The days of arduous training has begun! Hold on, you want me to take *you* as my vassal! (Part 2)

"…" Standing in front of the large doors leading into the Gremory Residence's library, Rias looked pale and began sweating in fear and anxiety. What lies beyond this door meant everything that Rias ever feared to face, and it isn't helping much since Azazel was egging her on to open it.

"You know staring at the door won't prolong the inevitable. You'll have to do your training eventually." Azazel said with a knowing smile.

"Don't rush me! Can't you tell that I'm mentally preparing myself?" Rias shouted at the Governor-General, who simply shrugged in response.

"The moment that I open this door…I won't be able to escape the true hell that lies in wait for me." Rias fearfully muttered to herself.

"Oi, you're really taking this seriously, aren't you?"

"Of course, I am! You have no idea about what it's like at all being put through this. I refrained myself from screaming after being assigned this trainer for this month. Do you have any clue about the suffering I'll be put through?" Rias for what looked to be the first time broke her usual calm composure.

"Nope, but if you want you can skip this training and just let your servants do the hard work." Azazel raised an eyebrow.

"Never, I don't want them to see me as a fragile King, who can't even defend herself. I'll grow alongside with them to better improve myself." Rias remembers the events with the past fight against Natsuru and quietly says, "I won't let myself be deadweight anymore."

"Wow, you look resolved. So, I guess you are ready to handle your training now." Azazel approached the and raised his hand.

"W-Wait, give me a few seconds to prepa-!"

"Too late!"

*WHAAAM!* *THUD!* *THUD!*

With a single kick, Azazel knocked both doors off of their hinges.

"I'll let you two handle things. I'm off to supervise Asia and Gasper's training." Azazel runs off and leaves a surprised Rias to be face to face with her mentor.

"Ah, it appears you've arrived, and on time at that. Welcome, Rias." Bowing her head, Rias' sister-in law, Grayfia nicely presents herself to Rias. This wasn't the usual Grayfia the maid, that has been working faithfully for the Gremory household, but instead the real Grayfia who was no longer restrained by her maidly duties.

She changed her appearance to clothes befitting such a regal person like her, she wore her hair up into a braided ponytail. This change in style emphasized her strict look as she lightly tapped her pointer stick on the seat in front of her.

"Now shall we begin our briefings on your training over the following month." Grayfia said.

Sighing in defeat, Rias did as her sister said and sat with her. She was aware that this would happen once she heard that her teacher was Grayfia. The powerful woman immediately took the role once asked by Azazel for help, she was always a stickler for following her duties, so her vacation hours piled up and allowed her to use the current month to take a break.

Looking over a chart of Rias' stats, Grayfia read, "Let's see, it appears to me that you're set magic wise, but you lack enough hand-to-hand combat to protect yourself. So, we'll be going over basic self-defense these first couple of days to get you through the motions."

Rias nodded.

"But first let's track back to your magic artes and discuss an issue you have. You rely too much on your ability to use the power of destruction, and if used too much your foes will read your attacks without difficulty, so we'll be working on teaching you more technical ways on using that ability with other elements."

Rias nodded again while remaining silent.

"After that we'll work on your battle tactics to produce much better judgement during a Rating Game. Your efforts against Riser's peerage was impressive, but still held too many flaws when dealing with a malfunction with a plan. Such as a contingency plan should Riser's queen overpower your own, or reckless loss of your rook after dealing with a handful of Riser's servants. The list goes on while the unorganized mistakes keep piling on." Grayfia harshly bombarded Rias with a long scolding to which Rias sadly had to sit through,

"These mistakes won't be tolerated once you grow older, so do everything in your power to correct them understand?"

"Yes." Rias meekly bowed her head.

"Raise your head, Rias." Grayfia said gently and smiled at Rias with her Big Sister smile, "All I wish is to see you progress and be better than "you" you are now, okay?"

That comforting smile was all that Rias needed as she joyfully nodded,

"Okay, I'll try my best, Onee-sama!"

"Try?" Grayfia's eyes dangerously gleamed as she savagely smacks the teacher pointer against Rias' wrist.

"Kyaa! O-Onee-sama?" Rias frighteningly gripped her throbbing hand and looked upon Grayfia's towering shadowed out figure menacingly tapping the pointer in her hand.

"There will be no trying! You will do your best whether you like it or not, Rias! Am I making myself clear?" Grayfia's face was more hardened than before.

"H-Hai! I promise to do my absolute best, Onee-sama! I do! I really do!" Rias pleaded to Grayfia.

"Good, good…but from now on…" An unsettling smile crept its way onto Grayfia's menacing yet beautiful face, "Call me, Sensei."

XXX

*BOOOOOM!* *CRASH!* *THUD!* *CRASH!* CRASH!* *THUD!*

A series of explosions and falling trees came from the thick forests surrounding the Gremory territory. Whole sets of ki blasts were rapidly firing at two targets effortlessly evading them. Getting out into a much spaced out portion of the forest was Koneko in her nekomata form and she was furiously attacking the two shadows that were evading her attacks.

"Hyaaa!" Firing one large blast of Ki, Koneko separates the two figures. With one jumping into the trees for a much higher vantage point while the other side steps from the blast and momentarily lands on the ground.

'There!' Koneko places her hands on the ground and uses her senjutsu to manipulate the roots underneath the figure to latch onto their legs and lock them in place.

"Uh-oh, this looks like trouble!" The trapped lady figure gasped.

Koneko used this chance to charge in with her Ki clad fist.

"Pscyhe, nyan-nyan~!" The figure used their claws to cut through the vines and jump over Koneko, who struggled to stop her movement to turn around.

*DON!* *DON!* *DON!* *DON!* *DON!*

"…!"

This lack of movement left an opening for her opponent up in the trees, who made it rain Ki blasts upon her body. The damage inflicted was powerful, but not too damaging that she couldn't jump away from the worse of it to catch her breath. Her wounds weren't enough to really cripple her because of her Rook traits, but they still did knock the wind out of her.

"You know instead of attacking me from out of the blue, you could listen to my reason for being here." Emerging from the shadows, Natsuru steadily walks on the tree branch before sitting on it.

