Next step in training, and an experiment

Raising his other hand silently, Adam faced his palm towards the blue sky.

He swiftly commanded the other party's demonic energy, taking control of her power and molding it into his envisioned shape.

Above them, countless red-black orbs of pure destruction emerged.

They crackled with an intense magical light, distorting the air around them and exuding an oppressive pressure on the surroundings.

With a fluctuation of magical power, the balls of destruction crackled once more, transforming and morphing into various shapes.

Swords, spears, arrows, axes, halberds, needles... 

Their properties remained unchanged, the different forms of destruction maintaining stability as they floated silently in the air, pointing skyward and seemingly waiting for a command to launch forward.

"Go..."

With a slight wave of his hand, the weapons of destruction surged upwards, violently piercing the blue sky under his meticulous control.

They ascended with unwavering stability, their velocity maintained almost perfectly.

Upon reaching a specific height, Adam's eyes flashed as he clenched his fist.

BOOOOOOOM

The weapons of destruction exploded in a dazzling light, twisting the air further as the impact resonated around them. Like fireworks, the weapons left behind streaks of red-black, painting the sky with immense demonic power.

The silver-haired boy lowered his hand

"And that's how you should control your power of destruction... At the start, at least"

With some pride flashing in his eyes at this display, Adam turned his head towards his companion

Rias stood there, her eyes sparkling and mouth agape as she stared at the lingering black-red color in the sky. She looked dumbfounded... yet also excited.

"Amazing..."

A whisper of awe escaped her lips, her gaze fixed on the sky.

"Rias"

At his call, her eyes snapped to him, locking onto his with a newfound admiration.

"That was just an advanced use of manipulating your energy. By condensing your power of destruction and increasing its density, you can create whatever constructs you want."

The silver-haired boy explained patiently. He didn't need to elaborate further; Rias had already felt how he had manipulated her energy to achieve what she had just witnessed.

Snap

Adam snapped his fingers, the red-haired girl's demonic power churning, responding to his will

A ball of pure destruction manifested in the air before them. Contrary to Rias' expectation, it didn't become unstable and explode. Instead, it flickered, shrinking and condensing further.

The dense ball of destruction hovered innocently, exuding an oppressive aura despite its small size.

"Like this..."

Adam pointed to the tiny sphere, which, despite its diminutive size, could probably destroy a mountain with ease.

"Or..."

He trailed off, the condensed ball of destruction transforming into a familiar needle-like shape.

"You already have a grasp on how to do this, so it shouldn't be too difficult to achieve on your own, right?"

The silver-haired boy looked at her with a raised eyebrow, expecting that the redhead would indeed be able to accomplish this on her own from now on

"...." 

Rias gazed at the needle of destruction, her eyes ablaze with determination.

"I'll try...!"

... 

.. 

. 

"Come on, come ooooon....."

A high-pitched voice sounded out in the normally gloomy forest, uncharacteristically hopefully

"Yes!"

The red-haired devil, Rias, exclaimed in joy as she pumped her fist in the air, a wide smile adorning her face

In her hand, there was a needle-like shape of destruction. Although it seemed wobbly, it maintained its shape, and regardless of its less-than-stellar stability, it didn't explode in her face like the previous tries

"Congratulations"

Adam, who was standing beside Rias, clapped lightly.

He had been closely observing her process, extending his perception to feel how she moved her energy so he could point out her mistakes.

In just two days, Rias had surpassed her previous limits by leaps and bounds, even with the short amount of time.

With his guidance, her training had progressed smoothly, if not more effectively than usual.

"Finally-! Ouch-!"

Unable to hold on to her excitement, she comically lost control of the needle of destruction. The construct destabilized, exploding in the process- although the explosion wasn't as intense as the previous ones

"...."

The silver-haired boy looked at the redhead with a deadpan expression, his eyes conveying how speechless he felt

Rias blinked, looking at her hand.... Before her smile widened, her expression remained undeterred.

Although her face was a bit fatigued,  it still couldn't override her overwhelming excitement

"Admin-san, Admin-san!"

She ran up to him, calling out to him with that peculiar title she always used.

"I did it!"

She said, placing her hands on her hips, her face shifting into a 'praise me!' expression. 

Although the redhead did get his help, it is undeniable that this was the result of her own effort, so feeling prideful is quite justified

…. Yes, she put in even more effort after he helped, but it was still praiseworthy 

"Yes, yes," He nodded, replying blankly like a parent praising a child. "You did it."

