Cooled Passions Chapter 69:

Chapter 69: ...is fundamentally not different...

“The Crypts.” Their next opponent predictably spoke, setting the terrain for their next demonstration.

Shiro resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the lack of imagination. Her Nii-san and her really were leading the devils arrayed against them by the nose, from start to finish. On the surface, it was smart, after all she had showcased her magnetic acceleration spell, something that seemed incredibly devastating in open quarters, but would bring the roof down on her if used in a confined space, like the Crypt terrain.

Did it even occur to the blue haired devil that they had realised that weakness? Did he think that was the only trick in her arsenal? The shallowness of the planning annoyed her. Still, she supposed she should have been grateful.

After all, thanks to his decision, she could further showcase that her Nii-san was not an idiot. He had access to millions, trillions of potential choices on this world alone, yet he had decided to pick her. That should have shown that she was not a normal child, to be so easily taken advantage of. However, it appeared that this world refused to see things as they were, instead preferring to see it as how they would like it to be instead.

With this choice by their enemy, she would be able to demonstrate that fact even more definitively. One advantage of her size and youth was that it caused the rest of her Nii-san’s peerage to dote on her, making them more tolerant of her requests. She had abused this fully, bothering the most reclusive members to give her lessons and training, meaning that she was the only member that had been taught by all the rest. Even Melina.

She had yet to join the Peerage fully, but she knew it was only a matter of time. She had watched so many women fall in love with Damocles-nii at this point that she could almost write the script from memory alone. If it hadn’t happened already, it would happen soon.

Before any of that, she needed to deal with the current situation. By choosing a confined, enclosed space, the rival King had supposedly neutered her offensive potential by making the Rail-gun spell she developed too dangerous to use. However, she was not only able to utilize that single spell, even if it was the fastest and most devastating she had in her arsenal. There were other options that dealt far more damage, but were not nearly as fast.

There was something to be said, however, for having too many choices.

“Nii-san.” She spoke as they were waiting for the match to start, her brother and her enclosed in a room before being teleported, “I have a question.”

“What is it, Shiro?” He asked, smiling at her as he did.

She felt the rush of warmth that filled her at the sight, originating from his mark on her lower stomach. She was so grateful that some facet of the magic meant that it was not dulled by familiarity, making every positive reinforcement just as pleasant as the first one.

“Should I stick to just Lightning magic, or can I show what Ranni taught me?” She asked, not wanting to disrupt his plans.

Ranni’s magic was much more appealing to her, but was problematic. It was incredibly obvious that the spells that arose from the discipline were not of this world, meaning that it was not a stretch to figure out where the magic came from. The reason this was a problem was because it introduced uncertainty, whether or not her strength was really her own or she was merely borrowing it from Ranni.

“You can do whatever you feel is best in this match, Shiro. The last one is the one that will have the most impact.” Her brother replied, kneeling down and giving her a hug, causing her to burrow her nose into his neck, inhaling his calming scent.

She didn’t like the fact that she was attuned to lightning magic. She wished that she was more inclined towards Ice Magic, like her brother. He was amazing and able to help her with her magic regardless, but focusing on a school of magic that didn’t suit her was a waste of time and effort when she had to get as strong as possible as fast as possible.

That is why Ranni’s Astrology was so great. It was linked to her brother, as he was learning it as well, and she was incredibly suited for it. It relied on observations and replication of the movement of celestial bodies, which she was able to easily calculate using modern physics. Privately, she admitted that she was focusing on it to the detriment of her other magical studies, but she wasn’t worried.

It was so much better than Devil magic anyway.

Unfortunately, she had to keep up appearances, thus their plan for the last match.

She would not have anyone badmouth her brother’s choice again.

---XXX---

“Good Evening Gentledevils! We are back after the shocking results of our first match, this time the Sagan Peerage is facing up against a new challenger, the Extra Devil House of Genesis! Now in an enclosed space, how will the Sagan fare? Let’s find out!”

Shiro kept half an ear out for the announcement, immediately forgetting the name of who she was facing. It didn’t matter, they were only worth remembering as far as their abilities went. The rest was useless information. At Serafall’s word, the match soon started, causing her to break out into a sprint, her brother remaining motionless in their starting area.

Red lightning flickered down her legs, her Demonic Power being cycled to increase her running speed. She would be using Astrology for attacking, but first she needed to find her enemies. The battlefield for this match was a dusty, stonewalled crypt, like the name implied.

The only light source was the flickering energy of her magic, her devil senses allowing her to see pretty well regardless. This was likely the second reason her opponents had chosen this particular location, considering the abilities of one of their knights. Making sure to keep an eye out for her, Shiro merely focused on the strongest magical signature she could sense, that obviously being the rival King.

