43 Chapter 40

"Are you… fucking with me right now?" Vali questioned with disbelief written all over his face, unable to properly grasp the situation taking place at the moment thanks to the sheer bafflement that it provided him. Heck, he could feel similar feelings coming from his copious amount of Devil Arms, and if THEY were stunned into silence then that just testified to the situation's absurdity.

Reason? Simple.

While he had been lounging around in his house after the whole conversation he had with his Devil Arms about Soul Calibur, Vali had a surprise visitor in the form of Azazel. Well, he wasn't the only one though, because behind him had been the Gremory Peerage, people who Vali had NEVER expected to come to him like this. If that wasn't enough, then the fact that Azazel had told them where he and his group were was another thing he wanted to beat the Fallen Angel for, though unfortunately for him he couldn't do that since Azazel had left the whole thing to the two groups soon after he had brought the Gremory Devils here, soon vanishing through one of his Magic Circles before he could get shot at. Something which could have VERY likely happened once the silver haired hybrid had regained his mental faculties.

Thus, this situation was the result, with Vali staring off against the members of the Gremory Devil peerage. He wasn't the only one here either, the rest of his group had similar reactions to himself, though NONE of them understandably had very positive ones. Some looked to be surprised at these turn of events such as Siegfried and Jin, whereas the others had expressions that seemed to be a mix of disbelief and anger like Nanoha and Fate. Speaking of those two Magical Girls, the former kept a burning wrathful gaze on the group, with the intent of killing them VERY clear within her dark blue orbs. The latter had a similar look, though hers felt more like constantly running lightning currents than anything else, currents which could have electrified them all alive at the SLIGHTEST hint of provocation.

Combine that with the murderous looks the majority of the female members had, and it would be easy to see why the Gremory Peerage couldn't say much for fear of getting their heads chopped off and their bodies ripped to pieces. Given how easy these guys had fought god tier enemies before, that just screamed the level of strength they had.

Yet, despite all of the potential dangers that had enveloped them, Issei shook his head as he made a determined face. "No I'm not Vali, if I would I wouldn't be standing here right now." he explained, standing his ground against these gazes as well as acting as a pillar of support for the others. Especially Rias and Akeno, the former not even looking Vali in the eye since she could just FEEL the malicious gaze he bore at her entire group, though unlike before she didn't even DARE to try anything with the memory of her failures and Vali's vicious beatdown of her still fresh in her mind.

Now that he had heard their reasons for being here, Vali regained his mentalities and once more lit his fiery glare upon the group, not just for their unexpected presence but also for the audacity of the favor that they (well, Issei mainly, to his internal surprise) had asked of them. "What makes you think that I-no, WE would train you, red dragon? Does your arrogance know no bounds?" Vali demanded, narrowing his eyes sharply like the dragon within while unleashing his energy to intimidate them all. He wasn't the only one doing something either, as while the rest of his group was just glaring at the Gremory peerage, Nanoha had released her sacred gear to form her Nobunagun, and had aimed its barrel at them. "Give me a reason why I shouldn't kill you here right now, red dragon?"

Issei almost fell to his knees from the combined pressure the group gave off with their killing intent, looking ghostly pale as he stood in front of a person who could kill him a thousand times over without so much as a shred of mercy. His legs trembled violently and he felt like he would piss himself in fright, though that last bit disgusted him so much that he managed to use it to hold his ground. Hence, why he was able to respond with a small level of certainty in his voice. "I-no, WE can't stand on being the weakest while hell is slaughtering our friends and family." The next move that they made surprised not just him, but ALL of Vali's group:

They Dogeza'd to him, and not just Issei but all of the Gremory group.

"Please train us, we beg of you."

Vali could not believe what he was seeing as well as his group, before he put a hand on his face. For a moment, the Gremory peerage tensed up thinking that he was going to do something to them. "heheheheheHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!" But then those fears turned to uncertainty when a chuckle came out of the hybrid's lips. Before long, that chuckle soon turned into a full-blown laugh with the male rearing his head back to face the ceiling above. "Oh this is too golden, a devil sucking up their pride for the first time? Even you, my supposed rival, are asking me to train you, how ironic the world can be?" he remarked with great amusement, more so than he should be feeling. Seeing these creatures throw away something that they valued so much that they would ruin others just to preserve it felt OH so satisfying.

A brief flash happened behind Vali as Divine Dividing manifested itself before the groups.

"Indeed it is, how does it feel that your host is asking my host to train your host Ddraig?"

"I would refuse to, but….. This situation requires me to suck up my pride as a heavenly dragon."

"You were right about the real-life and good times Vali and how weak we are over the past years and how hell has easily invaded the underworld. Please train us, I don't want to lose another person I care about, even my mother." Rias said as she was still in the pose as her voice began to break. "I am willing to pay any price you want, I will suck up my pride, my status… my arrogance. Please, help us gain more…...strength."

