Trials of the God-Harem King [Highschool DxD/Exalted] (CLOSED)

SWOOSH! BAM!

"Do you even wonder?" Dohna asks Kiba.

"Aah!" "Guh!"

"About what?" Kiba asks, averting his eyes from the spectacle in front of him.

"About how ridiculous it is." The middle-age man makes a cutting motion with his hand. "So a God took parts of his divinity and put them into Sacred Gear equivalents. I can buy it. I can even buy that the original design was created by a Primordial God of Invention and Technology."

"..You're open!" "Ever heard of feints!?" "!"

"But..?" Kiba prods.

"But how could it accelerate the learning curve of a person so much!? Look at that!"

Dohna points at the spar between Issei and Koneko: while the boy's hits don't seem to have an effect on Koneko, the little girl has yet to land even a finger on Issei.

"Compared to the first time I met the bastard a month ago? He's like a completely different person! He acquired skills that should have taken years!"

"Doesn't this only mean the Governor of the Fallen Angels' training is effective?"

"...While Azazel-sama is surely a person capable of making even the completely untalented shine,-" He shakes his head. "-Even before that the bastard used to pull a new trick out of his ass every week. That's cheating!"

"Mmh, indeed. Even then, it's impossible to stay mad at him." Kiba turns back to the spar and raises a hand. "Time out!"

"I can keep going." Issei says. "...Same here." Koneko replies.

Kiba points at his watch. "It's been three hours since you started. Take a break. Here." He holds out two bottles of mineral water.

""..Thanks."" They both take one and sit down on the bench.

"Aah!" Issei sighs after a deep gulp of water. He smiles a Koneko. "I gotta say: the Rook's power is impressive. I couldn't even break your skin. I seriously underestimated how strong you are Koneko-chan."

"...No true. Sempai's hits sting." Koneko replies with her usual monotone. An attentive observer however could see that the tips of her lips are slightly turned upwards. "Couldn't hit you."

"When they shoot bullets at you, even if rubber ones, you learn how to dodge. That you want it or not." Issei says with a hollow tone. Shaking his head to clear the horrible memories he puts a hand under his chin. "I noticed some changes in your fighting style."

"..I'm taking lessons. Wing Chun. Brazilian Ju Jitsu."

"That makes sense." He snaps his fingers. "Your balance is much more firm even when attacking, and it would explain your multiple attempts to initiate a hold. It's a strategy to defeat fellow Rooks?"

"...Eh?" Koneko blinks in confusion.

"Well-" Issei explains. "Brazilian Ju Jitsu teaches how to defeat stronger opponents with superior reach by taking the fight to the ground, where someone who knows how to maximize force using mechanical advantage can offset for the difference in strength. In a Rating Game the only ones who could be stronger than you are other Rooks, so..."

"Oh! Yes!" Koneko quickly nods. "That's why!"

On the sidelines Kiba smiles, while Dohna snorts.

"That's my talented junior." Issei rubs the girl's hair. Koneko doesn't seem to dislike it. "What I don't understand is why you requested a spar so forcefully once I said I have free time?"

"...I-"

"I think Koneko-chan was just overjoyed." Kiba replies with a refreshing smile. "Since recently she felt neglected by her favorite se-!"

Koneko's water bottle hits Kiba squarely in the face, sending the Knight rolling backwards before coming to a stop on the ground.

The girl stands up, her cheeks pink and a scowl on her face, before turning to Issei. "Resume spar. Now."

Issei quirks an eyebrow. He looks first at Kiba and then at Koneko before shrugging. "Okay."

----

"...And then, if you are able to stabilize the flow, the attacks could hit from multiple directions at the same time. Am I making sense?" You ask.

"Oh my. That's interesting theory." Akeno giggles. "Ise-kun truly took a liking with magic, isn't it? One wouldn't think that, seeing how hard you train your body."

"A good defense is needed together with great firepower, or it would be all too easy to defeat me." You explain. "Isn't one of the possible uses of Evil Pieces to give a candidate a piece to compliment their natural abilities, like giving a fast person a Rook to increase his strength and resistance?"

At your words Akeno grimaces slightly. "..Yes, it is."

"Akeno-sempai?" You ask with concern in your voice. "Was it something I said?"

"No." She shakes her head. "You did nothing wrong Ise-kun. I just..." She makes a troubled face. "When you told us how the Pieces make the Servant blood-relatives of the King...to say we were shocked is an understatement."

You blink owlishly. "Why? I thought it was common knowledge?"

"Eh?"

"I mean, becoming part of a Peerage means becoming part of the King's clan, right? That's how it is possible to share magical energy with someone to boost his natural healing factor." You explain. "It is common knowledge that this is possible only between members of the same family, since otherwise the immunity system rejects the magical energy. So shouldn't it obvious that, for it to work between members of a Peerage, means that they now share a blood relation?"

