FBBH 54 (Patreon)

This chapter has two fights and the title of it speaks of everyone in general but most about two people in different fights. Talent is great but when effort is added new horizons can be made. Also a reminder that gods are powerful is always welcome?

Fate/Bonds Beyond Humanity

…..

54- Talent and Effort

…..

Okita Souji was one of those figures who went down on History for having a great deal of talent and the tragedy of not living long enough to develop it completely. Those kinds of figures weren’t rare as many warriors, athletes and artists suffered the same fate; dying too young to see their work recognized or failing to sharpen with their talent.

Such tragedies would always be subject of speculation as their lives would always be followed by what ifs like; if they lived a little longer, or started sooner, or were not sick, or lived in a different time.

In the History books Okita Souji died from a mysterious disease historians speculate was tuberculosis and so the question would be ‘what if Okita Souji was healed from her disease?’

Well Shirou found himself on the other side of the question as the former captain of the Shinsengumi was already making a great impression of the talent she held by deflecting and dodging his blows before hitting his arm again with her sharp sword.

And it was a clean cut too as his shroud, a gift from Lucifer and extremely resistant, failed to even be an obstacle.

Sure the cuts on his arm were small so far but as the redhead raised his Muramasa in another defensive posture, his sword a little lower this time, he realized his Structural Analysis barely scratched the surface of Okita’s potential.

Her swords were new, his creation barely an year old while the other had a decade of age. Okita ‘died’ in the 19th century and had been a devil for more or less 150 years. She wasn’t using magic, just swordplay and speed, speed that she cultivated over a century.

Refining talent was easier than developing a new skill and Shirou could smell mana from Okita so she was capable of magic as he estimated her reserves to be at least the size of Luvia’s, less than Rias or Akeno and not even close to Sirzechs or Grayfia.

Except she wasn’t using it, no mana escaped her as she smiled again and positioned for her third attack.

When she charged Shirou was ready and so his blade managed to stop the blade but his feet were moving as the follow up came soon after, her weapon turning just enough to aim for his neck.

While he evaded that sequence, she kept going and when the magus tried to lock the sword in place the Knight disengaged her sword to turn on her center of gravity, aiming for his arm again.

Another small cut happened as he felt his Ki and Reinforcement failing to protect his skin and shroud. Shirou was impressed by the precision of the strike, the technique behind it and just the right amount of strength to hit and run. Okita had already escaped when his counter would have connected to her leg, the devil several meters away with a playful grin.

‘She is fast.’ Shirou smiled in return, knowing that while he was wounded they were small and his defenses would stop the worst of it. ‘But her power comes from her sudden bursts of speed and also-’ Already another attack was coming and this time he filled the air with his mana. “Steel is my body, fire is my blood.” ‘-she isn’t a power type.’

Swords fell from the sky to stop Okita’s advance, she immediately halted her charge and jumped back as quickly as she could while the sharp weapons kept falling in her direction.

‘She also isn't the fastest person I know.’ That title still belonged to a certain nekomata but he knew for a fact it was a close competition. But it also meant some tricks for Yoruichi would also work on Souji as he Altered Muramasa into a javelin while drawing two other swords. ‘Got to keep her at a distance to then Trace my bow.’

Because if she was too close Okita would get to him before he was ready and she proved it by dodging his first two swords before charging again, practically dancing between his weapons.

Her agility was off the charts and Shirou immediately called forth Muramasa again as Bellerophon protested, wishing to join the fight. He ignored the pegasus, knowing that while he would be able to compete with Okita in speed he would lose versatility and against an opponent of her level he would need it.

Because if her agility wasn’t enough an indicator, when Okita began to delicately but precisely push his javelins away from her, was when the pegasus also understood that brute force wouldn’t be useful against such a technical opponent.

More so when Shirou abandoned the swords on the ground and began to Trace another weapon as Muramasa met the Knight’s sword mid charge. Already Okita was moving again, using his sword as a support to redirect her weapon around it. Faster than the Mage could react, Souji’s sword was about to reach his hand.

Only for it to stop just short by a black weapon that looked nothing like a sword. ‘A bow?’ Okita asked herself with a smile, realizing that if Shirou had Traced another sword then he would be risking losing the hand. ‘But can he use it?’ She tried to maneuver her sword away only for Muramasa to move and cut her stomach.

She managed to skip away once again even if she was grazed by the sword, it never reached her skin. Once more she had evaded a hit but this time her clothes were slightly damaged, her favorite outfit too but that didn’t bother her. Nothing took the smile away from her face which actually grew when Muramasa transformed into an arrow quickly nudged and released.

“Oooooh~ aren’t you a proper samurai?” Souji asked while dodging to the side only to have to move again soon after as three more arrows flew in her direction. “Certainly only a samurai would know how to use this many weapons.” She commented while forced to use her sword to defend.

“Hah, not at all. These are just things I picked up on the way.” Shirou began to move towards his swords, Altering and shooting the already existing ones to conserve energy. “Samurais were phasing out in your time as well, weren’t they?”

Okita tried to run in Shirou’s direction but his precision with a bow was greater than with javelins and she had to roll or be hit in the arm. “Sure but I would be happy if our home country relit the tradition, even if just for formalities and titles.” Getting to her feet she ran again, this time to the right, planning to take the long way around towards her opponent. “Do you know how to ride a horse?”

“Kinda?” Shirou shot five times in quick succession.

“And write poetry?” Okita dodged four shots and blocked the last before charging at full speed. She jumped over the other shot and threw herself and her blade in her opponent's only to be stopped by the bow and another sword. “Because if so then I could deem you a samurai.”

“I never wrote poetry in my life. Unless my Aria count?” Okita tried to disengage but Shirou took a step forward and locked her in place. Her eyes grew wide as the redhead smiled back. "Not fast enough” He teased as the sword in his hand began to glow.

Despite being in the air for a few seconds, Souji was still a devil so her wings quickly restored her balance and planted her feet back in the arena. She began to shift her posture again with a similar strategy as before only for her weapon to get stuck as the random sword on Shirou’s hands turned into another weapon.

A sai which locked her katana in place. “Oops…” She realized things were going to get harder as Shirou pulled the sword in his direction, just above his chest. Okita didn’t think twice before kicking his side but the redhead barely flinched. “Did you notice?”

“That you are physically weak?” Easily, or at least with barely a struggle, the Mage moved the sword in her grip while pushing the bow, making her hold more and more uncomfortable. “Lots of speed and technique but my wounds are too shallow, even if you are holding back.”

“Hehehe. Yeah, my constitution always kinda sucked.” Then Okita’s eyes turned sharp and she jumped once again in his direction while turning her whole body, much to his surprise.

Pulling her sword from the sai, Okita was still vulnerable in her position but neither of Shirou’s weapons were good enough to capitalize on her exposing her back.

Still he tried by turning his sai around and using the bow as a club only for the Knight to kick his chest and jump away. Shirou wasn’t bothered by the hit but didn’t give chase, instead his sai began to glow and return to being a sword before transforming into another arrow that was quickly shot.

Calmly Okita skipped to the side before stopping completely, her sword held high once again. “Looks like this fight will take a while.”

Shirou could understand her thought process; she planned to chip him down to win. “Heh, less than you think.” Another sword appeared, a black one familiar to all present for a reason or another.

“Uh oh.” Including Okita who quickly realized what Shirou was planning.

Unfortunately she was too far to do anything about it. “Hrunting!” The weapon pulsed with mana, turning red before flying towards its target.

Beowulf’s sword, both the legendary Hero and his descendant as one of Sirzechs’ Pieces, Okita’s ally. All that meant she knew what was coming even if the form of an arrow completely changed the interaction with the sword.

It still told her enough that the former captain turned tail and ran as far as she could just as the name was called and the arrow began to fly. At that point even Grayfia took to the air as a sonic boom shook the arena, the red streak chasing after Okita who only turned her head back for a glance before opening her wings to accelerate.

Then Shirou raised the level of difficulty further by shooting arrows as fast as he could in her direction. None of them came from the same angle as Hrunting since Emiya started running in Okita’s opposite direction to open fire more effectively while staying at a safe distance.

She may be faster than him but he wasn’t the one being chased by a Noble Phantasm while arrows tried to get her. Both warriors’ movements were fluid and perfect with Hrunting always chasing the Knight, enough so that Okita knew she was going to lose unless she shook things up a bit.

And that was what she did, first by landing on the ground to then turning to Hrunting and charging at it, much to Shirou’s and most of the audience's surprise.

Not Sirzechs and Grayfia though, they already expected Souji to lose her patience sooner or later. In a game of ‘cat and mouse’ the woman was never the mouse even if she was always running around. Souji was always on the offensive, always trying to weaken her opponent even if just a little.

It was only a matter of time for her to try and invert the script, starting by getting rid of Hrunting. While not the same sword that she knew from her teammate, Okita knew a lot about the weapon and turning it into an arrow didn’t change the basics.

Just highlighted them as she closed her wings and crouched when the red streak was about to hit her. What followed next was a fast movement of foot and blade as she jumped over the weapon and bashed it to the ground with all her might. Almost no one could see what Souji did, she was just that fast.

Then came the telltale explosion resulting from a Broken Noble Phantasm, Shirou quickly shooting more arrows in the cloud of dust’s direction as he knew that something went wrong.

From what he gathered both in the spar and from the memories of her sword, Okita wouldn't tank the impact, either dodge or destroy it before the hit. When she stopped the redhead knew the blonde was going to do something even if it was a bit too fast for him to catch what it was.

He expected the explosion to have harmed her only for Okita to jump off the cloud and deflect his arrows with great ease. She took a single step and followed it with a quick small leap. Her sword was close to her face, firm in her two hands and there was no sound when she touched the floor.

When she did a second step, Shirou knew he only had a few milliseconds before the fight ended and it was his defeat, Okita’s sword told him as much.

Good thing then he already knew what she was going to do and his preparations didn’t need much as Souji was already in the second step of her attack.

An attack that violated the laws of physics and reality with just pure skill alone, there was no magic involved and it was the kind of attack that couldn’t be defended once properly executed.

The thrust was going to the center of Shirou’s armor, a place where even with her speed Okita wouldn't be able to break the armor and kill him. It would still hurt, however, enough so to steal his breath and knock him to the ground for her to claim victory.

Except Shirou knew exactly what was coming, his weapons already discarded as his hands moved to the only weak point of that technique, where casualty was challenged and the sword would strike.

It was there that the Mage locked the blade in the palms of his hands, just a few centimeters before it reached its target and its thrusts touched him.

Just before the attack could have any real effect.

Okita couldn’t believe it, her eyes growing wide as she looked at the tall man with a smile on his lips. “How?”

“‘Lightless, Three-Stage Thrust’. That is how you call it right? A technique that gives you victory many times against all sorts of creatures. Especially when you aim for their vitals like between their eyes.” Shirou could feel her struggle but kept the sword firmly in his hands, closing a fist around it. Ki kept his fingers intact and Souji knew there was no escaping. “By using the fundamentals of Hira Seigan, you managed to elevate your skill to the limit and use it to attack three times simultaneously, three thrusts in a point to escape the laws of casualty and execute them all without recoil nor time for anyone to react against them.”

“But how?” She tried to pull the sword again, knowing it was in vain. “How did you defend it?”

Shirou's smile grew roughish. “I didn’t. I stopped the attack before the first thrust was even executed. Even if the other two are disconnected from the sword and the first thrust itself, you still need to complete the motion, to finish the original move with your weapon.” He didn’t defend the attack but stopped the sword before it became a reality. “You never finished attacking, never concluded the original thrust, so there were no other two.”

Impressed as much as she was surprised, Okita chuckled a little. “And how did you know it? Is that because you are the ‘Mage of Swords’?” A groan escaped Shirou and her smile became playful. “Don’t like it?”

“You have no idea.” With his hands firmly in the blade, he pulled the weapon since Okita wasn’t using magic to try and break it free. “I will tell you if you surrender. What do you think?”

A gentle smile came from Okita, “Then you can tell me after I win,” followed by her abandoning her blade much to Shirou’s surprise as he almost stumbled. Instead he recovered his balance and turned her weapon around to hold it properly as she drew her second sword. “For I shall never surrender.”

“Suit yourself!” Shirou charged this time, allowing the memories of the weapon in his hand to take over as their swords clashed. Okita tried to chip his shoulder again but found herself blocked as the redhead controlled the flow of her moment and almost hit her shoulder. “Like it or not, I am the Mage of Swords.” He admitted with a grin. “So using one against me leaves you at a disadvantage.”

Noticing a new cut on her kimono, Okita’s eyes grew sharper. ‘He is stronger and now more skilled. Is it because he has my sword?’ Her expression was serious as she quickly stepped to the side to try and stab his arm again. When her blade was blocked she was impressed but no longer surprised. “Still faster~”

“Not for long.” But the swords clashed as Okita retreated and Shirou pursued.

Because of how Structural Analysis worked all the redhead had was an imitation of Okita’s skill, not the proper build or habits to help him capitalize on the memories of the weapon. But he also had all the information about how the Knight fought down to the smallest details; from her stronger side and favorite leg to her issues with her lack of strength.

Previously he was already using the information to keep up with the fighting but now that the devil was unbalanced from her secret technique being countered, he had a psychological advantage too as she was shaken and easier to read.

Only that state of mind wouldn’t last for long and every time they clashed Okita would disengage faster and faster, already moving masterfully to counter and get some damage on him, however small.

So it wasn’t long that Shirou did something unexpected again and flung her sword in her direction, an act that no normal swordsman would do in a normal fight over the risk of being unarmed.

Normal never was an option for Shirou as Muramasa returned to his hand the moment that Okita bashed her weapon away, leaving herself open for an attack. It was an opening that the sudden action forced the Knight to make but her reflexes were still of the highest caliber.

However even she couldn’t escape easily in that sort of situation and Shirou’s Muramasa managed to connect with her shoulder.

For the first time since the fight began Okita Souji’s blood had been spilled, much to her surprise, but the Mage wasn’t done and Traced several swords behind her cutting her escape route.

Now without much of a choice Okita had to contest Shirou in strength, a fight both knew she was going to lose. She tried her trick of repositioning their weapons again but Shirou had already fully assimilated her fighting style. Even if he couldn’t do most of her elaborate maneuvers because of his build, he could counter her.

For the moment the Knight was stuck trying to push back as the redhead hammered his sword on hers, fully willing to break her blade.

…

“Looks like Souji is in trouble.” Zeoticus pointed out with his hands on his chin, eyes stuck on the fight. “You must be proud of your son, Lord Emiya, not many can even compete with Lucifer’s Knight.”

“I am no Lord and the fight isn't over.” Kiritsugu had his arms crossed and even looked bored. Many turned to look at him at the cold response, most of the ORC trying to piece together how he could be the father of someone like Shirou and husband to someone like Iri.

“Kiri… shouldn't you be showing a little more support for your son? Maybe cheer him up a bit?” Sirzechs was the only one who dared to call the black haired man on his attitude even as the rest were stunned in silence.

Kiritsugu gave Sirzechs a look before turning back to the fight. “She has 100 years as a devil and so far has only been fighting with skill rather than power, not a single drop of mana to be found.” His eyes were cold and impassive. “Rather maybe I should be asking what sort of tricks your Knight has on her sleeve, shouldn't I?”

At the lack of response from Sirzechs, Azazel let escape a whistle of admiration. “Wow, never thought I would see the New Lucifer cowed like that. Kudos, man.” He chuckled at the frustration on the devil’s face before turning to the magus. “Ever thought about getting into politics? If you can get under Sirzechs’ skin like that, you would do nicely.”

“I can only do it because I know him well enough and he is easy to read.” The fallen angel was sure that the man was joking.

But going by what Shirou said and his knowledge of the Magus Killer, Azazel found that doubtful. “Maybe to you.” The Cadre caught himself whispering.

“Besides, I would be awful in politics. Never compromising on anything and taking advantage of everything.” Kiritsugu was sure he would make a lot of enemies, more than he already had. Regardless of anything Azazel was about to say, his focus returned to Sirzechs. “With her skill with a sword, she must have something else. It is only a matter of how long she can fight without it.” His devil partner stayed quiet but puffed up his cheeks a little.

Something that Kiritsugu said snapped Rias to attention. “Truly Souji-neechan has been a master of the sword since I have met her. Does she know Ki?” She asked her brother who actually pouted. Koneko was also looking at him with interest on the answer. “Does she?”

“Kiri, see what you did? You should be supporting your son and then I would reveal that ‘Souji isn't done’ and then explain her skills.”

“Now, now, Sirzechs, we didn’t raise you to whine.”

“But he is no fun, mother.”

“Still he is your friend and you brought him home. Play nice.”

“Yes, mother…”

‘Is this the King of the Underworld? The Strongest Devil?’ Because Issei was finding it hard to believe.

