7 - Limitations, Phoenix
DISCLAIMER
The following is a fan-based story of Fiction
Highschool DxD, New, BorN, Hero and other products related to the DxD series are all owned by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero, Fujimi Shobo and TNK
Please support the official release
NOTE! This Story is recommended for those over the age of 18+ as this story involves actions such as violence, blood, nudity, etc.
NOTE! Any Original Characters (OC's) added into the story were all created by me and are owned by me
Enjoy!
SWOOOOOOOOSH!
A pit of black flames spewed from the young Nakamura's mouth, as he stood in what appeared to be a dojo. Standing on the side was a young woman in her early to mid twenties. Her black hair is mostly allowed to fall freely down her back, with a few strands tied into braids around her hair. Her eyes are blood red, her pupils slit with black flames surrounding the pupil, as she wears a Japanese Goddess like attire, with jewels to bring out her beauty even more. Petruding from her head are two black horns, which tint red nearing the tips. A black and spiked tail is also coming out from her lower back, occasionally swinging back and forth as her nails are more so like claws.
"Again, brat. We'll continue this until you get it right." Erebus spoke, as Takeda turned to her with a small glare.
"And what if I don't?"
"Then I'll know I made the wrong decision. Continue to mindlessly shoot your flames and you'll never get it right." Takeda took in her words, as she slowly walked closer. She placed her clawed hand on the top of his head, shocking him a bit. "We've already been over this. Becoming a Devil makes using the light powers more difficult, but your Fallen Angel blood helps make it easier for you to use. Search within yourself and find the power of a Fallen Angel, and you'll eventually reach grand heights." She spoke words of wisdom, at least that's what they sounded like to him. He never did bother to try and use his light abilities as a Fallen Angel, nor has he tried training with it.
"Right. I didn't really think of that, did I?" He asked, earning a slap across the head from Erebus in response.
"Of course you didn't, you brat. Simply training over the same thing over and over again won't always work, find your true drive, what truly pushes you forward. Protecting those you have left in this world is only the beginning of your true drive. What is it you want more than anything else in this world? Think on these words, and eventually...you'll find the answer."
Takeda could only nod, as Erebus back up, holding her hands behind her back.
"The Queen of Rias Gremory, she told you how high of an affinity you have with lightning.." Takeda looked her in her eyes, a slightly shocked expression on his face.
"Yeah?"
"Mmmm. Most believe fire is the most destructive element, but..." Erebus grabbed Takeda's arm, poking her claw against his palm. Suddenly, static began to buildup in the palm, as his fingers began to spaz out a bit. "...Lightning takes the number one spot. It's destructive properties are bigger than fire simply because lightning can be unpredictable. You'll never know when lightning will appear, or when you'll hear thunder, because it has no pattern. That is what truly makes lightning more destructive than fire."
"I see..." Takeda muttered, as Erebus took her claw away. The static charges slowly disappeared.
"Our training for the night is done. Next time you come here, we'll get to work on your lightning abilities, and perhaps when you get better with it, you can combine your lightning with my flames." With those words spoke, Erebus poked him on the forehead, as the world around them began to break apart.
Takeda found his eyes open as he sat up from the bed, as the alarm blared loudly. It annoyed him greatly, as he slammed his hand on the clock. When he saw the time, his eyes widened.
'4:30...!? Oh yeah, morning training in the park...' With a groan, Takeda raised himself up and out of bed, only to fall back on the bed. 'Fatigue...great...'
"Gaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Takeda watched the brunette pawn rush him, a fist cocked back and ready to hit him. He held his usual stance, as he blocked every incoming punch. Takeda looked over Issei, and noticed that he had way too many openings. Sure, a good punch will do well in a fight, but where's that strength if you don't have defenses to back them up if you are put on the ropes? It was one of the things Takeda learned first in terms of martial arts. A well rounded fighter has a better chance to win than any other fighter type, because of the very name itself, a well rounded fighter.
With a heavy sigh, Takeda caught the next punch, before flipping Issei over his shoulder. The brunette landed with a thud, as he coughed in pain from the landing. Issei went to stand back up, but felt Takeda place his booted foot on his chest.
"Seriously, Issei. Do you take any of this training seriously?" Takeda asked. Takeda had been training with Issei nearly every morning in order to raise his potential, but results weren't the best. Takeda didn't want to do it, but it was probably the only thing he could use to make him grow stronger. "Listen...your big dream is becoming this harem king thing, right?"
