This is part three to chapter 6. Leave your Power Stones and I hope you enjoy.
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"...What did you use?" Sona could feel goosebumps along her shoulders. Surely this was an attempt at comedy?
"It's better if I show you." Setting his chopsticks down next to a nearly empty plate, Issei scooted his chair back and stood. He put a couple steps of distance between her wide desk and himself, his eyes closing in concentration.
Then she saw it. A longsword brighter than the sun called forward, nearly blinding her.
Standing up and shielding herself from the light with her arms, Sona's first instinct as a devil was to run. Powerful light rippled across the room and the amount of holy energy radiating off the blade screamed at her senses. Yet despite these urges within, she felt no fear.
Lowering her arms, her vision adapted to the brightness that no longer overpowered her. Directly staring at the sword and taking in its glamor, Sona found herself stunned. It was a Holy Sword by the likes she couldn't fathom. She could feel the aura from the white flames seep underneath her skin, leaving an impression on each individual cell of her body.
So much power and it didn't hurt. The element bane to all devils was inviting and comforting her. It was revolutionary as it was harrowing.
"You.. you're a Holy Sword Wielder..." The shock of the discovery still weighed on her greatly.
"I am... I guess I was surprised as well."
"Where... did you get it?" Sona asked, her mind slowly repairing itself. She knew of the many Holy Swords from studying, but she remained unsure of this one's origins.
"It came out of me."
"Really?" She became fascinated by that, awe emanating from her enchanting countenance. Issei felt himself beaming with pride. Hers and Rias's reactions were completely different, but they had both been amazed.
The sword's greatest strength wasn't its ability to slay, but its ability to slaaaaaay!
"Do you know of the sword's name?"
This definitely reminded him of his discussion with Rias. She also asked the same questions.
"Asia said it's The Flaming Sword of Eden," Issei replied, working with what he knew. He still wasn't sure of the name discrepancy of that and his sword.
"And you appear to have been born with it attached to you, just like the Boosted Gear... a marvelous discovery." Sona continued staring at the blade. The Flaming Sword of Eden was said to be lost, and even speculated to be a myth. It was more akin to an urban legend within religious circles, practically forgotten about by all but a few, and here it lay in a seemingly average human's hands. The chances of such a thing happening were so astronomically low it was inconceivable. If she weren't staring it down with her own two eyes, she wouldn't believe it. Even still she second-guessed herself, believing her eyes and ears were betraying her.
Good thing she chose to bide her time instead of knocking down Rias's doors yesterday and demand for answers. That would've only tipped Rias off just how far her desire for him went and have the girl stand further in her way. That would surely lead to battle between them.
No, that's not how she wanted to settle this. This was a war of intellect. If Rias wanted her methods to be so transparent, then sweeping the rug out from under her would be the simplest and preferred way to outdo her.
One of Sona's largest goals in life was to change the way devil society thought as a whole. Knowledge and the mind was undervalued in favor of power - something she detested. The mind was just as, if not more powerful and she wanted to prove that. This was the perfect opportunity to solidify her beliefs. She would defeat Rias in this game of acquisition.
The Holy Sword vanished with a blink and a chime. A nervous expression appeared as it dawned on him. "You don't think the religious factions will mind, do you?"
Sona adjusted her chair and folded the back of her skirt down to sit down. She appeared contemplative. "A good question... and a concerning one..."
"You think they will?!" The look in her eyes told him it was possible. Ever since that conversation with Ddraig, he couldn't stop thinking about what was out there to get him. If they were anything like the dragon himself, then he didn't like his chances. If it was really so easy to cause war between them all, then this could very well be the involuntary spark.
Allying with the devils while in possession of a lost Holy Sword, on top of the ex-nun he was housing? Yeah, he was gonna get rinsed.
"They could come, but I don't think you will be in danger."
"How?! You just said they'll come for me!"
"Yes, if a Holy Sword lost to time is uncovered by the Vatican, then it is safe to assume they will send someone to observe and check the validity of the claim," Sona detailed, thinking over the many outcomes in which such events unfold. "This does not necessarily mean they will come to repossess or challenge you for it."
"But they'll come?" He repeated, turning blue. "What if they don't like what they see?"
By all accounts, he was about as far as holy a human could be. No doubt they would throw him in a pool of holy water. Scratch that, throw him in a pit of fire.
