The Next Day:
Dining Room, Buddha's Palace:
Isaiah's POV:
"Hey gaki." I heard at the voice, Okita just grinning as he downed another cup of sake. MacGregor and Wukong were drinking tea as Bardou slept next to them before his eyes opened and he barked happily as he ran towards me.
"Hey, boy." I muttered as I knelt in front of him and ruffled his hair, Bardou licking my face happily as I chuckled before I stood up.
"So, when were you going to tell me I was going to train under the Buddha?' I asked Okita with a petty glare only for him to smirk.
"When you met him, so…surprise." He even did the lame 'jazz-hands' as I jut shook my head with a sigh before Buddha chuckled.
"Come, sit down. For the next month, you're just relaxing. No reading or studying runes and no training of any sorts. After that month, we're going to start with your training."
"…So no surprise 'enemy' attacks at 4:30 AM?" I asked as I stared directly at Okita, who grumbled childishly as Buddha just smirked.
"No, no surprise 'enemy' attacks." For the first time, I relaxed my guard, sagging into my chair in relief and I smirked victoriously seeing Okita struggling to pick up the chopsticks next to him and throw at me.
"Well, boy. Looks like we have some time off." Bardou barked as he sat own next to me and laid his hand on my lap, with me smirking as I patted his head softly before I began eating.
Buddha POV:
I've been alive since the concept of the term 'living' was created. That foolish boy calling himself the God of the Bible was truly the one person I could fight against…and then he went and got himself killed by his child.
I do understand his pain. No father can bring themselves to take the life of their firstborn son, the one you entrust everything to until the time comes for them to take over your role and you can finally relax.
However, it seems firstborn children are still as spoiled as always.
That brat Lucifer decided to rebel against his father simply for the fact that Daddy loved his youngest children more than him. Truly, a spoiled brat beyond all measure. Now, after millennia of boredom, with the occasional battle against Wukong, Indra or Shiva being the only source entertainment, I finally have something exciting to do.
Training a reincarnated soul.
Yes, I've trained about a few dozen or so, but those were old men who wanted to achieve Nirvana in the bodies of animals and/ or familiars.
This was a young man, relatively about 19 to 20 years of age, reborn in the body of a 13 year old boy. Something most of the Buddhists of my religion thought to be impossible and yet, the evidence is sitting in front of me while drinking a cup of tea with a smile on his face.
That look in his eyes, though. It may be subtle now, but that look of darkness in his eyes was a bit worrying. The two brats Okita and MacGregor did inform me that one of his familiars was taken away by their father, though from their words, the hound went willingly to keep the boy safe.
According to Okita, the boy's primary sin is Pride, with Greed and Lust being close seconds.
The only Devils that had those three sins in that exact same order was the very first Devil Lucifer himself. Most just focus on empowering one of their sins since their minds may shatter their common sense.
The fact that the boy hasn't gone on a worldwide stealing frenzy while taking the wives and daughters of other men and also proclaiming himself the best in the world speaks of his resilience.
However, I will have to rectify Okita's mistake of not making him focus on the boy's sins more.
A Month Later(Month 10, Year 1):
This last month was refreshing with not having to do any sort of training.
Don't get me wrong, there was this voice in my mind that kept shouting at me to keep on training in secret, but I just ignored that voice and continued with my relaxation.
Okita's struggle for the past month to keep himself from attacking me out of nowhere was the funniest thing I've seen. Every time I walked past him, I could see him tensing every muscle in his body and gritting his teeth to keep himself from attacking and it was hilarious.
Snapping out of my thoughts, I leaned back as a hand pierced the air where my head was before jumping into the air to avoid a leg sweep, my right leg snapping out and being blocked by an arm as Okita jumped back with the blow, flipping through the air.
"Oh, that felt good~" Okita sighed in relief and I rolled my eyes as I relaxed my stance.
"You couldn't have waited until we at least started training, could you?"
"I needed my fix, gaki." Okita said shamelessly with a shrug and I just shook my head as I kept walking towards the back of the Palace where Buddha was waiting for me, Okita whistling happy as he followed after. When we walked into the backyard, Okita let out a low whistle as I just smirked.
A large barren field was all that was found in the middle of the backyard, a forest of trees off to the right side and a lake with a large waterfall to the left side. I don't know how that waterfall even worked, but I just chalked it up to runes as I walked to where MacGregor, Buddha and Sun were waiting for us.
"Welcome to the Shakya training ground, named after the republic I was born in." Buddha said with a smirk and I just nodded as I stopped a few meters in front of them, Okita walking to stand next to MacGregor.
"Now then, Wukong, I leave the first phase of his training to you. You two brats are coming with me." And before MacGregor and Okita could speak, Buddha gripped them both by the ear before they disappeared. I didn't see his muscles tensing, nor did I see any teleportation crest of any sort.
They just…vanished.
"Don't even try to track old man Buddha's speed. He's fast enough to fight against both Indra and Shiva at the same time, so an Ultimate-Class Devil would be strained to even see his shadow move." Sun said from the side with a smirk and I just frowned.