"To be fair, Natsuru-sama, I think it's a normal reaction considering what happened last time. Not to mention you are pretty scary~!" Emerging from the shadows next was a lithe and toned woman with tanned skin, long golden-orange hair and green eyes. She would have seemed to be just an ordinary human woman if it not for her orange cat ears, dark cat tail and long sharp claws. Her clothes seemed rather conservative as she wore a loose, long sleeved cardigan that revealed her black bra strap, blue jeans and brown boots.

"Anzu…" Natsuru reprimanded the tiger chimera. After the events that happened a month ago, Anzu was taken in by the Grigori to lessen the extreme modifications that her former "master" did to her and make her appear more human. Sadly, a few of the mods were permanent still having her keep some of her feline traits. Being the only survivor of that incident, who shows her loyalty to Natsuru, she's been tasked with being Makoto and Kiyome's bodyguards during her absence.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry~!" Anzu playfully apologized and stroked her hair.

Natsuru did her best to ignore Koneko's glare and only sighed. Things escalated quicker than she had imagined once she introduced herself, or rather revealed her presence to the Rook openly. Without any hesitation, Koneko attacked the both of them, relentlessly using her senjutsu and superhuman strength to take them down.

Self-defense was their only means to reciprocate the young girl's attacks. It was only a matter of time before she exhausted herself just enough to listen to what they had to say.

"Looking at me like that won't change anything, Koneko-chan."

Natsuru noticed the girl's face furrowing after being called that, but ignored it,

"Your little sudden assault holds no threat against us. You should already know of my upcoming as a Kitsune and Nekomata hybrid. I share half of the same blood as you, but that ends there. I hold far more experience with my Sage Arts and incorporate enough of my youkai instincts to give me an edge. While you just started to embrace your instincts again with using sage arts, too. So, your moves are too base and predictable to read, so in a simple way of speaking, your rusty." Natsuru tiredly scratched her cheek.

"Is she right?" Anzu commented and looked to Koneko.

Trying to save some face, Koneko begrudgingly looked away while clicking her tongue.

"Ping-Pong! She was! She was! Natsuru-sama, you've won the game, nya!" Anzu jovially clapped her hands.

'So, this is what Azazel-sensei planned for me all along.' Koneko drew the blanks and figured out how the section of training under "Sage Arts Practice" came to play. She would have expected Kai to teach her since he was her former guardian, and well versed in the art, but never would have expected Natsuru at the slightest.

"Now before you get angry at me for calling out your shabby way of fighting, I'll explain why I'm here to train you. It's not because I volunteered, or thought of it as a way to kill time. I was ordered by Azazel to train you in the arts of our race. You're obviously a beginner when it comes to properly using senjutsu in battle, so he decided to have me teach you." Natsuru kicks her legs freely on the tree branch,

"So first on our agenda is meditation, you have to learn how to stay completely motionless while absorbing the natural energy in your surroundings. This is key to getting a good grasp into mixing that energy with your own Ki or in a special case since you're a devil, demonic energy."

Gesturing to Anzu, Natsuru said, "Next we'll have you be incorporating senjutsu into real life combat. Of course, I won't be facing you Anzu will."

"Hello, little kitten, nya~!" Anzu playfully waved.

"She's quick, flexible and clever. You'll be up against an opponent you can't normally catch up with. You're still quick even though you're a rook, I'll give you that, but this sparring will help you learn various ways with dispatching an opponent." Natsuru jumps off the branch and lands, "Now with all of that exposition out of the way, do you understand the regimen now?"

"I only understand one thing." Koneko said lowly with disdain.

"Hm?"

"That you're still the same person who harmed and tried to kill Rias-buchou. You even kidnapped Michael-senpai for whatever plans you had. I can never acknowledge you as my teacher after all of the things you've done." Koneko voiced her dislike for the older woman with some venom in her usual quiet voice.

Inhaling sharply, Anzu said, "Looks like this is going to be a rough job for you after all, Natsuru-sama."

Natsuru sent Anzu an annoyed glance before sighing and giving Koneko a serious look, "You're right about me. I did try to kill your master, and take your precious senior away from your group. Not to mention all of the other heinous things I've done to you lot, I won't deny it. But, I won't deny that I don't regret the things I've done either, I needed to do those filthy tasks to achieve my plans and I took them. To be honest, if I was given the chance I would do it all again to make sure my errors would never have happened."

This earned a deep scowl from Koneko.

"Don't completely judge me yet, I have more to say. I may not have regret those things, but I do regret getting Kiyo-chan and Makoto-chan involved. Now that they know about the things I did, they'll only worry and try to involve themselves like before, and if I act out now then my actions won't just give me consequences but also the family who took us in and raised us would get major scrutiny from the alliance."

Natsuru noticed Koneko still glaring at her, and pinched her temples, "So you don't have to worry about me converting you or secretly planning to kill you, I just want to go through with my orders and properly teach you proper senjutsu, okay?"

It was a lot of information for Koneko to digest, and that didn't really make her sympathize with Natsuru than intended, but she at least understood her predicament, and gave her answer,

"I still don't want you to teach me." Koneko replied harshly and turned her back to them.

"Ouch. Even after all of that, she still doesn't want you as an instructor, Natsuru-sama." Anzu teased.

"Quiet, Anzu…" Natsuru sighed, and began to think carefully. All things considered she wanted to at least teach the girl and bring out any latent potential within her even if this job was forced upon her. She can't describe it, but she feels a little kinship with Koneko and wants someone of her race to excel. So, coming across an idea, Natsuru playfully rubbed her chin and said,

"I understand that you don't want me as your teacher, Kone-chan, but… You have no other options at the moment. I'm stuck with you and your stuck with me, but I won't stop you from leaving besides I guess you already have a training plan for you powers that you barely used up until now, right? Because I was sure that Azazel didn't plan for anything else but this." Natsuru wore a cheshire cat smile once she saw Koneko's cat ears twitch,

"Not to mention, it'd be a real shame for Michael-kun to catch wind that you didn't do you training."

"…!" Koneko's entire body from her ears to her tail tensed up.

