For any adventurer, preparation was a key component to survival. My original father was a mercenary who often didn't know who he fought or who he fought for until the battle itself. I didn't want to end up like him, so I learned how to train myself to be better. Only I wasn't talented in the same way my sister was. Being out shown was something I was intimately familiar with. Compared to her taming skill, my Oversoul was pitiful when taking over another living thing. I didn't even have stats to gain from those I took over, but I found another purpose for the technique.

Oversoul could be dangerous, so I used it only when I was sure I could successfully take over something. Spiders and ants weren't an issue; they made perfect carriers to find other creatures to tame. Roaches, aphids, a lone cat, and several crows quickly fell under my influence. They let me see the school from thousands of eyes and sneak into places I had no business being in. Most of them were posted around the Public Safety Committee building. Through the eyes of flies, roaches, and crows, I watched Tsukune even as the wall of holy dragon fire breath fell upon Moka and me.

There was no sudden realization that he had gone too far. His expression only hardened, accepting what he had done. I turned around, grabbed Moka, and forced her to the ground. I burned through tons of qi to unleash my aura just before the flames hit.

Pain lanced across my back, and I smelled pork. I was glad I worked out so much; it was thanks to my bulk that Moka wasn't hurt. In my haste to get her down, I had ripped the rosary off her. She glared at me as the flames burned my flesh and passed over her harmlessly. I hadn't expected them to cleave through my aura so quickly. My aura fell like a stone until it was a flickering flame.

Tsukune walked closer, placed a foot against my side, and kicked me off Moka. "Moka, I've liked you since the moment I saw you. Letting my brother have you after we met didn't sit right with me. My brother won't be a problem anymore. I've proven that I'm the stronger twin. No matter how hard he trained, I still beat him.

"Say my name," The voice of my zanpakuto whispered. "It's," a thousand names flew into my ears like so much static; despite hearing my sword clearer than before, I didn't think its name had settled on anything. My back was burnt to hell, and my hair didn't fare much better.

I drew my sword and lunged for my brother's chest. Another sword blocked my blade, and I saw it belonged to the blond-haired devil. A wave of ice shot towards me as I rolled out of the way.

Tsukune glanced in my direction, then snorted. "You are flickering in the wind. A light breeze could snuff you out. You are no threat to me."

Tens of thousands of my tamed creatures died in an instant. My qi levels went from a flickering candlelight to a raging inferno. I had done the equivalent of devouring tens of thousands of immature beast cores built with the same frequency as my qi. That was the power of my oversoul skill. I could invest my qi into other living things and, after a time, reap a reward. After a few weeks, all I gained was restored qi reserves. I could do it once more before I was out of bugs and had to move on to small rodents and crows. 

Tsukune's head cocked to the side. "How do you also have a sacred gear?"

"No, I'm better at this than you; it comes with daily training. I lunged at the blonde devil and buried my knee in his face. I felt his nose break and the upper plate of his jaw shatter. His sword dropped from his hand as I tossed him in the pool.

I leaned to the side of a power of destruction magic ball. And deflected lighting from Akeno with my zanpakuto. I jumped as demonic power gathered at my feet before Tsukune raised his hand again. This time I swung my sword at his hand. A massive cut opened on his palm just before Moka smashed him in the face with a powerful kick.

"Know your place. As if I would want a weakling like you." Moka said as Tsukune slid backward from her blow. His face was unwounded, and the cut on his hand had already healed. The aura around Tsukune's body seemed a little thicker than before. It was like someone who had never seen a car in their life suddenly being behind the wheel. He didn't know the first thing about aura, and his attempts to raise his defenses were laughable.

I swung again, cutting a deep slice through his arm. Then, at the feeling of a sudden presence, I twisted and kicked Koneko in the stomach with a burst of aura. The girl flew until she smashed through the wall on the far side of the room.

"How I'm stronger than you?"

Instead of answering Tsukune, I smirked at him. That pissed my murderous little brother off even more. I didn't know if this was all the influence of his sacred gear, if somehow the devils were involved, or if this was Tsukune's true nature. I hoped this wasn't his true nature. Because he attacked fully willing to catch Moka in the crossfire. 