"Doesn't that make him the strongest being in the world, with only the Dragon Gods being higher than him?" I asked and he just chuckled.
"Hahaha! Yes, he is the strongest, but the old man would rather hide away from the world and sleep away. Besides, there are also the primordial beings from the other pantheons to consider. They cannot interfere directly in the physical world, but they can declare a champion and meddle with the physical world that way. That is also the reason why the old man lives up here. Being closer to heaven helps him keep the primordials from interfering directly with the world." I hummed as I nodded, mulling over his words while being a bit worried.
I was so focused on the light novel versions of High School DxD that I didn't even consider the fact that there might be more about the world than just what was portrayed in the Light Novels.
"Now then, enough worrying about others. Let's get to the training itself." Snapping out of my thoughts, I shook my head before nodding, waiting for him to begin right before my eyes widened as I twisted my body to the right, Ruyi piercing the air where I stood previously as the ground under it cratered.
"Good reflexes and reaction speed. I see Okita taught you well. Now, attack me." I just stared at him before I disappeared, reappearing above him with my leg raised high before I brought it down with a full powered axe-kick
He just gave an amused smirk as he lifted his left index finger, stopping my attacks dead in his tracks before he pushed. A split second later, I was rolling through the air at high speeds, cradling my broken ankle before a shadow appeared above me.
"Good power to your attacks. Now, block." And before I could unveil my wings, he spun through the air before a kick snapped towards my face. Quickly raising my arms in a cross-guard, I felt a feeling of weightlessness as his leg pressed against my arms before I rocketed backwards, creating an indent in the ground as my vision spun.
"A broken left forearm, a shattered ankle and you're still conscious if barely. Not bad endurance and durability. I see that they have taught you well. Now eat this." I couldn't really see past the blurs, but Sun popped something sweet into my mouth and I instinctively chewed it before swallowing. Instantly, I felt refreshed and ripping myself out of the indent on the ground, I looked down and saw that my body was pristine as when I arrived.
No, I felt even better than ever, my body brimming with power as Wukong chuckled.
"A small piece of the Heavenly Peach of Immortality. It repairs all impurities and small disabilities inside your body as well as given you enough energy that you don't have to sleep or eat for at least three months" I stared at him in shock with a slight bit of greed in my eyes and he chuckled.
"You can also only eat a small piece once every three months if you have a mortal body unless you want to spontaneously combust, because eating just one is enough to temporarily give a High-Class being enough power to battle God-Class beings before they die." Instantly, the greed in my eyes disappear as I nodded, staying as far away from the peach that he was currently eating.
I may be greedy for power, but not that greedy.
"So, was there a reason for you given me the piece?" I asked and he nodded as he jumped to his feet.
"Yep. We're going to be training just your combat capabilities without your Sacred Gears, your Holy-Demonic Balance Breakers or the 15 Phoenix Tears you have in your pocket dimension. Just your fists and your bow."
…You know what? I'm not even going to ask how he knew all that. There was one problem, though
"I'm pretty sure my bow wouldn't even tickle you." I said with a deadpan and he just chuckled before he held out his hand.
"Give me the bow." Frowning slightly in confusion, I took off the glove before handing it to him. He hummed as he stared at the glove in his right hand while slowly rubbing his left index finger all over it. After he rubbed the entirety of the glove, he closed his eyes before chanting under his breath, tapping the glove at random spots for the next few seconds before he opened his eyes with a smirk and tossed it back at me.
"There. Now, release it." Nodding with a confused glance, I put on the glove and activated it. Instantly, the bow appeared in my hand and I stared at it in shock.
Formerly, its length was about half my height, but now, it was slightly taller than me. Its form was still the same shape as that of a recurve bow, but it was pitch black with a bright blue grinning Wukong on the left side of it, the same tribal markings curving around him. The string was a shimmering blue that sparked slightly and as I pulled it back, I marvelled at the soft thundering sounds it let off. The arrow's shaft and fletching was made completely out of neon blue lightning and the arrow head was made out of dark green winds.
"Release it." Wukong said with a smirk and with a wide grin, I turned towards the forest and let go. The arrow flew through the air almost faster than I could see, cutting through air and the bark of the trees with the crackling of electricity before I jumped slightly as a thunderous boom went off at the far back of the forest. A torrent of large thunderbolts reached up to the heavens as thunderous boom after thunderous boom went off.
"Wukong! I thought you said you were going to train him! Not cause mass-destruction!" We heard Buddha shout and Wukong grinned at me before he picked up and ran towards the Palace, Buddha appearing out of thin air behind us with a glare before he disappeared. Wukong just grinned before he went even faster and the world around me disappeared, though that didn't stop our laughter.
This was the best!
Two Months Later(Month 12, Year 1):
Blitzing around the area, Wukong was smiling leisurely as I glared at him, my right hand blurring as I fired arrows at a blistering pace.
Wherever an arrow, a dozen or so lightning bolts rained down from the sky while a small tornado tore through the arrow. Wukong just giggled like a little schoolkid on a school field trip as he jumped and bounced around, dodging every lightning bolt with ease and dispersing the tornadoes with nothing but a clap. Literally. He just jumps at a tornado before slapping it and it disappears.
