Chapter XII

It struck Issei as odd that someone so small could pack that much of a punch.

That wasn't to say he hadn't seen girls that were just as scary. But Euryale had a very sharp spear and Dusa-chan was scary in ways you couldn't even look at her without being in danger.

This was different.

And just as bad.

"Not the face! Watch out for the face!"

Jabs, hooks, straights. The tiny girl lashed out with punch after punch, moving like an experienced pugilist, faster than a human had any business being, with attacks strong enough to blow his hair back with wind alone.

The one time he blocked them, Issei actually felt his forearms go numb and his knees buckle before pushing her back… which had been just about the only win he had managed so far in this fight before the girl, Koneko, launched herself back at him intent on giving his face a permanent makeover.

Using the force of her strike to propel herself upwards, the white haired brawler bounced up and at Issei and it was all he could do to throw up a wall between them.

"Got you."

Grabbing the lip of the slab of marble as it fell, she rotated herself over the edge of Issei's shield and he, well, took advantage of the opening. With a second kick coming down, the extra rotation lending it additional power, but taking more time to land, Issei roughly guessed where Koneko was falling.

So, wincing, hesitating to put much effort into it, and feeling immensely guilty, the teen lined his fist up with his opponent's face and just… let the girl fall into it.

"Sorry!"

Her chin struck his knuckles with a sharp crunch while her second strike did send him flying, the sheer force released on impact being enough to knock Issei back several feet, still landing on his feet even though he felt like he'd had a soccer ball punted at his chest.

Issei ducked under a punch, barely dodging the little girl… who just so happened to be able to shatter steel.

Flailing wildly, he back pedaled as he tried to dodge her strikes, the short, sharp attacks coming in at a heavy pace. Each punch would have pulverized a normal human and Issei still flinched, even if he could take the hits without much trouble. But, after a sudden trio of blows - a simple left, right, left - both of his hands came up out of instinct.

"Bad choice."

Suddenly pushing off the ground, the white haired girl landed an elbow to his gut and then stepped into Issei as he doubled over.

"Up!" She grabbed his jacket, slammed her hips into his thighs, and bodily lifted him off the ground. "And over!"

Suddenly losing contact with the ground, the Campione did the only thing he could!

"Oof!" Manifesting a slab of marble mid air, he made a sound of pain more out of habit than actual injury. In fact, even if he'd been slammed face first into the floor, he'd walk it off. But Issei still preferred not to be manhandled like this.

So he did the simple thing!

Liquifying the marble, or, rather, causing it to flow like it was a liquid, he "doused" the younger student in his conjured material and solidified it before she could dodge fully.

"Uh oh."

However, somewhat critically, he had forgotten her hands were still wrapped up in his jacket.

"Bye bye."

Jumping up, their bodies at an odd angle, Issei turned to face his opponent. Whose shoe clad feet were currently rocketing at the conjured marble. And, of course, his body.

'Hello, paradise!'

And yet, something more important was there for him at that moment. A truly valuable trade that made the next ten seconds entirely worthwhile.

Koneko's feet made contact with his chest, right between her arms, and the hastily conjured marble plate shattered. Really, he knew martial artists did the whole thing where they punched through stone slabs. But this was ridiculous!

'I figured it would be like that, but without a chant it was much weaker.' It was only a rush job, too, but he'd never seen his marble just shatter like that. With that kinda strength the blow would have pulped the chest of a normal person, but Issei simply got the wind knocked out of him.

His jacket, however, was instantly ripped to shreds, freeing the brawler's hands and rocketing him at the far wall of the school gym.

Clipping a bleacher, the campione spun wildly up into the air, cartwheeling and flipping as he spun, and only avoided being launched out of the building by conjuring a stone slab to catch him.

Not particularly soft, he was immensely glad that none of these attacks, or his landing, had or would hurt him. But, falling from several meters in the air, he conjured a long sloped block of marble, the curve just enough to catch him and help him slide back down to the floor.

"Oof!"

Even if he didn't land as smoothly as hoped.

