Here I am again with another translated chapter!
I keep insisting that if anyone wants to help me with translations, please send me a private message to be my beta reader.
As usual, I would like to answer a review before I start:
The Beast of Sanity: I'm glad you liked that moment between Issei and Penemue. Tiamat's reaction regarding another woman being interested in Issei will probably draw some attention.
With nothing more to add, it's time to begin.
Enjoy!
CHAPTER 25: DEADLY TRAINING!
"So you celebrated the Anniversary of the Fallen together with Penemue, huh?" Tannin commented, looking at a happy Issei. "I'm glad you were able to distract yourself a bit these days." The dragon, who was now in his human form, looked at the gauntlet. "Have you been having fun too, Ddraig?" He asked, sketching a smirk on his face.
"*You know well I don't have time to spare for that sort of thing. I've simply been sleeping throughout the day*" The dragon commented matter-of-factly, causing a bead of nervous sweat to decorate his wearer's head.
"Does that mean sleeping all day is some kind of work?" he asked. "By the way, where's Tiamat?" Issei deflected the topic, causing Tannin to turn slightly serious.
"She wanted to talk a couple of things over with Penemue. Let's just say... she's not in a very good mood." The dragon commented, pondering whether he should be the one to tell him about the training, or leave it to Penemue.
"Hum, that could be a problem..." Commented the protagonist with slight concern.
"Don't worry." Tannin stated instantly. "I don't think it's serious enough that she's going to kill her..." He commented, only to have a small bead of sweat show on his face.
"I think..."
"Thanks for not worrying me!" Issei exclaimed in a sarcastic way with his eyes rolling.
In the same forest, next to the stream...
Tiamat grabbed Penemue by the neck and yanked her hard against a tree, lifting her into the air as she glared at her with palpable fury in her eyes.
"Did you think I would go along with a plan that would risk Issei's life?" She hissed with slight venom in her voice. "Have you gone mad?"
Penemue just looked at her without flinching a hair, even though she was practically being hanged.
"Crazy is to think that Issei can become very strong in just a month to be able to face the Hakuryuukou." Hearing this, Tiamat couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "I know his power very well, and also his ambitions. Now that he knows about Issei's existence, it won't be long before he comes to face him." The Fall narrowed her eyes. "And you know very well that he won't want you to save his skin forever." Penemue finally closed her eyes calmly. "If it were a month of halfway conventional training, Issei would accomplish nothing."
"What are you getting at with all this talk?" Tiamat asked, beginning to grow impatient.
Penemue opened her eyes, and a glint graced her gaze.
"What I'm getting at, is that you're too flexible."
Tiamat couldn't help but look at her with great strangeness at her words.
Finally, Penemue ended up giving a small sigh, at the same time softening her gaze.
"Listen to me well, I am also very fond of Issei. For that very reason I know that what's best for him won't be achieved overnight, but at least we can make the process faster if we use extreme methods." Penemue closed her eyes deeply, at the same time her voice cracked slightly. "I'll say it again, I don't want to hurt him, and I don't want him to hurt himself. But this is the only way."
Tiamat was never a woman to be swayed by the words of others, but she had to say that on this occasion she was genuinely impressed.
After a few seconds of pondering, the dragoness finally let go of the Fallen's neck, causing the Fallen to look at her intently.
Tiamat shared her gaze, causing a few seconds of silence adorned by the sound of the stream to fill the atmosphere.
"...Will you promise me that nothing bad will happen to him?" Tiamat's question caused Penemue to stare her straight in the eye.
"I can promise you that he won't die." She replied, making the dragoness share her gaze.
Finally, Tiamat gave a small sigh, then created a magic circle and drew her light blue sword, immediately throwing it at Penemue. The Fall caught the sword with slight astonishment at the dragoness' attitude.
"Very well, I trust you." Tiamat commented, leaning against a tree as she folded her arms. "Besides, I think you're right about Issei's future as well." The dragoness couldn't help but look up at the sky with a very worried look. "Most likely, many dangers await him..." Tiamat lowered her gaze, having remembered something Penemue had said. "By the way, you said you really cared about Issei" She commented, then narrowed her eyes slightly in suspicion. "What happened these past few days?"
