Rias was flying with full speed towards the Issei's location in the radar. She believes that Issei is strong, but she could not helped not to feel worried for her servant to be left alone. Who knows what might happen to him? Soon enough, Rias caught the sight of Issei standing on the street. As Rias quickly descended, she quickly approached her newest servant, whom looks like was not hurt.
"Ise! Are you alright?" asked Rias as she finally noticed there was a male figure lying unconscious, his body was found leaning on a vending machine that got trashed from an impact. A pair of black crow wings could be seen behind the man. Issei who had noticed Rias' arrival immediately straightened himself.
"Ah, ojou-sama!" said Issei addressing Rias with the title they had agreed upon previously.
"Ise? Do you mind explaining what happened? Why is there a fallen angel lying over there?" asked Rias pointing at the knocked-out man.
Issei rubbed the back of his head. "Well…"
(Flashback)
Issei was on his way back to the school after he somewhat managed to hand out the flyers to people on the streets. By the time he handed the last flyer, it was already night-time.
"Whew, it sure took long to give all of those flyers…." Said Issei to particularly nobody as he walked down the road. "But still, there were really lots of people who are willing to sell their souls to a devil…" thought Issei sarcastically as Issei remembered one of Rias' lectures, that people who receive devil's summoning flyer are those who have wishes to be fulfilled.
[Actually, not only devils, other factions also rely on humans, although they express it in different ways…]
"Kind of ironic, don't you think?" replied Issei with slight chuckle. Suddenly, his instinct kicked in as Issei leapt backwards. Right at that moment, a spear, shining in blue, was planted on the ground few inches in front of him. "What the…? That spear…" thought Issei slightly surprised as he look at the source where the spear had come from. His eyes was met with a figure of a middle-aged looking man, clad in a pale violet trench-coat over a white dress shirt with a matching ascot, black pants and shoes, and a black fedora. The said man was floating on the sky, with pair of black wings protruded from his back. The man landed softly on the ground as he held his fedora and gave Issei a curt bow.
"Consider that a greeting, devil. I'm Dohnaseek, and I ask of you, who is your master? Or are you perhaps a stray?" asked the man known as Dohnaseek. However, when Dohnaseek lifted his head to look at Issei again, his eyes were met with a 'greeting' literally returned to him in a form of a left fist of Issei.
SMASH!
Dohnaseek did not have a chance to speak nor retaliate as his body was launched to a nearby vending machine. With a loud trashing noise, Dohnaseek was found lying inside the wrecked machine.
"Nice to meet you too, asshole. I'm Hyoudou Issei, and I ask of you, what the fuck is your problem?" asked Issei as he pulled back his smoking fist. "Geez, foreigners these days really lack manners…." While Issei was waiting for a reply, he stared at his left hand. "Wow, I didn't mean to hit him that hard, though…" thought Issei as he moved his fingers.
[Of course you are, partner. With your newly acquired devil body, your strength also enhanced further several times than a human. That was a good punch, by the way] commented Ddraig.
"Sweet", thought Issei as he returned his gaze at the fallen angel before him. It has been quite a while since Issei had punched him, but there were still no reaction whatsoever. "Uh… Did I kill him?"
[Beats me. I only could say that you hit him pretty good]
"Oh, man…. I know it's a self-defence, but I still hope I won't be charged for murder…"
"Ise! Are you alright?" a female voice came from the sky.
(End of Flashback)
"That's pretty much what happened…" said Issei explaining.
Rias's eyes widened slightly and she took another look at the body of the fallen angel. "It is only his first day being a devil, yet he defeated a fallen angel in one hit? Interesting…" thought Rias as a smile grew on her face. "Well? How is he now?" asked Rias returning her gaze to Issei.
"Err… Let me take a look", replied Issei as he approached the fallen angel's body. "Um... Hello?" said Issei as he noticed the blood trickling from the face that was covered by the fedora. As he removed the fedora carefully, Issei's eyes widened to see that the fallen angel's face was completely bashed in. Not to mention, the fallen angel did not seem to be breathing, anymore. Not while his face from nose-upwards were completely mushed. "Oh, shit…" thought Issei as he swallowed a lump, then he put the fedora back to cover the destroyed face.
"Um… Ojou-sama…? I… think he's dead…", said Issei with a slight remorse. Sure all he did was defending himself, but he could not help but felt guilty when he ended up killing someone when he did not mean it.
"What!?" At Issei's answer, Rias quickly ran to his side to check on the fallen angel by herself. After she examined the fallen angel's condition, she let out a deep sigh as she rubbed her forehead. "Ise…" said Rias with displeased tone.
"Yes, ojou-sama?" replied Issei with worried tone.
"I'm going to report this to the higher-ups. But considering that you are newly reincarnated and the fact that all you did was an act of self-defence, I suppose you can be pardoned just this once", said Rias with a stern tone. Issei let out a sigh of relief when he heard that he has a chance to slip away.
"But remember, Ise", Issei tensed again at Rias' voice. "You can't just killing off fallen angels or members from other faction from trivial matters. All of three factions are still doing their best to keep the cease-fire going and we can't afford to have another war. If you ever encountered angels or fallen ones, be sure to retreat first to me before taking further action, do you understand me?" asked Rias staring right into Issei's eyes.
"A war? Oh, she did mention me earlier about three-way war from thousand years ago…." Thought Issei as he closed his eyes. "Yes, I understand. I'm sorry for the trouble, ojou-sama", said Issei apologizing as he bowed his head.
"It's fine, as long as you understand. Now let's go back. Akeno is probably worrying in the clubroom", said Rias as her expression softened, then she prepared a teleportation circle. Issei only nodded as he stepped into the circle together with Rias, then the two disappear in the red crimson light.
