Chapter 5.5
Meeting the Youkai and Gods
"Welcome to my humble abode!" Venelana said, introducing her summer house to the Heroic Spirits and Issei, who knew that Venelana was rich, but this was freaking huge that was even bigger than a mansion.
This morning, Venelana told the group that she wanted to take them to Kyoto as part of Issei's summer vacation since it would be a wonderful opportunity for him and the others to see Kyoto and visit some of her friends who lived there. Venelana even explained that they would be staying at a summer house she has in Kyoto, which she uses when taking a break from work at both the school and the Underworld.
So, during the tour, the group was amazed by both the interior and exterior since Venelana Gremory's summer house in Kyoto was a charming blend of traditional Japanese architecture and modern luxury. Nestled amidst lush greenery, the house features a minimalist design with sliding paper doors, tatami mat floors, and elegant wooden furnishings.
The exterior was adorned with a small garden filled with vibrant flowers and carefully trimmed bonsai trees. A winding stone path leads to the entrance, where a small wooden gate welcomes visitors into the tranquil retreat.
There was even a training arena outside, where Leonidas and Artoria were excited to test out their archery skills, and Atalanta was excited when she found targets set up for her.
Inside, the main living area is spacious yet cozy, with large windows that allow plenty of natural light to filter in. A traditional tea ceremony room offers a serene space for meditation and relaxation.
Semiramis enjoyed this since back in Kuoh Town, and Issei even told her about a nice tea shop that was a bit old-fashioned. Still, the tea and customer service were amazing, so when Issei took her there for a small date, Semiramis fell in love with the atmosphere since it was perfect with just her, her master, and none of the annoying others to interfere with the moment.
The kitchen is compact but fully equipped with state-of-the-art appliances, perfect for preparing light meals and refreshing drinks during the hot summer months.
Issei and Leonidas had to stop Artoria from ransacking the fridge. Artoria was so captivated by the smells of the delicious food that she wanted to taste a 'sample' of it before Issei and Leonidas stopped her and dragged the crying Saber away from the food just out of her reach.
Much to the amusement of the others as they watched the King of Britain try to beg Issei with puppy eyes, which almost worked if not for Artoria's stomach growling.
The master bedroom was simple yet inviting. It had a comfortable futon laid out on the tatami floor and sliding doors that opened onto a private patio overlooking a serene koi pond.
Venelana personally tried to get Issei to join her by saying he'd be staying with her until Medea and Artoria stopped her from corrupting Issei even more while Scahtach was pouting, saying she wanted to join in the fun, making the Caster and Saber of the group, keep their master away from the cougars.
Outside, a wooden deck provides the ideal spot for al fresco dining or simply soaking up the sun. A traditional Japanese hot tub, nestled in a secluded corner of the garden, offers the ultimate relaxation experience.
Atalanta loved this even more as she was tempted to take a catnap and enjoy the sun warming her body.
Overall, Venelana Gremory's summer house is a peaceful sanctuary where she can escape the hustle and bustle of city life and immerse herself in the beauty of nature.
"Okay, I am definitely out of my element here. Why exactly did you bring us to a massive palace?" Issei asked, and Venelana replied to him.
"Actually, this is the smallest of the five summer houses I have. It's a bit cramped here, but I'm sure we can deal with it." Venelana said with the ones who were not used to large amounts of luxuries before Issei asked with a tone of disbelief.
"This is your smallest summer house? This one?!"
"Yep! Now, let's go unpack before my friends arrive since we'll be joining them for brunch, so we have two hours to prepare." Venelana said that before Issei and the group got unpacked, they also made a sleeping chart to indicate who'd be sleeping with whom.
Medea and Artoria wanted to snuggle with Issei, while Leonidas didn't mind rooming with his little brother. The group decided to settle the argument by drawing straws, which resulted in this sleeping chart.
Guest Bedroom 1: Leonidas and Issei.
Guest Bedroom 2: Medea and Atalanta.
Guest Bedroom 3: Artoria and Semiramis.
Guest Bedroom 4: Scathach.
Main Bedroom: Venelana.
So the guys went to unpack, which was easy since Issei only brought a medium-sized suitcase from home. At the same time, Semiramis was able to bring her fortress to Kyoto and hid it with an invisibility spell.
Leonidas liked the view of the city while Issei looked over his daggers, which Medea and Semiramis had made for him. They had a piece of his magic in them, and his poisonous blood coated the blades.
Issei liked the idea of having his weapon. Granted, he had a spear given to him by Scathach or the rifle given to him by Avenger, but it feels like he has his unique weapon created for him, thanks to the idea he had. With a far-reaching weapon, he was able to use his magic on his enemies while poisoning them.
Issei's blood after the ritual was poisonous but not so toxic. It harmed those who touched him like another Assassin that Semiramis told him about back in the Throne of Heroes.
