The Seraphic System Holy Knight Training

The Seraphic System

Chapter: 73

Disclair: I don’t own High School Dxd or any other universe used in this story.

Pa/ t reon details below the chapter if you're interested in seeing so content in advance.

(Holy Knight Training)

I watched as Jeanne was brought back to her place in front of . She stumbled slightly and clenched her fists. I had just given her an extrely powerful blessing that had cost a lot of Faith Points.

A low-God-class being had just been given double mana reserves. Jeanne’s eyes were glowing, literally, and the passive aura her mana reserves put outgrew.

She clenched her fists.

I stared at her for a mont, as her golden hair practically shined.

Just for a mont, she truly looked like an Angel.

My eyes flickered back to the Heavenly Systems screen:

Seven Holy Knights:

[Jeanne D’Arc]

-

Blessing: [Blessed Fortitude]

[dusa]

-

Blessing: [Heavenly Armant]

[Grizella]

-

Blessing: [Sanctified Overdrive]

[Asia Argento]

-

Blessing: [Holy Aegis]

[Unselected]

-

Blessing: [Empty]

[Unselected]

-

Blessing: [Empty]

[Unselected]

-

Blessing: [Empty]

That made four out of the seven, now I simply needed to look for my other three. This is where I had to be a bit more careful.

My eyes glanced towards my Divine Shard.

[Divine Shard] {Progress: 9.8%}

[The Shard of God. The resurrected shard of his essence has rged with the user. As the shard progresses the user will receive more abilities from his rged counterpart. Yahweh.]

Annoyingly close.

My eyes trailed back to the screen, focusing on a man.

“So this is the man you wish to make a Holy Knight?” I questioned, turning to Gabriel patiently waiting beside .

The man was for all intents and purposes, a beast. He wore priest's clothing loosely around his massive muscular body and despite the intimidating hulking figure, his face was kind.

Gabriel nodded excitedly

“Yes. He is one of the Church’s strongest warriors, Vasco Strada. Uriel has personally taken a liking to him.” She smiled. “He is a truly kind man, of that I’ve made sure.”

I examined the man more closely. Despite his older age, his body was a monunt of power. The loose robes he wore couldn’t hide it. I imagined he could look quite intimidating if he wanted.

His silver hair was cropped short, and the lines on his face from smiling made him seem much less intimidating. His expression was one of warmth and kind. The best way I could describe it was like a grandfather who could both bless and break with the sa hands.

“He once held the title of the strongest exorcist. Even in his old age, he can crush the earth with his fists alone. He purely excels in physical strength and doesn’t need to wield a weapon to be effective although he's the strongest swordsman and notorious with Durandal.” She listed off.

“He possesses inhuman strength, speed, and durability, though age has diminished his stamina. A master of both hand-to-hand combat and magic, he wields his fists with the force of divine judgnt. Despite his raw power, he has a keen appreciation for craftsmanship, collecting Holy Swords as a personal passion,” Gabriel explained. “He spends most of his ti wandering from church to church, mostly spending ti in the orphanage. A true knight in every sense of the word.”

“So he’s truth worthy?” I asked, mostly to confirm.

“Absolutely, I’ve made sure of it,” Gabriel confird.

It didn’t take long to find a suitable blessing through the large list presented to . God had thought through all types of fighters to create all these blessings.

So of them were small in function, while others like Blessed Fortitude were just insanely powerful. To think it had worked on a God-class being too, even if she was in the lower realm. That was an insane feat.

I could see a drawback though, considering it was now faded out and inaccessible.

[Wellspring of Life] (Passive)

Imbues a reservoir of life energy enhancing durability and regeneration. Aids in increasing stamina and eliminating ageing.

It was one of the perks with a less powerful effect but it was needed, no matter how impressive and extrely powerful he had beco. Vasco Strada was a human.

He was old and getting older. 87 years old to be precise. While giving him another blessing might make him more powerful, I didn’t think that would an much if he kept getting slowed down by his age.

I took a mont to stare at the man. It was tis like that reminded that ti wasn’t a problem for .

Gabriel leaned over my shoulder. The screen was visible for everyone to see.

She humd in agreent. “This is a good choice, I probably would have chosen the sa. His age has degraded his body. As is common for humans. I’ve seen it happen many tis:”

“I had the sa thoughts,” I replied, confirming the choice.

Gabriel leaned against slightly, and I sent her a curious glance. She didn’t even seem to realise.

Holy energy filled the air once more as my choice was made.

