Humanity's Illusion (Highschool DxD)

[charclone]

Asia forced herself to remain still as Philip stepped out of the cabin, Rias following him, the day after the meeting with Rizer, after a long hike up a mountain to a remote training camp owned by the House Gremory.

"Okay, so, we have a basic training plan," The magician announced to the Gremory Peerage. "I will be spending an hour teaching those of you skilled in spellcraft some useful spells. I will expect you to practice them later."

"The rest of our time here will be taken up practising, training, exercising, and building up your power," Rias joined in. "We have ten days before the Rating game. And we will win."

As Ise cheered, Asia briefly felt shame at her hesitation, before she nodded. Yet, doubt plagued her mind. She had been reborn as a Devil, thus, should she be more excited at the prospect of bloodshed?

"So," Philip continued. "Couple points to note. Ise, focus on using your Boosts on your rate of growth. If that doesn't work, just focus on the rate at which your body heals. Both you and Asia are also to experiment with your Sacred Gears."

"In addition, Aya is away talking with her grandparents who may agree to help train you," Rias took over where Philip left off. "Lastly, if any of you have ideas or concerns, go ahead and voice them."

"No such thing as a bad idea, just an impractical one in need of workshopping," Philip joked. "I'll be away most of the time, as will Aya, but I will help whenever I am present."

"Oh? Working on anything that we can use against that fried Chicken Bastard?" Ise asked, excited. Asia gave him a small, quiet, disappointed glare at his use of bad words before she paused, the look vanishing before anyone saw it, and briefly wondered if, as a Devil, she should instead be using that sort of language. Then again, Ise seemed to be the only one who did use swear words…

"No," Philip rolled his eyes. "I do have to teach Saji too, you know. Also, I have a job besides tutoring you three."

"Right," Philip clapped his hands. "We'll start with the first two spells I'll be teaching you. They are Sealing Barrier and Elemental Dart. We will work our way up to Elemental Lance over the next few days."

Asia swallowed as she felt butterflies in her stomach.

Unaware of Asia's nervousness, Philip began to lay out the basic mathematics of the spells. Asia appreciated the visual guide he gave, using illusions, but it didn't make the math any easier. It was more advanced than anything she had been taught by the Church. But she would push through it, for the sake of Ise, her new friends, and the second chance at life she had been blessed with.

Eventually, once Philip was certain they had the basics down, and after making a teasing comment about him being jealous over Devils' ability to not need hard formulas on the spells to cast magic, he set them to practice them.

Asia giggled as she hit Ise for the third time in a row with Sealing Barrier, his own spell fizzling out as his power was briefly constrained, his face falling.

"Alright, Asia, not bad," Philip complimented with a nod. "While I am gone, focus on tightening up your spells and casting them faster. Ise… yeah, find a target and practice on it. But you are keeping them tight and efficient, so good job there."

Ise deflated, slumping where he stood, but gave a nod.

"Alright," Philip turned to the far end of the field. With a wave of his staff, copies of Rizer appeared. "This-"

A blast of power made them all jump as one of the illusions was torn apart, cutting off Philip's words.

A moment later, Rias meekly lowered her arm. Her face flushed with embarrassment as she apologised, before turning around and heading back into the cabin, giving Akeno a death glare as the Queen giggled.

"As I was saying," Philip coughed and replaced the destroyed illusion. "You will be using these as targets."

Ise pumped a fist in anticipation. Asia frowned. She understood why Ise was excited, Rizer seemed like a bad person. But the butterflies in her stomach did not cease.

"Okay, just hit them with the Elemental Darts a couple of times, at your own pace," Philip instructed. "We can work on speed and accuracy later. Same with efficiency."

Ise took a deep breath, and as his Gauntlet appeared with a draconic voice shouting 'Boost!', he poured his power into the spell.

The small dart of fire fizzled out behind the illusion.

"Accuracy isn't bad, but the power was lacking," Philip critiqued. "Also, use ice, or some other element that won't cause ecological devastation."

"Ahaha…" Ise gave a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of his head. "I, uh, only know the fire one…"

"Then go back and memorise something like ice or water," Philip sighed. "Okay, Asia, you are next."

