Slay the Temptation II

"Are you sure about this one, Senpai?" spoke the Envoy of the Crimson Luster to the first of the wolf clan. Reina could do naught but smile at that man's unique mix of casual indifference and respect for her skill.

Placing a thoughtful hand on her chin, the great assassin spoke her peace, "But of course – it would be unwise to march into battle without knowledge of where each of my allies stands. If Sakinah is ever resurrected, I will need those who stand with me to be in top condition."

It had been far too long since the last time Reina felt the thrill of combat. However, that thirst for a challenge would be met by the war that would ravish the cosmos in no more than a mere five days.

"That much is understandable, but all of us simultaneously?" Vesta voiced her thoughts as she walked alongside the rest of Team AKARA. In a subtle flash of rose-colored light, the girl shifted into her battle armor. The White Wolf seemed ready for a new start after being in a coma for so long.

"It'll be fun to fight the former Goddess of Death," Akame silently added while nodding to herself.

"Oho? It seems my kouhai wishes to test me," Reina mused.

The battle stage took the form of a great mountain summit that stood far above the clouds. Reina elected to stay at the center of this simulation with her sheathed blade planted firmly in the ground whilst her hands gracefully stood atop its pommel.

"Mor– I mean Reina, do I have to participate? You already have a pretty good grasp of what I can and can't do," Raizo inquired out of curiosity.

"This is a team exercise. Even if I already know your capabilities well, it will be interesting to analyze how they apply in a group setting," she specified. All present nodded in unison.

"Listen – Team AKARA thus far has been a very unorthodox combat unit. Though you are a team at heart, each of you carries a lot of firepower and skill which often means each standalone member could be considered worth far more than an entire army. Individually each of you shines the most in an open battlefield where you can act fully unhinged such as when you fought the Demon God Pillars. Your experience working as a cohesive unit is limited to a few encounters. We have five days to get rid of all the baggage in our personal lives and maximize team efficiency as much as possible."

With those words spoken the entire team assumed their fighting stances. Akaro called forth Svarog with a wave of his hand, Akame unsheathed her Murasame, Adena wielded her fiery saber, Raizo brought out Nirvana once more in her Eclipse blade form, and Vesta elected to use a simple naginata. Last but not least, Kimiko brought out her twin knives whilst trading stares with the Ruler of Cocytus.

"The rules are simple: if any of you manage to score a single blow on me—no matter how insignificant—while working together then you pass the test. Also if you manage to make me move from the center of this summit you also pass. If not and I defeat all of you, we restart," she clarified finally giving way for the fighting to commence.

Taking the lead, Akame readied her poisoned blade for a thrusting motion.

"A&D formation. Vesta with me!" she ordered.

Almost in that very same instant, the young girl caught up to Akame and prepared to stab right through Reina.

"I see…"

Reina remained motionless. She immediately took notice of the other members in the back. Akaro and Kimiko stood in front of Addy and Raizo defending them as the two readied their strikes. Soon after this, a massive fire construct in the form of a phoenix emerged from behind the defenders and flew upward before exploding into a cascading flow of fire blades aimed at the Queen of Cocytus.

Akame and Vesta suddenly changed directions – now aiming to circle around their target in order to limit her potential escape routes.

"Clever Akame… an uncoordinated direct assault would be foolish so they hope to trap me in a box and rain swords on it," Reina calmly took in the situation.

"Still… all I need to do is use Siphoning Fate — no, wait a minute… this is too simple. They are expecting me to go for that technique, are they not? Then that means… Nirvana huh?" she thought before giving away a smile.

Like a ballerina flowing into a stationary dance, Reina instinctively dodged the oncoming rain of fire like it barely concerned her. However, that tranquility soon vanished once she quickly unsheathed her blade and bent her knees into a battle-ready stance.

"Not good enough rival of mine!"

Something changed. The speed at which Reina had drawn her blade seemed wrong somehow, like she removed the action of drawing entirely and skipped to having the weapon in hand.

"Mugen, sen-mai no Arashi!" she proclaimed as her weapon swung horizontally through the air going over a full 360-degree angle. The blade, however, seemed to be missing altogether.

In the following second, the blade materialized again as sparks of hellfire could be seen along its extended length.

"A solid plan…an attack on all fronts disguising the true killing blow. Very few could have seen that coming from another realm, but that will not be good enough against her, Reina chuckled whilst putting it bluntly only to then perform a sudden yet notably graceful horizontal swing of her blade.

"Wind Stance: Boundless, Storm of One-Thousand Blades…"

The attack flowed endlessly like a relentless wave. In an instant all members of Team AKARA found themselves assailed by an onslaught of invisible slashes that came like a violent, spewing rain from every angle. Addy and Raizo were the initial targets. Howling in agony, the couple fell to the ground. Though not meant to kill, the force nonetheless hamstrung their limbs for the time being.

Vesta was the next one to go down, her naginata split apart and her clothing was chopped up in various spots. Without the energy from the large collection of Indra's Judgments she devoured, the girl was restricted to a support role. The pain inflicted by Reina's blade rendered her immobile, yet unlike the aforesaid two the White Wolf only collapsed on one of her knees.

Akame, Akaro, and Kimiko were a different story, however. The first two strengthened their bodies to withstand the blooming agony by way of numbing all sense of pain through sheer mental fortitude and mastery of oneself. Kimiko, on the other hand, shut her crimson eyes and breathed in deeply.

"Ah yes… To eliminate all thought and presence, to renew an oath to the shadows and become both the immovable object and unstoppable force. In my time such was the burden of the first to bear the burden of hiding in darkness to serve the light."

Reina's heart was enveloped in a passing sense of affectionate pride and would only come to grips with the reality around her when she instinctively met Akame's blade halfway through a hefty swing meant to break her balance. The embodiments of death were soon afterward locked eye to eye as Murasame and Kanemitsu pushed against each other creating sparks in the air.

