Tales Of The Fearless Dragon 52 (Patreon)

Hey everyone, and get ready for this chapter. As you can expect, this chapter will cover the special episodes and OVA with my own spin on how events play out.

Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit fan-based parody. Highschool DxD, Highschool DxD New, Highschool DxD Born, Highschool DxD EX, and Highschool DxD Hero are all owned by Funimation, Fushimi Shobo, TNK, Passione, and Ichiei Ishibumi. Please support the official release.

"Shirou" Regular speech.

"Shirou" Thoughts.

DRAGON SHOT Attack names.

(Shirou) Words said previously.

"SHIROU!" Shouting speech.

[Ddraig] Dragon talking.

Downtime And Weird Phoenixes

—….

(Church Trio's Underwear, Amen)

It was a quiet day at Kuoh Academy, and many of the second-year students were just finishing up their P.E. classes. Right now, Irina, Asia, and Xenovia were in the locker room, along with many of the other girls in their class, all of whom were changing out of their gym uniforms.

Irina turned to Xenovia and saw that she was wearing dark-pink and black frilly lingerie.

"Eh?! Xenovia, where did you get such fabulous and cute lingerie?!"

Xenovia smirked and wagged her finger at her. "Heheheh, my ego isn't what it once was before. Take a look." She said, posing for them. "At the store I bought it from. The retailer recommended it personally for battle."

"Hang on a moment there, Ms. Lingerie for battle." Irina said, shrugging off her shirt, exposing a pure white set of lingerie. "Look at this!"

"Oh?" Xenovia got a good look.

"My, it's so cute." Asia said in awe.

"This is the very best in white lingerie, filled with luxury and figure." Irina said proudly as if it were a contest. "This is indeed…The best lingerie for any of god's followers." She began going into a prayer pose.

Xenovia turned to Asia.

"So, what are you wearing then, Asia?"

"Hey! Listen to what I'm saying!" Irina looked miffed at being ignored.

"U-Um, I'm not wearing anything special." Asia said, backing away with a nervous smile.

"Nonsense, let's see it." Xenovia said, moving up to her, while wriggling her fingers as if she was planning to grope her, pulling off her shirt.

[Ho ho…]" They both said, seeing a dark pink bra on her.

"D-Don't stare so much…" Asia was kneeling on the floor as she covered her chest with an embarrassed look.

"Sorry, sorry." Xenovia waved her hand with a wincing smile. "You look really cute in that lingerie, Asia."

"The pink color isn't that bad." Irina admitted as well.

"Well, it's an adorable pair that Chief Rias grew out of, so she gave it to me."

Asia confessed with a smile as she removed her skirt and showed the rest of the lingerie.

"Hm, as expected of her, Chief Rias always wears those types of lingerie." Xenovia pointed out. "Asia, you look really cute in that."

"Chief-san told me they were good for being battle lingerie." Asia added.

"Then that means the three of us are each wearing 'lingerie for battle' right now." Irina noticed as she inspected their lingerie. "Well, you two have nice 'battle gear', but I still think my mesmerizing white lingerie."

"Well, it would be nice to have the opinion of a guy." Xenovia mused.

"Wh-What guy?" Irina asked with a blush.

"Well, maybe we could ask Shirou." Xenovia suggested before she elaborated. "I heard a while ago, Chief Rias and Akeno-san asked him which of their swimsuits he liked better, so lingerie shouldn't be that different."

"You're right, Shirou-san has experience in this type of thing." Asia was onboard with the idea.

"W-Wait a minute!" Irina objected while blushing. "Just how are we supposed to ask him? We can't exactly bring him in here."

"No problem." Xenovia reached into her locker and took out her phone. "I'll just send him a picture of the three of us."

CLICK!

Xenovia snapped a selfie of herself in her lingerie with Asia and Irina also in the frame. "Now, I just need to send it."

"Wait!"

Irina tackled Xenovia in an attempt to stop her from sending the photo, as she was in no rush to have Shirou see her in her unmentionables. Needless to say, the question of who had the best lingerie wouldn't be answered anytime today.

-O-

(Koneko's Senjutsu Treatment, Nyaa~)

It all started a few nights after they had returned home from the battle against Loki.

"…How is it?"

Koneko, in her Nekomata mode, who came into Shirou's room and was embracing him as she rested her head against his back and placed her arms around his torso, asked him.

"I told you, it's fine."

Koneko was using her whole body to use her Senjutsu on Shirou.

External wounds and physical damage to the body could be healed by Asia, but stamina and fatigue can't be cured.

Koneko controls the flow of the 'ki' to replenish his stamina so that he wouldn't have any fatigue the next day. Apparently, by controlling the flow of the 'ki' correctly, the natural healing ability increases, and the circulation of blood and things which are good for the body happens. Koneko was trying hard to improve that process, even though Shirou told her he was fine.

Right now, Koneko was using her 'ki' on him, emanating a warm feeling throughout his body. Koneko was wearing a thin white cloth, given to her by Akeno, because it is said to purify one's body and make it easier to use 'ki'. But the white cloth was so thin that he could feel her body directly. Koneko is small, but she has a soft body, which he already knew, given they once shared a bath.

From her soft body, a warm feeling was sent into his body and spread throughout his whole body. It felt refreshing, as if he was feeling a cool, gentle breeze during a summer day at the ideal temperature. At the same time, even the inside of my body is getting warm.

"…At the same time, I'm removing the fatigue you have, the large amounts of energy which were consumed by Juggernaut Drive can be healed bit by bit if I use the healing-type senjutsu on you."

Koneko told him while smiling with a blush of red on her face as she was embracing him.

"You have to worry so much. I've been fatigued and out of energy plenty of times in the past. Even the drain of using Juggernaut Drive. I just need rest to recover my strength." Shirou attempted to appease

[You're taking this too lightly. Don't underestimate the strain of Juggernaut Drive. Even if you and the Vanishing Dragon have found alternative ways of using that power without sacrificing lifespan, overusing it can cause lasting damage to your soul.]

"Even so, what choice did I have against opponents that powerful? A damaged soul isn't as bad as losing my life, along with everyone else dying with me."

Shirou justified his actions, but Ddraig still wanted to get his point across.

[Regardless, the Nekomata has the right idea; you should let her heal you as much as possible. Also, don't use the Juggernaut Drive again anytime soon, there's no telling what kind of damage continuous usage will do.]

"Hmm…"

"…What is it?"

Even though she couldn't hear his internal conversation with Ddraig, Koneko felt a change in his disposition.

"I just don't think I'll be able to use Juggernaut Drive again for a while."

Koneko then looked down, as if the conversation shifted to a topic she wanted to avoid.

"….…I would also like it if you don't use that form again."

Shirou noticed the change in her demeanor and shifted his position to get a better look at her. Though she tried to remain composed, Koneko looked like she was on the verge of tears while thinking back to an unpleasant memory.

"…In that form, you were like a different person. …You're aura was so oppressive and overwhelming, like it was crushing me… It was so scary seeing you like that. …So please don't turn into that form again… I never want to be afraid of Senpai."

Koneko spoke with teary eyes as if she were begging him. Shirou was fully aware of how he acted while he was using Juggernaut Drive, so he understood why she was upset, and he suspected she wasn't the only one who felt this way. Koneko then hugged him tightly, as if she was trying to say, "Please don't use that form again".

"You should know, the way I acted while in that form wasn't anything new; that was all me."

Despite his resigned expression, Koneko shook her head, refusing to believe that statement.

"…That's not true, Senpai isn't scary like that."

"It's the truth. I try not to act that way around you guys, but when no one else is around and I'm fighting to kill, that's how I am." He thought back to the time he fought the Fallen Angels, Raynare, Raiser's Pawns, and Diodora's peerage, no one was around to see it, but he was merciless and delighted in striking fear into the hearts of his foes, it was the same when he was human and fought with other Delinquents for so many years. "I couldn't control it while using Juggernaut Drive, but that's the person I really am inside, a monster."

"…No, you are kind, I can feel it." Koneko insisted as she leaned closer and rested her head on his bandaged chest. "…Right now, while supplying you with my ki, our souls are connected. Your soul is warm and gentle, like a beam of sunlight." She said softly, gazing lovingly at him. "…I can't even imagine being scared of you, I only feel safe."

"That's another side of who I am. People aren't one-dimensional beings; everyone has many facets to their personality. The way I am now, and when I'm fighting, both are the real me."

"…Well, there are many people who like this side of Shirou-senpai. …I also like this Senpai the most. That's why I am doing this to restore your energy and revitalize your soul, which has been exhausted, bit by bit. …I will spend as much time as it takes to do so because… I want to be with Senpai forever."

Shirou softly placed his hand on her head, knowing that it soothed her. Sometimes it was hard to imagine the powerful and sharp-tongued Koneko being so vulnerable, but lately this was how she often behaved around Shirou. It was like he was the only one she didn't mind letting her guard down in front of, and that made her act like a child who constantly desired his warmth and affection.

"Yeah, I know. I want that too, and I plan on always being around, no matter what."

"…Yes, please do."

"Still, while the side-effects are a pain, the fact remains that the power of the Juggernaut Drive is necessary if we're going to keep fighting battles of that calibre in the future. Even if I keep training, there's a limit to how strong I can get in the time I have between fights, and our enemies aren't going to wait for me to reach their level. Plus, they're also getting stronger. I need to find a method to reach that level of power that isn't so self-destructive. I still have plans for the future."

When he was thinking about his own issues, Koneko put on a very red face.

"…Senpai, there is actually a much more faster way."

"Based on the look on your face, I have some idea of what you're going to say, but I'll ask anyway, what?"

"….It's Bo...Bouchuujutsu."

"Bouchuujutsu?" Shirou raised a brow. "The art of love-making?"

His translation was correct as Koneko elaborated while her face became redder. "….A woman who specialises in using the 'ki' has to share her 'ki' with the man, and it heals the life core greatly."

"So, basically, you're suggesting we have sex to speed up the healing process?"

When he said that with half-lidded eyes, Koneko's face turned even redder, and she panicked. She then responded with a determined voice.

"…U-Understood. B-But it is my first time, so..."

"No, it is not your first time because we are not having sex?"

Shirou told her flat-out as if it wasn't even up for discussion.

"Are you dissatisfied with me…?"

Koneko asked it with sad eyes.

Shirou rolled his eyes at that all too familiar response.

"Why do you girls always ask that? Rias, Akeno, now you."

"…But you did it with Akeno-senpai. Why not me?"

"Is that what this is about? It feels like everyone keeps coming up with different reasons for wanting sex, like how Xenovia and Kuroka wanted babies with Dragon DNA."

"It wasn't just that, the female Nekomata normally mate with the male of a different race… Mainly, it often happens with human males or former humans. Onee-sama was likely following that tradition."

The topic changed to the issue about Nekomata, which Shirou was honestly more interested in.

"Tradition? Can't you mate with male Nekomata?"

He questioned her, entirely changing the topic from sex to the population of the Youkai.

"…It's an option, but the number of them is low….… Female Nekomata mate with males from different races due to the old teachings. …My kind is the rarest, so it's certain that I need to leave offspring… I have reincarnated into a Devil, but I do want a baby…"

"I get it, so Kuroka wanted to make babies with either me or Vali, mainly for the sake of preserving her species." Shirou had a better understanding of the situation. "Well, that makes more sense than the stupid reason Xenovia came up with. But what about you? It's not like you have to worry about that stuff right now."

Koneko spoke out while acting hesitant. She seemed shy, but she had determined eyes.

"…B-Because, I feel the same way the other girls do…. My b-body and breasts are small… But I still can have s-sex properly… I can still make b-babies… And if Senpai did it with Akeno-senpai and the others afterward, then I want to perform Bouchuujutsu with you as well… I am already prepared for it…"

TAP!

Shirou poked her on the forehead to make her move back.

"Stop it already. Despite what you might like to think, you aren't ready."

"…I am, really."

Despite her insistence, Shirou wasn't convinced.

"Then why are you so nervous?" He pointed out.

Koneko stopped and noticed he was right, her body was shaking uncontrollably, and she kept stuttering with her words.

"The truth is, before Loki showed up, Akeno tried to convince me to sleep with her, but I turned her down. She was trembling even worse than you are; she wanted to do it for the wrong reasons and tried forcing herself to go through with it, and I knew doing that would be a mistake."

Koneko was surprised; she, along with the other girls, wasn't aware of any of this. Shirou continued.

"But, after the battle was over, we tried it again. This time, there was no hesitation and not a bit of nerves, that's why I didn't mind doing it then. As far as I'm concerned, the only time you know a girl is truly prepared for sex is when her mind is clear and she's not filled with anxiety."

"…So, you don't think I'm ready yet?"

Koneko looked down, feeling disappointed with herself. She knew he wasn't wrong, but she didn't like it either way. She wished she wasn't so unprepared mentally because it made her feel less of a woman compared to the other girls, but Shirou consoled her, knowing that wasn't truly the case.

"Don't take it personally, most of the girls in this house aren't ready. A lot of them can't even say sex with blushing."

