Amid the reflective silence that enveloped the room, Xenovia broke the mantle of quietude as she addressed her friend. "What's on your mind, Irina?" she asked, noticing her friend's introspective gaze, something rare.

Lifting her eyes to meet Xenovia's, Irina unveiled the whirlwind of emotions overwhelming her: "Do you believe, Xenovia, that the words spoken from his heart are genuine? Did he really speak the truth?"

Irina was adrift in her own insecurities and doubts. If it were all real, could it mean that she might be chosen to be reborn as an Angel? Could it also prevent Xenovia from becoming a Devil, as was foretold by the voice from Light's heart?

Xenovia, struggling to maintain composure, replied, "I'm not sure, Irina." Exasperated, she ran her hand through her blue hair, and in a gesture of frustration exclaimed, "But whatever it is, we must keep this to ourselves. If we seek answers and what he said turns out to be true, we risk being exiled from the church."

Agreeing, Irina, sometimes lacking in shrewdness, fully grasped the gravity of the situation. With a look of displeasure, she remarked, "This is so annoying... If everything he said is true, would we somehow owe that insolent boy?"

Reflecting for a moment, Xenovia admitted, "I'm not sure, but somehow, I don't feel as lost as before." The idea of God's death was overwhelming, but the prospect of being reborn as an Angel kindled a spark of hope in her heart, even though she was still mired in confusion.

━━━━ ≪?￢ﾉﾫ ━━━━

The stillness of the night was broken only by the gentle whisper of the wind and the occasional calls of nocturnal insects. In the darkness, the silhouette of an ancient church emerged, shrouded in mysteries and forgotten tales. Yet, this night was destined to be unlike any other.

Above, a solitary figure hovered, closely observing the dilapidated building. The first thing noticeable about him were his light-brown eyes. But they were so much more than they seemed. There was a depth in them, a kind of power that suggested they could pierce the deepest secrets, becoming a haven where not even the thickest darkness could hide.

The night's silence was abruptly shattered. A crushing wave of pressure burst from where the observer hovered, making the earth quake and the air pulse with tangible energy.

"Booom!"

Echoes of shock and confusion sounded from inside the church. "What's happening?!" shouted a voice, while other murmurs of surprise and fear intertwined in the night. The Fallen Angels and priests who had sought refuge in that abandoned church were in panic, caught off guard by this dominant and unforeseen force. The atmosphere grew thick with tension and anticipation. They felt something monumental and terrifying was about to occur.

In the shadow of the ancient church, a figure emerged from the darkness. Holding a pistol in one hand and a sword in the other, the young man with white hair and eyes as red as the blood coursing through his veins seemed the very embodiment of a nightmare. The clerical attire he wore looked out of place against his unsettling appearance, and the twisted, sinister smile gracing his lips promised nothing but chaos.

━━━━ ≪?￢ﾉﾫ ━━━━

[The Chosen One of Fortune, Freed Sellzen, has appeared. The following mission options have been activated.]

[System Information:]

Option I: Subdue the Chosen of Fortune. Prize is 1,000 Fortune Points and 5,000 Destiny Points. Additional prizes will be calculated differently.

Option II: Kill the Chosen of Fortune. Prize is 1,000 Fortune Points and 5,000 Destiny Points. Additional prizes will be calculated differently.

━━━━ ≪?￢ﾉﾫ ━━━━

A sudden chill ran down Light's spine upon sensing the young man's presence. Even with the revelation from the message echoing in his mind, the reality before his eyes was almost inconceivable.

'Was Freed Sellzen the one Chosen by Fortune?' Light murmured to himself, disbelief evident in his voice. He also noticed that Freed had 300 Fortune Points.

He always believed that within the plot of High School DxD, only Issei Hyoudou had been graced with such a fate. However, this belief was shattered. Sellzen wasn't merely a pawn in the narrative; he was a player, a protagonist in his own right.

What Light couldn't deny was how unpredictable the universe could be. He thought he knew all the angles, every character and their paths, yet reality continued to surprise him.

And at that moment, Light realized that the title of "Chosen by Fortune" was not restricted to the protagonist alone. It was a reminder that destiny had its own twists and surprises, and that the true narrative was still unfolding before his eyes.

Light laughed inwardly and without hesitation, he made his choice.

[Host, you have chosen Option II]

In the near-palpable silence of the night, Light emerged from the shadows, his Sacred Gear - the Shield of Dawn - resting in his hand, now reduced to the size of a frisbee. The shield's glow contrasted with the darkness surrounding him, becoming a focal point in the oppressive environment.

"Are you the insolent devil causing this unpleasant aura?" Freed's rhetorical question was laden with sarcasm and disdain. His face twisted into a crooked smile, a perfect mix of arrogance, superiority, and self-confidence, punctuated by a touch of amusement.

Light couldn't help an ironic thought about Freed's appearance. 'Ugh, he's even more obnoxious in person than in the anime. Reminds me of Issei's grotesque drooling expression over women...', he mused internally.

As Light approached, the area's lights cast his figure into sharp relief, revealing his features and posture more clearly. His cold and distant voice sounded again, "Yes, I am the one you seek."

