One-Punch DxD: NEO

Chapter 4:

The Occult Research Club stood before the Hyoudou Residence, leaning on nearby walls in wait.

A few minutes passed since Koneko's fight with the stray exorcist, and they waited for their host in the afternoon. Feeling the wind shifting, they suddenly heard a monstrous, familiar bark inside the domicile.

The members immediately tensed, all aware of what was barking inside. Each of them readied themselves, Yuuto almost taking out a sword while Akeno prepared to take flight in case it decided to burst out the building with exploding death spheres.

"Ah! Mr. Rover, please calm down! What is wrong?!"

The voice of a young girl was suddenly heard inside, pleading for the monster dog to calm down, followed by a more mature voice.

"Oh, it seems like we have guests. Can you and Rover wait here? I'll be right back."

Once the front door opened, revealing one Haruka Hyoudou, the group relaxed in relief that they would not face Rover the second time.

"Oh, it's you guys. Nice to see you all again." Haruka greeted them from the entrance. "What brings you all here?"

Rias immediately took the role of representative. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Hyoudou. I'm sorry for our sudden intrusion. We are actually waiting for your son."

"Oh? Do you have an appointment with Ise?" The matriarch asked.

"It's a sudden one, but yes." Rias shrugged with an apologetic smile. "If my guess is right, he should be arriving any minute now"

As if on cue, Yuuto noticed someone approaching. The group turned to the open street, seeing Issei 'landing', as if he had been flying, or had leapt pretty high in the ari; he was also sweating, as if he participated in an Olympic sprint towards them with a scowl on his face.

Akeno greeted him first, "My, my, ufufu. Good afternoon, Ise-kun. Did your trip go well?"

Rias flashed a knowing smile, while Yuuto and Koneko were busy holding back any laughter from escaping their mouths. In return, Issei only deepened his scowl as he approached them, panting slightly from his desperate sprint from the crime scene.

Sweat caked his skin as leaves entangled into his hair. His appearance spoke volumes of his tribulations achieving his escape from the law.

"Shut it. I know you're all devils, but ditching me there is just not cool. Not. Cool." Issei spoke the last part with emphasis. He was not happy.

"We all have the utmost faith that you can come home safely, Ise," Rias coyly replied. "But onto the more important matter, can we talk inside?"

Issei stared at every single devil in front of his home before he turned to glance at his mother who only shrugged at him while giving him a questioning look as well. A few seconds later, Issei sighed before he jerked his head to his house.

"Yeah, come on in."

Everyone then came inside the house with Haruka leading them. When they arrived in the living room, Haruka went to the kitchen to prepare the refreshments while Issei walked to the living area where Asia was sitting on the couch.

"I'm home, Asia." Issei greeted and smiled at his ward.

"Mr. Ise, welcome back." Asia returned the gesture in kind as Rover happily barked at Issei.

The devils were about to walk in, but they paused when they saw Rover perked up at their arrival from Asia's laps. Koneko in particular, almost jumped back as she narrowed her eyes at the dog.

"What's up, you all?" Issei wondered why his guests did not follow, then he realized what they were staring at. Letting out a breath, Issei then ushered Rover to get off Asia's laps. "Sorry, Rover. You need to wait in my room for a bit. Come on."

The dog seemed reluctant, but it complied nonetheless. As Issei and Rover walked past the devils, the latter had its attention at Koneko. The girl actually hissed at the dog as if she was a cat. Rover growled back at her in return.

"Come on, Rover. No attacking the nice girl." Issei chided his dog while throwing a brief apologetic look at Koneko and everyone else before he disappeared leading Rover upstairs.

Once the 'danger' was gone, the devils silently sighed in relief before they gave Asia their attention in the living room.

"Um Good afternoon." The nun sheepishly waved at the ORC.

The devils relaxed significantly at the former nun's timid greeting.

"Good afternoon, Asia. It's good to see you again." Rias smiled at her prospective new member. "I'm sorry for the fiasco back in the clubroom. I didn't expect Diodora Astaroth to pull a stunt like that."

"N-no, it's fine. It doesn't bother me that much." Asia waved her hands trying to play it off. Soon enough, Issei returned to the living room.

"Alright, since we're all here, let's continue where we left off."

"After we left you, in our defense." Rias corrected with a cheeky smirk.

Issei glowered at her, his lips frowning at its lowest. Rias and Akeno giggled in response to his expression.

"I let you know that I am still pissed about that," Issei mentioned. "But moving on. The psycho priest is someone I know. Actually, more like Azazel sent me a pic of the guy. I think his name is umm. ah! Free Seltzerwater!"

