italics - Thoughts
Bold underlined - Spells/Sword Skills
[Bold] - Ddraig
[Ddraig] - Ddraig mental speech
{Bold} - Albion speech
[Issei] - Issei mental speech with Ddraig
[Issei] - Issei speaking with Ddraig
Underlined - Timeskips/Flashbacks
"Bold" - Rating Game Announcement
Disclaimer: I do not own Highchool Dxd, Sword Art Online, or any of its characters. All rights belong to their creators.
Chapter 17: Their battles for personal gains Pt.4
"Odin-sama!" Rias cried out in shock. "What are you doing here?"
"What a predicament you fellows have fallen into." Odin stroked his beard as he dropped down Akeno's skirt.
Said girl quickly retreated away from the perverted old man who was the head of the North, face crimson red from the blush on her face. "Well, it would take too long to explain it all, but when put simply, this games has been hijacked by the Khaos brigade."
"The different factions, including the game committee, had suspected that Diodora Astaroth was colluding with the Old-Maou faction, and by extension the Khaos Brigade, behind the shadows. We only confirmed that when he revealed his large power increase, which had traces of the 'snake's power'." Odin's grin faded as he spoke.
"That would be super dangerous for you youngsters, right? So you would need some help. But this game field is covered by a rather strong barrier. It would be hard for regular people to get through, much less break the damn thing. And even if we broke it, that would be a waste of time and power, something that we can't afford to waste since we are dealing with the Khaos way for the others to get through would be to stop the one who turned on the barrier from the inside in the first place."
"Then how did you enter here geezer?" Issei asked, a little confused.
"When I gave one of my eyes to the Mimisbrunnr, I became familiar with these types of demonic-powers, magics, and other spells. The same applies for barriers too." Turning to face Issei fully, Odin allowed him to fully see the missing left eye on the old man's face.
And it was then that Issei, for the first time, got a glimpse of the crystal embedded inside the otherwise empty eye socket. As he looked on, he could vaguely see magical letters and symbols pop in and out of existence.
*shiver*
Issei quickly turned his gaze away when he saw a certain symbol appear within the crystal eye. Wh-what the heck was that?! That symbol felt super dangerous for some reason…Ddraig, you felt that to, right?
[Aye, partner.] Ddraig's voice came out slightly nervous. [That felt too dangerous…like our very existences were being read like a book. Our history, our thoughts, our feelings, the things that make us who we are as individual beings…it felt very unpleasant…and scary.]
It was at this point that the previously stunned devils began to gather their wits again.
"The enemy is the Chief God of the North! If we take his head, our names will rise!" One of the devils shouted out. "Attack!"
As if they were waiting for that command, the Old-Maou faction devils started to fire off blocks of demonic power at the same time! Some of them were just raw power, others were spells, while the rest were projectiles made from the demonic power, each in various shapes.
Great, just great. Issei could deflect one or two with Dress Coat, but 30 or 40 and more? Yeah, his fists can't, or rather, won't cut it.
As the Peerage prepared to take on the shots aimed at them, Odin materialised his staff from a portal. Spinning it once, he slammed it, head down, onto the ground once. Almost immediately, a small wall popped out!
At the same time, the pure demonic energy onslaught reached the small group. To Issei's surprise, the moment the attacks hit the barrier, they either got reflected away, or fizzled out of existence, like a weak flame in the wind.
"Hohoho!" Odin laughed as he stroked his beard, a smile on his face. "What do you know? That kid was right! This is so much better!"
Amazing! Issei thought as he looked past the translucent wall. He made all those attacks perish so easily, even though the enemy is a number of High-class and Mid-class devils! And he is still brimming with confidence too! As expected from a God!
"Ah, geez." The old God of the Norse scratched his beard. "I should be able to break barrier easily, so why–… … ..ah, I see. To make an old man work this much, what should I do to that brat later..."
As Odin complained, he held out his hand, revealing… …small communication devices, much to Issei's surprise. They look exactly like the ones we used during my first Game. Though, it was an unofficial one.
"Go." Odin waved his hand, creating another wall in front of the first barrier. "Leave this old geezer and run towards the shrine."
"But Odin-sama–"
"Go on now." Odin hmphed. "I am saying that I would be staying in the battlefield to cover you whelps. This is a big privilege, you know? Besides," Odin looked Issei in the eye. "You have to rescue someone you love, no? As an old man who has seen his fair share of stories, I would be lying if I said I was not rooting for love stories where young'uns go and save the damsel in distress."
Lifting his staff-like rod into the air, he expertly twirled it, pointing the head at the gathered group. Immediately, a shallow aura envelops them, emitting a faint yellow light.
"That would protect all of you until you reach the shrine. Now go."
"But Geezer! Will you be okay just by yourself?"
Issei was worried for good reason. After all, there was such a thing called 'strength in numbers'. Even if the bombardment the Old-Maou faction devils had not breached the Norse God's barrier at first, there was not telling how it would hold up under a constant barrage of them. Besides, how would we get past them? It's not as if we could just walt past them.
"Heh." Instead of…whatever face Issei was expecting, he did not expect to see the smirking face of Odin. That kinda reminds me of Azazel-sensei a little… "For a little baby of a decade or so to worry about an old man of a few millennia so…that is rather refreshing experience."
Odin stuck out his hand.
At that moment, a small portal manifested behind his hand. In it, a shaft of something protruded. When he grabbed a hold of it–
–a spear appeared.
The spear, instead of the usual single spearhead, was split into three, the other two parts connected to the shaft with something that curved like a resent moon.
"Did you not do your research young'un?" Odin dispelled the barrier, prompting some of the devils to rush forwards. "I have a rather special spear."
"Gungnir!"
