Hey guys here's the next chapter for ya! Found myself a bit a free time that's why this is out so soon! Hope you enjoy it!
Kuru's Home-Basement/Training Room
"Nice try Olivia but your gonna have to do better than that!" taunted Kuru as he dodged a bunch of ice spikes sent his way by his [Queen].
After their little scuffle the night before and finding out that Kuru and his peerage were now targets for some unknown enemy the Cerbures heir had decided to have them take a couple days off to train and also for some of his informant's throughout the world to gather some info. Right now they were in Kuru's basement which also doubled as the training room for himself and his peerage.
The area was very reminiscent of the one Urahara trained Ichigo in from the Bleach anime with it being a grassy field with a few sparse trees dotted here and there. Rias did have a bit of an effect on him with her obsession with Japanese culture and anime was one of them. He was no Otaku but he did enjoy watching anime and reading manga a good deal. After seeing this particular setup in one of his favorite anime's he decided to make it a reality with some help from some old contacts of his and they did not disappoint.
Truthfully this was the first time he and his peerage were trying it out since arriving in Kuoh but they sure as hell were making up for lost time.
Right now Kuru and his peerage were each training with each-other in one-on-one spars all across the place with one group of three and all dressed in their school gym clothes as they didn't want to end up ruining their casual clothes during training. Kuru had set a system for them, with the help of Jynx, that two members would fight each-other for a set time and when a timer went off they would randomly select another peerage member and fight them the next round. This helped keep them on their toes since given their diverse fighting styles and abilities it gave them a wider array of experience.
Hayate was currently going sword for claw against Tank a short distance away. The werewolf's immense strength and defensive [Rook] abilities combined with his animal senses were just enough to match up against Hayate's superior speed and swordsmanship. The [Knight] would try hit and run tactics but Tank would always manage to hold him back by using his animal senses to hear and smell where he was coming from. But whenever Tank tried to take the offensive Hayate was always able to outmaneuver him with his speed and keep him at a distance with his sword.
Farther from them Jynx and Ryujin were engaged in literal heated combat. Jynx was currently using her Sacred Gear Feles Infernum, or Pit as she so fondly calls it, in its hammer form and swinging it at Ryujin who was utilizing his own Sacred Gear True Human Spirit to even the odds. Both Gears gave fire or heat related abilities to an extent to their users but while Jynx's came from an external source, i.e her hammer/mallet, Ryujin's was more internal as he gained his power from either taking or receiving damage and turning it into 'heat' energy making him stronger but to keep that energy up required a constant influx of either dealing or receiving damage. Which was no problem in this situation as Jynx's hammer dealt plenty of damage but was just supplying Ryujin enough energy to counter her attacks at the same time. The [Pawn] and [Rooks] battle could have gone for hours due to both of them being on a pretty even playing field in that regard. Now Jynx could turn Pit into his flaming lion form and send him after Ryujin but doing so would leave her wide open and while she had mastered Viking wrestling she new even at her best she wouldn't be able to take down a powered up Ryujin with that alone. Hence their current stalemate.
The next one's that could be seen fighting were Nico and Aila closer to the small pond towards the edge of the field. Now while his [Pawn] had the disadvantage since his Sacred Gear, Crystal Void was more for deflecting or blocking magic based attack's Nico was an excellent boxer and close range fighter while also being able to really take a hit and shrug it off like it was nothing. Aila on the other hand was able to use her Sacred Gear Deathreaver to her hearts content. The blade allowed her many powers one would associate with death such as summoning undead and other necrotic powers along with control over cold and frost making her quite the dangerous opponent. Even so she had no real 'grace' and wasn't as durable as Nico. So while she was a heavy hitter with multiple abilities and good speed she was pretty predictable and wasn't what one would call durable. Evidence by the various bruises littering her form and the various cuts and patches of frost across Nico's own form as they continued to clash.
That left Kuru, Olivia and Yosuke in a three-way free for all in which Olivia and Yosuke had temporarily teamed up to try and take on Kuru. Yosuke's Sacred Gear Orpheus's Harp was what gave Yosuke a great magical advantage as just by strumming it's cords he could make geyser's of magical power erupt beneath the enemies feet with devastating power. The problem, the time it takes to cast an attack and the fact that the point of impact is obvious to pinpoint cause of the ground glowing where it will erupt. It takes 5.2 seconds to reach just minimal power so it is better used as a nuke with others distracting the enemy so he can charge up. Hence why Olivia had teamed up with him against Kuru.
