Chapter 3:

Chapter 3:

The complex was big, but Issei found the layout to be simplistic. It was easy enough for him to find his way back.

What really unsettled him was the trail of blood Issei spotted during his trek. The night and lack of light made it hard to see inside, but Issei could smell the putrid stench of death before his path. The smell was at first uncomfortable when he went through the door, but he soon followed the route where the smell was thicker to the point of nauseating, but Issei pushed through until he could feel his shoes stepping on small puddles, one emanating the acrid stench of iron, of blood.

On the way, as the scent grew even stronger, Issei activated his Boosted Gear as soon as his eyes, which had gotten used to the dark, caught glimpses of dismembered corpses, or what remained of them.

[Partner.. The Stray might not be too strong, but it certainly has its fill. Be careful. This type of opponent tends to be unpredictable]

"Ooh I smell something sweet, or is it something putrid? I wonder if the taste will be delicious, or sour?"

A distorted voice echoed across the darkness - Issei looked up as he arrived in the largest room inside the factory as a shadow loomed over him.

[...Or it just comes out and announces its presence. Go figure.]

Issei watched something crawling down from the ceiling, past the pipes, tanks, and boilers; and he found himself looking at something. That he was not sure how to describe accurately. It was a grotesque-looking creature with a body of a naked woman with a fair face, but her legs were replaced with a giant quadrupedal monster with a giant fanged mouth on the center of its torso, which was even more hideous than its appearance as a whole.

And people thought Rover was ugly - Issei could not help but scoff at the idea.

"Something funny, human?" The stray devil sneered at her potential prey. "Perhaps it might be stupid of you to leave your meat shield outside while you came here only to be my supper."

Issei was no longer listening as the demon began boasting and gloating about how he would die, yada, yada, yada - he hated monologues. So he let his thoughts wander to what he should buy before heading home.

"...Should I buy some snacks before going home? I wonder if Asia likes noodles?"

Issei then noticed the stray devil had loomed closer to him, its face was a mixture of condescension and anger. "You dare to ignore me, puny human? I'm-!"

However, a rumbling wave rocked the room from outside. The creature paused when it was about to lunge at Issei, turning its head towards the source. When she did, her anger degraded into dread upon sensing the monstrous presence outside.

Issei, on the other hand, was familiar with the sensation. "...Rover?" He narrowed his eyes as he began to worry. Was Rover fighting something strong?

The stray devil seemed to finally recognize the presence as it snapped its attention back to Issei. "You! What kind of monster did you just bring-!?"

BOOM!

However, the creature's words were abruptly cut off by an explosion, followed by an earthquake, and then a giant sphere of energy suddenly burst into the room. It utterly obliterated everything it swallowed in its path, including the creature in front of Issei. It was so sudden, the Stray Devil didn't feel her erasure as it left not even a trace.

And, while Issei was not in the energy sphere's trajectory, the shockwave from the attack was more than enough to knock him back until his body hit the wall behind.

"Ugh!" His head and back slammed against the rusty surface, and Issei felt his head spinning as his vision escaped him. Groaning on the floor, his ears ringing and his vision still blurry, Issei coughed out some of the dust he breathed in by accident.

Shaking his head while trying to stand back up, Issei slowly pulled himself together thanks to the voice echoing in his head.

[-rtner! Partner! Wake up! Get a hold of yourself!]

"W-wha? Ddraig?" Issei steadied himself as he kept rubbing his head. "...What the hell just happened?"

[That mongrel of yours happened! You need to move, now!]

More explosions rocked the building, or what remained of it, as Issei nearly lost his balance. He followed the noise until he could see several energy spheres rocketing to the night sky, as well as a flying figure shooting thunder, fire and ice down below. Realizing that the situation had escalated, Issei finally headed towards the commotion. Thanks to the destruction earlier, he could simply run through the ruined walls straight to the front yard.

When he arrived, however, Issei's eyes widened in alarm as he saw his dog just clamped its jaws on Koneko - one of her shoes fell off from her feet that stuck out from its closed mouth as the giant dog reared its head up to swallow her.

oXo

On the other hand, the members of Occult Research Club were horrified at the sight of the giant monster dog devouring one of their own.

"KONEKO!" Rias, Yto, and Akeno shouted in horror, gradually falling into despair at the apparent death of their junior... Until they suddenly saw an unexpected intervention.

"ROVER! SPIT HER OUT!"

The devils blinked when they saw a blurred figure slamming into the beast's side; forcing the said beast to lay prone on the ground, preventing it from swallowing the contents of its mouth.

There, they saw a young man with spiky brown hair and clad in tattered jersey held onto the creature's face and shook it while repeatedly slamming his hand on its neck.

"ROVER! BAD! What did I tell you about eating stuff you're not supposed to?! Spit her out! NOW!"

