Nicodemus frowned, looking like a child who just had their toy taken from them. Pouting softly, he leaned forward and shook his head at Xander's Gauntlet.

"Heeey! Way to ruin the surprise!"

Xander paused for a second, Blinking, before he felt a hit of frustration. Of course Nicoxemus would try to keep something from him. Valerie didn't seem to be enjoying this either, and she actually looked worried and frustrated. Xander spoke first, however, pointing at Nicodemus.

"Really! Come on man, I know you like jokes, but you shouldn't keep that from me!"

"Hey, hey, hey, I was getting to it…! Anyway, I-"

Valerie stood, looking away frustrated.

"I shouldn't have come here, if you all were going to treat this like a joke."

Standing up, she was about to leave before Xander put his hand on her shoulder. She turned around, angry, but before she could speak, Xander spoke.

"Wait, Nicodemus was only joking, I am not going to give up on this. After all, this will cause another Great War… I know how many innocent people would die if that happened… And I couldn't just sit back and watch that."

Xander looked serious, turning and giving Nicodemus a look. Valerie was surprised she had seen such determination in Xander's eyes. All the warriors she'd seen and fought in her home hadn't possessed such a deep fire. Sitting back down, she looked at Xander and she gestured to ghe gauntlet on his hand, her tone a bit softer than before, as she was asking a question.

"So… Xander. What is your Sacred Gear?"

"Xander froze for a moment before he looked at Nicodemus and chuckled softly. Epsilon even laughed a bit himself.

"Well, Miss Penning, my Sacred Gear is called Adamant Absorption. A strange name, yeah? Trust me, it's power is even more so… So, inside of my Gear, lives the Heavenly Dragon Epsilon-"

"That is me"

"Yes, Epsilon, I'm sure she assumed that- Anyway, Adamant Absorption allows me to absorb, convert, and store energy for my usage. And that is any energy, mind you. Demonic, Holt, Electrical, Kinetic, I am able to absorb and store the energy. Now, in this form, I can only absorb energy relevant to my motion. The energy I take to reach or move, whenever I absorb energy from takes that much. However, in my Balance Breaker, I absorb a decent amount of energy, and I absorb more energy the longer I'm in contact with something. So, if I grabbed you, I could absorb… A bit of your strength. However, if I kept absorbing and held you tightly, I could rapidly absorb power from you. However, it is easier for me to simply absorb energy from the air around me."

"Huh… That definitely sounds… Kinda complex."

"OH trust me, it took me a while to get it too… And because when people fight, they basically waste so much energy, I can absorb a lot of it from the air. It's better than getting up close and absorbing energy by grabbing them. Although, I can absorb energy from the impact of something like a… Punch. So, I have to be careful what hits I can take, what I can't, how much energy I use… It's a chore. But, I do get another cool power, called 'Obliterate'. I can summon the energy I have absorbed and build it at one of my joints. This allows me to fire a physical impact from my joint, and depending on how large the joint is depends on how much power I can put in it, and the power of the Obliterate. Let's say I do it from my… Finger."

He pointed at Nicodemus, energy building at his finger before he made a motion and Nicodemus' head whipped back. Xander chuckled and he blew on the tip of his finger like it was a gun. Nicodemus groaned softly too, rubbing his head.

"Damn you Xander, you fucking asshole!"

"Hey, language. You are gonna have to put 15 bucks into the swear jar back at base, I hope you know that."

"Hmf… Fine…"

"Anyway, I can use these Obliterates for many purposes. Augmenting my punches, using them at my knees to send me flying forward. From my shoulder and my full leg, I can fire the strongest Obliterates. They can break whole boulders and what not… I mean, Epsilon is the Dragon of Devastation. His powers are, well… Destructive and Devastating."

Now, Valerie hadn't seen a lot of Sacred Gears, but she found herself a bit at awe from the one she was seeing. Obviously, Xander had a deep understanding of his gear, and he even found a way to use his abilities to their fullest. He was obviously a very interesting individual.

"So… Do you think that you can defeat Haruki, the Red Dragon Emperor? Can you beat him and stop all of this madness."

"Hmmmm… Well, I'm not sure, to be honest. I know nothing of his abilities, and even if I did… I'm not sure how I would fare. I don't know how powerful he is and what not. When is the wedding? Maybe I can do some recon, and-"

"... It's tomorrow…"

"... OK, Scratch that… I suppose this will be by the seat of my pants then!"

Nicodemus had remained mostly quiet, but he suddenly burst out laughing. Xander crossed his arms and sighed softly, shaking his head and looking over at Valerie. This was such a strange case, but it was his to do with as he wished.

"You can't make this shit up! She comes in, the DAY before, and now you're gonna be fighting a centuries old Dragon Emperor! Man, God has a funny way of making things work out!"

"... Shut up Nicodemus. And that'll be 5 more dollars in the swear jar."

"Fuck! Oh dammit, I didn't mean to-"

"And now 10 more. Nicodemus, you'll be broke soon if you keep this up, you know!"

"I… I'm just gonna shut my mouth. Before I accidentally empty my fu-... My wallet."

