"Akeno."
Akeno rushed over, standing far from Shinjiro. "Surely you wouldn't hurt such a beautiful woman like me, right, S-h-i-n-j-i-r-o~?" she said with a playful tone.
"Gender holds no meaning in a fight," said Shinjiro firmly.
"Begin."
Akeno sprouted her devil wings, creating even more distance between her and Shinjiro in the air before charging up her lightning. She sent a huge rain of lightning down towards Shinjiro.
To her shock, Shinjiro did the unexpected and rode the lightning. Using his speed, he used the constant barrage of lightning as steps. Although they zapped his body, it felt more like a tickle to him.
Before Akeno knew it, he was in front of her. He grabbed her wings, hurling her down to the ground at intense speeds. She barely had time to figure out what was going on before stabilizing herself just in time to avoid crashing.
Akeno looked up at him, her eyes wide with shock. "You... rode my lightning?" she whispered in disbelief.
Shinjiro dived towards the ground, creating a deep crater upon impact. Akeno quickly shot more focused lightning towards him to keep him at bay, but this proved impossible as he merely rushed towards her. Each lightning bolt hit his body but was unable to even pierce his skin.
Shinjiro closed the distance swiftly and grabbed her by the arm, his grip unyielding. He pulled her closer and delivered a swift punch to her gut, causing her to gasp for air and fall to her knees.
"Akeno!" yelled Rias, worry evident in her voice.
Shinjiro's expression remained stern. "Remember, this isn't a game. I am training you to fight. You want to get stronger? This is my way. If you can't handle it, then leave, but know this: you will never grow, and if one day you come to need the skills and mentality to face a strong enemy, you will falter, and you will either die or let your comrades die."
He turned his gaze to the rest of the peerage, his eyes fierce. "Strength comes from enduring pain and overcoming it. Akeno, your lightning is powerful, but you rely too much on distance. In a real fight, you won't always have that luxury."
Asia quickly rushed over to guide Akeno off the field and began healing her injuries. Akeno winced but nodded, determination replacing the pain in her eyes.
"I understand," Akeno said, her voice stronger despite her exhaustion. "I need to be prepared for close combat too."
Shinjiro nodded approvingly. "Good. Learn from this and become stronger. That's the only way to survive."
"Next, Rias."
Rias walked towards Shinjiro, her anger evident. Shinjiro didn't mind; this was a big opportunity for them, even if they didn't realize it yet.
Rias's red hair started floating as her Power of Destruction was let loose, showing her lack of emotional control. She created large balls of PoD, launching them towards Shinjiro with impressive force. However, Shinjiro easily sidestepped each one, not giving her a chance to adjust.
"Pathetic," Shinjiro said, his tone dripping with disdain. "You think raw power alone will help you?"
Frustrated, Rias gathered more energy, forming a massive sphere of PoD and hurling it at Shinjiro with all her might.
Shinjiro watched the incoming attack with a critical eye. He didn't move until the last moment, then darted to the side, closing the distance between them. "Big, slow attacks like that? They're powerful, but predictable. You need to think faster, act faster."
He stomped the ground, creating a shockwave that made Rias stumble. As she regained her footing, he grabbed her wrist and threw her, forcing her to stabilize herself mid-air with her wings.
Rias gritted her teeth and created another ball of PoD. This time, she tried to compress it, but the effort showed on her face. The ball wavered, smaller and more focused than before but far from perfect. She launched it at Shinjiro, her determination evident but her struggle clear.
"Better, but still not good enough," scoffed Shinjiro as he brought both his arms high above him and tensed his muscles in his back, forming a demon face. A dark aura, his touki, came from within, surrounding him.
As the PoD ball, still large despite being smaller than the initial ones, neared him, he stood his ground, confusing and shocking Rias. Even Penemue was worried and about to interfere, but she saw his excited grin in the face of the PoD and remembered his desire to experience the power of destruction. She relented, although she focused closely, ready to jump in at any sign of danger.
His hands gripped the PoD ball, his veins bulging as his dark aura maintained a barrier between the PoD and his body. Although it seemed reckless, he couldn't help it. The dark aura that was protecting his body flickered. The PoD started to erode his skin and into his muscles, but Shinjiro's body, reacting to his will entered a frenzy, rapidly healing the damage almost as quickly as it occurred. His face showed no pain; instead, he was concentrated, not wanting to lose even though this probably wasn't the best a user could muster with the Power of Destruction.
The PoD ball's energy was immense, but over time, it lost its strength, wavering before dispersing, leaving Shinjiro standing with scorch marks and slight wounds that were already closing up, steam rising from his body.
"You have potential, but you're a long way from being a real threat," said Shinjiro to the flabbergasted Rias. "You rely too much on raw power without considering precision and strategy. In a real fight, uncontrolled power can be as dangerous to you as it is to your enemy."
Rias, breathing heavily, looked determined. "I understand. I need to learn to control my power better and use it more strategically."
Shinjiro nodded. "Exactly. With proper control and strategic use, your Power of Destruction can be an unstoppable force. Don't just unleash it—master it."
Rias nodded slowly, taking in his words. "I'll work on it. Thank you, Shinjiro."
Shinjiro's expression remained stern, "Good. Now, let's continue. There's much more to learn, and I won't go easy on any of you."