Answers to reviewers statements or questions

Zoom99: When i mean average, I mean a guy who's not incredibly handsome. Pierce is 5'6 at best and he has a face that you would see on the street once and never remember again. He's not ugly but he's not memorable either. So yeah, I guess Issei level.

HiragaSaito16: Thanks man, I was getting tired of the same DxD fanfictions too and thought to finally make one that I think is original and fun. I hope you enjoy future chapters!

The Crowned Reaper: The Chi Swords aren't inspired from Shirou (mainly because I've never seen fate/stay night) but I could see how you could think that. I was inspired by about how Ouryuu can throw literal balls of Touki, so I thought making swords out of Chi wasn't too unrealistic.

Chapter 17: Magic 101

Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD but I hope to meet Ichiei one day and thank him for creating it. The OC's are mine. I'll thank myself later.

Speech - "Hey, I'm Pierce."

Thoughts - 'I'm dead.'

Spells - "Jumon"

Philippines, Mindanao

A beautiful archipelago with large amounts of flora rested in the Pacific Ocean. Being the native home to many ethnics like the Lumads, Bukidnon, Mamanwas, Yakans, etc. the collective group of islands are considered the highlight of the Philippines. Like the rest of the world, both natural and supernatural, many species live on the rich islands and protect it from invasion.

One of these supernatural creatures were known as the Sarimanoks. Beautiful winged creatures with healing flames and are said to bring good fortunes to those around them. They inhabited an island in the corner of Mindanao; it was a sacred place and many in the supernatural world praise its beauty. On a hill overlooking the Sarimanok's land, two figures could be seen. One figure was abnormally large; easily 6 meters tall, had red skin, was wearing a loin cloth, and had horns sticking out his head. The other being looked very similar but was smaller at 2 meters tall, had purple skin, was wearing loose robes, and he had a wild gray hair with a beard. These beings looked exactly like the Oni's of legends with even matching maces on their sides. Oddly enough, the larger Oni was the one kneeling and was being incredibly respectful to the smaller Oni. The gray haired Oni just stayed silent as he looked over the hill, the Sarimanok's beautiful homeland nothing but ash and fire now. Corpses littered the destroyed grounds. From male to woman Sarimanoks, all ages of creatures laid on the bloodied grounds and around the smaller Oni's feet laid human corpses. The battle was recent by the soft mud and smoking craters.

"So the little spider is dead." The smaller Oni said in a tone that seemed amused. "I'm surprised. She always pegged me as the careful type." He took out a gourd and opened it, the smell of wine drifted out.

"She was going after the corpse of an Evil Dragon; no one knows which one though." The bigger Oni spoke.

"Ah, her greed got the better of her." The purple Oni drank some wine before continuing. "She always had this need to please. Zeth must be disappointed." The bigger Oni nodded.

"Yes, Lord Zeth has called for all Generals to meet." The purple Oni stood up and walked around the battlefield.

"Oh?" He stopped and looked at a bloody Filipino man crawling away. "…You know playing dead would have increased your odds." The Oni shook his head and walked towards the half dead man.

Datu Reyes was the son of a Filipino mother and a Chinese father. He had always been different since he was little. Stronger, faster and overall better in the physical department than the kids his age and even some adults, Datu knew something was different about him. He didn't train to get this strength it just came to him but being part of a small tribe meant that no one ostracized the boy. Taught to hunt by his mother, showed how to pray by his father, trained to fight by the tribe's warriors Datu was raised in a warm environment and came to love people. He wanted to protect his tribe and anyone else that showed him kindness. The abnormal but kind boy grew to be the strongest warrior of his tribe and for years protected it from those who wanted to hurt them.

Then a God spoke to him. The Greek God of the skies and the ruler of Olympus chose Datu as his Emissary.

That was an incredibly confusing day for Datu; he had no idea who the "Greeks" were and what it meant to be an Emissary. After a short pause, the God King quickly explained what all that meant. He also explained to Datu that he was the spirit inheritor of the Chinese general; Lu Bu (Zeus explained who that was too). Taking in all this new information Datu became conflicted. He wanted to go out and save Olympus from the "evil" God Zeth but he also didn't want to leave his tribe behind. After talking about it with his family and tribe elders, they agreed with Datu's dreams to go out and fight for the Gods. So after hard goodbyes and good lucks, Datu made the trip to Olympus. Gathering allies along the way, Datu made it to Olympus and met with his Patron Gods. Zeus, Hermes and Hera talked with the young hero and gave him their blessings. Incredible speed from Hermes, high magical resistance from Hera and one of Zeus' prized thunderbolts. Datu was tested personally by the Greek Gods and they found him very impressive. Considered the strongest Emissary, Datu did his best to meet the expectations put on him. After the assembly was finished, Datu immediately went to chase down his first General.

Sadly, it didn't go as well as he expected.