X
(Time-skip, few days later, Occult Research Club room, evening)
"I've received the reply from the higher-ups regarding what you've done on the other day…" said Rias as she sat on her desk, Issei was sitting in front of her at the middle of the room, surrounded again by the rest of the peerage. Issei only swallow a lump as he sweating, waiting for the result.
Rias closed her eyes, let out a breath and she opened her eyes again. "Consider yourself fortunate, Ise. The higher-ups of underworld and Grigori have acknowledged your act of self-defence, but they will have to take a drastic measure if something like this ever happened again. Do you understand what I'm saying?" ended Rias with a stern tone.
"Yes, buchou. It won't happen again", replied Issei as he let out a relief breath. The atmosphere also lightened up immediately after. Issei truly relieved after spending days with fear of being put on trial. When he heard that he was pardoned, he was way beyond relieved. Like hell he is going to spend his life in jail!
"It's good to hear, isn't it, Ise-kun? You don't have to go to the court… Although I'd like to see your display of strength the other night…" commented Akeno as she smiled pleasantly with a hand on her cheek.
"Well… I won't say that I'm proud with what I did back there, Himejima-senpai…" replied Issei as he rubbed the back of his head with a bitter smile.
"Fufufu… Forget the formalities and you can just call me Akeno, or onee-sama, Ise-kun…"
"Well… Akeno-san, then"
Akeno only smiled in content with Issei's current nickname for her.
"Well, you only protected yourself for all I know, Issei-kun. There's nothing to be ashamed of for trying to survive", said Yuuto tapping Issei's shoulder.
"Thanks, Kiba"
"I heard you killed him with one punch. Your strength is impressive, Issei-senpai", said Koneko with a monotone.
"Like I said, Koneko-chan. I'm not really proud for what I did…"
"Sorry", Koneko apologised as Issei only smiled and waved his hand slightly in respond.
Rias only leaned back as she relieved that her servant was let go of the hook. However, she was suspicious on the part of the reply from the higher-ups. The leader from Grigori, while he understood Issei's action, he also mentioned that he never recall having assigned fallen angels into Gremory territory. And in addition, although it is not that uncommon for one or two fallen angels to be sighted within devil territory, but according to Issei's testimony, the way fallen angel Dohnaseek approached him, was more like he was patrolling the nearby area, otherwise the fallen angel would have likely to leave Issei alone. Rias put a note in her mind to look more into the matter when she had time. But as for now…
"Alright, now with all said and done…" said Rias clapping her hands. "Ise, I think you are ready for your real job as a devil. What do you say?" her question resulted Issei to look at Rias attentively.
(Scene break)
"But I'd like to ask you something, buchou…" asked Issei as Rias had explained Issei's devil job for tonight. Apparently Koneko was double-booked so Issei had to take care her client for tonight. Rias raised her eyebrows at the question, hinting Issei to continue. "What's in it for me in the end if I fulfilled their wishes, but I simply gain 'contracts'?"
Rias placed her fist vertically on her palm as she remembered something. "Right, I haven't explained the details to you before. By gaining contracts with humans and other clients, you can raise your ranks from low-class into ultimate-class devils, and once your rank is high enough, you will be given a title and your own set of evil pieces, allowing you to make your own peerage and pick your own servants", Rias explained to Issei.
"I see… I guess since I'm a devil now, I might as well going to raise my rank… Wait, is everyone here still a low-class devil?" asked Issei as he scanned everyone else in the clubroom.
"Yes, everyone here, except for buchou are still low-class devils, Ise-kun. But with certain achievements, we can raise our ranks sooner or later", replied Akeno as she looked like she was doing some sort of magic ritual.
"There are three ways to raise your ranks, Ise…" said Rias as she pointed at a white board that came out of nowhere, a pyramid graphic with devil hierarchy was shown on the board. "Right now, you are a low-class devil. In order to raise your rank into at least a middle-class devil, you can do either a military accomplishments, which is the fastest way, but also the most difficult one because not only the danger it represents, we are currently on the cease-fire with our potential enemies so a war situation will be unlikely. The second one is through contracting, which is the easiest, but with the longest route, since rank promotion through contract points are more like a tradition. The third and the latest method is through rating games, but I'll explain rating games to you later. Do you understand so far, Ise?"
Issei only silent while holding thinking posture, but then he looked up. "Yeah, I guess what I can do for now is making contracts as much as possible, isn't it?" Rias only nodded in content. "But…. Rating games and… military accomplishments, huh…." Thought Issei considering the other two methods, but he dismissed them. He can worry about those methods later.
"Alright, Ise-kun. Everything is set", said Akeno as she had finished preparing the teleportation portal.
"Remember Ise, you need to grant the client's wish to have the contract. And those contracts you have acquired can help you to raise your ranks among devils. Understood?" said Rias sending Issei off.
"Got it!" replied Issei as he stepped into the magic circle. "Well, then. I'm off!". However, when the magic circle's light starting to envelope Issei's figure…
BOOM!
The spot where Issei stood suddenly exploded, sending dust around. After the view had been cleared, Issei was found with his clothes slightly burnt, but the boy himself was still fine overall. "Err… What's happening?" asked Issei looking around.
At this sight, Rias only sighed and Akeno giggled to herself. "Ara, ara… It seems that Ise-kun's magical reserves were… inadequate, causing malfunction during teleportation…" said Akeno with her smile still plastered on her face.
"Teleportation is one of the most basic magic for devils, Ise… Even a 5 year-old devil can do that. This means that your magical reserves are very low…" said Rias in disappointed tone.
