Songs in the Void: A Multiversal Score

Scatter Cherry Blossoms Universe, Dimensional Gap, Team DxD Base. 

Two more hours passed in the time dilation region before Tatsuo fell from the top of the spike he was balancing on while covered in sweat and almost no [energy] left in his reserves. However, that was quickly being rectified by his [Mana Reactor], which was replenishing his [Energy] with every heartbeat. 

Meanwhile, everyone native to the universe they were in was looking at Tatsuo like he was a monster. They had all gone through Scáthach's control training. And none of them had ever lasted more than twelve hours on their first try. Yet, Tatsuo had lasted a total of seventeen hours. On top of that, his companions, Aletia and Tio had lasted just under thirteen and just over fourteen hours, respectively. 

"James, where the hell did you find these monsters?" Cú Chulainn asked while staring at Tatsuo with a dumbfounded expression on his face. 

"I think I've answered that question enough times over the last two months or so." James replied while rolling his eyes. "But yeah, I can agree they're monsters. Even though Aletia and Tio aren't as young as they look, to last that long on their first time is crazy." 

Saying that, Tatsuo turned his head to glance at the two women. What he saw was both of them wearing clothes that were easy to move in and walking towards Tatsuo, who was still lying on the ground next to the spike he just fell off of. James then turned his head back to Tatsuo, and the only thing he could do was shake his head. 

"But Tatsuo's a monster on a whole different level." James continued. "I mean, he's only fifteen. On top of that, he's only at the Advanced-Level of the High-Rank. Yet, he could last about as long as I could back when we were training during Summer Break before the Gathering of Young Devils." 

"Yeah, but to be fair..." Cú Chulainn replied while still staring at Tatsuo. "He didn't have to worry about dealing with Master hitting him with the shaft of her spear like we did back then." 

"Plus, you're wrong, James." Sona said, cutting into the conversation. "You lasted over twenty hours that time. And that was while getting hit with Master Scáthach's spear." 

"Really?" James muttered to himself while scratching the back of his head. "You know, when I'm training, time kinda blurs together. So, I guess I remembered wrong." 

"I really wish I wasn't so proud back then." Rias said, joining the conversation as well. "If we had gone with you, instead of training in the Underworld, I would be a lot stronger than I am right now." 

"You probably would have given up halfway through." Sona shot back. "You weren't exactly the diligent type back then. In fact, you never even thought about training hard until you lost to me in the [Rating Game]." 

"It might be true that I wasn't serious about training back then, but do you really think I could have quit halfway through?" Rias asked, surprisingly, not starting to bicker. Instead, she received a confused tilt of Sona's head before she continued. "I mean, Master Scáthach would have never let that happen." 

After hearing Rias' retort, Sona could only nod her head. Rias was right, Scáthach would have forced Rias to continue until she was physically unable. That, or she would have made sure Rias died... Probably. 

Meanwhile, as Sona contemplated Rias' comeback, two blurs, one golden and one silver caught James' eye. And they were both headed towards Tatsuo. 

"Wow! He's really got some luck with girls." James said with a grin. "A real ladies' man in the making." 

"Like you're one to talk." Rias, Sona, and Cú Chulainn said in unison while rolling their eyes. 

Meanwhile, the two blurs, Kunou, who was not a member of Team DxD, but was allowed to be in the base because Scáthach doted on her, and Maria each approached Tatsuo with a clean towel clutched in their hands. Then, when they reached Tatsuo's side, they both held the towels out to him so he could wipe his sweat. 

And at that moment, they both realized that they were not alone. Even so, they were not deterred, continuing to hold the towels out to Tatsuo. 

"Here, use this." Kunou and maria said in unison before glancing at each other once again. 

Despite the offers, Tatsuo was still too exhausted to get up, let alone reach for the towels. 

"*Sigh* Can't you two see just how tired he is?" Kokoa asked while calmly walking over to where Tatsuo lay. 

