Assholes encounter iminent

A/N: Yo, I'm back. Coming back from the ashes like a pheonix. Hey, pheonix. Get it? No? Read the chapter then. Anyway, I was gone not because of any particular reasons. Maybe a bit of burn out and lack of motivation, if any. I would like to think that I resource myself. That I pondered deeply on bow to improve my writing and the pacing. And I did, in a way. Tell me if you see the difference. If not, then... *shrugs* I don't know what to say.

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"Oh, and what does that means exactly? Is that perhaps a challenge?" Akeno asked with a playful smile and a glint in her eyes.

Julian shrugged with a smirk of his own. "Maybe it is. Or maybe not. Take it as me being arrogant or overconfident, I don't care. But it is a fact that I have yet to pick up something which I wasn't especially talented in. More often than not more than my peers."

"That's quite the bold statement. But I take it as good news. I never fought someone my age who was my equal with swords. Some of that could do me good, and even better if you are even more of a natural than me. As challenging my limit will be infinitely easier. This being said, can I interest you in proving your words with sparing with me? Of course, I would teach you how to use a sword." Kiba inquired with an almost maniacal gleem in his eyes.

Julian eyed him up for a bit before he smiled. "Of course, I'm always up to learn new things. And the way of the sword sure seem like something useful to pick up. But I despise having any kind of debt, so you teaching me what you know about the sword in exchange for some spars aren't going to cut it. So how about I impart you some of my knowledge of martial art?"

Kiba maniacal gleem receded to a frown before he shook his head and sighed at his words. "I can't say I'm fond of you treating swordmanship as some pretty trinklet that interested you on the side of the road. But to each their own. Maybe I will make you change your mind. As for the rest, Issei told us that you were quite the phenomena in martial arts. So I will certainly not say no to your tutelage."

Kiba offered his hand to Julian afterward. A pleasant smile on his face. "So, do we have ourself a deal?"

Julian, radiating some smug energy. Didn't hesitate to lightly took Kiba's hand and shook it. "Yeah."

*COUGH*

Rias coughed loudly and smiled weakly as she got back Julian's attention. "So, from your words, I take it that swordmanship will not remain out of your field of mastery for long."

Her smile became downright feeble before she shook her head and decided to cast it away to simply ask neutraly. "What about magic then? You know I would have gladly taught you if you asked. And I could even have taught you about our family bloodline magic. So what kept you from asking me? Are you still upset about Issei?"

Julian stayed silent for some time before he answered. "Nah, I forgave you long ago. I didn't ask because since very recently I had not much free time. But now that you offered so kindly. I will certainly not refuse. Though as I said with Kiba, I will not accept your help if it isn't an exchange."

Rias looked a bit relieved as she breathed out. "That's good then. We can arrange something tomorrow. Now, I think we're done for today. Or does someone else would like to add something?"

"Yeah, one last thing..." Julian met eyes with Rias and hesitated a bit before shaking his head.

"Think before acting, Rias. You're impulsive."

And with that, Julian left. Issei on his shoulder and Asia following behind. Leaving a confused peerage behind and Rias half-pissed and half-confused at his words.

All the while muttering some sorry words for Issei under his breath.

—————

~ Julian's POV

His eyes closed, Julian instinctively went through the form of his martial arts while meditating at the same time.

Exhaling a slow, scalding breath through his mouth, Julian finished his daily martial arts training.

He was currently in his courtyard, not in his bedroom. Because practicing in his later, while offering a decent control exercise for his strength. Wasn't optimal for using his full repertoire of moves and shadow sparing.

*CLAP CLAP CLAP!*

Turning himself toward his audience, Julian gazed at them weirdly and accepted the towel Raynare was handing him. Even though he had no need for it with his PoD.

"You guys didn't see anything. Did you?"

"Nah, not a single thing. But hey, if master is as good in bed than he is at martial art, then it was surely quite something." Mittelt grinned as she held some ice against her jaw and absentmindedly took in Julian's sweaty body.

Julian rolled his eyes and ignored his servants who became comfortable way too fast with their new lives and station. Though it was true that he wasn't privy on how they dealt with their newfound mortality and weakness. As far as he knew, they spoke and consulted each other often about this. It was good, because no way in hell he was qualified or even in a position to help them with it.

Back to his room, Julian checked his current reserve of ECM (Everlasting cycle magic) and his improvement since he began to meditate. They more than doubled, and he felt himself on the verge of something big. And there was an annoying itch in his back that grew each day.

He didn't lie when he said to Rias that he had been pretty busy until recently. He had spent every bit of his free time either trying to unlock EV, meditating to bolster his magical reserve, and seeking ways become better; Better In every sense of the word.

Stealth, magic, martial arts, the power of his bloodline, physical might and even weapons. Some time ago, he thought back on Sirzechs' explanation on strentgh. The things about classes and personal power. And he realised one thing, that, in hindsight, should have been very obvious.

Classes would come with time in this world, but personal strentgh would come with ressource, training and experience. Not only that, but his skills would follow him through whatever world he would visit in the future.

For exemple, his first ever fight to the death had been against the witch of envy. And also the first time he ever lost. Then there was his fight against Elsa where he struggled bitterly to achieve an equaly bitter victory.

Both of these were precious learning experiences. With Satella, he was smacked down a peg and glimpsed upon a strange state and the way to see Essence. And with the assasin, he quickly gained proficiency with daggers and his magic, both the one from re zero and DxD. A well as an harsh lesson to not rely too much on his superhuman senses and battle awareness by truly fighting.

These things he would carry on for the rest oh his life, while his base power, probably not if he was to travel to other worlds.

So, he was looking for ways to 'broaden' his horizon.