However, he was much, much better off than his opponent.

"Let me out, Senpai."

With nothing but her head sticking out of the ground, the white haired brawler couldn't even struggle as she was.

"Ah, sorry." Issei rubbed his head. "But I don't want to be kicked again."

Walking over to his opponent, the Campione inspected his trap in detail.

Mostly relying on the fact that the Rook was happy to smash up the ground, he had allowed his conjured stone to settle into the cracks, smashed up areas, and then he'd just replicated what he'd used to trap her the first time around. So, falling into a massive puddle of liquid marble, connected by a single snaking vine, the very short, very, very strong girl lacked the leverage needed to hit him.

"I will punch you."

"I… see." Looking up at her friends, the teenager got a round of shrugs and a very sadistic smile. "So, do you surrender, or…."

"No."

Her head rocked back and forth a bit, but, other than that single word, there was no further response.

"Please?"

The rocking got a little worse and right now Issei was worried he'd hurt her.

"No."

And just like that she stopped rocking and shrugged the ground itself up an inch.

His eyes went wide as the girl, smaller than him, tiny compared to him, physically lifted up the entire section of the ground he'd trapped her in.

"Pfft." And just like that, his awe and terror were gone. "I-I-I'm sorry." Bent over, laughing, unable to help himself, the poor boy found himself completely and totally overwhelmed. "You're head… it's like a giant flower costume!"

Having seemingly tried to assume a combat stance, Koneko, with a large section of the floor still attached to her body, was left with only her face and hands free.

In other words, Issei was fighting a girl stuck in a wall.

And it wasn't even lewd!

"Don't laugh!"

He tried to stop.

"Don't!"

Truly.

"Fine. I surrender. Just let me go."

Her pout only made the whole thing even more adorable.

"You did your best, Koneko."

The Rook glared at him, but she relaxed when he patted her shoulder, leaning into his touch for only a moment - Buchou soon pulling her away to finish clearing rock powder from her cheeks with a napkin.

But she had appreciated the recognition, even if it was only because he wasn't being condescending. His friend had tried and failed to do more than momentarily disrupt the Campione at all. And that had him feeling a great many things.

Anxiety wasn't a completely unfamiliar feeling to Kiba.

In fact, one could almost call it an old friend. The sort who you went without seeing for a long time, only to bump into at random for a quick catch up. While the metaphor didn't exactly fit his situation, the Knight was sure that the way his stomach clenched and his heart chilled were familiar.

Anxiety.

Uncertainty.

Excitement.

The last one surprised even him.

He knew what Campione were, or rather, despite knowing that such people existed in the world, he'd never found any interest in learning more about them, because he never saw himself facing one.

'Rookie mistake.' He would readily admit.

Kiba trained to fight angels.

He'd trained to fight fallen.

He'd even trained to fight other devils at two different points of his life. Before and after his current situation. Yet never once had he found himself training and studying for the purpose of facing off against one of the elusive, yet frighteningly powerful god killers.

But now here he stood.

Kiba twirled his sword, stretching as the weapon moved around his hand and then back again. It was a coordination exercise, forcing him to pay attention to both the blade and his own limbs, lest he lop something off.

Still, his heart began to slowly speed up as he took in his enemy.

Whatever the first impression he'd had of the alleged pervert was gone.

And he couldn't help but feel the thrill of excitement that shot down his spine.

"Are you sure you don't want a short rest?" He offered common courtesy by habit, but his heart wasn't in it. Because, despite it all, the blonde swordsman found he really wanted to get right into business and figure out just how he stacked up to this unfairly difficult opponent.

"Oh, I'm okay. It stings a bit, but I'm good to go."

And he wasn't lying.

As untrained and raw as the boy appeared to be, he didn't seem the least bit winded from his bout with Koneko. While there might be bruises and scrapes, it really wasn't any worse than one might have if they, for example, fell while on a walk.

And that's all Koneko's bout amounted to.

'A light jog and a bump.'

The feeling was back in force.

