"I see, so your first game will be with the Sitri group." Azazel said.

  When the Peerage had returned to the Gremory residence after the gathering, it was Azazel who welcomed them back. Now, they were all sitting in the castle's living room, giving the Fallen Angel an account of the meeting.

  "Today is July twenty-eight, in human world time. So, we have about twenty days until the day." Azazel muttered.

  "I-Is this for our training?" Issei nervously asked.

  "Naturally. I pn for you to start from tomorrow onwards. I've already considered each of your training menus."

  "But is it okay for only us to receive advice from the Fallen Angel Governor? Isn't this like foul py or something?" Issei felt that it would not be fair and would undoubtedly lead to compints from the other young Devils if they were to find out about this.

  "Not really." Azazel sighed, "I intend to give my expertise to various Devils, including those who will be competing in the tournament as part of the Three Factions newly made alliance. The Angels, for example, will be doing a backing-up system. But even with my help, the rest will depend on the pride of the young Devils themselves, and if they truly want to get stronger."

  The Fallen Angel then stood up and handed each Devil a piece of paper, each with training regimens that focused on the things they needed to improve on.

  "Now, I've already gone over what each of you needs to do when we were back at Issei's house, so I won't repeat myself again. Tomorrow, each of you will be given special instructors or assignments that will take you to the next level, regardless of how some of you personally feel about your abilities. Because denying yourself makes you weak, accept everything about yourself, even the tough and painful things. Your primary focus should be to overcome your weaknesses by day of the battle, if not, you will become a mere obstruction in future battles and pull down the rest of your Peerage."

  Azazel's gaze turned to Koneko and Akeno with his st sentence, harboring back to what he had told both girls in Issei's bedroom when first discussing each way that the each of the Gremory Devils' weaknesses.

  Neither girl responded to Azazel's thinly veiled remark, Akeno looked annoyed, clearly tired of hearing that she needed to embrace those powers, while Koneko looked frustrated, her hands clenched at her sides and like she wanted to punch Azazel in the face.

  Natsuki wanted to say something to them both, but did not think that it would do much to lift their spirits. There was also a part of her that agreed with Azazel's reasoning, even if she did not like the way that he was trying to force the issue.

  She did not know what Koneko's secret ability was, but she knew that if it was like Akeno's, then it was deeply tied to feelings of self-hatred and to a singur figure whose actions had done them wrong in the past. But Natsuki knew that denying a part of yourself would just continue to do more harm for them both.

  And as Natsuki was thinking this, Grayfia had teleported into the middle of the room, "Everyone, I have come to inform you that the hot spring bath is ready."

  "Hot spring?" Issei immediately perked up.

  Akeno chuckled at his reaction, "There is a Japanese-style hot spring that exists in the far corner of the Gremory's garden, Ise-kun."

  "Seriously?! This is the best day ever!" Issei cheered, chanting excitedly about going to the hot spring.

  "He does know that there will be a divider between the men's and women's sides, right?" Kiba asked with exasperation.

  "He does, but just the proximity to boobs will be enough for him. Plus, knowing Issei, he'll probably find some way to get around that." Natsuki said dryly, remembering the st time the group had been together at a hot spring.

  "He better not." Koneko muttered, cracking her knuckles as she gave Issei a dark look, causing the older boy to shudder.

  Natsuki only shook her head before walking towards the door, "Well, you all enjoy your bath. Keep an eye out for annoying brown-haired perverts."

  "Fuck you!" Issei yelled as Natsuki left the room with a wave thrown over her shoulder.

  Azazel tilted his head, "Is there a reason that Natsuki doesn't want to join us?"

  "Natsuki simply prefers to bathe alone." Rias said, although the look she was giving Azazel was a cold one.

  What a loaded question. I didn't think it would garner this kind of response. Azazel thought, seeing the awkwardness that had now befallen the group of teenagers in front of him. And it made him wonder if he would get the same reaction if he asked Natsuki herself.

  The Next Day

  The Gremory Peerage were gathered in the Gremory family's garden, each dressed in their Kuoh Academy gym uniforms.

  "Why are you smiling like that?" Natsuki asked Issei.

  Issei kept his rge grin on his face, "Because hot springs are amazing and coming to the Underworld was the best thing to ever happen to me!"

  Yeah, I don't want to know. Natsuki thought.

  "Now, I'm sure each of you took the time to read over each of your regimens, and as I said, you will each be given a teacher who will be there to help you." Azazel said to the Devils, dressed in the Kuoh Academy men's gym uniform.

  "And where are these teachers?" Natsuki asked.

  "You will be going directly to them, meeting them at different parts of the Gremory nds. With the exception of you three." Azazel said while pointing at Natsuki, Issei, and Rias.

  "Huh? Why not us?" Issei asked.

  Azazel looked up to the sky, a zy smirk appearing on his face, "You're about to find out why."

  Everyone else followed Azazel's gaze but saw nothing out of the ordinary and just as Issei started to feel doubtful, a rge shadow suddenly appeared in the sky heading towards the group at extreme speed. When the figure nded, a cloud of dust was kicked up and the earth shook almost knocking the Devils off their feet.

  When the dust cleared, in front of them was a fifteen-meter tall, western dragon. It had a triangur head with yellow horns, a pair of rge, keen red eyes with vender sclera, and serrated yet sharp canine teeth, and with the exception of its stomach, the inner portions of its long tail and its legs, that were beige in color, a majority of the dragon's body was covered in dark purple scales. It also had cws with long sharp, yellow nails, on his hands, and rge bat-like wings with rigid tips.

  "A dragon!" Issei excimed, staring wide-eyed at the creature.

  "Yes, Issei, a dragon." Azazel said in a patronizing tone.

  And just as he said this, the dragon changed its form in a fsh of light, becoming slightly smaller and more humanoid looking, was standing on its hind legs and wearing bck armored pauldrons that extend down to its arms and a loincloth decorated with metallic accessories.

  "Azazel, you have some nerve openly entering Devil territory." The dragon said, gring at the Fallen Angel.

  Azazel ughed, "I've properly gotten the personal permission of the Maou-sama and have entered this territory fairly, you know? Do you have a compint, Tannin?"

  "Wait, you're Tannin? The Tannin?!" Natsuki asked, giving voice to what the others were thinking.

  "Is he someone important?" Issei asked, looking at Tannin questioningly.

  Azazel shook his head tiredly, "Honestly, Rias-chan, what are you teaching the boy? He doesn't even know who one of the former Five Great Dragon Kings is."

  "Ise." Rias said, looking at him seriously, "The group of five, previously six, are legendary dragons said to be the strongest and most noble of dragons, with powers that rival those of Ultimate-Css Devils, and with the strongest of them considered on par with the Four Maous. Tannin himself has a reputation that is so renowned that he is mentioned in the Bible."

  He's in the Bible?! Issei thought, remembering how shocking it had been to discover how Kokabiel was also mentioned in the Bible.

  "And this guy is going to be your teacher." Azazel added, pointing to the enormous dragon, and grinning at Issei's shocked expression.

  Issei's [Boosted Gear] appeared on his arm, the jewel on the center glowing as Ddraig spoke aloud, "Ah, how nostalgic, it's been some time, Tannin. Last time I saw you, you and the others were still known as the Six Great Dragon Kings."

  "A long time ago, Tannin decided to become a Devil, so the Six Great Dragon Kings became the Five Great Dragon Kings. But even among the current reincarnated Devils, he is Ultimate-Css." Azazel expined, "Bze Meteor Dragon Tannin, it's said that even his fire breath is equal to the impact of a meteorite, and he's one of the few legendary dragons that are still active right now. Sorry, Tannin, but please help with the training of this kid, I want you to teach him how to use a dragon's power from scratch."

