Welcome to the next chapter of The Twin Dragons, but before starting. Let us answer some reviews:
Guest: I can see the reason that those two would be picked considering their respective characters. As a half-Vampire, I can see her doing that and considering that dragon blood appears to be something that a Vampire loves the most. Based on the amount of care that Gasper has for Valerie, I can see him doing it for her, but you're right about that. That'd be an interesting way for those two to get acquainted with one another, with either being a good situation.
It wouldn't be the most outlandish thing for him, considering he does care about his older brother, with it not being possible to continue that thinking forever.
Valerie simp: I can see Valerie going to Gasper for advice on what to do regarding spending time with Kazuki. Considering that she made it a habit of dressing Gasper in cute clothing, with maid outfits as the main ones she wears. It would be cool if that was the case because Ophis often does what she wants as she's the Dragon God of Infinity.
Cristian Njoroge: I added the original chapters onto the DxD Fanon site, whereas the newer one is slowly being added to the Fanfiction site. I explained that in the summary and some chapters too. But, Asia is added to Kazuki's harem.
Guest 2: I'm sure that his growth after training with the man known as Humanity's Limit, who could fight supernatural beings with strength alone. Despite being an old man, he's still as strong as someone such as Sairaorg. I'm sure the same thing could be said about Issei and Vali, the former in canon said that he wanted to become the True White Dragon God Emperor to match Great Red. I can see them doing such a thing, more so if those two should be aware of Devil May Cry.
streetlife34: It wouldn't be surprising if he did end up learning more about that. But, I have my idea of what he'll end up learning from Vasco Strada's training.
Guest 3: Well, that does sound like something that Kuroka would declare out loud, and I'm sure Koneko will be fine with that. It would be hilarious for Ophis to be jealous without knowing about it, and there's nothing anyone can do if she does that. That's ironic I thought about Kuroka being responsible for some misunderstandings Ophis might have. I can see Irina and Asia having a lot to talk about because those two were the first to have sex with Kazuki.
I do have an idea of who'll end up becoming their club adviser, and Gabriel would make a good adviser. I think that Azazel and the others wouldn't mind that either. No doubt, Ravel is going to be a fun character to write about in the future.
Altair: I do have an idea of how Valerie is going to make her first appearance.
Kazuki's Training Part 2
Smack! Smack! Smack!
In the forest, there was the sound of two items smacking against one another, which could be heard throughout the trees. Kazuki shot through the brushes, leaping off one of the trees as he caught onto one of the branches, then used it to propel himself forward. Just as he landed on the ground, in his hand was a wooden sword with an assortment of dents in it, and got into an immediate stance.
"…."
A breath escaped from Kazuki's mouth as his opponent came straight at him, almost without making the slightest sound. In his hand, the wooden sword in question looked almost like something carved to almost resemble even Durandal, which looked like a literal stick in his hand. With a downward swing from the bigger wooden sword, Kazuki swung his, but not in a manner meant to meet it.
"Oh?"
Vasco seemed surprised as Kazuki seemed to negate some of the force behind the swing, not that it was even the veteran's strongest swing. It's been almost the first week since the two started training, but his new student seemed to be picking up what he planned on teaching him at a fast rate. Not just that….
"It seems as if he's starting to take what he learned from those martial arts basics and pour them all into his martial art. It truly did end up building up a strong foundation for him to grow upon. If anything, Kazuki mastered pacing himself a long time ago. But, in this training, I plan on teaching him how to use both his body and mind as efficiently as possible, without much effort. I never thought that it'd be fun training the Hakuryuukou."
Vasco thought as he and Kazuki continued their sparring session, which lasted for almost an hour and a half, something that surprised the exorcist. It showed that he was making decent use of both his energy and stamina, something that's become the main point of this training.
"He's still too strong for me to handle, with or without Balance Breaker. But, the point of this training isn't to beat him, it's simple to learn all I need to learn. It's rougher than any training that I did in the past. But, that's good for me, the harder I train, the more that I'll adapt to it. If I can master fighting in my natural state and using my energy as efficiently as possible, then I'll be able to find something other than my sacred gear. Uh oh."
As Kazuki blocked another strike from Vasco, he looked to find that the veteran exorcist aiming a side-kick at him leaving no option to avoid. Reacting to it as much as possible, he got straight into a defensive position as the kick soon made contact. Its force blows him backward as if Kazuki was a projectile, sending Kazuki propelling a great distance from his previous position.
He was sent stumbling until landing on the ground, his wooden sword landed beside him as he was sprawled on the ground. He looked straight up at the sky as he heard Vasco approaching him, then stabbed the large wooden sword into the ground.
"That was a good block. You took the kick and lessened the force as much as possible shortly before landing on the ground. Compared to the first time we'd started this, you managed to last almost an hour and a half this time around. So, this will be all for our sparring session today. I'll be heading back first, while you rest here."
"Alright."
Kazuki said, showing no reaction or rejection to that comment, something that'd happened before.
Just then, Vasco retrieved the wooden sword and headed back in the direction of the house, leaving Kazuki there to rest. Since this training began, his senses became sharper too, being able to sense the presence of others with much greater precision than before. He could sense the aura that almost radiated from the veteran exorcist from time to time in their battle.
"Hah, there's so much that I still need to learn. But, the more I fight against his Eminence, the more I'm starting to feel the martial arts I learned converging into my martial art. I wonder what kind of name should I give it after I complete it," Kazuki asked himself while looking forward at the clouds above him. "I need to complete this new martial art, master these new weapons, and create a special ability. I wonder if I can complete these three things before the summer break ends?"
After that, Kazuki leaped off the ground and onto his feet, holding the wooden sword in his hand. He started cracking his neck and arms, then turned around to head in the direction of the house. During that walk, he focused on also manipulating his magical power without the purpose of using magic. Amid this, he wanted to learn about proper control, something part of what Azazel advised.
Returning, Kazuki looked to find Asia kneeling in a prayer position, but she wasn't in the midst of a normal prayer and was instead training. Same as him, Vasco stood in silence, while Asia concentrated more than she'd ever done before. Twilight Healing, the two silver rings on her fingers were releasing a green light from them. At first, it remained near her, but then the healing aura started steadily expanding around her hand.
It remained there for a couple of minutes, but the expanded healing area started flickering back and forth before fading. At that, she breathed out from the exhaustion built up from focusing for so long and extending her powers this much.
"Hah, it's so exhausting keeping that up," Asia said while looking on much more determined. "But, I managed to spread it a good distance from myself and held it for a time. If I can master this, then I'll be able to be of more use to everyone."
"Hahaha, that was some good progress, Sister Asia. I heard that there were different Twilight Healing users, but none of them reached you in terms of mastery."
"E-Eminence Strada, Kazuki I didn't notice either of you were here," Asia had said, surprised about their 'sudden' appearance. "Uh, I was in the process of preparing lunch, but it should be finished in a couple of more minutes. I wanted to train some more on what Azazel-sensei said to do, so I prepared things ahead of time."
"There's nothing wrong with that Asia. It simply showed how well your ability to focus has gotten better. I haven't seen anything aside from the end, but it looks as if you've become able to expand your healing area. And that's a good amount of progress."
Kazuki stated, petting the girl on top of her head, causing a smile to grace her face.
"He's correct. You've made great progress for the time that you've been here," Vasco said, giving a gentle smile as he looked forward. "I've noticed that you haven't skipped out on the physical training that I assigned either and that's started steadily raising your physical stats. I'm sure that once the summer ends, you'll be able to last a lot longer in combat than before."
The compliments she received from Kazuki and Vasco, two of whom had a positive effect on the blonde-haired nun caused her to flush.
"I'll go check up on lunch then."
Asia happily started heading inside the vacation home to check up on their lunch, something that caused both of the men to look on smiling.
"I'm sure that it'll be quite some time before lunch is prepared. I recall there were some people back in the town who needed help with something. If you have the time tell Sister Asia that I'll return around the time that lunch is prepared."
"Alright, Eminence Strada."
Kazuki agreed as Vasco headed down the mountain, something that Kazuki guessed would take him at most one minute at top speed, if not a couple of seconds.
