A/N: I hate mobile app. Can't even upload files or copy format. Ugh.

Also, Closers category when.

Rant aside, I have to admit that I haven't actually read DxD. Which is why I won't be updating this story until I actually get around to doing it. Consider this a teaser of sort, I guess. I just wanted to write something and this came out. I have some plans though. If it go right, you won't be seeing any of DxD main plot until the end of the second chapter. Also, Korean naming sense is beyond me so please excuse the probably terrible names. I'd be glad to know how to fix it though so if you can, please tell me where I went wrong. Same with the rest of this.

That said, I hope you enjoy the story.

New Game +:

It was when Seha landed the killing blow on Astaroth, the Dragon, the leader of Kryzaloids who would crash an island onto Gangnam and wipe it out, his blue flame incinerating its heart, did he feel something from far, far away peering at him.

For a moment, his heart froze.

His mom was powerful. Even a flicker of her flame burns hotter and fiercer than his had ever done, and she wielded it to burn down armies and legions by herself. It was why people respected her as the Alpha Queen.

Ash and Dust were as strong as they were cunning. The events from when he had started to work as a Trainee Closers had mostly been their plans to wage war against Astaroth, who declared himself the ruler and betrayed them. And when they appeared, they laughed and jested even as his flame was dodged, Seulbi's projectiles bounced off their shields, Yuri's bullets and slashes struck nothing but empty air, Misteltein's lances missed them by mere millimeters. Only J could reliably hit them, and his punches, which could crush cars, seemed to tickle them.

Astaroth was powerful. The first known Third Phase Force wielder, he had used it to backstab his commander, a titanic beast called Hecatoncheir which had ravaged Northen Europe in three days. He was effectively invincible in his land, and it took Ash and Dust giving his team, the Black Lambs, some of their power to evoke the Third Force did they have a chance to wound and then finally put down Astaroth.

The being peering at him from across dimensions could crush them all as though they were ants.

It wasn't so powerful as it defined power itself. Even across immeasurable space and time did its presence demand attention. His muscles locked as his survival instinct screamed at him not to lift a finger.

For some reason, its gaze bore trace of amusement and slight anticipation. Then it turned its attention somewhere else and disappeared from his radar, and only then could Seha fall to his knees, his hands wrapping around his neck as he gasped for air. He ignored his teammates and Ash and Dust as they all stared at him in confusion and, in case of Black Lambs, worry. A single thought circled inside his mind.

What the hell was that?

He had been careless, and it had cost him dearly.

Seha noticed the strike from his flank far too late -it was a Malek type, a Dimensional bearing resemblances to a lion the size of two trucks- and though he blocked it without suffering any injuries, it sent him flying from the sheer force alone.

Normally, that would be it. He would crash into a building or landed on his feet, blue flame flickering in his free hand as he rejoined the battle. His Phase Power would protect him from the worst of the impact, and the smaller injuries could be remedied by a quick gulp of UNION's healing potion.

But, this time.

A portal appeared on his path.

It was a Kryzaloid. It tried to claw its way out from a hole in reality, but couldn't react as Seha slammed into it, and both human and dimensional monsters fell into the great nothingness between dimensions as the portal closed behind them. A shriek and a flash of blue as Discharge vaporized the monster, and then it was silent.

"Now this is a pretty pathetic end." -thought Seha bitterly- "Not with a bang, but a whimper."

And so he floated, and waited, for either another portal to open so he could hitch a ride back to his world, or he would die of either starvation, thirst, or dimensional contamination. None of them were particularly quick deaths, so he waited and, just to take his mind off his current situation, recalled how he became the only member of Black Lambs left.

Something stirred. A gaze carrying power focused on him. It was the same as seven years ago. Only this time he could see a pair of golden eyes before everything faded to black.

He woke up in a sleeveless shirt and shorts. The bed he was in was foreign, and so was the room. It was far more luxurious than his old apartment, and frankly that was impossible because how mean his mom was. The TV back home was 20 years old for fuck sake. Only 5 years younger than him.

As those thought swam around his mind, Seha examined his situation. Both his gunblade and his Special Agent coat were nowhere to be found, he was alone in the bedroom, and there was a letter addressing to him on the desk next to the bed. He carelessly tore off the envelope and read. It was short.

Good luck with your new life. Also, do look outside the windows.

No signature, nothing to identify the writer. Maybe fingerprints, but he hadn't the tool to check it. Also he wouldn't know how to actually do it anyway. His only experience with forensic was the Ace Attorney series but he knew better than to trust a game.

