Chapter 22: Training Part 7 of 14 - Sword Murasame
('Ddraig speaking telepathically')
("Ddraig talking out loud")
['Albion speaking telepathically']
["Albion talking out loud"]
{'Bahamut speaking telepathically'}
'A character's thoughts'
Underworld
Lord and Lady Gremory had been brutally murdered right in front of their son and daughter, who could only watch in horror, their dead bodies thrown into a river of lava. The footsteps of the perpetrator resounded louder and louder, even though they were outside.
"NO! PLEASE STOP! DON'T DO IT!" Sirzechs, chained to a chair, pleaded the hooded figure, who was approaching a bound Rias with a steaming-hot knife, his sister sitting next to him. He forced open her mouth and burnt her tongue, causing the Gremory heiress to scream and cry, torturing her for several minutes before he slit her throat.
"This is what you get, fake Devil." The demonic voice growled. "This is what you get for stealing my name and ruining it with your innate filthy goodness."
Satan Lucifer then approached the final person Sirzechs cared about, his wife Grayfia, who sat directly in front of her husband, also chained down, barely conscious.
Tears rolled down the current Devil King's cheeks. "Please stop... What do you want from me? I'll do anything, so please. I'm begging you!"
The Demon King smirked as he grabbed a handful of Grayfia's bright silver ponytail, forcing her to look up at him from behind, earning a yelp of pain. A/N: In this fanfic, I'm going to go with Grayfia's light novel appearance since that version of her looks hotter than the anime version, plus she has a ponytail which is, as I stated before, my favorite hairstyle lol.
"She has such lovely skin. Would be quite a shame if something terrible were to happen to a beauty like her now, wouldn't it? If you don't do as I say, then..."
Satan waves his hand at Grayfia, causing her to suddenly spontaneously combust. Her red eyes shot wide open, and her ear-piercing screams of agony haunted Sirzechs as he watched his wife burn to death.
"And what of your sweet, innocent son Millicas? For now, I will leave him out of this... unless you force my hand. What you just saw is what will happen to your precious, pathetic little family if you don't head my following words, for they are my instructions..."
End of Dream
Grayfia is what most would call an early bird. She sleeps early so that she can get up early and get things done. Currently, she was seated on her husband's office chair in the room in front of their bedroom, going through her husband's schedule for the day, which he created.
'Weekly mandatory meeting with the other Satans today. Discussions for the following: Need to outlaw arranged marriages, forced slavery through Evil Piece system, any possible alternatives to Evil Piece system, informing uneducated Devils on what consent is and why it matters, tax regulations, aid for the homeless, etc.'
It was obvious that Sirzechs and Serafall took Issei's suggestions to heart. They didn't show it, but they were just as angry about the truth of Kuroka Toujou's situation as the Red Dragon Emperor. Actions speak louder than words, and now that the old council is dead, true change is about to occur. If he had to, Sirzechs would use his own sister as a bad example of what not to do, and the humiliation of doing so could force Rias to change while showing Devils like her the error in their ways, killing two birds with one stone, although their parents wouldn't approve.
Grayfia smiled. As much as she hates to admit it in front of other people due to the embarrassment, she loves Sirzechs very much. She remembers when they first met as enemies during the Devil Civil War, her a member of the Old Satan Faction...
Flashback
Hundreds of corpses lay strewn about on the battlefield. This battle was one that the Old Satans lost to the Anti-Satanists, members of the group slowly scouring the war-torn grounds for signs of life, stabbing and finishing off any wounded soldiers while capturing important ones left alive. Nobody knew it yet, but the war was close to ending.
Sirzechs was a military rank of Major at the time, now at a post created shortly after this battle.
"Sir!" Yelled Sirzechs as he saluted his superior officer, a General.
"At ease, Gremory." The man had a large mustache, a mean-looking face, and was smoking from a pipe. He held out a folder for Sirzechs to take. "This prisoner's name is Grayfia Lucifuge, one of the important ones they brought to this post. She won't talk, and when they tried to capture her, she killed a lot of my men after playing dead. It took a lot of effort just to restrain her, much less knock her out. I have never seen a more powerful and terrifying female Devil in my life. Gremory, you're the only one strong enough to kill her. Do it."
Sirzechs was confused. "Sir? With all due respect, I'll have to decline this assignment."
The General glared at him. "And why's that?"
"I do not murder prisoners or non-combatants, even if I was ordered to do it. Find someone else."
