"I see. So, you must be the boss of the dungeon, huh?" He said, his hand gripping tightly at the iron sword as he stood up and readied himself. "Come at me then!"
And it did. The Goblin Chieftain raised its staff, summoning not one, not two, but six fireballs. Issei tightened his grip on the iron sword before dashing forward with a burst of speed, weaving between the blazing orbs as the goblin boss flung it at him. Each fireball exploded with a deafening roar, scorching the ground where he had been just a millisecond ago, but Issei had no trouble keeping his balance. His Dex had risen significantly with each level up, allowing him to maneuver easily in the chaotic surroundings with extreme speed and agility.
As he closed the distance, the phantoms rushed at him on the command of their summoner. Issei swung his sword at the closest target, and despite feeling like he had just slashed through nothing but air, the phantom disappeared. Not stopping to celebrate or check if he had gained any exp from it, Issei ducked under a sweeping attack from another phantom then twirled his body around to slash upward, cleaving through another before punching another phantom with his metal gauntlet.
Parrying the claw of another shadow, Issei used its own momentum against it, slashing his sword across its neck. The shadow dispersed, but another immediately appeared behind it and flew at Issei, who used Boosted Gear to block its attack before slashing his sword at it, eliminating another shadow from the battle.
"Raghhh!" The Goblin Chieftain let out a roar and pointed his staff at Issei. Responding to the act as if it was a command, the phantoms flew in a circle around Issei, their dark forms seemingly merging together to become a dark tornado, causing Issei to stop. Then, from every direction they attacked him, forcing Issei to use both his sword and gauntlet to block their attacks, all the while ducking and jumping from side to side to avoid the lightning bolts and columns of fire that came at him from above and below.
'How do I get... out of this?' Issei thought as he blocked another claw coming at him. While he had no trouble sensing and reacting to the attacks, he knew sooner or later if he let this keep up one of the shadows would get him, if the Goblin Chieftain itself didn't blow him up first. To make matters even worse, small chips had begun to appear on his sword. Since the sword was just a cheap item from the shop, Issei had no doubt that it had durability, and the weapon itself was not that reliable.
But he still had Boosted Gear... A Sacred Gear.
Momentarily opening his character tab, Issei accessed the info window of his Sacred Gear – which was a permanently equipped item on his left arm, and checked if he had gained any additional abilities with the level 2 version of it. To his surprise, alongside the ability to double his power every 10 seconds, which Issei had learnt a few days back, it now had an ability called Transfer. It allowed him to transfer the increased power to other people or items, increasing their capabilities. However, in order to be able to use it, he would need 20 INT, which he was just 2 short.
Issei thought briefly about transferring the boosted power into his sword, but increasing its cutting power would not help him with the current situation.
Or he could...
"Allocate 2 points into Intelligence!" With an idea coming to mind, Issei shouted as he blocked another claws, giving the voice command to the System after seeing that he had some additional bonus stat points that he was rewarded for leveling up. "Alright Boosted Gear, show me what you got!"
[Boost!] The gauntlet announced as he called for its power. At the same time, Issei put his other hand out and channeled his magic through it, recalling the lesson Rias had taught him while trying to help him use a teleportation magic circle. Obviously, it had ended in failure because he supposedly had less demonic energy than a devil child.
But not anymore.
A feeling surged through his body, and a large, soft ball sized orb of demonic power materialized in front of him. "Take this!" Without wasting even another second, Issei used the second ability of Boosted Gear as he punched the magic orb with it, transferring the empowered energy into the orb and launching it at the Goblin Chieftain.
The result was devastating. The orb of demonic power exploded into a beam of red energy, generating a shockwave powerful enough to cause the shadows flying around to disperse. The beam itself caused the ground to shake as it tore through the air, heading straight toward the Goblin Chieftain, who immediately ducked out the way. The blast continued forward, destroying an entire block of buildings on its path, turning them into rubble and debris.
"Got you!" Issei shouted as he descended upon the Goblin Chieftain, striking his staff with a downward swing. The monster tried to block it, but the impact shattered the staff, sending splinters flying in all directions. The Goblin Chieftain let out a guttural roar, stumbling back in shock, but Issei seized the opportunity, following up with a flurry of attacks. The sword seemed to deal very little damage to the monster. The Goblin Chieftain seemed to have no problem defending itself with its bare hands or cast magic without its staff, but Issei kept pushing forward and kept on slashing, knowing that he had to keep the pressure on or he would be in another dangerous situation again.
[Boost!]
As the Goblin summoned a blast of fire from its palm to knock Issei back, the monster waved its other hand around and made an aura form around its body. Issei ran at the goblin and struck the monster with his sword, but the blade was immediately knocked back and shattered upon impact. The monster let out an evil laugh and roared at him, preparing to launch another attack at Issei that both of them knew he wouldn't be able to dodge, but he cut it off with a straight punch to the face, breaking through its strange defense with an empowering punch using Boosted Gear.