Vali looked at them as he narrowed his eyes, contemplating what to do here. By no means did he want to help them out since they were Devils, and Devils to him were scum no questions asked. He could just refuse and force them to leave or just eradicate them from existence, consequences be damned. Just as he made to do so however, Vali's eyes blinked when he had a flashback of him being young with the conviction he had made a long time ago, one where he would become strong enough to make sure his mother wouldn't suffer because of him. 'Huh… so they're in a position similar to what I was in…' the male thought to himself, oddly growing curious about something. 'In that case…'

As Nanoha was about to speak, probably to demean or downright refuse the Gremory group's plea, Vali abruptly raised his hand to stop her. "I'll give you a test." Vali declared as he went outside before he made a line in front of him with his feet. "If you or any of you can pass this line while I unleash my intent on you, then I'll train you."

"VALI!" Nanoha yelled as she angrily stared at Vali before he made a face to her that explains, 'we'll talk about this later.' before she turned it away as she narrowed her eyes at them.

'This is it… I have to pass that line.' Issei mentally said.

'Be careful partner, Vali has probably experienced many battles and many fights to reach the state he has, which could make his intent something you can't handle.'

'If I don't do this Ddraig… then I'll likely stay weak for the rest of my life.' Issei responded firmly to Ddraig as he kept silent before he got up and walked to the line. This started Vali in unleashing his intent on Issei as he stopped while trying to move before he shook his head.

"Heh, impressive, only a small bit of it not making you stop, let see how you can handle…...THIS!" Vali's eyes glowed a bit brighter, before Issei felt like he was hit by one of Koneko's boulders, his eyes turning to dots. In no time flat, Issei fell to one knee with the other struggling to even stand up.

'Come on, you idiot! Move your damn body!' Issei mentally yelled to himself, as he was trying to stand up while sweat was on his face. The pressure on him felt HUGE, like he was carrying the combined loads of everyone in the Peerage back when they had gone to Rias's villa for their prep against Raiser's peerage.

Meanwhile, the whole Gremory watched on with varying looks of horror and anxiety as Issei was struggling to even get past the line.

"Please stop." Rias weakly pleaded as her tears was flowing on her face as she watched her pawn alone trying to at least help all of them as her heart was beating fast, Akeno had her face away as she can't bear to see if Issei would fail, Asia had her hands together to even plead that Issei would succeed as he won't have to do the rest all by himself.

He managed to get up as he stomped his feet on the ground. 'Just…..a bit….. further! Almost!'

Vali's respect for Issei's determination gradually grew bit by bit as he saw his rival slowly inch closer towards the line, in spite of his killing intent slowing him down. Well, at least the guy had something going for him, but perhaps some more testing was in order. "Very impressive my rival, but will you succeed or…...will you fail?"

With that said Vali released ALL of his intent to see if Issei could even walk through the line as he was about to cross it with three steps. Issei was down on the ground as he felt that a titan stomped on him, leaving into paste as he struggle to even move every inch of his body, his head, his finger, his hand, his arms, his knee and his feet, he moved his head with all of his determination and sees an illusion of Vali towering over him as he was the giant and Issei was the ant waiting to be crushed at. Vali's body was covered in the shadows but his draconian eyes gazed upon Issei's soul.

'Is….. this…. How powerful Vali is?... What…...did he….do to…..gain that strength….. While being so young?' Issei said as he felt the overwhelming intent of Vali as he was stunned at how strong he is despite being a little older than him. 'Is this…. The end…...for me?...no… I can't give up!... I…...have…...to move!' Issei hand twitched as he was resisting the supremacy of Vali showing off. 'Move damn body move!' Issei said as he regained the movement of his entire body before he got out of the snow, slowly getting up while walking the giant Vali.

One step.

Two steps.

CRACK!

Issei foot cracked, causing him to gasp while he felt his body couldn't endure the pressure any longer. Distantly, he swore that he heard the low voices of the Gremory Peerage screaming his name, but he couldn't be sure since his hearing was getting lower and lower by the second. Before he could move more, he stopped when he felt the intent was gone and the illusion of Vali too. Momentarily thinking that he was hallucinating, it took Issei a moment to realize that Vali was back at his normal height.

"Well you managed to exceed my expectations, didn't expect you to even move more than past the line." Vali said to Issei as he was confused what he meant before he turned around and saw he was already past the line and was still walking as he widened his eyes.

"I did it? Did I… past the test?"

"Yes, the easy part is done, but the hard one will begin." Vali said as he walked in front of the Gremory group. "Listen up, all of you!" He yelled as they paid attention to Vali as he made a serious face. "When we are training you, here is stuff you need to know, first! You listen to the person who is training you and you listen to them no matter what! Got it?"

For a moment, Vali waited for their reaction, continuing only after they each nodded their heads in submission, knowing that they didn't have a chance in hell of doing anything else. "Second, if there is one whine or complaint from any of you then leave! I don't want to see any of you complaining that the training is hard! Third! If you want to leave be my guest the door is over there waiting for you to leave. And finally! I want all of you to throw away all of your pride, your prejudice and arrogance!" Vali walked back and forth at them before stopping."You will experience something which you will have never experienced: breaking bones, remodeling them, removing the impurities, increasing your power levels. There will be blood and sweat to this." Vali said to all of them as they gulped their throat at the stuff he told them about their training.

