"Man this blows!" he whined as he crested yet another hill. This had to be some form of punishment for his sins. Fitting that a group of devils would be the ones to carry it out.

"I know it may seem far, but think of it like pre-training. You'll be all loosened by the time we get there," Rias Gremory smiled as she passed by him.

They had been walking for the past two hours to find this "secret training spot". If the gear he was lugging on his body wasn't enough, then the fifty pound bag Rias had dumped on him from the get-go multiplied the suckage by one hundredfold. His companions barely even seemed winded though. Damn devil physiology magical bullshit. Issei balked as Koneko, a girl nearly half his size, swept by him with a bag nearly twice as big as him latched onto her back.

"Seriously, what the hell do they feed you guys?" he grunted as he began the downhill slant.

Kiba laughed. "You get used to it. Someone told me that it isn't training if you don't feel sore and terrible afterwards."

"I think I'd rather be in my workshop."

"Now now, this will be a good experience for you, Issei. I pride myself on my training regimens. Each member of my peerage has developed their abilities in this place. I expect that you'll be no different," Rias commented as she led the pack.

I think I develop better while knee-deep in gizmos and gadgets, he bemoaned to himself. He couldn't complain. This training was free and undoubtedly useful to a scrub like him, not to mention he was on a mission to gather info. If he wanted to defeat Abella, then he would just grit his teeth and bare it.

"So, unf, w-what type of training are we doing?" His curiosity fueled his words.

"Hm? A variety of things, actually. We tend to focus not only on our strengths but also various angles so that all of us are at least semi-competent in every area," Akeno gave him a sweet smile. "The first thing we'll probably do is gauge what you need to work on and what you're good at."

"So everything, in other words."

She laughed and continued on. The troupe walked for another thirty minutes before arriving at a rather lavish spot nestled in the forest overshadowed by the mountains. It must've been three stories and looked like some kind of sports complex. The Gremorys sure didn't mess around. Issei stood there awed for a moment, but took the time to activate his locator attached to his watch. He marked the location of the building and sent the data back to the computer in his workshop. They had the coordinates.

The hero and devils entered the building, and he was amazed by the interior. There were all sorts of gym machines, free weights, and equipment to use. It was like the most comprehensive gym ever built. Rias noted his look and smiled a bit.

"The first level is the machines, weights, stuff like that. The second level is the sparring ring and the dorms. And the third level is for target practice and magical abilities. I had this place built to cater to every need my servants could possibly have."

He whistled. "You did a good job, Rias. Where do we start?"

The other devils disseminated out into the room, leaving him with the president. The red haired beauty tapped a finger to her chin and mused idly. "Well we have all of today and tomorrow to do some training. We can get you started on the machines, that way I have a grasp of how much you can take. I'd rather not hurt you if it's at all possible."

That makes two of us, he thought to himself. "Kiba said he wanted to spar with me. Would you be alright with that?"

"He did, did he? Well… I guess it could be useful for the both of you," there was something in her words that seemed hesitant. "I've felt you growing stronger these last few weeks. Your progress is almost inhuman."

He didn't know how to take that. Rias watched as the others began to set themselves up around the first floor. There was something bugging her, but he couldn't pin down what. He adjusted his goggles and shucked off the bag he'd been carrying. After a moment, the devil girl finally opened her mouth and asked a surprising question.

"My guess is… Innovate Clear?" she pondered, almost absently.

He didn't move, didn't speak. What did he say? Did he deflect? Deny? That wouldn't make a whole lot of sense given he was currently loaded down with all sorts of technology. She didn't seem accusatory or angry, so it wasn't like she was about to attack him. After all, he had all but outright told her. If she didn't get it right, he'd be more concerned. With a small sigh, Issei nodded.

"Yes. I got it a while ago. After- After everything, I guess."

"I didn't sense it on you before the attack. But after awhile I began to notice the odd signature following you around. Then Kiba told me about your notebook, and it all suddenly clicked. But how did you get it?" after a moment, she quickly added. "If you don't mind me asking."

"Nah, it's cool. I guess…"

How did he explain it without giving away his team? He didn't know if she could sense lies, but it might be better to go with a blanket half-truth. His mind raced to formulate a response which she seemed to take as simple hesitance on his part.

