Rias and the others paused, then gave wry smiles.
"Just as the President said, a total battle maniac."
Yuuto Kiba agreed to the spar.
As a club member, he knew of Koneko's crushing defeat last night.
This was a rare chance to gauge Roy's true strength.
At Roy's request, Kiba grabbed two wooden swords, handing one to Roy.
"Roy-kun, ready?"
"Whenever you are."
"Here I come."
Knowing Roy's Multiplier ability, Kiba struck first.
A whoosh cut through the air as a black sword shadow slashed down.
But in that same instant, Roy raised his wooden sword to block.
Thud!
The two swords locked in midair.
"You blocked it?"
Kiba was surprised.
This wasn't what Koneko described.
Without Multiplier, how were Roy's speed and strength nearly matching his?
No… not nearly.
Feeling the immense force from Roy's side, Kiba, gradually overpowered, sensed something was off.
With a slight push, Kiba retreated to create distance, getting serious.
"Nice focus."
Roy nodded approvingly. "Don't hold back. Show me all your swordsmanship."
"As you wish."
Kiba vanished from sight.
Using his Knight's high-speed trait, he darted around Roy, launching attacks.
But like the first strike, every attack was blocked by Roy.
"So strong."
Koneko, watching from the sidelines, widened her eyes, letting out a gasp.
"Compared to last night, Roy-senpai's strength has jumped several levels."
"He's fully integrated the power from the devil chess pieces," Rias said, equally surprised.
Devil chess pieces could transform beings into devils, granting enhanced strength.
Typically, new devils needed time to adapt to this power.
But Roy was different. From merging the pieces to becoming a devil, mere minutes had passed.
In that time, he not only mastered the power of eight Pawn pieces but applied it flawlessly in combat.
"His swordsmanship is improving too."
Akeno pointed out another anomaly.
At the fight's start, Roy relied on superior physicality to block attacks.
But as time passed, his swordsmanship visibly sharpened.
What began as an even match turned into one-sided dominance.
Minutes later, Roy fully controlled the fight, forcing Kiba to retreat repeatedly.
Kiba, once weaving and dodging, could now only backpedal to avoid Roy's strikes.
"Time to end this."
Seizing a gap in Kiba's evasion, Roy knocked his wooden sword away.
Before Kiba could react, Roy pressed his sword to Kiba's throat.
"…I lost."
Kiba's face twisted with bitterness.
In just ten minutes, he'd witnessed Roy's swordsmanship evolve.
His worldview, built over years, shattered, and he understood Koneko's feelings from last night.
"Conceded."
Roy, on the other hand, was in high spirits.
Defeating Kiba earned him a new entry, as expected.
[Demon Sword Creation (Blue): Consume stamina or magic to create demon swords of varying attributes.]
A weapon was better than bare fists until his physical stats improved further.
With his entry slots full, Roy stored Demon Sword Creation in reserve.
"That was an impressive fight."
Rias approached. "Roy, your strength exceeds my expectations."
"How strong?"
"Based on that performance, you're mid-to-upper tier among Mid-class devils."
"Just Mid-class?"
Roy wasn't satisfied.
This world was full of dangerous threats.
Even Demon King-level beings faced life-threatening risks.
He needed more training.
"Reaching this level after just over a week of training is already remarkable," Rias reassured.
"By the way, Roy-kun, what's your Sacred Gear?" Akeno asked curiously.
"Sacred Gear? This one."
Roy gestured to the bracelet on his wrist, briefly explaining its healing effect.
"Healing injuries?"
Akeno blinked. "Then what's with your doubling ability? Isn't that a Sacred Gear power?"
"Call it a natural talent."
Roy spun a cover story without flinching.
As a prodigy who absorbed eight devil chess pieces, having a talent wasn't unusual.
Rias and the others accepted it readily.
Natural talents existed.
Among humans, sorcerers who hunted cursed spirits often had such abilities.
The strongest active sorcerer, Satoru Gojo, possessed the ultra-rare Six Eyes, paired with his Limitless technique, rivaling High-class devils.
"By the way, President."
Recovering from the blow, Kiba seemed to recall something and reported.
"Tokyo Jujutsu High contacted us. They're sending someone next week to reinforce the seal on Sukuna's finger."
Roy paused. "Sukuna's finger?"
"Sukuna was the King of Curses a thousand years ago, a human obsessed with challenging the strong," Kiba explained. "In his fanatical pursuit of battle, he provoked a particularly ill-tempered powerhouse."
"That figure killed Sukuna and placed a potent curse on him. Sukuna's fingers are the result of that curse."
"Due to the curse, Sukuna's soul was split into twenty pieces after death, each sealed in a finger, eternally suffering."
"Roy, you should take note," Rias added. "I don't oppose chasing strength, but this world is dangerous."
"Recklessly challenging the strong can attract trouble, leading to Sukuna's fate."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Roy rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Compared to the original story, Sukuna's history had changed significantly.
With different worldviews merged, parts of this world now diverged from the source material.
He'd need to be cautious and not rely too heavily on prior knowledge.
"Out of curiosity, who was the powerhouse Sukuna provoked?"
"The first Demon King Lucifer's son, Lizevim Livan Lucifer."
Roy: "?"
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