Chapter 25: Gremory Wellness Check (II)
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Issei could feel his legs beckoning him to give in, the strain on his body exceeding its absolute limit as he continued to push forward.
"Still a few meters to go, Issei-senpai," Koneko instructed, watching as he rolled a boulder up the hill with his [Boosts] maxed out.
The Pawn didn't dare respond, knowing that if he let his focus slip for even a second he'd be crushed Indiana Jones style.
With every step, every fiber of his body was put through an entirely new level of agony. His Devil body is unable to carry him through his current predicament as much as he would've liked.
"Good work," she praised as Issei made his last push. Successfully completed his strength training for the day.
"Is this… huff… really… huff… necessary?"
"You should be doing double the amount of work, but since you're weak I'm allowing you to get away with this much."
BOOM!
Much to his dismay, she shattered the boulder in a single punch.
"For the upcoming Rating Game, you'll need to be able to do that at the very least."
"Seriously…?"
"Seriously."
"She has a point, the only thing that's holding back the power of the [Boosted Gear] is the weakness of your body." A voice startled the both of them, causing the Pawn and Rook to flinch as the figure appeared out of nowhere.
I really should stop doing that… it's kinda hard to resist though.
"Sorry about the fright, just popped by to check in on you." He gestured apologetically.
"What are you doing here… Takauji-senpai?" Issei asked after regaining his composure.
"That's something I'd like to know myself, my dear hatchling."
His words left them both confused.
"But I'm not here to talk about me, I'm here to talk about you. Have you and Ddraig been getting along well?"
"Ddraig…? Oh, you mean the Dragon sealed inside my Sacred Gear?"
The Mage hummed.
"Hold on, you haven't spoken with him yet?" He scratched his temple.
"No… I haven't… wait, it's possible for me to speak with him?"
Azazel… are you sure you didn't tell me about this a tad bit too early?
"Uhhh… forget I said anything."
Issei would most certainly not forget that.
I guess Ddraig still doesn't acknowledge him… how unfortunate.
"What about your [Demonic Power], surely you've started to make some strides in that department?"
"Yeah, Akeno-senpai's been teaching me how to use it. It was pretty tricky at first… but I think I'm starting to get the hang of it."
"Oh? Mind showing me a demonstration?" Takauji's interest had been piqued.
"Sure, I can do that."
Still having some of the energy left over from the [Boosts] he had just used, Issei activated his [Boosted Gear] and faced one of the nearby rocks.
["Dragon Shot!"]
Did you really need to yell it out though…?
A beam of concentrated [Demonic Power], enhanced by the strength of the [Boosted Gear] shot forth out of his gauntlet.
BOOM!
The terrain around its area of impact had practically been obliterated at the moment of contact, leaving behind only a few specks of dust and rock shavings.
That's some power he has there. But there are still downsides, for starters, he'll need to charge up all his [Boosts] before it's actually effective, and judging from his posture it's pretty hard to aim as well.
If he can get that under control before their Rating Game though, it might prove to be pretty useful.
"Cool," he commented plainly. Not sounding especially pleased or displeased. "Well I don't want to disturb either of you any longer, see you later Issei-kun, and you too Toujou-san."
"Yeah, cya…"
The white-haired Rook didn't respond.
Not that she ever really did when he was around.
Now then, there's probably only one more thing to do before I bounce…
He continued to walk, only stopping once he reached a large clearing within the mountain's forest.
"How's it been? Himejima-san."
Takauji turned around, being met with the sight of a somewhat nervous Queen staring at him only a few meters away.
"I know this summoning wasn't exactly… favorable. But it is good to see you again, Taka."
"Haha, and I went through all that effort to appear amiable. Even so, you saw right through me didn't you?"
"You could say that," she finally started to smile. Confident that he wasn't nearly as mad as he was before. "I've started to adopt a certain… talent for reading your face."
"Really now? At this rate, I might need to start masking it with my illusions." She didn't find the joke very funny. "Sorry, that was a little distasteful wasn't it?"
"That it was."
"Then let's talk about something else," he paused. "Your shoulders seem lighter than before. I guess Issei-kun isn't the only one making strides amongst you."
The Light Mana around her hands… it's even more potent than Raynare's. Well, she is that guy's child according to Azazel so I suppose it makes sense.
"I'm surprised you're able to sense Light Mana so easily… even Rias didn't notice it without me telling her." She narrowed her eyes a little, but he showed no reaction.
It's not like I plan on keeping Raynare a secret forever, actually, I'll probably reveal her the second I have the chance.
When that time comes, I'll truly be able to act as I please.
"But yes, I decided to spend some time dwelling on your words… and I can't seem to disagree with them."
"Hmm?"
"You said that power doesn't make a person what they are, but how they choose to use it does."
He nodded.
