In the world of High School DxD, Kuoh Town.
On top of a building, Kuro stood while stretching his back.
Some time had passed. Following Yang Guifei's advice, rather than immediately searching for the perfect location to build the House of Heroic Spirit, Kuro had first prepared temporary accommodations for Illya, Yuki, Sella, Leysritt, Kama, Tamamo, and several other Servants.
A faint smile formed at the corner of his lips.
"According to the information from the system, this world has quite a few conflicts," he said. "Even so, at least there are no threats directly related to the extinction of humanity, Thanos, or similar cosmic entities."
He recalled the various pieces of information provided by the system.
"...Well, more accurately, not in the near future. And some of them may never appear at all if certain parties are dealt with early enough."
His gaze shifted toward the night sky above Kuoh.
"Ishtar can take care of herself. As for Illya, Yuki, Leysritt, and Sella, I've already asked Karna and Astolfo to watch over them."
He paused for a moment.
"Meanwhile, I'll be hunting for treasures."
The corner of his lips rose a little further.
It was only natural that he was in a rather good mood. The DxD world possessed far too many interesting things. Not only Sacred Gears, but also rare materials, supernatural technology, and various resources that would be nearly impossible to find in other worlds.
Kuro raised his right hand and began counting with his left.
"First, Phoenix Tears."
One finger went up.
"That stuff is simply too useful to pass up."
A second finger rose.
"Grigori's technology."
He was still curious about how that organization had managed to create various devices based on Sacred Gear research and Longinus.
A third finger.
"The Devils' magical technology."
A fourth finger.
"Materials from Ophis's body."
His smile widened slightly.
"One or two scales should be enough. If possible, a few strands of hair as well."
A fifth finger.
"Materials from Great Red."
Kuro rubbed his chin.
"A fallen tooth, naturally shed scales, or perhaps a single drop of blood."
The more he thought about it, the more possibilities came to mind.
"Ophis's scales, Great Red's materials, Phoenix Tears, Grigori's technology..."
He stopped counting because the list was beginning to grow far too quickly.
"...And I haven't even started counting the Sacred Gears yet."
Kuro looked down at Kuoh City sprawling beneath him before letting out a quiet chuckle.
"The problem now isn't what I want to take," he said after a brief pause. "The problem is deciding which one I should obtain first."
***
Meanwhile, on the rooftop of a building some distance away from where Kuro stood, there was a young man with long bangs covering both of his eyes.
He wore a long black trench coat adorned with silver ornaments along several parts of it.
Behind the hair obscuring his face, a pair of blue eyes that almost appeared mechanical gazed into the distance.
Several geometric circles rotated counterclockwise within his pupils, analyzing the figure standing atop another building.
Kuro Tokito.
Yet the longer he observed him, the harder it became to define the nature of that existence.
Through his vision, Kuro's figure seemed to overlap with several things that should never have existed within a single individual.
For an instant, he appeared to be human. Then a king. Then something resembling a corrupted and tainted god.
At the same time, several other identities seemed to be mixed within him. Some felt as though they belonged to Kuro himself, while others felt foreign. There was even a faint trace of an old soul that still lingered within him.
All of them overlapped without ever truly merging.
Strange and unstable.
And yet, precisely because of that, he appeared all the more fascinating.
"Fufufu~ What a fascinating existence." The corners of his lips slowly curved upward. "Ash has to admit that much."
Those words alone were more than enough to indirectly reveal his true identity.
Gabriel Michaelis, a Herald from the Infinity Room who had reached the Third Level of Authority.
Of course, it was not an ordinary Third Level Authority.
Gabriel belonged to the Beyond Narrative category, an anomaly that placed his power far beyond the standard of others at the same level.
The various abilities, equipment, and accomplishments he had accumulated throughout his long journey made simple comparisons based on level almost meaningless.
Dark Matter Magic.
Hōgyoku.
Zanpakutō.
Ragnarok.
And many more.
Gabriel continued observing Kuro standing in the distance.
"What should Ash do to him, I wonder?" His tone was filled with curiosity. "An existence that interesting shouldn't simply be allowed to walk off the stage."
While Gabriel was still considering the various possibilities, Kuro suddenly shot away from the rooftop at tremendous speed.
In an instant, his figure became a tiny dot in the night sky before disappearing toward the forest outside the city.
Gabriel failed to follow his direction.
He stood there, momentarily stunned.
"Hmm..."
Just then, an idea suddenly occurred to him.
The corners of his lips slowly lifted.
"That's right," he murmured. "Why not do it that way? Ash has wanted to play that role for quite some time. And coincidentally, there is—"
His words abruptly stopped.
Gabriel turned his gaze toward the now-empty spot where Kuro had previously been standing.
His smile froze.