"O-Of course, it's the biggest thing I've wanted in my life!" Takeda sighed, but continued.
"Then how could you ever pleasure all those women with such little stamina. Your overall stamina is terrible, how could you ever please so many women? Before even the second woman, you'd pass out." Takeda could see the light filling in Issei's eyes. He had to take his boot off of Issei's chest as the young man pushed himself back up.
Rias watched from afar with a slight smile, watching the two spar once again. She heard many things from Takeda, but one thing had stuck with her.
"Training is the thing in the world that shows you can grow in any way. Believing natural talent alone will make you powerful, is the same as saying you've reached your peak."
The very first day Takeda and Issei had begun training, Issei asked why Takeda would train as much as he did, after hearing of his training schedules. That was his response. She didn't know why, but it felt like he spoke those words to not only Issei, but to her as well. And it stuck with her ever since. It took some time, but she began training herself whenever she had time. And his words spoke truth, as she slowly found herself growing better with not only her magic, but her stamina.
It had been a week since the group had gone to the Familiar Forest, and things were seeming to go back to normal. But that wasn't couldn't be any farther from the truth. Sure, things were normal for the rest of the group, but for Rias herself, things were only going to pick up soon enough.
She allowed herself to forget those thoughts for this moment, turning her eyes back to the two young men. Whatever it was Takeda said to Issei, it seemed to greatly motivate him as Takeda was doing nothing but dodging and blocking strikes now. Though, his face still held it's nuetral look.
Takeda had been pushed far back enough to where a medium sized rock made him lose his footing. Usually, someone would fall, but Takeda's reflexes kicked in. He placed his hands on the ground and flipped back, landing back on his feet. He did have to duck again, as Issei continued to pursue. Even if he was driven harder now, it didn't change the fact that his punches were all clumsy. Sure, they would bring some damage on an opponent, but no other long lasting effects would take place.
"Focus on certain points to hit." Takeda stated, as he grabbed Issei's hand this time. The brunette showed a confused look on his face from what he said. "Within the human body, there are certain weak spots. Hit them, and long lasting damage will be done to them. It'll give you an advantage in a fight. If possible, you could try to attack the pressure points of the body to knock the opponent unconscious." Takeda explained, earning an exaggerated 'ooh' from Issei.
"Well, I think your two hours is up." Both turned to see Rias walking closer, her eyes finding Takeda's. "How did he do?"
"There's some improvement. It's little, but it's there. If we continue, he'll continue to grow for sure." He explained, receiving a nod from Rias. The crimson haired beauty looked around frantically, her arms crossed under her chest.
"Strange, I expected her to be here by now."
"Who?" Issei asked, before the sound of running steps were getting closer to them. All three turned to see Asia running closer, a wooden made basket in hand as she held her usual smile on her face.
"Ise-san! Takeda-san! President! Sorry I'm lat- woaah!" She seemed to have tripped on her own foot, as she fell to the ground. Issei quickly made his way over and helped her up, leading her to Rias and Takeda. The two sat on one of the benches, as Asia reached into the basket she brought with her. From it, she handed Issei a bottle of water. She also handed one to Takeda, who nodded in thanks.
"So Asia, why are you here?" Issei asked.
"O-Oh! President asked for me to come. She said some help could be needed in your morning training." She explained with her hands held together in her lap.
"Is that so, President?" Takeda asked, looking towards Rias. She seemed to be spacing out though, her eyes staring aimlessly into the sky above. Takeda walked closer, placing his hand gently on her shoulder. "President, is everything alright?" She seemed to break out of the trance, shaking her head and giving him a smile.
"Yes, I'm fine, Takeda."
Takeda didn't look fully convinced, but he decided to drop it for now. He took another sip from his bottle of water, before turning to the exit of the park.
"I'll be heading home for now. Got some things I need to take care of." Takeda stated, as Rias turned to him.
"Of course. Have a good day, Keda."
He gave a small wave as he exited the park, ready for a good afternoon nap.
"Truly, you should stopping about others families, and focus more on worrying about your own."
"It's not if I come near them...it's if I haven't already come near them~"
As he got closer and to the neighborhood, he began to see smoke rising into the air. Covered in fire, light spears sticking out of sections of the house.
"Come on, mama. Stop playing around. Come out of hiding...this isn't fun anymore...Mama...wake up...come on, wake up...Wake up...wake up...wake...up..."
