Decimo looked around the underground room; the ground was rainbow colors rather than walls and roofs.
He stood alone, observing Rias and the other standing in front of him. Only Asia was fidgeting, not understanding why this was happening.”
Rias gazed at him sternly, "Decimo, we need to know your Sacred Gear. I know what your Sacred Gear is, but I need to make sure."
Decimo sighed, sitting down on the ground with his legs crossed, "Why would you need to know?"
Rias narrowed her eyes, "Because it might be a Sacred Gear that might cause some waves."
Decimo pointed at Issei, "Like his Longinus?"
Rias glanced towards Issei, "Yes, like his Longinus...maybe even more."
Decimo smiled and gazed around the room; he punched the ground, there were massive cracks, but they healed themselves.
Decimo got on his legs with a smile, "How about this; if you guys are strong enough, you just might make me use my Sacred Gear."
A white glove appeared on his right hand, "I will only use these partial parts that you have seen."
Akeno clenched her fist, cracking her knuckles, with the sound of lightning around her, "I don't like being underestimated."
Decimo rose to his feet, unemotionally staring at the ground, wondering if the fight would be the same as sex. Each would offer him heightened senses, emotions, and maybe all that would make him feel something. But then again…
Kiba confusedly asked Rias, hesitating, “Are we doing this?”
Koneko raised her chin, "I always wanted to beat Senpai."
She rushed forth, punching Decimo in the stomach, but before she made contact, Decimo grabbed her hand. He raised her body, his knee connected with her stomach, causing her to cough out saliva.
Decimo let go of her hand, letting her fall to the ground, before raising his leg and putting it down on her head, pushing it down, cracking the ground.
He gazed up at others, "And I won't go easy on you."
Kiba glanced towards Koneko, and a sword appeared in his hand, "It seems this is serious."
In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of Decimo, but the sword he created collided against the Glove. Sparks flew out, and shortly the sword cracked.
Decimo gazed at Kiba with his emotionless eyes, getting a hold of one of the shrapnel in the air.
He slashed through the air, and blood burst out of Kiba.
Kiba widened his eyes, falling to his feet beside Koneko. He touched his chest with a sharp cut across his chest, his blood spreading beneath him.
Decimo dropped the shrapnel in front of Kiba's face, "You don't need a sword to cut - you need to know how to cut."
Suddenly, there was a massive pillar of lightning where Decimo was standing. But it stopped above him, stopping by a single hand that held it in place; the pillar made him take a step back, giving Rias, Akeno, and Koneko to appear in front of Kiba.
Issei was panicking, scared over Decimo’s direction, and ran forward towards Kiba while looking after Asia.
Asia, heal them."
Rias said with a solemn face.
That blast of lightning should have done a lot more than push him back.
"That Glove acts as a shield," Rias said with conviction.
But it only made Decimo laugh, "No, the Glove, it's just a Glove, with some power imbued true. But not strong enough that it acts as a shield. It's just that..."
Decimo paused, but it only made Akeno and Rias more nervous. They were even dreading asking him to complete that sentence.
But Issei didn't mind asking, "Just what?"
Decimo appeared in front of him, shocking everyone around. He touched Issei's chest, but Rias and Akeno couldn't seem to move, nor could Issei.
"Well, your attacks are too weak to put a scratch on it."
Boom Issei's body shot backward, rolling on the ground in the distance before coming to a still.
"Issei-Kun!!" Asia shouted in worry, looking behind. But her attention went back to Kiba and Koneko, trying her best to heal them faster.
Decimo released his hold on Rias and Akeno, and the two gasped for air the fast chance they got, with their bodies covered in sweat, "How...?" Rias muttered with shaking eyes.
"It's not magic," Decimo said, reminding them.
Akeno struggled to straighten her body, "It's not physical pressure."
Decimo smiled, sitting down on the floor, sighing, "Mmm, well, it's presence. Sometimes, they can attract all the eyes? It's a presence like that. The difference is…mine makes you not even dare to move.”