Much to their shock, the creature actually whined for a few seconds before it finally spat Koneko out from its maws. The girl's body was caked in saliva, her eyes closed unconscious.

"Koneko!" Rias and the rest of her peerage rushed towards the girl's location, all while casting wary glances at the now docile beast. In the meantime, Issei himself was cradling Koneko in his arms as he removed some hair that was stuck on her face.

There were so many questions Rias wanted to throw as soon as she saw Issei with her Rook in his arms, but she was too relieved at the sight of Koneko's steady breathing.

Soon, Koneko's eyelids fluttered as she slowly regained her consciousness. She coughed out a bit, and Issei gently rocked her in his arms to readjust her position. The first thing that Koneko registered was a putrid smell which came from her own body. The next thing was how wet and sticky her skin and clothes at the moment. Then, her eyes gradually recognized the face that was looking over her.

A face of a young man with a pair of brown orbs, framed with brown spiky hair. His hold on her was firm, yet gentle, like his expression albeit there was a hint of anxiety as well. Then, she looked around to see her master and her friends from Occult Research Club closing in - good, they are okay What happened?

Then, her eyes zoned at the sight of black mass towering over them, sitting on its rear. A pair of golden orbs met three pairs of ruby orbs. Cold fear grasped her heart as Koneko immediately tensed up as she began to shift, as if wanting to get away as far as possible.New novel chapters are published on

"Hey, hey! It's okay, it's okay!" Issei immediately secured his hold on Koneko by wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into an embrace. He then pressed her face gently against his chest and ran his hand through her white locks.

"...He's not gonna hurt anyone, okay? Everything's gonna be okay now." Issei whispered softly along with some shushing noises, his hands never stopped working to calm the girl down.

Fortunately, Koneko did calm down as she slowly melted into the embrace, albeit still shaken. Her hands took a fistful of Issei's clothes as she buried her face in his chest and began sobbing.

She was mortified. She could not recall the last time she was so close to death like this. The closest thing she recalled was inside the Underworld Courtroom when she had to bear the sin of her sister, and it could not compare with her almost being eaten.

Alas, the tender moment was interrupted with Rias' voice.

"Mr. Hyd." Her tone was calm, but Issei noticed she did not address him by his first name. "...Would you mind explaining your relationship with that monster?" Rias glanced at Rover - she winced a bit when the black beast returned her gaze. The only reason Rias did not push Issei away and took Koneko back was that she still held a semblance of trust in him.

Issei sighed with the trembling Koneko still in his arms. He looked up from his sitting position to see Rias, Yto and Akeno waiting for an answer.

"Well remember our talk about my dog?"

Rias slowly nodded, definitely remembering that absurd reveal about

"Wait are you saying" Her eyes bounced between Issei and Rover as her jaw slowly dropped.

"Say hello to my dog. Well, my dad's dog. Rover, say hi to my schoolmates."

The giant beast that was their fellow second-year's dog barked in response, or roared a bark.

"...That's a dog?" Yto pointed at the beast while sporting a befuddled expression. He had experienced a lot of the Underworld's supernatural, but he had never met even a devil that had a monstrous pet like this. Maybe a member of the top-tier peerages, but not a pet.

"Yeah, as strange as it looks. It is quite an awesome dog," Issei nodded.

"'Awesome' is not the right word to describe this thing," Akeno quipped. "Are you able to guarantee that your pet won't lash out at us anymore?"

Akeno had a lot of questions for Rias' target as she flinched when the giant thing looked at her. This thing was too powerful, too dangerous. How could someone even tame it?

Issei then glared mildly at his dog. "Rover. Size, eyes, now."

The beast whined a bit before its frame shook and shrunk into its puppy form. Its six eyes also closed, leaving only a pair of ruby eyes.

Issei then looked back to the devils, who were still regarding Rover with odd looks. Their clothes were tattered, and, while they held no grave injuries, bruises and scratches covered their skin. Issei had no idea what just happened but he had an idea, and he had a lot of explaining to do.

"I know you all have a lot of questions, but we need to take care of your wounds. I know someone who can treat you at my house. I'll also explain everything there."

Rias traded glances with her servants; they were alive, but lightly injured as well as exhausted. They casted a nervous glance at Rover, who was sitting and glancing between its master and the rest of the devils. However, seeing Koneko was still clinging on Issei, who was still holding her patiently, Rias and Akeno shared a nod as the former pointed at Rover.

"...Is that creature coming with us?"

"...Yes?" Issei glanced at Rover. "He's my dog."

Rias narrowed her eyes with suspicion and fear. She was averted to having the creature that nearly killed her servants tailing her, but leaving it unchecked was no different from inviting another disaster.

