Nnn!
The stage is far from set, it seems. The Demon Gods are proceeding at quite a leisurely pace. Meanwhile, the Three Great Powers haven't even noticed the world's tremors. Nn, nnn? More than that, it appears none of the gods, buddhas, or fiends worldwide have sensed anything either. It'll be amusing to see which fool notices first.
Of course, I understand perfectly.
Among the Three Great Powers, the most dangerous entity is that angel. Not the Archangel Michael, nor Gabriel, tied to the Queen of Sheba. Neither Sandalphon nor Metatron, former humans who sympathized with Samael's ideals. The Fallen Angels' governor isn't worth mentioning. Old or new Satans aren't even worth a glance. The real issue is that no one has noticed the contradiction of his existence.
However, even more concerning than that are the Demon God Pillars led by Goetia. The historical changes caused by the five Servants they summoned are beyond your knowledge and perception. Your understanding holds that there were three Servants, but none of those three are among the five summoned this time. This delays contact with the Hero Faction of the Khaos Brigade, which is somewhat problematic. It may not matter to Goetia or the Three Great Powers, but it's an issue for us. It's less than ideal for the God of the Bible and a definite loss for humanity.
The significant delay in Trihexa's awakening is highly undesirable. A beast born solely to destroy the world has no time to waste in idle slumber. It must bring ruin swiftly and die grandly. That filthy beast exists only to die spectacularly.
Thus, interference is necessary. To guide the outcome correctly, we must destroy the era. Turn order into chaos, paint justice with madness. To build paradise, let's open the lid of hell's cauldron.
That's the purpose of the sword-wielding Heroic Spirit. That's the karmic debt.
Rider—Screaming Hell. Berserker—Scorching Hell. Saber—Avici Hell. Including myself, Caster Limbo, four slots are filled… but following the precedent of my Saint Graph's "Shimousa," shall we gather seven?
By assembling seven incarnations, we'll lay the foundation for your ideal, Lord Satan!
No, no, no, no! Even I, Limbo, find this somewhat overly ironic. But considering your purpose, I can't possibly speak your True Name. Who knows where ears may lurk, and Rider might let it slip.
Right, ####-sama?
I, Issei Hyoudou, am a servant Devil under Rias Gremory-sama. Since my master is the president of the Occult Research Club, I usually call her "Prez."
Today, some guy named Riser Phenex, supposedly Prez's fiancé, showed up at the clubroom. He's handsome but like a mix of a thug and a host. Plus, he's got a harem of his own servants. He's all touchy-feely with Prez despite her obvious dislike, and I just can't stand him.
The marriage was supposed to wait until Prez graduated university, but it's been moved up. She clearly doesn't like Riser and is furious about it. Seems she's got issues with her parents too.
A harem and marrying Prez? Damn, is it that great to be surrounded by beauties? It is, right? I want that too! I need to become a High-Class Devil fast and build my own harem!
Sure, he's a pureblood High-Class Devil, but a sleazy playboy like him doesn't deserve someone noble like Prez! He's got a harem, which I'm totally jealous of—er, I mean, he'll definitely neglect Prez after marriage! I don't get why her parents are pushing this when she's against it. High-Class Devils have their rules, I guess, but they should consider her feelings.
Plus, he kept mocking me as a lowly servant… Just you wait!
"—So, if you win the game, the engagement gets canceled?"
"Yeah, that's right."
That was the day's drama, but I got summoned for Devil work. One of my regular clients, Roman, called me for a video game match. It was a new title, but pretty fun.
"They're training hard until the game, so I won't be able to come by until then."
"That so? That's a shame, but good luck."
"…What do you think about this engagement, Roman-san?"
I kinda knew his answer. To adults, my and Prez's complaints probably sound like childish whining.
"Well, if she's against it, it's obviously better to call it off."
"…That's surprising. I thought adults wouldn't say that."
Maybe he's just saying it because he's not involved.
"Uh, this ties to my own past, but… can I use a grandiose analogy?"
"Sure, go ahead."
"Imagine the world's destroyed."
That's a huge analogy!
"Not 'Demon Gods'—that's too vague. Say a powerful Satan destroyed the world. But defeating that Satan undoes the destruction."
Like a sci-fi history correction thing? Makes sense—otherwise, it'd be too bleak. A Satan destroys the world, you beat him, but nothing's left? That's a lousy story.
"But the hero with the right to defeat the Satan is an ordinary boy with no special traits. Not a noble mage, not a battle-hardened mercenary. No exceptional talent or years of effort. Not a monster, not a hero. Just a boy."
Ordinary, huh? Depends on what "ordinary" means. I was an ordinary high schooler, but not anymore. Died once, reborn as a Devil. And not even a typical reborn Devil. My Sacred Gear is one of the rarest—a Longinus.
The power within me, a gift from the God of the Bible, was thought to be "Boosted Gear," doubling my strength. But it's actually the Longinus "Red Dragon Emperor's Gauntlet," housing the Red Dragon's power, doubling my strength every ten seconds. In theory, it can kill a god. Problem is, it takes time to power up. No enemy waits ten seconds, and as a freshly reborn Devil with weak magic, I'd be dead in that time.
So, even if it's said to kill gods, could I really do it? The tool's strong, but I'm too weak. Today, Riser's weakest "Pawn" girl crushed me instantly. You'd need Satan-level strength to kill a god.