"I'm sorry, buchou…." Replied Issei disappointed to himself. Kiba only smiled sheepishly while Koneko only shook her head with closed eyes.
"Well, in that case. You have to reach your client without teleportation. Now go! Don't you dare make your client waiting!" commanded Rias.
Issei sighed a bit bit he complied nonetheless. "As you command, buchou!" Issei walked to the window and he leapt into the night sky right after he opened it. Akeno, Yuuto and Koneko quickly looked outside the window to see Issei who was already running and jumping from roof to roof.
"Wow, that's quite agility skills he has there… Don't you think so, everyone?" asked Yuuto as he commenting Issei's display of parkour skills.
"Fufufu… I agree, Yuuto-kun. We have ourselves one interesting devil junior, don't we?" replied Akeno addressing the rest of the members. Koneko only nodding in agreement as she stared at Issei's direction, while Rias only smiled in content as she sipped her tea.
Meanwhile, Issei was jumping towards another building as a realization dawned on him. "Dammit, this sucks! Not being able to do what a 5 year-old devil can do..." thought Issei grimacing.
[No need to feel bad about it, partner. There are many of my previous hosts who also suck at magic. Besides, you've made up your lack in magic with you physical abilities. Just be glad for now] said Ddraig trying to cheer Issei up.
"Well, if you say so..." thought Issei before he recalled something.
"Wait a minute, don't I have wings since I'm a devil now?" Issei let out his bat-wings as he landed on the building's roof and he starting to run towards the edge. "What for do I have wings if it's not for this situation!?" exclaimed Issei as he jumped towards the sky and started moving his wings. At first, he managed to stay afloat in mid-air. "Yes! Now, how do I make myself to move forward?" Issei tried to jerked his body forward and moved his wings more. However, instead of moving forward, Issei ended up diving straight into the ground. "Wh-wh-wh-wh-! WHOOAAA!"
CRASH! BRUAGH!
Issei crash-landed into a local dumpster. "Ouch….." grunted Issei as he rubbed his sore spots. "Okay, flying is not as easy as I thought".
[Of course not, partner. Devils, even birds still need to learn how to fly. Just because you have wings now doesn't mean you can freely move in the air right off the bat]
"Is that also applied to you dragons as well?"
[Well…. I don't really remember myself, but… I guess yeah, pretty much]
X
Issei straightened himself up and he resumed his high-speed free-running. Few minutes later, Issei found himself standing in front of an apartment room. "Morisawa….. Alright, here's my first client" thought Issei then he knocked on the door.
"Who's there?" asked a voice from beyond the door.
"Um… I'm the devil you've summoned from Gremory clan"
The door opened slightly revealing a man with a long hair and glasses. The man identified as Morisawa eyed over Issei for a while, then he slam the door shut on the latter's face. Such actions resulting a vein-mark popped up on Issei's forehead. Issei knocked the door again, this time louder.
"Hey! What the hell was that for!?" asked Issei banging the door again while trying to remain reasonable.
"Go away! I'm asking for Koneko-chan! Besides, what kind of devil would come from the door!?" replied Morisawa from beyond the door.
"Well too bad, pal! Koneko-chan is currently busy, so I have to take her place and you just have to suck it up and deal with me for now! And besides, I just became a devil a couple of days ago, I still don't know any jack-shits about devilhood!" replied Issei as he kept banging the door.
The door opened slightly once again, revealing Morisawa with his calculating eyes once again, then he opened it wide enough for a person to come in.
"Hmm…. Show me that you are indeed a real deal first", asked Morisawa with sceptical tone.
Issei simply snorted and unravelled his wings. After a moment of stare-down, Morisawa let out a sigh as he made a way.
"Fine, I guess you'll do. Come in", said Morisawa motioning Issei to follow. Issei did not say anything in return and simply walked in.
Once they were inside, Issei scanned around the room. For all he could see, everything in Morisawa's room were all anime and manga goods, from comic books, DVD, games, cosplay etc. "Wow, this guy is a hard-core otaku…" mused Issei in his mind as he recognised several collections. Then Issei decided to start a topic, "Okay…. I might be inexperienced and all, but first, may I know what is your wish that you considered only fit for Koneko-chan?"
On Issei's question, Morisawa only ran through his wardrobe and pulled out a set of girl's school-uniform. After eyeing the uniform for a moment, Issei's eyes widened in realization. "Is that…?" asked Issei trailing off as he pointed at the said uniform. "Okay, now I get why you asked for Koneko-chan to come…" said Issei as he crossed his arms and nodded in understanding.
"Do you know what this is?" asked Morisawa grinning.
"Of course I do! I've watched the entire season! Although…. The twists are kind of mind-fucking for me…" replied Issei as he kept staring at the school-uniform which belongs to Nagato Yuuki from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya franchise. "Well, I assume that you want to have pictures of Koneko-chan in that uniform?"
"Not only that, actually. I want her to carry me in her arms while she's wearing this outfit!" replied Morisawa with dreamy expression as he imagined himself being carried princess-style by Koneko cosplaying as Nagato Yuuki.
Issei only sweat-dropped while picturing such an image. "I see… You really like Yuuki-chan, don't you?"
"Yep, sure I do, err…. Sorry, I haven't gotten your name", asked Morisawa right after he answering Issei's question.
"Oh, nice to meet you, Morisawa-san. I'm Hyoudou Issei, at your service", said Issei giving a brief nod.
"Yeah, nice to meet 'cha too. By the way, Issei… Which character do you like from Haruhi series?" asked Morisawa.
