Fate: Bonds Beyond Humanity

by Apprentice of Life

In a world where all can be real, what does it mean to be human? What is the meaning of humanity? A meeting between a human and a devil will have them discovering the truth while chasing their dreams. My take on the combined worlds of Fate and DxD with characters from other franchises if they can be adapted to it. Harem.

28. Chapter 28

Fate/Bonds Beyond Humanity

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28- The Black Cat Training Camp: Different Strengths

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"Listen well maggots! I don't want to hear any crying! Complaining! Or people giving up mid training! You are about to embark on the harshest training routine I could come up with for each of you for the last ten days! I don't wanna hear about any quitters!" Yoruichi is marching in front of the members of the ORC, at least the devil members as on her other side is the group that came with her. The majority was using their gym clothes with Medusa still on her dress.

Shirou, who is using a combination of white and blue jersey, raises a hand. "You still didn't explain what we are doing."

"She hasn't explained anything yet." Dressed in red jersey and black biker shorts, Rin commented with a chuckle as Yoruichi gave them both a look.

"I wanted everyone together here and give them time to put away their stuff before we started. Or you are suggesting we should have begun with carrying baggage." Then the nekomata stops to think for a moment. "Maybe that would have been a good idea."

"No it wouldn't!" Issei protests quickly but Yoruichi just chuckles.

"Of course not…I have worse things in mind." That makes Issei retreat quickly but Shirou just gives her a glance while Rias lets out a sigh.

"Can we please begin?" Rias still has her red pants but is now only on a white shirt. "We put the things away and got in line like you asked. If there is something else you want us to do before we begin, say it, Kuro-san."

"Huh, go ahead and ruin my fun." Yoruichi rolled her eyes but the devil said nothing else. "Just for the record, I wasn't kidding. I don't want to hear quitters or anyone crying once we begin. I did put some level of thought on how to do this and would like at least that much in appreciation."

"How much thought did you put in 24 hours?" Koneko questioned the cat but that only made her laugh.

"Nyahaha. I had those thoughts for a long time, especially when dealing with you." Yoruichi says back and Koneko grows while Rias raises an eyebrow. "Once or twice I may have mentioned you all to the Old Turtle while asking for some advice."

"You are saying you met Oogway and asked about us?" Akeno sounds surprised. "I thought you were just a servant of Yoruichi-sama." She can accept that someone like Oogway wouldn't mind giving advice but even then he was a busy person, if rumors are to be believed he is the one taking care of his huge family and negotiating external deals for Kyoto's sake.

"And when she met him, I met him too." She says dismissively. "Not that it matters right now. Besides Asia and Issei, I did talk about some of the others and let me say this, you guys are going to be hating me by the end of the ten days, some of you at least."

"We get it, the training will be painful. I can assure you we are ready." Kiba says after taking a step forward. He stepped forward as a way for him to volunteer to start training first and give her a chance to show what this is all about.

"Great, go spar with Setsuna until you fall and kiss the floor exhausted." That made everyone take a double take. "What? Were you all expecting a secret training or something?" Yoruichi doesn't sound surprised at their reaction. "What he was doing is already good enough. Kiba is a warrior, a swordsman, the best place for them all to grow is on the battlefield, like this guy." She points her tail at Shirou. "Everyone here can agree that plenty of his leaps of growth came after a hard fight. The only change in this training is Setsuna's."

"What do I need to do?" The hanyou immediately questions, to help her friends she is ready and waiting, dressed in a jersey similar to Liz's but in a darker blue color and the zipper on her neck while the sleeves on her elbows.

"Go all out on your youki, as much as you can at least." That surprises Setsuna but Yoruichi continues. "Usually when you spar you keep yourselves to just your naginata with some special attack or another on the mix and yet you still try to hold back for each other's sake." She turns to Kiba. "You can spar as you want, you already have a good habit of changing your swords when needed but Setsuna will be going all out from now on."

"It is dangerous." Setsuna says with a frown.

"Thinking I can't handle you, Setsuna? Your words hurt my pride a little." Kiba said with a smile but that only made the hanyou frown before the nekomata spoke again.

"You will understand once she hits you." Then Yoruichi turned to Issei. "You are new to the moonlit world and still need to work the basics. Shirou has already begun but we are going to have to accelerate things. Can you handle it?"

Blinking a couple of times by suddenly being put on the spotlight, Issei nods with a clenched hand close to his chest. "Whatever it takes to keep that bastard Fried Chicken away from Buchou."

"That is what I like to hear." Yoruichi turns to Liz. "You spar with him until he is decent." That set everybody off.

"Kuro…" "You can do that." "That is unfair on so many levels!" "Far too dangerous." "Are you insane?"

"Silence!" Yoruichi's voice is firm and carrying power.

"Please explain why you want to throw the equivalent of a small chicken against a lion?" Shirou asked with a frown.

"Ten days." Yoruichi said the obvious. "Besides, he can handle it."

"No, he can't." Rias almost screamed in a panic. "Issei can't use magic and is still learning how to use the Boosted Gear. We should work the paces and-"

"Rias." Yoruichi looks at her with harsh eyes. "Do you want to win?"

"Yes and I am growing tired of you asking me that. But I don't remember giving you permission to have my servant mauled to death." Rias answered with more than a little irritation.

"Then ask him if he minds." Yoruichi looks back at Liz. "Show them what you can do."

Instead of immediately obeying, Liz turns to Shirou who is still frowning but understands Yoruichi must have a point, giving a nod to Liz for her to proceed.

From where she is, the white haired maiden jumps a couple of meters from everyone, a punch pulled back as she hits the ground making a crater in front of the huge mansion. "Holy cow!" Issei sounds scared as Asia places a hand on her mouth, both surprised by the huge crater the size of a car.

"She is strong, really strong." Yoruichi states bluntly. "She is also a master brawler capable of bench pressing steel pillars and carrying lots of weight. She also sucks at holding back and if you train with her you two are going to spar, day in and day out until you are at least a decent fighter. Not a martial artist, that would take too long, a fighter. Training like this will help you survive punches that would kill most men and to dodge the equivalent of cannon balls going in your direction."

"I don't think I can even survive her." Issei's comment got yet again another roll of Yoruichi's eyes.

"I won't kill you." Liz says quickly before anyone else can agree or disagree. "I can hold back a little."

"And that helps also with the other part of the training, magic." Again the change of topics surprises all. "Rin is going to be the main teacher on this one for both Asia and Issei."

"Wait a minute, cat. You know that magecraft is different from devil magic. I can't teach them." Rin is quick to say.

"You aren't to teach them how to use their imagination, that is something they can work on their own with some advice for the other devils. What you can do is help them learn how to get used to feeling their mana and to access it more easily." Yoruichi's idea gave Rin pause as she placed a hand on her chin.

"That is definitivally possible. While the ways to use mana are different, the energy is relatively the same even if devils lack triggers to access their powers." Was the Tohsaka Head deduction. "It still would be better if a devil taught them that."

"The other devils have their own training. Sure they can give some pointers but it would be for the best if they worked on their own thing." While Yoruichi did speak with Oogway, most ideas are hers and with the time frame she has there is little choice but cut some corners.

"Excuse me." Asia interrupts the discussion and all eyes turn to her. "I think I already can use some magic- I mean, with my Gift and the barriers they taught me how to do at the church-"

"Those are different. Waaaaaay different." Rin spoke while rubbing her chin. "The power used by the Church actually doesn't use mana, they use Faith and not just your own." At Asia's confused expression Rin palmed her forehead. "Okay, didn't you pray while making barriers or giving blessings?" The blond nods her head cautiously. "That is you giving and taking the power of Faith given by God, a Miracle or his Grace that Heavens can send to any true believer. Since you are a devil now, you can't pray so you can't use that power. I think…" Remembering what she heard about Issei's departed client Rin managed to piece together part of the events. "That is probably why you couldn't keep the barrier around the house during Sellzen's first attack. At that point your own faith must have been wavering. Either that or God's grace couldn't reach you."

Rin regretted her words immediately when she noticed Asia's pout and tears showing up in her eyes. "Then I abandoned God?" The question had many more levels than what most present knew.

"Of course not…he was just busy!" Issei replies to Asia's inquiry quickly and moves his arms to distract her. "I mean, he is God. I'm sure He is a busy guy. Probably was making a planet or something."

"A devil defending God. Now I saw everything." Shirou comments with a chuckle as Issei tries to cheer Asia up. He is succeeding as the former nun is now smiling. "I really wonder where God is through?" He asked with a whisper.

"Really must be busy?" Setsuna asked with a shug. "Amaterasu-sama technically is still the ruler of Japan but she has so many duties that she hasn't descended in the last few decades."

"Speaking of goddesses…" Yoruichi looks at an uninterested Medusa. "I need you to also teach magic to them, more specifically, Hyoudou Issei." That caught everyone off guard and the goddess in question lowered her book.

Medusa looks at the nekomata with an uninterested look. "And why should I do that?"

"Are you asking because you won't?" Yoruichi raises an eyebrow in challenge.

"I see no point." Medusa closes her book and places a hand on her chest. "As you said and all here know, I am a goddess. The power of god isn't the same as a devil, neither in potency or capability."

"But gods do use their imagination in many of their endeavors, correct?" Medusa frowns at Yoruichi's question and while it did look cute it still carried her conflict at the point raised.

"You want me to teach them how to use their imagination? That is a thing humans actually excel at." The purple haired goddess comments after a second.

"Yes, but also to connect it to their sacred gears." Yoruichi raises another point and she can see Medusa is paying attention. "Besides, I know that between reading your stories you also studied a lot of things; magecraft, history, mathematics. Whatever book Shirou could get his hands on you read it with gusto." She can tell that the goddess has no counter arguments, she just needs to be properly convinced. "Imagination and sacred gear, devil and human. Can't you help the two of them to join the qualities they have to get closer to the gods?"

After a short moment, Medusa looks to the two newly reincarnated devils before speaking again. "I may be able to help Hyoudou but I can't help Argento." That got some to look at her in surprise.

"Why?" Yoruichi asked, beating Shirou and Rias to the punch.

"I am a creator and a destroyer, not a healer." Medusa closed her eyes and when she said that, memories of her past surfaced. "Neither were my sisters. While I did study some forms of healing, that is not where my power lies." Asia looked at the ground disappointed but Medusa wasn't done. "However, I can offer one piece of advice, something most people don't realize about miracles and gods." Every word spoke had the attention of all present. "Study medicine."

"'Study medicine'?" Rias asked first, trying to comprehend the insight of the goddess.

Fortunately for her, Medusa has no problem explaining. "What most people don't understand about gods is that while some of their power is instinctual, there is a lot of knowledge that comes when a god chooses their Domain. Most are not really born in it, we choose it. Save some exceptions" Her revelation has many silences but she prefers that. "Some manage to get more by just atributing one thing to another and others manage to secure various Domains through diverse means and end up accumulating even more power. Some are actually born with Domains but that also depends on other conditions and all that comes with advantages or disadvantages." She then points at Asia. "From what I studied, sacred gears are miracles of your God to some extent but if you think about it for a moment, no god can help humanity with miracles if they don't know what they need themselves."

"Can you dumb that down a little?" Issei asked with a raised hand before scratching the side of his face. "I think most of what you said flew over my head." Some people had the same problem but no one else wants to admit it.

Medusa lets out a sigh but she complies with the boy's request. "A miracle can be reached much faster if the one trying to reach it understands what they need for the miracle in the first place."

"Or in other words, if Asia knows how to heal herself the Twilight Healing becomes easier to use?" Akeno raises the question and Medusa nods her positive.

"Then I should have taught Kiba how to forge swords too…" Shirou points out in surprise at the implications.

"Of course that is only true if sacred gears are indeed miracles or if their properties are absolutely close to them." Medusa clarifies, not agreeing or disagreeing with Shirou's observation. "To be frank, I know little about sacred gears but she loses nothing learning how to heal, even if I am wrong. Knowing where to start healing is as valuable as the art itself." Then she points to Issei. "Him, however, I can teach. His power comes from a dragon, a mass of power. I understand very well how to use such a thing."

'And how to be one.' Shirou reserves his thoughts to himself but he is the only one present that knew Medusa's former predicament in exact detail that no other man has ever survived long enough to describe. 'She was not much different to a dragon then, a mass of uncontrollable power in a rampage of grief.'

"Well, you all have your assignments, spread around the mansion and get to work." Yoruichi comments with an excited smile, it was good to not have to play politics to train with a group of people. Sure her men in Kyoto were loyal but they still walked around eggshells with her. "Asia, remember that your main training is healing. These ten days can only be fully used if you are keeping everyone in top shape so hear Rin's instructions about pace and preservation of mana."

"Yes." Asia gives the nekomata a nod and a smile, happy to do what she always enjoyed in healing people while also helping make her friends stronger. "I promise I won't disappoint."

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Rias tries to keep the humor out of her voice, she already suspects that the yokai has other plans for Akeno, Koneko and herself.

"Unfortunately training around the mansion with you three is actually quite dangerous." Yoruichi informs jovially. "I took the liberty to prepare some boundary fields in certain sections of the property that we can use and you all not demolish the whole place." She then started to walk, not even needing to mention that she wanted the others to follow her.

"Kiba, follow me." Setsuna calls for the Knight, pointing to a direction opposite of the mansion. "There is a clearing where we can train uninterrupted without disturbing the others."

"In our spars we never had to take it that far." Kiba points out, remembering that they usually trained much closer to the club even with Rin and Luvia fighting around them.

"If I am to use my youki then they will need the space." Setsuna said ominously but Kiba wasn't that much concerned about it.

"Let's begin." Liz says in a low tone as Rin pulls Asia back to give her and Issei some space.

"What? Already?" Most of his surprise came from the fact that people forgot they were training together despite previous protests. Shaking his head to get rid of his doubts, Issei summons the Boosted Gear and gets in position. His eyes watch Liz's form when he notices she has a similar posture to his, the same one that Shirou was teaching. "He learned that with you?"

"I taught him a little hand to hand combat." Leysritt replies. She knows that Shirou wasn't an expert or anything as his true skills were only manifested with weaponry but she did try to help him when he was younger to 'expand his horizons' as his father had put it. "Ready?"

"Yeah, I think-"

Pain, that is all that Issei's brain could process at that moment, pain. The fist that hit his chest had come with so much strength that he couldn't even stay up and fell to his knees, his breakfast leaving his stomach with any other content on it.

"Issei-san!" Asia approaches him in panic, Twilight Healing already ready.

"Geez, you really don't know how to hold back." Rin commented.

"That was the strength I used on Shirou when we used to spar under his mother's supervision." Liz is starting to get hungry again but she will push it out of her mind to do her job, with the hope of extra dinner of course. "I shall adjust."

"You really should. Even a younger Emiya must have had Reinforcement on his side when you trained with him." Rin points out and the maid nods. "Let him use his sacred gear a few times before you start again. With some adjustments of course."

"Thanks Asia." Issei smiles in appreciation as the girl had worked quickly to get him back on his feet.

"Don't worry, I will make sure you can keep going as many times as you need." Asia's innocent smile just stopped him from showing the dread the statement brings on his face.

'It still hurts like a bitch.' Issei doesn't share his thoughts as he watches Rin step up to collect Asia again, his gauntlet already prepared. 'Remember that feeling in the church. Remember when-'

"Will you die for me?"

