In the fields of tall grass swaying with the morning breeze, Arthur stood with relaxed posture, Excalibur Mimic in his hands, transformed into a broad spear.
He held it with ease, twirling it once before leveling the tip forward.
"Are you ready, Cao Cao?"
Arthur called out, voice casual but eyes sharp.
Across from him, standing tensely with his own ornate spear, was a boy of the same age, with sharp blue eyes and black hair tied back to avoid distractions.
His grip was firm, stance steady despite the beads of sweat already on his brow.
"I'm ready."
Cao Cao replied, determined yet clearly bracing himself.
Their daily spar began.
Arthur lunged forward first, his strikes fluid and casual, yet every blow packed enough strength to stagger.
Cao Cao blocked one strike, then another, his feet digging into the earth.
He tried to push back, swinging his spear with practiced motions, but Arthur sidestepped easily and returned a counter-thrust to his shoulder that sent him skidding slightly back through the grass.
"Still too slow."
Arthur called out, sweeping low.
Cao Cao yelped as Arthur's leg swept beneath his, toppling him onto his back with a thud.
Arthur stepped forward, Excalibur Mimic aimed down at his chest.
"Extend!"
Cao Cao shouted suddenly, and his spear shot out like a bullet, aiming straight for Arthur's face.
Arthur didn't even blink as he caught the extended spear between two fingers, twisted it to the side with a flick of his wrist, and slammed his foot into Cao Cao's stomach.
"Guh!"
Cao Cao wheezed, curling up and coughing.
Arthur looked down at him, unimpressed.
"What did I say about announcing your attacks, dumbass? Only do it when you've reach my level."
Cao Cao rolled onto his side, trying to catch his breath as Arthur offered a hand.
With a groan, he took it, and Arthur pulled him up easily.
"You're still too predictable, but now you've got some weight in your strikes. I guess it wasn't a waste of time makig you join my workouts."
Arthur added, stretching his arms with a yawn.
Cao Cao grit his teeth, dusting himself off.
"Again. I want to try again."
Arthur waved him off as he turned away.
"Nah, maybe tomorrow. Try not to suck so much by then."
Cao Cao scowled, but didn't protest further.
He knew Arthur wasn't just mocking him, he was right.
He was still rough, still unrefined, but he'd gotten stronger in just a month.
A month since Arthur had saved him from those bastards who'd chased him through the past year like a dog.
He followed Arthur as they left the field and walked back toward their small encampment, a motel near a gas station.
A light breakfast of mostly store bought sandwiches and soda waiting for them.
As they ate, Cao Cao's thoughts wandered back to that day.
He remembered Arthur appearing like a demon in the night, which he technically is.
Boosted Gear glowing, Excalibur dripping with blood, and ending his tormentors with such terrifying ease.
Afterward, Arthur just handed him a spare clothes and a smile before leading him away.
In the days that followed, Arthur had explained the world beyond the normal.
The supernatural, the Three Factions, Sacred Gears, and his own gear, True Longinus, the legendary spear that could kill even gods.
At first, Cao Cao had been thrilled.
He flt it in himself that he was destined for greatness, and fate had grand plans for him!
Then Arthur had to knock some sense into him... literally.
"The Sacred Gear System don't care about who you are, it doesn't even have the capacity to pick their users. You could be the great-great-great-grandson of a Demigod and still don't get a Longinus. It's all randomized like lottery tickets. You ain't special, just incredibly lucky... like me."
Arthur bluntly said, nipping his stupidity in the bud before it sprouts into something stupid.
But in a way, Cao Cao was free from being clouded by the delusion of heroism and destiny.
He didn't have to live up to anything, he could forge his own path and be his own person.
This also made him recall when he was younger, alone in a forest… and then the monkey appeared.
An old, talking monkey in regal robes, seated atop a rock and grinning like a sage with too much time on his hands.
"You carry the spear of destiny, young one. Not only that, you're are descended of the great warlord Cao Cao. But thats not really anything noteworthy."
The monkey had said while eating a peach, and would vanished soon after, but the memory stayed with him.
Back to the present, after packing their things, the wind caught his hair as he leaned on the railing of a sleek, modern-looking cruise ship cutting across the Mediterranean Sea.
Cao Cao glanced sideways at Arthur, who was lounging in a deck chair nearby under a parasol, sunglasses on, and sipping from a tall glass of orange juice with a tiny umbrella in it.
Cao Cao blinked.
"This is… really not how I imagined my life would be."
Arthur, eyes hidden behind the shades, tilted his head lazily.
"Well, after all the crap you've been through, I think you earned a little break."
