15 chapter 15

Rias P.O.V.

I *pant* hate *pant* the 'me' *pant* of a few hours ago.

"Faster, move those legs that you are so proud of princess" with a maniacal glee on his eyes the devil (he must be on the inside) that I made a contract said caring a shinai that exuded a disturbing bloodlust and swinging it at anyone that slacked off for more than a second.

Not only that but this exercise is pure torture, I feel like I am burning with this temperature and the gravity makes any movement be a challenge in and of itself. Issei practically passed out in the third series, Kiba lasted until the fourth and Gasper lasted to the second.

I am almost down to the count and it is only the seventh series, Akeno is faring a bit better and Koneko is quite bad as well even if better than me. I hope this training works and honestly am scared of what tomorrow onwards will be like if this is what a sample is like.

It still is better than marring Riser… but not by a lot.

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One-hour latter

Castiel P.O.V.

So this is how much they can handle for now, huh. Issei can go for three series, Gasper for two, Kiba for four, Akeno and Rias for 8 (they are high level for a reason after all, even if they do not focus as much as they should in the corporeal resistance) and Koneko managed to finish the 10 I requested.

From my observations Issei has close to zero control over his magic and insufficient training;

Gasper also did not receive the proper training and did not seem to use any of his vampiric characteristics such as drinking some blood to get his energy back to appropriate levels, if he did not do it because he did not have any at hand or because he simply refuses remains to be seen;

Kiba has a decent body constitution but close to zero actual capacity on magic (probably due to not training on it) and has serious stamina issues (most likely for training with the assumption of quick fights);

Akeno seems to not be used to use the strength and speed of her queen piece, a mistake many queens make as it can give her an edge in a moment of need but the work necessary to evolve in all aspects is not small;

Rias seems to have let her body develop naturally as many devil heirs prefer, it is a painless method and will wield results with time (a long time), the problem is that as a pure-blood her body can evolve and get stronger much faster than most others can dream of, but a focus in magic and 'playing as a school idol' seem to occupy all her time letting her potential remain as mere potential at the moment;

Koneko is the most troubling, she obviously has physical training and magic control in an appropriate levels but the refusal of her heritage makes her limited as she does not use any of her instincts or Yokai energy preferring only the devil side of her powers, if she keeps on this path her potential for growth will be ruined.

This work will be difficult but not impossible as I must make them strong enough to at least grow in an actual fighting force and not just some hormonal problem teenagers with super-powers (basically change them from teen titans to justice league material). I know I should not be smiling, but knowing someone else will go through what I did for so long makes me so evilly happy.

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Next morning

Castiel P.O.V.

We got here on the training center and it is still just as beautiful as I remember it to be. A chain of 7 mountains with a lot of trees growing and flowers all around, there are many houses, each one with different objectives such as gravity rooms, high mana rooms, different test sites for different elements and some rooms that are simply sturdy enough to take a few hits even from Berserker without cracking.

The devils came with me and are, at the same time, sending hateful glances at me as they try to catch their breath.

After they passed out yesterday I decided to be 'gentle' and let them have a bath (they were sticking a bit due to sweat). I even used my Eevee Vaporeon's mode hydro pump to clean them well, so I wonder why when they got up they decided complained to me about my treatment of them. Rias even started gathering her POD in her hand to make my refreshing smile disappear.

I am happy that my Cosmoems teleported me out of there. Devils get some boost depending on their emotions, and their rage was quite big.

Still worth it.

As we approach our destination I see two of the guys I asked to come here.

"Hey guys, how are you doing?" I asked with a smile on my face. Being with those you trust you and you trust back is awesome.

"Ka Ka, all fine here. Just got here a few minutes ago myself and was talking with him about the last mission. Battling it out with a child Titan is fun." This is Bikou, a battle maniac and descendent of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven also known as Son Goku (not the DBZ Goku, Son Goku does not like the anime Goku as, according to himself, he is 'much more amazing and awesome', which is not true by the way).

