Beyond Critical - Chapter 26.1 (Patreon)

And of course as I'm posting this, some guy is going absolutely manic out in the street, caught his girlfriend fucking another guy in the pub bathrooms from what I've overheard. You know, I hear way too much about peoples personal lives when I don't even know them just because I live next to a big pub.

_____________

'Oh come on kid! Just think of it, by inheriting my title and legacy you'll become desired by all. Men will want to be you, the greatest fights will come right to you! All kinds of women will throw themselves at you and beg just to be in your presence!' Ddraig all but pleaded.

Wow, he was really desperate to his name not be tainted by Hyoudou. Not that he couldn't understand he supposed.

"I don't really care what other guys think though," Kaito snorted back, before getting back to his hand stand push ups, ten thousand should be a decent number he supposed, "And I'll get dragged into tons of massive fights anyway. Plus I don't need women throwing themselves at me, I've already got Irina and Yanagi."

Not to mention that whole thing with Akeno…and Asia. And there was that tension with Serafall as well. And Rias too actually.

….Somehow he was on the way to obtaining a harem without ever trying to make one like Hyoudou.

God his life was so complicated.

It wasn't like he didn't like all the beautiful girls around him, but it was definitely something that made his life much more complicated.

'…Damnit you've pretty much already accomplished everything that brat i'm stuck with ever wanted already,' Ddraig sighed, 'Come on, I can be a big help to you. And it's not like you even need to go around saying it yourself. Get that Satan chick to have her lackeys spread it around, I'll do the talking even! Hell while you're at it, let's spread the rumour that Albion is the Ass Dragon Emperor! He deserves it that bastard! Getting such a good partner compared to mine! That guy, always so damn lucky! That luck always saved him when I was kicking his ass!'

That was extremely petty, but something he expected out of a legendary rivalry like Ddraig and Albion's.

At the same time though-

"That's way to much effort for a title I've got no interest in, sorry Ddraig." Kaito shrugged his shoulders as he continued his workout.

He did feel for him though…really, nobody deserved to be stuck with Hyoudou.

Well…he supposed if he just left it to other people to call him that, it wouldn't be that big of a deal assuming Serafall agreed.

Black Dragon Emperor was still tacky, cringe and edgy though.

'I am the Black Dragon Emperor, Kaito!' he cringed just thinking about introducing himself like that.

So damn chuuni.

'Yeah just leave it to her, I'll convince her for you even!' Ddraig hurriedly assured him, and man he really was desperate to protect his reputation. Though, he could hardly blame him, 'And like I said I can be a massive help to you.'

Well he supposed if nothing else, Ddraig would be a big help in honing his dragon abilities.

'I can do way more than that for you kid,' Ddraig scoffed, 'For one you've been holding off becoming a full dragon right? Because you don't know how to transform back. I can teach you that pretty easily, that's a pretty innate ability we dragons have, and while a bit complicated you've got talent in spades so with coaching from me you could easily get it down within a few days!'

Kaito paused mid push up once more, "Wait…really?" his eyes widened. that was one of the things he was still massively stumped on. Just how to go about doing that.

But if Ddraig could teach him that, then he could probably take care of that before this little training trip was over in the first place.

Plus he supposed Ddraig had been in possession of the Principles of Domination long before him, and even if his connection to them weren't as strong, he could at least teach him how to use it, right?

'That and more,' Ddraig was quick to assure him, 'Your little plan to use those flames in that sword? I can help you with that as well, it's already stored in your Sacred Gear, I'll trickle its power into you like the other one is doing with Satanael's light power. Hell, I can trigger your Balance Breaker…both of them actually right here, right now if you want!'

His eyes began widening in shock and glee when Ddraig started, only for him to stare stupidly as he finished.

"What do you mean, trigger my Balance Breakers?" Kaito asked. Balance Breaker wasn't something anybody could just trigger for the hell of it. There were multiple ways to do so of course, but generally unlocking them required either a certain level of strength, a certain level of need or some emotional requirement.

'You've long since reached the point where you're ready for either of them to unlock their Balance Breakers, it's just your need and desire to they're waiting on,' Ddraig replied, 'If that battle you had with Satanael is anything to go by, if you hadn't killed him when you did then you most likely would have unlocked both then and there, but there was no need when you made yourself my kin. But, at the end of the day they're simply lesser forms of the Boosted Gear, with your compatibility with me and connection through inheriting my flesh and power, I can unlock them for you just like I did with the Boosted Gear earlier for that idiot.'

"The one Hyoudou has is only a pseudo one though, it'll only last for like ten seconds." Kaito shook his head, he would rather just wait to unlock them normally at that point then get something like that.

'Yes, because his connection to me is pitiful, and he has neither the mental capacity nor the strength or power to sustain the full Balance Breaker of Boosted Gear,' Ddraig replied, 'You on the other hand are vastly more powerful in every way, the only reason your Twice Critical's have not awakened their Balance Breakers yet, is simply the fact that you have had no need for them. Honestly, you probably don't even need me to awaken them, if you want them enough right here and now, you could force them to awaken yourself.'