Penemue could only avert her gaze for a second, causing Tiamat to narrow her eyes even more.
Finally, La Cadre sighed in defeat.
"To be honest with you, you're not the only one who has special feelings for Issei anymore." She commented, causing Tiamat to widen her eyes at the response. "He was so stubborn... and also so loving..." A small smile appeared on her face after remembering. "I just couldn't help myself. For every word he said to me, I felt like my whole body was slowly going crazy. It was a very strange feeling, but very pleasant at the same time." A small blush appeared on Penemue's face, then she lowered her head as she clasped her hands together. "I don't know how to explain it..."
"Simply put, it was a unique feeling." Tiamat finished her sentence, causing the Cadre to look at her in surprise. "At least you didn't take so long to accept it." The dragoness commented with a small smile on her face.
"You're not angry?" Penemue asked her with much astonishment, as the dragoness' very carefree attitude didn't fit her character at all.
"Angry?" Tiamat couldn't help but blink a couple of times. "Why would I be angry?"
"Well, it's quite simple..." Penemue commented, rubbing her hair. "After all, I just said we're in love with the same man."
"Oh, I get it..." Tiamat commented, then looking up at the sky with a small smile. "I think for a small part, that reaction is because polygamy is not frowned upon among dragons." Her smile twisted into a serious look, at the same time her eyes reflected some pain. "Though, as I said, it would only be a small part of the cause..."
Hearing this, Penemue couldn't help but look at her with even more attention.
Tiamat lowered her gaze, closing her eyes as she pondered whether she should tell her or not.
Finally, she opened her eyes, giving her a great intimacy through her gaze that was even able to make Penemue a little tense.
"I don't want to tell anyone else about this, and it's not like I like talking about it either. But..." Tiamat softened her gaze, giving her a small smile. "I think you should know. After all, I've considered you my friend for a while now." This caused Penemue to widen her eyes at the confidence the dragoness demonstrated towards her.
"Before you continue, I want to promise you something else..." Hearing Penemue's proposal, Tiamat could only look at her rather intrigued. "I promise you won't regret opening up to me, friend." She promised, sketching a smile.
Tiamat was a bit surprised at her words, though it didn't take her long to answer that smile back.
"I must admit, that makes me more at ease..." The dragoness commented, then turning a bit serious. "Our species does not get carried away by its feelings as if nothing. The reality is that our species is very different from the others, as we have the ability to feel 10 times more than what you feel." Tiamat raised her gaze, watching as the clouds moved. "That means that if we feel happiness, we feel it 10 times more. If we feel hatred, we feel it 10 times as much... And, if we feel sadness, we feel it 10 times more..." Penemue could tell as she paused slightly on the last one, indicating that it was the sore point.
"Far from helping dragons, this characteristic is considered their only weakness. Hatred clouds the mind of any dragon, causing them to become completely irrational more often than not. Even I had been completely consumed by this feeling before I met Issei..." Tiamat lowered her gaze, staring at her. "But before that, there was another emotion that completely consumed me: sadness." Tiamat clenched her fists slightly after saying the word. "That is, without a doubt, the worst negative emotion a dragon can have. Thanks to it, it's how that ambiguous ending you use comes about..."
"The Fall of the Dragon..." Penemue commented, receiving a nod from Tiamat.
"Everyone knows that I suffered the Fall of the Dragon, and thanks to Ddraig I was able to recover before I died. But, what they don't know, is that the traumas caused because of that mental illness never go away..." Hearing this, Penemue couldn't help but look at Tiamat with great empathy. "The Fall of the Dragon has only left me with insecurity, and when Ddraig left, that insecurity turned into hatred. And when I met Issei..." Tiamat lowered her gaze sadly. "That hatred turned into fear..."
"Fear?" Penemue couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the last. "But, it's illogical for a woman as beautiful as you to be afraid of having a relationship with Issei..."
