Chapter 84: Touki

Beta read by Shigiya

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--Underworld-

"Did we even need to be here?" Was the question I asked myself for the tenth time in less than an hour. 

When one thought of a hidden lair belonging to the Old Satan Faction, the presence of hundreds of overpowered individuals and weird eldritch horrors was the bare minimum. Which was why I didn't stress as much when Sairaorg and Tiamat joined me on this mission. One was a Dragon King, with Vritra praising her as an unofficial Dragon Emperor, and finally, the strongest Devil of the Younger Generation. 

But now, as I sat on the back of a pile of unconscious mages that grew big enough to form a small hill — I started to question everything. 

"Vritra," I called the only teacher/mentor/know-it-all I knew who could answer my question accurately without hiding behind vague wordplay. 

"Yes, partner?" 

"Was it always this easy to defeat a large group of mages?" Something was amiss. No way I alone managed to defeat so many mages without suffering the slightest injury. I wanted to ask Tiamat if she didn't make a mistake and led us to the wrong enemy territory. "I'm starting to think we attacked the wrong group." 

"I can understand why you would feel as such, but yes, these people are associated with the Old Satan Faction. As for why you're experiencing this foreign feeling, this is your first time after a long time to not face an opponent that can destroy a town with a single spell. Think about it, there was Kuroka and Kokabiel, and you've been hanging around Ophis a lot recently. Your sense of scaling regular enemies has been skewed and twisted beyond recognition. Oh, and remember, you also deployed Delete Field in a large area. This level of intensity disables nearly every average mage from using most of their abilities." 

Ah, I instinctively used my original Sacred Gear as Rias's cousin dragged me from Tiamat's back. I honestly grew so used to my enemies not getting affected by its effects that I completely forgot that not everyone was a complete monster that just shrugged off the effects. Delete Field, along with the other Vritra Gears, were powerful weapons by themselves when used in the right hands.

[Shadow Prison!]

I casually jumped away from the pile of groaning mages who were taken down by both myself and Sairaorg. Their faces were beaten black and blue, with some suffering from numerous broken bones. With little interest, I watched as the black flames covered their limbs and bodies to render each and every one of them incapable of moving. Some screamed, thinking that I was going to burn them alive, starting to beg me for mercy before screaming as the fire reached them. The laugh I got out of their reaction after realizing their skin wasn't burning off made it all worth it.

"I don't even need to use my runes… bummer. Would have been a perfect time to practice them against their large numbe—" I stopped mid-speech to hastily scribbled an Algiz "Y" rune, the glowing yellow letter turning into a transparent dome around my body which blocked a giant fireball cast by another mage emerging from the hidden lair. 

"They just never stop coming…" I heard Sairaorg speak, the man just casually standing beside me without having used any sort of magical protection, tanking the fire as if it wasn't even there. "Whoever is inside, aside from the Greek god Hephaestus, must be a high-ranking member of the Old Satan Faction." 

"You think so?" I said, using the gecko-like tongue of the Absorption line to catch the first mage's ankle, followed by slamming them down to the ground. This was a technique I witnessed Saji using in the past and replicated after some practice. I even absorbed some of his mana to replenish my own to always keep it as high as possible in such a mission. "If it was so, then I would have expected something better than this. You can't expect me to believe that the group that has been giving Sirzechs and Serafall such a hard time is this incompetent."

He shrugged, "Who knows, maybe we aren't dealing with an important figure. Or…" the man looked at me with a smirk that couldn't hide the expectations and burning fighting spirit within his soul. "The real opponents are waiting for us inside."

'Great, another Vali…' 

My lips thinned as I flexed my shoulders to loosen my muscles. "Should I let you take care of them? You can have all the fun. I don't mind." I really didn't. In fact, I welcomed it wholeheartedly! Save my energy for something more important.

"Hahahaha! Appreciate it, but I'd rather not for today. In fact, let me help you out with the Touki training." 

That raised my eyebrows.

"Right now?" Like, I knew he was eager to help me out, but this wasn't exactly the ideal scenario I was imagining. I believed he would invite me to where he trained or lived, and we would start from there — not practice Touki in the middle of an important mission!

"Better time than any. I'd say it's also the best environment for you to learn even." He clapped his hands, stopping me from uttering any more complaints. "First of all, I need to know your physical capabilities. So from now on, I forbid you to use your Sacred Gear or any other spells under your belt and take out the remaining mages hand to hand. Oh, and don't worry, I'll personally make sure they don't cheat by either flying or teleporting away!" 

