P.S this story starts a few years before the start of our favorite DXD verse!
AND I DON'T OWN ANY DXD MATERIAL, ALL CREDIT TO THE ORIGINAL WRITERS!
"Talking out aloud"
'Thinking with ones mind'
"Spirits inside the sacred gears talking"
Without further delay, lets start the chapter!
Unknown Location
Issie woke up only to find himself floating in a void that was filled with flames. This confused him as he last remembered dozing off on one of the benches of the Gazebo of the meadows he had been training at with his friends.
Suddenly, much to his shock and then horror, a gigantic crimson red dragon emerged from the flames. The Dragon was enormous, easily bigger than the entire grounds of the Kuoh academy. Its scaled hide simmered in the light of the flames and its eyes glowed bright emerald green brimming with power.
"W… Who are you?" Issie asked in shock and horror.
"I am Draig Y Gosh, the Welsh Dragon, the Red Dragon Emperor and one of the two heavenly dragons…. I bid you greetings my new partner!" boomed the dragon in the same voice that the Boosted Gear had previously used when announcing Boost, except this voice was ten times louder and had a face of a terrifying presence.
"The Red Dragon Emperor" Issie muttered as his eyes widened while taking a step back to view the gigantic Dragon in all its glory.
"Indeed" the heavenly dragons grinned which showcased his sharp fangs.
"It is nice to meet you sir" Issie bowed slightly towards the immensely powerful dragon that dwelled inside his left hand.
"Polite" Draig grinned, clearly amused by the actions of his newest host. "There is no need to be so formal. Dragons mostly don't concern themselves with such formalities"
Issie lightly nodded before asking the most obvious question, "Where are we?"
"We are within your mind right now. To the world you are blissfully sleeping away but in reality you are conversing with one of the strongest beings that had ever walked the living world" Draig responded easily.
"If you truly that powerful then why are you stuck inside this sacred gear?" It was only after those words occurred that Issie realized what he had said. His eyes widened as a new sense of self worry took over his senses. To his relief, the Red Dragon Emperor didn't respond with anger but laughed aloud.
"Hahaha. It has been a while since one of my host as even had the balls to talk back at me let alone roast me like this!" Draig chuckled before continuing, "The reason why I am stuck in this sacred gear is because of God of Bible. That piece of shit used some forbidden magic to bind me and Albion against our will in two different sacred gears. Making us an involuntary part of his system of trinkets"
"Albion?" Issie tilted his head in confusion. He had obviously heard of the name somewhere but for the life of him couldn't remember where he had it. 'Wait isnt it the name of my eternal rival Marid was telling me about' Issie eyes widened at that thought.
"Albion is my eternal rival and the White Dragon Emperor. I am sure you remember the story the two red heads telling you about it last night?" Draig raised an eyebrow.
"Oh yes I remember now… Wait you can see my memories?" Issie's paled at the thought of his sacred gear spirit had access to his memory.
"I can" Draig responded but his neutral expression turned into a growl when he noticed Issie's pale expression. Correctly guessing what his newest host was thinking about Draig snapped back at his host, "If you are thinking about me looking into your personal life and viewing some of your kinky memories then yes, I have seen them and don't worry about that, there is nothing I have seen in your memories that I haven't seen a thousand times before. I will admit your natural lust is far greater than any of my previous host but there is also unshaken resolve that dwells within your mind. To be honest it is a very interesting combination that could either make you a terrifying foe on the battle field or make you the worlds biggest pervert and sex offender" Draig commented aloud much to Issie's horror.
"Hell Nah!!!" Issie screamed in outrage. "I will never become something like that. Sure I would love to have a harem one day but that harem is not going to be built on forcing woman with incredibly big and soft breast to have sex with me"
"Good" Draig nodded in acceptance. "Moving on from this, after viewing your recent memory's, there are some things that require our immediate attention partner" Draig begin with a serious expression.
"What do you mean?" Issie tilted his head in confusion.
"What I mean is that the Kuroshishi named Zill and this Phoenix brat are someone's that we need to deal with. They not only challenged the authority of the Red Dragon Emperor but also spat on the name that once brought fear to even the hearts of Gods" Draig declared passionately.
"As much as I like the sound of that, there is one problem with all of this. I am no way near their level of strength. Hell, I almost got beat up by the weakest member of that fried chickens peerage. How am I suppose to beat up the fried chicken and Zill when I am so weak?" Issie sighed as a bit of his frustration slipped through his tone.
"I guess you haven't been noticing partner, but you have been growing strong" Draig spoke with absolute confidence. "This red head Devil, Marid, has been training you how a young drake is usually trained. With lots of sparring and endurance based exercises. From the looks of it, your training session seem to specifically be tailored for you which has done wonders for your body and mind, even if you haven't been able to notice the obvious difference"
"How am I getting strong? I don't feel no different in my body?" Issie spoke a little confused before looking over his body. To his shock he could see some muscle development in his upper body.
"The fact that we are able to converse with each other should be the only proof you should need. Usually when a person unlocks the Boosted Gear, the only thing they could do at that point is just Boost their power a few times. It takes significant development of one's mind and body for it to be able to facilitate me being able to converse with them like this. Seeing we can do this, should let you know of how much stronger you have become from the days when you stormed that church with your Devil friends" Draig informed a shocked Issie.
"That would make sense" Issie muttered slowly.
