Welcoming a new teammate was a rare treat, so Draconis made sure Xenovia felt right at home. As a natural-born Holy Sword wielder, she brought serious firepower to the group—future battles just got a lot less stressful.
"Xenovia, since you're here, I've got a question for you," Draconis said after the introductions. "How do you train and strengthen divine power?"
Most of the club exchanged confused glances—except Rias, who already knew where this was headed.
Draconis didn't bother hiding it; he let his holy power flare in front of everyone.
"…That's unbelievable. Aren't you a devil?" Xenovia's eyes went wide—she knew holy power better than anyone.
"Probably my Sacred Gear's doing," Draconis replied. "I can control holy energy now, but I have no idea how to actually train it. Right now, all I can do is gather it instinctively, and it's slow as hell."
Xenovia didn't hold back. "Divine power usually comes from faith—either the strength of believers or a god's blessing."
Draconis frowned. "Neither of those are options for me."
A devil relying on faith? Good luck. And as for a god's blessing—well, the gods were all dead, and if any were still kicking, they'd probably smite him on sight.
Xenovia winced, realizing the problem. "Other than that, you're stuck with slow meditation…"
Then her eyes lit up. "Actually, there's one more way—absorbing divine power from holy relics."
"Holy relics?" Draconis echoed.
Rias chimed in, "Things like Holy Swords, cross-shaped seals, sacred artifacts—basically anything that can wipe out devils en masse."
She spread her hands, half amused, half resigned. "Back in the old three-way wars, our kind suffered plenty thanks to relics. Over time, their numbers dwindled. Funny how we need those same things now…"
Draconis couldn't help but feel a little cheated. If relics were scarce, that was one shortcut to power he'd have to live without.
"There are still plenty out there," Xenovia assured him. "Some just haven't been found yet. Even among regular folks, there might be items once used by saints."
She paused, then smiled. "Tell you what—I'll teach you meditation. It's slow, but it's the foundation. No real shortcuts."
"Thanks, Xenovia." Draconis grinned, perfectly content. He'd never been the type to expect something for nothing. Power without sacrifice was just a fairy tale.
With a new training method in hand, Draconis wandered to the window, looking out over the campus.
"Looks like the school's almost fixed up," he mused.
"It's done," Rias replied. "Classes start again tomorrow. But today, we've got a job—cleaning the pool."
Draconis blinked. "Isn't that the student council's responsibility?"
Akeno sidled up, her smile wicked. "Ara ara, have you forgotten who accidentally knocked out the entire student council last time?"
"…Right." Draconis remembered: one sword swing, half the academy gone, a dozen mountains leveled, and the barrier team—aka the student council—caught in the crossfire.
"They're fine," Rias assured him. "Leviathan herself healed them. To pay back the favor, I took on pool duty. And as a bonus, we get the pool all to ourselves today."
Akeno slipped behind Draconis, arms draped around his neck, her voice a sultry whisper in his ear. "I picked out a very sexy swimsuit~"
"Hey, Akeno!" Rias snapped, scowling. That was supposed to be her line.
Akeno just laughed, eyes sparkling. "Someone's jealous."
Draconis raised an eyebrow, deadpan. "Doesn't matter how good the swimsuits look. I just like swimming. Let's go."
The pool was tucked behind the old school building—luckily untouched by the recent chaos, still in perfect shape. Of course, that meant it hadn't been used in ages. The last swim? Who even remembered.
The pool itself was a mess, layered in dead leaves. Everyone rolled up their sleeves.
"First ones in after cleaning—let's go!" Rias cheered.
"Yeah!" came the chorus.
Magic cleared the leaves, but scrubbing took elbow grease. Six people, a whole morning, and finally the pool gleamed.
Akeno activated a teleportation spell, pulling pure water straight from the lake to fill the pool. Cheers erupted.
"Time to change~" Akeno sang, and the girls vanished into the changing room, giggling.
Draconis headed for the men's locker, found swim trunks, threw on goggles, and emerged—alone. The girls always took their sweet time, so he dove in and swam a lap.
The heat was building; the cool water felt heavenly.
Finally, the changing room door slid open. Rias and Akeno stepped out first.
Draconis floated lazily on the surface, looking for all the world like a corpse. At the sound, he turned his head.
Rias wore a pure white swimsuit, the color setting off her flawless skin. She practically glowed. Akeno's suit was blue with a bold red trim across the chest—eye-catching, to say the least.
Both had killer figures. "Devilish" didn't even begin to cover it.
"How do I look?" Rias asked, standing at the edge, hope shining in her eyes.
"Beautiful," Draconis replied.
"Ara ara, I want Draconis to see mine too," Akeno teased, stepping up beside Rias. The visual impact was… considerable.
Draconis grinned, voice light. "They both look great. Shame, though—women wear pretty things for men, but men? We'd rather see you without anything at all."
"…" Koneko, emerging in a school swimsuit just in time to catch that last line, paused.
"…Pervert."
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