However, Issei stood up as he approached Rias. "...In fact, here, hold her." Issei handed Koneko who was now secured in Rias' arms, her head buried in her bosoms.

The boy, on the other hand, proceeded to pick Rover up and cradle the puppy-sized monster in his arms. "Now you don't have to worry about him anymore, do you?

When Haruka heard his son entering the front door, she did not expect her son to bring in additional guests. Upon arriving at the entrance to welcome him back, Haruka saw Issei walking in with the small Rover in his arms. Behind him was a gorgeous girl with long crimson hair carrying a girl with white hair, followed with a handsome young man with blonde hair and another beautiful girl with raven-black hair.

However, Haruka had to raise her eyebrows at the sight of the guests having seen better days.

"...Hey, mom." Issei greeted as he walked inside.

Seeing that the guests had seen better days, Haruka asked. "...What happened? Is everything alright?"

The said guests were caught slightly off-guard, to see Issei's mother was not bothered by the 'dog' in Issei's arms. Still, Rias could appreciate the woman's gesture as she looked worried over Koneko.

"Is she okay?" Haruka turned to Rias.

Rias looked down to see Koneko had considerably calmed down, enough for her to silently ask her to put her down.

"Um, sorry to bother you, but could you bring Asia here?" Issei asked as he set Rover down. The dog barked and began to make its way to the second floor.

While Rias and her peerage were situated inside the living room, Haruka was preparing some hot drinks, as well as preparing a hot bath for Koneko. Meanwhile, everyone downstairs suddenly heard a girl's shriek from upstairs.

"...Who's that?" Rias asked as Koneko was being guided by Haruka towards the bathroom.

"Well... Remember I mentioned a member of Grigori living in my house?" Issei explained as the Occult Research Club listened to the sound of the girl getting closer.

"-Rover! What is it?" The girl entered their view, bent over as Rover pulled the sleeve of her pajamas to the living room. The ORC blinked when they saw her, a picture of purity in the form of a girl as she gazed back at them with her emerald eyes. The girl was looking stupefied in front of many people for a second before nodding.

"Um Good evening."

"Hey, Asia. Sorry for waking you up this late at night. But, err" Issei glanced at the devils in the living room. "We need your help."

It was finally when Asia's eyes got a better look on everyone's state of being. Without hesitation, the anxiety on the girl's face was gone, replaced with a brave determination as she knelt in front of Yto. The Knight was about to tell her to look after his King or Queen first, when the hand hovering over his face was giving a faint green glow.

Yto's words were cut off as he felt an inexplicable warmth washing over his head; it was comforting, soothing, as he could feel the rash and cuts on his body healing. Rias and Akeno were watching in awe at Asia's handiwork. Soon, the Knight has completely recovered, safe for his tattered clothes, as Asia turns to work on Rias and Akeno.

It did not take long until Rias and Akeno were currently looking at their unblemished skin, thoroughly impressed at Asia's healing power. "Mr. Ise, do you have any injuries?" Asia asked.

"Don't worry, Asia. I'm good. Thanks for the hard work." Issei smiled as he patted her head. "You can go back to sleep now. Sorry again for bothering."

"No, it's okay. Please don't hesitate to ask if there's anything else I can help you with." Asia simply replied with a kind smile.

"Um, actually, if you don't mind" Rias interrupted as she raised up from her seat. "Can you stay for a while? We are about to have a talk after Koneko finishes her shower."

"O-oh, of course." Asia nodded meekly at the sudden request, though Issei could not help but frown a bit at Rias.

"...Rias-senpai." Issei called out with narrowed eyes. "Are you trying to do what I'm thinking?"

Knowing Devils in his school and, thinking of Sona in particular, he had a hunch of her motives.

"If it's worth anything, I have nothing against her, Ise." Rias replied. "In the meantime, do you mind if I call Sona here as well? I believe she has the right to know."

In truth, Rias did see a potential in Asia for her peerage. That and Sona already had two Bishops, so Rias had free dibs. Asia looked too sweet for Rias to not to try and take her for herself.

Issei grimaced a little as he looked at Rover. The time had finally arrived. "Fine I saw this coming a mile away, anyways."

oXo

"...When I was suddenly called to come to your house, Mr. Hyd, I certainly did not expect... this."

Sona said as she was sitting next to Rias in the living room. Along the Student Council was her entire peerage. In the centre of the room, Issei, Rias and Sona were sitting around the table on the carpet. On the single couch behind Issei, Haruka was sitting, watching with curiosity in her eyes.

Note that Rias had attempted to 'convince' the matriarch to go to bed, but the fact Haruka was aware of Rover's true nature, made her have a second thought.

Behind Rias - a larger couch, seated Yto, Akeno and Koneko - the latter was clean and fresh from the shower and was not looking amused with the situation. Behind Sona was Tsubaki standing dutifully. The rest of Sona's peerage took the seat on the dining table.

