Inside a forest, there is a clearing with Leo and Kiba facing each other while Mittel and Ophis on the side sit on the ground layered by a cloth like they are on a picnic.
It's almost the final day of their training and Leo has been constantly training Kiba and occasionally Issei and Koneko.
"Not enough. One more time." Leo strictly lectured Kiba.
Kiba nods and rush toward Leo and attacks with his blade but Lei easily evades and sends another kick to his gut, not enough to injure Kiba but enough to give him a lasting pain as a reminder.
"Guh…" Kiba is thrown back like a rag doll from the kick and falls to the ground.
Leo approached Kiba and squatted next to him.
"Kiba. Tell me, what do you think is the reason you cannot land a hit on me?" Leo stared at Kiba as he asked.
Kiba didn't look resentful of the treatment and instead, like a good student, he racked his brain for an answer.
"Because you are faster, sensei?" Kiba made his guess.
Leo sighed and flicked his head. Kiba instinctively raises his hand to rub his forehead while looking sad he once again disappointed Leo.
"No, you idiot. Your real speed alone is twice as fast as mine. Your Knight Evil Piece grants you great speed but the reason you failed to even land a hit on me is because you didn't have the capacity to make use of the speed and instead of helping you, your speed becomes a burden for you." Leo corrected Kiba before telling him to stand up again.
"You have mastered everything I can teach you. But what you lack right now is your reaction time. If you can train your reaction speed to match your speed, I am afraid I might not even be an opponent for you in the future." Leo said truthfully.
If Kiba has a reaction speed that matches his great speed, he can anticipate and dodge or parry any incoming attacks. He can also execute more precise attacks on the fatal points of his enemies.
Kiba listens properly to each word Leo imparts to him. But he can help but feel there is other meaning to his words.
"Sensei, does this mean you will no longer train me?" Kiba sounds regretful and sad after realizing what Leo is implying.
"Indeed, there is nothing more I can teach. What you need right now is to work on your body to maximize your advantage. For that, my guidance is no longer necessary." Leo looked at him with his arm folded. Then Leo noticed the expression Kiba is making.
"Pfft. While I will not provide you guidance anymore. I can become your sparring partner if you feel that reluctant." Leo laughed and walked to the side to join the girls.
Leo feels a little hungry after an intense training session with Kiba.
"Thank you very much, Sensei." Kiba bowed respectfully to Leo before he began his training once again.
As for how Leo learned that much respect from Kiba… Leo basically manhandled Kiba during the first day and proved to him how full of weakness Kiba was. Then the next day he starts teaching Kiba one by one the technique Leo uses in battle.
Since Kiba is quite fragile in terms of durability and his only advantage is speed, he is quite similar to the Hunters in terms of fighting style. So, Leo has no problem teaching him his own tricks and tips. After learning from Leo, Kiba suddenly felt respect for Leo and that led to this.
"Leo, taste this." Mittelt opens the food basket and offers Leo a sandwich. "How is it? How is it?"
"Be a little patient, I haven't even taken a bite." Leo sighed exasperatedly before he took a bite of the sandwich.
Leo can guess why Mittelt is like this. The sandwich definitely is made by her and the taste is not bad although I could use a little more seasoning on the chicken meat.
"It's great." Leo gave his opinion.
"Really?" Mittelt looks doubtful.
"You don't trust me?" Leo said and turned to Ophis, putting the sandwich he just took a bite from in front of her mouth. Ophis took a bite while Mittelt looked shocked and jealous.
"How is it?" Leo asks Ophis.
"Good." Ophis replied with her usual blank expression before returning to munching on sweets.
"See. Even Ophis agreed." Leo turned back to Mittelt and said.
"She said good. Not great. It's not the same." Mittelt sounded angry and sullen, not wanting to meet eyes with Leo as she whipped her head to the side.
Kiba on other hand, is used to the antics of the three and trained without feeling distracted. He already mastered the method of ignoring distraction and focus wholeheartedly in his training thanks to the three.
———
Finally, on the day of the Rating Game. While the rules are being announced by Grayfia. Leo sends Mittelt and Ophis to the spectator room. There is Sona, Tsubaki and family of both Gremory and Phenex viewing the battle.
For this particular Rating game. There is an unusual adjustment of rules where Leo, an outsider, participated with an agreement from Riser as a way to level the playing field with Rias who didn't have experience and complete peerage.
Sirzech agrees to this arrangement and so do the two family heads that are involved. Sirzech agreed mainly to see the real capability of Leo become till now, no one really knows the extent of his strength and he wanted to use the rating game as an excuse to reveal his strength. The Council of Elders agreed because Leo is a person of interest due to his relationship with Ophis.
"My, isn't this Lady Ophis. I am the Head of the Gremory clan and he is the Head of the Phenex clan. It's a pleasure to meet you in person." Zeoticus and Lord Phenex both greeted Ophis out of formalities while Mittelt was ignored since she is merely a Low Class Fallen Angel.
After receiving nothing but an acknowledging nod from Ophis, everyone takes a seat and makes themselves comfortable while the Rating Game is starting.
———
Inside the stage of the Rating Game, it's a replica of Kuoh Academy as Leo expected.
Leo didn't join in the strategy meeting. He decided to play his role as a hired sword by Rias and just follow the order given by her. His orders were to do as he saw fit and support Kiba, Issei and Koneko.
He perch in top of a tree, watching the everyone spread out. Akeno placed trap and barrier in the forest leading to their base. Kiba and Koneko spread their familiars to gather information about their enemies movement. Rias, Asia and Issei still in thd base doing their own thing.