Ignoring his business partner's shenanigans, Kiritsugu decided to reply to Rias’ question. “Had she known Ki then Okita would have already been using it to escape and not let Shirou box her like that.” He commented as the Mage called more blades to stop the blonde. “Perhaps her constitution makes it harder for her to develop it but from the way she is avoiding using mana I would say that in reality her method of fighting involves magic of some sort. At least more than she is revealing at this point.” He turned his head to Sirzechs, clearly expecting an answer.

"You're really no fun.” That wasn’t the one he was waiting for. “Shouldn't you show Shirou a little more support? This isn’t a fight to the death, you know?”

“My son knows he has my support, always. Voicing out loud makes no difference."

“I always make sure to cheer Millicas and Rias as loudly as I can.”

“And how do they feel about it?”

Coughing on her hand, Rias really wanted to change the subject. “Souji-neechan does know magic. She used to do tricks for me when I was a kid.”  Indeed she knew exactly how the Knight fought but avoided saying it. Her brother was already being spoiled enough by Kiritsugu. ‘If Shiro could use my mana perhaps he would have a chance.’ Of that she wasn’t certain.

“She never used mana on me either.” Kiba commented to the side to redirect the attention from his King. “Not on training or even to teach me.”

Chuckling a little, Sirzechs knew he couldn't avoid explaining for much longer. “Souji has known magic even before she became a devil.”

“So she is a magus like Master?”

Another chuckle escaped at Xenovia’s question. “Not at all, she was just a spellcaster. Perhaps if she was a magus then she wouldn't have summoned me.”

“Something to do with her disease?” Kiritsugu deduced, making the tallest redhead pout again.

“Let me tell the story at least, please. It loses its appeal if you just guess everything ” Then he let out a handsome smile as his Magus Killer stayed silent. “Thank you. Now, because of her disease, tuberculosis, Souji discovered early that she had little time to live. Of course humans tend to be really stubborn and seek any resources when it comes to their survival.” Everybody turned back to the fighting as little by little Okita was starting to get some distance. “Before even attempting to summon a devil she collected and learned many spells from diverse Japanese schools. From prayers to rituals to the cleansing of one's spirit, she tried everything. Until there were only bad alternatives left.”

Back at the arena the two fighters kept struggling until Okita managed to slip by Shirou’s left side, escaping his onslaught and getting as far away as she could. With her speed, even without her wings, there was no way that the Mage could keep up, the swordswoman was faster than most Knights.

Once she was a safe distance away, Okita began to unleash her mana, stopping Shirou on his tracks. It wasn’t fear as her reserves and presence weren’t that scary but it was caution.

Meanwhile the fight kept going, Sirzechs continued his Knight’s backstory. “It is fair to say that she was adept with magic, not as good as with her sword, not even close, but skilled. When there were only bad options left she started to resort for the more… exoteric side of the moonlit world. All out of loyalty.”

Sirzechs knew he was being a little generous as while Okita didn't want to abandon her comrades, mostly she didn’t want to day in a bed from a disease, at least not in her young age.

“Firstly she planned to make a deal with a powerful yokai but despite her sickness she realized it wasn’t a good idea. So she tried to summon the most powerful ‘yokai’ from distant lands she could manage.”

Nobody would disagree that Sirzechs was the strongest being that one could summon from magic circles; Gods tend to not answer such calls and certain advanced existences stop themselves from being summoned or are tied to certain places to summon.

“Lucky for her the Evil Piece System was already going on for a while so Reincarnating her wasn’t hard… for me.” Sirzechs had a small look of sadness. “To join my peerage, to become a devil, Souji had to give up a lot; her family, her friends, her previous loyalties. It was either that or death.”

“So sensei was always good at magic?” Kiba asked with interest and a frown. “Why didn't she teach it to me then? Even if it isn’t devil magic-”

“Don’t blame her, Yuuto. A lot of her spells are about more… spiritual variety. Since medicine failed to save her life and the gods had abandoned her, that was the place she focused the most to survive.” The former Gremory chuckled in amusement. “Oh, looks like she is about to give us a demonstration.” A teal magic circle appeared behind Okita, tall enough to be a house, as she raised her hand high to the sky. “Pay close attention and you will see what else she brought with her from Japan.”

…

The moment of her escape from Shirou’s lock was the moment Okita knew she couldn’t win the fight unless she started to go for the kill or changed tactics. Sure the magus knew her abilities but she was still faster and more agile even if Reinforcement and Ki were doing an excellent job of keeping up.

Indeed Okita could easily finish the match if it was a battle to the death but it wasn’t, it was a spar and Shirou was competent enough that despite her Knight’s speed and years of training it would still take a while for her to deliver a final blow, if she could do so at all.

Then again she knew he was also holding back somewhat and all that made her come to one single conclusion. ‘Forget about going for the soft spots, I need to stop trying to fight directly.’ Quickly she fully abandoned the fight and ran away before turning back to the magus. Before he ever thought of drawing his bow again she unleashed much of the mana she could safely. “You are strong for someone so young. I better start to take this seriously.”

When the teal magic circle with the kanji ‘sincerity’ on its center the redhead ceased all actions and raised his sword to prepare himself. “Finally going to use magic?”

“Sort of. This is a power that I cultivated during my life as a devil. After I abandoned my comrades to live.” Okita held her in front of her, her palm pushing the blade. “But it is also the cumulation of my studies in our land with many monks and exorcists. Even in the Shinsengumi Era the job of an onmyouji was still respected even if in secret.”

Her mana began to fill the arena and Shirou prepared to summon Rho Aias, fearing an attack.

Only that it wasn’t so as he felt her presence carrying neither hostility or aggressivity or any sort, instead it was calm like a breeze. The wind seemed to pick up and Shirou kept Muramasa close as the mana around the place seemed to grow in intensity.

‘Approaching is too risky and so far she showed no ability to fight at a distance.’ That may have changed but Shirou could only use facts.

And he was still being cautious, not underestimating the mana around him, no matter how much its smell conjured the image of the land after rain during spring.

“Flag of Sincerity!” The call came in a firm voice, Okita sounding all the commander she once was.

There was an answer, a reply that Shirou couldn’t believe as hundreds of battle cries seemed to echo around the arena and it didn’t take long for the shouters to reveal themselves, all dressed in the Shinsengumi uniformed and heavily armed.

It was a sight to behold and a clear demonstration of the size of the arena when hundreds of warriors with drawn swords, old fashioned rifles, pistols, spears, chains and staves revealed themselves.

Shirou tried to count but found it useless. “How?”

At his question the warriors parted to the sides revealing Okita, the magic circle spinning behind her, the kanji for sincerity more vibrant. “Who knows? Maybe I will tell you if you surrender?”

“Are those souls?” Shirou managed to ask as he was still paying attention to the army now surrounding him.

There were a couple of signs they weren’t really amongst the living, the main one was the lack of feet as every single one of them was floating, but that made no sense. While Shirou could identify them as ghosts or some kind of pothergest, it was unlike any he had ever seen or heard about before.

At least now he could understand why Rias found the idea of inviting some to the school festival viable.

None of the people around him were wraiths, that much he was sure, there was no miasma or resentment floating in the air. At least none indirect and chaotic that would indicate a vengeful spirit even if all the men who suddenly were surrounding him glared in his direction.

Only those were not glares of blind hatred but eyes of warriors studying their enemy.

By the uniform, the classical colors of the Shinsengumi in the old fashioned clothes, Shirou was sure they could only come from Okita’s time. “Are they souls or not?” Because if so then the Knight just unleashed a True Magic.

Instead of replying immediately Okita laughed a little but only briefly with a touch of smugness and sadness. “Unfortunately these aren’t complete souls and while looking like ghosts, they are also different from it. They are just spirits.”

“Spirits? That is the first time I hear it as a distinction.”

“Yeah? Too bad.” Okita rested her sword on her shoulder, completely opening her guard. Except Shirou knew he would never reach her, all around were still ready to fight and would get in his way. “Spirit and soul may be the same most of the time but you could say that ‘spirit’ is more about the ‘emotion’ of the individual and that can leave an impact. In cases like this at least.” She did a small spin, waving her free hand around with glee. “And these are the spirits of my companions, my comrades! Those that I left behind because of my sickness but that I never forgot!”

A round of shouts and applause spread in the arena as the men of Shinsengumi declared their loyalty to their captain. Emotion, the emotion and the desire to fight for and with Okita Souji was all these individuals were, remains of warriors long past but that still offered their swords for their leader.

Such kind of magic reminded Shirou too much of True Magic. “Then how did you call them here? Spirits, souls, either way they should have moved on or be bound to somewhere.” And the idea that so many Shinsengumi died in another dimension far away from Japan was ludicrous at best.

Okita chuckled and placed her hand on her chest. “They have always been here. 999 Spirits: Shinsengumi Last Unit!” Then she took a swing with her sword, finishing the conversation. “Shinsengumi Attack!!!”

“““““WOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!””””””

The conversation was over as the army did as ordered and Shirou immediately had to use his sword to deflect bullets. Those were faster than bullets from some more modern guns and stronger too but they were just the first part of the assault as the men moved around for an encirclement.

Their coordination was something else entirely as those with swords advanced fearlessly as the shooters kept opening fire in his direction. Funnily enough the redhead noticed how the rhythm of fire was slow and the spirits stopped to reload despite their weapons and bullets being made of mana.

For they could only be made of mana, Shirou realized, as Okita was using the magic circle to sustain the army with her power. He didn’t know how such a summoning was possible without True Magic but the fact was that the men were ghosts and not spirits, at least not the Heroic Spirits he read about.

Still they were too many to count and Muramasa moved on his hands to cut down the first few who approached him. In fact the sword never stopped going from defense to offense as some of the attackers came with old fashioned pistols and Shirou had to quickly block before cutting them down.

There was no blood or sweat, not a single drop from the spirits at least as Shirou easily cut five down before starting retreating. “TRACE ON!!!” Came a rain of swords from the heavens that cut many men up. It wasn’t enough. “Are there really 999 spirits?!” He asked during a block and followed by a cut to the ghost’s stomach.

Like many of his comrades before the spirit broke apart in moots of light and vanished just for another to take his place, this time carrying a spear. Shirou was barely dealing with the dozens of weapons around him when he heard the sound of guns being fired. As far as he was concerned that made no sense as he was surrounded.

He forgot his enemies had no bodies and no fear of death until the bullets hit his chest and legs, the Mage being thrown on his back before rolling and standing up as the army of the dead kept charging.

They were relentless and didn’t stop when Shirou Traced another rain of swords, those that fell used their weapons to protect those that were right behind or to cover them from inside as the Mage saw how their limbs easily went in and out of their comrades.

It was believed and made no sense until the redhead snapped himself back to reality. ‘Of course they are intangible even to themselves! Okita mana may be given them weapons and existences but mostly they are just ghosts!’ Overcharging Muramasa with mana, Shirou prepared himself to fight by retreating more until his back hit the boundary field. "Goddamned.”

More bullets and swords flew in his direction as the army fell onto its prey.

…

“Is that Heaven’s Feel?!” Luvia’s shock told even those who didn’t know the term that it was something important.

“No, it isn’t, not even close.” Kiritsugu immediately protests with a look towards Sirzechs who was quite smug. ”Care to explain why you have a necromancer in your ranks?”

“What do you mean my dear Kiri? A necromancer? I would never. By the way, how is Sisigou doing? Still ransacking graves to get his materials?”

“We both know he doesn’t mess with souls. Don’t try to change the subject.”

“I am actually quite curious as well.” Azazel confessed while rubbing his chin. “Since you never sent her outside of the Underworld I will admit that the Grigori intelligence on Okita Souji is scarce but unlike our human friend here I can tell that isn’t necromancy, neither the most accepted nor the corrupt one.” The Cadre leaned forward on his chair, watching Shirou struggle with interest. “The souls aren’t corrupt and the bodies are entirely made from Okita’s mana. That explains why she wasn’t using it, she was saving for her trump card.”

Kiritsugu could agree with those observations but they lacked some points. “The problem isn’t what they are but where they came from.”

“Excuse me, Emiya-sama, if I may ask something?” Luvia raised a hand and the man spared her a small glance. “Isn’t that the territory of the-”

“No, my wife’s family’s former magic has nothing to do with that.”

“But how? Okita is clearly manipulating souls!”

“Please don’t say it like that.” It was Zeoticus who spoke with some annoyance. “Thank Goetia only the ancient devils, the first creations of the Original Lucifer, used to mess with souls. That is why the practice is abominable.”

“That is something you should have educated your Pieces on, Rias.” Venelana looked at her daughter with disappointment.

Which prompted Rias to bow her head with some shame. “My apology but Luvia is just shocked by Souji-neechan’s spell which looks too much like true magic, which it isn’t.” She turned to her Rook with a sad look. “Neither it is the subjugation of a soul like the foul necromancy that is used by criminals. No, her magic is more spiritual, to cure the ailments of the soul.”

“And with the Shinsengumi destruction, there were plenty of those needing some healing.” Sirzechs commented half jokingly. “Civil wars are an awful thing, friend against friend, brother against brother. While a police force, the Shinsengumi was technically an army in a war.”

Humming loudly, Azazel was starting to piece everything together “I thought Japan took care of its wraiths.” That was the standard procedure after wars of any kind and level.

“But some are always harder to put to rest than others, even for wraiths. If there is a place where there were plenty of violent deaths, it would be a war.” Sirzechs then clapped a little. His smile was kind and optimistic. “And Souji knew that, knew that after what happened many of her comrades would be unable to move on.”

Exorcisms could solve many of the departed’s grievances but not all and if the soul was strong they would fight back. That was something basic that everyone was taught once they started to learn about ghosts. Some souls needed something else to be pacified or there could be a struggle with terrible consequences.

And it could be anything really from having a conversation to air their grievances to something more complicated like finding their family to know if they are doing well or not.

Those that suffered the most gruesome fates or had a great deal of hatred in their hearts became wraiths and the only way they could move on was by a proper funeral with some sort of spiritual assistance, it could be by a priest or a monk, exorcism, or destruction through various means.

Even ghosts could be damaged and destroyed as Shirou was demonstrating by filling his sword with mana and using it to cut down the spirits or just using Muramasa, a Noble Phantasm of lower rank but still a Noble Phantasm and an existence capable of affecting such beings.

Normal weapons, unless empowered with mana or made with the proper materials, were useless against any sort of ghost. Magic on the other hand, of almost any kind and element, could always affect them by the inherent mana used.

But all that only counted to normal spirits and ghosts, souls of humans for the most part who were generally considered weak.

“As I stated before, in her pursuit for survival Souji studied as much as she could and her family hired many instructors. Even in bed she kept working diligently.” Sirzechs admired such resolve and that was one of the main reasons he ended up enlisting her services. “But necromancy never crossed her mind. If anything she aborred it. All she wanted was to heal her body, not come back from the dead. And the belief that a strong spirit brought out a stronger body was always on her mind.”

“Which didn’t help her on many levels, unfortunately.”

“Oh but it did, sweet sister. Once she Reincarnated, all the maladies and weakness from her sickness were gone.” It was something entirely possible with Evil Pieces.

But also that confused Rias and their parents. “Oni-sama, Souji-neechan always, always, had problems even opening a pickle jar.” She was exaggerating a little but with how her parents were nodding anyone that didn’t know Okita would believe it.

Which included every new devil, the goddess and former Exorcist. “Then how can she fight like that?” Medusa wondered. “Even before summoning spirits she was pushing my protector back constantly.”

“Because speed is her most valuable skill.” Kiba replied with pride for his teacher, making Sirzechs chuckle a little again and Rias smile.

Azazel saw the army of ghosts and couldn’t help but be curious. “Get back on track, please. Really wanna know how she is doing that.” Perhaps it was a new avenue of research.

“After becoming a devil and once she grew used to her new body, Souji requested to return to her land and tend to… some personal matters.” There were plenty of things Sirzechs felt he should not divulge. A lot happened during Okita’s return to Japan. “While she was there, Souji traveled through every battlefield the Shinsengumi fought and did her best to tend the souls of her comrades. Instead of just wishing to rest, some of them, the most loyal, wanted to keep following her, devil or not.”

“999 of them.” Luvia whispered in admiration.

But the tallest redhead shook his head. “No, these were just as many as she could take in her body.” Kiritsugu looked at his business partner in horror.

“‘Her body’? She is carrying 999 souls in her body?”

“Well more like spirits but-”

Kiritsugu cut Sirzechs off with a harsh glare. “Semantics and you know it.” He looked back to the fight and his son dealing with an army. “A spirit is everything that encapsulates a person; memories, emotions, skills, dreams, nightmares,” his glare returned to the devil, “their fighting ability. The more a being lives, the greater their soul becomes. And that woman is carrying 999 extra souls.”

“Spirits.”

“Why the distinction?” Nightmares woke Kiritsugu at night with his wife having to be a vessel for 7 spirits. He didn’t dare to phantom 999. Sure they weren’t Heroic Spirits from the Throne of Heroes but even them would have a considerable weight. “Tell me, Sirzechs, why would she submit herself to such a burden?”

