Chapter 5: Training and Strategy


The following day was rather hectic for Merlin and Zelda; after Midoriya explained everything Eveline had told him (from the week's end execution to the abduction of Zelda and Eveline's baby brothers) the two masterminds had to throw together a new escape plan within just a few hours. Because of that, everyone else was kicked out of Merlin's study within Camelot and were told to entertain themselves with training. Bryan took the opportunity to claim Midoriya as his sparring partner, pushing his sister off onto Drystan.

"Dude, that's wicked!" Bryan grinned as Midoriya struck him with his Shoot Style. "Come on, don't slow down now!"

Midoriya landed a few feet away from Bryan and quickly charged again. Bryan wanted to see what kind of power Midoriya had and Midoriya wasn't opposed to showing him his progress. Of course, without his equipment, his attacks weren't the same. He had to be careful, which meant that Bryan wasn't seeing the full extent of Midoriya's abilities.

It was a bit disappointing for Midoriya, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. "Hey, this isn't just about me! Show me what you can do too!"

"Heh, alright!"

Midoriya wondered at how Bryan could be so cheerfully energetic when in a fight (he was like a cross between Ashido and Kaminari with his bubbliness) but he had to remember what Eveline had told him that night after his meeting with Zelda.


We're the children of the Seven Deadly Sins; the strongest knights in all of Britannia. Our parents passed on their legacy to us and it's our duty to become the next Sins. Uncle Ban was an immortal human, his tolerance for pain was passed down to his children, just like his strength and powers. Bryan probably takes the most after him; not only in looks and physique, but he's stronger than you'd expect. I'd be wary of his Fox Hunt if I were you.


There was a part of Midoriya that was thrilled to be training again and to have someone new to spar against. Bryan's style wasn't anything different to him, except that Bryan was surprisingly agile and quick on his feet. It made Midoriya realize that his movements still weren't quick enough to keep up and he made a note to work on that.

"Not bad, You leave yourself open a lot though," Bryan said as Midoriya called for a break. "That hero training you were talking about, it looks like it does you some good, Deku."

Midoriya smiled and nodded as he wiped away the sweat on his forehead. "Yeah, but I'm still a first-year, so don't expect me to be perfect just yet."

"Huh!?" Bryan approached Midoriya and ground his fist into the teenager's head, "Don't go around thinking like that! There's no such thing as being perfect! Every battle you face is an opportunity to develop, even when you think you got it figured out."

Midoriya tenderly rubbed the sore spot that the blonde gave him and, when he peeked up at the taller man, he saw a hint of sadness in his red eyes. "Yeah...you're right…"

"That's more like it." Bryan grinned before moving away to stretch out. "Hey, so what's this whole training thing you do for? With that kind of power, I'd thought you'd be used to it by now."

"A-Ah..well," Midoriya looked away as he carefully worded his response. "You see, in my world, you have to have a special license to be a hero, and since we're still kids, we have to train constantly to make sure we're ready for the next villain."

"You can't just help people? That's dumb."

"Heh...kind of, but that's how things are and being a hero is my dream so I have to keep working hard to get to where I need to be." Midoriya grinned up at Bryan and added, "I'm getting close; one day I'll be the greatest hero."

Bryan looked down at the teenager; at first, he was confused, but then he smiled. "I haven't heard ambition like that in years! I like it!"

That caught Midoriya off guard as Bryan smiled at him. "When did you last hear it?"

Bryan shrugged, "It's been a long time, but I think it was when I was fifteen when Eveline said something like that."

"Eveline…?"

"Yeah," Bryan turned his gaze to the horizon and continued, "it was back before any of this happened. When everything was still okay and we could be kids. Eveline believed that she had the power to help everyone and she only hoped that she had the strength to do it."

Midoriya observed as Bryan wiped away a tear that threatened to fall from his red eyes. "How old was she?"

"Ten, and she had just been gifted Lostvayne by her father."

"Lost-what?"