"What about the Chief? Do you think she's ready?"

Shirou rolled his eyes, knowing it would come back to Rias.

"…Even if she were, I still wouldn't do it with her right now."

Now Koneko was surprised. "…Why not?"

"She'd still want it for the wrong reasons, like not wanting to fall behind Akeno." Shirou let out a groan. "Rias is pushy, obnoxious, self-important, and always trying to get out on top. That's why she has no problem using her lewd behavior as a show of superiority."

"Oh, is that what you think of me? I had no idea."

-!

…T-this voice… When the two of them turned around, they saw the redhead in question standing there with a smile while emitting a dangerous aura. While Koneko looked as scared as a child caught misbehaving by an adult, Shirou just seemed surprised he didn't notice her until now.

"Rias? When did you get here?"

"I arrived when you started talking about Bouchuujutsu, and mating with other races. And I stayed long enough to hear you call me a pushy, obnoxious, self-important, lewd girl that you wouldn't sleep with."

It was clear from her tone, her smile, and her aura that she was extremely pissed.

She wasn't alone, however, as Asia was standing there behind her with tears in her eyes.

"...Sob. So, you'll make babies with K-Koneko-chan when she's ready… I am always left out…"

"Asia too? How distracted was I?" Shirou inwardly asked before he outwardly spoke. "Asia, say the word, sex, without stuttering."

"…S…S-Se…" Asia attempted it, but was unable to, as her face turned red and she buried her face in her hands in embarrassment.

"I rest my case."

"Koneko, you are done with Shirou's treatment, right?"

Koneko also got scared at Rias' smile, and she just nodded her head silently. Because of Rias' intensity, she left the room after saying "G-Good night" quickly.

"Now, Shirou, let's have a talk for a while."

Rias insisted in her usual manner, where she wouldn't take no for an answer. Unfortunately, as usual, it had no effect on Shirou, who got up from the bed and prepared to leave.

"You know, I'd like to, but unfortunately, that sounds terrible."

His sarcastic response was his only answer as he headed for the door, and while Rias and Asia couldn't stop him, they followed after him. While following him, Rias discarded any appearance of composure and let out her emotional tantrum at the way her described her. At the same time, Asia also broke down how upset she was at how close he was getting with Koneko.

The whole time, Shirou was resisting the urge to have a breakdown himself.

-O-

(Levia-tan So-tan~)

Underworld Television Station.

Serafall was in a dressing room after one of her rehearsals for her show.

"Moouu.…I don't know which one to choose." She said, holding up two different color variations of her magical girl outfit. "I love the pink one, but I also don't wanna get rid of this special blue one."

"Onee-sama, are you serious about this?"

Beside Serafall was Sona, who had a flat expression as she obviously didn't enjoy being here right now.

"You pulled me away from my work for this?"

"Of course, I'm serious. This is something special for my TV show. This is part of the reason I asked for a break."

Serafall exclaimed while holding up both costumes with a smile.

Sona let out a sigh. "Ugh...This happens because everyone keeps encouraging her behavior…" She muttered to herself.

"Agreed…Now, why am I here?"

The two sisters turned to Shirou, who was leaning against the wall with the same expression as Sona.

"Well, I have a male audience as well, I just wanted a male's input." Serafall responded, still smiling.

"And you couldn't have asked anyone else because?" Shirou asked.

"Because you also had to bring me!"

Mika gleefully spoke out with a carefree smile.

Sona stared at her with half-closed eyes. "And why are you here?"

"Are you kidding, a chance to see Levia-tan prepare for the big TV special, how could I pass that up!?" Mika exclaimed excitedly.

"And since Serafall invited her too, she wouldn't stop bugging me until I agreed to take her." Shirou finished with a groan.

"Tehe, I knew if I invited Mi-chan, Shicchan would definitely show up as well. They're loving siblings like us."

Shirou scoffed at that comment.

"Loving my snow-white ass, and don't call me that."

"Sorry, Shirou, you got caught up in my sister's selfishness." Sona lowered her head.

"It's fine, it's not like I'm the only one dealing with it." Shirou brushed it aside

"Hey, So-tan, why don't you try this on?" Serafall asked, holding out the blue outfit.

"…Excuse me?" Sona asked with disinterest in her voice.

"Come on, it's easier for me to visualize how it looks if it's on someone else. Pretty please?" Serafall pleaded with a playful demeanor.

"I refuse to do so." Sona said simply.

.

.

.

"...Uuuueeee…" Serafall's cheeks turned red, and tears formed in her eyes before she began to throw a fit, rolling on the floor. "If you don't, I'll quit as a Devil King! I'll never join again!"

"You're wrong if you think you're going to convince me like that." Sona firmly told her.

"I am so glad I came for this." Mika found the situation amusing.

"Geez, she's worse than you whenever I change the PIN number on my bank card." Shirou cringed at seeing Sona have to deal with her older sister's tantrum.

"Fine then! Fine then!" Serafall got up in front of Sona and started flailing her arms around while crying out. "I'll destroy every Angel and Fallen Angel!"

"Hey, she can't do that." Shirou argued. "The world needs Michael, and the Angels are pretty decent guys."

"What about the Fallen Angels?" Mika noticed he made no reference to Azazel or his Faction.

"I said what I said." Shirou bluntly replied.

Sensing there was no real way out of this, Sona reluctantly decided to cave in to her sister's tantrum.

"Fine, I'll try it on. I'll see if it fits, okay?" She finished by turning her head in annoyance.

"Oh, oh, and me!" Mika jumped forward and raised her hand. "I wanna try one on too!"

"Really!" Serafall clapped her hands in excitement. "That's great, I was hoping you'd join in! I have another one that's perfect for you~!"

"Of course, she does…" Shirou couldn't help but feel like everything was going exactly as she planned.

While they were getting ready, Shirou and Serafall walked out toward the empty stage that Serafall had locked down herself.

"Hurry, hurry!" Serafall insisted in anticipation.

Sona was soon dressed down to just her shoes and white panties as she held up the blue Magical Girl uniform.

"Hmm…What am I doing…?" Sona asked herself before she reluctantly finished putting on the outfit.

Once she walked out, holding the costume staff, Serafall came over and looked her over. She glanced away from the two as Serafall kept circling around her and inspected every inch of the costume.

"…Honestly, I think the pink one would fit better." Serafall thoughtfully confessed before she brightened up. "I'll go with Pink."

With that, she ran by Sona to the backstage dressing room.

Sona bowed her head. "I feel dirty…"

"Well, at least it's over." Shirou commented. "All in all, it could have been a lot worse."

"That's true, still, I don't like always enabling her…" Sona noted while moving to pull the hat off her head. Just then, she noticed it wouldn't come off. "Huh?"

"What's wrong?" Shirou noticed her issue.

"It won't come off, close your eyes." Sona told him. Shirou felt it was gratuitous, but complied while Sona started pulling on the costume top, but it didn't come off either. "What the?"

"Here, let me try." Shirou suggested, walking up behind her. "Not to brag, but I'm more experienced in undressing a woman."

"Fine."

Sona complied and held still. Shirou grabbed the hat and began tugging on it.

"Don't tell me?"

Shirou pulled at the hat, but unlike Sona, the hat budged a bit before putting itself back into place, as if it were magnetically attached to Sona's body.

"Magic…" Shirou face-palmed. "Yeah, that figures."

"What do you mean?" Sona asked before addressing Serafall. "Onee-Sama, why can't I take this thing off?!"

"This attire is specially designed so it can't be taken off, only I know how to."

Serafall informed her while putting on the pink outfit.

"Then tell me how." Sona petitioned.

"Look closely." She came out and went into a spin, then twirled her staff while saying. "Meruru~ Meru~ Meru~! I'll eliminate evil with my desire to become a star!" She struck a pose at the end.

"So it was a trap the whole time, Onee-Sama." Sona said with an embarrassed glare.

"Hey, check me out!"

Following Serafall, Mika appeared on stage in her own Magical Girl costume. Her one was identical to Sona and Serafall, except it was purple.

"Well, don't I look stunning and magical~?" She struck the same pose as Seafall while twirling her staff.

"Did you know about this garment trap?" Shirou questioned her.

"Me? I am shocked and chagrined. To think my own brother would accuse me of such deception. Mika fringed sadness at the accusation before she put on a mischievous grin. "That said, I do find it amusing."

"I thought the whole point of Magical Girl was the clothes coming off? Isn't the costume being stuck on counter-productive?"

"Hmmhmm, if the fanservice becomes repetitive, it becomes stale, and fans lose interest. Thinking outside the box is how you stay relevant." Mika answered knowingly while wagging her finger at him.

"You and Serafall are two kinds of the same problem." Shirou pinched the bridge of his nose. He then faced the Leviathan. "How does she get out of the costume?"

"All she has to do is perform the Magical Girl routine like me!" Serafall announced before facing Sona. "Come on, do it fast."

Sona decided there was no other option and unenthusiastically did the chant.

"Meruru…Meru…Meru… I'll eliminate evil with my desire to become a star…"

After that, she tried to take off the hat, but it still wouldn't budge.

"Onee-sama, I still can't take it off."

"You're doing it wrong, So-tan." Serafall scolded her. "If you don't do it in a cute way, the spell won't break."

"I-In a cute way?!" Sona exclaimed.

"Yeah, that lacklustre performance wasn't convincing at all. You gotta put actual feeling into it like Serafall."

Mika advised her, and Serafall nodded in agreement.

"Here, we'll do it with you."

"Does Shirou have to be here?" Sona looked down in embarrassment. "I'd rather not do it in front of someone."

"Sorry, the barrier I used to lock this place down is tied into the spell preventing you from disrobing, and if it isn't witnessed, it won't work either." Serafall informed her.

"Wow, you really thought of everything, didn't you?" Shirou frowned at her, now entirely convinced she planned everything from the start.

"Well, personally, I like the fact that you'll get to see this." Mika admitted before she grinned. "I bet you'll fall for me all over again."

"And people wonder why I drink." Shirou muttered.

".….." Sona glared at her sister before sighing. The three did the chant and pose together.

[Meruru~ Meru~ Meru~! I'll eliminate evil with my desire to become a star!] The three of them chanted simultaneously and struck a pose at the end.

Once they were done, the outfit instantly fell off Sona, leaving her in just the white panties and the removable sleeves she was wearing beforehand.

"A-Aaaahhh?" Sona, seeing her relative state of disrobement, let out a shy squeak as she wrapped her arms around her chest and crouched down to her knees.

"Perfect!" Mika celebrated the result as she and Serfall were still fully dressed. "It all worked out."

"The hell it worked out!" Shirou snapped at them. "I don't think that's what she had in mind."

"Well, she said she wanted to take it off." Mika pointed out, content with the outcome. "And it made pretty good fanservice."

"Hehe, I got to do the Magical Girl chant with So-tan, I'm so happy!" Serafall celebrated with a bubbly demeanor.

"Not that I'm complaining, but how come your outfits didn't slip right off?"

"I cast the spell so it wouldn't affect me." Serafall answered before looking at Mika. "But, I don't know why it didn't affect Mi-chan?"

Mika let out a laugh. "Hmm, don't underestimate me, I'm certain I know more about Magical Girl than anyone in this room. Plus, ever since I became a Devil, I've seen girls lose their clothes in ways you wouldn't think made sense."

"And you were responsible for some of those ways." Shirou sarcastically reminded her.

"The point is, I figured something like this and used my own magic to dispel any charms or enchantments of the costume before putting it on."

"Aaaaahh, why didn't I think of that?" Sona asked herself in frustration while still covering herself. "I can't believe I let Onee-sama trick me like this!"

"Whelp, I'm going home." Shirou decided as he opened a magic circle. "Come on, I'm gonna try and salvage what's left of this day while Sona tries to salvage what's left of her dignity."

"All right, but I'm keeping this outfit." Mika decided as she stood beside him. "This has opened the door to so many new ideas for me. Next time, I'm bringing my camera."

Shirou rolled his eyes. "Like time, I'm bringing my flask."

-O-

(The Beyond Resurrected Phenex)

The Gremory group, along with Irina, Ren, and Rossweisse, was riding on the train on its way to the Underworld.

Right now, the girls were playing cards, while Kiba and Gasper were watching as they were all sitting on couches around a coffee table. Rossweisse and Asia were the last two with cards, and it was Asia's turn.

Her poker face was so bad that even Asia could see through it as she reached for one of her two remaining cards. With that, Rossweisse became saddened, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"I lost again!"

Rossweisse slumped over in depression as she dropped the Joker card while Asia tried to console her.

"Rossweisse-san, I can read the expression on your face."

"She's right, it's totally obvious."

"Even considering this is your first time playing, it's shocking how bad you are at Old Maid."

Irina and Xenovia's added commentary only made her more depressed. While they were playing, Rias and Akeno watched as they sat together at their own table, drinking tea.

"It's been a while since we last visited the House of Phenex."

"Eh? Yes… You're right."

Rias responded to Akeno's comment but seemed somewhat distracted. She turned her gaze to the side of the room where Shirou stood by the window with Ravel beside him.

