Training Part 1 of 14 - The Dishonored One

Correction: Before I begin this chapter, I would like to say the training arc is going to be chapters 14-27, not 14-30.

Volume 004 - Training Arc

"Issei and ten others, his peerage and Vali, have all been invited to Asgard to train. It is time for them to go through a hellish regiment unlike any other, all in preparation for a demonstration of their power, and war."

Table of Contents:

Chapter 14: Training Part 1 of 14 - The Dishonored One

Chapter 15: Training Part 2 of 14 - 117

Chapter 16: Training Part 3 of 14 - 4D Chess

Chapter 17: Training Part 4 of 14 - What Is Your Profession?!

Chapter 18: Training Part 5 of 14 - Desperado

Chapter 19: Training Part 6 of 14 - The Worst One

Chapter 20: Training Part 7 of 14 - Sword Murasame

Chapter 21: Training Part 8 of 14 - Cool, Cooler, Coolest

Chapter 22: Training Part 9 of 14 - Psychopath

Chapter 23: Training Part 10 of 14 - I Am Become Death, The Destroyer of Worlds

Chapter 24: Training Part 11 of 14 - Silentium

Chapter 25: Training Part 12 of 14 - Deafening

Chapter 26: Training Part 13 of 14 - Autarch

Chapter 27: Training Part 14 of 14 - Eternal

('Ddraig speaking telepathically')

("Ddraig talking out loud")

['Albion speaking telepathically']

["Albion talking out loud"]

{'Bahamut speaking telepathically'}

'A character's thoughts'

Chapter 14: Training Part 1 of 14 - The Dishonored One

"We're here," Said the dark-skinned man who was escorting Issei's group to Asgard. "Head across this bridge. Odin said that someone you know will be waiting for you on the other side." He gestured to the light bridge that was suspended over a dark, cloudy void in which none of them knew what awaited them should they fall, which made the trainees nervous.

Issei looked at the man. "By the way, I never got your name?"

The man blinked at him stoically. "All you need to know about me is that I guard the Bifrost, which is used to travel between this world and others. My name is Heimdall."

Issei nodded and began walking across the bridge.

Asgard turned out to be exactly the way Issei imagined it to be with magnificently tall structures and a castle that he could see from miles away. His knowledge of Norse mythology is very basic like most people, having only known the names of very few gods such as Odin and Thor, but from what he read, they lived like Kings and treated their people good. He also heard of Odin's son Baldur, but much like Loki, Issei knows he isn't friendly.

Of course, Issei is much more familiar with Japanese mythology and even Greek mythology, but that didn't mean he couldn't appreciate what fascination each pantheon has to offer. Sometimes, Humans should stand back in awe to admire how powerful these deities are and how insignificant humanity truly is with the exception of rare few Humans in Issei and Murayama, who were originally born Human, among those lucky few.

As they came across the other end of the light bridge, they saw who was waiting for them.

"Rossweisse!" Issei ran up to the valkyrie, who blushed upon seeing the Sekiryuutei.

"Ah. Issei. I came to pick you up. I'll also be training with you, of course. We'll be going to Odin's castle first. Follow me, please."

Upon arriving at the castle, she took them to the King of Asgard's throne room. Therein sat the two most important figures of Norse mythology: Odin and Thor.

Rossweisse kneeled, and everyone looked at Issei expectantly, following his lead. He chose to kneel, so they did too. "Lord Odin, I have brought the Sekiryuutei as well as the Hakuryuukou, a friend of the Red Dragon Emperor."

"Excellent." Odin got up and walked forward as did Thor. "It's nice to meet you, Issei Hyoudou. You may stand. Thor will take you to the training grounds."

Issei blinked as he stood. "We're beginning right away?"

Odin gave him an amused smile. "Yes."

The eleven of them were teleported far from the city to a massive, wide open soccer stadium. The field is surrounded by a massive dome-like barrier that has been reinforced and strengthened by numerous gods multiple times, separating the field from the bleachers. The turf was removed to prevent damage, a dirt surface taking its place. The soccer nets had also been removed.

