Meanwhile, in Leo's manor, down in the underground training room…
Leo stood off to the side, watching Miyamoto Musashi instruct Asuna.
"Forget about the Holy Sword for now. You need to nail the basics first. Start with how you hold a sword. Once your stance is perfect—no gaps, no mistakes—then we'll talk about swinging it. As for swordsmanship or sword techniques, you're way too early for that."
Miyamoto Musashi adjusted Asuna's grip with practiced precision. She looked casual, almost lazy, but the moment Asuna's hands twisted even a fraction, Musashi called it out and forced the correction. No matter how tiny or hidden the mistake, nothing escaped her eyes.
"Like this?"
Under Musashi's guidance, Asuna quickly mastered the proper grip. She wasn't holding a Holy Sword, just a wooden sword Musashi had shaped out of demonic power on the spot. One look and anyone could tell this girl was a total beginner.
"Yep, yep—just like that. Keep that form steady." Musashi sounded genuinely impressed by how fast Asuna was catching on. "You can tell at a glance you've never trained before, but surprisingly, you're a natural at this."
Clearly, Asuna had real talent with the sword. Otherwise, Leo's Knight piece wouldn't have chosen her.
Musashi taught her several basic movements and tips, and Asuna picked them up so fast it made Musashi's eyes light up with interest.
"Female swordsmen were pretty much nonexistent in my era, so I was considered an oddity. Even in the modern era, they're rare. Never thought I'd run into someone who could become a future powerhouse of a swordswoman."
Seeing Asuna's potential, Musashi became even more invested.
Before she realized it, she'd already begun passing down the foundation of Niten Ichi-ryū.
Niten Ichi-ryū wasn't simply a dual-blade style—it was a philosophy of moving in harmony with your blades, adapting with the flow of battle.
Only when facing powerful foes or fate itself did one steady their heart, take a stance, and return their sword-mind to zero. That was the essence of Niten Ichi-ryū.
So one-sword users could practice it, two-sword users could practice it, and even someone like that green-haired guy who gets lost all the time—if he bit down on a third sword and went three-sword style, he could practice it too.
In a way, Asuna was perfect for Niten Ichi-ryū. Her Blade Blacksmith could create as many swords as she needed. A style not limited by weapon count, one that could function with any number of blades—that would let her maximize Blade Blacksmith's advantages.
Musashi probably saw this as well. That was why she wasn't teaching sword techniques themselves—only the fundamentals, along with the principles and core of Niten Ichi-ryū. Asuna would have to comprehend the rest herself and eventually form her own interpretation of the style.
Asuna didn't know Musashi's intentions, but she listened with full focus.
Watching her absorb everything like a sponge—her posture growing sharper, her presence slowly becoming that of a true swordswoman—Leo could almost see the future "Flash" Asuna, the famed raid boss slayer herself.
"At this rate, Asuna should become combat-ready pretty fast."
Leo was satisfied.
Her talent with demonic power wasn't even close to Yukino's. She wasn't outstanding among Low-Class Devils, let alone anywhere near a Mid-Class Devil. But her sword talent was strong—easily on par with Yukino's talent in magic.
And Yukino only needed one month to become combat-capable. If Asuna kept up this pace, her results would be similar.
In a month, she should be able to match a strong Mid-Class Devil. And if her opponent was something with demonic traits, maybe even a High-Class Devil-level creature.
"They're both rare gems. As expected of heroines of their own stories—I really did strike gold."
That gave Leo an idea. Maybe he should pay more attention to heroine-tier girls. Their potential as servants was probably high.
Anyone who could become a heroine in their own story had something special going for them. Even if they weren't high-tier potential, they'd at least be mid-tier.
Kasumigaoka Utaha, for instance—that woman was absolutely not ordinary. And the other two "ice queens" of Sobu High… maybe he should keep an eye on them too.
Even though he had already checked—they didn't have Sacred Gears like Yukino did—perhaps converting them into servants would unlock their potential, allowing them to attract a Sacred Gear later.