The blow sent the Goblin Chieftain flying back, crashing into the remnants of a building with a thunderous crash. Issei immediately dashed forward, charging forward with his sword raised. Dazed and injured, the monsters attempted to summon another army of shadows, but Issei was already upon it.
[Boost!]
"This ends here!" Issei shouted as he transferred the doubled power into his broken sword, causing it to glow red as he brought it down upon the Goblin Chieftain with a powerful, downward strike. The monster let out one final, agonized roar before collapsing to the ground, its body disintegrating into particles of light. Issei stood over the spot where the Goblin Chieftain had fallen, panting heavily before finally letting out a sigh in relief as he dropped the sword and fell on his butt.
[!] Notice – [You have defeated the Goblin Chieftain – The Dark Spellcaster]
[!] Notice – Level up!
[!] Notice – Level up!
[!] Notice – Level up!
New skill unlocked: Deadly Aura Lv. 1
[!] Notice – Level up!
"I did it..." Issei muttered to himself before falling onto his back, throwing both hands over his head as he let out a triumphant cheer "YEAH! I DID...!"
Before Issei could finish, the world around him was enveloped in darkness, though not because he passed out or anything like that, but because of a black colored object that suddenly materialized from thin air and fell down to land on his face, covering his eyes in the process. Reaching his hand up, Issei grabbed the object and pulled it off of him as he sat up, seeing that the item in his hand was a black hooded jacket, with zipper running down the front and epaulets on both shoulders.
[Item: Abyssal Cloak]
Rarity: B
Category: Armor
DEF: +14 [2x Scale on Level]
Vitality: +20
Description: A piece of armor gained from defeating the Goblin Chieftain – The Dark Spellcaster. It provides a significant boost to the wearer's natural defenses, making them more resilient in battle.
[Passive] Endurance: Increases the wearer's endurance, reducing damage taken from physical attacks. The wearer takes 56% reduced damage from blunt, stab, and slash attacks.
It provides no protection from magic attacks or energy infused attacks.
[Can be dyed]
"Woah..." Issei murmured as he looked at the item in his hand. No wonder why his sword seemingly did no damage to the Goblin Chieftain, Issei thought to himself. It also explained why his punches with Boosted Gear worked, because it was empowered by his own demonic power. He had been fairly lucky there.
Still, an armor with stat scaled on level was immensely good. Issei didn't need his experience in playing RPG to know that he had just gotten his hand on an item that he could use for a long time. The passive would help him a great deal at dealing with blunt, stab, and slash attacks, but it seemed he had to be mindful about magic attacks and energy infused attacks, as they would still do full damage on him and that would hurt.
With a grin, Issei threw the jacket over his shoulders and put it on, sliding his arms into the sleeves as he fastened it in place, already feeling stronger, and a little cooler as well. Glancing at his Boosted Gear and then at the sleeve, Issei rubbed his chin as he recalled the last information he had read "Hmm... maybe it would look even cooler if it matched my gauntlet."
Issei mused and nodded to himself a decisive nod as he pulled up the System shop, having noticed that dyes of various colors were consumable items that he could buy from level 1. Ignoring his increased funds, which he probably got for defeating the Goblin Chieftains, and the new items that were now available to him, Issei found what he was looking for, a bottle of red dye that would make his new jacket match that for his Sacred Gear.
Paying 1 Gold for it, Issei watched in satisfaction and amazement as the item materialized in his inventory before ending up in his hand as he took it out. No matter how many times he had done it, the excitement that he felt the first time he discovered each function of the System was exactly the same.
"So uh... how do I do this?" Issei asked himself as he looked between the dye and his jacket, realizing that there was no manual. Taking a wild guess as he shook the bottle a little to see that the red dye inside was actual liquid, Issei opened the lid and poured the substance onto his left sleeve. To his surprise and satisfaction, the color spread from the spot to the entire jacket, shifting its color fully black to red in less than two seconds. "Cool!"
With that, Issei then noticed the buildings he had demolished with that powerful beam attack of his began to slowly reconstruct itself. The damage he and the goblins had wrought across the park gradually vanished. The familiar sounds of the town began to reemerge, signaling the conclusion of the fight and the end of the dungeon, returning him to the real world. His new jacket, however, continued to remain, its fabric floating fluttering gently in the cool night breeze. The armor looked no different
Riiiinnnnggg!
Issei almost jumped when he heard the ringtone of his phone and felt it vibrating in his pocket. Taking it out, Issei looked at the screen and saw that it was Rias who was calling him. It was then that Issei saw the clock, and immediately found himself widening his eyes in shock when he saw the time, realizing that it had only been less than a minute since he entered the dungeons. The Pawn knew for sure he had been in there a whole lot longer than that.
"Yes, Buchou." Deciding to put more thought into it later, Issei finally answered the call from Rias, wondering what was the reason for her call.
