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After his pivotal meeting with Sirzechs, Algernon's life in Aethelgard became a whirlwind of preparation. The following three days were not a time for rest, but for an all-consuming focus on the coming storm.
The training grounds behind his castle were no longer just dirt and stone, but a crucible of power. The very air was thick with the scent of ozone and burning magic, and the ground was scarred with the aftershocks of their intense drills.
He went all-in with Issei, pushing the Red Dragon Emperor to the absolute edge. They sparred for hours, Issei's Boosted Gear roaring with every strike. Algernon forced him to get a real handle on his Balance Breaker, guiding him to master the incredible power that flowed from his sacred gear. Their training wasn't about brute force; it was about precision and control of power.
"Don't just use the power, command it!" Algernon's voice would boom, amplified by his magic. He made Issei run drills, pushing his body to the point of exhaustion, then a step further, until the roar of Ddraig was a constant companion and the crimson armor was a second skin.
With Vali, it was a brutal series of clashes in the skies. Their dueling powers of destruction and division slammed into each other, creating shockwaves that ripped through the very fabric of the air. Algernon would unleash concentrated spheres of the Power of Destruction, and Vali would counter with a single, powerful dividing strike, splitting the energy and dissipating it.
But the most subtle, yet dangerous, training was with Kuroka. Algernon didn't just focus on her illusions; he pushed her to master the very fabric of space. She would disappear and reappear in the blink of an eye, a silent specter on the battlefield.
She would use her spatial manipulation to open small portals to redirect his attacks, and even to blink across the battlefield in a flash of light. He forced her to use her skills not just as a defensive measure but as a core part of her offense.
Present~
While Vali and Issei were sparring on the other side of the field, Algernon sat on a large boulder, his arms crossed, watching them with a critical eye.
Kuroka appeared beside him, a soft flicker of light as she materialized from her spatial magic. She sat down gracefully on the rock, a half-smile on her lips. Her eyes, filled with a playful mischief, watched the sparring duo.
"Nya, King-sama," she purred, her voice a low, teasing hum. "You're working them to the bone. Are you sure you're not going to break them before the game even starts?"
Algernon didn't look at her. "They won't break. They're strong. Besides, a warrior is forged in fire, not in comfort."
Kuroka giggled, a sound like tinkling bells. "And you, King-sama? Are you forged in fire too, nya?" she asked, her voice filled with a playful curiosity.
Algernon's gaze remained fixed on his pawns. "I've been in the fire my entire life," he said, his voice a low, serious rumble. "I've been in the fire of desire, the fire of scorn, and the fire of battle. I've learned to love the fire, Kuroka. It's the only place where true power can be found."
A rare, quiet seriousness came over Kuroka's face. She turned to him, her golden eyes fixed on his profile. "Tell me, King-sama. Are you really doing all this for Rias? Or is there something more? Something you're not telling us, nya?"
Algernon finally turned to her. His crimson eyes, filled with a quiet, terrifying ambition, met hers. he said, his voice a low, chilling whisper. "I have not just trained my peerage to fight in a simple Rating Game, but to fight for their lives. This is not about winning a battle, Kuroka. This is about conquering a war."
She leaned her head on his shoulder, her quiet purr a silent vow of loyalty. "I see, King-sama," she said, her voice a soft, loving hum. "Then I will be the one who makes sure we win the war, nya."
Kuroka's quiet purr was a a final, beautiful sound before she vanished in a soft flicker of light. Algernon remained on the boulder, his gaze still fixed on the horizon, but his mind had traveled a world away.
He thought of her past and the promise he had given her for joining his peerage. He knew of the tragic tale of the Nebiros Clan's dark experiments, of a human scientist and his wife who was caught in a brutal incident. Algernon knew of the widespread rumor that Kuroka, drunk on her own power, had killed her master and become a Stray Devil.
He smiled, a cold, ruthless smirk that held no warmth. He knew the truth.
Her master, focused on his research into creating a Super Devil, had done various experiments on her and even planned to conduct horrific, unethical tests on her younger sister, Shirone. Kuroka's rebellion wasn't an act of malice; it was an act of pure, selfless love, a desperate attempt to save the only family she had left. She had become a Stray Devil not out of ambition, but out of necessity, taking on the burden of a false narrative to ensure her sister's safety.
