Chapter 5 - Finding Your Resolve
"Wow Asia-san, so you're already a nun!" Mito looked up at Asia with an amazed look. The small group had agreed to bring the girl to the church, and as they got closer to their destination Mito and the teenage nun, whose name they found out was Asia Argento, had started talking to each other. "But that means you've been with the church for a long time."
"Hai, ever since I was a baby." Asia smiled brightly down at the younger girl next to her.
A few steps behind them, Naruto and the others watched the two conversing. "… Wow, I've never seen Mito-chan open up to someone so quickly before." Naruto commented before a smile grew on his face.
"Huh?" Issei turned to look at the older male student, "Is she not a social person or something?" He remembered how Mito hid herself behind Naruto and Rias when they met.
"It's not that, she's just an extremely shy person. Mito-chan only really talks and acts like this when she knows the person." Naruto explained with a smile still on his face as he saw his sister giggle at something. "I guess there's something about Asia that Mito likes."
Rias silently studied the blond female in front of them, getting a feeling that there was something about this girl, something powerful. Her thoughts had cut off by the sound of crying, the group looked over to see a little boy on the ground with a bruise on his knee. Asia stepped away from Mito and quickly walked over to the crying boy, the others a couple of steps behind her.
She knelt next to the boy and patted him on the head softly, making the boy stop crying to turn towards her. "You're a boy, so you should cry over a little scrape." Asia said with a comforting smile as she removed her hand from his head and placed both of her hands over the boy's injury, a green glow covered her hands before two rings appeared on her middle fingers. Closing her eyes the girl began to concentrate, soon a green light emitted from her hands and covered the boy's injury.
'Is that… Hmm,' Rias took a quick glance towards Issei and saw he gripped his left hand. 'Issei's Sacred Gear is reacting to it… so that must mean this nun has a…' Looking back at the nun and the boy, she could see the boy's scrape healing quickly.
"Wow," Mito muttered from her spot next to Naruto, watching Asia finish healing the boy.
"There's no doubt… she has a Sacred Gear." Naruto thought as he narrowed his eyes a little, his attention focused on the girl and the rings on her hand. 'And it's a healing one at that… I wonder…'
"Naruto-sama?" Saber called out to Naruto, "Is something wrong?"
'It's nothing important for now.' Naruto replied as he mentally shook his head. 'But Saber… I need you to do a few things for me when we get to school after we drop Asia off.'
"... Of course. Whatever you need."
"Look at that, your wound's all gone! It's all right now." Asia called out, catching Naruto's attention again as she dispelled her rings, the boy was amazed as he got back on his feet and bowed his head in thanks before hurrying off somewhere. Asia turned her head to look back at the others, "Sorry about that, it's a force of habit."
"It disappeared like magic!" Mito called out as her eyes went starry, getting really close to Asia, surprising the older girl a bit at how close Mito had gotten. "How did you do that?"
"Calm down Mito-chan, don't scare her like that." Naruto said as he placed a hand on his sister's head. Ignoring the angry pout the small red head was sending him, Naruto turned to Asia. "But I have to say, that's one impressive power you've got there Asia-chan."
"Thank you. It's a fantastic power granted by God." She said with a smile before muttering to herself in a sad tone, "… Yes, a fantastic power…"
Naruto stared down at the girl before reaching a hand down to her, making her look up at him questioningly. "Come on, we promised to help you get to the Church, right?" Naruto smiled down at the girl.
Asia smiled at Naruto before grabbing onto his hand, "Hai, thank you very much." With a strong pull, Naruto brought the female blonde to her feet.
Rias narrowed her eyes a bit when she had caught sight of a second cross, this one attached to a bracelet on Asia's wrist. It swung up a bit from the sudden movement and tapped the bottom part of Naruto's hand. Darting her eyes to Naruto she saw that he had no reaction to the holy object touching him. The Gremory heir let out a soft sigh, at least this proved that Naruto was immune to not only light but holy objects as well, Saber's protection power was incredible. However,… Rias' gaze went to Naruto, Mito and Asia, all three of them were smiling as they conversed. While a shake of her head, Rias soon joined in on the conversation with a friendly expression, and Issei soon joined in right after her. The group continued to talk as they walked along a flowery path, getting closer to their destination with each step.
"So, I've been meaning to ask, are you on a trip?" Naruto asked as he gestured down to the luggage Asia had.
"Oh, no. I was appointed to this town's church." Asia replied with a smile, "I'm so glad I've met such nice people like you. It must be divine guidance!"
"Yeah, I guess you can say something like that…" Naruto agreed with an awkward smile, mentally he and his two Devil companions couldn't help but think of the irony of the situation.
"So, do you all go to the same school? You all have matching uniforms." Asia looked back and forth between the uniforms the four were wearing.
"Yes we do, our school's name is Kuoh Academy." Issei spoke up as he shifted his bag to the other shoulder, "I'm a second year and Naruto-sempai and Buchou are third years… and I don't know what Mito-san is-"
"I'm in the sixth grade." Mito spoke up from next to Asia, "What about you Asia-san, have you ever gone to school before?"
"No unfortunately, I've been with the church all my life, so I never had a chance to go to school before." Asia admitted with a smile. She had always been curious about what school life was like.
"… There's the church. Just a few blocks away from here." Rias said as she pointed a few blocks down. The others turned to see the church in the distance. "Unfortunately, Asia-san, this is as far as we can take you" Rias continued with an apologetic smile, "We have to hurry back if we want to get to school in time."
