Chapter 96 New Semester
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Advancing the soul was, without question, the steepest mountain to climb.
Whether through arduous cultivation methods, rare artifacts, or one-time celestial treasures, anything capable of bolstering one’s soul—even by a fraction—was enough to incite bloodbaths among the world’s elite.
Yet, through his recent sessions of Dual Cultivation¹, Aki’s already formidable soul had reached a new zenith.
This spiritual surge acted as a catalyst for his swordsmanship; his Sword Zen² naturally ascended to the next rank.
Still, the ultimate realm of Divine Unity remained frustratingly out of reach.
His status panel was nothing if not blunt, tracking progress in simple tiers.
Aki wasn’t even sure if Advanced Sword Zen was the equivalent of Divine Unity; he had yet to even sniff an Intermediate-grade skill, let alone an Advanced one.
As for what lay beyond the Advanced tier… he suspected there was more.
After all, the Stray Devil lineages scaled from High-class to Ultimate-class, and finally to the Demon King class.
While those ranks usually measured raw power—where a stronger bloodline naturally equated to greater strength—Aki had another reason to believe his skills hadn’t hit the ceiling.
Miyajima Sakura had once mentioned that her family records spoke of five great realms of Martial Insight.
Using the blade as the standard, they were: Sword Light, Sword Qi, Sword Force, Sword Intent, and finally, Man and Blade as One.
That final stage was the realm of the Sword Saint³.
As for a Sword God? Sakura’s ancestors had never produced one, so their records were silent on the matter.
With his Mana Breaching⁴ to A-rank currently deadlocked, Aki diverted every ounce of his focus toward the Martial Way.
He figured that even if he couldn’t force a full breakthrough over the summer, he could at least bang on the door of the A-rank threshold.
Besides, the Martial Way offered a massive multiplier to his combat effectiveness—the perfect solution for a man currently trapped by a bottleneck.
* * *
Recognizing that Aki was pushing for a breakthrough, Rias had spared him from any Contracts during the summer break, allowing him to cultivate in peace.
August 26th marked less than a week before the start of the term.
For nearly a month, Aki’s life had been a cycle of Dual Cultivation and grueling martial study.
Every time Shinra Tsubaki returned from the Underworld, he would pester her relentlessly, dragging her into one—or several—rounds of Dual Cultivation.
Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on his side; he still hadn’t managed to proc the Intermediate Magic Power Extraction skill.
On the bright side, he did manage to siphon enough of Tsubaki’s swordsmanship expertise that, combined with a month of solitary Kendo practice, he successfully pushed his Sword Zen to the Advanced rank.
It was exactly as he’d feared: Advanced Sword Zen wasn’t the Divine Unity he’d hoped for.
It merely elevated him to a Grandmaster level within the Martial Way.
To actually breach the A-rank wall, he would need to grasp the true, underlying Essence of the Martial Way.
Even Miyajima Sakura only hovered at this level, and due to her physical limitations, she hadn’t even fully stepped into the Grandmaster rank yet.
Now, without a Master to guide him, Aki’s progress hit another plateau.
By the time the second semester rolled around, the A-rank Breach remained unaccomplished, though his raw lethality had undeniably skyrocketed.
September 1st.
Kuoh Academy held its opening ceremony.
At 2:00 PM, Aki threw his bag over his shoulder and headed for the Occult Research Club⁵.
He pushed open the heavy clubroom doors and gave a wave.
”Buchou, Akeno-senpai, Koneko… uh, and Kiba. Afternoon.”
He froze for a second when his eyes landed on a certain blonde ‘pretty boy.’ The guy usually had the presence of a ghost, yet here he was, actually showing his face today.
Kiba Yuuto offered a gentle, radiant smile.
”Uesugi-kun, good afternoon.”
Aki felt a sudden chill, his skin crawling with an involuntary shudder.
(Is it just me, or has this blondie gotten even more feminine since I last saw him…?)
Aki instinctively drifted closer to Rias, using her as a shield while he scrutinized Kiba out of the corner of his eye.
Fair, delicate features. Slender build.
Standing at about 1.7 meters—roughly Aki’s own height.
And that throat… was that an Adam’s apple, or just a slight curve? The chest was undeniably flat—flatter than even the white-haired loli’s.
Honestly, Kiba looked more like a ‘weak uke’ than Aki did these days.
If someone put that guy in a dress, it would be over for everyone.
Aki shook his head, terrified by his own train of thought. He wasn’t into traps.
He forced his eyes lower, trying to flush the intrusive thoughts away.
Kiba’s black uniform trousers were tight against his thighs.
They were slender but clearly packed with lean muscle—not surprising, considering Kiba specialized in physical techniques and possessed a sword arm that put Aki’s novice skills to shame.
Suddenly, Aki’s eyes locked onto a specific detail.
(Wait… why is it so flat there?)
Since Rias and the others were all in skirts, Aki could only compare Kiba to himself.
He glanced down at the junction of his own thighs.
