P.S this story starts a few years before the start of our favorite DXD verse!
AND I DON'T OWN ANY DXD MATERIAL, ALL CREDIT TO THE ORIGINAL WRITERS!
"Talking out aloud"
'Thinking with ones mind'
"Spirits inside the sacred gears talking"
Without further delay, lets start the chapter!
Occult Research Club
"Ahhhhh-hhhhhaaaa…. Why are we up so early?" Issie yawned as he rubbed his still sleepy eyes. Most people present in the Occult research club, which included all the Gremory Devils except Marid, were in the same boat since they were standing the clubroom 4.am in the morning. Well everyone but Kenta since he was standing in the corner, sneezing.
"Lord Marid told me to make sure everyone has assembled in the breakroom by 4.am since he wants to start our training early" Yumi explained while muffling her own yawn.
"What's wrong with him?" Akeno curiously asked as she saw Kenta standing in the corner with bloodshot eyes sneezing his guts out.
Yumi who followed Akeno's gaze just sighed, "You remember when Lord Marid decided to punish Kenta for almost getting in a fight with Riser Pheonix and his peerage members on two separate occasions?"
Akeno nodded as Yumi simply continued, "You see Lord Marids punishment for Kenta-san was cold water showers"
"Cold water showers?" Akeno owlishly blinked. Her thoughts were interrupted when Kenta sneezed loudly again.
"Since Kenta is more or less a part of a supernatural race that are known to have feline tendency, Lord Marid decided to have Kenta-san shower in cold water for atleast two hours last night. That is nothing to say of the random cold water sprays Lord Marid did throughout the night. Safe to say Kenta was neither amused nor had slept the entire night and had learned his lesson to keep a good control over his emotions when meeting other high class Devils" Yumi explained as Akeno eyes gained a mischievous glint.
"Ara ara I didn't know Lord Marid was tough on our Kenta" Akeno giggled as she subtly rubbed her legs.
"Indeed" Yumi agreed, clearly not getting the subtext of Akeno's statement.
"Marid isn't even here yet! Perhaps we just go back to bed and wake up when he returns" Issie groaned as he lied down on one of the couches.
"I second that" a sleep deprived Kenta agreed before taking another couch to take a nap.
"I am sorry to say but your respective nap would have to wait a little bit" a voice called out to the two newest members of the Gremory family as a crimson Gremory Magic circle appeared in the middle of the room.
From within the magic circle appeared Marid and to everyone's shock another red head came out. However, this red head unlike Marid had baby blue eyes and was wearing dark prestigious wizarding robes which complimented his hair quite well.
"Hey, Yumi, who is he?" Kenta whispered to Yumi who was standing nearby.
"He is Millicas Gremory- sama. He is Lord Marid's younger brother and also the youngest son of the current Lucifer" Yumi whispered back her response which caused Kenta's eyes to widened in surprise.
"Millicas!" Rias exclaimed aloud as she jutted forward to her younger nephew.
"Rias-san" Millicas happily said before running towards to hug his favorite aunt.
"What are you doing here?" Rias asked in shock as she reciprocated the hug. Despite all she was still shocked since she was clearly not expecting Millicas to show up here.
"Big brother thought it would be better if I joined you all for the training camp!" Millicas announced much to the shock of the group.
After hearing that, Rias looked at Marid who was smirking right back at her, "The training trip would not only allow me to spend some quality time with Millicas but also will allow me train him as well. That thing with Zephador really got me thinking how much Millicas is lacking in combat training. Me, you and Sairaorg were way ahead when we were his age. Granted we were motivated by our own reasons" Marid shrugged while Millicas just nervously chuckled.
"But…" Rias begin to speak but she was interrupted by Marid yet again.
"Don't worry Rias. He won't be disturbing your training. On the contrary, having him here with us will be really beneficial for you and your peerage. Plus, I also have a perfect sparring partner for him" at that Marid's eyes briefed looked over Asia who was definitely innocently smiling towards his younger brother.
"How did you get big sister Grayfia to allow Millicas to come along on this trip" Rias asked in disbelief, not still believing the fact that the ever-stoic head maid of the Gremory family would allow Millicas to skip his ethics lessons.
"Oh Ma did raise quite a bit of objection but Dad over ruled it by saying it would be for the best if Millicas to start some combat training again. That is nothing to say of the fact he wanted me and Millicas to spend some quality time together" Marid replied much Millicas's joy.
"Really?" Rias asked dubiously.
"Yes, actually, he was rather insistent about it" Marid replied with a strained smile this time. 'I am pretty sure he just wanted to send Millicas away so that he could spend some time together with Ma. I don't even want to imagine what those guys would be doing. It's kind of good that I took Millicas away, saving him from witnessing our parents kissing and all' Marid thought inwardly while doing his best to stop gagging at the thought of his parents kissing.
"If you think it will help then so be it" Rias sighed as she stood up to her full height after hugging Millicas.
"Rias-san, brother do you have new peerage members?" Millicas asked the two Gremory Kings as he noticed three new Devils he hadn't never meant before.
"We do indeed" Marid smiled while subtly telling Kenta, Issie and Asia to introduce themselves to his younger brother.
"Hello my name is Hyoudou Issie and I am the Red Dragon Emperor. Nice to meet you" Issie awkwardly greeted the younger Devil.
"My name is Kenta Maki and I am your brother's sole Rook. Furthermore, I am also the wielder of a sacred gear 'Ignis Imperium'. Albeit a little unknown in the supernatural world, my sacred gear allows me to bend fire at my will. It is nice to meet you as well Millicas-san" Kenta formally introduced himself to the younger Devil as well. Akeno did her best to cover her giggles once she saw the uncomfortable look on Kenta's face. The look wasn't because of meeting Millicas, but rather because of keeping up formal appearance, something he hated with a passion of thousand burning sun.
"Its so nice to meet you all as well. Hopefully I can learn something from you all while also helping you all out for your rating game against Riser Phoenix" Millicas gracefully spoke while giving both Kenta and Issie a short bow much to their own discomfort since neither one of the newly converted Gremory Devils were used to this kind of formality.