"Yeah, crazy night, isn't it?" Issei replied casually while Rover was lying on the floor next to him.

"... So this is your dog." Sona hummed as she stared at Rover.

"The same dog that nearly killed me and my peerage," Rias quipped.

"...And almost ate me." Koneko pouted as she glared at Rover.

"Hey, he's an awesome dog. He defends the family very well, you know? He usually doesn't attack people like that unless you attack him or something. What'd you do to him?" Issei asked, defending his dog.

Rias flinched at his rebuke, remembering the time she shot a ball of destructive power at the dog, then realized that she might be the one at fault.

"...Nothing! That mutt just suddenly grew the size of an elephant and tried to incinerate us!" It oddly took a few seconds for Rias to reply, garnering brief knowing looks from Yto and Akeno.

Issei and Sona raised their eyebrows, sensing the oddity in Rias' tone. Rover, however, craned his head up from his sleeping position and barked at Rias, its six eyes popped out in agitation, which caught Sona and her peerage, sans Tsubasa, by surprise.

"Whoa, what the hell is that thing?!" Saji shot up from his seat, pointing at the six-eyed dog.

"My dog, that's what that thing is!" Issei was starting to get tired of people's reaction to such little things.

"Saji, be quiet!" Sona rebuked her Pawn, who sat back down while never leaving his eyes off Rover, then she turned to a likely witness in the room.

"...Mr. Kiba?" Sona asked the Knight.

The Knight looked left and right at first. On his left, Akeno simply stared at him impassively before she found her nails to be more interesting than the conversation. He then turned to Koneko, who was still glaring at Rover. He was, in fact, upset at the fact the black dog almost ate his junior alive, but his rational side argued that the whole mess could have been prevented in the first place.

"...Well, President Rias shot at the dog, thinking it was a Stray Devil's familiar at first." Yto looked away, avoiding Rias' glaring eyes lasing at him for his betrayal.

"There, see? It wasn't Rover who started the trouble." Issei pointed out.

"Be that as it may, it didn't change the fact that Koneko nearly died." Rias argued back. "A little bit excessive, don't you think?"

"You shot at him with what did you shoot him with again?" Issei asked Rias.

"The Power of Destruction." Yto answered.

"Is it like what it sounds or am I missing something?" Issei asked while quirking an eyebrow.

"I was purposely missing it!" Rias argued again, pointing at the whining mutt. "It was merely to scare it away!"

Issei raised his eyebrows at Rias - that was actually a sound argument. He looked at Rover, who simply stared back at him with its six eyes. As much as he wanted to keep arguing of how Rover's assault was out of self-defence, the fact remained that someone nearly died by Rover's fangs that night. Still...

"Fine, if you want to blame Rover so much, you might as well blame me." Issei bowed his head down. "After all, I was the one who instructed him to be on the guard duty. Rover never met you guys before, so it's not surprising for him to mistake you as hostiles."

"So you finally admit your dog was at fault?" Rias asked with a somewhat smug tone.

"...No, I said that I was at fault. I didn't introduce you to Rover earlier to stop this from happening, I mean," Issei retorted.

Sona gave Rias a sharp eye, her lips forming a small smile for a moment, seeing a moment of opportunity before her.

"Well, indeed. But, to be fair, the odds of a Stray Devil owning a familiar is extremely low, if not nonexistent. Rias, did you consider confirming whether it was a familiar in the first place or some other creature unaffiliated with the target? Not to mention, Stray Devils tend to have very low intelligence. It might not have the capacity to even own a familiar in the first place." Sona interjected.

Rias looked back at Sona, seeing her smugly smile at her for a moment, making the Gremory realize that she slipped. Not only that, Sona had a very good argument against Rias, something that even she could not refute.

Tsubasa and the rest of Sona's peerage looked at her, Saji was going starry-eyed at his master, while Tsubasa slowly stepped away from their president and to Issei. The others merely looked away, trying not to get involved in Sona's evil plan.

"Do you know what's happening?" Tsubasa whispered to Issei.

"I think I do and wow." Issei replied, staring at the figurative sparks bouncing between Rias and Sona in disbelief.

"So, I say that if you were to actually assess the situation better and not resort to throw your power around, Ms. Toujou wouldn't have nearly died in the first place."

"That's ridiculous! I!" Rias wanted to argue, but she could not think of any comeback. She then turned to her peerage - Akeno was looking away, this time finding the wall to be interesting; Yto was giving a sheepish and apologetic smile, while Koneko was raising an eyebrow at her; it appeared the Rook had come to the same idea that she would not have nearly eaten alive in the first place if her King was more careful.

"But his that thing is a monster! That's in no way a normal dog!" Rias pointed at Rover in a desperate self-defense.

