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Thanks for reading!
I'm glad a lot of folks are commenting! It means a lot!
Some may find it idiotic in the beginning...
But little Daichi will be growing in Battle IQ the more he fights, so stay tuned!
Also, changing 'Young Master' to '-bocchan' from now on.
May be ongoing/ May not, it depends. comment
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-Devastated Kuoh Shrine-
The air still reeked of ozone, scorched wood, and blood.
I stood at the edge of the ruined Kuoh Shrine, arms crossed, the morning sun casting long shadows over the blackened soil and shattered architecture.
It was quiet now, eerily so.
Just hours ago, the area had been engulfed in holy flame, divine lightning, spiritual warfare, and chaos.
Now?
---Only the smoldering remnants of it all remained.
I walked slowly, my bare feet crunching as I walked over broken tiles and debris, with my eyes scanning the wreckage.
The purification basin had been obliterated.
A tree near the offering hall had collapsed inward, likely during one of Laniel's final assaults, and craters marked the land like pockmarks from gods' wrath.
There were ash piles--- scattered remains of Himejima clansmen, disintegrated by spiritual flame or consumed by the aftermath of their own failed magic.
I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.
'So much had happened… in so little time...'
I sat on a chunk of rubble and closed my eyes.
---Rewind. Reconstruct. Analyze.
In my mind, the battle played again.
My movements. My usage of [Light Power], [Sensitivity Manipulation], [Hypnosis], and [Time-Stop]...
Each technique was sequenced and dissected, simulated in fast-forward and slow-motion as I reviewed each one of my moves.
I frowned.
I could've used it more tactfully. Strategically. But I didn't.
"Not the best performance," I muttered. "But the privileges of those who survive are the fact that they get to improve for a next time."
'A next time that those who die will never get...'
Resolved, I stood up.
A gust of wind swept through the clearing, and from above, a dark figure descended from the sky, gliding down in smooth, practiced arcs.
"Sebas," I said, smiling slightly as the impeccably dressed butler landed with grace despite the uneven terrain.
"Daichi-bocchan," he said, bowing respectfully. "Forgive the delay. Cleria Belial and Masaomi Yaegaki have contacted me via the number you entrusted them."
"Good," I nodded, already mentally adjusting my schedule. "We'll head out soon."
Without another word, we turned and walked into the forest trail, broken branches and scorched ground guiding us like breadcrumbs.
"She's probably already met them," I murmured, more to myself than to Sebas.
"Lady Akeno?" Sebas asked.
I nodded.
'If she's crossed paths with Rias and Grayfia, that would be... convenient,' I mused. 'Not just for her safety... but for me. Wouldn't mind acquiring some DNA from both of them. Rias's Power of Destruction, Grayfia's Demonic Precision... yeah. That'd be useful.'
Still, after the mental strain of integrating [Worthless], I knew I'd need to upgrade myself before even thinking about more high-level absorption. Maybe even rework my brain with [Body Modification]. Boost my brain's processing a bit, maybe install a parallel simulation function... I'd have to blueprint that later.
The deeper we went, the more corpses I saw.
Scarred, burned, slashed. All former Himejima clansmen.
They were most likely stragglers who tried to finish the job on Shuri and Akeno, not expecting a little girl to greet them with divine lightning and fury.
'Atta-girl, Akeno.' My lips curled up.
The more I walked through this forest, the more this forest smelled like death.
Ash and scorched wood clung to the air, thick enough to choke. The once serene pathways near the shrine were now littered with blackened corpses burned beyond recognition, their bodies twisted and crumbling like old charcoal.
Sebas walked silently behind me, his presence calm, composed… but even he couldn't ignore the sheer weight pressing down on this place. Not anymore.
"It feels like the beginning to some very troublesome events in the future..." Sebas murmured.
I agreed with him.
We stepped over the rubble of trees and ceremonial stones, as I scanned the area, my senses extending outward like sonar, until---
I froze.
"…There," I said, pointing toward a cluster of fallen branches and broken stones.
Beneath them was a figure, barely visible through the dust and blood.