Issei also enjoyed the skeleton mask that Scahtach used to scare Atalanta in the bath yesterday, but this gave Issei an idea. Thanks to Annihilation Maker, he had a special cloak made for him that allowed his body to be cloaked in darkness so he couldn't be seen or detected by others. The cloak also kept his weapons hidden within a dimensional pocket that held not just his rifles and spear but also his many daggers that were crafted for him.
Semiramis joked that Issei could possibly become an Assassin in the Throne of Heroes by the way he dressed, which wasn't a bad idea since what Issei knew about heroes and comics is that sometimes stealth is an important skill to have in one's Arsenal. So he asked Semiramis to teach him how to be an assassin should the time come when Issei needed to gather information.
Semiramis liked this plan, so when Issei wasn't training with either Atalanta, Leonidas, Artoria, or Scathach, the Assassin of the group was training Issei in the art of assassination.
Granted, Semiramis wasn't a fighter like the others since she relied on her poison and fortress to fight. However, she was still able to teach Issei how to fight with daggers and guns, use the shadows to his advantage, strike the enemies' weak spots, human anatomy, and more.
"So you brought your knives with you?" Leonidas asked, breaking Issei out of his train of thought before Issei smiled at his brother.
"Don't worry about Leo. I'm just making sure that my weapons are ready for training since I have a feeling I'll be going through some tougher training." Issei said before the two got dressed in casual but good attire while the others were getting accustomed to their new sleeping arrangements.
"You stay on your side of the room, Assassin!" Artoria said, placing her futon near the window to escape should the Poison Mistress try anything. However, Semiramis honestly didn't care as she was brushing her hair in the mirror.
"I really don't care. Just choose a side and get ready since you only have one chance for a good first impression." Semiramis said before smiling at her beauty and using some lipstick to make her lips pop out, which would not only make her master want to taste them but also stand out from the other older women.
Artoria honestly didn't care about her attire since she was used to dressing up like a boy back in Britain. So, she decided to go with business casual, smiling at her figure while Semiramis rolled her eyes at the King's lack of fashion.
"If you're trying to turn Issei off, then you're doing a good job since you finally dressed the way you act."
"And what is that supposed to mean!"
"Oh, it's nothing, Miss Female Impersonator. I feel sad that Issei has such a brutish Saber who acts more like a man than a woman."
"I don't need makeup to attract master's attention!"
"Oh really? Then why does he look at Medea more or me? What about Venelana or Scathach? He hardly looks your way since I wouldn't date a wannabe woman than an actual ruler."
Semiramis said, making Artoria look at her attire. She then looked at her reflection and noticed how Issei barely looked her way since she was mostly dressed in her armor and casual clothes. This made Artoria ponder whether Issei actually saw her as a woman or just a Saber.
"Oh, come on, Atalanta! I think this looks great on you!" Medea shouted as she tried to get Atalanta in a dress, making the Archer hiss at her while squirming out of her reach.
"Stay away from me, you pervert!"
"Oh, please! Artoria doesn't mind the dresses she wears!"
"Because you force her into them!"
Scathach, on the other hand, was smiling as she enjoyed the room to herself while sipping some tea.
"Mm. You know, after being around them for just a month, it's nice having my own space, though it would be nice if Issei were here to have some tea with me." Scathach said before following Semiramis and Issei to their tea shop, recalling Issei's love of a special tea that made the stress melt away.
"Hm. Maybe I can get some of that tea Issei likes here and invite him here to spend some time with me." Scathach said before popping chocolate in her mouth and moaning at the taste that melted on her tongue.
Meanwhile, with Princess Kunou.
"But I don't want to wear these annoying clothes!" Kunou pouted. She didn't know why her mother was so insistent that she wear her traditional kimono even though she was told they'd be having guests that day.
"It's because it's to greet our guests. Now stop your struggles, or else I'll ask Amaterasu to do it for you." Yasaka scolded Kunou, making her give in as her mother brushed her hair and let it flow freely.
Kunou sighed since she was hoping to do some more training with Susanoo, but her mother told her that this was important, so she had to endure this annoyance until she could finally be free.
Kunou sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror and saw the princess wardrobe on her body. Granted, she did like the clothes, but she hated how she wasn't able to make any other friends when she was a child. Many times, children were either afraid of her because of the Royal guards or merely because she was a princess.
Kunou then used her frustrations to continue fighting, which was a great way to let out some of the stress in her body.
Eventually, time passed by, and Kunou was now standing in the throne room with her golden blonde hair tied in a ponytail. She also had her nine golden fox tails and matching ears out while looking at her attire.
She was wearing a traditional miko outfit and a tall geta with a white tabi. The sleeves of her haori feature a giant red star-shaped pentagram, surrounded by five smaller pentagrams in between the points.
A messenger then appeared at the throne room before introducing Venelana Gremory, who was wearing a wonderful dress that showed her beauty and grace.
"Presenting Venelana Gremory and company," the messenger said. Venelana curtsied to Yasaka, who smiled at her friend before speaking to them.