That last part sounded so ominous for every party involved. 

"Oi, how will I defend myself against magic spells!?" My body was still that of a human, I think. There was no way it would survive a full brunt attack from even a simple attack.

"Simple, you dodge." He said with a large innocent smile. "You push all of your physical capabilities and instincts to their absolute limit or even beyond! A few broken bones, ruptured muscles, burned skin or even losing a limb won't be a problem. We can always attach to back!"

"..."

Was this dude somehow the illegitimate child of Scathack instead?

"Do you honestly think I would go through such ridiculous training? Better to call it a one-way beat down, and I'm the victim! Black Dragon King or not, I can't fight with just my hands alone." I was no slough, my body was by no means weak, but I hesitated, given my experience with hand-to-hand combat. Every time I used my fists, there was always something aiding me in every fight regardless of its difficulty — Delete Field being a prime example. 

The Bael descendant sat on the ground with a relaxed expression despite what I had just said. 

"Then suit yourself, I won't help you with any Touki-related training, and you'll have to continue this mission by yourself."

"That's quite childish of you, Sairaorg. I don't want to risk dying, and you start complaining like a child? I guess your promise of helping me as a favor for helping your mother was but a lie in the end… as expected of a Devil." 

"Heh, sharp tongue you have there, Hachiman. But unfortunately, it won't work on me." 

Damn it. 

His smile vanished as a heavy atmosphere descended, I mirrored his temperament, and we ended up at a starring standoff. "From the small skirmish we had just now, I came to realize that you rely far too heavily on your Sacred Gear's ability and rune magic. From the moment we landed, no, before that even… you already deployed three abilities." He pointed at the dome around the field and then at my arm. "Delete Field, Absorption Line, and Shadow Prison are all quite impressive, but they are causing you as much harm as they are making you a more efficient use of the Gear." 

'Hoh, I'm interested.' Vritra commented in my head, a sentiment I shared, given how intently my ears were listening to each of his words. 

"You lack movement. Since the beginning, you barely moved and even cast a rune barrier just to block an attack that you could have easily dodged. Your fighting style is too defensive. You're showing an apt use of footwork and kept yourself grounded the entire time perfectly. But that's also a problem as it compromises your mobility, that's easily your weakest point without the use of the wings. If you want to train your Touki, get used to using your body more frequently and tempering it like a sword." His hands rummaged through his pockets before he picked out a single glass viol which I instantly recognized. "And in case you get terribly injured, I've asked Riser to provide me with some phoenix tears… this one has been specially given to me by him." 

"Are you sure it's not poisoned?" I said passingly, which made him burst out laughing again.

"Come on now, Riser may have his faults, but he's not that bad. He was even more eager to help me out when I told him this was for you, how his rival now owed him a favor, according to him." He said nonchalantly, making me groan in displeasure as now I had that many think I owed him something for a favor I never asked! "The choice is up to you, this is the short route that will yield results quicker, or you can play it safe and practice for months without necessarily seeing the slightest progress. You need to sense that feeling in the midst of a strenuous fight where you push yourself. Touki is that unforgiving, especially with species other than Youkais." 

'He's right, you know?' Vritra chimed in, wishing to add more of his insight. 'Touki in itself is one of the simplest forms of power one could have in theory, but garnering that energy and cultivating it to a level that will make you powerful requires sacrifice and perseverance is a nightmare. You have trained a lot, Hachiman, but you can still do more.'

Now even Vritra was joining Sairaorg's side. 

'I've been in near-death scenarios more than a handful of times! Why hasn't anything happened then!?' I asked resentfully, feeling cheated by my body, which literally had its heart pierced twice by now.

'It isn't that easy, partner. Once or twice near-death encounters are not enough to make you a user, let alone a master of Touki. You both need to push your body way beyond its limit and actively search for that strand of energy inside you even if it takes a decade.'

Wasn't this a Paki form of training? Thankfully, I didn't have a monster of a dad who was considered the strongest living thing alive and who saw everyone weaker than him as female and tried to sleep with all of them to spread his genes like a rabbit…

"..."

Why did I agree to watch that show with Rias? Now it kept popping off in my head at the worst possible time.

That damn otaku weeb.