-{Vasco Strada}-

Vasco smiled at the cross. The powerful presence that the previously dead-feeling object had gained was noticeable. He sat on a worn wooden bench outside the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, the mother church of all churches in Ro.

The warm afternoon sun bathed the cobblestone streets in gold, and the air was filled with the laughter of children. He chuckled as a boy no older than eight tugged at his sleeve, waving a wooden sword.

"Padre Vasco, fight !" the boy declared, puffing out his chest in an attempt to mimic a knight.

The old man let out a deep, hearty laugh. Even as he towered over the small boy. "Oh? A duel, is it? You must be very strong to challenge an old man like ."

The children giggled, surrounding him in excitent.

Vasco humoured them, taking a stick from the ground and raising it like a blade. He moved with exaggerated slowness, allowing the boy to land a "devastating" blow to his side.

"Ah! Such strength!" Vasco clutched his stomach, staggering dramatically.

The children erupted into cheers, jumping up and down as if they had just beaten a great champion.

“Can you show us again?” Another girl asked.

He sighed, picking up a rock and then casually crushing it in his hand.

They all stared in awe.

His inhuman body had always been sothing of interest, so thought he was a descendant of a Giant or he was blessed by God. Truth was he was a freak of nature among humans.

The church had ways of letting humans surpass their limits for sure. But, he was simply a freak of DNA. He was also born with a massive amount of holy power.

Holy Power, a rarity among even Angels.

He had used to think he was blessed, up until he had learnt about the death of God. Now he wasn’t sure. Perhaps one of the Arch-Angels or Seraphs had blessed him.

They certainly had the capability.

Even in old age, even with the weight of ti pressing down on his bones, monts like these made it all worthwhile.

He had spent decades fighting, serving, and wielding his fists as instrunts of divine justice. But in his later years, he had found solace in teaching, guiding, and simply being present.

Yet, sothing lingered in his mind.

God had returned.

The letter had arrived with no sender, written in a script he hadn't seen in decades, a language so sacred that few still knew how to read it. The contents were clear: The Lord had been resurrected.

He knew this was from the Vatican, and as such he had burnt it imdiately.

Truthfully, he hadn’t known how to react but it had beco apparent a few weeks later. The church had suddenly beco alive. The cross especially had beco more… powerful in a sense. It felt like it had aning.

There was an old, powerful force behind it. This was what he had suspected it felt like back when he was around. He had read through old ancient accounts religiously when he was in his youth.

The revelation was huge for the Church and the entire world.

He had sat with the ssage for hours, his calloused fingers tracing the ink, his mind reeling. He had served the Church his entire life, believing in faith, justice, and duty.

But he had also accepted the bitter truth that God had long since faded from this world.

The world was going to change. The Devils had been left unchecked. The angels left to slowly weaken over the many years. Without a king to lead them.

He had read into the history of the church, even the most forbidden archives. God’s death had only made him want to learn more about what the force of power God was. The God who didn’t need a Pantheon behind him.

A young girl tugged at his sleeve. "Padre, are you okay? You look distracted."

Vasco softened. "How intuitive and thoughtful of you. Not at all, little one. I was just thinking about an old friend."

The girl nodded, seemingly satisfied with his answer, and ran back to her ga.

Vasco rubbed his chin, lost in thought. The sun had begun to dip lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the courtyard.

He considered returning inside when suddenly the ground vibrated.

The air around him shifted.

A warmth, pure and powerful, filled his lungs. The children’s laughter faded. The church, the sky, the very earth itself seed to vanish. Light engulfed him.

He blinked.

The Vatican.

He stood in front of the Pope and Dulio, along with many others who knelt.

Power entered him and he felt vitality enter his body, the slow weakness and drain that had built up as his age increased was banished. He clenched his fists.

He was young once more.

-{Kai}-

Who else could I choose?

“Father, if I may. I would suggest holding off on choosing the last two. I believe tatron wishes to suggest soone.” Gabriel intervened.

I paused, thinking about it.

[Divine Shard] {Progress: 9.9%}

[The Shard of God. The resurrected shard of his essence has rged with the user. As the shard progresses the user will receive more abilities from his rged counterpart. Yahweh.]

So close…

I let out a sigh. "Alright."

Taking her advice, I decided to hold off for now. Picking another Holy Knight without thought to surpass 10% on the Divine Shard would be reckless. I’d achieve it soon.

My decision earned a pleased smile.

An alert caught my attention. It showed as a blinking light I hadn’t noticed as I played around with the Heavenly System a bit more.