"It's a pleasure to see you again, Venelana. And I take it that these are your associates?" Yasaka asked with Venelana nodding and introducing the servants first before Issei, who surprised Kunou by how he cleaned up since Issei was wearing his Avenger clothes since it suited the 'meeting royalty' aspect and looked professional.
Kunou then blushed seeing his face as well as his smile when he looked her away, making Kunou's blush darker before she invited Issei to sit next to her, making Yasaka look at Kunou in surprise before hiding a smirk as she saw her daughter's eyes look at Issei before the two sat next to each other with Issei and Kunou chatting about some of the things they liked and vice versa, especially since Issei mentioned how much he liked cute animals like cat and dogs especially this nice little Fox that lived in an abandoned church before it passed away.
Kunou then revealed her tails to Issei and said that Issei could touch them if he'd like, but he should be gentle with them.
Issei nodded as he gently touched the fur and felt how soft it was before commenting on how she must be taking wonderful care of her tails. This made Kunou blush since she loved how gentle Issei was with her tails. Yasaka smirked at the sight, and Issei accidentally touched the tip of her tail, causing Kunou to flinch a bit.
Issei apologized for being rude, but Kunou reassured him that she was fine; she was just not used to being touched in that area.
Issei and Kunou then quieted down a bit as they continued to eat breakfast, with Leonidas flashing Issei a thumbs-up. Her master's attraction amused Semiramis to royalty, and she could see the two of them being friends and possibly lovers.
"It was wonderful of you to have us join you, Lady Yasaka, but how exactly do you and Venelana know each other so well? I thought the relationship between the factions was a bit neutral, given the circumstances of the Biblical Faction." Issei said that Yasaka didn't mind as she explained that she and Venelana were good friends and how she comforted Venelana after the Great War when Venelana lost not just her husband but nearly joined him in her depressed state.
Issei recalled how Venelana was when they first met and how she wanted to show him that the path he would walk down was a dangerous one, especially since Issei had already embraced death before being given his second chance.
Kunou was shocked by this as well since she knew her mother had a friend in the Devil Faction but wasn't sure why. Then, she recalled how her mother was saddened when her husband, Kunou's father, passed away while protecting them until Venelana and her late husband helped her as well.
After breakfast with the group, Venelana introduced the Shinto Gods, Susanoo, Tsukiyomi, and Amaterasu, to the Heroic Spirits, which excited Susanoo and Kunou. Yasaka then told Kunou that she would be training with Amaterasu, which made Kunou pout before nodding in agreement with her mother. Issei then reassured her that he would be happy to see her magic when she's done training.
This made Kunou skip a step, as she was happy to have a friend show off her magic, too, instead of just the teachers.
Issei was still amazed when looking at the Gods since the stories about them hardly did them Justice.
Tsukiyomi, the God of the Moon, was a youthful-looking man clad in a black kimono with silver accents in the form of threads. His eyes were slightly slanted and closed most of the way, making it impossible to discern their color lest one were uncomfortably close to him. His nose was straight and pointed, his thin lips held in a constant half-frown, all of this on a slightly long face with a pointed chin. His height was the average for a Japanese man in their early twenties; his build was slim, with narrow shoulders, and his long, brown hair was done up in a topknot. All of these traits together gave him the stereotypical Bishounen (Pretty boy) look.
As for Susanoo, he was a large man, much taller than average by standing at a good 6'1", with broad shoulders and a noticeably muscled build, even under his sea-foam green kimono, with aquamarine-colored accents in the form of crashing waves. His blue eyes were big and round, his nose slightly crooked and thick, and he sported a thick beard and mustache combo, covering his mouth and his broad, square-shaped jaw, both in the same russet color as his short, windswept-looking hair. His skin was sunburnt in the same way as a fisherman's, yet put together with the rest of his look, it gave him an attractive, if austere, appearance.
And finally, Amaterasu was a very beautiful woman. With her short, slim build, clothed in a white, silk kimono with golden trim and accents in the form of flames; silk-smooth, raven black hair going down to her shoulders in a hime cut, brown-colored almond-shaped eyes, a small, dainty nose, and a pair of slightly plump lips colored in a ruby red that contrasted her porcelain-colored pale skin greatly and her eyebrows cut in a thick but short rounded shape, the woman could be said to be the epitome of the traditional Japanese princess.
Except for her full, soft-looking, back-achingly large breasts, which, if one were to measure them, would be classified as E-cups.
"Amazing," Issei said without thinking, making Susanoo smirk at the kid.
"So you're the one that Venelana talked about, huh?" Susanoo said as he looked at the kid before smirking. You got some strength, but let's see how tough you really are."
Susanoo said before picking Issei up as if he were a child until Tsukiyomi grabbed Issei away from his brother before speaking to him.
"I believe we should test him against a person who is stronger than humans and not someone who will kill him after a single punch."
"Oh, please," Susanoo said. Would one of those spiders be a better choice to spar with the kid?"
"It'll allow us to gauge his skills. Unless any of you have a problem with Issei fighting one of my Royal Guard soldiers." Tsukiyomi asked, with the servants not looking amused or threatened before Leonidas spoke for them.
