Chapter 42: Training the Two Great Ladies (+ Their Knight)
"Will this do?" Rias asked, motioning to the wide, spacious room situated in the old schoolhouse she had brought Alduin to at his request. A room that adopted the visual appearance of a school gymnasium, and had been inscribed with intricate Earth Magic Enhancements by the Bishop of her older brother's peerage, MacGregor Mathers, creating a self-repairing feature similar to the chamber where Alduin and Sebastian sparred back at the Buné mansion.
"Yeah, this should be more than strong enough." Alduin returned a firm, approving nod.
To begin their training, he believed it best to approach each member of the Gremory peerage individually, in order to confront all the immediate flaws he had spotted in their abilities and skillset. Starting with none other than the leader of the group herself, the Crimson-Haired Ruin Princess, who wielded the Power of Destruction.
"So? What's my first lesson, sensei?" She voiced his self-proclaimed title with blatant sarcasm. Crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow, still not entirely convinced of Alduin's teaching ability. Sure, he was powerful, immensely powerful, especially for his age. But possessing strength and possessing the means to help others achieve it didn't always go hand in hand.
Whether Alduin's confidence regarding his ability to train every member of her peerage, herself included, was a product of actual skill or plain ego remained to be seen.
"When you unleashed your Power of Destruction on me back then, do you know why it did such a negligible amount of damage?" He began, without a shred of judgment or patronization in his voice this time.
Rias clicked her tongue, understandably not fond of the memory. "Isn't it your responsibility as my teacher to tell me that?"
He wagged his finger at her. "A good teacher doesn't spoon-feed his students the answer, he helps them hone their ability to think for themselves. After all, I'm not going to be here forever. You'll still need to continue training yourself once I'm gone, and you'll also need to be capable of overseeing the training of your subordinates from that point onwards."
She couldn't argue with his logic there. Granted, the drastic difference between his current attitude he was demonstrating and the one he had shown while he was all cloaked up was rather jarring.
His code-switching ability might even be on par with Serafall herself.
"I'm guessing it's because your defense was too high?" She started eyeing his horns, hinting at his draconic constitution. "Call me suspicious, but I have a feeling your body got a bit of an upgrade since we last met."
"Well, it's true that I'm your all-powerful sensei and you don't have a hope of even scratching me in a million years buuuuuuuuuuttt that observation would only be useful from a life-or-death battle perspective." Once again, the urge to give Alduin a fierce palm across the face was tugging at her. "You need to think from a self-improvement one, and start learning to spot the flaws in your usage of Demonic Power and figuring out how you can remedy them." He gave her a light tap on the forehead, irritating his student even further.
"First of all, I didn't give you permission to touch me." She huffed with a scowl. "And second of all, isn't it just an issue of destructive power? My Power of Destruction simply wasn't potent enough to break through your natural defense. I can't think of any other way to look at it."
"Really? Because I can," Alduin frowned, unsatisfied with her answer. "If you tried to force the absolute maximum output of destructive power your body was capable of mustering, what would happen?"
She scoffed. "What kind of question is that? I'd lose control of my powers, and they'd go berserk, obviously."
"And therein lies the root of your issue, control." He smiled. "In theory, you have 100% of your inherent Power of Destruction available to you, but you'll never truly be able to call upon that 100% because you're incapable of controlling all that power."
"Are you suggesting that you can fix that?" She narrowed her eyes, finding his claim exceedingly bold. Control was the biggest hurdle to overcome when it came to mastering one's use of the Bael Clan Trait. Even though her brother was capable of doing so like it was hands and feet, that was something he could do from birth. It was more a matter of superior genetics rather than intricate training.
Zekram's proficiency was also in a league of its own, but he was the progenitor of the Clan Trait for crying out loud. Added with the fact that he had been around since Lucifer and Lilith began conceiving the 72 Pillars. His skill was a given.
Then there was her mother, Venelana. Truthfully, she wasn't sure how powerful she was, as she had never seen her utilize her Power of Destruction before. However, she did know her mother was strong enough to be dubbed the Flaxen-Haired Ruin Princess. The predecessor to her crimson title.
