Two weeks passed in a blur of bruises, magical theory, and exhaustion.
Kazuki's days fell into a rhythm: morning classes at Kuoh Academy where he played the role of a normal student, followed by brutal afternoon training sessions that left him questioning his life choices. Evenings were spent studying devil society, magical theory, and the complex political landscape he'd been thrust into.
The training was relentless. Koneko drilled him in hand-to-hand combat with the efficiency of a drill sergeant, exploiting every weakness in his stance and technique. Sona lectured him on magic circles, energy conversion rates, and the mathematical principles underlying supernatural phenomena. Rias worked with him on controlling his chaos energy, teaching him to shape it with intent rather than letting instinct rule.
But slowly, painfully, Kazuki was improving.
He could maintain a chaos magic circle for nearly thirty seconds now, and his formations were becoming more stable. His reflexes had sharpened to the point where he could occasionally block one of Koneko's strikes. He'd learned to draw on his chaos energy without immediately exhausting himself.
Progress, even if it came at the cost of constant muscle aches and mental fatigue.
On this particular Friday afternoon, Kazuki found himself alone in the Occult Research Club room. Rias had student council business with her brother via communication circle, Sona was attending to her peerage, and the others were handling their own obligations. He'd been given the evening off—a rare mercy—with instructions to rest and recover.
Kazuki sprawled on one of the couches, trying to absorb information from a tome on devil history that Sona had assigned. The book was dense, written in archaic language, and made frequent references to events and people it assumed the reader already knew about.
He was three pages into a chapter on the original Maou when the door opened.
Akeno Himejima entered, carrying a tea service. Kazuki had seen her around—she was Rias's Queen and served as the club's unofficial vice president—but they'd never really talked. She was breathtakingly beautiful, with long black hair tied in a ponytail and a figure that the school uniform seemed designed to showcase. But what struck Kazuki most was the contradictory nature of her presence: outwardly serene and polite, yet underneath lurked something darker, more dangerous.
"Ara ara," Akeno said with a gentle smile. "Studying alone, Kazuki-kun? How diligent of you."
"Trying to," Kazuki replied, sitting up straighter. "Though I'll admit, this book makes my head hurt. It references about fifty historical events I've never heard of."
Akeno laughed, the sound melodious and warm. "Sona-kaichou does tend to assign challenging material. She believes in learning through struggle." She set the tea service on the table and began preparing cups with practiced grace. "Would you like some tea? It might help with the headache."
"Thank you," Kazuki said, accepting the offered cup. The tea was excellent—some kind of herbal blend that was both soothing and energizing.
Akeno settled into the chair across from him, her own cup cradled delicately in her hands. For a moment, she simply watched him with those violet eyes, and Kazuki had the distinct impression he was being evaluated.
"You're interesting, Kazuki-kun," Akeno said finally. "When Buchou first told me about you, I was skeptical. A devil without a master, wielding chaos energy? It sounded like something from a fantasy novel. But seeing you train these past two weeks..." She paused, taking a sip of tea. "You're real. And you're working very hard."
"Not much choice," Kazuki said with a slight smile. "It's either get stronger or become someone's puppet. I'd rather avoid the puppet option."
"A wise preference." Akeno's expression turned contemplative. "Tell me, do you understand what you are? Truly understand?"
Kazuki frowned. "I'm a reincarnated devil with chaos energy instead of normal demonic power. I can theoretically build my own peerage using chaos Evil Pieces. Beyond that..." He shrugged. "I'm still learning."
"You're more than that," Akeno said softly. "Chaos energy is the primordial force that existed before order, before the biblical God imposed structure on creation. It's the raw potential of existence itself—neither good nor evil, holy nor profane. It simply is. The fact that you wield it means you're connected to something ancient and powerful beyond normal devil comprehension."
"Sona mentioned something similar," Kazuki admitted. "But what does it mean practically? Besides making me politically inconvenient?"
Akeno's smile gained a sharper edge. "It means you're free in ways most devils can never be. Your power doesn't come from the system established by the current Maou. You're not bound by the same rules, the same limitations. You could theoretically do things that normal devils consider impossible."
"Like what?"