Though I was no better, I liked the fights in the show. 

"Hah," I sighed. "Fine, you know what? Fine! I'll follow your crazy Hanma-style training course to practice the usage of my Touki. But if something happens to me, then I'll swear I'll haunt you for life!" 

"Hahaha! That's the spirit! And what's this Hanma you're speaking of?" 

I ignored that last part and focused on the approaching mages before me. There were four of them, each in the midst of using the same fireball spell from before, and one even acting as support by healing the three in front of him. This looked like an unbalanced raid party from a video game. Rias and even Sona would have had a field day teaching them a lesson — especially Sona, given how much she prioritized team synergy. 

"Wait!" 

"What now… You want me to fight with one hand as well?" If that was the case, then I'd quit right here and now before teleporting away. Screw mastering Touki, I very much liked staying alive.

"Hahahaha! No, nothing like that fortunately, even I am not that unreasonable. But I just want to make sure that are indeed ready for this test, as I will only intervene in case you are in genuine danger. Also, you've seen me fight, I don't know about your style but try my own moves in case you're unfamiliar with anything else."

"... We'll see."

Honestly, as I put my hands up in a boxer stance, I couldn't help but feel ridiculous. What was I doing here? When did this turn into a martial arts setting? I was feeling good a few minutes ago, how this mission was going to be easy, and then that guy just had to ruin my day. 

More mages emerged from the lair in large enough numbers. "Attack!" They shouted in unison, sending hundreds of attacks in our direction.

Sairaorg showed no sign of panic as usual, he came forward and pushed the bottle into my hands. "Oh, and before I forget, a little gift for you." 

Swoosh!

"—!" A white aura enveloped both of our hands, father it being Sairaorg's energy covering mine. No matter how little he used, the strength behind it made me shiver, along with how dense it felt. He let go, but the aura remained for a minute longer, the sensation of power and energy coursing through my veins intensifying… as I grew familiar with the sensation. Though it didn't last long enough for me to enjoy it before dissipating in front of my eyes. "That was…"

"Nice, right?" 

I nodded my head. 

"Touki is, in essence, the external manifestation of one's life force, in other words, their Ki, which is the white aura you've experienced. Using this, a person achieves heightened offense, defense, and speed. It also had the added effect of damaging others from the slightest touch, and defending a user from a wide array of attacks, while knocking their foes back too."

Geez, I was surprised that it didn't let me fly.

"I don't need a crash course on Touki, I appreciate it, but it's pointless as I've done my research already. From Lucifer's own library, I've amassed enough knowledge and understanding of the concept but just can't bring it to practice in real life."

Sairaorg shook his head, "That's the problem. You're thinking about this too hard. Like a mage practicing a spell, which will never give you the result you desire." He grabbed a small pebble, coating his arm in a thin almost invisible layer of white energy. I was about to ask him what he was planning to do, but his arm blurred for a split second before I heard an ear-piercing cry of pain. 

A mage who tried to escape had his chest caved inside from that thrown pebble. Free falling to the ground and barely surviving if his comrades didn't cast a wind spell. 

"This is not a power you can achieve with calculation and predictions. The more you think about it, the farther you stray from the path. Humans, Angels, and any species, in general, tend to overthink everything related to this power — some going so far as to claim it is unattainable. Even Devils are not exempt from this rule with their natural born affinity to magic and their clan's abilities making, putting any sort of hard work to learn using their life force as a weapon seems like a waste of time. Youkais, on the other hand, are born and gifted with the natural understanding of Senjutsu and Touki, both mentally and physically. This power is only attainable by trusting your guts and practicing over and over again without a specific goal in sight. To repeat the same training regiment to the point of forgetting why you even started this in the first place… to the point of nearly losing your mind."

I could see the look in his eyes, the look of a man going through a painful memory of the past. Imagining the training he must have gone through with no one to guide him must have been a hellish life.

"That sounds close to insanity." 

"Perhaps, though, it's not like being insane is not an uncommon trait amongst the higher powers in the world. So don't think too much as a unique case, rather one that's being honest and open with you." 

My fists clenched, the gentle warmth of Touki replaying in my mind, almost as if I could feel it again. An invisible heat escaped my palm before dispensing instantly. I did it again, only to end up with the same result. "So keep fighting to the point my body becomes capable enough to manifest that energy." 