'-you fought that fallen.' Determination and will light the Boosted Gear as it shouts [Boost].

"Now his power is doubled." Medusa pointed out, eyes on her book. "Give him ten more seconds and he will be at a decent level."

"'Boost' huh?" Rin comments nonchalantly but as a magus she is making many mental notes about the Boosted Gear itself. 'A sacred gear capable of killing gods? That is prime research material! I don't know why that Sausage Head decided not to help.' No problems for Rin herself who will use the opportunity to expand her own research. 'I wonder if I can remove and use that green gem, that thing must cost more than the mansion just in size. Add the fact it also is part of one of 13 Longinus and it is undoubtedly prime research material worthy of a king's ransom.'

Getting in position once again another loud [Boost] signals to Liz he is ready to go and she charges again, same motion, similar punch but much slower for them as this time he can actually see it coming.

Doesn't mean he can do much about it as it connects with his arms and throws him back. "Issei-san!"

"A little weaker, Liz. The speed was good but it still had too much power." Rin comments from the sidelines as Medusa starts to walk back to the mansion after she realized Issei wouldn't be ready for her lessons today.

"This is far enough." Kiba stops at Setsuna's request, she still advances a couple more steps before turning back. "Before we begin I feel that I should warn you: I still can't control my full power properly."

"Have you been holding back on us this whole time, Setsuna? Should I be offended?" Kiba asked as a joke.

But Setsuna took it seriously. "I apologize, it wasn't my intention to say it like that. I always gave my all on our spars, both against you and Shirou. It is just that I really can't control that part of me and I didn't want to hurt either of you."

"Don't worry about me Setsuna, I am sure I can take it." Kiba decides to ignore how serious the girl took his joke and move on, time is short and he needs any training he can get since powerwise he is going to be one of the main fighters on the Rating Game, their numbers pretty much guarantee it. "So, shall we begin?"

"Give me a moment." Setsuna requested and just now she picked up the naginata that was resting on her back. "I also never used my full power with a weapon before so this will be a learning experience for both of us."

With that Setsuna closed her eyes and started to take some deep breaths as she started to let go of her usually tight control on her youki.

The changes the hanyou was subjecting herself to are visible to Kiba's eyes, a green aura starts to envelop her in uncontrollable waves while the grass around her feet starts to melt.

Even the wind that came from Setsuna's direction had a weight on it that made it harder for Kiba to breathe. 'This isn't just power, there is something else.' The devil tried to remember everything he ever learned about yokais but the fact Setsuna was a hanyou actually made most of his knowledge worthless. 'Her father! Even as a hanyou her powers would come from her parents and Seshomaru is her father.'

Yet he can only watch as Setsuna transforms right before his eyes; her usually well kept ponytail becomes unrule, almost feral, her nails turned to claws and her fangs are now more pronounced.

When Setsuna opened her eyes Kiba noticed the claw-like marks on the side of her face and how they look sharp like knives, similar to Yoruichi's eyes on the cat form that he knows. "That is the best I can do." Her voice was the same but the way she spoke showed that she was making a good effort to keep herself together. "Any more than that and I fear I will lose control in a prolonged fight."

Kiba can only stay silent and impressed by his classmate's transformation, the power that he was feeling is many times higher than her normal output. He took only a second to admire her when he noticed her posture with both her arms to the sides and the naginata only on her right hand. "Do you fight differently like this?"

"I never fought like this with a weapon." Setsuna reveals. "As I said; It will be a learning experience for both of us." Kiba nods and summons Holy Eraser. "Before we begin I should apologize for the pain you are about to feel."

"I am used to pain." Kiba said cheekly but the young woman shook her head.

"If you say so." In her mind Kiba will only know what she is talking about when she hits him. 'Feeling is believing in this case.' Setsuna concludes as her preparations are done.

Like any normal day in Kuoh, by a signal marked when both sides are properly prepared, the spar begins with Setsuna charging. Kiba is being cautious as he has no idea what she is actually capable of in this form and the power he was feeling actually made him cautious.

Caution was exactly what he needed when Setsuna managed to reach him much faster than he was used to. Kiba's whole rhythm was thrown off when the first blow of her naginata managed to throw him back into a close tree. "If this was a real fight, you would be dead."

It wasn't criticism that Setsuna was giving him, she just plainly stated the facts. "You are much stronger and much faster." Kiba comments with a smile but Setsuna just glares at him. "I am sorry if that offended you."

"You didn't. In this state my aggression is many times higher than normal." At another point in time, when she was being affected by loud music and dangerous smell, she actually was throwing even more power around but being even more aggressive from what she can recall. Setsuna tries to not be bothered by the memories. "If I tell you to stop, please stop. While I believe that Kuro-dono can come and stop me if things get worse I would prefer to avoid such things."

Not even bothering to comment on Setsuna's more respectful tone towards the nekomata, Kiba nods and takes a few steps to the side. "At least now I can go full speed."

"You should." Setsuna agreed before jumping in Kiba's direction again, naginata still only in her right hand as she advanced.

Now the Knight is more prepared and his sword managed to parry the attack successfully as he moved to the side to deflect the strength and to get Setsuna's own exposed side.

Only then he noticed a curious phenomena, Setsuna's left hand had a green glow he had never seen on it before, it was still eerily familiar for he had faced something similar from her many times.

His sword still busy pushing back the naginata couldn't do anything so Kiba decided to abandon it to use his full speed to jump back only to still be hit on the arm close to his shoulder. The devil couldn't help himself but hold the wound as he could feel it burning and once he took his hand out he noticed that the sleeve on his white shirt was melting.

"Poison Claws, the signature attack of my father, Sesshomaru." Setsuna allows Kiba to recover his bearings as he made another sword but now had difficulty holding it with both hands. "Between the Yokai Kings of Kyoto, my father has the strongest and most dangerous youki. It not only is on a level of his own but he also mastered it to an absurd degree; when it comes to youki control, Sesshomaru is the strongest of all yokais." She raises her hands, looking at Kiba's blood on them. "I should also suggest that if you can't take it, you should call for a stop."

"No need." The pain wasn't subsiding but Kiba called another sword all the same. "I just have to be careful with your claws as well."

"You really believe that?" Setsuna doesn't sound to be mocking him but Kiba felt like she was. "My father is considered the strongest yokai when it comes to youki, his power and control are truly things to marvel at when he gets serious."

"You aren't much for bragging but it sounds like you are proud of your father." At Kiba's observation, Setsuna shakes her head.

"No, I am just reminding myself that I inherited too much of the first and too little of the seconds." The hanyou points the naginata at the devil, a green aura covering the blade and making Kiba slightly nervous as the young woman raises it above her head. "For example Scourge of Swallows!"

Instead of the usual nine lines of mana, Kiba raises his sword to block the equivalent of an uneven and distorted blade of green energy traveling fast in his direction. He barely manages to stop it and deflect to the side before noticing his sword was damaged. "Such power…"

"I can't control it properly, my youki is too powerful for me. I meditate and train a lot so it doesn't hurt anyone." With a flick of her wrist, the green aura leaves the naginata but it is still around her. "Considering everything my control has vastly improved over the last few months, ever since that incident in the gym and Shinji's fight I have dedicated most of my training towards it."

"Is that why you wanted to use a violin with your youki?" Kiba asked curiously.

"Correct. Even if I have failed on my primary goal, my secondary one was successful. Adding my power and using the violin as a weapon was an absolute failure but it also helped me to improve my control of youki by leaps and bounds." Setsuna's declaration makes Kiba remember how many days he had just sat there and heard the young woman playing her instrument, apparently relaxed but in actuality training more than anyone could imagine. "You all never noticed, with how much mana around the air of the club house I don't blame any of you. Only Shirou and Kuro-dono noticed, one by analyzing my violin one day and the other much earlier because of how sensitive she is."

'All that time she was training, not only in one thing but multiple at once.' Kiba thinks in disbelief. 'She was there learning the violin, channeling her power little by little, trying to use it in conjunction with her youki and keeping it under control all the while keeping up with me and Shirou… what have I been doing with my time?'

The Knight felt himself shake, the ghost of his past suddenly jumping to the forefront of his mind, the same way that Koneko's would when talking with Yoruichi or Akeno's did when mentioning her past. They were always on the back of his head but now, seeing how much a friend of his had progressed and comparing himself, he can remember just how weak he was..

Setsuna attacking once again snaps Kiba out of his introspection as he stabs the ground and raises a fence of steel for protection that stops the naginata completely on its tracks.

'Calm down!' Kiba demands from himself as he raises his sword to clash with Setsuna's naginata on her follow up. 'You have a job to do! For the person who saved you! Who gave you a chance to live! Focus!'

The blades clash again and again but the Knight is well aware that Setsuna is still holding back, only one hand is on the naginata and Kiba can't see any youki on her free left hand which would indicate an imminent attack.

He also doesn't really know how fast Setsuna can channel her youki, her powers don't need a magical circle and the aura around her is still stronger as ever to the point Kiba decides to jump back to get some space before he is suffocated by the it.

"Is the aura around you toxic?" Kiba asks with a little fear and his mind is already trying to come up with ways to create a sword to nullify it.

"Yes but I am holding most of it back from affecting you." The reply brings some relief to the Knight. "But the fumes from the melted grass and rock also are dangerous." And with that the panic was back. "Calm down Kiba, I am not strong enough to do that in a scale large enough to really hurt you. It is one of my father's tricks actually, knocked out my sister more than once with it and the only reason why it didn't work on me was because I am immune to poisons."

"Then why mention it?" Kiba is now paying close attention to the dead grass around but didn't notice any fumes.

"Just in case you feel light headed. I know I am not good at using it yet but it is a fair warning all the same." Setsuna stops for a moment and her aura flickers, much to her irritation as she takes some deep breaths to keep it stable.

"Something wrong?" Kiba notices the fluctuation of power as his sacred gear is still working in a sword capable of neutralizing poison, his mind and spirit attempting to strengthen it by adding more defenses.

"I am not used to this." Setsuna looks to her hand as she makes her youki start to retreat inside her, little by little. "In a fight it is difficult to remain serene, focused and fight at the same time. My youki wants to go wild, to consume and destroy everything." Then the energy starts to flow again. "I am too far from properly mastering it."

With a smile, Kiba points his new sword at the young woman. "Then we both still have much to learn and grow." The sword was another creation of his will and Sword Birth, a defensive bastard purple sword, not a tall sword but still with a huge guard whose main purpose is to repel maladies like poisons and curses. "Prepare to face my newest creation, Poison Deleter."

Setsuna nods at his friend's new sword. "Come Kiba! Lets see if your new blade can compete with my youki!"

The two charge again, their day of training promising to be a long one.

…

While half of Rias' Peerage is training close to the mansion, the rest follows Yoruichi as she escorts them and Shirou deeper in the woods. The forest truly grew the deeper they went as the trees grew closer and the path showed itself to be many times harder than the trail they used to arrive at the mansion.

Dense as it was there is still plenty of life around the area and Rias found herself smiling as she saw a pair of rabbits running after each other before looking back to the nekomata guiding them on their path. "Since we are going to our own training ground shouldn't you explain what we will be doing?" She points out, getting a glance from Yoruichi to show she was listening. "It would spare us some time."

"I am taking you and Shirou to a separate place before I move on with Akeno and Koneko. Your training ground is the largest of the bunch, I made it with at least two kilometers of diameter to make sure you would have enough space to avoid accidents with the Power of Destruction and used senjutsu to remove the wildlife from there." Yoruichi told the group, impressing Akeno.

"You managed to do it in just a couple of hours?" The Queen question makes the nekomata chuckle.

"Don't sound so shocked. I am good at running and the others helped set it up." Shirou nods at that since he remembers Yoruichi instructing everyone to remove all animals from the future training grounds for their own sake. "With most of the critters out of the way I just had to run around, prepare the proper spots and measure the boundary fields." She then looks directly at Koneko before looking back to the front. "Senjutsu can do lots of wonders like that."

"What would you have done if Rias had said no?" Akeno is legitimately curious about that.

"Then we would have kicked you all out of the mansion until you found the boundary fields where we would then try again." Shirou comments as he looks at Akeno with a smile. "This is my property, after all."

"Just technically." Rias replied while Akeno just smiled at the redhead. "And I can't believe you would be that cruel to just kick us out for disagreeing."

"Good thing we never are going to have to figure that out." Shirou himself doesn't know if he would be capable of doing that, leaving his friends to fend for themselves while making things harder for them to train by taking away their place of rest.

He is just glad Rias didn't call him out on that since it would be a even harder situation as Shirou was sure that he wouldn't back down easily either because he and Yoruichi agree in a single fact; Rias Peerage can't defeat Riser as they are and ten days isn't enough if she also has to babysit Issei and Asia.

The magus and nekomata spoke about the topic at length with Setsuna the prior day after they left the ORC, even the Daughter of Sesshomaru couldn't help but agree with them, which also led to her volunteering to help with the training.

'In the end, only Luvia refused. I wonder why?' Shirou shakes his head to take his mind out of the topic, stopping when Yoruichi finally does it close to a huge tree.

"And here we are." Yoruichi announces proudly while Rias raises an eyebrow.

"'Here' where?" The redhead devil asked with a confused expression as she looked around, there were just trees everywhere. "We are in the middle of nowhere."

"Yep." Yoruichi agrees with Rias' assessment, confusing her more.

"I don't think this is the right place for me to train." Akeno nodded, agreeing with her King wholeheartedly.

"Rias' training ground close to the club is the minimum required so she doesn't decimate the forest by accident. Again." The Queen says the last part in a whisper.

"One time Akeno, it was just one time." Was Rias' defense but Shirou fake coughs on his hand. "Want to say something?"

"Nothing, nothing…I am just remembering the damages to the terrain that day." Shirou says quickly before starting to whistle innocently.

"And that is the problem." Before the teasing could continue, Yoruichi spoke with a seriousness that was missing during the rest of the day. "Rias…your control over your power is a disaster. Don't even try to disagree, that conversation proves it even if the Power of Destruction is supposedly hard to control" Once again, she doesn't give the devil time to protest but Rias closed her mouth and folded her arms. "Have you actually tried to control it?"

"Yes." Rias affirms bitterly. "I did all the exercises that my family recommended and even the ones my brother made for himself. Like most of the members of the Bael Clan, all I can do is point and shoot it." Yoruichi nods at that short explanation but now it is Rias who isn't done. "That is normal as far as everyone knows, even my mother still has difficulties controlling the Destruction once its full might is unleashed. Only my brother is the real exception."

"And none of the training methods he advised managed to help you, correct?" Rias offers Yoruichi a slow nod before the nekomata continues. "What about using it defensively?"

"Anything weaker than my mana that is hit by one of my blasts is easily obliterated." Rias has a fair amount of pride on that fact, she trained a lot to manage the mana to create blasts big as cars to make sure she wouldn't miss her target or their attacks.

"That is not as much a defense as brute force." Yoruichi points out.

"But I am taking care of the problem. How is it not a defense?" Rias voices hers and the others' confusion.

"Because you still need to attack and waste more energy than necessary instead of forcing your opponent to waste theirs." Yoruichi can remember herself as a kid having the same explanation given to her by the Sage Turtle.