Asia tried. She held her hands up and pushed the power into the spell. It even materialised before her… but not fully, collapsing into itself.

In the distance, the illusion of Rizer seemed to mockingly grin at her, even though Asia knew it was just mind. Or Philip teasing her.

She tried again, and this time, the spell stayed stable for several seconds, but she couldn't get the power to stabilize enough for it to release.

She paused, as Philip waited patiently, a slow frown forming on his face. She took another breath, ignoring the heat from her cheeks, and gathered her reserves again.

"Enough, Asia! Enough," Philip suddenly called out.

Asia blinked in surprise, then stumbled as the world seemed to sway around her.

Ise was suddenly there to catch her as she fell.

Philip sighed.

"Okay, that's enough for now," He declared. "Ise, keep memorising the other variants and practice with them. Asia… are you alright?"

"Um… I'm fine," Asia said as she tried to stand, after giving Ise a grateful smile, and desperately ignored her blush. "Um… so should I try again?"

She tried not to sound pleading.

Philip shook his head.

"Ise, why don't you go practice," He said. At the Pawn's reluctant look, Philip sighed. "I want to talk to Asia about it, before moving ahead."

Ise frowned but gave the magician a nod and went back to where the books had been left on a picnic table.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Philip turned to Asia, giving her a look. "You became very pale and poured far more power into that spell than you needed to. I'd have probably passed out around halfway."

Asia flinched.

"No, no, I'm okay," She held up her hands. "So, I just need to put less power into the spells?"

"… no," Philip frowned. "Tamamo seems to think there is more to it than that."

Asia flinched again. Philip snorted.

"You're worse than Aya at keeping things a secret, aren't you?" He accused with amusement. Asia just hung her head. "It's alright. I, nor Rias, will be mad. Now is a good time to find issues before we start heavy planning for the Rating Game."

Asia's butterflies turned into a hurricane.

"I'm… I don't want to be useless…" She started to sob. "But… I… I hate the idea of hurting people. I know… I know I'm supposed to be a Devil now, but…"

In the distance, she could hear Ise suddenly rush towards them.

"Is there a difference between Devils and humans, beyond the inherent magic?" Philip asked.

"Well, um," Asia sniffled. "Ah, the priests and sisters… they said that… Devils were evil, but… Rias isn't like what they said, and the one I healed, he was so kind."

A distant look flickered over Philip's face, a slight tugging at the side of his face.

"So, they were wrong, or didn't have the whole story," Philip said. "One would hardly expect the nice Devils to willingly go out hurting people."

Blinking Asia nodded.

"Ah, is everything okay?" Ise asked.

"One moment, please," Philip calmly replied, before looking back at Asia. "So, no offensive spells. You had no issue using the Sealing Barrier against Ise, so, as long as it causes no direct pain, do you think you could do that? If not, I can look into you getting alchemy lessons from Moreal, and we can look into teaching you to be more flexible with your healing."

Asia sucked in a breath as Ise put a supporting arm around her shoulder. She wiped her tears and leaned into his touch.

"If it helps Asia, she can use me as a target as many times as she wants," The boy declared.

"I… I am willing to try," Asia said.

"Okay," Philip nodded. "In that case, I will focus on buffs and debuffs I can teach. Unfortunately, illusions make up the bulk of my repertoire, so I will need to ask around for some spells."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Asia winced. "I didn't mean to cause problems."

"No problems," Philip denied. "I should broaden my own skillset anyway. Besides, I am being paid to teach you. Once you feel ready, I can teach you some of the basic stuff I know, though I haven't used it much. Given your reserves of power, I suspect you will be able to leverage them to greater effect than I could."

---

"Well, aren't you the cutest!" Masa Kato declared. The elder kitsune rubbed Asia's head, ruffling her hair. "Why didn't you say she was so cute!?"

Philip sighed as Aya wilted under her grandmother's teasing glare. Asia, for her part, didn't mind the affection, though she wasn't sure how to react to being hugged.

"Anway," Rias coughed. "Thank you for agreeing to help."

"After Aya described what the sleaze was like, I had half a mind to call some fae I know," Masa replied, smiling. Asia trapped in her embrace, by both arms and tails. "But that would probably be a bit too far. Even if he deserved it."