"IF I'M SO BEAUTIFUL, WHY DID THEY BOTH ABANDON ME!" Tiamat shouted, causing Penemue to be immensely surprised after her outburst.
"If I confess to Issei... I'm afraid... I'm afraid he won't love me like that..." Tiamat finally raised her gaze, giving a small sigh. "That's why I prefer things to stay like this. I feel really happy with him the way things are now. Also, it makes me really happy to see that he's making progress, and he's always smiling." Tiamat put a hand to her chest, looking at Penemue with great seriousness. "That's why... That's why I'm willing even to find a woman who is worthwhile and will make him happy, and succeed in healing his heart. I don't intend to be selfish if I don't even dare to confess. I simply want him to be happy, because I know that if he is happy, I am happy too." The dragoness lowered her gaze, giving a small snort. "The only bad thing, will be that we won't be able to sleep together anymore..."
Penemue placed both hands on her hips after hearing the story.
"Would you really feel happy like that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
Tiamat simply scoffed, then smiled.
"I'm not an idiot. I know that seeing her with another woman and him not being with me would affect me quite a bit." A very serious look graced the dragoness' gaze. "But I am no one to decide the happiness of others. He taught me that very well. I don't intend to be selfish again on a mere whim of mine. Especially if it is that I truly love him, and I do. That's why I wish the best for him, even if I'm not the one by his side."
Penemue couldn't help but look at her in utter amazement, then close his eyes with a smile.
"You are truly admirable..." Penemue stared at her, pointing at herself. "But, I want you to know that I will not be that woman who will be by your side." Hearing this, Tiamat couldn't help but look at her with great confusion.
"Why?" the dragoness asked, unable to understand her.
Penemue turned away, slowly frowning.
A couple of images covered in blood and different screams pounded in her mind, and at the end of them all Ludmiel appeared.
"I'm not afraid to confess, or anything like that..." Penemue clenched her fists tightly, then lowered her gaze. "But, I don't deserve to love, let alone deserve to be loved, after all the atrocities I've committed throughout my life as a Fallen..." Penemue turned away, giving the dragoness a very determined look. "That is why I will also help you in that quest in any way I can." A small smile appeared on her face. "After all, I love him very much too, and that's why I want to see that ghost of his past disappear once and for all." The Fall raised her hand, sketching a small smile.
Tiamat shook it practically instantly, smiling back.
"By the way, do you know where to start yet?" Penemue asked, sketching a somewhat competitive smile.
"I've been doing research these days. Human women are not an option because of their short life span. What has been very interesting is about the Valkyries. They are in search of a husband until before they are physically 25 years old. Maybe one of them could be the right one. Obviously that doesn't mean we should force the situation. We just need to have an idea of which women might really want him. Remember, he's the Red Dragon Emperor, and that attracts a lot of larvae." Tiamat raised her gaze, thinking carefully. "Gabriel, the future Queen of the Valkyries, Ayaka... They're all quite respectable women, and I think they'd really be in love with Issei if they tried to approach him with that goal in mind."
"Like Rias Gremory and her maidservants?" Penemue's question caused a bored look to grace the dragoness' face.
"No, not those brats." Tiamat made her opinion clear, indicating that they should guard Issei's safety against those kinds of women, just in case...
A few minutes later...
The two men's nerves dissipated when they saw the two women arrive.
"Issei!" Tiamat quickly ran to him to enclose him in a bear hug. "I missed you so much!" The dragoness exclaimed, as she rubbed her cheek against Issei's with much joy, making the protagonist slightly confused, though he didn't hesitate to respond the hug.
Issei looked at Tannin with a face that said "She wasn't annoyed?"
Tannin simply bowed his shoulders, indicating that he had no idea what had happened.
Penemue landed next to the dragon, making one of her robes appear through a magical circlet.
"We have Tiamat's sword and the robe. It's all set to start tomorrow." Hearing this, the atmosphere became somewhat tense. Even Tiamat stopped rubbing her cheek against Issei's.
The protaognist didn't understand what was going on, though Penemue quickly explained.