"I still don't get why we agreed to this."

Mika pouted as she was also sitting beside Rias.

(flashback)

The Day before.

"H-How do you do?"

A pretty girl, with drill-like rolled hair on both sides of her head, came to visit the clubroom.

It was a surprise at the arrival of this visitor whilst dealing with her at the entrance. Rias, who was also present, was surprised.

"How do you do, Ravel. Did something happen for you to come here?"

"Yes, Lady Rias. I'm very sorry for the sudden visit."

Yes, the girl who just greeted Rias Ravel Phoenix, a High-Class Devil and a daughter of the House of Phenex.

Shirou saw her at times whenever he went to the Underworld, but this was the first time she came to him in the human world. Judging from Rias' attitude, it appeared she didn't receive any notification of this visit beforehand. It really was an unexpected visit.

Ravel was wearing a cute-looking one-piece dress. After she wiggled her body shyly, she spoke as if she had made up her mind.

"I apologize for the sudden visit, Lady Rias, Sir Shirou." Ravel said, seated across from Rias and Shirou.

"There's no need for that. What brings you here, and why does it seem like it's not good news?"

Ravel confirmed Shirou's suspicions with her following statement.

"A…Actually, I wanted to ask for aid concerning my brother."

Ravel's sudden declaration surprised most in the room as Rias seemed taken aback before looking down.

"Raiser?"

"Aid?"

Shirou seemed more confused by her choice of words.

"Un… Yes. Lady Rias, I'm sure you've heard the stories about how he's isolated himself since Sir Shirou beat him."

"Isolated how?"

Even if Rias had heard the stories, this was the first Shirou had heard of any of this.

During the first semester, they got involved in the matter of Rias engagement. Due to the arranged marriage decided by their parents, Rias and Ravel's brother, Raiser Phenex, were fiancés.

Rias, who wanted to marry because of love and not some arrangement, decided to break off their relationship by competing against Raiser in a Rating Game. They were victorious, and the marriage proposal was revoked. So Rias' engagement was no more.

…That story became quite a topic among the upper echelons of society in the Underworld, and it left quite a complicated impression on them. Since the important thing between the High-Class Devils, which had been passed on for generations, was involved, it became a scandal for the pure Devils who placed importance on their traditions.

A weird tension rose between Rias and Ravel. The revocation of the engagement had already been settled by their parents, who were the current heads. They should be able to talk usually; however, the discussion was complicated as it's about Raiser, whom Shirou brutally defeated.

Raiser and his family, the House of Phenex, have the regeneration ability of the Phoenix, an immortal bird. Shirou used the power sleeping within me….The power of the Welsh Dragon and his Amakusa blood to defeat him.

After that, Raiser had changed his perspective on many things after losing to Shirou and losing Rias. Even six months after the incident, that hadn't changed.

While they were talking, the others, who were standing, spoke amongst themselves.

"Raiser?" Xenovia muttered as the three talked. "I've heard the rumors."

"Who is he?" Irina asked curiously.

"He's from the Phenex family, Ravel-san's older brother. He was Rias-Onee-sama's ex-fiancée before Shirou-san came along and beat him." Asia informed her.

"Fiancée?" Irina repeated before she started to swoon. "How romantic."

"It really wasn't." Ren argued as he shook his head. "You had to be there."

"It sounds so noble." Rossweisse added, also charmed.

"Yeah, but not in a good way." Mika pointed out.

"Hold on, if he's her ex-fiancée, then…"

Ravel nodded in response to Irina's words and informed anyone who wasn't there all that transpired between Raiser and the Gremory peerage.

"Yeah, that's how it happened. Along with tasting defeat for the first time in his whole life, he also lost his woman, who ran off with some guy who came out of nowhere and was responsible for messing up his life." Mika smiled at Shirou. "His whole life fell apart because of you, you're like the Will Turner to his James Norrington."

"Excuse me, in any scenario involving that franchise, I am always Captain Jack Sparrow." Shirou proudly pointed at himself while frowning at her, almost insulted that she would say otherwise. "If anyone is Will Turner, it's Ren."

"Wow, thanks, man." Ren was flattered, believing that to be a compliment.

Since she didn't really get the reference, Rias turned her attention back to Ravel.

"So, he still hasn't recovered, huh?"

"No, it's not that…I probably shouldn't be here, but you two are the only people I can turn to. I only have you to turn to."

"Us? What do you mean?"

Ravel's hands were quivering slightly.

"When I was asking for help on how to help my brother, I was told that he should face the source of what's putting him in disarray, and that's Sir Shirou."

"What disarray? Would someone give me some context already? What happened to Raiser?"

"Shirou, after you defeated him, Raiser's behavior started to change. The idea that he was invincible had faded away, and he started down a path of training in order to become stronger."

"Okay, but why is that bad? That sounds like a positive change."

"In the beginning, it was, but then things started to change." Ravel took over the explanation while looking down. "At first, I was happy that my brother had learned from the experience and wanted to grow stronger… But while he gained a new appreciation for hard work, he lost something important after that battle."

"Something important?" Rias repeated while Shirou could pretty much guess what she meant.

"His confidence. Before, my brother always believed that he could defeat anyone with his full power, but while our bodies are immortal, we can't heal psychological damage. During that battle, no matter how many of his attacks landed, he couldn't win against your spirit; it gave him the impression that his attacks had no effect, that the powers he always put his faith in had failed him. No matter how hard he trained, he said he still couldn't picture himself winning against Sir Shirou, and that only made him train even harder. He hasn't even participated in one Rating Game since then, and the gossip magazines have been writing whatever they damn well please about him. He's been in isolation, never leaving our family's territory, and goes out to train; it's become an obsession." She took a breath and bowed her head. "But still…He is my brother. I'm afraid that if he doesn't escape this cycle, he'll lose himself completely."

"So, what do you want me to do about it?"

"I believe that if he faces you personally, it might help him find a way out of his rut. I heard you're the type of person who's good at helping others deal with emotional turmoil."

Shirou looked over at the other members of the Gremory peerage—Akeno, Kiba, Koneko, Asia, and Gasper—and they all smiled at those words, knowing that he had indeed helped them overcome the emotional hang-ups they had carried for years.

"Hold on!" Mika spoke out before approaching the ones sitting by the couch. "In all this time, you forgot to explain one thing: why should we help you?"

"Mika?" Rias spoke out in disapproval.

"Don't, Mika' me, Rias!" Mika crossed her arms at Ravel. "Your brother is going through some hard times, and you want to help me? In case you forgot, your brother was a prejudiced, self-centered bigot who thought the air wasn't good enough for him. What reason do we have to help him?"

Ravel timidly lowered her head. "W-Well.….I know he wasn't the best person to you both in the past—"

"What's the best person?!" Mika cut her off with a sneer. "Is that what you call threatening to burn everyone in this room, forcing Rias to go back to the Underworld with him, and calling my brother every variation of the word trash before blasting a hole through his chest?"

"Mika, enough."

"But!"

"Mika…"

Mika wanted to continue with her rant, but when Shirou said her name the second time, she saw his face had a serious expression that commanded her to back off, so, with a huff, she stepped back.

"But, she has a point. It's presumptuous to come here and request something like this of me for the sake of Raiser." Shirou's words surprised everyone else as his expression was unchanged. "We might be acquainted, but that doesn't mean I'm in any rush to go out of my way to help someone who isn't a friend, nor do I even like."

"But, Shirou, she came here to ask for your help after having nowhere else to turn, how can you just reject her?" Rias looked unhappy with his apparent decision. "It's her brother."

"It's Raiser." Shirou was unmoved. "The guy who kept grouping you without consent, who did everything in his power to kill me, and who wanted to wholeheartedly make my sister his plaything." He glared at her. "Half a year is long enough for me not to be mad anymore, but don't get the wrong idea, he is not my friend."

".…."

Rias couldn't say anything in response, though she didn't like it; he made a very fair point, but that meant he wouldn't help Ravel, which made her upset.

Ravel was even more upset. She meant it when she said she didn't know who else she could ask; if Shirou refused her, she had no other options, but still, she only now grasped the real situation. It wasn't just Raiser; she was also obnoxious and self-absorbed at the time. As members of the House of Phenex, they never knew defeat and believed they were above everything. Showing disdain and disrespect to people they considered inferior was normal for them, so why would anyone come to their aid when they were in trouble? It was just further arrogance to think otherwise.

With that, Ravel got up from her seat, walked up to Shirou, and surprised everyone by lowering her head in penitence.

"Ravel?"

Rias voiced most of their surprise at seeing a Noble girl like her bow her head like this.

"I have nothing else I can say. It's not like I can defend his actions or expect you just to forgive him; all I can do is ask sincerely for your help and apologize on his behalf. Whatever was said or done to wrong you, I am truly sorry." Ravel was trembling as she kept her head down. "So please, as a sister who is deeply concerned for her brother, can you help me?"

Her plea was genuine and enough to move the hearts of almost everyone in the room. But, the only heart that mattered was Shirou's, and there was still no telling what his decision would be as they all waited with bated breath to hear his answer.

"…Compensation."

Finally, Shirou spoke, and Ravel looked up while Rias looked somewhat confused. He elaborated on his response.

"If you can promise that I'll be well compensated for my aid, I don't mind lending a hand."

His answer put a smile of relief on Ravel's face as she realized he would accept her request. The others were also happy with his answer, despite the roundabout way he had expressed it.

"Yes!" Ravel practically jumped with joy to answer him. "The House of Phenex is a powerful and extremely wealthy family. I can personally assure you that you will be well compensated for your actions."

Shirou leaned back. "Then I'm in."

"Well, then, it's settled, we're going to the House of Phenex." Rias said with a smile. "Everyone, prepare to depart."

Shirou got up, walked over, and before he walked past Ravel, he petted her head. "Just leave it to me."

Shirou didn't look at her, but he was smiling as he walked by. Ravel's cheeks flushed, and she glanced away. "

"…I…really appreciate it…"

(flashback end)

Later.

Phenex Castle.

Right now, "the Gremory Group, along with Ren, Rossweisse, and Irina", arrived at the residence of the House of Phenex, and some of them were overwhelmed by the big castle which stood before their very eyes.

The home of the members of the House of Phenex is a large castle, larger in size than the Gremory mansion, which serves as their place of rule. The castle's exterior layout consists of a main building with another tall building in the background, surrounded by multiple towers with flames protruding from around and at the top. The front tower has the Phenex emblem embedded on it. There are also leafless trees with tiny flames protruding from their tips. At the entrance is a massive golden statue of a phoenix, situated in the center of a fountain of fire. On either side, there are poles with small flames emanating from the top, as well as archway structures similar to an aqueduct that also feature flames sprouting at the top.

It was said that they made a lot of profit from the healing items "Phoenix Tears," and judging from this, they have certainly been making a lot of money.

"What the hell is this?!"

Well, maybe overwhelmed wasn't the right word. Shirou stared at the castle incredulously, as if he couldn't believe someone would willingly choose to live in such a cartoon-villainy looking castle.

"This is their castle? This looks like Bowser's castle!"

"Which one?"

"All of them!"

Shirou loudly responded to Kiba's harmless comment.

"Well, it does fit, considering Ravel looks like a miniature Princess Peach."

Mika stared at the fiery castle with interest while Ren didn't seem to mind it.

"I don't know, looks like my kind of castle. I wouldn't mind living here."

"Are you just saying that because you're also a fire-user?"

Ren smiled and shrugged at Shirou's sarcastic accusation.

"Well, that's not the only reason."

Their conversation was interrupted as the castle's gate opened while making a heavy sound, and all of them went inside.

After they went past the garden of the castle, they arrived at the residential area where the people from the House of Phenex live. The interior of the castle features a red color theme, complemented by matching colors. The entryway features a white, square tile floor with large red tiles to the sides, each bearing the phoenix emblem embedded. To the sides of the entryway floor are significant gaps with huge flames sprouting out, more poles of fire, and elevated platforms with grass and goblets of fire. Everywhere inside, there is the clan's signature emblem.

In front of a gorgeous-looking door, Ravel, who was wearing her usual pink dress, and several servants were waiting for them.

"How do you do? Welcome to the House of Phoenix."

"How do you do, Ravel. If I remember, Raiser lives here, right?"

Rias asked her. It appears that Rias came here when she was a child, so she was familiar with the castle's interior.

"Did you seriously make us wait outside while you went on ahead just so you could welcome us at the gate?"

Shirou raised a brow as he questioned her while Ravel blushed as she avoided eye contact.

"I-It's only proper to give guests a formal welcome. Now, follow me, we can go straight to his room from here."

With Ravel's guidance, they proceed inside, passing through the door.

"If this isn't Lady Rias. It has been a very long time. And it's been a while since we last met, Red Dragon Emperor."

A new voice. When they looked, the one they saw was a person who was familiar to Shirou standing in front of some stairs.

It's the woman who has a half mask on her face, Isabela—Raiser's Rook.

"Hey, long time no see, Isabela."

Shirou greeted her, and she returned the courtesy.