"Yes and no," he tapped his head. "You are already plenty strong physically. You just need to go past your own mental block and make every part of your being accustomed to the power without stopping it. It is a life force. After all, your body will instinctively try to protect itself by keeping it contained. Because, in most cases, people tend to deplete their Touki and die soon after. If you were a total beginner without even that much physical training, then this method wouldn't work, trust me."

"I see…" 

Wasn't this similar to what happened with Scáthach? Back when she trained me with the ways of the spear, the one phrase that she kept shouting was, "Stop thinking, just fight!" That coupled with getting better at drawing runes if I wanted to live to see the next day. 

I sighed. There was no need to wait for another random power-up now. Having a second power to rely on other than my Sacred Gear was a good thing. 

"Then let's get this over with." I didn't wait for his answer. "Hah!" My feet pushed against the ground, sprinting full speed towards the distracted mage who had his attention on healing the one hit by the pebble.

"Huh?" 

Bang! 

I punched his face right as he turned around and gave me a look of pure bewilderment. Probably wondering why I suddenly switched my fighting style and stopped using Vritra's power. 

"Fireba—oof!" The second mage waved a wand and prepared to shoot another fire attack. But I tackled him to the ground at the last second, canceling the cast, and smashed his face with hit after hit till he passed out with a bloody nose and many bruises. 

"Argh!" A gust of wind hit me, pushing my body away with tremendous force. I instinctively raised my hand to scribble a rune in the air, but… Sairaorg came out of nowhere and grabbed my wrist. I yelped in surprise, his grasp strong enough to almost make my bones creak. 

He looked at me with a big smirk on his face, as usual. "Great technique. You took out two mages faster than I expected. But don't just go all brawler there. Keep half of your attention on your surroundings and try to apply Touki even if it works for a split second." 

"Tch," this person was starting to get on my nerves. "A little help here?" The least he could do was to help me back up.

"Sure!" 

Contrary to my expectations, not only did he help me up to my feet but into the air as well as I was thrown like a baseball right back in the middle of the group of mages. "Kurgh!" I bent my body just in time to plant my knee right in the middle of the third mage's face.

'You two make up a fine team, partner.' 

"Shut it." 

We were still outside, taking out the grunts. More were waiting for us inside… and I had to find a way to keep my stamina— "Damn it, I'm overthinking again!" 

"Good, now you're getting it. Get ready. More incoming. They are a never-ending swarm of bees." Sairaorg said, words I agreed with how it felt there was an entire city buried within the ground to house so many troops. "Alright, let's try again." 

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{Sairaorg PoV}

The inside was much bigger than the Bael heir thought, with granite walls tall enough to house a dragon with never-ending halls structured like mazes. He and Hachiman burst inside the lair with an even bigger party of individuals waiting for them inside. 

Devils, those associated with the Old Satan Faction holding the fort, along with some humans, all band together to kill the intruders. 

Crash! 

A single of his stomp turned any defensive measures they'd put forward to break. Lightning attacks, fire, and Ice breaking upon impacting his fists. The sight made a wave of terror descend upon the enemy forces, many of which tried to leave… only to end up crushed under his feet. Unless they used teleportation, none could escape from him. 

"Hahahaha, this is fun! Don't you think so, Hachiman?" He asked the exhausted boy by his side. Beaten, exhausted, burned, and with most of his clothes being ruined— Hachiman looked like he would faint at any second. "Here, it looks like you need another one again." 

He slapped his back with a hand covered in dense Ki. The veil of energy seeped through the skin and muscles and further fanning Hachiman's fire to continue fighting. Sairaorg wasn't able to heal his injuries as this wasn't Senjutsu, just forcing the body to stay standing by alleviating some of that exhaustion… tricking the body into thinking it wasn't that tired and damaged. "Haaargh!" 

'Weird, given he is human, I thought his body would have given up a while ago.' The report did mention there being a weird sort of connection between Hachiman and the Vritra Sacred Gear, theories flying around how he must have sacrificed his flesh to become a dragon in order to gain that power, but the fact he didn't have scales disproved that claim. 'Let's see how long you can keep on fighting. Thankfully, Kuisha made me bring the tears in case things go too far.'

Sairaorg was relieved that the place didn't hold any heavy hitters, or else keeping his friend here safe enough to not die in an unfortunate accident would have been nigh impossible. Taking out the more dangerous soldiers while leaving a few for Hachiman to take down was his strategy which was going along nicely. 