Rias trembled, moving her leg, a black orb shot towards Decimo. But he raised his hand, catching the ball.
Rias wanted to warn him not to do that, but she became shocked when his hand with gloved hand caught it.
He crushed it with his hand like it was nothing, which shook her heart the deepest. Her power, her family’s powe, allowed them to erase anything from existence, yet it was crushed. She didn’t even understand how that was possible.
"Akeno...together." She spoke with a slight tremble in her voice; fear started creeping through her body, taking hold of her heart.
Akeno nodded, standing together with Rias, the two fired pillars of lightning and ruin.
Decimo sat there raised his hands; the lightning and ruin pillars collided against his hand. But this time, they could even push him back.
Before the dust even cleared, Akeno and Rias could see the result. They felt hands around their shoulder, "that was good, but not good enough."
Rias widened her eyes in shock when she and Akeno felt the sky fall on them, their legs weakened, kneeling on the ground. There was a burn in their chests, and both of them threw up. Their blood and saliva covered the ground before them, and then they lost consciousness.
Decimo slightly flicked his finger upwards, and their bodies started floating in the air; the blood and saliva disappeared as if there was none, ever.
“Your healing is not fast enough. Moreover, going to the person you have to heal? It won’t work in battle, not one where the gap is so disparate.”
Asia closed her eyes, "Forgive me, Lord!!!"
Decimo put his hand on her neck; she fell to the ground.
Decimo put Rias and Akeno down beside Koneko and Kiba, "Well, that was disappointing, and here I thought they'd make me feel something."
He was about to walk out of the room when a voice came from behind him, "Stop."
Decimo glanced back, and Issei crawled up on his feet, with blood dripping from his mouth.
He ran towards Decimo, with his hand raised, striking him with his gauntlet.
Decimo didn’t even bother to catch the punch, and it fell on his chest, powerless but with a hint of spirit, "Useless, weak...but it might be something in the future. I look forward to it. I guess."
He brushed him off, lying down near them, closing his eyes, “Anyway, I am bored now.”
Issei let out a hollow laugh, helplessly sitting beside him, slumping his head, “Isn’t this awkward for you?”
“No, not really.”
……………..
In the Clubroom,
Decimo was reading the novel with his head on Rias's lap, but other than him, everyone was upset.
Akeno sat on the ground near the sofa, with her head laid back on Decimo's stomach, "I don't get it; how are you so powerful!"
Kiba stared at him, "It wasn't magic power, or I would have felt it."
Rias agreed, "True; it wasn’t powered by magic power."
Koneko looked toward Decimo with a slight adoration in her eyes, "Was it physical power?"
Decimo shook his head, "No, not physical power either."
Issei looked at him excitedly, "Then what was that?"
Decimo calmly read, "It was skill, nothing more, nothing less."
Before coming to this world, he had other adventures, one of them was in the world of pirates, where there was martial artist. Even though he wasn’t that strong, he still had those skills to a certain level, even more so now that he became the half devil.
Rias rubbed her hair, lost in thought, before talking, "Will you train us?"
Decimo seemed disinterested in that, "Not interested, but I can fight you every day if you want."
Rias smiled, "That would do."
Decimo stood up, "Well, defeat me if you want to know my Sacred Gear." He waved his hand, walking out the room.
That night,
Decimo sat beside the bed, leaning against it, in front of the window, with moonlight falling on him.
The thoughts of fight flashed through his eyes; the truth of the matter was that he was hollow.
He was an empty shell of what he used to be; his hobbies, habits, feelings, values, and everything gave him a self… turned into nothingness.
The way he did things wasn't because he wanted to, but it was based on how he (who still had everything) would do.
But even so, there were actions influenced by his emotionless state.
But Asia made him feel something; it was devotion and faith. Her feelings reminded him of how those feelings felt.
