After defeating Rias, the others returned to their feet fully restored thanks to Asia's Sacred Gear.
Golden light faded from their bodies as Twilight Healing completed its work, leaving only faint warmth behind.
Arthur watched them carefully.
That ability really is absurdly convenient, he thought.
Despite being healed, their expressions were heavy. Losing so decisively, especially together, had bruised more than just their bodies.
"Alright," Arthur said calmly, rolling his shoulders once. "Now all of you come at me at the same time."
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Without releasing a single word of killing intent, he let his aura spread naturally, dense and oppressive. It wasn't violent, but it was heavy, like standing beneath an approaching storm.
Rias swallowed and raised a hand.
"Everyone… work together. Delay him as long as possible."
They spread out instinctively.
Arthur vanished.
He reappeared directly in front of Kiba, fist already mid-swing. The swordsman barely had time to widen his eyes—
—but Koneko moved.
Trusting instinct rather than sight, she slammed into Kiba's side, shoving him out of the attack's path at the last instant. Arthur's punch tore through empty air, cracking the ground behind them.
"Well done," Arthur said, genuine approval in his voice.
He didn't pause.
A black beam of condensed energy fired toward Rias, forcing her to react. Before she could fully defend, Kiba hurled one of his swords into its path, the weapon shattering but dispersing the attack.
At the same time, Koneko lunged from behind, her kick aimed at Arthur's spine.
He caught her leg effortlessly.
Using her momentum, he swung her like a weapon, slamming her into Kiba's path. Both flew backward—
—but Akeno caught them midair, lightning flaring beneath her wings as she softened their landing.
They regrouped quickly, spreading out again, though they all knew distance meant little against him.
Kiba and Koneko attacked together.
Kiba struck first, a precise horizontal slash aimed at Arthur's torso. Arthur leaned back just enough for the blade to miss by centimeters, his spine bending with inhuman flexibility.
That movement opened a path for Koneko's low sweep.
Arthur jumped.
Mid-air, he twisted his body using a Jin Mori–style rotation, spinning with fluid efficiency. His hand brushed Koneko's shoulder as a pivot point, redirecting his trajectory—
—and Shunpo carried him behind Akeno in the same instant.
Rias reacted immediately.
Spheres of destruction flooded the space between them, forcing Arthur to abandon the attack and intercept. He countered with multiple beams, nullifying them one after another.
That moment was all Akeno needed.
A bolt of lightning struck him at point-blank range.
Arthur hit the ground, sliding back several meters.
Before he could rise, Koneko lifted Kiba and threw him like a projectile.
The swordsman rotated mid-air, blade thrusting forward, using the launch to amplify his speed.
"They're syncing well," Arthur muttered, impressed.
He caught Kiba's blade with his armored hand.
The impact cracked the air.
"Noble Art - Thunder God's Strike."
This time, the technique was restrained.
Lightning roared, but instead of annihilation, it became paralysis. Kiba was launched backward into the wall, unconscious but alive.
Arthur barely had time to straighten before destruction and lightning converged on his position.
He dodged backward, weaving through the attacks, then turned his focus to Koneko.
She attacked relentlessly, fists and kicks shaking the ground.
Arthur avoided four consecutive blows with minimal movement, his body flowing like water, techniques blending Renewal Style with Jin Mori's adaptive counters.
Finally, he found the opening.
His palm struck her back.
Electricity surged inward rather than outward, disrupting her internal flow.
Koneko collapsed.
Only Rias and Akeno remained.
They circled him from above, attacks raining down in overlapping patterns.
Arthur exhaled slowly.
Not wanting to injure them further, he activated Ruler's Authority.
Akeno froze midair.
"Eh—?"
Before she could tease him, Arthur pulled her in, knocking her unconscious with controlled precision. Even then, he made sure she landed gently.
Rias continued attacking, pride burning brighter than reason.
Arthur appeared before her in a blink.
Two fingers tapped her neck.
"I surrender," she whispered, frustration and exhaustion mixing in her eyes.
Silence followed.
Arthur levitated them all carefully, bringing them back to Asia.
Golden light filled the training field once more.
When they awoke minutes later, Arthur stood before them, arms crossed.
"You're strong," he said. "But strength without control, speed without unpredictability, or power without teamwork will get you killed."
His gaze lingered briefly on Akeno.
"And distractions can be weapons—or weaknesses."
Akeno smiled faintly, eyes locking with his, something unreadable passing between them.
The real training had only just begun.
That night, they all had dinner together before heading to their respective rooms to sleep.
Arthur did not go to bed immediately.
Instead, he remained awake, sitting cross-legged in his room, focusing on his Anti-Magic. He wanted to test whether it was possible to shape it more precisely, and whether [Ruler's Authority] could be used to manipulate its structure rather than just its direction.
Time passed without him noticing.
Eventually, fatigue caught up with him. Around midnight, he decided to go downstairs to get some water.