Seeing that he was alone, Kazuki took a seat on the ground as he summoned a couple of books from his storage in another dimension. Each one was the research that Grigori accumulated about special powers aside from the Sacred Gears. Having asked about such a topic, Kazuki didn't have the chance to finish asking as the Governor General sent them without question.
"I'm starting to get the basic gist of it. But, understanding and doing it in this period are two different things," Kazuki stated, as he continued reading the book in his hand. Amid that, he turned his consciousness to the one person who might know about the same thing. "Albion, can you give any advice about this?"
[I developed my abilities through the rivalry that I had with Ddraig in the past. If you're planning on developing an ability of your own, then I wouldn't mind assisting in it. If anything, there might be a high chance that it'll become possible. Since the first time you sacrificed your human heart for a dragon heart, the dragon blood spread across your organs. Thus far, your organs turned into that a dragon's organs and I'm sure that you're starting to notice the effects too. Compared to before, your five senses started becoming sharper, with the dragon power building up outside of Divine Dividing.]
"Yeah, I started noticing that too. I started smelling Asia cooking breakfast as if I'm in the room despite being in a different part of the house. Well, no matter what happens, it doesn't change who I am. I'll be Kazuki Hyoudou, the Hakuryuukou."
At that declaration, Albion couldn't help laughing a bit and Kazuki felt exhilarated while continuing to also read through the books. Amid that, he listened to the advice that his partner, the Vanishing Dragon was granting him. Not having an issue with that, Kazuki found himself absorbing the information that he received from both sides without difficulties in accepting it.
Some time passed, and Kazuki, Asia, and Vasco ended up eating the lunch the nun prepared, something that satiated the hunger built up from training. She followed the instructions that the veteran Exorcist gave about a suitable meal to build up stamina. But, the Exorcist didn't expect that she'd complete the task this well, something Asia attributed to learning from Miki Hyoudou.
Finishing lunch, Kazuki restarted the training regimen that Vasco assigned to him, first, the 30-minute jog around the mountains and leading to the town. He found himself arriving as the people around town noticed him jogging for the second time today. Since coming here, Kazuki has started getting to know the people living here, who had little-to-no experience with people from the larger cities.
He remembered the names of the people he's talked to thus far, something that surprised them, considering their conversations were sometimes menial.
"Hey, Kazuki, are you preparing for something back at home or something?"
"No, I just thought that getting in some good workout would be good for me. I wasn't born with the healthiest body and was often trained," Kazuki replied as he walked passed a woman. "So, I often train hard whenever I can."
"Oh, is that so? But, don't overwork yourself, okay?"
"Got it!"
Kazuki replied, waving his hand before turning around to continue jogging around.
"Hey, Kazuki, later on, would you mind helping with something here?"
"Sure thing!"
He replied a second time as he passed up a farmer.
"Kazuki, we prepared some new dessert. Before returning up the mountain, please come and sure it Asia-chan."
"Alright!"
Kazuki replied a second time.
He noticed that Asia too started getting to love the people of this own, and it was the other way around. Though it wasn't that surprising, he didn't know anyone who couldn't come to love Asia in a couple of days. Together with him, Asia could often come to town to talk to and assist the people. He couldn't help feeling glad that Sirzechs gave this location to him as a vacation home and land.
There was one notable person that he'd gotten to know here.
"K-A-Z-U-K-I!"
Just Kazuki was taking another step, he wasn't that surprised to find a sharp kick being aimed at him. Not feeling that worried about it, he leaped over the kick and landed on the ground. After landing on the ground, he continued jogging as if nothing happened. The person who directed that kick was him was a silver-haired young woman that seemed to be a mixture of blue, around the same age as him, and beautiful sapphire eyes.
He didn't focus much on a woman's proportions that his brother did, though, the young woman's body seemed to be much closer to Rias'. Kazuki didn't even know her name, because the first time that she did during their first meeting was attacking him.
The moment Kazuki asked for her name, she replied with: "Fight me, and beat me, then I'll tell ya."
"Wow, you've gotten better at dodging!"
She announced, then started rushing straight at Kazuki.
"There she goes again. That girl is quite rambunctious, but she's gotten more well-manner since her grandfather returned home. But, she's taken quite the liking to Kazuki-kun."
Another woman said.
She and the others continued watching as Kazuki and the silver-haired girl continued interacting with one another as the two jogged. Amid all that, the silver-haired girl continued attacking Kazuki, who continued avoiding the techniques. It was surprising that Kazuki could avoid these attacks, but it was also more surprising that she could attack him without skipping a beat.
"But, there's at least one thing that I know," Kazuki thought, avoiding another attack from the silver-haired young woman. "His Eminence has been living in the barn that she and her grandfather own. He said that he offered to live there and make some repairs to the place. His Eminence has been making repairs around the entire town without getting anything in return. Well, he hasn't even told me her name let alone her grandfather's name."
"You're wide open!"
The unnamed girl, instead of aiming another random kick, performed an accurate and fluid sweeping kick, which went along with the flow. He couldn't react in time, as he was surprisingly knocked upward a bit from the force of that sweeping kick. Despite that, on instinct, Kazuki recovered in mid-air, landed on the ground without difficulties, and continued running ahead.
After seeing that, the silver-haired girl looked at what he did and then laughed.
"Hahaha, that's awesome! I haven't seen people here do that, aside from my grandpa!"
At that, the silver-haired girl continued running after him, wearing a bright smile on her face, almost excited she'd met someone here. Kazuki could see those were the feelings building up within the girl as if she found someone who understood her. But, the fact she could keep up with him and the fact there was some presence around her, made him wonder if she was a part of the supernatural.
Though, Kazuki ignored that considering it meant that he gained a brand new jogging partner, as a result of this, something he felt grateful for. Both continued jogging around, all while avoiding the attacks that the silver-haired young woman aimed at him. Finishing the jog, he then stopped and proceeded to perform the other training that Vasco assigned to him.
"So, what're you doing all this training for," the silver-haired girl asked him. "Not to sound rude or anything, but it looks as if you're the kind of person who uses their head and kept your head in the books."
Near found themselves near the forest, as Kazuki was performing pull-ups, having finished the push-ups, that he started before. She was sitting down on the stump remains of a tree that was cut down a long time ago, while watching as Kazuki exercised. He was surprised she remained, as most of the time, after finishing the jog, it'd be the last time he'd see her.
But, the silver-haired girl remained sitting in the same spot, showing no intention of leaving. Although, it's obvious that she was simply curious about him for some reason.
"You wouldn't be wrong about that, I spent most of my childhood reading. Well, there's something that happened in the town where I live. And I'm simply training to ensure that something like that doesn't happen again," Kazuki talked while continuing to exercise without stopping. It was becoming far easier for him as time passed. "There's another reason, as I'm sure that you're aware of."
"Right. You mentioned that your body was much weaker than normal people, which is the reason you train more than most of the people I find around here. I guess that working around on the farm does keep people in shape."
"Well, it's a good thing. In the place where I live, you can't find most people who'd do this kind of work and often remains inside without doing much. I think that this is a great town to live in. It's so peaceful here with everyone pinching in work together."
"Yeah, that's right. But, there's one problem here," the silver-haired girl said, resting her chin on her hands. There was a faint pause, as she leaned up and stretched her arms. "It's sooooo boring here!"
Kazuki was surprised about the silver-haired young woman's volume, and wouldn't even be surprised if it spread throughout the quiet town.
"I don't get that much excitement or action here. It's almost as if no one comes here, aside from a couple of people before leaving back home," she added. "Before you, I haven't been able to do much, because attempting to play with them would've resulted in broken bones."
"What do you do most of the time?"
"Hmm, well, I lived in that barn tending to the animals and other work around here. Sometimes there are attacks, animals ended up getting eaten or killed in the process. My parents ended up dying because of one of them," she sounded almost sad after mentioning that part. "I couldn't fix some things alone, even with all the people around town helping me. My grandpa came back from time to time to take care of me and helped tend to the place, but now he said he'll be living here now. So, it's been easier."
"I'm sorry about that. I think this is a good town to live in."
"Yeah, but I won't remain here forever. I plan on leaving and heading outside this rural town and into the more urban areas," the silver-haired young woman stated, showing more pride in herself. "All I need to do is finish the training and tasks that my grandfather assigned to me. But, I'm strong enough to defeat the grown men here. So, I'll just breeze through the training."