Traveling on the open waters to slay Zeth's sea beast, they were never able to find it and kill it. After half a month of no progress Datu and his party went back to Olympus in shame but the Gods weren't disappointed. They expected this war to take a long time with how wounded Zeth was and put no pressure on Datu. He praised the Gods for their generosity and strived to work even harder to save Olympus. Then a party came back from successfully killing Zeth's vampire General, Froid. It was a very impressive accomplishment for sure. They may have had quite the advantage against the vampire but killing any Ultimate-Class was something to celebrate. After a short break they quickly went out once more to take on another General. Datu was not the competitive type but he still wanted to do something for the Gods, so he worked harder. Gathering information on a General in the British Isles, Datu was told of another General who appeared in the Philippines.

The Great Yokai and Oni Shuten Douji was trying to bring the Sarimanoks into Zeth's army. The Sarimanoks were a peaceful race and had no prior involvements in mythological wars, not even in the great Biblical one. So Datu and his party went to the Philippines to confront the Oni General. Datu never expected to find what he did. The entire Sarimanoks homeland was destroyed and countless corpses littered the grounds. Enraged, Datu found Shuten on a small mountain overlooking it all and demanded why he did it. The Oni shrugged.

"I made the trip, seemed like a waste to go back empty handed." The Oni laughed as he drank more wine. "Still for a peaceful race they sure can fight, not a single one backed down! I'll drink to that!"

Datu didn't need anything else. Rage fueled him as he and his team charged at the General.

What happened shortly after could not be called a fight. His party threw magic, arrows, swords, and Datu even used his Lightning Halberd. What did Shuten do?

He laughed.

It wasn't a mocking laugh, or a disdainful one, hell you couldn't even call it smug. It was a laugh of pure joy. Like a child with a new toy or a person achieving a hard goal. He was enjoying himself as he took everything they had dead on. Shuten praised their strength and was happy they were just the first group to face him; it meant there were more strong humans to come.

And then he moved.

Running with speed that made no sense, hitting with strength that deified reason, and his durability already spoke for itself. The Oni didn't attack, he ripped them apart.

'We…We didn't stand a chance…' Datu crawled away as his legs were smashed beyond compare long ago. 'I-I even used my S-Soaring General and Zeus's authority and…' Shuten didn't guard against Datu's Ode and Lightning Halberd. He caught the weapon with his bare hand and squeezed. That was the first time Datu had seen lightning "disperse" like that. With pure brute force as well. Shuten finally made it to Datu and grabbed him by the throat, hoisting him up to eye level.

"Please…don't…" Datu tried to pry open the Oni's grip but it was like trying to rend steel.

"You fought well. If this was a few years later then you would have had a higher chance of winning." Shuten frowned when he saw the look of fear in Datu's eyes. He sighed. "But…I guess this is the end for you. Shame, you could have been quite the fighter later on."

"I-" That was all Datu could get out before the Oni squeezed and a snap rang out. The Emissary's body went limp and Shuten dropped him to the ground, his eyes still wide in despair. Shuten looked down once more before turning around and walking back to the red Oni.

"Open the Gate Akui." Shuten took another drink of his wine. "No point loitering around here any longer."

"Yes Lord Shuten." Akui took out a lantern and pointed it in a random direction. The lantern glowed and a Gate appeared in front of them. The dimension Zeth was currently staying in could only be accessed by an Oz Lantern and he gave one to each of his Generals (though when a General dies a seal destroys the given lantern). The Gate opened and the 2 Oni's walked in, leaving behind the quiet scene of carnage.

Hakone, Hakone Gongen

The sunlight came through the window of Melissa's room and a comfortable temperature settled in. My eyes were open as I lay there on the bed, Melissa's naked form resting on top of me. At some point in the night she curled up on top of me and she had a smile on her face as her tail swayed. With how much she eats and her height, I assumed she would be heavier but she was as light as a feather (then again even without Chi I'm pretty strong).

'I have not lived.' I thought this as last night's activities came back to me. Overdramatic? Hell fucking no. Honestly with how good Bouchujutsu kissing felt, I had an idea of how good actual sex would be.

I wasn't even in the ballpark.

After going slow to ease her worries, we quickly picked up the pace and she used Bouchujutsu to synchronize our Chi. It was like nothing I ever felt and before long we went at it long into the night. I looked at my hand and squeezed. After using Strengthening Magic twice like that yesterday, my muscles were exhausted and even Samantha said I would need rest a couple of days before I could really fight again. Even my Chi was making slow progress healing my muscles and I accepted that, it didn't really hurt I just felt heavy. But after last night? My body was healed, full of energy, and even my mind felt clearer. 'Guess it's true what they said, Bouchujutsu really is the best healing option.' I watched Melissa's face as she slept and smiled when her gorgeous face started to drool a little. I played with her soft leopard ears (get your mind out of the gutter) and got a pleased moan from the Yokai, she started shuffling from the contact. After playing with them a little longer I slowly placed Melissa on the side and got out of bed. I put on some clothes and walked out of the room, hoping to find some food to eat. 'Sleeping with my beautiful Yokai girlfriend sure makes me hungry…God I'm a smug bastard.' I internally chuckled at me narcissistic thought and reached the outside of the house, just in time to see Yukan talking low with Yukina. I knew what I had to do.

