Chapter 15: Training Part 2

Beta read Shigiya, Paragon of Awesomeness and Maglad.

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-Training Manor Basement-

"I didn't expect that this place would have a basement."

Walking through the dimly lit stairs, Archer couldn't help but comment as he gazed at the redhead in front of him who brought him here. Her movements still showed signs of stiffness and periodic cramps despite her Devil constitution's recovery rate. At least Yuuto showed no trouble this morning along with Koneko — though for the Knight their prior training had likely helped in that regard. And as for the Rook's recovery, he suspected it had to do with her other origin. Issei could barely move or even get out of bed, Akeno had still been in a deep slumber and was even drooling on her pillow, sleeping like a baby showing no signs of waking up, and Asia had taken it upon herself to use her Twilight Healing once again on everyone despite being equally exhausted.

Her first patient being none other than Rias by his request.

As soon as she woke up, he asked his Master to guide him to this mysterious Bishop of hers. Every moment before the Rating Game counted, as their mindsets had to be in the right place to better themselves. If they kept up the idea of him taking care of everything, then that would inadvertently risk the possibility of the whole peerage becoming over-reliant on him.

What he said to Akeno last night and her subsequent reaction was just further evidence of this problem. She had been utterly shocked at the idea of him disappearing one day, as if it would never happen even after he repeatedly and meticulously explained to everyone the role of a Servant and the temporary nature of his existence. Sure the rules of this world differed vastly from his own, with another unknown factor keeping him anchored to this world, but Archer never once deluded himself with the idea that there wouldn't be any problems that wouldn't arise or that it would change the fate that awaited every Servant.

Someone was behind the magic that brought him to this world. Rias' explanation of an old mage having created the summoning spell only answered one question from his ever growing list. Someone or something — at this very moment — continued to supply him with Mana converted into the kind of Magical Energy he was familiar with, to keep him anchored from the continuous force trying to pull him back to the Throne.

Many different names came up in his mind, and first and foremost among them was that of a certain Wizard Marshal — but that idea instantly got thrown out as soon as it appeared. He'd only ever encountered that monster on exceedingly rare instances, and his demeanor left a deep impression on the bowman's mind. That person would never meddle with such things or even attempt to recreate a Holy Grail War outside the original reality. Sure he had his quirks like any other Magus, but not to the extent of doing something so drastic and dangerous.

Honestly, the only way for the summoning knowledge to reach this world meant that someone crossed over here or… a being from this world managed to tear through space and time to reach his world. Given how absurdly the magic system operated in this world, the latter option just seemed far more likely and also added more to his stress.

'If there is a Magus like Zeltrech back in my world, what's stopping there being an entity here with similar powers, or even multiple ones?' Worrisome, far too worrisome for his liking. His paranoid side wondered if Rias stumbling upon that summoning circle really had been an accident, or if the mage in question would turn out to be nothing but a sacrificial puppet to someone else. Even worse, whether or not there were more similar instances elsewhere in the world with the potential to bring forth other Servants remained a complete mystery.

"He's here." Rias mentioned while stopping in front of a large door, breaking Archer off his train of thoughts. He found no seals or locks in place, just an eerie feeling from the general atmosphere seeping out from the door. "It was difficult to even bring him here. Also, a word of advice, try to keep your voice nice and gentle, and don't make any sudden movements; he gets frightened easily. Even Akeno had a hard time just catching him to bring him here, it took the combined effort of her and Koneko to do so."

Were they dealing with some kind of wild animal?

"Of course, Master." Nodding his head, the Servant waited behind her as she gently knocked on the door.

"Gasper? It's me. I came by to check up on you, and I brought a special guest with me." She spoke with a careful and soft tone to her voice, not too loud yet still audible through the door. The same manner of tone one would take when addressing a particularly sensitive child.

Clang!

A loud cluster of noise emerged from the other side as soon as she said that. This was followed by hasty footsteps and… the sound of music? A weirdly familiar song Archer felt like he'd heard before. "I'm coming in," said the redhead as she pushed the doors open.

The inside was darker than he expected, with the only source of light being… a TV? Archer stepped deeper into the room and faced what could only be described as the den of a hikikomori. One corner was filled with discarded plastic bowls of instant ramen, clothes were haphazardly thrown just about wherever, an ungodly amount of empty chip bags, and finally a few gaming consoles connected to an old model CRT TV. "Did we accidentally stumble upon your old room, Master? Perhaps this mysterious Bishop of yours is somewhere else."

His remark earned him a kick to the leg by Rias, the latter instantly regretting her decision as she buckled down and massaged her foot. "Ouch… it felt like kicking a pole made of solid steel."

"You know, even as a swordsman and Archer class Servant, I do use my legs fairly often in combat for kicks and sweeps. So having some level of armor down there is to be expected." He said with a small smirk. His pants weren't just for show, each part having been improved and carefully assembled through his adventures. Shaking his head, he wondered where this elusive Bishop was hiding. The noise before did make it obvious that someone lived here and so did the glasses of soda filled with ice cubes that hadn't fully melted yet. It wasn't until his ears twitched did he direct his gaze towards a large cardboard box in the other corner, where a faint but distinct red light shined from two small sources, as if it was coming from a pair of eyes.

It… It was shaking out of fear?

"This? This is the peerage member that you failed to control due to lacking sufficient power?" He didn't even need to see this person's face, as all the details of the room around him painted a depressing image in his mind. Archer became inclined to believe that his Master must have pulled a prank on him for all the suffering he caused her yesterday. "I'm sorry to say this, Master, but this individual is… less impressive than you'd led me to believe. We've wandered not into the lair of some mighty and dangerous creature, but a shut-in NEET."

"I-I can see where this impression may come from, but I swear you'll change your mind as soon as you get to know him better. He's easily the member of my peerage with the most potential!" Her pride showed as she puffed up her chest at those words. In his own opinion, Issei had shown himself more worthy of that kind of title given he had been adapting even faster than Yuuto with his Sacred Gear despite the gap in power and experience between them both.

Rias pouted when he didn't respond. "You don't believe me do you." A statement more than a question.

"You've never lied to me, Master, but please understand where my skepticism is stemming from." He gestured to the mess before him and the small cardboard box slowly inching away from them. "I'm not one to judge others purely by whatever first impression they give, but it's hard to shed a positive light on any part of what can be seen here. Sorry if I may sound harsh, Master. I'd be happy to change my mind on this of course, but I'll need more information at the very least."

Rias sighed, agreeing with his words. "I understand. But first, Gasper, you need to come out of the box."

"Nooooooooooo!!!!! I don't want to!" Whoever was inside screamed loud enough to make Archer's ears ring for a second. His eyes twitched as the voice sounded like it belonged to a prepubescent child, further pushing down whatever confidence he had in his Master's words on this. "I don't like it here!!! I want to go back to my rooooooom!!!"