Issei blurted out something fantastically unexpected.

"...Who?" Rias blinked, as well as Yuuto and Akeno, hearing the name that sounded more like coming from a mineral water brand.

Koneko blandly stared at him for a moment in slight disbelief, before she corrected him in an equally bland tone. "...It's Freed Sellzen."

"Is it?" Issei blinked at Koneko before shrugging. "Well, I'm not good with names, so sorry. Anyways, it's the first time I met the guy. He is crazier than the envoy told me, to be honest." Issei said, trying to avoid blurting out that he forgot the envoy's name as well. "...Also, how are we doing this? We have a homicidal maniac dressed like a priest butchering my neighbors in the neighborhood. Do you guys cooperate with the cops for something like this?" Issei did not understand how the Devils dealt with the law, now that he thought about it.

"Cooperating with humans is not an uncommon practice, but that's not usually how we do things Well, this is actually the first time something like this to happen." Rias reasoned.

"What about those rejects you call 'Stray Devils'?" Issei asked, quirking a brow. "Aren't they just as murder-happy as Freed?"

"Do you honestly want us to throw a bunch of humans fighting monsters who take humans for its diet routine?" Rias asked back with a raised eyebrow.

"...Good point. But how do you handle witnesses? You mind-wipe them or something?"

Rias, Akeno, Yuuto, and Koneko did not answer. Instead, they simply turned their heads avoiding eye contact.

"...Wait, you actually can do that?" Issei slowly scooched away from the ORC out of caution for the safety of his memories.

"Relax, Ise. Memory-altering spell is not something as simple as pushing a remote control. Besides, allowing normal humans to be exposed to the supernatural is basically inviting chaos. How do you think your classmates will react should they find you have a dog that can destroy buildings like legos?"

"It is not that bad if you're curious. It can be resisted if your mind is strong enough." Yuuto added with a disarming smile.

Rias had a good point, but Issei wasn't sure about the information. But considering he still retained memories of Raynare and he had Ddraig to help him in case of memory loss. He doubted the magic can reach the mind of a dragon sealed inside an arm decoration.

"Alright I'll take your word for it. Moving on." Issei relaxed. "So what are you guys going to do about him? If this guy keeps butchering my neighbors, Azazel might have to send even more people to clean up this mess."

"I see where you're getting at. I honestly prefer not to have even more fallen angels intruding my territory, regardless of their purpose." Rias rubbed her chin before she blinked at one detail. "...Actually, do you still have the contacts with those fallen angels? The same envoys that delivered Azazel's message?"

"I do." Issei nodded in realization. "In fact, I can try calling Azazel again later."

The devils blinked when he mentioned the fallen archangel by name.

"...Wait, what?" Rias asked.

"Hm?" Issei blinked this time at his guests. "What?" He asked back.

The devils eyed Issei with confusion warping their faces.

"...You mentioned you can contact Azazel? The current leader of Watchers of Grigori? Or am I hearing things?" Akeno asked.

"Yeah? Why'd you ask?" Issei asked.

"...You hold the phone number of the most important member of Fallen Angel society. Do you know the significance of that meager connection alone, correct?" Rias asked.

"Err I guess? I mean, he gave us additional money to look after Asia here." Issei gestured at the aforementioned girl.

As if to make the situation more awkward, Haruka came in with a tray of snacks and drinks. "Here you go, children. Eat up." the woman placed the tray on the table. "...So, what is this about a priest murdering my neighbours?"

The devils looked alerted, completely forgetting the presence of Issei's mother in the room. However, what really caught them off guard was how nonchalant Haruka addressed something like murder.

"Um, Mrs. Hyoudou, I think you should go somewhere else? This is kind of not for you to hear." Rias tried to reason the housewife.

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"No, she needs to know." Surprisingly, Issei was the one who said that. "My mom is contracted to Tsubasa, remember? That makes her a potential target."

"Do you not feel concerned about involving your mother in such an nasty topic?" Akeno asked this time, her eyes narrowing slightly at Issei.

"You speak as if I can sway my mom to ignore the issue. But she isn't fragile, if that's what you're thinking. Like I said, we dealt with the supernatural before, you know?" Issei argued.

The girls wanted to argue back, but Haruka cut them off.

"I appreciate your concern, Ms. Rias, Ms. Akeno. But I'll be fine. Murderous priests aren't the only things I've encountered ever since I first met my husband, you know? How do you think I managed to bond with Rover?"

