{Present, Gremory Training Ground}
That's fucking insane…
"Regulus Nemea!"
I sliced his arm off. He shouldn't be pulling moves like that. And still, he summoned a damned lion through a teleportation circle.
It was the pawn and his Longinus. The energy he was oozing out was enough to shake—no, crack—the entire training ground, walls included.
Ingvild shielded Rias from the leaking energy. Anyone below High Class would've been knocked out instantly.
"Regulus Rey!" Not good. "Leather Rex!"
The lion turned into pure golden light and wrapped around him, forming an armor. It even created a prosthetic arm.
I couldn't waste time. I threw the whip at him—barely managing to land it on his foot through the storm of energy.
The disgusting amount of power stopped me from slicing his foot off. Instead, it just cracked his armor, only for it to instantly repair itself.
Sairaorg roared, tuning into his lion form and almost losing his sanity.
Fuck!
"Get out of there, Faiser!" Ingvild yelled, but it was too late.
The beast rushed at me at the speed of sound, turning into a blur and slamming his fist into my gut.
I felt my organs shake, shift, some even rupture. Blood sprayed out of my mouth as my body couldn't handle the damage.
He circled back, smashing a kick into my right arm—shattering it and forcing me to drop the whip.
I couldn't hold it anymore. I couldn't win against him without using Bind.
Fuck!
He came from the left this time, landing a brutal hit on my thigh—tearing away a massive chunk of flesh.
This wasn't friendly anymore.
And I was left with no choice.
Golden chains, invisible to others, sprouted from the ground and coiled around him. He roared, thrashing to break free.
And the insane part? He was actually shaking the chains. Something Katerea couldn't even do.
[The combination of his strength and the power of the Longinus Regulus Nemea are threatening to temporarily break into Satan Class.]
Shit, I can't let that happen!
"N-No! Run!" Ingvild screamed, worried for me. But there was nowhere to run.
[Time till Bind goes undone: 15 Seconds]
His chestplate cracked—then immediately repaired.
This time his gauntlet cracked. It repaired just as fast.
[Time till Bind goes undone: 12 Seconds]
No! Not enough!
Come on!
I poured every bit of strength I had into Sever, and it still wasn't enough.
[You are dangerously close to Demonic Power Fatigue. Do not push further.]
I'll die if I don't!
[Time till Bind goes undone: 8 Seconds]
[Warning! Demonic Power at critical stage! Exceeding more could cause your body to collapse!]
I was dying either way!
[Time till Bind goes undone: 6 Seconds]
[The energy output has surpassed your internal threshold!]
My eyes blurred.
[Output reached to unlock Stage Five of Barbaros!]
[Ability Acquired: Penetrate!]
My mind went blank. I had no time to check descriptions.
The golden chains binding him glowed purple and did the impossible.
As my vision darkened, the chains pierced through his armor, reaching his flesh.
[Penetrate: Allows you to break through defenses, barriers, tools, and magic so your attacks can reach the target. Success depends on your demonic power output. Higher-grade defenses require higher energy. Failing to meet the requirement results in failure to penetrate.]
I couldn't hear it. Couldn't read. All I saw was his armor cracking as my chains bypassed his defenses.
It gave me the chance to land one last attack.
I poured everything into it. His three limbs were chopped off, his armor shattered into white light and sank into him, and his body crashed to the ground, bleeding.
"Gah!" He didn't faint, but he was close. Lying there with his limbs missing, blood pooling around him. "Y-You d-damned monster."
He groaned… no, laughed in pain, just as I stumbled toward him, bleeding.
[Extreme injuries detected.]
[Asura Heart pumping rapidly!]
[Asura Body trait fully released!]
I felt my bones and flesh knit back together. Healing fast. But not fast enough to keep me awake.
"Drink it," I groaned, barely standing, letting my blood drip onto his face.
"T-That's disgusting!" he complained, still wearing that damned smile.
"Faiser!"
"Sairaorg!"
Both Ingvild and Rias came running.
"D-Drink it if you don't w-want to die," I said. "It's not that bad."
He complained, but still swallowed the blood that dripped into his mouth.
[Asura Mark added]
I saw a dark glow appear on his forehead before it vanished just as quickly.
I couldn't keep standing anymore and collapsed beside him.
"You are a monster," he muttered, finally able to speak properly now that his vocal cords and organs were healed.
I felt my own organs healing too—and it wasn't painless.