"This is also your room, we made it just for you." The closer she got, the more the box's shaking intensified. "Now come on, Archer here wants to meet you and get to know you a little. We even got two other new members of the peerage, and they are all hoping to see you as we—"

"W-What? There are more people!? Noooooo! I don't wanna go outside!" The Bishop's panicked tone reached a new high pitch upon hearing the news, and Archer's body instinctively tensed up as those crimson eyes glowed brighter. Endless years of combat experience and his Mind's Eye flooded his mind with a warning about an incoming attack. Yet before he could move or even shield Rias, a flash of energy followed by an invisible force spread across the room, stopping him in his tracks.

'Hm!?' It was as if tens of thousands of tendrils got hold of his body, with a hazy fog trying to affect his mind. 'This doesn't seem like a mental attack, rather the space around me has come to a halt and my body was caught within its range of effect. It feels similar to Medea's space locking spell!' Yet it wasn't as refined or controlled, but the raw power behind it gave him an inkling of what Rias meant by having a powerful servant she couldn't control. A quick flare of Magical Energy sent a pulse of power coursing across his limbs as he broke free from the hold with some effort, his mind already racing to analyze everything that just occurred and readying a possible counter against it if it was used again.

He looked at the motionless Rias next to him. 'A spell? No, most likely not… Must be a Sacred Gear. I don't think it has anything to do with the Gorgon or its ability to petrify; she wasn't even looking at his eyes from the looks of it and no parts of her are turning into stone. It looks more like the surrounding space has been immobilized… Either that or time has been suspended. Speed of casting is near instantaneous and originates from the eyes. If I can predict when he's about to use the ability again, I can flare my Magical Energy to maximize my Magic Resistance and force my way through the petrification effects.'

Unfortunately, the boy within the box hadn't noticed him having broken free and started rambling. "I-I did it again… I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" The voice within the box shouted as it moved out of the way and the figure of a person even smaller than Koneko emerged from it and ran to the room's opposite corner.

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"Huh?" Was the only word that came out of his mouth. The person before him… was a girl. More accurately a young kid with platinum blond hair and pinkish-violet eyes. Her hair, styled in a short bob cut with several small fringes over her forehead, and pointed nonhuman ears. No matter which angle he looked from, this individual was a female rather than a male, even wearing the standard Kuoh Academy uniform for girls! "Hold on, I distinctly recall my Master repeatedly referring to you as a boy."

"Y-You're still moving?" Gasper squeaked while looking back with widened eyes, not having noticed the Servant inspecting Rias who remained frozen by Gasper's power. The tall man turned around to face the shaking Bishop as a trace of curiosity and wariness flashed through his expression. Gasper watched nervously and tried his best to stand on shaky legs as Archer stretched his neck before cold steel gray eyes locked onto pink ones, and Gasper's already crippling social anxiety felt like it quintupled in that moment.

"So you're the Bishop Rias has been hiding. Loitering around in the basement playing video games and eating junk food while everything has been going on outside. Hah, nevermind. I am called Archer; I am Rias Gremory's Servant and also temporary trainer of sorts. I'll need you to come with us and join the others in your King's peerage to participate in preparations for the upcoming Rating Game against Riser Phenex. This is a fight that will decide the rest of Rias Gremory's life, and she needs all hands on deck." He said, getting directly to the point with the little Devil while keeping eye contact, his guard up in case of any signs of the Bishop panicking and that space/time suspension power going out of control again. "Gasper is your name, right? Don't know why you have a boy's name or why my Master calls you one. But then again, I frankly don't care. Now let's go, you've spent enough time hiding away in some dark corner in the basement. There's no reason for you to be scared of me either — I am an ally."

Putting his hands up to show he wasn't hostile, Archer took a slow step forward while putting up a friendly face. Though that did not give the reaction he wanted as Gasper suddenly went completely pale, more so than usual.

"A-A fight? No!!! That's dangerous and you look really scary!!! Go away!" Archer's approach spread goosebumps all over Gasper's skin which instinctively made those pink eyes glow bright red again. "Waaaah—urgh!" Unfortunately for the Devil, before the Sacred Gear even had time to activate, Archer's figure moved at lightning speed and swiftly placed a hand on the back of Gasper's neck. The Servant sent a pulse of his Magical Energy through Gasper's body, and the foreign power coursing through such a frail body instantly overwhelmed the Bishop without doing any harm — canceling the paralyzation ability before it could actualize and rendering the Sacred Gear's host unconscious as Gasper collapsed into Archer's arms.

"Damn it," the white haired man clicked his tongue. He'd been forced to act quickly, as he wasn't sure his D ranked Magic Resistance alone would work twice against an unstable power capable of affecting time or space without his holy shroud or Kanshou and Bakuya to provide a boost — Rias had insisted he not have the shroud on him to avoid causing Gasper undue distress. Any power that could affect what basically amounted to the fabric of reality was a troublesome form of magic regardless of how the specifics behind the power differed from his world and this one. But one constant requirement was control, and evidently Gasper was sorely lacking in that department. "This might be considerably more difficult than I anticipated, and not for any of the reasons I might have guessed."

As he got up, the effects of Gasper's power on Rias finally wore off. "—ll. Wait Gasper, calm… down… Huh?" The girl continued to speak where she left off, only to quickly realize that not only had her peerage member disappeared from her view, but even Archer was no longer by her side.

"Over here, Master." He called from the opposite side of the where Gasper had run off to.

"Ar…cher?" A day didn't go by where she wouldn't find herself surprised by something related to her Servant. At the top of the list was the matter of his past and identity — which just served to add more layers of mystery to his current self rather than shedding any light. Then there was the fact that there existed not a single household chore or errand in this world that he couldn't complete to utter perfection, and then there was the subject of his magic and how it worked as she knew he kept some information away from her. Yet now, after Gasper obviously activated his Sacred Gear by mistake again, her Servant even proved to be unaffected and had evidently gone further beyond given he was holding an unconscious Gasper within his arms. "How did you…"

Already knowing her question, his answer came with a slight shrug. "I was affected for a brief moment just like you, but thankfully managed to overpower the effect of your Bishop's Sacred Gear in time thanks to my Magic Resistance. Though please forgive me, I tried to speak amicably to this young girl, but her state of mind wasn't exactly the best and she nearly activated her powers again. So I stepped in and gently put her to sleep. I hope you understand my actions."

Rias had long since made it crystal clear how much she cared about every single member of her peerage, and Yuuto had mentioned to him some of the quirks belonging to the Gremory family. Namely their well known fondness for every peerage member in their household and many other servants as well, treating them like family more often than not.

Rather than express anger though, Rias put on a weird face and even showed clear signs of amusement. A slight mischievous smirk that mimicked Akeno's appearing on her face as she stepped closer. "You seem to be a bit confused, Archer. Gasper is a boy, not a girl. Didn't I say as much multiple times already?"

"..."

This had to be a joke.

{Break}

-Training Field-

"Judging by how you're rubbing your temple, I suspect you got to meet the young Dhampir, correct?"