"But it is still a defense, just a little of my power is enough to conquer and break apart most problems easily." Rias was starting to frown at the discussion.

"Not necessarily. Remember our fight with the 'Hamelin Flutist'? He was able to counter your Power of Destruction by only just throwing mana at it." Shirou decides to give his own input.

"Maybe we should be asking what Kuro-san means with 'defense'?" Akeno suggested this when she noticed that Rias had stopped to think in Shirou's words.

"Think it more like a wall on a fortress. The goal is not to trade resources with your opponent but make sure they waste their energy while you keep yours on reserve." Yoruichi explains and she can see the pureblood devil was giving all her attention. "Other ways to do something similar is just dodging the attacks but speed isn't your thing, you are a Magician type of devil and magic is your bread and butter."

"In Rating Game types I would be a Wizard." Rias said off handedly but her face was pensive.

"Buchou doesn't need that, I can protect her." Koneko didn't hide her irritation with the nekomata and Yoruichi ignored it but still decided to reply.

"And when you are busy with another opponent or something similar?" The black cat shakes her head in denial. "There are just too many situations that Rias can be left by herself and just attacking can be too big of a waste."

"So you want me to learn how to use shields with the Power of Destruction?" Rias was skeptical of the idea but Yoruichi shook her head again.

"Not shields per say, even if that is a possibility if you managed to get that far." Yoruichi can see Rias' arms folding again below her breasts and her eyebrows raising. "And no, that isn't a challenge, it isn't even the point of this training."

"And what the point is?" Rias asked directly and Yoruichi chuckled.

"Conservation of energy and precision." Those words made every devil and Shirou look at her in disbelief.

"WIth the Power of Destruction?" Rias asked, her face showing her incredulity.

"That is impossible in such a short time. Even before the announcement of the Rating Game Rias has been trying to improve her use of the Power of Destruction. To keep pushing something with no progress when we already have just over a week to prepare is worthless." Akeno wasn't trying to tease her friend this time, just giving her opinion.

And while Akeno knew better than most how much Rias tried to get stronger, it was Yoruichi who decided to say, "That was because she was being insane."

"What?" Rias fought hard to not get offended by that comment but she doesn't like being insulted out of the blue.

"I mean to say that you were always trying the same methods for training and expecting a different result, it is one of the definitions of insanity." Yoruichi elaborates and while Rias could understand what she was saying that didn't mean she liked it.

"That was the training method passed by the Bael Clan since its inception under the original Lucifer. Every member of the Clan Bael and their descendents in other clans have used that training method." Rias says with a frown, a part of her waiting for Yoruichi to tell her what was wrong.

The nekomata was happy to deliver. "With mixed results right?" Once again Rias nods at her question, a little slowly and uncertain this time. "And your brother developed his own method, correct?" Another nod from Rias later, Yoruichi continues. "That is because people are different and the growth of a person is not the same as their ancestors for a number of factors. The fact is that devils are, how can I say this without offending anyone? I can't. Devils are slow in the uptake and in adapting to certain changes. A proof of that concept is that they are even today absorbing human technology with an extremely slow pace to develop their own unless magic is involved somehow." When the Gremory heiress didn't disagree Yoruichi understood that she was aware of that fact enough to not contradict her observations. "But that isn't true just for life appliances. Any society that remains doing the same thing and never evolving sooner or later will be surpassed by those that do evolve."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Koneko asked with her frown still in place but her tone carried no hostility.

"That for the last thousands of years the Bael Clan didn't adapt their training methods and that Rias has to do things differently." Yoruichi's response is undeniable to those present. "'Adapt or die'. Instead of trying the beaten path that already was proven incompatible with her, our dear Rias here needs to forge her own way to develop the Power of Destruction."

"I can't direct my Destruction with Luck." Rias said quickly, thinking that is where the nekomata wants to get at.

"I know. Luck is a passive Power. How many times do I have to say I have been watching you all from time to time?" Yoruichi asked with a smile. "But Luck isn't something anyone can really control. Destruction on the other hand? That all living beings have to learn from time to time, you more than most."

"Okay, after all that, what does she have to do in this training?" Shirou asked while looking to the sky, they have lost a good deal of time on this discussion.

"That is with Rias herself." Yoruichi motions around them with her tail. "I have built the stage now. It is up to her to rehearse until she can make something new."

Seeing that Rias wasn't understanding, Shirou decides to say something to move the conversation forward. "You wouldn't have brought us here if you hadn't an idea of how to begin."

"Oh my, you already know me so well." Even the game of tag between them, as whimsical as it sounded, is not useless and both of them know it. "That is where you come in." Yoruichi tells Shirou who points to himself. "That is right. Basically, for the next few days, starting after breakfast and finishing it at dinner, you will be shooting Rias with your special arrows while she defends herself."

"What?" Shirou can't believe what he was hearing.

"That sounds dangerous." Akeno comments with a hard look in the nekomata's direction.

"If that is what it takes to defeat Riser, I will do it." Rias said without fear.

"Buchou, no. Shirou's arrows are very dangerous." Koneko is quick to protest and the redhead magus himself is nodding at her statement.

"Oh relax for a minute will you." Yoruichi doesn't hide her amusement at the reactions and stops herself from laughing at the show before focusing once again. "Shirou doesn't need to shoot her with any dangerous arrows, his goal is to shoot her with something she has to block."

"Ah, I see. I will be shooting arrows with blunt tips." That is a relief to Shirou.

"What? You thought I would have you trying to kill her?" Yoruichi tried to sound offended but she was just smiling too much and no one fell for it. "Heh, you don't need to shoot anything explosive or dangerous towards her, just make sure that they hurt when she screws up. A punishment to properly motivate her."

"I like that idea."

"Of course you do Akeno." Rias doesn't even bother to reprehend her best friend. "But why have so many trees around? We could be doing this closer to the mansion."

"Since the point of this is precision, there is another challenge." Yoruichi stops for a moment for the sake of drama.

"Say it already, you stray cat." And Koneko was the first one to lose her patience.

"You are really grumpy today, Koneko-chan. Didn't you sleep enough or something?" Yoruichi teases a little but immediately turns to Rias. "Your goal is to intercept Shirou's arrows without damaging the trees."

That last comment surprised everyone and Rias grew pale. "I…"

"What is wrong? Are you saying the actual heiress of the Gremory can't avoid hitting some trees?" Yoruichi tries to provoke, to light the fire of Rias' competitiveness to have her rise up to the challenge.

But Rias knows herself, she knows her limits and every logical thought in her head is telling her that this training is pointless, that she isn't capable of doing it how Yoruichi wants her to do.

Her limitations start to hammer on her head as Rias just can't see herself succeeding in taming the Power of Destruction while keeping the landscape unharmed. She can barely attack without annihilating a good chunk of the area around her target, that is one of the reasons why she usually has Akeno paralyzing stray devils before she finishes them off.

A hand lands on Rias' shoulder. "Don't worry Kuro, Rias got this."

"What? No, Shirou, I don't 'got this' at all." Rias turns fully to her magician who looks at her confused. "Do you understand what she is asking?" Instead of letting him reply, the heiress throws her arms in the air in frustration. "She is pretty much asking me to get a truck on a small tunnel."

"A truck? More like a trailer." Akeno tries to light the situation but Rias motions to her with both her hands.

"Yes, a giant trailer with three floors, an antenna and an air conditioner system on a tunnel big enough for a car." Rias' description actually made Yoruichi blink in surprise that the pureblood devil knew that much about herself but the heiress wasn't done. "That is too much precision for me. I am not like that, I am a blunt instrument, if there is a target I hit it hard until it disappears."

"Kinda exaggerating in that description there, don't you think?" Shirou asked with a chuckle but Rias just gives him a deadpan stare.

Realizing that she and Shirou hadn't actually fought together much, Rias tries another sort of explanation. "This isn't like breaking a barrier or a boundary field where I just need to put some pressure. I am not that good with my power that I can just blow up a door or a wall, it would just keep going and destroy something else."

"Okay, and?" Shirou crosses his arms and waits for a reply.

"'And'? 'And'? And there is no time for this kind of exercise. I won't succeed." Rias complains while turning to Yoruichi who looks to the side a little embarrassed.

"To be fair I only had one day to plan for ten days of training and even with Shirou and Setsuna helping with many of the others, I could only go with what I watched from you and learned about the Bael." Yoruichi admits which has Rias' nod.

"That explains it. I can't do this training-"

"Because it is too hard?" Shirou asked suddenly, having Rias stop and turn to him. Their eyes met, one with determination and other full with confusion. "You are saying that you won't do this training because it is too hard, is that it?"

"That is not it." Rias feels that she has to defend herself, Shirou's eyes not leaving hers. "It is just pointless. I should focus on helping my peerage and researching Rating Games."

"You say that it is pointless without even trying? Aren't you being a bit of a coward?" Shirou's words made Rias stop and frown.

"I have no time to waste-"

"You will do the research at night, it isn't that much if you focus only on Riser. I know for a fact that your brother sent the records of his games to the mansion, even if just files since apparently his games weren't big enough to have records or something." Shirou stops Rias again, his voice sounds cold. "You need to focus on growing your power in any way you can. This is the best bet you have."

"In defense, something only my brother succeed and I miserably failed, everytime." Rias protested but this time it was Yoruichi who replied.

"If you manage to improve your concentration enough to use your Power defensively, there is a huge chance you will also be able to use it much better offensively." The nekomata spoke with confidence and Rias can't deny that her main problem was another.

"That doesn't stop this training from being impossible for me. There is just not enough time." Rias tells Shirou but he doesn't look convinced by the explanation. "I can't focus on this now. Maybe if we had a little more time…"

"You would be using this time to try and teach Issei and Asia more about being a devil anyway. Consider this training a way to use the time you recovered." Now is Shirou's turn to see that Rias wasn't convinced by his argument. "The main problem here is that you are uncertain that this training is going to bring any results right?"

"Yes." Rias admits easily. "I won't deny it is the main problem of this whole situation. I just can't see myself getting any real results in the short time we have."

Shirou takes a deep breath, he doesn't want to say anything he will regret and so he goes for a softer approach. "How can you know if you don't try." That made Rias pause. "You never trained like that or anything similar. You said to yourself that all the training you did was the same as the Bael Clan did for milenia." Shirou had many questions about it but he shoves them to the back of his mind before continuing. "You can't just rush things now, Rias. You were patient when we were trying to get EM to work and you need some patience now."

Those words bothered the pureblood devil a little but she can see Shirou's point. "Patience with just ten days left, hmm…"

"Pretty much. We are already rushing but we can't just run without control, we need to pace ourselves, you need to pace yourself." Shirou takes advantage that Rias is paying attention to continue. "Besides, while I knew that mass producing EM was possible, I was betting that I would spend my whole life doing it anyway, just to fail at the end regardless."

"But you didn't fail." Rias is quick to point out but Shirou just shakes his head.

"I did. You are in this mess because I took too long." That statement made Rias lower her head.

"Rias didn't want to pressure you." Akeno commented to the side. "She knew how much you were already working with EM and other projects and wanted to avoid placing another burden on your shoulders."

"Maybe that burden was what I needed. Maybe not. There is no point thinking about that now." Shirou says resolutely as his eyes move to Akeno. "But that was a failure." He then looks back to Rias. "A complete and absolute failure because instead of the two of us working together to finish EM we only managed to do it when Asia entered the picture, a complete unknown element neither of us could ever consider."

"But that wasn't a failure, you succeeded. Asia was important but her addition just helped you finish the work that you already had made plenty of strides on by yourself." Rias is quick to defend Shirou's work and the achievements he made. "You managed to create an incredible mystic code capable of healing people with only mana, your weapons are all works of art with many functions and you can also make copies of Noble Phantasms."

"Then you should try this training. After all, all the things I have done were the result of trying new things and making mistakes…a lot of mistakes." Shirou suddenly said that surprised Rias but he gave her an earnest smile. "Just EM alone I mean…that took a lot of tries, even with my mother's help, heck, even with Asia's sacred gear there is still a lot to do." His smile didn't disappear, it grew a little with the memories. "But that is life, trying things, failing and then trying other things to reach a goal."

"But the time-"

Shirou places a hand on Rias' shoulder. "Don't worry about it and do your best." Rias looked much calmer now but Shirou continued to try and motivate her. "Instead of thinking about the time, think how strong you will be if you can control the Power of Destruction on the level Kuro is suggesting."

"You are appealing to my greed." Rias commented with a smile of her own.

"Is it working?" The devil just smiled more. "Think about how much damage you can do to Riser with the Power of Destruction at the tip of your fingers and completely yours to use. Even his immortality wouldn't be able to help him."

The thought was enough that Rias unconsciously raised her hand and clenched her fist. 'This is how I harden my resolve?' She asked herself with a smile. "Let's do this thing." The pureblood devil's motivation shines with her power that started to cover her body.

"Hold your horses! I didn't explain how you guys are going to do this in the first place." Yoruichi tries to take control of the situation but Shirou beats her to it.

"I am going to hide in the trees and hit her with my arrows until she can protect herself properly, right?" Shirou traces a training bow and some arrows with tennis balls on the tips.

"Well, yes but you need to make sure your attacks hurt." That got a couple of raised eyebrows. "We have no time to go slow on this, she needs incentive and pain is a hell of an incentive."

"Shiro, listen to her and don't hold back." Rias demanded and Shirou looked at her stunned. "She is right that we have no time."

"Are you sure about this? You still are going to need to work on research at night-"

"Asia is around and I will manage." Rias says decisively, a fire that wasn't present before now shines on her eyes. "Now get to those trees and give me your best shot."

"Without blowing up the forest." Akeno felt she needed to say it.

"Right." Shirou accepts the commands and his bow and arrows vanish before his black bow appears on his hand. "Akeno, Koneko, good luck to both of you." With that said, Shirou runs and disappears among the trees.

"You know you probably will regret this later, right?" The Queen spoke her thoughts, a smile on her face that had Rias smiling back.

"I never trained like this before but maybe that is exactly what I need. I will make the best out of it, improve my control over the Power of Destruction and then I will make Riser wish he never was born!" The three other women were impressed by the rise of Rias' spirit; it is clear that the girl is ready to train. "Now you all should go so Shiro and I can start-" Rias had to stop speaking as an arrow if a ball of steel had hit her on the arm. "That hurt!"

"Training has already begun!" Shirou shouted back and his voice indicated he was already moving.

Rias' energy starts to escape her body as she glares at the direction that the arrow came from. "I wasn't ready!"

"Any enemy worth their salt isn't going to wait until you get ready! Learn to pay more attention!" Shirou replies back, his voice already somewhere else and Rias prepares a circle to shoot in that direction. "Remember to not bring down the forest!"

Shirou's words actually made Rias hesitate and the circle disappear just in time for an arrow to hit the pureblood devil on her forehead. "Ow." Both her hands flew to hold the place where she was hit, little tears threatening to leave her eyes as more dark mana started to leave Rias' body. "I will get you for this Shirou!"

"Using his name properly, she must be pissed." Akeno commented, impressed how fast Shirou had managed to push Rias' buttons to the point she was already losing her composure.

"He must have realized the other functions of this training method. We better get going before we are the ones blown up." Even Koneko couldn't react negatively at Yoruichi's words, she was absolutely right in this instance, especially when a blast of destruction destroyed the top of a tree. "We really should be going."

