"I didn't think you'd even come back," Issei's grandmother said, laughing as she set the dinner table.
Issei and Hachiman had spent hours talking, and by the time they returned, the sun was already setting.
It was time for dinner, and Issei felt a pang of guilt. He'd promised to help his grandmother, yet here she was, doing everything alone.
"Let me do the dishes," Hachiman said, moving toward the sink.
"I'll take care of the rest," Issei replied, rushing off to tidy the rooms.
The dinner was light but had a variety of side dishes, all simple and easy to digest.
Strangely enough, Issei had developed a new appreciation for Japanese cuisine recently, likely due to the memories he'd inherited. However, the spiciness of some dishes still caught him off guard and not in a good way. His Chinese heritage, inherited from his great-grandfather, made Japanese spicy food taste more sweet than hot.
'Japanese cuisine has a different kind of spice,' Issei mused. 'Korean and Japanese spices are sweet and spicy, while Chinese, Arabic, and Indian foods lean more towards salty and spicy.'
'Are you talking to me?' Ddraig asked, sounding confused. 'I don't eat what you humans do.'
Issei grinned. 'What did you eat back when you had a physical body?'
Ddraig chuckled. 'Oh, you don't want to know.'
Issei raised an eyebrow, but Ddraig wasn't giving anything away. Lately, the dragon had been more talkative, but also a bit careless with his words—especially when it came to Issei's own identity.
"You're a better cook than my mom, Grandma," Issei said, changing the topic.
The old woman smiled warmly. "Who do you think taught her?"
'Fair enough,' both Issei and Ddraig muttered in unison.
"Anyway, Grandma," Issei said, drawing her attention. "Mr. Hachiman offered to show me around his garden, so I'll be heading to his place. Don't wait up for me. The ceremony tomorrow will be exhausting."
"No need to worry," she replied, shaking her head. "I can wait for my grandson."
Hachiman chimed in, "Don't worry, we'll be out for a little while, especially since Issei seems to have an interest in flowers."
Issei had to smile at his grandmother's reaction. At least she was glad her grandson was interested in something other than women.
"Tomorrow's ceremony will be hectic, with all the guests. We won't stay out super late. If you get sick, your mother will blame me," Hachiman added with a playful tone, looking at Issei.
"I'll make sure he gets enough rest," Issei's grandmother said sternly, giving Issei a pointed look. "Every growing boy needs at least eight hours of sleep."
Issei chuckled, grateful for her care, and Ddraig couldn't help but feel a little excited too. After all, it had been ages since he'd had the chance to fully stretch his powers—and who better to use them on than a god of war?
When they arrived at the flat area on the hilltop, the sun had already set. Without the stars and the moonlight, the darkness would have been almost total. But the place was clear, and Issei could sense Hachiman's shift in demeanor.
The friendly old man had become a serious, imposing figure. His posture was straight, his gaze unwavering as he fixed his eyes on Issei.
"Issei," Hachiman began, his voice low and firm, "what do you know about fighting?"
Issei blinked, unsure how to respond. "What do you mean?"
"I asked," Hachiman repeated. "What do you know about fighting?"
Issei hesitated, trying to find the right words. "Fighting is what you do to defend yourself, or when you need to settle conflicts, whether it's out of wrath, revenge, or some other feeling."
Hachiman raised an eyebrow, a faint chuckle escaping him. "Philosophical, but not quite what I meant."
Issei wasn't sure where he'd gone wrong.
'He's probably not impressed with your answer, kid,' Ddraig remarked.
"I'll put it this way," Hachiman continued, his tone more serious now. "If someone was trying to kill you—and harm everyone you care about—what would fighting mean to you then?"
Issei fell silent. The question hit him harder than expected, and he mulled over it for a moment. Only one feeling surfaced clearly in his mind.
"You fight to win," Issei said quietly, finally understanding.
"Exactly," Hachiman nodded, stepping closer. "In a fight, whether it's driven by rage, vengeance, or the need to protect those you love, it's always about winning. Fighting, war—they are all about survival and victory."
Issei grasped the gravity of the situation. In this world, one wrong move, one wrong enemy, and it could all be over—not just for him, but for everyone around him.
"The concept of victory is fluid, it adapts to the circumstances," Hachiman said, his smile steady. "But winning itself, that is the only constant."
He paused, his gaze sharp. "When you fight, you fight to win."
With a sudden motion, Hachiman raised his left arm, palm facing Issei.
"And when dealing with the supernatural, the stakes are even higher. You must win." Before Issei could process his words, a powerful force surged past his ear, narrowly missing him and shattering a rock behind him. "Fail, and you die."
'Kid, he means it. Don't lose focus.'
Issei swallowed hard, the reality of the situation sinking in. This wasn't going to be the beginner-level training he'd imagined.