"Well, well, well what do we have here?" I walked up and smiled as they jumped at my voice.

"G-Good morning Pierce-san." Blushing, Yukina bowed. "How are you doing?"

"It's been a nice morning." I shrugged before looking between them. "But enough about me, how are you 2 doing?" I had to hold back a smirk as they blushed harder under my look.

"I-I was just leaving, I'll see you later Yukan." Yukina took a step before hesitating but turned around anyway and kissed Yukan on the cheek. Yukan looked at Yukina speed walking away in a daze before I brought him back.

"So you went ahead and fought huh?" Yukan looked at me in confusion. "You chose to stop waiting and be honest. Kudos."

"I…" Yukan stopped before continuing. "After what happened yesterday, I didn't want to leave anything to chance. I don't want to die without telling her how I feel." I nodded sagely.

"Well between you and me, no one can say that's a bad reason to live for."

"Thank you Pierce-san." Yukan gratefully nodded and I waved my hand.

"Don't mention it. Do you know where the food hall is though?" Yukan nodded to my question and led me there. As we walked, I looked out and saw how the town was back in its original state. The town's people walked along the paths to the town center or to the harbor, completely unaware of the battle that happened last night. Yukan explained that after Maven teleported everyone back to town (apparently she put them to sleep and transported them to a closed space), Sangan erased the memory of the last 24 hours of everyone. I marveled at how easy it was to do such a thing to a large populace. 'Then again, Raynare did erase the memory of everyone who saw her and she went on a public date with Issei. That definitely would have brought some attention to her.' I mused as we finally reached the food hall and I saw everyone there, even Simon.

"Morning." I nodded to everyone before sitting down.

"Good morning." Adrian nodded to me as I sat down next to Vargas and Sophia. "…How was your night?"

I stopped as I was reaching for some bread and looked up at Adrian's weird tone. Everyone was staring at me with different expressions; Vargas was the most amused, Maven not so much.

"…You all heard that huh?"

"I had to put up noise canceling spells for Christ sake…" Maven mumbled as she picked at her food.

"Sorry…" I said sheepishly as they all chuckled and we got to eating. Melissa joined us shortly after, giving me a hug and sitting down on my lap. She was also embarrassed when everyone subtly (read not subtly) pointed out our time together last night. Sophia, Simon, and Damian went to the front of the shrine after breakfast. They thanked us for our help and that if we ever find ourselves in the Underworld, they will gladly accommodate us. Sophia walked up to me and gave me a sheet of paper.

"What's this?" I took the paper and looked it over. It was white with a magic circle drawn on one side. 'This looks familiar.'

"This is my Clan's contact slip." Sophia explained and I finally knew where I last saw this. "You said you're training to be a magician yes? Then when you learn some magic use that parchment. It will summon a Devil from our clan and you can make a contract with them."

"I can't just make a contract with you?"

"No unfortunately." Sophia shook her head. "I already have a magician I'm contracted with and I can't contract with another."

"Really? Why?"

"It's a rule of thumb to only contract with one magician. If not then a very well known Devil who's heavily involved in magic spells could monopolize a generation of magicians." I nodded at Sophia's explanation.

"Makes sense, I'll hold you to that offer." I pocketed the slip and nodded over to the tied up Yeqon. "What are you going to do with him?"

"…As much as I would love to kill him, he needs to pay for what's he's done." Sophia clenched her fist and took a breather. "He'll be put on trial by my Clan and he will be punished."

"Good." Sophia told me of what Yeqon did and any remote pity I felt for the Fallen Angel went up in Dragon Flames. The Fallen Angel attacked Simon's and Sophia's mother when she tried making peace with the Grigori. Like many Fallen Angels, Yeqon didn't care for the Devil woman and he went out of his way to find her, rape her then kill her. Even for the antagonist Fallen Angels, what Yeqon did was horrid and they kicked him out of Grigori. I may not consider myself a hero but even I would hunt the son of a bitch down and make his death slow. 'It goes to show, even before the Peace Treaty some people in the Three Factions just wanted peace.'

"Thank you again for helping us and giving us Yeqon." Sophia bowed again before smiling. "I hope we can meet again and spar. I'll definitely train harder and beat you next time!"

"…Nope." I said, popping the "p".

"Huh?" Sophia was confused.

"Sorry, it's just…you're not that type of character."

"…What?"

"Now don't get me wrong you got the reckless part down, but you just don't have the whole battle crazy thing going and you're too pretty to follow that troupe." I said in a serious voice.

"W-What!? P-Pretty?! You shouldn't say things like that so easily to a maiden!" Sophia went beet red and admonished my words. I deadpanned even harder and pointed at her.