Issei hold his chin and closed his eyes thinking for a moment. "Hmm… Either Asakura or Haruhi herself… They both are kind of interesting bunch…"
"Hoo… I thought you're more into Asahina Mikuru…" replied Morisawa nodding in understanding.
"Well, I won't say I dislike Mikuru-chan, but…"
The rest of the session went by with Issei and Morisawa talking about various topics regarding anime and manga. Issei also had helped Morisawa completing some of his games as well. The former did not manage to make a contract with the latter, but the latter still saying thanks as the session had finished. When Issei was about to make his way back to the clubroom, his cell-phone rang. Issei did not recognise the number that called him, but he still answered the call to hear a familiar voice from the other side.
"Hello, Ise-kun?"
"Akeno-san?" asked Issei recognizing the voice.
"Ara, it's good I can call you like this. I was trying to contact you via magic link, but since you still can't handle your magical power so I resorted to call you like this", said Akeno in slightly relieved tone.
"Sorry again about my lack of magic, Akeno-san… By the way, how did you get my number?"
"Fufufu, we have our ways, Ise-kun… Anyway, you probably tired from your job, but can you go to the address that I'll send to you now, Ise-kun? All of us are already on our way and we'll explain the rest once you meet us. Is it alright with you?"
"…. Yes, I'm fine with it. I'll see you and the others later, Akeno-san", said Issei as he cut the line. Then right after that, he received the text message with the appointed address Akeno asked him to go. "Okay… It's not that far from here…." Then Issei jumped off towards his destination.
X
Upon landing on the destination, which was an old, abandoned factory, Issei let out his wings to stop him mid-air right before touching the ground, softening his landing. Once he got on his feet, his eyes were met with the rest members of the Occult Research Club. Rias was the one who greeted him first. "Good work for tonight, Ise. And sorry for the sudden call…"
"It's alright, ojou-sama. I am after all your servant…" replied Issei with a playful bow. Rias, Akeno and Yuuto only giggled at Issei's reply while Koneko remained impassive as always. "So, what are we doing here?" Issei asked as he approached his comrades.
"We received an order from our superior in the underworld, Ise-kun… Apparently a stray-devil was reported settling in this area. We are sent here to hunt it down", replied Akeno.
"Stray-devil?" asked Issei on a new term for him.
"That's right, Ise. Stray-devils are basically devils who previously served an upper-class devils, but they betrayed them and decided to act independently. Our stray-devil here has taken residence in Gremory territory and has been feeding on humans for past few days. That stray must be stopped at once before more victims may fallen!" said Rias after she explained Issei about stray-devils.
"Alright, then. I guess I have to do my best on this one, eh?" said Issei smacking his right palm with his left fist. The boy was quite excited for being in this stray-devil hunt for the first time.
"Calm down, Ise. This time I only want you to observe our fight. I still need to explain to you about evil pieces system. So stand down for now, understand?" said Rias. The crimson-haired girl honestly would like to see Issei's ability up-close, but she changed her mind and thought that she can see them another time. For now, teaching Issei about evil pieces traits is more important for her.
Issei slumped his shoulder, slightly disappointed that he will not do anything for the upcoming battle, but he complied nonetheless. "Understood, ojou-sama…" but Issei still remained vigilant and clenched his fist, ready to summon his boosted gear if anything showed up.
When the group entered the building, the first sight they saw was a vast, old room with red traces and broken equipment and furniture, hinting as if someone or something had made quite a ruckus before. Koneko, who was in front of the group, stopped on her tracks and her eyes cringed slightly. "I smell blood".
At Koneko's statement, everyone else tensed. While Issei could not smell blood specifically, he also smelled something akin to a rotten flesh far within the dark parts of the area. The smell was very strong considering how wide the area affected by the odour, but Issei managed to supress his feeling of disgust. His instinct also alerted him of a presence of someone, or rather, something waiting in front of the group. Right on cue, a deranged voice echoed the area.
"I smell something gross, but I also smell something delicious too… I wonder if it will taste sweet, or bitter…?"
The owner of the voice was revealed as a young woman with long black hair and voluptuous figure emerging from the darkness. At this sight, Issei raised his eyebrows and could not help but whistled. "Is it just me, or all supernatural beings I've encountered were all beautiful women?" Issei remarked then he glanced over the only male member of the group. "Save for you, of course".
Yuuto only glanced a bit on Issei then he focused his attention again towards the stranger in front of him. The other women were also more focused on the newcomer than Issei's comment. "Stray devil Viser… For your crime against your master and your other atrocities, we will eliminate you in the name of Gremory!" exclaimed Rias challenging the woman who was identified as the stray-devil Viser.
Viser's expression turned demonic as she growled out, "YOU CUNNING LITTLE GIRL! I'LL RIP YOUR BODY APART AND COLOUR IT AS RED AS YOUR HAIR!" then she showed her true form as the rest of her body emerged from shadows. Her lower body was gigantic and beastly with four legs, each having sharp claws, and a snake as a tail. Her overall appearance was reminiscent to that of a centaur.
Seeing her true form, Issei only gulped as his eyes slightly widened, and if he really scared or disgusted by the sight before him, he did not show it at all. "Okay… Scratch that. This one is just plain sick…" thought Issei and he turned his head towards his master. "Um… Ojou-sama, are you sure you want me to stay out of this?"
Rias only nodded as she smiled in confidence. "Yes, no need to worry Ise. My intention from the start is to teach you about the other's traits."
"Traits?"
"Yes, Ise. Do you know game of chess?"
"Uh… Yeah, I never played it before, but I know the basic rules. It's a board game with king, queen, bishops, knights, rooks and pawns, isn't it?"
