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The Life of Valor (Grave x Kat)

The fist Jessica threw connected with Alan's solar plexus.
"A little high, and too much power in the blow. Remember, we're honing the technique right now, so do it slowly and with little to no power. Once you have the technique down, then we will work on power. With my realm aiding you, it won't take much longer for the technique to be perfect."
Alan worked with her until her kata and technique were good enough to be a mid-level belt.

"Now, we move forward to conditioning. Kyokushin is a fast, aggressive form of Karate, so your body must be able to take the blows of your opponent and press on. Come at me, and I will strike you with enough force in my blows to condition you but not hurt you."
As she did, Alan struck at her side, sternum, face, groin, and knees. These blows would not feel good, but taking them would help her withstand them in a real fight. If he was truly to train her to be an expert in these art forms, he could not hold back just because she was a woman; he was training her in the art the same way he had trained Scott before her.
 
Jessica was a little tired when they finished with the kata, panting softly before she nodded and went to attack Alan again, grunting in slight pain at the attacks she took but pressed on determinedly, her mind replaying all Scott had gone through to protect this world and her, this was nothing.
 
Alan continued to condition Jessica, watching as his realm helped her to take harder and harder blows without stopping. He had her strike him when she was close, in the knee, stomach, groin (thank goodness for godly protection there!), and the face. Toward the end, he was hitting her with blows equivalent to what a Heavyweight boxer would throw at his hardest in the body, and her body conditioned to absorb them and counterstrike.
"Now, let us do the more advanced kata and work on your power. After you have achieved black belt level, we will break for lunch. After lunch, we will train you to the highest level of Kyokushinkai Karate."

Alan could see the same drive in Jessica that he had seen in Scott when they first met almost a decade ago. Jessica's intense desire to reunite with Scott was meshing well with the Realm of Fire to strengthen her body, mind, and soul. Such intense and passionate love was something to envy, he thought. He helped her with kata and had her increase the power of her blows. With the technique down, he created dummies for her to attack.
"Practice your new techniques on these dummies, and try to take them down as quickly and efficiently as possible."
 
Jessica was at this point panting, sweat dripping off her body as she had a few good bruises from the powerful blows her body was taking, but she didn't stop. She kept at it even when her body screamed at her to stop. She nodded at his explanation of when they'd have lunch then worked on putting as much strength she could into her blows. Once that was done she turned to the dummies and took them out one at a time. She started by punching one in the head then spun around to elbow another hard in the gut then land an uppercut. The final one she gave a hard side sweep to it's head.
 
Alan nodded after seeing Jessica dismantle the dummies.
"Very good, your moves are fluid and precise. However, being both a woman and a black belt in two forms of Karate, you really should use kicks more. If the body types are the same, women cannot equal men in arm strength, but they can in leg strength. The real world won't always fight fairly, so use your kicks effectively."
Alan invited her into his palace, and they sat at a fancy table for two in the main dining hall.
"What would you like to eat? Just name it and I shall have it brought here."
 
Jessica was panting heavily and nodded softly at his words. "Alright." She said as she followed him inside and slumped in the chair as she thought a moment before saying. "I could go for a meatball sub." She said as she wiped her brow with a napkin.
 
Alan nodded and willed it so that two meatball subs appeared on the table. As a god, Alan no longer had to eat or drink to sustain himself, but he still enjoyed the taste of food and drink. Picking up the sub, he bit into it and savored the taste.
"I can see why you wanted this. It's really good."
For the rest of the lunch, they ate and Alan told Jessica stories about Scott during his training.

Scott eventually awoke from being passed out, and was able to get up to see Chiang.
"Valor told me about what happened," his mentor began.
Scott nodded, sighing as he stood up.
"Where is Jessica now? Is she okay?"
"She is safe with Alan, and undergoing training so that you feel like she can take care of herself."
"She's training...for me?"

Chiang nodded.
"Her love for you is deep and true, just like your love for her. I believe you truly are soul mates."
Scott smiled and felt warmth spread over his heart.
"I want to see her."
Chiang held up his hand.

"You will, but not now. You must first grow stronger and help save my realm. Jessica must also complete her training under Alan. Once this has come to pass, you two will be reunited."
Scott nodded.
"Can I send a message to her?"

