In Kuoh Town, inside a villa's adjacent gymnasium, the sharp sound of the kendo sword echoed relentlessly.
The sound came from rapid, precise swings, each clean and piercing.
Under the gymnasium's lights, a boy could be seen practising.
His swings were lightning-fast yet consistent.
A precise instrument could have clocked the exact frequency.
"One thousand," the boy said, halting his practice and exhaling deeply.
Two days ago, the house Roy had commissioned was ready—a second-hand villa.
He promptly left the hotel to settle into this new home.
Unlike a cramped hotel room, the villa offered ample space for training.
Roy purchased a kendo sword and spent his days honing the kendo talent replicated from Kiba.
At first, he'd considered enrolling in a local dojo for formal training.
While Kiba's replicated talent included unique insights, Roy lacked practical experience, and learning behind closed doors wasn't ideal.
A seasoned instructor could guide his early steps.
But his exceptional talent proved a double-edged sword.
Roy quickly mastered the dojo's basic techniques, outpacing the instructors.
Within days, he bested the dojo's master in a spar, prompting the humiliated owner to accuse Roy of being a rival's saboteur.
With a curt dismissal, the master declared he had nothing left to teach.
Roy realized the standards of human in this world.
He briefly considered asking Kiba to spar, leveraging their budding acquaintance to refine his skills.
But he dismissed the idea.
Before seizing the Boosted Gear from Issei, Roy wanted to avoid drawing attention from Rias's peerage.
Displaying his talents too soon could make him a target and jeopardize his plan to claim the Longinus.
"Swinging a sword alone is tedious, but it works," Roy settled the kendo sword aside with an easy smile.
Sparring would accelerate learning, but without a suitable opponent, Roy relied on repetitive swings.
In just five days, he'd progressed from clumsy beginner to intermediate.
Starting at one swing per second, he now hit five, the talent gradually becoming his own through relentless effort.
Roy was confident he could hold his own in a real fight.
Though, he might not match Kiba, but against lesser foes, he'd manage.
Taking a sip of water, Roy checked his stats:
Replicated Abilities: Hell Fire (C), Kendo Talent (C)
Replicated Items: Evil Piece: Knight
Dimensional Points: 405,693
Mastering this had bolstered his close-combat skills, leveling him from LVL30 to LVL40.
In early episodes, Kiba's strength rivaled a High-Class.
Having replicated Kiba's talents, and with growing combat proficiency, Roy's level increase was expected.
"That's enough for today," Roy decided, ready to rest.
He'd been swinging at least 20,000 times daily, ramping up to 40,000 in the last two days.
His physique endured the strain, leaving him merely sore where an ordinary human's arms would've given out.
As Roy tidied up, preparing to shower, his phone buzzed.
"Fallen angels, you've finally shown up,"
An abandoned church stood silent under the night sky.
The bright moon cast cold light through leafy gaps, painting the ground in frost-like patches.
Three shadows darted across the darkness, leaving faint trails of black feathers, like drifting catkins.
Moonlight revealed their humanoid forms, each bearing massive, body-wrapping wings—hallmarks of creatures of myth.
The trio landed lightly before the church's gate.
"Looks like Lady Raynare hasn't arrived."
"We'll wait here," said a gothic lolita fallen angel with short blonde twin-tails, sensing the empty church.
They pushed open the creaking door and stepped inside.
"Hold on," a sultry fallen angel in a tight black leather jacket called out, her voice calm but firm.
Her outfit strained against her chest, buttons barely holding.
She froze, halting the others.
"What's wrong, Kalawarner?" the sole male fallen angel asked, pausing at the threshold.
"You nearly scared me to death!" the blonde lolita grumbled, but she stopped moving.