Returning back to the field outside the manor, Archer was greeted by the sight of the Sitri peerage gathered around wearing their P.E. clothes, with some also wielding weapons. One girl wielded a katana, and Tsubaki was armed with her naginata and also geared up in a full set of light leather armor which he could tell held a minor amount of magical properties. A night and day difference of preparedness could be witnessed compared to Rias' group.

"You knew," he said, not sure how to feel anymore. Weirded out or confused, both emotions were mixing together as he tried to make sense of what he learned in the basement and came to terms with Gasper's appearance. "Of course you knew, who am I kidding…"

It wasn't the first time he'd faced such cases, as there existed a particular Heroic Spirit with a similarly… confusing appearance as Gasper. Wearing exclusively female clothing coupled with a feminine appearance didn't help the confusing circumstances or what felt like his own dwindling sanity in his opinion. Putting all of that aside, Archer was very impressed by the type of Sacred Gear the boy possessed. Forbidden Balor View, also known as The Evil Eye that Stops the World. It gave the host the ability to momentarily manipulate time itself as he guessed previously.

Not a Longinus Class Sacred Gear like the Boosted Gear, but a powerful and useful weapon nonetheless, if used wisely. Unfortunately, the owner this time turned out to be a naive and cowardly boy who feared the outside world and everything in general. Rias didn't call him a coward, but that word had appeared in Archer's mind and wouldn't leave. He already could tell that having Gasper train with the rest of the peerage would be more detrimental than anything else given Gasper's current state of mind and how prone he was to panicking and accidentally using his Sacred Gear on his own allies. His presence would act solely as a burden if those fears weren't handled properly.

"Alright, I see that all of you have come prepared, for which I commend the lot of you. Since you've already witnessed several of my little spars against the Gremory group yesterday, I don't see any need to repeat all the rules and conditions of the fight and will just give you the quick reminder version instead. If I get punched, cut, grazed or even have my clothes damaged, then this will be considered as a win for you. I won't be using my holy shroud or any of my weapons aside from the bow to make this as fair as possible." His nonchalant way of speaking sparking a visible outrage amongst the group as many if not all of the Devils glared at Archer with the way he spoke to them.

"This hardly seems fair, Archer. Not to sound rude or belittle your capabilities as a Heroic Spirit, but we are nearly a full peerage. More importantly, unlike Rias, we have had more opportunities to work in synergy with one another and even studied how you fight yesterday." Her pride refused to let the way Archer treated them pass. Of course, Sona was never under the illusion that they could so much as touch Archer in anything resembling a fair fight without resorting to drastic measures. But she was at least certain that with the kind of limits Archer was putting on himself, her peerage could do more than just touch him and manage to inflict at least a single minor injury. "Underestimating us isn't wise, you'll end up humiliating yourself in front of your Master."

"Then that will be my failure to bear." He turned his back to Sona with his bow already in hand, walking more than a hundred meters away and stopping at the edge of the mountain. "Alright! Get ready and come at me whenever you feel like it!"

The signal was set and the battle had officially begun. Secretly, Archer also looked forward to this little exchange as this gave him a better understanding of Devil prowess and this world's magic. He also wanted to see how differently Sona handled the situation compared to Rias.

***

Back with the group, Sona kept her cool despite his dismissive response to her warning. Though those around didn't share the same opinion as her since Sanji had already started cursing the Servant outloud. "Look at that arrogant bastard! Thinking he's so much better than us and acting all cool. We'll see how he acts when his smugness just ends up making him look like an idiot!"

Evidently, the way Archer spoke to Sona didn't sit right with him. Not an ounce of respect in that guy's eyes for any of them.

Next to him, Hanakai Momo couldn't help but agree with the Pawn. "I wouldn't use the same words, but I do feel he's taking this too lightly. No disrespect to the Gremory group but putting us on the same level is kinda dumb. I mean, while it's true they have a Longinus class, Hyoudou barely knows how to use it and can only boost his already miniscule Demonic Energy a handful of times."

Her sentiment was shared by everyone in the group, even Sona couldn't deny her words as she pushed back her glasses as the light reflected off the lenses. "He's got his bow, Tomoe and Tsubasa will take the front line and keep him busy. The rest will split up into two groups who will attack Archer from both sides. Tsubaki will remain here and will wait for my signal and use Mirror Alice against him when the time is right. Saji, once you get within range make sure to keep him grounded and don't let him move around freely if he attempts to widen the distance or use his speed to his advantage like he did against Rias — Ruruko will make sure to get his attention in case he targets Saji. Momo and Reya, you two keep bombarding him with everything you have, something is bound to hit him, and make sure to aid Tomoe and Tsubasa. Understood?"

""""Yes, Kaichou!""""

Dozens of possible outcomes played out in her mind as she tried to anticipate Archer's next move. Her only knowledge of his abilities being what little she saw yesterday made her options scarce. His mastery over the bow could not be questioned, but having multiple targets and distractions while taking magical bombardments would be enough to overwhelm any one combatant. 'Using our wings, even the slowest in my peerage can clear the distance within ten seconds… that should be more than enough.'

Quickly everyone got into posting, from the manor, the doors opened with Rias, Asia, Akeno and Kiba coming out to watch the battle. Issei was still resting in bed and Gasper was also being forced to take a nap. Koneko also remained in her room, though she could be seen peeking her head out through the window. No one said a thing, Rias giving Sona a single nod as a form of encouragement which the latter smiled at. The redhead said something as indicated by her lips moving, but Sona wasn't able to hear it. She assumed it was a wish of good luck from the other heiress.

"Now!" Sona's shout resonated throughout the field as everyone in her peerage moved all at once.

Tsubasa took the front line by using a single kick against the ground from her powerful legs to rocket herself forward with Tomoe following closely behind, the latter's speed allowing the girl to easily keep up with the Rook. Within a second both covered a third of the field while Archer had just finished drawing his bow back with a familiar rubber arrow held within his fingers. "It's now or never!" Shouted Tsubasa, seeing the speeding projectile heading straight for her.

But she didn't attempt to move or dodge; using her own body she tanked the hit straight to her guts with a loud thump. "Oof! …H-He's empty handed!"

This served as a signal to her King that Tsubasa was good to keep fighting as well as for the Knight behind her to overtake the blue haired girl before Archer could ready a second arrow. The katana within Tomoe's hands glinted against the sunlight as instead of increasing her speed and closing the distance, she dragged the tip of the weapon on the ground and slashed it with all her might. "Hah!"

A wall of dust formed in front of her, obscuring the entire peerage from Archer's gaze, which brought a smirk of approval to his face. In the back, Reya and Momo each had their distinct spells ready as respective red and white magic circles rotated on their palms before sending a blast of fire and pure demonic energy to where Archer stood.

The ground shook as the attacks landed, creating a much bigger cloud of dust. "Don't stop, keep firing!" Sona shouted, having covered half of the distance separating her from Archer with Tusbaki next to her, while Saji and Ruruko were keeping pace a short distance away. Their group's Bishops continued to bombard the area with little rest between each attack.

