Vash
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Chapter 79
🕑 Added 2025-08-25 11:33:04 +0000 UTCThe silence that followed Issei's departure hung heavy in the air. Rias remained perched on the edge of her desk, her expression thoughtful as she stared at the door he'd just walked through.
Akeno was the first to break the quiet, her usual playful demeanor replaced by genuine curiosity. "Ara ara, President," she said, moving to refill the empty teacup. "I have to ask about why are you so interested in recruiting Issei-kun?"
Kiba looked up from his position by the window, equally curious. "It is unusual for you to pursue someone so... enthusiastically."
"Especially someone whose Sacred Gear we haven't even identified," Akeno continued, her eyes studying Rias carefully. "We know he has one, but beyond that..."
Koneko, who was still in her chair reading her book, spoke without looking up. "Leon could have told us what it was. But he didn't."
Rias shook her head slowly, sliding off the desk to pace behind her chair. "That's exactly what makes me certain this isn't simple."
"What do you mean?" Kiba asked, his polite tone masking his growing interest.
"Think about it," Rias said, turning to face her peerage. ""The fallen angels targeted Issei specifically. Not randomly—they sent Raynare to seduce him, to get close to him over time."
Akeno tilted her head. "Fallen angels do kill Sacred Gear users..."
"But not like this," Rias interrupted. "Usually they just attack outright. Quick, efficient elimination. But Raynare spent weeks building a relationship with him. That level of investment suggests they knew something."
Koneko finally looked up from her book, her golden eyes thoughtful. "They were being careful."
"Exactly," Rias said.
Akeno's eyes widened slightly. "You think it's something significant."
"The fallen angels wouldn't go to such lengths for an ordinary Sacred Gear," Rias said, her voice dropping to almost a whisper. "They were treating this like a high-priority elimination. Possibly even..."
She trailed off, but the implication hung in the air.
"A Longinus?" Kiba finished, his usual calm cracking slightly.
The room fell silent again. The idea of one of the thirteen Longinus-class Sacred Gears—artifacts capable of killing gods—being in the hands of a perverted high school student was almost absurd. Almost.
"It would explain the fallen angels' behavior," Akeno said quietly. "And why they were so determined to eliminate him before his power could awaken."
Koneko closed her book with a soft thud. "If Issei has a Longinus, other factions will come for him."
"Which is why I want him in our peerage," Rias said firmly. "If I'm right, he'll need protection. And training. Lots of training."
"And if you're wrong?" Kiba asked.
Rias smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Then we gain a loyal ally with potential for growth. Either way, it's worth the investment."
"Assuming he chooses to become a devil at all," Akeno pointed out. "He seemed quite torn about giving up his humanity."
"Leon's influence," Koneko said simply. "He values choice."
"Yes," Rias said, her tone becoming more frustrated. “It’s being more complicated than it needs to be."
"Is it?" Kiba asked quietly, surprising everyone. "I mean, if Issei does have a powerful Sacred Gear, wouldn't we want him to choose us willingly? Someone with that kind of power who feels coerced might become... problematic."
Akeno nodded thoughtfully. "Kiba-kun has a point. Forced loyalty rarely lasts."
Rias sighed, sinking into her chair. "You're right, of course. But the waiting is difficult when I can sense the opportunity slipping away."
Koneko said with quiet confidence. “Leon taught me that you can't force people to want what you want for them.”
Rias bit her lips.
I know that. She thought, remembering the last time she tried that. It failed and backfired on her spectacularly.
The room fell quiet as everyone absorbed that. Finally, Akeno spoke up with a slight smile returning to her voice.
"Well, I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what our perverted friend decides fu-fu."
"Indeed," Rias said, standing and moving to the window.
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The abandoned church on the outskirts of Kuoh stood silent in the evening light, its weathered stone walls and broken windows telling the story of a faith long since abandoned by its congregation. Within its dusty halls, a young woman knelt before a cracked wooden cross, her blonde hair catching what little light filtered through the damaged stained glass.
Asia Argento pressed her hands together in prayer, her green eyes closed in peaceful concentration. At seventeen, she possessed a serene beauty that seemed to glow with inner light—the kind of purity that had once earned her the title of Holy Maiden among the faithful.
"Heavenly Father," she whispered in Japanese, her voice barely audible in the sacred space, "please grant me the strength to serve faithfully. Let my hands bring healing to those who need it."
The irony wasn't lost on her that she now prayed in a church abandoned by the very organization that had cast her out. Excommunicated. Branded a heretic for the sin of healing a devil. Even now, the memory of that day brought tears to her eyes.
She had only wanted to help. The injured devil had been suffering, dying, and her Sacred Gear had responded to that pain without her conscious thought. Twilight Healing didn't distinguish between good and evil—it simply mended what was broken.
But the Church saw it differently. Healing the enemy of God was unforgivable, they said. Her sacred gift had been tainted, corrupted by contact with evil.
A soft smile crossed her lips as she thought of Raynare. If not for the fallen angel's intervention, Asia didn't know where she would be now. Cast out from the only home she had ever known, abandoned by the very people she had served so faithfully, she had been wandering the streets of Rome like a lost soul.
Raynare had found her there, crying in an alley behind a church that had refused her sanctuary. Where others saw a heretic, Raynare had seen someone worth saving.
"You don't deserve this treatment," Raynare had said, her violet eyes filled with genuine compassion. "Come with me. I'll give you a place where you can use your gift without judgment."
And she had kept that promise. Here in Japan, in this forgotten church, Asia could heal without fear of persecution. Raynare had given her purpose again, a chance to serve even if it wasn't in the way she had originally intended.
The soft sound of footsteps on broken stone made her open her eyes. Raynare approached with her usual stride, though Asia detected something different in her demeanor today—an excitement barely contained beneath her composed exterior.
"Asia," Raynare said, her voice carrying that mix of authority and false kindness that Asia had learned to recognize. "How are your prayers this afternoon?"
Asia rose from her knees, smoothing her nun's habit. "They bring me peace, Raynare-sama. As always."
"Good, good." Raynare moved closer, her violet eyes studying Asia with an intensity that made the former nun uncomfortable.
"I have news. In a few days, we'll be hosting some very important guests."
"Guests?" Asia asked, tilting her head curiously.
"Other fallen angels, like myself. They're coming to witness something truly special." Raynare's expression grew more serious.
Asia felt a flutter of nervousness. "What kind of ceremony?"
"Nothing you need to worry about, dear Asia." Raynare reached out to touch her cheek with what seemed like genuine tenderness. "You trust me, don't you? After everything I've done for you?"
"Of course I do," Asia replied without hesitation.
Something flickered across Raynare's face—so quickly that Asia almost missed it.
Was that... guilt? But it was gone before she could be sure.
"Such a sweet child," Raynare murmured, her hand still resting against Asia's cheek. "So pure, so trusting”
"Nothing, dear. Nothing at all." Raynare stepped back, her expression returning to its usual composed mask.
As Raynare departed something about the fallen angel's demeanor today felt different.
Asia shook her head, dismissing the troubling thoughts. Raynare had saved her from despair, given her shelter and purpose when the whole world had turned against her. Whatever this ceremony was, it had to be for the greater good.
Asia returned to her knees before the cracked cross, pressing her hands together once more.
"Lord," she whispered, "please help me serve faithfully in the days to come. And please... continue to bless Raynare-san for her kindness to one the Church cast aside."
The Holy Maiden continued her prayers, faithful and trusting, her heart full of gratitude for the fallen angel who had shown her mercy when no one else would. She had no way of knowing that her greatest act of faith would soon become her final one.
