Chapter 1: Welcome to Kuoh
Steady footsteps traveled down the halls of the Akasaka Palace, originating from a man and a woman that looked quite out of place amongst the many dignitaries that strode throughout the building's halls.
The man was handsome in a rugged sort of way, slight stubble framing tanned skin while black hair hung below his neck in an elegant ponytail. Simple jeans and a button-up shirt adorned his lanky frame, his dark eyes equal parts tired and exasperated.
The woman was almost his polar opposite. Blonde, perky and walking with a sharp elegance she naturally drew the eye of every person around her, crimson dress and heels clacking noticeably on tiled floor, her beauty causing no shortage of hearts to flutter.
The Seventh Godslayer Godou Kusanagi and his Mistress Erica Blandelli.
People of great power and influence, who's words and whims could change countries and redraw the map, Humans of Magic and strength.
Not that any of the denizens of the Palace knew that, aside from two nervous dignitaries who quickly rushed to meet the pair.
"G-greetings, your Highness, thank you for-"
"Is he still here?"
Kusanagi's tired voice immediately halted the rushed words of the opposing pair, the duo instead explaining, "Yes, he is...thus far he has listened to us without complaint, but, well..."
Erica merely giggled, a harmonious noise that would have charmed even the most stout-hearted as she observed, "A Campione can only be restrained by another Campione, correct? No need to worry, gentlemen, you have done admirably. Now, would you be so kind as to show me and my amante to our esteemed guest, hmm?"
In an extremely unsubtle motion Erica grabbed onto Godou's arm, nestling it between her ample bosom alongside an innocent batting of eyelashes, causing her partner to sigh in resignation, the two dignitaries taking this in stride and merely replying, "Of course! Please, follow us."
As the four set off Godou quietly mumbled, "Do you have to be so blatant about things, Erica? My reputation is already bad enough as it is..."
The young woman only smiled up at him, causing the Godslayer to heave a defeated sigh.
Fight Gods and ascended Heroes to the death? Sure. Get his wife to stop embarrassing him in public?
Forget it.
"Alright, Bassaym...we need to talk."
On a neatly made bed sat a young man with pale skin, dark hair that fell just below his shoulders and a guilty look on his exotic features. Not particularly tall he was nonetheless fit, the musculature of someone who traveled a lot adorning his frame.
The 8th Godslayer, Bassaym Terrance.
"Err...do we, Big Brother?"
Two Godking's gazes met-
-and Bassaym quickly averted his onyx orbs away from Kusanagi's own, a sheepish expression on his face.
"Let me run down the trouble you've been causing, alright?"
"Err...do you have to?"
Kusanagi didn't even pause before reading off of a printed sheet of paper...that had very small print.
"First, one year and fifty-one weeks ago you created an entirely new system of tides along the eastern coastlines of North America, upending the ecosystem and local traditions."
"Well yeah! Haven't you heard of the surfing sensation that's sweeping the nation?"
Bassaym's excited expression quickly fell at a withering glare from Godou.
"One year, nine weeks and five days ago you turned an entire harvest of rice up and down Asia green. And nobody could figure out why!"
"Well everyone keeps talking about how we should be more environmentally friendly and go green, so I figured why not make people laugh and-*SMACK*-ow!"
Kusanagi's eye was violently twitching as he retracted his hand from Bassaym's head, tone aggravated as he shouted, "Expert geneticists were called in from all over the nations to figure out what was wrong with them! It took weeks before they decided nothing was actually harmful! You almost caused a minor famine, idiot!"
The older male wasn't moved in the slightest by the teary gaze the younger one sent him.
"Thirty-eight weeks and two days ago you created a self-perpetuating lake in the middle of the Sahara Desert that is going to take a week-long effort by several Mage Associations to undo. In the meantime no one has the slightest clue how to explain that! What the Hell were you doing?"
The temperature in the room dropped several degrees as Bassaym gave a frigid smile, his eyes predatory and manic, tone calm and inflection-less.
"Oh, that? I had to kill a Heretic God and it just so happened that I needed that space to do so. What a stroke of luck that no one else was nearby, right?"
Both Godslayers locked glares, neither backing down-
-until Godou gave a small sigh, looking back to the paper as Bassaym lost a great deal of his intensity, yet again seeming both amicable and awkward.
"Two weeks ago there's been an upsurge of animal-related viral videos uploaded to the internet...specifically of them adopting Human dance moves. Bears performing a conga line, birds doing the moonwalk, dogs busting out thriller...this is your fault, isn't it?"
"Well I needed to test out my Authority and I didn't want to do it in a lethal manner..."
Godou smacked his open palm against his face, sighing before turning a stern gaze on Bassaym.
"Ok, Bassaym...let's get to the meat of the matter."
The younger man abruptly looked a great deal more nervous as those words were spoken.
Godou started to read another page that Erica handed him, calmly announcing, "Your records state that you never started High School, only completing up to Intermediate grades before...well, you know."
Bassaym slowly nodded.
"I think you've caused enough trouble wandering the globe for the moment. And since you don't have any specific territory you've claimed as your own, I think the solution is simple. You're going to attend school here, in Japan, and finish it."
"HUH?! What, why?! I don't want to go back to school, I was doing just fine without it!"
