"One, two, three, four..."

In the Hyoudou's residence basement, the members of the Gremory peerage were doing their daily training

However, there was someone who was particularly invested into it

"Haaaaaa!"

[Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost!]

Hyoudou Issei charged ahead with his Scale Mail armor towards his sparring partner, Kiba Yuuto

The Knight swung his sword down at him, but the host of the Sekiryuutei dodged and aimed for his face

Kiba slightly moved his head to avoid the punch, but the pressure was still able to graze his skin

"You are growing a lot, Ise"

However, Issei didn't answered, charging a kick at the blonde boy

"Ugh"

Kiba defend the kick with his sword and jumped back

"Ise..."

Noticing the aura that he was giving, Kiba stared at his friend with eyes filled with sorrow

Even though he had personally asked Issei to fight as if they were in a real death battle, he could tell there was something more behind Issei's attacks

Beneath the armour, Hyoudou had a look of anger on his face, because everytime he punched, everytime he kicked, everytime he flied or used a Dragon Shot...

He couldn't forget that laugh

[It's useless, useless, useless!]

No matter what he did, he couldn't forget the humiliation he and his team suffered at the hands of Tatseyo Kageyama

[I've never trained in my entire life, I've been relying on talent and experience to get more used to my powers, like my parents]

Talent... something that he didn't have even though he was the host of the Sekiryuutei, something he had to make up for with sheer training and combat

Ever since losing to Tatseyo, not once, but twice, a single feeling filled his head everytime he trained or battled

Frustration, frustration, frustration, frustration, frustration, frustration

The power to control matter and energy just by thinking about it, a power that even his fists couldn't reach and even if it reached, he wasn't strong enough to damage

Issei clutched his hands and charged ahead, battling his friend with reckless abandon for his own well being

[Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost!]

Even if he could forgive what Tatseyo had done, he couldn't forgive himself, he couldn't forget the humiliation that was to put all his strength in an attack and not even be able to scratch him

To see his friends fall one by one and feel the urge to sacrifice his own life in order to save them

'Stronger. I have to become stronger to surpass Vali, to surpass Sairaorg, to surpass him!'

Were the words that rang through his mind as he fought, Kiba eventually created a sword in his foot and finally managed to drive it in Issei's leg

"Are you alright?" - Kiba asked his injured friend

But he didn't answered, instead, ignoring the pain, he charged the jets on his back and drove his fists forward

[Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Boost Booost!]

Breaking his guard, his fist finally managed to hit Kiba's stomach and blow him backwards

"Guh!" - Blood spat out Kiba's mouth as he almost fell to his knees due to the pain

Issei removed the sword from his leg and stood on his fighting stance

"I can still fight, so let's continue!"

Kiba made a bitter smile, he wasn't happy to see his friend like this, but he knew the reason behind this behaviour. Everyone in the Gremory peerage was ashamed because of what had happened, but Issei, maybe due to his pride as a dragon, was the one who had become most obsessed about it

It seemed that now his friend had another rival to surpass

"Understood"

He created another sword in his hand and prepared for another round

"Wait, Ise-san! At least let me heal your leg"

The voice of their cute blonde bishop called out, Asia would usually heal major wounds or stop bleedings during their trainings, but Issei shook his head, not even looking away from Kiba

"I'm sorry Asia, but if I'm going to fight against him again, I can't rely on any healing!"

Asia's eyes wided at his refusal, if Issei was refusing healing, then there could be only one person he could be talking about

"T-then Kiba-san!" - She turned towards the Knight who had blood coming from his mouth, but he also denied

"Sorry Asia-chan, but Ise is right, if we can't even endure wounds like this without your healing, then we have no chance to survive against guys like him"

Kiba said straightforwardly, he was mad that he lost the fight, but most of all he was scared...

Scared that Tatseyo was not the only one, that there were other people like him that he said to be even stronger, scared of the people to who his speed didn't meant anything, people who could destroy someone like him with a sleight of their hands or simply by thinking about it

And that engraved fear, that despair he felt when his legs were broken and his swords used against him, was driving Kiba to try and become stronger

"Let's go!" - Issei said, charging ahead as the two began to fight again

"Kiba-kun, Ise-san..." - Asia said with her eyes moist

"Don't worry Asia, these two will still need you"

Xenovia, who had just ressumed her training, came towards her friend

"But to us, and specially to Issei, there's an opponent who tricks won't work against. And our only option is to endure the pain and get stronger"

Xenovia and Asia looked towards the intense battle between the boys

Meanwhile, something similar was occurring at the other side of town, in the Sitri territory

"Hey, Gen-chan, don't push yourself so hard..."