Kokoa then walked past both Kunou and Maria. She then knelt in front of him and started wiping the sweat off his face. 

"I'll help you to the resting area." Kokoa said in an uncharacteristically soft tone. "It will probably be a few hours before Master Scáthach has you rejoin the training. So, you should be able to get some rest." 

In response, Tatsuo only smiled up at Kokoa. Kokoa then reached down and help Tatsuo up before letting him lean on her while she helped him over to the resting area, leaving Kunou and Maria standing there with dumbfounded expressions on their faces. 

At the same time, Aletia was starting to boil with anger. However, it was not at the three girls who were fawning over Tatsuo. Instead, it was at Tio, who had stopped her from rushing to help him while he was so exhausted. 

"Oh, come now, Aletia." Tio said with a smile. "Don't you think that was amusing? Besides, we both know that master will not have only one woman. So, it's better for us to get a grasp of what the women who are showing interest in him are like. That way, if we find any who are unsuitable, we can chase them away." 

"Still, I wanted to help him." Aletia muttered, though she did not deny Tio's opinion. "I was going to give him a lap pillow, too." 

Tio's smile widened as she looked at the pouting vampire. She then turned to look at Tatsuo, who was now lying on a bench while Kunou, Maria, and Kokoa looked after him. Though, as Tatsuo's self-proclaimed servant, she, too, wanted to tend to him when he was so vulnerable. 

From there, time passed quickly. And while Scáthach gave Tatsuo a chance to rest for the moment, she told him to make sure he watched what was to come next. And as it just so happened, the members of Team DxD living in the Alverus Estate would engage in a round of sparring. 

When Tatsuo heard that, a lot of his exhaustion melted away. He then watched the spars with laser focus. And as he did, many of his [Skills] increased in rank. 

{[Notifications] 

Learned [Skill], [Muay Thai – C+] 

[Skill], [Weapon Mastery] has increased from C to B-. 

Learned [Skill], [Ice Manipulation – B] 

Learned [Skill], [Tiger-Style Kung Fu – C+] 

Learned [Skill], [Kickboxing – C+]} 

[Skills], [Vale Tudo – B-], [Muay Thai – C+], [Tiger-Style Kung Fu – C+], and [Kickboxing – C+] have been combined into [Skill], [Martial Arts - B] 

-Note, increasing the number of Martial Arts learned or progressing in the Martial Arts currently at your disposal will have an effect in increasing the rank of [Skill], [Martial Arts]. 

[Skill], [Weapon Mastery] has absorbed the effects of [Skill], [Dagger Mastery] 

[Skill], [Firearms Mastery] has increased from C to C+.} 

And those increases were just from watching the members of James' first peerage, with the exceptions of James and Scáthach, spar. Tatsuo also received similar increases due to watching members of James' second peerage, as well as Rias, Sona's and Ravel's peerages during their sparring sessions, as well. 

Though, he did notice that he was unable to gain the abilities of the [Sacred Gear] users in the group. But he figured that had something to do with the fact that those abilities were not the user's, per se. Rather, they were granted by the [Sacred Gear]. So, one would need said [Sacred Gear] to gain its abilities. Meaning, when Tatsuo asked James to let him see when he used [Boost], [The End] would not have copied it. 

Either way, Tatsuo gained quite a few [Skill ranks] and new [Skills] by the time everyone had finished sparring. So, he decided to take a look at his [Status]. 