Kazuki couldn't help laughing as he heard the pure confidence radiating from the silver-haired young woman who didn't doubt her talents.
"Well, if you're going anywhere, then you should come over to Kuoh Town as your first trip. I'll leave and give you the directions before we leave," Kazuki said, finishing up his pull-ups while landing on the ground. "I'm sure that you would like my friends there."
"I'll think about it. I've spent so much time in one place, that I want to travel to different places and see the same world that my grandfather mentioned. But, he's kinda a rude and overbearing old man."
"Ah, is that so?"
A sudden voice caused the silver-haired young woman to flinch as she stood straight up almost as if she were a trained soldier. Standing behind her was an old man, walking around using what looked to be a wooden cane. It, however, didn't appear as if the man's build fit his age, Kazuki could tell that the man was a trained martial artist. His hair was the same color as the young woman, tied in the back using a ribbon, and the same kind of sapphire color as hers.
"…."
Kazuki stood straight up, feeling surprised because he didn't notice the man's presence until he spoke up.
He'd gotten better at sensing the presence of others, if Vasco Strada wanted to, then he could've appeared right behind him. If that was the case, then the old man here must be someone of similar experience. Kazuki couldn't see an opening in the man's stance, but he knew that if he tried attacking, then he'd be countered.
"Uh, I-I didn't mean anything like…ouch!"
Smack!
The silver-haired young man squealed after being smacked in the butt by her grandfather's cane, causing her to whimper as she rubbed her rear end. It wasn't a simple impact, causing Kazuki to almost wince at the sound that he heard from it too. Because of how it looked, Kazuki glanced away as she started also moving around to alleviate the pain.
"It seems as if my son raised quite the rude girl. I'm not talking about the fact you talked about your grandfather behind his back, but the fact you've been bothering this young man here."
"But, he hasn't complained about it!"
"He's simply being kind about it. You should've asked first."
"But, you didn't have to hit my ass! That cane of yours hurt grandpaaaa!"
The silver-haired young woman seemed to be on the brink of tears, something that showed that the strike wasn't the softest in the world. Her grandfather, however, sighed as he positioned his hand on top of his wooden cane, before turning his attention over to Kazuki.
"Hah, I apologize for this rude girl here. She's quite the brazen and energetic girl, but I'm attempting to teach her more about manners. I doubt that she'll get it much, all things considered. At most, I could teach her when to and when not to pick fights with people."
The silver-haired old man said, as his granddaughter bent down still rubbing her read end.
"Well, your granddaughter hasn't been that hard to hang around. I should be glad because I ended up getting a training companion out of it too."
"Is that so," the silver-haired old man said, rubbing his well-groomed goatee. "That's surprising. It's the first time, I think that anyone hasn't been disturbed by this young girl's brazenness."
At her grandfather's comment, his granddaughter looked on with a pout, as the personality she was proud of was being mocked.
"Hmm, it seems as if you're the young man that Vasco-dono said he was training. He's been a good help around our barn, which this girl and I could manage alone. But, with that kind man's help, it's become more manageable. I think that we're almost ahead of time in terms of what we'll harvest and sell, as well as Vasco-dono sharing tips for tending to our crops."
"I was shocked after meeting him. I never thought that I'd meet someone who's ninety percent muscle. I almost thought that an Oni broke into the town."
At the silver-haired young woman's statement, she recalled her first encounter with Vasco Strada, something that Kazuki was unable to deny.
"I think that anyone would think that the moment that a two-meter-tall old man with armor-like muscles knocks on your front door."
Kazuki thought wearing a wry smile, thinking back to his first meeting with Vasco too.
"Hmm, I heard that my granddaughter said that she wouldn't reveal her name until you fight and beat her," there was an idea that entered her grandfather's head as he smiled. "It's ironic, this coincides with something that I want to teach her before starting serious training. I'll be right back."
At that, her grandfather left the area, leaving the young man and woman alone for a time. Not much time passed until he returned holding a wooden sword carved out of wood, seeming smooth enough that it wouldn't cause the user to gain a splinter. Not warning them, he tossed the wooden swords at Kazuki and his granddaughter, which both of them caught.
"Why don't both of you fight right here? I believe this clearing has enough space and won't be difficult for either of you to move around. So, how about it?"
At her grandfather's suggestion, the silver-haired young girl didn't have an issue with it, almost as if she'd looked forward to it. Kazuki didn't know what to think about this situation, considering that he wasn't a normal person at all. But, then he pushed those thoughts aside since it would be an insult to her and her grandfather.
"He wouldn't have his granddaughter fighting against someone she couldn't handle. And besides, she's shown a lot of physical abilities and skills that I haven't seen from an ordinary girl," Kazuki thought before then agreeing to the terms. "I accept too."
"Then get into position."
At the clap of a hand, the silver-haired grandfather took a seat as Kazuki and his granddaughter started getting in position. But, for Kazuki, there was something weird and familiar about the signal that the grandfather used when he got into the same position he used in the Kendo Club too.
"Huh, this feels almost nostalgic," Kazuki stated, as he started getting into his stance. He paused for a second, before starting to adjust to the stance that he's started discovering for himself through training with Vasco. "This one feels a bit natural for this situation."
"Oh."
The grandfather looked on almost surprised about the stance Kazuki took.
"That's a good look. I'm often not allowed to fight using a sword aside from training and emergencies," the silver-haired young woman said as she looked forward and got into her stance. "So, I'm excited that grandpa will let me fight against someone else for a change."
"Alright, begin."
At that, his granddaughter leaned down, then propelled forward not wasting time as she appeared right in front of him in a matter of seconds.
"She focused her strength on her legs to propel herself forward with the least amount of movement. She hasn't been undergoing normal martial arts training," Kazuki thought as her sword was aimed straight at him. "But, this isn't the worse thing that I've seen."
Smack! Smack! Smack!
Both their wooden swords clashed against one another, surprising the granddaughter since she wanted to see if she could end it in one move. However, it was a simple attempt, and it wasn't the best that she could accomplish, so and continued with the fight. Both she and Kazuki continued clashing against one another several times as the smacking sounds could be heard in the forest.
Echoing through the forest, most would notice the continuous collision of wooden swords with neither getting the other an inch. He was surprised that she was displaying such strength, it was as if she was the same kind of Power-type combatant as Xenovia. But, she had somewhat more skill behind her sword style when compared to the bluenette.
After several minutes, these sounds didn't end for a second, different techniques were mixed into one another. It was surprising for Kazuki because the techniques she used were almost too familiar to him. And that feeling and belief have been continuing since their match started.
"…!"
She started looking a little bit frustrated as the battle continued, almost as if she wasn't used to fighting with a person almost equal to her. She aimed a kick straight at Kazuki, but he countered it by raising his leg into it air as hers was blocked. He held his wooden sword in a reverse grip, then aimed it at her. Reacting to this, she moved a bit and flipped back to avoid the strike.
After landing on the ground, she recovered, then aimed a sweep kick straight for Kazuki's descending left, which caused him to fall to the ground. Not letting this chance slip, she leaped to straddle him holding the wooden sword in her hands. She intended in putting the sword at his throat, not intending to injure Kazuki, but that would be the end of this match.
Before her sword reached him, Kazuki grabbed onto her wrist, and despite their position, she found herself being tossed off him. She was surprised as she was thrown off him, but she recovered from the act and landed on the ground. She looked on to find Kazuki getting up most efficiently, then rushed straight for her.
Their battle continued with the silver-haired young woman now starting to be on the losing in, as she was put on the defensive. She found herself almost unable to respond to the attacks being launched at her, at first, she'd shown good momentum. But, she started losing that momentum as the battle continued for much longer than previously intended.
"Her physical abilities are better than most, as good as or a little bit better than Xenovia. But, she didn't use those strengths to her advantage and is wasting stamina," Kazuki thought and reasoned as the battle continued. "I, however, I plan on mastering being able to achieve maximum efficiency, minimum effort. I didn't learn anything advanced from Judo, Karate, or Taekwondo. But, with what I learned from Kendo and Kaito-sensei, I'll pour that into my fighting style."
