The days passed quickly, yet intensely, as the training continued. Kenji ran his family through a rigorous boot camp, ensuring they were actually learning how to use their magic and pick up basic skills of fighting rather than just wildly flailing around or punching randomly.
He was a demanding teacher, as his family had come to learn. He would sometimes put them with a slightly higher opponent for them to fight, leaving them to do 1v1 just to teach them that not all your opponents will always be on the same level as you, you have to learn how to fight stronger people.
He wanted them to understand that magic was a tool to be used to help the mind in accomplishing its task, so that even if they can't use it, they can still fight and win.
Of course, none of them would become masters overnight, but even small, disciplined progress was a victory.
Still, as much as he tried to focus on his daughters' mana control and his wife's reinforcement techniques, his mind wasn't completely there. The impending visit from his in-laws, which promised a fresh wave of suffocating judgment, and that new System Quest notification had his hard-won peace of mind hanging by a thread.
He sighed, sinking deep into the couch cushions, and pulled up his Quest tab again.
[Main Mission: Destination: Earth – TVGH19475 (DC)
Three days left
All members
(A shard of chaos has landed onto the universe and fallen into the hands of *********, find them before they learn how to use the power of the shard and are consumed by********).]
Kenji rubbed his temples with a weary groan. "Why DC? Why?" The question was rhetorical and laced with profound anxiety.
He had intentionally avoided that universe when doing a side quest, that, along with its counterpart, Marvel, for a reason.
Both were dimensional nightmares. In a standard fantasy world, the most powerful being might be a demon lord or a rogue dragon, an evil wizard, a young master and bull. In DC, the threats weren't just powerful, they were beyond that. Sure, he knew about a dozen other worlds like that, but you don't see him going to those ones, do you.
Sure, he had loved DC growing up, the ideals, the heroes, the dramatic narratives. But now, as a reality-hopper living with a chance to actually go there, DC wasn't charming anymore, it was terrifying. It wasn't just about Superman, yeah, sure, someone like Superman was strong, but his weakness his something you can buy if you know the right person, but what about doomsdays, what about him if you meet him, or the joker that'd just kill you just for the fun of it. Yes, he was strong, but imagine waking up in DC without a cheat, it would be hell.
He was not worried about simple villains. He was worried about the cosmic pantheon. He risked meeting Dream of the Endless, a conceptual entity who embodies the very nature of storytelling, or worse, Death or Lucifer Morningstar.
These were beings of such fundamental power that even gods feared crossing their paths. A mere Ultimate-Class being like Kenji would be, at best, an interesting speck of dust to them. They could simply erase his existence if they decided that they didn't like him.
Okay, so maybe not. Two, Lucifer would find it funny that someone had entered his father's domain, and death was Kind and wouldn't just kill him without a reason, but what about the other beings that roamed that multiverse.
The cosmic entities like the Anti-Monitor, or the constant, sadistic writer's luck, DC characters endured, the constant threat of a Crisis Event resetting reality entirely.
He shivered, muttering darkly, "Watch me end up next to the Batman Who Laughs or Trigon. The last thing I need is a sociopathic, cosmic iteration of Batman deciding my reality-hopping power would be a fun addition to his arsenal." He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, staring blankly at the floor. The only saving grace was that the quest wasn't solo. It was an all in Quest. They'd all be going, and it wasn't optional.
For the first time since the group chat started, they were all about to meet face to face.
Four days to prepare, it said, now only three left. Four days to say goodbye, and hope they didn't die horribly in some alternate Gotham or Metropolis.
Kenji closed the System screen, pushing the dread back into a locked compartment in his mind, just as he heard his kids rushing through the house. They were dressed neatly in their uniforms, bags packed, chattering excitedly.
"Bye, Dad! Love you!" Ayaka shouted from the foyer. "Don't forget open house later!" Aoi called out, her voice slightly muffled. "Bring snacks, okay?" Ren piped up, his small voice full of cheer.
And just like that, they were gone, the front door clicking shut behind them.
Kenji blinked, confused by the speed. "What the hell just happened?"
He stood up and walked into the bedroom, finding Anastasia sitting at her vanity, applying a light touch of eyeliner. Her silver-blonde strands glistened under the electric light, and despite the chaos, Kenji couldn't help but be struck by her composed elegance.
He walked over, leaned down, placed a kiss on her temple, and murmured, "Morning."
She smiled faintly, a genuine warmth in her blue eyes, and returned the gesture with a soft peck on his lips. "Morning. The kids are in an incredible hurry. Apparently, they're having some kind of early prep for the open house, setting up their classrooms and decorating before the parents arrive."
Kenji grunted, collapsing onto the bed with a sigh. "Let's hope today passes quietly, then. Just an ordinary school day."
He stared at the ceiling, thinking of the Faction Leaders and his imminent in-laws later this week. "I'd pray to God, but… well, that ship's long sailed, hasn't it?"
Kuoh Academy, ORC.
At the same time, Rias Gremory sat stiffly in the Occult Research Club, rubbing her temples as her day started spiraling into a tripartite headache.