"It's not our choice but little bros choice," Leonidas said before looking at Issei. "Is this something you're okay with?"
"Yes," Issei said, happy to demonstrate his skills for the Gods, especially since he could tell that Tsukiyomi had a bit of a prideful side, thinking that humans were weak. If what he read about Susanoo was true, then Susanoo was similar to Ares in battle since the two loved to fight strong opponents.
Tsukiyomi smiled at this as he took Issei to a training arena where there was an arena for Youkai to train, and Semiramis had to admit that she was impressed by the layout since it had many traps and good places for an opponent to attack an unsuspecting enemy. Issei then walked with Tsukiyomi to the rafters, which seemed to be a good place for an assassin to kill their targets under the cover of the night.
"My personal Assassin will be testing you to see what you're capable of. Is that okay with you, Issei?" Tsukiyomi asked as Issei summoned his cloak and placed his skull mask on his face as he took on his Assassin form, thanks to the Annihilation Maker. Isssi smirked at the Youkai as he brandished out a knife and was ready to deal with his opponent.
The Spider smiled as I eyed his appearance—a young adult, likely in their low twenties, wearing nothing less than a dark blue kimono.
The man was about the same height as Issei, though he was of a slighter build, having narrower shoulders and an overall less toned build. He also had black fuzz in place of skin, six blood-red eyes spread around his face, no nose, and a very large, very sharp-looking pair of pincers in place of a mouth; said pincers gleamed with a light green tint, and the upper part of them moved as the Youkai spoke.
"Well, now, human, let's see how strong you really are," The Youkai said as Tsukiyomi teleported out of the sparring room, which was the signal as the Spider lunged out at the Assassin. Issei saw this and ducked underneath the Youkai before high-kicking the Spider, which was well-aimed at the target. The Spider just took the kick like a champ before the Youkai recovered in midair.
After recovering, he caught himself on a wall with the palm of his hand, sticking to it before swinging his body so that his feet landed on the wall as well, giving him stability, while placing his free hand atop his head, fighting back the disorientation from the hit of the person he was currently glaring at.
Issei was surprised by this as he began to pull out a black semi-automatic magnum pistol that he had made thanks to watching an anime with Semiramis that had a vampire in it. Issei created his version of it, but this time, he was able to increase the magazine capacity to eight bullets while still weighing six kilograms when loaded.
However, the bullets that were loaded in the gun were special as Issei took aim and fired one of the rounds at the Youkai. The Youkai scoffed at the boy as he raised his arm to block the shot, but as soon as the bullet hit his arm, the bones inside of his left arm broke, and his arm humerus shattered as he felt his arm snap within.
"GAH!" The Youkai shouted, unable to believe what had happened to his arm until he began to look at the boy in fear. Issei took careful aim with his gun and fired three more rounds, which made the Youkai flee into the shadows as he dodged them, thanks to his speed.
Issei stopped, as he didn't want to waste his remaining bullets until he breathed heavily. He then closed his eyes and, thanks to his training, increased all of his senses.
'An Assassin always relies on more than their weapons. They rely on their skills and how to utilize their resources as well as using their instincts.' Issei said in his mind while recalling the words of Semiramis while listening around him.
'The Youkai is, without a doubt, a spider. Youkai, given the way he is able to stick to the wall and has multiple eyes similar to a spider as well as the pincers. He knows that my bullets can break his arm. I'll have to thank Semiramis as well as Medea for giving me these special bullets.' Issei said in his mind, grateful for the bullets before he began to hear the running that the Youkai was doing, trying to throw Isssi off, but the Assassin wasn't easily fooled.
Issei pulled out a set of three daggers and smiled to himself as he heard the running cease before turning around and throwing them at the Spider. However, the girder behind him hit Issei in the stomach and forced him to a stop.
"Gah!" Issei gasped as he then felt many webs begin to coat his body, which made it very difficult for Issei to move in until he looked to see that the Youkai was more of a spider due to the four spindly limbs, segmented into three parts by round joints, and tipped with sharp, dagger-length, hook-like spines, two of the limbs resting along the shoulder blades, and the lower two being placed each on either side of the lower back region, all four of them supporting the smirking foe.
"Kehkehkehkehkeh~!" The Youkai clicking laugh filled the area, the sound bouncing off from the various obstacles in a particularly eerie manner before the mouth-pincers started moving. "I see that you have understood! Each of these limbs is much faster, stronger, and more resilient than the rest of my body, each of them easily capable of moving fast enough to deflect bullets, hitting strong enough to break stone, and tipped with claws sharp enough to punch through steel! Now that they're out, there's no way you will survive! You are already dead!"
The Spider monologued while Issei looked up to see many girders fall from the arena. Still, to the Youkai's surprise, Issei didn't show any fear; he gave a deadly smile and closed his eyes until the girders covered Issei.
BOOM!
A massive dust cloud covered the area; the Spider felt a sigh of relief left his lips. He began to leave the arena and call his master to tell him the results of the battle.