At that thought, Kazuki released a fast and strong swing straight for the silver-haired girl, who released her sword straight for him. Instead of aiming for a direct clash, he aimed at the weakest point on her swing, resulting in the wooden sword flying out of her hand. Surprised by the fact that she lost her sword, the silver-haired girl gained another one as she had been sent to the ground instead.
"…?"
On the ground, Kazuki kept one arm down with his foot, and the other with his free hand, while his wooden sword was at her throat.
"I win."
Kazuki said as the words entered the silver-haired young woman's head.
She lost. She lost against someone for the first time. Even though she lost against someone, there was heat building up within her chest that could be seen on her cheeks.
"Alright, that was a good match. I can see that you're developing your style."
At that, Kazuki stood up, holding out his hand to assist the silver-haired young woman off the ground. She didn't deny that gesture, grabbing onto his hand and standing up on her hand. After that, she brushed off the dust that had covered her clothes, then started walking off. She didn't utter a single word of denial or rejection at her defeat.
"….?"
Her grandfather looked on wondering what she'll do.
She stopped moving for a second, then turned around and pointed her finger straight at Kazuki.
"I might've lost this time, but I'll become strong enough to never shame my last. That means that you're now my rival, Kazuki Hyoudou," she declared that out loud while pointing her finger straight at him. "So, don't forget what my name is the next time we meet! My name is Setsuna Miyamoto! I bear the blood and last name of the man who was dubbed as the strongest samurai in Japan!"
After that declaration, her grandfather smiled at Setsuna's declaration of rivalry with Kazuki, something he wasn't that surprised about. But, the thing that did surprise him was her final declaration before walking off.
"She bears the last name of the strongest samurai. So, wouldn't that be Musashi Miyamoto, the famous samurai said to have been among Japan's Sword Saints?"
Kazuki looked surprised at the thought of meeting a descendant of one of, if not Japan's strongest samurai who's still talked about today. More so, since after not being allowed to learn anything advanced about martial arts, he'd read different things related to martial arts. Among them, he also read the book written by Miyamoto Musashi, the Book of Five Rings.
"I see you're quite informative. That's correct, that rambunctious child is a descendant of Miyamoto Musashi. As is me and my deceased one," Setsuna's grandfather said as he looked forward. "I share the same name as him, something my parents did in honor of him. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kazuki Hyoudou. Setsuna has talked that she was glad to have found someone who could compete with her. But, that girl has a nasty competitive streak and hasn't been pushed to the point of almost losing."
"I don't have a problem with Setsuna's competitive streak, even I kind of have one. I've learned about your ancestor since my previous teacher seemed to have taught me the same Niten Ichi-ryu he created."
"It seems as if you've adapted to it well, even pouring it into your fighting style it seems. There's nothing that I can comment on regarding that. You're already well on the path of making it yours," Miyamoto said, while Kazuki couldn't shake off the odd sense of familiarity when he talked to the older male. "Well, I don't want to take any more of your time, since you seem to be putting more focus into your training."
"Uh, could you wait a second?"
"Hm?"
Miyamoto turned around to find Kazuki bowing his head in front of the old master, causing him to feel surprised at that gesture.
"Thanks for giving me the chance in sparring with Setsuna-san. And for telling me about where I stood when it'd come to me learning about the Niten Ichi-ryu. It might not seem much, but I appreciate everything."
At Kazuki's response, Miyamoto almost felt as if he was being thanked for something else, but that caused him to smile.
"There's nothing that you need to thank me for. It was all through your efforts alone."
At that comment, Miyamoto turned around then started walking off in the same direction that Setsuna ran off to. It left Kazuki there alone to continue with his training, all with the same thought and feeling entering his mind.
"I wonder if I'm right about this. Well, either way, I can't disappoint the people who helped me get this far."
Kazuki stated, before continuing with the exercises that Vasco assigned to him.
Later that night, Setsuna found herself sitting down in the forest, a location where she'd trained from time to time alone. Near her, there were two wooden swords positioned in front of a post that she'd practiced on, as shown by the bindings wrapped around it being worn out. Setsuna sat there for a couple of minutes, with sweat that could be shown on her from the training she'd finished.
"I lost against someone. I lost against Kazuki," Setsuna stated in thought as she continued replaying the match in her head. "He used the same martial art that I used, there's no doubt about that. No, it looked almost as if he had started pouring it into his fighting style. But, despite losing against him, how come I can't stop thinking about it? It's not like this is the end for me."
Setsuna continued mumbling to herself, not letting the events leading to her defeat leave her mind. As she kept on thinking about it, amid all that she started feeling heat building in her chest. It started being shown much more on her cheeks as pink seemed to dust them.
"Agh! This is so frustrating! I can't stop thinking about that defeat! And I can't stop thinking about him," Setsuna in a frustrated tone found herself rubbing her head unable to comprehend the feelings that were building up within her in this instance. "I don't know if I'm mad at Kazuki! I don't know if I'm mad at myself! And I don't even know if I'm frustrated with the fact that I lost for the first time!"
At that, Setsuna found herself falling backward on the ground, letting a groan escape from her mouth without one coherent thought in her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about the fight, during the return home, or during dinner, something the young woman viewed as her greatest pleasure.
"Ugh, I shouldn't yell so much. Some people are asleep, and I don't want grandpa to hit my ass again," Setsuna said, having no qualms about swearing, more so since she was alone. Her mind started wandering the first couple of times that she met Kazuki and one thing entered her head. "I'm guessing that Kazuki is…."
Shuffle! Shuffle! Shuffle!
Setsuna paused as she heard rustling sounds from the bushes near her, but she didn't immediately react to that noise. It wasn't because it was a small animal like a squirrel or a bear. She sensed it herself, it wasn't a harmless animal and it wasn't small. In almost a second, something much larger than a bear shot out from the bushes right at her. It was revealed to be what looked to be a black figure running on all fours aiming a slash straight for her, it, however, didn't hurt a single hair on her.
Instead, Setsuna leaped straight into the air, in her hands were the wooden swords that she held and in that instant, the creature was revealed to be some wolf humanoid. Landing on the ground, she looked to gain a much better look at the creature. Sensing the aura radiating from it, she could sense demonic power.
"Great, another stray Devil," Setsuna asked recognizing the creature in front of her. "Tch, I don't have a sword to deal with this thing, let alone grandpa."
"…," without warning, it leaned on the ground, and a sniffing noise could be heard from it, something that caused her to wonder what the Wolf Stray Devil was doing it. "Smells soooo good!"
"Eh! I'm covered in sweat, dumbass!"
Setsuna replied as the Wolf Devil charged straight at her with its claws aimed at her. She avoided it, but it looked to have nicked her clothing. Setsuna had previous experience with dealing with stray Devils that found their way to the town. It has been a long time since one of them came to the town, but she's seen one of them with a lot of assistance from her grandfather.
For reasons, she wasn't able to fight against supernatural beings alone, but based on its speed and agility, there was no doubt it was a Knight. It kept chasing at her with the intent of slashing her apart, however, Setsuna could handle its speed and attack. For her, however, she noticed that it didn't look as if it wasn't attempting to cut her and instead her clothing.
Setsuna was dressed in a simple shirt and shorts, causing more and more of her skin to be revealed as the Wolf Devil looked to be licking its lips.
"Oh, I see that you're a pervert."
Setsuna realized, realizing that it was attempting to strip her, something that didn't deter her from fighting against it. Instead, it stirred her to wipe that smirk off its face, as she gripped the wooden swords in her hand, however, she couldn't do much using wooden swords.
Without certain conditions being fulfilled she couldn't defeat this creature no matter how hard she fought without her grandfather here. More so, since the swords in her hands not being suitable for an actual fight against such a dangerous being.
"I'll have some fuuuuuun!"
The Wolf Devil pounced straight at Setsuna its claws straight at her as its mouth opened wide.
Not backing down, Setsuna followed its path using her honed perception, bringing down her wooden sword at its face. It felt a hard impact on its face, causing pain to travel from that point, however, that impact wasn't enough to stop the Wolf Devil. Instead, it recovered in mid-air, landing on the ground as it slashed off another portion of her clothing.
"I got you. You damn dog!"