His hands shook, not with fear, but an energy that he'd not felt in a long, long time. His inhuman senses extended and took in the roiling mass of divine power freely rampaging just under the once-human-boy's skin. His mind took in the weak stance, sloppy form, almost casual air.

But most of all how even when injuries pulled or chafed against clothing, Issei didn't react at all. Almost like he couldn't feel them.

'Absurd stamina, absurd pain tolerance? Lack of ability to feel pain?'

Kiba smiled, politely, formally, and flourished his sword.

"Then I thank you for allowing me to test myself against you."

"Oh, it's a pleasure."

Issei bowed at him and the swordsman, not having risen, lunged forwards, arm extending in a thrust that was aimed directly at the boy's neck.

"Woah!"

His sharpest blade, black tip seeking blood, didn't so much as bruise his enemy; the point forming a minute dimple before the lack of strength behind the lunge brought the attack up short.

'Impenetrable skin? High defensive abilities?'

Bringing his wrist up and around, the swordsman slashed across his opponent's collarbone, then pushed forwards and down.

Against a stray Devil, it would have opened them up and left their entrails to spill out.

Here?

It ruined the Campione's school uniform.

"Ok then!"

And the idiot simply charged forwards, too slow to close with Kiba, who landed half a dozen death strokes on the boy. But, even channeling his own magic into Sword Birth, he found himself unable to do more than scrape off a few layers of skin at a time.

'The most I can do is leave a pink stripe, this isn't working.'

"I've got you now!"

Throwing a sloppy punch, the Campion tried to slam a haymaker straight into Kiba's gut. Taking a half step back, the Knight brought his weapon up and around, arcing its flat directly into the other boy's ear.

"Fu-fuck!"

Swearing, holding his head, the Japanese schoolboy collapsed to his knees, holding the side of his head.

Confused, unsure of what had happened, there was no blood coming from the strike after all, Kiba stepped closer - hoping to force a quick draw and avenge his King's honor.

And then the other boy promptly vomited.

On Kiba.

"Gross."

"My, my, poor Campione~"

"Poor Kiba, you mean."

The Queen chuckled, agreeing with their leader, and the Knight, torn between humiliation and annoyance, was unsurprised when the black haired sorceress winked at him and snapped her fingers.

There was a tiny bolt of lightning, one that raced over him and across the outside of Issei, and the vomit was gone, before she inclined her head towards Kiba, smirking in approval.

He simply sighed and realized something important.

"Ah, please forgive me, Issei, that was a bit… much. I think I got carried away."

Extending his hand, the Devil found the energy inside of him fading, becoming disappointed. But he did suppose it was only fair. After all, Koneko could survive a great many things he would have to dodge.

"It's… ok!"

Taking his hand, the brown haired teenager gripped Kiba's wrist suddenly and tightly, jerking the swordsman forwards and bringing their heads together with a loud 'crack'.

"Gah!"

And, stumbling back, now it was the Devil who was discombobulated.

"Heh. Now we're even for that surprise attack!" Stepping forwards, Kiba instinctively readying a new sword, Issei took up a poor imitation of the Knight's fighting stance. "But just so you know, I won't be holding back anymore!"

There was a moment of confusion and genuine surprise before, unable to help himself, the blonde grinned. But, more than that, he perhaps realized the weakness of his opponent.

'Not edge, but brute force.' Magical power and cutting ability didn't seem to work on him, but just like with Koneko's punches, raw strength seemed to be the best way to get through the Campione's frankly ludicrous resistance to damage. Even then, the younger boy barely looked phased by the hit, even if he'd reacted earlier.

A normal person would still be laid out on the ground.

Kiba couldn't help it.

He smiled, widely, and assumed his own stance once more.

What were the chances he'd ever find someone so frustrating yet so raw? The purest expression of what a Campione was. Issei Hyoudou was an absolutely horrible fighter. He had no discipline, no elegance, no finesse, no training whatsoever! It was a miracle the idiot didn't put his thumb inside his fist when he punched!

