Which Shirou was grateful for because Azazel's eyes quickly changed targets before he let out a snort. "Very well, Magus Killer. Tell me this then; what you expect to learn from this fight."
"Don't know."
"Say what? Usually you are the man with a plan."
"But Sirzechs didn't tell me what to expect and about Rias Gremory… I know less than nothing." He offered a weak shrug. "In these conditions you could say that I am here to learn what I am supposed to learn."
"Okay…" Azazel looked at Shirou who also shrugged. "Fine then, who do you two think is going to win, honestly." With how loud the Gremory Clan was being, undoubtedly the trio wouldn't be heard.
Kiritsugu replied first. "Depends on how much power Medusa recovered at this point."
Shirou's answer was more definitive. "Rias can't win." Shocking both black haired men as the magus just prepared to watch. "Medusa isn't even half as strong as she was on the Shapeless Island," he remarked with certainty, "but she is much smarter."
…
To Rias was embarrassed would be an understatement as she turned around to avoid looking at her family. 'Good grief.'
"My, my, perhaps you should wave around a little, Buchou." Akeno teased a little, much more relaxed now that Azazel was out of her earshot. "Can't leave your fans waiting."
"Hush, Akeno." Rias was really struggling to remain calm.
Coming closer, the Queen whispered in her ear. "But you were doing so well during the parade~"
"That was that, this is this." Was the Heiress of Gremory reply. "Good grief, I am happy this isn't an event of some kind." She knew one of her parents had prepared the servants in advance, it felt too sudden to be natural.
"So the plan, does it stay the same?" Kiba asked both to stop Akeno teasing their King and to put them back on track. Grayfia may be waiting for everyone to get a seat, and somebody also started selling popcorn, but the fight would soon start. "If not, who changes pairs?"
There was a good reason for Kiba to be being vague as he could see that Medusa was paying attention to them, one snake in her hands for her to play with. As a goddess they weren't going to underestimate the purple haired girl and part of it involved not giving their plans right away.
Despite Medusa's intense gaze on the devils, her newly formed team was overall silent and doing their own thing; Xenovia was doing some stretches, her eyes on Kiba as she predicted them fighting, and Liz remained still with her halberd resting on a hand and the floor, almost like a statue.
But their silence was Rias' benefit and she smiled, it didn't mean the fight would be easy but an enemy who didn't plan was weaker than one who did. There was also the fact the three maidens never fought together, or even against each other.
Since vowing to recover her powers it was true Medusa took some steps towards it but she never asked to spar or revealed how she was doing to anyone. They also didn't know what that entailed to a god but she knew about their powers and if she was taking the fight then they believed her confident.
Xenovia on the other hand was someone all of them saw fight more than once with multiple swords, Durandal more than most since Shirou began to teach her the secrets of the former owners. The former Exorcist's prowess was well known, Kiba having more losses than wins in her hands, all things considered.
About Liz the devils knew her long enough to get all her habits, with and without her weapon. While her strength was just short of Koneko's, the maid was far more brutal to the point she only wasn't cruel because she seemed to not have that emotion. Or at least reason to have for cruelty.
As they expected to fight Shirou, most of the plan was already in place and the hushed conversation during the redhead and Souji's fight was vague enough they knew Medusa couldn't have heard.
To keep it a secret was still important, any advantage was useful against a god. "Plan stays the same. You two just make sure to win your fights fast." Her eyes were fixed on Medusa who tilted her head cutely. "Because our resident goddess doesn't look worried one bit."
The way Medusa smiled, a predatory smile that looked as beautiful as it was deadly, gave Rias the impression she was hearing every word. She could only hope the purple haired goddess was going to play along and accept her challenge.
King versus King matches were common because of the hype involved in them, the idea of a powerful noble facing another was cemented as a great opportunity for great powers to clash while risking everything since the King's fall usually means defeat.
Sure this wasn't a Rating Game and Medusa wasn't a devil but the principle was the same and a safe bet as Rias expected both Akeno and Kiba to defeat their opponents and reinforce her soon after.
Yet those were things easy to deduce, things that Medusa was practically signaling she could hear, and still the goddess showed barely any reaction.
There really wasn't any strategy being discussed on their side, the three women were just doing their own thing; Xenovia exercising a little, Liz still a statue and Medusa watching with confidence. So confident in fact that Rias was starting to wonder how much of her power the goddess had already recovered.
'Shiro was able to defeat her in her totality… No, that is wrong. She was berserk, no rational thought.' Suddenly Rias found herself doubting her own strategy before shaking her head. "If things get worse I will focus my power on just keeping Medusa at bay. Focus on your own fights."
""Yes, Buchou!"" Her Pieces' words gave Rias more confidence.
Yet the amethyst eyes of Medusa shifted and her smile grew somewhat more confident nevertheless.
"Fighter, prepare for combat!" Grayfia gave out a warning as soon everybody in the arena was seated. It wasn't full and everybody was focused on the sides to give the VIP the best view. "Standard match until the King falls, surrenders or all Pieces are defeated! If I judge you are unfit to fight, do not waste time complaining! Any objections?"
"None." Rias responded first.
"Just start already!" Xenovia was practically jumping in place but Grayfia was looking at Medusa who nodded to get things going.
The Ultimate Maid shook her head at the break of protocol but let it slide since Rias was still following it and this was a test for her. "Begin!" Once again she took the skies to not get in the way.
Rias quickly jumped a few steps back to give Akeno and Kiba more room to work with, just in time too as Xenovia came at them, pulling Durandal from its sheath. The blue head had already a target in mind and so she ignored Rias in favor of Kiba who was fast enough to call his usual sword.
Only for the swordswoman to be intercepted by Akeno, a Lighting Sword in Queen's hand, much to her shock both literally and figuratively as Xenovia kicked the ground to get away quickly, her arms almost growing numb from the sudden intrusion.
"My, my~ Xenovia-chan, please, don't be like that~" The Queen played with her Lightning Weapon, a crude and misshapen sword, before pointing it at the former Exorcist. "It isn't fun when you run away."
"Tch, so my opponent isn't Kiba but you?" Never the two had clashed before so that was a new experience. Still her arms remained heavy as lead so she used Durandal's Aura for a quick recovery before smiling. "How fun! Let's do it, Akeno! Time to see if my training paid off!"
The younger woman began to run to the side for more space, a maneuver that Akeno didn't need to follow but did so anyway since she was her designated opponent. In fact if Luvia failed to contain Shirou, Akeno was the one with the best chances of neutralizing a swordsman thanks to her magic.
Which left the blond to face his opponent who remained standing beside the goddess and temporary King.
Liz's face remained blank and clear, her eyes rubies which refused to move and for a moment the Knight suspected she was waiting for Rias to make the first move, at least by the direction she was looking at.
Medusa then chuckled. "Looks like Kiba is your opponent." She commented but the maid gave no response. "Are you going to fight him?" Was an offer more than anything.
And for the first time in several minutes Leysritt moved, her neck turning to regard the goddess. "For the duration of this combat session, I am under your command."
"Ah, you are waiting for an order. How quaint." It was the first time Medusa had a direct servant with rational thought. She at least didn't count the faithful in the days with her sisters or anyone she had Charmed. "Very well then, we shall play their game." Raising a hand she pointed at Kiba. "Defeat the enemy Knight's then their King."
A simple directive. "Roger." The kind Leysritt appreciated. She didn't need complicated maneuvers, never wished to bother with those.
Besides, battle suited her more than she liked to admit so with the order given she charged, halberd spinning in her hand as she jumped.
Kiba easily dodged the attack but it was so strong that most of the area he was standing broke apart. Not any news for the Knight who was well aware of his gym teacher's strength and his superior speed.
A counter attack was also in order as the sword came aiming for Leysritt's thigh only for the body of the halberd to stop the attack which was followed by another attempt to hit the Knight.
Realizing his speed was good but the fight would still take a while, Kiba gave Rias a nod before pointing his sword to the maid. "Say, sensei, what do you say if we fight somewhere else?"