Freed's face lit up with a mocking smile, his eyes gleaming with a mix of scorn and challenge. "Quite bold of you to show up here alone, little shit demon." He laughed, a mad laughter filled with sarcasm, his eyes nearly bulging with excitement at the sight of him holding only a small shield. "Hahahaha! And what exactly do you plan to do with that tiny shield?"

Amidst the charged atmosphere, dark silhouettes formed in the distance. The priests and Fallen Angels emerged from the shadows, watching intently as the tension between Light and Freed grew.

[Does this little demon think he can face me? I will relish every scream of agony I will rip from him. Torture will be sweet music to my ears!]

Light, noticing Freed's malicious and shadowy gaze, retorted with an icy voice, "I'm going to run you over."

Mocking laughter escaped Freed's lips. "Run me over? How audacious!" But his confidence evaporated as quickly as it had appeared. Light's determination was palpable.

In a blink of an eye, Light's shield expanded, taking on the grandeur of an impregnable barrier. A purple lightning, pulsating with energy, enveloped the shield. Light, in his new armor, rushed at Freed with the fury and speed of a supersonic train.

"No, no, no!" Freed, horror painted on his face, desperately tried to fend off the imminent onslaught. "Stop right now, you little shit demon, you piece of trash!"

Gunshots echoed in the air, but they were useless. The shield absorbed every bullet, without a single scratch. And then, with a deafening crash, Light struck Freed.

"Ahhhhh, it hurts, hurts, hurts, hurts! Stop it, you piece of trash!"

Freed's screams pierced the night. The force of the impact hurled him backward, destroying everything in its path. Every wall, every object, disintegrated upon his touch. The purple lightning, with a peculiar energy, intensified his pain, electrocuting and breaking his bones.

"It hurts, hurts, hurts, hurts, hurts, hurts, hurts, hurts!"

The agony was so intense that his screams echoed throughout the surroundings, a painful reminder of Light's overwhelming power.

In an instant, Light had transported Freed to a different realm, far removed from the reality they knew. This was Light's [Inner World].

[You publicly humiliated the Chosen of Fortune. Freed's Fortune value has decreased by 100 points, and the Host's Fate value has increased by 500].

With an evaluative glance upon seeing this page that appeared, Light thought, 'So you valued your face quite a bit, didn't you?'

[Damn you, curse you! I'll get my revenge, I'll destroy you, kill you! I'll slay your entire family in front of you, die, die, die for me!].

Even in his agonizing state, toothless, with a brutally damaged face, Freed's tenacity was remarkable. His spirit was not broken yet, and he clung to his anger and thirst for revenge, screaming gutturally and furiously from the depths of his heart.

Observing the destruction he had left in his wake and with a cold gleam in his eyes, and hearing Freed's inner voice, Light reflected, '... It seems I should be thorough when checking if I can nullify the Fortune points of a Chosen of Fortune.'

The priests and Fallen Angels who witnessed Light's brutal display of power felt fear chill their spines. One word echoed in their minds: Run!

However, Light wasn't willing to let them escape. Exuding an overwhelming aura worthy of an Ultimate-Class Devil, he moved with supernatural speed, intercepting them before they could even attempt to flee.

"No!"

Raynare and the rest screamed, but were powerless to resist.

In a matter of seconds, he was in front of each one of them, transporting them to his [Inner World], with a clear intention to capitalize on his adversaries to the fullest.

Inside his [Inner World], Light crafted a unique prison to hold his captives. This would make it easier for him when he decided to extract something from them later.

Back in the real world, he assessed the chaos he had unleashed with the casual use of the Shield of Dawn. The devastation was overwhelming.

Unintentionally, he felt the need to vocalize some of his deeper thoughts. His inner voice echoed:

{Raynare, Freed, and the others are no longer a threat. Asia will be safe, she won't face the terrible future I saw.}

There was a duality to his feelings. On one hand, he preferred to keep his involvement in these actions a secret. However, if he made it clear he was responsible and people found out, they might suspect why his inner voice had never leaked before. They might even think he had full control over it, using it to deceive them.

Perhaps Light was being overly cautious, but in that world of intrigue and supernatural powers, caution was always a valuable ally.

At the same time, Light pondered the fate of Freed Sellzen, the Chosen of Fortune. Instead of killing him now, Light planned to meticulously dismantle the man's sanity, weakening him until all his Fortune was drained. Only then would he deliver the final blow.

But Light had a contingency plan: the Fortune Plundering Card. Although he had five of these precious cards, the cost to acquire one was prohibitive, 10,000 Fate points. He'd prefer not to spend such a resource, saving it for more elusive adversaries, against whom conventional tactics might not suffice.

Lost in his strategic thoughts, he wondered who else in the High School DxD plot would be marked as a Chosen of Fortune. Perhaps Genshirou Saji or even Riser Phenex...

But he quickly brushed that line of thought aside, prioritizing the present moment. In his mind, he thought: 'Now's not the time for this. I need to go back, or Himari and Lala will be worried.'

Ignite your reading journey and leap into the future! Join my today and gain access to over 25 chapters before they're released anywhere else! my p-a-tre-on/Fanfinir69 My discord: /zzfx3r6Bmf