He knew of the clan's arrogance, they had cast out a brilliant, powerful demon for the crime of protecting her family. They were wrong. He now had the power to his promise and give his bishop the revenge she deserved. And in doing so, he would expose the corruption and depravity of the old devil clans. It was a perfect plan.
His private reverie came to an end. He stood up from the boulder, his voice echoing across the training grounds.
"Issei! Vali! Kuroka!" he commanded, his voice a low, powerful rumble. "It's time for the final battle training! Now!"
Without a word, Algernon's peerage snapped to attention, their forms blurring with anticipation. Issei's Boosted Gear pulsed with a vibrant green light, Ddraig's faint growl a promise of power. Vali's aura crackled, a pale blue lightning dancing around his form. Kuroka, ever the swiftest, was already poised, her golden eyes fixed on Algernon.
Algernon, with a calm, deliberate motion, raised his hand. A complex magic circle, intricate and swirling with crimson and black energies, materialized beneath their feet. It was far more elaborate than any simple teleportation spell, infused with a precision that bypassed most magical defenses and cloaking spells. The air around them shimmered, distorting the familiar landscape of Aethelgard.
In the blink of an eye, the training grounds vanished. The roar of the wind filled Kuroka's ears, and for a fleeting moment, she felt the disorienting pull of spatial displacement. Then, with a soft thud that barely registered, they were elsewhere.
The air that greeted them was colder, tinged with a faint, metallic scent she knew all too well. The magic circle beneath them dissipated, and the new surroundings slowly resolved into focus.
They stood on a desolate, windswept plateau, the sky above them a perpetually twilight grey. Before them, rising against the bleak horizon, was a sprawling, ancient structure carved into the very rock of the Underworld. Its architecture was unmistakably demonic, a twisted array of spires and dark, imposing walls that seemed to absorb the meager light. It was the Naberius Clan's ancestral estate, a place Kuroka had vowed never to return to, yet here she was.
A tremor ran through Kuroka's body, subtle but undeniable. Her usually playful eyes widened, and the mischievous glint vanished, replaced by a haunted, distant look. Her breathing hitched, a shallow, ragged gasp.
The familiar, oppressive aura of the clan's dark magic, the echoes of her past trauma, washed over her like a tidal wave. For a moment, the powerful Ultimate peak class devil of Algernon's peerage was gone, replaced by the frightened girl who had fled this place years ago. She instinctively took a half-step back, her body tensing as if preparing for a blow.
Algernon, ever vigilant, sensed her distress instantly. Before she could fully recoil, his left arm snaked out, a firm, reassuring hand settling on her waist. He pulled her gently but decisively against his side, his touch grounding her amidst the storm of her memories. His crimson eyes, though still scanning their new surroundings, held a flash of understanding and a silent promise of support.
"Stay focused, Kuroka," he murmured, his voice a low, steady rumble, meant for her ears alone. There was no judgment, only a calm strength that permeated her shaken form. "Your target is here. You and your sister's tormentors are here."
Kuroka's breath hitched again, but this time it was a different sound—a mixture of surprise and a desperate surge of resolve. She leaned into his touch, drawing strength from his unwavering presence. Her golden eyes, though still shadowed with pain, hardened with a renewed, fierce determination. She looked at the towering, ominous structure, no longer with fear, but with a cold, burning resolve.
Just then, a harsh, metallic voice rang out from the fortress walls. "Intruders! Sound the alarm!"
From the crenellations of the fortress walls and the watchtowers, armed guards appeared, their faces twisted with a mix of fury and confusion. They were not mere footsoldiers; their armor hummed with low-level magic, and their weapons, enchanted with runes, gleamed ominously in the twilight. Dozens of them, then hundreds, appeared on the walls, and from the heavy gates, a contingent of armed soldiers marched out, their formation a clear statement of organized power.
"They're here to kill you," Algernon murmured, his voice a low, chilling whisper. "And your sister."
Kuroka's eyes narrowed, a single, fluid motion that spoke of her unwavering resolve. "Nya," she purred, her voice a soft, dangerous hum. "Let's show them what it feels like to be hunted."
Algernon smiled. "Issei, Vali," he commanded, his voice a low, powerful rumble that carried across the battlefield. "Annihilate their defenses. I want them to know we are here."