  "I came because of Sirzechs' request, so I will not refuse." Tannin said gruffly, a hint of excitement bleeding into his voice, "This will be my first time teaching someone who wields Ddraig, and you and Sirzechs are sure that my assistance will be required?"

  "Issei is unable to achieve his Bance Breaker on his own, he really needs true dragon training."

  "I see, so you're saying that you want me to torment this boy?" Tannin's eyes narrowed as he smiled viciously at Issei.

  I-I'm going to die if I'm trained by such a monster, there's no way I'll be able to endure it! Issei took a step back, his face paling.

  "Please control yourself, Tannin, my host is weaker than you think. He won't be able to handle what you're pnning right out the gate." Ddraig said, sensing Issei's fear through their bond.

  "It will be fine as long as he doesn't die, right?" Tannin asked, "Then just leave it to me, I'll do everything possible to whip your host into shape."

  "The period is about twenty days in human world time, Tannin, and I'd like for him to reach Bance Breaker by then. Ise, work as hard as you can without dying." Azazel said, giving the Devil a thumbs up.

  "Why is 'not dying' allows a perk with you?!" Issei asked the Fallen, and then gasping as Tannin reached down and picked him up with his cws.

  "It's too bad that I'm only being given this one and not your host as well, Lux. Something tells me I'd enjoy a future encounter with her." Tannin said, turning in Natsuki's direction as his wings unfurled.

  Natsuki's [Ethereal Domination] appeared, and Lux's voice rang out, "I see you have not changed much, Tannin. The issues my host has are not the same as Ddraig's, although, I cannot deny that you may be right Natsuki enjoying fighting you someday."

  "Oh, is that so? Is Lux right, little one?" Tannin asked Natsuki.

  "I haven't fought a dragon before, can't say that I'm not wondering how it would go." Natsuki replied, causing Tannin to ugh.

  "Don't have a casual conversation while I'm dangling like this!" Issei yelled, screaming further as Natsuki had the gall to smile and wave at him.

  He only stopped yelling at Natsuki when Rias stood next to the other girl, catching Issei's attention as she spoke to him, her arms crossed as she gave him a stern look. "Ise, get it together and take this seriously! I'm counting on you to do your best and awaken your Bance Breaker when I see you again, okay?!"

  Issei sighed, reluctantly smiling to himself as he knew that his fate was now sealed, "Right, I forgot that our King becomes a full-blown dominatrix when it comes to training. If only she was the one doing the whipping instead of this guy."

  Issei's eyes widened as Tannin pushed himself into the air and began to fly away from the garden, "Argh! This sucks!"

  "That's not going to happen to us, right?" Natsuki asked, referring to herself and Rias as she watched Issei and Tannin disappear from view.

  Azazel chuckled, "No, you two are not going to be taken like that, Rias-chan's teacher is already here, while you, Natsuki, will be going directly to yours. I couldn't have your teaching coming directly here, not with Ddraig's presence all over the pce, she would kill all of us just to get to him if I did something like that."

  Oh, I see. Natsuki heard Lux say inside her mind, hearing the tinge of apprehension in the she-dragon's voice.

  What? What's wrong? Natsuki thought.

  Lux took a moment to respond. I know who your teacher will be.

  Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

  It is a good thing, she has never had an issue with me, and I can say that she will make you stronger with her training. Although do not mention Ddraig in her presence, and you should spray yourself with perfume before we leave, just to be sure that she cannot smell him and Issei on you. Lux said.

  This did not answer her question, and it only made her wonder what Ddraig could have done to have both Azazel and Lux note that her mysterious teacher would have a score to settle with him.

  Rias furrowed her brow, "What do you mean my teacher is already-"

  "Rias-chan." Rias flinched, her face paling as she turned around and saw her mother standing behind her.

  "That's what I meant." Azazel said with a gleeful smile at Rias' reaction, "As the King of your Peerage, a question is to be asked, are you the brains or brawns of your team? A good King is both and neither because they know when to fight and when to lead based on how to use their pieces to the fullest. And it's for this reason why you will be pushing both your mind and body to their absolute limits, you can't just rely on what you already know and your base strength as a Pure-Blood Devil forever. Not unless you want to end up like your ex-fiancé, Riser."

  Rias frowned, remembering how reliant Riser had been in his immortality and fmes during their Rating Game, only for Lux, who was controlling Natsuki's body, to basically break Riser's will to fight, all while Rias could only watch. Then there was the fight against Kokabiel, and Rias thought about how useless she felt when Kokabiel blocked or threw back each of her attacks, showing just how far below him, she was.

  I have to be better, and if training with my mother is what I need to do, then so be it! Rias thought.

  "You will have nothing to worry about, my dear." Venena said to Rias, "I will do everything in my power to ensure that you are strong enough to win your Rating Game."

  "O-Okaa-sama?" Rias' voice cracked, her face became even more pale as she was suddenly brought back to her childhood, lost in the memories of how Venena had first taught her how to use her Power of Destruction. A shudder raced down her spine, and Rias could have sworn that she felt her mother's evil gaze on her back, knowing that the woman would not hold back for the next twenty days.

  Azazel looked away from the horrified King and towards Kiba and Xenovia, "Now, our two Knights will be heading towards the mouth of the river. You will both be sharing a master who Sirzechs believes will be perfect for you, maybe even teach you some real swordsmanship."

  "Real swordsmanship?" Xenovia muttered, while Kiba wondered just who Sirzechs could have gotten as their teacher for the next few weeks.

  Azazel then looked at Gasper who jumped and hid behind Natsuki, shaking nervously, "You just get more pathetic every time I look at you, kid."

  "S-s-sorry, A-Azazel-sensei!" Gasper shouted, still unable to make eye contact with the man.

  Azazel sighed, "I'm supposed to be your teacher, but you and I won't be doing anything until you get rid of this fear of people, or at the very least get it under reasonable control. If you don't show any progress in this area then it's doubtful you'll be allowed to use your Sacred Gear, so you'll meet with a few of my boys at the front gates who will be watching over you until you do."

  "W-wa-watch me?!" Gasper said, his voice was full of dread and his body still shaking even as Natsuki tried to give him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

  "And you, Asia-chan, will be meeting you're teaching in the castle's parlor. You ready to put in the work like you said you would?"

  "Hai, Azazel-sensei." Asia said with a determined expression on her face, making Azazel chuckle.

  "For the Rook, your teacher will be in the gym. And hopefully you'll feel the need to focus on more than just the attributes your Evil Piece gives you."

  Koneko scowled at the Fallen Angel, barely stopping herself from barring her teeth at him.

  "The same goes for you as well." Azazel said as he turned to Akeno, "Which is why you will be meeting your teacher at the top of that mountain over there. Give you the perfect pce to use your lightning if you decide to move past this childishness."

  Akeno's usual smile faltered slightly, her eyes narrowing at Azazel, "I'm perfectly content to maintain my childishness, Azazel-sama."

  "Of course you would." Azazel said sardonically before turning to Natsuki, "I'll be helping you get to the Lifeless Shallows; it's a part of the territory your teacher calls home."

  "And you're not going to tell me who this teacher is and where exactly the Lifeless Shallows are?" Natsuki asked.

  Azazel waved her off, "Neither is important since I'm taking you directly to her anyway."

  Natsuki got the feeling that Azazel was trying to do to her what he had done to Issei and Rias and could only tiredly sigh in response.

  Azazel then walked over to Natsuki, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as he spoke to the rest of the Peerage, a teleportation circle appearing under his and Natsuki's feet. "I'll be checking in on each of you during the break to see how you're progressing, so make sure you don't disappoint."

  In an instant, Azazel and Natsuki disappeared from the garden, leaving the group of Devils behind.

