A/N: Welcome, to my favorite part of every chapter. We know that the story is cool and all, but the real reason you're all here is that bold part up here and down there full of my rambling, right? Right? Well, of course not, most of you just skip it. Still, I like my rambling. And me advertising my other story or leaving credits for beta-ing where credits are due or leaving some info. So...

First, happy news. Since the last time we've jumped to over 200 follows and exactly 175 favorites! Great job everyone, let's keep those numbers growing! Also, a word for the trusty beta who contributed much to this, ekaterina016. Yet again thanks for all your help!

IMPORTANT STUFF!

Yup, the pool I talked about should land on my profile. Those who don't know, it's about who's paired with Grayfia. I may or may not have a bias there and if the votes will be close or there will be no votes at all I'll go with it.

Now, onto reviews.

- MeteorElDrago: This chapter should be more than enough to keep it up. And if he ever lands back in the hospital wing, it won't stop on just namecalling from female stuff.

- leader,dbz(had to switch . for ,): Tried to keep it up, had to fight hard with this chapter but in the end and with the help of my beta, I think it came out nice.

- Wic W. Athor: Yeah, the main reason I started it was because I realized there was nothing like that and I wanted at least one. As for IsseixGrayfia, the foretold pool will decide whether it'll be Issei or Sirzechs with Grayfia.

- MasterOfDragonsGod: Thanks.

A last bit of info. In this chapter, there's a new character. And while I'm not doing self-inserts, don't like them, that guy speaks my thoughts about pop culture armor in particular, but I'll use him more in the future to went some other things. Like the fact that every main character almost always uses swords! I get it, swords are cool, I myself love swords too, but for fuck sake, humanity's beautiful history of violence has so much more to offer in regards to tools for killing! And don't get me started how when they do use other weapons, they're completely oversized! OR SHIELDS! WHY NOBODY USES FUCKING SHIELDS!

And with my little meltdown behind, I'll end this part. Have a nice read.


"Where is that lazy brat? I'm sure what I did to him was not enough to kill 'im, neither did I threw him far enough to take that long coming back. He thinks I am a dog who must fetch him?" A looming figure hidden by the slowly setting cloud of dust asked without expecting an answer, who in his irritation was unaware of his leaking aura was paralyzing students around him. "For what is the reason of your training here, if you can't even stand a slap like this...?"

On the grounds of the arena resembling a Roman amphitheater, commonly called 'Inferno' by the Old Academy students, stood a group of twenty young Devils trying their best not to draw their instructor's attention. All of them wore various sets of gray, black, and red steel plate armors instead of standard robes, though the amount and details varied between individuals. Some wore notably bulkier parts on their upper body, others had little-to-no protection around their legs. If not for their lack of weapons, they'd be a perfect picture of a random soldier unit. Two rows of seven and one of six identical helmets reinforced the image, each fully covering their heads with gray steel and polarized visors over their eyes.

And still none had the slightest desire to draw the attention of their angry teacher.

"The rules I laid out at the beginning were simple, weren't they? You come here wearing armor AND helmet, unless you think you can withstand AT LEAST my slap! Your flying colleague, whatever's his name, clearly thought so. And he was wrong. Hope he shows up in his armor next time."

None of the steel 'statues' said anything, thinking back to how everything happened.

It was their second year of classes with this teacher, nicknamed 'Nightmare of Inferno' after this building. Most called him that behind his back, fearing that using his real name might accidentally summon him. As with every other student, they too heard stories, but their first year passed without any incidents. Nightmare still proved his reputation by being the most demanding teacher in the academy. However, there were no killing, mauling, or other life-threatening situations.

Until today.

One of them, hurrying to the class, showed up wearing robes instead of armor. Maybe he thought nothing truly bad would happen, and he couldn't make it otherwise. Or perhaps someone stole his armor ― Nightmare didn't ask. Their practice went on as usual. Forming trios and engaging in mock battles, the teacher watching carefully and calling out even the slightest mistake. When the training neared the end, he suddenly ordered everyone to stop and line up.

"Looks like another one wants to showcase their toughness." Those were the only words warning them what was going to happen, but it soon became clear what he meant as he stood before them, popping joints and staring at their armor-less classmate. He did not forget about him, nor let him go, but waited until it was time to deliver his promise to them.

The next moments passed terrifyingly quickly. The young Devil wobbly walked to the teacher, muttering every reinforcing enhancement, shielding spell, and summoning magic circles he knew. The teacher just stood there and waited for him to finish.

