Capítulo 14: Chapter 14: Issei's Training Arc
Land of Lost Souls (3 Months Later)
"DODGE!"
"YOUR GONNA KILL ME!"
"WHY WON'T YOU DODGE!!!"
Issei was currently running away from me in my {Akhekh Incarnate} form as I blasted him with flames filled with [Death] aura. For the past three months, or twelve hours in the real world, Issei and I have been training his demonic power and his body. After the whole fallen incident, Issei told me he wanted to get stronger and I offered him a trip to my father's realm.
—
Flashback
As I woke up, I noticed a pair of brown eyes looking down at me. I sighed and stared back into them.
"Watching me sleep, Issei? Didn't know you swung that way." I joked, but my tone told him I was annoyed.
"You know I didn't mean it that way!" Issei shot backwards and away from me while waving his hands in front of him.
"I'm just playing man. What do you need?" I stretched my tired bones as I awaited his response.
"Do…do you think you can train me?" He asked seriously.
I looked at him and gained a small smile. "So you weren't just all talk yesterday. Good."
His face lit up. "So you'll train me?"
"Of course, why wouldn't I? Though I have no idea how you would increase your demonic power. You'll have to text Rias-senpai or Akeno-senpai and ask them about that."
Issei's eyes sparkled and he started dancing around the room. My smile grew wider as I watched on.
"Though if I'm going to train you, we'll be doing it in my father's domain. Think you can handle that?" I asked seriously.
Issei kept his bright face and nodded. "Even better! I'll get my very own training arc!" He said as he slammed his fist into his chest.
This guy…
"Alright, ask Rias-senpai, or Akeno-senpai on how to train demonic power, and we'll head there immediately."
Issei reeled in his excitement and grabbed his phone from his nightstand. He started typing fast before putting his phone back down.
"Done. I asked Buchou, but since it's Saturday she might still be asleep." He said with a grin.
"Good. Then in the meantime I'll warn you of the terrors of Anubis' domain." I announced with a sadistic smile.
"T-Terrors?"
"Yup. You're gonna see some shit that will have you questioning life and death all at once. You're gonna be scared shitless, you're gonna be cold, you're gonna be annoyed, and you're gonna want to die more than once. Just keep in mind that if you die, you'll be there for eternity and all will be well." I shrugged.
"On second thought I think I'll pa-" Issei started but was cut off by a ding of his phone.
I swiped it from him and read Rias-senpai's message.
Issei (7:47am) Buchou, how can I train my demonic power?
Rias (7:51am) I'm glad you're showing interest Issei! There are many ways of training your demonic power and it mainly focuses on what you wish from it. Right now the first step for you should be increasing the amount you have. This can be done by emptying your body of the power and having it naturally refill. Once you reach a certain level of demonic power that I deem suitable, I will help you with step two which is controlling that power.
Issei (7:52am) Hey Buchou, this is Isamu. Thanks for explaining. I plan on taking Issei to my domain and training him the way you have explained while also working on other areas. Just thought I'd let you know.
Issei tried to snatch his phone back as I texted Rias, but me being leagues above him just sidestepped him.
Rias (7:52am) Oh, I see! Thank you, Isamu. I look forward to hearing about your progress later today.
Issei (7:53am) Actually, it might take us all day even in Anubis' realm. Let's talk about it tomorrow, yeah?
Rias (7:53am) Very well. I'll talk to you both then.
Once I saw Rias' reply, I sidestepped Issei for the nth time then threw him his phone. He instantly started reading our little conversation and I saw his eyes water a bit.
"No going back now. I'm taking you straight to hell!" I laughed maniacally and summoned a portal of darkness which appeared on the ground
Issei tried to run to the door, but his foot got stuck in the darkness.
"Trust me bud, you'll be a better man after this…or you'll go insane. But I'll be there to make sure that doesn't happen!" I snickered evilly as we both got pulled into the darkness.
—
Land of Lost Souls
We both appeared in the dark cave that is the Land of Lost Souls.
Issei started shaking as he looked around the dimly lit cave. The guts and dismembered body parts that lay around and hang on the cave walls were the first things he noticed. His gag reflexes kicked in and he emptied his stomach onto the cave floor.
Damn, not even a minute in and he's already like this…I'm starting to think this was a bad idea.
Once Issei finished, I noticed a familiar mummy was making its way towards us. Issei looked at the mummy and fear consumed his face. He ran and hid behind me like the bitc-…I mean the friend he is.
"Don't be scared, Little Ise. This is Ron, my mummy best friend."
Issei didn't answer in words but pointed at it in frustration, accusation and fear.
"Dude, pointing is rude." I said sternly.
"W-What kind of fucking mummy is that!? That thing is a rotting zombie with bandages!" Issei exclaimed in exasperation.
"Indeed. That's what mummies are." I deadpanned. "There's a lot worse down here than just Ron bud. You'll really lose your mind if you can't even handle this much…I'm taking you back-"
"NO!" Issei shouted, cutting me off.
"No?" I asked.