"You almost had me off guard there… I was having a proud Senpai moment," Reina casually conceded whilst she effortlessly held her weapon deadlocked against Akame's blade with no more than one hand and a light grip. Still, the Red-Eyed Killer lingered in complete silence, her gaze firm and both of her hands persistent on keeping the Sovereign's sword busy.

The cursed markings of Murasame became visible on Akame's skin as she added that trump card in to boost her strength, but Reina wouldn't budge.

"Keeping me immobilized so Akaro can strike my back? Perhaps on a weak foe that would work, but that is not good enough…"

Raising her open palm toward the Envoy, the dark-skinned swordswoman smirked playfully.

"I will not hold back against you dear child… Fire Stance: Yume no Haretsu!"

A beam of concentrated energies composed of all elements under Reina's command shot out of the ruler's palm. Most prominent among them was an all-encompassing and tantalizing mixture of black outlines and golden fire.

"I don't plan to disappoint!"

Akaro launched forward like a missile. His hair shifted to a vermilion coloring akin to Adena's as he passed through his opponent's attack unfazed by its stream of elements. Devoid of doubt or hesitation, Akaro sent Svarog's dominant swing down upon his preoccupied target.

"A valiant effort! Water Stance: Okami no Shutsugen!" Reina enunciated in an enthusiastic manner. Suddenly a perfect copy of her blade took shape out of the humidity in the atmosphere. It was no mere liquid construct, but rather a precise replica transmogrified into existence.

The two instruments of combat met shaking the very core of that small singularity. Yet even with Akame and Akaro pushing her on both sides, Reina continued undefeated and rooted in the middle of the mountain summit.

"Come now you two… this is boorish. Push my blade all day long and I shall not move a hairsbreadth. To best me, more grandly to best Sakinah, you must prevail over the impossible," she stated boldly and honestly.

Alas, Akame conveyed something close to a smile catching Reina by surprise. It was there and then that the Conqueror of Purgatory returned to the peaceful image of Kimiko whose eyes were shut tightly.

"She is—..."

"Right in front of you…"

The deep, deadpan, and decidedly intense voice of Kimiko Hanate came to Reina's ears in that odd moment just as the stationary image of the girl perceived by her eyes faded away. In its place the Legendary Master Assassin appeared, now with matching knives mere centimeters away from the sovereign's neck.

Endless scenarios played in Reina's mind:

"An illusion? No something that simple would not affect me. The Eye of Fiction… yes. She set this up from the beginning by weaving fate itself. A predetermined outcome where her blade would bring about my end…

Intangibility? Teleportation? No, those knives will deliver death even if it has to strike through the future.

Perhaps Siphoning Fate? No luck… that won't absorb purely physical strikes.

No matter how you look at it…"

Within her mind's eye, Reina saw her destiny written down behind Kimiko's blades. Death, pure and simple.

"Team AKARA… to think I could be pushed this far."

Left with no other option a single thought turned into words:

"Partial Manifestation! Ultima Stance: Zentai no Michi!" she once more defied fate itself with a powerful shout. The trio was then propelled backward like paperweights till they hit the ground back first. Reina's eyes radiated intensely as a non-corporeal entity whose dimmed silhouette matched that of a six-armed Tengu emerged behind her.

Akaro grunted in slight pain and frustration as he got back up on his feet. Likewise, his two female companions did the same in their own time. Kimi, in particular, looked almost impressed.

"Alright then… playtime is over."

Taking a deep breath, the woman renowned in her world as an assassin whom always ends a fight in a singular strike smiled as her dark brown hair grew a tone lighter and those iconic scarlet irises she had always possessed became a clear, silver-like blue. More outstanding was the fact her leather jacket seemed to weave itself into a longer, crimson coat whilst her kimono was seemingly transmuted into a two-toned (dark blue and black) skin-tight suit that was worn with a long, black scarf; a dark gray, corset-style leather breastplate, shoulder and knee pads with spikes; and with boots that sported metal heels and toes, alongside black fingerless gloves. Last but not least, the girl's hair grew in length and now draped over her back akin to how she looked in Akasha's body yet not quite as long.

"It has been a while since I've had the chance to fight someone without restraint," Kimiko gleamed.

"I do aim to please," Reina shot back playfully.

"If you're gonna start pulling out JoJo Stands then I'm not gonna play fair either, Senpai," Akaro conversed before being enraptured in the iconic luster of Boundless Zen mode.

"Full power it is," Akame inferred only to then echo her comrades and unleash her full might. Pitch black angelic wings blossomed out of her back ripping holes in her vest and her skin became gray in coloring. Couple that with the black sclera and glowing bright red irises she now sported, the famous killer could be misinterpreted as being an Angel of Death.

"And don't forget about us…" Adena's tired voice was heard when she walked up to the assassin triad carrying a recovering Raizo over her shoulder. Ingrained in the blazing royal purple aura of the Dragonheart state, the fiery girl grinned while the white flames of healing blessed the youthful man's body.

Taking in a deep breath and slowly standing up on his own two feet, Raizo felt a spark deep within.

"Let's try this again with a little bit of a twist...Resonate! Soul of the Storm!"

The golden aura from earlier returned to wrap around his vessel, yet there was a particular change. His irises did not change to a twist of gold and garnet, but to the argent color of his inexperienced mystic eyes present when he fought against the revived Gilgamesh. All present gazed proudly over how far Raizo came in order to bring out Relepagus' strength not once, but twice without the pain it brought to the body of a mortal body.

"The original five legends of Team AKARA in their ample radiance… I'm amazed, truly. Now show me the full extent of your legacy!" Reina rejoiced.

"Miracle Seeker…" Akaro uttered.

Behind the Envoy a great wall of Resplendent Will Teigu armed with Gungnir as arrows strengthened by his thaumakinesis manifested.

"Mirai Ryūsei Ken!" Akame added to her husband's weapons bolstering their miracles with predictions and countermeasures for every possible defensive method or escape route Reina might utilize. It was truly a certain kill combination — miracles and probability merged together as one to ensure a certain outcome out of infinite possibilities.

