Ryu watched the boy kneeling on the ground with a sigh. He considered ignoring him—but he knew the kid would get himself killed if he kept going like this.
"Kid. Go home. Tomorrow after class, meet me in the rural area on the outskirts of the city," Ryu said, sighing as he turned his back. "Don't be late."
"Thank you, sensei!" Kiba's face lit up. He stood and ran off toward home.
(—)
At the Kurosaki family dinner table, everyone was gathered to eat.
"So you're going to train one of your students?" Nel asked, interested. "Is he a Fullbringer or something like that?"
The girls perked up, listening closely.
"No. Apparently the kid's a Devil," Ryu replied, deep in thought.
"Wait—wait a second. A Devil? Like, an actual demon? They exist?" Karin shouted in shock, slamming her hand on the table. "You're going to train that kind of thing, Ryu-nii?"
"Well, I'm a Hollow," Ryu laughed. "He can't be any worse than me."
"That's right, Karin. You can't judge people like that," Nel said with a gentle smile. "You two are Quincy-Shinigami hybrids. Your brothers and I are Hollows—and Ichigo's all three rolled into one."
It was true. The Kurosaki family was probably the most dysfunctional you could get when it came to their spiritual races.
"Sorry," Karin mumbled, hanging her head.
"But Ryu-nii… how come we never knew Devils existed?" Yuzu asked, curious. "I thought only the spiritual races were real."
"I don't know either. Nel, you're older—have you heard anything about them?" Ryu asked, looking at his wife.
"I never left Hueco Mundo before I met Ichigo and you," Nel said, picking up a piece of food with her chopsticks. "But I never saw any Hollows that different in Hueco Mundo. Maybe they don't go through the reincarnation cycle?"
"Maybe so," Ryu sighed.
"Ah!" Nel gasped suddenly. "Today I met two human girls with really strong spiritual pressure—close to Gillian-level. They had swords too… swords that had their own spiritual energy."
"Those swords… that makes sense. We'll keep an eye on them," Ryu said. Nel and the girls nodded.
They went back to chatting about all kinds of things—the girls talked about making new friends and how much they liked their new school. Ryu and Nel just watched them talk, smiling.
(—)
The next day was longer than usual. One of the other teachers was absent, so Ryu had to cover their class on top of his own. At least he got some extra hours out of it.
When school ended, he headed straight for the rural area—and there was Kiba, already waiting.
"Good. You're on time," Ryu said, approvingly. "First things first—tell me what you know, and show me your powers."
"My main power is my Sacred Gear, Sword Birth. I can create demonic swords," Kiba said, summoning one of his swords.
"Interesting. Do you only create this one, or can you make others?" Ryu asked, studying the sword in Kiba's hand.
It was fascinating. It wasn't a Zanpakutō, but it still held power—like a Fullbringer's ability, but with completely different spiritual energy.
"Now. Release your Reatsu," Ryu told him.
"Huh?" Kiba asked, confused.
"Your spiritual pressure?" Ryu repeated, then thought for a moment. "Or… your demonic power. Whatever you call it."
But Kiba had no idea how to do that. He only used his demonic power to strengthen his body and cast spells—not in the way Ryu was asking. So Ryu had to teach him the basics of controlling his spiritual pressure—just enough to help him survive fights against beings with active spiritual energy.
(—)
Back at Kuon Academy, the two exorcists had arrived—and they'd run into Rias's and Sona's groups.
"You're the witch, Asia Argento," Xenovia said, pointing her sword at Asia. Issei stepped in front of her.
"Hey! Don't call Asia a witch!" Issei shouted, revealing his Boosted Gear. "If you insult Asia, you'll have me to deal with!"
"Oh? You want to be an enemy of the Church?" Xenovia taunted, grinning. "Devils these days are so persistent."
"Alright—let me help Issei take care of these bastards!" Kiba appeared at the last second.
"Who are you?" Xenovia asked.
"Your senior," Kiba replied with a provocative laugh.
(—)
Outside, the exorcists drew their sacred swords—and Kiba summoned one of his demonic blades. The fight began.
Issei struggled. He lacked experience, and couldn't hold his own against opponents far stronger than him—even with his Sacred Gear. Kiba, though, was in a different situation. He was using his demonic power the way Ryu had taught him—channeling it into his sword to make it resistant to the sacred blades.
But Xenovia was more skilled and experienced in combat. She kept Kiba on the defensive—though he managed to hold his ground. He kicked her—she didn't see it coming—and she was thrown back, rolling across the ground before standing up again.
"You're strong," Xenovia said. She drove her sword into the ground, creating a crater that sent everyone stumbling. But Kiba didn't stop. He charged at her, remembering what Ryu had taught him.
"Channel your demonic power into your feet and launch yourself forward," Ryu had told him, demonstrating a technique that had left Kiba stunned. Ryu had simply vanished and reappeared elsewhere with a sonic boom.
Kiba did as he'd seen his teacher do. He focused his power into his feet and launched himself forward. His body blurred as he moved, appearing in front of Xenovia before she could react. She only had time to raise her sword to block his strike.
"What the hell was that?" Sona's eyes widened. Everyone stared in shock—it was speed only final-class beings could achieve.
"Kiba…" Rias gasped.
Meanwhile, Issei was getting beaten badly. He only managed to defend himself because his Boosted Gear wasn't completely weak against holy energy. He tried to use Dress Break—but failed, thanks to the protection Irina's sacred sword gave her. But everyone stopped when they saw Kiba land his strike on Xenovia.
Unluckily, his sword clashed with Xenovia's—and since her sacred blade was more powerful, Kiba's sword shattered. The strain of using the lightning-fast step without mastering it took its toll too. Kiba collapsed to the ground, exhausted.
In the end, the exorcists left—leaving Issei and Kiba with that familiar feeling of defeat.
(—)
"So you taught him Sonido," Nel teased, watching from a distance. "Who would've thought those kids would be enemies of your… what did you call him? Not a disciple?"
"I don't have a disciple. I just felt sorry for the kid," Ryu said, crossing his arms. "He was going to get himself killed. He's too young for that."
"Suuure," Nel laughed, amused. "Hey—let's go to the mall. I need new clothes."
"Sure thing," Ryu smiled at her. Then the two of them vanished.