Chapter 59

The Dragon God Ophis had found a mate. That was news that would shake the entire world to its bones, quite literally depending on the reaction of the dragons. The title of God of Dragons did not come easily, she was quite revered.

"I'm not your mate." Damian explained for what felt like the thousandth time only to receive the same reaction. Looking at him with a tilt of her head, Ophis looked at him in clear confusion despite her impassive face.

"But I'm a female now." Ophis declared, her hands attempting to raise her skirt before she was stopped by the pink chains that suddenly appeared around her palms, their ends connected to nothing more than the air.

"I'm not going to be your mate Ophis." Damian repeated once more, his frown increasing in size as it always did with her. Ophis believed that because their origins were similar they were destined to be mates and had been hounding him for quite a number of years as a result.

"Why?" The universal aspect of the infinite and of nothingness inquired, clearly perplexed by his refusal despite how many times she had faced his rejection. She simply couldn't comprehend why he would refuse, she was the strongest mate after all.

"I have no desire for a mate but even if I did it would not be with you. We have no bond apart from these arguments so why would I even consider it?" Damian questioned with a sigh. Ddraig was rambling endlessly within his mind. His worry was equal parts admirable and irritating.

"Reproduction?" Ophis replied as though it was obvious and to her it was. In her mind, mating was a process devoid of love. A dragon picked their mate based on strength and while she had never met an equal she wished to court she understood that fact clearly.

"I don't desire a child." Damian retorted, yet another sign escaping him. His promise to Rias was… something akin to a mistake. He doesn't desire a child, that has not changed, yet faced with her earnest request, the request from the one who he ignored, he instinctively conceded.

His reasoning was a mystery even to himself, there was no possible way to explain that to Ophis. All he knew was that his feelings toward Rias had yet to be broken as he hoped. All the more reason to take the Kokabiel issue seriously.

Abruptly, a look of realization crossed his face. The answer was simply yet an impossible concept for most to swallow himself included. It may prove disastrous in the future but that was unlikely and a risk he was willing to take. "Ophis, let's make a deal." He requested the small girl.

Tilting her head curiously she nodded her head as if to tell him to continue.

****

"Your posture is wrong." Damian declared blandly, easily deflecting the palm strike encased in holy lightning. His hand was hardly even stung by the immense holy energy radiating from it despite his racial weakness. He was slowly reaching the supreme realm.

"Then why don't you tell me what the correct form is like?" His temporary student Akeno Himejima asked tiredly, hot breaths escaping her breath every moment. For the better part of four hours, she had been doing this training.

It started off easy however as the seemingly endless spar continued her attacks became weaker, her posture weakened, and her mind became hazy. She hadn't experienced such a thing since before she became a devil and even then it was rare.

If it weren't for the damned sealing magic. She understood its purpose, she really did. She relied heavily on her Bishop and Knight pieces and neglected the Rook piece. However, having those two pieces sealed away and forced to combat was not easy much less enjoyable.

"You have to figure it out. You have the basics down, now make them yours." Damian explained for the hundredth time. Martial arts were made for the average physic and even if they had been adapted to supernatural strength it did not make them easily adaptable to all sizes.

Most martial arts were crafted with men in mind hence their usage of strength and long range of movement. While the former was negligible with her physical strength the latter was not something that could be fixed, at least not easily.

There were some made with women in mind however even they tended to underestimate the bust of a harem anime heroine. With a physique unfit for all useful martial arts what Akeno needed was not a lecture but experience which she could use to adapt the arts to her own body.

"You keep saying that but it really isn't helpful." Akeno complained in between gasps for air, her palm once more striking forward with posthaste. She may be complaining but the effects of this hell like training were showing.

Her form had once consisted of punches, kicks, and throws like most martial arts taught however over time she naturally transitioned to more open palmed strikes. Even with her Bishop piece sealed her magic was ultimately her strong suit, her physical prowess would always come second.

With a larger surface area, it gave more room her for holy lightning to travel within her opponent's body, further increasing the chance of injuring them. With higher degrees of precision, she could even stop or perhaps explode internal organs. It was unlikely considering magical resistances but it was good to dream.

"I'm not trying to help you. What you need isn't my guidance, you need to come to the answer yourself because when you're about to die, you can only rely on yourself." Damian replied emptily, a melancholic atmosphere surrounding them momentarily.

Breaking through the tense atmosphere Akeno's fist struck forward, her holy lightning nearly hitting the distracted. There was only a few inches of space between them when her palm was forcefully stopped but it was a distance she could not cross.

She didn't understand the power and truth be told she didn't have to. Damian's words came from his experiences so he was free to feel that way. In fact, most people would probably agree that he was right. But she didn't like it.

"Even when I'm about to die I'm sure I won't be alone." Akeno replied definitely, a teasing grin on her face as she recalled her palm. Rias and the rest of the Gremory peerage would surely be on her side in such a case even if their opponent was Shiva himself.

Akeno had a vastly different view of life compared to Damian and one day, she'd show it to him.

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