"Let's see you stop this one," Kimiko remarked, her control over vectors keeping Reina immobile.

But that was not all…

"Kieru sen!" Raizo yelled out fortifying the arrows with his Primordial lightning.

"Tengoku… Those Who Burn For Eternity!" Adena furthermore added her own power to the growing combination of attacks. Hers, in particular, was the very concept of fire used to induce the absolute and complete burning of one's existence.

"They are really not holding anything back anymore…" Reina thought.

"Miracle Convergence!" Akaro held his red blade up high.

At his command, the wall of bows and spears became flashes of deep, fiery red energy which encapsulated themselves along the length of Svarog. The blade itself no longer possessed a physical form instead being more akin to a free flowing flame.

"Guren Ryū no Issen!" he shouted adding his ultimate technique to the fusion attack only to alas cross the distance between himself and Reina in the blink of an eye.

With the spectacular glimmer of the Crimson Dragon in hand, the Red-Eyed Hero leaped high above before swinging his enhanced blade down upon the target. Almost in tandem, the six-armed Tengu standing behind Reina fully manifested revealing its large and imposing muscular frame and the six blades he wielded. Each was composed of one element under Reina's command: Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Void, and Heaven. These blades flowed into an X-guard with three weapons on each side.

"RAHHHHH!" the roars of both parties resonated like an overpowering song.

Their clash gave life to a tantalizingly beautiful omni-directional explosion that spanned the entire color spectrum. Akin to the image of a large, blooming lotus, the entire singularity became ground zero for an incident comparable to the birth of the World.

Akaro let go of Svarog and was sent flying out of bounds while the rest of Team AKARA were sent backward by the intense shockwave. Though Kimi lessened the impact somewhat by enveloping the group with vector barriers.

In the aftermath of the blast, plumes of smoke could be seen rising off of the scorched land, yet even so there she was. The silhouette of the indomitable queen was seen in the distance as the debris gradually cleared away. Reina was exhausted, breathing heavily, but nonetheless unscathed and still in the same spot which was now in the middle of a massive crater.

"I would not expect anything less from my Senpai," Akame flew above the crater and looked down upon it. Likewise, Adena, Raizo, and Kimiko encircled its edges. Akaro took a little while to show up, but he eventually was warped back into the scene by the system.

"Wait a minute, where is—…"

"Guh…" Reina gasped as blood came out of her lips and an intense pain befell her hip where a broken naginata's blade was now lodged in.

"Game over…" Vesta put it bluntly as her visage unexpectedly revealed itself beside the woman.

"How?" she queried. In response, the White Wolf merely looked toward Akaro and Kimiko.

"Any movement creates vectors, even photons of light. Once Vesta was sidelined, all we needed to do was get you too busy to notice me bending the light around her body to render her invisible," Kimi clarified.

"And from there it was a matter of buying our hidden blade here the time to erase her presence and get in the finishing blow," Akaro concluded.

"Superb… you six took advantage of your unique strengths and worked around the handicaps I placed on myself to best me. Victory is truly yours this time."

Reina looked happy as she wiped the blood off of her lips and removed the blade from her hip only to toss it aside. Abruptly the battle scenario reset itself back to how it was at the start of the match.

"You see though… now we can proceed to the next exercise. This time around you must land a single hit on me like before; however, I'm now allowed to move freely," she designated the next stage of the training rather promptly.

The group collectively exchanged looks at one another as she proposed the next challenge. Before they could even have the chance to voice their opinions, it was already too late. Like a flowing tide the woman once recognized as the Blade of Akasha sped past the members of Team AKARA whacking them on the back of their necks using the blunt end of her blade. They fell like dominoes one after the other, a pained look present in their eyes. The transformed combatants in the group even forcefully regressed back to their base states due to the agony.

"Come on… none of you can rest till I am confident you can stand up to Sakinah. As you are now, Team AKARA will be lucky to last a minute."

They whined in response with a collective long sighs full of hurt prides and pain. Reina was like an eager mother educating her children about the gloomy reality waiting just around the corner. From the outset of this sparring match her goal was to better comprehend their prowess as a unit and though the results were favorable there was still no way they could stand up to the imminent threat.

"That said… it has been a great many millennia since I had to use over 75% of my power to attain victory," she thought with a smile and renewed hope in the current generation.

*****

Time: 20:00 P.M.

Time seemed to drag on for an eternity during their stint of training; however, after hours upon hours of grueling training, the day finally came to an end. Sweaty, battered, and beaten, Team AKARA was finally allowed to breathe after Reina's long, gruesome boot camp. After giving them the opportunity to breathe, the original five team members alongside Vesta fell out on the floor as the simulation came to an end.

"You all did well to survive to this point. We shall conclude today's exercises. I recommend a nice meal and a relaxing bath to sooth yourselves. We shall continue this tomorrow," Reina instructed whilst flicking the dust of her blade and tucking it into her sheath before it disappeared.

"Ah man...finally, but I don't think I can move a muscle at the moment," sighed the Crimson Envoy in relief.

"It's been a long time since I was pushed to such an extent," Akame nodded in agreement with a curt sigh.

"It was still a good workout," Kimiko shrugged ever so casually.

"Oi Aneki, stop being so cool for once. You got your fair share of spanking too," Addy called out.

"I think we all got tossed around a few too many times," Vesta confessed.

"Yeah...now you all know how I felt for an entire year in Purgatory," Raizo said whilst rolling his eyes.

"Well...we should take the chance to get cleaned up before we do anything else. Why not turn this room into a massive hot spring? That way everyone can join together. Besides, I'm sure the others are wondering what the hell we've been doing all day," Akaro expressed.

"That is true. We should make it up to our allies where we can," Akame nodded in agreement.

"Aniki, most of the people here are women. It's only you, Dad, Genjuro-san, Sakuya-kun and myself that are the males in the building...so like, how's that gonna work?" Raizo asked.