The other two girls nod their heads as they start to follow Yoruichi away from the now furious heiress of the Gremory as she starts to let out more and more power. "Are you sure this is the proper training method for Rias?" All the three flinched as they heard an explosion behind them. "I have known her for years and I doubt she has the patience for it."

"If she is to be a leader-" Yoruichi stops as another explosion cuts the sound of her voice. "If she is to be a leader then she has to learn patience, to remain calm even in moments of great stress."

"So that is the other reason for this kind of training?" Akeno can now comprehend a little more why Shirou attacked so suddenly. "Yeah, she never trained like that alright."

"If she loses all control and demolishes the woods then she will have all the destroyed trees to remind her of her short sighted thoughts and that will hurt her pride more than any hit Shirou will land on her body." Yoruichi elaborated on the other part of the training.

"I pity the forest." Koneko spoke with some sadness in her voice.

"Don't worry, Shirou has that under control…I think." Yoruichi can feel the incredulous eyes on the back of her head. "That is why her training ground is the largest one anyway and I still have you two to start with."

"Why did you decide to train us?" Akeno finally asked something that has been bothering her since it was revealed that the nekomata was the one that planned the training. "I mean, why now? It is clear you had some of these ideas in your head for a while, especially if you spoke about it to one of the biggest names in the yokai faction."

"Because before most of you guys lacked fire, the will or desire to truly grow strong." Yoruichi ignored the fact that Akeno almost stumbled and that Koneko clearly stopped walking for a moment.

"We train as hard as anyone else, it is not our fault that our responsibilities stop most of us from training constantly.." The Queen said, feeling offended.

"If you believe that is a proper excuse, sorry to say but it isn't a good one." Yoruichi says back, ignoring Akeno's tone. "Every King of Kyoto manages to do their duties while also keeping their strength, even growing stronger in some cases. They also manage to separate some free time for their hobbies and families without losing the pace, it is the only reason why they still are Kings, because their people trust the four strongest yokais to be ready in case of a crisis." Then the nekomata got a pensive look before continuing. "Yoruichi-sama is an example of this; ascending to the throne young because of her parent's death, she had no choice but train ten times harder to protect her younger brother and preserve the legacy of her family. Since she was a child she had a world of expectations on her back; to be strong, to be noble, to be a protector and most important of all, for her at least, to be a good sister." It is the sadness in her voice that keeps the younger women quiet. "Sure she had help in those times, the older Kings wouldn't let the daughter of their friend by herself but she also had responsibilities and she had to make sacrifices, lots of them and many times she could have made things easier for herself if she had chosen to give in."

When the nekomata stopped speaking, Akeno got the impression she wouldn't continue. "'Give in'? Can you elaborate?" But the Queen of Gremory was now curious about Yoruichi's story, she had seen the woman once in a meeting about the ley lines in the past but she didn't know that much about her.

All the while neither devil realized that it was Yoruichi herself telling the story. "There are plenty of 'elite' yokais in Kyoto that still claim to be descendants of the Original Kings of Kyoto or have some other thing that makes them 'special'."

"She was in the same situation as Rias, wasn't she?" Akeno asked but Yoruichi shook her head.

"Not exactly. There was no contract and in the end it was her choice." The nekomata chuckles bitterly. "Didn't stop plenty of people to try and approach her with marriage proposals or alliances. One or two were actually bold enough to suggest that she stepped aside and allowed another family to take the title of 'King'." The bitterness reamined on her voice as both the listeners felt her disgust. "And she could do it, many times she truly did consider doing it; she had no real friends besides her mother's, her childhood was constant training and preparation for taking a job that in reality she never wanted in the first place and most people around her were either subordinates or enemies as the other Kings had their own problems to deal with and families to take care of. And yet, she didn't quit. She refused to give up. Do any of you know why?" Yoruichi waited a second, not really expecting an answer. "Because she didn't want to. No, instead she wanted to prove everyone that underestimated her, everyone who thought they could manipulate her, wrong. She may not want the job but proving herself the best person for the job was extremely satisfying."

Not understanding that they are speaking with Yoruichi, both girls can only look at the expression of nekomata and come to a single conclusion. "You must really respect your boss to be proud like that." Akeno commented with a teasing smile. "Or is that more than respect?"

"Ha! Nice joke there." Yoruichi laughs it off with a smile. "But that is what you guys lack anyway; you were content and had nothing to chase. Yoruichi wanted the security of her family and preservation of her legacy, she didn't need to fight for it but chose to do it anyway while you all had nothing like that to push you forward."

"And what does she have now?" Koneko asked curiously, the reputation of the King Nekomata of Kyoto, making her interested in the conversation. "She protected her family, what drives her now?"

"Plenty of things, responsibility being the main one of them. She fought for her throne and she has a duty to it, even if she didn't really want it." Now Yoruichi feels a little depressed with herself. "If I am being honest, the years that she dedicated to that goal left her a little stunted in some emotional departments, with so many backstabbing cowards after her hand she had practically no one to trust and now that she is an adult that may have made her a little more immature than she should be."

"I wouldn't say that. That time I saw her at the meeting, she acted like the picture of professionalism.." Akeno plays devil's advocate which makes the nekomata grin.

"Oh yeah, on those occasions sure but…it is complicated I suppose." Yoruichi tried to use her story to explain the lack of ambition on Rias' peerage but she got lost on nostalgia and now believes she spoke too much

"You can try to explain it." Akeno encourages and the cat gives a metaphorical shrug of the shoulders.

"Why not. With so many suspicious people around her, Yoruichi never felt able to make a real connection…until she met a certain man." Akeno gives the nekomata a nod and a smile and Yoruichi just thinks, 'Screw it' and decides to keep going. "Now this is a recent event but she met a man and started to fall in love with him. The problem is this; does she even know that it is real love? Her childhood was preparing her for the responsibilities of her adult life, her teenage years had her already having to fight and live with those responsibilities and now as an adult she never had experienced a crush or love before." The nekomata shakes her head a little depressed. "And he is a little younger than her too, not even an adult but he was one of the first people she met that looked at her, for her. That after he showed himself to be a capable person and determined man." Then she chuckles again. "So yeah, that is where Yoruichi-sama is now, trying to find love and not knowing how to do it. Kinda hypocritical of me to use this story to talk about wanting something when the protagonist hesitates at the end since even after confessing her attraction she can't take another step forward in fear she is pressuring the young man."

Koneko is silent but Akeno is confused by the words used; Instead of continuing with the topic, the Queen realized that the nekomata had stopped at some point during the story. "Maybe we should focus on the training."

"Right, yes. We should absolutely do that." Yoruichi nods in agreement as her paw lands on a huge rock close to her, it was as tall as a bus. "This training is for you Akeno. If Rias fails in getting strong enough to defeat Riser, then it is going to be your job to do it."

Akeno wasn't surprised with the news, she expected them. Riser wasn't a weak opponent and while the rest of his peerage are also threats, unless the Rating Game rules state otherwise, only the King must be defeated.

Akeno also knows that Riser's Power of Immortality made it practically impossible for anyone weaker than him to emerge victorious without some sort of trick. The best thing she and Rias could come up with was just everyone pile up on Riser and overwhelm him with numbers, something hard when his numbers are actually superior.

But Yoruichi had a solution. "If I am to be honest, of all the members of Rias' side, you are actually the one strong enough and with the right type of skill set to actually defeat Riser." Then Yoruichi mumbles while looking at Koneko. "If someone else doesn't step up, that is."

"I am?" Akeno didn't hear the last part but she was curious about where Yoruichi was trying to get to with that affirmation.

"Indeed and this is actually something you must have noticed we have in common." Lifting her tail, the nekomata shows a spark of electricity surrounding the tip of her tail. "Wouldn't you say?"

"Why indeed." Akeno lifts a hand and using her circuits she makes a spark similar to Yoruichi's. "But I can tell that mine is not as stable."

"You use more mana than necessary, probably because you divide your attention on practicing two diferent magic systems. You ended up not mastering the one connected to magecraft even if it is the most efficient of them both." Yoruichi lets the energy go and Akeno does the same.

"Using magic circles is easier. The fact that devils can just use imagination just makes things way more simpler."

"But harder to control and improve on it, correct?" Akeno easily nods, liking where the conversation is going. "Well, today is your lucky day. I will show you how to apply lighting in some different ways and you will work it from there."

"That sounds vague." Koneko said with a frown as her own training, which she will only take because Rias ordered, was still not revealed and she has a bad feeling about that.

"You are right, it is vague. While we both use lighting, I use senjutsu as my source of power while Akeno is using, either magecraft or magic circles." Yoruichi summarized with a smile.

"So what exactly do you want me to do?" Akeno asked directly and Yoruichi raised a paw.

"Pay attention and tell me what you see." Yoruichi's paw is covered with a golden light. "This is how I use senjutsu, it is also a combination of youki and touki." Then electricity covers the paw. "I can use just senjutsu or my youki as well to help me create lighting, are you following me so far?"

"It is similar to me, magecraft and demonic energy." Akeno observes the similarities in their situation.

"Correct. Youki is similar to demonic energy, both powers are practically siblings but unlike devils who use imagination, us yokais can only count with our instincts and training to use our youki properly. Pretty much we all are born with fangs ready while devils are born with knives that can change shape."

"Fufufu. You are losing your metaphors, Kuro-san." Akeno said in good humor.

"Sorry but you get the gist." Yoruichi admits that she lost herself a little mostly because she is worried about what will happen after she gives Akeno her instruction. "Senjutsu like magecraft demands greater control but uses more the flow of internal and external energies. Magecraft can also take in the mana of our world but senjutsu is far more gentle, benefic and safer. The control of one's circuits is similar to Ki while demonic energy similarities with youki makes me believe that it is possible to combine them like this."

Then Yoruichi throws her paw to the side and her claws let out blades of electricity that fly harmlessly through the air. "Maybe that is possible with Ki and youki but believe me when I say that mixing magecraft and magic circle usually has explosive results." Akeno relates with a frown on her beautiful face. "Usually of the uncontrollable kind."

"But the similarities are there and if you want to defeat a member of the Phenex Clan you can't expect to do the same thing even angels tried and even that failed." Yoruichi's comment bothered Akeno a little until she realized something.

"You believe the combination will create a strong enough force to surpass an angel's Holy Light?" Akeno felt some appeal at the idea and was disappointed when Yoruichi shook her head.

"Not stronger, but malleable. Basically it would be a combination of the versatility of the devil magic with the structure and power of magecraft." That surprises Akeno as she hadn't thought about it. "Magecraft is a science while devil magic is closer to true magic, those things shouldn't mix. But the same thing was said about senjutsu and youki; one is a pure force of nature with the 'self' and the other is the 'dark' energy that an yokai uses only to later be discovered that it is just mana that was processed by the yokai's body into a form that uses their nature better and also part of the 'self'."

"That still may be impossible. I am not the first student of magecraft that is also a devil, there are some records of the odd magus being reincarnated as a devil and so far all of them abandoned magecraft after." Akeno said with a pensive face but Yoruichi already knew that.

"Question, which one is easier?" Yoruichi suddenly asked but Akeno responded quickly.

"Devil magic."

Yoruichi nods at the reply. "Considering the lack of challenges on using spells as a devil, wouldn't most magicians, most humans even, choose to follow that path instead of working on what was the harder way even if it was more efficient?" The question surprises Akeno. "It is human behavior, or to be more accurate, there isn't a living being that when gets the chance will choose the easier path when there aren't any strings attached."

Akeno looks to the huge stone close to them, Yoruichi's observations running around her head. "What exactly should I try to do?"

Lifting a paw, Yoruichi lit another spark. "First figure out how to do as I did; lit a spark with both sides of your power. After that…you are on your own."

"What?" Akeno was surprised but Yoruichi doesn't allow herself to flinch or even change her expression even if she lets go of the spark.

"Our powers are too different, even if similar. The differences are still staggering and trying to teach you my methods may be counterproductive. In reality, only you are able to figure that out in such a short amount of time." Yoruichi admitted with sincere regret as she knows for a fact that she is offering Akeno much less help than the others.

Looking at the huge stone once again, Akeno begins to think out loud. "It is true that the path of magecraft was forgotten by many upon their reincarnation but I learned it after." Allowing her mana to run around, her circuits appear. "A curiosity, that was all it was. Then it was something to just stay close to Shirou-kun because he was ready to accept all of me." She then turns to Yoruichi. "You really think I can do it, Kuro-san?"

"I saw you train your lighting. You have talent, more than most people. But when it comes to magecraft you have that thing we were talking about before, you have ambition." Yoruichi comments with a smile. "The reason why you all are training so intensely now is because of despair, Rias' despair for an unwanted marriage and yours for not wanting to fail your King and friend." Her smile grew bigger. "But you always had a hunger in your eyes when training magecraft. Maybe it was to get closer to Shirou, to just ask more advice or spend more time with him or maybe a true curiosity and the nagging feeling that you could do better, do more. A wish to really grow."

"Fufufu, I don't think I have an honest answer for that." Akeno's happy smile wasn't fooling anyone, that hunger Yoruichi described was there again with a touch of sadism. "I wonder how much damage I could do if I master magecraft. Some of the things that Shirou-kun can do." Her whole body shivered just thinking about it.

"Scary." Koneko said offhandedly but Yoruichi found herself nodding.

"Either way, figure out how to dive further with your powers then use this rock to test your progress." The nekomata pats said rock a couple of times. "Your goal is to figure out ways to overwhelm Phenex. And for lighting users like us, overwhelming our enemies is our speciality."

"That sounds like a splendid idea." Akeno smiled more before her face turned serious and she bowed to her waist. "Thank you. Thank you for training us."

The Queen's change of attitude surprised Yoruichi a little but she just chuckles. "Don't thank me, thank Shirou. While I sympathize with Rias' situation, the fact that she needs these ten days shows that she wasn't preparing herself properly for the worst case scenario." She began to walk away but Akeno's voice stopped her.

"Be as it may, I thank you for giving us some of your time, even if Shirou-kun had to convince you." Akeno's smile is serene as rubbed her chin with an elegant posture. "Now that I think about it, I was a little envious of Ise for getting to train with a goddess but I never thought we would have more than one around."

"You-" Yoruichi stops herself from talking as she notices the teasing smile on Akeno's face. "You cheeky brat."

"I don't know what you are talking about, Kuro-sensei." Akeno still sounds too satisfied for Yoruichi's liking but there is nothing the nekomata can do about it. "Don't worry, I won't be telling. It is all just too fun, don't you think?"

The Flash Goddess, as she is called in certain circles, just shakes her head. "Let's go Koneko-chan." With that the nekomata started to walk away with a reluctant and confused white haired devil following right behind.

Watching them go, Akeno giggles at the whole situation. "My, my, the competition for Shirou's-kun heart is even fiercer than I thought. To think we had another King around us all this time…I wonder who else knows~"

Akeno suspected that Shirou and Rin both knew, considering the event with the Rearguard and that Yoruichi admitted in reports she was there then it was easy for her to see it. She also suspected Setsuna because of her own connections to Kyoto.