His limbs started to regrow. First the bones, then the vessels, then the muscles. Slowly, but surely, he was healing.
"Why!" Ingvild stumbled near me.
"Careful…" I whispered without thinking.
"N-No! Why did you two take it this far!" she cried, her voice trembling and weaker than usual. "Why!"
"S-Sairaorg…" Rias swallowed hard as she looked at our injuries. Even though we were healing, it was still a terrifying, grotesque sight.
"I am alive," he sighed. "His blood really does work."
"I told you…" I didn't even have the strength to move a finger.
"Ingvild," I said, unable to move my neck. "Don't worry, I'm worse than a cockroach. I won't die that easily."
Her tears hit my cheek as she sobbed.
We had gone too far. It wasn't even funny anymore. But did we regret it?
"Do you want to fight like this again?" Sairaorg asked, staring up.
"Fuck no, you damned masochist!"
For the first time, the body that always refused to speak crudely and kept a refined tone—broke, and cursed out.
It was… something. Even Rias looked shocked. Ingvild too, her tear-stained face frozen in surprise.
"I… don't even remember the last time I fought like this," he gave a dry laugh. "No, I never did. I fought with my life on the line against my half-brother for the heir title. But in that fight, I realized I had long surpassed him and didn't need to push so much." He took a deep breath. "This… is truly a first."
His eyes closed just as his limbs finished forming. Both of us were barely covered, most of our clothes blown off. We looked like corpses lying on the ground.
"It was fun… Faiser."
"It was," I admitted. "Friend."
I felt his shock at that word, even though he couldn't move his head.
"Friend, huh?" he muttered before exhaustion finally took him under. "That's… a first."
Darkness closed in on me too, and the last thing I heard was Lord Bael's yell and Lord Gremory's shock.
We caused quite the ruckus, didn't we?
* * *
{Evening, Terrace of the Gremory Mansion}
—Sirzechs Lucifer—
"Do you need me for anything else?" Grayfia asked her king as she handed him a map.
"This will do," he said, staring at the nearly completed Barbatos mansion. "You can go home. Mother asked for you."
His wife treated him like a king, but sometimes, he wished she didn't. He didn't care much for rules and formal respect. What he wanted was rest—something he hadn't had for centuries.
"Very well."
He sighed as she teleported away, wishing she wasn't always so strict.
"At least mother gets through to her sometimes," he chuckled dryly. "But it's still exhausting."
"Overseeing the construction, I assume?"
He turned his head to find Faiser teleporting onto the roof, a few feet away.
"You don't look too good," Sirzechs said, noticing the boy's haggard face. "Is it from the fight I heard about?"
He hadn't been home yet, but Grayfia told him about the so-called training session between Faiser and Sairaorg Bael.
"I thought I was strong for my age," Faiser sighed. "But there's another monster out there. In terms of raw strength, he's far above me."
Sirzechs knew of Sairaorg. The boy once claimed he would become a Satan one day. Many called it ridiculous, since he didn't even have the Power of Destruction. But their mocking ended the day Sairaorg, without bloodline powers, defeated Magdaran Bael—his half-brother and a prodigy with the Power of Destruction—using nothing but his fists. From then on, he only grew stronger. A few years ago, he earned the title of the strongest of his generation.
Sirzechs wished—truly wished—that Rias was more like him. But despite her talent, she was lazy.
"Did they leave?" he asked. 'Strange that Lord Bael came for his son's blood. Then again, most Bael politics happen because of Zekram, not him.'
"They did," Faiser said. "And he agreed to support me with my potion idea. Having Bael connections will help."
"They're the most powerful pillar in trade," Sirzechs said. "We played it well."
Faiser nodded, staring ahead. "I think things are moving faster than I expected. Maybe two days?"
This time, Sirzechs nodded. The mansions—both of them—would be finished within two days.
Things were going well for Faiser. But it wouldn't stay easy for long.
"You will be protected by the Bael Pillar if everything goes well, but Zekram's influence will not be too bad against you," he warned. "Phenex is a different case though. He will do everything in his power to push you towards loss, since you embarrassed him and targeted his potion business."
Surprisingly, Faiser smiled at that.
"Don't worry, Lord Lucifer," the heir said. "I have a solution to that."
That drew Sirzechs' interest. "How?"
But the boy didn't give a straight answer. Instead, he asked a question of his own.