"Because she hated she couldn't die with them as much as they lamented their commander wasn’t there because of her disease.” Sirzechs spoke clearly, raising his voice so all could listen. “All that you saw here today, Souji’s ability, keep for yourselves. Not only is it an excellent magic to keep secrecy of but it is also deeply personal. To carry all those spirits is a burden she took gladly. The men of Shinsengumi moved on to the afterlife and left behind only their warrior spirit.”

“Are you saying those down guys are just their will to fight?” Issei asked in a realization no one else had.

The former Gremory nodded with a smile. “Quite correct, Ise. Those are Shinsengumi that died and wanted to keep going but Kiri is also right, Souji couldn’t hold that many souls in herself, no matter how skillful she is.” Yet they managed a compromise. “However, their wills were strong, both Souji’s and those who wished to fight with her, to follow their commander even beyond death. Those bonds were so strong that while their souls moved on their spirits stayed and then she took them all in their body, becoming an anchor to their unit. While Souji lives and has mana, she can call any of the 999 hundred men still willing to follow in any occasion, like guarding my sister while she sat in the open.”

“They were there?” Xenovia asked in shock.

Rias gladly answered. “Of course they were. They were ghosts and within Goetia Road the little mana they would let out with their existence was masked. Souji-neechan also doesn’t need to use the Flag of Sincerity to manifest a few of them, only to call them all.”

“There is a lot more that Souji’s Spiritual Arts can do but as a Knight, know that she was worth the two Pieces she consumed many times over.” Sirzechs elaborated with tranquility before turning back to Kiritsugu. Any of his playful demeanor had vanished. “Does that answer all your questions?”

“Hmph… Was the other reason why you recruited her was because you needed a police officer?” The Magus Killer asked and this time Sirzechs just nodded.

“Makes sense. Considering that the Underworld is more chaotic and unstable where everyone is always ready for a fight…” Azazel concluded with a smile. “Having a police officer from the last days of the Shogunate is actually getting someone experienced in dealing with a tumultuous and divided society. Kudos to you, Sirzechs.”

“Thank you but while I gave her the job as an officer in Lilith because of her experience, I recruited Souji because of her spirit.” The Maou admitted, dismissing the credit. “After all, how couldn’t I admire someone who fought to the bitter end? My admiration just grew when she started using the Spiritual Arts to collect the spirits of her companions.”

“Because her body grew weaker…” Kiritsugu knew of the signs, his wife would have suffered a much worse fate if the Holy Grail War had gone ahead. “That is why she is barely stronger than a human woman, she is directing every ounce of energy to preserve her unit’s existence in her soul while stopping her body from falling apart.”

A crude version of Heaven’s Feel and Kiritsugu doubted Okita Souji was even close to it but was still enough for her purposes.

“But how much moved on, per say?” Azazel asked, just to be sure. “Everything but their fighting experience?”

“You would have to ask Souji for specifics but as you can see they can coordinate, fight together and are aware. To an extent.”

Rias wanted to point out that she saw Okita talk with them on occasion and they responded but that could also be the Knight herself projecting her departed friends’ reactions from her memories alone.

Still nobody could deny something. “They still fight together, even after death.” Kiba's tone said it all; that was a notion he admired. That he desired to partake with his own lost family. ‘But their souls must already have moved on… Maybe I should visit that place, once I have the chance.’

He wasn’t the only one with such thoughts as Medusa closed her eyes and felt her Divine Core. ‘Even if I split myself apart, I would never be with you again.’ Instead of drowning in such thoughts, she focused on the fight. “Even with an army, my protector won’t lose easily.”

A pillar of white mana and the Divine Mount’s shadow spreading on the arena seemed to confirm her words.

Sirzechs smiled gently. “There is much more to Spiritual Arts than just calling ghosts. Perhaps if Shirou goes all out…”

Something he wouldn’t do since using Ascension would involve Rias’ mana and he would never cheat on a spar by getting outside help. His Reality Marble was also incomplete so his resources were only the weapons the redhead could call to his hands.

Mage of Swords or not, Noble Phantasms or not, he was by himself against an army that had no fear of death.

…

Shirou was completely unaware of the conversation happening on the stands as Muramasa was used to block three swords at the same time. He had to Trace a second blade just to keep up with the firearms from the Shinsengumi or at least as many as he could since the guns fire power was greater than their models suggested.

Those factors helped him reach certain conclusions about the ghosts like that even if their weapons were empowered by Okita’s mana, their movements were all within the human limit.

Indeed the Mage was sure that not a single one of the Shinsengumi following Okita had broken through the human limit since his speed was far superior. Except that they still had other advantages like being ghosts which allowed them to ignore each other and attack him from anywhere.

Being surrounded didn’t mean that the redhead could use their numbers to his advantage so he placed his back against the way to try and limit their area of attack.

That went badly once they reminded him once again they were ghosts and those with firearms just found another avenue to make things harder and began to shoot from above, targeting his shoulders.

Reinforcement and Ki kept him in the fight but Shirou felt every sting and was sure bruises weren’t far away. ‘Who the hell summons an army of spirits to fight?’ He pushed a lot of mana in his swords to cut down another ten spirits who were quickly replaced as more shots stopped him from advancing. ‘Calm down, calm down and think. You haven’t lost yet. If the name of the technique is anything to go by then their numbers aren’t unlimited and even if they are, Okita’s mana isn’t.’

That just made him frown as he used Muramasa to cut the leg of a ghost as a distraction before cutting the head off. As spirits with no muscles or bones, most of his attacks were worthless and the only way of really destroying their bodies was by destroying head or heart.

Anything else was fixable in a matter of moments or went completely ignored even if they still felt pain.

It was the one of the few things keeping him in the fight, the pain the ghosts felt even if they were mostly incorporeal. Mostly because Shirou was sure there were other tricks and circumstances involved in what Okita was doing but he still couldn’t figure out all the finer details.

Still the redhead felt swords hit his back and arms, cuts and bruises spreading as his reserves dwindled with every Reinforcement and blade called to try and reduce the number of enemies.

Caladbolg was an option but there was no way his adversary was going to give him anymore space even if the Knight herself remained on the back if the magic circle, the Flag of Sincerity, position was any indication.

If anything Okita seemed willing to let Shirou fight until he was either exhausted or knocked out if not both, giving the redhead the initiative if he wanted to change things.

Finally the Mage of Swords lost whatever was left of his patience and overloaded Muramasa with mana, throwing his unnamed sword first to get rid of a ghost floating above before launching the unstable Noble Phantasm in the middle of his attackers.

The blast that came got rid of some of the army but not even close to all of it, the arena was still full and there was little space. What it did was shock and surprise the ghosts who were still men without the notion a sword like that could explode. Even further they were warriors who became wary because of that explosion.

It gave Shirou enough time to call Bakuya, “Bellerophon!” and unleash his mount’s power.

Divinity began to course through the Mage’s veins and already he was feeling much better. In his ear he heard Bellerophon pointing how he could have felt like that sooner but he was sure Okita had more tricks on her sleeve.

Still that usual rush of having the pegasus’ power helped him snap back into the fight. When the Last Unit of the Shinsengumi attacked again Shirou easily bashed their weapons away before delivering a kick that banished three ghosts from existence.

He smiled as some of the ghosts hesitated as they barely were able to react to his speed before but now he was on a whole new level. With Bellerophon assistance he advanced inside the enemy lines as they opened fire. They were made by the same mana they were using in their weapons so they didn’t fear to hit each other, that was how they attacked him no matter their own positions.

However Shirou was not only faster than their swords could keep up but neither could their improved firearms. He didn’t need to know all the details about Okita’s spells to just be faster than it, much like she was against him in the beginning of the fight.

There was no longer a need to defend as Shirou could just dance between shots and cut his enemies apart. The spirits shouted with courage as they all charged while covering the shooters from the magus’ sight. Bullets of mana, bigger than real bullets and more potent, flew in the redhead’s direction as he moved around the Shinsengumi.

Moving constantly made him a harder target and another quirk the magus noticed from the guns was that every single one of them sounded real. ‘Is spirit magic similar to Tracing?’ Bellerophon’s reply showed his confusion. ‘Yep, no idea either but it is similar. It is like Oklita is using the spirits to retrieve their… memories! That is it!’

Figuring out how each warrior had his own weapon and movement, Shirou could tell the spirits were really there but Okita was empowering them with a combination of devil magic and something similar to Gradation Air.

Details escaped him but while he dodged and fought against the ghosts he could finally understand how they were such capable fighters; their images were perfect because the spirits were reproducing what they knew from life and nothing else, all under their captain’s power.

Essentially Spiritual Arts were the use of the spirit’s memories and the user's mana to give them influence over the real world. Magicians and shamans in many countries developed different versions of it but none of them had as many spirits following them as Okita did.

None of that was to Shirou’s knowledge and while he realized how the Knight was fighting it didn’t solve the problem of facing hundreds of opponents who didn’t fear death.

Every single one of their attacks was suicidal as in they didn’t care that Shirou destroyed their bodies, just that they weakned him. The Shinsengumi at that point had already suppressed any instinctual fear they had left and just kept throwing themselves with abandon.

Making matters worse was that their numbers were not diminishing, something that baffled Shirou as he cut down another spirit in half before throwing Bakuya to his left like a boomerang.

The weapon wasn’t going to come back but he threw it in the direction of the Flag of Sincerity to try and find Okita. Basic rules still applied that if he took down the caster of the spell it would disappear.

Many of the spirits were cut down while the others kept attacking and while Bakuya was away Shirou could only use his fists and feet. The connection with Bellerophon grew weaker without his weapon but the Mage’s punches still destroyed two ghosts' heads before he did a handstand and kicked one behind him.

Bodies didn’t fly no matter how Shirou attacked or how many sacrificed themselves to Bakuya, they were simply erased until the familiar sound of steel clashing rang in the arena.

Standing there with a look of concentration was Okita.

To the redhead’s surprise the woman’s expression was devoid of any joy or happiness, just a cold but fierce glare. Raising her sword she threw a swing to the side and more mana left the magic circle, dozens of Shinsengumi, some who were recognizable as just destroyed, showed up again.

‘Oh, she can keep calling them while she has mana…’ Shirou would have hit himself if he wasn’t busy dodging bullets and swords. Bakuya disappeared from the air and back on his hands before he decimated ten men in an instant. ‘And then…’ He jumped high, avoiding the spirits and noticing how ten more gained form. ‘This becomes a mana competition.’

Part of Shirou, the Bellerophon part to be more exact, told him they could win this, that their stamina and mana was more than enough to resist and defeat a small army of ghosts. The redhead himself disagreed, if Okita wasn’t pressuring then the ghosts didn’t cost that much to maintain which explained why destroying them was easy.

The pegasus found himself agreeing with the point and then offered a suggestion that gave the redhead the impression of ‘charging against a wall head first’.

‘Not a bad idea.’ Shirou acknowledged as he fell back down, blocked a couple of swords before dispatching their users easily.

Far away from the main fight and surrounded by various subordinates, Okita kept her breathing stead and her concentration constant. ‘How much longer can he keep this going?’ The blonde wondered as she felt many of her subordinates fall again. ‘Tch…’

Already they had risen from the Flag of Sincerity and charged back into the fray as another approached to her side. “Okita-taichou, may I suggest we combine our strength?”

“This is a spar, Wakusuke. We aren’t trying to kill him.”

“Forgive me, Taichou, but aren’t you growing tired from the constant fight? Your health-”

Quicker than she should, Souji turned to him with a smile. “It is all right! It is all right! My body is practically doing nothing and I can keep going! See?!” She began to flex her arm rapidly and repeatedly. “Mana is different from stamina, after all.”

"Apologies, Taichou.” Then the man drew his sword and returned to the fight without prompting, leaving a smiling Okita behind.

Then the smile vanished as while she remembered her friend being attentive he also was a drinker outside of the job. And that part was missing. ‘At least they still play games.’ Souji tried to be positive.

Even if only some of them could do more than just fight, the majority only saw themselves as warriors in their entirety and that was what she was left to work with.

Then her instincts went on high alert as she felt a shift in the battle and one hundred of her subordinates fell in short order as Shirou advanced in her direction like a bright arrow ready to take her down.

Swords got in his way and bullets were fired but he easily cut all, Bakuya moving so fast that none of the Last Unit could see.

With her status as a devil and a Knight, Okita could, together with how Shirou was bashing her army away faster than the Flag of Sincerity could replace them. Her spirits didn’t tire but she certainly did and if she accelerated their return it would cost more mana.

Fighting like that was stopping being efficient so she changed tactics again, both hands in her sword handle. “Spiritual Arts: Advent of the Great Soldier!”

At her call many of the spirits became balls of flames in Shirou’s path that forced the Mage of Swords to stop. He still did a spin on his heel and threw a swing to the fireball which was blocked with a loud ring of steel meeting steel. What followed next was the creation of a giant sword being lifted by an equally giant hand.

Shirou couldn’t believe how tall the being born from the union of spirits was, at least several stories tall and easily capable of competing with an apartment with five floors. It was also made of metal or a substance that appeared to be metal but moved like muscles as the arm held the sword.

He heard once from Xenovia about a sacred gear capable of creating a giant warrior but already the redhead could tell this power was superior by one single factor; eyes, teal colored eyes stared at him with purpose and enmity.

The giant spirit knew Shirou was his opponent and he wasn’t even fully formed.

It was also using a giant version of the Shinsengumi uniform, a perfect fit to the giant, together with a bandana on his forehead. His face looked like the masks used by samurai during the Warring States, an open mouth without teeth and horns greeted the redhead with a teal glow inside it.

Not that Shirou was concerned about any of that as he was pushed by the enemy sword while the rest of the Shinsengumi cheered. The Mage was sent flying by the giant’s blow and found himself flying towards the boundary field at speeds too high to be considered safe.

Fortunately for him Bellerophon was there to help by sending a lot of mana to his back to produce a pale imitation of their ‘wings’ from his ascended state. It was enough to get the redhead to start flipping mid air until he landed on walls, a lot of mana spent but still mostly unharmed.

Gravity began to drag him back to the arena but the Mage still had plenty of time to look around and evaluate the situation. The Great Soldier changed things in more than one way, not only was he a towering presence on the battlefield but also it was clear to see the number of spirits had diminished.

Once again Shirou didn’t bother to count how many ghosts were still around, there were still plenty filling the place but it was less cluttered and once again he found himself stumped because he didn’t know anything about Okita’s magic.

At least the Giant Soldier was an excellent target but letting go of Bellerophon wasn’t an option. ‘As I said; needed versatility.’ The pegasus gave the impression he was shrugging his shoulders and Shirou rolled his eyes. ‘Fine, we can still work with this.’

Time to think had ended sooner than the redhead would have liked. His feet weren’t even on solid ground before the Last Unit began to open fire again. Shirou was forced to run the rest of the way down before charging straight towards the giant for a second round. The humongous spirit lifted his sword in answer to the challenge while his allies kept trying to get in the way.

But Shirou didn’t care about the small fry anymore and began to use Ki and mana in tandem with Bellerophon as the Divine aura covered his body once more. He began to accelerate even more and just when the Giant Soldier threw his attack the Mage had already jumped with Bakuya pulled back.

The Noble Phantasm came for a stab as Shirou pierced through the giant with his own body right on the ghost’s heart. The lights went down and the mana that made the soldier fell apart, Shirou immediately saw Okita holding a hand to her chest, an obvious bad sign.

Not for him who landed and kept going as fast as he could before leaping but not towards the Knight who quickly raised her sword in preparation. No, his target was the Flag of Sincerity.

Something Okita caught on quickly. “Spiritual Arts: Shield of Souls!!” Panic wasn’t present, just a calm confidence as the spell took hold.

This time every single ghost remaining became a ball of fire that moved towards the magic circle at full speed, arriving just in time for the collision as Shirou had thrown a strong slash towards it.

There wasn’t a fire anymore as the spirits formed some sort of crystal with a bluish hue and when the Noble Phantasm connected with it Okita and her magic circle were both pushed a couple steps back.

Faster than Shirou could react, the Knight had already recovered her footing and took advantage of his position in the air to cut his leg.

The wound wasn’t deep and the redhead was already redirecting his own sword towards Okita who was pushed again, unharmed thanks to the crystal, the Flag of Sincerity seemingly stuck on her back went with the captain.

Not bothering to check his leg, Shirou still stopped himself as Okita was already ready for another bout. “Looks like your spirits are a little stuck.”

“Hey, don’t underestimate my Spiritual Arts.” The blonde smiled again even as she was breathing harder than before. Finally the fighting was taking its toll. “But still, you are strong.” She recognized, looking at the crystal and noticing the scratch just above her. “To think you could damage my Shield of Souls. Are you sure you are human?”

“Most of the credit belongs to my partner here.” A pegasus made of light appeared for a moment before returning to Shirou.