Expecting that, Setsuna wrapped her arms around the Wolf Devil, and with surprising strength tossed it straight into the air. Just as it was descending back down from the air, she swung both swords in the path that she knew would end up falling.
Smack!
"Yelp!"
The Wolf Devil yelped, as it felt the hard impact aimed straight at its neck. However, as expected it didn't matter as it recovered moments later, slicing through the wooden sword in her hands. Now without a weapon, Setsuna found herself being pinned on the ground as the Wolf Devil tore off the shirt she was wearing. And revealed the black bra she wore underneath it.
"Smells soooo good! I'll be having sooo muuuch fun with another wooooman!"
The Wolf Devil declared, licking her cheeks with renewed vigor causing Setsuna to feel disgusted.
"That's gross you damned mutt!"
Kick!
"Yelp!"
Setsuna kicked the Wolf Devil behind the legs, causing more pain than it could've experienced to travel through its entire body. Of course, it wasn't something that a man could endure after being kicked between the legs, but it stirred up the Wolf Devil's aggression. It raised its clawed hand in the air to kill her. Setsuna prepared for the worse, but what she expected to happen, didn't happen.
Instead, its hand fell onto the ground, and the wound started smoking as it wailed in pain, as a result of the burning and moved from Setsuna. She looked to find that an odd handle that manifested a light blade was stabbed right into a tree. Setsuna turned around to find Kazuki standing there with Asia right beside him, looking on worried for the downed girl.
"Are you alright?"
"Eh, Kazuki, Asia? What're you doing here?"
"Well, I sensed something that wasn't supposed to be here. And decided to come out and check," Kazuki replied, as Setsuna stood up. Noticing her current condition, he glanced to the side, with a blush dusting his cheeks as her breasts fluttered about. "You should put something on."
"Eh, it's not like I'm naked or anything."
Setsuna didn't seem to think anything about the fact that she wasn't wearing anything aside from a bra.
"Another woman. I'll have fun with both of…."
At that, the Wolf Devil turned around to find Kazuki glaring straight at the stray Devil, an aura manifested around him, which was something that shocked it. In his hand, there were the two other light swords that he received. Having lost a hand to one of them didn't leave the Wolf Devil with many options. Instead, the Wolf Devil focused its intention on escaping from this situation.
As a Knight, it managed to escape from the location, but Kazuki showed no intention of chasing it, something that surprised Setsuna and Asia.
"You're not going to chase it?"
"I don't need to. It looks as if someone is going to be handling that one soon enough," Kazuki replied, as she felt the same thing as him from a distance. Before long, he pulled a blanket out of another dimension, then directed it at Setsuna. "Here cover yourself using this."
"Fine. I don't know what the big deal is."
Setsuna said, covering herself using the blanket, but Asia noted that there was a faint wound on her side caused by the Wolf Devil's claws. A good amount of blood leaked out from the wound. It didn't look fatal, but Asia can't leave someone injured.
"Um, you're injured."
"It's no issue for me. It's nothing but a scratch."
"Um, do you mind letting me heal you?"
"Huh, you can do that," Setsuna asked back, surprised to find someone who could heal injuries, but still waves off the concern. "But, it still isn't anything serio…."
In that instant, Setsuna found herself standing inside of an expanded green field, where she felt a form of presence as she found started clothing. She looked forward to finding Asia right in a prayer position with her Twilight Healing manifested on her fingers.
"I'm sorry, but I can't leave someone injured when I can heal them."
Asia said in a determined tone, something that Setsuna couldn't reject having heard that.
"Ah, fine. I guess that I can't reject the kind gesture now," Setsuna replied, glancing to the side. "If do, then that'll be rude to you and would shame my family too. So, thanks."
"You're welcome."
Asia smiled brightly at Setsuna, causing the silver-haired young woman to almost become overwhelmed by the pure emotions she gave off.
"How the hell can someone be this pure and kind?! It's almost blinding!"
Setsuna thought to herself, while almost blocking herself from the pure vibes Asia was released, something that caused Kazuki to almost laugh. Kazuki couldn't help laughing at the reactions that the silver-haired young woman gave from time to time.
Amid that, the Wolf Devil was running from the area at high-speed utilizing whatever he could draw out from his Knight trait. His arm still hurt from the fact that he received a serious wound that wouldn't be healed, his arm turned into ashes soon after.
"Need to escape, need to escape. I want to kill that brat, then rape both those…."
"My, what an awful creature."
In front of him was Miyamoto, who was heading in the same direction as the Wolf Devil, who didn't stop moving to escape from there. In that instance, the Wolf Devil seemed to begin focusing his demonic power more with the intent of using it to accelerate himself further.
"Don't have time to deal with an old man! I want to have fun with young beautiful women!"
"I might be rough on that girl, but it is a lesson that she needs to learn before thinking about heading out into the real world," Miyamoto said resting his hand on his cane, which seemed to be almost peeling apart to reveal what was hidden underneath it. "I'm a harsh teacher. But, I adore that girl as her grandfather. And thinking that anyone tried laying hands on her…."
"I'm a Knight, you're sword can't even reach my afterimage old man!"
In that instant, the Wolf Devil propelled himself forward at a speed that wouldn't put shame to his title as a Knight, something that could be called god-speed. It released its claw forward straight at Miyamoto, then passed him up, without striking the old man.
"Huh, I missed? But, doesn't matter, I'll…."
"You should've trained more. Most reincarnated Devils don't realize how to draw out the full potential of their Evil Pieces. I don't need to know the reason that you strayed from your master, but that doesn't matter me to. You've sealed your fate the moment you targeted that girl."
"Don't mock me! I'll show you a true Knight's speed right now!"
"No, I showed you mine! I hope you'll use this knowledge if you reincarnate again."
"Huh."
The Wolf Devil looked to find that Miyamoto drew out his sword, even though he couldn't notice even the slightest hint of movement from him. His cane turned from a walking stick into a familiar-looking katana. As soon as it was sheathed, the Wolf Devil's perception split into pieces, and his body fell into numerous pieces. Once the stray died, the katana returned to being a cane.
"That was quite the beautiful display of swordsman."
Heading in the direction of Miyamoto was Vasco Strada who was standing in front of the old man, who looked on a bit amused at his appearance.
"Vasco-dono, I thought that I sensed someone else's presence here. But, wouldn't it be a bit against your beliefs to compliment a Devil's swordplay."
Miyamoto said, proclaiming himself as a Devil without hiding it.
"Hahahaha, yeah, maybe. But, wouldn't the same thing be said about the Devil who offers an Exorcist a place to live for the summer break? I'm sure we both realized the other's position, the moment our paths crossed," Vasco laughed, realizing the man before he was a Devil, more so a reincarnated Knight. "Though, with the recent state of the Three Factions coming to terms with one another. I do see that things are beginning to change for all three sides. If that means that no other children will lose their families or friends, because of the constant battles, then I think that it's a good thing."
"Yes, that's true. But, it's too much to ask those whose fighting spirits were ignited because of the incidents stirred up from the previous battles. Nothing can bring back the lives lost, but their desire to fight against them became their sole purpose for existence. So, to them, this peace treaty feels almost like a slap in the face."
Vasco listened to and understood Miyamoto's words, realizing such a thing would cause the Exorcists who'd lost families to supernatural beings to feel insulted. He looked at the old man, whom he'd gotten to know through the fact he'd been offered a residence. Questions were going through the veteran's mind through the time both realized their positions.
"Such a skilled and dutiful man remains hidden in such a place. In the past, it might've been blasphemous for me to admit, but this man can be viewed as the definition of a Knight who defends their King. But, there hasn't been a single hint about their presence, let alone his peerage members. He doesn't appear to be a stray Devil, so what's his reason for remaining here aside from his granddaughter."
"Hmm, I lived here a long time ago," as if sensing his curiosity, Miyamoto started speaking about his past. "I was proud of the fact that I inherited the blood of a samurai lauded as the strongest samurai. My family help onto the original manual he wrote and I trained myself in the Niten Ichi-ryu without direction. I mastered what I learned by the time I turned twenty-five. But, the samurai's era ended a long time ago and there wasn't much use learning it, those were the words I often heard. I did use it from time to time to defend against the supernatural beings that I would often encounter. I met a woman who happened to have been an Oni, then we had a son together. Despite his strength, he had no interest in fighting."