"Perhaps as a plan B?" Rias said. The coughed. "Now, you said you had a plan to help us train?"

"Correct!" Masa released Asia. "Now, your main issue is that his peerage has more experience and general power, correct?"

"That's correct," Rias confirmed.

"His regeneration is an issue," Philip added.

"Well, I'm not sure I agree," Masa countered. "After all, you already have everything you need to crush him on his lonesome. So, you need to take out his Peerage, divide and conquer."

"That is the general plan we had," Rias frowned. "What do you suggest?"

"Simple," Masa grinned and looked at Asia. "Could you try and bless this bottle of water for me, please?"

Asia swallowed, uncertain, but nodded before she prayed over it. She gave a brief hiss of pain, but pressed on, her Twilight Healing giving a green glow as it eased the pain.

Rias' grin became predatory when she felt the prick of pain from a single drop when she experimentally dripped it onto her skin.

"Oh, Lady Gremory," Masa asked. "Where is the rest of your peerage?"

A sudden yelp of pain echoed from across the camp as Ise took a blow.

"Rias is having them beat on Ise," Philip bluntly stated.

"No!" Rias protested. "They are helping teach him to dodge."

---

"How is it going?" Cain asked as he entered the lab. Then he paused and blinked. "Where is everyone else?"

"Given the time here in Berlin, asleep is my guess," Philip replied. "A pity temporal manipulation is still out of our reach."

"Gods can handle the side effects," Cain replied. "We cannot. Now, anything interesting?"

"Well, I think Asia has issues with causing harm," Philip said. "Um, Ise is quick to learn when motivated. Rias doesn't think things through."

"I meant about the project, though those are interested," Cain shook his head with a smile. "I have also prepared a list for you."

"Ah, thank you. Now regarding the project… well, without Heaven's system to pull power from, we need to use magazines or batteries of some sort," Philip said. "It will bulk up the design since having magicians charge them in combat isn't an option."

The young man stood from where he had been studying a diagram on one of the tables and walked over to another workbench, where a large, disassembled weapon lay.

"As for the goal… well, golems can handle the weight, and I certainly wouldn't want to stare down the barrel of a massive cannon, no matter what it shot," Philip snorted. "I think, with the modifications to the design I had and Moreal's crystal recipe, we can get these out at a decent rate."

"Excellent," Cain clapped his hands. "Now, head home. Get some rest. I can speak from experience when I say that teaching can tire one out quickly."

"Sure boss," Philip yawned. "Just wanted to read over the notes added to the design."

"Do it in the morning," Cain ordered. "You have the time. Also, the favour owed: I will have you attend the Rating Game. I have a few more things I would like, but I think that, and a slight discount for some alchemical ingredients will be sufficient."

"Yeah, alright," Philip snorted. "You think Rias will win?"

"Probably," Cain shrugged. "I've seen what her kin can do with Destruction, and what the Phenex can do. There is a reason Bael, was a King of Hell and Phenex a Marquis. Encourage them, and help them grow. And foster good relations."

"Yeah, I won't forget my main job," Philip shook his head before heading off. He paused for a moment. "Hey… and suggestions for taking out a Phenex with spells?"

"Keep the head from reforming," Cain replied. "Holy Light and Ice, with an Elemental Lance, should do it. No ability to think will keep them from moving or casting spells. Keeping them still long enough, that is the trick. What you should be asking is how to deal with his Peerage."

"And?"

"He uses them disposably, as I'm sure you noticed. Make him pay for that."

 

[charclone]

A.N. Sorry for the long wait. Projects to finish took a lot of energy. Fortunately, my exams are spread out. I will try to get back into the swing of things going forwards, but no promises.

---

"Okay," Philip clapped his hands as he stepped from the teleportation circle, calling Rias and her Peerage's attention to him. "So, while three days is not the amount of time I would have preferred for the basics, needs must when the devil drives."

Rias rolled her eyes at the pun. Akeno giggled in false amusement, while the rest of the Peerage looked lost. Aya, beside Philip, just sighed. Kuroka ignored it, instead focusing on her sister.

