Chapter 35: (POV) Issei – Part 3

The great game begins. The players are the ones who will decide the fate of the others, who have the power, who can move the wheels of destiny. Rias Gremory. Raynare. Kurono. Issei Hyoudou. And the guest. ThE bet on the table? Asia Argento and her Twilight Healing. They joined the table, took their seats and each one with their cards.

In a game of life and death that will create a new future... To bet!.

Returning to the situation

"I'm going to protect Asia. How funny" I bit my teeth and cried in frustration. The fallen angel, Yumma...no, Raynare  mocked me once again, flew high in the sky holding Asia with her. Asia said goodbye to me with a smile, did it for me. 'Yes. Thank you for being friends with someone like me'.

Damn it! Damn it! Damn  it!!!

"Asiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" I call my friend's name skyward. No response. For the first time in my life, I cursed myself for being weak.

I couldn't  do anything! Why? Why do I have to be so weak?....

After I cannot protect Asia, I decide to visit the school as soon as possible. Then, in the club room, I told the story to the president and the others. They listened to me in silence. Even after reporting what happened, I proposed going to that church.  The president on the other hand said she would not get involved in this matter. I could not agree with her decision and we had to argue. In the end, Akeno-san approached and whispered in the president's ear. Her face became serious and they left after a few words through the magic circle. Only Kiba, Koneko-chan and I were leftin the club room.  With a deep breath, I am determinate to go.

"Issei-kun...will you go?" Kiba calls me.

"I became friends with Asia Argento. She's an important friend and I won't abandon my friend when her life is in danger" I tell him, I can't give up on this.

"You're really going? you could die. You won't be able to come back alive anymore. Do you understand?" (Kiba). He was warning me. But in my head there were no other options. I closed my eyes and nodded to him.

I will go, even if it costs me my life, Asia must escape!.

"I don't know much about Asia-san, but you are my comrade. Even if the president said that, there is a part of me that respects your decision. And I personally hate priests, just like the fallen angels. I detest them. I'll go with you too..." (Kiba). He spoke.

"I'll go too...I feel uneasy if only two people go" Koneko-chan  hasn't any expression on her face, but I could feel that hidden kindness in her. I was speechless. It couldn't be helped. I had just heard something I didn't expect.

"I am deeply moved! Right now I'm so moved by you, Koneko-chan!" I cry out gratefully and try to hug Koneko-chan several times. But she hits me very hard and pushes me away.

Yes! With this it is possible! Wait for us Asia!.

"Huh? I said I'm going too..." Kiba smiled with a saddened face. Kiba, I know. Thank you.

The three of us headed for the old church, enemy territory and the base of the fallen angels. We stopped outside this, from an alley where we could see, we were examining it. There was no one entering the church. The sky was getting dark, it was time for the street lamps to light up.  The more I looked at it, the stronger the feeling of bad foreboding became. Koneko-chan is watching our position. Kiba has a roll of paper in his hand.

"Here, look at this map"(Kiba). He opens the roll, the paper is an architectural plan of the church. The design of its construction is shown on it.

Where did you...?

"Well, it's a basic thing when you go to enemy territory" The casanova smiled as if he knew what he was going to ask. Wow, what a great endorsement. I didn't even consider it I would just try to go in head first. Once again I realized how naive I was. The three of us talked about the structure of the church. In addition to the sanctuary there is also a dormitory. The sanctuary looks suspicious.

We are decided! Now we have to go in! Asia, here I come!.

Door slam. We enter through the large wooden door of the old church. Nervously, I look at every corner. Long pews in a row, an altar, candles on the sides and a red long carpet in the middle. The tension in the room was enormous. Everything is ruined. There are cracks in the floor, the walls, even some of the stained glass in the church was broken. From the cracks, magic shot upward, causing even more damage.

"It took me a while to notice this presence, I only became aware of it when we got here..." Kiba made a serious face as his eyes intensified.

" Devil..." Beside me, Koneko-chan muttered. Her face turned serious.

Eh? Devil? What's wrong now?

"What did you notice that I didn't...?" I asked them hesitantly.

"Issei-kun, there is a high class demon and he is fighting downstairs"(Kiba). He puts his hand on my shoulder and speaks .Kiba's other hand is holding the hilt of his sword.

Suddenly a dark green aura shoots up from the ground and wreaks havoc. The sanctuary is in ruins. The aftereffects of demonic power are enough to make me feel something very cold on my back.

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Why is a first class demon in the church? What is his objective? Is he an enemy of the fallen angels...? I was about to think about it when I realized that I had no time to lose, whatever it is. We will find out soon.

Kiba, Koneko-chan and I looked at each other, nodded and ran towards the altar. Just below the altar is a circular staircase that descends to a basement. With each step down I feel like all the hair on my body was about to stand on end.  As we go deeper into the church, my breathing is erratic. We find a large door.  This is it!.

"PATHETIC HUMANS! THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN DEFEAT ME, FEEL THE DESPAIR AT THE END OF YOUR LIVES! I'M NOT EVEN TRYING! I AM DIODORA OF THE HOUSE OF ASTAROTH!!!" "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!" When Kiba and I were about to open it, the door opened by itself. As it made a loud noise, the inside of the ritual place became visible. Massacre. There are injured and dead people. Cruelly torn to pieces all over the basement. Blood everywhere I look. Screams of agony from priests. I could feel the instinct to kill inside the room. The intent to kill directed by a first class demon. My hands and body were shaking. My attention was focused on the girl that is tied to a cross and I screamed at her.

