After seeing off the First and Vali, I went to check on the others' training.
Kiba, having pushed his Knight King state to the limit, was taking a break from Zone training with some light strength exercises.
"Hey, Issei," he called.
"Done with Kiba-kun's training?" Xenovia and Irina asked, spotting me.
"Yeah, he's hit his limit for now," I said. "You're up next, Xenovia."
I train too, but my main role is coaching—especially guiding Kiba, Xenovia, and Irina to freely enter the Zone. It's one-on-one sparring, rotating through the sword trio.
Besides them, we've got other groups. The magic team—Rias, Akeno, Rossweisse, Asia, Rayvel, and Rayna—handles the backline. Koneko and Gasper, with Kuroka tagging along, form another pair. I'd love to train Koneko for the Zone, but she's focusing on her Shirone Mode since it's effective against evil dragons.
Purifying evil entities… would it purify a perv like me? Scary thought.
Then there's Miu and Alice's duo, and, well…
"Haaa!"
"Yaaa!"
They were locked in a fierce battle nearby!
Here's the crazy part: those two have already mastered the Zone. They picked it up at a terrifying speed! After Alice's loss to Vika, she threw herself into brutal training, and Miu kept pace. The result? Insane growth.
"Try this!" Alice shouted, her spear tip crackling with white lightning as she swung it in a wide arc.
The lightning sliced toward Miu, damaging her even through her defensive magic circle. Miu's tracksuit was scorched, barely hanging on.
But Miu didn't back down. She rapidly deployed new magic circles in all directions, unleashing a barrage of wind bullets—basketball-sized projectiles raining on Alice!
Smoke and dust exploded, reaching even us. Amid the brown haze, a white flash caught my eye.
"There!" Alice's voice rang out.
A gust tore through the field, clearing the dust in an instant. When my vision cleared, I saw Alice's spear clashing against Miu's thick defensive magic circle. Both were panting, but grinning fiercely.
"Nice read," Alice said.
"You too, Alice-san," Miu replied. "My attacks can't land!"
They leaped back, then collided again—thunder roared, and wind blades sliced everything. Hard to believe these two are usually besties. This wasn't training—it looked like a deathmatch.
I glanced at Xenovia and Irina, who were gaping.
"That's… next-level," Xenovia muttered.
"Honestly, I don't think I could win right now," Irina admitted.
Don't lose confidence, Xenovia! Where's that reckless swagger of yours?!
I chuckled awkwardly. "Well, those two were already top-tier demon-class. Add the Zone, and that's what you get. …Still, it's way intense."
They're not fighting over something, right? They were doing homework together like pals before this. Maybe being on the anti-terror team's got them extra fired up?
As I pondered, Irina fluttered her angel wings and zipped over. "Look, Issei-kun!"
She spun gracefully in the air, striking a tokusatsu hero pose. That's when I noticed.
"Whoa, Irina, you've got four wings now!"
"You noticed!" she said, puffing out her chest proudly.
Man, those are some nice boobs.
"This morning, I got a revelation—my angel rank leveled up!" Irina beamed. "I tried summoning my wings, and voilà! Thanks to Michael-sama watching over my good deeds!"
Her eyes sparkled as she struck a prayer pose. Yup, Irina's officially climbed the angel ranks—makes sense. She's fought alongside us through brutal battles and trained hard. Plus, she's Michael's ace.
Xenovia nodded, impressed. "That means you can wield more angelic power, right?"
"Yup!" Irina said. "I've got easier access to holy weapons stored in Heaven. Before, I needed approvals, but now I can skip the red tape!"
There was paperwork for that? News to me. But this means Irina can summon Heaven's gear more freely.
Xenovia covered her eyes dramatically. "My so-called 'self-proclaimed angel' friend is finally spreading her wings! I'm so proud!"
You're the one who called her that, Xenovia!
"Jeez, you're so dramatic!" Irina laughed. "It's embarrassing!"
Call her out, Irina! Don't let her get away with it!
"Haaa!"
BOOM!
Another explosion echoed from Miu and Alice's fight. Seriously intense.
Nearby, something else caught my eye.
"Yoi-yoi, yoi-yoi!"
"Whee!"
Ignis and Ophis were… doing something?! Where'd they get those kimonos and obi sashes? And where'd they learn that game?!
After finishing with Xenovia and Irina, a dazzling light caught my eye. I looked up to see an angel soaring above, ten pure-white wings spread wide. In his right hand, a massive fireball; in his left, a thick ice spear. Thunderclouds rumbled overhead.
—Dulio, the Joker.
His sacred gear, Zenith Tempest, controls weather and all natural elements—fire, wind, water, earth—a top-tier Longinus.
Below him was Saji in a black tracksuit, cloaked in dark flames, facing off against Dulio. Saji's training with us to reach his Balance Breaker. Sona suggested that sparring with a Longinus user or our Gremory crew could get him there, and we're all pitching in. A Dragon King like Saji with a Balance Breaker would be a huge asset.
I watched their sparring. Saji's abilities—line-based effects, direct black flame attacks, and flame walls for containment—were versatile. Compared to my power-focused style, he's a technique guy. But Dulio, Heaven's trump card, dodged or deflected every move, shutting Saji down completely. Eventually, Dulio's relentless fire, ice, wind, and lightning barrage snuffed out Saji's flames, ending the match.