"He is so cute" Asia cooed as she saw the well mannered son of the current Lucifer.
"I believe it is your turn now Asia" Rias smiled at Asia attitude towards Millicas.
"Oh right. My name is Asia Argento and I am Rias Buchou's Bishop. I am also the wielder of the sacred gear Twilight healing. It is nice to meet you as well" Asia quickly introduced herself as well.
"Wow you both have incredible peerage members Rias-san and brother. No wonder you both are considered the strongest of the current generation" Millicas joyfully complemented the two Devils he looked upto the most. Both Marid and Rias couldn't help but chuckle at the compliment but humbly accepting the praise.
"Not that I don't like my brother complimenting me more and more, I believe we need to get on with our training session" Marid announced to the group before conjuring a big teleportation circle on the floor. "Come on, hop in the circle quickly" Marid directed the Devils in the room. Not seeing a reason to not accept direction from their trainer for the next two weeks, the group entered the magic circle.
Once everyone had entered the teleportation circle, a bright crimson flash illuminated the clubroom, engulfing all the Devils within it. Soon the glow disappeared and with both the Devils and the magic circle disappearing, leaving an empty clubroom behind for everyone to see. Including a rather furious phoenix bird that was perched onto one of the branches that showed a clear view of the clubroom.
On the other side of the magic circle
"Wow! Where are we?" Millicas wondered aloud as he looked around their arrival site.
From the looks of it the group had arrived at the bottom of the scaly yet grassy hill that itself was surrounded by incredible snow covered mountain peaks all around them. The cold yet humid breeze the blew gave most of the Devils an indication that they were near some form of a ice glacier. Honestly, if they weren't Devils then it wouldn't be a far fetched idea for some of them to consider their arrival point as small piece of paradise.
"We are in one of the Gremory properties that reside on Earth. I made sure that this property could be used as a suitable training ground for us for the duration of our training period" Rias replied with a smile. However, her smile lessened when she finally noticed them not teleporting at the foot of the hill and not directly on the meadows themselves. Luckily for her Millicas had already asked his older brother her unasked question.
"It is because we will be starting our training right now" Marid replied with a smile before conjuring a summoning circle. From within the circle came nine wrist cuffs. Before anyone could comment on it, Marid attached the cuff onto his little brother who immediately dropped to the ground face first.
"What is this" Millicas spoke in confusion as he struggled to stand up. One by one all of the Devils par Marid himself were cuffed to these mysterious shackles and had found themselves kissing the ground.
"What the hell are these, Marid?" Rias asked in frustration as she too struggle to stand up. She took a quick glance at the Devils around her, only to find that all the Devils around her, apart from Yumi who was used to Marid's hellish training regimes, were struggling to stand up.
"These right here are gravity bracelets that I designed alongside my second Bishop. These bracelets alter the gravity that is placed on your body" Marid begin his explanation. "Millicas and Asia, both of your bracelets are set at 2 times the normal gravity. Even though both of you are a support type/ wizard type fighters, it would be best if you train your body. Training your bodies would help you greatly in bringing out your magical potential" Marid regarded the former nun.
"Yes Lord Marid" Asia meekly muttered as she finally found her footing and stood up to her normal height, albeit with a lot of difficulty.
His gaze then switched towards the Gremory knight, "Kiba I have set your bracelet to emit 4 times the regular gravity. Since you are a knight whose best friend is pure speed, I want you to at least do ten laps of running up and down the hill before we make it to the top. This will help increase your speed and endurance. We will work on your defense later which is arguably your biggest weakness"
"Yes Lord Marid" Kiba too replied as he wiped the mud off his face.
"Koneko and Issie, both of your bracelets are set at 8 times the normal gravity" Marid spoke seriously as he regarded Issie and Koneko.
While Koneko let out a low 'hmm', Issie on the other hand was less than pleased with it, "8 times??!? What the hell dude" Issie exclaimed aloud.
"You need all the training you can get Issie. Out of this group you are weakest one by a fair margin. If you need any more evidence of your short comings you should try and remember how close were you to getting seriously injured by one of Risers pawns had Kenta hadn't saved you" Marid replied harshly causing Issie wince at the reminder.
Then a smile graced Marids lips, "While you are the weakest that doesn't mean that it will always be the case. After all you have the Boosted Gear as your sacred gear which the potential to even defeat Gods. If you truly work hard enough you should be able to defeat that fried chicken all on your own"
"Really?" Issie snapped his head towards Marid in surprise.
"Of course. While others in this room might be stronger than you, there is no denying that you will be the dark horse in this rating game against Riser" Marid nodded.
Issie looked around the group to see what his fellow Devils were thinking about him. TO his surprise, all he saw was smiles and thumbs up, basically confirming Marids words to him.
'I swear I wont be weak anymore. I swear I will be strong enough to beat that fried chicken Riser. This is the least I can do for the person who gave me a new life' Issie thought resolutely.
"Moving forward" Marids gaze then turned towards the King and queen of the group, "You both on the other hand have your bracelets set at ten times the normal gravity"
"Ten? Don't you think it is a bit much" Rias exclaimed aloud. Some part of her feeling fearful the training regime her nephew was going to put her through, even if it had the advantage of being better prepared for the rating game.
"Rias ten times the normal gravity is absolute child's play. I was using those setting a year after I left the underworld. You both need to build up your stamina and endurance otherwise Riser would just drain you of your stamina in mere minutes by using his regeneration to heal everything. The way you both are right now, your power of destruction and elemental magic isn't developed enough to overpower Riser, meaning you would need to go above and beyond in this training camp to either overpower Risers regeneration or creating various different techniques that could bypass his regeneration. Considering the time we have, the former is the only option we have left" Marid sighed as he explained to Rias who by now was pouting at being undermined so much.
"I think you are undermining my magical arsenal way too much Marid" Rias crossed her arms underneath her impressive bust.