"I meant, why are we on a cruise ship? Where are we going?"
Arthur sipped from his drink, then lowered the glass.
"Greece."
"…Why Greece?"
Arthur smirked behind the rim of his cup.
"To make some new friends."
Cao Cao raised an eyebrow.
"What kind of friends?"
Arthur lazily pointed to the horizon.
"The kind that live on a mountaintop, throw lightning bolts, and stick their dicks into anything that has a hole in it."
Cao Cao blinked, realization slowly dawning.
"You're not seriously talking about… the Greek Gods?"
Arthur leaned back, folding his arms behind his head, the wind ruffling his hair.
"Maybe, maybe not. But I figured it's about time someone knocks them off their pedestals. Who knows, maybe we'll get something cool while were there sightseeing."
Cao Cao opened his mouth to protest, but Arthur just grinned and added.
"Don't worry. I'll protect you when I inevitably piss off one of them."
Cao Cao groaned.
"This is gonna be stupid."
DxD
Some time later.
As the warm Mediterranean sunlight cast over the city of Athens, Arthur and Cao Cao strolled through the bustling streets, weaving between locals and tourists alike.
The scent of grilled meat, olive oil, and sweet pastries floated through the air as they ate at a restaurant by the corner of a plaza.
Cao Cao raised an eyebrow as a plate of moussaka was set before him.
"Looks... interesting."
Arthur already had a souvlaki halfway to his mouth.
"Just shut up and eat it. You'll like it."
A few bites later, and the two boys were enjoying themselves far more than expected.
They sampled different dishes and even took a picture in front of the Parthenon, Arthur tossing up a thumbs up while Cao Cao awkwardly held his hand.
By nightfall, they retired to a simple but comfortable hotel.
Their room overlooked the city lights, and the soft hum of nightlife below filled the silence between them.
Cao Cao sat on the bed, arms crossed.
"So… we've explored the city, walked twelve miles, and got chased by a stray goat in a back alley. Now, can you tell me why we're really here?"
Arthur, sprawled out on a chair with his legs kicked over one armrest, twirled his phone lazily.
"Well, I guess it's time to explain. You see, the Vatican HQ sent me a word that someone contacted them. A Sacred Gear user. Said they wanted to join the Church, but only if we helped them with something."
Cao Cao tilted his head.
"Help them with what, exactly?"
Arthur shrugged.
"Dunno. They said the guy will explain everything when we meet in person."
Cao Cao frowned.
"Then I'll just stay behind and train. I'm not interested in another stranger with a dramatic flair."
Arthur stood up, tossing a bottle of water to him.
"Oh no you don't. You're my responsibility, remember? If I leave you alone, you might pick a fight with a disguised Zeus or something."
Cao Cao wanted to say something, but knew it was pointless.
Once Arthur made up his mind, there was no arguing with him.
The next morning, they followed the coordinates sent to Arthur's phone, which led them out of the city and into a rocky terrain far from civilization.
Jagged boulders and rough, cracked earth stretched before them, with barely a tree or bush in sight.
Dust blew around their feet as they walked along a narrow path.
"This can't be right... You sure this is the place?"
Cao Cao said, eyeing the empty landscape with suspicion.
Arthur pulled out his phone again and waved it.
"That's the address he gave me. Just chill. Maybe he-"
*BOOOOOM!*
The ground shook violently as an explosion ripped through the area.
Rocks were sent flying, dust clouded the sky, and the very earth beneath them trembled from the shockwave.
As the smoke settled, Cao Cao coughed violently, trying to clear his lungs.
His vision adjusted, and he looked beside him.
"W-What the fuck?!"
A crimson barrier in the shape of a dome shimmered faintly before fading away.
Arthur stood calmly as the remnants of the Power of Destruction flickering around his fingers.
"You dead?"
Arthur asked casually.
Cao Cao wheezed.
"No thanks to you! What the fuck was that?!"
Arthur glanced around, brushing some dust off his shoulder.
"Well, maybe our new friend knows what the hell that was."
And there, standing atop a shattered boulder, was a teen built like a tank, tall, muscular, with long gray hair that flowed past his shoulders.
He wore a sleeveless black shirt and cargo pants that looked scorched at the edges, and his grin was wild, full of excitement.
"Sorry about the surprise attack! Had to see if you were the real deal! And now I'm sure you are him!"
Arthur blinked.
"And who the hell are you supposed to be?"
With a dramatic hop down the boulder, the boy landed with a loud thud that cracked the ground beneath his boots.
"The name's Heracles. Yeah, that Heracles... kinda. I'm his reincarnation, y'know?"