With a shout unbefitting his age, an enormous aura shot forth from the tip of the spear!
*BAAAAANNG!*
With a sound that seemed to pierce the heavens themselves, the aura condensed into a single, thick beam, deeply engraving the ground in which it flew over!
In that second the beam was fired, that single blow killed dozens of devils.
What intense power! Issei now felt a little childish for being so worried about the head honcho of a pantheon of Gods. That geezer is on a completely different level!
"You know, old men like me have the need to get up and have a stretch. Perhaps work out a little, or loosen up from signing paperwork all day." Odin rolled his shoulders, causing some snaps as his large coat slid off him, freeing his upper torso. "A good fight against large numbers is a great warm up. So, terrorist devils, come at me. I do hope you can keep me occupied for more than 5 minutes."
Uwaa… Issei felt sorry for the devils that were opposing them. After all, they had turned from predators to prey in the span of a second, AND their number had been reduced by a single thrust from a weapon held by a God.
"We apologise for doubting your strength, Odin-sama!" Bowing her head slightly, Rias gave her thanks the old(and perverted) Norse God before she led her Peerage forwards. "We will fly for the temple! Save your endurance and battle strength till then!"
"""Hai!"""
As one, the devils of the Gremory peerage opened their leathery wings. With a few flaps, they had launched themselves into the air, heading straight for the temple in the distance
"Ah, to be young…" Odin watched the flying figures, a small smile on his face.
"Get them!" A shout drew Odin's attention momentarily from the flying group. "If we can't get the head of the Norse, we might as well get the heiress to the Gremory clan! She is the sister of the false Maou Lucifer!"
""Charge!"" Immediately, a small group of devils branched off, ready to hunt down the Peerage that was leaving.
"Really now?" Odin sighed, a little disappointed. I was hoping these devils would have more spine. "You lot bring shame to the name of the devils."
Moving so fast it appeared as if he had teleported, he 'stood' between the leading devil and the flying group.
The lead devil did not have time to let out even a squeak of surprise before he was cut down, the edge of Gungnir cutting through the armour he was wearing like a knife through butter.
"Now, now." Odin smirked as he expertly twirled his spear. "Let the young'uns play with each other. Keep this old man company, will you?"
As they flew towards the temple, the small group of devils placed their newly received communicators into their ears.
"-lo? Hello? Ah, you can hear me." A familiar voice went through Issei's ear. "Are you guys alright? This is Azazel. Looks like you received this from that geezer Odin properly."
Sensei! Issei was surprised to hear Azazel's voice, and judging by the looks he was seeing around him, so were they. Well, in hindsight, that is pretty logical. The only other people who would talk to us right now is Buchou's brother, or his wife the maid.
"I know that there are many things you want to say, but hear me out first This Rating Game has been assaulted by the Old-Maou faction of the Khaos Brigade. Both the fields for your game and the VIP have been overrun by devils from the Old-Maou faction. But since we anticipated something like this happening, we were prepared. Right now, all the factions are working together to defeat the Old-Maou faction."
So everyone is having a hard time...wait, what does he mean by anticipated something like this happening?! Did they know that Diodora was working with the Khaos Brigade?
"Lately, those who are related to the current Maou started to die mysteriously. The ones who were behind it are the Old-Maou faction of the Khaos-Brigade. It was told that the heir of the Glasya-Labolas died in an accident, but in reality the Old-Maou factions killed him. And the mastermind behind it are the descendants of Old-Beelzebub and Old-Asmodeus. Just like Cattleya Leviathan that I defeated, the hatred the Old-Maou faction has towards the current devils government is great. By terrorising this game, they tried to shake the World as a start by killing and showing the dead bodies of those related to the current Maou. There isn't a better occasion to attack than this. Bad anticipation's could be seen, ever since the match between Astaroth and Agares."
So the devil that was supposed to be in Yankee's place was killed because they were related to the current Maou, huh. Issei and Co. started to slow down and descend, having neared the temple. That also means that since Buchou is also a relative of the current Maou, we would be targeted too. As well as any other relatives, and the bosses of each faction who came to see the matches, like the geezer Odin.
"Then, the reason that Diodora's demonic-power suddenly increased is because of the Khaos Brigade?" Rias asked.
"Yeah. He must have borrowed Ophis's power." Azazel answered. "They must have not anticipated Diodora using that power during the game. Well, thanks to Diodora's actions and the incident with Glasya-Labolas, we anticipated something like this happening. But, from the looks of it, they did not change their plans at all."
They…did not change their plans? Issei was confused.
In the past, this fact would have just flown over his head. But because of Kirito and the other new devils that had entered their lives, he was crammed with more information on fighting, tactics, and forcefully made him more observant(due to the punishments that Kirito an Asuna gave him). If that's the case…are the Old-Maou faction just plain stupid? Or is it that the Khaos Brigade are using the Old-Maou faction as a smokescreen, and are allowing them to do as they please?
Wait! Issei's brain than processed the first part of Azazel's statement. That shitty bastard powered himself up by borrowing the power of the boss of the terrorists, and won his match like that?! I don't like this at all! And, I feel sorry for that Onee-san from the Agares clan too! Since she lost to an unfairly powered up little shit like Diodora!
"Well, to them, as long as they can finish us off, anything that happens is fine, I guess. Then again, this sort of situation is fine for us." Azazel admitted. "This is a chance that we can't usually hope for. Now is the chance for us to crush the Old-Maou faction who would seem likely to negatively influence the world. Many Gods, including Odin, are also planning to annihilate these terrorists, so that is a plus as well. When we told the bosses of each faction that there was a possibility of a terrorist attack occurring, they all agreed to cooperate when we asked them if they wanted to join in. All the factions are thinking about winning, and right now, they are rampaging against the Old-Maou faction devils."