"Hehehehehehe...hahahaha...haha...ha...ha...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
"Takeda!" The young mans eyes shot open, as he saw Kuroka was stood next to his bed, her hands on his shoulder. It was evident she had forcefully woken him up. Her face held worry, as his own breathing was very heavy.
"W-Wh...what happened...?" He asked, wiping away the sweat he had built up.
"I'm sure it was a nightmare." Kuroka stated, as she slowly sat herself on the bed. "Perhaps a form of PTSD?" She asked.
"M-Maybe..." Kuroka looked at him with saddened eyes. The time that Amelie had destroyed Takeda's old home, along with killing his parents, Kuroka had left for a week to report back to Takeda's mother. She knew it herself that if she stayed for a bit longer, perhaps she could have saved both of his adoptive parents and stopped Amelie.
Slowly, Kuroka brought Takeda closer, laying his head atop her chest as she herself laid down.
"Get some more rest, I'll be right here if there's another nightmare." She spoke gently in his ear. Usually, Kuroka's personality would be the sexual and flirty type, but that wasn't something Takeda needed right now. He needed true comfort, and she would give him exactly that.
Another two hours passed, before Takeda woke again. Thankfully, this time he woke up peacefully, which made Kuroka happy. The two had gone to the kitchen, where Kuroka actually cooked up breakfast for the two.
It was something Takeda wasn't expecting, but then again, he didn't know everything about the Nekoshou. She set a plate in front of him, as she sat across from him with a plate of her own.
"I don't know too many recipes, so I hope you're okay with an american styled breakfast." She said, as Takeda nodded. The two slowly ate, as they continued their conversation.
"That's fine. Getting food in my system is the best thing right now, so thank you." He gave the Nekoshou a small smile, which she returned.
"Of course. You're still allowing me to live here, so I need to do my part." She explained.
"That's not necessary." He stated, making Kuroka look at him with a confused expression. "I still have to fix your situation as it is, and even then, I'd still let you stay here. You don't have anything to pay me back for." He spoke.
Kuroka did have a shocked expression on her face, but it changed to a warm smile, as she began to giggle. Takeda looked confused for a second, but she reached over and placed her hand on top of his.
"You're just like she said you were. You're impulsive, but in a good way. You're not afraid to help others, even if you get nothing in return." Kuroka slowly stood from her seat, walking over to Takeda with a small sway in her hips.
She stood behind him, slowly resting her arms over his shoulders, her head held on his shoulder, as she whispered in his ear.
"You know how I told you that I had been labeled a stray?"
"Y-Yeah.."
"Well, the Devils saw my kind as a threat to them, and tried to have them all killed off. Thankfully, the Youkai of Kyoto were able to step in and stop it, taking all Nekomata and Nekoshou under the care and protection of the Youkai Faction. Even then, a little over half of my race had already been killed."
"I see, but what are you getting at?" Takeda asked, before giving a light yelp as he felt her gently lick his neck.
"Perhaps there is something you can do for me. The tradegy that it is, that most of my kind that were killed off were of the male gender. So my goal for a while has been to repopulate my kind with plenty of newborns. I can guess you see what I'm getting at here, right~?"
Takeda's eyes widened, as her smile turned into a smirk, as one of her tails came around and traced against Takeda's cheek.
"I would like for you to be the father of my kittens~ You have great qualities, I can tell. You would do well." She spoke, as Takeda thought about it.
"I don't want children if myself and the mother don't hold feelings for one another." He said, which only made Kuroka's smirk widen.
'If only you knew, cutie'' She thought to herself.
"I see...I'll leave you alone about it for now. In fact, there is something else I wanted to speak to you about."
"Sure, what is it?" Takeda asked, as Kuroka moved back to her own seat.
"Well, as a species of Youkai myself, we are able to detect if someone holds some kind of affinity with our abilities and powers." Kuroka stated.
"What kind of powers?"
"The usual stuff. Senjutsu, touki, among other things. Surprisingly enough, you hold a bit of an affinity with these abilities." Kuroka stated, shocking Takeda.
"Truthfully?"
"Mmhmm. I wouldn't lie to you about something like this for a reason. Besides, I told you for a reason, considering you are your mothers son and all. I'd be willing to train you in using these abilities myself, considering I've mastered the techniques and such." Kuroka said.
"You don't want anything in return for this training?"
"I'm already getting something out of all of this."