Rias nodded. "Exactly. And the evil pieces I used to turn you into a devil are based from that particular game"
"I see… Are the others also reincarnated by evil pieces as well, ojou-sama?" asked Issei pointing at the rest of the members who had taken their fighting positions.
"Yes, they are. First, Yuuto who is my 'knight'", said Rias looking at Yuuto who was holding a sword out of nowhere. When the stray-devil used one of her limbs to attack the said knight, Yuuto suddenly disappeared from sight, and when he appeared again, he already moved passed Viser's body that had her attacking limbs being cut cleaned by Yuuto's sword.
"He's fast!" said Issei commenting Yuuto's speed. Albeit barely due to surprise, Issei still managed to see Yuuto manuvered passed Viser's attacking limb and cut through it with his sword. "Hmm… I need to work on my senses a bit more, later…"
"Ara, so you can see him moved? Not bad… And yes, the knight piece inside Yuuto gives him an enhanced speed and agility. However, his defences are low, so Yuuto can't afford to receive a direct-hit to his body…" said Rias slightly impressed on Issei's keen eyes.
"AAARGGH! YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" Viser's scream of pain echoed as she cursed Yuuto, but her eyes fell upon Koneko, who was standing closest to her. The stray-devil decided to strike her closest enemy. Viser swung her snake-tail towards the white-haired girl and the tail made a violent contact with Koneko's petite body, pushing her right to the wall. The impact made a dent on the wall very hard that it was sure can cause at least few fractures.
Before Issei decided to leap to action to assist Koneko, Rias stopped him. "That kind of attack won't work on Koneko". Right on cue, Koneko grabbed Viser's tail and Koneko moved to throw the stray-devil's body.
"Fly", said Koneko as she toss Viser's giant body into the air. Issei's eyes widened at the spectacle.
"Wow… I thought a super strong loli only exists in anime…" said Issei commenting.
Rias only chuckled at Issei's comment as she explained further, "Yes. Koneko is my 'rook'. And rook's traits are enhanced strength and defence". Then the two spectators saw Koneko leapt to the air and gave a drop-kick on Viser's head, forcing the giant monster to dive straight to the ground. The ground let out a loud booming noise as the Viser made contact with the ground. "Although… Koneko is much slower than Yuuto…" at Rias' comment, Issei only nodded in agreement. He will not call Koneko slow, but he can see Koneko's movement much clearer than when he saw Yuuto's movement. "So… Koneko is like a tank, ojou-sama?"
"Yes… Yes, Ise. Like a tank", replied Rias at Issei's analogy. As the stray-devil tried to regain her footing, Akeno soared above her with a sweet expression on her face, too sweet, in fact. "And lastly, Akeno, my 'queen'" said Rias gesturing Akeno who was still soaring in the air.
"Alright, then… What should I do with you~?" said Akeno smiling with a slight blush adorning her face. Issei suddenly felt chills when he caught on Akeno's smile. Then Issei noticed there was a lightning crackling around Akeno's fingers. All of sudden, a magic circle appeared above Viser and a thunder struck down on the stray-devil's body. The said stray-devil let out screeching painful scream as the shock burned her body from the inside.
"As a 'queen', Akeno received all traits of 'knight', 'rook' and 'bishop' into one. Making her the strongest piece in my peerage. However, Akeno's fighting style is more accustomed to the use of thunder magic", Rias explained as she stared at her queen's handiwork.
When the lightning dissipated, Viser's body had numerous burns on it, but she still tried to move despite all the trembling from the strike. Akeno brought her hand over her face as she licked her lips. "Ara, ara… So you still have some more in you? Then how about I give you more?" said Akeno in sensual tone as she sent another lightning to strike the already wounded Viser. As Viser's scream of pain echoed across the area once again, Akeno quickly sent another lightning strike as soon as the previous lightning dissipated. "Come on! Scream for me! Cry more! I know you can hold on longer than that!" Akeno said with expression full of extacy.
"Oh, I forgot to mention this about Akeno…. She's an ultimate sadist", said Rias adding the information. Issei only swallowed a lump once again as a cold-sweat rolled on his face. The boy made a mental note not to mess with the sadistic queen in future. "Oh, but don't worry Ise. Akeno is gentle towards her comrades". At Rias statement, Issei only nodded with a hum as he thought that the last fact did not really help his case. But while he was still watching the torture display, Issei remembered about one thing.
"Then ojou-sama, what about 'bishop'? What are the traits? And I guess you don't see your bishop around…" asked Issei as he looked again at his master.
"I do have another bishop, but he's currently pre-occupied with another task, so I didn't bring him with me. And as for bishop's trait, bishops have enhanced magical abilities, giving them more magical reserves and power to conjure up variety of spells".
Issei nodding as he wrote it down in his mental note. "Speed, strength, magic, and all in one, eh? This evil piece system is quite neat, I guess…" thought Issei. Suddenly, at the corner of his eyes, Issei saw one of Viser's giant limbs that Yuuto cut earlier crawled on its own closer to their location, more specifically to Rias. As the torn limb shot out from the ground to sink its claws towards his master, Issei quickly shoved Rias lightly, "Look out!" and spun around and back-handed with his right fist the attacking limb and the result was, the limb was completely splattered across the ground at the direction his hand moved. "Ojou-sama, are you hurt?" asked Issei to make sure that his master was unharmed.
Rias flinched for a moment as she blinked. While she was quite impressed at Issei's display of strength, she also cursed herself inwardly for not being able to see the surprise attack came at her. But Rias quickly snapped out of her thoughts as she addressed Issei, "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you, Ise".
Ise only nodded and he took a look at his hand that did the job earlier. "Hmm…. Still need few more re-adjustments…" Issei thought and he proceed himself to ask more questions to Rias. "Then, what about you, ojou-sama? May I know your special traits as the 'king'?"