Adam raised his hands, patting her head and stroking her scarlet hair with practiced movements

Rias hummed, leaning into his touch as if this was a normal occasion

"Hmph" She snorted, pouting in faux displeasure, even though her body was honest "Stop treating me like a child!"

Despite the regularity of this gesture, she struggled to accept it due to her pride.

The silver-haired boy used the excuse that 'it was more effective for healing her wounds', but the truthfulness of that statement was dubious

Nevertheless, their relationship had grown closer over the past two days. His assistance in her training naturally fostered a sense of camaraderie and trust.

"Hmm...."

Adam placed his other hand under his chin, still patting her head. Though they were roughly the same age, their demeanors were vastly different.

Additionally, the age of his soul was older than Rias'- not by a considerable margin, but still a noticeable difference.

"Unless you beat me...." He looked deeply into her eyes, mirth coloring his face "I will always treat you as the younger one"

"Tch"

She clicked her tongue in response, slapping away the hand that was continued to stroke her hair

"Alright, alright"

Adam waved his hand, getting back on track as he stopped teasing her

"It's time for the next part of your training"

The silver-haired boy clapped, gaining her full attention, and a hint of surprise along with it.

"Eh?"

Rias' eyes glanced at him with surprise, her expression one of confusion as if she didn't understand why he decided to proceed with their training

After all, she only now succeeded in maintaining precise control over her power of destruction for an extended amount of time, and that was with his help!

And now he wants to proceed with the next part of their training, wouldn't that overwhelm her? 

"Why? Shouldn't we continue until I perfect my energy control?" She said with confusion evident in her voice as she voiced out her thoughts

"Rias...." Adam took a heavy breath, his voice turning serious as he looked at her sharply  "There is no such thing as 'perfect' in this world. 'Perfection' is but an illusion that limits you and restricts your path- to become perfect is to stop growing"

Perfect.... This word annoyed the silver-haired boy. Nothing in existence is perfect, if something is perfect, then it stops growing- it stops improving.

For someone like Adam, claiming oneself as perfect means that one has already reached the peak- that there is no room to improve anymore 

And now that fictional worlds actually exist... Considering all the worlds, powers, and abilities out there, being unable to improve is doubtful.

Of course, even if one takes counters with something like 'emotional' or 'mental' perfection.... It is even more absurd, no being is psychologically perfect

Robots, AI, or Machines? Too logical and calculative

Devils? Too sinful

Angels? Too naive and ignorant

Dragons? Too prideful

Humans? Hah, even worse, they can be all of the above

But it's those traits that make each being who they are- It's these imperfections that make each person or being unique in their own way

If, and really, if somebody was perfect... What would that look like? Would they have no emotions? Not really, otherwise, AI would already be perfect. Would they be nothing at all? Would they be everything? 

Adam is having a headache just thinking about this

"Oh...."

…..

Rias muttered in a meek tone as she saw the look in his eyes. Although she couldn't read his thoughts, the seriousness in his voice and the sharp look in his eyes spoke volumes of his opinion of 'perfection'- his annoyance, to be exact

Although she didn't think too deeply when she spoke that sentence.... She regrets it a little, her companion doesn't get annoyed easily, and despite his reaction being subdued… Two days of knowing each other, and him controlling her energy made it easier for her to understand his thoughts

Was this how she reacted when someone insulted her peerage members? Probably not, her reaction is more extreme, but maybe this comparison too is a bit unfair

"Anyway" He shook his head, dispelling these thoughts as he continued "I'm sure you'll love the next part of your training"

Adam brought raised his hand, a very familiar vortex emerging from his palm

When it dissipated, something was left out in the world. They seemed like books... colorful books with both images and text

"This is....?!"

No, Rias realized, these were not books- they were manga! What Admin-san just brought out was a whole pile of manga, light novels, and different forms of fiction! 

"That's the next part of your training...." He trailed off, putting his hands on his hips, seeming a little proud of himself "Reading fiction!"

The silver-haired boy looked so confident, yet.... 

"Um, Adam...." She hesitated slightly "Although I don't mind... Are you sure we should skip training just for manga?"

.....

Adam looked at her weirdly, as if he hadn't expected the Otaku and anime-obsessed devil to have any complaints

"Hey, I promised you some quality manga and light novels, didn't I?" He rolled his eyes at her "Besides, reading these will improve your creativity and expand your horizons. It will give you inspiration on what you could potentially do with your own power"

Was he bullshitting? Not really, but he mostly wanted her to become a true (wo)man of culture and read some quality manga and light novels. 

