System Training Space - Time Immeasurable
In the timeless void, Algernon had no reference for how long he'd been training. Days? Months? Years? The concept lost all meaning in this space where exhaustion was reset, injuries healed instantly, and the only constant was the relentless pursuit of mastery.
"Again," Algernon growled, standing amidst a storm of crimson energy.
The Power of Destruction raged around him, wild and consuming. Every attempt to control it felt like trying to hold back a tidal wave with bare hands. The energy wanted to destroy—everything, including the structures he tried to impose upon it.
His first thousand attempts ended in failure. The power would explode uncontrollably, or dissipate uselessly, or turn against him with devastating force. Each time, the Training Space would restore him, ready to try again.
But Algernon had never been one to accept defeat.
He analyzed every failure, every partial success, every moment where the power responded even slightly to his will. Slowly, painstakingly, he began to understand the fundamental truth: the Power of Destruction couldn't be forced into submission like demonic energy. It had to be guided, channeled, given purpose.
'It's not a tool to be wielded,' he realized during one breakthrough moment. 'It's a force to be directed. Like conducting a symphony of annihilation.'
That understanding changed everything.
Instead of trying to compress the Destruction as he did with demonic energy, he learned to weave it—creating pathways for the power to flow, giving it targets and parameters. The crimson energy still destroyed, but now it destroyed exactly what Algernon intended, nothing more, nothing less.
Weeks became months became something longer. The Training Space pushed him constantly, creating increasingly difficult scenarios. Phantom opponents that could only be defeated through precise application of Destruction. Defensive exercises where controlling the power meant survival. Integration drills where he had to combine his demonic energy techniques with his new trait seamlessly.
"Is that all you've got?" Algernon challenged the space itself, blood dripping from his mouth as another wave of crimson energy battered him.
The Training Space responded by intensifying the trial. Good. He wouldn't have it any other way.
Through sheer determination and countless failures, Algernon developed his hybrid techniques:
Annihilation Sphere - A compressed demonic energy orb with a Destruction core, combining kinetic impact with erasing force.
Destruction Wave - A sweeping arc of Power of Destruction that could clear entire battlefields.
Erasing Strike - Concentrated Destruction channeled through physical attacks, allowing him to touch something and simply unmake it.
Crimson Barrier - A defensive technique that didn't block attacks but destroyed them upon contact.
Each technique required perfect balance between his two power sources. Too much demonic energy and the Destruction would be smothered. Too much Destruction and the technique would spiral out of control.
But gradually, impossibly, he achieved that balance.
The Training Space's final trial came without warning. Algernon found himself facing a perfect replica of himself—every technique, every tactic, every strategy he'd developed, turned against him.
The battle was brutal, pushing him to integrate everything he'd learned. Compression techniques. Destruction mastery. Combat experience from the arenas. Strategic thinking from years of planning. All of it came together in a fight that lasted subjective days.
When Algernon finally stood victorious over his own reflection, the Training Space acknowledged his achievement.
["Training Complete. Ultimate-Class achieved in both Physical and Magical realms. Power of Destruction mastery: 67%. Combat effectiveness increased by estimated 800%."]
Sixty-seven percent. Not perfect mastery, but far beyond what most natural wielders achieved in decades. The remaining thirty-three percent would come through practical application, real combat, continued growth.
["Additional achievement recognized: Through exceptional determination and insight, Host has reached the absolute peak of Ultimate-Class. You now stand at the threshold of Tier 2."]
["New Title Awarded: Harbinger of Destruction"]
["This title amplifies all destructive abilities by 25% and generates an aura that instills primal fear in those below your power level."]
Algernon felt the title integrate with his being, becoming part of his fundamental nature. When he called upon his power now, it wouldn't just destroy—it would herald destruction, announcing its arrival to all who could sense it.
["Preparing to return Host to the outside world. Time elapsed externally: 0.3 seconds."]
'Less than half a second,' Algernon thought with dark satisfaction. 'I've lived months or years in a fraction of a heartbeat.'