"If you carry your trainings, at your current rate, you should be able to converse with me in real time, without using your dreams as a medium to converse with me" Draig smirked. "After all I plan to make you the strongest Red Dragon Emperor in history"
"That is good but I don't have any magical reserves according to Akeno-san. Wouldn't that affect whatever potential you see in me?"
"It would but that is a challenge I would relish in taking on" Draig announced in excitement. "Coming back to the matter, you should continue your training to the best of your abilities. At the rate you are going I should soon be able to converse with you in real time. That is the next evolution of the Boosted Gear before the obvious balance breaker"
"Balance breaker?" Issie tilted his head in confusion, clearly unfamiliar with the term.
Before, Draig could reply to his host question, the space they had been in started to dim out. The fire spread around them weakened as the cracks started to appear around the realm both of them were in, "I suppose that is a lesson for another day. Our shared time in this dreamscape seems to be coming to an end. For now keep training hard and try to learn different combat skills. You will need them for that Kuroshishi and that Phoenix… and if you survive against them then you would need those skills against the White one" Draig sighed.
"But the training Marid has me do is ridiculously hard" Issie whined to the powerful dragon.
"The training you have been doing is something most young Dragons do mere months after their birth" Draig snorted.
"News Flash Draig, I wasn't born a dragon" Issie snapped back at the spirit that resided within his sacred gear.
"No you weren't, but the one thing that stays constant with all living beings, It is their ability to convince themselves of the impossible. Remember partner, your body can withstand almost anything… it's the mind you have to convince" Draig uttered the last words before the encroaching darkness covered everything.
Soon the Devil Dragon was brought out of his dreamscape only to find Asia softly waking him up from the apparent deep slumber he was in.
"Issie-san, Lord Marid has asked me to wake you up. You will be training with him after breakfast" Asia softly informed her friend.
"Huh?"
Later
"Come on Issie! I am sure you can do better than that!" Marid teased Issie as he moved out of another one of Issie's wild haymakers.
"Cant you stay still" Issie growled in frustration since none of his strikes had even come close to landing on Marid.
"That would defeat the whole purpose of training" Marid smirked as he dodged before countering with a straight jab to Issie's head, something that clearly stunned the Red Dragon Emperor.
"Aggh" Issie groaned as he struggled to gain his vision.
"Is that the best you could do huh?" Marid taunted Issie again before lazily moving out of the way of another one of Issie sluggish punches. "You should be thanking Kenta for saving your butt when Riser ordered one of his peerage members to beat you up"
"Shut up!" Issie shouted as he tried to hit Marid again.
Without missing a beat, Marid quickly caught Issie's punch before twisting it behind his back, "If you want me to stop bullying you then try and atleast act smart!" Marid retorted as he held Issie in a compromising position.
"I am smart!" Issie struggled to break out of Marids iron grip. Understanding it was a waste of time, Issie decided to backhand his trainer only to find that arm being caught as well and forcefully coiled around his neck in a human chokehold.
"Are you sure about that? You say you are smarter than what people give you credit for but from what I have seen you are just a foolish Devil who is in way over his head!" Marid snorted while Issie could only growl in his growing anger.
"You were extremely lucky that Kenta decided to save you against Risers pawn"
"I would have been able to beat her!" Issie snapped back at Marid.
"Even if you could, you would be revealing your identity as a Red Dragon Emperor to him and trust me, if you had done that then there is no way in hell Riser would have given you guys two weeks to train. Now tell me do you think you will be able to beat Riser like as you were before me and my peerage started training you?" Marid rhetorically asked Issie.
Issie, who by this point had stopped struggling under Marids iron grip, stood still in shock and understanding. He now understood that Marid was right, if Riser had found out about Draig was true then that fried chicken wouldn't have given them the time to prepare. He knew he and the rest of them were getting stronger but despite his lack of experience in the supernatural world, even he could understand that a rating game without the actual training would have been a one sided beatdown.
"Start focusing on what is happening around you rather than acting on your emotions. While acting on your emotions might give you a little power boost, it is never a good asset to use during an actual battle since any competent battle hardened warrior would use that to beat you up" Marid advised Issie before releasing him from his body lock.
Issie slowly turned around only to see Marid in a new light, "I think… I understand" Issie replied slowly.
"Good. Now one more thing before we restart this training session"
"What?"
"Learn how to trust your instincts Issie, as a Dragon they are your most valuable asset. Apart from the obvious strength you will inherit once you master your sacred gear" Marid advised Issie before jabbing on Issie's head before swiftly kicking him in the leg.
"Ouch! What was that for" Issie snapped angrily at Marid.
"Are you talking about the punch to the head or the kick to the leg?" Marid asked curiously off the hurt pawn.
"Well both" Issie asked in frustration.
"I jabbed you in the head because that is the best way to disorient someone… Well best way if you don't want to fight like a beast and go after your opponents sex parts" Marid off handedly mentions.
"And why the leg" Issie grunted as he struggled to maintain the balance when he threw another one of his wild strikes to hit Marid.
"I am sure you can come with an explanation for that on your own" Marid smirked as he stood a safe distance away from Issie, trying to act less threatening so that the current Red dragon Emperor could come to the conclusion that he wanted him to find.
Issie thought hard for a moment before looking at his injured leg. His eyes widen in understanding as he made the link to the last strike he had just thrown, "Hurting the leg effects your movement, doesn't it?" Issie asked slowly.