"Okay… I understand." Asia replied with a sad expression as her gaze went down to the ground. She suddenly felt a pat on her head, making her look up to see Naruto grinning at her.
"Hey, don't make such a sad face. It doesn't suit you." Naruto said with a smile, he rubbed the top of her head. "Besides there's no reason we can't meet again, right?"
His words seemed to work since a bright smile came to her face, "Right! I'm so happy to have met people as kind as you four this quickly after arriving in Japan!" Asia said before she felt Naruto remove his hand from her head, which for some reason made a small part of her feel sad. "Let's we meet again soon, Naruto-san!"
"Don't forget about me!" Mito spoke up as she moved in front of Naruto with a grin on her face, "I can show you all the fun spots around here!"
"I look forward to it Mito-san." Asia giggled at the young girl's happy attitude and turned to Rias and Issei, "I hope we get to meet up as well Rias-san, Issei-san."
"Um… Alright." Issei replied before nodding his head, "Sounds like fun."
Rias only nodded her head with a polite smile, which was all Asia needed to see. The young nun turned around and continued the path towards the church. The group soon followed her example and started heading towards the school. Though while Naruto could see Mito and Issei were happy from the encounter, Rias' smile disappeared into an unreadable expression.
"… Naruto-kun, there is something I will need to tell you and Issei after school." Rias said in a soft voice, so she wouldn't catch the attention of the other two.
"Alright." Naruto nodded, already having an idea of what she wanted.
(After School)
"You must never get close to the church again." Rias said with her arms crossed, leaning against a multi-colored window. After classes were over and Issei had arrived at the Old Building, Rias had pulled both him and Naruto aside. "This also means you can never see Asia-san again either."
"Eh?" Issei blinked in confusion while Naruto, who was sitting on the railing, tightened his grip on the bar holding him up.
"To us Devils, the church is an enemy's territory." Rias explained as she walked closer to them, moving over to the area right next to Naruto. "Just stepping into it can cause a rift between the Devils and God. We were in a situation where it wouldn't be strange for them to try and hit any of us with a spear of light."
"Seriously?!" Issei looked down at his hand, "I guess that explain why I was getting that creepy feeling earlier…"
"That was most likely your Devil instincts." Rias said before telling the two about Exorcists and the danger they pose to Devils. After the explanation was finished, Rias told Issei to go to the Clubroom so she could talk to Naruto in private. The brunette slowly nodded his head before silently leaving the two alone, thinking about the situation between Devils and the members of the church. As soon as he was out of sight Rias turned to Naruto with a sad expression, "I'm sorry Naruto-kun, you and Mito-chan took a real liking to Asia-san. You need to remember that she is a member of the church and associating with each other is something we must never do."
"It's fine, I understand Rias-chan… But before, when I saw the look in her eyes, it reminded me so much of Saber. That look of loneliness, a face filled with painful memories and thoughts… something like that should never be on anyone's face." Naruto said as he leaped off the railing and walked over to the window, "Seeing that on someone who looks so innocent, it's hard to believe she's an enemy…"
Rias looked at Naruto's back in silence before walking up to him, placing her hands on his shoulder while her head rested near the nape of his neck. "I know, but you have to keep a clear mind, or else your enemies will get the best of you."
"…Yeah, I know…" Naruto raised a hand up and grabbed onto one of hers. "But it doesn't make things easier. While I enjoy many things in this world, there will always be a part of part of it I don't like…"
After a few minutes of silence, Rias spoke up again. "… You know, now that I think about it… I believe I've told you this before right?" She lifted her head up and pulled Naruto around to face her, before placing a hand on his cheek. "About how all Devils have wants and desires…"
Naruto nodded his head in confusion, "Yeah, what about it?
"Well since the time you were turned into a Devil, you haven't seemed to have shown any…" The red-head leaned in closer to him, pressing her chest against his, "So tell me Naruto-kun… is there anything that you…" The girl moved closer to his ear and whispered huskily, "…desire?"
Naruto felt his face turn a little red as he felt his heart speed up a little, before he caught something at the corner of his eyes. "... Uh, Rias-chan…"
"Yes, Naruto-kun? Rias had a sweet smile on her face as he pulled her head back, but left her arms wrapped around his neck, "What is it, tell me?"
"… We have an audience…" Naruto answered as he motioned to the right of them with his head. Rias followed his gesture and saw Arcueid watching them while eating from a bag of chips.
The vampire paused mid-bite when she noticed the two were staring back at her, "Oh don't mind me. Please continue like I'm not even here." With that said Arcueid continued to eat, making Naruto sweatdropped a little.
'Kind of hard when you're staring at us like that.' Naruto thought to himself, before finding Rias' grip tightening a little making him turn towards her, "Rias-chan?"
"You heard her, just act like it's just the two of us…" The red head used her strength to pull his head closer to hers. Naruto stared into her eyes as she leaned closer, his gaze slowly went to her luscious lips. He could feel his body moving on its own, getting closer to her as well. But once again, the moment between the two was interrupted.
"Naruto-sama, I have returned from my mission!" Saber appeared in a golden flash with her arms crossed. "Do you want me to…? My apologies, am I interrupting something?"
"No, not really." Naruto replied while looking away with a red face, pulling himself away from the buxom girl that had been holding onto him.
'Damn… and I wanted to see where that was heading too!' Rias sighed before she sent a small glared at Saber and Arcueid to interrupt the moment. She looked back at Naruto with a curious look, "So, what is this about a mission?"