"I guess it came to me after a while. All my rage, all my weakness; I was so sick of it. When the Sacred Gear finally came to me, I used all those emotions and more to harness its power. In the process, I almost died," he explained. None of what he said was really a lie, after all. Just veiled words that hid the truth.

"I see. It's unusual for a Longinus to not be born into their host. Although it's happened before. Maybe it was good fortune."

"Maybe. Why do you ask?"

She hummed. "Simple curiosity, really. It seems like everyday something new and powerful skulks into town. Irina and the church are good allies, but I wanted to know what I was working with. And, more than that, I wanted to know if I could count on you if Kuoh Town needed protecting."

"Of course madam!" he cried stalwartly, thumping a fist into his chest. "I would gladly lay down my life to protect this town!"

Rias giggled, and it was surprisingly cute for a girl who seemed so proper and queenly. Seeing her like this, it was easy to forget she was a devil. The younger sister to the Devil King. It was unsettling as it was heartwarming. It was good they were on the same page though. Some far corner of his mind prayed that there could even be some peace to come of this. That Rias and her peerage could get along with his team and protect the town together. A more rational part of his mind was already telling him it was impossible.

"I believe you. You and Irina are alike in that sense. With everything I've been dealing with, it's been hard to focus all my attention on the town. I'm thankful for Sona in that regard. I'd like to stay allies in the future, Issei Hyoudou."

"That… that sounds good to me," he tried to smile and nod. "In exchange for your help with training, I'd be willing to craft you some stuff."

Nothing dangerous, of course. Or, at least, not to him. He could put failsafes in what he made, rigged to explode at any moment. That way he could prevent them from turning his creations around on him and had a convenient way to cripple her peerage if they ever grew hostile. The thoughts were dark and cold, but they made a terrible, pragmatic sort of sense. When had he gotten so callous?

Rias's eyes widened for a moment as some thought ran through her head. The Occult Club President seemed to think for a few moments before a satisfied smile crept over her face. She turned back to the young inventor and held out a hand for him to shake.

"I think I'd like that very much, Issei."

He shook it, despite his mind urging him not too.

Training began not long after. Thanks to his spars with his team and the exercises Ajax had imposed on all of them he wasn't so worthless beansprout. Sure, he was nothing compared to the insane weights Koneko was pulling without breaking a sweat,, but he wasn't embarrassing himself either. With Kiba as his spotter, he continued benching the one eighty sum weights, his breathing shaky and his face red.

"Come on, one more! Finish the set!" the devil boy encouraged.

With a growl of exertion he pushed up once more and racked the weight. His arms felt like jelly, and they'd only just begun! Even Akeno was able to bench more than he could with nearly twice the reps! Talk about a blow to his masculinity. The young hero wiped his face off with a nearby towel and moved on to the next machine. For what felt like hours he continued on the circuit, taking breaks where necessary. Rias would occasionally come by and give him pointers or hand him a water which he'd greedily gulp down. The woman knew what she was talking about, which surprised him. Who knew being a good devil meant also knowing all the muscle groups and how to work them?

"Excellent work, man!" Kiba gave him a thumbs up. "Sparring is next."

"You know, y-you could look a- a little winded," Issei huffed.

"Sorry, dude. Devil physiology. Don't feel like you have to match us, though. Because, well, that would kill you in all likelihood."

"So what, you don't get exhausted?"

"Not quite," he made a so-so gesture. "Really it's that this level of exertion isn't that much for us. You'll build up your stamina over time but us devils have a lot of it. Even low-class devils can usually outperform peak human athletes."

That just wasn't fair. Did Big G not think to give humanity a buff from time to time? Then again, he was the one with the world-destroying powers in the room. Maybe that was supposed to balance the scales. With a sigh, the hero stood and collected his gear as the retinue moved up to the next level. He checked his kit once more to make sure he had everything. Trinkets such as bombs or gadgets were easy to make, so he'd made sure to come loaded with more than a few.

More than holy bombs, he'd ensured that he had a little something for everything. Smoke grenades, flashbangs, sticky bombs, electrical charges, even gravity mines and bolas in case he needed to capture someone. Combined with his jump pack, boots, and pistols he felt confident that he'd do a bit better than he'd done with Hironori. The sparring room was massive, the walls holding no windows and looking triple reinforced. Rias promised that they could go all-out without risking the building. That said however, they promised not to reduce him to a greasy smear on the wall for his first match.