"Ah, Issei. Are you free tonight?" He heard Rias speaking to him from the other side of the call. After he had given the confirmation, she continued "So basically, our devil business has a new client who just moves into town and is looking for someone to help them with housework. Normally, I will send Kiba, but he's busy with a client of his at the moment so I am thinking about sending you instead. I believe you can do just as well as he can... if you are up for it, that is."
"Oh, of course, Buchou. Can you send me the address?" Issei smiled. Of course he was up for it. He needed to work hard to climb up the rank and became a harem king, after all. Not to mention that his first client was the literal Hulk dressed in a pink magical girl, who, after he failed to fulfill his request of granting him actual magical powers, forced Issei to watch his favorite magic girl series with him. To say Issei was looking forward to his next client and wishing desperately for them to be at least someone normal would be an understatement.
Checking the address Rias had sent him, Issei brought out his bike, which was conveniently stored in his inventory, and drove to the location. Issei wondered if he had large enough of a reserve now to use teleportation magic, and decided to ask Rias to let him try it later.
Arriving at his destination, Issei found himself standing in front of a modern, stylish house. The building exuded a contemporary charm with its sleek design, combining dark, clean lines with warm wooden accents. Each unit featured large windows and spacious balconies, one of which even had a large swimming pool. Whoever lived here had to be quite wealthy, which Issei took as a promising sign.
However, Issei could have sworn that the building hadn't been there the day before. He and his friends had been around this area just a few days ago, and they definitely would have noticed if a place like this had been just right around the corner.
Shrugging off the feeling, Issei pulled his bike into the driveway, leaving it there to walk towards the entrance. Pressing the doorbell, he waited, and a few moments later, the door swung open.
"Good evening, I..."
But the word ended up dying in his throat as Issei found himself looking at a massive cleavage as he came face to face with a stunningly gorgeous woman dressed in a silken white robe, which was fasted at her small waist but left open at her shoulders to expose a ridiculous amount of her huge, firm breasts, each one easily as large as his head. Her hair flowed down her back in long, voluminous waves, bouncing above the small of her back like a waterfall of platinum gold. Her creamy white skin seemed to shine with a light of its own in the night, and her blue eyes sparkled with playful curiosity and mischief as she looked at him.
It was quite clear that she noticed where his eyes had landed.
"Ah, excuse me." Instantly snapping himself out of it, an act that seemed to surprise her and even himself, Issei turned his gaze back to her to continue his introduction. "I am Issei Hyoudou, and I am your devil contractor. Please to meet you." He said, before extending his hand forward. The woman looked at it for a second, as if she wasn't used to the gesture, but smiled in the end and extended her own hand out to take his, shaking hand with Issei.
"You can call me April." The woman introduced herself, making him figure that she's probably a foreigner who just moved into town "I have to admit... I wasn't expecting my devil contractor to be such a strapping young man, since I was told that the devils in this town were all high school students."
"Ah... thank you!" Issei smiled awkwardly as he took his hand back. And it was then that he realized he was taller. April looked to be around 176 centimeters, but Issei was as tall as she was, even though he was only 170 centimeters a couple of days ago. In addition, his chest was also broader, and his arms were more muscular. Issei wondered which stats directly affected his physique, Strength, Vitality or Charisma, because as hardcore as he had been working out for those nightmarish daily and recurring quests, there's no way that he could get that bigger in such a short time.
"Anyway, come on in. I can't have you stand there all night now, can I?" April asked, before she stepped out of the way to let Issei walk into her home while looking around and marveling at the lavish interior of the place. "Color me interested, but isn't your leaflet supposed to work as a summoning spell that you guys can use to teleport straight into my home?"
"You're not wrong, but... uh, I couldn't use it. I didn't have enough magic to do so..." Great first impression, Issei thought to himself. He finally got a normal client, and an incredibly hot one at that, yet one of the first things about himself that he told her was that he wasn't competent enough to use a simple teleportation spell.
Fortunately for him, April didn't look like she thought much of it.
"Well, your master texted me earlier and informed me you're a newborn devil. Obviously, that means you have room to grow, am I right?" April asked, and Issei couldn't help but nod his head in response.
"So, how may I help you tonight, April-san?" Issei then asked.
"Well, you can start with vacuuming the hallway." The blonde haired woman said as she walked into the living room and threw herself onto the couch "I have maids at home to help me with these things, but I didn't bring any of them with me. And to be honest with you, I wouldn't bother myself with doing my own laundry, so there are works for you to do all around the house... help me take care of it, and I promise I will pay you handsomely for your effort."
She finished with a wink, making Issei grin brightly in response.
"Great. Do you mind if I start right away?"
"Go ahead. The vacuum is in the closet under the staircase."
With that, Issei headed towards the closet as directed and brought out the vacuum. As he set out to work, vacuuming the hallway despite the fact that it seemed to be sparkly clean, he glanced at April and saw her sprawling out on the couch, feet dangling in the air as she lay there on her front, with the stick of a lollipop sticking out at the corner of her lips. The flat screen TV across from her was turned on to a fashion channel, but her attention was on the screen of her phone. Issei swallowed hard as he gazed at the salacious curves of her backside, and admired the way that her breasts seemed to pillow out under her as her arms pushed them together. The likes of Rias Gremory and Akeno Himejima were clearly no match to this woman.
"So, April-san, what brought you to Kuoh, and Japan in general?" Issei asked, trying to strike a conversation with her to break the silence, and also distract himself. "Where are you from?"
"Greece. I'm here on business." The blonde answered without taking her eyes off her phone, and Issei took that as a signal for him to turn back and focus on his current task.
Time to earn his paycheck, or whatever that was that April intended to pay him with.
It was the afternoon after school, three days later, that Issei decided to go home early to train. As much as he wanted to have a go at another Instant Dungeon, which provided a perfect opportunity for him to grind for levels and hone his combat skills against actual enemies, Lady Luck had not been on his side recently. He found no keys in the random loot boxes he picked as rewards from daily and recurring quests. The dummy in his backyard and the martial arts guidebooks he had bought from the local bookstore simply weren't working that well for him.
When Issei took a left turn at a crossroad, a white veil suddenly flew into his face. Pulling the piece of cloth off, Issei then saw a girl running towards him while pulling a luggage that was even larger than her with her legs shaking a little due to the weight of it, looking to be around the same age as he was with long blonde hair and green eyes. Her hair flowed all the way down her back, with split bangs over her forehead and a single strand sticking out from the top, sloping backwards. Her attire consisted of a dark teal nun outfit with light blue accents, a brown satchel slung around her hip, and brown boots with black straps in an X-shaped pattern. She also wore a silver cross necklace around her neck, which sent a shiver down his spine when he looked at it.
"My veil!" the girl cried out in Italian and stopped right in front of him, panting hard.
"Here you go, sister." Issei said as he handed the girl back her veil. One of the perks of becoming a devil was that he had the power to understand and talk in any language.
The girl accepted the veil before gently putting it back on her before lowering her head to him to show her gratitude. "Thank you very much. I will be more careful next time."
With that said, she lifted her head up and smiled at him, making Issei smile in response. Naturally, because she was a nun and he was a devil, Issei knew he should avoid her, but the girl didn't look threatening at all. Apart from the cross she was wearing, the girl looked like she couldn't even hurt a fly.
"So, are you a tourist?" Issei asked the girl.
"No, I've been appointed to the Church in this city but I got lost on my way." She scratched the back of her head while sticking out her tongue cutely. "You must be a resident of this town. It's a pleasure to meet you."
She bowed her head to him again while smiling at him.
"I have been in trouble since I got here. Ummm, I can't speak Japanese that well. I was lost and other people couldn't understand what I was saying. I am so glad that I'm able to meet you." She held her hands together in front of her chest.
"You know... I think I know where that Church is. I can show you the way there if you want." Issei pointed a thumb over his shoulder. Still, he couldn't help but feel a little strange about it. There was only one Church in town, but it had been abandoned a long time ago. Maybe it has started working again? It could be the reason this nun had come to Kuoh, Issei thought.
As a devil, he would rather stay away from that church as far as possible, but he also wanted to help this girl. Even though it had been abandoned for months, Rias warned him that places like that could still have some holy power remaining. It could affect him negatively if he wasn't careful.
"Y-You do? T-Thank you! This is all thanks to God!" She beamed radiantly at Issei with her hands clapping in front of her.
But then both blondes turned their head to the park next to them when she heard a whimper and frowned slightly when they saw a boy sitting on the ground, crying, while holding his bleeding knee.
"Hey." Almost with no hesitation, the nun ran over to his side and kneeled down beside him, making Issei's eyes follow her small figure with curiosity "Are you okay? Boys shouldn't cry with a minor injury like this." She patted the boy's head gently. It was obvious that the small boy couldn't understand what she was saying, but she had such a kind expression on her face that he stopped crying and looked at her.
The Sister then put her hand where the boy was injured and then Issei froze in surprise when he saw a green orb of light forming in the nun's hands before she placed it on the boy's injured knee. In a blink of an eye, the injury slowly closed and healed up, leaving no scar or any trace indicating that it was ever there.
Almost instantly, Issei activated his Observe ability and looked at the girl. The familiar blue window appeared next to her, showing her stats as well as abilities.
Name: Asia Argento
Race: Human
Level: 7
HP: 165/165
MP [Current Attribute: Holy]: 500/590
Strength: 5
Vitality: 9
Intelligence: 55
Dexterity: 5
Perception: 10
Charisma: 15
[Sacred Gear] Twilight Healing LV 1 – Grant the user the power to heal the injuries of others regardless of their race.
