The morning mist was just beginning to lift as I stepped into the clearing behind Chysis's mansion, wooden practice sword in hand. Asia and Valerie were already there, going through the basic forms I'd taught them—or attempting to, anyway.
"Keep your guard up, Asia," I called out as I approached. "If your opponent can see an opening, it would be over for you. So be focused, alright?"
She nodded nervously, adjusting her stance. The improvement over the past few weeks had been remarkable, but there were still fundamental issues to address.
I moved into position and immediately launched a controlled attack at Valerie. She managed to deflect it, but her counter-attack was telegraphed from a mile away.
"Too slow," I said, easily dodging her swing. Then I turned and tapped Asia lightly on the shoulder with my blade. "And you're not committing to your attacks. You can't hurt someone if you're not willing to try."
Both girls reset their positions, but I could see the frustration building in their expressions. They'd been working hard—I couldn't fault their dedication—but there was something holding them back.
"Your forms are technically correct," I continued, blocking another exchange. "But you're fighting like you're going through a dance routine, not like your lives depend on it."
Valerie wiped sweat from her brow, breathing hard. "It's not that simple," she said, and there was an edge to her voice I hadn't heard before. "You make it look easy because you're already strong. But for us..."
She trailed off, but I could hear what she wasn't saying. They felt weak. Despite all their progress, they still saw themselves as the people they'd been when we first met—fragile, dependent, unable to protect themselves or others.
"You think you're still the same person I met you?" I asked.
"Aren't I?" Valerie's voice was quiet, but there was something desperate in it. "I'm still the vampire who couldn't even defend herself. I'm still—"
"No." The sharpness in my voice made both girls straighten. "You're not."
I set down my practice sword and looked at each of them in turn.
"Asia, when I first met you, you flinched every time someone raised their voice. Now you're voluntarily training with weapons every morning because you decided you wanted to be able to protect the people you care about."
She blinked, as if this hadn't occurred to her.
"And Valerie," I continued, "the person I first met would have given up l. She would have complained about the early mornings and the sore muscles and found excuses to quit. But you're here. Every day. Even when it's hard."
Valerie's hands tightened on her weapon.
"You want to know why you're not improving as fast as you'd like? It's not because you're weak. It's because you're still fighting against who you think you are instead of embracing who you're becoming."
The clearing fell silent except for the distant sound of wind through the trees. Then Asia spoke up, her voice small but steady.
"I... I've never thought of myself as someone who could fight."
"Then stop thinking and start doing." I picked up my sword again. "This time, I want you both to attack me like you mean it. Not like you're worried about hurting me—like you're trying to."
They exchanged a glance, some silent communication passing between them. When they turned back to me, there was something different in their eyes.
Valerie moved first, her attack coming faster and more aggressive than before. Instead of the hesitant strikes I'd grown used to, this was a committed assault. I had to actually focus to parry it cleanly.
Asia flanked me from the other side, her movements more fluid, less constrained by overthinking. For the first time since we'd started training, she was attacking with real intent.
I found myself smiling as I fought them both. This was what I'd been waiting to see—not perfect technique, but genuine determination.
From somewhere above us, I sensed Chysis watching from her balcony. I wondered what she was thinking, seeing her students finally start to fight like they meant it.
The exchange lasted several minutes before both girls finally stepped back, breathing hard but with expressions of accomplishment rather than frustration.
"Better," I said simply. "Much better."
"Akira!" Chysis's voice called from above. "Come here for a moment!"
I nodded to the girls. "Keep practicing. And remember—you're not the same people you were yesterday."
---
"It's starting," Chysis said as I entered her study, gesturing toward the large scrying screen on the wall.
The magical display showed an elaborate arena filled with spectators, the formal announcements already underway. In one viewing box, I could see the Gremory family looking tense. In another, the Phoenix clan appeared supremely confident.
"Nervous?" Chysis asked, settling into the chair beside me.
"Should I be?"
On screen, both peerages were taking their positions. Rias looked composed, but I could see the slight tension in her posture. Akeno stood beside her, no visible sign of the armor hidden beneath her usual attire.