His words went unheard as all the homunculus did was jump again and destroy more of the arena. Nothing that bothered Kiba as he took it as a sign he was the target and just ran away hoping she would give chase.
That she did and so there were only two left. "Was that all according to plan?" Medusa asked with playfulness as she caressed the snake in her hands a few times with an amused grin. "Or are the pairs not to your taste?"
"Oya, are you trying to say you are making things easier for me?" Rias' amusement was also palpable.
A shake of the head and a giggle were the initial reply. "Oh no, I would never bother to try and control Xenovia and she is going to fight as she wants. If anything, I am more interested in why you would want to fight me." Delicately Medusa placed the snake on the ground and it quickly slipped away. "Not many would dare to challenge a god, after all."
It was an intimidating statement delivered in the cutest way possible. "Perhaps but I thought we would make good dance partners."
"How so?" WIth a cute tilt of the head.
"Akeno's lightning can be a real pain against short ranged fighters and Kiba's speed will have him easily run around Liz the whole day if necessary. The problem is, well, fighting a god isn't easy." The Heiress of Gremory called Born to be Wild behind her. "But I believe Destruction can be a match. Especially since our fighting styles are similar."
"Similar? Fufufufu." Medusa covered her mouth with her hand before controlling herself. "Rias, Rias, Rias… My protector trusted you with much but not all. Truly his character deserves merit." Leaning to the side the goddess eyes seemed to shine. "He never told you how I fought."
"Well, 'a monster no longer', right?" Rias pointed out and Medusa only found it more humorous.
"No, no longer." She closed her eyes calmly as a purple Aura began to surround her body. Rias was ready for any spells and her Stand took the first shots. Only that they hit nothing as Medusa vanished and reappeared to the redhead's side, fist raised. "But always a beast."
Born to be Wild was thrown in the goddess path instinctively but the Stand was easily destroyed. The pureblood devil flew off her feet and needed to use her wings for balance after the sudden shock from the impact.
Rias had no time to recover her bearing as Medusa was already by her side with her leg held high, revealing an elegant sandal tied to the goddess leg. It was also glowing purple, a clear indication the next attack was going to be a really strong one.
Fortunately Rias' imagination was on point and Born to be Wild's leg helped kick her to the side to completely avoid the attack and the debris that came after with a kick so strong that the redhead was sure it was stronger than anyone in her peerage.
'Stronger than Koneko, faster than Kiba.' Rias thought, her face showing her surprise. "You aren't-"
"A long range fighter?" Medusa replied as the dust dissipated. "Only later when I grew too big and started losing my mind. Even then I always had a preference to do things with my own hands." A frown made its way to the goddess face as she watched her hands. Seeing what she wanted to see, she nodded before turning back to her opponent. "But I must be careful to not drown in blood again. By the way, how fast can you make that Stand thing in full again? 2 seconds and a half? A little less?"
"Born to be Wild!" Was the reply as bullets of Destruction flew in the goddess direction. Another few rounds were being prepared as she expected the goddess to fire back.
Medusa danced around the projectiles instead of shooting back, she avoided the hits with a grace that couldn't belong to any human. When all 12 shots had been avoided the purple haired goddess stopped to stare at the devil with an animalist gaze as her aura grew in power.
Rias didn't hesitate and unleashed another 12 shots, keeping them closer together to minimize Medusa's escape routes.
Instead of dancing this time the goddess dove and seemed to slide through the ground as her feet only had the minimal contact necessary for movement. She also didn't stop once the bullets were behind her and instead charged ahead until she was right on Rias' face, another punch mid way.
Despite her connection to her magic and quick reactions Born to be Wild was too late and the hit connected with Rias' stomach, the redhead letting out a gasp as she flew holding her midriff while her Stand shot more bullets in a panic.
Armor or not, Rias felt the hit and needed time to recover. "You still haven't corrected your defense." Medusa pointed out as she ran to the left to avoid the bullets to then make a beeline towards her opponent. "And I know all of my protector's armor flaws." Spinning on her toes, some of her hairs turned into snakes. "And if you fly…"
Purple lasers were unleashed just in time for Rias to recover enough to throw her Stand as protection. Born to be Wild broke apart in an instant but once it was gone she quickly raised some magic circles to stop the blasts.
Her hands began to bleed. 'Is she really weakened?' Because Rias was beginning to doubt about it, Divinity or not. Fortunately for her the beams only lasted a few seconds before Medusa charged again, enough time to land and call Born to be WIld. "Mana Bullets!"
Explosions ran across the arena as Medusa dodged in a zigzag pattern to secure her approach. "Those announcements also don't help your case, strengthening your image or not." Once she was close enough she began to throw another fist only for the Stand to kick her arm away and aim its hand to her head. "Gh."
"Hehe, and you are too confident."
The blast that came after was big and Rias found herself launched away from the epicenter. Since she was expecting that more or less to happen her wings were already prepared and Born to be Wild planted its foot down first before helping its creator.
The skirt of her uniform was burning despite its heat resistant fabric and she put the fire out before looking at the cloud of dust and expecting to see a bleeding Medusa on the ground. At least there was some blood as the goddess revealed herself mostly unharmed with only a little of the substance falling from her forehead.
Cleaning it quickly, Medusa studied the blood with some interest before frowning. "I am weaker than I thought."
"Or maybe I am just stronger?" Rias quipped back before letting out another rain of bullets.
Those Medusa didn't bother to dodge but her hair moved around and bashed them all away one at a time, shocking Rias and many devils in the audience. "No, you are not." Medusa licked her blood clean. "I am out of practice on fighting in a humanoid form."
Rias realized how true that was as Medusa grew more monstrous with time and every kill, her Divinity completely out of control. But the goddess herself admitted she had been her sisters' protector, the only fighter amongst the three and during those times she had no experience.
Now she had more power to boot, weakened or not since her Core also had her sisters' Divinities.
Horror began to draw in Rias' face as she quickly realized the tall order she was facing since unlike when the goddess faced her lover, she was now with her full mental capacities and knew all of the pureblood devil's abilities.
"Don't worry though, that isn't going to make this fight any easier for you." Said Medusa with a cheeky smile as she charged again and Rias could tell her movements were more clean.
But also somewhat more animalistic, feral.
…
Akeno sent four lightning bolts towards the former Exorcist, every single one of them bashed away by Durandal. Nothing unpredictable really since the Pereless Sword was worthy of its title and the Queen was just throwing any cheap shot she could get, searching for an advantage.
Most of the plan was still a direct confrontation since with her weapons she could channel electricity upon contact, a charge strong enough that Durandal couldn't protect its owner at least. But in her mind Akeno knew it wouldn't be that easy to win, Xenovia was the superior fighter between the two and so she planned to weaken the blue haired knight first.
Range was still her advantage as far as the Queen was concerned so she quickly did a turn to create a magic circle and let out a huge discharge of electricity. She knew Xenovia was going to block and as expected Durandal cut the unruly lightning in half but that still gave the ravenhead a few seconds.
Seconds she used to unveil her wings and take flight, securing her distance from Xenovia. "Get back here!"
"Does that ever work?" Akeno asked half rhetorically.
"Back in Kuoh, it does." Replied an annoyed swordswoman.
"Too bad~ This is more than just a spar, after all~ Spark up!" Joining her hands the Queen then opened them up to reveal a Lightning Spear. She spun it twice before throwing the weapon at Xenovia.
Instead of dodging, the girl used Durandal to destroy the weapon, not willing to let Akeno damage her footing. "Get down here or else!"
"Or else what?~" While she was playing around a little the raven haired girl knew Xenovia could use Durandal to attack at range.
But the attacks were slow and had a clear build up of power, signals that Akeno planned to use for dodging. Instead of heading to the order she created she created a Lightning Whip in a fast swing.
This time when Durandal made contact the Lightning didn't break and instead tied itself to the sword. Akeno didn't need to do anything else but kept it going as electricity ran rampant on Durandal and its owner, the Queen didn't even need to mess with the intensity.
But the whip did break eventually as the Holy Aura got rid of its magic, Xenovia growing more annoyed. "I'm going to get you back for this."