Barely after the student raised his arms and gave a signal, he was sent flying. Too fast for anyone to see, a backhanded slap connected with his face. The unfortunate guy lost consciousness before his feet left the ground.

Days later, when he woke up in the infirmary, his friends asked what was the last thing he remembered. "A glint in Nightmare's eyes before everything went dark," he answered.

"Whatever. Your other classes are none of my concern." Dusting off some leftover sand, the teacher turned to the group. "Class's over! Go change and do whatever you're supposed to do."

"Yes!" A choir of twenty voices shouted at once and hurried off the grounds. When they were far enough to feel safe, whispered gossips started between them. The group was so preoccupied with discussing what happened they didn't even notice two other students passed by.

"So that was the 'naked punishment', huh? To be honest, I've heard much about it, but fortunately never had to be on the receiving end." Sōma spoke, standing with Issei in the entrance to the arena. "Up until now, I've only had theoretical classes with this guy. But even then, I've earned a textbook flying to my head once or twice if I dozed off." The redhead remembered how 'effective' this method was to keep students awake.

"That must've been a hell of a slap..." Half-listening, Issei roughly tried to estimate the size of the arena, but it was too big to even bother. They came a moment before the armored group has been dismissed, hearing the last part of the lecture. The Gremory had no idea why what happened was called 'naked punishment' ― the act was cruel enough, much less the name. But if the Devil crashing down before them because of a slap was of any indication, what a serious blow from that guy was capable of terrified Issei.

"I've heard stories about what he did on the battlefield before coming here. Even if only half of that is true, I bet he was still holding back. Anyway, come, I'll introduce you." Before Issei could react, he was already dragged towards the man.

"Hey, stop!"

"Master Toriton, do you remember me?!" However, it was already too late to stop his friend.

"Yukihira?" A quick glance from the called-out Devil, and his face turned into a mix of familiarity and annoyance. "I remember hittin' your head awake, if that's what yer' asking. Last year you passed my lectures on Basic Warfare. And I also remember your year doesn't have any more of it, so why are you bothering me?"

"We don't. Instead, we have Combat Preparation, and my group's session is next. Let's have fun this year too, Teach." He finished with a grin, which turned the teacher's slight annoyance into a much more obvious one.

"Really? Well, whatev'. Why're ya' bothering me when I still have a quarter hour without any of you comin' here? And who's your friend, walking around without a uniform?"

"He's a new student. Headmaster Treon instructed me to introduce you two as soon as possible."

During his talk with Sōma, Issei got a chance to get a closer look at his teacher. The first thing even more striking than his looks was the air he had around him. Outwardly careless, but underneath, the Sacred Gear holder could feel a sharpness deadlier than even a Fallen Angel's spear. He couldn't place it on anything particular or even a specific sense which discerned it. The feeling just was there.

"Ho?" And just like that, the presence disappeared. "Color me surprised. Someone so young and seemingly weak, yet you can notice that." Nightmare of Inferno now stared at him with blatant curiosity.

With that 'something' gone, the young Devil could finally focus on the man before him. Giving credit to the rumors surrounding him, he was huge― just as big as the giant herald Issei remembered from his first meeting with the Sitris, easily over two meters tall. Built like Issei's grandfather, with muscles forged for fighting, easily showing through the gray training shirt and loose pants. There wasn't a hair on his face or head ― instead, he proudly wore a fine collection of scars all over his exposed body. The especially eye-catching one spanned from the left side of his skull down to the jaw, sticking out as a white line on tanned skin. A very intimidating man seemingly in his late thirties, removing all doubts about why he was compared to a monster. And those brown eyes which first just passed over him without sparing any attention now pinned him down and inside his soul.

"'That'?" Forcing his voice through the unnaturally sore throat, Issei resisted the urge to shrink under his look.

"Death." Staring in the teen's eyes, the bald Devil leaned closer, almost causing the Gremory to take a step back. "It's the stench clinging to those who have killed in hundreds or thousands. Warping something inside them, leaving its mark," he continued with a voice barely louder than a whisper.

"I don't smell anything. And my nose is pretty sensitive from working in the kitchen." Sōma reminded the two of them he was still there by taking a deep whiff from around Toriton.

"Stop smellin' me, Yukihira!" Grabbing the kid by the collar, the older Devil pushed him away with disgust. "The best aroma ya' can get here is sweat and dust, maybe some old blood. It can't be felt with just your senses. You have to be touched by it." Toriton looked at Issei again, but then only shook his head. "Yet this lad doesn't move, stand or breathe like someone used to committing slaughters. No, he knows it because he's experienced it… Didn't ya'? You've matching gaze with Death's empty eye sockets. Or was it something else?" He went on, his face gravely serious.