As she ran, she became aware of three other presences in front of her. It appears that their enemy had split off his Pawns and sent them after her brother. She wasn’t worried about him, but she decided to take out the foes in front of her anyway. Not pausing in her running, she swirled her arm in front of her, imagining the path that comet traced through space, flecks of it splitting off and orbiting around their greater whole.

In front of her appeared the blue glowing symbol of Caria, Ranni’s family. From the mystical energy she was directing, drawn from the pulsing symbol, she forged her chosen weapons. Orbiting around her, spinning gently in the air as they pointed forwards, were twelve teal glowing daggers, made of magic.

As she sped around the corner, she was granted sight of the three other Devils. Their eyes widened, weapons rased as she approached. Shiro slightly slowed, her mind reaching out to the Glintblades she had summoned, directing four to each devil. The blades responded, swivelling on their axis as they pointed unerringly at their prey.

“Shit! Shields!” A golden haired Pawn yelled out, following her own advice, a shimmering green barrier appearing before her.

The other two Pawns managed to follow her, their own shields just barely being erected before the Glintblades shot forth. The ones at the lead of the trail slammed into the shields, penetrating through the magical barriers before shattering, turning themselves and the shields into a shower of sparkles.

The others were unimpeded, shattering just like the first, but this time in the bodies of her opponents. The sharp glints of magic acted like the ice they were imagined from, the sharp constructs slicing through flesh and bone. With wet thuds, the Pawns all collapsed, before shimmering as the Recall wards activated.

“Three Genesis Pawns have been retired in a display of yet another novel form of magic! The Sagan Bishop has been full of surprises!” The bitch commentating the match called out.

Shiro dearly wished that it was her down here getting hit by her spells, not these nobodies. But that would have to wait until she was much more powerful, powerful enough to protect her brother just as much as he protected her.

She poured more magic into her legs, increasing in speed as she swiftly left behind the scene of her last battle. She had no worry of running out, after Damocles-nii had rescued Selene, none of them had ever had a problem with their stamina. Any magic they used was replenished nigh instantly. This had intensified their training, making all of them grow in leaps and bounds, but the amount of strength Devils gained in training was minimal.

Still, it was more than enough for the ones arrayed against them here.

Such thoughts were soon put to the test as she zeroed in on the source of power she was using to guide her. They could sense her as well of course, as she had taken no measures to hide her approach. Therefore, they were ready for her with an ambush.

Chains leapt from the walls, glowing purple as they attempted to wrap around her. In a flash of red energy, she cocooned herself in her magic before expelling it outwards in a sphere of oval mystical force. The spells clashed and destroyed each other, the swirling colours giving way to the face of the Knight she had been thinking of before.

She stuck out two fingers pointing straight in his direction, the Sagan Crest floating before them as they shot out a beam of precise lightning. His eyes widened, before his features darkened, his entire form being swallowed by the shadows as he retreated into them, utilising his Sacred Gear.

Shiro raised her left hand, a red, angled shield appearing to deflect the magic that the two Bishops sent her way as their King concentrated on his own spell. With her other hand, she focused, imagining the sight of a meteor slicing through the night sky. The Carian Sigil once more gave her the desired result, a glowing blue dagger which she swiftly grasped the handle of and stabbed behind her.

Her blow struck true, the surprised eyes of the knight just having the time to widen as she emerged from the shadows, the Glintblade plunged deep into his throat. The angle was awkward, Shiro’s shortness meaning he had to lean up to reach, but the strike was true regardless.

Wrenching the dagger aside, ignoring the falling body as the Glintblade easily sliced through the obstruction, she once again imagined the path of a meteor, this one streaming debris and carving a wide glowing path through the sky.

Her opponents realised that she was attacking as a Rook stepped forwards, a rune encrusted shield being raised in response, the gleaming metal a bulwark to protect the Bishops she was targeting.

Shiro swung, her small dagger growing as she did into a massive sword of blue light. It swept through the air weightlessly, its size belying its speed, before clashing against her target. The Glintsword was larger than her opponent had anticipated, its blade extending past the shield and cutting one of the Bishops in half. The blade shattered upon the shield, sending the Rook holding it stumbling with a curse.

Shiro merely thrust her hand forward again, Carian sigil once again shining as if she was holding an imaginary spear. This time, she focused on the spinning motion of the meteor, how it drilled through and pieced the heavens as another glowing armament appeared, the comically oversized rapier slamming point first into the defensive armament and stabbing straight through, impaling both the Devil behind it and the chanting bishop past him. The blade then shattered, to familiar results.

The King had finished his spell by that point, thrusting his own hands out as his two last pieces protected him with nervous looks on their faces. From the King’s hands, a torrential wave of golden flame spread forth, streaming towards her as if alive. Shiro merely closed her eyes as the heat approached, her mind filling in the image of a star being obscured in an eclipse. How the light it emitted disappeared before reappearing on the other side.

