LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 14: Showcase
After relocating to a clearing in the forest behind the Old School Building, Vahn observed with intrigue as Kiba, who was first up to demonstrate his abilities, produced a stylish-looking sword with a white blade and a gold, gem-encrusted hilt in a flash of blue light, explaining, "My ability or, more accurately, my Sacred Gear is known as Sword Birth. It vests me with the power to create various swords with unique traits and properties."
Flourishing his sword in a series of smooth arcs, producing trails of light and afterimages, Kiba appended, "And as Lady Rias's Knight, my speed is several times faster than it otherwise would be," before getting into a firm, two-handed stance and stating, "Ready when you are, Koneko."
"You asked for it," responded Koneko, her expression and tone flat as she effortlessly stabbed her fingers into the hardened ground before flipping it like a tatami mat, sending a chunk of earth larger than herself hurtling at Kiba with the speed and momentum of a small car.
Moving faster than Vahn could see, Kiba's body briefly disappeared as the chunk of earth neared him. An instant later, he was a few meters ahead of where he had been standing, the chunk of earth separating into dozens of smaller chunks as he relaxedly sheathed his sword into its accompanying sheathe.
Taking over the explanation, Rias, standing with her arms crossed and sporting a proud expression, stated, "As you can see, Kiba is a talented swordsman. Koneko, on the other hand, possesses considerable martial skill, strength, and durability alongside enhanced senses and exceptional flexibility."
"Make me angry, and I'll send you flying..." said Koneko, making double peace signs while modeling padded, fingerless gloves.
"I'll be careful," replied Vahn, nodding with a clear expression that left Koneko staring at him blankly, spreading her index and middle fingers open and closed as if she were snipping something.
"My turn~" hummed Akeno, sporting a sleepy-eyed smile as she raised her left hand, causing dark clouds to converge overhead and the sky to appear as a mass of shifting purple hues. Vahn was already wide-eyed upon seeing this, so Rias promptly covered them with her hand, sparing him from being temporarily blinded as a bolt of lightning struck Akeno's figure. When next he could see, Akeno was modeling the red and white outfit of a Shrine Maiden, creating a unique contrast between the pitch black, bat-like wings protruding from her back as she ascended into the sky.
"As my Queen, Akeno possesses tremendous Demonic Power," explained Rias. "She is also adept at multiple forms of Magic, including teleportation and the creation of barriers, but her primary attribute is..."
Punctuating Rias's explanation, Akeno made a vertical cutting gesture with her left hand, causing several bolts of golden lightning to rain down on the clearing, devastating the terrain with a series of explosions. It was an awesome display of power, but Vahn was far more surprised that her target was Koneko, the tiny, white-haired girl crossing her arms to protect her face but otherwise tanking the attack head-on.
"Don't worry," said Rias, patting Vahn's head reassuringly as she added, "Akeno knows how to hold back, and Koneko's durability is much greater than the average Rook's. Though, there are some side effects of being too tough..."
Without needing to ask, Vahn knew what Rias was referring to, as while she hadn't sustained any noticeable injuries from Akeno's attack, Koneko's uniform was tattered and burned in several places. The damage had even extended to her white and blue frilled undies, leaving her right breast and the front of her partially torn panties exposed.
Despite the state of her clothes, Koneko didn't appear to register it as she looked over and asked, "Are we done? I want to take a nap before the sun sets..." without a change in her expression.
"That depends on whether Vahn is willing to show us anything," answered Rias, causing everyone to shift their gazes to him as Akeno touched down behind her.
'I guess it's normal for her to end up like this...' concluded Vahn, promptly determining that if no one else was going to acknowledge the condition of Koneko's clothing, he shouldn't either. Instead, he nodded affirmingly and took a few steps forward, explaining, "I have a lot of powers, but the main ones are item creation, storage, and being able to equip or remove what I have stored away instantly..."
Demonstrating his claim, Vahn swapped his school uniform out for his Eastern Prince's Casual Set and Legendary Spear. Even Koneko's eyes widened when she witnessed how abrupt the change was. Meanwhile, Rias, who thought Vahn was already more than sufficiently attractive in his uniform, narrowed her eyes and thought, 'My, my...I had heard that clothes make the man, but that outfit was tailor-made for him. And that spear is most assuredly not a normal weapon..."
Following Kiba's example, Vahn showed off a few simple techniques and his footwork while explaining, "The name is a little plain, but this is called the Legendary Spear. It's a growth-type weapon that can absorb refined minerals, the essence of monsters, and other spears to become stronger or inherit their properties..."
Hearing Vahn's explanation, everyone present was surprised, but it was Rias who, feeling anticipation swelling within her chest, asked, "And this spear is another of your creations?"
"Pretty much..." responded Vahn, finishing his brief demonstration by changing his spear's form to the Gale Spear, Tempaste, and swinging it in a broad, sweeping arc that sent a vibrant green blade of Wind-elemental energy flying several meters before it lost its integrity and dispersed into a violent, localized tempest.
Barely able to contain her excitement, Rias's blue eyes glistened as she asked, "Could you create similar weapons?"
"I could," confirmed Vahn, resting his reverted spear on his shoulder as he revealed, "But it would require defeating thousands of monsters in a place called the Corridor of Intertwining Fates."