I rushed ahead quickly.
"Himejima-san…" She was lying in pain as her shrine maiden robes were scorched and torn, but alive regardless.
"Daichi...kun..." Shuri Himejima said, her face forming a slightly relieved expression as she realized I was still alive. "I told her to run... and not to stop."
"I know. I'll bring her back, so just rest, okay?"
I didn't hesitate. While using [Body Manipulation], I used magic to activate healing techniques, threading mana directly into my hands, as I weaved it through her wounds and closed them using fine-tuned control granted by the [Spirit Organ].
To be fair, it wasn't just healing. I used my power to manipulate pain signals, numbing her body as I jump-started tissue regeneration. Cracked ribs began to mend. Burnt skin peeled away to reveal new pink beneath. I carefully forced out necrotic tissue and energy, replacing it with stabilized mana flow.
I also made her body release the necessary hormones that reduce pain and put her to a proper restful sleep as I healed her.
Minutes passed, and I finally finished as I stood slowly, lifting Shuri into my arms.
Sebas stepped forward. "Shall we carry her to the base?"
I nodded. "Yeah. While we're at it, let's have Cleria and Masaomi meet us there as well."
"Noted, Daichi-bocchan."
We began walking again, this time in silence. Heading toward the rendezvous point with Cleria Bellial and Masaomi Yaegaki which was the mansion Sebas bought and had furnished.
I looked down at Shuri's sleeping face, then glanced up at the smoky morning sky of Kuoh Town.
Things would get even more complicated, but they had to happen regardless.
"Sebas," I said softly.
"Yes?"
"Let's go meet those two tragic lovebirds."
"As you wish."
We vanished through a new summoning circle, toward the storm of conspiracy quietly brewing beneath the surface of devil society.
Eventually, a shadow darted down from the trees.
"Caw! Caw!"
(took long enough! saw lightning young girl! and tomato hair devil! and ice devil woman!)
'Hmnn? So she met Rias and Grayfia then...'
Honestly, I didn't have much opinion on Akeno becoming a Devil, if she was cool with it, and if her mother was too, then so be it.
---But what about Peerages being like slavery?
I take one good look at Sebas at my side, and I think to myself how I got him to help, and I go...
'Well... That's a good controversy, but I'm the wrong person to represent it.'
(i like to eat tomatoes! i like yellow tomatoes! and red tomatoes!)
My trusty crow fluttered onto my shoulder, his beady eyes dancing with amusement.
"So you saw them, Kuro?" I said, letting him peck affectionately at my collar. "Alright, when we get back, I'll give you a whole lot of tomatoes!"
"Caw! Caw!"
(good! good!)
I grinned, pumping a fist in the air. "Yes! Alright!"
Sebas raised a brow. "You seem pleased."
"You like pizza?"
"...I am partial to it, yes."
"Then congrats, Sebas. Not only are you an elite employee of mine, but you've also just earned yourself a pizza party."
His eyes lit up--- not with greed, but genuine gratitude. "An honor, indeed!"
"Caw!" Kuro echoed.
(tomato!)
Then Sebas cleared his throat, shifting back into business mode as he activated a teleportation spell that would take us back to my little 'lair' of sorts.
And with that, we were gone with the wind.
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-New Michinaga Mansion-
I took a deep breath as I laid Shuri in a room to get some rest while she healed.
Believe it or not, this mansion was already staffed with rather strange employees, courtesy of Sebas.
Odd-looking fellows, folks capable of magic, and the likes...
And also...
"Good morning, Daichi-bocchan." A floating maid bowed at me as I passed by before returning to sweep the floors.
'Is that a ghost girl...?'
"It was hard to get suitable employees to work for someone as important as Daichi-bocchan, so I had to improvise."
"I see." I lied. I didn't see jack-shit, dick nor lickety-split.
In other words, I did not understand where he got these 'employees' from.
But in due time, everything will be unraveled, so I moved on.
"Sebas," I said, pausing as we reached the living room. "This is really a nice place."