Miyamoto spoke as Vasco listened to the man's tale.
"I didn't hate him or force him, there are some people who'd rather live in peace than on a battlefield. I lived here attempting to satiate the desire building up and even picked up creating my swords. But, that didn't do much for me aside from making me want to pursue the path again. At some point, I met this Devil girl who wanted to make me her Knight."
He talked as if it was yesterday, looking on as he recalled a meeting that gray-haired young girl, who looked to be young. He knew that Devils could alter their appearance, but this girl looked to be genuinely young nowhere near being one hundred or close to that.
'You see. I gained my Evil Pieces, because of my cousin, but before that, I thought a lot about who I wanted to be in my peerage. I then heard that Sirzechs-sama made a Samurai his Knight and then I gained an interest too in Japan's swordsmen. Your loyalty is something that caused me to become enamored. So, I wanted to know if you were interested in becoming my Knight with this Mutation Piece. I'll ensure that you receive everything that you've ever wanted in life. But, if you want to remain human, then I won't force you.'
"I denied her. At first, at least, I've heard nothing but bad rumors about what pure-blooded Devils do to attain a collection of strong servants with talents. She didn't lie, she didn't pursue attempting to recruit me after that. I was able to tell she wasn't lying, there was no ill intent in that girl's actions. It might sound odd for an Exorcist, but for me, it felt as if all that training had been for her benefit. As someone who wanted to be a Samurai, I finally found someone to serve. It was the same for the others. But, none of us could finish what we were meant to do…."
Miyamoto looked up as he placed a hand on his forehead, almost seeming as if he was on the brink of tears. The act caused Vasco to feel back for him, despite being from opposite sides. It simply showed the amount of loyalty and compassion he had for his King, which was something rare for Vasco.
"That isn't something that I can speak about. I can't do anything to change the past, no matter how much I want to. All I can do is accomplish what was requested of me," Miyamoto said, as he looked in the direction where the Wolf Devil came from. "She did so much for the town she was responsible for, but there were things she couldn't finish, and regretted not doing them. One of them is the fact she met a Longinus user, a child she met at a path. It's not like she wanted him to join her, she just wanted to be the first to assist in training a Longinus user. Wanting to do it for her, I waited until I met that child again at Kuoh Academy. It's a shame, that I could not introduce myself under more official conditions."
At that, Miyamoto's face started appearing to return to being much younger as his hair turned from silver to black until he took on the same appearance as Kaito Murakami. It wasn't odd as Devils could influence their appearance and age to look much younger than they actually are.
"So, you're the person who trained that young lad."
"That's right. I wasn't ordered to, but my King did think it'd be a good experience to train a Longinus user into one of the most prominent figures. So, I requested Sirzechs-sama to be allowed to act as a hired instructor at the Kendo Club for a time. To be honest, I loved being a teacher to those energetic teenagers," Miyamoto acting as Kaito stated, wearing a gentle smile. "I trained each of them in the manner that suited them. So, it seems as if all that experience wasn't for naught. And Kazuki trained in earnest and to better himself as a person, long before even coming to terms with his fate."
"And that's the reason you wanted to face Setsuna?"
"She's a talented girl, but she can be a bit brazen and overconfident sometimes. I wanted her to fight against one such as him, to see that the outside world is full of people who're as talented as her if not more," Miyamoto stated, as he returned to his previous age. "That son of my left quite the mess. He didn't want to be involved in battles, to the point he sealed his daughter's power. Though that might've been for the best, I don't want to imagine what she would do with those powers. It's not as if it's permanent, I have something in mind to aid that girl."
"So, do you plan on telling the young lad at some point?"
"Hmm, there's a chance that he has some suspicions about me being Kaito Murakami. It's hard playing two roles at the same time, without both blending," Miyamoto replied, as he and Vasco began leaving the area after turning the Wolf Devil's corpse into ashes. "I think he'll be surprised to find out that I'm a Devil. Well, I did what I planned on doing, which was training him. Now, I'll focus on training that girl before sending her out into the world."
"I'm sure that young girl will become quite the force. I wouldn't be surprised if she surpasses you."
"I don't doubt that. But, she'll end up needing to experience what the real world feels like before she even thinks of surpassing me."
Both the veteran Exorcist and Samurai continued speaking as if the two were old friends, the two sharing the same thoughts about certain things. Having returned to their younger group, the old men sent them off home to get some requests, which neither disagreed with.
Now, eleven days passed, since Vasco started training Kazuki, with the younger man learning more and more in regards to close combat. He learned more about the light weapons Exorcists used in the battle against supernatural beings, improving his usage of them. Aside from that, Kazuki learned more about the mechanics behind them, a trait that allowed him to use them better than before. As the Exorcist weapons he received were integrated into Divine Dividing, each one became powered using dragon power instead of light.
Because of that, Kazuki was having Albion adjust them using the image that entered his mind, which would better suit his preference. At the moment, he stood in a prepared stance without a weapon in hand as Vasco moved in front of him aiming a punch straight at him. Noticing the punch, Kazuki blocked by crossing both arms, the impact sent him backward off his feet.
It wasn't as if Vasco was going all out, if he had, then it wouldn't be surprising if Kazuki ended up with one broken arm, while sent off the mountain. But, Kazuki was learning about how to handle the fight against Power-type users of a similar level. Not letting him rest, Vasco went forward aiming an upwards kick straight at the young man, being a part of his training too.
Reading the flow, he leaped up with the force behind that kick to leap high into the air and landed behind Vasco. At that, Kazuki propelled forward behind the veteran, aiming a turning kick at the Exorcist from behind. It wasn't able to land again him, as Vasco blocked it using his muscled forearm.
"Hmm, that was some good force. You've been improving well enough in the training that I assigned and learning to distribute force without straining yourself. You're physical abilities and coordination has improved far above the level that I would've thought at this time."
"Thanks, for this training too again. I didn't think that I would get the chance to train with someone such as you in a situation such as this."
Kazuki replied as he kept standing in the same stance.
"I'm glad that Lady Gabriel asked me to train the Hakuryuukou. I didn't think that I would be training a young man with such an earnest and pure desire to better themselves," Vasco stated, returning to the same stance. "You're more of an interesting young lad than I thought. Despite not using your Longinus, you've improved a greater deal without using it. And you've adapted to the same things that we teach Exorcists while making more usage of the dragon power that's been building within you from the training. So, let's compare it."
"Huh?"
Kazuki looked confused as Vasco held his fist forward as a holy aura started radiating from it, something that the young man realized was the famed, Holy Fist. In that, he realized what the veteran Exorcist requested from him. Kazuki learned to channel and control his aura more compared to what he could do beforehand. Kazuki lifted his fist, as he channeled his dragon power, causing a dragon aura to radiate from his fist.
He leaped forward straight for Vasco, who waited for the impact, soon enough a fist of holy and dragon aura made contact. Both triggered a shockwave once the two collided with one another, something that Kazuki endured as he kept holding his fist out in resistance. It wasn't surprising that Vasco wasn't budging at all, not much time had passed until Kazuki was knocked back a couple of feet.
"Ugh, that one hurt."
Kazuki started waving his hand around, feeling the impact of the collision of their auras.
"But, that was a good impact. I taught you the fundamentals of Holy Fist to assist in whatever ability you planned to create, but you managed to apply your dragon aura instead of holy aura," Vasco said, showing a genuine smile. "I can tell that you have rare talent and sense that I haven't seen in many magic users in a long time. So, I don't doubt that you'll be able to develop something remarkable."
"So, a Dragon Fist instead of a Holy Fist."
Kazuki joked something that caused Vasco to let out a bit of a chuckle.
"Hahaha, yes, I'm sure that'd be the right term," Vasco replied, rubbing the back of his head as he continued to talk to the young man in front of him. "Well, I was told to train you for the first eleven days, while the person who'll be training you next will train you for the next ten days. I wasn't told who that person would end up being, but this person was someone the Governor General and Beelzebub managed to convince."
"Well, Azazel wouldn't tell me who the person is supposed to be either. I'm kinda worried since Azazel isn't one to consider the feelings of the people he's training and often does its part of a joke too."
Kazuki pointed out as he continued speaking.