"Water Prison!" The insignia of the Sitri clan shined brightly within the magic circle that formed in front of Sona, and a considerable amount of demonic energy turned into a large glob of water that Sona controlled perfectly down to the last drop. It would form an inescapable prison around Archer, and with that he would be cornered.

"That should be enough. Meguri, I'm counting on you."

"Got it, Kaichou!" Her Knight, getting the signal from her King, burst forward with newfound speed that utilized her Evil Piece's power to the fullest. The katana turned into a blur, with Tomoe showing no hesitation as she cleaved through the middle of the water prison, which Sona dissipated at the last second.

Woosh!

The speed of her slash cleanly slicing through everything in its path, dividing the dust and water into two and letting the Sitri peerage witness the result of their teamwork… only to find the spot in front of them completely empty without Archer anywhere in sight.

"—!" Their eyes widened as each and every one of them surveyed their surroundings, expecting a surprise attack but finding the field to be equally empty with no trace of the Servant.

"He's up there!" Saji shouted, guiding their attention to the sky as a black and white silhouette of their opponent was spotted as he already had an arrow ready and pulled back on the string of his bow. His body and armor were in pristine condition with not even a single hair out of place. "Careful Kaichou!"

The arrow was released and traveled at the same speed as the last, aimed at none other than Sona this time. Even so, the King's face remained as calm as lakewater as she stared back at the incoming projectile until a small smirk graced her face. "Checkmate. Now, Tsubaki!"

"Mirror Alice!" On her signal, her Queen made her move at a distance, the space in front of Sona shining as a large body-sized oval mirror appeared facing Archer and his arrow. The Servant raised an eyebrow at the Sacred Gear, especially when his arrow — rather than shattering the object — sank inside the surface as if it was made of water. Then they widened as the surface rippled again as the same arrow came out and shot straight for him this time, moving at twice the speed as before!

'Mirror Alice has the ability to reflect attacks with double the damage on the attacker. In this case, it doubled the speed for physical projectiles.' Sona thought triumphantly, watching the arrow getting closer to Archer as the latter couldn't possibly do anything within such a short period of time in his current position. 'You won't have enough time to dodge midair, or deflect the attack with your bow. Even if you did, the sheer speed will cause the point to shatter and those will reach you regardless.'

From the beginning, Sona was well aware of the Servant's raw speed and proficiency with the bow even while limiting himself to a fraction of his capabilities. So trying to best him in long distance combat would be futile, and getting closer was too dangerous as Tsubaki herself testified that he possessed master level technique. And seeing for herself how he handled Kiba Yuuto yesterday made that all too apparent.

"I win." She declared, only to have a figurative bucket of cold water dropped on her head with what happened next. "What!?"

With a less-than-impressed expression, Archer didn't even attempt to dodge or deflect the arrow, as the projectile instead broke down into motes of light before it even reached him — stumping everyone who had been waiting for a clean victory… Then the horrified dread set in.

"Using my own weapon against me. Rather ironic I must say, and not a bad idea in principle." Archer whispered, more than impressed with this group that he couldn't help but show a small smirk. They lacked the raw power from Rias' group, but more than made up for it with Sona's strategies and their overall teamwork. "But that won't work against me, and you just used what was clearly intended to be your ace."

His arms blurred as Sona's instincts flared up, "Watch out, Kaichou!" Tomoe rushed to her side and pushed Sona away right as an arrow struck her Knight's cranium. The whites of her eyes showed as the whiplash jolted her brain and knocked out the Knight in less than a second.

Watching the first casualty occur unexpectedly, Sona gritted her teeth, focusing her magic to summon dozens of water hawks that rushed to the sky and took the oncoming attacks instead of her.

Crash!

Archer landed on top of Mirror Alice, using his legs to shatter the construct to pieces. Steel Gray eyes met dark blue when Tsubasa, having recovered from the previous hit, came charging at him with her fist pulled back. "Take this!" Her punch barely missed his hair as he ducked in time and darted forward with his knee digging into her guts. "Kah!"

As Tsubasa recoiled from Archer's swift and precise knee strike, she pushed through the pain and reminded herself that this battle was far from over. Her determination remained unshaken. With a swift recovery, she twisted her body and somersaulted backward to create some distance between herself and Archer. Despite the Rook's determination, her knees kept shaking as the power behind the attack made it hard to breathe. And unfortunately for her, her effort didn't amount to much as a dark shadow appeared next to Tsubasa so fast that to her eyes it seemed no different from teleportation. "Argh!"

His foot kicked her stomach again, even as she guarded against it , it did little to lessen the impact. The shockwave produced as she went flying made the Gremory group who was watching the fight from the sidelines flinch out of instinct.

"Tsubasa!" Momo shouted, taken aback by how quickly their most resilient member got taken out by two hits.

"Don't take your attention off him!" Sona warned the two Bishops, but it was too late and they found themselves taken out by two arrows hitting them to the head. Their reaction speed and endurance was far lower than the likes of Tomoe and Tsubasa, and both girls crumbled instantly. "Damn it!"

"Don't worry, Kaichou, I got him!" On cue, Saji's Sacred Gear released what looked like a long frog-like tongue that wrapped around Archer's forearm, while the Servant curiously analyzed the item in question. "Let this bastard have it! I won't let him run around!" The Pawn shouted, relying on his ability to keep Archer in place.

Sona and Tsubaki didn't waste any words and made their moves. The Queen brought out her naginata and rushed forward, swinging with an overhead slash which Archer easily blocked with his bow. The two metals clashed hard enough to ignite sparks, the bespectacled woman's arms were shaking as she applied all of her strength while Archer's arm remained as stable as ever. "That's an interesting Sacred Gear you have there, Tsubaki."

"And you're still difficult to deal with as always." She said, pulling back and going back for another fly slashed. Both weapons met again and again, using her agility she tried to attack at every possible angle with little to no success while Archer just stood idly in place, moving only his arm. 'This is bad, I can't gain any ground at all! It's like he knows where I'm going to strike next before I even move!'

It was frustrating, she felt as if her skills had deteriorated rather than improved compared to their spar at school. At least then he was courteous to use a bladed weapon and engage her as a teacher, but now it seemed he couldn't even be bothered to try.

"I'm ready, Tsubaki!" Sona warned, dozens of magic circles around her glowing with power, from which a horde of ferocious looking water snakes burst out with the sole intent to overwhelm and crush Archer.

Tsubaki, getting the signal, tried to jump away… only to be pulled back as her arms found her naginata refusing to move with her. Looking behind she saw with widened eyes that Archer had dismissed his bow and now held onto the wooden shaft of her weapon.

"I'll be borrowing this for a minute." With strength that surpassed that of a Rook, her body got thrown away as she failed to keep a solid grip on the polearm. Then with a stance that resembled hers and single handedly twirling the weapon around, Archer cut through each water snake in rapid succession — using her own techniques!

"Stop moving you asshole!" Fuming at how the Heroic Spirit didn't spare him so much as a glance despite being caught by his Sacred Gear, Saji tried to pull on him and throw Archer off his balance with Ruruko's help — but found the task no different from a child attempting to pull a large boulder.