Vali's aura flared to life. He simply extended his hand, and his Divine Dividing power went to work. The magical runes on the fortress walls and the magical arrays on the ground began to split and crumble, their energy divided and scattered into the wind.
Issei's Boosted Gear roared to life. He was a force of pure, destructive power. He aimed his gauntlet at the fortress walls, and a colossal blast of red energy, infused with his immense power, slammed into the walls, a raw force that was meant to tear down the entire fortress.
The guards on the walls, who had been preparing to fire their enchanted bows, were knocked off their feet by the sheer force of the blast.
Kuroka, with a satisfied smirk, simply vanished.
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Inside the fortress, in a lavish study filled with scrolls and dark, arcane texts, the Head of the Nebiros Clan, a gaunt, scholarly-looking man, sat in a deep-seated chair. He was the very embodiment of scholarly arrogance, believing his mind was a weapon far more dangerous than any sword.
Suddenly, the ground began to tremble, and a low, distant roar echoed through the fortress. A guard, his armor dented and his face pale with fear, burst into the room.
"My Lord!" he cried out, his voice a terrified whisper. "We're under attack! The defenses are failing!"
The Head of the Clan's eyes narrowed. "What foolishness is this? The defenses are impenetrable. Who dares trespass on our lands?"
"My Lord!" the guard stammered. "Algernon Azeroth! He's here with his .... his peerage. They're destroying our defenses!"
After the guard's frantic report, the Head of the Nebiros Clan, a gaunt, scholarly-looking man, erupted from his study with a cold, terrifying fury. He flew through the corridors and burst onto a high balcony overlooking the battlefield.
The chaos below was a scene of utter destruction. The guards he had sent were being torn apart by a single, red-armored warrior. Magical defenses, painstakingly built over centuries, were crumbling under a wave of dividing power. His blood ran cold as he recognized the figures—the Red Dragon Emperor and the White Dragon Emperor, fighting as one.
He saw Algernon standing calmly on the field below, the eye of the storm.
"Algernon Azeroth!" the Clan Head bellowed, his voice filled with a chilling condescension. "What is the meaning of this? Why have you attacked the Naberius Clan?!"
Algernon's crimson eyes met his, a subtle smirk on his face. "I'm here to collect a debt," he replied, his voice a low, confident rumble.
Just as the Clan Head was about to respond, a low, ominous purr sounded directly behind him. He spun around, his eyes widening in utter disbelief. A figure had appeared out of thin air, a young woman with long, flowing black hair and a chillingly familiar aura. Before he could even react, she delivered a powerful, enchanted kick directly to his chest, sending him flying off the balcony and plummeting to the battlefield below.
The Clan Head's body slammed into the ground with a sickening thud. He looked up, a mix of fury and confusion on his face. His eyes landed on Kuroka. He instantly recognized her.
"You!" he spat, his voice laced with venom. "You're that Stray Devil! The one who disgraced our name!" He struggled to his feet, his eyes now blazing with a cold, terrifying fury looking at Algernon. "This is a disgrace! You've allied with a rebel to betray our race!"
Algernon, having watched the whole scene unfold, shook his head. "You are wrong," he said, his voice a low, chilling whisper. "She hasn't betrayed anyone. She is a loyal pawn. And I haven't betrayed the devil race."
He began to walk toward the Clan Head, his power of destruction glowing brightly. "You think I'm here for a single family?" he said, his voice a low, chilling whisper. "you are a disgrace to the entire devil race."
The Clan Head's eyes widened in horror. "What are you talking about?" he stammered, his voice filled with a newfound fear.
Algernon's smirk was subtle. "I'm here to show what happens when you mess with my peerage. I'm here to show everyone what happens when they mess with what belongs to me."
He raised his hand, and a massive sphere of the Power of Destruction pulsed to life in his palm. It was a power that was meant for annihilation. He didn't throw it. He simply watched it grow, a small, black sun of destruction.
"You are not even worthy of my power," Algernon said, his voice a low, chilling whisper.
He released the sphere, and it did not explode. It simply consumed. The fortress, the ground, the very air around them simply ceased to exist, turning into a silent, horrifying vacuum of nothingness. The Nebiros Clan was not just destroyed. They were annihilated.