Over the following period, the special training for the Eligos peerage essentially stabilized into a steady rhythm.
Mornings were dedicated to basic physical conditioning and magical power exercises. Afternoons were reserved for individualized, targeted training for each member. Evenings involved entering the Ancient Battlefield for practical combat drills. This schedule remained unshakeable, and the intensity of the training only continued to rise day by day.
The members of the Eligos peerage found themselves pushed to the point of utter exhaustion every single day. Their bodies were covered in grime, and they had lost count of how many times they had surpassed their limits.
If these were ordinary human girls, subjected to such rigorous training, even if they managed to endure it, their appearances would likely have plummeted several grades. At the very least, they could kiss their fair, smooth, and supple skin goodbye; it would have been impossible for it not to become coarse, rough, and tanned.
Yukino Yukinoshita and the others were initially quite worried about this. However, as the training progressed, they gradually realized they had overthought it.
Perhaps it was because their natural constitutions were simply too exceptional, or due to their reincarnation as Devils, or maybe because the hot springs they soaked in every day were infused with beauty-enhancing ingredients. Regardless, after half a month of training, although they got dirty and their images occasionally suffered, they somehow never became ugly, tanned, or coarse. They remained as beautiful as ever.
In fact, because they were training beyond their limits every day, Yukino's weakness in stamina had vanished. The other girls, despite still looking delicate, were formidable; even Shiina Mahiru, who appeared the most fragile, could now lift a five-meter-high boulder over her head with one hand, yet her figure remained perfectly petite and soft-looking.
As time passed, Leon's indiscriminate bombardment during the morning sessions no longer caused them to scatter in a panic. Every member of the peerage had gradually learned to calmly evade the magic bullets falling from the sky. The same applied to their magical power training; even when Leon deliberately released magic to disrupt them, they could maintain the manifested magic in their hands. Their degree of control over magical power had visibly improved.
Even during the nightly combat drills, while the girls still harbored a fear of ghosts, they no longer felt the urge to turn and run. Under Leon's urging, they had summoned the courage to grit their teeth and charge straight in, fighting desperately while screaming at the top of their lungs. The commotion they caused grew louder and louder.
Leon could clearly feel that his girls were undergoing a metamorphosis.
Their magical power was increasing day by day, and the aura they exuded was growing stronger. Even the look in their eyes had changed, no longer giving off the impression of ordinary human girls, but gaining an indefinable quality.
An icy aura was gradually manifesting around Yukino Yukinoshita, making her resemble an Ice Queen. Asuna Yuuki was looking more and more like the "Lightning Flash" Asuna of Leon's memories—strikingly beautiful and sharp.
Utaha Kasumigaoka's literary girl vibe had shifted, becoming filled with a sense of mystery, like a sophisticated mage. Shiina Mahiru, meanwhile, looked increasingly like an angel descended from the heavens, possessing a holy aura that would make anyone hard-pressed to believe she was actually a Devil.
In just half a month, these girls had undergone such dramatic changes that even Leon was somewhat taken aback.
"Before I awakened my trait, it took me fifteen whole years to break through from the peak of Middle-Class Devil to the High-Class level..."
This growth rate was already considered fast among all Devils. After all, Devils who showed no growth for centuries or even millennia were common in the Underworld. However, among pure-blood Devils, that speed was merely average—not even comparable to Sona Sitri, who wasn't particularly outstanding in combat, let alone a famous genius like Rias Gremory.
Of course, geniuses were one thing, but no genius could compete with a cheater. In the future, there would be countless monsters who grew to post-human levels in just one year. For instance, the Sekiryuutei rose from being a total failure among Low-Class Devils by cheating his way up. In just one year, he was not only able to compete with Satan-class entities, but if he went all out and paid a price, he could even defeat God-class (Longinus-class) beings. He was the ultimate cheater among cheaters.
Compared to such a person, so-called geniuses were nothing at all.
And while Yukino Yukinoshita, Asuna Yuuki, Utaha Kasumigaoka, and Shiina Mahiru were all girls from ordinary human backgrounds, they were the "heroines" of their respective stories.
In other words, these girls also possessed the potential to become "cheaters."
The proof was that after half a month of special training, the girls were already able to hold their own against Leon in a spar, provided he didn't use the "Zenith Tempest."
Yukino Yukinoshita, in particular, had completely broken through her magical power to the High-Class level. She had also reached the point where she could fight alongside the "Eternal Ice Maiden" in perfect sync, achieving a two-on-one effect.