"Oh~ You promise?~" Because a part of Akeno was really tempted by the idea. Still her Lightning Whip had only lost a small part of it and while she pulled her arm back for another attack, the construct was restored. "You better not be lying."
Xenovia gave the Queen a glare before charging Durandal's Holy Aura, a tell tale she was getting ready to blast her enemy away. Physics didn't really apply to her whip so Akeno could begin moving around as her weapon kept its trajectory.
It was like the tip was that of a spear until it made contact with something.
And made contact the whip did, just to break apart again. "Sir Roland's technique!" Xenovia declared and a blast of Holy Light was expelled from Durandal, decimating the whip. "Ooooooohhhhhhh!"
The Light moved with the sword much to Akeno's shock who quickly began to fly up and up and up until her back hit the boundary field. As fast as her circuits allowed her the Queen made a Lightning Shield that managed to hold back the blade of energy even as the two powers contested.
But her power was of a devil even if she also used a lot of pure mana. All her constructs used 'devil imagination' as much as 'human magic'.
So her shield fell and a strong hit collided with her chest, breaking the armor apart, before retracting. Akeno noticed a burn just above her breasts and looked down to a smug Xenovia who had Durandal on her shoulder.
"You better get back down here or I will finish this fight too soon. This is more than a spar, after all." Usually those kinds of tricks with Durandal were those reserved only for training with her Master, something Akeno wasn't up to par with.
She knew about them only on the surface as Xenovia didn't mind telling everyone what she was learning from Durandal's memories but demonstrating it on Kuoh, where most of her friends were devils, was deemed too risky even for her.
However this fight was a test for Rias and during her Master's fight, his father had instructed her that while holding back was prudent, she wanted Rias pushed to her limits or as close as she could manage.
Since Kiritsugu was Shirou's father and that wasn't an order the redhead wouldn't disagree with, she accepted the mission. To Xenovia it also implied she didn't need to hold back that much.
Also her blood was boiling after Shirou's fight and from both excitement and her Master's honor she saw victory as a duty so the devils didn't think less of him.
They wouldn't anyway but Xenovia was already motivated.
Still the message was clear; If Akeno insisted on flying Xenovia wasn't going to waste energy with wave after wave of beams of Holy Light, she was going to make a giant sword of said Light and beat the Queen up with it.
The burns showed Akeno that the attack was less of a blade but just pure energy, however the Queen knew that was because Xenovia commanded it so. Most of the damage done by Durandal during spars that she would fix showed the Reincarnated devil that they could be akin to cuts from giant swords most of the time.
Despite that the boundary field didn't allow the devil enough leeway to escape the attacks so she did as the former Exorcist demanded and began to fly back to the floor. Only she didn't do it slowly. "Spark up!"
Mana coursed through her circuits as she used Reinforcement before manifesting a blade of her own while remaking her whip. Her feet never touched the ground as she made a sharp turn straight to Xenovia, the newly restored whip the first avenue of attack.
An white aura covered Xenovia and she sidestepped the whip, something that the Xenovia from the Church should not have been able to do. Worse yet she surprised Akeno by wrapping the Lightning on her arm, practically ignoring the raw power while her aura seemed more erratic.
The Queen tried to pull, not risking her friend's life by sending more energy, but was instead finding herself being pulled. The opposite forces struggled but once again to Akeno's surprise Xenovia proved herself stronger and locked the Queen in place since she refused to let go of the whip.
Durandal began to glow white again, a clear color of white, before Xenovia took a swing and a relatively small wave of Holy Light left her weapon. Akeno raised her sword to defend herself but once again her Lightning fell short. Still her armor saved her shoulder but Structural Analysis told her it wasn't for long.
Especially not with Xenovia getting ready for another swing.
Accepting she wasn't going to win in a contest of strength, odd since her Rook Trait should be giving her the advantage, Akeno let go of the whip to dodge to the side. Two Lightning Swords appeared on each hand as she charged as fast as she could towards Xenovia with the intention to cut her hands off.
Asia could reattach them later, the devil was sure.
When she was closer, Akeno made two magic circles and unleashed Lightning blasts for good measure. The shots were powerful but not aimed at Xenovia but the ground and did their job of kicking off some dust.
Enough so that the Queen was confident she could change sides and Xenovia wouldn't see her, confident enough to then charge from that direction and take a swing that would shock the bluehead for a few seconds while the other sword finished the fight.
She didn't expect the scabbard to intercept the first hit or that Xenovia would follow up with a kick. "I'm way more than my sword." Xenovia declared as she leaded in Akeno's direction with a jump and hard swing. Akeno flew away and threw her swords at her opponent only for her to use her cape to block the hits. "You would know if you got together with us more often."
"Sorry but usually Wizard types should spar with each other." She pontificated by summoning three magic circles to unleash more Lightning before joining her hands and shooting a bigger one. "Lightning Arrow!"
White aura pulsed blue and Durandal slammed on the floor unleashing a beam of Holy Light. All of Akeno's attacks were devoured and she had to run or be hit. The attack just kept going.
And Xenovia was already coming to the Queen location, raising her blade again. Calling two more swords, Akeno used both in a block and allowed their electricity to go freely, fully intending on making the former Exorcist's arms numb.
But that didn't work as the electricity seemed to dance around Xenovia, not even reaching her hands as the white blueshi aura kept pulsing. The color made it look like it was coming from Durandal but with how close they were, Akeno managed to figure out it wasn't the case.
"Touki? You already mastered touki?" She knew Xenovia was being trained on that but her control was absurd considering Shirou was also teaching her about Durandal.
What Akeno didn't realize was that training with her sword was a bonus, not a detriment. "Not the first Durandal owner to have touki." Xenovia quipped with a grin, a hand letting go of the sword. "And guess what my element is?"
Aura was being channeled on the bluehead's hand and her instincts immediately told her about something familiar about that power, a part she wanted to deny spoke of something good. But her devil's instincts shouted louder as her skin began to crawl so she made her swords explode with Lightning to give herself some space.
Xenovia wasn't bothered as her Ki unleashed a beam of light not unlike a lantern but much hotter and the area where Akeno was standing was hit by said light. The Queen noticed the damage was minimal but there was some damage even if it was in a small area.
Still Akeno could feel displeased by what she saw and gritted her teeth. "Light? Of all elements yours is Light?"
"Fufu, of course." Xenovia raised Durandal again as her Ki mixed with her blade and the two seemed to pulse. "It was the Light element that allowed people to use the Caliburn Fragments. Wouldn't it make sense that as Durandal's Owner, my Light wouldn't be stronger than most? Enough that you could feel it?"
"No offense but the attack wasn't that strong?" Indeed the stones on the arena where Xenovia's small beam had hit were mostly intact.
"True… When I use it by myself." But with Durandal's in her hands and its own aura pulsing around the sword, the aura around Xenovia grew brighter. Bright enough that it was comparable to an angel. "And what I said about flying?"
When Xenovia attacked at range she wasn't using Durandal's power anymore but her own while the sword was a focus for more power while improving her aptitude. In reality Durandal was barely contributing any sort of energy for those attacks like the blade of energy she threw at Akeno once again.
The Queen dodged the first one just in time Xenovia began to swing her sword madly and each and every time a blade of Light escaped the Pereless Sword. No longer Xenovia needed to prepare the Noble Phantasm before attacking, the energy was hers and she could keep going while her stamina held.
Once she was hit on the leg Akeno knew she would fall before Xenovia grew tired and immediately prepared a counter attack. "Lightning Bolt!" It was fast, it was explosive and it threw Xenovia off her feet.
But the match wasn't over and Akeno made a whip again, this time with more power.
Now that Xenovia had Ki, at least the Fighting aspect of it, a lot of Akeno's fears disappeared as she knew the girl could take plenty of damage. She was now going to unleash far more power to secure her win.
Violet eyes were still paying attention to the other fights and they didn't like what they were seeing.
…
The head of the halberd collided with the sword as steel grinded steel. It lasted for barely one moment before Kiba moved to the side and brought out his ice sword forward but the body of the homunculus' weapon was already on the way.