"Nope! You lost the chance to be that character when you tried to burn me to death!"

"I-I don't understand what you're saying! And you said you were over that!" Sophia became even more lost. After filling my daily quota of "confusing the shit out of someone", Sophia thanked me once again and walked to her brother and retainer.

"Sophia." I said remembering something and Sophia looked back at me. "I have to ask, in the Great War who did your Clan swear allegiance to?" Even if the Four Satans were the true leaders of the Devil race, it didn't stop many Clans from following the direct orders of one Satan over the others.

"Hmm." Sophia thought for a minute before speaking. "My Clan was one of the Devil's assault corps because of our Dragonic abilities. We mainly followed under the Lucifer and Beelzebub Clan. Why do you ask?"

"…You owe us Sophia."

"What?" Sophia didn't understand where that came from.

"You said so. You owe us for what we've done, right?"

"…Yes we do. If there's anything you need just say so and we'll try our best to accomplish it." Sophia nodded with conviction.

"Good." I took a breath and looked her right in the eyes. "Damian said there was tension in the Underworld and talk about factions forming. You know about that right?"

"Yes?" Sophia was wondering where I was going with this.

"If factions really form then join the one the Gremory Clan does."

"But why-"

"If you do this then we'll be even. You don't even need to convince your clan if they don't want to. Just take your brother, Damian, and anyone else who you care about. That's all I ask." I finished speaking and Sophia looked at me in silence. We didn't move as we locked eyes and Sophia finally nodded.

"Alright, I promise to follow the Gremory's lead." Then Sophia walked away. I sighed at this.

'I've done what I could; it's up to her to listen.' I thought this as Melissa walked next to me and gave me a smirk.

"I think she likes you."

"…She has a funny way of showing that if she does." I scoffed and smirked at Melissa. "What? You jealous?"

"Oh please." She humphed and elbowed me. "If anything it shows I got good taste if a Devil Princess likes you."

"Fair enough." I chuckled and we walked up to say goodbye. The Devil trio stood with the Fallen Angel and activated a teleportation spell; they were gone the next second. Sangan also came by and said his thanks for protecting the shrine. He gave each of us a pamphlet on how to make Taoist Talisman and said we were welcome any time (I ignored the bundle of Mute Talisman's Sangan discreetly gave Adrian; the guy's earned them). I walked over to the Offering Hall and took out a coin.

"What are you doing?" Adrian asked and I smiled back at him.

"I'm going to have a chat with an overworked Chief Goddess who's too good at board games."

"…"

"…"

"…Okay." Then Adrian walked away. I blinked at this.

'…I think I broke him.' I tossed the coin in the basket, did the prayer procedure, and closed my eyes.

Amaterasu's Astral Plane

I opened my eyes and I was once again in the beautiful garden with a water fountain. The Sun Goddess was sitting by the lake this time, the lightning dog by her side. I walked over and sat down next to her; I reached out and petted the dog. When I ran my hand through its fur electricity sparked out but it didn't hurt.

"What's her name?" I asked as the dog leaned into my hand when I scratched behind its ear.

"Denki." Amaterasu spoke and smiled at me. "Congratulations on your victory. Sangan told me how difficult the fight was."

"It's the job." I looked at Amaterasu and nodded. "Still, if it wasn't for you telling us then we would have no idea what Shiruku was planning. Thank you."

"No problem." Amaterasu smiled and we sat there in silence. I continued playing with the dog and Amaterasu stared at the lake.

"So…

"Karuta?" She already had the cards in hand.

…I was actually going to ask about Susanoo but sure." I shrugged and Amaterasu waved her hand. A table appeared between us and she started shuffling the cards.

"My brother already heard about the shrine and he was grateful for your help."

"Really?" I was surprised by the storm God's attitude.

"Yes…" But Amaterasu sighed. "Then he told Sangan to give you all an award for the effort."

"…Wait, you mean…"

"Yes, the pamphlets are from Susanoo."

"…Your brother sucks." I leaned back after saying that. "And a cheepskate." I mean it was an introduction to Taoist Talisman for Christ sake!

"I know." The Sun Goddess looked sheepish for her brother's decision. "But if there's anything I can do then let me know."

"It's fine. We were going after Shiruku anyway, besides there's nothing I wan-" I stopped as I looked down at the dog. I slowly lifted my head and stared at Amaterasu. She narrowed her eyes.

"No."

"Oh come! You said anything, so why not give her to me!? I hugged the lightning dog (it had an adorable confused face) and Amaterasu shook her head.

"Sorry but that Lightning Beast is an endangered species of Yokai and I'm watching over it." She tried reaching for the dog but I pulled back. "Give me the dog Pierce."

"Nope." I stood up and started backing away.

"Pierce…" The Sun Goddess also got up and took a step closer. I took one step back. She took another. Guess what I did?