How much power does it take to save the world? I can't imagine. Prez is way stronger than me, and Satans are even stronger, but I don't know how strong. Even ten or twenty boosts from my gauntlet wouldn't come close.
Besides, saving the world alone is impossible. Even in manga or games, you need allies to pull it off.
As an ex-ordinary high schooler, I can't grasp world-scale stuff. Noble politics are already confusing enough.
"He was the only one."
"I knew. I—we—knew what we were forcing on him, on them. But I couldn't say it. I had no right to speak, and I had a duty to stay silent. I couldn't tell him, 'You can give up,' or 'You can run.' Even if it was 'not that kind of situation,' it wasn't forgivable."
…Prez isn't talking about giving up or running, I think. I can't quite grasp what nobility means, raised in a regular Japanese family.
"He was the only one. I told him to abandon what he wanted to save. I showed him cruel sights he shouldn't have seen. I made him bear punishments meant for me. I was an awful adult. Even the debts I thought I paid were swept under the rug like this."
Why does it feel like I'm hearing a confession of guilt, not just an analogy? No, it is a confession—
"Got carried away. Point is, fight back if you can, Devil-kun. Might be irresponsible, but let me cheer you on."
Nah, I'm overthinking! A Satan destroying the world is nonsense. If it was destroyed, we wouldn't be casually gaming. What does "world destruction" even mean? No concrete definition. If all women's boobs shrank, that'd be world-ending, though.
"…Yes! Issei Hyoudou, man, will fight for my master!"
"That's the spirit. But don't stress too much. Win or lose—"
—it's not like the world will end.
"A question from Baal. The starting point is Kuoh Town's value and the miscalculation of the Fallen Angels rooted there."
"Explanation from Flauros. Kuoh Town has long been managed by the former 72 Pillars' Baal and Gremory families. Years ago, the then-manager, Clelia Belial, and exorcist Masayoshi Yaegaki entered a romantic relationship. The parties involved deemed it a scandal, eliminated both, and concealed the information. The Church effectively withdrew, and the transition to Rias Gremory took significant time, allowing Fallen Angels to infiltrate."
"Addendum from Belial. Regarding Clelia Belial's elimination, there's more to it than her romance with Yaegaki. Her cousin, 'Emperor' Diehauser Belial, may be involved, so further investigation is needed."
"Clarification from Orias. The current Devil manager, Rias Gremory, is the sister of the current Lucifer, Sirzechs Lucifer. Additionally, Sona Sitri, posing as Kuoh Academy's student council president, is the sister of the current Leviathan, Serafall Leviathan."
"Definition from Gamigin. Managed by the former 72 Pillars and housing two Satan kin, Kuoh Town is valuable to Devils. Consequently, it's significant to the Heavens, who abandoned the Church there, and delicate for Fallen Angels in a cold war with Devils."
"Observation from Paimon. However, the Fallen Angels rooted there lacked the ability or intelligence expected for such a place. Their actions could have sparked war, yet Baal and Flauros's reports suggest they barely grasped this."
"Opinion from Vepar. It's plausible Raynare and her group were exceptionally low-tier Fallen Angels. However, it's hard to believe the Fallen Angel leadership was unaware of Kuoh Town's importance. Two Satan kin aren't negligible."
"Hypothesis from Agares. The Fallen Angel leadership misjudged Devil movements, overestimated Raynare's group, or Raynare's group was sent to fail."
"Assessment from Amon. Regardless, the Fallen Angels' actions as a faction are remarkably sloppy."
"Correction from Gusion. Their top leaders' technical prowess, along with 'Canis Lykaon' and the 'White Dragon,' still warrant caution."
"Confirmation from Goetia. Should we focus caution on individual Fallen Angels? …Recruiting a Longinus wielder would simplify things…"
"Report from Saleos. Details on the 'White Dragon' Vali are unclear, but his strength ranks high within his faction. 'Canis Lykaon' Tobio Ikuse is comparably strong."
"Acknowledged from Caim. Formulating a plan to investigate White Dragon Emperor Vali."
"Report from Vapula. Confirmed the existence of our world's Kingu in Kyoto, Japan."
"Question from Stolas. Should we assume other visitors from our world exist?"
"Answer from Ose. Highly likely. Since the cause of our revival is unknown, it's reasonable to assume so."
"Request from Baal. Considering worst-case scenarios, I can't endure further humiliation and fear. Control Center, grant combat authorization."
"Denied from Goetia. We must avoid conspicuous actions. Your request—an assault on the original 72 Pillars—is absolutely unacceptable, Baal. I understand your feelings, and it's not without merit, but… we need more information first. I don't want unnecessary complications."
"…Understood."
"Proposal from Barbatos. The Information Chamber and Observatory have gathered data on previously unlocated Longinus. Including the White Dragon Emperor, I'd like the five Envoys to investigate."
Note:
Serious talk, but Kuoh Town's position before the Three Great Powers' peace treaty is unclear.
The Fallen Angel leadership might not have known two Satan sisters were there—that's how incompetent Raynare's group was. In the original, the other three Fallen Angels are barely named, with no background likely to be explored.
Why a Japanese town is managed by devils is also unclear.
So, inversely, maybe war hawks like Kokabiel sent Raynare's group to Kuoh Town, aiming for something like a Manchurian Incident.
***
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