He was walking towards the door when the General stood up and said, "If you do not kill her, I will have you executed."
Sirzechs turned around and glared sharply at the man, causing the man to sweat profusely. "Then kill me if you can. Oh wait, you can't because you're a pathetic little weakling who is going to send assassins after me, which I promise that you will regret doing, so leave me alone, General."
Such insubordination would usually be severely punished, but Sirzechs has plenty of connections and influence that wouldn't allow it. He rarely talks back to his superiors, but in this situation, he had to draw the line.
Leaving the command center, he went to the prisoners cell after seeing her location in the folder. Opening the door, he laid eyes on the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, sitting on her knees with her hands tied behind her back.
"Grayfia Lucifuge, I presume?"
She glared sharply up at him. If looks could kill, he would be dead, but he was already in love with her the moment he laid eyes on her. Those gorgeous red eyes bore nothing but hatred and distrust of him and all the other Anti-Satanists.
"I am Major Sirzechs Gremory. A cowardly General assigned me the task of killing you, but... Oh, screw it." He got behind her and untied her ropes much to her shock. This one, unlike the others, never tried to grope her. All the men who did earned a kick in the balls, and even though they wanted to punish her, they couldn't since she's too magically powerful. So far, Sirzechs came off as a gentleman. "I'm getting you out of here, even if it's the last damn thing I do." (55)
"... Why?"
"I... I'm a murderer just like most soldiers on the frontlines, but I do not participate in dishonorable acts such as this. Maybe change is impossible, but I want to do it. I want to rise through the ranks of military and politics to create a better underworld, one where us Anti-Satanists don't discriminate and enslave."
He smiled at her. "Let me be honest with you and say that you're the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."
"Hah?!"
"I don't want to throw away this opportunity with the person who could potentially be the love of my life. So, please let me help you escape in exchange for a date?"
Her hair covered her eyes as her eyebrow twitched. "I'll let you help me, but..." She slapped him.
Flashback End
Afterwards, they escaped, but not without resistance. Once the war ended, they got married and had a son, Millicas.
Grayfia was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a loud bang come from their bedroom. Rushing over to it, she quietly opened the door and saw Sirzechs in a corner of the room, standing there, not facing her. 'Creepy much?' She thought.
"No please, I don't want... No... I'm begging you..." He talked in his sleep. In all the years Grayfia has known him, he has never sleep talked or sleep walked, and for him to suddenly do both is quite unsettling.
'He must have walked into the wall.'
She grabbed his shoulder and shook him. "Sirzechs, wake up!"
Sirzechs snapped awake. "Ah!" He looked over to her with a terrified look that then morphed into a sad one, falling onto his knees as he hugged her while crying, burying his face into her stomach.
Grayfia blushed, but she was worried and hugged him back. "Wha- Hey! What's wrong?!"
"I... I've been having awful nightmares for the past two weeks. They feel so real, and the scary part is that they seem like premonitions or warnings."
She was startled by this news. "... Is this related to Satan Lucifer?"
Sirzechs nodded. Sirzechs began having nightmares every night for the last 15 days. They started off as brief visions, but they got worse every time since each one felt longer and more terrifying than the previous. He began to slowly lose sleep, as if the first Devil King wanted it that way so that he would go insane.
"As your Queen," 'And wife,' She thought, "It is my job to help you in whatever way I can. Now then... Start talking." Grayfia went into her interrogation mode. "I want to know everything."
Now he's her prisoner.
Chapter 20: Training Part 7 of 14 - Sword Murasame
Days 16-26 of 120 Training Days
Asgard
After eating Breakfast, the next trainer is one they weren't so surprised about at this point. It is Akame. Why weren't they surprised? Everyone that came from another universe trained them: The Arbiter, Master Chief, Lelouch vi Britannia, Stella Vermillion, and Ikki Kurogane. This trend made them a little nervous because it indicated that at some point, the Doom Slayer will train them, but they will take all the help they can get.
Akame introduced herself. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Akame."
"I came from a dystopian universe in which I was trained as a child to become an assassin. The government I worked for became corrupt, so I joined a group that rebelled, a group in which I made many friends. Unfortunately, most of my friends died... Regardless, the universe I came from has the equivalent of what you people call sacred gears. I call them imperial arms, and they're probably given to us by God, but I'm not sure."
Raynare raised her hand. "If you don't mind me asking, what is your imperial arm?"
