"By the way, Issei. Do you know what [Evil Piece] you are?" Rias asked on the way home. Well, a secret place to teleport back to the club.

"No. What am I?"

"Your a [Pawn]." Rias bluntly said. She heard a sigh from Issei and smirked. "But being a [Pawn] is a good thing. Akeno told you that the [Evil Piece System] is based in chess and do you know what happens when a [Pawn] is placed on the opponents' side?"

"... They get promoted," Issei said, making Rias smile even more. "So that means if I were to infiltrate behind enemy lines, I can promote myself to [Queen]?"

"Well, you can do it right now since we are considered to be in enemy territory, but yes. You are our ace in battle if the conditions are set."

Rias decided to let it be like that and activated the magic circle, covering everyone with magic and teleporting everyone away from the house.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The next evening, Issei has another contract. Well, it was another Koneko moment. She had 2 contracts again and Issei will take one of them. The usual teleporting circle wasn't working on the clients' location so Issei had to go over there himself. Thankfully, his [Greed Scanner] displayed the location and he simply just flew over there himself.

When flying over a populated town, there was always the risk of someone identifying you so a simple [Illusion Magic] and now, Issei was unrecognizable and was simply a black smudge that appeared and disappeared quickly.

A few minutes of flying later and Issei descended towards the clients' house. His senses detected an intense amount of sinister aura that made him widen his eyes. 'He's here, huh? I can't wait to fucking murder and torture this sick fuck.' Issei hardened his eyes on what will come next.

He checked his [Inventory] for weapons to use and grabbed the [Rebel's Knife]. The simple but deadly knife was tucked away in his back pocket and proceeded further.

When he was about to knock on the door of his client, it swung with no effort. Meaning that it wasn't locked properly. Issei cautiously entered the house and his senses made him look at the living room. "Hello?! Anyone home?"

... No one answered.

When he finally entered, his nose was hit with the scent of blood, and saw whom it belonged to. On the wall was Koneko's client, nailed upside down like a cross, with slash marks covering his body and a pool of his blood underneath him.

He calmly approached the corpse and touched the blood beneath him. "... It's still warm. Meaning the killer must have just killed-"

RIGHT!

Issei instantly dodged backward, missing the bullet that would have punctured his sides. He pulled out his weapon and went into a stance, sharpening his eyes at his attacker.

"Now why would you dodge, you shitty devil?" The man whined like a child before grinning wildly. "But I guess it would be too bad if the game suddenly ended."

__

[God's Eye]

Name: Freed Selezen

Level: 39

Titles: [Mad Priest], [Heretic Exorcist], [Exiled Exorcist]

Species: [Human]

Strengths: Adept in sword/gun fighting, exorcist ritual, light weapons.

Weakness: Crazed mind, devils and demons, God.

__

"Freed..." Issei said his name with venom as if uttering it would make him ingest poison.

"Oh? Do you know me? But then again, my work around you shitty devils has always been known." Freed replied happily. His attire consisted of a white shirt and a black coat. He looks like a simple priest but with a face of a mad killer. In his hands were a sword and a gun and Issei can feel the holy power resonating within them.

"Why did you kill him?" Issei asked, although knowing the answer to the question.

"Why you ask? Because he was a criminal who made a deal with the devil. So I had to kill him, you know?" Freed answered childishly before looking at Issei like a mad dog. "Maybe if I kill you, you would understand as well."

Issei hardened his gaze and gripped his knife tightly. "Try me."

Freed merely grinned before aiming his gun at Issei. Before he could shoot, Issei was already below the exorcist with his knife aimed at his throat. He lunged without fail but the exorcist blocked the knife with his sword, albeit struggling. Issei saw the gun about to point at him and grabbed his arm before snapping it in half, thanks to his [StR Stat].

"Agh! You fucking shitty devil!" Freed cursed at Issei who only said nothing. He parried the dagger aimed at him and lunged at Issei with blood-driven eyes. Issei simply stepped to the right before the blade could touch him, resulting in the world suddenly slowly moving.