"That's right. Hurting your opponent's leg in a close combat fight is one of the best ways to get an advantage in the battle. If you restrict their movement, or even decrease their speed in the fight, you have basically won half the battle. At that point you can simply just keep your distance and pick your moment to engage with your opponent" Marid explained to Issie.
"I see" to be honest, Issie wanted to kick himself right now. This was a battle tactic one-o-one for all the strategy-based RP games he liked to play in his free time.
While this generation's Red Dragon Emperor was scolding himself to have not thought about basic fighting tactics on his own, considering how many fighting games he used to play with Motohama and Matsuda, Marid took that time to look around the battlefield to look at the various other groups that had been training.
After getting a brief read of skills and battle power of Rias Gremory and her peerage, Marid had decided to change things for the second day. He had naturally decided to have Rias and Akeno continuously spar with each other since that would help both of them work on their biggest weaknesses. Akeno having a weak defense against powerful magic while Rias having difficulty fighting against all rounder fighters.
On the other side of the meadows, Marid could see both Millicas and Asia continuing their own training. Their task being the easiest out of everyone in the group, covering their entire body with their demonic energy and keeping the aura in place for as long as possible. As expected, Millicas was having a much easier time controlling his demonic energy than Asia. However, much to both Asia and Millicas's surprise, Kassie was helping Asia regulating her aura around her body. Marid was willing to make a shot in the dark by assuming that Kassie was using his draconic energy to harness Asia's demonic energy.
'I wonder if Kassie would grow stronger or perhaps grow at ridiculous rate due to him using his masters energy' Marid wondered aloud, but his attention was diverted to a fist battle that had been happening throughout the morning.
Kenta and Koneko had taken a liking to each other since both of them mostly had the same fighting style. This meant that the only way they could get a upper hand on their fellow Rook would be through their skills as a martial artist. Well… that statement was true until Kenta starts using either his sacred gear or his Youkai skills, both of them allowed for him to use by Marid as a means to push Koneko beyond her limits.
*Boom* The sound of something crashing into the tree caught the attention of both Marid and Issie.
"What the hell was that?!?" Issie exclaimed in shock, inwardly worrying if someone could even survive such an impact.
"I believe that was Kiba crashing into the tree after literally walking into one of Yumi's explosive mines" Marid commented as he looked over the two members of his group.
"Damn, I don't even know how you would even go about landing a strike on someone like Yumi" Issie whistled as he saw Yumi, who barely looked winded as opposed to her opponent Kiba who had bruises all over his body and was struggling to stand up.
"Oh that's easy! Just dodge until you find the right opening before rushing in. Basically what we have been doing for the last hour" Marid shrugged.
"Yea right! As if I could land a hit on someone like Yumi. I might as well be trying what Kiba is doing" Issie snorted at the seemingly ridiculous notion of him coming anywhere near Yumi in a battle.
"That's actually not a bad idea" Marid commented with a thoughtful look before summoning a copper sword out of his personal storage. He briefly looked at the sword before tossing it towards Issie.
"Whoa" Issie struggled to catch sword in midair. "You cant be serious" Issie commented in disbelief.
"Of course I am. Being able to use a sword is a good skill to have, not to mention successfully wielding a sword in the rating game would allow you to save your stamina for the Boosted Gear. As of right now, I don't think you would be to able operate on your maximum output for too long. Best to save the Boosted Gear for tougher battles. Not to mention the 'Oh Shit he has a Longinus as a sacred gear!' shock Risers peerage is going to get when you unleash your sacred gear on them. Something you could definitely take advantage off against your opponents" To their shock the Boosted Gear actually summoned itself, before emitting a small warm glow.
"Looks like Draig himself agrees with you" Issie muttered in shock since this was the first time Boosted Gear had summoned itself like this. "Perhaps it would be best if I learned how to use a sword" Issie gulped as he looked at his weapon of choice.
"Very well!" Marid nodded before summoning a training sword for himself.
"Wait I have never wielded a sword before in my life. Don't you want to start by telling me to swing at a tree or something!" Issie exclaimed as he narrowly dodged Marids diagonal slash.
"Nope! I believe sparring is a better way to learn than striking against a tree. After all a tree cant strike you back" Marid commented as he swung his sword at Issie.
Issie groaned in pain as the blunt side of Marids sword struck his ribs. "Atleast give some tips to use this damn thing" Issie dodged the next five incoming slashes before using his speed to the maximum to swiftly strike at Marids legs. Something Marid deflected with a lazy swipe of his sword.
"Then here is your first lesson then Issie… As a swordsman, do your best to not telegraph your movement" Marid smirked as he slashed at Issie only for him to narrowly dodge his strike.
"Anything else?" Issie asked with growing panic since he was having difficulty dodging Marids attacks which seemed to be getting faster by the second.
"Try and hit your opponent with the pointy end of your sword" Marid laughed as he remembered his first training session under Souji Okita, who was regarded as the best knight in the underworld, giving him the same advice.
"Not FUNNY" Issie shrieked in the end as he barely was able to get his sword up in time to block Marids attack.
At the same time
Koneko could be seen eating her favorite chocolate bar while walking to the eastern side of the meadows to begin her training for the day. Although she usually kept to herself, she had admitted to Rias in private that she had enjoyed her training session with Yumi and Issie yesterday.