  When the spell wore off, Natsuki found herself standing before a massive ke, its water bluer than she had ever seen, and sat in the middle of a dense forest.

  The area was unnaturally quiet, as if there were no living creatures around to give the forest life, no wind pushing against the trees, no birds chirping, even the water of the ke was deathly still, and this sent a shiver down Natsuki's spine.

  "Where the hell did Azazel take me? And where the hell did he go?" Natsuki asked, realizing that she was standing there alone.

  The Fallen teleported away while you were distracted by the sight of the ke. Lux immediately told her.

  "Of course he did." Natsuki muttered.

  The Pawn did not have time to curse Azazel's name as within the blink of an eye, Natsuki was knocked off her feet and was sent flying through the air, crashing through several trees.

  When her back smmed into the final tree and she fell to the ground, the breath had been knocked from Natsuki's lungs, along with coughing up a handful of blood, and feeling an indescribable amount of pain all over her body, but especially in the center of her chest, where she had been originally struck.

  What? W-what hit me? Natsuki thought, struggling to breathe and to push herself up into a sitting position, not seeing or sensing anything around her.

  Natsuki, move out of the way! The Devil heard Lux shout in her head just as the familiar sensation of her sensory ability washing over her, knowing that something extremely powerful was rushing at her.

  But even with these warnings, Natsuki was not able to move fast enough to avoid a giant appendage smming down on her from above, crushing her against the hard ground. Again, the wind had been knocked out of her, and Natsuki was unable to move any part of her body besides her head, which was the only part of her not being pinned down.

  "Pathetic." Natsuki heard a gruff and disappointed sounding voice say from above.

  When she looked up, Natsuki saw that a giant, pale blue Western Dragon with celestial blue scales, rge, twisted horns atop their head, rge bat-like wings on their back, and a mouth full of rge, serrated teeth that was visible to the sneer the dragon was giving her. From the back of its neck down to its tail, which Natsuki was able to see was the appendage that was currently crushing her, the dragon was covered in sharp pitch-bck spikes.

  "When the Devils told me that my assistance was required to help one of their own improve, I did not think you would be this weak." The Dragon said, pressing down on Natsuki harder, a growl escaping her when Natsuki gasped.

  "Tiamat, I do not believe that killing my host was a part of your job description." Lux said aloud, her voice carrying a dangerous edge to it.

  Wait, Tiamat?! Natsuki thought, staring at the dragon wide eyed, realizing that she was not just another of the Five Great Dragon Kings, but was reported to be the strongest of the six to wield the title.

  Tiamat scoffed, her eyes fshing and ominous and eldritch blue, "Lux, you must truly care about this one if you are daring to speak to me with such a tone."

  "I do." Lux said tersely.

  "Cm yourself, Golden One, your host is safe from me." Tiamat huffed, "I simply wanted to see what I would be working with."

  I don't think you'll get the chance if you don't get off me!

  Natsuki felt nothing but relief when Tiamat eventually lifted her tail, allowing Natsuki to greedily gulp in air even as it hurt her ribs to do so.

  "Sukehiro Natsuki, I am Tiamat, one of the Five Great Dragon Kings, the Chaos Karma Dragon, and for the next twenty days, I will be the one to ensure that you do not thoroughly embarrass yourself in your little Rating Game." Tiamat said, speaking directly to the Devil.

  Natsuki coughed before responding, "I... Was, was this necessary?"

  "Yes, how else would see how far you truly must go to even be considered a true dragon?"

  "I think there are other ways to get the message across then punting me through a bunch of trees and trying to crush me within the first few minutes of us meeting." Natsuki groaned.

  "If you have the strength and awareness to be a sarcastic little brat, then clearly I didn't hit you hard enough." Tiamat said, and Natsuki could have sworn that the dragon was smirking at her, "Now, come, we don't have a moment to waste."

  "This is going to be hell." Natsuki muttered, groaned as she pushed herself to her feet and reluctantly followed the dragon at a slower pace as she led them back to the ke.

  When they reached the ke, Tiamat took the moment to transform, and when the fsh of light disappeared, Tiamat now had the appearance of a beautiful woman with a sophisticated and cold atmosphere around her, straight and long, beautiful pale blue hair, dark blue eyes, and deep blue skin, she was also now wearing clothes, a pair of navy-blue trousers and a sleeveless shirt. And she was tall, standing taller than Natsuki, something that Natsuki had not seen in any other woman.

  Do all dragons have different forms? Natsuki thought.

  "I have three different forms that I can take." Tiamat said after seeing the question written all over Natsuki's face, "Although I will not be showing you the third."

  "Is there a reason for that?" Natsuki asked.

  This time Natsuki was able to see Tiamat's expression more clearly and had to fight the urge to shiver at the deadly grin Tiamat was now giving her. "You wouldn't be able to handle it."

  Natsuki cleared her throat, "I have the training regime that Azazel wanted-"

  "I already know what you need to improve on, Azazel and Sirzechs expined everything to me. And I also watched the Rating Game you had against that spoiled Phenex boy, it was what made me accept their proposal to train you."

  "It was?"

  "Yes, it was, most would not risk their lives and allow another being to control their body just to win what was essentially a mock battle."

  "That mock battle had a lot at stake." Natsuki said.

  "Still, others would call it foolish to be so prideful that you don't know when to quit. But why should the opinions of those less than us deter us from our goals and desires?" Tiamat said, "It is those all-consuming desires that push dragons to high pnes of power, because we have the will and selfishness that others ck."

  Natsuki looked down at the ground, "I'm not sure if that is always a good thing."

  "Because of your battle against Albion and his host?" Tiamat asked.

  "So, you know about that too? Then you should know that I would have lost had that fight continued, Vali is leagues stronger than me, my desire to win wasn't going to help me overcome the difference in strength. I doubt these twenty days are going to change anything, not when I sure that asshole does nothing but train for the next interesting opponent he meets."

  "You would have lost, as you are now, you are not strong enough to beat a Heavenly Dragon who is using their Juggernaut Drive." Tiamat agreed, "But is that enough of a reason to sound so defeated?"

  Natsuki frowned, looking at Tiamat with confusion, "What are you-"

  "Your desire is to become strong, is it not? To be so powerful that you can live a life of ease and comfort with those you care about? Are you truly going to let a hurdle like this stop you from achieving that dream? Perhaps I was wrong about you, you are just a child spouting nonsense without the will to keep moving forward. It's a miracle that your friends find you reliable enough to continue pcing their faith in you when you reek of such weakness-"

  "That's enough, alright!" Natsuki yelled, gring at the immortal dragon, "I get it, I should stop sounding like a weak little bitch. Excuse me for trying to be cautious and realistic about all of this!"

  Tiamat stared at Natsuki for a moment before sighing, "And allowing yourself to be gripped by fear and indecision will only stiffen your growth. As I said it is our desires and selfishness that make dragons stronger, you are weak, Vali is strong, do you think that red bastard's host is allowing the fact that Vali is stronger than you both to keep him from pushing forward?"

  Does she mean Ddraig? Natsuki knew enough from what Lux and Azazel told her to not ask, "Issei doesn't let much of anything keep him down, and especially not for long. To be honest, I'm kind of jealous how he can just bounce back from things and how confident he can be despite everything."

  "Such is the way of idiots, with how little goes through their heads and how happy go lucky they are, they don't have to worry about imagining worst-case scenarios, dwelling on past events, or second-guessing themselves, they can simply focus on the here and now." Tiamat hummed and Natsuki let out a snort, feeling like that was an effective way of describing Issei at times.

  "So, you're telling me to just focus on keeping my promise?"

