{Evening, Gremory Training Hall}
While Rias seemed less nervous around me now, she still seemed a little awkward at times, even though she was usually a very sociable devil. And quite a few people noticed it as well—even her own queen. And while there were some teasing comments here and there, no one pushed her too much.
They also realized that talking to me was different compared to most conversations. I wasn't strict or hard to approach, but the way I spoke, my mannerisms, and my attitude were all very different from theirs. Some found it amusing, since my accent and wordings often matched the old devils. I did belong to the era of the Civil War, after all.
But the topics I discussed and my friendliness were surprisingly similar to theirs. I found it kind of funny that a guy who spoke like an old man—me—could still talk about things that actually interested her. And there were plenty of things to talk about.
Although, there was one subject I avoided—the Evil Pieces. She had heard that something unusual happened when I received mine, but neither I, nor Ajuka, nor even her brother told her anything about it.
'You'll see it when the time comes.'
That was the only answer we gave.
It was a secret. And she didn't like secrets.
Thankfully, the other things she was curious about weren't hidden by me.
"How… are we supposed to hit him?" Kiba groaned as his sword missed me for the tenth time. "We can't even reach him."
I never kept my powers a secret. Though, they all knew I had hundreds of ways to use them, and what I was showing now was nothing more than the basics. Unfortunately for them, the basics were already annoying enough.
"Kiba," I brushed the dust off my coat, "teleportation will always be faster than your dashes."
That wasn't true. Rias and the others knew it. For most devils, teleportation was fast, but in combat it was actually slow and clunky. The problem was that my teleportation was far superior to anything they'd ever seen.
"Then how are we supposed to defeat you?" Rias groaned.
That made me chuckle. I vanished from where I stood and reappeared right in front of her. "You don't."
She didn't reply. She couldn't. She couldn't even move her lips. It was as if her mouth was taped shut and her body chained in place.
The worst part? She wasn't the only one. Everyone in the training ground was frozen where they stood.
I laughed at the sight, then released them. They stumbled back, glaring at me. They clearly hated the feeling and realized that with their current strategies, they didn't stand a chance against me.
How could they fight someone they couldn't touch—someone who could just bind them in place no matter what they tried?
"Your abilities are just not fair," Akeno muttered. "Moving faster than your opponents and then preventing them from making a single move. Is there even a counter?"
I shrugged. "That's for you to figure out."
There was a counter, of course. My Blink was fast, and my Bind was ridiculously strong. But someone far above me in class and demonic power could break free of it. As for Blink, someone like Sirzechs could simply erase the area I teleported to—erasing me in the process.
Sure, I could blink miles away, but that wasn't a fighting strategy, and it definitely wasn't good for my energy reserves.
My ability could be countered—just not by many people.
"If you guys work on your strategies a little better, you might be able to catch me if I don't bind all of you at once," I said, looking around. "And you all need to be faster with your plans and adjustments. Rias, you freeze at times when I use a different strategy. You do figure out a counter, but it's not fast enough. Work on that."
I turned to Kiba. "And you charge forward blindly. You're too predictable. Even if you can't hit me, at least try to force me to teleport into areas your team already has covered."
Then I faced Koneko. "You too. You rush at me, but you're too slow. A way to deal with speedsters or teleporters is to block their options. If you damage the ground with your punches, I'll be forced to teleport into places where Rias and Akeno can attack me."
That brought me to Akeno. "And your casting… you don't need spells that can blow out an entire house. Use weaker ones that are faster. You can spam those when needed."
The devils thought about what I said and gave a slight nod.
"Finally, Rias. You don't get to complain." I frowned at her. "You have the Power of Destruction—you destroy matter itself, something said to be impossible. It's probably the most powerful ability out there. You just need to figure out a way to use it better."
And for that, she needed to talk to her brother or her mother. She never did that when it came to training—something I had noticed.
"If you do that, you'll be a nearly unbeatable team," I said. "And even stronger devils won't be such a headache in the future."
She wanted to train because of the engagement not because she liked it. But that was also good enough of a reason.
Also, I already had plans for that yellow-haired devil, and they didn't exactly involve avoiding drama. Or maybe they did. The thought stayed in my head.
"So…" Rias looked at me. "What do you think we should do for now?"
I stared at her, amused. Almost like she had asked the dumbest question in the world.
"Train," I said flatly.
The peerage members exchanged glances. Training was a chore, but they knew it was necessary. They nodded and agreed to take it more seriously from that moment.
"Will you… help?" Rias asked, almost hopefully.