Empowernt System Offline.

Heavenly Domain Connection Cut.

A simple piece of text, yet the date showed it was hundreds of years old.

There were many more notifications along with it and my mind instantly recalled what Michael had told . The Heavenly System had broken in his terms, but he could only access so very basic features so he didn’t know how to even begin fixing it.

Was this what he had been referring to? The Heavenly System was connected to God after all. Or that’s how I had interpreted it. The fact I felt a strange confidence in my assumption made feel like I was correct.

Reconnect?

(Yes/no)

Slowly, my finger raised and pressed “Yes.”

The world stopped, and tendrils of power that honestly scared for a mont descended into my soul.

Attempting to connect to Aspect (Genesis)

Failed.

Attempting to connect Domain (Angel)

Failed.

Reconnection has Failed.

Ti rewound and I felt like I could breathe again.

I had felt that…

My soul felt shaken.

As soone who had been in what could only be called the true void, a lack of existence itself. I wasn’t shaken by most things, but that was insane.

I looked at the Heavenly System in a new light.

Those notifications had intrigued too, well. That was to say I was shocked to my core.

Angel having its own Domain wasn’t that surprising considering the existence of Dragon Gods. I still didn’t know how a Domain was ford yet but I imagine I would find out.

The one that had my sole attention though, Genesis.

The Heavenly System had referred to it as an Aspect? Did that have sothing to do with Domains? So many questions that I had no answer to, how annoying. The Library didn’t go into detail about God’s Domains so that wouldn’t help either.

The doors to the throne room opened, and tatron stepped inside, his expression composed but expectant.

He walked forward, stopping a respectful distance away before speaking.

“My Lord, I assu you have chosen your Holy Knights?” tatron asked, sensing the shift of holy power that was used when electing a Holy Knight.

“Yes, I have,” I answered without hesitation.

tatron inclined his head slightly. “Then, with your permission, I would like to oversee their training.”

That gave pause. I hadn’t thought about their training yet, but it made sense. They couldn’t simply rely on their faith and abilities.

Dulio and Vasco were presumably already trained, but I doubt that was by an ancient Seraph.

It was a good idea.

“Do it,” I said. “Make sure they’re prepared. Be warned one of them is dusa, who is primarily ant to act as a magic caster who can make Heavenly Armants, while Grizella should be treated as a Warrior. Asia Argento is to serve as a Battle Healer. Jeanne here will be staying with for the ti being. I doubt she needs any training. You may know the last one as Vasco Strada.”

His eyes lit up with recognition. “Vasco Strada is a very good fit. I believe I know dusa from your sub-dinsion, am I to believe she is the very sa one from the Greek Pantheon?”

“Yes, she will be going by a new na and she’s gained control over her eyes. Which should be explored.” I replied.

tatron bowed his head slightly in acknowledgent.

Before he could say anything further, I turned to Gabriel. “I need to go to the forge. It’s ti I made a weapon for myself.”

My forging lessons with Uriel had slowed down but I was at a level that I wouldn’t need him.

[Smithing] (LVL: 87/100) {Adept}

The art of shaping and creating objects out of tal by heating, hamring, bending, and forging them into the desired form. It is a foundational craft in tallurgy

I wasn’t sure if it would be enough, but it couldn’t hurt to try for the idea I had regarding the sword I wanted to create.

Gabriel’s expression softened, a small smile forming on her lips. “Jeanne will accompany you,” she said, then hesitated. “And… I hope we can spend more ti together later.” Her voice dropped slightly, carrying a hint of shyness.

“I look forward to it.” I agreed easily.

tatron puffed up. “I wish to spend ti too!”

“Of course.” I nodded.

Gabriel frowned, before smiling. “I can’t wait.”

With that, tatron and Gabriel took their leave, the forr departing to handle the knights while Gabriel returned to her duties.

I turned toward Jeanne, who had remained silent throughout the exchange.

She smiled cheerfully as she t my gaze.

“Let’s go,” I said simply, and she fell into step beside .

The walk to the forge was quiet.

Jeanne seed distracted as she clenched and unclenched her fist. I imagine this power-up was quite surprising. She had been just above the peak of ultimate class and within the bounds of what she learnt constituted the God class.

Now, she was well within the God class.

The forge ca into view. We stepped inside and traversed downwards as the air beca heavier.

I reached into my inventory and pulled out the shattered remains of Murasa.

The once-mighty cursed blade lay in pieces, dull and lifeless, the curse that had once given it power now reduced to a fractured ss.

