So Adam's powers, while more or less the same as what canon gameplay showed, are a bit different on account of AUness. His canon outfit will be named Galaxías Virtus on account of using insipirarion from Durandal and Kiana. Both of their first battlesuits are Valkyrie Gloria and White Comet, if you look at their name associations or poetically, Kiana's involves (her) color and planetary body/Space, while Durandal's is about the Magnificence/Beauty or Renown/honor of female warriors. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out what the meanings are behind Adam's. Currently, the only battlesuits with more than 2 names or the name Knight are Godsbane suits, so I held back from adding Knight or Devil-synonym/Hunter(because of the obvious DMC Nero references people make) for the time being.

Also, I just realized I never explained the justification for Adam being Mei's brother. It basically has to do with that semi-random scene where Mei rescues a boy with a stigmata. How she saves and sends him to safety kind of had me thinking that if she kept him by her side, they'd basically be family. Since Kevin and Kiana were going to be siblings as they "are" in Deliverance Strikes, I figure it would help and be interesting to mirror that relationship through Adam and Mei, with them being siblings directly being both AU yet based upon something in the Honkaiverse.

In other words, this is all based on the possibility that Adam, the Persona/SMT medium who we experience APHO through, had met Mei.

I also never really explained the nickname portion. Seeing as it's kind of canon a codename had to be picked, and that APHO Skills held big names like Hercules/Icarus/Achilles/Prometheus/Medea/Hypollyta, and I find that the names shared between them connect more with Adam than the other two. Code names are pretty symbolic, and not just for the sake of being cool, like with Durandal, so if you know anything about Achilles, you have big hints about Adam's character here. Shouldn't be too hard with the blatant foreshadowing either. If you kept up with Honkai's canon, Durandal is still open for that to be her background.

Yes, Ai-Chan is the announcer for the fights. The words leading up to the fight is pretty specific to St. Freya for a good reason, but needless to say it's symbolic much like Arcsys Fighting games have their intros poetic. Also, when Himeko pulls out the word cool, think of it how a JP person would use it, like in APHO.

Speaking of fighting and fights, if it wasn't extremely obvious, I'm taking liberties with the fighting capabilities of the characters, even Durandal. Honkai wasn't really built for human/LN fights to say the least, so if you ever get mad at how Adam is used, remember that the other characters are actually much crazier and that Honkai as a whole was not very descriptive in the first place.

I still have a lot of worldbuilding to slip in to show why I am doing all this. But needless to say, the Rakudai influence is coming in outside of the fights, feel free to guess and see if you get what I'm heading for, for literally anything in the story, characters, plots, or abilities. Maybe I'll let you in on the future if you want, or maybe your guess will help inspire me for something else I don't have in mind. I'll leave it off at saying the Honkai will still be a threat and focus, but it will be a much more indirect attack on humanity. Btw, if you know of Desperado's, that might come in handy. Magika Kenshi and it's Basilio's are also a good comparison to this story and it's future.

By the time of making the first chapter, Durandal's true identity had just been near being confirmed. It's still open in this AU.

I actually had most of this fight done months ago, but I wanted to write more beyond the fight, and well, that was harder. So I gave up on only making the chapter longer.


"I thought I asked you to not be reckless." Mei sighed and rubbed her forehead in stress. "It's the first day of classes and already you've picked a fight."

She did ask him that, and his response was to not promise anything and instead change the subject, but he knew better than to point that out. "I'm not. Maybe it was different for a Kaslana like Kevin, especially with such a great lineage from both parents, but as a guy, it's natural that the Valkyries in training would need me to prove myself to them."

"But against Durandal? She's a bona fide Valkyrie Legend. Kevin may have said he's an A-rank in his introduction, but he could easily be S-rank if he ever trained a squad. He's admitted that Durandal had to be as strong as him and her dedication to her martial and Honkai manipulation skills is what earned her the S-Rank designation along with her charisma to push others to their limits as she does to herself."

Hearing that Kevin was even partially qualified to be ranked S did a lot to change how Adam saw the friendly senpai. The differences between an A and S rankings were not all that hard to understand, but the gap between them was larger than the gap of an average A rank to B rank. The different countries had their own requisites required for the title, for example St. Freya wanted their S rankers to be able to lead a squad, but one thing was unanimous between them all.

To break past the designated A ranking, you needed to hold the strength above that of other Valkyries and Knights. Not just individually either. If the Average Valkyrie and Knight was a C-rank, than an A-ranked Warrior was someone with great strength, but could be taken down with anything between a squad of lower ranked Valkyries and Knights or a skilled B-rank, but an S-Ranker was someone who could not be scaled by any parameters. Even if they were thrown against one or a dozen squads, they were entirely capable of coming out on top. They were the legends and heroes passed down by history and myth.

In other words, the pristine and beautiful, dutiful and strict, Class President he was up against was the sort of monster who was supposed to not go down even if the entire class had fought her. Someone so strong that attempting to quantify her strength was nothing other than futile.

"Then, it's another story if the person she's up against is another Monster capable of breaking their limits, right?" He said bluntly and closed his storage locker and sent it underground as he finished his preparations. Outside one of the doors in this room was the arena in which he would fight in.

"What?" Mei was initially caught off guard by his words. When they were younger, they were taught kenjutsu by their families, so it wasn't as if she thought he was weak, but they were also taught that strength wasn't measured by their skills and so it wasn't often either of them called themselves strong in a serious sense. The degree of confidence and the accompanying dark tone also stopped her from thinking it was anything similar to arrogance.

However, she found the reason in his words, and in the past from the time their family was "normal" and lived in the same house, and most of all, what had changed that.

"No...Don't tell me that-!" Her eyes sparked with disbelief and anger. Slowly, they darkened while simultaneously gaining a glow within the center of her irises.

"She did. But it wasn't like it was recklessly done. My lifespan expectancy actually got longer, believe it or not."

"Even so-! That woman...! Even if she's a scientist-! I thought what she did behind our backs all those years ago was bad enough, but to go even further than taking samples of your blood and DNA-! Father and I should have never believed her when she said that she wouldn't actually experiment on you!"

Neither of them knew if it was because that woman was a Mad Scientist who experimented on Adam for the sake of Scientific Curiosity or for the sake of a cause. But they did know that it was because Adam was a male not only born with greater Honkai Resistance than the average male, but with natural stigmata with symbols that have never been recorded in any database. Mei had never garnered that attention of the scientist because there were no aspects of her that were truly that unique.

On his back was a burning shape almost like a rose and upside down cross beneath with both made of sharp lined flames was instinctively dubbed by him, the "The Revelation of Flames", though red lines almost like veins could be seen attached to the stigmata and creeping up his neck. On Mei's back was all the stigmata that was associated with their family, with an Oni-ish Samurai helmet/face and bolt-like shapes to represent thunder and lightning.

These tattoo like symbols that were so much more more complex than ordinary birthmarks had dictated their Fates in life. Stigmata(s), or otherwise called stigma(s), was what separated the diamonds from the rocks, so to speak. While artificial stigmatas existed, they often came in simpler form and offered less benefits in comparison to those who unlocked them naturally, whether it through birth or from intense training. For example, Adam's allowed him to create and manipulate flames and affect the World in a way that's beyond ordinary understanding or means, and Mei's allowed her to control Lightning to the extent that it seemed that she could turn into lightning. The manipulation of Honkai energy was why artificial stigmatas had to be developed, as besides gaining a better resistance, it was one of the more reliable ways to fight due to what one could achieve, as while their stigmata allowed for a manipulation of flames and lightning stronger and less easier than an artificial, enough training from a Valkyrie or Knight could change that.

The experiments made on Adam had changed his body even further than what the Stigmata already did. When he stopped living with Mei and their father, he had ultimately 'consented' to it as much as a child entering puberty could, due to being convinced that it would help his father and other men in the world. While most of the experiments were just discoving what the stigmata allowed him to do, when he was 14, he finally received the first of the few "experiment" operations. As he got older, he realized that they weren't worth it at all, but due to his lifespan already being what it was due to the same stigmata that gave him such power and the Eruption in the Nagazora from when they were kids, ultimately decided to continue with the observations and experiments.

"Adam...be honest with me...! If you fight, will you be in danger?" Her voice quieted and became almost dangerous. And despite the wording allowing for an easy way to push aside the question, he knew better than to start a fight when he needed his focus on the challenge ahead.

"I'll be fine. The poisoning on my back didn't look as bad as when we were kids right?" Mei, who was texted by Kiana the situation, had rushed over to the changing room while he was putting on his Battlesuit.