This was his [Z-Target], a skill from the [LoZ Series] where dodging at the right moment allows him to attack rapidly at his target. With the effect in place, Issei hardened his left leg with [Aura] and kicked Freed on his stomach. When the world started to move again, Freed was thrown to the wall of the house and smashed right through. Issei looked at the ruble that has Freed stuck on before checking the other person here.

He felt someone else here and recognized it as the nun meekly looked over the other room and widened her eyes. "E-Eh? Issei-kun?"

"Hello, Asia. Mind telling me what you are doing here?" Asia was about to answer when she saw the corpse of Issei's client. She gasped in shock at the sight and stepped back a few steps.

Before Issei could help her, the rubble suddenly moved and Freed was up again. "You stupid shitty devil! That hurts!"

"It's supposed to!"

"Oi, Asia. Why the hell did you stop making the barrier?!" Freed shouted, making Asia wince at his words.

"F-Father... were you the one that killed him?" Asia pointed at the corpse hanging above the wall near Freed.

"Of course I did. That's what I'm here for! Now if you don't keep that barrier up, I'm gonna-" Freed didn't finish his sentence as Issei launched another attack.

"{Bufudyne}" Ice appeared all over Freed as it suddenly encased him in a coffin of it. His face was frozen from what he was about to say.

Issei lowered his hand as the leftover magic was going away. Asia looked at Issei with wide eyes as he smiled at her.

"So... crazy reunion, huh?" Issei jokingly said, trying to break the ice that was their situation.

"Yes... " Asia said, any tension in her body left since Issei is now here. She looked over at Freed's frozen body and back to Issei. "What will happen to...?"

"Well, since he's just frozen not dead, he's still alive. But I doubt he'd be out of there anytime soon." Issei replied before walking towards Asia and checking on her. "Are you alright?"

Asia looked at Issei before cracking a smile. "Yes. I am alright. Just... disoriented, I suppose."

"That's to be expected since... well, you know." Issei gestured to the situation they were in. He suddenly felt 4 unknown people coming near them, they all flew above him and felt someone familiar. "We gotta go. I sense 4 people coming already."

"Eh?" Asia didn't have a chance to properly acknowledge Issei's words before being hugged by him, tightly as well. Heat flushed over her face as Issei conjured a magic circle beneath them.

The magic then began teleporting them but at the last second, Issei saw a light-spear headed straight for him. He quickly made a decision to block the spear with his right hand as it seared right through the flesh. Issei gritted his teeth and crushed the flimsy weapon and saw another spear headed towards them.

But the attack didn't hit him as they teleported away, leaving behind a bloody corpse and a frozen exorcist.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rias knew Issei was special. Not only was he adept in magic but has also had sharp senses, about the same or maybe more than Koneko. She surmised that his [Sacred Gear] had a hand in his development or maybe he had a talent in being a combatant. While Issei may look like a normal high school with his hormones in overdrive, he looked more like a seasoned fighter that went to battle many times and overcome them.

That said, Rias couldn't do anything but ask him about it. She may be his master but she treats all of her members with the respect and dignity they deserve, as a human. Just because they were turned into something more doesn't mean they should abandon everything about humanity. This is what makes her more powerful than all those old demons that cling to the old age of the Underworld.

Rias saw an unknown but familiar magic circle in her clubroom and was alarmed. Thankfully, everyone was here. Akeno readied her magic, Yumi made a sword appear and Koneko sharpened her eyes. Rias then noticed that the magic circle had her family's crest on it. She wondered to whom it belonged and the answer revealed itself.

Within the circle were Issei and a nun, her [Pawn] clutching his hand in pain while the Sister looked at him in worry.

"Issei!" Rias ruched towards the boy as blood pooled from his hand. "What happened?"

"An... exorcist... happened." Issei bit through his words as the sear in his hands was fading. "Had to... protect... Asia."