"Kikh... That... That wasn't a normal human! He was much too skilled in his craft to be called a human! But that does not matter since I've triumphed. It's the natural order of things, even if it was closer than I'd like," The spider guy let out a sigh as he allowed himself to flop back-first onto the ground before breathing out, "When Lord Tsukiyomi hears about this, he's going to up my training again."
"I'll go ahead and prepare a healer to tend to the boy's injuries. No need to stay." Tsukiyomi said before Semiramis began to laugh while hiding it behind her hand.
"Is there something wrong, Lady Semiramis?" Yasaka asked, and Semiramis continued to laugh until she replied to the Youkai Queen.
"It's nothing, but your Moon God actually thinks Issei is defeated. I was honestly amused by how blind your God is if he can't even see that the fight is going to end soon but not in his favor." Semiramis said before Leonidas spoke.
"She's right. Issei's tougher than you think, plus even when he couldn't sleep, Issei continued his training and learned how to better use his Sacred Gear along with his magic.
"Trust me when I say that Issei will begin to take this more seriously now that he knows everything about his opponent," Leonidas said before the Shinto Faction and Venelana looked to see the Spider Youkai was shocked as a voice replied to his comment.
"Oh really? Then, I should no longer hold back against you.
The Spider's head snapped towards the downed girders, his heart thumping heavily as his six eyes strained heavily to discern the slightest bit of movement. After several seconds of staring, the Spider finally allowed the tension to drain out of his body at the confirmed lack of movement.
'This fight really screwed me up more than I expected...'
"And I can even hear the fear you held towards me in those words. How interesting." Issei's voice said as one of the sharp limbs shot behind him hard enough to release a mild shock-wave, the hooked tip positioned in a way to punch through the target.
Only for Isssi to effortlessly stop it just inches away from his face. The shock wave of the sudden halting of the attack caused his hair to blow back and his clothes to rustle.
Giving the downed enemy an unconcerned look, Issei spoke in an interested tone. "I'll admit. Despite your holier-than-thou attitude towards humans, you're a very strong Youkai who's good at the assassination. A mid-tier fighter, as far as close combat goes, along with a diverse set of skills and the brains to use them well, choosing to engage in a way that is most advantageous to you and to change the field as soon as you felt it to be unfavorable to you."
"Also, using your web sparingly for purposes of immobilizing me at specific times that would allow you to get a critical hit in, with an exception for what you believed to be a killing blow, making full usage of the terrain around you to facilitate your fighting style, and keeping your extra limbs hidden, using yourself as a feint in order to strike from the blind spot using your spider limbs. Plus, I'm sure that there's some hidden skill, ability, or technique that you have up your sleeve that you would have usually pulled out to finish the fight had I given you the time to use it. With all of those things together, you should be capable of matching and maybe even overwhelming a high-tier opponent in a one-on-one fight." Issei said in a way that he was complimenting his opponent until his eyes narrowed at him and spoke as Issei pulled out his pistol that he used before.
"Too bad I was your enemy this time around. The gulf between the two of us was just too big for someone with your attitude to cross." Issei said before he released the limb that he was holding, which speedily retreated towards its owner, joining the other three in their defensive positions around their owner. The four of them were pointed towards Issei, but the Assassin didn't show any fear as he looked at him.
Pulling himself back together, the spider guy used his limbs to shakily get himself back to his feet, allowing the lower one to support his weight while his upper ones were pointed towards Issei.
"Stop fucking with me! You're just human! You're not supposed to be able to match me! You are meant to be below me in all aspects!" The Youkai looked back at all the fallen girders, his pincers trembling a combination of anger, frustration, and fear, as he raised a finger toward Issei and yelled out. "You even got buried in all of that! You were supposed to be dead! How did you even survive that?"
"Oh, that? Well, are you really sure that you killed Issei Hyoudou?" Issei asked with a sinister smile before holding up a bloody and mangled corpse that looked just like Issei's body, which shocked the Shinto members and Youkai until the body vanished into nothingness.
"Rule one of being an Assassin. Always have a backup plan for dealing with any possible outcome." Issei said that before appearing to smile at him with a wide grin, his shadow began to expand, and his cloak began to fuse with his body, making him appear as a literal shadow with multiple eyes on his body.
The Youkai was terrified as his eyes widened. Multiple eyes appeared around him, and the sound of many creatures, including wolves, crows, bugs, and snakes, appeared from the shadows.
"Now then, little spider, I think it's time to educate you on what this human is capable of."
Issei said that before the Spider, Youkai was terrified seeing the being in front of him. He yelled in fear and tried to run away from the monster behind him, embedding a pair of daggers into the Spider's back before he felt a force blast him back into the ground.
"YAH!" The Youkai yelled as he felt his body become weaker and weaker with each passing minute before seeing Issei approach him. This made the Youkai terrified, so he tried to use his webs and legs to stop him. However, the legs were held back, and his mouth shut before Issei walked towards him slowly. Fear entered the Spider's heart with each second until Issei reached him and pulled his left back.