"You will have a chance to prove me wrong" Marid waved her off before regarding his own two pieces, "Lastly, Yumi and Kenta… I have set your bracelets at twenty times the normal gravity"
"Twenty?!?" Kenta exclaimed aloud.
"Yes twenty because you are a Kuroshishi whose main weapon is strength and endurance and Yumi is just used to my hellish training methods" Marid shrugged before unfurling his two wings and taking the air.
"So what are you waiting for, get a move on otherwise I will be forced to punish you for your lack of effort" Marid smirked before send an lighting bolt towards the group, all of whom scrambled to safety before running off towards the peak of the hill.
"Lets see what you all got" Marid muttered aloud before chasing after the group.
At the top of the mountain
After an hour-long hike, the group had finally made it to the top of the meadows showcasing different levels of exhaustions. Despite the sweat, Yumi and Kenta were the first to arrive at the medows shortly followed by Rias and Akeno, all of whom were panting heavily. Kiba, Millicas Asia and Koneko were next to arrive. They all looked to be in worse shape than the first group since they had collapsed on the ground the second, they reached the top due to pure exhaustion. Issie like expected was the most worn out of the group given by exhausted state. Not to mention the tremors that went across his body courtesy of Marid who had indeed hit Issie with a lightning spell during one of Issie's unauthorized breaks during the hike. That didn't stop Asia from healing Issie after he had reached the top of the hill.
"So now we begin the second part of our training today" Marid clapped his hands to gain the attention of everyone in the group.
"Come on dude. Give us some time to rest" Issie begged Marid for some time off.
"I am not that nice Issie, now get up before I hit you again" Marid said sternly, not having none of Issie's lazy behavior.
"Man if I was strong enough I would really love to punch you in the face" Issie grumbled aloud. However, his grumble stopped when he saw a smile coming on Marids face.
"What?"
"Then let me give you the opportunity to do so"
"You mean?"
"Exactly, since you kindly segway us into the purpose of the second exercise then here we go, now I want you all, but Asia, Millicas and my team, to come at me at your full power as if you intent to kill me"
"Marid are you mad?" Rias exclaimed in shock.
"No. I just want to get a lay of your strength. This way it allows me to better design your training session" Marid shrugged. "So are we ready?"
"Your funeral" Rias sighed before permitting to her peerage members to do what Marid had done.
"Ready set… Go" Marid smirked as he saw Kiba creating a demonic sword, courtesy of his sacred gear, and rush in first followed by Koneko. For the meantime, Akeno and Rias decided to stay back while Issie was just rooted in shock, still confused on what was happening.
"You are quick but your movements are too linear hence easy to read" Marid commented as he leaned back to dodge Kiba's slash to his chest before kneeing him in the stomach.
"Ughhh" Kiba groaned in pain as blood rushed out of his mouth following the devastating strike. "You should use your sacred gear to increase your defense you know. Something you should definitely work on during this training camp" Marid offhandedly commented before backhanding Kiba who lifelessly flew towards Issie.
"Hey!!" Issie shouted in surprise before diving out of the way. "Not cool dude" Issie spoke angrily before rushing in to punch Marid alongside Koneko.
"Slow and weak" Marid simply commented as he easily caught both Issie and Koneko's strike, something that took both Koneko and Issie by surprise.
"You both need some serious work as well. Issie Moreso than Koneko" Marid shrugged before using both Koneko and Issie's momentum to his advantage and fling them both in one another.
"Shit" Both Issie and Koneko cursed simultaneously as they both were forced to head but each other. Something that drew blood from them both.
"Away with you" Marid proceeded to swat them both with a punch each.
"Ise-kun" Asia spoke in pure horror as she saw the blood gushing out of Issie's head.
"I wont let you get away with hurting my servants like that, Akeno with me together" Rias commanded her queen as they both started conjuring magic circles to bombard Marid.
"This should be interesting" Marid smirked as the barrage of magic spells soon hit the place he was standing on.
*Boom*
A huge cloud of dust emitted from the impact crater, the dust covering the impact crater with a dust cloud like a blanket.
"Did we get him?" Akeno couldn't help but ask her master.
"I think so…" Rias spoke slowly. "Marid didn't had enough time to move out of the way, not that he could do anything considering how big of an area was affected by us" Rias spoke seriously as he eyes glazed over the scene.
"I think you got him" A voice she recognized of her nephew called out to her from behind. Rias quickly turned around only to find her nephew with a face splitting grin all over his face.
"How did yo…" Rias question died in her mouth when Marid sped towards her with incredible speed before elbowing her in her face.
"Ughhh" Blood came gushing out of her nose as her vision blurred a little bit.
"Away with you both" She heard Marid called out to her before something hit her in her back making her crash down onto the ground before losing consciousness.
Later
"Wakey Wakey" Rias heard a voice before having water splashed on her face.
"What the?!?" Rias woke from her slumber as she rushed in a sitting position.
"Had a good nap sleepy head?" Marid teased her before helping her into a comfortable sitting position.
Rias turned her head around to get a visual of the scene, and boy it looked like her and her team had a train run through them. Issie was currently being healed by Asia, Yumi was healing Kiba while Kenta was tending to Akeno who had a small blush on her face. All the while Milicas was looking at his older brother in pure awe.
"What happened?" Rias asked in confusion as her most recent memory was still in a haze.
"You all got your asses handed to you! That's what happened!" Marid snorted. His reply caused Rias to frown as her mind begin piecing back her memory of her and her teams 'spar' with Marid.
"But its good that we had that little thing. Now we exactly know where you guys need the most work on" Marid hummed aloud, his voice gaining attention of all the Devils around him.
Soon, the entire group was up on their feet and were looking at Marid, looking forward to what he had in store for them.
"Kiba you would be training with Kenta in the northern section of the lodge. I have personally created a battlefield for you both which will help you fixing up your biggest weaknesses, for you Kenta it is your lack of speed and finesse and for you Kiba it is your versatility and defense" Marid motioned his rook and Rias knight to the northern part of the hill. Kiba and Kenta took a glance at each other before departing to find their designated battlefield created by the former heir to the Gremory House.
