Haru's entire body was smoking as he was flat on his back panting. "T-Th-That was torture Old Man Tannin!" Haru said between breaths. Tannin was standing above the boy completely unharmed with an amused grin.
[Don't be such a baby. Trust me, Tannin wasn't even using five percent of his full power.] Ddraig informed his partner who cried a little more at the fact.
"Kid." Tannin's voice made Haru slowly move his neck to see the dragon with a boulder on his shoulder. "I want you to move this boulder." With that Tannin tossed the rock to the ground. The ground underneath Haru shook. The boy looked at the boulder before looking at his dragon master with a shocked look.
"How the hell am I supposed to lift that?! It's ten times my height!" He shouted with burning anger.
"You don't know how to use that dragon power that's been growing inside you?" Tannin asked with, what Haru assumed, a raised eyebrow.
"What!?" Haru shouted in surprise. "How the hell should I have known I had dragon power growing!?" He demanded of the great dragon. The response was in the form of a clawed finger pointing at Haru's Boosted Gear covered arm.
"That left arm of yours has been leaking dragon energy I could sense miles away when I was coming to get you." Haru's eyes widened as he remembered his left arm was actually a dragon's arm and that, technically, means he's a dragon as well. "Dragon power is much more different from Devil and human magic." Tannin brought Haru back to him. "One is about imagination while the other is on focus but for dragon powers you rely on pure power. This is the reason why dragons are so feared. Focus the dragon power throughout your entire body and you'll feel power like nothing you have ever had." Tannin instructed.
With shaky legs, the boy was able to get up and look at the boulder before trudging his way until he was right in front of it. Closing his eyes, tried to push the giant rock with all his might but for nothing as it didn't budge.
Come on power! Give me something! Haru yelled in his head as he tried his hardest to push the earth. What he didn't see or notice was that his left arm turned dragonic and covered his entire form in red. Not bad.Tannin thought to himself as he looked at the power his pupil was releasing.
With a new wind, Haru yelled out. "AHH!" Stomping his foot into the ground, leaving a crater, Haru was finally able to lift it but only five inches before the red aura disappeared. All the power leaving his body made Haru collapse to his back once more but with a grin. "Hahah! I-I-I did it!" He said, proud of himself.
"Not bad, kid. Not bad at all." Tannin said. Haru did pretty well for someone who just tapped into dragon power. "But don't get overconfident. A hatchling could have lifted the whole boulder." Tannin made sure to keep his student grounded.
"Heheh." Haru only continued to chuckle. "Th… then that means… I just have to keep going." He wheezed out between heavy pants. His eyes became heavy as he slowly fell asleep.
Seeing the boy had passed out he decided to talk to Ddraig. "So Ddraig, how do you think it would have gone if he used his sacred gear?" He asked his old friend.
[He most likely would have lifted the boulder… if he used that head of his he could have but oh well. That's what we're here for.] Ddraig spoke.
"Hahah!" Tannin let out a loud belly laugh. "Never would have thought such a prideful dragon like yourself would admit something like that. Don't worry about the boy. By the time I'm done with him people will barely recognize him." He promised.
[Hm. Just don't overdo it. Don't want this fool to lose who he is in the process… or his head.] Ddraig said, you could hear the smirk in his voice.
"Trust me. I wouldn't even dream of it." Tannin replied with his own toothy smirk.
Six days later…
"Dragon Shot!" Haru's voice resounded through the mountain top as his signature move soon followed. Unlike before, this shot was much more powerful and controlled as it shot towards the flying dragon king.
"Not bad but not good enough." Tannin muttered before storing fire in his maw. With a mighty breath, he roared his fire, meeting Haru's move in the middle. The redhead's move struggled against the dragons for a bit until it was eventually dispersed and continued towards the boy.
The grounded teen looked at the fire with a grin. "Not this time Sensei." Red aura surrounded his body as he used his new speed to escape the fire that flooded where he stood. "I am loving this!" Haru said with excitement as he tried to get closer to Tannin's floating body. "I've never felt so free before!"
[That's because you're actually using a power that fits you. Devil magic was obviously wasted on you where your dragon power is not too bad. All your senses have grown to a dragon along with your reflexes and instinct.] Ddraig spoke to his partner, making sure he didn't overload his body with too much dragon power.
"Haa!" Haru shouted out as he was finally at a launching point. Kicking his feet off the pillar of stone, Haru raised himself until he was at Tannin. The dragon king smirked before letting out another roar of fire. Haru was consumed with fire but didn't feel the burn at all.
Charging through the flames he was finally near Tannin's face. Powering up his fist, he was about to unleash his stored power until his abdomen erupted in pain. Glancing down he saw the dragon's tail firmly planted in his gut. Clicking his teeth Haru felt blood fly from his mouth when he hit the hard rock of the mountain.
Tannin positioned himself in the air, crossing his arms, while he watched his student's body forming a crater. "Cough." He heard a slight cough from the boy who began to stand back up. The boy looked a little injured but nothing too bad.
"Hah. Compared to the crying child six days ago, you've gotten a slightly better Hatchling! You can even survive my powered down flames." His smirk grew when he saw Haru's eyebrow twitch in anger. Tannin enjoyed it when he called him that, mainly because Haru had begun to show little parts of dragon attitude when he used his powers.