"My Battlesuit and my Equipment are all meant to help regulate Honkai Energy. Unless I purposely try to absorb HE into my body, I'll be fine no matter how many times I create flames and slash through dimensions." His Battlesuit was a white dress shirt with a black waist-coat and black pants, gloves and boots. He had a small black scarf around his neck, and three red belts: one across his chest, one on his hip, and one around his leg. Over his shirt was a trench coat with a black hood. This Battlesuit's Designation was Galaxías Virtus. Besides a Time Fracture capability, it mostly just protected him from HE, since he didn't need body enhancements. His sword, Labor of Olympus or otherwise called Trial Ignis by him to sound less gaudy or to say it faster, collected HE from within his body and his surroundings for him to use.

In any case, he was confident in his ability to give Durandal a fight. While he had no intention to collect honkai energy into his body to allow for his stigmata's stronger tricks outside of Honkai emergencies, he still had enough party tricks up his sleeve along with his sword skills that he was anywhere near A or B rank obejectively. While he didn't have too much experience against Honkai beasts, many of the experiments/training had been done against Valkyries.

"Look, just trust me alright? This isn't a battle to the death or anything like that. All I have to do is prove myself, and our family's sword skills would be enough for that anyways. I haven't stopped training while I was away." He didn't look at her to avoid her face, but held his hand back for her to squeeze.

He felt her tense hand's warmth through the glove. Despite everything, he couldn't help but think back to the time when they were close. But now look at the distance between them. No, it would probably be more accurate to say the walls he had around her. He couldn't even stop himself from feeling so bitter around her.

"...okay. I'll believe in you. Because you're my baby brother. Of course you can rely on me for anything, even if it's just moral support."

Truthfully, he was surprised that she was letting the topic move on. Maybe it was years they were separated, or the year of Valkyrie training, but she wasn't the same caring and nagging sister he remembered.

But then, he wasn't exactly that starry eyed brother anymore either.

"Knight Achilles the Blessed Blade, heading out for battle." He let go of her hand and started walking out.

"When we get back to our rooms, let's have your favorite for dinner, okay? Kevin and Kiana-chan won't mind." She called out after him.

"Sounds like an incentive to do my best. Good meals taste best with a side of accomplishment." He chuckled as he exited, putting on a serious face as he entered the short hallway and saw the arena as his eyes adjusted to the lights.

The stands were filled to the brim. There were many who were even standing against the walls and railings or sitting on the stairs.

It went without saying it was because of his opponent, who was widely admired and regarded by even normal civilians. All it would take was even a single person to let someone in another class know to gather a crowd, and no doubt more than one had spread the word especially when the opponent to the Holy Blade was a rare Knight. His class could be seen on the front row seats, all excited while the one who started this mess was sitting with a look of annoyance.

The noise in the room rose as he moved close to the center, and he ignored the murmurs and pointed fingers to roll his shoulders.

"Ne~! Good Luck Narukami-san!" He singled a voice out and looked, continuing to stretch his body around. A yellowish-blonde girl with orange-ish eyes waved out to him with a smile. He was surprised to hear her. As far as he knew from the Class self-introductions, Susannah Manatt was a member of Durandal's Immortal Blades, so he didn't fully understand why she would cheer on her leader's opponent. Then again, maybe it's because she knew Durandal that she wished him good luck. Or maybe that was just part of her good nature and cheer.

"Adam! Go kick her ass!" Meanwhile, completely ignoring the surrounding stares at her words, Kiana cheered him on with more vigor than Susannah, with Kevin and an empty seat besides her. Kevin gave him a thumbs up before pumping his fist towards Adam.

"My oh my. It looks like you kids really attracted some attention from your peers. Hope you don't have stage fright~."

'It's your fault in the first place!'

Also at the center of the arena near him stood his red haired homeroom teacher. She stood without a care in the world and a canned drink in hand. Murata Himeko the A Rank Valkyrie and before that, he reminded himself, a scientist of space.

Himeko-sensei rejected Durandal's request to have their duel during class time, before then proceeding to switch lesson plans so the combat training was one on one combat, as if to flex her authority as a teacher. During class time, he was paired against Susannah while Kiana got paired against Veliona. The latter pair's fight had gotten heated enough that Himeko interrupted the fight and turned it into a 2 against 1, before then winning as she effortlessly dismantled the two. He thought Kiana could get along with the red themed girl if they actually tried, but as it stood Kiana disliked the girl for trying to start a fight, while the other girl was naturally aggressive to everyone, even the teachers to an extent.

Meanwhile, his fight with Susannah seemingly endeared himself to the friendly girl. Specifically, she was impressed by his sword skills to the point that she said that she thought it was a shame if nobody admired it when it would later shine against her squad leader. So he could blame at least half this audience on her since he was pretty sure she knew plenty of girls in the other classes, considering the Immortal Blades have more than a few handfuls of members, most of whom are still in school like their leader.

"Ne, Adam, you sure you want to go through with? The whole world might actually see you get humiliated if you do." His teacher pointed out as she pointed out the students already recording the fight, on top of how the duel is going to be caught on video for the school and participants of the duel for later review if either wishes.

"...If I run, I'm just using the strength of my enemy to avoid my own weakness."

"Oh~? That wording is rather cool. But that line of thinking is equally dangerous as it is self reflective."

"...we don't get to pick our battles. While we might be allowed to run, that just means to retain our lives we have give up something besides our pride. Something that likely doesn't belong to us."

"...Hm. You aren't like most of the students here are you? Even though you aren't in a squad, you already have a heavy sense of responsibility. But as a teacher, I'm a failure if I leave it there you know."

He stopped mid stretch to raise an eyebrow at her. "If you're going to drop wisdom on me or something, at least do it when I'm not about to drop into a fight Himeko-sensei."

She gave him a look similar to his sister from just now in the lockers. "...I suppose I also have to accept that your circumstances aren't exactly normal, but rushing to fight to your death won't be worth much."

"I get enough about this from my sister. I'm not about to have a heart attack right now." He sighed and began to stretch and close his fingers.

"Big sisters are generally onto something you know." He gave her a quick look before looking away so she wouldn't see his reaction to that. It was pretty clear she wasn't just referring to his sister, and he didn't dare risk joining Veliona and Kiana on the got their asses kicked list from insulting their teacher.

The noise picked up and his eyes turned to the opposing entrance. Confident and Smooth. Ready and Carefree. Every beautiful and simple step broke past the chatter for him, proving his instincts could feel how ready she was to fight. That he was sensitive and conscious of her strength. The atmosphere surrounding her person was different from that of the rest of the arena. Even Himeko-sensei, who treated Kiana and Veliona as children couldn't match this feeling.

Black top and skirt, knee high metallic combat boots and stockings, a cape. There was no mistaking the uniform. One of the mass produced Battlesuits meant for the Immortal Blades. Valkyrie Gloria. Despite the..."average", nature of the Battlesuit, it by no means meant much in this case even with a distinct lack of features added onto it.

Some might say that Durandal was going easy on them for not using her Personal Battlesuits. They would be wrong. Certainly there were less factors for them to need to account for, but to consider Durandal any easier of an opponent was underestimating her. Adam wouldn't be surprised if she fought through a whole Eruption naked and came out unscathed.

To shake that image away for another time, he nodded to Durandal, but still didn't summon his weapon, as she too was not armed yet.

"Achilles-san, I'm sorry we've gathered this much attention even if this duel is for our class." She nodded back to him in greeting. She was self aware enough to know this crowd could have only gathered because of her.

"Durandal." he acknowledged her own codename in return, signifying he was equally taking this duel seriously. "It is what it is. All that matters to me is proving myself enough for anyone in the class to get off my back."

She smiled. "I've heard you're actually related to Raiden Mei, an older student. I haven't had the honor or pleasure of meeting her directly, but I do hear she practices the Raiden-Family way of the sword. However Susannah's description of your style didn't seem to match the Raiden Ikazuchi-no-ken, so does that mean you practice the Narukami Family's Murakumo-ryū?"

Knowing it was an innocent question, he closed his eyes and stretched far backwards with his hands on his hips one last time, releasing any bitterness, emptying any lingering thoughts. There was only one thing he needed to think about right now. He would not allow his sword to be weighed down by anything unrelated.

"Why does it have to be one or the other?" He responded in a friendly tone. His lips twitched upwards as he finished the stretch to look her in the eye.

"Yes yes, you two get along well and all, which is great, don't get me wrong, but if any more people squeeze into this arena the Principal won't let it go next time we meet. So let's get the show on the road."

He sweatdropped, but nodded with Durandal as she said, "We're ready sensei."

"Alright then, you know the rules, Equipment in Phantom States, and the duel goes until KO or Yield. You can start upon the announcement. I'll leave it at that since both of you are responsible and have good heads on your shoulders." She finished off the regulations and walked off calmly as if a fight wasn't about to break out behind her. Even if Soulium made weapons allowed for a shift their forms into something "blunt" that ate one's energy rather than body, it didn't stop fights from being dangerous.