Tiamat had put this sword through the works.

I didn’t hold a grudge about it since the sword had been weak anyway.

“My Lord, what is that sword?” Jeanne questioned curiously.

“It’s called Murasa, an old sword I used to yield,” I replied idily.

“It feels dark,” Jeanne noted.

“That’ll be the curse, it was able to kill a being by simply cutting through its skin,” I responded fondly, it brought back mories.

She took a step forward in concern. “Are you sure you should be close to such a sword?”

I chuckled. “It only worked on weaker beings. Unless you pile up multiple cuts, which in turn makes it harder to resist.”

She relaxed slightly. “You wish to make a weapon with this sword?”

“Yes, I believe I can make it stronger and add other attributes to it,” I affird.

She didn’t question further, simply opting to watch .

I turned toward the forge.

Without a word, I set to work. Jeanne, understanding the nature of my task, took up a position near the entrance. Her stance was relaxed, but I knew she was hyper-aware of everything around us.

While guarding within Heaven was sowhat useless, she still took her position seriously. Sothing I found cute as she stood with a concentrated face.

The forge roared to life as I stoked the flas higher, pumping the bellows until the holy fla beca near unbearable.

Sweat beaded on my forehead, but I ignored it. I placed the shards of Murasa into the anvil. Then added a special tal I had chosen since it was infused with holy properties.

If I could fuse the two, I might create sothing that blended both their aspects, holy and cursed light, working in harmony. It’d be deadly.

The last ti I tried the drawbacks had been… bad. If I can negate that, and sohow retain the curse and strengthen it. I could create a legendary sword.

The tal glowed white-hot, the curse within Murasa resisting my attempts. I had expected that.

Using a pair of tongs, I retrieved the molten mass and placed it on the anvil. I reached for my hamr and brought it down with a force that sent a shockwave out from the impact.

A sharp crack split the air as the tal fought against itself. I adjusted my technique, shifting the hamr’s angle to fold the material together rather than force it outright.

It wasn’t enough.

The tal wouldn’t rge. No matter how many tis I folded the materials into one another, the impurities wouldn’t burn away. The cursed fragnts resisted and I didn’t have the skill to fuse it. I wasn't sure what would happen if tried to force a rger with transmutation, these two opposite fragnts might cancel each other.

It was like trying to mix oil and water through sheer force alone. I tried endlessly for the next few hours to make the tal combine so I could create the special blade I wanted to make, but it was useless.

I stopped and sighed sharply, staring down at the blade that refused to take shape. I placed the unfinished blade back into the forge, watching as the tal took on new heat.

I stared at it intensely.

This wasn’t going to work.

I simply wasn’t near the level I wanted to be to make such a weapon. It would also take a while to reach such a level…

Unless…

My mind went back to the free download slot I had open, I had been planning to make another massive download. I had gotten lucky that my last download didn’t have many skills and was only at the very low end of God-class or I would be waiting for another few months.

The skill Gravity Magic was also a lower form of Gravity manipulation, so that contributed too.

Maybe… instead of waiting a long ti I could delay it in favour of getting a skill that would help make my weapon. Thinking in line with the two legendary trees I had the perfect person in mind.

The Elven smith.

Celebrimbor.

He wasn’t overly powerful, and gaining his skill set would help in crafting my weapon. Which would be much more useful than an incredibly powerful ability I would be waiting months to even possibly years for.

Even though I was effectively ageless, my problem continued to be ti. The major drawback of my download skill. I didn’t have much ti to sit around and download extrely powerful characters.

It was why I kept sticking to lower characters. I was getting invaluable skills in a shorter period which was what I needed at the mont.

With that, I didn’t hesitate. Before I knew it, I was downloading Celebrimbor.

I placed the hamr down, that had been a good smithing session anyway. I had made progress towards my skills. Six levels had been gained in total as I closed in on the master rank.

It was just regular smithing though.

It wasn’t much, considering the amount of ti I had been at it. But considering my high rank, I wasn’t too surprised.

Jeanne had watched intently during my session and quickly handed a towel she found nearby as I finished.

I shot her a grateful smile.

"That was incredible, my Lord!" she said with a bright smile. "Your focus was truly unwavering!"

I took the towel from her, wiping the sweat off my brow as I let out a small exhale. "Thank you, Jeanne. I still have a long way to go."

She shook her head, her expression unwavering. "Even so, it was inspiring to watch, my Lord."

I chuckled lightly, tossing the towel onto a nearby workbench. "Co on, we’re done here. It’s ti to train."

