"J-join you? Where?"
Issei frowned slightly at the imposing teenager's proposal, but he didn't react badly.
Issei detected no murderous intent from the man facing him, and Asia's 'breasts' didn't mention anything dangerous.
"Anywhere, but not in the middle of the street like now. Maybe a park?"
Rei's words relaxed him, because if the latter was planning some shady event against him, then it would be stupid to give him so much freedom of choice.
At least, that was Issei's mental conclusion.
The young devil didn't know it, but he overestimated his own abilities and underestimated those of others.
A situation caused by his rapid evolution in strength, which stemmed from the magic imagined by him and his father.
Issei even began to draw inspiration from Motohama to create a women-evaluation magic as a sub-magic of the magic invented with his father.
Why? Simply because he wanted to evaluate the things they could teach him through the intermediary of the magic "Domain Expansion: Breast Archive."
Yet his evolution was nothing compared to Rei's.
If Asia had just focused on healing and support, then Rei had stayed in his domain.
Destruction.
Gorou had advised him to be ultra-specialized in destruction energy, but also in physical martial training.
Magic itself wasn't really a field that interested Rei.
An act that Gorou had encouraged.
That's why a devil born at High Class level, and who had benefited from Gorou's assistance, couldn't lose against Issei now.
He would need at least his 'Balance Breaker,' but that still wouldn't guarantee a victory.
"Is this place good?"
At Issei's words, the red-haired devil nodded.
He appreciated the fresh air for a moment, which came from the trees due to his recent prolonged time in the laboratory.
After a brief moment, he finally opened his eyes. His face wore a more relaxed expression, which was surprisingly contagious.
The awkward atmosphere between him and Issei calmed down a bit.
"Can you now explain the reasons for your visit, Rei?"
Rei nodded, as he also wanted to get to the point.
"I came to explain the Master's absence, or simply Mr. Gorou if you prefer, but also... to bring you with me if possible."
Having detected the awkwardness on Issei's face when addressing Gorou as Master, Rei preferred to use a term that might be better received by a former human's ears.
Issei sketched a self-deprecating smile, while his face expressed an "as expected" look.
"S-so, dad's in trouble?"
"Hard to say, but bringing him back is the current urgency."
Rei didn't mention the dimensional portal, because Issei hadn't yet shown enough sincerity to divulge this information.
'As expected with Alpha, members of the Hyoudou family can know about Gorou's disappearance, but...'
There was a limit.
As an assistant, biological child, and official leader in Gorou's absence,
Alpha had given limits to the information he could give to Issei now.
But Rei could still disobey.
However, he didn't plan to do so 'this time.'
Why? It was simple: Issei hadn't yet proven his 'identity' to Rei.
The latter indeed recognized him as Gorou's son, but was he worthy of this title?
He didn't appreciate Alpha, but the woman's skills spoke for her.
Especially since Issei hadn't demonstrated his belonging to the human race since his transformation into a devil.
Nothing proved he wouldn't give sensitive information to the bat side.
They hadn't even seen him intensely searching for Gorou himself, but entrusted this task entirely to the Gremory clan.
A dependence that had demonstrated to Gorou's artificial creatures the limits of Issei Hyoudou or his indifference.
In both cases, he wasn't really interesting in their eyes now.
As for Rei's offer? He just wanted to get closer to Issei because of their connection with Gorou.
"I'm prepared to cooperate with you, but I can't join you... I'm a member of a peerage."
At the end of Issei's words, the scarlet devil's golden eyes narrowed slightly.
A gesture manifested by a strong intention to hide his disgust, while observing Issei.
The word peerage had literally made Issei lose points in Rei's heart.
"I see... Forget our conversation today, Issei Hyoudou, but know two things..."
The moment he paused, his demonic energy escaped from his body, while an undisguised murderous intent afflicted his environment, except on Asia.
The young girl wasn't aware of the pressure being exerted on Issei.
She just saw that Rei had suddenly released his demonic energy.
"W-what is this?" he stammered with difficulty, because of the murderous intent born from a creature's obsession to reach the reason for its existence.
For Rei, the laboratory was nothing without Gorou.
"Stop wasting your time searching for your father through your masters."
At the mention of the word master, the energy around Rei raged even more.
"And lastly... I'll hunt your masters sooner or later."
"Y-you!!"
The term hunt.
His father often used this word when referring to his fights against the "monsters" of the night.
It didn't take much for Issei to understand that this man was the individual following his father against the fallen angels at the time.
"R-Rei, you mustn't hurt Issei and his friends."
Asia interposed herself between him and Rei.
'Why is he being mean? Usually, Rei is nice...'
Listening to Asia's breasts' words, the hormonal teenager felt threatened for an unknown reason.
However, he could do nothing nor understand the connections between the human and Rei.
The current Asia Argento had changed a bit, after spending a long time with Gorou and his creatures.
Certainly, she wasn't a creature created by Gorou.
Even if she was really sad about his disappearance, she didn't understand the desperate state in the subconscious of these creatures.
Especially those who were particularly affected, like Rei and Alpha.
But... Asia still wanted to help Rei.
He had literally become her first true friend, since leaving the Vatican.
Issei hadn't really spent enough time with her to completely enter the friend category.
As for Gorou? The young girl didn't really understand her feelings toward him.
She was just... too innocent.
"Sorry Asia... I'm sorry for acting like this, but this is a real warning."
After these words, he turned around to leave.
As for bringing Issei with him?
That had been a mistake from the beginning.
'I was stupid. Maybe... maybe I wanted to glimpse the Master's shadow through him?'
But unfortunately, Issei had nothing to do with the man in a white coat smiling while manipulating machines.
"I'm happy to see that you're okay, Ise, but... I can't abandon Rei now."
Issei tried to hold back the former nun, but in vain.
Asia Argento was faster than him.
From staying with Rei, she had started to adopt a lifestyle close to his.
So hunting, training, and equipment maintenance were the foundation of her schedule.
Thanks to her healing, the two didn't really suffer from the phenomenon called muscle hypertrophy.
This was also why Rei had become more imposing.
"Damn it, why does he declare so surely that I'll never find dad? But simultaneously he mentions that he's searching for him..."
Issei was terribly confused about his father, and the information obtained from the former Church nun's breasts.
But there was one certainty in his mind.
The man named Hunter, who was active in the supernatural world currently, wasn't his father.
He had already suspected it, but Rei had confirmed it today in his way of expressing himself.
"I'll have to warn Rias that Hunter won't help for the match against Riser Phenix."
...
"W-who are you..."
A man in a suit trembled at his desk, while Gorou approached him nonchalantly.
"My identity isn't really important, because there are more important subjects, aren't there?"
The man nodded in response to Gorou's words, but his fingers frantically searched for a particular button.
The alarm!
"No no no, that's a bad idea."
Unfortunately for him, the stranger facing him wasn't just anyone.
He was literally the heir to the experience of a dimensional criminal.
It wasn't an office worker who could surprise or trap him in such a crude manner.
"W-what do you want?"
"Finally, you speak my language, but... it's a bit too late."
Thus, the man underwent one of the most basic magics of the supernatural world of the DxD universe.
A simple hypnosis.
"Use all the funds of your Red Ribbon Army branch and, if that's not enough, then report to me."
At Gorou's words, the man nodded with a slightly dazed look.
"You must bring me the mercenary Tao Pai Pai by tomorrow."
Gorou had started moving quickly in the Dragon Ball universe.