Besides, there is a very good chance that she will try and replicate some anime-like abilities with her own powers, so that's definitely a positive

....

"Ah...?"

Rias blinked, looking at him in bewilderment, she shifted her gaze towards the manga floating in the air. A smile slowly formed on her face, but one question was mostly present in her mind currently

Was this guy giving her an excuse to do her favorite activity!? 

Maybe she could get inspired by reading the fiction of Adam's world? Perhaps so, but it would definitely give her ideas on how to use her power as the Admin said said

….

…

.

"I'll leave you to it, then" 

Adam said, turning his back to the red-haired girl who was already engrossed in a manga titled 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'.

He walked away, giving her time alone to consume all the fictional works he had just dropped on her.

Adam wasn't worried about overwhelming her. Rias was an otaku—a 'japonophile,' to be precise—so she wouldn't tire of anime, manga, or novels easily.

Besides, he had promised to show her some quality works from his previous world, and he intended to keep that promise.

Of course…. He had carefully curated the selection, leaving out light novels like 'High School DxD', 'Tensura', and The Spider Novel. He also omitted 'Konosuba'. But Kazuma was the last thing on his mind, so there was no need to mention him.

Adam did this for obvious reasons. Allowing someone to read a light novel or manga that detailed all their secrets and future events wasn't wise.

Although he hadn't hidden the fact that they were fictional characters in his previous world, it wasn't too absurd, considering the existence of other worlds and the Chat Room.

"...."

The silver-haired boy stopped, halting his thoughts as he looked at the cabin in front of him.

It wasn't anything elaborate, this cabin seemed to be made out of wood and stone- it looked something straight out of the Middle Ages, no, even farther back than that

But... An extraordinary person would probably sense the vast amounts of magic power that was radiating off this seemingly ordinary cabin.

In fact, it was radiating power and magic so vast that it attracted lesser creatures that were driven only by instincts- creatures such as the Grimm

This was the place where Adam and Rias stayed for these 2 days temporarily. They both made it with magic, so it could be considered a mutual living quarters where the both of them stayed and rested together

It wasn't difficult to make, with all the knowledge of magic that exists in Remnant, and with a bit of Tensura magic, making such a simple thing could even be called child's play. 

The redhead also helped, surprising him as he didn't expect her to aid in constructing this place

Entering the cabin, the silver-haired boy saw two beds, one red, and one white, they were roughly about ten centimeters apart- not close, but also not far apart. 

At the side of the building, there was a wooden table with chairs, a pan made out of metal, and a pot on the table, showing signs of being used

Over the past couple of days, they had bonded significantly. Living and spending all your time with someone inevitably leads to closeness, especially when you share similar interests and hobbies with that person

Magic can make things very convenient.

Showering and drinking water is easily solved with water magic, and cooking, although mostly not needed with his physique, can be solved just as easily with fire magic

To be honest, Adam sometimes feels like this whole experience is a fever dream, especially with the power that he has in his hands. 

Who knew that all it took to grow so strong would be to just go to the Tensura verse and have desires so strong that they were made into skills?

... He supposes that using his Geass on the voice of the world did help, but he doubts it. 

After all, how could the world's voice be affected by a mere Geass?

The silver-haired boy cursed at his past self for his recklessness- what would happen if the world's voice wasn't amused by his trick and just erased him? Then he would have to say goodbye to all his hopes and dreams

Still, though, Adam doesn't need to sleep, and neither does he need to eat or excrete 'waste'.

Despite that, he still maintains normal human habits because that's what he is used to, and not keeping those habits would make him feel... less human, it would make him feel as though his humanity was wiped out, in a way

Is it because he is not used to that, or is it his mind subconsciously just preventing himself from feeling like an abnormal monster? 

Well, it doesn't matter in the end, he supposes that he will eventually get used to it, or he would just stop caring to maintain his humanity because... he just isn't just a human anymore

Clap

Stopping these deep thoughts that would get him nowhere, Adam clapped his hands again, a subtle rumbling sound appearing at his motion. 

The ground shook, and the cabin trembled, but it stood firm despite the minor earthquake

Suddenly, the ground tore open, splitting up as it seemingly revealed something beneath the cabin

And at the side of the Interior of this place, where nothing was placed there, an entrance opened up, a pair of stairs appeared that led someone down to the ground, where a a pitch-black light was overwhelming everything. 

