This is part three to chapter 5. Please enjoy and leave Power Stones and like tags if you did.
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That confused him, but he didn't get the chance to ask about it, or rather couldn't ask with the big pair of melons that had shoved themselves in his face.
"Who gave this sword to you?! Did you awaken it?! Which holy sword is it?! How powerful is it?!" Rias bombarded Issei with question after question, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him frantically with an almost wild look in her eye.
"Oh no, Issei!" Asia cried as the boy was pressed by the busty woman. Said boy was in a euphoric daze as titties continued flopping in his face. They bounced within the strain of her stripped shirt, coming up and repeatedly brushing against his cheeks. It only took a few seconds for his 'second sword' to grow.
Akeno finally decided to intervene, stepping around the couch and coffee table with her usual placating grin. "It looks like Issei-kun is having a good time, but you're scaring poor Asia-chan..." A teasing look crossed her eyes as she addressed Rias. "If you need the room to yourselves, we could all step out?" She suggested with a sultry giggle.
Her playful comment made Issei yelp with anticipation, his smile shaky and lustful. However, it also reeled Rias back as she realized how overwrought she became. Being so close to the boy also led her to notice the flickering sword mere inches away. Its power was so undamaging that she'd forgotten how deadly being in close proximity could be for her.
Pulling away sharply, Rias gave the weapon a weary look, fascinated and unsettled. Her skin should be crawling and yet she felt nothing. Such a thing made her doubt the sword's credibility. "This... is a holy sword, yes?"
"It is, I think. Hehe..." Issei laughed awkwardly, resting the bright sword over his lap so it could disguise the miniature sword throbbing underneath. His legs slightly shifted uncomfortably as he continued, "It's got some weird functions... it won't hurt anyone I don't want it to."
"That doesn't make sense, Issei-kun. It's a sword, not a person," Rias frowned, perplexed by the idea. A holy sword that gave off such a powerful aura should be the bane of devils, yet here it lie unharmful. His words held no deceit. Such a concept only intrigued her further. "Is such a thing possible? I don't recall other holy swords having such a trait..."
"Of course it's possible," Asia interjected, a sweet smile on her lips. She stared at the gentle flame of the sword with adoration, the heat soothing to her core. "God's gifts work in mysterious ways. His blessings always aid the good." Her folded hands came up under her skin as she closed her eyes and prayed, "Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7."
All the devils in the room flinched - the name of God sending a piercing sensation through their brains. The stronger devils - Rias and Akeno - were less effected and showed little to no agitation. Rias turned towards the nun with another polite smile. "Thank you for that, Asia-chan. But please be mindful to us devils."
"O-oh, I'm terribly sorry!" Her posture opened back up and she looked extremely apologetic. "Lord, forgive me," She said habitually, unintentionally sparking another pain in them.
Asia may be a bit of an airhead.
Rias sighed, amused by the girl's innocence which eased some of her tension. Given the amount of destruction that was brought around the church and the blast she felt that vibrated towards them, this holy sword was easily on par with a fully-fledged archangel. Even in Issei's inexperienced hands, it remained devastatingly powerful.
For a brief moment, it made Rias think that she had been duped. She thought that Issei had deceived her for some reason or another to get close to them and do something horrible, but that line of thinking was wrong. They had followed the boy around before he had any power. He was just an ordinary boy with a massive sexual drive. Koneko had tailed him and described his fear against the fallen angel, and she herself spoke to him firsthand after they brought him back to the clubroom for the first time.
It was all unbelievably strange. Everything was developing too fast. HE was developing too fast. Issei Hyoudou was an existence that contradicted any other human - Sacred Gear holder or not. He didn't even need to hold the sword for her to know that he'd gotten much stronger when they'd met before. Over the past week, he'd gotten strong enough to rival her Rook and Knight.
Incredible and terrifying.
Which begged the question... Was it too late? Had she missed her chance to absorb him into her peerage? He'd gained so much strength, holding the Boosted Gear, a separate flying power, and now a powerful holy sword.
...Would her pawns even be enough?
