Bill walked down the hall of the old schoolhouse, his boots echoing against the worn hardwood floor. He eventually ca to a door with a plate beside it that read Occult Research Club. From the other side, raised voices spilled out, heated and sharp. He didn't bother to knock or announce his presence—he simply pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Instantly, all eyes fell on him. A blonde-haired man in a flamboyant red suit scowled at the intrusion, opening his mouth to speak. But before he could get a word out, a strikingly beautiful maid with long silver hair braided neatly on either side of her face and piercing gray eyes quickly moved forward. She gave Strife a deep, respectful bow.
"Sir Strife, it is a pleasure to et you," she said calmly, her voice laced with both deference and urgency. "Could you please wait patiently on the sofa while our current business concludes?"
Bill raised a brow but gave a small nod. "No need for you to bow, miss. But yes, I'm in no hurry. My quarry won't show up for a few weeks anyway."
Relief flickered across Grayfia's features as she exhaled softly. "Thank you for your understanding."
As Bill lowered himself onto the sofa beside Kiba, Grayfia turned to Akeno. "Akeno, please get Sir Strife so tea."
Akeno gave a small bow of acknowledgnt before hurrying off to prepare it. anwhile, Grayfia returned to her position between Rias and Riser, her calm presence acting like a wall between the two.
"Grayfia, who is that?" Rias asked, her voice low with a mix of suspicion and curiosity.
"Yes," Riser added smugly. "Riser would like to know as well. If even the Strongest Queen shows him respect, then he must be important."
Grayfia's gray eyes narrowed slightly as she replied, her tone edged with quiet authority. "It's far above both your stations. Drop it."
She straightened her posture and continued, "Now, back to the matter at hand. Lord Lucifer anticipated this situation and proposed that the two of you should settle this with a Rating Ga. If Riser wins, Rias will marry him imdiately. But if Rias wins, there will be no marriage. Is that acceptable to you both?"
Rias glared at Riser, anger flashing in her eyes. "Fine with ."
Riser smirked arrogantly. "That works for Riser as well."
With that, he and his peerage vanished in a flash of fla.
Bill lifted his teacup and took a sip, humming appreciatively. "Hey, this tea is pretty good. Not bad, little lady."
Akeno giggled softly at the complint. "Thank you, sir."
Grayfia stepped forward once more, her composure unbroken. "I thank you for your patience, Sir Strife. I wasn't told the nature of your visit."
Bill gave her a casual smile. "I'm paying a courtesy call to your sister-in-law to inform her I'll be in town, taking care of so people set to show up here in a few weeks."
Unable to take being left in the dark any longer, Rias suddenly burst out. "Would sobody please tell what's going on?!"
Grayfia's expression softened slightly as she inclined her head. "My lady, allow to introduce Sir Strife of the Four Horsen."
Rias and her peerage—save for Issei cause he's an idiot—turned ghostly pale. "As in…the Four Horsen of the Apocalypse?" Rias stamred, her voice trembling.
Bill leaned back casually, sipping his tea again. "Yep. You can just call Bill, though."
Issei blinked and tilted his head. "Bill? Are you Arican?"
"Technically," Bill said with a shrug. "I an, I was born and raised in Texas about a hundred years ago. Then I died in World War II at eighteen. The Almighty resurrected as a Horseman."
The room fell into stunned silence. Every jaw dropped, even Grayfia's. She coughed lightly to regain her composure. "Um…Rias, please arrange accommodations for Sir Strife."
Rias blinked herself out of her daze. "Y-Yeah, no problem."
Bill set his cup down and leaned forward. "You've got ten days to get ready for your fight. How are you gonna use them?"
Rias straightened her back and spoke with determination. "Oh, I was going to take my peerage into the mountains and do so hardcore physical training and sparring."
Grayfia's eyes widened in open disbelief, and she raised a hand to her forehead. "My lady…please say you're joking."
Rias tilted her head, genuinely confused. "No. Why would I be?"
Grayfia groaned. "You're going to lose so badly…"
Bill snorted, setting his cup aside. "That's the dumbest training plan I've ever heard. That kind of training will yield results in months, not days. Tell you what—I'll give you a hand."
He pulled a phone from his coat pocket and dialed.
Grayfia arched a brow. "Really, Sir Strife?"
"Yeah, why not?" Bill said easily. "I got nothing better to do while I wait around."
After a few minutes of talking, two golden keys materialized in Bill's hands. He turned them over once, then looked at the group. "Alright, Lord Tet hooked up with so training worlds. His only condition is dragon boy over there has to be put through the wringer."
Issei shot to his feet, pointing at himself. "What did I do?!"
Bill smirked. "Lord Tet and his girlfriend don't like you. He said being a pervert's okay, but you take it way too far. Seriously, how do you go through life shouting the word boobs fifty tis a day?"