Huh….that was good to know.

Because now that he thought about it, he didn't really want his Balance Breakers right now. He had enough things to work through without adding in any additional abilities he would gain through them.

He hadn't actually thought all that much about his Balance Breakers now that he thought about it. He'd been far too focused on growing his strength at the base before anything else.

Still, saving his reputation or not Ddraig was real eager to be helpful.

'Of course I am kid,' Ddraig snorted, 'Whether you take the title of Black Dragon Emperor or not, you have still inherited my flesh, you're already my legacy. And the stronger you are, the more impressive my legacy is right?'

Fair enough, that made sense to him at least.

"Alright," Kaito nodded, "Let's put the Balance Breaker thing on hold for now though, I'll come back to them."

Man, his plate was really full all of a sudden. While he knew the basics of how to use his abilities as a devil, he still had to see about making a spell of his own according to Akeno to get a real proper feel for it. He had to control the Principles of Domination. He had to get a proper feel for Transfer and Penetrate. He would have to complete his transformation into a dragon and learn how to change back from Ddraig.

And of course after that would be his Balance Breakers, and that wasn't even taking into account his deal with Rias to help her peerage get stronger.

So much to do, so little time.

Especially since after he tossed Riser and his peerage around to complete his purpose with helping Rias in the first place, Serafall had some plan for him as well.

Something to do with Kyoto.

Truly, the grind never ended!

He was about to reply to Ddraig when his his nose twitched and he picked up a familiar scent not far away, and his ears heard rustling in the grass.

'Alright, I agree I'll take the silly title,' he said, "We can speak more later.'

'Alright then.' Ddraig said, before falling silent.

And a moment later, a familiar short, cute white haired girl dressed in a gym uniform made her way out of the tree line into the clearing.

"There you are." Koneko nodded at him once, brilliant golden yellow eyes eyeing him seriously.

"Toujou," Kaito nodded back at her, before pushing off the ground and forcing himself into a flip and landing on his feet, "What's up?" he asked her, looking her over.

She was covered in dirt and scrapes, and a fine sheen of sweat covered her face and neck.

She looked like she was training pretty hard.

Well, at least as hard as she could in a place like this without anything to push her physical strength up here to greater heights.

He wondered idly, who was physically stronger between him and her?

He'd like to test it out honestly.

"I need to talk to you." Koneko grunted.

….About?

Oh wait.

"About Yanagi?" he raised an eyebrow and asked, "If it bothered you that much I can see about getting her to apologize to you for flipping your skirt."

"Not that you nimrod, if it bothered me that much I would have just clobbered you both," Koneko rolled her eyes, "Your cow chested girlfriend isn't why I came looking for you."

Should be be offended on his girlfriends case?

Probably, but to be fair it wasn't like Yanagi didn't insult her either. Just the other day Yanagi had called her a 'scrawny flat midget piece of jailbait.'

He thought it was kind of cute how threatened she felt over Koneko to be honest.

"Then what?" he asked, he honestly couldn't figure out any reason why Koneko would approach him at all, she was pretty stand-offish, even as classmates he'd had less than ten conversations with her.

And most of them were simply from passing work sheets and crap around class, so they probably couldn't even be counted as conversations in the first place.

Which would drop them to what…three or four conversations in total counting this one?

She walked closer to him and as she did, her nose wrinkled, "You stink of sex and Akeno-senpai…and Asia-senpai," she rolled her eyes, "Don't you have two girlfriends already you sex beast?"

"Yanagi is the one that told me to accept if any of you came on to me, and those two did," Kaito shrugged, "Well, besides you. She doesn't like you because you were the one that was keeping an eye on me the most and because you're big on the physical strength angle like me."

Koneko snorted, "So she's scared I'll steal you because you're a gym nut himbo is that it?" she huffed, before shaking her head, "I've got no interest in your man meat Evander, she can keep it."

Even she was calling him a himbo!?

Then Koneko shrugged, "Besides, you clearly have a type like the perv," she scoffed, "Fat chested bitches, which I ain't."

She sounded a little angry about that last part.

Or was it jealous?

"I wouldn't sell yourself short," Kaito laughed, "I'm nothing like Hyoudou, just because I like…voluptuous girls doesn't mean I don't like cute slender girls like you either."

Except Sona Sitri, being flat was a demerit for her. But everything was a demerit for Sona Sitri, because she was Sona Sitri.

Koneko's lips tugged up for just a slight moment, before being smothered by that impassive look again, "Whatever," the short girl shrugged, "I'm not here for any of that anyway, like I said I need to talk to you."

"Alright." Kaito simply shrugged.

Koneko sighed in annoyance, looking a bit frustrated, "You…you know who, and what I am, don't you?"