Jeanne straightened imdiately, her posture shifting as she fell into step beside . "Of course, my Lord."

-{Asia Argento}-

Asia Argento nervously followed the Seraphs along with dusa and Grizella.

She secretly sent awe-filled looks at the Seraph's back. This whole situation felt unreal, she was sure she had died at so point and this was all a dream.

Asia followed the Seraphs, her heart pounding as she walked beside dusa, who now went by Nyxera and Grizella. Who had decided she now went by Elizabeth.

The na change still threw her off, since she had gotten to learn them over the past day but she didn’t mind.

tatron led them to a vast, open training ground bathed in golden light.

Asia swallowed hard.

She was in Heaven. It was both intimidating and exhilarating.

"Listen well," tatron's voice was firm but also gentle. "You have been selected as Holy Knights now, warriors of Heaven and most importantly, Father. Your blessings are gifts, but they will not carry you unless you learn to use them.”

Asia listened intently, if not a bit ekly.

“Father has decided that you will all train under for so ti to get a better grasp on your blessings, this has not happened before the in history of the church.”

Her eyes widened at that.

“We are in dark tis, the church is weak, Heaven is weaker than ever. A potential attack is around the corner. We can’t waste ti on formalities.” tatron spoke with a sigh. “While I would love to teach you the ninja arts I don’t think it would benefit you. So we will stick to physical and magical training, along with teamwork and battle experience.”

No more words. tatron raised a hand, and holy power filled the air.

Asia felt it sink into her bones.

The Seraph's face turned deadly.

“I’ll guide you through your first ti, but I expect you to learn quickly.”

"Nyxera," tatron called. "Summon your Heavenly Armant."

Nyxera's golden eyes flashed as she lifted her hands.

Magic surged, threads of pure energy weaving together.

A curved blade of light power ford in her grasp, its surface shimring with layered enchantnts. The weight seed comfortable in her hands, but tatron was already moving.

A strike ca from nowhere, and tatron lazily slashed down. Nyxera barely blocked in ti, her arms trembling as sparks of holy light scattered. It didn’t take long until she was blown away from the force.

“That wasn’t what I ant, do you need to be holding the weapon? You’re not going to win in speed or strength. You are a magic caster. Act like it.” tatron advised.

Her eyes widened, and she seed to realise sothing.

Multiple weapons ford in the sky and tatron was moving this ti, at a slower speed but still a blur to her eyes nonetheless.

Weapons rained down and ruptured the ground. She backed away as tatron easily sped through them, weapons reford in the sky and increased in number as she seed to get a feel for the blessing.

He backed away, looking ready to launch himself.

"Elizabeth," he turned next. "Activate Sanctified Overdrive. You’re ant to be the one crossing blades with .”

Elizabeth clenched her fists. A golden aura flared around her, tendrils of light lashing out as the power surged through her veins.

The air around her wavered from sheer intensity. She vanished. A second later, the ground behind tatron exploded as she reappeared mid-swing.

tatron blocked her strike with ease but nodded in approval. "Good. Control it.

Elizabeth gritted her teeth, pulling back and launching another strike. One that pushed tatron back a little bit.

He kicked her leg out from under her and exploded towards Nyxera, who sent multiple weapons raining down.

Asia watched in awe, the landscape of the place they trained in was already eviscerated. The power being displayed was far above what she could hope to do.

"Asia, you don’t need to look so worried. You are the defence.” tatron said, dodging another weapon and clashing blades with Elizabeth.

“Cast Holy Aegis," tatron instructed.

Just as he pushed Elizabeth’s sword away.

Asia's breath caught. She clasped her hands together, whispering a prayer. One to God asking her for strength.

A shimring shield of holy light erupted around Elizabeth just as tatron struck. His blade hit the barrier, and the impact sent golden ripples across its surface, but the attack just managed to hold him off.

Not for long as cracks began appearing.

That didn’t matter as weapons fell from the sky like shooting stars and forced him back.

He grinned. “That’s more like it, our power difference isn’t as much as you think. Together I could see you making struggle.”

He cracked his neck, and Asia quickly decided to stand close to Nyxera.

"That’s my instructions finished! Now, I’m coming.” He smiled, exploding in a burst of power.

The training continued, and each of them pushed beyond their limits.

Nyxera’s constructs beca larger in number and power, while Elizabeth learned to fight at the higher power she was boosted into, ensuring her strikes didn't overextend due to being inexperienced.