"Labor of Olympus, set, on." A bright flame illuminated from behind him and lengthened, he grabbed the tip of the condensing fire from behind his shoulder and brandished it forward to show his weapon, revving up flames in preparation.

"Eos Gloria!" She softly commanded as a lance made of golden light was stabbed into the ground from the sky and lifted up by her as the light faded to reveal her weapon of choice. "I'll warn you now. Whether it be the Narukami or Raiden schools, I'm well versed in them enough that relying on those skills will not be enough to challenge me." For a second he let himself wonder, did she know those martial schools by study, or was she acquainted with users of the style? The question left his mind to the back of his head to ask later. It was important, but not so important he had to know now.

"FOR ALL THAT IS BEAUTIFUL!"

Despite everything, he couldn't resist the scoff on relying on anything from that family and having it be so important to his fighting capabilities. "Against the S-Rank Valkyrie who helped save the world on entering puberty, there's only so much that can bother you to begin with."

"If you believe that, what leads you to stand so confidently? Even if you don't have to win, that doesn't mean you'll get to show off yours skills in a manner that disproves their concerns. I take every fight seriously, whether it be against a human or the Honkai."

"ARE YOU READY!"

"I wonder if all that strength has made you forget one thing."

Flames began to shoot out from the engine of his greatsword.

"Whether it be the weak or the strong, people only fight to WIN!"

"FIGHT!"

Shouting the last word as the battle started, he sent forth a Drive, a fiery wave of energy larger than the two of them put together.

Monster or Human. Driven or Optionless.

Just because he couldn't get the ending he wanted didn't mean he couldn't get a good ending at all.

"Thank you for saving a seat for me you two."

Kiana hummed. "No problem for us! Besides, he's your brother, so why shouldn't you get a front row seat?"

"Still, thank you...especially for warning me in advance about the fight...I really needed that talk with Adam."

With Adam entering the Arena and Durandal nowhere in sight, Kiana let herself look at Mei. She still looked pretty sick with worry.

"Erm, Mei-senpai, you don't have to worry about Adam you know. I saw him a little of how he fights in class, I don't think he'll do bad or be seriously hurt."

To Kiana, who learned the Kaslana Gun-Kata from her father and the newly made Kaslana Hi-to-Kori Sword style her brother was creating, she wasn't ignorant to the disciplines and movements of Martial Arts, even if the Kaslana styles weren't heavy on the discipline part. Whereas a normal person might see a simple swing of a weapon, she could see the strength, timing, and the motion of body to clearly recognize it was a precise strike from a body formed for combat. While she didn't really have actual Martial Arts Techniques that broke common sense, she understood their principles enough to figure out how they worked or how to counter them even if it was an thrust that never missed or a single slash that turned into three from different directions.

It was this training that lead her to realize that Durandal most certainly had the greatest physical body in their class, with every muscle and nerve built for quintessence movement, the strongest possible force, with the fastest possible movements, and the shortest possible timing, all of which was the result of honing herself to be stronger than she was a day ago, and faster than she was a minute ago, it was only Adam and Himeko-sensei that could even match such a degree of refinement. Before she fought with that annoying Veliona and Himeko-sensei interrupted her match, she had watched Durandal and Adam's separate matches, and unlike the rest of them, those two had taken their opponents easily and their movements flowed even more than Kiana, as annoying as it was to admit.

If Durandal was a Model of what the Physical Body could reach, and Himeko-sensei was the model of what Experience could teach, then Adam was the model of something as well, and she would surely find out once she sees him fight without holding back. Even if there was a world of difference between Durandal and the other two, she couldn't help but set them all on the same category from their metaphorical aura.

And between them all, there was one thing they shared, the Will and Spirit to fight, improve, and reach their goals as if the only obstacle was their own desires.

The only other people she knew with those traits were her own direct family. However even then Kevin was the only one who seemed to embody the potential that stood above all others. While he always told Kiana she was closer to his strength than she thought, she couldn't fully understand what he meant when he said that, and because of it she couldn't help but lag behind in her training in order to spend time with other girls. It probably didn't help that she felt like she was in his shadow, even if nobody ever compared them.

In a way, she couldn't understand people like Kevin and Durandal. Sure, maybe the Honkai were a threat, but it's not like they were so dangerous that it necessitated the type of strength to defeat armies. Knights and Valkyries lived all over the world. They weren't just in their countries' armies, but worked everyday jobs until such a time they were called in for Honkai attacks, and there was also Factions dedicated against the Honkai like [The Rounds] of Britain, Japan's Honored Clans, America's Sky Flags, or China's Jade Guardians.

Then there were organizations like Anti-Entropy, Schicksal, and St. Freya that didn't just defend their country, but the whole world, as evident by Durandal who helped solve Outbreaks of Honkai all over the world alongside her parents and aunts.

It's not that she didn't have experience, but rather, it's because she's fought the honkai along with her brother that even if she agreed in defending the world, she didn't see the point in becoming three times stronger when you're already twice as strong as what you're fighting. It wasn't the same as training to be stronger than other humans for the sake of a warrior's pride.

When Adam turned out to be Mei's brother, she was curious to see if maybe she had found someone who shared any of her feelings or could relate, Kevin had told her all about the Empress of Thunder and her shared feelings toward the Honkai like him, but she realized that Adam's awkward hostility towards Mei was definitely somewhere closer to home. And yeah, she knew better than to pry into that. Kaslanas could be tactless, but not that tactless.

"It's not the fight I'm worried about per se...well, even if Durandal is stronger and faster than Adam, I won't discount the possibility of him winning since those things alone didn't determine the end result. He always loved to fight." Kiana paused and looked over at the wistful Mei in disbelief. Win against an S-Rank? Fights weren't exactly determined by power, but S-Ranks were kind of the exception to the rule. Her brother looked at Mei in surprise, but he seemed to overall take her word for it, leaving her the odd one out.

"Is Adam really that strong?" Naturally, she couldn't simply believe it without any other proof.

"Ever since we were younger, we were taught by our family in order to run away or fight from the Honkai or anyone else if it ever came to that. My Father wasn't particularly close to the other members in the Raiden family, but he did still believe in some of their traditions. During the stealth training, while I would always take my time to make sure to slip by the "guards" for the training undetected, Adam would never stop himself from knocking them all out and getting to the goal fast." Kevin gave a smirk to Kiana, who couldn't help but redden a little and turn away. Well, at least she and Adam had that in common. So what if they were violent! If it works it works! "However, it was swordsmanship where he truly thrived. Enough that he gained our extended families' attention for further instruction. While I was always faster than him with the Raiden Ikazuchi-no-Ken, he was good at predicting where I would hit, and had no trouble learning the secret techniques of our family."

"Is that jealousy for your little brother's skill I hear senpai?" She teased Mei for sounding so defensive of her own skills to keep Kevin from saying anything about her stealth habits.

"I-it's not like that! Well, not entirely." Mei took a breath as she watched the fight. "I always knew my brother was more gifted than me at some aspects. But like Kevin, as an older sibling it made me proud to have a little sibling more gifted than me." Kiana took a look at her brother at that only to see him steadfastly refusing to look at her. Geez, why did he have to be such a tsundere at times like this. It would be nice to know what fields she was more talented him at. "It just worries me sometimes...that he has...had... such a one track mind directed to combat. He loved the satisfaction of winning a bit too much I feel."

Kiana thought back to Adam during classtime. She wasn't really sure she felt any of those feelings coming from Adam. He did seem to have fun teaching Susannah, but overall he didn't seem tunnel visioned on fighting. Was it because it was training and he was being dedicated, or had he changed from when he was a kid? When Veliona was picking a fight, he seemed to treat her and her challenges as a pain in the ass. Even when Durandal had stepped up he treated it like someone learning their destination was just one more street away. No fear, excitement, no anything other than considering it like homework, something that has to be done despite not wanting to.

"So Adam's a battle maniac huh? I never would have guessed with how he acted in class. Well, if he can lay out Durandal in front of the whole school like this nobody will be able to doubt his worth." Kiana concluded with a grin and nodded to herself. "Does Adam have a favorite food? We should totally have it for lunch or dinner either way. It'll be deserved after needing to fight in front an audience like this."

Kevin snickered. "I'm fine with that too. Still, I'm surprised to hear you offer something nice to a guy Kiana. Feeling pretty close to Adam are you now anti-social womanizer?"

Kiana's ears reddened at his reading. "I-it's not like I like him or anything you idiot brother! I'm just being kind and thoughtful like a Kaslana should!"

"I dunno~. Most guys wouldn't catch your eye enough to make you want to peek at their bodies~."