There was a very clear, very obvious mountain range stretching against his uniform slacks, especially while sitting.
Then he looked back at Kiba.
Smooth. Level.
Absolutely no equipment to speak of.
(Could Kiba Yuuto be… a developmental disaster!)
It had to be a side effect of those Holy Sword experiments.
His ‘little brother’ had either been stunted into oblivion or deleted entirely! That would explain the lack of an Adam’s apple, too.
Aki pulled his gaze away and lowered his head, offering a silent, heartfelt prayer for poor Kiba.
Because he’d already convinced himself of the medical tragedy, he didn’t even consider other possibilities.
It wasn’t like Shinomura Yuki was the only one hiding a gender, right? Surely Kiba, who was clearly a guy in the anime, wasn’t pulling a fast one? The real Kiba couldn’t be a different person entirely, right?!
As the weakest one in the room, Aki didn’t realize that his ‘discreet’ staring was being broadcasted loud and clear to everyone else.
Rias and her peerage watched his eyes dart toward Kiba’s crotch, then watched his face cycle through a dozen hilarious, pitying expressions.
Their own looks turned increasingly awkward.
”Aki, are you mis—”
”Buchou.”
Kiba Yuuto interrupted, his smile turning a bit forced. “When I’ve finished that business… I’d like to be the one to say it.”
Rias let out a weary sigh. “Fine. But you don’t have to carry the world on your shoulders…”
Kiba looked at the floor. “I know the theory, Buchou. I just can’t do it.”
Rias went quiet.
It was true—everyone knew the ‘right’ way to handle trauma, but few could actually pull it off.
She was the same way, wasn’t she? Akeno’s playful aura vanished, her face going stony.
Even Koneko stopped mid-bite, her mood visibly tanking.
Aki felt the shift immediately.
Judging by their reactions, they were all spiraling back into their own personal demons.
The depressing weight of the room was so thick that Aki completely forgot he was curious about what Rias had been about to say.
”Buchou, Akeno-senpai…” Aki muttered, forcing himself to cut through the gloom. “I know summer’s over, but looking like we’re at a funeral on the first day back is a bit much, don’t you think?”
”Good grief,” Rias said, being the first to snap out of it.
She offered a small, tired smile. “To think I’d let the newest member of the club be the one to fix the mood. I’m failing as a Buchou.”
”Ara ara~ It seems even the great Buchou-sama makes mistakes sometimes~” Akeno replied, using the jab at Rias to shake off her own shadows.
Rias shot her a mock glare, warning the black-bellied priestess with her eyes.
They’d lived under the same roof since they were children; if Akeno wanted to start digging up dirt, Rias had plenty of her own to fire back.
Akeno took the hint and stepped aside, giggling into her hand like a fox who’d just snatched a prize.
”Anyway,” Rias said, turning back to Aki with a serious expression. “Aki, there’s a placement test tomorrow. Your strength isn’t in question, but we need to go through the motions for the record.”
”A placement test? For the Hidden Academy⁶?” Aki said. “I heard people talking about it last semester, but I never actually went.”
Rias tilted her head elegantly.
”Akeno, fill him in.”
Akeno gave a beautiful roll of her eyes—a clear sign she knew this was payback for her teasing—but she dutifully took on the role of the lecturer.
”Since you joined mid-term and came from a mundane background, the rest of last semester was your grace period,” Akeno said. “The Hidden Academy implements a bottom-tier punishment system⁷. We couldn’t exactly throw someone who barely knew what Mana was into a testing pool with the veterans.”
”A penalty system…”
Aki suddenly understood why Reina and her crew had been so desperate to Dual Cultivate with him back then.
With Insight Eye and his current level of power, he probably had a better grasp on things than the ‘naturals’ like Reina did.
”What kind of penalties are we talking about?”
”The most extreme is expulsion,” Akeno said. “But usually, it’s special training. And trust me, it’s hell. If you can’t hack the training—or if you refuse it—you’re out.”
—
Summary:
Aki reflects on a summer of intense cultivation that has elevated his soul and martial skills to the Grandmaster level.
As the new semester at Kuoh Academy begins, he reunites with the Occult Research Club members and observes Kiba’s oddly feminine appearance, leading to humorous internal speculation.
The atmosphere turns heavy as the club members reflect on their personal traumas, prompting Aki to break the tension before learning about the academy’s strict placement tests.
—
Trivia:
- Aki has been relentlessly pestering Shinra Tsubaki for sessions whenever she returns from the Underworld.
- The ‘Divine Unity’ realm in Sword Zen is currently the peak Aki is aiming for.
- Miyajima Sakura’s notes provide the blueprint for Martial Way progression (five stages).
- Kiba is a survivor of the ‘Holy Sword’ experiments, which Aki suspects caused biological issues.
- The Hidden Academy has an expulsion-based penalty system for low-ranking students
—
Character Insight:
Aki shows growth in both power and social awareness; he is now capable of sensing and breaking heavy emotional atmospheres. Kiba is clearly burdened by a past mission or trauma (‘that business’).