A smile, sincere and full of praise, appeared on Okita’s lips. “It looks like none of us is fighting alone.” Looking at the shield again she took a deep breath. “Defeating a Great Soldier with 100 souls and damaging a shield made by the other 899 is an impressive feat. I think you legitimately harmed 400 of my spirits with all that.”

“Harm?” That was of concern to the magus.

For an instant only as Okita didn’t want to make him feel bad. “Don’t worry, they have limits when I transform them into something else. After I rest a little I can restore them easily.” She positioned herself with her sword held high once again, preparing her strongest Art. “Besides, I don’t want you to be distracted when I show you what the other 600 souls can do together.”

“Six… You are talking about your own?” The Giant Soldier was easy to beat even if Shirou failed to break the shield. If anything he wasn’t concerned for himself. “Look, this is a spar and-”

“I won’t get hurt, don’t worry. The first soul I learned to control was my own, could even have stopped myself from becoming a devil if I wanted.” She bragged a little before her eyes turned sharp again. “And you aren’t strong enough to beat me.”

A strong wind surrounded the Knight as the Flag of Sincerity and the crystal became motes of light that returned to their owner and Shirou took a step back as his senses began to act madly with the output of power Okita Souji was suddenly showing.

It was so much that the wind began to push him away. “What the hell?” Then it was done and his eyes grew wide at the changes on Okita’s clothes.

The kimono and hakama were the same if only they had changed color to white and black respectively but the rest wasn’t there before.

Now Okita wore a long black scarf that would have catched more of his attention if it wasn’t for the classical light blue haori of the Shinsengumi, complete with the kanji for sincerity on her back.

And every single bit of her outfit was now glowing in an ominous light that even for the moonlit world’s standards was supernaturally bright. It was such an odd event that Shirou felt every single one of the hairs of his body standing by its presence.

“Prepare yourself!!” Ordered Okita with a determined look. “This is where the fight ends.”

Both of them knew what she was going to do, at least she knew and he suspected. ‘Is this a feint? A trick or some other sort of attack?’ The memories in that sword were the same of his creation, the impossible technique that broke the laws of casualty.

A technique Shirou had stopped before so he was skeptical she would use it again but his mind was moving miles per second as he tried to read the Knight, the sword and her posture to come to some sort of conclusion.

Everything told him that it was the same technique again, the same attack, but for the life of him Shirou knew something was wrong as he had stopped that attack before. There was also the Knight’s new clothes to consider and with his knowledge of Balance Breaks he wouldn’t underestimate any sort of change.

‘It doesn’t matter.’ In the blink of an eye he reached the conclusion. ‘If I stop the sword then whatever the attack is, I win and I am faster with Bellerophon by my side.’ The because voiced his approval with more Divinity exploding from his body. “Come, Okita-san!!”

Bakuya being held by the Mage’s finger as the palm of his hand needed to be open enough for his technique, his hands already moving to stop the sword from completing any kind of swing.

“Behold the speed of my hidden sword.” The woman declared calmly but no less confidently as she began to advance. “First step, shifter than sound… Second step, infinity suffering… Third step, the absolute sword!” The uniform seemed to glow more before Okita vanished from Shirou’s sight.

The redhead was shocked by the development as he was used to someone with Yoruichi’s speed who was considered the fastest of all yokais. Indeed she was so fast that moving half of the town of Fuyuki to Kuoh in less than a second was easy for her. But while Shirou was stunned the resident of his soul was high alert and still able to see.

Bellerophon threw more power in Shirou’s direction, almost forcing an Ascension unprompted, which helped him to see the leap Okita was making, her sword still going in the same direction of her most lethal attack.

There was no time to think why she used an Aria, there was no time to do anything for even with Bellerophon raising his senses to the max Shirou could tell Okita was much faster than him and he had to react.

Only instinct had him moving but by that point it was too late as he wasn’t fast enough, the third leap had concluded with Okita appearing behind the redhead the instant their last confrontation took place.

A moment that lasted an eternity seemed to pass to the woman as her feet touched the arena again; her position had been perfect, her thrust precise and with the support of her deceased allies her technique had reached a level that went far beyond what a human was capable of.

Something that most devils would find impossible to replicate or even survive, something that peeked in the realm of the gods with the skill to match.

In an instant the spar was over.

“Mumyou Sandanzuki.” For some reason Shirou was sure that was the first time Okita had spoken true Japanese. A fleeting thought that came from nowhere as his senses caught up with what happened.

They were too busy as the world seemed to slow down and his feet left the ground.

When his brain finally caught up with him Shirou felt three distinct pains around the chest area, three places he knew the Three-Stage Thrust. It wasn’t even a thought, he just knew Okita had hit him and that the strikes had been enough to damage his armor.

Even if her sword hadn’t received any of the spirits’ power, the Knight’s speed still generated enough force to not only throw him from his feet but also break his armor, leaving sword shaped holes on every point of impact.

He was also sent flying past Okita who had just landed from her sword thrust and the final leap, a fenomena that showed how fast she was moving since she actually landed calmly before the impact had any effect over the Mage.

Indeed it was an attack that broke the laws of causality in multiple levels, something that Shirou knew as fact but even his Reality Marble failed to illustrate how ridiculously powerful the effects were.

Funny enough he saw the image of a purple haired man doing something similar mid flight but it only lasted a moment as his back collided with the boundary field.

Comparing it with a solid wall would be fair and if it wasn’t for Reinforcement and Ki Shirou would be dead because of how fast he was going. The sudden stop also didn’t help matters as even if only his back had collided with the wall of mana the redhead still felt sick and in extreme pain.

Sure enough a couple of bones had broken but it could have been way worse if Okita had aimed for his head or empowered her sword somehow. ‘See… that is why we needed variety… Ow…’ A headache was forming and the pegasus was irritated.

Bellerophon called the fight unfair because he knew if they could use Ascension then it would have ended in their favor.

Shirou disagreed but he had a more pressing matter. ‘Can you keep it down? My head is ringing like mad.’ His free hand went to support it as the redhead tried to shake it off. “Welp, I lost.”

“Really?” Okita’s voice caught Shirou’s attention as she was just a few steps from him, a look of confusion. “Because I was about to place my sword in your neck and… you know…”

“Demand the win? You can have it. If you wanted then that last attack could have killed me.” Shirou chuckled a little before wincing and holding his chest. “Goddamned, it is always the ribs.” Letting go of Bakuya, Shirou prepared to Trace an EM.

Only that the pain grew more intense without the Divinity and it must have shown on his face because Okita winced as well. “Sorry about that. Maybe I should have held back a little.”

“It is fine, Okita-san. You were giving your best. Besides, your technique was amazing and that speed was just... I knew you were coming but could do nothing.” He wondered if Vali felt something similar.

“Souji.” The blonde suddenly said.

“Hm?”

“We just fought and now we know more of each other than most people do.” The former captain of the Shinsengumi declared with a smile. “You can call me Souji now.”

A small smile later, Shirou nodded his head. “Sure thing, Souji-san.”

Waving her arm quickly, Souji was also shaking her head. “No need for a ‘san’ either.”

Before they could continue, Grayfia landed besides both fighters, studying Shirou’s condition. “I believe the fight has a clear winner.” She waited for a protest but there was none and so turned to the audience. “Winner of the bolt, Okita Souji of the Lucifer Peerage.”

“Victory for Okita-san!!” She declared while giving peace signs with both hands, sword back in its sheath. “If anyone else wants to fight I can still- Urgh.”

Many were shocked by Souji who was suddenly spitting blood before her clothes returned to normal and she began to lose her balance. Shirou tried to get up to catch her but his wounds were many and he needed some time to heal. And he wasn’t the only one there either.

Grayfia was close enough and was practically waiting for Okita to fall, holding her by the arms with a look of disapproval. “You shouldn’t have used that many spirits in a spar. You know that.”

“But-”

“No buts. You may have won but your reserves are too low and your body is starting to reject the spirits.” The Strongest Queen reminded the Knight, bringing up one of the conditions for her to keep the spirits in her soul. “That kind of power should only be used in case of emergency.”

“But I didn’t want to lose-” A glare silenced the Knight. “Meep.”

After that a small sigh escaped Grayfia’s lips as some of the audience were approaching the arena. “Regardless you showed the power of Lucifer’s Peerage and defeated a Mage so I shall let that slide.”

“Should I mention I don’t consider myself too much of a Mage? No? Everybody is going to ignore it?” Shirou found some difficulty in keeping EM stabbed on his body and that made the healing process difficult. “Figures.”

“Shero, are you alright?” Surprising, Luvia managed to reach them first with a look of concern and a hand quickly sizing EM. “Don’t worry, I will heal you.”

“Actually it would be better if Asia did it. Her power is more precise and less exhausting. Especially since she needs to examine his head.” Rias teased a little, stopping the Rook in her tracks. Then she looked at Shirou with a smile. “It was a great fight, both of you.”

“I think I have a concussion.” The Mage commented and Asia quickly approached and placed her glowing hands on his head. “Thanks.”

“Hmhm. Don’t worry, I will get you on your feet in no time.” Asia turned to the Knight, still supported by Grayfia. “Does she also need me to take a look?”

“I assure you, miss Argento, that Souji is going to be fine.” Grayfia was already helping the blonde to her feet yet again only for the Knight to lose her balance. “After some rest.”

Rias chuckled and moved to help the maid. “Can’t blame her since Shiro didn’t make things easier. Just shows how good of a fight it was.”

“Indeed a great spectacle.” Sirzechs approached in a calmer pace, his eyes full of approval and mirth. “Not many can push Souji to combine with her souls even if she kept her sword out of it. But then again you didn’t show the power capable of standing against a Dragon Emperor so we can say it was fair.”

Issei pointedly ignored Ddraig’s grunt on his head. “Fair and broken. The guy was fighting against an army. And then they all became clothes and she was just flying-” Then the Pawn stopped and turned to Okita. “Excuse me, Okita-san but why didn't you fly instead of leaping with your sword? Wouldn't that make the attack better?”

Sirzechs couldn’t stop himself from snorting, much to the surprise of some. It was even more surprising that Grayfia was giggling and Rias really wanted to know the answer to that question.

Scratching her cheek, Souji blushed a little. “Weeeell… when I use Mumyou Sandanzuki it is… better to have my feet on the ground.”

“Is there a problem with your wings?” Venelana asked with clear concern. “Do you need a physician? Or perhaps our daughter’s Bishop should take a look.”

“Asia sure wouldn’t mind.” Rias followed her mother’s lead, equally worried which made Okita embarrassed.

“No-no-no. My wings are fine, I swear.” At that point Sirzechs was holding back his laughter and Grayfia stepped aside as Okita could stand on her feet. Good for the maid since she had a reputation to maintain and laughing at her teammate would be poor form.

“Perhaps she is used to her feet since she was originally human?” Azazel arrived with Kiritsugu in tow. Both Emiya men traded nods while the Cadre continued. “Posture and habits are extremely important in any martial art. Even with 100 years she just isn’t used to flying enough to compensate.”

Which gave Sirzechs an opportunity he couldn’t resist. “Oh~ are you suggesting Grayfia failed in training Souji properly?” Everyone saw the Knight flinch and turn to the Queen of Lucifer who had her best poker face on.

“Of course no, I am an excellent flier.” Okita declared proudly.

“How come you didn’t fly much during the fight then?” Azazel already knew something was up and was smiling from ear to ear.

“I just… hit some walls when I fight with my sword.”

“Try every wall in a 5 meter radius.” Sirzechs pointed out.

Embarrassed and a little ashamed, Okita blushed and began to scratch the back of her head. “Tee hee…”

“Doesn’t matter! Sensei’s fighting style is still amazing!” Kiba declared with a smile as he carried Okita’s original sword in his hands. He offered it to the Knight who quickly sheathed it away. “I am happy to be training under you again and can’t wait to learn your Spiritual Arts, sensei.”

A sincere smile escaped Okita before she shook her head. “Sorry but with your low mana reserves that wouldn’t be… advisable. There are still other things that you can learn, though.”

Something Azazel agreed to but also saw another opportunity. “I suggest improving his sacred gear a little more. Last time I checked he was close to Balance Break.” The fallen angel pulled out a sheet of paper and passed it to Souji. “Here are my recommendations, all approved by your King, of course.”

He said it more for Akeno’s benefit, noticing like always that the Queen of Gremory was several steps back from his person.

Medusa saw Shirou finally stand up thanks to Asia’s healing and decided to say her piece. “While that was a good showing, my protector, you really need to stop getting yourself into fair fights. Underhanded or not, you are more of a trickster.”

There was something in the goddess’ words that Shirou found odd, like she was accusing him of holding back in some way. In his mind he gave his best and lost fairly and nobody seemed to disagree with that notion. Except Medusa who gave him a sharp look that held an unspoken message.

Truly there were some weapons he hadn’t used, Holy Swords like Ascalon, which may have given him some sort of advantage if he used them well. But there was also a risk of permanently harming Souji and much like she had avoided his vital points, he stopped himself from bringing anything extremely dangerous to a devil.

Acknowledging that after some thought, the Mage of Swords had only one reply to his goddess. “Unfortunately I kinda like fighting fair.”

“It is fine if it is in this kind of situation.” Kiritsugu’s voice carried a warning of his own, one that Medusa seemed to agree with as she was nodding. “Despite that, we need to get moving. We already wasted enough time.”

“Calling your son’s fight a waste of time is kinda cold.” Azazel observed but was ignored.

The Magus Killer’s eyes were on the Heiress who suddenly gulped. “You had enough time for a new strategy?”

Nodding confidently, Rias pointed to two of her Pieces. “Akeno and Kiba will join me for this spar.” Neither devil showed surprise.

While Medusa’s participation was unexpected, it was always a pick between Kiba or Issei to who would replace Luvia. Dealing with a god, even a weak one, wouldn't be easy anyway and in the end Kiba was picked because he offered more options and could also face Xenovia.

“Then let’s go back to our seats. Unless any of you want to watch from here.” Kiritsugu turned to walk away but a voice stopped him.

“Magus Killer, I mean no offense but shouldn’t we get a break before the next fight?” Zeoticus asked carefully but the man didn’t stop walking.

“Fresh fighters and little time. They don’t need breaks.” He looked back calmly. “Unless you don’t want me to teach her anything this month. Depending on what Sirzechs saw that I can help with, it may take too much time.”

Not that he really cared either way, in Kiritsugu’s mind he was a lousy teacher and doubted there was much he could help a devil learn.

Unfortunately his business partner was of a different mind. “He is right, father. Rias is already behind everyone else in preparations.” He smiled sincerely at his sister. “Or did you forget everyone already has a day of advantage on you?”

“Then we can finally get this show on the road? Great!” Xenovia opened her cape and lowered Durandal, still on its sheath, to make it easier to draw during the fight. “Let’s do this then! Don’t worry Master, I shall avenge your defeat.”

“‘We.’” Liz pointed out while the back of her halberd in the ground. “Our Master shall be avenged!”

“Yes!” Xenovia got more pumped up while Shirou suspected Liz was just playing the part. Or perhaps not, in either case, Grayfia approved the dedication of her fellow maid.

“What are the rules?” Medusa asked, calmly walking to stand besides her new teammates.

“Same as the previous with one addition; King loses, the team loses.” Kiritsugu replied, not giving time for anyone to say anything. He then turned to the improvised team. “Who is going to be your King?”

““Medusa/ Medusa can do it.”” Liz and Xenoiva said in sync and the goddess nodded to accept the position.

Looking around Venelana asked, “Shouldn’t we at least fix the damage?”

While the previous spar wasn’t explosive the arena had sustained some damage with swords still lying around, holes of diverse sizes, the biggest ones coming front he feet of the Giant Soldier, and a few stones broken here and there.

This time Kiritsugu paused and completely turned around. “This is not only to test Rias Gremory magic but in strategy as well.” Said the Magus Killer, his tone cold. “She shall be judged not only for what she can do in combat but also how to use the terrain. If I was to apply a more personalized test, we would be using a forest or rock formation instead of an open space.”

In fact Kiritsugu disliked the idea of using arenas to simulate combat. Most real battles weren't in open spaces; there was cover, obstacles, challenges from the very terrain itself that could make or break an army.

Competitions were one thing but Rating Games were not only a sport but a simulation of war, something that the Magus Killer actually approved as it kept the devils troops ready and trained while also giving them a revenue, so using open spaces and arenas for entertainment went against his methodology.

There was no place to hide, no perch to snipe the enemy before the threat became relevant, no position to pin the attacker or form a haste defense. He knew things would be different in an actual Rating Game, unless there was entertainment to be had since it was still a sport, but there was little he could observe in an open area, ironically.

Still he would do his job, observe and try to figure out what his business partner wanted him to help Rias with. ‘This would be easier if he just told me what he wants.’ Kiritsugu often wondered why he met so many whimsical people in his line of work.

Soon enough everyone save for those getting ready to fight had returned or found a seat. There were plenty to choose from but Shirou made an effort to catch up with his father quickly so he could sit beside the man and ask, “What is this about?”