"For tomorrow, you will have to use this robe and this sword for your training. It will be a total of eight hundred repetitions of different exercises, which as you overcome them will increase in difficulty. The only one that will not change and will have a higher number, will be the sword with a total of 2000 daily repetitions."
"T-two thousand?!" Issei couldn't help but think in complete disbelief.
But he quickly calmed down, after remembering that when he could barely lift Tiamat's sword, he still couldn't even awaken his Balance Breaker.
"To conclude, you will have a little training with Tannin." The Fall looked at the dragon. "We still haven't agreed on which one it will be, but by tomorrow it will be all set." Penemue looked seriously at the protagonist. "Be sure to enjoy this day."
Issei quickly nodded, then sat down next to Tiamat as they began to talk about what he had done in Grigori.
The dragoness had to admit that she felt a little envious, but still had to agree that she was very happy for both of them.
And so the hours went by, where Tiamat finally took off from Issei to go take a bath at the Hyoudou residence, while Penemue had been working all afternoon, until she disappeared to take a bath in the stream. Therefore, Tannin and Issei were left alone.
"I must admit that you've made good progress despite being a Reincarnated Demon, Sekeryutei." Issei frowned slightly at the nickname, though he quickly downplayed it.
"Now that I wonder... Why are Reincarnated Demons called that name?" Hearing the question, Tannin couldn't help but look at him in slight astonishment.
"I must admit, that's a good question." He commented, giving her a small smile as he rested his hand on his chin. "It's not that Demons say it as a racist way to those humans turned Demons. It's just that there really is a big difference between them." Hearing this, Issei paid special attention to him. "A Reincarnated Demon is recognized as such, as it returns from the dead bearing a demonic body, but its soul is still human." Tannin drew a small picture on the floor of a Fallen Angel and other images he didn't understand. "Any race can transform into a Reincarnated Demon. But if you are a Fallen Angel, your soul will remain that of a Fallen Angel. If you are a dragon, your soul will remain that of a dragon..." Tannin waved his hand, indicating that the list went on and on. "What really lies in how powerful that makes it a Reincarnated Demon is not its container, but its contents. As is the case with humans with Sacred Gears, or any other entity that has a soul equivalent or superior to that of a Demon." Finally, Tannin drew a picture on the back, causing Issei to look at it intently. "But where do such souls originate? All we know is that they are generated just like a star, everything comes through energy, and this energy is transformed into power. The souls of the Dragon Gods are the most powerful, and at the same time, the most dangerous."
"Wait a minute..." Issei interrupted him, causing the dragon to stare at him. "So, who was it that concentrated that enormous amount of power to create those kinds of souls?"
"Well..." Tannin rubbed his hair, thinking carefully. "God created humans and Angels, which you may now also know some as Demons and Fallen Angels. That alone gives us to think that someone created Great Red, who was the first supernatural being to exist in this world." Tannin finally gave a small sigh, then glared at him. "Still, we are just like humans on the subject of finding the origin of everything. We simply can't find that answer, and even most likely that entity is still generating very powerful souls today, but on other worlds." Tannin finally erased all the drawings, throwing the stick away. "The universe is infinite, and that makes our questions infinite as well. Therefore, it will be impossible to find a clear answer to our origin. We can only thank our creator for letting us exist."
Issei ruffled his hair. "
How complicated!" The protagonist exclaimed, causing Tannin to laugh loudly. "So, how is it that souls are generated when procreating?"
"That's another one of those things that have no answers." Was Tannin's simple reply. "We simply believe that the substance of those two souls come together to create a new one. Though it is only a mere assumption." The dragon's gaze hardened a bit after remembering one thing. "After all, there have been some exceptions to that rule throughout history? Such as, for example, humans with the souls of supernatural beings."
LINE JUMP.
"Is everyone ready?" Penemue asked Tannin and Tiamat, receiving a nod from both of them.
Issei just looked at them quizzically.
"Why do they have to be ready?"
"I won't be around all the time because of work issues. They'll make sure nothing goes wrong during your training." Hearing the answer, the protagonist couldn't help but think that perhaps Penemue was exaggerating a bit.
'Put it on." The Cadre commented, tossing the robe into his hands.