"Yumi tonight you will be training with Koneko and Issie. I want you to push Koneko and Issie to their limit. Koneko your goal is to land a hit on Yumi while dodging her magical attacks while you Issie… since it's going to be your first time in a magical training camp my best advice would be to work on your speed and dodging skills. If you work those enough, you should be able to use it combat and take your opponent's off guard with your speed, something that could be really beneficial in the upcoming rating game" Marid looked towards the trio of Devil.
"Hmm"
"Yes Lord Marid"
"Lets go! I get to train with two hotties" Issie shouted in jubilation.
"Pervert" Koneko spoke in barely hidden disgust.
"I wouldn't be that sure if I were you Issie. Both Yumi and Koneko are incredibly powerful Devils by your standards. A moment in lack of focus could turn you into a pile of mush. Take my advice and truly work on your dodging skills" Marid chuckled at seeing Issie's look of horror.
"Millicas and Asia, I want you both to read this book by the end of night" Marid handed the two confused Devils a book each.
"Basics of Demonic Magic by MacGregor Mathers" both Millicas and Asia read the name of the book in unison before sending Marid a confused look.
"Read this book to the best of your abilities since it would play a crucial part in the training, I have planned for you both" Marid basically ordered the two seriously.
Not wanting to disappoint the former heir to the Gremory family, both Asia and Millicas nodded in understanding before heading to a nearby Gazebo to begin reading the book.
"Ara Ara, it looks like we are the only ones not allotted training partner Rias. I wonder what he has planned for us" Akeno giggled at the sight masterfully hiding her own nervousness over the situation. After all she too like her master had finally remembered the little spar with Marid and the trashing he gave them.
"You both will be sparring me as a matter of fact" Marid told the duo much to their own surprise. "Luckily for you both, our spar would be a magical spar, something you both specialize in, meaning no close quarter combat" Marid smirked as he saw both Rias and Akeno take in a sigh of relief.
"So why don't we get started" Marid spoke eagerly before creating a magic circle in each hand to combat the King and Queen of the Gremory peerage.
With Kenta and Kiba
When Kiba and Kenta arrived to their chosen battlefield, they were more than pleased with the rugged terrain provided by Marid for them to battle on. The battle ground was located just north of the main house. It was a perfect ground for both combatants as it consisted of trees that surround a small circular clearing. The small clearing consisted of large rocks and holes that Kiba could use as cover and use his speed to get away from Kenta but due to the small area, he would always be forced to think on his defensive since a one good punch from Kenta could end the fight. On the flip side, the small area provided Kenta with the perfect opportunity to fight in his preferred fighting style, close quarters combat, however he would have to increase his speed to catch Kiba who held the speed advantage over him.
"Lord Marid created a perfect battle ground for us. Wouldn't you agree" Kiba said as he looked towards the larger Devil.
"Yea, the arena is a perfect mixture of both of our strengths and weaknesses. The only thing that would separate between victory and defeat would be our ability to adapt to changing situations and forcing the other person into well placed traps" Kenta nodded as he looked at the battlefield.
"Shall we begin?" Kiba asked aloud before creating a demonic sword out of his sacred gear. Signaling to the larger Devil that he was ready for the spar to take place.
"We shall" Kenta smirked as he too got in a loose battle stance.
As the fight between Rook and the knight begin, Kiba used a nearby boulder to launch himself at Kenta at great speed.
"I thought Marid did critique you on your linear battle tactics" Kenta replied a little amused as he used his superior strength to shatter like glass.
'As expected, his strength overpowers my swords my swords in a straight battle' Kiba thought seriously before leaping away from an incoming punch.
'Lets try this' Kiba thought as he disappeared from Kenta's eye sight. Kiba used his impressive speed to create illusions of blurry images, bouncing off trees and rocks while looking for a weakeness in Kenta's loose fight stance. Kiba quickly found out that, Kenta's loose stance was all but a ploy to reel him in a close combat situation where he knew Kenta had a massive advantage over him.
'There' Kiba thought in victory as he was able to use a massive boulder as perfect screen to hide his next rush in. To his amazement, his strategy worked as he was able to get within the Kenta's guard as he conjured a meter long flame sword to strike at Kenta's legs. To his shock, not only his fire-made sword fizzelezed out the moment it made contact with Kenta's calves but also his sword broke again despite catching the big man seemingly off guard.
"Ugghh" Kiba groaned in pain at the sensation of being punched in the face followed by a swift kick to his upped torso causing him to fly into one of the trees.
"Alright critique time! What happened there?" Kenta seriously asked Kiba who was finally making his way back to his feet.
"My flame sword fizzled as it made contact with your body" Kiba noted his observation aloud.
"And why did you think that happened?" Kenta asked with a raised eyebrow as he urged Kiba to pick his own mistakes out.
"Because…. YOUR SACRED GEAR! It grants you good control over fire" Kiba eyes widened in shock as he finally realized why his sword betrayed him like that.
"It indeed does" Kenta responded with a smile as he calmly pointed towards his sacred gear which was out in its ring form. "A person who predominantly specializes in an element will always have a greater control over that element than any sword you can make out of the said element" Kenta sternly lectured Kiba.
"Like a Phoenix" Kiba concluded with his eyes closed, inwardly cursing himself for not making the connection earlier.
"Indeed. Now with that out of the way, lets start with basic fighting tactics you could use in a battle. Not to mention discussing the importance of being a little ruthless in battle. Don't think I didn't see you hesitate slashing at my torso, which admittedly is a more critical strike zone, and rather aiming for my leg. That kind of hesitancy could cost you your life in the rating game and your master her match" Kenta lectured the Gremory knight sternly who himself couldn't do but think what kind of training he will be put through in the next two weeks.
He wasn't the only one who was thinking about the same thing.
Yumi, Koneko and Issie
It had been a good few minutes since the trio had started their one on two battle in an open space towards the west of the main cabin.