{[Status] 

[Personal Information] 

Name: Soramoto Tatsuo 

Age: 15 

Race: Human/Void Dragon 

Title: Prince of the Void 

Coins: 456,273 

[Physical Attributes] 

Comprehensive Physical Evaluation: B+ 

Strength: B 

Agility: B+ 

Dexterity: B+ 

Endurance: B 

Intelligence: B 

Perception: B+ 

Energy: A- 

Charm: A 

[Passive Skills] 

Language: E+ 

Pianist: C- 

Singing: D+ 

Martial Arts – C+ 

Weapon Mastery: B- 

Firearms Mastery: C+ 

Cooking: C 

First Aid: E+ 

Hacking: D 

Stealth: B 

Blacksmithing: C+ 

Leatherworking: C 

Tailoring: C 

Programming: E+ 

Acting: D 

[Active Skills] 

Back Stab: C- 

Enchanting: C+ 

Movement Skills: B 

Alchemy: B+ 

Lightning Clad: B- 

Air Claw: C+ 

Wind Magic: D 

Fire Magic: C+ 

Purification Magic: B 

Electromagnetism Magic: A- 

Thread Magic: B 

Lightning Magic: B+ 

Requip Magic: The Knight: B 

Senbonzakura: B- 

Spatial Manipulation: B 

Water Manipulation: B 

Ice Manipulation: B 

Power of Destruction: A- 

Plant Manipulation: B- 

Dragon of the Darkness Flame: B- 

Senjutsu: B- 

[Abilities] 

Mana Reactor: A+ 

Dragon Fear: S+ 

The End: SS+ 

Half-Dragon Transformation: A+ 

[Affinities] 

Space – S 

Lightning - B 

Fire – A+ 

[Resistances] 

Space - S 

Time – C+ 

Light – C+ 

Dark – C+ 

Earth – C+ 

Wind – C+ 

Fire – A+ 

Water – C- 

Lightning – B- 

Physical – B+ 

Petrification – B- 

Poison – B- 

Paralysis – B- 

[Note: The average values of an average adult are F+. Trained Athletes have values of E-. Those at the peak of their field have values of E. Those at the peak of humanity have values of E+. Anything D- or higher is considered supernatural, usually requiring the infusion of mana or an equivalent energy to achieve.} 

"Oh, it looks a little different." Tatsuo muttered to himself while walking towards the sparring ring. "It was never divided into active and passive [Skills] before. Well, I'll explore if anything else changed later. For now, I need to focus on this spar. I don't wanna get beat too badly." 

As Tatsuo reached that point, he stepped into the sparring ring. Everyone else was standing or sitting nearby, looking forward to seeing the spar. They wanted to know exactly what the kid all these allowances were made for was capable of. 

On top of that, Tatsuo's opponent drew just as much attention, if not more, than he did. 

Standing across from Tatsuo was James, dressed in his training clothes with a pair of katana sheathed on his left hip. He also had a casual smile on his face. But that should be expected, he was more powerful than Tatsuo, after all. 

*Smack!* 

However, before James could start bantering, Scáthach walked up to him and slapped her right hand against his chest. With that, James' aura started to weaken rapidly. 

"Wait... Seriously, Master?" James asked, surprised by the amount he was weakened. "I mean, I expected you to slap one of your runic seals on me, but is this it?" 

"Yes, I'm curious to see how the young man fairs against a stronger foe." Scáthach replied simply before turning around and moving to the edge of the sparring ring. 

As the two said, James was used to having his power sealed when he sparred with the other members of Team DxD. However, his power is usually sealed to their level. Sometimes lower when he's looking to push his techniques. Yet, when Scáthach sealed his powers this time, he was still stronger than Tatsuo, who was at the Advanced-Level of the High-Rank. 

"Still, Intermediate-Level; Ultimate-Rank, don't you think that's a bit high?" James asked. 

"No." Scáthach replied. "Now, stop your useless babbling. Prepare yourself." 

Knowing that arguing with Scáthach about her training methods was useless, James shrugged his shoulders. Then, he turned to look at Tatsuo. 

"Get ready." Scáthach said as she raised her right hand over her head. 

With that, Tatsuo equipped a pair of his modified trench knives from his [Inventory] before taking a fighting stance. It should be noted that these knives, or bladed knuckle dusters, as Tatsuo had taken to calling them before, were made from the remains of the Flame Drake during the three weeks he spent in his world after the trip to Violet's world. 

