"Talking"

'Thinking'

"Flashback"

"Attack/Name"

"Narrator"

Rain poured onto the mountainous terrain, small creeks forming beneath the roots of willowing trees. His black and blue hair was soaked, yet keeping its impressive volume. His arm was planted against the trunk of an oak tree as he squatted down on a sizable branch. His yellow eyes pierced through the forest, waiting for someone to strike.

Suddenly a bolt of lightning surged through the trees straight toward him. In response, he yanked his blades from their sheathes before slicing through the raw electricity.

His blades gave a satisfied hum as he absorbed the Heavenly Energy present within the attack. Gracefully returning them to their home, he jumped off of the tree, landing on the rain-soaked ground.

The floor was torn apart from the ferocity of his movements. Mud and grass were torn through the air as the rain filled the trenches he created.

Lurching down, he jumped onto a tree before bursting off towards the assailant. Pulling his swords out mid-air, he slammed his blades down toward a familiar black-haired girl. However, just before he could reach her, he stopped right as his blades could make contact. With a satisfied smile, he stated, "Checkmate, Akeno..."

"That was slower than yesterday, are we having that much of an effect on you?" The girl replied with a coy smile, Sekaino storing his weapons as he turned in the opposite direction as he rebutted, "No, I think you're just getting better at stealth.

Even if it's by a slight margin." Sekaino added, turning to the woman with a cocky smile, exaggerating his last two words.

"In any case, I'm going to find the others. Just meet us back at the manor." He ordered, however, Akeno's smile didn't waver. Confused, Sekaino asked, "Shouldn't you be leaving?"

"Not yet, besides you're about to walk with me." Akeno hinted, Sekaino widened his eyes as he raised his sword behind his head before feeling a massive pressure behind him. Twisting around, he looked up at Kiba, his sword clashing against Sekaino's. Pushing against the boy, Sekaino ordered, "You're out Akeno, so don't help them."

Before the girl could reply, Sekaino dashed off. His body appeared as a blur before disappearing entirely. Still, in mid-air Sekaino and Kiba clashed once more, Sekaino's momentum hurling them through the forest before both landed a fair distance away from each other.

Sekaino looked up the hill, having fallen further than Kiba. The younger male looked down before both zipped toward the other. However, the moment the two clashed, Sekaino was tackled out of the way by a white blur.

Sekaino looked down to see Koneko, chuckling at the fact they were able to time a stealth attack perfectly. However, his complacency was short-lived, as he kneed her in the abdomen, causing the small girl to lose her grip.

Kiba, hoping that the lock would've lasted longer, dove towards Sekaino. Seeing this, the older male pushed the Devil up the mountain before crashing into a tree.

Kiba coughed up spit as he crashed against the trunk, though he wasn't able to recover. In one movement Sekaino landed in a handstand on the ground, before launching himself feet first toward Kiba's torso. Both tore through the trunk, however, it was the Devil who took the brunt of the impact as both ripped onto the ground.

With both legs planted on Kiba, Sekaino used the boy as a board, trudging him through the dirt before he came to a stop. Before he could do anything further, Koneko appeared in front of him, going after his leg with a kick.

Sekaino responded by blocking her leg with the blunt side of his blade. The girl couldn't even hold it for a second before Sekaino forced her leg back, butting her in the stomach with the bottom of his blade's hilt. The small Devil let out a whimper, doing what she could to hide the pain.

Immediately after, he gave a decisive uppercut, launching her into the air. Grabbing her leg, he slammed her onto the ground next to Kiba, the move rendering her unconscious. Taking a deep breath, he planted the children against a tree, ensuring they were still alive before dashing off.

After leaving the two, Sekaino pulled his blades out, running with both of them pointed behind him. Energy bubbled from the blackened metal, trees falling behind him as mere collateral damage. The hunt wasn't over quite yet, while he may have been marginally slower to catch Akeno, he was still ahead of his previous record from yesterday. Normally the Devils wouldn't be useful when it came to training him, however, he found other ways to keep himself in good condition, and this exercise was just that. By playing the hunter, he could work on his speed, while the others worked to take him down. It wasn't perfect by any means, but that was something he was used to in his world.

Stabbing a blade into the dirt, he stopped himself as a red swirling mass of energy crashed in front of him. With a smile, Sekaino commented, "Gremory."

"Sekaino..." The supposed king replied, a swirling black and red aura surrounding her form. The sight would've petrified a lesser being, luckily Sekaino wasn't one. Two jets of light burst from each of the man's blades, creating a 'V' like pattern from Rias' perspective. Unfortunately, the light show didn't last long, as Sekaino launched himself forwards, twisting as he did so creating a spiraling ray of blue flames.