"So, until Grandmother Masa gets here, I will go over some of the spells that my boss recommended me to teach," Philip continued, pulling several books from his magic bag. "I will also be working with Rias and Akeno about some potential issues and plans. Asia?"

Ah, yes?" The former nun squeaked.

"This stack of books is yours," Philip handed them to her. She gulped as she felt the weight in her arms. "Ise, these are yours."

The teen boy gave a sigh of relief when he saw his stack was much shorter than Asia's, before quickly taking on an apologetic look towards the girl.

"Ah, I'll help you with yours, Asia," Ise offered.

"Um… but you have your own to read… I can do it," Asia replied, a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Due to Ise not having nearly as much power as you. He has to be conservative as a result," Philip explained. "If you have any difficulties, write them down, or record what you think the problem is, and talk to me tomorrow. I'm here to help."

"Koneko, here are yours," The white-haired catgirl frowned as she took the stack. "And these are for you, Kiba."

"Why?" The nekoshou softly asked Philip. "My sister is teaching me already."

"She is teaching you what she knows, and I know her magic abilities are lacking," Philip answered. "How high can you jump?"

Koneko tilted her head to the side in thought.

"Can you stop your momentum mid-air? How about changing directions or double jumping?" Philip pressed before she answered. "Your devil powers mean you don't need the exact formula to pull off those tricks. I've seen you fight. You are direct and tough, but you could be faster, in short bursts, more agile, with minimal investment."

Kuroka sighed. Philip just gave her a look with a raised eyebrow. The raven-haired catgirl had, eventually, begun to adopt more complex offensive spells, but unlike Koneko who preferred to pound problem's faces in, she preferred range combat.

"Don't give me that look," She grumbled in response to his look. "It's exhausting."

"You're reading and practising spells, hardly physically demanding," Philip shot back.

Koneko stepped over to her sister, then pinched her sister's gut.

"… stop lazing about," She quietly demanded, earning a squawk of protest from the elder catgirl.

Philip moved on.

"Aside from Ise, the rest of you also don't need to learn the spells exactly, just close enough that your powers can handle the rest of the heavy lifting," He glanced around. "Ise, focus on what comes easily, I don't expect you to know every one of those spells when we are done."

Kiba gave a slight cough.

"I notice that these are a mix of defensive barriers, movement spells, and spells to augment my sword strikes," He said. "But do you have a recommendation for me to focus my training?"

"Swords aren't within my area of expertise," Philip admitted. "Aya?"

"Can you make a chainsword?" At the blank stares she received, she shrugged. "What? Here, I'll show you a picture."

As Aya fished out her phone to present an example, Philip sighed.

"Kuroka, I blame you for this. She started playing Space Marine on the console recently," He grunted. "Ah, actually, Kiba? Masa's husband is a sword user, though he uses Japanese blades. He might have some advice."

Kiba frowned and gave a nod, then concentrated on the image Aya showed him.

From the ground at his feet, a copy of the weapon sprang into his hands.

"I mostly prefer Western swords," Kiba admitted with a smile. "But it would seem that I can make a chainsword."

The mechanical blade roared as its teeth churned, running down its length.

"Okay, I'm now jealous," Philip snorted. "Now, any other questions? No? Okay then. Aya, I'll leave you to help them while I talk to Rias and Akeno."

"Sure," Aya nodded. "Asia, while Kiba and Ise spar with sticks, why don't you alternate buffing and debuffing them, to practice the spells?"

"Why don't we talk inside," Rias offered, before leading the human magician towards the building her peerage was staying at in the retreat, for the duration of their training. "So, what issues do you see?"

"Well, for starters, you and Akeno are spellcasting brutes," Philip stated bluntly. "Can you control the shape, or use your powers to alter the terrain to your advantage?"

Rias frowned at Philip's blunt statement.

"While I do not agree with your… analyses of my abilities, I do see your point," She admitted. "What about Akeno?"

"Well, aside from flight and throwing lightning, I'm not aware of any of her other skills…"

---

"Good, keep hold of that focus," Aya said to Ise before glancing at Asia. "Asia, please try to do more than buff Ise. You're giving him a handicap."

"Ah, I'm sorry!"

Aya shook her head in bemusement. At least Ise wasn't staring at her chest anymore.