In the presence of the other three wielders of the Clan Trait in the Underworld, it was impossible for her not to feel meager in comparison. Like metaphorical mountains of expectations were pressing down on her shoulders that she'd never be able to lift off of her.
He chuckled. "Fix? If by fixing you mean getting you to that 100%, then I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you." He shrugged in resignation. He wasn't even close to reaching the full potential of either of his bloodlines, he'd have to be clinically insane to think he could do it for a Clan Trait he was approaching for the first time.
"Figures," she exhaled softly.
"Remember, I'm not here to try to put you on your brother's level or anything. Your objective is for and your peerage to beat Riser and his peerage, heh, if you can even call it one." He snickered. "I'm going to do my best to hone your control as much as possible, but the rest will be up to you and your subordinates. You'll still need to command them and strategize accordingly during the actual battle itself."
"Believe me, I'm the last person to have a high opinion of Riser, but he's had experience in actual Rating Games. Whereas I haven't."
"So what?" Alduin scoffed, much to Rias' surprise. "He may have experience, but you have Holy Power and Sacred Gears. That rooster's flimsy, lust-driven peerage can't even begin to compare."
Though it wasn't anything world-changing, his words did inspire her with a fair bit of confidence. Confidence she'd need going into her confrontation with the man in question.
"Yeah, I suppose that's true." She smiled warmly. "Alright then, how do you propose we begin?"
Alduin grinned, slapping his palms together and intoning. "Tree Bind Flourishing Burial," the gymnasium's maple flooring began to tremble violently, causing Rias to stumble and stagger around as she struggled to maintain her balance. While her teacher's footing remained perfectly still.
"W-what did you just do!?" She panicked as the ground beneath her split wide open, allowing an onslaught of thick trunks to slither out and wrap around her body in the formation of a tree. Firmly binding her in place.
"I'm creating your training exercise, that's all." He covered his mouth and breathed a stifled giggle, pretending as if he wasn't enjoying himself. "As you're probably aware, the root of Demonic Power is imagination. This makes it an energy source heavily reliant on one's mentality. So, in order to improve your control, I'm offering you a scenario where you'll be constantly exposed to the sensation of controlling your Demonic Power. Simple enough, isn't it?"
"That doesn't even remotely explain why you've bound me here!!" She tried to struggle herself free, but it was to little avail, the trunks were simply far too strong for her to brute force her way out of.
"The goal is simple, all you have to do is charge your Power of Destruction around you, kind of like you're putting on a cloak of destructive energy, and use that to break yourself free from the tree I just created." His face had the words it'll be easier said than done though, written all over it.
"Again! That still doesn't explain why you're doing it like this of all methods!" She wasn't sure what exactly was going through Alduin's mind, but she did know one thing. The second she broke free, she was going to give Alduin a slap so powerful it'd make Hades quiver with dread. "You have to have something less humiliating than this!"
"I've learned from experience that a bit of added stress can be quite a helpful motivator when it comes to training, like I said, the mental element of controlling your Demonic Power is crucial." Of course, "a bit" was a huge understatement when it came to the training Alduin went through. "Go on, give it a try."
"Hmph! Watch me, this'll hardly take a moment." Even though her physical strength couldn't even begin to match up to Alduin's binding spell, she refused to believe the same would go for her Demonic Power.
Rias closed her eyes, beginning to hone her concentration.
A deep, bleeding crimson glow began to illuminate the space around her. Earning a thoughtful hum from Alduin as he observed the spectacle. His enhanced hearing could pick up on a faint, yet palpable whirring sound spreading through the atmosphere. As if the particles of destructive energy radiating off her were clashing with the very air particles themselves.
The power to destroy any and all matter, he mused. It looks like it wasn't an exaggeration after all, but at her level, it's not nearly enough to even put a dent in Riser's Immortality.
The bark entrapping her began to crumble like ash, slowly revealing the parts of her body overlapped by the wood, suggesting that she'd be freed in a matter of moments.
"Hah! I told you I'd—!" She only got halfway through her boast, noticing the look of smug assurance in Alduin's eyes as he pointed at the trunks she had supposedly destroyed.
Much to her disbelief, a bright, verdant hue began to emanate from the partially ruined trunks. Causing them to grow back twice as fast as her Power of Destruction was destroying them.
Like Martha had told him, Alduin had begun learning to combine his Dryadic Blessing and Wood Manipulation. Allowing him to mimic Martha's version of the binding spell he had used on Rias, which his mother had once used on him. Although, it was still drastically inferior to his mother's, unsurprisingly enough.
"I've imbued a fair amount of my regenerative energy into the tree, so you'll have plenty of time to experiment with your power till your heart's content. Have fun!" He quipped, skipping towards the gymnasium's entrance, off to meet his next student.
At this point, Rias' face had turned red as a tomato in a mix of embarrassment and frustration. "Alduin! Get your draconic behind back here right this instance! If you think I'm going to let you leave me here like some captive princess—!"
Before she could finish yelling at him, the door had already slammed shut. Officially bringing her indignation towards the Buné to an all-time high.
Fuck. That. LIZARD!
===
With a stark frown on her face and eyes filled with mistrust and cynicism, Akeno followed behind Alduin as he led her up to the old schoolhouse's rooftop to begin her training. His presence was a constant reminder of her "secret" being shared with someone outside the peerage. Coupled with the fact that he had forced her to make use of the power she had inherited from her father, the man she abhorred with all her heart.
"You know," Alduin began, finding the awkward silence between them deafening. "If you keep scowling at me like that, you'll get wrinkles. Do you really want to ruin that pretty little face of yours?" He attempted to spark up some small talk between them, but Akeno's face remained unmoved, and evidently unimpressed.
"Where's Rias?" She asked accusatorily, completely dismissing his comment.
"She's training downstairs," he answered plainly, choosing to shrug off the Queen's conjecture. The Gremory peerage was clearly a close-knit group with a firm familial bond, the fact that they weren't immediately accepting of him barging into their day-to-day life like this hardly took him by surprise. "I gave her a little homework assignment, so to speak, but I'm sure she'll be fine."
His offhanded response only furthered her skepticism.
"Who told you about me? About us?" She continued to question him, her demeanor growing increasingly defensive. As if she were convinced that Alduin's placid, calm posture was a ruse of some kind.
"Well, seeing as I have access to all your information without being a wanted criminal. You should be able to take a guess," he side-eyed her while walking up a staircase, his expression indecipherable to Akeno. Who typically proved to be an exceptional judge of character.
"I don't understand. Why would Lord Lucifer entrust you with such sensitive information?" The Satan was known to be particularly, or perhaps a little too protective of his sister. To a point where most believed him to be a closeted siscon. For him to trust anyone at all with such knowledge regarding her and her peerage spoke volumes about the level of trust he placed in said person.
"Isn't that question a little redundant? How else am I supposed to train you all if I don't know anything about you?" He chuckled, wearing a smug, close-lipped smile. "Akeno, you don't like me very much, do you?" Somehow, he seemed completely unoffended despite his observation.
"Does that really surprise you?" A bemused smirk crawled across her face. "You know a concerning amount about us, and we hardly know a thing about you. Urban Myth-san."
In truth, Alduin knew his awareness of her secret wasn't the only thing bothering her. In fact, it wouldn't be a stretch to say she was more bothered by what he knew about the other members of the peerage. Like it kindled some kind of protective impulse within her. A trait which he actually found respectable, the Queen of a peerage served as the King's right hand. They needed to be capable of looking after their juniors alongside them.
"I see how that could be troubling," he gave her an understanding nod. Walking out onto the rooftop as the gentle, afternoon breeze swished through his hair. "Why don't you go ahead and ask me some questions then? Maybe it'll ease your worries a little."
"…Pardon?" Akeno blinked repeatedly, taken aback by Alduin's abrupt willingness to ease her concern, despite the standoffish attitude she had just expressed towards him.
"You heard me. Go on, ask me anything. As long as it's not anything perverted, of course. My fiancée wouldn't be too happy about that." He smiled, clasping his hands behind his back.
"F-fiancée? You're engaged?" Her eyes widened as she got her first glimpse into her teacher's personal life.