Bilou is a monkey Yokai and has the appearance of a 20 years old man with short black hair and very defined muscles. He uses an armor like the ones from the Romance of the three Kingdoms, it covers his torso with a red armor, shoulder protectors made of steel that moves together with his arms in a way that does not impede in his movements in any way, black armguards that goes from elbows to the hands, black pants with armor on the sides of his thighs and knees, and last but not least a 'tiara', so to say, modeled after Son Goku's accessory to make him look 'more dashing' according to him.

"Yes, it was most entertaining indeed. You should have been there. That Titan kept regenerating, some of those curses of yours would have been useful." With an elegant air around him, the other disciple of Saber, Arthur Pendragon declared. He is the heir of the Pendragon family that hails from King Arthur himself (or at least this world king Arthur), and as Bikou he is also a complete battle maniac (even if his appearance most times does not indicate the craziness in him). He wears a business blue suit that would fit a butler to a tee with a necktie with a golden pin, he has golden hair with a braid and a large strand of hair across his hair and uses glasses.

"Yeah... I'd rather not. You guys are the battle junkies, not me." I gave them a smile, I fought beside those two quite a few. They are eccentric but friends nonetheless. "And the others, are they here yet?"

"Not all of them. Yuno, Seryu, the twins, Kuroko, the director and the demon" when he referred to the last one he gave a scowl, he must still be mad about the time when she took his underwear with bananas all over them and showed to EVERYONE "will be getting here later. It is something about looking their best, I wonder for who some of them are doing that?" Bikou said with a mocking laugh in the end. He always found my relationship with women to be funny.

Damn him and his good normal relationship.

I turned to the devils that were analyzing the new arrivals.

"These are my friends from Judgment: Bikou and Arthur. They will help in the personal trainings to some of you guys." I then turned to my old friends. "These are the devils from the Gremory house, treat them well during this training." I said and they looked a bit annoyed on this mission of theirs (less time looking for a good fight). So I decided to give them an extra obligation in a very, very low voice. "You can try and see if you can do best than the teachers back in the Tower." I gave a smile as bright as the ones they gave at that comment.

For some reason, the devils seemed to be afraid of us.

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In one of the rooms

After the introductions were made we make way to a room where the device to detect and show the elemental affinity and nature of someone can be shown.

The device may sound amazing, but it looks just like a small box with a hole where you put our hands on. It even comes with a special characteristic of counting the number and quality of the magical circuits (mystic codes for the win).

"As I said we will go through the test that determinate the elemental affinity and nature of someone. Also as we got this special mystic code for us it will even count and qualify your magical circuits. Are there any last minute questions?" Issei raised his hand "Yes, Issei?"

"What are magical circuits?" He asked. I was not surprised by this question this time, I expect him to not know of what he SHOULD know by this point as he was reincarnated a few months ago.

"They are a pseudo-nervous system that runs through the body of anyone with supernatural abilities. They are where the magical energy of the body is produced and utilized.

They are directly connected to the soul and the ones that may be found in the body are just a small part of the whole, but this part is of extreme importance.

The number of them is invariable from birth, which means that if you are born with 12 you will die with twelve no matter how hard you may train. The quality, on the other hand, defines how much mana you can store and how much you can liberate at once, and the quality of the circuits can be enhanced with time." I explained in the simplest terms I could think of. Rin or Luvia would give a 3 hours lecture about them and still think it insufficient. "As devils the longer you live the more the quality of the circuits rises, thus explaining why older devils are usually stronger and why their society was divided into classes from birth.

A devil from one of the high-class families has a natural high number of circuits and with time they only get stronger and the disparity will get greater and greater."

"Oh." Not only Issei, but all devils seemed to find my explanation surprising.

"Now, are there any other questions?" Issei raised his hand… again. "*sigh* Yes Issei?"

"You talk a lot about those things but what are yours? I mean you will know ours so it is only fair." He asked. Normally it would be an improper question as it would give them an advantage in case we were to ever fight, but I doubt that will happen. Also, it really is fair for them to know mine in this case as I will be knowing theirs.

"Fair enough. I am surprised that you were the only one to think that, and to answer your question my elemental affinity is curses and blessings and my nature is Guardian king and evil. That is why I say that I am king and like to have control, even if the girls around me really take control more often than not, and it also makes me more prone to finesse control of my powers instead of going to large destruction strikes. And before you ask I have no clue as to why I have Evil as my nature but I just roll with it since I never managed to change it anyway.

