Beyond Critical - Chapter 24.1 (Patreon)

"Why do I have to get trained by you?"

Kaito ignored Issei's whiny whining as he led the holder of the boosted gear alongside Asia Argento deeper into the forest.

After talking with Rias, he decided to get right down to it and deal with the easiest albeit most annoying one to power up. While she herself…was off to see her queen who was laying filled to the brim with his cum in his bed.

"Because my sacred gears literally come from Ddraig's corpse so I know more than Rias on how to train you with the Boosted Gear," Kaito rolled his eyes, "I'm not happy about it either, I'd much rather train with Koneko or with Asia alone."

"Eh, me?" Asia blinked.

"Yes, you," Kaito looked at her and gave the older blonde girl a smile, "You've got an amazing sacred gear in Twilight Healing. I've got a few ideas on how you can get better with it and even help me with my own training at the same time."

Admittedly, he was totally pilfering some of the training she would have done with Azazel. But he wasn't lying about wanting to train with her the most besides Koneko. With her healing abilities, he could massively increase the amount of training and gains he could receive per each training session.

"Ah, really?" Asia beamed, "Then I hope we can train together later."

He half expected Hyoudou to explode at him, he thoroughly warned him away from Asia after all just yesterday.

Yet, he said nothing beyond grumbling a little bit, his eyes flickering between him and Asia a bit, before biting his lip and looking away.

It was kind of weird to be honest.

…Was this because of him walking in on him with Akeno? Kaito honestly wasn't sure what to think about it. The guy hadn't even said anything when he was talking with Rias.

He shook his head and put it out of mind for the moment, it didn't matter. Even if his mind did flash to the mental image of the blonde beauty walking beside him guiding her soft lips up and down on his length.

Damnit Akeno!

Totally her fault.

Moments later, they arrived at a decently large clearing Rias had pointed them towards for the training and Kaito wasted no time, "Alright, are you ready?" he asked.

"…I guess?" Hyoudou asked giving a lame shrug, "Ready for what though? Should I stretch first or something?"

Shouldn't he have stretched earlier considering he'd apparently been training with Koneko first?

"No," Kaito replied, "I'm asking you if you're ready to man up for once and do what you have to do to get stronger. Quite frankly Hyoudou, there's never been a weaker Red Dragon Emperor in existence than you, I'm going to help you unlock your Balance Breaker right here and now and beat the strength into you, and then Asia's going to heal you back up into fighting shape over and over until I make something out of you."

"…Dude, that's just hurtful can't you be a little nicer?" Hyoudou whined, and Kaito was seriously taken aback.

…What happened to the aggression he had with him before? This…was just wrong.

"But sure okay I suppose," Hyoudou give a smile and ran his hand through his hair, "Can't be any worse than Koneko-chan beating me up all morning. But what's Balance Breaker though?"

…This guy.

Something was seriously wrong with him.

"It's basically a super mode for your Sacred Gear, most never unlock it though," Kaito explained with a groan, "Luckily for you, I'm a bit of an expert when it comes to Ddraig, so I know how to help you unlock the Balance Breaker at least partially right away."

"A super mode, that's so cool!" for the first time today, some energy returned to the boy and his eyes sparkled, "So how do we do this then?"

Alright, that was a little bit better he supposed.

"It's simple," Kaito crossed his arms, "I'm gonna have you sacrifice your arm and your lungs to Ddraig. He'll give you a dragon arm and dragon lungs in the process. It'll enhance your physical ability and your magic power. And it'll give you access to Dragon Aura a dragon unique power that among other things will let you boost your physical abilities with it and also let you breathe Dragon Fire. But above all else, by sacrificing some of your body to Ddraig, it'll enhance your connection to him and let you unlock Balance Breaker."

"….That sounds really scary but really cool too," Issei rubbed his hands together and seemed to mostly completely gloss over the fact he'd be sacrificing his body parts to become part dragon and the significance of it all, "So how do I do it?"

Why was it, that now that the idiot was so much more accommodating to him, he found himself liking him less?

"You do nothing, you barely know how to use the Boosted Gear," Kaito sighed, "Just summon it."

"Gotcha!" Issei pumped his hand into the air, "Boosted Gear!" he shouted, and in a flash of green light the gleaming red gauntlet of the Red Dragon Emperor appeared on his arm.

It was totally wasted on him.

But whatever.

Issei wasn't important right now, because someone else had just entered the vicinity by proxy of his arm.

"Ddraig, can you hear me?" he said aloud.

"Eh?" Issei tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"I can hear you loud and clear, Kaito is it?" a deep voice emanated from the gauntlet, the green gem in the back of it flashing, "You're an interesting one, I've been waiting for my chance to meet you."

Huh? Really?

"He can talk outside me?!" Issei spluttered.

"Eh, a voice from the Boosted Gear?" Asia gasped.

Despite himself Kaito felt a grin tug at his lips, "Same back to you," he replied, "I have actually wanted to thank you for a while. After all without you I'd never have gotten my Sacred Gears."