Chiang nodded. Scott focused his thoughts so that they would reach Jessica.
Jessica, I love you. Good luck with your training. I'll see you soon.
After he was done, Scott followed Chiang into his realm. Since they had become spiritual versions of themselves, Scott's physical body would be preserved outside the gate while the souls of him and Valor proceeded inside. With the soul of Valor on his shoulder, Scott listened as Chiang began to explain what he needed his help with.
 
Jessica nodded, her expression so far having been nothing but determination and almost... cold sturdiness. As she ate she suddenly felt like Scott was there when she heard his thoughts sent to her in his voice. She felt tears welling in her eyes and closed them tight, fighting them back as she sent back an. "I love you too... But you will be getting hell when I see you next." She then sighed softly as she let her emotions settle down and opened her eyes again, her eyes seeming somewhat more alight and with a more positive determination in them. "Alright, I'm done." She said as she finished her sandwich and stood, ready to continue.
 
Alan nodded as he finished up his sandwich. He could tell that Chiang had facilitated soul-to-soul communication between Scott and Jessica, and she seemed happier. They left the table and returned to the outdoor training area.
"It's time to begin the advanced kata, techniques, and highest-level skill building and conditioning."
Alan began walking and talking her through it. She seemed very eager to learn, and would soon master Kyokushinkai Karate.

Chiang turned to Scott as he asked what the problem was.
"The problem is that a demon lord named Rasmodeum is organizing the demons of Hell to assault the borders of my realm. My followers and I are repelling them daily, but the constant assault is taking its toll. If Rasmodeum's demons overcome this realm, my followers and I will be dragged down into hell. If my realm of Nirvana is lost, then those seeking enlightenment will never find it and multiple religions in the East will be set back. My life is in danger, and only you can save us."

Scott nodded.
"Alan would tell me to get to the source of the problem, so I must defeat Rasmodeum. I suppose your holy forms cannot survive there. Will my Valor Armor and Destructive Aura protect me from the fires of Hell?"
Chiang regarded the question.
"They will help, but my sacred arts will be essential to you not only surviving in Hell, but also important for defeating Rasmodeum."

Scott nodded and changed into a kimono to begin meditation with Chiang.
"I will teach you the exorcism arts that will allow you to manifest a Sacred Aura. This will combine with your Destructive Aura to make you especially dangerous to supernatural forces. This will also allow you to use Sacred Fists of Valor that will dispatch Rasmodeum, hopefully."
Scott began focusing on this goal, knowing that he could achieve it under Chiang's guidance. They began chanting sacred chants to connect Scott and Valor's souls to Nirvana in a way they had never known before.
 
With the help of Alan's realm, Jessica completely mastered Kyokushin two hours after the advanced lessons began. What took regular unaided humans a lifetime to accomplish had taken Jessica less than 10 hours with help from his realm.
"Congratulations, Jessica, you have now achieved the highest level of Kyokushin Karate. You and Scott are now equal in skill with that particular martial art, and Grandmasters the world over would be impressed by what you can do. I have two more martial arts to teach you, but first you must rest. The next martial art I will teach you is notoriously hard on the body, and you will need to be well-rested before we tackle it."

Alan went with her into his palace and brought her into a bedroom. He laid her on the bed and covered her up. The bed had special properties that wouldallow her to sleep easily. While she slept, the bed would soothe any pain and rejuvenate her body. Scott had used the bed plenty of times during his training, and had said that it was the best rest he'd ever had. Alan left the room so that Jessica could rest peacefully.
 
Jessica tried to protest, saying that she was fine and wanted to continue training... she wanted to see Scott as soon as possible... But Alan persisted so she sighed and allowed herself to be led to the bedroom, passing out as soon as her body hit the bed.
 
While Jessica slept peacefully, Scott worked hard to learn the exorcism arts under Chiang. He was a fast learner, although some of the chants seemed like they were a paragraph long and he wondered if he would ever remember them. The one to help channel his Sacred Energy had been memorized, however, and he had been able to muster a blue Sacred Aura around himself. Due to the flames of hell, Chiang had also taught him how to fly using his aura. It was late by the time they finished, and Chiang promised they would practice the Sacred Fist techniques the next day. Scott laid down on the Japanese floor bed and went to sleep.

