59- Threading Her Own Path
…..
There were no more warnings from Gertrude, no shift of her weight or increase of her power. Words also were no longer needed as the bloodthirsty covered both warriors and neither wanted to delay the fun any longer. But the redhead moved first and suddenly she disappeared from Akeno's line of sight.
Only to reappear shoulder tackling the ravenhead, the younger woman couldn't even react as her whole front hit the hard surface of the veteran's body and she was sent flying towards the lake of lava.
Already many stood in a panic and Shirou was about to jump down and save the hybrid because nobody was sure she could survive that.
Fortunately that particular question would remain unanswered as the ravenhead flipped in the air and unleashed her wings, floating just above the lava surface. One of her eyes was closed and Akeno was in a great deal of pain as she felt the hit completely and it almost knocked her out.
'Can't take another of those… Keeping all mana in a chain is a terrible idea…' Gulping some air she studied Gertrude who was grinning animalistically. That only made Akeno more determined to win. 'Just to be safe…' Lightning began to crack around her chain as her mana reformed around her.
With her concentration the aura was mostly muted and the chain retained most of its form but already she could feel how much frailer her weapon became. Just a shift of focus was enough to weaken her weapon a lot and part of her debated making something else just to shake her head in denial.
'Balance. That is another thing I need to focus on, balance.' Two versions of her shone in her mind; one a fallen angel, another a human as the bat-like wings were missing. 'Need to get used to-'
Thanks to her aura this time she saw Gertrude coming but it was still way faster than Akeno expected. Bending a knee the redhead leaped faster than most of the people Akeno knew could fly and were it not for the distance between them the ravenhead knew the fight would end there.
However Akeno still had a second to react, enough to fly up and out of the way without thinking about the direction she took. Gertrude's body collided with the wall which began to split apart thanks to her strength, the crack growing until it reached the stands. It stopped just before reaching the audience but none cared, they were loving the opening salvo too much.
And it wasn't over as the hybrid followed up her dodge by whipping her chain towards her opponent's back. It was a huge target so hitting was easy, however its size also worked to Gestrude's advantage. The chain couldn't encircle her to continue discharging Lightning in her body.
Worse yet the impact felt hollow as Akeno had to fight a sort of whiplash almost like the chain was pushed away in multiple directions at one. The seconds passed and the redhead turned to her with a confident grin. Something was wrong with that grin, the hybrid knew, but had no time to think.
The even bigger giant jumped in her direction, the walls almost falling at her sudden burst of speed. Her size was monstrous, her head leaving the pit the arena was in to greet the audience as her hand moved to swat Akeno down like a fly. She knew giant beings had tricks to move fast but the transformation was too odd and uncanny.
Something was wrong and Akeno had no time to figure out what happened when her body was hit by a hand as big as her torso and crashed in the arena.
Deafening cheering almost made the ground shake as Shirou felt his nerves jumping around his body demanding him to take action. He remembered Liz facing someone with a similar technique back in the invasion of the Rear Guard Headquarters. A man who could also make his muscles grow with the assistance of a magician, a woman who Rin had fought.
However there were clear differences; the man back then used his muscles and a type of Reinforcement to bring them to perfection while increasing his mass.
Gertrude's skill reminded him of a curse for some reason that the Mage couldn't comprehend but of one thing he was sure. 'She is Akeno's worst match up.'
That sort of technique, no matter how extreme, had weaknesses, weaknesses that a swordsman, for example, could explore by cutting the softer parts of her body and forcing her to bleed out.
Akeno couldn't do that, even her best swords had the goal of spreading Lightning and so lacked the cutting power necessary to break through the muscles. Add to the fact there were many layers of muscles in each and every millimeter of the giant woman's body and that each of them was expelling enough mana to light a furnace.
It created another layer of protection with the woman's aura, thin and invisible but enough to disrupt any mana which tried to break through the muscles, forcing it to clash against them. A perfect counter against Elemental magic and Wizard types in general, Lightning wouldn't break through easily unless Akeno can hit with extreme precision.
Harder to do when there was a giant falling on her with her fist held high and ready to crush the ravenhead.
While Gertrude was faster and stronger, Akeno was skilled enough that her aura could compensate for how much weaker she was. True Hybrid or not there was no denying that the ravenhead was the weaker of the two combatants in almost every level. Still she was able to roll to the side and dodge the fist that sunk on the arena.
When the redhead removed her arm from the stone, lava began to burst from the hole and fill it slowly. Her arm had sunk enough that it reached the lava below and part of it was burned.
Burned, not charred or melted or even really damaged. It was a small burn as a lot of mana surrounded it and mostly neutralized the lava. Despite her power there were some 2nd degree burns on her limb but they were superficial. That indicated something frightling about the woman.
She was already strong enough that lava couldn't affect her and it meant that the whole arena was her playground. Akeno didn't have the same luxury, the heat was already bothering her just by being close to what felt like an active volcano. Unlike Gertrude, her skin wouldn't survive contact.
"Wanna give up, sister?" Gertrude asked with her new growled voice and a feral grin that was easily reciprocated.
"Not in your life." Later the Queen would wonder where she threw her common sense.
A laugh and a wordless battlecry left Gertrude's mouth as she charged again, Akeno flying to the left just as a giant foot would have stomped her. The dodge was good but not enough as an arm hit her side and set her flying away only for her to recover her balance faster than before.
And leaving her chain tied to the older woman's arm, much to Gertrude's surprise. Lightning ran through her body but she was barely phased. "You sneaky little thing."
It sounded like an amused complement as her thumb and indicator took hold of the chain. To a devil, sticking a fork in a socket would do little even if dangerous for humans. And in that moment the Lightning Chain was less than an active socket and more like a warm rope that couldn't bother the giant.
Akeno's eyes grew wide as she felt her power struggling to try and damage Gertrude's fingers only to fail miserably. Then her shoulder was almost dislodged when the giant pulled and she released her chain's existence in a panic. Her wings worked hard to change her direction but the flight path was already locked.
Mostly because Gertrude had taken two steps and arrived where Akeno managed to stop, her fist connecting this time and the ravenhead finishing her first trip to the wall.
Blood and puke left her throat as the Queen of Gremory felt her back and limbs break or come close to breaking. Something gave away and she was sure something definitely broke as her body was stuck on the wall of the arena and the people relished at the one sided beatdown.
There was no way of calling it anything else and Gertrude raised her arms in victory.
Raising her head slowly, Akeno closed her hand in anger at her own weakness. 'The way she is using her demonic power… is unnatural… Almost like a Stray…' Knowing what Gertrude was doing helped little and so her power flared with her refusal to accept defeat. 'To use demonic power like that… she is tethering the line of Stray without an Evil Piece…'
Lightning exploded and the redhead looked down at her opponent with a pleased expression if a little distorted by the building muscles on her face. Indeed her forehead was bulging with her strong heartbeats as veins threatened to pop from her temples at any second if she wasn't careful.
At least that was what Akeno deduced by building demonic power and her own knowledge. "You are using too much mana. More than your body can take."
"Anything to win." Fixing her footing the woman threw a punch, a punch that threatened to turn Akeno into a paste.