She was privately hoping of another training session with Marids Bishop since she gave off a welcoming presence like Rias. Not to mention she was the adoptive older sister to Kiba, who himself trusted her blindly.
Her hopes were shattered when she arrived at her training site. Sitting in a deep mediative state was Kenta.
"I have been waiting for you for some time Koneko-san" Kenta spoke calmly as he slowly opened his eyes.
Koneko flinched but didn't say anything to Kenta. She knew that both Kenta and Marid wanted her to get over her fears of using her Nekomata heritage but the fear of losing herself in power was too much for her to overcome on her own.
"I will be training you today, Koneko-san… come sit with me" Kenta motioned to an empty seat beside himself.
After some hesitation, Koneko joined Kenta on the ground. Awaiting her next set of instructions.
"Today we will start your training with some meditation. It is the best way to clear ones mind and stabilize their Ki" Kenta calmly informed Koneko.
"I don't want to train my Ki" Koneko flinched again.
"Even if you don't want to accept your true self, meditation is the best way to clear your mind. Something you would need when you go into that Rating game against a vastly superior opponent" Kenta responded calmly yet again before closing his eyes.
Koneko hesitated before beginning her own meditation. Much to her chagrin, she struggled to keep her mind clear as she kept thinking about all the traumatic events she had survived in her life. Her eyes squinted harder as she struggled to control her breathing and emotions. Perhaps it was because of her being in close proximity to the man who terrified her due to his own use of Ki, or perhaps it was something else. No one knew.
Eventually, Kenta picked up on Koneko's uneasiness and decided to intervene. He gently placed his hands on Koneko's head and proceeded to use the little amount of healing magic he knew on Koneko. The effect was almost immediate as Koneko found herself feeling more relaxed as her shoulders slagged down while her facial muscle relaxed, adopting more of a tranquil expression.
Kenta gave Koneko a small smile before getting back to his own meditation. No words were exchanged between them but Kenta knew she was grateful for it and that was enough for him.
Elsewhere
It was almost noon, meaning it had been a good few hours since everybody had started their training. This included the duo of siblings who had been sparring hard.
"You are a complete monster big sis" Kiba panted as he fell to his knees in pure exhaustion.
"Thank you but you are not that bad yourself Kiba-kun. You just need a little bit more training and soon you will be able to compete with me" Yumi replied with a sweet smile.
Kiba chuckled in good faith but knew that his adoptive older sister was just being kind to him. After all the training he had done with her, he was almost certain by this point there was no training he could do that could match his older sister within these two weeks.
'I truly wished I could have fought alongside big sister Yumi in my first rating game. Only if Lord Riser hadn't placed that demand on us' Kiba slightly frowned before quickly recomposing himself.
"You need to be more versatile with your sacred gear Kiba-kun. Sword Birth allows you make swords based on your imagination. You need to use that to your advantage if you want to make a positive impact on this rating game" Yumi politely spoke to her younger brother.
"What more do you think I could do with my sacred gear? I almost feel I have hit a plateau in my sacred gear evolution" Kiba spoke with frustration.
"You could always create a lighter demonic sword to wield. While that would indeed bring down the durability and the damage output of your sword, a lighter sword would allow you to move faster, allowing you to get into peoples guard more easily than when you are carrying your basic demonic swords" Yumi helpfully suggested.
Kiba carefully listened to the suggestion before his eyes widened in understanding, "Or I could create different elemental swords with my sacred gear. Perhaps a sword that could neutralize fire"
"There you go!" Yumi let out an amused giggle after seeing Kiba's eyes glow with excitement. "Lets see what you can do with these potential new swords"
Kiba nodded in understanding before closing his eyes in concentration. Concentration which bore fruit in the form of a lighter short sword.
"Nicely done Kiba-kun" Yumi gave Kiba a approving look.
Kiba who himself was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the sword, gave it a few practice swings to get a feel for it. "Alright Yumi here I come" with that Kiba rushed his older sister who herself summoned both of her sacred gears to limit the Gremory Knights movement.
Later
It was now well past noon and Marid had decided that it was a good time to take a break and check up on progress of the Gremory peerage.
"How are we doing people?" Marid asked the group who had assembled at the Gazebo, which was named as their official meeting area.
"Me and Akeno are working on our magic. Our sparring sessions have shown quite a few holes in my battle tactics. Hopefully I will be able to cover them before our rating game" Rias begun her feedback.
"Due to my spar with Rias Buchou, I was able to come up with a new spell using my lightning magic" Akeno giggled as she remembered Rias's reaction when she had used it on Rias for the first time. Akeno then proceeded to give Rias a meaningful wink to which Rias blushed slightly. After all her reaction to the spell was less than dignified.
'Who knew feeling a little bit of pain with the right partner was so liberating' Rias blushed as she thought about the little spell her queen had created.
"Very Nice. Hopefully you can improve on your skills further in the next few days" Marid nodded while also smoothly ignoring Rias's odd reaction.
"Big sister Yumi has helped me evolve my sacred gear. With some more refinement and training, I am hoping to use the new swords I have created with less of a stamina drain" Kiba spoke a loud while also giving Yumi a appreciative nod.
"Koneko… how are you doing in this camp so far?" Marid asked the smaller Rook.
"Kenta-senpai is a good teacher… a bit pushy though" Koneko muttered out a response.