"...Eh?"
He blinked several times before looking left and right.
"...Huh?"
Gabriel swept his gaze across the entire area.
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
"Where did that guy go?"
He searched in several directions, even tilting his head as though that might somehow help.
"Where did he disappear to?"
A few seconds later, Gabriel slowly nodded as if he had just accepted a bitter reality.
"Did he already leave?"
He immediately sighed before quickly regaining his enthusiasm.
"Then it's time for Ash to demonstrate the power of the Eyes of Truth, capable of stripping away the lies and truths hidden behind the world's mist."
His right palm immediately covered part of his face, while his left hand extended forward in an excessively dramatic gesture.
"O eyes that strip away truth and falsehood..." he declared in a deep voice that, in his opinion, sounded incredibly mysterious. "Reveal to me the existence of..."
Gabriel suddenly fell silent.
"...What was it again?"
He rubbed his chin and thought for several seconds.
Not long after, a faint smile returned to his face, while the geometric circles within his eyes began rotating faster.
"Oh. Ash has found it. The existence that brings chaos."
Gabriel nodded in satisfaction.
"Yes. That sounds fitting enough."
The next moment, geometric magic circles appeared before both of his eyes.
At the same time, blue lines resembling motherboard circuits filled the space within his field of vision, forming an interconnected network of information.
It took Gabriel only a single second to locate Kuro Tokito.
A faint smile returned to the corner of his lips.
Behind his back, three pairs of wings made of Dark Matter slowly unfolded before beating once.
In an instant, Gabriel shot through the night sky at tremendous speed, heading toward Kuro's location.
The moment he arrived, Gabriel suddenly launched a powerful kick toward Kuro.
However, just before the attack could reach him, a shield from the Age of Gods materialized approximately fifty centimeters in front of Kuro.
BOOM...!!!
A tremendous explosion shook the surrounding area.
Powerful winds swept in every direction, sending the ends of both men's hair and clothes fluttering violently.
Almost simultaneously, ten golden portals opened around Kuro.
Various Prototype Noble Phantasms, Rank B+++, shaped like swords emerged from within them, their points aimed directly at Gabriel.
The next moment, all the swords shot forward like a rain of light.
Gabriel immediately flew backward.
BOOM...!!! BOOM...!!! BOOM...!!!
One after another, the Noble Phantasms crashed into the forest below, destroying trees and sending clouds of dust into the air.
Gabriel stopped in the distance, hovering steadily as he observed his opponent.
On the other side, Kuro furrowed his brows.
At the same time, a system notification appeared before him, accompanied by information obtained through Sha Nabqa Imuru, which was now fully activated.
In an instant, the identity of the figure before him became crystal clear.
Gabriel Michaelis, a Herald.
Even the purpose behind his arrival could be inferred to a certain extent.
Even so, Kuro chose to ask him directly.
"Kid," he said. "Who are you? What's your problem with me that you decided to attack?"
Gabriel smiled.
"I am known as Ash, the ruler of the pale mist who watches over the stars."
At the same time, a katana with a pale-white tsuba and hilt materialized in his hand from the void.
"Ash?"
Kuro repeated the name with a puzzled tone.
Through Sha Nabqa Imuru, he could clearly see that the boy's name was Gabriel Michaelis.
Yet what confused him was the fact that Gabriel had no intention of lying at all.
It was as though the name Ash he had just spoken was genuinely the truth according to his own perspective.
At that exact moment, pale mist began to envelop the blade of Gabriel's katana.
The next second, Gabriel shot forward.
SLASH...!!!
The katana swung in a single swift motion, releasing an explosion of pale-white magical energy that tore through the space before him.
Kuro's eyes immediately turned blood-red.
Three tomoe rotated around his pupils, allowing him to see every detail of Gabriel's movements with perfect clarity.
Without hesitation, he immediately flew backward to evade the attack.
The missed attack struck the forest below.
BOOM...!!!
A long line was carved through the trees, cleaving apart a section of the forest solely from the lingering energy of the slash.
Gabriel briefly glanced at the destruction caused by his attack.
But before he could do anything else, Kuro had already pulled five high-grade gemstones from his pocket.
"Resurrection," Kuro said. "Reinforcement Projection Magic: Caladbolg III."
He threw the five gemstones forward.
In an instant, each one transformed into a spiral sword and shot toward Gabriel like guided missiles.
SLASH...!!!
Gabriel cut the first Caladbolg directly in half.
But the sword immediately exploded.
BOOM...!!!
The first explosion had barely occurred when the remaining four Caladbolgs followed from different directions.
BOOM...!!! BOOM...!!! BOOM...!!! BOOM...!!!
A barrage of explosions filled the sky above the forest, creating blazing blue flames that illuminated the area below them.