Realization

Rue parked her car in front of a Guitar Store named String Paradise. We got out of the car and walked inside. The store owner greeted us and we greeted back. Rue began to browse around for a new guitar.

"I'm looking for a specific guitar that I can renew my energy with. My old one doesn't have a lot of magic and it doesn't have recharge capabilities. Since our world is ran off magic capabilities, they should have some magic based guitars." Rue said.

"I don't sense a bit of magic in this part of the store. All of the magic is in the forbidden section of the shop." I said.

Rue nodded and walked to one of the employees. "Hello, I would like to visit the Forbidden Area."

"You will need a pass to enter that way. I can't let anyone inside without a pass even if you are a Guardian or our Savior. That's the boss's rules." The employee said.

"I see. How do I get a pass?" Rue asked.

"You have to complete a test. You must beat the owner in a guitar battle. No one's been able to beat his Excalifret. Judging from your power level, seems like you can't either." The employee said.

I looked at the Store Owner and used my Status Reading ability on him.

Name: Roy Elward

Age: 30

Power Level: 201,759 (Tier C)

Species: Human/Angel

Threat Level: B

"He doesn't seem very impressive." I said.

"Well, you can't just judge off what you see alone. There's a reason why even high tier beings haven't been able to beat him." The employee said.

"Well, I've trained under THE Combat God of Earth and even trained under my father who's the strongest of my clan. It'll be disappointing if I lost against someone lesser than me." Rue said and walked towards the store owner.

I followed Rue and wondered where this was going. It's been a while since I've seen Rue this riled up to get into some action.

"Hello, Mr. Elward. I would like to get a pass to the Forbidden Area of the store." Rue said.

Roy looked at Rue then looked at me. He smiled and looked back at Rue. "Do you think you have what it takes to best me in battle? That's the only way you can get a pass. You have to defeat me and prove you're worthy enough for the pass."

"You're asking me if I'm strong enough? Look with your eyes...You are in the presence of the Combat God and his future retainer. I stood side by side with him in war against the other worlds and we came up on top. For you to ask is a direct insult to me and Shida!" Rue said.

Roy looked at me and tried to sense my power level, but I was completely concealing it. 'He is the Combat God...It's been known since he was on the news...but why is his power level so low..?'

"If you're wondering why my power level is so low...it's because I'm hiding it because I don't want any conflict to fall upon us. Today is a chill day for me. I'll let Rue have the fun." I said and crossed my arms.

"But it shouldn't be too hard of a task to get that stupid pass. I'd rather spare you of the embarrassment." Rue said.

"You seem very confident, alright. Let us head to the Trial Room. Combat God Shida, you may come with to spectate. I'm sure you wish to know the outcome of this battle." Roy said.

I nodded then Roy lead us toward the Trial Room where Rue and Roy will have their battle. Once we entered the room, we noticed the battlefield was rather large. I walked over to the spectator section and sat down in a seat. Rue and Roy made their way to the battlefield. Rue summoned her guitar and transformed it into a fusion between a battle axe and a guitar.

"You know, I've been concealing my power level as well if you must know. I am a Hybrid after all and us hybrids have potential that's infinitely better than any other offspring. My Father...an angel and my mother a human. I won't be holding back against you." Roy said then transformed into his Angelic Form. He spread his wings and a light blue aura formed around his body.

Rue looked a bit surprised feeling the massive boost in his battle aura and power level

Name: Roy Elward

Age: 30

Power Level: 4,205,950 (Tier A+++)

Species: Human/Angel

Threat Level: S

"What the-" Rue said in shock.

"Do you still wish to challenge me?" Roy asked and summoned his Excalifret. It was a guitar that was shaped like a sword and was emitting a Holy Aura.

Rue looked at Roy and looked serious. "I haven't fought an Angel in so long so you caught me off guard, but that doesn't mean I won't take you on and beat you on top of that."

"Then let us cut the chatting and get right into it!" Roy said and got into his battle stance. He performed a burst of speed and caught Rue off guard.

He struck her gut and kicked her upwards then strummed his guitar, trapping Rue in his sound waves. Rue tried to break out, but her demonic abilities weren't enough to break out.

"This is where overconfidence will lead you. Instant defeat. If you must know...I am one of Aeon's Retainers." Roy said. He slashed at her and struck her body.

Rue groaned as she was sent crashing into a wall then fell to the ground. Her guitar turned into magic particles, disappearing. All it took was one hit from Roy to end the battle. If I were to be honest, I wasn't expecting this outcome at all. His power level was in the millions...it left me wondering how much stronger could he become taken he trained directly under the last generation's Combat God.

Rue opened her eyes and looked at Roy then slowly stood up. "One hit..? It shouldn't...be possible..."