"Word of advice, boy: Don't try to hold down or drag around an opponent unless you're actually capable of doing so. And definitely don't attempt it when they're easily able to do that and more to you." The Servant said, looking at him for the first time. And that was when Saji realized something was wrong, as rather than attempting to cut his Sacred Gear's line with Tsubaki's weapon, Archer instead grabbed hold of the tether and softly muttered, "Checkmate." Throwing Sona's words back at everyone, Archer pulled hard on the line, yanking a stunned Saji toward him as the boy in question found himself helpless to do anything.

"Waaaaaa—keurg!" The urge to empty his stomach never been this strong, everything turned to a hazy blur as Archer's fist struck his stomach. Similar to Tsubasa he got sent flying backwards for a moment, but his hell had only just begun as his Sacred Gear remained tied by his opponent, who pulled him back again and delivered a kick to the face this time. "M-My nosh!" He whimpered, certain his nose had just been shattered by this bastard.

This happened a couple more times. Each time Saji got knocked away, Archer's hold on the still active Sacred Gear pulled him back for another bone-breaking impact that sent him flying as far as the line allowed. Saji, who initially had been crying with pain and terror, now couldn't even get out a single sound with his face beaten black and blue.

"Hn!" With one last pull, Archer twisted his body and used the Pawn's body as a weapon and hit the horrified Ruruko who had frozen with shock at the brutal display and got body slammed by Saji. Now using both hands, Archer threw Saji towards Sona, with the King making a desperate last-ditch attempt to summon more water hawks, which all ended up hitting her own Pawn instead.

That proved to be the last straw as Saji finally lost consciousness, and his Sacred Gear vanished. His body landed at the edge of the manor, dead silent with Kiba and Koneko not knowing what to do.

Sona went completely still as the blade of Tsubaki's own naginata rested on her neck. Sweat poured down her temples, breathing haggardly she couldn't think of any ways to get out of this scenario let alone attack Archer in any way. "I… I… w-we admit defeat…" the words left a bad taste in her mouth, though she refused to delude herself from the simple reality before her. There was no way she could hope to turn this fight around.

.

.

.

"That was brutal, far more than what happened yesterday." Yuuto commented, pitying Saji in particular as he was getting healed by Asia. Nearly all the members of Sona's peerage were currently recuperating as best they could while lying down on multiple mattresses, some having relatively minor injuries and others experiencing various degrees of concussions and broken bones. Devil body or not, recovering from such a beatdown wouldn't be happening in a matter of mere hours — at least not without copious amounts of healing magic. "Did you have to go this hard on them?"

Standing beside him, Archer leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. Paying no heed to the present scene and waiting for Sona to return, the bowman gave the Knight a side glance before sighing.

"Contrary to popular belief, I was holding back considerably during all that, just as I was yesterday. But putting that to the side, tell me, what is your impression of Sona's peerage?"

His impression? A weird question to ask, but one he gave a few seconds to properly think about. The two peerages had actually never sparred against one another, or even competed outside of occasional school sports related challenges, so this ended up being the first time Yuuto ever got a good look at their combat dynamic. "Well-organized, works in perfect harmony with each other, and they lasted far longer than we did."

"Glad to see you were paying attention during that little mock-battle," Archer nodded approvingly. "While they only have two more members than Rias fielded yesterday and fewer Sacred Gears, I can honestly say that Sona's peerage would likely have a bigger chance of defeating Riser than Master's group if it were a battle solely between peerages. Not to sound rude, but your teamwork is an absolute mess disguised as an orderly peerage. Everyone just runs off guns blazing with no thought given to overall strategy or formation, and also fails to take full advantage of all of your unique abilities. Realistically, even with the Boosted Gear by your side, I don't see your team having that much of a chance against Riser if I weren't here, when that shouldn't be the case at all. Sword Birth alone should have been more than enough to even the scales between the two peerages and more, but you're still far from reaching that point… Both Master and you don't seem to realize just what kind of weapons you truly have at your disposal."

Yuuto's fists clenched, denial and outrage threatening to boil up from his throat at those words. Yet a part of him found it impossible to not agree with Archer's assessment. He didn't fail to notice the way the man spoke about his Sacred Gear, a tone of disappointment that wounded his confidence but this one laced with enough familiarity to make him raise an eyebrow. "Then what should I do to master my Sacred Gear? I've used Sword Birth for years and pushed myself to the absolute limit."

Archer stayed quiet for a second, "You have a Sacred Gear capable of forging any kind of demonic, magical, or regular sword using just your imagination and demonic power. Humph, you have so much potential and yet are blind to it to the point that I find it baffling." Unlike his Unlimited Blades Works, the Knight didn't need to actually see a preexisting sword to base a replica off of; he could technically create an infinite number of whatever kind of sword he wished to wield, all with nothing but his own imagination and creativity. So many differences in their abilities, yet similar enough for Archer to draw parallels.

"Don't you have Projection Magic that allows you to do basically the same thing, except you can create anything?" Yuuto asked the Servant about his magic, or Magecraft as the latter insisted. To his eyes, an ability like that automatically surpassed his Sacred Gear in terms of sheer versatility.

"Projection Magecraft is far from perfect and suffers from its fair share of flaws and limits. It requires more steps than your Devil magic, and the end product will always be at least slightly inferior to the genuine article, if not vastly so. Just a crack or two will destroy the construct in most cases. You don't suffer from that limitation, as each one of your blades are real and only depend on your own reserves and understanding to grow stronger… more durable. You having this idea in your head of my Magecraft being superior to your Sacred Gear is already admitting defeat. A mindset such as that will only act as a roadblock to any future progress."

That and other aspects which prevented him from venturing forward, Archer didn't know the details, but from his understanding it had to do with the boy's past.

Perhaps he could ask Rias about said details later on.

"Then what can I do!?" The Knight asked, unable to hide the frustration and anger dripping from himself. His shoulders began shaking at how much Archer praised his Sacred Gear, yet he himself couldn't live up to his teacher's expectations. "I tried, again and again, to go beyond a certain point and achieve a Balance Breaker for years! It's not like I want to remain at this level, I hate being this weak! I want more than anyone in the club to gain the power I need to achieve my goals and help Buchou escape her fate."

"Then keep making more swords." Archer replied, confusing Yuuto. "Keep making new swords, new types, new varieties, without stopping until you're all out of energy. Then do it again the next day. Why limit yourself to just a few dozen swords when you can go far beyond that? Forge new blades over and over again, repeat the same cycle for as long as your mind and body can handle it, until there is nothing but a sea of weapons around you. Because that is the only Sacred Gear given to Kiba Yuuto, so the only thing you can do is just keep perfecting it and forging with insanity. That is the only path you have available if you want to reach a point where your base Devil powers start losing their importance, and wouldn't have changed the outcome whether you were still human or not. But I warn you, you'll probably end up regretting taking such a path down the line."

A chill ran up Kiba's spine as he listened to the Servant's explanation. It sounded ominous enough for him to wonder if Archer was speaking out of personal experience.