He faced off, albeit a bit nervously, against Kiba. The young man had ditched his academy uniform for more flexible sportswear. In that sense, he mirrored Issei, at least underneath his sparse armor. The jump pack was mounted on a ceramite harness that doubled as a breastplate harder than steel just like how his boots did for his legs. But given the fact he saw Kiba bench press four hundred pounds without breaking a sweat, Issei had to wonder how much good it would do. Every second they weren't fighting, his goggles were compiling data, sending it back to that same computer in his workshop and spitting out algorithms and programs to analyze it. This fight would do a world of good for his logs.

"First one to concede defeat or be incapacitated wins. Issei, I ask that you be careful with your light-based weaponry, and Kiba please remember that Issei is still human. I don't want any more injuries than absolutely necessary," Rias refereed the match.

"It'll be an honor to fight you, Issei."

He nodded. "You too."

Focus time. His goggles were already sensing something beyond demonic power. A Sacred Gear no doubt. As Rias counted down, he formulated a plan. He'd begin with a salvo to test his capabilities and try to back away. He'd be no match in close quarters combat, but this space didn't provide a lot of cover. To that end it would just be a matter of keeping out of his range. As Rias's countdown hit zero, the two combatants burst into action.

His boots and jump pack kicked to life and shot him into the air as he fired a duo of sparkling projectiles. They exploded at the man's feet, but as the smoke began to clear Issei realized his opponent was gone. His HUD screamed an alarm to his right and he used an added boost to shove himself to the left. He felt the whistle of air as the tip of a sword just barely missed his cheek. Kiba wasn't more than a few feet from him!

He's fast! Issei realized with growing alarm. He fired a shot to get some space as the human inventor touched ground. Kiba craned his neck and avoided the attack. In his hand he held some kind of blade that was wreathed in flame. Just like Beaufort's.

"Not bad, Issei!" Kiba kicked off the ground and rushed him with blinding speed. Instead of trying to hit the devil head on, Issei resolved to fire a shot into the floor between them.

The holy light exploded and caused the devil to lurch backwards to avoid being burned. His Destruction Barrels were too slow to keep up with this guy. He needed something else. Issei pressed a button and the barrel of one pistol came free. With calculated precision he swapped it out with another barrel on his utility belt. He needed spread, not outright destructive power. This guy was a devil so even a glancing hit could prove to be devastating.

The gun whirred to life as the Splinter Barrel took hold. There was no time to change the other one, as his foe was quickly closing in. Issei took to the air once more as his HUD offered up a variety of avenues his foe was likely to come at him with. Sure enough, Kiba swerved left and kicked off one of the walls to gain some momentum. Issei watched as the flame sword dissipated and in its place an extra long one with a jagged blade formed. Issei could sense the demonic power coming off of it as he closed in.

"Gotcha," Issei smirked as he pulled both triggers on his pistol.

Instead of one projectile, the dazzling missiles came out as a conical spray, each one wreathed with electricity. They spread out in a tight radius towards the devil who quickly realized that he wasn't going to be able to dodge. He raised the sword up, and to Issei's surprise the electricity that had been charging the light bolts were sucked into the blade. It offset the energy conservation in the light shots and severely weakened them. Enough that a single swing of the lightning sword was capable of dashing the offensive to pieces.

Noted.

Kiba held some kind of sword creation ability in addition to immense speed. As Issei touched the ground Kiba came after him again. The moment the tip of the swordsman's shoe touched the floor he was already charging forth. Issei raised his arms in an "X" shape and felt his aura shield generators activate. The blow he received was still enough to eclipse what the generators could withstand, and his forcefield crumbled as the rest of the force hit his body. Issei was sent flying backwards across the ring, tumbling ass over ankles.

That would've been a one shot kill if he'd hadn't blocked it. And now his aura shields needed time to properly recharge. It'd be another thirty to forty seconds before he'd be able to block again. Issei unleashed a spray of light shots accompanied by the occasional missile from his other laspistol. It quickly swathed the arena in shining light, enough so that it would limit his opponent's ability to move through it. Area denial would be the best way to keep him locked down.