Rias averted her attention back to Issei again, "Well, the 'king' pieces don't have any special traits, being a 'king' only gives me privilege and authority to command my peerage as well to allow a 'pawn' to promote in the battlefield".
Before Issei could have asked more, he realised that the screaming was no longer heard. As Issei and Rias focused on the battlefield again, they found Akeno had descended to the ground. The stray-devil, who was now surrounded by the rest of the peerage, only lay on the ground and could only twitched to move. It seemed that the stray could not even scream anymore after Akeno's electrical torture. "It's all yours, buchou", said Akeno as she made a path for Rias to come through.
Rias stared down at Viser who was powerless. "Any last words?" asked Rias as a mass of red-black substance swirled on her hand.
"Just… Kill me….." said Viser in resignation.
Rias did not say anymore as she shot a stream of the red-black mass towards Viser's body, annihilated the stray-devil without any trace. Issei could only awed by such display of power. "Rias Gremory is also known as 'The Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess' in the underworld thanks to her power of destruction. You better be careful around her, Issei-kun…" said Yuuto whispering with slight teasing tone. Issei himself only nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Wait a second, ojou-sama…" said Issei as he remembered something else. "What piece did you use on me?" as Issei asked the question, he formulated a guess in his head, "I bet on a rook"
[Then I'll bet on a pawn] Ddraig replied mentally. Little did Issei know Ddraig was snickering a bit when he mentioned his thought.
"Oh, right… Your position in my peerage is…. A pawn", replied Rias smiling.
"Excuse me?" asked Issei afraid that he was not hearing things.
"You are my 'pawn', Ise. And I've used all my eight pawn pieces, not to mention all of them mutated when I reincarnated you into a devil"
Issei only remained silent on Rias' answer. "Okay… So I'm simply the expendable one, hurray…". When he noticed Ddraig was snickering inside him, Issei clicked his tongue inwardly. Of course the dragon had known from the start. "But wait, 'mutated'? All eight? Ugh, whatever… Pawn is still pawn…" thought Issei who was intrigued by the terms Rias mentioned, but he shrugged it off. "I see. Is there anything I got from pawn piece other than being expendable?" asked Issei slightly sarcastic.
Rias seemed apologetic for a moment, "Don't be like that, Ise… By being a pawn, you have the most potential of all. I'll ask this since you said that you know basic rules of chess. What do you do with your pawns that managed to reach the enemy's base in the game?"
Issei remained silent again for few seconds. Then his eyes widened and he place his fist on his palm with 'ooo' sound from his lips.
"Exactly", said Rias nodding before continuing, "During the battle takes place, you can promote yourself into any piece beside the 'king' when you reached the enemy territory. You can also promote yourself when I give you the permission to do so. And also, Ise… Remember, the amount of pawn pieces I used on you also determined your worth. In evil pieces system, queen piece worth nine pawns, a rook worth five pawns, both a bishop and a knight worth three pawns each. And you took all eight of them. You yourself worth all eight pawn pieces, which means you at least have a very big potential".
Hearing that far of explanation, Issei decided to bite a bit more. "Then you mentioned about 'mutated' earlier. What does that mean?"
"There are cases when some individuals require more than one evil piece to be reincarnated, thus mutation piece was invented. One mutation piece can worth several pieces, and the mutation can either be queen, bishop, knight, rook or even pawn. And in your case again, Ise… You didn't only take all eight pawn pieces, but you turned all of them into mutation pawns. It only means that you're that powerful. Do you understand this far?" Rias asked after explaining about mutation pieces.
"Well, since I'm the host of a heavenly dragon, I guess that explains my worth…" thought Issei considering his circumstances.
[No need to feel bad, partner. I dare to say that you yourself are the one that causing them to be mutations, or it could be the other way around] Ddraig commented in Issei's mind.
Issei did not comment back at Ddraig as he simply closed his eyes. "Yes, ojou-sama", then Issei replied in content smile. "One last thing, though…" said Issei as he raised a finger. "You said that the evil pieces reincarnated a person into a devil. Ojou-sama, are you reincarnated too?"
At this question, everyone sighed and Rias rubbed her forehead. They remembered that Issei did not manage to receive all information that Rias gave him during his introduction. "Ise", said Rias with displeased tone. "Stay in the clubroom for a while later. This time, I'll make sure that I hammered everything into your brain once I explained everything that I told you the other day".
At Rias' command, Issei only paled and he bow his head in resignation, receiving his friend's giggles. "Yes, ojou-sama…" the night will be a long one for Issei.
X
Issei woke up in the early morning in his room after only sleeping for a few hours. That night after the stray-devil hunting, Rias really made Issei stayed in the clubroom and they reviewed again about three factions, their current relationships, devil's hierarchy etc. The boy yawned and he put his hand to turn off his ringing alarm clock. He honestly prefer to go back to sleep, but the hunting last night made him decided to suck it up and carry on with his usual morning regiment. After Issei prepared himself for training and stepped out from his house, he was greeted by Rias who was standing in front of the gate.
"Good morning, Ise", Rias greeted her newest pawn.
"Ah, good morning, ojou-sama. What brings you here?" asked Issei bowing.
"I just want to check on my newest recruit. I know that you're strong from last night, but I still need to make sure that my pawn is keeping himself in shape. Are you alright with it, Ise?" asked Rias in slight begging. After the last night hunt, the heiress wishes to know more about her newest pawn.
Issei thought for a moment, then he replied, "Of course it's alright, ojou-sama… Actually, I have a favour to ask". Such sentence made Rias to raise her eyebrows in curiosity.