Seeing this, Issei quickly activated his Balance Breaker and caught it with both of his hands, causing a small crater to rise up at his feet.
"It's heavy, but not as heavy as I thought..." Issei thought, as he put it on.
"Before we begin, I must warn you that there are two rules." Commented the Cadre, stabbing Tiamat's sword into the ground. "The first, is that you may not use any kind of magic." Issei just nodded, not seeing much of a problem with the matter.
A somewhat tense atmosphere arose as Penemue narrowed her eyes.
"The second, is that you can't use your Sacred Gear at any time."
Hearing this, Issei could feel everything around him turn black.
Had he heard correctly?
If he didn't wear the armor, there was no way he could stand upright with that robe on.
An awkward silence arose between the two, which was broken by Penemue as she raised an eyebrow.
"What are you waiting for to take off the Balance Breaker?"
"I-is that some kind of joke?" Issei asked with a rather hesitant smile as a cold sweat began to adorn his face.
Penemue could only raise her eyebrow even more at the question.
"Do I have the face to make jokes?"
"O-of course not..." Commented the protagonist with great nervousness.
Issei gave a big sigh, psyching himself up for what was about to happen.
The protagonist raised both fists, only to have the characteristic crimson glow cover him afterwards, only to fall face first to the ground as the weight of the robe took its toll on him.
Issei managed to stand up slowly, only to then blink in complete shock after feeling how all his movements were extremely limited.
Would he really have to do eight hundred repetitions with this?
And better not even think about the two thousand repetitions with Tiamat's sword.
"You have an hour and a half to complete each exercise. If you don't make it, you move on to the next." Cadre commented, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Is that clear?" Issei nodded quickly. "The last training you will do, will be with Tannin. You will have to dodge or block all of his attacks in the next half hour, using the robe, of course."
"Wait, will it be the last!" The young man exclaimed in complete disbelief. "I'll barely be able to move because of the wear and tear!"
"That's the idea." Penemue's solemn comment only caused a depressing aura to surround the protagonist. "If you manage to complete the training in the remaining 26 days, I'll teach you a new trick of your Sacred Gear." Hearing this, Issei couldn't help but raise his gaze with much curiosity.
"But, do I really have to do all that?" the brown-haired man asked, still in disbelief.
Seeing this, Penemue felt a bit of empathy for her future lover.
"The first two weeks we extended control over your Sacred Gear, and it was just that. Your strength barely increased a bit. Now, you need to perform some deadly training on your body so that you're finally ready to receive the full power of the Balance Breaker. I know it's crazy, but you can't expect to become much stronger from one month to the next using a simple and risk-free method, you know?"
Hearing this, Issei became slightly serious.
It would only be one month, and that's what he was looking for with this training: to become much stronger.
Simply put, he can't waste such an opportunity...
"Very well." Issei stared at her, denoting a great fire in his eyes.
"Let us begin."
Hearing this, Penemue was not the only one to smile, as Tiamat and Tannin shared her expression.
The unfolding of the training begins:
(Every three dots, indicates a small Time-Skip lapse)
"One hundred and twenty-eight, one hundred and twenty-nine..."
Issei gritted his teeth hard for each abdominal, keeping count to perfection.
In the distance, Penemue was watching him as she signed a couple of papers.
...
"Two hundred and twenty, two hundred and twenty-one..."
Issei was counting the number of repetitions as he could, while keeping his balance so as not to fall down, as he was upside down doing somewhat extreme push-ups. Sweat was pouring down to the floor in an extreme manner, looking like he wasn't going to last long without water.
This time, Tannin was watching him from the top of a tree, seeing that so far so good.
For the moment...
...
"Thirty-two, thirty-three..."
The protagonist was doing normal push-ups. Even so, his expression and the color of his face indicated that he was not far from reaching his limit.
Tiamat was sitting next to him with a worried look on her face, hoping that nothing would happen to her beloved.
...
"Seven hundred... fifty-eight!"
The scream escaped his throat, dropping the sword to the ground as he tried to catch his breath. He looked down at his hands, realizing they had begun to bleed.