Because of the user's kindness, the effective range of healing is increased by 100%. Anyone within the healing aura would be healed, regardless of their occupations, friends or foes.
It is incapable of regenerating amputated limbs, reducing exhaustion, or curing sicknesses.
'I see...' Issei thought as he read her stats. Aside from her unexpectedly below average physical stats and surprisingly high Intelligence, the nun had an incredible Sacred Gear. The power to heal everyone regardless of their races could prove to be quite useful, as even a devil like him, who was supposed to be her enemy, could be healed if she wanted to.
Although it seemed she had exhausted a significant portion of her MP to heal the boy. Issei wondered if it was because she couldn't control her power output properly, or the healing effect required the same amount of mana for a fixed amount of healing, regardless of how severe the injury was.
Or maybe she wanted to heal the boy so much and make his pain go away that she gave it her all. If her kindness affected her healing capability that much, then he also couldn't rule out that possibility.
At the same time, the boy's mother was in shock and Issei really couldn't blame her at all. Anyone who saw unimaginable things like that would have a similar reaction.
"Here, your wounds are all healed. The pain should be gone now." Asia Argento patted the boy's head again and then stood up to turn back and look at Issei with the same smile. "I'm sorry, but I had to."
She laughed while sticking her tongue out.
The boy's mother, who was shocked before, shook her head and then grabbed the boy's hand so they could leave quickly.
"Thank you, Onee-chan!" The boy smiled widely and waved happily to her even though he was being dragged away by his mother, leaving the blonde haired nun to stand in confusion but nonetheless she waved back at him.
"He said, 'Thank you, big sister!'" She smiled happily as Issei translated the boy's words to her "Anyway, that light just now..."
"Yes, it's the power to heal that God has given to me." However, as she said that, Asia looked down and looked a bit sad, even though she was still smiling.
The conversation between the two ended there and they started heading towards the Church, with the blonde nun following closely behind him as he pulled her luggage for her. It did not take it long for them to reach their destination after a few minutes of walking. Issei then took a second to look at the window, and saw light coming from inside the Church. It's clear that there were people inside.
"Yes, this is the place! I'm so glad." The nun gave a sigh of relief after comparing their current location with the map she had.
"Then I'll be on my way. Take care, sister." Issei smiled at her and handed the nun back her luggage.
"Please wait!" The nun called out to him, making Issei stop in the mid-step.
"Would you like to come in?" Asia asked while twiddling her thumbs nervously. "Would like to make you some tea as a gratitude for taking me here—"
"Ah, no, don't worry about it. I'm glad that I could help you, there's no need for that." Issei said to her before she could finish her sentence.
"But that's..." Asia looked troubled, but she immediately shook it off to continue speaking to him "At least allow me to treat you for your kindness."
"Maybe another time." Issei smiled "My name is Issei Hyoudou. What's your name?" Even though he already knew her name with Observe, Issei decided to ask for her name out of politeness.
"My name is Asia Argento! Please call me Asia!" She looked up and smiled brightly.
"Then, Sister Asia. I hope we will meet again in the near future."
"Yes! Issei!" Asia bowed her head down to him at that, making Issei smile at her before he turned around to start walking away. He could tell that she had stood there and watched him until he was out of her sight, smiling the entire time.
Later that night, after having dinner with his parents, who had been praising him for his 'second growth spurt' as well as his recent significant improvement in behaviors – which had been shifted away from perverse acts by the focus, anticipation and excitement for what the System had in store next for him, Issei found himself arriving at the apartment of his third client. He only had to hang out with Mil-tan whenever he felt like it, and worked for April on Monday and Friday, so Issei still had ample time to take on another client, whose request was pretty straightforward.
Seeing that there was no doorbell, Issei raised his hand to knock. He waited, and waited... and after a minute or so, he did it again, this time he also called out to ensure that the client could hear him. "Is there anyone home?"
He waited again, but just like last time, no one came to answer the door, despite the fact that the door appeared to be unlocked. Having a bad feeling in his guts, Issei grabbed the doorknob and pushed the door open slowly to walk in, checking to see if there's anything wrong with his client, who did tell Issei that they would be waiting for him at the house.
The doorway was dark, but Issei followed the dim yellow light that he could see at the end of the path, and advanced cautiously. The place appeared to be a living room, and Issei could see something on the floor as he walked closer to it, recognizing the smell it was emitting almost instantly.
"Is that blood?" Issei voiced his thoughts as he looked at the blood on the floor. Getting more and more worried, Issei rushed into the living room and felt a cold chill running down his spine upon seeing the source of it.
It was the dead body of a man, and it was mutilated to the point that it was beyond recognition. The whole scene looked like it came straight from a horror movie about mentally unstable serial killers, because not only had someone killed the man, they also appeared to have skinned him whole and amputated his limbs, leaving it to scatter on the floor in pools of blood. At the same time, his head had been severed and placed on the desk below him, while the body itself was hung up on the walls by nails.