And now she had another person to worry about. Would the church try taking Asia back? She appeared to be excommunicated and abandoned alone, which is why she had been with the fallen in the first place. In that case, could she take the girl for herself?
The issue there is that Asia probably didn't want to join her. She didn't have a reason to, as the person who saved her was a human and not technically a part of her group.
So infuriating... and stressful. Now she'd have to try blockading Sona from another talented recruit. Dealing with the other King was only getting harder, as Sona had randomly become more defiant and desired Issei more than ever. They'd recently had a fierce argument over him and yet she still refused to back down. Adding a second person in the mix would be pushing it. Genshirou Saji was still around for the taking, but neither she nor Sona were dead set on claiming him. He wasn't a bad choice, there were just better fish in the pool right now.
But she wouldn't give in. She couldn't. Not with her life on the line and the opportunity at hand being too great to slip by. She'd just have to fight for Issei even harder... and Asia as well, of course. It would be difficult getting such a devout believer to join her, but with the way she looked at the boy, it was easy to figure out how.
He was the key. If Rias got him, she could get both. It may sound selfish, but devils were naturally greedy creatures. She needed him now and time wasn't on her side. If she had to do a little manipulating or make certain compromises to obtain his subservience, then so be it.
Wearing a devilish smile, Rias calmly walked back to the sofa across from them as Akeno made her way to stand behind her once more. Smoothing the back of her skirt and sitting down, she took considerable care to cross her legs as slowly and naturally as she could, allowing him a generous eyeful at her red thong. "Right then, I've seen enough. You can put the sword away now, Issei-kun," She instructed, folding her arms underneath her large breasts and intentionally pushing them up.
He gulped insecurely, saliva building within his mouth. If he called the sword back, he'd lose his cover and they'd see him pitching a fastball!
Acting quickly, Issei let the sword flash as he returned it through the doors of his being, using the intense light to his advantage to cross his own legs. He then folded his arms overtop as an extra layer to hide his manly shame. Feeling himself blush, he tried playing it cool and smiled whimsically.
Sensing the awkward arousal of the boy, Rias's pink lips tilted upwards slightly, her eyes narrowing seductively. "I'm curious how you can use the sword so effectively... You've never used it before today, yes?"
"Y-yes..." He murmured back, his blush growing. Damn, it was hard to talk with her looking at him like that. He tried forcing the words out. "It's... weird. Like, the moment I held the sword, I knew how to use it."
A small masculine scoff came from behind her and Issei's eyes were drawn up towards it. He saw Kiba sneering slightly, his head turning away the moment he looked at him. Rias cleared her throat lightly, returning his attention back to her. "Am I correct to assume you've gained knowledge of the sword then?" She asked.
"Somewhat... I know how to use it, but I don't really know what religion it's from or anything like that." As he said those words, he felt ecstatic shuffling and bouncing from the vibrations through his cushion.
"Mine, of course!" Asia was happy to inform, beaming at Issei with an ample smile. "It is The Flaming Sword of Eden from Christianity! Oh, what a wonder it was to have laid my unworthy eyes on it!" Her voice quivered as tears threatened to spill from her emerald orbs. She grasped onto his arm and thanked the boy profusely.
Her enthusiasm was sweet and devoting as she expressed powerful belief in her faith. Issei would've happily played along, holding her close and encouraging her if not for the raging battle he were fighting underneath his weakening facade. Feeling the nun press herself into him again while he tried using said arm as a shield was about to blow his cover.
Trying to divert his own focus away from his crotch, he latched on to something she said that didn't make sense to him. "Christianity? I thought you were something else? Catholic or something..." Thinking about the old church, he couldn't remember it ever being referred to that way. Christianity was a more foreign word to him.
"It's a similar faith nearly identical," Rias cut in-between Asia's fawning of the boy, versed enough in the subject. "All Catholics are Christian, but not vice-versa. They have similar beliefs with slight alterations that separate them."
"Oh... I don't get it," Issei replied honestly.
Rias giggled. "It's okay. The main thing right now is that we learn more about your sword." An amused grin spilled onto her lips as she watched Asia snuggle the boy. It was a cute and innocent scene, and unless her ears mistaken her, she might've heard a subtle growl coming from a certain Rook behind her. "Can you tell anything else, Issei-kun? Anything at all?"