Tannin looked at Penemue, who showed him that she only had one Phoenix tear, so they should save it for a more critical moment.
The dragon sweat slightly, but nodded, knowing he was right.
...
Issei had his gaze very intent in the light of the night, though his shivering body and expression that was also in the same condition did not help to keep that willpower expelled through his eyes.
Basically, his body was at the end of its limits, and now he had to face Tannin...
He had already done it quite a few times since he started this part of the training. Therefore, he was already used to his movements.
Another thing was whether his body would respond properly when he wanted to move...
The protagonist watched as Tannin disappeared from his sight, then quickly glanced behind him, seeing just in time as the dragon raised one of his fingers to then throw a small ball of magical power that was twice as big as a soccer ball.
Anyone would have jumped backwards to dodge it, but as Issei could barely move, he could only tilt his body backwards, causing the ball to pass him just inches away.
Tannin again moved out of place at a terrible speed, attacking him again. Issei was forced to use his remaining strength to leap, and then spread his wings. He tried to stay in the air, but it only took him a second to fall flatly to the ground, generating a huge crater.
It wasn't that he had fallen because of an attack by Tannin. He had been knocked down by his own weight...
...
"Four hundred and seventy, four hundred and seventy-one...!"
Issei gritted his teeth tightly as he did each repetition. This time, he found himself doing normal one-handed push-ups, indicating that he had already completed the eight hundred of the first challenge.
...
The battle against Tannin had the same result as always. But the dragon got an immense surprise when Issei didn't stay crashed in the crater, and managed to rise into the air just in time to dodge his attack.
Even so, the dragon didn't get caught up in the moment, and quickly attacked the protagonist through the air.
Issei was even able to stay in the air, even though his whole body was shaking. The young man watched helplessly as the attack approached at great speed, dodging it by the skin of his teeth, only being able to make a millimeter movement.
Tannin's attacks began to turn into an intense flurry coming from everywhere, making Issei move as best he could, as if he were a person in a wheelchair playing a game of dodgeball against 10 experts.
On one of the many balls, Issei couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise, being hit squarely and sending him to the ground while spitting out a large amount of blood.
Tannin quickly went down to attend to him, as did Tiamat and Penemue.
...
"AAAAAGHHHHHHH!"
Issei screamed loudly as both of his hands were shaking intensely. He was doing two-handed push-ups again, but this time there was Penemue sitting on his back while wearing the ultra heavy robe.
Finally, Issei's arms shook even more intensely as he continued to scream, until they finally gave up, at the same time vomiting a large amount of blood.
...
"Five hundred and forty-eight, five hundred and forty-nine!"
This time, Issei was doing a pair of sit-ups while bound in a magic circle upside down, holding Tiamat's sword with both of his hands.
Penemue was sitting behind him sitting comfortably in a chair while reading a book. The Cadre raised her gaze for a second, seeing that every time Issei went down, his upper back was brushed by the tip of his katana, indicating that if he didn't support his own weight, he was going to end up pierced by it.
...
"Fourteen hundred..." Issei's swords were slow, but steady. "One thousand four hundred and one."
A completely composed look remained on his face, while one could see how his torso was in full view, as his robe was open.
"One thousand four hundred and two."
For every movement of his hands, a large amount of beads of sweat shot out.
Thanks to his bare chest, it could be seen how numerous bandages covered his torso, as well as his hands, and his forehead. Certain scars could also be visualized, which were probably healed by Tiamat's healing ability, but it was not enough to remove the mark.
Besides that, it could also be witnessed that his physique had started to grow even more these days. Even, his lean muscles had been marked to such an extent that there was no longer a hint of fat, revealing a perfect torso, as well as his arms and legs.
...
"Five hundred and ninety-nine, six hundred!"
Issei was again doing the push-ups, though this time Penemue was standing on his feet reading a book, making the weight he must bear double.
...
"Seven hundred and seventy-one, seven hundred and seventy-two!"
Issei was going at an astonishingly fast pace while gritting his teeth tightly. It was rather surprising, since he was doing one-handed push-ups, and he had Penemue sitting on his back.