"I've decided that with Mito-chan being a target as well, I need to be able to keep an eye on her during the times she is alone and unprotected." Naruto explained after he calmed himself down, "So I will have Saber watch over her when she is in her classes and when she is going home by herself, and since Saber can make herself intangible she won't be seen. By doing it this way, if something happens Saber can contact me, and I can transport myself there in a second."
"Interesting, but will you be able to access your power when Saber is far away?" Rias asked while crossing her arms.
"That will not be an issue," Saber was the one to answer as she flew on top of Naruto's shoulder. "Both my power and Naruto-sama's have completely merged together. In a way I only act as a medium of sorts."
"Which means I can use Light magic on my own. However, in order for me to use Saber's true defensive power I need her to be nearby." Naruto turned to his little companion, "So were there any signs of Fallen Angels?"
"No… I didn't detect anyone in the area." Saber shook her head negatively, "If I had to guess, they are probably waiting for the right moment, like they are with you."
"I suspected as much… and that other thing?" Rias and Arcueid turned to look at Naruto with confusion.
"Other thing?" Rias repeated.
"It's just as you thought Naruto-sama, there are definitely Fallen Angels residing in the church where we had taken Asia-san." Saber concluded, a serious expression on her face. "That is most likely their base of operations."
Arcueid finished her chips and crushed it into a ball. "So does this mean that this Asia girl might be allied with them?"
"…I doubt it," Naruto replied as he moved into a thinking pose. "She probably has no idea about what she's gotten into… it possible-"
"That she's the second target you were suspecting." Rias interrupted, making Naruto turn to look at her.
"Uh-huh… But like you said before, we can't do anything or else there will be conflict." Naruto gritted his teeth before punching the wall next to him. "As long as they haven't tried anything, I can't do anything for her."
Rias shook her head before turning towards the Clubroom door. "It's better if we focus on the Stray Devils right now. The sooner we deal with them, the better."
"… Yeah, you're right." Naruto nodded his head in agreement, before he followed her. "So how are we going to fight them? Together or divided up?"
"This will be the perfect way to show Issei how Devils fight." Rias replied as she moved to the door and placed her hands on the door's handles. "And since we will deal with one of them, you can finish off the second one."
"Alright, let's get going then." Naruto said, following Rias inside with Saber on his shoulder and Arcueid walked right behind him. As they got inside they saw Akeno standing behind the couch where a startled Issei was sitting on the edge furthest from her. "Sneaking up on people again Akeno?"
"Ara ara, don't say it like that Naruto-kun." Akeno placed a hand on her cheek, "I was simply giving Issei-san some words of encouragement."
"Sure, whatever you say." Naruto replied with a deadpanned look, making the buxom pony-tailed girl pout. "Anyways we need to get ready for a job."
"Naruto-kun's right, two Stray Devil were reported to be sighted in the area." Rias said as she saw Koneko and Kiba walk into the room. "We'll be handling one of them while Naruto-kun takes care of the other one."
"I'll be going to!" Arcueid spoke up with an arm raised high into the air. "After all, Naruto and I have some training to do after you guys take care of the Strays."
"Training?" Rias repeated with narrow eyes, her gaze shifted to Naruto, who could help but sweat at the look she was giving him. "So why didn't you come to me about helping you train?"
"Well, you see…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "I just thought that fighting someone as strong as Arcueid, who also has plenty of experience in battle, would be good for me. Besides, unlike Arcueid, you would have a harder time training with me because of the issue with my magic and Devils."
"Issue?" Issei repeated to Kiba, "What kind of issue does he mean?"
"Oh, that's right, you don't know. Naruto-sempai has a special power, one that is dangerous for us Devils." Kiba explained before putting a hand on the brunette's shoulder, "You'll see it later."
Rias quietly stared at Naruto for a few seconds before nodding her head, "Alright, I'll admit that is true…" The red head said, Naruto noticed her voice was a little edgy, before she turned to Akeno, and signaled her to create a magical circle. The Queen nodded her head before moving to the accessible area in the room, summoning a circle in a crimson glow. "Let's get going. We'll see you there Naruto-kun." With that said everyone in Rias' Peerage walked into the circle before they disappeared in a flash. Naruto blinked a few times, before shaking his head with a sigh. Raising his hand, a golden magical circle appeared where the earlier one had been.
"I was right about things being interesting around you, Naruto." Arcueid spoke up with an amused tone.
Naruto silently turned and looked at her. "… Let's just go." The blond male and his companions walked into the circle and activated it, transporting the two with a gold flash.
-NULNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRG-
"A few days ago, we got reports that two Stray Devil has been spotted in this location and that it was luring people into the warehouse so that it could consume them. We have been given the task of getting rid of them and making sure no more casualties are made." Rias was explaining the mission to the rest of her Peerage as Naruto and Arcueid arrived.
Everyone nodded in understanding; however, Issei had a confused look. "Um, what are Stray Devils?"
"Stray Devils are Devils who were once members of Peerages, like we are for Buchou, but these Devils betray his or her master so they can obtain their freedom. The most likely way to become a Stray Devil is by killing their master." Kiba explained as the made their way up to the warehouse. "Stray Devils also tend to become very violent and act out so other Devils have to put them down before they can cause too much damage."
"And that is the reason we are here, to pass judgment on them," Rias said as she and Naruto lead the group up, Arcueid was in the back. "This one in particular had been very active, and I was told that it would lure humans into the building and eat them alive."
"Eat them?!" Issei exclaimed in shock.