Unsurprisingly, throughout the duration of the spar, Koneko and Issie were kept on their toes. Not a single moment was given to them for recovery since Yumi kept up her relentless pressure by using her demonic reserves and her sacred gear to bombard her two trainee which caused quite a few injuries on their side. Koneko, caught the worst of it since she spend the majority of her time trying to protect herself and Issie, who was the weakest among the group, rather than using time to formulate a strategy to close her distance between herself and an air bound Yumi.
"What the hell is going on?" Issie screamed as he again jumped out of the way of another incoming magical blast.
"Issie-senpai look out" Koneko spoke in a monotone voice as she did her best to cover for her senpai, who was also the weakest member of their group.
"I wouldn't let my guard down like this if I were you Koneko-chan" Yumi spoke with a smile before sending a magical blast at her blind spot.
"Ghhhh" Koneko groaned in pain as she was flung into one of the standing trees. Her body, lifelessly crashed into the trees, breaking several branches in the process. The impact with the tree, knocked the wind out of her lungs, taking her out of the fight.
"Koneko-chan!!" Issie screamed in horror as he saw someone as strong as his masters rook be batted away like a fly.
"I would concentrate on the battlefield Issie-san" Yumi smirked before creating another magical blast, this time targeted at Issie.
'This is going to hurt isnt it?' Issie thought dejectedly as he saw the blast heading his way. But that didn't stop him from crossing his arms in front of his chest, to protect himself from further harm. He had seen it in movies when two fighters were usually fighting each other, maybe it will help him over here.
"Haaahhh" Issie screamed in what he thought was expected pain but was shocked when he saw his sacred gear appearing on his arm. His shock increased further when he saw his sacred gear completely taking the attack on its own, protecting its wielder from the blast.
"What the?!?" Issie exclaimed aloud as he quickly felt himself for any injuries. To his surprise he found none on his body.
'Hmm interesting… So Issie-kuns sacred gear acted on his desire to protect himself. I have never had that kind of reaction from my own sacred gears, regardless of the difficult training camps I have been through. Perhaps that is the difference between a regular sacred gear and a Longinus' Yumi analytically thought to herself before refocusing onto the battle.
"Wow! Did you see Yumi? I blocked your attack" Issie shouted with giddiness in his voice. That excitement soon died off when he couldn't find Yumi.
"That's what it looks like Issie-kun, but might I suggest keeping your focus on the fight rather than getting distracted with the most minor sacred gear development. Had you been focused on the battle you could have spend that precious few moments to formulate a strategy to attack me… or at the very least formulate plans protect yourself" Yumi spoke calmly as she sped towards Issie.
'Damn' Issie thought dejectedly as Yumi disappeared from his vision through her impressive speed. Preparing himself for the incoming attack, Issie raised his guard to stop Yumi's fist burying in his stomach, but as expected he was unsuccessful in protecting himself.
'I do have a lot of work to do don't I' Issie thought for a moment before the extreme pain invaded all of his senses as his body flew on its own accord similar to what Koneko had gone through. However, what different was that Issie wasn't able to retain his conscious like Koneko did when she crashed into the tree.
"If that's your best then you both have long two weeks ahead of yourselves" Yumi sighed as she walked towards her two defeated opponents, one of whom couldn't help but give her a withering glare, not that it effected Yumi that much since she had a job to do here and she would do everything in her power to complete the job that her master had assigned her with. She was even more determined to succeed in her assigned task since she wanted her adoptive baby brother, Kiba, to win in his first rating game outing.
Southern section of the meadows
While Kenta and Yumi were training their respective charges on the north and western sections respectively, Marid had took it upon itself to train the two of the strongest members of the Occult Research Club on his own.
"Come on ladies you have to do better! At this rate Issie would catch you both before you even lay a finger on me" Marid replied with an thoroughly amused voice as he smoothly dodged Rias and Akeno's coordinated attacks.
"Why you" Rias panted in frustration.
It had been a good hour since Marid hade begin their training and since then neither she nor Akeno had came close to landing a attack on Marid let alone hurt him. The only thing hurt was their pride and stamina reserves which were running very low at this point due to their aggressive offensive tactics.
"Careful there Rias, we still have good few hours in the day. I don't want to cut our training sessions short cause of someone burning out of stamina" Marid teased the Gremory Heiress again before dodging another demonic blast coming his way.
"Screw you" Rias bit back in frustration as she unleashed a wide ranged elemental blast on Marid.
"Sorry but I am not one of those people who take part in incest" Marid simply chuckled before simply backhanding the attack away from him causing Rias to stiffened in shock. So much so that she didn't realize that her attack was redirected back at her.
"Buchou!" Akeno shouted in alarm before racing towards Rias to protect her from the attack. Something she was sure wouldn't cause permanent injuries for her king but would still do a lot of damage.
"An honorable decision to go and protect your king even at the expense of your own safety or at a chance at victory. It would have been a good choice indeed had you covered your blind spots first" Marid spoke from behind her.
Akeno at that point didn't even try and protect herself but rather begin summoning a shield around her king, who for some reason still hadn't moved from her spot yet.
"Like I said honorable but futile" Marid sighed at last before chopping her back of the neck, effectively undoing her barrier that she had casted around an unmoving Rias. A moment later, Rias own redirected elemental attack struck her which caused her to drop out of the sky like Akeno did a few seconds ago.
"That was tuff too watch" Marid replied with a shit eating grin while both Akeno and Rias both struggled to stand up.
"If only I didn't had these gravity bracelets on me, I would have beaten you on my own" Rias growled as she finally limped up to her feet alongside her queen.
"You wouldn't have been able to do anything Rias. If you still don't believe me then try and remember why didn't you move from the spot when I kindly redirected your attack right back at you" Rias growled at Marids smug response.
"You used your gravity cuffs to paralyze my body" Rias almost growled in response. Clearly not liking the fact that she was being treated like a child.
"Did I use a paralysis spell to keep you still…Yes. Did I use my cuffs to place a paralysis spell on you…No" Marid replied simply much to the shock of Rias and Akeno.
