*Slash*
*Boom!*
"Strong…"
In a mountainous region of Greek territory.
A teenager wearing an extremely unusual armor stood alone with a small drone, facing a horde of monstrous birds.
One of the creatures had been decapitated, despite the unusual toughness of its feathers.
'I should've been more patient and careful…'
The teenager was Thrax, the boy taken in by Cortana and currently on a "stroll."
He was now 13 years old, but he looked closer to 15 due to the grueling daily training he endured.
(Image)
Today was supposed to be a day off, granted by his benefactor, but he'd left the island without permission.
And that's how he ended up in this mess.
No personal weapons on him, just training gear.
Cortana and Sanguinius always kept the weird or dangerous stuff away from the rowdy kid.
His lack of equipment left him taking hits from these predators, who seemed to crave his flesh more than anything.
Yet, Thrax didn't show a hint of pain on his face.
His scarlet eyes, hardened by struggles, showed no fear.
[Analyzing creatures…]
[Information retrieved from the mythical creatures database.]
[Name: Stymphalian Birds]
[Category: C+]
[Description: Creatures many believe were created by Ares, the Greek god of war. They're fearsome predators, thanks to their steel-hard feathers and flying skills. They live in flocks and, like their master or creator, they're naturally belligerent.]
[Warning: You are in a mountainous area. It is recommended to find a vegetated zone.]
"Tch, like I'm gonna find that around here."
Despite his rebellious tone, there was a certain warmth in his words toward the drone.
Yeah, Cortana had tracked him down.
Thing is, the AI found him already stuck in this sticky situation.
[It is recommended to use magic or knight techniques…]
Cortana's suggestion made the boy's brows furrow.
Maybe because of his divine heritage, Thrax wasn't a fan of magic or anything like it.
He wasn't big on studying either.
The one thing he was good at? Fighting.
Even then, he struggled to keep up with the strict regimen and carefully curated diet set by his benefactor.
He kept hearing stuff like, "You need to prepare for the surgical procedure…"
A complicated concept for a kid who hated studying anything unrelated to combat.
'…Whatever, Cortana insisted it's not magic, so…'
Deep breath.
Thrax exhaled a white mist from his mouth as he gripped his short sword.
He shifted into a particular stance.
[Your stance is 80% correct, and your breathing rhythm matches Leylin Farlier's breathing style.]
Though Thrax was annoyed by Cortana's comment, he held his position.
His life energy surged within him, the tension between him and Ares' monstrous birds reaching its peak.
*Noise.*
No one knew or cared where the sound came from, but Thrax and the birds charged at each other.
*Bang.*
Blood.
The sound of steel clashing against steel echoed through the mountains as Thrax's sword tore through the feathers colliding with his blade.
His movements were simple.
No unnecessary flourishes, no feints, no flashy explosions.
Just the cold glint of steel, aiming for the flesh of the overconfident predators.
*Thud.*
Another bird fell dead under Thrax's blade.
It wasn't the first, and it wouldn't be the last.
Unknown to Thrax and Cortana, a man was watching the boy from behind a rock.
"Fascinating…" he muttered, stroking his white beard while leaning on a staff.
Normally, Cortana should've detected the man hiding there.
But… he wasn't just any "man."
The figure's eyes gleamed with a mysterious light as he observed Thrax's swordplay and footwork.
Horizontal slash.
Vertical slash.
Thrusting strike.
Diagonal cut…
Thrax's sword techniques weren't fancy, but they were deadly precise.
His footwork was the same—basic, simple moves for maximum efficiency.
"Whoever trained this kid has a cold heart…"
That was the conclusion the old man reached after watching for about ten minutes.
Thrax had ingrained the basic sword techniques of Leylin Farlier's family into his very flesh and bones.
Those techniques had been optimized by the warlock's AI chip.
It was just too perfect for a mortal, but the technique's lethal efficiency unsettled the mysterious man.
"It'd be a shame to let this young hero fall under a bad influence, wouldn't it?"
His gaze shifted to the machine hovering nearby.
The mysterious man began to scheme.
"If I'd known, I would've used this thing sooner," the boy said, his tone exhausted.
He was satisfied to see the remaining birds retreating.
Thrax had never used his special breathing and new sword techniques in a real fight before.