  "I am not telling you to walk through life as if you are the strongest being alive or to let your emotions rule you and keep you from seeing sense, but do you truly think your friends need someone who is unsure of themself? I'm sure you know that there will be times when you must fight, even when your foe feels like an unstoppable force, they will be no other choice for one with such a lineage, Sacred Gear, and connections. If you are so scared of being defeated, of having to acknowledge that you are not as strong as you once thought, why did you come here? I'm sure that the Gremorys would have released should you have asked, you could go back to your normal life."

  "I think we both know that I can't go back to being a normal human." Natsuki said, thinking about Tiamat said about being destined to fight, and about what Sirzechs did to ensure that she became a part of Rias' Peerage. Natsuki took a moment to gather herself before speaking again, "And… And I don't want to be normal, it's not as if I ever was but still. I want to get stronger, the idea of backing down and just walking away from everything, makes me want to rip my hair out."

  Why am I even being so open with a stranger right now? Natsuki wondered if Tiamat was doing something to her to cause this, or if what Akeno told her a few days ago was true.

  "I think I would hate myself if I just gave up or didn't try to become a strong as I possibly could, and that includes kicking Vali's ass. Besides, I have people who depend on me now, I can't just walk away when things are just starting to heat up, you know."

  Tiamat let out a ugh at the girl's statement, "It's good to know that you're not as gutless I thought you were a few moments ago."

  Natsuki huffed, "Now that we have cleared that up, can we start? Something tells me that this training is going to be simir to how you greeted me, and I want to get through it as quickly as possible."

  Lux sighed, "You should not have said that."

  "Huh? What do you mean?" Natsuki asked, and just as the question left her lips, Tiamat rushed her and punched her in the face, knocking her to the ground.

  Tiamat said as she stood over Natsuki with a sharp grin on her face, and Natsuki growled as she kicked her leg out towards Tiamat's stomach, but the dragon jumped backwards to avoid it. Natsuki jumped to her feet, not wasting a moment as she summoned her Bance Breaker.

  "Good girl." Tiamat said, her smile growing, "The best way for me to get more of a feeling of what you can do, is through fighting."

  "I'm not as weak as you think I am." Natsuki growled.

  "Then show me." Tiamat said before running at Natsuki again.

  "Let us show her that she is wrong to underestimate us." Lux said and Natsuki agreed as she moved to meet Tiamat halfway.

  Day 4

  "You must learn to use less of your Demonic Power, Rias. You can't continue to waste it trying to overwhelm your opponents, especially ones who a far stronger than you." Venena called out from the field.

  Rias did not have time to respond as Venena crossed the distance between them and punched her in the face, knocking her backwards.

  She had spent the first three days of her training in the castle's library, going over everything she could about battle tactics and strategy, knowing that she would need every drop of knowledge she could absorb if she was going against someone as intelligent as Sona.

  Today she was focused on improving her usage of her Power of Destruction because in her mother's blunt and critical words, Rias' current aptitude was amateurish, especially compared to others of Bael blood, including herself and Sirzechs.

  It stung her pride to hear that, but Rias knew that Venena was not saying this to hurt her, but because she wanted her to become more proficient and knew she was capable of doing so. As she staggered back, Rias took a deep breath and once again forced her Power of Destruction to form an aura around her body, making a yer that could be used as a shield.

  The idea was to focus more on defense, to protect herself from any spells or physical attacks that would come her way as she was not the fastest or most martially inclined of Devils.

  Again, Venena blitzed her daughter, this time nding a devastating blow to her stomach that broke through the yer and knocked the wind out of Rias.

  "Obaa-sama is terrifying." Millicas whispered from his pce next to his grandfather.

  The two were standing on the balcony overlooking the estate's training field, watching Venena and Rias from above.

  Zeoticus had a lovesick smile on his face, "She sure is."

  Millicas looked at Zeoticus confused about why he looked so happy to watch his wife beat their daughter so viciously but decided to ignore it as he turned back to watch the fight.

  "Th-this-this is-is t-the worst!" Gasper shouted, pressing himself closer to the wall he was hiding behind.

  Azazel's training for him was to stand in the middle of the town that the Gremory family owned and to greet as many people as he could, all while making eye contact and trying to keep the conversation going for as long as possible.

  So far, the Damphir was unsuccessful, and each time he tried to run away back to the safety of the Gremory Castle, the Fallen Angels that Azazel said ordered to guard him would catch up to him once his Time Stop wore off and bring him back.

  It made him wish that he was more proficient at using his Sacred Gear just so he could be better at evading his relentless protection detail.

  No! I can't think like that! I have to, I have to do this! Everyone else is giving it their all, so I should too. I can't let them down again. Gasper thought, gathering his resolve as he gently pulled off his paper bag mask and stepped out from the alleyway, he had taken cover in.

  The four Fallen Angels nearby, were shocked as they watched Gasper make an effort to talk to someone, only to become exasperated again when Gasper made eye contact with an older male Devil walking past him, and Gasper ran to his cardboard box, which they had been unable to stop Gasper from taking with him this morning.

  As Gasper hid in his box, the Fallen tasked with watching over him, questioned why they took up this job at their leader's behest.

  Day 5

  Asia quickly wiped away the sweat that had begun to form on her forehead with the back of her hand, focusing on the task of trying to throw out her healing magic outward.

  "Rex your posture, Asia-chan. You must allow your energy to flow freely out of you instead of trying to forcefully push it out." The older Bishop said as he stood behind Asia.

  MacGregor Mathers, Bishop of Sirzechs, was a skinny man that looked as if he was in his te twenties with sharp, long slit eyes, and long and slightly wavy bckish blond hair. He was wearing a crimson robe and had a somewhat creepy aura that surrounded him, the usual shallow smile that sat on his face only adding to that effect, but he also carried himself in an elegant, almost noble manner.

  Asia had been nervous about spending the next few weeks with him when she first met him, especially as he had taken her to his own estate on the plot of nd that had been afforded to him as a Bishop of a Maou. But she had quickly realized that MacGregor's personality did not match his outward appearance, and he was far kinder than she had given him credit for.

  Now they stood inside MacGregor's reception hall, trying to expand the range of her [Twilight Healing], and throw her healing power like a projectile at an injured dog that MacGregor had brought for her to practice on.

  So far, Asia was only capable of throwing her healing power about thirty centimeters ahead of her, but she was not deterred, chasing after each milestone like they were a drop of water in the middle of a desert.

  I don't want to be left behind again. Asia thought, thinking about the attack on the summit meeting by the Khaos Brigade and how useless she felt when everyone else ran off to fight.

  "Good, Asia-chan, keep that same feeling." MacGregor said, watching as the length of Asia's beam increased slightly.

  "Hai, MacGregor-sensei." Asia said, gritting her teeth.

  "Your [Twilight Healing] has already made leaps and bounds since we began. Of course, from what we know of previous holders of your Sacred Gear, this will be far less effective than direct touch, and we still haven't tackled the problem of you indiscriminately healing everyone you come across if you try to heal people at once. Not to mention, your complete ck of offensive capabilities, I think we could offset this with a staff, no, maybe a bow, along with increasing the amount of spells you know, and..."

  Asia sighed, one thing she had noticed about her teacher is that MacGregor had a habit of going on long tangents as he overly expined something to a person, she was inwardly worried that one the man would accidentally asphyxiate because he did not take the time to breath.

  Kiba huffed as he righted his stance, aiming his Bance Breaker, Sword of the Betrayer, at the Devil standing zily across from him, focusing on not allowing his weapon to dissipate even as his body ached due to how long his Bance Breaker had been active for.

  Okita Souji was a man of unbreakable calmness, his idback personality shining through as he regarded his student without much emotion on his face. He had the appearance of a Japanese man in his earlier twenties with his hair styled in a chonmage that hanged behind his sakayaki and was of average height. He was wearing the traditional Shisengumi uniform, a constant reminder of his previous life before becoming a Devil, and it consisted of a haori and hakama over a kimono, with a white cord called a tasuki crossed over the chest and tied in the back, and the haori was a light blue color, and the sleeves were trimmed with light mountain stripes.