Akame brandished her sword, one that looked like almost any other blade aside from its red handle and creepy aura. "Sword Murasame, or as some may call it, One-Cut Killer Murasame. Anyone cut by this blade instantly dies due to its poison except me. I'm the only one immune to the poison. Every imperial arm has what's called a trump card, and mine is that I cut myself in exchange for temporary god-like speed but in order to use Murasame's trump card, one must discard their humanity and embrace their inner demon. The side effect are these small permanent scars on my face and upper arms."
"I only ever used it once when..." She stopped to think about how angry she was at Esdeath for killing Tatsumi, the love of her life. "When someone very close to me was murdered."
Akame tried not to think about, tried to come off as stoic, but she couldn't hide the sadness in her demeanor, her red eyes looking down.
"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that." Raynare instantly apologized, not wanting to upset the girl.
Akame grinned innocently. "It's okay!"
'So moe!' They all thought.
"Anyway, I'm going to be to training you all in the art of stealth as well as maybe a little swordsmanship. Kurogane taught you all he could about fighting with a sword, but of all the trainers, I'm the best with a sword."
. . . . . . .
This training session is different than the others, for it didn't take place at the usual venue. Instead, they were on the roof of the royal castle.
"Why are we starting here?" Issei inquired.
Akame, who was surveying the landscape, turned to the group. "You'll see soon enough. I am about to give you a demonstration of what your training will look like. The only hint I'll give you is that in order to succeed, you must be fast. I will allow you to use your wings to glide, but you are not allowed to boost your speed. Now follow me."
With a running start, she jumped off the roof and landed on the closest building a hundred feet below and a thousand feet away. She turned and waved, waiting for the eleven trainees. Seeing that there is no time to waste, the others followed suit. Aside from Issei, Arisu, and Vali, everyone else began losing altitude too fast for them to land safely, so they had to deploy their wings, gliding as they landed.
Akame spoke. "One of the keys to stealth and assassination is being able to jump, climb, and wall-run from structure to structure at an inhumane speeds, stop on a dime, and perch yourself on anything when you need to analyze the situation or communicate with your teammates. You all need to be able to do this without using your magic, so that includes your wings which will only draw suspicion; make yourself as small and nimble as possible. Right now, the only one among you able to do any of this is Arisu. Issei and Vali are good, but they have trouble stopping their movements."
They nodded.
"I'm not going to go at top speed just yet, or else most of you will fall behind. Let's begin."
Akame turned to the next building, which is right next to theirs. Within a few seconds, she jumped and grabbed the metal rails on windows before hopping up a set of 12 more barred-windows as she landed on the rooftop with the others right behind, perching herself on top of a chain-link fence.
This continued for a while, but it only took the first day of the training with Akame for the group to master mimicking Akame's movements and her concept of stealth. The only one who struggled even a little was Rossweisse due to her clumsiness.
. . . . . . .
One day, they trained at the soccer field.
"I'll spar against all eleven of you at once. Again, you are not allowed to use any magic if you are using a sword, meaning Ravel, Akeno, and Kuroka can." Akame unsheathed a wooden sword while the rest of them held bokkens. "Murasame is too dangerous to use for training. Now then, come at me!"
Issei was first to attack, charging the 40 yard distance in a second. He was sure that he would be able to hit her, but before he knew it, he suddenly felt dizzy as he spun in the air and landed hard on his ass.
He coughed. "W-what just happened?!"
"I grabbed your arm and threw you down," Akame calmly responded while casually dodging everyone else's attacks and kicking an incoming Irina away, who back flipped and landed gracefully. They know Akame wasn't even close to trying, which just served to infuriate and further motivate them.
"Haaaaaaaaah!" Arisu shouted her war-cry as she threw a vicious barrage of attacks aimed for Akame's upper torso, causing violent gusts of wind to whip behind the dodging black-haired trainer who simultaneously moved out of the way of multiple fiery projectiles shot by Ravel's staff as well as Irina and Tsubasa, causing the two girls to collide into each other. Luckily, they didn't drop their bokkens and recovered quickly.
They saw Akame being forced to put in a lot more effort due to Arisu and Kuroka's combined attacks when the nekoshou joined into the Close Quarters Combat, throwing punches infused with non-lethal levels of fire, teleporting many times to get as close as she can.
"Nya! Nya! Nya! Nya! Nya! Nya! Nya! Nya! Nya! Nya! Nya!" Kuroka war-cried.