"When do we start training?" Akeno asked.

"You will start… now."

Akeno

Akeno and Xun Er stood together within a small yard outside the house. One which had been enchanted with spells and sigils to make it resilient enough to be used as a training ground for supernaturally gifted people like themselves. After having agreed to train them, Vali had recommended that each Peerage member get a specific instructor from his group, dividing them up before taking Issei away for himself. Akeno had gotten shacked up with Xun Er, hence why they were together, whereas the rest of them got taken to separate places for their own training since some of them trained in a… less destructive manner than others.

Giving the girl a once over, Xun Er humphed in an unimpressed manner. "Alright, you're supposed to be the queen right?" she questioned dismissively. Internally irked at this, Akeno swallowed the retort that swelled within her throat and nodded at her deductions. However, Xun Er remained far from pleased-in fact, one could say that her disappointment deepened. "Well then you suck at being the queen." Xun Er bluntly said.

Once again swallowing her pride, Akeno narrowed her eyes at her while letting the demigoddess explain. "You only utilize the bishop piece aspect instead of the rook, or knight pieces. You're not even using the rook piece properly, I can tell because I've faced multiple stray devils who could be better than you on using those pieces." Xun Er stated, remembering how she had studied with her mother on the evil pieces when she was young. She remembered listening carefully to her mother while she explained all the pieces' power on what they can do. That piece of information really helped her on MORE than one occasion. "Even in combat you would be beaten in mere seconds, you need to use all of the piece power."

After hearing all of this and thinking back to her previous battle, Akeno realized that (to her shame) that her mentor did indeed have a point. Since she primarily fought with Magic, Akeno primarily utilized her Queen piece's Bishop side, putting the others aside while relying on Kiba and Koneko to cover the other bases. Looking back on the fight with loki showed her how foolish that was. "I see."

"Second is that you lack the proper fighting style, all you do is shoot out magic attacks that's it. The queen piece is powerful yes but what would happen if the piece were to be unavailable? Have you ever thought about that?" Xun Er questioned, causing Akeno to hum thoughtfully with a side dish of grudging reluctance.

That reluctance came from her revelations thanks to those words, since Xun Er did make sense with what she was talking about. Previously, she always relied on the queen piece as her power source. She always relied on her lighting because one, she was a pure sadist and two, she loves to see her enemies scream in pain which she enjoyed…..

A lot.

Unaware of these thoughts running through Akeno's mind, Xun Er continued with her lecture. "The queen piece has lots of potential since it has all the powers of the chess pieces: rook, knight, even pawns and they have the ability to promote to a queen piece. If you can combine and master them, then you will become a force of reckoning in rating games." Akeno nodded at the lecture Xun Er said to her, internally vowing that she would master the queen piece so that she won't be a burden to Rias peerage. "Also, make sure to figure out what to do if you're unable to use your magic at any point, form a martial arts style, have a weapon on hand, at least SOMETHING to fall back on in case your primary weapon has gone kaput."

That one… would be a lot harder, Akeno felt, but nonetheless she vowed to try. "Understood."

"And third, stop holding back."

But upon hearing the second statement Xun Er made, Akeno blinked in confusion at what she said. "What do you me-" she began to say.

Only for her mentor to interrupt it while shaking her head with a hand over her temples like she were dealing with an unruly child. "Don't pretend to ignore it, I'm talking about the other side of your power." Xun Er declared, narrowing her eyes at Akeno.

Meanwhile, said Queen started to grow angry at the mention of THAT side to her. A side which she had completely suppressed to rely solely on her Devil nature. "How….. do you know that?" Akeno demanded, glaring at Xun Er.

Unfazed by these words however, Xun Er gestured to her with a look that pretty much stated 'are you kidding me?' to her. "You think I'm stupid for not sensing your other power, your bloodline? Use it."

"... I refuse to even use that tainted power."

"Remember what Vali said in his rules, the door is over there." Not willing to deal with such drama, Xun Er pointed towards the entrance they had come through, showing where Akeno can leave. As a result, the black haired Queen gritted her teeth in frustration, but Xun Er wasn't done. "You could have literally gotten stronger and powerful, even defeat Riser with the full potential of your power but instead you refuse to show it."

Akeno however, wasn't having any of it. "You never understand how much I hate this side of me." she spat angrily.

Taking that as a challenge, Xun Er once more goaded her student while crossing her arms under her chest. "Do I? It's who you are, what you were born with."

"YOU NEVER UNDERSTAND AT ALL! IT WAS HIM WHO MADE MY MOTHER GOT KILLED AND HE WAS NEVER THERE! I HATE THIS POWER! I HATE HIS BLOOD! I HATE MY WINGS!"

"Then you're a pathetic coward who only cares for themself not others." Xun Er stated, unfazed by Akeno's outburst.

