58 Training for the future

"So you finally became aware of my existence huh? Master" Masaru who heard the boy who looked exactly how he did when he has experimented on back then with Shirone and Koruka. For convenience sake, Masaru named this boy MASA.

"Why are you calling me master?" Masaru asked feeling strange aura lurking around MASA, he could tell that MASA was not friendly and there was even a trace of envy, hatred in his voice.

MASA who heard Masaru's question tilted his head, "But wasn't I simply an artificial soul made by that blob of energy... no, it should be a Grimoire Book now, I thought you already knew of this..."

"Huh?" Masaru took a step back unconsciously not of fear but real surprise, what he heard was simply too groundbreaking that his initial reincarnation sounded like child's play. MASA who noticed the back step began to smile in a sinister way.

"You should know that by weakening your fighting spirit will give me a chance to devour you instead, you know?" Masaru who heard what MASA said felt humiliated, he was never afraid and to think his opponent would believe he was and even mention it out loud.

Masaru, however, began to understand what Drago meant by not showing mercy, if he loses here then he will cease to exist. MASA took a step forward asking a question towards the skies "Do you even know why I am here? Why did that stupid book hide you from me?"

"Because your too weak, way too weak. Even with your powerful body, the grimoire and your sacred gear. You simply can't use them properly! You see your soul is human, although humans in this world can grow exceedingly strong, however, if their soul is not compatible with the body it will never perform it's true worth...

"Your currently a body as resilient as a young dragon, your strength is decent and your energy reserves are truly astounding. But because of your soul, you can only put out about a quarter of your full strength because the compatibility link between a pureblood devil body and a human soul is not balanced at all due to their differences. If it was not for the spellbook you would have already been gone!"

"Drago already told me about this... But you haven't told me the reason for why the book hid you from me" Masaru spoke while not dropping his guard at all, although what MASA said contained truth he still felt that MASA might strike if he let his guard down at any given moment.

"It's because the book was preparing both of us for this moment, yes this moment where we will be killing each other, eating each other and the only one can survive. The one who survives will naturally be the real Masaru, you need me to fill up the cracks and holes in your soul and I need to eat you to become real instead of just a copy"

"To think one of my trials to survive in this unreasonable world would be something like this, just what does the grimoire want to accomplish by pushing me through all of this?" Masaru could feel that he could operate his abilities perfectly, but the shocking thing was MASA could do the same.

"I have to admit when it comes to using the Spellbook I can't use it the same as you do, however! When it comes to senjutsu and controlling your body then your still way too lacking. Mr Real Me" MASA began to operate his KI within his body before sprinting towards Masaru who did the same but unlike MASA, Masaru combined his demonic energy with his Ki.

BOOM!

The impact of their fists and kicks could send the ground shaking but here everything was silent, no shaking no winds, simply just the noise of their attack impacting one another. Masaru could feel the heaviness of each strike MASA was dealing against him.

"You think combining Senjutsu with Demonic Energy is going to make you stronger!? That's inefficient! Senjutsu is fine being operated on its own, adding more simply waste the energy which is going against the basic rule of a senjutsu practitioner. You use Senjutsu like this!"

MASA mould his own KI to form a thick aura around his fist, the moment he strikes out an illusory tiger that was life-like was materialized from the KI that was leaking through the shock force of the attack.

Masaru immediately kicks the ground sending demonic energy to raise several walls made out of earth element to slow down the attack while he used trackless steps to flank the strike while heading straight for MASA who already detected him.

"Good idea to block the attack, use that strange movement to enter the subconscious mind... But you never comprehended how that Okita pervert did this movement against supernaturals?"

Masaru heard MASA who met his attacks, the two of them continued to kick and hit but nothing seems to be connecting at all, Masaru felt like he was being trained but he dared not voice this out because he was not certain if the story about eating each other was true or not.

He could feel some traces of his soul was brightening, whether it was part of the devour process or not he could not verify this. The current situation was already complicated enough for him.

"You never thought of learning more about Virtual Reality? You know Virtual Reality is a combination of Space and Illusion magic. By Combining you can temporary combine the movement set and seal your existence within the subconscious mind but this is tricky you know, you are dealing with people's awareness here and the world laws have a natural set of rules to prevent people from truly messing around with these things. You never truly exploited it all!"

Masaru felt that MASA was being too talkative, giving ideas and advice although it sounds like he was trying to provoke Masaru. The person who was receiving these insults felt that MASA was instead trying to prepare him for something, although Masaru could not determine what it was. He knew that losing meant he will cease to exist.

"Yes, there are many things I can learn from the grimoire and exploit. But the current me right now is in a situation where I am dealing with strange creatures from a different plane of existence, their bodies perish when they die so there is no way to research them, not to mention my memories of this world is but fragments. The only way to survive is to focus on the things I can do now and specialize my fighting techniques"

"Then why not use that memory restoration magic? Surely you noticed it haven't you? THAT magic"

Hearing MASA's words gave Masaru a pause, using this opening MASA came to attack. However, before the incoming strike connected Masaru already retreated with earthen steps. "You... You should know that spell that a side effect of forcing the user to enter a period of madness and extreme lust! I have no need to explain why the spell does this but did you not consider the trauma it will cause to the girls!? Not to mention the danger if I lose my mind!?"