"–I'm sorry Rias." Azazel suddenly apologised to his Master. "I said that war would not happen often, and then this happens. We made you fall in danger... We wanted to have the Old-Maou faction move before the start of the game, and like we thought, they did. But in the end, you got caught in the crossfire and were sent to a dangerous zone. My wish of wanting to bring out the Old-Maou faction worked, but it put you guys in unnecessary danger."
"Then, what would you have done if Onii-sama rejected the plan?" Rias asked. By now, they had landed in front of the temple.
"…This plan only worked because I managed to somehow persuade Sirzechs. You would not have been in any danger. In fact, that was why the Old Geezer was there. To protect you… …but, if you had died in the process…I was planning to take proper responsibility for it. Even if my life was needed to make up for it, I would have done that."
So, Azazel-sensei was prepared to die? Issei felt his respect and awe for his teacher grow even more. So he lured those guys out with that much determination…even if we had been put in danger, sensei, my respect for you has only grown! But first…
"Sorry Sensei, but I think that any of you would have predicted that they would make their move the moment the Game began." Issei stated in a serious tone. His countdown timer was done. His Scale Mail was ready to be deployed, like a primed gun. "Asia got taken away by Diodora, so even if you had managed to protect us, I don't think we would have been able to get out of the crossfire so early, since Diodora was so fixated on Asia. Her being taken by him proves it."
"–! I see." Azazel's voice carried a hint of shock at the new information being brought to light. "Leave Asia to us. The Old-Maou faction devils are continuously teleporting over here, so it looks like an infinite number are coming after us. Although we can smash them, more take their place pretty quickly. So it's pretty dangerous. There is a-"
"Sensei, unfortunately, we can't do that." Issei narrowed his eyes. "Diodora personally came to get Asia. In return, I want to personally punch Diodora black and blue and steal Asia back from him! Asia is my comrade! My family! I want to save her! I don't want to lose Asia ever again! And he does not even deserve to touch her! HE seems to be treating her like an object!"
"…Do you know what kind of situation it is right now?" Azazel's voice was a mixture of worry and anger.
"We do." Rias took over. "Azazel-sensei. I'm sorry, but we will continue to go forward inside the shrine to save Asia. The game is cancelled, but I won't agree to it if we don't settle this with Diodora. I need to teach him how foolish it is to take my servant away from me!"
"Azazel-sensei, we are also allowed to use our power in this case." Akeno added in. "Any devil is allowed to use their power against those who do suspicious actions within the Three-Great Power alliances. And currently, Diodora's actions fall within the realm of 'suspicious actions' towards devil society."
"… …" At first, Azazel kept quiet. Then, he sighed. "I can't believe I am saying this, but fine. Go ahead. You guys are allowed to rampage all you want. There are no rules holding back your powers, so go wild! Especially you Issei. Show the power of Sekiryuutei to that traitorous brat, Diodora!"
"Osu!" Issei was in high spirits. Asia, wait just a bit longer! We are coming for you!
"Alright, have you guys reached the temple?" Azazel's sigh could be heard over the communication device.
"Yes, sensei."
"That's good. Once you are done, head down to the basement. That place is made to be very sturdy, so hide there once you get back Asia until everything is over. Normally, we would get someone to come for you, but the barrier covering the field is made by a Longinus possessor who belongs to the Khaos Brigade. Somehow people can enter inside the barrier, but its near impossible leave from there. This barrier is made from the possessor of the Longinus Dimension Lost. Out of all the Scared Gears, this one is the top for any Gears related to space and barriers, so even that Geezer Odin would be unable to break this barrier surrounding the field. Ah, if only I could help you…"
"Sensei, you are inside the field?" Issei was surprised by this piece of information.
"Ah, yeah. This place is rather huge, so it would be hard to find you guys. Plus, we are handling some tough enemies, so us higher ups have our hands tied."
And yet, Azazel-sensei is pretty nonchalant about this thing. Issei couldn't help but note how calm Azazel was to saying that he was fighting against a formidable enemy. Must be his experience with battles.
"Ah, lastly, this part is important." Azazel became unusually serious. "They started all of this while knowing that we knew the gist of their plans. In other words, their plan is something that won't be affected by us knowing the gist of it.
They still proceeded with this plan…so I was right in thinking that the Khaos Brigade was using the Old-Maou faction as a smokescreen while they did what they had to do?
As Issei mused to himself, Rias picked up on the hidden intent of Azazel. "Does it mean they started the terrorist attack because they have something up their sleeve?"
"Yeah." "We don't know for certain what it is they are planning, but it is certain that this field is extremely dangerous. And as the Game has stopped, there is also no retiring. So if you get into a dangerous situation, none of us would be able to help you, so keep that in mind when you are fighting that brat. Be careful."
"…right, you heard Sensei." Rias kept quiet for a moment, but when Azazel did not say anything, she spoke up. "We can go wild. Issei, are you ready to deploy Scale Mail?"
"Any time Buchou!" Issei pumped his left hand, showing off his gauntlet. "I want to go full power, but I would like to use my other abilities first. Using Boosted Gear is good, but that would cause all the training I did with Kirito, Kiba and Leafa to go to waste, so I want to see how I fare against other enemies. This seems as good a time as any. Plus, if I do get into trouble, I could surprise my enemies by equipping Scale Mail!"
When Rias heard the explanation that was given to her by her Pawn, she was a little stunned. But that emotion soon gave way to a much warmer one, one that made its way into her chest. Ise, you have grown so much…
In the beginning, Issei would have just blindly charged in to confront his enemies head on. Now, he was better, using techniques to overpower his foes instead of just using brute force, as can be seen from their encounter with Kokabiel.