Akame slashed horizontally, creating a powerful shockwave that repelled those trying to hit her up close. They panted for air, a little tired.
Issei raised his hand. "Akame, may I have a brief 30 second timeout? I would like to discuss my strategy with everyone."
She nodded, and everyone except the trainer huddled around the Sekiryuutei.
Issei softly spoke his orders. "Keep her busy, Arisu, Kuroka. The two of you are doing great. Rossweisse, attack from the middle. Akeno, stay above everyone and in front of Akame to use your lightning, but be careful not to hit Rossweisse. Ravel, stay next to Akeno. Irina and Tsubasa, you jump in if you see an opening when Arisu and Kuroka create space. Raynare, you attack from Akame's left flank with Irina and Tsubasa, but lead the two of them. Natsuki, Vali, and I will attack from her right."
"Understood!" They all shouted except Vali.
"You got it," Said the Hakuryuukou.
"We're ready," Issei announced.
Akame, who hadn't changed positions from their last attack, raised her weapon and nodded. "Come forth."
Everyone attacked at once.
Akame began dodging like crazy as she realized their strategy and muttered, "A pincer movement, huh. Not bad, but it won't be enough."
She jumped high above all of them while slashing at Akeno, who lost altitude from the hit, and at the apex of her leap, she dive bombed while twirling in the air and dodging a beam fired by Ravel. Akame landed while unleashing a whirlwind of attacks, causing everyone to go on the defensive except Ravel who kept carefully shooting but missing her attacks.
Seeing this, their only option is to counterattack. They began swinging their bokkens to try to match Akame's speed, but all their attacks were calculated as if they were fighting together against the final boss in a videogame level.
Vali grit his teeth. 'How am I supposed to keep up with that?!'
['Just do your best, Vali.']
'She's got to be greatest sword wielder of all time!' Issei thought. 'Her movements are too fast, and I can barely see her!'
('Stay focused, partner.')
By the end of the day, they were exhausted. This continued on for the remaining nine days of training. Even though they couldn't lay a single hit on Akame, but their speed, strength, stamina, and toughness due to pain tolerance improved greatly.
. . . . . . .
On the last day, they celebrated completing Akame's training regiment by eating a large meal. However, before dinner started, Raynare abruptly ran out of the dining hall, and most of them understood why except Akame.
Issei teleported next to Raynare to find her throwing up into a trash can, so he held her hair back right as she regurgitated. "Are you okay, Raye?"
She spat out the vomit. "Yeah... Thank you. I'm officially pregnant, it seems."
Her King kissed her and led her back to the dining hall.
"Is she alright?" Akame asked, worried.
Issei smiled. "Raynare threw up. She's pregnant. Morning sickness."
"Morning sickness?" Irina asked. "But it's the evening..."
Vali facepalmed. "Baka. Obviously, it can happen to pregnant women any time of the day."
Akame's eyes widened. "I see. Congratulations to the two of you!"
Raynare smiled as Issei responded. "Thanks, but how did you know-"
"that you're the father? It's obvious from the way you interact with most of these girls that you have a harem," Akame turned her and gave a blank stare at Rossweisse, who was chugging a can of beer, her cheeks red with intoxication. "Jiiiiiiiii..."
Rossweisse caught the look, slamming the beer can down. "Hey! Iz not *hic* my fault zat I don't *hic* have a boyfriend!" She slurred some of her words, her inner German showing.
Akame tilted her head curiously. "If you weren't a drunk, wouldn't more men find you attractive?" She didn't realize that what she asked is considered to be rude, even though it's the truth. Social skills have never been something she was good at.
The white-haired woman slammed her face down onto the table. "S-Shut yer mouth!"
Issei smirked. "Uh oh. She's starting to talk like Arisu."
Arisu blushed and glared at him. "Hey! That's not a bad thang!"
He grinned. "No, it really isn't. You're still a tsundere, but at least you speak what's on your mind." The Princess glared at him with a cute pout. "Besides, drunk people not named Arisu are more likely to speak their true feelings when inebriated, right? It's amusing."
Rossweisse raised her head, looking at Issei with puppy eyes. "*hic* Issei, I *hic*... I love you."
...
('HAHAHAHAHAHA! It's amusing... unless it involves YOU, right partner?!') Ddraig cackled.
Arisu snickered, which Issei gasped at as if he were betrayed. "Just wait till she's sober. I hope she kicks yer ass, just for shits and giggles."