“Sirzechs asked me to train his sister but didn’t give enough details.”

“But why are you doing it? You kinda hate teaching.”

“I don’t hate teaching, just never was good at it.” Something neither of them could deny. “But I owe Sirzechs that much at least.”

After finishing his statement Kiritsugu ducked as Sirzechs tried to hug him from behind. “Ah~ you do care.”

“Go to your seat.” The Magus Killer’s tone was more dry than a desert.

Chuckling a little at the circumstances, Azazel put his feet on the chair at the front. “So, does anyone want to take any bets? Give you good chances that Rias is gonna win.”

“Are you insinuating our daughter is going to lose?” Zeoticus and Venelana glared at the fallen angel with little heat, it was all in good fun.

“I mean, her opponent is a goddess.”

“A weakened goddess.” Venelana pointed out.

“But a goddess nonetheless.”

Sirzechs pulled something from a magic circle that Souji quickly catched, both expanding the piece of cloth to reveal a banner with a cute chibi Rias. “You can do it, Ria-tan!”

“Go Rias! Kiba! Show these outsiders our power!!” Souji joined her King in shouting as small flags with chibi Rias found themselves in her peerage’s hands.

“They are cute.” Complimented Asia as Koneko looked at hers for a second before just wavering it around..

The former heiress of Edelfelt was wondering if such things were befit of nobility- “Go Rias!!!”

“You can do it darling!!!”

-until she noticed that Zeoticus and Venelana had joined their son in cheering and they were leaders of their Clan for far longer than any of her ancestors lived.

“Hmm…” Gasper was studying his flag before waving it around a little. ‘If I root for buchou too loud then Xenovia will try and pick on me again. Anything but garlic!!’ His mind couldn't forget a certain prank.

“Go Buchou!! Akeno-san!! You can do it!!” Issei had a huge flag with a chibi Rias, courtesy of Sirzechs. The Pawn didn’t even hesitate to pick and wave it around. “You too, Kiba. Don’t you dare to lose!!”

“They certainly are… enthusiastic.” Shirou pointed out with a sincere smile.

His father watched him and frowned. “Did you… wanted me to-”

“No, by all heavens and hell, no.” Both Emiya men traded looks and nodded, appreciating each other’s sense of reason as the devils seemed to go nuts. “Are those servants of the castle-”

“Coming here with more flags and to watch? Absolutely, yes they are. Not all but enough to fill plenty of seats.” Azazel relaxed on his seat. “You sure none of you wants to make a bet? Zeoticus needs some opposition.”

“I think it would be wrong for me to get involved.” Not only Shirou didn’t like betting money, he also had people he cared about on both sides.

Something Azazel caught on quickly. “Must be rough having to watch two of your lovers square like that.”

“Yea- Wait, what?” Shirou suddenly stopped thinking as his father massaged the bridge of his nose.

Leaving Azazel free to laugh. “I mean, that girl who swore herself to you. You two are banging as well, right?”

“Xenovia? No, she is…” And then Shirou realized how anything he could have said would sound out of context.

Azazel still pushed a little more, for his amusement. “Come on, you can tell me, we are bros. Aren’t we.”

“Xenovia and I don’t have this kind of relationship.”

“Why not?”

“Perhaps you two should focus on the fight.” It hadn’t started yet but Kiritsugu felt his son needed an assist.

Which Shirou was grateful for because Azazel’s eyes quickly changed targets before he let out a snort. “Very well, Magus Killer. Tell me this then; what you expect to learn from this fight.”

“Don’t know.”

“Say what? Usually you are the man with a plan.”

“But Sirzechs didn’t tell me what to expect and about Rias Gremory… I know less than nothing.” He offered a weak shrug. “In these conditions you could say that I am here to learn what I am supposed to learn.”

"Okay…” Azazel looked at Shirou who also shrugged. “Fine then, who do you two think is going to win, honestly.” With how loud the Gremory Clan was being, undoubtedly the trio wouldn't be heard.

Kiritsugu replied first. “Depends on how much power Medusa recovered at this point.”

Shirou’s answer was more definitive. “Rias can’t win.” Shocking both black haired men as the magus just prepared to watch. “Medusa isn’t even half as strong as she was on the Shapeless Island,” he remarked with certainty, “but she is much smarter.”

…

To Rias was embarrassed would be an understatement as she turned around to avoid looking at her family. ‘Good grief.’

“My, my, perhaps you should wave around a little, Buchou.” Akeno teased a little, much more relaxed now that Azazel was out of her earshot. “Can’t leave your fans waiting.”

“Hush, Akeno.” Rias was really struggling to remain calm.

Coming closer, the Queen whispered in her ear. “But you were doing so well during the parade~”

“That was that, this is this.” Was the Heiress of Gremory reply. “Good grief, I am happy this isn't an event of some kind.” She knew one of her parents had prepared the servants in advance, it felt too sudden to be natural.

“So the plan, does it stay the same?” Kiba asked both to stop Akeno teasing their King and to put them back on track. Grayfia may be waiting for everyone to get a seat, and somebody also started selling popcorn, but the fight would soon start. “If not, who changes pairs?”

There was a good reason for Kiba to be being vague as he could see that Medusa was paying attention to them, one snake in her hands for her to play with. As a goddess they weren’t going to underestimate the purple haired girl and part of it involved not giving their plans right away.

Despite Medusa's intense gaze on the devils, her newly formed team was overall silent and doing their own thing; Xenovia was doing some stretches, her eyes on Kiba as she predicted them fighting, and Liz remained still with her halberd resting on a hand and the floor, almost like a statue.

But their silence was Rias’ benefit and she smiled, it didn’t mean the fight would be easy but an enemy who didn't plan was weaker than one who did. There was also the fact the three maidens never fought together, or even against each other.

Since vowing to recover her powers it was true Medusa took some steps towards it but she never asked to spar or revealed how she was doing to anyone. They also didn’t know what that entailed to a god but she knew about their powers and if she was taking the fight then they believed her confident.

Xenovia on the other hand was someone all of them saw fight more than once with multiple swords, Durandal more than most since Shirou began to teach her the secrets of the former owners. The former Exorcist’s prowess was well known, Kiba having more losses than wins in her hands, all things considered.

About Liz the devils knew her long enough to get all her habits, with and without her weapon. While her strength was just short of Koneko’s, the maid was far more brutal to the point she only wasn’t cruel because she seemed to not have that emotion. Or at least reason to have for cruelty.

As they expected to fight Shirou, most of the plan was already in place and the hushed conversation during the redhead and Souji’s fight was vague enough they knew Medusa couldn't have heard.

To keep it a secret was still important, any advantage was useful against a god. “Plan stays the same. You two just make sure to win your fights fast.” Her eyes were fixed on Medusa who tilted her head cutely. “Because our resident goddess doesn't look worried one bit.”

The way Medusa smiled, a predatory smile that looked as beautiful as it was deadly, gave Rias the impression she was hearing every word. She could only hope the purple haired goddess was going to play along and accept her challenge.

King versus King matches were common because of the hype involved in them, the idea of a powerful noble facing another was cemented as a great opportunity for great powers to clash while risking everything since the King’s fall usually means defeat.

Sure this wasn’t a Rating Game and Medusa wasn’t a devil but the principle was the same and a safe bet as Rias expected both Akeno and Kiba to defeat their opponents and reinforce her soon after.

Yet those were things easy to deduce, things that Medusa was practically signaling she could hear, and still the goddess showed barely any reaction.

There really wasn’t any strategy being discussed on their side, the three women were just doing their own thing; Xenovia exercising a little, Liz still a statue and Medusa watching with confidence. So confident in fact that Rias was starting to wonder how much of her power the goddess had already recovered.

‘Shiro was able to defeat her in her totality… No, that is wrong. She was berserk, no rational thought.’ Suddenly Rias found herself doubting her own strategy before shaking her head. “If things get worse I will focus my power on just keeping Medusa at bay. Focus on your own fights.”

““Yes, Buchou!”” Her Pieces’ words gave Rias more confidence.

Yet the amethyst eyes of Medusa shifted and her smile grew somewhat more confident nevertheless.

“Fighter, prepare for combat!” Grayfia gave out  a warning as soon everybody in the arena was seated. It wasn’t full and everybody was focused on the sides to give the VIP the best view. “Standard match until the King falls, surrenders or all Pieces are defeated! If I judge you are unfit to fight, do not waste time complaining! Any objections?”

“None.” Rias responded first.

“Just start already!” Xenovia was practically jumping in place but Grayfia was looking at Medusa who nodded to get things going.

The Ultimate Maid shook her head at the break of protocol but let it slide since Rias was still following it and this was a test for her. “Begin!” Once again she took the skies to not get in the way.

Rias quickly jumped a few steps back to give Akeno and Kiba more room to work with, just in time too as Xenovia came at them, pulling Durandal from its sheath. The blue head had already a target in mind and so she ignored Rias in favor of Kiba who was fast enough to call his usual sword.

Only for the swordswoman to be intercepted by Akeno, a Lighting Sword in Queen’s hand, much to her shock both literally and figuratively as Xenovia kicked the ground to get away quickly, her arms almost growing numb from the sudden intrusion.

“My, my~ Xenovia-chan, please, don’t be like that~” The Queen played with her Lightning Weapon, a crude and misshapen sword, before pointing it at the former Exorcist. “It isn’t fun when you run away.”

“Tch, so my opponent isn’t Kiba but you?” Never the two had clashed before so that was a new experience. Still her arms remained heavy as lead so she used Durandal’s Aura for a quick recovery before smiling. “How fun! Let’s do it, Akeno! Time to see if my training paid off!”

The younger woman began to run to the side for more space, a maneuver that Akeno didn’t need to follow but did so anyway since she was her designated opponent. In fact if Luvia failed to contain Shirou, Akeno was the one with the best chances of neutralizing a swordsman thanks to her magic.

Which left the blond to face his opponent who remained standing beside the goddess and temporary King.

Liz’s face remained blank and clear, her eyes rubies which refused to move and for a moment the Knight suspected she was waiting for Rias to make the first move, at least by the direction she was looking at.

Medusa then chuckled. “Looks like Kiba is your opponent.” She commented but the maid gave no response. “Are you going to fight him?” Was an offer more than anything.

And for the first time in several minutes Leysritt moved, her neck turning to regard the goddess. “For the duration of this combat session, I am under your command.”

“Ah, you are waiting for an order. How quaint.” It was the first time Medusa had a direct servant with rational thought. She at least didn’t count the faithful in the days with her sisters or anyone she had Charmed. “Very well then, we shall play their game.” Raising a hand she pointed at Kiba. “Defeat the enemy Knight’s then their King.”

A simple directive. “Roger.” The kind Leysritt appreciated. She didn’t need complicated maneuvers, never wished to bother with those.

Besides, battle suited her more than she liked to admit so with the order given she charged, halberd spinning in her hand as she jumped.

Kiba easily dodged the attack but it was so strong that most of the area he was standing broke apart. Not any news for the Knight who was well aware of his gym teacher’s strength and his superior speed.

A counter attack was also in order as the sword came aiming for Leysritt’s thigh only for the body of the halberd to stop the attack which was followed by another attempt to hit the Knight.

Realizing his speed was good but the fight would still take a while, Kiba gave Rias a nod before pointing his sword to the maid. “Say, sensei, what do you say if we fight somewhere else?”

His words went unheard as all the homunculus did was jump again and destroy more of the arena. Nothing that bothered Kiba as he took it as a sign he was the target and just ran away hoping she would give chase.

That she did and so there were only two left. “Was that all according to plan?” Medusa asked with playfulness as she caressed the snake in her hands a few times with an amused grin. “Or are the pairs not to your taste?”

“Oya, are you trying to say you are making things easier for me?” Rias’ amusement was also palpable.

A shake of the head and a giggle were the initial reply. “Oh no, I would never bother to try and control Xenovia and she is going to fight as she wants. If anything, I am more interested in why you would want to fight me.” Delicately Medusa placed the snake on the ground and it quickly slipped away. “Not many would dare to challenge a god, after all.”

It was an intimidating statement delivered in the cutest way possible. “Perhaps but I thought we would make good dance partners.”

“How so?” WIth a cute tilt of the head.

“Akeno’s lightning can be a real pain against short ranged fighters and Kiba’s speed will have him easily run around Liz the whole day if necessary. The problem is, well, fighting a god isn’t easy.” The Heiress of Gremory called Born to be Wild behind her. “But I believe Destruction can be a match. Especially since our fighting styles are similar.”

“Similar? Fufufufu.” Medusa covered her mouth with her hand before controlling herself. “Rias, Rias, Rias… My protector trusted you with much but not all. Truly his character deserves merit.” Leaning to the side the goddess eyes seemed to shine. “He never told you how I fought.”

“Well, ‘a monster no longer’, right?” Rias pointed out and Medusa only found it more humorous.

“No, no longer.” She closed her eyes calmly as a purple Aura began to surround her body. Rias was ready for any spells and her Stand took the first shots. Only that they hit nothing as Medusa vanished and reappeared to the redhead’s side, fist raised. “But always a beast.”

Born to be Wild was thrown in the goddess path instinctively but the Stand was easily destroyed. The pureblood devil flew off her feet and needed to use her wings for balance after the sudden shock from the impact.

Rias had no time to recover her bearing as Medusa was already by her side with her leg held high, revealing an elegant sandal tied to the goddess leg. It was also glowing purple, a clear indication the next attack was going to be a really strong one.

Fortunately Rias’ imagination was on point and Born to be Wild’s leg helped kick her to the side to completely avoid the attack and the debris that came after with a kick so strong that the redhead was sure it was stronger than anyone in her peerage.

'Stronger than Koneko, faster than Kiba.’ Rias thought, her face showing her surprise. “You aren’t-”

“A long range fighter?” Medusa replied as the dust dissipated. “Only later when I grew too big and started losing my mind. Even then I always had a preference to do things with my own hands.” A frown made its way to the goddess face as she watched her hands. Seeing what she wanted to see, she nodded before turning back to her opponent. “But I must be careful to not drown in blood again. By the way, how fast can you make that Stand thing in full again? 2 seconds and a half? A little less?”

“Born to be Wild!!” Was the reply as bullets of Destruction flew in the goddess direction. Another few rounds were being prepared as she expected the goddess to fire back.

Medusa danced around the projectiles instead of shooting back, she avoided the hits with a grace that couldn’t belong to any human. When all 12 shots had been avoided the purple haired goddess stopped to stare at the devil with an animalist gaze as her aura grew in power.

Rias didn’t hesitate and unleashed another 12 shots, keeping them closer together to minimize Medusa’s escape routes.

Instead of dancing this time the goddess dove and seemed to slide through the ground as her feet only had the minimal contact necessary for movement. She also didn’t stop once the bullets were behind her and instead charged ahead until she was right on Rias’ face, another punch mid way.

Despite her connection to her magic and quick reactions Born to be Wild was too late and the hit connected with Rias’ stomach, the redhead letting out a gasp as she flew holding her midriff while her Stand shot more bullets in a panic.

Armor or not, Rias felt the hit and needed time to recover. “You still haven’t corrected your defense.” Medusa pointed out as she ran to the left to avoid the bullets to then make a beeline towards her opponent. “And I know all of my protector’s armor flaws.” Spinning on her toes, some of her hairs turned into snakes. “And if you fly…”

Purple lasers were unleashed just in time for Rias to recover enough to throw her Stand as protection. Born to be Wild broke apart in an instant but once it was gone she quickly raised some magic circles to stop the blasts.

Her hands began to bleed. ‘Is she really weakened?’ Because Rias was beginning to doubt about it, Divinity or not. Fortunately for her the beams only lasted a few seconds before Medusa charged again, enough time to land and call Born to be WIld. “Mana Bullets!”

Explosions ran across the arena as Medusa dodged in a zigzag pattern to secure her approach. “Those announcements also don’t help your case, strengthening your image or not.” Once she was close enough she began to throw another fist only for the Stand to kick her arm away and aim its hand to her head. “Gh.”

“Hehe, and you are too confident.”

The blast that came after was big and Rias found herself launched away from the epicenter. Since she was expecting that more or less to happen her wings were already prepared and Born to be Wild planted its foot down first before helping its creator.

The skirt of her uniform was burning despite its heat resistant fabric and she put the fire out before looking at the cloud of dust and expecting to see a bleeding Medusa on the ground. At least there was some blood as the goddess revealed herself mostly unharmed with only a little of the substance falling from her forehead.

Cleaning it quickly, Medusa studied the blood with some interest before frowning. “I am weaker than I thought.”

“Or maybe I am just stronger?” Rias quipped back before letting out another rain of bullets.

Those Medusa didn’t bother to dodge but her hair moved around and bashed them all away one at a time, shocking Rias and many devils in the audience. “No, you are not.” Medusa licked her blood clean. “I am out of practice on fighting in a humanoid form.”