In the question of mere magic capacity, I am just about high mid-class but with my techniques and control, I am a natural match for most high high-class. I can even battle some low ultimate-class depending on the match-up.

And about my magical circuits, I have 350, but they are all of the most terrible quality and they evolve much to slow naturally and I can't make them grow much more as of now due to this innate deffect in me. It is even a joke in the Tower as I have the greatest number of circuits recoded there but the worst quality recorded at the same time. Other reason why I don't have any highly destructive, or of high output, magic attacks." I explained revealing one of my 'weaknesses'. It is an open secret just as the fact that I stopped growing stronger since I was 11 after my body and soul almost broke in hundreds of pieces when I forcefully managed to take the step to become high mid-class when my limit should have been low mid-class, I still remember having to need intensive care for over two months just to be able to go back to normal.

"Oh, I get it… I think." Issei said sheepishly.

"*sigh* Let's just get this over with. Issei, as you were the last one to open your mouth you may as well come first." I said. It did not make much of a difference in the long run as all of them are going to test it anyway.

As he put his hand in the box with a nervous and expecting face some data came out. I take it and start to read it

"Let's see your elemental affinity is mostly imagination and fire. You would have difficulty with most common spells but you could create original ones ignoring most part of the process others would have to take to get a similar result. An interesting combination with a lot of potential, IF you work hard on it." I said with a slightly impressed tone. "You have 30 circuits of normal capacity, but considering your sacred gear you can probably boost them for a short time using its capacity. Now for nature… pervert."

"Hey, you didn't need to call me that in this sort of moments." Issei said frustrated as he most likely wanted to know if he was 'OP'.

"I meant what I said. Your nature is pervert." I face-palmed together with most people in the room. "I honestly can't imagine how you can make any good use of this, I can only tell you one thing." I liberate the bloodlust I accumulated from all those missions where it was hunt or be hunted, kill or be killed. "Try ANYTHING to any of the girls that will be coming here later and you WILL die, allies be damned."

I took a deep breath to calm down before calling the others for their tests. The results were interesting:

-Kiba (elemental affinity = steel) (nature = cut) (number of circuits = 23)

-Gasper (elemental affinity = shadow) (nature = void) (number of circuits = 113)

-Koneko (elemental affinity = monster) (nature = wild) (number of circuits = 78)

-Akeno (elemental affinity = lightning and wind) (nature = tempest) (number of circuits = 145)

-Rias (elemental affinity = destruction) (nature = explosive) (number of circuits = 134)

Well, they definitely can get strong. With the exception or Kiba and Issei, all of them have a great number of circuits, as it is to be expected. They were of supernatural heritage from the start so having a lot of circuits is normal.

What is disappointing is that all their circuits are just average, with only Rias having above average at the moment.

Something explainable from the fact that they did not train in how to fortify their circuits so as to make them higher quality because, as devils, it can happens automatically with time. It is one more advantage of supernatural beings, with training they can get strong very fast but even without it and just surviving they can still get strong by just existing. It makes the times I had to vomit blood while my circuits felt like molten lave filled with blades running through my body just to get slightly stronger feel kind of ridiculous but it is the truth for me.

I felt an energy approach.

It seems like the girls finally arrived. Let's go and see them so as to get this party started.

"Hey, come and meet the others, some of them will be your teachers very so-" "ONII-SAMA!" I didn't even finish and this koala woman already is glued to me, feeling me up in all possible ways while panting.

"*pant**pant* You are so full of muscles Onii-sama. I just want to eat you up, scratch that eat me up. Here, now. Come on, come on. *pant* *pant*"

Karate chop

"Uuuhh, it hurts Onii-sama. Give me a kiss on the head to make it better… followed by kisses on my mouth and everywhere else. *pant* *pant*"

"*sigh* Guys," I directed myself to the devils that are surprised for this little pervert reactions… except fort Issei that is looking at me with pure envy on his eyes. I can even hear he saying very quietly 'This is so unfair, why is he with a loli? I know let's go for Koneko, she is also pretty.' thinking that no one is listening but Koneko's fists clenching says otherwise. "This one here is one of my childhood friends. Her name is Kuroko Fraga and she, despite her age, is very strong. She will help you all on how to better use teleportation."