"When he comes back, he'll surely be disappointed that you didn't improve yourself at all. Imagine the look of disappointment on his face, the shame you'll go through for not advancing like everyone else. Not to mention all of the praise going to his other kouhai, Gasper, the crybaby. Boy, wouldn't it be a blast to see him receive all of the head patting and attent-?"

Natsuru's remark really hit home because Koneko snapped and literally punched a tree in half. As the tree falls, she turns around and angrily confronts Natsuru with narrowed eyes. The act of submitting to her ploy really forced Koneko to cast aside her own feeling.

"Fine. Then teach me." Koneko said, aggressively.

"I'm so glad that you see things my way. Now we can begin." Natsuru mischievously smiled as Anzu and Koneko prepared themselves to spar.

XXX

*WHOOOOOOOOOSH~!*

The harsh gale of winds surrounds the cloudy mountain tops of the Underworld as Akeno and a gruff looking middle-aged man were confronting each, unaffected by the fierce winds. The air around them was tense and it wasn't because of the mountain's altitude, Akeno was silently glaring daggers at the older man for quite some time when he arrived.

It was obvious that there's some deep-rooted disdain for the man in front of her, but the man himself looked quite passive and serious as he faced the young woman.

Finally breaking the silence, Akeno asks, "Why are you here?"

"It's been a while, Ake-." The man said.

"Do not speak to me so casually." Akeno coldly said, "Now answer my question. Why out of all people, are you here?"

"I am under direct order from the Governor-General to train someone to use their power as a proper fallen angel. He requested that I teach them how to incorporate their light magic with thunder to produce holy lightning." The man explained with his rough, yet calming voice.

"…" Foreseeing something like this happening, unfortunately, Akeno took a deep breath and tried to relieve herself of any lingering contempt for the man.

"I found that order to be befuddling considering the circumstances of using Holy Lightning, but things started to make sense once I was told that I would train my own daughter. To be frank this is the second most unexpected order I've ever received." The man sighed, but got sharply interrupted by Akeno.

"Do not refer to me as your daughter!" Akeno snapped at the man before he could continue.

"Akeno, I…" The man tried to speak, but Akeno wouldn't allow him to when within her presence.

"Let's get this over with already. There won't be any need for you to hold back." Using magic to transform her jersey into her Miko outfit, Akeno's demeanor became completely serious. This training doesn't need any unnecessary chatter, to her, she just needs to complete it and be done with it just like ripping off a band-aid.

"Do you understand the meaning of these clothes? These represent everything that I stand for and stand against." Akeno glared at the man,

"I have no father, so let's get this training of yours over with, Barakiel."

XXX

*CRAAAAAAAASH!*

"Again!"

"Huraaaaa!"

*CRAAAAAAAASH!*

"Again!"

"Hyaaaaaa!"

*CRAAAASH!*

"Do not falter! Concentrate! Should your limbs fail you, then use your will to push yourself past your limits!"

"Hai, Master Okita!" Xenovia roared as she took one more major sword swing with Durandal, releasing another wave of holy energy across the training ground. These training grounds resided under the Gremory Residence as it was one of a few that resided underground.

Being trained here, Xenovia was training under Kiba's old sword master, Souji Okita, a well-known man in history for being the captain of the first unit of the Shinsengumi police force during the shogunate period in Kyoto. The man was famous for mastering the Tennen Rishin-Ryu technique at the age of 18. His skills even convinced Sirzechs Lucifer to take him in as his own [Knight].

Once Xenovia had heard that this man would be her instructor, she was elated to gaining more strength and learning more powerful abilities from him. However, her expectations were subverted from this when he instructed her that she would be practicing techniques to help her better use Durandal.

So, she was tasked with doing 500 sword swings with Durandal with no rest, and should she falter even a little, she wouldn't progress with the other training exercises that Souji had laid out for her. Keeping an eye on her, Souji was watching her like a hawk to push her through the exercise and correct her posturing for each swing that seems lighter than the last.

"Doryaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

*CRAAAAAAAAAAASH!*

With one mighty swing, Xenovia unleashed a bigger blast of holy energy than the last few swings, effectively tiring her out even more.

"Xenovia!"

"Y-Yes?" Xenovia yelped as Souji approached her.

"You're wasted too much stamina with that swing. Be consistent and try not to release so much power. In a battle of attrition, you need to know what's enough force needed in a swing of blade. Durandal is a powerful weapon, so you shouldn't put too much force into it all of the time."

"Yes, sir!" Xenovia panted and tried to keep her grip on Durandal steady, but the fatigue she faced was extreme. She wasn't even at the 50 mark yet. Using Durandal as the sword for the exercise was taxing enough since it was a wild blade to control. It would constantly release wave after wave of holy energy sometimes whenever Xenovia doesn't intend to.

"Huaaaaaaaaaaa!" Xenovia takes another swing of her blade and fires more holy energy that was starting to gain more consistency with its output.

'As expected of Durandal it's a wild child. It's offensive aura tells it all. Up to this point Xenovia has probably used it's power alone with relying on skill. However, she's as much of a wild child as that blade, she keeps trying to force it into control without finding perfect balance with the blade.' Souji rubbed his chin and watched her strong-willed expression,

'Her strong perseverance is enough for now, but I wish to enter more crucial training with a technique that will benefit her fighting style with the blade. Yuuto did warn me about her tendencies to forgo proper technique for raw power, so making up for that will sharpen one of her major flaws in combat.'

*CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASH!*

"Xenovia!"

Souji witnessed a massive arc of holy energy destroying more than half of the training ground.

"S-Sorry, sensei…"

XXX

In the underworld's main Grigori facility, stood a terrified Raynare dressed up in her jersey's sweatpants and purple tank top. Inside of the facility, she was tasked with meeting her instructor right after she was dragged away from the Gremory group. She was feeling down about not going with Michael for his training, but was somewhat happy to be with her friends Mittelt and Kalawarner again.

Being back at Grigori felt strange because she honestly thought that she wouldn't return back here again, so she felt a little suspicious about why she was even brought back in the first place until she was told to wait in one of the advanced training facilities in the building.

Everything seemed to be going well until she came face to face with her trainer.

"Good, you're here already. Now we can begin." Raymond entered he facility wearing comfortable workout garments.