The ravenhead didn't have her chain anymore so she focused her mana into speed. She freed herself from the wall and flew up just in time to dodge the punch.
Instead of going higher she landed on Gertrude's arm and ran on it towards the woman's face, much to her surprise. "Lightning Chain." It was back with a crack, a little more unstable by the rushed creation but it would suit Akeno's purposes.
Its shaky arrowhead flew straight to Gertrude's eye and the giant had to close it to avoid a serious injury. Not that it mattered much because as Akeno ran the whole length of the redhead's arm her chain's form became more perfect. Lightning sparked as all her focus was on her weapon once again.
Then the links of the chain moved without missing a beat when the attack failed, waving around and tying themselves around the giant's neck. "If you are going to fight like a Stray," the ravenhead jumped over the other arm that tried to bash her away, her wings carrying her the remaining distance until she was above the giant's head, "then I will treat you like one!"
Throwing her whole body down she pulled with all her strength as the chain grew tighter on Gertrude's neck. Lightning also gave no reprieve and the giant woman could feel it trying to burn her alive. Her fingers were too big and she failed to get a hold of the chain as it was too thin.
Akeno poured even more mana on chains, feeling it break her opponent's aura apart with some effort. "Not bad." Only for her eyes grew wide again as Gertrude didn't even sound bothered. "Not bad at all."
Faster than Akeno could react with her focus on the chain, the arm came to hit her again. She didn't bother to resist the strength that took her off her feet, her wings fighting hard so she didn't hit anything in the improvised flight. More pain still had her shaking but didn't take her mind from the bigger problem.
This time the links separated themselves to avoid Gertrude's grasp as the woman was already going for a follow up. Her red eyes danced with mirth at the effort.
It showed that Akeno was learning if nothing else, much to the giant's joy. "Show me some more!" She jumped and descended in a belly flop.
She was so massive that it took less than an instant for Akeno to realize how dangerous the maneuver actually was. The rookie quickly began to fly away as Gertrude hit the floor and kicked a cloud of dust up while demolishing most of the arena.
Lava was consumed more and more of the main arena as the protections that kept it at bay failed with the stone they were connected to. The crowd cheered as even if that wasn't anything new in the high level fights, this was supposed to be a smaller tournament. That sort of destruction usually came with bigger names involved.
Akeno watched how small islands of stone were all the footing she had left, most of them barely bigger than a car. She landed on the one farthest from her opponent, using her wings for balance. Soon Gertrude stood again, her pants catching fire as her skin, bulging and covered with demonic energy, fought against the flames and lava.
Soon her aura dismissed the fire, mostly accidentally as Gertrude didn't care about fighting naked, and she let out another feral grin. All her teeth were too sharp, her mouth covered in fangs.
"Gertrude! What you are doing is far too dangerous!"
"Told ya; today I'm going to the big leagues." The giant replied with a bitter laugh. "You beat Frederick and everyone else too, can't underestimate you!"
"Don't you understand what you are doing? You are risking becoming a Stray Devil- to be consumed by your demonic energy!" It was a phenomenon usually reserved to those who killed their Kings and couldn't control their powers.
Something that should be impossible for a pureblood. "Close but I won't go Stray! This is their power with no drawbacks!" Gertrude shouted proudly as her team kept cheering loudly. "So what if my body can't use all this mana for long? I'm strong!" She flexed her arm and the cheering grew louder. "Strongest of the smaller leagues and after winning this one I'm moved for bigger and better!"
There was a joke there somewhere but Akeno didn't have it in her to make it as the pain on her torso had her silent for the moment. 'Okay, she can control a frenzied state that happens with the excess of demonic power… No problem… None at all…' She winced, not able to lie to herself. 'I just need to break through, if I do it once, I win.'
Fortunately for Akeno she had the tools to do it naturally, unfortunately she still refused to use them as her victory would be guaranteed if she only used her Light.
In her mindscape Akeno could see her fallen angel self looking at her with bewilderment. 'No, this is a devil's fight. Maybe my last one…' The ravenhead admitted to herself with a bitter grin. 'The last one before I accept I am a fallen angel for good.'
'But you aren't…' A voice sounding too much like Shirou's shot back. 'You are a True Hybrid.'
'Still a fallen angel, Shirou-kun… Maybe I lost too much blood today.' She admitted to herself as Gertrude advanced through the lava. 'But let me win, just this once, as a devil Reincarnated from a human. Even if I never was one.'
Snapping her head up with a smile, Akeno whipped her chain towards Gertrude again. When the woman caught it mid air, she failed to pull fast enough as the links broke apart and remade themselves around her arm. The ravenhead didn't waste time to think or react and went fully on the offensive, flying towards her enemy.
Much to the giant delight. "That is right, sister! Come for a hug!" Gertrude even opened her arms for one despite how much bigger she was.
That confidence on her defense was what Akeno wanted so she moved her chain again with the arrowhead going for Gertrude's neck this time. With her arm away from her sigh she didn't see the attack coming as she barely felt the Lightning moving throughout her arm thanks to how big she was.
The arrowhead connected and Akeno focused a great deal of power at the last second to make sure her Lightning tore through the muscles around Gertrude's neck.
But it was barely more than a mosquito bite, some blood was spilled sure but not enough and the chain couldn't get very far. Lightning still tried to push further but Gertrude's mana fought back.
From her position Akeno continued to advance, her wings pushing her as fast as she could to get closer to her opponent. When the giant began to close her arms she also leaned forward, trapping the ravenhead with her whole mass and lava beneath to not give her a chance of escaping.
The Lightning Chain grew more flawed as Akeno directed most of her focus for speed and managed to avoid the arms and reach the chest. Her foot connected just for a moment before she used it to spring herself up. Passing to the right of Gertrude's head she noticed the giant ears with a grin as a magic circle appeared in her hand.
Thunder usually came with Lightning but the ravenhead never played much with it as the noise could be a bit too loud. The stronger the lightning obviously the greater was the thunder and so she let it out just besides the giant's head, removing all filters and instead just letting it go.
Many felt fear and their spines shivered by how loud the thunder was, almost to the point that the arena shook once again and threatened to fall on their heads. More than one was questioning the idea of an Underground Arena but to most that was just a sign of how great the match was.
It was perfect for such a situation and Gertrude couldn't help but reflexively close her ears as Akeno flew behind her and started to rebuild her chain.
Once it was rebuilt, still imperfect as she used much of her energy to avoid the flailing giant, Akeno took the arrowhead in her hand and threw it at Gertrude's neck. "Lightning Chain!"
Solid Lightning dodged the redhead's arm and bent around her neck to tie it up. Previous experience showed Akeno she couldn't really harm Gertrude directly.
However her weapon was Lightning and once the chain had done two loops around Gertrude's neck Akeno dived towards the giant's back while focusing all her power towards her Element.
The chain grew brighter and a new sensation caught Gertrude's attention as her neck started to itch. It was just a small tingling at first, smaller than the 'mosquito bite' from before and while struggling with her torn eardrum she barely noticed. She was still trying to deal with the bleeding, something dangerous considering how different she was from her normal size.
That was until she managed to adjust the muscles on her ear and stop the bleeding but at that point the pain had moved from an 'itch' to something stronger than a 'mosquito bite' only far more constant and dangerous as the area of the chain was chipping through her mana.