"I'm done being useless. This guy smells like ass and looks like shit…wait I had that backwards…NO that doesn't matter right now! I'm gonna train my ass off here like we planned and become strong enough to protect our club-mates!" Issei shouted in determination.
I paused as I stared at him in shock. The shock turned into pride. He looked really cool right about now, and I was reminded of why I've been friends with him all this time. He was a stubborn bastard that wouldn't give up even if you killed him. He'd keep fighting even after death.
"Good. I'll try to keep the nastier things away from us while we train, but you'll still catch a glimpse of the horrors of this realm. Are you sure you wish to stay?" I asked, knowing the answer already.
"Of course. I'll become even stronger than you, just watch you wannabe god!" Issei taunted as he stood next to Ron who gave him a slight nod.
"Well spoken. I look forward to it. Though I guarantee it won't happen. Won't hurt to try though…or will it?" I asked as I summoned a pack of twelve hellhounds from thin air.
Issei's smile disappeared as he looked at the monstrous beasts that easily stood taller than him by about a dozen centimeters.
"I-Isamu!"
"First things first, we'll be training your body. This isn't your domain and I don't have any healing magic so if you get caught, you may very well die. So uh…don't?" I asked as I waved my hand towards Issei.
The hounds quickly took my gesture as a dinner bell and lept towards Issei who narrowly dodged one of the hounds. Issei ran around in circles as all of the hounds chased him.
A smile crossed my face as I watched Issei run for his life. Little did he know the hounds were mentally ordered by me to avoid injuring him too badly. Sure he might suffer a few scratches, but nothing more than that. Also I made it so they don't use tactics like cutting him off and instead just follow him in a straight line for now.
This training will be tough for him. Everyday for the next three months will consist of Issei running for his life until his stamina is gone. Then we'll have him deplete his demonic power to increase his reserves. Then we'll head into strength training where I'll introduce him to Slender and have Issei do push and pull exercises with him. By the end of our training Issei shouldn't be a pushover to anyone, and should easily be one of the strongest in the clubroom.
I pulled myself out of my thoughts as I watched Issei starting to slow down, signifying his fatigue. I teleported all of the hellhounds away and walked towards my exhausted friend.
"So how was it?"
*Pant*
"Too tired to speak? Good. Next phase. Sit." I ordered with a sadistic smile. It felt kind of good to be the one in charge after all.
Issei obeyed without any argument. His body collapsed to the ground and he panted even harder. His chest heaved up and down and his clothes were drenched in sweat.
"You barely even ran for long. As you are now you won't be able to protect anyone. As you go into the next training exercises for the next three months I want you to think of everyone in our club." I paused as I noticed Issei regained the color in his eyes and his breathing slowed. His focus pinpointed on me as he waited for my next words.
"What if there is a threat and I'm not strong enough? What if something comes up and I can't make it there in time? Issei! It is your responsibility to ensure everyone in the club is safe! To ensure that we can all go to school and smile together! To ensure Yuuto, Koneko-chan, Akeno-senpai, Buchou, and Asia-san all have bright futures!"
Issei looked at me with exhausted eyes, but they were filled with determination. He slowly picked himself off the ground and his eyes locked on my own. As I looked at my friend, chills ran down my spine. He's locked in!
"What's next?" He asked seriously.
"Training your reserves. Sit back down, I didn't tell you to get up did I?" I asked.
"No." Issei reluctantly said as he sat back down.
"Gotta say, you're lucky my dad's not here, or he would have traumatized you for doing something without his orders." I sighed as I reminisced about my first time in this realm.
"I'll take your word for it." Issei shivered.
"Right, so basically you have to expend your demonic power. It shouldn't be that hard considering yours is miniscule." I teased and watched as a tick mark appeared on his head. "Reach within yourself and find your power. Once you've found it, draw it out of your body. Simply doing that should deplete your reserves and we can go into stage three." I said with a small smile.
Issei nodded. Closing his eyes he started doing as I said. While he did so I made sure to pay close attention to his power. At first there were no changes, but after about twenty seconds I saw a purple aura radiate from his body. It only lasted half a second. Issei started panting uncontrollably.
"Guess you succeeded."
I knew his reserves were miniscule, but that was just pathetic. No matter, his power will improve in time. By the time I'm done with him, his reserves will be higher than Akeno's. Maybe even higher than Rias.
'[His aura is small, but it's dense. That aura that rolled off of him was quite potent. If he attains larger reserves, he'll be a threat even without his longinus.]' Ddraig informed me mentally.
Issei has the potential to be a magical badass? Go figure.
I decided to move on to phase three and summoned Slender from the Land of Tortured Souls. He greeted me with a nod and I returned one. Issei was still exhausted and hadn't noticed the ten meter golem yet.
I walked over to Issei and pulled his head to my shoulder to whisper into his ears.
"I'm warning you now, I summoned another friend. This one is scary as shit. I'm asking you to mentally prepare before you look at him." I warned Issei seriously.
Issei looked at my serious expression and adopted one of his own. He took some deep breaths and closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes I could see his burning determination from earlier was rekindled. Taking that look as a go ahead I stepped backwards. Slender sat behind with his very long legs crossed.