"We can divide it up between the men and the women, but your old man will probably stay by Lucy's side and Genjuro looks like the type to just hold off until later on. As for the other guy, pretty sure he'll get locked in a room or something; he looks like that type...it'll just be me and you," Akaro responded with a slight grin.

"Aniki, you're not planning anything weird are you? Last thing that needs to happen is some weird incidents and misunderstandings going on..."

"Bro, come on…I'm saddened you think of me in such a light."

"Oi Babe, there is nothing wrong with wanting to explore the luscious utopia that is a naked woman's body. Embrace it dammit!" Adena called out.

"My bestie understands," Akaro replied with a thumb's up.

"Ah yes, the man of culture strikes again," the redhead smirked yielding the same gesture.

"Someone stop these two…their perverted ways is making my brain tremble," Vesta sighed.

"I'm too tired to make threats at the moment," Akame chimed in.

"No need kouhai, I have this under control. Akaro, Adena, tomorrow when our exercises begin, I shall be beating you two first," Reina expressed nonchalantly.

"EHHHH?!!!" the duo remarked together.

"Serves you right," Kimiko spoke frankly.

"Anyways...so...someone should go make an announcement or something," Raizo directed.

"I got this. And I'll get everything set up on this end so no worries," the Envoy said whilst finding the strength to stand up to head to the nearby communication's terminal and send the base-wide message.

"I've got an awkward feeling about this...I'm just gonna wait outside in the hallway or something," the youth expressed whilst gradually rising up to his feet to slowly make his way out the room.

As he exited, the other remaining females got to their feet and moved over to the side as the room began to show signs of change. In an instant, the simulation chamber transformed into that of a massive open-air hot spring under the light of a clear night sky occupied by the light of the stars and the full moon. There was a definitive rock formation that separated the sides of the waters between pits for the men and women along with stacks of towels and soaps to use.

Once the arrangements were made, just about everyone currently occupying Chaldea came to the chambers where the baths awaited them. Elfnein stayed in the lab with Genjuro at her side whom forced Sakuya to remain as well. Nightingale and Mercer never once left Lucy's side either. Therefore those who came in response to the summons were: all of the Heroic Spirits minus Nightingale, the Symphogear users, Hikari, Esdeath, and Inari. Add in Adena, Kimiko, Vesta, and Reina whom already took it upon themselves to take their dips ahead of everyone else, the bath was indeed full of women. Feeling his ethical side dominating his sense of choice, Akaro exited the room as well and waited outside the chambers alongside his little brother.

As the women bathed, it was mostly small-talk. Some topics of discussion involved discussing what life was like for the Symphogears in their world, questions involving the life of the Heroic Spirits during their times when they were alive in history, and so on. Then there was some playful topics regarding looks and a rather amusing stint that involved the comparison of breast size between some of the bustier women in the bath.

"I'm telling you, there's nothing wrong with showing off your girls a bit. Never know when it might work to your advantage!" Adena grinned.

"Finally someone gets it! I sail the high seas with these cannons on display and my crew never bothered me about it. Besides, it gets hot in the sun so gotta keep yourself cool," Francis Drake regarded.

"Admittedly, they can definitely sway the hearts of weak-minded men too..." Semiramis smirked slyly.

"They are definitely attention grabbers, that much is certain. Though it can get out of hand sometimes," Maria sighed heavily.

"Yeah you know how many times I was asked to hang out with jerk-offs back home?" Chris remarked in dismay.

"I concur, especially when you do not desire the attention of said individuals and you've dedicated your life to a higher purpose," Jeanne said whilst clasping her hands.

"You say that as if you didn't get distracted by a certain someone already….idiot sister," Jalter sneered from the side.

"At least yours aren't obscenely oversized like a certain ogre of a woman I know," Shuten-douji teased in regards to the long-haired Berserker.

"Ara, I sense that trash needs to be taken out once again," Raikou said in response.

"Well...to be fair, yours are like...really damn big," Adena noted.

"Yeah she's bigger than me," Drake casually confessed.

"I feel like there is no point in even jumping into this conversation," Artoria looked down before casting a sigh of annoyance.

"It's okay Father, who cares about tits anyway?" Mordred tried to comfort.

"Jiii..." Shirabe stared down at her own chest before blushing.

"It's okay Shirabe-chan, who cares about the difficult stuff, desu!" Kirika tried to cheer her up.

"Akatsuki-chan, perhaps you are the wrong one to say this given your own size," Tsubasa said plainly.

"Tsubasa-san..." Hibiki attempted to reach out.

"Tachibana-san, you are no different either. For you are developed too."

"Ehhh?!!!"

"Breasts are nice and all, but remember that you have thighs to consider too," Inari smirked.

"Don't forget the ass too, that's another area that can draw attention too," Vesta added her opinion.

"Why is this honestly a topic of discussion right now? Especially when it doesn't matter what you have when your ideal partner may have different tastes than what you have on display?" Esdeath clicked her tongue in her mouth in irritation.

"Well...it is entertaining either way, carry on," Hikari insisted.

"Maidens in their savage season, how entertaining. Too bad they don't understand the power of a mature woman's charm," Akame chuckled.

"Kids, what can you do?" Kimiko shrugged with a deadpan expression.

"Random question, what do the brothers prefer?" Scathach spoke out of nowhere from the side.

"Yeah...what does Senpai like?" Altera pushed the notion further.

In that instant, all of the women in the bath drew silent. Some of their faces were filled with embarrassment, others with a starving desire to know the tastes of their respective love interests. A new battlefield just opened up.

"This is getting ridiculous. All of you, be quiet and enjoy the bath before I get upset and decide to dish out appropriate punishments," Reina expressed calmly.

"Oho, what's the matter? The storied Queen of Cocytus feeling left out because of her old age? Careful now, getting jealous of younger women will just create more wrinkles for you," Esdeath joked with some ill intent.

This stiffened the expressions of most of those in the room as all eyes fell on Reina whom took a deep breath before standing up in the water exposing her curvaceous, yet toned body, ample bosom, smooth hips, flawless tanned skin, and long-flowing hair.