"Look at that, the shitty devil I have been waiting for."
Before Issei could regain composure, an eerily calm voice asked from the couch before a figure rose to face him, appearing to be a young male in his early twenties. He had short white hair and red eyes, and the clerical clothing he was wearing made it obvious that he was an exorcist.
"So… you are the devil this guy tried to summon before I killed him."
"You did this?" Issei asked, narrowing his eyes.
The white haired man chuckled like he was insane, and pulled out a gun along with a light blade from under his coat. "This guy tried to summon an evil bastard like you, so he deserved to die..." Said the exorcist as he turned to fully face Issei. "But I wanted to have some fun while I was on the job, so I played with his limbs a little."
"You are one sick bastard." Issei gritted his teeth and summoned Boosted Gear onto his left arm.
"My, are you angry that I killed a human when I was supposed to be a priest? Hahaha, spare me that retarded kindness." The priest said as he waved his weapon around "Listen to me carefully, you are a shitty devil. Devils use humans to survive. Supporting a poor devil like you, they were no longer human and that's why I killed them. I earn my living by killing you shitty devils and those who have a contract with you. This is my job. I'm going to shoot you in the head with this gun of mine, and then stab your heart with this lightsaber. Man, I'm so going to fall in love with you once you are on the floor!"
With that said, the priest raised his gun and fired at Issei, who simply turned his body to the side to avoid it, his hard gaze never once wavering as the bullet struck the wall behind him. The crazy priest looked surprised and tried another shot, but Issei raised Boosted Gear and deflected the bullet, his eyes glowing a blue color that then shifted to red, matching the color of his Sacred Gear and jacket. A quest window appeared before him just as he lowered his Sacred Gear halfway to gaze at the priest.
[!] Urgent Quest Activated
[!] Quest info
[Kill the Stray Exorcist – Freed Sellzen]
You are being targeted by an enemy with Unstable Mind and Murderous Intent. Kill them to secure your safety.
Enemy to kill: 1
"Perfect." Issei murmured as he turned his gaze back to Freed, feeling satisfied with the questing function of the System for the first time. A stray exorcist... they were former exorcists who had strayed from the teachings of God and were exiled from the Church for their immoral acts. Akeno had filled him in about them during a lesson about who he should be watching out for a few days back, and normally, they were the ones that had to be dealt with on sight, as they possessed great threats to both devils, humans, and just about anyone they deemed evil.
Activating Observe, he then saw that the crazy exorcist had a higher level than he was, but not by much. The level of the Goblin Chieftains had been twice that of his, and yet he could fight and defeat it just fine. The level difference would only matter if they outclassed him in every stat by a whole lot, which was clearly not the case for Freed.
This wouldn't take long.
"Hoh, good reflect. Let's see how you deal with my flashy lightsaber!" Freed cried out insanely as he rushed at Issei, brandishing his sword at the devil with a maniacal glean in his eyes. Issei simply sidestepped the first swing, then the second, before parrying the third strike with his gauntlet, causing Freed to lose balance as sparks flew between them. Seizing the moment, Issei shot forward and headbutted Freed, making him stagger backward, dazed.
Without giving Freed a chance to recover, Issei closed the distance and delivered a powerful uppercut into Freed's gut, causing him to double over in pain before being sent flying out of the apartment after crashing through the wall. Landing on the ground hard, the insane stray exorcist tried to get up after coughing a mouthful of blood, but Issei had already descended upon him with another blow to his guts. The punch was so strong that the ground beneath Freed cracked a little.
"GAHH! FUCK YOU, YOU SHITTY..." Before he could even finish, Issei had punched him across the face.
"That. is. for. the. person. you. killed." The young devil said coldly, his face devoiding of emotion as it was seemingly obscured in shadow, leaving only his glowing red eyes visible as he kept punching Freed, over and over, breaking his teeth along with his skull. Crying out in pain, Freed tried to swing at Issei with his light sword, but a stomp on the wrist that pushed his whole arm back on the ground was more than enough for the young devil to effectively disarm him, leaving him defenseless to continue eating the punches Issei sent at his face.
"Please stop!"
A familiar voice shouted, causing Issei to pause his arm momentarily and snap his head around to see the blonde sister he had met earlier today standing there with a shocked expression on her face.
"Asia?" He asked in shock, but her intervention was already too late. The damage had been done, and Freed just let out a whimper before he took his last breath, his arm falling limply to the side as his disfigured face turned to Asia, who covered her mouth with both hands.
"N-Nooooo! F-Father Freed." Asia whispered before she looked over to Issei, who ignored the quest competition notification and the reward he received to return her gaze "Issei-san..."
"Asia, this is... not what it looks like." He raised his hand, but only then did he notice that both of them were covered in blood. Immediately, he tried to wipe them with his jacket, feeling thankful that the color of it would hide the blood a bit. "This sick bastard... he killed an innocent man, so I had to deal with him before he could do the same thing to someone else."