"Like reincarnating beings that regular Evil Pieces can't affect," Akeno said. "Or developing magic that doesn't conform to standard devil theory. Or even..." She hesitated, something vulnerable flickering across her face. "Or accepting people who don't fit neatly into the established categories."
There was weight to those words, layers of meaning Kazuki didn't fully grasp. But he could sense the personal nature of whatever Akeno was hinting at.
"You're talking about yourself," Kazuki said quietly.
Akeno's eyes widened slightly, surprise breaking through her composed exterior. "Perceptive. Yes, I suppose I am." She set down her teacup, and when she looked at Kazuki again, her expression was more open, less guarded. "I'm a hybrid, Kazuki-kun. Half devil, half fallen angel. In devil society, that makes me... complicated. Useful, certainly—my dual nature gives me unique abilities. But always somewhat apart, never quite fully accepted by either heritage."
Kazuki thought about his own situation—a chaos-wielding anomaly that didn't fit neatly into any category. He understood being apart, being different.
"That sounds lonely," he said.
Akeno blinked, and for a moment, she looked genuinely taken aback. "Most people don't... that is, they usually focus on how powerful my hybrid nature makes me. Or how useful it is. You're the first person besides Buchou to acknowledge the cost."
"Power usually comes with a cost," Kazuki said, thinking of his benefactor who'd died to give him this chaos energy. "Doesn't mean it's not worth it, but the cost is real."
Something in Akeno's demeanor shifted. The polite mask she wore—the demure, refined lady act—cracked slightly, revealing genuine interest and what might have been the beginning of respect.
"You're quite different from most young devils I've met," Akeno said. "There's a maturity to you, despite your inexperience. Like you've already seen darkness and accepted it."
"I died once," Kazuki replied with dark humor. "Tends to give you perspective."
Akeno laughed, and this time it was genuine, unrestrained. "I suppose it would. Tell me, Kazuki-kun, are you afraid of darkness? Of the things that lurk in shadows?"
"Should I be?"
"Most people are. They fear what they don't understand, what doesn't fit into comfortable categories." Akeno's eyes held a challenge. "I have certain... tendencies that some find disturbing. A sadistic streak, you might say. It's part of my fallen angel heritage—we're creatures of punishment and pain, after all."
She was testing him, Kazuki realized. Showing him something she usually kept hidden, waiting to see if he'd recoil.
"Everyone has darkness," Kazuki said calmly. "Different flavors, different expressions, but it's all part of being a complete person. As long as you're not hurting people who don't consent to it, why should I care how your darkness manifests?"
Akeno stared at him, and Kazuki watched several emotions flicker across her face—surprise, relief, and something that might have been gratitude.
"You really mean that," she said softly.
"I really do." Kazuki took another sip of tea. "Besides, I'm literally made of chaos energy. I'm not in a position to judge anyone for having a dark side."
For a long moment, Akeno simply looked at him. Then she smiled—not the polite, practiced smile she showed the world, but something more genuine, almost shy.
"I think I'm beginning to understand why Buchou is so interested in you," Akeno said. "You're not just powerful, Kazuki-kun. You're... safe. In a way. Safe to be honest with."
Before Kazuki could respond, the door burst open and Asia rushed in, looking distressed.
"Kazuki-san! Akeno-san! There's a problem!" The blonde girl was breathing hard, as if she'd been running. "Buchou sensed a large-scale magic disturbance in the warehouse district. Multiple stray devils, and they're attacking people!"
Kazuki was on his feet immediately, his exhaustion forgotten. "How many?"
"At least three, possibly more," Asia said. "Buchou is gathering everyone. She says you should stay here where it's safe, but—"
"But I'm going anyway," Kazuki finished. He looked at Akeno. "Can you teleport me there?"
"Buchou specifically said—" Asia started.
"I know what she said," Kazuki interrupted gently. "But I'm not sitting on the sidelines while people die. I've been training for two weeks. Time to see if any of it stuck."
Akeno studied him for a moment, then smiled—this time with a hint of her darker side showing through. "Very well. I'll take you. But Kazuki-kun, if you die, Buchou will kill me, and then resurrect you just to kill you as well."
"Fair enough," Kazuki said. "Let's go."
The warehouse district was on the outskirts of Kuoh, a area of industrial buildings and storage facilities that were mostly abandoned after the economic downturn. Perfect territory for stray devils to hunt without immediate detection.