And no, fictional abilities from other works did not work with this world laws. If he want to have them, he had to recreate them from scratch. With the laws and magic of this world.

The training camp Rias and company will soon go to would help him achieve some of that. Especially for demonic magic. Because as much as it was based arround imagination. It was far from being so simple.

He could as of now create barrier blocking sense, and elemental spells. But the spells were weak, extremely so.

The only thing he could invoque was puny flames, some sparks and another bunch of insignifiant elementals summoning. And no matter how much demonic energy he would fuel them It would just produce more of the element. Even if what he was imagining was not just some flame, but a throwable fireball, or a lightning strike from the sky. And no magic circle would ever appear from these sorts of manipulations no matter what he did.

Trying to draw with demonic energy a magical circle in the air or somewhere else also didn't work. Manipulating it arround his body seemed promising, but he was probing in the dark at this point.

He was clearly missing some process of it. And it was logical in a way. Because if imagining was all that was needed to be done to create a spell. Then everyone and their mothers with enough magical energy could become a grandmaster magic user of the like of Ajuka.

And every high-class devils with a bit of brain would be able to go fucking nuclear...

—————

As he was walking toward the ORC building with Issei, Asia and Kiba that day. Julian felt a bit happy, because Rias seemingly followed his advice of yesterday. As from what he could tell, she did not visit Issei this night like she had in canon.

Concerning the upcomming event, he had no particular plans about it. Besides maybe abusing his relationship with the referee.

He would like to stay out of it for the longest possible time, to let Issei grow a bit of his own. At least until Riser inevitably went too far. Playing babysitter was nice and all, but his friend would never grow if he beat each trials for Issei.

"Yo! What's up pre- woah who's this beautiful lady!?" As they entered the room, Issei went to greet Rias and Akeno, only to stop himself when he saw the new face in the room.

"This is-"

"Please let me, Rias-Sama. Hello everyone, I am Grayfia Lucifuge. A maid of the Gremory clan and personal maid of Satan Lucifer." The silver-haired devil stoically introduced herself with a bow.

Grayfia and Julian met gazes, only for the latter to visibly cringe, the former barely even aknowledging his cringe with a twitch. It was clear to Julian that she was used to be in maid mode in presence of relatives.

But to act like a maid in front of her son, this was another level of weird and cognitive dissonance. Julian had the vague hope that she would stop doing it in his presence after he was officialy introduced as her's and Sirzechs' child. But it was only that, a vague hope.

"And she's my big brother wife." Rias added absentmindedly as an afterthought, as if she was used to repeat this sentence often.

"Anyway, I have something to say. The reason why sh-" Rias closed her mouth and put on a cold and somewhat aloof expression as she turned her gaze toward the blazing magic circle that suddenly appeared in the room. A blond man slowly materializing from it.

"Uwaah, been years since my last visit of the human realm. It smell even more than in my memories."

'And so, it begin.' Julian drawled the sentence in his mind.

—————

After Riser introduction, Julian gave it his all to simply vanish in the background. With some inspiration, he tried every way he knew to diminish his presence. Slowing his breath, clearing his mind and be one with 'nature'. Whatever it meant. He also put himself at the back of the peerage group, just for good mesure.

It wasn't easy, fuck that. It was goddamn hard, as he was the tallest person in the room and had a flashy physique, he was no gnome assasin. But surprisingly, with maybe the tension of the situation and a bit of luck. He did it, he was forgotten from the minds of the people in the room, besides Grayfia, because OP maid of doom.

And thus, the event went simirlarly to canon. Riser was being a creep and touchy touchy with a non consenting woman. And kept trying to lead Rias to aknowledge their marriage with talk of the greater good of devils and how their family had a deal. Until Rias told him off.

It was after that canon flew out of the window, as Riser menaced Rias to burn her peerage to a crisp and they confronted each other with their magical energy.

Then, instead of being tied together like they should have. Rias flinched and was pushed back a couple of cm.

"No way! He's ultimate class?" Akeno cried out as she looked worriedly and anxiously at Rias. Who after Grayfia stopped their confrontation, looked shaken and aggard,

"Ahah! That's right, my dear Rias! While you sat here doing nothing in this human school. My father took me on a little trip. And I happened to grow another pair of wings somewhere along it." Riser laughed loudly, smug and looking satisfied with himself. Though there was an edge of annoyance to his voice.

Julian looked perplexed at Grayfia, as earlier, she had introduced him as a high class, certainly not ultimate-class. The latter, had her brows as much furrowed than an impassive maid could have. And upon catching his gaze, shook her head before she regained her calm expression and cast a barely perceptible bitter look upon Rias.

"My master sent me here especially for this. As he feared that this kind of situation would happen. As such, he instructed me to propose a solution to settle any possible dispute between yourselves. A rating game."

"A rating game? Between my completed and experienced peerage and Rias incomplete one?" Riser asked incredulously and clicked his tongue.

"That's a waste of time, it would be better for everyone involved if you would just accept your fate and become my wife, Rias. At least, it would certainly be better be for your poor peerage members. As I think it would enable them to dodge their rather destiny otherwise." Riser glowered at them, his eyes burning with power and mirth.

"I promptly ask you to stop this unsightly display, Riser-Sama. This is my second warning, there will be no third time." All the heat building up in the room because of Riser suddenly vanished as Grayfia's statement reached everyone ears. Putting a faint pressure on everyone in the room.

The man himself shuddered as he looked at the maid, an uneasy smile that quickly became natural appearing on his face. "Uwaaah, scary, scary. As expected of the strongest queen. But nonetheless, I am still of the opinion that a rating game between us two would be useless. Here, Rias. Let me show you how outclassed you and your peerage truly are."

With this, Riser smiled and clicked his fingers. An enormous magic orange circle appearing farther behind him in answer.