"Is it really that surprising?" He tilted his head. "I'm a High-Class Devil just like your King, it's only natural for me to be placed on the marriage market as well." He left out the part where his father made the decision without his prior knowledge, solely because, unlike Rias, he ended up liking his chosen partner.
"Well, now I know what my first question is," her hostility started to subside as piqued curiosity seeped through the cracks of her skull. "To whom?"
Rias was already "taken", and it couldn't be Sona since she definitely would've at least heard whispers about that by now, not to mention that there was a preexisting, board game colored condition one would need to adhere to if one wanted to marry the Sitri in the first place.
Which left two potential suitors Akeno could think off the top of her head. Seekvaira Agares and Latia Astaroth, though she couldn't quite imagine their personalities meshing all that well with what little of Alduin's she had experienced.
Then again, considering Rias and Riser's engagement. Chemistry hardly seemed to be a concern within High-Class society when it came to pairing people with each other.
"Roygun," he answered.
"Roygun?" Akeno repeated, not recognizing the name that wasn't even remotely on her list of possibilities. However, she could've sworn that she had heard the name somewhere before, and after a bit of mental searching, an answer presented itself. One which she felt highly inclined to greet with immediate dismissal. "Wait! Wait! Wait! Roygun!? As in Roygun Belphegor? The ranker? That Roygun?"
"Of course, who else would I be talking about?" He smiled, acting as if nothing was surprising about the fact that he was engaged to a woman who was centuries older than him, possessed Satan-Class strength, was a part of the Underworld's Top 10, and to top it all off, an Extra Demon.
There was only one other instance in the history of the Underworld where an Extra Demon and a Pillar were wed, and that was between Grayfia Lucifuge and Sirzechs Lucifer.
The main difference being their marriage occurred right after Lord Lucifuge disbanded the house itself, whereas Alduin and Roygun's was going to occur while the latter remained not only an Extra Demon, but the Matriarch of their house.
As Sebastian had put it, sorting out the kinks of their union was bound to be a challenge, put lightly.
Akeno stood in stunned silence with a blank expression on her face, unsure what to make of what she had just heard, and Alduin was happy to give her all the time in the world she needed to process.
"Now I have even more questions," she sighed, and he gestured for her to fire away. "First of all, how old are you?"
"Eighteen," much to her irritation, he continued to act like everything was normal. "Fun fact, my birthday's right in between Sona and your King. A month after and a month before, respectively."
She completely ignored the latter part, compelled to focus all her attention on the former.
"Y-you're the same age as us?" She stammered, she felt obligated to reject such a notion, but her keen senses couldn't detect so much as a shred of falsehood from him.
"Yup," he popped the 'p,' swirling his hand around his face. "I know I look a little older, but it's just a result of a little appearance change we Buné clansmen get when we're of age. Don't pay it any heed."
That was much easier said than done when he had literal hornson his head.
"You're not lying to me, are you?" She couldn't help but ask, after all, regardless of her opinion on Alduin, she couldn't deny that his strength was nothing short of overwhelming. She and the rest of the Gremory peerage had experienced it firsthand.
Granted, it was pretty unsettling to know that Sairaorg wasn't the only one in their generation with the prowess to demonstrate an overwhelming level of sheer dominance over the rest of his peers.
"Nah, I don't really have much to gain from doing so in the first place." He shrugged, nonchalant as ever. "Got any more questions for me?"
"Plenty, but I'll try to keep them to a minimum since there's work to be done." She chose to start with the question tugging at her curiosity the most. Unaware just how quickly her antipathy towards Alduin had subsided in the short amount of time she had conversed with him. "Your engagement to Roygun, how did that even come to be?"
"She sent a proposal to my father, and he accepted the proposal. That's all."
Akeno narrowed her eyes, not only was she unsatisfied with such a plain, lacklustre response. For the first time, she finally felt like she was able to read Alduin's emotions. Detecting a faint undertone of bitterness at the mention of his father, which caught her completely off guard, and most certainly aroused her intrigue.
"Is it?" She pressed further.
Good grief, Alduin sighed, realizing that he had allowed his mask of indifference to slip, though only a little.