Leo contemplate if he need to make any move this early. Leo is familiar with the strength of each of the Rias' Peerage members. The enemies that made their move is strong but they can handle it without issue.
What's make Leo worry is another group of Riser's servant's that hadn't make their move and been staying still for quite a while.
"Well, since she said I can do as I see fit. Might as well enjoy myself with some challenges." Leo jump off the branch to another and made his way to the group hidden near the track field.
Once he arrived near the track field, he sense the presence hidden between the trees.
"Come out, I know you people are hiding there." Leo summoned his weapons and shouted.
"My, it's the human that Rias hired. Are you perhaps trying to challenge all seven of us alone?" The blond haired lady dressed in pink dressed in pink appeared from behind a tree along with seven other servants of Riser.
"I was wondering what so special about you that the family heads and Maou Lucifer would make an exception for." She paused and give Leo an analyzing look. "It's a honest disappointment."
"Anyway, if you want to get killed that badly, I would gladly help since it would benefit my Onii-Sama." She laughed haughtily before she ordered the Knight to attack. "Go and kill him, Carlamain, Siris."
"Yes, Ravel-sama." The mentioned Knights draw their weapon and point it at Leo.
Leo however, didn't even show any reaction to them. He continues to stare at Ravel Phenex, staring at her profile.
Ravel Phenex is from the Phoenix Clan. They are famed for their immortality or rather, hyper regeneration and their Pheonix Tear. From what he received after rising Mittelt's affection, he guess that the rewards were the powers possessed by girls. So, Leo is very interested on Ravel.
Ravel can feel the burning gaze of Leo on her. Not passionate one she usually received from her numerous admirer but like a hungry wolf staring at a piece of dangling meat.
"W-What are you waiting for? Kill him!" Ravel panicked a little and order the Knights to attack.
The Knights obeyed and both flanked Leo on both side before attacking together to give Leo no room to escape. But he simply lean his body slightly forward before his body vanished into a mist.
"I apologize in advance for the pain." Leo suddenly reappear behind Sirius and his extended Saw Cleaver hacked her from shoulder down, half way to bisect her body in half.
Carlamain stared in shock when seeing Sirius's state before becoming enraged. However, eventhough Leo's face is hidden by a dusty black bandana, his face is expressionless.
To him, he sees this as nothing more than the usual routine. He cut down his enemies without remorse. A quick death is the only mercy he can afford for his enemies.
The cleaver purposely aimed to sever the spine to make his enemies paralyzed. So, even if they survived the first attack, they wouldn't able to put up a proper fight. However, he ignored that his method of slaying beast is excessive on opponent not so different than human.
Leo brutally rip his stucked Saw Cleaver from Sirius's body, the fire that surround her wound extingushed and causing her to screamed with horrific pain before she vanished.
"Riser's Knight retired." Grayfia announced.
"Sirius!" Carlamain watched in disbelief before becoming enraged and charge at Leo.
Again, Leo simply turn into a mist and her sword hit nothing but empty air.
"Carla! Behind!" Ravel shouted in panic before Carlamain drop her body forward and roll away from the grotesque and brutal cleaver that almost took her out just like Sirius.
Carlamain repositioned herself on the ground swiftly and hold her sword slanted at Leo.
Vanished the impression of Leo is nothing but a human that is weaker than Devil. His tall body around six foot two inches tall, darped in old and worn clothes. A white shirt under a vest filled with holster for tinkets and weapon like throwing dagger, a long leather coat that reach his boots and a shorter leather overcoat, a black trouser tuck into his metal reinforced boots. His arms wears two braces made of leather and reinforced with metal and the left hold a flintlock pistol, the right hold saw blade that can transform to become a cleaver.
No one paid much attention to his apperance before. When mixed with his way of fighting, he give an impression of a butcher. An emotionless butcher with percision and efficiency of a machine that only possible because he did it countless times it become an instinct like breathing.
"Hryaah!" Carlamain swing her sword after seeing Leo only stood there and wait for her.
*Tink*
Her sword didn't hit air anymore and it hit something solid. She saw the brutal cleaver revert to it's saw form and blocked her sword. Her blade stucked in the serrated teeths of the saw. But before she could make another move, she felt something heavy hit her abdomen and she were sent flying like a cannonball into the woods.
Leo look at Carlamain vanished into the trees after he kicked her. He kicked her to the direction of Kiba which he sensed were approach him. He didn't want distraction and anyone stealing his preys.
"Now, five left. I guess four because you aren't participating right? Ravel-sama?" Leo turn to the remaining servants of Riser and each of them reacted in fear.
"Don't worry, I will show mercy and give each of you a swift death. However, if you resist. There's nothing I can do to help." Leo said and presumably smiled too under his mask.
———
What is that?!
Many asked and shocked in the spectator room except Mittelt and Ophis.
A normal human without the aid of Mana or other energies. Just pure strength can defeat a Devil of such caliber as Riser's Knight. Previously, they might think it's a joke if anyone told them this.
But now, they seen it with their eyes. His sheer strength is almost the level of a Rook, his agility although not as good as a Knight, his dexterity allow him to do acrobatic moves with ease and even in battle.
Lastly, his technique. For seasoned people like two clan heads, Grayfia and Sirzech. His technique isn't something that can be learned with training. No amount of training can teach anyone the percision and efficiency like Leo. Only way he can reach that levels mean he killed a lot that he able to develop such eyes that precieve weakness and exploit them very naturally without effort.
They feel Leo is dangerous. Not because of his raw power. But his method. What if he one day turn on them? They can only imagine. His lack of strength can easily be compensated. There are numerous ways and Ophis' Snake being one of the many methods.
—————
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