MASA looked at Masaru like he was looking at an idiot, "Let's first start with the girls, you should know their feelings by now. So should something like this happen some of them might be bit angry but in the end, they will somehow accept it with their feelings towards you, since living together means that it is going to happen someday anyway"

Masaru glared at MASA who shook his arms, with a smirk MASA muttered: "Let me finish, what about using Worthless and become a Eunuch then!"

'This Bas-'

Masaru wanted to curse this dirty-minded boy, the fight between the two of them increased in intensity the once silent room although it did not have wind inside the kinetic force between each strike was enough to produce shock waves.

"Hehehe, teasing you is so much fun! No wonder Akeno-chan loves it very much" MASA spoke but Masaru did not answer as he hated how MASA spoke so familiar about his girls, but he had to admit that MASA was indeed much better than him.

Slowly but surely Masaru was copying the operating method MASA was using his KI as his own, this process was difficult as it required Masaru to be reckless and keep being close proximity to MASA at all times.

The more Masaru gained insight the more he understood why MASA told him he was being inefficient, if this method of operating KI could be modified a bit then it should be possible. "You really are different from me, I have to study for several years to get to where I am but here you are fighting me and learning it within hours... God sure favours the talented"

Shortly the fight between the two of them stopped when MASA was showing signs of disappearing, seeing this Masaru was bewildered and felt frustrated that he could not finish his fight "What's going on!?"

MASA looked at Masaru with a warm smile completely different from how he was in the past, "It's because your older brother decided to acknowledge you, for now."

"Brother? What acknowledgement? Are you losing your mind!?" Masaru was confused why this guy would call himself Masaru's older brother, however, MASA smile became broader

"Well, this is good enough to allow you to recover. However, our real eating battle will have to be for later when we can fight on equal footing, the day when your soul is healed and when the spellbook appears in front of you... Will be the day you will learn it... the origins of your existence"

>\/<

"What the hell do you mean my existence!?" Masaru who screamed out opened his eyes furiously turning to look left and right searching for MASA only to find that he was back in the lounge room he was before he entered his soul realm.

After experiencing that, Masaru began to think over possible reasons for the fight to stop all of the sudden. Although he could understand what MASA said, he was still perplexed

'Was that trial really arranged to train me and heal me as I initially thought? But why would he act differently form how he really is? What is up with the copy and real one? This spellbook, is it even my ally?' Masaru thought

He could sense the book want him to recover faster, but the problem was that he himself has no idea how!? Even now he was still far from gaining a complete understanding on how to imitate the stimulation effect of a soul spell that could awaken Misla Bael!

"Big Brother!" Shirone jumped onto Masaru hugging him tight which snapped him out of his racing thoughts.

After a moment Masaru remembered that the sword was on his lap, looking at his lap he felt relieved that the sword was not there but started to look around for it only to find that it was at his side out of the way. He gently caresses her head out of a habit, "Sorry for worrying you"

Angelica who was on watch together with Shirone has already left to notify the girls who were going mad on the Balls and Puppets came rushing back with great vigour.

It took Masaru a full hour to apologize and soothe the girls who were truly worried about him, thanks to Drago who used Yui to cover the circumstances he managed to get past this situation quite smoothly.

Although the cost for it was to bake sweets for the girls to which he agreed, while he was in the kitchen baking sweets he and Drago were talking Mentally.

"Just say yes or no, that spellbook has a consciousness?"

[Yes]

Masaru thought of using this question trick as a test but never expected it to work but what he did not realize was the Spellbook was getting impatient over something so it did not want to hide much. "When I fought my younger self it called itself an artificial soul, did the spellbook create it to control me?"

[No]

Masaru sigh of relief, with his connection to Drago he knew this dragon was not lying to him. "Was this rouse of devouring battle just to have me be in high vigilance?"

[No, it really will happen but right now for your soul to heal you need to get nourishment from another one which the artificial soul is good enough for. I don't know when you will face it again but the next time I am certain it will be to the death, I only made you prepare for it in case this friend of ours changes their minds like now...]

Masaru places the chocolate cookies he made through combining human technique with Magic to reduce the time it takes, "Well at least I can feel a little more relieved, but to think that battle was only to teach me some applications of Ki Control to combat the side effect of a Memory restoration Magic"

Unawares, Masaru did not realize what was happening to him however Drago thought to himself [Seems this brat has not realized the change in his soul....]

During the combat between Masaru and MASA, while Masaru kept close to MASA to learn his Ki technique. Masaru started to get nourishment from MASA unknowingly, he did not notice his soul was slowly becoming a devil's soul so his power output was stabilizing.

And with his state starting to stabilize, he will be able to become stronger normally instead of searching for life and death battles to increase his power. But the process of his soul repairing itself will still be slow but at least it's progress.

Akeno entered the kitchen, "So, have you been able to accomplish awakening your sacred gear?" Akeno came next to Masaru inspecting him.