Ice began to quickly spread over the shaft but that didn't deter Leysritt as she pushed further until it hit Kiba's nose. The Knight was sure it was broken and what made things worse was that his grip on his swords grew weaker, the ice weapon flying from his hands.
Fortunately he still had his Knight Sword and used it as a buffer for the next attack as Leysritt kept trying to get his face familiar with her weapon. The metal clashed as Kiba recovered until he felt well enough to run away, the white haired maid in hot pursuit.
Sure enough Kiba was faster than the maid but she was relentless, her halberd destroying the ground every time she was just shy of getting Kiba.
He let himself go low, counting to three before unleashing his sacred gear. "Sword Birth!" Was the maid's cue to stop and jump back as dozens of small blades emerged around Kiba.
Only one came as a fully grown sword, Ice Emperor, the weapon he chose for this particular fight. Drawing it forth and raising both of his weapons up, Kiba took a few swings with them, now having more space to test their combined weight.
Truly fighting with two swords at once wasn't his especially but Liz was usually too strong for him to compete against. Any time he saw her spar with Issei all he could think was himself in their place being turned to paste. Only Koneko could challenge their friend in a contest of strength and the woman was a combatant competent enough to win.
Against a Senjutsu user, nekomata who was naturally attuned to Ki. And the maid could win more often than not. Kiba really wasn't going to underestimate her, ever.
She began to circulate his wall of small blades, the Knight keeping up with her steps to make sure she would just leap in his direction. His swords were crossed one in front of the other and his ice began to strengthen the metal of the Knight Sword.
Kiba could also feel something from his sword, a feeling much like the flames that tried to consume him in the past but calmer. It kept pulsing with his heartbeat.
He knew he was close to something, to his real Balance Break, and perhaps that was the fight which would unveil his new power. Leysritt, while not someone he would choose to fight against, was the kind of opponent that annoyed him the most; stronger than him and fast enough to keep up with his speed even if just barely.
In other words the kind of adversary that could really push him.
Sure Rias had chosen her Knight for this fight because he had some advantages against the maid but those were just because he was the best choice as Leysritt was an homunculus capable of facing and defeating everyone else short of Rias and Akeno.
'Perhaps Luvia could have been a better choice. Sure she is slightly weaker but her magecraft could balance the odds.' Kiba mused until the halberd spun on the maid's hands. It went faster and faster until it was almost a blur, much to the Knight's surprise. 'What the-'
How a halberd could move so fast to look like a saw blade was the question he wanted to ask but his brain froze when the weapon touched the arena and began to break it apart. Stones, pebbles really, began to fly in Kiba's direction at high speeds but he broke them with no difficulty.
As the strategy showed no results, Leysritt stopped and looked at Kiba with a tilt of her head before raising her halberd high and slamming it on the ground. Part of the section she was on broke, the sides giving away as a stone the size of a big tree stump emerged. Her previous attack had weakened the area and it was easy to retrieve the stone.
After a spin the maid threw the giant stone at the Knight and he moved to counter, his steel sword cutting the rock in half. Made in the Underworld or not, Kiba's swords wouldn't lose to simple stone, at least not one already falling apart.
What he was going to be defeated by if he wasn't careful was Leysritt who jumped after her throw, halberd in position to hit his shoulder. Armor or not, the impact would break something.
And it did as ice stopped the head of the weapon, the blade chattering in an instant but unleashing a cold blast that stopped the halberd's momentum. Kiba was already bringing his steel sword back and restoring the ice one while Leysritt just fixed her stance and brought the halberd back for more.
Both swords had no choice but to stop the attack just as it was about to connect, the blade did connect as only his armor stopped a cut on his shoulder. But as stated previously Kiba was the weak one in that fight and easily fell to his knees as Lesyritt pushed the halberd down.
He could barely react when she pulled the weapon back and slammed it down again. And again. And again, harder than the other times.
However on the fifth time something was wrong as Leysritt noticed the weapon's weight was amiss. Indeed when she looked at the head of the halberd there was a ball of ice covering the blade.
A smirk escaped Kiba. "Ice Emperor." Declared the Knight, mana covered his weapon as he chased the halberd and slammed his ice sword on it. "Now you can't use it anymore." He made sure the ice around the halberd's head grew bigger and proportionally heavier.
Balance ruined, it was clear that Leysritt wasn't expecting that turn of events. She took a few steps back to regroup but the new weight made things harder. Which was easier for Kiba's counter attack, his swords colliding with her chest twice before the steel cut her arm and the ice stabbed her leg.
Freezing a limb was a sure fire way to win that fight and just to make sure there was no escape Kiba kept hitting Leysritt with the Knight Sword randomly. Ice spread fast thanks to his magic but he was underestimating the homunculus as she quickly demonstrated by pushing him off with all her strength.
Leysritt didn't even glance at the ice encasing her leg, she just jumped in the Knight's direction with all she had, halberd above her head.
On the back of his frizzed mind still recovering from the impact, Kiba mused, 'That is a mace,' just before dodging to the side as part of the ice broke with the impact.
Just a few tidbits, not enough to break the huge ball of ice that hit his ribs when Leysritt did a turn. Certainly it wouldn't break on his body as he lacked the resistances to even put up a fight but his armor at least protected him from the worst as he flew again.
Didn't help his head though as Kiba felt the impact. 'My legs can't stop shaking.' He used his swords to get up as Leysritt leaped again.
Despite her great strength the maid's jump was insufficient and for the first time she noticed the ice hanging on her tight and constricting her muscles. While to most beings the damage already would be too much just with the cold alone, Leysritt demonstrated her resistance by ripping the ice off and just losing some skin.
Her pants were now damaged and there was some blood but nothing that would stop her from fighting and so she focused once again on Kiba who was still struggling to stand up.
Time wasn't on his side as Leysritt got a running start this time before getting into range. Almost falling to his feet, Kiba managed to dodge the next attack as ice and rock broke apart behind him. If it wasn't clear before the armor had saved his life, it was now.
Liz worked with Shirou in all its prototypes and subsequent forms, all ORC used his creations but her hand was as involved as his at least when it came to the armor. She knew its limits or how much she could hit them for the impact to actually stick while not being fatal. Sure it was almost all her strength to break bones but that also depended on her weapon, which was a good one.
All she had to do was avoid hitting Kiba on the head, in theory.
Easier now that the Knight was moving sluggishly, even using his swords to pull himself away and get some distance as the pain on his side still hadn't subsided. Ice was left on his trail to tray and make Leysritt lose her balance and it almost worked when she took a step too far.
Only for her to stop herself from falling with her halberd before using it like a pole for a jump. It was still another second, one used well as Kiba recovered his balance and ran to the side.
Another hard impact broke more of the ice but the halberd wasn't entirely free just yet, which meant its weight was still off. That wouldn't last for long but Kiba took the opportunity to run a few more paces away before turning back to Leysritt.
Crossing his swords again he charged forward towards the maid, both planning to meet in the middle, halberd already going for his chest as his swords rested to his sides. The Knight's speed helped immensely for him to stop just short, his wings opening for assistance, and completely avoid the hit before hitting Leysritt's arms.
Yet the homunculus refused to let go of her weapon, letting her swing finish before using the ball of ice as a counter balance for a tackle. It barely connected but Kiba was still forced to retreat before swinging his swords again.
This time the maid was prepared and both weapons hit her back as she turned swiftly, mace coming from behind her like a hammer. Kiba's wings had him back just in time but then Leysritt kicked the frozen head of her weapon and it connected with his right arm, breaking it.
Thanks to his wings Kiba managed to retreat further back before falling on the floor because of the pain, her Knight Sword missing as he failed to keep a grip. 'She anticipated me?' Focusing again and ignoring the pain, he stabbed his sword on the ground. "Ice Emperor!"
A discharge of mana unleashed towers of ice on Leysritt's way that managed to stop her advance, the white haired woman breaking a few of them before being able to charge again only to stop as more towers were quickly formed.
