"..." Both Saeko and Mahiru fell silent at Adrien's shameless boasting.
Adrien smiled. "For some reason, I was born without leaking energy points. That gives me unmatched control and stability over energy. I can cast any attack I want instantly without wasting a single drop of demonic power."
"So you're the only one who doesn't leak Demonic Energy?", Saeko asked, breaking their silence.
"As far as I know, yes."
"Even the Devil King?", Mahiru asked. Saeko hadn't met Sirzechs yet but she knew what that title represented.
"Yes, him too, but he definitely has stronger energy points than most people. Every time you rank up, you can either keep strengthening the same base point or create new base points in other parts of your body.
For example, you can keep focusing on the same base point in your arm. By the time you reach Ultimate-Class or higher, that arm's control and stability over demonic power would become extremely high. The other option is to spread your base points across your whole body, so your entire body becomes stronger and more balanced.
So being at the pinnacle of devils, Sirzechs would naturally have incredible control over Demonic leakage. But even then, it still wouldn't be enough to match my control."
Both girls looked completely bewildered. Neither of them had ever seen Adrien fight before. They only knew he was very strong because he had stopped the outbreak a few days ago by himself. But now he was saying that his control over Demonic Energy was even better than Lucifer's, and that he had simply been born that way.
"Andy! You still haven't explained how the ranking system works!" Celia shouted from where she was training. Apparently, she had been listening to his explanation the whole time.
"Ah, right. Thanks, Celi." Adrien looked back at Mahiru and Saeko before continuing. "The ranking system for devils, angels, and fallen angels is mostly the same at first. It goes from Low-Class, to Mid-Class, to High-Class, and then Ultimate-Class. Those ranks are shared by all three factions.
After that, the ranks become different depending on the race. For devils, the next rank is Satan-Class, and the highest rank is True Satan. For angels, they have Seraph-Class and Throne-Class. For fallen angels, they have Cadre-Class and Governor-Class."
"You can identify their rank by the number of wings on their back. As you already know, you have one pair of wings. Low-Class and Mid-Class beings only have one pair as well.
High-Class is where things start to change. High-Class devils are divided into three levels: 2-winged, 4-winged, and 6-winged. The more wings someone has, the stronger they are. Ultimate-Class beings have 8 wings, like me. Satan-Class beings have 10 wings, and True Satans have 12 wings. It works the same way for the other races too.
But don't forget, class is not decided by power alone. Prestige and accomplishments matter too. Just like gods become stronger the more worshippers they have, the other races can also grow stronger through their own achievements.
The first Lucifer's sin was that he wished to be worshipped like God, and that is where our power comes from. The more a devil is acknowledged, the stronger they become. Logically, it makes no sense. I have tried to study this phenomenon for a long time, but I never found an answer. That is the supernatural part of our world."
They nodded at the same time.
'Finally, next time I'm gonna have them explain all that shit to new members.'
"Saeko, go start training. I need to talk to Mahiru now."
She nodded and went off to train by herself. Adrien had told her to simply move her demonic power through her body, from her hands to her feet.
Mahiru looked a little confused about what Adrien wanted to talk to her about, but then he gently took her thin wrist, the one wearing her Sacred Gear bracelet.
"I did some research on Sacred Gears in the past. From what I learned, there are all kinds of them. Some have souls inside them, like Boosted Gear. Some take the form of external items, like a gauntlet or your bracelet. Others are internal and don't show on the body at all. Some need energy to be activated, while others can activate on their own. In the end, it all depends on the Sacred Gear." Adrien said.
He paused for a moment, then continued, "So there isn't one fixed way to train a Sacred Gear. You just have to keep using it until you understand how it works and get used to it. Sacred Gears are extremely powerful, and they can let you fight at a level above your rank.
For example, I know an idiot who doubles his power every ten seconds. He goes from a low-class little shit to a high-class devil in only a few minutes. So you should split your training time between learning spells and training your Sacred Gear."
Mahiru nodded as she listened to Adrien's explanation, "but last time it was only a fluke that I managed to use my Sacred Gear, I've tried to use it again but I wasn't able to," she said.
"That's normal. Sacred Gears respond to their user's emotions. You were probably under a lot of pressure, so it reacted and manifested to help you. But try to remember exactly how it felt. Did you feel your power flow to it? Or did it awaken completely on its own?
The other problem is that Sanctum Veil is an extremely rare Sacred Gear. For some reason, it barely ever appears. You're only its tenth holder in history, and most of the earlier holders never even recorded what it could do. So there's very little information about it."