He didn't even realize the privilege he had in using them.
Everyone at Axel's academy only had access to Viscount Farlier's sword techniques, not Leylin Farlier's.
It was rare even among the elite destined to become Space Marines to learn a breathing technique.
Despite its effectiveness, Cortana deemed its widespread use too dangerous.
The knight's breathing technique stimulated the user's life energy, seemingly leading to Touki sooner or later.
Sanguinius couldn't just hand out a path to Touki to everyone.
[If you'd paid attention in my lessons, you'd know you're only at the knight level…]
[Your maximum destructive power is a few tons per sword strike, but that's laughable at the grand knight level… Please work harder.]
Cortana didn't mention Touki.
Still, Thrax was pleasantly surprised by the news.
"Alright… let's head back. I've got homework, right?"
…
"You really gotta go?" In front of Axel's massive gate, a blond man was surrounded by a group of people.
Among them were Kazuma and his two fiancées.
"Sorry… I've put this off for too long," he said, looking apologetic.
His gaze drifted to Luna's swollen belly, a pang of irresponsibility hitting his heart.
'I really screwed up that day.'
After sleeping with Luna and Wiz, he'd publicly acknowledged their relationship.
It was big news in the kingdom of Belzerg, especially since the royal family had already started talking to him about a potential deal with Iris.
Of course, he turned down any negotiations.
Luna was literally keeping him from going after another girl in this universe, and the only other possibility was Eris, thanks to her divine authority.
Plus, Iris was way too young.
Sixteen? That's risky and dangerous, but twelve? Nah, Sanguinius wasn't signing up for that.
'…If I were them, I'd try using Darkness.'
Subconsciously, he almost glanced at the lady knight but quickly stopped himself.
His two women had recently developed a weird intuition about his "anatomy studies."
"I… I get it, but don't forget your promise," Luna said, glancing at Wiz, who stood quietly in the background.
Unlike the former receptionist turned noble, the count's second fiancée hadn't gotten pregnant.
At first, that was a relief, but it had become a bit of a complex for the lich.
So, Sanguinius promised to find a solution.
'She's an undead entity. It's already weird she can eat, drink, faint, and even sleep.'
The only normal thing about Wiz as an undead was her inability to use the bathroom… Where her food went was a mystery.
"Don't worry, Wiz and I have plenty of time~"
Trying to lighten the gloomy mood, Sanguinius didn't hesitate to pull the sulky lich into his arms.
"Darling… not in public."
"Look close, Wiz, they can't see us right now."
His Powers of Adjustment skill was super handy for reassuring Wiz.
'She's too cute when I wanna be affectionate in public.'
Luna and Wiz didn't know, but Sanguinius had a habit of hiding their bold and romantic moments with his skill.
It wasn't to protect Luna or Wiz, since it could potentially harm their new noble status.
The real reason was that Sanguinius wanted to be the only one to see every side of his women.
A protective guy.
"I hope you come back. You really leveled up our party," Kazuma said, as Sanguinius still held Wiz in his arms.
Kazuma expressed his gratitude.
"No worries, and it wasn't exactly free… You sorted out that thing with the other Cadian?"
At Sanguinius's words, the Japanese guy gave a defeated look.
"Sorry, he doesn't want a 'xeno' on an Imperial world… He was firm about it."
Sanguinius looked annoyed but thanked Kazuma for trying despite the failure.
After thanking everyone for seeing him off at the city gate—especially Megumin, who seemed bummed to lose a fellow explosion enthusiast—
Sanguinius teleported.
"Cortana, everything ready?"
Back in the DxD universe, Sanguinius headed to his bunker's control room.
'The clones are handling the flying fortress. All I've got left is to prep the magic spell…'
Sanguinius had already anticipated "The Heir to the Will of the Soul Bearer of Cadia" refusing him entry to the Warhammer 40k universe.
The two had reached a level of mutual dislike that a simple middleman couldn't fix.
'That's why I chose to go against Alaya instead of rushing to "save" Archer.'
During the trip, he got no response from the AI despite his repeated calls.
"What's going on?" he muttered, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.
[…M-Master… I-I'm sorry.]
A holographic projection of Cortana appeared before him as he reached the control room.
"Don't waste my time. What's the problem?"
[He… he took Thrax… Chiron.]