Utterly enraged at this, a shrill shriek escaped the Gremory Queen while she threw lighting at her. "SHUT UP!"

BUZZZZZZZ!

BOOM!

With a scoff, Xun Er easily dodged the lighting attack, making it look like she was almost dancing, before she appeared before her wayward 'student' who gasped, stepping back. Not willing to let her get too far, Xun Er grabbed Akeno by her head, gripping firmly enough before she went and threw her at a tree with enough force to snap a normal human spine.

"(COUGH)!"

Whilst the girl recovered from the hit, a faint trail of blood going down the side of her mouth, Xun Er walked to her until she was in front of her, squatting down while looking at her face. "Why don't I tell you something about myself. I am Xun Er, the demigod daughter of Hathor, guess what that means?"

Akeno starts to think for a moment despite her momentary concussion, going through the information before she widened her eyes as she realized. "Your…. Sekhmet's daughter also?"

At least she knew her mythology, the chinese girl remarked to herself before nodding in confirmation. "Yes, imagine the feeling of what it's like to be the bloodiest god there is? It's much more than you think."

"Did you…. Lose someone?"

"...Yes I have. My father died but it was not from my mother, it was from a natural disaster. I used to suppress my bloodline, as I would feel like I could kill anyone in my way like how my mother did in the past. I used to fear it, in fact."

"What…...what did you do?"

"I embraced it." After saying that simple answer, an eruption of power got released from her body when Xun Er unleashed her Sekhmet form. Once she could see it in all its glory, Akeno's jaw dropped in stunned amazement, feeling her power increase significantly. However she couldn't get an accurate estimation of its power in time, because Xun Er dispersed it after a few seconds. "My mother can currently control her bloodlust, but she couldn't in the past, you know why? She didn't have anyone at her side to help her control it. She had no one, I had no one until a few years ago."

"What…...what happened?"

"Paid the price for my idiocy. I fought someone who was leagues above me in ability, wound up losing an arm to him." Xun Er replied, holding the demonic arm she sported up for Akeno to see. Confident that she indeed had the Queen's full attention, the demigoddess lowered her arm to continue. "He made me realize that being an annoying, self centered and gold digger won't get me anywhere. He didn't intend on it, but that bastard helped me see the truth, that no matter how much you try to escape or suppress it, it's a part of you. It's your power no one else's." Her piece said, Xun Er turned her back at Akeno as she walked before she stopped and turned a bit. "If you want to help your king and the peerage then you need to realize that being 'human' will only hold you back. Throw away everything and embrace your inner monster."

That said, Xun Er turned and walked away, intending to head inside. Meanwhile, Akeno stayed for a bit before she slowly got up and brought out her wings... but this time, she had TWO different wing sets: one her Devil Wing and the other wing that of a fallen angel. Flexing her hands, Akeno formed a bunch of white holy lighting on her fingers, momentarily taking a few seconds to get used to the feeling, before she threw it at Xun Er who looked back when she sensed the energy spike and saw lightning was approaching her fast.

BOOM!

Smoke appeared on Xun Er's side as Akeno stared at it before she saw Xun Er blocking it with her Devil bringer. Lowering her demonic arm, Xun Er looked down at it to assess potential damage, and saw how there was a little mark where the attack had hit. Nothing impressive, but there was indeed potential to be developed here. She stared at it for a moment, before she faced Akeno with a smirk. "Well-well, it looks like you finally accept your inner monster." she commented, a flash of… something, appearing briefly in her eyes. Xun Er then brought out her muramasa as red lighting flickered across the blade. "Lets see how far it will get you." She jumped and flew to Akeno as she showed a sadistic smile on her face before unleashing her holy lighting.

Xenovia and Irina

Regarding Xenovia and Irina, they got paired up with Siegfried who had then taken them to a rocky canyon through a magic circle. Unlike a few members of Rias's peerage, these two were both put with him for a reason. That being that for all intents and purposes, he would be their senior in terms of exorcist experience, hence it made sense for those three to train together. "Siegfried? Is that you?" Irina asked, stunned to see the long lost asura swordsman of the church.

Said swordsman just scoffed derisively at them. "Hmph, took you a long time to realize angel." Siegfried replied. What he hadn't said though he had implied it, was that he had sensed that she had become a reincarnated angel, to which he had wondered what they would bring out as well as if it would be like how the evil piece was introduced.

Ignoring the way he insulted her in favor of asking for information, Irina tried to inquire as to Siegfried's reasons for leaving the path of the Exorcist. "Why did you leave the church? You were born from there!" Irina yelled at him.

"You want to know why? They were holding me back. For as long as I've known it, when it was revealed I can wield the demonic swords, those guys became way too restrictive for my tastes. quite ironic if you ask me." Siegfried remarked casually, shrugging his shoulders. In the back of his mind, he could remember the expression he had on his face when it was revealed that he could wield all of the demonic swords in their possession, one of both extreme joy and also resignation. Joy in that he had such potential, but resigned to the fact that when he grew up they would try to restrict him in order to keep him under control.