Once she recovered her balance the giant warrior's hands moved towards her neck with the intent of ripping the chain off. However Gertrude found the endeavor useless as the links moved every time she tried to close on them. It was like trying to catch water with her bare hands as Akeno focused completely on the chain.
Still the veteran wasn't a fool and she knew there was an easy solution; take Akeno out.
Gertrude turned with eyes full of fury only for them to grow wide, there was no one behind her. She was still faster than Akeno, of that the veteran was sure. Looking around she tried to find the rest of the chain but there was no sign of it or the rookie. She could believe that the chain's upkeep was connected to some sort of spell but the ravenhead's disappearance was too suspicious.
No sign of Akeno at all was concerning in and of itself since the younger woman already showed she knew plenty of tricks. 'Where is she?' One of her eyes was twitching as the Lightning started to affect. Took a little extra mana for her to focus again. "Come out wherever you are!"
With a swipe of her arm the giant threw lava around to limit her hiding spots by covering whatever few 'islands' were left with magma. She didn't know if camouflage or invisibility were possible for the younger woman but Gertrude wasn't underestimating Akeno at all. But if they were, Gertrude didn't know if she could find the ravenhead.
And the persistent itching on her neck was a painful time limit. "This is not how I will lose, sister!" Jumping as high as her giant form allowed, Gertrude slammed down and made the arena shake for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Waves of lava consumed what was left of the stone, leaving only walls and lava. "How? Where is she?"
She tried to locate any disturbance in the area or in the lava pool she just made, there was nothing and even if she wasn't skilled in magic Gertrude trusted her vision more than any spell.
Things would have been easier if her mana wasn't being ticked down by the chains as concentrating to maintain her form was growing harder by the moment. The super influx of demonic energy wasn't safe even for a devil, no matter how pure the blood, and she knew it.
Only a demon could truly wield that power but Gertrude took advantage of it to control her mutation and create her improved form. But it came with plenty of costs, one of them was the constant struggle to keep it going everytime she used it. Were it not for her team, she wouldn't even have enough energy to use it.
But the worst that came with excessive demonic energy wasn't the pressure on her body or the risk of tearing her muscles apart. It was the damage to the mind as even before stepping into the arena Gertrude could feel her sanity slipping, the same thing that happened with almost every Stray who lost control of their power.
Looking around in a panic, all those factors made Gertrude extremely nervous and concerned, not to mention angry. She wanted to find Akeno, to rip the chains from her neck because the Lightning was starting to hurt and an animal-like instinct demanded her to destroy it.
Only for the chain to keep slipping through her fingers and reforming perfectly around her neck every time. Grabbing her neck itself, Gertrude was ready to start tearing her own flesh apart only for the shouts of her team to cut her off.
"SHE IS THERE!" "BEHIND YOU!" USE YOUR HEAD GERTRUDE!"
"Behind?" Turning around quickly Gertrude found nothing again and grew more furious. Only the discipline cultivated in the Underground Arena stopped her from losing control. "Where?!"
Most shouts were a mess that her demonic infused mind struggled to translate but some of the words made sense to her.
Some more than most. "IN YOUR BACK!" Was said by her old trainer who had been with her for over a century at that point.
"My back?!" She asked incredulously only for her arms to try and reach out behind her. A grunt of frustration escaped as her muscles were too big for her to reach, the transformation of her arms making it hard for them to reach her also mutated torso but her finger touched something. "You're here!"
It grazed the link of a chain. "Fufufufu, finally figured out?" Holding on one of the giant muscles while using her wings for balance, Akeno used her left hand to stay on Gertrude's back as her right worked with the chain. "Need someone to scratch your back?"
"You little-" Gertrude kept struggling to try to reach Akeno, bending her arm to the best of her capacity to reach her back.
Only for Akeno to shift and move around out of reach, the huge muscle bound back having enough space for her to stay away from danger. "Oh my. Trouble? Maybe you should reduce your muscles a little? Give yourself less room to look around?"
Taunting a giant was usually a bad idea but Akeno was confident of her winning position. From where she was Gertrude couldn't get her without releasing the demonic energy and reducing her muscles. When that happened then the Lightning would effectively become insufferable for the redhead.
Or she could continue to try and grab her and the rookie would beat the veteran by using her energy more effectively. All she had to do was keep focusing on her chain and pay attention to the huge hands.
"You little bitch!" Gertrude kept trying to reach the ravenhead.
It was in vain. "Name calling now? Wasn't I your sister? Fufufufu." Pulling her chain with all her strength, Akeno watched as the older woman stopped trying to catch her to hold her neck. "Looks like you are starting to feel that."
Roaring in fury and frustration, Gertrude began to focus her mana on her muscles to expand them more and shake Akeno off her back. From her perch the ravenhead felt the demonic energy moving as erratically as it should and easily moved just enough to get comfortable.
As skilled as Gertrude was and as innovative as her way to use demonic energy appeared to be, Akeno knew the woman wasn't going to get her wish that easily and not from any action of her own.
Demonic energy needed to be channeled in magic circles for a reason, after all. "AAAAAARRRRRHHHHHH!" Gertrude roared in pain as blood exploded from her back, just missing her opponent.
"You already pushed yourself too much." Akeno said with legitimate worry. "Since you weren't Reincarnated you aren't going Stray but-"
"Shut your mouth! I won't lose!" Gertrude began to trash around with vigor. Quickly Akeno held her chain with both hands, her practically bare feet locked on the giant's back. "Let go!"
Mana and vapor were blasted from the giant's body and Akeno senses were in overdrive to warn her where the 'attacks' would come from. She felt a hit on her leg and some vapor hit her arm as the mana escaped erratically from wherever it wanted. There was no control, no focus, just a certain desperation.
Meanwhile the giant trashed the people cheered at the new sequence of events even as some mana made its way to the stands. Nobody bothered to leave, the fighters were too far down in the pit for it to reach most of them. Things were spiraling out of control but those were devils and didn't care enough to fear an accident.
Shirou and Gertrude's team did as they were closer to the action and blasts of demonic energy made both sides feel like they were in the middle of a shooting. More so for the veteran's team that were big in number and needed to watch over for each other, since he was alone the Mage could easily dodge anything that came his way.
"It won't last long now." The Mage of Swords observed how Gertrude kept expelling demonic energy and her muscles began to shrink a little. "Her only option will be to surrender since I doubt she will be able to stay standing in lava without the extra power."
Still a giant by any description, Gertrude had lost a couple of meters in the last few seconds. There was no denying she still towered over Akeno, and everyone else in the arena at present, but the change was noticeable. And it wasn't only her height or muscles, those more sensitive could tell how she was growing weaker
Another sign was when her legs started to burn again.
A reality that snapped the veteran of the arena out of her despair as the lava started to have an effect and she immediately stopped taking hold of her energy to avoid further damage. "Fuck!" Once she controlled the demonic energy on her body, she noticed how the Lightning grew more painful. "Fuck! Fuck!"