He reached into his utility belt and withdrew a gravity mind before tossing it into the midst of the salvo. Hopefully Kiba wouldn't notice until it was too late. Now he just needed to put the man into position. Said devil quickly circumvented the remaining blasts and rushed him, this time carrying a new sword in his hands. He pointed it towards Issei and he saw a column of pressurized wind rip towards him. Without thinking, the hero hit his jump pack again and was sent careening to the side. Kiba was on him in a second though, already mid-swing with his sword above him.

Thinking quickly, Issei kicked his propulsion boots into gear and used the added boost to slide out of the way. The sword cleaved through the floor a half-second after Issei moved out of the way. His heart was pounding in his ears as he threw a trio of holy hand grenades onto the ring's floor. Kiba didn't move out of the way in time as they exploded. A flash of light hot enough to make Issei's skin tingle consumed a quarter of the arena. A current of alarm went through the hero as he realized he may have just killed the young man.

No… his goggles picked up on a sudden demonic energy signature. The light was suddenly receding like water draining out of a tub. Issei watched with amazement as his opponent stood there, barely worse for wear. In his hand he held a blade that was so black it seemed more like a whole in reality than a weapon. The last of the light was consumed by the void as Issei was left stunned. A devil who could nullify light-based abilities?

"How!?" Issei cried.

"It's my Sacred Gear, Sword Birth. It allows me to create demon swords with any ability I desire. This here is my Holy Eraser. I'm sure you can surmise what it does," he said with just a hint of smarm.

He could. Issei felt a smile twinge at his lips. A sword that could cover the inherent weakness of all devils, that was pretty powerful. Good thing he didn't only rely on holy light. Issei tapped his wristwatch as Kiba's smirk melted away. The gravity mine detonated a half second later, pulling the devil boy back. He lost his grip on his sword which quickly dissipated as he was dragged towards where the mine was. Issei fired another spray of light bolts at the boy who quickly generated another Holy Eraser to try and cover himself.

With great effort, Kiba managed to slow his awkward dragging and plant his feet. Damn, even his gravity bombs couldn't trump the man's strength. Still, it was enough to prevent him from using that speed of his. Issei would only have a few more moments of reprieve though. Issei loaded in another Splinter Barrel for his secondary laspistol and got ready to fire. Suddenly, Kiba lurched backwards and stabbed the tip of his sword into the ground.

Got him! Issei cried out in excitement. He couldn't defend now! Issei raised his pistols up and got ready to fire but froze as suddenly his goggles detected a sudden increase in demonic energy around him. The hero went to kick off the ground but stopped as suddenly dozens of long, black blades stabbed up around him. Like a thicket of trees they speared up until they were taller than him.

Each one was at a careful slant so that he couldn't move in any direction without cutting himself. He could conduct his blades through the ground!? The gravity mine lost power as Kiba stood up and smiled beatifically.

"Yield?"

Issei huffed and puffed, before nodding. "Yeah, I surrender. You're a beast."

The blades retracted as Kiba dismissed the sword and came over to him. Rias called the match in the swordsman's favor as Koneko and Akeno politely clapped.

"That was amazing, man!" Kiba laughed as he patted Issei on the back. "You were incredible!"

"Thanks, but I know you were taking it easy on me. If we had been really fighting you would've wiped the floor with me."

Rias waved a hand. "And if this were a real fight you wouldn't have held back your more dangerous weapons. You both performed admirably, and I am proud. Issei, you seem to focus on ranged combat, am I right?"

"Yeah. Mainly because I'd get my shit rocked if I tried to go hand-to-hand with pretty much anyone," he laughed a little pathetically.

"Not a bad assessment of yourself, no offense. Your Sacred Gear provides you with a near limitless amount of tools to use for each situation. I can see you're leaning into that, good. It's likely going to be your biggest strength," she noted with crossed arms. "The way I see it, focusing on your speed and reaction time will be the biggest things. It's unlikely that you'd be able to withstand a lot of hits from other supernatural creatures, so mobility will be your friend."

Issei nodded, this wasn't new to him. "My jump pack isn't fully tuned yet, but it's getting there. Pretty soon I plan to go for sustained flight, and even perhaps limited telewarping technology."