If the battle weren't actual seconds from starting, she'd kick him for that. She wasn't purely on the side of loving women, but really, just because she wanted to see Adam's body it didn't mean anything more than that. Really. So what if most guys didn't match her preferences and Adam was the only one in her memory who did?

"It's going to start...Durandal won't be an easy opponent. Even from here she seems fierce." Mei interrupted off handedly as the appearance of her brother's opponent took over her as if she was the one going to fight.

"Hey Kevin, you've fought with Durandal before haven't you? What's her style like?" She put aside her grudge with her brother in favor of getting a better idea of how the fight would play out. Kiana took a second look at that lance of the class president. It looked heavy, but she doubted it would take Durandal too much effort to swing it around.

"Bianka's...aggressive to put it one way. She puts a lot of power into her strikes, counters or otherwise. But she's smart. Even though she doesn't focus on gaining experience against other people, she still has excellent judgement in a duel like this."

"Then, Mei-senpai, can we expect the same from Adam? Er, I mean, then hopefully Adam won't try to take those hits directly." Kiana backpedaled as quickly as possible after remembering who she was asking about and asking from and the likelihood of that knowledge being relevant.

"FIGHT!"

Thankfully, their attention was diverted to the fight as Adam let loose a wave of large amount of Honkai energy. If she was forced to compare, she didn't think anyone other than a B-rank could control so much Honkai energy. But it would never make her brother flinch. And so-

With a swipe of her lance Durandal blew away the wave only to find a black blade inches away from her stomach. Her eyes widened and she backstepped to move away and activate a time fracture to slow him down, only she found that she was moving as slowly as he was. From where Kiana was sitting, it was as if someone had slowed down a video game. Did Adam activate a time fracture at the same time as Durandal? But the timing to activate it would have to be nearly identical to each other to cause an effect like this! It was closer to a third party activating time fracture as opposed to on each other. The fields generated from the time fractures were unequal when activated consecutively. Specifically, within the same area, though the science escaped her. That it was able to work so well meant that it was activated so soon after Durandal's that the effects on the area merged together. On top of that, he still had to have it activated from within the time fracture.

Adam chased her down with the tip of his sword point at her. The engines of the blade that was as tall as Kiana was lit up and pushed him forward. Durandal's eyes narrowed as the time fracture began to hasten as the effect dwindled and her hunter neared closer.

Just as it ran out, Durandal vertically spun her lance around and used it to block the stab and got sent flying backwards from the sheer force. Adam kept up the offensive, chasing her down with slashes faster than what one would expect from such a long and heavy weapon. Kiana couldn't deny being impressed. Despite it being a weapon that looked like it needed two hands to be used, he used it readily with one, something she couldn't see Himeko-sensei doing. She didn't think Kevin's new sword style could reach that speed either.

Durandal flipped back again and pulled her arm back to launch her lance as it began to glow gold and blue. Meanwhile Adam spun and launched his blade at the same time like a disk and bounced it off the top of the lance, forcing it into the ground where the light of an explosion missed him. She landed and launched a Straight punch forward at a speed Kiana couldn't say she could reliably dodge, while picking up her lance on her offhand from behind her when she passed it. While he just barely diverted the punch over his shoulder, she immediately closed in to knee him, while that too was blocked with his elbow, it sent him skidding to the side with a grunt and a wince, no doubt being hit with enough force to break someone's bone.

He caught his spiraling blade just in time to block several speedy thrusts from Durandal's huge lance, to which she responded by jumping forward and launching an axe kick that Adam knew better to block. Doing so would only lead to getting crushed, and so he retreated as a small golden blast erupted from where her kick landed.

The two backed off from the other and looked at the other observantly. Adam's eyes were narrowed in focus since walking in, but Durandal seemed as cool and calm as ever.

"That's not good, first strike goes to Durandal." Kiana thought aloud.

"In a way I'd say it was inevitable with her all her Equipment and Core Ability from her stigmas...Mei, do you know if Adam has other weapons? If he doesn't, then throwing his weapon like he did before is a risky move. Necessary on occasion, since Durandal can pierce a tank and cause explosions with one of those javelin throws, but it's less safe for him if he'll have to hope he can angle it back to him or run to get it." Kevin held an arm across his chest, holding his elbow up and holding his chin.

"...I'm not sure. But I do know that he earned the right to wield some of the weapons passed down to our family. If he has them, I think he's just waiting for the right time to use them. He can go even faster than this...or at least he should."

"Then what about his stigma? I don't know if Bianka named it since we last met, but her core ability hers gives is a formidable one. With Honkai energy, she can manipulate the light of a Star, which she then imbues into her weapons or even to create spears. Even my [All Back to Zero] would have a hard time freezing any of that."

The two warriors lunges forward for battle once more. Durandal's thrusts were diverted and used to add momentum to Adam's slashes, and the two began a dance of blurring black and grey. They didn't just fight like normal warriors either. They jumped around and weaves between each other's blows.

"With his stigmata...his manipulation of flames is stronger than any other Valkyrie I know, but he also learned how to use lightning like me from our families. I think in terms of Honkai manipulation he isn't below Durandal."

"Then what about techniques?" Kiana asked. "It looks like Durandal has an edge up when it comes to physical force, but as far as I can tell she's a simple fighter."

Martial Arts Techniques. They were born as a result of conflict and desire. Against the Honkai, techniques stagnated against predictable beasts regardless of power, but it was another story against people. Knights and Valkyries bolstered their country's battle strength, and so they naturally sought combat skills to surpass their enemies. Such techniques was needed not just for warfare, but also to oppose terrorists and criminal organizations, and so even in eras of peace, fighting techniques and styles continued to be honed.

But peace hadn't always reigned. The American and French Revolutions. The Three Kingdoms. The Sengoku Era. It was only the last century or so where major nations hadn't experienced some form of human combat against each other that would go down in the history books.

Even with the threat of the Honkai, humans sought conflict with each other.

"Durandal may know some of the techniques held by our sword styles, but that doesn't mean she'll be able to do anything against all of them. The Raiden style focuses on fast
Strikes and manipulation over lightning and Honkai energy while the Narukami style focuses on martial skill, but they have incredible synergy together." Kiana wondered, was that pride she heard from her? If so, then it was at least less prideful than the tone she took in describing her brother.

Adam reared back his fist after a slash, it emanated smoke and fire as he crashed it into Durandal's own fist, causing an explosion of red and gold. They both skidded back before moving back into close quarters, flames and energy trailing after their strikes. She realized that Adam's weapon began to change. It had extended its blade even further and gained a red single edge look to it to replace its black coloring, reminding her more of a Odachi, uchigatana, or a longer katana, but not losing the thicker edge or width of his usual claymore.

It wasn't just his sword, his slices were getting even faster. Despite still wielding his blade with one hand, his weapon struck out with speeds and different offensive movements similar to iaido. Whether his blow was deflected, blocked or dodged, he was able to reverse his attack into countering Durandal from taking advantage of any opening or return his blade to his hips quickly to strike out.

And if Durandal's attacks were accompanied with the lit colors of space, Adam's were accompanied by flames shrouded in darkness. The contrasting powers ate at the other. Where the lights coming from Durandal held the appearance of flames or trailblazed like a star at night and lit up the after images of her strikes, the flames did the opposite of what one would expect and instead ate up all light at where they passed like a physical shadow.

Durandal went in for a stab which skidded off Adam's blade as he stepped in with his left side turned to her to slam his shoulder into her chest. While she skidded back, he wielded his blade with both hands and continued to send her backwards as he shattered a blue shield she summoned to defend her.

When she moved in to feint with a sweep of her lance, she deftly changed into a thrust that made contact with the bottom of Adam's sword's hilt. She created a spear in her off hand and made to strike only for it to be gripped by Adam's other hand. Their arms were crossed as they pushed into the other.

"He's really on even terms with her!" Kiana muttered with wide eyes.

"That's just in physical performance though...still...Mei, you said he knew the techniques of your families right? He hasn't pulled them out from what I've seen, but they could really turn the tide."

"Yes...to be honest, I think he's still planning something." Mei muttered as she looked closely for something Kiana didn't know of. "Or maybe waiting for something? He's too...wild isn't quite the right term, but I don't understand why he's switching his movements so often."

As if to prove her point, Adam, who since launching his weapon earlier, had taken to keeping a close grip on his weapon regardless of Durandal tried to disarm him or javelin thrown her weapons, had suddenly underhand tossed his weapon and turned it into a flaming saw across the ground. Durandal hopped over it and set her lance aflame and launched it as Adam was sucked in closer towards where it landed. As it exploded, he ignited the bottom of his boots and counteracted the explosion with his own and sent himself flying towards Durandal. His weapon came wheeling toward's her back as the two engaged in hand to hand combat.