"What do you mean? You must have used the cuffs since I didn't see you cast a spell" Rias objected alongside Akeno.
"But it wasn't Rias. I never used the cuffs to place a paralytic spell on you since my gravity cuffs are not designed to do perform in such a manner. I did place a spell on you but I never used this body to do so" Marid's face earned a mischievous smirk that caused Rias and Akeno to look at each other in constraint.
"What do you mean?" Akeno asked after a moment to collect her thoughts.
"This" a voice called her out from behind her. Akeno and Rias quickly spun only to find another version of Marid standing right in front of them.
"You can make clones?" Rias muttered in shock.
"Oh no, creating clones require an absurd amount of time and an incredible mastery of Senjutsu. Both of something I don't have at the moment" Marid shook his head in disbelief as he mentally reviewed all the work he needed to after this rating game. "However, I believe that one day both Kenta would be able create perfect clones, should he master his powers"
'I wonder if Koneko could do something like that if she masters her Neko powers' Rias briefly wondered aloud before shaking her head, 'No I wont force Koneko into doing something she is not comfortable in doing. However, I do hope one day Koneko would move past her fears Rias thought hopefully before refocusing on scene at hand.
"If not creating clones then how did you make another version of yourself like this" Akeno asked curiously as the clone that had been fighting her and her master walked and stood beside her.
"Illusion" Rias muttered in realization.
"Five points to Heiress Gremory" Marid congratulated Rias on guessing the right answer.
"But illusion shouldn't create physical copies of yourself" Akeno countered.
"That is true for all but the most skilled illusionist" Marid replied with a prideful smirk. Seeing the curious expression on both Akeno and Rias expression, Marid took on his persona of a teacher and continued, "What you saw was a highly advanced illusionary spell of my own design I call 'Illusionary space'. I know it is a creative name but what this spell does is simply incredible. It basically projects a detailed illusion of an even without it actually happening"
"Then you mean?!" Rias and Akeno's eyes widened in understanding.
"I can basically portray any reality I want , within a particular radius that is since my illusions cant affect the material world, as a means to fuck with both of you but don't worry I am not that heartless, nor we have time for that" Marid waved of both Rias and Akeno's concern. Both of whom, much to their shame, had thought of Marid using this spell of his to showcase them their most troublesome moments in their life as a means to push them. Thankfully their fears were unnecessary.
"That's incredible…. But how does this link to your illusion acting like perfect clones while not being one" Akeno asked still confused as to how Marid was able to pull such a feat.
Before Marid could respond, Rias sighed and responded to her queen's query, "He fought behind his illusions. If his illusionary skills are great enough to create near perfect realities to a smaller degree, then it should be absolute child's play for him to hide his true self right beside his clone. This way he not only he is able to respond to all of our attacks comfortably while also keeping a safe distance from all of our retaliatory strikes considering we were never fighting his true self"
"Indeed" Marid responded with a smile, glad that someone was following him. "Lets get back to your training shall we" Marid spoke with a smile as a magic circle appeared on each of his hands, as if signaling his readiness to restart their spar.
Both Rias and Akeno couldn't stop themselves from looking at each other with uncertainty. On one hand they were both ecstatic that they were being trained by someone like Marid, who was far more stronger than them both considering how single handedly he had defeated them all in the first spar of the day. However, Marids own power also filled them with deep uneasiness since they knew he wont be going easy on either on them. Meaning that the next weeks of their life would be literal hell.
Later that night
The group had been sprawled around the campfire set up by Yumi. It had indeed been a very trying day for most of the members of the Occult Research Club. After all they had trained more today than they ever had in their entire life.
Kiba was in a surprisingly chipper mood. Despite the fact that his bones ached incredibly, his training session with Kenta had provided him with various different avenues of improvement and he was looking forward to working on those, especially since improving on those would help his team in the upcoming rating game. That is nothing to say of the obligation he felt towards Yumi and Souji Okita, his first mentor and Sirzech Lucifers only knight, to hone his skills as a means to thank them for their help in his life.
While Kiba was in a good mood as he chatted away with Yumi, others were not doing so great with Rias and Akeno doing their best to heal their injuries they had sustained during the spar, which was more of a beatdown, against Marid. However, there wasn't much they could do to tend to their sore muscles.
Koneko on the other hand just sat silently, intently looking at the Turkey that Kenta had been cooking on the fire for the last hour. After the end of their training session, Marid had put Millicas and Issie on the charge to hunt the prey the group would be hunt the prey. To the shock of most Devils, Millicas actually took charge of the hunt since he wanted to impress his older brother. Issie was privately thankful for Millicas desire to take charge since it would mean his incredible shortcomings in hunting wont come to the fore front. Especially on the night were everyone would be depending on them to bring in food after the rough day they all had. And to escape that disappointment, he was ready to take orders from a kid. A kid who ended up thoroughly impressing him during their hunt by tracking and then effectively hunting down two turkeys; which are one of the very few animal species that are found on both the Earth and the underworld.
However, now Millicas slept in his older brother's lap while Kenta diligently cooked up dinner for everyone. After all the training and studying had been done, the younger Devil couldn't stay up for the dinner and slept on his brother who he had been talking to before he had succumbed to his desire to sleep. Not that anyone could blame him or wake him up from his slumber since it would mean sharing their dinner which was already going to be portioned much to the dissatisfaction all but Yumi and Marid. Later of the two already accustomed to eating rationed food during their stray Devil hunts they had to do during their training years with the people they now call family.
Speaking of Issie, the current red dragon emperor was lying on the ground, perhaps the most tired one out of the group. His first official day of training and he was not only forced to work on his cardio but also pushed to the limit in spars against Yumi and Koneko. Not that he could do anything but dodge throughout the entire spar.
"How long till dinner?" Issie asked aloud, barely having the energy to take a seat on one of the logs set beside the campfire.
"It should be done shortly" Kenta replied gruffly as he used his sacred gear to flame the fire.
"That's what I am talking about" Issie cheered aloud, but was soon stopped by Marid who didn't want his baby brother to wake up from his nap. Quickly apologizing to the group, Issie quietly took his seat beside Asia near the fire.