Before anyone could comment on that, Millicas entered the conversation with barely hidden excitement in his eyes.
"I have also been working hard with Asia-san. After reading the book you had initially handed to us, I have having a much easier time controlling my demonic aura. I didn't think Mr. MacGregor Mathers book on demonic energy would be so detailed" Millicas spoke excitedly, trying his best to impress his older brother, someone who he had come to see as his idol.
"Very good Millicas. I want to you continue working hard. Also, try your best to incorporate the concepts you learned into your offensive and defensive magic" Marid advised his younger brother with a smile.
"Okay" Millicas nodded happily.
"What about you Asia? How do you think you are doing so far in the training camp?" Marid asked the only person who he hadn't asked about.
"It was tough in the beginning but with Lord Millicas and Kassie's help, I am now better able to understand demonic energy. Furthermore, I think Kassie is growing bigger" Asia spoke aloud as she looked at her familiar dragon which now barely fit in her lap and had indeed grew quite a bit since she had formed a contract with it.
"That doesn't surprise me since familiars growth is based on their master. Since Kassie is a dragon, he has been feeding off your demonic energy. That is why he has grown stronger. If you continuously use him, hopefully by the end of our training period, Kassie should be strong enough to assist you in the rating game. He might not be able to fight others but would definitely be able to help you use your demonic energy" Marid spoke with a smile before continuing.
"So what have you been doing all this while Issie?" Kenta asked out of the blue, wanting to know how much stronger the Gremory pawn did has gotten in two days.
"I have been sparring Lord Marid constantly" Issie groaned aloud while rubbing his sore muscles. "We started doing some training with some swords but I still don't know how strong have I gotten. Sure these gravity bracelets don't feel like a burden anymore but I don't feel that strong" Issie admitted aloud. Truth be told, he did feel stronger than what he once was, but he didn't feel strong enough to be able to compete with any of the other Devils present.
"Issie why don't you summon your sacred gear" Marid suddenly suggested.
"Sure" Issie summoned the Boosted Gear on his left hand followed by a power surge. Issie took a moment to recompose himself since he had never felt this powerful. Sure in his rageful state, he had surpassed his limits and had defeated Raynare in that church but what he was feeling right now was undoubtedly the strongest he had ever felt to the point that he felt that he could defeated his older self, the one who had fought Raynare.
"Now I want you Boost to your limit" Marid commanded the young dragon.
"But I can only Boost two times" Issie relented.
"You might be surprised by your current limit" Marid replied with a knowing smirk.
Issie gave Marid a confused look before relenting to Marids demand. Sure enough, Issie was stood beyond impressed when he was able to Boost three times. That impression soon turned to pure shock and amazement when he Boosted to his limit, which was now eight Boost.
"You see Issie you have been growing stronger ever since we started this training camp. You being able to Boost eight times is the primary proof of it. If you had done something like that when you had fought Raynare, your body wouldn't have been able to handle such power and would have succumbed to the pressure" Marid informed an astonished Issie.
"Now what do I do?" Issie asked giddily.
Marid laughed at his students change in attitude, "Now compress all of that energy you have gathered through your Boost into a small ball"
Issie nodded slowly before focusing hard to do just what Marid had asked. While the task proved extremely difficult for Issie, in the end it took him a whole minute to turn all that incredible energy into a small ball of energy in his gauntlet hand.
"Now punch it with all your might" Marid spoke calmly as Issie focused on the ball of energy in his hand.
"Here goes nothing!" Issie screamed before punching the ball of energy with all his might.
"DUCK!!" Marid shouted as the ball of energy rocketed towards them with incredible speed.
"Shit!" Kenta cursed as he narrowly dodged the energy ball that surely would have taken his head off.
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM*
The sound of an incredible explosion rocked the meadows as the small ball of energy, that was as big as a volleyball, exploded onto the walls of the mansion. Dust clouds rose all the way to the blue sky as immense energy flooded the area. Marid secretly thanked himself for creating a specialized barrier around the meadows otherwise every single supernatural being in a fifty mile radius would have heard the impact of Issie's magical attack.
"You know if you didn't want me to sleep in the mansion you could have easily said so" Marid spoke in an annoyed tone as he and the rest of the Gremory Devils looked over the completely destroyed Gremory summer mansion.
"Oops" Issie chuckled nervously.
"You have a incredible ability for underestimation Issie" Kenta just shook his head in disbelief. Other Devils had the almost the same reaction at seeing the destruction of the mansion.
Despite this, all the Gremory Devils, who would be fighting in the rating game in a few weeks, increased their training by several folds since none of them wanted to be left in the dust.
Later that day
Once everyone was over the whole mansion getting destroyed by Issie's magical attack, his first one no less, all of them returned to their training. Apparently after watching Issie's incredible growth in combat, all the Devils present were more motivated than ever to not be left behind.
Kiba was having more success in his spar against Yumi now. Even though he still had to land a hit on her, he was nevertheless able to get far closer to Yumi than he was getting earlier that day.
Koneko herself was now pushing her combat skills to their limits. Much to Kenta's disappointment, Koneko had refused to use her Nekomata talents but was very open to use other supernatural skills to increase her awareness and sensing abilities. Something Kenta was more than happy to teach her.