"I heard that Rias is to marry the youngest son of Lord Phenex."
Sirzechs' mood soured. It was true, and at the moment he had no way to stop it. His father had made the arrangements long ago, and as a Satan, he couldn't directly interfere with pillar politics—even if it involved his own family.
Still, if Rias was forced, he wouldn't sit back. He would act, even if it cost him his position.
"I think I can help you with it," Faiser suddenly said, catching him off guard. "I don't see Rias being happy with the Phenex family."
'She wouldn't. She wasn't.' Sirzechs knew that all too well. His face hardened. "How? Jokes are good, Faiser. But this is a sensitive matter to both Rias and me."
"It is not a joke, Lord Lucifer," the boy said, staring toward his estate. "I have a way to make Lord Phenex agree to my conditions, and I will work to make it happen."
Sirzechs stared, waiting for an explanation.
"Do you recall the timeframe that was agreed upon, Lord Lucifer? For the pillars to repay me my wealth and lands?"
The question made him nod.
"Well, it is a massive amount, even for the major pillars. Other than Bael, who already repaid, and Agares, who are wealthy enough to pay in less than a year, the rest won't find it so easy."
That much was true. Even his father was struggling to adjust.
"The Phenex pillar will take the worst hit," Faiser explained. "With the amount being massive and their potion business under attack, they will be pushed into a corner. They won't be able to repay without losing a huge part of their wealth, name, and face. So, they will have to look for other solutions."
Sirzechs' eyes widened. "You are… willing to use that? For Rias?" He couldn't understand. "Why?"
"You and the other Satans have already helped me a lot, so I was planning on softening the conditions for your families anyway." The heir of Barbatos and Valefar smiled. "But honestly, I am hoping to get something from you in return."
Sirzechs knew it wouldn't be free. Still, if the conditions didn't harm his family or his position, he was willing to agree.
"What do you want?" he asked, cautious.
The answer surprised him more than anything else.
"I want you to help me convince a certain someone, Lord Lucifer." The boy turned fully towards him. "I want you to help me convince a certain dragon to be my rook."
Sirzechs went silent, running through the dragons he knew.
"Who… are you talking about?"
Faiser took a deep breath. "I want you to help convince the Blaze Meteor Dragon Tanin to let his son, Bova the Destroyer, join my peerage. And hopefully help convince Bova as well. I heard he is young, but extremely capable."
Sirzechs blinked several times. It was one of the wildest requests he had ever heard. He wasn't even sure it was possible.
"I can help," he said finally. "I can arrange for you to meet him, and I can even let Tanin know of your feats and character. I can tell him things he will respect. But convincing him to let his son join your peerage? And convincing the son himself… that will be up to you."
Faiser thought for a moment before nodding. "That works too. If you're willing to do that, I'll help you with the engagement issue."
Sirzechs could hardly believe it. For him, this wasn't difficult at all, and it solved a problem that had weighed on him for too long.
He smiled and extended his hand. "I hope you won't go back on your words, Faiser."
"I won't," Faiser assured, shaking his hand. "That is a promise."
"Then I promise too," Sirzechs said. "I will introduce you to the Blaze Meteor Dragon and his son, Bova the Destroyer."
**************************************************************************************************************
{A/N:A/N: Got a pat reon named RedLamp01 with 30+ chapters.
Ayyy, so you all must have been wondering where I fucked off to. Well, turns out my health wasn't getting any better and probably won't be getting much better either. As I've mentioned before, I have a really shitty immune system, and what's a simple sickness or infection for others turns into a major issue for me.
A while back, I started noticing blood when I coughed, and when I got it checked, it turned out my lungs were affected, along with a few other organs (the liver being one of them). I did go through surgery, but because of my immune system, even that was complicated. Most of the time, they have to wait for a day when it's not acting up too much. Anyhow, I got the surgery done, but the recovery took a while.
Can't say I'm in the best state right now, but I'm not dead, yay! At least not yet. The docs say it 'should be okay'. They aren't entirely sure either, I guess, but anyway, I can get back to normal day-to-day activities. So I'm back to writing, since it helps keep my mind active.
I didn't completely slack off either. During the recovery period, I wrote a bit of a new DxD story. (Till ch 32 posted on Pat reon and chapter 1 has been posted on Web novel, check it through my profile.)
Both the stories will continue side by side; this one is just something I wanted to write a little differently.
Cheers!
}