Not all Sacred Gears were innate. Some transferred midway into a new host.
Take himself as an example. Leo strongly suspected his Zenith Tempest had only transferred into him after he awakened his Servant Conversion trait. Otherwise, how could he have gone his entire devil life without ever sensing a Sacred Gear inside him?
After all, he was born a devil—half pureblood devil, half exorcist from the Church. Not exactly ordinary.
If he'd been born with a Sacred Gear, it should've awakened long ago. How could he have reached High-Class Devil level and still had no reactions from it at all?
His demonic power detection was extremely sharp. He could sense Sacred Gears in others easily. There was no reason he wouldn't sense his own.
So he was certain Zenith Tempest came to him only after his Servant Conversion awakened—drawn in and choosing him as its host. The second-strongest Longinus in the world wasn't something you overlooked.
Likewise, unclaimed Sacred Gears could be drawn toward suitable hosts at any time and choose them—lodging into their bodies.
And those heroines, once converted into servants and their potential unlocked… who's to say they wouldn't become new Sacred Gear hosts?
"Speaking of which, senpai sure has patience. It's been this long and she still hasn't triggered the devil flyer I gave her to summon me."
Thinking of Kasumigaoka Utaha—who had been looking at him more and more like garbage lately—Leo clicked his tongue internally.
Ever since he started coming and going from the Service Club freely, and especially since Yukino was practically glued to him everywhere he went, the disdain in Utaha's eyes had only grown deeper.
The girl who used to casually call him "akuma-kun" now practically spat out "pervert akuma-kun" every time she saw him. With that much resentment, someone might even think Sobu High's Autumn Flower wanted to date him.
Shame for her—he didn't want a girlfriend. He only wanted servants…
Love?
Not even a dog would bother!
"…Guess I should redirect targets for now. I haven't checked in on those other two ice queens lately."
A certain devil thought, fully embracing his inner scumbag.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Leo looked up.
He felt it—the special magic circle he'd placed on Yukino had partially activated in response to a huge surge of demonic power.
"This magic output… Yukino's going all out?"
His eyes narrowed.
Glancing at Asuna and Musashi—still absorbed in their lesson—Leo slipped out of the training room silently. He activated the magic circle's jump function and left the manor.
...
"BOOM!"
The atmosphere roared.
A cold wave like a blizzard raged across the land. The moisture in the air was drawn out and froze instantly, forming endless ice in midair.
The chunks fused together, forming towering ice mountains. Under the control of the three-meter-tall Ice Princess, they crashed toward the ground like falling meteors, the force terrifying.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
Each impact made the earth tremble. The explosive wind pressure sent Sharon flying again and again no matter how she dodged.
"Gh—!"
She crossed her arms to block, but she couldn't stop her body from being blasted away like a cannonball, slamming into an ice mountain.
Above her, Yukino—suspended behind the Ice Princess—pressed the attack, pouring out more demonic power and forming new ice mountains around her.
"So this is a Longinus…?!"
Sharon's expression tightened; sweat beaded on her forehead.
She'd fought Sacred Gear users before. But fighting a Longinus wielder—this was her first time.
And unfortunately, her first experience was already pushing her to the brink of death.
"Compared to normal Sacred Gears, a Longinus is just absurd! They're not even in the same league…!"
Sharon, who could fight evenly with a High-Class Devil, was now cornered by Yukino. That alone showed how terrifying Yukino had become with her Longinus.
Power capable of killing gods or a Maou—it was already showing its fangs.
"Yukino!"
At the frozen battlefield's edge, Yukinoshita Haruno and their mother shouted together.
They shivered violently in the storm, frost forming on their bodies. They were close to collapsing.
"I'll give you this—you two are gutsy. Watching a fight like this up close… trying to die early?"
A voice suddenly reached the two women.
At the same time, an invisible barrier rose before them, blocking the incoming cold wave.