—
Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The author uses Aki’s ‘Insight Eye’ and meta-knowledge of the anime to subvert character expectations regarding gender and biology.
—
Glossary:
Notes:
• Aki – Silver‑haired, sharp‑eyed and strikingly handsome, he’s a Peak B‑rank Stray Devil with incomplete High‑Class blood, dual‑cultivation and a mana bottleneck. His form has thick black bat wings, a barbed tail, crimson‑flecked pupils, a left‑hand crest, milky‑white Qi and pale‑blue Mana refreshed nightly. He bears Insight Eye, Thunder Spear, Talents (Natural, Spirit Pact, Tenacity), massages with hot large hands, leads “Little Aki,” dates Rias & Takamine sisters, works for Akeno, monitors Aisu Academy, joins ORC, and hunts Talents.
• Miyajima Sakura – Upperclassman Miyajima Sakura, a striking kendo prodigy with “Sword Heart,” studies at Aisu Academy and now at Aie Academy. Living with Aki—whom she views as a younger brother despite his predatory nature—she is brave, romantically sensitive, a former Kuoh student, a club beauty targeted by Tanaka Hajime, and unaware of the supernatural.
• Miyajima – Family name of Sosuke, Tsubaki and Sakura.
• Sakura – Sakura Miyajima, a third‑year Aisu Academy student, is a kendo prodigy with Sword Heart talent, wearing a navy blazer and red hakama. Daughter of Sousuke, she views Aki as a younger brother despite his predatory nature, now lives with him after learning his supernatural side, and they practice Dual Cultivation together. A Miyajima family kendo genius, she recently surpassed her father in strength.
• Rias – Rias Gremory, 17, a tall, curvaceous pure-blood High-Class Devil and President of Kuoh Academy’s Occult Research Club, boasts long crimson hair, crystal-like crimson eyes, fair snowy-white skin, a smooth jade-like back, long delicate neck, upright breasts with pink nipples, and a hairless mound beneath her refined school uniform—her demonic wings manifesting in Stray Devil form. Known as the Crimson Ruin Princess and Master of the Peerage, she wields the Power of Destruction with commanding authority, fiercely protects her team, mentors Aki like a big sister, oversees his training, and, frustrated by his stalled reincarnation, plans rituals while guiding him through the world’s power hierarchy. Having lived with Akeno since childhood, she evaluates strength, explains Breaching requirements, and governs her peerage with both regal grace and deep loyalty.
• Shinra Tsubaki – Dark‑blue‑haired, refined vice‑president of the student council in a status‑worthy uniform; childhood friend and Queen‑type retainer to President Shitori Sona. A middle‑class reincarnated devil with Mirror Reflection talent, later Demon Bloodline, A‑rank peerage member whose mana surged after meeting Aki, making her a strategic ally and loyal subordinate.
• Tsubaki – Shinra Tsubaki, Vice President of the Student Council and Sona’s Queen, is a stoic Devil with black wings, wearing a school uniform, black lace bra, silk stockings, and glasses framing a sharp, intellectual gaze. A master of privacy‑bound magic, she aids investigations with razor‑sharp analysis while hiding jealousy of Aki’s time with the Occult Research Club; her hidden affection leads to their first kiss. Though distant to most, she shares an unspoken bond with Aki, her composed authority masking vulnerable devotion. As Sousuke’s wife and Sakura’s mother, she outwardly flirts with Aki, blending maternal warmth and seductive charm beneath a polished exterior.
• Koneko – White-haired nekomata loli with fluffy white cat ears and a small nose, petite and flat-chested, serves as Rias Gremory’s Rook and first-year ORC member; one of the three beautiful girls, she’s a stoic, fiercely loyal mentor to Aki—training him in brutal combat, watching over him, and holding him to his promises. Territorial over food, often seen quietly eating a pink popsicle or tiramisu, she’s endlessly protective, devoted, and silently guardian-like toward those she serves.
• Akeno – Himejima, a tall, curvaceous silver‑haired Orc vice‑president and Rias’s queen, wields lightning magic and sterilizes kisses with arcane rites; her refined, provocative demeanor hides a sadistic, teasing nature that leaves her flushed after battle, serving as a peer in Rias’s peerage. As a member of the three beautiful girls and a Stray Devil, she smiles warmly, handles contracts and magic circles.
• Kiba – Member of the ORC. Handsome with blonde hair, fair skin, and a slender build, approximately 1.7 meters tall. Specialist in physical techniques and swordsmanship. Survivor of the Holy Sword experiments.
• Uesugi – Family name of Aki.
• Shinomura Yuki – Blonde, sharp‑eyed punk with yellow hair and tsundere vibes, outwardly a bandaged male thug at Kuoh Academy but actually a petite mixed‑blood demon girl in disguise. She despises men, uses Disguise talent, joins Aki’s group after a magic surge, targets him, and secretly likes the Hamazaki trio.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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