Akeno stares at you, her face an impassible, emotionless stone mask.

Then she facepalms. Hard.

"Sempai?"

"-veryone is good in insight. Why?.." You hear her mutter before she composes herself, a shaky smile on her face. "Nothing Ise-kun, it's nothing. I just have a lot going on in my mind. Did you find anything else about the Evil Pieces?"

"I think I am close to a breakthrough." You hum. "The only new thing that I was able to learn until now is that there is a protocol to prevent genetic defects in hypothetical progeny. I assume Beelzebub-sama was mindful of the many different races that could be reincarnated as Devil."

"Interesting." Akeno nods before mumbling. "Thanks Maou-sama for small mercies..."

"Uhm?"

"Nothing!"

----

Shougo Kitsukawa stares at the marred but still firm wall of bricks in front of him. As usual he's chewing bubble-gum.

"What is Essence? Don't think it's like some martial arts manga, where the supernatural power of a fighter is defined as 'lifeforce', 'mana of the world' and all those silly things. Essence is the world itself: everything you do with Essence comes down to pushing away the set limits of the material world and replace 'what should happen' to 'what do you want to happen'."

His hand clenches and unclenches, faint wisps of golden energy trailing along the surface like electrical bolts.

"Charms were first created by adding Essence to normal skills, increasing their power beyond what was logically possible. This happen by instinct: you don't need to think about it, you just need to do it."

With a seemly bored expression he turns his back at the wall.

"Those 'natural' Charms, however, are fundamentally limited when outside their scope. One can do only so much with plain old brawling, even highly skilled brawling. The Essence merely adds power to something mortals can do anyway. Until one Exalt had the brilliant idea to combine martial arts and Essence in reverse. He took the training methods, the focus and the integration of mind and body required for highly skilled combat and applied them to his own Essence."

Faster than the eye can see he bends backward and lashes out at the wall with a spinning kick.

"I didn't give you power Shougo. I only removed what was preventing you from accessing the true strength of your own soul. This is your Essence, finally free to answer your will. Your body now houses what is easily more than two times the energy released by the nuclear bomb that destroyed Hiroshima. How do you use it? That's simple:

Just do what feels right."

The wall explodes, the bricks shattering as stream of molten sunlight erupts from inside them.

At the sight Shougo grins like a shark. "Interesting."

----

"Wowowo! Welcome back Taiyoryuu-dono!" Tomofuri greets you rather enthusiastically.

"It's good to see you again." You smile at the little kami. "How are things going?"

"Magnificently!" He twirls in mid-air, flowers blossoming at his passage. "The flower display brought many new visitors, but it was when the Intermediaries of the Great Honorable Ones came that the prayers skyrocket! Wowowowo! Truly, dragons bring great luck!"

"Ahaha." You scratch your head in embarrassment. "I just knew competent people."

[That you meet by luck. Face it partner: Fate loves you. It's a good thing, mind you.]

"I also need to tell you something Tomofuri-dono. In the future I will be a lot more busy, and it could also happen that I will be outside the city for a long time. In those cases, if you need to contact me you can do it through the Intermediaries or Gremory-sempai."

"Will do." The kami turns his head. "Oops, visitors are coming. On the next time Taiyoryuu-dono!"

He says before vanishing in a puff of smoke. Just in time for two familiar girls to step outside a corner.

"Ah! It's Hyodo-sempai!" Kurumu Erika greets with her perpetually bubbly self. "GOOD AFTERNOON (in English)!"

"...Good afternoon." Hanasaki Tsubomi refuses to meet your eyes.

"Fancy meeting you here." You greet your two kouhai. "How did your test go?"

"They praised us!" Erika does a thumb-up. "They make us work hard, but I admit it's fun. When Tsubomi-chan learned where the charms come from she insisted to visit. And you?"

"That's a funny story." You grin. "It all began when..."

----

You are walking in complete relax, when suddenly your instincts tell you to move!

"GET!" Someone screams as you jump forward, narrowly missing the lasso aimed where you were a second ago. "Awww, missed."

"A-Abe-sempai!?" You stare at your upperclassman, who is rolling up the rope of the lasso while pouting. "What are you doing?"

"Why." She flutters her pretty eyelids in a sensual manner. "I am just renewing my attempts to recruit you in the Tennis Club."

"You call that recruiting?!" You point at the lasso.

"It worked with the Lamia."

"I am not a Lamia!"

"True." She concedes. "While them and dragons are both reptilian, I suppose their needs are different. Girls!"

She snaps her fingers. Seemly from nowhere all the members of the Tennis club appear, striking a cute pose that accentuates their busts and makes their skirts flutter up.