Asia began layering her Aegis, reinforcing weak points to prevent breaks and most importantly. She was getting used to fighting and perceiving higher-speed fights.

By the end, they were exhausted. But they had improved.

She huffed, barely able to stand up.

“Acceptable. You are all fast learners. Good. Let's have a little break before we continue.”

Asia smiled despite the dread. She hadn’t felt this way before.

This was bad, but nearly as bad as the way she had been before. Tossed away and abandoned by all.

She paused, and sothing occurred to her.

Had that all been a prelude? A trial to strengthen her will? God had never abandoned her.

She felt everything click into place. She had been following his will all along.

Asia pushed herself up as pure power ignited in her veins. She felt ecstatic. She healed herself with Twilight healing, a green glow catching everyone’s attention.

She stood up and healed both of her sisters. Both stood up, feeling rejuvenated as the minor wounds and exhaustion faded away.

Turning to tatron, she bead.

“Let’s continue now.”

-{Kai}-

Standing in a clearing I had decided to use as my training area, I finally looked at my Gravity Magic skill once more and the three spells I had been given.

[Gravity Magic] (LVL: 16/25) {Novice}

[Gravity Magic or Gravity bending, a lower form of gravity manipulation that allows the user to influence gravitational forces within a limited range. This ability can be used to increase or decrease gravity’s pull, affecting movent, weight, and even projectiles.]

[Passive effect: Reduces the weight of the user by 5%]

I was already nearly able to rank up, that little outburst I had served to rank up at an insane rate.

That had been incredibly difficult to reign in, which was still impressive when you recognised that this was a lower form of manipulation.

My eyes glanced at the three spells I had been given.

Gravity Blast (SPELL) (Novice)

(Releases a concentrated burst of gravitational force in a straight line. The blast compresses and crushes anything in its path, dealing heavy concussive damage.)

Decrease Gravitational Force (SPELL) (Novice)

(Reduces the effect of gravity on the caster, making them lighter and allowing for enhanced mobility. When used at extre levels, it enables temporary levitation or nullifies weight entirely.)

Gravitational Ripple (SPELL) (Novice)

(Sends out a wave of gravitational energy that distorts space upon contact. It disrupts enemy balance, deflects projectiles, and creates montary instability in an area.)

While my control was downright limited to an aura around my body. I had gotten three spells that bypassed that completely. I was assuming that each rank-up would grant more of these spells.

The rankings were interesting. Unlike actual skills, they didn’t seem to have any levels. I wasn’t quite sure how I would increase the ranking and if it was the sa as my main skills.

A tremble ca from the distance, and I smiled. I had told Jeanne to continue her training, she had objected but reluctantly agreed when I told her that I would be nearby.

So she could easily co and help if I was “Attacked.”

My palm tingled as I channelled my gravity spell for the first ti. Gravity Blast. I felt my angelic mana twist and condense within . Unlike my manipulation skill which required my full usage, this felt easier.

A sphere of dark purple energy ford at my fingertips.

Then, with a release, the gravity energy shot forward. A compressed blast of gravity travelled in a straight line in front of where my hand had been pointing.

It struck a large rock, heavily cracking its surface but failing to fully destroy the rock.

I frowned. The force was significant, but not nearly as strong as I had expected. More importantly, the amount of mana fueling the spell had been minimal.

Almost too little.

It’d do damage, but not on my level of power. Not even close. A normal human would find themselves broken from it, but that wasn’t exactly helpful.

I gathered myself and tried again, this ti forcing double the amount of angelic mana into the spell. The orb of gravity darkened, growing denser than before

it shot forth. It struck another rock with a more satisfying impact, breaking chunks off instead of just cracking it. The rock crumbled on itself.

That was the limit, I couldn’t push more mana into it.

Strange…

This had sothing to do with the rank, or I hoped so. Maybe ranking the overall skill would give more powerful spells?

Next, I turned to Decrease Gravitational Force. Focusing on my own body, I activated the spell, and the weight on my limbs lessened. Very minutely, to the point I could barely feel any different.

With a light push off the ground, I found myself jumping slightly higher than I would have otherwise.

Testing the limits, I attempted to double the mana input like before, and this ti, the effect was more pronounced but only by a small amount. It wouldn’t help in battle.

At this rate, it wouldn’t do much.

Gravitational Ripple was next. I spread my arms slightly and willed the spell into existence.

A wave of dark purple energy radiated outward, distorting a small area around .