"He did it without my prior knowledge, just like your King's father." He rolled his eyes. "I guess that's just how parents are sometimes." Of course, Zeoticus and Sebastian were very, very different people, in pretty much every conceivable aspect.
Akeno pursed her lips, convinced that there was much more to Alduin's noticeable dislike towards his father than he was letting on.
"I know what you're thinking," but before she could continue her line of questioning, Alduin faced her with a solemn, steeled gaze. "You think our aversion to our fathers is something we have in common."
She let out a thoughtful hum. "It seems like a fair assumption to me."
Alduin shook his head in disappointment. "You're only half right. Sure, my father's the shittiest old man I know. But there's one key difference between us, one that makes a world of difference in who we are."
For some reason, Akeno felt a sense of unease start to stir within her abdomen. "Oh? And what would that be?"
Alduin's upper eyelids dropped to the point where they were cutting the top of his pupils, his expression akin to a disappointed parent watching their child throw a temper tantrum.
"You've allowed your hatred to hold you back, I haven't." He pointed at his horns. "You refused to look past it. You let it make you weak. You let it make you a half-assed Queen who held out on the King you've sworn yourself to for nearly your entire life. If you had wised up a little, you would've been at least ten times stronger than you are now, but you're not. You're weaker than you should be, and you have no one to blame but yourself. You're the Lightning Priestess who knows nothing about her own lightning, Akeno Himejima."
Akeno was left speechless, her posture stiffening as if she had just been encased in a block of ice by the Satan Leviathan herself.
One moment, she believed she was having a fairly pleasant ice-breaking conversation with him. And the next, he had gone ahead and said that, his words hitting even harder than the insults he had hurled at the group during the mock battle he had conducted.
Withal, he wasn't finished.
"85. During our brief battle, I could've killed you 85 times, and 85 times I chose not to." He looked up, his voice calm, but heavier than ever. "Of course, I didn't do so because that wasn't my intention. But what if it wasn't me? In the grand scheme of things, I'm truly not that strong, you could always be attacked by another Ultimate-Class existence or someone even stronger. Someone who wishes you dead. Someone who won't hesitate the instant they acquire their first chance to kill you."
Each syllable that slipped off Alduin's tongue felt surgically designed to create a wide, gaping wound of insecurity in Akeno's heart, which only grew deeper and deeper the more he spoke.
"When I first got close with my fiancée, she told me that my heart was no longer my sole possession, that part of it now belonged to her." He wore a fond, reminiscent smile. "Your relationship with your juniors and King isn't all that different. You don't get to act as a lone operative, you're part of a collective. A collective that relies on you, looks up to you, and cares for you. When you wield your power, you wield it not just for yourself, but for them. And when you choose not to, you're not only denying yourself that power, but you're also denying them your power. You're leaving them void of your strength when they need it most."
He continued to twist the knife, and Akeno's figure could do naught but tremble in the wake of his serene, yet strategical words of reprimand.
She hated the painful sense of truth that was she being barraged with. She hated how easily he was able to target all her mental weak points in such an absurdly short span of time. She hated the sensation of sweat building up on the surface of her palms. She hated the gradually quickening twitching of her fingers. She hated the feeling of guilt and self-loathing he was beginning to instill within her.
And more than anything, she hated his stare. His haunting, piercing, verdant stare that made her feel as if she were merely an unruly child.
"Please, that's enough—"
"Do you know what the crux of your problem is?" He continued, completely uninterested in hearing her pleading. "You can't differentiate power from person. What do you think will happen if you start using your Holy Lightning? Do you think it'll give Baraqiel some sick sense of satisfaction? Do you think it'll somehow dishonor your mother's memory? A woman who I imagine wished for nothing more than your safety? Tell me, Akeno, because I'm dying to know."
Defeaning, pained silence followed.
"As I expected, you don't have an answer." He shook his head in disappointment. "You've allowed yourself to be blinded by hatred, I'm willing to bet you yourself don't even know why you've held on to your searing anger for this long, especially when you've got people close to you that you should be far more concerned about. Imagine if I had really been after you all? What if one of your precious juniors or your master had perished at my hands? Would you be able to live with yourself knowing you didn't do everything you could to prevent that?"