The devils could not muster a rebuke upon her mentioning that dog thing the family kept.

Rias sighed in the end. "I cannot deny that reasoning. We've strayed from the main topic long enough, however. For now, we'll have to stop answering summons if this Freed continues targeting our contractors. We also need to review whether our client list is leaked or not."

"Is there anyone that can leak your 'list' though?" Issei asked.

"Basically? It's anybody's guess." Rias replied with a helpless shrug. "We've made sure not to disclose any information of our other clients to anyone outside the club, so I practically have no idea how the clients were leaked. For all we know, Koneko's client from earlier just happened to do the summoning at the wrong time when the stray exorcist happened to be around."

"I see, so Koneko was just unlucky" Issei mused. "Anyway, so if you guys won't do your regular jobs until this Brick guy is caught-"

"...Freed." Koneko interrupted another of Issei's naming blunders.

"-Freed guy is caught, what are you gonna do at night?"

"Simple, we're going on a manhunt." Rias concluded. "However, can you cross-check with your fallen angel contacts whether our resident stray exorcist has really gone rogue without their authorization? It'll help smooth things over for us prosecuting him."

"Do you need help?" Issei asked.

"Obviously I will ask Sona for assistance. We'll patrol the neighborhood in timely rotations Do you want to help?" Rias asked while eyeing Issei.

"Well, considering this homicide is happening in my neighborhood, I can't exactly just sit around until this guy jumps on me, can I?" Issei shot back. "Oh, and by the way - yeah, I'll try to contact them again. Though I have a feeling that the fallen will let you jump on French."

"You mean Freed." Koneko corrected again.

"...Yes, Freed." Issei nodded as if he had not committed the mistake.

At this point everyone sans Haruka began to question Issei's ability to remember people's names. Then again, he remembered them just fine, so they refrained from calling him out.

"In that case, I think we're done here." Rias then prepared herself to leave as she took a quick sip of Haruka's drink out of courtesy. "Thank you again for the hospitality, Mrs. Hyoudou. I'm looking forward to my next visit."

Rias' peerage also smiled and nodded to Haruka, following their King; even Koneko had taken a handful of snacks for her to bring home.

"Feel free to come again!" Haruka waved as the devils teleported away from their house.

When the devils returned to their clubroom, however, Rias suddenly remembered something and slapped her forehead in exasperation, "Oh, dammit"

"What, what is it?" Akeno asked with a worried tone.

"I forgot to ask Asia about her exchange with Astaroth earlier." Rias replied with a sigh, going back to the Hyoudou Residence a second after they just left, only to ask that one question would feel too awkward for her.

Thus, Rias had to settle asking Asia for tomorrow.

It was later at night when Issei took Rover out for a walk as usual; taking different paths in the town, different neighborhoods, all while evading night patrols.

Currently, Issei was in the middle of the park with Rover taking nature's call on a nearby tree. While waiting for Rover to finish its business, Issei suddenly found his cell phone ringing. He looked at the caller ID which appeared to be an unfamiliar number. After contemplating for a few seconds, Issei pushed the reply button and pressed the gadget on his ear.

"Hello?"

[Ise?]

Issei blinked at the familiar voice coming from the other end of the line. "Azazel?"

[Ha, good to talk with you again, boy. How's life?]

"Is this your new number? You got yourself a new phone?" Issei glanced at the caller ID for a second.

[Pretty much. But anyway, I just want to give you a quick call about the devils that attacked your mom the other day. Do you remember?]

Issei's face darkened slightly as Rover had returned to his feet, its red eyes honing on his expression. "...What do you have?"

[Apparently, the devil was acting under the order of one Diodora Astaroth.]

Diodora Astaroth, Diodora Astaroth, Diodora Astaroth. Oh, that Dora Roth guy - Issei's mind finally clicked after he recalled the man who proposed to Asia earlier that day. "I knew something about him seemed off. So, what now? We gonna bag him?"

[I'm afraid it's not that simple, kid. A low-class devil's testimony isn't enough to incriminate a high-class devil like Diodora. The guy will simply disavow him and claim his innocence. If we want to charge him for breaking the cease-fire, we need more concrete evidence.]

Issei only hummed in disappointment, before he remembered another thing. "Oh, that's right, I almost forgot. Azazel, have you really given the retreat order to your subordinates in Kuoh?"

[Yeah, I have. Something wrong?]

"I met one of the guys you warned me before" Issei then re-tell his encounter with the stray exorcist that ambushed one of Rias Gremory's servants that day. "...So the devils are starting a man-hunt now. If you can give some sort of clearance, they won't need to hold back against him."