However, just as she thought Adam would land a decisive blow, a shield emblem defended Durandal's back as her created spears were held and the two were once more locked together. A grinding sound rang out as Adam's blade fiercely pushed towards Durandal like a wheel.

The orange spears began to appear in droves around them like a dome before shooting down towards Adam. Flames appeared on Adam's back before it shot upwards in different directions like spikes and created hexagonal shields that kept him safe before they all exploded.

"...I think you're right that he has something in mind, he really is on even terms with Durandal if we take out Honkai manipulation and weapons out of the equation, I'm sure he knows that and is...aiming for something maybe?" Kevin said as he leaned over and narrowed his eyes. "Their positions in this battle are fundamentally different, so I guess that's the reason why he seems to be fighting differently so regularly."

"Their positions?" she asked her brother in confusion.

"It's not a matter of confidence, but station. Durandal can afford to take it easy, she's strong and knows it, and so does everyone else. She doesn't need to win, even if she aims to. But for Adam, he comes off as the challenger to everyone due to not being known. Even if he only needs to show his strength, he definitely [wants] to win, to make a statement, or because of honor or pride or anything else. The way they're approaching this battle is the same as their thoughts."

"Then, I'm sure Adam will win." Mei nodded.

Kiana was rooting for Adam too and didn't necessarily disagree, but, "Is it enough? Durandal is still an S-rank."

"Yes...because Adam isn't just a Knight. He's a Warrior. It's how the Raiden and Narukami families raised us."


Durandal, as expected, was a tough opponent. She lived up to her title of Holy Blade and S-Rank.

Forms were nothing more than guidelines on how to react to a given situation. That was why this girl was the most unpredictable opponent for any martial artist, as every movement was speedy and strong, while also changing on the fly. She would start off as a super powered brawler, and then mix in martial arts within her strikes.

It's because of that he who sought only to utterly defeat his enemy as he usually would, would also switch forms for the sake of manipulating the opponent's movements and thoughts. Even if Durandal fought as a brawler, that she was knowledgeable in martial arts and capable of understanding the flow of battle and the openings in her opponent could not be hidden or ignored.

Adam held greater insight than the average person. His ability to assess situations and act decisively was his greatest strength besides his gift for combat, though neither of which were things Durandal would particularly lose to him he felt.

But whether it's technique or people, there's a principle that fundamentally governs all their actions. You can call it a system of values. By using that―the person's actions and plans, what that person is thinking right now, how to move in response, what countermeasures should be taken, whether to move forward or draw back, to attack or defend―every possible action can be predicted even on a scale of war with these understandings.

Durandal, the current generation's strongest hero. There was no doubting that she'd earned that title. However, that wasn't to say that she was the strongest.

A title is only that.

For Durandal, a Valkyrie who stands against the Honkai, human threats were innately secondary in her mind. She's taken in every possibility that would add to her strength and made it her own.

The foundation of all that strength lied in Good Intentions.

Durandal had become an official Valkyrie at a young age. Taken in by Schicksal, raised to control her great strength and powers, she came into conflict with the Honkai of her own free will. She did not shy away from the responsibility of other lives resting on her own potential. Eventually, she was transferred by the Archbishop Otto Apocalypse to St. Freya, an organization with ties to Schicksal, yet independent of its influence.

He could tell from the moment she walked up to him in class to interrupt Veliona Vollerei and offered him a challenge to silence any doubts to where he stood. Even if he were to lose, nobody could say anything with her as his opponent.

She was a considerate girl that thought about the wellbeing of others. Individual or Collective, both were maturely and logically observed and guided her actions. No matter how he looked at it, the weight of responsibility they held were completely different. She had taken to duty like a moth to flame.

But… in the world of battle, one could not reach the heights of greatness with gentleness alone. The brutality and ferocity that submerges the enemy in a sea of blood. That was something he had that she didn't. Even without the feeling of being pushed forward from the need to protect others, he didn't think he was in any way much weaker than Durandal.

Therefore, in order to beat this warrior with incredible prowess, he needed to think steps ahead of her. Not just in tactics, but in observations.

First, how far did her physical performance go?

Second, how far was she willing to go on another human?

Third, what were her habits when striking at a stance without holes?

Fourth, how did she react when seeing openings?

Fifth, if she saw more than one opening, which ones did she strike at?

Sixth, what were the ways she defended herself against the same strike?

Seventh, how did she defend herself against different types of strikes?

Eight, how willing was she to commit to attacks or defenses?

Ninth, what made her willing, and how did she follow through?

Tenth, If she subtly influenced his body to certain positions or reveal certain openings, how did she do it?

Eleventh, what were her powers granted to her, and how did they interact with his?

Twelfth, how far did her instincts, or senses, extend?

What he needed to do was put all these observations together in order to form a seamless series of movements that would lead to the perfect opening without letting her know. Information was key.

He already knew her ability was based off of some sort of heat or light. The explosions and temperature rather gave it away, ignoring how bright it was when enveloping her weapons or otherwise. The only thing left was figuring out how she was using it, rather what she was using it for. In terms of battle tactics, he could see that she was much the same as him to an extent. Pin your opponents down with attacks, and deal a fatal blow to their weakness. Earlier, Susannah made an offhand comment on how she was taught as he helped her, but now, he had a stable hold on how Durandal followed through with that statement. It wasn't that she didn't plan or observe, but she believed in her incredible capabilities to whittle down her enemies however she needed to.

However, aggression and power weren't the only ways to victory. Trickery and skill opened the path just as well. In that regard, he found himself a little more practiced than her. While Durandal fought to take advantage of opportunities, Adam fought to make his opponent believe in their opportunities.

Murakumo-ryu Secret Art: Hangeki. Take an opponents attack and energy and send it back as a counter while adding in your own force.

Secret Art: Shindo. When your opponent takes your blow, send the force of your attack into them via vibrations.

Despite being called Secret Arts, they were more like the foundations of the Narukami family martial arts. They weren't quite as flashy as certain techniques in his families' styles or out in the world like Mumyō Sandan-zuki or Tsubame Gaeshi, but they were just as effective. Or rather, their flashiness depended on the skill and personality of the wielder. While they're meant to be used for every strike, block, and movement, most did not quite have the muscle control to succeed at using these techniques to their full capability 10 times out of 10, so most tended to use them as finishing blows or when they found the timing to use them. They were martial arts skills taught down only in the Narukami family, but an observant warrior knowledgeable in the Murakumo-ryu could dissect their existence through the style. After all, like most techniques, the only thing required to use them was knowing how to properly use your own body. Even if that was easier said than done, in this case, Hangeki and Shindo were both easier and harder due to not requiring incredible muscles, just muscle control.

For Adam, his success rate was the ideal 10/10 only when provided he was uninjured, but that was still rare despite him knowing certain family members of the Narukami's could do so even while tired and injured. However, in this case, doing so would give away too much of his plans. Instead, he used the techniques at the lower levels while slowly ramping them up. However, he would resist using the techniques to the point that it would possibly put Durandal at clear disadvantage.

Now, back to Honkai manipulation, from the looks of things, Durandal's ability was based less on [manipulation] and more [emission], if he were being technical about it, something that was actually important at such a high level battle. The flames and explosions she gave off were the remains and the result of her using her abilities. While she could create spears and shields and all, she didn't gather the previous creations or additions of her honkai energy manipulations to strengthen them. To contrast, his ability, Sunblaze, was not just the creation of flames, but the manipulation of flames. If he wanted to, he could create flame swords, throw them, then create a third sword that would absorb the previous ones. However, he didn't only have control over flames. Temperature and heat, in general all things related to fire he could control to some extent.

It could be said that his stigmata's core ability was that over the concept of flames. However, he also inherited his families' natural affinity over storms. This was why the nicknames he received from them when he was learning to fight was Prometheus and Hercules, as the Titan who gave humans the hope and knowledge of Fire through sacrifice, and the Stalwart Powerful yet Intelligent Demi-god of the God of Sky who was associated with lightning.

However, the reason he went for Achilles as his code name was the value of its history in relation to his own. He was here at St. Freya for a reason. He couldn't back down even here.

He could tell that Durandal was indeed quite familiar with his families' techniques, and even if she were not taught the techniques passed down only among family, it's possible for her to dissect them from observing the General martial katas.

Now, at this time where their Honkai attacks created smoke, his opening to make use of the sacred techniques he's honed was near. They were both techniques even his sister didn't know, because it was his cousins and him that created these techniques, using the principles of the Narukami styles, with tints of the Raiden family's knowledge in Honkai manipulation.