"Yes, we met last time you came to the Underworld. I was escorting Lady Ravel."

"From here, I can tell you haven't been slacking off on your training." Shirou smirked at her. "How about it, wanna go a few rounds?"

Isabella smiled but shook her head. "I must respectfully decline. I have heard many rumors about your recent exploits. Even if I fight seriously, there's no way I'd be able to win."

Shirou huffed in disappointment. "That's the problem with all you Phenex Devils, you've already decided you can't win, so you won't even try."

"Those two seem rather acquainted. Is there a reason for that?"

Rossweisse whispered curiously, and Mika answered.

"When we first fought those guys, she was the one who gave him the biggest challenge other than Raiser; they both gained a strong respect for each other." Mika then grinned before saying the next part. "And between you and me, whenever they meet, they hook up in secret."

"Ohh…!" Rossweisse covered her mouth while blushing.

"My master is over here. Please follow me."

They followed Isabela up the stairs and made their way through the spacious building.

"So what does Raiser usually do?"

Rias asked while we were walking. Isabela answered while making a sigh.

"The truth is, he usually goes to the training yard to train himself, mainly strength training or working on increasing his magical reserves. When he's not doing that, he returns to his room and he either does a virtual Rating Game, or he calls some commoners who are good at chess, all the way here so that he can have a chess match against them."

"Wait, why chess?" Xenovia asked.

"Strategy games like chess help sharpen the mind and make you better at planning things out in a real battle."

Rias pointed out, and Shirou nodded in agreement.

"Mika and Sona are chess masters, and they translate that into their Rating Game battle strategies. If he's trying to get better at chess, he'll definitely improve as a King in the Rating Games."

After walking for ten minutes, they stopped as Isabela and Ravel stood in front of a door. It was a massive door. A splendid looking relief of a firebird is engraved on it.

KNOCK KNOCK

Ravel knocked on the door.

"Onii-sama, I have some guests for you."

At first, there was no response. After a few moments, they heard a voice from inside.

{.…So it's you, Ravel. I don't want to meet anyone today. I'm busy working on a new tactic, I hope to memorize it before continuing with my training.}

Hearing that, Ravel made a sigh. She tried to talk to him again, but Shirou walked past her.

"I've had enough of this."

BANG!

With a swing of his fist, Shirou blew the door off its hinges, forcing his way into the room.

"Ehh!? Why did you do that?!"

Ravel questioned, shocked and chagrined, why Shirou looked nonchalant.

"I didn't feel like waiting to be let in. Besides, after dealing with an annoying shut-in for years, I'm sick to death of speaking to people through locked doors.

"I'm so happy our time together had an impact on you."

While that was happening, Raiser was sitting at a desk in his room, with a chessboard in front of him. He got up and had an irritated tick on his brow when he saw the broken door that had crashed into the wall before he marched toward the entrance.

"Who dares to forcibly enter my room?"

Raiser barely looked all that different from the last time they saw him, but the signs were there. His outfit had bits of dirt and grim on it, as though he had just come back from a fight, and the look of self-important arrogance wasn't there; instead, there was a more hardened expression on his face.

His anger soon dissipated when he saw the familiar faces beside his sister.

"—! …Rias… The lovely Mika… And The Red Dragon Emperor?"

"Good, you remember us, at least your mind isn't broken."

His surprise soon turned to a frown. Despite Shirou's taunt, he turned away and went back into his room to return to his chessboard.

"What do you want with me now, Rias? Did you come to laugh at me? Or did you come to tell me about your intimate relationship with the Red Dragon Emperor?"

"Believe me, it's not as intimate as she'd like."

Mika stepped forward to approach him.

Raiser looked less upset when addressing her.

"Mika, while it is a pleasure to gaze upon your face once again, I'm preoccupied right now. Please schedule your visit for some other time."

"Hold on, is he happier to see her again than me?" Rias noticed, somewhat insulted.

"Really, even that upsets you?" Shirou rolled his eyes at Rias' behavior.

Mika took a good look at the way Raiser arranged the chess pieces on the board.

"Oh, good move."

"Thank you." Raiser didn't even look at her as he focused on his next move.

"Eh, checkmate in three moves."

"Three?"

Raiser stopped at Mika's prediction and looked again to try to spot the outcome she mentioned. After a few seconds, he clenched his teeth in disappointment.

"Curses, how could I have missed that. I still need more training."

"Mika, you're only making it worse!" Ravel snapped at her.

Mika shrugged her shoulders. "Whaaat!"

"All right, look." Shirou came forward to face him. "This isn't a visit, at least where I'm concerned. I was summoned here at the request of your sister."

"What?" Raiser was surprised by that and looked toward his sister. "Ravel? Why would you summon him of all people?"

"Onii-sama, I brought him here because I want to help you."

"Hmph… What help could I gain from him? I'm fine."

"I used to be human, I know the people who say they're fine are never actually fine, in fact, they're doing the most terrible."

"What would you know!?"

Raiser glared at Shirou, angered at the way he seemed to be patronizing him. Shirou was unintimidated and glared back as they stood eye to eye.

"I hear you've been training like a madman in order to face me? Let's see how far you've come."

.

.

.

.

To those around them, it looked like they had gone stiff and become as motionless as statues.

"What's wrong? Why aren't they moving?" Asia asked, a little concerned.

"Onii-sama, Sir Shirou?"

Ravel was also worried and tried to approach, but was stopped by Mika.

"Don't, you'll mess up their concentration."

"What?"

"The two of them are simulating a fight in their minds."

Kiba responded to Ravel's confusion, as he, Mika, Xenovia, and Ren all knew what was going on at that moment.

"When two fighters are at a high enough level, they can gauge the strength of their opponent, and through image training, they can predict what a confrontation would be like."

"Right now, an invisible battle is raging on between the two of them. They've fought before, so they have a rough idea of each other's fighting styles. Now they're factoring in the increase in their basic abilities."

"Only masters of intuition and reading several steps ahead can lock themselves in an internal struggle like this. Brotuni is one thing, but I'm more impressed that Raiser is capable of this. His mind must be a lot sharper compared to before."

While they were all having their conversation, Shirou and Raiser were focused entirely on each other, so much so that they didn't even hear the others. The world around them faded away, and they entered a world inside their minds where they were locked in combat.

Their battle was like an intense, fast-paced chess match. Shirou threw the first blow, but Raiser countered, but Shirou anticipated that and countered back. It escalated from there, with the two of them continuously anticipating each other's next move and responding accordingly. There was no room for error, and the one who struck first would win.

The first one to make a mistake would be defeated….… The outcome was decided in an instant.

"Gah!"

Raiser cried out before he stepped back and fell on one knee. In the end, Shirou had the superior intuition and led Raiser into an opening before swallowing him in darkness within their mental duel.

"Onii-sama!"

Ravel ran over to him with concern as Shirou stood over him.

"This brings back memories, the time we met also ended with you on your knees." Shirou looked down on him with a look of contempt. "How sad, I don't even list a finger to knock you down anymore."

Fire started to burn in Raiser as he was losing his ability to hold back his anger, while Rias and Ravel didn't know what to say. The point of bringing him here was to snap Raiser out of his funk, but it was starting to feel like Shirou was actively trying to make the problem worse.

"Sir Shirou…"

"Ravel, what did you think would happen if I came here today?"

Shirou cut her off with a serious question. However, he didn't wait for her to answer.

"Did you think we were gonna talk things out, then come to an understanding and become friends, and everything gets settled neatly in barely any time? That was never going to happen."

"…?"

Ravel looked down again, wondering if he was making a point that he couldn't help after seeing the situation. However, Shirou wasn't finished.

"When you're face-to-face with a hurdle you can't seem to overcome, the most challenging thing is working yourself to the bone to overcome it and then actually overcoming it. But, in this case, no amount of hard work will matter if you're going about your training the wrong way."

"…Hmm?"

Raiser now noticed Shirou was directing his gaze at him as the next part of his statement addressed him directly.

"I'm sure you've noticed by now that no amount of working out by yourself or running simulations is going to close the gap between us. Even if you try this for a year, without any practical training against real opponents, your improvements will only be superficial."

The rest of them saw the logic behind his reasoning, as almost all of them trained hard to improve themselves whenever a vital battle took place. Whenever they trained, most of them involved sparring or practicing with a training partner; even those who didn't still weren't training alone, as they had a partner or instructor to aid in their development.

Even Raiser knew he had a point, but still frowned as he stood up.

"And where exactly would I obtain this 'practical' training. I took a break from the Rating Games because I knew I'd never find real opponents in those sporting events, and I don't exactly have connections with powerful warriors that I could just call up for training."

"Well, then, this works out because I do." Shirou retorted, causing him to look confused. "I know just the kind of training you're looking for."

After that, they cooperated sufficiently to get Raiser to follow them into the castle's garden. …Though it took some time to do that. Raiser glared up at the sky, sitting next to the flame fountain after he got dressed. "What is this bullshit?" He muttered.

"So what kind of plan is it?"

To answer Rias' question, Shirou pointed at the sky.

"Like I said, he needs a real opponent."

When he called him and informed him of the situation, he said he'd be there immediately.

A vast shadow flew overhead before circling around from a distance.

"And when in need of a sparring partner who's comparable to me, that's only one option."

The giant shadow of a Dragon stopped over their heads.

ZUUUUUUUUUUUN!

The giant Dragon landed in the garden while causing the ground to shake violently.

"It hasn't been that long since we last met, all of you."

The giant Dragon was...… The former Dragon-King, Blaze Meteor Dragon-Tannin.

"Hasn't been that long, still glad you could make it."

"He got Tannin to show up on short notice."

"Yep, connections really are everything."

Mika humorously replied to Ren's surprised observation.

"T-Tannin? The Ultimate-Class Devil and legendary Dragon!"

Raiser couldn't hide the fact that he was in awe while in the presence of such a known and revered Devil.

"Raiser Phenex, I used to watch you with great interest because I thought you were a promising young King, but I didn't expect to be meeting you under these circumstances." Tannin said with his arms crossed after landing in the courtyard. He gave a side glance to Shirou. "Looking at him, I believe he's faced with the same wall as you were."

Typically, Raiser would be honored by the initial compliment, but that last part sparked his interest. While he dwelled on it, Shirou responded.

"During the summer, I was stuck in a rut and my training with you helped me break past to reach newer planes of strength. I want you to give him the same training."

"Hmm, I understand."

"Hold on, you mean for Tannin to be the sparring partner you spoke of?" Raiser spoke out, not against the idea so much as being caught off guard by it.

"Who better? When faced with an opponent who is overwhelmingly stronger than you and actively trying to kill you, your only hope of survival is to grow stronger during the course of your training and push beyond your current limits. You want to overcome a legendary Dragon, so why not train with another legendary Dragon? Trial by Fire, what better for a Phoenix?"

Raiser stayed quiet as though he were considering all the pros and cons to this arrangement before he sighed.

"I suppose you have a point. Training with Dragons does seem more practical, and it's not like I have many other options at this point."

"It's decided then. We'll train in the mountains, prepare yourself." Tannin said.

"Mountains are good. Yeah, it will somehow succeed."

"It's like a fantasy for a Dragon and Phoenix to train in the mountains!"

Xenovia and Irina were saying such things, while Asia looked on with concern.

"But, will Raiser-san be all right? I heard Tannin-san's training is really harsh."

"He'll be fine, and I'll know considering I'll be there too."

"Huh? You're coming as well?" Raiser clearly wasn't expecting that extra detail.

"I also had training scheduled for today. I'm derailing my plans entirely because of you."

"So you wish to train in the mountains too, huh? Fine then." Tannin decided. "We'll continue on from your last training." Shirou and Raiser spread their wings and floated beside Tannin's head.

"Alright, Rias, we'll be headin' off now, try not to get into any trouble while I'm gone, Mika."

"Oh, Brolonzo, aren't we past that?"

Mika asked with a grin while Rias happily waved goodbye.

"Be sure to contact me if you need help."

"While I appreciate the sentiment, have you ever known me as the type to ask for help?" Shirou asked nonchalantly.

"I just wanted you to know the option is available."

"Please don't push yourself!"

"We'll hang back while you handle things!"

Rias, Asia, and Ren called out with smiles, but Ravel had something else in mind.

"Hey, take me with!"

When he was giving farewells to the others, Ravel stepped forward and declared with determination that she would be going too. Shirou raised a brow at her.

"Hm? You sure?"

"Yes, I want…I want to help with my brother's recovery."

She has determined eyes that showed how worried she really was about her brother, which made Raiser surprised.

"…Ravel?"

"She's got good eyes." Tannin told him with a lively smile. "Shirou Amakusa, it won't be an issue if you bring her along."

"You think so?" Shirou didn't expect Tannin's seal of approval.

"It's fine with me, Shirou, go ahead and take Ravel with you all." Rias added.

"I guess it doesn't make a difference. Let's go, Ravel." Shirou gestured her toward Tannin.

Ravel's response to my words is lively, and she happily says, "Yes!" Ravel smiled and flew up to them. She then covered her body in flames that dissolved her clothes and left her naked for a second before a new set of clothes appeared on her body. She was now dressed in a stylish explorer's outfit, as if she were going on a safari in the Amazon.