[Y'know, you don't really need my clearance or anything. If someone is messing in Gremory and Sitri's territory, they're free to do what they want with him in the name of self-defence. We are actually not in a peace treaty, more like a cold war. Small skirmishes happen everywhere all the time.]

Issei blinked at the explanation before his shoulder sagged, "...Huh, okay."

[...Yeah, that's all there is to it. Anything else I should know?]

"Yeah, apparently this Diodora dude you mentioned just came to school and proposed to Asia."

[...Huh. Really?]

Even through the phone, Issei could tell the look on Azazel's face at the moment. "Yeah, he suddenly just proposed like something out of a cheap Disney romance."

[That had to be a sight. But jokes aside, you should be careful of that Astaroth, Ise. There are some rumors running around him.]

"...What rumours?" Issei's eyebrows furrowed again.

[...That every member of his peerage was once a Holy Maiden like Asia.]

At the same time Issei heard that one particular information, he then heard Rover growling next to him; the dog's six eyes were honing at the darkness in the distance.

"...Thanks for the information, Azazel. I'll call you back." Issei then ended the call without listening to Azazel's reply. "Something there, Rover?" Issei asked his dog, knowing that Rover would not growl at just anything.

Issei then stared at the direction where Rover was growling at; despite the lighting provided in the park, there would still be some areas where the light did not reach, leaving a dark spot which could not be seen with naked eye. Not to mention, Issei could tell that he and Rover were not alone as he sensed the lamps around him were flickering, followed with a sensation of killing intent. The subtle shift in the air was enough to tell him that someone erected a barrier around his location.

"...Rover." A single command was enough for the dog to understand its master's intention. Rover then grew into the size of a lion, ready to intercept whoever assailant foolish enough to attack them. Of course, growing any bigger was out of question considering they were still too close to the suburbs.

Suddenly, Issei sensed another shift from his left flank. He ducked as something flew over his head, crashing over to his right as Issei threw a swift glance at the assailant.

The attacker was around his height, cloaked in a hooded black robe from head to toe. As for their face, Issei could only see from their nose to chin, the hood covering their eyes.

"Hey, there." Issei greeted. "You wanna talk or something?" Issei asked as he straightened back up. The assailant jumped and threw a roundhouse kick at him that he blocked with his left arm. The air cracked aloud when their leg struck his guard, the force heavy enough to snap a human's neck in half maybe.

"...Yeah, thought so." Issei knew talking wasn't an option, but he still had to try. His eyes turned serious as he grabbed their leg, pivoted around one full rotation and threw them at Rover.

"Rover, catch!" Issei shouted.

The black dog opened his mouth, ready to apprehend them between his large frame and teeth, until another assailant landed on Rover's head, snapping his mouth shut before catching their partner and then jumping back a few meters away.

"...Great, another one." Issei sighed as he manifested his gauntlet on his left arm.

The interloper wore the same attire as that of the first's. Rover growled at them, hissing steam as his mouth glowed.

"No, Rover. No atomic barks. Just try to catch them alive. Alive. And no eating." Issei warned as the interloper let down their partner.

The two pulled out a sword from within their cloak before entering a fighting stance with their blades prepped to swing. Rover growled at a lower humm as the glow in his mouth dimmed.

Issei entered his stance, one arm forward with the other pulled, shifting his right leg up a few inches.

No words need to be said. Everyone present knew what was to come.

As if by the drop of a hat, the Issei and Rover dashed the moment they did.

Rover leapt and caught the sword of one in his teeth while Issei caught the other's blade with his left, both pairs entering a deadlock.

However, another surge of killing intent flared from the side as a bolt of energy flew towards Issei, forcing him to push his foe away to twist his body around to evade the laser.

From a different direction, another bolt struck Rover's side, distracting the beast long enough for its adversary to wrench their blade out of its jaws and swing at him. However, neither blade nor projectile could pierce Rover's hide as the sword bounced off his fur, sowing confusion in the swordsman.

What the hell, there's more?! - Issei thought as he briskly scanned his surroundings.

Where did it come from? Was the attacker alone? However, neither Issei nor Rover had the luxury to contemplate as the previous two assailants returned to attack them.

Issei clicked his tongue as his opponent swung their sword down on his head. Issei blocked the sword with his gauntlet, but that one kept hacking down on his sacred gear, grinding vibrating sparks in their attempt to overpower him. On the assassin's fifth swing, Issei caught the handle of their blade with his right hand and closed in, concurrently pulling them down as he threw his knee into their gut.