With this level of strength, she was fully capable of contending with an Ultimate-Class Devil. If Leon didn't use the "Zenith Tempest," he found himself unable to defeat her in a short amount of time.
The other girls had also achieved remarkable growth. Especially Shiina Mahiru, who was a Longinus wielder like Yukino and held a Longinus ranked even higher; her growth speed could truly be described as a thousand miles a day.
Leon certainly didn't dare to take Mahiru's purple flames head-on. If the holy and purifying power within them so much as touched him, he would be severely injured. It was just like his battle with Cao Cao; merely touching the True Longinus with his hand had nearly crippled his palm.
And if the girls teamed up against an enemy, the results were even more startling.
Leon had tried it once, letting the four girls join forces against him. The result was that he had to use his true strength to finally take them down.
This meant that once the Eligos peerage fought together, they were qualified to make Leon respond with his full power.
This rate of progress was immense, leaving Leon feeling a deep sense of envy.
"If I had this kind of progress speed, I could have become a Satan in fifteen years, okay?"
He didn't mean becoming a "Satan-class" entity, but an actual Satan.
One had to remember that among the current Four Great Satans, two were Transcendents and two were Super-Satan class, far stronger than ordinary Satan-class beings.
If he had the progress speed of Yukino and the others, growing to the Super-Satan level in fifteen years would be no problem at all, and even reaching the Transcendent level wouldn't be out of the question.
Unfortunately, he didn't have the fate of a protagonist.
"Fortunately, I've got my own cheats now."
Thinking of his "Peerage Transformation" trait and the "Zenith Tempest"—the second strongest Longinus in the world—Leon's bruised ego felt much better.
At this point, Leon didn't yet realize that because he had also become a "cheater," one—no, two—good things were about to find him.
On this day, Leon was preparing to head to the Ancient Battlefield to continue his own training.
A month of special training was not only necessary for his peerage but for Leon as well, though his intensity wasn't as extreme as theirs.
In the mornings, he accompanied his peerage through basic physical and magical drills. In the evenings, he watched over them from the shadows during their combat training in the Ancient Battlefield to prevent any accidents. It was only during the afternoons, when the girls were doing their individualized training, that he was free to attend to his own matters.
Because of this, Leon had been entering the Ancient Battlefield in the afternoons during this period. He used the creatures roaming the battlefield for training and sometimes utilized the harsh environments found within.
The "Zenith Tempest" was a Sacred Gear intimately connected to nature, manipulating natural forces. The harsh environments of the Ancient Battlefield served as a very positive influence for Leon as the wielder, allowing him to gain a deeper understanding of the cruelty and severity of nature.
Thus, Leon had been deliberately choosing the most punishing environments for his training. He had even waded into poisonous swamps more than once, nearly melting inside them.
But truth be told, this self-punishing training was highly effective in helping Leon attune to nature, giving him a much deeper comprehension of the "Zenith Tempest."
If there had been a volcano in the Eligos territory, Leon would have even considered trying to swim in magma to see if it would spark new insights.
These insights might not immediately boost his power in a tangible way, but if he continued to accumulate them, Leon would eventually be able to apply them to new domains, elevating the "Zenith Tempest" to a brand-new height.
It was currently afternoon. The girls of his peerage had finished lunch and gone to their respective training grounds. Leon was getting ready to set off for the Ancient Battlefield once more.
However, before he could leave the camp, two figures suddenly appeared within a magic circle in front of him.
"It seems your special training is progressing quite smoothly."
A gentle voice laced with a hint of a smile rang out, causing Leon to call out the visitor's name in surprise.
"Lord Sirzechs? What are you doing here?"
The visitor was indeed one of the current Satans, Sirzechs Lucifer.
The red-haired Satan had not only come himself but had brought along Grayfia Lucifuge, his wife and "Queen."
However, the "Silver-Haired Queen of Annihilation" dressed in a maid uniform remained as silent as ever. She stood quietly behind Sirzechs, looking neither like a wife nor a "Queen," but rather like a servant. Anyone who didn't know her would never guess that she was one of the strongest female Devils in the Underworld, capable of rivaling the current Satan Serafall Leviathan.
"Don't be nervous. I just came to take a look and have a chat with you about a few things."
Sirzechs' attitude was as gentle and approachable as ever, perfectly matching the style of his "Queen." He didn't seem like a high-and-mighty Satan at all, but more like a kind older brother from next door.
But Sirzechs wouldn't visit without a reason. Leon could tell that he likely had something important to discuss.
It shouldn't be anything bad, right?
Looking at Sirzechs' gentle smile, Leon thought to himself.