He frowned. While it wasn't about the sword itself, it was what had triggered its obtainment. Thinking about the devil he slayed, he answered disdainfully, "There was this other guy... He was a devil and I don't think he was connected to you." His words caused Asia to stiffen against him. She didn't like thinking back on that experience, either.
"A devil? At the abandoned church?" Rias looked shocked, her expression falling. She hadn't anticipated that response, the notion almost inconceivable to her. This was her territory. What devil would foolishly step into it without permission or contact? Her brows furrowed irritably as she thought it over, before calming and coming to a sensible conclusion. "Did the devil have a monstrous appearance? It's very likely you ran into a stray."
"What's a stray?" Issei asked. "Like a stray priest?"
"Not exactly. It's when a devil forsakes their master, betraying them and fleeing all on their own. This is usually for their own selfish desires and causes their power to spiral out of control. Because that power can no longer be kept in check, they turn into hideous, wicked monsters," Rias informed him methodically.
"They turn into monsters?" If that were the case, than Diodora definitely wasn't a stray devil. Actually, he was pretty sure his System had classified him as something else, he just couldn't remember exactly what it was. "That guy sure as hell acted like a monster, but he didn't look like one."
This seemed to irk Rias more. She became visually angry at the fact that a devil - likely a high ranking one that had full control of themselves - had willingly tresspassed into her territory. They had broken devil law and entered the split territory belonging to two of the highest ranking devil families. Whoever they were, they believed themselves superior to her and her family.
An utterly disgusting and reprehensible being without question. While other devils may be more lax and brush off such actions as long as appropriate compensation was given, she would not be so forgiving. They had personally insulted her and thought she could be stepped over. How dare they think she'd easily kneel down and submit to their selfishness?
"Aww, Asia-chan, don't cry. Rias is just a little upset, that's all," Akeno tried consoling the nun who looked afraid of the fuming redhead, approaching her with the teapot to refill their cups.
Her Queen's statement stirred Rias out of her smoldering temperament, her glare dropping into an apologetic state. "Forgive me, Asia-san. That devil, whoever he was, had no business being in this town. The fact that I was not informed of such a thing means they trespassed into my territory. I'm sorry you and Issei had to deal with them when it should've been me." She bowed her head.
Asia frantically waved her hands back at the woman. "O-oh, please don't apologize! I-it's not your fault!" Her forgiving nature absolved Rias of any guilt. The blonde hadn't even considered blaming her. Her hands came down to her lap as she blushed softly, turning towards the boy next to her with another shy smile. "It's all thanks to Issei. He saved me from that bad man."
"With that sword, I presume?" Rias answered rhetorically in his stead, causing the pervert chagrin as his chest swelled with pride. "Can you tell me anything about the man? Something like his name?"
"N-no, he didn't say it," Asia spoke timidly, the encouraging aura from Akeno assuaging her to speak more.
'Wait, he didn't say his name?' Then it was a good thing Issei had hesitated a second before her, or else he would have spoken Diodora's name out loud, which he only learned from the system.
"You saw what he looked like?" Rias pursued further, her voice gentle.
"Y-yes... He had dark hair and wore a cloak..." The nun shuttered as she thought back the man who nearly captured her. "H-his eyes were really scary..."
"What color were they?"
"O-orange, I think... though they might have been red... I was s-so scared," Asia's voice quivered, unable to fully recollect them. She didn't want to.
"It's okay. You can stop now," Rias comforted her, letting the subject go. The innocent girl was still a bit traumatized by the event and she didn't want to agitate her any further. Her questions hadn't amounted to much regardless. Whoever was the devil that trespassed had likely did so with the intention of not revealing his identity. There could have been other reasons as to why the scum had been at the church, but from the two human's recollections, it seemed the sole reason was to lay claim to Asia for himself.
Attempting to forcefully steal a Sacred Gear user under her nose within her own territory was unforgivable. Not that Asia's was her own to claim, but the act royally pissed her off. They deserved their painful fate and a lot more.