But, with Kirito and Asuna's presence, Issei had grown much more, in terms of strategy, as well as fighting techniques. His swordplay was nearly on par with an intermediate practitioner of the way of the sword, a large improvement from when he first held one like a baseball bat. As for his fighting style, he no longer just charged in blindly, nor did he have only a single plan in mind. Drilled into him by Kirito(She had no doubts her adorable Pawn had tried to escape after a few days), he now had a few plans to fall back on, and could subtly predict the actions of his enemies. It was not to the level of Kiba, much less Kirito, but he would be able to tell which part of his body the enemy was aiming at after his base abilities were boosted once.
All in all, she was very proud of the progress her Pawn had made after not more than a quarter of a year had passed since his reincarnation, but she knew that he had loads of room to improve. Although right now…this was more than sufficient for him to fulfil the desire he had stated earlier.
"Koneko, can you find Asia?"
Rias pushed her thoughts about Issei's growth out of her mind, instead focusing on the matter at hand.
In response, the white-haird cat girl pointed to the end of the temple, he cat ears twitching slightly. "…I can sense Asia-senpai and Diodora Astaroth further inside the temple. "
"Good." Rias turned to face her Peerage. "Is everyone ready?"
"""Hai, Buchou!"""
"Then, let us get back Asia from that rude devil, shall we?" As Rias spoke, she felt bloodlust rise up from within her, a malicious smile set on her face. Time for you to see why the Gremory clan is known for their protectiveness, Diodora!
..
When they entered, the first thing that Rias noticed was that the temple was very spacious. Almost needlessly so. This place is good for Diodora to blindside us, since the numerous pillars are large enough to hide a few bodies. Rias opened her mouth to ask Konkeo if she could sense anyone was around them–
"Hey, Rias Gremory and her servants."
""!""
Rias instantly raised her guard, her bloodline's power ready to be unleashed when needed. All around her, her Peerage also got ready for battle. Well, it looks like there is no need for me to ask Koneko if there are devils surrounding us.
The reason Rias thought this was simple. For the moment Diodora had spoken, nine hooded figures had made their presences known.
"Why don't we play a game? A substitute for the Rating Game which has been cancelled, if you will."
"Come on out Diodora!" Issei roared from beside her. "You can't hide from all of us forever!"
"Ha ha ha, Sekiryuutei, you won't find me there no matter how hard you try." Diodora jeered, his voice echoing about the vast temple. "And besides, I am not hiding anywhere. I am standing out in the open at the end of another temple, waiting for all of you to appear."
What are you planning, Diodora? Rias narrowed her eyes as she listened to the traitorous devil speak.
"The match would be using our 'Pieces' The rule is that you can't use the same pieces again until you reach where I, the King, am at. Other than that, anything is fine. For the first match...let's see, I will send out 8 of my Pawns, and a Rook. By the way, all my Pawns have been Promoted to a Queen! Haha, 8 Queens from the beginning! That seems unfair right? But its okay, since Rias Gremory is famous young devil for possessing powerful servants!"
So basically, 8 Queens and a Rook… Rias had a few ideas as to what Diodora was planning. In that case…
"Fine. I will play along with this nonsense." Rias ignored the surprised looks on her Peerages' faces. "I will carve into your head just how powerful my group is."
And as a bonus, we would be able to see how much we have grown, especially Issei and Xenovia. I know sensei said that there are no restrictions, but I would like to see how far we have progressed under the same conditions we faced Sona. I will unleash my full strength if we have to. Besides…
"Buchou, is it okay for us to follow the enemy's suggestion?"
"It is best we do so." Rias did not take her eyes off of the nine figures, her mind thinking of ways to counter the possible strategies that Diodora may use. "They have Asia as their hostage. Diodora may not have done anything to her yet, but he might threaten to harm her if we do not comply."
Her mind finally decided on the combination she was going to use. "We will have Ise, Koneko, and Gasper head out to counter your nine Pieces, Diodora."
"That filthy dragon? I do hope he will be better than be dead weight" Diodora sneered.
"Those who were called, please come here." Rias beckoned to the three members of her Peerage she had called.
When the three had gather on her, she bent her head slightly, prompting the rest to dp the same. When they did, she started whispering to them. "Koenko and Ise, you would be fighting the 8 Pawns and Bishop. Koneko would be mainly using her senjutsu to send her ki in them to take them out. Ise, although I said you would be fighting the enemy, you would be helping to guard Koneko and Gasper's blind spots. As for Gasper, you would be acting as a support of the two of you, so please have Gasper drink some of your blood, Ise."
The three nodded. ""Hai, Buchou.""
After saying that, they started to get into formation, but Rias quickly grabbed onto Issei's shirt instead.
"?" Issei gave a confused look towards her. "Buchou, what-?"
Leaning forwards, Rias quickly whispered the thing she wanted to say. When she was done, what met her eyes was Issei's ecstatic face. Honestly, how much do you like that perverted technique of yours?
Ooooooohhhhhhh! Issei screamed in his heart. Thank you Buchou! The small amount of fear, as well as confusion, he had earlier was now gone. With this…we can win!
"Are you done?" Diodora asked in a tired voice. "Actually, I don't care about that. So, ready or not, let us start this Game!"
With Diodora's words, his servants made their stances towards Issei, Koneko and Gasper.
Similarly, the trio prepared themselves quickly. Issei lightly cut his finger with Ascalon. Allowing the blood to pool on his finger, he quickly smeared it on Gasper's lips, before he took up the now-familiar stance he had been using since Kirito and Leafa had started to train him.
"Koneko-chan, Gasper, let's go!"
""Yes!"" Both responded to Issei's cry in a serious tone.