...
The chestnut was giving little yelps each time he gave different thrusts at a decent pace, despite the fact that he was very close to finishing.
Finally, Issei lowered his sword and began to breathe heavily as a large amount of sweat poured down his face. His eyes shone brightly, causing him to let out a great scream.
Tiamat had rarely been surprised in her life, but this situation warranted it as the speed Issei handled with each swing had increased quite a bit, making it so that even a normal person could not clearly distinguish the movements.
...
"Seven hundred and eighty-eight, seven hundred and eighty-nine..."
Issei's calm look made a perfect contrast to the pace he was going at a good speed. Meanwhile, Penemue was looking at him with slight surprise, as he was doing one-handed headstand push-ups, having her standing on his feet and it didn't seem to affect him too much.
...
"Seven hundred... ninety-eight!"
Issei shouted loudly from the killer sit-ups she was doing.
"Seven hundred... ninety-nine!"
He shouted again with great effort, and when he tried to climb back up, his body shook intensely and he dropped onto the katana.
Penemue got up practically instantly when he saw the katana pierce his collarbone smoothly, even piercing his body in the process.
Such pain would be unbearable for anyone, but Issei wasn't just anyone...
Penemue couldn't help but blink in complete shock when he saw how Issei even tried to get up...
"hei... heig..." Issei clenched his teeth tightly and used all his remaining strength.
"EIGHT HUNDRED!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, just in time for Penemue to pull back the katana and catch him in her arms.
...
Issei watched in horror as a ball of magic headed straight for him. He had already completed all the series and their respective repetitions, but one of them had recently left deep damage to his collarbone that Tiamat could not fully heal.
He only had this one test left to finish, and he wasn't going to let the opportunity pass him by so easily.
He could barely move, but the thirty minutes were almost up, and he wasn't going to let that silly injury take away his chance.
Issei raised both of his hands towards the attack, stopping it in its tracks.
Tannin couldn't help but blink in great surprise at what she witnessed.
Issei's arms shook as he tried to block the attack. The protagonist gritted his teeth hard as he felt the sting of his collarbone, causing his bandages to start bleeding. He took a couple of steps back, for what seemed like the end.
Finally, Issei blinked with great resolve and widened his eyes to the max.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Issei gave a great shout at the same time as he began to advance against the attack, causing a huge glow to rise into the air, at the same time a small explosion could be glimpsed in the demonic forest.
The dust slowly dissipated, leaving a staggering figure in place.
All of Issei's wounds became visible, but that didn't seem to matter to him at the moment. The only thing that mattered to him, was the sound of the clock, indicating that the ordeal was finally over.
After 25 long days...
He had finally made it...
Issei's legs trembled and gave in to the soothing sound, causing him to fall backwards with a thud.
Issei felt consciousness begin to leave his body, but saw just in time as a figure landed in front of him, looking down on him from above.
"Is that all you can do, Issei?" Tannin asked, revealing that he had finally recognized him.
Issei couldn't help but be immensely surprised, so he quickly complied with his expectations. The protagonist forced himself up from the ground as he grabbed his collarbone and trembled intensely.
But more importantly, he had stood up, indicating to the dragon that there was still much more for him to observe.
END OF CHAPTER!
Well, that concludes the training part. There will be some fanservice in the next chapter with the two Waifus together, and some other interesting stuff. Then we'll go with the Gasper thing, and finally with Vali. By the way, I would also like you to tell me if you liked this weird time skip method. There won't be any more training like this as far as I have planned, but it serves as a reference for future stories.
I think the training is the longest part of this arc, and by far. That's why I think the confrontation against Vali will have its appearance in 4 or 5 chapters.
By the way, Ayaka and Gabriel are NOT going to be in the harem. I clarify this because I mentioned them, but they have nothing to do with the harem. The one that does have to do is Rossweisse, and let's just say that small talk was a reference to what's coming soon. I think I've said this before, but I'm planning on making Ross's appearance a little earlier than the original play.
I think that would be all for today.
Best regards!