"Clearly Koneko doesn't know…" Akeno says to herself as she watches the feline duo leave her training area. "Well, no time to think about it. I can figure out ways to play with that information after." She turns to the rock with a determined expression. "Rias needs me. Even if we are underprepared, it doesn't mean we can't catch up. Now, how am I going to do this?"

While previous experience showed that mixing magecraft with devil's magic was disastrous, she can see Yoruichi's point and it was a thing she wanted since the beginning. Akeno likes the concept of magecraft for the same reason she still dresses as a miko and practices purifying rituals; those are the tools of humanity, tools that make her feel closer to her departed mother.

"Shirou-kun once said that 'when in doubt, meditate'." Akeno still remembers Shirou's attempts to teach her fondly and she never forgot those lessons.

Sitting down on the ground with her legs crossed in lotus position, she raises both of her open hands and tries to use a magic circle on her left while her circuits work to create a spark on her right. It was extremely hard to focus on two things at once and a momentary lapse of attention made the two types of magic collide and a small explosion followed the event.

Akeno was looking to the sky with her legs still crossed and had to stop to blink a few times before lifting her back. "That could have been dangerous." The fact was that she fell not because of damage but the sudden explosion didn't help at all. 'I wish I had started that after I learned the basics of magecraft.'

And the Queen knows exactly why she didn't, it was the same reason the odd reincarnated magus doesn't study magecraft after becoming a devil; their magic is just easier.

While Akeno did become somewhat proficient on magecraft after months of study, she never tried to be precise with it while mixing devil magic. The times she did try to combine both, she usually only used her circuits to empower her circles and lightning attacks but that wouldn't be enough since Rias could actually do the same damage or more with the Power of Destruction.

Looking to the rock again, Akeno thinks of the task at hand for a second before shrugging. "As they say 'no pain, no gain'." The Queen said with more determination than before.

…

Now alone with Koneko, Yoruichi can feel the entirety of the devil's glare. 'She really doesn't like me.' That doesn't help the older woman with her mood considering the efforts that she had to go in preparing all the training fields. 'Even with the others helping I only had a couple of minutes to rest and now I have to deal with this.'

If Yoruichi can blame anything on her lapse of attention that allowed Akeno to figure out her real identity was her exhaustion. Even with Shirou and Rin running around to help prepare the boundary fields, Yoruichi was the one that took over most of the bulk to use the ley lines properly.

'It is in times like this that I wished I was better at youjutsu.' While the use of ley lines can be applied to both disciplines, youjutsu was undoubtedly the best one to make boundary fields and Yoruichi sucks at it. Getting to the last boundary field they prepared, she takes a deep breath. 'This also isn't going to be easy.'

Koneko stopped when the nekomata did and she watched as Yoruichi quickly transformed from a cat to the beautiful woman she got used to seeing in Shirou's house, she was using her orange overshirt with black combo and she threw Koneko a glace before letting out a sigh.

"Do you know why I omitted you when we were talking about your chances agaisn't Riser?"

"No, but I think you are going to tell me anyway." Koneko is trying to actually be civil but she never liked being left alone with Yoruichi and considering the topic she already knew she isn't going to like where the conversation was going to go.

And Yoruichi can see that, even if Koneko was trying to bury her emotions she wasn't able to hide it from the nekomata who actually made an effort to learn about even the smaller twitches on the little devil face.

'Well, here goes nothing.' Yoruichi gave Koneko a serious look. "Because as you are now, I would give you a ten, above the Paws but below mostly everyone else." That comment irritated the devil but she stayed silent which made Yoruichi sigh again. "You know why you rank so low?" There was no reply for a moment and the nekomata decided to keep going. "Because you are holding yourself back."

"I don't know what you are talking about." Koneko said easily.

"Cut the crap. Don't you think I felt that you were a nekomata on the first day we met? Or that even now I can feel you Ki waiting to be used, something you refuse to do." Yoruichi sounds irritated but at this point she had tried to get Koneko to open herself to her willingly for months with no success. Her patience was finally spent.

"I am a devil. I am not a nekomata." And Koneko's response is only making Yoruichi more frustrated.

"Bullshit! Even compared to the two former nekomatas with the Phenex you have far more potential. Damn, the Ki I get from you is stronger than a lot of people I met in Kyoto." Yoruichi affirmed, some of her frustration is escaping in her voice but she is still managing to hold most of her anger in. "I am sure you are capable of using senjutsu, even if only the basics too. Either that or your talent is astounding, closer to my own when I was your age."

"I don't use senjutsu. I want nothing to do with it." Koneko said quickly.

"Is that why you don't like me? Because I use senjutsu?" Finally Yoruichi got something from the devil after months. 'Should have tried 'tough love' ages ago.'

"It doesn't matter." Yoruichi watched as Koneko's expression got even more guarded and neutral, the white haired girl really didn't like the topic. "It doesn't matter. You have to train me but…if it is senjutsu then I don't want it."

"Ho. Are you sure about that…Shirone?" The name made Koneko actually flinch, something that Yoruichi never saw her do before, and then glare at the taller woman. "You are Shirone aren't you? A white haired nekomata that left with her sister and a devil for the promise of a better life."

"I am Koneko." She said coldly.

"You are Shirone, a nekomata like myself. Or at least a former nekomata since you got reincarnated as a devil." Yoruichi's affirmation only has the devil glaring at her.

"How?" Koneko asked, her tone easily colder than the Poles.

"We nekomatas are an endangered species. Do you really think I wouldn't find out if I had people ask for long enough." Yoruichi is actually underselling her efforts. While her statement is true she isn't saying how many of her men she had working on that project or that from the first day she met Koneko she already had people looking into her story. "I know about her too…about Kuroka."

"Don't say that name." Even as anger escaped Koneko's mask and her voice, one of her feet actually shifted back as she looked ready to run.

"Okay, okay. I won't." The little devil running from her is the last thing Yoruichi wants, she wants Koneko to open up, not close herself more. 'Her sister is a bigger taboo than I thought.' Not that Yoruichi can blame her, she got the story enough to understand the trauma. "Senjutsu doesn't make people go insane, Koneko."

The attempt to change the subject worked as Koneko's posture got more aggressive. "Yes it does."

"No it doesn't. I am proof of that."

"You call living around other people's houses healthy?" Koneko points out bluntly.

"Live the life I lived and then come complain about it." Yoruichi replies neutrality. "I don't have many people I can trust back home, my brother is too young for that mess. Lots of secrets, lots of scum trying to take advantage of mine- Yoruichi's position." She has to remind herself that while Akeno did figure out her identity, Koneko didn't. "In the beginning I was just glad to have found someone trustworthy and then I started to feel something for him because of the type of person he is; dependable and determined, someone I can put my faith in."

Yoruichi can see she is making some headway by opening her heart, Koneko looks more calm and is paying attention without being aggressive. That was until she shook her head in denial. "Doesn't matter. Senjutsu is dangerous and no one should be practicing it. It makes people do things they usually wouldn't, to abandon the person they were before."

'The person they were before or you?' But Yoruichi bites back those words considering them too harsh. "If you use senjutsu, really use it, you can neutralize the Phenex Immortality. You know it right? With Ki backing up your attacks you can get rid of his flames and break him before he regenerates. He doesn't feel like the type who trains enough to know how to counter that."

While the idea was tempting, Koneko shook her head again. "No, I don't want to be corrupted. I won't."

"Corrupted? Why would you be corrupted?" Yoruichi asked curiously.

"Senjutsu can take the negative energies of the environment. It can corrupt the user." Koneko shakes her head again. "It is too dangerous."

'That is what they told her what happened to her sister?' Since Yoruichi never met Kuroka, she can only use the context she got from reports and second hand sources. While her words were similar to some of the files she read they made no sense to the nekomata. "Koneko listen to me; senjutsu can't corrupt anyone like that." Yoruichi spoke gently but the devil shook her head again.

There was fear in Koneko's eyes for a moment, followed by denial. "No, senjutsu corrupts people. It-" Suddenly Koneko stopped, her eyes growing cold again. "We have no time for this. You are supposed to help me train for Buchou."

"This isn't just about Rias, it is about you too." Yoruichi's frustration is coming back as she can tell that any ground she made with Koneko was being lost on her negativity. 'The only reason she is still here is because of her loyalty to Rias. Without that she would have already left. In reality I made no progress at all.'

"If the only thing you can teach is senjutsu…" Koneko turns around and starts to leave. "Then I don't need you to train at all."

"If you train alone, you won't be able to make any difference." Yoruichi's words fail in making the devil stop. "You don't have Akeno's magic or Kiba's sacred gear! By denying senjutsu you are effectively fighting with a huge handicap."

"I said I don't need it." Koneko turns back to look at the nekomata and her eyes show a great deal of anger.

And an even greater deal of sadness. "Fine. Fine!" Yoruichi repeats a little loudly. "No senjutsu then." But she made no promises.

Still it was enough to get Koneko to nod and walk back in her direction. "What are we going to be doing?"

"First I must ask, can you use your demonic power?" That caught the white haired devil off guard. "I never saw you applying it either in combat or in your job." Yoruichi now planned to stay away from the topic of senjutsu as much as she can for the moment.

"Can't use it in fights." Koneko admits with a little shame.

"Why? You seem to teleport and use small circles easily enough." Yoruichi felt her question was reasonable until she noticed that Koneko was hesitating to answer.

"...When I try it turns into Ki." That surprised the older of the pair.

"I don't know it for a fact so I'm gonna ask, as a devil do you have youki?" Yoruichi felt that was a safe question to ask all things considered.

"No. I have demonic energy and can use devil magic but when I am fighting…" Koneko once again refuses to elaborate and that is just getting more frustrating to the nekomata.

"Look Koneko-chan, I won't lie to you. If you go fight with just your physical capability you may be able to defeat a Knight at most, a Rook if you try your luck. To win this fight, especially without tapping into senjutsu, you need alternatives." Yoruichi explained calmly and with the most gentle tone she could muster. "So please, tell me what the problem is. Even if you aren't a nekomata anymore, let me help you as an older nekomata should guide the younger."

Koneko looks to the side, her expression a little sadder than before but it didn't remain like that for long. 'For Buchou.' She looks at Yoruichi and now her eyes are still filled with fear. "When I fight, it is almost like I can't help it but turn any mana I use in Ki. It is so easy…I hate that."

"That means you are particularly talented in that direction. I am pretty much the same, that is why my youki is so bland in comparison to my senjutsu." Now Yoruichi has something to go on. 'She is a lot like me, senjutsu comes to her as naturally as breathing… this is going to be a pain in the ass.' Unless Koneko decides to try senjutsu, Yoruichi will have to train her around it. "Okay, so you can't use magic effectively. What can you do with it?"

Silence descends in the clearing as Koneko looks around embarrassed. "I can fly."

Silence again. "That is it? I mean, I can't fly but every devil worth their salt can." Yoruichi's words bothered Koneko but the nekomata just gave her a deadpan stare. "Stop with the sad look already. If you can't, you can't."

"That isn't-"

"Yeah, yeah. You don't care about my opinion. Let's just get the training going." On Yoruichi's head two feline ears show themselves while two black tails grow out of her clothes. "Transform and we can get started." When she heard the order, Koneko immediately shook her head in denial. "What? Why not?"

"I can't." Said the white haired devil making Yoruichi growl a little.

"Can't or won't." After seeing Riser's two former nekomatas, Yoruichi can't see any reason why Koneko wouldn't be able to do it. "Look, this is the best way to help you separate normal mana and Ki without feeding it, by controlling it while using our true form." Only after seeing the fear return to her eyes full force is that Yoruichi realized something. "Koneko-chan…are you afraid of yourself?" The small girl refuses to meet her eyes, not out of anger but shame. Yoruichi places a gentle hand on Koneko's chin so both could look each other in the eyes. "Hey, that is fine. There is nothing wrong in being afraid."

And this was the very first time that Yoruichi felt she lied to Koneko but she couldn't help it, seeing the younger nekomata scared of her true nature almost broke her heart and she wanted to help the little devil in any way she could.

Fear itself wasn't the problem, Yoruichi has her own fears and she knew everyone had them in some way or another but Koneko was afraid of herself and that made everything hundreds of times worse.

Now the Head of the Shihoin sees herself in an unfortunate situation; on one hand she can try and push Koneko further into using her own power, to face her trauma to make her stronger but also possibly breaking her spirit further for Rias' sake.

Or she can go for another choice. 'Sorry Rias. Looks like she won't be ready for the Rating Game.' Yoruichi recedes her tails and cat ears. "Well then there is only one thing I can train you." Yoruichi jumps back doing a flip and ending in a fighting position. "Martial arts."

"I know how to fight." Koneko points out but Yoruichi shakes her head.

"You are good but you aren't a master yet." The nekomata waves her hand, calling Koneko to attack her. "Come at me with the intent to kill. But by the time you are done, you will be good enough that facing someone many times stronger than you won't meet immediate defeat." Koneko nods with confidence as she steps forward and gets in her own stance. 'In reality, martial arts alone isn't enough in a setting where everyone has powers of their own, doubly so since Riser's servants are not actually weak. But I refuse to push her anymore than this.'

The difference between Koneko talking about senjutsu and the one getting in position for any other training is clear to Yoruichi to see, the girl maintains a calm visage but once again the nekomata can easily ready her expressions and body language to see that the girl is actually excited for the training.

Once Koneko jumped for the first attack, Yoruichi's body entered autopilot as she easily blocked or dodged the first sequence of punches. 'Rias doesn't know about the trauma, there is no way she would without Koneko-chan seeing a therapist of some kind. That girl probably thinks that Koneko-chan has nothing wrong with how well the little kitten hides her emotions.'

Avoiding using any special skill didn't mean that Yoruichi was weaker than Koneko and she demonstrated by grabbing the devil's hand and flipping her small form over her shoulder.

"You are smaller than your opponent, use your size to your advantage and try to hit low. Everytime you jump you only make things easier for me."

"Yes, sensei." Koneko replies with enthusiasm.

"Not that I am complaining but I am sensei already?" Yoruichi asked with a smile as Koneko threw a kick that had the nekomata kicking back and when their legs collided it was the white haired devil who lost. "Don't just come at me like that, use feints or force me to attack and then counter. That is how you beat someone stronger."

"Yes, sensei." Now that the topic of senjutsu is behind her and Koneko knew Yoriuchi wasn't going to force her to it, she felt more calm in the presence of the yokai.

'Not that I can blame Rias for everything. I should have confronted her sooner. Damn it, someone in Rias' family should have done something sooner!' Yoruichi thinks with a bitter chuckle as she noticed that her mistake was similar to Rias' with Riser; both knew that there was a problem and tried to solve it by the most indirect way possible.

While Yoruichi doesn't regret being cautious and not intrusive she now knows that the damage on Koneko's heart was bigger than she thought to the point that the reincarnated nekomata rejected her heritage and a huge part of herself completely.

'This is still salvageable. I can still help her.' Yoruichi thinks to herself as she corrects Koneko's posture and shows her how to be lighter with her feet. Yoruichi's speciality is speed and she is going to teach that to Koneko to fight like her. In the older woman's opinion, being a Rook didn't mean that she couldn't be faster than a Knight. 'This is the best that I can do. To make her faster. To make her more skilled. Maybe this won't make any difference but that is fine, the little kitten needs my help.'