"Kiba, have you had any training in ki use?" She asked.

"No, I have not," The blond swordsman replied, having swapped the unfamiliar chainsword for his preferred blade before sparing. "But I do understand how the basics could work with my existing skills."

"Well, six days isn't enough to do more than practice the basics," Aya frowned. "My grandmother might have some ideas."

"Indeed I do!" Aya found herself enveloped by a pair of familiar arms along with a set of five tails around her waist. "Now, I only just got here, so I missed part of the conversation, but am I to assume that I am teaching Kiba here, too?"

"I would appreciate it," Kiba spoke up with a formal tone, bowing slightly as Ise collapsed into the grass at their feet.

"Alright then," Masa grinned, her arms and tails still wrapped around her granddaughter. "Meditation for everyone!"

Aya groaned, dreading meditation.

---

"Ah, Philip?" Ise called as he caught sight of the human magician. "Can I talk to you?"

After speaking with Rias and Akeno, and making some suggestions that they agreed to consider, Philip had returned to the others, to see them meditating. So, he had decided to write down some ideas for further refinement of their skills and potential pairings of Rias' Peerage that might prove effective in battle, rather than bother them.

Philip glanced up.

"Sure," He nodded to the teen. "Is something wrong?"

"Um," Ise hesitated as he stood, walking away from where the others were meditating in a circle. "Kind of? Can we speak in private?"

Asia shot a concerned glance at his back that went unnoticed.

"Alright," Philip stood and led the reincarnated Japanese devil around the corner of the building. "So, what's up?"

Ise seemed to slowly freeze, mumbling under his breath as he tried to organise his thoughts.

It took Philip a moment to realise the hesitant expression Ise wore tainted with pain. He internally winced, putting two and two together.

Ise, after several heartbeats of hesitation, suddenly changed his expression.

"Ah, I… um. So, are there any ways to quickly make someone more powerful?"

Philip blinked.

"Uh, kinda?" He replied. "Depends on what you mean by more powerful."

"Um," Ise once again fumbled. "I guess… uh, I don't know. Anything that could let me punch that fried chicken bastard in the face?"

Philip blinked at the teen's blunt desire.

"Well," He hummed with a frown. "Not really. Nothing besides planning, time, and training."

Ise wilted in disappointment.

"Brute strength doesn't win wars," Philip explained. "Brains over brawn, as the saying goes. Technically, there are alchemical processes that can boost one's physical abilities, but those have drawbacks and side effects, and on top of that, you need time to learn to adapt to the changes. Honestly, the biggest and most effective boost, with the fewest drawbacks, is becoming a devil, and of course, as you know the power boost is slow, over time."

Ise sighed.

"But something about the way you asked for this to be private tells me that wasn't the question you wanted to ask," Philip noted. "So… what pains you?"

Ise flinched. His skin paled slightly, and his cheeks took on a rose-hued tint.

The devil was silent for several moments. Philip patiently waited.

With a huff and a sigh, Ise rubbed the back of his head.

"I'm jealous of you!" Ise forced out, his arms thrown wide. "You've got a big-titted kitsune, Koneko's curvy sister, the student president, and you probably even have other beautiful girls too from across the world, and you're not much older than me!"

After the outburst, Ise slumped.

"I wanted to be a harem king. But I can't even get one girlfriend."

Philip blinked, processing what the teen said, then attempted to formulate his response. After a moment he frowned.

'Tamamo, would you kindly shut up!' He angrily directed at the fox spirit. 'Your laughter is not helping.'

Philip took a deep breath and pressed on in trying to formulate a response, hindered by his growing unease at the topic.

"So… first of all, please don't refer to Aya like that," He began. "Second, Aya is the only girl I am in a relationship with."

Ise blinked. His face turned apologetic.

"Sorry, I just… it's my dream, you know?" The teen said.

"Regarding Sona and any other girls… most of the women I interact closely with are already in relationships, or have no interest in me," Philip paused. Then sighed. "Admittedly, Kuroka has been blunt with her interest, but…"

He chewed his lip.

"Your parents, they love each other, yeah?"

Ise blinked, glancing at Philip.