  When Kiba had learned that his former teacher was the one that Azazel had brough for him and Xenovia, he was eager to show Souji just how much he had improved since the st time they had seen each other.

  Souji twirled his katana in his hand, still looking at Kiba as he spoke to Xenovia who was standing a short distance away from them. "You're still not channeling the Holy Sword's properties correctly. You need to focus more on resonating with it instead trying to force your will upon it."

  Xenovia gave Souji a nod of her as she panted, trying to catch her breath. She was not anywhere close to mastering Durandal and so it was decided by Azazel that she would use the Holy Sword, Ascalon, to help her.

  Unlike Durandal, Ascalon was a Holy Sword that was more banced due to its dragon sying properties, did not consume a lot of stamina to wield it, and did not have an overpowering will that often refused to do what the bidding of weaker wielders, making it easier to wield and with more finesse.

  If she could master Ascalon, it would make it easier for Xenovia to do the same with Durandal.

  Xenovia raised Ascalon, quickly bringing it down and unleashing a powerful wave of Holy Aura, cutting down twelve trees in front of her with this single swing.

  "Now." Souji drawled, "Come at me, Yuuto."

  Kiba did not hesitate, running at the older Knight at full speed. When he reached Souji, he was already prepared, blocking Kiba's strike with ease and pushing him back a few steps.

  Day 7

  "Come on, Koneko-chan! You can do it! Let's go, full power!" Koneko heard the Devil above her shout as she slowly lifted the heavy weight.

  Surtr Second was a rge man who looked as if he was in his mid-thirties and was about two meters tall with spiky orange hair that was styled upwards, hands that were the size of human heads, a rge build, expressive blue eyes, tanned skin, and a wild grin on his face. He was wearing a thick coat and was carrying a bottle of sake with him on his hip.

  Koneko clenched her jaw as she id on the bench, her arms shaking as she held up the massive weights before bringing them back down and repeating the process. The smaller Rook had been adamant about not using her Senjutsu or Youjutsu, refusing to even transform, and nothing Surtr had said so far had been able to change her mind.

  So, the two had been focusing on what Koneko was willing to work on, strengthening and conditioning, along with hand-to-hand combat.

  Koneko huffed when Surtr added more weight to the bar, and now she was carrying well over thirty thousand kilograms.

  "No pain, no gain, isn't that what the kids say?" Surtr grinned, "We're going make sure you're the strongest Rook on the field when we're done!"

  Koneko tried to focus on lifting, but the stray thought of Kuroka fshed through her mind and she lost her grip. Luckly because Surtr was supporting her, he was able to catch the bar with one hand before all of it could come crashing down on her.

  "Woah, are you okay, Koneko-chan?" Surtr asked, pce the weights down.

  "I'm fine, Surtr-san." Koneko muttered, "I can keep going."

  Surtr stared at the younger Rook for a moment before sighing and allowing Koneko to get back to lifting, looking at her with a hint of concern.

  I have to get stronger; I don't need my powers; I can get by without them. Koneko thought, and she hated the part of her mind that thought otherwise.

  While she and Surtr refused to acknowledge it outwardly, Koneko had reached a pteau when it came to the strength and defensive abilities that her Evil Piece granted her.

  This kid. Well, I can't force her to stop holding herself back, Koneko-chan is stubborn like that. She would just double down if I tried, which would just make things worse. Surtr thought, knowing that Koneko would have to come to that realization on her own.

  He knew better than most what it was like to have immense power that caused others to fear and seek to control you. But he had Sirzechs there to save him once the Norse Gods abandoned him, and Sirzechs was the one to show him a different path.

  So Surtr could only hope that Koneko's own King and Peerage mates would be able to do the same for her and soon.

  Day 9

  Issei thought about the vacation that he had dreamed of going on, warm weather, beaches filled with beautiful girls, no work, or responsibilities for him in sight. Instead of that, here he was, running across a mountain as a monster was hunting him down.

  "Uwaaaaaaaaaah!" Issei shouted as he narrowly avoided Tannin's powerful fire breath.

  "Come on, Sekiryuutei. If you don't dodge quicker, you'll become charcoal." Tannin called out as he chased Issei from the air.

  No! I can't become charcoal before I lose my virginity! Issei thought, running harder despite how exhausted he was already.

  For days this has been Issei's reality; his fatigue was at its peak because he was being chased around day and night by Tannin. He had no choice but to secure his own meals, fishing from a nearby river and gathering nuts and berries from trees that grew on the mountain. He had even managed to improve his abysmal magical skills and get fires started to cook his fish and keep himself warm.

  Occasionally, Issei was able to gather enough of his strength to unch a counterattack, but Issei was not capable of turning the tables, unable to damage Tannin's near impervious scales.

  Even using his transfer power was insignificant, so all Issei could really do was run away and hide as he knew that a direct hit from the dragon would be enough to kill him. But Issei had to begrudgingly admit that this was working, while he had yet to activate his Bance Breaker on his own, his Demonic Power has risen significantly.

  Why is this my life?! Issei thought when he finally lost Tannin and was not hiding in a small cave, but he knew this respite would not st long.

  "Hey, Issei, how's it going?" Issei jumped and quickly turned around, seeing Azazel standing there, a grin on his face and two bento boxes in his hands.

  "Azazel-sensei!" Issei excimed.

  "Nice cave." Azazel said as he gave the area a once over before handing Issei the bento box, "Here, Rias and Asia made them for you. Said they were worried about you not eating well up here."

  Issei opened the first bento box and began to cry at the sight of rice balls; he did not waste time as he started to eat them.

  So good! I can taste the love Buchou put in them! Man, I can't wait to see what Asia-chan made too!

  Azazel patted Issei's shoulder, "Haha, you've been putting in the work I see. I can tell you've definitely gotten stronger since I st saw you."

  "Don't joke around! I almost died! I really almost died! This dragon Ossan is insanely strong! You may have told him to teach me how to be a true dragon or whatever, but he uses too much of his real power, it's absurd!" Issei cried out while rice flew out of his mouth, "Tannin-ossan doesn't know how to hold back! I'm going to be killed! I don't want to die while still a virgin!"

  "You idiot, you've decided not to die, right? If I was so inclined to kill you, you would have become charcoal from my breath of fire by now. If you don't want to worry about experiencing a premature death, then reach Bance Breaker quickly." Issei nearly choked on his food as Tannin suddenly appeared at the entrance to the cave.

  The dragon had taken on his humanoid form and was no longer looking to chase Issei, at least for now, and had walked past Issei and Azazel, sitting down on a nearby boulder.

  "Even if you say that! If someone with a human base like me can't take a punch from someone monster-sized like you, I'll be turned into itty-bitty pieces with one blow!"

  "Hmph." Tannin rolled his eyes, "How foolish, do you know how many Devils would want to be Miss Rias' servant? You don't sound very reliable from where I'm sitting, maybe she should just repce you and let Lux's host be her only Pawn."

  Issei flinched when Tannin said this, his words cutting deep at the insecurity he had at not being enough, and of once again being compared to Natsuki. No matter how strong he was getting, it felt like Natsuki kept getting further ahead of him.

  Azazel caught Issei's attention again as he spoke, "If you don't do this much, your body won't be able to keep up when you attain Bance Breaker. There is too much that you are cking in, as you are now, you wouldn't be able to win against Vali with magic even if he was fighting you while doing a headstand. Therefore, you have no choice but to raise yourself up through physical strength."