"Lostvayne," Bryan turned back to Midoriya with a nostalgic look drawn over his face. "It was her father's sacred treasure that Bartra had given to him a long time ago. It's a demon sword, only the owner of it can use it. And I think that's one of the things that drove Guinevere off the edge…"

"Huh?" Midoriya wanted to ask for more details but Bryan ended the subject with a request to continue training. "O-Oh, sure, um…"

It was hard for Midoriya to get into the fight, so he asked Bryan to show him his unique power instead. Bryan was all too happy to comply which led to Midoriya feeling his body being pulled toward the blonde.

"Snatch: I can take physical objects from you as well as your strength, energy, or just stop you from moving. I don't even need to touch you." Bryan pulled Midoriya toward him, an act that caught the younger one off guard, however, he managed to regain himself and took the momentum to deliver a hard punch to the gut.

"Oof!" Bryan cried as Midoriya's fist collided with his stomach, "Nice, but you're open again!"

Grabbing Midoriya's outstretched forearm, Bryan pulled him closer to rebuild momentum before slamming Midoriya into the ground, creating a crater beneath both of them. Midoriya felt the earth break before he felt the pain.

Extraordinary power! He thought with a smile, I could learn a lot from these guys!

Mael, who was watching the fight, called it a tie between them on account that neither could outmatch the other just yet. Neither knew how long he had been watching them, but it didn't matter.

"Give it time, more practice will do you good." He turned to see how Drystan and Anna were faring, only to see that they were in a rock fight. "Those two…"

"Leave 'em," Bryan grinned as he wrapped his arm around Midoriya in half-hug, "let's try something new! What do you recommend, Deku?"

Midoriya gave the suggestion a thought and suggested that they practiced maneuvering through the air. "I've had some experience with it, but I'm not great."

"Without the ability to fly, it is hard to maneuver around. Especially if you got rubble flying with you!" Bryan glanced around and shrugged, "We could ask Drystan to help; he can control the earth and make obstacles for us to run through."

"But we need to have someone fighting us…"

"I can do that," Mael offered with a smile, "you've fought against each other already, try working together this time."

"Work together, huh? Like a partnership?"

"Exactly," The goddess nodded, "working together is essential to this kind of rescue. We're going to have many obstacles once we find Eveline."

"Yeah, you're right," Deku turned to Bryan and smiled, "Let's do this!"

"Alright!" The two hurried toward the rock fight and asked Drystan to help them with their training.

At first, Drystan was against helping them as he didn't want to do anything of the sort, but Anna managed to change his mind after promising to make him as many pies as he could eat if he did as he was asked. After a moment of arguing over the flavor of the pies that he wanted, he finally gave in.

They then had to come up with a plan on how to do the exercise. Drystan didn't participate in the conversation and Midoriya and Bryan weren't sure of how to proceed, so Mael pitched the idea of making it a race. He told Drystan to create a small labyrinth for the duo to run through; it needed to be uneven and somewhat sturdy since they were trying to imitate a real battle. With no time limit or even destination in mind, the goddess only told them to see how long they could outrun him until they called quits. He then summoned a small amount of his power and began bombarding them with energy blasts. He would blast them from every direction possible, not always to hit them. Sometimes he wanted to slow them down, other times he wanted to see if he could easily separate them.

With each attack, Midoriya and Bryan made sure to keep each other in mind; they did their best to not stray too far from the other's side and, should anything separate them (like the rock from one of Mael's blasts) it was their priority to find each other. They figured that being together in battle was important so they did their best to keep close even though it wasn't worth doing during this exercise.

"Mael's power is amazing!" Midoriya cried as he and Bryan overcame one of the goddess' attacks. "Are all goddesses like this?"

"Nah, Mael has a grace!" Bryan explained as he dodged some falling rocks. "Sunshine! His sun-based power follows the timing of the sun; if the sun's going up, so will his power."

"And it's the opposite when the sun goes down?"

"Yup!" The two dodged a wall that Drystan commanded to rise between them. They were now separated and they had two options; either they could try and breakthrough or find a way around.

"Keep going!" Midoriya cried, hoping that Bryan could hear him over the wall. "look for a weak point!"


Drystan's power comes from his mother Diane, the queen of Giants and Sin of Envy. They can control the earth through dance, essentially. But their power, while almost limitless, has its flaws. In a way though, having nature on your side increases your chances of survival in battle.

