The training grounds of the Gremory estate had been transformed.
What had once served as a simple practice field for the younger members of House Gremory now resembled a miniature battlefield.
An ancient runic barrier surrounded the arena, layered one over another in translucent sheets of crimson magic.
Defensive formations had been carved into the surrounding stone, each designed to absorb enough force to withstand attacks that would have devastated an ordinary training ground.
Several enormous training golems stood dormant around the outer perimeter.
Weapon racks had been cleared.
Healing formations had been activated.
Even the surrounding gardens had been sealed behind protective barriers.
This was no longer a friendly spar.
It was an evaluation.
At the highest point overlooking the arena sat the viewing platforms.
Grayfia walked toward it with measured steps.
Venelana followed beside her, her expression far more cheerful.
Grayroad entered last.
A table had already been prepared with tea, pastries, fruit, and enough snacks to suggest that Venelana intended to enjoy herself.
A maid waited nearby to refill their cups.
Grayfia glanced at the arrangement.
"Mother."
Venelana smiled innocently.
"What?"
"You prepared enough food for a small banquet."
"Watching young people fight is hungry work."
Grayroad chuckled.
Below them, three figures stood within the arena.
Grayfia folded her hands.
"This should prove interesting."
Venelana's eyes settled on Esdeath.
"That young lady from the Glasya-Labolas clan better not hurt my dear grandson."
A faint pulse of Power of Destruction radiated from her.
Grayfia slowly turned her head.
"Mother."
Venelana's smile remained perfectly innocent.
"What?"
Grayroad laughed softly.
"I believe the young lady's chances of harming the young master are somewhat limited."
His heterochromatic eyes narrowed with amusement.
"Though I am considerably more interested in seeing what his peerage can accomplish."
Grayfia's gaze settled upon Kuroka and Erza.
"This will be Lucien's first true battle with members of his peerage fighting together."
Her expression became thoughtful.
"Until now, they have been individuals."
Her eyes moved toward Albedo.
"Today, we see whether they can become a unit."
Grayroad leaned forward slightly.
"I cannot wait to see the young master's growth."
He sighed.
"If only Lord Sirzechs weren't buried beneath his paperwork."
Venelana covered her mouth.
A quiet laugh escaped her.
"Oh, he'll hear about this eventually."
Grayfia raised an eyebrow.
"Mother."
Venelana's smile widened.
"Rias is going to lose her mind when she finds out."
Grayroad laughed.
"Indeed."
Venelana looked toward the arena.
"She specifically told Lucien not to do anything crazy while she was away recruiting."
She paused.
"Within two days, this boy has recruited a powerful dragonborn knight into his peerage..."
Her eyes shifted toward Erza.
"...and arranged a battle between his peerage and one of his fiancées."
Venelana shook her head.
"My grandson certainly inherited his father's talent for causing problems."
Grayfia's lips twitched.
"Unfortunately, he has."
Grayroad lifted his teacup.
"Perhaps the young master inherited another trait from Lord Sirzechs."
Venelana looked at him.
"What trait?"
Grayroad smiled.
"The inability to leave well enough alone."
Venelana laughed.
Grayfia sighed.
The Battlefield
Kuroka slowly circled Albedo, twin tails swaying with predatory interest. Golden eyes gleamed.
"Nya… Didn't they tell you two that Master has a thing for girls with tails?"
Erza's crimson tail flicked once in quiet embarrassment.
Albedo's smile tightened. "Oh. Is that so?"
Kuroka's grin widened.
"Nya."
Her fingers tightened around Ginnungagap. Inside, patience was thinning fast.
First the cat. Then the overgrown lizard. Both standing beside Luci as if they belonged there.
Esdeath watched from a distance, arms folded, expression one of detached amusement.
Kuroka's ears perked. "Ready?"
Erza's hand settled on the hilt of her weapon. "I am."
Albedo raised Ginnungagap. "Come."
Kuroka vanished.
Stone cracked beneath her feet. Senjutsu exploded around her body. The playful nekomata disappeared, replaced by a pure predator. Byakko bloodline power surged through her limbs.