"Huh, she changes her outfits the same way Akeno does?" Mika noticed after seeing Ravel change.

"If you mean the gratuitous, momentary nudity in between, I agree." Ren added, not as impressed but not surprised at this point.

"Enough!" Raiser called out, seemingly reaching the limits of his patience. "If we're done with all the pleasantries, I'd like to get started with the training already. Please don't waste my time anymore than you already have."

"I'm exactly 'drawing things out', I also want to get the training started already." Shirou returned the glare.

"Then we shall! Follow me!"

FLAP!

Finally, the Tannin flapped his wings and flew away from the garden. Ravel held on to him tightly while Shirou and Raiser followed with their own wings.

"Shirou Amakusa, if we are going to the mountains, then there is a good place. How about we go there?"

"Where are you talking about?"

When Shirou asked, the former Dragon-King answered with a bit of a happy voice.

"My territory."

-O-

The sight they were witnessing was truly an astonishing one. Dragons as far as the eye could see. The place Tannin took Shirou, Ravel, and Raiser to was indeed his territory, where there were many giant Dragons flying all over the place.

There were big holes on various parts of the cliffs of a canyon, and there were Dragons that exceeded 10 metres popping their heads out of them. Many Dragons were spreading their wings and flying within the valley. It appeared that many Dragons are living within this valley.

Raiser, Ravel, and Shirou were dropped on a section of cliff, where it was just possible for a person to stand. The spacious canyon was right in front of Shirou's eyes, and he breathed it all in. It was one thing to see a Dragon, but to be here surrounded by so many Dragons in their natural habitat, the new experience was overwhelmingly breathtaking.

The Dragons look at them from their nest holes as if they find the Devils rare. Though to be fair, this was a territory for Dragons, so a non-Dragon finding their way here would reasonably be unusual.

"This is the nest of the Dragons, where my people live. This area is only a section of our habitat, but you can say it's the borderline, where humanoid Devils like you will be able to survive. Also, these Dragon tribes are the ones that are able to communicate with others."

The Tannin explained, but they were paying more attention to the other Dragons.

"Dragons….." Raiser couldn't hide the fact that he was amazed. "I've never seen so many in one place."

"George R.R. Martin's got nothing on this place…" Shirou breathed out, feeling a sense of affinity for this place.

"Tannin-sama!"

Along with the unfamiliar voice, two Dragons appear in front of the group.

"Did you summon us?"

A blue-scaled Dragon and a light blue-scaled Dragon appeared before them.

"Yes. Shirou Amakusa, these two are High-level Dragons that serve under me. They will handle the first phase of your training, the Sprite Dragon will train with Shirou Amakusa, the Blizzard Dragon will train with Raiser Phenex."

"Huh, one for each of us. That works."

"Indeed, I was almost worried we'd have to train together. Just the idea of that turns my stomach."

"Onii-sama!"

Ravel scolded Raiser after he made that insulting comment directed at Shirou, but Shirou was unfazed and calmly responded by flipping him off.

While they were doing that, Tannin explained the situation to the two Dragons.

"Roger that."

"It's seriously okay~."

Both of them replied immediately. It seemed like the Ice Dragon was more light-hearted…

Shirou and Raiser stepped forward to face their respective Dragons, and both of them had a determined expression, like they were ready for a fight right here and now.

"I came here for some real training, don't you dare hold anything back."

Raiser warned the Blizzard Dragon with a glare as he engulfed his body in a coat of flames.

"If you think you can afford to hold back, I'll have your head resting at my feet."

Shirou promised the Sprite Dragon with a smirk as he brought out Dyrnwyn and engulfed its blade with flames.

Both of the Dragons were intimidated; if anything, they seemed excited as they welcomed the challenge, the way any Dragon would. Tannin looked pleased and made the announcement.

"Let the training begin!"

-O-

Meanwhile, in another area of the mountains, the women were bathing in a natural hot spring. All of the girls in the Gremory peerage (Aside from Mika), along with Irina and Rossweisse, were relaxing in the open-air bath, as always thoroughly unreserved about their nakedness.

"Haaa… Hot springs are so nice…" Rossweisse mused as she stretched her arms out. "I can feel the stress being washed away."

"Why is it you feel so much stress?"

Rias curiously asked on behalf of everyone. Rossweisse smiled as she answered.

"Well, I devoted myself to Lord Odin, and yet he still abandoned me with nowhere to go."

Rossweisse said as she sank into the water, a mischievous smile spreading across her face as she grumbled the rest.

"I will never forget what he did…"

"Ara Ara, so scary."

Akeno noted with a giggle while Asia looked up and wondered.

"I wonder how Shirou-san and the others are doing?"

"I guess we ended up letting him handle everything again, didn't we?"

Rias pointed out, smiling but appearing a bit regretful. Xenovia and Irina sat at the edge with only their legs in the water as Xenovia joined the conversation.

"Well, I wouldn't worry about them just yet. I mean, they are tough."

Irina looked out toward the mountains in the distance with a wistful and starry look in her eyes.

"How fantastical is it that the Dragons and the Phoenix are both training in the mountains together? It's like something out of a storybook."

"…We can only hope."

Koneko added before getting out of the bath.

-O-

BUUUUUURN!

With both hands, Raiser unleashed a massive torrent of flames that clashed with the Ice breath of the Blizzard Dragon. The two colliding elements didn't struggle for long as Raiser's fire was the victor and consumed the Blizzard Dragon.

The flames receded shortly afterward, and the Blizzard Dragon emerged, looking perfectly capable of continuing with their training. Like Ddraig had once told Shirou 'The flames of the Immortal Bird could damage even he scales of a Dragon' and Raiser had proven that statement was true. The Blizzard Dragon had several injuries and damaged scales through its long training session with Raiser.

"Ha! Impressive, I was training the freeze your flames with that last one, but you managed the burn through my ice."

"Tch, I am a High-Class Devil. As such, I can't be bested by this level of training, and if I ever fell so low that I'd let my flames be frozen, I'd renounce the name Phenex!"

BUUUUUURRNN!

He erupted into a pillar of fire after roaring the last part of that declaration. Soon enough, the Phenex and Blizzard Dragon continued with the combat training.

Not too far away, Shirou was floating in the air, watching the battle. He wasn't made of fire like Raiser, nor was he protected from the elements with scales like Tannin and the others, but by having magic flow through his combat suit, he was unaffected by the blizzardy mountain conditions.

He seemed to have a particular interest in the way Raiser handled his training.

"He's obviously gotten stronger, and yet, it feels like the way he fights is different compared to the last time I saw him."

While those thoughts were in his head, the Sprite Dragon closed in and prepared an attack of its own.

"If you think you can afford to look away during my training, you're obviously taking me lightly, Red Dragon Emperor!"

BUUUUUN!

The Sprite Dragon was breathing out ice from its mouth. As the breath attack closed in on Shirou, the Welsh Dragon brought out Dyrnwyn and, with a swing of his Sword, cut through the Ice breath, splitting right down the middle and closing the whole thing to dissipate.

"If you seriously thought you could harm me with a puny ice attack like that, you're the one taking me lightly—"

BUUUUURNNN!

Shirou ignited his Sword with flames before he powered up and closed in on the Sprite Dragon and unleashed a Sword attack with the fire of Dyrnwyn so big that it consumed the Sprite Dragon and worsened his already damaged condition.

"—And that's a mistake you won't make twice!"

At that moment, Shirou and Raiser, while in different locations, both soared high in the air until they were far above their respective opponents, then the Dragon and Phenex prepared for a massive attack. Raiser raised both his arms in the air and gathered an enormous amount of flames that roared into a fireball much larger than his body. Meanwhile, Shirou kept the fire coating his blade burning and increased the output until a powerful raging flame surrounded Dyrnwyn and raised his Sword upward, preparing to unleash the fire.

[DIEEEEEEEE!]

BUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRNNNNNN!

With that, in an inferno of power and might, the two legendary and mythical creatures rained fire down upon their opposing Dragons. The result was two gigantic explosions that tore apart the icy grounds beneath them before reshaping into two separate pillars of fire that reached above the clouds, lit up the area around them, and were so hot that, for a moment, the blizzardy ice mountain area near the explosions felt….… Warm.

On a nearby plateau, Tannin watched and looked pleased at how things were unfolding.

"Hahaha! Look at them, I was worried as to whether they could handle this, but they're taking to the training seamlessly."

Ravel was still sitting on Tannin's shoulder, and she didn't look as unconcerned as he did.

"Are you sure this is okay? Aren't you worried they might kill those two Dragons?"

"Heh, please, they'll be fine. They've survived much worse while training with me!"

Tannin's goal was to reassure her, but now Ravel felt a newfound sympathy toward the Sprite Dragon and Blizzard Dragon, knowing what they had to survive against.

-O-

On the third day since they had started living in the mountains, Ravel appeared, bringing a basket of food.

Far away, Raiser was still blasting fire and focusing on his training while tearing through the snowy mountains and battling it out with a Dragon. Shirou, on the other hand, was taking a break while his Dragon was recovering from his serious injuries.

Now, Ravel and Shirou sat on a rock, jutting out of the snow, and they started talking. Ravel also placed a small table on the ground with two chairs beside it so that they could sit. The table also featured a vase of roses in the middle and an umbrella on top, which kept fluttering in the blizzard winds. She also set up a tea set with two teacups and poured some tea while serving a small plate of pancakes. As a finishing touch, she changed into a formal red dress. It was clear that she came here to have tea time with Shirou.

"…How is my brother doing?"

Ravel asks me worriedly.

"To be honest, in terms of improvement, he's getting stronger every day."

"I see… I'm a bit relieved."

Hearing that, Ravel's expression softened.

"I'm not finished."

Shirou's expression wasn't one that promised good news.

"He's getting stronger physically, but that's not the reason we came here. I can tell there's still an issue he's dealing with, like a psychological block. He's no closer to overcoming that than when we started. I don't think he's even aware of it."

"Oh… I see."

Ravel looked downcast by this news.

"Does that mean my brother isn't going to get better?"

"I didn't say that. The training isn't over, and if it comes to that, I think there's a way for him to reach a breakthrough."

"Really?" Ravel's face lit up with relief and hope. "That's good. I hope you're right."

Shirou decided to change the subject after he took a bite of his pancakes.

"Hmm, these pancakes are good."

"Y...You think so…?" Ravel became flustered by the compliment. "I received ingredients from the Dragons around here, and there were ingredients that I didn't have… So I couldn't bake it to my satisfaction…"

"Even so, being able to make the best with what's available is a reflection of the chef's skill. You didn't have everything, and yet they're still this good, that's something to be proud of."

The moment I put it in my mouth, the sweet taste spreads around, along with a good sensation from it.

Hearing my feedback, she smiles with confidence by putting her hand to her mouth.

"O…Of course! Sir Shirou sure is lucky to be able to eat the pancake I made! I wish you taste it while being grateful to me!"

"I wouldn't go that far." Shirou took his time tasting it. "There's a sweetness that spreads around the taste buds upon the first bite and a soft sensing that follows while chewing, a good combination that gives cakes their fulfillingness, but clashes with the sweet texture of the syrup and fruit, causing the sweetness to become overpowering."

"W-What's with that response!?" Ravel became upset by his sudden evaluation.

"Don't get me wrong, they are good, better than anything store-bought. But not as good as mine."

Ravel let out a sigh.

"Geez! I woke up very early in the morning and…"

"Wait, you work up early in the morning and they're still fresh?" Shirou sounded fascinated by this new information. "Sometimes it slips my mind how convenient magic can be."

"N-No! I can make things like this in a short time! I just happened to wake up early today!"

Ravel immediately tried to correct herself as she lowered her gaze and started cutting her own pancake.

"What practical reason would there be for doing that?" Shirou rolled his eyes at her. "Moving on, aren't you cold in that? I get that you're made of fire or something, but can you still the blizzard in what is obviously a spring-formal dress, considering you were wearing ice mountain gear the day before?"

"I'm… I'm not cold at all!" Ravel adamantly denied. "It's only proper for a lady from a noble family to wear a dress for morning tea." She proclaimed proudly for letting out a quiet sneeze. "Achoo…"

Shirou rolled his eyes at her before he activated his aura. Shirou let out a controlled amount of aura from his body that spread out a few feet around him. His aura was Dragon aura from Ddraig, which was fiery in element and let out enough heat to make the space around their table warmer and thus let Ravel feel more comfortable in her current attire.

"Oh, I feel warm?" Ravel noticed before realizing Shirou was the cause. "Ah, I didn't know you could use your Dragon powers like this?"

"Ravel, I'm just gonna say it, cut that out already."

Ravel was caught off guard by his sudden abrasive tone.

"What?"

"I mean, cut it with the Tsundere shit, of all the different behavior types, I find that one the most annoying." Shirou didn't mince words. "You don't need to watch what you say because you want to maintain some image around me. I prefer to associate with people who say what they mean and mean what they say."