In front of Rias, Sekaino swung his arms down towards her neck from her left. Her eyes widened as she dodged from instinctual fear, the blades only grazing her neck causing a drop of blood to pool out. However, its existence was minuscule due to the flames evaporating it the moment it leaked from Rias' neck.

Sekaino kept the movement flowing, twisting around before slamming down on the girl from above. Luckily, Rias was able to weave a stream of destructive magic in between her hands, holding them both up to intercept Sekaino's swords.

Rias poured nearly everything she had into keeping Sekaino still, however, the man was barely exerting, keeping his smile on his face as he said, "Self-taught, and not half bad..."

Sekaino twisted before kicking her left leg, before using his own to donkey-kick her in the stomach. Turning around, Sekaino jumped after her, slicing through a flaming ball of destructive energy. Immediately after, Sekaino dropped his swords before kicking upwards with his left, catching the blades with his ankle.

Keeping his momentum, he continued with the reverse ax kick, his swords aligning perfectly before rising above his form as he stopped the kick. Catching the blades above him with his right arm, he swung both towards Rias' left side, the girl barely blocking with a similar construct.

"Still, your technique... lacks something," Sekaino added, before punching the girl in the abdomen, launching her backward. Rias landed, and kneeled with a hand on the floor helping brace herself up. Before she decided to stand, Rias replied, "N-need you be this rough?"

Sekaino chuckled at her words, before answering, "Tell me, do you think Riser Phenex will decide to go easy on you? Do you think your enemies will spare you?"

"We-well no-"

"Exactly. Besides, if you guys manage to do decent enough against me, you'll have a good shot at defeating Riser." Sekaino interrupted, explaining his valid reasoning. Rias looked at him with a curious yet skeptical look, picking herself up as she asked, "And what makes you say that?"

Sekaino smirked at her question, before replying, "Because it's safe to say I'm a lot stronger than him. And before you ask, I've already explained why I can't help you."

It had become a recurring issue, Rias asking if Sekaino could help her Peerage alongside Issei. Of course, he denied it, explaining why he couldn't, offering Issei's strength instead. The boy was already far too invested early on, and now they were on day 16, much too late to opt-out. In the time that had passed, Sekaino oversaw their progress, watching as the melee combatants became faster, stronger, and overall better. Akeno and Rias had both become impressive magicians, able to manipulate their magicks to a much higher degree.

As for Issei, he had full control over the Boosted Gear, able to summon it at will. Though it wasn't an easy process, luckily in tandem with Issei strengthening his body and mind the boy was able to control it. He was now able to multiply his strength several times over, nowhere near Sekaino's base level, but impressive nonetheless.

Today the two were going to have a rematch, as Sekaino wanted to test Issei's strength. The last time they had fought was on day two, far too early for the boy to manage. Regardless of the plans, Sekaino focused on the girl in front of him. Rias sprouted her wings before blasting off using her destructive magic.

Stopping mid-air, Rias conjured a ball of magic in her hands before firing a multitude of streams toward Sekaino. Dozens of streams made from red and black energy cascaded down into the forest, obliterating trees and devastating the landscape. From an outside perspective it would've looked as though a shower hose had erupted with blood, the spread of water abnormally large.

It was a move that Sekaino had taught her, based on a technique he called, 'Setai Hari,'. Looking up at the attack, Sekaino stood still, tanking the hits as they exploded on his skin.

A massive fireball erupted from where Sekaino was, catching the nearby trees on fire before a stream of blue raced through the explosion and caught up with Rias. The redhead barely dodged, though it was more due to Sekaino not taking her seriously upfront. Instead of retreating, she zipped back before launching a beam of red. Sekaino slung his blades in front of him, their metallic surface humming as her magic reflected against their bodies.

Sekaino bursted to the side, zipping across the beam before clotheslining the girl, knocking her out. Watching as gravity took hold of the girl's body, he floated down and scooped her into his arms.

Like a stylus trudging over a screen, Sekaino made his way to the manor, holding Rias as she stirred. Her eyes fluttered open as though she had taken a nap for far too long as she said, "Sekaino?"

He looked down at her with a firm disinterest before answering, "About time you woke up."

Setting her down quickly, albeit gently, the two watched as the rest of their companions made their way toward him. Rias had a look of contempt as she saw both Koneko supporting Kiba, and Akeno thankfully unharmed in front of them.

"What exactly did you do to them?" Rias interrogated, pointing at her beaten friends. Sekaino huffed before remarking, "No less than what I did to you. Besides, rather toughen them up now than watch them die at the hands of Riser, no?"