  Issei understood what Azazel was saying, Vali was not only a Hevenly Dragon but was also a descendant of the Old Maou. In terms of magic, he absolutely could not win due to the wide gap between himself and Vali.

  "Hey, Azazel-sensei, what was Vali trying to do back when he was fighting Natsuki at the school?" Issei asked the Fallen, remembering how Albion had tried to restrain his host.

  "Ah, that was the Juggernaut Drive."

  "Juggernaut Drive? Is it above Bance Breaker?" Issei asked.

  Azazel shook his head, "No, there exists nothing above Bance Breaker, it's the ultimate and final form of all Sacred Gears. However, there are several things that are also apart of Sacred Gears that have magical beings sealed in them, your [Boosted Gear] and Vali's [Divine Dividing] are examples of that. Juggernaut Drive is a curse made up of the negative emotions of the past possessors of the Boosted Gear and Divine Dividing that influences the current user when activated, it gives them an insane amount power that uses up their own lifeforce. And it forces the user into a berserker state, one that causes them to lose all sense of reason, seeking to do nothing but destroy everything around them, even themselves."

  So that's what Vali was going to do? "And Vali has mastered this form?"

  "No, it's impossible to master that power in actual combat, but...Vali can handle it for several minutes by consuming an enormous amount of magic power... or he should be able to anyway."

  Issei could hear the tinge of worry in Azazel's voice and saw the way Azazel's gaze darkened for a brief moment.

  "But anyway, Issei, let's change the topic." Azazel said, immediately taking on a more cheerful tone.

  "And what do you want to talk about?"

  "You care about Koneko, right?"

  "What? Of course I do, wait, what's wrong with Koneko-chan?"

  "She overdid the training that I gave her and this morning, she colpsed." Azazel answered.

  Issei was shocked, "Colpsed?!"

  Azazel nodded his head, "Yeah, she colpsed. Asia can treat injuries, but she can't do anything about physical strength."

  Koneko-chan? Why would she, how could she? She's been acting differently ever since we came here, does that have anything to do with this?

  "Rias tried talking to her, but she was able to get through to her, so I decided that you'll return to the Gremory castle tomorrow, just this once to see if you'll have any luck talking to her."

  "Me?" Issei questioned, not understanding what he could do to help Koneko if even Rias had failed.

  "Well, you'll be going to talk to Koneko, and because Venena also wants to give you another lesson on Devil etiquette." Azazel grinned when Issei's shoulders dropped in dismay.

  I'm getting a break from one hell only to be thrust into another!

  Akeno was breathing heavily as she was forced to fly out of the way of the fire spell that Grayfia had unched at her head.

  "Your attacks would be more lethal if you used your Holy Lightning, Akeno-san." Grayfia said, completely unbothered and without a speck of dirt anywhere on her body.

  Akeno scowled, "I don't need it."

  Akeno shot a torrent of fmes at the older Queen, her scowl deepening as Grayfia dodged it. Within a blink of an eye, Grayfia flew to Akeno, and when Akeno tried to use her defensive magic to block Grayfia's punch, the spell instantly shattered against the woman's strength, knocking Akeno down and sending her crashing into the top of the mountain they were hovering over.

  Akeno desperately crawled out of the hole that Grayfia used her body to create, narrowly avoiding the ice spikes that Grayfia had fired. Akeno raised her hand and was about to use her lightning, only to freeze when she felt the familiar sensation of Holy Energy through her body, horrified that she almost used her Holy Lightning.

  Grayfia used Akeno's distraction to attack her, flying down and punching Akeno in the face, breaking Akeno's nose.

  "We should take a break." Grayfia said, watching as Akeno hissed due to the pain.

  Akeno shook her head, "No, I'm-"

  She was not able to finish speaking as Grayfia had grabbed her by the chin and began to clean away the blood from her face.

  When she was done, Grayfia did not let go of Akeno's face, "I know you do not wish to hear this, but allowing yourself to use all of your abilities would be far easier than having to constantly hold yourself back."

  Akeno looked away from her, hating herself for almost losing control and for Grayfia seeing it; she usually had a better grasp of this.

  "I can't, Grayfia-san." Akeno muttered, "I just can't."

  The idea of using Holy Lightning, even just for a moment, disgusted her because it was as if she was acknowledging the fact that no matter what she did, or how much she wished it was not true, her father's blood flowed through her veins.

  And what disgusted Akeno even more was the pity that she could see in Grayfia's otherwise expressionless face.

  "I don't need that retched power, I can get through the Rating game without it." Akeno said, pulling her face out of Grayfia's hand.

  "And what about after the Rating Game? Has facing threats like Kokabiel and Vali not shown you that this kind of behavior is only hurting those you cim to care about?" Grayfia asked.

  Akeno bristled, "That's not, that's different-I-"

  Grayfia took a step closer, "Does your hatred of yourself run that deep that you would let your friends die just to stick to your vow?"

  Akeno felt her insides twist with shame, what Grayfia had said had been running through her mind ever since she and the rest of the ORC faced Kokabiel, hating how useless she felt when she knew she could have done more.

  "The role of a Queen is to be their master's second-in-command, overseeing the rest of the Peerage. You are the King's sword and shield, their most powerful piece, their most dependable, and with that position, you must often put the needs of others above your own. Do you understand what I am trying to tell you, Akeno?"

  "I understand." Akeno whispered, breaking eye contact with her.

  Grayfia stared at Akeno for a moment, "Let us get back to it then."

  Grayfia and Akeno flew back into the air, resuming their original position across from each other. Despite what Grayfia said, Akeno still could not find it within herself to use that side of herself, even as the thoughts of failing her friends entered her mind.

  There was too much hurt and anger that she associated with her Fallen Angel heritage, it was as if she was that same scared little girl running for her life while the Himejima cn hunted her down like a dog.

  How can I even consider using it? Just because of Grayfia's words? Akeno thought.

  She could not be like Baraqiel, she refused to be anything even remotely close to that man.

  Day 11

  Natsuki stood by the edge of the water, her eyes closed, and her arms hanging loosely at her sides. Her clothes were tattered and ripped with specks of dried blood all over; she was barefoot, having lost her shoes and socks days ago, and her hair was a matted and tangled mess.

  Natsuki took a deep breath and immediately ducked, narrowly avoiding Tiamat's flying kick. She kept her eyes closed as this was a part of this exercise; fighting while relying solely on her magic detection. The idea was to hone her sensory ability, so she could use it to react quicker, instead of her instincts kicking in at the st moment, and possibly too te.

  One of the most important thing Tiamat taught her was that all things had magic within them, whether they were living, dead, or inanimate, and no one thing had the same magic as another, usually consisting of different properties or compositions that made everything in existence a unique entity.

  When Tiamat lunged at her again, Natsuki could feel the wind shift, the rippling of the Lifeless Shallows due to Tiamat's movements, and she felt a good deal of her energy flowing into her right arm.

  Natsuki backflipped away, avoiding the devastating punch Tiamat threw that shattered the ground where she had been standing.

  Tiamat smirked when her feet touched the floor, smacking her hands together, "Chaotic Oceanic Dimension!"

  Water was pulled from the ke along with water that began to form from thin air, creating a rge circur dome that entrapped the two inside. The walls of the dome were composed of multiple whirlpools, and sea monsters made of water that occasionally stuck their bodies in and out of the interior.

  This field-based ability can disrupt low to mid-tier spells, slow enemies' reactions, and suppress Holy or Demonic Power by flooding the inside with raw magic, applying pressure to her enemies. And in her domain, Tiamat's power was amplified drastically.

  The second that Natsuki heard Tiamat yell out her spell, she called out her own, "Devourer's Gluttony!"