But for now, that wasn't important. Shaking his head, Siegfried gazed at his two students with a firm gaze. "First thing is first, show me your skills in swordsmanship." Siegfried pulled a simple bokken as Xenovia grew enraged.

"Are you mocking me?" Xenovia asked.

Sigefired responded. "No, simply to see if Vali was right in rescuing you instead of leaving you to die like the pathetic person you are."

"RRAAAHHH!" Xenovia yelled as she pulled out her Durandal. Utterly enraged, she slashed at Siegfried with a downward slash once she had closed the distance between them, but he simply parried it before he went and struck her side.

"Guh!"

Irina flew to Siegfried as she was about to hit him before he swirled around dodging her attack as he hit her stomach with the tip of his wooden sword as she flew to the tree and impacted it. Siegfried then turn around and block Xenovia's attack as she tried to attack but Siegfried simply blocks it before they were in a deadlock as both side try to overpower each other as he broke the deadlock as Xenovia quickly slashed at Siegfried as his bokken sword was flying up the air as she pointed Durandal at Siegfried with a smug smirk.

"Not so tough are we-Gah!" Xenoiva said before she was kicked on the stomach by Siegfried. "Just because I don't have a sword does not mean I can't fight." he caught the bokken as he jumped when Irina dived at him before he kicked her with both of his legs as she went down to the snow and Siegfried spun around before he landed.

Xenovia dashed at Siegfried before he swiped his wooden sword, as her weapon flew out of her hand and landed in front of Siegfried.

"Here is the problem with the both of you." he pointed at Xenovia. "You do heavy attacks which would force you to break the enemies, but here is the thing: there are things called skills and tactics. Your attacks were easy to predict and I could defeat you in a matter of seconds, but instead I choose to see how you wield a sword. You would even lose your sword in battle just like how I did to you. You leave your opening wide open as it would be the perfect chance for any enemies to strike at you." Siegfried pointed out at Xenovia as he studied their fighting style and as such he is disappointed at her and the angel. He walked to Durandal as he picked up the blade. 'Just what did you see in them Vali? What was the reason you saved this girl?' he mentally said. "Be quick with the sword and make sure you don't leave any openings if you don't want to be defeated more quickly." he said to the blue-haired girl.

"For now I'll be keeping this until you get better with learning techniques and skills, understood?" Siegfried asked her as she grit her teeth but nodded, he was right after all since wielding Excalibur destruction required one to use destructive force. Hence that was all there was to her fighting style up till now. "And when your done I expect to see you leave an opening to your stances." Xenovia nodded again as she started the instruction he gave to her.

"And you angel." he pointed at Irina as she was nursing her stomach before she pouted at him.

"It's Irina!"

"I will call you whatever I want. Now you rely on techniques and fast speed. But here's the problem, you don't put that much force in your attack." Irina was confused with what he said. "But doesn't it take a toll on your arms like fatigue?" Siegfried nodded with that before he explained. "It is true, but over time your muscle will gain strength the more you swing swords both light and heavy, you could be easily defeated when a person has tank defense and power attacks." Irina looked down as he was right, she always relied on skills and technique due to her wielding Excalibur mimic which can take any form of weapons she wants. "You leave no openings good but like I said when a heavy hitter is your enemy then what would happen if your sword break and your defense is broken?" Siegfried said to Irina as she was about to protest but he left valid points to her as she remembered that sometimes when she is left defeated, her partner would come and help her when they were exorcist. She looks detached and nodded

"You both are good swordsmen but there are always flaws in them. So here's what I want from the both of you, angel girl you are to wield a greatsword and swing for at least 100 times."

"100 times?! But I'll be tired at that time!"

"Not my problem, take this." He took out a simple greatsword and threw it to her.

"Waahh!" she screamed as she caught the sword briefly before it could do anything to her. It was quite heavy due to her muscle being thin before walking away with a pout and a grumble face 'meanie.'

"As for you, swing this wooden sword two hundred times from all sides: downward, upward, all kinds until you feel it that you created a skill." He threw the Bokken at her as it hit her head and glared at him before picking up the sword and starting swinging. Siegfried looks at them before he sighed. "(Sigh) this is going to be a long time."

Koneko

Koneko had been paired with Medusa, who had a black cat that was on her shoulders. The two of them stood within a grassy field, far from civilization but filled to the brim with NATURE, something which gave Koneko the chills. Unlike Akeno, she had an idea as to why she had been brought to a place like this, and she didn't like it.

Once they were in the middle of the field, Medusa stopped there before she turned around towards the petite Rook, petting the black cat while asking the following: "Before we get to it, this princess will ask you this, are you willing to take any chance to achieve strength?"

"... Yes."

"Any means?" Medusa asked her "even with the Senjutsu your suppressed in you?"

Koneko paused for a bit as she dropped her head for a bit, her earlier instinctual fears proven true after all. In any other circumstance, she would downright refuse to ever learn about that tainted energy. It had caused her sister to go insane and nearly killed her indirectly.