Rias opened her mouth in retaliation, before cutting off her own words. It was a valid argument, one that her logical side understood, yet her emotional side rejected. Nevertheless, she stayed silent, turning as she heard Issei approach the two.

Through a yawn, Issei commented, "Looks like you've all had a helluva morning."

"Just some routine training," Sekaino replied, barely turning to look at his friend. His attention still on the other three, Sekaino yelled, "Come on you three, go rest up and do what you need to get ready for school. I think we have a long day ahead of us."

Through tired sighs, the group walked into the mansion. Unexpectedly Rias tugged on Sekaino's white sleeve, silently retrieving his attention. With a curious expression, the man asked, "What is it?"

"There's something I need to talk to you about," Rias answered, deciding to humor her, he obliged. The two walked away from the front porch and out of view, both walking together toward the side of the house.

"If you're asking me to help you-."

"It's not that, as much as I'd like for that, I've mostly accepted your answer." Rias interrupted, Sekaino sneering at the last part of her sentence before asking, "Then what do you want?"

"I want to know why you saved Issei, and why you're so adamant about training him." She questioned, Sekaino sighed before replying, "To put it simply I need his help. I may be king here but I still know my limits."

"Help with what?" Rias asked, Sekaino huffed before turning to look at her, asking, "Have you sensed it, the presence on this Earth?"

His question confused her, however, instead of bickering, she nodded. Understanding what he was talking about, she commented, "It's potent. Whatever it is, it's like a combination of what you use and something opposite."

"I'll tell you what it is. It's a god. A strong one too, stronger than your Underworld, hell I'd bet even the Higher Planes combined."

"Higher Planes?"

"Cosmology, to put it simply it's something which includes your factions and whatnot," Sekaino noted, momentarily easing Rias' curiosity. Putting aside that topic for now, the man stated, "And it's for that reason that I need Issei's help. Ddraig is an extremely powerful being amongst the Higher Planes. Honestly if I were able to find Albion's host I'd try and recruit whoever they may be."

Rias nodded with some understanding, before asking, "Then if that's the case, why not just ask the more powerful beings? Like those still alive."

"Because those beings are usually arrogant twats who won't be damned to protect the world in which they draw power from," Sekaino answered, adding, "Also, while I can if I wanted to, it would violate the natural order for me to ask for help from the Higher Planes, as they are not protectors in the same way I am."

"And so you've asked someone who's from the Lower Planes."

"Precisely. Though if I wanted to, especially if it's a much greater threat, then yes I could use the Higher Planes for help." Sekaino explained, the girl nodding in agreement at his reasoning. Rias then grew a smirk before saying, "A solid plan, I suppose I should be glad for the help I am receiving from you."

"Thanks for the compliment." Sekaino sarcastically remarked, Rias' smile dropping as she faked clearing her throat to get rid of the awkward air.

"Nevertheless, you're not too shabby yourself, as a leader you have a ways to go. But you certainly can adapt well enough." Sekaino added, her blue eyes widening in surprise before a grateful expression formed on her face.

"That's the first time you've had something nice to say, though I thank you for it." Rias teased, laughing as Sekaino grimaced at her joke.

"You've kept track?" He questioned as she looked back at him, the same placid smile on her face as she replied, "Of course, I guess you can call it something to look forward to."

At that, Sekaino chuckled before joking, "Then keep counting because I'm not 'nice' year round."

"Will do," Rias answered, a serene silence falling onto the scene.

Rias' smile suddenly dropped, not in a 'moment of realization', but rather as though she had another question for him. Her eyes looking away, Rias stated, "S-Sekaino...

There's something else I'd like to discuss, away from prying eyes." The Devil finished, her stare looming over to his own once more. Sighing in discontent, he muttered, "Let's go then."

Nodding, she led them both away towards another entrance of the manor, one away from the rest of the group. Surprisingly, both walked up a flight of stairs, rising to a hallway. Traveling down the length of the corridor, both wound up at Rias' room, entering with a heavy atmosphere.

Rias locked the door behind them, something which didn't go unnoticed by Sekaino. Disregarding that, he looked at the now trembling girl.

He's seen this before, her figure was slightly cowering, her breath shaky. The look someone gave as they were about to tell you something they didn't want to, or that they were embarrassed to reveal. Falling in line with his expectations, Rias began with, "I-I know, you can't intervene in the matters which happen in the Higher Planes. But...

'Oh boy.'

"There's another way that I think you could help me." Rias walked closer to him, a very short distance between the two.