"Nyan…" With a feline cry, Koneko released the...whatever it was that kept her ears and tail hidden, showing off her seriousness and cuteness at the same time. Koneko-chan, you are so cute, blood might burst from my noosseee! Ah, wait, no is not the time for thiiissss!
"Promotion, Queen!" Issei shouted out.
[Boost!] [Explosion!]
At the same time, Ddraig Gave Issei a power up, the previous one having expired quite a while ago.
Eyes narrowing, Issei chanted softly under his breath, his eyes watching his opponents carefully. Demonic power gathered at his mind, giving life to the ability which had only been used once before.
..
In the past, Issei would have been very excited at the prospect of using this technique once more. Not only did it allow him to see through the enemy's plans, it also allowed him to act as a better support. With the side benefit of hearing the innermost voices of the female population, as well as allowing him to see the boobs twitch every time they 'spoke'(in essence, a perverted ability).
Now however, he was less excited, and more serious. The past month, he had nearly all of his perverted nature, having been beaten out of him by Leafa and Kirito, with the former instilling with him a discipline to hold the remaining lecherous thoughts in. It was also thanks to that that Issei's mind had become better.
Now, his mind could plan ahead better, no longer was it preoccupied by perverted thoughts. And it was this that allowed him to see what his Master was planning.
..
In fact, when Rias asked him to do step up to fight, he almost immediately understood the tactical advantage of him doing so.
Issei was a Power-type due to his fighting style. Now, after Kirito's and Leafa's training, his skillset was leaning towards more of a Technique and Power-type. His ability to Gift also put him under a Support-type. Koneko and Gasper was a Power and Wizard type respectively. But if one asked him what category he was currently using at the moment…
"Evil passion, be released. Imagery, max." Issei felt more demonic energy rush through him. "Spread, my pleasant dream field. Bilingual!"
At the same time he uttered the trigger word, a pinkish-white space erupted all around him, enveloping the entire field. His opponents could not see this change–
Alright then, what are you going to do? Issei directed his thoughts towards the 8 Pawns and the singular Bishop. More specifically, their breasts.
'First, let's get rid of the troublesome vampire~'
'Yeah, yeah! Lt's take him down with the three of us at once~'
'Defeat the vampire! Defeat!'
–but his teammates could. And they could hear what he heard too.
"Gasper! Koneko-chan!" Issei dashed forward, holding Ascalon in a unique stance as he ran forwards.
"Y-yessssss!" Gasper immediately reacted, turning to face the three girls which were aiming for him. With a brief flash of light from his irises, the three Pawns froze in place.
Issei-senpai? Issei heard Koneko's voice ring in his head. What… is this?
This is my Bilingual, Team version! Issei quickly intercepted one of the Pawns who was using her weapon of choice: A flail.
..
Issei's Ability had improved by a large margin. But to fully understand this, let's go back in time…back to just after the battle between the Sitri and Gremory Peerage.
Flashback(three weeks prior…)
"Gah!"
"Again!"
Kirito and Issei were sparring again in the basement. It was mainly to see how far Issei need to go, as well as to see how much he had improved, with Kirito and Leafa coaching him.
"K-kirito," Issei coughed up some spittle that had risen up his throat, forcing down the bitter bile that was coming up after it. "W-why are we doing this?"
Yeas, they were sparring. But not in the way of the sword. Instead, it was in–
"You need to improve your usage of demonic energy." Kirito hefted his large, blunted broadsword. "It's still too inefficient right now. And frankly, you need to up your game if you want to survive. Rias's, Azazel's and that dragon's training has helped you improve, but none of them were directed at your demonic energy training. If you improve that, you would become even more powerful."
–imagery training.
"But this is mutiny! Mutiny I tell you! MUTTINNNYYY!" Issei screamed, half raising a fist into the air.
"What sort of mutiny am I committing?" Kirito sighed, blearily rubbing his eyes.
"This!" Issei gestured wildly to the floor, shredded paper and broken circulatory all around him. "You are committing mutiny to every male in existence by destroying every single bit of data and every piece of paper!"
"The word of one's female partner, or significant other if you will, is law, young one." Kirito lightly sighed as he gave advise to the young emperor. "Besides, this is also to set you onto a better path."
"If you are going to say you are curing my perverted nature, then-"
"Oh, right now, that is not what I am doing." Kirito held up his hand. "I am using this method to encourage you to be more imaginative. I heard from Rias. That your demonic energy and its uses is based on your imagination. This means that theoretically, you should be able to use demonic energy in various ways. Case in point, my Sword Skills. Because I used VR games and the skills that wer in them for a long time, I just need to think of the action, allow my demonic energy to flow, and it becomes reality."
Kirito wordless brought his large broadsword down on his hand. Issei's eyes widened in surprise-
-only for them to nearly bulge out of their sockets when the reinforced wooden blade splintered into toothpick-like fragments, burning into ash mid-air.
"And as I just showed you," Kirito casually brushed his hand together, cleaning it of the fine wooden dust that had gathered on it. "I can use the demonic energy and mould it into whatever I want. What I just did was coat my hand in demonic energy, and imagine that my hand was tougher than the sword, while also making it such that whatever touched it would burn up into ashes. This took quite a bit of my reserves, and took some time for me to think of, since this was something I had never thought of and done before. But, once you get used to the process, and allow your imagination to be more distinct and such–"
Kirto suddenly punched the air next to Issei, where he felt searing hot pain burst forth.
"–allowing things like this to happen is pretty simple." Kirito casually brought his hand back, allowing Issei to see the vague shape of a dagger surround Kirito's hand, before it dispersed. "Tell me, your Billingual. What do you use to make it work?"
"Erm…my demonic energy?" Issei did not really know where this was going.