"But that is something for your future self to worry about. Currently you still have lots of room to grow in other areas, such as your swordsmanship and technique. Refine those to their limit before worrying too much about your Sacred Gear — just don't become over reliant on just one aspect of your powers. I still firmly believe that you have what it takes to face the entirety of Riser's peerage alone and come out on top if you actually use your power to its full potential. Maybe take a page from Issei's book; he's proven himself to be more creative with the Boosted Gear than I expected."

"...If you think so." Shaking his head, Kiba decided to change the conversation. "So, you haven't mentioned why you went so hard on them."

"Because they needed it," said Archer as he spotted Sona making her way towards him. "Confidence is all well and good, but overconfidence and arrogance is an invitation for a disaster or even death. Sona's group, much like yours, is not used to handling opponents beyond their level, due in large part to a lack of experience. Your entire idea of tactics only amounts to beating the enemy in front of you in a head-on approach and emerging victorious. In Sona's case, it's largely the same thing but with a defensive approach and an actual formation with more organized support. But when either approach hits a wall, you all crumble within seconds. None of you know how to take a hit, how to buy time without suffering more damage and making the losses worth it, how to recognize when a battle is impossible and when to run away, how to make the most out of a spar. Sona wanted to fight me not because she sought to learn anything from the experience, but because she desired to prove her peerage and tactics were superior to that of her rival."

"..." Yuuto was stunned.

"So, I made sure to imprint the taste of defeat as deeply as possible into each and every one of you. To make sure you all understand how it feels to face impossible odds and use it as a tool to grow in the future. In an environment such as this, even the worst losses are lessons to be learned from." Sona walked past him, heading outside and leaving the door open. "I'll be back. Keep watch on the others to make sure no one accidentally injures themself, and get ready for tomorrow. We're still starting early in the morning, Master's group needs the practice far more than Sona."

"...Are you secretly a sadist like Akeno?" The blonde joked, earning a chuckle from Archer.

"What are you trying to imply? I'm just fulfilling my duties as a Servant." They parted on those words.

***

Outside, Sona waited patiently standing next to the cliff, her frown evident as the loss of this day affected her tremendously. "Just lay it on me, I don't need you to sugarcoat anything." She grumbled, waiting for him to speak about the flaws encountered during the fight.

"I know you heard the conversation between me and Yuuto; it's obvious you were paying attention the entire time, so I won't repeat those parts. I hope you understood that at least."

She took a deep breath, calming her nerves. "Noted."

"Aside from that, your group performed to the best of their ability and with excellent leadership on your end. I don't have anything to complain about on that front as you were going up against a powerful foe you knew little about. Perhaps I could say something about challenging an enemy you have no hope of beating, but that would defeat the purpose of these spars. In any event, it seems fair to say you'll learn more with experience rather than words." A small smile tried to force its way on her face as she hadn't been expecting a compliment from this man after everything he said to Yuuto and Rias before. She had been bracing herself for a lecture about all the ways in which she was lacking as a fighter and a King, and needed to improve her whole approach.

"Thank you."

"Only two minor aspects I want you to consider. Firstly, always plan for defeat no matter what opponent you're facing, and work to diminish any possible damage or losses in advance. If ever you have to face an opponent beyond your level, you will want to know how to retreat while minimizing losses or injuries and plan out your next move, even if it's just escaping to fight another day. Secondly, don't let your pride get the better of you in a battle. It holds no value other than being something your enemy can use against you, so better to toss it to the side." That last part earned him a glare from the heiress, which he knew would make her react like that. "Don't misunderstand my words as to think they mean you shouldn't have any pride at all. Rather, don't let it dictate your decisions when things truly matter. Unless of course you value your pride over your own peerage."

"...I'll keep that in mind." Sona whispered. "Tell me, Archer, there is a matter that made me curious about Heroic Spirits. Can Gods or those of godly lineage be summoned as Servants? I've been quite curious about that part and never got to ask you."

Perhaps she wanted to change the topic of discussion and stay away from any more mention of today's outcome. Understandable in his opinion, both Sona and Rias did a good job listening to him after suffering defeat but their pride could not let that pass so easily, especially while said defeat was still fresh in their minds. She needed time to adjust and come to a realization herself.

"When it comes to Gods, things become a bit tricky to explain. Rather than call forth Gods themselves, you summon Divine Spirits instead. It's basically impossible to have a true God be summoned as a Servant. There are of course certain ways around this limitation, but they are beyond convoluted and even then it will never lead to actually getting a true God's power in the vessel of a Servant; it's more like a remnant or a possession. But Demigods certainly can be summoned. Gods of numerous pantheons have had plenty of bastards or descendants sharing their blood throughout history, and a great many of them went on to become legendary figures more than worthy of a place within the Throne of Heroes." Though in the case of the Fuyuki Summoning system, it would have been impossible to summon Divine Spirits of any sort.

"Do Demigods tend to be more powerful than the average Servant?" She asked, making him question why she wanted to know such a thing. His eyes narrowed as a foreboding feeling creeped inside his chest.

…No, it should be impossible for Sona to summon a Servant since she didn't even have her own set of Command Seals, and Rias mentioned how the previous summoning circle got destroyed.

"Depends on your definition of average. You can't judge a Servant by their stats alone with how unpredictable things like individual skills or Noble Phantasms can be. A servant with mostly E-rank stats could be in possession of a weapon from their legend capable of killing anyone through a single use even if it means dying themselves." The images of Gilgamesh, Heracles, and Cu Chulainn flashed in Archer's mind as he was wondering how to approach the matter concerning Servants with divinity. "But to give you a simple answer, yes, Demigods in most cases tend to be more difficult to kill than your average Servant."

"From the way you phrase it, I take it you've fought against such opponents before yourself, even defeated them. Does that mean I'm dealing with the descendant of a deity? It helps explain the shroud."

Archer chuckled, amused by the assumption she made. Him, a Demigod? Rin would die laughing if she ever heard that. "My my, to receive such a compliment is a first for me. Unfortunately, I don't possess a lick of divinity within me. This shroud has no such origin and is merely a gift from a… someone. My past self was just a regular, foolish, weak human. Exactly the type you Devils like to catch and make into pieces for your own little games."

Some of his distaste with the whole Peerage System evidently bled through his words as Sona's frown deepened, followed by a burning determination to prove him wrong. Guess she should have known about this, he did mention Heroic Spirits were people from legend who saved countless or performed a deed great enough to be immortalized through human history. If Archer was a hero who went around saving people, then of course the idea of Devils turning humans with Sacred Gears or magic into their own peerage members wouldn't sit well with him. 'So… did he not see me and Rias as allies from the beginning, and is merely forcing himself to be polite due to the pact?'

She put these thoughts to the side for now. What mattered was that for the meantime, Archer had shown himself to be a capable ally — whether he was a true friend or not was irrelevant as long as Rias didn't use up her Command Seals. It honestly scared her a bit, the idea that the man behind her could potentially go for all their throats if the Command Seals didn't exist.