Godou got right in his face, poking him in the forehead and growling back, "You don't have a choice! All you've been doing is causing people headaches for two years now, turnabout is only fair play! And just because you're a Campione doesn't mean you can skip out on getting a formal education!"
"That's just something you did..."
"What was that?!"
"Uhh, nothing?"
Another round of glaring before Kusanagi softened his expression slightly.
"It won't be all that bad, Bassaym. I'll be having you attend Kuoh Academy, it has a reputation for being one of the best schools in Japan with friendly staff and students. You'll like it there."
Bassaym heaved a resigned breath, grumbling under his breath before eventually replying, "Ugh, fine. I'll go...but if any Heretic Gods appear around Kuoh, I get first dibs, fair?"
While his expression twisted into one of annoyance Godou relented, responding "Ok, they'll be all yours. Stop by the front desk once you leave, they'll have the details of your transfer all taken care of. Hop to it, Little Brother, two days before the school season starts."
Godou rubbed his eyes, glad that the headache that was the 8th Godslayer was finally someone else's problem.
Bassaym Terrance. The 8th King and the first of a new generation ever since Godou had defeated the King of the End four years ago. Also one of the more...eccentric Kings among the current Campione, which was saying something since there were such characters as Doni Salvatore and John Pluto Smith wandering the Earth.
"You seemed quite certain that the 8th would acquiesce to your conditions, Beloved...".
Godou sighed and, in a rare display of affection, wrapped an arm around Erica's waist while they walked down the halls of the Akasaka Palace.
"He's fairly easygoing unless Heretic Gods are involved, I figured that my offer wouldn't cause any undue friction. Never mind that he's also always listened to me, for whatever reason. I really hope he doesn't consider me some kind of older brother figure...it's bad enough that Doni already considers me a friend, I don't need another insane family member."
Erica hummed to herself, appearing slightly concerned before she asked, "Godou, is it truly a good idea to send a Godslayer as...unusual as Bassaym to an academy populated by almost every single Supernatural species known to us? That seems a sure recipe for disaster..."
Kusanagi darkly smirked, to Blandelli's surprise.
"I wouldn't worry about it. Bassaym isn't the type to go out of his way to kill anyone that offends him...and then it's the Supernaturals that will now have to deal with him! It's their territory, not mine. And what are they going to do, say no to a Campione? Odds are they'll just let things be unless he does something crazy, take the path of least resistance."
Erica nodded, humming in her throat as she narrowed her bright blue eyes at Godou, a playful grin adorning her beautiful features.
"Why, Godou...are you being conniving? How...exciting. And Bassaym has no idea the melting pot he's walking into, does he?"
The 7th Godking just smiled, cheekily saying, "Consider it a bit of an opening day present, if you will..."
Both Godslayer and Mistress happily left the building, Godou thinking to himself, "Enjoy your first day, Bassaym...and good luck. You're going to need it. Consider this payback for all the migraines you've been giving me."
"K-Kunou, have you seen my brush anywhere?!"
Within a modest two-story home not far from the prestigious Kuoh Academy, a scene of barely controlled chaos was underway.
"No, isn't it still in your cabinet?"
"That was the first place I checked! It's not there!"
"I have it, Chiaki-chan..."
"L-Lilith-chan?! Why do you have it?!"
"...I needed it."
A wail of despair permeated the house as one of it's denizens realized they were horribly betrayed.
An outside observer might have looked upon the scene of three teenage girls darting around the house, collecting scattered beauty products and school supplies and merely considered it a routine last-minute scramble for everything on the first day of school.
Further observation would have revealed a few unusual facts, however.
Such as the fact that none of the girls were Human.
Two of them had fox ears and tails growing from their bodies, while the third had oddly pointed ears, appearing almost Elfin in nature.
Princess of the Kyoto Yokai Faction, Kunou. Doppelganger of the Ouroboros Dragon, Lilith. Attendant and life-long friend of Kunou, Chiaki Julieanne.
It was their first year attending Kuoh Academy as High Schoolers and they were keen on making a good first impression.
…
Well, Kunou and Chiaki were, as important representatives of the Yokai. Lilith was a Dragon and did what she wanted.
"Geez, Lilith-chan! It's fine if you have to borrow my things, but at least put them back once you're done!"
"...Ok."
Muttering under her breath the Kitsune quickly entered her bathroom, sighing in resignation as she once again tried to-fruitlessly-fix her hair.
Thanks to her powers over lightning, her hair and tails were almost always in a state of staticy and frazzled chaos, looking as if she had just woken up. She compensated by keeping her golden-brown hair that went to her knees always done in an elegant ponytail...but it was still a losing battle. Especially when it came to her tails.
"Are you ok, Chiaki? You've been really quiet for the last few minutes..."
Resisting the urge to sigh for the hundredth time this morning, Chiaki gloomily stared at her friend and master, trying-and miserably failing-not to be jealous.
Not only was Kunou's golden hair silky and smooth, with white-tipped tails that seemed to be made out of shimmering silk, she was also packing a figure that was well on it's way to matching her mother's in terms of...assets.
Sure, Chiaki had curves of her own...but she was definitely more 'slim' than her friend.
"It's nothing, Kunou...just my stupid hair not staying straight..."