Akeno's teleportation circle deposited them in an alley near the source of the disturbance. Immediately, Kazuki could feel the wrongness in the air—the metallic tang of blood and the corrupted energy of multiple stray devils feeding.
"Stay close," Akeno instructed, her demeanor completely changed. Gone was the gentle, refined lady. In her place stood a warrior, power crackling around her hands in purple-black lightning. "If things go bad, I'll teleport you out. Don't argue, don't play hero. Understand?"
"Understood," Kazuki said, though he had no intention of running if things got dangerous.
They moved through the shadows, following the pull of corrupted energy. As they rounded a corner, the scene came into view.
Three stray devils surrounded a group of teenagers—probably college students who'd come here on a dare or looking for a private place to party. The strays were in various stages of transformation, their bodies twisted into monstrous forms. One had extra arms sprouting from its torso. Another had a serpent's lower body. The third was the most grotesque—its face had split vertically, revealing rows of teeth within teeth.
The students were huddled together, some crying, some too shocked to move. One boy was already injured, blood seeping through his shirt.
"Well, well," the split-faced stray said in a gurgling voice. "More devils come to spoil our feast. The Gremory's Queen, no less. And what's this? A weak little stripling who smells... wrong."
The three strays turned their attention from the humans to Akeno and Kazuki.
"Last chance," Akeno called out, her voice carrying clear authority. "Surrender yourselves to Gremory authority, or be eliminated. Choose quickly."
The strays laughed—horrible, broken sounds.
"We choose option three," the serpent-bodied one hissed. "Kill you and feast on your power!"
They attacked simultaneously.
Akeno moved like lightning—literally. Purple-black bolts of electricity erupted from her hands, forking between the three strays with devastating precision. The one with extra arms took a direct hit and went down screaming, its body convulsing.
But the other two were faster, stronger. The split-faced stray lunged at Akeno while the serpent-bodied one circled around, trying to flank her.
Which left them both exposed to Kazuki.
He didn't think, just acted. His chaos energy surged up from deep within, channeling through the pathways he'd been developing over two weeks of brutal training. This time, instead of an uncontrolled pulse, he shaped it—crude and jagged, but intentional.
A lance of purple-black chaos shot from his hand and caught the serpent stray in the side. The creature shrieked as chaos energy burned into it, eating away at the corrupted demonic power that sustained its form.
The split-faced stray whipped around, shocked that such a "weak stripling" had actually hurt its companion. That moment of distraction was all Akeno needed.
Her lightning intensified, taking on a holy aspect that made Kazuki's eyes water. The split-faced stray screamed as holy lightning and fallen angel power combined, obliterating it in a burst of light and shadow.
Two down. But the one with extra arms was getting back up, rage burning in its eyes, and the serpent stray was still thrashing, wounded but not dead.
"Finish the serpent one!" Akeno commanded, already moving to intercept the extra-armed stray.
Kazuki focused on his target. The wounded serpent stray was trying to flee now, realizing the fight was lost. But Kazuki couldn't let it escape—wounded strays were desperate, dangerous, and would kill anyone they encountered.
He ran forward, drawing on every lesson Koneko had beaten into him. His stance was proper now, his movements more efficient. When the serpent stray lashed out with its tail, Kazuki didn't just dodge—he redirected, using the creature's momentum against it.
His hand shot out, palm glowing with chaos energy, and pressed against the stray's chest. At this range, with direct contact, his power poured into the creature's core.
Chaos energy didn't just damage—it unmade. It returned things to primordial potential, to the state before form and structure. The serpent stray dissolved, its corrupted demonic energy scattering into wisps of darkness that faded into nothing.
Kazuki staggered back, breathing hard. That had taken a lot more energy than his previous attacks.
A scream drew his attention. The extra-armed stray had managed to grab one of the human students—a girl who'd been trying to help her injured friend. It held her up as a shield, its multiple hands wrapped around her throat.
"Back off!" it snarled at Akeno. "Back off, or I snap her neck!"
Akeno froze, calculating. She could probably kill the stray before it killed the girl, but probably wasn't good enough.
But Kazuki was already moving, circling around while the stray's attention was fixed on Akeno. His chaos energy was depleted, but he had enough for one more attack.
