"Ugh..... damn it...."
When Issei opened his eyes, the ceiling of his room came into view, and he immediately sat up and began to check his entire body. The scars weren't even noticeable, to the point where it felt like it was all a dream, but the feeling of unease when he woke up remained. First of all, his whole body felt heavy. A heaviness that made him not want to get up..... And a fatigue that made it impossible to get up at all..... Issei stood in front of the mirror and spread his wings.
'.....Damn it.'
It wasn't a dream. Instead of his original wings, devil wings unfurled. The Gremory family..... Because of Rias Gremory, the gray hero of Heaven had suddenly become a devil. Issei ground his teeth, changed his clothes, and went outside.
(What are you going to do?)
'.... I don't know. But I'm definitely going to repay my debt to those Fallen Angels.'
"Issei? What about breakfast?"
"I'm fine. I have somewhere to go today instead of school."
======================
".... As I thought, I can't create a spear of light."
Muttering this, Issei arrived at the park on the outskirts of town..... The same park where he had been killed by the Fallen Angels. Perhaps because it was morning, there was no sign of anyone. Issei sat on the fountain, waiting for the Fallen Angels.
He was sure that among yesterday's group of Fallen Angels, there must be some who were eager for slaughter. He was convinced that some of them would mistake him for a stray devil and attack.
His prediction was spot on.
'..... They're here.'
A man in a suit and fedora was glaring at Issei. Issei immediately sensed that the man was a Fallen Angel. The man walked slowly toward Issei and spoke.
"Well, this is rare. Meeting one of your kind in a rural place like this, not even in the city center."
'Is he different from the ones I saw yesterday?'
"Hoh? You're not running? You've got some nerve. Who's your master? Being positioned in a place this far from the city, you must be either low-rank or an eccentric."
'.... It's better to act flustered here, to make him attack first. Besides, I don't know who this Fallen Angel reports to.... it'll be troublesome if I kill him by mistake.'
"I.... I don't know!!"
Issei's blank expression instantly changed to one of panic and fear. He then jumped back, as if by instinct.
'.... Does a devil's body naturally evade angels? Or maybe it's because I just became a devil. I need to adapt quickly.'
He was thinking various thoughts, but his acting face didn't change. Seeing his expression and his previous action, the man spoke with an arrogant face, looking down on Issei.
"What? Scared? Hmph, a low-ranking being, that's the problem. Name your master. We can't have you interfering with us here. We also have our own... Could it be... you're a STRAY? If you don't have a master, that flustered expression makes sense."
'Hah..... That psycho would be instantly killed on a battlefield. I'll just endure and keep acting.'
"A... a dream? Is this a dream?"
"Hmm. No presence of a master, no presence of comrades. You show no sign of disappearing. You're not deploying a magic circle either. Based on analysis of the situation, you're a stray. In that case, there's no problem killing you...."
Smack!
Issei's fist struck the Fallen Angel's face. It happened in an instant. The man in front of him fell to his knees. Issei kicked him in the back, forcing him flat on the ground, and then grabbed the Fallen Angel's wings.
"You talk too much, it's annoying. I even put on an act to provoke you into attacking, and you didn't even notice. A guy with no skill, what are you doing leisurely analyzing the situation? It was so annoying my fist flew out on its own."
"You.... bastard.... You tricked me..."
"You're the idiot who fell for such obvious low-level acting. Shut up and answer my question. Where is the Fallen Angel named Raynare?"
"!! How do you know Lady Raynare..."
"Lady Raynare? Hoh.... So that trash is great enough to have Lady attached to her name?"
"You bastard, how dare you..."
"Shut up and answer my question. Where is Raynare?"
"Do you think I'd tell..."
'Riiip.'
Before the man could finish, Issei ripped off one of his wings. The pain of his wing being torn out spread through the man's entire body, and he screamed.
"Uwaaaaah!!"
"Answer, if you don't want your other wing ripped off."
"You..... you monster!!"
The man spun around, created a spear of light, and threw it at Issei, but Issei dodged it at point-blank range just by tilting his head. The man was shocked by the unbelievable reflexes. Issei stomped on the wrist of the hand that had created the spear, hard enough to make a CRACK sound. With a snap, the man grabbed his wrist and began to roll on the ground.
"Uwaaaaaah!! You.... you bastard!!"
'Hah..... Does he still not understand the difference in our skills? Can't be helped.'
"Last time, I couldn't fight properly because I was a wanted man.... but now, I don't care anymore."