If you want to beat the earth, you have to know it's weaknesses. You also have to be a bit unconventional. Typically, we try to fight in the fields and valleys so there's less need for damage control, but we can't always be so lucky.

Think of how you can minimize the destruction and you'll find a way to beat Drystan.


Searching for weak points in the walls wasn't easy for Midoriya; Jirou could do it easily but not him. So how could he test the walls without expelling his energy? In moments like these, conservative was key, so what could he do?

He thought about it while he raced through the crumbling grounds. He had to assume that Drystan could easily fix any hole Midoriya made, but that might be giving Drystan too much credit. Eveline mentioned that Drystan wasn't great with his powers. He was still learning how to use it.

It's better than nothing! Midoriya gathered fair enough energy to perform an ordinary Detroit Smash and punched his way through the wall, making a clear hole for him to zip through. He flew through the hole, meeting Bryan as the blue-haired man was further behind thanks to a steady stream of energy blasts that slowed him down.

"Good to see you alive!" Bryan teased as they quickly took shelter from Mael's attacks. "Not to sound rude, but I thought this was a maneuvering exercise."

"Mael's changed his mind, I guess," Peeking his head out from their hiding spot, Midoriya saw Mael approach Drystan; the two over were talking and Midoriya assumed they were devising some sort of plan.

"Deku, Bryan!" Both of them poked their heads out, "how about we try something new?"


Mael is the only surviving archangel of the original Goddess clan. Only they were gifted Graces, just like the Ten Commandments were gifted their Commandments. His Grace is limited because of how powerful it is.

He essentially has the power of the sun, but as you can guess, the sun can't shine all day. He has his weaknesses, few as they are. The larger his attacks, the less he can maneuver, that normally isn't an issue because those kinds of attacks are meant for a cluster of enemies. Still, the heat radiating from his body will slow you down if you're too close.


What the group agreed upon was a five-minute race through the labyrinth; Flora and Anna would keep track of the time while Mael and Drystan were allowed to go all out on stopping the racing duo. They had to make it to the center of the Labyrinth before time ran out and, to mark the center, Flora placed a single sunflower as their 'flag' of sorts.

"Ready?" the girls called out, earning varying affirmative replies, "GO!"

Midoriya and Bryan shot out of their hiding spot, splitting to their decided paths. Mael and Drystan couldn't focus on both at once, so they were forced to split as well.


"Mael's attacks are a bit much for me, but you didn't see that bothered," Midoriya noted as they discussed their plan of attack.

"Pain tolerance gotta love it," Bryan laughed before adding, "Not to mention I used some of the loose boulders as shields. I flung them up to block him so I could get a clear path."

Midoriya nodded, that was a brilliant plan for something thought up on the fly. "So, how about this; when the girls say go, we split ways. I'll play chicken with Drystan and you with Mael. We'll try to meet at the ledge just up ahead and we can try a dual attack on them."

"Sounds like a plan!"


Drystan cursed as Midoriya was quicker than he had anticipated, as the teenager had the advantage of speed while Drystan had to rely on his Creation to help him keep up, but Midoriya was counting on that. He hadn't used his fullest speed during that first run mostly because he was trying to conserve his strength, but now that he had a better plan, there was no need for it.

Keep him making more diversions, when it's time to strike, he should be too tired to fight with any real strength.


Magic is tricky: when we use it too much, we become exhausted but it's hard to get to that point for seasoned warriors. Those like my friends, however, are easier to exhaust. We weren't trained for battle, there never was a need for it because our childhoods were peaceful. That changed when Guinevere gained leadership over the Black Knights.

Their experience is limited, but you've seen battle before right? Please, teach them too. If they are to fight for me, they're going against people who've spent every waking moment preparing themselves for war. Help them.


Don't worry Eveline, your friends will make it through this. Midoriya zipped to the ledge, meeting Bryan there as they readied themselves for their attack.

"Two Minutes!"

"That's plenty of time!" Bryan grinned while he reached out to snatch Drystan, "PHYSICAL HUNT!"
Midoriya focused on Mael and sped his way through the air. Mael wasn't as easy to drain as Drystan was, but that wasn't the point where he was concerned.