Kiba was panting as his reserves grew smaller. His body was shaking too much and he needed a plan.
Letting go of Ice Emperor, he knew that sword wasn't going to work any more, he needed mana to use its best tricks and buying time to recenter himself had spent most of it.
No, there was one sword he could make that he was so familiar it would cost nothing and it was his Holy Eraser which came to his hand in his time of need.
In terms of ability it had nothing that could work on Liz but Kiba was confident in his skill and speed. "Sorry but I am going to have to cut a leg off."
Leysritt heard him but didn't bother to reply, no more pillars of ice got in her way so her charge started anew. Taking her time to run and reach her opponent with her halberd fully extended to her side as she planned to use what was left of the ice to finish everything.
When she was close enough she took the swing and Kiba immediately threw himself back. He didn't attack, didn't dare to attack, until he saw a clear opening, Holy Eraser stabbing the leg already stabbed.
Pain tolerance was a thing Kiba knew Leysritt had but she advanced further, ignoring his sword and hitting him with the shaft of her weapon again. There was little strength on his legs to stop himself from being launched back but a new Holy Eraser came to his hand while he ducked her follow up.
Once again the homunculus was about to use her weapon as a hammer and the Knight was ready to stab her again when both felt a huge beam of energy coming from the left. They turned to see one of Durandal's attacks Akeno had dodged flying in their direction.
No hesitation from any of their parts as they pushed each other out of the way, Leysritt abandoning her weapon to do so while Kiba used him to give him reach.
Durandal's blast passed and both fighters were safe, the Knight checking himself for a moment before noticing his arm and beginning to move it. Broke or not he made a painful effort to raise his hand and close it.
'Not good enough to hold a sword by itself but will suffice.' He closed his hand on Holy Eraser as his eyes returned to Liz and noticed her unharmed and unarmed.
The homunculus looked back and fixed her arms in a boxing posture, ready to keep going.
Already Kiba could see his advantage and while he would gratefully take it in most fights, Liz was someone he cherished. "Get your weapon."
"This is a fight." She pointed out with a frown, emotions returning to her eyes.
Smiling innocently, Kiba shrugged. "Shirou won't like me cutting you up because you are unarmed."
"This is a spar. He will understand." Yet Kiba made no move to attack so Liz stepped forward to retrieve her halberd. What was left of it anyway. "It broke." Almost cut in half, the weapon lost its head and part of the body.
Looking around, neither could find it, forcing them to reach the conclusion that it was decimated.
"Can you still fight?" If not then Kiba was going to offer her to yield. Strong skin or not, both of them knew his swords could cut her, the wound in her leg was proof enough.
A small voice in his head was disappointed when instead of a direct reply Liz began to play with what was left of her weapon, spinning it around and even throwing it up like a gymnastic routine.
Basically reminding Kiba that she was Kuoh's gym teacher and had more skills than her brute strength. "I'll manage."
"I had to ask, hadn't I?" Kiba lamented. "Sorry Buchou but winning this won't be easy." He prepared himself to keep going. "Ready?" No reply other than the pole in her two hands was given. "Let's do this!"
They charged at each other, one cautious and the other determined.
…
A couple of explosions marked the spot Rias believed Medusa was only for the goddess to still be moving around and dodging every single one of the redhead's bullets.
Reload and shoot, reload and shoot, over the last few months Rias believed she had mastered her technique to the point of perfection. The interval between using all her bullets to then create new ones was less than 3 seconds. Changing the type added nothing extra as the transition happened before the bullets came to be.
But it wasn't really perfect as Medusa was showing when she timed every single one of the attacks precisely, stopping just when Rias was shooting the last bullet and running again when she reloaded.
Worst thing was that Rias was sure Medusa was fighting like that to purposely annoy her, and it was working like a charm.
However none of that was an excuse to let her guard down as Rias kept flying high to avoid Medusa as much as she could. The goddess wasn't fighting like the pureblood devil predicted at all and was insisting in a physical confrontation. There was no way the devil could accept that, Born to be Wild already broke enough times to show that was a terrible idea.
Only keeping her distance was safe but the farther Rias was, the harder it was to hit Medusa who kept jumping from one side to the other, practically refusing to counter attack. If the goddess at least did then the fight could change to something a little more predictable but then again perhaps that was why she refused.
Either way Rias wasn't sure, she absolutely had no idea what the goddess was thinking or planning.
Until something changed, both were stuck in a game of cat and mouse where the goddess was the cat waiting for the mouse to come to her but Rias was the one using her power constantly.
Something did change when Medusa turned towards Kiba and Leysritt battle, the white haired woman just had her leg frozen and perhaps to help her ally or to force Rias to do something, the purple haired girl began to run towards them.
Rias was indeed forced to do something, not willing to give Medusa any sort of advantage. She dove at top speed to catch up with the goddess, a new round of bullets ready.
The former Gorgon then turned her head with a smile, Rias realizing she fell into a trap as the purple hair from the goddess undid its braid completely and tied her up with its soft looking locks.
They weren't so soft anymore as Rias felt like her wrists were cuffed in steel.
When Medusa suddenly stopped the devil kept going, the hair growing under the command of the goddess until she pushed back with her neck, her prey captured and unable to fight against the motions and whiplash as even her wings were bound.
Born to be Wild could still be manifested and Rias used it to reduce some of the impact. Medusa was ruthless and a hole bigger than the devil was made when she reached the ground, the hair pulling her back up again.
Medusa moved her neck into another direction and Rias found herself flying away without any control until a new section of the arena started to get closer. Born to be Wild was quickly reconstructed and used as a shield once more, the young woman not even bothering to keep the Stand going after impact.
It would be out of her reach soon enough as Medusa rose her up again, hair moving to tie up her neck. "Want to give up now?" Asked the goddess as her hair raised the devil higher in the air.
Most of her body was locked in place but the small stop was perfect for Rias who only shouted, "BORN TO BE WILD!" with all her strength to send a huge quantity of mana to her Stand.
Medusa's eyes grew wide as dozens of bullets were shot in her direction, all packing more mana than any other before. Her hair moved instinctively to the defense, giving Rias more time even as the goddess ordered the locks in her neck to grow tighter.
Those strings were Destroyed by new bullets and soon Rias had her Stand to break her free. Medusa's hair was strong but Destruction wouldn't be denied its purpose and some of it stopped existing. The goddess retreated her hair as the pureblood devil landed, jumping towards the redhead for a punch.
Still feeling pain on her wings, Rias could only dodge to the side as more hair came to the forefront to trap her again. Born to be Wild returned and easily shot it down but the goddess took the opening and her fist cracked the armor the devil wore, some of it falling apart.
Recovering enough and ignoring the pain, Rias used her wings to get some distance as Medusa pursued, magic circles appeared in front of the redhead and she unleashed a torrent of Destruction, something certain to force a reaction.
Her plan worked and Medusa was forced to dodge to the side as snakes formed from her hair to blast Destruction away. The powers collided as the Divine mana refused to submit, an explosion was born of the volatile energies. Dust was kicked up again in a cloud as Rias landed to catch her breath and massage her neck.
She was shocked when Medusa jumped off the cloud with her eyes closed and a smirk on her face, fist held high. This time Born to be Wild appeared right in Medusa's face and sent a punch before the goddess should be able to react.
Instead the purple haired girl ended up punching the Stand before opening her eyes, snakes appearing from the locks of her hair to unleash a torrent of Divine mana at her opponent. Rias managed to turn before the blast hit the floor and another explosion threw the heiress away.
She rolled a few times before moving to a crouch, still sliding the floor but in position to call her Stand and send more bullets at Medusa who had just landed and began to run towards her again.
"This is growing tiresome!" Declared Rias as she shot many times towards the area, many bullets missing to Medusa's amusement.
Dodging the few bullets sent her way, Medusa ignored the explosions around the arena. "Perhaps you should rest a little?" Not that Rias would surrender unless forced to, the goddess knew that. She was about to force the issue again when her footing was ruined by a hole she was sure the devil didn't make. "What?"