Yoruichi wasn't going to run or retreat, that wasn't her style, she will do the same thing Shirou advised Rias; her best. The words she spoke before about smaller numbers defeating big ones still hold true but the goal of this training isn't victory over their enemies, it is helping Koneko heal.

…

While the Gremory group dealt with the trials of their first day of training, events are happening at night in the Underworld. It is a family meeting but at the same time it is a business meeting organized by the Phenex Clan.

Inside their home which resides in the center of their territory, a huge castle with fire pouring out all the towers and a garden with trees that does not sprout leaves, but flames on the tips of their branches.

The main entrance has the symbol of their Clan being displayed proudly in flames. The fires are so intense that weaker devils can barely remain in the area for too long before starting to pass out from the heat.

Because of their nature with fire and their pride on their flames, the Phenex Clan has a habit of rejecting those that can't stay close to them. They are the Devils of Fire, the Holders of Immortality and the Richest Family in the Underworld, they are the Phenex Clan and they demand that both enemies and allies know their pride.

And inside the castle, the ballroom with red walls and gold pillars, the majority of the members of the Phenex Clan are having a meeting on a huge table with all their members sitting while the servants and attendants made sure all the pureblood devils always had access to food or wine in their cups.

Most of the members of the Phenex Clan, those active in at least, are present. Thirteen of them in total including those that married in the family are all in deep discussion. Thanks to their regeneration ability their family was one of the few that lost fewer members through the bloody wars and History of the Underworld to the point that the actual generation of the Clan was a family divided into three branches, one that leads and holds the title Marquis and the others which follow the main branch lead being able to share in their fortunes and fight together against their miseries.

It is with their high numbers and dedication that their riches of the Phenex Clan grew steadily over the centuries. The main family always dedicated itself to politics while the branches made efforts in the production of Phoenix Tears which gave them their fortune.

A common characteristic of almost all the devils born in the Phenex Clan was the hair; either as shining as gold or a more subdued yellow, most of the family hair is blonde in some way or another while also being considered peak specimens of the devil kind with the looks and powers to match.

In this meeting all the members are dressed formally, even Riser is in a more noble suit like his older siblings, uncles and father while the ladies present are using diverse kinds of dresses with expensive jewelry but just enough to enhance their appearance or to bring out more attention to their eyes or necks.

"Giving Gremory ten days was a mistake!"

"Calm yourself, Rutal. I believe that Riser made the right decision." It was Rutal's older sister who spoke, she looks like a female version of him with a more delicate face while having longer hair that reached her lower back and a smile plastered on her face. "Regardless of how much she humiliated you, we must not forget she is the heiress of the Gremory Clan and must be treated as such."

"This and that has nothing to do with it!" Rutal protested with a glare at his sister before turning to Riser. "Mark my words, cousin; Rias Gremory is more dangerous than you can imagine. If you give her a chance she is going to make sure you suffer for any slight."

"As any devil worth their salt should. And you did pick that fight Rutal." Lord Phenex himself, sitting at the head of the table, commented while raising his glass of wine and taking a sip. Even as he looked at a man in his early thirties he was still better looking than most actors with a scruffy kind of charm that his wife enjoyed. "What do you think, dear?"

"I think we should ask our son for his opinion. She is his fiance after all." Lady Phenex had opted for an orange dress this evening with her long hair tied up on a long drill-like tail, she looks like a mature, more elegant version of her daughter with the curves to match.

With the matriarch declaration, Rutal huffed while Riser finished chewing his food before swallowing so he could talk. "I am sure Rias is a capable woman, Rutal. She truly is an example of shining beauty and elegance worthy of being the future Head of the Gremory Clan." Riser says confidently but his words fail in their goal of calming his cousin. "But her peerage, her own power, falls short compared to me and mine. Challenging me to a Rating Game was a desperate attempt and nothing else, she has no chance of winning."

"What do you think, Ravel?" The oldest of Lord Phenex's children and the Heir of the Clan spoke. He looks like an older and more mature version of Riser but still younger than their father and also speaks with an air of nobility, his question asked with true curiosity.

"Brother Ruvial, I believe that our sibling is right." Ravel speaks as a noble and not as a member of RIser's peerage. At the moment her loyalty isn't to the brother closest to her in age but to her Clan. "The Gremory side, and pardon me Rutal for saying this, doesn't look like a threat to us. An experienced group like ours can easily defeat them in any Rating Game."

"That was before you gave them ten days to prepare." Rutal points out, his voice was still full of anger but he stopped shouting even if he still spoke loudly. "Rias is crafty and more skilled than you all give her credit for. She even managed to get one of the Princesses of Kyoto to help her take me down."

"Yes, we heard the details." Rutal's father, a giant man with blond hair, said while throwing his son a glare which failed in making the younger devil submit. He had already expressed his disappointment more than once over the last year. "But the circumstances are others and the Princess can't interfere in the Rating Game, this is a devil matter."

"Must I remind you all about Gremory's magus?" Rutal said between his teeth. "I believe some of his swords are proof of his work."

"We are not doubting you, Rutal." Ruvial says respectfully, trying to stop this family discussion from escalating. "We still have no proof of this 'EM' but you are right, his magic swords prove the magus' capability."

"Which will be irrelevant once your brother defeats Rias." Lord Phenex says happily. "I have to say, me and Zeoticus are excited for the wedding…and more grandchildren."

"Haha! Don't worry about it father. Just make sure to prepare entertainment for our reception." Riser replies with glee which had his father raise his glass of wine to call for a toast.

"We didn't reach our actual position by underestimating our enemies!" Suddenly a harsh voice cuts all conversation and everyone turns to the door to see a man with long blond hair walking in, dressed in long orange robes with an elegant black suit beneath.

He looks even older than Lord Phenex and has a goatee with a mustache, his steps are firm and confident, every servant that was close lowered their head in respect as the sitting members of the Phenex Clan stood up to receive him.

"Honorable Elder, what are you doing here? I thought you had already gone back to your retirement." Lord Phenex asked while stepping a little to the side to offer the chair at the head of the table to the newly arrived man.

"After calling me to ask for my contacts for a way to break a contract, did you really think that I wouldn't be curious about this 'Rias Gremory' and the threat she poses to our family?" Instead of advancing to take the chair, the Elder chooses to sit down on the opposite side of the table. With how big the table was he was far away from his family but they only sat down once he did after a servant pulled his chair. "I was researching the Gremory Clan and even getting one of these 'magic swords' to determine by myself if the magus' work was a threat or not."

Even if the swords were made by commission, their Clan fortune was enough to buy one second hand. "You think he could arm Rias for the Rating Game?" Ruvial asked with respect but the man shrugged.

"Maybe. Maybe not. From Rutal's report we know that Lady Gremory has a…sacred gear user on her peerage." The oldest man in the room said with some disdain as food was served and he received a glass only to raise a hand. "White wine." The order has another servant pour on his cup immediately.

"Yes, Yuuto can make swords as powerful as those from the magus." Rutal's words immediately have his father glaring at him again.

"Stop pestering the boy, Rataal. While his attempt of killing the magician was asinine he did risk his life to try to show to us he was bound by a contract. We should also appreciate that Rias Gremory wasn't crafty enough to just kill him and direct suspicion to other parties." The Elder spoke with some malice to show Rutal that while he appreciated his actions he still didn't approve of them.

"If the boy had been smarter we wouldn't be having this discussion in the first place." Rataal spoke about his son's actions with anger, having previously believed he had raised his son to be smarter than an assasination attempt without first contacting his family.

"What is done is done." The Elder drank his wine before speaking again. "Now on to other matters. What are you going to do if she wins?"

"What?" The question irritated Riser but his elder sibling's hand stopped him from doing anything other than standing up. "She can't win, Honorable Elder. Her peerage is mediocre at best."

"Does the idea of losing infuriates you? Do you really consider that peerage so insignificant that it offends you like that?" The Elder asked rhetorically. "Good because you shouldn't have given her those ten days. And if her magician did manage to complete his creation she may destroy our Clan way of life or at least break it beyond repair."

Lord Phenex then stands up to look at the older man from a position of strength. "Honorable Elder, if Riser said he will win, then he will win. Rias is completely unprepared for a Rating Game; she has no experience, her peerage is too new and it is incomplete. To make sure of that, Rutal's own peerage, who had faced hers, fought Riser's and my son won easily even holding back."

The experience wasn't pleasant to Rutal at all but it was a way to gauge Rias peerage's potential and he can't deny he lost that fight, badly. 'Not my fault Riser is that much stronger than me.'

The Elder didn't care about any of that. "Do any of you remember how my father died? I must have told that story hundreds of thousands of times in the past, mostly when you all were using diapers at one point or another." He picks a knife and starts to cut his food, patiently waiting as Riser sat down again with a grunt as his brother stopped him from doing anything else. "My father died because of the same reason that lead Rutal to think he could deal with the situation himself. He prided on the fact he was The Immortal Son of Lucifer, one of the few devils capable of taking an attack from a Seraph and recover from it no worse for wear. He fought against many during those early days of the war and died because, like the young Riser, he believed that defeat was impossible." He motions to his glass to have it refiled by a servant. "After his death I had to take the reins and sustain our Clan. Do any of you know how ashamed I was that my father, the First Phenex, was the first of the Original Pillars to die?"

Some gulped while others just stared at their ancestor, all the members of the Phenex Clan heard that story more than once, the Fall of the First Phenex. All of them hate that story and hate how agitated the Elder Phenex becomes when telling it but he never forgot, he refuses to forget or allow his descendents to do so.

"I had to work twice as hard to recover our honor and prestige. After generations we finally gained an opportunity with the rise of the Rating Games." The Elder glass of wine starts to melt on his hand. "Did you all forget my teachings?"

"Then what should we do, Honorable Elder." Ravel raised to her feet and bowed her head in respect. "We can't change the formation of our team before the game, doing so will allow Rias Gremory to do the same and her brother's servants are superior to anyone under our employ. Brother Riser already gave her the ten days, witnessed by Grayfia, wife of Sirzechs and the mediator of the negotiations. It is already official that they have ten days."

"We should kill the magician." Rutal said with a scowl. "Doing so-"

"Do you want Rias Gremory to try something drastic?" Lord Phenex interrupts his nephew with a glance. "The 'love' the Gremory feel for their allies is legendary and Rias already doesn't like my son."

"The Rating Game is our only way out of this mess now." Ruval says with a sigh. "There is nothing we can do anymore, it is up to Riser and Ravel to secure the victory with the Pieces they have."

"Besides, Rias has no way to bypass my Immortality. Or Ravel's for that matter." Riser relaxes on his chair with a shrug and a smile. "You are worrying yourself too much, Honorable Elder." Everyone can tell he is just trying to be polite as the title was spoken with a good deal of sarcasm.

Instead of anger, the Elder looks at Riser condescendingly. "By preserving the dignity of your future wife, you placed the Phenex Clan prosperity at risk and you still aren't willing to take precautions. You disappoint me, Riser."

Ravel noted that her brother didn't care about the Elder words but it is also clear that the oldest Phenex alive won't back down and the discussion is going to end in circles if that continues. "Then what should we do, Honorable Elder?" She decides to question her ancestor to see if he has any real solution.

"Simple; we stack the deck in our favor." The Elder replies with a smile.

"I won't cheat. I don't need to cheat to win." Riser is angry just by the prospect but that isn't the Elder's intention.

"There is no cheating involved Riser, we have many ways to secure victory by just 'playing the best cards possible'." The Elder chuckles happily as the conversation moves in the direction he prefered.

The actual Head of the Phenex things for a moment before speaking. "You are talking about using that Noble Phantasm right?"

"Correct." The Elder was happy that his descendent realized his plan.

"I thought that the dagger we got was only able to break contracts." Rutal commented as he felt a pang of pain close to his chest where he was stabbed to free him of Rias' trap.

"The dagger of the Witch of Betrayal can do much more than just that. As devils we are just not the appropriate users for it." Ruval commented for his cousin's sake. "But while we were hunting it to break your contract we managed to find another Noble Phantasm, one with some inclination towards combat."

"That is because that weapon neither had a true owner or a great power like the Rule Breaker." The Head of the Clan explains with a smile. "I had heard about the process of creation, how it is only one of a pair. Maybe if both swords are together it can show us something more spectacular but as it stands it is just a good sword."

"More than a good sword. Its craftsmanship is sublime, I would even argue that it is one of the best weapons humans have ever made. Clearly superior to anything that a modern magus could create." The Elder says slyly and with a grin. "Riser… call your Knights here."

Understanding his family's intentions, Riser creates a magic circle to talk with his peerage who remained in his wing of the castle. "Karlamire, Siris. Both of you come to the dining room immediately." After positive replies, the third son erases the circle. "What is that Noble Phantasm? It isn't cursed, is it?"

Happy that his many times great grandson didn't have a problem using the best resources, if they aren't as he called 'cheating', the Elder was just fine with explaining. "A weapon capable of doing great damage to devils and something we stumbled on while trying to free your cousin. One of my contacts managed to find it by accident thinking it was Rule Breaker."

"It cost us a decent amount of money and we were planning to give it to one of you." Lord Phenex tells Riser with a grin. "Looks like you got lucky since our Ancestor wants to secure your victory completely."

"I still don't want to humiliate Rias. Can you think how unpleasant our marriage will be if we go at her too hard." Riser frowned at the thought.

"That is her fault. She should have accepted her duty as future Head of the Gremory." The Elder said while leaning forward on the table. "Remember something else Riser; even when you marry her and change your name, you are a Phenex first and foremost. It will be your duty to stop her from doing any damage to our family."

"Can I keep the Noble Phantasm?" Anything that would increase the power of his peerage was something he was definitivally interested in.

"If you win." Lord Phenex said with pride that his son was after more power.

"Yes, if you win." The Elder has no problems with it since he doesn't care about the weapon anyway. "Just be happy we managed to get that weapon before Zekram managed to get his hands on it."

"The old guard truly walks in similar circles." Lady Phenex commented with a smile.

"More like everyone wants a Noble Phantasm and we have more money." The Elder Phenex mumbled but no one paid attention to him as their focus was on the main door of the dining room as the two Knights stride inside confidently and Riser stands up to greet them.

None of the members of the Phenex Clan commented how Riser approached his Knights before they properly presented themselves to the family; they all know how much the youngest son of Lord Phenex enjoys showing his affection towards his servants.

None commented how he approached the short brown haired Knight and gave her a small peck on the cheek that had the woman blushing as her green eyes looked to the other nobles for any sign of displeasure and even though she found none she gave her King a small smile before going back to stand in attention, ready for orders.

Her armor is a mixture of Japanese and European styles with shoulder and hip guards similar to that of a samurai while her chest plate, greaves and gauntlets with a bandana on her head to make sure her hair doesn't block her vision. On her belt there is also a broadsword and a knife with both her hands remaining close to the weapons but not in a threatening way. It is clear by her posture that she is giving all the nobles her respect and attention while waiting for her King to finish greeting her companion.

The other woman on the other hand is giving her King a small smile as he approaches, her brown eyes are clearly the ones of a lover. Riser placed a hand on her face and approached for a fierce kiss with their tongues involved.

The nobility of Phenex didn't care and the servants around didn't dare to whisper even as things looked more lewd between the King and the Knight until Lord Phenex decided to keep things moving. "Ahem!"