It would be a chore, wouldn't it? They couldn't win against me, so what was in it for me—
But then I realized there was something. And it wasn't just teamwork or tactics. It was something better.
"Kiba," I said, looking at him and then at the cat girl. "And Koneko."
Both of them looked at me curiously.
"I'll train your group," I said. "But only if Koneko teaches me hand-to-hand combat, and Kiba teaches me a bit of swordplay." It was the perfect trade. After all, I couldn't always rely on my bloodline abilities.
And as if on cue, a voice echoed in my head, making my smile grow wider.
"I… okay," Koneko said, not bothered by the deal. "But you'll get punched."
I smiled, making a mental note not to get hit.
"I don't mind either," Kiba said, returning my smile. "So, when do you want to start? You'll need a decent sword for training, maybe a blunt one."
This was exactly what I wanted.
"We can start now," I said, surprising him a little. "And as for the sword… I already have one."
Then I decided to give them another surprise.
[Bracelet of Shapes]
I raised my hand and summoned—no, created—a sword. A metal like iron flowed into my palm and shaped itself into a blade, then dulled its edge until it became blunt, just as he had suggested.
"So, let's start."
The group couldn't help but sigh.
"This won't be the last stunt you pull, will it?"
I laughed. "Who knows?"
* * *
{Same Time, Unknown Location}
—Rizevim Livan Lucifer—
Loss of a devil's life was a big thing, especially pure-bloods. Many devils had different classifications for them. Some believed only the 72 Pillars counted as pure-blooded, some included the extra demons too, and some didn't bother with the discussion at all.
He wasn't like that. He valued pure-bloods far more than anyone else. To him, even pure-bloods had their own classes.
At the top were the original Satans—Lucifer, Beelzebub, Leviathan, and Asmodeus. Next came the 72 Pillars, ranked accordingly, and finally the extra demons.
In the devil world, their numbers were low, dwindling even further with the rise of reincarnated devils.
He hated this concept, enough that his rage cost the life of his own blood. He hated that reincarnated devils could acquire the same rights as pure-bloods.
"Three pure-bloods," he clenched his fists. "Minor houses, but pure-blood."
It infuriated him to no end. Three extra demons were dead. He didn't care how many reincarnated devils working under them had died, but the three lesser houses that perished that day made him stare out of the window with a storm hidden in his eyes.
"Have you located him?" he asked, and instantly, without a second of delay, a shadow formed behind him.
Decently tall, voluptuous, glasses on her face, and hair styled in a way that made her look older than him, despite him being far older.
"He is hidden well by the Satans under their family's protection," Katerea Leviathan, the pure-blooded descendant of the original Leviathan, said. "It is impossible to reach him while he is under them."
He slammed his hand against the windowpane. "What do you plan to do about it?"
His face seemed calm, but his actions betrayed it. Demonic power oozed out of him, flattening everything in the room—tables, chairs—and even Katerea struggled to stand under that overwhelming force.
"W-We've learned he plans to visit his old family houses, Valefar and Barbatos," she coughed, straining under the pressure. "The mansions were destroyed centuries ago, but he wishes to explore them. T-They won't be able to protect him then."
She tried her best not to collapse, searching for any way to reassure him. She knew how much he had poured into the experiment, into the boy and even using up a precious gift from his father—only for him to break out and kill their top researchers.
If there was one thing he hated more than lowborn devils, it was pure-bloods betraying their cause and their beliefs.
"Bring him," he said, releasing just enough pressure for her to breathe. "Alive, though not unharmed. He deserves to lose his limbs for what he did."
Katerea nodded firmly. She never liked the Barbatos or Valefar Pillars, but since he needed their bloodline abilities, she understood the boy was valuable.
"Take stronger devils with you," he told her, finally turning to face her. "We don't yet know how much he's grown. His powers were already terrifying, and if he has awakened his Valefar abilities, it won't be easy."
A frown crossed her face. "You… can't be suggesting that I, a descendant of Leviathan, would lose to a Duke Pillar, can you?"
She was baffled by his words. She didn't believe for even a second that the boy, no matter how strong, could pose a threat to her.
He didn't answer, neither assuring nor refuting her. Instead, he turned away.
"Take stronger devils," he repeated coldly. "That's an order."
What he wanted was the boy on his knees, not another pure-blood devil without a head.
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{A/N: Got a pat reon named RedLamp01 with 30+ chapters.
We will focus on actual combat during the Vampire war, with these opponents, he can use one skill and win.}