He gathered everything he had left, compressing it into the smallest, densest point he could manage. Not a lance or a pulse, but something new—a tiny sphere of absolute chaos, no bigger than a marble.
Kazuki threw it with all his strength.
The chaos marble shot through the air and struck the stray devil's head with a wet thunk. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the stray's head simply ceased to exist, unmade by concentrated chaos.
Its body collapsed, releasing the girl, who fell into Akeno's waiting arms.
Kazuki dropped to his knees, completely exhausted. His chaos energy reserves were empty, his body shaking from the exertion.
But they'd won. All three strays were dead, and the humans were alive.
Akeno gently set the girl down and rushed to Kazuki's side. "That was incredibly reckless and absolutely brilliant," she said, her hands glowing with healing magic. "Are you hurt?"
"Just... tired," Kazuki managed. "Used everything I had."
"Then you're an idiot," came a flat voice from behind them.
Koneko appeared from the shadows, followed by Rias and Sona, who'd clearly just teleported in. The small nekomata walked up to Kazuki and flicked him on the forehead.
"Ow," Kazuki said without much force.
"Idiot," Koneko repeated, but her golden eyes showed concern. "You emptied your reserves completely. You could have died if there'd been a fourth stray."
"But there wasn't," Kazuki pointed out.
"That's not the point," Rias said, but her tone was more exasperated than angry. She knelt beside him, checking him over with her own magic. "Akeno, report."
As Akeno detailed the fight, Sona was already coordinating cleanup. She erected a memory-altering barrier over the humans, modifying their recollections so they'd remember a gas leak and evacuation, not devil attacks. It was efficient, practiced, and slightly disturbing to watch.
"You disobeyed my instructions," Rias said to Kazuki once Akeno finished her report.
"Yes," Kazuki admitted.
"And threw yourself into combat despite having only two weeks of training."
"Also yes."
"And completely depleted your energy reserves, which could have killed you."
"I'm sensing a pattern to this conversation," Kazuki said weakly.
Rias stared at him for a long moment. Then, to his surprise, she smiled. "You also saved those humans' lives and eliminated three stray devils that might have killed dozens more before we could respond. Good work, Kazuki."
The praise made something warm bloom in Kazuki's chest.
"Though you're still an idiot," Koneko added, but she was offering him a hand up. "But a brave idiot."
"I'll take it," Kazuki said, accepting her help.
As Sona finished her memory work and Rias coordinated the cleanup, Akeno stayed close to Kazuki, supporting him when his legs wobbled.
"Thank you," she said quietly. "For coming. For fighting. For trusting me to have your back."
"That's what allies do, right?" Kazuki replied.
Akeno's smile was radiant. "Yes. That's exactly what they do."
Later that night, back at the Occult Research Club room, Kazuki found himself on the receiving end of a proper lecture from Rias about the dangers of reckless heroism. But even as she scolded him, he could see the approval in her eyes.
When she finally finished, Akeno brought him tea—a special blend, she said, that would help restore his energy.
"You surprised me today, Kazuki-kun," Akeno said as the others discussed the stray devil incident. "You have good instincts in combat. And you think tactically, even under pressure."
"Koneko's training is paying off," Kazuki said. "Though I think she's going to beat me extra hard tomorrow for depleting my reserves."
"Almost certainly," Akeno agreed with a laugh. Then her expression turned more serious. "What you said earlier, about darkness and acceptance... did you mean it?"
"Every word," Kazuki said honestly.
Akeno was quiet for a moment, then reached out and squeezed his hand—a brief gesture of connection and gratitude.
"Then I think we're going to be very good friends, Kazuki-kun," she said softly.
As the evening wore on and exhaustion finally claimed him, Kazuki reflected on how much had changed in just two weeks. He had allies now, friends possibly. He'd proven himself in combat, learned about his capabilities.
And he'd made a connection with Akeno—something genuine beneath the surface pleasantries.
It was a start. A good start.
The path ahead was still uncertain, filled with dangers he couldn't yet imagine. But for the first time since waking in that alley, Kazuki felt like he was truly beginning to understand his place in this strange new world.
He was Kazuki Ryōta, chaos-wielding King, and his story was just beginning.