Xander smiled and shook his head at the grumpy Fallen Angel. The two of them had known each other for 7 years, so they were of course used to busting each others' balls. Quietly sighing, Xander then looked at Valerie once more.

"Ok… So, what do you know about him, Miss Penning?"

"Oh… That he's a spineless dipshit. He came in and offered to fight all of my suitors for my hand. He proceeded to beat them mercilessly, until I had to threaten to remove him myself. He then complied… As for how he fights, he was very straightforward and brutal. It was simply just him slugging them and using street fighting to just brutally beat them. But he did get mad when one of them cursed at him. Haruki seemed to lose his shit and he just beat the poor man's teeth in."

"Interesting… So, he doesn't use a style or anything, he just tries to beat on you until you give up. Although, may I ask… Why did he listen when you threatened to remove him?"

"OH, I… I should be strong enough to beat him. Plus, my Demon Sword is very powerful. I think he knew he shouldn't mess with me…"

"Wait, if you have a Magic Sword or whatever, why didn't you fight him yourself and stop it?"

With that question, Valerie froze and scoffed. Quietly clearing her throat, she looked away.

"Look, my society is old fashioned… It was for my hand in marriage. I don't want to go against my people's customs. The decision was made by battle, so I have no right to dispute it."

"OH, I am very sorry, I didn't mean to be rude… But, that does put you in a tough scenario. Should we try to hide you or something to stall…?"

Nicodemus held up a hand as if to pause the conversation. There was sound of someone moving outside, so Xander quickly rose up, and in a flash was clad in silver armor. He quickly stood beside the door, putting his armored head up against the wall. After the person passed, Xander sighed and his armor quickly dissolved off of him.

"OK, we should be safe… Although, it's probably best we not talk here…"

"Yes, I agree. You and Miss Penning should go to your home, Xander. There, you can ask her whatever questions you need to, without us worrying about being overheard. Does that sound alright, Miss Penning."

"I… Sure, I suppose. But you'd better not get any funny ideas, Xander."

There was a brief moment of silence before Nicodemus tried to hold back his laughter. Xander stood there for a moment, and as it clicked in his mind what she meant, Valerie looked at Nicodemus confused.

"OH, You heard her Xander…! No funny ideas…!"

"What, it's a legitimate worry. He's a man, just like the others."

"A man? Oh, Xander is a man alright… But not the sorta one you think…!"

"Ugh, ok… Nicodemus is trying to be coy. I'm a Christian, and so he always likes to bust my balls about having an abstinence policy… Plus, I am, uh… I have been mostly alone 7 years, so I don't really… Pick up on those sorts of cues too well…"

Xander rubbed the back of his head, more so annoyed with Nicodemus than anything. Valerie looked like she had a bit of a revelation, and she actually smiled a little bit and let out a small chuckle. Mostly because Xander's reaction was so rigid, as Nicodemus was teasing him.

.

.

.

After being sent to Xander's home, he pointed her to a chair that he had. Bringing over a pillow, he sat on the floor across from her and tilted his head.

"Hey, so, I know you may not be in the right headspace to make smalltalk or whatever… But do you want to tell me about your home, just so I can know the customs, info, and rituals or whatever? Since I am trying to do this following the rules of your people."

"OH? I suppose… Well, I come from a place called the Land of Sacred Knights. It's a mouthful, but our leaders decided to call it that a long time ago… Basically, after the Great War, Azazel began to tinker with and hoard magical, holy, and Demonic Relics and weapons. His race was at the biggest disadvantage in comparison to both Devils and Angels. So, he supposedly convinced a bunch of families of heroes to live in a large… Sorta Island? In the Dimensional Gap. He built a machine as well, that stores the weapons. And once you turn 10, you go to a special place and a weapon from the Vault chooses you. That becomes your weapon until the day you die. This kinda keeps things… Balanced. Otherwise you people here might be running around with swords that can alter the heat of the sun, or create huge ice storms and what not. And it gave Azazel an ally and more soldiers. We are basically just standby… But, we developed our own society…"

Folding her hands, she explained quietly and calmly. She was so methodical, so serious, it was almost strange. Xander had to admit, it was an admirable quality to have, as he himself could sometimes be that way. Although she seemed to throw attempted social convention out of the window. But, she cleared her throat and then continued, as if having been thinking of a way to dumb it down. She pulled out a small orb, and she squeezed it. A large, almost diagram, appeared. It showed a large sort of orb floating in nothingness. The Dimensional Gap. It zoomed in and showed the lush fields, the water they possessed, a large bronze Vault-like structure, and the largest structure was an enormous pure white stadium. Pointing to it, she continued.