"Asiaaaaaaa!" Asia looks at me faintly after hearing my voice. Her eyes are puffy. She is crying. Her eyes are so red that they tell me she shed an abnormal amount of tears. Judging by her appearance, she doesn't have any wounds.

"Hmm? This is your so-called friend Asia?" The one speaking is a handsome, delicate-looking young man. He has narrowed eyes, a green hair and a certain noble trait.  The noble demon grabbed Asia's chin and looked down at us haughtily.  The pressure was on us. He is the high class devil!.

"Ise-san...?"(Asia) She said. I smiled at her and a tear fell from her eye. The noble demon made her see me, the damned one is forcing her to do it by force!.

"Let her go!... Don't make Asia cry!" I yell at him and raise my fists at him.

"Asia and I have our business. A lowly, dirty, vulgar reincarnated demon should just keep quiet!"(Diodora). He got mad, put his hand forward and created many bullets of demonic power. Koneko-chan stepped in front of me, struck and deflected those shots in another direction. Kiba slashed them with his sword. That was close. I'm a pawn after all but I don't want to be a burden, I'm in enemy territory now, I should be able to do it.

Promotion, Rook!

One thing led to another and we started fighting. Asia fainted. Kiba tries to talk to the noble demon, but to no avail. The fight becomes long, his magic bullets, though weak, are too many. I get wounded. Koneko-chan too. Kiba is the one in better health. The guy called Diodora didn't get a scratch every time we came close to attack him, he created a magic barrier to protect him. Our hits were stopped and he made more of his attacks.

The basement became a battlefield. In a corner , Raynare, the fallen angel is unconscious.  She was defeated before our arrival, has a very bloody wound on her stomach and and her black wings, the exorcists who could still move fled from here while we were fighting, it's chaos. But as long as I see Asia I will not stop. This is my obligation. Until I save my friend I will not stop!.

Diodora, who put on an annoyed expression, pointed his hand at me and started to gather his demonic powers immediately. He's trying to shoot his demonic power to the maximum level. This is bad!

DOOOOOOOOON! A green light shot out from his left hand, spins around as if it has its own will and in a quick spin explodes on Koneko-chan.

"Ko...Koneko-chan!" I shout. She falls lying on the ground face down with a bloody wound on her back.  I hug her as soon as I could, kiba stood in front of us. I understood, the situation became very grave. The battle reached its climax.

"This is the difference between a high-blooded noble like me and mere uneducated demon slaves...Suffer the punishment for your audacity, I will annihilate you!!!" He pointed his finger at us. Diodora looks at us over his shoulder, his eyes widened, contempt and superiority showing in them. A magic circle with a green aura formed in his palm and several magic bullets shot out.

"Koneko, I'm sorry. I never expected someone else to visit the church..." I hear a sweet voice. The person who appears beside me is the crimson-haired girl, President Rias.

President!...

From behind my master created several magic circles that stopped the attacks. Not only she arrived. Akeno-san appeared from a magic circle. Yes, they teleported directly to the basement.

"Diodora? You're Diodora, aren't you?" The president seemed to recognize him.

"Gremory... "Her expression changed, she spoke with a delicate voice and a smile. They began a conversation calmly but the tension was evident. This could only end in one way. Akeno-san picks up Koneko-chan from my arms and is putting some bandages on her. While I concentrated on what they were saying.

"May I know what the heir to the house of Astaroth is doing in my territory? Attacking my servants, it almost looks like you were going to kill them if I don't show up" (Rias). She spoke. I could tell that although she sounds quite reserved this time she was furious.

"Rias-san. I'm going to say it clearly. This girl belongs to me. Your impertinent slaves got in our way. Properly I simply gave them a lesson in manners."(Diodora) The bastard said it with a refreshing  smile.

Shit! Just as I thought, he was looking for Asia!

"You call this a lesson in manners? I think I should tell you. A 'vulgar' priest told me a tale. The tale about a rich boy who has an obsession with nuns and holy maidens. He would seduce the maidens with his words to make them fall in love with him. After the nuns and maidens were expelled by their churches, which left them devastated, he would appear earlier to supposedly save them from their despair, only to finally take advantage of them. Then, this rich boy would reincarnate them as his servants who slavishly pledged their allegiance to him. Tell me Diodora. Are you that rich boy?"(Rias) The president said this face to face.

I had heard about Asia's past. She had been expelled, excommunicated and branded a heretic by the church for saving a demon by chance. Wait a second. W-Wait, so Asia went..... 'I don't regret saving him back then'. I remembered Asia saying that and the tears she had just now. That's right, he was the demon who had been the trigger for Asia to be expelled from the Church.

Son of a bitch, you bastard! From my fists, blood is dripping, because I am firmly angry. Diodora... I will never forgive you!

THAT NIGHT, I DID RECOGNIZE HIM, THE ENEMY OF MY LIFE... THE ONE WHO STOLE MY FIRST GIRLFRIEND AND THE ONE TO BLAME FOR ASIA'S DEATH... KEI KURONO!

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