Well, he owed his mysterious benefactor for his survival, so might as well indulge him/her/it and take a look outside.

He moved across the room and pulled the blinds open. The sight that greeted him made his throat very, very dry.

It was evening. The sunlight had faded to red. The traffic was crowded, but still managed to be orderly. It was just a normal day in Gangnam, Korea.

That was the problem.

Gangnam should have been mangled. Buildings stood where there should be ruins. Cars ran on supposedly destroyed roads. And above all, there was no sign of UNION. As much as he hated the organization, its presence was vital in the Dimensional War.

The realization struck like Seulbi's bus. He didn't even realize his fingernails had dug into the blinds and was ripping chunks off it.

There was no UNION because there was no Dimensional War. It had never happened in this world. Yes, this world. Because he had come from another.

But that wasn't all.

His hair was white. Silver-blue to be exact. It was his original hair color. But normally, that wouldn't show. He had his hair dyed. After his terrible childhood with those who expected him to be like his mother, he had growned a habit of hiding that fact. Both his contact lenses and his dye helped. He had chosen a reliable store. In fact, he had reapplied it the first time since he was ten. His hair should still be brown, the color he had picked to blend in with the crowd.

But the reflection staring back at him, barely visible on the window said otherwise. It would mean he had been out for a long time.

...There was no sign of muscle atrophy. He could move as easily as he had before having been sent here. Seha knew the feeling. He had suffered it after the cataclysmic battle against the war leader of the Nameless Legion. When he first woke up after two months, his body could barely respond. It took him yet another month to return to his prime.

Still, that begged a question. What happened?

"Ah, that hit the spot!"

Seha groaned in annoyance as his senior, a man barely older than him with only the stubble under his chin to show their difference in age, pulled him in as he took a large gulp from his can of beer.

"Senior Park, please refrain from such excessive action. Also you reek of beer."

"As uptight as always huh, Seha? We're congratulating your promotion, you know!" -with those words, the man pulled Seha in even closer.

As expected. He didn't have any hope for Hye-chol Park in the beginning anyway.

"Yeah, Park's right. At least loosen up once in a while!"

The one who spoke was another senior of his. Choi-seuk Ha's pristine blue sundress, only slightly damp at the collar as a result of her running from the station, stood in sharp contrast to Park's wrinkled shirt with the top button undone. Her neck-length brown hair was also tied into braids, and Seha could spot traces of light make-up on her face, as opposed to Senior Park, who didn't even bother to comb his messy hair or have a shave before coming.

Not that he minded. Seha didn't dress to impress: white shirt, black pants, a yellow tie and a black jacket. Just like when he first started as a Trainee in UNION. Also, Seha preferred to leave his hair untamed. He only shaved because it was something his dad had drilled into him and he felt cleaner that way. In that regard, he could relate to Senior Park more than Senior Ha.

"Oh? The esteemed Choi-seuk Ha can have fun? When will that meteor crash on Earth?"

Park's bleary brown eyes widened mockingly as he stared at her in mock horror. She stared right back, bluish eyes -a sign of her half-foreign blood- glinted in challenge.

"I-"

On a normal day, Seha would be content to watch it play out. 'It' here being them quarreling like a married couple. It was practically a meme in his office. Some had already placed their bets on who would confess first and when it would happen. He didn't join in nor did he stop them.

But today was different. He just didn't feel like putting up with their arguments.

"Get married already you two."

He muttered and grabbed a sizzling piece of meat with his chopsticks, ignoring the cries of protest and flustered gazes from his seniors.

Mmm, delicious. As expected of a store scouted by Miss Kim.

It had been 3 months since his arrival in this alternate world, Seha recalled even as Senior Park was trying to get him to drink some beer, and 2 months since he had met them. Back then, he had found an ID card and a small stack of Won enough to sustain him for a month, some personal belongings and a dozen of his books.

Oh, and he had been then unemployed. Joy.

Things happened, mostly involving his many, many failed job interview, and in the end he found himself working in a small office where he met his seniors.

Their relationship started simply enough. He had little experience with the desk job and had asked them for help. They had accepted, had been impressed by his organizing skill -one born of necessity for his games and honed further thanks to Seulbi's grueling lessons- and had asked him to show them how to do the same.

Which led to the current situation: him having been promoted and them dragging him out for a small party.