It wasn't the most fancy of mansions, instead having a more cozy, casual feel when it came to a living room, but I liked it a lot.
"Thank you for the compliment." Sebas nodded.
While I sat on the couch, I thought about using [Body Modification] to change into the disguise I had when I first met Cleria and Masaomi, but decided against it.
Soon enough, after I head to the underworld to pick up Akeno, most of the important fellas down there will know who I am anyway.
'Though if I really wanted to play a low-key kinda guy, I wouldn't have shown Akeno and Shuri my powers to begin with.'
As time passed, another maid with a lethargic gait soon welcomed our guests: Cleria Belial and Masaomi Yaegaki.
"The two loverbirds have finally arrived." I waved at them as I welcomed them to sit.
Cleria's eyes lit up the moment she saw me as she sat in front of me.
But then they began to hesitate for a bit before I realized why.
"Um, excuse me?" Cleria asked. "Do you know where the man who helped us... is....?
"Uh.. Who is this child?" Masaomi sputtered as he dumbly looked at me.
"Oh, that?" I smiled.
[Body Modification]
My body flickered between a nondescript middle-aged man and the youthful shounen that I currently was.
"Daichi Michinaga, nice to meet you."
"I-It's you..!?"
"A-A kid!!? Huh?!"
"I know, I know, it's certainly odd, right? I waved at them. "But aren't we here for important business?"
After a while of dumb shock, the two recovered as they exchanged awkward belated greetings.
"So the one that helped us was a small child after all..." Cleria sighed in a whirlwind of shock, awe, sadness, and resignation before giving a polite bow. "My name is Cleria Bellial."
"Once again, thank you for saving us back then."
"And I'm Masaomi Yaegaki." Masaomi bowed in gratitude.
"Man, now you're making me blush," I said, receiving more thanks than I've ever had in my past life. "You're welcome, though."
"But I see you've got something heavy on your mind."
Cleria hesitated as she looked over to Sebas by my side, but I shook my head.
"It's fine, Sebas may be a Fallen, but he is a very trusted ally of mine, so you don't need to worry about it."
"Ah, I see... Then..." Cleria reached into her pockets, pulling out a black chess piece reminiscent of a chess queen.
I couldn't help but stare at it as it radiated a sense of suppressed unholy divinity.
---An Evil Piece
"Do you know about Evil Pieces?" Cleria asked.
"Yeah, the thing Devils use to increase their numbers via peerages, right?" I said.
"Yes. They were created by Maou Beelzebub, based on the game of chess with a total of 15 pieces; 1 Queen, 2 Rooks, 2 Bishops, 2 Knights, and 8 Pawns." Cleria explained.
"However, there exists a 15th piece: The King Piece
"Have you ever heard about it?"
"Not really," I shook my head. "But it must be special if people are trying to kill you over it..."
"It is, unfortunately, it really is." Cleria sighed and spoke with the gravity of someone who had carried truth far too long.
"It was a secret, even among High-Class Devils. A fifteenth piece that never officially existed--- never meant to be used. When inserted into a Devil's Evil Piece set, it granted them power far beyond their limits. It disregarded compatibility, bloodline, and boosted strength by a tenth to a hundredfold."
"It made one a 'King' no matter what."
"It's also forbidden," Masaomi added. "A tool used by those who feared falling behind... or by factions hoping to cheat the system."
Cleria clenched her fists. "When I found out, the Great King Faction moved to silence me, and in the end, we were forced to flee."
"And now," I said, my voice echoing across the room, "you plan to go back. To the Underworld."
"We're going to appeal directly to Maou Ajuka Beelzebub, if not Maou Lucifer," Cleria confirmed. "We need someone from the current Maou to hear the truth--- before the Great King Faction tightens their grip on the system."
'Damn, that's something ain't it?'
I remember when King Pieces were introduced in DxD... Diehauser, despite being able to defeat Riser and Ravel in a Rating Game, used it to enhance his [Worthless] nearly killing, if not erasing them both from existence.
And when you won, he took both of them hostage for his vendetta against the Maou's and Great King Faction's for their hands in Cleria's death...