The grass beneath pulsed, and the rocks in the area shifted slightly as if nudged by an unseen force. Again, it was effective but not overwhelming. I doubled the mana, and this ti, the ripple expanded a bit further, pushing pebbles and loose debris aside with more force.

I frowned, looking at my spells. On a whim, I tapped on the spell rank.

A system notification appeared in my vision:

Would you like to receive an upgrade quest?

Yes/No

“…”

Yes…?

[Sub-Skill Upgrade Quest!]

To Rank Up: Use the spell 50 tis.

Progress: 1/50

My eyes lit up.

An upgrade quest.

So that was how I progressed spells.

Unlike normal skills, which leveled through mastery which presented itself as Levels and Ranks.

These seed to require upgrade quests. This was my first ti truly using spells besides my angelic spells. I had to wonder why my angelic spells didn’t have ranks.

Was it due to the Gravity Magic skill?

I didn’t hesitate. I cast Gravity Blast again and continued to repeatedly cast it.

The mont I hit the 50th cast, the system chid again.

[Gravity Blast (Novice) → (Apprentice)]

So the spell rankings followed the sa ranks as my skills… good.

I didn’t hesitate and activated the spell imdiately to test the changes.

The difference was imdiate and noticeable.

The dark purple ball gathered much more rapidly, and the resulting blast was significantly stronger.

The air warped slightly around the gravity blast as it travelled through the air, and it was noticeably larger.

The drain of my angelic mana was also larger, but for the effect it caused. I felt like I was using less Angelic mana than I would have used otherwise in the previous version.

The rock I had been using for testing shattered on impact.

Curious, I pushed more angelic mana into the spell.

This ti, the spell greedily accepted it, multiple tis more than before.

My eyes caught sight of a larger boulder this ti.

The gravity orb darkened to a slightly darker shade of purple hue before launching forward. The explosion sent debris flying, and the entire side of a large boulder caved inward, crushed beneath the sheer force.

[Gravity Magic] (LVL: 21/25) {Novice}

[Gravity Magic or Gravity bending, a lower form of gravity manipulation that allows the user to influence gravitational forces within a limited range. This ability can be used to increase or decrease gravity’s pull, affecting movent, weight, and even projectiles.]

[Passive effect: Reduces the weight of the user by 5%]

I let out a slow breath. The difference was massive.

Glancing around, I made sure none of the trees in the clearing had been damaged. They were untouched, but the rocks in the area had not been as fortunate.

I smiled to myself.

So that’s how this worked.

My progress in Gravity magic was also incredibly fast considering I had only been trying out gravity magic for less than half an hour.

A wild grin appeared on my face, and I continued my training. It wasn’t long until my rank on Gravity magic was upgraded to Apprentice, and just as I expected, I gained new spells.

Increase Gravitational Force (SPELL) (Novice)

(This spell amplifies the gravitational pull on the caster, increasing their weight and restricting movent.)

This was the sa as the Decrease Gravitational Force spell, which could only be used on . It seems like my Gravity bands have just beco a bit less useful. Maybe I should lend them to Uriel or Vasco Strada for training.

Which wasn’t surprising, they had long since hit the limit on what they could do.

Gravity Bubble (SPELL) (Novice)

(This spell creates a bubble of repulsive gravity that pushes any attack that wishes to hit you away.)

Resonance Sense (SPELL) (Novice)

(Emits small gravitational waves through the surrounding environnt, allowing the caster to detect objects, movent, and structural weaknesses within a limited radius. The waves return as feedback, creating a ntal map of the area.)

So I would get three spells every ti I ranked up my Gravity Magic? That made sense… I could see the benefits. It was easier to use than outright manipulation would be but was limited by the spells I would receive.

I had upgraded all of my spells ranks to Apprentice by this point.

I let out a breath, this would have to wait for later.

I have spent enough ti training. I didn’t have the ti to spend on dedicated training. So this would have to suffice.

For now, my next destination was back to the throne room to learn about the Heavenly System further.

-{Kokabiel}-

Kokabiel sat on the roof of the main Grigori building, his eyes staring down at the courtyard below. Multiple Fallen had broken out into fights as yet again, Baraqiuel had been forced to intervene once more.

The once-orderly and organised Grigori that had been built on centuries of work had been tossed away in just two months.

The mont they had all felt it, Father’s presence.

He shivered slightly as he rembered. The less-powerful Fallen Angels who didn’t have the capability to sense had quickly been inford of what happened.

It had been two months, but the aftershocks that ca with it didn’t look like it would settle. Kokabiel doubted the Grigori would ever return to the way it was.