["One final note, Host: You have proven yourself worthy of Supreme candidacy through this trial. The path ahead remains difficult, but you now possess the foundation to walk it. Use your power wisely."]
Reality snapped back.
Algernon's Quarters - Continued from Chapter 18
Algernon gasped as he returned, the transition jarring despite its instantaneous nature. His mind held months of training, his body had been refined through countless trials, yet in the outside world, Rias had barely shifted in her sleep.
He looked at his hands, clenching them experimentally. The power was there—vast, controlled, integrated perfectly with everything he'd built over years of effort. The Power of Destruction flowed through him like a second heartbeat, ready to answer his call.
But more than that, he felt complete in a way he hadn't before. The system's trial had forged him into something greater, not through shortcuts but through the kind of grueling effort that left permanent marks on one's character.
'Peak Ultimate-Class,' he thought, reviewing his internal state. 'One more tier before Satan-Class, and I can feel how close that barrier is.'
The difference between Ultimate-Class Peak and Satan-Class (Tier 2) was supposedly enormous—a fundamental evolution that separated the exceptional from the legendary. But Algernon had developed an instinct for breaking through barriers. He'd done it from Low to Mid, Mid to High, High to Ultimate. One more barrier was just another challenge.
'A week,' he decided. 'Maybe less with focused training. But first...'
Rias stirred beside him, her eyes fluttering open. She smiled sleepily, then noticed something in his expression. "Algernon? Did something happen?"
He leaned down, kissing her gently. "I'll explain later. Right now, let's just enjoy this moment."
She accepted that, snuggling closer. They had time. All the time in the world.
Several Hours Later - Morning
After their intimate morning together, Algernon dressed in his usual attire—black pants, crimson shirt, and the distinctive black coat that had become his signature. He'd walk Rias to the academy before heading to Lilith for his return to the arena.
As they approached Kuoh Academy's gates hand in hand, Algernon could feel the stares. Dozens of students, mostly male, watching with expressions ranging from shock to envy to despair.
Rias Gremory, the academy's untouchable crimson-haired princess, was publicly displaying affection with someone.
"They're going to talk," Rias said with amusement, clearly enjoying the attention.
"Let them." Algernon smirked. "You're mine, and I'm not ashamed of that."
At the gates, Rias turned to him, rising on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Try not to cause too much chaos today," she teased.
"No promises."
She laughed and headed toward the school building, leaving Algernon surrounded by devastated male students who'd just watched their fantasy girl kiss another man.
He paid them no mind, already planning his next move.
Lilith - Grand Arena District
The teleportation brought Algernon to the outskirts of Lilith's arena district. He paused before entering, reaching into his coat to retrieve his black mask—the signature of Azeroth, the mysterious fighter who'd dominated these arenas years ago.
'Time to remind them who I am,' he thought, securing the mask. 'And show them who I've become.'
As he approached the Grand Arena's entrance, conversations died. Devils stopped mid-sentence, staring at the masked figure whose aura pressed down on the surrounding space like a physical weight.
"Is that—"
"It can't be. Azeroth disappeared years ago—"
"That aura though... that's way stronger than before—"
Algernon walked through the crowds with measured steps, each one deliberate, commanding.
The arena itself was exactly as he remembered: a massive coliseum of black stone carved with glowing crimson runes, the air thick with bloodlust and barely contained violence. This was where devils came to prove their strength, where reputation was built or destroyed through single combat.
He approached the registration desk where a bored-looking devil was processing fighters. The moment she looked up and saw his mask, her eyes widened.
"You're... Azeroth? The Azeroth?"
"I am. Register me for today's high-tier matches."
"High-tier? That's Ultimate-Class and above—" She stopped as she felt his aura, her professional demeanor cracking into genuine shock. "You're... Peak Ultimate?"
"Register me."
She scrambled to comply, clearly flustered. Within minutes, Algernon was scheduled for that evening's main event—a gauntlet match against five Ultimate-Class fighters, one after another, with only brief rest periods between.