Hopefully, they would rub off him. Maybe even give back his feeling and give him some part of himself.
All the while, Decimo was lost in thought; he didn't notice a presence climb onto his bed.
It wasn't until she put her head on his shoulder that he noticed her hair brushed against his arm.
Decimo tilted his head to the side, his cheeks brushing against her own, "Why are you here?"
Rias closed her eyes, enjoying his presence, "Well, since Asia is living here, you don’t exactly have the best…living conditions. I thought she might need some help.
“Hm, do whatever you want.”
Rias stroked his chest, "Callous, aren't you?"
Decimo took a deep breath, closing his eyes, "It's not like I want to."
Rias closed her eyes, "I understand."
The next morning,
Decimo wrapped his hands around a naked Rias, feeling her soft body.
After a while, Rias woke up too. The two of them got dressed in the tracksuit, walking to the school together.
Rias held his hand, "We are starting training today; are you going to watch?"
Decimo thought, nodding, “I think it would do me well having some company.”
Rias held his hand tighter, "You’ll have all the company you want."
Decimo had a polite smile on his face, "I know."
When they reached the school, the other peerage members were already there.
Decimo walked towards the edge of the racing track, and his shadow rose, creating a chair with a hot coffee cup and a book on its armchair.
Decimo opened the novel and took the coffee cup. In between, his sight went towards everyone practicing together.
Kiba and Koneko were fighting against each other.
Akeno was training her lightning magic; Asia was using her healing magic. Issei was doing push-ups with Rias sitting on top of him, controlling tons of ruins magic balls.
Decimo tried to ignore them, but he couldn't help but sigh over how inefficient they were.
"Stop that." Decimo's voice reached their ears. He stood up, walking towards Koneko.
Koneko twitched when Decimo stood beside her. He glanced toward Kiba, "If you truly want to train. Then when you punch..." Decimo got in the position, pulling his hand back, "Punch with all your strength."
He punched, and Kiba suddenly widened his eyes. A wave of air hit him, throwing his body in the distance; his back collided again with the school building walls. His head turned numb; his body fell to the floor.
Decimo glanced toward Koneko, "You have a habit of holding back. I don’t know why? Because you are bending to society’s notion that a girl shouldn’t have this much strength? Or is it something deeper? I don’t know. But don’t hold back. Make it a habit; every punch must be with all of your heart and soul.”
Kiba raised his body, walking near, "You could have warned me..."
Decimo glanced towards his right hand; a white glove appeared on his left arm. The white, glowing cloths moved to form a sword; his eyes turned toward Kiba, "You, Slash. You need to learn how to cut."
Decimo used the white sword to cut, and Kiba's shirt was cut into pieces, but not a cut appeared on his skin, “You have the skill, but something is holding you back. Something emotional, a burden that you still carry.”
Before long, Decimo went to everyone, teaching them about more effective ways of training.
When he went back and sat down on the chair, taking a sip of coffee, Akeno appeared behind him, "Ara-ara, why the sudden interest?"
Decimo glanced up, seeing Akeno's shaking boobs, "Well, I thought I lost everything. But it seems there are a few hobbies and interests that I still have. I am waiting for a day to come when you can fight me equally."
Akeno curled her eyes into a smile, "That's quite the expectation you have there."
Decimo looked back at the novel, "Well, better you people than anyone else."
In the evening,
Decimo reached the house, hearing voices coming out from his recording room.
He opened the door, peeking inside; Kiryuu, Matsuda, Motohama, Murayama, and Katase made a video of their group sex.
Decimo narrowed his eyes; it was good that they were working hard. When he didn't make videos, they were the ones that gave him the content.
Decimo closed the door, walking up to his room. He lay down on his bed, glancing around the brightly lit room.
Decimo closed the lights and took the remote from his bedside.
He must have napped for a few hours when the magic in the room woke him up.
He sat up on the bed, looking at the girl that appeared, "Rias?"