"Did you really ensure her victory?" Chysis asked quietly.
"I gave her the tools. Whether she wins or loses is up to her."
The early stages of the match played out much as expected. Riser's peerage was experienced and well-coordinated, systematically eliminating Rias's pieces through superior teamwork and tactical positioning. It was painful to watch, even knowing what was coming.
"They're losing," Chysis observed, her voice carefully neutral.
"They're losing pieces. That's not the same thing."
By the time only Rias and Akeno remained, facing Riser and his queen, the Phoenix heir was practically radiating smug satisfaction.
"This has been amusing, Rias," his voice carried clearly through the scrying spell, "but it's time to accept reality. You cannot defeat me. Surrender now, and I promise to be... gentle in our marriage."
The casual arrogance in his tone made my jaw clench. This wasn't just about winning a game to him—it was about breaking someone's spirit.
"I'm not giving up," Rias replied, her voice steady despite the impossible odds.
Riser laughed. "Then you'll force me to be less merciful. Very well."
That's when Akeno stepped forward.
Golden light began to emanate from her position, starting as a faint glow and quickly building to something that made the entire arena take notice.
"What—" Riser began, then stopped as the light intensified.
The armor materialized around Akeno in a cascade of golden radiance, elegant and deadly, with wings that seemed to capture and reflect every source of light in the arena. For a moment, she looked less like a devil and more like an avenging angel.
The silence in the arena was absolute.
"Impossible," Riser breathed, and for the first time since the match began, there was uncertainty in his voice.
Akeno didn't respond with words. Instead, she simply vanished.
Riser spun, flames erupting around him in a defensive barrier, but it was too late. Akeno reappeared behind him, still invisible to everyone except those with the keenest supernatural senses, and struck.
The impact sent Riser flying across the arena, his flames sputtering as he hit the ground hard enough to crack the stone.
"No," he gasped, struggling to his feet. "My flames are absolute! No one can—"
Another strike, this one from a different angle. Akeno was using the invisibility to maximum effect, appearing just long enough to land a devastating blow before vanishing again.
Riser's confidence was cracking like ice in spring. "Stop hiding! Fight me properly!"
"As you wish," Akeno's voice came from everywhere and nowhere.
She materialized directly in front of him, lightning crackling around her armored form. Not the playful electricity she usually wielded, but something focused and deadly.
The bolt that followed wasn't meant to kill, but it was absolutely meant to hurt. Riser convulsed as the energy coursed through him, his regeneration struggling to keep up with the damage.
"This can't be happening," he whispered, staring up at her in terror. "I am immortal. I am—"
Another precisely controlled lightning strike dropped him to his knees. The Phoenix heir who had entered the arena with absolute confidence was now trembling on the ground, all traces of his former arrogance gone.
"Please," he gasped. "I... I surrender. I can't... this power is beyond anything I've ever faced."
The formal announcement rang out across the arena: "Winner: Rias Gremory!"
Beside me, Chysis was staring at the screen in stunned silence. Slowly, she turned to look at me.
"That armor..."
"Is my Sacred Gear, yes."
"How is that even possible? Sacred Gears are tied to the soul of their wielder."
"Most are. Incursio is different." I stood, feeling a strange sense of completion as I watched Rias embrace Akeno on screen. "It chooses worthy wielders, regardless of whose soul it was originally bonded to."
Well, it would be a good reason to make her believe this.
"And you determined that Akeno was worthy?"
"I determined that Rias deserved her freedom. The armor agreed to her desire."
Chysis shook her head slowly. "You continue to surprise me."
On screen, Rias was crying—not from sorrow, but from pure relief. She was free. Free to choose her own path, her own future, her own love if and when she found it.
"Boy, You better tell me more of your secrets" Chysis asked with a smile.
"Then it won't be fun like this, would it?"
I watched as the rest of her members rushed to congratulate their daughter, as Akeno carefully deactivated the armor and returned Incursio to its sword form, as Riser was helped from the arena by his peerage—humbled, perhaps permanently changed by his defeat.
. . .
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