News of his return spread through Lilith like wildfire. By the time evening arrived, the Grand Arena was packed to capacity, thousands of devils eager to see if the legendary Azeroth could maintain his undefeated record against significantly stronger opponents than he'd faced years ago.
Grand Arena - Main Event
The announcer's magically amplified voice boomed across the coliseum. "Ladies and gentlemen, devils of Lilith! Tonight, we witness the return of a legend! The mysterious, the undefeated—AZEROTH!"
The crowd erupted as Algernon walked onto the sand-covered arena floor. His black cloak billowed behind him, the mask concealing his identity but doing nothing to hide the overwhelming presence he radiated.
"And facing him tonight—five of Lilith's finest Ultimate-Class warriors in consecutive battles! Can the legend maintain his perfect record, or will tonight mark his first defeat?"
The first opponent entered: a towering devil wielding a massive war hammer, his muscles bulging with barely contained strength. The crowd roared its approval.
The gong sounded.
The warrior charged immediately, his hammer swinging with enough force to crater the arena floor. But Algernon had trained against this body type countless times in the system space. He sidestepped smoothly, the massive weapon passing inches from his face.
Then he raised his hand, and crimson energy coalesced into a sphere.
The crowd gasped. That color, that sensation—
"Is that the Power of Destruction?!"
Algernon released it. The Annihilation Sphere struck the warrior's chest, and where compression would have created an explosion, Destruction simply erased. The devil's center mass vanished, and he collapsed, dead before he hit the ground.
Silence fell across the arena. Then pandemonium.
"HE HAS THE POWER OF DESTRUCTION!"
"HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?! ONLY THE BAEL CLAN—"
"WHO IS HE REALLY?!"
Algernon stood calmly in the center of the arena, waiting for his next opponent. He had four more to go, and each would serve as a stepping stone toward his breakthrough.
One Week Later
For seven consecutive days, Algernon fought in the Grand Arena. Each day brought new challengers, each one stronger than the last. Word of the mysterious Azeroth wielding the Power of Destruction spread throughout the Underworld, drawing increasingly skilled opponents eager to either defeat him or test themselves against his legendary abilities.
He faced devils specializing in fire magic whose flames could melt steel. Lightning wielders whose speed rivaled teleportation. Ice manipulators who could freeze the arena itself. Martial artists whose physical prowess exceeded even High-Class standards.
Algernon defeated them all.
Each battle pushed him further, forcing him to integrate his training, adapt his techniques, combine his demonic energy compression with Destruction in new and creative ways. The combat experience was invaluable—no amount of training could replicate the unpredictability of real opponents fighting for their lives.
On the seventh day, facing his strongest opponent yet—a veteran Ultimate-Class devil who'd been fighting in the arenas for over a century—Algernon felt it.
The barrier between Ultimate-Class Peak and Satan-Class, already thin from his training, shattered.
Power flooded through him, qualitatively different from anything before. His demon energy core underwent another evolution, expanding and compressing simultaneously, becoming denser while holding vastly more capacity. The Power of Destruction integrated even more deeply, no longer feeling like an addition but a fundamental part of his nature.
His final opponent sensed the change mid-battle and actually stepped back in shock. "You're... you're breaking through? Right now?!"
Algernon smiled beneath his mask. "Thank you for the assistance."
The finishing blow combined everything he'd learned: compression techniques from years of training, Destruction mastery from the system space, combat experience from dozens of arena battles. The resulting attack was beautiful in its efficiency—a compressed sphere of pure annihilation that struck his opponent and simply ended the fight.
As the veteran fell unconscious, the crowd's roar was deafening.
["Breakthrough achieved. Tier 2 - Satan-Class (Low)."]
Satan-Class. The same tier as the Four Great Satans themselves, the leaders of devil society.
Algernon stood in the center of the arena, basking in the crowd's adulation, feeling his newly evolved power settle into place.
'This is just the beginning,' he thought. 'Satan-Class is Tier 2. Planet-level threats exist at Tier 3. And beyond that...'
(END OF CHAPTER)
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