"Yeah?" He frowned as he replied. "I mean… mom seems upset that I don't have a girlfriend… and they sometimes argue over it, but I mean, I guess."

"What I mean is… they have a relationship that you would want to have with someone else, right?" Philip pressed. "The relationship my parents have… it's toxic. I haven't been home in years. My father is a layabout, my mother an abusive miser that… never mind. Point is… I am… uncomfortable and uncertain about relationships. Aya? That… just kinda happened. I don't know if I love her… because I'm honestly not sure what love even is."

Ise rubbed his head in embarrassment.

"Ah, sorry," He said. "I just… I wanted to ask you how to get a girl but…"

"But I don't know how," Philip snorted, his face morose. "Look… I'm not comfortable with the idea of being involved in a relationship with multiple women. Reminds me too much of my mother. But… you wouldn't treat Asia like she was disposable."

"No!" Ise vehemently denied. "She's… sweet, kind. Like a sister to me."

"Why should anyone else you seek to be close to be treated any less?" Philip asked. "Look, far be it from me to judge others. If you want a harem, I'm not in any position to argue. Just… there are people involved, and people make their own choices… and deserve respect."

"I mean… I… I wouldn't want anyone to be treated the way Yuuma… Raynare treated me," Ise flinched and touched his gut. "I… yeah. I guess I get what you mean."

"Hey, don't take that to mean you shouldn't pursue romance," Philip interjected. "Just make sure that the relationship is built on trust, too."

Philip shook himself.

"Now, we've got only a few more days to get you and the other ready," He said, walking back towards the others. "Let's get back to it."

 

[charclone]

A.N. Sorry about the wait. Took a while to get to this chapter, and write it. And edit it.

---

Rias scowled, her face twisting into a snarl as her brow furled. Her attempt at forming her Power of Destruction into an agile attack to get around Akeno's barrier failed; instead of the ribbon of destructive power snaking around the barrier, it rippled once, before tearing itself apart harmlessly without moving.

Philip noted that her face turned to a smirk when Akeno's own attack failed to penetrate her barrier, the lighting and unidentified spell mixed in being torn apart by that same crimson energy, summoned as a wall.

Further away from the two more powerful members of the Gremory Peerage, who floated in the air as they fought, Aya, Kuroka, and Masa sparred with the rest of the Peerage. Asia hung at the back; avoiding or blocking the occasional bullet of energy sent at her whenever Masa or Kuroka spotted Ise, Koneko, and Kiba's attention flagging.

The two brawlers and swordsman were putting up a decent fight, from what Philip could tell. Ise and Koneko were maintaining a steady advance against Aya and Kuroka, the latter looking annoyed at having to deal with close combat, but it was obvious that Masa was sandbagging.

The elder kitsune was content to let Kiba exhaust himself against her illusions, just offset ever so slightly from her actual position to make hitting her very difficult. Occasionally, Philip would catch the sight of one of her tails parrying Kiba's fast-moving sword, likely adding to the illusion that some of the blows were landing.

Nevertheless, Kiba was able to keep himself from focusing just on Masa. Every so often, he would make a sudden lunge or feint at Kuroka, near him, forcing her to scramble to defend herself, often leading to Koneko landing a few hits with her fists. Hits that he knew she was pulling, given the fact that Koneko had sent Kuroka into a tree the day before, during an earlier spar. Masa had admonished her for the lack of control, then grilled Kuroka for not teaching her that level of control. The lecture swiftly turned into a series of lessons for the two catgirls on properly controlled ki blows. Masa refused to let Kuroka get away with not dealing with hand-to-hand.

Ise, to both Philip's and Aya's mutual surprise, was doing well. Bursts of speed as he applied his Boosted Gear, before shifting it to his blows or reaction time, to keep pressure on Aya and keep her away from the other two fights, was keeping Aya on her toes.

That didn't mean he was doing well against her, of course. Even with the small number of spells he applied at the start, and the boosts to his physical durability and speed, Aya still outclassed him.

Philip winced as her claws of blue flames smashed against his fragile barrier, crushing through it into the crimson gauntlet of the Boosted Gear, enough force remaining to send Ise skidding backwards for several steps.

Kiba saw it out of the corner of his eye.