(Scene break)
"So you've been doing this since you're ten?" asked Rias with slight suprise, the girl was sitting on the boulder that was tied on Issei's back.
"Yeah, and I plan to step it up when I became a devil", replied Issei between his huffs. Currently Issei was running on the streets with a steady pace and a giant boulder attached on his back and Rias was sitting on the said boulder. During the days when Issei stayed 'low' after his fiasco with fallen angel Dohnaseek, Issei realised that his old training had been to easy for his now enhanced devil body. So for the past few days, the boy had doubled up his training regimen into 100 times push-ups, sit-ups and squats, and also he increased his running distance into 10 km. However, although it did work a good sweat a bit, Issei still felt that he need to do more, but if he increased his training, he might ended up not having enough time to go to school. Thus when Rias came to check up on him, Issei came with an idea asking her to use magic to summon a large boulder, so Issei can still balancing his training and time.
"I see… So you really planned to look for your father once you finished high-school?" asked Rias after she had listened to Issei's story and the reason behind his muscle training.
"Well, that's what I intended to do when I was still a human. But with my current state, I guess I need your permission to do so, don't I?" said Issei looking up at where Rias sat on.
Rias putting her hand under her chin. "Well…. Depends on your performance and accomplishments, I'll consider it." replied Rias playfully. "Besides, I still need to speak to you about your contract last night…" said Rias as her tone shifted slightly.
Issei only sighed a bit on his master's reply and he sped-up his running. However, Issei looked up at Rias again and he asked, "Um... Ojou-sama, can I ask you a question?"
Rias raised another eyebrow at Issei's words, hinting him to continue. "Do devils have a method to prevent hair-falls?"
At this question, Rias only tilted her head slightly and Ddraig groaned within Issei's mind. [Really? Now?]
"Hush"
"Well... I won't say there's none, but it's not like devils can loose their hair easily... Why is it?" answered Rias with questioning tone at the same time.
"No, nothing, ojou-sama. Just asking", replied Issei as he continued to finish his running. It will not be too good if his neighbours woke up and see his current situation. It will be too much pain to explain. Once they reached Issei's house, Rias stepped down, dismissing the boulder she summoned earlier, and right on time when Issei's mother came out from the house to welcome them.
"Welcome back, Ise…" Haruka welcomed her son and her eyes laid upon Rias. "Oh my, good morning Rias-san… Are you here to pick-up my son?" said Haruka smiling towards Rias.
"Good morning, Mrs. Hyoudou… I just passed-by around here and I decided to make a quick visit, that's all", replied Rias smiling back.
"I see… Then would you care to join us for breakfast? We always appreciate more company" asked Haruka gesturing Rias to come in.
"Much appreciated, ma'am. But I need to head to school now to take care of few things. Is it alright if I join you for some other time?" replied Rias refusing politely.
"Too bad, then… Well, you're always welcome to join us for food! Take care, Rias-san!" said Haruka joyfully.
Rias bowed a bit, "Thank you very much, ma'am. I'll take my leave now. I'll see you after school, Ise", said Rias parting with the Hyoudous.
"Yes, I'll see you later. Have a safe trip, ojou-sama", replied Issei nodding. The mother and son stared at Rias' retreating figure for a while.
As soon as Rias had disappeared from sight, Haruka grinned as she turned her gaze to her son with teasing eyes. "Ojou-sama, eh?" asked Haruka playfully.
Urk.
Issei groaned inwardly on his mother's remark. For him, all these 'ojou-sama' thingy were actually due to him being carried away when he learned about his master-servant relationship with Rias. Although he had prepared himself to act properly if he and his other devil comrades were to deal with other devils in devil society, having someone teasing about his way addressing his master still irks him. "Mom… It's just an… agreement between us. I ended up joining her group, after all…" said Issei exasperatedly.
"Whatever you say, sweetie… Ah, it's so good to be young…." replied Haruka as she decided not to indulge too deep. She went inside the house and her son followed-suit.
(Scene break)
Issei was heading towards his school and knowing that he was still a bit early, Issei decided to take a detour on the nearby park. The boy walked across the park as he enjoyed the morning breeze. Suddenly he heard a girl's cry nearby.
"HAWAAH!" BRUGH!
When Issei turned his head towards the source of the noise, he saw a girl, dress in dark-teal nun outfit with light blue accents, with white veil and blue accents covering her head, was lying face-down with her buttocks sticking up, making her posture kind of funny. Seeing there was nobody around to help, Issei took the initiative to approach the girl and bend his body a bit.
"Err… Are you okay, there?" asked Issei awkwardly.
The girl lifted her face up and she rubbed her sore spot. "Uuh… Yes, I'm fine. Auu… Why do I always trip over nothing?" said the girl with slight whining.
"Can you stand?" asked Issei offering his hand.
The girl was hesitant at first but she took his hand. "Yes, I can. Thank you very much…" replied the girl with gratitude. When the girl was standing up, a strong breeze suddenly blew on their direction, causing the white veil on her head to fly away by the wind-current.
At that moment, for few seconds, Issei got a clear view on the nun's appearance. The said nun is a girl around 15-16 years of age with long blonde hair and green eyes. Her hair flows all the way down to her back, with split bangs over her forehead and a single strand sticking out from the top, sloping backwards. At this spectacle, Issei can only describe one thing. "How pretty…" Snapping out from his reverie, Issei quickly caught the veil before it flew too far, and he handed it towards the nun. "Here you go" he said with a smile.
"Ah! Um, thank you again, very much", the girl said as she quickly turned her head to see her suitcase was opened from her fall before, sprawling all the contents on the ground. The nun whimpered a bit before she quickly gathered her belongings.