This guy has too much power, but not enough maturity.
"Enough long range! Close range combat!" Wukong shouted from where he was balancing on Ruyi, which was planted upright on the ground, with nothing but a toe and I nodded as the bow instantly turned back into its glove form before my Touki appeared. It roared loudly as it was released and I grinned excitedly before I pushed towards him.
The ground under me cratered as I appeared in front of Wukong in the blink of an eye, my leg arcing through the air before connecting with his left index and middle fingers. I've grown strong enough over the past few months to the point that he has to use two fingers to block my attacks.
Considering the fact that I saw him cause a country-wide earthquake in Japan a week ago by just tapping three of his fingers hard on the ground…I'll take two fingers.
Landing on the ground, I didn't stay stationary for long as my legs flashed and arced through the air, kick after kick snapping out & creating shock waves as Wukong just chuckled while parrying or blocking them. I even tried to incorporate a few punches into my attack only to grimace as he smirked amusedly and used his tail to bat them away.
Soon, he seemed to have enough as his arm snaked around my leg before hitting me in the abdomen, knocking the wind out of me as I gasped before he flicked me on the forehead and send me flying back. Back flipping through the air, I smashed into a tree back first with a choked gasp before he reappeared in front of me, his right index finger pressed against my skull.
"And boom! You're dead." He said cheerfully, but I was just trying to get my breathing under control.
"Do…you always…have to go…for the gut?" I gasped out and he just chuckled as he helped me to my feet.
"It's fun. Besides, you've grown, young little wolf." I just grumbled at his nickname for me before I heard a familiar voice.
"Well done. It's been a while since someone that is not myself, Indra, Shiva, Brahma or Vishnu managed to get Wukong to use more than a finger in battle." I just nodded at the praise before he smirked.
"Now then. Wukong, I'll take over for phase 2. Boy, take another month long break" Was all he said before he turned and disappeared once again, Wukong and I staring at where he was last standing before I spoke.
"…Is he actually going to train me?" I asked and Wukong sighed.
"Yeah, but the old man's too lazy to try to train you. He's probably going to hand you a few tomes and/ or scrolls and then tell you to learn from them before he goes back to sleep" I just sighed as Wukong began walking towards the dining room, with me following after him.
"Faster, Bardou! Keep shooting the fireballs!" I heard MacGregor and I chuckled as I turned to the lake. Standing at the edge of the lake was Bardou, transformed and firing a fast barrage of small violet fireballs at the waterfall. MacGregor was next to him with runic circles in front of him as he analyzed and wrote down everything he realized while training him.
Instinctively, I jumped into the air and snapped out a leg to my right, a familiar voice chuckling as an arm lifted up and blocked my kick.
"You're not done yet, gaki. Reflex and sensory training." Okita said with a smirk and I just sighed as I landed back on the ground, Wukong cackling happily at my agony as I took my blindfold out of the pocket dimension before putting it on.
Activating my Touki, Air Current Sense and Electroreception, I barely had chance to lift my arms before a kick snapped through my cross-guard and buried itself into my chest. I gasped as I went skidding back across the barren field before flipping and jumping back just as one of his katanas pierced the area where my head was.
Ever since Wukong took over my physical training, Okita has taken my sensory, reflex and swordsmanship training far more seriously, fighting at what he says is just 50% of his full power.
I like to call it 'Hell Training'.
Creating two Holy-Demonic falchions, I just 'saw' Okita smirk before he disappeared, reappearing besides as his right katana sliced through the air towards my neck. With a smirk, I leaned under the katana at the last second, slashing out towards his legs with the falchion in my left hand while the one in my parried parried the katana in his left hand upwards. He chuckled as he jumped with the deflection, flipping over the attempted attack from below before bringing his leg back down in a stomp.
Pushing as hard off the ground as I could with my left foot, I barrel-rolled away from his stomp before landing on my right foot. With a grin, the ground under me cracked as I rocketed towards him before flipping through the air and bringing both falchions down on him. He just smirked and a loud screech ripped through the air as our blades clashed and pressed against each other.
"Doesn't this take you back, huh?!" He exclaimed with a happy grin and my grin just widened as I nodded before he pushed me back.
"Let's pick this up a notch!" He shouted as his Touki roared into existence and I cackled as my Touki dissipated only for Storm King's Aura to appear in his stead. Electricity sparked around me and I lowered myself with a sadistic grin as Okita did the same before we rocketed at each other.
A/N: And there we go. A bit better than the last chapter, but not by much.
Next chapter is going to be a bit more calm and introspective as Isaiah starts training under Buddha.
Also, yeah, I realize that the story is a bit…meh, but that's because I didn't want to just skip the training arc and just begin with the next arc like a few stories that I've read do.
Another also, I couldn't find another black-haired girl for the four-girl harem apart from Akeno, Tsubaki and the not-black-haired-but-still-dark-haired girl, so Kuroka is going to be the fourth and final member.
Yippee!
…Now, to figure out how to add her without 90% of the Underworld trying to kill her…hehehehehehe! I got it!
Anyway, see you all next chapter and until then… Ba-Bye~!