The Bishop of the team, Momo Hanakai warned the host of Vritra

"Don't worry, just come at me, all of you"

After an exhaustive muscle training, Saji was fighting against other members of the Sitri peerage in what he called a "friendly sparring"

Due to being a devil and thanks to his training, Saji's stamina was far greater than a regular human's, however

"Ah, ah...

Even he was already starting to get tired after all the practice, his breath was erratic and he was drenched in sweat

"A-are you sure?"

She asked, but another female answered decisively

"Yes! That's how I feel as well, let's fight till we can't move, Saji!"

Their Knight, Tsubasa Yura, jumped at Saji with her Sacred Gear in hand

Both started clashing with each other and Hanakai reluctantly joined the fight

"Saji is using much more physical attacks and his lines than Vritra's cursed flames"

Watching the fight, Shinra Tsubaki talked with her leader about the battle

"Indeed, I believe it's because of Kageyama-kun" - Sona said adjusting her glasses

After witnessing the terror of his powers, all members of the peerage seemed to have found a new determination, but Saji was completely headstruck in overcoming his burdens.

"Seriously, how long do they intend to hold a grudge against that boy?"

Shinra said, for someone who had come from an exorcist family and once had devils as her enemies, she understood Kageyama better than others and thought the behaviour that her juniors were showing was rather childish since Kageyama had already show regret for his actions and was now on their side.

But the president of the student council shook her head

"I do not believe they are doing this out of personal grudge for him, it's something that must be running deeper"

"Deeper?" - Shinra asked with a confused expression

"When you receive an attack like the ones we received, it gets stuck in your mind, for us who are in constant combat, that either destroys your fighting spirit or you cannot help but want more power, in some way, that kid and Sairaorg are very much alike"

"Sairaorg-san and Kageyama-kun..."

Shinra pondered for a moment over the meaning of her King's words, she didn't understood if that was a praise, a fearful declaration or both

"Does Sairaorg-san know about him?"

Sona shook her head

"No, just like Liliana-said, she kept it a secret from other devils, of course I had to report it to Maou Leviathan though..."

Sona said with a troubled expression, she still remembered how her sister took the news

[I'll find this human kid and tear him up! Esper, psychic or whatever, nobody hurts my Sona-tan! He'll feel the fury of the Magical Levia-Tan justice!]

She had to reason a lot with Serafall in order to prevent her Maou sister from coming to earth to hunt Kageyama

"Kageyama-kun doesn't know how close he was to seeing the wrath of a Maou..." - Sona said with a sigh

"But this is a bit problematic, for our team who focuses on strategy and tactics, having members pursuing raw power can break our coordination..."

Shinra stated, to which Sona simply smiled and looked at her members with a confident expression

"Well, then we are going to adapt our tactics to it"

She recognized that smile, it was the smile her King gave when she was planing for the future, a smile that usually terrorized even the other young devils

"Maybe that beating from Kageyama was a disguised blessing to all of us, fufufufu"

She said as she watched Saji, Tsubasa and Hanakai battle untill they could barely stand

'Kageyama-kun, it seems you have made rivals without even knowing it'

Shinra thought to herself, feeling sorry for Kageyama, but steeling her resolve at the same time.

As a member of the Sitri peerage, as Sona Sitri's [Queen], she couldn't get behind either

Healing, magic, tactics, miracles, nothing of the sort could defeat the monster in the form of a human that had arrived at Kuoh town, that was the decision that all who had fought him had reached, to them, the only path was to train, the only path was to become stronger so that they never would feel humiliation again!

And so the training from both peerages continued

Part 2

"Azazel-sama? What are you doing?"

I hear the voice of my vice-governor calling me

"Ah, Shemhazai, I was just going through these files"

"Working on your sacred gears again? Please don't make any weird stuff like that giant mecha from before, you weird endeavors cause trouble to all of us, you know?"

He started lecturing me! Really, does everyone think of me like that?!

"Ugh! I'm not doing any of that! This is actually serious stuff!"