Taking a step back from his other Knight, RIser notices the mess he made of the woman but he just couldn't help himself as he admired her white cheongsam so long that almost touches the floor with a diamond opening for her breasts, her red shorts practically existed to tempt him on his opinion and her huge sword on her back was something he learned how to dodge and only his regeneration made sure he still had his hands.

"I apologize for the distraction." Riser sounds sincere but his family doesn't care, they were his servants and he could do with them as he saw fit. The one that may be the most bothered would be the Elder but since this whole exercise was for Riser to marry a pureblood devil then he has no worries. "Honorable Elder," the youngest son of the house directs his attention to the ancient devil with the minimal amount of respect, "you are the only one who doesn't know them. My proud Knights; Karlamine," the short haired woman drops to a knee in respect, "and Siris." The second Knight snaps herself out of her daze and also drops on a knee like her comrade.

"Two former humans huh?" The Elder Phenex voice carried no disdain but his eyes were studying both the Knights forms. "I hope you didn't recruit these two ladies just because of their appearance."

"Of course not." Riser is quick to say. "Both of them are true fighters and if nothing else, their beauty is just a bonus." Every single member of his family just gave Riser a deadpan stare. "I mean…"

"They are extremely skilled and competent Honorable Elder." Ravel decides to say something. While no one disagrees with Riser habits or tastes, the fact is that the women of his peerage are truly strong. "On our Rating Games they personally only suffered one real defeat each in 1 on 1 duels."

"I know. I watched." The Elder silences his descendant with a smile. "I watch every match our family participates in." His words did put smiles on the rest of the family before his own disappeared. "However, that is not why I asked. Are they strong enough to use a Noble Phantasm?"

"If I may?" Karlamine asks for permission which Lord Phenex is quick to grant. "If it is a sword, I swear to you I shall use it to the best of my abilities."

"Milord." Siris soft voice spoke after and once again she waited for permission before proceeding. "I can vouch for my comrade's words. If it is a sword, once we grow used to it, we shall use it fully regardless of any curse."

"You are truly loyal to my distant grandson, truly loyal to Phenex." The Elder speaks loudly and both women smile with pride. "But that wasn't what I meant either but I suppose it is hard to explain without showing the Noble Phantasm itself."

"You two don't need to worry about it." Riser places a hand on Siris shoulder and nods to Karlamine to reassure them. "It isn't a cursed sword or anything."

"But it is a Noble Phantasm, regardless." Lady Phenex spoke as the Elder snapped his fingers in a signal for some servants.

The Elder watches as three servants approach with briefcases, one was given to him while the other two were open in front of the Knights. "While having some power, the real ability of this Noble Phantasm is limited because in a sense it is incomplete. However it is still a powerful sword, the peak of smithing that few beings, few humans have ever managed to reach."

"Apologies Honorable Elder but how is it incomplete." Rutal asked a question that many present wanted to know as well.

"This is only one of two." Was all the Elder was willing to say as both Knights looked to the blades that Riser knew were replicas of the Noble Phantasm while the Ancient Devil kept talking. "To make sure the best swordswoman will use the Noble Phantasm, the two of you shall fight with the replicas."

Both Knights take the blades and look at each other as Riser steps back to give them some space. "Lola, go fetch some Phenex Tears." Commanded Ravel and the maid bowed her head before leaving the ballroom.

"The fight will go on until one of you surrenders, is properly disarmed or can't fight any longer." Spoke Lord Phenex, taking the authority of the room back from the Elder who didn't care. "You can use any other weapon while using the replicas and the winner will receive the Noble Phantasm." And now it was time to sweeten the pot to make sure the two Knights gave their all in the fight. "I also am happy to inform you that the winner shall have it permanently once Riser wins the Rating Game against Rias."

Before the two Knights may even offer to talk things out to decide who would end up using the blade. That was until the ownership was offered. "I am sorry Siris but I shall be winning this match."

"I am the one who should apologize, Karlamine, that Noble Phantasm shall be mine." Both women pulled out their main weapons and initiated the fight.

For approximately thirty minutes the only sound around the ballroom was the noise of boots hitting the floor and swords clashing against each other. With a prize as great as a Noble Phantasm on the line neither Knight wanted to retreat or lose while the members of the Phenex Clan refused to make any noise that may disturb the fight.

Both sides truly gave their all in a brutal combat that made them look not as comrades or sisters that shared the same King and lover but bitter enemies that wanted to see the other dead.

Each stab and slash carried the intent of victory and neither woman hesitated, they used every trick they had and yet the other Knight refused to admit defeat. Blood was already spreading on the floor but the devil nobility looked unbothered, they were just enjoying the fight while the women tried to mutilate each other.

The only ones nervous about the whole affair are Riser and Ravel, the siblings were able to maintain stoic faces during the fight but Riser had flames escaping his hands while Ravel gritted her teeth.

Siris and Karlamine are members of their peerage and to both of them, to Riser more than Ravel, watching the fight was hard because it wasn't a spar, it wasn't for fun or training, this was a competition for a Noble Phantasm, a sword capable of miracles and whose existence is strengthened by the world itself.

As devils and as proud Knights such a prize is something too tempting for either to give up; a Noble Phantasm was a symbol of power and status, a weapon powerful enough that even the weaker ones can kill high level beings or high class devils and in the hands of someone capable it can go even further.

Since they are members of the same peerage there is nothing stopping them from sharing but the reality is that neither wants to share the Noble Phantasm or at least neither is willing to let the other use it in real combat.

For they have wills and desires of their own and the wish of growing stronger with such a weapon is something either would give an arm and a leg to have.

And so the fight eventually ended. Those watching can tell that in terms of skill and speed the two are truly extremely close to one another and their powers as devils also weren't much different between them.

The deciding factor ended up being the replicas, not that one replica was superior to the other for both blades were made equally but that both had personal weapons they had to use with the replicas and in the end that was why Siris finally fell on the ground with a leg cut off and Riser running towards her with Ravel quickly delivering a Phoenix Tear to save her leg.

Meanwhile Karlamine was stunned that she managed to win even if she wasn't surprised. 'You are too used to that giant sword Siris, that was your ruin.' Controlling her breathing, the Knight turns to the Elder devil and drops to one knee once again, waiting for his judgment.

Clapping his hands the Elder looks pleased with the results. "Magnificent. While it is clear that you aren't used to that kind of sword you showed superior control and skill with it. I congratulate you, Karlamine of House Phenex." The man opens the metal briefcase and all devils present can feel the sword's power. "But you still can grow some more. I hope that you can use this Noble Phantasm to bring victory for our Clan."

"Of course, milord. Nothing would give this Knight greater joy." 'Except possessing that sword.' She reserved the last part to her thoughts but the ancient devil can see the greed and excitement in her eyes.

"Then come child. Come collect your prize. Train with it, master this weapon on the ten days that my foolish descendant gave to Gremory and then use it to crush her and her peerage." At the older devil's words, Karlamine got up and approached the man, discarding the replica to the side while sheathing her own sword.

Once her hand was on the handle the woman lifted the blade with surprise on her face. "So light. It is lighter than the replica."

"It was, afterall, just a replica, a copy, a pale imitation. Even the best devil smiths couldn't come close to this masterpiece." Lord Phenex said with pride that such a weapon belonged to his house. "With this, Riser's victory is more than assured."

"No, it isn't." The Elder words cut all the noise in the room as he watches the Knight grow used to her new weapon. "We still need to make plans for the Rating Game and choose the terrain. As the challenged party we can at least influence that."

"That won't be possible nor necessary." Once Riser was sure that Siris leg was healing and she wouldn't have any future problems he standed up. "I already gave instructions and permission for the Board that will be constructed."

"...And it will be?" After a second the Elder asked, his eyes promising pain if he didn't like the answer.

"I told them to build a replica of Kuoh Academy, Rias' territory in the human world." What followed after Riser's words was the briefcase flying to the side as the Elder moved at high speeds to grab the younger devil and slam him on the wall in anger, much to the surprise of some present even if Riser didn't react himself, his eyes resolute.

"You are telling me that you gave our enemy another advantage?" The Elder hands are holding Riser clothes and fire is covering both men. "Do you understand the danger that woman represents? You are risking the whole Phenex Clan!"

"Once I am married to her, I won't be just a Phenex but also a Gremory." Riser said back as his eyes never left the Elder's. "Besides, she can't win. That Noble Phantasm will only help with the inevitable."

The whole family stayed silent and the servants didn't mutter a word as the Elder spoke with a growl. "Is this compassion or arrogance? Or perhaps foolishness?"

"We will win." Riser said with confidence. "There is no need to worry about Rias; her peerage is weak, she is weak."

"That is not the point! You are giving her opportunities! Opportunities she can use to steal the victory from you!" But the Elder can see that his words are having little effect. "Is that what the name Riser Phenex will mean from now on? Arrogance and compassion? I regret having you as my namesake."

"I don't care." The younger Riser says to the older who lets out a groan. "Now you can let me go now or we can finally see which one of us, Riser, is the strongest." While the younger still offers the older his respect there was only so much that the younger Riser can tolerate.

And the Elder can't deny that in a fair fight, he won't win. Centuries have already passed since he had gone all out and he knows that his namesake has a superior regeneration and was the stronger of the two.

But the Elder still had cards to play and as he stepped back from the younger devil he spoke. "Very well Riser. I suppose I can't do anything about the arrangements that you made. But I ask you this; do you still want the Noble Phantasm?"

"Of course. I would be a fool to not want it."

"You are a fool." The older Riser told the younger. "And in return for this gift, I demand that Ravel be the one leading your peerage during the Rating Game."

"What?" Ravel was about to complain but then she immediately stopped and controlled herself as everyone waited for the Elder's words.

"I have no problems with this, my sister has a good head on her shoulders and has taken the lead on at least three of my games." The younger RIser replies with confidence. "But I want to know why."

"The 'why' is that you are being too…generous with Rias Gremory." The Elder Phenex states and the younger can't disagree with him. "To make sure you won't be giving her any more unwanted advantages, we shall have Ravel make the decisions or judge yours so you don't dig this grave deeper than you already did."

"Fine by me." The glare from the youngest son of the main family was enough to boil an ocean. "Anything else 'Honorable Elder'?"

There was some sarcasm or disdain on the tone but the Elder didn't care as he turned to Ravel. "This place called 'Kuoh' must have maps, study them. You will take care of strategy and preparation." Ravel looks to her brother again and after a small nod from him she nodded as well. "Make sure to bring victory for the Phenex Clan."

"Yes, Honorable Elder." After the affirmation the Elder turned to depart.

"I will keep an eye on your Knight's progress." Riser the Elder didn't need to say anything else as he left the ballroom with the younger Riser scowling in his direction.

"I hate that man." Said the youngest son of Lord Phenex.

"You can't deny that he has a point, RIser." His father says while sipping his wine. "Either way, now that your victory is assured should we begin planning the wedding?"

The next few minutes the family finished their dinner and talked about avenues for the ceremony, the reception and everything else to make sure the wedding be remembered as the greatest one in the History of the Underworld.

…..

The end of the first day of the Black Cat Training Camp was painful for many of its participants; Rias felt muscles she didn't even know she had, Akeno's burned her fingers and was exhausted to the point she couldn't help cook, Issei regretted being born and Kiba learned that one of his friends was holding back with good reason when they trained and had gone to bed immediately after dinner to recover.

Only Asia and Koneko remained standing after the first gruesome day of training and the two of them also were about ready to fall asleep on the floor if people let them; the former nun worked around the clock to keep Issei standing after every bout with Leysritt, who showed no mercy even if she was holding back to not kill the Pawn, and healing everyone else at the end of the day while Koneko was put to the test on her own fighting skills since Yoruichi had to change the focus of her training completely.

Not that the small devil complained, Koneko discovered that she liked training with the nekomata when it wasn't about senjutsu or any of its variants. It still ended with an exhausted Koneko being dropped close to Asia for healing while Yoruichi hid herself to turn back into a cat after carrying her back.

After that Yoruichi announced the end of the first day and while the devils were on their last legs their teacher and sparring partners were no worse for wear; Shirou was a little tired because he had to run around to dodge Rias' mistakes but he wasn't much bothered by them, Liz was tired but it was hunger more than anything, after eating her fill she was fine again, Setsuna had some scratches when she walked back with Kiba who was too hurt to walk, Rin had just to instruct Asia on using mana on a more efficient manner and was the best of everyone else with exception of Medusa who really did nothing the first day.

Something they all appreciated was the dinner that Shirou ended up making, since he was with Rias for most of the day he had no time to do anything too elaborated but with Medusa's assistance, who got the ingredients ready for him as she had nothing better to do and wanted his food, they ended the day with a buffet, something all of them needed to recover.

It was thanks to Shirou and Medusa's skill that there was enough food for everybody and yet there were no leftovers remaining after dinner. Realizing the difficulty that would be cooking after every day of intense training, Shirou began to make a list and separate the food for the rest of the training camp in the fridge.

Now most of the people present in the mansion are sleeping. There are only nine days before the Rating Game and while thanks to Asia no one sustained lasting injuries they all still need to sleep and recover their energies.

Walking around the mansion, a certain magus notices something on the balcony and with a sigh he decides to stop there to make sure that everything is fine. "It is quite late. You should be sleeping." Shirou's voice cuts the night making Rias jump a little on her seat before she recovers her composure.

"I just need to sleep a couple hours, you need more." Rias points out while using one of the books on the small table to cover her face. She is using a pink and red robe that revealed a fair bit of skin but the magus is too worried to think about it.

"I was preparing the food for tomorrow morning." Shirou knew Rias wouldn't complain about that. "And you need your rest. Training will only be worse if you don't give time for your muscles to recover."

Rias lowers the book revealing to Shirou's surprise she is using a pair of glasses. "I am not exercising in the middle of the night. Besides, Asia's healing did wonders for everyone."

"Her healing doesn't fix fatigue. I should know as I am the one researching it." But he couldn't disagree that she isn't making enough effort at the moment for it to be relevant. However Shirou has another question. "Why are you using glasses?" He had never seen her using a pair before.

"Oh, these?" Rias takes the glasses off with a chuckle. "It is something silly. Just something to help me concentrate." She offers Shirou the glasses when he just looked at her in confusion. "They don't work, Shiro. Pretty much just decoration, that is all."

Once Shirou returned the glasses and saw how Rias placed them back on her face he had an epiphany. "Ah! You fixed them in the same way that Sona does." That made the redhead devil smile but the magus wasn't done. "Is that why you are using glasses? To try and imitate her."

"Sona…when we were children and she had something smart to say she would always fix her glasses." Rias smiles with nostalgia at the memory. "It is a habit that she kept until today if you paid enough attention."

"So that is involuntary?" Shirou can remember sometimes the other Second Owner of Kuoh explained some things and fixed her glasses at the end. "I always thought she did that to help illustrate her point."

That got Rias to giggle. "No, she doesn't even notice she does it. Her sister pays top dollar for pictures of her doing it too."

"And you sold them?" Shirou asked with a smile.

"Of course." The smile on Rias' face was positively sweet. "It is a great way to tease her." Both smile at the thought. "So I…when I remembered everything I needed to study for the Rating Game I decided to try because 'hey, why not?'" Noticing the piles of books on the small table, Shirou picks one and starts to flip the pages. "Want me to turn on a light?"