5 Minutes Later

"Give me the damn dog Pierce!" Amaterasu tugged on the dog as I pulled as well.

"No! You said anything I want! I guess the apples don't fall too far from the tree!"

"What's that's supposed to mean!?"

"Your brother's an idiot and you're a liar!" I pulled harder on the Lightning Beast. 'It's being surprisingly calm about this.' I looked down and saw the dog actually yawn.

"I'll reward you some other way but not this! Let go!"

"You let go!"

So a human and a Sun Goddess pulled a bored Lightning Beast between them in a heavenly plane. An average day in my life really.

"…What are you two doing?" A man's voice rang out and we both turned to the voice. A Japanese man with short black hair and a clean goatee stood there.

"O-Omoikane!?" Amaterasu quickly let go, making me fall back with the dog, and started sweating. "W-what are you doing here?"

"I was coming to see where you were." Omoikane rubbed his face and sighed. "Raijin stole Inari's patch of rice again and she's wants it back."

"Urghhhh!" Amaterasu groaned in frustration. "Isn't that the third time this year!? If he's that bored then go on a trip with Tenjin again!"

"Tell him that." Omoikane sighed and then looked at me.

"Hey." I waved at the God.

"Hello." He bowed in greeting. "Amaterasu told me what you and your team have done. Thank you."

"It was no problem."

Omoikane nodded at my answer and turned back to Amaterasu. "Let us go back and handle the situation before Raijin does anything else." Amaterasu sighed and walked to me. She took my arm and drew a Taoist symbol on my arm. She explained how with it I can be allowed entry in any Shinto shrine and major families that worship the Shinto Gods will recognize its importance.

'Oh I am going to abuse that…Probably.' After leaving with Omoikane and taking the Lightning Beast (damn her!), I left the Astral Plane.

Top of Olympus

The light from the platform dimmed and we were once again at the top of the massive mountain.

"…I don't think I'm ever getting used to this." Vargas looked over the ledge and commented.

"Eh, it's kind of growing on me." I said and looked over to the quiet Sara. "Can't imagine what Shiruku put her through. She hasn't said a word since gaining control back."

"The majority of her team died while one betrayed her to Shiruku, no one's going to be alright after that." Vargas shook his head in sympathy. "I just hope she gets over it."

"Let's go." Adrian led us across the bridge and we stopped at the entrance. "I'm going to meet with my Patrons, Aindrea can you take Sara to see her-"

"I know the way." Sara finally spoke up and started to walk away. We watched her leave and Adrian spoke up.

"I really think Aindrea should-"

"I don't need your help." Sara coldly said and turned the corner.

"…Well she's ungrateful." I frowned at Sara's attitude.

"She's been through a lot Pierce." Adrian shook his head at my comment.

"So? Shiruku made Simon beat his sister half to death and he still said thanks." I shrugged at Adrian's defense. "Lots of people go through shit all the time, doesn't give them the right to lash out at the world." Especially to the people that got her out of that shit show. Regardless, we pushed the matter aside and walked to our rooms. Halfway there I asked Melissa if she wanted to hang out in the side garden but Maven stopped me.

"Are you forgetting something?" I tilted my head at the mage. She rolled her eyes and tossed me a book. It read "Introduction to Magic", I put the pieces together.

"Right now?" Maven nodded. "Right now then." I turned to Melissa and rescheduled our date. She just smiled and gave me a kiss wishing me luck. I watched my girlfriend walk away and turned to the mage.

"We're going to need one thing if you're going to teach me magic." I said with a serious face and Maven tilted her head.

"What do we need?" I smiled cryptically.

"You'll find out." I chuckled at the mage's confused face and dragged her to Olympus' tailor.

Top of Olympus, Maven's Room

Maven's room was a big room with shelf's full of magic books, a closet of clothes, and a old timey guitar called a Cittern in the corner (I didn't understand how there were noise spells and instruments were still slow as ever to evolve but whatever). I sat on a chair as Maven looked in the mirror at her new outfit.

"I don't know why you needed me to wear this but…I kind of like it." Maven turned left and right to see the whole outfit. She was wearing a black business suit and long pants that hugged her womanly figure very well.

'He truly is the tailor of the Gods.' I was really impressed with the tailor's handiwork. 'I gave him a very basic description yet he still made it perfectly.' Maven looked at herself a little longer before facing me.

"Now, let's begi-"

"Ah!" I held up my hand to stop her and rubbed my space ring. "We need the finishing touch." A pair of black frame glasses appeared in my hand (these I made myself). I handed the lens less glasses to Maven and she held them up.

"You want me to put these on?" I nodded my head at her question and she gave me a weird look. Maven looked like she was going to ask why but instead sighed and put them on. "Huh…" She looked in the mirror and stared at her new look. A minute passed before she nodded her head and looked at me. "I like it. It feels right for some reason."

I just gave a wide smile.

"Anyway, let's begin." Maven waved her hand and the same book she gave me opened up. It floated to her hand. "Tell me Pierce, what is magic to you?"