"What we know so far is that Sanctum Veil is a barrier-type ability that turns the area around you into your battlefield. The outer layer is not impossible to break, so enemies can force their way in. But once they enter, the fight starts turning in your favor. Anyone you deem an enemy gets weaker, while your allies, and even you, become stronger.
It does not only weaken people, it also weakens what they do, so their Attacks becomes weaker too. Since you are the user, you are like the center of the whole ability. That means the closer an enemy gets to you, the more the effect increases. At the same time, allies near you are supported even more.
If you use it well, Sanctum Veil can make you extremely annoying and difficult to fight, but it also makes you someone that the enemy will target."
Mahiru felt more and more overwhelmed the longer Adrien kept explaining. Her Sacred Gear was not a simple attack or defense ability. It was something that had to be used with timing, positioning, and careful thinking. To use it to its full potential, she would have to calculate many things at once. And right now, she could not even use it properly, let alone think that far ahead.
Adrien noticing her worried expression, just waved his hand dismissively, "don't worry about it, you got an expert in the field right in front of you."
--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>--<>
Occult Research club.
Everyone in Rias Gremory's Familia had gathered in the clubroom. Rias, Akeno, and the two girls from the Church were sitting on the sofas, while the others stayed together in one corner of the room.
Rias and Akeno both looked serious. Kiba, however, was staring at the two women with clear hatred and anger.
In the middle of that tense silence, one of the two visitors was the first to speak. It was Irina Shidou, a beautiful young woman with violet eyes. She had long chestnut hair, tied in twintails, and she was wearing a church battle outfit.
"A few days ago, the Holy Sword Excalibur was stolen. It had been protected by the Catholic Church in the Vatican, and also by the Protestant and Orthodox Churches in their own headquarters."
"But how could Excalibur be stolen from the Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox Churches at the same time? It should have only been in one place, right?" Issei asked.
Irina looked at Issei. "Issei, Excalibur was destroyed a long time ago in the Great War." Irina used to live in Kuoh when she was little, so she had known Issei from back then, before she moved to Europe.
"This is what it looks like now," the other woman said. She had short blue hair that reached her chin, a green-dyed fringe on the right side, and brown eyes. She took the weapon from her waist and pulled away the cloth around it, showing a single long sword. "This is an Excalibur."
A chill went through every devil in the clubroom.
"Excalibur was broken during the Great War. After that, its pieces were gathered and made into seven new swords with alchemy. This sword is one of them."
"This is Excalibur Destruction. It is one of the seven Holy Swords that were made from the original Excalibur, and right now it belongs to the Catholic Church."
After showing her sword, the woman with the blue hair covered it with the cloth again, that cloth looked to be covered in arcane, letter-like glyphs.
Next, Irina took out something that looked like a long cord from her pocket. A moment later, it started moving and changed into a Japanese katana.
"Mine is Excalibur Mimic. It can change its shape however I want, so it's easy to carry and very useful. Every Excalibur has its own special power. This one belongs to the Protestant Church."
The blue haired woman face-palmed. "Irina... you really don't need to tell these demons what your Excalibur can do, do you?" She said in a disappointed tone.
"Oh, Xenovia. They may be demons, but we can't move forward if we don't build some trust between us, right?"
Kiba stared at the swords and the two visitors with open hatred. He had a personal grudge against the Excaliburs, after all.
"And what do these stolen Excaliburs have to do with this town, all the way on the other side of the world?" Rias asked calmly.
"Including the sword I am holding now, the Catholic Church has two of the seven swords. The Protestants have two, and the Orthodox Church also has two. The last sword, the seventh one, was lost during the Great War between God, the devils, and the fallen angels. Out of those six that remained, one sword from each Church was stolen. From what we know, the thieves ran away to Japan, to this very town," Xenovia said.
Rias touched her forehead and sighed. "There is always something happening in my territory. So who stole them?"
"The Watchers of the Children of God, the Grigori."
Rias looked genuinely surprised. "So a group that works under the fallen angels was behind this? That is not some small incident. Still, if anyone would want to steal those weapons, it would be the fallen angels. Holy Swords do not really matter much to demons."
"We already know who led it. His name is Kokabiel, one of the leaders of the Grigori."
The conversation was a back and forth between Rias and Xenovia for the most part.
"Kokabiel… He's one of the strongest fallen angels and one of the survivors of the war. I didn't expect to hear such a famous name from the Bible," Rias said with a small laugh.