Now while most would say it was suicidal to go two on one against such powerful opponents Kuru was unconcerned as were his peerage. Unlike other High-Class Devil's born with the powers of their houses Kuru grew up mostly in the real world and wasn't fed a silver spoon his entire life like his peers, which he was immensely grateful for yet sad about at the same time. While they gained their status from birth Kuru could happily say he earned his through actual training and fighting with powerful foes. His peerage only helped to push him further.
Kuru felt that a true [King] should set the example for his peerage and had made sure to set himself at the top of their little totem pole of power. So while his peerage was powerful and diverse he was at the top of the food chain in both status and power. Evidence by the fact he was managing to not only avoid Olivia's attacks but also Yosuke's magical geysers while still managing to land a few hits here and there himself. It's not to say he didn't have injuries of his own in the form of some bruises and cuts but it was easy to see out of all of them he was in the best shape.
And so Kuru's training went for the next three hours. Every member of the peerage had a chance to fight each-other in both one on one scenarios and even the three way. By the time they finished everyone was covered in wounds, sweat and dirt but were overall satisfied with the training session.
Kuru had just gotten out of the shower dressed in nothing but a pair of boxers and was currently drying his hair before he sensed another presence in his room. Turning towards the source Kuru glared at a certain gothic Lolita girl who was much more than she seemed. Before him stood the Infinite Dragon God Ophis.
The two stared at each-other for a good while with neither saying anything to the other before the Cerbures heir decided to speak up.
"...you know if you wanted to see me naked Ophis all you had to do was ask." deadpanned Kuru as he wondered just why the hell she was in his house though he had a pretty good idea.
In his travels he had come upon her as she had tried to recruit him to her cause. At first he didn't understand why but when she revealed some very interesting secrets about his father it all made sense. The Dragon God had tried to bribe him with power but from what she had revealed to him it was easy to see that she only wanted him on her side because she actually feared him. From what he received from his father he could see why she would be afraid so he instantly declined her offer. It didn't stop her from constantly trying though.
"I have no such desires. What I do desire though is for you to join me as your power would be a great boon to my forces." said Ophis in her usual manner making Kuru groan.
"Listen Ophis, I don't care what you offer me I. Will. NEVER. Join you!" Kuru declared as he went to his dresser to get his clothes and dress himself completely ignoring the small scowl on the dragon gods face.
"...you know I could just let slip to the other factions just what you are." said Ophis offhandedly and nearly smirked as she saw Kuru tense before he turned to glare at her.
"You do that and I rat out your plans. Well that and I would make your life even more miserable than it is now." countered Kuru as his eyes turned completely black for a moment before returning to their regular shade of green.
His threats however were just waved aside by the Infinite Dragon. She knew he wouldn't act as long as his peerage was on the premises, that and she knew just how reluctant he was to use his fathers... 'gifts'.
"Don't try to threaten me. You are not your father and until you accept what you inherited from him you will never be a real threat to me." said Ophis plainly as Kuru cursed in his mind at knowing she was right. He never wanted to use the powers he inherited from his father and for good reason so threatening her without them was just him basically blowing hot air.
"Whatever you overgrown gecko. Just get out of my house and leave me alone." growled Kuru as he turned away from her only to freeze as she was now right in front of him and looking up into his eyes with a slight glare.
"Your peace won't last much longer Kuru so enjoy it while you can. But when the time comes to pick a side you'd better be ready or else you and your peerage will be the first casualties in the next Great War." said Ophis ominously before she teleported away leaving a very nervous Kuru to contemplate just what she was talking about and what it meant for him and his servants as a whole.
three days later
After his encounter with Ophis, Kuru had really torn into his training and had dragged his peerage along for the ride. Needless to say they were put through he proverbial wringer. They could all see something had rattled their [King] but every time one of them asked what was wrong he would wave off the question and push them back into training. After three days he had finally calmed down and was set to relax with his peerage.
Or he was until he got a message from Rias familiar telling him about the past few days events and what her newest acquisition had gone and done.
"You have to admit that the kid really did inherit the dragons luck." said Ryujin after Kuru had informed him and the others of what was currently going on with their fellow devils.