"Uhhh…" I blinked and thought for a second. "A really neat thing to have when going after a God?" Maven chuckled at me response.

"Well you're not wrong but no." Maven flipped a page and began. "Magic is the manipulation of an energy called Mana and it has existed since forever. Like Chi, be it from a living being or nature, it could be found everything."

I nodded my head and stared writing down in a notebook she gave me. Ichiei, for the most part, never really explained the inner workings of Magicians and how they do magic. Coming from a genius like Maven, this had to be good.

"All Magicians draw upon Mana and form it into Magic Circles, which they write Magical Languages on, to bring about a desired effect." I raised my hand and Maven deadpanned. "Pierce you're the only person here."

"…" I kept my hand up. Sighing, Maven motioned towards me. "How do Magicians draw Mana?"

"Good question." A board appeared in the room and the outline of a person was drawn on it. Maven pointed at its head. "Magicians use Spiritual Energy to call upon Mana. Every living being has a spirit and it generates Spiritual Energy, so everyone can learn magic."

"So how do affinity's work?"

"Many spirits, yours included, are drawn to a certain type of Mana. You see, Mana is associated with many concepts and elements. A fire spell would need fire Mana, earth spells would need earth Mana, time spells would need time Mana, and so on and so forth. Strengthening Magic needs Mana that's associated with metal. You know to make skin and muscles denser to make them stronger. Healing Magic is more of a mix bag with some parts water and wood since they are the more healing elements."

"So how do Devil's use magic? I know they imagine stuff and it happens but do they use Spiritual Energy?" It was something I always wondered about and sue me if "that's just how Devil's are" doesn't cut it for me.

"A Devil's Demonic Power is a formless type of Mana that can become any other type they can imagine. It generates from their very bodies and those that are a part of the 72 Pillars gain another source of Mana that creates a unique ability. Like the Bael Clan's Power of Destruction or the Agares Clan's Time Manipulation, the Devils of those Clans have this second source of Mana."

"…Well that's bullshit." I gave my opinion on that.

"It's just how things are." Maven wryly smiled. "It's the same with a God's Divine Power. It's another form of Mana that has even more freedom then a Devils and it's compatible with anyone."

'I guess that explains how Indra made Guan Yu a God.' I remembered the Hindu God King and his choice to resurrect the Chinese general.

"While many supernatural beings have an edge on us in terms of energy output that's doesn't mean there's no hope." Maven smiled and pointed at board again. "While humans don't generate Mana by themselves they can use their Spiritual Energy to draw Mana from the world and mimic the powers of other beings, learning their spells in simpler terms." I raised a brow at that.

"So in theory I could learn to use the Bael's Power of Destruction?"

"Sure." Maven nodded. "I mean Merlin did it, so it's not impossible." I blinked at that piece of information.

"Merlin could use the Power of Destruction?"

"Merlin studied the Devil race and created an entire system of magic for Magicians to follow. He mimicked Bael's Power of Destruction, Abaddon's Power of Hole, Belial's Worthlessness; Merlin studied pretty much every Devil he could and reengineered their abilities."

'…Now that's badass.' I had to give respect to a human that could use every ability of the 72 Pillars.

"Now the magic system he created is divided into 2 major types, Western magic and Eastern magic. Western magic is a system of spells and magical knowledge found in Europe while Eastern magic is a system of sorcery that originates in Asia; magic gained from observing Devil's demonic power and the miracles of Gods." I nodded along and wrote all this down. "There is a system to rank levels of magic; this system is called the 7 Orders." I stopped writing and looked up.

'Never heard of that before.' While I had many questions, there was one that I had to ask. "Why 7?" (Why is it always 7?)

"Because that's the universally recognized number." Maven said but I was still confused. "You know the 7 Heavens in the Bible, the 7 Major Chakra's of Hinduism, Buddhism's 7 Steps, the 7th day…well everywhere. You get the idea, the number 7 is pretty important." I couldn't disagree with that. "So there are 7 Orders of magic, the 1st Order being the weakest and 7th being the strongest. The level of magic you learn signifies you're rank, for example when you learn a 1st Order spell you'll be a 1st Order Magician."

"What about forbidden spells? How are they categorized?"

"Forbidden spells are kind of their own rank. The reason they're called forbidden is because they touch upon a taboo like fate and the soul. While regular spells take solely Mana, you can substitute Mana with life-force to cast a forbidden spell. Many skilled Magicians can cast forbidden spells with only Mana but it typically costs far more than a regular spell. Also, depending on how much you're willing to give up, you can make a forbidden spell just as strong as a 7th Order spell."

"Hmmm. That's really interesting." I was getting into the lesson now.

"Indeed." Maven drew on the board Orders 1 to 7 and turned back to me. "Now the majority of magic users in the world can easily learn 1st Order magic. Every branch of magic, Elemental, Angel, Devil, White, Black, etc. has magic spells that go from 1st to 5th. Every increase in rank is ten times harder than the last and 5th Order is approaching the mythological Gods."