"But... but..."
"He's up there." Issei said with a gesture of his head toward the apartment, causing Asia to follow his gaze. From where she was standing, she could see the corpse on the wall just fine, and the sight of it drained her face of its remaining color. "About Freed. Do you know him? What are you doing hanging out with an insane bastard like him?"
"Actually, she's with us."
Issei widened his eyes when heard that voice. Before he could react, chains made of pure light shot down and wrapped around his body, restraining him just as he was kicked from behind, forcing him down onto his knees. His first attacker was a girl with blonde hair which was styled into twin-tails and blue eyes dressed in Gothic Lolita attire, while the ones holding the light chains restraining him were a buxom woman with brown eyes and long, navy blue hair that obscured her right eye, and a middle-aged-looking man with short black hair and dark blue eyes. What all three of them had in common were the pairs of black wings on their backs, keeping them levitate in the air...
... just like the one who had flown down and landed beside Asia.
"Raynare." Issei scoffed as he glared at the fallen angel who had killed him, before turning head when he was kicked across the face by the blonde fallen angel, Mittelt.
"Watch your filthy mouth, you shitty devil." The blonde said as she put her heel on his face, trying to pin him on the ground but Issei retaliated with his pure strength, keeping himself up as he glared at Raynare.
"He killed Freed." Dohnaseek, the middle aged one, said as he looked at Freed on the ground.
"Quite an accomplishment for only a newborn devil." Kalawarner, the blue haired fallen angel, stated as she turned her gaze to Raynare, who rolled her eyes in response.
"It's clear that he has grown, not just a few inches taller." She said, before noticing his gauntlet. The sight of it caused her to widen her eyes in shock, seemingly having no trouble recognizing the item "The Boosted Gear? So you really have a dangerous Sacred Gear, Issei-kun."
"Yeah. Sekiryuutei. Red Dragon Emperor or whatever. Pretty cool, huh?" Issei scoffed as he pushed back at Mittelt, causing her to widen her eyes in surprise as she stepped back from him "So Asia is with you? What do you want with her?"
He asked. Fallen Angels were enemies of the Church too, so there had to be a reason for a sister to be hanging out with them. Asia definitely didn't strike him as someone who would do something bad that had led her to be exiled from the Church, so the reason had to come from the Fallen Angels.
"Do you want to kill her too because of her Sacred Gear?" Issei asked in a dangerous low tone, making Raynare laugh at him.
"You are kidding? You are still sour about that?" She asked before walking toward him "It was thanks to me that you have become a devil. Granted that means you are now a low class trash, but at least you are a significant trash. Shouldn't you be thanking me instead, Issei-kun?"
"Maybe after you kiss my ass." Issei mocked, and was punched across the face by Mittelt. This time, she manifested a light brass knuckle on her fist, so Issei took full damage from it. It stung, bad.
"We don't need to kill every Sacred Gear user, Issei-kun, just the ones who can become a great threat like you." Raynare said as he came to stand in front of him "But yes, we have a plan for Asia, as she possesses Twilight Healing, which is quite rare."
"Don't you dare..." Again he was punched. This time, he spit the blood out and snapped his head back to glare at the Fallen Angels.
"Should you be that attached to someone you just met? Asia told me earlier and I immediately knew that it was you. She seems to be quite fond of you as well... is this some soap drama, love at first sight or something."
Raynare asked and the other Fallen Angels busted out laughing mockingly with her. Behind her, Asia looked at Issei worriedly. She looked like she wanted to do something to help him, but it's quite clear to both of them that she lacked the strength to do so.
"Well, you would know better than we do, Issei-kun. After all, you did fall in love with me at first sight." The words Raynare said to him, with that mocking and taunting smile on her face, made his blood boil.
Yes, he did fall in love with her at first sight. It was like a dream come true to him when she asked him out.
"Now, listen up... Freed is a wild dog so we're actually kinda glad that you help us get rid of him, so in return we will let you live and run back to your master with your tail between your legs. To think that you've become the servant of Rias Gremory of all devils. She treasured you lots too much for me to even try messing with her by killing you right now." Raynare said "However, we will only let you do so if you promise to give it up and stay out of our business. Forget Asia. You probably won't ever see her again after today."
"You sure talk a lot, Raynare." Issei chuckled as he looked up at the woman who had killed him. "I guess only after I come to know the real you I finally realize how annoying your voice is."
"Trying to be a smartass, aren't you?" Raynare asked, the smile disappearing from her face.
"Call me what you want, but know that I will not allow any of you to touch a hair on Asia's head." Issei said, making the Fallen Angels look at each other and laugh, not believing what he was saying. Mittelt then threw another punch at his face with her brass knuckle, but this time, he snapped his head back to avoid it.