"The moon and stars are enough. I can read it just fine." Yet he was frowning, something that Rias knows that Shirou has been doing more and more these days. He was still frowning when he discarded the book and picked up another one. "Didn't we agree before that you were going to study Riser's team?"

"I did that during dinner, remember. Those were the files I was reading." And Rias needs to remind herself to thank her brother in the future because the compilation of files he sent to her had every single detail about Riser's team inside and out with some exceptions. "His Queen and his sister are the only ones we have little to worry about, the rest are just devils with no sacred gear or special abilities for the most part."

"Are you sure about that?" Shirou picks up another book, his frown deepening into a scowl as he wasn't liking what he was reading.

"At least not that they demonstrated on the Rating Games. Two of his Pawns can use Ki at the very least and every single member of his peerage uses fire magic in some way but besides mentionings of the Bomb Queen there wasn't much on the files." Rias commented while trying to figure out why Shirou was practically glaring at the books. In the end she decided to ask. "What is wrong?"

"Most of this book just repeats the same information with different words and it is clear that they weren't written by combatants in the Rating Games." Shirou picks up another one but his face tells her that it just confirmed his words. "Most of them are just about the rules of Rating Games, the different types and how someone could fight in them with some disadvantages."

"Well, I suppose this is not that much surprising since the writers probably weren't fighters in the first place." At least that was what Rias knew about the books themselves.

"Then these are not the best books. Isn't there anything written by a champion or someone with experience?" Shirou asked while throwing the book on his hands over his shoulders and picking up another one. There are only three left on the tower Rias had before. "There are no tricks or real advice on these, just rules, rules and more rules. Even if a bystander was writing those they should know better than just repeating the basic and barebones settings of a Rating Game again and again." Shirou shakes his head, the familiar words in the book starting to annoy him. "And these tactics are so poor too. Pretty much it is 'Knight should face Rooks in open spaces' or 'a Queen is the most important Piece and should be as protected as the King without compromising the latter'."

Rias was surprised by the vitriol on some of Shirou's words. "I mean…those are the rules and tactics for Rating Games. Maybe they aren't the best but there is no reason to not be offended by them."

"I am not offended." Shirou still can't lie and as a devil Rias can see his eyebrow twitching, even if it was less than usual since he was still glaring at the book. "But these books are mostly a waste of time. They can't help you if you already know the rules or basics."

"Those are some of the best books in the Underworld. Of that I am sure." Rias tells Shirou with confidence.

"Why?"

"Because my brother bought them." And that silenced the magus. Considering how much Sirzechs cares about Rias, odds are that those are really the best books on the Underworld.

That was until Shirou found a retort. "They may be the best books but that doesn't mean that they are good books."

"What do you mean?" Rias was curious about Shirou's point of view.

"Compared to some works of many generals, even history books, they just lack too much detail." Shirou tries to explain.

"But they are all precise on all the types of Rating Games, the Pieces involved, the possible maps and even the roles the devils can take." Rias knows that Shirou didn't read a whole book but she is confident he read enough to not disagree.

"But that is still too little." Shirou flips some pages until he finds the one on maps. "Look at this for example; all they have here is potential spots for one to hide a flag or lay simple traps."

"And isn't that enough? It is just a game." Rias' argument actually made Shirou flinch.

"It was supposed to be a war simulator, a way for devils to cultivate strength." And Shirou can't see it happening with subpar tactics.

But Rias felt that was the point. "You say it is lacking but that is how we devils fight, we use our full power to crush our enemies…for the most part." She stops to think for a second before asking a pertinent question for her. "And why would the King of Rating Games or someone still on the circuit write a book?"

"To make money or to pass on their experience to the next generation?" At Shirou's question Rias giggles.

"Shiro, the first reigning champion is the first champion of the Rating Games, they have never been dethroned." That surprised the redhead for a moment. "Diehauser Belial took the throne of strongest a couple of hundreds years ago. He is not only the Head of the Belial Clan but his ability Worthless is one of the strongest his family ever produced."

Hearing how the original champion is still around after hundreds of years made Shirou realize how long devils truly live as much as the real problem in the books. 'They never needed to change tactics and develop the game away from power because power has defined the game since its inception.'

Realizing that such lack in development was something possible as even humanity has some examples of it with Japan itself dealing with something similar during its period of isolation under the Shogunate.

Once the borders were opened again, the Japanese society passed by huge shifts and even the Industrial Revolution in record time. Shirou can see how such a thing could have happened in an environment where most matches would be defined not by weapons or strategy but by one's power or lineage.

'Can't think like that.' Shirou chastised himself once the idea of pure power or lineage entered his mind. 'That would mean Rias is practically fated to lose.' And he hates that idea. "Still, there must be more among the high ranked Rating Gamers right? The experience of a true Rating Game has to be different, right?"

"I may know the rules but I never participated in a Rating Game." Rias reminds him bitterly which was the main advantage Riser has on her.

"Yeah but you already fought with your peerage, you must have some tactics together so you all can work in sync." The silence that followed Shirou's words was telling. "You don't?"

"I never thought that much about it." Rias sounds timid given the look Shirou was giving her. "Usually I just give everyone a task and let them do their thing."

Realizing that Rias was using strategy in the same way she uses her power, by basically just brute forcing things, the magus took a deep breath before talking again. "That is not a problem but in general it is better if everyone has a plan to follow and a place to meet." Shirou commented while raising a hand and starting counting with his fingers. "After roles are defined then you must have objectives, plans for retreat, positions and strategies to regroup, depending on the type of fighting you are undertaking."

"How do you know all that?" Rias closes her book to give Shirou all her attention.

"My father." And with just these two words Rias got ready to take Shirou's words very seriously. "Actually, now that I think about it, we never talked about my father teaching me anything."

"He must have had plenty to teach. As the Magus Killer his reputation speaks for itself." Rias recognized only to receive a chuckle and a shake of Shirou's head.

"You know that to me he wasn't the Magus Killer until just a couple of years ago. And even then, he is still just my old man." It was a distinction that Shirou learned to live with.

"But then how did he teach you?"

"Indirectly I suppose." Shirou places a hand on his chin and elbow on the table as he dives into his memories." While my mother taught us, Illya and I magic, Liz would spar with me under supervision and I also had kendo to help with sword training. My father had nothing to do with any lesson directly."

"How did he teach you indirectly then?" A perplexed Rias imagined for a moment Shirou learning a lesson from his father on a computer call or something similar. "Was it at a distance with computers or something else?"

"Not at all." Shirou chuckles in amusement at the attempt. "If anything, my father is responsible for teaching me how to think and to look before I leap in a fight…to a certain extent." The tilt of Rias' head was cute in Shirou's opinion and he decided to keep going. "The old men would often return to his trips with lots of gifts, more so when our mother was with him but still with a lot of games and books for both of us, his children."

"'Games and books'?" The books Rias could understand but the games, plural, just made her more confused.

"I say this on highsight but I just noticed it during our little…Greek expedition." That was when Shirou understood a little more of the Magus Killer mentality. "Dad, Emiya Kiritsugu, loves his children. I know that for a fact. But a lot of his gifts were more utilitarian than they looked at first glance. Every game Illya or I ever owned had an element of strategy or complexity behind it, my favorite game series was something he introduced me to has a lot of pauses to think and plan with a story so convoluted that while you can make sense of things you need to do some research to reach a real conclusion, both inside and outside the game. Heck, the same could be said about the RPGs that my sister loved. They weren't just games that she could win by breaking everything or raising her level to the limit without wasting time, there was a lot of thought behind them." Rias was astounded by the revelation but the magus continues. "Of course I may be speculating all that, as far as the old man may know they were all just good games."

Completely lost in the conversation and wishing that Gasper was there to help her understand, Rias tries to return to more familiar territory. "And what about the books? Were they special?"

"Most of them were History and Philosophy books…on war and combat." Shirou was sure that at the very least that was the Magus Killer part of his father trying to prepare his children for conflict.

"Those sound great." Rias was always a lover of Japanese history as they both knew, her favorite past time on the Underworld was hearing Okita tell her about his culture and his time in the Shinsengumi. It was the main reason why Rias decided to leave the Underworld in the first place. "But you said 'war and combat' right? Are you talking about the Warring States Period?"

"That and more. Dad bought us a lot of books. Most of them are in my…Medusa's library now." While he does use the place, Shirou decides to recognize the dominance of the goddess in that area. "Funny thing is that while mom used to tell me stories about King Arthur and his knights before going to bed and focused on the characters, dad's books were more about strategy and combat with little insight on the personal life of the historical figure but a lot on their minds and strategies."

"I can almost see a small Shirou going to sleep on his mom's lap hearing about knights and dragons." Rias comments with a small giggle, the image fixed on her mind and ideas to call the matriarch of the Emiya family for pictures taking root on her mind. "Maybe that is where you got your heroic attitude from?"

"Don't even start." Shirou really didn't want that kind of comparison. "While I can respect the idea of nobility in The Round Table tales, I have no interest in being called 'heroic'." That only makes Rias giggle more before getting back on the subject.

"Either way, is that why you don't like the strategies of Rating Games? Because of your father's lessons?" They never talked much about those and Rias is still curious.

"Partially. The other part is because of my experience with Muramasa and other weapons." Shirou can't help but say. "Through them I have seen the life of many kinds of warriors, wanderers, soldiers, heroes and villains. Especially from Muramasa that had more than one owner and was used by pretty much every kind of person from all walks of life." He picks up one of the books and shows it to Rias. "Compared with all those lives, my father's lessons and even the experience I had with him in Greece, these books are a bad joke."

An idea springs into Rias' head. "Then maybe you should be the one teaching me how to think."

"Didn't you hear my story? My dad taught me in the most indirect way possible, if he even considered that in the first place. Greece doesn't count." Then Shirou motions to the mansion. "Even if we were to do things the same way, this place doesn't have either the same books or games we could use."

"Does chess count? Since Rating Games are based on it-"

Shirou decides to nip that idea in the bud. "Rias, even if Rating Games are based on chess they are completely different. Your situation is proof of that." While Rias' face showed she didn't understand what he was talking about, the magus felt he should elaborate. "In chess, regardless of who has the first move, both sides start equal."

"And Riser has a clear advantage." Rias finishes the sentence, realizing that there was more than just that. "So chess is actually worthless?"

"No, it has the same purpose as the games my father gave to me; to help you think, to teach patience." That was all Shirou could think of as examples, he wasn't really a chess player. "But it isn't really applicable in real scenarios; each side is too different not only in size in this case but also in skills. I can't see Akeno using just fire, can you?"

With another giggle Rias says, "No I can't." Then she smiles gently at Shirou. "We really should have talked about fighting more often, you really have a good head for it."

"It comes from being a sword I suppose." Shirou nods his head in wisdom and folded arms as a joke with Rias doing the same thing. "We never had any reason to talk about it. Honestly I always thought you didn't care about fighting."

"Of course I do. As the heiress of Gremory I must strive to be the champion, the King of Rating Games, one day and I would be happy to talk about combat." Rias' words earned a frown from Shirou. "Something wrong?"

While Shirou can't lie he knows he can do something else, deflect. "Either way we should go to sleep." He points to the side to redirect Rias' attention. "Unless you believe that those books can surpass the lessons imparted by the Magus Killer's son." And Shirou hated to use that moniker, he hated thinking about his father as the Magus Killer.

But he needs a distraction. "I can still go a while longer." Rias had a cute pout on her face, the conversation shifting gears as Shirou intended.

"But as you said before, I need more time to sleep and you have to rest too." When Rias was about to protest Shirou intervened. "Is your Rating Game going to have special rules?"

The question cautched Rias off guard. "No but-"

"Just combat them?" Shirou kept pressing to not give Rias a chance to make excuses.

"Yes, it is on the contract." Rias watches Shirou stand up and start to stretch his arms.

"Then go to bed and rest a little. It is great for both the muscles and the mind to have proper rest." Yet Shirou sees that Rias is mostly unconvinced. "You know…I remember Akeno once commenting that you like to cook as well, right? Pastas and the like? A wish to also learn more Japanese cuisine?"

"What about it?" Rias' expression lights up at the mention of one of her past times.

"Well, you are a devil and you need to sleep less…if you wake up early, you can take over the kitchen for the morning." The magus can see that Rias was liking the idea. "I mean, I think I never had to eat something you cooked before, most of the time I am the one working the kitchen."

"That is true." The realization surprised Rias as she realized that it has been a good while since she made something for someone else. "I can't believe that I have never made something for you." A part of Rias doesn't want to either, despite her passions, Shirou's food was just better. However her pride demanded that she made something for him at least to show her skill and that he acknowledged it. "I will take over breakfast from now on." That was a little more than the magus' wanted but with that decided, Rias started to collect the books and leave the balcony but not before turning to Shirou. "Get ready for tomorrow, Shiro. I am going to make something delicious. I have been studying Japanese cuisine for a long time and I won't lose to you in it."

The magus chuckles a little as he watches the devil retreat with a spring on her step, his eyes dropping a little lower as the light was just right enough for her thighs to be visible while still being covered by the robe and he unable to resist looking for a couple of seconds before a somber thought returned to his mind.

'There are a lot of things bothering me about all this.' Shirou managed to avoid saying it but besides Rias' goal and how she talked about it, his mind has a far more pertinent question that has been stuck there ever since Setsuna explained everything she knew about the conflict with Phenex and the contract. "After the game. After the game I will ask her to have a serious talk, no distractions."

Shirou fears that if he brings out the topic of conversation he actually wants to discuss then he will disrupt the training, maybe even get into a fight with Rias like the ones on the club but on a larger scale.

So he decided to keep quiet, to not disrupt the training and to not bother anyone with his worries. Shirou had already decided to stay silent, to hold back the things that are bothering him as much as he could even as a loud part of him wants to demand answers.

"Now I have to teach a devil who is used to just brute force her way how to use subtlety and strategy…" Shirou silences the part of him that was complaining with humor. "Still have to figure out how I am gonna do that since the only time dad taught me directly was in Greece…and it wasn't that much."

Instead of complaining about the situation, Shirou decided to go to bed. He has some experience teaching thanks to Akeno and the topic is actually something he can actually help Rias with.

That was the only thing that managed to help him sleep that night.

A part of him knew he wouldn't hold his silence until the end of the camp.

…..

I was going to let the story reveal this information naturally but since someone pointed out in the comments, and because I want to make sure people don't think I made a mistake, I shall explain this now.

Yes, in cannon Absorption Line isn't a Longinus, here it is. And it will be explained how dangerous that sacred gear can be later but before I finish this note, let me say that on the work DxD five new Longinus 'show up' and Absorption Line isn't one of them…why?

No seriously, why? If you are smart enough, even without the other parts of Vritra, that sacred gear can be super OP: energy absorption, energy transfer, soul of a dragon that can rival a god even if divided, combined with the other parts of Vritra that should have made the cut.

So I did it, I placed it as a Longinus because I think it deserves it, also because one of the weapons there I couldn't see being able to defeat a god regardless of what the author says.

That is my opinion and if anyone disagrees feel free. Absorption Line in Fate Bonds Beyond Humanity, FBBH for short, is a Longinus and that wasn't a mistake, it was on purpose.

Also I might have buffed Vritra a little, just a tad.