Rather than call it a Narukami Secret Technique or a Raiden Family Secret Technique, it was more appropriate to call it an Original School Secret Technique, creates by 3 people.

Many martial arts masters have pursued the extremity of Movements in martial arts. Rather than a simple quickness, there are numerous phenomena that are connected with how a style is formed, body movement, breathing, blind spots, the smoothness of and flexibility of the body, predicting and guiding the movement of the enemy, getting them within striking range, etc.

But what if you simply bypassed all this?

Sufficient martial ability, much like science, could strike within a range beyond ordinary comprehension and surpassed reality itself. Unlike Honkai Energy attacks, which can be interfered with by stronger Honkai energy or better manipulation control or simply defended against with Honkai Resistance, martial ability was more reliable as a weapon.

Kyokuchi and Shukuchi, the perfected movements through space are a perfect example of this. What was originally Shukuchi[Reduced Earth], meant to reduce the distance of the enemy and oneself, could become Kyokuchi[Furthest Earth], as the ultimate way of movement, allowing for maneuvering across all forms of space, even to the point it could be considered dimension hopping.

He slide backwards out of the smoke into the view of the audience, unminding that this would be the first time since someone outside of his older cousins would use this technique.

He caught his sword as it traveled across the air in a reverse grip with his left hand, his ears focused in and as expected, Durandal had yet to see the need to clear the smoke, believing he would use it as a cloak to get blows in.

By the time she realized her mistake, it would already be too late.

All the kinetic energy his sword stored up from being thrown like a boomerang and taking in Durandal's strikes using Honkai energy manipulation was more than enough now. No matter what shield Durandal brought out, even if it were those Phantom Knights of her, he would be able to burst through.

First, to catch her off guard!

"Burn to ashes! The Dawn has come!" He gathered up the Honkai energy and flames he and Durandal had been throwing around into his sword as it lengthened until it was a match for the Sephiroth Masamune. By making her use her stigmata, he ensured his attack would be greater than if he had used it alone. By mixing in Durandal's energy, it would absorb any further Honkai energy she would emit using her stigmata. With a slash, he simultaneously cut away the smoke as his blow avoided Durandal's shield that was put up from his words as a fierce line of energy emerged and sparked at her chest, and created Fleeting Flames in the form of rings that turned into a vortex black hole behind Durandal. It wasn't that the power of Lightning resided within the blade to allow it to happen in a blink. It was that because it was within a blink that Lightning accompanied the slash.

The moment Durandal realized she couldn't use her stigmata to give her a burst of flames at her feet, she stabbed her lance into the ground, giving him his opening. Her resistance could protect her from being damaged, but it couldn't protect her from the side-effects, namely being blown back, and being suctioned.

- Original Secret Technique One -

Why did it exist? It was to overwhelm the enemy. The Principle of Iaido was that a resting blade could hold anything. The mastery of such a principle allowed one to use their blade to slash at blinding speeds and distances. Emptiness was the State of Being Martial Artists strove for, true harmonization of mind, body, and weapon. As such, one is able to cut down enemies faster than their thoughts form and the body is able to react without conscious will. Together, these two could bring untold damage toward others.

Fighting to bring about Zero. In other words, reducing the amount of possibilities to establish a conclusion of victory.

Fighting with Infinity. Essentially, continue creating possibilities to create a future of victory.

These two concepts were similar yet contradictory, yet what if they could be merged together? These approaches to battle could only be called equal.

Kyokuchi, Iaido, Zero, Infinity, Emptiness. Make use of your understanding of space with your movements and attacks. Take away the Possibilities of your opponent until they lose. Use every Possibility until you win. Strike with all your force. Strike with your opponent's force. Strike through multiple angles. Strike within a flash. Strike from a distance. Strike using all your knowledge and techniques.

This strike, for it to be Zero, Infinite, Empty, it must not be able to be done in one way. Regardless of the weapon, how the weapon was held, how the weapon was swung, how the weapon was avoided, the technique must and can be able to go through. For it to be the strongest it possibly can, for it to be in accordance with Emptiness, merge as many principles of your Family Schools that you were taught as possible.

Raiden Ikazuchi-no-ken, Narukami Murakumo-ryū. Bring the Raiden's Lightning, and with the Narukami's martial skill, create a skill that bypasses Honkai resistance. With the Narukami's martial skill, bring the Raiden's Lightning, create a move of unstoppable force. With Three who are all of Raiden and Narukami blood and skill, only then can this move be possibly created.

"Secret Art: Musou no Hakushin!"

What happened next could only be seen in a second by those with the sharpest eyes and reflexes.

In a flash, Adam appeared on the completely other side, beyond Durandal. Multiple slashes of red and purple donned the air and Durandal's body. They converged and created a pillar of lightning and flames that bathed Durandal mercilessly. Durandal's eyes could only open wide in surprise before she braced herself for the attack.

A technique to destroy the Honkai. A technique to destroy his enemies. It couldn't be blocked because it couldn't be seen. Even if it were blocked, an understanding of how to stretch your strikes to the opponent's blind spots at where they couldn't block would take care of your enemy. A strike with the weight to destroy a building and flames and lightning strong enough to erase that building. It was Annihilation in the form of a swing.

When it ended, she was covered in burnt marks and electricity visibly exited her body on occasion.

But she did not fall.

She took a knee while breathing heavily, and turned back to look Adam in the eye. She gently smiled and nodded in respect.

"It seems I took became overconfident in my knowledge of the Raiden and Narukami family styles...no, I simply took you too lightly." She said wistfully. Somehow, Adam got the impression she wanted to pout and complain on some level.

"It's simply the difference in our mentalities. You were serious, but you weren't serious in defeating me."

"Rather, my training against other warriors is lacking...I've never faced such a technique before. Right now, even moving will be a challenge. It's completely my loss."

"Yield Acknowledged. Victory goes to Narukami Adam." Ai-Chan announced the results to the baffled silence of the audience.

"Well, you say that, but objectively speaking, a fight with our all being put into our weapons is different from a sparring match. Even if you say you can't move, that's just a lie, isn't it? Maybe you can fool everyone else, but your body's durability doesn't end there."

"It seems that my body is in no condition to move. Narukami-san, no, Adam, won't you bring me to the hospital wing? Surely you wouldn't leave a girl you mercilessly beat down to her thoughts in front of everyone." Bianka had the same gentle smile as before as she slowly stretched out her arms, asking to be picked up.

"You're surprisingly petty." He sighed and picked her up princess style. The surroundings became noisy upon Ai-Chan's declaration of his win, but this only increased the amount of squeals.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. A friend of mine once said that this type of contact was something boys liked as a reward. Besides, if I show everyone I have no hard feelings towards you, it'll only help your reputation, no? Although, in the future I intend on asking you to spar again. I don't like the thought of having only lost against you, and I can surely improve if I observe your techniques closely."

'Talk about an honest girl.' He thought. But he didn't hate that. "Well, it's forbidden for our family to teach the higher portions of our styles to others as you know, so don't expect me to give you any hints. But then, if it's you, you probably understand at least two of them already by now, right?"

He passed into the tunnels. Despite nobody being around, neither felt the need to change their current positions.

"Am I that obvious? Well, I suppose that's why you seemed to use them subtly. The ability to center your attacks into the opponent's body even when blocked is somewhat doable for me. I don't believe I have the body control necessary to sufficiently block attacks and send them back."

"I had to take into account that you already knew how to use them, it was a risk to keep using them, but I chose to gamble on the fact that if we were both stocking up and trading the same force that I would be the one able to take advantage of it most. By the way, muscle control isn't the only thing necessary to do this, though it's the most efficient way, in a fast paced battle doing it in a rush is a recipe for disaster. Helix movements are helpful." He advised her.

"Didn't you say it was forbidden to teach others?" She quirked an eyebrow, but didn't seem to disprove or care.

"You already knew how to use it, I'm just helping a comrade execute what she knows another way. While not exactly the same, the same principles behind many of our secret techniques exist in other fighting styles anyways. The Narukami's are the origins for many martial arts, so it's not to say they are unique in what they can do if you trace the paths closely enough." Also, he could really care less if he broke the taboo, he didn't really owe either of his families any loyalty as a whole, though he cared for individuals, hard as it was for him to admit.

"You're much more open then the family members of yours that I know. Have you met them before? They're also of the Raiden name like your sister, they didn't say their names, but their titles are-"

"I think know who you speak of. The prized Twin Princesses of Inazuma, Baal and Beezlebub. They're the ones who helped create the final technique. For that one, if you want to learn it in any sense, then you better ask them."

"If I understand correctly, they're both in their final years of schooling correct? It's a shame they're so connected with their clans. I don't see them changing their mind and accepting my invitation to join the Immortal Blades." She noted in casual disappointment.