Understanding flitted across the other girl's eyes before she tried to console her with, "Well it is pretty windy today, you can always blame it on that! And it's not like we can go around showing our ears and tails, so you don't need to worry about those..."
This time vocalizing her sigh Chiaki admitted defeat, setting aside the brush and instead examining her reflection for any imperfections, light-purple eyes staring back at her.
"I-I'm just nervous...what if I can't make friends? A-and I don't know how to flirt, how am I going to ever find a boyfriend?!"
Kunou just sighed, dryly stating, "Chiaki, just because you're in High School doesn't mean your under contract to date anyone."
"Easy for you to say, you're boyfriend is the Red Dragon Emperor!"
A crimson blush adorned the busty Kitsune's face, her words stuttery as she retorted, "W-w-well it's not official, y-you know? I-I mean, I still need to ask him...and see if I can join his Peerage...and maybe take him to a hot springs, just the two of us-I mean, we're not dating!"
Chiaki just sullenly glared before quietly moaning to herself, trying to relax with little success.
"Don't worry. It's our first day, Chiaki! Nothing bad is going to happen that fast! And even if it does, don't forget that Issei-senpai and Lilith-chan will be there at the academy! All sorts of powerful people can keep things under control if any of the factions get aggressive!"
A radiant smile lit up Kunou's face.
"No one powerful enough to stand up to those two will be attending, after all!"
Bassaym stood with a hunched and resigned posture before the gates of Kuoh Academy, ruefully staring at his admission papers and the instructions held within.
"Everything has already been taken care of my ass! Not only do I have to check in an hour early after leaving the hotel after about four hours of sleep, I also have to find this president Momo Hanakai...who's appearance I don't know squat about! At least I've got the campus map..."
Grumbling to himself Bassaym stepped over the entryway of the academy, lost in thought and not paying the slightest attention to his surroundings.
Had he been doing so, he would have noticed a brief shimmer of released energy-like the haze of a hot desert-as the wards and shields around the academy simultaneously overloaded and collapsed, a Campione's natural immunity to all but the strongest of magics easily overpowering and shorting out the intricate arrays.
And causing no shortage of panic that he was entirely unaware of.
"Math, science, language arts...UGH. That stuff was bad enough back home, now that it's in a foreign language? Actually I can understand that stuff instinctively now that I'm a Devil King, but that's not the point! Although maybe history will prove to be interesting...I mean, now that I'm basically living it any kind of legends or historical happenings would be-"
"H-h-halt!"
"Huh?"
Completely caught off guard by the nervous-yet authoritative-voice Bassaym snapped out of his internal monologue, only to find a pair of attractive girls standing before him, pale and sweaty yet standing resolute, fingers outstretched and pointing in his direction.
One had dark-brown hair done in two pigtails, a modestly buxom figure accentuated by the-in his opinion-borderline scandalous school uniform that the girls who attended here wore.
The other had white hair that fell to just below her shoulders and a far more busty body, a badge of some kind on her chest.
She was the one who had ordered him to halt.
"Are you, uhh...talking to me?"
A hopeful glance from the 8th Godslayer around the courtyard revealed there were no other students at this hour aside from him.
"Damn. I guess you are talking to me, huh?"
The snow-haired girl thickly swallowed before boldly proclaiming, "Y-yes, I am! My name is Momo Hanakai and I'm the student council president of Kuoh Academy! I demand to know why-"
"Oh, you're Hanakai-san?! Awesome, you see, I'm just transferring in to this school and I needed to speak to-"
"Don't change the subject, intruder!"
Bassaym's mouth hung half-open in bewildered surprise.
"I-intruder?"
Taking a bold stride forward and closing the gap between the two of them in an attempt to intimidate the male-an action somewhat undercut by her shaking knees-Momo proclaimed, "Yes, intruder! It was you who brought down the security wards, was it not?"
Comprehension dawned in Bassaym's eyes, his expression turning sheepish.
"Oh, sorry about that! I tend to forget that as a Campione my body naturally wrecks things like that, my mistake."
Conversation ceased, only a stray wrapper being gently carried by an errant breeze causing any manner of noise.
"...Wait, security wards? Why would a public school have sec-"
"D-d-d-did you just say...C-Campione?!"
Bassaym tilted his head in confusion before smacking his hand into his palm.
"Oh, so you know about Godslayers? Perfect! Then it's my pleasure to make your acquaintance, Hanakai-san. My name is Bassaym Terrance, 8th Devil King and current third year student in your academy!"
Bassaym took an eager step forward, holding out a hand to shake with an enormous grin on his face-
-and Reya's eyes rolled up in the back of her head, fainting on the spot as Momo gave a terrified squeak, leaping backwards as a small magic circle of some kind sprung to life next to her ear.
"C-code red, code red! All Occult Research Club and Student Council members report to the main gates! I repeat, we have a code red!"
As Bassaym's divine instincts and senses began to go haywire as all sorts of magic and artifacts began lighting up around campus-and all converging on his location-he could only stare at the terrified Momo with bewilderment.
"Was...was it something I said?"
"Kunou-chan, Lilith-chan! It's great to see you again! You excited to start your first year as High School students?"
All blushes and giggles Kunou fluttered her ears and tails, excitedly replying, "O-of course, Issei-senpai! T-thank you for offering to show us around despite being so busy!"