As he walked through the quiet halls, his senses reacted sharply.
Someone was using magic.
Not hostile. Not dangerous. But intense.
Arthur followed the presence cautiously until he reached the training area. When he saw who it was, his tension eased.
Rias stood alone in the open space.
Her bright crimson hair swayed gently with each pulse of energy. Even from behind, her posture was straight and dignified, yet there was something fragile about the way she stood, shoulders tense, fists clenched.
She wore tight training clothes that outlined her figure, and Arthur had to swallow before forcing his gaze away, reminding himself to stay focused.
Rias was practicing her Power of Destruction.
The fight earlier that day had left a deep mark on her pride.
She was the heir of the Gremory clan, born with one of the most feared powers in existence, yet she had been utterly overwhelmed by someone who had awakened his abilities barely weeks ago.
She was not angry at Arthur. If anything, she was grateful to him.
She was angry at herself.
She condensed her energy again, carefully shaping it into a small sphere. The air trembled.
For a moment, she held it.
Then her control wavered.
The power destabilized, and she quickly dispersed it, breathing heavily.
Arthur finally stepped out from behind a pillar.
"You will not improve that way," he said calmly. "If you always stop before reaching your limit out of fear, you will never understand how far you can go."
Rias turned toward him. She was not surprised. She had sensed him earlier.
"I know," she admitted quietly. "But if I go further and lose control… someone could get hurt."
She looked down at her hands.
Arthur approached and stood in front of her.
"How about I help you?" he said. "I have been practicing something new myself. We can help each other."
He smiled.
It was simple and sincere, but for a brief moment, Rias felt her heart skip.
Akeno's teasing words echoed faintly in her mind, about seduction and sharing and complicated feelings. She blamed her friend internally for making her overthink Arthur's presence these past few days.
"If you really can help me," she said softly, "I would appreciate it very much."
Arthur nodded.
He closed his eyes and raised his hands, forming a strange but deliberate gesture.
Dark energy began to seep from his body.
The Anti-Magic spread slowly, thick and oppressive, wrapping around him like a second skin. Unlike before, it did not surge violently. It flowed with discipline and intent.
Then it expanded.
The darkness reached Rias and enveloped her as well.
Her eyes widened slightly.
It was an odd sensation. Her demonic power felt sealed inside her body, unable to leak outward. She could still feel it, but it was contained, like water held inside a glass.
Arthur opened his eyes.
"This is Anti-Magic in a neutral state," he explained. "It nullifies interference but does not attack. Think of it as creating a controlled environment."
Rias nodded slowly and tried to form a sphere of destruction.
At first, it failed instantly. The moment the power left her body, it vanished.
She frowned and tried again.
Arthur adjusted the Anti-Magic field slightly, carving a small hollow space within it.
"Imagine it like this," he said. "Have you heard of how humans train certain techniques using stages?"
She shook her head.
"When learning a technique that requires control, they start with simple containment," Arthur continued. "Like filling a balloon with water. Too much force and it bursts. Too little and it collapses."
Rias followed his explanation and adjusted her output.
This time, a small sphere formed.
It was unstable, trembling violently, but it existed.
Her eyes lit up.
"I did it," she said softly.
"Good," Arthur replied. "That is the first stage. Stability."
She practiced again and again, each time holding the sphere a little longer.
Then Arthur raised his hand and condensed his Anti-Magic into a tiny, dense orb.
"This is the next step," he said. "Compression. Same amount of power, smaller space."
The orb pulsed ominously.
"When humans perfected this method, they discovered something interesting. A smaller, denser form can be far more destructive than a larger one."
Rias stared intently.
Arthur released the orb into the air. It did not explode. It simply vanished, leaving a sharp crack in space behind.
Rias immediately tried to imitate him.
Her first attempt failed.
The second destabilized.
The third held.
A tiny crimson sphere hovered above her palm.
It was no larger than a marble, but the pressure it radiated made the ground beneath her feet crack.
Arthur smiled in approval.
"See? Control is not about holding back forever. It is about understanding how your power behaves."
Rias slowly dissipated the sphere and turned toward him, her eyes shining.
"Thank you," she said sincerely. "I think I finally understand."
Arthur scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed.
"You learn fast. I did not do much."
She laughed softly.
They continued training, refining her control and adjusting the Anti-Magic field as needed. Over time, their conversation drifted away from technique and into casual talk.
They laughed. They argued lightly. They trained until exhaustion.
At some point, Rias realized she felt comfortable.
Too comfortable.
Watching Arthur move, hearing his calm explanations, feeling safe enough to push her limits without fear made something warm stir in her chest.
She did not name the feeling.
Arthur, for his part, remained completely unaware.
To him, it was simply a good night of training with a friend.
And so, beneath the quiet forest sky, the foundations of something far more complicated were laid, without either of them fully realizing it yet..