A/N: I imagine the arena to look like Badlands from Rocket League

"Your training begins now," Said Thor, sitting in the middle of a lower section in the stands, munching on popcorn and occasionally taking a sip from a bottle of Dk Pepper as he looked on in interest. (35)

Murayama rose an eyebrow. "What are we-"

"EVERYONE! MOVE!" Issei suddenly screamed, which startled her as everyone moved out of the way, some ran to the left and some to the right.

Before Murayama could blink, an invisible force suddenly grabbed by her throat and choke-slammed her into the ground.

"Natsuki!" Issei yelled in concern.

Thor chuckled in amusement.

The light in front of the weaker Pawn shimmered as something came into view. She realized that it was invisibility.

"Hmph," A deep, calm, stoic voice grunted as the cloaking was deactivated, the pressure on Murayama's throat now gone. "It seems like I will be your trainer for the next ten days."

Murayama sat up a little. "Arbiter?!"

Everyone else, who was ready to fight, relaxed a little.

The Sangheili warrior lifted one of his four mandibles, the upper right one, as if smirking at the girl. "I heard that you are the one of the only two beings who were born as Humans in this entourage other than your King. You are also the only one who didn't see that attack coming. What clan do you descend from, girl?" He helped her stand on her feet.

Murayama was a bit confused at that question. "I'm Japanese. We were once a strong warrior people of bravery, courage, and honor above all, but we lost our ways, our traditions, as technology advanced and some other things got in the way."

Thel looked at her with his alien eyes in interest. "What kind of things?"

"Most of today's Humans weren't alive at the time, but not too long ago, there was a war in which my people's warriors built a massive empire and did many terrible things. When we lost, we were punished so severely yet fairly, but the worst part is that we will not be seen as respectable by other nations for a very long time."

Issei saw her lower her head sadly. She obviously feels very patriotic and yet accepting of the truth.

Murayama looked up at the Elite with a smile. "On the bright side, at least us Japanese remain among the best in martial arts."

The Arbiter's eyes widened. In his universe during the Human-Covenant War, he alone was responsible for the deaths of over a billion Humans when he commanded fleets of hundreds of ships, burning Human worlds with plasma bombardment till they turned to glass. He never thought he would ever find any Human who he could relate to, but unlike him, this girl was never brainwashed and manipulated since the moment she was born.

Thel poked her shoulder with one finger, pushing it a little, and then did the same thing to the other. "I see your upper body has become strong from years of training; you strike me as a warrior swordsman. I prefer to call those I am acquainted with by either title, rank, or specialty. What shall I name you?"

Issei interjected. "Her real name is Natsuki Murayama. You can call her a Samurai." He received a confused look from his Pawn. "You're a descendant of Oda Nobunaga."

Murayama's mouth fell agape. "What?! That's awesome!"

The Arbiter nodded to the Sekiryuutei. "Samurai, it is then. I will be working with her individually. The rest of you should go inside that building." He pointed to a tunnel to the side that connected the stadium to a institution of some sort. "There, someone is waiting to train your minds while I train this girl's body."

They went inside building and saw the Master Chief waiting for them.

"For the next five days, I am going to be teaching you all basic military terminology involving strategy."

. . . . . . .

Day 1 of 120 Training Days

"While they're gone, I will be teaching you how to sense a presence as well as incoming attacks. I am not magically blessed like these gods or your friends, but I have decades of military leadership under my experience as well as some lessons I have learned myself, lessons I can teach you."

Murayama nodded.

"What weapon do you wield?" The Arbiter inquired.

She held out a bokken.

The Arbiter nodded. "This will do. Here's your task. You Humans play a game called 'hide and seek.' You will give me three minutes to hide, and then you shall seek. Once you find me, try to hit me with your weapon. You have to do this before the sun begins to set."

Murayama frowned. "If you're going to use your camouflage, that's basically cheating, you know."

She received a huff in response. "All is fair in war as long as you fight honorably. I am not hiding like a coward, but I am not murdering innocent people."

'Not anymore,' Thel thought to himself. "I will also know if you cheated because the other trainers are watching us. Now, close your eyes till the three minutes have passed."

She turned around and placed her forehead against the wall with her eyes closed, placing her hands on them.