Sōma looked at his friend with doubt written all over his face, and asked with an ironic voice. "Seriously? So what; he's got some powers thanks to that, or what?" His friend-slash-adopted cousin ― from what he said ― had some close calls. The ones he remembered; and who knew what happened to him before he lost his memory. But things like that happened because of the Great War more often than anyone liked.

And Toriton's exaggeration was shown ironically and in a blatantly obvious way. So, unless he recently changed that habit, or tried to be funny especially for them ― both extremely unlikely ― Issei had to experience things worse than most soldiers. And that was something.

"Yer' stupid or what?! Of course not, as if the world was so convenient! You fight, you lost, and are about to die in a moment. But then, thanks to traumatic events or some memory, you develop new, amazing powers… BULLSHIT! Who the fuck'd even train if that'd work?!" The Nightmare of Inferno's voice rose as he gesticulated widely, looking seriously enraged right now. "If the kid's not a stone-cold killer or a psycho ― and I see he's not ― all he gets right now are nightmares, anxiety and this kind of crap. My brother and his kind call it a post-traumatic stress disorder or whatever. If his mind is weak and without help, he might snap one day. I've seen Devils like that; other races, too ― turned into empty husks and worse. Or he'll learn to live with it, accepting what happened as a part of him."

A hollow, bitter laugh escaped Toriton's throat as two teenagers continued to listen, not even aware they're holding their breaths. "If you want some 'powers', then… in that case, he won't at least shit himself when faced with something sure to kill 'im at the cost of his… sensibility, without a better word. One step closer to someone who kills without batting an eye, when all you get are clean head and pants when you're about to die."

Listening, Issei wanted to deny this theory, one sounding like utter madness, but inside, his own voice whispered something else. His fragmented memories of what happened inside his gauntlet made him sure there were things worse than death, illogical things. But even that was all to it, he had been like that since he woke up in that forest. Nightmare of black feathers and flaming orange eyes showed up at nights, leaving without any recollection apart from instinctual fear when waking up. Of course, he was curious about them and theorized what those were, sharing what he felt was sensible with his parents. If he was right, the eyes belonged to the 'Cat' ― his nickname to whomever or whatever it was who helped him up till now ― so he couldn't tell them anything about that part.

But the second part was also fairly obvious, all but pointing to the Fallen Angels. Issei actually thought he was starting to understand it as his lost memories, but then an unexpected mental attack caused by the sight of a fountain ruined it all. For all he knew there could be a moment he was once on the brink of leaving the world of the living. But he knew next to nothing ― except… there was one 'person' who could possibly know, but they're outside his reach.

"Your name?" A flat question asked by the teacher muted his internal struggle, pushing it aside for next time.

"Ummm… Issei Gremory."

Hearing the unmistakable clan name, Toriton grunted, finally understanding what exactly was going on here. "Yukihira, you can tell my younger brother I'll take on his task and will observe our new celebrity." He stopped for a moment. "Alright, Gremory. I'll remember your name and see what you're worth later. And since it's only fit to answer when someone introduces themselves, I have to return the favor. My name is Toriton Zelvon, and you'll detest what my brother puts you in."

What rose on giant's face after those words was one of the filthiest grins Issei ever saw. "Now, both of you, get lost, and don't you dare to disturb my free time before your session starts! Especially you, Yukihira!"


"What the Hell?! Or Heaven?!" With the two of them out, Issei couldn't hold it any longer. In his head, questions popped out so fast he actually didn't know what he wanted to ask first. What exactly just happened? Was that feeling earlier what Toriton said? How could he read him so clearly with just a glance? More and more things to answer in too-short a time, making the teenager stuck and trying to express those things out loud ― if not with words, then with gestures. And that's why Sōma stood a safe distance away from him and the wide arcs his hands made. "What?!"

For the redhead chef, that meeting could have gone better. What was supposed to be a simple introduction turned into some REALLY heavy talk… and most likely butting into his new cousin's secret.

One which shouldn't be kept to oneself, but still… This day was Issei's first day here, and it would've been much better without talking about deaths, massacres, and traumas. "Great job, Yukihira. You don't even have anything to serve as a snack to calm him down." With the mental self-scolding out of the way, all he now had to do was resolve the problem… Yukihira-style.

"Oh, I'm certain he's on Hell's side. And every Devil is glad he's not fighting for Heaven or Grigori."

"…what?!"