"Give up. I don't want to kill you!" Akeno said with some desperation of her own. "If you keep insisting on fighting while on lava you are going to be burned alive the moment you stop concentrating!" The rookie warned the redhead with a glare she couldn't see. All her focus was on the chain and her power but her wings remained prepared for any emergencies. "Maybe I can pull you out if I am fast enough but you are still going to lose your legs!"
With how close she was from advancing after decades, almost a full century in the Arena, Gertrude wasn't willing to back down as of yet. She tried to control her muscles again to crush the woman on her back but it only resulted in more pain on her neck and more importantly on her legs.
Lava was too hot for anyone to play with, one of the most dangerous things in all nature and the sort of liquid that could kill a huge assortment of beings on contact alone or not even needing that as the heat alone could be enough to knock out a grown man if he was too close.
Had they not possessed considerable strength neither Akeno nor Gertrude would be able to stand on the main arena, much less fight. Low class devils surely weren't able to and many on the Middle class would find it too difficult to stay around said arena for long periods of time.
The only reason Gertrude lasted so long with her feet in lava was because of the power her team gave her, easily placing her on the top of the High class without the skill or sustainability to stay there for long.
And soon enough that power was going to fail, Gertrude knew that, Akeno knew that, her team knew that, every eyeball on the arena knew for a fact that she wasn't going to last for long with Lightning Chain around her neck and lava on her feet.
Most also realized that from her position Akeno was completely safe from the veteran grabbing either her or the chain so few could see an exit strategy for that sort of situation.
As the person stuck on it, Gertrude counted herself lucky she found a solution, turning her neck enough to show the rookie another unhinged smile. "Time to drop off, sister."
Akeno was on guard and not a moment too soon as Gertrude unexpectedly jumped back with all her strength. Not entirely caught by surprise the ravenhead managed to dislodge herself and escape only for her back to still hit the wall just a moment after Gertrude's. She had failed to get away fast enough and inertia did the rest.
None of the women was crippled by the impact, a little wounded in Akeno's case but it was merely a scratch. What made the situation bad for the rookie was the hand that came after and slammed her in the wall.
Tolerance or not, everyone had a limit and Akeno reached hers if the scream was any indication. Her focus was still mostly on her chain but it flickered and grew weaker after the hit.
Violet eyes fought against the fog of tears as the hybrid used her free hand to try and peel the hand off but it was for naught. The giant hand was bigger than Akeno's torso and Gertrude didn't hesitate to close it around her opponent. Despite her left hand free, her right stuck in the grip so the ravenhead couldn't keep the Lightning going and it vanished.
"It is my win, sister!" Gertrude loudly and the crowd cheered as Akeno raised her head in defiance. Didn't take long for the younger to struggle against the hold. "Not gonna surrender?" Her other hand joined in as her grip on Akeno grew tighter. "Maybe after a few broken bones."
Akeno tried to push back the scream but it was pointless as all her flesh and bones were crushed under the giant woman's grip. Her shields were broken and remade a dozen or so times to keep her conscious but the hybrid could feel her body breaking apart and she was close to passing out without air.
Then, to Akeno's apparent luck, Gertrude's grip grew slack. "Hehehe. Never did something like this before. How fun." Only to grow tight again once the younger woman had caught her breath.
Never one to enjoy her opponent's pain before, Gertrude was appreciating the screams more than victory and even the audience paused their cheering when the process was repeated two more times.
If they were growing nervous then Shirou was livid and ready to jump in to save Akeno at any cost. "I am the bone of my sword." Mana was forced into his circuits as he pushed all his exhaustion to the back of his mind.
All he wanted was a sword, any sword, but unfortunately healing Akeno previously left him weaker than he should be and his body needed time. Shirou was trying to fight back the panic when the ravenhead began to scream for the fourth time by directing all his intent to save her.
But Akeno didn't want to be saved, she wanted to win and mana was also gathering in her circuits, her hand slowly raising towards Gertrude's face. "Hoho, still have some fight in you?"
"More than… you think…" The taste of iron ran on her tongue but Akeno didn't let that distract her. When she began to feel the giant fingers grow tighter again she realized the need to buy some time. "Wanna hear something funny?" A proper warrior would ignore the question.
A veteran like Gertrude would recognize a stalling tactic by what it was except she wasn't the proud warrior of the arena anymore. "Sure. Why not?" Replied the giant with amusement, her mind swimming under a ton of demonic energy.
Just as Akeno expected. "Funny thing about Lightning is that people of the past thought that thunder was the dangerous part of it. It is just noise." She chuckled as violet eyes met red. "Scary noise. Loud. When I was little I broke a lot of windows learning how to isolate Thunder so there was just Lightning."
Unfortunately the stalling tactic had an unintended effect. "That was what you used in my ear!" She was about to break all of Akeno's bones but instead of screaming the hybrid smiled confidently, surprising the redhead who let her grip go a little. "Why is that funny?"
"Oh, because I never understood the value of Thunder until today. It truly is something worthy of worship, if used correctly." Then Lightning sparked on her hand just as Shirou managed to Trace Muramasa. "Lightning Flail!"
The chain had returned but instead of an arrowhead it had a ball made of Lightning on its end. It flew from Akeno's hand and hit directly on Gertrude's forehead.
Thunder shook the arena again but most of the noise and impact was all focused on Gertrude's forehead, the natural sound made by Lightning was all directed towards the point of collision.
But it wasn't enough, the giant was surprised at the attack and the subsequent pain, however her hands still held Akeno firmly enough to not let her go even if not tight enough to hurt her for the time being.
With her body still full of demonic energy it didn't take even a second for Gertrude to recover her balance. "You-" Only for the ball of Lightning to connect again on her forehead, a different point but just as painful.
Thunder resonated with Lightning, its power enhanced by the natural coexistence between the Elements.
Lightning filled the Thunder and Thunder announced the Lightning.
The second hit wasn't just stronger but also more stable and Gertrude lost her balance again. Her feet were still on the lake of lava and molten rock wasn't good for stability. Instinctively one of her hands came to rest on the wall and Akeno took the opportunity to unleash all her remaining power at once.
An explosion of mana broke the grip and Gertrude glared at Akeno with fury. "You can't win-" This time the target had been the face, just below the left eye.
From the explosion Akeno rushed to reform her chain but it ended incomplete but not useless. The ball had been completely remade and she sent it towards Gertrude without any hesitation. After the impact it disappeared but the ravenhead realized it had hurt just as much as the previous attacks.
And it cost her less to use.
Akeno couldn't help but grin maliciously as a nasty idea bloomed in her mind. "Thunder Sphere!" From her open palm another sphere of Lightning was unleashed only that one was less perfect and looked ready to explode. And explode they did, with Lightning and Thunder. "Thunder Spheres!"
Then there were dozens of balls of Thunder colliding all around Gertrude's face, the giant growling with anger and confusion as explosive bowling balls kept hitting all over her head.
A lot of those also missed. Akeno didn't make any new chains, just jumped straight to the Thunder by giving it a direction to go and letting them all just hit whatever was on their way.
More frail than the Lightning, carrying less energy in general but by combining Thunder with the form of a sphere and its nature to her advantage Akeno managed to create an attack that carried quite a punch.