"Night Night."
Those words were the last thing the Spider heard before Issei Hyoudou, a mere human, knocked him out.
A Few Minutes Later.
Atalanta yawned as she stretched her arms, seeing Semiramis next to her enjoying a cup of tea, watching the arena's repair, and speaking aloud. "If what Medea said is true, then that means we have a new member we can recruit for our masters team."
"Are you sure it's not just because the girl has the same kind of power that Issei does?" Atalanta asked before the Assassin looked back at her.
"Part of the reason is that she has the same power as Issei, but I believe that she will be able to control her powers better, thanks to the Shinto God Susanoo training her."
"By the way, where are the Gods?"
"Susanoo left when Issei knocked out the Spider since he wanted to train Issei personally, with Artoria there to keep watch. Leonidas went to observe the training as well. Medea, on the other hand, is assisting little Kunou with her magic lessons. Medea believes that she can better help Kunou with her magic before Amaterasu helps with her control."
"And Scathach?"
"Venelana and Yasaka. They seem to be hiding something," Semiramis said before Atalanta became invisible as she went to investigate on her own.
With Medea and Kunou
Medea floated next to the girl, easily able to use Foxfire and a few Ice spells thanks to the talismans she used in battle. Medea was mostly using her defensive magic but was rather impressed with the small Fox's abilities until they stopped after Kunou began to feel tired due to the magic she'd been using. Medea helped her up and offered her some water.
Kunou gladly took the drink and chugged down the water as if she were coming out of a desert until Medea chuckled at the girl.
"I take it you haven't been pushed this far from your normal training, correct?" Medea asked as Kunou was a bit embarrassed by the question but nodded nonetheless.
"Yes. I haven't trained this hard in quite some time, so it's the first time I've been tired of working out. Even though Susanoo trains me." Kunou said as she looked at her drink before smiling at Medea. "But I'm really glad you were able to help me become stronger and truly push me past my limits. So thank you, Medea-sama." Kunou thanked as Medea was a bit embarrassed at the praise but still smiled in joy as she patted the girl's head.
Medea wanted to understand who the girl was and what drove her to be a powerful person, so she decided to ask before continuing the training.
"Kunou, do you mind telling me how you came across that card and why a princess such as yourself is training?" Medea asked, and Kunou looked down, her ears dropping on her head.
"If I'm being honest. I was actually just a spoiled girl who was used to having others around me to protect me and such, but when I turned fifteen just a few months ago, I had a strange dream when I was asleep that night." Kuno explained as she recalled the night that changed her life for the better.
Flashback. Kyoto.
Kunou was dreaming about herself standing in a field of sorts and saw that she was running, running away from someone or something that was chasing her down. It was then she looked back and saw many humans attack her. Kunou felt herself trying to reason with them and explain that she meant no ill will and that she was trying to help them. It was then that the Youkai realized that the humans didn't care to hear her words as they only held hatred and fear towards the Fox, calling her a demon that was disguising itself as a wife to their lord.
Kunou then saw herself face off against the soldiers who had tried to harm her for many days. It was only when an enchanted arrow in her heart struck her that she woke up to find herself in her bedroom, which made her feel a sense of relief. For some reason, she saw a strange mirror that she had never seen before sitting next to her as if it had been called to her side.
Kunou didn't know why, but the mirror vanished as she then saw a small card in the place of the mirror. The princess picked it up as she saw the picture on the card transform into a pink-haired woman who had a heavenly figure and the same mirror beside her. Kunou felt a strong connection with the card until she muttered two words that changed her life forever.
"Install Caster."
End Flashback
"It was that night that my body felt connected to that same person. I saw myself in that dream, and for the past few months, I've had visions of Fox's memories and felt my body slowly start to gain some of her physical traits, such as my hair gaining pink highlights at the tips of it. My magical power increased tremendously to the point where I could summon those talismans out of thin air, but the biggest change was that mirror that followed me around." Kunou explained that she summoned the mirror, which shocked Medea when she recognized it.
"To think that a Fox princess was able to call upon the power of a witch," Medea said as she analyzed the mirror before nodding. "I see. This is really her power." Medea then handed the mirror back to Kunou as Medea was excited about this recruit who would be an excellent member to join their faction should she accept the offer.
"Princess Kunou. I want to offer a proposal." Medea said. The princess was curious about the proposal until Medea began to explain the details of the proposal, which made the princess blush but smile at the ideas that were popping into her mind. Medea smiled at the girl, knowing she was willing to work with them when their trip to Kyoto ended.
"Again," Susanoo said as Issei threw another punch at the target. The Impact behind the punch landed on the target and took out the center of it. Susanoo nodded at this before patting the boy's head after admiring the boy's magic.
"From what Medea told me, your magic is called Impact, which can be very useful for taking down your enemies when they use barriers to shield themselves or when facing them. After watching the effects of those daggers you used in your fight earlier, I believe I know how I can help you get better at fighting." Susanoo said as he saw Issei play with the shadows around him until the Storm God chuckled at the boys' antics before he patted his head.