Akeno and Rias spars also got incredibly intense while Millicas and Asia begun engaging in light spars as well, with Millicas acting as the aggressor most of the time with Asia defending herself with her only means of attacking be her familiar Kassie. Despite the two on one situation, Their spars were evenly matched and were positively pushing their skills and stamina to new heights.
Lastly, it was Marid training Issie in swordsmanship and like most times, Issie was lying on the ground defeated.
"You are completely ruthless dude" Issie muttered out while trying his best to control his breathing.
"Oh please that was nothing. I trained harder when I was preparing myself for the match for the Gremory heirship against your King" Marid's muttered off handedly. Issie's eyes widened considerably when he heard about Marid fighting his King for the heirship for their house.
'I wonder how did that battle play out. Considering Rias Buchou is considered the heiress to her house, it would mean she won that match. How she wont that match would be beyond me considering how much of a monster this man is. Wait a second!!' Issie's thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly remembered something he had been wanting to ask Marid for a while.
"Hey Marid! Why did the magic circle emit such a bright light when I punched that magic energy?" Issie asked his teacher.
"That was because of Boosted Gear. The Boosted Gear had empowered you to unleash a very powerful attack. That is why the magic circle that appeared right before you punched that ball of energy was so bright" Marid replied calmly as he noticed a thoughtful look on Issie's face. "Why do you ask?"
"Its just… I was wondering if the brightness of the magic circle means how powerful the magic behind the magic circle is?" Issie asked hesitantly. Hoping he had just asked a foolish question. The reaction that he got from Marid had him wondering if he would have preferred being called an idiot rather being stared with wide eyes.
"Why do you think that to be the case?" Marid countered with a question of his own.
Issie gulped before continuing, "That night when your mother came to my house for Rias Buchou… I saw that her teleportation circle was way brighter than Rias Buchou. It was even brighter than your own which was the brightest I have ever seen… So does the brightness of the magic circle tell you about the power of a person or the power used by the person for the magic circle?" Issie asked again.
He looked at Marid who now had a face splitting grin on his face, "Very Good Issie! You are indeed correct. Unless a person is deliberately trying to hide their power, the magic circle usually hints at the power output of the person; meaning the brightness of the magic circle could be used to either indicate how strong the person is or how much energy they are using to cast the said circle" Marid congratulated Issie with a smile.
Issie's eyes at Marid's statement considerably when realized that what he had understood was indeed correct.
"That was a very good deduction on your part regarding demonic energy. While it is not really a particularly hard concept to figure out… Most Devils, reincarnated or not just fail to make the connection with it" Marid complemented Issie yet again making him smile with joy.
"I ACTUALLY FIGURED SOMETHING OUT ON MY OWN WITHOUT ANYONES HELP!!!" Issie screamed in pure jubilation.
"You know what that means right? Now we will have to increase your training to better accommodate your growing understanding of the magics" Marid chuckled at Issie's reaction.
"Wait what?!?" Issie snapped his head back at Marid in shock and horror.
"We got a few more hours till sunset before you begin your magical training alongside Asia and Yumi" Marid stated calmly, but anyone could tell he was thoroughly amused by Issie's reaction to everything.
"Nooo" Issie muttered in fear. The thought of doing more training filled him with dread.
"Since you will be starting your magical training, Millicas, Kiba and Kenta would go do the hunt tonight" Marid spoke before summoning his training sword again.
"Nooo…" Issie's scream of denial stopped when he hurriedly grabbed his own training sword to block Marid's incoming strike. While he was able successfully able to block Marids first strike, he was unprepared for the knee that landed flush on his abdomen, causing him to spit out blood.
And just like that Issie's break from sparring had ended.
A Few Days Later
It was almost midnight with the entire group sleeping in the grounds of the meadows since the entire mansion was destroyed by Issie's unexpected yet powerful magical attack from a few days ago.
Since that day, the Devils have come to accept that the once beautiful manor was now a complete wreck. Rias while dreaded to tell her father about what had happened, Marid took the wrecked house as a opportunity and conducted a few training sessions for Kiba and Yumi in the wreckage of the house.
While dubious about the idea, both Yumi and Kiba were pleasantly surprised by the unique battleground it provided the two. Especially since it allowed Yumi to work on her reflexes and Kiba to work on his speed and movement in tight spaces, something that did wonders for his skills associated with agility.
While the group of Devils tried to sleep away the exhaustion of the day's worth of training, Rias Gremory, the heiress to the Gremory House, sat on one of the unoccupied benches looking at the full moon thinking about her rating game in two week's time. Thoughts about strategizing about the rating game soon strayed to the meeting she had with the Phoenix matriarch earlier that week.
"T-thank you for accepting my request on such a short notice Lady Phoenix" Rias quickly bowed to the lady of the house.
Rosalina Phoenix regarded Rias with an unreadable look before uttering the words that would bring the conversation onto the main reason behind Rias sudden visit to her, "So Rias Gremory, what can I do for you" Rosalina Phoenix smiled in such a way that it told Rias that she knew exactly why Rias was there.
Mentally preparing herself for a verbal chess match, Rias took in a deep breath before regarding the older Phoenix with a serious look.
"I imagine that the Lady of your stature have some inkling to why I am here" Rias spoke confidently, despite not feeling confident at all to play such a verbal chess match with such a formidable woman.
