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A beam of light erupted from the boy's clasped hand. It solidified to become a blade, with a broad cutting edge. It resembled a falchion, the end curved and tapered upwards. A holy sword. And a devil that could make it. The irony was not lost upon him.
That explained the surge of power then. While he was glad the Knight had developed a new ability, he was unsure why the boy wanted to share that particular information with him.
"Rias will be appreciative of this power," he figured that was what his counterpart wanted to hear.
To his chagrin, the boy's frown grew.
"She knows and she approves, but that is not what surprises me," Kiba's voice shook, "What surprises me is that when I combine the effects of both Sword Birth and Blade Blacksmith, I can produce this."
The holy sword in his hand dissipated. In its place, a new weapon materialized. At a casual glance, it was almost disappointingly plain. Its surface was smooth and undecorated, the hilt that connected grip and blade a simple rectangular bar. At its end a rounded pommel sat above the grip, just as bare and ordinary as the rest of its body. The length was its only redeeming quality. Three and a half feet long from its sharpened tip to the base of the hilt, it could be wielded in either one or two hands. The blade itself was of broad make, three-fourth the width of a human palm. It was a ubiquitous weapon, and he had seen enough like it to know that if someone were to place this sword amongst a pile from a medieval armory, no one would be able to tell the difference.
But as it always was with things like these, observing only the outside was a poor method of determining power.
He took it from the boy's proffered hands. Kiba's gaze remained riveted on the blade as though it was something utterly alien.
"It is not steel nor is it any metal I know of, yet it cuts better than any blade I've used so far. If my affinity was not with demon swords, then it would be my preferred weapon. But that's not what makes it troubling," the devil swallowed, "Both demon swords and holy swords have a presence within them. They have an attribute that makes them what they are. This one does not. There's nothing inside of it. It has no soul. Yet, whenever I wield it, I can sense a hunger emitting from its core, as though the blade itself wants something to be placed within it. As though it's longing for an identity," the boy shook his head. The unnerved expression over his face grew, "To be honest, I don't know what to make of it. I don't even know how it is possible for a sword to behave this way."
He ran a finger along the blade's entire length, feeling the familiar straightness of its edge. The smile he wore was reflected back at him by the weapon's polished sheen.
He returned it, hilt first to its creator, who grasped it with unsteady hands.
"That is because this is a Nihil Weapon."
He had to listen to the boy's plan again to make sure he heard right, and when it was all finished, he had to repeat the words just to make sure.
"You want me to help you train."
Issei nodded enthusiastically.
"And your method of training involves hurling yourself against my Personas?"
"The dragon ones, if you have them," the devil nodded again, "Ddraig says it would be helpful to test myself against them to increase my strength. He also says I might unlock more of Boosted Gear's potential if I am near dragons."
To punctuate his point, the boy lifted his arm and displayed the crimson gauntlet. The green jewel in the middle gleamed once, as though in acknowledgment.
"And you think this will work?"
Issei hesitated.
"I don't know," he admitted, "I have my doubts. Even Ddraig says it might be a long shot," the boy's face became determined, "But even if it is, I still want to try. I need to get stronger if I want to protect Asia and Buchou and all the others. The helplessness I felt when those Templars pinned me down… I don't ever want to feel it again."
"You did the best you could," he meant it to be a compliment. Issei did not take it that way, however. The glower on his face was an expression he did not think the usual cheerful boy could make.
"Yes and it wasn't enough," the devil glared at the ground, "I couldn't do a damn thing about them. They held every advantage and we had none."
"They were prepared for us. They would have been very bad at preparing if they did not hold all the advantages."
Issei grinned half-heartedly at his reply.
"But that's why we must get stronger. So the next time something like this happens, we will be prepared. And to do that, I need your help Arisato-san."
It was a worthwhile goal. The boy watched him hopefully, expectantly. He nodded once, acquiescing.
"Do you have a place in mind?"
Issei gestured to the ground they were standing on.
"Here."
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