"Huh?" Takeda was very confused.
"My littler sister and you are apart of the same peerage. All I've ever wanted was for her to be safe, no matter what. Even if that meant I wasn't in the same state as her. Seeing as I still can't see or speak with her yet, all I want is for you to protect her when she can't protect herself. Other than that, and my little kittens, I don't want anything else."
Takeda looked Kuroka dead in the eye, and could see the sincerity within her eyes. With a small smile, he nodded.
"I'll make sure harm never comes to her then." Kuroka matched his smile with one of her own, as she finished her plate. She stood up, and noticing that Takeda was done as well. With a small sigh, she walked towards the sink.
"Make sure you have some free moving clothes, training starts in an hour. Don't bother with showering yet, it'll be a waste since you'll be showering twice." She turned back to him, sticking her tongue out with a wink.
Takeda didn't know why, but the wink and tongue out looked cute, but there was something deadly about it at the same time.
She wasn't joking. Kuroka had Takeda training all day long, and now his entire body was completely sore. Not just physically, but mentally sore as well. It even became difficult for him to shower as it was.
She did say she would help him shower, but he politely denied her advances. Now, Takeda was in the Clubroom with Rias, Akeno, Koneko, and a woman he had never met before. She held flowing silver colored hair twisted down into french braids, the other portion allowed to fall down her back, her eyes a bright red color. She is wearing a white and blue french styled maid outfit, her face kept stoic and calm. Apparently, her name was Grayfia Lucifuge.
He wanted to ask what was going on, but the atmosphere alone made decide against it.
Rias was sat at her desk as usual, Akeno at her side while Grayfia stood in front of the desk. Takeda and Koneko were sat on the sofas, just as the rest of the group walked in. Kiba easily recognized Grayfia. Rias, giving a sigh, stood from her seat.
"Good, everyone's here." Rias said.
"My Lady, permission to speak out?" Grayfia asked.
"It's alright, I'll explain. You see, the thing is-" Rias was interupted as a magic circle appeared at the doors. Flames sprouted out, as a figure was seen in the flames.
"It's been quite some time since Riser last came to the Human World." The figure said, his voice masculine as the flames disappeared. He had sleek blonde hair and blue eye's, wearing a nicely colored red suit, with a white undershirt and black dress shoes. The white undershirt was unbuttoned a bit at the top, revealing just a bit of his chest.
The man looked around, before he laid his eye's on Rias. Takeda watched and saw Rias glare at the man. "Rias, it's been quite some time since we last saw one another."
"What do you want Riser?" Rias asked coldly, as the now named Riser walked forward a bit.
"Our marriage has been rescheduled, has it not? It'd be best for us to visit the marriage hall and make sure everything is prepared. It'd be best for us to not waste time." Riser said, roughly grabbing onto Rias' arm. Takeda easily felt anger come over him, and apparently, so did Issei. Rias however, stood her ground.
"Wait, who's this douchebag?" Issei asked, confused at the situation.
"This gentleman is Lord Riser Phenex, the third son of the Phenex clan, and fiancee to the current hieress to the Gremory clan." Grayfia explained.
"Wait, so that means...he's marrying Rias!?"
"That is correct. Lord Riser and Lady Rias have been engaged for quite some time now."
Riser and Rias had taken a seat on one of the couches, Riser's arm over her shoulder.
"Ah, the tea made by Rias' Queen is superb." Riser said with a small smile, as Akeno gave a small bow and the rest of the group stood behind the other couch.
"Thank you for the compliment, sir." Her tone sounded nice, but underneath it, you could easily hear the hatred. Riser's hand gentle caressed Rias' thigh, which made Issei have to clench his fists tightly, so tight he drew blood. Finally having enough, Rias brushed off his hand before standing.
"Have you already forgotten, Riser. I have no intention of marrying someone as vile as you are." Rias said, her darkened glare still on Riser.
"Yes, you said that before, but this marriage itself is for the best and future of our race as Devils. Riser said as he continued to relax on the couch. "That's what this whole marriage was made for. Are you willing to put your own needs before those of your own race?" Riser asked.
"This has nothing to do with the better of our race and you damn well know it!" Rias yelled out. "Besides...I'm willing to take a husband."
"Lovely, then let us go to the-"
"But my husband will be of my choice! Even those from the old Noble Clans are allowed that right, correct?" Rias questioned with crossed arms. Riser gave an annoyed sigh, before standing up and forcing Rias to look at him using his hand to grab her chin.
