Akuto looked down at his left hand.
Residing in his left hand were the spirits of all the past Red Dragon Emperors—or to be precise, the spirits of all the female Red Dragon Emperors.
When his system first awakened, the soul fragments of the past Red Dragon Emperors had all been crystallized and preserved by the system.
Not long ago, after he gained a preliminary understanding of reincarnation, Akuto had released the male Red Dragon Emperors' souls and sent them on to reincarnation. Now, the only soul crystals left in his hand were those of the female Red Dragon Emperors.
He remembered that the strongest among those female Red Dragon Emperors had been named "Elsha"...
In the original storyline, this strongest female Red Dragon Emperor and the strongest male Red Dragon Emperor had once helped Hyoudou Issei together, allowing him to completely escape the curse that using "Balmung" would consume his destiny.
"Before I run 'fate overlapping' experiments on Linte, I can run some preliminary tests on the past Red Dragon Emperor crystals first."
"If it really works, it might open up a whole new era for Sacred Gear users."
"Speaking of which, I got word from Akeno's side recently—the witches of Oz are brewing some sort of plot."
"If I'm remembering right, the first Holy Cross user, Iacusta, was the second-generation Eastern Witch under the witches of Oz."
"If the timing works out, I might be able to snag the Holy Cross, as well as some other Longinus, and even a few of the heroines from the Slash Dog side while I'm at it."
After thinking it through for a moment, Akuto added this matter into his future schedule.
As for now... Akuto felt it was better to focus on giving Linte the best possible first experience.
He pulled the girl gently into his arms, guiding her with a steady hand and a reassuring smile. Linte's red eyes grew hazy, and her pure white wings folded around the two of them like a sheltering embrace, shutting out the world outside as the night quietly deepened.
...
Just as Akuto had said, things on Vali's side had already turned into a complete mess.
Originally, Vali had been planning to debut during the Kokabiel incident and have a proper fight with Akuto first.
But then, something strange had happened among the Fallen Angels.
Before Akuto captured Akeno, Akeno had already kicked off the Qlippoth incident, abducting a large number of Sacred Gear users. On top of that, the witches of Oz were also starting to move.
And then... something happened to Vali's foster sister, Lavinia.
Lavinia—full name Lavinia Reni—was the wielder of the Longinus [Eternal Ice Princess].
Akuto's Longinus [Momentary Ice Emperor] possessed an effect similar in origin but opposite in direction to [Eternal Ice Princess], making it essentially a "partner Sacred Gear" to [Eternal Ice Princess].
Although Akuto had been using [Momentary Ice Emperor] less often as his power level climbed, it was still one of the strongest elemental-type Sacred Gears, fully worthy of its Longinus title.
...
Ever since she was a child, Lavinia had awakened her Sacred Gear and could subconsciously wield powerful ice abilities.
However, Lavinia's awakening hadn't been a blessing to those around her. Many people had been tormented by the invisible ice spirits she manifested and started treating Lavinia as some sort of weirdo.
After her parents died in an accident, Lavinia had been taken in by Glenda, the Southern Witch of Oz, who raised her, taught her magic and Sacred Gear knowledge, and helped Lavinia understand that the "ice monsters" were actually manifestations of her Longinus [Eternal Ice Princess].
Several years later, Glenda sent Lavinia to study under the Gray Wizard, Chairman Mephisto Pheles, so she could interact with other magicians.
After that, Lavinia heard that Glenda had been attacked by the witches of Oz. When she rushed back to Glenda's residence, she found it empty.
From then on, in order to find her mentor Glenda, Lavinia had constantly sought information on the witches of Oz and hunted them down.
Originally, Lavinia should have fought side-by-side with Tobio, Vali, and the others during the Qlippoth incident.
But now—perhaps because Akuto had already changed the storyline—Lavinia had run into Iacusta ahead of schedule.
In the original plot, Lavinia had her mind thrown into chaos when Iacusta revealed that Glenda had been one of their accomplices, and that was when Iacusta seized control of her body.
The situation now was similar: Lavinia's body had been possessed by the witch Iacusta, and she was currently moving as an agent for the witches of Oz.
Once he got this news, Vali stopped caring about how things were going on Akuto's side altogether. He immediately went to Azazel, demanding all the available intel on the Qlippoth incident and the witches of Oz.
He was going to—get his foster sister back!
...
Unfortunately, while dreams are full and rich, reality tends to be very skinny.
The witches of Oz weren't the biggest problem; the Qlippoth organization was.
Because Qlippoth had already been subjugated by Akuto, they'd gone into full-scale withdrawal and hibernation.
To avoid being exposed, Akuto had even applied spellwork that only chief-god-class experts could use to many of their bases. The Fallen Angels simply couldn't track Qlippoth down.
In desperation, Vali had even gone to the First Generation Sun Wukong for help.
After promising the First Sun Wukong he wouldn't casually disrupt the peace, Vali obtained a god-tier tracking spell (god-tier being a level between Super Devil-class and chief-god-class) and set off to pursue the witches of Oz.
At present, Vali had already made it quite deep into enemy territory, but he still hadn't found the true key figures yet.
...
Meanwhile.
On Akuto's side.