"I do not need to boast about anything in regards to my body. I was perfect enough to be chosen by Akasha...meanwhile you were perfect enough to become recycled goods. Besides, there is more than one way to a man's heart that goes far beyond big breasts or a big ass and a smile. You should try getting a personality first and figure that out. Maybe then your conditioner game will be on point like mine. But that is none of my business," the Sovereign expressed elegantly before getting out of the water to head over to the nearby shower to lather her body in soap to finish washing up.

Then all at once, the response from the girls in the bath came forth like a clap of thunder:

"OHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

Some time passed before the girls began to exit the room one after the other. Raizo and Akaro were just chilling outside around the corner keeping an eye out before electing to enter themselves.

"You know the bath is segregated by a wall right?" Akaro asked.

"Yes...but do you honestly want to hear conversations we probably shouldn't?" Raizo countered.

"You make a valid point. But hey, who knows, maybe they'll try to peak at us," he chuckled.

"You gotta be kidding me right? That's...just...I mean I'd expect that's what you would want to do...or something," the youth blushed.

"Lil' bro, if I wanna see something, I'm gonna see it with enhanced eyesight. Besides, some of those women in there I've already seen naked...in more than one setting."

"I...don't even want to know who. Long as it wasn't...oh screw it, I don't care."

"Okay I haven't seen Vesta, Inari, Senpai, Semiramis, Raikou, and the Symphogears naked at least...just to put you at ease."

"Oi, that's not what I was….wait you didn't say Adena. You saw Addy naked?!"

"Well...not by choice. She kinda regenerated from ash and was naked so. It was totally by accident."

"I'm surrounded by lewd people..."

"Oh shut up, we both know you're a little sex crazed tsundere when you want to be. You can't tell me you and Reina-senpai didn't do anything yet."

"We haven't idiot! And besides...she's my Ancestor...and my scythe so...that'd be all sorts of wrong."

"Yeah okay...but you and Vesta fucked and she's technically your sister."

"That's...that's speedster nonsense. I don't think it'll happen again anyway. I mean...I care for Vesta-chan, but...pretty sure that incident just happened due to Stormbringer nonsense so...yeah. That door is closed..."

"Uh-huh...whatever you say, kiddo."

After some more time passed, the two males peeked around the corner and saw a rather large group of women leaving the chamber. To that end, they inferred that the coast was clear for them to enter the baths. As they passed through the threshold, the steam in the room wafted out thus blocking their view. Regardless, the two headed to the male's side of area just in case. After stripping away their sweating clothes, the two brothers entered the warm waters and sat about five feet apart taking time to enjoy the warmth of the water.

"Man, Senpai is something else to be able to mop the floors with us like that," Akaro chuckled.

"Yeah, she's insanely strong. I mean...I saw a bit of her power in Cocytus, but I had no idea she had the ability to just route all of us with some of our strongest techniques," Raizo nodded in agreement.

"Heh...you've got one hell of a partner, that's for sure."

"Indeed, it's surprising really. I mean, I never realized just how amazing of a person was traveling with me the whole time inside a scythe no less."

"At least you can say that was one good thing to come out of your visit to Purgatory."

"I suppose so…" Raizo said whilst turning his gaze towards the moon in silence.

"What happened to you down there anyway? You never told me..."

"That's right...well...the worst of it happened to me when my soul passed into the threshold of that realm. It was a series of visions that I had that seemed so real that I was confused on what the definition of reality was."

Raizo began to open up and told the story of the hell he endured involving those nightmares involving his family. He spoke of each scenario vividly describing the details of the scenes he saw and what was done to him as a result. He didn't spare a single picture as he confided in his older brother to which the Envoy could only afford to listen until the very end.

"And that's about it. After Mora...I mean, Reina-san came for me...life pretty much got significantly better. I was under her care, I spent time with the Cardinal Four, explored Cocytus, and so on. Someone named Lilith tried to come after me along with the Seven Evils of Humanity, but they were dealt with rather easily. After that, I just trained until Conquest came followed by Hikari and you."

"Damn lil' bro...that's just...wow. I can't believe you went through all of that. I'm just...at a loss really. I mean, to think you'd see me put you through the World of Blood…"

"Well as if I could even remotely hurt Aka-sensei anyway...or any incarnation of her at all. I mean, that thought alone is what kept me from believing in it."

"And Rin with Adena is just downright nauseating. Dude...if my bestie ever even harbored any feelings for that fuckstick, I'd boot her ass off the team real fucking quick."

"Heh heh, she'd probably self-destruct at that point...I mean come on...her with Rin? She'd sooner marry Zephyria or Inari before that happens."

"Exactly...haha, fuckboys never win in this house."

"Yeah...heh heh..."

"But you never have to worry about any of that happening man, we're here for you. You know that, right?"

"Of course, Aniki...but it's just...that final moment seeing HER...of all people. If...if she ever gave up on me, then what would be the point of my existence? Honestly, that's what gave me the chills the most. I mean...ever since then, I've felt off about it. Granted when I faced The Architect, I was sure of myself and my belief in her. But...that small tangent of doubt wants to exist."

"Have you talked to Kimiko about this?"

"No...you're the first person I've told my story of Purgatory to. Besides, for some reason...it feels like Onee-sama isn't herself at the moment either…"

"We all went through a lot when we thought we lost you. Addy went through it pretty damn badly, but Kimi had it the worst. It'll be best for you to talk to them sooner rather than later before it's too late."

"Yeah...you're right about that."

The two brothers got quiet again for a moment before faint sounding footsteps against the wet stone echoed out. In that moment, the two of them turned to find an astonishing sight. It was the visages of two women completely without covering on their bodies. One with dark skin and fairly soft curves with different tattoo-like markings on her body; the other with paler skin and more voluptuous curves with long, purple hair clinging to her shape.

"Scathach, Altera, what are you two doing here?" Akaro asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah...um..." Raizo blushed as he turned his eyes away.

"Sorry to disrupt gentlemen, but we should talk about the current situation," the former Queen of the Land of Shadows declared while her companion remained nervous and silent.