Albedo's eyes sharpened. Fast.
Claws flashed toward her chest. Ginnungagap twisted and elongated into a massive battleaxe.
BOOM!
The collision sent a shockwave across the arena. Albedo slid backward, heels carving twin grooves into the stone.
Kuroka landed lightly, grinning. "You're stronger than you look."
"And you're more troublesome than I expected."
Kuroka vanished again. This time Albedo was ready. The battleaxe swept in a wide arc. Kuroka ducked beneath it, fur brushing the edge of the blade, then twisted to strike at Albedo's flank.
Ginnungagap dissolved. A black spear materialized and thrust downward. Kuroka twisted aside. The spear struck stone with a deafening CRACK, erupting shards across the field.
Kuroka landed several meters away, eyes gleaming. "That sword can become anything?"
Albedo's smile returned. "Ginnungagap is far more versatile than that."
"Nya. Then I'll just have to keep breaking it."
Albedo's eyebrow twitched. "How irritating."
Erza finally stepped forward. Crimson mana gathered around her body. Her eyes narrowed.
"Requip."
Scarlet light exploded. Silver plate dissolved, replaced by darker combat armor braced with crimson scales. Her senses sharpened instantly; she could hear Kuroka's breathing, Albedo's heartbeat, the minute fluctuations of their mana. Dragon blood answered the battlefield.
Her fingers closed around a new hilt.
"Demon Blade… Benizakura."
The katana appeared, humming with power. Erza raised it.
"Albedo."
Albedo turned.
Erza's stance was perfectly balanced, controlled, with no wasted movement.
"I will not allow you to harm Kuroka."
Kuroka's ears twitched. For a split second, the playful mask slipped.
Erza's voice remained steady. "We are comrades."
The word landed harder than any blow. Kuroka's golden eyes softened just for a breath before the familiar grin returned.
"Nya… I like you, Dragon Knight."
Erza nodded once. "Likewise."
Albedo stared, then smiled. "How touching."
Black demonic energy erupted around her. Ginnungagap became a massive greatsword.
"Unfortunately… I have no intention of playing fair."
She attacked.
The ground exploded beneath her feet. She crossed the distance faster than Kuroka expected. Erza raised Benizakura.
CLANG!
The impact rang through the arena. Erza's feet slid. Dragon claws dug into stone. Her tail lashed once for balance.
She's strong.
Albedo pressed forward, strike after strike. CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! The final blow forced Erza to cross her arms and absorb the impact.
Kuroka appeared behind Albedo. "Gotcha!"
Albedo spun. Ginnungagap became a shield. Kuroka's claws slammed into it. Fractures spiderwebbed across the surface before the shield exploded.
Albedo's eyes narrowed. They've already begun coordinating.
Erza moved. Benizakura flashed in a crimson arc. Albedo threw herself sideways. The slash carved a glowing scar across the barrier behind her.
Erza followed one strike, two, three. Every movement flowed into the next. She wasn't trying to overpower Albedo. She was controlling the battlefield, herding her into a corner.
Kuroka understood immediately. She's herding her.
"Nya!" She charged.
Albedo's eyes widened. Cat from below. Dragonborn from above. For the first time, she was trapped.
Her smile returned. "Finally."
Darkness erupted. Ginnungagap became a massive black cannon; dark energy gathered at the muzzle.
"Enough!"
Kuroka's eyes widened. "Erza!"
"I see it."
Erza sheathed Benizakura. "Requip!" Heavier dragon-themed armor locked into place. She lowered herself. Kuroka crouched beside her, senjutsu surging.
Their eyes met. No words were needed.
Kuroka launched first. Erza followed.
Albedo fired. A black beam tore across the arena. Kuroka twisted around it. Erza leapt above it. The attack passed harmlessly between them.
Albedo's eyes widened. Too fast.
Kuroka appeared before her. Erza descended from above.
Albedo raised Ginnungagap. Kuroka's claws struck first. Erza's blade followed.