"Hmph, don't mind it," Ddraig dismissed his thanks, "What else good was my corpse for? Well, I'm actually quite happy with what you've done. You've inherited my flesh and taken it for yourself. You are akin to a legacy of mine now, kin even."

When he put it like that, he wasn't actually wrong.

"What, like a son?" Kaito snorted.

"Something like that I suppose, after all you've even taken the principals of domination I stole from god," Ddraig mused, "I'm not even sure how. That should be impossible, but at the same time you're not a red dragon like me in nature despite inheriting my flames, you're a Zmei dragon, the type that's really naturally talented with taking in and learning all types of magic and the like."

…Wait, what?

Putting aside that little interesting tidbit of him apparently having become a Zmei dragon, which actually might have explained why he so easily picked up what Akeno was teaching him last night even while they were fucking like animals-

"The principals of domination?" he gaped, "That's actually a thing? I thought it was just some chuuni crap from your Juggernaut Drive chant."

"Oh, you even know of that, huh?" Ddraig hummed, "But no, the principals of domination are a real ability and power I possess. I attacked heaven a long time ago when looking for a power to overcome the white one. The power was sealed away by God, alongside the principles of supremacy and I took it for myself. Of course the White One then copied me and stole the principles of supremacy."

"A-attacked heaven?!" Asia spluttered and looked like she was about to faint at the information dropped on her.

"God didn't really care to be honest, once he figured it out that we only had interest in fighting each other at least," Ddraig snorted, "But either way, yes it's a power I have or had at least. I lost it when I lost my body, and it's yours now. The White one will surely be seething mad when he learns my legacy has such a power when his own body was completely destroyed and never turned into an equivalent of the Twice Criticals haha!"

This was going a completely different way than he thought it would.

"What even is this power?" he found himself asking, completely forgetting about why he was here in the first place.

"It's domination. The primal aspect of domination imbued into your very being," Ddraig replied easily, "I only used it in my physical body, but the way you took it, you took it right in through your soul through the Sacred Gear. It's a testy power and rather annoying actually. Deep within you now is the primal savage desire to dominate and claim what you desire. Your very Dragon Aura is imbued with it now, those of weaker will shall find themselves submitting you on instinct as if it were your right. You spread it out and dominate the very minds of others and force them unconscious if they're not strong willed enough. Even your magic power and physical body is imbued with the power of domination and will conceptually dominate others in a pure clash assuming your strength and power isn't too far below their own."

"Oh…is that all?" Kaito asked numbly, blankly.

That did explain at least his temper lately and the sheer desire to dominate even the girls he loved dearly.

"No, but even I didn't discover the full extent of it, I just used it to fight the White One," Ddraig snorted, "I assume there's something more to it, being a primal force and all and being sealed away by God for a time."

"…Hey this is interesting and all, but can you stop ignoring me?" Issei pouted.

Ddraig sighed, "Oh right….you," annoyance tinged the dragons voice, "I'd forgotten you existed you disappointment."

"Hey you stupid lizard, that's not cool at all, aren't we partners!?" Issei growled swinging his arm back and forth as if it would do anything to Ddraig.

"Hardly, you can use my power I suppose, but I've more or less given up on beating the White One this generation, especially after last night," Ddraig sighed, "Frankly, I'd ask for a transfer to Kaito if possible, with him as my wielder the strongest Red Dragon Emperor of all times would be born."

What the hell happened last night?

And was it wrong for him to take a little bit of smug pride in Ddraig wishing he was the Red Dragon Emperor? It probably was and was beneath him to be honest.

He'd need to work on that. Among other things.

At least he knew the root of his attitude problems lately though.

"Damnit, why did you have to rub it in, I already know he's better than me now, he's too manly, I've never met a guy more manly!" Issei gripped his hair and cried out, "Do you have to say it out loud though!?"

"Issei-san…?" Asia gave him a worried look.

An annoyed sigh came from the Boosted Gear, "Why me?" Ddraig almost whined in despair, "I don't want to speak to you anymore, let's just get what Kaito wants done and over with."

"Why you gotta bust my balls like that partner?" Issei huffed.

"They're so small a fly could accidentally do that," Ddraig huffed back, causing Issei to collapse to his knees dramatically "…Why can't I just kill myself? Is this the real hell? Had god been preparing this punishment for me all this time? What a petty guy just because I wrecked your home, beat up your kids and stole your stuff. Sure that was bad, but how could it warrant punishment like this? Please somebody just kill this idiot."

Wow.

Kaito wasn't even sure what to make of the spectacle in front of him right now. Was he worse off right now than that whole Oppai Dragon thing?

He had only seen it on wiki diving, but Ddraig had to go into full on therapy because of that. Alongside Albion actually after he got turned into the Butt Dragon Emperor.

Not that he could blame them. imagine going from existences even pantheons of gods feared, to being the power sources of a pair of perverts lusting stupidly after tits and ass.

Those poor dragons.