"Now!" He called. At this, Koneko suddenly abandoned her sister, lunging at Masa, while Kiba himself charged the dark-haired nekoshou. Kuroka backpedalled and would later deny that it was in a panic, that she was simply trying to open the distance enough to cast ranged spells and ki techniques. Against a fast Knight. No one believed her.

With a look of determination that reminded Philip of a determined puppy, Asia sent a new spell, one she had not used before in any sparring match, into all three of her allies. Ise's gauntlet declared a boost, and the young boy charged Aya once more.

As Kuroka was sent sprawling by Kiba hooking her leg with the side of his blade, Aya responded to Ise's charge by leaning back onto her tails, which kept her body supported, while her legs lashed out. Ise gave a wheeze as the air was forced from his lungs, before being sent sprawling near Asia's feet. He lay still, exhausted, while the former nun began healing him.

Kiba glanced at Ise, once, before looking at Aya as she leapt back to her feet and prepared to charge him. He glanced once at Kuroka, before tapping her on the head with the flat of his sword to 'knock' her out of the match, eliciting a groan of disappointment and defeat from her, before he glanced at Koneko. His face became torn at seeing her predicament, as he weighed his options.

Aya moved before made a decision, lunging and splitting into three forms as she charged, her claws outstretched for him.

With a grim look, he dashed into a countercharge, parrying two of her strikes and evading the third.

Aya wheeled around as two of her duplicates vanished, leaping into the air to slash down at him.

The Gremory Knight frowned, a confused look on his face.

At the last moment, Kiba abandoned his attempt at blocking, instead lashing out at a spot in the air.

The illusion of Aya vanished as she reappeared at that spot, a faint look of surprise on her face.

As they readied for another clash, Ise leapt up and began to sprint towards them, Asia applying another buff to him as he did so.

Before they could clash again, Philip called out.

"Time!" He yelled, as his phone beeped. "That's time. Masa, please let Koneko go."

Masa simply gave him a look, as she continued to hug the white-haired girl. Koneko, while frowning and wrapped in both of Masa's arms and all but one of her tails, did not seem displeased with the situation, the last tail rubbing the top of her head, between her ears.

Akeno and Rias landed a moment later. The dark-haired Queen simply wore her usual self-amused smile as she headed inside to collect towels and water for everyone.

Rias sent a glare at her Queen's back as she tried to get the frizzy mess Akeno's lightning had turned her hair into through static electricity under control. An attempt at a distraction, Akeno had called it.

"Okay, Rias, any thoughts?" Philip started by asking her.

Rather than reply immediately, the crimson-headed King scowled and carefully directed her power through her hair. After a moment, the static charge vanished, letting her guide the mess into something approaching her normal look.

"Well," Rias cleared her throat, slightly flushed in embarrassment over the bad hairdo. "I think I will need a great deal more practice in trying to use Destruction in a controlled manner. Fortunately, it works much better than I expected for defence."

"Okay," Philip nodded. "I recommend looking into more spells, better to have a wide breadth of capability than a depth since you have the raw power part of depth covered. Ise, Kiba, Koneko, Asia, good idea with the plan, but you should have practised it more."

Kiba sighed, nodding. A slight smile on his face despite their plan's failure.

Asia gave Ise a cheerful smile, as the boy slumped in disappointment.

"I can't argue," Kiba sighed as he walked over with the others towards Philip. "I was honestly expecting Kuroka to be the greater threat, not Aya."

"Hence why you sent Koneko after her," Maya grinned. "And what about little old me? Were you trying to be kind and go easy on me?"

"No, not at all. I recognised you were not trying to crush us as fast as you could have, but instead teach us," Kiba replied. "That, Rias advised me, made you the second most dangerous."

Rias nodded.

"Well, I'm glad to see you can prioritise threats," Maya said. "But why send Koneko here at me, and send Ise against Aya?"

"Koneko had the raw strength to keep you busy," Kiba replied, then gave the small girl an apologetic look. "We thought she could delay you long enough for me to take out Kuroka and help Ise against Aya. Unfortunately, that was not the case."

"Still, you four did well," Rias told her peerage. "Maya, will you please let my Rook go."