I folded my arms, glancing toward Sebas. "That's ambitious. How do you plan on even getting off the ground with this?"
Cleria didn't answer immediately, but she asked.
"Can I... invite someone?"
I nodded at Sebas, who lightened the barrier over this mansion in response.
-zoom!-
All of a sudden, the crest of the House of Belial shimmered in the air--- a floating sigil of intricate spirals and piercing runes. And a ripple of energy swept through the room as out stepped a tall, grey-haired, grey-eyed man in ornate crimson and grey robes.
"...Looks similar to you," I murmured, recognizing him instantly. "Is he your brother?"
'Diehauser Bellial. The troublemaker has arrived.'
"Ah! This is my cousin, Diehauser Bellial. I'm actually from a branch family of the Bellial Clan, to start with."
'And you became the Overseer of Kuoh? You must've busted your ass off for that position if you if you're from a branch family...' I marvelled internally as I remembered that tidbit about Cleria.
'When it comes to main clan/ branch clan dynamics, those Devils don't play...'
"Good morning, and thank you," He said, his voice calm but firm. "For helping my cousin when she had nowhere to turn, despite being so young."
He carried himself with the calm assurance of someone who had seen the rot within the system and lived through its consequences as his eyes swept the group before landing on me--- and lingered.
"No problem," I replied.
But there was something strange.
He kept staring at me. Just a little longer than needed.
And Cleria did the same.
"…It may be rude, but there's something about you," she said softly. "About your presence. The aura you carry. It feels… familiar."
"It's like seeing a sibling or relative of sorts." Diehauser continued.
'Who knows? Maybe it's me, maybe it's you, maybe it's her, maybe it's maybelin---[Worthless]. It's because of [Worthless].'
"Well, I don't know my parents in this world," I tilted my head, offering a wry grin. "So, if you're insinuating that I might be related to the Bellial Clan, then I can't help you with that."
Diehauser chuckled, but only for a moment. His expression sobered.
"We can talk about fate later. Right now, we focus on breaking into the Underworld."
"So," I said. "What's the plan?"
Diehauser unfurled a glowing scroll, its parchment alive with demonic energy. Names appeared across its surface--- Illuminated like a cursed ledger.
"These are the devils who either knew about the King Piece… or helped cover it up."
My eyes scanned the list. Prominent Devil Houses. Ancient names.
---Roygun Belphegor. Bedeze Abaddon. And most importantly, Zekram Bael.
Even some familiar names I recognized appeared once in a while.
This was serious.
Cleria's mouth tightened. "This runs deeper than we feared."
"The Great King Faction," Diehauser growled. "They've infected everything."
Masaomi shook his head. "We won't be able to trust anyone until we're face to face with Ajuka."
I stepped forward and spread my arms amicably.
"You're not doing this alone. Sebas and I--- we're in. We'll help you get that audience."
"And how," Diehauser asked, "Do you plan to accomplish that?"
I simply smiled.
"Let's just say, I'll help you guys make a convincing argument to get that meeting you want so badly."
"Trust me. When I'm done, they'll have no choice but to meet you all."
'Because I'm gonna do what you did in Canon, and kidnap a Devil heir.' I smirked. 'While I'm going down there for Akeno, I'll also take the Gremory Heir with me, the Sitri Heir--- Fuck it. I'll kidnap Shirone and Kuroka while I'm at it!'
There was a brief silence, and then Sebas bowed politely. "I am honored to assist in your cause."
Cleria nodded gratefully. Diehauser gave me one last considering glance, then drew a complex summoning circle in the air.
"Then let us go," he said.
The circle pulsed to life, shimmering with Bellial family sigils. Flames danced along the edges, and infernal wind whipped through the clearing as the portal opened.
One by one, we stepped inside.
---To the Underworld. To the House of Belial. To partake in espionage.
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-The Underworld-
The teleportation magic released us on obsidian earth.
I stood still, taking in the view of the Underworld.
An endless dark sky loomed above, dyed purple like an eternal dusk, riddled with thunderclouds.