"Does every God and Goddess know 5th Order magic?" I asked

"It's more of the fact that they're Divine Power can augment any spell they use to 5th Order rank. A 1st Order spell with enough Divine Power can rival a regular 5th Order spell."

"…That's comforting." I sarcastically said. 'So a simple 1st Order fireball spell can become a ball of flames the size of a city in the hands of a God. Well I guess they aren't called Gods for nothing.'

"Of course there are limits." Maven drew a line between 5th and 6th Order. "Even if a God augments a 5th Order spell with Divine Power it will have difficulty matching a 6th Order spell. Innate abilities like the Bael Clan's Power of Destruction are actually just 5th Order magic. There is only one group of supernatural beings that have innate 6th Order abilities, the Trimurti."

"You mean Shiva, Brahma, and…why can't I ever remember the last guy?" I tried to remember but the name eluded me.

"Vishnu." Maven saved me the headache and said the name. "I don't know the specifics but it's said that they're innate abilities are insane." I nodded, taking her word for it but I quickly noticed something.

"And 7th Order?" I was really curious about the final rank. 'Those guys are among the top in the Top 10 Strongest Beings in the World yet there's another rank of magic above them?'

"7th Order is another level that not even 6th Order can compare to, it borders on reality warping. No being has an innate 7th Order ability, you have to actually learn to cast a 7th Order spell." Maven made a thicker line between the two ranks. "6th Order Magic users come and go; Merlin, Odin (in his prime), the Trimurti, etc. they're all 6th Order rank. But 7th Order is something else entirely."

"How many 7th Order Magic users have there been?" My eyes widened when Maven put 2 fingers. "You're kidding."

"No I'm not." Maven shook her head solemnly. "In all of history, from the era of the Ancient Gods to the current day, there have only been two 7th Order Magic users."

"Who were they?" I asked really curious.

"The God of the Bible is one."

"…"

"…"

"…Oh." I leaned back at that piece of information. 'That…explains everything actually.'

He created the 7 Biblical Heavens, The Sacred Gear system, the Longinus', the Angels, the Holy Swords, found Trihexa at the end of the world where no one but him can find, sealed the world ending beast with thousands of forbidden spells, joined the Great War right after, and killed the Four Satans before dying from his exhaustion.

'…God was a freaking Level 1000 Master Wizard!' I may not care for the Bible but man you can't say the guy wasn't a badass! "And the second one?!" It was hard to believe someone else had the same rank as him after hearing that.

"Actually." Maven gained a very respectful face. "The other 7th Order Magic user was a woman. A human woman."

"…No shit?"

"No shit." Maven smiled and said. "She was a magician born in the era of the Ancient Gods and she was incredible."

"What happened to her?"

"She died of old age." Maven shrugged and laughed at my face. "Sorry to tell you this Pierce but just because you have unbelievable power doesn't mean you want to live millenniums, she wanted to die a human. Now the era of the Ancient Gods ended around the time she died but that's probably unrelated." She smirked at my deadpan and snapped her fingers, a row of books appeared in front of me. "Now that we've gotten the general information out of the way, let's hit the books!" I picked up one and it said "Basic Physics". Another said "Introduction to Biology".

"Umm, Maven." I spoke my worries. "None of these are magic books."

"That's not true." Maven pointed to a tiny book in the corner. "That's a magic book." I picked up the small book and it actually said "Magical Languages for Dummies".

"…Are you mad at me or something?" I asked and Maven laughed.

"No Pierce, I'm not mad at you. Believe it or not these books are the same one's my magic teacher gave me to start with."

"Even this one?" I raised the magic book.

"Contrary to its title, that book is quite comprehensive on teaching Magical Languages. No I'm serious, try it." Maven raised her hand to stop me from talking. "As for the rest, Magicians don't have the imaginative powers Devils and Gods do. So we have to understand how the spells we cast work, that means learning different branches of science. Physics is for Strengthening magic and Biology is for Healing magic, we'll work on space-time later."

"…Son of a bitch." I sighed, opened the book and got to reading.

2 Days Later, Side Garden

"Are you learning magic?" Athena stood over me as I sat on the grass reading a book.

"Yeah, the mage on my team is teaching me." I looked back at my book and continued reading. Athena crouched down and tilted her neck, reading the cover.

"Oh is that "Magical Languages for Dummies"? I've read it before, it's quite good." Athena commented and I stared at her in silence. "What?"

"Nothing it's just…I thought she was messing with me." I mumbled and flipped a page. It was a good read don't get me wrong, and it sure as hell went in depth on what Magical Languages are but the title still picked at me. After congratulating me on another General defeated, Athena brought me to side garden and continued our training. I usually took out the magic and science books to read after the sessions. Athena was now teaching me a sword form she learned in the Middle East that's a combination of Kenjutsu and Fencing (I don't know if either of them are actually strong but if a Goddess of War says to learn it, then you're going to learn it). She also picked out a training routine that really pushes my body to its limits and makes me question if Athena is secretly a sadist.