The grin on his face grew at the sight of a thin and transparent film of whitish-blue energy coating the boy's hand without the latter even noticing. 

At this point, he only used Ki to increase his strikes, getting more and more tired the longer this battle stretched on, the more frequently he used it. It was weak, barely noticeable but Touki nonetheless. Though it only lasted for a couple seconds before disappearing, that was far more than what he could do before. 

"Die!" A spear user approached Hachiman, swinging the gilded weapon with enough force to generate a small amount of gale, worrying the black-haired Devil, who was just about to intervene but was stopped in his tracks with a surprised face. 

Clang!

Hachiman picked up a nearby spear from a fallen opponent and the incoming attack. 

"Oh? Well, I did tell him that he can't use his own powers, never said anything about burrowing a weapon… so I guess he's not breaking the rules." 

In the end, he sat back and watched the show, making sure to keep any sneaky enemy out of the fight. 

The sound of steel meeting steel, again and again, echoed throughout the hall, sparks showering both combatants who fought fiercely. But it was already clear who was winning. With each clash, the spear-wielding Devil would retreat one step. 

"He's like a completely different person with a spear." He traded blows with enough intensity to not even leave any kind of breathing room for his opponent 

It wasn't even a contest. A handful of strikes later, Hachiman's spear cut through the opponents and followed with a rib-crushing kick to the chest. Though Sairaorg's attention went completely to the white aura around his foot. 

"He's a fast learner. Maybe I should have him spar with me often." 

{Break}

(Hachiman PoV)

How long had it been? 

I lost count of the number of people I had fought so far, having stopped counting after forty. My knuckles were beyond the point of soreness, with dried-up blood and open cuts all over my skin. 

"Hah… hah… hah…" Sweat dripped down my chin, and the scraps of clothes on me were drenched with blood as well. My breathing was haggard. I couldn't even walk forward anymore. My brain told my foot to move forward, but it couldn't even keep me standing for any longer. 

It felt as if I ran a marathon, climbed the tallest mountain, and swam across a river successively without catching a break. My entire weight leaned against a broken wall, with a random spear I found on the ground. My training in the land of shadows kicked in, and before I knew it, my opponent was already embedded inside a wall with my legs held up. 

'Did I kick him?' That question popped into my head. Having no time or desire to ask such a question to Sairaorg — I just continued to move. The pains in my limbs and the splitting headache assaulting my head made it difficult to focus for long. 

Bam!

I came back to my senses when the spear in my hands broke by the actions of a cocky mage in front, giving me an arrogant smirk that just served to worsen my mood.

"You're next, bastard." 

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It was over. I pushed my body too far.

I collapsed at the end of the hall, throwing away the spear's handle, which I kept and used as a staff for the most part. 

"Sai…raorg?" 

The guy crouched next to me, staring at my face with an intrigued expression. "So that's your limit, huh? You went on longer than I expected, and your spearmanship is impressive." 

Of course, it was. The old hag would have decapitated me if I hadn't reached that specific level. 

"Open your mouth," he took out the bottle Riser gave him. The potion was no different than drinking cold water after spending days walking through a desert and being severely dehydrated. This felt different. Not only were my wounds healing at an outstanding rate, but I could also feel my heart rate calm down and exhaustion fading away to some degree. "There, now you're good." 

We stayed there for a couple more minutes. Despite my physical wounds having healed completely, I still needed time to regain some of my stamina and calm down my headache. "We reached the end." I started, more than aware of how close we were to the area where the 'final boss' hid. 

"Sure looks like it. While you were fighting, I tried to search some sort of prison or room where they could have sealed Hephaestus but couldn't find anything. So it's most likely that whoever is responsible for this area kept him hidden in their room or somewhere else entirely." 

"I think Tiamat may have accidentally killed him with her breath attack." 

"Hahahaha! Even I am starting to believe that, oh well, we won't know unless you go through that door." He said while pointing at the large metal door at the end, glowing with countless defensive spells and locks to keep us out of it. 

"Wait, me? You're not coming along?" 

He nodded his head, "I am, but I will not be intervening during the fight if there will be any. And don't worry. You have already made enough progress with Touki today. Pushing for any more will just be more detrimental than anything to both your body and life force. So just use your Sacred Gear and spells." 