This development came out of nowhere and smacked her straight across the face. Raymond was the last person that she wanted to see, but she can't help but kick herself for not seeing something like this coming.

There was a deep silence which filled the room as the two faced each other.

Catching sight of Raynare's fearful behavior, Raymond sighed, "Relax, I know this may have come as surprise for you, but the only purpose I serve here is to train you because of the Governor-General's orders. Are we clear?"

Raynare only gave a nod, not even speaking with Raymond.

This caused him to sigh, and go on with his explanation, "The reason we're both here is obvious."

Raymond creates a hellish red flamed orb on the tip of his finger which frightened Raynare.

"You are to conjure up your own set of Nightmare Flames. We share the abilitY, so you should be able to do this with no hindrances." Raymond said.

"M-My own Nightmare flames?" Raynare trembled.

"Nightmare flames are an extension of negative energy that's infused into fire magic. By fusing these two together you create red flames with the ability to draw out the mental trauma of any enemy it touches." Raymond watches as Raynare steadily steps back in a little fear.

'Right…you know that part already out of experience.' Raymond inwardly kicked himself for forgetting that and went on explaining.

"These Nightmare flames can be potent and may keep an enemy in an eternal nightmare loop until you deem it enough. The flames themselves are 10 times as powerful as regular fire magic, and since we're Fallen Angels, fire is just as akin to our light spears like thunder, so…"

*SNAP!*

*ZIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!* *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

Snapping his fingers, Raymond activated the facility's projection mode to create a massive boulder before chucking a light spear covered in nightmarish flames at it which instantly decimates the boulder into ashes. Astounded, Raynare was speechless at the display of sheer power as she turned back to Raymond.

"We get a more destructive response." Raymond rolls out wrist, "Out of everyone in the Grigori, we are the only two with the capabilities to use this power. The only one before us, who could was the infamous devil, Iblis."

"A-A devil, but then how are we even able to use the power of a devil in the first place." Raynare questioned, and received as weird glance from Raymond who returned to his stoic expression.

"I might tell you one day, when you choose to stop avoiding me." Raymond answered.

"…" Avoiding eye contact, Raynare realized that she actually broke her silence and engaged him in conversation.

"But first…come at me." Raymond cracked his fingers one by one as he glared at Raynare.

"W-What?" Raynare noticed the dark aura of flames exuding from him.

"To bring it out of you. I'm going to have to face you in combat, and then from there I'll show you how to use it." Raymond said.

"B-B-But…there's no way I can face someone like you. I'd be too frightened to even raise a fist…" Raynare shied out as she sweatdropped.

'…Fine…I guess I'll have to play the bad guy then.' Raymond coughed.

"I understand, if you don't want to train, then I'll just let you go, but not without an ultimatum." Raymond's eyes looked lifeless and cruel, "I heard that Michael Hanamura was staying at the Dragon Mountains, so after you leave I'll use my free time to place him into a permanent nightmare with you as the focal point for his trauma."

"…! No, y-you wouldn't!?" Raynare panicked.

"Some skeletons aren't so easy to hide in a closet. Just think about it, he'll be in an eternal nightmare where you'll be the one to kill him over and over again. He may even grow distant of you after I'm done. Yes, that'll work, so what will it be, Rayna-?"

*ZIIIIIIIING!*

Zooming past Raymond's face and grazing his cheek was a light spear thrown by Raynare. Her demeanor was less frightful and more abrasive as she narrowed her eyes at Raymond in pure rage.

"You son of a bitch! Like I'd ever let you do that…" Raynare's voice was oozing complete and total vexation.

'I guess her concern for him trumps her fear of me.' Raymond wiped off the blood on his cheek.

"What's wrong, Raynare? You can't handle going through the guilt of making someone you care about suffer even more?" Raymond goaded her one last time and made her finally break into an uncontrollable rage.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Unfurling her dark wings, Raynare charges at Raymond with her light spears in hand as Raymond prepares himself to defensively take on the attacks.

*GIN!* *GIN!* *GIN!* *GIN!* *GIN!* *GIN!* *GIN!* *GIN!*

It was a fierce flurry of light spear against light spear as both siblings clashed their blades without holding back. Raynare was too lost in her rage to see that she was getting each hit parried as Raymond kept his cool and continued to knock away each hit before finally slamming the heel of his foot into her stomach to kick her halfway across the facility.

"Kuh! Ack! *COUGH!* ha….ha…!" Raynare held her pained stomach and coughed up a mouthful of blood. The pain was too much for her to bear as she kept kneeling down nursing her bruised abdomen.

"Is that all? I might just leave you here to whine about your bruised tummy and go straight to Michael. At least make it worth my while this month." Raymond mocked.

"Tch…!" Forcing herself to stand, Raynare tenses her wings and flies to the air to get an aerial advantage over him as she comes falling down towards him.

"Good." Raymond simply raised his hands and encircles himself in a ring of flames before raising his palm at Raynare to releases a powerful blast of fire. It may have been a cruel tactic to rile her up like this, but it was the only way to get her to improve.

XXX

"I-I-I-I…!" Saji's face brightened as he giddily smiled like a fan boy.

"Errgh…" Jirou's expression was of discomfort as the young man gazed at him.

This has been going on for over 5 minutes since Jirou's arrival in the outer parts of the Sitri territory. The two resided in a beautiful lush marshland with crystal clear pools and the glorious mountains around them. The place was given to them as a training ground by the Sitri Head so damage near the residence would be to a minimum.

Hours before, Saji was stunned to hear that he would get his own personal instructor during his peerage's meeting. However, any doubts of him getting any old trainer were doused when he actually met with an actual celebrity. Jirou Fujimura, the Nine-tailed Fox-King of Kyoto, one of the smartest people in the world!

Next to the other geniuses like Ajuka and Falbium, Saji placed Jirou as one of his own personal top 3 favorite idols. So, the amount of excitement rushing through him was insurmountable as no words could come out of his mouth.

"So, are you Saji Genshirou?" Jirou asked, but received no response save for a couple of "I-I-I-I's".