"Yeah, you could say that these guys are the opposite of what I am." Naruto said as he looked at the building with narrow eyes. "While I may not be a member of a Peerage, I keep myself in control and follow the rules. But Strays do whatever they like, attacking whoever they like."
"Such creatures like these have no honor." Saber huffed as she flew above the group.
"Devils that cause destruction and chaos like these Strays can't be allowed to exist, and that's why we must stop it before it harms anymore humans." As they made it inside the building they could see that the inside was in ruins, and many objects inside seemed to have been torn apart by something. Continuing further in, Rias called out to Issei. "Issei, do you remember this morning when you asked me about how I turned you into a Devil?"
"Uh yeah Buchou," Issei nodded his head.
"Have you ever played Chess before?" Rias asked, never taking her eyes off what was in front of her.
"… Once or twice, but I never really got into it." Issei admitted, wondering where she was going with this.
"There are a total of sixteen pieces in the game of Chess, the first piece is the King. In terms of a Peerage, that is what I am. The other fifteen pieces, my servants, consist of the Queen, two Knights, two Rooks, two Bishops, and eight Pawns. Each piece has its own trait, and in response to that, gives a servant Devil different abilities depending on with piece they receive." Rias explained as the group came to a stop. "This is known as the Evil Piece System, they are being used in a strength competition called Rating Game between the nobility ranks… It was through this method that I reincarnated you as a Devil."
"So, I became a Devil because of one of these Evil Pieces…" Issei muttered to himself, before looking at his King. "But why did you want me to learn about it now?"
"Issei, I want you to pay close attention tonight. Tonight, you'll understand just how Devils fight their battles and what you can expect to be involved with in the future." Rias replied to which Issei nodded his head and step closer to Naruto and Rias.
"Oh, I smell something disgusting..."A female voice could be heard coming from the shadows, a figure slowly emerging from the darkness. "And yet there is also something that smells so exquisite..."The Stray Devil looked like a young woman with a voluptuous figure with long black hair, but her lower body was gigantic and beastly with four legs, each having sharp claws, and a snake as a tail. She was completely naked and was showing her large breasts, which of course caught Issei's attention.
"Naked big boobs!" The brunette shouted with a blush; Naruto groaned a bit before silencing the pervert with a smack to the back of his head.
"Disgusting/Disgusting." Saber and Koneko mutter at the same time, but whether they were talking about the Stray Devil or that Issei ogling it, was unknown.
"Rias-chan, that's only one of the two reported." Naruto whispered to the red head, who nodded her head.
"Yeah, the other one must be hiding in the shadows, waiting for the strike. Be ready to counter." Rias replied before turning to the monster woman in front of them. "Viser, you have betrayed your King and as such are now known as a Stray Devil… I hope you are ready to face judgment!"
"Shut it slut, I'll paint the walls in your blood to match that red hair of yours," Viser exclaimed as she laughed and fondled her breasts in front of them all.
"Wow, she's a real perverted one, isn't she?" Arcueid commented but received no answer. The Stray Devil continued to laugh in an insane manner, her voice getting louder and louder as magic seals appeared around her nipples.
"Take this!" Viser shouted as yellow beams suddenly shout out of her nipples. Naruto raised his hand and created a shield of light in front of them, deflecting the beams and sending them flying toward a wall in another direction. "What the?"
"Wait a minute… that looks like…" Issei's eyes were wide as he remembered the Fallen Angels and their weapons.
"That's Naruto-sempai's power." Kiba said, making the brunette turn to him, "As you can see, he's able to summon, control, and manipulate Light Magic just like any Angel or Fallen Angel. He is the only Devil that has ever possessed this ability."
Issei looked at Naruto in surprise, "So cool…!"
Dismissing the shield Naruto turned to Rias, "Sorry about that Rias-chan, I'll leave the rest to you guys."
"It's no problem at all, thanks for the defense." Rias smiled at Naruto before turning to the other male blond, "Kiba!"
"Hai Buchou!" Kiba shouted before grabbing onto the sword at his side before disappearing.
"He vanished!" Issei exclaimed with a surprised look.
"No, he's just moving faster than you can see. Incredible speed is the attribute given to a Knight piece, and their main weapons are usually swords." Rias explained as Kiba reappeared in front of the monster, drawing his sword out of its sheath before disappearing from sight once again. He then reappeared moments later and the creatures arms came clean off before falling to the ground making the Stray Devil yell out in pain as blood sprayed out of the newly made wounds. "That is the Evil Piece I gave Kiba, the Knight."
"…Alright, your turn Koneko-san." Kiba started walking away from the screaming Stray Devil, passing by Koneko, who began silently making her way towards thee Stray Devil. The Stray Devil's appearance started to reshape itself, looking more monster-like as its chest and front part suddenly opened up into a set of jaws. Koneko didn't move a muscle as Viser let out a roar and charged forward, allowing large jaws to engulf her and clamp around her.
"The next Piece is Koneko-chan, she's my Rook…" Rias said to Issei, who stared at where Koneko had been eaten before noticing that the jaws suddenly began to reopen slowly. When it did it revealed Koneko standing there with a bored look as her arms held the jaws open almost effortlessly. "That means she acquires unparalleled strength, something as weak as this Stray won't even leave a scratch on her.
"… You're really boring." The white-haired girl said before spinning around and completely destroyed the teeth surrounding her, making the Stray Devil cry out in even more pain. Koneko continued her spin, raising her foot up and sent Viser flying through a large stone pillar with a powerful sidekick. Landing back on her feet, the petite girl turned around and moved to stand next to Kiba and Naruto, who patted her on the head.
