Azazel looked up. "Kuroka, Le Fay. I thought you were with Vali?"
Kuroka smirked, her golden eyes gleaming. "We were. But we just caught a lead so big we had to come back and tell you personally."
She paused, making sure she had everyone's undivided attention.
"Agreas. We've found the location of the floating city. We know where their headquarters is."
The room erupted. The floating city of Agreas—the heart of Qlippoth. We finally had a target.
Azazel let out a sharp, predatory grin. "Perfect timing, Kuroka. Let's hear it. It's about time we took the fight to them."
After a long strategy meeting led by Azazel and Sona, Maurice-san called me out. We headed down to the training room in the basement.
"What's up, old man?" I asked.
He was standing with his back to me. Without turning around, he tossed something through the air. I caught it—a wooden practice sword, the kind Xenovia used for training.
"A bokken? What for?"
Maurice turned, a wooden sword of his own held loosely in his hand. "Get in your stance."
"Huh?"
"I said get in your stance. One-hit duel. Right now."
His voice was calm, but the pressure rolling off him was staggering. It wasn't loud or flashy like most auras; it was quiet, like the weight of a mountain. He had absolute control over every ounce of his power.
Every time I faced him, I was reminded of just how much of a "cheat" this old man really was.
"Why now?" I asked. "We're about to storm Agreas. Why waste time on this?"
"Do it," he commanded. "And come at me with everything you've got. This is a test, Issei. If you fail, I'm leaving you behind. I'll beat you senseless if that's what it takes to keep you out of this mission."
"What?! Why?! This is a team effort!"
"Exactly. And if you fail a test this simple, you're just a liability. If you want in, prove it to me. Let me see what you're made of... and Ddraig? Stay out of this. This is between me and the kid."
The gem on the back of my hand flickered. 'Very well,' Ddraig's voice rumbled. 'Partner, you must pass this on your own merits.'
Great. He wanted me to take on a monster like Maurice without my Sacred Gear.
"Fine," I growled. "I'm going. No matter what. I'm going to make that piece of shit Rizevim pay for what he did!"
A crimson aura exploded from my body, coating the wooden sword in a jagged, flickering light. I glared at him, watching for the tiniest opening. The second I saw a gap—I'd end it.
"AAAAAAAH!"
I roared, lunging forward with the speed of a predator. I drove straight for him, putting every ounce of my rage and resolve into a single, vertical strike.
Maurice didn't move. He just waited, perfectly still, as I entered his reach.
I swung. The blow was perfect. It had all my weight, all my speed. It should have connected.
Clack.
The sound of wood hitting wood echoed through the room. I blinked. My wooden sword had been severed perfectly at the hilt. The blade clattered to the floor.
I felt something cold against my neck. It was the tip of Maurice's sword.
"I win," he said softly, lowering his weapon.
I stared at the stump of my sword. When did he even move? I hadn't seen the swing. He was even faster, even sharper than before.
"Issei," Maurice said, breaking my stupor. "Are you letting it swallow you?"
"Letting what...?"
"The rage. Your parents, the girls... they were attacked. You should be angry. You'd be a hollow shell of a man if you weren't. But are you the one holding the flame, or is the flame holding you?"
My breath hitched. I looked at him, and I finally understood why he'd challenged me.
Maurice gave me a rough grin. "Well, looking at that last swing, I guess I was worried over nothing. You've got a tendency to get reckless, and the look on your face earlier had me on edge... but your spirit is as straight as ever. I'm relieved."
"Straight? I just got cut in half!"
"Well, yeah. You're about four billion years too early to beat me with a sword."
"What kind of number is that?! I'm never gonna catch up!"
"Hahaha! I'm still climbing, kid. You better run if you want to see my back!"
Who is this guy? Seriously, how did I manage to make this cheat-code of a man my servant?
Maurice grabbed my head and gave it a rough, affectionate rub. "I wasn't looking to see if you could beat me. I knew I'd win. I was looking at the 'soul' of your strike. If you'd been blinded by hate, your sword would have wavered. But it was direct. Honest."
"So... I passed?"
"I'd like to say yes... but there's one more thing."
He suddenly grabbed my chin and twisted my head toward the door.
"Ow! My neck just went crunch! What was that for—?!"
I stopped. My parents were standing at the entrance of the training room. They walked toward me, their faces etched with a different kind of pain.
"Issei... are you really okay?" my father asked. "You're going to fight things like that monster again, aren't you? I... I didn't realize. I didn't know what you were up against every day."
"If we told you to stop, you'd only live with the regret," my mother said softly. "We tried to just watch and support you... but it's too much! Our son, our daughter... fighting those horrible things... putting your lives on the line..."
For the first time, they had seen the reality of our world. They had met Nidhogg. They were terrified. Their eyes were begging me: Please, don't go.
They knew we were strong. But they also knew the enemy was cruel. They were picturing a future where we didn't come home.
Maurice put a hand on my shoulder. "Tell them, Issei. In your own words. I'll head upstairs."
He left, leaving me alone with my parents.
I looked at them and took a deep breath. "Dad, Mom... Miwa told me everything. She told me how much you wanted me. How much you loved me before I was even born. I... I never really thought about it before."
I realized I'd been selfish in my own way. I'd fought to protect them, sure, but I'd never truly considered the weight of their worry. Every time I came home bleeding, they were the ones who had to hold it together.
"I've been through a lot. I've fought in other worlds, I've fought here... and now I have so many people I want to protect that I end up doing stupid, reckless things. I'm sorry. I'm probably making you even more worried just by saying that."
I gave them a small, tired smile. Then, I took their hands and looked them straight in the eye.
"I'm coming back. All of us—every single one of us—is coming back to this house."
I had to. We had to. So we could sit at the table together. So we could laugh. So we could have a normal life again.
"If the world tries to stop me, I'll twist the laws of reality until they break," I promised. "I'm not losing this happiness."
I let out a short laugh to break the tension. "Besides, I can't die yet. I haven't shown you my kids! I've got so many 'parents-in-law' expecting grandkids that I'm gonna have to start my own soccer league just to keep everyone happy!"
Okay, that was a little desperate, but it worked. My parents actually burst out laughing.
"Good grief... using grandkids as a bribe to make us feel better..." Dad chuckled.
"It's cheating!" Mom wiped her eyes, a mischievous glint returning to her face. "But you promised, right? I want to see them. Grandchild number one, grandchild number two, grandchild number three..."
"Wait! Why are you counting already?! Stop! That's actually terrifying! Stop it!"
As we prepared for the final battle, for a brief moment, we were just a normal family again.
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