And yet… between this fight and the last… between the moment the two had started dueling, the Japanese schoolboy had become noticeably more competent.

Issei's stance was firmer, his feet planted more evenly, and his arms weren't wavering like they had against Kiba's junior.

In a way, these short clashes were like a whetstone to a blade.

"Let's see how sharp you can get!"

The ground beneath his feet shattered as over a dozen swords manifested around him, Sword Birth answering his call as easily as always, eagerly doing so as the magic swords lodged themselves around him. This was as much a show of intent as it was for intimidation.

Right now he doubted any sword he made could cut the Campione.

Even so… he dearly wanted to try.

"You really like swords, huh?" His fellow student noted drily, but he couldn't hide the way he leaned forward, manifesting a long spear of marble before trying his best to level the point at Kiba's throat.

Kiba didn't answer, hand slowly reaching out to grasp a second blade.

Stalking forwards, the teenager allowed his fingers to brush along each hilt as he moved, Sacred Gear instinctively feeling out the abilities of each in turn.

Swords of fire and ice were ignored, blades of cutting wind and crushing earth were passed over, swords that commanded more esoteric things like life and death would have no effect - not if Kiba only struck his skin, at least. Instead, reaching inside of himself, the warrior focused, pushed, and called up a new weapon.

Grey, with a single, silver crack in its blade, the nameless thing bore an unadorned hilt of brass and copper, and was heavy as its leaf shaped blade seemed dense.

And just like that, he charged the other boy, all around him long shafts of white stone rising seamlessly from the ground, their blunted tips shaping themselves into the unusual shape of two-pronged spears.

Stab. Parry. Slash.

Fighting with two weapons was different from fighting with one.

Slash. Parry. Stab.

Kiba felt himself being pushed, jumping just in time as the weapon in his opponent's hands changed and shifted. Going from a spear, to a rough sword, to a bat, to a weird hunk of curved stone that probably belonged in a game instead of real life… before settling into a smaller, smoother blade.

Each change brought new attacks, new choices, new strikes, but none came close to piercing Kiba's guard. Indeed, black sword in one hand, grey in the other, he slashed or smashed through every single obstruction in his path - aiming to land a double strike to the Campione's ears.

It was the only way he was going to win this, after all.

At least safely.

And Issei seemed to realize that, too, as the Campione was trying to retreat!

'I won't let you!'

Pushing ahead, the swordsman slashed then shoulder charged through a final wall of marble, only to run into something he hadn't quite expected. A statue of his opponent, looking ready to take a swipe at him with its own weapon.

Reacting was Kiba's biggest mistake.

Lunging with his swords, he caught the weapon and beheaded the statue, expecting it to crumble like some sort of familiar… only to realize it wasn't meant to attack him at all and he'd fallen for a bluff.

'Clever guy.'

That was when the blunt end of a spear caught his stomach, punching him into the air.

"Akeno, can you tell me what you see?"

A devil's senses were perhaps one of the most understated yet important aspects of their daily lives. Even the youngest of their kind could see in the dark, and their hearing could pick up conversations across buildings without losing any kind of nuance. And while senses like smell and touch were not as developed as those of, say, a nekomata, it could be said that a devil's senses were all on average superior to those of a mundane species.

Those, however, weren't the most important senses a devil had.

Their kind was one profoundly attached to magic.

"I'm afraid there's not much I'd be able to say you haven't noticed yourself. Had this been a form of magic, perhaps there would be a way to decipher its true nature."

Having elected not to face the younger student in sparring match, the King and Queen watched the bouts intently, eyes scanning every movement and analyzing it for details.

Magic was a complex thing. Connected to desire itself.

And as the better mages of their group, they were capable of sensing fluctuations in magic power in minute detail, something Rias had studied in depth back home as part of her education, and Akeno had picked up as part of her skillset as Queen.

The idea had been to stand back and watch.

Understand how this newcomer's power worked.

"It's divine in essence, I am sure of it. Spontaneous generation of matter isn't a unique ability, we could do what he is doing to a degree if we wanted to. But the results would be… flimsy at best."