Seha, of course, had chosen the small restaurant Miss Kim had led them to after Gangnam crisis and David's death. It held many memories, and he was glad it still remained even in another world.

"Mmm, this is some good stuff! Seha, how did you find this store?"

"Yeah, the meat's amazing!"

His seniors voiced their approval as they dug into the meat vigorously. None of them noticed the melancholy in his eyes or the nostalgia in his voice as he answered.

"My old boss invited me here."

The small party lasted for two hours. By the end of it, Seha was the only one sober. Senior Ha looked like she was on the verge of unconsciousness, chuckles escaped her throat at random interval. He was sure she would fall the moment she tried to stand up. Senior Park was somewhat better off. Although he sported flushed cheeks mirroring that of Senior Ha, his eyes retained some intelligence and his body only swayed slightly instead of slumping over the table like the other senior. They had drunk about the same amount -yes, he kept track of the cups- but it seemed Senior Park had better tolerance.

Seha hadn't had a single can of beer. He had tried drinking with J before. It tasted like shit in his opinion. He never really understood why people drink.

"Uh, seniors, you want to crash at my place?"

It was only logical. In their intoxicated state, they couldn't get home safely at all. His place was pretty big, as he had found out. A two-story house, but without a front garden like his old house. Instead he had rooftop access. Getting up there at night and letting his blue flame flicker in his palm was calming.

He was rambling. In short, his home still have some room for two drunk seniors. He just hoped they wouldn't vomit on the floor.

...He was beginning to regret his words already.

"Come on," -he whispered to both of them as his arm snaked under Senior Ha to support her body, her arm he draped around his neck- "let's go." -Senior Park took his free hand and pulled himself up, swaying drunkenly where he stood.

With a long sigh of suffering, Seha began to drag them out of the restaurant.

It was midway back to his home when he felt it. An unpleasant feeling saturating the air, sending chills down his spine. It came from a small, abandoned house resided on an obscure street.

I have no business here.

The thought came up like a knife's edge in the dark. It gave him pause because of how sudden, sharp and utterly unnatural it was. It pulled on his conscience with the force of a truck, and for a moment Seha almost acted on it. In fact, Senior Park did act on it. The older man had partially recovered from his intoxication, enough to walk unsupported, and he simply walked past the small house without a glance. He had crashed at Seha's place a couple of time so he had little worries for the man.

What alerted him was Senior Ha. She had been unconscious one moment, and the next she had slipped from his half-carry, her eyes slightly glazed over as she made her way to the house. There was no drunken sway in her gait. Instead, she shambled. Dragged her feet lethargically, yet never actually off balance. She walked with such purpose as though she hadn't gulped 15 cans of beer barely half an hour ago. And yet her eyes were blank, staring absently at nothing as her feet carried her to the run-down house.

The urge to ignore the sight was still there. But it went away as soon as Phase Power washed over his body, thus revealing it for what it was: a compulsion not of his own mind, but forced upon his psyche.

What came after was simply deductive reasoning: someone had sent him and Senior Park away while luring Senior Ha to them. As to why...he had his suspicions.

Trusting Senior Park to get home safely, Seha made to follow Senior Ha.

Sounds of combat reached his ears the moment he stepped past the threshold. His mind on high alert, Seha groped for his gunblade but found nothing. Civilians aren't allowed to carry weapons and the gunblade certainly qualified as one. Curses.

Senior Ha didn't flinch. She didn't even look like she had heard the sounds. Blank eyes unblinking, she pushed on. Seha swore inwardly yet again and dragged her back. She continued to go through the motion of walking even as he had lifted her clear off the ground.

A pulse of Phase Power saturating her body did the trick. Whatever power having taken hold of her was cleared. Without it to maintain her semi consciousness, she slumped down in his arm and snored lightly.

Seha deposited her at a corner he thought was obscure and moved on.

He didn't have to walk far. Twenty steps in and he had to dodge else an arrow would pierce through his eye socket. It hit the wall behind him with a clang, and he paused as melancholy welled up within him.

Blond hair, clear blue eyes and a habit of wearing revealing clothes. An archer. She had been his first love, and as of the moment, the only one.

Irina Petrovona was her name, and though it was not his fault, he had watched helplessly as she plunged herself down the edge of the UNION Tower in New York.

The thought went away as quickly as it had come. A shake of his head to banish the last of it, Seha strode forward and opened the door before him, wood splintered at where the arrow had come through.

