Dxd: A demon Among Devils

Chapter 26 - [26]:Buchou's

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And Minamoto had not exactly been his strongest Persona. Neither was Mordred, for that matter. Tragic as the story of Clarent was, its wielder was still a Persona derived from a legend, and at best he ranked mid-tier among the hierarchy, below angels and demons, and far below gods. That meant the corrupted form of Clarent, demon sword as it was, was still of middling quality. He held Personas far stronger whose weapons when interpreted literally, could sink continents and boil the Earth's oceans into vapor.

And that was the thing with Personas. They almost always interpreted things literally.

Yukari had carried the bow ever since, and with good reason. Its power far surpassed what they found in the chests sequestered away in the corners of the Tower. Yukari also liked to use it for a different purpose. When his relationship with Mitsuru was rumored, the girl often carried it with her into their dormitory's living room, making a show of polishing it and caring for it whenever Mitsuru happened to be present. To her credit, Mitsuru had shown commendable restraint when dealing with the issue, and had for the most part, ignored her rival. That did not prevent the heiress from asking him to make a weapon for her as well, however, on the rare occasions she invited him into her room. He had agreed, and already had a design in mind. A rapier with a hilt that resembled the intertwined stems of a rose. And then Nyx had come, and making a weapon for his lover became the last thing on his mind.

He had not made one for her due to time. He would not make one for him because he had no reason to. He had no wish to part with any of his Personas, nor did he wish to see power gathered into the palm of one whose intentions he was not clear on. He couldn't tell Kiba that of course.

"I would require a Nihil weapon," technically it was not an excuse, for it was true.

"I have no idea what that is," Kiba responded cheerfully, "But I will find one for you nonetheless."

Devils. He had been in their presence for not an insignificant amount of time and still he was getting used to their brash confidence and assertive demeanor. With humans such self-assuredness could be construed as arrogance, or perhaps even ignorance. But they were devils, not humans, and it was in their nature. He would not judge them for that.

Their steps swiftly brought them before the members of the Occult Club, who he noticed had stopped what they were doing to watch the fight. Rias was giving him a contemplative stare.

"Ara, ara, Arisato-kun," predictably, it was Akeno who spoke first, "that was very impressive. I have never seen someone who can match Yuuto while looking just as good!"

He supposed that was a compliment.

"Thank you," he replied.

"That was awesome Arisato-san!" Issei cheered. He turned to the girl by his side and grinned, "See? I told you you shouldn't worry! Arisato-san is very strong!"

Asia smiled, her arms wrapped around Issei's.

"That was cool Angel-san," she murmured.

His lips twitched. Of course.

"Hey," Kiba spread his arms wide in a disarming gesture, "don't I get any compliments?"

"You're supposed to compliment the one who won," Akeno mock-chided, "not the one who lost."

"In my defense," the sword-user shrugged, "I was still kind of in shock he can summon demon swords."

"And that is the issue, isn't it?" Rias cut in, her eyes never having left him, "You can summon demon swords, yet you don't have the Sacred Gear to do so," she hesitated, "Unless it was one of those Personas you told us about."

He nodded.

"Yes. It was a Persona."

Kiba seemed taken aback by that admission.

"But that blade. It was a demon sword. I felt its presence."

He turned to look at him.

"The Persona in the sword was not a very nice person."

It was true. While Mordred had never truly betrayed Arthur, he still had been an ironclad ruler and a ruthless knight. And while it was Lancelot and Guinevere who had been the ones that laid the foundations for Arthur's kingdom to fall, it still had been Mordred who rammed Clarent into the legendary king's chest. Betrayal still clung thick to the black knight's frame, despite him never having the intent to be treacherous.

"We've seen you use Personas to conjure fire and ice," Rias said slowly, "We've seen them heal you. And now we've seen them become demon swords. What can they not do?"

"Nothing," he replied.

"That is an assumption that requires a lot of proof," Koneko spoke up.

He frowned. They were right to be skeptical. There were still some things that surprised even him about the beings that dwelled beneath his conscience.

"Personas are representations of the mind," he said finally, "As long as the mind is open, the potential of Personas are endless. They are without limit."

"The things you say and do should be impossible," the red-haired devil shook her head slowly, "But somehow, when it comes from you, I believe them," she flashed him an alluring smile, "Are you sure you don't want to join my peerage? We can make it worth your while."

"Ah, an attack so soon?" Akeno smirked, "I recall you offered him the same terms before we went on this trip."

Rias blushed.

"Maybe he reconsidered."

They did realize he was right there, didn't they?

"I am not opposed to the suggestion," Kiba smiled, "We can always use another piece that is proficient in close combat on the team."

Now that was unexpected. He had never heard the sword-user ever support Rias's attempts to court him into her peerage. Kiba had always been steadfastly neutral in that regard. No more, it seemed.

"Besides," the boy clapped a hand on his shoulder, "it wouldn't give you an excuse not to make me one of your demon swords."

Hmm. He would have to rescind his opinion about this one. Not only was he quick, he was cunning as well.

"Um," Asia touched her index fingers together in a meek gesture, "I would like it very much if Angel-san was in the same peerage as us," then she looked down, as though ashamed, "But I would understand if he doesn't want to. Angels can't consort with devils like us, after all."

Now that just wasn't fair.

"If you join Buchou's peerage, Arisato-san," Issei said seriously, "we can become more than just friends."

...

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