Rias sighed, she figured that might have been the case.

Turning demonic power into other forms was the basis for most spells. And while lightning, fire, and even light spells were more popular, it was also possible to turn it into physical components such as ice or steel.

The energy cost and focus needed would be higher, however.

"And he doesn't seem to be the least bit winded by this."

Watching as the Campione dueled her Knight, Rias took in as many details as she could, but soon came to the realization that the Campione just wasn't running out of stamina no matter how many exchanges he had with Koneko and Kiba. And then the gratuitous use of that power… whatever it was… wasn't tiring him out.

"Koneko could break it so I'd hoped it wasn't that useful a power but… Kiba hasn't done much against it." Which hinted that the marble created by his ability was more susceptible to blunt force than to cutting.

Or perhaps it was the divine attribute rejecting the knight's demon swords?

In a way Sword Birth and whatever the other boy's power was were similar.

Both created magically infused objects. Only Kiba was unable to change something he created after the fact, while the junior Campione seemed able to change the state and form of his creations.

"He hasn't released its true power either." Akeno spoke casually, but there was an edge of something, and not just her usual eagerness, to it, too. "I have to say, based on the rough comparisons, I'd put the level of his magical energy not… too far off from President Sona's older sister. But with as wasteful as he's being, ah, he might put even you to shame, Rias."

Pausing for a moment to flick her queen, who quite easily dodged the magically enhanced strike, the red head declined to even acknowledge the quip.

But that was one of the major points that Sona brought up when they'd reviewed the intel they acquired on Campione. The apparent need for some kind of chant to facilitate the activation of their powers.

Only he hadn't said anything out of the ordinary.

Nor had they felt any change in his aura that would hint towards more power being used. In fact, it hadn't changed for a single moment even though he'd been sparring with her peerage for the past few minutes.

Impressive stamina.

Damn near endless magical reserves? And while his constructs were on the simpler side, the amount he could produce and his ability to reshape them at will made for a powerful ability. Definitely the sort she would rank as equal to a high class devil's innate power.

"While I suspect my brother's mastery of our gifts would quite easily shatter any amount of the marble, no matter if it is divinely endowed or not, perhaps it would be smart to try and… focus my own training."

Kiba rushed in, swords swinging, and took a counter strike to the gut.

From the outside it was an obvious attack. But in the thick of combat, without the luxury of distance and careful observation, it was easy to see how her knight could have overextended. Still, he recovered admirably, and followed it up with an attack from a new magic sword she'd never seen before.

"Hmm, Akeno, what does that feel like to you?"

Finishing her sentence just as the grey blade descended, the entire room rippled and the Devil had to fight back a sudden, violent nausea, realizing that her clothes, her hair, her entire body was now being pulled towards the point Kiba's sword met unyielding marble.

"Koneko!"

Grabbing the Rook's hand, Akeno linked her arms with theirs, and all three flared their wings to resist the sudden pull.

"Hey, hey! That's cheating pretty bastard!"

Their new friend was not so lucky.

"Ah, I apologize, I didn't expect… that."

Politely, though perhaps not earnestly, Kiba rubbed the back of his head.

While Issei was now stuck to the remnants of his statue. Upside down. The scraps of his jacket and shirt falling off. As he squirmed, fruitlessly… showing off….

"Ara, ara. Our new friend works out~"

Swallowing, Rias turned to her queen and flicked her again.

"Down girl. I don't recall you being a succubus when we met." Lightly bumping shoulders with her friend, Rias giggled. Not that she wasn't eating the eye candy herself.

She at least tried to have some propriety.

"Wait, you guys have wings? What the heck."

His exclamation drew their attention back to him, Rias, slightly confused, answering.

"Were you not told about those? I suppose it doesn't seem too pressing."

"No! But they're really cool? Can you guys feel them? Do they work? Are they magic or part of your body? And-"

"Finish the fight first." Fighting back a giggle, she waved him off. "I will tell you after."