Roy returned to his normal form and crossed his arms. "You're simply not ready. You believe just because you're associated with this generation's Combat God and fought along side him you're ready for anything and everything. Your downfall is your own vanity."

Rue balled her hands into fists then looked down. "I trained for years...fought threats who could've destroyed our planet and won.."

"Those threats five years ago were barely Planetary Level. Your Combat God five years ago was barely Continental Level. Even then it's hard to tell what level he's on, but all I know is he's way above a Star System Level, but not at a galactic level yet. You need to grow stronger by other means instead of relying on connections." Roy said then turned away. "Feel free to challenge me at any time. Preferably when you've become stronger."

With that...Roy left. I made my way to Rue and placed a hand on her shoulder, comforting her. We left the guitar store and headed back to her car then got in. She sighed and sat back in her seat.

"One hit...I just wasn't expecting him to be that strong. How strong was he? You can actually give concrete answers." She said and looked at me.

"He was an S Rank Threat. That should be enough to let you know how strong he truly is. His power level could've went even higher if he wanted." I answered.

Rue started her car. "Do you mind helping me train after I run the rest of my errands? I need to get that pass and get a certain guitar so I can be of more use to you."

I thought about it before giving an answer. This would be a perfect chance to make her a retainer, but I didn't want to rush into it. "Yeah, I'll help you train."

"Thank you." Rue said with a smile.

She drove off and together we ran some errands. She hit various stores and picked up a few things she needed for herself and a few items for training. After hanging around the city for a bit, we headed to a cliff and sat along the edge together and looked out at the sunset.

"You know, I've come to a realization that maybe Roy is right." Rue said.

"How so?" I asked and looked at Rue.

"Well...I took the fact that I am a Guardian and the fact I fought along side you for five years and thought I was stronger than the masses. It wasn't easy becoming a Guardian. I had to be recognized by Aphrodite herself to become a Guardian and that's a feat within itself. I guess Roy was also a Guardian in his time." Rue said.

"You are stronger than the masses, just not stronger than the veterans. They have an IQ that people like you and I could only dream of...but don't let one loss keep you down for too long. Recognize your flaw and use that to strengthen yourself." I said.

Rue nodded and looked at the sunset. I looked back out at the sunset as well. A gentle breeze began to blow. Rue shivered a bit and I noticed. I scooted closer and wrapped my arm around her shoulder, warming her up. Rue blushed and leaned against me a bit.

"I really want to become your retainer...I want to be closer to you. I'm jealous of your other retainers and Aphrodite. We only get to spend time together on campus and rarely hangout outside of school. I really...truly..." Rue started.

I looked at her and gently held her chin, making her look at me. She looked into my eyes then her face became more red. I stroked her chin then brought my face closer to hers and kissed her lips softly. She was taken aback at first, but slowly kissed back. We kissed for a few seconds before breaking the kiss. Rue smiled and looked down shyly.

"It's been five years...There's no excuse on why I made you wait so long." I said.

"I'm just glad I have an opportunity to be with you. It was worth the wait honestly. I feel more confident now and I promise I won't disappoint..~" Rue said and smiled.

We spent the rest of the evening looking at the sunset. After the sun fell and the moon rose, we headed to our homes.

I walked into my home to be greeted with a hug from Hilda. I looked at her and smiled at her. "Hey Hil."

"You were gone all day! You didn't run into any trouble right?" Hilda asked.

"No I'm fine." I said and rubbed her head.

"You smell like my cousin...even your lips have her scent. You were kissing her weren't you?!" Chloe said as she stormed toward me.

"Listen, you're already in my harem...why are you so mad?" I asked.

"Because! You never- It doesn't matter you idiot! Just...welcome home!!" Chloe said and crossed her arms then looked away.

"Master Shida~ Welcome home." Alice said and bowed.

"We were waiting for you to come home so we can start our dinner!~ Sadly Lady Aphrodite won't be joining us since she is still out discussing things with the other Goddesses." Sophia said.

"You all didn't have to wait for me. You're free to eat dinner without me." I said and smiled.

"It wouldn't feel right without you, Big Brother..." Hilda said and looked up at me.

I looked at Hilda then smiled. "Alright...alright...Let's have dinner."

My retainers happily lead me to the dining room table and we sat down then proceeded to enjoy dinner with one another.

.....

That night I was laying on my bed and stared at the ceiling. I noticed a pillar of light appear in front of my bed. The pillar disappeared and revealed Aphrodite. She sighed and stretched then looked at me.

"I guess the tables have turned~" I said and watched as she walked toward my bed.

"Yeah..~" She said and climbed into my bed then laid beside me. "I'm really tired...I didn't expect the higher ups to be there so we ended up staying way longer, but I'm glad to be home..."

I nodded and watched her close her eyes and immediately going to sleep. I chuckled softly and turned off my lamp and went to sleep as well.