"So, I'm going to use it to protect the people I consider my family. I don't want them to suffer just because I put my own self-satisfaction above my responsibility."
"That's quite admirable of you. But using your power and owning it are different things are they not?"
Takauji brandished his sword and stretched his arms.
"Indeed. But just keep in mind that I won't be holding back on you," a large crimson-colored Magic Circle appeared in the sky, causing it to darken as her power started to rise.
"Wasn't expecting you to."
Out of both respect and interest, I'll take one of your hits head-on. So here's to hoping Azazel's gear holds up.
"You don't seem very concerned," sparks of electricity started to gather up above. Preparing to crash down on Takauji with all their might.
Of course, I'm concerned, but I'm used to fighting gorilla-strength Fallen Angels now so it doesn't show.
"Maybe, maybe not."
BOOM!
A thunderous light-infused lightning bolt struck Takauji, the latter grabbing his enhanced Haori and pulling it above his head in order to take the attack head-on.
His surroundings erupted into a cloud of dust, covering both his state and position.
"Taka…?" She called out in worry.
"All good," he replied much to her relief. Coughing a few times and dusting himself off.
So that was [Holy Lightning]...
He looked at his clothing, feeling that it had used all of its defensive prowess to defend him from the attack.
I see. The clothing is enhanced by my Darkness Mana, so it took more damage than it normally would've to defend against its elemental weakness…
I probably shouldn't try that again.
"Guess you weren't lying when you said you wouldn't hold back."
He used [Shadow Step], appearing a few meters behind her in an instant.
Akeno was taken aback, even though she had experienced him using [Mana Step] before. She had not had a taste of [Shadow Step's] vanishing properties.
"However, you won't be able to hit me with that anymore if I use this technique. So how should you respond to it?"
He spoke as if it were a test.
"That's easy."
She put her hands on the ground, channeling a current into the terrain they were standing on.
If Takauji's movement was a problem, then she would just remove his footing entirely.
Akeno had basically created an [Electric Terrain] around them to use to her advantage.
"Good," she flinched. Hearing his voice right next to her despite him supposedly being distanced from her. "Surprised?"
"That's an understatement…"
Lo and behold, Takauji was standing on her arm. The vast difference in their physical strength allowed him to make his weight feel nigh nonexistent.
Even if he hadn't been using an illusion to alter her sense of touch, he'd still be light as a feather to her.
"This is just what we call using an enemy's strength against them. The more you spread your power thin, the easier it is for you to get tunnel-visioned during a fight."
He hopped off her, landing on the ground once the electricity had cleared.
"But if I were you, I'd focus more on single-targeting power-heavy attacks for the time being. During the Rating Game, you're going to need to do as much damage to the Phenex as possible. I don't know whether the rest of his peerage is strong or not, but you should leave them to the others."
Little did he know, the talent of Riser's peerage was practically nonexistent. The result of him choosing his pieces with his lower half rather than his upper.
If they just paired Akeno up with someone like Issei who could take a good amount of damage, or Kiba who could avoid attacks pretty soundly. Their chances of beating Riser would skyrocket.
All in all, the Lightning Priestess would be their winning piece.
"I see… I'll make sure to take your advice into account."
"Great. Well, you all seem to know what you're doing so I best get going back to my studies."
He got ready to cast a teleportation circle back to his house.
"Wait…"
"Hm?" He corked his head.
"Are you still intent on uhm… leaving?"
She saw his smile waver, even if only for a second.
"You make it sound like the end of the world, It's true that I won't be her contracted Magician anymore, but it's not like I'm going to disappear. I'll still be in Kuoh you know?"
Sorry, depending on how everything goes that might be a lie.
I mean it's not like I can just reveal my betrayal and then go "I'll just be down the street," while continuing to attend the same school as you all.
Maybe if I had…
No, it's too late for that now. I've made my decision.
"Right… it's just that… I'm going to miss you quite a bit, you know?" She chuckled dryly.
The corners of his mouth twitched, a sharp pang striking his chest for a moment.
That's cruel… making me feel like this at such a time…
"You can still visit me whenever you like. Again, I'm still going to be nearby."
"Is that… really true?" She muttered under her breath, too quiet for him to hear.
"What? Sorry, I couldn't quite hear you." He cupped his hand around his ear.
"I was just wondering if you'll be watching the match when it happens?"
"I'll be there. Actually, I'm looking forward to seeing you partake in your first Rating Game." This time the smile on his face seemed a lot more genuine.
"Is that a promise?"
"Yeah, it is."
Her mood started to inflate.
"Good, in that case, I best get back to training so I don't put on a shoddy performance."
"That's the spirit," they waved each other goodbye as Takauji took his leave.
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Bit of a moment between Taka and Akeno it seems.
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Discord Link: KQAtTw9u7x
Word Count: 1935
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