The Witch King's Reincarnation Into a Useless Pervert
When Raynare killed Issei, a different dying soul took place that should have been his own.
Disclaimer: Don't own this
Warning: Rated M for adult content
Chapter 4: Break to Repair
Since Issei hadn't been able to join them on the Stray hunt as Rias originally had wished, it was time for Kiba to introduce Buchou's newest member of the peerage into the differences between the Evil Pieces, their powers and how to best fight against them.
With fighting them, of course. He and Akeno had time after school, however, Koneko had caught a cold and had to sit this one out.
Considering himself a helpful kind of guy, the swordsman agreed, especially since during the meeting with the other members of the peerage, the pawn seemed a bit distant, not giving into Akeno's teasing as if it was merely water and the former pervert was a duck.
By Rias' command, this was how the two of them found themselves into the spacious basement of Occult Research Club, which was mostly used as a sparring area between his friends, when the damage could be kept to a reasonable minimum.
"I take it that you have an idea why Rias told you to come down here?" he lifted a blunt metal sword from the rack beside him and threw it to the brown-haired teenager, who caught it with little difficulty and inspected the blade.
"To have a duel to death to see which male gets to remain in the group?" he deadpanned, and it took a second for Kiba to realize that this was a joke.
Blinking the blonde devil shook his head with a smile and picked up his own practice blade, looking to see if it was in working order.
"Well, I never thought of it that way, but Rias was quite adamant that we do not kill ourselves while training" he explained, resting the blade against his own leg "so I'll just maim you a bit and then we'd go out for drinks as you'd acknowledge my superiority"
"Be ready to receive your drinks for free, then" Issei smirked and raised the blade at him.
"I'll have something non-alcoholic" The swordsman shook his head, somewhat amused at the younger devil's attitude, he wouldn't necessarily try to go out of his way to pummel Issei into the ground, but he wouldn't hold back either as Rias had told them of his rapid change of demeanour and how quickly he had dispatched the Fallen Angel who had tried to kill him days ago.
"Since you couldn't attend yesterday, you missed out on evil piece application in practice" he explained " As I'm a knight piece, the purpose of the duel is for you to prepare yourself against fast and nimble opponents"
"Guns and slow spells are generally useless against you, right?" Issei asked as he took a look at the blonde and Kiba could only nod in agreement. Perhaps the mask of a pervert was just that- a mask and Issei was pretty sharp when he wanted to be.
"Devils are generally faster and more resilient to damage normal weapons can inflict and if the wound isn't of holy nature, recovery rate is much quicker than that of a human, this is why there is a large majority of Devils prefer melee and ranged weapons through whom they can use their full devilish strength"
"I see. What does the knight piece do and how does it compare to the pawn?" his opponent asked, eying him from head to toe "Guessing from Chess moves it boosts your overall mobility, am I wrong?"
Kiba merely nodded, this was a general guess, but a correct one, he continued "of course that's not to say that the pawn itself is useless Issei-san. While you don't get any special powers or increases to your abilities, if you reach enemy territory, you're able to promote yourself to gain powers of other pieces"
"So, promotion?"
"Yes"
"Wonderful" the brown-haired teenager drawled and lowered his weapon "You'll tell me after or before the spar about the class's weaknesses?"
That was an interesting question, gears ground in the swordman's head and after weighing both pros and cons, he had decided on an answer.
"Let's see how you do" he raised his own weapon mimicked Issei's pose "It depends how well you fight"
"Last question, before we start" Issei raised his free hand, and an unreadable expression came over his face "Should we treat it as a real battle or are we limited to these weapons"
"First round no Sacred Gears and if we're up to it- no holds barred round"
"I am grateful for this opportunity, Kiba" Issei nodded and grasped the sword with two hands, tilting the blade as if he was readying up for a stab "Shall we?"
The swordsman nodded and then he was a blur.
Dashing towards his opponent, Kiba attempted to slash his blade at the pawn, but found his strike parried, blow sliding off the cross-guard as he dodged a kick aimed at his knee. Keeping the distance, the two of them circled one another, like prowling lions. Yet during the time both saw openings, he spied how Issei looked at the weapon, as if there was something missing. Also, another thing he noticed was that the teenager's movements were very stiff, rehearsed and almost made for someone wearing heavy armour.
"A fan of HEMA?" he asked as Issei blinked at him, while still keeping his guard up "In Devil world, rarely there is armour thick enough to withstand sword or magic blows, so you're better off moving faster and hitting harder than wearing nigh useless armour"
"I see" Issei nodded and then he moved.
With a flash of a blade in the artificially lit building Kiba only managed to notice the glint of the attack. Ducking to the side, he saw smoke of dust from where the blade had hit and a thin line could be seen, carved into the concrete floor.
"Damn, how many pawns did Buchou use to resurrect you?" Kiba whistled and attempted a diagonal hit, aimed at Issei's collarbone. His own practice sword sailed in his classmate's direction, but just before he could capitalize on inertia of the strike, he had to take a step back because a narrow jab of the brown-haired teenager's left fist that almost managed to deck him in the face.
"That's not very knightly" he protested at which the other boy smirked.
"Real fights aren't knightly and if you think otherwise, it's naive" he retorted and brought his blade to bear in a position that vaguely resembled Renaissance sell-sword techniques. It certainly was more than interesting; this would be something Rias should definitely know.
They continued to bait each other with false openings and catches with the blade, but even for a novice Issei felt barely winded, which was a compliment, a huge one for a beginner whose only experience was uncertain.
"How long are we going to circle one another, like this?" he asked the pawn and in return the shorter male smiled.
"I can continue fighting, but if you're tired, I can tell Rias that you won and no-one would know the difference" he smirked and the very suggestion was against his honour and pride as a swordsman, there was no way he'd win by such a lousy way.
"As if" he spat, shaking his head and slashed at his opponent, who had the same idea. Their blades blocked one another, and sparks flew. Hell, if he had known that Issei was capable of something like that, he'd have befriended the pervert years earlier. It was rare enough to find a fellow sword enthusiast outside House Gremory in his age and even rarer it was in Kuoh, where there were no passable male swordsmen and only serious competition was Sona's Knight and Queen Pieces respectively.
Instead of continuing the sword-lock between the two of them, Issei swiftly raised his sword up, forcing Kiba to follow suit or abandon the combat. He realized too late what was happening when kick to his stomach made him grasp for air as he was knocked down, allowing the former pervert to decide the duel's fate.
He had lost.
Kiba had lost to an almost fresh devil who didn't have any magic boosting his speed or skills. Had he grown rusty?
"It was a good fight" Issei's sword still bluntly jabbed in his jugular, but other the other hand was extended towards, to help him up.
To Kiba, while there was a small wound in his pride for losing to Issei, it meant that the pawn was quite competent, and Rias had chosen wisely. He would be proud to call Issei a comrade once Rias ceased to keep him at an arms length.
"Can you not tell Rias about this?" the blonde boy dusted himself off and laughed in embarrassment as he saw his opponent laughing as well, good naturedly of course. There was no smugness or malice in his victory and Kiba wished to believe that soon he could call Issei a friend.
"Only if you promise that we will regularly spar like this"
"Acquired a taste for sword fighting, huh?"
"Something like that" the brown haired boy nodded with a friendly grin
"My, my Kiba" a voice called out from the doors of the basement, where he saw Akeno still in her school uniform "I didn't know you batted for the other team"
"How long have you been there?!" he pinched the bridge of his nose at which the Nephilim smiled gently and destroyed all his hopes.
"Ever since you landed on the floor from Issei's kick"
There went his quiet time for himself, Rias would go ballistic and demand him to train even more for if Issei could beat him now, he was growing rusty by her standards. Sighing, he looked at the cause of his future downfall, who merely offered the blonde a look of knowing sympathy.