Hearing the explosive ripple of his counter, he wrenched a gasping cough from the assailant along with all of their air with that attack. From that cough, he confirmed the assailant's gender as a girl. Why was a girl trying to kill him?

Without relent, as she stumbled back, Issei caught her hand while she was still off balance. Raising his elbow up, Issei yanked her by the hilt of her weapon as he zoomed in, striking her chest with the same elbow, feeling her ribcage fracturing.

"Ack!?" She coughed with great pain as the impact rattled her.

Her wind completely knocked out of her lungs, Issei struck her chin up with the same elbow as he turned around, both hands now holding her sword hand, and threw her over his shoulder while tearing her sword out of her hand.

With his stolen sword, Issei swung it at his right, deflecting another laser beam to the side.

"Not this time!" Issei shouted.

However, the other assassin managed to outmanoeuvre Rover, timing her momentum and Rover's speed to avoid a direct lunge from the black beast with a leap, stomping on his back, and jumping towards Issei's unprotected back.

However, just when Issei turned to intercept with his stolen blade, all of a sudden, a bench hurled towards the mid-air assassin. The second assassin barely reacted in time, transitioning her posture to slashing the flying projectile in two, but at the cost of her momentum. Landing back, the other retreat a few steps back to her partner, the latter coughing out her lungs with wheezing gasps.

Not only that, they suddenly saw numerous blades erupting from the ground. The assassin tried to help the partner, but the blades were approaching fast, forcing her to jump back and leave the other to the bite of the swords.

"Aaaaahhhhh!" She cried as the swords launched her in the air, tearing her cloak to reveal her delicate features.

Issei turned to see his apparent-saviours; a blonde young man and a petite girl with white hair running towards him. "Ise-kun!"

"Kiba? Koneko?" Issei blinked at his devil acquaintances. "How'd you two get here?"

Koneko remained silent as she simply stood beside him in her combat stance; albeit she stole a wary glance at Rover.

"Talk later, let's take care of them, shall we?" Yuuto smiled briefly before returning his attention at the two female assassins.

"It might be more than just two. They have back-up hiding around here." Issei warned, prompting Koneko to look around as well.

The remaining assassin regarded them for a moment and glanced at her partner, the latter's cloak shredded to reveal the wounded maiden beneath. The girl did not look like she could escape on her own, still wheezing, still having trouble breathing. With a click of a tongue, the assassin ran to her and carried her in her arms bridal style before retreating into the darkness behind.

"Ah, wait!" Yuuto shouted as he stepped forward to give chase, but he saw a brief flash of light before he completely lost the assassin's presence - they had escaped.

"...Crap." Issei clicked his tongue. They had escaped somehow Seriously, Issei made a mental note to give chase the next time he saw them.

As they were about to relax, Rover suddenly perked his head at the trees. Growling, he ran and lunged into the bushes before a female voice cried out along Rover's ferocious growl.

"...Double crap." Issei knew this might not be good, prompting him and the others to give chase.

When they arrived, however, they were greeted with some gruesome sight.

Rover was growling, catching his prey's arm between his teeth as he dragged her back to Issei, undisturbed by her magic-imbued fist pounding at his snout. Furthermore, the black dog then proceeded to yank his victim - left, right, up and down, even slamming her to the ground as if he was trying to tear her limb to limb, ignoring her desperate cry of pain in the process.

Yuuto and Koneko could not help but feel perturbed by the way Rover was dragging her to them; her clothes were torn, scratches and lacerations were littering her exposed skin, and Rover's teeth sinking into her right shoulder deep enough to draw a critical amount of blood from her. In short, she was in a critical state.

Koneko and Yuuto weren't sure whether to intervene or retort at the dog's dragging the girl to Issei. Rover violently pulled her to Issei's feet before he sat down, wagging his tail as if wanting praise from Issei.

"I said alive, damn it." Issei grumbled, but he lowered and pat Rover's head. "...At least you tried, anyways. Also, let her go. Yuuto, Koneko, this time let's not give her a chance to escape." Issei turned to the other two devils, who seemingly were snapped out of their stupor and immediately came to his side.

The dog barked and opened his mouth, releasing the girl, letting her fall down to clutch her shoulder wound.

Issei approached her to have a closer look at the captured assassin. The lighting was poor since it was night, dirt and blood adorned her features, but Issei could still make out some of her distinctive attributes.

She appeared to be in her late teens, possessing a long dark blue hair that reached to her back. Even covered in blood, Issei could more or less tell that she was good-looking. She was glaring back at him like a cornered animal, although she was barely keeping herself awake due to blood loss.

