Ace, Rias, Sona, and their respective peerages were walking along an uphill road that cut through the hills. At the very back, Issei and Saji struggled to climb, both carrying large bags on their backs, breathing heavily.
"Why is this thing so damn heavy…?" Issei muttered, while Saji could only nod tiredly, too exhausted to reply.
Ace glanced at Sona and asked, "Why are you here, Sona?" His tone was flat, but there was clear curiosity in it.
Sona turned toward him, her thin glasses reflecting the sunlight. A small smile formed on her face.
"Don't you like me being here, Ace?" she replied lightly, almost teasing.
Ace quickly shook his head. "That's not what I meant."
Sona chuckled softly and folded her arms in front of her chest as she kept walking.
"Let's just say I don't want our trainer to be taken away so easily."
Ace let out a short sigh, the corner of his lips lifting slightly. Ahead of them, the silhouette of the Gremory Mansion began to appear between the trees.
As soon as the group arrived in front of the Gremory Mansion, Rias turned to face everyone.
"All right," Rias said as she started walking inside. "Let's go in and start the training right away."
"I agree," Sona replied without hesitation, matching Rias's pace.
The opposite reaction came from the back.
"What?!" Issei and Saji shouted almost at the same time.
"Training right away? Buchou! Kaichou! You're monsters!" they protested with despair on their faces.
Inside the room, the atmosphere was relaxed but noisy. Issei had just taken off his shirt when his eyes accidentally landed on Ace, who had already changed. His muscles were clearly visible, well-trained and neatly defined.
"Tch… showing off," Issei muttered, turning his face away.
Ace glanced at him briefly and calmly picked up his clothes.
"Hm? If you try hard enough, you can get a body like this too," he said flatly, as if it were nothing special.
Issei fell silent for a few seconds, then clicked his tongue in annoyance. Kiba only smiled faintly. After they finished changing, they returned to the mansion courtyard.
In the courtyard, since Ace and Kiba were the first to finish changing, Ace spoke up.
"Since we're done, how about you try attacking me?" he said, telling Kiba to attack him.
Kiba smiled. "All right," he said while taking a wooden sword.
Ace stopped him. "No. Use your Sacred Gear and attack me."
Ace drew a sword with a long, dark blade. At the base of the blade, a glowing red line ran through it like an energy core embedded in the steel. The guard was shaped like a wolf's head.
Kiba hesitated slightly. "Are you sure that's okay?"
Ace raised his sword toward Kiba. "Are you scared?"
"No, I'm just wondering if Kaichou allows it," Kiba replied.
"It's fine. Even if you get injured, I can heal you," Ace said calmly.
After a moment of hesitation, Kiba finally used his Sacred Gear to create a sword.
Ace stood a few steps in front of Kiba, his sword raised casually, as if this were just a warm-up. Kiba tightened his grip on his created blade.
Kiba understood Ace's intention clearly. Ace was measuring his ability.
"I won't hold back," Kiba said quietly. That was the only warning he gave.
Ace simply nodded. "Good."
Kiba moved first. A straight, fast, clean slash. Ace shifted his foot half a step and blocked it with his dark blade without a loud clash.
Kiba increased the tempo, forcing Ace back two steps. One slash nearly grazed Ace's shoulder.
Ace smiled faintly, then vanished from Kiba's view. Issei and Saji, watching from the side, were shocked by Ace's speed.
Ace appeared behind Kiba and swung his sword vertically. Sensing Ace's presence, Kiba twisted his body and blocked the strike. A heavy pressure slammed into his blade. His arms trembled. His knees bent.
Seeing that Kiba couldn't push him back, Ace stopped his attack and stepped away.
Kiba froze for a moment, feeling weak. Ace stopped before taking another stance.
"What are you doing, Kiba? Come on, stand up. You can still fight, right?"
Hearing that, Kiba stood up without hesitation. "Yes!" He took his stance again.
After one round, Kiba took a break. Ace turned toward Issei and Saji. "You two, come here."
Issei and Saji walked over. "What is it?" Issei asked.
Ace took out eight black bracelets. "What are those for?" Saji asked.
Ace told them to stretch out their arms. Issei and Saji exchanged looks, hesitated briefly, then obeyed. Ace calmly placed two bracelets on each of their arms.
With the sudden increase in weight, both of them staggered and collapsed to the ground. A thin cloud of dust rose as their knees hit the courtyard.