The brown-haired boy merely grinned at the three girls-Chiaki resisting the urge to roll her eyes as she noticed he grinned more at their chests than he did their eyes-and cheerily replied, "It was no trouble at all, Kunou-chan! Anything to help my cute juniors, right?"
"Y-yes, of course!"
"...Ophis misses you, Red Dragon Emperor."
Lilith's quiet words caused the boy to sheepishly scratch the back of his head, his tone apologetic as he replied, "Er, right, sorry about that, Lilith-chan...but this Summer has been pretty hectic, let Ophis-chan know that if she ever wants to visit, she's free to do so!"
The black-haired clone of the all-powerful Ouroboros Dragon merely nodded, seemingly satisfied with the male's words.
Chiaki...wasn't quite sure what to make of the incredibly famous Red Dragon Emperor. While it was no secret that he was more...sexually active than most men, the way he had openly 'appraised' the three of them had unsettled the Kitsune. Sure, Kunou and Lilith hadn't seemed to mind, but she was...annoyed. And even a little nervous at how blatant his staring had been.
Did...did that make her uptight? Would boys not like a girl who was against sexual things like that?
"Oooo...school hasn't even started yet and I'm already having a crisis!"
"Chiaki? Are you still there? Issei-senpai was asking you something!"
The Kitsune snapped out of her thoughts as she abruptly realized everyone was staring at her, almost choking in nervousness as she stammered, "O-oh, my apologies, w-what was your question, Hyoudou-san?"
The Red Dragon Emperor merely grinned, offering a thumbs-up and replying, "No worries, Chiaki-san! I was just wondering what your three sizes wer-"
The horribly inappropriate-and embarrassing-question was thankfully averted by a Devil-style magic circle springing to life along the length of Issei's ear, his eye's abruptly widening as he suddenly turned tail and ran down the hallway, shouting over his shoulder, "Find someplace to hide, you three! Something bad is going down at the front gates!"
"S-something bad?! Issei-senpai, what do you-"
Kunou's question was either ignored or went unheard, the Princess of Kyoto puffing out a cheek and shouting, "Chiaki, stay here and prepare to attack from a vantage point! Lilith-chan, let's go!"
"W-wha?! Kunou, I'm your retainer, I'm supposed...to..."
Chiaki's protest was ultimately pointless as her liege and friend was already gone, chasing after the Red Dragon Emperor while she could only growl in frustration.
She knew Kunou was right, that her powers were more suited to attacking from afar than they were in direct combat...but it still rankled, seeing as how she was the one supposed to be guarding her best friend, not the other way around!
Heaving a defeated sigh the Kitsune popped open a nearby window overlooking the main gates, mumbling to herself, "Nothing bad will happen on the first day...we shouldn't have said anything at all..."
Bassaym was beginning to wonder if he'd unknowingly committed some horrific crime to these people, judging by the drastic and evidently lethal response admitting his identity had garnered.
Almost twelve people had arrived at the gates within seconds, all wielding odd magics or powerful artifacts, some of them feeling potent enough to actually threaten him.
...What the heck was this school?!
"What purpose does a Godslayer have with this academy?! Why are you here?!"
Feeling a bit overwhelmed by Hanakai's harsh words the 8th Campione tried to raise his hands in a gesture of peace-which was mistaken as the opening move for an assault, if the flurry of flinches and stiffening were any indicator-and desperately replied, "I-I'm not here to start anything other than my school year! My older brother-Godou Kusanagi, you know him, right?-bullied me into attending-"
Several squeaks of dismay from the gathered girls caused the Devil King to wince, belatedly realizing if just his name caused this much of a commotion, then his older brother's would no doubt start a miniature riot.
"T-t-the Demon King Kusanagi Godou sent you?!"
"H-he must want us as his wives after tiring of his current harem!"
"No, it's even worse, he only sent a minion, he probably just wants us as easily disposable concubines!"
Bassaym frowned slightly, trying to interject with, "Hold on there, while I'll freely admit my Big Bro is kind of a busybody, he's happy with just his current girlfriends and wives, he's not looking for more. And minion? I'm not anyone-"
"NOW WAIT JUST A SECOND THERE, BUDDY!"
The 8th Campione inwardly despaired that this mess would ever be resolved peaceably as a boy sporting a crimson gauntlet-and a surprising amount of power, if his senses were anything to go by-crashed down amidst the other gathered students, followed shortly after by two cute girls who glared at him aggressively, both on the shorter side while one had golden hair and the other midnight tresses.
"You can go back and tell that jerk of a King of yours that there's only one Harem King in Japan and it's me, Issei Hyoudou! Keep your grubby paws off of all of the beautiful breasts in this school! No, in all of Kuoh! No, in ALL OF THE WORLD!"
…
Bassaym was reasonably certain he just felt a part of his soul die at that proclamation, a statement that seemed to be shared by a decent chunk of the other people present...although a disturbing amount seemed completely unfazed by the declaration, if not amused.
"What the heck kind of circus did I wander into right here..."
Trying one last time to restore some kind of order and amicability amongst his future peers Bassaym quickly said, "Look, I'm not here to cause trouble, all I'm doing is going to school-"
"You'll never have my heart! It belongs to Saji-kun, not your King!"