However, with the problems that had been generated by Hell including its denizens, the other factions and the death of Kiba all combined themselves together within her mind. In the end, they had ended up forcing her to think about that very same question, way before coming here. Finally, she made a decision to make in order to protect her family. She brought her head up. "...Yes." She said as she released her nekoshou side, ears appearing on her head and a cat tail.

"Then if that's the case I won't be the one to train you." All of a sudden, Koneko's mind got flung out of its comfort zone at those unexpected, abrupt words. Medusa wasn't going to be the one training her? Who was and why? Didn't Vali assign Medusa to her for the purpose of training? Koneko obviously looked confused by what the red-haired snake princess meant before Medusa put the cat down and pointed at it. "She will."

Following those words, Medusa finally turned on her heels and walked away, leaving Koneko alone as she stared at the cat which stared back. That is, before it began to transform causing the petite Nekomata to realize that it was going to be one of her own kind that would be training her. Something which took a moment for her to properly grasp since the majority of her race were almost purged after the… incident with her sister. If they hadn't left the underworld, then they would've been extinct.

Wait a minute… black cat?

Could it be…?

Once the light show diminished the cat as no longer where it had been previously. Instead, there stood a beautiful young woman with a voluptuous figure, long black hair with split bangs, and hazel-gold eyes with cat-like pupils. Her attire consists of a black kimono, a yellow obi, a set of golden beads, and an ornately detailed headband. The kimono featured a red interior and it had been opened at her shoulders, giving view to her large breasts (which rivaled Akeno and Rias's boobs which had prompted her to curse those lumps of fat while resolving to drink lots of milk) "Hello….. Shirone." The woman declared, a small smile on her face which Koneko EASILY recognized, as if her identity wasn't already known to her at this point.

"... Kuroka." The white haired girl sneered at the person before her: Kuroka Toujou, her elder sister, the one who abandoned her. The one who had left her to almost be executed by the Devils out of fear of what she could potentially do to them like her sister had done. "How are you here? You disappeared a long time ago." It took all that she had in terms of willpower to NOT retreat and hiss like an animal releasing its urge to kill at the sight of the cause of a lot of her current inner turmoil.

Upon hearing that, Kuroka sighed before sitting down in front of her long lost sibling, doing her best to ignore the pain inside of her at how Koneko viewed her now. "I… I was hiding with the succubus faction when one of them befriended me." she replied, slowly. She also had her head lowered along with her cat ears drooped down to showcase her sadness further.

Something which failed to move Koneko any though that wasn't Kuroka's intention. Instead, the revelation that her sister had been with a race known for its ability to seduce even the most hard boiled of men into lust and depravity only served to stoke the flames of hatred within the small girl. "Is that what you've been doing all this time? Lusting for men when you abandoned me?" Needless to say, Koneko was starting to get angry at her. Well, angrier than she had been before especially since she had seen how there were women who lavished the attention they got from men like it was their only skill in life. It sickened her, and judging from how her sister was dressed it was obvious that she had taken some of their influence.

"I care about you Shirone, I really do….. But I couldn't take you with me, the life of the stray devil isn't suited for you."

"That doesn't explain it! You left me there to die, which was what WOULD have happened if Rias's brother hadn't saved me from execution! Where were you when I cried your name?! Where were you when you promised we would be together!?"

Kuroka was silent before she waved her hand and pulled out a set of documents as she gestured to Koneko to come over. Suspicious, the white haired nekomata narrowed her eyes for a ment, likely using her senses to see if there were signs of a trap nearby. Once she felt satisfied that there weren't any, she slowly and cautiously walked on over to Kuroka. "Read this and see why I had to kill our former master." Kuroka said as Koneko took the documents as she began to read through it.

There were multiple emotions in her as she was confused, shocked, surprised, scared and finally sadness. It finally reached a point where she dropped the documents that revealed the truth, the reason for everything that had happened back then. Unable to take it, she dropped her knees as tears were on her face. "All this time… all this time I…...I…." she could not even make a proper sentence without breaking as Kuroka hugged as she hugged her sister back. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I thought you….you….."

"It's not your fault Shirone, I had to leave you so you could get a better life you need, something you deserve not me." She said as tears appeared on her eyes as well.

The sisters were together as they hugged each other.

Observing them from behind a tree, Medusa stayed for a moment before she left but had a smile on her face.

A moment or two passed before the two girls pulled away from one another, although just by looking at their eyes one would be able to tell that both wished they could have stayed that way for longer. However, reality wasn't so nice to the two of them, and even with the situation cleared up between them, the damage to their relationship had already been done.

This was further compounded when, after a moment of awkward silence, Koneko started to speak. She didn't have the anger in her that she had before, no it had faded somewhat to be replaced by sadness and hurtful tone. "I….I could forgive you but… I can't, you left me for years."

Kuroka nodded at her reasoning, even if it hurt her inside knowing that her sister wouldn't trust her like she did before. She understood why, after all. Despite the intentions she had at the time, it was a fact that she had hurt her sister and that kind of pain didn't just fade away, no matter how much she wanted to. "I don't expect you to Shirone, it is partially my fault for that, but….. Can we start all over?"