As Mittelt lost her balance and fell toward him, he shot forward and headbutted her in the face, in the same manner he had done to Freed earlier. As the blonde fell back, clutching her bleeding nose, Issei twisted his body and yanked on the light chains restraining him, overpowering both Kalarwarner and Dohnaseek with his superior strength as he broke free and punched the former across the face, knocking her out.
Shocked, Dohnaseek summoned a light spear to throw at him, but Issei leaned back and dodged it before kicking the male fallen angel across the face, sending him flying before he twirled around and faced Raynare, who was too slow to react as he shot his hand out and grabbed her neck, choking her. The fallen angel tried to break free, but an overwhelming aura was suddenly released from Issei's body, filling her with a sense of dread and fear that caused her limbs to go numb, and any words she tried to say died in throat.
[!] Skill
[Active - Deadly Aura LV. 1]
Required MP: 100
- Instill the target with fear for 1 minute
- May designate multiple target
- Fear debuff: -50% to all stats
"Yeah." He said as he easily forced Raynare onto her knees and looked down at her, all the while slowly cocking his other fist back "I'm a lot stronger now."
FLASH!
Before he could punch her, with all the frustration that he had held inside him, a crimson magic-circle bearing a familiar crest appeared on the ground next to him, illuminating the entire dark area with its light. In a flash, Rias and the rest of her peerage appeared from the teleportation magic circle, each and every one of whom looked ready for a fight.
"Issei-kun, we have come to rescue..."
Kiba spoke to Issei, but frowned upon seeing him standing over Raynare, an expression that was shared by the rest of the group. Turning to his friends, Issei opened his mouth to acknowledge them, but was suddenly knocked down as he was shoulder-tackled by Dohnaseek, who wasted no time grabbed Raynare and took off with Karlawarner after she had grabbed Mittelt.
"No, get back here!" Issei shouted as Rias and Akeno launched their magic at them. However, the Fallen Angels were able to avoid the attacks and disappeared into the night before Issei could chase after them.
"Leave it, Ise. We will deal with them later." Rias said with a hand raised. Next to her, Koneko, who was the closest to the disfigured corpse of Freed, made a sound as if she was surprised, making the other devils look at it before casting their gaze back at Issei. "Regardless, I'm glad to see you okay. We came as soon as my familiar noticed the commotion. Looks like you have also been training in secret, haven't you, Ise?"
"Yeah. I want to be as strong as any of you guys, so..." Issei said with a soft chuckle before he looked at Asia "Asia, come with me. It's clear that those Fallen Angels had bad intentions with you. It's best that you stop hanging out with them."
The girl looked at him unsurely, and Issei was about to reassure her when Rias suddenly grabbed his arm and asked him.
"Ise, what are you doing?" She asked unsurely "Do you want that nun to come with you? You do realize that she's our enemy, right?"
"She's not. She's my friend, Buchou. Those Fallen Angels want to do something bad to her. I intend to keep her safe from them." Issei said matter of factly, his words making Asia look at him in surprise. His tone, which surprised Rias and the rest of the group, was firm and resolute, leaving no room for doubt or argument.
"Are you sure, Issei-kun?" Putting a hand on Rias' shoulder, Akeno stepped forward and asked him, to which he responded with a nod of his head before turning to Rias, waiting for her decision.
"Fine then, let's bring her back to our base. We will decide our next move from there." Rias finally said, making Issei smile and nod his head to her in gratitude. "But how do you intend to bring her back? The magic-circle can only teleport us devils."
"I can carry her." Issei said before he walked toward Asia, speaking to her in a soft voice "If you allow me..."
The girl didn't say anything as she looked at Issei, who offered her his hand with an reassuring smile. After a moment of hesitation, she finally relaxed and took his hand, trust evident in her eyes.
"Yes, Issei-san." She said softly before letting out a small squeal as Issei lowered himself down to put his hands behind her back and at the back of her knees, lifting her into the air bridal style. Instinctively, the girl threw her arms around and wrapped around his neck, holding herself close to him as he walked back to Rias and the others.
"I will see you guys back at school then." He said, earning a nod of confirmation from Rias.
Breaking her amused gaze from Issei, Akeno then walked back to cast the teleportation spell, causing the magic circle to appear once again under their feet. At the same time, Issei turned away with Asia and took a leap over the wall around the apartment, carrying her with him as he sprinted towards Kuoh Academy. He knew that the Fallen Angels wouldn't give up Asia that easy, and already had the feeling that he would see them again really soon.
End of Chapter 3
Current stats:
Name: Issei Hyoudou
Race: Dragon/Reincarnated Devil
Level: 10
HP: 1,155/1,155
MP [Current Attribute: Demonic]: 415/415
Strength: 40
Vitality: 35
Intelligence: 28
Dexterity: 28
Perception: 28
Charisma: 20
[Note: Issei puts the additional points that he got as rewards for leveling up in this and previous chapters into STR, VIT and PER. 3 each.]