Because of the materials used, the trench knives granted the ability to engulf the blades in flames. And when that was combined with techniques like Tatsuo's [Spatial Rend] or [Spatial Slash], it created some rather interesting affects. However, because this was only a spar, Tatsuo would not be using any of those techniques, as they were a bit too destructive. 

Meanwhile, James also took a fighting stance, lowering his center of gravity while gripping the hilt of Ochiru Sakura, his first ever katana, in his right hand. 

"Begin!" Scáthach said as she lowered her hand. 

Immediately, James vanished from where he stood in a burst of speed. When he reappeared, he was already drawing his katana, slashing at Tatsuo's torso. 

"[Inferno Blade Dragon's Sweeping Claw]." James chanted. 

With James' chant, the Ochiru Sakura's blade was engulfed by a peculiar dusk-pink flame. 

On a side note, all the spars were carried out using real weapons. No one was unskilled enough to stop before landing a fatal blow. So, no one was in danger. On top of that, with Asia around, her [Sacred Gear], [Twilight Healing], would make sure that no one was permanently injured. 

Though Tatsuo found the flames engulfing James katana interesting, as well as quite threatening, he still reacted quickly, stepping out of range of the attack, despite its speed. Yet, before he could counter, he was forced to duck when James, using his left hand, drew his other katana, Mangetsu no Shita de. 

"[Inferno Blade Dragon's Spiraling Twin Fangs]." James chanted once again. 

With that, James' second blade streaked past the top of Tatsuo's head. Then, he performed a full rotation and brought the blade in his right hand around for a second pass. However, Tatsuo had no intention of allowing James to dictate the rhythm. So, instead of stepping back again to avoid the strike, before James could complete his rotation, Tatsuo stepped forward. 

To James Surprise, before he could complete his rotation, he felt Tatsuo's body press up against him. At the same time, his right arm's momentum was forced to a stop when Tatsuo pressed his right palm against James' right tricep, just above his right elbow. 

'Damn, he's quick.' James thought to himself. 'I guess this is why Master didn't lower me to his level.' 

Following up his counter of James' skill, Tatsuo aimed a left hook at James' kidney. And with the blades on his hands, this would definitely do quite a bit of damage, if not end the spar outright. Even while attacking so decisively, Tatsuo still had the leeway to think about something he had noticed earlier. 

'This is the third time I've seen someone use [Dragon Slayer Magic].' Tatsuo thought to himself as his fist drew closer and closer to James' unprotected lower back. 'Hyoudou-San, Irene, and now James. Yet, it doesn't feel like [The End] is getting anything from it. I wonder what's up with that.' 

Meanwhile, like Tatsuo, James reacted quickly. Bending his right arm at the elbow, James added extra force against the hand Tatsuo used to stop his third slash. And because James' physical strength was that much greater than Tatsuo's despite the fact that the majority of his power was sealed away, he was able to force Tatsuo back a step. And that game James the time he needed to counter Tatsuo's attack. 

After forcing Tatsuo back, James pivoted to his right, avoiding the kidney strike. He then stepped away while slashing upwards at Tatsuo's chest as he did so. 

*Cling!* 

And with Tatsuo's footing not to his liking after being forced back, he was forced to block James' slash with the knife in his right hand. At the same time, he flipped the knife in his left hand from a a reverse grip to a standard one and stepped in, trying to stab James under his armpit now that his right arm had been raised to perform the upward slash. 

In response, James stepped forward and pushed Tatsuo's blade aside with the blade in his left hand. Then, in one fluid motion, he stabbed backwards, Mangetsu no Shita de's tip aimed at the right side of Tatsuo's chest. 

Yet, before James' attack could land, Tatsuo [Blinked] away from where he stood. When he reappeared, he was standing behind James with his knives both held in a reverse grip and ready to stab them down into James' shoulders. 

