About one week had passed since Issei had been reborn from a human into a Devil.
It was a Sunday, and with no Devil work to do, he was enjoying a completely free day.
Right now, he was at the park where he had gone on a date with Raynare.
Here, he had closed the chapter on his life as a human and been reborn as a devil. Though he bore wounds he would never forget, when he thought of having met Rias, it truly was a case of "a loss may turn out to be a gain." As he sat on a bench, lost in thought—
"Kyaa!"
Suddenly, right before his eyes, someone fell flat on the ground.
"A-are you okay?"
Issei reflexively held out his right hand. The hand that grasped back was translucent white and soft.
"Ah, thank you very much."
Her lemon-yellow hair stirred his heart.
"You're welcome."
"Eh? You can understand what I'm saying?"
In fact, a Devil's special ability automatically translated foreign languages into one's native tongue. So to Issei, it sounded as if she were speaking Japanese.
"The truth is, I want to go to a church."
As far as he knew, the only church in this town was a rundown one in the mountains on the outskirts.
But what business could she have there?
Just then, a boy crossing in front of him tripped. Oh dear, he seemed to have scraped his knee.
"Oh my, you're bleeding."
The girl stood before the boy and held her palm over his bleeding kneecap. In no time at all, the wound on his knee healed.
'Could this also be a Sacred Gear?'
"A strong boy shouldn't cry, okay?"
"Thank you, big sis!" Saying that, the boy ran off.
"Ah, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Asia Argento."
"I'm Issei Hyoudou. Feel free to call me 'Issei.'"
"Yes, Issei-san!"
Issei and Asia shook hands. This was the fateful encounter with Asia, who would become one of his precious wives.
According to Asia, there were three women and one man at that church.
"I hope we can meet again, Issei-san."
Issei parted ways with Asia on the road leading to the church…
"No, you can't do something so reckless."
The next day, when Issei reported what had happened, Rias scolded him.
"As I told you before, the three great factions—Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels—are still in a ceasefire. There's a risk that a trivial incident could start the war again. Please understand that, Issei."
"I'm sorry, boss. You're right, that was thoughtless of me."
"Boss, we've received a request to hunt down a stray Devil."
Just then, Akeno entered.
A stray Devil was a Devil who had betrayed their master and acted on their own whims. It was a long-standing problem in Devil society as well.
At 8 PM, the Occult Research Club found the stray Devil lurking in an abandoned factory.
"Stray Devil Viser! In the name of the Great King, I sentence you to execution!"
"Kihihihi! I wonder if tonight's blood is sweet?"
So this was a stray Devil. Viser's upper half retained a human form, but his lower half consisted of eight spider-like segmented legs—he looked exactly like an arachnid.
"Listen, Issei. This is a good opportunity, so let me explain about Devil's Pieces. Devil pieces are modeled after chess... Go, Yumi."
"Yes, boss."
With those words, Yumi moved—hah, fast! It was a speed that blurred the eye!
"The 'Knight' piece's special trait is speed. Against most opponents, it's difficult to even follow Yumi's movements with your eyes."
"Damn you, you're so sneaky! Take this, shorty!"
Perhaps flustered and overwhelmed by Yumi's speed, Viser swung a leg down at Koneko.
"You just called me 'shorty,' didn't you?"
"Wh-what!?"
Koneko grabbed Viser's leg, lifted him up, and flipped him over! 'Where did she get such strength!?'
"Koneko is a 'Rook.' The Rook's special trait is power. If you underestimate her based on appearance alone, you'll be in for a painful lesson."
Flipped onto his back, Viser couldn't get up on his own and thrashed about helplessly.
"Now, Akeno. Time for punishment."
"Yes, boss... Lightning!"
With that incantation, lightning bolts shot from Akeno's fingers and struck Viser directly.
"Ufufufu, fufufu."
'Hey, hey, she's definitely enjoying this, isn't she?'
"Akeno's piece is the 'Queen.' The Queen's special trait is all-around ability. She possesses all the powers of the 'Bishop,' 'Knight,' and 'Rook.' Oh yes, the 'Bishop' is a piece that excels in magic power. ...Also, Akeno is quite the sadist."
Haha, well, that was going to be a tough one to beat.
"Don't worry, Issei. As long as you're not her enemy, she's very kind. Akeno, that's enough."
Akeno's electric torture had left Viser completely charred black. Then Rias stood before Viser, who was barely alive.
"Well then, Viser. Do you have any last words?"
"...J-just kill me!"
"As you wish. I shall annihilate you."
From Rias's right hand, purple and black magic bullets formed and flew toward Viser. Struck by those bullets, Viser vanished without a trace.
"This is the 'Power of Destruction,' passed down through the Gremory family for generations."
'Oh, so this is Rias's power…' But "destruction" sounded rather dangerous.
"Well, the mission is complete. Let's call it a day here."
"Wait a minute! You haven't explained the 'Pawn' piece yet."
"Oh, that's right. The Pawn is the lowest of the pieces. However, when it reaches the enemy's territory, it can promote into a 'Bishop,' 'Knight,' or 'Rook.'"
That was what they called "promotion" in shogi. But Issei was the lowest rank, huh. Still, as they said, "a shogi game without pawns is a losing game"—depending on the situation, one could fight with versatility.
Maybe it was unexpectedly well-suited to him.
"Well then, everyone. Let's do our best again tomorrow."
"Yes!"
With those words, they disbanded, and Issei got on his bicycle to head home.
...
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