"Looks like those matches of ours have helped you a bit Koneko-chan." Naruto said as he rubbed the girl's head, who nodded her head before leaning up a bit into his hand.
Rias looked towards the last member of her Peerage. "Now Akeno, it's your turn." Akeno smiled at her King, nodding her head with a smile and began walking forward. As Akeno got closer to the Stray Devil, Issei noticed one of the arms from earlier was twitching before shooting at Rias. Issei ran forward, summoning his Sacred Gear on his left hand before slamming his fist into the arm, sending it flying. However, before he had time to react, the second arm came at him and Rias… only for Naruto to appear above it with a sword of light in his hand and stabbed the second arm into the ground. Rias looked between the two boys with a smile, "Thank you both."
"No problem, my body just moved." Issei said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. Naruto nodded his head before hopping off the arm and walked to Rias, helping her to her feet.
"Akeno, finish her." Rias ordered as she walked passed Issei and Naruto.
"Yes Buchou," Akeno replied with a cheerful voice, lightning started to spark around her hands. "Since you tried to be rough with my King… I believe you need some punishment!"
"Akeno is my Queen, with this piece she gains the attributes of all the other pieces." Rias explained as Akeno released a bolt of lightning down on Viser's downed form. "She has incredible magical power and a fearsome Devil, and to top it off…"
The Stray Devil shook and convulsed with the shock, but that only seemed to make Akeno smile more. An orgasmic look appeared on the girls face as she stared down at her enemy, "Ara ara, you're still very alive? That's perfect~" Akeno said in a sultry voice before licking her lips sensually.
"She's an Ultimate Sadist." Naruto finished as they watched Akeno release bolt after bolt at the Stray Devil, laughing the entire time. "… Rias-chan we should finish up with this one and move to the next target."
"Yeah you're right, I think Issei has an understanding now… Akeno, that's enough." Rias called out to her Queen, who stopped almost immediately.
"Oh, it's over already?" Akeno asked as she turned around with a blush on her face. Rias walked passed her and made her way to where Viser was lying.
'Note to self, never ever get on Akeno-senpai bad side.' Issei thought to himself.
"Any last word before we finish this and go after your friend?" Rias questioned with a smirk.
"Fuck…you!" Viser spat on her, glaring up at her with a look full of rage.
"Alright then….. Checkmate." Rias muttered and then she shot a blast of red and black energy at the Stray, obliterating it and leaving nothing behind but a small scorch mark. Rias turned back to her Peerage with a smile on her face. "Okay we are done with the first one, now let's get the second one."
"Hold on, Buchou!" Issei called out to the girl.
"Is something wrong, Issei?" Rias asked, turning to look at him.
"So what chess piece am I?" Issei asked, pointing to himself, "You didn't say."
"You're a Pawn." Rias answered before she started to walk away with the others following her. Issei was dumb folded at that, a Pawn. The one that's the first one the front line and an expendable piece!?
"… This freaking sucks." Issei muttered before walking after the group, his head swinging side to side. It didn't take the group long to find the second Stray Devil, as a giant monster with ten arms burst through the wall. Its head resembled a man but that was all that there was, the rest was a combination between animal parts and two sets of jaw on top of one another near his stomach.
"Looks like it's time for your battle Naruto-kun." Rias said, making the blond nod his head before walking up to the beast, Saber stayed back with the group and watched silently. "Issei, I want you to watch this battle as well. There will be a time in the future when you will have handled a battle on your own." Issei nodded his head at his King's orders, part of him was curious anyway about how Naruto fought.
"Who the hell are you? Get out of the way, I want to fight those sexy beauties." The Stray Devil said, his large tongue came out and licked his lips. "Yyyeeesss, I bet they'll scream real nicely."
"… Stray Devil Cyllo, for betraying your master and killing many innocent people, I have come to deliver judgment upon you." Naruto called out while shifting his body, narrowing his eyes a bit. "I hope you're ready for death."
"Big words for such a little man!" Cyllo shouted as charged at Naruto with a claw in the air before bringing it down at a still Naruto creating a cloud of smoke around Naruto and the Stray's arm.
"Naruto-sempai!" Issei shouted and was about to run forward but Rias held up a hand in front of him, stopping him.
"Issei, just stay here and watch. Naruto is a lot stronger than you think." Rias said.
The brunette looked back at the cloud of smoke and saw it was starting to dissipate, and he was shocked what he saw. Naruto stopped the attack with one hand, the back of his fist to be precise, and the blond twisted his hand to grab onto the claw, lifting it and Cyllo in the air. Issei had a look of pure shock as Naruto effortlessly threw the Stray Devil across the room and sent it crashing into a wall. Before Cyllo had time to move, several swords of light shot at him and pierced all his hands, and a final spear, this one much larger, pierced through his chest.
"Wow, he finished it in an instant!" Issei muttered with wide eyes.
"It's not over just yet." Rias said while Naruto started walking up to the Stray Devil.
When Naruto came to a stop a few feet away from the pinned Stray, he spoke to his defeated enemy. "Sorry, but I didn't feel like drawing this out."
"Just… what the hell… are you?" Cyllo barely said through the pain he felt, "There's no way a Devil can use Light Magic, it's impossible."
"Then I guess I made the impossible, possible." Naruto smirked, charging energy into a magical seal in front of him. "Got any last words?"