The science was there, but in the same way someone knew that air resistance was real without knowing the specifics, he hadn't managed to grasp the nuance. He likened it to stepping stones. Everything was connected, and even sub-specialties chained together to create family units of related technology. Lasers connected to light or kinetic energy or heat which, in turn, connected to dozens of other tech trees. It was merely about following the most efficient path to get to where you wanted. Tedious, sure, but rewarding in the end.

"That's very impressive. I'm sure a lot of people would kill to have someone like you on their side," the comment wasn't made with hostility, but it was a rather bleak juxtaposition.

"So I've heard. I was told there'd be any number of groups out there looking to 'recruit' or murder me. So far, I haven't been approached by much of anyone."

Again, not technically a lie. He approached the Hero Faction who gave him his Longinus. Rias sent a veiled look to her queen and nodded slowly. He could practically hear the gears turning in her head as she looked at Koneko. "Koneko, would you mind helping us with the next phase of training?"

"Fo' sho," she drawled blandly, giving a thumbs up.

The crimson haired beauty led them all outside and around the side of the building. A field had been cleared, almost twice as big as the sports one at school. It sat connected to one of the windowless walls on the first floor of the building. Rias stepped forward and extended a hand outwards. Issei watched with interest as a magical circle appeared and a basket of what appeared to be dodgeballs were summoned forth. She gestured for Koneko to take her place beside them and turned to the human hero.

"After your match, I want to take it easy on you. Between marksmanship training and general endurance, we should train your dodging ability and reaction time. Koneko here will throw dodgeballs at you and you have to dodge them. If you do it correctly then you won't get completely whipped by a rubber ball!"

"Gee, what a prize," he grumbled.

No pain no gain, that's what Beaufort would say if he were here. But he wasn't. Instead he was living it up back in the factory playing the PS2, the jerkoff. The white-haired girl picked up one of the balls with her usual casual indifference. Given the fact she was barely scraping four and a half feet tall, he shouldn't have been as afraid as he was. But, as it stood, he felt ready to duck and cover.

"Heads up!" she called the warning a second before she tossed the ball.

His HUD flashed an alert and he sent himself crashing to the ground as the rubber ball of death soared over him. It smacked into the wall hard enough to deflate with a sickening crack. Issei raised himself to yell at her, but was interrupted as he realized she was already taking aim with the second missile. Like Michael Jackson having a seizure he jerked and twitched himself around, barely avoiding the repeated projectiles of doom. This was supposed to be training!? He supposed not getting nailed was a pretty good motivator.

As he spun around to avoid another dodgeball his shoe caught an uneven slump and he staggered.

"Look out," the petite girl spoke as she let another one fly.

The warning that flashed across his field of view was almost mocking as the ball hit its mark. He didn't even realize air could leave his lungs that fast. With a hoarse whine he dropped to the ground and clutched his stomach. If that hadn't done the Cupid Shuffle with his organs he'd be surprised. His heart felt like it was in his lower intestine, and his spleen seemed ready to jump ship through his throat. He collapsed to the ground and tried to voice his outrage. However, all that came out was a pathetic little moan.

That dodgeball made him its bitch.

"Well, perhaps that's enough for now," Rias clapped her hands. "Let's all take a break!"

Using Koneko as support, he limped back to the building feeling more sore than he ever had before. Was this how they trained regularly? It was making his training look like prancing about in the park! Maybe he should up his game a bit more. The assembled entourage took a seat in the lobby of the training complex. It came well-stocked with a variety of health drinks, smoothies, and snacks that he noticed Koneko didn't waste any time devouring. How a girl so small could pack so much away must've been nothing less than the work of the devil.

Kiba offered him some ibuprofen which he gratefully took. He was going to feel terrible tomorrow. Akeno just giggled a little at their display and went back to preparing a cup of hot tea for herself. His goggles warned him that she had overwhelming magical power hidden behind that wry smile. But it was also detecting odd, mixed signatures. Something that was almost holy, but not quite. Like that man from last night. As Issei took small sips of a sparkling water, the president stood up to address her peerage.

"I would like to thank you all for your hard work today. We'll be holding these weekend training sessions from here on out, so I trust you all to work your hardest. With any luck, we'll be ready when the time comes," Rias said, ending the small speech on a slightly dour note.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Akeno chimed in. "Don't trouble yourself with it. Mostly just some family issues we've been having to sort out."

Ah, so high stakes devil politics then? Good thing he wasn't involved with all that. Still, he didn't need to be psychic to tell that this was a serious matter. He didn't want to pry, but he couldn't deny he was curious.

