"Emiya-kun?" I turned to find Reya standing a little close to me. "I think that they could really use your help. I understand if you still have reservations about us, but I can say for the Gremorys that they are a good group of Devils.
It is Devils like Raiser that give us the type of reputation you have heard of. So at least, can you help them get rid of that image?"
...
I looked at her for a moment as I pondered. Granted, there was more to it than she thinks regarding my dislike for demons or devils in this case. I do know that there were decent ones among the evil creatures back in my old world. Heck, even amongst the Apostles, there were some who were decent enough to work alongside humans, Zelretch and Solomon being the most notable ones, followed shortly by the curry-obsessed Executor and the White Moon Princess.
The issue was for every decent one, I end up fighting roughly ten thousand evil ones hell-bent on trying to conquer a nation, create more zombies, or try to annihilate the entire planet. And right now, I am still within the evil counter. Not to mention I still do not know if I should really help them out.
… Well, guess I will find out if I lived long enough to regret the decision.
"Ha~ fine. I will help you guys."
"Yes!" Ise and Asia cheered as they hugged one another. Well, too bad I had to ruin their little celebration.
"Well then, I hope you lot are ready." I let loose a smile that made everyone in the room go pale and started to move away from me. "Because you are going against an immortal who has fought a few battles before and has more experience and fighting strength, so I will not hold back on your training." I turned to face Rias who looked like she was seriously regretting her decision.
"So then, when do we start?"
Oh, this is going to be fun.
...
It was time.
Ise absentmindedly fiddled with the collar of his shirt for the umpteenth time while pacing back and forth across the room like a madman. No one could blame him for it for that matter, for they too were dealing with their nervousness in their own way; Kiba was lightly tapping his feet while trying to read a book, Akeno was lightly raising a cup of tea that was shaking from her nervous hand, Asia was trying to give some light prayers, even Koneko was eating lesser than normal, claiming she did not have much of an appetite.
Yes, it was that bad.
Rias could only grab her arms tightly as she looked out of the window at the area they would go for their fight. It was decided that their Rating Game would be held in a simulated version of their campus, courtesy of Raiser who said that he would give her as many handicaps as she wanted, it did not matter to him as he was very confident in his victory.
As much as she was loathed to admit, he might have a point. He was considered the favourite to join the big leagues and the only times he lost were due to him intentionally surrendering to show his respect to the opposing team. She had suspected it for a while, but more than likely he was chosen for crushing her will in order to get her compliance.
Well, at the very least, Raiser would not be taking her down without a fight. They had spent a great deal of their time undergoing Shirou's Spartan training and improving their own individual skill-sets. Rias shivered slightly at the memories of her undergoing some of the more 'unique' types of training that Shirou had designed for her. A part of her partially wondered if Shirou had some repressed anger issues to let out.
Her thoughts of getting trashed during her training got interrupted by the door opening and Shirou entering with Grayfia.
"You guys are still nervous about the match?" Shirou looked around and let out a light 'Humph!' "You should be relaxing right now."
"Yeah well, we are not the battle-ready fighter like you." Ise replied as he stopped pacing to face him.
"You guys have read the notes I made for you right? Granted the details may differ based on the flow of the battle, but they should be sufficient to aid you in your fight."
"We have read them and understood the plan, but it is still a little nerve-wrecking for us, since this is our first Rating Game." Rias remarked with a sigh.
"I might have something that can help a little." Shirou held out his hands and closed his eyes for a moment, before several weapons appeared in the air. "I had a quick talk with Shitori-Kaichou and Grayfia-san about the rules of this Rating Game, and from what I understand, anything goes short of killing your opponent and you are each allowed one object of a different type to bring along, so I think these would do for your match."
Rias could only raise an eyebrow at the assortment of weapons that Shirou procured for them. There was a big nail that was attached to a really long chain, a small dagger with a relatively normal leather sheath adorned with a small white gem, a pair of metal gauntlets adorned with runes of an unknown language, and finally a shield of seemingly Norse Origins, with a gold face in the center of it and the hair representing the rays of the sun.
"Here this one is for you." Shirou handed the chained nail to Akeno. "This should be ideal if you are going against the other Queen. If you are using this against Raiser, you probably have a couple of minutes before it melts."
"For you, I will be loaning you the Sunō-Buros Samu." He lightly placed the dagger into Asia's hands. "I am guessing you do not want to fight others, so this one should do the trick. It is more of a protection charm, and I think this will help you a lot later."
"Now for your case, it can never hurt to have more attack power or defense, so these gauntlets should do." He handed them to Koneko who raised an eyebrow at the design. "Don't knock them till you try them, they helped me a few times against some really tough opponents."
"For Rias, since you are the King, that means you would need protection all the time, but considering your numbers, that would not be an option." He paused for a moment while looking at the shield thoughtfully, before giving a light nod and held it out to her. "This should help you against Raiser and his Queen if you are forced to fight them head on."
Rias hesitated a moment before placing her hand on the shield. It was brief, but she could sense a somewhat potent power emanating from it, not to mention the odd sensation that she was being judged by the item itself. Certainly not helped by the shield's design of the face seemingly following her no matter where she tilt the shield.
"Nothing for us?" Ise asked while pointing at himself and Kiba.
"Kiba has Sword Birth to help with the fighting, and you have the equivalent of a nuclear warhead set to overload. I think the both of you don't need my weapons." Shirou paused before adding in a statement with a straight face. "That, and the fact that my weapons are telling me to not loan them to you for fear of being infected by your obsession with breasts."
"HEY!"
"The design is of Norse Origin, isn't it?" Grayfia ignored the commotion going on and voiced out a question while keeping a steady eye on the shield, as though sensing the same feeling as Rias. "I am detecting a fair amount of power originating from it. May I ask where you obtained such an object?"
"I just picked it up on one of my jobs." Shirou shrugged as he replied. "As for what it is, does the name Svalinn mean anything to you?"
"Svalinn, is that not the shield that stops the flames of the sun?!" Rias perked her ears at the familiar name. She had read a few books on Norse mythology and the name was one of the few one would know from the start. "I thought it was just a nursery rhyme?"
"Well no, the shield is real, and you are currently holding a duplicate of the shield." Shirou replied somewhat reluctantly. "It should be more than enough to deal with Raiser's flames and The Queen's explosions."
Rias could only look at him for a moment before turning her attention back to the shield. Honestly, she was hoping to use the training session to get answers regarding Shirou's past and magic, but the more she dug out, the more questions she got in return.
Just who was Shirou?
"Ojou-sama, it is time to leave." Grayfia's voice interrupted her thoughts and reminded her of the occasion. She shook her head a little to clear her head and take a deep breath. She would think about this matter afterwards. For now she had to concentrate on crushing Raiser.
"Ah Ise, a quick word with you!" Shirou motioned to him to come to his side. He then bent down a little to whisper something into Ise's ear, for a moment both of them giving a quick glance at Rias, before whispering a bit more and Ise nodding lightly. "Go get them, kid." Shirou lightly patted Ise's shoulder before leaving the room.
"What did he tell you?" Rias asked Ise after he returned to their side. He paused for a moment before clenching a fist. "A promise between men!"
Hah~ boys.
'Still…' Rias frowned lightly as they made their way to the holding area, thinking about Shirou's plan of attack. It was not like she wanted to doubt his methods, having seen first-hand their effectiveness, but she had to wonder.
'Could it really be that straightforward?'
...
Hey guys If you want an extra chapter you, need to throw some power Stones ;)
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