"This couldn't wait till after we got out of the bath?" the Envoy pressed.

"Not even remotely. It's rather urgent so listen well. We Heroic Spirits are running low on mana. Without the Arcana Grail to provide us with proper sustenance, it is only a matter of time before all of us will eventually fade away and return to the Throne of Heroes. If that happens, you shall lose a significant number of allies in the battle to come. After talking about it at length with the other ladies, we've rummaged through every possibility for what to do to rectify this situation. As a result, the only reasonable, ethical, and convenient matter of obtaining the proper amount of power we need to sustain ourselves can only be supplied by strong figures of the opposite sex that possess exceedingly above all normal definitions of vigor and prowess. To surmise, we need you both."

"Scathach...are you absolutely sure about this? And it's not some hair-brained scheme of yours just to get what you want?" Akaro asked as he already knew what she meant.

"It's true Akaro-senpai, there's no other way. We have to...c-copulate and receive your energy to continue on," Altera blushed.

"Oh boy...this is awkward," Akaro said before looking over to Raizo.

"What? I don't get it. What's going on?" the boy asked.

"The Heroic Spirits are lacking energy to maintain their physical presence in the world. Without the Grail to give them energy, they have been running on backup power for an entire month or so. Now they are at their wits' end. The only way to restore their power is to give them a little jolt of energy from sufficient sources of energy. In this case, it would be me and you..."

"So...how exactly do we...do that?"

"Well lil' bro...one of the most efficient ways to give mana to servants is by physical intimacy...especially with female servants and male masters...or just a strong male partner in general. In other words, you and I need to have sex with the ladies."

"EHHH?!! You've gotta be kidding me! I mean...I get you and all...you're more than enough on that front. But me? Hell no, that's not even remotely possible. I mean...just because I'm living and I got some new tricks doesn't mean I can act as a damn battery charger. I'll just go ahead and get out of here...you go ahead, Aniki," Raizo declared as he got up from his seat and proceeded to reach for a towel to prepare to exit.

"I appreciate your faith in my strength bud, but there's no way I can just supply mana for every single Heroic Spirit in this base. Besides, the potency is better for the servant when they have great affinity with their partner. You think I can seriously give mana to Raikou, Semiramis, and Nightingale whom haven't really given me the time of day outside of mandatory conversation?" Akaro expressed.

"Well...no...I can't do that. You're just gonna have to find a way, Aniki."

Raizo attempted to continue to leave, but Scathach stepped in front of his path unashamed of her naked visage.

"Um...excuse me," the youth said whilst raising a hand up over his eyes.

"What's the matter boy? Are you afraid that you can't handle a woman like me or Altera? Well...going off of what I'm saying, we're probably not missing much anyway," Scathach taunted.

"Tch...please...as if you even remotely interest me. You remind me way too much of someone back home. Aniki can take care of you, but don't even think you can have any part of me," Raizo replied whilst walking around her with his towel wrapped around his waist. It was then Altera's turn to stop him.

"Senpai..."

"Altera."

"I know this is a lot to ask...but...please, we need your help...I need your help. If you don't want to believe in Miss Lancer...then believe in me please? And besides...I...I like you a lot so...I wouldn't mind if it was with you."

"B-But...I'm not really...sure I can even help you in that way. I'm...I'm not as strong as I used to be," the youth professed nervously.

"Lil' Bro, you're stronger than you give yourself credit. I mean, you pulled out Soul of the Storm twice during training without Indra. You're way different than you were before," Akaro said as he proceeded to exit the bath.

Raizo sighed heavily whilst rustling his hair and casting his gaze towards the Great King of Destruction with one eye; then he turned to Scathach whom was smirking at the boy.

"As much as I don't like this idea...I'd hate to see friends disappear. So...I guess I can try to help..."

"Good, good. Well Altera-chan, you can take Raizo first...and I'll take Akaro. Then we can consider trading," Scathach proposed.

"Eh?! Wait...I thought affinity played a role in this?!"

"Oh, I'm sorry...well it does, but you see...I'm a Celtic woman at heart. One strong male specimen isn't enough for my appetite. And besides, I took quite a fancy to you not too long ago. Now then...shall we begin?"

Without delay, the purple-haired female then strutted her way towards Akaro as he stepped out of the water. She instantly pressed her full-figure against the man's chiseled torso grinding her breasts against him while her fingers traced down his mighty muscles down to his obscured organ between his legs.

"You sure aren't wasting time," Akaro smirked whilst being intrigued by the woman's directness.

"I'm a woman who knows exactly what she wants when she wants it. Beating around the bush is for little girls. Besides, you knew this was going to happen at some point since you came to the office the other day attempting to bait me."

"Fair enough, but don't blame me if you wind up addicted after tonight."

The famous lancer merely revealed a smug grin as she received the challenge with great anticipation. Without further delay, she began to wrap her hand around Akaro's cock whilst beginning to stroke it in order to arouse him immediately. Her technique for handling 'spears' revealed itself as she masterfully worked her hand around the limp member. In seconds, the man's libido took hold as his blood rushed down towards it causing it to expand and grow a few extra inches in excitement. As a result, Akaro pitched a tent underneath his towel before his partner stripped it away to reveal its shape.

"Oho...impressive, most impressive indeed. I expect nothing less from the great Red-Eyed Hero," Scathach complimented before pushing herself against him thus causing the man to back against the nearby wall.

With a seductive expression upon her face, the woman gently kissed the man's chest before dipping down his body and crouching down to her knees. As her face leaned close to his member, she continuously stroked it before grasping it and tracing her tongue across its length. As she approached the crown of it, she flicked her tongue over the tip causing it to twitch; the sensitivity of the organ sent shockwaves up Akaro's spine causing a grunt to escape his lips.