Irina said, "I heard Joker doesn't usually go on the offensive. He could unleash massive attacks, but…"
Dulio's training style seemed to involve dodging and striking at openings, a high-difficulty approach. Probably his way of overcoming his weakness in close combat by imposing limits.
Saji stretched post-match and joined us. "Lost again. Still can't make Heaven's trump card flinch!"
He looked frustrated but like he'd learned something.
I tossed him a towel. "Good work. How's it going?"
"I feel the power growing," he said. "But reaching Balance Breaker's tough."
True, Balance Breakers are popping up like crazy lately, but they're supposed to be rare. Azazel once said it takes an unyielding will and a dramatic internal shift to achieve one. Not exactly a walk in the park.
Saji turned to us. "Thanks for letting me train with you guys. I'm off to 'school' now!"
The "school" is Sona's new Rating Game academy, the first of its kind, open to all. It's not taking students yet, but open houses are drawing parents and kids from across the Underworld. The Sitri crew's swamped.
"Rias said we're helping out this weekend," I told him. "We'll be there."
"Awesome," Saji said. "We're struggling to keep up. Sairaorg's pitching in starting today, and we've got a guest lecturer coming."
"Oh yeah, Sairaorg was hyped about it last we talked," I said. He'd even asked me for teaching tips.
"Catch you later!" Saji said, vanishing into a teleportation circle. Man, he's full of energy.
Dulio landed, munching on a donut from his pocket. Guess snacking's his thing.
"Can't live without my sweets," he said.
Joker's a free spirit.
Suddenly, two figures tackled me. "Ugh, so tired!"
"Can't move! Hungry! Need a bath!"
Miu and Alice, fresh from their mock battle, were in tatters—their tracksuits barely covering the essentials, practically naked. They clung to me, exhausted.
"Haha, good work," I said, patting their heads.
Training wrapped up, and after sweating it out, it was meeting time.
"That's the wizard team's report," Rias said. "My ultimate move still needs charging time. Akeno's getting close to Fallen Angel mode without her bracelet."
With Rias and Akeno's update, the meeting ended. But our leader, Dulio? Half-asleep.
He always shows up for training, but meetings? Snooze city. Irina made an apologetic gesture. "Sister Griselda says it's a miracle he even attends these."
Rias sighed, smiling wryly. "It's fine, Irina. His skills are the real deal, so I'm not complaining."
I nodded. "Yeah, at least he's half-conscious. Unlike these two."
I pointed to my sides. "Zzz…" Miu was out cold on my shoulder, and Alice was snoring on my lap. Their sleep-breathing echoed through the meeting! I tried waking them, but no dice. Sorry, guys.
They were like this before the meeting started. Zero intent to participate!
Rayna chuckled. "They fought that hard. Still, they look comfy."
"I'm jealous," Asia said, eyeing them with envy.
Some members laughed, others looked jealous. Honestly, Rayvel and I are the only ones taking this seriously. Isn't the Queen supposed to support the King? We're failing at this.
"Rayvel, I'm putting you through a lot," I said.
"Haha, leave it to me," she replied, resigned.
Sorry, Rayvel.
Rias shifted topics. "As I mentioned, we're helping at Sona's school this weekend for the open house. But first, a guest lecturer's visiting the Hyoudou house tonight."
A lecturer? Must be who Saji mentioned. That's sudden, though.
I felt eyes on me—Rossweisse, staring my way. When I looked, she quickly turned away.
Ugh, it's about that, isn't it?
"Please… be my boyfriend."
Her sudden plea in front of everyone threw me off. I never expected Rossweisse to say that.
Rias and Akeno were giving me wistful looks. What's with that?
The Church Trio started whispering.
"See? It's true," Xenovia said.
"So Rossweisse is joining the fray?" Irina asked.
"N-no way…" Asia stammered.
"It's not a problem, Asia," Xenovia said. "It's about how we make our move. Let's triple-team him next time."
Whoa, whoa! Triple-team? What's Xenovia plotting now?! Another punishment incoming?!
"T-triple-team?" Asia squeaked.
"If that's no good, we'll kidnap him," Xenovia said.
"Kidnap?!" Irina gasped. "An angel like me can't—"
"You're already an ero-angel, Irina," Xenovia teased. "Always going braless to Issei's room, huh? Ready for war."
"It's a braless health regimen!" Irina protested.
"Don't make excuses," Xenovia said. "Asia, Irina, here's the plan—"
They formed a huddle, strategizing. And Irina's braless?! No wonder her boobs were extra bouncy—nothing holding them back!
Nearby, I overheard Kuroka and Koneko.
"Shirone, you gotta go on the offensive," Kuroka said. "Or you'll stay a kid forever. Take a page from Little Bird and dive in. You don't need to make babies—just get pregnant~♪"
"…" Koneko froze.
"You thought 'why not,' didn't you? Naughty kitty~," Kuroka teased.
"I-I'm not naughty!" Koneko snapped. "Gasper-kun, let's go!"
"Huh? Oh, okay," Gasper said, trailing her as she stormed off.
Kuroka, stop stirring the pot!
Kiba patted my shoulder, chuckling. "Good luck."
Yeah, I'll need it. Not sure my body can keep up…
"Munya, all-you-can-eat Heavenly Mont Blanc…" Dulio mumbled in his sleep.
Happy dreams, leader.
"Yoi-yoi, yoi-yoi! I pull the sash!" Ophis chirped.
"Whee~! So fun!" Ignis giggled.
Our Dragon God and goddess are living their best lives.
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