"Yeah but its nice to see that there's more to him than his obsession with breasts. I don't know whether he is just big hearted or just that big of an idiot to charge into Fallen Angel territory to save one nun." said Yosuke as he checked his harp as he could already see where this conversation is going.
"Does it matter? Boss we need to-" began Tank only to silence himself as Kuru raised his hand instantly drawing the attention of the rest of his peerage.
Kuru no longer possessed his usual laid back demeanor. No what they were seeing was a seldom seen form of their [King] that was reserved only for important situations such as now. The Cerbures Heir had a calm air about him that also demanded attention and when he spoke his voice was hard and cold and made it impossible to ignore him.
"I understand Tank but we are not rushing in their half-cocked like Rias has allowed her servants to do which is why we are going to try and take care of them before Issei and his little entourage arrive. I know you want that Fallen dead by your hands but it is not just her you will be facing. Which is why we are going in there my way. I want Tank, Ryujin, and Jynx to aid Issei in rescuing the nun while Nico, Hayate, Aila and Yosuke are to stay outside and take care of any stragglers. Olivia and I will be dealing with the leader of these Fallen personally. Rias has already said she and her [Queen] will take care of the other Fallen angels as Raynare will more than likely be guarding the nun known as Asia Argento. Remember your roles and Tank... keep a clear head out there and don't let that bitch get the best of you." said Kuru as everyone nodded in agreement of their roles before multiple transportation circles began to open up to send the designated groups to their designated areas.
A few short moments later and Kuru and his peerage had arrived at the desolate church. Unfortunately or not all of them had appeared right in the center of groups of enemies who had apparently been awaiting their arrivals. While stray exorcist were a given to be present with the Fallen it was a bit of a surprise to see more of the Assassin's as the group had started calling them among the crowd. They weren't much but it was easy to tell that they were above the common rabble.
Yosuke, Nico, Hayate and Aila
"...well ain't this a surprise. Here you all are lined up for us and am so underdressed." said Yosuke as he, Aila, Hayate and Nico stared down four assassin's in full gear with two being males and two being females given their body shapes.
None of them responded to Yosuke's little taunt and instead began to draw weapon that the peerage members could feel pulsed with holy energy. For the males one had drawn a pair of sabers while his partner had pulled out a pair of spiked gauntlets and slid them over his hands. The females weapons consisted of one wielding a kusarigama and the other a pair of pistols.
"At least we won't be bored for a little while." said Nico as he cracked his knuckles and stared down his chosen opponent which happened to be the assassin with the gauntlets.
"We must finish our foes quickly so we may aid the others should they need it nano." said Hayate as he pointed his sword at the saber wielding assassin.
"Let's just get this over with, I've wasted enough of my free time as is with Kuru's training and now I have to deal with these clowns." grumbled Aila as she glared at the Kusarigama wielding assassin.
*sigh*"Man you guys really need to lighten up a bit. All work and no play makes dull devils after all." jested Yosuke as he calmly looked at the last remaining assassin.
Then on some unspoken signal the two opposing forces charged each-other.
Tank, Ryujin and Jynx
Tank, Ryujin and Jynx's situation wasn't much different from their peers outside. Surrounding the trio was a whole horde of stray exorcist ready to attack. Off to the side they could see who they assumed was the nun they were here to save only she was tied up to a weird looking cross that put the trio very ill at ease.
"Ooooh more shitty devils! We weren't expecting you until later but this just means the fun can begin sooner!" came the crazed voice of a certain white haired exorcist with red eyes named Freed Selzan.
While Ryujin an Junx were completely focused on the exorcist Tank's gaze was firmly planted on the figure standing beside Asia looking down on them with a smug smile that brought back horrid memories for the werewolf. Looking back a his peers they all shared a quick glance already coming to a decision on what they all would be doing.
Barely a second passed before the three jumped into action. Jynx had summoned Pit in his war mallet form and charged to large group of stray exorcist intending on turning them into burnt pulp. Ryujin had opted to take out the biggest threat next to Raynare and came straight at Freed as the crazed exorcist laughed at the challenge and charged back with two swords of light at the ready.
As for Tank he charged straight at Raynare already in full werewolf form. Finally after years of waiting to finally kill the one who took his family from him Tank would finally have his revenge and nothing was gonna stand in his way.