  She used her ability to summon Demonic Lightning, forcing the concentrated magic over her legs and increasing her leg strength, while also boosting her running speed and jumping distance. Natsuki then ran towards Tiamat, moving so fast that it felt like she was flying, raising her leg up to give the dragon a flying kick of her own.

  Just like what Natsuki did before, Tiamat ducked and avoided the kick, reaching up and grabbing Natsuki's now overextended ankle, throwing her away. She then created a giant sea dragon made of water, sending it after the Devil.

  Natsuki nded on her feet, spping her hands onto the ground, "Void Shatter!"

  An inky bck aura appeared around Natsuki's hands, sweeping across the ground and forming a sun shape on the ground around her. Before the sea dragon could reach her, it stopped in midair and started to violently shake for a few seconds before exploding, drenching Natsuki and Tiamat.

  Her new spell that Tiamat helped her create, which built off her Bck Bolt, disrupted the magic whatever attack was within range, immediately causing it to fall apart.

  While Void Shatter looked strong on paper, it had a limited range of a few feet away from Natsuki, it only worked on physical energy and not living beings, and it could not disrupt spells that were of a certain level of strength.

  Natsuki raised her hand, summoning a ball of fire and unching it at the dragons, "Scattershot!"

  Quickly, the ball broke apart into over a dozen fireballs, each one speeding towards Tiamat. The dragon created a water shield, and the shield did not break even as the fireballs hit it and began to explode on impact.

  Once the attack was finished, a purple aura formed over Tiamat's body, causing Natsuki to finally open her eyes, clicking her teeth in annoyance.

  Not this shit again. Natsuki thought, gring at Tiamat and using her Devourer's Gluttony to fire Hellfire at her.

  Conjuration of Hysteria gave Tiamat an even greater ability to wrap the environment around her, and combing this with her Chaotic Oceanic Dimension, Natsuki's small chances of winning plummeted even further.

  Natsuki was unsurprised as she watched her Hellfire spiral out of control and turn hard right, avoiding Tiamat entirely as it crashed into the ke's surface.

  Nor was she surprised when her vision started to blur; her body feeling as if it was a thousand pounds heavier than it actually was, and a sudden and intense rage filling her heart and mind, making her want to lose control and rip apart everything in her path.

  This was the true power of Conjuration of Hysteria; disruption of spells, making them spiral or lose direction, weakening of artificial constructs, and increased aggression and hostility of lesser beings, pushing them into disarray and madness.

  Natsuki grabbed the side of her head, trying to calm herself down, knowing that Tiamat was trying to make her act reckless.

  "You can't fight chaos and try to bend it to your will, little one. You must either ride the current or drown in it." Tiamat purred, rushing towards Natsuki again.

  Tiamat coated her fist in a sheen mass of densely pack water, which Natsuki was able to absorb the water the second it touched her, but because she was absorbing the attack, Natsuki was unable to see and avoid the punch Tiamat threw at her face with her other hand, knocking Natsuki back.

  Natsuki felt nothing but rage as she threw herself at Tiamat, swinging wildly at Tiamat as she lost herself to the anger that Tiamat's aura had inspired within her. Tiamat leaned back, allowing Natsuki to overextend herself and delivering quick blows to Natsuki's face and then stomach. She then grabbed Natsuki's arm, lifted her off the ground, threw her over her shoulder, and smmed Natsuki into the dirt.

  The dragon then pressed her foot against Natsuki's neck, pinning her down as she thrashed about. Tiamat shook her head with exasperated bemusement before deactivating her Conjuration of Hysteria.

  Once she did, Natsuki immediately rexed, letting out a groan as her rationality returned to her, and she realized what had just happened.

  "You need to focus less on committing to an action and just allowing your instincts to carry over, your overthinking is what is making your movements so awkward." Tiamat said, slowly lifting her foot off Natsuki's neck. "And you must have a better grasp on your emotions; you had started to succumb within moments of me using my ability."

  "I know, I know." Natsuki said pushing herself off the ground, "I should control my wrath, not let my wrath control me."

  Tiamat had been repeatedly telling Natsuki this, telling her that her anger was a boost, but was often a crutch and a weakness that was holding her back.

  The strongest weapon in one's arsenal is not overwhelming might or the power of friendship, or any of that nonsense, but your mind. The second you throw intelligence, cunning, and unpredictability to the wayside, the battle is already won and lost. Natsuki remembered Tiamat telling her after their first spar.

  "Are you going to let me use my Bance Breaker yet?" Natsuki asked.

  Since her training had begun, Tiamat had given Natsuki one stipution after their first spar, that she was not allowed to use her Bance Breaker, not until Tiamat deemed her ready.

  "Soon." Tiamat answered, "You are making good progress, but I am still not confident that you are there yet."

  Natsuki raised an eyebrow, "And when will that be? Tiamat, we're on Day eleven, we don't have much time left."

  "We will get there, have a bit more faith. Now, get up, we're not done yet."

  Natsuki groaned, but did as she was told, taking up a defensive stance across from the now grinning she-dragon.

  Despite her outward compints, Natsuki wanted to continue just as much as Tiamat did, needing to win against her, even just once.

  Ten Days Later

  Issei grinned as he was riding on Tannin's back, flying towards the Gremory residence. He had to admit that despite how overwhelming it was, riding on the dragon's back was actually comfortable and quick.

  Before he knew it, Tannin was nding in front of castle gates, lowering his head, and allowing Issei to climb off him.

  The Devil was left with only one shoe and his sweatpants, his shirt and sweatshirt having been destroyed and left unsalvageable due to his training.

  "I'll be going now. I will also be attending the Maou-sponsored party, let's meet again there, Hyoudou Issei and Ddraig." Tannin said, preparing to take off again.

  "Thank you, Ossan! See you at the party!"

  "Sorry for troubling you, Tannin. We'll meet again." Ddraig replied.

  "It's fine, I had fun training your host, so there's nothing to apologize for." Tannin said, "That's right, I almost forgot; do you want to enter the party by riding on my back?"

  Issei blinked, "Really? Is that okay?"

  "Yeah, it's no problem. I'll take my Peerage first, and then I'll come here on the day of the party. I'll contact the Gremorys ter to set it up."

  Really, Ossan truly is a sensible dragon! Issei thought, nodding his head.

  "Then, I'll come here again tomorrow. Farewell!" After saying that, Tannin fpped his wings and disappeared into the sky.

  Issei saw him off while waving his hand until he could no longer see the dragon.

  "Good to know that Tannin hasn't changed, he's always been like that for as long as I can remember." Ddraig said.

  "I think he's a good person. When we first met, I thought he was absolutely terrifying, but he's cool for a dragon!" Issei excimed.

  Ddraig scoffed, "You do know that me and you are also dragons, right?"

  "That's true, but I just think that a genuine dragon is really rge and magnificent. Me and you, we're just a possessed Devil that was originally human and a dragon's soul that was put inside a Sacred Gear."

  "Well, that's true." Ddraig admitted.

  "Hey, Ise-kun." When Issei turned around, he saw Kiba standing there. Unlike Issei, he still had all of his gym clothes, but they were all tattered, covered in little holes and cuts.

  Kiba tilted his head to the side as he looked the Pawn over, "Your body has gotten toned."

  Issei quickly used his hands to cover his upper body, feeling as if his body was now in danger "S-Stop it, what's with those eyes...Don't look at my body with those eyes, you freak!"

  "That's cruel, Ise-kun." Kiba said with a pout, "I just wanted to say that you built up your muscles nicely."

  Issei shudder with disgust, "You haven't changed, you bastard."

  "Why is it wrong for Kiba to point out how muscur you've gotten, Ise?" Issei jumped, finally realizing that he and Kiba were not the only ones in the room.

  Standing next to Kiba was Xenovia, who was covered in bandages, with only her mouth, eyes, and hair visible.