First, an unknown white-haired boy, Vali, he said, had cornered Issei and dramatically declared himself the White Dragon Emperor, adding a major power variable to the school grounds, apparently, he was here with Azazel.
Then, her older brother, Sirzechs Lucifer, had casually informed her that the Leaders of the Three Factions (Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels) would be visiting Kuoh today for a "peace conference" in the guise of a social summit.
Now, she had to juggle keeping her peerage safe, managing the visiting archangels and fallen leaders, and, most humiliatingly, pretending everything was fine for the school's mandatory open house as her parent show up with her brother to her classroom. The thought of Sirzechs and her parents mingling with human parents made her stomach turn. She just hoped her mum didn't bring the album again.
She glanced out the window, sighing for the tenth time.
Her gaze landed on Ayaka Takahashi, who was chatting with her friends, a bright smile on her face as she helped decorate the classroom. Ayaka was a powerful potential she had desperately wanted for her peerage, but now that ship has sailed.
She had felt different today, ever since the girl came to school in the morning, Rias had felt that something had changed in her.
At first, Rias hadn't thought much about it until she looked closely, and that was when she realized it. Ayaka's magic, which Rias had known was low and not really much, had undergone a change. Before, before it was small, even lower than that low class, but it had potential, because for a human, she had more than what normal humans had. But now…
Now, Ayaka's aura had grown almost to low class, she now had more than Issei. Well, that wasn't much, given Issei had pitiful magic reserve, but still, that was something for a person who just a few days ago had only a bit above normal humans. Even her younger sister, Aoi, seemed to have improved too, even more than her elder sister.
Oh, if only Rias could add them to her peerage.
Something had happened in the last three days. Something, or rather, someone, had to have been responsible, and she didn't need to think too hard to know.
Kenji Takahashi.
Rias bit her lip until she tasted copper. The mere thought of approaching that man again made her skin crawl. She still remembered those golden, terrifying eyes that had looked through her soul that night he decimated Kokabiel.
She wanted to ask, to understand this terrifying growth, how a human could reach this level of power, but no amount of curiosity justified risking the wrath of an Ultimate-Class human. He had made his boundaries absolutely clear that he didn't want them to involve themselves with him.
Later that afternoon.
During the official open house session, Rias sat stiffly behind her desk. Parents filled the back rows, chatting and laughing nervously as they watched their kids go on about their day.
Her mother, Venelana, her father, Zeoticus, and her older brother, Sirzechs, stood near the back, talking and smiling politely with the other parents. Rias was acutely embarrassed. Sirzechs, the Maou Lucifer, was enthusiastically describing her childhood accomplishments to a group of bewildered human mothers.
When the class ended and the parents began mingling, she moved quickly to usher her family out before her brother could embarrass her any further. As she pushed them through the halls of the school, something caught her eye.
Kenji Takahashi was there, his back to her, laughing easily with none other than Issei's parents. His wife, Anastasia, stood beside him, an elegant figure with cold blue eyes and perfect platinum hair. She had an expression that could easily rival Grayfia's.
The woman was beautiful, ethereal, even, but held herself with an unmistakable, quiet authority that belied her civilian status.
Kenji himself looked nothing like the cold, merciless man Rias had seen on the battlefield. He was smiling, relaxed, the perfect charming father, chatting with the Hyoudou parents, who looked completely taken by his genuine warmth. He even laughed, a deep, genuine sound that seemed to temporarily light the entire room.
Rias froze, utterly bewildered. 'Is that really the same man who shredded a Cadre-class Fallen Angel like wet paper?'
Her brother noticed where she was looking and followed her gaze.
"Is that him?" Sirzechs asked quietly, though Rias knew he already knew the answer.
Rias nodded wordlessly.
Her parents turned too, Venelana still smiling softly, Zeoticus curiously observing the man.
"Well," Sirzechs said, his tone cheerful but his eyes sharp. "No time like the present to introduce ourselves."
Before Rias could stop him, he began walking over.
Her heart dropped. "Wait, Brother, don't—!"
Too late. She really didn't want to get involved with this man, for some reason, she felt it was better to just leave him alone.
They reached the group within moments. Issei's parents, still laughing with Kenji, looked startled when her parents came over.
"Ah, hello there," Sirzechs said warmly, his voice smooth and disarming, the same tone of voice she had heard him use when talking with other political figures.
Kenji turned. The easy, friendly smile vanished instantly. Like it had never been there.
His golden eyes met Sirzechs's blue-green ones, and in an instant, the atmosphere changed completely.
Sirzechs kept his hand extended, utterly unfazed, maintaining his polite expression. "I'm Sirzechs Gremory. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Takahashi."
For a long, tense moment, the two men simply looked at each other, neither blinking.
Rias swallowed, glancing at her mother and father, who both watched the confrontation..
And Rias, standing frozen behind them, why was she feeling dread? Her brother was the devil king, yet she really didn't want him to be close to this man. Rias had always been one to trust her instinct, and right now it was telling her that being on this man's bad side was a bad idea.
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