Hearing that, the woman began to kiss his meat tenderly before opening her mouth and taking that pulsing organ in as she wrapped her tongue around it as best she could whilst gobbling it down. Her head bobbed up and down slowly taking inch after inch whilst cupping her hand underneath the male's hefty balls, massaging them tenderly. Then she picked up the pace almost instantly. The vicarious slurping and sucking noises echoed out in the chamber during her relentless assault.

"Scathach-san doesn't waste time at all," Altera commented whilst looking past Raizo's shoulder.

"I'm...trying not to think about what's going on behind me so...please don't," Raizo sighed whilst ruffling his hair again.

"Sorry...so...I um...I'm experienced a bit as well. I...did it once before with Akaro-san and I learned things. Plus Scathach-san told me some things to try for this occasion so..."

"Altera...you really don't have to do this...at least not with me. I'll try my best to help the others if necessary, but I can tell you have a history with Aniki. If you would prefer him, then it's okay. Be true to your heart about this."

"But...Raizo-senpai...you managed to work your way into my heart too...so...I don't know who to choose. I...I don't want to choose. Is that so wrong?"

"W...Well...speaking from some form of experience...I suppose it's not wrong to have more than one interest. But…I mean...I don't know...I just...I don't think I'm cut out for this."

"You're wrong, Senpai! I may be a little bit nervous about this, but...let me fulfill my feelings..."

To that end, the slender woman placed a hand gently on Raizo's chest as she leaned forward against his body. Her hand motion mimicked that of Scathach's as she traversed the youth's body down to his southernmost arena. Bypassing the crease of the towel, she reached further to come across the boy's length before she began to caress it gently in her hand. At the same time, the girl began to gently kiss against the boy's neck up towards his jawline while running her opposite hand up and down his back lovingly.

Mimicking the motions that her fellow servant companion did, she attempted to use her skills as a swordswoman to handle Raizo's hidden weapon obscured by the towel. As she worked her wrist in an intimate twisting motion, it began to react to her touch whilst going through the swelling process most male's endure when aroused by a female companion. Altera carefully yet intricately continued to stroke the youth's meat which only caused it grow even more. At this point, she undid Raizo's towel and tossed it away so that she could get a good look at it.

"This is S-Senpai's..." the girl nervously gulped as she witnessed the manhood's clear cut transformation.

"D-Don't stare so much...you're making me nervous..." Raizo blushed whilst turning his head to the side.

"S-Sorry, I'll just...continue."

Altera began to slide down and eventually she got on her knees while continuing to stroke the Son of Mercer's cock. As it began to pulsate, she found it difficult to keep a complete grip around it so she attempted to use two hands to work together at once. Taking note of the boy's heavy sack, she blushed.

"Goodness Senpai, you seem to be carrying a lot of weight..."

"Well...it's been a year since I last...did anything of that nature..."

"I believe this is called being 'backed up'. Perhaps I will achieve all the mana I require just going at it once with you."

"M...Mou..."

Chuckling at that cute response, Altera continued on as she began to kiss on it and try to lick it as best she could. A few more tantalizing seconds passed before she attempted to suck it; however, as she wrapped her lips around it, she soon discovered that she could only take so much of it down. She tried to please her partner as best she could, but she knew this would not work. She pulled the man's length out of her mouth and stroked it kindly whilst taking a chance to peek around Raizo to see what Scathach was doing next.

"Heh...now there's a good use for those twins," Akaro grinned whilst leaning back against the wall.

"I'm confident about the size of my breasts. Granted, they can't completely wrap around this monstrosity you call a dick. But they get the job done," Scathach boasted.

The woman currently had the Red-Eyed Hero's cock firmly grasped in the valley of her breasts while she squeezed them together. Due to Akaro's size, her mounds never truly managed to engulf it completely; however, she was still able to stroke his mighty meat with her soft tits. In tandem, she angled her head to tease the tip with her tongue as she stroked him viciously with it.

"Tch..." Altera gritted her teeth.

Looking down at her chest, she knew that she would not be able to mimic that move since her bosom wasn't as ample as her ally's.

"Fine...I'll try a different approach," she said.

"What?" Raizo tilted his head in confusion.

The woman stood up and grabbed Raizo's hand going over towards the same wall where Scathach and Akaro were having a good time except there was about 10 feet of space between them.

"Senpai, lean against the wall please," the girl asked to which the youth just raised an eyebrow before nodding in agreement.

As he did that, the tan skinned female then stood in front of him before turning around showing the youth her back. In that instant, she bent over a bit whilst popping out her rear end before her ass pressed against his cock. She reached back and adjusted her lover's instrument so that it was placed between her cheeks before she used her whole body weight to apply pressure. In that moment, she used her hips to work against it whilst using her ass cheeks to stroke Raizo's meat.

"I may not have the equipment to give you pleasure using my breasts, but I can give you pleasure using a technique called 'hotdogging'."

"W-What the...hey...what is this...pressure? Damn..." Raizo groaned as his senses were spiraling out of control from this action.

Altera began to get into the motions she was making and enjoying the reactions from her partner so she attempted to move her hips faster and faster. Ironically, Scathach was also stroking Akaro faster as both women seemed to be in sync with one another.

"Altera..." Raizo gasped.

"Scathach..." Akaro called out.

"I'm gonna..." they both said but then both girls instantly ceased their stimulating moments.

"Not yet, big boy. If you're gonna cum, you have to do it inside me. After all, I don't want to waste a single drop of that delicious mana," Scathach seductively declared.

"Oho...you're gonna pay for that one. Never tempt a dragon in need," the Envoy declared as he felt his carnal instincts kick.

The lancer got up on her feet and tilted Akaro's chin on her finger, "Then show this Celtic warrior what a beast can do~"

In that instant, Akaro grabbed Scathach by her shoulders and pushed her against the wall. He lifted one of her legs up before angling his hips to prod open her wet, aching slit with his cock. In one swift blow, he thrust his meat inside her impaling her with his lust. As the pleasure shot up and down her spine, the woman let out a lengthy moan as she dug her nails into his back. Without further delay, the strong Envoy began to relentlessly crash his hips against her as he stretched her insides out to adhere to his shape.