Akeno gritted her teeth and clenched her fists to the point where her nails were digging into her palms.
"Listen closely, power itself cannot decide who you are. It's how you use it that determines your character, or in your case, how you don't use it, I suppose." He walked up to her, standing right by her side as she refused to meet his gaze. "Until you wake up and realize that, I have no intention of giving you any kind of formal training. After all, it won't do you any good while you're shackled by your own mentality."
He walked past her, returning downstairs to begin his next student's training, and leaving her alone on the rooftop to mull over what he had just told her, and more importantly, decide what she's going to do from that point forward.
Whether she'd remain chained by her hate or break free and become a Queen truly deserving of her monicker.
===
With an expression oozing uncertainty and unease, Kiba cautiously walked behind Alduin, following him to the old schoolhouse's dojo, which had been used by the Kendo Club when the building was still in use. Rias had gone ahead and renovated the decommissioned area so Kiba could utilize it as his private training quarters.
Should I say something? Kiba wondered, failing to realize just how intently he was staring at Alduin's back, a stare which had not gone unnoticed by his newfound teacher. Fortunately for him, Alduin didn't seem to mind.
The Knight could still remember it, the sharp, scorching pain inflicted upon him by the specks of residual Holy Power stemming from the impact of Akeno's Holy Lightning. It had only lasted a few moments as he was swiftly rendered unconscious, yet those few moments of exposure were enough to leave a lasting, painful impression on him.
"Was it that bad?" Alduin spoke, catching Kiba off guard while he was absorbed in his thoughts.
"Pardon?" Kiba blinked, failing to recall what Alduin had just said to him.
"The Holy Power, did it hurt that bad?" Alduin continued, discerning Kiba's inner turmoil without needing to face him thanks to his Senjutsu prowess. "Sorry about that, I thought you'd be able to handle a little bit of your Queen's true lightning since you've been exposed to Holy Power before. I didn't think it'd affect you this much."
Kiba wasn't sure how to respond, faced with what sounded like an honest, remorseful apology from someone who had handed him and his peers a one-sided beatdown on a silver platter, referred to him by a name that filled with nothing but a searing thirst for vengeance, and then returned only to reveal that he'd be acting as his teacher from now on. Having made a deal with Lord Lucifer behind the scenes to prepare them for an apparent upcoming Rating Game with Riser Phenex, to annul his King's wedding arrangement with the glorified rooster.
To call the situation confusing would be a grave understatement.
"I assure you it won't be a problem, Lord Alduin." Though Kiba understandably wasn't a big fan of Alduin, the prim and proper mask of knightly perfection he wore at all times convinced him that it was best to treat him with respect, deserving of a High-Class Devil nonetheless. Especially one possessing such overwhelming strength.
Alduin breathed a deep sigh. "First of all, let's do away with the formalities, please. We Bunés don't care much for them." He came to a halt, finally turning around to face Kuoh's prince charming. His gaze was firm and knowing. "Second of all, lying to me isn't going to get you very far, young man. I'll excuse it this time, but I'd advise against making it a recurring trend."
Kiba's eyes widened. "I didn't mean to—!"
"Relax, I said I'd excuse it, didn't I?" Alduin waved his concerns off. "Besides, having the sensation of being nicked by Holy Power fresh in your mind might be a good thing."
"I'm afraid I don't quite follow?" Kiba furrowed his brow.
"Even though I haven't gotten around to beginning everyone's training, there's already one conclusion I can make about your group with absolute certainty." His smile widened before he turned away and continued his stroll through the schoolhouse's hallways. "The root of all your problems are mental."
"Mental?" It didn't take long for Kiba to figure out what Alduin was referring to. The realization plastered a firm, fierce scowl on his face.
"Yeah, I'm talking about the Holy Sword Experiment. The wall standing between you and the growth you're trying to achieve." The mere mention of the project alone was enough to positively infuriate Kiba. "Akeno's got her issues with her father. Shirone's pretty much the same, only with her sister instead. And Gasper struggles with the fear of his own power and his isolationist tendencies."
Kiba felt his fingers reflexively tense. "You shouldn't use Koneko's name so casually, it's rather crude if you ask me."