Goddess or not, Medusa didn't pay enough attention to her surroundings and ended up stepping in the hole made during the previous fight. The hole that was made by Souji's gigantic spirit.
Questioning her predicament was all she could do as Rias shot a rain of bullets in the goddess' direction, every single one of them hitting the mark. Explosions banished the darkness as Rias' direction as she reloaded several times before the hole had grown too big for her to keep attacking without approaching.
After the devil had stopped firing she didn't advance immediately, waiting to see if Medusa was going to do anything. Grayfia hadn't intervened nor called for the end of the fight so Rias knew it was still on. She began to approach slowly and carefully ready for anything.
Or so she believed as a giant snake came from behind and tied itself around Rias' body, an anaconda so tall that it easily rolled itself around her and opened its mouth, ready to devour the girl.
"Stop." Before Rias could panic Medusa had given the order, the snake stopping just shy of eating her. Emerging from the hole she was dug into, with some burns and wounds that were already closing, Medusa's dress was ruined and torn apart with her using her hands to protect her modesty. "That hurt." Admitted the goddess as she began to mess with what was left of her clothes.
Struggling to escape the giant snake she had no idea where it had come from, Rias tried to call Born to be Wild only for the anaconda's grip to grow tighter. A giant snake of that size could easily break bones, doubly so with its exotic purple color that proved its existence as a creature born from Medusa's power.
Not as powerful as the pegasus, not even close, its size was the anaconda's greatest asset, the power of its muscles enough that made the pureblood devil grunt in pain. Besides that it had nothing more other than devotion to its mother and a will that prompted it to reveal itself and attack.
Medusa finished fixing her dress, now looking like a short toga with its right shoulder tied to hide her modest breasts, before raising a hand. Her hair was more wild than ever. "Good job, little one."
"That is… the snake you made… just before the fight began?" Rias asked, confused but believing Medusa didn't make the creature before the attack.
The serpent offered its own confirmation by approaching the goddess hand for her to rub its head. "Correct. As my power grew over the last few months I became able to not only create snakes but to control their rate of growth. Perhaps this is a sign of me maturing as a goddess." A sigh escaped as the last of her wounds finished healing.
It was indeed the same snake she created just before the match started but its main purpose wasn't to fight, it was to be an extra pair of eyes and ears, informing Medusa everything Rias did while keeping itself camouflaged.
That was how the goddess knew every move the Heiress of Gremory made, the why smoke and debris couldn't blind her. Throughout the whole fight it was always there, watching, relaying everything Medusa wished to know not only on her fight but everyone else's.
But the time for hiding was over when Medusa was struck, instinct made the anaconda seek the protection of the goddess above any other directive.
Something that made Medusa frown as the snake had disobeyed her orders but not the kind of disobedience she would complain about since for a moment Rias really did have her pinned.
Regardless of anything else, all of Medusa's wounds were gone and she studied Rias' pained expression. "Do I offer you to surrender again?" The anaconda's grip just kept getting tighter. "Better to knock you out of good measure."
Rias wasn't going to scream, she utterly refused, but she wasn't going to lie to herself and say that getting wrapped by a giant snake was either comfortable or painless. Especially since her body was starting to get crushed and it was getting harder and harder to breathe.
Medusa did nothing else, just kept watching as the anaconda found the right amount of pressure to knock Rias out without taking her life. 'Maybe I should just hit her?'
Her Divine senses detected a huge spike of mana and she looked right to see a giant fireball coming, a ball that looked unstable and unruly even for fire. She jumped back several meters to watch both her creation and Rias be engulfed by the flames with an annoyed expression as her anaconda burned to death.
Divine creation or not, the creature couldn't be called a Divine Beast like the pegasus and so lacked not only the power but the protection or capability to survive something like that, not with the flames spreading around its giant form.
For her part Rias' aura managed to protect her, especially since she wasn't the target as Akeno landed besides her King with a cheeky smile. "It looked like you needed some help."
"Couldn't you have shot the head of the snake?" It wasn't a complaint, Rias was legitimately curious.
"Couldn't do that and force Medusa to retreat at the same time." The Queen needed something that would make the goddess wary and the quantity of mana in the fire did the trick. "If I just-"
Both women stopped talking to raise a huge magic circle made by their combined powers to stop a blast from Durandal. It collided but there was no explosion as the shield absorbed everything the energy could muster before both fizzled out.
Xenovia eventually arrived right behind her attack, a smirk on her face. "Sorry Medusa, Akeno slipped away before I noticed it." The goddess didn't reply as she watched her creation trying to survive the remaining flames.
She ended up killing it to end her suffering, a thin mana line hit its head and ended the snake's misery. "I see."
The blue haired girl barely waited for a reply before launching herself at the two devils with Durandal, her aura still pulsing. The duo split up to give Xenovia more targets, Mana Bullets and a Lightning Bolt sent in the former Exorcist's direction during the evasive maneuver.
Being between two opponents didn't mean Xenovia was stuck as she kept advancing and the attacks clashed behind her. The devils didn't miss a beat and turned towards the swordswoman to unleash more attacks but Durandal unleashed more blades of Light that clashed with their attacks.
This time there was an explosion and Akeno began to move to join with Rias and protect the King. She didn't see the person coming from her left.
Not realizing she was the one who needed protection the Queen was completely open when a small body collided with her mid air, an irritated Medusa regarded the Reincarnated Devil with a glare.
"Spark-" A kick suddenly had Akeno hit the floor, creating an impression of her body in stone. Her circuits struggled and she still managed to create a weapon and sent it against her attacker.
Medusa didn't flinch when the Lightning Whip wrapped itself on her arm. "You shouldn't have interfered." Grabbing it with both hands, the goddess pulled the Queen towards her. "Nor killed the little one."
"The snake?" She knew Medusa cared but not that much. "Sorry but I needed to keep Rias in the fight and-"
"I know." Still sounding upset. "But it doesn't make things easier." Her hair turned into snakes that glared at the Queen before thin lasers were unleashed.
Akeno was hit several times and Rias could see from the corner of her eye how the Queen released her Lightning and raised magic circles that were easily destroyed. She wanted to help her friend but Xenovia was too close and Durandal almost got her left arm.
"Born to be Wild! Mana Bullets!" Came the warning as the volley was unleashed at the swordswoman, the maiden not nearly as strong as Medusa could be knocked out faster.
After dodging a couple of the bullets, Xenovia failed to avoid three of them despite using her cape for defense. She was still throwing off her feet and had to use Durandal to stop herself but her arm was hurt and the cloak had holes in it. Clearly it wouldn't be able to stop anything else until it was repaired.
But Rias didn't pursue the Durandal Owner, her focus immediately turned back to the goddess in their midst and she rushed to save her raven haired friend who was trying to use a Lightning Spear to keep Medusa at bay.
She wasn't being really successful as the goddess dashed around it, kicking the Queen on the face before going low and punching her chest. Akeno found herself in a similar position to Rias as the purple hair began to trap her limbs. However, unlike her King, she was strong enough to break free and take a swing at Medusa's shoulder.
Lightning ran its course inside the Goddess of Snakes' body but she just grabbed Akeno's shoulder, forcing the Queen to share her fate. Great pain tolerance was something they both shared but when Medusa's knee found the Queen's midriff she was forced to let her weapon go.
A sequence of power punches connected with Akeno's face before a kick found its way to her chin. "You think too much." Declared Medusa as her arm came like a whip and sent Akeno in Rias' direction.
The Heiress of Gremory grabbed her friend, using her wings to ease the girl in her arms, as Born to be Wild unload all its ammunition again. Medusa was already so used to Rias' rate of fire that she easily kept advancing as the pureblood devil reloaded but found herself stuck in place with Akeno in her arms.
Add to that an irritated Xenovia who was using Roland's technique with Durandal to propel herself back into the fight. She was moving faster than even the goddess and while Rias felt the power coming from behind she didn't dare to take her eyes off Medusa.
It was Akeno who came for the save, noticing Xenovia's advance just as she shrugged off the damage she took. If there was a trait she was learning to love from her Evil Piece it was the Rook Trait as she was still strong enough to hug Rias and kick the ground hard enough to send them both to the left.