"I'll help you learn how to better yourself in terms of hand-to-hand combat and learn other ways of using your Impact magic. I focus more on the offensive than the defensive line since that's more of my brother Tsukiyomi. Still, one thing you must know is that while your magic is impressive, you can't always rely on your magic or your Sacred Gear since there are enemies who will easily figure out your weaknesses and then turn the tides of the battle against you." Susanoo said as he continued to explain what he'd be helping Issei with while Alter Artoria and Leonidas watched their master as Issei nodded and took notes on what would be important to him.
"He knows he isn't invincible with his power. That's a sign that you understand your weaknesses. I can respect that since I've seen it many times when one allows their Pride to get the best of them until they succumb to their death." Artoria said to herself as she watched the two begin their training. Issei was practicing hand-to-hand combat with Susanoo, which would help Issei utilize the full range and strength of his Impact Magic.
Issei enjoyed this because he could feel the effects of his magic flow through his movements. A kick or punch, light or heavy, could send a powerful impact at God, as Susanoo was the target this time.
The God of Storms blocked the punches and kicks; however, he could feel the force behind each of them, which surprised him by force behind each of the attacks since some were weaker than others, but what surprised him even more was how he began to use Annihilation Maker to summon shadow hands as they began to fire compressed air bullets from finger flicks which impressed the God of Storms as he began to block them with his other hand which made him excited at the chance to understand the boy and his abilities better.
'Using his sacred gear to make multiple attacks to overwhelm the enemy so as he attacks the air bullets can not only strike the enemy but also cause the Impact behind the bullets to become even deadlier. Very impressive. Can't wait to see what else this kid can do.' Susanoo pondered as he enjoyed this sparring session with Issei.
Susanoo then decided to see what else the boy could do, so he began to increase his speed. Issei was surprised by this before he commanded the shadow hands to keep firing the air bullets that Susanoo blocked with his other hand until Issei began planting his feet into the ground readied his left fist and threw his punch, but what Susanoo didn't expect was the Impact magic was stronger in his punches as he was pushed back a bit by the force behind it.
This impressed Susanoo as he began using water droplets around him and fired them at Issei.
Issei was shocked by this, so he commanded his shadow hands to surround his body to protect himself from the bullets. He decided to take this up a notch and stopped himself from using the Avenger card.
'No. I can't always rely on the Avenger card. I have to learn how to use my magic first before using Oda's power,' Issei said, recalling that Impact magic relies on the force around his actions.
The flicks his shadow hands made were similar to those of a bullet from a gun, but when punching and kicking, they were similar to a powerful force pushing the opponent away.
Issei then had an idea, using the shadow hands to cover his hands before he sent a left hook that surprised Susanoo. Susanoo took the punch like a God, but when the Impact magic kicked in, Susanoo felt a slight sense of both fear and interest as he looked at his chest to see that it had a small bruise from the full force of the Impact magic.
Before his regeneration healed, it was as if it was nothing, but the Impact impressed Susanoo to see the boy's potential.
"Not bad, kid. You definitely understand your magic, but it's time to help you fully use that power. That means that I'll be teaching you how to use your body's full power and how to use your Impact Magic better. Are you ready, kid?" Susanoo asked. Issei smiled and nodded, looking forward to this.
"You bet, Susanoo-Sensei. Let's go!" Issei cheered, and Alter Artoria couldn't help but smile at the boys' enthusiasm as she walked towards them with her sword out.
"Mind if I join in on this fun activity?" Artoria said as she was glad that Susanoo and Issei nodded in agreement as the three began to spar and learn more about the other through combat.
Meanwhile, with Venelana, Yasaka, and Scathach.
"So, are you serious about this?" Venelana asked, looking at the body on the table, while Tsukiyomi nodded.
"I detected this man inside my barrier, and he tried to scout the perimeter. I believe that he is working with the Khaos Brigade and the Hero Faction. They tried to capture Princess Kunou a few months ago but failed, with the princess defeating them." Tsukiyomi said as he revealed the symbol for the Hero Faction, which made Yasaka clench her fists in rage before punching the corpse of the man in front of her until she looked at Venelana.
"Will you help us fight? They'll come here to try and kidnap my daughter and harm my people, but I intend to make them understand what happens when they think they can invade my home and family." Yasaka said as she almost gave into her Youkai side until Venelana calmed her down by hugging her, making Yasaka relax in her friend's arms.
"Hey, I understand that fear. I have children as well, and I would do anything to protect them, so trust me when I say that I'll help you." Venelana said, with Yasaka thanking her friend. Tsukiyomi was thankful that the Devil Princess was here to help and believed that they would be able to critically damage the Hero Factions forces, especially if they had Issei and his comrades on their side.
All in all, this month in Kyoto was going to be entertaining.
Scene!
Now, I know some were expecting Saint Martha to appear, but she'll be coming in before the battle.