When three minutes passed, a female synthesized voice came from a loud speaker. "Let's go ahead." (36)

Murayama turned around and scanned the area all around her. She saw nothing. The frustration started to rise inside her, frustration for being the weakest one of her group, but she held it back as she thought, knowing she isn't a genius by any means, but she is well above average in intelligence. The Kendo Captain walked to the center of the field, sat down with her legs crossed, and closed her eyes again.

. . . . . . .

In the tallest and furthest reaches of the stadium is a large booth, the outside windows tinted black so no one can see inside. What lay in it are some of the unoccupied trainers. They watched the TV which played out the dialogue between the Human girl and the alien.

"What is that girl doing?!" Great Red exclaimed.

His response came from by Ikki Kurogane. "She's meditating."

"Why?! She needs to hurry!"

Next to the noisy Dragon stood his wife Ophis, who stomped on his foot, making him yowl. "... Shut up. Don't you ever think before you speak, idiot Red? She's obviously trying to perform some basic magic." She released his foot.

Great Red looked at the others. "What's the big deal?! She should just blow up the damn stadium, and I'd see it as an absolute win." (37)

Ophis sighed. "... You think powerful, noisy, and above all, annoying magic can solve everything. Idiot."

. . . . . . .

Back with Murayama, she sent a telepathic message to Issei. 'I need your help, Issei.'

'What's up?'

'How do I sense someone's presence using my senses? I am not as magically gifted as anyone else in our group.'

'Well, listen for audio cues such as rustling, foot steps, breathing, etc. If you're looking for the Arbiter, I imagine he is invisible again, but here's the thing: his active camoflauge is not magical, it's the technology in his armor.'

'I see. That means there has to be a weakness to it.'

'Also, since you're basically a Samurai, rely on something that's stereotypical of a Japanese girl to flush out your enemies. The wind changes direction and guides you to your desire! Spring is blooming, and there in front of you lies the perfect cherry blossom, eh Captain?' (38)

Murayama sighed. 'What about using magic to find him, like his ki or something?'

'Stretch out with your feelings.' (39)

She felt an eyebrow twitch, but she's trying to hold back her laughter. 'Issei, this is serious!'

Issei cackled. 'In all seriousness, hone your senses on what it is you seek while blocking out all distractions, and you may find what you're looking for. You need vision without sight. Don't think. Feel. Most importantly, follow your gut.'

'Thank you for the advice. I am so calling dibs on being the second girl to cuddle you tonight besides Raynare.'

She opened her eyes and stood up.

. . . . . . .

Ophis mumbled to herself, "This is like an anime."

Great Red smirked. "I didn't know you're a weeb."

"... My favorite genre is comedy," She deadpanned. "This... is funny."

. . . . . . .

Murayama remembered Issei's words.

"Ancient spirit of the old, ghost of the past, Oda Nobunaga. I beseech thee to guide me, a descendant of yours loyal to the ways of Bushido."

Something happened when she said Bushido. The sound all around her disappeared. Her vision of everything in her surroundings turned blue. Scanning her surroundings, she saw bright reddish-orange hoove-like footprints. She said the word again then again, making her vision turn to normal, the footprints gone, and back to the ability. Following them, she spotted the Arbiter. He is standing on top of the stadium jumbotron, barely inside the magical barrier.

Murayama broke into a sprint up the stairs four steps at a time, and five seconds later, she was running on the wall. As she began to lose her footing, she leapt at the Elite, who was surprised to see her physically capable of such a thing, and swung her bokken at him. The sword bounced off the center of his armor-plated chest, but it was enough to do the job. His camoflauge deactivated.

. . . . . . .

"How did you find me?" The Arbiter asked his student politely.

"Well, I used a new ability I discovered that allows me to disregard everything that distracts me physically. My focus went up a lot."

"I have heard of such an ability theorized among some Human scientists. I forgot what they call it. Something projection."

"Astral projection? I think it was that but without the part of me leaving my physical body. My senses were much more attuned except my hearing, which disappeared. I want to test it on you during a spar."

They both grabbed their weapons.

The Arbiter held a large wooden staff with both hands like a double-bladed sword. "Strike whenever you're ready, Samurai."

She nodded and mumbled, "Bushido."

This time, something different happened. An image of a red-orange version of both the master and the student appeared. It showed her attacks and what she needed to do to win. When the image disappeared, the wind, which had stopped blowing to Murayama's senses, began again.