Truly he was a fellow student of the sword if he understood his miserable circumstances.
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Apparently, Rias' pawn was strong enough to effortlessly incapacitate Dohnaseek, who was now held in Gremory estate, waiting for his investigator and executioner. With her own eyes she saw that he could match good old Kiba in sword techniques. She gathered that they had argued not to use other abilities, which indeed was a shame.
Both would have been quite bloody, but it would be a sight to behold.
However, if Kiba couldn't appreciate their newest peer, then Akeno would and with her Issei would show what she and Rias finally wanted to see. They needed more time to corroborate the evidence of Issei's newly found skills and finally understand what had happened to the boy when he was resurrected.
"I take it that you will introduce me to the Queen piece as Kiba did to Knight?" the shorter boy asked, and his demeanour was still as frosty as ever. Not that it bothered the Nephilim too much, sure it made Issei that much boring to play with, but she was certain that once they would begin their ''spar" she would get his blood pumping.
What was little blood, broken bones and bruised muscles between friends, right?
"Indeed Issei-kun, it is also a lesson about bishops" she nodded and gathered the demonic energy swirling inside her to manifest a teleportation circle underneath them "Basement would be too limited for what I had in mind for both of us"
"I have a distinct sensation that your idea of a friendly spar would greatly differ from Kiba's" he looked at her with a raised eyebrow, but she could see the amusement behind that steely façade. So, whoever was using Issei's body had a sense of humour after all.
She smiled at him gently and grasped his hand as the Nephilim and Devil were swallowed up by a crimson light.
The Infernal Duchy of Gremory owned myriad of properties across the world, more notably where the other factions had little force to contest them and this secluded "hunting preserve" was one such territory, in reality serving as a makeshift training facility for the more destructive magic users, without having the need to venture to the Underworld.
To an average person this may have looked like an ordinary forest, however, in reality the very centre was reinforced with various seals and barriers that only a Satan-Class Devil and above could permanently damage the training grounds terrain, which she doubted any of their peerage possessed, well maybe Issei of whose strength she was not certain.
"it's a beautiful view is it not?" the raven-haired beauty asked her companion who looked at the setting sun and did not even react when she gathered her own mystic energy in her palm, not enough to kill, but enough to hurt.
"Indeed, but guessing by the gathering of lighting in your hands, it is not advisable to stare at it too much, given the current situation" he replied and she could only smile, what a clever devil Rias' pawn was.
"Too right you are" inside she was barely holding herself together from unleashing the holy lightning ball on the her training partner "You have ten seconds to create distance between the two of us and then we will begin your training"
"Any rules to your challenge?"
"There are no rules. Issei-kun"
"I think you may regret that" was the brown-haired boy's answer and he vanished, stepping into his own shadow.
The Queen of Rias' peerage chuckled at the display, guessing that he had vanished into the nearest forest, scurrying away like a rat. It was admirable that he knew better than to face an accomplished sorceress on the battlefield head on, but that would do him little good.
Muttering a prayer in ancient Japanese, she clasped her hands together and six small imp-like creatures appeared before her with puffs of smoke, filling her nose with the smell of fire and brimstone, how original.
"Please find my wayward companion" she ordered them and by her internal clock, ten seconds had already passed.
Issei may have been clever, but he forgot another crucial necessity when fighting wizards, you couldn't allow them to concentrate too much, or they could rip the battlefield asunder. She would leave him, just a bit singed if he allowed that to happen.
Slowly she stretched out her hands and pretended to begin casting her ritual.
As expected, a bolt of shadows was launched at her from the depths of the forest and shattered her shield. So, he was aware that he couldn't let her wait, this was certainly more than interesting.
"Issei, please come out, these cheap tricks won't do you any good" Akeno called out to the empty forest and as the area was painted orange from the setting sun, she received her answer from one of her imps.
He was behind her, fifty or so feet within the forest.