"Hehehe… Yeah I do… YOU CAN SUCK MY D—"
He was cut off by Naruto speaking, "Sorry but… I don't swing that way. Game over." The magic seal glowed stronger before releasing a large beam of energy that slammed into Cyllo, making the Devil monster scream out in pain before he was obliterated into nothing, just like Viser had been. Naruto turned back to the group and slowly walked up to them, placing his hands in his pockets as he got close. "Mission accomplished Rias-chan."
"Nice work," Rias nodded with a smile before turning to her Peerage. "We done our job everyone, so let's return home."
"Hai Buchou!" Everyone replied before making their way outside, Naruto and Arcueid following behind the group. Akeno once again summoned the magical circle for the Peerage to jump back to the Occult Club room.
Once almost everyone was inside the circle, Rias turned to Naruto and Arcueid. "Will you two be alright staying here?"
"Yeah, don't worry about us Rias-chan. I'll see you at school tomorrow just like usual." Naruto grinned before giving the girl a thumbs up.
The red head slowly nodded her head before beginning to walk into the circle but stopped after a foot in and turned her head back towards them. "You know Naruto-kun, I really wouldn't mind helping you train once in a while."
"Huh?" Naruto blinked his eyes, but before he could say anything Rias stepped into the circle and with a flash, she and her Peerage disappeared. "… Arcueid."
The Vampire looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What's up?"
"This training will make me a lot stronger, right?" He asked as he stared at the spot Rias had been.
"Of course," Arcueid nodded her head. "But how strong you get is up to you."
"... Yeah." Naruto clenched his fist; he will get stronger... that was a promise.
"Then we should get started as soon as possible," Saber said with her arms crossed. "We need to do as much training as possible before we have to stop for the night, correct?"
"Yeah, you're right." Naruto said before looking at Arcueid, "So shall we get started?"
"Whenever you're ready but remember…" Arcueid had a slightly dark grin on her face, "I won't hold back."
(A Few Days Later)
Naruto was sent crashing through several trees, finally coming to a stop as his body slammed into a giant boulder. Naruto slowly eased himself out of the boulder falling onto his knees, panting heavily as the golden aura around him disappeared. Arcueid walked up to him with a serious look on her face, the two of them had been fighting for about several hours already, which was mostly him getting knocked around while she dodged and counterattacking most of his attacks. His clothes were ripped and torn while hers were neat with only a few hints of dust on her skirt. This had been the usual routine for the last few days from when Naruto's training began, but now Arcueid was going to do something different.
"… I can definitely say after doing this for the past few nights, your attacks are very precise and powerful, and your speed and reaction time is very good for a Devil who's only been one for a month… But unfortunately, with the way you are right now, you won't be able to defeat Abazeth." Arcueid said as she stopped right in front of Naruto. "You're holding yourself back to much."
Naruto raised his head to look up at her, "You… said something… like that before…" Ignoring the pain, the blond Devil slowly stood up. "What did you mean back then… about getting rid of my fear?"
"…It's simple, your fear is holding yourself back. You might not be able to tell right now, but your true power far exceeds the amount you currently have now." Arcueid crossed her arms as her blood-red eyes starred into Naruto's azure blue, "If I had to guess… you must be around Rias' level of power, maybe even higher than that."
"I don't understand. If I'm really that strong, then how is something like fear holding me back?" Naruto asked, leaning back against the boulder.
"It's more to it than just one fear, it's multiple." Arcueid answered, uncrossing her arms and turned away from him. "Your fear to truly admit you've become a Devil, your fear that the power you have will not be enough to protect yourself and others, the fear that you might hurt someone precious to you with that power… your fear of your family rejecting you when they find out what you are now." Naruto's eyes widen before he noticed Arcueid was now covered in a crimson aura, her hair waving around wildly, "I can only help you so much, but if you continue to hold yourself back then you will die… simple as that."
"Wha-" He was cut off by Arcueid appearing in front of him, much faster then she had been going before. The blond barely managed to get out of the way as the Vampire sent her clawed hand down, creating a giant crater around her. "That attack could have killed me!"
"Exactly, and I'll keep doing it to." The Vampire said in an ice-cold tone. "I had told you when we started that I would hold nothing back, and that includes making killing blows.
"But how will that help me if I'm dead?! Naruto shouted at the girl, getting back to his feet quickly.
Just in time to block a power kick aiming for his head, he could feel the bones in his arm snap before being sent flying again. Naruto quickly flipped his legs below him and landed on his feet and leaped to the side as Arcueid dived at the spot he had been. He could feel Saber's power restoring his arm, but even at the bones mended and re-attached itself completely, the throbbing pain was still there. Clenching his hands a few times Naruto activated Saber's Cloak. This time he was able to react in time and threw a fist at Arcueid's incoming attack, but he could feel her claw hand push him back.
"Do you understand now, Naruto? I'll keep pushing you and pushing you until you either die or let go of your fear." Closing her hand around his, she used her strength to swing him around, making him crash into several trees before throwing him into a giant boulder near them. "It's your choice on how you want to end this!"
Naruto went right through the boulder and landed on his back on the other side, '… She really wants to kill me… but I don't get what she meant… why am I so afraid?' He didn't have any more time to think as he saw Arcueid in the air above him with her arm brought back. Using his hand, the Devil flipped out of the way just in time to dodge the crimson slashes that shot out of her claws. Landing on the ground Arcueid released another energy strike at Naruto, who got hit on the side as he tried to dodge and was sent skidding back.