"Senpai...I need it now..." Altera declared as she reached back and spread her cheeks to reveal her holes.

"Give me your mana...right where I'm dripping at. Please..."

"Fine...but don't blame me for whatever happens next," Raizo said in response.

The youth grabbed her hips and angled his meet between her moist lips. In that moment, he pushed forward with his hips as his thick rod expanded the walls inside of her vagina causing the girl to gasp for air from the sheer entrance. After a few seconds, he managed to get about half of it in before he began to thrust back and forth. To get a better angle, Raizo turned her against the wall so she could lean while he began to take her from behind.

Both women were relinquishing loud, pleasurable moans as their lusts were being matched by the prowess of the two brothers. The sounds of flesh clapping against flesh echoed repeatedly alongside the sloshing noises of juices leaking out from the respective entrances of the two servants. As the hammering continued, the coquettish moans of both women heightened as they simultaneously reached their climaxes.

"Senpai...give it...to me pleeasse..." Altera cried out lewdly.

"Right there...pour it all inside me...Hero!" Scathach yelled out.

As the women climaxed, they were met with their desires as both of their insides became flooded with the seed of both men. The eruptions were huge as their chambers were filled to the brim causing some of the excess to leak back out. Both women relished in the glow of the feeling they just had the pleasure of experiencing. As the two brothers pulled out, the girls were left hanging on for air for a moment.

Altera and Scathach exchanged glances before giving each other a nod. Though they felt like the mana received would suffice, both women desired more...much more. In that moment, the two men were caught off guard as the two females elected to switch. Altera pouncing on Akaro while Scathach attacked Raizo.

"Akaro-senpai, fill me up too...please? Just like before except this time..." the dark-skinned female invited.

"Raizo-kun, I wanna see what you're made of too. You don't mind indulging in a more experienced woman do you? Your brother was exceptional, however...there is room for you too if you don't mind putting it..." the Celtic Queen declared.

Both women leaned against the walls and spread their ass cheeks in unison. This revealed the untouched puckered entrances that emanated a desire to be violated and filled as well.

"In here..." Scathach and Altera said at the same time.

Without even a word of protest, Akaro grinned and seized the opportunity before prodding the tip of his shaft against Altera's tight hole. He used the excess cum still oozing from the tip as lubricant before he began to take the plunge thus expanding the exit hole of the Great King of Destruction. At the same time, Raizo just took a second to sigh not expecting to actually have a chance to be with the infamous Queen of the Land of Shadows. He grasped her hips and reciprocated the same action as his older brother thus entering the tight anus of the purple-haired beauty. Once more, the thrusting ensued as both women's moaning heightened to an even further extent.

The harmonious assaults continued until the two women were simultaneously brought to climax once again. Repeating the events of before, the girls cried out in delight upon reaching that point as their insides were flooded with the richness of the brothers' hot, thick seed pouring inside their anal chambers. From there, once more both men withdrew their weapons; their breaths were slightly heavy as a result. The women were weak in their knees and collapsed, but as they looked back...it was almost as if both of them had heart-shaped pupils in their eyes.

"That...still isn't enough?" Raizo whined a bit as Scathach gradually pulled herself up.

"You know...I'm beginning to wonder if they are just being a little greedy," Akaro pondered as Altera also managed to recover.

"I'll take you both on at the same time then since you both can't satisfy me enough on your own," Scathach declared whilst wiping saliva from her mouth.

"No fair, that leaves me out...I'll take them both that was my original intention the whole time!" Altera countered.

"Great..." Raizo sighed heavily.

"Well lil' bro...maybe a tag team isn't such a bad idea. They'll definitely be calm after we're through," Akaro pointed out.

"And...that isn't weird to you at all?"

"Hey man, you wanna be in here all night going back and forth or just finish this in one decisive blow?"

"Fair enough."

The two brothers elected to work together to reach their goal. Being the first to challenge, Scathach was taken by both men. She was hoisted up by Akaro as he once again impaled her from the front while Raizo took her from the back. As both males' rods ground her insides, her eyes rolled back in her head with her tongue hanging out as she no longer had the sensibility to control her moans. In a synchronized rhythm, the two men decisively drilled the lancer deep until she was unable to stop herself from cumming. Then, she received thick loads from the two at once before she went limp and temporarily lost consciousness.

Altera was the next victim of their unified attack. Similar to Scathach, Altera was filled by both men. However, in this case, she had her vagina filled by Raizo's cock from the back while her mouth was filled with Akaro's dick in the front. She looked like a rotisserie-style chicken as she was being fucked senseless in that manner. Eventually she too found herself full as her stomach and her womb were the victims of the tidal wave of semen. Now limp, both women had twisted expressions of pleasure capped off by lack of consciousness. The two brothers then finished their baths before exiting the room leaving the girls to… "rest."

"You remember how to get to your room?" Akaro asked.

"Yeah...even though it's been awhile since I was here, I still remember how to navigate this place," Raizo nodded.

"Alright man, well get a good night's rest. You deserve it."

"Thanks Aniki, I'll see you in the morning."

The pair shared a soft fist bump before parting ways. As the youth found his way to his familiar resting chamber, he saw the time on the panel nearby.

"Damn...it's already this late?" he said as the clock was ticking towards 11 o'clock.

Pressing a button, the door slid. Wrapped in his bathrobe after dropping off his sweaty clothes in the laundry, the youth walked inside his room to see it dimly illuminated as if someone had burning candles laid out within.

"Oh good...you're finally back," he heard a voice say.

"Did you enjoy your bath, Raizo-san?" another voice called out.

"About time, I missed having my pillow," a third voice said.

"Addy, Vesta-chan, Onee-sama...um…what are you three doing in my room? And...w-why...are you...um…dressed like that…?" he blushed as his eyes beheld the stimulating sight of the three beautiful women wearing intimate nightwear that revealed their skin in a variety of ways.

The women relinquished deviant looks respective to their personas as the door shut behind him. It seemed a long night was ahead of the boy in honor of his return.