Her lightning struck and the imp reported that he had vanished.
Curiouser and curiouser, the Nephilim was now on her guard, if he could make convincing illusions, he would be much harder to pin down.
She attempted to prepare another holy storm, however, this time the Priestess of Thunder used only one hand, while the other was maintaining the barrier. Her demon power should be enough until she could unleash her holy lighting.
Magic circles coalesced around her and spread around the forest, floating high above the canopy. This would be over soon enough, regardless of whatever trick, the shadow mage would attempt to fool her with.
"I got you now" she smiled as her little helpers fell one by one in the depths of the forest.
"On the contrary" a voice called from her left, ten feet if she was being accurate. Lighting fell from the sky and not hearing a cry of pain, she turned her head only to see nothing at all.
"It is certainly impressive" now the voice was behind her, seven feet. No longer this was funny and she unleashed a barrage of spells in a circle around her, seeking to defeat the pesky mage that was frankly mocking her. Though it only made her feel more alive as she imagined him writhing before her feet.
Yet all that rewarded her was silence, had she killed him somehow? No, then she would definitely know as would Rias. He was still hiding, but where?
On the ground she was definitely much more vulnerable since he could mock her with impunity this way, but if she was to take to the sky, he could snipe her from anywhere. Hiding in the forest was also a big no-no.
As she maintained the barrier, she noticed a figure standing at the edges of clearing. Its eyes glowing unnaturally glowing. Then she was immediately swallowed by darkness. With panic, she teleported upwards, where a rain of shadowy bolts flew at her from the darkness on the ground.
Crying out in pain, the bolts shattered whatever flimsy barrier she could conjure in time and she was falling.
Issei was a much nastier opponent than what she had expected, but while she had been forced to dance to his very tune, Akeno hadn't seen him since the beginning of their 'spar' only felt the oppressive darkness he seemed to command.
Her fall was not such a big idea as she could freely use her misbegotten wings to land safely, up in the trees and above the magical darkness which slowly receded.
"Are you running out of devil power?" she muttered to herself as the darkness vanished completely, leaving behind a silent forest. She knew that to hear birds would be unnatural as most animals of God avoided the Devils and their ilk, whenever they could.
"Demon power has nothing to do with this" from the branch beside herself, she heard his voice and inky tendrils assaulted her, before the Nephilim could answer with her own spell.
"Tentacles, really?" she giggled and used her considerable speed granted by the Queen piece to leap from tree to tree and finally teleport away from him to a patch empty of trees so she could take a clean shot at him.
"They were more of a distraction, defeat by lighting would be humiliating, wouldn't it?" his voice, much deeper and older than she could have possibly guessed sounded in her head and suddenly she heard thunder, before crumbling to the carpet of moss as if struck by lightning.
Disoriented and her head ringing, she struggled to up to her feet and saw Issei, standing on the other side of the patch, three shadowy daggers floating around him, while his hands were crossed behind his back.
"It was most illuminating, I must say" he spoke to her with self-satisfied grin "Now I will accept your surrender graciously"
To Akeno this was a lost battle, somehow the pawn possessed enough power and guile to outplay her without to resorting to physical violence. It was honestly quite ridiculous- he was both a good swordsman and a talented magician. If he was also proficient in hand to hand combat and martial arts, she'd assume he was a one man peerage. Which was honestly more than ridiculous, given his circumstances.
"I think you have forgotten a thing about the Queen, Issei-kun" she offered him her most gentle smile and with the speed of a knight and strength of a rook dashed towards him, dodging the daggers with ease.
Magic circle of lightning bloomed on her fist and should she manage to land a hit, her opponent would require healing. Yes she had went overboard, but this had gotten competitive and you couldn't blame a girl for wanting to win.
"Don't blame me for not being gracious after this" he dodged her punch and grasped her wrists. His leg snuck up behind her, tripping both of them onto the soft forest bed. The Devil and Nephilim knew that they were much too close to one another- Akeno on her back and Issei on top of her, smirking at his victory.
"Oh my, you've caught me" she huffed, smiling at him "Now you have me all for yourself"
The newborn devil chuckled to himself and switched hands so that both of her wrists were held by only one hand, grasping them firmly, planting his pelvis between her legs so she couldn't easily escape.
"If I was less behaved, I might do something reprehensible" the free hand cupped her chin and Akeno tried to wiggle out of his grasp "Its hopeless, if this was a real battle, the enemy would not grant you this mercy"
Any other girl would have blushed in such situation, but Akeno was made from sterner stuff. Sure, Issei had become more and more interesting, but until they knew what was that shadow within him, they would keep him at an arm's length. She had known many boys, devils and even some one-time clients who attempted to charm her, fruitlessly, she might add. However, Issei was different, he knew what he wanted, but showed no interest in her, as if she was nothing special.
In that moment, she decided that she would prove to him that he was wrong, if only for herself to grant the satisfaction of proving someone wrong.
"You know Rias will be quite cross with you if she hears how you treated me so roughly" she joked "but I won't tell if you won't"
This proved itself to be a mistake as he leaned in closer, and she could feel his hot breath on her neck. This no longer was a game. She didn't want her first kiss to be stolen like this and especially by him. He wouldn't, would he? What if he decided to be a beast-
"You are lucky I am not this monstrous" he growled coldly and let go of her hands, climbing off her.
While she had successfully averted whatever…this… was that had almost happened between her and Issei, she felt as if things have changed irrevocably, but she couldn't put her finger on it. There still was the teleportation of shame back at the clubhouse. She hoped that Kiba wasn't there to see her defeat and jest at her expense.
"Thank you for your gentlemanly conduct" she brushed off her uniform, grasping his outstretched hand as he pulled her up "I guess I could learn from you rather than the other way around"
"I was merely lucky" was his reply, but neither believed it.
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Rias was perplexed by what she had heard. Issei or rather the shadow that had taken over the brown-haired boy was enough of a swordsman to beat Kiba in swordsmanship technique and managed to wrestle out a victory from Akeno that was nowhere as close as the boy himself had claimed it to be.
On a sheet of paper there were several points written about his changes, maybe they would offer true insight in just who exactly was influencing Issei that much.
Good swordsman (Kiba says it's based on European Renaissance duelling, looks like used to fight in heavy armour)
Tricky sorcerer, adept at using guerrilla warfare, possible actual battle experience (Akeno, swore that he can use these abilities without magic circles)
Older than he seems (doesn't use teen slang, very formal at times, rarely uses Japanese honorifics)
Deadly (almost killed the fallen angel before we arrived, with ease)
Pragmatic and patient (case with the jilted lover, convinced the client to take out three separate contracts after the first meeting)
No longer a pervert (or just extremely good at hiding his nature)
Fiercely independent, begrudgingly obeys authority (perhaps wielded enormous authority in previous life)
Intelligent, hard worker (grades have improved, though not by that much that it would arouse suspicion)
Unfamiliarity with previous acquaintances and technology (likely lived before the end of 20th century)
Adaptable (he quickly accepted the fact that he was devil, with conjunction of shadow, he's believed to be of supernatural nature in the past)
She was aware that there were more than these 10 notable differences, but she believed that it was enough for them to at least get some bearings on who he could be. She had already forwarded the list to Grayfia, who would then in turn forward it to the assistant of Gremory's Librarian and have their answer in couple of days. Until then she would continue her own surveillance of him in Kuoh and be prepared to act if he stepped out of line. Though so far, he was doing his best to be a model member of her peerage. The redheaded devil had to admit that she had not used his Evil Piece to track him, which would make him suspicious of her as it did emit quite noticeable energy that devils could feel. Instead, her familiar was kept a safe distance from Hyoudou residence, where it confirmed that Issei was not going elsewhere, and she had not taught him teleportation yet.