"I'll take that as a yes. Saji Genshirou, for this next month I'll be your teacher for reasons that will forever stay unknown." Jirou said, bitterly as Kai's annoying laughter echoed through his head,

"I was told that you were a hard worker and quite an intelligent young man. Now I can understand why you were forc-I mean given to me to supervise. I heard that you fought off one member of the Khaos Brigade with only one-fourth of your sacred gear until help arrived. The enemy was told to have had a power spirit assisting them, so the amount of courage needed to face them and strategize a plan is quite impressive." Jirou pulled out a clipboard, "Before I begin my briefing on future schedule do you have any questions to ask?"

'Come on, Saji say something! Say anything to not look like a complete and utter dingus!' Saji's mind raced as he said the first thing that came to his mind.

"CAN I HAVE YOUR AUTOGRAPH!" Saji blurted and knelt down with his head touching the ground.

… … …

"Sure…maybe when I'm done talking about your training." Jirou said with a deadpanned expression.

'Dammit! Now he probably thinks I'm some sad fanboy of his!' Saji gritted his teeth in embarrassment.

'Great…another fanboy…I'd be flattered if that wasn't every stranger's reaction.' Jirou sighed, 'Why'd I get myself talked into doing this?'

Jirou remembered Kai's favor after their meet-up last time:

-'Now listen up, Foxey! I want you to do me a favor, and it's going to be easy for someone as smart as you. I ask of you to train my little sister-in law's Pawn, Saji Genshirou, he's a very bright boy with a good head on his shoulders. He has the critical thinking skills of a champ with as much willpower to back him up, but he lacks something important which makes him falter. Self-confidence. No, he's not a complete wimp, he just doubts himself too much based on how he compares himself to his more successful peers. Now normally I'd take a crack at training him myself, but I'd figure you can balance him out because…I get the feeling that you two share more in common than you'll think. Good luck, oh, and by the by…I made sure to send Yasaka that message about Walburga. You're welcome~!-

'That bastard…do you realize how much I suffered because of you?' Jirou cried tears of agony, he couldn't even return home to see his beloved daughter because his wife kicked him out. So, this favor was the only choice he had to do until things cooled off back at home, 'And what the hell did you mean by having something in common? I don't under…wait, could he be talking about?'

Jirou gasped in surprise as an idea came to him.

'His master…she has a…but her other part makes up for it, and didn't also mention about this boy holding feelings for her? Which means he really is like me.' Jirou's hands trembled, 'But no…I can't be too sure. I have to check.'

"*COUGH!* Ass! *COUGH!*" Jirou coughed.

"Huh?" Saji pitifully looked up.

"*COUGH!* *COUGH!* Ass! *COUGH!* *COUGH!* Ass!" Jirou coughed.

"Wha…?" Saji was confused as Jirou kept on coughing.

'Every man who's dedicated his life to their love must choose either side that drives their passion! Young Saji, I have analyzed your feeling for Young Sona-san, so prove to me that you are a fellow brother!' Jirou kept on coughing and uttering the word "ass".

'Wait, is he? Calling me an ass? Oh, maou…I blew it didn't I? Now he thinks I'm a complete dumbass! Damn! Is my life really going the down hill!?' Saji gripped his head in shame and cried.

"*COUGH!* *COUGH!* Ass! *COUGH!* *COUGH!* Ass *COUGH!* *COUGH!* Ass! *COUGH!* *COUGH!* Ass!" Jirou continued to cough.

'Come on say it, young man! Don't be ashamed of your true feelings!' Jirou passionately clenched his fist.

'Please stop it! I can't take this anymore! I just wanna die! Just kill me with your fox flames! Just do it!' Saji misunderstood the whole situation and continued crying to himself before uttering something to himself.

"*COUGH!* *COUGH!* Ass! *COUGH!* *COUGH!* Ass! *COUGH!* *COUGH!* Ass! *COUGH!* *COUGH!* Ass! *COUGH!* *COUGH!* Ass! *COUGH!* *COUGH!* Ass!" Jirou continuously coughed.

"Is my life…" Saji moaned to himself in distraught as he didn't completely voice out his sentence.

"…!" Jirou dropped his clipboard.

'This young man…he's that serious about his ass fetish? Ass is my life? That level of self-understanding took me years to admit to, but this young man openly agreed to it without hesitation! A child of such young age admitting to his desires…impossible…could he be the chosen one? The one to lead us Ass-men who have been hiding in shame into the light by openly admitting our love for the beautiful ass of a women? Yes! That must be it! Faith has brought us together, but the chosen one looks…'

Jirou looked at Saji's squirming hunched over body,

'Unsure of himself. No, he's still too inexperienced to deal with the pressure. But he has so much potential, his love for his master is true, and her well-developed ass is a powerful sign that proves his love for it her out of this world. Which is why I'm here to teach him and make him carry the burden of us men who have been discriminated against by those distasteful Breast faction peons! I will create a new uprising with this young man as the chosen one! I will do whatever it takes to help him reach that level no matter the cost!'

Jirou crouches down next to Saji and clasps his hand on his shoulder, "Saji Genshirou."

"H-Huh?" Saji was a mess of tears as he looked up to see a smiling Jirou giving him a thumbs up.

"It's okay. I'll do my best to be a suitable master for you. Failure isn't in my dictionary." Jirou said in a comforting tone.

"J-Jirou-sama…?" Saji didn't understand what was going on, but was relieved that Jirou somewhat understood his problems even if he didn't completely understand them.

"No from now on call me your Master." Jirou shook his head.

"M-Master?" Saji repeated.

"Yes, Master." Jirou nodded.

It was at this moment everything changed for the world that was to eventually come.

XXX

"*GASP!*" Matsuda looked out into the distance.

"What is it, Matsuda? What happened?" Motohama looked to his Breast Brother in arms with concern.

"…I sense a disturbance in the force…a war…a war like nothing our forefathers have ever seen." Matsuda touched his head, dramatically.

"What do you mean?" Motohama asked.

"It's beginning, Matsuda. The Beginning of the End, the final battle to decide which is the better body part for the female body!" Matsuda stood up.

"You don't mean?" Motohama gasped.

"YES! The Summit War between the Breast Faction and the Ass Faction has been predetermined!" Matsuda shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Lifeguard there are boys in the changing room!" Girls changing into their bikinis screamed at the top of their lungs as the two young men get chased out by a large muscular man.