Issei's face filled with horror and his legs started to shake. However he didn't look away. Not for a second. It didn't take too long for him to calm down, only a couple of minutes. Once he was calm I decided introductions were in order.
"Issei, this is my golem friend, Slender. Slender, this is Issei. He's fragile. Treat him well." I commanded and the golem nodded.
Issei gave a little wave which Slender returned. The little wave Slender gave seemed to calm Issei down drastically. It was as if he wasn't even scared anymore. Just hesitant.
"Right, Slender, lay down and stick out your right arm." I ordered. Slender did as he was told. "Issei, phase three part a will be pulling Slender around the realm until you feel too exhausted to stand. After that you'll rest, then you'll take up part b which will be pushing slender around until exhaustion. Once you're done with that, phase four will be attempting to draw your demonic power into one specific area of your body. That will be it for the day, and we'll repeat everything over again. This will continue for the next three months. By then you should be strong enough to take on Yuuto or Koneko easily. Perhaps even stronger."
Issei rubbed his temples as he let everything I said digest.
"Should I know anything else?" He asked finally.
"I'll be reading while you train to learn more about the supernatural and other stuff. I don't require sleep in this realm, while you do. So I'll probably train my body while you sleep. You're welcome to read whenever you're done with your training. That's about it." I shrugged.
Issei nodded slowly as he walked towards the lengthy golem's hand and grabbed it. He started pulling the giant and Slender barely moved. I watched as Issei comically struggled to move the massive creature. It did bring a smile to my face.
I took out a book about teleportation magic and started to read. It was going to be a long three months. Might as well get some training in my skill set!
Flashback End
Issei had completed his training and had improved greatly…But so did his ego. He adamantly declared that he wanted to fight me at full power before we returned to the real world. I hesitantly accepted and took on my {Akehekh Incarnate} form. Issei called my transformation "hacks" but surprisingly didn't back down.
"You ready?" I asked with a bored tone.
"Hell yeah! I'm gonna kick some dragon ass! Or whatever the hell you are." Issei announced with the utmost confidence.
"You know my father has a saying… "Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall"" I warned my friend for his overconfidence.
"Useless words from a sex god. Let's just go already!" Issei exclaimed in anticipation.
"Alright, three, two, one, Begin!" I announced as I rushed the brown haired boy.
He quickly dodged out of the way before shooting a purple blast of his demonic energy at me. It was ineffective. I shrugged off the hit and summoned my own orbs of [Death] aura and sent them at my opponent. He evaded them, but couldn't evade the black explosion's that resulted from the impact. He was knocked to the ground but didn't remain there long. He quickly picked himself up and rocketed towards me with the intention of punching me.
His fists coated in the purple aura. I decided to accept his challenge and rushed at him. When we collided, we both were sent backwards. I gracefully glided backwards while he got sent crashing miles away from our collision point.
"Guess that's the fight." I deadpanned.
'[He did better than I believed he would. He actually managed to push you back. A god class being. That's no easy feat. Keep in mind, he didn't even use his sacred gear. If I had to guess his strength level, he'd be at least mid high class. With his gear he may even delve into ultimate class.]' Ddraig announced his high praise with a bit of pride.
'Devil's don't use our same ranking system right? So for them the god level is just considered the ultimate class until they reach satan class and then super devil. So how far in the ultimate class are we talking?' I asked seriously.
'[Barely even within it. I'd say he may have the potential to beat low ultimate class beings. With his gear he can create creatures and inanimate objects that will surely hold great power. That's why I say he's ultimate class.]' Ddraig clarified.
I nodded in understanding as I waited for Issei to return. He really came a long way. Not only has he increased his demonic power tremendously, his body is very strong and durable. So strong that he can pull Slender around like a sled.
'[I believe it would be in your best interest to end this stagnation of yours. Your friend has had incredible progress. If you truly do not wish to fall behind him, you should also train.]' Ddraig advised with a bit of disappointment.
'In my defense, I've been training my skills over my body and power. I've learned tons of new cool teleportation magic and even more about the supernatural world. Did you know Osiris is actually dead and lives within this realm? Not only is he dead, but he was killed by my grandfather Set. Go figure. I still haven't even seen the guy. He's strapped to this realm, but I'm sure he still possesses his domains. I'd love to meet him sometime. Maybe ask why grandpops was so mad at him.'
'[Now you're just changing the subject. And your knowledge is faulty. Though Osiris did die, he is not dead. One of his domains is rebirth for a reason. That being said he didn't return to the world of the living and chooses to remain in the Land of Prosperous Souls as their king. As for why Set killed him, there are many rumors but none have been proven.]' Ddraig corrected me.
I was about to continue our interesting chat until I saw a dust cloud heading straight towards me.
'Looks like Issei's coming back. We'll continue this later.'
'[I look forward to it.]' Ddraig yawned as he cut the link.
PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES 
Kakukami
Kakukami Ya'll stay up. It's a hard world out there. Thank you for reading!
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