Speak of the literal devil…
Issei walked inside the office and sat down onto the couch, facing the heiress.
"How was today's training?" she asked, and the brown-haired teenager shrugged. She noticed that his brown hair had turned slightly darker shade of brown, and his face had almost lost all baby fat, giving him a more mature look.
"Kiba and Akeno were interesting sparring partners" he admitted and clasped his hands together "You wanted to speak to me?"
She supposed that this was the side-effect of his own training and the nature of Devilish nature, where the reborn Devils would subconsciously change their mortal bodies to suit them better.
"Yes, I believe that you saw Akeno's devil magic" she began "While your own Sacred Gear may give your abilities that may seem like magic, you haven't experienced true devil magic"
"I am always willing to learn" he admitted and hopefully he didn't hold that much of a grudge on her for his role in her peerage "though I hope you won't try to cook me instantaneously with lightning"
That did cause her to chuckle somewhat at the sarcasm and it did sound like Akeno, who sometimes could be the gentlest person she knew, but at the same time could flip to the most sadistic torturer she had ever met. Shaking her head, she folded the paper sheet, careful that Issei wouldn't see its contents and put it in the pocket of her blazer.
"Don't worry Issei-kun" she smiled at him "I don't use such hands-on methods on the first lesson"
"Your mercy astounds me" the pawn jested with light mockery, and she saw that he was getting more comfortable with the rest of her friends and perhaps once the truth would come out nothing would change. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but Rias always considered herself a rather spirited girl.
"Sometimes I even surprise myself" she joked and rose to retrieve the magic books that contained the very basics of Devil magic. She found that they were placed slightly differently unlike how she would've done it. It must've been Akeno who borrowed these books to repeat the very basics, in case she overlooked some more underutilized techniques. Thinking nothing of it, she grabbed the two tomes and placed them on the table for Issei to reach.
"Thank you" he nodded at her and slowly picked up the topmost tome and flicked the parchment pages "I did want to raise some issues I found while sparring with Kiba and Akeno, perhaps it's something you're aware of, but still, I wanted to mention this"
That did surprise her, but she'd be willing to hear him out if it offered some tangible evidence on how she could improve her peerage's strength. Though with Issei, she felt that their strength had increased considerably, she was not certain that she could rely on him during the Rating games.
"I'm listening Issei-kun"
"Kiba is a splendid swordsman, but in my opinion, he lacks ruthlessness and cunning tactics that often would ensure a fighters survival" Issei began "In rating games as I understand it, honour may be a virtue, but should you face opponent in an actual battle scenario, honour will only matter to corpses"
"I can't say that I necessarily agree with you" she shook her head, but a small voice did question her words, for currently they had eliminated strays and fallen with numerical superiority, participated in Rating games, but indeed, what would happen when, inevitably they would face a superior foe or foes, when their luck would run out?
"I only offer my observations, nothing more" he continued to flick through the pages, no doubt looking at interested him personally, not the basics everyone had to master, perhaps he thought that he had a shortcut ready. Sometimes, correction, often, the Redheaded Devil had no idea what he was thinking and perhaps it was for the best.
"What about Akeno?" she leaned a bit closer to him from her seat, almost subconsciously. The black-haired girl was her trump card and if she had a possible weakness then as her King and friend, Rias had to know. Perhaps he would be wrong again and she would know better than to listen to his ramblings about things he knew nothing about. Like in Kiba's case, he hadn't faced the blonde swordsman in his full might and was telling her what her Knight lacked!
"Her magical strength is superb, but during our sparring she was overconfident and remained in an open area, which would make her an open target for any magician, archer or even human sniper worth their salt." He began and this Rias blamed it on the fact that she was facing a complete beginner, or so it had seemed" She also relied on only using her summons as scouting tools, rather than allies that could set up traps and distract the enemy, she also didn't capitalize on her Queen piece benefits and was lacking within close combat." Issei stated, but before Rias could argue or even agree with his assessment, he had raised a finger.