She lunged forward while subconsciously thinking of two things.

Firstly, she can see an immediate future's best possible outcome.

Secondly, she knows beforehand how to win. 'Is it cheating?' She thought.

Physically, the Elite is much stronger than her, but this spar was over before it even began.

Their sticks collided, the sound of wood echoing as neither budged until she rolled to the side and smacked his hand hard, making the alien drop his the staff. She roughly grabbed his wrist and held her bokken up to his neck as if she were going to slit his throat if she were holding a real katana.

"Nice!" Issei cheered as the group clapped for Murayama, which startled the Pawn who was unaware of their presence.

The Arbiter was a little frustrated, having only ever lost in hand-to-hand combat against Spartans such as the 'Demon,' Master Chief. He sucked it up as he offered his words of congratulations. "Good work, Samurai. Your King will be very pleased."

. . . . . . .

That night, they were all taken back to the royal castle and fed a large dinner. Most of them were given their own rooms except Issei who shared with Raynare, but no matter what, every room is the size of a master bedroom. All of them had their walls lavishly decorated with curtains that had unique color and design, as expected of an ultra rich noble family. A family of gods.

Murayama stood on the large balcony, looking at the many stars, which she could see for some reason despite the light pollution.

Someone knocked on her open door three times. It was Issei. "Yo."

Murayama nodded at him. "Hey." She turned back to look at the sky.

Issei leaned on the rails while facing her. "What's up, Na-chan? You seem worried."

She tried to feign innocence. "What do you mean? I'm fine."

"Natsuki," He turned serious, placing his hands on her shoulders and turning her towards him, making her look at him. "I understand if I am making you uncomfortable, but please tell me the truth. I just want to help you."

Murayama sighed as she spoke softly, letting her emotions show. "... I'm frustrated. It sucks being the weakest person in this peerage. Sometimes I feel that no matter how hard I may try, I will never be able to keep up with all of you. I know I'm not worthless, but I sure feel like it, at least in the supernatural."

She was pulled into a gentle hug by her King. "You will always be special to us, and I know you can keep up. Remember that you're the second girl I added to my harem after Raynare, which is a huge deal. Look at me and tell me what you see. Wasn't I once an ordinary Human too?"

The Kendo Captain furrowed her eyebrows as she looked up into his eyes. "That's different! You're the Red Dragon Emperor!"

Issei nodded. "True, but it doesn't change the fact that I was once weak too. What did I do about it? I trained my ass off and am still training. The Master Chief, at one point, was an ordinary Human as well, and he got trained for eight years when he was only six years old. He became a mean green killing machine." His last sentence earned a giggle from her.

He continued. "I know it may not seem like it when times get rough, but stay positive and work hard. When our training is finished four months from now, you could be as powerful as some of the best High Class Devils and Fallen Angels. That's not mentioning the fact that you're a Pawn who took two Pawn pieces, which is extremely rare for an ordinary Human, and that you can promote. Tomorrow, you will join the rest of us in learning from the Chief. Okay?"

Murayama smiled, feeling her anxiety disappear. "Okay."

Issei grinned and leaned down to kiss her lips for the better part of a minute, his tongue invading her mouth, earning quite a few moans from her.

"I love you, Natsuki."

"I love you, too."

To Be Continued

I wanted to make this short chapter dedicated to Murayama since she is the weakest of Issei's peerage. Now, the training will focus on the group as a whole.

References:

(35) Steins;Gate

(36) Chivalry of a Failed Knight

(37) Avengers: Endgame. Personally, I didn't like the movie since I thought Infinity War is much better, but at least this film had a few memes.

(38) The Last Samurai

(39) Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

Issei's Harem (same as peerage members, most to least powerful, will not change):

Issei Hyoudou (Mutated King)

Arisu Yamauchi (OC, Six Mutated Pawn Pieces)

Raynare (Main Girl, Queen)

Akeno Himejima (Knight)

Kuroka Toujou (Bishop)

Irina Shidou (Rook)

Tsubasa Yura (Knight)

Rossweisse (Rook)

Ravel Phenex (Bishop)

Natsuki Murayama (Two Pawns)