Rias realized how true that was as Medusa grew more monstrous with time and every kill, her Divinity completely out of control. But the goddess herself admitted she had been her sisters’ protector, the only fighter amongst the three and during those times she had no experience.

Now she had more power to boot, weakened or not since her Core also had her sisters’ Divinities.

Horror began to draw in Rias’ face as she quickly realized the tall order she was facing since unlike when the goddess faced her lover, she was now with her full mental capacities and knew all of the pureblood devil’s abilities.

“Don’t worry though, that isn’t going to make this fight any easier for you.” Said Medusa with a cheeky smile as she charged again and Rias could tell her movements were more clean.

But also somewhat more animalistic, feral.

…

Akeno sent four lightning bolts towards the former Exorcist, every single one of them bashed away by Durandal. Nothing unpredictable really since the Pereless Sword was worthy of its title and the Queen was just throwing any cheap shot she could get, searching for an advantage.

Most of the plan was still a direct confrontation since with her weapons she could channel electricity upon contact, a charge strong enough that Durandal couldn't protect its owner at least. But in her mind Akeno knew it wouldn’t be that easy to win, Xenovia was the superior fighter between the two and so she planned to weaken the blue haired knight first.

Range was still her advantage as far as the Queen was concerned so she quickly did a turn to create a magic circle and let out a huge discharge of electricity. She knew Xenovia was going to block and as expected Durandal cut the unruly lightning in half but that still gave the ravenhead a few seconds.

Seconds she used to unveil her wings and take flight, securing her distance from Xenovia. “Get back here!”

“Does that ever work?” Akeno asked half rhetorically.

“Back in Kuoh, it does.” Replied an annoyed swordswoman.

“Too bad~ This is more than just a spar, after all~ Spark up!” Joining her hands the Queen then opened them up to reveal a Lightning Spear. She spun it twice before throwing the weapon at Xenovia.

Instead of dodging, the girl used Durandal to destroy the weapon, not willing to let Akeno damage her footing. “Get down here or else!”

“Or else what?~” While she was playing around a little the raven haired girl knew Xenovia could use Durandal to attack at range.

But the attacks were slow and had a clear build up of power, signals that Akeno planned to use for dodging. Instead of heading to the order she created she created a Lightning Whip in a fast swing.

This time when Durandal made contact the Lightning didn’t break and instead tied itself to the sword. Akeno didn’t need to do anything else but kept it going as electricity ran rampant on Durandal and its owner, the Queen didn’t even need to mess with the intensity.

But the whip did break eventually as the Holy Aura got rid of its magic, Xenovia growing more annoyed. “I’m going to get you back for this.”

“Oh~ You promise?~” Because a part of Akeno was really tempted by the idea. Still her Lightning Whip had only lost a small part of it and while she pulled her arm back for another attack, the construct was restored. “You better not be lying.”

Xenovia gave the Queen a glare before charging Durandal’s Holy Aura, a tell tale she was getting ready to blast her enemy away. Physics didn’t really apply to her whip so Akeno could begin moving around as her weapon kept its trajectory.

It was like the tip was that of a spear until it made contact with something.

And made contact the whip did, just to break apart again. “Sir Roland’s technique!!” Xenovia declared and a blast of Holy Light was expelled from Durandal, decimating the whip. “Ooooooohhhhhhh!!!”

The Light moved with the sword much to Akeno’s shock who quickly began to fly up and up and up until her back hit the boundary field. As fast as her circuits allowed her the Queen made a Lightning Shield that managed to hold back the blade of energy even as the two powers contested.

But her power was of a devil even if she also used a lot of pure mana. All her constructs used ‘devil imagination’ as much as ‘human magic’.

So her shield fell and a strong hit collided with her chest, breaking the armor apart, before retracting. Akeno noticed a burn just above her breasts and looked down to a smug Xenovia who had Durandal on her shoulder.

“You better get back down here or I will finish this fight too soon. This is more than a spar, after all.” Usually those kinds of tricks with Durandal were those reserved only for training with her Master, something Akeno wasn’t up to par with.

She knew about them only on the surface as Xenovia didn’t mind telling everyone what she was learning from Durandal’s memories but demonstrating it on Kuoh, where most of her friends were devils, was deemed too risky even for her.

However this fight was a test for Rias and during her Master’s fight, his father had instructed her that while holding back was prudent, she wanted Rias pushed to her limits or as close as she could manage.

Since Kiritsugu was Shirou’s father and that wasn’t an order the redhead wouldn't disagree with, she accepted the mission. To Xenovia it also implied she didn’t need to hold back that much.

Also her blood was boiling after Shirou’s fight and from both excitement and her Master’s honor she saw victory as a duty so the devils didn’t think less of him.

They wouldn’t anyway but Xenovia was already motivated.

Still the message was clear; If Akeno insisted on flying Xenovia wasn’t going to waste energy with wave after wave of beams of Holy Light, she was going to make a giant sword of said Light and beat the Queen up with it.

The burns showed Akeno that the attack was less of a blade but just pure energy, however the Queen knew that was because Xenovia commanded it so. Most of the damage done by Durandal during spars that she would fix showed the Reincarnated devil that they could be akin to cuts from giant swords most of the time.

Despite that the boundary field didn’t allow the devil enough leeway to escape the attacks so she did as the former Exorcist demanded and began to fly back to the floor. Only she didn’t do it slowly. “Spark up!”

Mana coursed through her circuits as she used Reinforcement before manifesting a blade of her own while remaking her whip. Her feet never touched the ground as she made a sharp turn straight to Xenovia, the newly restored whip the first avenue of attack.

An white aura covered Xenovia and she sidestepped the whip, something that the Xenovia from the Church should not have been able to do. Worse yet she surprised Akeno by wrapping the Lightning on her arm, practically ignoring the raw power while her aura seemed more erratic.

The Queen tried to pull, not risking her friend’s life by sending more energy, but was instead finding herself being pulled. The opposite forces struggled but once again to Akeno’s surprise Xenovia proved herself stronger and locked the Queen in place since she refused to let go of the whip.

Durandal began to glow white again, a clear color of white, before Xenovia took a swing and a relatively small wave of Holy Light left her weapon. Akeno raised her sword to defend herself but once again her Lightning fell short. Still her armor saved her shoulder but Structural Analysis told her it wasn’t for long.

Especially not with Xenovia getting ready for another swing.

Accepting she wasn’t going to win in a contest of strength, odd since her Rook Trait should be giving her the advantage, Akeno let go of the whip to dodge to the side. Two Lightning Swords appeared on each hand as she charged as fast as she could towards Xenovia with the intention to cut her hands off.

Asia could reattach them later, the devil was sure.

When she was closer, Akeno made two magic circles and unleashed Lightning blasts for good measure. The shots were powerful but not aimed at Xenovia but the ground and did their job of kicking off some dust.

Enough so that the Queen was confident she could change sides and Xenovia wouldn’t see her, confident enough to then charge from that direction and take a swing that would shock the bluehead for a few seconds while the other sword finished the fight.

She didn’t expect the scabbard to intercept the first hit or that Xenovia would follow up with a kick. “I’m way more than my sword.” Xenovia declared as she leaded in Akeno’s direction with a jump and hard swing. Akeno flew away and threw her swords at her opponent only for her to use her cape to block the hits. “You would know if you got together with us more often.”

“Sorry but usually Wizard types should spar with each other.” She pontificated by summoning three magic circles to unleash more Lightning before joining her hands and shooting a bigger one. “Lightning Arrow!”

White aura pulsed blue and Durandal slammed on the floor unleashing a beam of Holy Light. All of Akeno’s attacks were devoured and she had to run or be hit. The attack just kept going.

And Xenovia was already coming to the Queen location, raising her blade again. Calling two more swords, Akeno used both in a block and allowed their electricity to go freely, fully intending on making the former Exorcist’s arms numb.

But that didn’t work as the electricity seemed to dance around Xenovia, not even reaching her hands as the white blueshi aura kept pulsing. The color made it look like it was coming from Durandal but with how close they were, Akeno managed to figure out it wasn’t the case.

“Touki? You already mastered touki?” She knew Xenovia was being trained on that but her control was absurd considering Shirou was also teaching her about Durandal.

What Akeno didn’t realize was that training with her sword was a bonus, not a detriment. “Not the first Durandal owner to have touki.” Xenovia quipped with a grin, a hand letting go of the sword. “And guess what my element is?”

Aura was being channeled on the bluehead’s hand and her instincts immediately told her about something familiar about that power, a part she wanted to deny spoke of something good. But her devil’s instincts shouted louder as her skin began to crawl so she made her swords explode with Lightning to give herself some space.

Xenovia wasn’t bothered as her Ki unleashed a beam of light not unlike a lantern but much hotter and the area where Akeno was standing was hit by said light. The Queen noticed the damage was minimal but there was some damage even if it was in a small area.

Still Akeno could feel displeased by what she saw and gritted her teeth. “Light? Of all elements yours is Light?”

“Fufu, of course.” Xenovia raised Durandal again as her Ki mixed with her blade and the two seemed to pulse. “It was the Light element that allowed people to use the Caliburn Fragments. Wouldn’t it make sense that as Durandal’s Owner, my Light wouldn't be stronger than most? Enough that you could feel it?”

“No offense but the attack wasn’t that strong?” Indeed the stones on the arena where Xenovia’s small beam had hit were mostly intact.

“True… When I use it by myself.” But with Durandal’s in her hands and its own aura pulsing around the sword, the aura around Xenovia grew brighter. Bright enough that it was comparable to an angel. “And what I said about flying?”

When Xenovia attacked at range she wasn’t using Durandal’s power anymore but her own while the sword was a focus for more power while improving her aptitude. In reality Durandal was barely contributing any sort of energy for those attacks like the blade of energy she threw at Akeno once again.

The Queen dodged the first one just in time Xenovia began to swing her sword madly and each and every time a blade of Light escaped the Pereless Sword. No longer Xenovia needed to prepare the Noble Phantasm before attacking, the energy was hers and she could keep going while her stamina held.

Once she was hit on the leg Akeno knew she would fall before Xenovia grew tired and immediately prepared a counter attack. “Lightning Bolt!” It was fast, it was explosive and it threw Xenovia off her feet.

But the match wasn’t over and Akeno made a whip again, this time with more power.

Now that Xenovia had Ki, at least the Fighting aspect of it, a lot of Akeno’s fears disappeared as she knew the girl could take plenty of damage. She was now going to unleash far more power to secure her win.

Violet eyes were still paying attention to the other fights and they didn’t like what they were seeing.

…

The head of the halberd collided with the sword as steel grinded steel. It lasted for barely one moment before Kiba moved to the side and brought out his ice sword forward but the body of the homunculus’ weapon was already on the way.

Ice began to quickly spread over the shaft but that didn’t deter Leysritt as she pushed further until it hit Kiba’s nose. The Knight was sure it was broken and what made things worse was that his grip on his swords grew weaker, the ice weapon flying from his hands.

Fortunately he still had his Knight Sword and used it as a buffer for the next attack as Leysritt kept trying to get his face familiar with her weapon. The metal clashed as Kiba recovered until he felt well enough to run away, the white haired maid in hot pursuit.

Sure enough Kiba was faster than the maid but she was relentless, her halberd destroying the ground every time she was just shy of getting Kiba.

He let himself go low, counting to three before unleashing his sacred gear. “Sword Birth!!” Was the maid’s cue to stop and jump back as dozens of small blades emerged around Kiba.

Only one came as a fully grown sword, Ice Emperor, the weapon he chose for this particular fight. Drawing it forth and raising both of his weapons up, Kiba took a few swings with them, now having more space to test their combined weight.

Truly fighting with two swords at once wasn’t his especially but Liz was usually too strong for him to compete against. Any time he saw her spar with Issei all he could think was himself in their place being turned to paste. Only Koneko could challenge their friend in a contest of strength and the woman was a combatant competent enough to win.

Against a Senjutsu user, nekomata who was naturally attuned to Ki. And the maid could win more often than not. Kiba really wasn’t going to underestimate her, ever.

She began to circulate his wall of small blades, the Knight keeping up with her steps to make sure she would just leap in his direction. His swords were crossed one in front of the other and his ice began to strengthen the metal of the Knight Sword.

Kiba could also feel something from his sword, a feeling much like the flames that tried to consume him in the past but calmer. It kept pulsing with his heartbeat.

He knew he was close to something, to his real Balance Break, and perhaps that was the fight which would unveil his new power. Leysritt, while not someone he would choose to fight against, was the kind of opponent that annoyed him the most; stronger than him and fast enough to keep up with his speed even if just barely.

In other words the kind of adversary that could really push him.

Sure Rias had chosen her Knight for this fight because he had some advantages against the maid but those were just because he was the best choice as Leysritt was an homunculus capable of facing and defeating everyone else short of Rias and Akeno.

‘Perhaps Luvia could have been a better choice. Sure she is slightly weaker but her magecraft could balance the odds.’ Kiba mused until the halberd spun on the maid’s hands. It went faster and faster until it was almost a blur, much to the Knight’s surprise. ‘What the-’

How a halberd could move so fast to look like a saw blade was the question he wanted to ask but his brain froze when the weapon touched the arena and began to break it apart. Stones, pebbles really, began to fly in Kiba’s direction at high speeds but he broke them with no difficulty.

As the strategy showed no results, Leysritt stopped and looked at Kiba with a tilt of her head before raising her halberd high and slamming it on the ground. Part of the section she was on broke, the sides giving away as a stone the size of a big tree stump emerged. Her previous attack had weakened the area and it was easy to retrieve the stone.

After a spin the maid threw the giant stone at the Knight and he moved to counter, his steel sword cutting the rock in half. Made in the Underworld or not, Kiba’s swords wouldn’t lose to simple stone, at least not one already falling apart.

What he was going to be defeated by if he wasn’t careful was Leysritt who jumped after her throw, halberd in position to hit his shoulder. Armor or not, the impact would break something.

And it did as ice stopped the head of the weapon, the blade chattering in an instant but unleashing a cold blast that stopped the halberd’s momentum. Kiba was already bringing his steel sword back and restoring the ice one while Leysritt just fixed her stance and brought the halberd back for more.

Both swords had no choice but to stop the attack just as it was about to connect, the blade did connect as only his armor stopped a cut on his shoulder. But as stated previously Kiba was the weak one in that fight and easily fell to his knees as Lesyritt pushed the halberd down.

He could barely react when she pulled the weapon back and slammed it down again. And again. And again, harder than the other times.

However on the fifth time something was wrong as Leysritt noticed the weapon’s weight was amiss. Indeed when she looked at the head of the halberd there was a ball of ice covering the blade.

A smirk escaped Kiba. “Ice Emperor.” Declared the Knight, mana covered his weapon as he chased the halberd and slammed his ice sword on it. “Now you can’t use it anymore.” He made sure the ice around the halberd’s head grew bigger and proportionally heavier.

Balance ruined, it was clear that Leysritt wasn’t expecting that turn of events. She took a few steps back to regroup but the new weight made things harder. Which was easier for Kiba’s counter attack, his swords colliding with her chest twice before the steel cut her arm and the ice stabbed her leg.

Freezing a limb was a sure fire way to win that fight and just to make sure there was no escape Kiba kept hitting Leysritt with the Knight Sword randomly. Ice spread fast thanks to his magic but he was underestimating the homunculus as she quickly demonstrated by pushing him off with all her strength.

Leysritt didn’t even glance at the ice encasing her leg, she just jumped in the Knight’s direction with all she had, halberd above her head.

On the back of his frizzed mind still recovering from the impact, Kiba mused, ‘That is a mace,’ just before dodging to the side as part of the ice broke with the impact.

Just a few tidbits, not enough to break the huge ball of ice that hit his ribs when Leysritt did a turn. Certainly it wouldn’t break on his body as he lacked the resistances to even put up a fight but his armor at least protected him from the worst as he flew again.

Didn’t help his head though as Kiba felt the impact. ‘My legs can’t stop shaking.’ He used his swords to get up as Leysritt leaped again.

Despite her great strength the maid’s jump was insufficient and for the first time she noticed the ice hanging on her tight and constricting her muscles. While to most beings the damage already would be too much just with the cold alone, Leysritt demonstrated her resistance by ripping the ice off and just losing some skin.

Her pants were now damaged and there was some blood but nothing that would stop her from fighting and so she focused once again on Kiba who was still struggling to stand up.

Time wasn’t on his side as Leysritt got a running start this time before getting into range. Almost falling to his feet, Kiba managed to dodge the next attack as ice and rock broke apart behind him. If it wasn’t clear before the armor had saved his life, it was now.

Liz worked with Shirou in all its prototypes and subsequent forms, all ORC used his creations but her hand was as involved as his at least when it came to the armor. She knew its limits or how much she could hit them for the impact to actually stick while not being fatal. Sure it was almost all her strength to break bones but that also depended on her weapon, which was a good one.

All she had to do was avoid hitting Kiba on the head, in theory.