"Basically, our Ancestors all fought… And we ended up with 3 Clans that ruled. Or, more like 1, and the other two only have some say. Like the difference between Kings and Queens, versus Dukes and Duchesses. The Clan of Alabaster is the Head Clan. They rule and usually have the strongest Sacred Knights. Then you have the Withers and the Pennings. But anyway, in our society, they usually make the decisions. However, if they want the people to decide, they set up a tourney. And we fight to see who gets to make the decision. Like in my case, a group of suitors battled each other for my hand in marriage. Although, as you know, Haruki ended up winning… I just… It pisses me off. Our society is almost luck based. If you're born lucky and are lucky to get a good magical weapon… You get everything you want. If you don't, you just… Get nothing…"

Valerie spoke bitterly in the last part of her story. That was when Xander stood up and he smiled. Taking off his hoodie, revealing the tank top underneath, he showed her scars. Cuts, slashes, and some places where it looked like he'd been hit. Sniffing softly, he looked away and gave a small smile. The frustration she had for those born unlucky, Xander could quite admire. Especially since he understood exactly what that meant for him. Walking over to a wall, he retrieved a long, tightly wrapped circular shape. He removed the cloth to reveal a long sword. Drawing it in his left hand, he swung it a little bit, only to show her the weight and craftsmanship of the blade.

"Don't worry, Miss Penning… I understand that feeling better than anyone. I was born unlucky… Two average humans, with average jobs. Able to barely scrape by so much that… That they needed to borrow money from bad people to send their son to a private school. I'm just a human… The most luck I had was when I was born with Adamant Absorption. Other than that, everything I have… I worked my ass off for. I worked out, got jacked… I made a sword with Epsilon, and I trained to become an agent for people I barely knew."

Sheathing his sword, he looked at Valerie for a moment. Xander had the eyes of someone who had seen death. Who had stared it in the face and spat on it. Despite his friendliness and his smile, Xander was a Warrior."

"All because I wasn't strong enough.. To Protect those I cared about. Well, I've worked now… And I've spared others and fought stray Devils and Fallen Angels. I cannot just… Guarantee that I'll win. But I promise that I will fight the Red Dragon Emperor with everything I have. And I know it sounds like I'm doing some sappy emotional speech… But I just want to ease your worries."

Xander spun his sword around and sheathed it before he wrapped it in cloth once again. Walking over to where his workout equipment was, he walked over and retrieved some water. Bringing her a bottle, he handed it to her and gestured for her to stand up. He then took a swig of his water and he put his hands up, as if he was fighting.

"Now, how about you show me some of the moves he did? Don't worry, I know you might not be able to perfectly do them, but it will help me out. Now, how does that sound?"

"Huh… You are a strange one. But, so be it. Although, I take everything I do seriously, so do be careful and try to dodge."

As she threw a straight punch, Xander noticed her movement. The way she positioned herself, the angle of her fist and arm. He quickly dodged, but he also slapped her arm a little bit to send it off course. Valerie gave him a surprised look, but she continued to show him what she'd seen in the arena between Haruki and the other suitors. Xander continued to observe, adapting and mentally noting things about it. Especially the strange fluidity it possessed, despite being a barrage of punches or kicks.

.

.

.

Hours later, Valerie was sleeping on a makeshift bed he'd made for her. Xander was outside, leaning up against the front wall of his house, staring at the moon. He lifted his right hand and he quietly contemplated if he should speak. That was when Epsilon spoke up for him.

"Xander… Are you OK? You're not planning to patrol tonight, right?"

"No, no I wasn't planning to… I just… This is my first mission. And I have no idea how powerful this guy is. I know how strong I am, and this guy is older than me…"

"I never fought Ddraig in the old days… But his current host has had him for a while. And from what I remember, he barely even speaks to him. But he has something you don't, Xander…"

"What's that? Wisdom? Experience? He has a lot over me man, I don't need to be reminded!"

"Calm down… That is not what I meant. I didn't speak earlier, because I didn't want to worry Miss Penning… But he has the Juggernaut."

"What… OH no, you have gotta be kidding me… This rabbit hole just keeps getting deeper and deeper… What chance do I stand against it?"

"Without your own? And infinitesimal chance. You would get your brains painting the ground most likely."

"Geez, thanks for the vote of confidence… But dang, I have no idea what I'm gonna do… I guess… I'm fighting no matter what. So, I suppose I'm just gonna die tomorrow."

"It was an honor being your partner-"

"OH, Quiet you! No point in being sarcastic… I'm gonna fight with everything I have. And if it's not enough, then so be it. If it's what I need, then it'll be enough. If not, then I will accept that too."

"Hmmmm… You make me proud. Fighting until the very end, even having no chance… An honorable death. But, I believe you will find a way. After all, you've been trained by the best for 7 years."

"Yeah, yeah, stroke your ego a bit more, why don't ya? Just kidding, just kidding… You have been a great Teacher Epsilon. Knowing you believe in me… Well, it makes me happy. I'm sure I will be able to find a way to defeat him, even if he tries to use Juggernaut Drive."

"Hmm… Well hey, if you have to, Juggernaut Drive requires a chant. You could always use that to your advantage. Stop him before he completes it."

"Hehe… Yeah, I'll just run up and chop him right in the throat with my hand. Although, I guess… That COULD be an option-"

"Xander… I don't think he'd let you get close enough…"

"Well, it could still be worth a shot. If he fights dirty, I'll fight dirty too… That's the self rule you gave me, after all."

"You really are something else… You know that?"

"Yeeeeah… I've heard that plenty of times…"