Yeah, even as I tried to summon back the white aura around my fist, a large wave of exhaustion once again threatened to take over me. I made more progress in one day than I did in months and even years, so I was satisfied. 

"Who do you think we'll deal with?" I asked, hoping to get some information to prepare myself in case the opponent was a bigger nuisance than anticipated. 

"Who knows, though, would that even matter? You managed to take down Kokabiel, so I doubt whoever is inside will give you as much trouble, and you've even gotten stronger since then." 

"It's always ideal to be vigilant." 

"Man, you sound just like Kuisha. My Queen always repeats those same words." 

I rolled my eyes. I pity the girl if she tried to teach this guy how to be careful. 

"Alright, I'm going, don't want our enemy to teleport away." I pushed myself away from the wall, feeling some soreness around my joints and even a bit lethargic as if I had woken up from a long sleep. Yawning and stretching my limbs felt heavenly, the only problem being how hot and humid it felt inside. 

"Want me to break the door for you?" Sairaorg offered. "Those are high-ranked spells. You might have some trouble breaking those." 

I shook my head and placed my palm on its surface. "Thanks, but I don't need any help with this. Vritra's power is the right tool to use for such cases."

[Delete Field!] 

The bright magic circles lost much of their luster within a second, growing weaker under the influence of the field. Yet it did not disappear as Delete Field could only weaken a spell or an individual — unlike Absolute Delete Field, which erased everything. But using that spell was too draining and unnecessary in this case. 

ᚺ

"Haglas." 

Crack!

As soon as the rune touched the door, fissures formed all around the material, which started to destroy each magic spell one by one till all of it disappeared. Bits of wood and metals fell to the ground, the effect of the rune continuing even after the defensive magic was destroyed. 

With a loud bam, the doors broke off from the hinges and collapsed. Leading me to find myself facing a very tall and beautiful woman standing in front of me, with tanned skin and revealing clothes that barely hid her supermodel figure. Breasts that were as big as Akeno, maybe a little bigger if I had to guess and with the open boob window from her dress with nubs protruding through the dress, showed that she was definitely not wearing a bra to help carry those things. The dress design helped show off a hefty amount of her long toned legs. Hair tied in a bun with a couple of braids reaching down to her back, along with glasses similar to Sona and Tsubaki. She honestly looked more like an out-of-place secretary than anything else… she actually just might be one. 

"Erm, excuse me, are you the secretary of the boss here? Can you take me to them, please? I need to save some Greek God they kidnapped, and I'm kinda in a hurry as the parent-teacher conference is coming soon, and I need to be back on Earth by tomorrow." I asked politely, not wanting to make the woman angry. The lady's beautiful face turned into an ugly expression after I finished speaking.

Yeah… she was pissed. 

Why couldn't things ever go smoothly for me?

"You continue talking. I'll just be looking around until you finish." Sairaorg said before disappearing into the room behind the desk. The woman tried to stop him, and a quick use of Restraint and Absorption Line immobilized her enough for him to make it in before she quickly broke out of them.

"Now, now, no need to leave so quickly. Won't it be considered impolite to ignore a guest?" She was my enemy, that much I knew. As for why I had the urge to mess with her was not something I could answer, it just felt right to do it. Maybe because she reminded me a bit of Sona. But just from the energy I was getting from Absorption Line, it was clear to me that she was a powerful individual, much stronger than the Sitri heiress.

She pointed her shaku finger at me, clear resentment in her tone. "You come here, destroy my guards, destroy our land, and now have the audacity to treat me as a low-trash secretary? Do you have any idea with whom you're messing with!?"

"No," I didn't hesitate to answer, which actually seemed to throw her off from her Ojou-sama persona. "I know you're associated with the Old Satan Faction, but aside from that, nothing." I was trying to rack my brain for any infamous criminal from that faction. A Devil with her aesthetic features and power wouldn't be just a simple grunt. I scratched my head, going through the list of names.

"Are you… are you seriously trying to guess who I am!?" She screamed at me like a banshee in rage, looking like Rias had some competition in that department when she got annoyed with me. 

'Partner, from her powers are on the level of an Ultimate Class Devil, it would be safe to assume that she's one of the leaders of the faction.'

Ah, that's right!

"You must be Katejina Levitan." I said while hitting my palm with a fist, happy that I finally got the name. 