Grayfia's lips tightened into a frown as she turned her sharp gaze on Issei. "We'll be having a discussion about your etiquette, Mr. Hyoudou."
Bill waved the keys lightly. "Ti inside these works differently—one day becos one week. We'll spend four in one, four in the other, then rest for the last two days. That's two months to train. Go put on sothing you don't mind fighting in and et here in ten minutes."
Everyone in the peerage glanced at one another and shrugged. "I'm good with what I'm wearing."
Bill blinked and looked to Grayfia, incredulous. "Are they serious?"
Grayfia sighed, her shoulders sagging slightly. "Unfortunately, they are."
"Whatever," Bill muttered, standing. "You coming along, miss? Having a second chaperone would be useful."
"Give a mont to make so calls," Grayfia said, stepping outside. After a few minutes, she returned with her usual composed expression. "Yes, I will be joining."
"Alright, kids," Bill said, holding up the first key. "Get ready—here we go."
The golden key flared with blinding light, and in the next instant, everyone vanished.
When the light finally faded, the group found themselves standing in what looked like Japan—but clearly from a much older era. The air was thick with silence, and the ruins of a Japanese village stretched out before them, ghostly quiet and unsettling.
Akeno stepped forward slowly, her eyes scanning the crumbling wooden structures. "This looks like Japan," she said softly, "but the architecture… it's ancient."
Grayfia's gaze swept over the village before she turned her eyes to Bill. "Sir Strife, where exactly are we?"
Bill, surveying the desolate scenery. "We're in a ga called Nioh 2. My boss, Tet, isn't just the Almighty—he's the God of Gas. He chose this place for you kids to get so practical combat experience. See, this is a version of Japan during the Warring States period… except this ti, yokai are part of the mix. And they play a huge role in the conflict."
At the ntion of yokai, Koneko's amber eyes flickered with unease. Her shoulders tensed ever so slightly.
Bill noticed imdiately and gave her a reassuring nod. "Don't worry, kid—you're fine. We're only hunting evil yokai, bandits, and other bad guys."
Koneko's voice ca out quiet, but firm. "You… you know what I am?"
"Yep," Bill answered simply, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
He pointed toward the shadowed ruins ahead. "This village is crawling with bandits, Gaki, Enki, and Nure-Onna. The bosses for this area are Gozuki and zuki. I want each of you to take out both."
Rias placed her hands on her hips, her crimson hair swaying as she addressed her peerage. "Alright everyone, let's pair off and—"
"No, my lady," Grayfia interrupted smoothly, her tone firm. "Each of you will run this village gauntlet alone. One by one."
Bill smirked and folded his arms. "All of you have to complete it. Don't worry about dying—if you do, you'll respawn right here at this shrine. Then the next one will go. We'll keep repeating it until you've all made it through. Once that's done, we'll move on to the next area." He clapped his hands once, sharply. "Alright. Get started."
Rias huffed, irritation coloring her voice. "And what will you two be doing while we fight for our lives?"
With a grin, Bill snapped his fingers. A table and chairs materialized beside the shrine, set neatly with tea, cakes, and sliced fruit for Grayfia, and iced sweet tea, apples, and sandwiches for himself. Grayfia, ever composed, quietly took her seat, lifting a cup of steaming tea with graceful precision.
Bill plopped into the chair across from her, leaning back comfortably. "We'll be cheering you on—vigorously."
Grayfia gave the faintest of smirks, raising her cup toward Rias. "Yes, my lady. We shall be rooting for you."
Rias threw her arms out in frustration. "How is that training, exactly?!"
Bill's eyes glinted with amusent. "How badly you get your ass kicked will determine how much work the two of us have to put into training you afterwards."
"Indeed," Grayfia added smoothly. "As all of you face the challenges of this world, we shall observe and note precisely where your problems lie. Now… begin."
Kiba stepped forward, his expression calm but determined. With a flick of his wrist, he invoked Sword Birth, conjuring a gleaming blade into his hand. He gave it a quick test swing before setting his stance. "I'll go first."
He walked through the looming village gates, each step steady despite the ominous air. Waiting for him just beyond was a towering, muscular demon with the head of a bull—Gozuki. Its enormous club scraped the ground as it snarled, hot breath steaming in the cool air.
Rias gasped, her eyes widening. "There's a boss right at the start?!"
Bill chuckled, utterly unfazed. "Yep. And if you were paying attention, you'd rember I said you only need to take out Gozuki and zuki—not everything in the village. Good luck."
Kiba tightened his grip on his sword, determination blazing in his eyes. He raised the blade in both hands, muscles coiling in preparation as the bull demon stomped forward, its roar shaking the ground.
The fight was on.
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