"""Would you join us Hyodo-kun?""" They ask at the same time.

You turn around and run away.

[You know, in the past you would have immediately agreed at the first sign of boobs.]

'In the past-' You think as you put everything you have into going as fast as possible. 'I was too clouded by hormones to realize than that is both a trap and murder for my romantic relationships.'

[True, true. I consider myself fortunate.] He blows his nose. [Should you have become a shameless partner completely driven from his sexual desires, I fear my sanity would have received a dire blow.]

As if. You doubt the 'great emperor of dragons-san' spirit can be broken so easily.

----

When you answer the door and find a smiling Kaoru-san, you can't honestly say you're surprised. "Good evening Sayanomiya-san. Would you like tea?"

"Good evening Hyodo-san. No need, I just passed to relay a single message: negotiations with the Gremory Clan went well. They express the wish to keep peace, and since at the moment there is no particular task they need you to do, they agree to have you help the Committee."

"Oh, that's good." You scratch your head. "The thing is, I am doing a special training, and I am not finished yet..."

"That's fine." He nods. "We can wait a few more days. We would like you to act as our ambassador with certain groups anyway. I don't think you will have trouble."

"Good to know."

----

[X] Spend some time talking with Rias. While you've faced combat together before & you've even carried out favors for her brother on her behalf you don't actually know that about her personally. Remedy that. Drop the bombshell about the new ability your Boosted Gear developed & its implications when she seems a bit relaxed, preferably when she's had some tea
-[X] Give Rias some time to process the possible ramifications of your revelation, although if she should want a personal demonstration you'd be happy to oblige her. Do the same & try to relax, forgetting the events of the past few weeks & decide yourself who you want to be moving forward, not letting other factions define it for you

Stunt-You place your cup of steaming tea down on the mahagony table, judging from Rias's serene expression sitting across from you she was as prepared as she could be be to hear this. You steeple your hands together, drawing on all your poise & charm, your voice as smooth as velvet as you reveal your newest bombshell.
----

"-and this is Millicas, my cute nephew!" Face glowing with pride Rias shows you the photo of a young boy with the same crimson hair as her.

"Sirzechs-sama and Grafyia-sama's son?" You inquire.

"Yes. He's young but he's already showing great potential."

Taking advantage of a rare moment of tranquility, you and Rias are having a nice, relaxed chat while enjoying tea. The arguments started from mundane ones, such as your favorite type of music, before shifting to your training and eventually to your family and past.

She giggled in a very unladylike manner when you told her about the old man that taught you about oppai. Well, almost everyone did when you told them so it's not a big deal. At least she didn't ask if you ended traumatized.

You learned about her parents: her father Eadwig Gremory, the current head of the family, and her mother Venelana Gremory, formerly Venelana Bael. Yes, she and her brother are related by blood to the Great King's clan, from who they both inherit the [Power of Destruction]. It's like magical antimatter or something.

"There was great joy when Grafiya-onesama announced she was pregnant." She comments. "They didn't expect a son after only three centuries."

Three centuries?!

"I know what you're thinking." Rias shows a sad smile. "Yes, fertility among devils is that low. This is understandable since we live for so long, but it became a nightmare after the last Great War. Of the 72 Pillars of Hell, only 34 remains." Her face now shows determination. "But thanks to Tomofuri-sama's charms now there's hope! There are a lot of request for them, and some clan's heads even offered Father priceless treasures to have one. The Gremory are the major talk of the Underworld those days! And it's all thank to Ise!"

Wow. All of this because one day you decided to try playing hero after consulting the rumor mill about haunted places?

[I want to say I saw weirder things. Sadly I haven't. Life with you is definitely interesting, partner.]

"Aah..thank you" You scratch your head in embarrassment. "But I didn't nothing special. I mean, I am sure there are other beings in the world with Tomofuri-sama's powers."

"True. But of those, very few would be willing to aid the Devils. That I like it or not, the power of [Creation] is precluded to devils as a whole. That's why what you did is amazing."

You show her an embarrassed smile. Honestly, you aren't used to such praises.

[Did you miss being beated for being a pervert?]

'Hell no!'

[Then don't complain. About that, didn't you decide to tell the redhead about Boosted Gear's new power?]

Ddraig's right. You place your cup of steaming tea down on the mahagony table. Judging from Rias' serene expression sitting across from you she is as prepared as she could be to hear this. You steeple your hands together, drawing on all your poise and charm, your voice as smooth as velvet as-

"So, what other earth-shattering revelation about your Exalted powers you have for me today?" Rias calmly asks.

"..." You open your mouth before closing it without saying a single word.

Rias raises an eyebrow. "What? I'm seated and I have tea. What else should I expect?"

"...You got me." You lower your head in shame. "Alright, here's how it is: yesterday Ddraig showed me a new trick, just a way to make dragons act more friendly instead of all murderous. After I learned how to do it right, Boosted Gear mutated." You materialize the Gear and show her the stylized sun. "This is the symbol of Ignis Divine."

She hums in understanding. "That's not all, right?"

"No. Remember what I told you about the various types of Exaltations? There are three types: Terrestrial, Celestial and Sidereal. Terrestrial ones can reproduce and go to an Exalt's descendant, while Celestial and Sidereal Exaltations are a finite number: they can't reproduce, so the children of their hosts don't Exalt unless they are deemed worthy."

"I sense a 'but' there."

"Correct. It was discovered that some of the parent's powers could be passed to their offspring. They weren't Exalt, but possess an unusual affinity to the Essence of their Exalted parent, allowing them to learn Charms, if they meet the requirements of course, and enjoy some benefits of an Exalt's body. In truth they have serious limits compared to a true Exalt."

"So they aren't a ridiculous as you?" Rias asks with a joking tone and a smile.

"Ha ha." You deadpan. "They're not. They may be good at a specific field, but even then it depends on the individual. Anyway the reason I told you this is-" You take a great breath. "After I learned Ddraig's trick, Boosted Gear developed a new power that is similar to another know Solar Charm: the latter is simply a method used to make a person aware of their own magical power and able to use it, but the former pushes it beyond that, making the target a Solar Half-Caste."

Rias' eyebrow raises. "What does it imply?"

"It depends. For humans it's a nice...not power-up because they still need training, and they can't go beyond certain limits, but it opens them a lot of options. For non-humans...Mittelt agreed to try it. There weren't change in her strength, at least apparent ones, but her black wings turned the color of gold. Before you ask: no, I didn't something as ridiculous as reversing her 'Fall'. Mittelt was born as a Fallen Angel, so she never 'Fell'. I think it's just a cosmetic change: you see, this power gives the Essence of the target an affinity to my own. And since gold is my color..."

"I see." Rias puts a hand over her chin. "Is this grown normal for a Solar? Did you ask Bright?"

"I did." You confirm. "The answer is yes and no: I learn standard Solar Abilities and Charms as normal, but Boosted Gear's evolution itself is unique. Not that there ever was a case like mine. However, I have a theory."

"Do tell."

"Exaltations were created to let humans go beyond their limits, so they could fight the Primordials in place of the Gods. Boosted Gear on the other hand is a Sacred Gear that can 'boost' power without limits and 'transfer' it to others." You put your hand together. "Since they are both spiritual existence, they exist inside my soul. So I think they're interacting: either Boosted Gear is 'boosting' the power of the Exaltation or, if the Gear somehow registers as part of me, the Exaltation made Boosted Gear capable of 'evolving' like another Exalt."

"Fascinating." She takes another sip of tea. "The closer equivalent I can think is of two Longinus fusing together. The potential for disaster..is staggering."

"Don't I know that?" You roll your eyes.

"Still, it cannot be denied your future is, pardon the pun, very bright Ise." She giggles. "Not only are you developing new powers, you can also share them with others. Are you going to form your own faction in the future?"

At that you go silent, your eyes looking ahead of you without truly looking. "Ise?" Rias asks with concern.

You take a deep breath and sigh. "It's nothing. I just...not sure how to feel about the future. Fate seemed fit to present me with great opportunities, but I never had that type of ambitions. It would be easy if I had, but the past was just a normal person: living a peaceful life was all I wanted, and somehow I still want it. I am happy of course for those changes, but..."

"You felt overwhelmed." Rias asks. You nod. "I see. Then let me ask you this: who do you want to be? Not what kind of person others want you to be: I am asking who you, Hyodo Issei, want to be."

'Who I want to be?'

Student.

Chosen.

Human.

Exalted.

Dragon.

Sekiryuutei.

Lawgiver.

God-King.

"...I want to be myself." You finally say, your head having emptied of all thoughts until only the most important remain. "I want to decide myself who I want to be as I move forward, without letting others define it for me." You clench your fists. "I want to become a respectable person, one that would make my parents proud. I want to be strong enough to protect those I care for. I want to change Boosted Gear's bloody history to a better one. I want to prove I was worthy of the Exaltation and the second chance the Unconquered Sun bestowed upon me." You close your eyes, and then open them again, determination burning in them like molten light. "Most of all, I want to make the world a better place, because I love it too much to see it full of suffering."

"That Ise.." Rias proudly smiles. "Is the right answer."

{I suppose a spiritual journey is still a journey. What an unpredictable child.}

[What was that?]

{Just measuring the worm's character grow.}

[Oh.]

[] True End of Snake Arc. Please wait for the next installation of "Trials of the God-Harem King."