The next day, Alan awoke Jessica and took her out to the training courtyard.
"Today you will learn the powerful Muay Thai style, which originates from Thailand. This is Scott's favorite martial art, so I'm sure you'll feel very connected to him during our training. Many feel that it is the ultimate striking style, and it will condition your body to new heights. You should be able to shrug off some pretty powerful blows and dole out your own before too long."
Alan began showing her the basic stances, katas, and strikes, and had her practice them on him.

That same day, Scott awoke due to Chiang throwing a bucket of cold water on him. This was what he always did, so Scott calmly dried himself and followed him to the temple courtyard. Under Chiang's instruction, he used his increased aura control to create a sealed off space around him, and condensed it around his left arm until the blue energy resembled a spectral Valor gauntlet. He hit mock targets with it, practicing different punches to maximize effectiveness. Chiang then told him he would have to do a field test. He was headed to the border of the realm to practice the Sacred Fist of Valor on actual demons.
 
Alan continued to teach Jessica the art, amazed at how quickly she was advancing. Scott had advanced quickly through his martial arts training due to his strong desire to save the Earth from Grymwar invasion. Jessica's determination to see Scott again was producing identical results, and he could see so much of Scott in her just like he could see so much of Jessica in him.
"You and Scott truly are soul mates," he couldn't help saying.
A fiery image of Scott appeared next to her before it became an orb and went inside Jessica, producing the warmth and emotional soothing that was contained in his hug.
"Because of your connection," Alan began, "No matter the distance, Scott is always by your side."

Scott was at the border of Nirvana in full Valor Armor when he saw a spectral Jessica. Before he could react, she turned into a blue orb and flew inside him.
"What the--"
Chiang floated over, a smile on his weathered face.
"Jessica's yearning for you is so strong that it transcends time and space to manifest here now. She wants you to know that she is always by your side."
 
Jessica blinked in surprise at Alan's words of them being soulmates then she sighed a little in comfort of the familiar warmth that entered her and she blushed a little as Alan said Scott was always beside her.
 
Alan smiled as Jessica blushed from the warmth.
"There's no doubt that Scott loves you more than anything else."
He took up a fighting stance.
"But there's no time to dwell on warm fuzzies. Let's get back to training."
He began training her to be mid-level in Muay Thai. They took a break, and he asked her what she wanted for lunch just like the previous day. There was no doubt that Scott would be surprised to see Jessica again, since she was becoming so strong and dependable.

Scott broke through the barrier of Nirvana, the warmth of holding Jessica bolstering his confidence. The demon horde tried to press in on him, but his Sacred Aura pushed them back. For some lesser demons, it destroyed them instantly. More powerful demons tried to break through, and Scott prepared a Sacred Fist as his left arm glowed with blinding blue energy.
"Sacred Fist of Valor!"
The punch was so powerful that the energy wiped out the entire demon horde.
 
Jessica blushed a little more at Alan's words then took a breath and nodded, taking up her new fighting stance and continuing her training. When lunch came around she was breathing a little heavily but not as much as the day before, as the realm was increasing the speed at which she built up her resilience and stamina. She thought a moment then asked for a chicken salad sandwich.
 
Alan summoned a chicken salad sandwich for each of them and began to eat. Jessica was advancing well, her body and spirit responding well to the realm. After lunch, they resumed the Muay Thai training. He began training her in the most advanced techniques, and the conditioning was brutal even with her increased durability. An hour later, she was a complete master of Muay Thai. He put Jessica in bed to recuperate and mentally checked on Scott.

Scott returned to Chiang's temple and meditated with his mentor. Tomorrow would truly be his day to descend into Hell, and he had to be ready. The most evil place in existence, a place such a noble hero should never find himself, was now his destination. Scott knew not the horrors he would face, and the unknown unnerved him just a bit. Putting this aside, he laid down to sleep. His fight against the purest of evil was just on the horizon.
 
Jessica, by the end of the day, was panting heavily and her whole body was sore. She laid in bed and quickly passed out, fatigued from the intense training.
 
The next day, Scott awoke and was led to the edge of Nirvana by Chiang.
"Good luck Scott and Valor. All of Nirvana is counting on you."
Scott turned to him.
"These demons won't know what hit them."
Scott flared up his aura and covered himself in full Valor Armor before flying toward the barrier of Nirvana. Using his Sacred Aura, he passed through and flew full speed toward the portal to Hell that was spewing demons like water from a faucet.