"I…" Ravel was surprised by that statement and felt a little bit like a child who had just been scolded. "Sorry, I didn't realize. I'll try to be more straightforward."

"Good, moving on… I've been meaning to ask you, how old are you exactly? I know Devils can control how they look despite age, but honestly, how your species appears contrary to your actual age always leaves me confused, so I can never know for sure."

Shirou practiced what he preached by being straightforward in what he wanted to know. Ravel blinked at his question.

"Hmm? Is it really that strange?"

"Strange? Rias has a mother who looks the same age as her, and Sona has an older sister who looks like her younger sister."

"Oh, I suppose it does seem strange when you put it that way."

Ravel had a good-natured smile in response before answering his question. "Then I will specially answer your question. Based on the standard of a Japanese high school, I would be the age of a First-Year student."

"Once again, strange. You're the same age as Koneko and Gasper, yet you look older and more mature than Asia, who's a year older than you."

"On the subject of high school, for a while I've felt like I would like to wear Kuoh Academy's uniform."

"What? Why? Don't tell me you want to enrol at our school as well?"

"Would… Would it be a problem?"

Shirou groaned and leaned back. "Nah, why not? First Asia, then Xenovia, Azazel, Irina, Rossweisse, and even Sirzechs fell in love with the place when he visited. Feels like at this rate, everyone I know will be at that school?"

"Well, I haven't decided on anything yet, I just want to try on the uniform, after all, everyone else had one and I felt like I wanted to as well." Ravel then nervously fidgeted before saying the next part."…C…Can I also come and visit your home next time? I never got to see it last time."

"Sure. Everybody's welcome at this point."

Shirou casually answered while drinking his tea, and his answer filled Ravel with joy.

"Th-Then, I will come and visit without any hesitation! It's also the duty of a High-class Devil to—I mean, I've been wanting to see where you live and have a chance to visit."

Ravel caught herself before she could finish and remembered Shirou's words as she admitted her true feelings for wanting to see his home, though it still made her blush.

"Well, don't be surprised if it doesn't measure up to your house. We don't have any burning trees or flaming towers."

Ravel smiled at the joke he had made before telling him.

"Oh yes, tonight Lady Rias and the others will be coming to this mountain."

"Huh, what for?"

"It seems there is a good hot spring near here."

"It seems? Didn't you already know, isn't it your territory?"

"You misunderstood. Naturally, the House of Phenex has its own hot springs within our castle, but the hot spring that the others will be using is one found within the Dragon's territory that covers these mountains, and like I said, it isn't far from here."

Ravel explained to fix Shirou's confusion. Shirou didn't look surprised by this new information.

"Figures they'd come all the way out here to nest of Dragons, and all they want to do is take a bath, then what's the point of even leaving the castle?"

With that, another day of training ended safely.

-O-

That night. Tannin summoned Shirou and Raiser. Ravel was gone, and the other Dragons were resting, so it was just the three of them. The former Dragon King sat on a significant foothold on one of the mountains while Shirou and Raiser floated in the air as they had their conversation.

"All right, from what I've observed after these past few days of training, I think it's time we move on to the final phase of this training."

Raiser became interested in Tannin's announcement.

"The final phase? And what is that exactly? Are we going to be facing more Dragons?"

"No, there's no longer a need for that. Your next opponents will be each other."

Now both of them reacted when they heard this news.

"You want us to fight?"

"You have both reached the point where any more training is pointless. You've already surpassed most of the Dragons in this territory, and you've both significantly improved in strength. The only thing left is to complete your training by fighting a genuine battle against a real opponent, and who better than each other?"

Shirou and Raiser looked at each other as if they were trying to contemplate what to make of all this. Shirou saw the logic in this decision, but Raiser still seemed hesitant. Shirou was the first to respond.

"Well, I'm willing to fight, how about you?"

Raiser narrowed his eyes at him. Despite everything else, Raiser was still a proud man, and so he could never back down.

"Very well."

"Then, it's decided!" Tannin raised his arm as if to signal the battle. "Let the battle begin!"

CLASH!

That night on the mountain, where the snow falls silently, the flaming aura of a Phenex and the absolute dark aura of the Amakusa clashed, sending sparks flying that cut through the crushing blizzard.

"Go on, then, summon your Dragon armor."

"No, I'll be fighting you like this."

Raiser clenched his fists, and his flames intensified after Shirou's apparent insult.

"You still dare to underestimate me, thinking you can best me without going all out?"

Shirou smirked in response as he summoned his Divine Sword and unsheathed it.

"My fighting isn't as one-dimensional as yours. This is just a personal choice, I won't be fighting you as the Red Dragon Emperor but as Shirou Amakusa!"

Shirou advanced and swung Miike at Raiser, aiming for his chest. The blade cut through Raiser's flames like butter, but Raiser avoided getting cut by shifting to the side.

"Your attack is sharper than it was in the past! But I for such an obvious attack like that!"

"I'm glad, if you fell for such a telegraphed slash like, all this training was a waste of time!"

Shirou continued to smirk while Raiser became more irritated. Raiser held out his palm and threw a medium-sized fireball at Shirou.

"Quit being so cocky!"

Shirou dodged the fire and vanished from Raiser's sight.

WHAM!

"Cockiness is the right of the strong!"

Shirou shouted after appearing over him and kicking Raiser in the face.

Raiser's training had paid off, though, as he brushed off the damage of the kick and corrected his position in the air. Shirou remained hovering above with his arms crossed in disdain.

"It was a right that you had no problem exercising in the past, or have you forgotten?"

"I certainly haven't forgotten how much you infuriate me… I will incinerate you!"

Raiser surrounded his body in raging flames before he unleashed his signature on Shirou.

HELLFIRE!

As the raging torrent of fire was erupting toward Shirou, he focused a large amount of darkness into his Sword.

"I'm sick of that move already!"

BLACK NIGHT BLADE!

Shirou raised his Sword before swinging forth and discharged a giant burst of darkness that was released from the blade. The darkness collided with the Hellfire, and the two forces beyond nature clashed in the middle.

Both of the attacks released power residue and aftershocks during their clash, which affected the environment around them.

GOOOOOOOOOON! DOOOOON! DODOOOOOOOOON!

The whirls of Phenex flames and the Power of Darkness were going crazy on the mountain as the two fighters were locked in mortal combat. The mountain tops in the background were blown apart, massive amounts of snow were falling, accompanied by an explosive sound, and the sounds of their battle created echoes that could be heard throughout the mountains.

Raiser and I were picking up from where their previous battle had left off, only this time, there were no stakes or other people involved. It was a battle only for the two of them, fought by the two of them, and that's all they focused on, so no other thoughts entered their minds.

Not even the fact that they were gradually approaching the hot spring little by little.

-O-

Meanwhile, in the hot springs. These hot springs were different from the open-air bath at the Phenex castle. Instead of a large, circle-shaped body of water, it was more like a river-shaped current that flowed through the mountain area, with a series of lampposts along the path to keep things illuminated. The girls were all soaking in the bath while chatting.

"Aaah, we'll relax here in the hot springs tonight and check on Shirou tomorrow."

"Ara Ara, then we should clean our bodies really well."

Rias and Akeno were relaxing together in the hot spring. Ravel joined them and was also enjoying the bath.

"I've heard the water from this hot spring is really good for your skin."

"Is that right, then my womanly power should increase even more?"

"Oohhh… We could be committing a sin by becoming even more beautiful… Please forgive me, Michael-Sama."

Irina made a prayer in response to Xenovia's statement.

"Listen up, everyone, don't get too carried away and neglect your homework. A student's job is to study, after all."

Rossweisse stood up and advised all of them. Asia was sitting away from the others and kept staring at the large breasts that some of the girls had, before feeling insecure about her own.

"Oohhh… Everyone has such nicely developed bodies."

Asia lamented with tears in her eyes while Koneko looked herself over before smiling.

"…I believe we'll bloom soon."

"That's wishful thinking."

Mika responded with little interest as she didn't even look at Koneko. Mika was the only one who was still dressed and not in the hot spring as she sat on the ground and kept staring toward the mountain area in the distance.

"Unfortunately, loli breasts don't bloom as often as you'd like."

While Koneko narrowed her eyes at the loli comment, Ravel addressed her.

"Why are you just sitting there? Are you going to join us in the bath?"

While the others knew Mika never bathes with other people and the reason why, Mika didn't look at Ravel and kept focusing on what she was staring at.

"I know the common hot springs trope calls for all the females to bathe naked with strangers, but I came here because I'm interested in something more important."

"More important? What do you mean?"

In response to Rias' question, Mika rolled her eyes at her.

"Oh, come on, don't tell me none of you have noticed? Koneko, you can sense things; you of all people should be able to tell."

Koneko became curious as to what she was referring to, and so she used her Senjutsu to sense what was in the direction Mika was looking. In a second, she felt the presence of two extremely powerful auras clashing with each other. The suddenness of it caused Koneko to gasp.

"…Senpai?"

"What, Shirou?!"

The others all became alarmed when they heard Koneko as Rias voiced her surprise. Mika merely nodded, being the only one who was already aware.

"I'm surprised you couldn't even hear it, they haven't exactly been discreet. Right now, Big Bro is going at it hard with Raiser."

"My brother?"

Now Ravel was the most alarmed, as she surely wasn't expecting this, considering she had seen both of them earlier and there was no indication that they were starting a fight. The others were also surprised as Xenovia asked.

"By why are the two of them fighting at all?"

"Who knows? All we know is that they're both serious. It sounds like two natural disasters are going off out there and destroying everything nearby."

Mika kept gazing up at the sky as loud, echoing sonic booms continued to go off in the distance.

-O-

Back in the skies above the mountains, after more than ten minutes had passed since they started battling in mid-air, the two of them came to a stop.

"Ze~haa~"

Raiser had become tired… Even though he is immortal, his body heals no matter how many times he gets beaten, he still couldn't hold a candle to Shirou in stamina, as Shirou wasn't even breathing heavily yet.

"What's wrong? Tired so soon?"

Raiser looked up at him as Shirou had a look of contempt.

"Destructive power, magical reserves, and all physical stats have improved a great deal compared to our last fight, but sadly, your stamina is still your weakness, and like before, your regeneration has slowed and suffered in response; you can barely heal your injuries anymore."

Grr… You talk big for someone who's been on the defensive this whole fight! Even without my regeneration, I still have plenty in my reserves to burn you to ashes!"

Raiser held out his arms and created a fireball the size of his fist. Raiser continued to power up and created dozens of more fireballs until he was surrounded by a swarm of them and was prepared to unleash them on Shirou.

HELL BLAZE STORM!

All fifty fireballs were launched and blazed forward at Shirou, but the Welsh Dragon was unimpressed and rested his hand on his Sword.

"You're hopeless."

RAPID SLASH 50x!

SLICE! SLASH! KATCHIN! SLING!

DON!

With his blindingly fast Sword technique, Shirou sliced through every single fireball that entered his range of attack and reduced them all to embers that faded in the wind. Raiser was dumbfounded at the way Shirou effortlessly cut his fireballs to ribbons.

"You said before that I've only been on the defensive; the reason for that was to confirm my suspicions, and it seems I was right."

"What?"

Shirou narrowed his eyes as though he was looking right through Raiser.

"You appear determined to fight at first glance, but your attacks are actually filled with desperation and hesitation; the reason you'll always lose to me lies right there. Ravel said you lost your confidence, but the truth is much deeper than that."

"What are you saying, what truth?!"

Raiser demanded that he give him an answer, and Shirou did so with a tone of voice as cold as the blizzard.

"You're afraid of me!"

"—!"

Raiser paused when he heard those words. It was a harsh truth that he hadn't considered, or rather, he refused to consider it, because he refused to accept it could be true, but after hearing Shirou say it, it was like a weight fell upon his psyche.

"That's why you keep repeating the same rash attacks and haven't even noticed that all you've been doing is desperately trying to keep me at bay; you fear fighting me in earnest."

"Y-You're lying…"

Raiser was trembling; he still wanted to deny it, but Shirou wouldn't let him, as he shed further light on Raiser's actions.

"I wasn't sure of it until we started fighting, but now I'm positive, you're fighting style has changed. Your abilities might have gotten stronger, but whenever you attack, you only use long-range fire attacks and keep a distance from your opponent. You weren't always like that…"

Shirou thought back to the violent and ferocious battle he had with Raiser back during the Rating Game.

"Back then, no matter how many times I ripped apart your body with my fists or magic, you kept coming back for more and didn't let any attack slow you down, and when you attacked, it was pure savagery. You were completely untrained, but that's what made you so vicious; you were no different from a beast made of flames, obsessed with killing. You scorched my flesh, spilled my blood on the ground, and blasted a punch through my chest. But all that changed after you were defeated. After losing that fight and suffering that soul-crushing defeat, you let fear creep into your heart, and that caused you to subconsciously avoid a real fight. That's why you're desperate to keep me at a distance, you fear what I can do at close range and the pain that comes with it. You are bound by trauma."