Sona glanced at the said dog again, "If I'm to be honest, Rias Despite your testimony, and. Rover's appearance, was it really such a threat?" She stared at the puppy.

"Why don't you see for yourself and attack it?" Rias scoffed and turned to give a look at Issei.

"...I'm not gonna let my dog be attacked, or let a fight break out in my home," Issei refused.

Before things could have escalated even out of control, another voice called out. "...If I may?"

Everyone in the room turned towards Haruka, who was still sitting lazily on her own couch. "I don't think arguing about this further is healthy for all parties anymore. Isn't it better for you two to finish it with you two apologizing with each other?" Haruka gently asked.

Rias gave Haruka a mild, pouty glare. "May I ask why I should apologize?"

"Perhaps you meant to say, 'apologize as well', Ms. Rias." Haruka easily replied. "On one hand, you were the one who instigated the conflict in the first place. On the other hand, Ise could have given Rover more well-thought instructions. So Yes, I believe a mutual apology is the best solution. Any objection?" She looked around the room.

Rias turned to see Sona whose face was that of agreeing with Haruka's logic; the rest of her peerage also nodded to each other in agreement. She then turned to her own peerage, who only shrugged, but their eyes told that they would abide by her decision.

"I have many things to say about that dog of yours, but you're right." Rias sighed, understanding Haruka's point.

"It is a high-time for us to move on." Issei stood up and offered his hand to Rias, who shook it firmly.

"I hope this won't damper any relationship we have, Ise." Rias managed to smile. "...However, I do believe there's someone else you should apologize to, am I correct?" She then stepped aside to show Issei her Rook.

Issei nodded in understanding; because in more ways than one, Koneko had been the worst victim for the night's fiasco. He knelt down before the girl so his eyes could meet hers. "I I'm sorry on both mine and my dog's behalf. I know what Rover almost did to you was inexcusable, but can you give him another chance?"

The six-eyed dog whined as he gave Koneko its version of puppy dog eyes; truthfully, it was unnerving. Then again, there was no point in dragging the problem out too.

"...Just keep that thing away from me, please." Koneko pouted as she finally tore her glare away from the dog that nearly ate her.

"Um" Saji interrupted as he raised his hand. "Good to see you all making up and all, but Quick question; what happened to the Stray Devil in the end?"

As the name implied - the building was old compared to the one Issei and Asia studied in. An old victorian building with surprisingly steady infrastructures. With some cleaning and repairing, the building would look pristine.

On their journey to the Occult Research Club room, which was the room in the centre of the second floor, Asia saw a room at the end of the first floor corridor, the one sealed with yellow tapes. Curiosity filled Issei when he saw it, though he noticed Asia's discomfort from the sight of the door, so he shielded Asia from looking at the door too long as they moved up.

It did not take long until they arrived at the Occult Research Club whose door was the only one in the building that was well-maintained. However, before Issei knocked, he felt a sense of unease from in the room. Nonetheless, he still knocked his fist for a few times.

A few seconds later, the door opened.

"Yes, who is it?" Yto's face appeared from behind the door and he recognised the guests immediately. "Oh, Ise and Ms. Asia. You came."

"'Sup, Kiba." Issei greeted while Asia bowed. "If you're wondering, I'm accompanying Asia here. Mind if I join in?" He asked while pointing his thumb at Asia.

"We don't mind, but" Yto's smile became awkward as he glanced back inside the room.

Issei looked worried, "...Did we come on at a bad time?"

"No, not exactly, it's just..." Yto shook his head while his expression remained awkward.

"Mr. Kiba? May I ask who is at the door?"

Issei and Asia blinked at the foreign male voice, which sounded like he was talking to Rias next.

"Lady Gremory, I seem to have overstayed my welcome. Is it okay if I give a quick greeting to your today's guest before I take my leave?"

Rias' voice spoke a second later. "Yto, can you let them in?"

Wordlessly, Yto stepped aside and opened the door wider, allowing Issei and Asia to walk inside and find another person present.

The other guest was a young man, his face wearing a mien of gentleness above his expensive suit. When his eyes met those of Asia's, the man seemingly froze before his face broke into a smile.

"Ah. It appears fate has played its hand." He silkily spoke as he approached her.

Issei only watched as he took Asia's hand while his other hand held his chest. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you again, Asia Argento. Do you remember me by any chance?"

His gesture made Asia flustered, confusing her out of her mind.

Issei only turned to the other occupants of the room, mainly Rias, who sported neutral curiosity at the scene. He silently pointed his finger at the stranger, which Rias replied with a subtle shake of her head.

However, something about this guy didn't seem right to Issei. He seemed Issei didn't know, he just couldn't put his finger on it. In the end, Issei decided to step in.