"That means that your technique can be improved using your imagination, right?" Kirito smiled. "So, what does that mean?"
"…Ah!" A lightbulb went off in Issei's mind. "So, you want me to make my Bilingual more versatile?"
"Right in one."
"But why?" Issei was very confused. "I only created it to talk to oppai. I wanted to learn more about a woman's thoughts through them. A woman is so mysterious! Plus, I can see their oppai when I am speaking…to…them…" Issei's mind screeched to a halt. "…ah."
Kirito facepalmed. "I do hope that you actually realised the significance of you ability now. Otherwise, I'm going to smack you head with Dark Repulsor."
"Yes, yesssss! I understand nowwwwww!" Issei hurriedly replied. He had seen what the crystalline sword made from his blood(he was still a little shocked about that) could do from a playback of the match they had done, and saying that he was scared would be just scratching the surface. "You want me to make it so that I can reduce the amount of demonic energy it takes to unleash my power, and make it so that I can share it with others due to its tactical ability in finding out the plans of others!"
"Yeah. I am hoping you would lean more towards the second part you mentioned, since that would make it indispensable in team battles if your technique is unsealed. But since it is sealed, make the cost the priority after you think of ways to make it extend towards your teamates."
"Osu!"
Timeskip(a dozen days later...)
Well, after all was said and done, it took Issei only one try to make the change from just himself to others. All he had to imagine was a constant link between his teammates. Something that he could accomplish by piggybacking of on how the communicators worked. He did not have to know exactly how the communicators functioned. If he did learn how they worked, it would bring down the cost of the sharing of his Billingual technique, but that's not important.
Basically, he just imagined that the Billingual technique would only be shared with those he had identified as allies. And the way to identify them was by placing some of him next to them. And in this case, it would be the scales from his dragonified from arm, coated with some of his blood and demonic power. All of them had it in some form. Akeno had it as a ribbon decoration, Koneko as a hairclip. Xenovia as a choker, Asia as a brooch, Kiba and Gasper as an amulet, and Rias as a necklace.
All of them were rather small, so they were hard to see by others. Plus, thanks to some tinkering by Kirito, they could make them less discernible by pouring some demonic energy into them.
Now, what are you thinking? Issei grinned as he stared into the eyes of the Pawn he was engaging.
'Woah, those girls were stopped! Then, do they know we are going to aim for that Nekomata?'
'Don't tell me it is the rumoured power of that dragon who can hear the voices of Oppai?! Scary! So scary! I was planning to target that Nekomata! Was it useless to use a defence spell to stop my heart from being read?'
'The Nekomata will find out our plan!'
'But they knew about our plan, even though the dragon did not say anything other than their names. Does this mean that they know telepathy?!'
'Ah, with three members of our team down, this mean that I won't be able to help with boosting your fights!'
I see, I see. So those three Pawns were aiming for Koneko-chan, while the other three went for Gasper. Issei could more or less guess what they were planning. So, while the other two Pawns went and kept me occupied, the Bishop would help to take down Gasper, then Koneko, then they would flank me from all directions.
A good plan, but unfortunately-
"Too naive!" Issei gave a feral grin, prompting the Pawn he was engaging with to take a hesitant step back.
That was the opening he needed.
"ORYA!" With a powerful flick of his wrist, Issei whipped the Pawn he was engaging to the side. Because the flail was still attached to Ascalon, she tumbled, letting go of her weapon. Simultaneously, he brought the flat of Ascalon up, smashing it into the Pawn's chest.
*slap*
With the painful sound of metal meeting flesh, the Pawn was flung sideways, impacting against the pillar they were fighting near harshly.
"Uhahahaha!" Issei laughed in a evil tone. "Your Queens are too underwhelming, Diodora! They have fallen due to our super combo!"
Kirito was right. This IS super useful for team battles. Although it is only limited to the female population, it is super terrifying. Then, his brai thought about something the Pawn's oppais had said. Hmm, that Pawn said that they had used a spell that prevented the reading of their hearts. So, a mental interference barrier? One that prevented a person's thoughts from being revealed? But, if that is the case, then did Billingual work because I am speaking to their oppai, and not their hearts or mind? Could that minor difference be the cause of my ability bypassing their spell?
… … …Ah, I have spent too much time with Kirito.
While Issei was busy thinking to himself, the remaining singular Pawn and Bishop had backed away from the trio, their bodies trembling. When Issei looked at them, he could see that their legs were shaking badly from the gaps under their robes.
It was also at that point that the robes that were covering the Pawn fell down, revealing–
Ah. Issei blinked in surprise. Diodora, your Peerage seems to have quite a number of fine girls in them.
–the naked form of the brown-haired girl, slumped against the pillar. If he looked closely, he could see some traces of–
*BAKIN*
"GAAAHHHH!" Issei clutched his head, whimpering in pain. Koneko had punched his head. Hard. And from the rattling of his skull, it would also seem like Koneko had used the metal laced part of the gloves.
"…Senpai must not look at the enemy's form." From the corner of his hazy vision, Issei could see that Koneko was covering the naked form of the Pawn he had just defeated. "You can only look at us, Senpai. Only after I grow up though." Koneko whispered under her breath.
Something that Issei barely caught thanks to the training Kirito had made him do.
…eh? Issei thought he had misheard Koneko. …Did Koneko-chan just say what I think she said? Did she just conclude that my lecherous nature should be used on Buchou and the other girls? But why? It's not as if they like me...right?
Issei immediately thought back to some things the girls had done in the past. ...right?
Timeskip(a few minutes later)
Thanks to Issei's Billingual, Gasper's Sacred Gear freezing them in place, and Koneko's ki knocking them all out, they managed to take out the 8 Pawns and singular Bishop easily. Although…
"Koneko-chan…it hurts…"
"""… … …"""
"Koneko-chan, can you let me go please?"