Kuru and Olivia.
While the rest of his peerage was busy dealing with the small fry Kuru and his [Queen] had teleported to the largest source of magic near the church which they already knew would be their target. They were not disappointed as they saw the leader of the small band of Fallen angels standing in a small clearing looking at them with amusement.
The Fallen male stood the same height as Kuru at six foot but instead possessed short blonde hair neatly slicked back, dark grey eyes and had a pale scar going down the left side of his angular face. He wore a black leather jacket over a white t-shirt, black jeans and sneakers. Overall he looked to be in his late teens but in the supernatural world rarely did someone actually look their actual age.
"So I see you have arrived Cerbures. Have to say I was a bit skeptical when Raynare told me that a devil from that house was still walking around. Too bad you won't be doing so for much longer I'm afraid." spoke Bethor arrogantly as his six black wings spread wide for all to see.
Kuru was about to respond but instead quickly leaned back to avoid a knife aimed for his throat. Olivia seeing this quickly placed herself in front of her [King] as she glared at where the weapon had come from. As she was about to send a hail of ice shards in that direction she stopped and her eyes widened in surprise as Kuru's attacker stepped forward.
The attacker was a large male at roughly six foot two and was dressed in typical assassin's gear only this time without the mask so his face could be seen. He looked to be in his mid to late thirties and had a scraggly brown beard that covered the entire lower half of his face. The top of his head though was completely bare showcasing the numerous scars painting his features. The most unnerving part however was his milky white eyes that while they made him look blind was far from the case.
"C-c-cartetaker." stuttered out Olivia as she stared at her former keeper in the Organization. She had thought he had died when she and Kuru had raided their main base but apparently that wasn't the case.
"Well if it isn't my little traitor. Bet you didn't expect to see me again you little wench." growled the man now known as Caretaker at Olivia as he went to stand beside Bethor.
"Well now isn't this quite the predicament hmm? I'll tell you what Cerbures, since I'm feeling so generous I'm gonna cut you a deal! Hand over Olivia so that the big guy here can take her back home and you and the rest of your little servants can leave with your lives! So do we have a deal?" said Bethor arrogantly fully intending on Kuru to take the offer.
Kuru's eyes were shadowed by his hair as he looked at the ground in silence. Olivia looked over at her [King] in worriedly as she was still shaken from seeing her one time tormentor still alive and in front of her. Her worries only increased though as Kuru began to laugh but it was more mocking than his usual laughter.
"Hahahaha! You actually think I would take an offer like that from some pompous prick and his old ass babysitter!? Not only that you want me to hand over Oli-chan here like she's some sort of object? Sorry but she is my [Queen] and she is staying here with me. But here is my counter offer, get on your knees and beg for mercy and I make your death's as quick and painless as possible." said Kuru as his head snapped up revealing his glowing green eyes.
Instead of waiting for a reply Kuru let his power flow and like a literal wave his power washed over everyone in the clearingmaking it hard for Caretaker and Belthor to breathe while Olivia instead felt herself calm down as Kuru's power washed over her. Feeling her confidence return she glared at caretaker replacing her one time fear of the man with burning anger as memories of her past with him resurfaced.
Seeing Olivia regain her nerve Kuru gently reigned in his power as Belthor and Caretaker quickly took their fighting stances. Belthor had summoned up a red sword of light while Caretaker had drawn a large claymore from his back that pulsed with light magic. This only brought amused looks from the two devils though.
"Well look at that Master. The trash seems like they want to fight." said Olivia mockingly as she spread her devil wings and readied her magic. She was now actually looking forward to fighting her former guardian and finally cutting all ties to that hellish place she was raised in.
"Then let us teach them the pecking order around here Olivia." responded Kuru as he unfurled his own devil wings which were very unique. While they still kept the usual resemblance to bat wings his were twice as big as per the norm and the fact they looked to be made entirely out of shadow's with wisps coming off of them.
Kuru's smile was downright bloodthirsty as he stared down Belthor. He was going to enjoy killing this Fallen Angel far more than he would care to admit.
Well there's the chapter, next up we will be having the fights! Review and/or pm me and don't be afraid to send in any arc ideas you may have! Also a cyber cookie for those who can guess what Kuru inherited from his father!