"Listen up, Rias. I will only say this once more. The future of the Devil Race is on the line with this marriage. Putting such idiotic thoughts out will only cause trouble for not only you but the entire Gremory clan. In this case, I will take you to the Underworld with me, even if I have to kill every last member of your peerage." Riser said, his eye's glowing orange, while Rias' began to glow crimson red.
"If I may." Grayfia stepped forward. "Lady Rias, if you wish to continue to argue against the engagement, then there is one alternative you can take."
"I know that already. If it's a Rating Game, then I'll say it now. I agree and accept." Rias said, shocking Grayfia a bit.
"A Rating Game?" Issei question.
"It's a game played by the Devils. A king and his or her peerage will have battle with another King and his or her peerage." Akeno explained.
"In normal cases, only matured Devils may play in the games, but-"
"When it comes to family matters such as this, it's allowed." Rias finished with crossed arms. "If it truly is the only option, then I have no problem with it."
"Then so be it, but I must ask, is this little group the most of your peerage?"
"So what if they are?" Rias asked.
"Hahahahahahaha, then this shall be a cake walk." Riser then snapped his fingers. A magic circle appeared on the floor. From within it appeared 15 women. Takeda looked them all over, and felt that they all had a bit of power, but not all of them were that high in power. "Unlike you I have a complete set." Riser said proudly, but Rias shook her head.
"It means nothing. Ever heard the saying quality over quantity?" Rias asked, making Riser glare at her.
"He has 15, and they're all hot as hell...why can't I be this guy!" Issei yelled before he began to ball his eye's out. Takeda could only facepalm at the boys stupidity.
"Rias, why is your servant looking at me and weeping uncontrollably?" Riser asked.
"Because his dream is to have a harem." Rias said with a sigh and facepalm.
"Ewww, what a total barbarian." One of the girls in Riser's peerage said in disgust.
"Is that so? Yubeluna."
"Yes, Lord Riser." One of the woman walked forward. Riser grabbed the back of her head, before making out with her. Rias looked at him in disgust, while Issei watched in jealousy. Riser soon stood behind Yubeluna, before roughly grabbing and massaging one of her breasts.
"You'll never have this, boy. You'll never even be close to Riser. You'll always just be a low-class Devil." Riser said with a smirk, as Issei clenched his fists.
"Shut up! With due time, I'll grow hella strong, become a High-class Devil, and then have my own harem, one way better than yours! You damn Penex breathe." Takeda could only breathe in heavily at the stupidity. Though, he did notice Issei's eyes beginning to faintly glow green.
"Tch! You dare insult a High-Class Devil! Mira!" Riser called for one of his peerage members. The young girl had blue colored hair and brown colored eyes. She also held a staff, which helped Takeda know what his instincts were telling him.
"What's she gonna do? She's tiny-" Issei began to panic nearing the end of his sentence, as Mira rushed him. Just as her staff was about to connect with his abdomen, a hand grabbed it just in time, holding it tightly.
All heads looked towards Takeda, who was now standing next to Issei, his hand gripping the staff tightly. He didn't say anything. He only made his grip tighter, as Mira attempted to pull away the staff.
It took them all a minute, but now they all saw his eyes, they weren't his Sacred Gear, no. They were like a wolf's.
It didn't take long before the staff was broken apart, as Takeda tossed away the piece he held while Mira fell over, as she had not expected it to happen then. Takeda didn't bother with her anymore, turning to Issei.
"Heh, thanks man, I would have been done for- guah!" Issei's eyes grew wide in shock as Takeda's fist made contact with his gut.
"Takeda!" Rias called out, as Issei fell to the floor. Takeda slowly bent down, resting his arms on his knee's.
"Have I taught you nothing in training?" Takeda finally spoke. "One of the first lessons I gave you, to never underestimate an opponent and to figure out what they can do. It seems like you forgot that." Issei let out a groan, as Takeda got back to a vertical position. Finally, his eyes turned to Riser, who began to sweat heavily.
Why? Takeda may have no noticed it, but his aura was leaking out quite a bit, the dense black aura shaping up and forming into the shape of a giant wolf behind him. Everyone else was seeing it too, as the aura seemed to grow a pair of golden slit eyes, and a widened smirk.
The part of it that seemed to scare Riser and a most of the other Devils in the room, is because of the light energy running throughout the aura. Yes, it is a black colored aura, but there are specks of a silver color running through it, almost looking like veins running throughout the aura.
