Izumi stood proudly on the golden beach, admiring the sight of a dozen girls in swimwear lined up before him. His mood skyrocketed. Sunlight glittered off the waves, and the soft wind played with long hair and fluttering ribbons—a beautiful battlefield, in every sense.
Meanwhile, Avrora crouched miserably in the sand, glaring at him with watery, betrayed eyes.
Being around Izumi always meant suffering.
Abuse.
Humiliation.
Being thrown into the ocean.
She truly pitied herself.
To be cursed with such a cruel master… how tragic.
Izumi ignored the sulking vampire loli entirely and clapped his hands together.
"Alright, girls—here's the training plan."
Simple. Brutal. Efficient.
"Fight."
Only battle could forge strength. The fastest way to improve was to push past the limit—again and again.
Izumi would simply stand aside, observe, and correct mistakes.
He expected no complaints—and he received none.
Everyone here understood power.
And they all desperately wanted more of it.
Seeing the nods across the group, Izumi grinned.
"Good. Then the first match will be—Sona and Rias."
He pointed toward the sea.
"Head out over the water and fight with everything you've got."
"No holding back."
"As long as you're breathing, Asia can patch you up."
His grin turned wicked.
"So don't worry about dying. Worry about losing face."
With Asia here, he feared no casualties.
And if things truly went wrong—he and Ophis could intervene instantly.
Rias stared at him, uncertain.
"Are you sure this isn't too reckless?"
Izumi shrugged.
"If you hold back, it's just cosplay sword-fighting."
"It won't teach you anything."
"I won't let you die."
He gestured toward a black-haired girl quietly hugging a dragon plushie.
"And we've got Ophis. If a lethal blow comes your way, she'll just say 'no' and erase it from existence."
Rias and Sona Sitri exchanged a look.
Reluctant, but convinced.
They nodded.
Still, unease flickered in their eyes.
Izumi sighed dramatically.
"Stop treating each other like childhood best friends."
"Pretend the other person murdered your whole family."
"Kill them. Hard."
He raised one hand.
"Go. Fight. Break. Improve."
He raised the other hand.
"And give me a good show!"
Rias and Sona both stared at him, speechless.
Then, together, they spread their devil wings, dark and beautiful, and shot into the air.
The others gathered on the sand, eyes drawn to the sky, anticipation boiling.
Rias, a pure-blood Gremory, unleashed destructive crimson magic—her signature.
Sona, likewise pure-blood, excelled not in raw might but in calculation, tactics, and control.
And her specialty—water magic—shone brightest here, above the sprawling ocean.
Raging waves obeyed her commands, rising like living walls, lashing forward in massive crashes.
Rias countered with blasts of Destruction, crimson annihilation cutting through tidal fury.
The sea boiled with magic.
The sky flashed red and blue.
They clashed with equal force—stalemate.
Izumi watched from below, unimpressed.
"Still holding back."
He tapped his chin.
"Sona is Serafall's sister. She should be proficient in ice magic too."
"So why limit herself to water?"
"Tch. They're still playing nice."
Standing beside him, Himejima Akeno smiled awkwardly.
"They grew up together, you know."
"You can't expect them to try and kill each other immediately."
"Old friendships don't vanish on command."
Izumi nodded slightly.
Then smirked.
"Then we'll just change the rules."
He turned toward poor, shrinking Avrora.
"Avrora."
She shivered.
Izumi smiled kindly.
It was an evil smile.
"Go beat them up."
"If you don't, no dinner tonight."
"And no blood."
Avrora froze.
Her soul left her body for a moment.
Why me?!
But when she saw Izumi's expression—far too calm, far too serious—the answer was clear.
This was not a joke.
Starvation was real.
Death was trivial.
Priorities must be set.
And her priorities were:
Food
Blood
Cute skirts
Murder
So she summoned a beast.
"Arise—Lion of Gold!"
Lightning cracked.
A massive, thunder-wreathed golden lion emerged, roaring so loudly the beach vibrated.
Without hesitation, it launched toward Rias and Sona.
Izumi's voice echoed inside their minds.
"Since you two won't go all-out on your own…"
"I'll help motivate you."
"Try not to die."
A golden bolt sliced past their faces.
Both girls flinched violently.
Avrora watched coldly from below, eyes glowing scarlet.
For food, she would not hold back.
The giant lion leapt skyward, claws like lightning blades.
Rias and Sona responded instantly—forming barriers, combining magic, counterattacking.
But they were losing ground quickly.
Avrora might have been a useless gremlin in daily life—
but she was still an S+ ranked Fourth Primogenitor.
Her familiars were monsters.
Even the "Lion of Gold" alone was A+ to S- class.
And Avrora held no sentimental connection to either girl.
Which meant—
She could beat them bloody without hesitation.
The onlookers shivered collectively.
Izumi grinned wider.
"Since this is working so well—"
He turned to Akeno, Shinra Tsubaki, and the others.
"You all go too."
Avrora's head snapped up.
"Increase pressure."
"If you knock them all down, I'll give you a feast tonight."
"And candy."
Avrora froze.
Candy.
She didn't know what a goldfish was.
But she knew candy.
She clenched her tiny fists.
"Very well."
"Descend—Twin-Horned Crimson!"
"Flow—Mercury Serpent!"
Two more beasts manifested—one fiery, one liquid, both terrifying.
Izumi pointed dramatically at the group of devils and fallen angels.
"If you don't go help them—"
"They're going to get slaughtered!"
He beamed.
"I'm a genius."
How did I forget about Avrora's army of familiars?
Such a waste!
Now, finally, they would be used properly—
—to beat up everyone else.