The famous Yukihira-style problem-solving, defusing the atmosphere with a joke and cheeky grin, failed. Instead of laughing, Issei now stared at him as if he'd grown a second head. Sōma really wished he'd brought more snacks. Calming others was so much easier while they were eating. Unless he served them his failed experiments ― then they sometimes turned too calm...

With his hands raised in surrender, Yukihira tried again. "A joke. Maybe not the best time for it, sorry. Try to take a deep breath. Calm down. Then ask."

Issei did as instructed and his mind indeed cleared a little. "Right. So, what's this guy's deal? He's..." Issei searched for a word to describe his new teacher without outright insulting him.

"Intimidating?" Sōma finished for him, getting a nod for that. "Well, that's obvious. As Toriton himself says, he's a man thriving on war, born to fight on the battlefield. Everyone wonders why he's here instead of hunting Angels. The most popular rumor is he lost a bet to his brother, and as a payment, he has to teach here."

Again, Issei nodded. A guy who talks with a person he's just met about massacres would fit a battlefield much better than a school. And about brothers… "His surname… Master Treon wouldn't be that mentioned brother?"

"Bingo. Toriton's Treon's older bro."

"Older?" The Gremory echoed, unsure if Sōma was joking again.

"Older. They don't look it at all, right? But if he wanted, Master Treon could make himself look younger than us."

That one actually raised some warning flags in Issei's head. What if he'd met some girl seemingly his age, who'd then turned out to be older than his grandma? Would he even care as long as she had great boobs and look young? If it was just peeking, then it didn't matter, but what about dating someone like that, or an even closer relationship? That was a topic to think over later in his room.

"Anyway," Sōma, happy his friend had calmed down, had a question of his own, "I'll answer whatever else you want to know later, but first I have to ask you something and then introduce you to our group."

"Sure, what is it?"

"That thing Toriton talked about… all this 'staring Death in the eye'. Is it true?"

"..." Issei pursed his lips, eyes running to the side. He'd expected this question, yet still hoped for Sōma to miss it or forget about it. A stupid wish, yes, but that didn't change the fact he didn't want to touch the subject any more than necessary.

"And whatever happened at the park… That was also because of that?" And yet Sōma still dug deeper, not letting him get away this time.

"I don't know." He still avoided the redhead's stare, but this time at least he answered. His tone was low and quiet, but enough for Sōma to hear it. "The thing is, I don't remember anything except for some random images. Maybe Toriton's right, but I can't say anything because I don't remember." There were things he suspected and was almost sure of, but couldn't share with Yukihira or anyone because of his promise to the Cat. As much as he hated his amnesia, it was at least useful as an excuse in this situation.

"Right." Now Sōma felt bad for asking, but Zelvon said keeping trauma inside without sharing with anyone could break his friend. And since there wasn't much else he could do without forcing Issei, which would do more harm than good, he gave up. "Just remember, if you want to talk to someone, me, Sera and Ajuka are here – if you can pry him away from his books. Even if we can't do anything about it, talking helps. Or so I've heard." A small smile crawled its way on Issei's lips, at which Sōma grinned. "C'mon, I still have to introduce you to the rest of our group before we go back to that crazy fossil!"


"To everyone who doesn't know me, the name's Toriton Zelvon!" A group of twenty-one Devil of both genders stood in the corner of Inferno's arena before the bald instructor. Among them were Issei, Sōma and Serafall, who came back after whatever she was doing. Earlier, when Sōma introduced him to everyone, Issei searched for Grayfia, but neither her nor her friends were here. All of them stood in line, face to the front, listening to his speech. "You're starting 'Combat Preparation', as your principal deemed to call this course. You were at the same time lucky and unlucky 'nough to get me! Unlucky, because you will HATE those lessons you have with me! Lucky, because y'all got a teacher whose students will live through the murderous training, and live through the battle later!"

Toriton turned to the three massive chests behind him, each nearly as tall as a grown man. The curious group tried to look over the giant's shoulder to see what's inside, but they didn't have to wait long for him to present their content to everyone. Each chest was full of weapons of various kinds and sizes. One was stuffed with swords and spears to axes and war hammers, as well as many other kinds of handheld arms. The second had bows, crossbows, slings, and weapons Issei couldn't recognize, but he assumed those were for ranged combat. The last had stacks of shields ― small, big, round, and other designs placed on top of each other. What all of them had in common was a complete lack of any ornaments. Just simple things of enchanted steel, wood, and leather.

"Today's quite easy for you. Each of you gonna' fight me with weapons I've chosen for you to see which suits you best. If you've brought yours, go on and try them. But if I judge you're shit with it, I don't care how much you whine, you'll train here with what I said. Outside, you can just as well use a fork to fight, but here, my word is the law! Understood?" Without waiting for their answer, he reached into one chest and brought out a mace, roughly seventy centimeters (2.3 ft) of strong wood, finished with a steel head. And Toriton waved it as if it's just a twig, pointing at the group as he walked before the line. "Even if you don't understand, you will soon. But before everything, I have to teach you the rules of this place. First, as I've already told you: No Satans, gods, deities, or other creatures in any realm rules here but me. As long as you're within those walls, you are under my orders. Second, whatever weapon and armor you get from here, you treat them with respect, because they will save your life, but you must also remember those are just tools at the same time. I will kick your arse if you throw your weapon, damage it without a good cause, or because you're too lazy to properly take care of it. Yet choosing between it and your comrade, you pick the latter!"

He threateningly swung the mace and checked if everyone listened carefully. "Third, again armor. That's because, after your fights, I'm gonna' design what students from Metallurgy and Enhancing classes will prepare for you to wear here. The rule is you're showing here in EVERYTHING, ESPECIALLYHELMETS! I don't care if they're stuffy, heavy, ruin your hair, or whatever the fuck's your excuse ― armor is to protect your bodies. Unless you're tough enough to the point where you can survive a blow from me without 'em, you're wearing it!"

"We've just had a first-hand presentation on why we should listen to that. Right, Issei?" Sōma muttered. Hearing him, Issei and Serafall had it hard to keep straight faces.

"NOW! Set some order in which you'll be tested and we're starting!" Shooting the redhead a warning stare, Zelvon shouted and then walked out towards the center of the arena. The old Devil didn't care in the slightest about firsts and lasts ― in the end, he'd test all of them, so he might as well let them set it for themselves. It's always informative the way they did it, either with random order, volunteers, fistfights or whatever.

What followed was a heated discussion, yet no blows were exchanged. Finally, the students settled for drawing lots. Issei was last, Sōma got his spot near the end, but Serafall had to actually go first. The girl, with her easy-going persona, didn't seem to mind it at all, but there were quite a lot of others they were glad that they didn't have to start it.

Everyone, except for the Sitri heir, lined up under one of the walls as she walked in her blue robes towards the teacher. "So you've finally decided. Starting with a Colored One to the boot, not bad." Toriton's voice magically resonated across the grounds as he gave Serafall's clothes a quick glance, gaining satisfied half-smile. "Your name, girl? And favorite weapon if you have one."

Serafall, full of her cheerfulness even before the feared teacher, customarily bowed like a respectful student should and then immediately sent him a beaming smile ― which a respectful student shouldn't. And somehow, that smile also caused little stars to rain around her. "Serafall Sitri, Master. Since I mainly fight with magic, I mostly use wands."

Watching the girl's spectacle, Zelvon raised an eyebrow questioningly, smacking away a stray star before it landed on him, but besides that, haven't reacted in any way. "A magic user? Since you have those robes, you must at least know something. We'll see how much is this 'something', though." The old man fell silent for a moment, staring intensely at Serafall. As the moment started to get uncomfortable and she was about to say something, Toriton snapped, summoning a small brown magic circle. Immediately, a short spear, an arming sword, and a pair of hunting knives emerged from the chests, followed by a circular shield under the eyes of startled students. They flew and stopped a meter before the teacher.

"Wands are useless unless they're sturdy enough for you to use them to smash someone. You can put the same magic-focusing enhancements or use the same sacred stick from a tree that grew in some random god's shitting spot to make a classic weapon like a sword… or a dagger for those small ones. And with those, you can stab or bash them when magic ends up useless." Toriton grabbed the spear and the shield, then threw it before Serafall. The spear had about two and a half meters (8.2 ft) in length with approximately fifty centimeters (19.7 in) of it being double-bladed steel spearhead allowing for both cutting and thrusting. The shield was a wooden disc plated with steel on the edges, roughly sixty centimeters (23.6 in) in diameter. "Based on your muscle structure, the way your bones are placed, your stance, and other things which are too long and unnecessary to explain, those weapons should suit you. Now, you're going to attack me while I'll be defending, then I'll start attacking you to test your defensive reflexes. You're welcome to try and counterattack then too, but I don't plan on giving you a chance. In fact, no one ever landed a hit on me in their first fight here. After a while, you'll change your weapon, and we begin anew. This way, we'll see how you work with them and which one you should stick with. Let loose; there's a barrier separating us and others."