"… …baka senpai… …"
"Why!?"
…To say that they did so without any injuries would be false.
After all, right now, Issei was currently being dragged by his feet by Koneko. And he could not get free, since said girl had paralyzed him temporarily using a gimmick in the gloves that Liz had made for her.
..
The gloves that Koenko had were a creation made by the SAO blacksmith Liz.
Normally, the Nekomata would use just a pair of gloves that were reinforced with some enchantments to make them more durable, but when Lisbeth saw the girl in her Nekomata form(accidently), the blacksmith just HAD to make some unique weapons for the girl. Especially, when she saw how plain the gloves were.
Thus, after half a month of forging, sewing, and enchanting(her Sacred Gear was bullshit like that), she created a pair of combat gloves specially for Koneko: Cat's Fury
Cat's fury was a par of simple-looking gloves, with the fingertips tipped with small metal claws to allow Koneko to give lacerations to her enemies when she opened up her hands. They were also much more durable than her old pair, having been laced with metal threads in their production, being able to withstand multiple Sword Skills before they tore. By Koneko's request, they also had a pink cat's paw motif on the back.
But that was not the only additions to it.
The gloves' fingers were covered by small, metal greaves. If she did a specific action, they would open up, allowing spikes to pop out. They were small enough to break the skin, but not too big such that it would interfere with her fighting techniques, which were usually martial arts. This is where the gimmick comes in.
The claws, and by extension, the small spikes on her fingers' backs, could produce a poison. Depending on what Koneko puts into the gloves' secret compartments, they could be paralytics for paralysing enemies, truth serum for interrogations(you never know!) or various poisons that impeded one's senses, like their sight, sense of balance, or motor function.
These extra functions made her gloves much more dangerous, and her fighting style much more lethal as a whole.
..
And, as for why Koneko was dragging Issei by his feet?
The perverted boy had accidently collapsed, face-first into one of the Pawns when he tripped.
Said girl then hugged, and nearly suffocated, the perverted boy in her rather large bosom. And said action was on reflex, apparently.
Cue the three angry(and four jealous) girls.
Which led to Issei being dragged by his feet to the next location as his punishment. While they were running. And with him arms useless due to the short-term paralysis Koneko had inflicted on him(She had two types on her gloves. Left is for short term: 5 minutes. Right is a mixture that paralysed the enemy, as well as knocked them out, for a day. Pur-fect for capturing enemies). Thankfully(or not, in Issei's case), they worked only on humanoids. So devils were included in this list.
Amazingly, the poison would not affect a person's head, but it would hinder their use of demonic energy.
So, after they tied up the Pawns and Bishop that were inflicted with the longer-lasting cocktail of poisons, plus her Ki which disrupted their energy flow, they set off, simultaneously enacting their punishment on Issei as well.
"Koneko-chan, could you please let me down now?" Issei cried out in sorrow. Koneko-chan…That was completely out of my control…can you forgive this pervert? I mean, I know that I enjoyed that sensation a little too much, but this punishment is too cruel! Especially since we are getting closer to the next battle, we do not have our healer, and my body is getting a little too battered…
"Ah, Koneko-chan. You can stop punishing Issei now." Rias told the white-eared Nekomata. "We have arrived at the next area."
"… …un." With a small grunt, Koneko dropped Issei onto the floor. Thankfully, since his top half was already on the floor, only his lower part hit the floor.
Finally! Issei mentally cheered in his head. From my counting, I should also be free from the poison that Koneko-chan used on me. So…
Focusing his thoughts, he tried to wiggle his fingers. Yay! Now, to wiggle over to see the next fight…
If I recall, the enemy has the Queen, 2 Knights, 1 Bishop, 2 Rooks, and Diodora left… For our side, it is Xenovia, Kiba, Buchou, and Akeno-san…
"We have been waiting for you." From his position on the floor, Issei could see the outline of four figures.
"If I recall correctly, they should be the Knights ad the Rooks." Kiba frowned as he looked over the four robed figures. Eh? Kiba, how are you able to tell? Can you sense their demonic energy or something? They are still covered by robes after all?!
"…right." Rias nodded. "Xenovia, Kiba, it is your turn."
""Hai, Buchou!""
Both Knights saluted Rias, before they readied their weapons. Xenovia, her Durandal, Kiba, his Holy Demonic Sword.
"So, to face the four of us, you picked your Knights?" One of the Rooks tilted her head. "Foolish."
"Kiba." Xenovia gripped her sword tightly.
"Yeah?"
"Handle the Knights. I will fight the Rooks." Xenovia had a myriad of emotions going through her. "My fighting style is better suited for them."
"–okay." Kiba did not question her, instead taking up a stance. "Let's go."
"…"
"…"
"…"
At first, nothing happened.
Then–
Both Kiba and the enemy Knights blitzed out of sight, only flashes of light and multiple clangs of metal the only indication that they were around.
Xenovia could have kept up with their movements, being a Knight herself, but she had other things to focus on.
"Only one of you against the two of us?" The other Rook scoffed. "You overestimate yourself, girly-"
"I will take Asia back."
An intense pressure started to emit itself from her body. Xenovia's words seemed simple, but there was many things behind them. Determination was one of them.
"…I never had some like Asia before. I had kindred spirits who could be friends. I had enemies that hated me for cutting them down. But, not a single friend. For a long time, I thought I could live alone, with just the love of God to keep me going."
One of the Rook's flinched slightly, causing her unsettling feelings to grow even more.
But in the next moment, the two dashed forwards, their fists raised aloft. Compared to Issei in his unboosted state, they are a little faster. But that is nothing compared to the spars me and Kiba have!