"If you manage to block one of my attacks —fully controlled, obviously— or land a clean hit on me," Hachiman said with a grin, "I'll teach you a specific martial art." He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "Fail, and you'll stay here, under my protection."
"I—"
"That's non-negotiable."
Issei was left speechless, but also a little excited about the martial arts.
And the best part?
He didn't have to wait long to find out what the martial art was.
The system, which had been silent for a while, chimed in with a message.
The only problem?
Issei had no idea what Hokuto Shinken was.
Hachiman's smirk deepened. "Now, would you like to defend, or attack first?"
"Don't worry," he added, "I'll be using only my left hand to fight back."
'Bastard.' Ddraig growled, the sound like metal scraping against metal in Issei's ears.
'Remember, he's a god. If he chooses, he could erase me with just one hand.'
Ddraig fell silent, but then offered a suggestion. 'Don't play defense; you won't tire him out. Go on the offense.'
Issei nodded, determination flashing in his eyes. He immediately launched into an offensive stance, using his abilities to create distance before taking the first shot.
<
A sphere of green energy, compact and potent, shot forward at Hachiman, tearing through the air with incredible speed.
"So, you know how to use your Sacred Gear," Hachiman remarked, his expression unchanged. With a flick of his wrist, he raised his left hand, and to Issei's utter astonishment, the shot vanished as if it had never existed.
"H-How?" Issei stammered.
Just a moment ago, he had seen the green orb racing toward Hachiman, yet it had shattered and dispersed into the air in an instant.
'This is going to be harder than I thought,' Ddraig muttered under his breath.
Hachiman, seemingly unperturbed, began to explain.
<
Issei wasn't about to waste any opportunity. He fired again.
With a sigh, Hachiman raised his palm, and once more, the orb vanished.
"The problem with these compressed energy attacks," Hachiman explained, "is that they explode the moment they meet resistance. If you can apply force opposite to the compression…" He flicked his wrist, and the orb was gone. "The attack disperses."
'He's not destroying the energy—he's dispersing it into the surroundings,' Ddraig mused, frustration lacing his words. 'You'll need a different approach, kid. Stop firing blindly at him.'
"If you don't want to keep pressing the offense, I can switch things up," Hachiman said with a smirk, stepping forward so suddenly that Issei had to leap back. "Something like…"
With a casual flick of his fingers, a powerful gust of air whipped past him, its force so strong that it almost knocked Issei off balance.
"Ugh!"
This time, the air wave didn't miss him entirely. A sharp pain seared through his leg as the wind left a light cut and tore at his pants.
"Don't worry," Hachiman said, his voice calm as he lowered his hands again. "I'll heal you before we head back. As for the torn pants, though... that's on you to explain."
Issei touched the cut, feeling the blood trickling out. He knew explaining the injury to his grandmother would be a challenge, but right now, it was the least of his concerns.
He gritted his teeth, repositioning himself. Moving a bit further back, he launched two
Unfortunately, the result was the same as before.
"I understand that you only have one ability since you just awakened it, but you should also realize that spamming the same skill won't work," Hachiman said with a dismissive tone. "For low-class beings, one of those would be enough to knock them out."
Issei had watched as Hachiman dispersed the second orb with ease. The god stood there, waiting for another.
'You could try boosting the orb, kid. Though, I doubt it would make much of a difference.'
'It wouldn't,' Issei acknowledged, 'But maybe there's another way around it.'
Hachiman raised his hand, causing the ground beneath him to crack. "Are you going to keep going, or do you want to give up?"
"Not yet," Issei replied, his teeth clenched, his mind already racing. He reached out mentally to Ddraig. 'If I push my body to its maximum limits, can I close the gap between us?'
He had one idea that he hoped might work, but the distance between them had to be nearly zero for it to succeed.
'Nope,' Ddraig shot him down immediately. 'With your current limits, the maximum boost is between three and four, if you really push it. That won't be enough to reach a god like Hachiman.'
Issei gritted his teeth, feeling the weight of the situation. 'What if I cloud his vision? Make it harder for him to see me?'
"Son," Hachiman took another step forward, his presence almost overwhelming. Issei instinctively took a step back. "If you'd like, I can end this with a single strike."
Issei's heart raced. He wanted to fight properly, like the heroes in movies and shows, but he lacked the skills. He had no martial arts training that would make a difference against a god, and his ranged attacks were useless. He felt like he had only one option left.
'He can sense you easily, but since he's letting you take your time and isn't expecting anything from you… maybe you can catch him off guard,' Ddraig suggested. 'What's your plan?'
Issei didn't answer. His mind was already set. There were no other options, no other plans. This either worked, or it didn't. He was betting on the first.
And so, he took a deep breath and committed.
"Those orbs won't work," Hachiman said, noticing Issei raising his arm again. But what he didn't realize was that Issei wasn't just preparing another <
[Boost]
Issei shouted, and for a brief moment, Hachiman's eyes widened in surprise as the orb began to expand, its power growing exponentially.