"All of them should be versed in all disciplines they can master, for they may have a fight, where their honed skills cannot affect the enemy" he stared her in the eyes "That includes you too"
"What do you mean?"
"I may be presumptuous, but from what I've heard and seen, you rely mostly on your overwhelming power and disregard more mundane abilities…Which would be natural for nobility, whose status is ranked by actual and tangible powers"
"I-" Rias suddenly couldn't form an answer as she remembered all knowledge she had been forced to soak up as a pureblood Devil heiress, ranging from singing and dancing to gardening. That was not including the politics of both Underworld and human realms. This was not good at all. Sure, she could disintegrate her enemies and cause powerful explosions, but what if someone negated her powers and fought her in close range? She knew of Bishop weakness, but how could she have forgotten that their piece didn't require them to specialize in only one discipline. Looking at Issei, who likely wasn't Issei at all, she suddenly was aware just how stupid she had been. Did she even know to throw a normal punch? Did Akeno? Kiba? Koneko probably did, but how much of that was technique and not pure strength?
"If you would suggest extended training to others, I doubt that the rest of your peerage would disagree" Issei offered sincere encouragement, but currently Rias doubted that it would do any help to herself "it's just a suggestion, however"
"Thanks" attempting to gather her composure, Rias forced a fake smile at the pawn "I'll think about it"
"Do not worry too much" Issei rose from the couch, both books tucked in his elbows, a reassuring look on her face, one that assured her that she would pick the best course of action.
"Your duty is to lead them to victory, theirs is to follow your instructions to achieve it"
If only now she believed unconditionally that she could lead them to success, when she wasn't the best, she could be.
As the door closed behind Issei Hyoudou, she clutched her head and stared at a fresh sheet of paper. Perhaps this would be just what her peerage needed to propel them into even greater heights. Grabbing a pen, she began to furiously scribble down, outlining with cutesy images what she titled "Super Maou Camp".
A.N:
Malekith has successfully humbled three characters in their own areas and planted a seed of doubt in Rias' mind under the guise of advice. Quite the nasty little bugger, isn't he. Next up we get a chapter without our Elven Edgelord as other characters take the stage, even those that seemingly vanished without a trace.
Responses to reviews:
Ashrazal:
You gotta have some reward for being the first to comment on a new chapter, I'm glad to have you XD
As for Kalawarner and Ingwild, wait and see. Malekith is predominantly a Dhar user, Ulgu comes from ET, as much as I dislike the event.
Demon summoning is big no-no and in a world without them, I believe that the Witch King wouldn't be that insane to use them. Other parties, though…
Grognost:
I think that Rias has potential to be a good lieutenant, if given some 'correction' on her course that like Akeno's exacerbates her mercilessness and sheer destructive potential.
I once did a comparison of her with Mio from Shinmai Maou and I was surprised that during the series the other girl actually learned hand to hand as not to overly rely on her magic powers.
As for Malekith just mindlessly falling for her, its not happening, Rias is still a very infantile Devil and for Malekith to consider her even as a potential bed warmer, she must grow into someone who is willing to carve out her own path. That being said, she does make for an excellent pawn in the political sense once one pesky chicken is removed.
Dragonfox123, Nuraax, Daschinbutton: Thanks guys!
Rhivan: DxD, in my opinion suffers from anime classic powerlevel wanking. However, I'm using a little tool that will help us later to scale Malekith up to the endgame (It's an unspeakable terror to those who loved Warhammer Fantasy and it's not the ET)
Guest: I know I have that chunky crossover, but this is much easier to write and I don't have the time to fix my skyrim modlist to get that ball running. I have 6k in progress chapter and it's stuck on me trying to write non-boring Malyn Varen and Malekith's first impression of the Graybeards
If you have any questions, suggestions, I'll be glad to answer them.
Have a nice day! Be merry!
-Spook