"That's why you're laughing?!" He exclaimed in shock.
Akeno put a hand on her cheek. "Ara ara, Issei is into older women and forbidden relationships? Fufu. How naughty~" She winked at him.
"ISSEI!" Rossweisse, who was now crawling on top of the table towards him, roared.
He jumped. "Y-Yes ma'am?!"
"TELL ME *hic* HOW YOU FEEL!"
'I can't tell if she's becoming a yandere while drunk. If so, I fear for my chastity (56)!'
He blushed. "I, uh... I love you too, Rossweisse."
Rossweisse grinned happily and leaned forward, capturing his lips in a kiss. It was like something a certain overly happy unknown god would do while on Satan's favorite beverage. (57)
As the kiss broke, Irina pouted and got up. She went around the table from her spot next to Vali and proceeded to push Arisu, who glared at her, away from Issei as she stole the Princess' seat and clung to Issei's arm.
Arisu stood up and gestured to Irina with a clenched fist held up. "Are ya tryin' to pick a fight?!" Her very dark blue skirt fluttered as she stood, accidentally giving Issei a nice view of her pink panties. He blushed at the sight, but Arisu didn't notice.
Irina ignored the Princess, glaring at Rossweisse. "Mou! Issei is mine! Back off, you drunk!"
Rossweisse glared, her vision blurry. "Isshei, who za hell *hic* iz dis hushy?!" She asked with more slurring, pointing at Irina.
Irina glared back. "Who are you calling a hussy, you single pringle virgin?!" This made Issei sigh while Vali cackled.
Vali began chanting, "Cat fight! Cat fight! Cat fight! Cat fight!"
Issei's eyes turned into slits. "No, don't encourage them! You're not helping!"
Rossweisse continued. "Yer a virgin too, i *hic* idiot! Floozy!"
"Why you little..."
As the two of them fought, Raynare sat peacefully directly to Issei's left while eating corn on the cob. 'I'm so hungry!'
Akame laughed nervously and could only think, 'What have I just gotten myself into? This was supposed to be a wonderful feast. Meh, oh well.' She shrugged and took a bite out of her meat dish.
Issei felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned to see a blushing Ravel, who he smiled at. "Ravel! What may I do for you?"
Ravel squirmed before she leaned in and suddenly kissed his lips, much to his surprise. The Phenex heiress pulled away with a shy smile. "I haven't gotten a kiss from you in a while..."
"Plus, I don't get enough screen time," Ravel deadpanned.
"What is this, an anime?!" Issei shouted.
Raynare watched in amusement. "Silly Ravel. All you need to do is ask, and Issei will gladly kiss you."
Issei nodded in agreement as he raised his cup to take a sip of water. "Why haven't you asked me for one, Raye?"
Her face turned a little blue. "B-Because I still have a little flavor of vomit in my mouth. Ugh. I'll need to brush my teeth first."
"Ara ara. Where's my kiss?" A voice said. Issei looked down to see Akeno's head at his crotch.
"Agh!" He coughed as the sip of water he took went down the wrong pipe. "Akeno! Stop hiding in weird places!"
"Sorry. Fufu." The Priestess of Thunder leaned up and also gave him a smooch. Luckily for them, Irina and Rossweisse are too occupied with their fight to notice.
Arisu's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, but she cleared her throat. "I would also like a kiss, Issei!" She grabbed the Sekiryuutei by the collar and smashed their lips together for several seconds before she turned away shyly. "I-It's not like I'm jealous, baka! Baka! Baka!"
"Nya, meowster! Me too!" Kuroka pounced on Issei, nearly suffocating him.
To Be Continued
References:
(55) Red Dead Redemption 2 when Arthur helps John escape.
(56) Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Comedy wa Machigatteiru. Yukino always jokes around with Hachiman about how his eyes creep her out, fearing for her chastity, to which he either replies sarcastically or annoyed.
(57) Noragami
Issei's Harem (same as peerage members, most to least powerful, will not change):
Issei Hyoudou (Mutated King)
Arisu Yamauchi (OC, Six Mutated Pawn Pieces)
Raynare (Main Girl, Queen)
Akeno Himejima (Knight)
Kuroka Toujou (Bishop)
Irina Shidou (Rook)
Tsubasa Yura (Knight)
Rossweisse (Rook)
Ravel Phenex (Bishop)
Natsuki Murayama (Two Pawns)
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone