The training facility beneath the Sitri family estate was impressive, even by supernatural standards. The reinforced walls could probably withstand a nuclear blast, and the space was large enough to accommodate full-scale combat exercises. Magic circles lined the floor in intricate patterns, ready to activate various training scenarios at a mont's notice.
I stood in the center of the room, adjusting my grip on a practice sword while Sona's peerage arranged themselves around the periter. It had been her idea—a "friendly" training session to help integrate their newest mber and, I suspected, to show off her boyfriend's capabilities to her servants.
"Are you certain about this, Leon?" Sona asked from her position near the control panel. "My peerage has been training together for years. They work well as a unit."
"I'll be fine, besides, this is supposed to be training, right? Everyone learns sothing."
Tsubaki stepped forward, her usual composed expression firmly in place. As Sona's Queen, she was clearly the leader of this little exercise. "We appreciate you taking the ti to help us train, Mishima-san. It's not often we get to practice against soone with your... caliber."
There was sothing in her tone that made glance at her. Tsubaki had always been polite but distant with , professional to a fault. But now there was a tension in her posture.
"Just Leon is fine," I said, offering a small smile. "We're all friends here, right?"
"Right!" The enthusiastic voice ca from the newest mber of the group—Saji Genshirou, a first-year student who'd recently been reincarnated as Sona's Pawn.
I caught Saji's glance toward Sona—that look of barely concealed longing mixed with admiration. The sa pathetic puppy-dog expression Issei wore whenever he stared at his precious "Buchou" in the ani.
Saji's feelings for Sona were obvious to anyone paying attention.
Too bad for him. Sona was mine now, and I had no intention of letting so diocre Sacred Gear user with delusions of grandeur interfere with that.
Whatever romantic fantasies Saji harbored about Sona, I planned to crush them thoroughly, preferably before they could take root and beco a problem and this sparring session is the perfect way to establish my dominance.
"So," I said, letting my voice carry just enough confidence to draw attention, "who wants to go first?"
The silence stretched for a mont as the peerage exchanged glances. I could see them sizing up, trying to figure out the best approach. Smart. Too bad it wouldn't help them.
"Actually," I said, setting the practice sword aside and rolling my shoulders, "I think I'd prefer if you all ca at together. Make it more... challenging."
"All of us?" Momo asked, her voice uncertain. "At once? That's—"
"You're underestimating us, Mishima-san." Tsubaki said.
"Am I?"
"Leon," Sona's voice carried a warning from the control panel. "Perhaps we should start with—"
"No, it's fine Sona-sama,"Tsubaki interrupted as she raised her hand. "If we can't handle a training exercise, what good are we?."
I could feel Sona's disapproval radiating from the booth, but she didn't say a thing anymore.
As expected Tsubaki made the first move, as Queen, she had access to all piece abilities, and she used them masterfully. She vanished with Knight speed, appearing behind with a practice blade enhanced by Rook strength, aid precisely at my shoulder.
I sidestepped without looking, letting mana flow into my legs as I pivoted. My backhand caught her wrist mid-strike, the enhanced strength sending her stumbling backward despite her supernatural durability.
"Coordinate formation seven!" Tsubaki barked, imdiately taking command.
The response was instant. Tsubasa Yura, the sole Rook, charged from my front—pure brute force, her enhanced devil strength making each step crack the reinforced floor. anwhile, the two Bishops spread out in opposite directions around .
Momo Hanakai began weaving ice magic, frost spreading across the floor in intricate patterns ant to limit my mobility. Reya Kusaka started her fire spells, magic circles layering as she built toward sothing devastating.
Ruruko Nimura, despite being a Pawn, showed surprising tactical awareness as she moved to cut off escape routes.
Years of coordinated training showed—the Knight provided mobility and flanking, the Rook delivered raw power, the Bishops controlled the battlefield with magic, and even the Pawn showed tactical acun beyond her piece's typical role.
Too bad coordination ant nothing when the power gap was this vast.
I let Tsubasa's punch connect with my chest, the Rook's enhanced strength creating a shockwave that spider-webbed the reinforced floor. She stared in disbelief as I didn't even budge, her strength aning absolutely nothing against my mana-reinforced body.
I lifted her off the ground and threw her across the room with casual ease. She crashed into the far wall, leaving a crater in the reinforced concrete.
Tomoe ca next, using Knight speed to attack from three different angles in rapid succession. Her enhanced mobility was impressive—she moved like a blur, striking and retreating before most opponents could react.
I caught her mid-dash, my enhanced reflexes making her speed look like slow motion. A gentle tap to her temple sent her joining Tsubasa in unconsciousness.
Momo's ice prison ford around . The temperature dropped to low levels as she poured her power into the construct, frost spreading in beautiful but deadly patterns.
I flexed my shoulders and the entire prison exploded outward, shards of ice scattering like confetti. The backlash sent Momo sliding backward, her concentration shattered.
Unfortunately for her, tactics only worked when you had the power to back them up. I appeared behind her in a burst of speed, tapping her shoulder gently. She spun around, eyes wide, just in ti for my finger to touch her forehead. Down she went, unconscious but unhard.
Reya's massive fire spell finally completed—"Salamander's Wrath!"—and flas hot enough to lt titanium filled half the training room.
I walked through the inferno like it was a breeze, mana protecting from heat. The flas parted around , unable to so much as singe my clothes.