"Alright! Pretty boy, get ready, because I'm gonna use something new!"

Kiba, tensing up slightly, visibly forced himself to relax and gave his opponent a small smile.

"I'm looking forward to it."

Rias couldn't help but frown.

This seemed… dangerous.

However, she also didn't want to interfere. This information could be vital!

"Your joy rings like chimes. Your sadness echoes like a bell. Your song washes over the sea like foam. Like gathering clouds, swirling in the heavens, only to rumble and darken. Your rage… your grief… roars like thunder!"

In her mind's eye, the boy's aura lit up like a beacon.

From lazy candle light swaying in the breeze to a raging bonfire, the force of it was enough to drive a spike of pain through her senses as the feeling of undiluted divinity exploded out of every pore of the campione's body.

Her call to stop.

Akeno's shout of warning.

It was all drowned out as the Campione opened his mouth… and the world around them exploded.

"[Screech Wail]"

Wincing, Sona felt the connection between her observation spells and the headphones she was wearing shatter.

Even then, inside the student council room, she could feel the roar coming from the gym in her bones.

Whatever it was that the Campione had done had nearly broken through the wards around Kuoh Academy, too!

"Ah, young Sitri, are you alright?"

Shaking off the sudden urge to flee into the night, or call her sister, the schoolgirl straightened her glasses and acknowledged the man speaking to her.

"Yes, Lord Beelzebub. My apologies for the distraction."

He waved her off.

"It's entirely fine. I suspect that the Campione just demonstrated a new authority and the sudden spike of information your magic transmitted is very interesting. Though, thankfully, compared to The Destroyer he seems much weaker."

That news was immensely relieving and she couldn't help but admit so.

"Then my peerage and I are in no danger of being exterminated. At least not at this very moment."

"Indeed. Though I do wish to reiterate your sister's request…."

She smiled.

"Thank you, sir, but no. I love my sister but I do not believe returning home is in my best interests. Additionally, while here, I can gather further intelligence on the Campione and assist you in designing possible countermeasures."

He frowned, ever so slightly.

"I will take great care, then, not to alert Serafall to the task you've taken upon yourself. Or Sirzechs to the fact his little sister has decided to engage with, and reveal her nature as a Devil to, this Issei Hyoudou. Though I will not deceive either, should they ask."

Somewhat disappointed, she bowed her head.

"I understand. Thank you, Lord Ajuka. Have you received all the data from the fight?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, I've already collected it. We will speak on that later. For now, avoid hostilities at all costs and compel Rias and her peerage to wear the emergency retrieval gear I will send. No matter her protests, I have no desire to see any of you harmed."

"Yes sir. And thank you once more."

The call terminated, the magical mirror flickering back to darkness, and the Beelzebub crest flaring into sickly yellow-green light on the floor before her; a small collection of bracelets now manifesting in mid air.

Darting forwards, she caught the precious items before they fell, heaving a sigh of relief now that her duty was done.

'But how to get Rias to actually wear the darn thing? Perhaps… Tsubaki might give one to Kiba? Hmm. Yes. That's a thought.'

Arranging the many pieces of jewelry, the young Devil figured she'd simply spend the night in the council room, sleeping on a cot. It wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last, and she still had much work to do. After all, just because the data she'd collected was most valuable to her superiors didn't mean she couldn't benefit from it either.

And Sona knew she had a long, hard road ahead of herself if she wanted to achieve her dream.

"And I can't fulfill my dreams if Rias gets us killed."

The student council president could already feel a migraine. If not from stress than the sensation of fear that even now made her hair stand on end. Possibly a side effect from whatever that new power was. It had been nothing but a stroke of pure luck, but Rias' little stunt had tripped the new protection spells Sona had put in place, allowing her to surveil whatever that meeting with the Campione had been and report the data collected to her newfound collaborator... boss...? Whatever the case might have been, this proved to be just what she needed to start working on her own plans.

One thing she knew for sure, however...

When Rias recovered, Sona was giving that knucklehead an earful.