Midoriya stuck out his hand, his fist curled as he prepared his onslaught of attacks. Delaware Smash Air Force!

Mael easily avoided the attack, however, one of his wings did get hit by it. Though it didn't affect Mael's ability to fly, Midoriya noticed that injury did affect Mael as though he had struck a sensitive area.


Most goddesses now don't have many wings because those who survived the first Holy War weren't involved in the war. They were citizens, normal people, and they were never drafted into the war for any reason. Because of this, their wings are very sensitive. For someone like Mael, his smaller wings are like this but it's a particular spot, very hard to hit because he knows it there.


So it's there, at the joint of his wing. Midoriya grinned as he reached the injured goddess. With a swift kick, he performed a decent Shoot Style: St Louis Smash, though it didn't do much against him.

"Nice try," Mael grabbed Midoriya's calf and flung him away from the finishing line, though the teenager was caught by Bryan. However, even though their efforts didn't yield the exact end that they wanted, it still worked to their advantage as they did land near the end.

"Sixty seconds!"

"GO!" The two quickly headed toward the sunflower, hoping that they might reach it, though Drystan made one last attempt to stop them by encasing them in a trap. However, Midoriya sensing the rock closing in around them, used Detroit Smash at 8%, just enough to clear a path for him and Bryan.

"Five!"

The two were just within arms reach.

"Four!"

Mael and Drystan each tried to stop them; Drystan summoned smaller walls as his energy was weak from being worn down by the exercise while Mael, hardly fazed, used a moderately powerful attack on the duo.

"Three!"

"Just a little more!" they grinned as the flower was just right there.

"TWO!"
Mael's attack landed behind the duo, sending them flying. Their bodies collided with a jagged wall of rock as the clock expired.

"ONE! TIME'S UP!" the girls cried with squeals and giggles. "Who won?"

Mael flew down to where the two ended up going, hoping that his attack prevented them from grabbing the flower. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. As they peeled themselves from the wall, in Midoriya's hand was the sunflower, unharmed somehow.

"I'll give you two credit, you're creative." Mael smiled as he extended his hand out to them.

"Thanks.." Midoriya groaned as he took the offered hand while Bryan walked it off with barely a limp.

"It wasn't a perfect plan," Bryan lamented as he watched Drystan slowly return the area to its former state. "But it was interesting. We should go over strategies sometime, Deku."

Midoriya nodded, though he was confused as to why Bryan called it interesting. "Don't you practice strategy?"

Bryan turned slightly, appearing more as if he were leaning back, while he cheekily grinned at the teenager and goddess. "Nah, our greatest strength is our complete and utter lack of teamwork!"

Both Midoriya and Mael stared at Bryan as he grinned and cheerfully walked away. Midoriya wondered how Bryan could confidently say that while Mael only questioned why Bryan would admit that aloud.


Is there anything else I should know?

A lot more, but for now, this will help you.

What about the others?

I wasn't aware Flora had powers; last I saw her, she was depressed because she couldn't use the power that Fairies have. As for Anna, she and Bryan aren't that different as far as powers go. Personalities though, it's tricky.

And Zelda?

Her powers are different from her parents; her mother can't survive in sunlight but Zelda can. She doesn't need to drink blood, I think she's also picky about the kind of blood she does drink. Other than that, she's no different from any powerful demon; you'd have to see in action to understand her.

What about Gowther and Merlin?

Gowther and Merlin are the last of the Sins to still be active since Guinevere came into power. Gowther's a doll, created by a powerful wizard during the first holy war. Merlin is what she is, there's nothing else I can say about that isn't just repeating what I've already told you.

The last sins? What happened to the others? Where are your parents, by the way?

Everyone else, minus the late Sin of Pride, is sealed away in a tomb. That's why Guinevere hasn't been opposed yet; the people with that power have been sealed away. I don't understand much of this myself…

I see...just hang in there. We'll save you and then...then we can find a way to save your world.


A/N: Okay, chapter 5 has been mostly fixed. It's still not perfect but better than it was.