Raiser's expression slowly shifted throughout the monologue; he could no longer deny it or try to convince himself it wasn't true, all he could do was painfully resign himself as the truth started to sink in, and the weight of the realization was like lead on his psyche.

"This man… Could it be true?"

"You know that this entire battle has been an exercise in futility."

SLASH!

"Gugh!"

While Raiser was distracted, Shirou closed the distance and was right in front of him before he cut him across the chest. With his stamina drained and against a Divine Sword, he couldn't defend himself as the cut was painfully damaging.

"You're weak."

SLASH!

"Agh!"

Shirou slashed him across his shoulder.

"You're tired."

SLASH!

"Augh!"

Shirou sliced him vertically over his torso.

"You're powerless."

SLASH!

"Argghhh!"

Shirou slashed him over his abdomen.

"You're pathetic."

Shirou finished by grabbing Raiser by the throat and holding him in the air as Raiser dangled lifelessly, no longer having the strength to fight back or resist. All Shirou had to do now was finish him; if he wanted, he could even end Raiser's life.

"When Ravel came to me, she said that your ultimate goal was to surpass me, but you couldn't see a way how, but now I doubt if even that was true, so it's a wonder as to what all this was even for; your training, you obsession to get stronger, what is it you were trying to achieve?"

Those last words entered Raiser's mind.

-O-

Raiser felt himself sinking into a world of his inner subconscious; it was as though he could hear his own voice speaking to him, as many thoughts swirled in his head.

Looking back on everything, life was relatively simple in the beginning. Raiser was heir to a proud and noble house among the Devil race. To the Devils, power was everything, and Raiser had more of it than most. Even as a child in a society built on strength and status, there were ranks. The Low-Class Devils, disposable grunts made to serve and obey, the Mid-Class, stronger and seasoned, and then the elite High-Class Devils born with overwhelming potential destined to rise, destined to rule, Raiser wasn't just part of the High-Class, he was the pinnacle of of it, a prodigy, an heir to a powerful household built on a mountain wealth and glory, he was told from the beginning that he would surpass them all and live a charmed life filled with victory, however, destiny is a cruel thing when you're born with both power and limitations.

For years Raiser believed there was a natural order to the world, that the strong rose above the weak, that bloodline dictated worth and is High-Class Pure blood Devil, he believed no one stood above him, well at least when it comes to his own generation, but belief is a fragile thing when it's never been challenged and fate choose to test his, not against greater Devils, not against Gods, but on an obscure town in the human world far away from anything he called home—Kuoh. A place with no glory, no legacy, no worth worthy of his name, and yet it was there that everything would be questioned, his pride, his purpose, his power, all of it. He didn't know it yet, but the man he was about to fight would become the center of his universe, a rival who would haunt him, humble him, and ultimately define him.

"I stood at the highest echelon of nobility, in my fingertips I held the power that others could only dream of, I am a genius destined to walk the path of greatness and on my shoulders restless the glory of the immortal and untouchable house of Phenex, the whole Underworld knew and revered my name, but he didn't and it was at hand that my honor and my talent, the foundation upon which I always stood began to crumble beneath my feet, it was at his hands that I suffered my first true defeat, vanquished by a Low-Class that I had considered trash."

Shirou, the Low-Class Devil who stands face to face against the Noble Pure-bloods, the same class of Devil that was formerly a human and only existed to serve his master, a servant, a commoner. From Raiser's eyes, through his twisted world lens, Shirou was supposed to be nothing, he should have bowed before him or died trying, but he didn't where Raiser fought with rage, Shirou fought with resolve, where Raiser sought control, Shirou trusted his friends, where Raiser was born to rule, Shirou lived and fought to triumph, and that contradiction, that impossible contradiction broke something inside of him because for all his strength, all his pride, all his power, Shirou still stood toe to toe with him and worse he earned his respect, he didn't want a rival but as he was taken away from the Rating Game, wounded and humiliated, he realized he had one and that changed everything, this wasn't just a battle between two men, it was a battle between two worlds, nature versus nurture, bloodline versus choice, pride versus purpose, he didn't just lose the fight, he also lost was control, control over the narrative that has shaped his entire life, control over the belief that power only belonged to those born to wield it, but the fight on with Shirou didn't just leave Raiser beaten, it left him changed, he had lost more than a battle, he had lost the comfort of certainty, the hierarchy he believed in had crumbled, the power he worshipped had failed him, so when he left the human world, he didn't just leave the wounded, he left with questions, questions that would follow and haunt him in his search for answers.

"Why did I want it so bad? To grow stronger? To fight him again? To overcome him? Why… Why was that so important to me?"

(People like you, who've never known defeat, shouldn't act like they know the value of victory!)

"Heh… That's right… Those words."

Because of those words, Raiser knew that, unlike himself, Shirou had tasted defeat in the past. In defeat, one learns, he adapts, he evolves. After his loss, something shifted in Raiser, he wanted to train body, his made demonic-power surge, he practiced so his tactics could be sharpened, he was no longer just a soldier of instinct, he wanted to became a strategist, waiting beneath the water, striking from the shadows, even finding ways to defeat more vigorous opponents without having to rely on power, but most importantly, he wanted to stop waiting for the story to happen around him. During the Rating Game, Shirou became the driving force, the hunter, the wild card, the storm that moved everything forward. Every choice he made reshaped the battlefield, the scheming, the matchups, the overturns; they weren't just moves on a chessboard; they were choices, desperate, calculated, necessary, but not without weight. Shirou wasn't just chasing victory or survival; he was aiming to change the fates of those involved, to take a predetermined decree set by the most powerful figures in the Underworld and shatter it, trying to reshape their fates into his own will, and no matter how much Raiser fought against him, his rebellious will seemed unbreakable. In that moment, the man who lived his whole life believing in superiority felt something he couldn't rationalize—Doubt. It wasn't just his body that was broken; it was the idea of who he was meant to be, and that opened his mind to a world of new possibilities.

"My whole life, I always believed that my current natural abilities were my limit. I was strong, but I was never under any illusion that I would ever be able to match my father or brother from an individual standpoint, nor that I would ever be a match for the Ultimate-Class Devils. Their blood and talent were superior to mine, and so I accepted my place in the hierarchy, but after seeing him, the way he overcame the summits I thought were impossible to soar beyond, I felt something new stirring inside me, that maybe the world wasn't as cutthroat as I thought and seeing him reach those heights and soar higher, far beyond his limits made me want to shout out… I could do it too."

-O-

SHINE!

"Hmm?"

Back in the outside world, Shirou was almost caught off guard as he noticed flames starting to appear on Raiser's body. He let go of him and moved back, somewhat surprised that he was still conscious.

BUUUUURRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNNN!

He was even more caught off guard when Raiser's entire body burst into an enormous flame that engulfed everything around him. Rising higher and higher and growing increasingly hot, that wiped away the blizzard around them. But at that moment, Shirou stared up at the flames with wide eyes and was most surprised by them. They were different from any fire he'd seen before.

Silver flames.

They were unlike the Phenex flames he had seen until now. Before, they were white-hot flames that looked like how one would imagine fire, red, orange, and yellow at its core, but these flames shone a bright silver, like the color of the far northern moon when it was full, and instead of being a wild element of destruction, they seemed almost beautiful. It wasn't just the color that was different, but the power he was sensing was on another level. For the first time since this battle started, Shirou felt like he needed to be concerned.

"What is this…?"

Raiser soon became visible within the center of the silver inferno. Like his flames, his expression was completely different; the sense of hesitation, trepidation, and distress was gone. Now, he carried himself with an aura of confidence and self-assurance, almost like his old self, but without his ego. His eyes were razor sharp and filled with determination.

"Are you surprised? I would imagine so, that's the typical reaction when facing the true power of the House of Phenex."

"True power?"

Raiser's voice was cold, a stark contrast to his hellish flames, as he answered Shirou's confusion.

"The sacred flames of the Supreme Phoenix, only one in every few generations, is a member of the House of Phenex able to call forth this power, and when unleashed, no other flames are a match for them."

Shirou clenched his fist. As always, when faced with a powerful force or in the heat of battle, his mind is the most clear.

"I never imagined you had a power like that hidden up your sleeve. I underestimated you, Phoenixes."

Shirou raised his arm upward.

"Still won't save you!"

Shirou used his darkness to fuel his lightning magic as he prepared his finishing move. Raiser wasn't intimidated and held out his arms as he compressed all of his flames into his palms before he prepared to unleash them into his own finishing move.

DIES IRAE!

SUPREME HELL INCINERATE!

From the sky, the clouds parted, and a massive bolt of black lightning struck down like a jet-black spear, the size of a tower. It completely consumed Raiser, and the Phenex felt the pain of billions of watts of electricity coursing throughout his body, destroying him both inside and out.

At the same time, silver flames erupted upward from the ground like a gleaming silver geyser the size of a massive pillar; it completely consumed Shirou, and he felt the agony of the highest grade of fire scorching his body, burning through his flesh, blood, and bones.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPP!

BUURRRRRRNNNNNNNNN!

The two elemental forces of nature that embodied both darkness and light wreaked havoc on the world around them. Neither Raiser nor Shirou made any attempt to dodge the other's attack and focused solely on their own attack. As a result, they were both hit with the full force of the black lightning and the silver blaze.

After a while, the two attacks dissipated as the flames faded into embers and the lightning faded into slight static. In the aftermath, the two combatants remained floating in the air, and both of them looked badly damaged as a result of taking each other's attacks.

"You weren't kidding, those flames really do pack a wallop. I actually thought I couldn't be hurt by fire anymore."

Shirou appeared from the flames with burned marks all over his body. His sleeves had been burned away, and his arms were scorched red with smoke rising from his skin; there were even patches of burnt flesh over his face.

"I'm not surprised you survived, your ability to avoid death surpasses even mine."

The black lightning damaged Raiser severely. Although he didn't look all that bad on the outside, he was now on his last legs and struggling to remain conscious. Not only was he greatly affected by Shirou's attack, but the silver flames had a side effect. They were much more potent than ordinary Phenex fire, but they drained demonic power at a much faster pace. Raiser's reserves didn't have much left.

But right now, Raiser felt like nothing could stop him.

"I think I know better than anyone in the world how difficult you are to kill, that's why I won't hold anything back…"

BUUUURRRRRRRRNNNNN!

"This time, I'll unleash everything I have in one final shot and blow you away!"

Raiser was engulfed by an even bigger torrent of flames than before; it was like a miniature silver supernova had formed around him. Raiser began to compress the fire like before, only this time he shaped the flames to resemble the tip of a blade as he prepared to charge forward.

"This time, I'll end you with my own hands!"

Raiser blitzed forward like a blazing comet cutting through the sky and closed in on Shirou while silver flame coated his body like a maelstrom of fire, with his hands in front, and the flames were sharpened to the point where they looked like a spearhead.

While Raiser hurtled toward Shirou like a missile, Shirou gripped his Sword and waited for his opponent to reach as he prepared his counterattack. Shirou placed both his hands on the hilt of his Sword before he raised his Sword above his head.

"It's been a long time since I've done this, but I've decided you're worth the effort…

SUPREME PHOENIX DRIVE!

"Did you know a Sword swing is even more powerful if swung with both hands instead of one?"

Shirou swung his Divine Sword forward just as Raiser reached him. The two attacks clashed as Shirou's full-powered swing came into contact with the blade of Raiser's flaming drive. The result was catastrophic.

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNN!

The clash between the two attacks was a colossal explosive impact that surpassed everything that had come before.

-O-

Back at one of the mountain tops, a short distance away, Tannin remained perched on the edge and kept his arms crossed as he watched with his own eyes the final clash.

The aftershock of the explosive force was like an intense gust of wind that relentlessly blew in every direction. Tannin was unaffected by the winds and narrowed before he lowered his gaze.

"…It has been settled."

Meanwhile, at the hot springs, the gusts of wind from the aftershock were so strong that all the girls in the bath were either blown away or had to hold on to something to keep themselves from getting blown away.

Ravel was holding on to one of the lamps to prevent herself from being blown away.

"What's going on!?" Ravel cried out through the wind.

Mika alone wasn't bothered by the gusts of wind as she used her own magic to block the impact and kept looking in the direction of the source.

Soon enough, a small smile formed on her face.

"It's over."

-O-

.

.

.

—There was the sound of sizzling, as though someone had thrown a burning torch into water.

The explosion, which surpassed the very definition of reason, went off — and it looked as though the sun had risen on the land, dying everything in their field of view a brilliant white.

The exothermic conflagration generated a rapidly expanding wave of heat, which greedily consumed everything within its radius.

This hell of a vision lasted only a few seconds, but it felt dozens of times longer than that.

Eventually, the brilliant white world disappeared. In the wake of the vanishing pulse of superhot energy was a large circular area—Vastly different from before.

Nothing outside the area of effect was affected. The trees were still trees, the earth was as full of vitality as the mountains, and the mountains themselves were untouched — an extremely normal world.

In contrast, the area within the circular area was charred black, converted into a dead zone of jaw-dropping proportions.