Spears of light appeared in the hands of the fallen, and I slashed at them with my aura through my zanpakuto.

New Skill

Air Slash: Beginner 3% - The user cuts the air with a blade so quickly it creates a blade of wind and qi. Even at low levels to the unprepared, this attack can be devastating.

Aura manifestation was amazing. Even if I could only use it in a short burst, I already gained a skill from it. Everything changed with a purely offensive attack, especially since it used aura manifestation, qi enhancement, and qi control to activate. Using it meant my other skills would improve too.

"Why don't you put your weapon away, Arakan? Let's fight one on one without interference. Unless you're scared of me because I'm stronger."

I laughed at that; I couldn't help myself. He wasn't that much stronger than me when I used my aura. If I had enough qi to sustain my aura for longer, Tsukune wouldn't have lasted a second. All I needed was a single blow to finish him.

Moka chose that moment to kick him in the side of the head. He slammed down, smashing a crater into the concrete.

Tsukune struggled to pick himself up as Kurumu lunged in with slashing claws. Moka kicked the succubus once and knocked her out. Mizore started firing ice kunai, and I shattered them with my sword. The red-headed devil stayed back, waiting for an opening while the black-haired one tried to pull the blonde out of the pull.

I pointed at Mizore, and the crows in the rafters flew down and started flogging her. Of course, these crows were a bit larger and hardier than most of their breed. My qi had turned them into pseudo spirit beasts. Time was all they needed to become true spirit beasts and gain sapience.

While Tsukune's allies were distracted and Moka had him on the ropes. I moved in close and clinched it. An aura-powered knee to the chest broke through Tsukune's aura and snapped some of his ribs. I delivered a hard blow to his face and felt a few teeth loose. My brother held out his hand, but I slapped it aside before he could activate his breath skill. I hit him in the ribs and felt bones shatter, then I delivered an uppercut that nearly destroyed his jaw. My brother fell to the ground, and I could feel his qi fighting to keep him alive. A harsh word may kill him now, but I would ensure it was done.

I raised my fist, ready to commit.  Instead, my brother looked up at me with terrified eyes, and I faltered. This was my little brother. He needed to die but what would I tell my mother? How could I justify killing my own brother. She wouldn't understand no matter what he did. But he tried to kill me; worse, he tried to kill Moka or take her like spoils of war. My fist lowered he could live  out of my sight.

"We aren't brothers anymore. If you do anything to Moka or me I will kill you."

I turned my attention to the devil in the room. "Red, if you take him, can you promise that I will never see him again? If he stays here, I will kill him. We need some distance." 

"No, I won't be separated from Mizore and Kurumu." 

I glared down at him. "Take or leave them. They will be stronger as devils, right? I'm sure someone as resourceful as you can find a use for them." 

Rias walked over cautiously. "I was invited here by the headmaster and given a chance to make an offer to your brother. This wasn't supposed to happen."

"Welcome to the world. Everything that can go wrong will eventually. Thankfully I'll only live through a few centuries or millennia of it." Moka knocked Mizore out, and the crows flew over to the downed fallen to see a grizzly sight. They were alive only with their guts hanging out and blood pooling on the floor. Some of the monsters were peaking over the edge of the pool with hungry looks in their eyes.

"Dibs on the fallen," I said instantly.

Rias opened her mouth and closed it. "What do you plan to do with them?" She asked.

"That's none of your business, devil. My father, Lord Shuzen, will have words with your government for attacking my fiancée." Moka said.

Rias smiled. "I'm afraid the Shuzen family has fallen on hard times if what my brother said is true. Besides clans, Tepes and Carmilla won't acknowledge a human as a legitimate member of your family."

"Moka, I'm going to make the fallen an offer they can't refuse. Are you ok finishing up here for me." I asked before ripping the melted polyester out of my charred skin. I could feel sections of my flesh slough away as rats around the academy disintegrated as I took everything. I needed it not only to heal but to reinvest in four crows.

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