Sorry for the delay in posting, guys! I finally finished reading all of the High School DxD light novels. It was quite enjoyable.
It was a lot to get through, and I nearly gave up, but I pushed through. So, expect the usual update schedule unless something happens.
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— X —
After lunch break, Judai sat at his desk with an unusually serious expression. The students around him avoided looking his way, sensing the shift in his demeanor. Even Aika noticed, glancing over with concern.
'Did something happen?' she wondered.
But Judai's mind was elsewhere, caught in a loop of overanalysis. 'Did she really mean that, or was she just speaking in a friendly way?'
He was stuck in uncertainty, afraid of misinterpreting the situation.
'I don't want to make the wrong guess. I don't want to be looked at with disgust or have the police called on me again.'
Memories from his past life surfaced, the time he'd worked up the courage to ask a woman for her number, only to be met with a look of pure revulsion.
Another attempt ended with her calling the police. After those experiences, he'd stopped trying to approach women directly. Instead, he'd adopted a friendly, kind demeanor toward everyone, though he knew that approach had its own limitations.
He sighed quietly, no closer to an answer.
The rest of the school day passed in a blur. When the final bell rang, Judai grabbed his bag and left the classroom. On his way to the clubroom, a janitor bumped into him, a little too deliberately.
Judai felt something slip into his left pocket. A quick glance confirmed it was Mizuho in disguise. He continued walking as if nothing had happened, then discreetly pulled out the item: a small, folded letter.
He unfolded it and read:
There is a secret basement under the abandoned church. Approximately 27 stray exorcists are working with the four Fallen Angels. Their names: the scarred one is Raynare, the only male is Dohnaseek, the blonde girl is Mittelt, and the blue-haired woman is Kalawarna. I have not yet uncovered their full plan.
It was all Mizuho had managed to gather so far.
'Amazing spy work,' Judai thought. He carefully tore the letter into tiny pieces, scattering them into several different trash bins along his route.
Once he reached the clubroom, he went straight to his temporary quarters, dropped his bag, changed into training clothes, and headed to the backyard.
He checked the time on his phone. "I've got time. Should start working on close-quarters combat," he muttered.
Focusing, he summoned his Duel Disk to his left hand, drew a card, and placed it on the Monster Zone.
A bolt of lightning struck the ground, and Sparkman materialized before him.
"Yo, partner! What can I do for you today?" Sparkman greeted, crossing his arms.
"I need your help with hand-to-hand combat training," Judai said.
"You want to learn from me?" Sparkman asked, pointing at himself.
"Yes."
"Alright then. Show me your stance."
Judai settled into a hybrid boxing/MMA stance, palms open and guard up, something he'd picked up from watching fights in his past life. He dismissed the Duel Disk to avoid distraction.
"Not bad," Sparkman said approvingly. Then his tone shifted, becoming sharp and focused. "Now, keep your guard up."
Out of nowhere, before Judai was truly ready, Sparkman launched a lightning-fast kick aimed at the side of his head. Judai barely managed to throw up his left arm to block it, the impact reverberating up his shoulder.
He kept his eyes locked on Sparkman, watching for the next move. Sparkman feinted a punch. Judai tensed to defend against it, only to receive the same devastating kick to the exact same spot.
This time, with his guard down, Judai crumpled to the ground.
"Get up, Judai. You wanted to learn, right? The fastest way is through combat," Sparkman said, his voice turning stern. "Get up!"
Judai pushed himself up and reset his stance. He threw a quick jab, but in doing so, left his guard open. Sparkman closed the distance instantly and delivered a sharp uppercut that sent Judai flat on his back again.
"I see you're still moving. Get up."
'What's with my teacher turning into a drill sergeant?' Judai thought, sitting up woozily before forcing himself back to his feet.
The training was brutal. Every attack he tried was countered. It was less a lesson and more a one-sided beating at this point. Unbeknownst to him, the entire Peerage had gathered at a second-floor window, watching with wincing sympathy.
They flinched with every hit Judai took, their own training had never been this harsh. Yet despite the punishment, Judai kept standing back up. He knew this skill could mean the difference between life and death.
One thing he learned that day: how to take a hit.
When the session finally ended, Sparkman asked, "Do you want me to tone it down next time?"
"No. If anything, I want you to make it harder," Judai replied, breathing heavily.
"Then I'll make it even more difficult tomorrow."
"I'll summon you then."
"Alright. See you soon, partner." With that, Judai returned Sparkman to the deck, which shuffled itself automatically.
Exhausted, Judai remained on the ground and slipped into meditation. He began drawing in the ambient life energy around him, converting it carefully into Maryoku within his body, then cycling it back into pure life energy to accelerate his healing.
From the window, Koneko's eyes widened. "How is he controlling life energy like that? That's dangerous!" She'd never seen a human handle such raw, untamed energy without being corrupted by its wild nature.
She bolted from the room, the others quickly following her down to the backyard.
By the time they arrived, Judai had already healed most of his visible bruises. There was no sign of energy corruption or loss of control.
"How is that possible?" Koneko muttered, stepping closer until she stood right in front of him. "How did you learn to manipulate life energy without absorbing any malice or ill intent?"
"That? I just convert life energy into Maryoku inside me, then change it back to life energy to heal," Judai explained, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Maryoku?" Koneko looked confused. The others exchanged surprised glances, the magic systems they were familiar with didn't work like this.
"Judai," Rias asked carefully, "are you not using human magic based on Devil magic foundations?"
"No. What I use is different. I learned it from my teacher."
The revelation felt otherworldly. Rias, who had harbored doubts about his Sacred Gear being Annihilation Maker, now felt almost certain. Akeno, already convinced, grew even more confident in her assumption.
Rias never asked him outright if he possessed Annihilation Maker, because of his general lack of knowledge about the supernatural, but because some questions were better left unspoken.