Rias widened her eyes in shock and horror. "How...?" Indeed, how could she let an opposing faction meander their way in her territory without permission? She was about to let loose her demonic power loose but a pained grunt from Issei made her focus on him instead.

Before she could cast her healing magic on him, the nun Issei had saved had done the job before her. "Heal!"  Her hands glowed an elegant emerald glow over his right hand as the small hole started to close itself and the bleeding has stopped. Rias reeled in shock, as well as her peerage since healing [Sacred Gears] is very rare.

Before long, Issei's hand was fully recovered. He flexed slightly and winced in pain. "Are you alright? I'm sorry if I couldn't fix everything."

"It's alright. It'll go away soon. I hope..." Issei said to the nun before resting his hand. "What matters is that you are safe, away from that deranged man."

The nun smiled peacefully before hearing a cough in front of them. "If you don't mind, I would like an explanation of what happened," Rias announced.

"Right," Issei said and they all sat on the couch while Akeno was making some tea for everyone. Yumi and Koneko standing behind Rias. "I guess introductions are in order."

Asia took that as her cue and stood up. "My name is Asia Argento. I moved here in Kuoh City a couple of days ago and am stationed at the abandoned church."

Rias nodded. "And  I am Rias Gremory. I'm a Devil. Although I say that, I am not evil. So please be at ease, Sister. We mean you no harm."

Asia smiled before sitting down. Rias then looked at Issei. "So what happened?"

Issei sighed and began to recount his tale of meeting the deranged exorcist. Every devil in the room sneered when Issei mentioned Freed, especially Yumi who looked more than angry to put him in his place. But their faces soon turned to gladness when Issei used his magic to freeze him in place.

"... I see. I'm glad you were able to fend him off but next time, call us." Issei nodded at Rias' suggestion before changing the topic. "With that out of the way, I want to confirm something with you, Issei. Is Asia the one whom you had to escort to the church?"

"Yes. I didn't know at the time she was affiliated with the Fallen Angels, though. That one caught me off-guard."

Akeno came back with a tray of teacups and hot tea. She gracefully poured the tea for the 3 people sitting at the desk before standing beside Yumi.

Rias sipped her tea and continued. "Indeed. If you won't mind, Sister, how did you wind up with them? Given your abilities, the church would've been livid without you."

The nun stiffened instantly. She gripped the skirt of her outfit tightly and was shaking like a leaf. "Umm... well... I...."

Before she could say more, Issei placed his hand over Asia and squeezed gently. This gesture made her turn to Issei, who only smiled. "If you don't want to say it, please don't force yourself. Some secrets are best said unspoken. Rias-buchou, can you ask another question, please?"

Rias blinked in surprise before bowing slightly from her seat. "Hai. I'm sorry if I made you worry, Sister. That was insensitive of me."

Asia briefly looked at the apologetic devil before shaking her head. "It's alright. If Issei-san trusts you, then I can as well."

Rias and Issei smiled as they prepared to hear Asia's story.

The story of the [Holy Maiden].

Asia never had parents so she was raised at an orphanage. One day, she saw an injured puppy and healed it with her [Sacred Gear]. Apparently, some church officials had just seen her ability and took her to the Vatican, where she was hailed as the [Holy Maiden] and went around to heal all manners of injuries and sickness. Everything went well until the day she met a devil. The devil was injured and Asia couldn't help but heal him using her powers. She didn't know that he was a devil until the church told her about it. Before they could do anything, the devil fleed. Knowing that Asia can not only heal humans but devils as well, they cast her out without any explanation and left her to fend for herself.

"... And that's how the Fallen Angels found you." Rias surmised Asia's explanation and finished her tea.

Asia nodded. "Hai. They told me to come here, where they would make use of my power to help them. I never knew anything."

"I see. This is certainly troublesome. I wanted to ask you about the Fallen living in my territory but that will have to wait." Rias said as she placed her hand on her chin. "Now that Asia was taken, I can only imagine what kind of retaliation they would act upon."