Easier now that the Knight was moving sluggishly, even using his swords to pull himself away and get some distance as the pain on his side still hadn’t subsided. Ice was left on his trail to tray and make Leysritt lose her balance and it almost worked when she took a step too far.

Only for her to stop herself from falling with her halberd before using it like a pole for a jump. It was still another second, one used well as Kiba recovered his balance and ran to the side.

Another hard impact broke more of the ice but the halberd wasn’t entirely free just yet, which meant its weight was still off. That wouldn’t last for long but Kiba took the opportunity to run a few more paces away before turning back to Leysritt.

Crossing his swords again he charged forward towards the maid, both planning to meet in the middle, halberd already going for his chest as his swords rested to his sides. The Knight’s speed helped immensely for him to stop just short, his wings opening for assistance, and completely avoid the hit before hitting Leysritt’s arms.

Yet the homunculus refused to let go of her weapon, letting her swing finish before using the ball of ice as a counter balance for a tackle. It barely connected but Kiba was still forced to retreat before swinging his swords again.

This time the maid was prepared and both weapons hit her back as she turned swiftly, mace coming from behind her like a hammer. Kiba’s wings had him back just in time but then Leysritt kicked the frozen head of her weapon and it connected with his right arm, breaking it.

Thanks to his wings Kiba managed to retreat further back before falling on the floor because of the pain, her Knight Sword missing as he failed to keep a grip. ‘She anticipated me?’ Focusing again and ignoring the pain, he stabbed his sword on the ground. “Ice Emperor!”

A discharge of mana unleashed towers of ice on Leysritt’s way that managed to stop her advance, the white haired woman breaking a few of them before being able to charge again only to stop as more towers were quickly formed.

Kiba was panting as his reserves grew smaller. His body was shaking too much and he needed a plan.

Letting go of Ice Emperor, he knew that sword wasn’t going to work any more, he needed mana to use its best tricks and buying time to recenter himself had spent most of it.

No, there was one sword he could make that he was so familiar it would cost nothing and it was his Holy Eraser which came to his hand in his time of need.

In terms of ability it had nothing that could work on Liz but Kiba was confident in his skill and speed. “Sorry but I am going to have to cut a leg off.”

Leysritt heard him but didn’t bother to reply, no more pillars of ice got in her way so her charge started anew. Taking her time to run and reach her opponent with her halberd fully extended to her side as she planned to use what was left of the ice to finish everything.

When she was close enough she took the swing and Kiba immediately threw himself back. He didn’t attack, didn’t dare to attack, until he saw a clear opening, Holy Eraser stabbing the leg already stabbed.

Pain tolerance was a thing Kiba knew Leysritt had but she advanced further, ignoring his sword and hitting him with the shaft of her weapon again. There was little strength on his legs to stop himself from being launched back but a new Holy Eraser came to his hand while he ducked her follow up.

Once again the homunculus was about to use her weapon as a hammer and the Knight was ready to stab her again when both felt a huge beam of energy coming from the left. They turned to see one of Durandal’s attacks Akeno had dodged flying in their direction.

No hesitation from any of their parts as they pushed each other out of the way, Leysritt abandoning her weapon to do so while Kiba used him to give him reach.

Durandal’s blast passed and both fighters were safe, the Knight checking himself for a moment before noticing his arm and beginning to move it. Broke or not he made a painful effort to raise his hand and close it.

‘Not good enough to hold a sword by itself but will suffice.’ He closed his hand on Holy Eraser as his eyes returned to Liz and noticed her unharmed and unarmed.

The homunculus looked back and fixed her arms in a boxing posture, ready to keep going.

Already Kiba could see his advantage and while he would gratefully take it in most fights, Liz was someone he cherished. “Get your weapon.”

“This is a fight.” She pointed out with a frown, emotions returning to her eyes.

Smiling innocently, Kiba shrugged. “Shirou won’t like me cutting you up because you are unarmed.”

“This is a spar. He will understand.” Yet Kiba made no move to attack so Liz stepped forward to retrieve her halberd. What was left of it anyway. “It broke.” Almost cut in half, the weapon lost its head and part of the body.

Looking around, neither could find it, forcing them to reach the conclusion that it was decimated.

“Can you still fight?” If not then Kiba was going to offer her to yield. Strong skin or not, both of them knew his swords could cut her, the wound in her leg was proof enough.

A small voice in his head was disappointed when instead of a direct reply Liz began to play with what was left of her weapon, spinning it around and even throwing it up like a gymnastic routine.

Basically reminding Kiba that she was Kuoh’s gym teacher and had more skills than her brute strength. “I’ll manage.”

“I had to ask, hadn’t I?” Kiba lamented. “Sorry Buchou but winning this won’t be easy.” He prepared himself to keep going. “Ready?” No reply other than the pole in her two hands was given. “Let’s do this!!”

They charged at each other, one cautious and the other determined.

…

A couple of explosions marked the spot Rias believed Medusa was only for the goddess to still be moving around and dodging every single one of the redhead’s bullets.

Reload and shoot, reload and shoot, over the last few months Rias believed she had mastered her technique to the point of perfection. The interval between using all her bullets to then create new ones was less than 3 seconds. Changing the type added nothing extra as the transition happened before the bullets came to be.

But it wasn’t really perfect as Medusa was showing when she timed every single one of the attacks precisely, stopping just when Rias was shooting the last bullet and running again when she reloaded.

Worst thing was that Rias was sure Medusa was fighting like that to purposely annoy her, and it was working like a charm.

However none of that was an excuse to let her guard down as Rias kept flying high to avoid Medusa as much as she could. The goddess wasn’t fighting like the pureblood devil predicted at all and was insisting in a physical confrontation. There was no way the devil could accept that, Born to be Wild already broke enough times to show that was a terrible idea.

Only keeping her distance was safe but the farther Rias was, the harder it was to hit Medusa who kept jumping from one side to the other, practically refusing to counter attack. If the goddess at least did then the fight could change to something a little more predictable but then again perhaps that was why she refused.

Either way Rias wasn’t sure, she absolutely had no idea what the goddess was thinking or planning.

Until something changed, both were stuck in a game of cat and mouse where the goddess was the cat waiting for the mouse to come to her but Rias was the one using her power constantly.

Something did change when Medusa turned towards Kiba and Leysritt battle, the white haired woman just had her leg frozen and perhaps to help her ally or to force Rias to do something, the purple haired girl began to run towards them.

Rias was indeed forced to do something, not willing to give Medusa any sort of advantage. She dove at top speed to catch up with the goddess, a new round of bullets ready.

The former Gorgon then turned her head with a smile, Rias realizing she fell into a trap as the purple hair from the goddess undid its braid completely and tied her up with its soft looking locks.

They weren’t so soft anymore as Rias felt like her wrists were cuffed in steel.

When Medusa suddenly stopped the devil kept going, the hair growing under the command of the goddess until she pushed back with her neck, her prey captured and unable to fight against the motions and whiplash as even her wings were bound.

Born to be Wild could still be manifested and Rias used it to reduce some of the impact. Medusa was ruthless and a hole bigger than the devil was made when she reached the ground, the hair pulling her back up again.

Medusa moved her neck into another direction and Rias found herself flying away without any control until a new section of the arena started to get closer. Born to be Wild was quickly reconstructed and used as a shield once more, the young woman not even bothering to keep the Stand going after impact.

It would be out of her reach soon enough as Medusa rose her up again, hair moving to tie up her neck. “Want to give up now?” Asked the goddess as her hair raised the devil higher in the air.

Most of her body was locked in place but the small stop was perfect for Rias who only shouted, “BORN TO BE WILD!!!!!” with all her strength to send a huge quantity of mana to her Stand.

Medusa's eyes grew wide as dozens of bullets were shot in her direction, all packing more mana than any other before. Her hair moved instinctively to the defense, giving Rias more time even as the goddess ordered the locks in her neck to grow tighter.

Those strings were Destroyed by new bullets and soon Rias had her Stand to break her free. Medusa's hair was strong but Destruction wouldn't be denied its purpose and some of it stopped existing. The goddess retreated her hair as the pureblood devil landed, jumping towards the redhead for a punch.

Still feeling pain on her wings, Rias could only dodge to the side as more hair came to the forefront to trap her again. Born to be Wild returned and easily shot it down but the goddess took the opening and her fist cracked the armor the devil wore, some of it falling apart.

Recovering enough and ignoring the pain, Rias used her wings to get some distance as Medusa pursued, magic circles appeared in front of the redhead and she unleashed a torrent of Destruction, something certain to force a reaction.

Her plan worked and Medusa was forced to dodge to the side as snakes formed from her hair to blast Destruction away. The powers collided as the Divine mana refused to submit, an explosion was born of the volatile energies. Dust was kicked up again in a cloud as Rias landed to catch her breath and massage her neck.

She was shocked when Medusa jumped off the cloud with her eyes closed and a smirk on her face, fist held high. This time Born to be Wild appeared right in Medusa’s face and sent a punch before the goddess should be able to react.

Instead the purple haired girl ended up punching the Stand before opening her eyes, snakes appearing from the locks of her hair to unleash a torrent of Divine mana at her opponent. Rias managed to turn before the blast hit the floor and another explosion threw the heiress away.

She rolled a few times before moving to a crouch, still sliding the floor but in position to call her Stand and send more bullets at Medusa who had just landed and began to run towards her again.

“This is growing tiresome!” Declared Rias as she shot many times towards the area, many bullets missing to Medusa’s amusement.

Dodging the few bullets sent her way, Medusa ignored the explosions around the arena. “Perhaps you should rest a little?” Not that Rias would surrender unless forced to, the goddess knew that. She was about to force the issue again when her footing was ruined by a hole she was sure the devil didn’t make. “What?”

Goddess or not, Medusa didn’t pay enough attention to her surroundings and ended up stepping in the hole made during the previous fight. The hole that was made by Souji’s gigantic spirit.

Questioning her predicament was all she could do as Rias shot a rain of bullets in the goddess’ direction, every single one of them hitting the mark. Explosions banished the darkness as Rias’ direction as she reloaded several times before the hole had grown too big for her to keep attacking without approaching.

After the devil had stopped firing she didn’t advance immediately, waiting to see if Medusa was going to do anything. Grayfia hadn’t intervened nor called for the end of the fight so Rias knew it was still on. She began to approach slowly and carefully ready for anything.

Or so she believed as a giant snake came from behind and tied itself around Rias’ body, an anaconda so tall that it easily rolled itself around her and opened its mouth, ready to devour the girl.

“Stop.” Before Rias could panic Medusa had given the order, the snake stopping just shy of eating her. Emerging from the hole she was dug into, with some burns and wounds that were already closing, Medusa’s dress was ruined and torn apart with her using her hands to protect her modesty. “That hurt.” Admitted the goddess as she began to mess with what was left of her clothes.

Struggling to escape the giant snake she had no idea where it had come from, Rias tried to call Born to be Wild only for the anaconda’s grip to grow tighter. A giant snake of that size could easily break bones, doubly so with its exotic purple color that proved its existence as a creature born from Medusa’s power.

Not as powerful as the pegasus, not even close, its size was the anaconda's greatest asset, the power of its muscles enough that made the pureblood devil grunt in pain. Besides that it had nothing more other than devotion to its mother and a will that prompted it to reveal itself and attack.

Medusa finished fixing her dress, now looking like a short toga with its right shoulder tied to hide her modest breasts, before raising a hand. Her hair was more wild than ever. “Good job, little one.”

“That is… the snake you made… just before the fight began?” Rias asked, confused but believing Medusa didn’t make the creature before the attack.

The serpent offered its own confirmation by approaching the goddess hand for her to rub its head. “Correct. As my power grew over the last few months I became able to not only create snakes but to control their rate of growth. Perhaps this is a sign of me maturing as a goddess.” A sigh escaped as the last of her wounds finished healing.

It was indeed the same snake she created just before the match started but its main purpose wasn’t to fight, it was to be an extra pair of eyes and ears, informing Medusa everything Rias did while keeping itself camouflaged.

That was how the goddess knew every move the Heiress of Gremory made, the why smoke and debris couldn’t blind her. Throughout the whole fight it was always there, watching, relaying everything Medusa wished to know not only on her fight but everyone else’s.

But the time for hiding was over when Medusa was struck, instinct made the anaconda seek the protection of the goddess above any other directive.

Something that made Medusa frown as the snake had disobeyed her orders but not the kind of disobedience she would complain about since for a moment Rias really did have her pinned.

Regardless of anything else, all of Medusa’s wounds were gone and she studied Rias’ pained expression. “Do I offer you to surrender again?” The anaconda’s grip just kept getting tighter. “Better to knock you out of good measure.”

Rias wasn’t going to scream, she utterly refused, but she wasn’t going to lie to herself and say that getting wrapped by a giant snake was either comfortable or painless. Especially since her body was starting to get crushed and it was getting harder and harder to breathe.

Medusa did nothing else, just kept watching as the anaconda found the right amount of pressure to knock Rias out without taking her life. ‘Maybe I should just hit her?’

Her Divine senses detected a huge spike of mana and she looked right to see a giant fireball coming, a ball that looked unstable and unruly even for fire. She jumped back several meters to watch both her creation and Rias be engulfed by the flames with an annoyed expression as her anaconda burned to death.

Divine creation or not, the creature couldn’t be called a Divine Beast like the pegasus and so lacked not only the power but the protection or capability to survive something like that, not with the flames spreading around its giant form.

For her part Rias’ aura managed to protect her, especially since she wasn’t the target as Akeno landed besides her King with a cheeky smile. “It looked like you needed some help.”

“Couldn’t you have shot the head of the snake?” It wasn’t a complaint, Rias was legitimately curious.

“Couldn't do that and force Medusa to retreat at the same time.” The Queen needed something that would make the goddess wary and the quantity of mana in the fire did the trick. “If I just-”

Both women stopped talking to raise a huge magic circle made by their combined powers to stop a blast from Durandal. It collided but there was no explosion as the shield absorbed everything the energy could muster before both fizzled out.

Xenovia eventually arrived right behind her attack, a smirk on her face. “Sorry Medusa, Akeno slipped away before I noticed it.” The goddess didn’t reply as she watched her creation trying to survive the remaining flames.

She ended up killing it to end her suffering, a thin mana line hit its head and ended the snake’s misery. “I see.”

The blue haired girl barely waited for a reply before launching herself at the two devils with Durandal, her aura still pulsing. The duo split up to give Xenovia more targets, Mana Bullets and a Lightning Bolt sent in the former Exorcist’s direction during the evasive maneuver.

Being between two opponents didn’t mean Xenovia was stuck as she kept advancing and the attacks clashed behind her. The devils didn’t miss a beat and turned towards the swordswoman to unleash more attacks but Durandal unleashed more blades of Light that clashed with their attacks.

This time there was an explosion and Akeno began to move to join with Rias and protect the King. She didn’t see the person coming from her left.

Not realizing she was the one who needed protection the Queen was completely open when a small body collided with her mid air, an irritated Medusa regarded the Reincarnated Devil with a glare.

“Spark-” A kick suddenly had Akeno hit the floor, creating an impression of her body in stone. Her circuits struggled and she still managed to create a weapon and sent it against her attacker.

Medusa didn’t flinch when the Lightning Whip wrapped itself on her arm. “You shouldn’t have interfered.” Grabbing it with both hands, the goddess pulled the Queen towards her. “Nor killed the little one.”

“The snake?” She knew Medusa cared but not that much. “Sorry but I needed to keep Rias in the fight and-”

“I know.” Still sounding upset. “But it doesn't make things easier.” Her hair turned into snakes that glared at the Queen before thin lasers were unleashed.

Akeno was hit several times and Rias could see from the corner of her eye how the Queen released her Lightning and raised magic circles that were easily destroyed. She wanted to help her friend but Xenovia was too close and Durandal almost got her left arm.

“Born to be Wild! Mana Bullets!!” Came the warning as the volley was unleashed at the swordswoman, the maiden not nearly as strong as Medusa could be knocked out faster.

After dodging a couple of the bullets, Xenovia failed to avoid three of them despite using her cape for defense. She was still throwing off her feet and had to use Durandal to stop herself but her arm was hurt and the cloak had holes in it. Clearly it wouldn’t be able to stop anything else until it was repaired.

But Rias didn’t pursue the Durandal Owner, her focus immediately turned back to the goddess in their midst and she rushed to save her raven haired friend who was trying to use a Lightning Spear to keep Medusa at bay.

She wasn’t being really successful as the goddess dashed around it, kicking the Queen on the face before going low and punching her chest. Akeno found herself in a similar position to Rias as the purple hair began to trap her limbs. However, unlike her King, she was strong enough to break free and take a swing at Medusa’s shoulder.

Lightning ran its course inside the Goddess of Snakes’ body but she just grabbed Akeno’s shoulder, forcing the Queen to share her fate. Great pain tolerance was something they both shared but when Medusa’s knee found the Queen’s midriff she was forced to let her weapon go.