"Crude? It's her name, isn't it? I fail to see a problem with referring to someone by their given name, Isaiah." Kiba felt his mask continue to slip, his face struggling to keep his grievance concealed. "Of course, you two don't like your true names because they remind you of your pasts."
The Knight's eyebrow twitched. "If you're aware of that, then isn't that all the more reason not to use them?"
Alduin groaned, shaking his head in chagrin. "You clearly haven't been listening. Your inability to overcome your past is what's holding you and all your peers back from letting your potential flourish. Isaiah, I want you to be reminded of what happened to you as much as possible. I plan on having you confront it in your mind constantly, it's the only way you'll muster up the courage to face your fears."
"Fear?" His lips curled into a frown. "If you think fear is what I feel, then I'm afraid you're sorely mistaken—"
"Fear is the root of all hatred, my dear knight," Alduin promptly cut him off. "You can't overcome your hatred without overcoming your fear first."
"Hah, you make it sound so simple." Kiba scoffed, letting out a dry chuckle under his breath. "Tell me, Alduin, what is it exactly you expect me to do? Should I just forgive and forget? Is that what you want from me?"
"That's not what I said," Alduin stopped right in front of the sliding door leading into the dojo, slowly craning his head around to meet Kiba with a cold, unimpressed glare. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't put words in my mouth."
Kiba shuddered, startled by yet another drastic shift in Alduin's tone.
"And to answer your question," he continued before the Knight could even think about apologizing. "I wouldn't dare suggest a thing. Obviously, I didn't experience the horrors of that project first-hand like you did, but even just from reading the report included in Lord Lucifer's file, I already began contemplating paying those church dogs a personal visit and eradicating them myself." Kiba felt a shiver crawl down his spine as Alduin's expression darkened, a vengeful shadow cast over his face.
His bloodlust… it's genuine, he wasn't sure how to respond. He had presumed Alduin was trying to mock him for his misgivings about his past, only to learn that he, in fact, shared his perspective.
"Of course, I can't do such a thing since it'd piss Serafall off, foreign relations and all." Alduin chuckled, sheepishly scratching his nape as his demeanor returned right back to normal. "But who knows? Maybe the church will try something stupid and give me an excuse to go after them. Fingers crossed!"
Once more, Kiba found himself unable to keep up with Alduin's rapid, unpredictable attitude shifts.
He proceeded to slide the door open, stepping into the dojo and taking a moment to gander around, observing its wide, spacious interior. The flooring was laden with rows upon rows of tatami mats, composed of rice straw core and covered with a woven rush surface, and edged with cloth. The walls consisted of a series of wooden frames, filled with sheets of bamboo and paper. Giving the area all the expected markings of a traditional dojo.
"Nice place you've got here," Alduin hummed in approval, performing a few stretches and demonstrating a level of flexibility Kiba couldn't help but marvel at. "Your Sword Birth, it's capable of creating Demonic Swords possessing whatever attribute you choose to assign to them, right?"
"Well, that is the case on paper, but in practice, there are a myriad of limitations preventing me from controlling it as much as I'd like to." He admitted with a hint of shame.
"Oh? For example?"
"For example," Kiba wore an uncharacteristic smirk. "If I tried to create a sword with a certain degree of power, beyond that of what I'm capable of conjuring, it'd just backfire on me. Like a dragon-slaying sword, for instance."
"Oh-hoh! Prince Charming actually has a sense of humor? Colour me surprised," he breathed a heartfelt bout of laughter. "In that case, let's make that your first assignment."
Kiba blinked. "What?"
Alduin returned a smirk of his own. "You're going to learn to create a dragon-slaying sword!"
===
AN: I was thinking of putting everyone's training into one chapter, but after these three the chapter was already 6,000 words so I decided to save it for the next one. But there's probably going to be more than just training in the next one since it's only Koneko and Gasper that are remaining.
———
If you're looking to read Advanced Chapters as well as support me, you can go ahead and visit my pátreon!
[ pátreon.com/Accel14. ]
There's also a Discord Community if you're interested in joining.
[ wNzT9AEsaz ]