"We sent several priests to this town to sneak into their group and find the Excaliburs, but all of them were killed." Before Rias could say anything, Xenovia spoke clearly. "Our request, or more accurately, our demand, is simple. None of the demons living in this town are allowed to interfere with our fight against the fallen angels behind this. In short, we came here to tell you to stay out of our way."
Rias raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. "That is quite a bold way to say it. Are you trying to distract us? You cannot seriously think we would work together with the fallen angels, right? The idea that we would join them just to steal a Holy Sword…"
"Our superiors do believe that is possible," Xenovia said firmly.
And hearing that made Rias's anger flare up.
"Our superiors trust neither fallen angels nor demons. If God's side loses their Holy Swords, demons would have a reason to be happy, right? You have just as much to gain from our loss as the fallen angels do. So to our side, an alliance between you is not impossible. That is why we are warning you now, anyone who helps the fallen angel Kokabiel in any way will be destroyed. Even if that person is the Demon King's own sister. Those are the orders we were given."
"…Since you know who my brother is, then you clearly have ties to powerful people. In that case, hear my answer well: I will never stand with the fallen angels. Never. In the name of House Gremory, I swear I would never stain our Demon King's name with such betrayal."
The two of them locked eyes, neither willing to back down.
Then, after a brief silence, Xenovia let out a quiet laugh. "Good. That is what I wanted to hear. You should understand something, though, Kokabiel is hiding in this town with three Excaliburs. If anything happens because of that, both we and the Church will be held responsible."
Her gaze stayed hard and steady.
"Even so, I will not ask for your help. If a demon, especially the sister of one of the Demon Kings, were to fight beside us, it would shake the balance of power between the three factions."
"And what about the representative from the Orthodox Church?" Rias asked.
"They are waiting in reserve. If Irina and I fail, their mission is to protect the last Excalibur, even if it costs them their lives."
Rias chuckled amusingly. "So the two of you plan to take back the Excaliburs from one of the leaders of the fallen angels on your own? Do you have death wish?"
Irina and Xenovia did not look away, their eyes were full of resolve.
"Yes," Irina answered without hesitation.
"I feel the same," Xenovia said calmly. "Though I would rather stay alive if possible."
Rias's gaze turned colder. "So you came to Japan already prepared to die? Your faith still goes beyond reason."
"Please do not insult our beliefs, Rias Gremory," Irina said firmly.
"It's about time we got on our way. Irina, let's go," Xenovia said.
The two of them turned to leave, but before they could walk out, their eyes stopped on Asia.
"I thought I recognized you back at Issei Hyoudou's house," Xenovia said coldly. "You're Asia Argento, the witch, aren't you? I never thought I would find you here of all places."
Asia's body shook the moment she heard that word.
Irina looked at her closely, without softening at all. "So you are the former Holy Maiden who caused such a stir. Your healing power works on devils and fallen angels, doesn't it? I heard you were exiled, but even so, it is still shocking to see that you became a demon."
"…U-uh... I...," Asia could barely get the words out, completely overwhelmed by the way they were pressing her.
"A former Holy Maiden has become a demon. What a miserable fall. Tell me, do you still keep faith in our Lord?"
"How could she?" Irina said, sounding annoyed. "She is a demon now."
Xenovia kept her eyes on Asia. "No. I can feel it from her. Faith. Some people betray the Lord, yet afterward they are crushed by guilt and can never let go of their belief."
Asia lowered her eyes, sadness filling her face. "…I never abandoned Him. I always believed…"
The moment she said that, Xenovia raised the cloth-wrapped sword toward her. "I understand. Then you should have no complaint if I kill you here and now. In the name of the Lord, I will pass judgment on you."
As Xenovia moved closer, Issei quickly stepped in front of Asia. But before anything could happen, Rias's voice rang through the whole room.
"Do not step any closer. I am still allowing you to stand here as guests. But if you touch even one hair on my servant's head, I will cut you down where you stand."
Lightning danced around Akeno's hands as she smiled. "Ara~, I've been so bored lately. This might finally make things interesting."
A demonic sword formed in Kiba's hand, and demonic power began gathering in Koneko's hands.
The cloth around Xenovia's sword slowly began to come loose, as if she was about to draw it. But Irina stopped her first. She caught Xenovia by the sleeve and gave a silent shake of her head.
Xenovia's expression darkened, but she held herself back. In the end, she said nothing more and left the room with Irina.
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Long chapter, but I want to build it up properly so everything makes sense. Chapter will be 2500 words plus from now on.
If we reach 115 power stones I'll drop a bonus chapter today.