"It's Katerea Leviathan, you imbecile human!" She shouted loudly before attacking with her arms stretching forward like snakes, actually seeming angrier than before. Similar to my tendrils, they tried to get hold of my body which was blocked by my own tendrils. "I'll make sure to send your corpse back to Serafall as a nice gift! I'll show them how even with the Black Dragon King by their side, they'll still lose to a true Devil like me!" 

Sheesh, she sure was angry, and also, true Devil? I had no idea what she meant by that… did these people think that being a pure Devil automatically put them at the top strength-wise? If that was the case, then Rias should have been a far more powerful entity by now. But her reserves still fell a bit short of Akeno's.

Demonic energy flooded from her body, drowning the room in a reddish hue. Still, it was not as bad as Kokabiel. That man's aura was tyrannical, to say the least, while hers was more chaotic without a sense of control. 

[Delete Field!]

[Blaze Black Flare!]

"Argh!" Instantly, she retracted her arms as the black tendrils burst into flames, which damaged her skin. The field weakened her just enough to give me a small opening which I used to strike with my spear. Gae Bolga's bloodthirsty aura overpowered her energy just enough for me to smash the weapon against her waist!

Bam!

To my surprise, the woman actually managed to defend against any cuts by summoning a translucent shield which took the brunt of the cut attack while making her take on the force behind it. 

"Nice reaction. If the blade managed to cut through your skin, then it would have been game over." I said to the woman whose wings came out of her back. She tried to fly away and create some distance but got hit by the dark walls of my prison before falling back down. "You won't be going anywhere far enough to use your spells. Or you can risk close-quarters combat, though I don't recommend it." 

With little hesitation, she lunged at me with a nasty snarl. Her hands were coated in demonic energy. I couldn't risk whatever she was trying to touch me. 

"Ansuz!" 

"Kya! Runes!?" The torrent of air hit her with enough force to send the woman back a few meters, but she managed to resist the attack with her magic keeping her stable. 

"As expected, she won't be so easy to take out." I debated whether to just go full-powered immediately with my Balance Breaker. With that, using Absolute Delete Field would become far easier. 

I kept that option at the back of my mind as the battle continued, none of us gaining an advantage over the other. Though I was gaining more ground the longer this fight got. She was a mage specialized in long-ranged battles, with my onslaught of spear thrusts and Vritra's tendrils giving her a hard time. 

"Still… for people who claimed to be the true descendants of the original Maous, I expected more water magic. Heck, even Serafall uses ice magic which at least has some correlation to water magic — I haven't seen anything like that from you." 

"Don't you dare compare me to that magical girl obsessed impostor!" That seemed to trigger her far more than my previous provocation. A dense ball of red vile demonic magic formed between her palm, which she threw right to my face. I barely managed to jump out of the way, having my Prison Wings act as a shield to protect me from any stray shots. "Damn it, this Delete Field is getting in the way… get rid of it!" 

I gave her a deadpan look, "You know that just because you're asking for it doesn't mean I'll do it." 

"Humph, then so be it. I gave you a chance, and you squandered it. Now you'll regret it."

As soon as I was about to make another snide remark, I froze when a major change occurred in Katerea. The power inside her grew at an exponential rate out of nowhere! Glowing black snakes started to appear and wrap around the woman. They coiled around curvaceous form and up to breasts, before squeezing her tightly. This action caused the beautiful woman to let out a lewd moan for delight, as she watched the snakes get absorbed into her body.

"What!?" Goosebumps spread across my skin as not only did I feel her power increase to the point of surpassing Kokabiel of all people — but it came close to that of Azazel! "Shit, was she holding back this entire time?" 

This was not good. A Cadre level opponent like Kokabiel and anyone around his level I could confidently handle. But having to face someone whose power equaled that of a Seraph was a one-way trip to an early death! 

"Vritra, was the Leviathan clan known for their ability to have their powers multiply like the Boosted Gear?" 

'No, as far as I know, their main abilities were their mastery over the element of water. Especially the Sea Serpent of the End or Serpent of Doom, an ability only available to a true heir of the Leviathan clan. This technique has the power to control the sea and draw large amounts of water. At full strength, it's capable of summoning floods, drowning whole cities, and creating a large variety of water-shaped creatures. This ability is potent enough to allow the user to control all oceans in the Human world, and it grants the user excellent talent in general demonic water manipulation. And from what I've seen so far, this Katerea has not showcased such an ability as of yet.' He explained, making me shiver to imagine going against a person with an ability like that.