"How do you all feel about your first day of training?" Marid asked the group after applying a silencing spell on Millicas.
"Tired and beaten down" Issie whined.
"While the training you have put us through was extremely challenging, I feel like it is something we all need to beat Riser in the rating game. It has only been a day and I have already discovered quite a few holes in my fighting styles which I wouldn't have been able to spot had I not been pushed this hard" Rias spoke seriously.
"I can say the same thing about my training with Kenta-san. I don't think I would have been able to find so many opportunities for improvement had I not been training with him" Kiba nodded in agreement as well.
"Me too" Koneko muttered as well while giving Yumi a thankful nod.
"Ara Ara, your tough sparring sessions were a great help as well" Akeno spoke with a smile of her own.
"I too was able to learn a great deal from the book you provided earlier today Lord Marid. While me and Millicas-sama haven't been able apply the concepts taught in the book, it has indeed answered quite a few questions about using demonic powers for us Lord Marid" Asia spoke with a smile of her own.
"That's good! We will continue your training tomorrow as well. Hopefully you will be able to built up on the progress you all made today" Marid replied with a smile.
"How powerful do you think that fried chicken is Lord Marid?" Issie suddenly asked.
Marid thought for a few seconds before replying, "From what I have seen of him…. Riser is stronger than everyone over here except for me" Marid honestly replied.
"Wait he is stronger than even me?" Kenta couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that.
"For now…yes." Marid nodded before continuing, "In terms of pure raw power you are actually closer to him than most Devils over here but his regeneration gives him an edge in a potential battle between you two. But if you were to master your sacred gear then…."
"Then I could at the very least rival him in battle" Kenta completed Marids sentence.
"Exactly" Marid nodded before taking a swig of his drink.
"I don't think I can get stronger than Kenta in two week's time" Issie spoke disheartening.
"Oh don't be so disappointed my Ise. It is true that Riser is stronger than most of us but even he wont be able to fight all of us at the same time if we unlock our true potential" Rias comforted her pawn.
"Unlock our true potential?" Issie asked a little confused by what his master was hinting at.
"Yes our true potential. Especially yours my Ise" Rias replied with a smile.
"The only thing I have potential for is ogling at a woman's figure. How am I supposed to help beat that fried chicken if I cant even cast a magic circle" Issie sighed dejectedly.
"You know there are people alive that could beat Riser without using any magic" Marid helpfully pointed out.
"But they must be super powerful! Something I am clearly not" Issie snapped at Marid.
"True but that doesn't mean you cant reach that power level where you can beat Riser on your own" Marid spoke with a smile.
"What do you mean?" Issie tilted his head in confusion.
"Well firstly you have barely started training as a Devil which means there is a lot of room for improvement on that front. Not to mention you have the Boosted Gear as your sacred gear which in of itself is an incredible boon" Marid helpfully pointed out.
"Yea Buchou did something about my sacred gear hosting the Red Dragon Emperor. Who was he exactly?" Issie asked in genuine interest.
"Looks like you didn't teach your pawn the origins of his sacred gear" Marid playfully teased Rias. An act that earned him a cute pout from her.
Marid's attention soon turned back to Issie who was looking at him expectantly, "The Red Dragon Emperor, or Draig, was one of the most powerful dragons to have ever existed. Despite his origins and parentage being unclear, many historians believe that Draig was an extremely powerful dragon from his younger years. His power only increased with the years of his training and fighting other powerful opponents" Marid begin the tale of the Welsh Dragon emperor. To his amusement, his tale about the Dragon earned the attention of the entire group.
"Ddraig, was almost unmatched in power and skill by all but the Gods. He even eventually surpassed the Dragon Kings themselves to solidify himself as one of the strongest dragons to have ever existed after the Dragon Gods themselves" Marid continued.
"He must be pretty badass in his prime" Issie exclaimed in excitement; having been the first time he was hearing the tales of the being that reside within his sacred gear.
Marid simply smiled at Issie enthusiasm, "Indeed he was. During his prime he defeated many beings, like evil dragons Grendel and Nidhoggr -the Abyss Dragon- without unleashing his full power. The only person, other than the strongest of the Gods, who could rival him on battlefield was his archrival the Vanishing Dragon, Albion"
"The Vanishing Dragon, Albion! Who is he?" Issie asked with a confused expression.
"The Vanishing Dragon who is also known as the Dragon of Supremacy is the archrival of the Red Dragon Emperor. They always fought each other to prove their superiority over their counterpart but they were always unsuccessful. It was their desire to prove themselves which resulted in them accidently entering the underworld during the time of the Great War between the three Biblical factions"
"What happened after they entered the battlefield between the three Biblical factions?" Issie asked in fascination.
Marid became a little uncomfortable with the question but did reply to the keen Devil-Dragon, "Firstly, the three factions stopped their conflict to stop the two warring Dragons. However, once that strategy grew unsuccessful…." Marid hesitated for a moment before continuing, "The leaders of the three faction tried to recruit the two warring dragons in their faction to get an upper hand over their rival factions"
"Well that was a stupid move. A prideful creature like a Dragon would have never bend his knee like that, even if it were promise a endless battle with his arch rival" Kenta snorted aloud.
"You would be right but from what is known, at the time of the heavenly dragons entering the battlefield, all of the warring factions were at a stand still. Despite their best effort none of the factions could gain a upper hand on another faction. We all had lost so many people that it was active concern that if the war had continued on the level it had been going, there was a chance that Fallen Angels and Devils would simply just exhaust their numbers to extinction. According to some historians and Analytical experts, there was an active concern that Angel might have received the same fate had God of Bible hadn't been able to birth Angels at such a incredible rate." It was Rias who explained this time.
"But the three factions exist right now don't they? So what happened with them and the dragons then?" Issie asked eagerly.
"The simple answer to it is… the leaders of the three factions simply pushed their luck too far" Marid sighed.
"You mean?" Issie eyes widened in understanding.
