Harbinger of Ruin: Ch.7

“Come on, you can't stay mad at me forever.” I said with a frown as I stood facing the back walls of the ORC building, Akeno not even looking at me as she huffed and looked to the side with her arms crossed.

“Is this because I spanked you? If so, I'm s-!”

“No, it's not about that.”

“…I'm not sorry. That's what I meant to say. I'm not sorry for that.” I corrected myself, catching the smirk on her face before rolling my eyes as she remembered that she was supposed to be angry at me.

“So, what is it then? If you're not angry about the spank, is it because of them?” This time, I let out a soft sigh as her frown deepened and a slight acrid smell appeared in the air.

“So it is about them. I thought we talked this out…slightly…a bit.”

“We talked about me using my abilities, not that I should tolerate or like any Fallen Angel.” She answered and I scratched the back of my head with a shake of my head.

“That…is true, but you shouldn't think of them as Fallen Angels anymore. They left the Grigori and are going to be reincarnated devils that were formerly Fallen Angels, just like y-!”

“Compare me to them and I'll throw a Holy Lightning bolt at you.”

“Not like you. Hah, fine. How about this? They are going to need someone to teach them how to use their Holy energy as a Fallen Angel so I ask if you would be willing to do so.”

“…What's in it for me?”

“What do you want?” I asked, the predatory look in her eyes unnerving me slightly.

“That depends.”

“How much am I going to like this next part?” I was very hesitant to ask that question and regretted it instantly as she giggled and answered.

“Well, I've been training my Holy Lightning and while the straw men do an amazing job, they don't move around at all for me to do some training on moving targets.”

“Well, it's good that we have three Angels that you can attack now.”

“No~ I want a fast target.”

“…If I do this, do you promise to honestly try to be hospitable to the new girls? Not just acting like it, but you are genuinely trying your best to like them.”

“…Hah, very well~ If you do, I will try my absolute best to try and like them…even though I don't want to.” She muttered that last part, but I decided to ignore it as I nodded.

“Also, I like to train in the usual exercise outfits of our school so I hope you don't mind~!” She said with a teasing smile as she walked back and as she left, my eyes traced her curves before I palmed my face as I remembered how skintight their clothing sat on them.

'Oh, I'm going to need to concentrate heavily, aren't I?'

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As Akeno and I re-entered the clubroom once more, I closed the door behind me while staring in slight amusement at the disgruntled look on Raynare's face as she flapped her four wings.

Two large black-feathered wings were on her upper back and she stared in disapproval at the two smaller bat-like wings on her lower back, slowly flapping both of them with a grumble.

As I looked to Kalawarna and Mittelt, I was even more amused by Kalawarna sitting elegantly with her wings tucked away while Koneko and Mittelt were happily sharing the Nekoshou's bowl of candy.

“I see everything went well?” I asked and Rias looked happy as she nodded.

“Yep, two Pawns for Raynare and one each for Mittelt and Kalawarna. Also, I've signed you up for the same first year class as Koneko, you in the same class as Kiba and the secretarial position has opened up for you. I've already had you hired.” Judging from the fact that she had already done so instead of usually leaving it for Sona, there must still be some strong hatred for her former best friend.

'Really need to fix that between them. Also, that reminds me of a certain pawn that has some trauma.'

“Raynare, I need you to come with me after school tomorrow, okay?”

“Why?” She asked with a raised eyebrow, the others looking just as interested in our discussion as I raised an eyebrow back.

“Do you remember how you manipulated Issei into falling in love with you, killed him and then left him for dead? Let's just say that that would cause some deep-seated trauma in any guy that falls in love for the first time.”

“How would you know that? Also, what girls have tried to kill you? Give me names.” Rias said with a frown before narrowing her eyes at me as I smiled and shrugged.

“Don't worry about it. It's a guy thing. Anyway, I'm taking you to apologize for what you did.”

“Do I have to?”

“Considering he's a fellow devil and there may come a time in the far future where our two peerages might be forced to work together, we don't want him freezing during a fight because he gets traumatized every time he sees you.”

“That is a good reason. Even though I want nothing to do with Sona right now, our two peerages still need to be able to work together despite our issues.”

“We're going to have to work on that too. Don't give me that look, Rias Gremory. You and Ms. Sitri are going to talk it out or I'm getting Lady Gremory involved.”

“…Traitor.” She grumbled and I rolled my eyes at that as Akeno giggled, keeping my eyes on Raynare as she huffed and nodded.

“Fine, I'll do it.”

“Well done, because if you didn't, I have a sword that shifts pleasure and pain.”

“…Why do you have that?” Kalawarna was the one to ask that and all I did was smirk and shrug.

“No reason. Also, it is shaped like a paddle.”

“…Ecchi.”

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“Why do I feel like everyone is trying to kill me?” Raynare asked as she walked besides me, Akeno and Kalawarna snorting in unison while Rias giggled and both Koneko and Mittelt had amused looks.

“That's because you're walking next to the 'Handsome Prince of Kuoh Academy' as the girls liked to call him.”

“Don't call me that, please.” I said to her as she said that, Rias giggling at my disgruntled face while I sighed as I continued walking besides her towards the main school building.

I knew that most of the girls in the school had a crush on me, but even saying most is an understatement.

By that, I meant that I even saw some of the female teachers giving me some suggestive glances and it was both weird and awesome at the same time.

“So Mr. Killer is a casanova?”

“Nope, I'm just a simple guy trying to live his best life.” I said before they could keep on teasing me, rolling my eyes as they seemed to be enjoying my embarrassment while ignoring the blushing looks of the girls around us.

However, as we entered the school grounds, we stopped in our tracks at the sight of the group waiting for us, Sona Sitri adjusting her glasses as I quickly looked at Rias to see her frowning.

“Can we talk?”

“Why?” Surprisingly, she didn't just deny her outright and I smiled as Sona sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Rias, please.”

“…Fine. Akeno, let's go.”

“Of course, see you all later.” Akeno greeted as she and Rias followed Sona and Tsubaki towards the main school building to discuss their ruined friendship most likely.

That left the rest of us standing in front of the main gate, Sona's peerage frowning slightly at the new additions to our group while I frowned as I saw Issei's uneasy gaze while looking directly at Raynare.

'So, it's already that deep, huh?'

“Raynare, Asia, you two come with me. Everyone else, to class…and your jobs.” I said with a smile towards Kalawarna, who looked amused at my words as she nodded before I quickly called out to Issei.

“Hey, Issei. A word, please?” My words were most definitely surprising as everyone apart from the Gremory peerage looked shocked at my words while Issei himself froze in place.

“U-Uh, n-no thanks, man.” He said with a nervous smile and I rolled my eyes as I walked forward before surprising everyone once more as I placed a hand on his shoulder with a smile.

“You haven't told anyone of the trauma, have you? No need to deny it, man. I saw it in your eyes the moment you saw her.” I said as he looked at me in shock, his face paling slightly as I smiled before taking my hand from his shoulder.

“Listen, all you need to do is listen to her speak. Whether you forgive or not afterwards is up to you, man.”

"S-She won't...try anything, right?"

"If she does, I'll chop her into pieces before she can even get near you."

“O-Okay.” He said with a deep breath and I smiled as I nodded before turning to a frowning Raynare and a shy Asia hiding sliding behind the girl that wanted to kill her.

That girl is just too innocent.

“Come on, you two.” I said as I began walking away, with Issei walking on my left while Asia and Raynare walked on my right.

“To be clear, everyone! Nothing is happening! It's just some personal stuff, okay?! If I see anyone making some weird manga about this, you will be on my bad side for the rest of my life!” I shouted as I saw some of the girls whispering to each other with excited smiles.

This was the one time I felt happy for my fame as everyone in the courtyard paled before they quickly looked away and scattered towards their classes, Raynare just giving me an amused look as I shrugged.

“Made sure no funny stories could be made out of this.”

“Sure.” She answered and I rolled my eyes as we walked into the forested area of Kuoh Academy's grounds before stopping under one of the larger trees.

“Okay, we'll leave you two to speak. Don't worry, we'll be nearby.” I said with a smile as Issei glanced at me, to which he looked a bit uncertain but nodded before I gestured for Asia to follow after me.

“Do you think he'll forgive her?” She asked as the two of us stopped a few meters away to where I could still see them but just barely make the second or third word if I didn't focus.

“Not everyone is as saintly as you are, Asia. He might take a while, but I think that he might forgive her somewhat. Not fully, but somewhat.”

“I think he'll forgive her.” She said and I looked at her to see the determined look of hope on her face.

“What makes you say that?”

“He seems like he would forgive them because that would make the Lo-Ow~!” She winced as she said His name and I shook my head to get rid of the slight migraine I got from that.

“You might want to not do that anymore. Also, not everyone is as innocent as you are.”

“What does that mean?” She asked with a confused look and I shook my head before she pouted as I patted her head.

“Don't worry about it. Also, it seems they are done.” I said as I watched Issei walking away with a sigh and I was surprised to see the slight frown on Raynare's face as she walked towards us.

“How did it go?” I asked and she looked at me before shaking her head with a sigh as a smirk took the place of her frown.

“Good! He seems to understand and forgave me.”

“That's nice!” Asia exclaimed, but she looked away as she saw me looking at her.

“Really?”

“Yeah, he did.”

“…Okay. Let's get back to class, then.” I said with a smile and Asia looked happy to start her first day at Kuoh Academy as she walked first with Raynare and I taking up the rear.

“So, what happened exactly? Use your quiet voice and don't say the same thing because I know that's not what happened.” I whispered and she looked at me before letting out a groan.

“Fine, we talked, I told him everything and he said that he can't find it in himself to forgive me now.”

“Well, at least he knows you regret what you did…ever so slightly.” I corrected myself as I saw her deadpan stare and chuckled as she snorted before I surprised her by holding up a fist.

“What's this for?”

“A fist bump to show I'm proud of what you did.”

“…I want to punch you.”

“Too fast for you to hit.” I said with a smirk and she rolled her eyes, but I chuckled as she bumped my fist regardless before I chuckled as Asia turned to see us doing so.

“Wait, I want to be included too~!”

“This is your fault.” She whispered to me with a glare as Asia had linked our arms together with a happy smile and I rose an eyebrow at her.

“Don't act like you don't enjoy it.” I answered and she huffed while I smiled as Asia looked at me with an expectant look.

“Not you. You're okay.”

“I hate you. So, so much.”

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'She was not kidding.' I thought with a subtle gulp as I stood in the middle of Akeno's training room, which was just a vast training dojo half the size of a soccer field with a few straw men targets hidden here and there.

As for the lady in question, she seemed to be a woman of her word as she stood in a white shirt, a pair of shorts and white sneakers, but the shirt must have been a size too small as it was more form-fitting than I expected and the shorts...

'I swear, becoming a devil just made me more of a horny bastard than I already was.' Pulling on my memories of meditation, I ignored the sight of Akeno bending over to stretch and pulling her pants taut against her lower body as I took deep breaths.

“Ufufufu~ See something you like?" She asked and I opened my eyes to give her a deadpan stare as she looked amuse while putting her ponytail behind her.

"Let's just get this over with. So, I'm not going to be hurt too much, right?"

"No…probably.” Akeno answered with a shameless smile and I rolled my eyes before a demonic sword appeared in my grasp, the Queen smiling as the Gremory crest appeared floating besides her.

“So, how are we going to do this? Can I attack back or should I just dodge?” I asked before I shook my head as she giggled.

“You can attack…with the paddle sword.” Just as quickly, the first sword in my grasp shattered as a blunt sword in the shape of a large cleaver with a blunt blade appeared in its place.

“You sure about this?” I asked and her response was to make the crest glow before the air heated up as a quick barrage of small fireballs flew out of it towards me.

Not wasting a moment, my body blurred as I moved in a wide arc around the fire balls and to the side, sliding to a stop right as she turned to me while unleashing a burst of frost to the area around us.

Within seconds, the ground was frozen solid in a sheet of ice as I raced towards her, but I smirked as I threw the paddle sword up into the air while creating two flaming swords in my grasp.

Both Hellflame swords burned bright as I stabbed them into the ground while pushing off of it and unfurling my wings, catching the paddle sword and forming another sword right as I turned to see a lightning bolt slowly drawing closer to my form.

The next moment, I threw a Lightning Rod right towards it, forcing most of the lightning to impact it before I hissed as some of the lightning flew past and slammed into my chest.

I could feel my body seizing up from the influx of electricity, but I quickly forced my body to move as I flipped over and landed on a knee.

Looking back up at Akeno, I was thankful for the Hellflame I had stabbed into the ground as the flames they were exuding stopped her ice from coming closer.

“Okay, I understand it now.” I whispered softly with a smirk as I stood up, dismissing the paddle sword before creating a rapier with an orange hilt.

The middle section of the blade was a bright orange with numerous black sigils on it and the hilt itself has a dark red streak running down the middle.

Taking a deep breath, I held the blade loosely with the tip pointed at her as lightning sparked around her body while wind gathered around my body.

The next moment, the wind around me wrapped around the blade right as I I raced forward, skating and sliding around her lightning bolts before I surprised her as I deactivated the Hellflame blades and let the ice spread.

The blunt edge of a blade appeared under both shoes as I landed on the ice, skating on it with a balance I could only thank the Knight piece and my training for as being a swordsman did require some balancing exercises.

Akeno, however, seemed amused as she created six Gremory crests around her before unleashing a blast of water in all directions, to which I frowned as I skated under the water blasts before I cursed as her crests began to spark.

The next moment, I leapt over the water jets right as she unleashed a burst of electricity through the water, turning the floor below into an electrified field while I floated in the air with a smirk.

“You know you're supposed to hit me, right?” I asked with a smirk as I floated in the air, Akeno rolling her eyes as she snapped her fingers and swiftly dismissed the electric water around her.

“I know. You're just too scared to attack me.”

“Like I said, you're supposed to hit me and not the other way around.”

“Okay. Then I guess I don't have to hold back.”

'Wait, wh-!' My body warned at me to dodge and I quickly followed it as an ice spear barely clipped my face, reaching up and staring at the wet blood staining my fingers before looking back to see her smug smirk.

Instantly, I was out of the air and on the ground right as a barrage of ice spears nearly turned me into a pincushion, spinning the rapier in my grasp to rapidly slice through the ones she shot at me.

As I sliced through them, I was also forced to dodge around the regular fireballs she threw at me as well as the stray lightning bolt that tried to hit me.

'Almost…almost…now!' Spinning the Killer Queen rapier I was holding into a javelin's grasp, I aimed and threw it at her, watching as the blade sliced through the air before I grinned as I activated the runes on the blade the moment it flew just slightly past her.

A moment later, the room trembled as the blade blew up with a concentrated explosion, but I sighed as I created two more Killer Queen rapiers when the smoke faded to reveal Akeno standing with a large Gremory crest besides her.

“I see you made a few new swords, huh?” She said with a smirk as she deactivated her barrier and I shrugged as I swung the two rapiers through the air in my grasp.

“You didn't think you girls were the only ones who've been training so much, right?” I asked before chuckling as she gave a shameless shrug.

“I may have. Do you want to call that one a draw and move on to the next match?”

“Sure. Ready when you are.” I said as I held both blades in a reverse grip, waiting patiently as she looked at me before I slid to the side right as a Gremory crest appeared above me and shot out a lightning bolt.

'Okay, we're going for sneak attacks, huh?' I thought with a smirk as I threw one Killer Queen at her before activating it, creating another smokescreen as I raised the rapier up to be level with my head with the tip pointed at her.

With a deep breath, the smoke faded away as my eyes snapped open to stare at the barrage of fireballs and ice spears flying at me.

'Time to see how much my training has helped me.'

A/N: And the chapter has ended~!!

Neither are taking the fight too seriously and Kiba is a technical fighter so he's just using this as an opportunity to test out new blades.

Anyway, I decided to do the Issei-rehabilitation early before we move on to the next arc: The Fried Turkey Arc~!!

As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…

Ba-Bye~!!