Rias was about to introduce herself and the others when the door opened and most of the girls came in with most of them giving me a hug. Issei's eyes started to drip blood tears seeing this… I must buy a camera, no other way around it.

"Castiel-kun I missed you, did you miss me?" with eyes that were sparkling when she started talking but by the end are almost a representation of death in case the answer is bad, Yuno talked to me.

"Y-yes Yuno-chan you know I miss you. I like you after all." I said trying to be smooth as I know that she can 'overreact' a bit too much if I say the wrong thing.

"Oh, I love you too." And she started to hug me even harder and send death glares to all other girls around me. Her glare at my other girlfriends was a mix of gloating and challenge.

Another pair of arms, mechanical ones, caught my neck and turned me to the side with a smiling face of another one of my girlfriends.

"I missed you Castiel-san."

"And I missed you Seryu." I gave her a peck on the lips, suddenly a fur ball jumped on top of her head. "And also you Koro." Koro just glanced at me before snorting and looking the other way.

The twins were next, as they detached me from a pouting Yuno and a disappointed Seryu, with a Koro showing way more ferocious teeth that his appearance entails.

"My servant, had you been well during your time in Tartarus while waiting for your reunion with me?" the first of the twins asked

"Question. Had you missed me as well?" the other twin followed

"I obviously missed you two, Yuzuru, Kaguya." I went ahead and, before they could say anything else, embraced both of them in a firm, but comfortable hug.

The mood was good as both of them I was about to kiss the two of them, but a dense idiot THAT CAN'T READ THE MOOD IF IT HITS HIM IN THE HEAD WITH A SIGN decided to open his big mouth and ruin the mood.

"What is going on here? How can he have a harem and I don't? That is so unfair." Issei said.

"*sigh* That is something that comes with having power you earned every step on the way AND treating girls with respect. Both things that you obviously are lacking at the moment if your last try of spying on the female changing room back at school is anything to go by." I said in a tired tone. "Let me introduce them to you guys." I pointed at Yuno first. "Her name is Yuno, she is also another one of my childhood friends. We grew up together and I can tell with confidence that she is among the best stalke… I mean, she is among the best in scouting and detecting enemies. She will be responsible for working with you guys in detection."

I then turned to Seryu. "This girl right here is Seryu, she is very good in large-scale destruction. But considering that her style of destruction is not centered in magic she wouldn't be of much help for you guys so she will help with anything that you guys may need." She even gave a military salute to them, she really is an earnest and cute girl.

I then turned to the twins. "And finally, but most definitely not least, we have Yuzuru and Kaguya, these two are the granddaughters of the fairy queen, daughters in consideration of Zeus, and two of my fiancées just as Yuno is."

"WHAT!" this time it was Rias that was overreacting. "I didn't know you had fiancées already. Why is it that you never mentioned to my family that you are in such a close proximity to the fairies and the Greek pantheon? It was something you ought to do as it may influence us in the future."

"That is becaus-" I started talking when…

"That is because there was no meaning to it." A woman entered the room. She had long blond hair in drills, blue eyes, white skin, boobs that can rival Rias's and was wearing a blue dress that would be more fitting to a refined dinner or a ball dance. "We may become allies in the near future but that does not mean we are to be subservient to your house to the point that we need to explain every connection we have. What we have between the Tower and the house Gremory is but a simple arrangement to the betterment of both sides."

Luviagelita Edelfet or simply Luvia entered the room.

She has a natural imperious aura that DEMANDS respect around her. She is the leader of Judgment and the responsibility for dealing with some of our external relationship's. She is one of my dad's girls and she used to put me in all sorts of missions so as to train me in action.

"Now let's go to the back and see a good match while waiting for the last few to arrive." Luvia declared (the correct term being ordered) and turned so as to the others to follow.

"What match?" Rias asked.

"Ho ho ho," putting her hand in front of her mouth and giving a little laugh she explained. "the match between your peerage and a team with Castiel as the leader. No worries there will be equal numbers and, in case of any serious wounds, you will be treated in the best way possible. After all, just in an actual battle can it be seen how you guys work and see your capacity as a leader."