BOOM!
The impact shattered Albedo's stance. Ginnungagap flew from her hands. She stumbled backward.
Erza's blade stopped a hair from her throat. Kuroka's claws rested against her shoulder.
Silence.
Albedo stared at the blade, then at Kuroka, then at Erza. Pride warred with something else.
Finally, she laughed softly, almost elegantly.
"How troublesome."
Kuroka grinned. "Nya."
Erza lowered her blade. "You fought well."
Albedo retrieved Ginnungagap. Her pride had been wounded, but her eyes now held something new.
Respect.
"Likewise."
From the viewing platform, Grayfia nodded. "They passed."
Grayroad smiled. "The young master has a functioning team."
Venelana clapped happily. "My grandson's peerage!"
Below, Kuroka and Erza stood together, no longer strangers.
Comrades.
Several private viewing chambers had been constructed into the tower overlooking the arena, allowing high-ranking members of the family to observe without remaining exposed to stray magical force.
Lucien had chosen one of the quieter chambers.
Within a private viewing chamber overlooking the arena, Lucien had watched everything.
His eyes remained focused on Kuroka and Erza.
He could still feel the three forces that had collided — Kuroka's senjutsu, Erza's dragon mana, Albedo's demonic power. Three completely different warriors. Yet his peerage had worked together.
He smiled. "They did it."
A voice answered from behind him. "You sound surprised."
Lucien turned.
Esdeath stood several meters away, blue hair shifting gently in the wind. Her military uniform remained immaculate. Her expression held none of Albedo's jealousy, none of Kuroka's playfulness, none of Erza's solemnity.
She looked at him the way a hunter examines unfamiliar prey.
"You've been watching them for quite some time."
"They're my people."
Esdeath walked closer. "And what about you?"
Lucien raised an eyebrow. "What about me?"
"You chose them. You command them." Her eyes traveled over him. "But you're still inexperienced."
Lucien's expression sharpened.
Esdeath stopped several paces away. "I've met many nobles. Most mistake their title for strength." Her gaze hardened. "But you're different."
She stepped closer. "You're still weak."
Lucien's eyebrow twitched.
Esdeath's smile widened. "But you want to become strong. That's what makes you interesting."
Lucien folded his arms. "You seem remarkably confident for someone insulting her fiancé."
Esdeath laughed softly. "Would you prefer lies?"
"No."
"Good. I have no interest in a weak fiancé." Her gaze became almost predatory. "I want someone who can stand beside me."
Lucien smiled. "Then you'll have to wait."
"For what?"
"For me to become strong enough."
Esdeath's smile widened. "I can wait. But waiting has never been my favorite pastime."
Shing.
The rapier whispered from its sheath. Cold air gathered around the blade.
Lucien's expression changed. Shadow gathered around his fingers. The two ancient swords his father had gifted him materialized in his hands — one warm bronze, the other dark silver etched with golden markings.
Esdeath's eyes gleamed. "Beautiful."
"These belonged to my father."
"He gave them to you?"
"Yes."
Her smile widened. "Then show me that you deserve them."
Lucien's shadow spread across the floor.
Esdeath lowered her rapier, expression serene. "I don't want a nobleman hiding behind his title. I want a fiancé who can stand beside me."
Lucien tightened his grip. "And what exactly do you expect from him?"
Esdeath smiled. "Fight me."
The words were quiet. Absolute.
Lucien felt the temperature drop. Shadow curled tighter around the twin blades. He shifted into a two-bladed stance.
"You really are enjoying this."
Esdeath's smile was pure anticipation. "Immensely. I've been wondering what kind of man you are. Now I intend to find out."
The wind swept between them.
For one heartbeat, everything became still.
Lucien's shadow curled around the ancient blades. Esdeath's rapier gleamed beneath the morning light.
Neither looked away.
Then Esdeath smiled. "There you are."
Lucien's lips curled upward. "Gladly."
Steel waited between them.
Two warriors. Two different philosophies of power.
And the beginning of a battle neither intended to forget.