"…You fought Grayfia before, and that's what destroyed so much of the forest surrounding Kuoh. No need to deny it, Rias may try to hide it from me, but the Fallen Angels didn't have anyone near that strong or else I would've heard about it, and this was also right around when Grayfia came by to visit her. I may not be certain of the reason behind it, but a clash between you two is really the only explanation. So tell me, having seen the power of the Silver Queen of Annihilation, how do you think she would fare against a Demigod Servant?"

Another question that intensified this weird sensation within his guts. "Hn, I have to give at least some credit to the perverted maid. She is powerful, remarkably so, and dangerous, plus I doubt I've seen the true depths of her power. But there are entities that can only be described as forces of nature… unstoppable monsters or walking natural disasters in human form. She is capable enough to perhaps land a hit or two on some, even beat a couple if she plays her cards right. Also understand that not all Heroic Spirits of divine ancestry are well versed with combat. Some are primarily healers or never had a history of battle in their legends. But many of them are certainly powerful, and there are some Demigods against whom victory would be pure fantasy on her part even if she was a hundred times stronger."

A trace of shock flashed within Sona's face. "That powerful, huh… If that's true, that'd put them easily at Sirzechs' level, or even beyond? I can't imagine a human mage having the authority and power to control such a being for a war against six other entities wielding similar power." She chuckled, trying to push away the uneasy image of such a war happening with seven Servants.

"That's not necessarily true, there have been cases of Servants killing their Master even when the Command Seals had not been used. You must understand, those symbols don't actually provide absolute control or loyalty; the Seals are just reserves of vast Magical Energy that can be used to make the Servant accomplish any order a Master has, provided it's specific enough. From manipulating space, boosting their Servant's powers and even forcing an order one side may not agree on. In the end, you still need to show proper respect and wariness to the Heroic Spirit summoned." Not to mention how cases like Medea, himself and a few others had the capability to break the pact whenever they wanted to… Not that she needed to know that.

"Hn, summoning Servants really does sound like a gamble in the end." Sona joked nervously, her fingers tapping the tree trunk. "No surprise Rias lucked out and got you, she always seems to win the jackpot on those kinds of gambles. Always the lucky one, having everything drop into her lap while I had to put in the effort and do all my own research — it's so unfair. Sometimes I wonder how things would have turned out if I had walked inside that warehouse instead of Rias. Would you have been my Servant instead?"

Now, he wouldn't say Rias was lucky to have him. There were plenty of other Heroic Spirits more qualified to be her Servant and would blend better with the group's dynamic.

Archer shrugged his shoulders, "Who knows. With no catalyst, whichever Servant is most compatible with their summoner is the one who gets brought forth." He said, noting the edge of her mouth going upwards in a small smile.

"I want to be optimistic on this one. I personally feel we have more in common than you have with Rias. Don't you agree with me?"

"...No comment."

That answer made her chuckle, pushing her glasses up her nose. "That's all I needed to hear… Tell me honestly, Archer, do you think I would have been a good Master?" They had interacted with each other enough times for him to get a basic impression of her, so Sona wanted to know his answer.

"It would be a lie if I denied it." He answered. "I once knew someone similar to you, a human Master known for her cunning nature, intelligence, somewhat short temper and stubbornness. She had her faults, sometimes even making stupid decisions that caused more problems for herself than anything else, such as trusting someone she really shouldn't have and even trying to sympathize with him in the end — oh what a fool she was."

Sona's eyes widened as she spotted a sincere smile bloom on Archer's face as he looked out into the distance. One so foreign and different from what she'd seen so far that the fact he was smiling took a moment to register in her mind.

"That didn't stop her from being the best Master in the entire war."

Sona found herself growing more curious about this person Archer hinted towards. His former Master? For him to make such a face, just what kind of person was she?

"There's… one other matter I wanted to confirm. Have you ever defeated a Demigod?"

Archer scratched his chin, humming softly, and left Sona with a simple response before going back.

"I have."

{Break}

(One week later)

Crash!

Within a large expanse of vibrant trees, Archer jumped back just in time to avoid a large boulder being thrown at him with tremendous force; the impact completely obliterated one tree trunk and toppled three others. But he paid no attention to this as his figure disappeared a split second before the sky became overcast with dark clouds and a vicious arc of white lightning descended in the form of a thick pillar powerful enough to completely destroy the surrounding area.

"She's gotten quicker with her casting, and her lightning's more powerful too," standing on a tree branch nearby, Archer commented idly. His eyes turned around to spot a flash of light as two swords sliced the branch beneath his feet with great accuracy, having been thrown as projectiles rather than being wielded by hand. "And she's hardly the only one to have shown considerable improvement this past week."

His hand darted to the side, catching a fist covered by a red gauntlet as Issei emerged from the foliage. The force behind the attack was small enough for him to handle it easily without any Reinforcement needed. "Gotcha!"

"Hm?"

Rather than be worried or enraged that his punch got intercepted so easily, Issei instead grinned like a madman with rage boiling within those sleep deprived eyes. Using his other hand, he grabbed onto Archer's arm tightly. "This is for all the beatings I've suffered every day this past week, you bastard!"

[Boost!]

[Dragon…

The gauntlet roared, surprising Archer as he watched the first start glowing hot red with even more demonic energy than Akeno's lightning attack. 'Creative as ever.' Any attempts to jump away again got thwarted as four walls of water erupted around them and enveloped both him and the Pawn in a prison of sorts.

Four more shadows jumped out of the foliage, the one to his back being Tomoe going in for a slash with her katana, while Yuuto covered the opposite side and attempted the same with a western longsword. The final two appeared overhead, consisting of Koneko and Tsubasa, both Rooks holding entire tree trunks ready to crush him.

Once again, dark clouds gathered with another lightning blast coming for him again. It had barely been four seconds since the previous thunderbolt.

"You'll get caught in the attack as well, boy." He said to Issei, who was at the epicenter to get hit by all these spells at the same time right along with him. Yet those words only served to intensify the madness within the perverted teenager.

"I don't care! As long as I can finally get some payback on you for all the bruises and broken bones I suffered this week alone!!!" Tears streamed down his face at the painful memories, which got replaced by a large grin. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!"

'Hm, guess these last few days of intensive training must have broken his mind… poor thing.' Issei was the impossibly stubborn type, never willing to stay down, though weirdly enough both Tomoe and Tsubasa shared similar expressions. Koneko even more so, her eyes gleaming with bloody murder, as the desire to crush him couldn't be any more evident. Yuuto was the only one with a more focused and disciplined expression, though even he couldn't hide his eagerness to finally score a hit on Archer.

The energy within Issei's palms grew hotter and more condensed, ready to be fired out as a beam of concentrated red energy that would blast anything in its path. 'Damn it, I'd much rather not let that hit me. Sorry Issei, but at least Asia still has enough energy to heal your wounds again.'

…Shot—!?]

Crack!

Snap!