However, what caught him off-guard was her eyes. There was anger, sure, but it was more to fight off the pain as her eyes were mostly empty - filled with something akin to resignation as she had no will to live on.

"Er" Issei found himself unable to form any words due to the awkward atmosphere. In return, however, the girl simply hung her head down in submission, with her eyes gradually fluttering close.

"She's losing too much blood." Koneko grimaced.

"Your dog is very brutal." Yuuto commented.

"Bad dog." Koneko added.

Rover barked at them as if offended by their remarks.

"Piss-talking later. Let's get her to my house for now. Asia should be able to fix her up." Issei said as he proceeded to pick the assassin bridal-style after throwing his sword away.

oXo

"...Is it just me, or you are some kind of trouble magnet, Ise?"

Rias remarked as she and Akeno were inside the Hyoudou Residence, watching Issei carrying a badly-wounded girl in his arms, with Yuuto and Koneko behind him. Rover slipped through between Issei's legs and started paddling towards the kitchen as Rias and Akeno stared at the monster dog until it disappeared.

"Oh, shut up." Issei retorted while carrying the girl in his arms. "Just get Asia here. She is in critical blood loss and we need her alive."

Apparently, Asia decided to go downstairs when she heard the noise of Issei returning home. Her eyes widened at the sight of a bloodied woman in Issei's arms. "Oh, my gosh! What happened to her?!"

"Hey, Asia." Issei greeted his ward with an apologetic smile. "Sorry about this, but we need your help again." Issei said as she situated the assassin on the couch.

"Ah! Y-Yes!" Asia hurried to the girl and quickly started healing the girl of her injuries.

The healing process was going underway when Haruka came out from her room yawning.

"What's with the noise.?" She then paused upon arriving in the living room. "Oh, welcome home and who did you bring to my house this time?" Haruka asked, staring at the girl Asia was healing.

"Uh, you want the long or short version?" Issei asked.

Haruka regarded Asia's patient, whose wounds were slowly healing, for another second before she sighed, "To be honest, I want neither, it's too late for this crap. Is she gonna be fine, though?"

Everyone then turned to Asia, who was still focusing on her handiwork. "...Her wounds are deep, but this is not something I haven't dealt with before. She will be fine, I'll make sure of it."

Issei had to be honest, Asia looked hot for a second when she said those words with the determined look on her face.

Haruka hummed while nodding before she turned around to return to bed. "Just be sure not to cause much commotion. Sorry, children, but I'd like to retire for the night." She nodded at Rias and her peerage before she vanished upstairs towards her bedroom.

Now the matriarch of the house had retired, everyone returned their attention on the current matter at hand. "...So, mind telling us what actually happened?" Rias asked Issei.

Issei did not waste time and recounted his story, from the moment he arrived at the park while taking Rover for a walk, to receiving a call from Azazel who had permitted Freed's prosecution, the attack, and to the fight until Yuuto and Koneko came to the rescue.

"Come to think of it, what were you two doing there? How did you find me?" Issei asked the two devils in question.

"We were patrolling while searching for our resident stray exorcist when we came across a weak bounded field - not too strong to attract attention, but enough to ward off passers-by. We went to investigate and we saw you and your dog fighting off those assailants." Yuuto explained.

"...You fought well." Koneko commented, which prompted Issei to blink at the unexpected praise.

"...Huh. Thanks." He was kinda holding back though. He did not know how to manage his full strength just yet.

"It's good to see you unharmed, Ise. Holding your ground that long against an ambush like that spoke more of your strength. It makes me want to recruit you even more." Rias smiled knowingly.

"I'm flattered, but my answer is still no." Issei replied with his own smile.

"Eh, worth a shot." Rias shrugged. She then noticed that the woman under Asia's care was mostly healed, at least visually speaking. "How's the patient, Asia?"

Asia let out a breath as she finally deactivated her Twilight Healing. "She will be fine, but she still lost a lot of blood, so I don't think she will wake up for a while."

"Thank you for your hard work, Asia. We'll take it from here." Rias smiled and patted Asia's back in a friendly manner, before she nodded to her Queen. "...Akeno."

"I understand." The said Queen replied with her signature smile as she proceeded to conjure several magic circles around the patient's frame.

When Issei pointed at the magical display, Rias automatically replied, "...Just a binding to prevent her from escaping. Don't worry, we won't hurt her more than necessary." She then nodded and announced to everyone in the house.

