank you again Issei-kun. This helps us out a lot."

"No problem. I only ask that you return the favor when necessary."

Return the favor huh… Rias thought about what he could possibly want. Maybe he wanted to sleep with her, it wouldn't be surprising. But his suspicion of them aside, he has been respectful to them for the most part. His new personality had made Issei a wild card.

(Akeno) Ufufu, I can think of a few ways she can return the favor.

Akeno's comment caused both Issei and Rias to blush intensely.

"Well anyways, we will take Asia to our home for now. Call me if you need anything," Issei said, bringing Rias out of her thoughts.

"We will. Have a good night."

"Same to you." The three bowed to her while Issei's Servants went back to their tasks.

When the group arrived at Issei's home, they explained what was going on to the other members of the house.

"Well, we don't have an issue with her staying here if you think that's the best for now," Issei's mom said.

"Uhm… Are you sure I won't be a bother?" Asia looked nervous sitting in front of Issei's parents.

The pair gave her a soft smile. "It's fine. If our son says you're a good person then we have no reason to think otherwise. On top of that, we can tell that you're a good child."

Everyone couldn't help but smile at Issei's parents' sincerity.

(Asia) I'm really grateful to Okaa-san and Otou-san.

Asia blushed at the compliment. While that happened a couple of people entered the room. "Hello everyone, we're back with the ingredients," stated Martha.

"They were having a sale at the store so we may have gotten a bit much." Said Jeanne slightly embarrassed.

The two then realized there was someone new in the room, and they immediately took notice of her attire. "Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't realize we had a guest," Martha said.

"And a fellow sister no less," Jeanne said somewhat happily.

Asia looked at the two surprised and took notice of what Jeanne had said. "A-are you two members of the church as well?"

The pair looked at each other, then at Issei. He gave them a nod and they introduced themselves. "You could say that. We are Master's Servants; most people know me as St. Martha."

"And I am Jeanne, Jeanne D'Arc."

The DxD group were shocked to see two saints alive again, especially the church trio and Michael.

(Asia) I got to meet St. Martha and St. Jeanne?!

(Irina) So amazing! So you can summon saints as Servants Ritsuka-san?!

(Ritsuka) Y-yeah, I have several.

(Xenovia) Can we meet them?!

(Mythos) How many times do I have to repeat myself? Later, we can do all these things later.

The pair slumped in their seats slightly while Asia tried to comfort them.

Asia was stunned. She was looking at two Catholic Saints, one is the Maiden of Orleans, and the other was a patron saint of servants and cooks. She looked to Issei in order to confirm what she was hearing and seeing, and he gave her a wry smile and nodded in confirmation. She looked back at them in awe. "A-are you really the Catholic Saints?" They both nodded in confirmation and began to converse with the young girl.

"Having those two here should help her get more comfortable. While I know about the church's teachings, I'm not an active believer so this should be fine."

"That's true. I'm glad we brought Martha-san and Jeanne-san here," said Mash. "What should we do next Senpai?"

Issei thought for a bit before answering. "We should prepare a team to attack the church but for now we're going to leave them alone."

(Azazel) So the preparations begin. It's only a matter of time before the battle starts.

Mash nodded in agreement with Issei's suggestion. Soon after, Asia came back from talking with the Saints and spoke to Issei. "So… What should I do now, Issei-san?"

Issei gave her a smile. "Why don't we show you around town tomorrow?"

(Akeno) Geez, now he's taking Asia out on a date.

(Issei) I don't think so Akeno. I think this is gonna be like that time I ran into Asia after you took me from the house, meaning that we're gonna hang out for a while before Raynare attacks us again.

The others nodded in understanding and their mood was brought down, now knowing that this event would end with them being attacked.

Both Asia and Mash had a look of surprise on their faces. "Senpai, are you sure that's wise? Also, we have school tomorrow."

"It'll be fine, we will have security with us and out of sight. Also, we can have Kaa-san call out for us." He looked towards his mother.

She was looking back at him with her eyes narrowed, but after a while she conceded. "Fine. I will call out for you two tomorrow. Don't expect me to do this regularly for you," she warned.

"Thank you, Kaa-san." He showed her a grateful smile.

(Grayfia) What a doting mother. Don't expect me to do that for you Millicus.

(Millicus) I understand, Okaa-sama.

"Anyways, let me show you to your room Asia-san," Mash said. Asia nodded and followed her out of the room. A little bit after they left, Issei's parents looked at Issei both with wry smiles.

"Good job son. You have brought home yet another beautiful wife," his father said, giving him a thumbs up.

"It really seems like our luck is turning around, isn't it dear? Soon we'll have many grandchildren running around." His mother seemed overjoyed by the number of girls interested in her son.

Issei couldn't help but blush intensely, as did Asia. The others chuckled but the girls had slight blushes themselves.

Issei gave his parents an exasperated look. "It's not like that you two. I'm not going to exploit her plight to get another girl for my harem." He thought about how he was giving Rias a hard time for doing something similar and didn't want to look like a hypocrite.

"But you wouldn't be opposed if she wanted to, or if it happened while you were, let's say, saving her from peril, like a knight in shining armor," his mom teased.

Issei looked away. He definitely wouldn't say no if Asia asked to be with him, but he had mixed feelings, between the danger they're in now along with Asia's ability that affects his judgment. As the pair were getting heated up Martha threw Issei a lifeline. "Master, would you mind helping us bring these to the kitchen?" she said, lifting the groceries.

Issei looked up at her and smiled. "Sure Martha, no problem." He got up and walked over to her, taking some of the groceries.

(Akeno) I forget that sometimes Issei's parents can be quite devious.

(Rias) Well, like Issei they are both very hopeful about their family's future.

"We'll get started on dinner so please get ready and let Mash and Asia know." Jeanne addressed the parents, who nodded in response. Later they all ate dinner and turned in for the night.

(Issei) Well, I guess the next part will be the moment of truth. Hopefully nothing happens to have it end up like it did with us.

Issei was a bit melancholy as he was anxious about what happens next. Things had already gone better than with him but that could just be a set up for something worse to happen.

(Asia) I'm sure everything will be fine Issei-san. With all the help that Issei-san has, there's no way it will end up the same.

(Issei) I hope you're right, Asia.

New upload! So I planned to upload this last week because it was my birthday and I wanted to share my special time with you guys, but that became the reason I was too busy to do so. Talk about irony. In any case, here's the next part of the react fic. More work is slowly being done on the main story but it's definetly not getting uploaded by the end of this month. Sorry guys. Work is also being done on the new story I mentioned before, the Blazblue x Fire Emblem Fates one. The first chapter of that will probably be uploaded before the main story is updated so stay tuned for that. Besides all that I hope you all enjoyed reading. I look forward to the comments as always. : )