Completely lost at Momo's words Bassaym shouted, "Who the Hell is-"
"Get lost, we won't bow to some jerk who's only a fake Harem King!"
The crowd slowly pushed forwards, Bassaym backing up against a nearby building with a defeated expression.
"I don't remember school being so...intense."
Chiaki was blinking in abject confusion at the scene playing out before her, a ridiculous overreaction if anyone was to ask her opinion.
Sure, her senses were picking up a rather ominous feeling from the boy who was the center of attention...but that was hardly anything to hold against him! She had initially felt uneasy around Lilith and most Devils when she first met them...first impressions were only that, impressions.
"Dangit, if only I could bring out my real ears instead of these lousy Human ones! I could pick up on their conversation easily!"
Scowling to herself Chiaki leaned further out of the window-
"Make way, make way! Tomoe Meguri is here to save the day!"
-and abruptly felt herself knocked over the edge by an excited girl with light maroon hair, arms uselessly flailing as she felt only empty air.
"Oh, woopsie! Sorry about that, Chiaki-chan, see you at the bottom!"
The Kitsune resisted the urge to whimper in dismay as her fox features instinctively popped out, body preparing to right itself so she would land without issue.
...She really hoped no Humans were watching, or there were going to have to be some memories erased on the very first day of school.
How else was she supposed to explain falling three floors and landing without injury, suddenly sprouting fox ears and four tails?
"For the last. TIME! I'm not here to steal your harem!"
"Lies! Slander! I've heard the stories about this Godou douche! You know what I have to say to that? Hands off, damn pretty boy!"
Bassaym was beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed at how absurd everything was at this school, as well as the ridiculously varied powers that were being pointed in his direction. Seriously, it was like a dozen little mini-Heretic Gods nipping at his heels!
"...Well, seems the only way I can get these guys to back off is to 'cool' things down a bit. Ugh, this is why I didn't want to go back to school...actually the reasons are totally different, but it's the same basic principle!"
Taking a deep breath Bassaym raised his arms slightly, the gathered crowd halting in their tracks as something...ominous permeated the air.
"My fury reaches to the sky, the heavens weep-"
THUMP!
…
Silence permeated the courtyard as the tense atmosphere dissipated within a split-second.
Mostly because Chiaki had landed perfectly into Bassaym's arms, the two blinking and staring at each other in obvious surprise...a surprise that was shared by all others present.
Onyx eyes gazed into light-purple ones, both Godslayer and Kitsune unsure of what to do or say.
"W-wow...he's uhh...really handsome."
"W-whoah...she's err...really beautiful."
Twin blushes quickly spread over the duo's faces, the moment stretching-
"W-w-what are you two doing?!"
-until a disbelieving shout from Kunou snapped the duo out of their little world, Bassaym quickly setting Chiaki on her feet and stating, "Oh, uhh, sorry about that! You just caught me by surprise, falling out of the...sky...yeah."
Thankfully for him Bassaym's awkward introduction wasn't left to stew, Chiaki waving her hands frantically while desperately reassuring him with, "N-no, the fault was all mine! I wasn't really paying attention and I sort of, well, heh heh...fell out of the window?"
Yet another deafening silence fell between the duo...until Bassaym finally took a closer look at the cute girl that fell into his arms out of nowhere.
And rather belatedly spotted her animal features.
"Are those real?"
"Hmm? Is what real?"
"Your ears and tails!"
The Kitsune paled, hands instinctively latching onto her exposed Yokai features-
-and a squeak of dismay left the girl as she realized she had completely forgot about that in the heat of the moment.
"Chiaki, get away from him! Don't you know who he is!?"
Jumping in fright at the reminder that they were in the middle of what had seemed to be a heated argument moments before, Chiaki whirled around while stammering, "U-um, no?"
Kunou's voice was tight as her golden eyes never left Bassaym's resigned ones.
"That's the 8th Campione. A Godslayer."
…
Silence reigned as Chiaki slowly turned around to stare at Bassaym, the 8th Devil King resigned to no doubt having her freak out as well.
Which left him more than a little surprised when, instead of doing anything remotely resembling the actions of her companions, she tentatively suggested, "Well...he seems like a nice Godslayer?"
…
…
All present were silent, no shortage of widened eyes directed at Chiaki as she nervously shifted her weight from foot to foot.
"Did...did I say something strange?"
The moment was broken as several sharp claps sounded across the courtyard, all eyes turning towards a pair of approaching figures.
One was a young woman dressed in a sharp business suit of light gray, silvery hair falling to her knees. She would have appeared authoritative and professional, were it not for the dismayed and nervous expression she was sporting.
The other-the one who had clapped-was a buxom woman of astounding beauty, clad in a professional tea dress of pure white which contrasted nicely with her pale-blonde hair and bright turqoise eyes.
The image of stern-yet approachable-figure of authority was completed by the calm and friendly smile she was wearing, despite the tense atmosphere.
"R-Rossweisse-sensei, Ephemera-sensei?!"
Momo's surprised-yet relieved-words brought all attention to the new arrivals, the woman now revealed as Ephemera calmly approaching the Student Council President and pleasantly announcing, "Now now, children! There's no need to argue and fight, Terrance-san isn't here to conquer or dominate us. Or steal away your harem, Hyoudou-san."
Issei blinked in blatant surprise at the woman's admission.