"Please! You have to take me!" Rias begged, grabbing onto Sekaino's shoulders. Sekaino widened his eyes realizing what she meant.

"I need you to take my virginity! And I need you to do it now..." Sekaino narrowed his eyes before snagging her wrist and throwing her onto the bed. What would've knocked the wind out of her merely surprised her as she sat up to see Sekaino turn towards her, his bangs shadowing his face.

"Tell me, what made you think I'd go ahead and do that?" He asked, a venomous tone leaking into his voice. Rias fully sat up, a look of panic present on her face at the twist of events.

"I-I had thought-"

"That I'd lay you as a 'precautionary measure'." Sekaino interrupted, before continuing with, "Do you have that little faith in your partners? Your friends?!"

Rias was silent, the shame and regret bubbling in her system. Sighing, he lowered his voice before saying, "Here I thought you might've had faith in us, your allies.

You disappoint me, Gremory..." Closing the door behind him, he left the girl to sit on her bed. There was no need to cause a commotion, he just needed her to think.

Within the room, a white line began to glimmer from the floor. From the glow a figure materialized, revealing itself to be a beautiful young woman who looked to be in her early twenties. She had back-length silver hair done in a long braid on each side with small blue bows at the ends. The rest of her hair was let down, ending in twin braids. She had brilliant red eyes matching only her lipstick. She wore a blue and white French maid outfit with long sleeves and a white maid headband over her head as a cosmetic accessory.

"Here I thought I had gotten here just on time. It seems you've already finished." The woman spoke, her ordain tone leaking with disappointment. Rias shook her head, the movement nearly invisible, however, the woman noticed it. With a slight confusion arising, she asked, "Then I assume he rejected you?"

Rias nodded, her eyes now gloomy as she stared off with indifference. Sighing, the woman stated, "Take that as a good thing, I'm sure you would've regretted it.

...Even if he is incredibly powerful." She added, sensing his very presence as though he were right next to her. Sighing, she finished with, "Please, don't try this again. Have a little more self-respect for yourself, Rias."

The white light overtook the woman's body, before completely disappearing.

"You're right, I think something is bugging her. If I had to guess, I'd say it's House of Gremory drama." Kiba pondered, walking with Issei to the old school building after a long day of school. By now the two boys had gotten used to their intense morning routine before school, so it was nothing new. Issei, unknowing of the drama, asked, "You think Akeno might know what's going on there?"

"She is her right-hand lady. So if anyone would, it's her." Kiba stated, before stopping in his tracks. A firm glare grew on his face as Issei asked, "What is it?"

"Well, there is one thing I can think of that would upset her, and we've already talked about it. If I had to guess, something big is going to happen today," Kiba answered before the two made their way to the clubhouse. Opening the door, the two boys walked in to see the rest of the club and Sekaino already in the room. As well as an unknown face, to Issei at least. Issei gave a friendly, "What's up?"

However, his casual demeanor was cut by the appearance of the unknown face. Standing up from her desk, Rias announced with an annoyed tone, "Well everyone's here. Good."

"My lady if you don't mind, may I have your permission to speak openly?" The woman asked, her posh tone radiating through the air before Rias responded with, "Let's hear her out."

However before the woman could speak, an orange glow illuminated the room, overpowering the sunlight coming from the windows. At the opposite end of the room, a vast orange magic circle formed, before flames spouted from it along with the call of a bird. Sekaino's resolute stare shifted towards a meager curiosity, wondering who the newcomer was.

In the center of the flames stood a man, his silhouette glowing revealing a tall, handsome young man in his early 20s with short blond hair and dark blue eyes. His outfit consisted of a burgundy blazer with gold embroidery on the right matching pants and black dress shoes. Underneath his open blazer is a white dress shirt unbuttoned giving a slight view of his chest. "Phenex. Ah... and Riser has arrived in the human realm.

I've come all this way to see you, my beloved Rias." The man declared, with an arrogant tone upon seeing Rias. Issei intrusively asked, "Okay, who's this douche?"

"This gentleman is Lord Riser Phenex. He is a pureblooded Devil of noble birth, the third heir in line to the House of Phenex."

"And that means what?"

"He is also fiancé to the next head of the House of Gremory." The woman explained, Issei asking in bewilderment, "Fiancé to what?! You're joking right?!"

"I am not. Lady Rias has been engaged to Lord Riser for quite some time now." The woman confirmed, Issei yelling, "Uh-! They're getting married?!"

A/N: From here on out, I'm going to try and use proper literary techniques such as italicizing accentuated words and whatnot. Decided that it might be the best way to actually write this story, anyways, onto the next chapter.

Word Count - 3,816