"Um Excuse me?" Issei calmly addressed the stranger. "Sorry to interrupt, but I think you should give her some space. You're overwhelming her."

For a second, Issei could have sworn that the stranger's eyes opened slightly, revealing golden orbs shooting a brief sneering glare, the kind of glare from those that looked at Issei like some kind of a pest, the kind Issei encountered before, before his eyes swiftly shut - his previous appearance returning as if he was putting his mask back on.

Now Issei knew why his gut didn't agree with this guy.

"Oh, dear. How shameful of me." The stranger smiled and stepped back, giving Asia the needed space to recollect herself. "It seems I've lost myself in lieu of seeing you again. I'd rather not do this, but let me help refresh your memory."

The stranger then unbuttoned the upper half of his shirt, enough to reveal a scar on his chest. Upon seeing the scar, Asia's eyes widened in recognition.

"You are"

"Yes, I am." The stranger nodded before giving a deep bow with his hand over his heart. "Allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Diodora Astaroth, and I am indebted to you, Asia Argento."

Asia was caught off-guard by the introduction for a second before she bowed down as well. "I-It's good to see you as well, Mr. Astaroth."

The man, Diodora, merely giggled. "Please, just Diodora is fine. I hope you are doing well."

Asia began to feel nervous. "You as well, Mr. As-... Diodora, um What are you doing here?"

"I am looking for you, of course." Diodora's smile widened. "Ever since you saved me on that fateful day, I never stopped thinking about you. I've been searching, and finally found you in this town; so I can ask you."

In front of everyone, Diodora then fell to one knee before Asia and took her hand again in his. "I love you, Asia Argento. Will you come with me to the Underworld and become a part of my peerage?"

Asia was stunned-frozen at the proposal; Issei's eyes themselves were at the size of saucers, as he looked at the Occult Research Club, who were as shocked as him.

"I" Asia tried to come up with an answer, yet her mind kept blanking out. In the end, a few moments later, Asia simply stepped away and bowed down deeply. "I'm sorry!"

Everyone watched the blonde girl run off.

"Ah, Asia!" Issei threw one last glance at Diodora before he stormed off after his new ward.

oXo

Issei easily caught up with Asia outside of the old building, where the girl leaned on a nearby tree, catching her breath.

"Asia?" Issei called softly as he carefully approached her. "...You okay?"

"Yes I'm okay, Mr. Ise." Asia took a deep breath as her face was flushed. "It's just I never thought I'd receive a proposal."

Issei honestly felt lost as well, having no experience in the matter of love. He kind of felt honored that Asia would look to him for advice while he had none to give. Looking left and right awkwardly, seeing no one around, Issei returned his attention to her.

"Do you, err want to talk about it?"

Asia shook her head with a strained smile. "No, I- I will be fine, Mr. Ise. Thank you for asking."

A blatant front, Issei knew. Knowing better, he sighed and walked closer.

"Asia. Look at me."

Asia then turned around and looked up, her eyes met Issei's gentle and understanding look.

"I respect that you don't want to burden other people, but you are my ward. I already promised that I'll take care of you, and I intend to see it through. Though I probably can't solve every issue, I can at least listen. Will you trust me on this?"

Asia's eyes did not leave Issei's own, as she simply stared into them. A minute later, she looked away in embarrassment.

"...I'm sorry."

At her apology, Issei simply smiled gently.

"Nothing to be sorry for. I'm here for you, alright?"

Asia then smiled as she nodded.

"Is it Is it okay if we talk somewhere else?" She shyly asked.

Issei nodded, and a few minutes later, they both were on their way back home.

"So, that Dora guy earlier was the devil you saved back at the church?" Issei asked.

"Yes, I never got his name, but I remember how he looked before," Asia replied solemnly.

The two then fell into silence for a few moments until Issei asked, "...Do you regret what you did? Saving him?"

Issei really wanted to ask what a Devil was doing in a Church in the first place. Why run deeper into the place that is the literal bane of Devils?

Asia did not say anything for a second until she said, "...No."

She gave him an honest, sincere smile.

"I don't regret saving him, Mr. Ise; and I wouldn't have it any other way. If there's someone who needs help, I will do what I can to help them."

Her words filled Issei with mild disbelief. The girl had been dealing with hardship from following her own convictions, yet she did not falter in her path and remained herself. The boy could not help but to find Asia Argento to be utterly admirable.

Asia then found Issei's hand caressing her crown.

"Mr. Ise?"

Issei simply chuckled. "Asia, do me a favor. Never change."

Asia did not really understand what Issei was saying, but she ended up smiling as well, nonetheless. The two then kept walking under the afternoon sun as the day was nearly over.

However, when they walked past a block, Issei perked up. He turned his head to the house at his left.