"To have the audacity to stand before someone you dare call your fiancee, and still do the things you do. You are the worst kind of person. Not only that..." The aura began to leak out a bit more. "Your arrogance is pissing me off, even more so than hers. The arrogant ones are the worst type of people..." He muttered.
"R-Rias, what is wrong with your servant?" Riser asked, as Takeda slowly glared at him.
"It's not my place to speak." She stated, standing ready to intervene should Takeda try to attack Riser. Of course, she wanted out of this marriage, but she didn't wish death on a fellow Devil, and she knew what Takeda did to the last person who showed as much arrogance as Riser is.
To her, it wasn't just a matter of arrogance, but why the arrogance is there. So far, Takeda had seen his arrogance over the fact that his peerage consists of 15, and Rias' only 7. He was underestimating what her group could do, and he didn't appreciate it.
Perhaps it was the dragon in him that was getting a bit prideful at that fact.
"W-Well, considering my dear has agreed to the Rating Game, I suppose it would only be fair to give you some time to train." Riser spoke, as Rias looked at him. "I'd want you all to be at your best when I beat you all into oblivion after all." He grew a smirk, but missed the large vein that grew on Takeda's right arm.
Unconsciously, his nails turned into claws, something even he didn't know he could do, as veins seems to pulsate near his fingers.
Before Riser had a chance to move, Takeda was in front of him, punching him straight in the chest, as it pushed him back and through the wall.
Takeda stood there with his arm outstretched.
Grayfia watched it all, but even she couldn't stop herself from showing shock at the sight of his hand. She had seen it somewhere before, but she couldn't remember just where.
With a heavy breathe of air, Takeda lifted his head, showing the heated glare he held in his eyes. Riser came back in slowly, his own glare in his eyes.
"You...! I'll enjoy killing you specifically in the Rating Game, you damn brat!" Riser spoke, as sparks of flames flew off of his body. Just as Riser was about to launch forward to give Takeda a preview, Grayfia spoke up.
"That's enough." Her voice was calm, but the level of demand within her voice was enough to make him stop in his tracks. "There has been enough despute for the time being. Save the battle for the Rating Game. If you choose to move against my orders, then I will personally step in." Her face was still monotone, but her eyes were sharp, showing just how serious she was.
Riser swallowed the lump in his throat, calming himself. Takeda turned to Grayfia, before looking towards Rias. She mouthed 'listen to her' and nodded her head. With a sigh, his nails slowly returned to normal, as his aura disappeared. He walked back towards Rias, helping Issei onto his feet, as Riser glared at his back.
"I still meant what I said before. 2 weeks to train yourself and your peerage, Rias. Perhaps then you'll stand a chance." Riser said, as magic circle appeared underneath him and his peerage. "You boy, I'll be waiting for you in the Rating Game. Make sure you survive until the end, so I can personally end you. Deaths in Rating Games aren't an unusual thing to occur, after all." With those words stated, Riser and his peerage disappeared, with Riser and Takeda still glaring at one another.
Once they were fully gone, Grayfia allowed herself to sigh.
"I'll be returning to the Underworld to relay the information I've learned here. I'm sure the request for 2 weeks of training will not be denied." Grayfia spoke.
Rias was about to retort, but Takeda spoke up.
"Training is the thing in the world that shows you can grow in any way. Believing natural talent alone will make you powerful, is the same as saying you've reached your peak." He spoke those very words that kept with her.
He looked her in the eyes, nodding his head with a small smile. She did grow a small blush, but returned his smile and nodded back.
"Thank you Grayfia. We'll be sure to use the time wisely." Rias said. Grayfia had seen the interaction, but kept her words to herself. With a final nod, she disappeared in a magic circle.
"Everyone, get home and packed. We leave at 5 in the morning for training. No excuses. Got it?"
[Yes, President!]
Everyone responded, besides Takeda. He seemed to be in his own world, as he slowly left with the others.
From within his own mindscape, Erebus watched the scene with a smirk, her arms crossed as she sat in the mountain range.
"You're learning more and more, Takeda. Continue to learn, and you'll become unstoppable." She spoke, as she returned to her Dragon form, taking to the skies and flying off. "For her son would never succumb to losing to the fake Phoenix!" She roared out, as her body disappeared into the clouded skies.
Stay Safe...
Stay Healthy...
Have a good one!