Issei's eyes instantly filled with bloodlust as he stared directly into the man's eyes. The moment the man met Issei's gaze, he felt his body stiffen, and he realized he was trembling uncontrollably.
'My body..... my instincts are screaming at me.... This guy... is dangerous!! He's not just an ordinary stray?'
"It seems you still don't get that the only reason you're alive is because of my small bit of mercy. Tell me where Raynare is, now. Otherwise..... this time, I'll kill you without warning."
"Damn it!! Do you think I'd sell out Lady Raynare?!!"
(He's quite loyal to his comrades. No.... is it devotion?)
'More importantly, this guy is too weak. It's probably better for him if I end this quickly.'
(Ah.... It seems we won't get anything more by torturing him.)
Issei closed his eyes once, then, with a look of resolve, slowly approached him. The man tried to scramble away, but his legs gave out, and he could only crawl. He had acted tough on the outside, but faced with Issei's overwhelming power, the fear of death began to creep in. When Issei's hand glowed and transformed into a red gauntlet, the man thought this was the end.
Clang!
"!?"
"I made it in time."
"..... Kiba Yuuto?"
In front of the Fallen Angel, blocking Issei's gauntlet, was Kuoh Academy's number one pretty boy and most popular student, Kiba Yuuto. And behind Issei, he heard several other presences. When Issei turned around, he saw Rias Gremory with her long red hair, Himejima Akeno with her black ponytail, and the short, silver-haired Toujou Koneko, all in Kuoh Academy uniforms.
"I was wondering why you didn't come to school.... Heh..... To think you'd lure and defeat a Fallen Angel just to find the one who killed you.... Impressive. But I never once told you to kill Fallen Angels, did I? Hyoudou Issei-kun."
'Rias Gremory..... Why is she here....'
"I don't understand why you're stopping me. Aren't Fallen Angels, Devils, and Angels enemies?"
"As expected, you know all about Fallen Angels, Devils, and Angels. But..... that's a story from the past. Now, there's an unspoken agreement not to interfere or leave our own territories. In short, just because you're a devil doesn't mean it's an era where you kill any Fallen Angel or Angel on sight. If that Fallen Angel over there dies, it becomes a problem for us. So, could you put that Sacred Gear away? Issei-kun."
"Don't be ridiculous. No matter what you say, we were the ones who were attacked first. Not only did they kill me, but they tried to kill my friends too. I'm going to kill this guy and then go kill Raynare."
"My, my..... You have a rather hostile personality, Hyoudou-kun....." -Kiba
"... He seems really pissed off." -Koneko
At Issei's words, Rias sighed and held out her hand. A red magic circle appeared at Issei's feet, glowing, and then chains shot out and wrapped around Issei's entire body.
"!?"
(Partner.... Those aren't ordinary chains.)
'I know. The power....'
"When you collapsed last time, seeing the Fallen Angel feathers all around you, I sensed This child will be quite difficult to handle. Not being prepared for this... it's a poor analogy, but... it's like raising a wild beast outside its cage. Issei-kun.... Cool your head a little."
'.....'
(Partner..... If we used our true power, we could defeat Rias Gremory here, but even if we defeat her, it's our loss. I doubt you want to live being chased by devils. Endure it for now. It could bring harm to the people around you. Judge the situation calmly.)
".....Tch."
For a moment, images of his friends and adoptive parents flashed through his mind. Issei clicked his tongue, relaxed his stance, and retracted his Sacred Gear. Rias smiled as if praising him and nodded. Then, she glared at the Fallen Angel with terrifying eyes.
"I'll let you live this once. You'd do well to remember. This town is under the jurisdiction of the Gremory family. If this happens again, I will kill you without mercy. Understand."
"I'll return those words right back to you, next head of the Gremory family!! My name is Dohnaseek, I pray we don't meet agai-"
"Shut your mouth before I rip your head off."
The man called Dohnaseek, who was trying to save face, flinched at Issei's words. And so, the man disappeared, flying unsteadily into the sky with only one wing.
Only Issei, Rias, and Rias's servants remained in that place. Issei, no longer needing to return to the fountain where he had nearly died, headed home. Rias sighed, looking at Issei, who had become her follower, thinking, 'I still have a long way to go.'
"President..... That guy gives off a really wild animal-like vibe, doesn't he?"
"....A beast."
"But.... along with that, he's quite trustworthy." - Rias
"..." - Akeno
Everyone thought Issei was trustworthy, but in contrast, Akeno looked at his back with great worry.