Part of the class stared speechlessly at Toriton, one who understood the weight behind his words, delivered in a bored tone. The old Devil could tell just by looking at Serafall to understand how her body was built and worked, even with clothes on. Not only that, he immediately picked the appropriate weapons for her. Issei was among those who did. However, there was the thing which struck more than sheer impressiveness of it: If he could see all of those inner workings, was it possible to see girls' naked body, their exact shape with just a glance?! Of course, that wouldn't be the same as admiring them in their natural form, but an ability like that was worth more than its conceptual weight in gold just to be mastered! The teen's perverted mind burned it deep in his brain to ask more about it later.

As their friend was busy fixing her shield's straps and trying out her new weapon, there was one more thing the adopted Gremory wanted to know. "Sōma, those 'Colored Ones'… what's it about? I get it has something to do with how Sera has her robes blue instead of grey like us. But why?"

The redhead pointed at others in their group with a wave of his hand. As Issei's eyes wandered over them ― wearing the same sets of robes ― Sōma started in an overly-deep tone, copying Treon's way of speaking, "Headmaster Treon ruled that as a show of unity and humbleness before knowledge, students have to relinquish every color in their clothing. Representing one's Clan and using its Colors is a privilege given only to the best students here." With a smile wide enough to be used in commercials of teeth-whitening magic, he went back to his normal tone. "Over them stands a group we call 'Golds', because, in addition to wearing Colored robes, they also have gold trims. The elite of the elites, get it? And I know it's hard to believe, but Sera is actually one of the smartest students here. Not on the super-duper level of those goldies, but pretty high. Anyways, looks like her fight's about to start."

Sōma fell silent and fully focused on the center of the arena, not wanting to miss a detail from their friend's spar. Opposite to what Yukihira thought, Issei easily believed Serafall could be among the best of the academy. With her 'second face' he saw, and how she questioned him at the ball, she was much more than just a merry, blue oddball.

"I'm ready, Master!"

At those words, they all stopped their hushed talks. Trying to prepare for their own turns, each student glued their eyes to Sitri heir and infamous teacher.

For Serafall, they didn't exist. Gone was the little girl the Devils took for cute, if a little stupid. Her whole world right now consisted of the weapon in her right hand, shield in the left one, and the teacher. When the man acknowledged her statement with a nod, she sprung to action.

- SPLASH!

As she said, her main forte was magic, more precisely the Sitri Clan's water magic. That's why immediately after the fight started, she summoned two of her family's blue magic circles and shot streams of boiling water at Toriton. More than an actual attack, it was to create a diversion, as right after that she jumped back in the air with her wings unfolded to gain a distance and height advantage from her opponent.

Her hope about the effect of the attack were correct. The bald Devil stood surrounded by a blinding wall of steam, unscratched and not moving a muscle except for his eyes. Even when it should be impossible to see, Serafall felt his eyes drilling into her, coldly analyzing her.

"'Ven't been to some good ol' sauna for a damn while..." Toriton muttered under his breath. The girl's moves in the air were good, swift and precise; her magic, even better. He'd go so far to say 'exceptional' for someone her age. Quick summoning without much of delay or loss of strength… "She's about to launch another attack, trying to use the remnants of the fog to make it harder to defend… Good thinkin'."

Suppressing that illogical feeling of being observed, Serafall unknowingly did exactly as the teacher predicted. Summoning three circles around her, she executed her quickly-formed strategy. Her intention was simple. If no student ever scratched this instructor in the first fight, than that would be a massive achievement if she did just that, no? What's better, the 'no student' phase meant even the oh-so-smart Ajuka-I-am-Principal's-assistant (which he in fact never boasted like that) didn't manage this. Landing a hit at Toriton would let her hang it over that green head for years!

That's why she only summoned three circles. Packing them with as much power as she could, making them grow and glow bright blue. Precision and piercing. A single drop of blood, that's all she needed. She had a perfect spell for that. And using the fact Toriton just stood there without attacking, she could give it an extra punch without worrying.

"Hiyaaaaa!"

- SPLASH!

With a shout, she released it. Flying circles, similarly to the previous one, shot torrents of water where the teacher stood. This time, however, the current was much stronger and voluminous. And the trump card she hoped to give her a 'win'…

- SWISH…

"Freezing-cold water right after that boiling shower? And you even hid little icicles in it, smart." As the fog around him grew ever denser now, it started to irritate Toriton. So, with a swipe of a hand, he created a gust of wind to clear the view. "However, this test is for me to check your aptitude with weapons. From now on, if you want to use magic, use it with your spear."

Serafall only half-heard what was said to her, too focused on staring at the result of her magic and her opponent. Even though she wasn't a member of Lucifuge house whose powers specialized in controlling ice, with her polished talents in water manipulation, she managed to create ice as well as water. There was still room for improvement, sure, but the spell she used ― streams of water carrying barrage of razor-like ice shards ― was supposed to be lethal. That wasn't a boast ― with additional energy packed into it, every shard was at least the size of a fist. An even better testament of its power was the ground around Toriton: full of mini craters wherever ice hit, with some bits steaming and cracking loudly. But in the middle of it all, their teacher stood unmoved without a scratch or any mark.

"Muuu… Looks like I can't brag to Aju..." Whining to herself, Sitri looked closer at her spear and shield. Abandoning the vision worthy of a full boast, she now opted for just being the best in class at this test. "Yes, Master!"

Diving straight down, she aimed her weapon at the man's torso in a comet-like thrust. That finally got Toriton to move, as he changed his position at the last moment, letting her fly by. A sharp turn up saved her from crashing into the dirt, and with a little correction, she ended up flying slightly over giant's head level. Not waiting for another verbal command, her bat-like wings flapped, and Serafall attacked again, this time not as fast, however.

Her initial jab at the bald head was stopped with another side-step. Expecting this, the blue Devil quickly spun in the air. Coating the spearhead mid-turn in dense water, she froze it in the form of a long blade as she slashed with a suddenly longer weapon. But that surprise attack was stopped by a giant hand grabbing the ice part and crushing it easily.

Zelvon watched his new student's every move, seeing how her body acted with the new weapon. "Now, no flying!" Suddenly screaming out a new instruction, with a flick of fingers and a small circle, the master increased gravity for every flying thing inside his arena, effectively dropping the girl before him to the floor. The girl recovered especially quick and didn't waste any time before launching another thrust at his body. The position of her shield was too low, her footwork was a little messy, hence the thrust didn't carry as much energy as it could. He immediately saw those flaws, but they were inconsequential. Easily correctable with some work and a decent teacher to point them out.

As he deflected the tip of her spear to the side, the girl surprised him with trying to bash him with a shield instead of trying to regain control of the weapon. A good choice in this situation, but all he needed to do was to put a hand on it and push, sending her sprawling a few meters back. She landed back on her feet, taking some additional steps back to regain her balance. Those steps could cost her life if an enemy pushed immediately with a counter-attack, but the fact she's still standing was a success in itself.

"Defense, now!" He'd gathered almost all of what he wanted. He gave the girl a split of a second to process what he shouted, and then immediately jumped at her. One leap was enough to cross those few meters between them, making the girl's blue eyes widen in shock, only emphasized when she noticed his fist coming for her stomach.

Of course, it was much slower than he was capable of. Otherwise, there would be no point in this test if he killed every student with a single blow. The girl moved the shield, managing to block the blow. By the look of it, at the cost of a numb arm. He sent two more punches, one at her head and another at the weakened arm.

Serafall now understood why there were so many rumors around the Nightmare of Inferno, and why he had that nickname. He was basically a nightmarish monster as an enemy. Hard like a boulder, hitting just as hard without even trying. She tried to parry with a shield, and now barely could feel her left arm. And then, barely noticeable, she saw him aiming at her head like he's trying to kill her! By a pure stroke of luck, she moved to cover her head, only to lose the shield after the third attack.

"Stop!"

Panting from pain, Serafall froze at Toriton's new command. She couldn't see from where she stood, but the rest of the class also was unable to move. She was sure their teacher didn't use any magic, but somehow, her muscles wouldn't respond. That weird state quickly passed, leaving them with just a feeling similar to phantom pain, but over their whole bodies.

Uncaring of the impression he just made, Toriton walked over to where the shield fell. "That's enough with this combination, girl." Taking the spear from her hand, Toriton summoned another brown circle over her left. "This will help you with the pain and let you be ready for the next fight. Take a minute of rest, then we're starting again."

The reaction was unanimous shocked stares aimed at the bald giant. The fight they witnessed or took part in was without a doubt impressive, and even though short, Serafall definitely deserved some more rest. And yet, he wanted her to do it again almost immediately, most likely even twice more, to test her with every set.

All the more proof their teacher was a monster.

Soon after, Serafall fought him again, and then once more, true enough. After the third fight, Toriton nodded more to himself than to her and told the girl to go back inline. And the fights continued, with other students facing him in the order they picked out.