"The Corridor of Intertwining Fates...?" repeated Rias, raising her brows as her excitement and intrigue continued increasing.
"It's a special training space that only me and the people I grant access to can enter," explained Vahn. "Time flows differently there and becomes more compressed the deeper you go. Right now, the compression ratio is about six-to-one, so a minute here is six minutes there."
"And how do you access this special training space?" asked Rias, moving closer to Vahn with a growing smile. Barriers and sub-dimensional planes varying flows of time weren't particularly uncommon, but they were either naturally occurring or required an immense amount of resources to create and maintain. If Vahn possessed one of his own, it was no wonder her Evil Pieces didn't work on him. Her own power wasn't nearly enough to create such a space, so there was no way she could subordinate someone who could...
"I just have to think about it," responded Vahn, sporting a broad smile as he extended his hand to Rias and added, "And to take others, I just need to be in contact with them."
"I see," hummed Rias, fearlessly placing her hand into Vahn's. From the perspective of Kiba, Akeno, and Koneko, the two then vanished, all traces of their existence vanishing alongside them.
"Oh, my...I believe we may have just allowed our Princess to be abducted right in front of us..." hummed Akeno, her words contrasting her actions as she crossed her left arm over her body and cupped her right cheek with a wholly unconcerned smile.
"Would this not qualify as eloping?" joked Kiba, similarly unconcerned as the impression he got from Vahn was that the latter didn't have an evil or malicious bone in his body. Rias was also very powerful, so if push came to shove, she should be able to return, even if it was alone.
Reappearing after approximately twenty seconds, translating to a little more than two minutes within the Corridor of Intertwined Fates, Rias's eyes glistened like a child that had just emerged from a pet store as she exclaimed, "Everyone needs to come and see this for themselves! It's a genuine marvel!"
Though Koneko would have preferred to go and change first, she, Kiba, and Akeno approached Vahn before linking their hands to form a circle. Shortly after, all five of them vanished, the only traces of their existence being the devastation they left in their wake...
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"Is this really okay...?" asked Vahn, feeling increasingly nervous. He was taken aback but ecstatic when Rias asked if he would like to move in with her and stay at the Old School Building, but now that they were preparing for bed, his heart felt like it would burst out of his chest.
"We could sleep separately," responded Rias, slipping off the final piece of her clothing, a black thong with pale purple lace, as she contended, "But I simply can't sleep peacefully unless I'm fully nude..."
Turning to stare at Vahn over her shoulder, finding him observing her with a flushed face and wide, unblinking eyes, Rias couldn't help smiling as she turned around and struck a sexy pose, asking, "Now, how do I look~? And be honest..."
"Amazing..." responded Vahn, but instead of staring at Rias's body, he was focused on her face.
"Oh? And what, specifically, do you find amazing about me...?" asked Rias, making it clear Vahn had permission to look elsewhere as she cupped her breasts and raised them for emphasis.
Lowering his gaze, Vahn was awed by the sheer volume of Rias's breasts, but since he also had nipples, he didn't feel there was anything inherently unique about the pale pink protrusions adorning their center. He did recall Sona's advice, however, compelling him to state, "You have very large and pretty breasts..."
"Then you will likely feel the same about my butt," responded Rias, half-turning and giving her left ass cheek a light smack as she revealed, "My three sizes are 99-58-90, so while it's not as full as my breasts, I'm fairly confident in all my assets."
"It's very pretty..." affirmed Vahn, his gaze fixed on the fair and shapely mound, admiring its contours and the transition between it and her soft-looking thighs.
'We'll need to work on his vocabulary of compliments...' mused Rias, a faintly amused snort emanating from her nose as she turned to face Vahn with a somewhat helpless smile. She found his innocence cute, but since they were boyfriend and girlfriend, she wanted him to be more assertive and manly.
"Do you know what this is...?" asked Rias, sliding her right hand down her abdomen, gradually guiding Vahn's gaze down her body until she reached what she was referring to.
"It's a vagina," answered Vahn, his expression and tone full of confidence as he provided his answer without hesitation, nearly causing Rias to burst out laughing. She expected him to get flustered or not be able to look, but just like when he gazed at her breasts and bottom, there was no shame or libidinousness in his gaze, just curiosity.
"It's very pretty..." appended Vahn, his blush deepening as Rias, no longer able to contain it, cupped her stomach and exhaled her heartiest laugh in years. She was considering giving Vahn her virginity to spite her would-be fiance, but it was evident he still had some maturing up to do before they could cross that line without her feeling like she was taking advantage of him.
Noticing that Vahn had become sulky, Rias ceased her laughter, wiped a tear from her eye, and said, "Sorry, Vahn. I didn't intend to make you feel embarrassed or ashamed, but allow me to make it up to you."
Near the end of her words, Rias approached and crawled into the bed she and Vahn would be sharing, an oversized and exceptionally luxurious bed with a gold-leafed wooden frame, maroon blankets, ten-thousand-count sheets, thirteen pillows, and an intricate headboard depicting two eastern dragons engaged in mortal combat. There was also the symbol of House Gremory emblazoned in the center in gold leaf, but that wasn't important as she climbed atop and straddled Vahn, her crimson hair cascading from her head and veiling his as she narrowed her eyes and said, "Consider this the first lesson of your groom training..." before giving him an even deeper and more passionate kiss than the one she had at lunch...
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