"It was a pleasure to have trained the Hakuryuukou and discussed things with the people residing around here as well."
"Well, if you ever want to return, then you're free to."
"Hahaha, now I remember, you're now in charge of this town. Well, I thank you, for making it possible for me to continue coming here. I think this will be the last sparring session between us before I begin to depart, then I'll say my goodbyes to Sister Asia."
"Alright."
Agreeing to that, Kazuki and Vasco continued with their unarmed sparring session for several minutes, which could be extended for almost two hours straight without rest. In all that, he mastered how to pace himself without overexerting himself. Throughout all this, his base stats have been moderately improved compared to what it was when he first started training with Vasco.
After one more farewell, Vasco left the vacation home, something that caused Asia some sadness since she has become reacquainted with the Exorcist. But, glad that it has become possible for her to remain in contact with the kind powerful Exorcist.
Kazuki found himself sitting legs crossed outside as water fluttered around him, but it wasn't normal water, taking shape as the two Undine who offered themselves to him.
"So, it is possible."
{Yes, Kazuki-sama. It is, of course, possible for someone to enact supernatural phenomena without using magic circles to accomplish it. For us, Undine we can manipulate water without it because we were born to it. In our own experience, there have been people who could do the same thing.}
One of the Undine replied while Kazuki continued thinking.
"Based on the book Azazel gave me, it's possible to develop a special ability, but it does time and training to be able to even comprehend it. But, that book gave me a proper foundation to build on. Devils can manipulate their demonic power from birth. Angels and Fallen Angels were created with the power of light within them. But, Vasco could create holy energy without having any blood ties toward angels," Kazuki thought as he continued thinking a bit about the situation as he summoned dragon aura in his hand. "I didn't learn the Holy Fist, but I used that as a basis to learn more about controlling my dragon power. But, if I use it too much then I might end up losing control and my hand will turn into a dragon. Well, that's if I concentrate on one place for too long."
To prove that, he focused dragon power on his arm, as scales started manifesting and his nails started growing a bit sharper. He retreated the power from that part as it slowly started returning to normal, as his hand returned to normal.
{I'm sure that Kazuki-sama will achieve whatever he's planning.}
{Don't be a suck-up. Besides, Kazuki-sama likes me best.}
{Eh? What was that?!}
Kazuki looked on amused as the two Undine started arguing with one another, but it soon ended as the two soon started shuttering. It wasn't long until Kazuki sensed the presence of something else, approaching the mountain, it wasn't a weak presence and instead an undeniably strong one.
{{Oh, no! She's coming here?!}}
Both Undine seemed to have agreed about this "woman" not being something that the two of them wanted to be involved with.
{{I apologize, Kazuki-sama! But, I'm too terrified to be around her!}}
[As I thought, Azazel sure brought in a dangerous trainer.]
Albion seemed to recognize the woman's presence.
At that, the two Undine vanished from the area as a shadow appeared right above Kazuki, who looked right up to find a surprising sight. Above him was a blue Western Dragon with celestial blue scales, flapping 'her' wings as a wind pressure was produced from it.
"…beautiful."
Kazuki couldn't help staring at the female Dragon flying above him, as its dragon scales seemed to give off a really beautiful presence. For some the Dragon seemed to have paused a bit, then changed shape, appearing human, but with wings that she used to float to the air. Landing in front of Kazuki was a beautiful pale blue-haired, indigo-eyed woman dressed in a blue dress.
"…."
For some reason, she looked to be giving Kazuki a serious glance as he sat there with an awkward atmosphere being formed around them. Before long, he spoke.
"Um, hello. Were you the person Azazel said was supposed to be training me?"
"I am," she replied. "Before that, Albion are you listening in?"
[I am.] Albion said as he spoke out loud with Divine Dividing manifesting on Kazuki's back. [I didn't think that you would agree to the terms of a fallen angel, Tiamat.]
"I didn't. I received a request from Azazel but had no reason to agree to anything that Governor General wanted me to do. It was until Ajuka asked me to become involved simply to test out the durability of this training room he build into this place. Have you used it yet?"
"Uh, I did once just to get a better idea of what it was," Kazuki replied, standing to his feet, brushing off the dust he'd accumulated. "I didn't think that I would meet the Strongest Dragon King. It's good to meet you."
Kazuki despite being in the presence of a Dragon King didn't appear frightened at all, then gave a respectful bow and caused Tiamat to look at him.
"I don't plan on becoming friends with the Sekiryuutei's brother. I agreed to train you because I was requested to by the current Beelzebub," Tiamat replied, showing more contempt for Issei and Ddraig, whom she hasn't even met before than him. "So, let's get this training over with."
"…alright," Kazuki couldn't give another response aside from that, as Tiamat turned around and started heading inside of the house where the training room was. "Albion, did Ddraig or a previous Sekeiryuutei do something to Tiamat-san?"
[Ah, right? In the past, before our final bout, Ddraig borrowed some of Tiamat's treasures for the battle. But, after we died and were sealed in Sacred Gears, her treasures ended up being scattered across the Human World. To my knowledge, Tiamat has been looking for them since without success. Among things, Dragons are passionate when it comes to their treasure, stealing one of them alone is the same as earning their eternal contempt.]
"Ah, is that so? I feel bad for her. I'm surprised that Ddraig borrowed someone else's treasure, though."
Kazuki said, as he entered the house and couldn't see Asia inside the living room, but then sensed that she was in the study. He knew that from time to time, aside from training in Twilight Healing, Asia gained an interest in reading a little bit more about tending to injuries from medical books she found there. It wasn't surprising since there might come a time when she can't heal something, in particular. It couldn't heal things such as sickness and she had wanted to be prepared for anything.
In the training room, it was a white room that had multiple squares traced across the room, with there also being a touchscreen beside the closed door. Kazuki and Tiamat stood in the room, with the female Dragon King having a remote in her hand. After pressing it, a brilliant light started being released from the walls around them, with the two being covered by it.
Once the light faded, the two found themselves standing in the middle of what looked to be a beautiful grassland, with mountains around them. It was a unique barrier space that Ajuka Beelzebub created as a training room, with it being similar to the Gaming Field.
"So, what's the first thing that we'll be doing?"
Kazuki asked while beginning to stretch.
"I don't have any kind of special training or anything planned," Tiamat stated, as she started turning back into her full dragon form as a giant Western Dragon. "I'm not the training type in the first place, so I don't know the reason I was asked to do this. So, I plan on beating the Dragons' original combat form into you instead. You're training with the Church's Limit of Humanity, so you're physical abilities has been risen more than they were before. So, this training shouldn't kill you."
"Alright."
Kazuki said as he got into a prepared stance.
He felt a dominant pressure from Tiamat, who had flames sparking in her mouth, and could feel the goosebumps forming on his arms.
"Alright, the first trainer I had was the Church's Limits of Humanity, a true Hercules among humankind. And now, I'm facing off against the Strongest Dragon King," Kazuki thought, while Tiamat seemed prepared to release her flame breath at him, as he laughed to himself. "Ah, I see that the path of becoming the Strongest Hakuryuukou is paved with thorns. Well, let's get started."
From there, Kazuki ended up being almost attacked and tormented by Tiamat, who seemed to attack him without hesitation at all. He dodged flames, dragon aura, and swiping attacks from the strongest Dragon King throughout the training sessions. In this, Kazuki did start learning about the basic attacks that Dragons used in combat, and found himself glad that Asia was by his side. He spent his time doing all this nonstop for almost two hours.
Outside, Tiamat found herself sitting on the couch as she seemed to be caught in thought. But, it didn't seem to have much to do with the actual training of Kazuki.
"I can't believe that I'm training the Sekiryuutei's younger brother. Aside from getting the treasure that was lost in their battle, I don't want anything to do with the Heavenly Dragons again. After this time, I haven't managed to get a single lead on any of my treasure."
Tiamat thought as she continued focusing on that thought. She, same as other Dragons became agitated at the thought of becoming important, most notably their treasure becoming lost for any possible reason. Amid this, she heard someone approaching her.
"Here you go, Tiamat-san."
Asia said, presenting Tiamat with tea and snacks, both of which were freshly prepared.
"Thank you."
Tiamat said, she didn't ask for anything, but the blonde-haired young girl still prepared this for her.