So she was not a true descendant? 

"Fufufu~ shocked, aren't you?" A large smirk spread on her face. She was enjoying my panicked reaction. "Yes~ tremble in fear at my splendor, a power that not even the likes of Sirzechs and that pathetic Serafal will ever hope to achieve! Shame, I wanted to use it on that harlot, but you'll do fine as my first test subject. You should be honored, human. At least you'll die by my own hands — do you have any idea how many dreams there are for such an end~?" 

I felt an intense shiver creep up my spine from her tone.

Did she have to speak so sensually for no reason? It really sounded like she was getting turned on by the idea of killing me or even dashing out some torture. 

A black miasma of energy started to engulf my body. I had no choice but to go all out.

"Hoh~ what a desperate attempt at survival! Very admirable, if not foolish! Even with your Balance Breaker, you won't even be able to touch me." 

She moved faster than my eyes could track, and before I knew it, Katerea appeared before me with a giant, twisted smile. Her elongated arms went straight for my throat, my eyes narrowed as I formed a wall of flames around me to block her incoming attack. 

.

.

.

"—!"

A small child's hand came out of nowhere and easily grabbed Katerea's attack. 

"What are you doing?" The voice that came out of the cute little girl's sounded different than usual. The room's temperature plummeted several degrees, and there wasn't even any ice magic being used. "Why are you trying to hurt Hachiman with my snake?" 

The Leviathan's eyes widened, most likely shocked by the appearance of Ophis, who they'd been on the lookout for days, and how she came forth to protect me of all people. And, of course, that tone of hers that was both foreign and terror-inducing to anyone familiar with her personality — or rather, the lack of it. 

"Y-Y-You…" she couldn't even formulate a single phrase, her voice trembling at the blank eyes staring back at her with an aura of death coming off them. 

"Why are you trying to hurt him with my snakes?" She asked again.

"T-This is our e-enemy!"

"Enemy?" Ophis tilted her head in confusion. 

"Yes, enemy!" 

"No, he's my friend. Ah, the Devils think I'm his sister." Despite my repeating several times to both Venelana and Shuri during the beach outing that Ophis and I didn't share such a connection.

They refused to acknowledge it. 

"This human can't be your friend! He's a pest! A stain that's using you for your power! Please, Ophis-sama, return to us and let us take over the world and get rid of Great Red toge—argh!" She screamed in pain when the little lolita girl's hands pierced inside her chest.

Strangely enough, no blood was dropped, as it didn't look like an attack. Rather her hands somehow managed to phase inside her chest before coming out holding a single black snake. 

"N-N-No! You can't do this! That's my power, MINE! Give… it…. back…" She tried to reach for the snake, which Ophis absorbed into her shadow, the tanned woman's face turning pale with dark circles under her eyes as she mirrored my condition right before Sairaorg gave me the potion.  

"No." 

The next second, her eyes rolled back, and fell on her face. 

Oof, that had to hurt, hopefully she didn't break her nose.

"Is she dead?" I asked, warry that Ophis taking back her powers resulted in a much more lethal side effect. I sighed in relief when feeling her pulse on her neck. She hadn't died, so that's good right? "Was she one of the people who asked you for your snakes?"

Ophis shook her head. 

"She gave me snacks, clothes and always stayed quiet around me while taking me to places where I could sleep in silence. So I gave her the snakes." 

Wow, Katerea had such a side to her personality, huh… nice to know. "I see, alright. I guess I can bring her back with me. Given she's a Leviathan, better have Serafall make the final decision." 

Crash!

The walls behind the office crumbled, where from the dust walked out Sairaorg holding the unconscious body of a middle-aged man covered in muscles just as impressive as him. Golden pauldrons and gauntlets adorned his body, made with the finest craftsmanship that not even humans could replicate. 

His face was covered in dirt and grime, disfigured enough to make anyone give him a second look, but it wasn't that bad. 

"Yo, I found the guy in a room where he was forced to forge armor. He thought I was one of them and kept resisting, so I had to knock him out for a bit."  I froze when realizing that Ophis was still floating next to me without suppressing her powers. Mister likes-to-fight-a-lot had definitely sensed her vast presence. 

"Heh," he chuckled. "Now, isn't this interesting?" 

Ah, dang it. Why couldn't things ever go smoothly?

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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 1 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.