'Then again, I can say I've been trained by an actual Goddess so it's worth it.' I smirked as I laid on the grass and Athena picked up one of my books, reading it for a minute before laying down with me. I quirked a brow at her sigh. "What's up? Being trapped on a godly mountain, with every pleasure humanly possible included, finally getting to you?" Athena rolled her eyes at me.

"It's not that great up here." I deadpanned

"…Athena, you guys have rooms the size of cities, hundreds of servants, and advanced plumbing."

"And?" Athena asked in an honest tone.

"…You know what; you Gods have a very warped view of common sense."

"Pierce no offence but…I do not want to hear that from you." Athena gave me weird look.

"Hey I do it on purpose, what's you're excuse?"

"I'm a beautiful Goddess; I can do what I want and I'll be forgiven." Athena shrugged and I sighed.

"And people pray to you." I shook my head mockingly.

"Oh?" Athena smirked and laid sideways, one hand on her head and the other on her waist. "And you wouldn't pray to me Pierce?" She gave me a smile and said in a teasing tone. I tried to keep it together as the Goddess' incredible body seemed to be more defined in that pose and the glint in her eyes wasn't helping.

'…Okay be cool, you have a girlfriend and she's just a super hot War Goddess who's teasing you.' That did not help. I took a breath and looked at Athena with a serious face. "Hell yeah I would!" God damn it.

Athena laughed and laid back down. We sat there in silence as I tried to get through a Physics book without ripping my hair out.

'All things considered, I'm surprised Maven has Physic's books this advanced in this time period.' I definitely remember reading some of this stuff in high school (nothing specific, just the overall class). 'That's probably because sorcery is real in this world; a lot of the limitations old scientists have can be bridged with mag-'

"Thank you." Athena spoke up and I looked at her.

"What for?"

"Just…this." Athena motioned all around with her arms and smiled at me. "It's been awhile since I've had real companionship."

"…Okay." I put down the book and faced her. "You want to explain that? Come on; tell Uncle Pierce what's bothering you. We can figure it out together." Athena scoffed at my tone and she took a minute before speaking.

"It's just…I've always had this position on me. Since I was born I was the Goddess of War and Zeus' daughter. I've had respect and worship for as long as I can remember but…I never really had a friend."

"What about the other Goddesses like Aphrodite and Amaterasu?"

"It's not the same." Athena shook her head. "Aphrodite is like a sibling, along with the other Gods and Goddesses in Olympus. Amaterasu is a friend but she's a God as well and she's busy a lot. Now I can't even meet her in person because of Zeth." Athena blinked before adding. "Then again, whenever we meet she wants to play board games and I can never seem to win."

"I know right!?" I jumped up and exclaimed. "It makes no sense! I swear she has to be cheating, it's the only answer! But I'll find out how and I'll get justice for both of us!" I took a second to catch my breath and focused back on Athena. "You were saying?"

"…I just enjoy our sessions together and having someone who isn't afraid of me is real nice." Athena smiled up at me. "I'm glad to have a friend like you Pierce."

"…"

"…Pierce?" Athena gave me a worried look and stood up. "Are you oka-" The War Goddess blinked and tilted her head. "…What's wrong?"

"Nothing…" I trembled

"But you're cryin-"

"I'm not crying! You're crying! God damn it!" I rubbed my eyes and picked up Athena in a hug, making her blush crimson. "I'm glad you're my friend too!"

"L-let me down!" Athena forgot she was a Goddess that can wipe me out with a single punch and flailed around.

"No! And do you know why?! Because I'm going to kick Zeth's ass and take you off this mountain! We'll take a tour through every world there is; Earth, Heaven, Hell, and any other dimension out there! We'll do so much stupid shit that legends will be written and everyone will know of Pierce's and Athena's awesome adventure! In fact!" I dropped Athena, who at this point looked the most lost I've ever seen on anyone, and rubbed my space ring. My bucket list appeared in my hand and I wrote a fourth goal.

4: Take a Road Trip through every world that exists in DxD

"There! Now it's set in stone! Just wait Athena because you can't back out now!" I laughed like a mad man and Athena stared at me like I'd gone crazy.

"…Okay." That was all she said as she looked down at my bucket list. Then she chuckled. Which slowly increased to full blown laughter. And so a human and a War Goddess laughed out loud on top of the Greek Heaven.

Just another day.

And done. The ranking of magic in DxD is something that I'm incorporating and I hope it doesn't confuse too many people. As for the reason I made the Power of Destruction only 5th Order? It's a pretty powerful ability and with enough practice, like Sirzechs has shown, it can be quite powerful but it's not really a "broken" ability (in my opinion). I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Beta: Fanfiction0000