"Fuck! Run, Motohama, we must warn our brethren!" Matsuda screamed.

"Right!" Motohama nodded.

"You two shits get back here this instant!" The lifeguard screamed at the top of his lungs, "Don't think you can get away! I've already dealt with two punk ass kids, who took me by surprise, but I won't let neither of you escape!"

"Hey wait a minute! He's that guy who Michael and Saji met after breaking into his home? Remember that one time…?" Matsuda asked.

Motohama and Matsuda were told that story during one of Michael's gloats about how great he was.

"Yeah, I remember now. Didn't he kick you right in the balls? Hahahaha! It was true, wasn't it?" Motohama laughed.

"You know those two shits!? That's it after I get my hands on you, you're telling me where they are!?" The lifeguard shouted.

"We may be assholes and spread rumors about them behind their back, but we're not so evil as to spill the beans about where they live, idiot!" Motohama mocked the lifeguard.

"You'll never catch us, sucker!" Matsuda laughed.

"GET BACK HERE!" And so, another hectic day at the beach ensued for the Perverted Duo.

XXX

"Now Saji, lets review your training to better your growth in the frontlines!" Jirou encouraged the boy up onto his feet.

"Hai, Master!" Saji excitedly nodded.

"You're already this peppy. Nice, you'll be needing that enthusiasm for what I have planned for you." Jirou pulls up his clipboard and starts to read out what's written,

"Saji Genshirou, based on the stats that your master, Sona Sitri gave me, I was able to deduce your strengths and your weaknesses. However, your weaknesses outweigh your strength by a milestone."

Jirou's words really cut deep as Saji slightly frowned.

"You're intelligent, and quite tactile for someone of your age, and like I said before your quite brave and a quick thinker. These pros would work for just about anyone since you can defeat most opponents with your wits rather than your fists." Jirou said.

"Really? So, I'm powerful if I just use my mind?" Saji asked.

"No that's far from it."

"Huh? Saji curiously looked at Jirou, who started tapping the clipboard.

"Now getting into your weaknesses, you're a complete pushover in close combat or any physical fight in general. In order for you to fully extend the capabilities of your mind's plans, then you should have some higher form of strength." Jirou said, "I could tell that you wanted me to teach you proper battle tactics and how to better apply those strategies in a Rating Game, but your training these first 15 days will revolve around gaining raw power and combat experience against an unpredictable opponent. Lucky for you I just so happened to have a good sparring partner for you."

"A partner? So, who is he?" Saji asked.

*Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine~!*

"Would you look at that, he's finally arrived." Jirou happily smiled.

"…!" Saji's eyes popped wide open once he saw Shirou emerge from the magic circle with a big old smirk on his face, "No..."

"Surprise, bitch!" Shirou laughed.

"Him!? Shirou's going to be my sparring partner?" Saji asked.

"Yeesh, and I thought that you were the smart one compared to that dumbass Michael! But yeah, what the hell did you think I was laughing for when we met at the young devil meeting, or during that question corner?" Shirou glared at Saji.

"Uh…that last part isn't really canon so…"

"Shut the fuck up, Saji! Now it's about time that I kick your ass and make you my bitch for the whole of my summer break! That's right! Officially starting today, your ma biotch, bitch! I'm going to shove my foot way up your ass, you'll taste i-!" Before Shirou could intimidate the shivering Saji any further, he was interrupted by Jirou hugging from out of the blue.

"Oh, Shirou! It's me, your uncle~!" Jirou started coddling Shirou with familial affection much to the teen's disproval.

"Dammit, Oji-chan…" Shirou grunted and tried to escape the old-fashioned bear hug.

"Uncle!?" Saji gasped as he staggered back.

"Yep, my wonderful nephew here is going to be your sparring partner for the next month, so try to get along. Oh, who am I kidding, my nephew wouldn't be so rude to you, he's the kindest person in the world~!" Jirou laughed, jovially.

"I'll kill you!" Shirou threatened Saji.

"He used to be the most adorable little foxling when he was younger! You should have seen him try to take his first steps. It was so beautiful, he fell on his little tushy each time he tried to stand!" Jirou cooed.

"If you tell ANYONE including that idiot about this I will bury you somewhere, so unknown that they won't ever find your body." Shirou's eyes gleamed dangerously.

"Don't worry, Saji, you and Shirou will get along, he's so popular and has amazing social skills~!" Jirou turned back to Saji and laughed.

"Die!" Shirou hissed and exhaled blue dragon flames from his mouth as he gave Saji the death stare.

'So is he blocking this out or is he that doting of his nephew? No, wait, to start off, Shirou is the famous Jirou's nephew? So that makes him a kitsune just like him!' Saji sweatdropped, 'Not to mention how similar their names are, I can't believe I didn't pick up on the signs earlier.'

"So Oji-chan do I have full permission to do anything I want to Saji?" Shirou asked.

"Yup!"

"Even use him as my personal punching bag for the following month as part of my own training regimen? I still have some attacks that I need to test out for total effectiveness." Shirou cracked his knuckles.

"Yup!"

"Hot damn! This summer is looking to be one of my best so far." Shirou smirked as he approached Saji with a menacing smile.

"Good luck, Saji! Try to do your best!" Jirou waved.

"W-Wait, hold on! At least give me some time to mentally prepare myse-!"

"Training begins now!" Shirou roared.

*BAAAAAAAAAM!*

"Uaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Saji was sent flying with a punch to the nose by Shirou.

*CRASH!* *CRASH!*

Crashing through a couple of boulders, Saji grips his bleeding nose in pain as the entirety of his body was shoved into the cracks of one remaining boulder.

"You weren't ready." Shirou sighed.

"Ow…" Saji whimpered in pain.

"You're doing good out there, Shirou! Keep it up!" Jirou cheered.

"W-What about me?" Saji cried.

"Hang in there Saji, and try not to die!" Jirou shouted.

'Boy, that was helpful!' Saji thought.

"Who said you can rest yet, bitch!? We're still in the middle of teaching you, your first lesson is to-!" Shirou charged at Saji.

"Y-Yeah, and what's that?" Saji tiredly grumbled.

"DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODGE!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!"

*BANG!* *CRASH!* *CRASH!* *CRASH!* *CRASH!*

Another series of boulders were smashed as Shirou high jump kicked Saji through them with relative ease.

Watching the chaos from afar, Jirou simply watched with a smile on his face until a familiar maid teleports by his side.

"Jirou-sama, your accommodations at the hotel are ready." Walburga graciously bowed her head.

"Good, good…now I can enjoy my short vacation. I'll be seeing you tomorrow, Saji! Take care until then!" Jirou waved goodbye and leaves through a magic circle with Walburga by his side.

"M-Master! Please don't leave me with hi-!"

"DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODGE!"

"Gyaaaaaaaaah!"

Saji received a powerful roundhouse kick to the face and was sent crashing into one of the large pools of water around them.

XXX

Back at the Dragon Mountains, the battlefield that Michael and Bova fought on was in complete desolation. Soot from Bova's flames, craters from Bova's missed blows, and the jagged ground caused by Michael's poor swordplay with Ascalon. The tabletop mountain was not molded into just another rugged mountain.

"This outcome was inevitable." Tannin sighed as he watched Bova victoriously stand over Michael's beaten body.

The fight between these could be described as Brute strength vs. Misdirection and trickery. Bova had the overall advantage being a dragon with overwhelming power and the ability to breathe fire. While Michael lost most of his strength once his balance breaker got sealed away, so he had to rely on his usual mischief to get through the fight.

Bova was able to swat Michael away for most of the fight with either his huge claws or tail, and even squashed him like a fly once his multiple attempts at swatting him failed to really keep him down. However, due to Michael's size being quite smaller, he had trouble keeping track of the guy once he used big flashy attacks such as breathing fire to keep him at bay.

Cleverly using his size to his advantage, Michael made short work of Bova's constant need to fly up in the air since he had a sky advantage with his large dragon wings while his own devil wings were quite normal and less fast. So even the odds, Michael punctured Bova's wings with Ascalon and brought the dragon down to earth with him after a few vain attempts.

The battle was thought to have ended early due to Bova's brute strength, but Michael's quick thinking evened things out. Unfortunately, he couldn't keep it up for long since he eventually got overwhelmed by Bova who launched a bombing of flames down upon him. Now he was lying in a crater covered in ash and burns.

"Oi, Old Man is this good enough to declare me the winner!?" Bova shouted.

"You're the only one left standing after all, so I'm afraid so." Tannin nodded.

"Good, now this little pest can finally see things my way! Bova sneered, "You pathetic, sick animal! You actually thought that another carbon copy of the Red Dragon Emperor can step up to me? I'm nothing like my old man, I'm better than him and you! So, learn your place, and-!"

In between, Bova's ranting, Michael shifted his body just enough to reveal the grin on his face before turned around and raised his hand up in the air.

"NUT SHOT!"

*DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON!*

*GOOOOOOOONG~!*

Releasing the remaining and collected energy in his body, Michael fired a powerful blast into Bova's crotch.

"IEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH! MY CHILDREN!" Bova cried out in pain and keeled over in pain while nursing his crotch.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Dumbass, you actually thought that you let your guard down around the most vital area for me! Now we're both going down and making this fight a tie!" Michael laughed.

"Bova wins the match!" Tannin exclaimed.

"What!?" Michael screamed.

"You were down for 5 minutes, so he's the obvious winner, youngling." Tannin said.

Looking content, Michael smiled, "Whatever…at least I got to at least hit someone in the balls, I don't care much about this fight anymore. Ugh! Besides I used everything on that last attack, so it was totally worth it."

Both the dragon and devil were lying on their backs facing the sky.

"Dammit…you freaking cheap shot…" Bova grunted.

"Yup, but you don't have to be so sore about it you still won the fight. Besides, your quite impressive." Michael grinned.

'It would seem that the two are going to get along now.' Tannin smiled.

"You must have balls of steel to endure my attack. To be expected of Gramps' son." Michael remarked.

'Wait, wait…what? How is that something to be impressed about?' Tannin sweatdropped.

"Tch! I have to admit. For a token Red Dragon Emperor, you really surprised me in this fight." Bova spat.

'What the youngling said was weird, but I'm sure that Bova must have gained respect for him.' Tannin nodded.

"To have ingeniously spotted my most unguarded weak spot and attack it at the same time. I don't think any other Red Dragon Emperor has ever done something like that. You're okay in my book now." Bova sighed.

'What the hell is wrong with the both of you? A Red Dragon Emperor may not have done that, but some immature child in the park would have!' Tannin simply shook his head in confusion, 'No, no, maybe this is just their way of understanding each other, I'll just have to be patient and continue watching them.'

"Thank you, but do you want to know more about my Nutcracker techniques? I was once trained by an old man in the park when I was young. One day, I saw him approach another old man handing these two kids porn mags about breasts before he majestically kicked him in the sac. That spectacle amazed me and from that day, I made my solemn vow to follow him and kick every person I disliked in the balls…" Michael finished his story, "And that's it."

"Whatever happened to the Old man? Didn't he train you?" Bova asked.

"Oh, he died of a heart attack, the next day that I was about to ask him." Michael said, nonchalantly.

"Oh…that's cool." Bova nodded.

'Like hell it is! This was the moment that you two were supposed to get along like brothers! Or comrades, but where did this conversation go to? When did nutcracking become the topic? You two better not be messing with me, I'll burn you to ashes. I mean it. I'll releases a fireball to punish you for messing with my expectations!' Tannin sweatdropped.

"But on a serious note, punk, I was being honest with you being sort of all right. You may in fact be good enough to ride the coattails of "Red Dragon Emperor" title." Bova clicked his tongue.

"How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not going to ride the title's coattails just because it was given to me. I want to become more than the title, no, I want to create a title that surpasses this one."

Michael hears Bova scoff at him and says, "I'm serious. I'm only holding onto to this image for now because I'm using it for my own means. Who says that I can't be my own person while carrying the title of the Welsh Dragon? Who says that I can't even surpass the collective reputations that my old seniors carved for themselves? No one, and if someone does, then they don't matter. My goal is to one day become a Maou."