He pointed at Arthur.
"And you're Arthur Pendragon. The first one who killed a god."
Cao Cao was surprised and looked at Arthur.
"You did... W-What?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"That's not something I really throw around at people, but sure. That's me."
Heracles jabbed a thumb into his chest, a fiery orange aura beginning to flare up around him.
"Just wanna clear something out. I really did tell the Church I'd join their little fan club, but only if I got to fight you, one-on-one. No interference, no Devil Powers, just us with our Sacred Gears. Let's see who's the strongest between us!"
Cao Cao blinked slowly.
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."
Arthur chuckled and pulled his red hoodie off, tossing it to Cao Cao, who caught it with a baffled expression.
"Well, you asked for this. Guess we're doing this."
Arthur said, stepping forward and the Boosted Gear flashed into existence across his arms.
Then came Ddraig's voice, yawning inside his mind.
(I just woke up… Is it fighting time already?)
Arthur mentally replied.
(Sorry, big guy. We've got a muscle-brained reincarnation of Heracles who wants to fight me to prove he's tough.)
(Ah, Greece's famous idiot. Alright then, I'll watch. Try not to kill him too fast. Let's see what this 'hero' can do.)
Arthur smirked as he raised his arm, pointing at Heracles with his right Boosted Gear.
"Alright, Hercules. Let's see if you're actually strong, loud, or just autistic."
Heracles slammed his fists together, aura flaring higher as veins popped across his arms.
"Show me why you're feared, Pendragon!"
...
A one-sided beatdown later.
...
"Uuugh..."
Smoke still lingered in the air, wafting from the crater that now marred the earth like a scar.
Inside it, Heracles lay broken, his body bruised, his muscles twitching slightly with each ragged breath.
But with one last desperate blast had left, a large missile was fired from his Variant Detonation's Balance Breaker, Detonation - Mighty Comet.
It hurtled toward Arthur but he just raised his hand and caught it mid-air like a ball tossed at him by a toddler.
The missile whined and shuddered in his palm, but before it could detonate, Arthur's fingers curled around it and crushed it.
Arthur exhaled slowly and stepped down the crater's edge, dust swirling around his boots with each step.
Heracles groaned as he tried to sit up, one arm trembling as it pushed against the ground.
His breath came in shallow gasps, blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth.
He looked up to see a completely uninjured Arthur kneeling beside him.
"So... what do you say, big guy?"
Heracles blinked blearily, his swollen lip twitching as he forced out a breath.
"...U-Uncle..."
He muttered hoarsely before his head slumped back against the dirt, unconscious.
At the ledge, Cao Cao stood frozen, his blue eyes wide and locked onto the crater below.
He hadn't moved a muscle throughout the entire fight... if you could call it that.
He had watched Arthur dodge, counter, and dismantle Heracles' offense like it was child's play.
(He made it look easy… and he was still holding back.)
He thought, a mix of awe and frustration swirling in his chest.
(Can I… ever reach that level? Can I wield my True Longinus like that?)
For the first time in a while, a spark of ambition had been lit in his heart as he gazed upon Arthur with newfound admiration.
Arthur's Boosted Gear vanished as he bent down, scooping Heracles up in his arms with little effort despite the teen's size and bulk.
The muscles in Heracles' arms twitched faintly, but his face remained slack with exhaustion.
"Well… Looks like we caught ourselves a big one."
Arthur muttered with a smirk.
Cao Cao finally made his way down the slope, watching Arthur adjust Heracles over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"So… are we sending him back to the Church or something?"
Arthur barked a laugh.
"Hell no. If we let those prunes get their hands on him, they'll fill his head with 'noble' causes and shit. Nah. I've got other plans."
Cao Cao raised an eyebrow.
"Such as?"
Arthur just smirked over his shoulder.
"Give him a choice that doesn't end with him as some zealot martyr or weapon for someone else. Besides, he's got spirit, even if his brain only has a few brain cells left."
Cao Cao sighed.
"And I thought I was the unlucky one."
Arthur waved him off and gestured to follow.
"Let's go. The sun's going down and I'm starving."
Cao Cao fell into step beside him, glancing one more time at the crater they left behind.
What they didn't notice was a lone figure stood far away from them..
"Hmph… Not bad, Red One."
The figure murmured before disappearing into the darkness.
DxD
Hello readers!
Volume 1 Auxiliary is out now, just look at the chapters and you will see it.
Also, I seem to be having issues with uploading the images so if you are wondering what Arthur looks like, just search a fanart of Kurama from Yu Yu Hakusho.
Thank you everyone and see you later!