With only the stairs leading down a few steps being visible, it didn't seem like natural darkness... instead, it seemed like something underground was causing this phenomenon

Without an ounce of fear in his expression, Adam plunged into the abysss

...

..

.

Tap... Tap.... Tap.... Tap

The sound of his footsteps echoed through the darkness, he walked down the stairs, his vision clear.

Mere darkness would never obstruct his vision, so making the effort to brighten a place such as this is meaningless

In no time, the silver-haired boy reached the bottom. He came to a stop in front of a door- it wasn't a normal door-, it had magic enhancements on it, and he had warded it quite heavily

Yes, there exist wards in Remnant, enchanting is also possible.

Besides this, one of Rimuru's subordinates was also quite a skilled craftsman, and while the slime girl wasn't interested in such things, her [Great Sage] still collected all the data and knowledge of the capabilities of all her subordinates

The blue-haired loli has visited this place, occasionally joining in on their training, trying to utilize the power of destruction as she watched them.

Besides this, she also helped with the construction of the cabin- generously sharing the knowledge [Great Sage] had collected

Safe to say, with all of that effort spent into making this door, and placing it underground, it must be a room with precious things inside it. It was made with the intention of stopping anyone entering it

.... Or, it was made to keep something sealed inside

"...."

Adam gently opened the door..... 

Fooosh

A sharp, scaly, whip-like tail instantly slashed towards where his neck-

But it stopped

No- it didn't stop. It was forced to stop in the air by his telekinesis. After getting a few centimeters away from slicing his neck, he grabbed hold of this dangerous tail with Psionics, not letting it injure him

One might wonder what was the creature that attacked him, and why it was imprisoned down here

Adam walked inside, unconcerned about the potentially dangerous creature

What came into view was a rudimentary... 'cage'. It was completely closed off, with iron walls that prevented any exit or entrance beyond the door that was behind the silver-haired boy

Beside that... There was also a creature contained here

He looked at the malicious red eyes of the creature in front of him with a mocking smile

It was a huge Grimm, it had a mane and black fur. It barely fit in this cage, and the only way it could attack him beyond the door was with its slender but sharp tail 

What does this Grimm look like? It seemed like a lion- A huge lion that seemed to be mixed with a... Scorpion?

It reminded him of those manticores that were present in Greek mythology, but that strangely scaly tail made him unsure

"Tsk tsk, truly an abomination"

Adam clicked his tongue, insulting this terrifying mix of a Grimm without any fear present on his face

The manticore(?) Grimm glared at him, malicious eyes glowing even more as if it could understand his insult

Perhaps it could. After all, this was a famous 'Ancient Grimm'- creatures of darkness that are very old. So ignoring its power, perhaps it learned something over the years? Maybe it developed a consciousness beyond primal instincts and learned human language? 

Sounds preposterous, but the silver-haired boy has already confirmed that this Grimm has a self-consciousness beyond basic instincts.

This is the reason, after all, that this creature is here, and not already devoured by him

Adam built this place for performing experiments in mind. He wasn't a genius like Mebius or Dr. Mei, but having the experience of both of his lives, [Great sage], all the information of the internet, and an upgraded mind results in the capability to be efficient and obtain answers without much effort

"So...."

The silver-haired boy looked at the Grimm that was standing immobile, his smile transforming into a predatory grin.

The sight of this Grimm, powerless just by enchantments with suppression magic of the light element made him quite satisfied

"Are you ready for more experiments?"

... 

.. 

. 

"Hm..."

Adam, with his hand under his chin, pondered as he looked at the creature before him

Now, there were metallic chains wrapped around it, imprisoning said monster.

The chains were excluding a faint glow of pure white color. The Grimm, whether from the experiments done on it or the light element on those chains, let out a whimper of pain

"Now, you're quite useless"

He murmured as his brain processed all the information that was analyzed with the Alpha Stigma and [Great Sage].

Despite the experiments he performed on this Grimm, he was more curious about the behavior of those creatures, which drove him to actively seek them out and capture them

"...."

Shaking his head, the silver-haired boy raised his hand, palm wide open and facing the manticore (?) in front of him with a gesture that had become second nature to him in the past few days

"Gluttony"

... 

.. 

.

-------

A/N:

Here is a longer chapter, praise me! Make it rain power stones!

...

Anyway, jokes aside, from next chapter and onwards, there will be more action

Though, I'd like to hear your opinions on how this small arc has been.

Many found it boring... But well, what can I say? Rias needs to be useful, and the best way to do this would be some personal training

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter!