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Second Arc: The Land of the Rising Sun

Chapter 9: IX

Three days.

That was how long it took for White to get out of bed. Most of his external injuries were healed within the first day, however, the backlash from using the entity's power caused lasting internal injury. Right now, he is still unable to activate his Touki, that is how weak his lifeforce currently is.

Despite his current weakness however, White forced himself to get out of his bedridden state to teach Sairaorg and Kuroka, he had an image to uphold after all. His body protested, pain jolting all over his body, but he endured it all with stone-face.

The first day his students saw him out of bed was also the first day he saw them since the Grayfia fight. In Sairaorg's eyes, he saw newfound respect and ambition. The first was easy to decipher, it was probably because of his showcase of power against Grayfia-the Devils respect power after all. The second was probably the same as well.

White did a small mental pat-on-the-back for knowing Sairaorg so well.

It was Kuroka's gaze however, that White had difficulty understanding. There was surprise and awe in them-that he could understand, but there was a third that he couldn't quite pinpoint as to what it is.

In any case, it was quite clear that their opinion of him had risen quite significantly after his display of power. It was an outcome that he concluded would happen since they saw him fight Grayfia, it still gave him a bit of joy from such a pleasant outcome.

"Hello you two. Good to see you are fine Kuroka; and I hope you've been practicing even without me needing to tell you Sairaorg." White greeted them as nonchalant as possible. This was his plan, to act as nonchalant as possible, thus giving them the impression that him showcasing a power surpassing Grayfia is nothing groundbreaking or amazing for him.

"Morning Teacher!" "Hi Darling~!"

Shaking off the sudden chill and discomfort he felt when he heard how Kuroka greeted him, White gave a smile that he hoped wasn't shaky; though from the worry that appeared on their face, his guess was that he failed.

Ignoring their worried face, White entered his "Teacher Mode" persona. The moment he did so, the entire air around him shifted; the smile and expression that was on his face disappeared, replaced by grim seriousness. He mentally smiled to himself when he saw his two students unconsciously stood a little straighter.

"Due to the internal injuries I sustained from overusing my power, I can't access my Touki. So until then, I'm afraid that you'll have to practice on your own Sairaorg...is what I would've said if we didn't have Kuroka here," White spoke.

Kuroka pointed to herself in confusion, "me?"

"Yup. Since you're now my student, I need to see what kind of path would be best for you to pursue. So you will be sparring against Sairaorg," replied White with a nod. Of course, this is actually nothing more than an excuse. With The help of his S.H.I.T System, the best path for Kuroka's progress was already revealed.

[Kuroka, the Black Cat]

B-7 I-8 W-10 F-3 Total-28

Bloodline- Nekoshou

Note- Has 2 Bishop Evil Pieces inside her. Special talent for Senjutsu and

Youjutsu.

Recommended Path: Remove the Evil Pieces; Spell Caster Path.

The same applies to Sairaorg.

[Sairaorg, The Banished One]

B-7 I-6 W-10 F-7 Total-30

Bloodline- Vapula (Dominant), Bael (Recessive)

Note: No Talent for Spells, Special talent for taming Animals and Beasts.

Recommended Path: Physical Body Path

It was because of this feature that White was confident about teaching Sairaorg Martial Arts, and so far, the system was yet to fail him-except for the lotteries (but when is RNG ever good in gachas?).

White bullshiting about needing to see what kind of path best suits Kuroka actually served two purposes: First, to provide Sairaorg with a training partner, thus fighting experience against an intelligent opponent, not just mindless magical beast; Second, to buy himself enough time to recuperate.

Hearing that she'll be fighting a seven-year old boy, Kuroka had to blink twice before her brain managed to process the whole statement. When it did however, she gave Sairaorg an incredulous look, "him?!"

Taking offense from being belittled, Sairaorg replied Kuroka's disbelief with a nasty glare- complete with a scowl; but with him being a seven-year old boy, it was more adorable than it was scary.

Uncaring of Kuroka's disbelief and protests, White nodded and had them spar against each other.

'Should be interesting,' White thought.

Watching his two students combat against one another, White enjoyed his English Breakfast tea that was delivered by a servant. The three of them are currently fighting in the forest surrounding the Bael Manor. Looking away from the fight momentarily, White took the time to enjoy the marvel at the scenery of the forest.

'Magic truly is impressive,' White praised in his heart. Just days ago, the forest around the area was destroyed by his fight with Grayfia, but looking at the healthy greenery surrounding him, White had difficulty seeing any traces of damage caused by the fight.

Even the Bael Manor was fixed within the three days that he was bedridden, and though it still lacked all the magical barriers that the original had, the building itself was finished. The Servants went overtime to finish reconstructing the Bael Manor. Seeing them work so hard to rebuild the manor did make White feel a slight sense of guilt, considering that it was his power-up that disintegrated the building.

'I need to find a way to do magic myself,' White noted to himself.

His musing was disturbed when a loud explosion reverberated around the forest. Turning his attention back to his two students, White returned to his observation. The sight of his two students fighting was quite the view in his opinion. Kuroka, who was a spell caster type, was unrelenting in her use of magical spells; magical runes surround her as she uses her proficiency in Youjutsu to elude Sairaorg.

Poisonous mist blankets the forest as they debilitate Sairaorg, his movements becoming sluggish as the poison seeps into his body. Normally, this would be the opportune time for Kuroka to attack Sairaorg, however, having experienced the boy's ability during this spar, she knew that he would soon recuperate from the poison.

Sure enough, with a quick burst of Touki, the poison was flushed out of his system. Sairaorg's skin, which was pale due to the system, regained its vitality immediately as adrenaline kicked in once again.

Enervated, Sairaorg exploded into motion, dashing forward with enough strength to destroy the ground he stepped on. His speed coupled with his smaller form, made it difficult for Kuroka to accurately aim at him.

Dashing towards Kurok with great momentum, White observed as his first student dodged the incoming magic missiles with ease. Granted, Kuroka's attacks had nowhere near the strength and power of the ones launched by Grayfia, it still held a decent chunk of power.

Aware of the difference in their physical parameters, Kuroka made the wise decision of blocking instead of trying to dodge the incoming strike, having attempted doing so previously, only to receive a powerful attack to her shoulder. Kuroka, seeing her sparring partner closing in on her, immediately erected magical barriers.

Layers of magical barriers manifest in front of her, each one of them rotating slowly in place. Despite the obstacle appearing in his path, Sairaorg did not slow down; raising his fist, Touki was condensed for a preparation to strike, a white aura covered his fist moments before Sairaorg striked.

'Circulate Touki into a focused area and condense it. And just as the strike hits. Release the Touki,' White narrated Sairaorg's attack, impressed by his student's attack. This technique was something White showed to Sairaorg only recently, and scarcely so too; yet even without his instructions, Sariaorg was able to replicate the technique on his own, showing just how impressive the boy's comprehension ability is.

As his fist connected to Kuroka's barrier, Sairaorg's Touki-enhanced attack pierced through Kuroka's barrier after a moment of struggle. Kuroka's magical barriers shattered like glass, only to reveal the Youjutsu rune hidden behind it. The rune vibrated as it released a near-invisible pulse of energy.

The moment he was struck by the pulse of energy, Sairaorg wobbled and fell onto his knees, his eyes were glazed and unfocused. 'Mental interference,' White concluded as he observed from a spectator's point of view.

White wasn't particularly surprised by the result of the spar. Between Sairaorg and Kuroka, Kuroka had much more versatility thanks to her magic, being able to fight in greater range. In addition, Kuroka was a bad matchup for Sairaorg.

When compared to Devil Magic, the Yokai's Youjutsu is much more attuned to the spiritual side of things; mental interference and illusions are the bread and butter of Youjutsu users. Their trademark technique, the poison mist, is considered powerful due to how much hallucinatory effect it has on the victim.

In comparison, Devil Magic tends to be more straightforward. Even someone as proficient in Devil Magic as Grayfia has an arsenal mostly composed of destructive spells. Sure, most of these spells have enough power to terraform the land, but they do not have the subtlety of something like Mental Interference.

'If Grayfia had Kuroka's proficiency in the subtler arts, I would've stood no-chance even with the temporary power-up,' White thought grimly. In a sense, both White and Sairaorg have the same weakness.

Sighing and placing down his cup of tea, White then clapped loudly, signifying the end of the spar. Standing up from the picnic chair he was sitting on and with his hands behind his back, White approached his students.

His steps are steady, but lacked the firmness and certainty that it usually has, reminding himself of his current weakness.

Sairaorg, having been released from Kuroka's influence, was sitting on the ground. His face contained great disappointment, coupled with his slumped shoulder, it was quite the pitying sight.

In contrast, Kuroka was jumping in joy, just this action alone showed how ecstatic she is over her victory. Her cat ears were perked up, creating the adorable image of an excited cat-maiden.

"Darling~! Did you see how amazing I was?!" shouted Kuroka as she waves her right arm.

Hearing the way she addresses him, White had to suppress the shiver that ran up his spine. It was unsettling having a girl much younger than him calling him such an affectionate term; if she was half her age, it would've been easier for White to ignore it as mere childish dreams, sort of like "I'm going to marry you when I grow up" kind of stuff. Kuroka however, was a pre-teen, thus making the situation awkward for White.

Keeping his genial smile in place, White replied, "You did very well Kuroka. And Sairaorg, don't look so down, Kuroka had a lot more combat experience, you did very well."

Sairaorg perked up a bit when addressed, though there is no doubt that the boy is still down about his defeat. It was natural of course; Sairaorg, mature as he was, was still a young boy.

"Well then, what have you learned from the spar? Let's start off with you Kuroka," White said as he gestured towards Kuroka.

Tilting her head, Kuroka was deep in thought trying to think of a reply; her eyes were scrunched close in focus and her arms were crossed under her growing chest. Eventually, after a minute of brainstorming, her ears perked up and her eyes shot open as she seemingly arrived at a conclusion.

"...Is it that I'm lacking in offense?" answered Kuroka, though her voice was unsure.

White nodded in response, "Correct, during most of the spar, Sairaorg was the one constantly on the offense because you lacked the ability to damage him. In fact, the only reason you won was because Sairaorg does not have a counter for Mental Interference spells. If he had any, the battle would have been his victory."

Hearing White's response, Kuroka cringed as she realized how close to defeat she was. Moments ago, she was on cloud 9 as she basked in her victory, only for it to be revealed to her just how close her victory was. Naturally, she wasn't as happy about her victory as she was moments ago.

Seeing that Kuroka has indeed learned her lesson, White turned towards his first student and asked the same question. Sairaorg took relatively shorter time to reach his conclusion, seemingly already understanding his shortcomings.

"I lack mental defense and ranged attacks," Sairaorg nodded with certainty.

Instead of replying, White gestured for Sairaorg to explain his reasoning.

"Just like you said to Kuroka, if I had any mental defense then I could've won. As for ranged attacks, it's to improve my offense," Sairaorg explained.

White nodded, "Correct, and in addition, having an option for ranged attack also bolsters your defense as it would allow you to fight from a distance, thus increasing your engaging distance."

As he spoke, White acknowledged to himself that the same reasoning applies to himself; similar to Sairaorg, he is lacking in the ranged attack department. It was a large factor as to why he had such a difficult time fighting against Grayfia.

In combat, engaging distance-otherwise known as maai- is a concept that refers to the space between two opponents in combat. Incorporating not just the distance between opponents, but also the time it will take to cross the distance, angle and rhythm of attack. For example, a faster opponent's maai is farther away than a slower opponent. It is ideal for one opponent to maintain maai while preventing the other from doing so, meaning that they can strike before the opponent can. Naturally, this also includes ranged attacks such as guns and arrows.

For example, in the fight against Grayfia, White had shorter maai, thus during the time in which he was attempting to close the gap between them, he was forced to endure as Grayfia rained ranged magical attacks against him.

Back to Sairaorg however, an entire year of being under White's tutelage made Sairaorg quite the analyst. Despite being merely 8 years old, he was awfully mature. For White, this was both convenient and concerning.

Although their relationship was initially built upon lies and self-interest, White has come to enjoy the presence of the much younger boy. Much like how an older brother would like to pamper their younger sibling, White wanted to give Sairaorg a wonderful childhood despite the immense pressure on both of them.

'Something that I'm failing at,' White thought to himself, shame and guilt filling his head. Since the day he met Sairaorg, roughly fifteen months have passed. During that time period, White has yet to give Sairaorg the time to let the boy enjoy his childhood. Seeing the boy grow powerful at a speed unprecedented, filled White with both pride and sorrow.

"In any case, whilst I am indisposed, the two of you will be spending time sparring against each other. Sairaorg, I want you to take this opportunity to polish your Touki control; Kuroka, I want you to get into tip-top shape as soon as possible, I presume that you did not have the opportunity to work-out whilst experimented by them." White spoke after allowing both of his students some time to ruminate over their lessons from the spar.

Receiving nods and exclamations of confirmation, White headed back towards the manor, eager to refill his cup of tea.

A couple of days later

Sitting cross legged under the shade of a tree, White closed his eyes. He could make the distinct sound of combat a distance away from his location. Recently, he taught both Sairaorg and Kuroka the Black Heaven and Earth martial art katas. For Sairaorg, it was the next step in increasing his martial prowess as a close-quarter specialist; for Kuroka, it was to prepare her for unlocking her Ki and eventually Senjutsu, the bread-and-butter of Nekoshous.

There is virtually nothing he can teach Kuroka on Youjutsu as he is not a Yokai, but Senjutsu is not beyond him...theoretically. And that's the reason why he is now attempting to meditate.

Still in a meditative position, White was staring at the system tab that was in front of him, on it was information about the bonus reward that he received when completing Main Quest 1.1.

Outer Body Training Method (Technique)

A meditative technique that allows one to train and practice martial arts in a meditative trance. To use the Outer Body Training Method the user begins by spreading Ki throughout until he or she can feel it pulsing. Once the pulsing can be felt the practitioner can enter in the deeper meditative state and enter their mindscape.

The user can bring up memories of past opponents for practice.

According to the books he read (he tried looking up in the DevilWeb, but that shit had nothing but entertainment), Senjutsu was the act of using the Ki-or lifeforce-of oneself and turning it into a constant flowing current in their body.

In a sense, both he and Sairaorg have achieved this to a certain extent with how the both use their Touki explosively-though the way they have been using their Ki is more like a wave crashing instead of a river flowing. The next step to achieve Senjutsu was to feel the energy of other living beings beside themselves, like the plants and trees around them.

White was hoping that through a session of mediation, he would be able to feel/reach out for the energy in nature. It was an idea that he got from reading Naruto as a teen.

'Feels like a lifetime ago,' White thought as he recalled the time where he could afford to be careless and negligent; now, he was always under constant pressure from both the system and the environment around him.

Eventually, all his unnecessary thoughts were thrown away and he entered a meditative state. His Ki began circulating, pulsing through every part of his body, and White entered a deeper state of zen.

It was pitch black. There was no up or down, no right or left, and no sense of depth. Yet despite there not being any source of light, White was able to see his entire body clearly. It was odd and fascinating at the same time.

"So this is my mindscape," White remarked while admiring the void around him.

"Took you awhile." A voice echoed in the dark void, sounding from behind him.

Reflexively turning around, White faced towards the source of the sound. Had it not been for the fact that it was not his real body, he would've broken his neck with how fast he turned. What greeted him was a sight that he was not prepared for however.

It was him, albeit with white hair.

" Though it was within the margin of error, I expected you to be here sooner. " His doppelganger casually said, a smile on his face.

"Who the fuck are you?!" White shouted.

Let it be known that White is normally a composed individual, but even the greatest of man would be agitated when someone literally invaded their mind. For an individual, their mind is their sanctuary, a location where no one can truly judge them for their every action, where the world's opinion doesn't matter. The same was with White. This was his mindscape, a location only accessible to him, there shouldn't be any other person but him in here.

"Oi oi, calm down with the aggression, will ya? I'm not here to harm you." Doppelganger White said while raising both hands in a sign of non-aggression.

"I said. Who. The. Fuck. Are. You?" White said through gritted teeth.

This was no laughing matter. There was an unknown entity with unknown allegiance in his head. Subtlety was thrown out of the window.

"Now now, that's no way to talk to your savior." A smug smirk appeared on the copy's face.

White's eyebrows shot upwards in his surprise. He was fidgety, on one hand, the entity saved him, on the other, he invaded his head. In the end, White chose to thank the entity, for the sake of self-preservation, "so it was you who saved me...I guess I do have to thank you for sending me that stone."

"...stone?" The smug smirk was gone, replaced by a confused frown.

At this White blinked in confusion. "Was it not you who sent me the Special Gift? There was even a message sayin-GAkh!"

The copy seemingly teleported in front of him, grabbing his throat with a single hand and raising him off the non-existent ground. No longer did his copy have his pair of black eyes, instead they were replaced by a pair of yellow eyes burning with power. Steam seemed to escape his copy's lips.

His copy-no, this entity began speaking in a low voice, rage barely concealed.

"I did not send you any gifts. Are you saying...that you owe another entity a favor?"

Author's Note:

Wassup peeps! Silver here!

Sorry for the short chapter after such a long time since the last update. My sleep schedule has been f*cked over the last two weeks, causing my health to deteriorate and resulting in a loss of motivation to write this story.

On another note, I started a different fic. It's called "The Devil You Know", another DxD fic-though this time it's not a system fic. You can find it on my profile. I've only uploaded the first chapter of that fic, but do give it a try, it's a lot more brazen and immodest than this fic will ever be. To be honest, I'm having a lot more fun writing that fic than this one, so I might just put this fic in the backburner for a bit.

Also, I've been busy simping on Suisei, sue me.