"Makoto wouldn't mind actually, but given that she's a Heir Apparent, it's unlikely she'll shirk her responsibilities. Nor would Ei, who's a warrior in mind. She'd rather support her sister above anything else."

"Hm. Well, I can't say I don't understand why they prioritize their families, I simply thought they would an honor and pleasure to work with."

"Well, you could always find someone to marry into the clans. Then they wouldn't have a choice but to interact with you and could even teach you everything about our techniques."

"Oh? I'll take note of that. I wouldn't want to be blindsided by you again."

"You let yourself by blindsided. You could have kept up a fight if you wanted to."

"Perhaps I should've." She mused in his arms. "I didn't get the best look at that technique, even before you launched it my attempt at blocking was fully ignored."

"Well, it's not a technique that can be launched consecutively. My muscles would tear with that much speed and force being exerted if I don't space them out. And it's a death sentence to risk giving you a new move. I'd rather avoid you dissecting my moves to use against me whenever possible."

"You give me too much credit. Even I wouldn't be able to understand an attack like that just from watching."

"I already know you're going to replay our fight in your head and on screen for the next few weeks, see if you can say that again in a few weeks, especially after experiencing it directly."

"Oh? And what will I get if I can't?"

"How am I supposed to know? Does it matter?"

"Well, lets just that if I'm right, you'll give me cake."

He snorted. "Sure. Anyways have fun telling your subordinates not to kill me, meanwhile I'll be eating delicious food in celebration."

"I don't think I have to worry about them killing you. If anything, I have to worry about them doing something else." She said casually.

"I don't know what that means and I decided it doesn't matter."

"Hmmm. We'll see how long you feel that way. By the way, tell Kiana that she should tell Cecilia-san about the trouble she got into during class before she finds out herself."

"Are you close to her?" He asked. Her tone towards Kiana was even friendlier and warmer than when she pulled out his first name.

"Not quite. Her parents and I have gotten along since we met. Her brother also took care of me like them during my earlier days. I've always felt that we've had a connection of sorts, so I can't help but extend it to her as well."

"Well, for all we know you're somehow blood connected to them. Since, you're, well, an orphan."

She smiled in amusement. "I'm not sensitive about my background. Though that's more than what you could say I suppose."


""""Itadakimasu!""""

Adam and Kevin quickly began digging into their extra large ramen bowls with fervor. Kiana had one of the same size while Mei had a normal sized bowl, both eating at a more moderate pace.

Kiana was eating while staring at Adam in admiration. Even though he mentioned his and Durandal's conversation after the fight, it was still amazing for her that he could match up with an S-Rank. Maybe Kevin had a point that she was having a crush after all. When her mom hears about Adam, she'll probably assume as much anyways and try to get them together. She wonders how her dad will feel about this given that he gave her tips on hitting on girls before. This wasn't exactly her first crush.

"Ne- Kiana-chan, Adam, so besides today, how have you been finding St. Freya and Soukai City? Have you two been getting along?" Mei casually asked as she blew on some noodles on her chopsticks.

Kiana and Adam snorted. "Mei-senpai, you really are motherly huh? But I've been liking it here a lot! No wonder Mom and Dad moved us to the city." She avoided the latter question. Ignoring her newfound attraction to a guy, she wouldn't say she was close to Adam even if she was friendly to him. Preparing for school had taken a lot of time as she was formerly homeschooled unlike Kevin. She'd seen him play games, so she'd hoped that they could do that together at least.

Kevin picked up from there. "Soukai definitely beats out Kolosten. Or any of the other European cities we've lived in."

"Oh, that's right, your family used to move around a lot, right?" Mei asked them.

"At least until I was in middle school, my mom had us move over to Japan to prepare me for St. Freya, and Kiana would have gone to school too if she didn't get herself expelled on the first day."

Adam puffed out a laugh. "Now that's got to be a record. A real troublemaker then?"

Kiana's cheeks reddened. "It's not my fault that that Kyu-something girl and her chuuni act picked a fight! I didn't even mean to destroy the school building!"

Adam and Kevin laughed while Mei's eyes widened at the new story. But her lips did curve upwards.

"Well, anyway, after that, Mom got paranoid and took her back to homeschooling. Instead though, she forced Kiana to do all sorts of activities to get her to interact with other people her age, like ice skating or baseball."

"Hm. She does look like she'd be good at those." Adam offhandedly mentioned. He's seen the girl in her White Comet Battlesuit and how it clung to her skin. That, coupled with his little peak at her bare skin gave him a lot to work with if he tried to think about her body.

Kiana, who was wearing a simple black shirt underneath a small green jacket with Neko ears on the hood, instinctively puffed up her chest, not that anyone could see it due to their focus on the food.

"Well, Kaslanas tends to be good at just about anything physical. We do have some talent with honkai manipulation, but nothing to the level of your clans. Kiana and I haven't seemed to inherit much on the Schariac side of the family."

Adam looked up like he felt the need to say something, before thinking on it and shrugging back to eating.

Mei also looked a bit awkward on how to respond to it, so Kiana took point to ask something that was on her mind.

"So can you two tell me anything about the Raiden clan and Narukami clan sword styles?" Kiana asked in interest. "I didn't really really get a handle of them during the fight, and I wouldn't really say I've heard much about your families besides the fact that they're strong enough to have some reputation outside the Far East."

Adam looked at Mei and started slurping a long set of noodles. He didn't mind explaining himself, but it was also a long explanation and he was feeling hungry from the fight. His sister smiled in slight exasperation and replied.

"To best explain our clans' fighting styles, it would also help to know some background knowledge. First off, the Raiden clan. They're one of Japan's Greatest Known Defenders. They're similar to the Kaslana family, if that helps you understand."

"You mean they ignored human conflict in favor of Honkai beasts?" Kiana asked.

"Exactly. It was a bold choice given the chaos of the Far East, but it was one they stood by for quite a long time. And because they didn't have important land or territory with a desired position, they were ignored. As they focused on Honkai beasts, they sought effective ways of fighting while using the school of techniques they already had and modifying it. The Raiden Ikazuchi no ken was always based on Iaido. This lead them to simply incorporate Honkai manipulating using the most effective element with Iai movements."

"Lightning." Kiana nodded, knowing that.

"Lightning." Adam repeated, pretending he was adding to the conversation.

"Now, the reason we chose Lightning was not simply because of the synergistic properties they held, but because of our cultural beliefs. Do you know anything about the worship of Japan, Kiana-chan?"

"Uh, not a whole lot outside of video games, but I do know about the...pantheon?...main gods from looking them up out of curiosity."?

"While we do respect and worship all the gods, our patrons in particular are the reason behind our gift over Lightning. The God of Sword was also known as the God of Lightning. There was also the Hero God of Sea and Storms. Even without Honkai manipulation, the strongest Ikazuchi-no-ken technique held enormous power that could sound as if thunder had fallen. The speed at which the most skilled Raiden could swing was exactly like that of lightning speed."

Why was a god of sword talked for generations as a god of lightning? Because people had no way to illustrate that technique which was the expression of terrific destructive power other than as lightning. Those two gods who wielded swords against the Honkai were exactly whom the Raiden family wanted to imitate.

"Thus, the Raiden family could only hone their blades until they reached the Realm of their Gods, and in their place, slay any Honkai beast regardless of size or distance."

To the people of the Far East, the Raiden family were a clan of heroes that they could have hope in wherever they were, who would defend them regardless of class, location, or race.

Kiana could only look at the two in awe, while Kevin calmly took a sip at the information he already knew. Somehow the Raiden family history really seemed to fit Mei-senpai. It's not like Kiana thought no families like the Kaslanas or Schariacs existed, but the Far East had been more isolationist in comparison to Europe, so it's not like she could have known about this this as something obvious.

"As for the Narukami family, they could be closely compared to the Apocalypse family if most of their family actually fought, their martial arts were developed as a result of the chaos of the past. To conquer Japan and the surrounding islands of the Far East, they required two things. Numbers, or power. And while they achieved the former as they made the warlords submit, they did so by choosing the latter. They would then pass down a watered down version of their school called the Minamoto-ryuu to their vassal clans and later to peasants, giving the Narukami Murakumo ryu and Minamoto-ryuu the nicknames of The Origin/The Source for most modern martial arts of the Far East."

It was through this unification that shoguns were first called the Narukami Ogosho. While there were still battles of conflict between clans, especially as the Shogunate would choose not to involve themselves too deeply to restrict their freedom provided the battles would not cross certain lines, all would listen to the Shogun when rallied to a cause, be it the Honkai, or foreign invaders.

"In other words, the desire to triumph over other humans and human techniques is what caused them to create a martial arts meant to counter any obstacle." Adam concluded their family history more simply.