"He isn't?"
"See?! I told you all I wasn't here to do any of that!"
...Sheepish and openly embarrassed expressions began to dominate the gathered students at Bassaym's annoyed shout, Ephemera merely giggling as she clapped her hands together, happily stating, "Why don't we meet in my office, hmm? We can catch each other up to speed on the details there!"
Everyone began to disperse, Bassaym inwardly sighing to himself as he began to steadily follow in the blonde-haired woman's wake.
"Well, on the bright side, at least this day can't get any worse than most of the school-which is apparently comprised of Mages and Supernatural creatures-trying to kill me the second I set foot inside it's borders..."
"My apologies about letting things get so out of hand, Terrance-san. I just received a notice from King Kusanagi not long ago about your imminent enrollment and was slow to greet you or inform the Student Council about your arrival. Can you excuse my tardiness?"
Bassaym gave a wave of his hand, amicable smile in place as he replied, "Ahh, it's fine, Ephemera-san...or is it sensei? Anyway nothing really happened so we're cool. If anything it's my older brother's fault, I just know he had something like this planned in mind...probably something along the lines of petty payback..."
Both Momo, a recently awakened Reya, Kunou, Chiaki, Issei, a blonde-haired boy called Kiba and a white-haired girl called Koneko (who was seated on Issei's lap) had all packed into Ephemera's office along with the two teachers...as well as two mystery guests.
On Ephemera's desk two lazily spinning magic circles of red and blue displayed shrunken images of yet another pair of incredibly beautiful girls, one with long red hair and resignedly amused expression while the other, adorned with shorter black hair, looked less than pleased.
"Seriously, is everyone at this academy models or something? And what's up with all the magic and other stuff just scattered around the place? Big bro didn't mention anything about that..."
[So allow me to get this straight. Upon realizing that someone was powerful enough to collapse the barriers of the academy you immediately confronted them head on, with no backup aside from Reya. Then, upon learning that you were confronted with a Campione, you decided that the best course of action was to openly confront and challenge them, potentially sparking a battle on school grounds?]
Momo and Reya visibly wilted at the icy tones of the girl with the scary expression, heads hanging with shame.
"Y-yes, Sona-kaichou...that's what happened."
[I'm not 'kaichou' anymore, Hanakai-kaichou. That's your job and I gave it to you because I believed you would be best suited for it. Imagine my disappointment when on the first day you try to pick a fight with a Godslayer.]
Bassaym shifted uncomfortably as both Momo and Reya looked to be on the verge of tears, everyone else in the room also appearing rather awkward at the verbal lashing.
"I mean, sure, Hanakai-san jumped the gun a bit and stressed everybody out...but it's not like anybody present-myself included-had any clue whatsoever what was going on. Might as well start building bridges...hey, maybe I can even make some friends!"
"Erm, Sitri-san, was it?"
Piercing violet eyes locked onto Bassaym's own, the young woman appearing slightly apologetic as she replied, [My apologies for my subordinate's foolishness, your Highness. If it's not too presumptuous of me, may I ask for your leniency in deciding on a punishment? Rest assured, there will be consequences.]
The two Student Council members had the look of kicked puppies, Bassaym wincing slightly as he quickly responded, "You don't have to call me 'Highness' or anything like that, Terrance or Bassaym will do fine. I don't have any land I particularly want to call my own, so calling me a King, Emperor or whatever doesn't really fit. No, I actually wanted to vouch for both Hanakai-san and Kusaka-san and ask that you go easy on them."
Surprised expressions dominated the room, none more so than the Student Council members.
"No actual harm was done and they clearly regret their actions. Why don't we just let bygones be bygones and start fresh?"
Sona raised an immaculate eyebrow, neutrally stating, [That would be...quite generous of you, Terrance-san. But I cannot in good faith accept such a generous deal without some form of recompense.]
Sona suddenly, even if only for a split-second, smirked in her two subordinates direction.
[Perhaps you would like to take them as your concubines?]
Two frightened squeaks from the girls left Bassaym sighing before he quickly clarified, "Actually, can you explain what, precisely, this academy is? I was under the impression that this school was merely a place of high achievement, not a melting pot of...well, seemingly everything divine and supernatural."
It was the red-haired girl who raised an eyebrow, curiously asking, "You don't know of Kuoh Academy's reputation, Terrance-san?"
"No. Like I said earlier my big bro just sent me here on a whim and on short notice. I agreed because I have been causing quite a bit of trouble for him and figured it was only fair that I stay out of his hair for awhile...although school seems a bit excessive..."
A round of sweatdrops decorated the room's occupants except for Ephemera, the woman just cheerfully clasping her hands together and pleasantly stating, "Then allow me to explain, Terrance-san! Tell me, are you familiar with the Supernatural side of the world, as opposed to the Divine?"
Comprehension dawned on Bassaym's features, his voice excited as he replied, "Yeah, I heard about them in passing when I was traveling around. Devils, Yokai, Angels, Asgard, Olympus...physical representations of the Domain of Immortality, right?"
Ephemera smiled, replying, "You are quite correct, Terrance-san. A fair portion of the students at this academy are of Supernatural origin. Ever since a series of peace accords almost a year ago were ratified, Kuoh Academy was designated as a sort of open territory to all of those who wished to intermingle and learn alongside other cultures, whereas they might have once been only enemies."