However, James once again reacted quickly, using the [Flash Step] to avoid Tatsuo's strike. And with that, Tatsuo and James moved at high speed while exchanging blows. Though, to the spectators surprise, both young men chose to avoid attacks rather than dodge. So, the sparring ring was rather quiet as the two moved around the ring trying to gain the upper hand. 

"Is he actually keeping up with James?" A beautiful young woman with long flaxen hair, blue eyes, and a slim-curvaceous figure asked in an amazed tone. "Even when James' power is higher than his?" 

This young woman was Flora Nanadan, she attends Kyoto University with James and lives with him when they stay in Kyoto. She was also one of the most fervent believers that the pressure had gotten to James, and he had gone insane when he first started mentioning the [Dimensional Chat]. 

"I wanna try fighting him, too." A tall, beautiful woman with pale skin, light purple hair, purple eyes, a black horn protruding from the center of her forehead, and a quite curvy figure said excitedly while watching the fight between Tatsuo and James. "They look like they're having fun." 

A few more comments like that followed. However, it did not take long before no one else spoke. Instead, they were all too engrossed in watching the back and forth between Tatsuo and James. However, that, too, eventually had to come to an end. 

Ducking under a slash aimed for his neck, Tatsuo thrust both of his knives upwards towards James' chest. However, with little effort, James parried both knives with the katana in his left hand. He then moved to slash with the blade in his right once again. 

However, instead of dodging the slash, Tatsuo opted to [Blink] away from it. And when he did, he missed the little smirk that showed up on James' lips. So, he was left thoroughly confused when he reappeared with his arms crossed and ready to uncross them to deliver a blow to the back of James' neck, and end the match, only to find the tip of James' katana, Mangetsu no Shita de, less than an inch away from his throat. 

"You lose, Tatsuo." James said after the two remained frozen in that position for a few seconds. "Although it took me awhile, I finally figured out a pattern to the way you use [Blink]." 

"*Sigh* I wanna argue that I don't have a pattern." Tatsuo grumbled in irritation. "But this makes it obvious that there I do." 

"You both did well." Scáthach said, approaching from where she had been watching the spar "And now that I've been able to see you fight another person rather than just mindless wyverns, I have some ideas for you, Tatsuo." 

Hearing that, both Tatsuo and James finally lowered their weapons. Then, they both turned to Scáthach with interest. 

"The fact of the matter is, if you had not limited yourself to just those daggers, you would have probably won this match." Scáthach continued. "So, we will have to device some new weapons of all types for you. And if I am not mistaken, you were able to learn Erza Scarlet's magic while watching her, were you not?" 

"Ah! Yeah, I did." Tatsuo replied. 

"Learn my magic?" The Erza in question, a tall, beautiful young woman with long, straight red hair, brown eyes, fair skin, a curvaceous figure with rather large breasts, and wearing a silvery breast plate, matching gauntlets, a blue skirt, and black boots, asked while tilting her head in confusion. 

"Oh, you were not there last night when Tatsuo explained one of his abilities, were you?" Irene asked rhetorically. "Well, I'll tell you about it later." 

"Oh, very well, Mother." Erza replied with a nod, deciding to drop the topic until her mother, Irene explained it to her. 

Erza was not the only one who was confused by Scáthach's words. However, quite a few of them felt uneasy. If Tatsuo could learn people's abilities just by watching, that meant that he could steal their techniques, as well. 

Even so, no one was foolish enough to start making a ruckus in front of Scáthach. Especially since she seemed to be the one to tell Tatsuo to observe everyone. 

"You also need to learn how to implement the rest of your abilities into your fighting style." Scáthach added. "And I will make sure that you learn to do so before you return to your world. 

Like that, Scáthach's explanation continued. And Tatsuo felt a chill down his spine from her declaration. Yet, that was not enough to stop anything. So, it did not take long for the training to continue after that. Though, Scáthach did give everyone a chance to get a short rest, which everyone took eagerly. There were still forty-four hours left in time dilation on today's schedule, after all. Meaning, they would need all the rest they could get.