"At the moment Naruto, even when your body has power, the only thing it speaks of is senseless fright. And that's the worst thing to bring into battle… Nothing good will ever come of it…" Arcueid said as she raised a claw up, the area around her went crazy as the air condensed itself and the pressure grew. But even as this was happening, Arcueid remained perfectly fine, the red aura around her focusing itself on her arm and hand. "When you counter, you don't let them cut you. If you protect someone, you don't let them die. When you attack, you kill... Understand? Can't you see it? My sheer resolve to kill you has been reflected with each move I make."
'Resolve… is it really so easy?' Naruto thought as he start down at his palm, 'I've always talked about protecting everyone close to me, and making sure nothing happens to them… But if I fear my own power, could I really…' Shaking his head furiously Naruto thought angrily, "What am I saying, I've never let my fear get in the way before and there's no way I will let it now!"
"That's right Naruto-sama, abandon your fears!" Saber called out to him. "Right now, there is only one enemy and one of you… No, you are not alone even then, because I am right by your side. I will always be your weapon, your shield, your ally and most importantly your friend. No matter what happens in the future that will never change, and I know the others feel the same way."
"…Heh, thanks Saber." Naruto replied with a smile before clenching his fist… Now he understood what Arcueid meant. The blond stood back on his feet and took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a second before opening them again, the color of his eyes turning red. He raised his hand up into the air, coping with Arcueid movements as a golden aura surrounded him, focusing itself on his arm.
Arcueid could only smirk as she caught the look in Naruto's eye, good…. He was almost ready now. "I'm glad to see you've gotten it Naruto, now let's see how you handle it!" The two charged forward with their arms pulled back, and as soon as they were several feet apart they sent the attacks forward. The two blows clashed in a bright light, covering the area from sight as the earth began to rumble and the landscape started to get torn apart. When the light had finally cleared, Naruto and Arcueid were standing face to face with their arms stretched out. But while they and the flooring they were standing on survived, the area around them was a giant crater. Naruto, who's eyes returned to their normal azure blue, lowered his arm and fell to his knees before starting to pant heavily, having used a lot of strength in that attack. Arcueid just smiled at the blond as she seemed perfectly fine, though if you looked at her hand, some steam came off it. "Now you've reached a new level in power Naruto, take a look at your arm."
Naruto's gaze followed what she said and drifted to his side, before his eyes went wide at what he saw.
-NULNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRGNULRG-
Naruto let out a sigh as he ran along the road. "I am so glad we already finished for the night… Now let's see… it should be around here." After that last attack, the two of them continued on for a few more hours, mostly because Arcueid wanted to see how far his new power could go, but the night's training came to an end when Rias had contacted him about a barrier being lifted and a possible danger in the area where Issei had been sent. And unfortunately, since Naruto wasn't a member of Rias' household, he couldn't transport directly to them without knowing the exact location, so he jumped to the closest area he could and was moving as quickly as he could. "Got anything Saber?"
The tiny girl looked at each of the houses with narrow eyes, "I definitely sense something dark in the area, but I can't-" She were cut off by a flash of red and black energy bursting through a house's wall.
"Looks like we've got our clue, thanks Rias-chan." Naruto muttered before making his way towards the newly created hole.
"Do you understand the situation now, you stupid bitch?! You were supposed to take care of the barrier!" A voice called out in anger, before the sound of a girl crying out in pain was heard making Naruto freeze mid-step. He recognized the female voice.
'… Asia-chan!' Naruto's eyes narrowed.
Rias and the other watched as the priest known as Freed Sellzen kick Asia's side, "This is all your fault! Now your-" He was cut off as a spear of light went passed his head and embedded itself into the wall. "A spear of light? Perfect, that means the Fallen Angels are here!" Freed shouted with glee and turned to the direction the spear had come from, but instead of the creatures he had been expecting, he saw a blond teen walk through the wall. "… Who the fuck are you?"
The blond said nothing as he slowly made his way over to the priest, his gaze pointed down at Asia, who was surprised to see him. "Naruto-san?"
"Eh? You know this guy?" Freed questioned as he looked between the two and noticed Naruto hadn't stopped walking towards them, before raising his gun at Naruto. "Hey blondie, I don't know who you are, but you better stop now before I shoo-" With a powerful step, Naruto quickly closed the distance between them and sent the priest into a wall with a swipe of his hand, Freed's legs were sticking out of the wall.
Naruto stopped in front of Asia and bent down, "Are you okay Asia-chan?" He gently reached down and lifted her up, and noticed her clothes had been cut down in the middle, revealing her naked body to the world.
"I-I am fine…" Asia hesitantly replied as she reached up and tried to cover herself with her hands. Naruto pulled off his school jacket and secured it over her shoulders, covering her modesty, he slowly helped her up to her feet and walked her over to where Rias and the others were.
"Nice you see that you made it, Naruto-kun." Rias said with her arms crossed under her breast, making them appear bigger.
"Yeah, well it was easy to find the place after you released some of your power and destroyed some of it." Naruto replied as he pointed back at the giant hole he came through, "Who exactly is that guy anyway?"
"A priest, he had killed the man who sent the request and attack Issei-san." Akeno explained as she motioned to the injured Issei, who was lying back against the wall. "We had just arrived ourselves a little while ago."
"Issei-san!' Asia called out before making it over to his side, "I'm so sorry."
"No, I'm the one who should be sorry… but I'm glad you're safe now." Issei said with a smile before looking at Naruto, "Thank you sempai."
"It's no big deal. I just can't stand the thought of scum like that hurting innocent people." Naruto looked away while rubbing the back of his head, catching the sight of Rias looking at him with amusement. Dropping his hand, Naruto turned back to the nun. "Asia, do you think your powers can heal Issei's wounds?"