Truthfully Kiana understood Mei-senpai's explanations rather easily, but the way Adam put it made her reevaluate the conclusion she was originally making.

Kiana, innocently, asked another question. "Then Adam, is possible for you to teach me any of your family techniques? The Kaslana gun-kata isn't quite as amazing in comparison, and Kevin's fighting style isn't quite fitting for me yet." Having seen Durandal fight, she thought that learning a weapon style beyond guns and her body would be necessary to keep up with her.

Kevin snickered, having also been through this. Adam rose an eyebrow as if wondering if he should or shouldn't, but it was Mei who gave a mischievous smile.

"I'm sure Adam won't mind helping you learn the forms of our kata, but if you want to learn any techniques, you'll just have to learn them on your own. Of course, if you want to take the shorter path, you can simply marry Adam and he'll be allowed to teach you."

Kiana immediately spat out her water into her ramen, having taken a drink as she didn't see this coming. She hoped Mei and Kevin wouldn't mention this to her parents. She didn't want to think about the embarrassment she would feel from it.

"Er- anyways! Kevin, any thoughts on how Adam and i should proceed with squads?!"

Kevin smiled wryly and let the change of topic go. "Well, obviously you two, if you want to go out on missions outside of emergency deployments, you would have to make or join a squad. If you do the latter, you'll have to be beholden to another person's orders and permission outside of the academy. Mei here had only my joined my squad because it made going on missions easier and safer. Aside from me, the only squad in your year would be Durandal's. For the second years, none of them are interesting in expanding their personal circles."

Kiana looked at Adam. "What do you think? I'm not too sure I want to join my brother's squad, but if you join then I wouldn't mind either since I'll have someone in my year at least."

Adam rose an eyebrow as he slurped on some noodles. Why was he suddenly the deciding factor for her? He did give it an honest thought still. His sister had already offered him an opening before school had officially started. But he really wasn't keen on spending any more time with her than necessary, even though he could trust his back to her in battle. It was just too soon for that.

"It'd be a pain, but it'd probably be better if we were to just make a squad of our own until we decided to disband or learned how to keep running one. But there's still the issue of needing more than two people to create a squad, and who would be leader...actually, I take it back, you can play leader." He rescinded his words partially.

"Really?" Kiana smiled at his words. She probably wouldn't be if she realized he mostly just didn't want to deal with paperwork. Even if she tried to pass them on to him, a majority could still only be signed and looked after by the actual squad leader.

Though beside that, he did think that it would be better for her to be leader. Putting aside his personal hang ups, his future was certain and uncertain in a way that he didn't feel comfortable being leader. Besides, she was clearly more of a people person. Her 'louder' personality than his was better as charisma he believed.

"You know, if you're going recruiting, I at least have one student in your year who you could ask."

The younger students looked at him in a curiosity sync.

"You might find him awkward, but he'll be a good comrade to you both. You can trust your backs to him in a fight. He's skilled, and can get rather powerful, even that's troublesome in its own right, I don't think either of you would have a problem with that and blame him, or with keeping him under control if that happens either."

Kosma was a boy younger than him, but Kevin has faith in his strength, skills, and resolve. He had met the boy during a Honkai disaster, saving and helping him in the process.

"I might have a potential recruit as well, but she's a bit more...troublesome. She actually knows Kosma rather well, so if you get him to join, it shouldn't be too hard to recruit her either. The student is his childhood friend, a daughter of one of my mother's coworkers. I haven't met her in a long time, but I know that goes to this school now since mother sent me an email that you and her would be joining the school." Mei spoke up to her brother.

Adam snorted and leaned back. "You mean Griseo? Now that's a surprise. I would've thought she turned into a NEET or something with her disinterest in the world." He resisted the urge to question her about their mom's message. He was surprised the woman cared enough to go that far. But now he understood why his sister hadn't crushed him with a hug and never let go. His mother's message had prepared her for him, just them rooming together had been a surprise for them both.

"Adam, don't be rude to her..." Mei smiled though, knowing he didn't mean much by it. "She's just a little...enthusiastic about painting is all. It's also a part of her powers on top of being her hobby."

"Hobby is putting it lightly, but yeah, I'll see if I can get some files to send to Kiana about her and talk all about how Griseo nearly crushed me with a giant purple whale once. It hasn't been as long for me since I last saw Griseo, but I assume she's the same as ever."

"Wait, you're serious about that whale thing?" Kiana double taked at that.


As it turned out, both Griseo and Kosma ended up being in the same class. The sickly boy he thought he saw on his first day ended up being Kosma, who he hadn't met before, but had seen at one of the laboratories once. He was more acquainted with Griseo, but "acquainted" being the key word, as the girl was even less social than Adam.

Kiana, who had walked with him to the rooftops, saw a skinny girl with light blue hair painting a storm of red lightning and a skinny boy with dark green hair leaning against the bench.

She leaned over to Adam. "Uh, you sure we should ask them to be on our squad? I think we'd have greater luck asking the Chinese girl who is class representative of her own class and ranked 2 of the first years. Hell, even Veliona herself."

He chuckled. "We can always ask them too. But I wouldn't say they're as weak as they look. I don't know anything about Kosma, but at very least Griseo has the ability to turn what she paints into something real. It gets even more effective if you let her paint your "colors" as she would say, as dangerous as it is."

She tilted her head. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Better I let her explain. I'll give examples later if you want though." He walked up to them, his footsteps attracting Kosma's attention, but Griseo ignored it entirely. "Oi, Griseo, I'm surprised to see you actually here."

The short girl looked over with slight surprise. "Ah. It's Adam." When Kosma stood up defensively to ask them to not bother her she shook her head. "It's...okay Kosma...Adam...is a friend like Kevin and Elysia."

The boy relaxed at that, and Kiana remembered the advice her brother gave to bring him up. "And I'm Kiana Kaslana! My brother Kevin mentioned you before! If you don't have a squad yet, he suggested that you join ours since we'll be making one." It wasn't exactly what he was saying, but it was close enough. To be honest, Kiana thought she would be doing this guy a favor.

The boy lost most of his tension hearing who Kiana was the sister of. "..." However he stared at them in thought, and Adam could literally see the thoughts and responses bouncing in his head through his eyes.

Adam elbowed Kiana slightly and she remembered the rest of what Kevin said. "Kevin told us a little about you. He said he trusted you to watch our backs, and that we could take care of whatever problems you bring. I saw your battle scores, you're more impressive than you look, and I want to see how strong you are for myself."

Griseo took a look at Adam and Kiana, before nodding to herself. "If...you let me paint you and your colors...I don't mind joining...Papa said I should join a squad with people I trust."

Adam grimaced, knowing what exactly that entailed and shook his head to Kiana, who saw it and chose to ignore it. That's what he gets for making her the leader.

Well, he highly doubted it would be an overly huge disaster, so maybe it was fine.

"You two don't have anything to worry about! Adam and I are plenty strong! He's even defeated Durandal once you know!" He wasn't sure if he liked how she worded that, but it did seem like it would be effective for Kosma.

"Then Kosma too...?" She looked over to her friend, who sighed and continued to think.

Kosma looked over to them. He thought back to what Kevin said about risks and trusting yourself and others. The older boy said he would have a place on his squad if nobody accepted him, but he wanted Kosma to try his luck with comrades in his year first. He also wanted to stay with Griseo, and it would be harder to ask to join squads himself...so..."I understand. I'll come with Griseo and join your squad. I'm Kosma of Daybreak."

"And Kiana, meet Griseo The Stars. If she tries to paint you, make sure it's somewhere with supervision." Adam told Kiana for her benefit. And also for generally safe reasons. He remembered the last time he let Griseo paint his color. The whole laboratory he had been staying at had been destroyed and they had been forced to call in Valkyries and Knights. While he was naturally reluctant or letting Griseo's dice roll of a power be used with how chaotic it was, he couldn't say that was a terrifying memory of his mom's lab getting destroyed.

"Alright! Now we got enough to make an actual squad! Now we just need a name and I can enter in all the paperwork necessary!" Kiana pumped her fists in success.

Adam smiled as she put on a guts pose, Griseo copying her with a blank face. Kosma awkwardly stood there and looked at him with a "...(am I supposed to recommend names...?)" or so Adam thought it was.

"I might have a good name to fit us all." Adam decided to recommend. He'd seen Kiana's usernames and email. He didn't hate Homus, but he wasn't going to let it be part of his squad name. He still had some semblance of pride. Both Kosma and Griseo nodded stoically. Kiana pumped her fists once more with a small smile. They seemed to like his suggestion.

"Fitting for our powers and personalities...Magatsu Hellions...No matter what comes forth from ourselves or by disasters, what we need to do hasn't changed."