Just in time to leave Xenovia and Medusa to hit themselves, their eyes growing wide as while the goddess could stop herself, the swordswoman couldn't. "CRUD!"
Instinctively she even threw some of Durdandal's power around herself for protection. It saved her life.
A mess of limbs was the end result as the former Gorgon was too small and too weak to stop the bluehead. Both rolled around as Xenovia did everything in her power to keep Durandal away from her friend while dealing with the excruciating pain from the impact.
When they stopped Medusa managed to rise to her feet with a grunt while Xenovia was unable to move. Despite having surpassed the human limits, that was one occasion where it wasn't enough. Bones were broken and flesh was torn apart after the clash and the former Exorcist moaned in pain.
On that occasion Grayfia didn't hesitate to fly down and check the girl, an EM appearing on her hand. "Xenovia Quarta is-"
"Don't say it!" Said the blue haired woman between her teeth, hand firmly on her sword as she tried to get up. Hard to do with her leg in the wrong direction. "I can still fight-"
"Miss, while this is an important spar to the Gremory, allowing you to proceed with such wounds would be irresponsible." The Strongest Queen gave a stern look with no room to retort. Try as she might, Xenovia was closer to crying than fighting back. "Do I need to call your Master here?" In fact, tears were already falling.
"My protector also is disproving of your course of action." Medusa turned, prompting Xenovia to do the same, to a frowning Shirou who then noticed her eyes and shook her head.
"Shit." The fight left Xenovia and she allowed Grayfia to heal her.
Starting the treatment to relieve the girl of some pain, Grayfia announced outloud. "Xenovia Quarta is unable to fight!" Once she was sure the girl was in much less pain, she began to teleport her out of the barrier. It was her creation so Grayfia had no trouble in dropping her outside, sitting besides Asia. "You may now proceed." Then she disappeared back into the air.
The time it took to help Xenovia was also used by Rias and Akeno, both standing up with no wounds, an EM in each of their hands. As things were, they weren't planning to attack at all, preferring to let the goddess come to them. They were well aware Xenovia was only out because of a fluke.
This time Medusa's wounds took a little longer to heal, an indication the goddess was growing tired. It still spoke volumes of her power; she was considered weakened by all measures without size or means to use her full power if she had it. Most of her weakness was attributed to her childlike form and how the goddess herself admitted all her power would come when she 'grew up'.
But the devils saw hope in how the purple haired girl toyed with her blood as her wounds closed and vanished, an indication she was more cautious.
"Like I said," the cold tone killed those hopes as everybody could feel her power rising even inside the barrier, "you think too much."
Akeno knew the words were for her but didn't understand the message and Medusa wasn't in the mood to explain at that conjecture or even let the fight be prolonged for a single more second.
Snakes, dozens of them, emerged between Medusa's locks, all opening their mouths and gathering mana on a large scale that began to be channeled into a sphere of dark purple energy the size of a car.
Amethyst colored eyes grew brighter before the attack was unleashed, both devils firing their own power towards it but it was worthless as bullets of Destruction and Lightning Bolts were consumed by the sphere, even if it was made slightly smaller.
It just wasn't enough and they knew it so the Gremory's members jumped to one side as Rias kept Born to be Wild close, waiting to be pursued and with Akeno already planning to join her King the moment she saw the goddess make her move.
None of them counted on when the sphere hit the barrier that it would unleash a blast of purple energy that shook the shield and threw almost everyone off their feet.
Grayfia more than anyone could feel the power behind the attack and was impressed. 'Weakened or not it almost broke the barrier.'
With the chaos from her blast, Medusa moved again at top speed, her target in sight and separated from her other quarry. Her head was low as she concentrated her power in her muscles. It didn't matter if her body was of a small girl, she was a goddess and once a monster.
Crushing her prey was her specialty.
So when Akeno found herself with Medusa just a few meters from her the girl didn't really know how to react and ended up doing the worst thing possible.
She blinked before starting to prepare her circuits, leaving herself completely open as Medusa pushed her against the barrier with the strength of the giant Gorgon.
The back of Akeno's armor broke and it wasn't just that as the Queen felt a lot more damage in her bones and even lungs. Struggling to breath there was nothing she could do when Medusa lifted her above her head and brought the devil down on the ground back first before kicking her side towards Grayfia's direction.
There would be no interruptions this time, the goddess was on the hunt and she would not be denied. Her blood was singing as something inside her began to stir, an old Domain, an old Authority.
It wasn't the bloodlust from her days of madness nor the wish to protect that was empowering Medusa, something else entirely and that she never had felt before was there, pulsing and pushing her forward.
'Sisters?' Her Core seemed to shake in approval not out of conscient thought but as a god who started to understand herself a little more. Her sisters were really gone but the goddess she was supposed to be was there, however incomplete. 'Who was I? Questions for later.' She mused as her prey struggled.
Rias wasn't still as Medusa dispatched of Akeno, she wasn't going to risk her friend with her bullets but she flew as fast as she could in their direction only to arrive too late. When Medusa kicked her friend, when the goddess turned her sight on her, the Heiress of Gremory felt a primordial fear in her spine.
It was the eyes, she realized, those eyes were still capable of petrifying even if Medusa was holding that ability back, just in a different manner. Her gaze was too powerful, too predatory.
Fear wasn't going to stop Rias, she refused to allow it and so focused herself in her rational mind, shifted gears and began to fly backwards while commanding Born to be WIld. "Destruction Bullets!"
Even then she knew her odds of winning were nil. They had already done this song and dance before, Medusa had her patterns down and Rias knew it. It was only a matter of how much the pureblood devil would be able to struggle before she was caught.
She would never last long.
Not against a determined Medusa who was absolutely focused on winning, a desire for victory she didn't know she could have.
Rias still did her best though; she spaced her shots differently, kept retreating and began to take flight the moment she knew there was no keeping the goddess away. She did everything she could, constantly trying to push more power in her shots only for it to be for naught.
Weakened or not a goddess wasn't an adversary Rias was ready to face and running away was her best chance. Born to be Wild kicked the ground to give its creator more distance but Medusa was expecting that. When the heiress took the jump and opened her wings she found the purple haired girl looking right back just a little above her.
Indeed the goddess had completely anticipated Rias' escape route and had jumped just before the devil did so herself. Between the two of them only one could fly but it was already too late, she was exactly where Medusa wanted her.
The precise range for a powerful kick.
It landed on her side with the power of a eighteen wheeler truck, too much for a little girl but just on par with what an insane Gorgon should have.
And Rias took the full brunt of that.
Asking her to keep flying after that was impossible, her constitution was barely enough to stay conscious, not even close to the necessary to stay on the air and much less to even think about counter attacking. Or slow down for that matter as Rias fell on the ground at full speed breaking an arm and a leg.
If the fight was lost before now there was no doubt it was over as the pureblood devil felt the taste of iron in her mouth. 'Ui.' She moaned in pain while pushing herself off the ground, doing enough to just turn around.
Unlike Rias whose fall was painful, Medusa's descent was graceful like a swan as she flipped after the kick and landed on her feet. The Goddess of Snakes stood up proudly before taking a single step forward and almost jerking back in irritation as she noticed something she really didn't want to happen.
"I have grown up." She meant it literally as Medusa was sure her size had changed even if only slightly. It was just a couple of centimeters but for someone as conscious about it as her, the change was as noticeable as it was sudden. "My core." her hands came to her chest and she breathed.
There was a change born in the recent combat, a shift as the cracks that had been there since her return, at least some of them, were mended not out of her own volition. She wanted to stay small after all, a girl far from maturing and eternal in her youth.
However it was impossible for her to deny it and an unrefined grunt escaped her lips. "Athena was right. I am a Goddess of War." She hated that sentence with a passion.
It went against the Divinity of her sisters, War and Beauty didn't match at all in her mind.
Pushing that back as much as possible, Medusa approached the struggling Rias with a confident step. As a goddess she wasn't just aware of the changes on her body but immediately got used to them and since they were extremely small, she doubted anyone noticed.