The Grigori had only thrived because Father had been dead. Before that, it had just been a group of rebels who broke away from their Family. It had amassed power but had been much smaller than Lucifer’s Faction. It had relied solely on the Angels after all and a group of rebellious Fallen Angels didn’t exactly make for good soldiers.

When he died, it was only then did it truly beca more. As Angels dropped by the thousands every day. Angels who only joined because they had nowhere else to go. That’s when the Grigori had annoyingly beco more.

With Father back, it was safe to say that things had gone to shit.

The fallen were in disarray. So had broken off, desperate for redemption, convinced that if God had returned, there was still a chance to stand in Heaven’s light once more.

His once small sub-faction within the Grigori of those who wanted their Father’s light once more, even if it was through death, had grown massively. These were the ones who had fallen from grief, the angels who had lost hope, not their faith.

They saw a chance to undo their sins, to return ho.

Then there were the others. The ones who had chosen their fall or most accurately were banished for giving in, who had abandoned Heaven for their selfish desires.

For them, Father’s return was a threat. They raged, terrified of judgnt, unwilling to face consequences for their actions. Their answer was war. They called for an assault on Heaven, to strike before judgnt could be passed.

Battles had already broken out in secret corners of the world, fallen against fallen, brother against brother.

Kokabiel sighed, watching the stars. His eyes reflected nothing.

He had been close to starting his plan, ensuring that the Three Factions would burn. Heaven, Grigori, the Devils. he had wanted them all to fall into ruin, believing that only through their destruction could his Father finally rest.

Then the Angels and Fallen who had failed him would be judged, the Devils who ruined his image burnt. Then he would turn to the Demons who had disappeared a long ti ago. He wasn’t sure if they were still alive but just to confirm they weren’t. Once that was dealt with, he would have killed himself as a sacrifice to his Father.

But now…

God was back.

His fingers curled into fists.

He had been overjoyed but that had quickly turned into sha. His father was back, now he would know of his fall. He probably already knew. His trusted Seraph had fallen. It had been a quick realisation.

He couldn’t redeem himself by destroying the three Factions with a war now.

“…Father, what do I do now?”

The stars had no answer.

-{Issei Hyoudo}-

Issei grinned as he stood in the courtyard of the Occult Research Club, flexing his fingers as the Boosted Gear glead on his arm.

Today was another brutal training session in preparation for the Rating Ga against Riser, and he wasn’t about to slack off.

Well, not too much.

As Kiba dashed around with his usual smug “I’m so cool with my sword” aura, Akeno-senpai unleashed bolts of lightning with that dangerously sexy smile of hers.

Even Koneko, small as she was, packed enough of a punch to send a normal guy flying through a wall. And here he was, just trying to keep up while wondering if this training would get him closer to what mattered:

Rias’ boobs.

Man, what a wild ride his life had beco. One mont, he was just a regular high schooler with a dream of getting a girlfriend. The next, he was getting recruited by the hottest redhead he’d ever seen.

And the best part? She'd promised he could squeeze her boobs if he worked hard.

"Amazing…" he muttered to himself, his perverted brain kicking into overdrive. His motivation was absolute.

He had to get stronger, had to train harder, all for the ultimate goal!

Boob supremacy!

“Issei, please focus.” Rias' voice cut through his daydreaming, snapping him back to reality. She sighed tiredly.

“Right! Training! Got it!” He struck a stance as he prepared for another round.

His body was riddled with cuts and bruises by despite being an idiot, he was dedicated to the cause.

Then, out of nowhere, his whole body stiffened. A weird sensation crawled up his spine. His gut twisted. Sothing was… wrong.

His goofy expression faltered, and his head snapped up.

“Issei?” Rias frowned, noticing the sudden change. “What’s wrong?”

‘Partner.’ Ddraig’s voice rumbled in his mind, sounding graver than usual.

Sothing is happening.

And then, pain.

It hit like a lightning strike, slamming into his chest and radiating through his body like fire. He barely had ti to gasp before his legs gave out.

“GAAAHHHHHH!”

The scream tore out of him as he collapsed, clutching at his arm as if the Boosted Gear vanished. His chest rose as he felt his very soul descended upon.

Sothing was torn away from him.

‘D-draig!’ He was barely able to think.

His vision blurred. His ears rang.

He could hear Rias and the others shouting his na, but their voices were distant, fading behind the unbearable agony. Even Koneko looked mildly worried.

And then, the world went dark.

-END-

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