As if to punctuate her words ten snow-white wings suddenly sprouted from the young woman's back, Bassaym boyishly grinning as he drank in the sight before him.
"Whoah...so you're an Angel then?"
"Indeed I am, Terrance-san."
"Has anyone ever told you your wings are incredibly beautiful?"
The 8th Campione's eyes widened as soon as the words left his mouth, an embarrassed cough leaving his mouth.
"Er, sorry, Ephemera-sensei. Was that too forward?"
The Angel merely smiled, a slight dusting of pink on her cheeks as her wings retracted, tone pleased as she said, "Not at all, Terrance-san. To be complimented thusly by a Godslayer of all beings is quite the bit of flattery!"
Kunou didn't miss the way Chiaki puffed out a cheek in annoyance, grinning to herself as she suddenly got a wonderful idea…
"So as much as I wish we could continue this conversation, doesn't school start in a little bit? I still need to find my classroom and I dunno what the floor plan is like here..."
Kunou immediately leapt to her feet, pushing Chiaki forward as her friend gave a squeak of surprise, tone playful as she said, "My friend can help you with that, Terrance-san! She's very knowledgeable and can tell you whatever you want to know!"
Chiaki blazed a bright crimson at being put on the spot, Bassaym also seeming a bit shy as he scratched the back of his head, stating, "Oh, well that's very kind of you. Care to lead the way, Chiaki-san?"
"O-of course, Terrance-san! P-please follow me!"
The Kitsune quickly made to leave the room with jittery movements, Bassaym following in her wake...until he was suddenly accosted by both Momo and Reya, the two girls deeply bowing.
"Our most sincere apologies for our earlier actions, Terrance-san. Can you ever forgive us for how rude we were?"
The Devil King merely raised his hands peaceably.
"Ahh, don't worry about it. Tell you what, if you're both still really cut up about it, do you mind if I swing by the Student Council room after school today? I'm really curious about all the different people and cultures in this academy, could I maybe ask you to explain them all to me?"
Both girls sagged in relief, as if a great weight had been lifted from their shoulders and simultaneously smiled.
"Of course, Terrance-san, we would be happy to. Shall we expect you then?"
"Sure thing, until later today!"
With a final, polite nod to the rest of the rooms occupants Bassaym and Chiaki left, the gathered group quiet for a few seconds.
[You two are very lucky. While the severity and manner with which they respond vary widely, the Godkings do not take kindly to threats. And you almost attacked him when he had no intention of fighting to begin with.]
Momo and Reya both bowed their heads in renewed chastisement, Rias chuckling before interjecting with, [You need to relax, Sona. Nothing bad came out of it, so why not let them off the hook, just this once, hmm?]
[Don't tell me how to run my Peerage, Rias. Or are you forgetting that your servants also had a hand in this fiasco?]
The red-haired girl awkwardly coughed into her fist, quickly stating, [Well about that...Issei-kun, Kiba-kun, Koneko-chan?]
The three named students all met their leader's gaze, a sickeningly sweet smile adorning her face.
[I'm going to be visiting Kuoh in a few weeks once I have a break in my classes. Tell everyone that I plan to administer a few spankings for doing something so foolish, ok~?]
Faces paled, even as they nervously swallowed and unanimously replied, "U-understood, Rias-san..."
Sona heaved a sigh after watching the interplay, pinching the bridge of the her nose in exasperation at how easy her friend always seemed to take it on her Peerage.
"Umm...may I ask a question?"
All present turned to Kunou, who had tentatively raised a hand.
"Of course, Kunou-chan! Ask away!"
At Ephemera's pleasant reply the Kitsune asked, "Well...do we know what the 8th Godslayer is like? He seems nice enough, sure...but what do we really know about him?"
The room fell silent, turning to the Angel who shrugged, rifling through some papers she had on her desk.
"While all of the current Godslayers have some level of anonymity-whether as a result of seclusion, privacy, deliberate information removal, or other methods-their powers and personalities are quite well documented. Marquis Voban keeps to himself but won't think twice about killing or manipulating to create conflicts or battles that he can then partake of. Luo Hao typically restricts herself to her private martial training yet will gladly seek battle, similar to the Marquis. Madame Aisha travels throughout time and history, following only her own instincts and heart. The Black Prince seeks knowledge and artifacts of esoteric nature...regardless of who they belong to. John Pluto Smith acts as a guardian and local mascot of Los Angeles, but has acted unilaterally in the past. Salvatore Doni just causes headaches wherever he goes. And Godou Kusanagi is a benevolent tyrant that is mostly kept at bay by the willing sacrifice of his wives, who slake his destructive impulses with their bodies."
Issei's knuckles cracked as a fire lit in his eyes.
"That Bastard...how could he ever dare to play at being a Harem King when the real deal is right here?!"
No one decided to comment on that, Koneko merely pinching his side and causing the boy to fall silent with a pained squeak.
"So what about Terrance-san? What's his...quirk?"
Ephemera shrugged, idly replying, "Who can say? Terrance-san is a bit like Madame Aisha in that he has claimed no specific territory as his own...but unlike the rest of his brothers and sisters, there has been no extensive list of collateral damage attributed to his name, a rarity for Godslayers."
