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High School DxD Fanfic: Chapter 7 - Baptism of Steel
(POV: Kai)
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BOOM.
I hit the ground hard, dust exploding into the air.
My ribs ached, my vision swam — but I stood back up immediately, gritting my teeth.
Across the training ground, Azazel lazily floated midair, spinning a metal rod between his fingers.
"You're not bad, kid," he called out.
"But not good enough."
He smirked.
"Again."
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I rushed forward.
Portals opened around me, showering the battlefield with weapons.
The Frost King's mist began to seep from my body.
But Azazel was relentless — dodging effortlessly, flicking small blasts of light energy that shattered my attacks before they could even touch him.
"This world has monsters far worse than me, Kai," he said casually, dodging another ice spear.
"You'll need more than brute force."
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More.
I needed more.
I needed something deeper.
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Azazel suddenly appeared in front of me, moving faster than my eyes could follow.
He placed two fingers against my forehead — and BOOM! — blasted me backward with a pulse of energy.
I skidded across the ground, coughing up dust.
"You're strong," he said, walking toward me casually.
"But you're using strength the wrong way. You're thinking about fighting like a human."
He crouched down beside me.
"You have the instincts of a warrior..."
"But you lack the mind of a conqueror."
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He tapped my chest.
"You need to awaken the true spirit inside you."
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For a long moment, I stared up at the sky.
I thought back to my old world — to the day I died.
The betrayal.
The fear.
The anger.
No.
Not fear.
Not anymore.
Only strength.
Only domination.
I clenched my fists.
The golden portals around me flickered.
The Frost King within me roared.
And deep, deep inside my soul — something else stirred.
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Azazel smiled knowingly.
"Good. You're close."
He stood up and tossed me a strange black bandana.
"Tie that around your eyes."
I did.
Darkness consumed my vision.
"Now fight me," Azazel said.
"No sight. No sound. Only instinct."
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I moved.
I couldn't see. I couldn't hear.
But I could feel.
The wind whispering.
The pressure shifting.
The killing intent growing like a storm.
My Haki...
It began to flicker to life.
A faint vibration in the air.
A tug in my soul.
I sidestepped instinctively — and a spear of light missed my face by inches.
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Azazel laughed.
"That's it! Feel it, Kai!"
"Listen with your soul!"
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Another attack.
Another dodge.
Another block.
I wasn't thinking anymore.
I was moving by pure instinct.
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Suddenly, the world exploded into colors — not with my eyes, but with my mind.
Silhouettes.
Pressure points.
The killing intent of every living thing around me.
I could feel them all.
Like invisible threads connected to my heart.
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This was...
Observation Haki.
Awakened.
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I tore off the blindfold, my eyes blazing.
Azazel whistled, impressed.
"Observation, first step... completed."
He grinned wider.
"Now comes the hard part."
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He held up a massive warhammer glowing with magic.
"Survive my next attack without dying, and I'll teach you Armament."
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I licked my dry lips, excitement flooding my veins.
Finally.
Finally, I could taste the beginning of true power.
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Scene Break
Later that evening, after surviving what felt like a thousand deaths under Azazel's training...
I sat alone by the training ground, nursing bruises, blood dripping down my forehead.
The Frost King Sacred Gear hummed soothingly inside me, patching some of my wounds with icy magic.
Golden portals hovered lazily around me, like loyal sentinels.
But what comforted me most...
was the new power quietly pulsing inside.
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Haki.
Real Haki.
Still newborn.
Still weak.
But growing.
Mine to nurture.
Mine to perfect.
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And soon...
I would have more.
Azazel had promised:
> "If you survive the next stages...
I'll teach you Conqueror's Haki."
I smiled faintly, ice mist escaping my mouth.
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"I'll conquer it all," I whispered to the night sky.
"Gate of Babylon... Frost King... Haki... This world..."
"My future."
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[End of Chapter 7]
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