A sequence of power punches connected with Akeno’s face before a kick found its way to her chin. “You think too much.” Declared Medusa as her arm came like a whip and sent Akeno in Rias' direction.

The Heiress of Gremory grabbed her friend, using her wings to ease the girl in her arms, as Born to be Wild unload all its ammunition again. Medusa was already so used to Rias’ rate of fire that she easily kept advancing as the pureblood devil reloaded but found herself stuck in place with Akeno in her arms.

Add to that an irritated Xenovia who was using Roland’s technique with Durandal to propel herself back into the fight. She was moving faster than even the goddess and while Rias felt the power coming from behind she didn’t dare to take her eyes off Medusa.

It was Akeno who came for the save, noticing Xenovia’s advance just as she shrugged off the damage she took. If there was a trait she was learning to love from her Evil Piece it was the Rook Trait as she was still strong enough to hug Rias and kick the ground hard enough to send them both to the left.

Just in time to leave Xenovia and Medusa to hit themselves, their eyes growing wide as while the goddess could stop herself, the swordswoman couldn’t. “CRUD!!!”

Instinctively she even threw some of Durdandal’s power around herself for protection. It saved her life.

A mess of limbs was the end result as the former Gorgon was too small and too weak to stop the bluehead. Both rolled around as Xenovia did everything in her power to keep Durandal away from her friend while dealing with the excruciating pain from the impact.

When they stopped Medusa managed to rise to her feet with a grunt while Xenovia was unable to move. Despite having surpassed the human limits, that was one occasion where it wasn’t enough. Bones were broken and flesh was torn apart after the clash and the former Exorcist moaned in pain.

On that occasion Grayfia didn’t hesitate to fly down and check the girl, an EM appearing on her hand. “Xenovia Quarta is-”

“Don’t say it!!” Said the blue haired woman between her teeth, hand firmly on her sword as she tried to get up. Hard to do with her leg in the wrong direction. “I can still fight-”

“Miss, while this is an important spar to the Gremory, allowing you to proceed with such wounds would be irresponsible.” The Strongest Queen gave a stern look with no room to retort. Try as she might, Xenovia was closer to crying than fighting back. “Do I need to call your Master here?” In fact, tears were already falling.

“My protector also is disproving of your course of action.” Medusa turned, prompting Xenovia to do the same, to a frowning Shirou who then noticed her eyes and shook her head.

“Shit.” The fight left Xenovia and she allowed Grayfia to heal her.

Starting the treatment to relieve the girl of some pain, Grayfia announced outloud. “Xenovia Quarta is unable to fight!” Once she was sure the girl was in much less pain, she began to teleport her out of the barrier. It was her creation so Grayfia had no trouble in dropping her outside, sitting besides Asia. “You may now proceed.” Then she disappeared back into the air.

The time it took to help Xenovia was also used by Rias and Akeno, both standing up with no wounds, an EM in each of their hands. As things were, they weren’t planning to attack at all, preferring to let the goddess come to them. They were well aware Xenovia was only out because of a fluke.

This time Medusa’s wounds took a little longer to heal, an indication the goddess was growing tired. It still spoke volumes of her power; she was considered weakened by all measures without size or means to use her full power if she had it. Most of her weakness was attributed to her childlike form and how the goddess herself admitted all her power would come when she ‘grew up’.

But the devils saw hope in how the purple haired girl toyed with her blood as her wounds closed and vanished, an indication she was more cautious.

“Like I said,” the cold tone killed those hopes as everybody could feel her power rising even inside the barrier, “you think too much.”

Akeno knew the words were for her but didn’t understand the message and Medusa wasn’t in the mood to explain at that conjecture or even let the fight be prolonged for a single more second.

Snakes, dozens of them, emerged between Medusa’s locks, all opening their mouths and gathering mana on a large scale that began to be channeled into a sphere of dark purple energy the size of a car.

Amethyst colored eyes grew brighter before the attack was unleashed, both devils firing their own power towards it but it was worthless as bullets of Destruction and Lightning Bolts were consumed by the sphere, even if it was made slightly smaller.

It just wasn’t enough and they knew it so the Gremory’s members jumped to one side as Rias kept Born to be Wild close, waiting to be pursued and with Akeno already planning to join her King the moment she saw the goddess make her move.

None of them counted on when the sphere hit the barrier that it would unleash a blast of purple energy that shook the shield and threw almost everyone off their feet.

Grayfia more than anyone could feel the power behind the attack and was impressed. ‘Weakened or not it almost broke the barrier.’

With the chaos from her blast, Medusa moved again at top speed, her target in sight and separated from her other quarry. Her head was low as she concentrated her power in her muscles. It didn’t matter if her body was of a small girl, she was a goddess and once a monster.

Crushing her prey was her specialty.

So when Akeno found herself with Medusa just a few meters from her the girl didn’t really know how to react and ended up doing the worst thing possible.

She blinked before starting to prepare her circuits, leaving herself completely open as Medusa pushed her against the barrier with the strength of the giant Gorgon.

The back of Akeno’s armor broke and it wasn’t just that as the Queen felt a lot more damage in her bones and even lungs. Struggling to breath there was nothing she could do when Medusa lifted her above her head and brought the devil down on the ground back first before kicking her side towards Grayfia’s direction.

There would be no interruptions this time, the goddess was on the hunt and she would not be denied. Her blood was singing as something inside her began to stir, an old Domain, an old Authority.

It wasn’t the bloodlust from her days of madness nor the wish to protect that was empowering Medusa, something else entirely and that she never had felt before was there, pulsing and pushing her forward.

‘Sisters?’ Her Core seemed to shake in approval not out of conscient thought but as a god who started to understand herself a little more. Her sisters were really gone but the goddess she was supposed to be was there, however incomplete. ‘Who was I? Questions for later.’ She mused as her prey struggled.

Rias wasn’t still as Medusa dispatched of Akeno, she wasn’t going to risk her friend with her bullets but she flew as fast as she could in their direction only to arrive too late. When Medusa kicked her friend, when the goddess turned her sight on her, the Heiress of Gremory felt a primordial fear in her spine.

It was the eyes, she realized, those eyes were still capable of petrifying even if Medusa was holding that ability back, just in a different manner. Her gaze was too powerful, too predatory.

Fear wasn’t going to stop Rias, she refused to allow it and so focused herself in her rational mind, shifted gears and began to fly backwards while commanding Born to be WIld. “Destruction Bullets!”

Even then she knew her odds of winning were nil. They had already done this song and dance before, Medusa had her patterns down and Rias knew it. It was only a matter of how much the pureblood devil would be able to struggle before she was caught.

She would never last long.

Not against a determined Medusa who was absolutely focused on winning, a desire for victory she didn’t know she could have.

Rias still did her best though; she spaced her shots differently, kept retreating and began to take flight the moment she knew there was no keeping the goddess away. She did everything she could, constantly trying to push more power in her shots only for it to be for naught.

Weakened or not a goddess wasn’t an adversary Rias was ready to face and running away was her best chance. Born to be Wild kicked the ground to give its creator more distance but Medusa was expecting that. When the heiress took the jump and opened her wings she found the purple haired girl looking right back just a little above her.

Indeed the goddess had completely anticipated Rias’ escape route and had jumped just before the devil did so herself. Between the two of them only one could fly but it was already too late, she was exactly where Medusa wanted her.

The precise range for a powerful kick.

It landed on her side with the power of a eighteen wheeler truck, too much for a little girl but just on par with what an insane Gorgon should have.

And Rias took the full brunt of that.

Asking her to keep flying after that was impossible, her constitution was barely enough to stay conscious, not even close to the necessary to stay on the air and much less to even think about counter attacking. Or slow down for that matter as Rias fell on the ground at full speed breaking an arm and a leg.

If the fight was lost before now there was no doubt it was over as the pureblood devil felt the taste of iron in her mouth. ‘Ui.’ She moaned in pain while pushing herself off the ground, doing enough to just turn around.

Unlike Rias whose fall was painful, Medusa’s descent was graceful like a swan as she flipped after the kick and landed on her feet. The Goddess of Snakes stood up proudly before taking a single step forward and almost jerking back in irritation as she noticed something she really didn’t want to happen.

“I have grown up.” She meant it literally as Medusa was sure her size had changed even if only slightly. It was just a couple of centimeters but for someone as conscious about it as her, the change was as noticeable as it was sudden. “My core.” her hands came to her chest and she breathed.

There was a change born in the recent combat, a shift as the cracks that had been there since her return, at least some of them, were mended not out of her own volition. She wanted to stay small after all, a girl far from maturing and eternal in her youth.

However it was impossible for her to deny it and an unrefined grunt escaped her lips. “Athena was right. I am a Goddess of War.” She hated that sentence with a passion.

It went against the Divinity of her sisters, War and Beauty didn’t match at all in her mind.

Pushing that back as much as possible, Medusa approached the struggling Rias with a confident step. As a goddess she wasn’t just aware of the changes on her body but immediately got used to them and since they were extremely small, she doubted anyone noticed.

Medusa would keep it that way, if only for her piece of mind. “Do you yield?” She asked once she was close enough to be heard.

There was no fighting back and the both of them knew it, Rias was a little surprised that Grayfia hadn’t interfered already but then considered the Ultimate Maid was giving her independence in that too.

Regardless, Rias had to admit something; she lost. “I yield.”

“The match is over! Victory goes to the Medusa Team.” Grayfia announced out loud which stopped Kiba and Liz who were still in the middle of their fight.

The Knight was a little shocked by the turn of events but the maid’s whole demeanor lost any hostility and she started to lean on her staff, what was left of her weapon, to stay standing. Between the two of them it was the white haired woman who needed the most healing, something that would be provided as soon as the audience began to approach.

There were plenty of compliments and observations from the devils’ part, Rias’ parents were proud of her daughter for standing up against a goddess no matter how weakened, and healing, lots of healing.

Pretty much everyone on the spar except Medusa ended up with more than a few bones broken and in the need of assistance. As the first eliminated Xenovia was already treated by Asia despite the girl showing some shame for her defeat. Shirou tried to cheer her up but her pride was the kind a devil would envy.

The only Divinity present already was healed thanks to her own power, something she picked up during her ears of madness and an aspect of her Divinity she was used to more than anything else.

Liz remained standing the whole time and was judged to be the more fit of the wounded so an EM used by Shirou was enough for her.

Nobody could say the same about Rias’ peerage and just by looking it was clear that while they put up a fight they were the clear losers. Kiba, despite a damaged arm, was the best of the bunch, Zeoticus used an EM on him while congratulating himself on using one properly for the first time.

Between Rias and Akeno it was the Queen who took the worst beating as Medusa had been ruthless with the ravenhead. The goddess also needed to be sure that there would be no getting back to the fight so it took a minute for the young woman to wake up again and it was only thanks to some spells.

Even though she yielded, Rias still took plenty of damage but nothing irreversible, a good thing since Kiritsugu took his time approaching and was ready to deliver his judgment.

When the tall man approached everyone grew quiet except Sirzechs who smiled before speaking, “So, what do you think?”

“I can see why you called me for this.”

“You can?” Shirou was a little shocked that his father was still up to the idea of training Rias on anything.

“If you think about it, I am the best choice for a teacher, no matter how much I want to say otherwise.”

“Oh~ Care to share with the class?” Azazel asked with a smirk but the Magus Killer didn’t give him any attention.

No, his eyes were on his business partner for a full minute before turning to his new protege. “Strategy wise you are solid; while you were too busy to direct command of the battlefield, your second in command picked up the slack while the initial plan was enough to sustain the match.” He waved to Akeno who stood straighter at the complement. “Power wise, in truth, I can’t do anything.”

“But you are the Magus Killer.” Zeoticus protested carefully. “Someone with you skills-”

“Combat wise, there is plenty to be done.” Nobody knew if he was ignoring the Patriarch of Gremory or answering his doubts, all they knew was that the redhead shutted up. "Amongst most people in the modern age, especially in the moonlit world, I am the foremost expert on firearm combat. At least your brother thinks so.” Not that Kiritsugu bothered to agree or disagree with the statement. “Considering you use a type of gun to channel your power and use of imagination in devil magic, I am the best person to help you expand your repertoar… and teach you how to actually fight with a gun.”

“What do you mean?” Rias asked carefully.

“Rule of the thumb in a gunfight; either keep moving, be far away so that you can hit your opponent and they can’t hit you or always be behind cover.” The Magus Killer started coldly. “While it was a fight with even numbers and splitting up was a sensible choice, your lack of defense was noted. Repeatedly." He let the words sink in. “But defense doesn’t mean much against guns, most humans die with a single shot after all. After hearing the ‘rule of the thumb’, why is that?”

Took a second for Rias to realize it was a real question. “Because with guns it is better to not get hit.”

Kiritsugu nodded. “That is the gist of it. We need to expand your options with gun play and see how else you can develop your power with more knowledge.”

“So you are going to help her?” Sirzechs sounded happy even if the majority didn’t really understand what the help meant.

“If that is what she wants, it is within the terms of our Pact.” Reminded the man with a grunt. “But before anything you should ask her if she is really going to participate in this tournament or not.”

“Of course I will.” Rias replied instantly, remembering her obligations.

Her parents were proud, Kiritsugu was uninterested. “While I don’t care much about Rating Games even if I can appreciate their purpose, that means your training starts now.”

Everyone was shocked, even his son. “When you say now-”

“I mean it. Training starts immediately.” Kiritsugu let out a sigh at the incredulous looks. “Must I remind that she is one day late compared to most of her peers and I am not a good teacher.”

Zeoticus recovered quickly. “But what about her Peerage? Are they going to train with you as well?”

Azazel stepped forward. “To that, I suppose old deals are still on the table, right?”

“Indeed, indeed, indeed.” Sirzechs agreed immediately which meant that the Cadre was in charge of everyone else’s training.

Looking at Akeno, Rias noticed how exhausted her friend was and was about to suggest something. “It is fine.” Only for the Queen to give her a nod. “We can handle it.”

Speaking like that it made it sound that Rias was only for everyone, and she was, but Akeno was her main concern by far. While not everyone knew what was that about and they kept everything vague, some knew and were also concerned.

Shirou placed a hand on his lover’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. Azazel is going to report to me everything he can and if there is any sort of emergency.”

“I will?” That was news for the Cadre.

“We will be working together, right? In whatever lab you have around here…”

“Sure, fine. Not in the original agreement but great.” Azazel didn’t mind either way as he noticed Akeno’s shoulders relaxed. Her circumstances aside, at least she was calmer and that was a win on the fallen angel’s mind. “More paperwork….” The bane of any commander.

“Then it is settled.” The redhead older brother wanted to finish everything as soon as possible as he didn’t want to spoil the surprise.

Kiritsugu knew his business partner had something dangerous in mind for someone but shrugged it off. It wasn’t his son in danger so it wasn’t his problem.

Which brought him back to Rias. “For the duration of the training, at least on the first week, you are forbidden from using mana.”

“What?!” Rias almost jumped in place at the sudden rule.

“You also will be allowed to use your family facilities for anything you desire so long as you show up in time and show commitment. The moment you slack, the moment you complain without justification, or raise a fuss, training will be canceled and you can do whatever else your family had in mind. Are we clear?”

‘That is the same speech he gave us as kids…’ Shirou remembered when he and Illya got the exact same lines, almost word for word.

Rias gulped hard as Kiritsugu’s cold stare was still judging her. “Yes, sir.”

“Good.” Kiritsugu pointed left. “Start running.”

“What?”

“Your mana levels are excellent but you clearly are still fighting as a Wizard type if we go by how you devils categorize your warriors.” Kiritsugu thought three categories were too few. “So you are going to get your body used to moving. Start running around the arena.”

Remembering how big the arena was, Rias gulped again. “For how long?”

“Until you can't move anymore. This is to test your limits and get your body used to them. Once I have a base, I will know how to work in it.”

“Again, he isn’t the best of teachers.” Shirou pointed out.

“I thought most of her lessons were going to be of the more intellectual variety.” Sirzechs muttered.

“They will be, once her body can actually dodge properly.”

“I was fighting a goddess.” Rias reminded the man.

He didn’t care. “And in your match against Riser Phenex, weren’t you almost defeated when he caught you?” SIlence was his reply. Nobody challenged him when he pointed left again. “Start running.”

So with no time for rest Rias began to run in a paced jog, much to the amusement and confusion of those present. It looked only like moderate exercise for all of them and they began to wonder if their training wasn’t going to be that complicated.

Almost no one understood that it was only the beginning of Rias’ suffering, almost anyone but the son of the man who was going to inflict it. ‘Worst part is that even if I try to warn her, she is going to do it anyway.’ That was how proud his lover was.

“Don’t worry, Buchou!” Issei called off with a grin. “After our training everybody is going to be kicking ass!!”

Now that Rias was a little farther away, Azazel had no fear to say, “If you all survive it.”

“What?” Issei didn’t know why, but he had a really bad feeling.

…..