The days blurred together as my training with Grayfia continued. Eight days were left for the rating game. Every single day felt like it was pushing me to my limits, both physically and mentally. I had never thought I'd be capable of enduring so much, especially when my body screamed at me to stop. But I wasn't about to quit—not when I was about to breakthrough.

  I woke up each day wondering if I was still dreaming. My magic control was getting better, sure, but I was still league away from where I needed to be, to even stand a chance against a high-css devil. And then there was Riser Phenex, whose cocky attitude only added to the more pressure from Grayfia. I had to be better, stronger, faster than I ever thought possible, and every morning and defeat him.

  . . .

  [ Day 3 ]

  "Your form is still weak" Grayfia remarked, her tone as icy as ever. I stood in the center of the field, holding my hands out in front of me, struggling to maintain a thin sheet of ice that stretched across the grass. The ice cracked and shuddered, bending under my concentration. Using teigu powers was easy as heck but I end up getting tired and needed time to recover but with this amount of mana in me, I would not end up in a sorry state during rating game.

  "Yeah, yeah, I'm trying," I grumbled. Every day was rough and each time I thought I was making progress; I'd end up disappointing my 'master' not that I cared to please her. She wasn't exactly the type to hand out compliments even if I end up defeating an opponent on my level.

  Her gaze swept over me with her arms crossed, "You need to work harder if you pn on being useful in the Rating Game. Weak magic is a liability. You won't st even a minute"

  "Thanks for the encouragement," I muttered, my grip tightening as I tried to reinforce the ice.

  I wasn't sure why, but there was something different in her eyes today. A little more than usual, but not quite approval. I couldn't pce it, but I had an odd feeling she was watching me more carefully than she usually did or maybe she is falling in love wit-

  "Focus," she said, her voice breaking me from my thoughts. I will get back at you one day!

  . . .

  [ Day 5 ]

  By this time, I could feel myself reaching a breaking point. My hands were sore from overusing my magic, and every part of my body ached. I felt like a dead man walking, barely able to move without wincing. But the pressure was on. I wasn't just training for Rias; I was training to adapt to this magic so I can use it for future purposes. And it would be funny to see when I end up winning the rating game without using magic.

  She is going to get mad at me. Every effort she is putting on my training will turn out to be a waste of time for her and only help me harnessing the demonic power which I will use in future battles. Rias's rating game is least of my concern and even if I do get eliminated at beginning by surprise attack, I have nothing to lose---well I do have something to lose. Three spins. Gotta train, I guess, for me.

  Grayfia, however, never relented. She watched me from her usual spot—at least ten steps away—and didn't give an inch. I had started to get used to her quiet intensity, but today, something was different. Today, she was starting to get used to around me, maybe cake really brought her closer to me.

  "Again" she said.

  I gritted my teeth, this woman! "You've got to be kidding me. It's been hours."

  "You think I care about how you feel?" she asked ftly.

  "No," I muttered, trying not to show how much I was restraining myself to punch her face "I think you enjoy seeing me suffer."

  She didn't respond right away, but I caught a slight tilt of her head. A subtle acknowledgment, maybe. "Your progress has slowed," she said after a beat. "This could be because of your mind. You are not focused enough and weak"

  I gave her a sideways gnce. "I'm focused. My body's just giving out on me."

  Her expression didn't change, but there was a faint flicker in her eyes. "Then push through. Magic reflects your will. If you can't focus, it will fail and if you can't imagine it well enough and shape it, you won't be able to match the fmes of Riser Phenex"

  I tried again, forcing more energy into the ice. It started to form into a much rger shape—a thick ice wall—but it cracked as it grew too quickly.

  "Focus," she said with a less annoyed tone, almost… encouraging? I blinked, unsure if I'd imagined it.

  I didn't respond to it and focused on trying again. She stayed silent as I worked through the motions, and for some reason, her presence felt less suffocating than it had before or maybe it's my imagination.

  . . .