Koneko stayed silent as they still embraced each other before she spoke. "It'll….. It will take time…. Before you have my trust back." She answered to her.

"I understand, do you want to be called Shirone?... Or Koneko?" She asked her sister as she thought about it. "Shirone was my…. Old life, Koneko is my new start as I'm used to it. But you can call me Shirone…...if you want."

"I understand."

A while later, Kuroka put aside those feelings and stood back up, taking a few steps backwards. "Vali instructed me in teaching you on our specialty, senjutsu. Are you ready for this? Because despite being sisters I won't go easy on you." she challenged, an intense look overcoming her gaze.

Initially put on guard by such a gaze, the image of her friends defeated and helpless back in the Loki incident hardened her resolve. As a result, a similar look formed over her eyes while Koneko nodded her head eagerly. "I am."

"Good, now-"

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

They heard a very loud painful scream as they looked at the direction as Koneko could hear that it was Issei as she was worried about him as he still screamed.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"

"Is that numb nut… going to be ok?"

Kuroka winced at the sound since it sounded pretty painful. "I…. don't know Koneko, despite being with him for a bit he is known to be very cruel when it comes to intense training."

Hearing that didn't ease Koneko's worries one bit, but it wasn't like she could change anything. Plus it had been Issei's idea to ask for training, so this was only to be expected. With these thoughts in her mind, the small girl stared into the distance with a sad expression where Issei had apparently been taken to. "Be careful Issei."

Issei

That would be something which Issei would need as he was dropped into a pond filled with holy water, screaming at the intense pain before he made to climb again as he has arrows on his body.

Vali was on top of the cliff as he stared at Issei. "You think this pain is worse?! Think again red dragon, there are other kinds of worse pain in the world! Now ignore it and climb! PULL!" Vali screamed as a bunch of Night Sentinels lined up on either side of him, pulled their arrows back. Each of them aimed at Issei before releasing their arrows upon him, it was luck and instinct that he managed to avoid them as he jumped left and right before he almost lost his grip on the rock before he managed to secure it. This was the fourth valley they made as Issei grabbed the arrow on top and used it to climb again.

If there was one important detail one should know about him, it would be that Vali was, by all means, a slave driver when it came to training. The proof of this showed itself in how he showed ZERO mercy to Issei with the intent to build up his endurance and pain tolerance so that in case holy water was used against him. The only reason why Issei had still remained alive at this point was that Vali had phenex tears, two of them which one was already used to stop the pain while the other would be saved for the last.

"Pull!" The hybrid screamed as they pulled back their bows before unloading another volley at the red dragon emperor, two of which impaling Issei's torso and arms.

"Guh! It… hurts….so bad!"

'Keep going partner! You're almost there!'

Ddraig said as Issei was close to the cliff as he was almost there before Vali stomped the cliff as it shook which caused Issei to lose his grip and fall down to the pool of holy water.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! THAT'S NOT FAIR!"

"YOU EXPECT YOUR ENEMIES TO BE FAIR, THE DEMONS ALSO?! NOTHING IS FAIR AROUND HERE! NO ONE IS! PULL!"

As Issei had to bear the pain, he quickly went to a nearby cave and took cover before arrows were shot at his previous spot. "(PANT)...(PANT)..." Issei panted as he grabbed the arrow on his arm before yanking it out causing blood to spill. "Agh! Ahh! Gaaahhh!" he pulled out all of the arrows as he rested for a bit as he took out a phenex tear. He stared at it before opening the cord and dripped the tear onto himself. Immediately he felt the effects kick in, with the physical proof being how the burn marks and the arrow wounds heal, but the internal pain was still there. He stayed there for a bit before Vali yelled out.

"ARE YOU GONNA HIDE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?! ARE YOU?! THEN YOUR A COWARD WHO CAN'T EVEN FACE REALITY! YOU CAN'T EVEN PROTECT EVERYONE! JUST LIKE YOU FAILED TO SAVE ONE OF YOUR KNIGHTS! YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO EVEN SAVE YOUR WEAKLING PARENTS WITH THAT LIMP DICK OF YOURS!"

This made Issei very mad as the anger was great that he wanted to punch Vali in the face for saying that.

"Balance breaker!"

{Welsh dragon! Scale mail!}

From all his built up rage, frustration, uselessness and intense DESIRE, Issei felt something within him rise up from his throat, the male not resisting it at all until he let out those two words. As a result, an automated version of Ddraig's voice rang out while the Boosted Gear's green gem erupted in a matching light, one which flared around him like a certain aura from a certain race of warrior beings once they scream loud enough. Following that scream, the gem spewed out a bunch of red lights, ones which circled around the hyoudou Devil until they shot towards various body parts. Upon closing in, they enveloped those body parts until with a flash, they solidified into parts of an armored suit made from scales:

The Balance Breaker: scale mail.