"Well I failed to awaken it, but I suppose I need some strong outside stimulation to awaken it as it did with Tiamat however a bit milder, since I don't want to awaken it in its beserk state"

Masaru answered her question although he also thought about the time how he once stood and talked back at Tiamat who was a real dangerous dragon at that time.

"Well at least your fine, You think you can lend me some of those balls?" Sona spoke as she stood near the entrance to the Kitchen.

"Ah sure, you can even give some to Rias HOW-EV-ER, it came from you okay?" Masaru gave Sona a playful look but Sona understood the reason, Masaru already offended Riser in the past and if there are signs of Masaru "helping" Rias then he will drag Masaru in their mess instead of Rias.

"You really are in the worst position compared to me" Masaru could only helplessly laugh at Sona's point, he muttered softly with a smile "I blame it only my youthfulness for being too great that I naturally stand out although I really did not mean to"

Masaru spends his time chatting away with all the girls, hearing stories from Sona's peerage and their experiences he felt quite shocked to realize that the humans were just as ruthless as old devils or maybe even more so.

He did not hold back teaching them a few tricks with Magic and the application of using Demonic energy in close combat especially elemental magic, Sona was the most surprised of all that Masaru would answer and teach them all but Masaru simply said if he wants to defeat his father then the way for him would it be to create the ultimate opponents for himself.

Diehauser, Diana and Julia finally returned from their vacation while Sona and her peerage returned to their home, with his mother and sister back the liveliness of the house was no less than before.

>\/<

"So, please make sure to make your teams for when we will be leaving for Kyoto. It will be three days and two-night trip so please make sure to buy the necessary items indicated on the list!" The teacher announced before leaving the classroom.

Masaru leaned closer to Barold. "You want to partner up with me?" Barold nodded, "I think it will be better for me too since the two of us are the only two guys among all those girls"

Masaru agreed with him completely, while looking at the brochure he glanced at Barold "Yes, but what location you think we should visit?"

The two of them started to work out a journey trip together but it would later be intruded by girls who refuse not to take the chance of a holiday with Masaru. Poor guy, what comes around goes around they say.

With the classes over it was finally time for Club activities and Masaru had an off day today so he headed straight for the Kendo club, seeing Sakura wearing only her black hakama with her wooden katana Masaru went to get changed and armed himself with a wooden katana.

"So you already formed a group for the incoming school trip?" Sakura fended off his sword strike while launching a counter that ended up being blocked by Masaru's handguard of his katana. "Well I formed one with Barold but later the girls working together with me in the Disciplinary Committee also joined"

"You really are a womanizer" Masaru who heard this shook his head, her attacks become ferocious the more she thought of Masaru. Even her face became slightly red as she vented her anger.

"No no no no!!! Stop it!!!" Sakura was surprised by his swift movement dodging all her strikes then appearing behind her back blocking her mouth with his hand.

"Don't say it out loud, I am not a womanizer" Sakura looked at him with scorn, when he moved his hand away she spoke "But you taken liberties with me"

Masaru blushed while taking a step back not expecting for her to say something like this, even Sakura who saw this felt surprised at this scene "Ah... Sorry?"

Masaru apologized while Sakura sighed, "Haaa... I was going to invite you but---"

Masaru interrupted her, "I was also thinking of inviting you"

Sakura looked at him with surprise "You already got those girls following you"

Masaru shook his head, a wry smile form on his lips as he explains "Even if they follow me I am but a guy, there are topics guys and girls don't share... Besides I want you to get to know them first, maybe you can get your answers"

Sakura was a bit confused, "You want to use me as a shield or something?"

Masaru shook his head, he could understand what he wanted was to see if Sakura could mingle with his peerage "No, the girls. They all grew up together, so having a new friend to talk with will do them good."

"Fine..." Sakura pouted feeling a bit down as she hoped he would invite her for a different reason, it has been a few months and the two of them kept sparring to the point she enjoyed her time together with him.

It was almost like he was made a sparring partner for her, she could hit him with everything she learnt from her family and he would take it on without backing away. It was only natural that a curious interest would be developed into a crush, she was not certain whether she loved him or not but she was certain she held an interest towards this boy named Masaru Belial.

Soon the two of them resumed their daily spar of pure techniques, Masaru could see her progress in learning techniques from him was quite amazing as the two of them were similar after all.

Learning through combat was their trait and strongest point but also their weakest, Masaru stepped forward using a jujutsu move to disarm her while tossing her over his shoulder stopping the match.

"You cheated!" Masaru smirked, he enjoyed using unconventional moves sometimes to see Sakura pouting like a sore loser.

"If it was a real match you would have been dead, from now on facing me as you would in a real fight" He helped her up before he went to the locker room to get washed and changed, meanwhile Sakura glanced in the direction Masaru left.

'Real Fight? Why does it seem what he said just now was serious. Masaru, are you training me for something?' Sakura thought since she was always suspicious about why Masaru would train her, she was firmly taught by her grandfather that there is no such thing as free lunch.

'Well, I will hear him out when he decides to talk... If I can I will not mind helping him out'