Issei initiatively kneeled down to help gathering the nun's belongings and his hand grabbed a particular object, which was a pair of white panties. Issei could not help but to dumb-founded at such a sight, but before long, the nun squealed panicly and she quickly snatched her panties back from Issei. The latter snapped out of his thought again and he quickly apologised, "Ah! Sor-sorry! I didn't mean anything about it!" Issei said rubbing his head looking at the ground.
"No, I'm sorry. I just showed you the shameful side of me…" replied the girl clutching her panties, apologizing back.
Issei could only smile sheepishly at the girl's innocence. Then he decided to change the topic. "Well, err… Are you travelling? A vacation, perhaps?"
The girl shook her head a bit as she straightened up. "No, I'm a nun who was transferred to the church in this town… But I'm currently lost. I've tried to ask few people around but my Japanese is not that good…" replied the girl looking down shamefully.
Issei sweat-dropped a bit. "Well, her Japanese sounds fluent enough for me…" thought Issei to himself as he listened to the girl.
[It's because the language ability of devils, partner. While you're being a devil, you will hear all kinds of people speaking your language while your words will sounds like their language to the others. It's another thing of devil's quirks] said Ddraig explaining inside Issei's mind.
"Awesome", commented Issei grinning inwardly from Ddraig's explanation. With this ability, Issei was sure that he will not face any language barriers once he set a journey around the world for his father. Issei looked at the clock on his cell-phone, "Hmm… I still have some time left before the class starts… Then…" Issei thought then he looked at the nun before him again. "The church, huh… There's indeed one in this town. And it's not actually far from here. Do you want me to show you the way there?" said Issei getting back on the topic.
At Issei's offer, the nun's eyes brightened-up at the boy. "I-if you don't mind, then please do! Oh, thank God I'm blessed with such a kind person when I'm facing trouble!" replied the girl beaming as she clasped her hands together in prayer. Then she turned her attention back to Issei. "Oh, um… My name is Asia Argento. Pleased to meet you!" said the girl known as Asia bowing politely.
Issei who was slightly amused by the girl's attitude quickly replied back, "Oh, my name is Hyoudou Issei at your service", said Issei bowing as well while at the same time, he thought it was kind of ironic for him, a devil to 'offer his service' towards a nun. "Well then, Asia-san. Shall we go now?" asked Issei as he turned his back. Asia only nodded as she walked following the boy.
Before they could have walked far enough, another cry was heard. This time, the cry was coming from a grade-schooler boy who had an injury on his knee. Before Issei knew it, he saw Asia suddenly ran approaching the crying kid and kneeled in front of him, bringing her eyes on the kid's level. Asia put on a sincere smile as she patted the kid's head gently, "Shh… Shh…. It's okay. A boy like you shouldn't cry on a little scratch like this…" said Asia comforting the kid. The kid did not understand what Asia was saying, but the kid reluctantly stopped crying as he let Asia put her hand on his injury. When Issei approached them, he saw Asia put her hand on the kid's injured spot and the devil saw a silver ring with blue-green gem manifested on the nun's middle-finger and a green light shone from it.
Issei's eyes widened at the sight where the injury started to disappear as the green light shone upon it. "Magic? Healing magic?"
[No, partner. It's a sacred gear. And a rare one, that is] said Ddraig commenting.
Issei did not comment back as he kept starring at the green light emitted from Asia's ring. "Beautiful…" was what Issei thought as he starred at the green light. When Issei starred at the green light, he felt the warmth emitting from the light, making him feel peaceful for some reasons.
When the light disappeared, Issei was back to reality as he found that the kid's injury was completely healed. The kid's expression brightened up as he did not feel pain anymore, he smiled cheerfully and he thanked Asia before he ran towards his mother who was calling him. When the mother was told of what happened, the mother only looked back with slight fearful stares and she put on a strained smile before she quickly took her son elsewhere. The kid kept waving his hand while he cheerfully saying his thanks again. Issei only snorted at the mother's attitude then he noticed the hint of sadness behind Asia's smile as she waved back at the child. Issei put on another smile as he put his hand on Asia's shoulder. "You did well there. The kid's really grateful to you", said Issei trying to cheer Asia up. "It's a nice power you have there, by the way".
Asia only closed her eyes in content. "Yes, it's a wonderful gift from The Lord for me…" then she opened her eyes to look back at Issei. "Well, should we go now, Issei-san?"
Issei realised that his time was ticking away, then he nodded as he lead Asia the way toward the church. He sure hoped that he would still able to make it to the homeroom. After few walking distance, the two youngsters arrived at the church that seemed run-down. By the time Issei set his foot around the area, his instinct perked up and telling him to go away. Issei immediately knew that he literally just walked into an enemy territory. He remembered that he barely made it out of trouble after his last encounter with the male fallen angel, he sure as hell do not want to run into another one. If his master found out what he was doing now, she sure will not be happy about this. "Well, here you go, Asia-san. I take you can make it on your own from here?" asked Issei as he tried to get away as soon as possible.
"Yes, I can make it on my own from here. Please come in first, Issei-san. I'll pour some tea as my thanks", replied Asia smiling.
"No thanks, Asia-san… As much as I'd love to, I have to go to school on the double. I'll take up your offer some other time, okay?" replied Issei refusing politely.
"Oh… I see…. Then have a safe trip, Issei-san!" replied Asia in understanding.
"Yeah, you too take care", replied Issei waving his hand as he dashed off towards the direction of school. The first thing he hoped that neither Rias nor any of his friends from the peerage would find out about him hang out with a nun into enemy territory.