"Oh, very well. I do need to leave anyway," The elder kitsune pouted, releasing Koneko from her embrace. "Now, do all keep practising the ki techniques I've taught you."

"Yes, grandmother," Aya replied. "Say hello to Grandpa for me, please!"

"I will," Masa replied. "Now, I'm off. Best of luck, Lady Gremory, against Phenex."

Philip watched as Aya's grandmother vanished into thin air.

"Okay, so… tomorrow, you are facing Rizer's team," Philip announced. "Best of luck. Keep practicing but get plenty of rest. Don't be afraid to send me a text if you have a last-minute idea that you want my opinion on."

The Gremory peerage nodded, before breaking up to rest or talk with each other.

Rias, Philip noted with mild curiosity, kept her attention on Ise as he walked away, chatting with Asia, praising her for her assistance during the sparring match.

"Something wrong?" He asked her.

Aya made an amused snort, earning a questioning look from her boyfriend.

"Nothing," Rias replied, a faint smile on her face. "Now, do you have any thoughts on what our basic strategy should be?"

"Defeat in detail," Philip said. "Rizer spreads his Peerage out, aside from himself and his Queen, based on all his other matches. Stay as a single group, pick off one of the smaller groups, and then hit the next before they can regroup. Move fast enough, and you can knock out most of their Peerage without having to fight them as a group."

"Granting us an advantage against Rizer and his Queen through numerical advantage," Rias nodded. "That fits my initial strategy as well. Though I was thinking of splitting up my own Peerage, then using myself and Akeno to take out each group at a time."

"That leaves you exposed, and your peerage vulnerable," Philip pointed out. "How do you plan to deal with that?"

"I am still considering my options there," Rias replied. "Not that your suggestion is flawless."

"It leaves you vulnerable if you can't take out a group fast enough, or the others gather with Rizer to attack while you are dealing with one," Aya nodded. "Why not a trap?"

"That would depend on what terrain we are given," Rias sighed. "I have acquired a few options, simply alchemical materials we can use in a trap. But we were denied permission to purchase manufactured weapons."

"Now, I'll think about the strategy some more," Rias continued. "I seem to recall you having somewhere to be, now? … and what is taking Akeno so long?"

"Yeah, I guess we're off too, then," Philip nodded. "Later, Rias. Good luck."

"Thank you, Philip, Aya."

As Rias went looking for Akeno, Aya leaned over to Philip's ear.

"You didn't notice?" She asked.

"And what would that be?" Philip replied, giving her a questioning look.

Aya grinned.

"… Buchou and the pervert spoke about something last night," Koneko interjected before Aya could speak. "Don't know what they said, but Rias seems happier now, and Akeno seems… jealous?"

The catgirl shrugged.

"I was going to say I think Rias has a crush on Ise, but that… might be true still," Aya said. "… don't ask how I know what that looks like."

"My sister has been causing trouble.?" Koneko surmised.

"… yeah. Let's go with that," Aya said, blushing.

"I… don't think I need to ask," Philip coughed, feeling his own cheeks begin to heat up. Koneko ignored the byplay. "You never went anywhere, did you?"

"No," Koneko confirmed. "I was here since Maya put me down. Should I get my sister for you?"

"Sure, we need to leave," Philip sighed.

"… Okay."

Koneko walked over to where Kuroka had remained lying since Kiba had tripped her in the sparring match.

"… sister, time to go."

"Five more minutes Shirone…" Kuroka groaned. "I'm tired."

Koneko stared at her sister's prone form for a moment, then reached down and grabbed an ankle before walking towards where Philip was still standing with Aya.

"Hey! Wait, Shirone! Ow, stone! Hey!" Kuroka squawked as she was dragged through the dirt and grass. "Wait, my hair! Shirone, stop!"

"… Lazy," Was the laconic reply she received for her troubles before Koneko left her at Philip and Aya's feet.

"Philip, Aya," Kuroka glared from where she lay. "Stop grinning. It's not funny."

"Come on you," Philip laughed. "You have work in an hour, and I have to go over the latest prototypes of the project I'm working on."

"Then stop laughing and I'll get up!"

"I don't need you standing to teleport us," Philip replied as he directed power through the teleportation formula.