"In conclusion to the incident, we will bring her into the Underworld for questioning. My brother would handle this matter since this occurred in our territory, nonetheless." Rias explained to Issei.

"Is that really, okay? I mean, in a hindsight, this is my problem since they're targeting me." Issei asked.

"You're not incorrect, but at the same time, they also intruded into our territory without permission. Of course we have to interfere as well, especially since she is a Devil." Rias argued back. "Just let us handle this, Ise. We will keep you updated since you're the victim for tonight."

Issei wanted to argue, but not only did tonight's events left him a little winded, it would also be foolish to refuse Rias' assistance.

"...Okay, then."

"Good." Rias nodded pleasantly. When she nodded at her peerage, they congregated around her with the prisoner in tow. "I apologize for the trouble my kind has plagued you. May we see each other tomorrow, Issei."

Thus the night ended with the devils teleporting themselves away.

It was during the next day; Asia asked Issei if they could leave for school early so she could visit the Occult Research Club before class starts. Currently, they sat on one of the couches in the Occult Research Club room with everyone else around.

"I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly yesterday." Asia began with an apology as she recalled the events with Diodora. "I was supposed to chat with you, yet"

"Please, it's okay, Asia." Rias held up her hand placatingly. "Your reaction yesterday was completely natural. It'd be unfair to blame you for something beyond my bounds. I myself had been a poor host for not stepping in. Although, yesterday's conversation left me curious. May I ask how you know the young lord Astaroth?"

Asia looked uncomfortable for a second, but after glancing at Issei who nodded at her, she calmed herself and told Rias the story about her past - particularly on how her encounter with Diodora Astaroth led to her excommunication.

By the time Asia had finished her story, the room's atmosphere grew somber with eyes of sympathy given to Asia - Yuuto, however, had a semblance of anger mixed in his eyes.

"To think the church exiled you for something like that..." Rias commented disdainfully at the idea.

"Yeah, about that. Gotta ask you something," Issei quipped. "Is it normal for devils to loiter around Churches? Where they're deathly allergic to anything Biblical?"

Rias blinked at the question. "Well No, obviously, but. Wait."

She actually caught what Issei was insinuating.

"Yeah, the devil that Asia ran into; does anyone know what he was doing back there?" Issei asked.

That question made the devils hold a thoughtful look as they pondered. "...It's not a common practice, but some high-class devils are assigned to spy on the church and the fallen angels. There's a possibility that Diodora Astaroth was performing reconnaissance."

"Okay, so that's a thing." Issei nodded. "But there's one thing that I need to share with you guys."

After Issei told them about the rumours revolving around Diodora Astaroth, Yuuto was the first to speak up.

"It sounds suspicious when you think about it. His peerage consisted of former nuns and holy maidens; he got ambushed during a recon mission and was rescued by Asia, the holy maiden at that time. Then later he wanted to recruit her, not long after her excommunication. Everything sounds too convenient."

Everyone looked grim, especially Asia who looked even more anxious than ever. Issei grasped her shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze in a show of support. Knowing that the conversation had become too gloom, Rias spoke up.

"Interesting idea as it is, but the evidence and speculations we have are still circumstantial. What we have isn't nearly enough to confirm, or expose, Diodora's agenda. Even the rumours you heard might still be mere rumours in the end. Let's not jump into conclusions for now."

"...By the way, I never learned about what Diodora talked about with you the other day." Issei quipped.

"He basically informed us about his wanting a temporary stay in Kuoh to scout potential peerage members. Yesterday he reported to us in person to avoid misconceptions." Rias replied. "...Though it seems he already found the candidate he desired." She glanced at Asia.

"...What about the woman you brought in last night? Any news from her yet?" Issei asked.

"As for her, she is still unconscious, though her condition is stable. She should wake up in another day or two." Rias replied, before she frowned slightly. "...However, through facial recognition, the database stated that she is one of Diodora Astaroth's Bishops."

Issei blinked at the information. "...Funny, because the fallen angels learned that the devils that ambushed Asia and my mom were under Diodora's payroll as well."

This time, it was the ORC members who blinked at the little detail.

"...Does this mean that Diodora is willing to disregard any moralities as long as he can obtain Asia as his new member?" Akeno deduced.

"Even if it does, we don't have enough proof to expose him. Even if our reports go through the higher-ups, the worst Diodora will receive is a slap on the wrist, nothing that can stop him in the long run."

The room went silent as they pondered what could be done. The silence lasted for a few minutes until Rias spoke up, "There is one solution I can find"

Issei and Asia perked up, "...Which is?"