Milana's gray-golden hair spread across the sheets as the sister lost her strength and passed out, trembling slightly. Her white wings, which had wrapped the two of them up like a white sphere, slowly unfurled.
Griselda, having personally watched Akuto interact intimately with everyone else present, knew that after Milana, she was the only one left. So, after taking a deep breath, she quietly opened the wardrobe door on her own.
"Holy Son-sama, you knew I was in the wardrobe from the very beginning, didn't you～?" Griselda lightly bit her red lip, looking at Akuto with a trace of helplessness.
Once might have been a coincidence, but Akuto had deliberately turned everyone's faces toward her time after time. It was honestly a little too obvious.
Perhaps it was the lingering influence of Akuto's succubus bloodline on her thoughts, but Griselda suddenly realized that Holy Son-sama was already close to the level of the God of the Bible. How could someone at that level not notice that she'd been hiding in the wardrobe?
Griselda's strength was indeed great, but she was still far from chief-god-class. She had no idea that Akuto was actually still quite a long way from the God of the Bible's true realm.
Then again, the God of the Bible had always been merciful, treating every life in the DxD world as beings in need of salvation and never resorting to extreme violence lightly.
The rare times He did go all-out were only when the World's Will and enemies from the future targeted Him, forcing Him to fight desperately so that even a sliver of hope could remain.
...
As Griselda stepped out of the wardrobe, her full figure was finally revealed before Akuto.
Even the higher-grade sister's habit she wore couldn't conceal her explosive curves. Just by standing there, Griselda instinctively exuded an astonishing mature allure.
She had a body that was extremely attractive to men, yet her face was that of a holy woman bearing all the sorrow of the world. Her green eyes were filled with compassion for souls in need of salvation. Combined with the modest, ankle-length habit and the white tights underneath, she radiated a sense of inviolable holiness—and at the same time, an almost criminal sense of taboo.
In terms of pure beauty, Gabriel was undoubtedly the most peerless. From Akuto's perspective and personal experience, what he could feel from Gabriel truly was "the best."
But Akuto had never demanded that one person embody all possible traits.
Gabriel was indeed the most beautiful; that divine aura mixed with forbidden sweetness was something Akuto would never forget. But when he faced other girls, Akuto would still be moved by their own, unique charms.
...
A woman's nature is to find the strongest, most excellent partner she can and entrust the future to the children she bears for him.
A man's nature is to seek as many partners as possible, so that back in ancient times—when one couldn't even be sure whose child was whose—his own genes had the greatest chance of being passed on.
So, even if the woman in front of him wasn't "the absolute best," as long as she had one quality that struck his heart, a man would generally be willing to be with her.
Akuto was no exception.
If Amano Yuuma was his "first love," and Rias was his "true lover," Irina his "childhood friend," and Gabriel the embodiment of "divinity," then Griselda was the incarnation of "motherliness."
As a child, Akuto had unconsciously felt a kind of unprecedented "divine warmth" and "maternal love."
Though he'd lost those memories as he grew older, he had always, on some instinctive level, been chasing after that sensation.
...
"Griselda, some questions don't need to be asked once you already know the answer, do they?"
As he spoke, Akuto gently laid Milana down at his side, leaving a spot open in front of him.
Griselda pressed her red lips together in a thin line, then very obediently sat astride Akuto's waist, posture modest but resolute.
"Holy Son-sama, can you tell me why you've granted so many saints and sisters Angel Cards... but not given one to me?"
Before she faced the final step, Griselda needed to untie the knot in her heart.
"Is it that Holy Son-sama feels I'm not devout enough? Or that you sensed some doubt about you in the depths of my heart?"
For once, there was an urgent look in Griselda's eyes as she met Akuto's gaze. She was desperate—desperate for an answer from him.
"No, there really isn't any complicated reason," Akuto said, shaking his head.
"On one hand, I have noticed that, in your heart, you still harbor some lingering doubts about me becoming the Holy Son."
"On the other hand, I also don't want you to treat me only as an object of faith."
Having someone believe in him was good, of course.
But Akuto already had plenty of saints and sisters who believed in him.
One more like that wasn't particularly appealing to him.
"Mm? You don't want me to treat you as an object of faith... then what do you want me to see you as?" Griselda asked, puzzled.
"Griselda, I've already answered your question."
"As for the rest, I'd like to answer while you're undergoing your trial."
As he said this, Akuto glanced to the side.
There, Xenovia and Irina had gotten back on their feet and come over to stand beside Griselda.
"Very well... if this is the path you've prepared for me."
"As your believer, I'm more than willing to accept your trial."
Supported by Xenovia, Irina, and Asia, Griselda slowly let herself sink into Akuto's embrace, fingers trembling slightly as she chose to accept him with all of her heart.
For a brief moment, Xenovia seemed to deliberately loosen her support, making Griselda stumble with a tiny yelp, cheeks flushing scarlet. But surrounded by the gentle encouragement of the others and Akuto's steady hands, any fear in her gaze quietly melted away.
What followed, under the soft glow of the room's lights, was not a battle of miracles or judgment, but a long, wordless night in which Griselda finally found the answer she'd been chasing—the answer to what she was to Holy Son Sai Akuto.
(End of Chapter)
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