  "Xenovia?! What's with that appearance?" Issei asked, staring at the girl in shock.

  "I kept getting injured with Souji-sensei, and since none of us can heal quickly or possessed healing magic, this was the best Souji-senpai could do for me." Xenovia said.

  "You're like a real mummy woman!" Issei excimed.

  Xenovia frowned, wincing as her facial muscles pulled on the skin of her face, "How rude. I have no intention of being preserved forever, you know?"

  "That's not what I meant!"

  "Xenovia-chan was working with Durandal and Ascalon, remember? Even though she is a True Holy Sword wielder, she is still a Devil, and so has the same thing happens to her that it does for the rest of us when exposed to the Holy elements." Kiba expined.

  Issei had loaned Xenovia Ascalon before they had all left for their training as to further help with her, allowing her to get used to the Holy elements of different Holy Swords.

  "Well, at least both of you got stronger with your teacher, although I don't know if coming back looking like a mummy can be seen as worth it." Issei muttered.

  Issei's ability to see the flow of magic power had also improved from because of training with Tannin, so he was to feel that the auras around the two Knights were denser and thicker than before. He did not possess Natsuki's level of skill, but Issei found it useful to be able to tell by himself how strong other people were, instead of relying on his friends to tell him.

  "Ise-san! Kiba-san, and Xenovia-san too!" Asia shouted happily as she walked through the castle gates, seeing them standing there.

  Issei grinned, "Asia-chan, it's been a while."

  "I-Ise-san! P-Please get dressed!" Asia said, panicked at seeing him standing there shirtless. She was more embarrassed by his conduct rather than his nudeness.

  I should put something on. What's with this girl, she was used to seeing me naked. Issei thought.

  "Ara, it seems everyone from the group that went out has returned." Rias was the next person to appear, smiling at her servants, having missed each of them.

  Buchou! It's been so long My Buchou! My Onee-sama! She's still just as beautiful as always! "Buchou! I wanted to see you!"

  "Ise...You've become very robust, haven't you? Your chest is thicker." Rias embraced Issei tightly while saying this.

  Ah, the feeling of Buchou...Rather, because my lust itself was suppressed during that mountain seclusion, the level of my arousal was intense from smelling the scent of the woman I missed so much, women are nice.

  Rias let go of Issei and faced the others, "Now then, everyone. Please come in. Once you've taken a shower and changed clothes, we'll meet to report the outcome of our training."

  After allowing everyone to clean themselves up, and in Xenovia's case, allowing Asia to heal her injuries, for the first time in over two weeks the Rias Gremory Peerage were all gathered in one pce.

  "Wait, where's Natsuki?" Issei asked, realizing that his fellow Pawn was the one missing from the living room.

  "Yes, where is Natsuki?" Rias asked, narrowing her eyes at Azazel.

  Azazel's smile did not falter, much to Rias' chagrin, "There's nothing to worry about, Natsuki and Tiamat just needed a little extra time, that's all. She'll be here in time for the little party tomorrow, safe and sound."

  Rias' expression did not change, hating how the Fallen never felt the need to properly expin himself, always keeping things private until the st possible moment.

  I'll just have to believe him for now, if Natsuki isn't back here by tomorrow, I'm going to give this asshole hell. Rias thought, focusing on her servants as they each took turns expining how their twenty days went by.

  The Next Day

  As the teleportation circle disappeared and she found herself standing outside the gates of the castle, Natsuki took the moment to throw her arms up into the air and stretch.

  Natsuki looked as if she had been living in the wilderness for months instead of a few weeks, the legs of her sweatpants had long since been torn off, now cut just above the middle of her thighs, her sweatshirt and t-shirt had both been destroyed, leaving her in just her sports bra, and she was covered in grim as Tiamat had refused to let her bathe in the Lifeless Shallows.

  The ke's waters were apparently sacred and had been given a blessing long ago, so Tiamat refused to let anyone use it, especially not Natsuki, that it was not for her to sully it quite literally with her dirty body. Natsuki was not sure if she believed Tiamat, a part of her thinking that Tiamat was simply lying to keep Natsuki out, but she was not going to test her theory by attempting to go against the she-dragon's orders.

  I'm going to take the longest shower of my life and then crash in that beautiful bed Rias gave me. Natsuki thought as she walked through the gates.

  You will not be able to do either of those things for very long. The Devils have that little get-together tonight, remember? Lux said through their shared link. Your presence is required.

  Fucking hell, I forgot. Why do Devils throw so many parties? Natsuki asked, too tried to bother speaking out loud and simply continuing the conversation in her mind.

  Because they have nothing else to waste their time and money on. That, and they like to show off to their peers.

  You're probably right. I just hope that there isn't some fancy-dress code requirement because I did not bring anything like that when we came down here.

  When Natsuki entered the castle, she walked past a few maids who were staring at her with shock, unable to take their eyes off her.

  What is their problem? Is it the ck of clothes or the dirt?

  Natsuki could practically feel Lux rolling her eyes through their bond. It is most likely the blood, you idiot. You are bleeding all over the pce, they have most likely never seen someone with such an injury continue to move about unbothered as you are.

  Natsuki had almost forgotten that Tiamat had given her a little congratutions present before sending her on her way.

  During her training, Tiamat had given Natsuki little reprieve, especially in the final five days when Tiamat had deemed Natsuki ready to use her Bance Breaker again.

  Even this morning the two were still sparring against each other, and just when Natsuki had felt confident and was pushing back Tiamat in her human form, Tiamat transformed back into a dragon and decided to teach Natsuki that her brief showing of arrogance was unfounded.

  Now there was a still gapping and weeping wound in the center of her stomach from where Tiamat had pierced her with one of her talons.

  This should be good enough for now; we're just going up against Sona and the Student Council. If it was against a stronger opponent, I don't know if I would have come back so soon. While Natsuki knew that she had gotten stronger, she still could not help but think that this was not enough and that she was still cking.

  You are not weak, Natsuki. And if you feel that you still are, Tiamat was more than clear with her invitation. Lux said, referring to the fact that before Tiamat had teleported them away from the ke, she had told Natsuki that she was free to come back at any time, whether it was for more training or to simply talk.

  You think Kushina-sama will be jealous if I told her that I got adopted by a dragon? Natsuki joked, trying to change the subject.

  Lux allowed her to do so with a small ugh. I think she would try to fight Tiamat, and I am afraid that Tiamat may lose that battle.

  Natsuki snickered, finding the imagery of Kushina fighting a giant mythical dragon and somehow coming out on top hirious.

  Eventually, Natsuki found her room and was about to enter as she heard the voice of Issei coming from down the hall. "I'm telling you guys, I can feel Natsuki, I know she's here."

  When the group turned the corner and saw Natsuki, Issei grinned, "See? I told you guys that I knew where-What the fuck, Natsuki?! What the hell happened to you?!"

  His and everyone else's eyes were now locked on the open wound on Natsuki's body.

  "Hey guys." Natsuki said pinly.

  "Don't act so causally!" Issei excimed, "Not when you have a hole in your stomach and are bleeding all over yourself!"

  Asia rushed to Natsuki and immediately began using her powers to heal her, "Are you okay, Natsuki-san?"

  "I'm fine, Asia. Really, it's nothing, Tiamat was just showing me how serious she can get this morning." Natsuki answered, rexing as she felt the familiar and soothing sensation of Asia's healing aura brushing against her skin.

  "You were still training this morning?" Rias asked incredulously, "Honestly, Natsuki, do you even get tired?"

  "I'm powered by spite and competitiveness." Natsuki said with a shrug.

  Rias looked as if she had just aged about five years and was thoroughly done with Natsuki, which Natsuki counted as a personal record for how quickly she could push someone's buttons.

  It's good to be back.