She took a step into the oncoming inferno, shimmering blue motes of light surrounding her as she completely disappeared from view. The Devils watching were stunned and taken by complete surprise when in another shower of blue, she appeared before them, past the flame, palm facing the chest of the Knight. To his credit, he dodged the glowing spear of blue magic, but not well enough, as it still shredded half of his chest.

The Rook threw a devastating punch at her, which was ducked under as glowing red hand came up, Sagan Crest menacingly emblazoned on the palm that she slammed into his chest. A blast of red lightning surged through his body, lifting him off his feet and blasting him into the wall behind him with a sickening crack.

The King had drawn his Demon blade, and was attacking Shiro, his lips moving as he said something, but she had long since tuned out anything but the fight. She weaved backwards, dodging the single blade a lot easier than Kasane’s swarm, as she refocused her mind on the motion of comets. Her hand threw the familiar spear of blue at the king, who, having seen it before, dodged it completely.

In her mind, Shiro crafted a series of curved shields, casting them as she continued to back away from the King. He tensed at the Sagan Crest’s presence, but continued pressing the attack when no spell was incoming, trying the interrupt her concentration desperately. As he pulled his arm back for yet another thrust, he was rocked by the experience of the blue spear of magic from before slamming into his back and burrowing through his body.

Shiro had created a series of shield for it to bounce off of behind him, while at the same time leading him to step into the point that the Glintstone Comet was being redirected. Taking full advantage of his surprise, she swung her fist up, the Glintsword making its reappearance as she claimed the head of the King for her Brother, and with it, victory.

---XXX---

I sighed, the shield I had erected fading as Serafall commentated the expected outcome of the match.

“With the Genesis King retired, the Sagan Peerage wins the match!” To give her more credit than she deserves, you couldn’t really tell whether she was happy or sad about the outcome, despite my certainty which one was the case.

The 5 Pawns that had spent the last eight minutes trying to get through my barrier slumped, defeated expressions appearing on their faces. Likely, their plan had been to promote to Queens and overwhelm me whilst the fifteen minute hold on my action persisted. Clever, but lacking flexibility.

The scene before me shimmered, before I was greeted by the sight of the lounge that had been given to me before the match, barely having time to process the shift before I was slammed into by a white-haired missile. I grinned, hand reaching up to stroke the soft hair of my littlest family member.

“Have fun Shiro?” I asked, looking down at the girl.

“Mmm.” She murmured, “It was easy.”

I nodded at that, not that she could see it with the way she was burrowing herself into me, while I replied, “Good. I’m glad there were no surprises.”

She didn’t say anything to that, causing me to shrug before kneeling down and earning a noise of protest from the girl as she was forced to release her grip before she happily took advantage of the new position to wrap her arms around my neck. I rose, carrying the little limpet with me as I made my way over to the sofa, sitting down with her in my lap as we waited out the half an hour break to the next match.

I idly traced patterns with my fingers on her small back, her warm body a comforting presence that I was always glad to feel. She, for her part, was content to snuggle me, taking full advantage of our lack of audience to see her acting so spoiled.

Our peaceful silence was interrupted by her speaking, her breath ghosting over the skin of my neck, “I… really like Astrology.”

“Hmm? Is that so? Do you like it more than your Devil Magic?” I questioned, fingers still softly stroking the girl as she nodded, “I can speak to Ranni, get her to teach you more of it. I know I helped you with some of the sorceries I remembered, but she has a much deeper understanding.”

“Thank you, Nii-san.” She spoke, relaxing fully into my hold, completely content.

I hummed, happy to give her what she wanted. I had some suspicions about why she had latched onto Astrology like she had, all but completely stopping exploring Devil Magic in favour for it, but now wasn’t the time to raise it. After this, the statement we would be making from this Rating Game, she could pursue it to her heart’s content. Unfortunately, for now, She had to win the last game completely on her own merits, to completely put down any questions of her power being borrowed.

We had to appear untouchable, far beyond the reach of the majority of the beings on the planet from this. The truly strong would strike when they wished regardless, but this should at least dissuade the majority of threats from targeting her exclusively

.

The sad reality is, Shiro really was the weakest link of my Peerage, due to her age rather than anything else. The capacity she had to cast spells was smaller than the rest of us, meaning that for any large scale damage she had to be clever about how she went about it. Thanks to Inexhaustible, she was able to use her entire reserve in every attack, but against the likes of Sirzechs or even Serafall, that wouldn’t be enough.

It wasn’t a poor reflection on her or her efforts, it was merely the fact that the rest of my family was made up of complete monsters. Expecting a young girl to match or surpass the likes of C.C. or Kasane was just absurd.

As I looked down at the happily snuggling form of my adopted sister, I once again reflected on what that meant. Even if Shiro was approached by one of those titans, she would not be alone for long. The rest of us would come to defend our littlest family member and anyone who wished harm upon her would pay most dearly.

Now it was just a matter of getting everyone else to hear that message.