"Just a disclaimer first; this is an idea I strung up from the gutter If Asia were to be reincarnated as a member of my peerage, I can ward off any move or advances Diodora throws at you."

What came out from Rias caused Issei and Asia to pause on their seats, the prospect of induction weighing their minds.

"I agree." It was Yuuto who spoke up next. "Not that we want to force you or anything, but the Gremory family treats their servants as one of their own. You won't be mistreated. All of us in this room can vouch for that." Akeno and Koneko nodded in agreement.

The two humans were conflicted; on one hand, Rias' idea had merit. Looking at Akeno, Yuuto and Koneko, their condition and astounding mental health spoke volumes of her views and morality. On the other hand, devil reincarnation was a one-way trip without exception.

Asia was not sure if she was ready to throw her old life away. She knew enough what entailed of being a devil to what she believed in.

"Rias-senpai, that suggestion is nearly crossing the line," Issei commented with a slight sharp in his tone, though he sighed before turning to Asia. "...But what do you think, Asia?"

"M-me?" The nun in question did not expect the sudden curve-ball.

"Yeah, Diodora is targeting you, so it's up to you how we approach this. Rias has a point; if you become a member of her peerage, Diodora can't touch you. If not" Issei nodded towards Rias. "...Whatever your decision is, I'll be with you all the way."

Asia looked at Issei, then she looked around the devils in the room, all of whom nodded at her with encouragement. She looked down with contemplative expression for a minute before she looked up again.

"I'm Sorry, but I don't think I'm ready to throw my human life yet. I know this is all for my sake, but-"

"It's okay, Asia." Rias interrupted. "It is also unfair from our part to force a decision upon you. You deserve to choose under no pressure. Reincarnation as my servant will simply be our final resort. Is that alright?"

"That's the best arrangement we can get as any. Right, Asia?" Issei commented with an easy smile, which Asia nodded in agreement.

Rias then glanced at the clock. "We should go back to class, it's almost time for the first bell to ring."

The rest then stood up, preparing for school. Rias gave Asia one last smile as they headed out. "I'll see you later, Asia. Will you come and visit again sometime?"

Asia's response was a bright smile and a resounding 'yes'.

Daylight reached its peak when Freed Sellzen took his break from his 'work'. Most people were out of their homes doing whatever the fuck they usually did to earn some cash, or maybe food. Those heretics only did their real stuff around late afternoon until midnight, when he was ready to roll again.

He was lounging inside the house of his last prey; those muppets of police officers did not bother to double-check the building they scoured, only settling to cordoning the crime scene with yellow tapes after gathering whatever leads and evidences they found inside the house, allowing Freed to sneak in and loot whatever that was still of value.

He just managed to find some fruits and snacks that were barely edible from the fridge, and he had to settle with tap water. He was lucky that the government had not cut off the water supply since the original owner of the house was already dead.

Before he could have indulged himself, however, Freed paused as he sensed something approaching. From the darker parts of the house where the sun did not reach, a man suddenly appeared.

"How do you do?"

Freed immediately knew that the man was a devil. Seriously, as much as he loved to butcher more of those things, he just wanted a small break in peace at the moment. "...The fuck you want?"

The stranger simply kept his damn smile on his face as he let out a giggle - his smile and laughs sound as fake as fuck. "Be at ease, sir. I simply heard from a little bird about a priest who has been executing heretics in this neighborhood, thus I am curious."

Freed raised an eyebrow at the reasoning. "...Yeah? Now that you see me, would you mind to fuck off? I'm beat and want to take a nap after this crappy lunch."

"Feisty, aren't we? But I'm afraid I need this conversation."

Freed then suddenly felt several more presences in the room, surrounding him. Looking around, Freed raised an eyebrow upon seeing cloaked figures, each wearing a sword around their waists.

"...Ooookay, so this is happening. We're gonna dance or you here for something else?"

"It would be the latter." The stranger stepped forward, allowing Freed to get a better look at him - a man with a dopey expression whose fake smile on a full view impressed even Freed. "Allow me to introduce myself first, my name is Diodora Astaroth. Am I speaking to Freed Sellzen?"

"Looks like you did your homework, Diodora." Freed snarked back, yet he knew better than fighting while being winded and outnumbered. "So again, the fuck do you want with me?"

"Straight to the point; can't say I hate that." Diodora nodded. "Very well, what would you say if I'm willing to reward you handsomely for assaulting a certain exiled nun?"

Sorry for the rather short chapter, folks. But hey, next chapter is on the way! XD