Black and red stars glimmered unnaturally in constellations that felt wrong. Beneath us, the landscape was a mix of high-rise infernal cities glowing in runes and volcanic plains that smoked with hellfire.
Though the houses and buildings looked strangely, human? Urban. Suburban? Like the sprawling cities with no walkways that seemed to hate people who didn't have a means of transportation.
'It's my first time here, Sebas. And I can't help but think that this place is pretty cool." I murmured. "Hey Sebas? How often have you come down here?"
"Not often, to be honest," Sebas replied as we flew through the skies away from the city out of sight. "The Fallen don't usually get along with Devils, so we often avoid each other..."
"Ah, I see..."
Dark forests and warped mountain ranges flanked the distance, stitched together with floating highways of demonic energy. It was the Devils' realm in its full grotesque beauty.
Sebas stood beside me, looking unbothered as always, his hands behind his back.
The others were at the Bellial Clan's household getting reacquainted with each other as Diehauser was ahead, hanging around Cleria like the noble big brother archetype he was, while Masaomi joined them on the way to meet Lord Bellial.
I didn't stick around. After all, that was their moment, and I had some work to do.
"Let's get busy." I muttered.
Sebas and I broke off, slipping into the hellscape like shadows. Our destination: the Naberius Clan territory.
We traveled through winding obsidian roads and floating carriages of devil nobility. At one intersection, I stopped a patrolling Devil with pointed ears and the typical exaggerated swagger of a noble Devil youth.
"Good morning," I asked with a polite tone, "You wouldn't happen to know the direction to the Naberius lands?"
He blinked, then sneered. "Why would I tell some subhuman under Devil rule---"
"Ah, shut up." I grew weary of his yammering. "[Hypnosis]. Obey. Answer. Forget."
His eyes went a hazy pink.
"…East quadrant, sector seven. Hidden beneath the fourth-tier plaza. Lab access requires a Naberius blood seal and a clearance stone."
"Thanks," I said, patting his shoulder. "Now forget what you saw."
"And stop being a prick while you're at it."
He blinked dumbly and wandered off, whistling.
Sebas nodded with faint admiration. "Efficient as always, bocchan."
We continued onwards. Several more devils were similarly hypnotized, tested, and discarded. I pushed [Hypnosis] repeatedly, tweaking its nuance, layering compulsions, testing suggestion strength.
By the time we reached the Naberius compound, I'd confirmed one thing--- Multiple Devils can be made to obey at once with enough pressure.
Eventually, we reached our destination.
The Naberius facility was a black obelisk protruding from the earth, flanked by rune-barriers and guarded by gnarly-looking guards.
But with [Hypnosis], we stepped through the defenses without a word.
Inside, the stench of chemicals and death greeted us.
I heard sobbing, and then shouting.
We turned a corner--- and then saw it.
A twisted lab of glowing green fluid tanks and surgical beds. At its center: a woman's body, clearly deceased, lying on a platform like a dissected trophy.
Two little girls, one with black hair and one with white hair, with nekomata ears on their heads, Kuroka and Shirone, were nearby, tears flowing freely, golden eyes wide in horror.
"Die------!!!!" And Kuroka, the one with black hair, plunged her fist that swirled with a dark, gloomy energy, possibly senjutsu, into the heart of the Devil researcher that I would assume to be her father.
'Sasuga, Kuroka. You have managed to do something a certain Devil Gene fighting protagonist has failed to do for nearly thirty years...'
"Damn it! That mongrel killed him! Quickly, apprehend her---!!!!"
Multiple Devils in researcher garb sprinted towards her with weapons in their hands, as the leader behind them all roared.
"With their mother and father gone, I'm now in charge! And the fusion tests will carry on! In fact, it can begin right now! Bring in the fusion materials for my project---"
"Enough,"
I said loudly.
The room froze.
"Who the hell dares---" one researcher barked as he looked me up and down before erupting in a mocking laugh. "A mongrel!? Kukukukukukuku! Do you wish to be dissected too, mongrel?"