"Well, if you need my help just let me know!" He offered proudly. "I'm not as strong as you guys, but I'm pretty good at getting out of a pinch."

On the other hand, he thought to himself. I guess it wouldn't hurt to try and make myself an ally to them.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, as they say. If his job was to get information, then the least he could do is ease his conscience by offering something in return. The Gremory girl seemed to think about that some more and he saw a lightbulb go off in her head. She set her water down and nodded politely to him.

"I think we will, thank you Issei. In return, please feel free to train with us anytime you like. We'll also be here to answer questions if you have them. You and Irina are close friends to us."

"Definitely. It's good to have you around, man," Kiba added.

Akeno just gave another smile while Koneko threw him a thumbs up. They were really going all out in making him feel welcome, weren't they? Well, he wasn't going to squander the goodwill. The group finished up their break as the girls quickly excused themselves to go take a shower. A shower…

The hottest babes in Kuoh Academy, all taking a shower together.

"Well Kiba, I'm beat, I might just hit the sack- I mean, uh, go to bed!" Issei fake-yawned.

"Sleep? It's only five thirty."

"Well… you know what they say about early risers!"

He ducked out of the way and down a hallway that he was pretty sure led to the girl's bath. This could be his one and only opportunity to see the hottest girl in school naked. He would be dishonoring Motohama and Matsuda's memories if he didn't take this chance! Wait, his goggles were recording weren't they? Double yes! He'd be able to save this image to more than just his mental folder.

He crept sneakily along the walls, careful not to make a sound. He could hear the girls idly chatting as they no doubt lathered up their naked bodies. Maybe they were even washing each other! With cunning stealth he rolled over to the entrance to the bathhouse and prepared his mind, body, and soul for the nirvana he was about to witness. Using precision steadiness developed after long hours in the workshop, he slid the door open without a peep. Lecherously, the young tinker took a glance inside the steamy wonderland and drank in its contents.

Rias Gremory was - the baddest babe in school - was lathering up her hair, humming sweetly to herself. Beside her the equally busty and smoking Akeno was just finishing washing herself off. They hadn't seemed to notice, and with a lewd grin Issei zoomed in with his goggles. This was amazing! This was heavenly! He felt…

He felt…

Remarkably less interested than he should have.

This wasn't right. Objectively, he could see that these women were beautiful. Probably the hottest women he would ever see naked, and yet where was his fire? Sure he was sporting a respectable half-mast, but his mind wasn't racing with his usual pervy thoughts. He'd felt more excited the first time he watched Matsuda's private collection than seeing an actual woman's breasts all soaped up. His mental spank bank should be going into overdrive right now!

But all he could think about was their objective beauty. The simple fact he would kill to bed all three of them. Marked down and noted like some lab result from one of his experiments. The realization was as disturbing as it was boner-killing. He quickly raced back down the hall, content with the "information" he had gathered but more perturbed than ever. Come to think of it, where had been all his pervy thoughts? Even after he got his groove back, he hadn't been back to peep on the kendo club or to try and snap a few picks of the girl's changing room. With everything going, with all his research, it hadn't even crossed his mind.

Wait… his research…

This isn't Innovate Clear doing something to me, is it? He wondered with growing horror. No, no, surely not. What sense did it make to kill his pervertedness? It was his most admirable quality! And if it was, that presented a dire problem.

His mind tumbled as he grasped at the knowledge that had been forced into his brain. Just as his Longinus had changed the way he viewed the world, maybe it had changed the way he thought. Altered the neural pathways and chemical compositions in his brain to reduce his sex drive. He wasn't suddenly practicing abstinence or anything, but he lacked all his usual fervor for all things sexy. How was he going to be the Harem King at this rate!?

There was no way to tell without proper tests, and Issei wasn't even sure if he wanted to know the answer. The young pervert retired to his room, content to spend the evening drawing up some designs to take his mind off things. There would be more training to do tomorrow, and with any luck he'd be able to find out what secrets Rias and the rest of her peerage had in stock. It felt like every problem he solved only sprouted two more. An infinitely growing hydra of existential crises.

Issei put his head down on the immaculately crafted silk pillows and felt his eyes eventually slide shut. This day had been killer…