Reya's confident expression shattered as I erged completely unscathed. "That's impossible!"
A tap to her forehead sent her joining her teammates in unconsciousness.
Tomoe had been desperately weaving healing magic, trying to revive the fallen while maintaining barriers. Tactics to keep the team functional through support. Unfortunately for her, it was not enough.
She spun, barriers forming instantly around herself in layered shells. Impressive defensive magic—each barrier was stronger than the last, creating a nearly impenetrable fortress.
I placed my palm against the outermost barrier and channeled mana. The entire defensive network collapsed like a house of cards, the magical feedback knocking Tomoe unconscious imdiately.
That left only Tsubaki, who had been observing everything with the gaze of soone realizing they were completely outmatched. As Queen, she should have been coordinating, but there was nothing left to coordinate.
"Still want to continue?" I asked, turning to face her fully.
Her answer was to attack with everything she had—Queen piece versatility at its absolute limit. She moved with enhanced Knight speed, struck with amplified Rook strength, defended with multilayered Bishop barriers, all while her Queen abilities let her access techniques that should have been impossible for a single piece.
She created phantom duplicates of herself—a Queen's unique ability to manifest aspects of other pieces simultaneously. Six Tsubakis attacked from different angles, each using a different piece's specialty. It was genuinely masterful, a display of devil combat techniques that would have overwheld most opponents.
I caught all six blades easily.
"Not bad," I said honestly as she strained against my grip, all her duplicates trembling with effort. "Unfortunately, not enough."
With a gentle pulse of mana, I disrupted the magic sustaining her duplicates. They dissolved like smoke, leaving only the real Tsubaki frozen in place as I held her blade.
I released her blade and tapped her forehead—the sa gentle tap I'd used on the others. She collapsed gracefully, the last of Sona's peerage defeated.
The training room fell silent except for soft groans from the unconscious devils scattered across the floor. None were seriously injured of course, but the ssage was delivered with clarity.
I brushed the dust off my clothes and looked up at the control booth where Sona sat in stunned silence.
"That was educational," I said with a slight smile. "For everyone involved."
The demonstration was complete. I wasn't just stronger than her peerage, I existed in a completely different category of power.
"Well," Sona said from the control booth, "that was quite the demonstration."
I looked around at her scattered peerage. "They'll be fine. Just needed a wake-up call."
Tsubaki stirred first. She sat up slowly, looking at like I'd just violated several laws of physics.
"You alright?" I said, offering her a hand up.
She nodded and accepted the help, though she looked unsteady.
The others began regaining consciousness one by one. Tsubasa held her head, looking like she'd been hit by a freight train. Momo stared at the puddles of lted ice around her with bewildernt. Reya kept examining her hands as if they'd betrayed her.
Sona descended from the control booth, her expression carefully neutral. "Everyone to the dical bay. Standard post-training protocols. Make sure there are no lasting effects."
Her peerage filed out, each throwing glances back at that mixed wariness with newfound respect.
Once we were alone, Sona studied my face. "You were holding back considerably."
"Of course. Can't exactly destroy their spirit if I ended it in seconds right?"
Sona smiled. "Very thoughtful of you and…"
She trailed off, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
"What?" I asked, grinning. "Finish that thought."
"It was rather... impressive." The blush deepened. "You were magnificent."
"Magnificent?" I stepped closer, backing her against the wall. "That's quite the complint, Sona Sitri."
"Don't let it go to your head," she said, but her breathing had quickened.
"Too late." I braced one hand against the wall beside her head. "You find very attractive."
"I do." Her eyes flickered to my lips. "What are you planning to do about it?"
Instead of answering, I leaned down and captured her lips with mine. She responded imdiately, her arms sliding around my neck as she kissed back with surprising intensity. All that poise lted away as she pressed against .
When we finally broke apart, both breathing harder, she rested her forehead against mine.
"We should return upstairs," she whispered, though she made no move to step away.
"Should we?" I asked, my thumb tracing along her jawline.
"The others will wonder where we are."
"Let them wonder." I kissed her again, softer this ti. "I'm exactly where I want to be."
"You're terrible."
"You love it."
As we headed up the stairs, my phone buzzed with a ssage.
It was Azazel.
"Let's et, I found Kokabiel."
After months of searching, hunting for any trace of the bastard who'd killed my parents, he'd finally surfaced.
"Leon?" Sona's voice was soft, concerned. "What's wrong?"
I looked up from my phone to find her studying my face with those eyes. She could read better than anyone, there was no point in lying to her.
"It's Azazel," I said quietly. "He found Kokabiel."
Her eyes widened slightly. She knew about the truth of my parents' deaths, and knew I'd been searching for him for months now.
Truth was, I'd been preparing for this mont longer than she realized. I had items I planned to queue in my Workshop specifically for tracking Kokabiel down, backup plans in case my and Azazel's leads went cold.
And even with Laevateinn at my disposal, I wasn't taking any chances. Kokabiel might be weaker than Azazel, but he was still old, experienced, and desperate. Desperation made even weak enemies dangerous.
And knowing he has another group backing him up? I couldn't afford to be complacent. Not when it ca to my parents' killer.
"Do you need backup?"
"No," I said softly. "This is sothing I need to do myself."
She stepped closer, reaching up to cup my face. "Just promise you'll co back."
"I promise." I leaned into her touch.
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