She drank the tea, something that caused her to admit that it was good, the same as the snacks that were also prepared for her. Amid this, Tiamat looked to also find that Asia summoned Raikou, something that'd even caught the Strongest King's attention.
"Is that a Sprite Dragon?"
"Yes, this is Raikou. I found him in the Familiar Forest and made him my familiar," Asia said, as she gave Raikou the good she prepared. "I can't summon him sometimes around Kazuki since he fires off blue lightning at him."
"Well, male Dragons sometimes don't like other men," Tiamat stated, leaning forward as the Sprite Dragon had a suspicious look on his face. "I'm surprised that a Sprite Dragon, even a young one took a liking to someone else, let alone a human. Hmm, I think you might have some talent as a Dragon Tamer."
Tiamat said that last part as she sensed something unique about Asia compared to what she would sense from a human, different from a Sacred Gear.
"Huh, really," Asia looked surprised as she heard that from the Dragon King, but then looked to find that Kazuki still hasn't left the training room. "Uh, is it alright to leave, Kazuki in that room alone?"
"He's fine. Just let him rest in there," Tiamat said, as she continued drinking her tea, but then paused as she thought about what Kazuki said in their first meeting. "…."
'…beautiful.'
She heard Kazuki referring to her as 'beautiful' in her dragon form before she transformed into a human. Tiamat hadn't heard such words from someone who witnessed her dragon form, most humans who witnessed her in that state would run from.
"…what a weird kid."
Tiamat uttered under her voice, almost blushing at the idea of being called 'beautiful' in dragon form.
Meanwhile, in the training room, Kazuki lay down in the sealed-off room as the temperature in the room felt good and caused him to relax. The injuries he sustained from Tiamat's training were healed, but it could do anything for the exhaustion accumulated. He was conscious, but couldn't do anything aside from thinking to himself.
"Uh, that training was much rougher compared to the training that his Eminence put me through, and it's the first day of training with the Dragon King."
Kazuki thought as he continued resting.
Not much time passed, as Kazuki felt his head being lifted off the ground and placed on someone's lap, causing him to feel a much softer sensation.
"Uh, Asia?"
Kazuki asked, almost too tired to tell who the person was. But, it had to be because of the great exhaustion as he couldn't sense who the person was.
"No. it's me."
Answering that question was a familiar voice, causing him to look up surprised as he recognized the voice.
Looking down at Kazuki from above was Ophis, the Dragon God herself who was wearing her usual emotionless expression.
"Ophis-san?!"
"Yes?"
In response to his surprise, Ophis replied as if he didn't shout and looked surprised about her presence.
"How did you get in here?"
"I walked in."
At that simple response, Kazuki didn't bother asking anything else and instead laid down unable to question any of what Ophis said at that point. He laid down in the same position as Ophis simply allowing him to remain in the same position. Kazuki didn't know what to ask in this instance since several things happened, one thing Ophis was revealed to be the strongest being in the world. And she was revealed to be the leader of the Khaos Brigade.
"…uh, Ophis-san."
"I'm, sorry?"
Ophis said, but the apology itself almost sounded awkward as if she didn't know if it was right or something.
"Sorry, for what?"
Kazuki himself looked surprised about that.
"That Witch Girl said that's what you're supposed to say when you aren't honest to a friend."
"Witch Girl? Ley Fay-san."
Kazuki thought and knew one person who could be called a Witch Girl, which was Ley Fay. But, I was surprised about how Ophis referred to other people.
"I think that's her name. No, that's her name," Kazuki almost laughed nervously at how she didn't recognize Ley Fay's name until recalling it. "That Black Cat said that this would be a good apology and something else that she mentioned about…."
"Don't listen to what Kuroka-san tells you as advice."
At that, Ophis simply nodded her head in agreement unable to disagree with the advice from her friend. Amid this, Kazuki couldn't see her as being this devious leader of a terrorist organization, consisting of the Old Maou's last descendants who want world domination. He didn't know much about Vali, but there appeared to be something different about him compared to them. However, Ophis seemed just like a pure Dragon.
"Uh, Ophis-san."
"…?"
Kazuki called out to her, causing the Dragon God to tilt her head to the side.
"Why did you decide to lead the Khaos Brigade?"
"I wanted to go home, and they said they'll help me."
"Huh?"
Kazuki was surprised about that being Ophis' reason for wanting to lead the Khaos Brigade, being since she'd wanted to return home. He knew Ophis wouldn't lie to him at least, not telling the entire truth would be one thing, but telling a straight lie didn't sound like her.
"You wanted to go home?"
"Yes."
"Is there no other way that you could return home?"
"No, he's in the way."
Ophis replied, not letting out who 'he' was, something Kazuki knew wasn't intentional and showed the amount she didn't care for whoever this person was. But, as the Strongest Being in the world, it meant that there was such a being that Ophis couldn't remove from her home.
"Who's this…?"
"The Witch Girl said someone tired shouldn't be speaking."
"Ah, right."
Kazuki replied wryly, still almost nervously laughing about how she refers to others.
Hearing such a statement from Ophis, Kazuki couldn't do anything aside from lying there surprisingly on the Dragon God's lap. Though, the fact he was doing such a thing, it would cause most to become nervous about lying on a superior being's lap. If he had to be honest, Kazuki began feeling tired from a combination of the exhaustion and how comfortable it felt on Ophis' lap. And it wasn't that long until Kazuki fell asleep.
"…zzz."
"He fell asleep."
Ophis said, looking down to find that Kazuki fell asleep on her lap.
In thinking about what she heard from Kuroka, Ophis didn't know what to believe since Kazuki had told her not to listen to her advice. There was something that she witnessed from Arthur and Le Fay then started brushing her hand softly against Kazuki's head. She couldn't understand the reason, but it did look as if it was comforting Kazuki a good deal.
"I thought that I sensed someone else here. But, I didn't think that the Dragon God herself would be here."
Ophis looked up to find Tiamat entering the training room, then talked it behind her. She didn't want to shock the blonde-haired nun standing in the living room with the Dragon God in their vacation home.
"It's been a while Tiamat."
"What're you planning on doing with the Hakuryuukou?"
Tiamat asked, hearing about the relationship between Kazuki and Ophis from the Maou.
"I, want to continue being friends with Kazuki."
"Is that so? I didn't think that the Dragon God of Infinity would think about wanting friends. But, I guess that we're all going through changes nowadays. This is supposed to be his vacation home or whatever, so don't cause any kind of trouble for him. I don't want the hassle of having to deal with any more egoist Devils than I have to."
"No one would mess with him."
At that Tiamat couldn't understand the Dragon God at all, but could see that she had no intention of harming the kid who she was supposed to be training. Afterward, she turned around to leave the room but had a couple more words for the Dragon God before leaving.
"You shouldn't remain here for long. I don't want that nun to get a heart attack with the Dragon God here."
At that, Tiamat left Ophis in the room alone with the still-sleeping Kazuki, who continued petting the Hakuryuukou on the cheek as if he was something truly precious.
A/N: And there goes the next chapter of The Twin Dragons, well, this was the second part of the summer training Kazuki was put through. In this, he showed more interest and researched creating a special ability of his outside of Divine Dividing. Amid this, I wanted to show more of the relationship that Kazuki was building with the people in the town. A new female character was revealed in the form of Setsuna Miyamoto, a descendant of Miyamoto Musashi.
But, I think the biggest surprise was the fact that her grandfather, Miyamoto was not just a reincarnated Devil, but also the real name of Kaito Murakami. There was some talk about who his King was, but I won't be naming them.
Near the end, Tiamat made her appearance and started the second part of Kazuki's summer training with Ophis coming up at the end. The next chapter, it's going to be at the end of the summer.
I hope that you liked the chapter, until next time.
Issei's Harem: Rias, Akeno, Koneko, Xenovia, Lucia, Tsubasa, Kiyome, Aika, Elmenhilde, Yasaka, Kunou, Bennia, Roygun, Ingvild.
Kazuki's Harem: Sona, Raynare, Asia, Irina, Lucina, Mariah, Kuroka, Ophis, Rossweisse, Ravel, Le Fay, Gabriel, Jeanne, Lint, Tiamat, Lilith, Valerie.