"Ow!" Issei grimaced, clutching his arms. "What are these things?! Why are they so heavy?!"
Seeing them fall, Ace shook his head.
"That's all it took for you to fall? Looks like you need to train a lot harder."
Issei looked up, his face red with frustration.
"Answer me! Why are these bracelets so heavy?!"
"No need to shout. Each bracelet is about 12 kilograms, if I remember correctly," Ace replied casually.
"What?! Twelve kilograms?!" Issei and Saji shouted.
Ace picked up the remaining bracelets. "Enough complaining."
He lightly tossed them toward them. "Now put these on your legs too."
After they put them on, Ace ordered them to run around the courtyard ten times.
"All right, try running ten laps within seventeen minutes. If you're not done by then, you'll run five more."
When Issei and Saji tried to protest, Ace cut them off with a megaphone.
"Move! No slacking! Time starts now!"
They still didn't move, so Ace shouted again.
"MOVE, MOVE, MOVE! WHY AREN'T YOU RUNNING?! RUN!"
Hearing that, Issei and Saji finally started running.
Ace turned to Kiba. "Kiba, you're done resting, right? Let's continue your training."
Inside the mansion, Rias and the others heard the noise outside.
"Ara, it sounds like they're very energetic," Akeno said.
"That's good if they're motivated," Rias replied.
After changing, they went outside and saw Ace and Kiba sparring, while Issei and Saji ran around the field.
Ace raised his sword again. "I'm coming," Kiba said shortly.
He advanced with a fast combination. A cross slash, then a low thrust. Ace blocked the first and shifted his body away from the second. Metal clashed, small sparks jumping into the air.
Kiba kept pressing forward. His footwork was clean, his breathing steady. He learned from the previous round and didn't rush. A feint to the right, then the real attack to the left.
Ace stepped back half a step. Kiba's sword narrowly missed his chest.
Then Ace twisted his wrist. His dark blade pushed Kiba's sword aside, and at the same time his shoulder slammed into Kiba's.
Kiba lost his balance for a split second.
Ace closed in. The hilt of his sword struck Kiba's stomach. The air rushed out of Kiba's lungs in a rough gasp.
"—gh!"
Kiba was thrown backward and dropped to one knee, his sword stabbing into the ground to support himself. He panted heavily, chest rising and falling fast.
Ace stopped right in front of him. The tip of his sword halted a finger's width from Kiba's neck.
"Your technique is clean. But you're too focused on chasing me."
Kiba lifted his head, still breathing hard.
"If… I don't chase you…?"
"You could force me to move," Ace answered. "That's the difference."
Ace lowered his sword and stepped back.
That was when he turned his head.
Rias, Sona, and their peerages were already standing at the edge of the courtyard, watching. Some looked tense, others surprised, and the rest simply curious.
Ace sighed, then took out the megaphone.
"Why are you all just standing there watching?" his voice echoed through the courtyard.
He pointed at Sona. "Sona, you and your peerage train as usual. I'll handle Rias and her peerage for a bit."
On the other side of the courtyard, Issei and Saji finally finished their last lap. They staggered toward Ace, breathing heavily, sweat pouring down.
Ace glanced at his watch, then nodded in satisfaction. "See? You managed to finish."
Issei panted, his knees almost giving out.
"Ea—sy—for—some—one—who—didn't—run…"
As Sona and her peerage left to train, except for Saji who was still gasping for air, Ace walked to the center of Rias's peerage.
"If you want to defeat Riser in the Rating Game, you can't rely on brute strength and spirit alone."
He turned to Kiba, who was still kneeling.
"Kiba, listen carefully."
Kiba stood up, fully focused. "Yes."
"Your biggest mistake," Ace continued, "is thinking the sword is the only answer." He pointed at Kiba. "You can create many swords, but you fight as if you only have one."
"Change your sword according to the situation," Ace said calmly but sharply. "Close range, long range, fast opponents, heavy opponents. Don't be stubborn."
Ace paused, then added, "And one more thing."
He looked straight into Kiba's eyes. "Don't hesitate to throw your sword."
"Throw it…?" Kiba repeated, surprised.
"Yes," Ace replied casually. "If the sword doesn't fit the situation, turn it into a projectile. Force the opponent to react. You can always create another one."
A faint smile appeared on his lips. "A sword isn't part of your body. It's just a tool to extend your attack range, so don't rely on a single sword too much."
Ace turned to Issei, who looked like he was about to collapse.