"I said don't call me hatchling you geezer dragon!" Haru shouted out, showing his slightly longer teeth. The red aura around him flaring up.
"That's some good power kid." Tannin complemented. "I guess I can let you see some more of my power." The dragon stretched out his wings. Bringing out the [Boosted Gear] Haru charged it up for a few seconds before the [Explode] announcement called out. Giving the other smirks they went back at it, Haru determined to at least get one hit on his dragon teacher while the dragon was enjoying beating the hell out of his new student.
The sun had set on the mountain and on Haru's downed form's face as he was eagle spread. The teen had spent the whole day trying to his Tannin only to be brushed off by the ultimate powered dragon before getting pounded back into the ground. So here he was, face up as he panted in exhaustion.
Tannin was about to yell at Haru to get up when a familiar voice called out. "Oh, you're doing it. How's it going?"
Painfully, Haru looked up to see his other sensei, Azazel. The leader of the fallen angels was giving the boy his usual smirk while lazily waving at him.
"A-Azazel-sensei." Haru moaned out in pain. He was actually happy to see a familiar face after a few days of being alone with a powerful dragon. "Wh-What ya' doing here?" He asked. Haru was slowly getting the feel of his body back as he sat up, supporting himself with his arms.
"I was told to deliver something." The boy's confusion vanished when Azazel brought out a bento box that was wrapped up. The familiar scent of food reached his enhanced senses, making him drool. Azazel kept his smirk when the box was taken from his hand and Haru was sitting in front of him with a happy expression while eating the food inside.
"Ah! So good!" Haru said while devouring the food his master had made for him. Taking one bite he could tell his crimson haired king had made it. Azazel looked at the boy with a slightly surprised expression. He's gotten pretty fast. He thought to himself remembering how fast he was before now.
The duel haired man sat down next to the teen and placed his hand on his shoulder. "There's also a boxed lunch Akeno made for you. Make sure to eat that one too. Both were sending a show of sparks while making the food. But, hahahah, you've gotten a bit of a good face and body in the few days I haven't seen you." Azazel said with a chuckle. The twelve-winged black angel could tell Haru had filled out his once puny body. He now had a good build and abs starting to form.
"Hey! I'll have you know I had to go through hell when fighting this crazy dragon!" Haru shouted in good nature fun. "I thought the overgrown lizard was gonna' kill me for real at times! Ow!" Haru shouted in pain when Tannin had whacked him in the head with his tail.
The golden horned dragon looked at his student with dull eyes as he rested on a nearby rock. "You're an idiot. If I wanted to kill you I would have. If you want to actually stand a little bit of a chance then reach [Balance Breaker] Hatchling."
"I said stop calling me that!" Haru's shouts were muffled as he was currently eating dirt. "Hahah! Seems you two are getting along very well." Azazel said through laughs.
"Though in seriousness, he's getting better with each day. You are slowly becoming a great [Pawn] fit to be Miss Rias' servant." Tannin said with a genuine voice that made Haru smile at the thought of Rias.
He had been thinking of her and the others a lot recently but not in the perverted way. Now thinking a little clearer and more level headed he could tell that Rias' affection towards him is much different that the affection she had towards Kiba or Gaspher. Haru also recognized some of the other girls such as Xenovia, Irina, Asia, and Akeno are very affectionate with him as well. More than a normal friend who's a girl. Maybe she actually likes me like I like her. He thought with some happiness. But as he was thinking that, a smile flashed before his head and it made him flinch. He couldn't see who the smile belonged to, but he knew he liked it from the way his heart was beating a little faster.
Haru's musings were cut short when Azazel went over what he's done since being on the mountain. "I can see that your body has become sturdier and is now able to handle the power of [Balance Breaker] when you reach it. Heck, you even now have a slight handle on some basic forms of dragon fire. Not too bad but compared to Vali, if you two fought in magic he'd beat you in an instant." The man informed the slightly less perverted [Pawn].
The Gremory [Pawn] took in his teacher's words as accurate. Vali was extremely gifted with magic because of the Old Lucifer blood running through his veins. Even now, while he could feel himself getting stronger, he doubted he could beat Vali if he went all out. Just you wait Vali! He thought of the Lucifer descendent.
"Ah, Sensei. Back at the meeting, Vali was beginning to chant something. Do you know what?" Haru asked, turning to his teacher.
"Ah, that was the [Juggernaut Drive] chant." Azazel said. "Huh? Is it something above the [Balance Breaker]?" Haru asked, remembering the feeling Vali was giving off when he was speaking those words.
Azazel eased his worries of anyone else having such power by his head shake. "No, there is nothing above [Balance Breaker]. The final form is [Balance Breaker], but there are several things inside Sacred Gears that have a magical beast inside them. A peculiar restraint is applied on those. That would be your [Boosted Gear] and Vali's [Divine Dividing]."
"B-But why would there be such a restriction on only our gears? Does it have some kind of set-back?" Haru asked, thinking what Azazel was about to say.