"I do" Lady Phoenix nodded calmly before taking a sip of her tea. "I must admit… I was left impressed when I heard how Sirzech's oldest son had masterfully outsmarted Riser and involved himself with your marriage contract all without politically compromising either himself or the rest of the Satans" Lady Phoenix begin calmly while eyeing up the Gremory heiress with a predatory look in her eyes. Something the younger Devil clearly failed to recognize since her own attention was on the words the Pheonix matriarch had just uttered.
"You were impressed by him?" Rias asked slowly.
"Indeed, it is not every day you see a Devil showcasing the wit and resourcefulness to outsmart some of the leaders of the Devil race" Rosalina Phoenix gave Rias an amused look.
"But he used your daughter as a scapegoat to get me out my marriage. Surely you must have bee…" Rias couldn't complete her sentence as Rosalina Phoenix raised her noble hand cutting the younger Devil right off. "It is true Marid Gremory used Ravel as a scapegoat for your desire, but his actions don't anger me. We are Devils Rias Gremory, evil creatures from the Bible Gods holy scripture" Rosalina Phoenix chuckled as she observed Rias Gremory's baffled expression, "Though we are not the same species we once were when it comes to our actions, we are still creatures of evil that have more selfish desire in our blood than an average human. Surely you didn't expect me to be angry at Marid for acting for the sake of protecting the happiness of his family?"
Rias couldn't help but blush in response at being basically caught naïve by the older Devils. After taking a moment to herself, Rias readied herself to get to the heart of her visit. She knew it was going to be extremely hard to get answers out of someone like Rosalina Phoenix, someone who played a vital part in destruction of the city of Lucifaad, a mission that essentially won the New Satan Faction the civil war.
"Why did you cancel Ravels marriage contract but didn't cancel your son's who himself has a harem of his own and could produce powerful offsprings with anyone of his mates?" Rias questioned the older Devil.
"Why do you even think that I could make that happen? Afterall my husband-brother, Ramon Phoenix is the sole Lord of the Phoenix house" Rosalina shot a questioning look back at Rias.
Rias merrily smiled before replying, "We both know you wear the pants in your relationship with your husband". And it was true, it was wildly known within the Devil world that Rosalina Pheonix ran the House of Phoenix from behind the shadows. Devils respected strength and apparently so did Lord Phoenix when he signed his own marriage contract declaring that their marriage had the possibility of Rosalina Phoenix gaining a lover outside her own marriage without needing his own approval. Considering the rumor mill in the underworld, Rosalina Phoenix didn't hesitate to use that clause of her contract considering her relationship with her first lover and the progenitor of the house of Abaddon, known as the Harbinger of Death due to her role in mission Recall during the Civil war, Rivia Abaddon.
Rosalina Phoenix stared at the younger Devil in astonishment before bursting out giggling, "Yes it was indeed true that I could have cancelled yours and Risers marriage contract had I wished but doing so would provide no benefit for the underworld" Rosalina replied with an amused smirk.
"What do you mean? I am sure the potential union between Ravel and Marid would have produced incredibly powerful Devils even if Marid cant wield the power of Destruction" Rias asked carefully.
"Rias my dear… I am not interested in the offsprings you and Ravel could bear the underworld should those two marriages are allowed to be moved forward" Rosalina sighed. To Rias it almost felt like Rosalina was disappointed that Rias wasn't able to pick on the subtlety of her sentence, "I am more interested in the future of the underworld. By the time yours or Ravels offsprings come of age to make any lasting difference in the underworld it would be a little to late"
Rias eyes widened at the somber yet terrifying warning of the older Devil, "What do you mean?" Rias asked with a shaky breath.
Rosalina at that point stood up from her seat and moved towards the window that had been overlooking the impressive gardens, "I knew no matter what I would do, my third son had gone under his fathers influence too much for him to even consider learning how to use the powers of the Phoenix clan the right way, let alone use it for the betterment of the underworld. So when I saw an opportunity of Risers marriage with you, I took it since I knew what the power of destruction was capable of, considering I have fought alongside your brother in the civil war. I knew among the next generation, you was the only one female Devil apart from Cleria that could beat Riser in a one on one match, something he desperately needed if he didn't want to become a arrogant scumbag like that kid of the Glasya-Labolas clan"
Rias gave the older Devil a indecorous look, "SO you did all of this for your son? I am sure Marid would have loved to beat Riser in a rating game when Riser would have challenged Ravel in a rating game match to cancel Ravels marriage! So why did you include me in your game of politics" Rias demanded from Rosalina Phoenix.
"Having Marid defeat Riser in the rating game would have been of no use to my goals. I want you to be the one to defeat Riser" Rosalina admitted much to Rias shock.
Rias for the next few moments just stood there in shock while Rosalina Phoenix enjoyed her cup of tea while overlooking her gardens without paying any attention to the shocked Rias.
"Why do you want me to defeat Riser?" Rias countered with another question. Thankfully the years of lessons on social subtleties from her mother were doing wonders for her since she was starting to connect the figurative dots in her head. But there was still too much missing information for her to completely paint the pictures behind Rosalina Phoenix motives.
"So that you could realize your own potential" Rosalina gave Rias a look that said 'Isn't this the most obvious thing in the world'.
"I admit I played a gamble with Marid when I allowed his marriage contract be cancelled. But now… that gamble has paid off. His loss to you for the battle for the heirship of the Gremory house has changed him more than I could have imagined. Marid has not only grew extremely powerful at a very young age but has also come up with an better alternate to our problems with those Gods than most high ranking Devils ever did" Rosalina admitted before snapping her fingers.