The awe-inspiring temperatures had consumed all the vegetation in the area, leaving only a few carbonized rocky debris. There were several vitrified areas on the ground that were still emitting smoke.

One figure emerged from the center of the scorched earth space—Shirou was floating in the air while holding a beaten Raiser in the air. Raiser's silver flames were gone, his outfit was in tatters, and his body was covered in wounds that weren't healing due to the state of his exhaustion.

"…Did I… Lose?"

"I'm surprised you're still conscious."

Shirou didn't look at Raiser as he kept a tight grip on his arm while flying through the air. Shirou was calm; the fiery disposition of both fighters had cooled entirely off as they both acknowledged that the battle was over.

"Tell me, I must know…"

Raiser was gradually regaining his voice as Shirou carried him while they flew across the mountains. Despite his quiet tone, Shirou could tell Raiser was desperate to have an answer.

"What is it?"

"Earlier, before we left… Tannin said I was faced with the same wall you were… What did that mean?"

Shirou figured he was going to ask that at some point and had already planned to tell him the truth.

"Just like he said, I was dealing with the same problem as you. After the Peace Summit, I couldn't stop thinking of my battle with Vali."

"The Vanishing Dragon? I heard you won that battle."

"Technically yes, but that didn't change the feeling of defeat that kept weighing on me. It was the first time I ever felt so powerless, vulnerable, weak; all the techniques and abilities that had never failed me before were useless, and my enemy was so strong that it felt like victory was no longer possible."

The more he described it, the more Raiser realized it was precisely the thing he had gone through, like someone was describing himself.

"After that day, for so long, I stopped thinking about it; it even haunted my dreams. All wanted was to become stronger, strong enough where I'd never have to feel that powerless again, strong enough where I'd be able to overcome him the next time we fought, but no matter how hard I trained, it never felt like it was enough. However, I still kept training like a madman, even when it worried the people around or I was losing myself, I didn't know what else to do."

"…So how did you overcome it?"

Raiser's tone was no longer desperate; it was just resigned. He simply wanted to know the conclusion, and Shirou sounded the same as he finished the story.

"When it seemed like I had reached my breaking point and I was about to meet my end, I found the answer, I remembered who I am and what I was fighting for. I didn't lose sight of myself and overcome my inner darkness."

Hearing those words caused a small smile to appear on Raiser's face.

"I see."

"Raiser Phenex, it seems you managed to break through your ceiling."

Tannin appeared in the air above them, and Shirou stopped as the two looked up at the large Dragon.

"Tannin?" Shirou didn't expect him to show up right now.

"Just like Shirou Amakusa, you overcame the burdens that were weighing you down. You should be all right now."

"You're right." Raiser kept smiling as he looked at Shirou. "And you were right. I was afraid. You were so strong, and I believed I would never catch up because I didn't think I'd ever be as strong as you. But, somewhere along the way, I forgot what motivated me to start training in the first place. There are no limits to how strong a person can become. If you could get that strong through training, I believed I could do the same."

"But at some point, you felt that your development had come to a stop and you no longer felt your power increase, no matter how much you trained." Tannin continued, knowing where the problems started. "That made you believe you had reached the limit of your growth."

"Yes, I couldn't stop training because I couldn't accept the idea that I had peaked, and the more I kept trying to avoid that possibility, the more I became trapped in my own anxiety until all that remained was doubt."

"But, the truth was you hadn't begun to reach your limit, being trapped in your own mind put a box in your potential and needed a special catalyst to break free, in the same way Shirou Amakusa did during our summer training." Tannin informed him. "All your training resulted in your explosive growth that was unleashed all at once."

"Explosive growth, you mean the silver flames?" Shirou noted.

"It was like how a person awakens their Balance Breaker; the right catalyst was necessary to reach the level that comes after you've reached the limit of how much conventional training can accomplish." Tannin gave him a look of pride. "You should be proud, Raiser Phenex, you now hold the potential to reach heights very few in your household have ever reached."

Raiser lifted his hand and gazed at his palm as he remembered the feeling of the silver flames, and a sense of pride filled him as well.

"You're right, I never imagined I could achieve such power and that I have… It feels so surreal, I can't find the words."

"But keep in mind, there is a new starting line." Shirou informed him with a serious expression. "Now that you've awakened this new power, you'll have to start from scratch in your training because having that power means nothing unless you master it."

"Believe me, I know."

Raiser regained enough strength where he could fly on his own and respectfully removed himself from Shirou's grasp before flying with his own wings.

"Regardless of how long it takes, I promise I will master this new power, and when I do, I hope you'll face me again, this time as the real me."

Shirou matched Raiser's smile and held out his hand as a sign of their agreement.

"When that time comes, maybe I'll face you as the Red Dragon Emperor."

Raiser reached and shook his hand. Tannin watched their actions and looked satisfied by the result of this training expedition. Raiser was cured, and a new bond was forged as a result.

"It took a while, but they've now become genuine rivals."

Now that everything was settled, all that was left to do was to return home.

-O-

The day after Shirou and Raiser's mountain training had concluded, Shirou and Ravel made their way through a large hallway in the Phenex castle. Apparently, someone had requested Shirou's presence, and Ravel was acting as his escort.

Soon enough, they opened a large door, and Ravel brought Shirou into the castle's guest room. It looked pretty similar to the one in the Gremory castle. It was brightly decorated and had an extravagant design. The only real difference was the Phenex insignia on the wall.

After they arrived, Shirou looked around for a second.

"Well, I'm here, now, who am I supposed to meet?"

"He'll be here in a minute. For now, you should relax, after all, you still haven't fully recovered from all that intense fighting yesterday."

"Not really, I've come back from worse. Besides, Raiser got beat up way worse than I did."

"About that, I wanted to talk to you about that subject."

Ravel then grasped his hand with both of her hands, bowed her head, and smiled at him with pure gratitude.

"Thank you so very much, Sir Shirou."

Shirou let out a well-meaning sigh and knelt to look her in the eye. "Come on, you know there's no need for that."

"But it's how I feel." Ravel faced him with a shine in her eyes. "My brother has finally gotten back to his old self—No, it's more like he's finally unburdened. I asked you for help and you did, and I'm truly grateful."

"I concur."

They saw that another person had entered the room and approached Shirou with a peaceful expression. Shirou already had a good idea of who this person was, but Ravel confirmed it.

"Ruval Onii-sama." Ravel sounded happy to see him.

Ruval, like his younger siblings, has blond hair and dark blue eyes. However, unlike Riser, he wears proper noble clothing. He was wearing a proper suit with ornaments around the front of his blazer and a Phenex insignia pin on his lapel.

What Shirou really noticed was the look on his face. It was a sort of smile that had the air of nobility, without any arrogance or self-importance. It reminded him of the smile he usually saw on Sirzechs and Zeoticus.

"He's your older brother?" Shirou asked her.

"Mmm, he's my oldest brother and the heir to the House of Phenex, Ruval Phenex." Ravel introduced him with a sense of pride. "He's also professional in the Rating Game circuit, who's ranked in the Top 10."

"Seriously?" That was enough to impress Shirou; being in the Top 10 obviously meant he was no joke, and just being in front of him, Shirou could tell he was powerful, much more so than Raiser.

"There's no need to brag, Ravel, after all, unlike others in the Top 10, I'm still not even an Ultimate-Class Devil." Ruval humbly pointed out. "But I'd like to think I'm close to getting promoted."

Ruval then turned to face Shirou without ever losing his smile. While he wasn't what Shirou was expecting, he was actually a welcome difference from the usual type of aristocrat he half expected, and felt comfortable around him.

"Now then, I apologize for keeping you waiting. As you know, I am Ruval Phenex. It's a pleasure to meet you at last, Sir Shirou Amakusa." Ruval outstretched his hand and offered a handshake. "My parents, unfortunately, aren't present, so I'll be meeting you on behalf of the House of Phenex."

"Fine with me." Shirou accepted the gesture and shook his hand. "I gotta ask though, no offence but, why weren't you Rias' betrothed?" He asked what he was the minute he saw him. "I mean, comparing the two of you, you clearly seem like the better choice than your brother."

"Hey, there's no need to be rude!" Ravel softly scolded him.

Ruval seemed more amused than anything else as he answered.

"It's actually not uncommon. I am the heir to the House of Phenex. Since Rias is heir to the House of Gremory, we couldn't be betrothed. The custom is to avoid betrothing an heir of one family to another, as it creates confusion on the subject of succession within their families. In this case, Rias would have still been the future head of her household while Raiser, who was not the official heir, would just be her husband."

"I guess that makes sense, and it's a good thing for us. If we had fought you in that Rating Game, our odds would have been way worse." Shirou confessed, even thinking about that possible scenario. "Back then, I wouldn't have been able to beat you unless I pulled out all the stops." He then elaborated in his mind. "Including making that trade Ddraig was talking about, where I'd have to sacrifice part of my body for a temporary Balance Breaker."

"You're as fearless as people say, but I have to disagree." Ruval was still smiling, but sounded confident. "In such a scenario, even at your best, I doubt I would lose."

"Oh, why don't we find out?" Shirou smirked, as if looking for an opportunity to provoke a challenge. "I'd love to see what someone from the Top 10 is capable of."

Ruval quickly defused the tension with a calm rebuttal. "Rest assured, I have no doubt we will face each other sometime, but I'd rather it be in a Rating Game, and when you become a King of your own."

Shirou could tell the opportunity had passed and, with a sigh, decided to step back as well. "Fair enough, I'd enjoy it more that way myself."

"I hope you don't misunderstand, I didn't come here to start a fight, I'm here to echo my sister's sentiments." Ruval gave him a look of gratitude. "I want to thank you for all that you've done for my brother. The truth is, he was always a wild child who felt entitled to power, but after meeting and training with you, I feel that he's found a positive direction toward his future. I'm happy with his development."

"Weird how you apparently aren't entitled by your powers and status." Shirou pointed out.

"Trust me, when you've met the most powerful fighters and highest ranked Devil in the Underworld, you learn very quickly that you aren't invincible." Ruval confessed, thinking back to his own experiences. "Honestly, I think everyone needs to be humbled now and then, it helps us mature and face our shortcomings before becoming stronger, it even helped my brother claim an incredible power."

"You mean those silver flames he started using at the end?" Shirou questioned.

"Don't call them 'those silver flames' like that." Ravel spoke out about his dismissive attitude. "Those are the Sacred Flames of the Supreme Phoenix."

"I know what they're called, and Raiser already gave me the exposition." Shirou informed her, not changing his tone.

"I always knew he had great potential, but even I didn't expect he would awaken that power, not so soon anyway." Ruval admitted, feeling proud. "And I know he'll grow even stronger. That said, I don't plan to fall behind; I wouldn't be much of an older brother if I let him surpass me so easily."

Right now, Ruval was notably stronger than Raiser, but if he were to master his silver flames, who's to say who'd win.

"I'm glad you're happy and all, but keep in mind, I don't agree to do this for free." Shirou brought up what he told Ravel. "I expect compensation for helping you guys."

"And you shall have it, whatever you ask shall be yours." Ruval promised him. "You need but ask."

Shirou told him what it was he desired, and Ruval respectfully accepted his request, saying it wasn't an issue. Now that they're business at the Phenex castle had concluded, it was time for them to depart.

After saying their goodbyes to Ravel and everyone else, the Occult Research Club and the rest of their entourage boarded their train and made their way back to the human world. Despite all that took place over the past few days, Shirou was satisfied with the outcome and felt that the whole thing was worth doing.

—…

Ō ō

And that's the chapter.

First of all, I didn't mean for this to take so long to finish; there was just so much going on, and I had so much trouble putting everything together. I'm just glad it's finally finished.

There wasn't much I could do with the special episodes, given their short length, but I feel they turned out pretty well. As for the main show, I decided to entirely overhaul the plot of the 'Timid Phenex' episode because everything about it felt out of place in this verse. Instead of Raiser being traumatized by his defeat and gaining a fear of Dragons, I decided to have him suffer a real issue.

As explained, Raiser's defeat by Shirou made him go through the same thing Shirou went through after being overwhelmed by Vali; he had the same desire to grow stronger, which grew into an obsession that almost consumed him, and in the end, he overcame it and achieved explosive growth. Explosive growth is when a person's strength or abilities dramatically improve all at once after spending a lot of time training and being pushed to the limit. It's the same principle used when over characters awaken their Balance Breaker, but it is also a phenomenon that can happen in real life to rare and gifted people.

The reason behind the direction of the plot was that I felt that this was a chance to give Raiser real character development, which was missed in the canon because there, he was cured by a cartoonish gag outcome of using perversity to fix him, and made the whole thing feel like a waste of time. As for the silver flames, I got the idea from another series where one character had fire abilities, and his flames were special because they were Phoenix flames, which is what made them silver, so I decided to make that part of the lore of the Phenex household, not to mention Ruval has the ability to use multiple colored flames it's not to much of a stretch.

Speaking of Ruval, if you're curious as to what Shirou requested of him, you'll have to wait to find out.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed. If you want more, then be sure to leave a review. If you like the story, click the follow/favorite, and as always, have an awesome day.