  [ Day 7 ]

  I was beginning to notice something strange. Training was still brutal as usual, no doubt, but I'd improved. My control over ice had come a long way—more than I ever thought possible. The barriers I summoned didn't shatter anymore. My ice constructs could hold weight and withstand pressure. I still had a long way to go, but I wasn't the same person I'd been when I first stepped into Grayfia's training field. I was better.

  "What's different today?" She asked as I formed a shield of ice that held steady against the fire attack from her "You're performing better than you did yesterday."

  Isn't that supposed to be a good thing?

  I paused, considering the question. I hadn't really thought about it, but something about today felt… different. Maybe it was the way I'd pushed through the frustration and failures. Maybe it was the fact that, even though my body was exhausted, I wasn't thinking of giving up.

  "I think I'm just starting to get the hang of it," I said, a slight smile tugging at my lips.

  Her expression didn't change, but she gave a small nod "It's not enough yet, but it's a step in the right direction."

  I caught a small shift in her demeanor—something subtle, but it was there. Her praise, though still minimal, felt less distant than before. It's better than getting constant gres from her as if I stole something important from her right in front of her eyes.

  "Thanks," I said, rubbing my aching arms. I knew she wasn't the type to offer praise lightly, so it felt like a small victory.

  She nodded again but didn't eborate further. As much as I wanted to push for more acknowledgment, I knew she wouldn't give it. Sigh, women.

  . . .

  [ Day 9 ]

  It was the final day of training, I could feel the weight of it all as if today was the judgement day. The Rating Game was tomorrow and I was overprepared. This training turned out to be a blessing in disguise for me, even though I hated every minute of it but I got good understanding of devil magic and ice spells and other basic spells. I could now teleport away even though I didn't tried it too far because I don't want it to get messed up and ending up in some other faction leader's wife's room.

  I learnt Defensive Magic and Memory Manipution as well beside just shooting ice with magic. Defense is an important part of combat and attack will definitely work well if it goes hand in hand with defense one and memory manipution is not something that can be taken lightly.

  Grayfia and I stood facing each other, the field between us like a battlefield. Her expression remained cold, calcuting, but I noticed something else in her eyes—a flicker of something more than indifference. Maybe respect? Or maybe it was just me reading too much into things. But whatever it was, it made me push even harder for my sake.

  "As a Last test" she said " I want you to summon a barrier strong enough to block my attack"

  Her hand moved, and before I could even react, she released a flurry of ice that shot toward me. I quickly raised my hands, my magic surging to meet hers. I poured everything I had into it, the barrier forming in front of me with a crackling snap of cold air. The impact of her ice smmed into my barrier, and for a moment, I thought it was going to break. But it held against the onsught of her ice spikes.

  I stood there, barely panting for breath as I stood proud for being strong and now matching the level of Ultimate css devil. Well not her level but I definitely survived the magnitude of her attacks that would have cracked my ice of teigu.

  "Good. You've improved" she replied curtly.

  I exhaled in relief, feeling the tension in my shoulders ease. "Thanks for everything."

  She didn't respond right away, but as she turned to walk away, I could have sworn I saw the smallest trace of a smile on her face. It was gone in an instant, but it was enough for me as I was no longer a lowborn in her eyes, maybe I was, but there was respect for me, even for an instance.

  . . .

  Later that Day:

  As the sun set, Grayfia and I stood side by side, looking at the horizon. The awkwardness between us had lessened, though we still weren't exactly friends or not close but there was something unsaid in the air, a mutual understanding that had formed between us over the past nine days.

  "Tomorrow," she said quietly, her voice less cold than usual, "You will face Riser and you are ready to face him"

  "Ready, huh?" I chuckled, thinking I was more than ready before we got into training "We'll see about that."

  "You are now stronger more than you realize," she replied, her voice steady and firm "Do not underestimate yourself and try not to get eliminated in first few seconds. You would ruin my reputation"

  "....."

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