"The signature move, huh?" Hachiman's voice was amused. "Show me what you can do, son."
He didn't interfere. He could have easily taken Issei down before the boost was even finished, but he wanted to see how far Issei could push himself, how strong he could become with these boosts.
He wasn't worried about anyone noticing, either. The barrier he had set up ensured that no one below High-Class would be able to detect anything.
So when he saw Issei boosting for the second time, a sense of pride swelled within him.
[Boost]
"Maybe I was wrong," Hachiman muttered under his breath. "Not just one. With your full strength, maybe you could take down a few low-class beings."
[Boost]
With the third boost, the orb expanded significantly. Hachiman could also see that Issei was struggling to hold his ground.
'It's taking a toll on him,' Hachiman thought, observing carefully. 'Maybe one more, or this could be his limit.'
He waited, watching closely as Issei shouted once more.
[Boost]
Hachiman saw Issei's body tremble and instantly realized this was as far as the boy could go.
'I'll have to stop him if he tries again,' Hachiman decided, preparing to intervene. But then, he realized something. Issei knew his own limits too.
Without warning, the massive orb of green draconic energy tore through the air, ripping apart rocks and dirt, twisting the very fabric of space as it shot toward Hachiman.
The god's grin widened, proud of the boy for managing such a powerful attack. He knew it could take down even a middle-class opponent.
So, with a quiet respect for Issei, Hachiman took a firm stance, raising his palm and focusing all his attention on the incoming attack. He could easily absorb the impact without harm, but taking the hit would mean a loss. He still wanted to keep Issei away from the supernatural world—though, given the gear, that seemed unlikely. Another reason for avoiding the blow was the destruction it would cause. The blast would obliterate much of the hill around him, and he wasn't about to let that happen to a place he held dear.
Thus, he decided to disperse the energy instead.
'Watch. Understand. Create.'
He studied the orb's movement, the way it swirled and compressed, and the right amount of divine energy required to safely disperse it without causing an explosion.
With this understanding, he executed a perfect reverse compression—an expansion that unraveled the bonds of the orb, breaking it apart and scattering the energy harmlessly around him.
But there was one thing Hachiman didn't expect.
Issei wasn't just relying on the orb to handle him. While the orb masked Issei's presence and energy, he hadn't anticipated that the boy would use it as a shield to hide his own movements—rushing behind it and appearing right in front of Hachiman as the orb dissipated.
"That's—"
Before he could react, Hachiman thrust his hand forward, summoning a powerful gust of wind to push Issei back.
But Issei wasn't giving up.
Thanks to his enhanced physique from the four boosts, he used the wind to his advantage, propelling himself forward in a jump and immediately launching another attack.
<
A searing wave of green and crimson fire erupted from Issei's mouth, fast and fierce. If it connected, it would at the very least scorch his clothes.
Hachiman had no choice but to use defensive magic.
A barrier formed around him, deflecting the fiery blast.
In a way, he considered it a loss. The fact that he had to rely on a defensive barrier meant that Issei had forced him into a position where he couldn't simply rely on his own strength.
But he didn't have to view it as a defeat.
"Huh?"
Because it was a loss.
<
"What?" Hachiman's eyes widened in surprise.
The barrier let Issei's hand—clad in the red gauntlet—phase through effortlessly, reaching just inches from Hachiman's face.
In that moment, at point-blank range, Issei shouted.
<
It was then that Hachiman realized—Issei wasn't just some ordinary boy who accidentally wandered into the world of the supernatural.
He was there for a purpose.
'Of course,' Hachiman chuckled, accepting his loss as the shot collided with his face. 'He's the Red Dragon Emperor, not just a kid.'
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[[A/N: 25+ Advanced Chapters on Patreon + Other Stories: https://www.patreon.com/Greedyfrog
I copied from my docs to WN on phone, hence the formatting 'may' be weird. Do let me know if you see anything off at any part. It doesn't happen if I paste using my laptop, but it does from my phone for some reason.
P.S. Do note that Hachiman, other than the times he took a step forward to intimidate Issei, never moved from his spot. He used only one hand, same spot to humiliate Issei. And if he wanted, he could still swing at Issei and cancel out his attack. Only because he was impressed that he allowed for that attack to hit.
It is for those that might be unsure of how the powers and classes work, but know that the level Issei is currently at, is like an ant going against a human. Sure it can bite you and cause minor inconvenience, but it does absolutely nothing other than that.
And in this situation, it was like you watching an ant crawl your arm and allow it to bite you.
The Master (Satan) class is a ridiculous class and can flatten places with a single sneeze.
P.S. Not many might know as it is quite old, but Hokuto Shinken is from one of my all time favourite anime. 👀, you should check it out. Fist of the North Star.
]]