The girl looked up at him in surprise, which was mirrored by the others, before nodding her head. "Of course, I'll get right on it." Turning back to Issei, she held out her hands and summoned her rings. A green glow emitted from her hands and covered Issei, and to everyone's surprise, started healing him.
"Interesting, so her healing isn't limited to humans and beings of light." Rias deduced as she and the others watched Issei's injuries disappear. "…A special and incredibly rare Sacred Gear, one which can heal any beings no matter what they are… Twilight Healing."
"I can see why the Fallen Angels would be interested in something like this." Naruto said before turning back to where he had knocked the priest and saw the crazy young man had returned to his feet.
"Man, you're pretty strong. That really hurt…?" Freed stopped as he noticed Asia was almost finished with healing Issei, "What the hell?! Why are you healing that Devil you stupid bitch?" He was about to charge forward when Naruto moved in front of him with his wings pointed out, holding a sword of light in his hand. "You… YOU'RE A SHITTY DEVIL AS WELL!"
"And you have quite the mouth," Naruto replied as he gave the exorcist a look, dismissing his wings. "Are you really a priest?"
"Damn straight, and it's my job to kill all you assholes. So, if you're done moving that jaw of yours," Freed grew an insane grin as he pointed his gun at Naruto. "I'll shoot it off your fuckin' face!"
"Interesting… I'd like to see you try." Naruto replied before a golden glow surrounded him, his power spreading throughout the room in waves. It surprised most of the members within Rias' Peerage, because it was much higher than just a few days ago.
Rias walked next to Naruto's side and placed a hand on her hip, "And what makes you think I will allow you to do anything else. After all, you did attack one of my precious servants and are now threatening another person that is very precious to me." A crimson glow surrounded Rias' form, sending power waves of her own, mixing together with Naruto's and adding pressure onto the startled exorcist.
Freed staggered back a little at the pressure created from Rias and Naruto's power. "… You guys are the real deals… maybe I should get the hell out of here."
Koneko perked her head up before looking at Rias and the others, "Multiple Fallen Angels are coming."
As soon as she said that a purple wormhole opened above Freed, causing the young man to feel of relief to surge through him. "Now this is the perfect comeback!" He started to laugh uncontrollably as the vortex over him grew. "I hope you're ready to die, BECAUSE YOU'RE ALL ABOUT TO VANISH IN LIGHT!"
"What should we do, Buchou?" Akeno questioned as she turned to her King.
"… Issei might be healed now, but to start a battle here is not the best scenario." Rias replied as she lowered her power and crossed her arms. "In a large neighborhood like this, there will no doubt be many innocent casualties." The red-haired beauty looked at her queen. "Akeno, prepare a jump for us."
"Hai, Buchou!" Akeno stretched her arms out in front of her and started to form a Magic Circle in front of them.
"No wait!" Issei's eyes widened as he rose to his feet, his allies turned to look at the brunette. "We have to bring Asia back with us!" The blond girl had a surprised look on her face as she looked up at Issei with a few tears in her eyes.
"I want to bring her back as well, but unfortunately this spell will only work on people of my Peerage." Rias replied while she closed her eyes, but a smile grew on her face. "She won't be able to jump with us because she is not a member of my household."
"No way… then leave me here to help her escape!" Issei turned to face Rias, mentally wondering why she was smiling. "We can't leave her alone!"
Rias turned to Issei, "I never said we would leave her."
"Huh?"
Naruto was the one to speak next, turning his head to look at Issei, "You forgot that I don't belong to a household, let alone have one myself yet. So that means I can have anyone jump with me."
"LIKE HELL I'LL LET ANY OF YOU ESCAPE!" Freed shouted as he charged forward with his sword raised high, swinging it down with an insane grin. "LET'S SEE SOME BODY PARTS FLY!" His weapon however was blocked by Naruto's sword, bloodthirsty red eyes made contact with deadly-calm azure blue.
"… You're not even in my league." With a twist of his wrist, Naruto knocked Freed's sword away and made the priest take a step back. That was all Naruto needed as he got closer to the white-haired exorcist and connected a fist with his chest, digging it deep into the exorcist before sending him flying in an almost spinning manner and sending him flying through the hole Rias made. The sword of light that had been in Freed's hand was falling to the ground, but Naruto caught it before it made contact with the floor. "Nice sword, I think I'll take it... Not like you're going to need it now."
"Naruto, we're going on ahead." Rias called out as she and her Peerage stood in the magical circle, though Issei was being held by Koneko so he wouldn't do anything stupid (Rias' words and orders). "See you at the Clubroom."
"Yeah, we'll be right behind you." Naruto replied as the magical circle under them glowed brightly and its energy covered all of them, all of them disappeared in a flash. The blond summoned his own circle and turned to Asia. "Let's go Asia-chan."
"B-But I…" The girl was hesitant as she looked away from Naruto, but as Asia looked at the ground she felt a hand on her head. She looked back at Naruto and saw he was giving her a warm smile. "Naruto-san…?"
"Sorry, but I'm not going to leave you here." Naruto said as he motioned for them to move to the circle, "You remind me too much of Mito-chan, almost like you're my little sister as well. And I promise I will protect you... So, let's get out of here." The girl nodded her head slowly before stepping into the circle with Naruto.
She could see the Fallen Angel's forms were starting to form, but that wasn't what she was thinking about at the moment. As the circle's light covered her and Naruto, her thoughts went to the older blonde's words and the warmth of his hand on her head, '… Is this what it feels like… to have a big brother?"