"If you can still talk, you can still train," he said flatly.
"Cru—el…" Issei fell flat on his back on the grass. "This is a violation of human rights…"
"Push-ups," Ace cut in. "One hundred."
Issei shot upright. "What?!"
"One hundred fifty," Ace continued without changing his tone. "If you keep talking, we'll add more."
Issei shut his mouth. Saji, standing next to him, immediately took position without being told.
Ace shifted his gaze. "Koneko."
Koneko stood up with her usual blank expression. "Hm."
"I want to see your close-combat fundamentals."
Koneko stepped forward without much talk. When Ace gave the signal, she attacked. A fast, low punch aimed at the stomach. Ace dodged half a step.
"Good," he said. "But your legs are too stiff… Koneko, you're a Nekoshou, right?"
Koneko was silent for a moment before nodding. "Hm."
"Can you use senjutsu?"
She shook her head. "No."
"I see." Ace created a mirror, and an aged anthropomorphic caracal with closed eyes stepped out of it.
"This is Master Sha-Fu. You'll learn something called Fierce Beast Felis-Fist from him."
Koneko looked at Master Sha-Fu with sparkling eyes. "Cute."
Seeing Ace create the mirror, Rias thought, 'A Sacred Gear that can summon other beings? Is this a Longinus?'
Ace, sensing her thoughts, said, "No. It's not a Sacred Gear, and definitely not a Longinus. And Master Sha-Fu is a robot."
"Master Sha-Fu, please train Koneko so she can master Fierce Beast Felis-Fist," Ace ordered.
Master Sha-Fu stroked his whiskers.
"Hmm, that won't be a problem." He looked at Koneko. "All right, let's train, Koneko."
"Yes!" Koneko replied, her face still blank but her voice full of enthusiasm.
Ace turned to Rias and Akeno.
"Sorry, but I can't really help with magic training," he said with a bit of regret.
Rias smiled. "It's fine. You've already helped everyone else. We can train on our own."
Akeno smiled gently.
"Yes, Buchou is right. Don't worry about it too much."
Ace thought for a moment.
"Demonic magic depends on imagination, right?"
"Yes," Rias answered.
"Then maybe you could try using chants, like in anime, to make it easier?" Ace suggested.
"I don't think that would work very well, and it would also tell the enemy what spell we're about to use," Rias replied.
Ace turned to Kiba. "Kiba, you can train on your own, right?"
Kiba smiled. "Of course. No problem."
Ace told Rias and Akeno to follow him. They walked toward Sona.
"Sona, I want you to help Rias and Akeno with their magic. Make them do the kind of training I told you about."
Sona nodded. "Of course, that's not a problem."
"What kind of training?" Akeno asked.
Ace looked at them and smiled. "You'll find out."
Rias and Akeno trained with Sona. Issei and Saji trained their bodies. Koneko trained Fierce Beast Felis-Fist with Master Sha-Fu. Ace helped Kiba and Sona's peerage by sparring and giving advice, while also learning from the sparring himself.
They rested and ate before training again, focusing not only on physical strength but also on strategy. In the afternoon, Ace asked Rias about the room he had requested her to prepare. Rias showed him the room, and Ace was satisfied with it, then told Issei to change into white clothes.
"All right, Issei. Go inside and try to dodge the incoming arrows," Ace said.
"W-wait! Will it hurt?" Issei asked.
"Don't worry, the arrows aren't sharp," Ace replied, then pushed Issei inside.
They could see what was happening inside from outside, but Issei couldn't see them. In front of Ace were several buttons, controlling firing speed, number of arrows, and reload.
Ace operated them casually, adjusting everything as he pleased. Watching Issei get shot at by countless arrows, the others felt a bit sorry for him.
After a while, Issei came out. His clothes, once white, were now completely red.
"Issei, you FAILED!" Ace shouted through the megaphone.
"What else was I supposed to do?! The arrows were coming from all directions!" Issei protested.
"Do you think Riser will care if you're attacked from all directions?" Ace replied.
Hearing that, Issei fell silent.
"Change your clothes and rest. Tomorrow, after you finish all your training, everyone comes back here," Ace said, then looked at the others. "Anyone else want to try?"
Seeing that no one stepped forward, Ace continued, "Starting tomorrow, someone other than Issei will have to go in. If not, I'll choose randomly."
Everyone went silent.
Ace smiled. "All right then. Let's train hard for these two weeks!" Ace raised his hand enthusiastically.