"Huh. I'm actually impressed. You're right Haru." He complimented the boy for his thinking. Seems he's learning things other than dragon powers. "It temporarily gives one power rivaling that of a God, but, like you said, it comes at a high risk. It shaves off a great amount of life and makes the user lose their sense of reason."
Haru was shocked at that information. "Yo-You mean I-I could lose my mind if I ever use that?!" The mere thought of that frightened Haru to his core.
Azazel nodded with a slightly serious face. "Yea, to a violent degree. One would destroy everything surrounding them until they eventually stop when they die of overuse. It's impossible to master in combat, but… Vali can handle it for several minutes by draining a large amount of his magical powers. But, since Albion was so frantic, I guess that it still has its dangers on Vali and anyone else. It's an accursed method of fighting that uses the power of people that are transformed into the dead. Never copy such a power." Azazel ended with sorrow spilling from his eyes.
Vali… Haru realized Azazel must be very worried about Vali's condition. He remembered that the leader had taken in Vali as a kid and basically raised him so he must still feel worried for the person he saw as a son.
Tannin took this time to speak up. "So the current Hakuryuukou can handle the [Juggernaut Drive]? That's a problem. The Hatchling," He ignored the angry "Hey!" "Would be killed if he didn't become desperate. The way either the white or red awakened that power before certainly assisting them in surpassing the other. Basically it's first come, first served." Haru gained an angry look at the fact he was so weak before.
"Haru, let's change the topic." Azazel said after looking at Haru's face. "To what?" Haru was silently grateful for Azazel changing topics. "What do you think about Akeno?" The sudden question caught Haru for a loop.
The training teen took a little time to think of how he honestly thought about Akeno. He didn't need to look to know Azazel was looking at him intensely. Akeno was someone who he liked a lot, almost as much as Rias. While her S-side was scary, he liked her normal gentle side with the girlish part of her he had recently seen. Remembering that time in the shrine made him blush. Looking up he replied honestly.
"She's amazing. She's someone who I would do anything to make happy." Haru said with a small, kind smile. Azzazel let out a relieved sigh. "I see. Haru, I also have to watch over her in the place of a friend of mine."
Haru realized who he was talking about. "You mean Akeno-san's father, Barakiel, right?"
"Barakiel and I have been comrades since ancient times like Shemhaza. A friend, almost like a brother. We did many stupid things together as we grew. So, before I noticed, everyone around me besides myself had gotten wives and kids." Azazel said with a distant look in his eyes. Haru looked at the leader with new insight. He didn't really expect a pervert like Azazel wanting to actually have a family. Guess that's why he was so sad when Vali left. He was the only thing he kind of had to a family other than his buddies. Haru thought to himself.
"Well, leaving that aside." Azazel got out of his funk. "I'm very concerned about Akeno. Though, to Barakiel and Akeno, it may be none of my business."
The seventeen year old just gave him a dull look. "Yeah right. You're a nosy person who likes getting involved with others." Haru accused.
"Heh. I'm just an ordinary Fallen Angel with free time." Azazel said, dismissing that idea. Yea right! Haru yelled in his head. "In any case, I'm thinking about entrusting Akeno to you." That made Haru stop and look at him once more.
"Entrust her… to me?" Haru thought for a moment before getting what he meant. "Oh! You want me to make sure she's always safe." Azazel looked on with a warm smile and nod. "Well of course I will Azazel-Sensei! She's my [Queen] and as a [Pawn] I have to protect her and the [King] with my life!" Haru's words made Azazel smile even more and let out an eased sigh.
"Glade to hear that you are getting smarter, kid. Happy to see it." Azazel said with a smirk. "But, I also came because of Koneko."
"Huh? What happened to Koneko-chan?" He asked about the little girl he began to see like a little sister.
Azazel let out a sigh. "There's nothing that can be done about it. She's impatient-or rather, she feels doubt in her power." The boy instantly remembered how Koneko didn't seem well these past couple of days. "She overdid it in the training I assigned for her. This morning, she collapsed."
"Wh-What!?" Haru asked with wide eyes. "Is she okay?" The boy asked a little frantic about Koneko's health.
Azazel just shook his head. "Asia can heal injuries, but she can't do anything about physical strength. Overworking in particular certainly hurts one's physical strength and has adverse effects. Because the time left until the game is limited, that's dangerous." He said with a slightly grim look.
"Take me to her." Haru instantly said, looking at the fallen angel with fire in his eyes. "I'm not gonna' stay here when I know a friend is in trouble."
"Heh. Sounds just like you." Azazel said with a smirk. "I was actually told to bring you back to the Gremory annex just this once." He then addressed the resting Dragon King. "He'll be going back for a little while Tannin. I'll return him tomorrow."
Tannin gave him a curt nod. "Very well. I'll return to my territory until then." Rising he spread his wings fully before looking at his student. "See you tomorrow, Hatchling." And with that Tannin flew away with a slight laugh when he heard Haru shout at him.
"Stupid dragon." Haru muttered under his breath. "Hey sensei, who ordered you to come get me?" He wondered.
Azazel answered with a lazy scratch of his head. "Rias' mother." That made Haru gain a question mark over his head. What would Venelana want with him?