"Out of my way, scum!"
Scott enlarged his Sacred Aura and disintegrated the demons on his way into the portal. When he broke through, he was in the first gate of hell, the Fire Hell. Evil spirits tried to swarm him, but could not get past his Sacred Aura. The heat was intense, and Scott began to sweat heavily behind his armor. It was not long before the King of the Fire Hell realized that he was facing an interloper too powerful to contain.

"Those fucking monks really sent that bastard Crusader in here," he snarled.
The King flared up his Corrupted Fire Aura, which could allow him to stave off the Sacred Aura long enough for him to fight Scott. Being one of the Nine Kings of Hell, he was not going to let this stand. At eight feet tall and looking like Hellboy with horns, the Fire King was imposing indeed. He exited his castle and charged at Scott full-on with his claws and flame aura.

The evil aura meeting the pure one threw sparks between them, and Scott was starting to feel sick from the heat. Nonetheless, his martial arts mastery warded off the claw strikes and forced an opening that he could exploit.
"Take this, you demon fuck!"
Scott unloaded on him with the Million Punches of Valor, which the King was helpless to keep up with. He got tagged so many times in the face that he was dizzy. Scott knew that his normal strikes of Valor would not be able to kill this Archdemon, but Chiang had given him the means to do so.

"This is for attacking Nirvana!"
Scott expanded his Sacred Aura and solidified it so that the Fire King could not escape. His Corrupted Flame Aura could no longer even hope to protect him. His right arm began to glow with blue and white Sacred Energy, and the Fire King trembled as he saw death coming for him, a concept usually foreign to an immortal being such as a demon.
"SACRED FIST OF VALOR!!!"
Throwing this punch with all of his might, Scott's fist collided with the Fire King's head and utterly destroyed it before he could even scream.

With his head destroyed, the Fire King was dead and his body disappeared into black smoke. The other fire demons trembled at such an intimidating display of might. With evil surrounding him and innocent souls to protect, there would be no mercy from Crusader; every Fire Demon was being destroyed on this day. Charging up his Sacred Aura, Scott cried out in exertion as he released a massive Sacred Shockwave of Valor. The screams of the wicked filled the air as all evil around him was snuffed out. Panting from the heat, Scott headed for the portal to the second gate of Hell, hoping that the next section was less hot than the Fire Hell.


Alan gently awoke Jessica and had her come out to the training ground.
"The final martial art that I wish to teach you is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a ground-based fighting style. We will begin with basic rolls, grapples, and positions."
He got on the ground and had Jessica practice on him. This would be a bit tougher to learn because grappling was much different from striking, but he knew she could do it. Once her training in BJJ was complete, she would be able to defend herself no matter where the fight went or how close her opponent was to her.
 
Jessica groaned tiredly as she was woken up but nodded and rubbed her eyes as she followed Alan to the training field and began following his instructions.
 
Alan got down on the ground and let Jessica mount him so that she could practice advantageous shifts in position. For outsiders, BJJ looked sexual, leading many to joke about it, especially if two men were engaged in a ground battle. However, in truth, it was anything but pleasurable. Many practitioners were known to get hurt in training, and having coarse, muscular skin scarping across you while you try to avoid getting an arm broken is not arousing for most people. Due to Alan's mastery of the art, he was able to teach Jessica without her getting hurt. After she had completed basic offense, he mounted her so that she could practice basic defense.

"Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is actually a very useful martial art for women to learn. In a situation where a woman is being raped, she is often on her back with a much stronger male pinning her down and trying to sexually assault her. Using this ground-based fighting style, even a relatively small woman can turn the tables on a large man, trap him to avoid being raped, and hold him until the police arrive to arrest him. Let's pretend that I'm trying to rape you, and you counter by trapping me in the arm-bar technique that we practiced."
Alan began simulating an assault by an untrained practitioner, trying to hold down her legs and get to her core. He tried his best to make it a realistic demonstration without overdoing it, so that Jessica would be able to apply the technique in any real situation.