"Probably tomorrow since they did see me leave via devil magic." Issei placed his suspicions at the table. "What do we do, Rias-buchou? I'm opted to just march into their base and deal with them now rather than wait for their move. I'd rather not bring the entire town of Kuoh into this scuffle."

Rias closed her eyes and thought about it. For a few minutes, the club was silent save for the occasional sips of tea from Asia and Issei and flickering candles. Then Rias opened her eyes as she may have found a solution.

"That's exactly what we'll do." Issei and Asia turned in confusion as Rias simply smiled.

"This is what we'll do..."

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After explaining her plan, Issei invited Asia to stay at his place for the night. He had an unused guest room so she can sleep there. Although the meeting with his parents was a bit awkward and annoying, the two finally went to bed and slept.

The next morning, Issei decided to skip school today and take Asia out. He subconsciously thought it was a date and just accepted it.

For lunch, the duo went to a local food chain. Asia wanted to order to improve her Japanese, which made Issei and the counter lady sweatdrop at her attempt. In the end, Issei was the one to order for both of them.

When the food came, Asia was confused about how to eat a burger and fries. Issei compared the sight to a recently bought puppy looking at his food. It was adorable.

Eventually, Issei showed her by opening his own burger and clamping down on the fast-food. Asia meekly followed suit and took a bite as well. Her eyes widened in shock and continued munching down her meal. Issei mistook Asia for a hamster as she continued to eat.

After their meal, Issei showed Asia to a nearby arcade. They played a couple of games, most of them Issei won but Asia also had a ton of fun. Asia's favorite was a dancing game and although she had trouble with it, the nun got better and Issei played along.

The duo rested at the center of the arcade where Asia was catching her breath from the dancing game. "That was so much fun."

"I'm glad you're having fun, Asia," Issei replied. He noticed Asia staring at a certain plush doll and Issei had to double take on the figure on it. "Do you want it?"

The figure in question... was a chibi Morgana from [Persona 5] in his phantom thief outfit. Issei wondered if Asia knew about the [Shin Megami Series] but shook his head. That kind of series takes all forms of myths and legends and compounds them into action figures. And some of the moral choices they make may be a bit...  deep. So to Asia, that Morgana doll just looked like a generic anime cat.

"E-Eh? No, it's quite alright. I'm fine with it..." Asia dejectedly said. Issei was having none of that and made his way to the doll.

It was in a crane game, and Issei's aura flared to life. Not literally, just metaphorically. To anyone watching, all they see is a teenage boy angrily glaring at an arcade machine. He truly despises these games since 95% of them are rigged, broken, have no grip strength, and are too heavy.

Even though he hates them, Issei has to do it. For Asia!

... He got it after 10 tries. His anger towards them increased.

The small Morgana plush doll was now in Asia's hands as she cutely hugged it. "Thank you! I'll treasure it forever." But upon seeing the nun's smiling face, his anger dissipated and the day continued.

Over time, the sky went dark and Issei and Asia rested in a nearby park. Most people have already gone home or were about to, but the duo just stayed there. They basked in each other's presence as the sun was dipping on the horizon.

"Did you have fun, Asia?" Issei asked and looked at her. He then noticed that she was silently crying with tears falling from her face. "Asia? Are you alright?"

The nun didn't even notice it as she touched her own warm face. "Oh... Yes, I am. It's just... I've never thought I would enjoy the day with someone."

Issei frowned and wiped Asia's face with his handkerchief. He smiled sweetly at the nun as he finished up. "Well, that's what friends do."

"Friends?" Like a sudden switch, Asia hopefully looked at Issei with bright eyes. "We're... we are friends?"

Issei nodded and Asia hugged him. He felt her shaking slightly and hugged her back, letting the tears flow on his own back. He didn't care about any onlookers nearby, only focusing on the girl in his arms.

"That's impossible."

And just like that, the sky turned dark.