Rias looked behind her only to find the door to Rosalina Pheonix private study opened and awaiting her was the same maid that had originally brought Rias to the Phoenix matriarchs private study.
Understanding the subtext, Rias stood up from her seat and silently bowed to Phoenix matriarch before heading to the exit.
However, before Rias could leave Rosalina Phoenix called out to her for some ominous parting words, "Times are changing, and it is important we change with them. It is important for the new generation to be ready for what's coming because if we were caught off guard, it could not only bring about the destruction of the underworld, but also the entire supernatural world" Rosalina calmly warned Rias, much to the younger Devils horror. Before she could ask anymore questions, the Phoenix maid called out to her to follow.
Knowing she wont get anymore answers regarding Rosalina Phoenix ominous words, Rias bowed to the older Devil one more time before leaving the Rosalina Phoenix's personal mansion with only one certainty, Rosalina Phoenix, the Devil of the infernal storm, knew more than she was letting on
Back to the present
"Anybody there?" Rias shook her head only to find Marid moving his hands in front of her eyes with an amused look on her face.
"Ahhh Marid" Rias yelped in surprise.
"What is going on with you" Marid chuckled at Rias's priceless reaction.
"I was thinking about the rating game" Rias replied meekly, not sure if she wanted to let Marid know about her conversation with Lady Phoenix.
"Hmm" Marid hummed. However, before the duo could make any further talk, their attention was diverted when they saw Issie and Asia sneakily come out of the forest and hurriedly heading towards Gazebo, where most of the Devils had been sleeping ever since the start of the training camp.
"What do you think they were doing in the forest?" Marid asked his fellow King curiously.
"I don't know. Issie and Asia have been visiting the forest late at night ever since Issie blew up that manor all those days ago" Rias responded with a proud smile. While she was gutted about the manor, it didn't stop her from being impressed by her pawns incredible growth. At this rate he might even surpass her before the end of the year.
"Late night training sessions?" Marid wondered aloud.
"I hope so, otherwise I don't know what Kenta would do if he finds out Issie had done something perverted with Asia" Rias begin giggling. Marid couldn't help but chuckle alongside Rias at the thought of what Kenta would do to Issie if he ever finds out.
"So, have you thought of any strategies for the rating game yet?" Marid asked curiously before taking a seat beside Rias on the bench.
Rias couldn't help but sigh escape her, "All the strategies I have come up with at this are moot. Along with his vast rating game experience over me, Riser has enough peerage members to just swarm me or my peerage at any point he feels like the rating game is not going his way"
"True but your individual pieces are more powerful than Risers pieces. With the training they have been doing, there is a very real possibility that your peerage just might even Risers numerical advantage" Marid reaffirmed Rias that the rating game was still winnable.
"I hope so" Rias sadly smiled.
"Hey don't be like that! Your peerage believes in you. They know the stakes if they lose this rating game but are willing to follow you till the end. It is your job as their King to not let them down and fight alongside them until the end" Marid scolded Rias for her somber attitude.
"What can I even do Marid. Big brother Sirzechs was right from the start! I should have started training my peerage immediately right after I had found out about the marriage and its rating game clause. If I had done that then I wouldn't have been caught in such a position" Rias spoke in a frustrated tone.
Marid who was sitting beside Rias, just listening to her frustrated rant for a few minutes before she calmed down.
"Maybe you are right that if you had trained from the start you wouldn't have been in this situation. But there is no point in sulking over the spilled beans. All we can do is work towards our future and hope for the best" Marid begin comforting Rias.
It looked to have worked as Rias facial features softened and her body relaxed.
"Rias… trust me when I say this, there is no greater feeling than to grind in silence and seeing those shocked faces when you finally succeed. Keep working hard till you see that moment" Marid spoke calmly as he stood up to walk away from the bench.
Rias who now was more calmer than she was in days smiled and promised not to give up till she won the rating game, "Any more wise words for me oh wise one" Rias asked Marid teasingly.
Marid stopped to turn back to look at the Gremory heiress before speaking with a smile, "Perhaps a lesson of wisdom that I myself learnt from the wisest man I have ever met"
"Oh" Rias responded curiously, clearly interested in what these wise words were or perhaps who the author of the advice was.
"There are two wolves, one is chained up in the dark and other one is chained up in the light. Which one of those two wolves live?" Marid asked.
"The one in the dark?"
Marid shook his head in disagreement, "The one you feed" Marid responded with a smile before turning back to head towards the Gazebo everyone had been living in, leaving Rias on her own. This time her spirits were higher than ever.
'I swear I am going to win this rating game' Rias silently vowed to herself as a vicious smile adored her face as she begun formulating a plan to defeat Riser once and for all.
Chapter End
What a surprise… 2 chapters in one month?!?!? Surely I must be crazy. Well I am kind of crazy but I am uploading a bonus chapter for this month in celebration for this story not only surpassing 200k words mark but also to celebrate the one year anniversary of this story!! Please enjoy and let me know what you think!!!!
I hope you liked this chapter since this chapter was fun to right. I feel like I was getting right back in my grove of writing. Cant wait for you all to read the next chapter which will not only have a two week time skip but also will be the last chapter before the rating game.
Until then stay safe and have fun!
DGZalama out!
Words:- 9144