Dodging their attacks with minimal movements, Xenovia continued to talk. She felt that if she did not, she would not be able to move forward. And for a swordswoman, this was something that she she could not do: Allow burdens of the mind to hinder them in combat. Even if the listeners are her enemies, it would give her some relief, knowing that she got the weight off her chest.
"Then came those who treated me in a friendly manner. Especially Asia. She always smiled at me, and she called me her 'friend'. And yet…" She felt a small amount of wetness on her cheeks. "When first met Asia, I said many horrible things to her. I called her a witch, a heretic. And yet! She still came and talked to me afterwards, like nothing happened!"
"That's why! I WILL save her!" Gathering her resolve, Xenovia lifted Durandal with one-hand.
Usually, she would wield the large holy sword with two hands, using it's massive destructive force to knock her enemies out of commission. But after seeing Kiba and Kirito, the latter of whom managed to find a balance with technique and power, she decided to focus more on her technique.
It may be a long time before she would be able to wield the large sword well enough to be on par with the previous owners of Durandal, but right now, she would do things, and power up, her own way.
"That's why, Durandal. Please, respond to my feelings! Allow me to give me the power to save my friend! To save Asia!"
*Ka-doon!*
As if in response to her words, Durndal increased its aura by several times. So great was it's increased aura in fact, that it had cracked the ground beneath Xenovia. Then, it subsided, humming slightly.
"Thank you…Durandal." Xenovia could feel the subtle difference in its abilities now. Not only was it listening to her more, its sharpness and destructive power had increased many times. If one was not careful, a devil could get disintegrated just by being enveloped by the holy aura Durandal was coated with.
I can't use Durandal very well. Not at the moment. Xenovia frowned as several memories flashed through her mind.
Her first meeting and usage of Durandal, in a hidden facility that belonged to the church.
Her using Durandal against Kokobaiel, and her failure to do much against him, and the subsequent learning of God's demise.
Kiba using Durandal to slice a building in half.
And her trainings with Kirito.
But thanks to Kirito and everyone, I feel like I have become one step closer to mastering Durandal. Xenovia slowly exhaled. Through her eyes, the Knights might have been moving at a snail's pace.
And so, she swung down the holy blade, like judgement from the heavens-
*BAAAAAANG*
With a thunderous sound, Durandal cleaved the air before it, smashing straight through the defences the Rooks had put up in a hurry.
Swords, barriers, shields, they all stood no chance before the holy sword as it smashed through, heavily injuring the Rooks and knocking them far away. With a dull thud, the two Rooks smashed against each other.
Xenovia felt a large drain on her reserves. That took too much...much more than I thought. Xenovia smiled a little. But, this showed I have improved.
"Xenovia!" Issei shouted in surprise. "What was that just now?"
Wearily, Xenovia trudged forwards, sword at the ready, as she approached the collapsed Rooks. "It was something that Kirito had been teaching and helping me with." She responded, never taking her eyes off the duo before her. "I wanted to increase my cutting ability to the level of Kiba's, but unfortunately, my control is not as fine as his. Plus, my style is not really compatible with his. So, Kirito suggested I go for a similar effect, but using brute force, with a little technique, since I prefer to overpower my enemies."
..
Xenovia had been thinking: What was the best way to counter more enemies?
Her first thought had been brute force. After all, they had allowed her to win in the past.
But then, she was thrust against more skilled enemies, with severe restrictions.
That was the moment Xenovia realised that brute force, especially with Durandal, would not always help her.
So, she trained herself to be more proficient in the art of swordplay. Taking lessons from Kiba(through sparring) and Kirito(sparring, and some coaching) to increase her overall proficiency with the sword.
But it was not enough.
Not enough for her, because she knew. That she was also not tapping into Durandal's full potential.
Durandal's holy aura is a weapon that she can use for Rating Games, even if she could not use the legendary blade itself. And it was practical too. If she needed to use a smaller-sized weapon, while retaining her enormous attack power, she could coat all of the holy aura she could control onto a sword Kiba makes.
And then, she started thinking, prompted by Kirito's suggestion: How else could she use Durandal's holy aura?
She had seen that pure destructive force become tame and split concrete with ease, like in animes where an expert swordsman slashes through things so fast, it takes a moment for the cut object to register itself as 'cut', when Kiba used it.
Xenovia believed this was only possible because of Kiba's nature and style when he fought, which was a polar opposite to hers.
This also meant that she could be able to achieve a similar result.
..
In the end, this was the result of her training.
Instead of the usual unrestrained, explosive use of Durandal's aura, Xenovia would instead turn that aura into pure power that would cut. Like a focused explosion in an enclosed area, instead of a explosion out in the open. This generated so much force in that one point, it actually created a pseudo-vacuum in between the area she had cut with Durandal.
So, the vacuum left by the sudden amount of force Durandal had dealt caused the two devils to be suck towards the sword's cut and smash into each other with a large amount of force. Even if they were knocked out, they would be, at the very least, winded. Long enough for Xenovia to kill her opponents.
But, just as she was about to deal the finishing blow, the hood that was covering one of them fell off, revealing blonde hair framing blue eyes. A metal in the vague shape of a cross was pinned to one side of her head, clipping her hair to one side.
... Joan?
AN
Yippe! This is a surprising development, now isn't it?
We have Issei upgrading his pervert technique, him being more observant(no more super dense protagonist!), and Xenovia getting an upgrade which is NOT from Ascalon and Durandal combined!
Though, now there is a single question: Who on earth is Joan?
Granted, said question would not be around for long, since to celebrate Christmas, I am doing a double release! Whoop Whoop!
Anime is Life, and please review!