I let the silence stretch, then I let the power rise.
[Hypnosis]
My aura spilled out like a velvet wave, smothering every corner of the lab.
I raised my hand.
---And then I spoke with my voice cold, powerful, and commanding.
"Let's not waste any time. I command you... to undo the passwords of all of your research, present them neatly to me, and then kill yourselves."
Dozens of eyes turned glassy.
"Yes, Master," they chorused, moving about the room in perfect unison before they stood facing each other.
And in the blink of an eye...
The room lit up in an instant--- Devils hurling magic, spells, chemicals, and weapons at each other.
Screams filled the halls while blood hit the walls, and soon enough, nothing but silence followed.
"What a pain..." I sighed. "Sebas, please collect the data that these Devils set aside, and anything useful that you can get your hands on..."
"---As for everything else... Trash it."
Sebas nodded and got to work.
Seeing this, I walked toward the two huddled girls, but Kuroka stood between me and her sister, blood and tears on her face.
"Don't come closer," she growled, voice trembling.
I didn't argue, but I just smiled.
And with a breath, I exuded pheromones that slowly calmed her done, and made her more... receptive to a good, peaceful discussion.
"I'm not here to hurt you. And I'm sorry… about your mom."
Shirone hiccupped in sorrow, and Kuroka didn't answer.
So I gently pulled them into my arms.
They didn't resist, but just cried.
"Let's bury her," I said quietly. "Then we'll leave. But we'll need to save others first. And I can't do it without help."
The girls looked up at me. Nodded through the tears.
"Sebas," I called. "I'll be up front, let's hurry up and get outta here, we gotta a Miko-in-training to bring back home."
'And two Devil heirs to kidnap...'
Later, after we gave Kuroka and Shirone's mother a proper burial in the nearby obsidian field, I raised a summoning circle.
---My next destination: the Gremory Clan Mansion.
Kuroka, still clinging to Shirone, looked up at me.
"Hey...? Why did you save us?" Kuroka asked softly.
Shirone just stared, as if seeing something unplaceable in me.
I smiled faintly.
"I'm just a nosey human with odd abilities," I said. "I go where I'm not wanted, stick my nose in what doesn't concern me, and help people I probably shouldn't."
I ruffled Shirone's hair, causing her to flinch slightly.
'Oh yeah, she just saw her dad kill her mom, and then her sister kill her dad, so she's a little out of it...' I remembered. 'But she's a bit... well put together despite seeing that?'
'Maybe it's the shock you get from trauma, I guess.'
"Besides," I added, "You'd do the same for your sister, wouldn't you?"
Neither of them answered.
But they held my hands when I offered them.
I could destroy the Naberius Research lab, but I would also get rid of all the evidence for them as well.
Sometimes, leaving evidence is the best move.
'That's right, draw attention. The more the better.'
'The Naberius Clan seems to be of some use for those old coots, so seeing it go up in flames m...'
'Man, I wish I could see their reactions!'
Sebas returned, cloak slightly singed. "Data secured."
"Good."
I activated the circle.
"What do you think of the odds?" I asked Sebas.
"The odds of what?"
"The odds that this day would be the same day that both heirs of Gremory and Sitri would have a sleepover, meaning that they'll both be in the same location with little Akeno."
Sebas cupped his chin as he thought about it seriously. "Highly unlikely, to be honest. However, we can't completely rule out that chance."
"Nice."
"Let's go collect the rest of the cast," I muttered. "Time to knock on the Gremory's front door."
'Wait for me Akeno! And also Rias, and also Sona!'
And we vanished, headed straight for House Gremory.
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Next Chapter: Ecchi Boy VS Devil Maid! No Devil Officer! I Am Not Trafficking Five Lolis Out Of The Underworld!(Lie)
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Trivia Time! (Againx12!!)
Did You Know?(ofc you know)
The King Piece has one major weakness:
That being that if the King Piece is used by someone who is already too strong, or if it is used by someone who has a special ability, an overload may occur, as in the worst case, it would endanger their lives.
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