Here's a sneak peek into what's next in the Champions of Humanity.
"Hm. Who should I summon next?" Issei pondered aloud as he was done with his training with Susanoo for the day while Medea was making Alter Artoria wear many dresses, much to Saber's dismay as she knew full well that the Caster was a closet pervert who seemed to enjoy treating her as if she was a doll.
"Oh, you are so cute in this Gothic attire. It really compliments your pale skin and amber eyes to make you seem like a real Goth Queen," Medea said as she took many photos of the Saber before changing her into a wedding dress, which made Artoria blush at the attire. Still, the Caster squealed in joy as she then picked up Issei and put him in a suit before taking more pictures of the two together.
"Uh, what is this?" Issei asked while he was now in Artoria's arms, which made Medea chuckle in amusement before replying to her master.
"Come on now. You must get into the cosplay, or don't you think the outfits suit you and Artoria very well?" Medea asked as many of the residents wolf-whistled at the two of them until Issei and Artoria looked at each other before the Saber looked away with tints of pink on her cheeks.
"He is my master, and I cannot have such thoughts in my mind. Even if he ordered me, I'd have to decline since we are not married," Artoria said, and Issei agreed with the Saber before Susanoo, who was walking by, replied.
"You know, the nearest registration office is just a few blocks away." The God of Storms said before Issei leaped out of Artoria's arms and smacked his master's head with some of his magic behind it.
"Do not encourage her. And Medea, don't even think about it!" Issei called out as Medea silently cursed herself before returning to her photo session by chasing Artoria around the room to try and get her to wear more outfits.
"So what's bumming you, kid?" Susanoo asked as Issei placed his cards out and replied to his Sensei.
"I'm trying to figure out which servant I should summon next since I only have two left."
"Don't you mean three? There's a third one in your pocket." Susanoo said as Issei looked at the card in surprise before seeing it as one that he knew wasn't in his deck before. He looked at the picture of the card and saw only a scale of sorts that a judge was holding in front of it.
"Ruler," Issei said, his eyes widening as he felt an image pop into his mind.
'One of these days, you will become a full-fledged person, one who is sure to be extraordinary. Ah, but not just yet. It would help if you moved forward step by step. Have patience.' A man said to someone next to him while they were walking away at night.
'She never managed to understand the hearts of men while she was alive, but now that the girl descended as an arbitrator, she seems to have started to display rich, human-like expressions somehow. It is unknown how much she had lost until she became able to understand simple things such as laughter, joy, anger, and sadness. Still, even so, it was probably meant to be for her to arrive here. What divine arrangement, no, what irony is it that as a result of elevating her status to that of an inhuman, god-like being, she obtained human emotions? This is why she is strangely often playful in her third ascension. She's brimming with curiosity and has even started learning about conversing in English.
"Biten Eight Forms! Shiranui Blade!"
A girl shouted to the heavens.
Issei's right hand then moved on its own to Rider as a new image appeared in his mind.
A girl with purple hair was riding on top of a massive dragon of sorts while wearing what appeared to be pristine attire. She began to pray and then opened her eyes to shout, "DIVINE PROTECTION!"
The next image was of a pink-haired person who seemed to be flying around on a Griffon, laughing into battle as they then blew a massive black horn. 'I'm terrible in battle, but I am perfect dealing with magic and arrows."
Issei's hand then moved to the Berseker card, where Issei saw three different women who seemed to be mourning.
The first was a woman wearing a wedding dress and crying in a field of flowers. Her heart was broken because she desired not to be alone but to be loved by someone who accepted her.
The second was a white-haired woman with such a rage in wanting to avenge her husband's death that her love that she had for her former husband became "passionate love that repays the murder of one's loved one with twice the payback."
Lastly, there was a young woman with long blonde hair coupled with a crown and a veil covering her face. She seemingly wore a black dress that exposed her navel and abdomen. She gazed upon the land with a blank expression before speaking: "So this is what I lacked in Faerie Britain. No, perhaps not. I could not have possessed it there. Once I gained something more precious than myself, my two-thousand-year reign was over. How ironic. This time, I will succeed. I will craft laws that prevent the unexpected loss of both yourself and my ambitions.
Issei came back to reality. He knew who to summon, so he picked up the three cards before calling out to his Caster. "Medea! Prepare a summoning circle. It's time to summon our newest members." Issei said as Medea was still taking pictures of Alter Artoria, who was feeling her knightly Pride being crushed by the embarrassment of the attire that made her look more like a model than a knight.
"Understood, Master! Right after I finish documenting those photos." Medea said as she enjoyed the moment while Artoria swore she'd kill Caster one day.
I hope you like it. Let me know who you think Berserker and Ruler should be. Ta-ta for now!
Archer: Atalanta.
Saber: Alter Artoria.
Lancer: Scatach.
Rider: Saint Martha.
Caster: Medea.
Assassin: Semiramis.
Berserker:?
Shielder: Leonidas.
Avenger: Oda Nobunaga.
Ruler:?