With the newly acquired Balance Breaker, he used his newly awakened dragon wings to fly up through the air. The night sentinels shot arrows at Issei when they saw this, but the male proved himself to be way too fast for them, to which in no time flat he managed to reach the top of the cliff where Vali waited for him. Upon seeing his mentor/torturer, Issei pulled his fist back before dashing towards Vali who stared at him, before he deflected the fist with a backhand then back flipped once, landing a few feet away before he summoned [Gammoth] and hit Issei, which sent him flying a bit far before he was impacted at the wall of the mountain as he laid there for a bit.

While he groaned in dismay at not being able to do anything even with his Balance Breaker, Vali appeared before him with his arms crossed under his chest, [Gammoth] nowhere to be seen and his Divine Dividing spread out for the whole world to see. "It is not too late for you to stop. You won't survive all this, red dragon." Vali said as he saw Issei struggling for a bit, staggering back to his feet while entering a fighting stance.

"I… won't give up….. I have…. To get strong….. In order to make….sure Buchou doesn't cry anymore…"

"Hmph, I see." Vali simply stated, raising his right hand to his eye level. Internally, he hoped to see how far his rival would endure (though he wouldn't deny the fact that he wanted to enjoy the pleasure of beating him up since he hated perverts like him).

SNAP!

(SNORT) ROOAR!

WOOF WOOF!

Night sentinels appeared as they held chains of two Argenta wolves, wolves that barked and roared at Issei. "These are Argenta wolves, bred to be warriors that stand by side with the strongest people. If you can show dominance to them, then they will acknowledge you."

WOOF WOOF!

They barked and growled as Issei stared at them before he nodded at Vali. "Do it."

"Hmm. Release them!" Vali said to the night sentinels as they released the wolves which then jumped at Issei who prepared to beat those wolves into submission.

Rias, Asia

"RRRRRRAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Rias and Asia, who stood within another part of the same yard that Akeno and Xun Er were training in, unknowingly followed Koneko's example when they stared off into the distance where they heard Issei's scream, both wincing while grappling with the urge to go help. As much as they had wanted to, they couldn't go help thanks to the barrier that had been formed around them.

Childe approached them as he dragged someone from the back collar of the coat. "Don't even bother, I knew you would try and go help your teammates but you have agreed with our conditions, which includes not interfering with Vali in his training." Childe said to them with a serious face.

"But he's getting hurt! My precious pawn! I can't allow that!" Rias yelled at him with a red aura around her.

"It's for his own good, he signed up for this the moment he asked for training. So get used to it." he said to them. As a night sentinel they wouldn't ever accept the condition that if one was weak, they would never have the glory of being a night sentinel. They were born and raised to be warriors, they would have the honor and glory to die in the battle.

"But…...but."

"No buts girl, do you want to get strong, or do you want to stay weak forever?" he asked them as Rias bit her lips as she raised her fist before dropping it and her aura dispersed. She and Asia nodded sadly.

"Good, since both of you are specialized in magic, you with that power of destruction and you with healing. Unfortunately, we don't have someone in that category for our group. Fortunately, I have a solution for that." he explained, smirking darkly while he picked up the person he had dragged into the yard.

The person looked to be in a daze still, but that didn't change the fact that the girls knew who this person was. "Azazel-sensei?!"

"Uhhhhh."

"So you do know this idiot. Good. Now..."

SLAP!

"OW! What was that for?!" Azazel squeaked, holding the side of his face which had a large red hand mark on it, all while glaring at Childe.

One which the brown haired Night Sentinel returned with a dismissive gaze. "One you are a pervert which I hate." he said to him. The reason how they had been able to catch Azazel was simple, they just simply said that they had…. Gabriels tits pictures for him. He had instantly teleported to their base before he was knocked out by Jin with his staff. "And two, we need you to train these two girls." he pointed to Rias and Asia.

Seeing them, Azazel had his hand on his chin before he spoke. "It won't be easy in training both of them you know. I'm a busy man." he explained, trying to be all professional, serious and all that stuff.

Shame none of it pulled the wool over Childe's eyes. "Busy man my ass. We know you always slack off every chance there is."

"Hey come on man, respect this old man."

"Do it or else." he said to him darkly, his bloodlust and desire to rip this man's testicles off rising by the second.

Azazel shivered before he whined. "Ahhh fine I will, but I will have to take both of them to Grigori (and hopefully, study that sacred girl the nun has)." he replied to him, whispering the last part. What, he was a curious person when it came to sacred gears and their quirks, sue him.

"Fine, but when they are back, we expect to see some results." Childe said to him before he let go of Azazel.

Now that he had been freed, the fallen angel leader mumbled something under his breath while he massaged his throat and coat. Once he did all this, the man finally got to his feet before he waved his hand as a magic circle appeared before them. "Come on you two lets go." he gestured to both of them as they looked at the circle before walking to it.

What Azazel hadn't mentioned was that he HAD made plans for the Gremory group for their training regime but since they wanted to go to Vali for training, he had respected their wishes. At least, now he could train the two of them and hopefully they would get strong enough so that they can fight against hell and its upcoming forces, because he knew that they won't rest until they get what they want.