"AAAAARGH!" A sickening snap echoed inside the water, as with a quick use of Reinforcement he applied more force in his hold on the gauntlet, causing miniature cracks to spread before he swiftly twisted the hand by nearly a full rotation. The intense pain overtaking Issei's focus, he couldn't unleash the attack properly even as Archer let go of him and kicked him away. But with the condensed energy still present and without any control, it grew unstable enough to the point that it had to be released, but as an explosive wave rather than a focused beam.

"Wah!"

"Damn it!"

"Watch out!"

All the Devils shouted, now trying to cover their bodies from the burst of pure power that broke through the water barrier and spread around the forest into a large dome — destroying every trace of foliage caught in its path.

"Issei, Koneko, Yuuto!"

"Tomoe, Tsubasa!"

Both Sona and Rias flew towards the explosion, their own haggard and tired states slowing their speed. They landed, and rushed to the now burned ground where Archer's silhouette emerged holding an unconscious Issei within his arms. The rest had been placed on the ground, free from any major wounds aside from some burns here and there.

He placed the Pawn on the ground where not a second passed before he heard the voice of a certain former nun. "I'm here!" She flew down from the sky, in perfect control of her wings and carrying a large bag of medical supplies and first aid kits in case she needed it, having learned well to conserve her Sacred Gear for more grievous injuries. "Ah, you broke his wrist again, Saint-sama!" She exclaimed, pouting with a cute face. Her powers came to life as a gentle green glow was cast around Issei's body. "At least his bones aren't sticking out like last time."

"I'd like to remind you that I wasn't responsible for the incident to which you refer. He's the one who ran off a cliff without paying attention to his surroundings and failed to deploy his wings in time — forgetting he even had those in the first place." Archer said with sigh, taking a seat on the ground with both Kings going up to check on the members of their respective peerages. He watched as Asia healed the wounds on Issei without minding if her clothes got bloody as she kneeled next to him. Her eyes were sunken just like everyone else, having used up most of her stamina and reserves on using her Twilight Healing multiple times in a day, sometimes for hours at a time. He saw how the wrist's bone structure was slowly restored to normal, healing at a much faster rate than before. Making a full recovery would take perhaps another ten minutes if she truly pushed herself.

"There, done!" As Issei's hand returned to normal, Asia used rubbing alcohol and bandages to patch up Issei in other areas where he had minor wounds and scratches. Then she moved on to the others, healing their burns and doing the same work on them as she did for the Pawn.

"Was that your plan?" He asked Rias, the redhead being an absolute mess with a dirt-covered face and a ruined set of clothes covered with cuts and burned fabric. She could barely stand, swaying around until she decided to just collapse next to him and rest.

"...No, I wanted to trap you with Gasper's help. But he isn't waking up anytime soon after already straining himself today. So Issei insisted on this approach, and I agreed." She answered with an exhausted voice, sounding like she hadn't drank any water for days.

He guessed as much, the boy was really out for blood back there.

Archer nodded, his eyes trailing down to his pants where he gazed at a small patch of fabric that had been scorched from Issei's attack going haywire. Nothing major, something that could be fixed within seconds, but still an accomplishment for these young Devils that made him smile.

"Well you'll be happy to hear that it worked. Congratulations, Master, you all won. But you all should get some rest, you've earned it." He was more than satisfied with their current progress. Plus he also knew that pushing them any harder would just be detrimental rather than beneficial.

"..."

Rias didn't say a word, as she had long since fallen asleep next to her Servant. And she was far from alone; everyone around him aside from Asia was lying down with their eyes closed, with Issei snoring loudly.

"You can go to your bed back in the manor, Asia. I'll bring them back myself, you just focus on getting a good night's sleep after all your hard work today. I'll prepare something special for everyone tomorrow." He told the blonde Bishop, the latter nodding as she yawned, but held on strong.

"N-No need, I still have enough energy left to perform one last round of healing on everyone." She insisted, her hands glowing green once again as she used the last remnants of her magic to heal Issei again. After that, she didn't even have the strength to stand anymore and collapsed soon after, having pushed herself beyond her limits once more.

"Hah… " sighed the Servant, ready to get up, only to have his Master start to get handsy and wrap herself around him in her sleep as she usually did.

"…I'm going to have to undress her before putting her to bed again, lest she wake up complaining about everything itching so much."

{Break}

(Two days later)

-Kuoh Academy-

Inside a luxurious room adorned with opulent furnishings and exquisite decor, a man with striking crimson hair and clad in resplendent golden armor stood at the center. His expression, a mix of anticipation and curiosity, conveyed his eagerness for what was to come. Sirzechs Lucifer — adorned in his regal, dark, gold armor — waited patiently for his sister to make her debut in the Rating Games alongside his wife, Grayfia Lucifuge.

"It's been so long since I last got to see Ria-tan." He exclaimed while watching the screen before him which displayed an exact replica of the Kuoh Academy school ground, programmed to take as many screenshots as he wanted and simultaneously record everything from start to finish. As a big brother, it was only his duty to capture special moments in his sister's life, and her first official Rating Game definitely qualified.

"The Phenex scion will also be arriving soon. I've heard he's been very eager to teach Ria-tan's 'pet priest' a lesson." He didn't even bother hiding the amusement at that fact, having heard what the Servant was capable of from his wife.

Grayfia on the other hand permitted not so much as a twitch in her facial muscles.

"Lord Phenex will soon be joining the audience, Lady Serafall is already welcoming the guests as we speak — we should make our way over and greet him."

"What about Ajuka?" Sirzechs asked, his smile dying down at the recent rumors circulating the Underworld related to Ajuka and his brother, Diodora Astaroth. "Any news on his brother's whereabouts?" A few days ago, they received word that not only was the castle where Diodora had been living had been reduced to utter ruins, even more so than the last incident, and the heir in question was now nowhere to be found.

"You must understand how he is feeling at this moment. Lord Ajuka isn't one to break his promises." Grayfia commented, which made Sirzechs sigh in the end. "No body was found, so there is a chance he is still alive."

"He is still alive. Ajuka confirmed it. We just need to find him and make sure not to have the news of this incident spread around too much and potentially cause unnecessary chaos." He worried about his friend just as much as anyone with the blood of Gremory cared about another family member. Whoever was behind this… Sirzechs swore to make them pay. "Well, nothing we can do about that at the moment aside from staying patient. Let's focus on this Rating Game for now. I'm certain Ria-tan is in good hands, so I'm not that worried."

"But you still have doubts about Archer." Grayfia commented, which he didn't deny.

"Nothing can get past you, Grayfia-chan~!" He said, putting back his friendly smile. "In which case, isn't this Rating Game the ideal opportunity for me to see who this Archer fellow truly is? If both you and Rias have so many positive things to say about him, then that makes me want to meet him and see what he's capable of even more."

As soon as he said that, the ground in the middle glowed bright crimson with the symbol of his family appearing to indicate the arrival of his parents, just in time for him to receive word from Grayfia that just a few seconds ago, Riser and Rias were both ready to be teleported into the arena.

"Let's see how this goes."

-------

The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 1 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.