Scott flew through the portal and immediately felt chilled to the bone due to entering Ice Hell. The cold wind did not mix well with his sweating, and he began to shiver.
"Okay, I was hoping for a cooler place...but this is ridiculous!"
His teeth chattering, Scott began walking forward. It was not long before snow demons and demons who inhabited the cold wind began attacking him, and the combat started to thankfully warm him up. After about an hour of slogging his way through all manner of demon native to the cold, he finally reached the palace of the Ice Queen, who stood watch over the portal to the Third Gate of Hell.

The Ice Queen stepped out onto the ramparts overlooking him, with blue hair trailing down to her buttocks. She was wearing a clear shawl that seemed to be covering a naked body. Her ice blue eyes seemed to penetrate to his very soul and really popped with skin that was like porcelain. There was a blue jewel in the center of her forehead, and the sum total of her appearance was that she was very hot. Scott had to shake off his physical attraction to her and remember that this was his enemy that he would have to destroy, if necessary. A mental image of Jessica popped into his head, and her pure-hearted beauty swept away the lust that the Ice Queen was trying to prey on.

The Ice Queen smirked, having expected so powerful a foe not to be shaken so easily.
"Welcome to my realm, Crusader. Sorry that my servants are less than welcoming."
"Look, I'm headed through that portal. If you're going to stand in my way, I need to know right now. Otherwise, just stay out of my way and I'll leave your realm untouched."

The Ice Queen considered his statement, and chuckled.
"You killed the Fire King, so I realize that I am no match for you in combat. That being said, it would be boring to just let you go. What say that I test you instead, and if you pass, I will let you go forward. If you lose, you stay here with me forever."
"The stakes are pretty high, so I think I'll pass."

"Oh, silly me. I didn't mean to imply that you had a choice in the matter."
The Ice Queen snapped her fingers and the gate to the Third Hell disappeared. Scott turned to his foe, realizing that he now had to do as she suggested.
"...Fine, what kind of game is it?"
The Ice Queen smiled and snapped her fingers again.

A large blizzard began blowing up, completely obscuring Scott's sight. When he could see again, the palace was gone and there was a frozen lake between him and the Ice Queen.
"The game is simple. Cross this lake without falling even once, and if you make it to me, you may proceed. Otherwise, you'll find yourself a permanent resident of this place."
"Sounds easy enough."

The Ice Queen's eyes twinkled with mischief.
"You may not think so once you begin. Go ahead."
Scott began carefully stepping across the ice. His balance was second to none, so slipping was not a problem, but the ice was thin, so he had to step lightly. When he was halfway across the lake, he noticed something flying towards him from under the ice.

Jumping back to avoid a creature that shot through the ice, he nearly slipped but kept his balance. The creature was joined by many more bird-like demons and came back to try and harass him. His focus would be sorely tested, but he redoubled his efforts. About ten minutes later, he finally stepped foot on the other side, and the Ice Queen smiled.
"Well, well. You pass."

She waved her hand and the portal reappeared. Scott turned to her.
"Then I will keep mine and leave your realm untouched. Just know that if you cause problems for other realms, I will return to make you answer for it."
The Ice Queen blew him a kiss, genuinely impressed with Crusader and not put off by what he said. Scott proceeded through the portal to enter the Third Hell.
 
Jessica followed his instructions as she did some basic attacks on top of him. She then nodded as he explained the rape situation and continued with training. She managed to get him in the arm bar and rolled him off of her so she was on top of him holding him down.
 
Alan was impressed as Jessica secured the arm bar quickly and then transitioned to a dominant top position.
"Very good," he said with a chuckle as he tapped his shoulder to signal for her to let go.
Once they were back to a starting position, he began to instruct her in the intermediate styles of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. By the time they broke for a late lunch, she was quite accomplished. They sat down in his dining room and he smiled at her.
"So, what's for lunch today?"

Scott was sitting on a stump in the Fourth Hell, taking a well-earned moment to rest. He had defeated the Wind Queen in a game of chance and killed the Earth King only five minutes ago. In terms of the Nine Circles of Hell, he was now a little less than halfway to his goal. The toughest challenges would be ahead, so he was bracing himself to face that. Thinking of Jessica's beautiful face and wonderful heart filled him with the strength and courage he needed to move forward. He remembered what she had said about him catching hell when he saw her again, and figured she would be surprised if she knew how much literal Hell he had already caught. Standing up, he steeled himself for whatever waited and walked through the gate into the Fifth Hell.
 
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