Medusa would keep it that way, if only for her piece of mind. "Do you yield?" She asked once she was close enough to be heard.
There was no fighting back and the both of them knew it, Rias was a little surprised that Grayfia hadn't interfered already but then considered the Ultimate Maid was giving her independence in that too.
Regardless, Rias had to admit something; she lost. "I yield."
"The match is over! Victory goes to the Medusa Team." Grayfia announced out loud which stopped Kiba and Liz who were still in the middle of their fight.
The Knight was a little shocked by the turn of events but the maid's whole demeanor lost any hostility and she started to lean on her staff, what was left of her weapon, to stay standing. Between the two of them it was the white haired woman who needed the most healing, something that would be provided as soon as the audience began to approach.
There were plenty of compliments and observations from the devils' part, Rias' parents were proud of her daughter for standing up against a goddess no matter how weakened, and healing, lots of healing.
Pretty much everyone on the spar except Medusa ended up with more than a few bones broken and in the need of assistance. As the first eliminated Xenovia was already treated by Asia despite the girl showing some shame for her defeat. Shirou tried to cheer her up but her pride was the kind a devil would envy.
The only Divinity present already was healed thanks to her own power, something she picked up during her ears of madness and an aspect of her Divinity she was used to more than anything else.
Liz remained standing the whole time and was judged to be the more fit of the wounded so an EM used by Shirou was enough for her.
Nobody could say the same about Rias' peerage and just by looking it was clear that while they put up a fight they were the clear losers. Kiba, despite a damaged arm, was the best of the bunch, Zeoticus used an EM on him while congratulating himself on using one properly for the first time.
Between Rias and Akeno it was the Queen who took the worst beating as Medusa had been ruthless with the ravenhead. The goddess also needed to be sure that there would be no getting back to the fight so it took a minute for the young woman to wake up again and it was only thanks to some spells.
Even though she yielded, Rias still took plenty of damage but nothing irreversible, a good thing since Kiritsugu took his time approaching and was ready to deliver his judgment.
When the tall man approached everyone grew quiet except Sirzechs who smiled before speaking, "So, what do you think?"
"I can see why you called me for this."
"You can?" Shirou was a little shocked that his father was still up to the idea of training Rias on anything.
"If you think about it, I am the best choice for a teacher, no matter how much I want to say otherwise."
"Oh~ Care to share with the class?" Azazel asked with a smirk but the Magus Killer didn't give him any attention.
No, his eyes were on his business partner for a full minute before turning to his new protege. "Strategy wise you are solid; while you were too busy to direct command of the battlefield, your second in command picked up the slack while the initial plan was enough to sustain the match." He waved to Akeno who stood straighter at the complement. "Power wise, in truth, I can't do anything."
"But you are the Magus Killer." Zeoticus protested carefully. "Someone with you skills-"
"Combat wise, there is plenty to be done." Nobody knew if he was ignoring the Patriarch of Gremory or answering his doubts, all they knew was that the redhead shutted up. "Amongst most people in the modern age, especially in the moonlit world, I am the foremost expert on firearm combat. At least your brother thinks so." Not that Kiritsugu bothered to agree or disagree with the statement. "Considering you use a type of gun to channel your power and use of imagination in devil magic, I am the best person to help you expand your repertoar… and teach you how to actually fight with a gun."
"What do you mean?" Rias asked carefully.
"Rule of the thumb in a gunfight; either keep moving, be far away so that you can hit your opponent and they can't hit you or always be behind cover." The Magus Killer started coldly. "While it was a fight with even numbers and splitting up was a sensible choice, your lack of defense was noted. Repeatedly." He let the words sink in. "But defense doesn't mean much against guns, most humans die with a single shot after all. After hearing the 'rule of the thumb', why is that?"
Took a second for Rias to realize it was a real question. "Because with guns it is better to not get hit."
Kiritsugu nodded. "That is the gist of it. We need to expand your options with gun play and see how else you can develop your power with more knowledge."
"So you are going to help her?" Sirzechs sounded happy even if the majority didn't really understand what the help meant.
"If that is what she wants, it is within the terms of our Pact." Reminded the man with a grunt. "But before anything you should ask her if she is really going to participate in this tournament or not."
"Of course I will." Rias replied instantly, remembering her obligations.
Her parents were proud, Kiritsugu was uninterested. "While I don't care much about Rating Games even if I can appreciate their purpose, that means your training starts now."
Everyone was shocked, even his son. "When you say now-"
"I mean it. Training starts immediately." Kiritsugu let out a sigh at the incredulous looks. "Must I remind that she is one day late compared to most of her peers and I am not a good teacher."
Zeoticus recovered quickly. "But what about her Peerage? Are they going to train with you as well?"
Azazel stepped forward. "To that, I suppose old deals are still on the table, right?"
"Indeed, indeed, indeed." Sirzechs agreed immediately which meant that the Cadre was in charge of everyone else's training.
Looking at Akeno, Rias noticed how exhausted her friend was and was about to suggest something. "It is fine." Only for the Queen to give her a nod. "We can handle it."
Speaking like that it made it sound that Rias was only for everyone, and she was, but Akeno was her main concern by far. While not everyone knew what was that about and they kept everything vague, some knew and were also concerned.
Shirou placed a hand on his lover's shoulder. "Don't worry. Azazel is going to report to me everything he can and if there is any sort of emergency."
"I will?" That was news for the Cadre.
"We will be working together, right? In whatever lab you have around here…"
"Sure, fine. Not in the original agreement but great." Azazel didn't mind either way as he noticed Akeno's shoulders relaxed. Her circumstances aside, at least she was calmer and that was a win on the fallen angel's mind. "More paperwork…." The bane of any commander.
"Then it is settled." The redhead older brother wanted to finish everything as soon as possible as he didn't want to spoil the surprise.
Kiritsugu knew his business partner had something dangerous in mind for someone but shrugged it off. It wasn't his son in danger so it wasn't his problem.
Which brought him back to Rias. "For the duration of the training, at least on the first week, you are forbidden from using mana."
"What?!" Rias almost jumped in place at the sudden rule.
"You also will be allowed to use your family facilities for anything you desire so long as you show up in time and show commitment. The moment you slack, the moment you complain without justification, or raise a fuss, training will be canceled and you can do whatever else your family had in mind. Are we clear?"
'That is the same speech he gave us as kids…' Shirou remembered when he and Illya got the exact same lines, almost word for word.
Rias gulped hard as Kiritsugu's cold stare was still judging her. "Yes, sir."
"Good." Kiritsugu pointed left. "Start running."
"What?"
"Your mana levels are excellent but you clearly are still fighting as a Wizard type if we go by how you devils categorize your warriors." Kiritsugu thought three categories were too few. "So you are going to get your body used to moving. Start running around the arena."
Remembering how big the arena was, Rias gulped again. "For how long?"
"Until you can't move anymore. This is to test your limits and get your body used to them. Once I have a base, I will know how to work in it."
"Again, he isn't the best of teachers." Shirou pointed out.
"I thought most of her lessons were going to be of the more intellectual variety." Sirzechs muttered.
"They will be, once her body can actually dodge properly."
"I was fighting a goddess." Rias reminded the man.
He didn't care. "And in your match against Riser Phenex, weren't you almost defeated when he caught you?" SIlence was his reply. Nobody challenged him when he pointed left again. "Start running."
So with no time for rest Rias began to run in a paced jog, much to the amusement and confusion of those present. It looked only like moderate exercise for all of them and they began to wonder if their training wasn't going to be that complicated.
Almost no one understood that it was only the beginning of Rias' suffering, almost anyone but the son of the man who was going to inflict it. 'Worst part is that even if I try to warn her, she is going to do it anyway.' That was how proud his lover was.
"Don't worry, Buchou!" Issei called off with a grin. "After our training everybody is going to be kicking ass!"
Now that Rias was a little farther away, Azazel had no fear to say, "If you all survive it."
"What?" Issei didn't know why, but he had a really bad feeling.