"That is unimportant. What matters is what the ones at the top have in mind for you."
"What do they have in mind?!"
The bespectacled girl appeared apologetic. "I'm sorry, Hyoudou-san. I am not affiliated with anyone with the Angel Faction. I cannot give you a definitive answer. All I can do is speculate and predict what may happen."
That wasn't what he wanted to hear. If even a super smarty like Sona didn't know what could unfold, then what Ddraig said was irrefutable. He needed to get as strong as he could in the time he had now before everything ran the risk of boiling over. With The Gamer active, anything could happen and unless he wanted to throw this life away - specifically Asia's life - by resetting, he needed to prepare for it all.
"Don't count yourself out yet, Hyoudou-san." Her voice broke him out of his urgent thoughts. "I may not be able to guarantee, but I can anticipate and like I said, I do not believe you will be in danger."
"Really? How come?"
"I don't believe any of the Three Factions are in such a favorable position as to start a war, if that were to be the unfortunate outcome of this. Neither do I believe any of them would desire one."
They were only her opinions, but they had the perverted boy nodding vigorously in response, as if his excessive agreement would somehow move the future timeline into that direction. "Of course, who would wanna go to war? Why would anyone want that, especially over a stupid kid like me?"
"Do not belittle yourself, Hyoudou-san. You are a smart boy."
His exaggerated vigor was culled in an instant. "Y-yes ma'am, thank you."
She made a gesture to his chair. "Please, sit back down. The food is still warm and we have plenty of time to finish."
He obeyed, scooting himself closer to the large desk. "Right, and thanks again for doing all this," He lightly flushed.
"It's quite alright. As I stated, I had plenty of help. It was no trouble."
"Honestly, there's so much that I don't think I can finish it all."
"I'm aware of the copious selections to choose from. This was done intentionally so that I may better understand your palate."
"You could've just asked," Issei chuckled, helping himself to more meat. Sona suddenly paused momentarily, sitting still for a moment before slowly setting her chopsticks down and standing up to walk back over towards the kettle.
"More tea?" She asked, making her way to his side.
"That would be great." Watching her move the entire time, Issei noticed the small turn of her head in the opposite direction, as if she were avoiding his gaze. There was also a faint dust of pink underneath her pink glasses.
Did she really not think to ask?
Gingerly sipping on his tea as she placed the kettle back off to the side of the room and returned to her seat, Issei cleared his throat. "Was there... anything else you wanted to ask me?"
Sona nodded, her fingers hesitating before picking her chopsticks up. "Is there anything else I should be made aware of about your power, or your experiences?"
Like he did with Rias, Issei quickly filled Sona in about what happened back at the church. Leaving Diodora's name out like last time, he went over the events that led up to his execution of the devil. Most of this had already been informed to her by Rias, but it was good to hear the story directly from the boy himself. He also told her about his ability to fly - another power the others knew of - and demonstrated it briefly.
"You appear to be full of surprises, Hyoudou-san. And I'm glad you managed to get out of that situation safely." Her gaze proceeded to sharpen up. "However, I must express my grievances with the way you chose to handle it. I'm aware of your concerns over Argento-san, but your actions endangered you both. It was an incredibly foolish decision."
"I know." His head turned down. He himself could admit as much. It was stupid, reckless, and unfair to his contractor.
And he'd do it again to save her.
Satisfied by his guilty expression, Sona gave a small nod. "I believe I don't need to scold you anymore than I have. I'm sure you've received enough of that from Rias. Just make sure an incident like this does not happen a second time, understood?"
"I'll try not to..." Chuckling lightly at his joke, Issei quieted down at her stern look and nodded solemnly. She wasn't one for jokes and he was bad at telling them. Bad at avoiding trouble, too, and making more for her. At least he could always count on getting a well-deserved scolding.
"I'm sure this is far from the last time I'll here of your... controversial exploits and delinquency," Sona sighed, as if reading his mind.
"I know I'm a pain in the butt..." Issei hung his head, his utensils pushed away now that he was done eating.
Noting that they were both finished and that her questions had run dry, a peculiar glint sparked behind Sona's glasses. "Yes... you are a pain..."
Issei sulked, his lips quivering in an exaggerated manner. If only h-
"You've been a bad boy... haven't you, Issei~?"
...
...What?