"Mr. Ise?" Asia asked, noticing Issei's sudden shift of attention.

"Sorry, Asia. Can you go home ahead of me? I need to drop by somewhere quick." Issei turned to meet her eyes. "Once you get home, just wait for me there and try to play with Rover. I think you two can use some bonding. Can you do that for me?" Issei asked with a smile on his face.

"Um Okay." Asia nodded, not sure what was going on but she followed Issei's instructions to the letter as she walked ahead.

Once he made sure Asia was far enough, Issei walked towards the house a few dozen meters away. It was sizable, western in style, but what caught Issei's attention was the permeating stench of blood.

After checking for people left and right, Issei decided to hoist the fence, now trespassing into private property.

He approached the front door and turned the knob, finding it unlocked. Sensing something off, Issei knocked the door a couple of times, and was about to shout if anybody was at home, until he heard something crash out from the upper floor's window.

"What the-?!"

Issei looked at the front yard to see a table falling from the window upstairs. Confirming that something felonious was happening, he quickly dashed inside the house.

After entry, Issei paused in the living room to see a fresh corpse being hung upside-down and his stomach torn open, his blood splattered the entire room and as ink for graffiti, the words being 'Punishment for The Wicked' on one of the walls. Grimacing at the sight, Issei then pushed through while covering his nose from the foul stench.

Soon, he could hear the sound of battle followed by maniacal laughter, then clashing steel ringing the air, all of which were from upstairs.

He climbed up the stairs, and when he reached the end of the stairs, a thrown chair flew over his head and broke upon hitting the wall behind him.

Setting his foot on the upper floor, Issei saw two individuals in combat. One was a familiar face - a petite figure with white hair lifting up a couch three times her size.

The other person was also familiar, but in a different sense; garbed in a clerical clothing, ashen white hair and gleaming red eyes seemingly glowing in the dark room, and a twisted smile on his face - a priest was holding an ornate-looking gun and a sword made of a pure light for its blade.

Issei then remembered the profile Azazel delivered to him, one of the rogue exorcists who was still on the loose.

Koneko was relatively uninjured, safe for the tears on her uniform which exposed some of her skin. The priest on the other hand was looking a bit winded, but uninjured as well.

Understanding enough of the situation, while they're in a staring contest, Issei took this chance to dash towards the priest and jumped, throwing his legs forward for a drop-kick.

The priest noticed his approach a second too soon as he threw his head down, letting Issei's fly past him by a hair's breadth and crash into a nearby wardrobe.

"Hohoho, what's this? The fucking devil got a back-up around?" The priest remarked with a mocking tone.

"Ise-senpai?!" Koneo shouted, shocked by Issei's presence as she still held the couch up high.

Without responding, Issei broke out of the wooden wreckage and dashed to Freed with Boosted Gear equipped.

[Boost!]

"Ahahahaha!" The priest whipped his gun at him by reflex and fired.

However, the newcomer evaded his bullet of light with a slight duck as he closed in. Holding his sword in a reverse-grip, the priest swung and hacked at him, yet the stranger Issei blocked his blade with his gauntlet, tracking his swings and trajectory with his annoying arm decoration.

Irritated, the Priest whipped his gun at Issei's hand, ready to blow his head off point-blank, but the bastard pushed his gun hand just when he fired, hitting the plank floor instead. Not only that, the fucker grabbed his gun with both hands and tore it from his hand with surprising arm strength before aiming the gun back at him.

"Whoa there..." The Priest smirked a little. "You don't wanna pull-"

However, when the brown-haired kid pulled the trigger, nothing shot out except for a dull click.

"Surprise, motherfucker~!"

The priest grabbed the gun and stomp kicked the kid's gut, knocking him away as he wrenched his gun back from the fucker's hand.

Issei stumbled several steps back towards Koneko, caught off guard but still unhurt. He must say, the guy was wacky but he had some experience, and probably more training than he did.

Issei gave Koneko a brief glance before returning his eyes at the rogue priest who was in the middle of twirling his gun with his finger.

"You okay there?" Issei asked.

"I'm good. How about you, senpai?" Koneko replied - she was quite impressed at Issei's proficiency in combat , but considering his monster pet, it should not be so surprising.

"I'm good, but I gotta ask. What the hell happened here?" Issei narrowed his eyes at the priest as he recalled the desecrated corpse downstairs.

"...He butchered my client." Koneko answered with narrowed eyes at the killer.

"...Oh."

"Well, well, well Look at what I found. Two devils Wait." The priest paused as his red eyes honed on Issei. "You are a humie, are ya?"

"...Yep. What, surprised that a teen is kicking your ass?" Issei jabbed back.

The priest blinked and sized Issei up and down until his eyes settled on the red gauntlet on Issei's left arm.

