Merrick walked into the training hall. He noted the succubus girl and Moka were watching Tsukune training with Apollo's Valkyrie, Eris, her long, sky blue hair tied back, her emerald eyes blazing with a green fire. 'So many choices, practically a buffet,' he thought to himself. After a moment he chided himself. 'Don't think like that.' He stood off to the side and watched as Eris moved through several forms with a swiftness and fluidity he admired.
'I can admire, not that Shade would mind much,' he found his thoughts drifting back to the arch succubus that owned Devil's Little Angels. There was something about her that reminded him of a time long lost. The Valkyrie watched as Tsukune moved. It had been two weeks. The boy was getting better, better than many that were alive today, but it was nowhere near enough. He could tell just how much the Valkyrie was holding back in practice. Too much. She was an excellent teacher, but she held back too much, afraid to harm a person The Harbinger considered family.
'It would feel so good to have a good spar,' Merrick thought. He walked back to his room and grabbed his sword. He pulled it from the sheathe, checking its weight and edge before belting it on and returning to the dojo. They were still at it, Tsukune occasionally making a mistake, Eris checking him and working with him to fix it.
Realizing the boy needed something more, he returned to his room and grabbed something from one of his chests. 'This will be exactly what he needs.'
Tsukune turned as Merrick tossed a bottle at him. He caught it and puzzled at it.
"It's a refreshing beverage. Drink it, take a break." The demon started undoing his shirt, the runes on his skin pitch black, almost absorbing the light in the room. "Eris. I want to see how good you really are. Ready to take on a 'Mewling Kitten' of a demon as you said earlier?"
The Valkyrie stiffened at the comment. This demon had tried killing her master, she would return the favor. She drew her scimitar from her waist and took stance, her left side facing him, blade in her right, held above her head and curving wickedly downwards.
Tsukune took a long draught from the bottle as he sat down. Realizing it was blood, he quickly finished it, feeling the inherent power fill him, change him. He started seeing more suddenly. He could see the very twitches of the muscles in the fighters. He knew Merrick was going to teach him more in the next few minutes than Eris had taught him in a week. He felt a presence behind him, looking up, he saw Apollo and Ruby standing over him. Apollo knelt down and whispered to him, "Witches blood. One of the reasons they're so damn smart is their ability to perceive, remember and translate that into action."
Merrick drew his bastard sword, enchanted to be able to withstand the forces he and any enemy would be placing it in. He took the blade in one hand and held it off to the side, with his other he signaled he was ready.
Eris charged in with a wicked upwards slash from the blade, deflected with a quick overhanded switch with the bastard sword. Eris spun in the opposite direction, Merrick responding with a strong block, then flipped the sword around his back, catching it in his left hand and continuing with an uppercut of his own. Eris blocked by slamming her blade downward and slipped in with her fist, striking Merrick in the gut, sending him back several feet.
He quickly stabilized himself and flashed a white-toothed grin, a red tint covering his eyes. Eris met his gaze with a steely determination, her long blue hair whipping around behind her. She closed her eyes and drew forth her true form, large ethereal wings, feathered like an eagles, sprouted behind her, she brought her blade up. Merrick matched her and slid forth, the runes on his body starting to slowly shift.
He ducked under a high slash and spun around, his blade clipping her armor, but failing to draw blood. She kicked at him as she brought her blade around with her left, catching it in her right and slashing across his body. He deflected under with his hand, managing not to draw any blood and thrust at her. She somehow managed to bring her blade around to parry, but could not deflect it completely, the bare edge of his blade nicked her cheek, drawing forth a small trickle of blood.
Eris raged at this and brought her blade back up and towards his chest, the angle making it impossible to dodge or block… or so she thought. He bent backwards, just in time that the blade drew lightly up his sternum. He reached up and deflected her blade a scant moment later, spinning around, bringing his blade whipping around, it stopped just before her neck, touching skin, but not breaking. He smiled as he looked down and found her blade ready to arc upwards through his skull. Her blade was buried a bit deeper, a small bead of blood dropping from his chin.
He brought his hand across in a flash and her sword was out to her side. She continued with the spin he started and brought her slash around to find his blade blocking her strike. He dove forward and drove the pommel into her side, knocking her back a dozen feet. She jumped high and spun through the air, her blade flashing around her.
He brought his blade around and backed off. He started swinging his blade faster than most eyes could see save for Tsukune, Ruby and Apollo. He was quickly matched by Eris, blow for blow, a hundred times a minute, faster, harder they went. Upswing met backslash, overhead cleave met a crossbar block, a quick thrust met by a spin slash. Hundreds of moves were laid out before him. Tsukune watched in amazement as time seemed to slow around them.
Without noticing, he was memorizing their every movement, his brain calculating where their next strikes would land milliseconds before they landed. He was translating how each offensive move would be blocked by a hundred different defensive moves, and vice versa. Suddenly, a flourish from Merrick took his attention, the two broke off, spun and thrust at each other, their blade tips touched as a massive wave of power was released. Everything stopped.
Eris's eyes widened. She backed off in tandem with Merrick, bowed to him as he bowed to her, turned and stalked off past Apollo. As soon as the door closed, The Harbinger burst out laughing. He walked over to the demon lord, his wounds quickly starting to heal, and clapped him on the back, "Been a long time since she's been beaten at her own game Merrick."
"I can tell," Merrick said softly as he looked to Tsukune.
"Beaten? That was as clear a draw as I've ever seen," Moka interjected.
"No, it wasn't," Tsukune answered. "Merrick was holding back."
"What? That was the best sword play I've ever seen! How could he have been holding back?"
"Merrick is different from a true immortal like you or me or even Eris," Apollo answered. They heard a door slam, quickly noting that Merrick had left. Apollo sighed before continuing, "Merrick has lived as many lives as I have years, and that is just since the last cycle change. This is the fourth cycle the earth has seen. Merrick has seen the previous three as well as being a demon from before the earth had been created."
"That means-" Moka started before being cut off.
"He remembers many, if not all of his lives, and the skills he picked up in them. They have amalgamated into a skill with the blade few can ever hope to attain," Ruby finished. "I hope you were paying attention Tsukune. I know you saw what I did. In those few minutes, I could slaughter an army with those techniques I saw."
"The two best swordsmen alive. Well, swordswoman in Eris's case," Kurumu commented dryly. She shook her head as she turned and walked out the door.