Silence reigned at the conflict came to a temporary halt. His eyes swept across the room, taking in the sight of the combatants and analyzing them just as they did him in turn.

The first one was strange in outfit. Kevlar vest worn over black tank tops. Munition belt strapped over her body. Army pants. Two black pistols in shoulder holsters. By themself they would make her look like some kind of modern mercenary. But the sheathed blade hung on her waist, the half-full quiver on her back and the fully-drawn bow in her hand spoke otherwise. It was a strange mix of tradition and modern, made weirder by the sigils adorning her clothes and weapons. Without all of that though, her neck length brown hair, dark eyes and average height would make her indistinguishable from the mass. On closer look, there was a scar on her cheek and two other across her left eyes, though they had long faded to almost invisibility. A score of gashes could be seen through her torn pant leg, dripping fresh blood down her skin.

The other girl was the opposite. Her clothes were a subclass of hanbok called Hwal-Ot, made of high quality material and embroidered with golden threads images of majestic animals. While anachronistic, it was by no mean that strange in Korean, and at most people would think she was only an actor preparing for her play. What was strange was how seductive her long, fluttering eyelashes seemed to be, how red and plumb her smiling lips were, how the small gap intentionally left on her shirt let him see the slightest hint of-

Another rush of Phase Power and whatever mystical glamour she had imposed on his mind was gone. No doubt she had sensed it, as her smile reversed into a sneer the moment he was free from her influence.

What was strange was her physique. From hair as white as snow, even his hair was silver at best, to slitted eyes the color of fresh blood, malevolence and ancient intelligent shone from them. Two pairs of fox ears jutted from her skull, and his eyes, far sharper than a normal human, could trace its twitch as she breathed. Three tails as white as her hair extended from behind her back, and they did not hang limply like props a cosplayer would wear; they moved with life, the way only a limb could: naturally. That made it all the more unnatural.

At least he knew who, no, what was luring Senior Ha in now. A Kumiho, a malicious fox spirit mentioned in some Korean folk tales. But why…?

The answer came in the form of a skull on the periphery of his view. Once he noticed it, it didn't take long for him to pick up a bone here, a trace of dried blood there, most of them unmistakably human.

Oh.

Oh.

The anger cut into his mind like a blade. But he didn't let it control him. Turning fully to the Kumiho and staring at it squarely, he smiled. It was assuredly not a nice smile. She would have tensed in response had she not already been in alert since her previous fight.

"Did you kill them?"

It was a question aimed at both of them. He couldn't allow himself to make a mistake and hurt an innocent. He was new to this world. He didn't have enough information.

The bow-wielding girl did not answer. There was neither change to her expression nor her posture. She didn't even twitch.

But the way the Kumiho snarled was answer enough. How her eyes shone with malice -and hunger- only reinforced that fact.

He bent his knees. She, the murderous seductress, did the same.

Neither of them took the initiative. The sound of a released bowstring was what spurred them into action.

The Kumiho charged at him, her palm, hidden from his sight by the hanbok, was now visible, a fireball swirling between slender fingers. A fireball which she threw at him. An arrow whizzed past where she once stood and embedded itself inside a wall. Water began to leak from the hole as the runes inscribed on the shaft shone dimly.

A blue flame danced between his fingers. It was small, barely larger than a dying candle. Pathetic compared to the revolving sphere of fire aimed at him. But that was enough. In its wake, dust in the air was ignited and converted it into energy. The efficiency was nowhere close to the perfect Einstein equation. His body would burst if such power were to enter it. That didn't mean the power condensed inside the small flame was any less than prodigious.

"Awaken."

Seha crushed it in his palm.

Power saturated his body. A second layer of enhancement over his own Phase Power. Years spent mastering and sharpening his control allowed him to use more of the energy without straining his body. The rest of it was expelled in the form of a spherical shockwave. The wooden floor under his feet cracked and splintered. The fireball about to explode into his face dissipated. The Kumiho was thrown back, though with inhumane agility, she landed on her feet and skidded to a stop.

Seha made his way to her, the smile still on his lips. Tongues of blue flame extended from and retracted to his sleeves periodically.

"Begone," -he said, then paused, considered his word, and amusement, however slight it is, colored his tone as he uttered the next syllable- "thot."

He noticed a smile appearing on the bow-wielding girl's face from the corner of his eyes. Only a slight upward curl of her lips and nothing more. The fox spirit still maintained her malicious frown, but her eyes betrayed her confusion.

Then everything became blurry as he Rushed.