"Ooohhhh, I get it! You're the kid who my piss-poor excuse of an old boss failed to kill!"

"Yeah, I'm not sure about that." Issei, on the other hand, also recognised the priest's face. "...And what about you? Pretty sure Azazel gave you all the notes there. What, feeling too big to go back home or are you that crazy for the Devil?"

"Oohh, the kid's got a mouth! I like that." The priest said with amusement. "...And fuck the note, seriously. Why should I follow a bunch of pussies if I can just deal with every single one of you fuckers?"

"I'm not a Devil, though." Issei commented.

"Fuck you! You're fair game just like the guy I gutted downstairs! Hahahaha!"

This guy was crazier than his face showed. Honestly, Issei wasn't sure how to react to such insanity since this was his first time encountering a psychopath with a murder fetish.

"Well, Dohnaseek certainly did not exaggerate your profile er" Issei clicked his tongue. "Shit, I still can't remember your name."

"No need to feel sorry!" The deranged cleric gave a theatrical bow. "The name's Freed Sellzen, Devil and satanist butcherer extraordinaire, at your service!"

He actually admitted that he was a killer instead of a exorcist, a stray one.

"Okay, Freed, then let me ask you this. Why kill the guy downstairs in the first place? I'm pretty sure he is clean." He asked with no humour in his tone.

"Clean?! Ahahaha! You've no idea how wrong you are, morooon!" The stray exorcist - Freed, held his hand over his chest mockingly. "The son of a bitch had it coming, actually; worshipping motherfucking devils, my sworn enemy! Besides, just look at who he summoned, anyway. I say I've done a fucking community service of getting rid of a fucking pedophile."

Issei glanced with a raised eyebrow at Koneko, who merely glared and shook her head in return.

"Ooookay."

So much for trying to reason with him. This guy only cared about murder and violence and nothing else.

"Anyway, it's two on one. How about this? Drop the weapon, on your knees, and hands behind your head, or we'll beat the crap out of you?" Issei requested Freed's surrender.

Before Freed could have come up with likely profanities in retort, a bright red magic circle suddenly appeared in the middle of the room, bearing the sigil of Gremory clan.

"Welp, I guess that's your answer! Ta-ta, bitches!" Freed saluted before he threw a metallic sphere that exploded in a blinding flash of light. By the time the blinding light dimmed, Freed vanished just when the other members of the Occult Research Club appeared.

"Koneko!" Rias was the first to approach and pull her Rook into her arms. "Are you okay? What happened at your job?" She asked as she looked over the girl for any injuries.

"I'm fine, president." Koneko replied with a small smile as she pointed at Issei behind her.

Rias and the others turned to see Issei waving at them.

"...Heeeey." Issei awkwardly greeted the devils. Rias and the rest looked at him for a moment, all surprised to see him here.

"Issei?" Rias asked.

"Yeah twice in a row, huh?" Issei joked to lighten the mood, referring to their previous meeting yesterday.

"Ara ara." Akeno smiled a little. "Seems you can't get away from us, no?"

"Yeah, you can say that." Issei scoffed a little.

"Hmmm." Rias looked at Issei with a mischievous smirk. "Isn't this a sign from whatever deities up there that you should be in my peerage?"

Issei couldn't believe her attempt to use fate as her selling pitch.

"Hey, it's by chance. Don't drag Lady Luck into this. Besides, I was close by when the fight started or was ongoing."

Issei gestured to the surroundings, which Rias and the others quickly caught on.

"I see." Rias nodded in understanding. "And I take it the assailant is gone, now that I see the lack of hostiles?"

"Yeah, he disappeared just when you arrived like a ninja. Only he used a flashbang instead of a smoke bomb." Issei replied.

"So a standard stray exorcist?" Rias surmised.

"I wouldn't say standard. You'll know if you check downstairs. Though fair warning, prepare for a horror show." Issei warned.

The devils who just arrived stared at Issei before they looked at Koneko, who simply shook her head. When they smelled the faint rotten scent from downstairs, they knew that whatever Issei and Koneko implied was worse than they imagined. In any case, there was a next course of action needed to be taken.

"I'll keep that in mind. Ah, that reminds me. Everyone, prepare to leave." Rias suggested as her servants gathered around her. "Oh, Ise. I suggest you leave as soon as you can. We'll see you at your house, okay?" She winked as her peerage began to glow.

Issei blinked. "...Wait, what?"

The group had already fled in a flash of red light, leaving him behind.

However, before Issei could muster a retort, he then heard the voice of sirens from outside. He peeked from the window and saw a police car parked outside. Issei blinked and finally realised the mess he was in, abandoned at a murder scene.

"...Oh, shit."

Just to let you guys know, I am currently starting the Phoenix arc. The rest of this arc won't wait long to show up. Cheers. :)