'Punch' being the keyword as the spheres lacked much of the piercing power of Lightning or stayed long enough to use it constantly as Akeno was doing before. Instead the sound of Thunder, Thunder itself, was used to generate force and cause damage through impact.
A loud enough sound could destroy glass after all and the Queen of Gremory was using the loudest Thunder against flesh and bones.
Bruises were showing up all around Gertrude's face and she couldn't focus. It was too loud, the shaking of the arena was nothing compared to how her head was being used as a drum for literal Thunder. One of her eyes was starting to swell up and at some point her ears stopped hearing anything but a ringing noise.
That was when she managed to attack, her free arm moving to bash Akeno away like the world's most annoying fly. Then she missed and more Thunder Spheres hit her head.
It wasn't completely her fault, while attacking the ravenhead had slowly begun to fly away from the giant the moment she got free. Akeno was too far from the limb on the first swipe and took advantage of her opponent's disadvantageous position to move up and keep attacking.
Once again the public began to voice their excitement at the comeback happening right before their eyes, Shirou letting his sword go and crossing his arms with a smile as the tables flipped.
With demonic energy still filling her veins Gertrude let her fury consume her and moved her arms frenetically. Her power was still High class and her speed was on the same level so despite Akeno's fast escape the next swipe came too close to comfort. The rookie managed to dodge it but Gertrude had her in sight and threw a proper punch in her direction.
The giant close fist descended like a hammer and while the audience panicked Akeno wasn't phased. In fact she didn't even move and kept focusing on her Thunder Spheres as the punch missed without even getting close, much to Gertrude's confusion. The veteran tried another one and this time Akeno moved a little, resulting in another miss.
Because of the Thunder, Gertrude couldn't hear anything but the ringing in her ears, her hearing was impaired and her sight was starting to get affected. She was seeing double, multiple Akenos above her peeling her power and skin with hundreds of spheres. Making matters worse her mind was even more lost thanks to the demonic power so her disciple went out of the window.
Gertrude raised her arms above her head for cover but Akeno wasn't going to relent so close to the end. The Queen of Gremory dived closer to the lava and challenged a bigger Thunder Sphere before shooting at the giant's chin. The redhead woman lost her balance at the improvised uppercut and her back hit the wall.
Already from previous events during the fight, even the boundary field sustaining it could do little against the weight of a giant. The cracks grew so much that it reached the stands and the audience had no choice but to fly up. Not that the event took their enjoyment, if anything they were more frenetic.
With her opponent down Akeno didn't waste her chance and began to channel a growing quantity of mana, hoping that the next attack would be the last. "Lightning Bolt!"
Old habits came back and the thunder didn't shake the arena this time as the bolt was made for the sake of breaking her opponent's defenses and electrocuting her into submission. The impact was still strong enough that the explosion from it achieved the same result when it made contact.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Gertrude jumped from her back into Akeno's direction, throwing her whole body again without regard for her safety.
While her mind was confused because of Thunder and demonic energy, that woman was still a veteran warrior and much like Akeno's old instinct filtered Thunder to waste less energy Gertrude's had her realizing Lightning was something she could take.
Brushing off the surprise at her failure, Akeno shot herself up to escape Gertrude with confidence the redhead wouldn't be able to pursue. Her flight barely reached outside the main arena's pit before she looked down to see the giant trying to use her wings to catch up.
Only to fail and fall face first on the other wall as unlike the rest of her muscles, Gertrude's wings remained the proper size a woman of her stature would have. "That is what happens when you try to abuse your nature." Commented a confident Akeno, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Well, time to finish this."
Holding her hands close to her chest in prayer, Akeno pushed her circuits and natural mana reserves further while isolating the mana filtered by the Queen Piece. One hand carried her pure mana while the other carried her demonic energy and while separating them both energies mixed between her fingers.
Meanwhile Akeno prepared for the last attack, Gertrude managed to recover enough of her sanity to shake her head and look up with anger. 'I can't fly.' She realized with horror as the rookie's energy grew to new levels. 'Too big, can't catch her. She is going to finish me, I'll lose.'
The realization made everything else feel more bitter as her damaged body still struggled to hold onto the demonic energy while also fighting off the lava. The correct move at that point would be to surrender and seek medical attention quickly as she knew her technique damaged her body more than most could see.
Yet Gertrude gave everyone a feral smirk, jumping from the lava pit and quickly releasing much of the demonic energy her body had taken from her team. Her form grew smaller but still huge, at least twice her normal size with normal muscles. Aura flared around her like an uncontrollable flame as she opened her wings once again.
"Come, sister!" Shouted the proud warrior. Despite acknowledging defeat, she wasn't going to stop.
Realizing that Akeno revealed a new Thunder Sphere the size of a wrecking ball, raising it above her head and connecting it to a Lightning Chain on her left hand. "Thunder and Lightning as one! Raiden!" An attack born from her mastery of mana and Element.
A god's name was fitting for it in Akeno's opinion.
When it came Gertrude couldn't dodge and took the hit head on. Thunder shook the whole arena and the prompt above began to fall as much of the structure gave out. Lakmia's subordinates moved quickly to secure the area as dozens of barriers held the rocks while others worked on the boundary fields.
The audience didn't care, eyes still fixed on the women as Gertrude was sent back to the wall at high speeds. More of the stands broke as that was without a doubt the most destructive fight the Runeas Underground Arena ever had since its inception.
Getting stuck in a wall didn't save Gertrude from the rest of the attack as the wrecking ball pinned her body and Lightning broke through her defenses. What was left of the extra demonic energy disappeared and her muscles shrunk until the veteran was back on her normal size.
Akeno noticed that and let go of most of the energy, particularly the Thunder, that composed the wrecking ball. "Are we done?"
"Not… yet…" Gertrude managed to say while raising her head. "I won't surrender. I will-"
"Nope. We aren't doing that anymore." But Lightning remained and Akeno pulled her chain without hesitation. Only then the redhead noticed the golden links wrapped around her torso. "Turnabout is fair play~"
Much to Shirou's amusement and Gertrude's team's horror, Akeno dragged the woman off the wall and began to spin around, accumulating speed. It would have been too easy to just threaten to drop the taller woman in the lava or keep using Lightning until she lost her consciousness.
However Akeno came to respect Gertrude and wanted to give the woman a proper send off, one that would prove without a shadow of a doubt who was the winner of their fight.
So she began to spin and spin, the chain's size growing smaller until there were only 4 meters between Akeno and a stuck Gertrude who was trying to fight off the ravenhead's strength and Lightning at the same time.
It was for naught as there was no escaping, not from this. Centrifugal force and the woman's exhaustion meant that just moving was a nightmarish struggle. Now that her muscles lost the excess demonic energy she was paying for every little damage she took during the fight with dividends.
So Gertrude spended the last moments of the fight at Akeno's mercy as the hybrid kept spinning around for a whole minute.
At some point it wasn't to accumulate speed anymore, Akeno was having fun and a part of her didn't want the fight to end. Pushed to her limits and having surpassed them, that part wanted to give her opponent time to recover and keep going. Then it was crushed because she refused to lose herself.
'Here is the finale!' Akeno savored the last few moments, a huge smile on her face. 'Good bye, 'me' who was afraid of who I am. Hello, new 'me'.' Then it came to an end as the chain disappeared and her opponent was sent flying one last time. "Have a nice flight~"
By far it wasn't a perfect throw or a calculated maneuver, Akeno just let the other woman go whenever she felt like in a direction nobody would get hurt.
That direction was of course directly to the stands where the devils had taken flight during their fight and without anyone to get in the way the stands were completely destroyed by the impact.
Dust clouds burst from the stands as Gertrude's team rushed to their champion who was already being attended by some of the arena's staff. A man kneeled before the towering woman, who now looked small from Akeno's point of view due to weakness and lack of giant muscles, before giving a thumbs up.
It was the spectators' cue to celebrate as hundreds of people roared in applause, some even creating magic circles and letting blasts akin to fireworks fill the area.
Some rushed towards her, much to her surprise, but quickly they were pushed back by the staff who looked overworked.
One of them looked at the ravenhead with a tired smile. "You could have been more gentle!" The man said while his coworkers controlled the crowd.
A beautiful smile came to Akeno's lips. "I wanted to win!"
The man laughed out loud, she barely heard it with the audience trying to get around. "Didn't we all?" His smile turned nostalgic and he gently held her arm above their heads before his voice took over the whole area with magic. "The winner of the tournament; Himejima Akeno!"
Immediately the man floated back to let Akeno bask on the crowd's applause and adoration.
For the first time in her life she truly felt like a Queen.
…
Trekking through the woods wasn't something easy unless the person was ready for some pain, depending on the forest. If going through a park or somewhere peaceful or controlled like a reserve the adventure could be an easy one with lots of stops with minimal preparation.
In the Underworld's case, most forests were a death sentence to anyone incapable of at least running or flying several kilometers at the drop of a hat. It was recommended to any devil younger than two centuries to not wander around even if they were technically inside controlled territory.
"Giant beetle!" A man's voice warned the group and the devils spread around as the giant insect, easily bigger than a school bus, rushed and demolished some trees in its wake.
The monstrous creature stopped for a moment to look at the people flying around but they didn't react, remaining calm as they were ordered. Their group consisted of ten people and amongst them was an Ultimate class devil who could decimate the beatle in a second if necessary.
Yet its species wasn't known for being overly aggressive and so it left peacefully, still bringing down a tree on its exit.
Didn't stop Luvia from letting out a sigh of relief as she landed and brushed some sweat from her forehead. Instead of her usual dress the blonde was dressed in cargo pants, boots, a blue undershirt with long sleeves and an armored vest in a deeper shade of blue. Her usual drill hair style was set in a more tamed fashion with a huge ponytail to keep it under control.
From her backpack, half her size, the blonde retrieved a canister to take a sip of water. "By the Root, you would think a place without a sun wouldn't be this hot."
"Shouldn't you already be used to it at this point?" Her instructor for the month and Ultimate class devil in charge of their group joked a little as he approached. Beowulf was dressed in similar clothes but with a mix of brown and black with Hrunting resting on his shoulder. "Are you remembering to channel your demonic energy to keep you cool?"
"Yes-"
"To regulate your breathing while walking?"
"Yes but-"
"Are your clothes not good enough? I mean, I know you enchanted them but perhaps we could have another person take a look?"
"Teacher." Luvia threw Beowulf a look that stopped him before there was another question. "I understand your concerns but I am doing everything as you instructed. The problem, unfortunately, lies with me." She could feel her pride take a hit from the admittance but the magus turned devil could see how concerned her fellow blond was. "I was never the sort of person who explored the woods or walked around forests unless they are made of concrete if you get my meaning."
Beowulf looked confused for a moment before remembering how most cities on Earth were built. "Ah, a city girl, right. I completely forgot to consider that." Sirzechs' Pawn admitted bashfully before scratching his chin. "Then again you mostly don't ask for help and just trekked along with us so…"
"Yes, Teacher. It wasn't your fault. I should have told you if I was having any problems." But that would hurt her pride so Luvia avoided bothering anyone as much as possible.
After all her instructor for the month was no other than Beowulf, descendant of the original hero and one of Sirzechs most trusted agents. Adding to matters was that they weren't staying in a single place during their training but actually traveling from place to place as the Pawn did his job.
Besides working as an enforcer of Lucifer's will, Beowulf also had the job of hunting criminals inside 'civilized' territory. 'Civilized' as in they were areas between the Pillars' territories with cities spread around. Safer than the Wildlands but still wild in their own way in a manner that justified the existence of Goetia Road.
Since the areas to patrol were huge in scope there was no way for the main government to take care of everything by themselves and in the present the Clans had many peerages specialized in search and destruction of any unwelcome entity in their territory.
Same with the central government, like the group Luvia was part of for the moment. Almost all of them were part of Beowulf's Peerage and one of them even was a bounty hunter in the past. However not all his peerage was good for tracking or combat so only six of them departed with their King and his newly acquired students to patrol the area around Lilith.
Of note was the fact that the area around the capital, belonging to the central government, was bigger than Japan and most of the time the peerages working as hunters needed to leave for days or weeks in each expedition else risk missing something.
Between forests with Stray Devils, giant creatures, vales full of toxins, areas with active volcanoes and all matters of obstacles there were no shortages of places where terrorists and criminals could make a hiding spot to lay low or store illegal goods.
In return there were also those who sought profit by either turning in criminals, like bounty hunters, or by finding and stealing the already stolen property to make a profit in the black market or return it for a reward.
Same as there was no shortage of dangers in the Underworld, there was also no shortage of opportunities. "Everyone! Listen up! We are settling here for the day!"
"Teacher, we don't need to stop on my account." Luvia said in a hushed whisper, trying to not sound offended.
She succeeded as Beowulf shook his head with a smile. "Of course not but it is already getting late if you didn't notice." The man raised showed her a wristwatch, reminding the magus to check her own.
"We have been walking through the whole day? I didn't even notice." Admitted the Rook as their group began to drop their bags and raise some tents. Using magic circles could alert some boundary fields if they were too close so all the equipment they had was on their bags. "How are we on supplies, Teacher? Do you need me to refill the water bottles?"
Part of her training in combining demonic energy with her magecraft had Luvia focusing in more Elements beyond her natural one. Back on Fuyuki she started doing it to surpass Rin who had the advantage of being able to use the main Five Elements naturally and her Reincarnation gave her a chance to try something similar.
Thanks to the distance from the capital and the inability to use magic circles for teleportation or even retrieving goods because of potential enemies in the area, some necessities were extremely hard to come by in the hostile environment.
Even in a forest finding a clean water source in the Underworld was practically impossible so someone like Luvia, who learned how to convert the mana on her gems in drinking water was a boon that couldn't be underestimated.
In fact their expedition was one of the longest ones such a small group had ever taken thanks to Luvia alone and the water she provided everyone. A good thing too since they were around one of the less explored areas exactly because getting supplies was so hard resulting in a greater chance of potential hostile entities around.
Besides that Beowulf also helped the young woman improve her martial arts and taught her how to better channel her demonic energy in her body. "Has been some days since you refilled them and we have enough, don't worry." He chuckled and began to ruffle her hair, much to Luvia's exasperation. "Besides, you are still learning the ropes, city girl."
Only her respect by his lessons and power held Luvia's hand from slapping his arm. "As an Edelfelt, I was never one to do menial jobs unless I knew exactly where to go and who to kill." The mess on Fuyuki and Caliburn was one of the few times she actually tried to track someone.
And almost died which gave her even more reason to pay attention to whatever Beowulf had to say on the subject.
"Be as it may, just because we are hunters doesn't mean we are… 'engagers' is the word I want to use but I don't know if it is a real one." The man rubbed his chin again, a pensive look on his eyes. "We hunt and depending on the situation we engage the enemy either by offering them surrender or… not. But only depending on the situation and if we are in condition to make contact in the first place." Despite his ancestor who was called King of Savagery and having the physic to match, the man was extremely polite. Still he chuckled with humor. "You are not the only one tired, you know? Most of the others are ready to fold too. This has been a really long expedition."
"Can't disagree with that." Luva commented while putting down her bag and starting to remove her tent. "Hard to believe we have been going around for two weeks."
Two weeks of deserts, fights with bizarre creatures and training with one of the strongest devils in the Underworld. Despite having a sword Beowulf proved himself to be an excellent fighter on hand to hand and a decent instructor. Only problem was that he worried too much about his pupils.
"Well, if it is any consolation, this expedition has been going better than most." Beowulf pointed out, making Luvia roll her eyes.
"Mostly thanks to your sword." She pointed to the Noble Phantasm which was in a light tone of red. "Shero's instructions really improved our efficiency after the first week. We wouldn't have found the group on the marshes without them. You should go and thank him as fast as possible."
It was a plot, an argument that opened the possibility of going back to civilization while also going directly to greet the boy she was so fond of.
The man was amused by the attempt but nodded nonetheless. "You bet I will after we take a look at the Lost Eye desert." As good of a poker face Luvia had, Beowulf could see the slight drop of her shoulders. "Hey, don't be like that. We got work to do and nobody managed to inspect the Lost Eye carefully because of the lack of supplies. Who knows how many bad fellows got away with murder because every big expedition there ended up running out or needed to summon supplies and alert everyone they were coming?"
Letting out a sigh as the man caught her lack of enthusiasm, Luvia recovered quickly and showed him her most confident smile. "No need to worry, Teacher. I am sure we are going to find those scoundrels whenever they are. If there are some."
"Are you sure you are alright?" Beowulf couldn't help but ask as while he was impressed with how fast Luvia could bounce back, he was confused by the speed.
Holding her hand to her chest, the aristocrat's posture showed only confidence. "But of course. It is just a matter of time until I grow more used to our environment. The Edelfelt was always quick to adapt, after all. Hohohoho."
"Well, if you say-"
"She is missing Shirou." A voice commented above their heads and they looked up to find a white haired devil with her legs on a branch and look at them upside down. "I miss him too." Mostly the food.
"Koneko, don't say such things!" Caught red handed, the blushing Luvia didn't bother to deny as her teammate and fellow disciple would shoot down any excuse she gave. "Also why are you up there? Did you finish setting up your tent?"
"I can sleep here." She commented while spinning like an acrobat and sitting on the branch. Like the two beneath her Koneko also was wearing a vest, a black one, but in shorts with stockings instead of pants, also absent was her favorite clip and her bag was on the branch with her. "No room for a tent."
Beowulf shook his head with a smile. "No can do, Toujou. If you are up there it may take a second for us to go help you. A second too many. Also the tents have protective spells to keep the most dangerous plants at bay."
"I will be fine." Thanks to Senjutsu, she could feel the life signs of everyone around her. From the beacon of power that was Beowulf to the smallest insect which was still bigger than any similar species found on Earth. "Here is comfy." Added the little girl while laying on the branch with her belly.
Neither of the two on the ground could deny she looked like a cat. "Maybe, maybe not." Upon opening one of her eyes Koneko noticed that Beowulf folded his arms with a stern face. "But we aren't taking unnecessary risks. Especially not on an expedition where if something goes wrong we have to retreat." In a lower tone he mumbled. "That and lady Rias will have my hide if something happens to you."
Both girls heard him either way but neither was willing to call him on it. Regardless, Koneko grabbed her bag and began to descend from the tree, hopping from branch to branch.
Took her a few seconds and she could have just jumped straight down but thanks to her time with Yoruichi, Koneko grew more attuned to her nature as a nekomata. Finding high places and just laying there wasn't the sort of thing she did in the past but obviously that changed, for the better in her opinion.
Also there was how comfortable she grew when surrounded by nature, even the most dangerous sort from the Underworld.
As the other person Beowulf was in charge of training, the big man had no idea of how to teach Senjutsu even if he knew Touki, at least enough to get by. However Koneko was such a natural with her Ki that any training in that direction was pointless, Yoruichi had already covered everything Sirzechs' Pawn knew and more.
Still an expedition was exactly what Yoruichi recommended; that Koneko had to go around exploring more of the world away from cities and learn to commune with nature to better control the flow of her Ki.
And there was no one better to guide her in that journey than a professional explorer and hunter called Beowulf, Lucifer's Pawn and Ultimate class devil. She also got to learn some of the man's fighting style even if the nekomata couldn't really use it since she was too small to use his techniques.
There were still some things for Koneko to learn, Beowulf had reaps of experience she could draw from even if their fighting styles didn't match. Also Luvia was there and whenever they had free time the Pawn had the Rooks sparring with each other. Training was hard during an expedition but the man made sure they fought at least once per day.
Which was just fine for both girls as they still got to train independently and the Underworld lacked anyone who could really teach them more on their main skills. The greatest specialists in Jewelcraft were old families who guard their secrets zealously and the last expert the Underworld had on Ki became a Stray.
And also was one of the few people in all Reality that Koneko never wanted to see again.
Despite being unable to ever forget that person and their relationship, especially with the scars she had on her heart, Koneko's thoughts when practicing Ki were now turned to a different black cat.
Unfortunately her new sister couldn't move to the Underworld to help with training and with her responsibilities Yoruichi would have to neglect some of her duties if Koneko went to her as well.
At least for a while Yoruichi needed to act as the King of Kyoto and the younger nekomata would have to deal with help from long distance calls or instructions that could be explained but not really shown.
So Koneko got saddled with Luvia since neither really had anyone to teach them what they wanted to learn while Beowulf was chosen as the instructor because of what he could actually teach.
Control and development of her fighting style of Luvia and tracking mixed with how to deal with far stronger opponents for Koneko. The Pawn was excellent in both fronts, an experienced warrior who managed to impress Sirzechs with his strength alone and that was before Reincarnating.
When Koneko finally landed, Beowulf nodded his head in thanks before turning to the tree. "Toujou, call the others and bring them here." With Hunting the man made a cut to the bark and checked for a reaction. There was none so he nodded. "Remember to always nick them to make sure they aren't the sort of plants which know how to disguise themselves… the dangerous sort."
"Of course, Teacher." Luvia replied while Koneko nodded and swiftly moved towards the rest of the group. Her steps were fast and silent, the white haired girl motions immersed in her environment. "Like a fish in the water."