Hearing my exclamation, Shemhazai approaches and starts reading through the files on my screen

"Psychic powers? ESP? Are you interested in stuff like that?"

I shake my head and rest my chin against my hand

"Not really, this is actually from the reports a friend of mine gave me a while ago, I've been researching in order to find a satisfactory answer to something that has been troubling me for a while..."

He gives me a curious look

"And what is it that's troubling you? Something regarding the terrorists or your students?"

I nod

"It's the former... tell me Shemhazai, what do you think of the Gremory and Sitri peerages?"

My vice-governor thinks for a while before answering

"They are special kids, that everyone already knows, they went through many things during the last months, things that even adults like us would have a hard time coping with, and everytime they managed to not only win, but come out on top even stronger and more united"

I nod at his words, true, Ise, Rias, Sona, Saji and everyone in both teams is incredible in their own way, they have been acknowledged even by members of our once rival mythologies and none of them cares wicked feelings, they are truly a great generation for the underworld, something that could even be called... a miracle?

Shemhazai coughs to call my attention

"However, I believe that's not what you meant to ask of me, correct?"

I give a bitter smile and nod

"Sharp as always, tell me, what do you think of the Sekiryuutei's way of overcoming adversities?"

He blinks for a few seconds before putting his hand under his chin

"His way of fighting is, pretty straightforward, like his personality I guess. I've watched his rating games and it seems that no matter how badly they beat him up, he never stops fighting. If you ask my opinion about it, he's a good symbol for the underworld. Well, his obsession with breasts does worry me though..."

A troubled expression emerged on his face at the last remark

"You are right, the Oppai Dragon is a hero to the underworld now, even when he's fighting against enemies stronger than him, even when there seems to be no chance of victory, he charges forward, you might say that his obsession with breasts is a bad thing, but wasn't that what allowed him to perform so many miracles up untill now?"

"Well... guess this might be right, but Azazel-sama, please answer me properly, what is it that's worrying you?"

I scratch my chin and ask

"During some fights, Issei was able to perform what could be called a miracle, that boy and the ones around him all have an irregular growth that's nothing short of impressive. So why..."

I turn back and look at a particular file on my desk

"Why it didn't happen with him?"

Shemhazai takes a closer look at one of the documents

"Tatseyo Kageyama? The paranormal kid?"

I nod

"Rias Gremory and her group fought twice against him and by what they told me, none of those irregular occurrences that happen when her group is involved took place, it made me wonder why, is it because he's an esper? Because of that unbeliveable power he has? Or maybe... something else?"

[If you and Liliana-san hadn't showed up, Azazel-sensei, I would probably be dead by now]

Issei told me that with a complicated expression after waking up from his almost deadly battle against Tatseyo, to him, who was only forced to use the Juggernaut Drive in the peak of his despair, it must have been a truly hopeless situation.

"Huh? Is that what's bothering you?"

"Doesn't it bother you too?"

I ask and and he sighs

"Well, though I can say that it is weird that no irregular growth occured in her group, it wouldn't be the first time, right? There were fights in which their group wasn't able to show those so called 'miracles', this Kageyama kid, he seems to carry the sort of power that could stop that"

I tilt my head

"So not even miracles can defeat such an overwhelming power..."

I say, closing Tatseyo's school file

"But... where does all that power come from?"

"Isn't that what Liliana Caim should be looking for?"

I sigh

"Yes, it is, but I can't understand the things that she wrote here. I'm used to Sacred Gears, not this brain, soul and body stuff. Also, I could never understand what an esper is"

They are humans, yet they possess an overwhelming power capable of defying even the Heavenly Dragons, a power that derives not from logic such as magic and not from sheer imagination such as demonic power, but a power that comes from making things obey and appear to their will, almost as if they are ordering everything around with their thoughts.

Or at least that's what I got from reading Liliana's documents

"Well, there's no time to be thinking about this now, you still have to contact the youkai leaders in order to arrange the peace meetings, remember?"

I nod

"Yes, yes, don't worry, I haven't forgotten about it"- I say as I stand from my desk and prepare to go back to my usual work as the leader of the fallen angels

But I can't shrug the feeling that something is weird about Tatseyo Kageyama

Espers, these frightening existences seem to be something that can bring trouble to all factions in the future.

Without Kageyama knowing, he was starting to become the object of interest and rivalry of several figures around him