"That the leaders of the three factions tried to force the three dragons to pick a side. An action that resulted in the two heavenly dragons turning their rage at them. After that what happened was a one sided beatdown. Many Cadres, Seraphs and high class Devils died in that battle. Even the original Satan's fell in that damned battle. A battle which shook the entire underworld and put all other Gods and factions that resided in the underworld on high alert. According to some rumors, Hades even mobilized his own forces to combat the two Heavenly dragons in an event the Draig and Albion had defeated the Biblical factions. It could have been a lot worse but thankfully, The God of Bible was able to use some kind of forbidden magic to seal the Heavenly Dragons inside two sacred gears. Sacred gears which are among the highest class of sacred gears known as the Longinus" Marid explained to the shocked Issie and Kenta, both of whom were the only two Devils who weren't aware about the ending of the Great war of the three Biblical factions.
Issie took in a moment before speaking, "Is that why the people with the Boosted Gear and the Divine Dividing fight each other every time they meet? Because they weren't able to complete their duel with one another?" Issie asked quietly, his tone expressing the fear the young Devil felt at the moment. The fear of being a rival of someone, someone he was destined to fight someday, a fight that would most likely result in at the very least one of them getting seriously injured.
"Yes, but the important point is the potential of these sacred gears. Since these sacred gears host the spirits of the heavenly dragons, they hold their potential and powers as well. Should you train yourself to that point, someday you would be able to wield their full power. A power that would rival all but the strongest beings in the entire supernatural world" Marid did his best to divert Issie's fear stricken expression.
"That's true my Ise. All we can do is train hard to make sure we are prepared for whatever happens. And should the day ever come that you would fight the White Dragon Emperor, then I would stand beside you and fight him" Rias comforted her pawn by lightly squeezing his hand.
Issie himself couldn't help but relax at the comforting gesture of his master. He smiled back and thanked her for her kind words.
"Not to mention you would have the Red Dragon Emperor at your side Issie. It is widely known that once the hosts of the Boosted Gear/Divine Dividing gain sufficient strength, they are able to communicate with their host telepathically. For you that should be the absolute priority since having the wisdom and knowledge of Draig would be priceless for you" Marid suggested with a grin.
"So something like Kenta has with his host Adara?" Issie asked in surprise.
"Exactly" Marid nodded.
"I will. I swear I will grow stronger" Issie promised aloud.
"That's good, but I believe the rest of the conversation should be kept for a later time since our food is cooked and Kenta-san is looking to take more than his share of the dinner" Yumi suggested while giving Kenta a accusing glare who himself was in the middle of taking a bite of the turkey he had cooked.
'Busted' Adara giggled aloud at his host getting caught red handed.
"No cheating Kenta-senpai" Koneko growled as she eyed Kenta with a murderous look.
"Ara Ara looks like the Cat is out of the bag" Akeno giggled at scene in front of her.
"Hey I deserve a bigger ration! After all I cooked it!" Kenta snapped back.
"I don't think it works like that you know" Issie grumbled at Kenta. He himself was tired and hungry. While the Marid and Rias story about the Ddraig and the Great war had diverted his attention away from food, it didn't do nothing to fix his hunger.
"Anyone back me up here" Kenta called out to Yumi and Marid both of whom were looking back at him with pitiful expression.
Not receiving any moral support from his new family, the lone lion was soon overwhelmed and then forced to eat his own rationed food for dinner. The humorous scene only increased the fun of the night the Devils felt which went for a few more hours where most of the Devils decided to turn in for the night.
It was at that point Marid unleashed the last twist of their training camp by comedically informing the rest of the Devils that they were to spend the rest of the nights of the training camp sleeping outdoors rather than in the warm comfort of their beds. When comedic arguments were raised by others, Marid simply waved them off by saying sleeping in an rough environment would help boost their fighting spirit for the upcoming rating game. All before he is escorted himself to the comfortable confines of the manor.
"Why is he so full himself?!?" a slightly angered Rias spoke aloud.
"I mean he is not exactly wrong with his reasoning" Kiba tried his best to calm his King but it looked like his effort had no effect on his master.
"That doesn't mean he is supposed to keep us from the house. Despite him training us for the rating game, I am the heiress of the house of Gremory and me and my servants deserve the comfort of someone of our stature" Rias complained aloud yet again.
"Perhaps it was for this reason that Lord Marid thought it would be for the best to have us spend rest of our nights outside" Yumi suggested. Her reply earned Rias fierce gaze. Gaze which softened when she realized that maybe Yumi might be right about it after all.
Ever since the announcement of her marriage contract with Riser, everyone who had ever supported her had always advised her to start training her peerage for the eventual match against Riser however she had always played down those recommendations under the belief of her brother would always never even let the engagement be completed. Or at the very least her father would have the decency to not have his only daughter married off to a bloody womanizer like this.
'It has always been my desire to never leave my comfort zone that almost had me married off to Riser had Marid not jumped in to help me out. Perhaps I should take my brother's advice for once and see where it will take me. Not that I could do anything else since Marid has already used the ward stone to put the entire property on lockdown- meaning I couldn't return to my apartment in Kuoh get a good night's sleep there' Rias pondered in her own mind.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Millicas began to rose from his little nap.
"That was a very good nap. Now I could really use a good meal. Kenta-san I hope the turkey is cooked by now, I could really use a warm meal right now before I turn in for the night" Millicas yawned as he spoke aloud. After the yawn, which most Devils there found incredibly adorable, Millicas looked directly at Kenta who himself looked sheepish. Millicas soon found himself wondering at what exactly would have caused Kenta and the rest of the Devils to act like that- not knowing that all of the Devils were wondering the same thing… 'So who is going to tell Millicas to that they accidently forgot to save a plate for him'
Chapter End!
Noice ending right lol!
Nothing much to say about the chapter other than the fact that the training camp for Rias and her peerage will continue next chapter. Furthermore, the next chapter include Marid training the group with a different dynamic!
Until then stay safe and have fun!
DGZalama out!
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