Kunou tilted her head, curiously asking, "So...nobody knows anything?"
The Angel once again shrugged.
"Other than the fact that he became a Godking around two years ago, has no currently available records of his past and has been sporadically sighted traveling around the globe...nothing. Even the details of his Authorities are iffy."
Issei raised an eyebrow and confusedly asked, "Wait, Authorities? I thought they got their powers from killing a God? What's an Authority?"
He yet again received no shortage of bewildered looks, a defensive blush adorning his features.
"What?! I only became a Devil, like a year and something months ago! I've basically been learning everything by the seat of my pants this entire time!"
Rias shook her head in amusement, cheerfully advising, [In that case, Issei, you should also go to the student council room after classes. No doubt there will be a great deal of useful information exchanged. If that is all right with you, Hanakai-san?]
Momo dipped her head, replying, "Of course, Gremory-san...but no perverted statements while you're in there!"
Koneko snorted, voice mildly amused as she said, "You might as well ask water to not be wet..."
"K-Koneko-chan?! Who's side are you on?!"
Both the girl and Kiba chuckled, causing the boy to indignantly sputter as they left the room, classes soon about to start and followed shortly after by Kunou and the student council members.
The room was quiet for a moment before Ephemera heaved a tired sigh, Rias, Sona and Rossweisse looking at each other with concern.
[...So how are we going to handle this? 'Interesting' events follow a Devil King the way carrion birds follow an army. Ephemera-san, did you get anything from him?]
Sona's question caused the Angel to shake her head, her voice subdued as she explained, "Hardly anything worth mentioning. You know Campione are resistant to all but the highest forms of magic and my empathetic sensing runs along those same lines. All I could get from him were vague sensations and nothing more."
Rias winced, gravely asking, [So we don't have any idea as to his true thoughts or motives?]
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that, Gremory-san~!"
The three other women in the room turned to look at the suddenly exuberant Angel in surprise.
"While I may have received only slight impressions, they were of nothing but genuine kindness and friendliness. If he has any ill will towards us, it's both masked and buried so deeply we might as well not even worry about it. And he seems like such a charming young man!"
Sona rolled her eyes, voice dry as she said, [You're only saying that because he thinks your wings are pretty.]
"There's nothing wrong with a little flattery!"
[Sure. That's how it starts, you know. Just a compliment here, just a bit of flirting there...next thing you know your wings are black.]
Ephemera puffed out one cheek in annoyance, grouchily shooting back with, "Well it didn't escape my attention that he didn't compliment any of you!"
Rias openly giggled at the woman's indignation, turning to Rossweisse and asking, [Can I trust you to keep an eye on the rest of my adorable servants, Rossweisse-chan? You know how they can get and I'd feel better having someone responsible keeping an eye on them while I'm away…]
The silver-haired teacher clenched her fist, courageously replying, "Of course, Rias-sama! You can count on me, or my name isn't Rossweisse!"
Ephemera and Sona just shook their heads at the woman's exuberant response-a sharp contrast to her usual uptightness-and said their goodbyes before the two communication circles sputtered out as Rias and Sona returned to their own tasks.
"Well, it looks like we have a busy day ahead of us, Rossweisse-san! Can you spread the news to the rest of the Supernatural students in your class about Terrance-san's arrival? Ideally we can get through the rest of the day without any further fights, I'll do the same with my own pupils."
"Of course, but..."
Ephemera raised an eyebrow at Rossweisse's tone.
"Buuuut?"
"Well, what should we tell them? Just come outright and say that a Campione is attending school with them? Many of those in the know will panic!"
The Angel put a finger to her chin, making a loud 'HMM' noise as she did so...before shrugging and happily striding out of the office, saying over her shoulder, "I'm sure you can figure something out, Rossweisse-sensei! Good luck now!"
She ignored her coworker and friend's dismayed cry and instead hummed to herself as she headed to her first class of the day...which just so happened to have Terrance-san in it!
Math and Arts were her assigned topics, so she would actually get to have him in two classes!
"Heh heh...he thought my wings were pretty..."
With that thought in mind the Angel walked with a bit more of a skip in her step, offering a prayer of thanks to her father for providing such a unique opportunity as to teach a Godslayer.
…
Who just so happened to think her wings were beautiful, of course!
"What, compliments are nice!"
And that's the first chapter of Stranger in a Strange Land! There haven't been too many Campione/DxD fics out there so I figured I'd make my own shamelessly pandering crack at it.
As anyone mildly familiar with the Japanese language can tell, I'm cherry picking when it comes to adopting certain facets of it, such as using honorifics but skipping naming structure. I'm doing that because I'm lazy and love taking the path of least resistance :D
Because I can't draw for shit I went ahead and got images of what I think OC's would best look like, attempts at links given below.
Chiaki - E-hentai, look for [Rosebleu] Inpyuri - Hito to Anata to Ayakashi to- Image is on page 6, I think you'll recognize which one (spoiler alert, it's the cute AF fox girl)
I would just put the link directly, but the site has a vendetta against links and I'm too lazy to game the system.
Ephemera - Go to Danbooru . com and use ID:2022611 to go directly to the image.
...Be much easier if I could just draw worth a damn XD
And yes, I'm using hentai as visual aids. Aren't I a swell person?