Except for his commands and calling out weapons for students, the teacher was silent, only sometimes muttering to himself too quietly for others to hear. If someone had their weapon ready beforehand, he allowed them to try it and repeatedly tested them. Some thought they were smart and got the idea there was no reason to exert themselves and tried taking it easy. 'Tried', because every time, Toriton immediately noticed, pushed at them with merciless attacks, and made them go right to their limits to bend, but not break.

Obviously, after the third person who tried that tactic, no one entertained any more of those smart ideas.

Because he was new, the class let Issei be the last one for testing. That allowed him to freely observe others fight. Various weapons were called out, some of them Issei didn't have a clue how to spell, much less use. None other fight was as impressive as Serafall's, or more like none carried as much power in them. The Sacred Gear holder could feel his gauntlet itching to manifest, or maybe it was just him wanting to feel its energy again. Either way, he made extra sure to watch Yukihira's fight, but it was obvious the redhead chef wasn't on their blue friend's level. It looked like he was most comfortable with a pair of long knives during his fight, most likely because of his experience in the kitchen. Still, a long way from Serafall's fight.

And then, finally, it was his turn. Full of jitters and slightly on edge, yet at the same time eager for a fight, Issei walked towards the center of the arena. When Toriton raised his eyes from a sword used in the previous fight, instead of silent analysis like every other student before him, Issei was given only a quick glance.

"Right, new Gremory. Let's get this over quickly." Issei watched as the sword was sent back into the chest. But when he waited to hear what weapons were picked for him, he heard a loud slam. Turning back, the teenager saw chests closing.

Then, Toriton called him out. "Attack me!"

That left the brunet even more puzzled. The only explanation was the teacher knew about the Boosted Gear. After his adoption ritual, the red gauntlet was a topic of most rumors surrounding him, and in their brief introduction, Zelvon seemed to have heard of him. This command made it almost certain.

- [Boost!]

So, he summoned the Sacred Gear, feeling a rush he already became familiar with again. The thing was, Issei was unsure whether he should stack up more boosts or attack as he was. One look at the instructor's face, however ― an image of impatience ― made him rush immediately.

- [Explosion!]

Issei shot forth using his one boost, readying a simple left hook. He didn't expect much after seeing everything that happened earlier and that he had only a single boost, but he was ready to try.

- THUD!

Only that, after two steps, Issei fell on the ground like a doll, not being able to breathe.

Without a move, a word, or any warning, Toriton sent that something. Same as before. Different. Not hiding or just being there, but now focused. Aimed. At him. Invading, suffocating him. It was there, just for a split of a second, but it completely immobilized him. Then, it left ― Toriton was again just a gigantic Devil, not a mass of pure pressure.

"Great, we're done! You'll get your weapons and armors by the end of the week. If you have any questions, keep them, we're done." Losing consciousness, Issei heard Toriton speak to the rest of the group. "Now, get lost, do whatever you want. And don't forget to pick up that Gremory from the ground."

Just as everything was turning black and Issei was sucked into the darkness full of black feathers, he had one last thought. Unless he misheard, he was the only one whom Toriton called by name…


And that's about it for this chapter. Hope you like it. As a trivia, most of this chapter was written while listening to OSTs of Doom and Doom Eternal. Great games with epic soundtracks. Another little fact could be Toriton's name, which is my friend's username, put through Google Translate. That guy's the best whipper to prod people for answers at my PBF RPG I've ever had! So...

"DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME!" My talk got interrupted by a bratty, loud, attentive, obnoxious "Enough with adjectives! Or at least put some positive ones there." ... cat. Why are you here?

"The question should be why I'm not here?! I got left alone without a word for a whole chapter and with your speed, IT'S FUCKING LONG!" I mean, you're not needed and I have no plans for you for a long time ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (Septimus the Cat was on the verge of tears) "I'll be forgotten before I get another appearance. And what's with this lame title?! You're doing this to bully me!" Yup "That's not fair! You should not treat your child like that!" You're not my child, you're a character born in my head "See? 'Born in your head'! Give my own omake series or I'm calling Child Protective Services!" No way! "Then maybe I'll be saying disclaimers?" I'm not using those if I don't have to. And since I don't make any money off here, I don't. "Review answering corner?" Hmmm... maybe next chapter.

That's about it. The next chapter I'll post will be for Story of Half-breeds, those that only read this one will have to wait. Stay safe and healthy, join those following and favoriting, leave a review and check out the pool. See ya.