"Chi! So, it goes back to you being a devil, eh? Just because your shedding the title of the Welsh Dragon doesn't mean you're solving the issue. You're just running away." Bova said.

"I never said anything about me becoming a Maou just because I'm a devil. I'm doing this because I, Michael Hanamura, am going to attain that goal with a new title of my own that has nothing to do with me being the Sekiryuutei, or a devil, or even as just a dragon. I'm going to do it by being just the Gutsy Michael Hanamura. Heck, maybe when I gain my position as a Maou, it'll be another stepping stone for me to gain a new title that surpasses the one I wanted…meh...now I'm just overthinking things…"

Michael's head started to hurt from all of the thinking.

"…!"

But his bold speech really struck through Bova's tough exterior as he found himself opening his eyes for the first time in a long time, metaphorically speaking, of course. For most of his life, he's been burdened by the expectations that dragons and devils have on him. Being related to his dignified and warrior-like father had made people assume that he would be the same as him since they liked that image of his father projected onto him.

This made it really difficult for him to stand out as his own person, and led to him rebelling and acting the opposite of his father to gain some semblance of his own image, despite his father, brothers, and people frowning upon this behavior. This path of delinquency was the only one that Bova could follow while retaining most of who he is.

But…maybe that wasn't the only path that he could have followed, these thoughts along with a lot more started to cloud up in his head, and it was Michael's own words that were the cause of it. Completely, losing his usual composure, Bova immediately shouted,

"If your saying that you can attempt to do that, then do you think that anyone could forge their own identity like that? Even someone like me, whose been in my father and brothers' shadows!?" Bova immediately got up.

A little surprised by Bova's outburst at first, Michael simply shrugged and smiled, "I mean, yeah, anyone can do it. I'm part of anyone, man and you, too. There's nothing special about me that makes me the only exception to that."

'This guy…! He's…!' Bova's eyes widened as he viewed upon Michael bright, yet beaten expression in admiration, 'Not just some ordinary peon that's carrying the Welsh Dragon name. He's not even like the Red Dragon Emperor that my Old man followed, he's different. Michael Hanamura, you're a stunning new beacon for misunderstood dragons like me!'

Settling something deep within his heart, Bova quickly launches himself at Michael without regard for his size and shouted,

"BOSS!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Michael screamed, "Moron, are you trying to kill me!?"

"BOSS! Do you mind if I call you Boss from now on?" Bova screamed.

"Sure, fine, do whatever you want! But back up, your spitting all over my face!" Michael growled, and then realized something, "Wait, Boss?"

"Great! Boss, allow me to follow you during your journey as a devil to Maouhood. I wish to become your loyal vassal, and be by your side as your faithful guardian in battle!" Bova proclaimed.

"Vassal? Ddraig?" Michael looked to his partner for some clarification.

[I'm quite surprised, Michael. I figured you'd get a vassal of your own, but I didn't think it would be Tannin's own son. Essentially a vassal is someone that acts as your subordinate, its straight to the point. So, you can just count this as you attaining your first powerful ally under your command.]

"Really?" Michael was still on the fence about this idea before Bova got all up in his face again.

"I can see it now, Boss! You're future, and bloody path, we have in front of us will lead to so many unexpected turns, and I can't wait to see what you hold for dragons like us in the future! But wait, you're still a Low-class devil, right? Well, shit, we have to gather you a strong force that will raise your rankings quicker! Now don't worry, I have loads of punk ass dragons that I subjugated into my gang, we can use them. They ain't no pushovers, so you don't have to worry about tending to any weaklings, Boss! With our combined might, we can gather other powers under your control, and get you a step closer to your goal of being more than just the Red Dragon Emperor!"

Bova excitedly laid out his plans while sounding more and more like a gangster, but-!

"STOP!" Michael's yelled out his complaint and used what energy he can muster to stand up.

"Huh?" Bova blinked in confusion.

"Look, I don't know what's going on whatever, but I don't need any more help from your gang of dragons, or even you." Michael jabs his thumb into his chest, "This is my goal, I want to achieve it on my own, and having you're friends act as extra help will suffocate me. I need my space!"

Michael sounded agitated and serious with that comment which confused Bova.

"B-But Boss, don't you want to get to your goal as quickly as possible, we can help you prepare for-!"

"No! I want to do it on my own!"

"But-!"

"Shut up! I already made up my mind!" Michael growled, "You're not going to change it. You're offering to be my vassal, and I'll accept that at least, but I don't want all of you helping me for that goal the whole way there!"

"Boss, you can't be like that. Acting selfish won't *GASP!*" Bova gasped as he realized something.

'Selfish? The boss, he's acting selfish just like a true dragon should act!' Bova thought.

"Look, I'm not saying that you can't help me once in a while, but only when I admit to wanting it, and if you and your gang ever need help don't be afraid to call me for help. It'll be a fair trade, and I don't know about this vassal thing's subordination concept or whatever, but let's just change it from subordination to friendship then, alright?" Michael tiredly scratched his head and grinned.

"R-Roger, Boss!" Bova bowed his head in respect while Michael groaned.

"Don't bow to me! I-I said to consider being my vassal as friend-you know what? Forget about it…" Michael bitterly smiled.

Watching from afar, Tannin wore what appeared to be the proudest of smiles as he gazed upon the kinship now forged between Michael and Bova.

"It looks like the youngling and Bova has finally formed a bond. I wonder what lies ahead for their future as Boss and vassal." Tannin said, deep in thought, before shrugging it off, "That will be a thought for another day."

Taking a deep breath, Tannin spews out a small fire ball and ignites Michael on fire.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Michael screamed and rolled around in pain, "I'm on fire! I'm on fire! Put me out! Put me out!"

"Right, Boss! Hold still!" Bova raised his massive hand.

*SMASH!* *SMASH!* *SMASH!* *SMASH!* *SIZZLE~!*

Without any thought involving his huge size, Bova smacked Michael down until he was trapped in a hole shaped like his body.

"Not that hard…" Michael squeaked.

"Don't think I forgot about those half-witted remarks about nuts, youngling!" Tannin roared.

And so, Michael's first day of training on the Dragon Mountains ends.