"From what my King explained, it is only natural for a true Senjutsu user to be at home in places like this. The more life signs the better and a forest is always full of those." Beowulf commented while going around the tree and making more small cuts, just to make sure. It wasn't really necessary, were that a dangerous plant of any sort would have already reacted. "Still, how well she deals with the forests and the marches… It is insane. I know many explorers who would kill to have the same level of awareness. And that ability to detect and discern vital signs…" The Pawn was impressed but quickly hid it and turned to his other apprentice with a shaky smile. "Not that you aren't doing well, Luvia. You are mastering demonic energy at an unbelievable rate."
The aristocrat smiled and shrugged. "You don't need to bother in buttering me up, Teacher. I know that compared to Koneko I am falling behind." Looking up, Luvia focused on the sounds of the forest, some low, others high, always constant. "This is Koneko's territory, the place where she can shine the most. Like a perfect sapphire that can be fitted on a golden ring."
Caught by his attempt of cheering the young woman, Beowulf scratched his neck before saying, "You are right, this is Koneko's turf. Bet if we were on a mine of diamonds or something you would be dominating too."
Mirth colored Luvia's face and she shook her head. "While diamonds can be excellent catalysis, that isn't how Jewelcraft works." She giggled at how the man deflated. "But the compliment is appreciated, Teacher."
He smiled a little before his expression turned more serious. "Don't expect her pace to remain consistent once we reach the desert. The sands hide many dangers and the heat is just unbearable for most." The man took out his bag to work on his tent. "In that moment I think we are going to need your more versatile magic to keep us cool while we cross the Lost Eye."
"Why is it called that, Teacher?" The bigger blond stopped to turn to his apprentice before frowning.
"Didn't I tell this story?" After a shake of Luvia's head he cursed under his breath. "I am not a good teacher."
Such words made the magus frown and shake her head again. "Anyone makes mistakes."
"Me more than most." The rest of their group approached and he shook his head again. "I will tell during dinner but long story short; there was once a volcano, a huge one, in the center of the desert before the Civil War. It was the tallest volcano of the Central Territories."
The past tense of the sentence made clear the mountain was no more. "What happened to it?"
"It was before my time but my King told me it was one of the few fights he really struggled during the Civil War." A frown showed Beowulf's uncertainty. "But the funny thing is that he told me the opponent wasn't even part of the war…"
Luvia watched the changing expression on the man's face as it bounced between doubt and plain confusion. "They weren't a devil?"
"Oh no, he was a devil alright. Sorry, I never bothered to learn the whole story so it is hard to explain. Never met the guy either and my King never knew why he was there in the first place. Both armies were about to fight and the main combatants were moving forward and he just…" Beowulf shrugged, uncertain. "Was there, on the way. And he is considered strong enough that my King wasn't willing to risk anyone else but himself in that fight."
"So, who was he?"
"His name is Rizevim Lucifer, Son of the Original Lucifer." Beowulf said with a groan. "Maybe I should have asked more about him since he is still on the loose."
'A Lucifer? Are there more of them left?' Her mind immediately shifted to Vali and the events during the peace talks before she shook her head. "So Lord Sirzechs defeated him?"
"No, that is the odd part that confused my King the most; Rizevim was in the area for something and apparently got involved with the fighting purely on accident. Or that is what we suspect? I am not sure…" The man really wanted to tell the story right but the details were hazy for everyone. "It is just, my King never knew why he was there or even bothered to fight but after a collision of powers Rizevim just left. That was mostly why the Civil War was won, because Lucifer's True Heir didn't want the throne."
The conversation stayed on Luvia's mind for a while but eventually she shrugged it off and went to sleep with a final thought. 'What could be so important to Rizevim Lucifer that he bothered to fight for it even if he didn't fight to be the King of All Devils?'
Either way, after that thought, she decided to not think about it anymore, deeming it unimportant and trusting that Sirzechs would have investigated himself about the odd behavior of someone so powerful.
Of something Luvia was sure; she didn't want to ever fight against someone who managed to force Sirzechs into any sort of stalemate but she would really like to know his plans.
…..
Next morning, when Akeno woke up, she had almost forgotten about all the events from the previous day. Took her a second to recall her date, the Arena, the fights and the pain. It was weird waking up without the last one considering how much suffering she endured but EM did wonders thanks to the devil whose place she took for the tournament.
They had a deal that she would receive half of the prize if Akeno ended up winning but the Queen didn't hesitate to give up her share as thanks not only for the opportunity to participate in the tournament but for sparing her and Shirou's remaining reserves by healing her with EM.
A few minutes after that the duo was returned to the Vault of Prosperity, Shirou giving Akeno a piggyback ride as the girl was almost passing out from exhaustion. Healing her wounds made things easier and the Queen had enough strength to put her normal clothes back on before they left the Arena.
After that almost everything was a blur for her, she could remember the 'light' of the day and the warmth of Shirou's back but not much. 'Must have been really out of it.'
Turning in her bed Akeno looked at her clock and noticed she woke up a little earlier than normal, much to her surprise. In fact the ravenhead sat up and noticed how her body wasn't exhausted at all. On the contrary she felt better than ever despite how much energy she had to spend on the arena.
Looking at herself Akeno also noticed she was naked and so tried to recall if she had taken her clothes off. 'Knowing Shirou-kun, he probably asked Liz for help.' Giggling she looked to the book shelf to her right and found her ribbon, still covering in blood. "You need a wash."
Standing up the woman walked around the room, barely decorated but there were some books and magazines lying around, to find the full body mirror inside her closet.
Hand in her own reflection, Akeno studied herself. "I don't look any different." She mused with a smile. "But I feel different." Closing her eyes she focused on her reserves and noticed they were already full with just a nice 'night' of sleep. "Was I holding myself back this much?"
She almost wished that the Akeno in the mirror nodded or replied in some way even if she knew the answer was 'yes'. While the only other True Hybrid she knew was Vali Lucifer, she remembered well the power and survivability the man had. As both their progenitors were fallen angels, no matter what Lucifer or devil propaganda said, they should have similar biologies.
Her hands moved around her hips to slide around her breasts until they settled on her cheeks. "My body feels so… energized right now." Akeno mused a little more as she touched her arms, chest and midriff. "And my mana is more rich… or feels like it, at least." Then her right hand landed on her chest where she felt her Queen Piece. "Except right here. My demonic energy… it is throwing everything off."
Much like Shirou had told her, Akeno understood she wasn't a true devil, not even a Reincarnated one. Her Queen Piece was still trying to execute its functions and in a way was masking her real existence, making her feel like a devil. However it was also consuming a part of her mana, forcing it into demonic energy in a way that no Reincarnated devil should have.
It was an unnatural state that broke all the rules and was in fact making her slightly weaker than she should be.
By expanding her will inside her body and soul Akeno grabbed a hold of her Queen Piece despite it being inside her. "Spark up." Structural Analysis worked as intended and in a moment she knew taking it off was possible. Smiling, she let her grip go. "You stay here for now." Was said while she touched her chest. "Rias needs me to keep her out of trouble so you better behave or else I am breaking you." The image of the Piece 'begging' her to not play with it made her laugh. "Don't worry, I have a couple of ideas on how we can be together for a long time…"