"Next is Akeno."
"Yes."
When Azazel called her name, Akeno's expression turned slightly displeased. Although she had resolved her inner conflict over her father, her hatred for him would not fade so easily.
"You need to accept the blood flowing through your veins."
Hearing Azazel's blunt words, Akeno's face instantly darkened, looking extremely unhappy.
"You have fallen angel blood in your body. The power of light is like poison to devils. In the match against Phoenix before, with your true power, you should have been able to easily defeat their 'Queen.' But why didn't you use your fallen angel power?"
"I… can fight without relying on that kind of power." Akeno replied, her expression complicated.
"Don't deny it. If you can't even acknowledge yourself, then what? In the end, the only thing you can rely on is yourself, right? Denial will only make you weaker. Whether it's painful or difficult, you must accept all of yourself. Your weakness right now is your own self. You must overcome it before the decisive battle. If you can't, then in future battles you'll only be a burden to everyone. You need to change from the 'Priestess of Thunder' into the 'Priestess of Thunder and Light.'"
Akeno fell silent. Seeing this, Azazel didn't push further—he simply shrugged and turned to Kiba Yuuto.
"As for you, I have to admit your talent is pretty good. I don't have much to teach you. For now, just keep using your Balance Breaker until you can maintain it for a full day!" Azazel's tone became serious.
"Understood!" Kiba answered with determination.
"Next, Xenovia and Irina—your training regimen is quite solid. I suppose it's based on the Church's original plan?"
The two girls nodded, and Azazel showed an expression of understanding.
"Alright, for Xenovia and Irina, just add these to your existing training. Since you won't be having a match in the short term, this will serve as a good long-term goal."
He casually tore a few pages from his notebook and handed them to Xenovia and Irina, thus finalizing the two Holy Sword wielders' training plan.
"Now, for the nun—Asia."
"Y-Yes!"
Asia nodded energetically. After all, she had often been unable to help in battle; if she could contribute in future fights, it would make her truly happy.
"How should I put this… your Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing, can be expanded in range. In other words, you can change from short-range healing to long-range healing. This kind of ability is powerful enough to determine the outcome of both matches and battles."
"Long-range? That would really give the enemy a headache."
"Exactly. You possess the only known Sacred Gear capable of healing devils. But to heal faster and for longer periods, you'll need to increase your stamina. So focus on basic training."
"Y-Yes! I'll do my best!"
Her joy at having a useful ability was evident—Asia was truly a pure and adorable girl.
"Lastly—Koneko."
"Yes."
"As a 'Rook,' you have excellent offensive and defensive stats. Your physical ability is impeccable. —However, that's only speaking of you individually. Considering the other servants, where do you stand among them?"
"I understand." Koneko lowered her head in regret. She had already reflected on Azazel's words—among all the servants, aside from Asia, she might be the weakest… for now. But Asia was a special case, her role far surpassing Koneko's in importance. Thinking of it that way…
"Koneko, like the others, your base abilities are already high. If you can accept yourself and release what you've been suppressing, you'll see massive results easily."
Koneko didn't answer. The strong will she had shown earlier seemed to vanish at Azazel's mention of "release."
Her golden eyes darkened, as if she were lost in deep thought.
"Alright, that's all for now. They should be here by now."
Azazel said cryptically. And at that moment—
BOOM!
A thunderous sonic boom rang out from the sky—the sound of something flying at incredible speed, tearing through the air.
With an earth-shaking crash, a massive creature landed in the courtyard.
It stood at least fifteen meters tall, with a maw full of sharp fangs, sturdy limbs, and massive wings that blocked out the sun.
A dragon.
"Let me introduce—this is the demonic dragon who will be in charge of your training from now on, Saint Tannin."
As everyone stared in shock, Azazel introduced the creature calmly.
"From now on, all of you will spend one hour every day fighting Saint Tannin."
Azazel smiled as he continued, delivering words that filled everyone with dread.
"Azazel, you sure have the nerve to come swaggering into devil territory," the enormous dragon said.
"Hmph, I have official permission from the Maou. Do you have a problem with that, Tannin?" Azazel crossed his arms.
"Hmph! Forget it. Since this is Sirzechs's request, I'll make an exception. But don't forget that, Governor-General of the Fallen Angels." Saint Tannin raised his head proudly.
"Yes, yes. I'll leave these kids to you for the next few days."
"Understood." Tannin nodded.
"There's a reason I had Saint Tannin come to train you. Since your opponents will be using the power of dragons, it's necessary for you to get early experience against it." Azazel said, pointing at the dragon.
"This guy was once one of the Dragon Kings. I assume you're familiar with the term 'Five Dragon Kings'? Well, Tannin was one of the Dragon Kings back when there were six of them. The 'Tannin' mentioned in the Bible refers to him."
"Because Tannin became a devil, the 'Six Dragon Kings' became the 'Five Dragon Kings.' He is now among the strongest of reincarnated devils—just below the Maou in power."
"The Demonic Dragon Saint Tannin—his flames are said to rival the impact of a meteor strike. He's one of the few legendary dragons still active today."
After finishing the introduction, Azazel added,
"You'll die, right? Fighting this kind of monster will kill us, right?!" Irina cried out.
"Don't worry, I'll train you well without killing you," Saint Tannin said with a grin that was anything but reassuring.
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